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The Philosophy of Vallabha
[CH. be unique, since in that case even an emancipated person may have an error. Again, if avidyā and its relation are both beginningless and jīva be also beginningless, then it is difficult to determine whether avidyā created jīva or jīva created avidyā.
It must therefore be assumed that the bondage of the jīvas or their existence as such is not beginningless. Their bondage is produced by avidyā, which is a power of God, and which operates only with reference to those jīvas whom God wishes to bind. For this reason we have to admit a number of beings, like snakes and others, who were never brought under the binding power of avidyāl. All things appear and disappear by the grace of God as manifesting (āvirbhāva) and hiding (tirobhāva). The power of manifesting is the power by which things are brought within the sphere of experience (anubhava-visayatva-yogyatāvirbhāvah), and the power of hiding is the power by which things are so obscured that they cannot be experienced (tad-avisaya-yogya tātirobhāvah). Things therefore exist even when they are not perceived; in the ordinary sense existence is defined as the capacity of being perceived, but in a transcendental sense things exist in God even when they are not perceived. According to this view all things that happened in the past and all that may happen in the future-all these exist in God and are perceived or not perceived according to His willp.
The jīra is regarded as a part of God; this nature of jīva can be realized only on the testimony of the scriptures. Being a part of God, it has not the fullness of God and therefore cannot be as omniscient as He. The various defects of the jīva are due to God's will: thus, in order that the jīva may have a diversity of experience, God has obscured His almighty power in him and for securing his moral efforts He has associated him with bondage and rendered him independent. It is by obscuring His nature as pure bliss that the part of God appears as the jīva. We know that the followers of Madhva also regard the jīvas as parts of God; but according to them they are distinct from Him, and the identity of the Brahman and the jīva is only in a remote sense. According to the Nimbārkas
yad-bandhane tad-icchā tam era sa badhnāti. Puruşottama's Suvarna-sūtra, P. 35.
2 asmin kule asmin dese idam kāryam idam bharatu iti iccha-visayatvam ārir-bhārah tadā tatra tat mā bharatu iti icchā-visayatvam tirobhūtah. Ibid. p. 56.
