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EXAMINATION OF THE DOOTRINE OF TRAIKĀLYA.
865
The second 'ādi' implies the further reason that all these have been taught as consisting of suffering, transitory as a whole, devoid of the Soul, and so forth. (1787-1790)
The following might be urged :-Like Akasha, all things are always existent; hence there can be no idea of the Past, etc.'
The answer to this is as follows:
TEXTS (1791-1793).
" IN THIS CONNECTION, THERE SHOULD BE NO SUCH COGITATION AS TO
HOW THIS DIVERSITY IN THE states COMES ABOUT. BECAUSE THIS DISTINCTION AMONG THE STATES IS CONCEIVED ON THE BASIS OF activity. THAT WHICH IS ENGAGED IN ACTIVITY IS CALLED PRESENT'; THAT WHICH HAS CEASED FROM ACTIVITY IS CALLED 'Past'; AND THAT WHICH HAS NOT YET ATTAINED ACTIVITY IS CALLED FUTURE THE ACTIVITY OF THINGS SERVES ONLY TO ' PROJECT 'THE RESULT, NOT TO PRODUCE IT. AS THERE CAN BE NO SUCH PROJECTING IN THE CASE OF PAST THINGS, THERE IS NO POSSIBILITY OF ACTIVITY IN THEM."-(1791–1793)
COMMENTARY.
The various states are determined through activity; that which is engaged in activity is Present'; that of which the activity has ceased is Past' and that which has not yet attained Activity is 'future?.
Objection :-"What is it that is meant by 'Karitra', 'Activity, in this connection - If it is operation, in the shape of seeing and the rest --e.g. seeing and the rest are the activity of the Eye and other organs-since the Eye sees, the Ear hears, the Nose smells, the Tongue tastes, -and Cognition also is the Cogniser, as it is that which cognises things; and thus Colour, etc. become perceptible by the Senses ;if this is what is meant by 'activity, then, even when the Man has been born, if the Eye, which shares the fate of the body, has no activity, the man (or the Eye) could not be regarded as present '.- Secondly, activity may be held to consist in the giving (producing) and receiving of the fruit,-for instance, the caste and other properties of man, which are born along with the Eye, are the result (fruit) of human effort; the Visual organ (Eye) or the supervising Deity, or Vibration brings about human effort ; and it is by reason of bringing about this result that the Eye becomes a cause, and hence comes to be spoken of as
present'.-Under this definition of activity', even Past things, being held to be productive of all-embracing results sharing the same fate, would have to be regarded as Present':--Thirdly, it may be held that the
Activity' meant here is that which gives and takes all sorts of results. In that case, the Past, being the cause of some part of such results, would have to be regarded as 'Half-present '."
