पुरुषार्थोऽतः, शब्दादिति बादरायणः ॥ १ ॥
puruṣārtho’taḥ, śabdāditi bādarāyaṇaḥ || 1 ||
puruṣārthaḥ—Purpose of man; ataḥ—from this; śabdāt—from the scriptures; iti—thus (says); bādarāyaṇaḥ—Badarayana.
1. From this (results) the purpose of man, because of the scriptures; thus (says) Badarayana.
Badarayana basing his arguments on the Sruti texts says that the knowledge of Brahman effects man’s highest purpose and is not a part of sacrificial acts. It leads to Liberation. The scriptural authority referred to is texts like: “The knower of the Self goes beyond grief” (Chh. 7. 1. 3); “He who knows that Supreme Brahman becomes indeed Brahman” (Mu. 3. 2. 9); “The knower of Brahman attains the Highest” (Taitt. 2. 1).