Pada 2 continues the work of Samanvaya by showing that many apparently distinct Upanishadic descriptions—such as the mind-made being, the eater, the one in the heart-cave, the Inner Controller, the Invisible, and the Cosmic Person—are all references to Brahman. Its purpose is to remove doubts that these passages refer merely to the individual soul, a deity, or some cosmic force, and to establish their unity in Brahman.
The opening discussions explain that the being described as consisting of mind and possessing luminous, exalted qualities must be Brahman because such universal and transcendent characteristics belong only to the Supreme. The sutras distinguish these descriptions from the limited individual self, whose conditioned nature cannot fully match the all-pervasiveness and lordship spoken of in the Upanishads.
A major theme of this pada is the interpretation of symbolic meditations. Passages about the eater, the dweller in the cave, or the inner ruler are examined one by one. The sutras show that while these symbols may begin from familiar inner experiences such as the heart, breath, or fire, their highest meaning culminates in Brahman alone—the innermost Self that governs all beings from within while remaining untouched by limitation.
The later sections expand this into a cosmic vision through the teaching of Vaisvanara, the universal Self symbolised as the cosmic fire and the total body of the universe. The meditator is led from identification with the individual body toward the vision of Brahman as the whole cosmos, whose head is heaven, whose breath is air, and whose body is all existence. This reflects the Vedantic movement from symbol to the infinite.
Overall, Pada 2 deepens the harmonising work of the first chapter by proving that both inward mystical symbols and outward cosmic forms consistently reveal the same Brahman. The many sacred images and meditations of the Upanishads are shown to resolve into one non-dual reality that shines within the heart and throughout the universe.
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