सर्वत्र प्रसिद्धोपदेशात् ॥ १ ॥
sarvatra prasiddhopadeśāt || 1 ||
sarvatra—Throughout (the scriptures); prasiddhopadeśāt—because there is taught (the Brahman which is) well known.
1. (That which consists of the mind [Manomaya] is Brahman) because there is taught (in this text) (that Brahman which is) well known (as the cause of the universe) throughout (the scriptures).
Sutras 1-8 show that the Being who consists of the mind (Manomaya) and is prescribed as the object of Upasana or meditation in the text,
“All this indeed is Brahman, for it has its beginning, end, and subsistence in It ; so let a man meditate with a calm mind. . . . He who consists of the mind , whose body is Prana (the subtle body)” etc. (Chh. 8. 14. 1-2) is Brahman and not the individual soul. Why? Because the text begins with, “All this is Brahman”, wherein that Brahman which is treated as the cause of the universe in all scriptural texts is described. -Since the beginning refers to Brahman, it is but pioper that the later sentence where “He who consists of the mind” occurs, should also refer to Brahman as •distinguished by certain qualities; otherwise there would arise the inconsistency of suddenly introducing a new subject and dropping the previous one. Moreover the text here speaks of Upasana, meditation, and as such it is but apt that Brahman which is described in all other texts as an object of meditation is also taught here and not the individual soul which is nowhere prescribed as such. Moreover, one can become calm as the text asks only by meditating on Brahman which is bereft of all anger, hatred, etc.