individual soul with that highest Brahman. Devout meditation on Brahman
as suggested by passages of the former kind does not directly lead to
final emancipation; the pious worshipper passes on his death into the
world of the lower Brahman only, where he continues to exist as a
distinct individual soul--although in the enjoyment of great power and
knowledge--until at last he reaches the highest knowledge, and, through
it, final release.--That student of the Veda, on the other hand, whose
soul has been enlightened by the texts embodying the higher knowledge of
Brahman, whom passages such as the great saying, 'That art thou,' have
taught that there is no difference between his true Self and the highest
Self, obtains at the moment of death immediate final release, i.e. he
withdraws altogether from the influence of Mâyâ, and asserts himself in
his true nature, which is nothing else but the absolute highest Brahman.

Thus /S/a@nkara.--According to Râmânuja, on the other hand, the teaching
of the Upanishads has to be summarised as follows.--There exists only
one all-embracing being called Brahman or the highest Self of the Lord.
This being is not destitute of attributes, but rather endowed with all
imaginable auspicious qualities. It is not 'intelligence,'--as
/S/a@nkara maintains,--but intelligence is its chief attribute. The Lord
is all-pervading, all-powerful, all-knowing, all-merciful; his nature is
fundamentally antagonistic to all evil. He contains within himself
whatever exists. While, according to /S/a@nkara, the only reality is to
be found in the non-qualified homogeneous highest Brahman which can only
be defined as pure 'Being' or pure thought, all plurality being a mere
illusion; Brahman--according to Râmânuja's view--comprises within itself
distinct elements of plurality which all of them lay claim to absolute
reality of one and the same kind. Whatever is presented to us by
ordinary experience, viz. matter in all its various modifications and
the individual souls of different classes and degrees, are essential