the sovereign treasure of the universe, without beginning,
middle, or end; equipped with infinite might. Thine arms are without
limit, thine eyes are like the moon and the sun, thy mouth hath the
brightness of the sacred fire. With thyself alone thou fillest all the
space between heaven and earth, and thou permeatest all the universe."
Brahma is not only supreme god; he is the soul of the universe. All
beings are born from Brahma, all issue naturally from him, not as a
product comes from the hands of an artisan, but "as the tree from the
seed, as the web from the spider." Brahma is not a deity who has
created the world; he is the very substance of the world.

=Transmigration of Souls.=--There is, then, a soul, a part of the soul
of Brahma, in every being, in gods, in men, in animals, in the very
plants and stones. But these souls pass from one body into another;
this is the transmigration of souls. When a man dies, his soul is
tested; if it is good, it passes into the heaven of Indra there to
enjoy felicity; if it is bad, it falls into one of the twenty-eight
hells, where it is devoured by ravens, compelled to swallow burning
cakes, and is tormented by demons. But souls do not remain forever in
heaven or in the hells; they part from these to begin a new life in
another body. The good soul rises, entering the body of a saint,
perhaps that of a god; the evil soul descends, taking its abode in
some impure animal--in a dog, an ass, even in a plant. In this new
state it may rise or fall. And this journey from one body to another
continues until the soul by degrees comes to the highest sphere. From
lowest to highest in the scale, say the Brahmans, twenty-four millions
of years elapse. At last perfect, the soul returns to the level of
Brahma from which it descends and is absorbed into it.

=Character of this Religion.=--The religion of the Aryans, simple and
happy, was that of a young and vigorous people. This is complicated
and barren; it takes shape among men who are not engaged in practical
life; it is enervated by the heat and vexatious of life.

=Rites.=--The practice of the religion is much more complicated. Hymns
and sacrifices are still offered to the gods, but the Brahmans have
gradually invented thousands of minute customs so that one's life is
completely engaged with them. For all the ceremonies of the religious
life there are prayers, offerings, vows, libations, ablutions. Some of
the religious requirements atta