Section 1.9 (ninth khaṇḍa) (four texts)

Upaniṣad text:

“What is the essence of this Region?”— “Ākāśa”, he said; all these things in this world are born out of Ākāśa and become dissolved into Ākāśa; Ākāśa indeed is greater than these; Ākāśa is the ultimate substratum.”—(1)

Commentary (Śaṅkara Bhāṣya):

“What is the essence of this Region?”—“Ākāśa”—said Pravāhaṇa. “Ākāśa” here stands for the Supreme Self; as the Vedic Text says—‘Ākāśa by name’; as the producing of all things is the function of that Self, all things become dissolved into that Self. The Text itself is going to declare later on that “It created Light... The Light becomes dissolved into the Supreme Deity’—All these things in this World,—animate as well as inanimate, mobile and immobile—are produced out of Ākāśa,—in a regulated order of Light, Food and so forth, in accordance with the capacity of things;—they become dissolved into Ākāśa, at the time of Universal Dissolution,—in the reverse order;—because Ākāśa indeed is greater than these—superior, larger, than all things; and for that reason, it is the ‘param’—‘ultimate’—‘ayanam’—‘substratum’, basis, support, at all three points of time.—(1)

Upaniṣad text:

This is the highest and best Udgītha; this is endless. One who, knowing this, meditates upon the highest and best Udgītha,—to him comes the highest and best, and he wins the highest and best regions.—(2)

Commentary (Śaṅkara Bhāṣya):

Because the Udgītha is higher than the high and better than the good,—i.e. highest and best—therefore it has become the Supreme Self,—such is the meaning of the text.—And because it is so, therefore it is endless,—has no end.—One who, knowing it, as the highest and best, the Supreme Self, the endless,—meditates upon the highest and best Udgītha,—to him accrues the reward which the following text describes: To him comes the highest and best,—i.e. the life of such a knowing person becomes highest and best,—higher and higher and better and better; this is the perceptible (physical) reward; the imperceptible reward is that he wins higher and higher and better and better regions, culminating in the Region of Brahma, Ākāśa;.—all this comes to one who, knowing this, meditates upon the Udgītha.—(2)

Upaniṣad text:

Atidhanvā Śaunaka, having taught this to Udara-Śāṇḍilya, said to him—“As long as, among your offsprings, they will know the Udgītha, so long will their life be higher and better than these ordinary lives.” (3)

Commentary (Śaṅkara Bhāṣya):

Further, knowing the Udgītha as described above, Atidhanvā by name,—the son of Śunaka,—having taught this science of Udgītha to his pupil, Udara-Śāṇḍilya, said to him—“As long as among your offsprings—in the line of your decendants,—persons born in your family will know this Udgītha,—so long will their life be higher and better— more arid more excellent—than these well known ordinary lives.”—(3)

Upaniṣad text:

“So also in that other region,—in that region.”—He who, knowing this, meditates; his life in this world becomes highest and best, and so also in that other world,—yea, in that world.—(4)

Commentary (Śaṅkara Bhāṣya):

“Similarly, in the other super-physical world also,—one would become highest and best;”—thus did Atidhanvā Śaunaka say to Śāṇḍilya.—People might entertain the notion that “though such rewards might have accrued to the blessed ancients, they cannot be possible for men of the present age”; the rest of the text proceeds to set aside this notion in the next sentence: He who,—whoever he be—knowing this, meditates—upon the Udgītha, in the manner described,—for him also life in this world becomes highest and best; and so also in that other world,—yea, in that other world.—(4)

End of Section (9) of Discourse I.