who they are, declares ’They (the 303 and 3003) are only the various powers of them, in reality there are only thirty-three gods’ (B/ri/.  Up.  III, 9, 1, 2); showing thereby that one and the same divine Self may at the same time appear in many forms.  After that it proceeds to show that these thirty-three gods themselves are in reality contained in six, five, &c., and, finally, by replying to the question, ’Who is the one god?’ that Breath is the one god, shows that the gods are all forms of Breath, and that Breath, therefore, can at the same time appear in many forms.—­Sm/ri/ti also has a similar statement, ’A Yogin, O hero of the Bharatas, may, by his power, multiply his Self in many thousand shapes, and in them walk about on the earth.  In some he may enjoy the objects, in others he may undergo dire penance, and, finally, he may again retract them all, just as the sun retracts the multitude of his rays.’  If such Sm/ri/ti passages as the above declare that even Yogins, who have merely acquired various extraordinary powers, such as subtlety of body, and the like, may animate several bodies at the same time, how much more capable of such feats must the gods be, who naturally possess all supernatural powers.  The gods thus being able to assume several shapes, a god may divide himself into many forms and enter into relation with many sacrifices at the same time, remaining all the while unseen by others, in consequence of his power to render himself invisible.

The latter part of the Sutra may be explained in a different manner also, viz. as meaning that even beings enjoying corporeal individuality are seen to enter into mere subordinate relation to more than one action.  Sometimes, indeed, one individual does not at the same time enter into subordinate relation to different actions; one Brahma/n/a, for instance, is not at the same time entertained by many entertainers.  But in other cases one individual stands in subordinate relation to many actions at the same time; one Brahma/n/a, for instance, may constitute the object of the reverence done to him by many persons at the same time.  Similarly, it is possible that, as the sacrifice consists in the parting (on the part of the sacrificer with some offering) with a view (to some divinity), many persons may at the same time part with their respective offerings, all of them having in view one and the same individual divinity.  The individuality of the gods does not, therefore, involve any contradiction in sacrificial works.

28.  If it be said (that a contradiction will result) in respect of the word; we refute this objection on the ground that (the world) originates from the word, as is shown by perception and inference.