Studies in Indian Art c9.s2.27

c9.s2.27

The *Pūrṇa-Kumbha* is thus a charming symbol of double *entendre*, signifying the one becoming the many, and the created many attuned to the universal whole. The manifestation of the life-force from the womb is the most subtle and mysterious thing that we know of in the whole panorama of our existence. Its creation is a sacred and sublime act, an event fit for universal rejoicing. The gods seem to sing with joy when life recreates life. This process is ceaseless like the ever-unfolding process of time. What can be the secret of its inexhaustible power? The poet conceives that there is the *Kumbha* or the Full Vase enshrined in the innermost secret of the womb which contains the infant, and this vase is said to be the real progenitor by the force of its inherent mysterious powers¹. In this sense the Full Vase would be considered a representative symbol of the hidden vital force, and its fluid contents signify life itself. The infant that grows out of the womb and attains to full human majesty in due course epitomizes the virtues of the symbolical Full Vase. He is Pūrṇa, full and overflowing with prosperity and blessings (*Bhūti* and *Āśis*) and besides—