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(2016) (Objection) What is devoid of body, is dead only (non-existent like ass's horn), and pleasure and pain, desirable and undesirable do not touch · (affect) it. It is obvious that ‘aśarira' (bodiless) means dead. What wrong is there in this interpretation)?
(2017) (Reply) You do not know correctly the meaning of the words of the Veda. Listen to this (correct meaning) of theirs.
The term 'aśarira' is like 'adhana' (moneyless) because there is negation of an attribute in something which is existent.
(2018) Because of negation by 'na', there is meant something which is other than it, but certainly like it. Therefore by ‘aśarīra', it is proper to understand soul and not ass's horn (which being non-existent is entirely different from sa śarīra).
(2019) (And) Because 'va vasantam' expresses it as existent. 'Vā' suggests that (pleasure and pain do not touch) even an embodied being. The particular pleasure and pain do not affect an ascetic (sage) free from passions (likes and dislikes).
(2020) Or ‘văva' is an indeclinable having the same meaning as 'va'; and ‘santam' means 'bhavantam’-existing. Or ‘ava' means 'know!' and 'vā santam' means existent or existent as qualified by knowledge, etc.
(2021) ('aśarīram vă avasantam') If it be thought that . 'avasantam' (non-existent) is ‘na vasantam' (not existent), it is
not so, for we have the word asārīra (which can refer to å soul alone as shown above) and even the qualification of touch is recognised to be only with reference to an existent
thing.
(2022-3) (Objection) Even if the emancipated soul is such (existent), the condition of being free from both pleasure and pain is there (and so it cannot be said to be perfectly happy). (Reply-) It is not so; for pleasure and pain caused by merit
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