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VEDÂNTA-SÛTRAS..
auspicious attributes, and to be meditated upon as abiding within the eye, and about the way leading to Brahman.It is thus a settled conclusion that the text under discussion refers to that Brahman which was introduced in the passage
Ka is Brahman,' and that hence the Person abiding within the eye is the highest Self.
But-an objection is raised-how do you know that the passage “Ka (pleasure) is Brahman, Kha (ether) is Brahman' really refers to the highest Brahman, so as to be able to interpret on that basis the text about the Person within the eye? It is a more obvious interpretation to take the passage about Ka and Kha as enjoining a meditation on Brahman viewed under the form of elemental ether and of ordinary worldly pleasure. This interpretation would, moreover, be in agreement with other similarly worded texts (which are generally understood to enjoin meditation on Brahman in a definite form), such as 'Name is Brahman,' Mind is Brahman.'
16. For that very reason that (ether) is Brahman.
Because the clause 'What is Ka the same is Kha' speaks of ether as characterised by pleasure, the ether which is denoted by Kha' is no other than the highest Brahman. To explain. On the Fires declaring 'Breath is Brahman, Ka is Brahman, Kha is Brahman,' Upakosala says, 'I understand that breath is Brahman, but I do not understand Ka and Kha.' The meaning of this is as follows. The Fires cannot speak of meditation on Brahman under the form of breath and so on, because they are engaged in giving instruction to me, who am afraid of birth, old age, death, &c., and desirous of final Release. What they declare to me therefore is meditation on Brahman itself. Now here Brahman is exhibited in co-ordination with certain well-known things, breath and so on. That Brahman should be qualified by co-ordination with breath is suitable, either from the point of view of Brahman having the attribute of supporting the world, or on account of Brahman being the ruler of breath, which stands to it in the relation of a body. Hence Upakosala says, 'I understand that
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