CHAPTER CLXVIII. Story of the Hewn statue or Carved Image.
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Valmiki and Mitra, Viharilala
40. There is an only universal soul, that is invisible amidst the vacuum of his Intellect; as the uncarved doll remains unseen, in the wood of every forest tree. (All things are contained in the Divine soul, as the future images in blocks of wood and stone. Aristotle, Addison).
41. We see the carpenter that carves out the puppet, from the wood of the tree (and the mason who hues out the statue from the block of stone); but we know not the soul, which chisels out the figure of the world from the great bulk of Instinct.
42. The statue does not appear in the rugged block, unless and until it ＜is＞ hewn out by the skill of carver, so the hidden world does not make its appearance in the Intellect, till it is brought to view by the ingenuity of the Mind (the universal architect).
43. The uncarved body of the world (Corpus-mundi), does yet appear ＜in＞ its aeriform state; which is original and genuine form in the Divine Intellect (until ＜it＞ is moulded in this its fictitious shape by creative mind).
44. In the beginning of creation, the inventive Intellect forms of its natural originality, the concept of the future world; appearing as an airy dream in the sight of the soul (and then the imaginative mind frames it according to its conceit in various forms).
45. The vacuous Intellect conceives in its empty bosom, the airy ideal of the world; as if it were a toy or doll gliding of itself in itself.
46. It conceives itself as the essential part of the great Brahma, and the seed of the mundane system; and then imagines itself as the source of life and the living soul, and the receptacle of egoism.
47. It imagines itself as the understanding and the mind also; and to be the reservoir of space and time. It deems itself as the root of the knowledge of I, thou, he, and others, and as the quintessence of the quintuple elements.
48. It sees in itself the congeries of the inward and outward senses, as also of the eight faculties of the mind; and both the spiritual as well as the elemental bodies contained in itself.
49. It thinks itself as the great trinity, consisting of the three persons of Brahmá, Vishnu, and Siva; and sees the sun, moon and stars all in itself. It considers itself as the whole creation and the interior and exterior part of everything.
50. All these being the imaginary creations of the Intellect; there is nothing whatever beside itself; but it is quite transparent in its essence, there is no concrete matter in it; and neither remembrance of gross materials is ever attached to it, nor any duality whatsoever subsisting in the unity of its nature.
51. The world is a causeless, uncaused and increate thing; and a nothing at all in reality; its creation is a dream, and its appearance, is as that of a delusive shadow in empty air.
52. It appears as a phantom in vacuum, and as an intelligence in the Intellect; it is intelligible as it is, and that is in the sense of a nihility.
53. What is the remembrance of a thing, any more than the dream of something, which is nothing in reality; and what is time of which we have no conception, except it be an imagination or devise of the mind in empty air.
54. What is contained in the inside of the compact intellect, the very same appears on the outside of it; but in reality there is no substantiality in the exterior object of sight, as there is naught in the interior object of thought; all which are but the glitterings of the Intellect.
55. Whatever issues out of the bodiless and nameless something, which is forever quiescent and calm in its nature; are deemed as causeless and uncaused productions, appearing before the blinded sight.
56. Know therefore that this world, is to be viewed in the same intellectual light; as you see the supreme Brahma himself; and know it to be the very aerial castle of your dream, as it is represented in the vacuous space of your mind in your sleeping state.
57. There is no such thing, as the visible or phenomenal world at any time; where can you find any dust on the watery surface of the sea; and how can you see anything visible, in the invisible spirit of Brahma.
58. If the world should appear as anything at all to your sight, you must view it as the manifestation of God himself, in his unthinkable and incomprehensible nature. (Nature is the body of God).
59. The world is full of the glory of God, from the fullness of Divine glory; nor is the one derived from the other; but a full representation of Divine splendour on the face of nature.
60. Though I have been repeatedly giving these lectures, yet the deluded minds of men are far from receiving them; they believe the world of their dream as if it were in waking, and knowing even its unreality they will never get rid of their rooted prejudice.