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material existence (Prakriti). Bearing this explanation in mind, many of Mr. Maitland's difficulties will entirely disappear. The Universal Spiritual Principle or Purusha does not certainly exist as a separate entity at the time of the Mahapralaya, but is interblended with Prakriti (the Material Principle) and both exist in their eternal and ineffable state of Parabrahman.*^[1] When by the operation of the chain of causation, which is embodied in Parabrahman, the emanating impulse is awakened, the two principles spring forth into Being, and by their mutual action prodnce the manifested Cosmos. Some reflection might give us a glimpse of the grand fact that prior to the moment when the emanation takes place no duality can possibly exist. The primal duality, Prakriti and Purusha are each the necessary condition of the other's existence. This fact is sufficiently well implied by what Mr. Sinnett says of the "atomic polarity which motion engendered." One pole cannot exist without the other. And now will be thrown into bold relief what Mr. Sinnett means when he says:—"Unconscious and non-existing when separate, they become consciousness and life when brought together"—by their inherent guiddity, the Swabhavat of the Buddhists.†^[2] The next objection of Mr. Maitland comes to this:—If Purusha is "unconscious" and Prakriti is "unconscious," how can consciousness evolve at all? The first idea to be clearly grasped, is the

↑ * In the Rigveda it is said that prior to the period of evolution in the celebrated Mantra beginning, Násadasit nasadasit (X. 129)—"neither asat or Prakriti nor sat or Purusha was "but the one Life latent in the one Element, "was breathing without breath."
↑ † The entire chain of Mr. Maitland's reasoning is vitiated by a false assumption. He seems to think that Prakriti and Purusha existed prior to the period of Cosmic activity as to separate entities and required some motor to bring them together to interact on each other, just as oxygen and hydrogen are caused to combine chemically by the agency of electricity. But the real fact is that Prakriti and Purusha are separate entities to us only subjectively. We can only imagine that they are separate and then try to comprehend their nature from that stand-point. In point of fact neither of them can exist by itself.

[1] * In the Rigveda it is said that prior to the period of evolution in the celebrated Mantra beginning, Násadasit nasadasit (X. 129)—"neither asat or Prakriti nor sat or Purusha was "but the one Life latent in the one Element, "was breathing without breath."

[2] † The entire chain of Mr. Maitland's reasoning is vitiated by a false assumption. He seems to think that Prakriti and Purusha existed prior to the period of Cosmic activity as to separate entities and required some motor to bring them together to interact on each other, just as oxygen and hydrogen are caused to combine chemically by the agency of electricity. But the real fact is that Prakriti and Purusha are separate entities to us only subjectively. We can only imagine that they are separate and then try to comprehend their nature from that stand-point. In point of fact neither of them can exist by itself.

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