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make sense if the dharAkasa is the same as bhoothAkAsa.But an objection is raised that the

supreme self is described as 'jyAyAn prthivya jyAyan anthrikshAth, (Chan.3-14-3) as being

larger that the earth and sky and hence it could not be compared to the AkAsa in size.Ramanuja answers as follows:

 The comparison to akAsa is given in order to dismiss the idea of smallness on account of the

dhaharAkAsa being situated inside the heart, as in the expression 'ishuvath gacchathi savithA,'

the sun moves like an arrow, to indicate the fastness of movement, though in fact the sun

moves faster.

Another argument forwarded to show that the dhaharAkasa is not Brahman.I t is not

dhaharAkAsa which is intended to be sought and understood but only what is inside it. So

dhaharAkaSA is distinguished from that inside it. This objection is ruled out for the following

reason. The sarira of the meditator is indicated as the city in which Brahman dwells and thedhaharAKASa denotes the omniscient, omnipotent Lord, who comes to dwell in it out of love

for the devout upAsaka, with all his auspicious attributes, which is the object of meditation.

 That is, the Brahman who is the dhaharAkAsa is to be meditated and understood along with

his attributes.

But the opponent questions the interpretation that, the dharAkASa is Brahman and 'thath' in

'thasmin yadhantha' indicates the attributes of Brahman, and both being the object of

meditation is indicated by 'thadhanvEshtavyam', to which Ramanuja replies thus:

 The dharAkAsa is said to be as large as the bhoothAkAsa and then the earth, sky, sun, moon

and the stars etc are said to be in it. Then it is said that all desires realized and not realized are

there in it to be enjoyed and the dhaharAkAsa, though being inside the heart and thus inside

the body, is not affected by old age etc. The text further denotes that the dhaharAkAsa is

Brahman by the sentence 'Ethath sathyambrahma param,' meaning, this city is the reality

which is the cause of all, and the qualities of Brahman have been attributed to it by 'Esha

AthmA apahatha pApmA, the self free from evil,' confirming that it is Brahman by

'sathyakAmah sathya sankalpah, of true wish and infallible will, and the declaration that those

who do not know these qualities of Brahman enumerated in the passage attain perishable

results while those who know realize their goal and have their wishes fulfilled.

 Therefore the dharakasa is Brahman while and the qualities abiding inside is both to be

meditated and known.

SUTHRA-14-GATHISABDHABHYAM; TH A THAHI DHRSHTAM;LINGAM CHA-1-3-14DHAHARAK ASA IS BRAHMAN ON ACCOUNT OF  TH E MENTION OF 'GOING INTO BRAHMAN ' AND  TH E WORD BRAHMALOKA. THIS IS ALSO SEEN FROM  TH E OTHER  TEXTS AND  THERE  IS AN INDICATORY SIGN.

 The Chandhogya passage

'thadhyaTHA hiraNyaniDHim nihitham akshEthrajnA uparyupari sancharanthah na

vindhEyuh, EvamEva imAh prajAh ahrahargacchanthyah Etham brahmalOkam na vindhanthi;

anrthEna hi prathyooDAh,'(Chan.8-3-2)

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which means, as the people who do not know the field,(akshEtrajnA) walk over and over anddo not know the gold treasure buried underneath, so do all the beings go to brahmalokaeveryday but do not know it because they are covered with untruth. Here the word Etham

denotes dhaharAkAsa and all beings are said to enter into it everyday in sleep but do not knowit as such. So by the gathi, going and sabda, the word brahmalOka, the dhaharAkAsa isunderstood as Brahman. This is substantiated by other texts also.

In chandhogya

'EVAMeva khalu somya imAh sarvAh prajAh sathi sampadhya na vidhuh,sathi

sampatsyAmahe ithi' (Chan.VI-9-2)

And

'satha Agaccha na vidhuh satha acchAmaha ithi' (Chan.VI -10-2)

 The two texts mean, all this beings having gone to braHmaloka (in their sleep) do not know it

and having returned from it do not know that also. Similarly the word brahmaloka is used in the

sense of the abode of Brahman in the texts like 'Esha brahma lokah samrAt ithi ho

vacha,' (Brhd.IV 3-32) this is the world of Brahman. The mention of all beings getting merged

in Brahman in the state of deep sleep as in pralaya is the sufficient inferential sign of the

dhaharAkasa being Brahman and so is the word brahmalOka denoting that of Brahman. Even

if the other texts do not mention it, the moving about of all beings to the world of Brahman

everyday and not knowing it, is itself the sign of dhaharAkASa being Brahman only.

SUTHRA-15-DHRTHESCHA MAHIMNAH  ASYA ASMI N UPALABDHEH-1-3-15

Because of the mention supporting the world by dhaharAkAsa, the glory which is of Brrahman

only 'sa sEthuhrviDhoothirEsham lOkAnAm asambhedhAya'(Chan.8-4-1) this is a bridge,limiting the worlds so that they do not mingle with each other.This quality of being a support

to the worlds denote that the dhaharAkAsa is Brahman. In BrhadAraNyaka also we find the

passage,

'Esha sarvEsvarah Esha bhoothADhipathih Esha bhoothapAlah Esha sEthuh viDH araNa

EshAm lOkAnAm asamBhEdhAya, (Brhd.4-4-22)

He is the LOrd of all, master of all beings and ruler of all, and He is the bridge and limit so that

these worlds do not get mixed up. And

'Ethasya vA aksharasya prasAsanE gArgi suryAchandramasou viDhrthou

thishTathah,'(Brhd.3-8-9)By the rule of this imperishable one, Gargi, the sun and the moon are held in their position.

Since this power of Brahman is also seen in dhaharAkAsa it is Brahman only.

SUTHRA-16-PRASIDDHESCHA-1-3-16 ALSO BECAUSE OF  TH E WELL KNOWN MEANING 'kO vA hyEVAnyAth, kah prANyAth, yadhEsha AkAsahAnandhO na syAth, (Taitt.II -7)

Who could breath in and who will breath out if this bliss is not the AkASa.' and

sarvANi ha imAni bhoothAni AkAsAdhEva samuthpadhyanthe.(Chan.1-9-1)

All these beings come from AkASa only.' From this it is clear that the term AkAsa is used to