Let's start the second half of our conversation about the Rig Veda's sixth Sukta by reviewing the verse under discussion when last we met. That verse should be numbered Rv 1.6.5, rather than Rv 1.6.6. As explained last time, Max Muller threw off the numbering when he split into two lines the previous verse (Rv 1.6.4), which should have been one long sentence broken by a semi-colon. As I've also stated more than once, the Rig Veda's Suktas are neither metered poems nor hymns of praise to pagan gods. Rather, the Rig Veda is a sacred compendium of narrative teachings revealed by the Holy Spirit to selected rishis and scribes in India between 1500 and 1200 BCE. Those still-relevant wisdom-teachings parallel, in uncanny ways, the teachings of Jesus Christ in the Holy Bible and, even more so, in A Course in Miracles -- not because Jesus studied the Rig Veda while in India; but because Jesus Christ was the Holy Spirit incarnate. And, as he rightly explains in the Course, the Holy Spirit's teachings will vary in form, but never in content.
Having said all that, let me now say this: According to my research and guidance, Rv 1.6.5 should read:
The journey to the divine realm of Brahman, which varies according to intelligence, clears the veil of deception blocking awareness of the Vasu, the voice(s) of the Greater Truth of Anu conveying Self-Knowledge.
What, you may wonder, is the Greater Truth of Anu? The short answer is the Word of God. The longer answer is God's Final Judgement, which (according to Course-Jesus) is this: “You are still My holy Son, forever innocent, forever loving and forever loved, as limitless as your Creator, and completely changeless and forever pure.Therefore awaken and return to Me.I am your Father and you are My Son.” (ACIM, W-pII.10.5:1-3)
Essentially, the quote from the Course in my blogger profile is the Greater Truth of Anu. And, as I understand it, that's essentially the "song" the Vasu sing to us night and day -- a song very like the one John the Elder hears in his "revelation" of the four Living Creatures. The Vasu probably, therefore, include those four "creatures." And it is their Song of Heaven (to quote the Course) that gradually awakens us to the Truth of our Being.
FIRST, however, we have to be able to hear that ancient melody.
Now that we know where we are, let's turn to "the journey to the divine realm of Brahman." As Hinduism rightly teaches, that journey is made in "stages" represented by the four legs of Nandi, the vahana of Shiva. The bull itself represents, I'm fairly certain, the power of God's Will to end the dream, which "bears" Shiva and Vishnu. We see this when Shiva and Vishnu come together as Harihara (as shown below).
Vishnu and Shiva combined to form Harihara. Note the golden circle behind the figure, as well as the mountain on the right-hand side. The bird we see is Garuda, the giant eagle-like "vahana" belonging to Vishnu. Garuda, whose name means "song of the sacred-syllable" almost certainly represents the Living Water or Om vibration, which Vishnu transmits from the Golden Egg.
Contrary to what most Hindus believe, Nandi's legs don't symbolize the four pillars of dharma. They are the four "legs" of the Soul's circular journey around the Bhavacakra -- the Wheel of Life also known as the Prahabha Mandala -- "the radiant circle of the spiritual journey." Shiva, whose "special atonement power" or "shakti" is God's Will to end the dream, embodies that "circle-journey" in his Nataraja form.
Shiva as Nataraja, performing the Tandava ("the spreading fire") inside the Prahabha Mandala. The vanquished figure on which he "dances" is Apasmara, a dwarf-demon representing ignorance and the ego-inspired belief in opposites. The word-name "Apasmara" translates as "loss of memory" or "forgetfulness." Ergo, Shiva's dance in the dream of time restores our memories of the Truth of our Being.
Lord Vishnu's Sudarshana Chakra or Wheel of Time also symbolizes the circle-journey Shiva (as the Atonement) "makes happen." Like Shiva's Trishul, Vishnu's Sudarshana isn't a weapon. It represents the authority delegated to the Vishwapurusha (Vishnu) by the Great Purusha (Shiva). Rightly understood, Sudarshana (meaning "holy presence") represents the Soul's journey back to the Heart of God, which Vishnu guides up to a point. And that's the reason we sometimes see Shiva handing the Sudarshana Chakra to Vishnu (as in the image below).
The ascending Soul -- personified in Hinduism as Lakshmi -- makes the journey around the Wheel of Time (a spiral, according to Course-Jesus). And that is almost certainly what the popular Hindu icon of Lakshmi's feet or footprints actually signifies.
Before Lakshmi can walk, she needs to get her "spiritual legs" firmly under her. And those "spiritual legs" are the four pillars of Dharma we fortify -- through rightminded choosing and living -- on the first half of the circle-journey. In Hinduism, those four Soul-supporting pillars are identified as Satyan, Daya, Tapa, and Shaucham. Over time, as usual, Brahma has tampered with the definitions of those four terms -- to make escape from his enthrallment even more difficult. Ergo, the four pillars of Dharma are not (as commonly taught) Truthfulness, Compassion, Austerity, and Cleanliness. Their true definitions are more along these lines:
Satyam = Striving to live in accord with the Truth of our Being in thought, word, and deed
Daya = Striving to perceive all Living Beings as part of our own Self
Tapa = "Atoning" or "repenting" for our mistakes by requesting perceptual correction and forgiving ourselves and others for falling prey to Brahma's deceptions
Shaucham = Participating in the purification of the Whole Christ Self by giving and receiving ablution or lustration via the Living Water vibration
As I've said, the four pillars of Dharma are the legs supporting the Soul on its journey, rather than Nandi's legs. Yes, it's confusing, but differentiating the two sets of "legs" is important. Nandi's legs, as I said, represent the four stages of the Soul's journey around the "radiant circle of the spiritual journey." In Hinduism, those four "legs" are identified as Dharma, Artha, Kama, and Moshka, which are also the four "aspects" of Lakshmi.
In Buddhism, the four Taras, which derived from Lakshmi, represent those same "legs." In the Judeo-Christian scriptures (unbeknownst to most Jews and Christians), the same four "legs" take the form of the "Living Beings" seen by the prophets Isaiah, Ezekiel, Zechariah, and John the Elder. (They were also seen by Mohammed, who mentions them in the Qur'an.)
That almost no one seems to "get" what these Living Beings are meant to signify is the fault (as usual) of poor translation and unilluminated interpretation. Because these mysterious "beings" have fascinated me for decades, I've read a lot of speculation about what they represent, none of which hits the nail on the head. Just recently, I read that there is now a whole discipline within Biblical scholarship devoted to studying the differences between the descriptions of these "beings" or "creatures" recorded by Ezekiel and John the Elder (in the Book of Revelation). When I read this, I didn't know whether to laugh or cry, because there are no real differences (as I'm about to demonstrate).
Yes, I did indeed take the time to translate both accounts from the original Hebrew and Greek. Let's start with Ezekiel's. The 16th-century King James translation of Ezekiel 1:4-14 reads as follows:
And I looked, and, behold, a whirlwind came out of the north, a great cloud, and a fire infolding itself, and a brightness was about it, and was out of the midst thereof as the colour of amber, out of the midst of the fire. Also out of the midst thereof came the likeness of four living creatures. And this was their appearance; they had the likeness of a man. And every one had four faces, and every one had four wings. And their feet were straight feet; and the sole of their feet was like the sole of a calf's foot: and they sparkled like the colour of burnished brass. And they had the hands of a man under their wings on their four sides; and they four had their faces and their wings.
Their wings were joined one to another; they turned not when they went; they went every one straight forward. as for the likeness of their faces, they four had the face of a man, and the face of a lion, on the right side: and they four had the face of an ox on the left side; they four also had the face of an eagle. Thus were their faces; and their wings were stretched upward; two wings of every one were joined one to another, and two covered their bodies. and they went every one straight forward: whither the spirit was to go, they went; and they turned not when they went.
As for the likeness of the living creatures, their appearance was like burning coals of fire, and like the appearance of lamps: it went up and down among the living creatures; and the fire was bright , and out of the fire went forth lightning. And the living creatures ran and returned as the appearance of a flash of lightning.
How accurate is this translation? Not very. When the original Hebrew is interpreted with more figurative and historical understanding, what Ezekiel actually recorded reads closer to this:
Through spiritual vision, I beheld Ruach (God's Cosmic Breath) come from the North -- a mighty thunder-cloud of God's fiery presence -- to give and receive light in a circle. In the midst (of the circle), was a wellspring (or eye) of pure compassion (the true meaning of the mysterious Hebrew word "chashmal," which occurs nowhere else in the Bible); amidst the fire in the center was the likeness of four living forms or apparitions ("chay-mareh"). They resembled Adam (the human Soul or humankind) as one; four presences as one; four quarter-legs of the right or straight path; the bowing-down path; bowing down to the circle-journey -- the radiant circle lightening the fetters holding the Soul quarters in four parts. Four parts in quarters; quarters to be joined as spirit-sisters to circle around and around on the journey; the journey to cross over into the presence of the face resembling the face of God; four faces of Adam, alike in appearance.
The four faces of Adam faced a lion on the right-hand side (of the circle) and the four faces of the umbilical cord on the left. Four faces of a vulture they faced. The four faces in quarters divided upward; two faces to be joined, face to face; two to cover the lifeless body on the spiritual journey of man to the realm attended by Ruach; the journey to the circle; the journey in the likeness of the Living Apparitions to kindle the Fire of God in the form of lamps; to bring to life the fire of God's glory; a fire bringing forth lightning alive with God's pleasure at the return of the scattered (Souls).
Pretty different, wouldn't you say? And much clearer in terms of what those "Living Beings" are meant to represent. Especially noteworthy is that Ezekiel sees no wings or animal heads on the beings themselves. The Hebrew word translated as "wings" by the KJV team can also mean "quarters" -- and that makes much more sense contextually. Furthermore, the prophet sees them FACING a lion's head on the right, and four vulture-heads on the left -- not HAVING four heads each. And yes, I will explain what those symbols represent. First, however, let's compare John the Elder's account in Revelations 4:6-8. In the KJV Bible, those passages read:
And before the throne there was a sea of glass like unto crystal: and in the midst of the throne, and round about the throne, were four beasts full of eyes before and behind. And the first beast was like a lion, and the second beast like a calf, and the third beast had a face as a man, and the fourth beast was like a flying eagle. And the four beasts had each of them six wings about him; and they were full of eyes within: and they rest not day and night, saying, "Holy, holy, holy. Lord God Almighty, which was, is, and is to come."
Before I share my translation, let me point out that these "beings" or "apparitions" have no actual form. They're symbols of spiritual concepts, projected into the mind of the beholder by the Holy Spirit. Ergo, they appear to different prophets "according to their intelligence." So, even if Ezekiel did indeed see four heads and wings on each, while John saw one head and six wings on each, it wouldn't mean the creatures had changed in appearance. It would only mean that the two prophets needed different symbols to understand the same idea.
You get that, right?
Alrighty, then. Here's my interpretation of John's account, based on the original Greek.
Encircling the throne, four living beings filled the mind's eye in the appearance of before and after (of being sequential). The first living creature was like a lion (symbolizing God's strength); the second living creature was like a calf (symbolizing God's gift of purification); the third being possessed the presence of the whole of humankind (symbolizing the wholeness perceived through Christ's Vision); and the fourth living creature was like a flying eagle (symbolizing soaring above the illusion, eagle-eyed). And the four living beings possessed among them -- moving up and down -- six streams circling around and filling the eye within (the spiritual eye). And resting not day or night, they spoke the message, "Different from the world; like unto the Lord in holiness. Lord God Almighty. Whenever, indeed, any living creature assigns the glory of God's presence, in value and gratitude, the seat upon the throne, they will experience God's gift of life into eternity."
Once again, John mentions no wings, because ... well, instead of explaining the reason myself, let me quote the Abarim Publications' Online Greek Dictionary:
The noun πτερυξ (pterux) means wing, but a wing in Biblical times was not the same thing as a wing now. Our noun derives from the unused noun πτερον (pteron), meaning feather or plumage, and shares its Proto-Indo-European root "pet-," meaning to rush or fly, with the verb οταομαι (ptaomai), to fly about, and ultimately the familiar noun ποταμος (potamos), meaning stream or river. That means that to the ancient Greek, a wing was not the proverbial instrument of flight but rather the proverbial instrument of flow and ultimately that of protection.
So, the wings in both accounts were (as I said) the produce of mistranslation, while the visages of lions, calves, eagles, and "Adam" were meant to symbolically communicate what the apparitions represented. And those symbolic beasts do indeed represent the four "legs" of the Soul's journey -- as I'll explain by and by.
First, let's return to Ezekiel's vision, wherein we encounter the curious phrase "the four faces of the umbilical cord." To those unfamiliar with Hindu iconography, that phrase might seem pretty bizarre. But we actually see that phrase illustrated in the image below, wherein the four-headed Brahma is attached to Vishnu-Narayana by an actual umbilical cord.
As the image above accurately depicts, Brahma's four heads represent the four "faces" of human birth or existence -- hence, "the umbilical cord." Don't believe for a moment that Brahma's four heads represent the Vedas, as is suggested all over the Internet. Such ignorant presumptions are as ludicrous as those equating the four Living Creatures with the four canonical gospels, the four cardinal signs of the zodiac, or the four elements.
Rightly understood, Brahma's heads represent the four levels of ego deception binding our Souls to the Wheel of Karma -- the four ego-manufactured blindfolds we must remove to vanquish Apasmara. Those four blindfolds are 1) Manas (believing in and valuing the world the body's senses perceive), 2) Chitta (holding onto the wrong-minded past-learning in the Ego's unconscious "storehouse"), 3) Ahamkara (identifying with and seeking love, peace, and joy through the ego-authored self-concept), and 4) Buddhi (valuing worldly learning, knowledge, and judgments over spiritual wisdom and guidance).
According to the Hindu legends, Brahma originally had five heads until Shiva cut one of them off. Shiva cut off his fifth head because Brahma lusted after Sarasvati -- the Cosmic Ocean of God's pure communications (the "sea of glass like unto crystal" John the Elder sees surrounding the throne of God). Brahma -- the Great Deceiver of humankind -- tried to pollute those communications, in other words, which Shiva (protecting the Atonement) prevented.
That Ezekiel sees Brahma's four faces as "neshers" -- vultures, not eagles -- should tell us they aren't godly. Vultures are vile creatures, which (like the ego) feed on the rotting flesh of the dead.
In the Hindu pantheon, the "god" who rides a vulture is Shani, the god of karma and justice. What little I've read about Shani-dev characterizes him as a helpful force facilitating "purification through suffering" and/or "justice through punishment of past misdeeds." Both of these wrongminded "religious" concepts were devised by the Ego Mind to deceive us into erroneously (and fearfully) equating salvation with pain and suffering. What we fear, we avoid -- at all costs. And that is indeed Brahma's chief aim.
If indeed Shani-dev is a helpful force, then he might represent forgiveness, the process through which we, in a manner of speaking, "pick the flesh of the body off the bones of the spirit in vulture-like fashion."
Let's now return to Shesha, the multi-headed serpent acting as Vishnu's water-palanquin in the image I've shared several times. In the Puranas, Shesha is said to balance all the planets of the universe on his cobra-hoods, as well as to constantly sing the glories of Vishnu from all his mouths (like the Living Beings in John's vision). His name means "remainder" or "he who remains," because (according to the lore) even as the world is destroyed at the end of each (of four prophesied) kalpas, Shesha shall remain as he ever was.
In the allegorical Mahabharata epic, Shesha is the son of Kashyapa ("anointing to protect") and Kadru ("the Great Purusha's pole-star"), making the meaning of his parentage pretty obvious. The allegory says that Shesha was the first of a thousand snakes born to Kadru, the next three of which (in order) were Vasuki, Iravati, and Taksaka. Very briefly, Vasuki is the snake coiled around Shiva's neck; Iravati is the mother of Airavata, King Indra's vahana; and Taksaka was used by the Devas and Asuras to churn the Ocean of Milk (as illustrated below).
As the story unfolds, Shesha becomes disgusted by the cruel acts of his brothers, leaves his mother and kin, and lives austerely and devotedly until his flesh disappears (not unlike Jesus). At one point, he asks Brahma(n) that he be allowed to keep his mind under control while he continues his austerities. Impressed with Shesha's discipline, Brahma(n) agrees -- but asks, in return, that Shesha go "underneath" to give Bhumi stability. This Shesha does, by supporting Bhumi (the first aspect of Lakshmi, pictured below) with his cobra-hoods.
Bhumi, the first aspect of Lakshmi, is often depicted with one or more owls. In this particular image, she sits on a conch-shell representing the sacred Shankha through which Vishnu sounds the Call to Awaken and Song of Heaven. The name Bhumi doesn't just mean "earth," as commonly espoused. It's a compound of "bhu" (earth) and "mi" (existence or perception).
All of this is, of course, highly symbolic -- and, therefore, generally misunderstood. Bhumi doesn't represent the physical earth, as is generally presumed. She is the first "aspect" of Lakshmi -- the Living Being representing the first leg of the circle-journey. She's associated with "earth" because she occupies the southwest quadrant of the Wheel -- the first "leg" wherein we're still largely earth-bound in terms of perception. It is on this "leg" that we both answer the Call to Awaken and begin to adopt the spiritual beliefs, disciplines, and practices that prepare us to advance to the second quadrant of "Artha."
Dhana, the second aspect of Lakshmi, is surrounded by pots of gold representing the Treasures of Heaven or Gifts of God (not worldly wealth). We obtain those intangible treasures through our Golden Circle "offerings" or "yajnas" on the second leg of the circle-journey. The image below makes especially clear that the gold associated with Dhana is spiritual, rather than material.
Lakshmi's second "aspect" is Dhana, who the ego deceptively identifies as "the goddess of (worldly) wealth." Rightly understood, Dhana represents "Artha" -- the leg of the journey undertaken in the northwest quadrant; the quadrant governed by Vayu, the Ruach Ezekiel sees coming out of the North. Sadly, "Artha" has come to mean "the pursuit of material wealth or advantage" in present-day Hinduism. Sadder still, "the pursuit of material wealth or advantage" has become -- through ego-corrupted teachings and practices -- "one of the four traditional aims in life."
"Artha" does not mean "wealth." Most likely a compound of "arth" (aim or purpose) and "a" (of God) the word basically means "Holy Purpose." Alternatively, "Artha" could be a marriage of "ar" (to reach or reaching for) and "tha" (the circle or moon) -- in which case, it would mean "reaching for the Moon," "reaching for the circle," or reaching for the Atonement (which both the Moon and the circle represent).
Either definition works, because it's in the second quadrant of the Mandala that we begin the Golden Circle offerings by which we achieve the purity of heart that opens "the door" to the Hiranyagarbha (wherein the third "leg" of the journey takes place). And that is indeed the Holy Purpose of every embodied human Soul, as Course-Jesus explains ad infinitum.
Let me say again that pursuing worldly wealth and advantage is NOT an aim smiled upon by the gods. It is, in fact, a serious obstacle enlightenment-seekers must strive to overcome. How, then, could it be a leg on the Soul's circle-journey to enlightenment? The answer is: it can't be and it isn't, so don't be deceived into believing otherwise.
The aspect of Lakshmi representing the third leg of the journey is called Dhyana. That leg takes place in the northeast quadrant of the circle -- the quadrant housing the Golden Egg. That leg is called "Kama," a Sanskrit word that can mean either love or desire. Generally, it's associated with carnal love, but I believe its meaning is more spiritual in this instance. (I also believe that Kamadeva is no more the "god of love" than Agni is the "god of fire," but we won't "go there" just now.) The Golden Egg is, after all, the "cistern of love" wherein the Soul reclaims its memories of God and Heaven.
In the above image, Dhyana is dressed in green (as she should be) and stands in a lotus within a golden egg-shaped frame. In the image below, she is surrounded by pots of gold representing the fruits she has reaped through her alms-giving ministry. Often, she is shown surrounded by grains, which similarly represent the abundant fruits of her "good works."
The fourth aspect of Lakshmi is Gaja -- the "elephant Lakshmi" representing the quadrant of Moksha -- the final quadrant on the circle-journey. She's called "Gaja" because, having attained enlightenment, she now has the power to heal other Souls through Miracles of Grace. The Sanskrit word "gaja" has come to mean "elephant" in modern usage, but it's actually a marriage of "ga" (the sacred-syllable or guru-word, Om) and "ja" (born or produced). The fourth quadrant is, I believe, what Course-Jesus calls the Inner Altar, the Heart of God, the Real World, and the "lawn" or "(sacred) grass" just outside the gates of Heaven.
Having reached the Inner Altar or Heart of God, Gaja has joined the Great Crusade to save the world and all the parts of her own Self from the mind-imprisoning deceptions of Brahma. What exactly her role is at this point, I can't really say. She might be a Christ-realized miracle-worker doing her part for the Great Crusade in a body (like Jesus, at first), or she might be a bodiless Ascended Master helping out from above the illusion.
Please excuse the amateur graphic, but I did my best to map out how I envision the circle-journey's four quadrants at this point in time.
Now that we've met the four faces of Lakshmi, let's return to the Mahabharata story of Shesha. When the allegory says Shesha goes "underneath," it doesn't mean he goes into the underworld typically equated with hell. The illusion of earthly existence is the only hell there is. When, therefore, the story says Shesha goes "underneath" -- it means he goes beneath the illusion to Patala (to borrow a Hindu term) -- the "home" of the Soul located behind or below the world perceived through the ego-body senses; that deep-down place in the mind Course-Jesus urges us to reach in meditation. In Workbook Lesson 49: God's Voice speaks to me all through the day, he tells us how to find that deep inner-place:
Listen in deep silence.Be very still and open your mind.Go past all the raucous shrieks and sick imaginings that cover your real thoughts and obscure your eternal link with God.Sink deep into the peace that waits for you beyond the frantic, riotous thoughts and sights and sounds of this insane world.You do not live here.We are trying to reach your real home.We are trying to reach the place where you are truly welcome.We are trying to reach God. (ACIM, W-49.4:1-8)
Let's cut to the chase. If Shesha is Vishnu's water-palanquin, then Shesha also is Shiva, the transcendent aspect of Brahman Christians call "saving grace" and Course-Jesus calls "the Atonement." And that partly explains why Shiva is often depicted with a snake coiled around his neck. As stated a few paragraphs back, the snake Shiva wears is Vasuki, which means "resembling a snake." According to the legends, Vasuki helped Shiva drink the poisonous Halahala or Kalakuta -- the toxic fear-based thoughts that emerged when the gods used Taksaka to churn the Ocean of Milk.
From this, we can ascertain that Shesha, Vasuki, Iravati, and Taksaka all symbolize key atonement tools or powers. As the water-palanquin of Narayana, Shesha almost certainly represents the five faces of Sadashiva (Sadyojata, Vamadeva, Aghora, Tatpurusha, and Ishana, according to most sources), while Vasuki, the "coiled" serpent around Shiva's neck, pretty obviously represents the purifying serpent-fire called Kundalini (which means "coiled" and also "resembles a snake").
Vasuki, the naga "coiled" around Shiva's neck represents the purifying serpent-fire commonly called "Kundalini." Last night in meditation, I "saw" that the five heads of Shesha (the five faces of Shiva?) represent the upper branches of the Temple Menorah. So, Vishnu's water-palanquin is in fact the Soul's inner-instrument of awakening, which makes perfect sense.
That brings us to Taksaka, who is 1) one of the sacred serpents dwelling in Patala, 2) said to be the king of those eight serpents, 3) the power used by the gods to churn the Ocean of Milk, and 4) the "carpenter" of the gods. Taksaka built the atonement infrastructure, in other words, as opposed to Tvastr, the "artisan" who fashioned Indra's thunderbolt-throwing Vajra, Brahspati's Axe, and the Chalice of Redemption.
At the end of the day, the word-name Taksaka tells us all we need to know. A compound of "taksa" (a form of "ksan," meaning "auspicious instant") and "ka" (the Great Purusha), Taksaka literally means "the Holy Instant of the Great Purusha." So, mystery solved.
Which power Iravati is meant to represent proved a wee bit harder to nail down. She is not, for example, listed among the eight sacred Nagas, despite being born from the same symbolic parents as Shesha, Vasuki, and Taksana. A character in the Ramayana epic, Iravati is, most notably, the mother of Airavata, the vahana of King Indra. Whatever she represents should logically, therefore, be related to what Airavata represents (which the image below makes pretty clear).
In Sanskrit, "aira" means "nourishing water," while "vata" refers to the ethers of the celestial realm. Ergo, Airavata represents the nourishing water coming down from the Upper World ruled over (inertly) by King Indra. As King Indra's "special atonement power," Airavata represents the Living Water of God's Grace the Red Ray dispenses to wash away the ego-barnacles of fear, guilt, and sin clinging to its scattered sparks.
Airavata's mother would be, therefore, the source of those waters, which is what? The answer has to be the wellspring, fountain, or cistern, right? And this totally tracks with her name, which (when correctly translated), means "she who possesses the water." Iravati is, in fact, a form of Sarasvati. So, Iravati represents the wellspring aspect of the Cosmic Ocean, which is indeed "the mother" of Airavata.
Makes sense, right?
Still wondering about the Vasu, I went ahead and worked out which at-one-ment powers the Ashta-Nagas represent. Here's my quick-and-dirty results:
Anatha, who is also Shesha = the five faces of Sadashiva
Vasuki = Kundalini
Taksaka = the Holy Instant
Karotaka = the Chalice of Redemption
Shankhapala = the Call to Awaken
Padma = the Lotus Path that restores rightmindedness
Mahapadma = the Lord of the Lotus Path, who is Vishnu-Krishna (the Vishwapurusha)
Gulika = the "pit" of the Great Purusha, which is the wellspring or cistern (Iravati)
So, Iravati is there -- but under another name, possibly because Gulika is male?
Let's move on, because we still need to talk about Parvati -- Shiva's "partner," "consort," or "wife," whose vahana is a lion. This tells us straight-away that her "special atonement power" is the strength of God that restores Shiva's Vision -- the bay horse "which goes everywhere." From this we can ascertain that Parvati represents the "active" force of God's Will within the Temple, whereas Shiva (who spends most of his time meditating atop Mt. Kalash) represents the "banked" or "passive" aspects.
In her eight hands (as shown below), Parvati holds all the instruments of the Atonement, including Shiva's Trishul. Symbolically, this tells us Parvati -- the gentle strength by which the Atonement reopens our Spiritual Eye -- works throughout the Temple on behalf of the Trinity Powers in the Upper World. In Ezekiel's vision, Parvati's energy is almost certainly the "lion's head" the four Living Beings faced on the right-hand or eastern side of the circle -- the direction from which the "lightening" of dawning enlightenment travels across the circle.
In the Hindu lore, Parvati is the mother of Ganesha, the personified Om vibration. According to the legends, she made Ganesha out of ghee (clarified butter) in the form of a boy, to guard the door while she bathed. When Shiva came home, eager to see his wife, the boy refused him access. In anger, Shiva cut off his head -- much to Parvati's dismay. To make amends, Shiva replaced the boy's missing head with the head of the first animal he came across -- an elephant.
Yes, the story's a bit silly, but it tells us that Ganesha -- the Lord of the Om -- was created by Parvati to safeguard the undoing process of lustration, without Shiva's initial involvement. By lopping off the boy's human head and replacing it with an elephant's, Shiva granted Ganesha the superior powers of Airavata. He promoted him, in other words, from being an inert protector of the Living Water to being its dispenser in the lower chambers of the Temple. The subtext of the story is that Ganesha played no active role in the Atonement process until Jesus activated the whole mechanism by "opening the door" dividing the lower chambers of the Temple (the two western quadrants) from the upper chambers (the two eastern quadrants).
Let's revisit Ezekiel's vision -- because that whole bit about the lightning is incredibly important. If my translations are correct, the lightning is generated by the fire of God's "glory," brought back to life (in our minds). And that lightning "is alive" with God's joy at the return (to rightmindedness) of our scattered Souls. That lightning is, I believe, King Indra's power of revelation -- the power to wake us up instantly with a well-timed jolt of pure grace.
As I sat in meditation, envisioning the Golden Circle, I also saw (very briefly) little bursts of lightening in spider-like webs (sort of like the image below).
As I witnessed these spidery flashes, I suddenly remembered something I'd read very recently about the light reaching from the east across to the west. Just now, I googled the key words, and guess what? It comes from the Bible. More specifically, it is something Jesus said concerning the Second Coming of Christ.
In Matthew 24:26-28, for example, he says:
Wherefore if they shall say unto you, Behold, he [Christ] is in the desert; go not forth: behold, he is in the secret chambers; believe it not. For as the lightning cometh out of the east, and shineth even unto the west; so shall also the coming of the Son of man be. For wheresoever the carcase [the lifeless body] is, there will the eagles [vultures?] be gathered together.
The lightning cometh out of the east, because that is the direction guarded by King Indra. And it is Indra (in the Hindu form of the curriculum) who occupies "the throne of grace" mentioned in Hebrews 4:16.
Let us therefore come boldly unto the throne of grace, that we may obtain mercy, and find grace to help in time of need.
This tells us a few interesting things. The first is that, in the Hindu model, Indra represents the Spirit of Grace who entered the void to set up the at-one-ment infrastructure at the start of Genesis. Indra is, therefore, the one the Hebrew Bible calls Elohim and Course-Jesus refers to as "the Holy Spirit." And it is indeed the Holy Spirit who safeguards the channel through which God reveals Himself to us, as Jesus explains below:
Revelations are indirectly inspired by me because I am close to the Holy Spirit, and alert to the revelation-readiness of my brothers.I can thus bring down to them more than they can draw down to themselves.The Holy Spirit mediates higher to lower communication, keeping the direct channel from God to you open for revelation.Revelation is not reciprocal.It proceeds from God to you, but not from you to God. (ACIM, T-1.II.5:1-5)
In the citation from Matthew, notice that Jesus used the same phraseology as Ezekiel. The "carcase" or "lifeless body" is the human body, which God did not create or "give life." Like the Hebrew word "nesher," the Greek word translated as "eagles" (aetoj) can also refer to vultures. And that definition makes more sense here, given that eagles don't usually feed on carrion in groups. That said, it's also possible the eagles he speaks of are the enlightened Souls circling overhead (in a manner of speaking) in the circle's fourth quadrant of Moksha.
As I see it, the lightning symbolizes the Light of Truth reaching across the Dharmachakra from Lord Indra's Vajra in the east to light our way home. It can "zap" us in the Holy Instant and wake us up right away, or it can gently and gradually brighten as we make our way around the circle. Either way, that lightning is the symbolic thunderbolt King Indra's Vajra discharges. It might also be the proverbial "lamp" Jesus brought into the world when he opened "the door" between the circle's third and fourth quadrants.
Or, as he explains in the Course:
My brother, you are part of God and part of me. When you have at last looked at the ego’s foundation without shrinking you will also have looked upon ours. I come to you from our Father to offer you everything again. Do not refuse it in order to keep a dark cornerstone hidden, for its protection will not save you. I give you the lamp and I will go with you. You will not take this journey alone. I will lead you to your true Father, Who hath need of you, as I have. Will you not answer the call of love with joy? (ACIM, T-11.in.4:1-8)
Okay, so ... we've so far established that the four Living Beings represent the four "aspects" of Lakshmi, the ascending Soul; and those "aspects," in turn, signify the four "legs" of the Soul's circle-journey: Dharma, Artha, Kama, and Moshka. We also know, from Revelations, that those four Living Beings sent forth the "horses" seen by the prophets and also sing, day and night, the praises of Vishnu. What we have yet to determine is which Holy Powers protect those quadrants and which stand guard fore and aft -- at the cardinal directions. We also don't yet know for certain which eight powers make up the Vasu -- if indeed they are eight in number.
We're probably not going to solve those mysteries today, I'm afraid, because this post is already horrendously long -- and we haven't even gotten to the Sukta's next verse. So, let's do that now.
According to Sri Aurobindo's (posthumously published) website, the Rv 1.6.7 -- the Sukta's next line reads: indreṇa sam hi dṛkṣase sam-jagmānaḥ abibhyuṣā mandū iti samāna-varcasā. I'm pretty sure that's wrong, because we've already established that the "indrena" starting this line belongs to Rv 1.6.6. He also ends the line too soon. By my calculations, the seventh verse, which is much longer than generally presumed, includes the first seven words traditionally assigned to the eighth verse. To make sense, the line needs to read: saṃ hi dṛkṣase saṃjagmāno abibhyuṣā mandū samānavarcasā anavadyair abhidyubhir makhaḥ anavadyaiḥ abhidyu-bhiḥ makhaḥ sahasvat arcati gaṇaiḥ indrasya.According to my research and guidance, those words translate approximately as follows:
Come together to perceive Shesha, the whole world-mind speaking the Word of God to inspire the Om, the sacred song equal in radiance to Anu's Greater Light, the Red Ray of the celestial realm offering the mighty Voice of God-incarnate singing from King Indra's mouth.
My definitions:
samhi = Come together drk-sase = to perceive Shesha sam-jagmano = the whole world-mind abibhyu-sa = speaking the Word of God mand-u = to inspire or exhilarate the Om samana-varcasa = the sacred song equal in radiance to anava-dyair = Anu's Greater Light abhi-dyubhir = the Red Ray of the celestial realm makhah = offering sahas-vad = the mighty voice arcati = of God incarnate gana-ir = singing from indr-asya = King Indra's mouth
Okay, wow. Lots of solid information here, including the fact that Shesha represents the "whole world-mind speaking the Word of God." So, I'm right about Shesha being Shiva, the Great Purusha. It also affirms what I said earlier about Rudra -- the Red Ray of the celestial realm -- generating the Omthat flows into the Temple. It isn't Shiva, however, who sounds the Om we hear; it's King Indra on the seventh plane. And, if we reach all the way back to the verse about the Guha, we can ascertain that Indra's "song" -- the mighty voice of God-incarnate coming down from Rudra -- conveys the Heart-Cave thoughts or pure communications of God "in the likeness of the One full of life-giving light."
Who is "the One" of which the rishis speak? I believe it's King Indra, the Holy Spirit of Grace, who Course-Jesus refers to several times as "the One." He also uses the phrase "the One Light" a couple of times. In the passage below, he explains how that One Light wakes us up in the end:
At the altar of God [the fourth quadrant of Moksha], the holy perception of God’s Son becomes so enlightened that light streams into it, and the spirit of God’s Son shines in the Mind of the Father and becomes one with it.Very gently does God shine upon Himself, loving the extension of Himself that is His Son.The world has no purpose as it blends into the purpose of God.For the real world has slipped quietly into Heaven, where everything eternal in it has always been.There the Redeemer and the redeemed join in perfect love of God and of each other.Heaven is your home, and being in God it must also be in you. (ACIM, T-12.VI.7:2-7)
To translate this powerful Vedic teaching, I had to take a chance on several words whose dictionary definitions didn't ring true. Luckily, I found other sources explaining that "anava" was another way of denoting Anu and that "arcati" could mean God-incarnate.
Before we move on, I want to share something else related. A few years ago, I read several books by the late Michael Newton, a therapist-author who specialized in "between-lives" hypnosis. In one of those books, his subjects explained that the energy-body we "wear" in the between-lives realm changed color as our Souls moved up the levels of learning. The colors seemed to correlate with those typically assigned to the chakras, but that was just my impression. What I especially remember is one subject explaining that when the Soul's energy-body turned deep purple (the color of the Crown Chakra), they didn't return to home-base anymore. Instead, they went to "the place of the One."
I'm beginning to think the place of the One is the fourth quadrant of Moksha, which by most accounts, is protected by Agni. As the guardian of the east, King Indra guards the door into that quarter. So perhaps lightning discharged from his Vajra opens that door.
Pretty interesting, right?
Let's move on to Rv 1.6.8, which we've essentially eviserated. Borrowing seven words from that line for the previous one left a single word. That word is "kamyaih," whose meaning isn't crystal clear. My best guess is that it's a compound of "kamy" (ardent desire) and "aih" (to seek), which makes sense when combined with the first seven words from the next line. As reconfigured, Rv 1.6.8 now reads: kamyaih atah parijman a gahi divo va rocanad adhisam asminn rinjate. Those words very aptly translate as follows:
Ardently seek, therefore, the circle-journey of God's Holy Name, the divine Om bestowing the eternal light of the Supreme Lord in this realm of indebted existence.
My definitions:
kamy-aih = ardently seek atah = therefore parijman = the circle-journey a = of God's gahi = holy or family name divo = the divine Om va =bestowing roc-anad = the eternal light of adhisam = the Supreme Lord asminn = in this realm rinjate = of indebted existence
With seven of its eight words commandeered by the previous line, the Sukta's ninth line must, in turn, subsume the whole of the tenth. This shortens the Sukta to nine lines, the last of which reads: girah ito vā sātim īmahe divo vā pārthivād adhi indram maho vā rajasaḥ. According to my guidance and research, those sacred words translate thusly:
The voices singing in this world bestow the wakefulness of mind of the Holy All, the divine Om bestowing on earth the dawning light of King Indra, the Mighty One bestowing the (inner) radiant glory of the Self.
My definitions:
girah = the voices singing ito = in this world va = bestow satim = the wakefulness of mind imah-e = of the Holy All divo = the divine Om va = bestowing parthivad = on earth adhi = the dawning light indram = of King Indra maho = the Mighty One va = bestowing ra-jasah = the radiant inner glory of the Self
This confirms that King Indra is indeed the One. Rather than comment further (because I've already said so much), I'll conclude our discussion of Rv 1.6 with a general quote from the Course pertaining to salvation:
Salvation is undoing in the sense that it does nothing, failing to support the world of dreams and malice. Thus it lets illusions go.By not supporting them, it merely lets them quietly go down to dust.And what they hid is now revealed; an altar to the holy Name of God whereon His Word is written, with the gifts of your forgiveness laid before it, and the memory of God not far behind.(ACIM, W-pII.2.3:1-4)
Namaste and welcome, my truth-seeking brother. We have come at last to the final ten lines of this rather epic Rig Veda Sukta. Before we get started, let me state again that I in no way claim expertise in Sanskrit, Vedic studies, or Hindu theology. I am, in fact, ignoring many of the foundational rules and teachings of those three disciplines. Why? For two reasons, primarily. The first is that scholarship, like organized religion, is governed by the Ego Mind, whose interpretations of Spiritual Truth are ALWAYS wrong. And my second is that the so-called "rules" were invented by the practitioners of these same disciplines to support their wrong-minded distortions of these Great and Holy Truths.
I mean no offense, but I must speak as I find.
And on that note, let us get to it. The next verse to be debunked is Rv 8.7.26, which reads: uśanā yat parāvata ukṣṇo randhram ayātana dyaur na cakradad bhiyā.
Wilson's translation:
Glorified, (Maruts), by Usanas, when you approach from afar to the opening of the rainy (firmament), then (the dwellers on earth), like those in heaven, are clamorous through fear.
My translation:
Joyfully endeavor to drink in the singing consecrating the passageway to the resting place of the shining sacred syllable streaming forth from the circle of giving as equals.
My worksheet:
usana (Joyfully) yat (endeavor to) pa-ravata (drink in the singing) uksno (consecrating through scattering or anointing) randhram (the passageway to) ayatana (the residence or resting place) dy-auh (of the shining sacred syllable) na (streaming forth from) cakra-dat or cakra-dad (the circle of giving) bh(a)iya (as fellows, equals, or brothers).
My notes:
Inexplicably, Wilson translates uksno as the name Usanas, a king of Puranic legend fathered by "Tamas" -- the personified "guna" or "mode of living" in the darkness of spiritual denial. The word "uksno" actually means "consecrating through sprinkling (as in anointing)" or "purifying through lustration." Wilson also translates dyauh as "heaven," which is, in fact, the standard definition. The word actually (supposedly) refers to the Upper World, rather than to Heaven proper. Dissatisfied with those definitions, I tried dividing the word as "dy" (shining) and "auh" (sacred syllable), which yielded a better result.
The next tricky word was cakradad or cakradat, which Sanskrit scholars define as "did" or "to roar or shout." Neither definition rings true, given that "cakra" means "wheel," "ring," or "circle," while "da" or "dat" means "giving" (or "tooth," allegedly). Circle of Giving felt right, but not if "bhiya" means "fear" or "alarm," as is generally presumed. If, however, we add an "a" to the mix (bhaiya instead of bhiya), we get the Sanskrit word for "brother" or "fellow," which works exceedingly well.
The "Circle of Giving as Brothers" is, of course, the Circle of Atonement discussed in the following (lengthy) passage from the Course:
The only part of your mind that has reality is the part that links you still with God.Would you have all of it transformed into a radiant message of God’s Love, to share with all the lonely ones who have denied Him?God makes this possible.Would you deny His yearning to be known?You yearn for Him, as He for you.This is forever changeless.Accept, then, the immutable.Leave the world of death behind, and return quietly to Heaven.There is nothing of value here, and everything of value there.Listen to the Holy Spirit, and to God through Him.He speaks of you to you.There is no guilt in you, for God is blessed in His Son as the Son is blessed in Him.
Everyone has a special part to play in the Atonement, but the message given to each one is always the same; God’s Son is guiltless.Each one teaches the message differently, and learns it differently.Yet until he teaches it and learns it, he will suffer the pain of dim awareness that his true function remains unfulfilled in him.The burden of guilt is heavy, but God would not have you bound by it.His plan for your awaking is as perfect as yours is fallible.You know not what you do, but He Who knows is with you.His gentleness is yours, and all the love you share with God He holds in trust for you.He would teach you nothing except how to be happy.
Blessed Son of a wholly blessing Father, joy was created for you.Who can condemn whom God has blessed?There is nothing in the Mind of God that does not share His shining innocence.Creation is the natural extension of perfect purity.Your only calling here is to devote yourself, with active willingness, to the denial of guilt in all its forms.To accuse is not to understand.The happy learners of the Atonement become the teachers of the innocence that is the right of all that God created.Deny them not what is their due, for you will not withhold it from them alone.
The inheritance of the Kingdom is the right of God’s Son, given him in his creation.Do not try to steal it from him, or you will ask for guilt and will experience it.Protect his purity from every thought that would steal it away and keep it from his sight.Bring innocence to light, in answer to the call of the Atonement.Never allow purity to remain hidden, but shine away the heavy veils of guilt within which the Son of God has hidden himself from his own sight.
We are all joined in the Atonement here, and nothing else can unite us in this world.So will the world of separation slip away, and full communication be restored between the Father and the Son.The miracle acknowledges the guiltlessness that must have been denied to produce the need of healing.Do not withhold this glad acknowledgment, for hope of happiness and release from suffering of every kind lie in it.Who is there but wishes to be free of pain?He may not yet have learned how to exchange guilt for innocence, nor realize that only in this exchange can freedom from pain be his.Yet those who have failed to learn need teaching, not attack.To attack those who have need of teaching is to fail to learn from them.
Teachers of innocence, each in his own way, have joined together, taking their part in the unified curriculum of the Atonement.There is no unity of learning goals apart from this.There is no conflict in this curriculum, which has one aim however it is taught.Each effort made on its behalf is offered for the single purpose of release from guilt, to the eternal glory of God and His creation.And every teaching that points to this points straight to Heaven, and the peace of God.There is no pain, no trial, no fear that teaching this can fail to overcome.The power of God Himself supports this teaching, and guarantees its limitless results.
Join your own efforts to the power that cannot fail and must result in peace.No one can be untouched by teaching such as this.You will not see yourself beyond the power of God if you teach only this.You will not be exempt from the effects of this most holy lesson, which seeks but to restore what is the right of God’s creation.From everyone whom you accord release from guilt you will inevitably learn your innocence.The circle of Atonement has no end.And you will find ever-increasing confidence in your safe inclusion in the circle with everyone you bring within its safety and its perfect peace.
Peace, then, be unto everyone who becomes a teacher of peace.For peace is the acknowledgment of perfect purity, from which no one is excluded.Within its holy circle is everyone whom God created as His Son.Joy is its unifying attribute, with no one left outside to suffer guilt alone.The power of God draws everyone to its safe embrace of love and union.Stand quietly within this circle, and attract all tortured minds to join with you in the safety of its peace and holiness.Abide with me within it, as a teacher of Atonement, not of guilt.
Blessed are you who teach with me.Our power comes not of us, but of our Father.In guiltlessness we know Him, as He knows us guiltless.I stand within the circle, calling you to peace.Teach peace with me, and stand with me on holy ground.Remember for everyone your Father’s power that He has given him.Believe not that you cannot teach His perfect peace.Stand not outside, but join with me within.Fail not the only purpose to which my teaching calls you.Restore to God His Son as He created him, by teaching him his innocence.
The crucifixion had no part in the Atonement.Only the resurrection became my part in it.That is the symbol of the release from guilt by guiltlessness.Whom you perceive as guilty you would crucify.Yet you restore guiltlessness to whomever you see as guiltless.Crucifixion is always the ego’s aim.It sees everyone as guilty, and by its condemnation it would kill.The Holy Spirit sees only guiltlessness, and in His gentleness He would release from fear and re-establish the reign of love.The power of love is in His gentleness, which is of God and therefore cannot crucify nor suffer crucifixion.The temple you restore becomes your altar, for it was rebuilt through you.And everything you give to God is yours.Thus He creates, and thus must you restore.
Each one you see you place within the holy circle of Atonement or leave outside, judging him fit for crucifixion or for redemption.If you bring him into the circle of purity, you will rest there with him.If you leave him without, you join him there.Judge not except in quietness which is not of you.Refuse to accept anyone as without the blessing of Atonement, and bring him into it by blessing him.Holiness must be shared, for therein lies everything that makes it holy.Come gladly to the holy circle, and look out in peace on all who think they are outside.Cast no one out, for here is what he seeks along with you.Come, let us join him in the holy place of peace which is for all of us, united as one within the Cause of peace.
Yes, the citation was long -- but also vital, because it affirms everything I've explained so far about the process by which we are saved, one and all. It also reflects, to a remarkable degree, what this sacred Sukta actually teaches. Read on, and you'll see what I mean.
We're approaching the home-stretch, so let's proceed apace to Rv 8.7.27, which reportedly reads: ā nah makhasya dāvane 'śvair hiraṇyapāṇibhiḥ devāsa upa gantana.
Wilson's translation:
Come, gods, to (show your) liberality at our sacrifice with your golden-footed steeds.
My translation:
God's Wholeness, offered joyfully to extend the holiness of one's own Self, brings forth the imperishable, fear-negating water of the Holy Spirit in a manner akin to the beginning without an end.
My definitions worksheet:
a nah (God's oneness, sameness, or wholeness) makhasya (offered joyfully) davane (to extend the holiness of) 'sva-ir (one's own Self brings forth) hirany-apa-ni-bhih (the imperishable, fear-negating water or Living Water) devasa (of the Holy Spirit) upa (in a manner akin to) gantana (the beginning without an end).
My notes:
The other day, while meditating, I had a flash of clarity pertaining to what this verse seeks to communicate: The Wholeness referenced herein IS the Water Ray, the Om vibration, AND the Holy Spirit of the Christ Self, calling us to return to "at-one-ment" with the All in All that is God. But first, we must return (perceptually) to "at-one-ment" with the All in All that is the Christ, Purusha, or Isah pervading the dream-universe. And that is why Jesus famously declares, "No one can come to the Father except through me." He doesn't mean we can't return to God unless we believe in the "Jesus" of Christian construction; he means we can't return to the Pure Non-Dualism of God-Realization until we first experience our unity, fellowship, or brotherhood with "every aspect of Creation" on the physical plane.
We'll talk more about this another time, because it definitely warrants further discussion. For now, though, let's return to the task at hand -- revealing what the Rig Veda actually communicates to sincere truth-seekers. Let's start with the biggest "mystery-word" in this verse: hiranyapanibhih, which is generally (almost universally) translated as "golden-footed antelopes or gazelles." And, if that translation indeed has merit, those golden-hooved gazelles represent the Great Rays, Vajra, or "thunderbolts" of Indra drawing Soma's fear-eradicating chariot through the moonlit sky of our dreaming minds.
I do not, however, believe "golden-footed antelopes" is the best definition of hiranyapanibhih. The word can, as it happens, be broken down in at least two other ways. It might, for example, be divided as hiran (golden) yapa (japa or mantra) nibhih (Nibhih, an alternative spelling of Nidhi -- as in Sri Nidhi Ganapathi, as well as the "N" aspect of Anu). Alternatively, hiranyapanibhih can be divided as hirany (imperishable or precious) apa (water) ni (negating) bhih (fear). I used the third configuration in my translation, but -- interestingly -- all three deconstructions essentially convey the same idea in different symbolic forms.
Before I say more on this subject, let me say this: In my truth-seeking endeavors, I've come across several bloggers claiming that Sanskrit is "the language of God." But, as Course-Jesus more right-mindedly proffers, God has no language because words and names support and encourage separation-mindedness, not at-one-ment. In eternity, Jesus further explains, where everything is ONE, there's no need for words or names. In the dream, God "speaks" to us vibrationally, through the ego-eradicating Holy Spirit, Water Ray, or Om/Aum. The Holy Spirit also reveals scriptural truths to selected scribes and prophets in various ways at various times, according to God's Great Awakening Plan. But those revelations aren't necessarily understood by the general population at the time they manifest. In point of fact, they almost never are.
And the Rig Veda is no exception. Was it ever understood on the earthly plane? Were, for that matter, the Course, the Qur'an, or the visions of Enoch, Ezekiel, Zechariah, and other Biblical prophets? Maybe and maybe not. All I can say with any certainty is that most of these teachings are NOT understood now -- especially by the many charlatans pretending otherwise all over the world.
Now, as stated several times already, I'm no (world-defined) "expert" on Sanskrit, the Vedas, or Hinduism. I might, in fact, be completely full of crap; and the Rig Veda might well be a collection of nonsensical and irrelevant poems or hymns revealing little more than the religious practices and beliefs of the pagan forefathers of modern Hinduism.
I do NOT, however, think that's the case. Rather, I believe the Rig Veda contains sacred teachings gifted to humanity by the Holy Spirit in the spiral of time. And, like all divinely revealed wisdom-teachings, the Rig Veda embodies that Holy Spirit, eager as ever to share his Water of Truth with all who come to the well, sincerely thirsting for spiritual guidance.
Or, as Jesus says along these same lines:
How much do you want salvation?It will give you the real world, trembling with readiness to be given you.The eagerness of the Holy Spirit to give you this is so intense He would not wait, although He waits in patience. Meet His patience with your impatience at delay in meeting Him.Go out in gladness to meet with your Redeemer, and walk with Him in trust out of this world, and into the real world of beauty and forgiveness. (ACIM, T-17.II.8:1-5)
Having said all that, let me now say this yet again: Scholarship is an occupation of the Ego Mind's analytical intellect. Scholars don't come to the well, thirsting for guidance or redemption. They don't even know there is a well. And they don't want to know, either, because the vast majority of academics look down their noses at metaphysical ideas and those who put stock in them. And, to be fair, smirking at spirituality is an Ego Mind modus operendi whose tentacles reach far beyond the ivory tower.
But that's not the point I'm trying to make. What I'm trying to say is that the Holy Spirit inhabiting the Rig Veda won't share his water with anyone who thinks he's too smart for God -- or sneers at His right-guiding teachings, whatever form they may take. Of this, I have no doubt. What I'm less certain about is 1) why he failed to share his water with Sri Aurobindo and other swamis attempting to translate the Rig Veda and 2) why he is sharing that water with and through me, of all people.
I have my suspicions, of course, which I will keep to myself for the time being.
In the sense described, and in this sense only, Sanskrit is a "fluid" or "living" language that rewrites itself evolutionarily. That the same word can mean very different things, depending on the words fore and aft, seems preposterous. In nuanced ways, maybe; BUT, as a long-time wordsmith and "underground grammarian," I have to question how any language can be that elastic and still communicate effectively. More likely, all the different and often conflicting definitions assigned to this or that word merely catalogue the guesswork errors of clueless translators, from both the sacred and secular spheres, down the ages.
I might, of course, be wrong about this, but Higher Reason tells me otherwise.
Let's return to hiranyapanibhih, because we need to explore the word's second possible definition as "the Golden Mantra of Nidhi." We already sort-of know what Nidhi is, but what might this "Golden Mantra" be?
A quick internet search reveals that several so-called "Golden Mantras" are associated with Sri Nidhi Ganapathi and/or Lord Ganesh. Unfortunately, most of these are being touted on YouTube, among other social-media platforms, as talismans for improving health, wealth, success, and luck on the WORLDLY plane -- so beware of any such snake-oil nostrums and anyone peddling them as spiritually beneficial.
As Bible-Jesus more wisely and truthfully counsels in Matthew 6:33: "Seek ye first the Kingdom of God, and his righteousness [right-mindedness], and all these things shall be added unto you."
Might the Golden Mantra cited herein be the Gayathri Mantra allegedly spelled out in Rv 3.62.10? As explained earlier, ga-yathri translates as "the sacred-syllable" or "guru-word" (ga) "journey" or "pilgrimage" (yathri). And, as I've said, Lord Ganesh personifies that "sacred syllable" or "guru word" -- the Nidhi, Nada, or "N" in the three-part Holy Name, Anu. So, the idea shows promise.
The Gayathri Mantra has been translated and interpreted many different ways by numerous scholars and sages over time, including our old friends Wilson, Griffith, and Sri Aurobindo. The question is: Are any of these interpretations even remotely accurate? Let's see, shall we? In transliterated Sanskrit, the mantra (again, allegedly) reads (sans bogus ego-imposed metric line-breaks): Oṃ bhūr bhuvaḥ svaḥ tat savitur vareṇyaṃ bhargo devasya dhīmahi dhiyo yo naḥ pracodayāt
According to the author of the Wikipedia article about the mantra, those words translate thusly:
Om (the sacred syllable) bhur (the earth) bhuvah (the atmosphere) svah (Heaven) tat (that) Savituh (Savitr, a supposed sun god), varenyam (best amongst) devasya (of the devas) dhimahi (may we meditate) dhiyah (the Buddhi or intellect) yah (he who) nah (our) pracodayat (shall lead).
All of that boils down to this (by his or her calculations, not mine):
May we meditate upon that splendour of Savitṛ, best amongst the gods, he who shall lead our intellect.
I've already spotted a few problems with this translation, and the whole train's about to jump the track -- because Rv 3.62.10 is NOT, in fact, formatted as a prayer. Like the rest of the Rig Veda Samhita, it's a narrative teaching reading: Tat savituḥ vareṇyam bhargaḥ devasya dhīmahi dhiyaḥ yaḥ naḥ pra-codayāt.
So, the whole prayer-framing prelude (om bhur bhuvah svah) was tacked on somewhere along the line by nobody knows who. And that bothers me for several reasons I won't go into at present. What I will say, rather audaciously, is this: There is no Gayathri Mantra in the Rig Veda and, consequently, it can't be "the Golden Mantra of Nidhi" referenced in Rv 8.7.26.
To prove my point, let's explore what Rv 3.62.10 actually says. And yes, I'm aware that I will be pissing off a whole lot of people who hold these fallacies sacred. But, as Jesus tells his disciples in John 15:18 and Matthew 10:22, the world will hate and attack his teachers, just as it hated and attacked him. But, in the end, the truth will win out and set us all free.
Along the way, we'll be called upon to butcher a lot of sacred cows, so let's grab our question-everything cleavers and hack away. Because Rv 3.62.10 -- the supposed holy-of-holies Gayathri Mantra -- actually translates as follows:
The Lesser Light, possessing all the qualities and power of the Greater Light, gifts to the twin rays of the Holy One the inspired thoughts of Mahi, the higher reason whose ascertainment intensifies the drive to return (to God).
tat (The Lesser Light) savi-tuḥ (possessing all the qualities and power of the Greater Light) vareṇ-yam (gifts to the twin) bhargaḥ (rays) devasya (of the Holy One) dhīmahi (the inspired thoughts of Mahi) dhiyaḥ (higher reason) yaḥ (whose) naḥ (oneness) pra-coda-yāt (advances the drive to return).
And now you know the unvarnished TRUTH.
There are a couple of other possibilities in terms of the Golden Mantra, one of which comes to us through the Ascended Master Teachings. While the spirit of the mantra seems correct, I don't completely trust the source, so I won't share it herein just yet (if ever). The most obvious "Golden Mantra" is, of course, the sacred-syllable itself -- Om/Aum. And that is indeed the japa-mantra Patanjali, Yogananda, and many other bone-fide gurus recommend -- and indeed the one that reopened my inner ears to the ever-present echo of God's Wholeness somewhere around 2019.
Let's advance to Rv 8.7.28, which reads: yat eṣām pṛṣatīḥ rathe praṣṭiḥ vahati rohitaḥ yānti śubhrāḥ riṇan apaḥ.
Wilson's eye-roll-inducing translation:
When the spotted antelope or the swift tawny deer conveys them in their chariot, then the brilliant (Maruts) depart, and the rains have gone.
My translation:
Join together in the Spirit beyond the body sounding the godless companion, to support the Red Ray's return pilgrimage to the Holy Circle of Rinan's Living Water.
My worksheet:
Yat (Join together in) esam (the spirit) prs-atih (beyond the body) r-athe (sounding the godless) prastih (companion) vahati (to support) roh-itah (the red ray's return) yanti (pilgrimage to) su-bhrah (the Holy Circle) rinan (Rinan, another epithet for Lord Ganesh's) apah (Living Water or Grace)
My notes:
First of all, what this verse conveys is spot-on with everything I've just explained, as well as with what the Course imparts. Secondly, Rinan (as indicated) is yet-another epithet for Lord Ganesh, the personified Om/Aum vibration that IS the Water Ray -- not "rain," as Wilson and most Sanskrit dictionaries tell us. So, the Holy Circle of Rinan is, in fact, the Circle of Nada or Om. Thirdly, apah doesn't mean ordinary water in Vedic Sanskrit. Apah is a marriage of "ap" (water) and "ah" (singing together). So, apah refers to the Song of Heaven our Souls sing together in the Golden Circle of Atonement to awaken each other from the dream. And that circle and song, the rishis tell us, belong to Rinan, who is Ganesh -- the personified Om vibration. Thus, this verse affirms that the aforementioned "Golden Mantra of Nidhi" is indeed "Om" or "Aum."
In the Hindu pantheon, Lord Ganesh (a.k.a. Rinan and/or Nidhi) represents the Om vibration, the miraculous remover of the obstacles preventing our awakening. The elephant-headed offspring of Shiva (the redeemer) and Parvati (the sincere disciple) personifies the vibratory Holy Spirit of the Wholeness of the Christ Self, Purusha, or Isah.
Before we plow on, let me also point out that the word rathe, which Wilson and others translate as "chariot," is a compound of "r" (to sound or sounding) and "athe," as in "godless" or "athe-ist." The Sanskrit word for "chariot" or, more accurately, "temple cart" is ratha, rather than rathe. My hard-won definition of rathe as "sounding the godless" achieves the trifecta of 1) working in the sentence, 2) making perfect sense, and 3) echoing what Course-Jesus says about the physical body being home to the Ego Mind, rather than the Soul.
Let's proceed to Rv 8.7.29, which reads: su-some śaryaṇā-vati ārjīke pastya-vati yayuḥ ni-cakrayā naraḥ.
Wilson's translation:
The leaders of rites have proceeded with downward chariot-wheels to the Ṛjīka (Ārjīka) country, where lies the Śaryaṇāvat, abounding in dwellings, and where Soma is plentiful.
My translation:
To bring forth the Holy Om, together generate the pure Oneness protecting the Voice of Truth speaking reason inside the circle uniting the offspring of Nara.
My definitions worksheet:
Sus-om-e (to bring forth the Holy Om) sar-yanavati (together generate) arj-ike (the pure Oneness) pa-s(a)tyavati-vay-uh (protecting the voice of truth speaking reason) ni-cakra-ya (inside the circle uniting) narah (the offspring of Nara, the Supreme Spirit, Purusha, Christ Self, or Isah).
My notes:
As usual, Wilson gets this so wrong, it isn't even funny. Kind of tragic, actually. Sus-om-e isn't Soma; as indicated above, it's a compound of sus (to bring forth), om (the sacred syllable), and e (devi or Holy One). And this tracks with the previous few verses. Yanavati, which Wilson translates as "chariot-wheels," is generally defined as "vehicle" or "carriage," but the word actually refers to all the parts of Creation perceiving themselves in separate bodies in the dream. People, animals, fishes, plants, and insects alike.
The word in question is not, however, yanavati; it's sar-yanavati, which more accurately works out as "together generate." And what we generate together is arj-ike -- a light-filled word Wilson rather bizarrely twists into a country called Rjika. The word actually marries arj (white or pure) and ik-e (Holy Ik, more or less). What is Ik? A loaded sacred symbol often used in Sikh mantras to denote the "one and only one, who cannot be compared or contrasted with any other" and/or the "unmanifest, Lord in power, the Holy Word, the primal manifestation of the Godhead by which and in which all live, move and have their being and by which all find a way back to Absolute God, the Supreme Reality."
So, the rishis are basically saying here that, to bring forth the Om, we must together generate the pure oneness protecting the Voice of Truth and Reason, which speaks to us within the Golden Circle. And that's exactly what the Course also communicates.
Sarasvati, the personified Voice of Higher Reason
Right-mindedly interpreted, ik is an alternate spelling for ek, as in "ek ong kar sat nam siri wahe guru" -- a popular Sikh mantra which roughly translates as: "The Creator and the Creation are one. All is a blessing of the One Creator. This realization comes through Guru's Grace."
And that pretty well sums up the message of this verse.
If you're unfamiliar with this particular mantra, I've posted a video below of Snatam Kaur's beautiful and melodic version, which I listen to quite often.
This brings us to the word narah, which is typically defined as either "waters" or "human beings" -- so go figure. A little digging revealed that narah actually describes "the offspring of Nara" -- the Supreme Being from which all earthly creatures sprang, still abide within, and will become again at the end of time. So, Nara is Isah, the Red Ray, Light and Life of God, and/or "Lifeblood of Christ" in everything the True Father of Creation thought into being. That Narayana, the partner of Nara, is an epithet for Lord Vishnu makes sense, if and when we come to understand that Vishnu represents the "vehicle" in which all Souls travel together (as the oneness-restoring Vishvedevas) through the dream of time.
Narayana = Lord Vishnu = the body, mind, or spirit enveloping the dream-bound fragments of the Christ Self.
We're almost home, so let's push onward to Rv 8.7.30, which reads: kadā gacchātha marutaḥ itthā vipram havamānam mārḍīk-ebhiḥ nādhamānam.
Wilson's translation:
When, Maruts, will you go with joy-bestowing riches to the sage thus adoring you, and soliciting (you for wealth)?
My translation:
The water-giving sacred syllable (Om), the pure communications of the Holy Spirit of the Red Ray of Creation, in this manner inspires the inner-light to call forth the Higher Reason strengthening Rudra's Nadham.
My definitions worksheet:
kada (The water-giving) ga-ccha-tha (sacred syllable, the pure communications of the Moon, Soma, or Holy Spirit of) ma-rutah (the Red Ray of Creation) ittha (thusly or in this manner) vip-ram (inspires the inner-light) hava-manam (to call forth or summon the Higher Reason) mardik-ebhih (strengthening Rudra's or the Mighty One's) nadham (Nadham = breath of the Cosmic Self or mystical sound)
My notes:
Here, we encounter the mysterious word gacchatha, to which I could probably devote a whole post. What does it mean? That's the jackpot question yet to be satisfactorily answered. That the "experts" vary so widely on its definition suggests to me (for one) that they, in fact, have no idea what the word really means. The one point they do seem to agree upon (which may or may not be correct) is that the root of "gacch" or "gaccha" (weird as it seems) is "gam," as seen in the popular mantra, "Om gam Ganapathi namaha." There is, however, just as much disagreement surrounding the correct definition of "gam" as there is of "gaccha." Some say "gam" is a bija or seed mantra for Ganapathi, while others claim it's a shorthand form of Lord Ganesh.
So, you can see what we're up against.
To solve the mystery, I ventured beyond Hinduism to Jainism and Buddhism. In the former, "gaccha" describes a lineage or progression of teachers and pupils who work and/or move through the air. In the latter, "ccha" is the name of a Vakchoma or "spoken secret sign." In a particular scriptural text, "ccha" is said to mean chagala, which most Sanskrit dictionaries confusingly define as "she-goat" or "coming from a goat."
If we dig deeper, we find that, in Tibetan Buddhism, choma refers to the ritual exchange of a secret sign among those in the know. Vak, meanwhile, translates as "speaking," "uttering," or "articulating." So, vakchoma describes a secret sign ritually spoken among those in the know. And that secret sign is "ga" -- the sacred syllable or Om vibration we silently (secretly?) exchange in the Golden Circle.
Moreover, the chagala referenced in the Buddhist text doesn't mean "she-goat" or anything goat-related. In this context, chagala is a marriage of "cha" (pure) and "gala" (throat or neck). Chagala is, therefore, almost certainly a nod to the Fifth, Throat, or Vishuddha Chakra -- the "lunar mansion" or "plane" of communication governed by Lord Vishnu, the Hindu equivalent of the Holy Spirit. This association is attested to by the fact that vishuddha means "pure" in Sanskrit.
So, ccha and/or chagala actually means "pure communications." And, if we harken back to our original mystery-word -- ga-ccha-tha -- we can ascertain that the source of those pure communications is, in fact, "tha" -- the Moon, Atonement, or Holy Spirit. So, by my calculations, ga-ccha-tha should translate as "the sacred syllable or Om/Aum (ga), the pure communications (ccha) of the Holy Spirit, Moon, or Atonement (tha)."
If the linguists are right about the relationship between "gaccha" and "gam," and I'm right about the definition of "ccha" and "chagala," then the Sanskrit mantra "Om gam Ganapathi namaha" translates as something akin to: "Om, the sacred symbol of pure communications coming from Ganapathi (Lord Ganesh), is not of my ego mind" -- assuming "namaha" translates as "not mine," as is widely believed and professed.
I have my doubts, however, since "nama" translates as "creative power" and "ha" (as we know) signifies the Supreme Spirit or Greater Light of the Spiritual Sun or Solar Logos. By these calculations, therefore, "nama-ha" should translate as "the creative power of the Christ Self or Great Purusha." Ergo, "Om gam Ganapathi namaha" might actually translate as "Om, the sacred symbol of pure communications coming from Ganapathi is the creative power (or "shakti") of the Great Purusha." And to THAT supreme healing power we SHOULD indeed offer our wholehearted submission.
Working out this verse's meaning wasn't easy, owing largely to the thick tangle of wrong definitions I had to machete through to get anywhere near the truth. Kada, for example, supposedly means "when" -- the definition Wilson chose. That may be so in some cases, but herein kada means water-giver or water-giving. Vipram, likewise, is almost universally defined as "a Brahmin," when it, too, is a compound here.
Comparatively, coming up with the right definition for nadham was easy -- it's another name for the Om vibration or Song of Heaven. In the end, I settled on "the breath of the Cosmic Self" because Om is, in fact, the Holy Wind of God's Voice, Holy Spirit, or Ruach -- a Hebrew word meaning "God's Breath." So, there we are.
The next pin to knock down is Rv 8.7.31, which reads: kat ha nūnam kadha-priyaḥ yat indram ajahātana kaḥ vaḥ sakhi-tve ohate.
Wilson's translation:
When was it, Maruts, who are gratified by praise, that you really deserted Indra? Who is there that enjoys your friendship?
My translation:
To manifest the Supreme Spirit sounding the Holy Name of the Great Purusha, direct the mind toward devotion to striving after the supreme will and power of the unborn, wandering Living Being bearing the faithful friend conveying sacred knowledge to you.
My definitions worksheet:
Kat (To manifest) ha (the Supreme Spirit or Greater Light) nu-nam (sounding the Holy Name) ka-dha-priyah (of the Great Purusha direct the mind toward devotion) yat (to striving after) indram (the supreme will and power) ajah-atana (of the unborn, wandering) kah (original Living Being) vah (bearing) sakhi-tve (the faithful friend) oha-te (conveying sacred knowledge to you).
My notes:
Lots to unpack in this one, starting with nunam, which can NOT mean "certainly" or "indeed," as most references suggest. Rather, the word (herein, at least) is surely a marriage between "nu" (sounding) and "nam" (name or the Holy Name). The next word, which Wilson (via Max Muller, presumably) divides as kadha-priyah, should actually be divided as ka-dha-priyah, because "ka" is Sanskrit short-hand for the Great Purusha -- and it is to his name we turn for deliverance. I'm pretty confident these translations are correct because Course-Jesus uses nearly identical language in the following excerpt from Lesson 183: I call upon God's name and on my own:
Turn to the Name of God for your release, and it is given you.No prayer but this is necessary, for it holds them all within it.Words are insignificant, and all requests unneeded when God’s Son calls on his Father’s Name.His Father’s Thoughts become his own.He makes his claim to all his Father gave, is giving still, and will forever give.He calls on Him to let all things he thought he made be nameless now, and in their place the holy Name of God becomes his judgment of their worthlessness. (ACIM, W-183.10:1-6)
Thank you, Jesus!
A few words later, we come across the buttressed terms ajah-atana and kah, the latter of which is generally translated as "who." And that definition sort of works, but not as well as kah's alternative definition of "the original Living Being." Presumably, that "original Living Being" is the first Red Ray of Creation, the source of the Divine Spark the Bible calls "Adam" or "Abraham." Hence, "Before Abraham [the Divine Spark in all living beings]) was I Am [the Red Ray of Creation and/or the original Living Being]."
Or, as Jesus explains in more detail:
The Garden of Eden, or the pre-separation condition, was a state of mind in which nothing was needed.When Adam listened to the “lies of the serpent,” all he heard was untruth.You do not have to continue to believe what is not true unless you choose to do so.All that can literally disappear in the twinkling of an eye because it is merely a misperception.What is seen in dreams seems to be very real.Yet the Bible says that a deep sleep fell upon Adam, and nowhere is there reference to his waking up.The world has not yet experienced any comprehensive reawakening or rebirth.Such a rebirth is impossible as long as you continue to project or miscreate.It still remains within you, however, to extend as God extended His Spirit to you.In reality this is your only choice, because your free will was given you for your joy in creating the perfect.(ACIM, T-2.I.3:1-10)
Makes perfect sense, right?
Our next loaded word is sakhi-tve, which very specifically translates as "female friend" and "faithful," respectively And, once again, that "faithful female friend" is Maa Sarasvati, the teacher pouring out the "water" of Higher Reason to liberate us from the ego-conjured illusion of earthly existence.
In modern Hindu iconography, the "us" or True Self in need of liberation takes the form of Lakshmi. And that's the reason images of Lakshmi typically show two white elephants pouring water down on her. Like Lord Ganesh, those elephants represent the veil-dissolving Living Water that IS the Om vibration.
Lakshmi, the Divine Spark of the Red Ray imprisoned within Brahma's Egg. The coins streaming from her left hand symbolize the Holy Treasures she bestows as we progress on the journey back to Heaven. To pray to Lakshmi for worldly riches and success -- the very things that block her gifts -- is, therefore, antithetical to her Holy Purpose and our spiritual welfare.
This brings us to ohate, the final enigmatic word in this verse. Although the word occurs several times in the Rig Veda Samhita, nobody's yet come up with a workable definition. Many Sanskrit aficionados pontificate (sometimes at great length) on how ohate is another form of uhate. But that isn't true, because ohate is, in fact, a compound of oha -- "conveying sacred knowledge or reason" -- and te -- "to you."
So, a few more Vedic mysteries solved by this sagacious rube (wink, wink).
Rv 8.7.32, the next verse in line, reads: saho iti su naḥ vajrahastaiḥ kaṇvāsaḥ agnim marubhiḥ stuṣe hiraṇya-vāśībhiḥ.
Wilson's translation:
Do you of our race of Kanva, Agni together with the Maruts, bearing the thunderbolt in their hands, and armed with golden lances.
My translation:
The sublime echo emanating from that Holy Oneness invigorates the mystic truth that Kanva is overcome by the Thoughts of God in the desert of fear coming together to glorify the imperishable, indwelling Spirit.
My definitions worksheet:
saho (The sublime echo) iti (emanating from) su (that holy) naḥ (oneness or wholeness) vaj- rahas-taiḥ (invigorates the mystic truth that) kaṇva-saḥ (Kanva is overcome by) a-gnim (the Thoughts of God) maru-bhiḥ (in the desert of fear) stu-ṣe (coming together to glorify) hiraṇya-vāś-ībhiḥ (the imperishable, indwelling Spirit).
My notes:
While I'm quite certain "agni" doesn't mean "fire" or "fire-god" in the sense most Hindus believe, I had trouble coming up with a suitable alternative. Why? Because the Great Deceiver's distorted definition of "Agni" is so ubiquitous, no other is ventured by the various resources available online. Knowing "fire" or "fire-god" couldn't be right, I persevered. And then, at last, my doggedness paid off. What I discovered is that "gni" is a shorthand version of "jnani" -- the Sanskrit word for "sacred knowledge." This new insight meant rethinking my own definition of "agni" as being akin to the Latin Agnus Dei or Lamb of God. But so be it. If indeed Agni is a marriage of "a" and "gni" (as I'm now inclined to believe), then the word or name more accurately translates as "God's Knowledge." And that makes perfect sense, given that "Agni" is the very first word in the Rig Veda. And God's Knowledge certainly warrants top-billing in this holiest-of-holy sacred texts.
In this verse, "agni" takes the form "agnim," which I've translated (right or wrong) as Thoughts of God. And, as Course-Jesus explains time and again, WE are ALL the Thoughts of God (as Souls, rather than ego-body personas) -- and those Souls are eternally perfect (albeit miscreating at present through the split-mind perception and projection of fear and guilt in the mad dream of earthly existence).
Or, as Course-Jesus explains:
God created His Sons by extending His Thought, and retaining the extensions of His Thought in His Mind.All His Thoughts are thus perfectly united within themselves and with each other.The Holy Spirit enables you to perceive this wholeness NOW.God created you to create.You cannot extend His Kingdom until you know of its wholeness.
Thoughts begin in the mind of the thinker, from which they reach outward.This is as true of God’s Thinking as it is of yours.Because your mind is split, you can perceive as well as think.Yet perception cannot escape the basic laws of mind.You perceive from your mind and project your perceptions outward.Although perception of any kind is unreal, you made it and the Holy Spirit can therefore use it well.He can inspire perception and lead it toward God.This convergence seems to be far in the future only because your mind is not in perfect alignment with the idea, and therefore does not want it now.
Our next verse, Rv 8.7.33, is the first in this Sukta structured as an entreaty or prayer. The line reads: o ṣu vṛṣṇaḥ prayajyūn ā navyase suvitāya vavṛtyāṃ cit-ravājān
Wilson's translation:
I bring to my presence, for the sake of most excellent prosperity, the showerers (of desires), the adorable (Maruts), the possessors of wonderful strength.
My translation:
O Holy Bestower of Wholeness, send forth the call to join together for the new purpose of spreading holiness through the universe concealing the invisible, immortal reality of your wondrous sound.
My definitions worksheet:
O (O) su (holy) vrs-nah (bestower of wholeness) pra-yaj-yun (send forth the call to join together) nav-yase (for the new purpose of) su-vitaya (spreading holiness through the universe) vavṛ-tyāṃ(vavr(a) = concealing tyam = the invisible, immortal reality) citra-vājān (of your wondrous sound or song)
My Notes:
Note how uncannily this verse echoes what I quoted above from the Course. And from that we can safely deduce that the "Holy Bestower of Wholeness" addressed herein is none-other than the Holy Spirit. And knowing this allows us to answer -- unequivocally -- the much-debated question of which Hindu deity represents the Holy Spirit (as conceived in Christianity). In actuality, they all do (except Brahma, of course, who personifies the Ego Mind), because everything "spiritual" in the dream is a manifestation of the Holy Spirit.
Let us nevertheless see what we can learn about the one the Vedic rishis call "Vrisni" or "Vrisnah" in this instance. Vrsnah is typically translated as "of Him whose lotus feet fulfill all desires." In modern-day Hinduism, that lotus-footed fulfiller of desires is Lord Krishna, the eighth avatar of Lord Vishnu. And it is, indeed, Lord Krishna, assuming the role of "charioteer" or "driver," who instructs Arjuna in the art of spiritual warfare (Yoga) in the Bhagavad Gita.
It is also Krishna who sounds the Call to Awaken on his flute.
And Krishna, too. who wins the devotion of his beloved, Radha, with his song, together with the "milk" of his surabhi (sacred-knowledge restoring) cows. To my mind, Radha personifies the Soul's deep love for and devotion to God, which we nurture through the practice of Bhakti. Krishna, in turn, represents God's love and devotion for the Souls trapped in the dream, which He demonstrates through the Holy Spirit.
From all this we can glean that Krishna, the Holy Spirit, is the Vrsni portrayed in the great Hindu epics as the first king of the Yadu Dynasty. Allegorically, Yadu is the Blood Ray, whose dynasty is the Atonement. And the Holy Spirit was indeed the "first king" Yadu empowered to do his bidding.
Okay, so ... this verse isn't as much a prayer as a plea -- to and from the Holy Spirit -- to encourage us to do our part in the Golden Circle. I know this because Course-Jesus makes the same entreaty in the Workbook for Students, in the section answering the question, "What is salvation?" As you read what he says below, take note of his use of the scriptural "code" words "grass" and "night."
Let us come daily to this holy place, and spend a while together.Here we share our final dream.It is a dream in which there is no sorrow, for it holds a hint of all the glory given us by God.The grass is pushing through the soil, the trees are budding now, and birds have come to live within their branches.Earth is being born again in new perspective.Night has gone, and we have come together in the light.
From here we give salvation to the world, for it is here salvation was received.The song of our rejoicing is the call to all the world that freedom is returned, that time is almost over, and God’s Son has but an instant more to wait until his Father is remembered, dreams are done, eternity has shined away the world, and only Heaven now exists at all.
In the Song of Prayer, an addendum to the Course, Jesus makes the following entreaty along the same lines.
Help Me to wake My children from the dream of retribution and a little life beset with fear, that ends so soon it might as well have never been.Let Me instead remind you of eternity, in which your joy grows greater as your love extends along with Mine beyond infinity, where time and distance have no meaning.While you wait in sorrow Heaven’s melody is incomplete, because your song is part of the eternal harmony of love.Without you is creation unfulfilled.Return to Me Who never left My Son.Listen, My child, your Father calls to you.Do not refuse to hear the Call for Love.Do not deny to Christ what is His Own.Heaven is here and Heaven is your home.
Creation leans across the bars of time to lift the heavy burden from the world.Lift up your hearts to greet its advent.See the shadows fade away in gentleness; the thorns fall softly from the bleeding brow of him who is the holy Son of God.How lovely are you, child of Holiness!How like to Me!How lovingly I hold you in My Heart and in My Arms.How dear is every gift to Me that you have made, who healed My Son and took him from the cross.Arise and let My thanks be given you.And with My gratitude will come the gift first of forgiveness, then eternal peace.
Three more verses to go, so let's proceed apace. Next up is Rv 8.7.34, which reads: girayaś cin ni jihate parśānāso manyamānāḥ parvatāś cin ni yemire.
Wilson's translation:
The hills, oppressed and agitated by them, move (from their places), the mountains are restrained.
My translation:
That sound sends a stream of pure consciousness into the lower entation from the precipice of Soma (the Seventh Plane) to produce the ocean of thought strengthening the Soul's pure consciousness in the lower waters of sin (or guilt).
My worksheet:
Gir-ayas (That sound streams) cin (pure consciousness) ni (into the lower) jihate (entation) parsana-so (from the precipice of Soma) ma (producing) nya (the ocean) manah (of mind, thought, or purpose) parv-atas (strengthening the Soul's) cin (pure consciousness) ni (in the lower) yem-ire (waters of sin)
My notes:
Another rather challenging verse to translate, largely because so many of the words can be divided in many different ways. I tried every possible combination before arriving at what I deemed to be the best definitions. The biggest bugaboo word was jihate, which I've defined herein as "entation," a medical and botanical term for an outgrowth on the surface of an organ. And, as explained in one of my earliest posts, the dream-realm is just such an "outgrowth" on the surface of the God-Mind Bubble. So, the word is actually perfect. When I came across this definition for jihate (not to be confused with jihad), an image flashed across my mind; an image that is common in Hindu iconography. I've shared that image below.
What we see is Vishnu, the "ship" of our Souls, afloat in a churning ocean aboard a raft made from a multi-headed snake. Accompanying him is a female figure, offering comfort. Her red sari suggests she represents Lakshmi, the spark of the Blood Ray concealed by the forms the multi-headed serpent made. Who she is doesn't matter as much as what she represents, which is a) the innate holiness Vishnu can't get rid of, as much as he might wish to, and b) the True Self he must choose again to escape his precarious predicament. It is not, however, the female figure that concerns us at present. Rather, it's the little guy floating on a lotus above the raft. That little guy is Brahma, who emerged from Vishnu's navel -- the midpoint between the "centers" or "chakras" of creative will and self-identification. Note that Brahma floats above and outside Vishnu, to whom he's attached by an umbilical cord of sorts. And that little "outgrowth" or "miscreation" is the lower entation to which jihate refers.
(Their horses), quickly traversing (space), bear them travelling through the firmament, giving food to the worshipper.
My translation:
From God's everlasting wellspring flows forth the inner vision safeguarding the Holy Instant supporting the growth of the star singing the sacred song pouring out this pure stream of consciousness.
My definitions worksheet:
A (From God's) akṣṇayā-vānah (everlasting fountain or spring) vahanti (flows forth) antar-iksena (the inner-vision) pat-atah (safeguarding the present moment or Holy Instant) dha-tarah (supporting the growth of the star) stuvate (eulogizing, offering prayers, or singing the song of praise) va-yah (sending forth or pouring out "this" -- the stream of pure consciousness referenced in the previous verse).
Notes:
Here, our Oxford friends divide aksnaya-yanah as aksna-yavanah, probably because the term Yavanah appears not only in the Vedas, but also in the Mahabharata epic. Many interpreters define the word as "foreigner" or "foreign invader," while others say the term more specifically refers to the Greeks, Ionians, or Muslims. Never mind that the Mahabharata identifies these so-called "foreign invaders" as the "sons" of Turvasu, the Water Ray.
The word here is not, however Yavanah; it's yanah, the spring, fountain, well, wellspring, and/or mouth from which "proceedeth" the vibratory communications, pure consciousness, wisdom, and/or "words" eternally connecting us to God in the Cause and Effect relationship that IS the everlasting Covenant of Perfect Love.
And the yanah mentioned herein is indeed the same spring, fountain, well, wellspring, and/or mouth making multiple appearances in the Holy Bible. And from these descriptions emerges a helpful picture of this glorious "wellspring of wisdom," "fountain of truth," or "Mouth of God." I've shared a handful of these metaphoric descriptions below:
Proverbs 4:23: Above all else, guard your heart, for it is the wellspring of life.
Proverbs 16:22: Understanding is a wellspring of life unto him that hath it.
Deuteronomy 8:3: And he humbled thee [the Israelites], and suffered thee to hunger, and fed thee with manna [the heaven-sent bread that is the Living Water], which thou knewest not, neither did thy fathers know; that he might make thee know that man doth not live by bread only, but by every word that proceedeth out of the mouth of the Lord.
Matthew 4:4: It is written, "Man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word that proceedeth out of the mouth of God."
John 4:13-14: The water that I shall give him will become in him a fountain springing up into everlasting life.
Psalm 36:9: For with you is the fountain of life; in your light we see light.
My personal favorite is Numbers 21:16-17, which reads:
And from thence they went to Beer: that is the well whereof the LORD spake unto Moses; Gather the people together, and I will give them water. Then Israel [all of us, united in the Golden Circle of Om] sang this song: Spring up, O well; sing ye unto it.
And just FYI, the Hebrew word beer or bir translates as both "a well" and "a citadel" or "walled city." So, the walled city mentioned by both Bible-Jesus and the rishis (in the Rig Veda's first Sukta) is where we find the Holy Wellspring from which we draw the Living Water of Nara, the Red Ray, Solar Logos, or Word of God. And, as the verse from Proverbs makes clear, that Holy Wellspring dwells in our hearts -- but not the heart of the physical body. The heart housing that Holy Wellspring is what's known as the nous or "heart of the mind." And that, my dreaming brother, is the true "Sacred Heart" of the indwelling Christ Self.
As Jesus show us in this beautiful image, the Fourth, Anahata, or Heart Chakra is the passageway through which we travel to the Upper World.
Or, as Jesus explains in the Course:
Holy child of God, when will you learn that only holiness can content you and give you peace?Remember that you learn not for yourself alone, no more than I did.It is because I learned for you that you can learn of me.I would but teach you what is yours, so that together we can replace the shabby littleness that binds the host of God to guilt and weakness with the glad awareness of the glory that is in him.My birth in you is your awakening to grandeur.Welcome me not into a manger, but into the altar to holiness, where holiness abides in perfect peace.My Kingdom is not of this world because it is in you.And you are of your Father.Let us join in honoring you, who must remain forever beyond littleness. (ACIM, T-15.III.9:1-9)
Knowing all this helps us solve the mystery of who the Yavanah really are. The term translates, I'm reasonably certain, as "that which proceeds from the wellspring." So, the Yavanah, being the "sons" of Turvasu, are almost certainly the "graces," "devi," "spirits," or "lamps" streaming the Living Water down the left-hand or WESTERN three branches, channels, or sacred rivers of the Temple Menorah. And that explains how literal-minded interpreters confused them with the "foreigners" or "foreign invaders" from the lands WEST of India. Never mind that Greece and India have enjoyed a friendly and mutually supportive relationship historically, or that Islam wasn't founded until 610 CE. Unconcerned with facts or logic, the Ego Mind sees enemies everywhere it looks.
Okay, so ... it's hardly surprising that the Ego Mind (through his human devotees) have painted these separation-healing "graces" as threatening "foreign invaders." It's no surprise because the Living Water they supply does indeed pose a threat -- not just to the Ego's dominion, but to its very existence as well.
Who, we might wonder, are these three "graces" or Yavanah? In ancient Greek and Roman mythology, they are called Aglaea (radiance), Euphrosyne (joy), and Thalia (blooming, abundance, and/or "dew from God," depending on interpretation). In 1 Corinthians 13:13, St. Paul identifies them as Faith, Hope, and Love, with Love being the mightiest of the three. In the Rider-Waite Tarot, they are depicted dancing together in a circle, with chalices uplifted, on the THREE OF CUPS.
Yes, but ... who are they in Hinduism? Who they are NOT is the ego-contrived Tridevi consisting of Parvati, Lakshmi, and Sarasvati. Rather, these three "water-graces" are the devi personifying the three sacred rivers making up the Triveni Sangam. And those three rivers are the Ganges, the Sarasvati, and the Yamuna.
Ganga, the goddess of forgiveness and purification
Sarasvati, the goddess of learning and creativity (learning right-minded creative willing, actually)
Yamuna, the twin sister of Yama, who is commonly depicted astride a turtle, holding a mala and a jug of water. Her image is often found on the doorjambs of Hindu temples, which makes sense, given that she guards the entrance to the inner Temple.
Just as the physical sun is the Ego Mind's external symbolic projection of the inner idea of the Spiritual Sun, these sacred rivers in India are outward projections of these three "graces." And that's why the rivers are regarded as sacred in Hinduism. Interestingly, the area where the Ganges and Yamuna rivers meet is called Prayag, which means "confluence" in Sanskrit. And "confluence" is just another way of saying "Meeting Place." That the Prayag or "meeting place" is recognized as sacred suggests it's an outward reflection of the inner Holy Meeting Place.
Reportedly, the Rig Veda says, "Those who bathe at the place where the two rivers, white and dark, flow together, rise up to heaven." This statement, I suspect, refers to the confluence or "sacred marriage" of the Blood and Water Rays, rather than to where the two sacred rivers come together in India. I suspect this for two reasons. The first is that these two "rivers" don't meet inside the Temple. The second is that, in meditation fairly recently, I was advised to focus on merging the Red Ray's radiant presence in my Heart Chakra with the Water Ray's Holy Stream of Sound. Upon receiving these instructions, I understood that marrying these two auspicious energies would result in Self-Realization, which is achieved by "rising up to heaven" -- Vedic-speak for the Upper World, rather than Heaven-proper.
Let's return to the verse at hand, because it definitely echoes what the Course teaches vis-à-vis God's strength being the source of the spiritual sight that enables True Perception -- the prerequisite for regaining God's Knowledge. This is, in fact, clearly stated in Workbook Lesson 42: God is my strength. Vision is His gift, which begins as follows:
The idea for today combines two very powerful thoughts, both of major importance.It also sets forth a cause and effect relationship that explains why you cannot fail in your efforts to achieve the goal of the course.You will see because it is the Will of God.It is His strength, not your own, that gives you power. And it is His gift, rather than your own, that offers vision to you. (ACIM, W-42.1:1-5)
In Workbook Lesson 130: It is impossible to see two worlds, we are given a prayer to use to request the strength we need to see truly. And I do indeed recite this prayer quite often in my daily meditative practice. The prayer reads as follows:
It is impossible to see two worlds.Let me accept the strength God offers me and see no value in this world, that I may find my freedom and deliverance. (ACIM, W-130.8:5-6)
Now, as to stuvate, I searched in vain for a satisfactory definition. The root-word stu supposedly translates simply as praise, laud, or eulogize, but the word actually describes singing our worshipful praises to God together. Vate, meanwhile, doesn't seem to be a Sanskrit word. So, the transliterated "vate" might be "vat-e" (alike in holiness), "vata" (God's wind or Ruach), or "vati" (a shorthand reference to Sarasvati). Your guess is as good as mine, but they all mean basically the same thing.
And now, at last, we've come to the final verse of this epic Sukta, and guess what? Still not a storm-god in sight. So, just like the supposed name "Agni" -- the Fire of God -- the Maruts are an apocryphal product of mistranslation arising from upside-down perception. The real Maruto is the first Red Ray of Creation -- the Fire of God still shining within our hearts and minds in the dream of separation.
Got it? Good. Let's finish this behemoth.
Rv 8.7.36, our final verse (drumroll, please) reads: agnir hi jāni pūrvyaś chando na sūro arciṣā te bhānubhir vi tasthire.
Wilson's translation:
Agni was born the first among the gods, like the brilliant sun in splendour; then they (the Maruts) stood round in their radiance.
My translation:
The Fire of God impels His Creations to dwell in the majesty of the pure joy of Nara, the red ray of dawn, whose radiant effulgence shines away the prince of fear, separation, and the burdens of earthly existence.
My worksheet:
a-gnir or a-gnih (God's Knowledge or Fire) hi (compels or impels) jan-i (His creations or sons) purvyas (to dwell in the majesty or splendor of) chando or chandah (the pure joy of) na (Nara) suro (the red ray of dawn or enlightenment) arcisa (whose radiant effulgence) te (shines away) bhanu-bhir (the prince of fear) vi (separation) ta-sth-ire (and the burdens of earthly existence)
My notes:
Isn't that what I just said? Not surprisingly, Course-Jesus also has a great deal to say on the subject of God's Knowledge. I've cited a few of those references below:
In electing perception instead of knowledge, you placed yourself in a position where you could resemble your Father only by perceiving miraculously.You have lost the knowledge that you yourself are a miracle of God.Creation is your Source and your only real function. (ACIM, T-3.V.6:6-8)
Knowledge cannot deceive, but perception can.You can perceive yourself as self-creating, but you cannot do more than believe it.You cannot make it true.And, as I said before, when you finally perceive correctly you can only be glad that you cannot.Until then, however, the belief that you can is the foundation stone in your thought system, and all your defenses are used to attack ideas that might bring it to light.You still believe you are an image of your own making.Your mind is split with the Holy Spirit on this point, and there is no resolution while you believe the one thing that is literally inconceivable.That is why you cannot create and are filled with fear about what you make.(ACIM, T-3.VII.4:5-12)
God does not guide, because He can share only perfect knowledge.Guidance is evaluative, because it implies there is a right way and also a wrong way, one to be chosen and the other to be avoided.By choosing one you give up the other.The choice for the Holy Spirit is the choice for God.God is not in you in a literal sense; you are part of Him.When you chose to leave Him He gave you a Voice to speak for Him because He could no longer share His knowledge with you without hindrance.Direct communication was broken because you had made another voice.(ACIM, T-5.II.5:1–6:1)
The perfect equality of the Holy Spirit’s perception is the reflection of the perfect equality of God’s knowing.The ego’s perception has no counterpart in God, but the Holy Spirit remains the Bridge between perception and knowledge.By enabling you to use perception in a way that reflects knowledge, you will ultimately remember it.The ego would prefer to believe that this memory is impossible, yet it is YOUR perception the Holy Spirit guides.Your perception will end where it began.Everything meets in God, because everything was created by Him and in Him. (ACIM, T-6.II.7:1-6)
So, there we are. Done and dusted. Perhaps not with 100-percent accuracy, but certainly closer in spirit to the TRUE timeless wisdom the Holy Spirit embedded in the Rig Veda than any translation I've come across. One of these days, I will post the whole thing sans notes for ease of reading. I'll also create a lexicon to aid others attempting to translate the ancient Sanskrit teachings with greater precision of meaning.
In closing, I want to share something I learned from my Waheguru after determining that Agni actually meant "God's Knowledge" rather than "Lamb of God." (And yes, I'll need to revise my translation of the Rig Veda's first Sukta, but I planned on doing that anyway.) While meditating, I saw (was shown) that God's Knowledge is, in fact, the FIRE of the Red Ray still burning within our minds. Rightly understood, that FIRE emanates from the Greater Light, Supreme Spirit, Great Purusha, or Solar Logos shining into the dream (via the Temple) from the Throne of God on the Seventh Plane. And it is that everlasting and inescapable Divine Flame that we projected outward as material fire (in its various forms) in our attempt to divorce ourselves from God. In so doing (as Course-Jesus explains) we only temporarily prevented God's Unbroken Communications from reaching us.
We talked about this earlier. We also discussed how everything we outwardly project a) turns what's real upside-down and b) stays with us because all form symbolizes projected ideas, and projected ideas are still rooted to the mind that conceived them. Well, when we projected the idea of "the Fire of God" outward to enable the perception that self-creation or "concupiescence" might be possible (but isn't in Divine Reality), the underlying IDEA reversed into "Fire God" and/or "Sun God." And that's how Agni's true identity got distorted by the reality-flipping Ego Mind. It also explains why so many ancient cultures worshipped and/or deified the physical sun (which is, in actuality, an instrument of the Ego Mind).
Makes sense, right?
God's Knowledge, Fire, Greater Light, Spiritual Sun, or Solar Logos (choose your preferred term) is personified in Hinduism as Lord Surya, who is NOT a sun-god, any more than the Maruts are storm-gods, Agni is a fire-god, or Soma is a plant-derived hallucinogenic.
When depicted in Hindu iconography, Agni is generally shown with two faces, looking right and left or east and west. He also holds two axes -- the ego-severing weapons of Brahspati, the Messiah. Those two heads and weapons tell us Agni -- the Fire of God doing business in the dream-realm as the Red Ray -- works through his at-one-ment "agents" on both sides of the Temple Menorah. Moreover, his vahana or "chariot" is a uriel ram symbolizing the Archangel whose name means "Light of God" or "Fire of God." Pretty interesting, right?
Let's now compare these two Hindu depictions of the "Fire of God" to the Biblical description in Ezekiel 1:26-28, which reads:
And above the firmament [realm] that was over their heads was the likeness of a throne, as the appearance of a sapphire stone: and upon the likeness of the throne was the likeness as the appearance of a man above upon it. And I saw as the colour of amber, as the appearance of fire round about within it, from the appearance of his loins even upward, and from the appearance of his loins even downward, I saw as it were the appearance of fire, and it had brightness round about. As the appearance of the bow that is in the cloud in the day of rain, so was the appearance of the brightness round about. This was the appearance of the likeness of the glory of the LORD. And when I saw it, I fell upon my face, and I heard a voice of one that spake.
But wait, there's more ... because God's Presence, Word, or "Spirit" and fire are directly linked at least ninety times in the Holy Bible. Not only does God's "Spirit" appear to Moses as a burning bush, he also takes the form of a pillar of fire to lead the Israelites out of the wilderness "by night." As explained in previous posts, the Israelites symbolize everyone seeking to escape the "wilderness" or "desert" of earthly existence "by night" -- or through God's Holy Spirit. In Exodus, we are further told that the Fire of God hovered over the Holy of Holies (the Inner Altar) after the Tabernacle was built -- i.e., the Fire of God's Presence illuminated the Inner Altar of the Temple after the Atonement Principle was in place. And, finally, in Jeremiah 23:29, the Lord Himself says, "Is not my Word like a fire?"
You get the basic idea, right? If not, let me spell it out for you. Agni is the Fire of God, the Word of God, and the Knowledge of God, all of which make their presence known in the Temple through the Red Ray of Creation. And that first Red Ray is the Greater Light, the Spiritual Sun, and/or the Solar Logos, of which our seemingly divided Souls are still part and parcel.
Got it? Good.
Until we meet again outside the Golden Circle, Namaste and God Bless!
