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I ADHYAYA, I PÂDA, 1.
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for its essential nature' (Vi. Pu. 1, 2,6) imply that the whole complex of things different from knowledge is false; for it declares only that the appearance of the Self-the essential nature of which is knowledge-as gods, men, and so on, is erroneous. A declaration that the appearance of mother o' pearl as silver is founded on error surely does not imply that all the silver in the world is unreal 1-But if, on the ground of an insight into the oneness of Brahman and the world-as expressed in texts where the two appear in co-ordination-a text declares that it is an error to view Brahman, whose essential nature is knowledge, under the form of material things, this after all implies that the whole aggregate of things is false !-By no means, we rejoin. As our sästra distinctly teaches that the highest Brahman, i.e. Vishnu, is free from all imperfections whatsoever, comprises within himself all auspicious qualities, and reveals his power in mighty manifestations, the view of the world's reality cannot possibly be erroneous. That information as to the oneness of two things by means of co-ordination does not allow of sublation (of either of the two), and is non-contradictory, we shall prove further on. Hence also the sloka last referred to does not sublate the reality of the world.
That from whence these beings are born, by which, when born, they live, into which they enter when they die, endeavour to know that; that is Brahman' (Taitt. Up. III, 1). From this scriptural text we ascertain that Brahman is the cause of the origination, and so on, of the world. After this we learn from a Purana text (He should make the Veda grow by means of Itihasa and Purana ; the Veda fears that a man of little reading may do it harm') that the Veda should be made to grow by Itihasa and Purana. By this 'making to grow we have to understand the elucidation of the sense of the Vedic texts studied by means of other texts, promul. gated by men who had mastered the entire Veda and its contents, and by the strength of their devotion had gained full intuition of Vedic truth. Such 'making to grow' must needs be undertaken, since the purport of the entire Veda with all its Sakhâs cannot be fathomed by one
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