SAIVA-SIDDHANTA

"
Wherefore
"
IlS
THE SVETASVATARA UPANISHAT.
"Air is everything itself and the air is all things together ;
he who knows this conquers death" (Bri. Up. 5-3-2).
(Siddhanta) As : against the foregoing, we say that
Paramevara himself is the cause of the trembling. It is
possible that, as the Ruler, Paramesvara is the cause of trembl
ing of the whole universe and by the fear of His command all
of us abstain from prohibited actions and engage in the
prescribed duties and it is
; by the fear of His command that
Vayu and others perform their respective duties, as may be
learned from such passages as the following :
"By fear of Him, Vayu (the wind) blows." (Tait. Up. 2-8).
Though gracious in appearance, Paramesvara becomes
awful as the Ruler of all. Hence the Sruti.
1
Hence the King s face has to be awful ! (Tait. Bra 3-8-23).
as the Master, Isvara Himself is the cause of
the trembling of the whole universe."
Before we enter into the discussion of the philosophic
import of this Upanishat, we have to note the great difficulty
felt nearly by all European scholars who are brought up solely
in the school of Sankara in interpreting this Upanishat, a
difficulty which has equally been felt with regard to the
Philosophy of the Gita. Different scholars have taken it as
expounding variously Sdnkhya and Yoga, Bhakti and Vedanta^
Dualism and non-Dualism ;
and Professor Max M tiller agrees
with Mr. Gough in taking it as fully expounding the Indian
idealism school of Vedanta. Professors Garbe and Macdonnell
characterise the philosophy as ECLECTIC. Says the
latter, (p. 405, History of Sanskrit : "Of
Literature) the eclectic
movement combining Sankhya, Yoga and Vedanta doctrines,
the oldest literary representative
is the Svetdsvatara Upanishat.
More famous is the Bhagavad Gita.*
If ever there was such an eclectic school, have these scholars
paused to enquire who their modern representatives are ?, Or
* Monier Williams was the first to point this out.