The Philosophy of Fine Art, volume 2 (of 4): Hegel's Aesthetik
Georg Hegel · en
Everything that is true of its kind, and everything that is
specious and obscure proceeds out of me. I am not in them, but they are
in me. Through the illusion of these three qualities all the world is
made foolish, and knows me not who am unalterable. Moreover also the
Divine illusion, even Mâya, is my own illusion, which is hard indeed to
surpass, albeit all who follow after me step over this illusion." In
this passage we have indicated in the most striking terms just such a
substantive unity as the one above discussed, not merely from the point
of view of its immanence in immediate sense, but also from that of its
advance beyond and over all singularity.
In a similar manner _Krishna_ affirms of himself that He is the most
Excellent among all the different forms of existence (Lect. X, 21):
"Among the star's I am the radiant sun, among the human signs the
moon, among the sacred Books the Book of Hymns, among the senses
the spiritual, Meru among the tops of the mountains, the lion among
animals, the vowel A among all letters, among the seasons of the year
the blooming spring-time, etc."
This enumeration, however, of superlative excellence, and we may add
the description of that which is merely a change of forms, among
which it is always one and the same thing that is envisaged, despite
any superficial appearance such may give us at first of a prodigal
imagination, is none the less, by reason of this very equality of
content, extremely monotonous and in general empty and tedious.
2. Under a higher mode and in a freer manner from the subjective point
of view we find, _secondly_, oriental pantheism is elaborated in
Mohammedanism more particularly among the _Persians._
And here we are confronted with a relation of some singularity when we
direct our attention expressly to the point of view of the individual
poet.