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THE INDIAN ANTIQUARY.
(SEPTEMBER, 1893.
consequence of its previous actions. The only way of escaping from this weary continual round of births, is the recognition by the soul of the soul as one with the Supreme Brahman,
- the highest self. By such knowledge the seeker after truth withdraws from the influence of maya, and, at the moment of death obtains immediate final release, being absorbed into and altogether losing his identity in the absolute Supreme Brahman. He once more becomes himself pure "Being," without qualities, cognitions, or identity.
On the other hand, recording to Riminnja, Brahman, the Supreme Being, the highest Self, the Lord,' is not pure Intelligence, though Intelligence is his chief attribute. So far from being pnroBeing,' devoid of all qnalities, he is endowed with all auspicions qualities. The Lord (I quote Dr. Thibaut's words) is all-pervading, all-powerful, all-knowing, all-mercifal his nature is fundamentally antagonistic to all evil. He contains within himself whatever exists.' Matter and soul (achit and chit) constitute the body of the Lord ; they stand to him in the same relation of entire dependence and subserviency, as that in which the matter forming an animal or vegetable body stands to its soul or animating principle. The Lord pervades and rnles all things which exist, material or immaterial-as their antaryhmin,' or inward ruler.
Antter and soul as forming the body of the Lord are also called modes of him (prakúra).' They are lookod npon as his effects, but they have enjoyed the kind of individual existence which is theirs from all eternity, and will never be entirely resolved into Brahman. Creation (as both he and Sankara agree) takes place at intervals. Between each period of creation, is a period of pralaya or non-creation, during which matter is anevolved (nvyakta), and according to Riminnja)'individual sonls are not joined to material bodies, but their intelligence is in a state of contraction, non-manifestation (sankicha). During this pralaya period Brahman is said to be in his causal condition (káranivastha). When the pralaya state comes to an end, creation takes place owing to an act of volition on the Lord's part. Primary unevolved matter becomes gross and requires those sensible attributes (such as visibility, tangibility, &c.), which are known from ordinary experience. At the same time the souls enter into connexion with material bodies corresponding to the degree of merit or demerit acquired by them in previous existenco; their intelligence at the same time andergoes a certain expansion (vikása). The Lord, together with matter in its gross state, and the "expanded" souls, is Brahman in the condition of effect (káryávastha). Canse and effect are thus at the bottom the same; for the effect is nothing but the cange which has undergone a certain change (parinama).'
There is thus, as in Ramanuja's system a never ending rond of births influenced by former nctions, and the only way of escaping from the endless chain is cognition of and meditation on the Lord, a thing which can only be done by His grace. There is no veil of máyk, as there is in Sankara's system, between the soul and the Lord: but without the Grace of the Lord, true anderstanding and true meditation is impossible. He who obtains that grace obtains final emancipation, and an everlasting blissful existenee. He does not become abecrbed in Brahman, but enjoys a separate personal existence, and will remain a personality for ever.' The release from smisára, the world of births and rebirths means, according to Sankars, the absolute merging of the individual soul in Brabman, due to the dismissal of the erroneons notion that the soul is distinct from Brahman; according to Ramanuja it only means the soul's passing from the tronbles of earthly life into a kind of heaven or paradise, where it will remain for ever in andisturbed personal bliss.'
The above brief abatract of Dr. Thibant's laminone comparison of these two sister philosophies, will, it is believed enable the student to understand the parenetic side of Tul'st Dis's writings, and in concluding this portion of the essay, I will give one more quotation from Dr. Thibaut, which (rem acu tetigit) accurately sums up the history of this side of religious
* Note that according to Sankara there are two conditions of Brahman, higher, which is Brahman, pure Intelligence, param wigwam Brahman - lower, Associated with mdyd. aparam sagam Brahman, known as Tivara, the Lord. Ramanuja knows only one condition of Brahman, with which name Tivara, the Lord, is ynonymons.
