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I ADHYAYA, I PÂDA, 3.
161
And even if, in agreement with your view, we explained the second Satra as meaning 'Brahman is that whence proceeds the error of the origination, &c., of the world,' we should not thereby advance your theory of a substance devoid of all difference. For, as you teach, the root of all crror is Nescience, and Brahman is that which witnesses (is conscious of) Nescience, and the essence of witnessing consciousness consists in being pure light (intelligence), and the essence of pure light or intelligence is that, distinguishing itself from the Non-intelligent, it renders itself, as well as what is different from it, capable of becoming the object of empiric thought and speech (vyavahara). All this implies the presence of difference—if there were no difference, light or intelligence could not be what it is, it would be something altogether void, without any meaning.-Here terminates the adhikarana of origination and so on.'
An objection to the purport of the preceding Satras here presents itself. The assertion that Brahman, as the cause of the origination, &c., of the world, must be known through the Vedanta-texts is unfounded; for as Brahman may be inferred as the cause of the world through ordinary reasoning, it is not something requiring to be taught by authoritative texts.- To this objection the next Satra replies.
3. Because Scripture is the source (of the knowledge of Brahman).
Because Brahman, being raised above all contact with the senses, is not an object of perception and the other means of proof, but to be known through Scripture only; therefore the text. Whence these creatures are born,' &c., has to be accepted as instructing us regarding the true nature of Brahman.-But, our opponent points out, Scripture cannot be the source of our knowledge of Brahman, because Brahman is to be known through other means. For it is an acknowledged principle that Scripture has a meaning only with regard to what is not established by other sources of knowledge. But what, to raise a prima facie counter objection, are those other sources of know[48]
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