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Note: this text is extracted from Book XII, chapter 70

The interesting allegory on pp. 30, 31 of our text propounds the doctrine of 尘腻测腻 and of the power of tapas (austerities) and 诲丑测腻苍补 (meditation) to destroy the weavings of Karma (acts and their retribution). The doctrine of 尘腻测腻 forms such an important tenet in the great 痴别诲腻苍迟补 philosophy that the following short account may prove interesting to readers unacquainted with a doctrine which still pervades the philosophy of the great mass of thinkers in India to-day.

The word 尘腻测腻 is a term used in 痴别诲腻苍迟补 philosophy to denote 鈥渃osmic illusion,鈥� the creation of the world of experience, which in reality is merely an illusion of the soul, due to 补惫颈诲测腻 (ignorance, or false knowledge). In 峁欢-痴别诲补 times the word meant "cunning,鈥� 鈥渕ysterious will-power,鈥� 鈥渕agic wiles,鈥� and such like.

It was only in the 鲍辫补苍颈峁�a诲蝉 that it began to assume the meaning of "cosmic illusion,鈥� when the doctrine of the 腻迟尘补苍 was introduced. The 腻迟尘补苍 can be described as signifying "the self in contrast to that which is not self.鈥� In its philosophical sense, therefore, it is both relative and negative. It points to something which is not the 腻迟尘补苍, while its positive sense lies in that which is to be excluded, or in other words, the concept states only what the principle is not, and not what it is. Being thus empty of content, the value of such terms in the science of metaphysics is obvious. Many words (e.g. 谩pxrj, ov, substantia, etc.) have been invented to signify the inner principle of the universe, exclusive of the whole content of the phenomenal world, but 腻迟尘补苍 alone " touches the precise point at which the inner, obscure, never-appearing essence of things reveals itself.鈥� There is another word used in close association with 腻迟尘补苍, the word brahman. Originally meaning " prayer,鈥� it came to signify " the essential principle of the world.鈥� It will thus be seen that the two words largely coincide. Wherever a difference is observable Brahman means the eternal principle as realised in the whole world, and 腻迟尘补苍 the same principle as realised in ourselves. As Brahman and 腻迟尘补苍 are alone real, all else, including the universe, is 尘腻测腻.

Whereas in the 鲍辫补苍颈峁�a诲蝉 the existence of the world is granted, although the 腻迟尘补苍 still remains the sole reality, we find that in the 痴别诲腻苍迟补 a system of advaita鈥�i.e. 鈥渘on-duality鈥濃�攊s advocated. This is the main difference between the 痴别诲腻苍迟补 and its great rival philosophy the 厂腻峁卥丑测补. Of the early work in the 痴别诲腻苍迟补, one of the most important is the 碍腻谤颈办腻 of 骋补耻岣峚辫腻诲补 (eighth century a.d.). He strongly supports the doctrine of 尘腻测腻. The universe does not exist. The waking world is no more real than the world of dreams. The 腻迟尘补苍 is both the knower and the known; his experiences exist within him through the power of 尘腻测腻. As a rope in a dim light is mistaken for a snake, so the 腻迟尘补苍 is mistaken for the variety of experience (箩墨惫补). When the rope is recognised, the illusion of the snake at once disappears; when true knowledge of the 腻迟尘补苍 is attained, the illusion which makes us think of it as a multiplicity of experiences vanishes. The world has no more real existence than the snake, and, as one cannot remove or cast off what does not exist, it is wrong to speak of obtaining freedom from it. The 腻迟尘补苍 cannot be said to create or cause the universe any more than the rope creates the snake. Production would be either from the existent or from the non-existent; but the former is impossible, for it would be producing what already exists, and the latter is equally impossible, for the non-existent鈥�e.g. the son of a barren woman鈥攃annot be the cause of anything; it cannot even be realised by the mind.

The doctrine received its final form in the commentaries of 艢aiikara. The phenomenal world is real so long as the unity of the 腻迟尘补苍 is not realised, just as the creations of a dream are thought to be real till the dreamer awakes. Just as a magician (尘腻测腻vin) causes a phantom, having no existence apart from him, to issue from his body, so the 腻迟尘补苍 creates a universe which is a mere mirage and in no way affects the self. It is through 尘腻测腻 that plurality is perceived where there is really only the 腻迟尘补苍. Multiplicity is only a matter of name and form, which are the creations of ignorance, being neither the 腻迟尘补苍 nor different from it, through the power of illusion (尘腻测腻艣akti). The Highest One manifests himself in various ways by 补惫颈诲测腻 as a magician assumes various forms by his wiles.

Without going further into this intricate philosophy, I would note that the doctrine of 尘腻测腻, as propounded by 艢补峁卥补谤补, still forms one of the main tenets of his Advaitist school. Further details will be found in the article 鈥淢膩y膩,鈥� by J. Allan, in Hastings鈥� Enc. Rel. Eth., vol. viii, pp. 503-505, to which I am indebted for part of the above. Apart from the references given here, see also the bibliography added by R. Garbe, at the end of his article 鈥湷毡鸹迥宀猿俨�,鈥� ditto, vol. xii, p. 598.鈥� n.m.p.