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But other statements indicate that the yoga of 85 devotion is the means:

250 The yoga of devotion directed towards the Blessed Lord Vasudeva quickly generates non-attachment and that 86 knowledge which is not dependent upon reasoning. 1.2.7 The man of exalted intelligence, be he without desires, desirous of everything, or desirous of liberation alone, should worship the Supreme Spirit by means of intense yoga of devotion. 2.3.10 Some few who are totally devoted to Vasudeva cast off their sin completely by means of this devotion alone, [which removes evil] like the sun dispels the mist. 6.1.15 And in the Bhagavad Gita also: Through devotion, he comes to know Me in truth, how great and Who I am. Then, having known Me truly, he forthwith enters into Me. Bhagavad Gita 18.55 In these verses, it is clearly indicated that, since the yoga of devotion is a means to another end, it is not the goal of life. There is no difficulty in this connection, however, because we maintain that devotion is two-fold, distinguishable as either means or end. 87 On the one hand, it is the end that is indicated when the word is used in accordance with its abstract derivation: "The worship 88 which consists in the mind's taking on the form of the Blessed Lord is devotion." And, because this devotion is the highest goal of life, the authoritativeness of the previously cited scriptures [describing devotion as the goal

251 of life] is uncontradicted. On the other hand, the meansconsisting of hearing, singing, and so on 89 --is suggested when we understand the word in accordance with its instrumental derivation: "The Blessed Lord is worshiped, i.e., He is served, the mind having His form is fashioned, by this." Because this sort of devotion is not itself the goal of life, the authoritativeness of the statements describing devotion as means also remains uncontradicted. To illustrate, we find that the word "vijnana" is used in the sense of "Brahman" in the verse "Brahman is knowledge (vijnana) and bliss" [Brihadaranyaka Upanishad 3.9.2]. This is in accordance with its abstract derivation as meaning 11 "knowledge. At the same time, the word is used in the sense of "mind" in the verse, "Knowledge (vijnana) directs the sacrifice" [Taittiriya Upanishad 2.5.1]. Here the usage is based on the instrumental derivation, "Something is known by this."90 The above 91 is clarified by Prabuddha: 92 Thinking constantly of Hari, the destroyer of a multitude of sins, and reminding each other of Him, their bodies thrill in the rapture of devotion-generated devotion. 93 11.3.31 In this verse, the first use of the word "devotion" is meant to suggest the spiritual disciplines of the Lord's devotees, in harmony with the instrumental derivation. By the second use, devotion as end is intended, in accordance with the abstract derivation. This is shown clearly in the verse which summarizes this passage:

252 Following in this way the spiritual disciplines of the Lord's devotees, one intent on Narayana quickly, by means of the devotion generated by these, crosses beyond the Maya 94 which is so difficult to overcome. 11.3.33 Here, the phrase "spiritual disciplines of the Lord's devotees" is employed as a substitute for the word "devotion" in its first use above. In the case of Vedic study, the method and the goal are the 'same, namely the repetition 95 of the sacred syllables. The only distinction is that in one case there is dependence on the teacher and in the other there is none. In the present case, it might be argued, the situation is similar. The same devotion consisting of the spiritual disciplines of the Lord's devotees, which is the means when practiced under the guidance of a teacher, having attained its culmination becomes the end, which is independent of the teacher. Therefore there can be no justification of the two-foldedness of devotion on the basis of the distinction between means and end. This reasoning, however, is invalid because, in the verse which occurs between the two just cited above, there is a reference to a state where one's purpose in life has been fulfilled: 96 Sometimes they weep from anxious thought of Acyuta; sometimes they laugh and rejoice. Sometimes they utter strange [words], dance, sing, and imitate the Unborn 97 One. Having attained the Supreme, fully content, they become silent. 11.3.32

253 Now, the repetition of the sacred syllables which is the fruit of Vedic study is the means to a further end, namely knowledge of the meaning of the text and performance of the actions enjoined thereby. If the devotion generated by the spiritual disciplines of the Lord's devotees were also a means to another goal, Prabuddha would not have indicated that the devotees are completely fulfilled by declaring that they, having attained the Supreme, are contented and become silent. Rather, he would have pointed out something else to be accomplished subsequently. But he does not do this. Therefore, because the two-foldedness of devotion as means and end can in this way be justified, it is established that there is no contradiction between the statements representing devotion as the means and those describing it as the end. They simply refer to different things. 98 Statements such as, "[some few] 99 鈥� 鈥� 鈥� cast off their sin completely, devotion as means because, as will be explained, devotion as end also has both direct and indirect rewards. apply to devotion as end in addition to 100 Consider the following verses: The indestructible fruit of a man's austerity, learning, sacrifice, Vedic recitation, knowledge, and charity is declared by the wise to be the act of extolling the glories of the Illustrious Lord. 1.5.22

254 What man, other than a butcher of beasts, could ever tire of the recitation of the glorious qualities of the Illustrious Lord being sung by those who are free of desire? For they are an antidote to [the pain of] worldly existence and a delight to the ear and mind. 10.1.4 In these passages, the mention of the means is to be understood as referring to the end, as it is in the statement, "One should mix the soma with the cows" [Rigveda 9.46.4]. It is established in the Purva Mimamsa 101 that the proper meaning of this phrase is, "One should mix the soma with the milk derived from cows." A further illustration 102 In the section of may be taken from the Uttara Mimamsa. the Brahmasutras beginning with the word "anumanika" there is the aphorism, "The subtle [body], for that is appropriate" [1.4.2]. This aphorism establishes that the word "Unmanifest" in the text, "The Unmanifest is beyond the Great" [KU 1.3.11], refers to the [subtle] body which is derived from it. It is the same in the verses we are considering. The phrases "the act of extolling the glories" and "the recitation of the glorious qualities" are to be understood as referring to the love 103 which arises from them. Otherwise, they could not be the highest goal of life.