गौणश्चेत्, न, आत्मशब्दात् ॥ ६ ॥
gauṇaścet, na, ātmaśabdāt || 6 ||
gauṇaḥ—Secondary (figurative); ceta—if (it be said); ta—not; ātmaśabdāt—because of the world ‘Self’ (Atman).
6. If it be said (that ‘thinking’) is used in a secondary sense (with regard to Sat); (we say) not so, because of the word ‘Self’ (by which the First Cause is referred to in the scriptures).
The Sat (Beal) of the text cited in the previous Sutra aftrr creating fire, water, etc. thought,
“Let me now enter into these three as this living self (Jiva) and evolve names and forms” (Chh. 6. 3. 2.).
The Sat, the First Cause, refers to the intelligent principle, the Jiva, as its self. The insentient Pradhana cannot refer to an intelligent principle like the Jiva as its self or as its own nature.
The Sankhyas again try to ward off this objection by saying that the word ‘Self’ (Atman) is equally used to refer to intelligent and non-intelligent things, as, for example, in expressions like Bhutatma (the self of the elements), Indriyatma (the self of the senses), etc., and so can be used in connection with the Pradhana also.
The next Sutra refutes this argument.