CHAPTER

I. THE GREAT QUESTIONING.

The vairâgya, world-surfeit, of Nachiketâ

and his question to Yama, the ruler of the

Preta-worlds.-The vairâgya of Maitreyî and

her question to Yâjñavalkya.-The vairâgya

of Râma and his question of Vasishtha.-The

quest of the soul after immortality and self-

dependence; its shrinking from annihilation

and dependence on the mercy of another.

II. THE FIRST AND SECOND ANSWERS.

III.

IV.

The craving of the Jîva for a synthesising

unity. Its first finding, viz., creation by a

Personal First Cause; and its worship thereof.

-The failure of this finding to bring perma-

nent peace.-The Jiva's further search and

second finding, viz., evolution by the inter-

play of two co-eternal factors; a philosophy

without a religion.-The failure of this second

finding

...

UNCERTAINTIES.

PAGES

I-6

...7-II

The main quest.-The subordinate ques-

tions. Correspondence between the answers
to the main and the subordinate questions

12-17

THE PRELIMINARIES OF THE THIRD AND LAST

ANSWER. THE SELF AND THE NOT-Self.

The existence of the Self.-The nature of
the Self. Its immortality.-The Self not com-
pound or multiplex, but the sole source and
substrate and refuge of the compound and the
multiplex.-The Self not definable in terms
of anything limited and particular.-The Self

CHAPTER

not commonplace nor yet anything mysterious

or mystical. The meaning of enquiry.-Direct

and indirect knowledge.-The nature of the

Not-Self. The partial peace of Pratyag-âtmâ,

the Self

...

...

PAGES

18-35

V. THE MUTUAL RELATION OF THE SELF AND

THE NOT-SELF.

The kind of relation desired between the
Self and the Not-Self, viz., such as will make
the Not-Self wholly dependent on the Self.-
No enquiry needed as to the origin of the Self.
-The only need of thought is to free the Self
from dependence on the Not-Self, to derive
the changefulm the changeless.-Attempts
to formulate the relation. The Dvaita
Vedanta, only another form of the theory
of creation, hence also a failure. The
Vishishtâdvaita Vedanta, only another form
of the theory of evolution by the interaction
of two factors, hence also a failure.

...

36-44

VI. THE MUTUAL RELATION OF THE SELF AND

THE NOT-SELF (continued).

-

The same results in terms of European

philosophies. The inspiration of Indian

thought, ethico-religious: knowledge for the

sake of happiness.-That of modern Euro-

pean thought, mostly intellectual and epis-

temological knowledge for the sake of know-

ledge.-Berkeley's finding: the esse of matter

is its percipi.-Hume's finding: the converse.

-Consequent restoration of the problem to

the status quo, but on a higher level.-Kant's

finding: a mental thing-in-itself projecting

'forms and a material thing-in-itself project-

ing ' matter,' sensations.' Consequent

aggravation of the problem. Subsequent

CHAPTER

attempts of Fichte and others to unify the two

things-in-themselves of Kant.-Schelling's in-

ference of the Absolute from the Relative.-

Hegel's work.-Its defects.-Fichte's expla-

nation of the world-process in terms of the

Ego and the Non-Ego.-Its general similarity

with the views of Advaita Vedânta :-The

determination of the nature of the Ego by the

method of adhyâropa-apavâda, abscissio

infiniti, hypothecation-negation. The last

difficulty.-The need to justify the very fact

and nature of change at all, and to combine

both change and changelessness in the Abso-

lute. The attempts of the Rosicrucians in

this behalf.-The logia, great sentences, of

the Veda, as employed by the Advaita

Vedânta

VII. THE LAST ANSWER.

VIII.

PAGES

45-83

The eulogy, in Scripture, of the AUM as

the last answer.-A hypothesis as to the real

meaning of the Aum as thus eulogised.-The

logion, Ego Non-Ego Non," as the real

meaning of the three-lettered Aum, and as

the final explanation of the world-process.—

Approaches to this logion in the current

Upanishats and Purâņas.-The most signifi-

cant form of this logion, "Aham Etat Na,"

"I-this-not."-The joy of the finding
84-95

BRAHMAN OR THE ABSOLUTE-THE DVAND-

VÂTITAM.

Changelessness in the logion.-Change with-
in it. The method of the world-process, and of
all thought, the same, viz., abscissio infiniti.—
The presence of all that is needed, of all con-
tradictions as well as of their reconciliation
by mutual abolition, within the Absolute.-

CHAPTER

IX.

PAGES

The so-called indescribability of the Absolute

due not to powerlessness but to completion of

thought.-Terminology.-Reason for the name

Param-âtmâ given to Brahman

96-106

THE DVANDVAM-THE RELATIVE.

(A) THE PRATYAG-ÂTM—The Self.
The nature of Pratyag-âtmâ and its identity

with all Jivas.-Distinction between it and

Brahman.-The nature of the Self with refe-

rence to time, space, and motion.-An illustra-

tion, by 'sound sleep.'-The genesis of the

three attributes of Pratyag-âtmâ, viz., Sat-

Chit-Ânanda, Being-Consciousness-Bliss, cor-

responding to Kriyâ-Jñâna-Ichchhâ, Action-

Cognition-Desire. The tri-une-ness of the

Absolute reflected in these three attributes.-

The worship of the Self

-

107-117

X. THE DVANDVAM-THE RELATIVE (continued).

(B) MÛLA-PRAKṚITI
THE NOT-SELF,

MATTER.

The various significant names of Mûla-pra-
kriti. Its essential nature and characteristic.
-The consequences ensuing from that nature.
-The birth of the world's endless diversity
(a) of pseudo-infinite particulars (b) in pairs
(c) mutually and positively opposed, and so
always abolishing each other.—The meaning
of arbitrariness; its absence from the world-
process taken as a whole.-The continuum of
the world-process, in consequence of the in-
divisibility of the Absolute, appearing in the
fact that everything is everywhere and always.
--The false assumption by the Not-Self of the
characteristics of the Self, infinity, eternity,
&c. The explanation of why two or rather
three parts are distinguishable in the partless