proved from the following authority of the Ved, that any man who adores the Supreme Being is adored by all the celestial gods, viz. "All the celestial gods wor 66 ship him who applies his mind to the Supreme "Being."* 6 The Ved now illustrates the mode in which we should worship the Supreme Being, viz. "To God we should "approach, of him we should hear, of him we should “think, and to him we should attempt to approxi"mate." The Vedant also elucidates the subject thus: "The three latter directions in the above quoted text, "are conducive to the first, viz. Approaching to "God." These three are in reality included in the first (as the direction for collecting fire in the worship of fire), for we cannot approach to God without hearing and thinking of him, nor without attempting to make our approximation; and the last, viz. attempting to approximate to God, is required until we have approached him. By hearing of God is meant hearing his declarations, which establish his unity; and by thinking of him is meant thinking of the contents of his law; and by attempting to approximate to him is meant attempting to apply our minds to that true Being on which the diffusive existence of the universe relies, in order that by means of the constant practice of this attempt we may approach to him. The Vedant states,‡ that "Constant practice of devotion is necessary, it "being represented so by the Ved ;" and also adds that "We should adore God till we approach to him, "and even then not forsake his adoration, such authority being found in the Ved." 66 * Chhandoggu. † 47th, 4th, 3d. 1st, 1st, 4th. 66 The Vedant shews that moral principle is a part of the adoration of God, viz. "A command over our "passions and over the external senses of the body "and good acts, are declared by the Ved to be indispensable in the mind's approximation to God, they "should therefore be strictly taken care of, and attended 66 to, both previously and subsequently to such approxi"mation to the Supreme Being ;"* i. e. we should not indulge our evil propensities, but should endeavour to have entire control over them. Reliance on, and selfresignation to, the only true Being, with an aversion to worldly considerations, are included in the good acts above alluded to. The adoration of the Supreme Being produces eternal beatitude, as well as all desired advantages; as the Vedant declares: "It is the firm "opinion of Byas that from devotion to God all the "desired consequences proceed;"+ and it is thus often represented by the Ved, "He who is desirous of pros"perity should worship the Supreme Being "+" He "who knows God thoroughly adheres unto God." "The souls of the deceased forefathers of him who "adores the true Being alone, enjoy freedom by his "mere wish."§ "All the celestial gods worship him "who applies his mind to the Supreme Being;" and "He, who sincerely adores the Supreme Being, is 66 exempted from further transmigration." A pious householder is entitled to the adoration of God equally with an Uti: The Vedant says, that ⚫ 27th, 4th, 3d. † 1st, 4th, 3d. Monduc. § Chhandoggu. The highest among the four sects of Brahmuns, who, according to the religious order, are bound to forsake all worldly considerations, and to spend their time in the sole adoration of God. L "A householder may be allowed the performance of all "the ceremonies attached to the (Brahminical) religion, "and also the fulfilling of the devotion of God: the "fore-mentioned mode of worshipping the Supreme "Being, therefore, is required of a householder pos"sessed of moral principles."* And the Ved declares, "That the celestial gods, and householders of strong "faith, and professional uttis, are alike." It is optional to those who have faith in God alone, to observe and attend to the rules and rites prescribed by the Ved, applicable to the different classes of Hindoos, and to their different religious orders respectively. But in case of the true believers neglecting those rites, they are not liable to any blame whatever; as the Vedant says, "Before acquiring the true knowledge of "God, it is proper for man to attend to the laws and "rules laid down by the Ved for different classes, "according to their different professions; because the "Ved declares the performance of these rules to be the cause of the mind's purification, and its faith in "God, and compares it with a saddle-horse, which 66 helps a man to arrive at the wished-for goal."+ And the Vedant also says, that "Man may acquire the true " knowledge of God even without observing the rules "and rites prescribed by the Ved for each class of Hin"doos, as it is found in the Ved that many persons "who had neglected the performance of the Brahmini"cal rites and ceremonies, owing to their perpetual "attention to the adoration of the Supreme Being, acquired the true knowledge respecting the Deity."‡ *28th, 4th, 3d. +36th, 4th, 3d. 1 36th, 4th, 3d. 66 The Vedant again more clearly states that, “It is equally found in the Ved that some people, though "they had their entire faith in God alone, yet per"formed both the worship of God and the ceremonies prescribed by the Ved; and that some others neg"lected them, and merely worshipped God."* The following texts of the Ved fully explain the subject, viz. "Junuku (one of the noted devotees) had per"formed Yugnyu (or the adoration of the celestial gods through fire) with the gift of a considerable "sum of money, as a fee to the holy Brahmuns," and many learned true believers never worshipped fire, "nor any celestial god through fire." 66 66 Notwithstanding it is optional with those who have their faith in the only God, to attend to the prescribed ceremonies or to neglect them entirely, the Vedant prefers the former to the latter, because the Ved says that attendance to the religious ceremonies conduces to the attainment of the Supreme Being. Although the Ved says, "That he who has true faith\ "in the omnipresent Supreme Being may eat all that "exists," i. e. is not bound to enquire what is his food, or who prepares it, nevertheless the Vedant limits that authority thus: "The above-mentioned authority of the "Ved for eating all sorts of food should only be ob"served at the time of distress, because it is found in "the Ved, that Chacraunu (a celebrated Brahmun) ate "the meat cooked by the elephant-keepers during a "famine." It is concluded, that he acted according to the above stated authority of the Ved, only at the time of distress. Devotion to the Supreme Being is not limited to any 9th, 4th, 3d. + Chhandoggu. ‡ 28th, 4th, 3d. X " In holy place or sacred country, as the Vedant says, 66 It is of no consequence to those who have true belief in God, whether they die while the sun is in the north or south of the equator, as the Vedant declares, "That any one who has faith in the only God, dying even when the sun may be south of the equator,† his "soul shall proceed from the body, through Soo khumna 66 66 (a vein which, as the Brahmuns suppose, passes through "the navel up to the brain), and approaches to the Su 66 preme Being." The Ved also positively asserts "That "he, who in life was devoted to the Supreme Being, "shall (after death) be absorbed in him, and again be "neither liable to birth nor death, reduction nor aug❝mentation." The Ved begins and concludes with the three peculiar and mysterious epithets of God, viz. first, ONG; second, TUT; third, SUT. The first of these signifies "That Being, which preserves, destroys, and creates !" The second implies "That only being, which is neither "male nor female!" The third announces "The true being!" These collective terms simply affirm, that ONE, UNKNOWN, TRUE BEING, IS THE CREATOR, PRESERVER, AND DESTROYER OF THE UNIVERSE!!! * 11th, 1st, 4th. + It is believed by the Brahmuns, that any one who dies while the sun is south of the equator, cannot enjoy eternal beatitude. 20th, 2d, 4th. |