उपदेशसाहस्री (आदि शङ्कराचार्य - गद्य व पद्य भाग)

THE KNOWLEDGE OF THE CHANGELESS 41
57. Disciple.—“ The objections that the Self as the
body only ¹ is non-existent, non-eternal and so on, hold
good if the Self which is not ² conjoined with the
body ³ were superimposed on it.⁴ The body would
then be without a Self ⁵ and so the Nihilist position
comes in.”
न। स्वत एवात्मनः आकाशस्येव असं​हतत्वाभ्युपगमात्।
सर्वेणासंहतः स च आत्मेति न निरात्मको देहादिः सर्वः स्यात्।
यथा च आकाशं सर्वेणासंहतमिति सर्वं न निराकाशं भवति,
एवम्। तस्मान्न वैनाशिकपक्षप्राप्तिदोषः स्यात् ॥ ५८ ॥
58. Teacher.—“ No. (You are not right). For we
admit that, like the ether, the Self is by nature free
from contact with anything. Just as things are not
bereft of the ether though it is not in contact with them,
so, the body etc., are not devoid of the Self though It
is not in contact with them. Therefore the objection of
the Nihilist position coming in does not arise.
यत्पुनरुक्तं, देहस्यात्यन्तासत्त्वे प्रत्यक्षादिविरोधः स्यादिति।
तन्न। प्रत्यक्षादिभिः आत्मनि देहस्य सत्त्वानुपलब्धेः। नह्यात्मनि,
कुण्डे बदरं, क्षीरे सर्पिः, तिले तैलं, भित्तौ चित्रमिव च, प्रत्य-
क्षादिभिः देह उपलभ्यते। तस्मान्न प्रत्यक्षादिविरोधः ॥ ५९ ॥
¹ For, being superimposed the Self is non-existent.
² The relation of conjunction between the Self and the body is
not admitted by the teacher.
³ The relation of conjunction failing, that of false identity comes
in. For we must explain the idea, ‘I am a man’.
⁴ The body again is superimposed on the Self according to
the teacher.
⁵ And the Self would be without a body.