SAIVA-SIDDHANTA

THE UtflCN OF INDIAN PHILOSOPHIES.
Dipikft Vol. I, for full description) earth, fire, air etc., and his
three eyes, as Soma, Surya and Agni, and His Head as AkaSa,
and his eight arms as the eight cardinal points, his feet as Padala,
and the sky as his garment, Digambara, and himself, a Nirvani
and living in cemeteries and yet with his Sakti, Uma, a Yogi yet
a Bhogi, all these give a conception of the supreme Majesty of
the Supreme Being which, no doubt, nobody can look up in the
face. Does any ordinary person dare to look up nature s secrets
and nature s ways in the process of destruction and creation and
sustentation ? If so, he will be a bold man, a great man. Strip
nature of its outside smooth and fragrant cloak and what do
you see inside ? The picture is ugly, dirty and gruesome. Yet
the scientist perceives all this with perfect equanimity, nay with
very great pleasure. A small drop
of water discloses to the
microscopic examinatioH multitudes of living germs, and these
fight with one another, devour each other with great avidity.
We drink the water. Plants drink up the water. Animals eat
the plants, insects and animals devour one another. Man, the
greatest monster, devours all. There is thus constant struggle
of life and death going on in nature. And when this nature is,
as thus, exposed to view in the transfiguration, and Arjuna
sees before him this havoc, in the Person of the Supreme as the
Destroyer, ( Devourer of Katha Upanishat) (and be it re
membered that this VisvasvarQpa Darsan is more gruesome in
GHa no doubt, than similar ones presented in the Amtsdsana
Parva t
as Krishna s whole burden of advice in the Gitei is
simply to force Arjuna to fight and kill his foes, and to conquer
his repugnance), a remark that it is derived from Puranic
legends and aboriginal practices is altogether out of place.
hope to pursue this subject on a future occasion.
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