4 SIR M. MONIER WILLIAMS ON THE MONISM, PANTHEISM, AND 
philosophy, while materialistic Monism is thought to be the 
doctrine of heretics. 
The Vedantist, in fact, professes to be more orthodox than 
any other teacher, because his belief 1s founded on the inner 
doctrine of the Veda, which, according to him, is absolutely 
monistic, and inculcates spiritual Pantheism. 
Here is a portion of a well-known Rig-veda hymn (x, 129), 
which I translate in metrical form :— 
In the beginning there was neither nought nor aught, 
Then there was neither sky nor atmosphere above. 
What then enshrouded all this teeming universe ? 
In the receptacle of what was it contained ? 
Was it enveloped in the gulf profound of water ? 
Then was there neither death nor immortality, 
Then was there neither day, nor night, nor light, nor darkness, 
Only the existent One (Zkam) breathed (dnit*) calmly, self-contained.+ 
Nought else thi 
True Brahmanism, the Vedantist asserts, lays down as its 
fundamental dogma that there is only one really existing 
Essence, and that that Essence is pure Spirit. 
This dogma is expressed by three Sanskrit words: Hhkam 
eva advitiyam, “there is only one Being, without a second.” 
In this favourite phrase the one Being is designated by a 
neuter termination, yet a Brahmau will often apply to that 
Being the ancient name Atma (nom. case of Atman), “the 
breathing Spirit,” or “ Breath,”} whichis a Sanskrit masculine 
noun. 
In his daily worship, too, he will often repeat a well-known 
hymn of the Rig-veda,§ which adopts another masculine title 
of the one Spirit, namely, Purusha (“the one representative 
male,” pumdn, according to the commentator Sayana), a name 
which has no trustworthy etymology. 
Then he often designates that Being by a very remarkable 
name, Sac-cid-dnanda, which is a compound word, or three 
words combined in one, ending in a masculine termination, 
* Compare note on Atman below. 
+ The Sanskrit is Svadhaya “in his own energy,” but Sayana, who is a 
Vedantist, interprets it to mean along with “illusion” (Maya or Prakriti). 
t Tam aware that different etymologies of this word are given, but I 
prefer deriving it from the Sanskrit root an, to breathe ; cf. German athem. 
§ That is, in the Pancayatana ceremony. In this hymn (x, 90) it is 
sited that gods and holy men offered up Purusha as a victim in sacrifice, 
after cutting him up; see my Bréhmanism and Hindiism (John Murray), 
p. 414. The final act of adoration in this ceremony is as follows :—Venera- 
tion to the infinite and eternal male (Purusha), who has thousands of names, 
thousands of forms, thousands of feet, thousands of eyes, thousands of heads 
&c. (see p. 415). 
