The text in question declares that the released individual soul when
reaching the highest light, i.e. Brahman, which is free from all sin,
and so on, attains its true nature, which is characterised by similar
freedom from sin, and so on. Now this reference to the individual soul,
as described in the teaching of Prajâpati, has the purpose of giving
instruction (not about the qualities of the individual soul, but) about
the nature of that which is the cause of the qualities of the individual
soul, i.e. the qualities specially belonging to the supreme Person. The
reason why, in the section containing the teaching of Prajâpati,
information is given as to the true nature of the released individual
soul is that such knowledge assists the doctrine referring to the small
ether. For the individual Self which wishes to reach Brahman must know
his own true nature also, so as to realise that he, as being himself
endowed with auspicious qualities, will finally arrive at an intuition
of the highest Brahman, which is a mass of auspicious qualities raised
to the highest degree of excellence. The cognition of the soul's own
true nature is itself comprised in the result of the meditation on
Brahman, and the results which are proclaimed in the teaching of
Prajâpati ('He obtains all worlds and all wishes'; 'He moves about there
laughing,' &c.) thus really are results of the knowledge of the small
ether.
20. If it be said, owing to the scriptural declaration of smallness;
that has been explained.
The text describes the ether within the heart as being of small compass,
and this agrees indeed with the individual soul which elsewhere is
compared to the point of an awl, but not with Brahman, which is greater
than everything.--The reply to this objection has virtually been given
before, viz. under I, 2, 7, where it is said that Brahman may be viewed
as of small size, for the purpose of devout meditation.
It thus remains a settled conclusion that the small ether is none other
but the highest Person who is untouched by even a shadow of imperfection,
and is an ocean of infinite, supremely exalted, qualities--knowledge,
strength, lordly power, &c. The being, on the other hand, which in the
teaching of Prajâpati is described as first having a body due to karman--
as we see from passages such as 'they strike it as it were, they cut it
as it were'--and as afterwards approaching the highest light, and then
manifesting its essential qualities, viz. freedom from sin, &c., is the
individual soul; not the small ether (or Brahman).
The next Sûtra supplies a further reason for this conclusion.