Sambhurakasa madhye............Siva eko dhyeya: Sivankara:

Sarvam annyat Parityaja Samapta atharvasikha.

Taking another book at random, say the Mahimnastotra, which is reputed to be by a very ancient sage, in praise of Siva, we come upon the following passage also.

"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 (awaking, dreaming and sleeping), the three worlds (heaven, earth and hell), the three Gods (Brahma, Vishnu and Rudra), and by its nasal sound (ardhamatra) is indicative of thy fourth office as Supreme Lord of All, (Paramesvara) ever expresses and sets forth thy collective and single Forms."

And we to day only propose to quote similar passages from only one book, and that the Tiruvachakam.

The first passage is the one occuring on p. 26, which we have already quoted in reviewing the Minor Upanishats. Lest that the 'three' in this verse may be taken to mean Brahma, Vishnu and some other God than Rudra, our saint himself expressly sets forth his meaning more clearly in the following verse.

"Him the God of Gods not perceived by the king of Gods (Indra)1 Him the supreme king of the other Triad, who create, sustain and destroy the worlds; The first Murti, (the manifest God)2 the Great Ancestor, my Father who consorts with the Divine Maid.

Consider the following passages also.

"Him, The more ancient than the Triad, The End (of all things), and yet one who lasts behind all things, the One with the braided hair3 the King of our loved city Perundurai, The Heavenly God, and the Consort of Uma."

In the following passage, He is identified with the Triad, in the same way as He is often identified with all the works of His creation, Earth, Air, Water etc, though those very passages say at the same time that He is not to be identified with the creature and created things, a doctrine which clearly cannot be mistaken for Pantheism. As a Christian writer points out, the Doctrine of Immanency of God in all nature is quite consistent with our idea of the Transcendency of God.

P. 79,

"He became the Triple Form (of the Triad), and yet remained the one who could not be perceived by the mind."

1 c.f.t the story in the Kenopanishat about Indra and other Gods being unable to know Brahman and being taught by Uma Haimavati (God's grace) about the Supreme Brahmam.

2 Like ghee in butter milk, after churning with knowledge and love.

3 Kaparidin of the Rig-veda.

"Himself the Beginning, the middle and the end, Him whose beautiful "Mahat Padam" could not be perceived by the Three." Also the following passages.

p. 91.

" He of Arur, whom even Rudra, and Brahma and Vishnu, praised as 'Our King, the King of Gods.'1

p. 95.

"Thou becomest the Foremost, the Beginning, the Middle, and the End and were not understood by the Triad. Who else can know Thee."

P 97.

The Impartite First, the First Cause or Source of the five senses, (the material universe), the Three Gods and myself (Soul)."

("God of Gods, God of Truth, The Lord of South Perunturai The Lord of Bliss, The first cause whom the Three cannot know, The Glorious one whom none can know save those that love. His pure bloom-like feet my head does seek and glorify.")

("The Lord Siva, unknown by Devas all,

The Three and Thirty-three -

He that rides the Bull -

His holy feet if here we seek and praise,

Our bliss will sure increase.")

Yes, nothing can be truer than the thought expressed in this verse.

The Highest conception that we can ever reach of God, describing as it does, His inmost nature, and of course the only way we can know Him, is that God is Love and Blessedness, Sivam.*

And such a great scientist as the late Prof. Romanes has asked with truth: - "What has all the science or all the philosophy of the world done for the thought of mankind to be compared with one doctrine 'God is Love'."

[* The word Nandi, a favourite word with St, Tirumular and others means also literally the Blissfull; and our readers have to consider why we now call the Great Bull (Pasu) in front of God by the same name Nandi.]