nt Greece and Italy, were simply a
class of superhuman beings, distinctly contra-distinguished from
the Supreme Spirit, the _Paramatman_ or _Parabrahma_. After
death, a virtuous man was supposed to be transformed into one of
these so-called gods.

[4] This is the well-known and popular doctrine of
transmigration of souls.

"Yudhishthira asked, 'O snake, tell me truly and without confusion how
that dissociated spirit becomes cognisant of sound, touch, form,
flavour, and taste. O great-minded one, dost thou not perceive them,
simultaneously by the senses? Do thou, O best of snakes, answer all
these queries!' The snake replied, 'O long-lived one, the thing called
_Atman_ (spirit), betaking itself to corporeal tenement and manifesting
itself through the organs of sense, becomes duly cognisant of
perceptible objects. O prince of Bharata's race, know that the senses,
the mind, and the intellect, assisting the soul in its perception of
objects, are called _Karanas_. O my son, the eternal spirit, going out
of its sphere, and aided by the mind, acting through the senses, the
receptacles of all perceptions, successively perceives these things
(sound, form, flavour, &c). O most valiant of men, the mind of living
creatures is the cause of all perception, and, therefore, it cannot be
cognisant of more than one thing at a time. That spirit, O foremost of
men, betaking itself to the space between the eyebrows, sends the high
and low intellect to different objects. What the _Yogins_ perceive after
the action of the intelligent principle by that is manifested the action
of the soul.'

"Yudhishthira said, 'Tell me the distinguishing characteristics of the
mind and the intellect. The knowledge of it is ordained as the chief
duty of persons meditating on the Supreme Spirit.'

"The snake replied, 'Through illusion, the soul becomes subservient to
the intellect. The intellect, though known to be subservient to the
soul, becomes (then) the director of the latter. The intellect is
brought into play by acts of perception; the mind is self-existent. The
Intellect does not cause the sensation (as of pain, pleasure, &c), but
the mind does. This, my son, is the difference between the mind and the
intellect. You too are learned in this matter, what is your opinion?'

"Yudhishthira said, 'O most intelligent one, you have fine intelligence
and you know all that is fit to be known. Why do you ask me that
question? You knew