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(0) SANKHYA DOOTRINE OF THE SOUL'.
201
Matter is eternal, and there can be no other cause except itself, -it cannot be right to regard its Potency as only occasionally active, on account of being dependent upon certain causes operating only occasionally. Nor can it be right to regard the said Potency of Primordial Matter to be inherent in it; for, if that were so, then as the Cause in its perfeot form would be always present, the entire purpose of all men, in the form prosperity' and 'highest good', would be brought about all at once.-(304)
It might be argued that-"There may be non-difference between Cosmic Intellect and Sentience, even so the fact of its being Spirit remains undenied" The answer to this is given in the following
TEXTS (305-306).
THERE IS NO HARM DONE TO US BY THE MERE APPLICATION OF THE
SPIRIT' To Sentience; WHAT WE ASSERT IS THAT ITS eternality IS DIFFICULT TO PROVE; BECAUSE THE EYI AND OTHER THINGS SERVE A FRUITFUL PURPOSE. IV Sentience WIERT RVERLASTING, THEN ALL SUCH THINGS AS TIR EYE AND THE REST WOULD BE USELESS ; E.G. THERE WOULD BE NO USE FOR THE FUEL I FIRE
WERD EVERLASTING.–(305-306)
COMMENTARY
What we deny is not merely the applying of the same 'Spirit'to Sentience ; what we do deny is the property of eternality that is imposed upon it. Why?'-Because such things as the Eye, the Light, the Mind and the like serve a fruitful purpose. Otherwise, if Sentience were everlasting-eternal-then the Eye and the rest would be entirely useless; as the only purpose served by these is the bringing about of Sentience (Cognition); and there can be no bring. ing about of what is eternal.-An example is cited. There would be etc.; -i.e, if fire were everlasting, then people would not fetch fuel for the lighting of fire.
Froin all this it follows that Sentience cannot be Eternal. (303-300)
Another argument put forward by the Sankhya (in Kūrika 17) is that "all composite things nre found to be for another's use" -The author pro. ceeds to examine who this another 'is
