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22
VEDÂNTA-SOTRAS.
Even the supposition that Brahman, after having created ether and air, assumed the form of air and thus created fire would not be opposed to fire having sprung from Brahman; for we may say equally that milk comes from the cow, that curds come from the cow, that cheese comes from the cow. There is, moreover, a scriptural passage declaring that Brahman abides as the Self of its effects, viz. Taitt. Up. II, 7,
That made itself its Self.' And analogously Smriti-in the passage beginning Cognition, knowledge, steadiness of mind' (Bha. Gi. X, 4) - says about the Lord, 'From me only spring the manifold states of the beings.' For although cognition and so on are observed to spring directly from their immediate causes, yet (the assertion made in the passage quoted holds good), since the entire aggregate of beings is, directly or indirectly, derived from the Lord.—Thereby those scriptural passages are accounted for which speak of the creation (on the whole) without specifying the order of succession'; for they may be explained anyhow, while on the other hand the passages specifying the order of creation cannot be turned in any other way (i.e. not away from their direct sense). The general assertion, moreover, of everything springing from Brahman requires only that all things should ultimately proceed from that which is not that they should be its immediate effects. Thus there remains no difficulty.
11. Water (is produced from fire). We have to supply from the preceding Sutra the words thence' and 'for thus the text declares.'-Watèr is produced from fire; for the text says, 'it sent forth water' (Kh. Up. VI, 2, 3), and from fire (sprang) water' (Taitt. Up. II, 1). These explicit statements allow no room for doubt? The Satrakára, however, having explained the creation of fire, and being about to explain the creation of
* I.e. it appears from the preceding discussion that those passages have to be explained in such a way as to agree with those other passages which state the order of the created beings.
* So that the Sätra might possibly be looked upon as not called for.
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