Krishna and Christ.

Southland Times, Issue 19553, 6 May 1905, Page 2 (Supplement)

Krishna and Christ.

PART I. An article contributed by a gentlema» who was for a number - i years resident in the East, and wiho is an enthusiastic student of ancient Indian History :— It is not my intention at present to put before you, the evidences of man having existed during the geological Tertiary period which would give him an existence on-’earth extending into millionsof years, but I will ask you to accept •the statement, not on blind faith, bat subject </f course to each person’s verification, that Old Father Man may be fully accredited with an antiquity of 20,000 to 25,000 years on the evidence not only of Hindoo tradition, but of the unquestionable archaeological proofs in the existence of manuscripts, imposing ruins and pagodas still erect all bearing witness to the signs 'of such early civilization in India. It is necessary that the light of these facts should be kept in meinory in order that you may fully .appreciate what I ant agout to tell you, and to enable, you to form logical conclusions from them.

A great number of people ignorant of everything beyond the circle of their own insignificant lives, delusively imagine the Brahmins to have been a semi-intelligent people whose history is of i.d important interest to themselves or to the world at large. Let me clear away this stumbling block of error by placing before you a slight sketch of this old civilisation of India before referring to its religious and moral states.

IN PHILOSOPHY they created the Metaphysical and Positive Schools, typical of spiritualistic and materialistic philosophy. The first—the Vedanta school was founded by Vyasa. The second—the Sankya school, was founded by Kapila.IN ASTRONOMICAL SCIENCE-they fixed the calendar, invented the zodiac, calculated the precession of the equinoxes, discovered the general laws and movements, observed and predicted

eclipses. IN MATHEMATICS—they invented the decimal system, algebra, differential and integral calculus ; they also discovered (geometry and trigonometry, in which sciences they laid down and solved certain theorems which were only discovered in Europe during the 17th and 18th centuries. It vq?s the Brahmans who

cnee to its diameter, and to them must be accredited the calculation of the hypotenuse and the table erroneously culled •the —whito are found engraved on the gopuras or gateways of most of the great pagodns. IN PHYSICS—they established toe principle which Is that of ours of the present day that the Universe is a harmonious whole, subject to laws which can be determined by observation and experiments ; they discovered Hydrostatics, and the famous laws of Specific Gravities, which Hie great Greek architect Archimedes borrowed from them.

The physicists of the pagodas calculattd the speed of light, and established the laws relating to reflection ; and although they did not make use of steam as a motive power, still It is beyond doubt that Sourya-Sidhonta knew of and calculated Its force. IN CHEMISTRY—they understood the synthesis of water, and formulated the. celebrated law which we have only recently known about gases, that their volumes are inversely proportional to the pressure- They manufactured sulphuric nitric and muriatic acids, oxides of copper, iron, lead, tin, zinc ; the sulphates of iron and zinc, the sulphurets of mercury, antimony, etc., the carbonates of iron, and lead, silver nltrato and powder. IN MEDICINE—their knowledge was'astonishing. In Tcharaka. and Sousrouta, the two princes of Hindoo medicine are to be found the entire system which Hippocrates subsequently maide use of. Sousrouta notably propounded the principles of preventive hygienic measures as infinitely superior to curative medicines, which he regarded mostly as empirical. Are we more advanced to-day ?

It is interesting to note that the 'Arabian physicians, who enjoyed such a high reputation in the middle ages, refer constantly to the Hindoos as the initiators Of both the Greek and their own systems.

IN PHARMACOLOGY—they knew all the simples, their properties, their use, on which point they have not ceased giving some lessons to Europe, IN SURGHR.Y—they performed wonderful operations which were graphically described by Tharaka. AS GRAMMARIANS—they elaborated Sanscrit—the most marvelous language in the world, which gave birtM to the better part of oriental and Indo-Euro-pean idioms. AS POETS—the}’ were masters of all kinds of works—some of which have never been equalled. IN MUSlC—they invented the scales, with its differences of tones and semitones, long before Gi-ii d'Arezzo. IN ARCHITECTURE they seem to have exhausted all thnt the genius of man is capable of conceiving ;■ bold Homes, elegant cupolas, minarets graced with exquisite traceries of marble lace, Gothic towers, Greek arches, poly-chro-matic styles ; everykind and belonging to every period are to he found there—of which copies were taken away by different peoples who had emigrated to India

At the same time that the Brahman astronomers were searching the heavens and making astronomy a true science of experiments, others were studying to discover the secret of creation and life, not. be it said, of the creation of MATTER 'of which they admitted the germ eternal, but of its 'development and alliance with vegetable and animal life. According to the physiological pundits, the germ of primitive life is in water fecundated by heat ; this germ first animates plants, and through these animals and men. Hence the religious 'care exercised by Vishnuvist-brahmans to filter the water they drink through finely woven linen, lest in swallowing they destroy the life of the animalcules with which water abounds. This was a law established by Menu, the great legislator. Nor will a-

faithful Brahman extinguish fire, fearing to destroy a principle of life, he allows it tc( go out naturally through lack of nourishment.- This twio-fold faith doubtless lies at the bottom of the ancient worship of fire and water. The scientific opinion of the union' of the material and life principles in water through the agency of heat, and that the animated being* has progressed by the purely naturtfl forces of nature rising gradually from an inferior to a superior type, from the first monad up to man gave birth to two systems in the sphere of speculation ; one purely , materialistic and philosophical ; the other religious. KAPILA, the celebrated founder of the Sankya philosophy, formally disowns Divine creation? He maintains that there are no proofs of the existence <df a spiritual cause producing the universe, l hat such a cause cannot possibly be demonstrated, either by reason, or the senses ; that bota plants and animals are the natural resultants of the properties of matter, and that all things existent .-.re the product iff natural combinations, modifications, transformations and perfecting improvements. Have we not here the plain theory ascribed as a new thought to the -genius of Lamarck, the astronomer and Darwin, the naturalist ? How many of the intolerant disciples of these two master scientists are there who suspect that the latter purely and; simply illustrated by the help of a priori reasonings and hypotheses the system of the pundits of ancient India. ot the school of Kaplla ? One halts no more on the gradient of pure so-called materialism, than on that ot an exaggerated spiritualism ; the safer ground seems to lie that of a harmonious equilibrium. Going further than Kaplla, Vyasa, who enjoys in India a reputation equal to t-hat possessed by Aristotle and Blato among ourselves, and of whom the illustrious Orientalist, William Jones, speaks so eulogistically, maintained not only like Kaplla, that creation is impossible, but further, that the existence of matter is a pure phantasm, from which he concluded that that which we regard as the Universe, and those things which to our eyes seem to compose it, have no reality, being the empty product of Illusion which he called MAYA. In order to make his system more intelligible to his disciples, he presented it in an apologue as follows : —” A certain man dreamed that he had been elected and -.rowned king of some country amid great comp and pageantry. On the day following he met = traveller «ho related him all the ceremonies connected with the coronation of the same country whereof he had been an eye-witness. The circumstances thus described conformed in every detail with those seen by the drea- ' mer ; the illusion or maya was equally c-alpable in the two cases, as there was no more reality in what wns alleged to have been seen by the waking man than In what was dreamed by the sleeper. In 'net, the things which we take to be realities are only the prestiges of Divinity, the only subslstent Being. Our senses in impressing us with the images nf seeming objects where none truly exist do but delude us ; these objects are only appearances or modifications of Divinity, or rather are un-real..”-NARA and NARI. The Hindoo legends respecting the appearance in the Universe of Man, are lnlUtnerable. Manu, in his Book 111, Sloca 76, states toe proposition' as fol-<, lows .'—'•' Vapour rises towards the sun ; from the sun it descends as rain, from rain plants are produced, and from these -living creatures.” Other teachers again attribute him to the act Of Divine Will. 'Without making a special study of this subject, I will refer to a little poem by VASICTA,. the most renowned ■if the seven sages of the Vedic period, ! explanatory ot Genesis or The Seven Days of Nara and Nari

When! the last nlmecha " ('strictly S-45ths of a second) "of the last moohoilrta (literally the last eye-twinkle of tlhh last night or cycle of rest) of Brahma had transpired, the subsistent I,ord appeared when darkness fled frqm before his ineffable aplendour ; By the infinite power of His thought Ho created Nara and Nari, and said to them: Ye are Life, the seed of the universe, fecundity, and Love. The purest emanation of my Substance, Pralaya (chaos) is ended, go forth and birth to all beings.”- This wa's God’s first day T s Work. Second Day.—Nara and Nari being united in lovo first produced the beautiful sun, whose light Was divided into equal parts of day and night. Then, they created the Infinite legions of devas (gods) and hear venly messengers, and the different heavens they were to inhabit.- This rqas the work of the Divine Spirit of J-he Dual Nature on the second day.

Third Day..—They then drew from their own substance the ether, air, fire and water, and all the inhabited worlds, seas and rivers,'and all the planets./This completed tfc’c third day’s work. Fourth Day.—Then they instituted prayers, eternal sacrifice, devotion and charity and universal law, which is the Veda (sacred scripture) to which the gods, heavens and worlds, are subject. This completed the fourth day’s work). Fifth Day.—A smile from Nari, the immortal virgin, caused the whole earth to bud forth and become with verdure clad —the most precious plant being the cousa—with flowers of rarest perfume, of thousand! gradations—choicest among which is the lotus.- This ended the fifth day.

Sixth Day.—They then created all that has life, all that walks, swims or flies on earth, in the bosefm of the waters and in the air, and man and woman were born from their last embrace with' the primordial dual nature, lik-e themselves, and capable of uniting in love. Thus ended the sixth -day.

Seventh Day-—And seeing that all was good and perfect, and that the great celestial orbs were harmoniously revolving in space ; that life had begun the cycle of its transformations, that all nature was fruitful, Nara and Nari re ascended into heaven to announce , to Brahma that the work was accomplished ami they were then absorbed in His bifsom.” I stdtied that this poem of Genesis was written by Vasiclata’ one ot the seven

sages of Vedic antiquity, and as it VRill doubtless interest ydu to know something, however little, of them, I will give you their names, appending the respective familiar maxims attributed to them characterising their individual philosophical and moral teaching, viz.

Atri.—The first of all sciences is that ot the soul.

Angira.—ln all things consider the end, for the virtue and value of all actions lie in their result.

Cratoo.—When you meet a man proud of his intellect and strength, ask him :■ Who art thou ? Whence comest ? Whither goest thou 7 i I’ulatya.—Do unto thy brother as the* wishest he do unto tMee. Pulaha.—The virtuous man fears neither the adverse strokes of fate, nor the malice of robbers, for he carries all bis riches within himself.

Marichi.—To do gdod to the wicked is to write on the sand. Vosichta.—The most meritorious of all virtues is temperance, as fit teaches us to use the gifts of God with moderation.

The number seven in India was a prophetic one, and we can judge of the high esteem in which it was held by its application to so many namee and places, objects of the deepest veneration, eg., the 7 Rishis, of whom I have spokan, the 7 holy cities, the 7 sacred islands, the 7 seas, the 7 sacred rivers, the 7 Moly mountains, the 7 sacred deserts, the 7 sacred trees, the 7 castes, the 7 superior and inferior worlds. The Sannyassis, or nakldd penitents, carried the seven-knotted rod and edrd. This rod was used by the fakeers in predicting th future by tracing figures with it on the sand and enquiring of the stars, and also as a divining rod during the dry seasons so terrible in India. Wn find it again in tWe hands of Moses and Aaron and Pharao’s magicians.- It is represented in the hazel rod ot the druidic sorcerers, ahd it descends into the crosier or pastoral stall of bishops. I need not refer to the fatidical character of the same number frequently inrt with In the Jewish and Christian religion's, most of whia'i will be rememlbared by you I have no doubt.

Now, however beautiful the legendary story of the so-called Mosaic Genesis may be, I think that every candid person must admit that the considerably more ancient Hindu version I have sketched for you, is in most respects its peer, .while in others it is more beautiful and didactic.

was instituted by Nara and Nari. on which I would like to say a few words. The religious edifice of djeinism, the virginal monotCi-Ism ot Indio, and of later Brahmanism, lies csitirely on the pdwer of Mentrams—Sanscrit for prayers. No povqer of Heaven, not excluding that of the mysterious Supreme P.eing-Swayam 4 bhouva— can resist an Invocation of a right nature, and every morning at the sacrifice of the aswamedha, the celebrating priest, by the virtue of prayer, draws down on the altar Vishnu, the second person of the Trinity, incarnated in Krishna. Armed with his mentrams or prayers, the power of the Brahmin piicst is limitless. This power is graphically expressed in a Sanscrit sorites, which was engraved on the old pagodas of Southern India, it rends thus :—

All that exists is in the power of the gods, The gods are in the power of mentrams, Mentrams are in the power of Brahman priests :■ Therefore, the gods are in the power of the Brahmins. According to the Brahmatara-Kanda, art old Hindoo poem composed in honour to Siva, the third person of the Trinity, mentrams were given to man to enable him to keep in constant communion with Divinity, and it is by this means that sages, penitents and holy men attract to themselves the power of the god they invoke. Miracles are effected by prayer. In the following I enumerate some of the virtues of prayer as given in the said poem, viz. Prayers are more agreeable to Zeus than incense and the five perfumes (pantcha-amrita). Prayers are the nourishment of the gods. Prayers purify all :• earth, water, fite, air and ether. Prayers drive away demons and maleficent spirits. Prayers purify from sins. Prayers are superior to the Veda (scriptures). , ± This last is, it is said, the only text to be found in the sacred writings of the Hindoos, which ranks prayers above the Vedas. More can be said on this subject, but let these extracts suffice.

THE MYSTERIOUS MONOSYLLABLE AUM I A'dl the TRINITY (TRIMOURTY),

It is incontestable that this monosyllable is the most ancient ot all Brahminical invocations, the precise definite meaning of which has been extensively discussed. There are some who .maintain is a lost Cabala, or word involving a deep occult meaning ; oil.eis again either admit or deny that the three letters composing it represent the three persons of the Trinity. According td the djoinas ADM is the symbolical name, one and indivisible of the Supreme Being. It is the first word jfwunmeed by the priest at the altar, when he implores Divinity to descend and receive the offered sacrifice, and the common people are absolutely forbidden to call G-od by this name outside of the temple. It is beyond question, that ATM Is the ndme given by the Brahman unilarian djein-as to the Supreme Being—the selfsubsistent ZYAUS or ZEUS ; but when the doctrine of the Trinity was Innovated by dissenting Brahmins these applied the letters of the word to the respective three persons o'f the Trinity. Now, according to the interpretation of the pundits or learned Brahmans of the Indian pagodas AUM, for the. Djeinas signifies Djeinessooara, or the ONE GiOD;: while for' the Brahman it signifies the Trinity in Unity. Hence AUJI = ZYAUS. A = Brahma. B = Vishnu. C = Sir The great legislator Manu only once makes allusion io the sacred word,, and

I then it is to the »(lect that it must not be disclosed. Here are bis words from Book xi, stanza 265 The sacred primitive syllable composed of three letters A.U.M. in which ore comprised the Vedic Triad must be kept secret,’* THE DOGMA OF INCARNATION.

This dogma was intimately associated with that of transmigration in the hieratic creeds of ancient India. In a few words I would state that whereas ;Zyaus, or the un-revealed Supreme Being. representing Immutable Goodness is not compelled to descend from Olympus to incarnate in form visible, the whole host of devas, angels, saints, archangels, heavenly seraphim, demi-gods, are subject alike to the law of transmigration for a certain time, be it for an act of disobedience to divine orders or any other mysterious cause ; hut none of the hosts of heaven could possibly ro-incar-nate in any of the forms belonging to the vegetable or lower animal kingdoms ; thair re-incarnation had to take place inhuman form in which they would have to re-conquer their place in heaven by suffering on earth. Each person < f the Trinity was said to be liable to incarnation under the form of a penitent or of a king in order to recall erring humanity to a purer life and obedience to inscrutable designs of Divinity. I may here appropriately quote the literal text of verses 7,8, 9, chapter iv, of the Blragavah Gita—the Lord's lay ; Krishna speaking :—" O Son of Bharata. whenever there is decline of righteousness and uprising of unrighteousness, then I project myself into creation. For the protection of the righteous and the destruction of the evil-does, and for the proper establishment of the law of righteousness, I appear from age to age, Whoever knows in truth my divine birth and works, he, abandoning the body, does not incur re-birth, O, Arjuna ; lie conies to me.”

The heavens also had their neteml sychosis. Be it said, however, that these teachings and creeds are evidently of later Brahmanic origin, inasmuch as no trace ot them is to be found in Hindoo patriarchal times. Owing to the length of the subject of the present lecture I was compiled to divide it into two parts. However, before. closing this, the first part. I would like to lay before you the iollowlng religious teachings of Manu, several thousand years before Moses and tee Christian 1 era :—The Unity of God. The immortality of the soul. Merit and demerit founded on human liberty. Reward ami punishment. In regard to morals, he based duty on. trie following virtues : Resignation.. Rendering GOOD for EVIL (the so-called golden rula of Christianity), Temperance, Frol.ity. Purity, Chastity, and the repression of sense-desires, the knowledge of Holy Scriptures, and of the Soul Supreme, the cult of Truth, abstinence from angrr. Finally, in one of his celebrn'ed stanzas we read the following :—“ if an act of piety proceeds from the hope of a reward in this or another world, this act is said to be " interested but he whose sole motive is to know and love God Is said to bo "dis-interested.” The man whose religious acts are “ interested ” attains the rank of saints and angels : but he whose acts are ” dis-interested," divests himself for ever of the five elements becomes one with the Supreme Soul.