o
dissolve by true knowledge the universe of effects, which is the mere
product of Nescience, and to know that one Self, which is the general
abode, as uniform. Just as when somebody says, 'Bring that on which
Devadatta sits,' the person addressed brings the chair only (the abode
of Devadatta), not Devadatta himself; so the passage, 'Know him alone as
the Self,' teaches that the object to be known is the one uniform Self
which constitutes the general abode. Similarly another scriptural
passage reproves him who believes in the unreal world of effects, 'From
death to death goes he who sees any difference here' (Ka. Up. II, 4,
11). The statement of co-ordination made in the clause 'All is Brahman'
aims at dissolving (the wrong conception of the reality of) the world,
and not in any way at intimating that Brahman is multiform in
nature[166]; for the uniformity (of Brahman's nature) is expressly
stated in other passages such as the following one, 'As a mass of salt
has neither inside nor outside, but is altogether a mass of taste, thus
indeed has that Self neither inside nor outside, but is altogether a
mass of knowledge' (B/ri/. Up. IV, 5, 13).--For all these reasons the
abode of heaven, earth, &c. is the highest Brahman.--Against the
objection that on account of the text speaking of a 'bridge,' and a
bridge requiring a further bank, we have to understand by the abode of
heaven and earth something different from Brahman, we remark that the
word 'bridge' is meant to intimate only that that which is called a
bridge supports, not that it has a further bank. We need not assume by
any means that the bridge meant is like an ordinary bridge made of clay
and wood. For as the word setu (bridge) is derived from the root si,
which means 'to bind,' the idea of holding together, supporting is
rather implied in it than the idea of being connected with something
beyond (a further bank).

According to the opinion of another (commentator) the word 'bridge' does
not glorify the abode of heaven, earth, &c., but rather the knowledge of
the Self which is glorified in the preceding clause, 'Know him alone as
the Self,' and the abandonment of speech advised in the clause, 'leave
off other words;' to them, as being the means of obtaining immortality,
the expression 'the bridge of the immortal' applies[167]. On that
account we have to set aside the assertion that, on account of the word
'bridge,' something different from Brahman is to be understood