we refer the passage under discussion to the elemental ether, a complementary passage (’for all these beings take their rise from the ether only, &c.’) cannot be satisfactorily accounted for; we reply that the elemental ether also may be represented as a cause, viz. of air, fire, &c. in due succession.  For we read in Scripture (Taitt.  Up.  II, 1), ’From that Self sprang ether, from ether air, from air fire, and so on.’  The qualities also of being greater and of being a place of rest may be ascribed to the elemental ether, if we consider its relations to all other beings.  Therefore we conclude that the word ‘ether’ here denotes the elemental ether.

To this we reply as follows:—­The word ether must here be taken to denote Brahman, on account of characteristic marks of the latter being mentioned.  For the sentence, ’All these beings take their rise from the ether only,’ clearly indicates the highest Brahman, since all Vedanta-texts agree in definitely declaring that all beings spring from the highest Brahman.—­But, the opponent may say, we have shown that the elemental ether also may be represented as the cause, viz. of air, fire, and the other elements in due succession.—­We admit this.  But still there remains the difficulty, that, unless we understand the word to apply to the fundamental cause of all, viz.  Brahman, the affirmation contained in the word ‘only’ and the qualification expressed by the word ‘all’ (in ‘all beings’) would be out of place.  Moreover, the clause, ‘They return into the ether,’ again points to Brahman, and so likewise the phrase, ‘Ether is greater than these, ether is their rest;’ for absolute superiority in point of greatness Scripture attributes to the highest Self only; cp.  Ch.  Up.  III, 14, 3, ’Greater than the earth, greater than the sky, greater than heaven, greater than all these worlds.’  The quality of being a place of rest likewise agrees best with the highest Brahman, on account of its being the highest cause.  This is confirmed by the following scriptural passage:  ’Knowledge and bliss is Brahman, it is the rest of him who gives gifts’ (B/ri/.  Up.  III, 9, 28).  Moreover, Jaivali finding fault with the doctrine of Salavatya, on account of (his saman) having an end (Ch.  Up.  I, 8, 8), and wishing to proclaim something that has no end chooses the ether, and then, having identified the ether with the Udgitha, concludes, ’He is the Udgitha greater than great; he is without end.’  Now this endlessness is a characteristic mark of Brahman.  To the remark that the sense of ‘elemental ether’ presents itself to the mind more readily, because it is the better established sense of the word aka/s/a, we reply, that, although it may present itself to the mind first, yet it is not to be accepted, because we see that qualities of Brahman are mentioned in the complementary sentences.  That the word aka/s/a is also used to denote Brahman has been shown already; cp. such passages as, ’Ether is the revealer