शिवज्ञानबोध (मेय्कण्डार - शैव सिद्धान्त का आधारभूत दार्शनिक सूत्र ग्रन्थ)

64 SIVAGNANA BOTHAM.
NOTES.
This Sutra contains the true and only definition of God, and
all other attributes of God follow from the two given here. The
way in which these attributes are derived is thus. In the first
place, God must either be an object of human knowledge or He
is not. If the first, everything that is perceived by us is liable
to decay and change and we cannot regard God as liable to
change. Therefore God is beyond human perception and hence
called Sivam or Chit (Pure Intelligence). If it is not an object
of knowledge, is it nonentity? Of course not, and hence He is
‘Sat’ ‘that which subsists’ ‘The only Truth.’ These two form
the components of the word ‘Satchithanantham,’ so freely
applied to God in the Saivite and Vedantic lore. This is our
only definition of God and it is seen that any definition of
God must contain these elements and the conception of God
could not be simplified in any degree. Stated thus, very few
religionists would quarrel with our definition of God. And
yet how very few of the religions of the world even those,
which charges others as polytheistic and idolatrous have an
ideal of God which conforms to this definition. Their tradi-
tions, beliefs and methods of worship destroy this true idea.
For instance if our definition of God, that He is inconceivable
by the human intelligence and imperceptible to human powers,
is true how are all those religions which believe in Avatars,
Christianity and Vaishnavism included, reconcileable with our
definition. When God is born in the flesh, is He not a tangible
thing, a thing to be seen by our eye, felt by our touch and com-
prehended by our senses. How can we then call Him indescrib-
able and imperceivable. How can the Author of evolution