Advaita Vedanta

Author(s): Kalidas Bhattacharya, Dalsukh Malvania
Publisher: L D Indology Ahmedabad

Page 18

The Absolute as...
with him, is basically sākşi-jñāna, the only difference between the two being that, because of some defect, anuvyavasāya is a temporary affair whereas, because of the absence of that defect, sākşi-jñāna is, at least relatively, abiding.? More of this later. Unless otherwise specified, from now on we shall mean by 'introspection' the spiritual type only.
It may be noted that even in the absence of introspection we are aware of every primary cognition unreflectively. Assuredly, this unreflective awareness is more than mere phosphorescence of that cognition. For while many phosphorescent things may go unnoticed there is no case of a cognition that is not noticed immediately as it occurs even though no introspection has intervened. The whole thing may, however, be understood as follows :
Introspection not to intervene does not mean that it is not there. Introspection to intervene is no other than its showing itself in proper form, viz., as standing apart from the cognition as ever subjective and holding that cognition as an object; which, in turn, implies that before the said intervention it was there in an improper form, i.e. as undistinguishedly fused with the phosphorescent cognition. It is this undistinguished presence, called, from another angle, its reflection ( pratibimba) on that cognition, which makes the cognition pseudo-conscious. Introspection to note it as an object is only another name for itself to be dissociated as a freer stage of subjectivity. From the point of view of dissociate introspection the primary cognition is to be under
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It is because of that very defect that psychological introspection (anu. vyavasaya) fails to reveal anything except through a primary' cognition (vytti) which stands directly as its object. Spiritual introspection (saksijñāna), on the other hand, can do this : not merely primary cognitions but illusory objects too are revealed directly by it; without the intervention of further vittis. As for ajñanayrtti, it is absolutely the same as what may equally be called the object of a jñānaviti. If psychological introspection too reveals yrttis direct, this is because in that aspect it is identical with spiritual introspection.