Complete Works of Swami Vivekananda. Swami Vivekananda

and experience of pleasure and pain” (II. 13). — Ed.) if a desire has been raised, it does not die without producing its effect. Then, again, the mind-stuff is the great storehouse, the support of all past desires reduced to Samskara form; until they have worked themselves out, they will not die. Moreover, so long as the senses receive the external objects, fresh desires will arise. If it be possible to get rid of the cause, effect, support, and objects of desire, then alone it will vanish.

      12. The past and future exist in their own nature, qualities having different ways.

      The idea is that existence never comes out of nonexistence. The past and future, though not existing in a manifested form, yet exist in a fine form.

      13. They are manifested or fine, being of the nature of the Gunas.

      The Gunas are the three substances, Sattva, Rajas, and Tamas, whose gross state is the sensible universe. Past and future arise from the different modes of manifestation of these Gunas.

      14. The unity in things is from the unity in changes.

      Though there are three substances, their changes being co-ordinated, all objects have their unity.

      15. Since perception and desire vary with regard to the same object, mind and object are of different nature.

      That is, there is an objective world independent of our minds. This is a refutation of Buddhistic Idealism. Since different people look at the same thing differently, it cannot be a mere imagination of any particular individual.

      (There is an additional aphorism here in some editions:

      “The object cannot be said to be dependent on a single mind. There being no proof of its existence, it would then become nonexistent.”

      If the perception of an object were the only criterion of its existence, then when the mind is absorbed in anything or is in Samadhi, it would not be perceived by anybody and might as well be said to be non-existent. This is an undesirable conclusion. — Ed.)

      16. Things are known on unknown to the mind, being dependent on the colouring which they give to the mind.

      17. The states of the mind are always known, because the lord of the mind, the Purusha, is unchangeable.

      The whole gist of this theory is that the universe is both mental and material. Both of these are in a continuous state of flux. What is this book? It is a combination of molecules in constant change. One lot is going out, and another coming in; it is a whirlpool, but what makes the unity? What makes it the same book? The changes are rhythmical; in harmonious order they are sending impressions to my mind, and these pieced together make a continuous picture, although the parts are continuously changing. Mind itself is continuously changing. The mind and body are like two layers in the same substance, moving at different rates of speed. Relatively, one being slower and the other quicker, we can distinguish between the two motions. For instance, a train is in motion, and a carriage is moving alongside it. It is possible to find the motion of both these to a certain extent. But still something else is necessary. Motion can only be perceived when there is something else which is not moving. But when two or three things are relatively moving, we first perceive the motion of the faster one, and then that of the slower ones. How is the mind to perceive? It is also in a flux. Therefore another thing is necessary which moves more slowly, then you must get to something in which the motion is still slower, and so on, and you will find no end. Therefore logic compels you to stop somewhere. You must complete the series by knowing something which never changes. Behind this never-ending chain of motion is the Purusha, the changeless, the colourless, the pure. All these impressions are merely reflected upon it, as a magic lantern throws images upon a screen, without in any way tarnishing it.

      18. The mind is not self-luminous, being an object.

      Tremendous power is manifested everywhere in nature, but it is not self-luminous, not essentially intelligent. The Purusha alone is self-luminous, and gives its light to everything. It is the power of the Purusha that is percolating through all matter and force.

      19. From its being unable to cognise both at the same time.

      If the mind were self-luminous it would be able to cognise itself and its objects at the same time, which it cannot. When it cognises the object, it cannot reflect on itself. Therefore the Purusha is self-luminous, and the mind is not.

      20. Another cognising mind being assumed, there will be no end to such assumptions, and confusion of memory will be the result.

      Let us suppose there is another mind which cognises the ordinary mind, then there will have to be still another to cognise the former, and so there will be no end to it. It will result in confusion of memory, there will be no storehouse of memory.

      21. The essence of knowledge (the Purusha) being unchangeable, when the mind takes its form, it becomes conscious.

      Patanjali says this to make it more clear that knowledge is not a quality of the Purusha. When the mind comes near the Purusha it is reflected, as it were, upon the mind, and the mind, for the time being, becomes knowing and seems as if it were itself the Purusha.

      22. Coloured by the seer and the seen the mind is able to understand everything.

      On one side of the mind the external world, the seen, is being reflected, and on the other, the seer is being reflected. Thus comes the power of all knowledge to the mind.

      23. The mind, though variegated by innumerable desires, acts for another (the Purusha), because it acts in combination.

      The mind is a compound of various things and therefore it cannot work for itself. Everything that is a combination in this world has some object for that combination, some third thing for which this combination is going on. So this combination of the mind is for the Purusha.

      24. For the discriminating, the perception of the mind as Atman ceases.

      Through discrimination the Yogi knows that the Purusha is not mind.

      25. Then, bent on discriminating, the mind attains the previous state of Kaivalya (isolation). (There is another reading — The meaning then would be: “Then the mind becomes deep in discrimination and gravitates towards