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INTRODUCTION
it is the necessary factor in all these. It is the principal agent of all functions, mental as well as material. It is the agent who feels, thinks and wills. Without it no functions would be possible, specially consciousness. In short, Spirit is the source of intelligence, and as such, the necessary factor in every function of the mind-feeling, intellecting and willing.
(2) How is this Spirit constituted ? As a matter of fact the Spirit is constituted of intelligence or sentience pure and simple, and is free from every other qualification and encumbrance.
(3) What are its properties? These are thus enunciated : it is free from the three attributes, possessed of discriminative faculties, non-objective, singular, intelligent and nonproductive. If the Spirit were not naturally free from the action of the Attributes, no liberation from metempsychosis would be possible. Since pain constitutes the very nature of the Attributes and as such cannot possibly be separated from it. And thus no liberation being possible, there would be no necessity for enquiries to which the various systems of philosophy are devoted. And lastly, if the Spirit were not equipped with discriminative faculties, it could never attain the discriminative wisdom arrived at by the philosophical systems, which would thus become purposeless.
Next as to the aims of the Spirit. It has been laid down that the Spirit mistakes the fluctuations of the Attributes constituting Nature, to be His own ; and thus comes to be affected by pleasure, pain, etc., which in reality do not touch him,-under the influence of the different kinds of delusions-the modifications of Buddhı. Now the one allabsorbing aim of every Spirit is the attainment of that wisdom which would help him to discriminate between Himself and the fluctuations of the Attributes, and thus see the pleasure and pain caused by these in their true light and be no longer affected by them.
