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CHAPTER VI, 10.
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to the Asvattha of golden leaves', there become possessed of wings, and fly away happily. That eternal divine being is perceived by devotees. The upward life-wind swallows up the downward life-wind; the moon swallows up the upward lifewind; the sun swallows up the moon*; and another swallows up the sun. Moving about above the waters, the supreme self • does not raise one leg ?. (Should he raise) that, which is always performing sacrifices", there will be no death, no immortality'. That eternal divine being 10 is perceived by devotees.
'So, literally; Sankara explains golden' to mean beneficial and pleasant,' by a somewhat fanciful derivation of the word hiraxya. He refers to Gitá, p. 111, about the leaves of the Asvaitha. Nilakantha takes the leaves to be son, wife, &c., which are 'golden,' attractive at first sight. 'Coming to the Asvatiha,' San. kara says, ' means being born as a Brahmana,' &c. 'Flying away' = obtaining final emancipation.
"The 'selss' are compared to birds in the famous passage at Mundaka, p. 306 (also Svetåsvatans, p. 337). See also Brihadarunyaka, p. 499.
• Knowledge of whom leads to 'fying away happily.'
• Cr. Khåndogya, p. 441. Sankara says that the author bere explains the yoga by which the Supreme is to be attained. As to the life-winds, cf. Gitâ, p. 61. The moon,' says Sankara, 'means the mind, and the sun the understanding, as they are the respective deities of those organs' (cf. Bribadâranyaka, pp. 521-542, and Aitarey2, p. 187, wbere, bowever, the sun is said to appertain to the eye).
le. the Brahman; the result is, one remains in the condition of being identified with the Brahman.
• Literally, flamingo. Cl. Svetäsvalara, pp. 338, 367; see also p. 389; Maitri, p. 99; and the commentary on Svetåsvatan, p. 283.
* Vix the individual sell, Saokara; that is, as it were, the bond of connexion between the Supreme and the world. Cf. Giu, p. 112.
• This is the meaning, though the word in the original is Ritvig, which in the later literature only means priest.
. As the whole of the material world is dissolved, when ibe self is dissevered from the delusion which is the cause of it.
** Viz. who moves about on the waters, as above stated.
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