उपदेशसाहस्री (आदि शङ्कराचार्य - गद्य व पद्य भाग)

22-27] " CONSISTING OF EARTH " 175 school¹ external objects other than knowledge do not exist. The unreasonableness of the former school is now going to be described.² बाह्याकारत्वतो ज्ञप्तेः स्मृत्यभावः सदा क्षणात् । क्षणिकत्वाच्च संस्कारं नैवाधत्ते क्वचित्तु धीः ॥ २५ ॥ आधारस्याप्यसत्त्वाच्च तुल्यतानिर्निमित्ततः । स्थाने वा क्षणिकत्वस्य हानं स्यान्न तदिष्यते ॥ २६ ॥ 25, 26. (According to this school) knowledge has to be admitted to be identical³ with external things ; and everything⁴ being momentary and the intellect, the receptacle in which the impressions of memory are to be retained being non-existent⁵ (at the time of receiving the impressions) there will always be the absence of memory. Being momentary, (according to them) the intellect never retains the impressions (of memory). (Again recognition is said to be due to a misconception of similarity but) there is no cause⁶ of similarity (between the preceding and the succeed- ing moments⁷). (If, on the other hand, a witness per- ceiving both the moments be admitted) the doctrine of momentariness is abandoned. But that is not desirable. शान्तेश्चाप्यप्रसिद्धत्वात्साधनोक्तिरनर्थिका । ऐकैकस्मिन्समाप्तत्वाच्छान्तेरन्यानपेक्षता ॥ २७ ॥ ¹ Idealists. ² There is still another School according to which there are neither knowledge nor its objects. They are Nihilists. ³ In that case their doctrine would be the same as that of the Idealists. ⁴ Both subjects and objects. ⁵ Because momentary. ⁶ E.g. parts, qualities etc. Beginning from here the arguments are also against the idealists. ⁷ Phenomena belonging to the moments.