The daily morning journal and courier., 1894-09-05
HIyDOO MYTHOLOGY.
Various Manifestations of tho God Brshrpa -The Effect of Their Religion Upon tho Art of the Htudoos, F sl4

Soul of the World. an eternal essence of no sex, in which are inherent all things. The name Is derived from the root birth, "to expend," denoting the universally expanding essence of an in' finite, imperlshable existence. Just as the sun radlates light and heat, both of which essences are manifestations of his far-off fires, so also Brahma has a thousand manifestations.
 The thousand gods and demi-gods of the Hindoo Pantheon are all manifesto tions of Brahma. The superior dieties are supposed to be immortal, but as compared with Brahma. are perishable' for it is conceivable that different in- terpretations of the subordinate duties would alter their characteristics so much as to completely change their functions and nature, an occurrence very largely indulged in In Hindoo mythology.
  fore the one unseen and imperishabie and the other manifested and perisha- ble The irnperishable is the Supreme Being; the pershable is the universe or Brahma the first incarnation of deity, whose name is distinguished by having the final vowel long. Brahma is also addressed by the sacred word A a fin, of the multform Brahma which we call the world-composed of earth, sky and heaven-is called Vishnu, who rep resents. the upbuilding, or creative principle.
 When the world of matter changes its form and is dissolved into simple be- ing, the distinctive power of Brahma Is represented by Siva, the destroyer. These three deties, Brahma, Vishnu. and Siva, form the Hindoo trinity, all manifestations of the supreme Brah- ma.
 In the Mana bharata, Brahma is said to have issued from lotus that sprang from the ravel of Vishnu. This idea, however, is convertable to the idea, Brahma being the universe, Is greater than Vishnp, the world; consequently, according ts the process of nature, he gave life to Wishnu, who is his alter ego. or manifestation for the specific work of creating the world. iA.,-
 On the other hand, considering Vish- nu as thez special manifestation of Para abrahma a creator of all things, we behold the god wrapt in a mysteri- ous slumber in which he imagines the production Of worlds, and forthwith a lotus springs from his navel. In the center of this lotus Brahma appears. that is created things, and says the Pruanus, 'Vishnu, beholding the pro- duction of his body was delighted"
 vishnu is seen floating or breeding upon the waters, supported by the ser pent Seisha. Beside him sits his at- tendant queen, Lakshmi, the goddess of love. The panel is framed with pill lars on either side, supporting an arch, sculptured with the forms of the vari- ous minor dieties. Each corner of the composition contains decorations repre- sentative of four different incarnations of Vishnu, as worshipped by the Hin doos in various parts of India, ,
 The Brahmans have legend that the Buddha is one of the many Avatars or manifestations of Vishnu, but the teach ines of the true Buddha are so violent ly opposed to the teachings of Brah- manism that it must be conceded that this reformer was a mortal, the son of the king of Kapilavastu, adjoining Me- paul. His name was Sakya Guatama, and is known as Buddha Guatama, to distinguish him from the Brahmanical Buddha. He taught that neither the doctrines nor the austerities of the Brahmans were of any avail in deliver ing man from old age, disease and death.
 Pain and pleasure are simply the re suit of Karnia (works.) no notice being taken of the existence or non-existehce of God. He taught the Hindoo doctrine of the transmigration of souls. He as- stunned existence to be miserable, and that the highest conceivable good is to obtain entire exemption from exist ence.
 He taught the evil of caste distinc. tions, and all who embraced his tenets became members of a great brother. hood. His moral code Is one of the most perfect in the world. He became the founder of religion which. after a lapse of 2,OOo years, is still professed by 455 100000 of human beings.
 Sir Edwin Arnold's poem. "The Ligh, of Asia," is a glorifcation of Buddha one of the divine souls of the world Reverence to the jewel on the lotus, Honor to the incomparable Buddha, J cry his myriads of followers.
 In Hindoo art are expressed infinite weird forces and langors, the perpetual creation, destruction and recreation ot the world Fashioned in an age when the imagination of man was much more highly developed than at present, il sought to render in imperishable forms the energy and the immobility of su. preme power, clothing the forces of the universe with forms the most splendid the world has ever beheld.-Decoratol and Furnisher. '.ss :" An Italian War Song.