Abiding within the eye, ruling the eye, and so on are predicated by
scripture of the highest Self only, viz. in Bri. Up. III, 7, 18, 'He who
dwells within the eye, who rules the eye within.' We therefore recognise
that highest Self in the text, 'That Person which is seen within the eye.'
The argument founded on reference to 'something well known' thus suits
the highest Self very well; and also the clause which denotes immediate
perception ('is seen') appears quite suitable, since the highest Self is
directly intuited by persons practising mystic concentration of mind
(Yoga).
15. And on account of the text referring only to what is characterised
by pleasure.
The Person abiding within the eye is the highest Person, for the
following reason also. The topic of the whole section is Brahman
characterised by delight, as indicated in the passage 'Ka (pleasure) is
Brahman, Kha (ether) is Brahman' (Ch. Up. IV,10, 5). To that same Brahman
the passage under discussion ('The Person that is seen in the eye')
refers for the purpose of enjoining first a place with which Brahman is
to be connected in meditation, and secondly some special qualities--such
as comprising and leading all blessings--to be attributed to Brahman in
meditation.--The word 'only' in the Sûtra indicates the independence of
the argument set forth.
But--an objection is raised--between the Brahman introduced in the
passage 'Ka is Brahman,'&c., and the text under discussion there
intervenes the vidyâ of the Fires (Ch. Up. IV, 11-13), and hence Brahman
does not readily connect itself with our passage. For the text says that
after the Fires had taught Upakosala the knowledge of Brahman ('Breath
is Brahman, Ka is Brahman,' &c.), they taught him a meditation on
themselves ('After that the Gârhapatya fire taught him,' &c., Ch. Up.
IV, 11, 1). And this knowledge of the Fires cannot be considered a mere
subordinate part of the knowledge of Brahman, for the text declares that
it has special fruits of its own--viz. the attainment of a ripe old age
and prosperous descendants, &c.--which are not comprised in the results
of the knowledge of Brahman, but rather opposed to them in nature.--To
this we make the following reply. As both passages (viz. IV, 10, 5,
'Breath is Brahman,' &c.; and IV, 15, 1, 'this is Brahman') contain the
word Brahman, and as from the words of the Fires, 'the teacher will tell
you the way,' it follows that the knowledge of Brahman is not complete
before that way has been taught, we determine that the knowledge of the
Fires which stands between the two sections of the knowledge of Brahman
is a mere subordinate member of the latter. This also appears from the
fact that the Gârhapatya fire begins to instruct Upakosala only after he
has been introduced into the knowledge of Brahman. Upakosala moreover
complains that he is full of sorrows (I, 10, 3), and thus shows himself
to be conscious of all the sufferings incidental to human life-birth,
old age, death, &c.--which result from man being troubled by manifold
desires for objects other than the attainment of Brahman; when therefore
the Fires conclude their instruction by combining in saying, 'This, O
friend, is the knowledge of us and the knowledge of the Self which we
impart to thee,' it is evident that the vidyâ of the Fires has to be
taken as a subordinate member of the knowledge of the Self whose only
fruit is Release. And from this it follows that the statement of the
results of the Agnividyâ has to be taken (not as an injunction of
results-phalavidhi--but) merely as an arthavâda (cp. Pû. Mî. Sû. IV, 3,
1). It, moreover, is by no means true that the text mentions such fruits
of the Agnividyâ as would be opposed to final Release; all the fruits
mentioned suit very well the case of a person qualified for Release. 'He
destroys sin' (Ch. Up. IV, 11, 2; 12, 2; 13, 2), i.e. he destroys all
evil works standing in the way of the attainment of Brahman. 'He obtains
the world,' i. e. all impeding evil works having been destroyed he
obtains the world of Brahman. 'He reaches his full age,' i.e. he fully
reaches that age which is required for the completion of meditation on
Brahman. 'He lives long,' i.e. he lives unassailed by afflictions until
he reaches Brahman. 'His descendants do not perish,' i.e. his pupils,
and their pupils, as well as his sons, grandsons, &c., do not perish; i.
e. they are all knowers of Brahman, in agreement with what another text
declares to be the reward of knowledge of Brahman--'In his family no one
is born ignorant of Brahman' (Mu. Up. III, 2, 9). 'We guard him in this
world and the other,' i.e. we Fires guard him from all troubles until he
reaches Brahman.--The Agnividyâ thus being a member of the Brahmavidyâ,
there is no reason why the Brahman introduced in the earlier part of the
Brahmavidyâ should not be connected with the latter part--the function
of this latter part being to enjoin a place of meditation (Brahman being
meditated on as the Person within the eye), and some special qualities
of Brahman to be included in the meditation.--But (an objection is
raised) as the Fires tell Upakosala 'the teacher will tell you the way,'
we conclude that the teacher has to give information as to the way to
Brahman only; how then can his teaching refer to the place of meditation
and the special qualities of Brahman?--We have to consider, we reply, in
what connexion the Fires address those words to Upakosala. His teacher
having gone on a journey without having imparted to him the knowledge of
Brahman, and Upakosala being dejected on that account, the sacred fires
of his teacher, well pleased with the way in which Upakosala had tended
them, and wishing to cheer him up, impart to him the general knowledge
of the nature of Brahman and the subsidiary knowledge of the Fires. But
remembering that, as scripture says, 'the knowledge acquired from a
teacher is best,' and hence considering it advisable that the teacher
himself should instruct Upakosala as to the attributes of the highest
Brahman, the place with which it is to be connected in meditation and
the way leading to it, they tell him 'the teacher will tell you the way,'
the 'way' connoting everything that remains to be taught by the
teacher. In agreement herewith the teacher--having first said, 'I will
tell you this; and as water does not cling to a lotus leaf, so no evil
clings to one who knows it'--instructs him about Brahman as possessing
certain auspicious attributes, and to be meditated upon as abiding
within the eye, and about the way leading to Brahman.--It is thus a
settled conclusion that the text under discussion refers to that Brahman
which was introduced in the passage 'Ka is Brahman,' and that hence the
Person abiding within the eye is the highest Self.
But--an objection is raised--how do you know that the passage 'Ka
(pleasure) is Brahman, Kha (ether) is Brahman' really refers to the
highest Brahman, so as to be able to interpret on that basis the text
about the Person within the eye? It is a more obvious interpretation to
take the passage about Ka and Kha as enjoining a meditation on Brahman
viewed under the form of elemental ether and of ordinary worldly
pleasure. This interpretation would, moreover, be in agreement with
other similarly worded texts (which are generally understood to enjoin
meditation on Brahman in a definite form), such as 'Name is Brahman',
'Mind is Brahman.'