Page:History of India Vol 9.djvu/199

 THE DOCTRINE OF METEMPSYCHOSIS 161 of existence; and as their number is, though not un- limited, still an enormous one, the soul requires an enormous space of time in order to finish the contem- plation of such a multiplicity of objects. The soul acquires knowledge only by the contemplation of the individuals and the species, and of their peculiar actions A HINDU CAVE TEMPLE AT ELLORA. and conditions. It gains experience from each object, and thereby gathers new knowledge. However, these actions differ in the same measure as the three primary forces differ. Besides, the world is not left without some direction, being led, as it were, by a bridle and directed toward a definite scope. There- fore the imperishable souls wander about in perishable bodies conformably to the difference of their actions,