उपदेशसाहस्री (आदि शङ्कराचार्य - गद्य व पद्य भाग)

220 A THOUSAND TEACHINGS [CHAP. XVIII 6, 7. It is reasonable that of the two ideas, 'I am Existence-Brahman' and 'I am an agent' both of which have the Self for their witness, the one owing its origin to Ignorance should be given up. Springing from evidences which are only apparently so viz., sense- perceptions etc., it gets negated like a mistaken notion of a direction by the other one which has its source in the right evidence of the Vedas.¹ कुरु भोक्तेति यच्छास्त्रं लोकबुद्ध्यनुवादि तत् । सदस्मीति श्रुतेर्जाता बाध्यतेऽन्यैतयैव धीः ॥ ८ ॥ 8. When they say 'Do this' and 'You are ex- periencers' the scriptures restate popular conceptions. The Knowledge, 'I am Existence' arises from the Sruti. The other ² (arising from injunctive scriptures) is negated by it. सदेव त्वमसीत्युक्ते नात्मनो मुक्तता स्थिरा । प्रवर्तते प्रसंख्यामतो युक्त्याऽनुचिन्तयेत् ॥ ९ ॥ 9. (Objection).³ Absolute liberation does not arise when one is told, 'Thou art That.' One should, there- fore, have recourse to the reiteration (of the idea, 'I am Brahman') and support it with reasoning. सकृदुक्तं न गृह्णाति वाक्यार्थज्ञोपि यो भवेत् । अपेक्षतेऽत एवान्यदवोचाम द्वयं हि तत् ॥ १० ॥ ¹ For they are the words of the Lord. See Br. Su., 1. 1. 3. ² I.e., the idea of agency and of experiencing. ³ Objections—verses 9-18.