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Adepts in their own spiritual or psychic field of observation, and of the ordinary people in theirs—(i. e., in the domain of physical science) points to the conclusion that there never has been utter annihilation of a single material particle, we are justified we believe, in saying that matter is in destructible though it may change its forms and properties and appear in various degrees of differentiation. Hindu and Buddhist philosophers have ages ago recognised the fact that Purush and Prakriti are eternal, co-existent, and not only correlative and interdependent, but positively one and the same thing for him who can read between the lines. Every system of evolution commences with postulating the existence of Mulaprakriti or Tamas (primeval darkness). Leaving aside the great authority of Kapila on the subject, we may refer to the celebrated Rik of Rigveda describing this Primeval Chaos, and using such expression as:—
"Tama eva purasthath abhavath viswarupam" and "Asthwa ithamagra Asith,"*[1] etc.—
scattered throughout the Veda and the Upanishads in support of our assertion. All those Great philosophers of India who have added the ancient wisdom-religion of Agasthya, Thoorwasa and other Rishis to the pure Adwaita philosophy of Vasishta, Vyasa and Suka, have recognized this fact. Gaudapatha and Sankaracharya have given expression to their views on the subject in their works, and those views are in perfect accordance with their doctrines of the Arhat philosophy. The authority of the latter two great philosophers will, we believe, be sufficient to show to the learned Swami, since he is an Adwaitee, that our statement is correct. And primeval Cosmic matter, whether called Asath or Tamas, or Prakriti or Sakti, is ever the same, and held to be eternal by both Hindu and Arhat philosophers, while Purusha is inconceivable, hence non-existent, save when manifesting through Prakriti. In its undifferentiated condition, some Adwaitees refuse to recognize it as matter, properly so called. Nevertheless this entity is their Parabrahmam, with its dual aspect of Purush and Prakriti. In their opinion it can be called neither; hence in some passages of the Upanishads we find the expression "Prakriti-layam" mentioned; but in all such passages the word "Prakriti" means, as we can prove—matter in a state of differentiation, while undifferentiated Cosmic matter in conjunction with, or rather in its aspect of latent spirit is always referred to as "Mah-Iswara," "Purusha" and "Parampada." The description given by our learned correspondent and the very words used by him when he says, "when the Mahapralaya takes place, matter is absorbed by, or dissolved into, Mahat-tatwa, and the same again into Prakriti, and the Prakriti finally into Purusha or Parampadam"—show that he is either waging a war of words, or seeking to draw us out- ↑ * "Primeval darkness resulted as the manifested universe" and "Asath or Prakriti existed first."—Ed.
