Book Title: Satapatha Bramhana Part 05
Author(s): Julius Eggeling
Publisher: Oxford

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Page 1947
________________ IV ADHYAYA, 2 PÂDA, 17. 739 different souls, but) merely refers in an informal way to what is already settled (viz. by the reason of the thing), i.e. the casual departure of any soul by any artery.-This view the Sutra rejects By way of the hundred and first.' The soul of him who possesses true knowledge departs only by. way of the hundred and first artery in the crown of the head. Nor is that soul unable to distinguish that particular artery. For, through the power of his supremely clear know: ledge which has the effect of pleasing the Supreme Person, and through the application of remembrance of the waywhich remembrance is a part of that knowledge-the soul of him who knows wins the favour of the Supreme Person who abides within the heart, and is assisted by him. Owing to this the abode of that, i. e. the heart which is the abode of the soul, is illuminated, lit up at its tip, and thus, through the grace of the Supreme Soul, the individual soul has the door (of egress from the body) lit up and is able to recognise that artery. There is thus no objection to the view that the soul of him who knows passes out by way of that particular artery only.-Here terminates the adhikarana of the abode of that.' 17. Following the rays. Scripture teaches that the soul of him who knows, after having passed forth from the heart by way of the hundred and first artery, follows the rays of the sun and thus reaches the disc of the sun : 'when he departs from this body he goes upwards by these rays only' (eva) (Kh. Up. VIII, 6, 5). The idea here suggests itself that the going of the soul cannot be exclusively bound to those rays, since when a man dies during the night it cannot follow the rays of the sun. Hence the text quoted above can refer only to a part of the actual cases.-This view the Sûtra rejects. The soul moves upwards, following the rays only; the text expressly asserting this by means of the 'eva'-which would be out of place were there any alternative. Nor is there any strength in the argument that the soul of him who dies at night cannot follow the rays as there are none. For in summer the experience of heat at night-time shows 3 B 2 • Digitized by Google

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