(237) The Solar Lord, the Divine Ego. Of the two courses of soul development referred to by H. P. B. in her “Voice of the Silence” as the path of “Dhyana” and “Dharma” or the “Paramitas,” Ramayana is based upon the latter. The “Seven Portals,” referred to in the book of the same name, correspond very probably to the seven cantos of this sacred poem. But I have read only the first canto, and I shall give you the analysis of it, so far as I know. Excluding the preface to the poem, the first thing, in the first canto, is a description of the peculiar circumstances that attended Rama’s birth in Dasaratha’s family. Dasaratha is, as you all know, a descendant of solar kings, who began to rule over this earth from the time of Manu the Vyvaswatha. As his name implies, he is a king whose car can travel in ten directions, or taking the occult microcosmic sense he is king of the human body, which has ten senses of action and perception that connect it with the ten directions. You are thoroughly familiar with the idea that our ancient philosophers used to describe the body as a town with nine gates. The nine gates are, as you know, the nine orifices of the human body. If you add to the nine one more for the orifice known as the Brahma-rundra or the door of Brahma, you get ten gates corresponding to the ten directions. The word “Dasaratha” indicates the consciousness connected with our senses, which consciousness is inferior to the consciousness which we call mind.—The Theosophist, Vol. XIII, p. 340. (back)
(238) The Sacrificer or Yajamana. The yajamana is the person who has sacrificed himself for the good of the world and who has undertaken to mould the affairs of it, in obedience to the law. If the human body be taken as the sacrificial ground, the manas in him is the yajamana. All the doings of man in all his life from birth to death, form one grand yagnic process that is conducted by the true human entity called the Manas. He, who is willing to sacrifice his body, speech, and thought to the good of all the world, is a real yagnika and all the higher lokas are reserved for him. The central keynote of yagnika’s life is to do good unto all, irrespective of caste and creed even as the sun shines for all.—Some Thoughts on the Gita, page 90. (back)
(239) Root races. The Secret Doctrine teaches that these seven groups of human units inhabit seven continents during evolution.—S. D., II, 6, 7, 8.
a. First race . . . . . . . . . . .The Imperishable Sacred Land.
b. The 2nd race . . . . . . . .The Hyperborean Land.
c. The 3rd race . . . . . . . . Lemurian.
d. The 4th race . . . . . . . . Atlantean.
e. The 5th race . . . . . . . . Aryan.
f. Two more races will succeed the present one. (back)
(240) Such are the Veddhas of Ceylon, the Bushman of Australia, and certain of the lowest of the African races. See S. D., II, 206, 300, 439. (back)
(241) These are the Lipika Lords. See S. D., I, 157. (back)
(244) There are fundamentally three kinds of Pralaya. See S. D., I, 397-398.
1. Solar pralaya. This comes at the end of one hundred years of Brahma. It marks reabsorption into unity. It marks end of manifestation of solar system. Concerns the solar Logos.
2. Incidental pralaya. This succeeds the days of Brahma. It marks periods between manvantaras. Temporary form ceases but duality remains. Concerns a planetary Logos.
3. Individual pralaya. Achieved by a man at the fifth initiation. Marks attainment of perfection. Concerns the monad.
There is also the pralaya in connection with human evolution which we call devachanic. It concerns the personality. (back)
(245) Deva-Chan. “(3) ‘Who goes to Deva Chan?’ The personal Ego, of course, but beatified, purified, holy. Every Ego—the combination of the sixth and seventh principles—which, after the period of unconscious gestation is reborn into the Deva-Chan, is of necessity as innocent and pure as a new-born babe. The fact of his being reborn at all shows the preponderance of good over evil in his old personality. And while the Karma (of evil) steps aside for the time being to follow him in his future earth-reincarnation, he brings along with him but the Karma of his good deeds, words, and thoughts into this Deva-Chan. ‘Bad’ is a relative term for us—as you were told more than once before,—and the Law of Retribution is the only law that never errs. Hence all those who have not slipped down into the mire of unredeemable sin and bestiality—go to the Deva-Chan. They will have to pay for their sins, voluntary and involuntary, later on. Meanwhile they are rewarded; receive the effects of the causes produced by them.
“Of course it is a state, one, so to say, of intense selfishness during which an Ego reaps the reward of his unselfishness on earth. He is completely engrossed in the bliss of all his personal earthly affections, preferences, thoughts, and gathers in the fruit of his meritorious actions. No pain, no grief nor even the shadow of a sorrow comes to darken the bright horizon of his unalloyed happiness; for, it is a state of perpetual ‘Maya.’...Since the conscious perception of one’s personality on earth is but an evanescent dream that sense will be equally that of a dream in the Deva-Chan—only a hundredfold intensified.”
. . . . . . .
“‘Bardo’ is the period between death and rebirth—and may last from a few years to a kalpa. It is divided into three sub-periods (1) when the Ego delivered of its mortal coil enters into Kama-Loka (the abode of Elementaries); (2) when it enters into ‘Gestation State’; (3) when it is reborn in the Rupa-Loka of Deva-Chan. Sub-period (1) may last from a few minutes to a number of years—the phrase ‘a few years’ becoming puzzling and utterly worthless without a more complete explanation; Sub-period 2nd is ‘very long’; as you say, longer sometimes than you may even imagine, yet proportionate to the Ego’s spiritual stamina; Sub-period 3rd lasts in proportion to the good Karma, after which the monad is again reincarnated.”
. . . . . . .
...”Every effect must be proportionate to the cause. And, as man’s terms of incarnate existence bear but a small proportion to his periods of inter-natal existence in the manvantaric cycle, so the good thoughts, words, and deeds of any one of these ‘lives’ on a globe are causative of effects, the working out of which requires far more time than the evolution of the causes occupied.”—From Mahatma Letters to A. P. Sinnett, pp. 100, 105-106. (back)
(246) Devachan. A state intermediate between two earth lives into which the Ego enters after its separation from its lower aspects or sheaths. (back)
(247) The seven Paths upon one of which all must pass:—
Path 1. The Path of Earth Service.
Path 2. The Path of Magnetic Work.
Path 3. The Path of the Planetary Logoi.
Path 4. The Path to Sirius.
Path 5. The Ray Path.
Path 6. The Path of the Solar Logos.
Path 7. The Path of Absolute Sonship.of consciousness. (back)
(250) Discipleship or Chelaship. ...The ancient mysteries were but a school of spiritual training and perfection in true wisdom; that the preliminary qualification was the purification of the heart from all sensual passions and false preconceptions; that, while the hand of the Master might lead the neophyte through the dangers of the stage where, like the infant, he could not walk alone he was obliged, in the higher paths, to learn to guide and guard himself, as the adult man has to do in ordinary life; that the ultimate goal was the expansion of the self into infinite existence and potentialities; and, lastly, that, however the initial forms and ceremonies may have differed in appearance, an identical aim was in view.—The Theosophist, Vol. IX, p. 246.
The pure heart and clean mind alone permit one to attain salvation. This was his doctrine. So, likewise, is it taught in the Aryan Mahabharata (Sec. CXCIX. Vana Parva) which says: “Those high souled persons that do not commit sins in word, deed, heart and soul, are said to undergo ascetic austerities, and not that they suffer their bodies to be wasted by fasts and penances. He that hath no feeling of kindness for relatives cannot be free from sin, even if his body be pure. That hard-heartedness of his is the enemy of his asceticism. Asceticism, again, is not mere abstinence from the pleasur
es of the world. He that is always pure and decked with virtues, he that practices kindness all his life, is a Muni, even though he lead a domestic life.”—The Theosophist, Vol. XIII, p. 259. (back)
(252) The Mayavirupa is literally the illusory form; it is the body of temporary manifestation which the Adept creates on occasion through the power of the will and in which He functions in order to make certain contacts on the physical plane and to engage in certain work for the race. (back)
(253) The joint activity of solar and lunar Pitris.—S. D., II, 258.
1. “The spark hangs from the flame by the finest thread of Fohat.
a. The three-tongued flame that never dies . . . . Triad.
b. The four wicks . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Quaternary.
c. The thread of Fohat . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Thread of Life.
2. It journeys through the seven worlds of maya.
Macrocosmically . . . . . . . . the seven planetary schemes.
Planetary . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . the seven chains of a scheme.
Microcosmically . . . . . . . . . the seven globes of a chain.
Note and meditate upon:—
“...the divine Septenary hanging from the triad, thus forming the Decad and its permutations. Seven, five and three.”
3. It stops in the first, and is a metal and a stone; it passes into the second and behold—a plant; the plant whirls through seven forms and becomes a sacred animal.”
Compare S. D., I, 266.
Note the kabalistic aphorism:—”A stone becomes a plant; a plant, a beast; a beast, a man; a man, a spirit; and the spirit, God.—S. D., I, 267.
4. From the combined attributes of these, Manu, the Thinker, is formed.—See S. D., II, 179, 187.
5. Who forms him? The seven lives and the One Life.—See S. D., II. 268.
The seven groups of lives who form the three lower bodies. The lunar Pitris or fathers of the material forms.
6. Who completes him? The fivefold Lha.
Who unites the higher Spiritual Triad and the lower self?
a. The fivefold Gods of the intelligence.
b. The fifth principle of mind.
7. Who perfects the last body? Fish, sin, and soma.
a. Fish, sin and soma collectively compose the three symbols of the immortal being.
b. Fish—symbol of the buddhic principle, the manifested life on earth. Note the avatara of Vishnu. The sign of Pisces, the fish. Jesus the fisher of men.
c. Sin—The fall of man, involution of Spirit.
d. Soma—Moon. The work of lunar Pitris, providing bodies. Read stanza VII, 6, S. D., I, 285. (back)
(255) The Ego is described thus in the Secret Doctrine: Each is a pillar of Light. Having chosen its vehicle, it expanded, surrounding with an akashic aura the human animal, with the Divine Principle settled within the human form.”—S. D., III, 494.
They are the Fire Dhyanis, and emanate from the Heart of the Sun.”—S. D., II, 96.
Read the words of the Commentary on S. D., II, 96.
They are the Sons of Fire and fashion inner man.—S. D., II, 114. (back)
(256) The solar Angels (Sons of Wisdom) are entities seeking fuller consciousness.—S. D., II, 176, 177; II, 643.
a. They had intellect through previous contact with matter.
b. They were incarnated under the law of Karma.—S. D., III, 517.
c. They had to become all wise.
Read carefully S. D., II, 243 note.
d. These solar Angels are high intelligences.—S. D., II, 259.
e. They are Nirmanakayas.—S. D., II, 266.
f. They are the celestial yogis.—S. D., II, 257. (back)
(257) “Nirmanakaya” is a name made up of two words which signify “having no body,” and has no reference whatever to moral qualities. It is a state of consciousness. The great Teachers of Nirvanic spheres are called by this name. (back)
(259) Each human being is an incarnation of God.—S. D., III, 449. Compare:—S. D., II, 541; S. D., III, 475, and the Biblical words: “I have said, Ye are Gods.” “Know ye not that ye are the Temple of the Holy Spirit?”
No Being can become a God without passing through the human cycles.—S. D., II, 336.
Man therefore is like God in that he represents the pairs of opposites, good and evil, light and darkness, male and female, etc. He is a duality.
He represents also God in that He is a triplicity, being three in one, and one in three.—See S. D., II, 553.
By man the divine Monad is meant.—S. D., II, 196. (back)
(263) The Number 10.—See S. D., I, 125, 126.
1. The three, enclosed within the circle are the sacred Four.
a. Adi-Sanat, the Number, Unity. The Logos, or the One in physical incarnation. God and man function as unities on their respective physical planes.
b. The Voice of the Word, the Numbers, for He is one and nine. The second aspect. The embodied Idea. Consciousness.
c. The formless Square, the matter aspect, substance and form. Limitation.
Trace these out in connection with:—
a. A solar Logos informing a solar system.
b. A planetary Logos, informing a planetary scheme.
c. Man, informing his bodies of manifestation.
2. The ten are the arupa universe.
The emphasis here is laid upon the subjective Lives, or the Intelligent Consciousness within the forms.
These ten might be called:—
I. The first Logos . . . . Shiva . . . . Father . . . . Will.
II. The second Logos . . . . Vishnu . . . . Son . . . . Love-wisdom.
III. The third Logos . . . . Brahma . . . . Holy Ghost . . . . Intelligence overshadowing Matter, Mother.
1. The Lord of Cosmic Will . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . First Ray.
2. The Lord of Cosmic Love . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .Second Ray.
3. The Lord of Cosmic Intelligence . . . . . . . . . . Third Ray.
4. The Lord of Cosmic Harmony . . . . . . . . . . . . Fourth Ray.
5. The Lord of Cosmic Knowledge . . . . . . . . . . .Fifth Ray.
6. The Lord of Cosmic Devotion . . . . . . . . . . . . .Sixth Ray.
7. The Lord of Cosmic Ceremonial . . . . . . . . . . .Seventh Ray.
They are the subjective consciousness, the cause of manifestation. (back)
(265) Problem of Evil.
The following quotation is from a trance writing, given through Dr. Anna Kingsford; it runs thus:
“You have demanded also the origin of evil. This is a great subject and we should have withheld it from you longer, but that it seems to us now that you are in need of it. Understand then that Evil is the result of Creation. For Creation is the result of the projection of Spirit into matter; and with this projection came the first germ of evil. We would have you know that there is no such thing as a purely spiritual evil, but evil is the result of the materialisation of Spirit. If you examine carefully all we have said to you concerning the various forms of evil, you will see that every one is the result of the limitation of the power to perceive that the whole Universe is but the Larger Self....It is, then, true that God created evil; but yet it is true that God is Spirit, and being Spirit is incapable of evil. Evil is then purely and solely the result of the materialisation of God. This is a great mystery. We can but indicate it tonight....God is perception itself. God is universal percipience. God is that which sees and that which is seen. If we could see all, hear all, touch all, and so forth, there would be no evil, for evil comes of the limitation of perception. Such limitation was necessary if God was to produce aught other than God. Aught other than God must be less than God. Without evil, therefore, God would have remained alone. All things are God according to the measure of the Spirit in them.”
That is to say, a perfected humanity will be a perfect vehicle of the divine Spirit (see the Mercaba of Ezekiel, 1st Chapter). Great is our indebtedness to the Seers who throw out for us flashes of ligh
t on the darkness and mystery of human life, where the struggling Spirit within is so often buried in the depths of this mysterious Chaos, thereby making visible the darkness, so that we are enabled to see a few steps of the Way ahead, thus encouraging us to press forward with renewed assurance that the mists and clouds will be dispelled, and we shall in due time enter the fulness of the divine Presence.—The Theosophist, Vol. XXIX, p. 50. (back)
(266) The Goal for the Pitris:
The lunar Pitris are on a level with the lower Principles.—S. D., II, 82.
a. They create our lower principles . . . S. D., II, 92.
b. They possess creative fire but not divine fire . . . S. D., II, 81, 82.
c. They evolve the human form . . . S. D., I, 203.
d. They will eventually become men . . . S. D., I, 203.
Compare S. D., II, 99.
The higher Principles are latent in the animals.—S. D., II, 266, 279
a. The solar Pitris embody the fifth principle . . . S. D., I, 241.
b. They give consciousness to man . . . S. D., I, 204.
c. They furnish the vehicle for the incarnating Monad, forming the egoic body . . . S. D., I, 237.
d. They develop the human type . . . S. D., II, 243.
Compare S. D., II, 96 (back)
(267) Unseen Planets: “Not all of the Intra-Mercurial planets, nor yet those in the orbit of Neptune, are yet discovered, although they are strongly suspected. We know that such exist and where they exist; and that there are innumerable planets “burnt out” they say,—in Obscuration we say;—planets in formation and not yet luminous, etc.”...
“When so attached the ‘tasimeter’ will afford the possibility not only to measure the heat of the remotest of visible stars, but to detect by their invisible radiations stars that are unseen and otherwise undetectable, hence planets also. The discoverer, an F. T. S., a good deal protected by M., thinks that if, at any point in a blank space of heavens—a space that appears blank even through a telescope of the highest power—the tasimeter indicates an accession of temperature and does so invariably; this will be a regular proof that the instrument is in range with the stellar body either non-luminous or so distant as to be beyond the reach of telescopic vision. His tasimeter, he says, ‘is affected by a wider range of etheric undulations than the Eye can take cognisance of.’ Science will Hear sounds from certain planets before she Sees them. This is a Prophecy.”—Mahatma Letters to A. P. Sinnett, p. 169. (back)
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