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XXXV
which he starts,-viz., to help the inquirer in
his search after the goal of existence. The
second sutra, therefore, has first to define Brah-
man, not by means of its essential characteristics
which place it out of relation with the world-
but by what will, while not inquinating it (for
that is impossible), bring it into relation with
the world of which the inquirer forms a part.
If Brahman were defined by essential charac-
teristics, i. e., by what it is in itself, that would
be entirely unintelligible and unpractical and
calculated to discourage and turn away the in-
quirer. The time for bringing out the essential
characteristics would be when the uniform pur-
port of the entire Sastra has to be declared as
Tat or Brahman, (I. 1. 4), or when the inquiry
into the means (sadhana) of realisation of Brah-
man is finished and the time comes for declaring
Brahman as the fruit (phala) of such realisation
(Adhyaya IV). To begin with Brahman as what
it is in itself-and without stating any relation
of any kind between it and the inquirer-
is to stultify the purpose with which the Sutra-
kara starts upon the inquiry into Brahman-
Brahma-jijnasa, stated in Sutra 1.
which he starts,-viz., to help the inquirer in
his search after the goal of existence. The
second sutra, therefore, has first to define Brah-
man, not by means of its essential characteristics
which place it out of relation with the world-
but by what will, while not inquinating it (for
that is impossible), bring it into relation with
the world of which the inquirer forms a part.
If Brahman were defined by essential charac-
teristics, i. e., by what it is in itself, that would
be entirely unintelligible and unpractical and
calculated to discourage and turn away the in-
quirer. The time for bringing out the essential
characteristics would be when the uniform pur-
port of the entire Sastra has to be declared as
Tat or Brahman, (I. 1. 4), or when the inquiry
into the means (sadhana) of realisation of Brah-
man is finished and the time comes for declaring
Brahman as the fruit (phala) of such realisation
(Adhyaya IV). To begin with Brahman as what
it is in itself-and without stating any relation
of any kind between it and the inquirer-
is to stultify the purpose with which the Sutra-
kara starts upon the inquiry into Brahman-
Brahma-jijnasa, stated in Sutra 1.