The System of the Vedanta according to Badarayana's Brahma-Sutras and Cankara's Commentary c6.s3.t4.4

c6.s3.t4.4

First Objection: An eternal cognition in Brahman would take away the freedom of Brahman with reference to the action of cognition (p. 93, 1).—To this *Çaṅkara* replies: to begin with, it is to be held that only an eternal actual, and not a potential, cognition (such as the Sâṅkhyas ascribe to the *sattva-guṇa* of their primordial matter) satisfies the demands of omniscience.⁷¹ A cognition of this kind does not take away the freedom of Brahman; for in the case of the sun also, although it continually gives forth heat and light, we say "it warms," "it shines" and thereby indicate that it does this of itself, of its own accord [p. 95, 16; that is to say: the following out of the law of its own nature does not take away the freedom of a being].