81. SAIVA BASIS OF ABHINAVA'S ÆSTHETICS 89

SAIVA BASIS OF ABHINAVA'S ÆSTHETICS 89

Absolute to be. (Second Volume, Chapters XI nnd XII) If the Absolute be pure unity, the deduction or manifesta- tion of multiplicity from it would be impossible. If there is no multiplicity in the Absolute, how can it be deduced, or proceed from it? The Saiva rejects the pure monism of the Vedantin on the same ground as that, on which Hegel rejects abstract monism of Spinoza. 4. In reply to the question, "Why does the Will mani- fest the subjective and the objective variety ?" or "Is the manifestation due to some cause ?" the voluntarist says that causality explains nothing. The causal explana- tion is pure dogmatism. For, the first cause is itself an inexplicable mystery. In fact, the voluntarist admits free Will, simply because he finds causal explanation extremely unsatisfactory. It is the essential nature (Svabhava) of the Will to manifest itself.

ĀBHĀSAVĀDA.

Just as the Saiva metaphysical theory is called volun- tarism (Svatantryavada) from the point of view of the Ultimate principle, so it is called Ābhasavāda from the point of view of manifested variety. In the Absolute, the entire variety, that we find in the objective world, is in a state of perfect unity, exactly as the whole variety of colours that we find in a full-grown peacock is in a state of perfect identity in the Yolk of peacock's egg. This analogy, which is very frequently employed in the Saiva literature to explain the absolute unity of all variety in the Ultimate, is technically called "Mayūrāņda rasa nyāya".

All that emanates from or is manifested by the Absolute is called Abhāsa, for the simple reason that it is a manifestation and, therefore, has some sort of imperfec- 12