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II ADHYAYA, I PÂDA, 8.
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and the worms also. There is difference of characteristics, but-as in the case of gold and golden bracelets—there is oneness of substance.—An objection is raised.
8. On account of such consequences in reabsorption (the Vedânta-texts would be) inappropriate.
The term 'reabsorption' here stands as an instance of all the states of Brahman, reabsorption, creation, and so onamong which it is the first as appears from the texts giving instruction about those several states Being, only was this in the beginning'; 'The Self only was this in the beginning.' If we accept the doctrine of the oneness of substance of cause and effect, then, absorption, creation, &c. of the world all being in Brahman, the different states of the world would connect themselves with Brahman, and the latter would thus be affected by all the imperfections of its effect; in the same way as all the attributes of the bracelet are present in the gold also. And the undesirable consequence of this would be that contradictory attributes as predicated in different Vedanta-texts would have to be attributed to one and the same substance : cp. He who is all-knowing' (Mu. Up. I, 1, 9); Free from sin, free from old age and death' (Kh. Up. VIII, 1, 5); Of him there is known neither cause nor effect' (Svet. Up. VI, 6); Of these two one eats the sweet fruit' (Svet. Up. IV, 6); 'The Self that is not a Lord is bound because he has to enjoy (Svet. Up. I, 8); ‘On account of his impotence he laments, bewildered' (Svet. Up. IV, 7).—Nor can we accept the explanation that, as Brahman in its causal as well as its effected state has all sentient and non-sentient beings for its body; and as all imperfections inhere in that body only, they do not touch Brahman in either its causal or effected state. For it is not possible that the world and Brahman should stand to each other in the relation of effect and cause, and if it were possible, the imperfections due to connexion with a body would necessarily cling to Brahman. It is not, we say, possible that the intelligent and nonntelligent beings together should constitute the body of Brahman. For a body is a particular aggregate of earth
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