Now that we've established what the Hindu god "Agni" actually represents, let's proceed to the second Sukta of the Rig Veda -- a presumed "hymn" addressed to a deity called "Vayu." In Hinduism, "Vayu" (pictured above) is presumed to be the "god" or "deva" of wind and air. He is revered, therefore, as an elemental power of nature, more or less, not unlike "Agni," the presumed "god of fire." In actuality, "Agni" represents the Fire of God present in the Temple as the Spirit of Grace. "Agni" is, therefore, a modified form of the first Red Ray of Agape, which the God Mind sent forth or extended "in the beginning" to bring the Christ Mind and/or Son of God into "being."
The graphic "fact sheet" above tells us, among other things, that "Vayu" was born from the breath of Vishwapurusha, guards the Northwest direction, fathered the "gods" Bhima and Hanuman, and rides an antelope vahana. Other sources report that "Vayu" also is 1) the divine messenger of the gods; 2) closely associated with Indra, the "king of the gods" in the Hindu pantheon; 3) the first to drink "the Soma"; and 4) the son of Lord Vishnu. When misidentified as a storm deity, "Vayu" also is said to be one of the Maruts. But, as my multi-post retranslation of Rv 8.7 demonstrates, the Sanskrit terms historically translated as "Maruts" do not, in fact, refer in any way to elemental storm gods.
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| Hanuman and Bhima, whose allegorical story is told in the Mahabharata epic. |
With all that backstory out of the way, let's now explore what the Rig Veda actually reveals about "Vayu." We'll start our investigation, as always, by reviewing the second Sukta's original text in transliterated Sanskrit. According to 19th-century Oxford "orientalist" Max Muller, the Rik is composed of eight metered lines reading as follows:
vāyav ā yāhi darśateme somā araṃkṛtāḥ | teṣām pāhi śrudhī havam ||
vāyo tava prapṛñcatī dhenā jigāti dāśuṣe | urūcī somapītaye ||
indravāyū ime sutā upa prayobhir ā gatam | indavo vām uśanti hi ||
vāyav indraś ca cetathaḥ sutānāṃ vājinīvasū | tāv ā yātam upa dravat ||
vāyav indraś ca sunvata ā yātam upa niṣkṛtam | makṣv itthā dhiyā narā ||
mitraṃ huve pūtadakṣaṃ varuṇaṃ ca riśādasam | dhiyaṃ ghṛtācīṃ sādhantā ||
ṛtena mitrāvaruṇāv ṛtāvṛdhāv ṛtaspṛśā | kratum bṛhantam āśāthe ||
kavī no mitrāvaruṇā tuvijātā urukṣayā | dakṣaṃ dadhāte apasam ||
Let's now review how this alleged "hymn" or "poem" was translated by H. H. Wilson and Ralph T. H. Griffith, both of whom held the Boden Sanskrit Professorship at Queen's College, Oxford, during the 19th Century. As explained in my previous post, the Boden Professorship was funded by a former East India Company officer to help convert the native peoples of India to Anglican Christianity. The translation of the Rig Veda Samhita by Professors Wilson and Griffith were, therefore, agenda-driven to some extent. Keep that in mind as we go forward.
Let's start with Wilson's translation of the second Rik, which reads thusly:
Vayu, plural asant to behold, approach; these libations are prepared for you drink of them; hear our invocation.
Vayu, your praisers praise you with holy praises having poured out Soma juice, and knowing the (fit) season.
Vayu, your approving speech comes to the giver (of the libation), and to many (others who invite you) to drink of the Soma juice.
Vayu, these libations are poured out (for you); come hither with food (for us); verily the drops (of the Soma, abiding in the sacrificial rite, you are aware of these libations; come both (then) quickly hither.
Vayu and Indra, come to the rite of the sacrificer, for thus, men, will completion be speedily (attained) by the ceremony.
I invoke Mitra, of pure vigour, and Varuna, the devourer of foes; the joint accomplishers of the act bestowing water (on the earth).
Mitra and Varuna, augmenters of water, dispensers of water, you connect this perfect rite with its true (reward).
Sapient Mitra and Varuna, prosper our sacrifice and increase our strength; you are born for the benefit of many, you are the refuge of multitudes.
Here now is Griffith's liberally stylized translation of the same verses:
BEAUTIFUL Vayu, come, for thee these Soma drops have been prepared:
Drink of them, hearken to our call.
Knowing the days, with Soma juice poured forth, the singers glorify
Thee, Vayu, with their hymns of praise.
Vayu, thy penetrating stream goes forth unto the worshipper,
Far-spreading for the Soma draught.
These, Indra-Vayu, have been shed; come for our offered dainties' sake:
The drops are yearning for you both.
Well do ye mark libations, ye Vayu and Indra, rich in spoil,
So come ye swiftly hitherward.
Vayu and Indra, come to what the Soma presser hath prepared:
Soon, Heroes, thus I make my prayer.
Mitra, of holy strength, I call, and foe-destroying Varuna.
Mitra and Varuna, through Law [of Giving and Receiving], lovers and cherishers of Law,
Have ye obtained your mighty power,
Our Sages, Mitra-Varuna, wide dominion, strong by birth,
Vouchsafe us strength that worketh well.
How accurate are these two translations? Not very, because (for starters) both of these professorial missionaries transcribe "vayu," "vaya," "vayo," and "vayav" as the proper name "Vayu," rather than as the descriptive terms they actually are. Did they commit this faux pas out of ignorance, artfulness, or respect for longstanding religious and cultural traditions in India? Considering their imperialist intentions, I'm guessing it wasn't the latter.
Rightly understood, "Vayu" is the Sanskrit equivalent of Ruach -- a Hebrew word often translated as "wind," but which more particularly describes the "breath," "mind," and/or "spirit" acting in the world on God's behalf to end the perceived separation. In the Hebrew Bible, the word Ruach appears 387 times, compared with (curiously) only twelve occurrences of "Vayu" in the Rig Veda.
Before we embark on today's sure-to-be illuminating main event, let's explore the real meaning of the word "Vayu" and its variations. When the Vedas were revealed to the rishis thousands of years ago, "vayu" was only linked with "wind" or "air" in the figurative sense of being an invisible force with visible effects. Having nothing to do with elemental wind or air, the word can be divided three ways. As "v-ayu," it means "divided Living Being" or "continuous consciousness in separate forms"; as "va-yu," it means "uniter of the divided"; and as "vay-u" the word means the sound, tone, or voice of "U" -- a stand-alone letter used fairly often in the Rig Veda to designate the Holy Name.
As with many Sanskrit words, all three variations of "vayu" communicate the same idea in slightly different ideational forms. Vayu is, in fact, the continuous consciousness of "the Christ" separated into bodies, the power that reunites that divided consciousness, and the sound or "wind" emanating from the Holy Name inside the Temple of the Holy Spirit.
When rendered as vay-a, the word translates slightly differently as "Voice for/of God," and when spelled "vayav" it means relating to or coming from that divine inner-voice.
All of this makes pretty clear that "Vayu" personifies the "wind" or "voice" coming from the Christ Self or Mind governing the Sixth or Ajna Plane of restored Christ-Consciousness, whereas "Agni" represents the "fire," "spirit," or "presence" of the God Self or Mind on the Seventh, Sahasrara, or restored-to-the-state-of-pure-grace plane of consciousness. Vayu is, however, only one of the names the Vedas assign to this ubiquitous "voice" or "wind." And that is probably the reason the name "Vayu" appears so infrequently in the Rig Veda compared to its Hebrew counterpart in the Old Testament.
With all that firmly in mind, let's now interpret afresh this ancient wisdom-teaching about "Vayu." But first, let me state for the record that the Rig Veda contains NOT "the sacred hymns of the Brahmans" (as historically presumed), but elevated teachings for anyone and everyone sincerely seeking Higher Truth. These narrative teachings are, in fact, remarkably similar in both substance, vocabulary, and intended audience to those presented by Jesus Christ in A Course in Miracles.
(As an aside, I'm convinced that the word "Sukta" doesn't actually mean "hymn." The word is a compound of "su" (holy or sacred) and "kta" -- a rather mysterious "suffix" I believe to mean "wisdom," "knowledge," or "thought." The linguists may profess that adding "kta" at the end of a word merely shifts it from present to past tense, but I don't buy it. Why not? Because that rule doesn't work in the cases of "sukta," "bhokta," and "nukta" -- three words appearing in the Rig Veda, but rarely translated correctly (owing partly to this erroneous rule).
With each hallowed word given its proper due, the first line of the second Rik should translate roughly as follows:
The sound of the answer to the call coming from God extends to impel the vision that dissolves object-form, bringing to an end reverence for the idea of doing. All the Sons (of God) are saved by hearing its utterings.Individually, the word-definitions work out thusly:
vay-o (the sound of the answer) iti (coming from) a (God) ya-hi (extends to impel) darsa-te-me (the vision that dissolves object-form) so-mah (bringing to an end reverence for) aramb-kratah (the idea of doing). Tesam (All the sons of God) pahi (are saved) srudhi (by hearing) havam (its utterings)
Did I forget to mention that "o" means "the answer to a call" in Vedic Sanskrit shorthand? The stand-alone letter "o" can represent other "ideas" as well, such as the Name of the Creator (Brahman, not Brahma) and the Om vibration, which are, in effect, the SAME idea in different forms. Course-Jesus mentions many times "the Answer" to which this opening verse refers. At one point in the Text, he states point-blank: "The Holy Spirit is God’s Answer to the separation; the means by which the Atonement heals until the whole mind returns to creating."
Okay, so ... when translated correctly, this little verse conveys unadulterated Satya -- the Absolute Truth of Spiritual Reality. As Course-Jesus explains, the Holy Spirit is God's Answer to our call to be saved from the error of trusting the Ego Mind. So, the Holy Spirit can't be the one the rishis call "Vayu," as I've long presumed. As Rv 1.2.2 clearly explains, Vayu is the SOUND emanating from the Answer or Holy Spirit. And, as our graphic fact-sheet further explains, that SOUND was born from the breath of the Vishwapurusha, "the universal Living Being."
As I understand the concept, the Vishwapurusha contains and ensouls all the "I Am" particles under the Ego Mind's evil sleeping-spell of "Vishwa" -- a Sanskrit term meaning "external-orientation," more or less. In the Course and the Bible, Jesus calls this "Living Being" the Body of Christ or simply "the Christ." And it is this "Living Being" or Vishwapurusha he compares to a vine throughout the New Testament.
Bible-Jesus makes his meaning especially clear in John 15:1-5, wherein he says: "I am the true vine, and my Father is the husbandman. Every branch in me that beareth not fruit, he taketh away: and every branch that beareth fruit, he purgeth it, that it may bring forth more fruit. Abide in me, and I in you. As the branch cannot bear fruit of itself, except it abide in the vine; no more can ye, except ye abide in me. I am the vine, ye are the branches. He that abideth in me, and I in him, the same bringeth forth much fruit: for without me, ye can do nothing."
Stated another way, the Vishwapurusha is the "body" or "host" in which our Souls abide in the dream-universe. The Vishwapurusha also dwells in us, as the True Vine coiled within the "seed" waiting to awaken at the appointed time. But that "host-body" isn't a "body" in the ego's way of thinking. Rather, it's like a "polis" (in Greek) or "pura" (in Sanskrit) -- a walled city or stronghold in which like-minded individuals join together in the shared purpose of restoring the greater whole.
In the Course, Jesus says the following along these same lines:
The Christ in you inhabits not a body. Yet He is in you. And thus it must be that you are not within a body. What is within you cannot be outside. And it is certain that you cannot be apart from what is at the very center of your life. What gives you life cannot be housed in death. No more can you. Christ is within a frame of Holiness whose only purpose is that He may be made manifest to those who know Him not, that He may call to them to come to Him and see Him where they thought their bodies were. Then will their bodies melt away, that they may frame His Holiness in them.
No one who carries Christ in him can fail to recognize Him everywhere. Except in bodies. And as long as he believes he is in a body, where he thinks he is He cannot be. And so he carries Him unknowingly, and does not make Him manifest. And thus he does not recognize Him where He is. The son of man is not the risen Christ. Yet does the Son of God abide exactly where he is, and walks with him within his holiness, as plain to see as is his specialness set forth within his body.
The body needs no healing. But the mind that thinks it is a body is sick indeed! And it is here that Christ sets forth the remedy. His purpose folds the body in His light, and fills it with the Holiness that shines from Him. And nothing that the body says or does but makes Him manifest. To those who know Him not it carries Him in gentleness and love, to heal their minds. Such is the mission that your brother has for you. And such it must be that your mission is for him.
(ACIM, T-25.in.1:1–3:8)
The concept of the Vishwapurusha must be pretty important; otherwise, Jesus wouldn't have tried so hard and so often to explain the idea to his disciples (who still didn't get it). When, for example, at the Last Supper, he broke a loaf of bread into pieces and said, "This is my body; eat it in remembrance of me," he meant: "This loaf represents the whole Living Being, Vishwapurusha, or Christ Self to which you/we all belong. And through the spiritual nourishment I brought into the world, you will one day remember the communion, covenant, or Holy Relationship all of Creation shares in that glorious Wholeness of Being."
And, for the record, the bits of bread Jesus afterward passed around the table probably represented the "epiousion bread" he instructed his followers to request from God in Matthew 6:9-13, wherein he dictates the proper way to pray (via the Lord's Prayer or Our Father). I'm sure I've mentioned this before, but in case I haven't (or you missed it) the Anglicans wrong-mindedly changed the enigmatic Greek word epiousion to "daily" when they translated Matthew's narrative into English. Scholars still scratch their heads over Christ's intended meaning. But the word is, in fact, defined in the Secret Book of John as "that which makes spiritual transcendence desirable, understandable, and attainable."
This tells me, at least, that what Jesus called "epiousion bread" in Matthew's narrative is synonymous with the Living Water he mentions elsewhere in the New Testament gospels. Thus, "epiousion bread" and Living Water are interchangeable terms used by Bible-Jesus to describe the SOUND made by the Spirit of Grace to accomplish God's Will for our return to the Wholeness of Mind required for Perfect Creating.
Am I overexplaining again? Lol.
Let's return to the Vishwapurusha, because the two images below illustrate the concept quite effectively. What both show is the Vishwapurusha or "Christ Mind of the At-one-ment" enclosed within a golden egg surrounded by a glowing "aura." That "aura" is, I'm reasonably sure, the Golden Circle and/or Circle of the Atonement much-discussed in the Course. That circle is, I further believe, the "gateway" through which we enter the first plane or "kingdom" of the Upper or Real World.
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| In Christian theology, Jesus Christ symbolizes the Vishwapurusha. |
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| In Hindu theology, Lord Vishnu symbolizes the Vishwapurusha. |
What these two images don't show are the "sparks," "seeds," or "soul-fragments" comprising the "corporate body" or Greater Universal Soul represented by the figure at the center of the egg. As particles of that Living Being, our Souls can NOT be tarnished by anything we do in the dream of earthly existence. Hard as that may be to accept, it is nevertheless TRUE. And our complete faith in that unsmirchable holy innocence is what ultimately frees us from the Wheel of Karma.
Hear, then, the one answer of the Holy Spirit to all the questions the ego raises: You are a child of God, a priceless part of His Kingdom, which He created as part of Him. Nothing else exists and only this is real. You have chosen a sleep in which you have had bad dreams, but the sleep is not real and God calls you to awake. There will be nothing left of your dream when you hear Him, because you will awaken. Your dreams contain many of the ego’s symbols and they have confused you. Yet that was only because you were asleep and did not know. When you wake you will see the truth around you and in you, and you will no longer believe in dreams because they will have no reality for you. Yet the Kingdom and all that you have created there will have great reality for you, because they are beautiful and true. (ACIM, T-6.IV.6:1-8)
It should especially be noted that God has only ONE Son. If all His creations are His Sons, every one must be an integral part of the whole Sonship. The Sonship in its Oneness transcends the sum of its parts. However, this is obscured as long as any of its parts is missing. That is why the conflict cannot ultimately be resolved until all the parts of the Sonship have returned. Only then can the meaning of wholeness in the true sense be understood. Any part of the Sonship can believe in error or incompleteness if he so chooses. However, if he does so, he is believing in the existence of nothingness. The correction of this error is the Atonement. (ACIM, T-2.VII.6:1-9)
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| Hiranyagarbha, the "golden egg" or "golden womb" of the Vishwapurusha -- the Mind of the Atonement, in Course terms. |
He is the God of gods, and none beside him.Is this, in fact, what the verse says? Let's see, shall we? In transliterated Sanskrit, the eighth verse reads: yo deveṣv ādhi devā eka āsīt. By my calculations, those words translate more along these lines:
Join all the demigods (the Vishvadevas, our fellow Souls in the golden egg) in the higher divine oneness of God's Holy Instant.
yo = yu (join) devesv = devesu (all the demigods) adhi (in the higher) deva (divine) eka (oneness) a-sit (of God's Holy Instant)
Okay, so ... what does any of this have to do with Soma and/or Sutasoma? The answer is EVERYTHING, because the Vishwapurusha's glowing golden egg represents the Lesser Light of God shining in the darkness of the void of Brahma-manifested nothingness. And in that dark "Vishwa" -- the "Night" in scriptural lingo -- that INWARD Lesser Light is projected OUTWARD as the Moon orbiting Planet Earth.
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What we perceive outwardly as the physical moon is a projection of the "golden egg," "golden womb," or Hiranyagarbha of the Mind of the Atonement. Inwardly, that "moon" or "egg" resembles the image below (sorta-kinda, when we're advanced enough to see it). Some spiritual teachers call this the "spiritual eye" or "third eye," but it's actually the passageway through the three planes of the Upper World.  |
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In Hinduism (when right-mindedly understood), Soma-Chandra represents the Vishwapurusha -- the Lesser Light of God and/or Christ Mind of the Atonement. His antelope (or gazelle) vahana, meanwhile, represents the Living Water our yajnas or "right-minded thought-offerings" disperse to all the Souls inhabiting the golden egg with ours. That is why the antelope has a spotted coat in correct depictions of Soma-Chandra. Those spots represent the particles or "sparks" of the Vishwapurusha our Souls actually are. |
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But wait, there's more ... because apprehending what Soma genuinely represents explains why this deific force has been wrongly and rather weirdly associated with plants and mind-altering drinks for so many centuries. Being the Vishwapurusha, Soma is both the True Vine and the source of the Living Water -- two metaphors unilluminated translators have taken literally (as per usual).
Makes sense, right?
Let's return to Rv 1.2.1, which contains the first mention of Soma in the Vedic literature. The word is not, however, used at first as a proper noun. Rather, "somah" describes the overarching goal of the Atonement Plan -- our first solid clue that Soma is, in fact, the Mind of the Atonement, Vishwapurusha, and/or Lesser Light of God shining in the "Night" or "Darkness" of ego-manifested material unreality.
The Rik's second line mentions "Sutasoma" -- a word-name both Wilson and Griffith murkily translate as "soma juice." The line that Wilson deciphers -- utterly absurdly -- as "Vayu, your praisers praise you with holy praises having poured out Soma juice, and knowing the (fit) season," actually imparts the following useful wisdom:
The Voice of God sounds the Holy Name that awakens the inner Self veiled by the form. Awaken that shared "sutasoma" to bring nearer transcendental knowledge.
vay-a (The Voice of God) ukth-ebhir (sounds the Holy Name) jarante (that awakens the inner) tvam (Self) accha (veiled by the form). jar-itarah (Awaken that common or shared) suta-soma (Son of Soma? Holy sound of Soma? inspiration of Soma?) ahar-vidah (to bring nearer transcendental knowledge).
As you might imagine, this one took quite a while to work out, mainly because the true definition of "sutasoma" has been buried over the centuries under a pile of ego-generated rubbish. After poking around in the dross for a while, I unearthed seven clues to the real meaning of the word in the Mahabharata epic. In the scriptural allegory, Sutasoma is a prince who sacrifices himself to save a great king. More specifically, Sutasoma agrees to be devoured by a serpent to defeat the demon holding the king hostage.
Let's see if we can solve the mystery of Sutasoma's identity, based on following seven pieces of evidence encapsulated in the Puranic Encyclopedia:
- Sutasoma is/was the son of Bhīmasena (meaning "the Body of the Supreme Lord or Spirit") and his wife, Draupadī (a female form of Krishna), who came into being "through a portion of the Vishvedevas" (the learned or advanced Souls performing yajnas in the Holy Meeting Place).
- Sutasoma was so named because he was born by the blessings of Chandra (another name for Soma, the Vishwapurusha).
- In the legends, Sutasoma combats Vikarna on the first day of the battle of Bharata (the struggle against the Ego Mind in the quest for spiritual truth and/or enlightenment). The son of Dhritarashtra (the blind king whose name means "total darkness") and Gandhari (meaning "keeper of the common purpose"), Vikarna was the wisest and most respectable of the Kauravas (the antagonist forces in the epic). Based on these clues, Vikarna probably represents the Buddhi, the part of the human intellect capable of learning (but not experiencing) Higher Truth.
- Sutasoma rescues Srutakarma (the Christ Self) from the clutches of Durmukha (an "ugly-faced" demon) in the battle of Bharata.
- Sutasoma fights Viviṃśati (the idea of "body" and "family," including "lineage" and "ancestry," which must be overcome in the quest for Satya).
- In an even bigger confrontation, Sutasoma fights Śakuni (an antagonist portrayed as crafty and devious), and is defeated.
- Sutasoma also fights Aśvatthāmā (a character representing the egoic ideas of anger, attack, vengeance, and war). At one point in the battle, Aśvatthāmā enters the camp of the Pandavas (the good guys) in "the Night" and kills Sutasoma.
When factored together, these seven clues make evident that Sutasoma is indeed the "holy sound of Soma" -- the Living Water, Song of Heaven, and/or Om/Aum vibration, which our attack thoughts and interpersonal conflicts render mute. So, Soma-juice might be technically correct, but it's hardly an elucidating definition.
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"Whoever drinks of the water that I will give him shall never thirst; but the water that I will give him will become in him a well of water springing up to eternal life." -- John 4:14 |
Let's now check our results. With the correct definition of Sutasoma determined, the Rig Veda verse under discussion should read as follows:
The Voice of God sounds the Holy Name that awakens the inner Self veiled by the form. Awaken that shared holy sound of Soma to bring nearer transcendental knowledge.
Let's proceed to the second Rik's third line, which SHOULD read: vāyo tava prapṛñcatī dhenā jigāti dāśuṣe urūcī (rather than vayo tava pranprncati dhena jigati dasuse uruci somapitaye, as per Max Muller and his Oxford colleagues). In his misguided attempts to preserve the "original poetic meter" or "chanda," Muller broke some of the lines of this Rik in the wrong places. In this case, somapitaye -- the last word in Muller's configuration -- belongs at the beginning of the next line. This is obvious when the teachings are translated and understood more accurately than has generally been the case. With its proper wording restored, Rv 1.2.3 should translate as follows:
The sound of the answer to the call to the atonement advances joining together in the song coming from the state of being pure-hearted.
vay-o (The sound of the answer to the call) tava (to the atonement) pra-prncati (advances joining together) dhena (in the song) jigati (coming from) dasuse (the state of being) uruci (pure-hearted)
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. (ACIM, T-14.V.4:1-5)
Listen,—perhaps you catch a hint of an ancient state not quite forgotten; dim, perhaps, and yet not altogether unfamiliar, like a song whose name is long forgotten, and the circumstances in which you heard completely unremembered. Not the whole song has stayed with you, but just a little wisp of melody, attached not to a person or a place or anything particular. But you remember, from just this little part, how lovely was the song, how wonderful the setting where you heard it, and how you loved those who were there and listened with you.
The notes are nothing. Yet you have kept them with you, not for themselves, but as a soft reminder of what would make you weep if you remembered how dear it was to you. You could remember, yet you are afraid, believing you would lose the world you learned since then. And yet you know that nothing in the world you learned is half so dear as this. Listen, and see if you remember an ancient song you knew so long ago and held more dear than any melody you taught yourself to cherish since.
Beyond the body, beyond the sun and stars, past everything you see and yet somehow familiar, is an arc of golden light that stretches as you look into a great and shining circle. And all the circle fills with light before your eyes. The edges of the circle disappear, and what is in it is no longer contained at all. The light expands and covers everything, extending to infinity forever shining and with no break or limit anywhere. Within it everything is joined in perfect continuity. Nor is it possible to imagine that anything could be outside, for there is nowhere that this light is not.
This is the vision of the Son of God, whom you know well. Here is the sight of him who knows his Father. Here is the memory of what you are; a part of this, with all of it within, and joined to all as surely as all is joined in you. Accept the vision that can show you this, and not the body. You know the ancient song, and know it well. Nothing will ever be as dear to you as is this ancient hymn of love the Son of God sings to his Father still.
And now the blind can see, for that same song they sing in honor of their Creator gives praise to them as well. The blindness that they made will not withstand the memory of this song. And they will look upon the vision of the Son of God, remembering who he is they sing of. What is a miracle but this remembering? And who is there in whom this memory lies not? The light in one awakens it in all. And when you see it in your brother, you are remembering for everyone.
Let's move on to the second Sukta's fourth verse. With "somapitaye" restored to its proper place (and "vayav" moved from the start of the fifth line to its rightful place at the end of this one), the Rik's next line now more correctly reads: Somapitaye indra-vāyū iti ime sutāh upa prayobhir ā gatam indavo vām uśanti hi vayav. By my calculations, those words translate along these lines:
Soma's song extends directly from the revelations (the metaphoric "thunderbolts" of Indra) of Vayu (the Voice of the Holy Name) coming from the Holy Instant of the One Son up above advancing knowledge of Heaven's melody, the elixir of immortality proceeding from the dawning reason given by the Voice for God.
Soma-pitaye or Somapi-taye (Soma's radiance extends directly from) indra-vayu (the revelations or metaphoric "thunderbolts" of Vayu) iti (coming from) ime (the Holy Spirit or Holy Instant) sutah (of the One Son) upa (up above) prayobhir = pra-yobhir (advancing knowledge) a (of Heaven's) gatam (melody) indavo (the elixir of immortality) vam (proceeding from) usanti (the dawning) hi (reason) vayav(a) (given by the Voice for God)
This line's restored first word, somapitaye, is generally translated as "soma-drink" or "soma-plant," which can't be right for myriad reasons. Firstly, the translation of "pitaye" as "drink" or "drinking" simply doesn't work in the context of this verse. Secondly, Soma isn't a drink derived from a plant or any other earthly source. Rather, Soma is the unconscious force or "spirit" of God's Will charged with healing the separation. Thirdly, pitaye can be divided three ways, none of which has anything to do with drinking or plants. As pita-ye, the word translates as "the means by which the Father"; as pit-aye, it means "assembles together"; and as pi-taye, it translates as either "the shining or flawless protector or nurturer" or "the brightness streaming or extending from."
So which is it? Or, is "somapitaye," in actuality, a compound of "Somapi" and "taye"? Somapi is, after all, a character mentioned in the Puranic lore. The son of Sahadeva ("with the gods" or "protected by the gods") and father of Srutasravas ("that which is heard in Wholeness"), Somapi reigned at Girivraja ("the royal mountain") for fifty-eight years.
And, yes; I did indeed translate the whole verse to prove my point (despite it being something of a rabbit-hole, as well as a can of worms). By my calculations, Rv 1.19.9 works out roughly as follows:
The first red ray of dawn, the true state of being in the Walled City protecting the Creator's dream-destroying Wine of Truth, produces the sound arising from the fiery baptism of God's family name.
abhi (first red ray of dawn or sunrise) tvā (the True Self or state of being) pūrvapi-taye (in the Walled City protects) sṛjāmi (the Creator's) so-myam (dream-destroying) madhu (wine of truth) ma-rudbh-ir (producing the sound springing or arising from) agna (the fiery baptism, ablution, or lustration) ā (of God's) gahi (family name).
Finding workable definitions for many of these words was challenging, to say the least. But I did my best. I'm not absolutely certain about "agna," which might mean "holiness," "wellspring," "mouth," or "perceiving," among other possibilities. But some words containing "agna" (like "magna") refer to watery immersion. The word is also sometimes rendered as "ajna" -- the name of the sixth, brow, or third-eye chakra representing the Sixth Plane of Christ-Realization or True Perception. The word "ajna" is typically defined as "command" or "authority." So, other possibilities for "agna" include "true perception," "holy vision," or "directives."
"Madhu," meanwhile, is typically defined as "sweet" or "honey," but the etymology tells us that, once upon a time, "madhu" meant "mead," a honey-wine whose name originally meant "wine of truth."
That brings us to "gahi," which most Sanskrit dictionaries define as "family name." This makes sense, actually, if we apprehend that "gahi" is "the family name" discussed at length (but never disclosed) in Workbook lessons 183: I call upon God's Name and on my own and 184: The Name of God is my inheritance.
These back-to-back lessons are, in fact, vitally important. Hence the links. Course-Jesus doesn't tell us the name -- nor does he call it a "family name" in so many words. He does, however, imply as much in the following from Lesson 183:
God’s Name is holy, but no holier than yours. To call upon His Name is but to call upon your own. A father gives his son his name, and thus identifies the son with him. His brothers share his name, and thus are they united in a bond to which they turn for their identity. Your Father’s Name reminds you who you are, even within a world that does not know; even though you have not remembered it.
God’s Name can not be heard without response, nor said without an echo in the mind that calls you to remember. Say His Name, and you invite the angels to surround the ground on which you stand, and sing to you as they spread out their wings to keep you safe, and shelter you from every worldly thought that would intrude upon your holiness.
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| In the 1930s, Jesus appeared to Sister Faustina, a cloistered Polish nun, with the twin rays of the Atonement streaming from his heart (the Golden Egg of Soma). While praying in the aftermath of her vision, she heard these words in her mind: "The two rays denote Blood and Water. The pale ray stands for the water that makes souls righteous (right-minded or spiritually sane). The red ray stands for the blood which is the life of souls." |
I am in charge of the process of Atonement, which I undertook to begin. When you offer a miracle to any of my brothers, you do it to yourself and me. The reason you come before me is that I do not need miracles for my own Atonement, but I stand at the end in case you fail temporarily. My part in the Atonement is the cancelling out of all errors that you could not otherwise correct. When you have been restored to the recognition of your original state, you naturally become part of the Atonement yourself. As you share my unwillingness to accept error in yourself and others, you must join the great crusade to correct it; listen to my voice, learn to undo error and act to correct it. The power to work miracles belongs to you. I will provide the opportunities to do them, but you must be ready and willing. Doing them will bring conviction in the ability, because conviction comes through accomplishment. The ability is the potential, the achievement is its expression, and the Atonement, which is the natural profession of the children of God, is the purpose. (ACIM, T-1.III.1:1-10)
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| This beautiful picture illustrates the true yajna "circle," wherein we call upon the Holy Name we share with God to extend the Living Water to everyone. |
Okay, so ... what's the difference between Jesus and the Holy Spirit? The more I study the Course and grow in spiritual understanding, the more I find myself asking this question. Is there, in fact, a difference between Jesus and the Holy Spirit? Before we move on to the Sukta's fifth line, let me share two excerpts from the Course providing the answer:
The Holy Spirit is the Christ Mind which is aware of the knowledge that lies beyond perception. He came into being with the separation as a protection, inspiring the Atonement principle at the same time. Before that there was no need for healing, for no one was comfortless. The Voice of the Holy Spirit is the Call to Atonement, or the restoration of the integrity of the mind. ⁵When the Atonement is complete and the whole Sonship is healed there will be no Call to return. But what God creates is eternal. The Holy Spirit will remain with the Sons of God, to bless their creations and keep them in the light of joy. (ACIM, T-5.I.5:1-7)
I am the manifestation of the Holy Spirit, and when you see me it will be because you have invited Him. For He will send you His witnesses if you will but look upon them. Remember always that you see what you seek, for what you seek you will find. The ego finds what it seeks, and only that. It does not find love, for that is not what it is seeking. Yet seeking and finding are the same, and if you seek for two goals you will find them, but you will recognize neither. You will think they are the same because you want both of them. The mind always strives for integration, and if it is split and wants to keep the split, it will still believe it has one goal by making it seem to be one. (ACIM, T-12.VII.6:1-8)
So, there we have it, straight from the Messiah's mouth. Jesus is a manifestation of the Holy Spirit of the Christ Mind, Mind of the Atonement, and/or Vishwapurusha, which didn't exist before the separation. He is, therefore, an atonement teaching device, rather than "the Only Begotten Son of God, seated at the right hand of the Father in Heaven."
Got it?
Let's move on to the second Rik's fifth line, which now reads: indraś ca cetathaḥ sutānāṃ vājinīvasū tāvā yātanupa dravat vayav. Converted into English, those hallowed words communicate the following:The Supreme Power of Love works through the awake-consciousness of the sacred Wholeness (or sound of the Holy Name) of the Vajin and Vasu, the Holy Powers of the atonement governing the waters flowing from the Voice for God.ind-ras = The supreme power of love
ca = works through
cetathah = the awake-consciousness
su-tanam = of the sacred Wholeness (or, perhaps, suta-nam = of sound of the Holy Name)
vajinivasu = of the Vajin (the twin rays) and Vasu (the seven spirits or lamps?), the Holy Powers
tava = of the atonement
yat-anupa = governing the rivers or waters
dravat = streaming or flowing
vayav = from the Voice for God
The Sukta's sixth line reads as follows: indraś ca sunvata ā yātanupa niṣkṛtam makṣv itthā dhiyā narā ||
The Supreme Power of Love works through the holy Lamp of God governing the waters of the atonement to produce the sound bringing forth the radiance of Nara.
Ind-ras = the Supreme Power of Love
ca = works through
su-n(i)vata = the holy lamp
a = of God
yatanupa = governing the waters
niskrtam = of the atonement
ma-ksv = to produce the sound (or humming in the ear)
ittha = bringing forth
dhiya = the light or radiance of
nara = Nara, the Red or Blood Ray
This verse actually reveals how the two atonement rays or "Lamps of God" work in partnership to dissolve the ego's delusive and destructive thought-system. In partnership with the Supreme Power of Love, the Water Ray produces the vibratory sound that eradicates the fearful thinking the Ego Mind inspires, thereby increasing the radiant power of Nara, the Blood Ray, underneath the illusion. I speak from experience when I say we feel that power in our heart chakras, while meditating on the Om vibration or Living Water -- as the image below of the light-filled "sacred heart" clearly illustrates.
In the Course, Jesus similarly calls the Great Rays the Lamps of God and/or Lamps of Heaven. In one place, he essentially parrots the Vedic verse under discussion:
No one can escape from illusions unless he looks at them, for not looking is the way they are protected. There is no need to shrink from illusions, for they cannot be dangerous. We are ready to look more closely at the ego’s thought system because together we have the lamp that will dispel it, and since you realize you do not want it, you must be ready. Let us be very calm in doing this, for we are merely looking honestly for truth. The “dynamics” of the ego will be our lesson for a while, for we must look first at this to see beyond it, since you have made it real. We will undo this error quietly together, and then look beyond it to truth. (ACIM, T-11.V.1:1-6)
If I'm not mistaken, this marks the first mention of "Nara" -- the Red Ray -- in the Rig Veda. Nara's partner, who isn't named herein, is indeed "the Holy Lamp of God governing the waters of the atonement." Nara's partner, the Water Ray, is called Narayana or Narayani in the Hindu literature.
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| Nara and Narayana performing "tapas" -- the Atonement process described in Rv 1.2.6 |
The final three lines of the Sukta are generally cast as invocations. But are they? Let's find out. By my calculations, the first of the final three lines translates thusly:
To have peace, invoke the pure-minded Water of Joy working through the sound of eternal Wholeness by which the lamp (of the Water Ray) purifies the perception supporting darkness.
Mit-ram = To have peace
huve = invoke
putadaksam = the pure-minded
var-unam = Water of Joy
ca = working through
ri-sada-sam = the sound of eternal wholeness
dhiyam = by which the lamp (the Temple Menorah?)
ghrtacim = purifies the perception
sa-d(v)hanta = supporting darkness
What this verse describes is the second lesson of the Holy Spirit: "To have peace, teach peace to learn it." How do we teach peace? One way is by meditating on the Living Water with the right-minded intention of sharing it with everyone.
Or, to quote Course-Jesus:
Since you cannot NOT teach, your salvation lies in teaching the exact opposite of everything the ego believes. This is how you will learn the truth that will set you free, and will keep you free as others learn it of you. The only way to have peace is to teach peace. By teaching peace you must learn it yourself, because you cannot teach what you still dissociate. Only thus can you win back the knowledge that you threw away. An idea that you share you must have. It awakens in your mind through the conviction of teaching it. Everything you teach you are learning. Teach only love, and learn that love is yours and you are love. (ACIM, T-6.III.4:1-9)
While the words mitram and varunam are typically translated as god-names, I don't believe that's the correct interpretation in this case -- mainly because both words end in "m." And that "m" suggests (in my limited experience) either formal singularity (the Mitra) or possessiveness (Mitra's). The verse should also refer back in some way -- and also build on -- the previous teaching. And to suddenly invoke or introduce two gods not previously mentioned makes no sense whatsoever, either structurally or logically.
As used herein, Mitram is almost certainly a compound of "mit" (to have) and "ram" (peace). Although most Sanskrit dictionaries define Mitra as "friend" and Varuna as "water-god" or "Lord of the Waters," those definitions seem to stem from preconceived notions about these two deific forces. I say this because the syllables in the two names don't support those definitions. And Sanskrit is all about linking syllables to form words.
Besides which, as I said, this verse uses "mitram" and "varunum," which most translators gerrymander as "O Mitra" and "O Varuna" -- a total cop-out, in my humble opinion. "Mitram" also is said to mean "covenant," "oath," or "alliance," which makes more sense, but still misses the mark. Varunum, meanwhile, works best in context when divided as "var" and "unam," which means "Water of Joy."
Although Course-Jesus never uses the specific phrase "Water of Joy," he does express parallel ideas in the following excerpt from the Text:
This world of light, this circle of brightness is the real world, where guilt meets with forgiveness. Here the world outside is seen anew, without the shadow of guilt upon it. Here are you forgiven, for here you have forgiven everyone. Here is the new perception, where everything is bright and shining with innocence, washed in the waters of forgiveness, and cleansed of every evil thought you laid upon it. Here there is no attack upon the Son of God, and you are welcome. Here is your innocence, waiting to clothe you and protect you, and make you ready for the final step in the journey inward. Here are the dark and heavy garments of guilt laid by, and gently replaced by purity and love. (ACIM, T-18.IX.9:1-7)
Marching onward, the Rik's second-to-last line reads: ṛtena mitrāvaruṇāv ṛtāvṛdhāv ṛtaspṛśā kratum bṛhantam āśāthe, which I've painstakingly worked out very differently than is the norm.
Equal in power, Mitra and Varuna are two parts of the holy mind defending the pervading truth given and received in the offering expanding the egg-shaped universe of God's Holy Creation.
rt-ena = equal in power
mi-trava-runav = Mitra and Varuna are two parts of
rtavrdh-av = the holy mind defending
rtasp-rasa = the pervading truth given and received
kratum = in the offering
brh-antam = expanding the egg-shaped universe (or Completion/Wholeness)
a-sathe = of God's Holy Creation
I really struggled with this one, largely because the words "rtavrdhav" and "rtasprasa" are generally believed to refer to "rta" -- a shorthand Vedic designation for Divine Law and Order, basically. To find the true definition of these words, I had to break that old mold. The verse now makes perfect sense, as well as speaks Satya. We can also now ascertain the following pertaining to the nature of the powers the Vedas call Mitra and Varuna. Mitra, the Blood Ray, is the "shakti" by which the Vishwepurusha bestows Peace, while Varuna, the Water Ray, is the "shakti" of Joy.
Ergo, Bible-Jesus (speaking as the manifest Vishwapurusha) is invoking the power of Mitra when he says to his disciples, in John 14:27:
Peace I leave with you; my peace I give you. I do not give to you as the world gives. Do not let your hearts be troubled, and do not be afraid.
And the final line reads kavī iti nah mitrāvaruṇā tuvijātā urukṣayā dakṣaṃ dadhāte apasam, which translates thusly:
Enlightenment (or Spiritual Sight) arises from the bringing together of Mitra (Peace), Varuna (Joy), and Indra (Love) in the Holy Meeting Place to bestow the Holy Instant given and received in brotherhood.
kavi = Enlightenment (or Holy Vision)
iti = arises from
nah = the coming together or bringing together
mitra-varuna = Mitra and Varuna (the Great Rays of Peace and Joy)
tuvi-jatau = to give their light and strength
or, tuvijat-au = "tuvijat" means Lord Indra, the Supreme Power of Love and "au" designates the sacred-syllable, Om/Aum, so ... the sacred sound of the Supreme Power of Love
uruksaya = in the Holy Meeting or Resting Place
da-ksam = to bestow the miracle, Holy Instant, or gift of forgiveness
dadhate = given and received
apasam = in fellowship, brotherhood, or one to another
Here, very importantly, the rishis identify the TRUE Holy Trinity as Peace (Mitra), Joy (Varuna), and Love (Indra). They also tell us enlightenment occurs when we bring these three together in the Holy Meeting Place. That is, in point of fact, why it's called "the Holy Meeting Place." In the Course, Jesus says a great deal along these same lines, some of which I've shared below:
Guilt feelings are the preservers of time. They induce fears of retaliation or abandonment, and thus ensure that the future will be like the past. This is the ego’s continuity. It gives the ego a false sense of security by believing that you cannot escape from it. But you can and must. God offers you the continuity of eternity in exchange. When you choose to make this exchange, you will simultaneously exchange guilt for joy, viciousness for love, and pain for peace. My role is only to unchain your will and set it free. Your ego cannot accept this freedom, and will oppose it at every possible moment and in every possible way. And as its maker, you recognize what it can do because you gave it the power to do it. (ACIM, T-5.VI.2:1-10)
Herein lies salvation, and nowhere else. Without attack thoughts I could not see a world of attack. As forgiveness allows love to return to my awareness, I will see a world of peace and safety and joy. And it is this I choose to see, in place of what I look on now. (ACIM, W-55.3:2-5)
We state again the truth about your Self, the holy Son of God Who rests in you, whose mind has been restored to sanity. You are the spirit lovingly endowed with all your Father’s Love and peace and joy. You are the spirit which completes Himself, and shares His function as Creator. He is with you always, as you are with Him. (ACIM, W-97.2:1-4)
To know reality is not to see the ego and its thoughts, its works, its acts, its laws and its beliefs, its dreams, its hopes, its plans for its salvation, and the cost belief in it entails. In suffering, the price for faith in it is so immense that crucifixion of the Son of God is offered daily at its darkened shrine, and blood must flow before the altar where its sickly followers prepare to die.
Yet will one lily of forgiveness change the darkness into light; the altar to illusions to the shrine of Life Itself. And peace will be restored forever to the holy minds which God created as His Son, His dwelling place, His joy, His love, completely His, completely one with Him.
And on that auspicious note, I will conclude today's discussion. If you have any questions, leave them in the comments -- or shoot me an email at purushaprasada@gmail.com.
May peace, joy, and love be with you until we meet again.
