As we noted above, the polity of the vedas was the performance of sacrifices. This was continued in the Upanishat period and the Brahmanas elaborated the Rituals. But at the same time, the worship of the many Gods was being given up in favour of the one God, and the efficacy of sacrifices in general was being doubted, and a more spiritual form of worship was being substituted in its place, and the first departure is noted in the story given in the Kena Upanishat.

Kena Upanishat

"Brahman obtained the victory for the Devas. The Devas became elated by the victory of Brahman, and they thought, 'this victory is ours only'. Brahman perceived this and appeared to them. But they did not know it, and said: "'What yaksha is this?' They said to Agni (fire): 'O Jatavedas, find out what sprite this is.' 'Yes,' he said. He ran towards it, and Brahman said to him: 'Who are you?' He replied: 'I am Agni, I am Jatavedas.' Brahman said: 'What power is in you?' Agni replied: 'I could burn all whatever there is on earth.' Brahman put a straw before him, saying: 'Burn this.' He went towards it with all his might, but he could not burn it. Then he returned thence and said: 'I could not find out what sprite this is.' Then they said to Vayu (air): O Vayu, find out what sprite this is.' 'Yes,' he said. He ran towards it, and Brahman said to him: ' Who are you ? 'He replied: '1 am Vayu, l am Matarisvan.' Brahman said: ' What power is in you?' Vayu replied: ' 1 could take up all whatever there is on earth.' Brahman put a straw before him,

• saying: 'Take it up.' He went towards it with all his might, but he could not take it up. Then he returned thence and said: 'I could not find out what sprite this is.' Then they said to Indra: 'O Bhagavan, find out what sprite this is.'

He went towards it, but it disappeared from before him. Then in the same Akas, ether, he came towards a woman, highly adorned: it was Uma, the daughter of Himavat. He said to her: 'Who is that sprite? 'She replied: 'It is Brahman. It is through the victory of Brahman that you have thus become great.' After that he knew that it was Brahman."

This is a further step than the position in the Rig Veda where the Ekam Sat or Rudra Pasupati is identified in a manner with all the Gods. Here, he is not Indra or Varuna, Vayu or Agni. He cannot be comprehended of the Gods, though He is before them, and it was left to Uma Haimavati to point out the Supreme Brahman, as her consort. This story is frequently repeated in the Puranas *and the person of Rudra-Siva is introduced as Uma's Lord.

This is called the Brahami Upanishat, and it introduces the grand thought "he by whom Brahman is not thought, by him it is thought; he by whom it is thought, knows it not."

This departure from the old polity of the Vedas to the worship of the One Supreme Brahman, Uma's Lord, will be found illustrated further in the Puranas by the stories of the Daksha's sacrifice and the Darukavana Rishis. Daksha, son of Brahma (Sabda Brahma or Vedas), simply means sacrifice and Dakshayani meant the spirit of sacrifice. And so long as this spirit of sacrifice was devoted to the One Supreme Brahman, Siva, it was beneficial. But once this sacrifice was divorced from the worship of the One Supreme Brahman, represented in the person of Siva, the consort of Dakshayani, as Daksha tried to do, then this sacrifice was of no avail. When the spirit of sacrifice was divorced from the word, then Dakshayani died and was reborn as Uma Haimavati, the bearer of Brahma Jnana and was reunited to Siva. This reunion or rebirth of the old jnana is what is celebrated in every temple, in the important feast of Tirukkalyana, and is figured in the oldest sculptures in the Elephanta and Ellora cave-temples. In the Darukavana story, the Vedic sacrifice was also divorced from the worship, of the One Supreme Brahman. The Vedas represented the

* Vide Vayu Samhita II Chap. 3 and Suta Samhita.

Sabda Brahman, and the Rishis thought that no God was re-quired, and the worship of the Sabda Brahman was alone sufficient for securing salvation. The bleating of the Sabda Brahman represented by the deer was found in no way to reach God.

The Svetasvatara Upanishat, the greatest authority of the Saiva School, repeats the text of the Yajur Veda "Eka Eva Rudro Nadvitiyaya Taste", and the philosophy of Advaita Siddhanta is fully expounded in this Upanishat. This Advaita is 'neither the Sankhya nor the Yoga, neither Dvaita nor Advaita, as ordinarily understood. Hence, Oriental Scholars like Monier Williams, Professor Macdonnel and Garbe regard this Upanishat as the oldest representative of the ancient eclectic* school of Hindu philosophy. With this book they couple the Bhagavat Gita.

The highest conception of the one God, 'Eko Deva' is, given here which, as Max Muller says, corresponds to the conception of God in the Christian theology. "He is the one God hidden in all beings, all pervading, the Antar Atma of all things, watching over all works, dwelling in all beings, the witness, the perceiver, the only One Nirguna." "He is the eternal and infinite, unborn being, partless, actionless, tranquil, without taint, without fault, the highest bridge to immortality."

"He is the causeless first cause, the all-knower, the all-pefvader; the creator, sustainer and liberator of the world, the end and aim of all religion, and of all philosophy. He is the Isvara of Isvaras, Mahesvara, the God Supreme of Gods, the king of kings, the supreme of the supreme, the Isa of the Universe. . The sun does not shine there, nor the moon and the stars, nor these lightnings, and much less this fire, everything shines after Him; by His light all this is lightened." God is nirguna; and as I have shown elsewhere, nirguna does not mean impersonal, and Saguna is not to be translated personal. Nirguna simply means beyond the three Gunas, Satva, Rajas, and Tamas, and Saguna means united to these three. Personality means, as Emerson and other Christian writers interpreted, 'pure spiritual being,' 'Sat' and God can be personal and Nirguna, absolute. It follows also that God cannot be born as He is not united to matter. The meaning of the Rig Veda Sukta we quoted above is brought out in the following verse. "When there was no darkness nor day nor night nor Sat nor Asat then Siva alone existed (Siva Eva Kevalah). That is the absolute, that is the adorable condition of the Lord. From that too had come forth the wisdom of old (Jnanasakti)."* After repeating the text about the two birds, this is how it proceeds. "On the same tree man (Anisa) sits grieving, immersed, bewildered by his own impotence.