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VEDÂNTA-SÛTRAS.
being connected with an upâdhi, or finally the upâdhi itself ?—The first alternative is not possible, because Brahman cannot be divided; it would moreover imply that the individual soul has a beginning, for division means the making of one thing into two. On the second alternative it would follow that, as a part of Brahman would be connected with the upadhi, all the imperfections due to the upâdhis would adhere to that part. And further, if the upâdhi would not possess the power of attracting to itself the particular part of Brahman with which it is connected, it would follow that when the upadhi moves the part with which it is connected would constantly change; in other words, bondage and release would take place at every moment. If, on the contrary, the upådhi possessed the power of attraction, the whole Brahmanas not being capable of division-would be attracted and move with the upâdhi. And should it be said that what is all-pervading and without parts cannot be attracted and move, well then the upâdhi only moves, and we are again met by the difficulties stated above. Moreover, if all the upadhis were connected with the parts of Brahman viewed as one and undivided, all individual souls, being nothing but parts of Brahman, would be considered as non-distinct. And should it be said that they are not thus cognised as one because they are constituted by different parts of Brahman, it would follow that as soon as the upadhi of one individual soul is moving, the identity of that soul would be lost (for it would, in successive moments, be constituted by different parts of Brahman).On the third alternative (the whole of) Brahman itself being connected with the upâdhi enters into the condition of individual soul, and there remains no non-conditioned Brahman. And, moreover, the soul in all bodies will then be one only-On the fourth alternative the individual soul is something altogether different from Brahman, and the difference of the soul from Brahman thus ceases to depend on the upådhis of Brahman.-And the fifth alternative means the embracing of the view of the Karvaka (who makes no distinction between soul and matter). The conclusion from all this is that on the
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