Page:The Vedanta-sutras, with the Sri-bhashya of Ramanujacharya.djvu/87

 Ixx ANALYTICAL OUTLINE OF CONTENTS.

alone can be the cause of the universe and be its final home of refuge (pp. 417-418.).

There are four aphorisms in the Jyotir-adhikarana, and they are intended to show that the word Jyotis and the word Gdyatrl are both used in the Qihdndogya- Upanishad to denote the Brahman who is the cause of the world. It may be held that the word Jyotis means the oridinary light that counteracts darkness, in as much as no particular characteristics specially belonging to the Highest Self are mentioned here as being in association with the thing de- noted by that word. This Jyotis is also mentioned to be the same as the digestive heat of the stomach, and even ordinary light is quite capable of being characterised by great splendour. The ordinary well known light itself is therefore the Brahman which forms the resplendent cause of the world. Against this view the first aphorism in this adhikarana says ihatjyolis or 'Light' here denotes the High- est Person Himself, as there is the mention of His feet in a connected context. It is said "All beings make up His one foot ; His three immortal feet are in the Highest Heaven." This means that all created beings indicate only a quarter of His power and greatness and glory, while the remaining three fourths are not made manifest in our visible universe at all. They are in the Highest Heaven, and this 'Light' is said to shine beyond that Highest Heaven. When it is taught that this Highest Person conceived as ' Light ' has to be meditated upon as forming the digestive heat of the stomach, it does not prove that Jyotis cannot denote the Brahman. In the Bhagavad-gltd the Lord has actually compared Himself to this digestive heat (pp. 419-421.). The mention of the feet here is also in relation to the Gdyat- rl } which again is declared in the CJj.handoga- Upanishad