The following pages will show that it is impossible to resist the conclusion that the ancient systems of Hindu thought are based on a study of the creation of life out of the universal Ovum of Brahma or Brahmanda. The ancient Hindus appear to have studied the phenomena of life with great and scientific accuracy, and found from observation that life is created in the following ways:
- From the physical union of the male and the female, as in the case of men and other animals.
- From the coming together of the male and the female into an atmosphere of union, but without physical contact, as in the case of a number of aquatic animals.
- By natural separation from the parent, as in the case of a number of plants and animals.
- Out of the mature Ovum, without its previous union with the male, as in a case of Parthenogenesis.
- Out of the male energy, without its previous union with the female, as in another case of Parthenogenesis.
From these facts, as well as a study of the cell, they proceeded to an examination of the fundamental problem of the manifestation of life:
- Is the Original Cause of Life a Male energy, or is it a Female energy, or is it both?
- If it is the Male, is the Female created out of it?
- If it is the Female, is the Male Created out of it?
- Is creation the result of the physical union of the Male and Female? Or
- Is it the result of the coming together of the Male and Female into an atmosphere of creation, but without physical contact? Or
- Is it the result of natural separation from parent energy, which is both Male and Female in one?
It will be found on examination that the ancient Hindus have, in their sacred works, considered all these questions and arrived at certain conclusions; and from these and a few more principles to be presently defined, arise the different systems of their thought.
Their Conclusions: Their conclusions in this connection may be summarized as follows:
- The Original Cause is a Male energy, and the Female is created out of it.
- The Original Cause is a Female energy, and the Male is created out of it.
- The Original Cause is both Male and Female in one.
- The Original Causes are two and not one, Purusha and Prakrti, and out of their union is life created.
- Creation is the result of natural separation from the parent energy, by means of Wish or Desire, or Thought, or Penance (Tapas or Heat), and not primarily of physical contact.
- Creation is the result of the coming together of the Male and the Female, the "presiding" of the Male over or his "proximity" to the Female.
- Creation is the result of the physical union of the Male and the Female, the "animating" of the Female by the Male.
Character of the Supreme Male Energy (Purusha): The characteristics of the Supreme Male energy or Purusha are, accordingly, as follows:
He is:
- Self-create, immeasurable, unmanifest, and infinite, without beginning and without end.
- Creator, supporter and destroyer and still existent in the Universe.
- Creator of and merges within himself the Supreme Female energy (Prakrti).
- The Lord of and greater than Prakrti.
- Identified with Prakrti.
- Seated in, united with, and animating Prakrti, and causing her to act.
- Both Male and Female energy in one.
- As both Male and Female energy in one, or as united with or identified with Prakrti, he has all the characteristics of Prakrti, Gunas, Maya, Action, etc.
- As distinct from, and creator and lord of Prakrti, he transcends the characteristics of Prakrti, and is free from Gunas, etc.
- Possessed of bodily form at will, and transformed into manifestations of life.
- Characterised by Desire (to act and to create).
- A mere Witness or Onlooker or Spectator of Prakrti: free from Action and all the functions of Prakrti.
- Identified with and symbolized by the Sun, Light, Day, Buddhi etc.
- Identified with Hiranyagarbha or the Golden Egg.
- Greater than the greatest, and smaller than the smallest.
- Seated in the Heart of all creatures.
The Character of the Supreme Female Energy (Prakrti): The characteristics of the Supreme Female energy (Prakrti) are as follows:
She is:
- Self-create, immeasurable, unknowable, infinite, without beginning and without end.
- Creator of and created by the Supreme male energy (Purusha), and his manifest form.
- Co-equal, co-extensive, and identified with the Supreme Purusha.
- United with and animated by the Supreme Purusha.
- Independent of the Supreme Purusha, and the sole creator of manifest life.
- Characterised by the three Gunas, Maya, and Action.
- Represented by Tamas or Darkness, Night Cold etc. (as the Supreme Purusha is by Light, Day etc.).
- Symbolized as Water.
- Identified with Hiranyagarbha or the Golden Egg, symbolizing her union with and "animation" by the Supreme Purusha.
Origin of the Idea of Male and Female Energies and their Characteristics: The idea of the union of Male and Female energies (Purusha and Prakrti) in the creation of life would appear to have arisen as follows:
A study of the following pages will show that there cannot be the slightest doubt that the ancient Hindus had understood the character of the forces of life even more perhaps than modern science understands today. They knew the constitution, development and division of the Cell organism, and they knew that the Heart is the centre of life in a living creature, and as soon as it ceases to function, life becomes extinct. Arguing from the Known to the Unknown, they held that the Eternal Heart is the centre of the Universe, in which the Supreme Purusha abides. Further, it would be impossible to doubt that they knew, even as modern science understands, that a current of electricity is produced with each beat of the animal heart; hence, generalizing from that, they identified the Supreme Creator with lightning and an electric current has two aspects, positive and negative, which were generalized into the conception of Purusha and Prakrti. Further they knew that the beating of the heart implies a propagation of sound; and sound, they understood, is produced in Ether. Again, they knew that the properties of Ether are that (a) it produces sound, (b) it produces motion, (c) it sets up a magnetic current of energy, (d) it has a twofold character, corresponding to the north and south poles of a magnetic field, (e) it consists of matter in the form of Atoms, and (f) it gives an elliptical form to all things situated in it.
From all this they came to the following conclusions:
- All manifest life, from smallest to the greatest, is in the form of a Cell. This Cell is situated in Ether, because in Ether the form of all life is oval or cell shaped.
- Beyond this manifest, there is an unmanifest source of life, the Heart. All life energy emanates from it; it is characterised by an electric (or super- electric) energy, which has a positive and a negative aspect, which may be spoken of as Purusha and Prakrti or Male and Female respectively.
- This super-electric energy is accompanied by Sound in the "beating" of the Heart. Accordingly, an electro-magnetic current is produced with each "beat" of the Heart, because Sound is propagated in Ether, and Ether is characterised by magnetic energy.
- The original or universal Cell is situated in this Ether, which may be called "Ether of the Heart".
- As a magnet has north and south poles, this electro-magnetic energy of the "Ether of the Heart" flows from north to south when positive or Purushic, and from south to north when negative or Prakrtic.
- As all things situated in Ether are elliptical, the form of this electro-magnetic current is elliptical.
This they understood with reference to human or animal life; and arguing from the Known to the Unknown, they drew the following conclusions:
- There is a centre of the Universe, the Eternal Heart, which is the abode of the Supreme Unmanifest, primeval energy of Life, whether Male or Female, and issuing from there and transforming itself, that energy makes itself manifest and creates and pervades the Universe.
- This energy may be regarded as Male, or Female, or the union together of both.
- The first energy that accompanies the Eternal Heart is Lightning or "Lightning of the Heart", which is greater than the electric current of the human heart though akin to it.
- This first energy of the Unmanifest Supreme Creator, "Lightning," has a twofold aspect, positive and negative, which may be called Male and Female or Purusha and Prakrti.
- The "Lightning of the Heart" is accompanied by Sound (on the analogy of the "beating" of the heart), and this is the imperishable word of the Eternal, called "OM".
- This Sound or the Imperishable Word is made manifest in the "Ether of the Heart", even as all sound is made manifest in the element Ether. The "Ether of the Heart" is greater than the element Ether though akin to it.
- As all things situated in the element Ether are elliptical in form, the first manifestation of the Supreme creative energy of life is oval in form. From this arises Brahmanda, the Ovum of Brahma, the first form of the Universe.
- As the energy of the Heart, Buddhi and Mind makes itself manifest in Ether, this Brahmanda is characterised by electro-magnetic energy, which is greater than the electro-magnetic energy known to man, though akin to it.
- The property of a magnet is that if attracts substances more or less akin to it in nature; and as the energy of Brahmanda is super-electro-magnetic, the Supreme Creator creates all beings more or less akin to himself.
Foundations of Hindu Philosophy:
In these few simple principles we have the foundations of almost all that is contained in Hindu philosophy, firmly and surely laid. The following pages will show that it is not a mere assumption that the ancient Hindus knew all about the nature, character and functions of the human heart, and there from drew their inferences in regard to the Heart of the Universe. Their ideas, analysis and schemes of thought are so wonderfully uniform and consistent, that it is difficult to resist the conclusion that they were based on clear, systematic and well-defined knowledge, and simple, well understood and basic laws of scientific inference.
If to the foregoing conclusions we add a few more observations and facts of life, the foundations of the Hindu schemes of thought will be complete, and all the rest will be but an erection of the superstructure. These relate to (a) Sun, Moon, and members of the Solar system; and (b) the four orders of created beings, (1) the Viviparous or born from the womb like human beings, etc.; (2) the Oviparous or born from the Egg, like birds, etc.; (3) the Vegetable kingdom or those born from Heat; and (4) Germs or those born from filth or the element Earth.