is therefore not to be taken
literally.--The latter adhikara/n/a (XVII; 29, 30) treats of the cognate
question whether the soul that has freed itself from its deeds proceeds
in all cases on the road of the gods (as said in the Kaush. Up.), or
not. The decision is that he only whose knowledge does not pass beyond
the sagu/n/am brahma proceeds on that road, while the soul of him who
knows the nirgu/n/am brahma becomes one with it without moving to any
other place.

The /S/ri-bhashya treats the four Sutras as one adhikara/n/a whose two
first Sutras are explained as by /S/a@nkara, while Sutra 29 raises an
objection to the conclusion arrived at, 'the going (of the soul on the
path of the gods) has a sense only if the soul's freeing itself from its
works takes place in both ways, i.e. partly at the moment of death,
partly on the road to Brahman; for otherwise there would be a
contradiction' (the contradiction being that, if the soul's works were
all shaken off at the moment of death, the subtle body would likewise
perish at that moment, and then the bodiless soul would be unable to
proceed on the path of the gods). To this Sutra 30 replies, 'The
complete shaking off of the works at the moment of death is possible,
since matters of that kind are observed in Scripture,' i.e. since
scriptural passages show that even he whose works are entirely
annihilated, and who has manifested himself in his true shape, is yet
connected with some kind of body; compare the passage, 'para/m/ jyotir
upasampadya svena rupe/n/abhinishpadyate sa tatra paryeti kri/d/an
ramamana/h/ sa svara/d/ bhavati tasya sarveshu lokeshu kama/k/aro
bhavati.' That subtle body is not due to karman, but to the soul's
vidyamahatmya.--That the explanation of the /S/ri-bhashya agrees with
the text as well as /S/a@nkara's, a comparison of the two will show;
especially forced is /S/a@nkara's explanation of 'arthavattvam
ubhayatha,' which is said to mean that there is arthavattva in one case,
and non-arthavattva in the other case.

The next Sutra (31) constitutes an adhikara/n/a (XVIII) deciding that
the road of the gods is followed not only by those knowing the vidyas
which specially mention the going on that road, but by all who are
acquainted with the sagu/n/a-vidyas of Brahman.--The explanation given
in the /S/ri-bhashya (in which Sutras 31 and 32 have exchanged places)
is similar, with the difference however that all who meditate on
Brahman--without any reference to