Śaṅkaraon Brahma Sūtra 4.4.22

Those who, in following the road of the gods, to which the vein and the ray are leading, and on which light is the first stage, reach the world of Brahman as described by scripture—where ‘ there are the two lakes Ara and Nyd. in the world of Brahman, in the third heaven from hence,* and where ‘ there is the lake Airammadiya and the Ajvattha tree showering down Soma, and the city of Brahman Apara^ita and the golden hall built by Prabhu ’ (Kh. Up. VIII, 5, 3) — and set forth at length in mantras, — ‘ All the commentators explain the reading ‘ miyante.' An. Gi. — says taw brahmalokagatam updsakaw hirawyagarbha/; svasamipam upagatawj sanunayam aha mayS khalv ap^i evSmr/tamayyo miyante dmyante bhu^yante tavapy asdv amrftarflpodakalakshawo loko bhogyo yathasukhaw bhu^yatam. arthavadas, and so on ; those, we say, who reach that world do not return from there after having finished the enjoyment — — of their deeds ; as those do who have gone to the world of the moon and other places. Why so ? Because scriptural passages teach that they do not so return. Compare ‘Moving upwards by it he reaches the immortal’ [Kh, Up. VIII, 6, 6); ‘For them there is no return* (Bn. Up. VI, 2, 15) ; ‘ Those who proceed on that path do not return to the life of man’ (AT//. Up. IV, 15, 6); ‘He reaches the world of Brahman and does not return’ (AV/. Up. VIII. 15, t). That the finality of their lordl)^ power does not imply their return to the life of man, we have shown under IV, 3, 10. It is a settled matter that those who through perfect knowledge have dispelled all mental darkness and are devoted to the eternally perfect Nirvana do not return. And as those also who rely on the knowledge of the qualified Brahman in the end liavc recourse to that (Nirva;2a), it follows that they also do not return.— The repetition of the words, ‘ Non-return, according to scripture,’ indicates the conclusion of this body of doctrine. Ke 2