1877.] G. S. Leonard— i%^^A^■c? Ilistory of the God Virctj. 81 



5. The Mythic Ilistory of the God Virdj. — By G. S. Leonaed. 



(Abstract.) 



The divine personage of Viraj — self manifest, who forms one of the 

 ten supernatural beings, and objects of adoration, in the scale of the crea- 

 tive agents, the Demiurgoi of the Vedanta and Platonic theories, is consi- 

 dered in the various lights of history, mythology, and theology, in all of 

 which he makes a conspicuous figure in the Hindu scriptures. 



Though the discordant and contradictory accounts given of his genesis, 

 and of his historical and mythological traditions in the Puranas, make it 

 extremely difficult to form a correct idea of his personality, he is, however, 

 historically found to be the first male being in creation, and in that respect 

 stands in the relationship of the progeny of Brahma, the great creator of 

 the universe and progenitor of Manu, and other patriarchs of mankind 

 called by their patronymic Yairajas. He is mythologically identified with 

 the Hindu Trinity composed of Brahma, Vishnu, and Siva, and sometimes 

 of Ganesha also, of which some instances are adduced from the Sastras. 

 He is theologically described as one of the manifestations of the hypostases 

 or attributes of god inherent in nature, as its vivifying principle. He is 

 further considered in a philosophical light as the automaton, the motive 

 power or moving force of nature, and his poetical and mystical representa- 

 tion as the anima onundi the mundane soul, and that of his consort 

 Satarupa (centiforma), as corpus mundi or body of the material world, is 

 also shown, and identified with Miila-prakrit or primary matter, or plastic 

 nature of Sankhya philosophy and the goddess Sakh of mythology. Viraj- 

 ism is then vindicated against the charge of Pantheism, idolatry or any 

 kind of material worship, and his religion is proved to be a purely mental 

 one, and he himself is shown as an object of spiritual worship among all 

 Brahmans, as the God of Nature, apparent in the universal frame with- 

 out any visible image or temple dedicated to him, except the human heart 

 which alone is endowed with the power of receiving his infinite and glorious 

 image and reflection. 



The modification of Viraj into maha and kshudra or major and minor 

 forms, is also considered, in comparison with the theories of macrocosm and 

 microcosm of European philosophers. 



At the close of the meeting the Peesident read the following extract 

 of a letter from Mr. Grote and announced that the Council had agreed to 

 accept Mr. Moore's kind offer and had asked Mr. Grote to be so good as to 

 arrange for the publication of an extra part in London in the same man- 

 ner as had been done with the Blyth Catalogues. 



