But when he sees the other Isa, contented and knows His glory, then his grief passes away." † That this is the highest teaching of the Rig Veda is pointed out in the next verse. "He who does not know that Indestructible Being (Akshara) of the Rig Veda, that highest Ether (Parama Vyomam) wherein all the Gods reside, of what use is Rig Veda to him? Those only who know It rest contented."‡ The otherness of God (Anyata) referred to in the Rig Veda Mantra is brought out fully also in the following verses. "Aye, that one unborn (Aja-soul) sleeps in the arms of one unborn (nature Pradhana) enjoying (her of nature, red, white and black), who brings forth multitudinous progeny like herself. But when her charms have been enjoyed, he (soul) quits her (prakriti) side (for) the unborn other, (Anyata) (Lord)."

* Of the eclectic movement combining Sarikhya, Yoga and Vedanta doctrines, the oldest representative is the Svetasvatara Upanishat, more famous is the Bhagavat Gita (Macdonnell's History of Sanskrit Lit.

P. 405).

(Sveta).

(Sveta 4 - 7)

- (Rig Veda 2nd Ashtaka, 3rd Adhyaya)

"In the imperishable, and infinite highest Brahman, wherein the two, Vidya, (Vijnana-Atma) and Avidya are hidden, the one, Avidya, perishes; the other Vidya, is immortal; but He who controls both Vidya and Avidya, is another (Anyata)." * And in the subsequent verses, this another is clearly pointed out to be the " only one God, without a second, the ruler of all, the generator of all and the supporter (ripener) of all." This forms the subject of discussion in the hands of Badarayana in I. ii, 21. And the famous passage in Brihadaranyaka is referred to, " He who dwells in Atma (Vijnana) and different from Atma, whom the Atma does not know, whose body Atma is and who pulls (rules) Atma within, He is thy Atma, the puller within, the immortal" (III. 7, 22).

(3) The Supreme Mantra of the Veda or the Sabda Brahma is the Pranava or Omkara. It is ordinarily known that Om is a compound of the three letters_A, U, and M, and that they represent the deities Brahma, Vishnu, and Rudra. What is not known is that there is a fourth part of this § Omkara called its Ardha Matra sound, this is called the Chaturtam or Turiyam, and represents the supreme Brahman or Siva. This is brought out in several of the Upanishats and in the following verses it is coupled with Sivam and Sambhu.

"Sivam Santam Advaitam Chaturtam Manyante".

- (Mandukya).

"Dhyayetisanam pradhyayitavyam, Sarvamidam, Brahma Vishnu Rudrendrasthe, Samprasuyante, Sarvani chendriyani Sahabhutaih; Nakaranam Karananam Dhata Dhyata; Kara-

(Sveta 5 - 1).

"This knowing all these things to be denoted by the Tri-matras, understand that Siva, the Atman of all, is denoted by the Ardha-matra," (Vayu-Samhita IV Chap. 7, vide also Chap, 27 of Vayu-Samhita II in the Mahalinga Pradarbhavadhyaya). nantu Dheveyah Sarvaisvarya sampannah Sarvesvarah Sam-bhurakasa Madhye. Siva eko Dhyayat Sivankara Sarvam Anyat Parityaja. - (Atharva Sikha).

The more popular Hymn in the Mahimnastotra addressed to Siva brings out this idea. "The mystical and immutable one which, being composed of the three letters 'A', 'U' 'M', signify successively the three Vedas, the three states of Life (Jagra, Svapna and Sushupti), the three worlds (earth, heaven and hell), the three Gods (Brahma, Vishnu and Rudra), and which by its ardha-matra is indicative of thy Fourth office, as Para-mesvara."

(4) *The Supreme Upasana of the Upanishat is the Dahara Upasana in the Hrid Pundarika, in the akas, Vyoma Paramalaya. 'The Yogi has to think of the Supreme Brahman An the cave of the heart, in the midst of the Chidakasa. The Taittiriya Upanishat speaks of this Brahman as of the form of KrishnaTingala. This Krishna Pingala† is identified as Uma-sahaya or Parvati Paramesvara, in several of the Upanishats.

This again is described as Jyotir (the supreme light; (the jyotir Linga).

(5) When the polity of the sacrifice was given up in favour of the worship of this Jyotir Linga, and the Symbolism of the sacrificial ground was invested with a more spiritual meaning, then we would seem to have arrived at the period of the Agamas, and our modern temple worship would seem to have been started. The Agamas brought into use the very

( - 1 st Ashtaka, 1 st Mandala,

8th Anuvaka. 1 Repeated in Mahopanishat).

Half with locks of long hair (female) half without dress (Digambara male} half with garland of bones (male) and other half with garland of the Nil5tpala (female) - such a form of half male and female is called Krishnapingala - Bhavishyat Purana, same mantras, as pointed out by Svami Vivekananda,* in his famous address before the Chicago parliament of Religions, used in the old sacrificial worship, into the new system of worship, and the offer of the self as a sacrificial oblation was made in the place of animal sacrifice. The Pasu was the animal in man and when it was offered as sacrifice in Jnana Agni, it became the Nandi or Siva.

Puranas

The Puranas are the earliest interpreters of the Veda and the 'Upanishats. Whole passages from the Upanishats are quoted and explained. The principles are illustrated by stories and parables, and the Vedic stories themselves are more elaborated. 'All these explain the difference between the old and new system of worship and thought, bring out fully the differ-ence and distinction between the Supreme Brahman Siva and man, and illustrate the paths to salvation. These stories are the Daksha sacrifice, the churning of the milky ocean, and Tripura Samhara, Durga Puja etc. The Linga Purana specially deals with the birth of the Jyotir Linga. The largest number of Puranas are Saivaite, and the oldest of them is the Vayu or Siva Purana, as pointed out by Wilson. The Chhandogya Upanishat traces the wisdom of old from Skanda Sanatkumara