Brahma Sutras (Shankaracharya)
by George Thibaut | 1890 | 203,611 words
English translation of the Brahma sutras (aka. Vedanta Sutras) with commentary by Shankaracharya (Shankara Bhashya): One of the three canonical texts of the Vedanta school of Hindu philosophy. The Brahma sutra is the exposition of the philosophy of the Upanishads. It is an attempt to systematise the various strands of the Upanishads which form the ...
IV, 4, 21
21. And on account of the indications of equality of enjoyment only.
The lordly power of those who take their stand on the effected Brahman is not absolute, for that reason also that scripture teaches that their enjoyment only is equal to that of the eternally perfect Lord. For scripture contains statements and indications of the difference (of the Lord and the released soul); compare 'To him he says, Water indeed is enjoyed[1] (by me); that world (is to be enjoyed by thee also)' (Kau. Up. I, 7); 'As all beings honour that deity, so do all beings honour him who knows that' (Bṛ. Up. I, 5, 20); 'He obtains through it equality (in body) and sameness of abode with that deity' (Bṛ. Up. I, 5, 23). But from the circumstance of the lordly power of the released souls not being absolute it follows that it comes to an end, and then they will have to return from the world of Brahman!--To this objection the reverend Bādarāyaṇa replies in the following Sūtra.
Footnotes and references:
[1]:
All the commentators explain the reading 'mîyante.'--Ān. Gi. says--taṃ brahmalokagatam upāsakaṃ hiraṇyagarbhaḥ svasamīpam upāgataṃ sānunayam āha mayā khalvāpa evāmṛtamayyo mīyante dṛśyante bhugyante tavāpy asāv amṛarūpodakalakṣaṇo loko bhogyo yathāsukhaṃ bhugyatām.