SAIVA-SIDDHANTA

THE SAIVA RELIGION. 307
away as an illusion, delusion or myth, the presence of this
delusion has itself to be accounted for. Delusion is a conscious
experience and the question, who is under delusion ? will arise.
If the soul is other than God, other than Maya and is in bandha
or bondage, then the necessity for the creation of the world
becomes intelligible. We therefore postulate three Padarthas,
three planes of existence, or three centres, the plane of matter,
the plane of souls and the plane of God. In the language of
Euclid, God is the point, that which hath no parts, nor
magnitude; that which is everywhere, in and out, above and
below; the soul is the centre of the circle, and the circumference
is the Maya that bounds. When this centre can rise up
Point, then its Nirvana is
possible.
MAHAVAKYA TEXTS.*
to the
But what are we to do with the Mahavakya
Thou art, I become that, I am that etc? It will be noted that
texts That
these texts are not discussed by the Sutrakara Badarayana in
the First Adhyaya relating
of
to Pramana or Proof of the nature
the Padarthas, where he distinctly postulated the difference,
but they are in the chapter on Sddana relating to the means of
salvation. The Teacher tells the pupil to practise the Sadana,
telling him that he is God (Tattvamasi), and the pupil accordingly
practises Soham bhavana or Sivohambhavana, by repeating the
mantra Aham Brahmasmi ;
there is consciousness, and consci
ousness of duality, of two Padarthas Aham and Brahma. This
is Dvaitam, the Yoga or Upanishat or Vedanta Pada. When
by this practice of Sivoham, the consciousness can disappear
then the soul can become One with God, Jnathru, Jnana
and Jneya all disappearing (the Jnana or Siddhanta Pada).
And the question arises how can this oneness be reached, how
can the two become one? This becomes possible on account of
.
a%cRHflft*l?n: U (SarvajSanottaragama.)