Page:Durga Puja - With Notes and Illustrations.djvu/15

 be Veritas, the goddess of Truth, subduing the lion by the force of her charms, for she is represented as a martial goddess in the act of fighting. But how could nature give birth to a monstrous being with ten arms and three eyes? We know of no history or philosophy that can reconcile this palpable absurdity and inconsistency in nature to aught of truth or fiction. Where must we turn then to find the true character and attributes of the Divinity. In Hindu mythology she is once described as Adya Sakti, Primæval Energy, Primum Mobile of the Gods, again she is said to be Sati, the daughter of Daksha, Cœlum, and next as the progeny of Himavat and consort of the Kailasian Siva, in which last attribute she is compared with the Olympian Juno, consort of Jove of the Greek Pantheon, and with Isis, Isi, the wife of Osiris, Isvara, of ancient Egypt, as also with the Holy Virgin, Alma-mater of Christian theology, with Allahat of the idolatrous Arabs, and with Astarte or Ashtaroth of the early Assyrians. Indeed, she is unanimously recognised by all idolatrous nations as the primary female copartner of the Eternal God, represented as the Adi-purusha, first male agent of creation. The idea of the co-existence of a co-eternal female co-partner of the male creator of the universe is not at all compatible with our intuitive knowledge of the Self-Existent God, though the Darsanas regard her as some conspicuous object in nature, for instance the Sankhyas call her Prakrti or Nature, the Naiyayikas, Adya Sakti or Prime Energy of the Deity, and the Vaidantias, Maya or Illusion. But why should Nature, Energy or Illusion be represented by the lovely form of a Virgin, made terrific with her rows of arms, triple eyes &c?