अनवस्थितेरसंभवाच्च नेतरः ॥ १७ ॥
anavasthiterasaṃbhavācca netaraḥ || 17 ||
anavasthiteḥ—Not existing always; asaṃbhavāt—on account of the impossibility; ca—and; na—not; itaraḥ—any other.
17. (The person in the eye is the Supreme Self) and not any other (i.e. individual soul etc.) as these do not exist always; and on account of the impossibility (of the qualities of the person in the eye being attributed to any of these).
The reflection in the eye, for example, does not exist always, nor can the qualities like immortality, fearlesness, etc., be appropriately ascribed to this reflection. So no other self except the Supreme Self is here spoken of as the person in the eye.