49. Knowledge and Knowers

Adhyaya 3 Pada 3 AdhikaraNa 12

The Individual Spirit Souls Are Both Knowledge and Knowers


Introduction by shrIla Baladeva VidyAbhUShaNa


Now the author of the sUtras considers the nature of the
individual spirit soul. In the BR^ihad-AraNyaka UpaniShad (3.7.22)
it is said:


yo vij~nAne tiShThan


"The individual spirit soul is situated in
knowledge."

In another passage it is said:


sukham aham asvapsaM na ki~ncid avediShi


"I slept happily. I did not know anything."

SaMshaya (doubt): Is the individual spirit soul unalloyed
knowledge only, or is the soul the knower that experiences
knowledge?

PUrvapakSha (the opponent speaks): The individual spirit soul
consists of knowledge only. This is confirmed by the statement of
BR^ihad-AraNyaka UpaniShad (3.7.22): "The individual spirit
soul is situated in knowledge." The soul is not the knower or the
perceiver of knowledge. The intelligence is the knower.
Therefore statement, "I slept happily. I did not
know anything." is spoken by the intelligence, not by the soul.

SiddhAnta (conclusion): The author of the sUtras gives the
following conclusion.


SUtra 17


j~no .ata eva

j~naH - knower; ataH eva - therefore.


Therefore he is the knower.

Purport by shrIla Baladeva VidyAbhUShaNa


The individual spirit soul is both knowledge and knower. In
the Prashna UpaniShad (4.9) it is said:


eSha hi draShTA spraShTA shrotA rasayitA ghrAtA mantA boddhA kartA
vij~nAnAtmA puruShaH

"The individual spirit soul is the seer, the
toucher, the hearer, the taster, the smeller, the thinker, the
determiner, the doer, and the knower."

This truth is accepted because it is declared by scripture,
not because it is understood by logic. Our acceptance of the
truth of scripture is described in sUtra 2.1.27:


shrutes tu shabda-mUlatvAt


"The statements of shruti-shAstra are the root of real
knowledge."

In the SmR^iti-shAstra it is said:


j~nAtA j~nAna-svarUpo .ayam


"The individual spirit soul is both knower and
knowledge."

Therefore the individual spirit soul is not knowledge alone
without being anything else, and this is not at all proved by
the statement, "I slept happily. I did not know
anything," for such an idea would contradict these scripture
statements that affirm the soul to be the knower. Therefore it is
concluded that the individual spirit soul is both knowledge and
knower.