Adhik.  IV (7).—­The vidvan (i.e. according to Sa@nkara, he who possesses the lower knowledge) and the avidvan, i.e. he who does not possess any knowledge of Brahman, pass through the same stages (i.e. those described hitherto) up to the entrance of the soul, together with the subtle elements, and so on into the na/d/is.—­The vidvan also remains connected with the subtle elements because he has not yet completely destroyed avidya, so that the immortality which Scripture ascribes to him (am/ri/tatva/m/ hi vidvan abhya/s/nute) is only a relative one.—­Ramanuja quotes the following text regarding the immortality of the vidvan: 

    ’Yada sarve pramu/k/yante kama yessya h/ri/di sthita/h/ atha
    martyosm/ri/to bhavaty atra brahma sama/s/nute,’

and explains that the immortality which is here ascribed to the vidvan as soon as he abandons all desires can only mean the destruction—­mentioned in the preceding pada—­of all the effects of good and evil works, while the ‘reaching of Brahman’ can only refer to the intuition of Brahman vouchsafed to the meditating devotee.

Adhik.  V (8-11) raises; according to Sa@nkara, the question whether the subtle elements of which Scripture says that they are combined with the highest deity (teja/h/ parasya/m/ devatayam) are completely merged in the latter or not.  The answer is that a complete absorption of the elements takes place only when final emancipation is reached; that, on the other hand, as long as the sa/m/sara state lasts, the elements, although somehow combined with Brahman, remain distinct so as to be able to form new bodies for the soul.

According to Ramanuja the Sutras 8-11 do not constitute a new adhikara/n/a, but continue the discussion of the point mooted in 7.  The immortality there spoken of does not imply the separation of the soul from the body, ’because Scripture declares sa/m/sara, i.e. embodiedness up to the reaching of Brahman’ (tasya tavad eva kira/m/ yavan na vimokshye atha sampatsye) (8).—­That the soul after having departed from the gross body is not disconnected from the subtle elements, is also proved hereby, that the subtle body accompanies it, as is observed from authority[20] (9).—­Hence the immortality referred to in the scriptural passage quoted is not effected by means of the total destruction of the body (10).

Adhik.  VI (12-14) is of special importance.—­According to Sa@nkara the Sutras now turn from the discussion of the departure of him who possesses the lower knowledge only to the consideration of what becomes of him who has reached the higher knowledge.  So far it has been taught that in the case of relative immortality (ensuing on the apara vidya) the subtle elements, together with the senses and so on, depart from the body of the dying devotee; this implies at the same time that they do not depart from the body of the dying sage who knows himself to be one with Brahman.—­Against