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488
LAWS OF MANU.
XII, 18.
18. He, having suffered for his faults, which are produced by attachment to sensual objects, and which result in misery, approaches, free from stains, those two mighty ones.
the elements;' the meaning is, they remain being united with them.' Nand.'s explanation is more intelligible. According to him the translation must be as follows: (The individual souls) having suffered by means of that body the torments of Yama, are dissolved (on the termination of their sufferings, as far as that body is concerned), in those very (five) elements according to the proportion of their works' (vibhagasas tatkarmavibhaganurupam). But it seems to me that these attempts to save the grammatical reputation of the author are useless.
18. The translation follows the reading of Gov. (comm.), Kull., Nand., and Râgh., anubhdyâsukhodarkân. Medh., Gov. (text), and K. read anubhūya sukhodarkân,'(after the expiation) of which happiness is the result' (Medh.). He,'i.e. the individual soul' (kshetragña, Medh., Gov., Nand.), or the individual soul limited by the subtile body' (Kull., Râgh.), refers according to Når. to 'the Great One' (Mahân). Those two mighty ones,' i. e. 'the Great One and the Supreme Soul' (Medh. 'others,' Gov., Kull.), are according to Medh. and Râgh. 'the Great One and the Kshetragía' (mentioned verse 14), according to Nâr. and Nand. (on verse 19) 'the Giva and the Paramâtman or Supreme Soul.' Medh. adds that under his explanation the verse looks as if it were self-contradictory, because the end to be attained and the attainer are the same, but that the distinction is merely figurative. For the expression 'he approaches' means 'he becomes nothing else but that' i.e. after the dissolution of the body, assumed in order to suffer the punishments, he remains purely Kshetragña and Mahân). His words are, atah kshetragñam abhyetîti praptam tak ka viruddham sa eva prâpya[h] prâpakas ka satyam aupakâriko bhedo 'bhipretah I abhyetîty ayam arthah I etávanmâtrasesho bhavati yad uta kshetragñatayâ prâptâdisamghâtmakena mahân iti vyapadishtena phaleshu tâvanmâtrah parisishyate I lingagîvas ka kshetragñah Râgh., the only other commentator, who occupies himself with the ulterior meaning of the verse, renders abhyeti,'he approaches,' by anugakkhati, 'he follows,' and adds 'in order to produce a new body (sarîrântarârambhaya). He further quotes Satapatha-brâhmana XIV, 7, 2,5, in order to show that according to the Veda the individual soul, united with the subtile body, makes for itself another body.
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