246 ROYAL SOCIETY OF CANADA 



no parts. He is eternal, incomprehensible, and contains Avithin Himself 

 all created things. By thought He first created water and placed 

 seed therein, which became a golden egg, as brilliant as the sun, in 

 which He Himself was born, in the shape of Brahmâ, the original 

 father of all the world. In that egg He stayed for a year, and then, 

 by the efforts of His will alone, He divided it into two. Of these parts 

 He made Heaven and Earth, and between the two Air and the eight 

 Cardinal points and the everlasting dwelling place of the waters. (The 

 waters were called Nârâs, as they were his first resting place, and 

 homoiophony suggests a connection between this word and the Greek 

 sea-god Nereus.) 



From Himself He took spirit, thence the sentiment of individuality; 

 the ego which knows its own personality. Also the soul and the five 

 organs of sense, which perceive material things. Taking subtle par- 

 ticles of these six, whose powers are unlimited, He created all things. 

 Also the troops of Divine Beings, gifted with life. Also fire, the wind, 

 the sun, the division of time, the places of the planets and of the 

 moon, the river, mountains, plains and rough places. Also self-denial, 

 speech, pleasure, desire, anger. He divided the just from the unjust 

 and gave to His creatures conditions opposed to each other, such as 

 pleasure and pain.* 



For the multiplication of individuals He made the Brahmin, the 

 Kchatriya, the Vaisya and the Soudra, who sprang respectively from 

 His mouth, arms, thighs and feet. Dividing His body into two, the 

 Lord became male and female (and thus the creation proceeds; birds, 

 insects, plants, etc., being brought into existence in turn.) 



As to time, it is said that eighteen winks make a Kâchthâ, thirty 

 of these a Kalâ ; thirty Kalâs a Mahoûrka, of which again thirty make a 

 day and a night. (Thus, a Kâchthâ equals 3.2 seconds). But, for 

 the Gods, a human year is only one day and night — day while the 

 fcun is moving north, and night when it returns. (How close the con- 

 nection with astronomy of this early religion) ! For Brahma, four 

 thousand years of the Gods make one epoch, the twilight preceding it 

 h so many hundred years, also the twilight which follows it. (This 

 epoch I make to be 1,460,000 years.) Again, the four human ages 

 make 12,000 years, which is one year of the Gods; a thousand years 

 of the Gods make one day for Brahmâ, and his night is the same. 

 (That would make Brahma's day and night 24,000,000 years.) 



As to physics, it is said that in the creation Ho (the spirit which 

 is in Brahmâ) produced the ether, which wa? th' quality of sound. 

 This, by transformation, caused air, pure and powerful, vehicle of 

 * The monism of this creed should be carefully considered. 



