Adwait Dipika Part 02

Author(s): S Subramanya Shastri
Publisher: Sampurnand Sanskrit Vishvavidyalaya

Page 7

( II ) to sponsor their point of view that Jiva is different from the Lord. For obvious reasons perception cannot come to their aid. The Lord is beyond the ken of perception as He is colourless and all-pervasive. It may be quite likely that the dualists will turn to inference for support. So they state : The Lord and the Jiva are different entities as they possess divergent qualities - one is omniscient while the other is little-knowing. The monists would find flaw in this form of argument as the omniscience of the Lord can only be established on the authority of the Vedic texts which, according to them, proclaim monism. The dualists, however, refer to some scriptural texts, Dva suparna etc., where we find a description of two birds sitting on the branch of a tree, one eating its fruits while the other looking on-the former obviously being the Jiva while the latter the Lord-and they continue to strengthen their point of view by saying that they are two separate entities. The monists, under the circumstances, press the point by saying that the expression 'two' in the Sruti text does not convey any idea of differnce. Madhusudana Sarasvati seems to be firm on this point that the knowledge of difference may be obtainable from the expression 'two' indirectly with the help of arthapatti; but, in the case under consideration it is not possible in the face of categorical statements of identity contained in the mahavakyas. The conclusion is irresistible that the Sruti texts do not lend support to the contention that Jiva is different from Brahman. The Vedic text, Vacarambhanan' etc., enunciates in clear terms the unreality of effects. The texts, Ne'ha nana' sti