________________
697
III ADHYAYA, 4 PÂDA, 23.
Texts, as the one referring to the Udgîtha, cannot be mere glorifications; for the fact of the Udgitha being the best of essences is not established by any other means of proof, and the text under discussion cannot therefore be understood as a mere anuvâda, meant for glorification. Nor is there, in proximity, any injunction of the Udgîtha on account of connexion with which the clause declaring the Udgîtha to be the best of all essences could naturally be taken as an anuvâda (glorifying the thing previously enjoined in the injunctive text); while there is such an injunction in connexion with the (anuvâda) text 'The ladle is this earth,' and so on. We thus cannot but arrive at the conclusion that the text is meant to enjoin a meditation on the Udgîtha as being the best of all essences, and so on-the fruit of such meditation being an increase of vigour and efficacy on the part of the sacrifice.
22. And on account of the words denoting becoming.
That the texts under discussion have an injunctive purport also follows from the fact that they contain verbal forms denoting becoming or origination-' he is to meditate and the like; for all such forms have injunctive force. All these texts therefore are meant to enjoin special forms of meditation. Here terminates the adhikarana of 'mere glorification.'
23. Should it be said that (the stories told in the Upanishads) are for the purpose of the Pâriplava; not so, since (certain stories) are specified.
We meet in the Vedânta-texts with certain stories such as 'Pratardana the son of Divodâsa came to the beloved abode of Indra,' &c., and similar ones. The question here arises whether the stories are merely meant to be recited at the Asvamedha sacrifice or to convey knowledge of a special kind.-The Purvapakshin maintains that as the text 'they tell the stories' declares the special connexion of those stories with the so-called pâriplava performance,
Digitized by Google
