धर्मोपपत्तेश्च ॥ ९ ॥
dharmopapatteśca || 9 ||
dharma-upapatteḥ—Because the qualities are appropriate; ca—and.
9. And because the qualities (mentioned in the texts) are appropriate (only in the case of Brahman).
The qualities referred to are: Truth, resting on its own greatness, non-duality, bliss, all-pervading-ness, immortality, etc., mentioned in the text under discussion, which hold good only in the case of Brahman and not of the vital force, which is but an effect and as such cannot possess any of these qualities. Moreover, the chapter begins thus: “The knower of the Self goes beyond misery”, which shows that the Self or Brahman is the subject to be known. It is therefore delineated in the subsequent texts.