उपदेशसाहस्री (आदि शङ्कराचार्य - गद्य व पद्य भाग)

170 A THOUSAND TEACHINGS [CHAP. XVI
चक्षुर्वत्कर्मकर्तृत्वं स्याच्चेन्नानेकमेव तत् ।
संहतं च, ततो नात्मा द्रष्टृत्वात्कर्मतां व्रजेत् ॥ १० ॥
10. May it not be that the Self is both object and
subject like the eye?¹ No; the eye consists of several
parts and is a combination.² But the Self does not
become an object as It is the Seer.³
ज्ञानयत्नाद्यनेकत्वमात्मनोऽपि मतं यदि ।
नैकज्ञानगुणत्वात्तु ज्योतिर्वत्तस्य कर्मता ॥ ११ ॥
11. One may argue that the Self also has many
qualities such as, knowledge, effort and so on (and,
therefore, like the eye It may be both subject⁴ and
object⁴). (No, it is not so ;) It can never be an object
because, like light, It has only one quality viz., Know-
ledge.⁵
ज्योतिषो द्योतकत्वेऽपि यद्वन्नात्मप्रकाशनम् ।
भेदेऽप्येवं समत्वाज्ज्ञ आत्मानं नैव पश्यति ॥ १२ ॥
12. Just as light, though an illuminator, does not
illumine itself, so, even assuming⁶ that there is a
¹ The eye becomes an object when seen in a mirror and a
subject when it is in its own place. So, identified with other things
the Self is an object, otherwise It is a subject.—The objector.
² And, therefore, it may be both Subject and object as suggested
by the objector. ³ Pure Consciousness. It can never become
an object. For an object is always the non-Self.
⁴ The objector means that the Self possessed of the qualities of
effort, desire, etc. may be a subject with certain qualities and an
object with others. ⁵ Br. U., 2. 4. 12.
⁶ Even according to the assumption, therefore, one conscious part
cannot make the other conscious part its object; nor can we imagine
that there may be a non-conscious part in consciousness.