RELATION OF NATURE AND SOUL, OR THE PRIME
MALE AND FEMALE POWERS.
Argument:—The dancing goddess embraces the steady god, and is
joined with him in one body.
Vasishtha continued:—Thus the goddess was dancing with her outstretched
arms, which with their movements appeared to make a shaking forest of
tall pines in the empty sky. (The Briarean arms of Kálí).
2. This power of the intellect, which is ignorant of herself and ever
prone to action, continued thus to dance about with her decorations of
various tools and instruments. (The mental power acts by means of the
mechanical powers).
3. She was arrayed with all kinds of weapons in all her thousand arms,
such as the bow and arrows, the spear and lance, the mallet and club,
and the sword and all sort of missiles. She was conversant with all
things whether in being or not being, and was busy at every moment of
passing time. (_i.e._ Ever active in body and mind).
4. She contained the world in the vibration of her mind, as airy cities
and castles consist in the power of imagination; it is she herself that
is the world, as the imagination itself is the imaginary city—the
utopia.
5. She is the volition of Siva, as fluctuation is innate in the air; and
as the air is still without its vibration, so Siva is quite quiet
without his will or volition (represented as his female energy in the
form of Kálí).
6. The formless volition becomes the formal creation in the same manner,
as the formless sky produces the wind which vibrates into sound; so doth
the will of Siva bring forth the world out of itself.
7. When this volitive energy of Kálí, dances and sports in the void of
the Divine mind; then the world comes out of a sudden, as if it were by
union of the active will with the great void of the supreme Mind.
8. Being touched by the dark volitive power (or volentia), the supreme
soul of Siva is dissolved into water; just as the sub-marine fire is
extinguished by its contact with the water of the sea. (Water the first
form of God: “and the spirit of God moved upon the surface of water”).
9. No sooner did this power come in contact with Siva—the prime cause of
all, the same power of volentia, inclined and turned to assume the shape
of nature, and to be converted to some physical form.
10. Then forsaking her boundless and elemental form, she took upon
herself the gross and limited forms of land and hills; and then became
of the form of beautiful arbours and trees. (_i.e._ Of the forms of
minerals and vegetables).
11. (After taking various other forms), she became as the formless void,
and became one with the infinite vacuity of Siva; just as a river with
all its impetuous velocity, enters into the immensity of the sea.
12. She then became as one with Siva, by giving up her title of
sivaship; and this Siva—the female form became the same with Siva—the
prime male, who is of the form of formless void and perfect tranquility
(called _samana_—_quietus_ which means both death and the quiet, which
follows the other. Samana like _somnum_ is both extinction of life, and
cessation of care and labour).
13. Ráma rejoined:—Tell me sir, how that sovran Goddess Siva, could
obtain her quiet by her coming in contact with the supreme God Siva (and
forget her former activity altogether).
14. Vasishtha replied:—Know Ráma, the Goddess Siva to be the will of the
God Siva; she is styled as nature, and famed as the great Illusion of
the word.
15. And this great God is said the lord of nature, and the prime male
also; he is of the form of air and is represented in the form of Siva,
which is as calm and quiet as the autumnal sky.
16. The great Goddess is the energy of the Intellect and its will also,
and is ever active as force put in motion; she abides in the world in
the manner of its nature, and roves all about in the manner of the great
delusion (of holding out external nature as the true reality, instead of
her lord the spirit).
17. She ranges through out the world, as long as she is ignorant of her
lord Siva; who is ever satisfied with himself, without decay or disease,
and has no beginning or end, nor a second to himself.
18. But no sooner is this Goddess conscious of herself, as one and same
with the god of self-consciousness; than she is joined with her lord
Siva, and becomes one with him. (Force has its rest in inertia).
19. Nature coming in contact with the spirit, forsakes her character of
gross nature; and becomes one with the sole unity, as a river is
incorporated in the ocean.
20. The river falling into the sea, is no more the river but the sea;
and its water joining with sea water, becomes the same briny water.
21. So the mind that is inclined to Siva, is united with him and finds
its rest therein; as the iron becomes sharpened by returning to its
quarry (as the knife or razor is sharpened on the white stone).
22. As the shadow of a man entering into a forest, is lost amidst the
shade of the wilderness; so the shades of nature (or natural
propensities), are all absorbed in the umbrage of the Divine spirit. (It
also means as the nature of a woman, is changed to that of her man).
23. But the mind that remembers its own nature, and forgets that of the
eternal spirit; has to return again to this world, and never attains its
spiritual felicity.
24. An honest man dwells with thieves, so long as he knows them not as
such; but no sooner he comes to know them as so, then he sure to shun
their company and fly from the spot.
25. So the mind dwells with unreal dualities, as long as it is ignorant
to the transcendent reality; but as it becomes acquainted with the true
unity, he is sure to be united with it (by forsaking his dualistic
creed).
26. When the ignorant mind, comes to know the supreme felicity, which
attends on the state of its self-extinction or nirvána; it is ready to
resort to it, as the inland stream runs to join the boundless sea.
27. So long doth the mind roam bewildered, in its repeated births in the
tumultuous world; as it does not find its ultimate bliss in the Supreme;
unto whom it may fly like a bee to its honeycomb.
28. Who is there that would forget his spiritual knowledge, having once
known its bliss; and who is there that forsakes the sweet, having had
once tasted its flavour. Say Ráma, who would not run to relish the
delicious draughts, which pacifies all our woes and pains, and prevents
our repeated births and deaths, and puts an end to all our delusions in
this darksome world.