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682
VEDÂNTA-SOTRAS.
may, according to one's liking, be cumulated or not; on account of the absence of the former reason.
The last clause means on account of their results not being of an infinite nature. — Here terminates the adhikarana of 'option.'
59. They belong to the constituent members, as the bases.
A doubt arises whether meditations such as the one enjoined in the text, 'Let him meditate on the syllable Om as the Udgîtha,' which are connected with constituent elements of the sacrifice such as the Udgitha, contribute towards the accomplishment of the sacrifice, and hence must be performed at the sacrifice as part of it; or whether they, like the godohana vessel, benefit the agent apart from the sacrifice, and therefore may be undertaken according to desire.--But has it not been already decided under III, 3, 42 that those meditations are generally beneficial to man, and not therefore restricted to the sacrifices ?—True; it is just for the purpose of further confirming that conclusion that objections are now raised against it on the ground of some inferential marks (liäga) and reasoning. For there it was maintained on the strength of the text 'therefore he does both 'that those meditations have results independent of the sacrifice. But there are several reasons favouring the view that those meditations must be connected with the sacrifices as subordinate members, just as the Udgitha and the rest to which the meditations refer.
Their case is by no means analogous to that of the godohana vessel, for, while in the case of the latter, the text expressly declares the existence of a special result, For him who is desirous of cattle he is to bring water in a godohana,' the texts enjoining those meditations do not state special results for them. For clauses such as “he is to meditate on the Udgitha' intimate only that the Udgitha is connected with the meditation; while their connexion with certain results is known from other clauses, such as whatever he does with knowledge, with faith, with the
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