DOI Seite / Zitierlink:
https://doi.org/10.11588/diglit.9550#0279
NUMBER II.
229
religious duties whatsoever or should engage in evil
work—to prevent this they have represented God in the
form of a man and other animals and as possessed of
all those desires with which we are conversant whereby
they may have some regard to the Divine Being. After-
wards by diligent endeavours they become qualified
for the true knowledge of God: but over and over
again the Poorans have carefully affirmed, that they
have given this account of the forms of God with a
view to the benefit of persons of weak minds, and
that in truth, God is without name, form, organs, and
sensual enjoyment. " Weak and ignorant persons, unable
*o know the supreme and indivisible God, think of him
" as possessed of certain limitations." (Sentence quoted
in the commentary upon the Mandookyu Oopunishud.)
" For the assistance of the worshippers of the Supreme
Being, who is pure intellect, one, without divisibility or
" body, a fictitious representation is given of his form"
(a sentence of Jumudugnee quoted by the Smarttu.)
"According to the nature of his qualities, his various
forms have been fictitiously given for the benefit of
those worshippers who are of slow understanding."
(Muhanirvan Tuntru.)
But it is particularly to be noticed, that there is no
end of the Tuntrus. In the same manner the Muha-
poorans, Poorans, Oopupoorans, Ramayuna &c, are
very numerous : on this account an excellent rule from
the first has been this, that those Poorans and Tuntrus
which have commentaries, and those parts which have
been quoted by the acknowledged expounders, are
received for evidence; otherwise a sentence quoted on
the mere authority of the Poorans and Tuntrus is not
229
religious duties whatsoever or should engage in evil
work—to prevent this they have represented God in the
form of a man and other animals and as possessed of
all those desires with which we are conversant whereby
they may have some regard to the Divine Being. After-
wards by diligent endeavours they become qualified
for the true knowledge of God: but over and over
again the Poorans have carefully affirmed, that they
have given this account of the forms of God with a
view to the benefit of persons of weak minds, and
that in truth, God is without name, form, organs, and
sensual enjoyment. " Weak and ignorant persons, unable
*o know the supreme and indivisible God, think of him
" as possessed of certain limitations." (Sentence quoted
in the commentary upon the Mandookyu Oopunishud.)
" For the assistance of the worshippers of the Supreme
Being, who is pure intellect, one, without divisibility or
" body, a fictitious representation is given of his form"
(a sentence of Jumudugnee quoted by the Smarttu.)
"According to the nature of his qualities, his various
forms have been fictitiously given for the benefit of
those worshippers who are of slow understanding."
(Muhanirvan Tuntru.)
But it is particularly to be noticed, that there is no
end of the Tuntrus. In the same manner the Muha-
poorans, Poorans, Oopupoorans, Ramayuna &c, are
very numerous : on this account an excellent rule from
the first has been this, that those Poorans and Tuntrus
which have commentaries, and those parts which have
been quoted by the acknowledged expounders, are
received for evidence; otherwise a sentence quoted on
the mere authority of the Poorans and Tuntrus is not