Quer I am a hard man, ye are &c.

form only can have the personality;

Яw masc. and fem. A neu. they are hard &c.

Qwis we are &c. It must be observed that the neuter

absolute meaning of the verb, all the rest include the idea of and must be construed thou art a hard அரசனவில்வினா னான் man, and the king is a bowman, or the possessor of a bow, not thou art a hard, or the king has a bow. At the same time that appellatives have the form and regimen of verbs, they have also the form and regimen of nouns, and they are then called am Quw the appellative indicative of the verb used as a noun; thus ,anappellative conjugated in the second person singular may be declined through every case as a noun, asus thou art a hard man nom., we thou art &c..ac., ww-by or with thee a hard man, to thee &c., அரியையில from thee &c., அரியையது of thee &c., அரியைககண in thes அ &c. This extraordinary idiom is the cause of a peculiar terseness and energy of expression in the High Tamil, as the following examples of the regimen of the conju gated appellative will shew, which, perhaps, no other language can imitate.டியை சிறியே வனையடிததாய thou a person of a cruel disposition hast beaten me a poor miserable man; here an appellative conj. in the 2d pers. sing. is கொடியை the nom. to the verb, and we conj. in the first pers. the ac. governed by it; to express the meaning of this sentence would require in low Tamil as many words, as it does in English, as-it must be rendered கொடுமையுள்ளவனாயிருககிறநிசிறு மையுள்ளவனாயிருக்கிறவெனவனயடிததாய:- அரியவெளியவாக்குவென I can make hard things easy, here the two first terms conj. in the 3rd pers. plu. neu. are governed in the ac. by the verb.

Of virtue void, as is the palsied sense,

The head must be, that bows not at his feet,

(கூ)

Whose eight-fold attributes pervade the world. "As is the palsied sense”—the original says the irreverend head is like an organ of sense void of it's peculiar property, as an eye, which has lost it's sight, or as an ear that is deaf: the effect of the palsy being thus to destroy the powers of all the organs; this version, though not exact to the words, evidently conveys the general idea of the author.

"Whose attributes eight-fold pervade the world"-Preparatory to the detailed consideration of this verse, of which it is especially worthy, I shall give a literal translation of the whole couplet.

The head which does not worship the feet of him who has eight qualities has itself no quality, being like an organ of sense, which has not it's peculiar property.

The qualities here intended are the principal attributes of the deity, limited by the Author to eight. An enquiry into the deviation and purport of the terms by which these are expressed will tend to elucidate the notions received among the Hindus respecting the nature of the Godhead; I shall examine, therefore, at some length the commentary of Parimèl-azhager on this verse, adding, for the sake of further illustration, an explanation of the attributes as contained in the Védas. Moreover, to shew in what degreethe Catholic writers have availed themselves of the terms in use among the several Hindu sects and with what ingenuity they have contrived to render them the vehicle of their own doctrines, I shall state those employed by the R, J, C. Beschi and others to express the six attributes admitted by them. The commentary of Parimel-azhager is as follows,- Sk 18MI QET - தன வயத்தனாதல் - தூயவுடம்பினனாதல் - இயற்கையுணர்வினனாதல் - முற றுமுணர்தல் - இயல்பாகவே பாசங்களை நீங்குதல் பொருளுடைமை முடிவிலாற்றலுடைமை - வரமபிலின்பமுடைமை - எனவிவை வாறு சைவாகமத்துடகூறப்பட்டன் - அணிமாவைமுதலாகவுடையவனெ னவும் - கடையிலாதவறிவைமுதலாகவுடையவனெனவுமுரைப்பாருமுளர். This passage indicates three explanations of the expression occuring in text, Weight fold attributes"; namely, first that given by himself from the A'gamas ;, secondly, that given by those who say that the qualities termed animà and the rest are meant ; thirdly those enumerated in the verse commencing cadeiyilláda-arivu.

இவ

First, with respect to the attributes as propounded in the A'gamas, I shall analyze the several phrases here used, giving the meaning of each as usually explained by Hindu writers. First, தன்வயத்தனாதல் from தன his onவயத்தன possessor to be the souls of material beings are necessarily subjected to matter, with which they are connected and independently of which they cannot act this is called the bondage of the Soul, from which the immaterial spirit is free. This attribute may be translated The Independent, or, after Beschi, as that, which is independent of all must be paramount to all,.

The self-existent Lord of all. Secondly, pure 67 embodied and

was from Frus

not subject like created beings to the incidents of birth, life and death and all the illusions of mundane existence, but assuming at pleasure, for the purpose of manifesting himself, a corporeal førm of perfect purity; it may be rendered,―The Ever-Pure. Thirdly, us ணர்வினனாதல் fromஇயறகைnature, property உணர்வினன hewhopossesses knowledge and s; not acquiring knowledge through the medium of the sensual organs, by penance, meditation and other means, but possessing it intuitively,The intuitively Wise. Fourthly, is from

ما

wholly, entirely and is to know; he whose faculties, not subjected to the alternations of watchfulness and sleep, nor liable to any interruption, are at all times in active operation,-The infinitely Intelligent. Fifthly, war இயல்பா கவே பாசங்களை நீங்குதல் from இயலபு nature பாசங்களை snares, bonds and to be separated from neu.; he who, though constantly witnessing the operations of matter, cannot by his nature be affected by it's illusions or impeded by it's restrictions,-The Immaterial. Sixthly,

from

from Gun great kindness, mercy and possession,—The Mostmerciful. Seventhly, endless g PP power and he who whose power is constant being subject neither to increment nor decrement,-The infinitly Powerful. Eighthly, வரம்பிலின்பமுடைமை from வரம்பில் bomdless இனம் happiness and

: he whose happiness is not liable to destruction or intermission,

The infinitely Happy.

Secondly, the qualities referred to in Parimèl-azhager's commentary by the words "animà and the rest" the ash'ta aiswaryam or ash'ta mahà siddhi, the eight great powers, are not properly the attributes of God, but certain faculties appertaining indivisibly to divine nature, and; as such, not confined to the Supreme Being alone, but participated by all who rank as Deities. The possession of these powers constitutes the distinction between divinity and humanity, they are innate to the superior Deities, as Brahmà, Vishnu, 'Siva and Indra, but they may be obtained by other beings and even by men. by the performance of the at ha-yogam and are exercised, accordingly, by Nárada, Atri and the other Rishis and Patriachs, who have acquired them by this means. They are thus enumerated in the Amara-simhma and explained in the Commentary on that work entitled Guru-bála- prabó,hica. First, & animà; the power of reducing his bulk to the size of an atom.

த

Second, ar mahimà; the power of increasing his bulk illimitably. Third, ye garimà; the power of counteracting the law of gravity by rendering himself heavy. Fourth, ferleg himà; the power of counteracting the law of gravity by rendering himself light. Fifth, 2 prápti; the power of obtaining the fulfilment of every desire. Sixth, 2a 5o E pracámya the power of penetrating every where, unrestrained by natural obstacles. Seventh, is ità the power of compelling all creatures to act according to the will of the possessor. Eighth, a vás'ità the power of assuming any shape at pleasure.

Thirdly, the verse referred to in the commentary as containing anenumeration of the attributes differing from that given is the following.

கடையிலாஞானத்தோடுகாடசிவீரியமேயினபம்

மிடையுறு நாமமின்மைவிதித்தகோத்திரங்களின்மை

யடைவிலாவாயுவின்மையந்தாரயங்களின்மை

யுடையவனயாவனமற றிவவுலகினுக்கிறைவனாமே.

Of the eight attributes here mentioned four are possitive and four negative. The positive attributes to each of which the epithet, endless infinite must be considered as common, are first, infinite wisdom; secondly, infinite intelligence ; thirdly, fu infinite power; fourthly, இனபம infinite happiness. The negative attributes are - first, நாமமின்மை without a name ; secondly, கோ ததிரமின்மை without a tribe ; thirdly, ஆயு வினமை without sinility ; fourthly, அந்தாாயமினமை without impediment. This verse the 76th of the 12th Part of the Dictionary entitled Sulàman'iNigan'du follows the doctrines of the Jaina'sect to which the author, Mandalapurusha, belonged. The attributes are similarly enumerated, with the exception of the last, in the following explanation of this couplet in the commentary on the Cural's in use among the Jainer attributed to Cavi-rāya-pan`diten;சுவாமிக்கெட்டுக்குணங்களான் - அனந்தஞானம் அனந்ததரிசனம அன நதவீரியம் அனந்தசுகம் - கிர்நாமம் - நிர்ககோத்திரம் - நிராயுஷியம் - சகல சமமியக்ததுவமெனனுந்தவெட்டுக்குணங்களையுடையசரவக்கிஞன்பா தங்களை வணங்காததவலபிணத்தோடேசரியென்றவாறு. The terms here employed are Sanscrit ; அனநதisthe same as கடையில்லாத; the second attribute A அனந்ததரிசனம் signifies infinite perception, corresponding nearly with the expression used in the preceding enumeration, but the last differs

considerably being composed of the words all and 2

goodness

and signifying The All-bountiful in some dictionaries this attribute is windestructibility. According to the Jaina doctrine these attributes are considered as perfections of the divine nature, contra-distinguished to an equal number of defects to which human nature is subject; these are thus enumerated in the verse following that above quoted from the Nigan'du.

மன்னியவறிவுகாட்சிமறைத்தல்வேதனியத்தோடு

துன்னுமோகனியமாயுத்தொடர் நாமகோத்திரங்கள்
முன்னுறுமந்தராயமொழிந்தவென் குற்றமாகும்

ன்னவைதீர்ந்தோனியாவனியாவர்க்குமிறைவனாமே.

The eight defects here stated are-the imperfection of human wisdom, the obscuration of intellect, the weakness to which man is liable, either from plea. sure or pain, the delusion to which he subjected by desire and other passions, designation by name, division into tribes and families, decay from old-age, and, finally, the thraldom in which he is held by the various impediments that matter opposes to his exertions. In the last line of the preceding verse the author says, he who possesses all these qualities is the Lord of this world, and in concluding this he adds, he who is free from all these defects is the Lord of all. The Jainer reckon one hundred and forty eight variations of the eight defects here stated..

The beings subject to these defects are man and other creatures, entangled in the bonds of matter and liable to mortal births; that being, who is not only free from these defects, but has attained the contrary perfections, has released himself from the bonds of matter and is no longer subject to mortal births, is God, the Supreme Being. Imperfection may be compared to darkness and perfec tion to light; darkness, it is true, is only the absence of light, but in order of existence it precedes it, for light accedes to darkness not darkness to light; where darkness is and has ever been light may come, but where light is darkness cannot come imperfection, therefore, like matter, of which it is the attribute, is without beginning, eternal ex parte ante. But, though defect is thus originally inherent in nature, it is not permanent and all beings, consequently, may free themselves from it. Perfection is not inherent but attainable; it is the ultimate end of nature, towards which all her operations tend. When, therefore, a being has divested himself of inherent defect, he necessarily attains perfection, he becomes God.