jiva (individual soul). Madhava reconciles this view of
Vacaspati with the above view, and says that the ajnana may be
regarded as resting on the jiva or individual soul from this point of
view that the obstruction of the pure cit is with reference to the jiva
(_Cinmatras'ritam ajnanam jivapak@sapatitvat jivas'ritam ucyate_
Vivara@naprameya, p. 48). The feeling "I do not know" seems
however to indicate that the ajnana is with reference to the perceiving
self in association with its feeling as ego or "I"; but this
is not so; such an appearance however is caused on account of
the close association of ajnana with anta@hkara@na (mind) both of
which are in essence the same (see Vivara@naprarneyasa@mgraha,
p. 48).

The ajnana however does not only rest on the cit, but it has
the cit as its visaya or object too, i.e. its manifestations are
with reference to the self-luminous cit. The self-luminous cit is
thus the entity on which the veiling action of the ajnana is noticed;
the veiling action is manifested not by destroying the self-luminous
character, nor by stopping a future course of luminous career on
the part of the cit, nor by stopping its relations with the vi@saya,

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but by causing such an appearance that the self-luminous cit
seems so to behave that we seem to think that it is not or it does
not shine (_nasti na prakas'ate iti vyavahara@h_) or rather there is no
appearance of its shining or luminosity. To say that Brahman is
hidden by the ajnana means nothing more than this, that it is
such {_tadyogyata_) that the ajnana can so relate itself with it that
it appears to be hidden as in the state of deep sleep and other
states of ajnana-consciousness in experience. Ajnana is thus
considered to have both its locus and object in the pure cit. It
is opposed to the states of consciousness, for these at once dispel
it. The action of this ajn@ana is thus on the light of the reality
which it obstructs for us, so long as the obstruction is not dissolved
by the states of consciousness. This obstruction of the cit is not
only with regard to its character as pure limitless consciousness
but also with regard to its character as pure and infinite bliss;
so it is that though we do not experience the indefinite in our
pleasurable feelings, yet its presence as obstructing the pure cit
is indicated by the fact that the full infinite bliss constituting the
essence of Brahman is obstructed; and as a result of that there
is only an