3. The non-existent in the past and in the future cannot exist by themselves even in the present; therefore, they have their being in the Isa, the Lord, as to whom there is no before and after.

External objects have no existence of their own, inasmuch as, like a serpent seen in a rope, they are only occasionally perceived. If they could exist by themselves, they would also manifest by themselves like Atman, and thus they would not be objects of consciousness of an individual, which they are invariably now found to be.

On the other hand, as the Being whence everything proceeds at its birth and whither everything recedes at the end, as the Pratyagatman who witnesses all states of being in His never-failing light, Isvara's existence and consciousness must be unfailing. Never was a time when He was not li and did not shine; never will be a time when He will not be and will not shine.

4-5. If the insentient objects were to shine by themselves independent of Isvara, either everything would present itself to every one's consciousness, or nothing at all would present itself to consciousness. Therefore the whole world would be on one level, either all-knowing or knowing nothing.

Independent of Isvara: without a self-conscious Atman perceiving them. If external objects were to shine by their own light, they would always shine and appear to all individuals alike as objects of consciousness. If it be, however, in their nature not to become objects of consciousness, then no individual would be conscious of any of the objects. All individuals being thus situated alike as to their knowledge of external objects, it would be difficult to account for the varying degrees of knowledge of the different individuals. Then the result would be:

5-6 If the sentient and the insentient

be alike self-luminous, then it would follow that each alike will both perceive, and be in turn perceived by, the other, and so on; and, the sense-organs being unrestricted in their scope of perception, taste could be known by the eye, and so on.

Thus the contention that external objects are self-luminous and self-existent is opposed to our uncontradicted experience of a distinction between subject and object, as well as to the fact that the external objects have all of them a more or less temporary existence.

Isvara cognises and acts through upadhis.

7-8. Manifesting Himself by way of reflection in the Kriya-sakti and Jnana-sakti, in the two sides of Antah-karana which are like unto the dull and the clear,--the back and the front--sides of a mirror, the Lord is spoken of as the doer and the knower.