Mandukya_Upanishad

ocean is being described here, the ocean of causality that isdesignated as Īsvara, from whom proceed Hiraṇyagarbhaand Virāt. Eṣha sarveśvarah: This is the Overlord of all; theMaster of all things; supremely powerful. Eṣha sarvajñah:This Being is all-knowing, omniscient. Nothing can behidden from the perception of this Being. Īsvara isomnipresent and so He is also omniscient; therefore, also,He is omnipotent. The All-pervading Presence of Īsvaraexplains His omniscience. The jīva is not characterised bythis knowledge because of its being localised in spots inspace, because of the mind of the jīva not being capable ofmoving outside its own body, because of our thoughtsbeing confined to our personalities. We are, as jīvas,aikadeśika, present only in one place, while Īsvara issarvagata, present everywhere. The ‘knowledge of Īsvara isnot a ‘cognition’ of objects, and no ‘cognition’ or‘perception’ can be regarded as a part of omniscience,because the objects of cognition do not come under thecontrol of the cogniser, necessarily. Though we cogniseobjects outside, we cannot be said to have a power overthem, fully. We see the whole world with our eyes, but whatpower have we over the world. Our knowledge does notbring us power, though it is often said that knowledge ispower. Knowledge is power, but not sensory knowledge. Itis some other knowledge, altogether, that can be equatedwith power. Sarvajñatva becomes identical withsarvaśaktimatva only under a given condition, and notalways. Though we may have vast knowledge in the sense oflearning or information, we cannot be said to have powerover the things or objects of this type of knowledge. While93