cludes with — "From whom all these beings are born, by
whom, when born, they are all preserved, and to whom they
go when they perish, do thou desire to know that well;
that is the Brahman." [Taitt. Up. III. i. i.]. Here there
arises the doubt whether or not it is possible to know the
Brahman definitely by means of this passage. It is perhaps
held that it is not possible. The words creation, &c., do not,
indeed, define the Brahman by constituting His characterising attributes; for, (if they did), there would result
the predication of non-unity in relation to the Brahman, in
consequence of His being characterised by many attributes.
Indeed to be the characterising attribute (of a thing) is to
be that which distinguishes it (from other things). It may
be urged that in the instance, — "Devadatta is brown, youthful, red-eyed, and symmetrical in form", — there is seen only
one Devadatta, although there are many characterising
attributes (in relation to him); and that, similarly, in the
case here also there is only one Brahman. It can not
be so. In that case, all the characterising attributes meet
in only one individual, because the oneness (which relates to
Devadatta) is made out through other means of proof.
Otherwise, even in that case, the predication of non-unity
would be unavoidable on account of this distinguishing
character (of those attributes). But here, (in the case
under discussion), it is intended to 'define the Brahman by
means of this same (collectively given) attribute (of creation,
&c.,); accordingly, that predication of plurality in relation to
the Brahman, which results from a variety of distinguishing
attributes, is unavoidable for the reason that the oneness of
the Brahman is not made out by other means of proof.
If it be said that that oneness is made out here also, because
the word Brahman (in the scriptural passage under
discussion) is only one, — it is replied that it cannot be so
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Ṡri-Bhāshya.
[Chap. I. Part. I.