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138
. VEDÂNTA-SÛTRAS.
nature: it rather is just the possession of that essential nature on which the judgment of co-ordination ('the Self is a man, god,' &c.) is based. And as words have the power of denoting the relation of something being a mode of the Self, they denote things together with this relation.-But in ordinary speech the word 'body' is understood to mean the mere body; it does not therefore extend in its denotation up to the Self 1-Not so, we reply. The body is, in reality, nothing but a mode of the Self; but, for the purpose of showing the distinction of things, the word 'body' is used in a limited sense. Analogously words such as
whiteness,' generic character of a cow,' 'species,''quality,' are used in a distinctive sense (although 'whiteness' is not found apart from a white thing, of which it is the prakara, and so on). Words such as 'god,' 'man,' &c., therefore do extend in their connotation up to the Self. And as the individual souls, distinguished by their connexion with aggregates of matter bearing the characteristic marks of humanity, divine nature, and so on, constitute the body of the highest Self, and hence are modes of it, the words denoting those individual souls extend in their connotation up to the very highest Self. And as all intelligent and non-intelligent beings are thus mere modes of the highest Brahman, and have reality thereby only, the words denoting them are used in co-ordination with the terms denoting Brahman. This point has been demonstrated by me in the Vedârthasamgraha. A Satra also (IV, 1, 3) will declare the identity of the world and Brahman to consist in the relation of body and Self; and the Vakyakâra too says 'It is the Self-thus everything should be apprehended.'
Summary statement as to the way in which different
scriptural texts are to be reconciled. The whole matter may be summarily stated as follows. Some texts declare a distinction of nature between nonintelligent matter, intelligent beings, and Brahman, in so far as matter is the object of enjoyment, the souls the enjoying subjects, and Brahman the ruling principle. From that the Lord of Mayà creates all this; in that the other
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