Then they said to Indra: "O Maghavan (Worshipful One)! Find out
what this mystery is." He said: "Yes"; and ran towards it, but
it disappeared before him.


XII

Then he saw in that very space a woman beautifully adorned, Uma
of golden hue, daughter of Haimavat (Himalaya). He asked: "What
is this great mystery?"

Here we see how the Absolute assumes concrete form to give
knowledge of Himself to the earnest seeker. Brahman, the
impenetrable mystery, disappeared and in His place appeared a
personal form to represent Him. This is a subtle way of showing
the difference between the Absolute and the personal aspects of
Deity. The Absolute is declared to be unknowable and
unthinkable, but He assumes deified personal aspects to make
Himself known to His devotees. Thus Uma, daughter of the
Himalaya, represents that personal aspect as the offspring of the
Infinite Being; while the Himalaya stands as the symbol of the
Eternal, Unchangeable One.




Part fourth