The Sûtras now go on to determine the road which the soul of the wise
man follows, after having--assisted by the Person within the heart--
passed out of the body by way of one particular artery. Now of that road
various accounts are given in Scripture. There is a detailed account in
the Chândogya. (IV, 15), 'now whether people perform obsequies for him
or not,' &c. Another account is given in the eighth book of the same
Upanishad, 'then he moves upwards by those very rays' (VIII, 6, 5).
The Kaushîtakins again give a different account: 'He having reached the
path of the Gods comes to the world of Agni,' &c. (Kau. Up. I, 3).
Different again in the Brihad-âranyaka: 'Those who thus know this and
those who in the forest meditate on faith and the True,' &c. (Bri. Up.
VI, 2, 15). The same Upanishad, in another place (V, 10), gives a
different account: 'When the person goes away from this world he comes
to the wind,' &c.--A doubt here arises whether all these texts mean to
give instruction as to one and the same road--the first stage of which
is light--having to be followed by the soul of the wise man; or whether
they describe different roads on any of which the soul may proceed.--The
Pûrvapakshin holds the latter view; for he says the roads described
differ in nature and are independent one of the other.--This view the
Sûtra disposes of. All texts mean one and the same road only, viz. the
one beginning with light, and the souls proceed on that road only. For
that road is known, i.e. is recognised in all the various descriptions,
although it is, in different texts, described with more or less fulness.
We therefore have to proceed here as in the case of the details (guna)
which are mentioned in different meditations referring to one and the
same object, i.e. we have to combine the details mentioned in different
places into one whole. The two Châandogya-texts--the one in the
Upakosalavidyâ and the one in the Vidyâ of the five fires--describe
exactly the same road. And in the Vidyâ of the five fires as given in
the Brihad-âranyaka the same road, beginning with light, is also
described, although there are differences in minor points; we therefore
recognise the road described in the Chândogya. And in the other texts
also we everywhere recognise the divinities of certain stages of the
road, Agni, Âditya, and so on.--Here terminates the adhikarana of 'that
which begins with light.'
2. From the year to Vâyu; on account of non-specification and
specification.
In their description of the path beginning with light the Chandogas
mention the year between the months and the sun, 'from the months to the
year, from the year to the sun' (Ch. Up. V, 10, 1); while the
Vâjasaneyins mention, in that very place, the world of the Gods,'from
the months to the world of the Gods, from the world of the Gods to the
sun' (Bri. Up. VI, 2. 15). Now, as the two paths are identical, we have
to supplement each by the additional item given in the other (and the
question then arises whether the order of the stages be 1. months, 2.
year, 3. world of the Gods, 4. sun; or 1. months, 2. world of the Gods,
3. year, 4. sun). The year and the world of the Gods are equally
entitled--to the place after the months in so far as textual declaration
goes; for both texts say 'from the months.' But we observe that the
advance is throughout from the shorter periods of time to the longer
ones ('from the day to the bright fortnight, from the bright fortnight
to the six months of the northern progress'), and as therefore the year
naturally presents itself to the mind immediately after the six months,
we decide that the order is--months, year, world of the Gods, sun.--In
another place (Bri. Up. V, 10) the Vâjasaneyins mention the wind as the
stage preceding the sun ('the wind makes room for him--he mounts upwards;
he comes to the sun'). The Kaushîtakins, on the other hand, place the
world of the wind subsequent to light, referred to by them as the world
of Agni ('Having entered on the path of the Gods he comes to the world
of Agni, to the world of the wind,' &c., Kau. Up. I, 3). Now in this
latter text the fact of the world of the wind following upon light is to
be inferred only from the succession of the clauses ('to the world of
Agni'--'to the world of the wind'), while the 'upwards' in the text of
the Vâjasaneyins is a direct statement of succession given by the text
itself; and as this latter order of succession has greater force than
the former, we have to place, in the series of stages, the world of Vâyu
directly before the world of the sun. But above we have determined that
the same place (after the year and before the sun) has to be assigned to
the world of the Gods also; and hence a doubt arises whether the world
of the Gods and Vâyu are two different things--the soul of the wise man
passing by them in optional succession--or one and the same thing--the
soul coming, after the year, to Vâyu who is the world of the Gods.--They
are different things, the Pûrvapakshin says; for they are generally
known to be so. And there are definite indications in the text that the
world of the Gods as well as Vâyu is to be placed immediately before the
sun--this being indicated for Vâyu by the 'upwards' referred to above,
and for the world of the Gods by the ablative case (devalokât) in the
Chând. text, 'from the world of the Gods he goes to the sun'--and as
thus there is no difference between the two, we conclude that the soul
passes by them in either order it may choose.--This view the Sûtra
negatives: 'From the year to Vâyu.' The soul, having departed from the
year, comes to Vâyu. This is proved 'by non-specification and
specification.' For the term 'the world of the Gods' is a term of
general meaning, and hence can denote Vâyu in so far as being the world
of the Gods; while on the other hand the term Vâyu specifically denotes
that divine being only. The Kaushîtakins speak of 'the world of Vâyu';
but this only means 'Vâyu who at the same time is a world.' That Vâyu
may be viewed as the world of the Gods is confirmed by another
scriptural passage, viz. 'he who blows (Vâyu) is the houses of the Gods.
'--Here terminates the adhikarana of 'Vâyu.'