142 REV. G. U. POPE, D.D., ON 



implicitly he held its principles, and it is necessary for the illustration of 

 these poems and legends to bring together, connect, and illustrate the 

 main dogmas of that elaborate, thoughtful, and influential religious 

 jihilosophy Avhich has been evolved in connection with these words. 



The thi'ee eternal entities of the system are (1) the Lord, who is Civa 

 himself ; (2) the aggregate of all souls or lives that constitutes Civa's 

 FLOCK, which, by his grace, he wills to conduct to the blessedness of linal 

 disentanglement from all embodiments ; and (3) the bond, or the sum 

 total of all those elements which bind souls and hinder them from finding 

 lelease in union with the 'Lord.' These three — Pati, Pa^u, Pac^-am — 

 are equally eternal, existing unchanged and undiminished thi'ough 

 .successive peons. The idea of the ' Lord ' is a philosophical retinement 

 of that of the (^'iva of the older mythology. Among other titles given to 

 Rudra Ave find that of Pa^unCi'iii-pati (' Lord of the flocks '), and from 

 that has been evolved the ingenious allegory on which this system is 

 founded. LTmiipati's doctrine in regard to the ' Lord ' is set forth in 

 many quati'ains of his text-book. This is the sum of his theology as to 

 this topic : — 



i. Pati is the Supreme Being ; 



ii. He is neither permanently manifested nor unmanifested ; 

 iii. He is without qualities or distinguishing marks ; 

 iv. He is free from all impurity ; 

 V. He is absolutely one ; 

 vi. He is eternal ; 



vii. He is the source of wisdom to innumerable souls ; 

 viii. He is not subject to fluctuations ; 

 ix. He is immaterial (indiscerjjtible) ; 

 X. He is the essence of bliss ; 

 xi. He is difficult of access to the perverse, but the final goal of 



those that truly worship him ; 

 xii. He is infinitely small and infinitely great ; 

 xiii. He is the true ^ivam, or ' blessedness.' 



The second of these statements is thus explained : Whatever has a 

 visible form must be subject to the laws of production, maintenance, and 

 decay ; therefore the Supreme is without visible form. On the other 

 hand, that which has no form by which it can become manifest is a mere 

 fancy, like the ' horn of a hare ' or ' flowers of the atmosphere.' But 

 Pati is real and makes himself known to souls. This will be further 

 explained in connection with another part of the subject. 



