18. He, having suffered for his faults, which are produced by attachment to sensual objects, and which result in misery, approaches, free from stains, those two mighty ones.
18. The translation follows the reading of Gov. (comm.), Kull., Nand., and Râgh., anubhûyâsukhodarkân. Medh., Gov. (text), and K. read anubhûya sukhodarkân, '(after the expiation) of which happiness is the result' (Medh.). 'He,' i. e. 'the individual soul' (kshetragña, Medh., Gov., Nand.), or 'the individual soul limited by the subtile body' (Kull., Râgh.), refers according to Nâr. to 'the Great One' (Mahân). 'Those two mighty ones,' i. e. 'the Great One and the Supreme Soul' (Medh. 'others,' Gov., Kull.), are according to Medh. and Râgh. 'the Great One and the Kshetragña' (mentioned verse 14), according to Nâr. and Nand. (on verse 19) 'the Gîva and the Paramâtman or Supreme Soul.' Medh. adds that under his explanation the verse looks as if it were self-contradictory, because the end to be attained and the attainer are the same, but that the distinction is merely figurative. For the expression 'he approaches' means 'he becomes nothing else but that' [i. e. after the dissolution of the body, assumed in order to suffer the punishments, he remains purely Kshetragña and Mahân]. His words are, atah kshetragñam abhyetîti prâptam tak ka viruddham sa eva prâpya[h] prâpakas ka | satyam aupakâriko bhedo ’bhipretah | abhyetîty ayam arthah | etâvanmâtrasesho bhavati yad uta kshetragñatayâ prâptâdisamghâtmakena mahân iti vyapadishtena phaleshu tâvanmâtrah parisishyate | liṅgagîvas ka kshetragñah || Râgh., the only other commentator, who occupies himself with the ulterior meaning of the verse, renders abhyeti, 'he approaches,' by anugakkhati, 'he follows,' and adds 'in order to produce a new body,' (sarîrântarârambhâya). He further quotes Satapatha-brâhmana XIV, 7, 2,5, in order to show that according to the Veda the individual soul, united with the subtile body, makes for itself another body.
