Page:The Hindu Pantheon.djvu/28

6 rally: from him all things proceeded, and in him pre-existed the universe; comprehending all material forms, which he at once called into creation, or arranged existence, as they are now seen; although perpetually changing their appearances by the operation of the reproductive power. As the oak exists in the acorn, or rather, as the Hindu would express it, as the fruit is in the seed, awaiting development and expansion, so all material forms existed in BRAHMA, and their germs were at once produced by him.

Grain within grain, successive harvests dwell, And boundless forests slumber in a shell. .

From his mouth, arm, thigh, and foot, proceeded severally the priest, the warrior, the trader, and the labourer; these by successive reproduction people the earth: the sun sprung from his eye, and the moon from his mind.

BHAHMA is usually represented with four faces, said to represent the four quarters of his own work; and said, sometimes, to referto a supposed number of elements of which he composed it; and to the sacred Vedas, one of which issued from each mouth. There are legends of his having formerly had five heads, one having been cut off by SIvA, who is himself sometimes five-headed; these legends will be noticed hereafter.

Red is the colour supposed to be peculiar to the creative power: we often see pictures of BRAHMA of that colour; which also represents fire, and its type the Sun: it is likewise the colour of the earth or matter, which BRAHMA also is; BRAHMA is, therefore, the earth; so we shaLl, by and by, find is VISHNU— BRAHMA is fire, so is SIvA, and all three are the Sun; and the Sun is a symbol of BRARM, the Eternal One. Fire is an emblem of the all-changing, that is TIME; SIVA generally, and BRARMA occasionally, correspond with TIMZ. I thus early notice this agreement, or contradiction, or whatever it be, as I shall have occa sion frequently, in the course of my humble work, to bring it to the reader’s recollection, that most, if not all, of the gods of the Hindu Pantheon, will, on close investigation, resolve themselves into the three powers, and those powers into one Deity, BRAHM, typified by the Sun.

Keeping this in view, we may perhaps account for the disagreement discer nible in the different accounts relating to the tlieogony of the Hindus. They are, as we shall have occasion often to notice, divided into sects, each sect worshipping some individual deity, or two or more conjoined: such individual deity is gifted by its votary with all the attributes of the Most High, and is made the source whence emanate all other gods. Although there is, I believe, no sect b