उपदेशसाहस्री (आदि शङ्कराचार्य - गद्य व पद्य भाग)

140-145] 'THOU ART THAT' 261
भूतिर्येषां क्रिया सैव कारकं सैव चोच्यते ।
सत्त्वं नाशित्वमस्याश्चेत्सकर्तृत्वं तथेष्यताम् ॥ १४३ ॥
143. Actions, agents etc. consist, according to us,
(Idealists), of knowledge only.
(Reply). You must accept an agent of this know-
ledge if you admit its existence and destruction (every
moment).¹
न कश्चिच्चेष्यते धर्म इति चेत्पक्षहानता ।
नन्वस्तित्वादयो धर्मा नास्तित्वादिनिवृत्तयः ।
न भूतेस्तर्हि नाशित्वं स्वालक्षण्यं मतं हि ते ॥ १४४ ॥
144. Your own conclusion is given up if you do not
admit any quality² (belonging to knowledge). (Objection).
The qualities of existence etc. are nothing but the nega-
tion of their non-existence and so on. (Reply). Even
then knowledge cannot be liable to destruction (every
moment) as it is self-existent (and known by itself ³)
according to you.
स्वलक्षणावधिर्नाशो नाशोऽनाशनिवृत्तिता ।
अगोरसत्त्वं गोत्वं ते न तु तद्गोत्वलक्षणम् ॥ १४५ ॥
145. Destruction has for its ultimate limit something
which is self-existent.⁴ (You say that) destruction ⁵ is
¹ See verse 23, Chap. 16.
² Such as, existence and destruction every moment.
³ In being born and known by itself it requires more than one
moment. It cannot, therefore, be called momentary.
⁴ The appearance and disappearance of things are impossible on
account of the absence of a permanent entity (according to you)
which must be their ultimate limit. Existence and destruction are,
therefore, not possible in your philosophy.
⁵ Destruction being impossible, non-destruction also is so.