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III ADHYAYA, 3 PÂDA, 19.
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with water. The doubt here arises whether what the texts mean to enjoin is the rinsing of the mouth, or a meditation on prâna as having water for its dress.— The Parvapakshin maintains the former view ; for, he says, the Vågasaneyaka uses the injunctive form he is to rinse,' while there is no injunctive form referring to the meditation ; and what the text says in praise of the breath thus not being allowed to remain naked may be taken as a mere glorification of the act of rinsing. And as ordinary rinsing of the mouth, subsequent to eating, is already established by Smriti and custom, we must conclude that the text means to enjoin. rinsing of the mouth of a different kind, viz. as auxiliary to the meditation on prâna.-To this the Satra replies that what the text enjoins is the new' thing, i.e. the previously non-established meditation on water as forming the dress of präna. On account of the statement of what has to be done,' i.e. on account of the statement of what is not established for only on the latter condition Scripture has a meaning. The beginning as well as the end of the Vågasaneyaka-text clearly refers to a meditation on the water used for rinsing as forming a dress for präna; and as rinsing is already established by Smriti and custom, we naturally infer that what the text enjoins is a meditation on breath as having the water used in rinsing for its dress. This also explains why the Khåndogya-text does not mention the rinsing at all, but merely the clothing of breath with water.—Here terminates the adhikarana of the statement of what has to be done.'
19. And (the qualities) thus being equal, on account of non-difference.
In the book of the Vågasaneyaka, called Agnirahasya, we meet with a meditation on Brahman called Sandilyavidyâ; and there is also a Sandilya-vidya in the Brihadaranyaka. The Porvapakshin holds that these two meditations are different since the latter text mentions qualities-such as Brahman being the lord of all-which are not mentioned in the former; the objects of meditation thus being different, the meditations themselves are different. [48]
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