How many entities are eternal or beginningless

A.- Three - God, the soul, and the prakriti (matter).
Q.What are your authorities for this statement?
A.- "Both God and the soul are eternal, they are alike in consciousness and such other attributes. They are associated together - God
pervading the soul - and are mutual companions. The prakriti (matter), which is



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*Literally the sun. -Tr.

Likened to the trunk of a tree whose branches are the multiform universe which is resolved into tis elementary condition at the
time of dissolution is also eternal. The natures, attributes and characters of these three are also eternal. Of the two - God and the
soul - the latter alone reaps the fruits of this tree of the universe - good or evil - whilst the former does not. He is the All-glorious
Being who shines within, without and all around." RIG VEDA I, 164, 20.

"The Great God - the King - revealed all kinds of knowledge to the human soul - His eternal subjects - through the Veda." YAJUR
VEDA, 50, 8.

"The prakriti, the soul and God, all of them, are uncreated. They are the cause of the whole universe. They have no cause of the
whole universe. They have no cause and have been existing eternally. The eternal soul enjoys the eternal matter and is wrapped up
in it whilst God neither enjoys it, nor, is He wrapped up in it." SHWETA SHWATER UPNISHAD, 4: 5.

The attributes of God and the soul have been described iin the last chapter. Here we shall treat of the properties of prakriti (matter).
"That condition of matter in which the intellect-promoting (satva - high), passion-exciting (rajas - medium) and stupidity producing
(tamas - low)qualities are found combined in equal proportions is called prakriti. From prakriti emanated the principle of wisdom
(Mahaatava), and from the latter proceeded the principle of Individuality (Ahakaara) from which emanated the five subtle entities and
the ten principles of sensation and action, and the manas, i.e., the principle of attention. From the five subtle entities issued forth the
five gross entities, such as


solids, liquids, etc. These twenty-four entities and the purush, i.e., the spirit - human and Divine - form a group of twenty-five
noumena." SANKYA SHASTRA,1: 61.

Of all these twenty-four, the prakriti is uncreated, the principle of wisdom, the principle of Individuality, and the five subtle entities
are the products of the prakriti and are in their turn the cause of the ten principles of sensation, and action and of the principle of
attention. The purush - i.e., the spirit - is neither the cause (material) nor the effect of anything.
Satyarth Prakash

THE "LIGHT OF TRUTH"
by Swami Dayanand