शिवज्ञानबोध (मेय्कण्डार - शैव सिद्धान्त का आधारभूत दार्शनिक सूत्र ग्रन्थ)

SECOND SUTRA 15
NOTES.
GENERAL.
This Sutra discusses the most important and peculiar doc-
trine of this school, namely its theory of Adwaitham or the relation
between God and the souls. Three Relations are possible.
(1.) succession or causation. When one thing is the cause
and the other is the effect, there is no difference whatever. It is
Abetha; just like gold and ornaments made out of it (பொன்பணி
போல் அபேதம்).
(2.) Co-existence with mutual exclusion. Here one has no
connection whatever with the other. One is totally external to
the other. It is Betha like darkness and light (இருள் ஒளிபோல்
பேதம்).
(3.) Co-existence without mutual exclusion or externality
as when two different things are connected inseparably like the
association of ideas. It is Bethabetham; just like the word
and its meaning. Here the word is either a sound or a
symbol and is distinguishable from the connotation of the
name yet both the symbol or sound and the connotation
is inseparably and indissolubly associated with each other.
This relationship is not postulated by any other school. Under
the first division comes in both Idealism (Mayavatham) and
Materialism (Nasthikam and Boudha Vadham). In both the
schools, causation is postulated whether it be that matter is de-
rived from mind or the universe of mind and matter is derived
from an Absolute or mind is derived from matter or a combina-
tion of Skandas. From the theory of causation, when you de-
rive matter from mind, it will be as easy to derive mind from
matter. And the objections we can take against the Materialist
will equally be applicable to the theory of the Idealist, as is pointed