Page:A History of Indian Philosophy Vol 1.djvu/466

 45° The Saizkara School oj Vedanta [CH. basis is not in the content of my knowledge as manifested in my mental state (vr tti ), so that the illusion is not of the form that the "knowledge is silver" but of "this is silver:' Objective phenomena as such have reality as their basis, whereas the ex- pression of illumination of them as states of knowledge is made through the cit being manifested through the mental mould or states. Vithout the vrt:ti there is no illuminating knowledge. Phenomenal creations are there in the world moving about as shadowy forms on the unchangeable basis of one cit or reality, but this basis, this light of reality, can only manifest these forms when the veil of nescience covering them is temporarily removed by their coming in touch with a mental mould or mind-modifica- tion (vrtti). I t is sometimes said that since all illumination of knowledge must be through the mental states there is no other entity of pure consciousness apart from what is manifested through the states. This Vedanta does not admit, for it holds that it is necessary that before the operation of the mental states can begin to interpret reality, reality must already be there and this reality is nothing but pure consciousness. Had there been no reality apart from the manifesting states of know- ledge, the validity of knowledge would also cease; so it has to be admitted that there is the one eternal self-luminous reality untouched by the characteristics of the mental states, which are material and suffer origination and destruction. It is this self- luminous consciousness that seems to assume diverse forms in connection with diverse kinds of associations or limitations (uPiidhi). It manifests aJiltl1la (nescience) and hence does not by itself remove the ajfiana, except when it is reflected through any specific kind of vtti. There is of course no difference, no inner and outer varieties between the reality, the pure consciousness which is the essence, the basis and the ground of all phenomenal appearances of the objective world, and the consciousness that manifests itself through the mental states. There is only one identical pure consciousness or reality, which is at once the basis of the phenomena as well as their interpreter by a reflection through the mental states or vfttis. The phenomena or objects called the dfsya can only be de- termined in their various forms anu manifestations but not as to their ultimate reality; there is no existence as an entity of any relation such as sarpyoga (contact) or samavaya (inherence)