This and the two remaining pâdas of the fourth adhyâya describe the fate
of the vidvân after death. According to /S/a@nkara we have to
distinguish the vidvân who possesses the highest knowledge, viz. that he
is one with the highest Brahman, and the vidvân who knows only the lower
Brahman, and have to refer certain Sûtras to the former and others to
the latter. According to Râmânuja the vidvân is one only.
Adhik. I, II, III (1-6).--On the death of the vidvân (i.e. of him who
possesses the lower knowledge, according to /S/a@nkara) his senses are
merged in the manas, the manas in the chief vital air (prâ/n/a), the
vital air in the individual soul (jîva), the soul in the subtle
elements.--According to Râmânuja the combination (sampatti) of the
senses with the manas, &c. is a mere conjunction (sa/m/yoga), not a
merging (laya).
Adhik. IV (7).--The vidvân (i.e. according to /S/a@nkara, he who
possesses the lower knowledge) and the avidvân, i.e. he who does not
possess any knowledge of Brahman, pass through the same stages (i.e.
those described hitherto) up to the entrance of the soul, together with
the subtle elements, and so on into the nâ/d/îs.--The vidvân also
remains connected with the subtle elements because he has not yet
completely destroyed avidyâ, so that the immortality which Scripture
ascribes to him (am/ri/tatva/m/ hi vidvân abhya/s/nute) is only a
relative one.--Râmânuja quotes the following text regarding the
immortality of the vidvân:
'Yadâ sarve pramu/k/yante kâmâ yessya h/ri/di sthitâ/h/ atha
martyosm/ri/to bhavaty atra brahma sama/s/nute,'
and explains that the immortality which is here ascribed to the vidvân
as soon as he abandons all desires can only mean the
destruction--mentioned in the preceding pâda--of all the effects of good
and evil works, while the 'reaching of Brahman' can only refer to the
intuition of Brahman vouchsafed to the meditating devotee.
Adhik. V (8-11) raises; according to /S/a@nkara, the question whether
the subtle elements of which Scripture says that they are combined with
the highest deity (teja/h/ parasyâ/m/ devatâyâm) are completely merged
in the latter or not. The answer is that a complete absorption of the
elements takes place only when final emancipation is reached; that, on
the other hand, as long as the sa/m/sâra state lasts, the elements,
although somehow combined with Brahman, remain distinct so as to be able
to form new bodies for the soul.
According to Râmânuja the Sûtras 8-11 do not constitute a new
adhikara/n/a, but continue the discussion of the point mooted in 7. The
immortality there spoken of does not imply the separation of the soul
from the body, 'because Scripture declares sa/m/sâra, i.e. embodiedness
up to the reaching of Brahman' (tasya tâvad eva /k/ira/m/ yâvan na
vimokshye atha sampatsye) (8).--That the soul after having departed from
the gross body is not disconnected from the subtle elements, is also
proved hereby, that the subtle body accompanies it, as is observed from
authority[20] (9).--Hence the immortality referred to in the scriptural
passage quoted is not effected by means of the total destruction of the
body (10).
Adhik. VI (12-14) is of special importance.--According to /S/a@nkara the
Sûtras now turn from the discussion of the departure of him who
possesses the lower knowledge only to the consideration of what becomes
of him who has reached the higher knowledge. So far it has been taught
that in the case of relative immortality (ensuing on the apara vidyâ)
the subtle elements, together with the senses and so on, depart from the
body of the dying devotee; this implies at the same time that they do
not depart from the body of the dying sage who knows himself to be one
with Brahman.--Against this latter implied doctrine Sûtra 12 is supposed
to formulate an objection. 'If it be said that the departure of the
prâ/n/as from the body of the dying sage is denied (viz. in B/ri/. Up.
IV, 4, 5, na tasya prâ/n/a utkrâmanti, of him the prâ/n/as do not pass
out); we reply that in that passage the genitive "tasya" has the sense
of the ablative "tasmât," so that the sense of the passage is, "from
him, i.e. from the jîva of the dying sage, the prâ/n/as do not depart,
but remain with it."'--This objection /S/a@nkara supposes to be disposed
of in Sûtra 13. 'By some there is given a clear denial of the departure
of the prâ/n/as in the case of the dying sage,' viz. in the passage
B/ri/. Up. III, 2, 11, where Yâj/ñ/avalkya instructs Ârtabhâga that,
when this man dies, the prâ/n/as do not depart from it (asmât; the
context showing that asmât means 'from it,' viz. from the body, and not
'from him,' viz. the jîva).--The same view is, moreover, confirmed by
Sm/ri/ti passages.
According to Râmânuja the three Sûtras forming /S/a@nkara's sixth
adhikara/n/a do not constitute a new adhikara/n/a at all, and, moreover,
have to be combined into two Sûtras. The topic continuing to be
discussed is the utkrânti of the vidvân. If, Sûtra 12 says, the utkrânti
of the prâ/n/as is not admitted, on the ground of the denial supposed to
be contained in B/ri/. Up. IV, 4, 5; the reply is that the sense of the
tasya there is '/s/ârîrât' (so that the passage means, 'from him, i.e.
the jîva, the prâ/n/as do not depart'); for this is clearly shown by the
reading of some, viz. the Mâdhyandinas, who, in their text of the
passage, do not read 'tasya' but 'tasmât.'--With reference to the
instruction given by Yâj/ñ/avalkya to Ârtabhâga, it is to be remarked
that nothing there shows the 'ayam purusha' to be the sage who knows
Brahman.--And, finally, there are Sm/ri/ti passages declaring that the
sage also when dying departs from the body.
Adhik. VII and VIII (15, 16) teach, according to /S/a@nkara, that, on
the death of him who possesses the higher knowledge, his prâ/n/as,
elements, &c. are merged in Brahman, so as to be no longer distinct from
it in any way.
According to Râmânuja the two Sûtras continue the teaching about the
prâ/n/as, bhûtas, &c. of the vidvân in general, and declare that they
are finally merged in Brahman, not merely in the way of conjunction
(sa/m/yoga), but completely.[21]
Adhik. IX (17).--/S/a@nkara here returns to the owner of the aparâ
vidyâ, while Râmânuja continues the description of the utkrânti of his
vidvân.--The jîva of the dying man passes into the heart, and thence
departs out of the body by means of the ná/d/is; the vidvân by means of
the nâ/d/i called sushum/n/â, the avidvân by means of some other nâ/d/î.
Adhik. X (18, 19).--The departing soul passes up to the sun by means of
a ray of light which exists at night as well as during day.
Adhik. XI (20, 21).--Also that vidvân who dies during the dakshi/n/âyana
reaches Brahman.