2023-03-01 15:21:38 by ambuda-bot
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XV
66
Dr. Thibaut's first argument in his discus-
sion of the Sutras turns upon a technical question
of some importance. It may be summed up as
follows: The last three padas of the fourth
Adhyaya refer throughout to one subject only,
viz., the successive steps by which the soul of
him who knows the Lord reaches the world of
Brahma and lives there without returning to the
cycle of rebirths. Also, the last sutra of the
last pada of the last Adhyaya—":
NADĀ: Tra""(Of them there is) no re-
turning according to the Word, No returning,
according to the Word" contains the upasamhara
or conclusion of the whole work and it must be
regarded as describing the lasting condition of
those who have finally gained freedom from
samsara. This apriori impression Sankara
denies and regards the three padas (with the
exception of two adhikaranas) as describing the
fate of him who has lower knowledge. He also
regards the concluding Sutra above quoted as
only describing a stage on the road to mukti,-
a stage belonging to the fictitious samsara and
infinitely below the bliss of liberation. It is
strange, however, that Dr. Thibaut, after making
66
Dr. Thibaut's first argument in his discus-
sion of the Sutras turns upon a technical question
of some importance. It may be summed up as
follows: The last three padas of the fourth
Adhyaya refer throughout to one subject only,
viz., the successive steps by which the soul of
him who knows the Lord reaches the world of
Brahma and lives there without returning to the
cycle of rebirths. Also, the last sutra of the
last pada of the last Adhyaya—":
NADĀ: Tra""(Of them there is) no re-
turning according to the Word, No returning,
according to the Word" contains the upasamhara
or conclusion of the whole work and it must be
regarded as describing the lasting condition of
those who have finally gained freedom from
samsara. This apriori impression Sankara
denies and regards the three padas (with the
exception of two adhikaranas) as describing the
fate of him who has lower knowledge. He also
regards the concluding Sutra above quoted as
only describing a stage on the road to mukti,-
a stage belonging to the fictitious samsara and
infinitely below the bliss of liberation. It is
strange, however, that Dr. Thibaut, after making