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in what particular sense the word Prakriti is used in this connection. According to our philosophers it is an entity arising from the union of Brahm and Sakti. I have already explained the connotation attached by our philosophers to the words Prakriti and Sakti.
I stated that Prakriti in its primary state is Akâsa.*[1]
If Akâsa be considered to be Sakti or Power,†[2] then my statement as regards the ultimate state of Prakriti is likely to give rise to confusion and misapprehension unless I explain the distinction between Akâsa and Sakti. Akâsa is not, properly speaking, the Crown of the Astral light, nor does it by itself constitute any of the six primary forces. But, generally speaking, whenever any phenomenal result is produced, Sakti acts in conjunction with Akâsa. And, moreover, Akâsa serves as a basis or Adhisthanum for the transmission of force currents and for the formation or generation of force or power correlations.‡[3]
In Mantrasastra the letter "Ha" represents Âkása, and you will find that this syllable enters into most of the sacred, formulæ intended to be used in producing phenomenal results.
- ↑ * According to the Buddhists in Akâsa lies that eternal, potential energy whose function it is to evolve all visible things out of itself.—Ed.
- ↑ † It was never so considered, as we have shawn it. Bat as the "Fragments" are written in English, a language lacking such an abundance of metaphysical terms to express every minute change of form, substance and state as found in the Sanskrit, it was deemed useless to confuse the Western reader untrained in the methods of Eastern expression more than necessary, with a too nice distinction of proper technical terms. As "Prakriti in its primary state is Akâsa, and Sakti" is an atribute of "Akasha," it becomes evident that for the uninitiated it is all one. Indeed, to speak of the "Union of Brahmam and Prakriti" instead of "Brahmam and Sakti" is no worse than for a theist to write that "man has come into existence by the combination of spirit and matter," whereas, his words framed in orthodox shape, ought to read "man as a living soul was created by the power (or breath) of God over matter"—Ed.
- ↑ ‡ That is to say, the Aryàn Akâsa is another word for Buddhist Space (in its metaphysical meaning)—Ed.
