The Rig Veda's Sixth Sukta (Part 2): The Circle-Journey, the Living Creatures & the Sacred Naga

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 Om that 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)