224: THE WORLD-ENERGY 



Kather, the Permanent itself comes to impress them as 

 the one primordial fact. 



At the same time, the habit of the Hindu mind has 

 ever been to "think" in the forms of the imagination; 

 and its sense of the infinite can find no expression save 

 in excessively exaggerated imagery, in which,, of neces- 

 sity, the infinite is ever represented as one among other 

 objects of thought. Whence the endless mystification 

 and straining after what. must, of course, forever remain 

 unattainable through the modes of the imagination. 

 Greatest of possible symbols it is, doubtless that of 

 Brahm, the one enduring reality, putting forth infinite 

 emanations from his own substance through measureless 

 aeons; and yet, again, when those aeons have passed, 

 reabsorbing all back into himself as substance, pure and 

 simple the OKE in which all multiplicity is absolutely 

 canceled, and which thus reposes in its absolutely dis- 

 tinctionless potentiality for again other measureless aeons. 

 Mightiest of symbols; but a symbol, a mere image it 

 remains. 



On the other hand, the popular Christian concep- 

 tion which is mainly identical with the Hebrew is that 

 of God as complete and completely active as infinite 

 Spirit, apart from the outer physical world, which is 

 "as nothing" compared with Him, or even with the 

 spiritual interests of man himself. Thus, with the 

 Hindus, the physical world is illusory, because it appears 

 to have a real, abiding existence, and yet is in reality a 

 mere temporary, and, hence, illusory, manifestation of 

 the Divine essence. On the other hand, with the He- 

 brews and Christians generally the physical world is 

 illusory partly as appearing to possess greater importance 



