उपदेशसाहस्री (आदि शङ्कराचार्य - गद्य व पद्य भाग)

170 A THOUSAND TEACHINGS [CHAP. XVI चक्षुर्वत्कर्मकर्तृत्वं स्याच्चेन्नानेकमेव तत् । संहतं च, ततो नात्मा द्रष्टृत्वात्कर्मतां व्रजेत् ॥ १० ॥ 10. May it not be that the Self is both object and subject like the eye?¹ No; the eye consists of several parts and is a combination.² But the Self does not become an object as It is the Seer.³ ज्ञानयत्नाद्यनेकत्वमात्मनोऽपि मतं यदि । नैकज्ञानगुणत्वात्तु ज्योतिर्वत्तस्य कर्मता ॥ ११ ॥ 11. One may argue that the Self also has many qualities such as, knowledge, effort and so on (and, therefore, like the eye It may be both subject⁴ and object⁴). (No, it is not so ;) It can never be an object because, like light, It has only one quality viz., Know- ledge.⁵ ज्योतिषो द्योतकत्वेऽपि यद्वन्नात्मप्रकाशनम् । भेदेऽप्येवं समत्वाज्ज्ञ आत्मानं नैव पश्यति ॥ १२ ॥ 12. Just as light, though an illuminator, does not illumine itself, so, even assuming⁶ that there is a ¹ The eye becomes an object when seen in a mirror and a subject when it is in its own place. So, identified with other things the Self is an object, otherwise It is a subject.—The objector. ² And, therefore, it may be both Subject and object as suggested by the objector. ³ Pure Consciousness. It can never become an object. For an object is always the non-Self. ⁴ The objector means that the Self possessed of the qualities of effort, desire, etc. may be a subject with certain qualities and an object with others. ⁵ Br. U., 2. 4. 12. ⁶ Even according to the assumption, therefore, one conscious part cannot make the other conscious part its object; nor can we imagine that there may be a non-conscious part in consciousness.