11th. [The Spiritual Father again resumes:] He who believes that he cannot comprehend God does know him; and he who believes that he can comprehend God does not know him : as men of perfect understanding acknowledge him to be beyond comprehension; and men of imperfect understanding suppose him to be within the reach of their simplest perception. 12th. The notion of the sensibility of bodily organs, which are composed of insensible particles, leads to the notion of God; which notion alone is accurate, and tends to everlasting happiness. Man gains, by self exertion, the power of acquiring knowledge respecting God, and through the same acquisition he acquires eternal beatitude. 13th. Whatever person has, according to the above stated doctrine, known God, is really happy, and whoever has not known him is subjected to great misery. Learned men, having reflected on the Spirit of God extending over all moveable as well as immoveable creatures, after their departure from this world are absorbed into the Supreme Being. In a battle between the celestial* gods and the demons, God obtained victory over the latter, in favour of the former (or properly speaking, God enabled the former to defeat the latter); but, upon this victory being gained, the celestial gods acquired their respective dignities, and supposed that this victory and glory were entirely owing to themselves. The Omnipresent Being, having known their boast, appeared to them with an appearance beyond description. They could not know what adorable appearance it was: they, consequently, said to fire, or properly speaking the god of fire: "Discover thou, O god of fire what adorable appearance this is." His reply was, "I shall." He proceeded fast to that adorable * In the Akhaika it is said that those powers of the Divinity, which produce agreeable effects and conduce to moral order and happiness, are represented under the figure of celestial Gods, and those attributes, from which pain and misery flow, are called Demons and step-brothers of the former, with whom they are in a state of perpetual hostility. appearance, which asked him, "Who art thou ?" He then answered, “I am fire and I am the origin of the Ved ;" that is, I am a well-known personage. The Supreme Omnipotence, upon being thus replied to, asked him again, "What power is in so cele"brated a person as thou art ?" He replied, "I can burn to ashes "all that exists in the world." The Supreme Being then having laid a straw before him, said to him, "Canst thou burn this "straw ?" The god of fire approached the straw, but could not burn it, though he exerted all his power. He then unsuccessfully retired and told the others, "I have been unable to discover what "adorable appearance this is." Now they all said to wind (or properly to the god of wind), "Discover thou, O god of wind, "what adorable appearance this is." His reply was, "I shall.” He proceeded fast to that adorable appearance, which asked him, "Who art thou?" He then answered, "I am wind, and I per"vade unlimited space;" that is, I am a well-known personage. The Supreme Being upon being thus replied to, asked him again "What power is in so celebrated a person as thou art ?" He replied, "I can uphold all that exists in the world." The Supreme Being then having laid a straw before him, said to him, "Canst thou uphold this straw ?" The god of wind approached the straw, but could not hold it up, though he exerted all his power He then unsuccessfully retired and told the others, "I have been unable to discover what adorable appearance this is." Now they all said to the god of atmosphere, " Discover thou, O revered god of atmosphere, what adorable appearance this is." His reply was, "I shall." He proceeded fast to that adorable appearance, which vanished from his view. He met at the same spot a woman, the goddess of instruction, arrayed in golden robes in the shape of the most beautiful Uma.* He asked, "What "was that adorable appearance ?" She replied, "It was the Su'preme Being owing to whose victory you are all advanced to "exaltation." The god of atmosphere, from her instruction, knew that it was the Supreme Being that had appeared to them. He The wife of Siva. 66 at first communicated that information to the gods of fire and of wind. As the gods of fire, wind, and atmosphere had approached to the adorable appearance, and had perceived it, and also as they had known, prior to the others, that it was indeed God that appeared to them, they seemed to be superior to the other gods. As the god of atmosphere had approached to the adorable appearance, and perceived it, and also as he knew, prior to every one of them, that it was God that appeared to them, he seemed not only superior to every other god, but also, for that reason, exalted above the gods of fire and wind. The foregoing is a divine figurative representation of the Supreme Being; meaning that in one instant he shines at once over all the universe like the illumination of lightning; and in another, that he disappears as quick as the twinkling of an eye. Again it is represented of the Supreme Being, that pure mind conceives that it approaches to him as nearly as possible: Through the same pure mind the pious man thinks of him, and consequently application of the mind to him is repeatedly used. That God, who alone in reality has no resemblance, and to whom the mind cannot approach, is adorable by all living creatures; he is therefore called "adorable;" he should, according to the prescribed manner, be worshipped. All creatures revere the person who knows God in the manner thus described. The pupil now says, "Tell me, O Spiritual Father, the Upanishad or the principal "part of the Ved." The Spiritual Father makes this answer, "I have told you the principal part of the Ved which relates to "God alone, and, indeed told you the Upanishad, of which, austere "devotion, control over the senses, performance of religious rites, "and the remaining parts of the Ved, as well as those sciences "that are derived from the Veds, are only the feet; and whose "altar and support is truth." He, who understands it as thus described, having relieved himself from sin, acquires eternal and unchangeable beatitude. |