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I ADHYAYA, I PÂDA, 1.
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being furnished by the difference of acts of cleaving, which results from the difference of objects to be cleft. And if you assert that of this knowing-which is essentially knowing only-nothing that is an object of knowledge can be an attribute, and that these objects—just because they are objects of knowledge—cannot be attributes of knowing ; we point out that both these remarks would apply also to eternity, self-luminousness, and the other attributes of 'knowing,' which are acknowledged by yourself, and established by valid means of proof. Nor may you urge against this that all these alleged attributes are in reality mere 'consciousness' or 'knowing'; for they are essentially distinct. By being conscious' or 'knowing,' we understand the illumining or manifesting of some object to its own substrate (i. c. the substrate of knowledge), by its own existence (i. e. the existence of knowledge) merely ; by selfluminousness (or 'self-illuminatedness') we understand the shining forth or being manifest by its own existence merely to its own substrate; the terms ‘shining forth,' illumining,'
being manifest' in both these definitions meaning the capability of becoming an object of thought and speech which is common to all things, whether intelligent or nonintelligent. Eternity again means 'being present in all time'; oneness means 'being defined by the number one.' Even if you say that these attributes are only negative ones, i.e. equal to the absence of non-intelligence and so on, you still cannot avoid the admission that they are attributes of consciousness. If, on the other hand, being of a nature opposite to non-intelligence and so on, be not admitted as attributes of consciousness – whether of a positive or a negative kind - in addition to its essential nature; it is an altogether unmeaning proceeding to deny to it such qualities, as non-intelligence and the like.
We moreover must admit the following alternative: consciousness is either proved (established) or not. If it is proved it follows that it possesses attributes ; if it is not, it is something absolutely nugatory, like a sky-flower, and similar purely imaginary things.
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