75. 82 CHAPTER II BAH. AVTAE

82 CHAPTER II BAH. AVTAE

images, which are merely its modes or forms, due to either external objects, as at the time of perception, or the revived residual traces as at the time of remembrance, imagination and dream. Abhinavagupta is not an Empiricist ; the effect of an external stimulus on the mind, therefore, according to him, is not like that of seal on wax. On the contrary, it is like that of an external object on a clear mirror. The point that the analogy of mirror is intended to bring out, is that mind shows the affection as one with itself, without losing its purity or separate entity. The point of distinction, however, between the mirror and the mind is that the former, in order to receive reflection, requires an external light to illumine it. A mirror in darkness does not reflect any image. But the latter is self-luminous. It receives reflection independently of external illuminator. Thus the first aspect of mind is that it is a self-luminous entity, which receives reflections and makes them shine as identical with itself. This aspect is technically called "Prakāśa".

2. The other aspect of mind is that it knows itself in all its purity, as in the case of mystic experience ; it is free to analyse and synthetise the varying affections ; it retains these affections in the form of residual traces; it takes out, at will, anything out of the stock of memory to reproduce a former state, as in the case of remembrance; it creates an altogether new construct, as in the case of imagination. This aspect is technically called "Vimarsa". This is the characteristic aspect of human mind. For, it is this which distinguishes mind from such self-shining things as crystal and Mani etc.

Thus human mind is self-luminous and self-conscious. It shines independently and knows that it so shines. And because there is identity of the individual and the universal