Sutra 1.2.26

26. That which the text refers to is an inferential mark—thus.

The text describes the shape of Vaiśvānara, of whom heaven, etc., down to earth constitute the several limbs; and it is known from Scripture and Smṛti that such is the shape of the highest Self. When, therefore, we recognise that shape as referred to in the text, this supplies an inferential mark of Vaiśvānara being the highest Self.—The 'thus' (iti) in the Sūtra denotes a certain mode, that is to say, 'a shape of such a kind being recognised in the text enables us to infer that Vaiśvānara is the highest Self.' For in Scripture and Smṛti alike the highest Person is declared to have such a shape. Cp. e.g. the text of the Átharvaṇas. 'Agni is his head, the sun and moon his eyes, the regions his cars, his speech the Vedas disclosed, the wind his breath, his heart the Universe; from his feet came the earth; he is indeed the inner Self of all things' (Mu. Up. II, I, 4). 'Agni' in this passage denotes the heavenly world, in agreement with the text 'that world indeed is Agni.' And the following Smrṛti texts: 'He of whom the wise declare the heavenly world to be the head, the ether the navel, sun and moon the eyes, the regions the ears, the earth the feet; he whose Self is unfathomable is the leader of all beings'; and 'of whom Agni is the mouth, heaven the head, the ether the navel, the earth the feet, the sun the eye, the regions the ear; worship to him, the Self of the Universe!'—Now our text declares the heavenly world and so on to constitute the head and the other limbs of Vaiśvānara. For Kaikeya on being asked by the Ṛshis to instruct them as to the Vaśvānara Self recognises that they all know something about the Vaiśvānara Self while something they do not know(for thus only we can explain his special questions), and then in order to ascertain what each knows and what not, questions them separately. When thereupon Aupamanyava replies that he meditates on heaven only as the Self, Kaikeya, in order to disabuse him from the notion that heaven is the whole Vaiśvānara Self, teaches him that heaven is the head of Vaiśvānara, and that of heaven which thus is a part only of Vaiśvānara, Sutejas is the special name. Similarly he is thereupon told by the other Ṛshis that they meditate only on sun, air, ether, and earth, and informs them in return that the special names of these beings are 'the omniform,' 'he who moves in various ways,' 'the full one,''wealth and 'firm rest,' and that these all are mere members of the Vaiśvānara Self, viz. its eyes, breath, trunk, bladder, and feet. The shape thus described in detail can belong to the highest Self only, and hence Vaiśvānara is none other but the highest Self.

The next Sūtra meets a further doubt as to this decision not yet being well established.