These (fire and the rest together with the senses) merge in the highest; because the Shruti declares it to be so. — 515.

SUTRA IV. 2. 15.

 

तानि परे तथा ह्याह॥४.२.१५॥

tāni pare tathā hyāha ..4.2.15..

 

.. Tani, those (the Tejas, and the speech, etc., denoted by thorn). … Pare, in the highest Brahman, .. Tatha, thus, … Hi, because. … Aha, says.

 

15. These (fire and the rest together with the senses) merge in the highest; because the Shruti declares it to be so. — 515.

 

COMMENTARY

 

In the Chhandogya Upanishad (VI, 8. 6) is said «Tejah parasyam devetayam», the Tejas in the highest divinity. The word Tejas here includes all the sense-organs, like speech and the rest, together with the Pranas. These merge in Brahman who is the Atman of all. Because he is the material cause of everything. Why do we say so? Because the above Chhandogya text «Tejah parasyam», is a very distinct declaration that the Tejas and the Pranas with the senses and their vehicles merge in the highest.

As regard the Brihadaranyaka text (III., 2. 13) it is to be explained in a metaphorical sense, as has already been mentioned by the author in Sutra III., 1. 40. For, as a matter of fact, no one ever sees the hairs of the body entering into the shrubs or the hairs of the head entering into the trees. The whole of the above Brihadaranyaka passage is a figurative statement.

Adhikarana VII — The merging in the Supreme

of the permanent atoms is by way of non-separation

as rivers merge into the ocean

 

Now the author raises another doubt regarding the same topic.

Doubt: There has been mentioned before that the Prana and other life-elements of the sage merge in the Supreme Self. Is that merging, a combination by juxtaposition, as in the preceding instances of the merging of speech in mind, etc; or is it a merging by unity of nature, as in the case of the rivers flowing into the sea (Mund., III, 2. 8). In other words, do these permanent atoms retain their specific characters when they merge in the Supreme Self or do they become resolved into a homogeneous mass, with the Root of Matter, which constitutes the Achit-Shakti of Brahman.

Purvapaksha: The Purvapakshin maintains that these permanent atoms retain their specific characters, even when they are merged in Brahman: and that for two reasons, first, because this is in harmony with the preceding cases of merging. When the permanent atoms of speech, sight, hearing, etc., enter Manas, they do not lose their specific nature; similarly, when the mental atom, in company with the five other atoms of speech, etc., merges in Prana, it retains its separate nature, why should then Prana and the rest when they enter into the Supreme Self, (or rather into that aspect of Brahman which is the Achit-Shakti) lose their identities? Secondly, there is no specific statement in the Shruti that they lose their identity. Therefore it is a merging by way of combination and not identity.

Siddhanta: This view is refuted in the next Sutra.