the ‘ Qualities' (guna), after Prince संगतिं राजपुचे ज्ञाने त्या

Thought (jnána or chit) had relinquished their society. If

जिते तान् निकृष्टान् वने

Thought be the only thing चरानवशं ध्यायति । श्रुत

(vastu), these others must be nothing (avastu).

V. - Your meditation of the allcomprehensive 'Om' begins to fructify. Listen to a legend.

स्वामिदं पृच्छामि । यदि ज्ञानमेवैकं वस्तु तईि किमन्यैः सर्वैरवस्तुभिर्भवित

व्यम् ।

वे । इदानीं त्वदीयेन सर्वार्थस्वरूपप्रणवध्यानेन

It is learned from tradition that सफलीभवितुमारब्धम् । तonce on a time the gods went as थाह्याख्यायिकां शृणु । श्रूbeseeching him to restore their यतेहि पुरा किल कदाचिद् knowledge of the truth, as they दैत्यलेाकप्रवर्तितवाग्विस्त

refugees to the great god Siva,

had lost their hold upon the truth,

owing to the blinding of their रवात्याभिरुत्यापितेन मोintellectual sight by the dust of हधूलिपट लेनावृतज्ञानच

of शु

delusion raised by the storm of diffusive wranglings on the part of the race of the Giants.

Then the great God Siva, be

coming incarnate as Dakshina mūrti (—' the form,' of the dou

ble-Janus face, that looketh

Banian tree, and gave to the Gods,

शुष्केषु विस्मृततत्त्व वार्त्तेषु दे वेषु तत्त्वज्ञानप्राप्तये शरणागतेषु श्रीमहेश्वरे दिव्यं दक्षिणामूर्त्यवतारम् पादाय जिज्ञासुभिर्देवैः प

southward',~~~) sat down under & रिवृतः कस्यचिद् वटतरेराwere seated around him, रधेो ज्ञानवार्ता अद्भुतं मौevery information regarding the नमुद्रयैवाकथयत् देवाच

who

truth,and this strange to say

by means of his silence !

I.

तथैव विगततत्त्वसंदेहाः स

And thus the gods became म्यगवबद्धतत्त्वा दैत्यवाचा

devoid of doubt about the truth,

thoroughly cognizant of the truth, युक्तिभिरपराजेया बभवः । and no longer resistible in argu- सचायमर्थो दक्षिणामूर्त्ति ment by the skill of the Giants. स्तोत्रे शंकराचार्यकृते सुरे

This account is implied in a

single couplet which occurs in a श्वराचार्य प्रणीतमानसा hymn on the glorification of Dake- ल्लासाख्यवार्तिकपरिष्कते

shiná múrti, by Sankaráchárya, a book which is commented by Sureswaráchárya. The couplet may be thus rendered. -"Strange! Under a Banian

cher a youth ! — Moreover, the

पद्येनैकेनैव संसूचितः ।

। तथाहि । चित्रं वटनरे|र्मूले

tree,—the pupils old, and the tea- वृद्धाः शिष्या गुरुर्युवा । master's explanation was his गुरास्तु मौनं व्याख्यानं silence, and the doubts of the शिष्यास्तु च्छिन्नसंशयाः ॥

pupils were removed !”

N.—According to the legend, meditation can effect much; but

476

० । एतदाख्यायिका probably in my case the progress लत्त्वं प्रतीयते मयितु विषश्रवणाद् ध्यानस्य महाफof enlightenment would be more लवं प्रतीयते

rapid if I were kindly assisted by ये यदि भवान् कदाचित्

occasionally audible explanations.

V.—Command my services.

N. Well ;—the gunas which

कदाचिन्मयेोपन्यसिष्यमा

णप्रश्नानामुत्तरदानेन मामनुग्रहिष्यति तव टिति ज्ञानवृद्धिः सम्भाव्यते । वे० । तर्हि भवान् मम कर्तव्यमाज्ञया बोधयतु | नै० । ननु यद्यपि बुद्धि

remained in the Nyáya eatalogue सुखयोर्निर्धर्म कब्रह्मात्मक

of Qualities,' after the restora

tion of ‘ Thought' and ‘ Joy' to its तारूपामुचितपदवीं प्रति proper rank as the Absolute प्रत्यानयने कृते न्यायशा -स्त्रीयगुणेष्ववशिष्टा निर्धर्म

Essence, are not, it seems, indis

pensable to the Absolute Essence.

On the contrary they are incom - कब्रह्मसत्त्रायामप्रयोजका patible with it,—an Absolute स्तत्संबंधानर्हाश्च । निर्धर्मक

Essence related to Qualities being

।

a plain contradiction in terms. ब्रह्मसत्ता गुणयोगिनीति But there seems to me to be ano- वचसः स्फुटं परस्परपराहतार्थकपदघटितत्त्वात् ।

ther and a more mysterious band of foresters than that which you

have dismissed from their attend परन्तु बाधस्य राजपुत्रस्य

V.- You mean the three named sattwa, rajas, and tamas?

परिचारभावन्त्वया त्याजि

तात् पूर्वस्माद् विलक्षणा ऽधिक दुर्लक्ष्यचान्यो वनेच रगणः प्रतीयते तस्य का गतिः स्यात् ।

वे । सत्त्वं रजस्तम इति चयस्तवाभिप्रेताः किम् । नै ॰ । एवमेतत् । तेच चsomewhere [—ante, p. xxxII - ] यो मया क्वचिद् ग्रन्थे समाdescribed as severally consisting, सतः क्रमात् सुखदुःखमा

N.—Yes ; which I have seen

summarily of • happiness,' 'pain,'

and ‘ indifference.' I have given हात्मका इति लक्षिता ह up — pain' as a quality the absence ष्टाः । तच दुःखं मया निof which nowise detracts from the धर्म कब्रह्म सत्तायां तदभावे “indifference' I do not feel so much. क्षत्यभावाद् विसर्जितम् ।

essence of the Absolute. About

lessly divisible into calmness, com

interested as 'about 'happiness' मोहस्यत्वहं विचारमेव सुwhich, it seems [ibid. ], is 'end - खविषयकविचारादधिकन्न placency, patience, rejoicing, &e.' करेरामि सुखं हि शान्तिप्रीIf — happiness' be the essence of तिष्टतिहर्षाद्यनन्तभेदमत

6

the Absolute, how can it at the

same time be a quality of which श्च यदि सुखं निर्धर्म कब्रह्म the Absolute partakes not at all ? रूपं स्यात् तर्हि तदेव कथं

V. Let me answer your ques

गुणेष्वपि परिगणितं भवि

तुमर्हेत् ब्रह्मस्वरूपस्य गु-णासंबंधित्वात् ।

वे ०

• । तव प्रश्नमहं प्रतिtion [Scotice] with another. Do प्रश्नेन समाधास्ये । तथाहि you imagine that the happiness'

6

or ' beatitude' or ' bliss' (ananda) यन्निर्गुणब्रह्मसत्ता रूपमा which is the essence of the Abso- नन्दसुखनिर्वाणादिपदवाlute, is identical in kind with the च्यं तदेव किं भयस्थानापनधीरपुरुषीयशान्त्यात्मकं placency' with which a husband किंवा प्रियनिष्ठप्रियाविषय

'calmness' with which a brave

man faces danger ?—the ' com

regards his wife ? – the ' patience'

with which a good man submits कप्रीतिरूपं यद्दा साधुपुरुto injury ?—the — rejoicing' which षीयानर्थसहनहेतुभूतष्ट

fills a man's heart when he has

gained what his heart was set त्यात्मकमथवा भीतिमाप्तिजन्यद्दर्षात्मकमिति ।

upon?

N-I admit a difference in नै० । तेषां किंचित् ता

degree.

रतम्यमस्तीत्यहं मन्ये ।

V. And we insist on a differ

बे० । वयं पुनस्तेषां स्व

ence in nature. We ought not रूपभेदमेवावधारयामः । तथाहि । दर्शनशक्त्यादी dern Vedantins-tells us,-]to as- नां जीवात्म विशेषगुणानां cribe to Almighty God properties, परमात्मगुणत्वं वक्तमनई

[as the Tattwabodhini Patriká —the Calcutta organ of the mo

attributes,

or modes of being,

which are the peculiar charac- पश्यत्यचक्षुरित्यादिश्रुतेः । teristics of humanity, such as the एतेचानन्दबोधादयो बद्धस्य faculty of vision,' &c. • Without

eyes He sees,' [as is declared in तदनुभवितुर्जीवात्मना गु the Mahäbháshya]. These human णा इति तस्मिन् समवायjoys and cognitions are indeed संबंधेन वर्तते । ईश्वरस्व

properties and qualities of the

fettered soul which experiences रूपभूतस्य चानन्दस्यास them, and which stands to them न ब्रह्मणा समवायो न सin the relation of subject to attri- म्भवति । अतश्च यथा कै

bute. But how could the Bliss

of the Absolute be an attribute, श्चित् प्रीतिस्वरूप ईश्वर towards which the Absolute should उच्यते तद्ददेवास्माभिरपि

stand in any relation? The very

expression is a plain contradiction सुखात्मकं ब्रह्मेति स्वीक्रिin terms. God, we hold, is Bliss, यते ।

that God is Love. '

N.—Ah. That last expression नै० । प्रोतिरूप ईश्वर is used by the Christians. May इति तावत् सृष्टीया व्यवहI bring a Christian_speculator of रन्ति । अतः प्रसंगतः स्मृतं

my acquaintance with me when I

next visit you?

किंचित् त्वां पृच्छामि । कश्चित् सृष्टीयः पण्डितो मम परिचितो वर्तते तमहमावयोरुत्तरसमागमे स्वेन सह