The Pilgrim

The Quarterly Bulletin of the Christian Society for the Study of Hinduism

The Christian Society for the Study of Hinduism

Special Feature - Sivagnanabotham

A Revised Translation by Rev. H.A. Popley

Patrons: The Metropolitan of India, Calcutta Bishop BRENTON T. BADLEY, Delhi.

† President: Bishop CLEMENT D. ROCKEY, Lucknow.

† Secretary: Dr. J.E. McELDOWNEY, Leonard Theological College, Jabalpur

† Treasurer: Dr. C.H. HAZLETT, A. P. Mission, Mainpuri, U.P.

† Convener, Benares Institute: Rev. R.C. DAS, M.A., 129 Dashashwamedh, Benares.

† Editor of the Pilgrim: Rev. J.S. MOON, M.A., 54 Barrack Road, Barrackpore.

Special Representatives:

Church of India, Burma and Ceylon:

• The Lord Bishop of Lucknow, Allahabad.
• Dr. A.J. Appasamy, Palamcottah.

Church of Scotland Mission:

• Rev. Alexander McLeish, Church House, Nasirabad (Raj.)

Kellogg Memorial Church:

• Rev. J.V. Dibben, 87, Banaras Cantonment

Serampore College: † Prof. V.E. Dutt, M.A., B.D. Leonard Theological College: The Secretary. Evangelism: † Mr. M.C. Dharmaraj, Y.M.C.A. Student Hostel, Sitabuldi, Nagpur. Women’s Work: † Mrs. W. Stanley Gould, Ewing Christian College, Allahabad. The Tract Societies: Rev. Paul Das, B.A., 19 Clive Road, Allahabad. South India, Special Representative: † Mr. S.J. Daurisami, N.M.S. House, Royapettah, Madras. National Christian Council: Dr. M.T. Titus, Nelson Square, Nagpur. Henry Martyn School of Islamics: Dr. R. Donaldson, Aligarh, U.P.

† Denotes member of Executive

The objects of the Christian Society for the Study of Hinduism are,

1. To create and maintain adequate interest in the study of Hinduism by Christians
2. To carry on the study in a sympathetic, constructive and critical way for the purpose of effective evangelism and
3. To achieve the above objects in co-operation with Church and Mission bodies.

The activities of the Society are,

1. To conduct in Benares (and if possible in a South Indian centre) an Institute of Hinduism stressing its popular aspects
2. Publish The Pilgrim, a quarterly bulletin, bearing on Hinduism, its relation To Christianity and work among Hindus and
3. To encourage the organisation of a permanent School of Hinduism.

The minimum annual subscription is Rs. 2/-. Membership fees and gifts may be sent to the treasurer, Dr. C.H. Hazlett, A.P. Mission, Mainpuri, U.P.

Every member will receive The Pilgrim free.

Editorial Board: Bishop Clement D. Rockey, Dr. A.J. Appasamy Mrs. W.S. Gould Rev. C.G. Diehl (Madras) Dr. J.E. McEldowney Prof. V.E. Dutt Rev. A.M. Ward (Bangalore) Mr. R.C. Das Rev. J.S. Moon (Editor)

The Secretary points out that the views expressed in the Minutes represent the Executive’s opinion so far as he has been able to ascertain it.

Editor.

The Old Story in the Mahabharata

By ASHANANDA NAG.

The Mahabharata is a composite work. In it are stories and treatises which are from different pens and belong to different periods. The antiquity of the Mahabharata is a matter of opinion. Some portions seem to be very old while other parts are not quite so old. The language of the Mahabharata is reminiscent of epic Sanskrit - slipshod expressions, and grammatical errors (i.e., from the standpoint of classic grammar) are quite frequent. Certain portions of the Mahabharata are in prose, and the style in these portions is simple, perhaps too simple for the classical grammarian. This is no argument for the antiquity of the Mahabharata. Writers whose contributions constitute the epic had the general reading public in mind, and for that reason had’no hesitation in writing in loose style. But it should be borne in mind that the Mahabharata contains passages which are of haunting beauty. The main defects of the Mahabharata are prolixity and lack of coherence. It requires a good deal of patience to read the Mahabharata from end to end. The Greek epics are undoubtedly superior to the Mahabharata as works of art. But the moral tone of the Mahabharata is rather high.

In the Mahabharata is a story which has fascinated some Christian orientalists. The story is quite a riddle, and it is difficult to know what the author had in mind when he related or invented it. It occurs in the Santi Parvan of the Mahabharata. The Lord of the Universe says that “his spirit is manifested in the white peninsula.” Narada, the sage, resorts to the “White Peninsula” and what he sees there amazes him. The White Peninsula lies to the north of the Ocean of Milk. The tract of land is inhabited by white people whose vesture is like that of the moon. They are absorbed in meditation, and their worship is mental, i.e., they do not worship images. They follow the path of Bhakti, and for that reason they are known as ‘men of intense devotion’. The Lord who is worshipped by these white people are invisible except to those who believe in Him. Narada is much impressed by this mode of worship. The Hindu sage hears a noise of many voices crying aloud. What does this noise mean? It is a commemoration of a sacrifice in which the Lord Himself had been immolated for the redemption of humanity. Narada catches the spirit of the congregation, and bowing down in adoration exclaims: “Salvation to thee, god of gods thou art from everlasting to everlasting … thou fillest the firmament … thou art the king of kings - a veritable priest art thou … thou art the supreme sacrifice … thou art the sacrifice in which Hari himself was immolated … thou art holy; thrice holy art thou, thou art the sacrificial bread … thou art the refuge of believers. Desirous am I of beholding thee. Salutations. OM.”

I have given above the substance of the story as it occurs in the Santi Parvan of the Mahabharata. The story as it is given in the southern recension of the Mahabharata is long and complicated. The interpretation is difficult.

Are we to suppose that the Hindu sage here gives his impression of the Eucharist? This is exactly the conclusion at which some Orientalists have arrived. Weber, the famous German scholar, thought that the story might be an ancient Hindu account of some of the rituals of the Eastern Church.

There are certain elements in the story which lend support to this theory. It is quite possible that a Hindu sage had visited Alexandria and attended a Christian service there somewhere in the third century A.D. The expressions, “Thou art the sacrifice in which Hari was immolated”, “thou art holy, thrice holy art thou”, “thou art the priest”, “thou art the sacrificial meal” sound very Christian.

I once sought an interview with Dr. Brajendranar Seal, that renowned scholar of Bengal. I referred to this story in the course of my conversation with him. Dr. Seal said to me, “Weber indeed suggested that the story in question might be a Hindu version of the Eucharist, but the German scholar offered no proof in support of his conjecture. I have proved that the story of the white Peninsula was written by a Hindu sage who must have visited Alexandria and attended a Christian service there.” It may interest readers to know that Dr. Seal examines the story in his book entitled “Vaishnavism and Christianity”.

It is nevertheless desirable to remember that the interpretations of Weber and Seal have not been accepted by some Orientalists. For example, Winternitz does not agree with Weber. Still I am inclined to think that Weber and Seal are nearer the truth. The story is no doubt a confused account of the Eucharist. But the story as it is told in the Mahabharata is a queer mixture of Hindu mythological ideas and Hindu philosophical speculation. Allowing for this strange mixture of mythology and philosophy - which is not after all so strange in a Hindu document - one may reasonably conclude that the author of the story is referring to Christ and to the Eucharist in the story of the White Peninsula. Prof. H.C. Roychowdhury of the Calcutta University takes Dr. Seal to task for the Christian interpretation the latter puts on the story. It is quite possible to hold that the story is a Hindu account of the Eucharist without denying the plain fact that the story is related in terms of Hindu mythology and Hindu philosophical speculation. Having read the story in the southern recension of the Mahabharata and compared it with some of the previous and subsequent sections of the epic from the linguistic and doctrinal points of view I find myself in agreement with Weber and Seal. I believe that Christ and the Eucharist form the subject-matter of the story.

It has been claimed on behalf of Buddhism that the story is reminiscent of Buddhist influence. The Buddha of Mahayana Buddhism has been indirectly referred to by the author of the story. Some of the expressions used by Narada are indeed Buddhistic. Expressions such as ‘Maharajika’ and ‘Tusita’ are perhaps Buddhistic. But that only proves that the story is a very confused account in which expressions of Buddhistic and Christian origins have been jumbled up. The main theme of the story is clearly Christian. Moreover, Buddha does not occupy a very prominent position in the Mahabharata. It is said that in the northern recension of the Mahabharata the name of Buddha does not occur, and in the southern recension of the epic Buddha is mentioned perhaps only once. And the reference to Buddha is not very complimentary to the founder of Buddhism. It can be proved that the author gets mixed up about Buddhism and Jainism and confuses one with the other. Buddhist ideas no doubt appear in disguised forms in the Mahabharata but, Buddha is still a heretic to the pious Hindu and must on no account be praised too highly. Arguments in support of Christian influence are more convincing than those adduced in favour of Buddhism.

The question should be discussed in the light of the development of pro-Buddhist attitude in Hindu thought. In the primary stage Hindu writers are totally reticent about Buddha, Buddha is not important enough to be taken seriously by the orthodox Hindu writers. The second stage begins when the Hindu mind adopts a hostile attitude towards. Buddha who is regarded as a dangerous heretic and is denounced, as in the Ramayana and in some of the Puranas. The third stage marks the establishment of Buddha in the Hindu pantheon. Reference to Buddha in the Santi-Parvan of the Mahabharata is a mixture of denunciation and acceptance. Buddha is regarded as an avatara of Vishnu and is damned with faint praise as a teacher who deludes the human race. In the light of this fact it is precarious to hold that the founder of Buddhism is indirectly referred to in the story of the White Peninsula. Some expressions which have a Buddhistic ring are used in the story. But these expressions were in the air in India in the third century A.D. It is by no means strange that the author of the story should have put these expressions in the mouth of Narada. But it is a different story with Christianity. The theological structure of the Vasudeva cult is strangely similar to that of Christianity. It is very natural that a Hindu sage attending a divine service of the Greek Church should have found much to impress him.

It is to be hoped that the Mahabharata will be studied in its textual and historical aspects both by Christian and non-Christian scholars. In free and independent India freedom of thought and enquiry will be the order of the day. Some of the problems which have interested me in connection with the Mahabharata are: (1) The development of the Vasudeva cult. (2) the interpolation of Saivite passages (3) the origin and development of the Samkhya school of speculation (4) the concealed Buddhist background of a considerable section of the Mahabharata (5) the origin and problem of the Gita and its affiliations to other sections of the Mahabharata, and (6) non-Indian ideas in the Mahabharata. Each of these problems deserves a critical and careful examination and treatment and will amply reward a Christian scholar who may choose to turn his attention to the Mahabharata and its problems.

If the interpretation of the story of the White Peninsula is as Weber and Seal would have us believe the story may be regarded as the first recorded indication of the re-action of the Hindu mind to the old, old story of Jesus, and His vicarious suffering on the cross. It is a landmark which should be taken note of by everybody who is interested in the progress of Christianity in India.

Sivagnanabotham

By Rev. K.A. POPLEY (Coonoor)

Introduction

About 40 years ago I became very interested in the Tamil Saiva Siddhanta literature and made a fairly thorough study of it, including the SIVAGNANABOTHAM, the fundamental source book for its theology and philosophy. In 1910 in the Christian College Magazine I published an English translation of the most important parts of this work with notes. Since then the demands of regular work in the London Mission and the Y.M.C.A. have prevented me from any further detailed study, though I have always kept up my interest in the Saiva Siddhanta and have read many books, both in Tamil and English concerning it. Now that I have retired from regular mission work it is possible for me to find time for more detailed study and I have been carefully through the SIVAGNANABOTHAM again during the past few months. I have also studied carefully the English translations of the work by T. Ponnambalam Pillai, Navamoney David, and Swami Suddhananda Bharatiar. The English translation that follows has been made from the original Tamil itself, with the aid of the great commentary by Sivagnana Yogi and known as MAHAPADIYAM.

As I have mentioned above the SIVAGNANABOTHAM of Meykandar Thevar is the fundamental source book of the Tamil Saiva Siddhanta religious philosophy and so is of immense importance to all students of South Indian religious life and thought. The twelve main stanzas around which this work is written are said to be Tamil translations of twelve stanzas in the Sanskrit RAURAVA AGAMA. But today most Tamil and many Sanskrit scholars are of opinion that the Sanskrit slokas are translations from the Tamil book, inserted into the RAURAVA AGAMA with the object of giving an authoritative Sanskrit original in the Agama to the Tamil Saiva Siddhanta. I am not competent to discuss this question and can only say that there is nothing in the SIVAGNANABOTHAM itself to suggest that its main twelve stanzas are translations from a Sanskrit source. The explanatory verses or dissertation and illustrations are certainly Meykandar’s own and even the twelve stanzas read like original verses rather than translations. Even the two Introductory verses in Praise of God and Commendation to the readers do not contain any suggestion of a Sanskrit original. Neither Manikkavasagar nor the three Saiva Adiyars-Appar, Sundarar, and Sambandar - refer to any such original though they do often speak of the Agamas, which indeed contain a good deal of matter which suggested to later commentators and to Srikantha Acbariyar himself many of the philosophical ideas that are found in the Saiva Siddhanta. However, this question of a Sanskrit original is not of very great importance to us as the Tamil work of Meykandar is regarded by the Saiva Siddhanta school as the source book for its philosophy and theology.

In this translation I have, as far as possible, made use of English words to translate the Tamil technical terms, except in a few cases; where it seemed desirable to use the Sanskrit technical term as found commonly in English, such as the word ‘karma’. In a few places I have put in brackets equivalent Indian terms.

In the SIVAGNANABOTHAM the Supreme Being is designated by different words, such as Sivan, Aryan, Pathi, Muthalvan, Irai; some of which are Sanskrit and some Tamil. In most places I have used the Christian word ‘Lord’, as it seems to me that the idea contained in this word expresses most clearly the thought of the author. Occasionally, I have used the word ‘God’ in places where it seemed to convey better the author’s meaning. I have not used the word ‘Siva’ because to English readers this conveys the idea of a limited and local God and Meykandar always regards Sivan as the One Supreme Lord, besides whom is no other.

I believe that of all Indian religious philosophies the Saiva Siddhanta comes nearest to Christian teaching and that a careful study of this system will be of great value to the Christian student and evangelist in India. I hope later on to expand this translation with notes from the great commentary of Sivagnana Yogi and with a critical appreciation of its value and of the differences with Christian teaching. For the present this translation of the source book of Tamil Savia Siddhanta must suffice.

Sivagnanabotham or Revelation of Divine Wisdom

By TIRU MEYKANDA THEYAR

Stanza 1. The Existence of the Supreme God

The visible universe, composed of the forms called he, she and it, is subject to the three processes of creation, evolution and dissolution. Therefore, it must have been created and established by God in whom it subsists. It comes into existence through the sense-principle of self-assertion (Anavamalam). So the seers say that He who brings the world to an end is also its Creator.

Stanza 1. First Section

Origin, evolution and dissolution belong to all that exists.

1. O fool! The end and the beginning are secondary causes for the evolution of the world. Otherwise, we should not see each thing arising, existing and perishing. So will not the wise declare from this that such must also happen to the world?

Stanza 1. Second Section

The non-existent cannot experience evolution.

1. The universe which is dissolved comes into existence again through the agency responsible for its dissolution, in order to destroy the sense-principle of Karma. If you say that it is dissolved into its creator, Vishnu, or into the primeval material, Maya, then these will not be dissolved. So both the creator and the primeval material must also be dissolved in the God who dissolves the universe.

2. As the seed in the moistened earth grows into the shoot, so the wondrous universe, resting on the energy of the Lord, comes to fruition through the work of the Lord. As the hornet gives to the worm the form it desires, so the Lord gives to the soul a body as a result of its former actions.

3. The Lord, then, who is unchangeable and not caught in the grip of Time, sees the universe, without creating it; guards it without watching it; dissolves it without Himself being dissolved; He Himself remaining unfettered like the mind of the man in his wakened state and like one who sees the dream he dreamt.

Stanza 1. Third Section

The material universe exists through Him who dissolves it, who Himself is without materiality.

1. As the universe comes into existence and continues to exist through One who is not one of its forms, so the universe comes to an end in that unique One. Thus, the End of all things is the First Cause of all things. Like that First Cause, souls also are eternal, but are subject to Him in all conditions.

Stanza 2. The Relation of God to the Soul

The Lord, who is one with the souls and distinct from them and yet inseparable from them, through His divine word, which is His gracious energy (Sakti), and on account of good and evil deeds, causes the souls to undergo the changes of birth and death. The Lord ever remains in unbroken union with His word (Sakti).

Stanza 2. First Section

The word: ‘Attuvitham’ (Advaitham) cannot, mean ‘oneness’ but ‘non-separateness’.

1. As the mind is united with a body and its organs and answers to the name of the body, so is the Lord united with the soul. He is not the soul and the soul cannot become Him. He is one with it and yet distinct from it.

2. Know that there is only one Supreme Being, the Lord alone. You who think yourself to be that One, know that you are the soul formed by earthly bonds and not the same as that One. Apart from the letter ‘A’ the other letters cannot be spoken. So the Veda says, ‘Nothing without God’.

3. As the sound is united with the letter and the fruit with its taste, so the sacred feet of the Lord - His grace - is united with the universe. So the Vedas speak not of sameness but of non-separateness.

4. As the grains of sand, mixed with the melted wax, are united in an inseparable union, so the Lord unites with souls in an inseparable union. But the Lord and the world are both distinct and yet one. When the Lord enters my soul, purified by communion with Him, then I can say, ‘I am the world’.

Stanza 2. Second Section

The two kinds of actions happen to souls through the gracious energy (Sakti) of the Lord.

1. In order to bring out the good and evil actions of the past the soul unites with the body and new fruits of action come out according to the law of karma. Just as the fruitful earth brings to fruition the work of the cultivator, so the bountiful Lord does for the soul. Actions by themselves will not come to fruition.

2. Just as the magnet attracts the iron so through the Lord souls are given bodies in order to enjoy the fruits of their previous actions. If this is not so who in that time of darkness can know these things and bring them to pass?

3. The husk of the paddy and the rust on the copper are not new but are ancient. So also the three sense-impurities of self-assertion, sensuousness and retribution (Maya, malam, kanmam) are connected with the soul from of old. As the opening and closing of the lotus are due to the action of the sun, so these changes in the soul are due to the gracious presence of the Lord.

Stanza 2. Third Section

Souls disappear and reappear in accordance with the fruit of actions.

1. When the visible body with its organs decays the psychic body still exists and acts. Then the soul in this body experiences heavenly experiences. As the dreamer forgets the experience of his waking state, the soul impelled by desire and forgetting its previous experiences, passes into a new psychic body in accordance with its previous actions and comes to birth in a suitable womb.

2. The serpent casting off its old skin and putting on a new one, the soul leaving the dream state and entering the waking state, the yogi leaving his body and entering another body-these are all analogies for the soul leaving the visible body. It is not correct to say that it is like the illusion of the mixing of the air in a pot with the atmosphere around, when the pot is broken. This latter analogy only applies to the passing of the soul from the psychic body.

Stanza 2. Fourth Section

The Lord and His gracious energy (Sakti) are inseparable.

1. Because the Lord is everywhere He cannot be said to be one only. If on the other hand He is said to be two then He cannot be everywhere. As apart from Him there is no soul or body, anywhere, then it cannot be said that He is not everywhere. So like the sun and its light He must be both one and two. The universe is His possession, and we are His servants.

Stanza 3. The Existence of the Soul

The soul says ‘I am not this’. ‘This is my body’. It subdues the five senses. In sleep, it continues to exist and has no feeling of pleasure or pain. It knows what it is taught. Thus, the soul is a distinct entity in a machine like body.

Stanza 3. First Section

Because you say ‘there is no soul’, therefore the soul must exist.

1. Existing in an intimate union with the body and all its organs and saying of them all ‘I am not this’, there is an intelligence which knows the five mystic letters. You are that. You are not that sense-principle of self-assertion which is bound to you in this world and which like spectacles shows you sense-knowledge only. Nor are you the Supreme Being. You are yourself.

Stanza 3. Second Section

Because you say ‘my body, my hands, my leg etc.’, there must be a soul.

1. As you say of your things ‘these are mine’, so you stand apart and say ‘my hands, my feet my knowledge’. If you consider, you will know that all these are distinct from yourself.

Stanza 3. Third Section

The soul is that which knows all the senses.

1. Each sense in the body, knows only one kind of sensation and not another. If there is something, which knows all the five senses, animated by the five mystic letters, that something is yourself. The senses only experience their individual sensations and do, not know the self. Consider and know that you are not one of them but distinct.

Stanza 3. Fourth Section

In the sleeping and dreaming states the soul exists.

1. The five senses active in the waking state become quiescent in sleep: and subside into the body. Then the soul enters into a psychic body and acts in this body and again leaves it. So. you are not that psychic body but distinct.

Stanza 3. Fifth Section

In dreamless sleep the soul still exists though without experiencing.

1. In sleep the faculties of this body, which knows and experiences, lie dormant and unseeing and the body is without feelings and, activities, yet the breath is fully active. But the soul which sees and knows is distinct from the breath. You should know that when the soul is awake and active it experiences such feelings and activities.

Stanza 3. Sixth Section

The soul knows only as taught by the Lord.

1. The soul knows things only one at a time and forgets what it learnt and also passes through the five states. What is that which knows? It is not the body. It is the soul which is distinct from that and also from its own knowledge. It is the soul itself.

Stanza 3. Seventh Section

The soul is distinct from all else, including the Lord.

1. If we consider carefully we see that all sense objects are not permanent but transient. If we examine the nature of that wisdom and also the total of sense objects, we see that the body is to the soul as a lamp to the eye. So the soul is distinct from the body.

Stanza 4. The Nature of the Soul

The soul is not one of the four intellectual faculties. The soul is unable to know anything of itself because of its original sense-impurity. But it is united with these intellectual faculties by the Lord, and through them, it gains knowledge, as a king governs through his ministers, and passes through the five states.

Stanza 4. First Section

The soul is distinct from the intellectual faculties.

1. The four intellectual faculties are cognisant of permanent sense impressions. The soul understands that which arises from the Reason. As the wave of the sea rises and breaks on the shore these cognitions arise in the soul. As the intellectual faculties are different from the sense impressions, so also is the soul distinct from the intellectual faculties.

2. The soul in its determinative faculty considers things; as mind it thinks them out; as self-consciousness it doubts; and as reason comes to a clear decision. So the soul, through the faculties acquiring knowledge, is distinct from those faculties, just as the sun is distinct from the divisions of time.

3. In the mystic word AUM, A represents self-consciousness, U represents reason, M represents mind. In the mystic symbol ॐ the line represents the determinative faculty and the circle the soul. These letters and symbol make the mystic prayer Pranavam which is indivisible. The cognitions of the soul arise anew again and again like the rising and falling waves of the sea

4. The different aspects of Deity are represented in this mystic word and symbol. The line and the circle represent. God as the author of the sense world and redemption; and the letters AUM represent Brahma, Vishnu and Siva respectively.

Stanza 4. Second Section

The soul is ignorant on account of the inborn sense impurity.

1. The soul can know nothing of the sense world unless it uses the body formed by Maya, the original sense-impurity, as a light. This original sense impurity is attached to the soul from the beginning; just as the firewood, though distinct from the fire, conceals within itself the undying fire and unites with it.

Stanza 4. Third Section

The soul passes through the five states.

1. The soul in the first state is in the forehead and operates with the 25 faculties. In the second state it is in the throat with other 25 faculties. In the third state it is in the heart with only life, thought and breath. In the fourth state it is in the navel and only life and breath remain. In the fifth state it is in the pubic region and only life remains.

2. The soul which has passed through the five states and has come again to the first state in the forehead. Passes through another five states, that is those connected with the sense organs, and separates itself from them. Then at the time of release it passes, through another similar five states.

Stanza 5. The Method of the Soul’s Knowledge

By means of the soul the senses of touch, taste, sight, smell and hearing measure and know sense objects, but they cannot know themselves or the soul. So also the soul cannot know itself or the grace of God. As the iron is attracted by the magnet, so also the grace of God influences the soul and makes it to know, while God remains changeless.

Stanza 5. First Section

The five senses know only by means of the soul.

1. The soul as a king rules the senses and so the five senses cannot know the soul. The soul can only know by means of the senses. Unless the soul is active the eye will not see and the ear will not hear. So the soul and the senses are interdependent.

Stanza 5. Second Section

The soul knows only by means of the divine Sakti.

1. You have forgotten the Vedic verse which says that the world acts in the presence of the ever living Lord. Know that the soul, having the Lord as its light and in accordance with the fruit of actions, comes to know the world. As the material is illusory the Lord cannot have any experience of these phenomena.

2. As the stars have no light apart from the sun, depend on the sun and shine only by the sun and yet are not the sun, so know that the soul knows the sense impressions of sight, hearing, taste, smell and touch through the Lord of Truth and abides in union with Him.

3. Grace is eternal in the Lord. That grace is His divine energy (Sakti). Grace does not exist apart from Him nor He apart from grace. To those whose sight is inspired by His grace the Lord appears as the sun.

Stanza 6. The Nature of the Lord

If it is said that the Lord is intelligible to human faculties then He must be unreal like the world. If it’s said that He is unintelligible then He must be non-existent. So say the wise. He is neither the one nor the other, but partakes of the two natures as the supreme Reality (Siva-Sat).

Stanza 6. First Section

That which is known by intelligence is unreal matter.

1. You who do not understand the nature of the unreal world, hear this. If you have seen the truth you know that all things intelligible to the mind are unreal. You who do not belong to this unreal world, consider these similes of the unreal world, which appears and disappears, writing on the water, the dream that comes and goes, the mirage.

Stanza 6. Second Section

The Lord is known only through His grace.

1. If it is said that the Lord is neither intelligible reality nor unreal phenomenon, what then? The truth seer knows that both the unreal world of the senses and the unreal illusion belong to phenomena. So the supreme Being, the Truth, is His own divine grace, known in experience.

2. The, faculties of intelligence belong to the unreal world and so cannot know the supreme One. Even you, who know objects by those faculties cannot know Him. If you consider, you will see that the objects of cognition are different from yourself. But the truth seer knows Him only through His grace and will see that unique One is not different from himself.

3. If the Supreme can be cogitated by the mind He must belong to phenomena. If He transcends human cognition then He is only a mental image. If He is neither then He is a fiction. If the mind forms an image of Him that is merely a mental image. The supreme Being can be realised by His grace, and so He is not a fiction.

4. In order that the soul may know Him, He cannot be wholly other than the soul, As He is within its intelligence the soul, cannot know Him by its own knowledge. Therefore, the soul by its own knowledge cannot see and know that One who is the cause of its own intelligence, just as the light of the eye cannot know the soul.

5. The Lord is not an object to the mind, for then the mind would know the Supreme. Nor is He like other objects - distinct from the soul but pervades its intelligence. So the intelligence within the soul is the Lord.

Stanza 7. The Nature of the Soul

In the presence of absolute reality all phenomenal objects are unreal. Therefore, the Lord as absolute reality cannot: know phenomenal objects. The phenomenal as it has no: reality cannot know the Lord. Thus, the soul which has knowledge of both cannot belong to either category, but partakes of the nature of both, (i.e., it is Sat-asat).

Stanza 7. First Section

The phenomenal does not exist for the Lord.

1. The Lord who is not separate from the phenomenal world cannot know it as an object. If this non-separate One, knows the phenomenal. He cannot know it as a separate object. Imperfect phenomena cannot exist in His presence as darkness cannot exist in the presence of light.

Stanza 7. Second Section

The Unreal cannot know the Real.

1. Just as an ignorant man mistaking a mirage for water, approaches and finds the mirage to be an illusion, so in the same way to the soul which has not learnt the true nature of phenomena these will appear as real. Know then that the phenomenal has no real existence for those who have learnt aright.

Stanza 7. Third Section

The soul which is connected both with the phenomenal and the real can know both.

1. The soul which studies works of philosophy, since it knows both the real and the phenomenal, cannot belong to either but must be distinct from both its true nature is not that of either nor is it an illusion it appears in its union with each and partakes of the nature of each, like the fragrance in the flower.

2. O soul, you are not absolute reality, for you are perplexed at one time and at another understand clearly, like the man who becomes confused by disease and then intelligent again by medicine. You are not a mere phenomenon for phenomena do not know and experience the fruits of former actions as you know and experience them. So you are something different from both.

3. Ignorance which belongs to phenomena cannot exist in the divine wisdom, for only wisdom is. It abides with the soul that is united with that wisdom. Know that this is similar to the union of the salt with the seawater.

Stanza 8. The Soul’s Release

The Lord, on account of the soul’s previous good deeds, has been indwelling in the soul, and now appears to him as a guru and teaches him that he is a king’s son, who has been growing up in bondage to the five senses and so has forgotten his sonship. Then the soul realising this leaves this bondage and comes to rest in inseparable union with the sacred feet of the Lord.

Stanza 8. First Section

The revelation of true wisdom comes about as a result of past karma.

1. Those who have done good enjoy the fruits of their actions continuously in a state of bliss, and then are born again on the earth in a good family so that they may experience the fruit of their former deeds and attain the path of wisdom. So says the teaching of those who have studied the philosophy of release.

2. The joy that comes from good deeds is like the joy the hungry man experiences after eating, which passes away and then hunger comes again. If by means of such perishable good deeds the soul comes to realise the similarity of both kinds of deeds and so of their futility, he will come to the divine guru and through Him attain to wisdom.

Stanza 8. Second Section

The revelation comes through a divine guru.

1. The Lord Himself will come as wisdom to the souls of the perfected (Vignanakalar) and will give them wisdom. To the souls of the spiritual (Pralayakalar) he comes as a divine guru and teaches them. To the sensuous (Sakalar) he comes as a human teacher and teaches them.

2. Souls cannot learn wisdom unless the Lord teaches them in accordance with their conditions. So the faultless Lord of the world teaches the spiritual and the sensuous by the imperfect method of direct instruction. To the perfected, who do not need this imperfect method, the heavenly wisdom is imparted intuitively.

3. O good learner, as the breast milk and the tears, signs of the inward love of the mother, do not appear before the child is born but only after, so who can know the Lord, who like the shadow on the water exists unseen in the soul until He comes in the form of a guru and teaches the soul.

Stanza 8. Third Section

Souls are misguided by the five senses,

1. The soul after reflecting on the knowledge obtained through the senses, which is like the many colours reflected in the mirror that are distinct from the mirror, and so realising that the fleeting sensations are distinct from itself and that its own knowledge is illusory, learns its own true nature. Then, when the nature of that true Being is revealed in the soul as distinct from himself, he becomes the servant of that divine Reality.

Stanza 8. Fourth Section

The soul, realising its distinction from the five senses, unites with the Lord.

1. The soul, bound by sensory knowledge, like the rich water imprisoned by the bond which has burst the dam and is rushing away to unite with the ocean, will when it is freed from the bonds of sensory knowledge, join the imperishable feet of the Lord and remain there.

2. If every mental object, both sensory and spiritual, is the same as God, then there will be none who attain to the feet of the Lord. If the Lord is quite separate from every, mental object then He cannot be the supreme Lord. All mental objects are different, the one from the other, just as other organs cannot see like the eye. The preciousness of the feet of the Lord can be known by the preciousness of eyesight, to those who regain it after losing it.

3. O soul, which has reached the final stage, you are not limited to the knowledge obtained through the five senses. The sensuous who are freed from the bonds of the five senses and who have attained to the feet of the Lord will never again leave them on account of sensory objects. Like the green scum which floats on the water and is driven away by a stone, if sense-impurities again come upon the soul, it will meditate upon the Lord who never leaves it and rid itself of those.

Stanza 9, the Purification of the Soul

O soul, the Lord cannot be known by the defective sight of sensory or intellectual knowledge. Therefore, search out and know Him by the wise sight of divine intelligence. Realising that the sense world passes away like a mirage, the divine wisdom will come as a cooling shade to the soul and the soul will attain right knowledge by means of meditation upon the five mystic letters of the divine name, given by the Lord.

Stanza 9. First Section

Know the Lord through divine wisdom.

The soul, looking for itself in its nerves, bones veins, marrow, mucus and other constituents of the body, learns that it cannot find itself there. Those who search by means of the grace of the Lord will know the Lord and themselves. Those who do not search in this way how can they know themselves?

1. The eye which sees what is shown to it cannot see its own nature, nor can it see the soul, which enables it to see other things. Similarly, the soul, by itself, cannot know itself or the Lord who makes it to see. The Lord is like the thief and lies hidden in the intelligence. So seek Him in the soul’s intelligence.

Stanza 9. Second Section

Realise the Lord within the soul.

1. When the soul realises that the heavens and all else are transient, will not the Lord, who is unqualified, holy, eternally blessed, absolute and unique, appear as a surpassing wonder to the soul and as the immeasurable light of its own intelligence?

2. Realising that the world shown to the senses is unreal, know that what remains is the real and is different from the unreal. You, who have known the unreal: world, you are not the real. If you unite with the real as its servant, then that unreal knowledge will pass away.

3. When the soul knows that the things it sees are not real and renounces them and contemplates the Lord in the soul, then the method by which it renounces its old sense-relations through the grace of the Lord is like the method in which the snake charmer drives away the poison of the snake by means of contemplation on the kite, Garuda.

Stanza 9. Third Section

Contemplate the mystic five letters of the sacred name according to rule.

1. The soul by repeating the five mystic letters realises that it is the possession of the Lord and worships the Lord in the heart by means of the five letters and performs the home sacrifice in the bowels with the fire of love and then in the forehead enters into union with the Lord. The Lord will then appear to it, and it will become the servant of the Lord.

2. As one sees the invisible planets (Raghu and Kethu) in the sun and moon at the time of an eclipse, so if the soul sees the Lord in the heart, the Lord will appear and shine as the soul’s intelligence, just as the fire blazes out when the rod is rubbed among the dry sticks. Then like the iron in the flame the soul will renounce its self-assertion and become the servant of the Lord. Therefore, repeat the five mystic letters.

3. If you come to know the nature of the lotus-heart, it will be seen that the 24 sensory principles are the stalk, the 15 intelligence principles are the 8 petals, the 64 powers of the Lord are its filaments the seed vessel is His divine energy (Sakti) and the 51 seeds are the male energy. Thus, the divine energy of the Lord (Sakti) abides in the Lotus-heart. So worship Him by the five mystic letters.

Stanza 10. The Victory of the Soul

Just as the Lord, though distinct from the soul, unites with it in indissoluble union, so the soul becomes one with Him as servant with Master. Then will the evils of sense, viz: self-assertion, sensuousness, karma; pass away completely.

Stanza 10. First Section

The inseparability of the Lord and the soul

1. Those who always say ‘I’ and ‘He’ and those who say ‘I only’ have thought but egoism. Those who lose all consciousness of self and realise that they are entirely the Lord’s, those He will bring to His sacred feet and will become one with them.

Stanza 10. Second Section

The soul must continue unfailingly the united relation of servant and master with the Lord.

1. The senses are not our real self. They are not under our control but under the control of the Lord. The objects of the senses are not our real self, and they too are not under our control. We ourselves are under the control of the Lord and are not free. If as servants of the Lord we live in accord with this relationship, then in whatever body we may be, our deeds will not become bonds to the soul. In the presence of the Lord, who directs the fruits of actions, these will pass away completely.

2. As it is the duty of the great to protect those who take refuge with them, the Lord will protect those who take refuge with Him, without any partiality. He makes His servants who take refuge in Him like Himself, and to those who do not take refuge in Him, he gives the fruits of their actions. So He treats the two classes according to their actions.

3. As the faint odour of asafoetida still persists in the jar that has contained it, so the faint operation of karma still persists even in the enlightened soul. Yet the fruit of future deeds of such a soul will not be heaped up but will fade away, for that soul has become one with the real soul and has gazed steadfastly on the divine axle which will not allow it to revolve again in the round of births.

4. Like the yogis who, though sitting in the midst of the fires, do not lose their power, and like the riders who drive and control the fleet of horse, so those who have found the way of freedom through contemplation and have fixed their mind on the sacred feet of the Lord, even though they walk in the midst of the five senses will not come into bondage to them and lose their real nature.

5. If the truth seer who belongs both to the real and to the phenomenal sees all things through the grace of the Lord, since he is not influenced by the phenomenal, he will become united to the real and will not be any longer under the control of the senses, just as the darkness cannot exist before the brilliant light of the sun.

Stanza 11. The Soul Attains Oneness With the Lord

As the soul in union with the eye makes it to see and itself sees, so the Lord in union with the soul knows and makes it to know. Thus, through unceasing love the soul unites with the sacred feet of the Lord.

Stanza 11. First Section

The Lord shares the experience of the soul.

1. The soul unites separately with each of the five senses and apprehends their objects. It does not apprehend all the five sensations in a unity, but one by one. But the Lord who is One apprehends all objects and souls at once and unites with each soul separately.

2. When the soul unites with the Lord at His sacred feet, because of the fullness of its ecstasy and because He is one with it continually, will He not share in all its experiences and knowledge?

Stanza 11. Second Section

The soul attains oneness with the Lord through unceasing love.

1. Although the sun is the same for all, it is black darkness to the sightless. So though the Lord is everywhere the same. He is unseen by those held in bonds of sense. Like the sun which makes the full-grown lotus to flower, so the Lord by His gracious look cleanses those from all sense impurity who through their love have come to know Him.

2. As the moon, day by day, little by little, dispels the persisting darkness, so the Lord by His love abiding in the soul, day by day, dispels its sense-impurity and draws it to Himself; just as the magnet brings under its control the iron, without ever-growing weary. But He Himself remains changeless.

3. When the soul unites with the Lord does it perish or nor? If it perishes how can it be united with the Lord? If it unites and does not perish then it is not one with the Lord. But like the salt mingled with the water the soul loses its sense-impurity and unites with the sacred feet of the Lord and becomes His servant. The united soul has no further attraction for sense.

4. As the morning sun is first hidden in mist-clouds and shines dimly and then after the mist-cloud have dispersed, it shines out brightly everywhere, so the soul from of old has its intelligence hidden by the mist of sense-impurity, but afterwards it brightens and comes to know the world and then through the grace of the Lord its intelligence shines out and is purified at the sacred feet of the Lord.

Stanza 12. Ways of Maintaining Oneness Between the Soul and the Lord

The freed soul, cleansed from the three sense-impurities, which prevent it from reaching the beautiful feet of the Lord, joins the society of the beloved friends of the Lord, and in order that false knowledge may pass away completely, worships the forms of those love-filled ones and the temples of the Lord as the Lord Himself.

Stanza 12. First Section

The freed soul must be cleansed from the three sense-impurities.

1. Karma (retribution) is the principle which unites with the merit and demerit of actions. Maya (sensibility) is found in the earth and all material objects. Anavam (self-assertion) produces false knowledge, These three sense-evils have no place in the man who has gained divine wisdom. Therefore, you should give them up entirely.

Stanza 12. Second Section

Associate with the true devotees of the Lord.

1. The power of karma will not touch those souls who are the companions of His devotees, and who through His wisdom have also become His devotees, to cut themselves off from the society of those who have no love for the Lord and who through the power of sense evil have rejected the path of divine wisdom.

Stanza 12. Third Section

The freed soul should worship the Lord’s devotees and His temples as the Lord Himself.

1. In order that men should know Him, the Lord has given His form to His devotees, because they know Him and because they are merged in Him. He is in them as the butter is in the curds, but like the butter in the milk will not appear to those bound in the sense-evils.

2. As the fire appears distinct from the sticks, so the Lord, who is immanent in all forms and is invisible, so that one can say, ‘Not this but that is His form’ shows Himself in some forms by means of the sacred mantram but not in others, To those true devotees who see the Lord in that form will He not Himself appear to them in that form?

Stanza 12. Fourth Section

Worship the Lord in those places.

1. To the truth-seers, the Lord is neither the same as nor distinct from the forms, nor is He both same and different. Like the light He is one with all in true advaitam and the universe is His form. So worship Him with love as the One in and with all (Advaitam).

2. Because the sense evils grow through the power of karma, only when sense-evil is completely wiped away will true wisdom grow. So in order that sense-evil may be abolished, when we seek the company of those who have attained this knowledge and worship them, true wisdom will grow. Therefore, worship such devotees with love.

3. After the Lord has revealed Himself and made the soul one with Himself, if the soul should forget that love, that will be an unforgivable fault. Further though the Lord has made the soul one with Himself, it is always the possession of the Lord and His servant. Therefore, the worship of that great One is a means of power.

Those Who Can Be Students of This Book

O student, who has attained oneness with the Lord, the end of the Veda, souls that are bound by one or two sense-impurities (Vignanakalar and Pralayakalar) only need respectively the gracious look of the Lord or the teaching of the divine guru to attain this oneness; this book is written for those who are bound by the three sense-impurities (Sakalar), and should be taught by a divine guru.

Comments on the text will appear in our next issue.

A Unique Temple and a Peculiar Saint

BY REV. I. SAADAT-ULLAH (Benares)

The Temple of all-saints situated in house No. C7/142 Sainpur, Chetganj, Benares City is a shrine the parallel of which, so far as I know, does not exist in any part of India. In it are found the pictures of saints of many religions and sects. A picture of our Lord on the cross and one of the Virgin Mary occupy a prominent place on the right of the entrance to the marble paved temple. In the centre sits the guru, Baba Anand and beyond him in the background, is his own statue. The Bhaktas of Baba Anand consist of many sects of Hindus and Muslims who call his school Anand Banarsi. Every picture in the temple is decorated with flowers, and incense is burned daily morn and eve. On every Amawasha night all the pictures are garlanded and offered perfumes and incense. The whole of the night is spent in the singing of soul-elevating hymns of holy saints. The late Mr. Hira Lal, a Christian sadhu of Benares used to offer prayer at the commencement of the function on every Amawasha night and to sing Christian bhajan in which all joined. In his memory Baba Anand has composed two bhajans - in his book ‘Anand Sumirin’. The first stanza of one bhajan runs thus: -

    Jagat men Masiha guru banke aya
    Achuton ko aka ke us ne papaya

Christ coming into the world as a Guru came and awakened the untouchables.

Dr. Stanley Jones with Rev. J.C. Jackson and the late Rev. J.R. Hudson and I visited the temple on December 13th 1926 and were much impressed. Rev. W.J. Noble of the Methodist Missionary Society on his tour also visited the temple, and he wrote an account of the visit in the Methodist Recorder (May 2nd 1929).

The Mahatma

Mahatma Gulab Chand now known as ‘Baba Anand’ was born on May 20th 1880 of a noted Kayasth family of Kashi. Though possessing no academic qualifications, he is a born journalist writing in Urdu, Hindi and English. In his teens he was contributing news and articles to the columns of four English dailies, two bi-weeklies, six weeklies and two monthlies. His paper, the Awaz-e-Khalk which was started in February 1902 still survives. After publishing it in Urdu for fourteen years he converted it into an English paper. He also owned and edited two Hindi monthlies, “The Dehati” and “Satsang Patrika” and a Hindi weekly, ‘Deshi Mitra’ but none of these now exists. Baba Anand is also a Persian scholar. For some years he has been publishing articles on spiritual subjects. Not infrequently he draws on ‘Epiphany’, ‘The Fellowship’ and ‘The Pilgrim’. His articles in Awaz-e-Khalk which appear annually in a Christmas number on Christ and Christianity will repay perusal. He is collecting materials for a series on the lives of Christian saints to follow similar series on Hindu and Muslim saints which have been appearing in his paper. Baba Anand was a student of Jainarayan’s High School, Benares. He always stood first in Scripture. His teacher was Principal Johnson (known in Benares as ‘Pandit’ Johnson). In his boyhood he used to attend the Sunday School held in the Z.B.M.M. Mission House at Ram Katora. In his earlier years he was very friendly with Revs. Parker and Cutting of the London Mission, and in later days with Rev. J.C. Jackson of the London Mission and the Revs. Hudson and Spooner of the Methodist Mission. I myself have known him for thirty years or more.

At a time when the Methodists were anxious to build a mission house and dispensary, and school for our ex-Dom boys near the colony at Chetganj, all efforts to obtain a piece of land had proved unsuccessful when I approached Baba Anandji. He persuaded his cousin to part with his garden house at a nominal price and helped to carry through the transaction in the teeth of strong opposition. Our mission house now stands on this land and Baba Anand treats our mission worker living in it as his neighbour in the Biblical sense of the term allowing him to take water from his temple well. For the last twenty-two years he has been totally cut off from his family and lives a life of renunciation. He has many devotees and the beauty of his teaching is that he understands the religious background of enquirers and emphasises the spiritual aspect of the particular religion. His biography was published in several papers in different parts of India, but the biographers for various reasons did not touch on that aspect, of his life which has to do with Christianity and his love for our religion. I can say without any fear of contradiction that he is a Christian at heart though unbaptised. Simplicity, sincerity and service are the main features, of his daily life. He is the author of several books in Urdu, Hindi, and English, and in one ‘Bhakt Jaimal’ he has quoted freely from the Bible. Whatever be the reason, early teaching, friendship, or natural inclination, there can be no doubt that he loves the Christian religion. May he live long to benefit his devotees with his holy teachings is my prayer from the bottom of my heart.

Word From Germany

(Our readers may be interested in this letter-card, message quite apart from its reference to ‘The Pilgrim’).

Oesselse 27-8-47.

Dear Mr. Moon,

As a missionary of the Leipzig Mission I went to India in 1925 and worked there until the beginning of the war, when I was interned; only, at the end of last year I was repatriated with my family to Germany, Until a way opens to return to India I am now in charge of a pastorate in Germany. As you can imagine, my heart is still in India, and I am travelling about a lot doing deputation work for the Mission. Unfortunately we Germans are at present quite cut off from foreign magazines, and we are not able to subscribe to them because the Germans are at present quite cut off from foreign magazines, and we are not able to subscribe to them because the German Mark is in this respect valueless. For a number of years I was subscriber to ‘The Pilgrim’; as a matter of fact I used to circulate it in the Satara Camp in India among the many German missionary colleagues … I miss The Pilgrim very much, and I should be delighted if you could find it possible to send me a free copy of it.

Paul Gabler.

In replying to Pastor Gabler I have assured him that we hold him and his fellow German Christians very much in remembrance and prayer. The state of affairs with regard to literature may well give us cause to ponder.

Editor.

Edited and published by J.S. Moon, Barrackpore

Printed by The Oriental Art Press, 1 Newul Rishere Road (Hazratgani), Lucknow