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

16 SIVAGNANA BOTHAM.
out by Prof. G. J. Romanes in his article on Mind and Body. In
fact, Idealism is regarded by the Siddhanti as Nastikam or
Nihilism and the term Prachanna Bouddha Vadham is freely
applied to it. The Hindu Idealists are also fond of giving two
other analogies. The Spider and its web and the fire and its spark.
It is easily seen that these are identical in substance and the web
is merely the product of the material body, the glands of the
Spider and not of its life Principle. The Siddhanthis therefore
reject these relationships or at least the relationship pointed to
by these analogies. The Vishishtadwaita of Ramanujacharya
and the Dwaitha of Madhwacharya may be placed under the
second head or even the third head as some sort of relationship is
said to exist between God and man. In the Moksha of a
Ramanuja, each atma retains its personality distinct from God but
there is a union between its spirit and the universal spirit and
according to the Madhwa the relationship is similar to that of a
Guru and Sishya or that of a parent and child.
I said before that the Siddhanti rejects all these relationships
in this sense that he does not affirm causation nor separable or
inseparable co-existence as explained above. Yet in the Sutra
God is called Abetha; the connection is such that an identity is
perceived and the best illustration of this relationship is that of
the body and life or mind (உடல் உயிர்போல் அபேதம்). The ob-
jective and subjective phenomena are quite different and yet a
sort of absolute identity is established. He is Betha and this is
illustrated as follows :—
An act of Perception is one and indivisible. Yet the Percep-
tion is caused by two agencies the Eye and the Sun or Light.
The Eye cannot perceive without the aid of the light, and though
both the light of the Eye and the light of the Sun combine
together, the combination is perceived as one. Here there is no
causation as between the Eye and the Sun (கண் அருக்கன் போல்
பேதம்). He is Bethabetham; but the tamil equivalent of the