"_That_ which remains as the Real during the presence of modification, as the gold remains under the form of the earring,--_that_ wherein change comes and goes, _that_ they call the Supreme Nature." The essential unity of the word and its meaning is maintained in order to preserve inviolate the non-duality of all things which is a cardinal doctrine of our philosophy. "This [Supreme Nature] is the thing denoted by all words, and it is identical with the word; but the relation of the two, while they are thus ultimately identical, varies as does the relation of the two souls."[344] The meaning of this Káriká is that Brahman is the one object denoted by all words; and this one object has various differences imposed upon it according to each particular form; but the conventional variety of the differences produced by these illusory conditions is only the result of ignorance. Non-duality is the true state; but through the power of "concealment"[345] [exercised by illusion] at the time of the conventional use of words a manifold expansion takes place, just as is the case during sleep. Thus those skilled in Vedánta lore tell us-- "As all the extended world of dreams is only the development of illusion in me, so all this extended waking world is a development of illusion likewise." When the unchangeable Supreme Brahman is thus known as the existent joy-thought and identical with the individual soul, and when primeval ignorance is abolished, final bliss is accomplished, which is best defined as the abiding in identity with this Brahman, according to the text, "He who is well versed in the Word-Brahman attains to the Supreme Brahman."[346] And thus we establish the fact that the "exposition of words" is the means to final bliss. Thus it has been said-- "They call it the door of emancipation, the medicine of the diseases of speech, the purifier of all sciences, the science of sciences."[347] And so again-- "This is the first foot-round of the stages of the ladder of final bliss, this is the straight royal road of the travellers to emancipation." Therefore our final conclusion is that the Śástra of grammar should be studied as being the means for attaining the chief end of man. E. B. C. FOOTNOTES: [Footnote 307: Mádhava uses this peculiar term because the grammarians adopted and fully developed the idea of the Púrva-Mímáṃsá school that sound is eternal. He therefore treats of _sphoṭa_ here, and not in his Jaimini chapter.] [Footnote 308: Rig-Veda, x. 9, 4.]