उपदेशसाहस्री (आदि शङ्कराचार्य - गद्य व पद्य भाग)

234 A THOUSAND TEACHINGS [CHAP. XVIII 51, 52. (Objection).¹ It is well known among the people that the meaning² of the root and that³ of the verbal suffix, though different from each other in each of the words such as, 'does', 'goes', etc., are seen to belong to the same subject.⁴ They are not seen to belong to two different subjects either according to ordinary people or grammarians. Now, please tell me the reason why the meanings of the root and the suffix should belong to two different subjects in the case of the words such as, 'knows' etc. आत्माभासस्तु तिङ्वाच्यो धात्वर्थश्च धियः क्रिया । उभयं चाविवेकेन जानातीत्युच्यते मृषा ॥ ५३ ॥ 53. (Reply). The meaning of the suffix is the reflection of the Self (in the intellect) and the root denotes an action i.e., a modification of the intellect. As the intellect and the reflection are not discriminated from the Self the word 'knows'⁵ is predicated falsely about It. न बुद्धेरवबोधोऽस्ति नात्मनो विद्यते क्रिया । अतो नान्यतरस्यापि जानातीति च युज्यते ॥ ५४ ॥ 54. The intellect has no consciousness and the Self no action. The word 'knows' can, therefore, reason- ably be applied to neither of them. नाप्यतो भावशब्देन ज्ञप्तिरित्यपि युज्यते । न ह्यात्मा विक्रियामात्रो नित्य आत्मेति शासनात् ॥ ५५ ॥ ¹ The discussion begun here ends in verse 69. ² The meaning of a root is an action. ³ The meaning of a verbal suffix is agency. ⁴ E.g., Devadatta. ⁵ Meaning wrongly that the Self is the agent of the action of knowing.