MAJOR ESSAYS our control, and we ought not to be concerned about what we are not responsible for. The activity of God is called a “game” precisely because it is assumed that Ae has no ends of his owa to serves it is in the same sense that our life can be “played,” and that insofar as the best part of us is in it, but not of it, our fife becomes 2 game, AC this point we no longee distinguish play from work. 158 A Measures of Fire “The Fire is the principle of every life. Jacob Bochine, Sigmatura rerum x29 In a recent thesis Dr. William C. Kirk has fulilled his immediate purpose, which was to discover, as far as that is posible, what was actu- ally said by Heracleitus on Fire. We do not propos: to review this bro- chure, which is fully documented and well constructed. It is rather the restricted purpose of historical scholarship itself that we wish to criticize. ‘We must, indeed, know what has been said: but of what use will such knowledge be to us, unless we consider the meaning of what was said and can apply this meaning to our own experience? Here Dr. Kirk has litle mote to aay than i contained in the significant words, “Heraclirne is one of the Greek philosophers who sought to explain the whole uni- verse in terms of some one basic entity. .. . After his time, to be sure, fire decreased in importance, and men ceased to look for one principle® that would explain all phenomena.” This is a confession that men have fallen to the level of that empiricism of which Plato was so contemptu- ous, and to that of those Greeks whom Plutarch ridiculed because they could no longer distinguish Apollo from Helios, the reality (3 &») from the phenomenon, “so much has their sense perception (auarByjrss) pet- verted their power of discrimination (Butvou).”* Ic is, however, only partially true that “the importance of fire has decreased,” and oaly some ‘men have abandoned the search for “one principle” Dr. Kirk sees that Heracleitus must have had forerunners, but scarcely (This esay was fires published in O Inatnao, C (x42), Ovimbra, Portugal—an] " Fire in the Cosmological Speculations of Herecleeue (Minneapolis, 1949). 27One principle”... that One by sthich, when it is known, all things are known” (BU 1645). "Plutarch, Morals 3930, 4o0cn. Cf Plato, Laws BoBo, “The body of Helios is seen by all, his sou! by nous," and AV x14, "Him (dhe Sun) all men see, not all know with the mind." “Apollo” is Philos & mrs juss. [Now Vietor Magnien, Ler Mysires TEleucs (Paris, 1929), p. 43} 159MAJOR ESSAYS realizes that he may not have been a philosopher ia the modern sense, bur rather one in the highest ancient sense, according to which the veritable teacher is one who understands and cransmits a doctrine of im- memorial antiquity and anonymous divine origin* He docs say that “Heracleitus speaks as one who propounds an obvious aad generally ac- cepted truth, not as one who argues for a personal opinion. What re- mains of Heraclitus is, indeed, unquestionably “orthodox,” i.e, in ac- cordance with the Philosophia Perennis (et Universalis), of which the teachings are always and everywhere the same. "The conception of a transcendent and universal Fie, of which our fires are only pale reflections, survives in the words “empyrean” and “ether”; the latter word derives from aie, to “kindle” (Skr. indh) and it ig incidentally, not without interest that Blake's “tiger burning bright” echoes the afuves Oiipes of the Grecks, who thus referred to the horse, the lion, and the eagle; the Rg Veda (11.35) speaks of “blazing (indhan- van = aiBor) kine.” For Aeschylus, Zebs dorw aiéip (Fr. 6543 cf. Virgil, Georgies 1.325); in the Old Testament (Deut. 4:24) and for St. Paul (Heb, 12:29), Noster Deus ignis (wp) consumens est; and the epiphany of the Spirit is as “tongues of fire” (Acts 2:3, 4)" Agni (ignis, Fire) is one of the principal, and perhaps the chief of the names of God in the Rg Veda. Indra is “metaphysically Indha* (ai@w»), a “Kindler,” for he “kindles” (inddha) the Breaths or Spirations (prdndh, SB vta..2).* ‘The solar Gander (Ramsa), “on seeing whom one sees the AI,” is a “blaz- ing Fire” (tejas-endham, MU vr.35), and spoken of as “flaming” (leléyati, BU wvgq), like Agai’s tongues (lalyamdnah in Mund. Up. 12.4). The Buddha, who can be regarded as 2 humanized type of Agni or Indrag- ‘the Budeha, for example, prodaims that he “has followed the ancient peti" {8 11106), and says that "Whoever prerends that 1 preach a doctrine wrought by my own reasoning and argumentation shall be cat om” (M x77); [the Souree cf a hundred streams (bistansm garbhom),” RV 16.9] "The conaestion of the toagies of fre and the speaking with tongues is 00t forwicous, but depends on he doetine that Fee (Agni) ithe principle of Speech (Vie); 10 which she is reduced when freed from her natoral mortality (BU 138, ste for the mortality ofall the fnctional powers, cf JUB rg); Agi, ike Plato's Sai, "ears for nothing but the Truth,” being saryseacak (RV t.ho, wan). CL 85 x3.31, “What becomes of one who knows that Fire? He becomes cloquent, speech does not fail him." See René Géron, “Le Don des linge” Euudes tradionnclcr, xv (1939). [The Rois (Sages) ase deserved ox sactfcers and singers “born hither again forthe kesping of the Vedas” UB 145.2.) Tnlea-Agoi as evins ee RV viso.3, x87. Foc the fllet acount of the Breads,” the merads as “Storm” see $B vi.6 and JUB ioi51-6: 0.136.) 160 MEASURES OF FIRE id is “a master of the element of fire” (tejo-dhdtum-usalo, Vin 1.25) which he can assume at will, and he is represented iconogeaphically not only as a Tree but also as a Pilar of Fire.’ Meister Eckhart can still speak of “the motionless heaven, called fire or the empyrean” and say that the nectar (die aiiezekeit = ambrosia, amria, “honey,” “warer of life”) is withheld from all who do not reach “that ficry heavenly intelligence.” Let us now consider the Indian doctrine of “Measures of Fire.” 1 use capitals here and in the many contexts where itis the God, and not the natural phenomenon in which He manifests Himeelf, thet is referred to” We must first explain that while Skr. agné is literally ignis, “ve,” the word zejas, which we shall have to cite repeatedly, is strictly speaking rot so much the fire itself as an, or the most, essential quality of “fice,” whether as deity or nataral phenomenon. Tejas (Vij, 10 be sharp, cf. orila, oviyua, distinguo, instig, sick, stake, stitch), is as nearly as pos- sible, what Jacob Bochme calls the “sharpness of the fire‘lash” (Three Principles xiv.69). [In RY v1.35, Agni is said to whet his tjas like a point of iron. The corresponding adjective tigma commonly qualifies dacis, “dame,” and Agni himself is tigma-foci, “of sharp flame.” The word seias ic usually and rightly, however, translated by “fire or “ery nergy,” the essential quality standing for the essence, the characteristic act for the agent; just as the Blast (edyx) of the Spirit (étman) is noth- ing but the Spirit itself in terms of its characteristic sctivity. At che same *Indigat, like Mirivarunauy, is che mixta persona of the Sacerdonum (Agni be ing the Brakma) anc the Regnum (Indra, the Rare) in divin Thus “Ind is ‘Agni as Supreme Overlor” Siyans on RV 32, ch v3. aa AB tug, 12a, and BD 16h. Naones are given according to the aspect under which God considered (RV vag); [brahma nat Rezran weycic, “eten at he seeneth 20 he i elle,” AV x23]. "GE Conmarawamy, Elements of Buddhist leonagraphy, 935, Pl. My alo Exo, Gan Meier Eckhart, Pfifer ed, pp. 212 20°The eantemary_ designation of the carly Greck and Indian philosphice as “naturalistic” i a betayal of the auch [*phyncl” in Greck had not chis meaning] A philsophical “development” from natralien co absrachien, coincident with sesthaie developmen frorsabsriction v0 naturalism, would have been strange deed. Iris we, for whom "such knowledge ati not expire ie meaningless" who fail wo distinguish che adequate natura symbol from is ference, we who se ‘he pointing finger rather than the moon tele 23°CL 1 Ph. Vogel, “Het Sanskrit Woord Tejas (= Gloed, Vor) in de Betcckenis van Magische Kracht.” Med. ddtat. Wetenchappen, afd. Leterkunde, Deel 70, Serie B, No. 4 (1950). 161MAJOR ESSAYS time it must be understood that neither agni aor tejas imply a heat as dis- tinguished from 2 lights tejas, for example, is not merely a “sharpness” but also a “brilliance” as of lightning, hence the correlation “Fire and what can be illuminated” (tej ea vidyotayitavyams a, Prasna Up. 18"). In Fr. 77 Hleracleitus himself substitutes dos for the ap of Fr. 20, the verbs remaining unchanged. Since we have made him our starting point, and since it would be awkward to repeat Bochme's “sharpness of the fire-fash,” we shall adhere to the customary rendering of sejas by “fire” or “Fire.” Now, “OF the Fire (icjas) that is hidden within the Sky," i¢ is but a litle measure (amiamitram) that (glows) in the midst of the Sun, in the eye and in fire. That (Pire) is Brahma, Immortal" .. . It is but a little measure (améamitram) of that Fire that is the ambrosia (arartam) in the midst of the Sun, whose growing shoots (dpayankurdb) are Soma and the Breaths” (prindb, MU v.35).** And so, indeed, just as sparks ‘8-1 a the Breath (prind) tht Ai (Gigvate, JUB w.126); “I amr fhe fish in what is fuminous (ter. aSRiuae sasan) .. he splendor of the splendid” (tjaetejssinam, BG vies, to). [Agni in the fejer wherewith they slew ‘Veer ($B 1054.3, 8), Agni isthe cer of the Sacrifice (SH v 357-8) and the iow rnin in the meal (AV 0.9.39)] Le, is brepoupinis (et. Plato, Plaedrus a4ye): beyond the Sky (utaram divah, AV x7.31 patna divam, Ait. Up. 133 pareardi, RV 15410); in the empyrean sa disogushed from the clecal or Olympian paradise. 28The immoral, ery (efomayam) Brahma, the Sprit (tman) of BU sa fh (sce Coomareswamy, “The Sunkiss” 1940, pecially m 153 15 The functional powers a called Spitations, Lives, ot Breaths afer the cena ‘Spiration, Lite, o¢ Breath of which chey are participations and on which they de- pend (BU 1531, CU vas); and “Indra’s energies” (indnyani) with reference 10 Indra densified withthe central Breath; and by other names, eg. “Elersental Beings” (hind) with reference co the “Great Being” (mahibhitah) from which their ‘ring stems, The pasnble Ego or “Elemenal Self" (Phitatmen, MU uta) is 26 cocdingly a “host of beings” (Bhitagana, MU 13) and, in fact the “Marat host™ (rseruadgora), fr "the Matas ace the Breaths” (AB nk), 8 they are also Fees” (ceraysh, RY 11364). The trae reason of thse Breaths or Storms (our “Roem passions") to their Head is that of subjecs t0 a king, loyal uno death; but if hey ar allowed 0 run wild in pursuit of cheir nanota objects, serving themselves and not tele king, "we" ate distracted by this body of fallen Angels within us Self integra tion is 4 ater of ercotaton. That, in bret, “Indian paychology” The asiniladon of the Breaths to (Soma) shoots, implied in our teat is of very great significance for the exegedi of the Somsascrifie, but needs more space than can be devoted to it here ‘The Commentators read aPoayanturdh and cmend to apyenturih, ie, epi cepkurih. ln order to wold any emendation we have asumed a teading dpyeyunke 12h, ies dpyetankuri, whichis not imposible and give: an appropriate meaning: $B ving. [and AA nar}. 162 MEASURES OF FIRE disperse in all directons from a blazing fire, so from this Prescient Spirit (prajmatman, the uhimate and solar Self) the Breaths and other sub- stances disperse to their stations” (BU mr, Kaus. Up. m3, 1.20, Mund. Up. 113.1, MU v1.26, 31, with negligible variants), and it is from this point of view that Brahma is compared co a “sparkling fiery wheel” (MU v.24). Now “these functional powers (indriyéni = prinah) arc of the Spirit (dtmakéni), it is the Spirit (deman) that proceeds (in them) and that controls them” (MU vi31);"* they are the solar rays or reins” (ratmayatt) by which the Only Seer and ‘Thinker sees, hears, thinks and cats within us (MU 1.6, wut, BU 11.723, JUB 1.25, 30, etc), being ac- cordingly the "Only Samsirin” (BrSBh 11.5). Thus these active powers of speech, vision, thought, etc, “are only the names of His acts,” of the forces that he puts forth and again absorbs (BU 127, 15.21, 1.63, etc.). In their operation in ourselves all these Breaths or Lives act together, so that we are able to refer to, sce, hear, and think of one and the same object simultaneously (Kaos. Up. ma; ef. 1 Cor. 1224 1). Now He, the Spirie (rman), Brahma, Prajépati, the Immortal, who in us assumes the appesrances (ripdni) of speech, vision, mind, ete. {these being, as we have seen, the names of His aets, not “ours”), is him- self “of the substance of Be" (lejomayam, BU 52-15); he “divider himsel€” (Gsmdnars vibhujpa) to quicken his children (MU 116), himself remaining “undivided amongst the divisions” (BG x20). Again, the act of “creation,” or rather “expression” (srsih), is typically thought of 4s a “determination” or “measuring ov” (nirminem),” the Measurer vwho is himself the measure of all things remaining “unmeasured amongst the measured” (AV 7.39). It follows from this that His divisions, the 38 [In me I tae fist Agni” (TS 67.9); “Tet the fires of the sacred hearths AGema) again officiate just bere in theie respective stations (yathizthina)” (AV ‘ly). Indriyégnayah are the senses sacrificed into the fte of restraint ity ton Paroksam juko, the individual's Internal Agnihowa (BG w.26, 27): "when the Camprehensor control the mind and the Breath has put the objects of the senses in their place" (MU wig); also, "the fires (leas) of the senses wear au Thine alone is the chariot, the dance and the chant” (KU 126).] * The metaphor of the chariot, common to Plato and our Indian source, is hece involved, In MU 116, Prafipat isthe driver of the bodily vehicle, con‘rlling the steed (the sensitive powers) by the “ays” or “reins” (rahmayed) that extend from is station in the heart to the objects of sense pereepuon: ct Plato, Lacs Bee, dog) rr corey 5 repulyovon tpi wéxray and Hermes, Lib, x22, sai r08 piv Bob adnan tari ab trans, 278 3917, ot Bak pit (ied derive). "CE Plounus, wes Ck Coomaraswamy, “Nirminakiva;” 1938, cing RV mi2p.tr, et, where ‘Agni is “measured out” 163MAJOR ESSAYS. aforesaid faculties (or “intelligencies,” jidndni, KU vito, MU v1.30; projid-mairah, Kaus. Up. m8; buddkindriyén’, MU 116) must be “Measures (méirah)" of Fire.” It is, in fact, as “Fires” (agnayab, SB 33.178), as the “Fires of the Breaths” (préndgnayah, Praina Up. 1.3) and as “Measures of Fire” (tejo-méiréh, BU 1va.t, Praina Up. 18) that these active hypostases of the Spirit are actually referred to. ‘We have shown, then, that the elementals of the active life are “Meas- ures of Fire,” and that being mortal in themselves they proceed from and agaia return to the immortal fiery Breath of the Total Presence within us. It is just this Indian and universal doctrine that Heracleitus (Fr.20) cnunciates: *xéopor rove rov abrbv dxdvroy obre res Bey ote dvdpirar irolnoer, ANN fv del nal rw ual Soran” ap deikwor, dered never wérpa rai dzooBeiperoy pérpa.” “That Kosmos, the identity of all things, no one of gods or men hath ever wrought, but it ever was, and is and ever shall be everliving Fire, in measures being kindled and in measures dying out.” ‘Very many others of Heracleitus' dicta are in the same way enunciae tions of doctrines that are both Indian and universal.** That “The Thun- derbolt (nepuvers = eujru) gover all things” (Fr. 28), for exauple, states the doctrine of the Axis Mundi:* In drawing parallel, it has been very far from my intention to suggest that the philosophies of Hera- 2 The Breaths as “Incligencies” are the “gods within you" of TUB tet, 3 sand che “angels” of Christian theology; their Duke (nztr), rez angetorum, deesam vita, Indes (Vy. 2 Mierd (like uétpor) is ecymologcally “mater.” not in the sense of “that which is solid" bat in the proper sense of “that which is quantitative” and has @ position in the world (lokedoces). Whatever is thos in the world can be named and perceived (nameripa) al is accesible wo a phsrical and ssi) scence: the unmessured being the proper domain of metaphysis That Kosmos" evidently being the vonros atznos = rorrby ives, the “Un created Brahmaword" of CU wie. the “workdpcture™ ("paimed by the Spe fon the canvas of the Spirit” Sanksritérya. démaniripenam 95); the pattern ‘of the sensible world. “Ic knows only itself that ‘Tar Brahma’: thereby i becomes the All” (BU 14.10). “Sicut era in principio, ext mune ex semper ert” because for Trahma thete is nether past nor future but oy the ctenal now. So that as Heraclitus ao says (Fr. 77)s dodpomos Saeed inppivn dos, nrerus drow éervran “Man, like a fight in the night, Kindled and extngvished.” (rodopérrme is wo be despzated of wind, to die down; of fir, © go out of passion, to be silled. These are prosuely the senses of Skr. aired, Patt ibbayati (Glo to be finished, be perfected). ‘The ramadé of the Breaths is their airina and thie reheors Ske shambhe, thins, vie, te, Chrisian strat, Islamic qa, ee 164 MEASURES OF FIRE leisus or Plato are derived from Indian or other Oriental sources No culeure, people, or age can lay claim to any private property in the Philoso- phia Perennis. AUl that T have tried to show is chat the axioms of this philosophy, by whomsoever enunciated, can often be explained aad clari- fied or emphasized by a correlation with the parallel texts of other tradi- tions. And finally, I can only say of Hracleitus, with Socrates, that “What Lunderstand of him is excellent, and what I do not [yet] understand is also excell.” 2 For example, it docs not sem to be acces to detive the “hegative theslogy” ‘of Plosinus fram Indian sources, as Exaile Bréhier wishes wo do (La Philosophie de Plotin, Pais, 199%, pp. 107-133). TE ie quite rue chat a negative theology is fully eveloped in the indian sources and that in MU vigo both eize, afirmatina and hegatoa, are commended and ate 10 be followed i theie ogial sequence. But it ‘would be far simplee 0 think of Pletinas a¢ dependent om asch Platonic sources as Phaedra: 247, "The eegion above the sky was never worthily sung by any cacthly poet, nor will ic ever be... For the coleeless, formless and intangible. « <” tnd Epistle vit, 3470, where Plato says that the subject of his most serious study (Ges the ulimare natare of deity) “does nor at all admic of verbal expression like other studies.” 165