26. Or on account of its quality as light

p. 549

26. Or on account of its quality as light.

The 'or' is meant to set aside the view previously stated. The Self extends through the whole body by means of its quality, viz. knowledge or consciousness. 'As light.' As the light of things abiding in one place--such as gems, the sun, and so on--is seen to extend to many places, so the consciousness of the Self dwelling in the heart pervades the entire body. That the knowledge of the knowing subject may extend beyond its substrate, as the light of a luminous body does, we have already explained under the first Sûtra.--But it has been said that the Self is mere knowledge; how then can knowledge be said to be a quality--which is something different from the essential nature of a thing?--This the next Sûtra explains.