The Path, Vol. I.—1886-'7.: A Magazine Devoted to the Brotherhood of Humanity, Theosophy in America, and the Study of Occult Science, Philosophy, and Aryan Literature.Various
Religion
The Path, Vol. I.—1886-'7.: A Magazine Devoted to the Brotherhood of Humanity, Theosophy in America, and the Study of Occult Science, Philosophy, and Aryan Literature.
Various
Theosophy -- Periodicals
This Khanda unfolds broadly the whole philosophy. The following ones
go into particulars. It is very easy here to see that the imperishable
doctrine could not be communicated directly by the Great Brahma to
man, but it has to be filtered down through various channels. The
communicator of it to mortals, however, would be regarded by his finite
auditors as a god. The same method is observable in the _Bagavad-Gita_
(ch. IV) where Krishna says to Arjuna that “this never failing doctrine
I formerly taught unto Vivaswat and he to Manu, who told it to Ikswaku,
succeeding whom came the Rajarshis who studied it.” Manu is regarded as
of a wholly Divine nature although not the Great Brahm.
Now, when Angiras, as detailed in the Upanishad, had received this
higher knowledge, he was approached by a great householder, by name
Saunaka. This has reference to an ancient mode of life in India when
Saunaka would be called a grihastha, or one who was performing all his
duties to his family, his tribe, and his nation while still in the
world. All the while, however, he studied the knowledge of Brahman,
so that when the proper time came for him to give up those duties of
life, he could either die or retire to solitude. It was not considered
then to be a virtue for one to violently sever all ties and assume the
garb and life of a mendicant devoted to religious contemplation, but
the better way was thought to be that one which resulted in our, so to
speak, consuming all the Karma of our family in ourselves. Otherwise
it would inevitably result that if he retired with many duties
unfulfilled, they waited, figuratively speaking, for him, sure to
attach to him in a succeeding incarnation and to work him either injury
or obstruction. So it was thought better to work out all such results
in the present life as far as possible.
We find here also a foreshadowing of some ideas held by the Greek
philosophers. In the third verse, the question is asked: “What is that
through which when it is known, the knower thereof knows everything
else.” Some of the Greeks said that we must first ascend to the
general, from which descent to the particular is easy. Such, however,
is directly opposite to the modern method, which delights in going from
particulars to generals, from effects to causes. The true knowledge
proceeds as shown in the Upanishad. By endeavoring to attain to the
Universal Soul of all, the knowledge of the particular parts may be
gained. This is not easy, but it is easy to try. At the same time do
not forsake modern methods altogether, which correspond to the lower
knowledge spoken of in Verse 5. Therefore Angiras says: Two kinds of
knowledge, the lower and the higher, must be known.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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