उपदेशसाहस्री (आदि शङ्कराचार्य - गद्य व पद्य भाग)

THE KNOWLEDGE OF THE CHANGELESS 57
Teacher.—“You contradict yourself by saying that
you are not conscious when, as a matter of fact, you
are so.”
Disciple.—“But, Sir, I was never conscious of con-
sciousness or anything else in deep sleep.”
Teacher.—“You are then conscious in deep sleep.
For you deny the existence of the objects of Knowledge
(in that state), but not that of Knowledge. I have told
you that what is your consciousness is nothing but
absolute Knowledge. The Consciousness owing to
whose presence you deny (the existence of things in
deep sleep) by saying, ‘I was conscious of nothing’ is
the Knowledge, the Consciousness which is your Self.
As It never ceases to exist, Its eternal immutability is
self-evident and does not depend on any evidence ; for
an object of Knowledge different from the self-evident
Knower depends on an evidence in order to be known.
Other than the object the eternal Knowledge that is
indispensable in proving non-conscious things different
from Itself, is immutable ; for It is always of a self-
evident nature. Just as iron, water, etc., which are not
of the nature of light and heat, depend for them on the
sun, fire and other things other than themselves, but
the sun and fire themselves, always of the nature of
light and heat, do not depend for them on anything
else ; so, being of the nature of pure Knowledge It
does not depend on an evidence to prove that It exists
or that It is the Knower.”
अनित्यत्वे एव प्रमा स्यात्, न नित्यत्वे इति चेत् ॥ ९४ ॥