________________
646
VEDÂNTA-SOTRAS.
mentary to statements of obtaining; as in the case of the kusas, the metres, the praise, and the singing. This has been explained.
The Khandogas read in their text.Shaking off all evil as a horse shakes his hair, and shaking off the body as the moon frees herself from the mouth of Råhu, I obtain the world of Brahman' (Kh. Up. VIII, 13). The Atharvanikas have 'He who knows, shaking off good and evil, free from passion, reaches the highest oneness.' The Satyayanins have. His sons obtain his inheritance, his friends the good, his enemies the evil he has done.' The Kaushitakins. He shakes off his good and his evil deeds. His beloved relatives obtain the good, his unbeloved relatives the evil he has done.' Two of these texts mention only the shaking off, on the part of him who knows, of his good and evil works; one mentions only the obtainment of these works, on the part of friends and enemies; and one mentions both these occurrences.Now both the occurrences, although mentioned in several meditations, must be considered elements of all meditations : for whoever, on the basis of a knowledge of Brahman, reaches Brahman, necessarily leaves behind all his good and evil works, and those works unless thus left behind cannot be obtained by others. Meditation on those two matters therefore enters as an element into all meditations. The doubtful point, however, is whether there is option between the meditation on the abandonment of works, and that on the obtainment of works by others, and that on both these events; or whether in each case all these meditations are to be combined. There is option, the Purvapakshin holds; for the reason that the texts make different declarations on this point. For, if the meditations had to be combined, there would be in each case meditation on both the matters mentioned; and as such double meditation is established by the Kaushitakin text, it would follow that the statements of the other texts are without meaning. Thus the only motive for the declarations made in different places can be to allow option. Nor must this conclusion be controverted on the ground that declarations of the same
Digitized by
Digitized by Google
