________________
920
TATTVASANGRAHA: CHAPTER XXI.
of fact, however, in Dreams and other states there appears Subjective Consciousness onvisaging the Blue and other objects, which Subjective Consciousness is apprehended even when there is no Sense-organ nor any Object in the shape of Colour, etc.-Nor can it be said that at that time the substratum of the Consciousness consists of the Sense-organ in the body; because what figures in the Consciousness is the Blue Object (which is not present in the body); and every bodily Cognition apprehends only tangible objects. Hence it is not right to say that 'all Cognition is in the form of the apprehension of things'. It is thus that there is nothing incongruous in asserting the presence of Oognition in the state of swoon and similar conditions. (1920-1922)
The following might be urged " There is nothing incongruous in the idea of Consciousness existing there in the form of a latent potency, but the idea that it is actually there in its potent form is certainly incongruous”.
The answer to this is as follows:
TEXTS (1923-1927).
CONSCIOUSNESS IS NOT PRESENT IN THE FETUS MERELY IN THE FORM
OF A POTENOY; THE VIEW HELD IS THAT CONSCIOUSNESSES ARE PRESENT THERE IN THEIR ACTUAL TORM-WHENCE DO YOU DERIVE THE IDEA THAT THERE IS NO CONSCIOUSNESS DURING SLEEP AND SWOON AND SUCH OTHER CONDITIONS - IF IT BE ARGUED THAT"THE IDEA IS OBTAINED FROM THE ABSENCE OF CONSCIOUSNESS"- THEN, THE QUESTION IS-HOW HAS THIS ABSENCE BEEN COGNISED ? IN CASE YOUR IDEA PROCEEDS THUS-"WE DO NOT COGNISE ANY CONSCIOUSNESS AT THE TIME ”, -THEN THAT ITSELF PROVES THE PRESENCE OF CONSCIOUSNESS AT THE TIME. IT MIGHT BE ARGUED THAT" IE CONSCIOUSNESS IS PRESENT DURING THE SAID STATES, THEN WHY IS THERE NO REMEMBRANCE OF IT ON AWAKENING, ETC.?" -THIS FACT (OF NON-REMEMBRANCE) IS NOT EFFECTIVE (IN REFUTING OUR VIEW); THE ABSENCE OF REMEMBRANCE IS DUE TO THE ABSENCE OF VIVIDNESS AND OTHER CONDITIONS (IN THE CONSCIOUSNESS)AS IN THE CASE OF THE CONSCIOUSNESS OF THE NEWBORN INFANT.(1923–1927)
COMMENTARY.
There would certainly be an incongruity if there were some means of knowing with certainty that there is no Consciousness at all during the states of sleep, swoon and the like.
"There is this means of knowledge available in the fact that there is no consciousness or cognition of the Consciousness itself."
That cannot be right; how has this absence of the Consciousness of itself been cognised? As ex hypothesi there can be no definite cognition of the absence of Cognition.