SAIVA-SIDDHANTA

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THE SVSTASVATARA UPANISHAT. 1
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we learn that the consuming fire and the love that passeth
knowledge arc but different sides of the same God:* Just and yet
merciful ,
that will by no means dear the guilty, yet showing
mercy
unto thousands"
Badarayana also touches upon this subject in I., iii., 40
and we quote below the Purvapaksha and Siddhhanta views on
this question from the commentary of Srikantha.
, "Because of trembling (I, iii, 40)- In the Katha-Vallis, in
the section treating of the thumb-sized Purusha, it is said as
follows :
1
Whatever there is, the whole world when gone forth (from
the Brahman) trembles in the breath ; (it isj a great terror, the
thunderbolt uplifted; those who know it become immmortal.
(cit. 6, 2).
Here a doubt arises as to whether the cause of trembling is
the Paramesvara or some other being.
(Purvapaksha) Here the Sruti speaks of the trembling of
:
the whole universe by fear caused by the entity denoted by the
word breath." It is not right to say that the Paramesvara,
who is so sweet natured as to afford refuge to the whole
universe and who is
supremely gracious, is the cause of the
trembling of the whole universe. Therefore, as the word
thunderbolt occurs here, it is the thunderbolt that is the cause
of trembling. Or it is the vital air which is the cause of the
trembling,
because the word breath occurs here. Since the
vital air causes the motion of
the body,
this whole world which
is the body as it were, moves on account of the vital air. Then
we can explain the passage "whatever there is, the whole world,
trembles in the breath.
when gone forth (from the Brahman)
Then we can also explain the statement that is a great
"it
terror, the thunderbolt uplifted,"
inasmuch as like lightning,
cloud and rain, the thunderbolt which is the source of great
terror is
produced by action of the air itself. It is also possible
to atttiin immortality by a knowledge of the air as the follow
ing Sruti says :