the founders of two other of these schools, belonged to the same, or nearly the same period. We are thus enabled to fix upon an epoch, in the most interesting period of Hindoo history, which is not only rendered probable by the accordance of two philosophical systems, but by all the chronological data to be gathered from the scattered fragments of history found in the pooranus.

We shall now proceed to offer to the reader some account of the Hindoo Philosophers, and a summary of their Opinions; and, in the succeeding chapter, to give Translations from their most important works, or Abridgments of their contents.

SECTION II.

Of the Hindoo Philosophers; and their Opinions.

It is to be lamented, that the Hindoo writers afford us no particulars of the domestic history of their sages; though they give us their philosophical opinions, the names of their wives and children, and of the places where their hermitages were situated. It is true, the lives of men so secluded from the world could not have supplied many materials for history; but there must have been various interesting occurrences, even in the forests or convents where they resided, and in their occasional intercourse with each other, and with the kings, their patrons, which would have given a peculiar interest to such memoirs: but here, as in their political history, we meet with nothing that can throw light on the periods in which they lived, nor on those learned disputations in which we know they were engaged.* We are, however, under great obligations to these historians, for pointing out so clearly the subjects which engaged the enquiries of these philosophers—that is, the divine nature, the evidences of truth, the origin of things, the nature of the different forms of matter, and the methods of obtaining re-union to the soul of the world. It will not escape the recollection of the reader, that these were the very subjects so constantly discussed in the Grecian schools; and he will no doubt be still more struck with these coincidences, when he reads the Introductory Remarks, and goes over the notes at the bottom of the succeeding pages. These subjects of enquiry,

These disputes, as described by the pouranic writers, were equally violent with those of the dialectic philosophers, and were maintained by " idle quibbles, jejune reasonings, and imposing sophisms," like those of the Greeks.

it must be confessed, lay at the foundation of all that was interesting to them in those dark ages, but by the Hindoo ascetics they were discussed in a manner so metaphysical, that only minds equally abstracted with theirs could be interested in them; and this was very much the case with some of the Greeks, especially on points which related to the divine nature, and the origin of the universe.*

A modern writer has given the following concise summary of the Greek philosophy, as taught by its most celebrated sages, and the author here inserts it, to assist his readers in a comparison of the two systems.

He taught, that

"Like Socrates, Plato believed in the unity of the Supreme Being, without beginning or end, but asserted at the same time the eternity of matter. the elements being mixed together in chaos, were, by the will of God, separated, reduced into order, and that thus the world was formed; that God infused into matter a portion of his divine spirit, which animates and moves it; and that he committed the care of this world, and the creation of mankind, to beings who are constantly subject to his will. It was further his opinion, that mankind have two souls, of separate and different natures, the one corruptible, the other immortal; that the latter is a portion of the divine spirit, resides in the brain, and is the source of reason; that the former, the mortal soul, is divided into two portions, one of which, residing in the heart, produces passion and desires; the other, between the diaphragm and navel, governs the animal functions of life; that the mortal soul ceases to exist with the life of the body, but that the divine soul, no longer clogged by its union with matter, continues its existence, either in a state of happiness or of punishment. That the souls of the virtuous, of those whose actions are guided by their reason, return after death into the source from whence they flowed; while the souls of those who submitted to the government of the passions, after being for a certain time confined to a place destined for their reception, are sent back to earth, to animate other bodies.

"Aristotle has by some been charged with atheism, but I am at a loss upon what * "Nature and its origin was the highest object of study of the Pythagorean schools." The author is indebted to Dr. Enfield's Abridgment of Brucker for this and most of the notes in this chapter.

grounds, as a firm belief in the existence of a Supreme Being, is clearly asserted by him, and not any where contradicted. He taught, that the universe and motion are eternal, having for ever existed, and being without end; and although this world may have undergone, and be still subject to, convulsions arising from extraordinary causes, yet motion, being regular in its operation, brings back the elements into their proper relative situations, and preserves the whole; that even these convulsions have their source in nature that the idea of a chaos, or the existence of the elements without form or order, is contrary to her laws, which we every where see established, and which, constantly guiding the principle of motion, must from eternity have produced, and to eternity preserve, the present harmony of the world. In every thing, we are able to discover a train of motive principles, an uninterrupted chain of causes and effects: and that as nothing can happen without a cause, the word accident is an unmeaning expression, employed in speaking of effects, of whose causes we are ignorant. That in following this chain we are led up to the primitive cause, the Supreme Being, the universal soul, who, as the will moves the body, moves the whole system of the universe. Upon these principles, it was natural for him to suppose the souls of mankind to be portions or emanations of the divine spirit, which at death quit the body, and, like a drop of water, falling into the ocean, are absorb. ed in the divinity. Though he therefore taught the immortality of human souls, yet, as he did not suppose them to exist individually, he consequently denied a future state of rewards and punishments. Of all things,' says he, 'the most terrible is death, after which, we have neither to hope for good, nor to dread evil.'

Zeno, of Cyprus, taught, that throughout nature there are two eternal qualities; the one active, the other passive. That the former is a pure and subtle æther, the divine spirit, and that the latter is in itself entirely inert, until united with the active principle; that the divine spirit, acting upon matter, produced fire, air, wa ter, and earth; or separated the elements from each other; that it cannot however be said, that God created the world by a voluntary determination, but by the effect of established principles, which have ever existed and will for ever continue. Yet, as the divine Spirit is the efficient principle, the world could neither have been formed nor preserved without him, all nature being moved and conducted by him, while

nothing can move or affect him. Matter may be divided, measured, calculated, and formed into innumerable shapes; but the divine spirit is indivisible, infinite, unchangeable, and omnipresent. He supposed the universe, comprehending matter and space, to be without bounds; but that the world is confined to certain limits, and is suspended in infinite space; that the seeds of things existed in the primitive elements, and that by means of the efficient principle they were brought forward and animated; that mankind come into the world without any innate ideas, the mind being like a smooth surface, upon which the objects of nature are gradually engraven by means of the senses; that the soul of man, being a portion of the universal soul, returns, after death, to its first source, where it will remain until the destruction of the world, a period at which the elements, being once more confounded, will again be restored to their present state of order and harmony."

The reader who shall carefully peruse these remarks, and compare them with the opinions of the Hindoo ascetics, hereafter given, cannot fail of being astonished at the amazing agreement betwixt the schools of Greece and India.

SECTION III.

Swayŭmbhoovu, or Můnoo.

This sage is known in the pooranus as the son of Brůmha, and one of the progenitors of mankind. He is also complimented as the preserver of the védŭs at the time of the Hindoo deluge, and as having given an abstract of the contents of these books in the work known by his name, and translated by Sir William Jones. It does not appear improbable, that during the life of Minoo, certain works were written, perhaps from tradition, which, after many additions, were called the védů, or shrootee, "that which has been heard." Perhaps Monoo himself, and Ŭlurkŭ and Markůndéyů,* are to be considered as the authors of the original aphorisms of the védů; or, if not the authors, the compilers, from tradition, of what then existed of these books; for, we are not to suppose, that the védus were all compiled at one period; some of the writers lived in the reign of Ramă, and others even as late as the time of the race of the moon.

* See page 6.

SECTION IV.

Kopilu.

This sage, the grandson of Minoo, was the founder of the Sankhyŭ sect, the author of the original aphorisms to which the sect appeals, and is mentioned in several works, as the most eminent of all the ascetics, knowing things past, present, and to come, and, in fact, as able to accomplish whatever he wished.* The Shree-bhagŭvătă speaks of him as an incarnation of Vishuoo, and declares, that his appearance on earth was to lead mankind to future happiness, by teaching the doctrines of that school of philosophy of which he was the founder. The Padmй pooranu says, that his father, Kărmădă, was one of the progenitors of mankind; that his mother, Dévi-hootee, was the daughter of Swayŭmbhoovă; that Kopili was born at Pooskŭrů, and lived at Gănga-sagără, and that he was of a dark complexion, and wore yellow garments.— The Kopilă sunghita is ascribed to his pen.

Kopilo's opinions appear to approach very near to Bouddhism: he taught, that God exists in a state wholly distinct from the universe, as the water on the leaf of the waterlily; or, to speak more plainly, that his nature and existence are inscrutable; that he has nothing to do with creatures, nor they with him. In some parts of his writings, he denies the divine existence altogether; and, indeed, one of his aphorisms is, "There is no God." He called the universe the work of nature, as being possessed of the three qualities which give rise to divine wisdom, to activity, and to stupidity. He declared, that nature was undefinable, uncreated, destitute of life, and liable to dissolution. In reply to the question, how that which is destitute of life can give rise to creatures, he referred to the spider's web spun from its own bowels, to the fall of inanimate bodies, to the production of milk in the udder of the cow, &c. He considered nature as the root or origin of the universe, because every thing proceeded from it, or was to be traced to it; and that beyond it nothing was discoverable. Nature, he said, was indescribable, because none of the senses could comprehend it, and yet, that it

He is said to have reduced to ashes the 60,000 sons of king Sagůrů.