we enjoy? Should we destroy them, tyrants as they are, fin would take refuge with us. It therefore behoveth us not to kill fuch near relations as thefe. How, O Kreefhna, can we be happy hereafter, when we have been the murderers of our race? What if they, whose minds are depraved by the luft of power, fee no fin in the extirpation of their race, no crime in the murder of their friends, is that a reason why we should not refolve to turn away from fuch a crime, we who abhor the fin of extirpating the kindred of our blood?-Woe is me! what a great crime are we prepared to commit! Alas! that for the Juft of the enjoyments of dominion we stand here ready to murder the kindred of our own blood! I would rather patiently fuffer that the fons of Dreetarashtra, with their weapons in their hands, fhould come upon me, and, unoppofed, kill me unguarded in the field.” When Arjoon had ceased to fpeak, he fat down in the chariot between the two armies; and having put away his bow and arrows, his heart was overwhelmed with affliction.' Lecture II. has for its title Of the Nature of the Soul and fpeculative Doctrines.'-Kreefhna here reproves the weakness of Arjoon, as defpicable and unmanly. From a view of the nature of the foul, he teaches him to difregard the body, and by arguments drawn from its immortality, labours to infpire him with a contempt of death, and to convince him that his tenderness for the lives of others is mistaken and abfurd: Thou grieveft for thofe who are unworthy to be lamented, whilst thy fentiments are thofe of the wife men. The wife neither grieve for the dead nor for the living. I myself never was not, nor thou, nor all the princes of the earth; nor fhall we ever hereafter cease to be. As the foul in this mortal frame findeth infancy, youth, and old age, fo, in fome future frame, will it find the like. One who is confirmed in this belief is not difturbed by any thing that may come to pafs. The fenfibility of the faculties giveth heat and cold, pleafure and pain, which come and go, and are tranfient and inconftant. Bear them with patience, O fon of Bharat: for the wife man, whom these disturb not, and to whom pain and pleasure are the fame, is formed for immortality. A thing imaginary hath no existence, whilft that which is true is a ftranger to non-entity. By thofe who look into the principles of things, the defign of each is feen. Learn that he by whom all things were formed is incorruptible, and that no one is able to effect the deftruction of this thing which is inexhauftible. Thefe bodies, which envelop the fouls which inhabit them, which are eternal, incorruptible, and furpaffing all conception, are declared to be finite beings; wherefore, O Arjoon, refolve to fight. The man who believeth that it is the fo which killeth, and he who thinketh that the foul may be deftroyed, are both alike deceived; for it neither killeth, nor is it killed. It is not a thing of which a man may fay, it hath been, it is about to be, or is to be hereafter; for it is a thing without birth; it is ancient, conftant, and eternal, and is not to be deftroyed in this its mortal frame. How can the man, who believeth that this thing is incorruptible, eternal, inexhaustible, and without birth, think that he can either kill or caufe it to be killed? As a man throweth away old garments, and putteth on new, even fo the foul, having quitted its old mortal frames, entereth into others which are new. The weapon divideth it not, the fire burneth' it not, the water corrupteth it not, the wind drieth it not away; for it is indivifible, inconfumable, incorruptible, and is not to be dried away it is eternal, univerfal, permanent, immoveable; it is invifible, inconceivable, and unalterable; therefore, believing it to be thus, thou shouldft not grieve. But whether thou believest it of eternal birth and duration, or that it dieth with the body, ftill thou haft no caufe to lament it. Death is certain to all things which are fubje&t to birth, and regeneration to all things which are mortal; wherefore it doth not behove thee to grieve about that which is inevitable. The former ftate of beings is unknown; the middle ftate is evident, and their future ftate is not to be difcovered. Why then fhouldst thou trouble thyfelf about fuch things as thefe? Some regard the foul as a wonder, whilst some speak, and others hear of it with aftonishment; but no one knoweth it, although he may have heard it defcribed. This fpirit being never to be deftroyed in the mortal frame which it inhabiteth, it is unworthy for thee to be troubled for all thefe mortals.' The doctrine of the metempfychofis is here plainly inculcated. -It is indeed one of the leading doctrines of the Geeta.—But whether India may juftly claim the honour of having given birth to this fantaftical opinion, or whether it was originally introduced there from Egypt, or from fome other country, are queftions which (though they afford room for much curious fpeculation) we prefume not to difcufs. That many of the Egyptian fuperftitions were tranfplanted into India by the priests who were expelled from Egypt after the conqueft of that country by Cambyfes, is rendered highly probable by the arguments of the learned Kircher. The Indian idols accord in many refpects with the hieroglyphic reprefentations of the Egyptian deities, and it has been faid, that fome traces of the worship of Ifis and Ofiris, are ftill vifible in India. But if we could with fafety indulge the fuppofition, that the pretenfions of the Geeta to an antiquity of 4000 years are well founded, it would follow, that this opinion must have been adopted by the Hindoos long before the time of Cambytes. However this may be, certain it is, that a belief of the tranfmigration of fouls has prevailed in various countries from the most remote antiquity. From the Egyptians, whofe fentiments on this fubject are recorded by Herodotus, it paffed through the medium of the Pythagorean philofophy to the Greeks, among whom it seems to have been generally adopted by those who held the foul's pre-existence. The writings of * Πρώτοι δε καὶ τονδε τον λόγον Αιγύπλιοι εισιν ειποιίες, ως άνθρωπο ψυχη αθα νατος ετί, το σωματος δε καταφθινοίος ες άλλο ζώον αιει γινομενον εσδύεται επιαν δε περιέλθη παλα τα χερσαία, και τα θαλασσια, και τα πληνα, αυτις ες ανθρωπο qwpx proprer sodu. Herodot. lib. i. c. 123. P 3 Plato, Plato, who, like moft of the ancient advocates for a future ftate, inferred the poft-existence of the foul from its pre-exiftence, abound with allufions to this doctrine. Indeed, it has been fuppofed by fome to have arifen naturally from the principles of the old atomical philofophy; and, accordingly, fuch of the Greek atomifts, who were not atheifts, ufually maintained the μετενσωματωσις of the foul as clofely conneded with its προvapist. This doctrine, however, was differently received, not only by the different fects of the Greek philofophers, but alfo by different individuals of the fame fect. Thus Timæus Locrus, and feveral other Pythagoreans, rejected the notion of the foul's tranfmigration into the bodies of beafts, resolving it into a mere allegorical defcription of the brutality of vice. But the Hindcos admit the doctrine of the metempfychofis in its literal meaning and its largeft extent. They believe that the foul, which has been polluted by fin, or failed in its endeavours to attain the neceffary degree of perfection, is doomed to animate other bodies, till at length, by repeated regenerations, it has fhaken off every impurity, and is become fit to be re-united to the nature of Brahm, the univerfal fpirit, from whom all fouls originally proceeded, and into whofe all-comprehending effence they will be at length abforbed again. In the latter part of this lecture Kreefhna glances at the ceremonies prefcribed in the Veds.-He warns Arjoon against placing *See Repub. lib. x. in fine. Phæd. p. 118. Edit. Cantab. 1683. Ενδενται δε, ώσπερ εικος, εις τα τοιαυτα ηθη όποια άτ' αν καὶ μεμελετηκυίας τις χωσιν εν τῷ βίῳ και διον τας μεν γατριμαργίας τε καὶ ύβρεις, και φιλοτησίας με μετα λετηκοτας, και μη διευλαβημένες, εις τα των όνων γένη και των τοιέτων θηρίων εικος doba, &c.-There is a ftriking fimilarity between the whole of this paffage of Plato and the following lines of Claudian, who defcribes Rhadamanthus himfelf as affigning their refpective ftations to the fouls of the wicked according to the nature of their crimes: Exæquat damnum meritis, et muta ferarum Claud. in Rufin. lib. ii. ver. 483. + Ηδη γαρ ποτ' εγώ γενόμην και ος τε κορη τε, Empedocles, quoted by Olympiodorus in his any any confidence in the obfervance of them-He affures him that they will entitle him only to an inferior and tranfient reward, and exhorts him rather to feek an afylum in wifdom. In the portrait of his wife man the nil admirari feems to be the most prominent feature. A man is faid to be confirmed in wisdom, when he forfaketh every defire which entereth into his heart, and of himself is happy and contented in himself. His mind is undisturbed in adverfity, he is happy and contented in profperity, and he is a ftranger to anxiety, fear, and anger. He is in all things without affection; and having received good or evil, neither rejoiceth at the one, nor is caft down by the other." His wifdom is then faid to be moft firmly established, when, totus teres atque rotundus, like the tortoife, he can draw in all his members, and reftrain them from their wonted purpofes.' Lecture III. treats of Works.'-Kreefhna here feems to exhort Arjoon to the performance of works on political rather than moral motives; rather with a view to the influence of his example on the vulgar, than to any real merit or efficacy in the works themselves. The man of low degree followeth the example of him who is above him, and doeth that which he doeth. I myself, Arjoon, have not, in the three regions of the univerfe, any thing which is neceffary for me to perform, nor any thing to obtain which is not obtained; and yet I live in the exercise of the moral duties. If I were not vigilantly to attend to thefe duties, all men would prefently follow my example. If I were not to perform the moral actions, this world would fail in their duty; I should be the caufe of fpurious births, and should drive the people from the right way. As the ignorant perform the duties of life from the hope of reward, fo the wife man, out of refpect to the opinions and prejudices of mankind, should perform the fame without motives of intereft. He fhould not create a divifion in the understandings of the ignorant, who are inclined to outward works. The learned man, by induftrioufly performing all the duties of life, fhould induce the vulgar to attend to them.' Lecture IV. Of the forfaking of Works.'-In the beginning of this lecture, the idea which the Hindoos entertain of the feveral incarnations of the Deity, and of the various revelations which they believe him to have made of himself in different ages, is clearly and diftin&tly flated. Kreefhna afferts the antiquity of the doctrine which he is now delivering to Arjoon, and fays, that in former times he had communicated it to Eekfhwakoo, and others, whom he mentions. Arjoon, ftaggered at the apparent impoffibility of this, afks- Seeing thy birth is pofterior to the life of Eekfhwakoo, how am I to understand that thou haft been formerly the teacher of this doctrine?' Kreefhna replies, Both I and thou have paffed many births. Mine are known unto me; but thou knoweft not of thine. Although I am not in my nature fubject to birth or decay, and am the lord of all P4 created 6 created beings; yet, having command over my own nature, I am made evident by my own power; and as often as there is a decline of virtue, and an infurrection of vice and injuftice in the world, I make my felf evident; and thus I appear, from age to age, for the prefervation of the juft, the deftruction of the wicked, and the establishment of virtue.'-He then proceeds to explain what is meant by the forfaking of works. He exhorts Arjoon to behold, as it were, inaction in action'-to let every undertaking be free from the idea of defire'-to be always contented and independent,' and although he may be engaged in a work, to do, as it were, nothing.' He then afferts the fuperiority of wisdom. Know,' fays he, that the worship of fpiritual wifdom is far better than the worship with offerings of things. In wifdom is to be found every work without exception. Seek then this wisdom with proftrations, with questions, and with attention, that thofe learned men who fee its principles may inftruct thee in its rules; which having learnt, thou shalt not again, O fon of Pandoo, fall into folly; by which thou fhalt behold all nature in the fpirit; that is, in me. Although thou wert the greateft of all offenders, thou fhalt be able to cross the gulf of fin with the bark of wisdom. As the natural fire, O Arjoon, reduceth the wood to afhes, fo may the fire of wildom reduce all moral actions to afhes.' Lecture V. treats Of forfaking the Fruits of Works.'- But as the fame fubject seems to be difcuffed more fully in the last lecture, we shall defer our account of the doctrine to that place. Lecture VI. Of the Exercife of the Soul.'-Here, and indeed in almost every page of the Geeta, the great merit of total abstraction from fenfible objects, and the fupreme happiness of contemplation, is ftrongly infifted on. The following very eurious deferiptions will convey to our readers fome idea of the means which the Hindoo devotees make use of to facilitate this feparation of the mind from the notices of the fenfes : The man who keepeth the outward accidents from entering his mind, and his eyes fixed in contemplation between his brows; who maketh the breath to país through both his noftrils alike in expiration and infpiration; who is of fubdued faculties, mind, and underftanding, and hath fet his heart upon falvation; and who is free from luft, fear, and anger, is for ever bleffed in this life; and, being convinced that I am the cherisher of religious zeal, the Jord of all worlds, and the friend of all nature, he fhall obtain me and be bleffed.' Again, The Yogee conftantly exercifeth the spirit in private. He is reclufe, of a fubdued mind and fpirit; free from hope, and free from perception. He planteth his own feat firmly on a spot that is undefiled, neither too high nor too low, and fitteth upon the facred grafs which is called Koos, covered with a fkin and a cloth. There he, whole bafi nefs |