SECTION LV. Lokakshee. This sage is mentioned in several pooranus as a young man, blind of one eye, wearing the dress of a mendicant. His father, Chitrukétoo, lived at Kanchee; but Lokakshee made mount Shree-shoilu the place of his devotions. He taught, that the true shastră substantiated its own legitimacy, and needed not foreign proof; that the works of philosophers were full of contradictions; hence, being liable to error, they were obliged to derive their proofs from the védů. A celebrated verse, often quoted by the Hindoos, but difficult to be understood, is ascribed to Lokakshee: "The védus are at variance-the smritees are at variance. He who gives a meaning of his own, quoting the védŭs, is no philosopher; The creator, he taught, communicated a power to the universe by which all things were kept in existence; he likewise maintained, that God was possessed of form, otherwise he could not be light and the source of light, as he is described in the védŭs; that all things were subject to the divine will; that a person should first seek divine wisdom; then join the devout, and recite the praises of God, read the sacred books, and excite his passions to a devout fervour. Future happiness he described as perennial joy, unmixed with sorrow. One of the smritees, also Lobayŭtuků, one of the tŭntrus, and an astrological work, are ascribed to his pen. SECTION LVI. Gargyй. The Skundu and Pudmů pooranus describe this sage, the son of Gărgyŭ, born at Priyagi, and residing chiefly at Benares, as a tail man, in the dress of a yogee. His opinions were those of the Patŭnjălă school. His son, Trinăvindoo, is mentioned as learned in the samŭ védů. * This learned man appears to have been disgusted with the contradictions and absurdities of the Hindoo writings, not excepting even the védŏs. To meet the objection-If all are false, what then are the people to do? he adds, the way of the Great One, or of him whose mind is absorbed in religion, must be followed. SECTION LVII. Soomuntoo. This sage is mentioned in the Bhuvishyŭt and other pooranus as a descendant of Vushisht'hu. A work on the civil and canon law goes by his name. He taught his disciples, that God was to be worshipped through the incantations of the védés, and that future happiness was to be obtained by acquiring wisdom, and performing works of merit. It is difficult, however, to distinguish the opinions of this sage on the origin of things from pure atheism. He maintained, that there was in nature an uncreated seed, from which all beings sprung, but that their future destinies were determined by their own conduct. SECTION LVIII. Jatookůrnů. This philosopher is described in two of the pooranus as a mendicant of middle stature, and of dark complexion: his father's name was Ashwŏlayŭnů; his son Bhudrăvůrma is mentioned as a religious writer. Jatookornů was born in Kooch- Véharů, and resided at Chundrů-Shékhůru. He taught, that God was possessed of form; and yet, that he was not to be con. ceived of; that he was unchangeable, and ever-blessed; that the reality of things was discoverable by five kinds of proof; that the world consisted of matter partly eternal and partly created; that space, time, &c. were uncreated; that creation arose out of the will of God, who created a power to produce and direct the universe. He exhorted the person in pursuit of future happiness, first to think on God, then to listen to discourses on the divine nature, to speak of God, and to have the mind filled with thoughts of him, which would be followed by absorption.-One of the smritees, and a compilation on military tactics, are ascribed to this sage. * Púnchă-jănŭ, one of the disciples of this sage, contended, that making any thing beside God eternal, was to make more than one God. SECTION LIX. Yayunt. I have extracted a fragment respecting this philosopher from the Pádmů pooranü and the Yogu-Vashist'hu-Ramayunŭ, in which he is described as a tall young man, dressed as a mendicant. His father's name was Oorooloma; his birth-place Gandha; and the scene of his devotions, the side of the river Nurmŭda.-This sage embraced the opinions of the Meemangsa school. SECTION LX. Vyaghrй padů. The Yogu-Vashisht'hŭ- Ramayŭnů, and other works, describe this sage, the son of Boudhayǎnǎ and Vipasha, as a very tall mendicant, dressed like an ascetic; his bunch of matted hair as reaching down to the ground, his nails as growing to such a length as to curl round the ends of his fingers; and his feet as resembling those of a tyger. He is said to have been born in the forest of Ekamru; the place of his devotions was Jwala-mookhŭ. From his son, the country Oosheenără derives its name. He acknowledged only nature, or chaos, as the mother of the universe; and taught, that greatness, pride, ‡ matter,§ water, fire, wind, and space, were first created, and that from these arose the sixteen powers of animated nature; that there was no other God but mind, or rather life, but that God was sometimes abstracted from matter, and at other times united to it; that to destroy life for any other purpose than for sacrifice was wholly evil; and to do it for sacrifice, though commanded by the védũ, was partly evil; that the reality of things was discovered by inference, by the senses, and by sounds; that he who possessed the true knowledge of God was in the way to final emancipation, and that separation from matter was in reality absorption, or led immediately to it.-To this sage is ascribed one of the smritees. disciples was Oodeechů, the founder of a sect of philosophers. Hence his name was formed out of vyaghrŭ, a tyger, and padů, a foot. greatness, means, in the Hindoo philosophical works, intellect. pride, means consciousness of distinct existence, Among his + Muhut, here translated The word ŭhŭnkarŭ, here translated Or, perhaps, the archetypes of organized matter. SECTION LXI. Vyaghrů-kůrnů. Several of the pooranus mention this sage, who is described as a naked old man, in the dress of a yogee; his behaviour sometimes resembled that of an insane person; at one time he sung; at another danced, at another wept, and at other times he stood motionless. Vilwodŭkéshwurů is mentioned as the seat of his devotions. He taught, that God was eternal, but that the world was false, though God was united to it. His other opinions were similar to those of the védantů philosophers. SECTION LXII. The preceding sections contain accounts of the most distinguished of the Hindoo sages. It must not be concluded, however, that these are all the learned Hindoos India has produced; these were the most ancient of their philosopers; and the names of some of them are found in the védus; others were the founders of their different schools of philosophy, and others the avowed authors of their sacred and civil laws. The latest period to which these accounts can be supposed to reach, is the commencement of the kulee yoog; after this a number of celebrated metaphysicians, poets, and philologists appeared at the courts of the Hindoo monarchs, and threw a lustre on the periods in which they lived. * The author, at one time, was disposed to form the following theory respecting the progress of the Hindoo literature: as the original védŭ is called by a name which implies that it was received by tradition, and as the doctrines taught in the six schools of philosophy are believed to have been founded on the aphorisms (soutros) received by tradition from Kopilă, Goutămů, Pătunjŏlee, Kōnadů, Védő-vyasă, and Joiminee, he conjectured, that about the period of the rise of the Grecian philosophy, several wise men rose up among the Hindoos, who delivered certain dogmas, which were preserved during a certain unknown period as sacred traditions. For the most ancient of these dogmas ro parent was found, and they were called the védů; the others be * See page 221. came known by the names of the six sages above-mentioned. Down to this period, he supposed the védă and the dŏrshănŭs to have existed only in the sayings of these ancient sages; but that at length men arose, who adopted these aphorisms as first principles, established schools in which they were explained, and from whence were promulgated certain systems of philosophical opinion: from this time these systems being committed to writing, disputations multiplied, till, amidst these confused speculations, it became impossible to fix any standard of opinion.-At length, a learned and most indefatigable man, Dwoipayună, collected a heterogeneous* mass of materials, the opinions and effusions of different philosophers, and, having arranged them as well as such a chaos could be arranged, he called this compilation "the védů." According to this reasoning, the dŭrshănŭs are more ancient than the compilation by Védu-vyasů, called the védů; but as the Hindoo learning was then in its wane, this compilation was soon venerated as "the self-evident word proceeding out of the mouth of Bromhŭ;" and it was declared to be a very high crime for these sacred writings to be even read in the ears of a shoodrů. We must not suppose, that Védă-vyasŭ included in his compilation the works of all the philosophical sects: he contented himself with inserting those of the sect to which he himself was attached, the védantů. The durshănus and the smritees evidently form a body of writings distinct from the védus; though passages are to be found in the védus favouring every philosophical speculation professed among the Hindoos. The modern Hindoos believe, that the védů is the source of all the shastrus, just as an illiterate Englishman might suppose, that every part of English learning came from the Encyclopedia. Had not the author been afraid of wearying the patience of his readers, he might have given similar accounts of many other Hindoo writers, such as Kiŭtoo, one of the seven sages, and author of certain formulas used at sacrifices; Yumu, author of one of the smritees; Purushooramů, the son of Jămădăgnee, author of a work on the To perceive the propriety of this epithet, the reader need only examine Mr. Colebrooke's very learned Essay. Hh |