The History of Indian Literature c9.156

Language: English

c9.156.1

The beginnings of philosophical speculation go back, as we have already more than once seen (see especially pp. 26, 27), to a very remote age. Even in the Saṃhitá of the Ṛik, although only in its later portions, we find hymns that bespeak a high degree of reflection. Here, too, as with all other peoples, it was especially the question as to the origin of the world that more immediately gave rise to philosophical contemplation. The mystery of existence, of being, and of life forces itself directly upon the soul, and along with this comes the question, how the riddle is to be solved, and what is its cause. The idea that most readily presents itself, and which is therefore, in fact, everywhere recognisable as the earliest one, is that of an eternal matter, a chaotic mass, into which order and system are gradually introduced, whether—and here we have two distinct views, each of which has its intrinsic warrant, and which must therefore have been early opposed to each other—by virtue of an indwelling capacity of development, or by impulse from without, whereby of course an object or Being existing outside of this chaotic mass is *eo ipso* postulated. This point reached, the idea is then a very natural one to regard this Being, whence the impulse proceeds, as higher and more exalted than the primary chaotic matter itself;

c9.156.2

and, as speculation advances, this primary matter continues to sink to a more and more subordinate position, till at length its very existence appears as dependent upon the will of this Being, and so the idea of a creation arises. The steps of this gradation may actually be followed with tolerable distinctness in the Vedic texts. In the more ancient portions the notion everywhere still is that the worlds were but ‘fixed,’ ‘arranged’ (*stabhita*, *skabhita* ∗), by the aid of the *metres* (it is thus that the harmony of the universe is explained); only at a later stage is the idea developed of their *sarjana*, ‘emission’ or creation. As time goes on, the creative Being is conceived as more and more transcendental and supernatural, so that as a means of communication between him and the real universe intermediate grades of beings, demiurges, are required, by classifying and systematising whom speculation strives to introduce order, but naturally only with the result of producing greater confusion. We have thus three distinct views as to the origin of the world—that of its ‘development,’ that of its ‘arrangement,’ and that of its ‘creation.’ The two former agree in so far as the theory of development requires an ‘arranger’ also; they are, however, sufficiently distinguished by the circumstance that in the former this Power is regarded as the first production of the capacity of development residing in primary matter;

c9.156.3

in the latter, on the contrary, as an independent Being existing outside of it. The theory of a creation starts generally with a desire on the part of the Creator to be no longer alone, the expression of which desire is immediately followed by the emanation itself. Either it is a female being that first proceeds from the Creator, in connection with whom, by a process of begetting,∗ he then accomplishes the further work of creation; or it is the breath of life that first of all emanates, and in its turn produces all the rest; or again, the mere expression of the desire itself involves creation, *vách* or speech here appearing as its immediate source; or the process is conceived in a variety of other ways. The notion that the world is but Illusion only belongs to the latest phase of this emanation theory.—It is impossible at present to attempt even an approximate sketch of the gradual growth of these three different theories into complete philosophical systems; the Bráhmaṇas and Upanishads must first be thoroughly studied. Nor until this has been done will it be possible to decide the question whether for the beginnings of Greek philosophy any connection with Hindú speculation can be established—with reference to the five elements in particular,† a point which for the present is doubtful.‡ I have already stated generally (p. 29) the reasons which lead me to assign a comparatively late date to the existing text-books (Sútras) of the Hindú philosophical systems.²⁴⁶