Page:Philosophy of bhagawad-gita.pdf/43

Rh to one other point, which explains the reason why Ishvara is called Verbum or Logos; why, in fact. it is called Shabda Brahmam. The explanation I am going to give you will appear thoroughly mystical. But, if mystical, it has a tremendous significance when properly understood. Our old writers said that Vach is of four kinds. These are called para, pashyanti, madhyama, and vaikhari. This statement you will find in the Rg Veda itself and in several of the Upanishats. Vaikhari Vach is what we utter. Every kind of Vaikhari Vach exists in its madhyama, further in its pashyanti, and ultimately in its para form. The reason why this Pranava is called Vach is this, that these four principles of the great cosmos correspond to these four forms of Vach. Now the whole manifested solar system exists in its sukshma form in this light or energy of the Logos, because its image is caught up and transferred to cosmic matter, and again the whole cosmos must necessarily exist in the one source of energy from which this light emanates. The whole cosmos in its objective form is Vaikhari Vach, the light of the Logos is the madhyama form, and the Logos itself the pashyanti form, and Parabrahmam the para aspect of that Vach. It is by the light of this explanation that we must try to understand certain statements made by various philosophers to the effect that the manifested cosmos is the Verbum manifested as cosmos.