ning
the assertion that the term 'city of Brahman' can only be understood, on
the assumption that the individual soul dwells, like a king, in one
particular spot of the city of which it is the Lord, we remark that the
term is more properly interpreted to mean 'the body in so far as it is
the city of the highest Brahman;' which interpretation enables us to
take the term 'Brahman' in its primary sense[183]. The highest Brahman
also is connected with the body, for the latter constitutes an abode for
the perception of Brahman[184]. Other scriptural passages also express
the same meaning, so, for instance, Pra. Up. V, 5, 'He sees the highest
person dwelling in the city' (purusha = puri/s/aya), &c., and B/ri/. Up.
II, 5, 18, 'This person (purusha) is in all cities (bodies) the dweller
within the city (puri/s/aya).'--Or else (taking brahmapura to mean
jivapura) we may understand the passage to teach that Brahman is, in the
city of the individual soul, near (to the devout worshipper), just as
Vish/n/u is near to us in the Salagrama-stone.--Moreover, the text
(VIII, 1, 6) at first declares the result of works to be perishable ('as
here on earth whatever has been acquired by works perishes, so perishes
whatever is acquired for the next world by good actions,' &c.), and
afterwards declares the imperishableness of the results flowing from a
knowledge of the small ether, which forms the general subject of
discussion ('those who depart from hence after having discovered the
Self and those true desires, for them there is freedom in all worlds').
From this again it is manifest that the small ether is the highest
Self.--We now turn to the statement made by the purvapakshin,'that the
sacred text does not represent the small ether as that which is to be
sought for and to be understood, because it is mentioned as a
distinguishing attribute of something else,' and reply as follows: If
the (small) ether were not that which is to be sought for and to be
understood, the description of the nature of that ether, which is given
in the passage ('as large as this ether is, so large is that ether
within the heart'), would be devoid of purport.--But--the opponent might
say--that descriptive statement also has the purport of setting forth
the nature of the thing abiding within (the ether); for the text after
having raised an objection (in the passage, 'And if they should say to
him: Now with regard to that city of Brahman and the palace in it, i.e.
the