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THE SIDDIANTA.
709
tion of jnana and jnâni can only result in the destruction of both.
We must, therefore, say that ji vas are many, though they all manifest the one and the same essence. When we look at the number of individuals, attention is directed to the many, but to the one when we look at the Essence.
This is precisely the view which is taken of God hood in the book of Genesis. In the 26th verse of the first chapter of that book it is said : "And God said, Let us make man in our image, after our likeness."
The italicized words are quite significant. As if to remove all possibility of mistake and misunderstanding, the author again refers to the subject in the 22nd verse of the third chapter, where the Lord God is made to say:
"Behold the man has become as one of us."
The words 'as one of us are too significant to be ignored, and unerringly point to the idea of God being that of a great Mountain of Light consisting of an infinity of smaller lights, all interpenetrating one another, and, thus, presenting manyness in the one and one-ness in the many. Even the serpent tempts Adam and Eve by promising them the status of Gods (Genesis, III, 5).
So far as Islam is concerned, we have already shown, in our third chapter, that the concept of Allah is that of unity in multiplicity, whether we tracu the word to Al-lah, or regard it as a contraction of Al-ilah; for the former signifies a hidden Flame, i.e., Consciousness, which is pluralistic in form, though singular in essence; and the latter is, on the face of it, a plurality
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