Śaṅkaraon Brahma Sūtra 4.3.16
Advaita Vedānta
Sūtra
विशेषं च दर्शयति
viśeṣaṃ ca darśayati
Sūtra translation
And scripture declares a difference (in the case of meditations on symbols).
With reference to the meditations on symbols, such as name and so on, scripture declares that each following meditation has a different result from the preceding one, ‘ As far as name reaches he is lord and master:—speech is greater than name;—as far as speech reaches he is lord and master;—mind is greater than speech’ ( VII, i, ff.). Now this distinction of rewards is possible because the meditations depend on symbols, while there could be no such distinction if they depended on the one non-different Brahman.—Hence those who take their stand on symbols cannot have the same reward as others.