Meaning:—“The sun, moon and stars what are they? But a glimpse of light caught from That (_Tat_).” &c. XVI. ONTOLOGY OF THE SELF EXISTENT _Sat_ = BEING. [Sidenote: Philology of Sat.] 1. The last word of the formular motto of Vedánta is _sat_, which derived from the root _asa_, Lat. _esse_—to be, makes the present participle _Sat_ and means a being, like the Latin _ens_ and Greek _On_, the participial noun of _eimi_ meaning a being. Thus the knowledge of _sat_ which is _Satyam_ = reality, is the doctrine of _On_—the real being, which as said before is _to on onton_—the being of beings and prime cause of all existences, and forms the main subject of Ontology. This primary and fundamental truth of the existence of a first cause, led the Rishi _a priori_ to deduce all other existences from it by the text अहं वहुस्यां _Ego in multis et pluribus_—the one in many: or in other words, when the Bráhman believes in but one real being in the Universe, he believes also that this being constitutes the Universe. (M.W. Indian Wisdom p. 36). [Sidenote: 2. Etymology of Sat.] 2. The noun _Sat_ in its verbal form is equivalent to _asti_, corresponding with Lat. _est_, Gr. _esti_, Persic _ast_ and _hast_, Bengali-áchhe, Uria achchhe &c. Eng. _is_, Ger. _Ist_ and the like. And _tat sat_ together makes the Greek _to estin_, Lat. _Id est_ French _Il est_ &c.; Arabic _alast_, Persic _ost_, and Hindi _Ohihae_. The Om _Tat Sat_ is either an identic proposition, meaning the “Being that is” or a definitive one, expressing _Om_ that (is) existent. [Sidenote: 3. The Ontology of _Sat_ or Being.] 3. The Ch’hándogya Upanishad says; “In the beginning there was the mere state of _sat_—being (_to on_)—the one only without a second.” Some however say that, “in the beginning there was a state of _asat_—not being; (_Lat. non est_, Gr. _to mi on_), the one without a second. Hence out of a state of non-being would proceed a state of being. But how can this be? How can _sat_ = being, proceed out of _asat_ not being?” It is logically absurd by the well known maxim _Ex nihilo nihil fit_ of Lucretius. “Hence in the beginning there was a mere state of being (the _om_). One only without a second. (_om eka mevá dvitíyam_ ओमेकमेवाद्वितीयं). He willed and became many” (Chánd. VI. 2. M. W. Ind. Wisdom p. 41). [Sidenote: 4. A Priori Argument of Vedánta.] 4. The Original text runs thus. सदेवइदमग्र आसीत्, एकमेवाद्वितीयं । तदाह एकेआहुः असदेवइदमग्रमासीत् एकमेवाद्वितीयं ॥ तस्मादसतः सज्जायेत । कुतस्तुखलु स्यादिति । कथमसतः सज्जायेत इति ॥ तत्त्वेवइदमग्रआसीत्, एकमेवाद्वितीयं ॥ तदैक्षत वहुस्यां प्रजायेय ।