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** The Supreme Being has no feet, yet He extends evefywhere ; has no hands, yet holds all things ; has no eyes, yet sees all that exists ; has no ears, jet hears everything that passes — His existence has no cause — He is the most subtile of things ghostly, and the greatest of things great ; yet is He in reality neither small nor great.**— Ruf-MoHrN-RoT's Exp<mtion of the Veddmia. Here Saddnanda, after a little pause, replied, " What you say has a veiy reasonable sound ; but we cannot alter true knowledge, for the sake of gratifying the prejudices of men, who, after all, may perhaps be incurably blinded by passion and darkness.** Blancombe then was silent for a little, seeming to be either weary or discouraged ; and Vidydchdrya took the opportunity of making some remarks upon what had been spoken. '* It ap- pears to me," he said, "not wonderful that the wise teachers whom our friend here represents should fail in endeavouring to reclaim men from errors possibly of a darker kind. For if the remedy which they themselves bring for^-ard is somewhat vicious, or at best is but imperfectly drawn fit)m the only in- fallible source of enlightenment, how is it likely that they should be able to enlighten others? Now true knowledge must' be of God ; and we are well taught to pray, in the sacred words of the Gdyatri, *May the adorable light of the divine ruler enlighten our minds.' But Sadananda has himself confessed, and therefore it is not harsh to say of the Stokhya philosophers generally, that they set aside many passages of holy scripture as not consistent with their own human speculations; hence although I am pleased with the acknowledgment, which indeed HETERODOXY OF SXNKHTA. 69 truA extort)^ fix)m them, that the Vedas are to be respected, I cannot recognise the S&nkhja teachers in general as faithfiil interpreters ; nor is it wonderful that, as they wilftilly set aside some parts, so they are strangely mistaken in others. Now I do not complain of what Saddnanda here has told us, that he con- siders Vishnu as a supreme object of worship preferable to Siva ; for on such points many things are held differently by wise men, even of similar schools, and the wisest are thoroughly aware that the Deity whom they worship is at last essentially One; but it seems to me a graver matter of complaint, that Saddnanda loosens the authority of the Vedas ; and that his friends generally <X)nsider our sacred revelation of the supreme Being as a thing merely relative, or as instructing mankind, as if for a temporary purpose, in their duties or sentiments towards each other ^ and towards the Divinity. Whereas it surely ought not to be doubted that our sacred books have the fullest inspiration, as indeed some of our Rishis have held that they proceeded from the very body of Brahmd ; and those who have not affirmed so much, must still admit the revelation to be of positive, and un- alterable truth. For want of paying due honour to our religion, by such a recognition, even the wisdom of Sad^anda is betrayed into lamentable errors. He thinks, for example, that all the forms of life may be resolved back into one fluid of a most subtile and irresoluble kind, which therefore has been called the indiscrete, but which still he considers a material fluid ; though indeed soul is distinguished by him from matter, but yet rendered impotent by the passive character assigned to it as compared to the active powers of nature ; and I could scarcely refrain from exclaiming aloud, when that plastic fluid was re- presented as more permanent in duration than even the heavenly rulers, and as having been apparently the mere cause by which all things come into existence. Against such a blind nature, then, we affirm that God the Almighty is the Creator; for the scripture calls him soul {dtman); and against the conceit ^ See ApharUnu of VedatUa, I v. 5. 70 PRACRITl — CREATION — CASTE. of magnifying human knowledge above scripture, we also aflirm that God the all-seeing is the teacher. He was alone; he thought, I will be many — or, I will create* worlds; thus he created these worlds; namely water, (which means heaven,) light, mortal earth, and the waters. Although then the theoiy of a plastic fluid, or Pracriti, may have appeared to some wise men probable, and I do not dispute in this place how far it may be a way of conceiving of the divine energy, or Mdydy yet at least I speak moderately in saying that the all-embracing Deity to whom the sacred Veda ascribes both volition and soul, ought rather to be taught to mankind, than the mere play of this Pracriti. Nor again do I blame the S4nkhya teachers for despair- ing, as you say, of large masses of mankind : since whatever sounding phrases Christians may use about the brotherhood of mankind, any observant person must admit there is a difference between races, and this difference our hereditary laws have taught us to observe as the institution of caste. What then we observe out of pious obedience to our ancient laws, Europeans themselves take sufficient account of, when it suits their pride or their interest to do so; for they behave very differently in the usages of life to men differing in rank or in country. In one or two points then I rather agree with what has been said by Sadilnanda. But whoever may be the persons addressed, it is quite necessary, that the doctrine inculcated should be true ; and in order to prove its truth, we must find it in harmony with the sacred Vedas." Here for a moment the A'chdrya paused, and Mountain, the elder of the two strangers, appeared much interested by what he had heard. "It seems then," he said, "that the Sdnkhya teachers respect the body of Vedas in word, rather than follow its guidance in forming their sentiments of doc- trine. Or, at least, you conceive there are considerable dis- crepancies between your religious books, and the philosophy > See the Apiwrimt of the Vedanta, 2—4, and Colebrooke, VoL I. pp. 33, 47, 57, 64, 338. VEDIC DEITIES. 71 which we have just heard expounded?" "That is precisely the case," answered the A'chdrya, *^ and we are of opinion that no human conjectures ought to be put in comparison with the teaching of divine inspiration." "In that sentiment," said Mountain, "we are entirely agreed; and I expect from this beginning to be able to concur with you more nearly than with Saddnanda. But let me venture to ask, for what reason you appear to select Siva by preference as the especial object of your adoration?" "I do so chiefly," answered the Achdrya, '^on that principle upon which we are agreed, namely, that scripture should be followed; for I understand Siva to be the form of Deity which is mainly, though manifoldly, alluded to in the Vedas, and I gather the same truth with greater distinctness of enunciation from the Pur^nas." " Your answer somewhat surprises me," remarked Mountain; ** for as far. as I remember what appeared to be spoken of in the Vedas, those books, which you so highly honour, consisted of many hymns to a great variety of beings, among whom I hardly recollect that Siva is so much as mentioned. Far more frequently, at least, it is manifest that the hymns^are addressed to Indra^ who seems to be what in our language we should call the Heaven. He chiefly, as the slayer of Vritra (whatever that may mean^), appears to be mentioned with honour ; and besides him, I remember particularly Agni, whose name seems akin to the Latin ignis, and to denote what we call fire, while Stirya, and Vdyu, and Aditi, and Ptishan, with Mitra and Varuna, the Aswins, the Maruts, the Ribhus, and Ushas, not to mention Twashtri, and perhaps some others who do not now occur to me, are also addressed in strains of poetry or adoration. One of the Vedas indeed abounds in hymns, of which by far the larger number are apparently in honour of Soma ; and Soma, if some one informed me rightly, means the sacrificial libation of the juice of a certain plant. But perhaps you will tell me if that > Vritn is the obstructive mass of dark clouds, which Indi^ as heaven, dissi- pates, thereby giving the earth rain, and so slaying the hostile giant. 72 VEDIC DEITIES. interpretation be correct." " Certainly it is," answered Vidy- ilchdrya. "And may I then continue to ask," proceeded Mountain, "what is meant by some other of the names or deities mentioned? For example, what is Stirya?