Ramanuja quotes the sruthi texts to prove this point. 'Sa yaThA
sainDHavaghanah anantharah abAhyah krtsnah rasaghana Eva, Evam vA arE
ayam AthmA anantharh abAhyah krtsnah prajnAna ghana Eva, as a piece
of salt has no inner parts and outer parts but the whole of it is of
salt only ,similarly this Athma has no inner and outer parts but the
whole of it is pure intelligence, meaning a sentient principle
only. 'Athra ayam purushah svayamjyothirbhavathi,' The Self, Purusha
is self illuminated. Suthrakara also shows that AthmA is the knower
by the suthra 'jnOatha Eva.' Therefore the AthmA who is svayamprakAsa
is the knower. Perception cannot be AthmA. The words samvid,
anubhuthi and jnAnam are relative terms and there can be no
perception without an object which is proved by experience.
Advaitin then says that anubhuthi is AthmA because it is ajada,
sentient. Ajadathva means it is cognised by its own existence and
does not need another to illuminate it as in the case of things which
are jada, insentient like a pot. This lumonosity being the substance
itself and not an attribute, is found even in a lamp which is not the
AthmA. If on the other hand ajadthva means that which is always
manifest, this characterestic is found in mental impressions like
sukha and duhkha because when the feeling of happiness or sorrow
arises it is always manifest. That is, one cannot say "I did not know
that I am happy."
It may be argued that the sukha and duhkha do not manifest to
themselves but to the Self only, and hence they are jada, but
Ramanuja asks,' jnAnam vA kim svasmai prakAsathE? Thadhapi
hyanyasaiva ahamarTHasya jnAtyuh avabhAsathE, aham sukhee ithivath,
jAnAmyaham ithi.' Even the knowledge does not manifest to itself but
onlyto the knower and the perception that 'I know' is similar to
that which is of the form 'I am happy.' Therefore ajadathvam does
not imply svasmai prakAsamAnathvam, shining for itself. If ajada
means what shines by itself by its mere existence it refers only to
AthmA which is not mere knowledge as claimed by the advaitin but is
the knower.
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