The Science and Philosophy of Religion, by Swami Vivekananda

SHASTRI INDO-CANADIAN INSTITUTE 156 Golf Links,

New

Delhi -3, India

;

THE

SCIENCE AND PHILOSOPHY OP RELIGION , .

A

comparative study of Sanfyhya, Vedanta and other systems of thought,

SWAMI VIVEKANANDA

SECOND EDITION.

1915. ill rights

reserved.

K>

MAY

.

i^her

:

BRAHMACHARI KAPILA,

UDBODHAN OFFICE, ,

Mukherji Lane, Baghbazar, Calcutta.

8

m

V3V7.

H

CONTENTS. Page.

Subjects.

INTRODUCTION

I

I.

....

THE SANKHYA COSMOLOGY

9

II.

PRAKRITI AND PURUSHA

27 III.

47

SANKHYA AND ADVAITA IV.

THE FREE SOUL

67

V.

ONE EXISTENCE APPEARING

AS

MANY

.

.

88

VI.

UNITY OF THE SELF

104 VII.

THE HIGHEST

IDEAL OF JNANA

YOGA

.

.

116

U. RAY 4 SONS, CALCUTTA

EDITOR S PREFACE. any Science reaches a unity, it cannot possibly go any farther. You cannot go beyond this idea of the Absolute, the idea of the One, out of which "When

The

everything in the universe has evolved.

word of Advaita

last

is

That thou

Tattvamasi,

These are the words of the author at the

volume,

end of the book.

of

It is

the present

a clear and con

made by

cise statement of the daring claim

art."

the sages

of India, from very old times, that they have attained

and succeeded

to such unity in the religious field

bringing religion to the

in

rank of a perfect and complete

The methods adopted by them to come to result, were the same as followed by all the

science. this

sciences of the

present day,

viz.,

observation and

analysis of the facts of our experience, tical

the

combination of the

same

indeed of the to

results obtained, to find out

That Kapila, Vyasa, Patanjali and the philosophers of India, including most

facts.

all

Vedic

their

and a synthe

seers, applied these

respective

discoveries

methods

i

coming

has been fully dis

cussed by the author in his books

Yogas.

in

on the

different

EDITOR S PREFACE.

Wonderful as the claim seems and improbable to had not had the power

the superficial eye, the world

and

inclination to shift the grounds

The

advanced.

on which

it

was

of an obsolete language,

difficulties

expression and imagery, the too concise character of the aphorisms (Sutras) and the leaden dross of time

always overwhelmed or led astray the stray stragglers,

who made any national fectly

attempt along the line while the Indian

mind was sleeping through

exhausted

the great discovery

period

of

centuries,

per

with the superhuman exertions of !

No wonder it needed the

re-awakening

of

Dharma* and along with it the superhuman Bhagavan Sri Ramakrishna and the gifted

Swami Vivekananda

to

do the work

present

mother-land

the

of

vision of talent of

as well as to teach

humanity the way to apply the great truth to its daily for an Indian mind is life, in India and abroad always needed to interpret things purely Indian.

To

understand fully the greatness of the Swami, however,

we must

always bear in mind the fact that these were

a series of seven lectures,

before a 1896.

down

It

little is

at the

class in

New

delivered

York,

without

in the

notes,

beginning of

fortunate, indeed, that they

were taken

time by shorthand, making

possible for

it

us to get them printed in this present form, after the

EDITOR S PREFACE. expiration

a long time

of such

and the editor

thankful for being requested to do his

was the

America,

in

at the

is

work while he

beginning of 1897.

Nothing of any importance has been changed in body of the lectures themselves excepting the

substitution of the

word

Prakriti for Nature.

In the

humble opinion there is no English equivalent the Sanskrit word, and Nature can never be one.

editor s for

For the idea connoted by

what

is

therefore

it

is

the finished result of

connoted by the word Prakriti. Prakriti can never mean Nature but the primal

elements and forces, which form the materials for the creation of the

which Nature

universe. is

being produced. equilibrium"

and

energy"

or

Prakriti

is

the

cause,

the effect or out of which Nature "Primal "the

of is

matter and energy held in

latent condition of primal matter

expresses the idea aright.

We

would

request the reader to keep this well stamped in his

mind

to understand the

following pages clearly.

words of the Swami

in the

THE

SCIENCE AND PHILOSOPHY OF RELIGION. INTRODUCTION. THIS universe of ours, the universe of the senses, the rational, the intellectual,

by the Herein

illimitable, the is

the

bounded on both

sides

unknowable, the ever unknown.

the search, herein are the inquiries, here

are the facts, to

is

whence comes

world

as

the light which Essentially,

religion.

religion belongs to the supersensuous

sense plane.

It is

beyond

the plane of intellect.

and not

reasoning and

all

It is

known

is

however,

is

to the

not on

a vision, an inspiration,

unknown and unknowable, making unknowable more than known, for it can never be "known." The search has been in the human a plunge into the

the

mind,

as

humanity.

and

I

from the very beginning of There cannot have been human reasoning believe,

intellect

any period of the world

in

without this struggle, little

arise.

universe,

Whence

search

beyond.

In

our

human mind, we see a thought arises we do not know, and when

the it

this

s history

THE SCIENCE AND PHILOSOPHY OF RELIGION. it

disappears, where

goes

it

we know

macrocosm and the microcosm

same groove,

passing

vibrating in the

same key.

In these lectures

the

Hindu theory

through

so that

it is

is

that religions

man

in

the

form of

is

It

my

him

to give

many

of

It is

us

chaos there

this

discordant sounds there

prepared to

The time the

much

up

religion until

until

he can give

man

thinks, this

Thus we see various forms

religion.

not, as

is

belief that reli

very constitution, so

s

impossible for

religion in the world.

who

stages,

must go on, and so long man must have some

struggle

Amidst

same

you do not come from

he can give up his mind and body, up thought and life. As long as a

it is

were, in the

it

shall try to bring before

I

without, but from within.

gious thought

The

not either.

are, as

is

:

Taking

a vain speculation.

harmony, throughout these a note of concord, and he

listen to

great question of

is this

a bewildering study, but

think,

is

it

all

will catch the tone.

questions at the present

for granted that the

knowable are bounded on both

knowable and the

of

known and

sides

by the un

infinitely

unknown, why

struggle

unknown? content with the known ?

Why shall we Why shall we

not rest

for that infinite

satisfied

with eating, drinking, and doing a 2

not

little

be

good

INTRODUCTION.

This idea

to society?

From

in the air.

is

learned professor to the prattling baby, to

do good

that

it is

to the world, that

become a

So much

are told

The

the case that

is this

But fortunately

truism.

the beyond.

we must

present, the expressed,

The sense

part of that unexpressed.

were,

we

of religion,

and

useless to trouble ourselves about questions

of the beyond.

it

is all

the most

only one portion,

one

is

has

it

question

only one

universe

is,

as

bit of that infinite

spiritual universe projected into the plane of sense

consciousness.

How

can

this little bit of projection

be explained, be understood, without knowing that which is beyond? It is said of Socrates that one day while lecturing at Athens, he met a Brahmin who had travelled

into

Greece,

and Socrates

Brahmin that the greatest study The Brahmin sharply retorted :

man

until

you know

God?"

for

told

mankind

"How

is

can you know

This God,

this eternally

unknowable, or absolute, or infinite, or without

you may

call

Him by what name you

like,

rational, the only explanation, the raison

that

which

is

known and knowable,

Take anything before you,

the

man.

this

d

name, is

the

etre of

present

life.

the most material thing

;

take one of the most material sciences, as chemistry or physics, astronomy or biology, study 3

it,

push the

THE SCIENCE AND PHILOSOPHY OF RELIGION. study forward and forward, and the gross forms will

begin to melt and become finer and

finer, until

they

where you are bound to make a from these material things into the tremendous leap

come

to a point

The

immaterial.

gross melts into the fine, physics

into metaphysics, in every

Thus man beyond. vain

department of knowledge.

finds himself driven to a study of the

be a

Life will

human

desert,

will

life

be

we cannot know

the beyond. It is very well Be contented with the things of the present the cows and the dogs are, and all animals, and that if

to say

is

:

;

what makes them animals.

So

with the present and gives up

beyond, mankind

will

plane

is

again.

It

have

to

religion,

if

all

man

rests

search

content

into

the

go back to the animal the

inquiry

into

the

man and man is the

beyond, that makes the difference between

Well has

an animal. only

animal

that

been said that

it

naturally

other animal naturally

looks

looks upwards

prone.

;

every

That looking

upward and going upward and seeking perfection are what is called salvation, and the sooner a man begins to

go higher, the sooner he raises himself towards

idea of truth as salvation.

amount

of

money

in

It

does not consist

this

in the

your pocket, or the dress you

wear, or the house you

live in,

4

but in the wealth of

INTRODUCTION.

thought in your brain.

spiritual

for

and

human

progress, that

is

That

what makes

is

the source of

material

all

motive power behind, mankind forward.

intellectual progress, the

the enthusiasm that pushes

Religion does not live in bread, does not dwell

Again and again you hear this objection advanced, "What good can religion do? Can it take in

a house.

away

the poverty of the poor

would

?"

Supposing

it

that prove the untruth of religion?

among you when you

a baby stands up

demonstrate an "Does

it

bring

you answer.

astronomical gingerbread?"

"Then,"

"No,

and

it "it

Babies judge the whole universe from their point, that of producing gingerbread,

babies of the world.

We

judged by

its

own

does

says

:

not,"

is useless."

own

stand

and so do the

must not judge

things from a low standpoint.

Suppose

are trying to

theorem,

says the baby,

cannot,

of higher

Everything must be

standard and the

infinite

must be

judged by an infinite standard. Religion permeates the whole of man s life, not only the present, but the past, present,

relation Is

it

and

future.

It is

therefore the eternal

between the eternal soul and the eternal God.

logical to

minutes of

measure

human

life ?

its

value by

its

action

Certainly not.

negative arguments. 5

upon five These are all

THE SCIENCE AND PHILOSOPHY OF RELIGION.

Now comes

make

life.

and what brutes.

man

enjoys

Take

jnanam

(

is

)

It

religion

brings is

That

to

and is

man will

what

from human society

Nothing but a forest of is

not the goal of humanity;

the goal of

all

life.

We

find

enjoys his intellect more than an animal

and we see that man enjoys his nature even more than his rational nature. senses,

its

spiritual

So the highest wisdom must be edge.

really

religion

animal a god.

remain?

will

can.

It

Sense-happiness

wisdom that

human

can do.

Can

:

made man what he

has

It

of this

religion

question

anything?

accomplish eternal

the

With

this

this spiritual

come

will

knowledge

knowl

bliss.

All

these things of this world are but the shadows, the

manifestation in the third or fourth degree of the real

Knowledge and

One a-days

Bliss.

question more

it is

asserted that

What is the goal ? Nowman is infinitely progressing,

:

forward and forward, and there

is

no goal of per

Ever approaching, never attain may mean and however wonderful

fection to attain to. ing, it

whatever that

may

motion

be,

it is

absurd on the face of

in a straight line ?

projected becomes a circle, point.

Is

there any

straight line infinitely

it

returns to the starting

You must end where you 6

it.

A

begin, and as you

INTRODUCTION.

God, you must go back

in

began

Detail work.

remains? to

do the

detail

Through

to

God.

What

you have

eternity

work.

Are we to discover new we go on ? Yea and nay. In the we cannot know anything more of religion,

Yet another question. truths of religion as first it

place

has

all

been known.

world you

will find

any

further

progress

finding

this

the

all

religions

claimed that there

that

in

is

of

the

a unity

divinity, there cannot be

Being one with

within us.

means

it

In

unity.

I

sense.

Knowledge you as men and becomes scientific

see

women, and this is variety. It knowledge when I group you together and call you human beings. Take the science of chemistry, for instance. Chemists are seeking to resolve all known substance into their original elements and to find the

derived.

one element from which

all

if

The time may come when they

one element that

is

the source of

all

possible

these were will find

other elements.

Reaching they can go no farther the science of chemistry will have become perfect. So it is with the science of religion. If we can discover this per that,

;

cannot be any farther progress. The next question is Can such a unity be

fect unity, there

:

found?

In India the attempt has 7

been made from

THE SCIENCE AND PHILOSOPHY OF RELIGION. the earliest times to reach a science of religion and

philosophy, for the Hindus do not separate these as is

We

customary in Western countries.

gion

reli

regard

and philosophy as but two aspects of one in reason and

thing which must equally be grounded scientific truth. I

In the lectures

shall try to explain to

you

that

are

follow

to

the system of the

first

SanJ^hya philosophy, one of the most ancient in India, or in fact in the world. is

the father of

all

system that he taught accepted systems

great exponent, Kapila,

Its

Hindu psychology and the ancient is still

of

foundation

the

which are known as the Darsanas. his psychology,

of

all

philosophy in India to-day,

They

however widely they

adopt

all

differ in other

respects.

Next

I

as the logical clusions

endeavour to show you how Veddnta, outcome of the Santyiya, pushes its con

shall

yet

with that taught satisfied to

end

task

religion. is

its

by Kapila, the

cosmology agrees Vedanta is not

in dualism, but continues

for the final unity

and

While

farther.

which

To make

accomplished

is

will

be the

8

search

alike the goal of science

clear the

lectures in this course.

its

manner effort

in

of

which the the

later

I

THE SANKHYA COSMOLOGY HERE

are

two words, the

and the

microcosm

We

macrocosm, the internal and the external.

get

from both of these by means of experience there is internal experience and external experience. truths

The

;

truths

gathered from internal experience are

psychology, metaphysics and religion

experience the physical sciences.

;

from external

Now

a

perfect

harmony with experience in both The microcosm must bear testimony

truth should be in

these worlds. to the

cosm

;

macrocosm, and the macrocosm to the micro physical truth must have its counterpart in the

and the

internal world,

internal world

Yet as a

verification in the outside.

many

we

became

world

and

supreme,

"externals"

;

s

history

began

they

time the

at the present

the physicists, have

down many

metaphysicians.

At

"internals"

to

fight

the

"externals,"

become supreme, and they have

claims

So

the

its

find that

of these truths are constantly conflicting.

one period of the

put

must have

rule

of

far as

9

the

my

psychologists

little

and

knowledge goes,

THE SCIENCE AND PHILOSOPHY OF RELIGION. I

psychology are

find that the really essential parts of

in

perfect accordance with the essential parts of

modern

physical knowledge.

It is

not given to every individual to be great in

every respect nation, to fields of

;

it

is

not given to the

be equally strong in

race, or

The modern European

knowledge.

are very strong

same

in the research of all the

their

researches

nations

external

into

physical knowledge, but the ancient Europeans were

weak

On

in their researches into the internal part of

man.

the other hand, the Orientals have not been very

strong in their researches

in

the

external

physical

world, but have excelled in their researches into the internal,

and therefore we

that

find

some

of

the

Oriental theories are not in accordance with Occi

dental physics, neither

harmony with Oriental

The

Oriental

Occidental

on

scientists.

internal are in

We

know

at the

have

on

been

this

subject.

criticised

At the same time each stated before, real truth in

by rests

any

will not contradict itself, the truths

harmony with

the truths external.

the present theories

according to the

and

we

knowledge

Occidental psychology in

teachings

physicists

truth, and, as

field of

is

of

the

modern astronomers and

Cosmos

physicists,

same time we know how wofully they 10

hurt

THE SANKHYA COSMOLOGY.

and how every new made is as a bomb thrown into their house, and how they have attempted in every age to put down all these researches. In the

the old school of theologians,

discovery that

scientific

first

let

place,

is

us go over the

scientific ideas of the Orientals as to

that pertains to

all

it is

fully

of

it,

and we

accordance with

in

cosmology and

shall find all

and

psychological

how wonder

the latest discoveries

science, and when there is anything lacking find that it is on the side of modern science.

modern

we

shall

We

all

use the word

philosophers Prafyiti,

word

"Nature,"

Avyatyam thing

called

which

is

Nature, it

by

two

different

and by the more scientific name, from which every

"undifrerentiated" ),

(

proceeds,

out

of

come atoms and and mind and intellect.

which

startling to find that the philosophers

physicians of India ages ago stated that

much

;

body ?

and we

intellect also

called

mind

is

but

for

a product of nature as the

thought

and meta

what are our present form, striving to do but to show that mind is as

matter in a finer materialists

names,

almost the same as the English

molecules, matter and force, It is

and the old Hindu

And

so

is

shall find by and by that the comes from the same Nature which is

Avyaktam, the undifrerentiated 11

.

THE SCIENCE AND PHILOSOPHY OF RELIGION.

The

ancient teachers define

"equilibrium

of the three

higher

force,

is

and the

the control of these two, sattva

:

is

third tamas.

that of attraction, a

little

and the highest is when the two

rajas, that of repulsion,

is

the

as

one of which

forces,"

called sattva, the second rajas

Tamas, the lowest

Avyatyam

so that

and repulsion, are held in perfect by the sattva, there is no creation,

forces, attraction

control, or balance,

no modification lost,

gets

but as soon as this

;

the balance stronger

than the

other.

motion begin and evolution of

on

state of things is going

that

is

to say, there

balance,

when

all

recombine, and is

also a period

equilibrium

is

Then change and

all this

goes on.

cyclically,

reached.

all

motion

when total

;

and there

everything has a tendency to

absence of

after

all

a period,

comes out

in the

and the time

manifestation this

is

state is dis

outward and the

form of waves

in this universe is in the

successive rises and

Some

;

these forces begin to combine and

turbed, the forces tend to project

universe slowly

periodically

this universe is projected

Again,

This

a period of disturbance of the

revert to the primal state of equilibrium,

comes when a

is

disturbed and one of these forces

is

;

for

form of waves, in

falls.

of the old philosophers 12

taught

that

the

THE SANKHYA COSMOLOGY.

whole universe quiets down

for

maintained that

down

this quieting

systems.

That

this solar

system, will quiet

is

a period

others

;

applies only to

to say, that while our

system here, and go back into

down

be millions of

that undifferentiated state, there will

other systems going the other way.

I

should rather

follow the second opinion, that this quieting

down

is

not simultaneous over the whole universe, but that in different parts different things are going on.

But the

we

see, that

principle remains the same, that PraJ^riti herself is

The

falls.

perfect

that

progressing in successive rises and

stage of going is

equilibrium,

The whole

all

back

to the balance, to the

called

the

end of a

cycle.

kalpa, the evolution and the involution,

has been compared by theistic writers in India to the outbreathing and inbreathing

of

God

were, breathes out the universe, and

Him

When

again.

the universe is

?

it

returns into

down, what becomes of

It still

exists,

only in finer form, as

"causal

still

state"

(

karana

it

).

there, only they

This return to an undifferentiated con

dition constitutes involution.

Involution and evolution

are eternally going on, so that

we

as

quiets

called in Sanskrit, in the

beginning,

it

God,

it

Causation, time and space are are potential.

;

when we speak

of a

refer only to the beginning of a cycle.

13

THE SCIENCE AND PHILOSOPHY OF RELIGION.

in

The most extraneous modern times we call

Hindus called

One

gross matter.

them

of these according to

and

one,

is

element

element

this

is

The

what

ancient

the bhutas, the external elements.

it

rest, for every other

This

part of the universe

somewhat

has

similar to the

the cause of the

is

produced out of this been called akasa.

is

modern idea

of ether,

though not exactly the same. AJ^asa is the primal element out of which every gross thing proceeds, and along with

we

it

shall see

there

what

something else called prana

is

we go

as

it is

the ak.asa exist as long as creation

bine and recombine and form the

at

until

:

The prana and lasts. They com

on.

all

end of the cycle

gross manifestations

these subside and

all

go back to the unmanifested form of akasa and prana. There is in the Rig Veda, the oldest scriptures in existence, a beautiful passage describing

which

creation,

is

most poetical

neither aught nor naught,

over darkness, what given,

"It

motion."

(

the Eternal

Eternal One, but there *

Rig

VedaMandala

there

when darkness was

existed?"

Prana and

"When

One

)

afyasa

was

rolling

and the answer

is

then existed without "were

latent

in

that

was no phenomenal mani-

10th, Sufcta 129.

14

THE SANKHYA COSMOLOGY. This

festation.

means

literally

At

state

Avyaktam begins given by

and

or unmanifested.

"without vibration,"

beginning of a

the

Avyaktam, which

called

is

new

cycle of evolution, this

vibrate and blow

to

after

blow

prana to the akasa causing condensation

and

gradually, through the forces of attraction

These

repulsion, atoms are formed.

and

into molecules

finally

into

the

in turn

generally find

these

condense

different

elements of which every object in nature

We

is

things

gross

composed.

is

very

curiously

people do not go to the ancient philos to their commentators for their translation or ophers and have not learning enough to understand for them

translated

selves.

;

They

and so on.

translate the elements as

If

they would go

to the

they would find that they do not the

sort.

The

afcasa,

by the

mean

ak_dsa,

in turn

vibrations growing heat, is

which

cooled

blows of

state

of

produces gaseous matter.

the

The

more and more rapid generate

in Sanskrit is called tejas.

off

liquid, apa,

"fire,

anything of

repeated

prana, produces vayu or the vibratory

which

"air,"

commentators

Gradually

it

and the gaseous substance becomes We have first finally solid, prithivi.

and

akasa vibrating, then comes heat, then it becomes liquefied, and when still more condensed it appears 15

THE SCIENCE AND PHILOSOPHY OF RELIGION. as solid matter.

It

goes back to the unmanifested

The

condition in exactly the reverse way.

solids will

be converted into liquid and the liquid into a mass of heat, that will slowly go back into the gaseous state, then disintegration of atoms will begin and finally the equilibrium of

which

We

all

forces will be reached,

and thus the cycle

vibration will stop

of

in Sanskrit is called /ja/pa will -be at

know from modern astronomy

when

evolution

an end.

that this earth

and

sun of ours are undergoing the same transitions,

this

solid earth will melt

more, and

down and become go back

will eventually

liquid

the

to

once

gaseous

state.

Prana cannot work alone without the help of All that we know of it is motion or vibration. aJ^dsa. Every movement that we see is a modification of this prana, and everything that we know in the form of matter, either as form or as resistance, fication

of

this

a/jascr.

alone, or act without a it,

The

exist

in every state of

whether as pure prana, or when

other forces of nature, as

a modi

cannot

prana

medium, and

is

gravitation

it

changes into

or

centrifugal

can never be separate from a/jasa. You have never seen force without matter or matter with attraction,

out force

;

it

what we

call force

16

and matter being simply

THE SANKHYA COSMOLOGY. the gross manifestations of the two, and these

when

superfine, the old philosophers have called prdna

and

Prana you can call in English, life, or vital energy, but you must not restrict it to the life of man, nor should you identify it with the spirit, Atman.

<3^dsa.

Thus creation is

is

a product of prana

without beginning and end

for

it is

it

;

and akasa and

cannot have

The next question that comes is rather a Some European philosophers have asserted world

either,

eternally going on.

exists

exist, the

because

world

pressed thus

if

will all

"I"

exist,

not exist.

and

if

fine one.

"I"

Sometimes

that this

do not it

is

ex

the people in the world were to

and there were no more human beings, and no animals with powers of perception and intelligence,

die,

manifestations would disappear.

all

doxical, but gradually

can be proved. not

know

we

;

It

seems para

shall see clearly that this

But these European philosophers do

the psychology of

the principle First

we

it,

although they

they have only a glimpse of shall

is

rather startling, that

the grossest elements are the bhutas, but that things are the results of fine ones. gross

is

composed

all

gross

Everything that

of a combination of fine things, 17

B

it.

consider another proposition of

these old psychologists which

is

know

THE SCIENCE AND PHILOSOPHY OF RELIGION. bhutas must be composed of certain fine

so the

particles, called in Sanskrit the tanmatras.

flower

;

in

doing

my

contact with see

something must have come

so,

The

nose.

move towards me

it

smell a

I

;

my

flower

there,

is

but without something

nose

how can

have the

coming

in contact with

smell?

That which comes from the flower and

my

contact with

in

do not

I

nose are the tanmatras,

I

into

mole

fine

cules of that flower, so fine that no diminution will be

perceived in the flower even

if

we

smell

all

it

the

whole day. So with heat, light, sight, and everything. These tanmatras can again be subdivided into atoms. Different philosophers have different theories about

the dimensions of atoms but theories, so

cient

for

we

us

leave

that

we know

which we

Suffi

composed

is

everything gross

things that are very, very minute.

gross elements,

these are only

them out of discussion.

We

first

feel externally,

of

get the

and com

posing them are the fine elements, which our organs touch, which come in contact with the nerves of the nose, eyes and ears. The ethereal wave which touches

come

my

eyes,

in contact

the light.

I

with

cannot see, yet

my

I

know

optic nerve before

I

it

must

can see

So with hearing, we can never see the

particles that

come

in contact

18

with our ears, but

we

THE SANKHYA COSMOLOGY.

know

must be

that they

tanmatras

these

answer

is

A

very

is

is

the cause of

and

startling

curious

self-conscious

the cause of these fine materials, and

is

What

the cause of the organs.

Here

What

there.

given by our psychologists,

That

ness.

?

are

these

organs?

the eye, but the eye does not see.

eyes did see,

when

a

man

is

If

the

dead, and his eyes are

There perfect, they would still be able to see. some change somewhere something has gone out

still

is

;

man, and that something, which really sees and of which the eye is but the instrument, is called the of the

organ.

So

this

nose

is

an instrument, and there

is

an organ corresponding to Modern physiology can tell you what that is, a nerve centre in the brain. it.

The

eyes, ears, etc., are simply the external instru

ments.

Thus the organs,

indriyas, as they are called

in Sanskrit, are the real seats of perception.

What and one

is

the use of having one organ for the nose,

for the eyes,

serve the purpose? talking,

what

is

and so on?

To make

it

Why

will not

clear to you,

I

one

am

and you are listening, and you do not see going on around you because the mind has

to the organ of hearing, and has from the sight-organ. If there were only one organ, the mind would see and hear and

attached

itself

detached

itself

19

THE SCIENCE AND PHILOSOPHY OF RELIGION. smell at the for it

not to

it

is

same time, and it would be impossible do all three at the same time. Therefore

necessary that there should be separate organs

This has been borne out by

for all these centres.

modern physiology.

certainly possible for us to

It is

see and hear at the same time, but that

mind attaches

What

these

that

Of what

are

are the instruments

are,

and are

are the centres.

which

We

see

gross

eyes, nose, and ears, etc.

made ?

are the organs

finer materials

?

and made of the

external

Here they

materials.

because the

to both centres,

itself partially

are the organs.

is

They

are

made

of

internal things because they

Just as this

gross material for transforming

body

is

composed into

prdna

of

different

gross forces, so these finer organs behind, are

com

posed of finer materials, for the manufacture of prana into the finer forces of perception.

or indriyas

All these organs

combined, plus the internal instrument or

antahkarana, are called the finer body of man,

the

linga (or suj^ahma) sarira. It

has a real form, because everything material

must have a form. the chitta in

vritti,

Behind the indriyas

what might be

or the unsettled state of the mind.

stone into a calm lake,

first

20

is

the manas,

called the vibratory If

you throw a

there will be vibration,

THE SANKHYA COSMOLOGY.

and then vibrate

For a moment the water

resistance.

and then

it

will react

on the

any impression comes on the it

vibrates a

There

the

another thing behind

is

the acts

all

panies

chitta, or

So,

reaction,

is

Called

the

will.*

which accom

this will

which

the mind,

of

will

when

"mind stuff,"

This state of the mind

little.

Then comes

the manas.

stone.

is

called

egoism, the aham^ara, the self -consciousness, which says

and behind

am,"

"I

Mahat,^ the

that

Behind the intellect

existence.

what

is

intelligence, the highest is

is

called

form of Nature

s

the true Self of

man, the Purusha, the pure, the perfect, who is alone the seer, and for whom is all this change. The Purusha self is

is

looking on at

never impure

Vedantists

the

appears to

call

be so

as

all

these changes.

He him

but by implication, by what

;

adhyasam,

when

or

reflection,

a red flower

is

he

held before

a piece of crystal, the crystal will look red or a blue

and yet the There are many Purushas

flower and the crystal will look crystal itself

or Selves

;

is

colourless.

blue

each pure and perfect, and

it is

all

these

various divisions of gross matter and fine matter that *

Sanskrit

Buddhi, the determining or decisive faculty of

the mind.

t Literally

means

great.

Sometimes 21

called Buddhi.

THE SCIENCE AND PHILOSOPHY OF RELIGION. are

imposing on them and making them appear

Why

variously coloured. Pra^riti

undergoing

is

ment and the its

read,

is

PraJ^riti

stretched before

is

potent being.

I

as

out,

it

will realise

we

man

so that he

call

may

an omniscient and omni

tell you that some of our do not believe in a personal God

must here

best psychologists in the sense in

which you believe

father

psychologists,

all

this?

all

This immense book which

and come

of

doing

these changes for the enjoy

benefit of the Self, so that

free nature.

the universe

all

Him.

The

denies

the

in

Kapila,

God as Creator. His idea is that a God is quite unnecessary Pra^riti is suffi work out all that is good. He repudiated the

existence of

personal cient to

so-called

;

"Design"

theory of the universe.

childish theory has never

admits a peculiar kind of God. struggling to get free,

he can, as

it

time being, to

He

says

we

away

more

But he are

and when man becomes

were, melt

come

A

been advanced.

into Pra/jn ri for the

out at the beginning of the next

cycle an omniscient and omnipotent being and be ruler.

In that sense he

you and

I

can be called God.

and the humblest beings

different cycles.

all

free

will

its

Thus

be gods

in

Kapila says there can be such a

temporal god, but an eternal God, eternally omni22

THE SANKHYA COSMOLOGY. potent and eternally ruler of the universe, there can

never be.

If

this difficulty

God who

is

God, there would be be bound or free. A

there were such a

He must

either

perfectly free

would not create

there

;

He were bound, He would would be no necessity. not create because He could not, He would be weak If

Himself.

there

So, in either case,

omnipotent or omniscient eternal ever the word God is mentioned the Vedas, Kapila says

who have become not

believe

believes that

it

free.

an

So wher

ruler.

in

be

cannot

our Scriptures,

means those perfected souls The Sdntyiya system does Vedanta

in

the

all

individual souls are united in one

unity

of

all

souls.

cosmic Being called Brahman, but Kapila, the founder His analysis of the of the Santyiya, was dualistic. universe, so far as

was the

father of

it

goes,

Hindu

later philosophical

is

really marvellous.

evolutionists,

and

all

He the

systems are simply outcomes of

his thought.

According to this system all souls their freedom and their natural rights,

will

regain

which

are

omnipotence and omniscience. Here the question may be asked, whence is this bondage of the souls?

The Sanfyhya

says

without beginning

it is it

without beginning

:

but

if it

must also be without end and 23

be

we

THE SCIENCE AND PHILOSOPHY OF RELIGION. shall

out

never be

in the

is

is

"not

in

a

as

is

line."

the soul or Purusha, because

has no individuality, just as a river flowing by

moment

every

getting a fresh

body

of water,

the sum-total of

all

these bodies of water

and yet the

is

not a constant quantity.

river

Similarly

constantly changing, but the

is

soul never changes.

Therefore as Pra^riti

changing,

is

it

possible for the soul to

One

bondage. the

built

upon

little

being

The whole

same plan

so, just as

;

I

always out of

as

one

of

the

single

is

cosmic mind.

When

intelligence,

this

peculiar

universe

is

also a

macrocosm evolves there then

egoism,

then the

and the organs, and then the gross

tanmatras

is

man, or one

have a mind, there

must be

first

is

come

theory of the Santyiya

to this psychology.

and

the river

is

everything in Pra^riti

its

"with

constant

without beginning and without end, but not

same sense

PraJ^riti

us

means

beginning"

Pretoria

Kapila explains that this

free.

ele

The whole universe according to Kapila is one body, all that we see are the grosser bodies, and

ments.

behind these are the a

universal

Intelligence

egoism, ;

but

all

finer bodies,

and behind them,

and behind that a universal these are in Pra^riti,

are manifestations of Prafyiti, not outside of

one of us

is

a part

of

that

24

cosmic

all it.

these

Each

consciousness.

THE SANKHYA COSMOLOGY.

There

we

a sum-total of intelligence out of which

is

draw what we

require,

mental force

in

so

there

is

a

sum-total

of

we

are

universe out of which

the

drawing eternally, but the seed for the body must come from the parents. The theory includes heredity

and reincarnation

material

is

The

too.

which

soul out of

to

material

given to the

is

manufacture a body, but that

given by hereditary transmission from the

parents.

We

come now

process there

is

to the

that

in

this

an involution and an evolution.

All

proposition

is

evolved out of that indiscrete Pra^riti

is

involved again and becomes Avya^tam.

possible, according to the Santyiyas, for

thing to exist, which has

portion of consciousness.

out

rial

which

of

elucidation of this

show how

all

comes

not

as

its

;

It is

is

im

any material

material

Consciousness

manifestation

and then

some

the mate

is

The

made.

in our next lecture, but

I

will

can be proved. do not know this but it makes an impression it comes to the eyes, then to the indnyas, and then to the mind the mind then reacts, and that reaction is what

table as

it

I

it is,

;

;

I

call

the table.

into a lake this

wave

;

is

It is

just the

same

the lake throws a

what we know. 25

as throwing a stone

wave against the stone; The waves coming out

THE SCIENCE AND PHILOSOPHY OF RELIGION. are

we know.

all

wall

in

is

my mind

when want I

which

I

to

furnish

same way the fashion of this what is external nobody knows

In the

;

;

know I,

;

with

my

has to become that material

it, it

my own mind,

have furnished

and the something which is is the outside occasion, the suggestion, and upon only that suggestion I project my mind, and it takes the the material for

form of what see the this

I

see.

eyes,

The

question

is,

how do we

all

same things? Because we all have a part of Those who have mind will see the

cosmic mind.

thing,

and those who have not

goes to

show

will not see

it.

This

that since this universe has existed there

has never been a want of mind, of that one cosmic

Every human being, every animal, is also furnished out of that cosmic mind, because it is mind.

always

present

and furnishing material

formation.

26

for

their

II

AND PURUSHA

PRAKRITI

WE

will take

come

and

discussing

remember we

up the categories we have been the

to

we

If

particulars.

This has been

started with Pra^riti.

by the Sdnkhya philosophers indiscrete or inseparate, and defined as perfect balance of the called

materials in

it

;

and

naturally follows that in perfect

it

balance there cannot be any motion. see, feel,

and hear

and matter. festation,

was

there

compound

balance, this PraJ^riti

comes

was

no

we

All that

of motion

mani

In the primal state, before this

where

composition

simply a

is

motion,

perfect

de

indestructible, because

with

only

limitation.

Again,

according to Santyiya, atoms are not the primal state.

This universe does not

come

be the secondary,

tertiary

matter

compound as modern wards

or

may compound

that.

into greater

into

out of atoms, they state.

atoms,

and greater

investigations

go,

The which

things,

may

original in

turn

and as

far

they rather point to

For instance, in the modern theory of 27

THE SCIENCE AND PHILOSOPHY OF RELIGION. ether,

if

you say ether

that air

ether

is

To make

all.

of

composed

is

also atomic, that will not

is

solve the proposition at

atoms

floating, as

ether again be

And

that?

again there

up between the atoms you you must will

fills

be another space fills

up

this space.

another ether

is

If

be

still

What

of ether.

will

which

of that

propose that there

it

that

were, in ether.

it

of atoms, there will

composed some space between two atoms

so

clearer, say

we know

everywhere, interpenetrating, omnipresent,

and that atoms are

If

and

;

it

still

finer,

still have something to fill that space, and be regressus in infinitum, what the Santyiya

never reaching a

anacastha,

philosophers

call

conclusion.

So the atomic theory cannot be

final final.

According to the Sankhyas this Pra^riti present, one omnipresent mass of matter

is

omni

in

which

are the causes of everything

What

meant by cause

Cause

?

is

that

exists.

more

the

is

subtle state of

the manifested state, the unmanifested state of that

which becomes manifested. destruction?

It

is

What do you mean by

reverting

to

materials out of which a

body

into their original state.

Beyond

tion, it

According

to

this

modern 28

cause,

the

composed go back

is

any idea such as annihilation,

absurd.

the

is

idea of destruc

on the face of

physical sciences,

PRAKRIT! AND PURUSHA. it

can be demonstrated that

all

destruction

means

that

which Kapila called ages ago "reverting to the causal state." Going back to the finer form is all that

is

meant by

be demonstrated destructible.

chemistry

of

know

that

who

you

have

caustic pencil inside a glass tube

and

let

in

is

studied

place a candle

you

if

can

it

a laboratory that matter

in

Those

will

You know how

destruction.

and a

the candle

burn away, then take the caustic pencil out of the ,

tube and weigh

weigh exactly

it,

will find that the pencil will

you

previous weight, plus the weight of

the candle

the candle,

went on

its

to the caustic.

of our knowledge,

becomes

if

annihilated,

became

finer

So that

in this present stage

any he

man

finer,

and

claims that anything

only

is

and

making himself

only uneducated people who would advance such a proposition, and it is curious that absurd.

is

It

modern knowledge philosophers their inquiry

taught.

coincides

The

with what those old

ancients

by taking up mind

proceeded

as the basis

;

in

they

analysed the mental part of this universe and came to

certain

conclusions,

analysing the physical part, the

same

same

conclusions.

modern science and it also has come

while

is

to

Both analyses have led to the

truth.

29

THE SCIENCE AND PHILOSOPHY OF RELIGION.

You must remember of this Pra^riti in the

We may

called Mahat.

the great principle

The I

;

that the

cosmos call

that

it

universal intelligence

the

is

manifestation of Pra^riti

first

would

not

translate

because that would

it

manifestation

first

what the Sankhyas

is

by

is this

covers

the

all

be wrong.

grounds

of

Consciousness is

are

is

universal.

sub-

consciousness,

consciousness and super-consciousness. for instance, certain

intelligence;

self -consciousness,

only a part of this intelligence, which It

meaning.

literal

In

nature,

going on before

changes your eyes which you see and understand, but there are other changes so

much

ception can catch them. cause, the

same Mahat

no human per They are from the same finer that

making these changes.

is

There are other changes, beyond the reach of our mind or reasoning, all these series of changes are in You will understand it better when this Mahat. I

come

to the individual.

Out

of this

Mahat comes

the universal egoism, and these are both material.

There in

is

no difference between matter and mind save

degree.

It

grosser form

;

is

the

one changes

will exactly coincide

research,

and

same substance

will

in

into the other,

finer

and

or this

with the modern physiological

save you from a great deal of

30

fight-

PRAKRITJ AND PURUSHA.

ing and struggling

if you believe it, rather than that have a mind you separate from the brain, and all such impossible things. This substance called Mahat

changes into the material called egoism, the of matter, and that egoism changes into two

fine state

varieties.

one variety it changes into the organs. Organs are of two kinds organs of sensation and organs of In

thing finer centres.

what you

;

these

is

manufactured these centres and

are

nerves.

egoism,

some

call brain centres, and nerve

This egoism becomes changed, and out of

material

this

are not the eyes or nose, but

They

reaction.*

Out

the

of

manufactured

same

another

substance, fine

form,

the

the

tanmatras, fine particles of matter, those for instance

your nose and cause you to smell. You cannot perceive these fine particles, you can only know that they are there. The tanmatras are manu

which

strike

factured out of the egoism, and out of the tanmatras, or subtle matter, water, earth,

air,

feel.

I

want

is

manufactured the gross matter, all the things that we see and

and

to impress this

hard to grasp

it,

on your mind.

It is

very

because, in Western countries, the

*

Organs of sensation The nerve centres by which we see, smell, taste and touch. Organs of reaction The nerve centres regulating hands, feet, voice, excretion and procreation. hear,

31

THE SCIENCE AND PHILOSOPHY OF RELIGION. ideas are so queer about to

take

these

mind and out

impressions

myself had tremendous

matter.

It is

our

of

brains.

extension

of

which

of

this

unbroken, one sub

matter,

stance, undifferentiated,

I

being educated in

difficulty,

Western philosophy in my childhood. These are all cosmic things. Think universal

hard

is

the

state

first

of

everything, and which begins to change just as milk becomes curd, and that it is changed into another substance called Mahat, which in one state manifests as intelligence

and

in another state as egoism.

It is

same substance, only changed into the grosser matter called egoism. Thus is the whole universe

the

itself built,

as

it

were,

layer

after

differentiated Pra^riti (Avyakfam), into universal intelligence (Mahat),

changed

into universal

layer

;

first

un

and that changes and that again is

egoism (Ahamt^ara), and that That matter

changes into universal sensible matter.

changes into universal sense-organs, again changes and these in turn com

into universal fine particles,

bine and

become

this gross

universe.

This

is

the

cosmic plan, according to the Sdnl^hyas, and what is in the cosmos or macrocosm, must be in the indi vidual or microcosm.

Take an

individual

man. 32

He

has

first

a part of

PRAKRITI AND PURUSHA.

nature

undifferentiated

in

and that material

him,

nature in him becomes changed into mahat, a small

and

particle of the universal intelligence,

particle of the universal intelligence in

a

changed into egoism egoism.

of

particle

that small

him becomes the

universal

This egoism in turn becomes changed into

the sense-organs,

and the tanmatras, and out of the

combining he manufactures want this to be clear, because it

latter

his world, his

I

is

stone to Vedanta, and

you

to

know, because

it

is

the

first

stepping-

absolutely necessary for

this is the basis of the different

systems of philosophy of the whole world.

no philosophy

in the

body.

world that

There

is

not indebted to

is

Kapila, the founder of this Sanfyhya system.

Pytha

came to India and studied this philosophy and carried some of these ideas to the Greeks. Later it goras

formed the Alexandrian school, and the basis of Gnostic

philosophy.

divided into two parts Alexandria,

became the it

rational

one went

formed

it

became

Europe and and

to

in India,

Hindu philosophy, for out of was developed. This was the Vyasa

basis of all

system that the world saw,

of Kapila.

Every metaphysician

pay homage

to him.

I

want 33

c

later

and the other remained

the system of

first

;

still

Thus

in the

to impress

this

system world must

on your mind

THE SCIENCE AND PHILOSOPHY OF RELIGION.

we

that as the great father of philosophy,

bound

are

and respect what he said. This wonderful man, most ancient of philosophers, is

to listen to him,

mentioned even

in the

perceptions were the

If

!

How

Vedas.

there

is

any proof required of

of the Yogis to perceive things

power

range of the ordinary senses, such

How

could

they

microscopes,

or

ception was,

how

wonderful

To

is

becomes

telescope?.

is

mahat,

finer

analysis

"indiscrete"

per

and how

action

Now

of

it

is

you see

just a particle of the

Out

As we First,

or perfectly balanced, then

that

intelligence. is

their

man.

disturbed, and action sets in

the Mahat.

from

their

They had no fine

on exactly the same plan.

built

change produced by

man

?

How

beyond the

are the proofs.

revert again to the microcosm,

the nature

in

them

perceive

perfect

men

!

have seen, he

it

wonderful his

comes

and the

what

is

first

called

this intelligence

cosmic intelligence,

self-consciousness,

and

sensory and the motor nerves, and the particles out of which the gross body is manu this the

factured.

I

will

here

remark

that

there

is

one

between Schopenhauer and Vedanta. Schopenhauer says that desire, or will, is the cause of difference

everything.

It is

the

will

34

to

exist

that

makes us

PRAKRITI AND PURUSHA.

A dvait ists deny

manifest, but the is

of will

which

beyond

will.

of

It is

only

manufactured something

a

higher, the intelligence,

"indiscrete"

It is

man,

Nature, or

intelligence.

we

modified into what

gence

is

the cause of

all

a modification

is

Pr-a^riti.

What

sciousness.

conscious state

This

Instinct almost

is

is

This

intelligence

egoism, and

call

mahat

in

itself

is

this intelli

these changes which result in

consciousness

sub-consciousness,

knows

and that

This covers

producing the body.

instinct.

a product of something

is

very important to understand this

the

it

not a reaction.

is

out of the ego, and the ego still

They say

this.

There cannot be a single particle So many things are

the intelligence.

all

the grounds of

and

super-con

are these three states?

what we

find in animals,

The sub and

call

nearly infallible, but very limited.

never

a poisonous herb

instinct is limited to

An

fails.

animal instinctively

from an edible one, but its it works like

one or two things

;

Then comes the higher state of knowl which is fallible, makes mistakes often, but has

a machine.

edge,

a larger scope, although

reason.

It is

more dangers There

is

a

much

it

is

slow, and this

you

call

larger than instinct, but there are

of mistake in reasoning than in instinct.

still

higher state of the mind, the super35

THE SCIENCE AND PHILOSOPHY OF RELIGION.

men who

conscious, which belongs only to the Yogis,

have cultivated

This

it.

as

is

infallible

as

instinct,

more unlimited than reason. It is the highest state. We must remember that as in man this mahat is the real cause of all that which is mani and

still

various

festing itself in

whole

covering the

ways,

his

sub-conscious, conscious and super-

conscious states

the three states in which knowledge

of

ground

so in the Cosmos, this universal Intelligence,

exists

Mahat,

as

exists

reason, and as super-

as

instinct,

reason.

Now comes being asked.

why

is

a delicate question, which

If

God

a perfect

is

what we

What we

and that

see,

plane of consciousness or reason,

we do

not see at

impossible one.

and look

The

at

it,

all. If

it

I

Now, take

seems

up

to

is

is

reason ?

the

call

only this

and beyond

the very question

little

that is

an

only a bit out of a mass

be imperfect.

universe seems imperfect because

How ? What

always

created the universe,

there imperfection in it?

universe

is

What

is

Naturally.

we make

it

so.

knowledge ? Knowl

You go

into the street edge a it man. You have is and see a man, and know seen many men, and each one has made an impres is

sion

finding associations.

on your mind, and when you now see 36

this

man,

PRAKRITI AND PURUSHA.

you calmly

many

refer to

pictures of

with the

rest,

pigeon-hole

and are

it

tion

is

called knowledge.

pigeon-holing

one

great proofs that until

and

or

parison

is

must be a

the recognition

already

store

the

this is

already

one of the

as

is

a tabula rasa,

of

existing

ready

If

you

some European it

can

because the very fact of

any knowledge, with

therefore,

in existence.

if,

philosophers think, the mind get

is,

you cannot have any knowledge

you have already a fund

knowledge

in

state of associa

with

experience

are without experience,

not

associations

Knowledge

existing fund of experience,

When

satisfied.

new

impression comes and it has your mind, you are satisfied, and this a

see

your store of impressions,

men there, and you put this new one

to

the

new by com

impressions.

which

to

refer

There a

new

Suppose a child is born into this world It would be impossible for him

impression.

without such a fund.

any knowledge. Therefore the child must have been in a state in which he had a fund, and so

to get

knowledge

is

This

is

very

Show me any way mathematical experience.

eternally going on.

of getting out of this.

much

It is

like the

western philosophies. there cannot be any

Spencerian and some other

They have seen

so

far

that

knowledge without a fund of past 37

THE SCIENCE AND PHILOSOPHY OF RELIGION.

knowledge and that therefore the child is born with knowledge. They have found out the truth that the cause enters into the

form

in

order to be

effect, that

comes

it

But

developed.

in a subtle

these

philos

ophers say that these impressions with which the child comes, are not

were

from the child

in his forefathers

s

and have come

own

past, but

to the child

by

Very soon they are going theory untenable, and some of them are

hereditary transmission. to find this

even now giving hard blows Heredity

is

very

to the idea of heredity.

but

good,

explains the physical side.

incomplete.

How

It

only

would you explain

the influence of environment in accordance with it?

Many

causes produce an effect and environment

one of them.

On

the other

we make

ophers say that other words,

we

are

our

we what we

because as our past was, so

is

hand the Hindu philos

own

environment,

find our present.

are

here

In

and now,

we were in the past. You understand now what is meant by knowl edge. Knowledge is pigeon-holing a new impression with old impressions recognising a new impression. What is meant by recognition ? Finding its asso ciation with similar impressions that we already have. because of what

Nothing further

is

meant by knowledge. 38

If

that

be

PRAKRITl AND PURUSHA.

the case,

it

must be that we have

series of similars in the process.

you are to know a pebble will have to see the whole But with the universe

it.

in our reasoning

we

can neither see on refer

to

it

seems

to find

;

not?

its

whole

Suppose you

association,

series of pebbles similar to

we cannot do

that,

because

see only one perception of

it

and

nor on that side of

it

and

this side

Therefore the universe

association.

its

to see the

Is it

because knowledge and reason are always finding associations. This bit of the uni verse cut off by our consciousness is a startling new thing,

unintelligible,

and we are not able

Therefore is

so

think

we

universe will be

We

ciations.

but

good,

is

shall

only

we do

explain lars,

it

and

that

all

we

imperfect. find

its

it

we

The asso

will

self-consciousness,

stand

explained.

fruitless striving will is

never

the finding of simi

conscious plane gives us only a partial

this

Mahat,

language

sometimes

them when we go

little

because knowledge

view of the universe. versal

and we think

when we

recognise

our

associations.

its

it,

generally

known

beyond the universe and our and then alone the universe Until

find

so wicked, and bad

horrible, it

to

are struggling with

or

call

So with our idea of the uni

what

God.

in

our ordinary everyday

All that

39

we have

of the idea

THE SCIENCE AND PHILOSOPHY OF RELIGION. of

God

and

all

only one perception, a partial view of

is

the rest

limitation.

even

we

the

universe

this

see

God

and covered by our human

cut off

is

"I,

is

Universal,

so

a part of

Me."

as imperfect,

stand Him, because

Him

to understand

self -consciousness.

it

Him

is

great

am

That

I

that

is

why

and we can never under

The

impossible.

only

way

to

go beyond reason, beyond "When thou goest beyond the

is

heard and hearing, the thought and thinking, then alone wilt thou the

come

up

Pra^riti,

to Truth.

because

Scriptures,

thou beyond

"Go

"f

they

teach

to the three qualities of

posed and out of which evolves the

When we

go beyond them we

find the

up

only

which

it

is

to

com

universe."!

harmony, not

before.

So

far

clear

is

it

microcosm are

built

that

this

macrocosm

on exactly the same plan, and of

this

microcosm we know only one very small

We

know

says,

not

We

am

know

a

*Bhagavad II.

,

know

sinner,"

himself.

about himself

,

part.

neither the sub-conscious, nor the super-

conscious. "I

and

II.

;

only the conscious.

he

He

is

is

foolish,

If

a

man

because he does

the most ignorant of

men

one part of himself only he knows,

Gita,

X

42.

52. 45.

40

PRAKR1TI AND PURUSHA.

because the fact of knowledge covers only one part of the "mind-ground" he is in. So with this uni verse

;

know

possible to

is

it

only one part through

reasoning, but Prakriti comprises the whole of

it,

the

sub-conscious, the conscious and the super-conscious, the all

mahat and the universal Mahat with

individual their

subsequent

and these

modifications,

beyond reason. What makes PraJjn f i change ?

We

lie

have seen up

to this point that everything in nature, PraJ^riti itself, is

jada (insentient).

compound and

It is

But they are

beyond

ophers

is

all

the

This Purusha

is

is

the

God

is

very good as a

is

all.

How

it

manifestation

exist before

it

;

Him

of the universe.

in the uni

It is

claimed This

Lord created the universe.

common

could

the unwitting

in the universe.

these changes in PraJ^riti

that the will of the

reflecting the

all

to say, this Purusha, taking

versal sense,

fourth

whom

and

Purusha.

call

cause of

That

all this,

it is all

some Being who San^hya philos

sentiency, the Chit (intelligence) of is

;

Mind, intelligence, and

insentient.

are insentient.

will, all

working under law

daily expression, but that

be will? out

Will

is

of Pral^riti.

the third or

Many

and what created them?

compound, and everything 41

that

is

a

things

Will

is

a

compound

is

a

THE SCIENCE AND PHILOSOPHY OF RELIGION. production out of Pra^riti. not a simple.

It is

Pra^riti.

Will

It

moves our

brain,

cannot create

So, to say that the will

of the Lord created the universe will covers a little portion

itself

In

is illogical.

some

If

say.

did you could

it

stop the action of the brain, but you cannot.

not the will

Who

will.

because

;

will.

if

moves

But

the heart?

it is

but that

one

part.

This

which

So

body

will is

of the universe

is

your

is

being

only a mani

in the universe there is will,

only one part of the universe.

is

at

working your body, nor something of which will itself

a power of

festation in

is

is

one of the manifestations.

moved by

it

It

not the

is

It

were you could stop

neither will that

It is

the universe. is

it

man

only of self -consciousness.

not guided by will, that

do not

find the explanation of

take

for granted that the will

it

in will.

The whole is

why we

Suppose

I

the body,

it moving and then begin to fret and fume. It is my fault, because I had no right to take it for granted that it

was

it is

do not will,

In the

will.

think

same way, if I take the universe and moves it and then find that things

will that

coincide,

itself is

intelligence

it is

my

fault.

This Purusha

is

not

be intelligence, because intelli a compound. There cannot be any

neither can

gence

is

it

without

some 42

sort of matter.

In

man,

PRAKRITI AND PURUSHA.

form which we

matter takes the

this

Wherever there

some form

in

is

intelligence there

Thus

or other.

compound what then

is this

call

brain.

must be matter

intelligence being a

Purusha^

It

neither

vs

intelligence nor buddhi (will), but yet it is the cause of both these it is His presence that sets them all ;

to

some

Purusha

and combining.

vibrating

may be

which by

of those substances

likened

their

mere

presence promote chemical reaction, as in the case of cyanide of potassium which being sineJted.

The cyanide

separate and unaffected, but

added when gold

is

its

of potassium remains

presence

is

It

does

mix with

not

PraJ^riti

any one of

intelligence, or Mahat, or

but the Self, the Pure, the Perfect. ness and through all

that

is

My witnessing,

sentient

Whence

then

and is

all

this

that

its

absolutely

So with the

necessary to the success of the process.

Purusha.

is

;

it is

not

modifications

"I

Prakriti

am is

the

Wit

producing

is insentient."

sentiency in Pra^rifi?

Its

Purusha, and it is the very nature of the be expressed or It is that which cannot Purusha. which is the material of all that we but understood, basis

is

in the

knowledge. This Purusha is not consciousness, because consciousness is a compound, but whatever

call

*

Gita, IX, 10.

43

THE SCIENCE AND PHILOSOPHY OF RELIGION. *=

radiant and

it.

Sentiency

not

ii

in this consciousness

good

in the

is

belongs to

Purusha, but the Purusha

is

it is the very condition telligent, not knowing, which knowledge is possible. The CfiiTi? the Purusha, plus Pra^riti, is what is known to us as

in

and

intelligence

happiness and Purusha, but

Purusha

consciousness.

light in the

it

is

a

All

universe

the

joy

belongs

compound because

it

there

and the

to is

that

any any bliss, there is one This spark of that immortality, which is Purusha." Purusha is the great attraction of the universe; un plus

"Wherever

Praferrfi.

happiness, wherever there

is

is

touched by, and unconnected with the universe, yet it attracts the whole universe. You see a man going after gold, because therein is a spark of the Purusha,

even though he knows children, or a

woman

it

not.

When

a husband, what

a

man

is

desires

the attract

That spark of Purusha behind the child and the husband. It is there, behind everything, o^ly

ing

power?

Nothing else can attract. insentiency that Purusha alone

overlaid with matter. this

world

sentient.

"f

As such

it

of

"In

is

Purusha of the Sanfyhyas. follows that this Purusha must necessarily This

is

the

* Brihadaranyaka Upanishad, IV. jKatha Upanishad V. 13.

44

iii

32.

PRAKRITI AND PURUSHA.

be omnipresent, must be limited.

for that

which

is

not omnipresent

and

All limitations are caused

that

caused must have beginning and end. If the Purusha is limited it will die, will not be final, will not

which be

is

free,

limited,

but will have been caused. it is

many

are

Therefore

According

omnipresent.

An

Purushas, not one.

if

not

to Kapila there

infinite

number

of

you are one, I am one, each is one; an infinite number of circles, each one infinite, running through

them,

this universe. It is

that

all it

neither

we know.

knows

her

but

The Purusha

mind nor

is

neither born nor dies.

matter, and the

We

are sure

if it

neither death nor birth.

reflex

from

it is

be omnipresent

Pra^riti

is

casting

shadow upon it, the shadow of birth and death, So far we have it is by its own nature eternal.

found the theory of Kapila wonderful. Next we will have to take up the proofs against it. So far the analysis is perfect, the psychology can not be controverted.

There

is

no objection

to

We

it.

Who created Pra^riti ? asked of Kapila the question and his answer was that Prakriti is uncreate. He has :

also said that the

Purusha

is

uncreate and omnipresent

and

that of these Purushas there

We

shall

have

is

an

infinite

number.

to controvert this last proposition,

find a better solution,

and by so doing we 45

shall

and

come

THE SCIENCE AND PHILOSOPHY OF RELIGION.

by Vedanta. Our first doubt two infinites. Then

to the ground taken will

be

how

there can be these

our argument sation,

will

solution. find their

And way

then out of

perfect solution.

Kapila. that

is

be that

it is

not a perfect generali

and that therefore we have not found a perfect

It is

we all

Yet

shall see

how

the Vedantists

these difficulties and reach a

all

the glory really belongs to

very easy to give a finish to a building

nearly complete.

46

Ill

SANKHYA AND ADVAITA WILL give you first a resume of the Sanfyhyc philosophy, which we have been studying, because I

we want

in this lecture

to find

and where Veddnta dromes ;

where

You must remember

deficiencies.

the Sanfyhya philosophy, Pra^riti

which we

manifestations

from

tamos.

third

one called

These

materials out of

evolved, and in

bine

The

is

is

causing

thece

all

thought, intellect and

and

taste; that

at the

and the

sattva, another rajas,

are

not

qualities,

but the

being

is

beginning of a cycle they remain

When

creation

comes

this

equili

disturbed and these elements begin to

com

and recombine, and manifest as the universe. manifestation of these is what the Sanfyhya

first

calls the

that

that according to

which the whole universe

equilibrium.

brium

is

everything This Prdkriti consists of three sorts

Pra^riti.

of elements,

defects are,

call

reason, love, hatred, touch is

its

supplement these

in to

Mahat

(universal Intelligence),

And

comes consciousness.

evolved

Manas

and out of

out of consciousness

(universal Mind).

Out

of this con

sciousness are also evolved the organs of perception

47

THE SCIENCE AND PHILOSOPHY OF RELIGION.

and action and the tanmatras, sound particles, touch All fine particles, taste particles, and so forth. from

particles are evolved

of these fine particles

we

and out

this consciousness,

come

the gross particles which

After the tanmatras (those particles

call matter.

which cannot be seen, or measured) come the gross The chitta particles which we can feel and sense. {"mind-stuff")

in

threefold functions

its

consciousness and mind* ing the forces

called

is

Breath

intellect,

working and manufactur These prdnas have

prdnas.

You must

nothing to do with breath. of that idea.

of

one

once get

at

rid

effect of the

prdna (uni the are meant the nervous versal Energy). By prdnas forces that are governing and moving the whole body, is

and manifesting themselves as thought, and various functions of the body.

as the

The foremost and

the most obvious manifestation of these prdnas

breathing motion.

man would and not

air

If

upon

it

were caused by

The prdna

breathe.

acts

upon

These prdnas are the

it.

air,

is

the

a dead the

air,

vital forces

which manipulate the whole body, and they in turn are manipulated by the mind and the indriyas (the

two kinds logy

is

of organs).

So

far so good.

The psycho

very clear and most precise, and just think of

^Sanskrit equivalent

:

buddhi, ahamkara and manas.

48

SANKHYA AND ADVAITA. the age of

the oldest rational thought in the world

it,

!

Wherever there is any philosophy or rational system Wherever of thought, it owes something to Kapila. there

psychology, there

at

any attempt

is

indebtedness to the great father of

man, Kapila, So far we see that

this

but

we

we go

on.

We

Kapila works

this thought,

psychology

to

wonderful,

is

on some

points, as

find that the principal idea

on which

have to

shall

this

some

is

with

differ

evolution.

is

it

He makes one

thing

evolve out of another, because his very definition of "the effect is the cause reproduced in causation is :

another far as

form,"*

we

see

and because the whole universe, so

it, is

progressive

and evolving.

This

whole universe must have evolved out of some Therefore the Pra^riti can

material, out of Prakriti.

not be essentially different from it

is

takes form

it

becomes

without form.

or Prakriti

stage of differentiation,

lump

universe. *

By

is

itself

itself

or

is

to

the

"Enlightener."

the

last

same

as

Just as a

a mass of mind, and the whole it

Sankhya Philosophy,

has no 1.

118.

49

D

when

material

down

none of these

"Enjoyer,"

of clay, so

cause, only

The

But according to Kapila, from un-

differentiated Nature

Purusha, the

its

limited.

light,

but

we

find reason

THE SCIENCE AND PHILOSOPHY OF RELIGION. and

intelligence in

behind

Existence

behind the whole of

whose light is percolating through as Mahal and consciousness and and

things,

Existence

this

Atman and

Purusha, or

compound.

is

is

is

all

all

what Kapila

the

bring that

First

various calls the

Accord not a

only one that

is

ths various manifestations are

The Purusha alone knows.

a blackboard.

these

a simple factor,

immaterial,

immaterial, whereas material.

Pral^riti,

and appearing

it

the Vedantist, Self.

ing to Kapila, the Purusha It

some

therefore there must be

it, it,

the

external

sensation to the

organ

according to Kapila), from the organ

Suppose

instruments (to the it

will

mind and make an impression; the mind

I

see will

indriya,

go to the

will

cover

it

up with another factor, consciousness, and will present it to the mahat (intelligence), but mahat can not act; all

its

it is

gives the orders, is

on

These are

the Purusha behind that acts.

servants, bringing the sensation to

and the mahat

reacts.

it,

and

it

The Purusha

the Enjoyer, the Perceiver, the real One, the King his throne, the Self of

Because

it is

immaterial,

man, and

it

it

is

immaterial.

necessarily follows that

it

must be infinite, cannot have any limitation what ever. So each one of these Purushas is omnipresent, it

-each

is

all-pervading, but can act only through fine

50

SANKHYA AND ADVAITA.

and gross manifestations the

self-consciousness,

compose what

is

man.

that

this

and the

organs

body

called the

comes

the

vital forces

what

in

"spiritual body"

of

called the fine body,

is

Christian philosophy It is

The mind,

of matter.

or

reward or punish

to

ment, that goes to the different heavens; that incar nates and re-incarnates; because

beginning

(Purusha)

is

coming, and another

we

which goes from one place

be

omnipresent.

s

of

is

it

am

the

has

body,"

become

apparently

linga-sarira,"

gross matter, the gross

is

is

by Pralyriti. Pral^riti Purusha and so it has identified "I

far

is

PraJ^riti.

Pra^riti but

Thus

the only one that

It is

surrounding

is

thinks

this linga-

the only principle that

bound

It

is

to

psychology that the soul

and that the soul

not an evolution of outside

It

body) which comes and goes.

see from Kapila

infinite,

see from the very

the

that

cannot

sarira (subtle

we

going and coming of the soul impossible. Motion means going and

that

itself it

with

thinks

and as such

PraT^riti.

"I

is

the

am

the

enjoying

pleasure and pain; but these do not really belong to the soul, they belong to this linga-sarira and to the gross body. pain.

We

When

certain nerves are hurt

recognise

that

immediately.

nerves in our fingers were dead 51

we

we

feel

If

the

could cut the

THE SCIENCE AND PHILOSOPHY OF RELIGION. fingers

and not

feel

destroyed,

although

I

do not

my

So pleasure and pain belong

it.

to the nerve-centres.

Suppose

my

feel pleasure or

are

eyes

there.

So

organ of sight

pain from colour, it is

obvious that

pleasure and pain do not belong to the soul.

They

mind and the body.

belong to the

The

is

soul has neither pleasure nor pain;

it is

the

Witness of everything, the eternal Witness of things that are going on, but it takes no fruits from any work. "As

is

the sun

not

the

itself

is

the cause of sight in every eye, yet

Purusha."*

when

by the defects

affected

"As

in

any eye, such

is

a piece of crystal appears red

red flowers are placed before

it,

so this Purusha

appears to be affected by pleasure or pain from the upon it by Nature, but it remains ever

reflection cast

unchanged. is that which

"f

The

we

nearest

feel

way

to describe

during meditation.

its

state

This medi

which you approach nearest to Thus we see why the meditative state

tative state is that in

the Purusha. is

always called the highest state by the Yogi, for to

one

feel

s self as

one with the Purusha

passive nor an active

This

is

the SdnJ^hya philosophy.

*Katha Upanishad IfSankhya Suttra,

II.

II.

is

neither a

state, but the meditative state.

ii.

II.

35.

52

SANKHYA AND ADVAITA. Next, the Santyiyas say that this manifestation of is

Pra^riti

for the soul, that all the

materials of

it

we

these combinations which tant changes within

enjoyment of the gain

all this

and when

cons

call nature, these

and around are going on

soul, for

its

So

it.

for the

liberation, that

it

may

experience from the lowest to the highest

it

has gained

was

in Prakriti but

that

it is

was

the soul finds that

it,

entirely separate,

indestructible, that

that going to

it

and

it it

:

never finds

neither goes nor comes,

heaven and being born again belong to to itself. So the soul becomes free.

and not

Pra^riti

Thus

combinations of the

are for something outside of

all

is

Pra^riti

working and it

experience of the soul

in order to reach the goal,

for is

the

enjoyment and

getting this experience

and that goal

is

freedom.

These Souls are many, according to the Santfhya philosophy. There is an infinite number of them.

And

the other conclusion

Creator of the universe. cient to

produce

all

is

that there

is

no God, no

Pra^riti herself being suffi

these forms,

God is

not necessary,

say the Sanfyhyas.

Now we

shall

of the Sanfyhyas.

have

to contest these three positions

First that intelligence

of that sort does not belong to the

soul,

or

anything

but that

it

belongs entirely to Pralyiti, the soul being simply 53

THE SCIENCE AND PHILOSOPHY OF RELIGION. qualitiless, colourless. is

The second point is that there will show that without a God

no God, and Vedanta

there cannot be any explanation whatever.

we

shall

have

cannot be an

souls, that there

that there

one

is

is

Thirdly,

contend that there cannot be

to

infinite

number

many

of them,

only one soul in the universe, and that

appearing as many.

We will take the first proposition, that intelligence and reason belong entirely to Pra^riti, and not to the The Vedanta says that the soul is in its essence

soul.

unlimited or absolute Existence-Knowledge-Bliss; but

we

agree with the Santyiyas that, that which they

intelligence at

a

is

call

compound. For instance, let us look We remember that the chitta (or

our perceptions.

the

what

"mind-stuff") is

and upon which

all

is

combining

I

these things,

these impressions are made, and

from which reactions come. thing outside.

all

Suppose there

How

see the blackboard.

is

some

does the

come? The blackboard itself is knowledge unknown, I can never know it. It is what the German of

philosophers

board, that reacts.

it

"X,"

The

the

call

is

chitta

"thing-in-itself."

acting on is

like

my

mind, and the chitta

a lake.

If

upon a lake, as soon as the stone reactionary wave comes towards the stone

54

That black

you throw a a

strikes

it,

stone.

This

SANKHYA AND ADVAITA.

wave

is

like the "X,"

is

what you stone at

And

really see.

a wave.

is

all, it

wave

this

not

is

So that blackboard,

the stone which strikes the

mind and the mind

throws up a wave towards that object which strikes

wave which

and

this

call

the blackboard.

is

thrown towards

it,

is

it,

what we

see you.

You, as you really You are are unknown and unknowable.

are,

I

"X"

and you act upon

wave towards and that wave

my

mind, and the mind throws a

the point from which the action came,

what

is

I

call

Mr. or Mrs.

There are two elements

in this,

So and

so.

one from inside

and the other from outside, and the combination of these two, All

plus mind,

"X"

knowledge

by

is

is

reaction.

our external universe.

In the case of a

has been determined by calculation tail is

struck,

its

how

mind

reacts upon the Take the case of the

feels the pain.

whale

long after

tail

and the

it

its

tail

pearl oyster, in

which the pearl is formed by the oyster throwing its own juice around the grain of sand that enters the shell

and

irritates

cause the pearl.

him.

There are two things which own juice, and

First the oyster s

second the blow from outside. of this table, to

know

mind

it

"X"

will

will give

plus

my

So

mind.

is

my

knowledge

The very attempt

be made by the mind; therefore the

some

of

its

own

55

substance to enable

it

THE SCIENCE AND PHILOSOPHY OF RELIGION.

and when we understand

to understand,

become

a

compound

thing

"X"

has

it

it,

mind.

plus the

when we want

Similarly in internal perception,

to

know ourselves. The real Self, which is within us, is Let us call it also unknown and unknowable. When want to know myself as Mr. so and so the "Y."

I

has to appear as

"Y"

strikes a

"Y"

That

plus the mind.

blow on the mind, when

I

want

know my

to

and the mind must throw a blow upon the So our knowledge of the whole world is

self,

also.

plus mind

(the external world), and

internal

(the

We

world).

shall

"Y"

"Y"

"Y"

"X"

plus mind

see later

how

the

Advaitist idea can be demonstrated mathematically. "X"

and

quantities.

"Y"

We

are simply the algebraic

have seen that

combination, and so

is

this

all

unknown

knowledge

is

a

knowledge of the world, and so is intelligence

or the universe, a combination, similarly a combination.

or mental experience

If it is internal,

it is

"Y"

intelligence

plus the mind,

external intelligence or experience of an object, plus the mind. All internal knowledge "X"

combination of

"Y"

of external matter

mind.

We

first

gence which

is

plus the mind, and a combination of

all

we

it

is

an is

a

knowledge

"X"

take the internal group.

if

plus the

The

intelli

see in nature cannot be wholly in

56

I

SANKHYA AND ADVAITA. nature, because intelligence "Y"

plus the

So the the

mind and

intelligence that

the

of

power

compound

of

"X"

of

to time)

grand basic idea of our centre or basis

pound, we

the

it

a

Self.

compound

soul

of

of

nature.

plus

We

is

exist,

I

I

find there

know and

I

have no want, which

I

life,

becomes

think

is

plus the mind.

blessed, (the idea that

comes from time

compound

which we know must be a

fore that in these three factors,

am

a

comes from the

"Y"

we know

light

Similarly, the existence

itself is

the

and

limited,

happiness

central

the

idea,

in proportion as this

and becomes a com or

These

misery.

existence phenomenal, know and love phenomenal. Every ledge phenomenal, man exists, and every man must know, and every factors manifest

man

is

through

made all

as

for

existence.

He

bliss.

cannot

Animals and

lowest to the highest existence,

all

love; but they must

help

plants,

must

So

it.

from the

love.

You

must

all may know and must all love. So this existence which we and the mind, and know is a compound of inside plus knowledge is a compound of that that of a love is and that also mind, compound

not call

it

all exist,

"X"

"Y"

"Y"

and mind.

Therefore these three factors which come

from inside and are combining themselves with the 57

THE SCIENCE AND PHILOSOPHY OF RELIGION. external things to manufacture

knowledge and

existence,

Vedantists

by the

Knowledge

Absolute,

"Existence

phenomenal

love, are called

Absolute,

Bliss

Absolute."

That

which

it

Existence

which

is

limitless,

unmixed, uncombined, which knows no

is

change,

when

Absolute

the

is

gets

free soul,

and that Real Existence,

mixed up, muddled up, as it were, with is what we call human exist

the elements of nature,

ence.

It

animal

becomes

life,

limited

human

and manifests as

just

life,

as plant

infinite

life,

is

space

apparently limited by the walls of this room, or by

any

other

means not

the

That

Knowledge Absolute knowledge we know, not intelligence,

enclosure.

not reason, not instinct, but that which

comes manifested we that

call

when

intuition, call

it

lute

is

and when

becomes

it

reason, instinct, etc.

Vijnana.

knowingness."

The

limited

body, or the

we

more

we

is

no combination

limited

That

Bliss

in

it

we

it is it.

"all-

It is

Absolute when

call love, attraction for

fine bodies, or for ideas.

it

the gross

These are but

distorted manifestations of this blessedness

58

call

That Knowledge Abso

nearest translation of

There

the nature of the Soul.

becomes

still

be

When

by these names.

Knowledge Absolute becomes limited

it

which

is

SANKHYA AND ADVAITA. not a quality of the soul, but the essence, the inherent nature of the soul.

Absolute

Existence,

Absolute

Knowledge, and Absolute Blessedness are not quali ties of the soul, but its essence; there is no difference

between them and the

we

And

soul.

the three are one;

see the one thing in three different

beyond knowledge and by Pra^riti appears to be intelligent. are

all

They

lights.

their reflection

Knowledge Absolute of the Self percolating through the mind of man that becomes It is

that eternal

our reason and intelligence. the

medium through which

difference as soul

between

It

it is

varies according to

shining.

me and

There

is

no

the lowest animal,

medium through which the knowledge shines, and we call it instinct. In man the brain is much finer, so the manifestation is much clearer, and in the highest man it has become entirely only his brain

is

a poorer

clear, like a piece of glass.

existence which

we know,

So with existence;

this

this limited bit of existence

is

simply a reflection of that Existence Absolute which

is

the nature of the soul.

we

call

love or attraction

So with is

bliss; that

which

but the reflection of the

eternal blessedness of the Self, because with these

manifestations

come

limitations,

but the

unmani-

fested, the natural, essential existence of the soul is

59

THE SCIENCE AND PHILOSOPHY OF RELIGION. unlimited, to that blessedness there can be no limit.

human

But in

you one day,

love there are limitations.

may

I

I

may

love

My

cease to love you the next.

love increases one day, decreases the next, because it

is

a

only

therefore that

limited manifestation.

The

we

is

find against Kapila

ceives the soul to be a

mere

first

it

and

essence

of

infinitely

higher than

infinitely

more blessed than any human love

can think

of, infinitely existing.

Death and

The

The second

that

we

soul never dies.

it is

Existence Absolute.

point where

we

will

contend with

with regard to his idea of God.

is

Bliss;

birth are simply unthinkable in connection

with the Self, because

Kapila

all

the

is

Knowledge, knowledge that we know,

Existence,

all

con

colourless,

qualitiless,

Veddnta teaches that

inactive something.

thing

that he

Just as this

series of limited manifestations of PraJ^riti, beginning

with

the

individual

intellect

and ending with the

individual body, requires the Self behind as the ruler

and governor on the throne, so in the Cosmos, we must enquire what the universal Intelligence, the universal Mind, the universal fine

have as series

behind

their

ruler

and gross materials

and governor.

How

become complete without one it

as

its

ruler

and governor? 60

If

will

that

universal Self

we deny

that

SANKHYA AND ADVAITA. there is

is

a

a universal governor,

behind the

soul

whole universe

a

is

we must

lesser

series,

repetition

of

there

deny,

because

the

same

the

plan.

one lump of clay we know the nature we can analyse one human being, we

When we know of

all

If

clay.

shall have analysed the whole universe, because it is Therefore if it be true all built on the same plan.

is

beyond

who

nature,

all

to this universe,

a soul.

The

and

this

same

composed logic will

which

Supreme Ruler, God. Now comes the more There can be but one

apply

behind the modi

is

called by Vedanta

is

of

universe too will require such

universal soul

fications of Pra^riti

not

is

materials, the Purusha, the very

who

one

that behind this individual series there stands

difficult

soul.

To

Isvara,

point

to

begin with,

the

fight.

we can

good blow by taking up their theories and proving that each soul must be omni give the Sanfyhyas a

because

present,

Everything that

is

it

is

not

limited

Here

existence

circumscribed by

is

of anything.

must be limited by some

thing else.

is

composed

the existence of the table.

many

things,

Its

and we

presupposes some limiting think of space, we have to think of it

find that every limitation

thing.

as a

If

we

little circle,

but beyond that 61

is

more space.

We

THE SCIENCE AND PHILOSOPHY OF RELIGION. cannot imagine a limited space in any other way. It can only be understood and perceived through the

To

infinite.

must

perceive the the

apprehend

think of time

The

the

you

will find

infinite.

If

endeavour

must be

Then comes

a fine question.

one

finites,

fall

unlimited

infinite,

Can

and B; the

the

perceive

from

it

shall

prove

omnipresent.

the omnipresent,

Suppose there are two

infinites,

Suppose there are two

will limit the other.

A

is

we

be the case,

this Self

two?

to

impossible to separate

it

this

thereby that

the infinite be

or

particular period of time.

time and the larger

Wherever you

finite,

stand

think of time, you have also to

beyond any

latter is limited

time.

both

infinite;

When you

together.

we

every case

in

finite,

infinite

"A"

in

limits the infinite

"

"B,"

because the

the infinite is

not the

one

infinite.

Infinity

be

"A,"

infinite

infinite

and the "B."

"B,

infinite

infinity,

for

it

"A,"

it

say,

is

can be

not

said,

Therefore there can be but

Secondly, the

divided into any

you can

infinite

number

cannot be divided. of parts

must

cannot be separated from

still

itself.

Suppose there is an infinite ocean of water, could you take up one drop from there ? If you could, that ocean would no longer be infinite, that drop would limit

it.

The

infinite

cannot be divided by any means. 62

SANKHYA AND ADVAITA. But there are stronger proofs that the Self

Not only so, but that the whole universe will once more take up our and "X"

shown how what we

"Y."

call the external

plus mind, and the internal world "X"

and

"Y"

are both

"time,

unknown

What

and unknowable. space and

is

is

one.

We

one.

We have

world

is

"X"

plus mind.

"Y"

unknown The mind is

quantities,

mind?

the

These form the very

causation."

You can never

essence of the mind.

is

think without

you can never conceive of anything without space, and you can never imagine anything without time,

These three are the forms

causation.

and

in

and become

which both

by the there is else in the them Beyond nothing Take off these three forms constitution of the mind. "X"

"Y"

are caught,

limited

mind.

which of themselves do not is

all

mind,

one;

"X"

We

and

are one.

"Y"

It

is

It

only this

them apparently, and external world.

form, that has limited

this

and made them "X"

and

what remains?

exist,

"Y"

differ as internal

unknown and unknowable. any quality to them. As such

are both

cannot attribute

That which

they are both the same. attributeless

is

qualitiless

and absolute must be one.

not be two absolutes.

When

there can be only One.

there are no qualities

"X"

63

and

There can

and

"Y"

are both

THE SCIENCE AND PHILOSOPHY OF RELIGION. without qualities because they take qualities only in the mind, therefore this

The whole

"X"

universe

Existence,

when

it

is

one.

is

Self in the universe, only

and

There

is

only one

one Existence, and that one

passing through the forms of

time, space and causation,

is

consciousness, fine matter,

called Intelligence, Self-

gross

etc.

matter,

physical and mental forms, everything is

are one.

"Y"

All

in the universe

When

that one, appearing in various ways.

a

little

network of time, space and causation, it apparently takes forms; remove the net work and it is all one. This whole universe is all one, bit of

and

it

gets into this

cosm,

is

fore

is

He

is

Brahman.

called in the Advaitist philosophy

is

Brahman appearing behind the universe God; appearing behind the little universe the soul.

This very

"Self"

is

the micro

Atman

or

called

there

God in man. There is only one Purusha, and called God, and when God and man are

analysed, they are one.

The

universe

you yourself, you are throughout this universe. all hands you work, through all mouths you eat, through all nostrils you breathe, through all minds is

the undivided you; "In

you

think."*

verse

is

The whole

universe

is

you;

this uni

your body; you are the universe, both formed

*Compare

Gita, XIII. 13.

64

SANKHYA AND ADVAITA.

You

and unformed.

body

also.

man,

are

you

plants,

You

are

you

are

are the soul of the universe,

God, you the

are the angels,

animals,

are the minerals,

you Whatever

is

real

the one undivided Self

you.

limited personality that

the

are everything

manifestation "You"

you

are

you

exists

;

all

the

you

is

not the

its

little,

you have been regarding as

yourself.

The

now

question

Infinite Being,

how have

arises,

become broken

all this

division

only apparent.

is

cannot be divided, therefore

infinite

has no

So

The answer is that We know that the

so, the animals and so on?

and

you, the

into parts, as Mr.

this idea

that

and never

will

have; and this idea that you are Mr. So and so

was

you are a part only

reality,

Know this and am the organs; neither the mind, nor the body, nor am am Existence-Knowledge-Bliss Absolute; am He, am This is knowledge, and everything never true at any time;

be

free.

That

the

is

it is

but a dream.

Advaitist

conclusion.

"I

I

I

I

I

He."

besides this

is

Everything that

ignorance.

ignorance, the result of ignorance.

ledge for me, for life

for *

me,

for

I

Sankaracharya

am knowledge itself am life itself! Life is a I

s

!

Nirvana Shatka,

65

E

I.

is,

Where

is

but

know Where is is

secondary

THE SCIENCE AND PHILOSOPHY OF RELIGION. manifestation of life,

me, and

in

nature.

dom?

I

Nothing me, and as me. I

elements, but

you

my

the one Being.

I

am

am sure

I

live, for

I

am

exists

am

except through manifested as the

Who

the One, free.

seeks free

Nobody seeks freedom. If you think that you remain bound you make your

are bound,

;

own bondage.

If you realise that you are free, you moment. This is knowledge, the know freedom, and freedom is the goal of all

are free this

ledge of nature.

66

IV

THE FREE SOUL WE

have seen that the analysis of the San^hyas stops with the duality of existence, Prakriti and souls. There are an infinite number of souls, which, being

and must therefore be separate changes and manifests

simple, cannot die,

from all

Prakriti in itself

Prakriti.

these

phenomena, and the

soul, according to the

Sankhyas is inactive. It is a simple by itself, and Prakriti works out all these phenomena for the libera tion of the soul, and liberation consists in the soul s discriminating that

time

we have

is

it

seen that the

admit that every

soul

At the same Sankhyas were bound to

not Nature.

was omnipresent.

simple the soul cannot be limited, because tion

The any

comes

Being

a

all limita

either through time, space, or causation.

soul being entirely limitation.

To have

beyond these cannot have limitation one must be in

must have a body, and If the that which has a body must be in Prakriti. soul had form, it would be identified with Prakriti; therefore the soul is formless, and that which is form space, which

less

means

that

it

cannot be said to exist here, there, or anywhere. 67

THE SCIENCE AND PHILOSOPHY OF RELIGION.

must be omnipresent. philosophy does not go.

Beyond

It

The is

that

the

this

Sdnkhya

argument of the Vedantists against

first

this

analysis

not a perfect one.

is

If

this this

be a simple, and the soul is also a simple, and all the arguments that apply in the case of the soul to show that it is omni

Pra^riti

there will be two simples,

the

present, will apply equally in

and that too

be beyond

will

all

case

of Pra^rifi,

time,

space, and

causation, and as the result there will be no change

Then

or manifestation.

come

will

the difficulty of

having two simples, or two absolutes, which sible.

What

solution

is

the solution of the Vedantist

is that, it

from gross matter up to

Now,

being which call

is

?

His

some sentient being as the make the mind think and Pra-

work, because Prakriti

insentient.

impos

requires

motive power behind, to kriti

is

in

Mahat

says the

all

its

modifications,

(Intelligence)

is

simply

Vedantist, this sentient

behind the whole universe

is

what we

God, and consequently this universe is not differ Him. It is He Himself who has become

ent from

this universe.

He

not only

is

the instrumental cause

of this universe, but also the material cause.

never different from

reproduced

in

effect,

the effect

another form.

68

We see

is

Cause

is

but the cause

that every day.

THE FREE SOUL.

So

this

Being

is

the cause of Prafcrifi.

and phases of Vedanta, monistic, or monistic,

God

is

take

first

this

that

position,

not only the instrumental but also the efficient

cause of

everything which exists

this universe, that

The second

He.

All the forms

either dualistic, or qualified-

step in Vedanta

is

is

that these souls

are also a part of God, one spark of that Infinite Fire. "As

from a mass of

even so from

So

souls."

What is

this

fire

millions of small particles

Ancient

far so good, but

meant by a part

is

One have come

indivisible; there

it

satisfy.

The

Infinite

?

cannot be parts of the divided.

the expression that

therefore

does not yet

of the Infinite

The Absolute cannot be

fly,

these

all

What

Infinite. is

meant

these sparks are

by from Him? The Advaitist, the nondualistic Vedantist,

solves the

really

no

Infinite,

part;

all

problem by maintaining that there is that each soul is really not a part of the

but actually

is

the Infinite Brahman.

can there be so many souls ?

The sun

millions of globules of water appears to suns,

and

in

sun-form; so real.

They

each globule all

is

Then how

reflected

from

be millions of

a miniature picture of the

these souls are but reflections and not

are not the real

*Mundak.opanishad,

II.

I.

69

"I"

which

is

the

God

of

THE SCIENCE AND PHILOSOPHY OF RELIGION. this

And

men, animals,

one

the

universe,

universe.

so

undivided

these

all

etc., are

are simply illusory reflections

There

is

but one

ance of division

is

upon

you and as

I,

but this appear

He

after all delusion.

divided, but only appears to be divided.

ent division

is

real.

Pralytti.

Being in the universe, and

Infinite

that Being appears as

beings,

but reflections, and not

They

the

of

Being

different

little

has not been

This appar

Him through the and causation. When look

caused by looking

at

I network of time, space, at God through the network of time, space, and

causation,

look at the

I

see

Him

Him

from a

same network,

higher as a man, a is

the one

Being

we

parts of

Infinite

are.

I

I

as the material world. little

see

little

Him

and

That, and you are that.

but the whole of

it,

as an animal, a

it.

is

"It

standing behind the whole phenomena;

Himself

is

and the

object,

cannot myself.

the phenomena."

He

is

the

"I"

He

is

Not

He

both the subject

and the

How to know the knower

He that

the Eternal

Knower

is this ?

I

little

higher as a god, but yet

Being of the universe,

am

When

higher plane, yet through

"You."

?"*

How

The knower

know himself. see everything but cannot see The Self, the Knower, the Lord of all, the I

*Brihadaranyak,a Upanishad, V.

70

15.

THE FREE SOUL. Real Being,

is

universe, but

or

know

the cause of it is

the vision that

Impossible for

Him

is

own

and

this

You

face excepting in a mirror, and

so the Self cannot see

trying to realise

in the

to see Himself

Himself, excepting through reflection.

cannot see your

reflected,

all

own

its

nature until

whole universe therefore This reflection

itself.

is

is

it

is

the Self

thrown back

from the protoplasm, then from plants and ani mals, and so on and on from better and better first

reflectors, until the best reflector, is

Just as a

reached.

face, looks

first

in a

the perfect man,

man who, wanting to see his pool of muddy water, and

little

Then he comes

sees just an outline.

to clearer water,

and sees a better image, then to a piece of shining metal, and sees a still better image, and at last to a looking-glass,

and sees himself

Therefore the perfect

man

is

reflected

as

he

is.

the highest reflection of

who is both subject and object. You now man why instinctively worships everything, and how perfect men are instinctively worshipped as God in every country. You may talk as you like, but it is they who are bound to be worshipped. That is why

that Being, find

jnen worship Incarnations, such as Christ or Buddha.

They

are

the

eternal Self.

most perfect manifestations of the

They

are

much 71

higher than

all

the con-

THE SCIENCE AND PHILOSOPHY OF RELIGION.

God that you much higher than

A

can make.

ceptions of

or

man

such conceptions.

is

I

perfect In

him

becomes complete; the subject and the one. In him all delusions go away become object and in their place comes the realisation that he has the

circle

always been that perfect Being.

bondage then?

How

was

it

How

this

possible for this perfect

Being to degenerate into the imperfect? possible that the free

came

became bound ?

How

was

it

The A dvaitist

says he was never bound, but was always

free.

Various clouds of various colours come before the

They remain there a minute and then pass away. It is the same eternal blue sky stretching there forever. The sky never changes; it is the cloud that sky.

is

changing.

or a

All these ideas that

woman,

thought,

I

I

or a sinner,

am imperfect, am or am the mind, I

I

will think, all are hallucinations;

think, never

You

eternally

perfect,

Nothing ever changes your nature, or ever

perfect. will.

So you are always

a man, I

have

you never

had a body; you never were imperfect.

are the blessed Lord of this universe, the one

almighty ruler of everything that

is

and ever

will be,

one mighty ruler of these suns and stars and moons and earths and plants, and all the little bits of the

our universe.

It is

through you the sun shines, and 72

THE FREE SOUL.

becomes

the stars shed their lustre, and the earth beautiful.

It is

through your blessedness that they

You

love and are attracted to each other.

and you

You

are

Whom to avoid,

all.

are the

When

all in all.

and

all

are in

whom

all,

to take

?

knowledge comes

this

delusion immediately vanishes.

was once

I

travelling in the desert in India.

travelled for over a

beautiful landscapes before

and lakes and

trees

and

thirsty

lakes, but

all

wanted

I

when

me, beautiful blending of

One day

things.

to

have a drink

I

my I

I

was very

one of these

at

that lake

approached Immediately with a blow came into that this was a mirage about which

life,

I

month and always found the most

it

vanished.

brain the idea

had read

all

my

remembered and smiled at my folly, month all the beautiful landscapes been had seeing were this mirage, but I

and then

I

that for the last

and lakes

I

could not distinguish them then. I

again began

landscape, "This

is

a

my

but

march; there

with

mirage."

it

The

was the

next morning lake and the

immediately came the idea,

Once known

it

had

lost

its

powers of illusion. So this illusion of the universe break one day. The whole of this will vanish, melt away. This is realisation. Philosophy is no

will

joke or

talk.

It

will

be

realised; this

73

body

will vanish,

THE SCIENCE AND PHILOSOPHY OF RELIGION.

and everything

this earth I

am

or

the body, or the mind, will for is

/forma

if

potter s

ended

some time

vanish,

come

disappear never to

will

it

one part of the karma remains, as a wheel after the potter has finished the pot,

back; but

will

will vanish, this idea that

if

sometimes go on from the past

momentum

the

body, when this delusion has vanished altogether, will go on for some time. Again this world will come,

men and women and

animals will come, just as the

mirage came the next day, but not with the same force, for along with it will come the idea that I know its

nature

pain,

now and

nor

grief,

it

will

cause no bondage, no more

nor misery.

Whenever anything

miserable will come, the mind will be able to say,

know you

as

hallucination."

reached that state he free"

is

even while

free

this life for the

is

He

man

a

jivan-multfa,

"I

has

"living

The aim and end in to become this jivan-

living.

Jnana Yogi

mukta, living freedom. live in this

called

When

is

who can

jwan-multfa

world without being attached.

He

is

like

the lotus leaves in water, which are never wet by the water.

He

highest of

is

all

the highest of

human

beings, nay, the

beings, for he has realised his identity

with the Absolute, he has realised that he

God.

is

one with

So long as you think you have the 74

least

THE FREE SOUL. difference from

God,

when

fear will seize you, but

you have known that you are He, that there is no difference, entirely no difference, between you and

Him,

that

you are

fear ceases.

all

worships

Him, and the whole of Him, There who sees whom ? Who

all

of

whom? Who

whom? Where

talks to

whom? Who

hears

one sees another, where one talks

where one hears another, it is in law. Where none sees none, where none speaks to none, to another,

that

is

the highest,

become

will

do

the great,

is

of the world then

to the world

becomes

that

?

my

of

?

if

I

the baby.

"What

becomes

so

I

grow,"

says the boy.

of

my

dolls

the

same question

is it

will not

if

I

grow

of

arise.

become

my

"What

"What

old?"

marbles

says the

old?"

the

is

What What good shall we

Such questions do not gingerbread

that

are always That.

Being That, you

Brahman."*

if I

will

little

says

grow,

become

child.

in connection with this world;

has no existence in the past, present, or future.

we have known that there

thing else

then

this

is

is

the

It

Atman

as

It is, if

If

we have known

nothing else but this Atman, that every but a dream, with no existence in

world with

wickedness and

its

its

poverties,

goodness

will

*Brihadaranyak.a Upanishad, V.

75

15.

its

reality,

miseries,

its

cease to disturb us.

THE SCIENCE AND PHILOSOPHY OF RELIGION. If

they do not

take trouble?

whom

exist, for

This

is

and

what

for

shall

we

what the Jnana Yogis teach.

Therefore, dare to be free, dare to go as far as your

thought leads, and dare to carry that out in your life. It is very hard to come to jnanam. It is for the bravest

and most

who

daring,

dare to smash

all idols,

not only

intellectual, but also of the senses.

This body things

is

not

may come

I; it

must go.

am not up and says headache must be cured

the

"I

if

not in his body?

me?

"I

mother

I

have neither

stands

my

therefore

body,

but where

is

the head

Let a thousand headaches

and a thousand bodies come and to

A man

"

!

ache

All sorts of curious

out of this teaching.

What

go.

that

is

birth nor death; father nor

never had; friends and foes

I

have none,

am my own friend and am am Existence-Knowledge-Bliss my own enemy; If in a thousand am He, am Absolute; bodies am suffering from fever and other ills, in am healthy. If in a thousand millions of bodies bodies am starving, in other thousand bodies am If in thousands of bodies am suffering feasting. am happy. Who misery, in thousands of bodies "Whom to shall blame whom, who praise whom? because they are

all

I

I;

I

I

I

I

He."

I

I

I

I

I

I

*

Sankaracharya

s

Nirvana Shatkfl.

76

THE FREE SOUL. seek none, nor avoid any, whom to avoid?" am all the universe, praise myself, blame myself, suffer for myself, am happy at my own will, am free. This is the Jnani, brave and daring. Let

seek, for

I

I

I

I

I

I

1

the whole universe tumble it

never existed,

it

was

all

down; he smiles and says hallucination. Thus he

sees the universe really disappear before his eyes and

questions wondering it

melted

"Where

was

Whether has

it?

away?"

Before going into the practical part,

up one more

So

intellectual question.

tremendously rigorous.

If

man

a

we

reasons, there

place for him to stand until he comes to there

is

nothing.

but

One

There

is

no other way

ledge-Bliss Absolute has It

is

tion

This

the

same question in all times.

becomes is

But

left for rational

how

that

"How

come under that has

that

been asked

come

what

is

these delusions

In the vulgar

did sin

the most vulgar

is it

is

man

Existence-Know

ever perfect, ever blessed,

world over

no

is

this,

Existence, that everything else

kind but to take this view. infinite,

will take

far the logic is

all

?

the

form the ques

into this

world?"

and sensuous form

of

the

question, and the other is the more philosophic form, but the answer is the same. The same question has

been asked

in various grades

77

and fashions, but

in its

THE SCIENCE AND PHILOSOPHY OF RELIGION. lower forms

it

finds

no

solution,

women do

apples and serpents and explanation.

and so

In that state, the

very high proportions now.

and the answer

come?"

is

that

we

not give the

question

is

childish

did this illusion

"How

as

is

The answer

fine.

cannot expect any answer to an impossible

The very

question.

stories of

But the question has assumed

the answer.

is

because the

question

impossible in terms.

is

You have no right to ask that question. Why ? What is perfection? That which is beyond time, apace and causation.

how

the perfect

That

became

is

perfect.

Then you ask In logical lan

imperfect.

guage the question may be put in this form "How did that which is beyond causation become caused?"

You

contradict yourself.

causation,

You

first

admit

and then ask what causes

it is

beyond

Questions

it.

can only be asked within the limits of causation. As far as time and space and causation extend, so far can this

question be asked.

nonsense to ask

But beyond that

it

will

be

because the question is illogical. Within time, space and causation it can never be answered, limits

it,

and what answer may

can only be known when

them; therefore the wise

When

a

man

is ill,

will

lie

beyond these

we have

let

this

transcended

question

rest.

he devotes himself to curing 78

his

THE FREE SOUL. disease, without insisting that he

he came to have

There lower, but

duced

is

another form of

more

delusion?

practical

and

this

We

Certainly not.

produces another, and so on. that produces delusion. disease,

wave

is

first

learn

is

It

a

question,

how little

What

illustrative.

Can any

delusion?

this

must

it.

pro

produce

reality

see that one delusion

delusion always

It is

disease that produces

The

and not health that produces disease. the

same thing

cause in another form.

as the water, the effect

The

is

effect is delusion,

the

and

What produced And so on with

therefore the cause must be delusion. this

delusion?

out beginning.

Another delusion.

The only

question that remains for

you to ask is, does not this admission break your monism, because you get two existences in the universe, one yourself, and the other the delusion? The answer is, delusion cannot be called an existence. life,

Thousands of dreams come

but do not form any part of your

come and go

;

they have no existence; to

existence will be sophistry.

into

call

your

Dreams

life.

delusion

Therefore there

is

only

one individual existence in the universe, ever free,

and ever blessed, and that the last conclusion reached

is

by

79

what you

are.

the Advaitists.

This It

is

may

THE SCIENCE AND PHILOSOPHY OF RELIGION. then be asked, what becomes of

forms of worship ? They groping

in the

dark for

remain; they are simply

will

light,

and through

light will

come.

We

have

not

itself.

All

our knowledge

see

network of freedom. all

Maya

under law.

law, and

just

(unreality),

is

beyond

is

within

is

is

is

freedom.

slavery,

no law.

concerned, existence that

groping

the

and beyond that

that there

Beyond

this

seen that the Self can

Within the network there

as the universe

these various

all

is

is

it

So

far

ruled

As long

as

is

by you

are in the network of time, space

and causation, to say you are free is nonsense, because in that network all is under rigorous law, sequence and consequence. Every thought that you think is caused, every feeling has been caused; to say that the will is free is sheer nonsense.

comes, as

is

It it

when

only

the

infinite

were, into this network of

takes the form of

Will

will.

is

existence

Maya

caught in the network of Maya, and therefore is

will"

nonsense. is

misnomer.

a

So

no freedom

is all

in

It

this talk

that

it

a portion of that being

means

nothing,

about freedom.

"free

sheer

There

Maya.

Every one is as much bound in thought, word, deed, and mind, as a piece of stone or this table.

That

I

talk to

you now

is

as rigorously in causation as

80

THE FREE SOUL. that

you

listen to

There

me.

That

go beyond Maya.

is

clearly they see the force of

here can be free, are free

begin to say

we

we

about

talk

the

that

logic

compelled No work can go on

are free.

is

intellectual,

It

means

that the

is

nothing

until

we

freedom

the glimpse of the blue sky through

the clouds, and that the real freedom itself

however

to think they are

all

they cannot help.

;

you

until

the real freedom of the

is

Men, however sharp and

soul.

no freedom

behind.

the blue sky

True freedom cannot

midst of this delusion, this

exist in the

hallucination,

this

non

sense of the world, this universe of the senses, body

and mind.

All these dreams, without beginning or

and uncontrollable, ill-adjusted, broken, inharmonious, form our idea of this universe. uncontrolled

end,

In a dream,

when you

see a giant with twenty heads

chasing you, and you are flying from him, you do not think

it

right.

is

So

inharmonious is

this law.

you think

;

All that

chance without meaning. In call it law. Within Maya, so space and causation all

Maya. of

man

idea of

of

are within this

proper and law is simply-

call

dream

far as this

state

you

law of time,

no freedom, and

worship are within

God and

this

the ideas of brute and

Maya, and 81

F

this

exists, there is

these various forms

The

you

it is

as

such equally

THE SCIENCE AND PHILOSOPHY OF RELIGION. hallucinations

;

must take care not

men

whom we

of

them

of

all

are

to argue like

dreams.

hear at the present time.

God

world

Both ideas stand or

true.

He

logic.

is

you

some extraordinary

say the idea of is

But

They

a delusion, but the idea of this fall

by the same

alone has the right to be an atheist

who

The same

as well as the other.

denies this world,

argument is for both. The same mass of delusion extends from God to the lowest animal, from a blade

They stand or fall by the same The same person who sees falsity in the idea

of grass to the Creator. logic.

of

God

or

his

ought also to see

it

in the idea of his

When God

own mind.

vanish the body and mind, and

which

that

is

own body,

vanishes, then also

when both

vanish,

Real Existence remains forever.

the

the eyes cannot go, nor the speech, nor the

"There

We

mind."*

we now

cannot see

it,

know

neither

And

it.

understand that so far as speech and thought

and knowledge and

intellect go,

it

is

all

within this

within bondage. Beyond that is reality. There neither thought, nor mind, nor speech can

Maya, reach.

So

far

it is

the practice. *

intellectually all right, but then

The

Kena Upanishad,

real

work

3.

82

in these

classes

comes is

the

THE FREE SOUL. practice.

one-ness?

come

this

Are any practices necessary to realise this Most decidedly. It is not that you be Brahman. You are already that. It is not

you are going to become God or perfect you are already perfect, and whenever you think you are not,

that

it

is

;

a delusion.

This delusion which says that you

So and So, or Mrs. So and So, can be got

are Mr.

rid

by another delusion, and that is practice. Fire will eat fire, and you can use one delusion to conquer another delusion. One cloud will come and brush of

away another

What

we

that

delusion,

The

we

Every idea that

struggle to

we

be

shall

free,

is

;

is

the

a

will

work and worship and

this will

chase out the

first

will stop.

considered very unholy by the

medans, and so

is

or unhappy,

are

happy and another delusion

have to

and

and then both fox

go away. must always

are not going to be free, but are

a tremendous delusion

come,

will

We

Every idea that we are bound

already.

delusion. is

then ?

are these practices

bear in mind that free

and then both

cloud,

dog

by the Hindus.

Moham So,

if

a

dog touches any bit of food it has to be thrown out, it cannot be eaten by any man. In a certain Mohammedan house a fox entered and took fox or a

a

little

bit of

food from the table, ate 83

it

up and

fled.

THE SCIENCE AND PHILOSOPHY OF RELIGION.

The man was nice feast

a poor man, and had prepared a very

for

and that

himself,

feast

was made

unholy, and he could not eat it. So he went to a "This has happened to Mulla, a priest, and said :

me

a fox

;

came and took

what can be done? wanted so much

to

a mouthful out of

my

meal

;

had prepared a feast and eat it, and now comes this fox and

destroys the whole

I

The Mulla thought

thing."

for a

minute, and then found only one solution and said The only way is for you to get a dog, and make him :

eat a bit out of the

and foxes are left

same

eternally

Now, because dogs quarrelling, the food that was plate.

by the fox will go into your stomach, and that

eaten by the dog will go there, and destroy each other

and thus

all will

be

the

same predicament.

we

are imperfect, and

have

to practise to

chase the other, as

We

purified."

This

we

is

are very

much

an hallucination that

take up another, that

become

we can

in

perfect.

Then one

we will

use one thorn to extract

another and then throw both away. There are people for art

whom That."

is

it

sufficient

With

knowledge

to hear,

a flash this universe goes

"Thou

away and

the real nature shines, but others have to struggle hard to get rid of this idea of bondage.

The

first

question

is,

84

who

are

fit

to

become

THE FREE SOUL.

Those who are equipped with these renunciation of all fruits of work

Jnana Yogis? requisites

and of

First,

:

enjoyments

all

you are the creator desire

you

immediately

;

universe,

If

whatever you

only a question of time.

for

Some

it

get

it

way

of getting their desires.

We

place to desires for enjoyment, either

first

in this or another

because

this

life.

with others the past samsJ^aras (impres

sions) stand in the

give the

of

another

have, because you will create

will It is

yourself.

in this life or

life is

life.

Deny there is any life at all, name for death. Deny

only another

you are a living being. Who cares for life ? Life one of these hallucinations and death is its counter

that is

one part of these hallucinations, and misery the other part, and so on. What have you to do with life or death ? These are all creations of the Joy

part.

mind.

is

This

either in this

is

called giving

Then comes that

it

will not

desires

get into

;

desires of

enjoyment

it

so

all sorts

of

controlling. the mind, calming

break into waves and have

holding the mind steady, not allowing

waves from external or

trolling the

mind

helps,

or

internal causes,

by the power

perfectly just

The Jnana Yogi does cal

up

or another.

life

it

to

con

of will.

not take any one of these physi

mental

helps

85

;

simply

philosophic

THE SCIENCE AND PHILOSOPHY OF RELIGION.

own

reasoning, knowledge and his instrumentality he believes

forbearance, bearing

all

not mind

If

it.

Next comes

in.

titiJ^shd

miseries without murmuring,

When

without complaining.

these are the

will,

an injury comes, do

Who

a tiger comes, stand there.

There are men who practise titiksha, and it. There are men who sleep on the

flies?

succeed in

banks of the Ganges in the mid-summer sun of India, and in winter float in the waters of the Ganges for a

whole day

What

ment.

come and It is

but

and do not care

go,

is

better to

are brave to

What

heat?

what

hard to believe it is

Men

they do not care.

;

of the Himalayas,

is

that to

this in these

know

am

Let things

not the body.

Western

countries,

done.

Just as your people

mouth

of a cannon, or into

it is

at the

jump

I

snow

wear any gar

cold?

is

me,

in the

sit

to

the midst of the battle-field, so our people are brave to think

and act out

their lives for

Absolute

;

I

it.

their philosophy.

"I

am He

;

I

am am

They

give

up

Existence-Knowledge-Bliss He."

Just as the

Western

keep up luxury in practical life, so ours is keep up the highest form of spirituality, to demon strate that religion is not merely frothy words, but can ideal

is

to

to

be carried a, to

out,

every

bit

of

it,

in this

life.

This

is

bear everything, not to complain of any86

THE FREE SOUL.

soul

;

myself have seen

I

thing.

what

is

the universe

men who say, to me? Neither

"I

am

the

pleasure,

nor pain, nor virtue, nor vice, nor heat, nor cold are anything to

That

me."

is

titiksha

the enjoyments of the body.

pray:

me

"give

religion

idea of

God and

!

vulture rises high is

the earth.

After

To

all,

world let

am

come and

care ?

Foolish ideas

he becomes a speck,

for

what

is

the result of your ideas

more

Who cares for bread and clothes ? go every minute. Who cares?

the joys and vicissitudes of this

Go beyond

that

if

you dare

;

Existence Absolute, Knowledge ;

I

am He

;

I

am

He."

87

little

go beyond law,

the whole universe vanish, and stand alone.

Absolute

of

true

Master used to say the

until

cleanse the streets, and have

bread and clothes. Millions

My

soul.

and high

To

religion?

always in the piece of rotten carrion on

but his eye

Why

that"?

is

Those who believe them have no

it is

of religion?

and

this

not running after

;

What

Absolute,

"I

Bliss

V.

ONE EXISTENCE APPEARING AS MANY. WE have seen how vairdgyam, the

turning point in

Karmi (worker) renounces the

fruits of his

Bhakta (devotee) renounces all a mighty and omnipresent love. experiences,

is

The work. The

because

his

loves

little

for

the

The Yogi renounces

j

his

or renunciation,

these various Yogas.

all

philosophy

is

that the

whole Nature, although it is for the experience of the soul, at last brings him to know that he is not in but eternally

Nature,

separate

from Nature.

The

Jnani (philosopher) renounces everything, because his

philosophy

is

that Nature never existed, neither in the

past, present, nor future.

We

have also seen

how

cannot be asked in these higher

the question of

utility

themes

very absurd to raise the question of

utility,

;

it

is

and even

what do we

if it

find

be in

raised, after a this

proper analysis

question?

The

ideal of

which brings man greater happiness happiness is of greater utility to him than those things which do not improve his material conditions or bring him ;

that

such great happiness.

All the sciences are for this

88

ONE EXISTENCE APPEARING AS MANY. one end, to bring happiness to humanity and that which brings the larger amount of happiness, man kind takes and gives up that which brings a lesser

amount is

We

of happiness.

have seen

how

happiness

either in the body, or in the mind, or in the

Atman.

in the lowest of human beings, who much like animals, happiness is all in the No man can eat with the same pleasure as a

With animals, and are very

body.

famished dog, or a wolf the ideal of happiness

body.

In

men we

philosopher highest

utility,

dog and the wolf

concerned entirely with the

is

in the Jndni there

plane of happiness in the this

so, in the

find a higher plane of happiness,

and

that of thought,

;

Self, the

knowledge

because

it

gives

of

is

the highest

Atman. the

So

Self

is

to the

the

of

him the highest happi

Sense gratifications or physical things cannot be of the highest utility to him because he does ness possible.

same pleasure that he finds in and after all, knowledge is the one the highest happiness that we know.

not find in them the

knowledge itself goal, and is really

;

All

who work

in

ignorance

draught animals of the

as

are,

devas."

it

were,

"the

The word deva

is

here used in the sense of a wise man. that work,

and

really enjoy

life,

toil,

but

and labour it is

like

the wise

89

All the people machines do not

man who

enjoys.

A

THE SCIENCE AND PHILOSOPHY OF RELIGION.

man buys

rich

a picture at a cost of a hundred thou

sand dollars perhaps, but stands art that enjoys

knowledge of owner.

it

is

is

it

and

;

the

man who under

the buyer

if

useless to him, he

All over the world,

the

enjoys

man

art

it

it is

without only the

is

the wise

happiness of the world.

never enjoys

is

man who

The

ignorant

he has to work for others uncon

;

sciously.

Thus

we have

far

Advaitist philosophers,

seen the

how

whole of

there

We

cannot be two.

there

theories is

these

of

Atman how in the

but one

have seen

;

but one Existence, arid

this universe there is

one Existence when seen through the senses called the world, the world of matter. When it that

seen through the mind thoughts and ideas, and

appears as the in I

mind

had

first,

;

it

is

one

is

it

when

infinite

called

it is

Being.

not that there

is

it is,

You must

a soul in

then

bear

but that there

is

only one Existence,

Self,

and when

through the senses, through

sense

it

this

man, although

to take that for granted in order to explain

one the Atman, the

is

world of

the

seen as

is

this is

and

it

at

that

perceived

imageries,

it

is

When it is perceived through thought, mind. When it is perceived in its own

called the body. it is

called the

nature,

it

appears as the Atman, the one only Exist-

90

ONE EXISTENCE APPEARING AS MANY. ence.

So,

it is

not that there are three things in one,

body and the mind and the Self, although that was a convenient way of putting it in the course of the

but all is that Atman, and that one Being sometimes called the body, sometimes the mind, and sometimes the Self according to different visions.

explanation is

There

but one Being which the ignorant call the

is

world.

When

calls the

very same Being the world

a

man

goes higher in knowledge he of thought.

when perfect knowledge comes, all illusions and man finds it is all nothing but At man. that

one

this

Existence"

is

There are neither three nor two all

as

one.

That one, under the

many,

just as a rope

very rope that

is

is

the

Again vanish, "I

conclusion.

last

in the universe

illusion of

Maya

seen as a snake.

seen as a snake.

am

is

it is

;

seen

It is

the

There are not two

and a snake separate. No man sees two things there. Dualism and nonthings there, a rope separate

dualism are very good philosophic terms,

we

perfect perception

the false at the

we

same

cannot help

When we snake at

never perceive the real and We are all born monists,

time.

We

it.

always perceive the one.

perceive the rope,

all,

and when we

see the rope at

all

;

but in

it

we do

has vanished. 91

not perceive the

see the snake,

we do

When

not

you see

THE SCIENCE AND PHILOSOPHY OF RELIGION.

you do not see real men. Suppose one of your friends is coming from a distance in the street you know him very well, but through the haze and illusion,

;

mist that

When

is

before you, you think

you see your

do not see your

friend

friend at

all,

it is

another man.

another

as

man, you

he has vanished.

are perceiving only one person

You

For suppose your friend is A.; when you perceive A. as B. you do not see A. at all. So in each case you perceive only one. :

When

you see yourself as a body, you are body and nothing else, and that is the perception of the vast majority of mankind. They may talk of soul and mind, and

all

such things, but what they perceive

is

the physical form, the touch, taste, vision, and so on.

Again, with certain men, in certain states

of

sciousness, they perceive themselves as thought.

know,

of course,

the

story

told

of

Sir

con

You

Humphrey

Davy, who was making experiments before his class with laughing-gas, and suddenly one of the tubes broke, and the gas escaping, he breathed

it

in.

For

some moments he remained like a statue. After wards he told his class that when he was in that state, he actually perceived that the whole world was made up of ideas. The gas, for a time, made him forget the consciousness of the body, and that very thing which

92

ONE EXISTENCE APPEARING AS MANY. he was seeing as the body, he began to perceive as

When

ideas.

when

ever, that

consciousness

the

this little

rises

puny consciousness

which

is

is

still

higher,

transcended for

the Reality behind shines, and

we

one Existence-Knowledge-Bliss, the one A tman, the universal Being. "One that is only knowl see

as the

it

edge

itself,

one that

is bliss

itself,

beyond

all limit,

ever free, never bound, infinite as the sky, undivided

and unchangeable, self in

your heart in

How

such an one

will

Him

manifest

meditation."*

does the Advaitist theory explain

all

these

various phases of heavens and hells and

all

these

various ideas

we

find in

all

religions?

When

a

man

he goes to heaven or hell, goes here or there, or that when a man dies he is born again in dies

it is

said that

another body, either in heaven or in another world,

somewhere. is

These are

all

heaven nor existed.

him go little

hell,

nor

this

Nobody

hallucinations.

ever born or dies, really speaking.

world

;

all

There

three never really

Tell a child a lot of ghost stories,

out into the street in the evening.

stump

of a tree.

What does

neither

is

and

There

the child see?

let is

a

A

ghost, with hands stretched out, ready to seize him.

Suppose a man comes from the corner of the *Vivekachudamani, 410.

93

street,

THE SCIENCE AND PHILOSOPHY OF RELIGION. wanting to meet

his sweetheart

of the tree as the

girl.

street corner sees the it

as a policeman.

was seen

that

reality,

and the

in

as a thief.

stump is

It

the

it

;

neither

thief sees

of a tree

The stump

various ways.

the

is

are the projec

stump There is one Being,

comes nor

ignorant, he wants to go to

The

same stump

visions of the

tions of the various minds. Self

he sees that stump

;

A policeman coming from the

goes.

When

a

this

man

is

heaven or some place, and

he has been thinking and thinking of this, and when this earth-dream vanishes he sees this all his life

world as a heaven, with devas and angels flying about,

and

all

such things.

If

a

man

desires to

all his life

he gets them all, from downwards, because he creates them. If a

meet

still

his forefathers

man

is

more ignorant and has always been frightened by

fanatics with ideas of hell, this

Adam

very world as

All that

is

hell,

when he

with

all

dies he will see

sorts of punishments.

meant by dying or being born is simply a Neither do you move, the plane of vision.

change in nor does that move upon which you project your vision.

You

are the permanent,

How can you go and come ? omnipresent.

move

It is

the

unchangeable.

impossible

;

you are

The sky never moves, but the clouds

over the surface of the sky, and

94

we

think that

ONE EXISTENCE APPEARING AS MANY. the sky

Just as

you go

into a railway

and you think the land is moving. It is not so, is the train which is moving. So you are

train,

but

moves.

itself

it

where you

are, while this

There

connection.

we

are thinking that there

AH

of

wonderful book for children written in

When head

I

read

was

I

me

pleased

most

in

book that

One

idea

all

connection.

for children.

was

it

most incongruous,

this century.

was always

it

delighted,

to write that sort of a

think of

it

is

you have pro in Wonderland." It is the most

a great deal of connection. "Alice

follows another without

no such thing as law or con

is

nection in this world, but

bably read

like these various

dream,

One dream

clouds, moves.

the

there

my

What

what

that

is

in

you want

comes and jumps

into

another, without any connection.

his

thoughts

When

you were children you thought that to be the most wonderful connection. So this man brought back to

him

children

:

of

childhood,

connected

a child,

write, trying to

make

children

ideas as men, are nonsense. children, that

nected

perfectly

and composed this book for while many of these books which men

as

thing,

is all.

We

The world

"Alice

in

95

swallow their

is

own

too are grown the

up same uncon

Wonderland,"

with

no

THE SCIENCE AND PHILOSOPHY OF RELIGION.

When we

connection whatever. a

number

cause and

we

call

it

and say that the thing will happen dream will change, another dream

effect,

When

again.

see things happen

of times in a certain sequence,

this

as connected as this. When we we see all seem to be connected during the dream we never think they are incon it is only when we wake that we see the gruous want of connection. So when we wake from this will

seem

quite

dream, the things

;

;

dream it

will all

whence

passing

or whither

called

clouds

it

with the Reality,

be found incongruous nonsense, a mass of

incongruity

is

and compare

of the world

this

but

us,

we do

we know it will

Like

Maya.

is all

;

before

masses

of

know

not

end.

And

fleecy

fleeting,

changing existence, and the sun

the unchanging,

is

you.

When

this

itself,

you look at that

un

changing Existence from the outside, you call it God, and when you look at it from the inside you call it yourself.

It

from you, no All the

Gods

is

but one.

God are

There

is

no God separate

higher than you, the real

little

beings to you,

all

"you."

the ideas of

God and Father in heaven are but your reflection. God Himself is your image. "God created man after His own image" that is wrong. Man creates God this is right. after his own image Throughout the

ONE EXISTENCE APPEARING AS MANY.

we

universe

We

and

create the god,

worship

;

This

and is

are creating gods after our

and when

this

fall

down

substance of this

but one Existence,

image.

and

at his feet

dream comes, we love

it

that the

a good point to understand,

is

own

s lecture is that

!

sum

there

morning and that one Existence seen

through different mediums appears either as earth, or heaven, or

hell, or

or world, or

all

God, or

these

ghosts, or

men

But

things.

or demons,

"he

who

sees

One, who never changes among these diverse changing things, he who sees that one Life in this

that

he who

floating universe of death, self the

One who

fulfils

unto him belongs eternal peace

none

How,

How

else."*

is

;

unto none

him

many,

else,

unto

This one Existence has to be realised.

the next question.

is this

realises within

the desires of these

dream

to

How

is it

be broken, how

to

be realised?

shall

we wake

up from this dream that we are little men and women, and all such things ? We are the infinite Being of the universe, and have become materialised into these beings, men and women, depending upon the sweet word of one man, or the angry word of another man and so forth. What a terrible dependence, what little

a terrible slavery

!

I

who am beyond

*Katha Upanishad, V.

13.

97

G

all

pleasure and

THE SCIENCE AND PHILOSOPHY OF RELIGION.

whose reflection is the whole universe, little bits whose life are the suns and moons and stars, I am

pain, of

down

held I

as a terrible slave.

feel pain.

Look

at

If

my

If you pinch my body one says a kind word I begin to rejoice.

condition,

slave of the body, slave of

the mind, slave of the world, slave of a good word, slave of a

bad word, slave of passion, slave

ness, slave of

life,

How?

This slavery has to be broken. has

to

first

meditated

"This

Atman

be heard, then reasoned upon and then This

upon."*

Advaita Jndni. reflected

of happi

slave of death, slave of everything.

The

truth

upon and then

the

is

method

has to be to

the

of

heard,

then

be constantly asserted.

Think always am Brahman"; every other thought must be cast aside as weakening. Cast aside every "I

thought that says that you are

body

go,

and mind

go,

men

and gods

or

go,

women.

Let

and ghosts go.

Let everything go but that one Existence.

"Where

one hears another, where one sees another, that is but small where one does not hear another, where one ;

does not see another, that highest,

When

I

is infinite.

"f

That

is

the

where the subject and the object become one. am the listener and I am the speaker, when

*Brihad<lranyaka

Vpanishad, V.

^Chhandogya Upanishad, XXIV.

98

6.

ONE EXISTENCE APPEARING AS MANY. I

am

am the taught, when am the am the created, then alone fear ceases

the teacher and

creator

and

for there

I

I

I

;

make

not another to

is

us afraid.

nothing but myself, what can frighten to be heard

after

Get

day.

rid

is

This

is

me? of

must be thrown

Everything else

thoughts. this is to

day

There

other

all

aside,

and

be repeated continually, poured through the it reaches the heart, until every nerve and

ears until

muscle, every drop of blood tingles with the idea that

am He, am He. Even at the gate of death say, am There was a man in India, a Sannyasin, who used to repeat "Shivoham" am Bliss Eternal I

I

He."

"I

(

I

),

tiger jumped on him one day and dragged him away and killed him, and as long as he was living the sound came, "Shivoham, Shivoham." Even at the

and a

gate of death, in the greatest danger, in the thick of the battle-field, at the

bottom of the ocean, on the

tops of the highest mountains, in the thickest of the forest, tell yourself,

night say,

"I

is religion."

Never say shall help

What

:

am

"I

He."

The weak "O

you

Lord, ?

Yor

in this universe

*Mundak,a Upanishad,

I

am

He,

It is

I

am

He."

Day and

the greatest strength

will

never reach the

am

a miserable

;

it

Atman."

sinner."

Who

are the help of the universe.

can help you? III.

ii.

99

4.

Where

is

the

THE SCIENCE AND PHILOSOPHY OF RELIGION.

man, or the god, or the demon

to help

What

you?

can prevail over you ? You are the god of the uni verse where can you seek for help? Never help came from anywhere but from yourself. In your ;

made and that was was answered by some Being, answered, you thought but you answered the prayer yourself, unknowingly. The help came from yourself, and you fondly ignorance, every prayer that you

imagined that some one was sending help to you. There is no help for you outside of yourself you are ;

Like the silkworm you

the creator of the universe.

have

cocoon around yourself. Who will save Cut your own cocoon and come out as the

built a

you ?

Then alone you

beautiful butterfly, as the free soul. will see Truth.

Ever

tell

yourself,

"I

am

He."

These

burn up the dross that is in the are words mind, words that will bring out the tremendous energy that will

which is

is

within you already, the infinite

This

sleeping in your heart.

is

to

power which

be brought out by

Wher

constantly hearing the truth and nothing else.

ever there place.

is

thought of weakness, approach not the

Avoid

all

weakness

if

you want

to

be Jnani.

Before you begin to practise, clear your mind of all

doubts.

Fight and reason and argue, and

you have established

it

in

your mind that

100

this

when

and

this

ONE EXISTENCE APPEARING AS MANY. alone can be the truth and nothing else, do not argue

any more

;

close your mouth.

tion, neither

What is the use of any You have satisfied yourself, you question. What remains? The

argue yourself.

more arguments? have decided the

now

truth has

Hear not argumenta

be

to

realised,

therefore

valuable time in vain arguments ?

The

why waste now

truth has

be meditated upon and every idea that strengthens you must be taken up and every thought that weakens you must be rejected. The Bhal^ta meditates upon to

forms and images and This

is

all

such things and upon God.

The

the natural process, but a slower one.

Yogi meditates upon various centres in his body and manipulates powers in his mind. The Jndni says the

mind does not exist, neither the body. This idea of the body and of the mind must go, must be driven off ;

therefore

foolish to think of them.

it is

like trying to cure

It

would be

one ailment by bringing in another. is the most difficult one, the

His meditation therefore

he denies everything, and what is left, is the Self. This is the most analytical way. The Jnani wants to tear away the universe from the Self by the

negative

;

sheer force of analysis.

a is

Jndni,"

long

;

It is

very easy to say,

but very hard to be one really.

it is,

as

it

"I

"The

am

way

were, walking on the sharp edge of 101

THE SCIENCE AND PHILOSOPHY OF RELIGION.

Awake,

a razor, yet despair not.

He

meditation of the /nani?

the

is

and stop not

say the Vedas.*

until the goal is reached,"

So what

arise,

above every idea of body or mind, to drive away the idea that he is the body. For instance,

wants to

when

I

rise

say,

"I,

Swami,"

immediately the idea of the

body comes. What must I do then? I must give the mind a hard blow and say, "No, I am not the body, I

am

the

Who

Self."

cares

if

most horrible form?

in the

make

the

more ?

To

body nice ?

To

I

disease

am

comes

or death

not the body.

Why

enjoy the illusion once

Let

continue the slavery ?

it

go,

I

am

not

is the way of the Jnani. The Bha^ia Lord has given me this body that I may safely cross the ocean of life and I must cherish it until

That

the body. says

"The

:

the journey

is accomplished."

must be careful steadily feels that

and

the

of

body so

attain

finally

The Yogi that

liberation."

I

says

:

may go on The Jnani

he cannot wait, he must reach the goal

He

"I

this

am free through eter am never bound am the God of the universe nity, through all eternity. Who shall make me perfect? am perfect already." When a man is perfect he sees perfection in others. When he sees imperfection, it very moment.

says:

I

;

"I

I

I

*Katha Upanishad,

I.

iii.

14.

102

ONE EXISTENCE APPEARING AS MANY. is

his

own mind

imperfection

if

How

itself.

projecting

he has not got

it

can he see

So the

in himself?

Jndni does not care for perfection or imperfection.

None

exists for

him.

not see good and

who

has

it

thinks he

evil.

in himself.

is

the body.

As soon

as

he

is

free,

he does

Who sees evil and good? He Who sees the body ? He who The moment you

get rid of the

idea that you are the body, you do not see the world It

away from

this

bondage

of intellectual conviction.

the

The Jnani seeks

vanishes for ever.

at all.

himself

"neti,

neti"

("not

of matter

This

this,

103

not

is

to tear

by the force

the negative way,

this").

VI.

UNITY OF THE SELF. To lesson,

illustrate the

read to you from one of the Upanishads*

will

I

conclusion arrived at in our last

showing how

these ideas were taught in India from

the most ancient times.

You know

Yajnavalkya was a great sage. rule

India

in

the

man must give up the So Yajnavalkya said to beloved, here is all my money and my

was

that every

world when he became old. his wife

:

"My

am

She replied if I had this whole earth full of wealth, would that give me immortality Yajnavalkya said "No, that can possessions,

I

going

?"

Your

not be.

be

:

away."

:

life will

be that of the

for wealth cannot give

you She replied "That through which I immortal, what shall I do to gain that? will

all,

:

that, tell

this question.

you, and

Yajnavalkya replied

me."

always been

"Sir,

:

and that

rich,

immortality."

shall

become

you knov/ "You have

If

you are more so now by Come, take your seat, and I will tell

my

beloved

when you have

;

heard, meditate

*Brihadaranyaka Upanishad, V.

104

upon

it."

UNITY OF THE SELF.

He

continued

:

"It

is

not for the sake of the husband

that the wife loves the husband, but for the sake of

the

Atman

(the Self) that she loves the

cause she loves the

None

Self.

sake of the wife, but

it is

loves the wife for the

because he loves the Self

None

that he loves the wife.

husband, be

loves the children for

the sake of the children, but because he loves the Self, therefore he loves the children.

on account Self,

therefore

Brahmin

None

loves wealth

of the wealth, but because he loves the

he loves wealth.

for the sake of the

None

loves

loves the Self, he loves the Brahmin.

So none loves

the Kshatriya for the sake of the Kshatriya,

because he loves the

the

Brahmin, but because he

but

Neither does anyone love

Self.

the world on account of the world,

but because he

loves the Self. None similarly loves the gods on account of the gods, but because he loves the Self.

None

loves anything for that thing s sake, but

the Self of that thing that he loves fore,

is

to

be heard,

meditated upon.

is

to

Oh my

it.

This

be reasoned, and

Maitreyi,

when

for

it is

Self, there is

to

be

that Self has

been heard, when that Self has been seen, when that Self has been realised, then ail these things become known."

What does

this

mean? 105

Before us

we

find

a

THE SCIENCE AND PHILOSOPHY OF RELIGION.

That the

curious philosophy.

these various things which

statement has been

made

in the lowest sense of the

therefore

I

that self is

is

shadow of this

in

this

it

is

because

love myself,

I

cannot be. There have

power

wrong.

of that real Self

little self

;

which

in the world.

This

self

appears wrong and

evil

it is

seen through limitation.

wife loves a husband, whether she

it is

Self,

it is

which

selfishness,

Even when a

knows

she loves the husband for that Self. as

but the

because

That very love we have for the the universe, appears to be evil, as

because

is

said

That

behind and love

is

limited. is

selfishness

is

modern times who have

the only motive

and yet

true,

word

all

The

world.

the

call

that every love

love another

been philosophers too

Self shines through

we

It is

it

or not,

selfishness

manifested in the world, but that selfishness

really but a small part of that

one loves, one has

to love in

"Self -ness."

is

Whenever

and through the Self. Those that love the

This Self has to be known.

knowing what it is, their love is Those that love knowing what that

Self without

ness.

their love

is

Brahmin

for

free,

they are sages.

None

selfish

Self

loves

is,

the

the Brahmin, but because he loves the

appearing through the Brahmin.

Self,

which

the

Brahmin gives up who sees the Brahmin as

is

106

"Him

UNITY OF THE SELF.

Him

separate from the Self.

the Kshatriya gives

up

who separate from the Self. The world gives him up who sees this world as separate from the Self. The Gods give him up who as

sees the Kshatriya

believes the things give

the

Self.

Gods

be separate from the

to

All

Self.

him up who knows them as separate from These Brahmins, these Kshatriyas, this

world, these Gods, whatever exists, everything

that

is

Thus Yajnavalkya explains what he means love. The difficulty comes when we particularise by

Self."

this love.

woman Atman

selfish

see that

I

perfect,

and

I

love a

particularised,

(the Self),

become as

Suppose is

my

and

is

woman will

woman

is

;

as soon as that

separated,

love will not be eternal likely to

as the

never

end

that love

reaction.

we

on

to

come

to this

to tell us the process

The

universe

is infinite

;

This

ideal

?

by which

is

detaching

it

result.

perfect

Self,

If

no

bliss.

Y ajnavalkya goes to reach that state.

how can we 107

you are

A t man then that we love out

enjoy everything in the Self, and as the

How

has

soon

from the

With everything and misery will be the

misery or reaction will come.

it

becomes

So, as soon as

attached to anything in the universe,

side the Self, grief

;

in grief, but as

Atman,

suffer.

from the universe as a whole

comes a

from that

take every parti-

THE SCIENCE AND PHILOSOPHY OF RELIGION.

and look

cular thing

at

knowing the Atman ?

we

the

Atman, without the drum at a distance,

as

it

"With

cannot conquer the sound produced by

to control the

by trying sound waves, but as soon as we come it

drum, and put our hand on it, the sound is con quered. When a conch shell is being blown, we can

to the

not conquer the sound, until

hold of the the vina vind,

we can is

damp

all

all

He

to

is

is

of

centre, as of

as of

all

is

all

everything it

the one centre, as of

all

were is

the

all

all taste

form the eyes

sounds the ears are the

thought the mind

is

the one

knowledge the heart

is

the one

all

all

;

has

the one centre, ns

the one centre, as of

one centre, as of centre,

to the

One

water the one goal

all

are the one centre, as of

as

this great

breathed out, as

touch the hand

smell the nose

the tongue

we come

and knowledge

history

As

knowledge.

all

When

conquered.

even so from

rise,

out of Him.

ocean, as to to

is

whence As when some one is burn of smoke and sparks of

sorts

all

fuel,

been breathed out

come

it

near and get

control the centre of the sound,

proceeding.

various kinds

has

and then

being played, as soon as

is

the sound

ing

shell,

we come

work the hands

are the one centre,

speech the organ of speech

as the concentrated salt

is

is

the one centre,

through and through the

108

UNITY OF THE SELF. waters of the sea yet not to be seen by the eyes

even the

so,

O

eyes,

Maitreyi,

He He is

Atman

;

not to be seen by

He

this universe.

permeates

yet

is

The

concentrated

knowledge. from Him, and again goes down Reaching Him, we go beyond knowl

everything.

whole universe unto Him.

We

edge."

is this

rises

we have all come when we know and become one with Him

here get the idea that

out just like sparks from Him, and that

Him

then

we go

back,

again.

became frightened, just as everywhere here is people become frightened. She said a where have thrown confusion over me. exactly you You have frightened me by saying there will be no all individuality will be lost. more gods When I reach that stage shall I know that A tman ? Shall I Maitreyi

:

"Sir,

;

reach the unconscious state and lose or will the knowledge remain with

Him? feel,

individuality

that

I

know

Will there be no one to recognise, no one to

no one

become band,

my me

of

to

me?"

"think

no one

love, "O

not that

scious state, neither be indestructible,

eternal

where there are two

is

I

am

This

His essence

a lower one. 109

will

replied her hus

speaking of an uncon

frightened. in

What

to hate?

Maitreyi!"

;

Atman the

Where

is

stage there

THE SCIENCE AND PHILOSOPHY OF RELIGION.

two there one smells another, one sees another,

are

one hears another, one welcomes another, one thinks of another, one knows another. But when the whole has become that Atman,

who

be smelled by whom, who is to be seen by whom, who is to be heard by whom, who is to be welcomed by whom,

who by

be known by

to

is

whom

only be described as

known?

"neti,

He

Incomprehensible,

whom ? Who

is

everything

to

is

can know

This

Him

Atman can

(not this, not this).

neti"

cannot be comprehended by

Unchangeable, He never fades. Un He never gets mixed up with Nature. He is beyond all pleasure and pain. Who

the intellect. attached, Perfect,

By what means can we know

can know the Knower ?

Him?

By no means

O

sages,

to attain

and

Maitreyi

Him and

to attain

So

far the idea

in

it is

more

is,

that

all

knowledge,

no more

one

parts and

such low and illusory ideas. every part of this the

little

Real

And

infinite Being,

parcels,

yet, in

individuality

Individuality.

manifestation of the Atman.

Yajnavalkya told us

in

is

immortality." it is all

the Real Individuality, where there

division,

Infinite,

conclusion of the

this is the

;

Going beyond

!

How

is

no

and through shining

Everything

that is

a

to reach to that?

the beginning that 110

is

no more

"This

UNITY OF THE SELF.

Atman to

to

is first

be meditated

about the

be heard, then to be reasoned, then Thus far he has spoken upon."

Self, the

At man,

Then reasoning on

everything in this universe. infinite

nature of that Self and the

human mind he comes impossible for the finite all

be

What

the Self.

know

know

to

the

be done then

the

nature of the

if

it is

Knower

we

of

cannot

Yajnavalkya tells Maitreyi that it can although it cannot be known, and he

the Self

?

realised,

enters

upon a discourse

upon.

This universe

every being

finite

the conclusion that

to

mind to

is

essence of

as being the

as to

is

how

it is

to

be meditated

helpful to every

being and

also helping this universe, for they are

is

both part and parcel of each other, the development but of the one helps the development of the other ;

the self-effulgent one, nothing can be

Atman,

to the

helpful because bliss,

of

it.

All that

and when darkness

it is

perfect

and

in the lowest sense,

even

is

good

is

that reflection evil,

called light

manifested

That

of our

own

less

is all.

lives.

manifested.

How many 111

is

Atman,

it is

called

more manifested

it is

Atman more

Just take the

things

it is

This good and

evil are only a question of degree, the

manifested or

All that

but the reflection

the reflection of that is less

and when

goodness.

infinite. is

we

example

see in our

THE SCIENCE AND PHILOSOPHY OF RELIGION. childhood which

we

be good, but which to be evil

think to

and how many things seem

really are evil,

which are good How our ideas change How an idea becomes higher and higher What we thought very good at one time, we do not think so good !

!

!

now.

ment

Thus good and of our minds,

difference

is

evil

depend on the develop

and do not

exist objectively.

only in the degree.

All

is

The

a manifesta

Atman it is being manifested in every when the manifestation is very poor we thing, only call it evil, and when it is clearer we call it good. That Atman itself is beyond both good and evil. So tion of that

;

everything that tated

upon

as

of that perfect

He

is

in the universe is

is

all

good, because

One.

He

is

first

it is

to

be medi

a manifestation

neither evil nor

good

;

The

perfect and the perfect can be only one.

good can be many, and the evil many, there will be degrees of variation between the good and the evil ;

but the perfect

only one, and that perfect One,

is

when seen through

certain kinds of covering,

we

call

and when seen through Our ideas of good and evil.

different degrees of good,

other

kinds,

we

call

evil as to distinct things are is

mere

superstition.

There

only more good and less good and the less good

we

call evil.

These mistaken ideas 112

of

good and

evil

UNITY OF THE SELF.

have produced all sorts of dualistic delusions. They have gone deep into the hearts of human beings,

men and women in all ages. All the with which we hate others is caused by these ideas which we have imbibed since our

terrorising

hatred foolish

Our judgment

childhood.

but as

hell,

of

good and "This

;

evil,

earth

it

will

ness

;

they

is

all

become

is blissful

lation) to all beings,

earth

and

various

ways.

sinner, either in

human

manifesting is

any

sweet

immortal itself

love,

in

any a

an angel or a murderer, either in the or the senses, it is all He. How can

mind

lowest physical enjoyment

enjoyment

ness but He.

One ?

is

also

;

drink or in

is

Whatever

is

the

and the highest There is no sweet

He,

He.

Thus says Yajnavalkya. When you state, and look upon all things with the

come to that same eyes when you see the

saint s

in the

drunkard

s

pleasure

meditation that sweetness 113

H

is

all this

being, either in a saint or

there be anything but that

in

trans

literal

effulgent,

Wherever there

sweetness in any

the

And

help each other.

from the Atman, that

or the

is

beings are sweet to this

That one sweetness

spiritual

a heaven.

sweet

(

all

One."

body

humanity has become

of

we have made this beautiful earth a soon as we can give up these false ideas

entirely false

THE SCIENCE AND PHILOSOPHY OF RELIGION. only, then

you have got the

and then alone you

truth,

know what happiness means, what peace means,

will

what love means.

But as long as you keep these vain

distinctions,

childish,

sorts of

silly,

misery will come.

foolish superstitions,

That immortal One, the

effulgent One,

He

is

universe,

all

His sweetness.

it is

the background of the whole

miniature universe, as

powers of the body,

were

it

all

in the

is

so sweet to it

body,

all

He

beings,

That

the

is

!"

Brahman.

He

In us also,

"This

air is so

He

body.

beings.

"This

is

world

Being

self-effulgent

is

in the

is

beings,

and

is

He who He is

the air

sun,"

the sun, and

What can

all

is

so sweet to

body, and

makes us see the

for

air"

light.

all

He

is

the

is

beings, and

all

;

expressing Himself as the

sun

beings are so sweet to this

smaller lights.

that bliss.

is

sweet to

self-effulgent immortal Being

all

"This

and every being is so sweet to immortal One, is the bliss

beings are so sweet to this

He

One

self-effulgent

Atman.

for the self -effulgent,

in this world.

this

This body is a and through all the

;

the enjoyments of the mind,

shines that effulgent One.

who

all

is

all

that

also in

of

all

beings, and

all

life

He who is the Him we reflect as

for

there be but His reflection? it

is

"This

His reflection which

moon

is

so sweet to

beings are so sweet to this 114

moon,"

UNITY OF THE SELF.

and immortal One who

for that self-effulgent

soul of that

mind. all

moon, He

"This

is is

lightning

in us expressing

so sweet to

beings are sweet to this

effulgent

and

is

and immortal One

is

also in us, because all

Himself as beings and

all

lightning,"

the

is

for

the

self-

the soul of this lightning that

is

Brahman.

This

Brahman, beings.

this Atman, this Self, is the King of all These ideas are very helpful to men they ;

are for meditation.

For instance,

earth, think of the earth, at the

that

we have

which

in us that

are the same.

Identify the

is

in the earth, that

body with the

identify the soul with the Soul behind. air

with the soul that

and so on. forms.

To

is

on the

meditate

same time knowing

in the air

and

earth,

both

and

Identify the that

is

in

you

All these are one, manifested in different realise this unity is the

meditation, and

this is

end and aim of

what Yajnavalkya was

to explain to Maitreyi.

115

all

trying

VII.

THE HIGHEST IDEAL OF JNANA YOGA. As I

this is the last of these classes

give a brief

tell

resume of

some

that

I

it is

better that

have been trying to

Vedas and Upanishads we

In the

you.

records of

all

find

of the very earliest religious ideas of

the Hindus, ideas that long antedated the time of

Kapila, ancient as this great sage

is.

He

did not

propound the Sankhya philosophy as a new theory His task was to throw the light of his of his own. genius on the vast mass of religious theories that were existing in his time

coherent system.

psychology that

is

accepted to the present day by

analysis

and of

all

and seemingly opposing philosophical

the diverse

systems to be found

cesses

and bring out a rational and He succeeded in giving India a

his

the

among

the Hindus. His masterly

comprehensive statement of the pro human mind have not yet been

surpassed by any later philosopher and he undoubt edly laid the foundation for the Adoaita philosophy,

which accepted his conclusions as far as they went and then pushed them a step farther, thus reaching 116

THE HIGHEST IDEAL OF JNANA YOGA. a

final unity

beyond the

was the

duality that

last

word

of the Sankhyas.

Among

the religious ideas that preceded the

all

time of Kapila,

I

mean among

recognised religious

and not the very low ones, which do not deserve the name of religion, we find, even the very first groups include the idea of inspiration, and a

ideas,

revealed book and so forth. idea of creation

In the earliest stage, the

very peculiar

is

;

whole

that the

it is

universe was created out of zero, by the will of God, that in the beginning this universe did not exist,

out of nothingness

we

stage

has come.

all this

In

find this conclusion questioned.

step in Veddnta asks this question

How

:

next

the

The can

and

first

exist

ence be produced out of non-existence? If this universe is existent it must have come out of some thing,

there that

because is

all

it

was easy

nothing anywhere

work

that

of

which

for

this

material

coming out

of

nothing,

human hands

this

idea that this world

first

out of nothing,

whole history of

of old to see that

Naturally, therefore, the ancient

Hindus rejected the out

them

being done by

is

requires materials.

created

for

in

religion,

in

was

and sought some material The world was created.

our

fact,

is

attempts to

117

the

search

answer the

THE SCIENCE AND PHILOSOPHY OF RELIGION.

Out

what has

been produced ? Apart from the question of the efficient cause or God, apart from the question whether God created the question

:

of

all this

universe, the great question of

God

out of what did are turning, as

One

it

create

All the philosophies

were, on this question.

solution

is

running eternally side

the

existing

Every

Being.

soul,

the Santyiya psychology

forward

by Kapila. According comes by the transmission of the causes viz.

irritation of the physical

perception

first

like

every

dependent on the

These and many other ideas we

when

lines

parallel

which nature and

by what they call the dependent, and God

independent

God.

three

side, of

particle of matter, is perfectly

of

and God and

that this material

soul are eternal existences, like

soul comprise

questions has been,

all

it ?

to

it,

will

find already

was brought perception

suggestion,

which

doors of the organs,

to the eyes etc,

from the eyes

from the organs to the mind, from the mind to the buddhi and from the buddhi to some etc. to the organs,

thing which

Coming

to

is

a unit,

which they

the

modern physiology we know

have found centres for First are

call

all

the

different

Atman. that they

sensations.

found the lower centres, then a higher grade and these two will exactly correspond

of centres,

118

THE HIGHEST IDEAL OF JNANA YOGA. with the actions of the buddhi and the manas (mind), but not one centre has been found which controls the other centres, so philosophy cannot answer unifies

all

these

and there

different, all

the

others

Where and how do

centres.

The

centres get unified?

the

centres in the brain are

all

not one centre which controls

is

so

therefore,

;

all

what

as

far

it

goes,

the

Sanfyhya psychology stands unchallenged upon this

We

point.

must have

upon which the

this

something

unification,

sensations will be reflected, to form a

complete whole. Until there is that something, I cannot have any idea of you, or the picture, or any thing else.

would feel,

not

we had

If

not that unifying something

only see, then after a

while

and while we heard a man

him

see

at

all,

because

hear,

the

all

and then

we

talking,

we

should

centres

are

which we

call

different.

This body matter,

and

is

it

made dull

is

is

a

particles

and

The

called the fine body.

the Sanfyhyas,

of

little

what

insentient.

So

fine

according to

body,

body,

made

of

is

is

very fine

particles, so fine that no microscope can see them.

What call

is

the use of

mind.

it ?

It is

the receptacle of

Just as this gross

body

of the grosser forces, so the fine

119

is

body

is

what we

the receptacle the receptacle

THE SCIENCE AND PHILOSOPHY OF RELIGION. of the finer forces, that

various

which we

modifications.

First

gross matter, with gross

without matter for

matter

and

call

body, which

Force cannot

force.

can manifest

it

thought with

the

is

itself

its is

exist

only through

work through the body The very force which is

so the grosser forces

;

finally

working

become

in a gross

becomes

finer.

form works

There

thought.

between them, simply one

is

the fine manifestation of the

no

difference

real

the gross and the other

same

Neither

thing.

between the

there any difference in substance

body and the gross body.

a fine form and

in

is

The

fine

body

is

is

fine

also

material, only very fine material.

Whence do

come ?

these forces

According Veddnta philosophy there are two things which form nature, one of which they call aJ^asa, which is all

to the

substance, or matter,

they

call

infinitely

Whatever you

prana.

as air or earth, or anything,

thing

is

a form of this a^asa.

finer, or grosser

action

prana AJ^asa

of is is

and

prana

is

fine,

and the other

see, or feel, or hear,

material. It

and

And

becomes

every

finer

and

changes under the Like a^asa. (universal Energy). grosser,

omnipresent, like the water,

it

interpenetrating

and everything

universe like blocks of ice, 120

made

everything. else in the

out of that water

THE HIGHEST IDEAL OF JNANA YOGA.

and

in

floating

and prdna

it,

changes the akosa into

body

that

power

This

these various forms.

all

made

instrument

the

is

the

is

for the

out of akdsa

manifestation of prdna in gross

muscular

as

forms,

The sitting, talking and so on. made of akasa, a much finer form of

motion, or walking,

body

fine

also

is

same prdna

akasa, for the manifestation of the

form of thought. So,

finer

beyond

that

is

first

there

the fine body, and

man.

jiva (soul), the real

is this

in the

gross body, that

beyond

is

the

Just as these finger nails

can be pared off a hundred times a year, and yet are still part of our bodies, not different, so we have not

two bodies.

body

gross

when it

it

is

It is ;

it is

not that

man

has a fine and also a

the one body, only

a fine body, and the grosser Just as

dissolves.

I

can cut

this

times a year, so millions of times in

one aeon, but the

fine

ing to the dualists this fine,

it

body

I

remains longer

a hundred

can shed

body Accord

this

will remain.

or the real

jiva,

the sooner

it is

nail

man,

is

very

minute.

So

far

we have

seen that

man

is

a being

who

has

first

a gross body which dissolves very quickly, then a

fine

body which remains through

jiva.

phy,

This is

eternal, just as

God 121

is

aeons,

and

lastly

a

Veddnta philoso eternal, and Pra^riti is

jiva, according to the

THE SCIENCE AND PHILOSOPHY OF RELIGION.

The

also eternal, but changefully eternal.

and the a^asa, are

of Pra^riti, the prana

materials

eternal, but

are changing into different forms eternally.

and force are

jiva is not

a^asa, or of prana will

but their combinations vary

eternal,

The

continually.

manufactured, either of

and therefore

immaterial,

is

it

;

remain for ever.

It is

combination

cause destruction

is

will

body

is

forms and also

of akosa

The

and prana

The

be decomposed.

will

be

That which

decomposition.

compound cannot be destroyed. compound

not the

is

never be destroyed,

not a

a

com

not the result of any

bination of prana and akfisa, and whatever result of

Matter

gross

various

in

body

fine

is

will

be decomposed after a long time, but the jiva is and will never be destroyed. For the same

a simple,

reason,

we cannot

say

simple can be born

;

The whole

can be born.

these millions of forms is

all-pervading,

and

He

is

whole of

pendence Ruler.

ever was born.

is

is

of this Nature

under the

omniscient,

a

combined

will of

formless,

Nothing

compound in

God. God

everywhere,

day and night. The under His control. There is no inde

directing this Nature

it

is

of

This

Then

it

only that which

any being. is

It

cannot be.

He

is

the

the teaching of dualistic Vedanta.

the question comes, 122

if

God be

the Ruler

THE HIGHEST IDEAL OF JNANA YOGA.

why did He create such a wicked why must we suffer so much ? The answer is made that it is not God s fault. It is our own fault that we suffer. Whatever we sow that we reap. God does not do anything to punish us. If a man is of this universe, universe,

born poor, or blind, or lame, he did something before he was born in that way, something that

produced these of

sorts

and

bad,

if

As by

evil

deeds

it

ignorance, so by good deeds of

its

own

nature again.

The

its

is

has covered it

by

When

through good deeds

own

itself

with

can become conscious

Just as

is

its

nature, says the

it

is

eternal, so

nature of every being

nature

pure.

have happiness,

This jiva

unhappiness.

all

Whatever we do we shall

nature pure, but ignorance covers dualist.

has been doing

It

we do good we

If

has been existing

jioa

created.

the time.

all

things

suffer for.

The

results.

was never

for all time,

is

its

pure.

and misdeeds

all its sins

have been washed away, then the jiva becomes pure again, and when he becomes pure he goes after death

by what

is

called

Decay ana

(the path of the gods), to

heaven, or the abode of the gods. only an ordinarily good the

"Abode

When

of the

man he

If

he has been

goes to what

is

called

Fathers."

the gross body

falls,

123

the organs of speech

THE SCIENCE AND PHILOSOPHY OF RELIGION.

You cannot

enter the mind.

think without words

;

wherever there are words there must be thought. The mind is resolved into the prana, and the prdna

Then the jiva leaves the body and goes to that condition of reward or punishment which he has earned by his past life. Devalo^a is the

resolves into the jiva.

"place

(god) to

(or

abode) of the

means

what the

and

Christians to

According

"angels."

gods."

bright or shining one,

this

The word deva and corresponds

Mohammedans

call

there

are

teaching

somewhat analogous to the heavens described by Dante in the Divine

various heavenly spheres various

Comedy.

There are the

(or pifrfs), devalofya,

of

the

fathers

the

electric

sphere and highest of of

heaven

the lunar sphere, all

the Brahmalofaa, the heaven

From all the lower heavens the jiva again to human birth, but he who attains to

Brahma.

returns

Brahmaloka

lives there

are the highest

through

all

eternity.

These

men who have become perfectly un purified, who have given up all

selfish, perfectly

desires,

do not want

to

There

and love God.

do anything except is

a second class,

to worship

who do good

works, but want some reward, want to go to heaven in return.

When they

sphere, where

it

die, their jiva

goes to the lunar

enjoys and becomes a deva (god or 124

THE HIGHEST IDEAL OF JNANA YOGA.

The

angel).

have

In

to die.

deathless place

no is

times

heaven they

no

death.

gods

our

In

the

are also

the

give

The only

will all die.

Brahmaloka, where alone there

is

and

birth

said there

devas, are not eternal, they

the

gods,

mythology

who

demons,

chase.

In

all

is it

some

mythologies

you read of these fights between the demons, or wicked angels, and the gods, and sometimes the

demons

conquer

you

also,

find

the

that

beautiful daughters of

In all mythologies devas were fond of the

gods.

the

Karma means

As

men.

reaps results of past actions,

a deva, the jiva only

new karma.

but makes no

actions that will produce effects, also

those effects, or results of actions.

When

a

man

dies

and becomes a deva he has a period of pleasure, and during that time makes no fresh karma ; he simply enjoys the reward of his past good works. the good

karma

is

But

when

worked out then the other karma

begins to take effect. In the

Vedas

there

is

no mention

of hell.

But

afterwards the puranas, the later books in our Scrip tures,

thought that no religion could become complete

without a proper attachment of invented

all

varieties of

sorts of hells, with as

punishment

as

hells,

many, Dante saw in

125

and so they if

not more,

his Inferno,

THE SCIENCE AND PHILOSOPHY OF RELIGION. but our books are merciful enough to say that

it is

only

Bad l^arma is worked out in that state and then the souls come back to earth and get

for a period.

another chance. chance.

decide our

and

This

human form

fate.

We

So a human body

body there they

return

is

;

to

great

which we

are running in a

this is the point in the circle

future.

the

is

called the formic body, in

is

It

is

huge circle, which determines the

considered the greatest

man is greater than human birth. So

Even

the gods.

far with dualistic

Vedanta.

Next comes a higher conception of Vedanta philosophy, which says that these ideas are crude. If

you say there is a God who is an infinite Being, and a soul which is also infinite, and Pra^riti which is also infinite,

but that

you can go on multiplying is illogical,

infinites indefinitely

because each would

other and there would be no real infinite.

limit

God

is

the

both

the material and the efficient cause of the universe

He

projects this universe

mean

that

table, that

God God

out of Himself.

has become these walls,

;

Does

that

and

this

has become the animal, the murderer

and all the evils in the world ? God is pure, how can He become all these degenerate things? He has not. God is unchangeable, and all these changes are in 126

THE HIGHEST IDEAL OF JNANA YOGA. just as

Prakriti,

body real

is

in fact

"I,"

a child,

am

I

a soul and have a body

not different from

I

am

me

in

not this body.

soul has not

It

changed.

the

I,

For instance,

become a young man, an

this

;

a sense, yet

I

man, but

old

am my

remains the same soul.

Similarly the whole universe, comprised of Prakriti,

and

infinite

finite

number of souls, is, as it were, the in God. He is interpenetrating the whole

of

body

He alone is unchangeable, but Prakriti changes and the souls too change. In what way does In its forms it takes fresh forms. Prakriti change? of

it.

;

But the souls cannot change that way.

and expand evil

deeds.

They

contract

knowledge. Every soul contracts by Those deeds which contract the natural

in

knowledge and purity of the soul are called evil deeds. Those deeds, again, which bring out the natural glory

good deeds. All these souls were pure, but they have become contracted by their own acts. Still, through the mercy of God, and by of the soul, are called

doing good deeds, they again.

long run, must Prakriti. is

will

Every soul has the

infinite.

But

expand and become pure same chance, and, in the

become pure and

this universe will

This

called dualistic

is

free

the second theory.

Vedanta

;

itself

from

not cease, because

The

first

it

is

while the second which

127

THE SCIENCE AND PHILOSOPHY OF RELIGION. teaches that there

is

God,

and

soul,

Prakriti, that soul

and

Prakriti form the body of God, and that these three form the unit is called qualified monistic

Vedanta.

Believers in this second theory are called

qualified non-dualists (Visishtadvaitins).

it

The last and highest theory known in India, Advcnta.

is

God must be of this

is

is

As

the soul, and the universe

God

is

is

is

become

effect

;

it is

the effect, and

God

?

The

the effect

the cause reproduced.

duction of God. the

the use of calling material

nothing

is

Wherever you see

but the cause in another form. effect,

God

the body, and the body

what

In that case

the cause

cause

has become the

the material cause of this universe

cause

efficient

This theory denies that

this universe.

changing.

God

such,

teaches that

also

It

both the material and the

universe.

whole of

pure monism, or as

is

If

the universe

is

the cause, this must be the repro

If it

be claimed that the universe

is

body of God and that that body becomes con and fine and becomes the cause, and out of

tracted

that the universe is

God

is

evolved, then the advaitist says

Himself who

comes a very

has become

fine question.

universe, then everything

thing

is

God.

My body

is

is

If

God

God.

God, and

128

has

become

Certainly

my mind

;

it

Now

this universe.

this

every is

God,

THE HIGHEST IDEAL OF JNANA YOGA. soul is God. Then why are there so many Has God become divided into millions and mil

and

my

jivas

?

lions

of jivas?

How

can that

infinite

power and

one Being of the universe become impossible to divide infinity. How can the

substance, the

divided

? It is

pure Being become the universe,

He

is

and

dies.

He

in Prakriti, If

Remember

God that.

is

this universe ?

changeful, and

and whatever is

if

He has become He is changeful, born

in Prakriti is

He must how much

changeful,

Again,

is

If

die of

some day.

God

has

become this universe? you say unknown quantity, then God is God minus now, and therefore not the same God as before creation, because so much of Him has become universe. The answer of the monist is that If

cal

"X,"

the algebrai "X"

this

this this

universe has no real existence,

it exists in appearance These devas and only. gods and angels and being born and dying, and all these infinite number of souls

coming up and going down, all these things are mere dreams. All is the one Infinite. The one sun reflected on various drops of water appears to be many. Millions of globules of water reflect so many millions

and

each globule there is a perfect image of the sun, yet there is only one sun, so it is with all these jivas, they are but reflections of the one infinite of suns

in

129

THE SCIENCE AND PHILOSOPHY OF RELIGION.

A

Being. that

dream cannot be without a the

is

reality

one

and

reality,

infinite Existence.

You, as

body, mind, or soul, are a dream, but what you really are

the

is

Existence-Knowledge-Bliss Absolute. Thus says

Advaitist.

All

these

births

coming and going are but part

of the

Where can you go? The

infinite.

and

dream.

sun,

this

rebirths,

You

are

moon, and the

whole universe are but a drop in your nature. How can you be born or die? The Self was never born, never will be born, never had father or mother, friends or foes, for

What To

it is

Existence-Knowledge-Bliss Absolute.

the goal, according to this philosophy?

is

and become one with the

receive this knowledge

who

For them

universe.

attain to this, all heavens,

even Brahmalol^a, are destroyed, the whole dream vanishes, and they find themselves the eternal God of the universe.

lost

;

attain

beyond these

infinitely

think of so

be

They

an

much

infinite

when If

but

this

real

which we now

selves

No

individuality,

individuality will

and eternal Individuality little

finding pleasure in this duality

little

importance.

Pleasure in

realised.

their

things will cease.

little

how much

body, in

will

be

We are

this little indivi

greater the pleasure will be

whole universe appears as our own body?

there be pleasure

in

these 130

separate bodies

how

much more when has realised

all

bodies are one

The man who

?

has attained to freedom, has gone

this

beyond the dream and known himself nature.

This

dualistic

Vedanta.

the

is

in

his

real

of Advaita, the non-

teaching

These are the three steps which Vedanta philo sophy has taken, and we cannot go beyond, because

we

When

cannot go beyond unity.

reaches a unity

any science

cannot possibly go any farther.

it

You

cannot go beyond the idea of the Absolute, the idea of the

One, out

has evolved.

philosophy difficult to

;

of

which everything

All people cannot take it

is

too

understand

it

hard.

in the universe

up

this

First of all, It

intellectually.

Advaita

it is

very

requires the

sharpest of intellects, a bold understanding. Secondly, it

does not It is

steps.

suit the vast majority of

better to begin with the

Then by so

of these three

first

thinking of that and understanding

the second one will travels,

people.

of

open have

individuals

itself.

to

it,

Just as a race

The steps come to the

travel.

which the human race has taken

to

highest pinnacle of religious thought, every individual will

have to take.

Only, while the

millions of years to reach

individuals

may

live the

human

race took

from one step to another,

whole 131

life

of the

human

race

THE SCIENCE AND PHILOSOPHY OF RELIGION.

few

in a

years, or they

may be

quickly, perhaps in six months. will

who

have

to

able to do

it

more

But each one of us

Those

go through these steps.

of

you

are non-dualists can, no doubt, look back to the

period of your lives

As soon

when you were

strong dualists.

you think you are a body and a mind, you If you will have to accept the whole of this dream. have one piece you must take the whole. The man as

who

says, here is this

fool,

because

if

no God, is a there be a world there will have to be world but there

a cause of the world, and that

is

is

what

is

called

God.

You cannot have an effect without knowing that there a cause. God will only vanish when this world

is

vanishes.

When

you have realised your one-ness

As

with God, this world will no longer be for you. long as this dream

exists,

however,

we

are

bound

to

look upon ourselves as being born and dying, but as vanish this dream that

we are bodies vanishes, will we are being born and dying,

and

other

soon as the dream that

will

vanish the

dream

that

there

is

a

That very thing which we now see as this universe will appear to us as God, and that very God

universe.

who was so long external, will appear of our own selves. The last word of team

asi,

"That

thou

art."

132

as the very Self

Advaita

is,

Tat

Vivekananda, Swami The science and philosophy V3V7185 of religion 1915 B 132

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