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VEDÂNTA-SÜTRAS.
means of proceeding on the path of the gods, and for this reason the Brihad-aranyaka (of him the pränas do not pass forth ') explicitly declares that the prânas do not depart from the soul of him who knows, before that soul proceeding on the path of the gods aftains to union with Brahman.
The same line of refutation would have to be applied to the arguments founded by our opponent on the question of Årtabhåga, if that question be viewed as referring to him who possesses true knowledge. The fact however is that that passage refers to him who does not possess that knowledge ; for none of the questions and answers of which the section consists favours the presumption of the knowledge of Brahman being under discussion. The matters touched upon in those questions and answers are the nature of the senses and sense objects viewed as graha and atigraha ; water being the food of fire; the non-separation of the prânas from the soul at the time of death; the continuance of the fame-there called name of the dead man; and the attainment, on the part of the soul of the departed, to conditions of existence corresponding to his good or evil deeds. The passage immediately preceding the one referring to the non-departure of the pränas merely means that death is conquered in so far as it is a fire and fire is the food of water; this has nothing to do with the owner of true knowledge. The statement that the prânas of the ordinary man who does not possess true knowledge do not depart means that at the time of death the pränas do not, like the gross body, abandon the giva, but cling to it like the subtle body and accompany it.
13. Smriti also declares this. Smriti also declares that the soul of him who knows departs by means of an artery of the head. Of those, one is situated above which pierces the disc of the sun and passes beyond the world of Brahman; by way of that the soul reaches the highest goal' (Yågñ. Smri. III, 167).- Here terminates the adhikarana of up to the beginning of the road.'
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