SAIVA-SIDDHANTA

22 AN ANOTHER SIDE.
work. Now, says the Vedantin, this sentient being, which is
behind the whole universe, is what we call God, and conse
quently this universe is not wholly (the italics are ours)
different or apart from Him. It is but Himself, Who has some
how (the italics are ours) become this universe. He is not only
the instrumental cause of the universe, but also the material
cause thereof. A cause is never altogether different from its
effect, and an effect is but its own cause reproduced c in
another form." All Vedantins accept these propositions,
it is
stated, namely first, that God is both the instrumental and
material cause of this universe,. and that everything that exists
is He; and secondly, that Souls are also part of God, sparks of
that Infinite Fire, and an Upanishat Text is quoted in proof of
this. No, it is said further down, it is no spark, but the burning
log itself, in as much as Brahman can have no parts. Then
how can there be so many souls ? We are led into another
simile, the oft-repeated simile of the Sun and its myriad reflect
ions in different particles of water: "so all these Souls are but
reflections of Brahman and are not real. They are not the real
*
I, the One undivided Being ; men, women, brutes are mere
reflections of Him, and are unreal." There is but one Infinite
Being, and he appears as you and me and the , appearance of
distinctions, is all a delusion. This apparent division of Him is
caused by looking at Him through the net-work of time and
space and causation. The Ego is He, the Non-Ego is He. They
are not part of Him, but the whole of Him. "It is the Eternal
Knower Who stands behind all phenomena; He Himself is the
phenomena. He is both the subject and object, He is the Ego
and the Non-Ego." Here we might pause, before we proceed
to the rest of the paragraphs.
In the first place, we must beg leave to state that the
criticism of the Sarikhya proceeds on a mere word-quibble; the
word that is translated 1
simple is, we believe, Avyaktam, that
source of fruitful dispute between a number of learned heads,
like the late Mr. T. Subba Rao, the Light of the Easl, the
Thinker and the Brahmavddin itself etc., etc., i. e. t
where