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CHAPTER IX
THE PHILOSOPHY OF THE ABSOLUTE SELF
In some places, this Brahman is defined so as to include all qualities in only
three qualities, as in the following expressions: "satyam
jnanam anantain brahma" [1], or " vijnanam anandam
brahma"[2], or that the Brahman is of the form of
satya (sat), jnana (cit), ananda (joy), or is ' saccidananda' in form.
And in other places, there are descriptions which include
mutually contradictory qualities, in the same way as in the
Bhagavadgita, like the following: "the Brahman is neither
sat (real) nor asat, i. e., illusory" [3], or is "anor aniyan
mahato mahiyan", that is, smaller than an atom and larger
than the largest [4], or "tad ejati tannaijati tad dure,
tad antike", that is, "It does not move and yet It moves, It
is far away and yet It is near [5], or "It has
the appearance of possessing the qualities of all organs"
( sarvendriyagunabhasa ), and yet is ' sarvendriyavivarjita ', i. e.,
devoid of all organs [6]. Mrtyu, in advising
Naciketa, has kept aside all these descriptions, and said that
the Brahman is something which is beyond righteousness,
beyond that which is done and that which has not been done,
and beyond that which has happened and that which is
capable of happening, i. e., 'bhavya' [7]; and
similar descriptions are given by Brahmadeva to Rudra in
the chapter on the Narayanlya religion in the Mahabharata
[8]; and by Narada to Suka in the chapter
on Moksa (331. 44). Even in the Brhadaranyakopanisad
[9], it is stated in the beginning that there are three
iconical forms of the Brahman, namely, earth, water, and fire
and two non-iconical forms, namely, air and ether ; and it is
then stated that the forms or colours of the ether-formed
(sarabhuta) spirits into which these non-iconical forms are
transformed, ohange; and it is ultimately stated that "neti, ,
neti", that is, " It is not this ", " It is not this ", that is to say,
whatever has been described so far, is not the Brahman; the
Parabrahman is something which is beyond (para) this non-
iconical or iconical substance (which can be identified by
Name and Form) , and is ‘agrhya', i. e., incomprehensible, and
'avarnaniya ', i. e., indescribable [10].
Nay, the Brahman is that which is beyond all objects
whatsoever which can be named; and the words "neti, neti",
that is, "It is not this, It is not this" have become a short
symbol to show the imperceptible and quality less form of
that Brahman; and the same description has appeared four
times in the Brhadaranyakopanisad [11]; and in the same way, there are also
descriptions in other Upanisads of the quality less and
unimaginable form of the Parabrahman, such as, "yato vaco
nivarlante aprapya manasa saha" (Taitti. 2. 9), or "adresyam
(adrsya), agrahyam" [12], or "na caksusa grhyate
na 'pi vaca [13], that is, "That which is not visible-
to the eyes, and which cannot be described by speech", or:
asabdam asparsam arpam avyayam
tatha rasam nityam agandhavac ca yat I
anady anantam mahatah param dhruvam
nicayya tan mrtyumukhat pramucyate II
that is, It does not possess the five qualities of sound, touch,
colour, taste, and smell, which are possessed by the five
primordial elements, and is without beginning, without end,
and imperishable [14].
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