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Chapter 5
TWO-FOLD STATE OF AKARMA: YOGA AND SANNYASA
22. Two Analogies: Geometry And Mimamsa
23. What the mimamsakas (adherents of the system of Mimamsa) have done in this context is striking. Vedas refer to different deities like Indra (the king of the deities), Agni (the god of fire) and Varun (the god of rain and water). While on the subject of these deities a question is asked, ‘What does Indra look like, what is his nature, where does he reside?’ The mimamsakas answer, the word ‘Indra’ is itself the form of Indra; he resides in the word ‘Indra’. Same is true about Varuna, Agni etc. The words, made up of certain syllables arranged in certain order, are the forms of the deities; the deities are not apart from the words. This concept of the deities having the form of words is indeed fascinating. In fact, the concept of the deities cannot be contained in any form; it cannot be adequately described. Syllables comprising the words may therefore be taken as adequate representation. What is God like? The answer is, ‘It is like the word ‘God’ containing the syllables G, O, D.’ The most striking example of this is the letter ॐ (Om). ॐ means God. A term for God has thus been coined. It is necessary to coin such terms for great ideas which cannot be contained in any concrete material form. It is man’s strong and earnest desire which makes him invent symbolic forms for them. |
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