Texts such as 'This is that great unborn Self, undecaying, undying' (Bri.
Up. IV, 4, 25), 'By the old age of the body that does not age' (Ch. Up.
VIII, 1, 5), deny of Brahman the properties of non-sentient matter. From
this it follows that the relation of the two can only be that of
distinguishing attribute and thing distinguished, and hence of part and
whole. Brahman distinguished by sentient and non-sentient beings in
their subtle state is the cause; distinguished by the same beings in
their gross state is the effect: the effect thus is non-different from
the cause, and by the knowledge of the causal Brahman the effect is
likewise known. All these tenets are in full mutual agreement. Brahman's
freedom from defects also is preserved; and this and Brahman's being the
abode of all blessed qualities prove that Brahman possesses the 'twofold
characteristics.'--Here terminates the adhikarana of 'the coils of the
snake.'
30. (There is something) higher than that; on account of the
designations of bridge, measure, connexion, and difference.
The Sûtras now proceed to refute an erroneous view based on some
fallacious arguments, viz. that there is a being higher even than the
highest Brahman, the supreme cause, material as well as operative, of
the entire world--a refutation which will confirm the view of Brahman
being free from all imperfections and a treasure as it were of countless
transcendentally exalted qualities.--There is some entity higher than
the Brahman described so far as being the cause of the world and
possessing the twofold characteristics. For the text 'That Self is a
bank (or bridge), a boundary' (Ch. Up. VIII, 4, 1) designates the Self
as a bank or bridge (setu). And the term 'setu' means in ordinary
language that which enables one to reach the other bank of a river; and
from this we conclude that in the Vedic text also there must be meant
something to be reached. The text further says that that bridge is to be
crossed: 'He who has crossed that bridge, if blind,' &c.; this also
indicates that there must be something to be reached by crossing. Other
texts, again, speak of the highest Brahman as something measured, i.e.
limited. 'Brahman has four feet (quarters), sixteen parts.' Such
declarations of Brahman being something limited suggest the existence of
something unlimited to be reached by that bridge. Further there are
texts which declare a connexion of the bridge as that which is a means
towards reaching, and a thing connected with the bridge as that to be
reached: 'the highest bridge of the Immortal' (Svet. Up. VI, 19); 'he is
the bridge of the Immortal' (Mu. Up. II, 2, 5). For this reason also
there is something higher than the Highest.--And other texts again
expressly state that being beyond the Highest to be something different:
'he goes to the divine Person who is higher than the Highest' (Mu. Up.
III, 2, 8); 'by this Person this whole universe is filled; what is
higher than that is without form and without suffering' (Svet. Up. III,
9-10). All this combined shows that there is something higher than the
highest Brahman.--The next Sûtra disposes of this view.