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MYTHOLOGY
impure ego) so long as it is involved in matter ; and the escape from matter is possible through tapas.
The three subjects wiich everyone desirous of obtain. ing salvation must study are, therefore,
(i) the nature of the soul-substance, (ii) the characteristics of an impure jiva, and
(iii) the method of its purification. These three I must now tell you are also the subjects which are represented by the three principal gods.“ Surya, Indra and Agni-in the scheme of the Vedic Pantheon.
(i) Surya is a symbol for Omniscience. for, as
the sun reveals all objects when it rises in the sky, so does Omniscience reveal all objects of knowledge when it arises in the
soul; (ii) Indra stands for an impure ego, trafficking
with the world through indriyas (the senses);
and (iii) Agni is tapas personified, which is the cause
of salvation, In a detailed way, Indra (i) committed adultery with his own preceptor's
wife, (ii) in consequence of which he was afflicted
with ugly spots all over his body ; (iii) but these were turned into eyes at the inter
vention of Brahina.
soul
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