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Chapter II is very confusing, with the promiscuous use of स, तं, यं, असौ etc. making it very difficult to understand its import. The idea is as follows:- Let us suppose that Devadatta is a. simple-minded seeker after truth. Yajnadatta, his friend in whom he has implicit faith, is a votary of Vişıru and advises Devadarta to regard Vişnu as the Highest reality. Devadatta whole-heartedly and jealously sticks to Vişnu at all costs, and this obsession for Vişnu, having taken root, ultimately becomes united with Visnu यं (विरूपं ) भावं ( यज्ञदत्तः) दर्शयेत् यस्य ( देवदत्तस्य) तं (विष्णु रूपं ) भावं सः ( देवदत्त') तु पश्यति । तं (विष्णुरूप भावं) च अप्रति सः (देवदत्तः), असौ ( देवदत्तः) तद्ग्रहः (तस्मिन् विष्णु रूपे भावे ग्रहः यस्य सः) भूत्वा समुपैति तं (विष्णुरूपं भावम् ). Sankara explains differently, तं च (द्रष्टारं स ( भावः) अवति (यो दर्शितो भावः) असो भूत्वा (रक्षति) स्वेनात्मना सर्वतः निरुणाद्धि (that is, the Atman, assuming the form of the विकल्प, protects the द्रष्ट्र) तस्मिन् ग्रहस्त वाहस्तदभिनिवेशः । इदमेव च तत्वमिति स तं ग्रहीतारमुपैति तस्यात्मभावं निगच्छत्तीत्यर्थः। ( that is, the obsession, viz, that विकल्प is the आत्मन्, takes hold of him ). Thus-. first तं means द्रष्टारं (according to भावं (according to our Sankara), ___ interpretation) सः । आत्मा ( ) साधकः ( , असौ, दर्शितो भावः ( )(same as स: in the first half) साधकः ( , ) तदग्रहः, तत्पुरुष compound ( ग ) बहुव्रीहि ( , ) second तं means ग्रहीतारम् ( , ) भावं ( ) Looking to the wording in the Karika तं भावं स तु पश्यति तं चावति सः, where the use of च shows that the subject of अवति and पश्यति is the same, we think that स: should refer to the साधक, and as a corollary,तं should refer to भाव. According to Sankara the Atman protects the साधक, and atतद्वह takes possession of him; according to our interpretation the साधक guards the adopted भाव, and obsessed by it reaches it. The meaning is ultimately the same it is just a case of Mahomed going to the mountain or the mountain going to Mahomed ), but our way of construing the Kärikä is more in conformity with the grammatical requirements.
