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III ADHYAYA, 3 PÂDA, 9.
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nature of something, but at enjoining a meditation of a certain kind.—The hypothesis of unity again is precluded by the consideration that as in that case one term would suffice to convey the intended meaning, the employment of two terms would be purposeless. And moreover the term
udgitha' is never used to denote the omkâra in its connexion with the Rig-veda and Yagur-veda ; nor is the word 'omkara' used to denote that entire second subdivision of a såman which is denoted by the word udgîtha.' Hence it cannot be said that we have to do with different words only denoting one and the same thing.–There thus remains the fourth alternative, 'On account of its compris ing all the Vedas. That means: In order that the omkara may not be understood here as that one which comprises all the Vedas, it is specified by means of the word 'udgitha, in order that that omkâra which constitutes a part of the udgitha may be apprehended.-But does not this interpretation also involve the admission of implication, as according to it the word 'udgitha' denotes not the whole udgitha but only a part of it, viz. the omkâra ?--True, but we have to distinguish those cases in which the implied meaning is not far remote from the direct meaning and those in which it is remote. If, in the present case, we embrace the alternative of adhyasa, we have to assume an altogether remote implication, the idea of one matter being superimposed on the idea of an altogether different matter. If, on the other hand, we adopt the alternative of specification, the implication connected therewith is an easy one, the word which in its direct sense denotes the whole being understood to denote the part. And that words denoting the whole do duty for words denoting the part is a matter of common occurrence; the words 'cloth,' 'village,' and many others are used in this fashion 1.-For all these reasons we declare that the appropriate view of the Khåndogya-passage is to take the word udgîtha' as specialising the term 'omkâra ?!
1 We say, e.g. the cloth is burned,' even if only a part of the cloth is burned.
? We therefore, according to Sankara, have to render the passage
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