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unalloyed happiness. Even if it be granted that the proportion of pleasure is greater than that of pain, yet the very fact that pain is unavoidable shows that worldly career cannot be regarded as a perfect condition of life. It is the supreme prerogative of the soul, whether encased in a human or divine body, that it is not satisfied permanently with anything short of a state of existence free from all taint of suffering and pain. It is this divine discontent with the relative values that augurs for the realization of perfection. This perfection free from the shackles of the not-self is the final salvation of the soul, which is achieved when the soul entirely overcomes and transcends delusion (mithyājñāna).
Now what is the nature of this delusion and how is it responsible for the metempsychosis (samsāra)? Explaining the nature of this delusion and describing the origin of the metempsychosis, Vātsyāyana says: 'Delusion (mith yājñāna) consists in mistaking the not-self for the self. It is a falso belief (moha) of the form 'I am the body'. It is egoism (ahamkāra) which consists in looking upon the not-self as identical with the real self. What are the contents of this ego-consciousness? It is the body, sense-organs, mind, feeling and cognitions, in one word, the psycho-physical appurtenance which is felt as identical with the self. Why is this ego-consciousness, that is to say, the self's identification with what is not-self the cause of the unbroken chain of births and deaths ? The soul develops the conviction that it is none other than the body, sense-organs etc. and consequently is constantly obsessed with the fear of self-annihilation on the annihilation of the body and its concomitant organs and faculties. The self cannot think that it is immortal in its own right and because of its identification with the mortal body is perpetually tormented by the fear of death. The soul, therefore, seeks to preserve the body from death by all means. But this clinging to the body in spite of its inevitable end leads to the recurrence of a fresh life in a fresh body and consequent death. The reason for this is that a deep-rooted desire (vāsanā) cannot go unsatisfied. The desire for the body is satisfied not by the preservation of the previous one because of its mortality, but by the acquisition of a fresh body. And this means the perpetuation of the worldly career.'1
We have seen that delusion which induces perverted belief is the
1 kim punas tan mithya-jõänam? anātmany ātmagrahaḥ, aham asmi 'ti moho 'hankāra iti. anātmānam khalv aham asmi 'ti paśyato drsţir ahankāra iti. kiin punas tad arthajātam yadvişayo 'hankāraḥ? sarirendriya-mano-vedanābuddhayaḥ. katham tadvișayo 'hamkāraḥ samsāra-bijam bhavati? ayam khalu śarīrādyartha-jātam aham asmī "ti vyavasitas taducchedenā "tmocchedam manyamāno 'nuccheda-trşņāpariplutaḥ punaḥ punas tad upādatte, tad upādadáno janma-maraņāya yatate, tenā 'viyogan nā 'tyantam duḥkhād vimucyata iti-Introductory Bhāsya, NS, IV. 2. I.
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