ist. He is considered as an immaterial being, without form or parts ; without equal, beginning, or end ;
the origin and author of all things ; of whom are all things, and to whom all things return ; on whom
gods and men depend, who is all in all; and, in fine, the only one God.
sdly. As a material being, assuming a visible form, and combining in himself the male and female powers,
for the pur¬ poses of creation, and of making himself known to material beings. As such, he is described
clothed with the fourteen worlds : of which hereafter.
From these generative powers pro¬ ceeded ;
1. Shivven, who came forth more im¬ mediately from the male power, and is considered the father of
all gene¬ ration, He is sometimes represented with five faces ; three of which bear as many of his own
names,* and the other two, those of Bruma and Veeshnoo, So that Shivven is not only the principal
person of the three chief gods termed Treemoortee , but is at once the mediate origin of, and
comprehended in, them.
2. Sauttee ; who proceeded more di¬ rectly from the female power, and is held to be the mother of all
gene¬ ration. From her sprung all the other goddesses, as from Shivven all gods. She is more particularly
called Parau-Sauttee (or the high¬ est Sauttee), in distinction from the other goddesses and female
demons, who are all likewise termed Sauttee ; though they are supposed to owe their existence to, and
to depend wholly on, her. The demons here mentioned are nine in number, and will hereafter be
noticed under the appellation of Nauvah Sauttee.
Though the Hindoos, when question¬ ed on the subject, do immediately dis¬ tinguish between
Paraubaurah Pushtoo (whom they will acknowledge to be the immaterial first Cause and Governor of all)
and Shivven above mentioned ; yet their practical worship is so connected with material objects, and,
generally speaking, so devoid of spirituality, that they are very apt to confound the attri^ butes, the
symbols, nay, the existence of the Supreme Being, with thoseof Shivven x and even of Veeshnoo ; as we
shall pre¬ sently more particularly observe.
It has already been stated, that these are Bruma , Veeshnoo , and Shivven ; that they are considered as,
in an intimate degree, forming one deity, and that this one, is by some held to be no other than the
Supreme Almighty; whose three great operations of creation, preservation, and judgment, are, say
they, merely symbolized by the Moomoortigoel. But this is by no means the practical faith of the
people at large, who adore them as three distinct material deities.
Previous, however, to relating their potions regarding the M.Qonxoovtigoel t it will be necessary to
remark, that all classes and casts of Hindoos throughout Hindostan , are divided into one grand schism;
one portion of them holding Shiv- ven to be the supreme of these gods, while the rest acknowledge
Veeshnoo as such: the former profession is termed Shivven- Aumaudaum ,and the latter Veesh- noo-
Aumaudaum * Why Bruma has no sectaries will hereafter appear. Upon the whole, however, the
supremacy of Shivven appears to have obtained more general consent than that of Veeshnoo. To begin
then with
