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if the reply be in the affirmative, then the necessity of several Iswaras is clearly done away with; for as an internal knower, one Iswara is quite capable of controlling ali beings, and almightiness gives him that power. If on the other hand, the reply be in the negative, then Jiva will be without an Iswara. Thus then Iswara is one and not many. But objec- tion may be taken in quite another form and the authority of Vachaspaty may be cited in support of his multiformness. Now this is clearly a mistake, for Vachaspati with the view of establish- ing non-duality and explaining it to one desirous of release, brings in the help of illusory attribution and its recession or withdrawat in that way. He has no other object. PANCHADASL 109 172. The phrase “ All the elements” in the above extract from the Gifa is thus explained. It refers to Jiva who is the cognitional sac, and which cognition resides in the lotus of the heart. With the view of explaining the reason why that cogni- tion is to reside in the heart, it is said:—the internal knower {Iswara] is transformed into the shape of the cognitional sac, and resides in the heart ; Iswara,—the Blissful sheath—is the proximate cause of Jiva, the cognitional, and in regard to the heart is modified or changed in the form of that cognitional sheath, [If we pause to enquire in to the drift of the text we shail find, the heart regarded as the centre of life. It is likewise mentioned as an organ, Iswara being most intrinsically situated resides inside the heart where He is transformed into cognition, intelligence or life, from His original atate of blise- fulness. Western physiology knows nothing or next to no- thing about the heart, beyond its capacity of a forcing pump drawing the blood out and distributing it into the arterial channels. Popular literature assigns affection to the heart, and the exploded dogma of an antiquated and unscientific religion looks upon it as conscience, but nowhere is the slightest mention made of its being the tabernacle of Iswara or seat of cognition or knowledge in the abstract.] 173. The words ‘mounted’ ‘mechanism’ and ‘wander’ are thus explained. Mechanism indicates the physical body and the conceit that it is my body is expressed by the word ‘mounted’; inclination for ‘lawful’ or ‘prohibited action’ is to ‘wander.’ 174. Jiva when influenced by the inherent force of Maya, begets an inclination for works lawful or Interdicted, and attributes them to Self thus changing him into an agent and instrument, This is called wandering in [the meshes of ] Maya. 7 175. The world ‘controller’ already mentioned [ante V. 164), also bears a similar signification to that of wandering as 110 PANCHADASI. mentioned in the Syaf. Therefore follow the method Inid down in reference to ‘controller’ and through the help of your intellect apply it also to the world and all its contents. [Io short recognise the presence of that internal knower Iswara in the universe and alt its contents.] 176. Inclination for lawful actions though they are the means of virtue I have none, nor have I abstained from prohibited works knowing them to cause the production of sin, but moved as I am by the internal knower residing within me and in the way engaged by him, so do I act. 177. But in such @ consideration of dependence of inclination on Iswara, there wil} be a consequent uselessness of the usual incentives [endeavour] to actions good and bad; hence to avoid it, it is said, you are not to conclude that nothing depends upon the individual’s endeavour as far as the doing of actions or their reverse are concerned ; for Iswara in modified or changed in the shape of what a person is capable of doing, therefore everywhere the individual's endeavour is the chief cause of all works. 178. Though therefore Iswara is modified in the form of the Individual’s endeavour, yet it does not act aside his coatrol, for when that control is fully realised, the unassociated blissfulness of self is easy to be conceived of, by the Jiva. 179. “ That helps and brings about bis emancipation” so saya the Sruti, Smrifi, etc. And these Sacred Scriptures have been set down as the commandments of Iswara. 180, Since the Sruff mentions,“ To break His commands is hurtful and injurious,” it is therefore plain enough that apart from His being the internal knower, He is the Supreme Lord. The Sruét says the commandments of Iswara are a cause of fear “‘ The wind moves actuated by the fear of the Lord, ete.,” hence for @ fear of breaking His commands which in its turn is hurtful and produces sin, it is sought here to establish difference between the internal knower and the Supreme Lord; and that difference is marked by the source PANCHADAS!. it of fear as above mentioned, which is said to constitute the characterising feature of the Supreme Lord. 181. Two examples are cited from the Srsfi to show the control exercised by Iswara both externally and internally “By His command the sun and moon etc.” “ The Supreme Self (Paramaima) having entered inside [of all beings] con- trols them.” 182. This “Supreme Self is the Cause” of the universe. Another passage quoted from the Srufi is now being explained. In regard to the source of objective world the Shatiras say, “ He is the source from which the elements take their origin and is the cause of their destruction ;” consequently I: cy for His being the creator and destroyer is the cause of this material world, And this evolution and destruction are admitted to take place in @ consecutive order. 183. The subject is further illustrated by reference to an example. As by spreading @ picture we bring out the several figures and other objects painted there, and present them to our view, 80 during the periods of evolutional activity, or say creation, all material objects are produced by Iswara, 18%. And aa in @ rolled up picture all the figures are shut out of sight, so Iswara with the view of consummating the actions of all individuals [virtually extinguishing them from bearing any more fruits] draws the objective word within Him during periods of cyclic destraction [when they continue in a state of rarefied potentiality to be reprodaced when the dawn of creation approaches.}® * Pralaya and Makaprolaya are made to signify partial and total destruction respectively. In regard to the fatter, opinions are divided. For instance, Sankhyakar, Gautama, the author of Naya Sutras, alike deny total destruction which they say to ba amyth, The philosophy of Cosmosgony had no where engaged ablee intellects than in India. Our ancient Rishis had to a great extent solved the mystery more satisfactorily and scientifically than the savants of Europe, and we challenge enquiry. But the ti2 PARCHADAS!. 185. Now this being and non-being or appearance and disappearance of creation and destruction of the world is views they entertain have not been thoroughly explained, hence Interested motives and Missionary zeal had been co-operating to class them amongst the fabulous creations of a mytholic age. Happity the position is quite altered now, and as there is a desire of accepting truth even from an enemy’s camp we subjoin the following explanation. Brahma, the creator has a lifetime of hundred years. But that period covers an immensity of time which staggers imagination; and on comparative analysis with the evidence forthcoming from a study of the earth's crust and its strata, the facts disclosed by Aryan researches fit nicely into the blank niches left unfinished by geology. For instance, accord= ing to the Surya Siddhante we find it laid down that immediately with the advent of Brahma on the scene, the work of creation did not commence, the fiat of a personal creator's ordering “ Let the waters recede and land appear,” and so on after that fashion is never allowed here. The primary period occupied Brakma for five millions, six hundred, sixty-six thousand years, before he was in a position to begin his work, All this time, the earth was passing through the several geological epochs, its crust was solidifying or otherwise undergoing the requisite changes to ren- der it fit for life to appear. And if it be remembered that a day of Brahma is equal to 14 Manantwaras or Manus, and a night of equal length, that gives us a period covered by four thousand human Yugas or one thousand eighty-four Mahayugas, one of which lasts for 4,320,000. Therefore (4,321,000 X 1084)2 Brahma’s day and night of 24 hours. This multiplied by 100 will give the period he is to live. He has passed over six Manantwaras and is in the middle of the seventh, so that if 24 Manu constitute the period of his day, he must necessarily be near 12 o'clock noon of the very first day, and after another such period there wilt follow night, when there will be a prelaya, again to disappear with the advent of dawn. This is the rule. After 100 years Brahma also is swallowed up in the universal destruction and Iswata and the rest are all gane, leaving the One Life, ParasramMa abeve mentioned, This is a long account of evolution as understood amongst us. PANCHADASL 413 illustrated further by comparing them to night and day, profound slumber and waking. opening and shutting of the eyelids, contentment and distraction of the mind. Like these several conditions the resemblance between destruction and creation is complete. 186. But it may be asked whether Iswara as a creative source of the world ig its instramental or modifying cause ? Both these views do not apply to the conclusions which have been here maintained. For Iewara has a requisite force [in the form of Aaya] wherewith to create and destroy, [and as He is secondless and formless He is neither an instrument nor & modifying cause of the world.