PARABRAHMA SUTRAS (33-36)

33. Anye jyotiraadayo rupakapratikaa atmopaadhirapi.

Translation: The soul indicated by awareness stands as both representative model or simile as well as the medium. Other inert items like light etc., stand as representative models or similes only in the form of metaphor.

Explanation: To explain an aspect of God, any item in the world, inert or alive can be taken as a simile or representative model. Therefore, the soul of an ordinary human being can be taken as simile to God. But, a specific soul like Krishna can also act as the medium, because God enters a specific soul as human incarnation. God does not enter any inert object to become incarnation. When God is said to be the light, the light stands as a simile only but not the medium. In the simile, comparison is clear. In metaphor, the simile is not clear even though it is also a comparison. When a simile is stressed in comparison, it becomes metaphor. In simile we say that the face is like the moon. Here the word ‘like’ is clearly exposing the simile. In metaphor we say that the face is the moon. In metaphor the comparison is hidden to stress the similarity between face and moon.

34. Rupakam bhraantamupaadhau nishiddhamikshateh.

Translation: People misunderstand the metaphor to be the medium of God. This misunderstanding can be checked by the point that no inert item can be the medium of God, since God always enters a soul only.

Explanation: When we hear the statements like that God is light as in Brahma Sutra (Jyotiradhikaranaat…), we are misled to think that God enters the inert light. The reason is that in metaphor, we say that God is light. This is only a hidden simile and we should understand this as the comparison. This means that God preaches spiritual knowledge and removes ignorance like the light removing darkness. The basic concept that God never enters the inert medium helps us to detect this point. By this basic concept, we can understand whether it is a comparison or the medium of God. God enters only the soul, which is indicated by the awareness. It is already cleared that awareness is only a medium of God and not God directly.

35. Vishishtaatmaa rupakopaadhih.

Translation: When God enters a particular soul as His medium, such medium can stand as not only a medium but also as the metaphor representing ordinary soul.

Explanation: The inert items can be rejected as the media of God based on the above basic concept. But, when a soul is mentioned, how to know whether the soul is a metaphor or medium? The word ‘soul’ can stand for either possibilities to become medium or metaphor. This objection can be overruled because the soul acting as medium for God is already an ordinary soul, which can also act as metaphor. This means that even if you take the soul acting as medium to be metaphor, there is no harm. According to the requirement of context, you can take the soul as an ordinary soul standing as metaphor or as a specific soul standing as the medium of God. A single soul can stand for both the possibilities as per the requirement of the context.

36. Mukhya uhakrut sarvopi tasminneva natat ubhayatra.

Translation: Any soul can stand as a simile for God since soul is important and generator of imaginary world. Even the soul of human incarnation is not God and God only exists in it. Hence, any soul is not God.

Explanation: God is generally compared to the soul, because soul is the most important item in the body as God is most important. God is compared to the soul in another aspect also, which is that God created this universe just like the soul creating imaginary world. For God, this world is just imagination only. Hence, soul is the best simile for God. Even in the case of human incarnation, God only exists in the soul. This clearly means that God is not the soul. Any soul is not God and hence the soul in the human incarnation is also not God. The only difference between the human incarnation and human being is that in the human incarnation God exists in the soul where as in human being, God does not exist in the soul.