436 LANGUAGES, &c. OF THE 



the powers pass from their proper and enduring state of rest into their casual 

 and transitory state of activity, then all the beautiful forms of nature or of the 

 world come into existence, not by a divine creation, nor by chance, but spon- 

 taneously : and all these beautiful forms of nature cease to exist, vi^hen the same 

 powers repass again from this state of Pravritti, or activity, into the state of 

 Nirwitti, or repose. The revolution of the states of PravritH and Nirvrkti 

 is eternal, and with them revolve the existence and destruction of nature or 

 of palpable forms. The Swabhfivikas are so far from ascribing the order and 

 beauty of the world to blind chance, that they are peculiarly fond of quoting 

 the beauty of visible form as a proof of the intelligence of the formative 

 powers ; and they infer their eternity from the eternal succession of new 

 forms. But they insist that these powers are inherent in matter, and not im- 

 pressed on it by the finger of God, that is, of an absolutely immaterial being. 

 Inanimate forms are held to belong exclusively to Pravritti, and therefore to be 

 perishable ; but animate forms, among which, man is not distinguished 

 sufficiently, are deemed capable of becoming by their own efforts, associated to 

 the eternal state of NirtTiltl ; their bliss, which consists of repose, or 

 release from an otherwise endlessly recurring migration through the visible 

 forms o^ Pravritti. Men are endowed with consciousness, as well, I believe, 

 of the eternal bliss* of the rest of Nirvritti, as of the ceaseless pain of the 

 activity of Pravritti. But these men who have won the eternity of Nirvritti^ are 

 not regarded as rulers of the universe, which rules itself — nor as mediators 

 or judges of mankind still left in Pravitti, for the notions of mediation and 

 judgment are not admitted by the Swabhdvikas, who hold every man to be 

 the arbiter of his own fate, good and evil in Pravritti being, by the constitu- 

 tion of nature, indissolubly linked to weal and woe : and the acquisition of 

 Nirvritti being by the same inherent law, the inevitable consequence of such 



* The prevalent doctrine is that they are, some of them, however, say no : the question turns 

 on the prior acceptation of Sunyatd, for which see on. 



