Gandharavada

SR No.: 006739
Original Sutra Author: N/A
Author: Esther A Solomon
Publisher: Gujarat Vidyasabha
Publication Year: 1966
Total Pages: 400
Language: English
Classification: Book_English
File Size: 18 MB

Page 96

(1591-2) Gautama, believing this to be the meaning of the words you regard the soul as non-existent; however, in other sentences the soul is said to be existent, and the fruit of rites such as Agnihotra, etc. is spoken of. Hence you have a doubt regarding the existence of the) soul. But do not entertain (this doubt). This is not what the words mean. Listen to the (true) meaning of the words.
(1593) 'Mass of consciousness' (vijñāna-ghana) means that . it is identical with (or non-different from) consciousness, is permeated all over by it. 'It rises from the elements' means it rises in its aspects of cognition of jar', etc (which are its different modes).
(1594) 'It perishes after these very elements as they perish' means when the conscious activity (of the soul) is fixed on another object, these gradually perish in their aspect as knowables (and as a consequence of this the modes of the soul in the form of 'cognition of jar" etc. also perish, and the soul can be said to bave perished from this point of view).
(1595) From the point of view of the conscious activity in the form of the previous cognition and of the following cognition, the soul can be (said to be) characterised by destruction and origination respectively. From the point of view of the continuum of consciousness (in general) it is a mass of consciousness (and) imperishable.
(1596) And no awareness of the previous cognition exists because the conscious activity is fixed on the present object. This soul has been referrel to by the Vedas by the expression 'mass of consciousness'.
(1597) Even thus one may have the notion that knowledge is an attribute of material elements, because it exists only when they exist. (But) it is not so, since even in their absence, there is knowledge in general) as pointed out in the Vedic tradition,
(1598) “When the sun sets, when the moon sets, when fire and speech have faded away, with what is this Puruşa (self) luminous ? ” It has (thus) been stated to be self-luminous.