Sdiva Sidddntam. 



209 



Attention will be directed to each of them in their order. 



I. Pathi -GOD. 



Pathi is but one of the many names by which the supreme 

 God is known to the Hindus. He is also called Brahm, 

 Parabrahm, Para Sivan. The last term gives the charac- 

 teristic name to the School of Indian philosophy under notice. 



The existence of such a being, as the Creator of the World, 

 is proved by means of various arguments. One of these 

 happens to be identical with the argument which was first 

 advanced by Socrates, but afterwards fully expounded in 

 Paley's memorable work on Natural Theology. It is com- 

 prised in the following stanza from Siva Gnana Sitti. 



" As the whole world which is known under the designa- 

 tions of He, She, and It, comes into existence (without 

 having existed previously), exists, and is destroyed, in an 

 orderly manner, (it follows) that there is one who is the 

 creator of this world, and who is the beginning and end in 

 himself. His existence is permanent, and he is in the form 

 of a spirit freed from (Pas am) evil from eternity." 



This stanza admits also of a construction from which some 

 commentators raise a fresh argument for the necessity of a 

 creator of the universe. The reasoning is to the following 

 effect : — 



1. The world is not eternal : consequenter, 



2. It had a commencement and did not exist before such 

 commencement : Ergo, 



3. It could not have created itself ; it requires some cause 

 other than itself to bring it into existence. 



The nature of God is to the following effect. 

 " Though God pervades the whole world, yet he is other 

 than the world ; for he is spiritual, and the world is material. 

 As sound and the tune, so God and the world. As sound 



