The Final Philosophy of the Veda 281
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tremes of superusensual rationalism. In effect he expresses the ideal of union with the supreme being, the ultimate endeavor of all religions that have evolved a supreme being worth uniting with. At a later period there comes out of the permanently untenable, cool intellectualism of the Upanishads the religion of the Bhektas or “pious devotees.” The destiny of Upnnishad thought is, after all, an acute and mystic monotheism, very like the mysti- cism of those Christian “ friends of god,” John T solar and Thomas a Kempis. By knowledge they dis- cover the Supreme Intelligence and perceive its essence; by devotion (Mam) they feel the sweet- ness of the Supreme Being and reciprocate its loving intent. So the Bhagavadgita, the “ Song of the Celes- tial,” can finally make the Supreme Being say of the pious man: “Through love he recognises me in truth, my greatness and my essence. He that loves me is not lost." It comes to this finally, that know- ledge of the Supreme is but a preparation for what we call love of God. In the W0de of the modern Bengali Saint and Ascetic Ramakrishna: “The Knowledge of God may be likened to a man, while the Love of God is like a woman. Knowledge has entry only up to the outer rooms of God, but no one can enter into the inner mysteries of God save a lover, for a woman has access even to the privacy
