mantrād yasya parā bhūtāḥ
parā
bhūtādayo grahāḥ
naśyanti sva-lasat-tṛṣṇaḥ
sa
kṛṣṇaḥ śaraṇaṁ mama
“May Lord Kṛṣṇa, who is radiant with the thirst to be reunited with His devotees, and whose mantras exorcise the ghosts and demons of repeated birth in the material world of five elements, be my shelter.”
In this Pāda will be described the way the soul travels to the world of the demigods, and the way a person enlightened with transcendental knowledge leaves his material body.
Viṣaya [thesis or statement]: In the Chāndogya Upaniṣad [6.8.6] it is said:
asya saumya-puruṣasya prayato vāṅ-manasi sampadyate manaḥ prāṇe prāṇas tejasi tejaḥ parasyām devatāyām
“When a good person leaves his material body, the voice enters the mind, the mind enters the life-air, the life-air enters the element fire, and the element fire enters the Supreme Personality of Godhead.”
Saṁśaya [doubt]: Does the voice itself enter, or do only the activities of the voice enter?
Pūrvapakṣa [the opponent speaks]: Because the nature of the mind is not like the nature of the voice, and because the voice and other parts of the body are subordinate to the mind, therefore it is only the activities of the voice that enter.
Siddhānta [conclusion]: In the following words the author of the sūtras gives His conclusion.
vāṅ manasi darśanāc chabdāc ca
vāk – voice; manasi – in the mind; darśanāt – because of sight; śabdāt – because of sound; ca – also.
Because of what is seen and heard, voice enters mind.
Voice itself enters the mind. Why is that? The sūtra explains, darśanāt: “Because of what is seen.” This means that even when the external voice is silent, it is seen that the voice is still active in the mind. The sūtra also explains, śabdāt: “Because of what is heard.” In the scriptures [Chāndogya Upaniṣad] it is heard:
vāṅ manasi sampadyate
“The voice enters the mind.”
Any other interpretation would do violence to the clear meaning of this quote. No evidence actually supports the idea that only the activity of the voice enters the mind.
Here someone may object: “Because mind does not possess the nature of the voice, voice itself cannot have entered the mind. It is only the activities of one thing that can enter another thing dissimilar in nature. An example of this is the activities of fire, which can thus enter water. This is so, for it is clearly seen.”
If this is said, then I reply: Voice and mind meet. They do not join together and become one. The meaning is that even though their natures are different, the two of them actually do meet.
ata eva sarvāṇy anu
ataḥ eva – therefore; sarvāṇi – all; anu – following.
Therefore they all follow.
Here someone may object: “The voice may enter the mind, but the mind does not enter the element fire.”
If this objection is raised, the sūtra gives the following reply, sarvāṇi: “All.” This means, “The sense of hearing and all the other senses also enter.” The word anu here means, “they all enter, following behind the voice.” In the Praśna Upaniṣad [3.9] it is said:
tasmād upaśānta-tejāḥ punar-bhavam indriyair manasi sampadyamānair yac cittas tenaiṣa prāṇa āyāti
“When the fire of life is extinguished, the senses enter the mind, and the soul again takes birth. Accompanied by that mind, the soul is born again.”
In the Praśna Upaniṣad [4.2] it is said:
yathā gārgya marīcayo ‘staṁ gacchato ‘rkasya sarva etasmiṁs tejo-maṇḍale ekī-bhavati tāḥ punar udayataḥ pracaranty evaṁ ha vai tat sarvaṁ pare deve manasy ekī-bhavati
“O Gārgya, as the rays of sunlight enter the setting sun only again to emerge from the rising sun, in the same way the senses enter their deity, the mind.”
Viṣaya [thesis or statement]: Now the passage of Chāndogya Upaniṣad [6.8.6] quoted in the beginning of Adhikaraṇa 1 will again be considered.
asya saumya-puruṣasya prayato vāṅ-manasi sampadyate manaḥ prāṇe prāṇas tejasi tejaḥ parasyām devatāyām
“When a good person leaves his material body, the voice enters the mind, the mind enters the life-air, the life-air enters the element fire, and the element fire enters the Supreme Personality of Godhead.”
Saṁśaya [doubt]: Does this passage mean to say that the mind enters the life-breath, or that it enters the realm of the moon?
Pūrvapakṣa [the opponent speaks]: Bṛhad-āraṇyaka Upaniṣad [3.2.13] declares:
manaś candram
“The mind enters the moon.”
Therefore the mind enters the moon.
Siddhānta [conclusion]: in the following words the author of the sūtras gives His conclusion.
tan manaḥ prāṇa uttarāt
tat – that; manaḥ – mind; prāṇe – in the life-breath; uttarāt – then.
Then the mind enters the life-breath, because of what follows.
The words tan manaḥ prāṇe mean, “The mind enters the life-breath, accompanied by all the senses.” Why is that? Because of the statement that follows [uttarāt].
Here someone may object: “This cannot be, for Bṛhad-Āraṇyaka Upaniṣad 3.2.13 affirms that the mind enters the moon.”
The author of the sūtras replies to this objection in Sūtra 4.2.4.
Viṣaya [thesis or statement]: Now will be considered the following words of Chāndogya Upaniṣad [6.6.1]:
prāṇas tejasi
“The life-breath enters fire.”
Saṁśaya [doubt]: Does the life-breath, which is by then accompanied by the mind and the senses, enter the element fire, or does it enter the individual spirit soul [jīva]?
Pūrvapakṣa [the opponent speaks]: Chāndogya Upaniṣad [6.6.1] says that the life breath enters the element fire, therefore the life-breath enters the element fire.
Siddhānta [conclusion]: In the following words the author of the sūtras gives His conclusion.
so ‘dhyakṣe tad-upagamādibhyaḥ
saḥ – it; adhyakṣe – to the master; tat – that; upagama – approaching; ādibhyaḥ – beginning with.
That in the master because of the scriptural statements that begin with the descriptions of approaching it.
The word saḥ [that] here means “the life-breath,” and the word adhyakṣe [in the master] here means, “In the individual spirit soul, who is the master of the body and senses.” Thus the life-breath enters the individual spirit soul. Why is that? The sūtra explains, tad-upagamādibhyaḥ: “Because of the scriptural statements that begin with the descriptions of approaching it.” In the Bṛhad-āraṇyaka Upaniṣad [4.3.38] it is said:
tad yathā rājānaṁ prayiyāsantam ugrāḥ praty enasaḥ sūtā grāmaṇya upasamīyanty evaṁ haivaṁ vidaṁ sarve prāṇā upasamīyanti. yatraitad ūrdhvocchvāsī bhavati.
“As bodyguards, warriors, charioteers, and generals gather around a king who is about to depart on a great march, so do all the senses and life-breaths gather around the soul who is about to leave its material body.”
In this way the Śruti-śāstra explains that the life-breath and the senses enter the individual spirit soul. This statement does not contradict the other statement of the Śruti-śāstra that the life-breath enters the element fire, for it may be said that after the life-breath enters the soul the two of them proceed to enter the element fire. This is like saying that the Yamunā, joining with the Ganges, proceeds to enter the ocean.
Viṣaya [thesis or statement]: Now will be considered the statement that the individual spirit soul enters the element fire.
Saṁśaya [doubt]: Do the individual spirit soul and the life-breath enter the element fire, or do they enter all the elements combined?
Pūrvapakṣa [the opponent speaks]: The Śruti-śāstra says that the life-breath enters the element fire, therefore the life-breath enters the element fire.
Siddhānta [conclusion]: In the following words the author of the sūtras gives His conclusion.
bhūteṣu tac chruteḥ
bhūteṣu – in all the elements; tat – that; śruteḥ – because of the Śruti-śāstra.
In all the elements, because of the Śruti-śāstra.
The individual spirit soul enters all the five elements. He does not enter the fire element only. Why is that? In Bṛhad-āraṇyaka Upaniṣad [4.4.5] it is said:
jīvasyākāśamayo vāyumayas tejomaya āpomayaḥ pṛthivīmayaḥ
“The individual spirit soul enters the elements ether, air, fire, water, and earth.”
In this way the Śruti-śāstra affirms that the individual spirit soul enters all the material elements. A further explanation is given in the next sūtra.
naikasmin darśayato hi
na – not; ekasmin – in one; darśayataḥ – they both reveal; hi – because.
Because they both say it is not in one.
It should not be considered that the individual spirit soul enters into one element, into fire. The word hi here means “because.” This means, “Because this was described in the questions and answers in Chāndogya Upaniṣad Chapter 5, Parts 3-10.”
Viṣaya [thesis or statement]: Now will be considered a doubt that may arise concerning Chāndogya Upaniṣad 6.8.6.
Saṁśaya [doubt]: Does this passage describe the departure from the material body of the soul enlightened with transcendental knowledge, or the soul that is not enlightened?
Pūrvapakṣa [the opponent speaks]: In Bṛhad-āraṇyaka Upaniṣad [4.4.7] it is said:
yadā sarve pramucyante
kāmā ye
‘sya hṛdi sthitāḥ
atha martyo ‘mṛto bhavaty
atra
brahma samaśnute
“When his heart is free of all material desires, the mortal becomes immortal. Then he enjoys spiritual life, even in this world.”
There word atra [here in this world] means that the enlightened soul need not leave the material world. Even in this world he enjoys the bliss of spiritual life.
Siddhānta [conclusion]: In the following words the author of the sūtras gives His conclusion.
samānā cāsṛty-upakramād amṛtatvaṁ cānupoṣya
samānā – equal; ca – also; āsṛti-upakramāt – at the beginning; amṛtatvam – immortality; ca – and; anupoṣya – not burning.
Indeed, in the beginning they are the same. Also, immortality is without burning.
The first ca means “indeed.” In the beginning, the enlightened soul and the unenlightened soul depart from the material body in the same way. However, when they reach the nāḍīs [subtle pathways emanating from the heart], their paths diverge. The enlightened soul passes through one of the hundred nāḍīs, but the enlightened soul passes through a different nāḍī. This is described in Chāndogya Upaniṣad [8.6.6]:
śataṁ caikā ca hṛdayasya nāḍyas tāsāṁ mūrdhānam abhiniḥsṛtaikā. tayordhvam āyann amṛtatvam eti viśvag anyā utkramaṇe bhavanti.
“101 nāḍīs lead away from the heart. One passes through the head and leads to immortality. They others lead to a variety of destinations.”
This is also described in Bṛhad-āraṇyaka Upaniṣad [4.4.2]. The soul endowed with transcendental knowledge departs from the material body through the passage passing through the top of the head. The unenlightened souls depart through the other passages. The scriptural statement [Bṛhad-āraṇyaka Upaniṣad 4.4.7] explaining that the enlightened soul enjoys spiritual life even in this world means that such a soul no longer produces any karmic reactions even though his connection with the material body is not yet burned away.
tad āpīteḥ saṁsāra-vyapadeśāt
tat – that; āpīteḥ – until; saṁsāra – of the world of birth and death; vyapadeśāt – because of the teaching.
That is so, for it is taught that until then there is the world of birth and death.
This describes the immortality of an enlightened soul who is free from sin even though his connection to a material body is not yet burned away. How is that? The sūtra explains, āpīteḥ: “Until then.” Until he attains the direct association of the Supreme Personality of Godhead, the individual spirit soul still has a relationship with a material body, and thus he remains in the world of repeated birth and death. The direction association of the Supreme Personality of Godhead is attained when the soul travels to the world of the Supreme Personality of Godhead. That is the conclusion of the Vedas.
sūkṣma-pramāṇataś ca tathopalabdheḥ
sūkṣma – subtle; pramāṇataḥ – from the source of knowledge; ca – also; tathā – so; upalabdheḥ – because of being seen.
The subtle, because of authority and direct perception.
In this contact the relationship of the enlightened soul with the material body is not yet burned away. This is because the subtle [sūkṣma] material body still persists. How is that known? The sūtra explains, pramāṇataḥ: “Because of authority.” Even when he travels to the worlds of the demigods, the enlightened soul retains relationship with a subtle material body, as is seen in the words of the moon-god in Kauṣītakī Upaniṣad [1.3]. Therefore in the previous passage of Bṛhad-Āranyaka Upaniṣad [4.4.7] the immortality described is one where the relationship between the soul and the material body is not yet burned away.
nopamardenātaḥ
na – not; upamardena – by destruction; ataḥ – therefore.
Therefore it is not by destruction.
Bṛhad-āraṇyaka Upaniṣad 4.4.7 does not describe the kind of immortality where the relationship of the individual spirit soul and the material body is destroyed.
tasyaiva copapatter ūṣmā
tasya – of that; eva – indeed; ca – also; upapatteḥ – because of being possible; ūṣmā – heat.
It has warmth, for that is reasonable.
The warmth that touches the gross material body while it is alive is manifested from the subtle material body, not the gross body. Why is that? The sūtra explains, upapatteḥ: “For that is reasonable.” When it is alive the gross body is warm, and when it is dead, the gross body is not warm. From this it can be seen that the warmth in the gross body comes from the subtle body.
The word ca [also] here shows another reason also. When he leaves the gross body, the enlightened soul also takes the heat-producing subtle body with him.
Next, fearing that another doubt will be raised, the author of the sūtras speaks the following words:
pratiṣedhād iti cen na śārīrāt
pratiṣedhāt – because of denial; iti – thus; cet – if; na – not; śārīrāt – from the resident of the body.
If someone says that it is denied, then I reply: No. It is not so. Because of the resident of the body.
Here someone may object: “The enlightened soul does not leave the gross material body. This is corroborated by the following words of Bṛhad-āraṇyaka Upaniṣad [4.4.6]:
athākāmayamāno yo ‘kāmo niṣkāma āpta-kāmo na tasya prāṇā utkramanti brahmaiva san brahmātyeti
“One who does not desire, who has no material desires, and whose desires are all fulfilled, his life-breaths do not leave. He is spirit. He goes to the spirit.”
In this way the scriptures deny [pratiṣedhāt] that the enlightened soul leaves his material body.”
If [cet] this objection is raised, then the author of the sūtras replies, na: “No.” This means that the text of the Upaniṣad does not specifically say that the life-breath leaves the body. The meaning of this text is that the life-breath does not leave the individual spirit soul. After all, it is clearly seen that even enlightened souls leave their material bodies.
spaṣṭo hy ekeṣām
spaṣṭaḥ – clear; hi – because; ekeṣām – of some.
Because it is clear in some.
In this passage of Bṛhad-āraṇyaka Upaniṣad [4.4.6] there is no room for controversy. This is so because [hi] in some [ekeṣām] recensions of the Vedas, namely the Madhyandina recension, is seen a clear [spaṣṭaḥ] denial of the idea that the life-breath does not leave the material body. This same passage in the Madhyandina recension reads:
na tasmāt prāṇā utkramanti. atravaiva samavalīyante brahmaiva san brahmātyeti.
“The life-breaths do not leave him [the soul]. They enter there. He is spirit. He goes to the spirit.”
The word atra [there] clearly shows that the life-breaths enter the spirit soul.
To this the objector may reply: “In the Kāṇva recension, in Yājñavalkya’s answer to Artabhāga’s question, it is clearly seen that the life-breaths of the soul enlightened with transcendental knowledge do not leave the material body.”
To this objection I reply: This passage describes a special case, where the enlightened soul is very distressed in separation from the Supreme Lord. The impersonalists claim that this passage describes a person who thinks he is one with the impersonal Brahman. They say that for him the life-breaths do not leave the material body.
To this I reply: This is fool’s idea. No words in the text support this interpretation. At any rate, the impersonalist idea has already been clearly refuted.
smaryate ca
smaryate – in the Smṛti-śāstras; ca – also.
In the Smṛti-śāstras also.
In the Yājñavalkya-smṛti [3.167] it is said:
ūrdhvam ekaḥ sthitas teṣāṁ
yo
bhittvā sūrya-maṇḍalam
brahmalokam atikramya
tena yāti
parāṁ gatim
“Among all of them, one great soul travels upward. He breaks through the circle of the sun. He passes beyond the planet of Brahmā. He enters the supreme destination.”
In the Śruti-śāstra also it is said that the enlightened soul passes through the nāḍī at the top of the head and thus leaves the material body. In this way it is proved that the enlightened soul certainly does leave his material body.
Viṣaya [thesis or statement]: That the individual spirit soul, accompanied by the life-breath and the senses, enters the element fire and the other subtle elements at the time of death has already been proved, and the fallacious idea that the soul enlightened with transcendental knowledge does not also depart from his body in this same way has been dispelled. Now the following will be considered.
Saṁśaya [doubt]: Do the enlightened soul’s voice and other working senses, life-breath, and elements of the gross and subtle material bodies enter into the material features that are their direct causes, or do they enter into the Supreme Personality of Godhead?
Pūrvapakṣa [the opponent speaks]: They enter into their direct causes. This is described in Bṛhad-āraṇyaka Upaniṣad 3.2.13.
Siddhānta [conclusion]: In the following words the author of the sūtras gives His conclusion.
tāni pare tathā hy āha
tāni – they; pare – in the Supreme; tathā – so; hi – because; āha – says.
They [enter] into the Supreme, for thus it says.
In the Chāndogya Upaniṣad [6.8.6] it is said:
tejaḥ parasyām
“Fire enters the Supreme.”
In this way it is established that the tejaḥ, which here includes the voice and other senses, the life-breath, and the bodily elements, enters the Supreme Personality of Godhead. This is so because the Supreme is the cause and the resting-place of all. Why is that? The sūtra explains, tathā hy āha, which means “Because the Śruti-śāstra affirms that it is so.” This is confirmed in the Chāndogya Upaniṣad [6.8.6]:
tejaḥ parasyām devatāyām
“Fire enters the Supreme Personality of Godhead.”
Bṛhad-āraṇyaka Upaniṣad 3.2.3 should be interpreted metaphorically. This has already been explained in Sūtra 3.1.4.
Viṣaya [thesis or statement]: Now another consideration will be examined.
Saṁśaya [doubt]: When the enlightened soul’s life-breath, voice, mind, and other senses enter the Supreme Personality of Godhead do they merely enter or do they become one with Supreme Personality of Godhead, as is explained in Muṇḍaka Upaniṣad [3.2.8]?
Pūrvapakṣa [the opponent speaks]: Because of the previous statements and because there is no specific statement otherwise, it should be held that they merely enter.
Siddhānta [conclusion]: In the following words the author of the sūtras gives His conclusion.
avibhāgo vacanāt
avibhāgaḥ – not divided; vacanāt – because of the statement.
There is no division, for that is said.
The life-breath and other features of the material body merge into and become one with the Supreme Personality of Godhead, the master of inconceivable potencies. Why is that? The sūtra explains, vacanāt: “For that is said.” In the Praśna Upaniṣad [6.5] it is said:
evam evāsya paridraṣṭur imāḥ
ṣoḍaśa-kalāḥ
puruṣāyaṇāḥ puruṣaṁ prāpyās taṁ
gacchanti
“As rivers merge into the ocean, so do the sixteen elements of the material body merge into the Supreme Personality of Godhead.”
After thus explaining that the life-breath and the other elements of the material body merge into the Supreme Personality of Godhead, the Upaniṣad continues:
bhidyete cāsāṁ nāma-rūpe puruṣa ity evaṁ procyate sa eṣo ‘mṛto bhavati
“The elements of the body then lose their names and forms. They are said to become one with the Supreme. When this happens to the elements of his material body, the individual spirit soul becomes immortal.”
Thus the elements of the material body lose their names and forms. This is the meaning: When he leaves the gross material body, the soul enlightened with transcendental knowledge is followed by the now greatly weakened subtle material body. When the soul finally leaves the egg of the material universe behind, the subtle body merges into the eighth covering of the universal shell. Now completely pure and free from any touch of matter, the soul attains a spiritual body and then gains the association of the Supreme Personality of Godhead.
Viṣaya [thesis or statement]: Now will begin a discussion to show one specific aspect of the enlightened soul’s departure from the material body. In Chāndogya Upaniṣad [8.6.6] as well as in Kaṭha Upaniṣad [7.6] it is said that the unenlightened souls depart from the material body by the path of the hundred nāḍīs and the enlightened soul departs by another nāḍī.
Saṁśaya [doubt]: Is this description correct or is it not?
Pūrvapakṣa [the opponent speaks]: Because the nāḍīs are both very numerous and very fine, it is not possible for the spirit soul to distinguish them one from another. Therefore this description is not correct. The scriptures explain:
tayordhvam āyann amṛtatvam eti
“Going upwards, he attains immortality.”
Therefore going upwards is the important factor, and it is not important which nāḍī the soul enters at the moment of leaving the material body.
Siddhānta [conclusion]: In the following words the author of the sūtras gives His conclusion.
tad-oko-’gra-jvalanaṁ tat-prakāśita-dvāro vidyā-sāmarthyāt tac-cheṣa-gaty-anusmṛti-yogāc ca hārdānugṛhītaḥ śatādhikayā
tat – of him; okaḥ – the home; agra – the point; jvalanam – illumination; tat – by Him; prakāśita – revealed; dvāraḥ – the door; vidyā – of transcendental knowledge; sāmarthyāt – by the power; tat – that; śeṣa – remainder; gati – path; anusmṛti – memory; yogāt – by the touch; ca – and; hārda – He who resides in the heart; anugṛhītaḥ – being the object of mercy; śatādhikayā – by the hundred-and-first.
Then the top of his home is illumined and the door is revealed by Him. By the power of transcendental knowledge, by the memory of the path it brings, he attains the mercy of He who resides in the heart. By the hundred-and-first.
The enlightened soul departs by the path of the hundred-and-first nāḍī, which is called Suṣumnā. It is not that the enlightened soul cannot discern where is this nāḍī. Because of the two causes that begin with the power of transcendental knowledge, the soul attains the mercy of He who resides in the heart. This is possible by the power of transcendental knowledge. The effect of transcendental knowledge is that it enables the soul to remember the correct path to take in departing from the body. This soul also obtains the mercy of Lord Hari, who resides in a palace in the heart [hārda]. That is the meaning here.
When, accompanied by the voice and the other senses and elements of the material body, the enlightened soul is about to depart, the top portion [agra] of the heart, which is his home [okaḥ], becomes illuminated [jvalanam]. The door [dvāraḥ] there is not illuminated by the individual spirit soul. It is Lord Hari, who resides in the heart [hārda] who illuminates and reveals [prakāśita] that door. In this way the soul becomes aware of the entrance to the hundred-and-first nāḍī. In this way the enlightened soul departs.
Viṣaya [thesis or statement]: In the Chāndogya Upaniṣad [8.6.5] it is said:
atha yatraitasmāt śarīrād utkramaty etair eva raśmibhir ūrdhvam ākramate. sa om iti vā hodvā mīyate sa yāvat kṣipyen manas tāvad ādityaṁ gacchaty etad vai khalu loka-dvāraṁ viduṣāṁ prapadanaṁ nirodho ‘viduṣāṁ tad eṣa ślokaḥ. śataṁ caika ca...
“After he departs from the body, the soul travels on the sun’s rays. Casting off the material mind, and meditating on the sacred syllable oṁ, the soul travels to the sun, which is the doorway to the worlds. They who are enlightened with transcendental knowledge may enter that doorway, but they who are not enlightened are stopped from entering. The following verse describes this: There are a hundred and one nāḍīs. . . .”
This means that after he passes through the nāḍī on the top of the head, the enlightened soul travels on the path of the sun’s rays.
Saṁśaya [doubt]: Must the soul depart from the body during the daytime, or may he also depart during the night and still attain liberation?
Pūrvapakṣa [the opponent speaks]: Because during the night the rays of the sun do not shine, the enlightened soul must depart from the material body only during the daytime.
Siddhānta [conclusion]: In the following words the author of the sūtras gives His conclusion.
raśmy-anusārī
raśmi – rays; anusārī – following.
He follows the rays.
Whenever he dies, the enlightened soul is able to follow the rays of the sun. This is so because the Śruti-śāstra gives no specific instruction in this regard.
niśi neti cen na sambandhasya yāvad deha-bhāvitvād darśayati ca
niśi – during the night; na – not; iti – thus; cet – if; na – not; sambandhasya – of the relationship; yāvat – as long as; deha-bhāvitvāt – because of the existence of the body; darśayati – reveals; ca – also.
If someone says that it is not during the night, then I reply: No. Because the relationship exists as long as the body is present. It also reveals it.
Here someone may object: “Is it not so that because at night the rays of the sun are not present, the soul departing from his body cannot follow them at that time?”
If [cet] this is said, then the sūtra replies, na: “No.” Why is that? The sūtra explains, sambandhasya: “Because of the relationship.” This means that as long as the material body is present there is a relationship with the sun’s rays. Therefore the soul may depart at any time of the day or night and still travel by the path of the sun’s rays.
It is clearly seen that the body remains warm in both the hottest of days and the coldest of nights. If the body had not relationship with the sun this would not be possible. The scriptures also give further proof of the body’s unchanging relationship with the sun. In the Chāndogya Upaniṣad [7.6.2] it is said:
amuṣmād ādityāt prayānte tathāsu nāḍīṣu sṛptā ābhyo nāḍībhyaḥ prayānte te amusminn āditye sṛptāḥ
“The path of the sun’s rays begins at the sun and ends at the nāḍīs. It also begins at the nāḍīs and ends at the sun.”
In another place in the Śruti-śāstra it is also said:
saṁsṛṣṭā vā ete raśmayaś ca nāḍyaś ca naiṣāṁ vibhāgo yāvad idam śarīram ataḥ etaiḥ paśyaty etair utkramate etaiḥ pravartate
“The sun’s rays are connected to the nāḍīs, and that connection is never broken as long as the material body is alive. By the sun’s rays the soul sees. By them he departs. By them he performs actions.”
In this way it is proved that the soul enlightened with transcendental knowledge is always able to travel by the path of the sun’s rays.
Viṣaya [thesis or statement]: Now the following will be considered.
Saṁśaya [doubt]: If he dies during the six months when the sun travels in the south, does the enlightened soul still attain the benefit of his knowledge, or does he not?
Pūrvapakṣa [the opponent speaks]: Both Śruti-śāstra and Smṛti-sāśtra affirm that in order to attain the spiritual world one must die during the six months when the sun travels in the north. Also, it is seen that Bhīṣmadeva and other great souls refused to die until that auspicious time had arrived.
Siddhānta [conclusion]: In the following words the author of the sūtras gives His conclusion.
ataś cāyane ‘pi dakṣiṇe
ataḥ – therefore; ca – also; āyane – in the passing; api – also; dakṣiṇe – in the south.
Therefore it is also during the passing in the south.
Because transcendental knowledge does not bring only a partial result, and also because it removes all obstacles in its path, the enlightened soul attains the fruit of his knowledge even if he dies during the six months when the sun passes in the south. The argument of our opponent is very foolish and slow-witted. As will be explained in the future, the word uttarāyaṇa here does not mean “the six months when the sun passes in the south,” but rather it means “the ātivāhika-devatās, or the demigods that carry the soul to the higher worlds.”
Blessed by his father, Bhīṣmadeva had the power to choose the time of his death. It is either to demonstrate that power, or to show the example of a saintly person that he acted in that way. Therefore there is no disadvantage in dying during the six months when the sun passes in the south.
Here someone may object: “The Supreme Personality of Godhead Himself affirms in Bhagavad-gītā [8.23-26]:
yatra kāle tv anāvṛttim āvṛttiṁ
caiva yoginaḥ
prayātā yānti taṁ kālaṁ
vakṣyāmi
bharatarṣabha...
... śukla-kṛṣṇe gatī hy
ete
jagataḥ śāśvate mate
ekayā yāty
anāvṛttim
anyayāvartate punaḥ
“O best of the Bhāratas, I shall now explain to you the different times at which, passing away from this world, the yogī does or does not come back. Those who know the Supreme Brahman attain the Supreme by passing away from the world during the influence of The fiery god, in the light, at an auspicious moment of the day, during the fortnight of the waxing moon, or during the six months when the sun travels in the north. The mystic who passes away from this world during the smoke, the night, the fortnight of the waning moon, or the six months when the sun passes to the south reaches the moon planet but again comes back. According to Vedic opinion, there are two ways of passing from this world, one in light and one is darkness. When one passes in light, he does not come back. But when one passes in darkness, he returns.”
In this passage word “day” and other words denoting time are prominent, and therefore it is clearly shown that time is and important factor for the attainment of liberation. It is also shown that one who dies during the night or during the six months when the sun passes in the south does not attain liberation.”
The author of the sūtras speaks the following words to refute this objection.
yoginaḥ prati smaryate smārte caite
yoginaḥ – the yogīs; prati – to; smaryate – is remembered; smārte – the two that are remembered; ca – and; ete – they.
It is remembered of the yogīs. Also, two are remembered.
The yogīs, that is they who are devoted to the Supreme Personality of Godhead, do not take these descriptions of the passing of the moon, the light, and other points in time very seriously. They merely make a mental note of them [smaryate]. The sūtra explains, ete smārte: “They are remembered.” The Supreme Lord explains in Bhagavad-gītā [8.27]:
naite sṛtī pārtha jānan
yogī
muhyate kaścana
“Although the devotees know these two paths, O Arjuna, they are never bewildered.”
The conclusion is that a person situated in transcendental knowledge need not be concerned about the specific time of his death. The mention of specific times is not prominent in this passage from Bhagavad-gītā [8.23-26]. The passage begins with the mention of fire, which has nothing to do with time. In fact, the different factors mentioned in this passage are all ātivāhika-devatās [demigods that carry the soul from the body]. The author of the sūtras will explain this in Sūtra 4.3.2. It is also said:
divā ca śukla-pakṣaś
ca
uttarāyaṇam eva ca
mumūrṣatāṁ prasastāni
viparītaṁ
tu garhitam
“The best times for they who are about to die are the daytime, the bright fortnight, and the six months when the sun travels in the north. The other times are not good.”
This verse describes the condition of the souls not enlightened with transcendental knowledge. They who are enlightened with transcendental knowledge always attain Lord Hari. The time when they leave their material bodies is not relevant.