True scriptural texts are like acorns. Stored within their pages are mighty oak trees. Those trees will, however, only sprout and grow in fertile soil. Those who trivialize their merit will never behold the splendor of those majestic trees or taste the sweet fruits they bear over time. And the same goes for charlatans and the star-struck acolytes and dilettantes who blindly base their faith on their misleading interpretations.
Now, having said all that, let me say this: It isn't my intent to insult or criticize anybody. My aim is to open your eyes to the truths the Ego Mind doesn't want you to see. And that means encouraging you to first question -- and then smash -- all the cherished idols and false beliefs getting in your way. I'm trying to help you see the trees and the light gleaming through their branches. So please don't shoot the messenger.
And on that note, let us allow the Holy Spirit to reveal to us what s/he, in fact, revealed to the great rishis of India four thousand years ago in the illusion of time.
As the post-title indicates, our subject today is the Rig Veda's eleventh Sukta, the first line of which reads (in transliterated Sanskrit): indram viśvāḥ avīvṛdhan samudra-vyacasam giraḥ rathitamam rathi-nām vājā-nām satpatim
My translation:
My Word divisions and definitions:King Indra's universal call seeks out the ancient mark of God's Word to enlarge the span of the voice driving the chariot of the Master Charioteer sounding the name of the True Husband.
indram (Indra's) viśvāḥ (universal call) avī-vṛdhan (seeks out the ancient) samudra (mark of God's Word) vyacasam (to enlarge the span of) giraḥ (the voice) rathitamam (driving the chariot) rathi-nām (of the master charioteer) vājā-nām (sounding the name) satpatim (of the True Husband).
The opening verse of this Sukta contains several scriptural metaphors needing further explanation. Let's start with "Samudra," a term that, according to Wikipedia, occurs 133 times in the Rig Veda. So, it must be pretty important in the annals of Vedic wisdom, right? According to most Sanskrit "experts," the term -- supposedly a compound of "sam" (coming together) and "udra" (water) -- translates literally as "the gathering together of the waters." But the word can also supposedly mean "ocean" or "confluence" (the place where two bodies of water meet). I say "supposedly" because the word also occurs in the (presumed) Sanskrit title of the epic story of the churning of the Ocean of Milk -- the allegorical account of how the Holy Spirit changed the world's purpose to reclaim the "elixir of immortality." And in that (presumed) title -- "Samudra Manthana" -- Samudra should mean "the Ocean of Milk."
But does it?I have my doubts, given that the Sanskrit term for Ocean of Milk is Kshira Sagara, rather than "Samudra." I further question whether "Samudra" is indeed a compound of "sam" and "udra." I'm more inclined to believe it's a marriage of "sa" (the Word of God) and "mudra" (seal or mark). And, if I'm right, the word used 133 times in the Rig Veda actually means "the Seal of God's Word," "the Mark of God's Word," or "the Mark of God."Not only do variations on the phrase "Mark of God" appear three times in the Course, references to the "seal of God" also appear three times in the New Testament (in Ephesians 1:13-14, 2 Corinthians 1:21-22, and Revelation 7:1-8).
Three times each in the Bible and the Course, and 133 times in the Rig Veda.
If we Google "seal of God's Word," we are told, "In the Bible, the seal of God's Word is the Holy Spirit, who marks believers as God's children. The seal is a symbol of the certainty that believers receive from the Holy Spirit."
We are all God's children, whether we "believe" or not. So, this interpretation of what the seal or mark represents must be flawed. To get a better handle on what "Samudra" represents, let's examine what the Bible and the Course tell us about this celestial seal or mark.
We'll start with the Bible. In Ephesians, we are told (by St. Paul):
In whom ye also trusted, after that ye heard the Word of Truth, the gospel of your salvation: in whom also after that ye believed, ye were sealed with that holy Spirit of promise, which is the earnest of our inheritance until the redemption of the purchased possession, unto the praise of our glory.
In 2 Corinthians, we are told (also by St. Paul):
Now he which stablisheth us with you in Christ, and hath anointed us, is God; Who hath also sealed us; and given the earnest of the Spirit in our hearts.
And, finally, in Revelations, we are told (by John the Elder):
And after these things I saw four angels standing on the four corners of the earth, holding the four winds of the earth, that the wind should not blow on the earth, nor on the sea, nor on any tree. And I saw another angel ascending from the east, having the seal of the living God: and he cried in a loud voice to the four angels, to whom it was given to hurt the earth and the sea, saying, "Hurt not the earth, neither the sea, nor the trees, till we have sealed the servants of our God in their foreheads." And I heard the number of them which were sealed: and there were sealed an hundred and forty and four thousand of all the tribes of the children of Israel."
Let's now see what Course-Jesus says about the mark of God.
The miracle acknowledges everyone as your brother and mine. It is a way of perceiving the universal mark of God. (ACIM, T-1.I.40:1-2)
Ultimately, every member of the family of God must return. The miracle calls him to return because it blesses and honors him, even though he may be absent in spirit. “God is not mocked” is not a warning but a reassurance. God WOULD be mocked if any of His creations lacked holiness. The creation is whole, and the mark of wholeness is holiness. Miracles are affirmations of Sonship, which is a state of completion and abundance. (ACIM, T-1.V.4:1-6)
Of your ego you can do nothing to save yourself or others, but of your spirit you can do everything for the salvation of both. Humility is a lesson for the ego, not for the spirit. Spirit is beyond humility, because it recognizes its radiance and gladly sheds its light everywhere. The meek shall inherit the earth because their egos are humble, and this gives them truer perception. The Kingdom of Heaven is the spirit’s right, whose beauty and dignity are far beyond doubt, beyond perception, and stand forever as the mark of the Love of God for His creations, who are wholly worthy of Him and only of Him. Nothing else is sufficiently worthy to be a gift for a creation of God Himself. (ACIM, T-4.I.12:1-6)
Okay, yes. None of this makes clear to the average person what the "seal" or "mark" of God actually is. So, I'll tell you straight out. It's the Om vibration, which also is the Voice of God, the Wind of God or Ruach, the Seal of the Living God, the Name of God, and the Living Water. It's also (as we learn in these passages) the "holiness" and "holy inheritance" much discussed in the Course. And only true believers can hear and share that "unstruck sound" -- that Holy Wind that doesn't blow on the earth -- for their own redemption, as well as everybody else's.
And that is why Course-Jesus says, "Of your ego you can do nothing to save yourself or others, but of your spirit you can do everything for the salvation of both." That is also why St. Paul writes, in Ephesians 2:8-9, "For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith -- and this is not from yourselves, it is the gift of God -- not by works, so that no one can boast." Despite what some religious zealots believe, we can't save anybody by preaching, knocking on doors, or carrying placards threatening "sinful" people with eternal damnation. We can only save ourselves and the world through the forgiveness made possible by listening to God's Voice whispering to us in the silence of meditation.
Furthermore, when the four angels say (in Revelation) to the fifth angel "ascending from the east" (the third quadrant of the Soul's circle-journey) with the seal, "Hurt not the earth, neither the sea, nor the trees, till we have sealed the servants of our God in their foreheads," they mean, "Don't destroy the illusion till we've had time to get more Souls to the Bridge," which starts in the second quadrant of "Artha" (Purpose) -- the quadrant of the circle-journey we enter after we begin to hear the Om vibration. And, at the time of John's "revelation," he sees that 144,000 "children of Israel" bear the seal or hear the Om vibration by which we end the dream.
That the servants of God will be "sealed in their foreheads" is an obvious reference to the Spiritual Eye or Third-Eye Chakra, the opening of which results in Christ Consciousness or Miraculous Perception, wherein we experience "Christ's Vision" or "Shiva's Vision." We perceive "the Forgiven World," in other words -- the Heaven-on-Earth revealed through the power of forgiveness -- the transcendent energy of Atonement or True Forgiveness Lord Shiva represents. And that is why the Spiritual Eye and the Ajna Chakra are so closely associated with Shiva, who is almost always depicted with the Tripundra (the three marks) upon his forehead.
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| In Hinduism, Shiva's Tripundra is a symbolic representation of his power, knowledge, and ability to see non-physical reality |
Let's move on to the referenced "charioteer of the Master Charioteer." Whom do they mean? I can't be sure, but it's probably Matali, the messenger and charioteer of King Indra, whose name means "producing the sound of clapping" or "producing the thunder-clap" -- the sound made when King Indra discharges his Vajra. The rishis might also mean Daruka, the highly skilled charioteer of Lord Krishna, whose name means "giving freely from a mindset of abundance." But the Sukta describes him as "the voice driving the chariot of the Master Charioteer," and we know the Om is produced by King Indra, the Red Ray. Moreover, Matali is associated with the divine guidance provided by the Voice of God. That the rishis mean Matali is, therefore, a safe bet.
This brings us to "the True Husband," who is identified in the Old Testament Book of Isaiah (54:5-8) as "the Holy One of Israel" and "Lord of all the Earth" -- two epithets for Elohim, the Biblical equivalent of King Indra. The passage from Isaiah, which also mentions "the Call," echoes this Vedic verse in other ways as well.
"Do not be afraid; you will not be put to shame.
Do not fear disgrace; you will not be humiliated.
You will forget the shame of your youth
and remember no more the reproach of your widowhood.
For your Maker is your husband -- the LORD Almighty is his name --
the Holy One of Israel is your Redeemer;
he is called the God of all the earth.
The LORD will call you back
you were a wife deserted and distressed in spirit --
a wife who married young, only to be rejected," says your God.
For a brief moment I abandoned you,
but with deep compassion I will bring you back.
I hid my face from you for a moment,
but with everlasting kindness
I will have compassion for you," says the LORD your Redeemer.
Now that we better understand what the metaphorical components signify, let's discuss what the whole Vedic verse attempts to communicate. From my perspective, the rishis are telling us that the universal Call to Awaken, which King Indra sounds from the seventh plane of consciousness (through Harihara), seeks out those who hear the Om to expand the reach of the mind-healing vibration. And Jesus says very much the same thing in the Course.
The next verse (Rv 1.11.2) reads: patim sakhye te indra vajinahma bhema savasah pate tvam abhi-pra no-numahjetaram apara-jitam purvih.
My translation:
The Husband and Holy Companion to you, King Indra, the Mighty One, produces the revolving quarter legs of the Self for the purpose of connecting to the cosmic waters and bowing down to the triumphant light to overcome the inferior state of separation.
My word divisions and definitions:
patim (the husband) sakhye (and holy companion) te (to you), indra (King Indra) vāji-naḥ (the Mighty One or horse of wholeness?) mā (produces) bhema (the revolving) śavasaḥ (quarter) pate (legs) tvām (of the Self) abhi-pra (for the purpose of) no-numaḥ (connecting to the cosmic waters and bowing down) jetāram (to the triumphant light) aparā-jitam (to overcome the inferior) pūrvīḥ (state of separation)
My notes:
Firstly, the revolving quarter-legs refer to the four quadrants or stages of the circle-journey. If you're new to my blog, those four "legs" and their correct translations are 1) "Dharma" (the Lotus Path), 2) "Artha" (the Holy Purpose), 3) "Kama" (Perfect Love), and 4) "Moksha" (Enlightenment). As discussed at length in previous posts, those four quadrants are occupied or guarded by the four Living Beings or throne-bearers seen and described by the prophets Isaiah, Ezekiel, Zechariah, John the Elder, and Mohammed (and perhaps others as well).
Secondly, the rishis are telling us herein that those quarter-legs are produced by King Indra, the Red Ray, "to connect to the cosmic waters and bow down to the triumphant light" for the purpose of dissolving the perception of separation. We must, in other words, tap into the "thought-waters" from which we emerged "in the beginning" -- not as individual Souls in bodies, but as the "spirit" of God's One Holy Son. And the "thought-body" where those "waters" flow is variously known in Hinduism as the Primordial Ocean, Great Ocean, or Ocean of Milk (Kshira Sagara). These "cosmic waters" are not the chaotic "universal mind" of Brahma from which the ever-changing material cosmos emerged through the projection of fear; these "cosmic waters" are the peaceful "universal mind" from which the eternally constant Divine Cosmos emerged through Brahman's extension of Perfect Love.
And it is that metaphorical "ocean" that was "churned" to change the world's purpose from manifesting bedlam in ego-induced madness and enmity to restoring spiritual sanity in brotherhood. According to most things I've read, it is upon that same "ocean" that Vishnu-Narayana and Lakshmi drift on Shiva-Nara, the water-palanquin of the At-one-ment. To reach the final quadrant of Moksha, we have to return to the Cosmic Ocean of Divine Consciousness by rising above Shiva -- the transcendent power of Atonement or Forgiveness. Strange as that sounds, we aren't truly awake, enlightened, or "saved" until we complete the Atonement or Forgiveness process Shiva embodies. And this is, in effect, what Jesus attempts to communicate when he says (in John 14:6): "I am the way, the truth, and the light. No man cometh unto the Father, except by me."
Now, compare what I've just explained to what Course-Jesus says below:
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.
Yet even forgiveness is not the end. Forgiveness does make lovely, but it does not create. It is the source of healing, but it is the messenger of love and not its Source. Here you are led, that God Himself can take the final step unhindered, for here does nothing interfere with love, letting it be itself. A step beyond this holy place of forgiveness, a step still further inward but the one YOU cannot take, transports you to something completely different. Here is the Source of light; nothing perceived, forgiven nor transformed. But merely known.
Does that make sense? I hope so, because it's vitally important that we fully comprehend the difference between material and spiritual "thought-creation."
As the rishis explained in an earlier Sukta, it is that Great Ocean of Cosmic Consciousness that the highly revered Hindu goddess Sarasvati personifies. Maa Sarasvati does NOT (as widely believed) represent learning, knowledge, communication, and creativity on the mortal plane. Rather, Maa Sarasvati represents the celestial learning, knowledge, communication, and creativity that elevates us from the mortal plane of embattled perception to the cosmic plane of peaceful omniscience. Rightmindedly understood, she is the TEACHER of Lakshmi, who represents the four aspects of the Soul making the circle-journey back to Moksha.
The word Moksha is, btw, a marriage of "mo" (creating) and "ksha" or "kasha" (from the sky, ether, or Upper World). So, I'm reasonably certain that the fourth quadrant of Moksha is that place beyond forgiveness, where we are able to create again, according to the rules established by God.
Before we move on, let's briefly discuss my definitions of the terms "jetaram" and "aparājitamas" as "to the triumphant light to overcome the inferior." While it might not be 100 percent accurate, my interpretation is vastly superior to the alternatives. Charles Rockwell Lanman, a Sanskrit scholar and professor at Harvard University during the 19th century, tells us (in his book, "Rigveda Repetitions") that the two terms were considered by his contemporaries to be epithets for Indra. Various other sources tell us "aparajita" is the name of a Rudra, a legendary king, a goddess, and a demon, as well as an epithet for Vishnu or Shiva. Still others define "aparajita" as meaning "unconquered." But how could a single word mean all of those things? The only sane answer is: it couldn't possibly. Dissatisfied with the myriad speculative meanings, I scrambled the syllables every which way until I came up with a "trifecta" definition that 1) made sense grammatically, 2) communicated higher truth, and 3) echoed the Holy Spirit's teachings in other scriptural forms. And "triumphant light" definitely fits the bill on all three counts.
Google "the triumph of light over darkness" and the bot will deliver the following highly relevant response:
"The triumph of light over darkness" is a metaphorical phrase that represents the victory of good over evil, hope over despair, or knowledge over ignorance, often used in religious and spiritual contexts to signify the power of positive forces overcoming negativity; most notably associated with the Hindu festival of Diwali, which celebrates the triumph of light (good) over darkness (evil) with the lighting of diyas (lamps).
The specific phrase "triumphant light" appears neither in the Course nor the Bible, but the idea the phrase represents is everywhere implied.
In John 8:12, for example, we are told:
In the Course, he says the following along similar lines:Then spake Jesus again unto them, saying, "I am the light of the world: he that followeth me shall not walk in darkness, but shall have the light of life."
The Holy Spirit was given you with perfect impartiality, and only by recognizing Him impartially can you recognize Him at all. The ego is legion, but the Holy Spirit is one. No darkness abides anywhere in the Kingdom, but your part is only to allow no darkness to abide in your own mind. This alignment with light is unlimited, because it is in alignment with the light of the world. Each of us is the light of the world, and by joining our minds in this light we proclaim the Kingdom of God together and as one. (ACIM, T-6.II.13:1-5)Elsewhere, he says:It is impossible not to believe what you see, but it is equally impossible to see what you do not believe. Perceptions are built up on the basis of experience, and experience leads to beliefs. It is not until beliefs are fixed that perceptions stabilize. In effect, then, what you believe you DO see. That is what I meant when I said, “Blessed are ye who have not seen and still believe,” for those who believe in the resurrection will see it. The resurrection is the complete triumph of Christ over the ego, not by attack but by transcendence. For Christ does rise above the ego and all its works, and ascends to the Father and His Kingdom. (ACIM, T-11.VI.1:1-7)
My translation:
Indra's Mouth is the chariot conveying the spokesperson bestowing the desire to rise up through spiritual discipline and striving toward liberation.
My word divisions and definitions:
indr-asya (Indra's mouth) rāt(h)a-yaḥ (is the chariot conveying) navi (the spokesperson) das-yanti (bestowing the desire) utayah (to ascend or rise up) yadi = yati (through spiritual discipline and striving toward liberation).
My notes:
Indra's Mouth is Shiva, the "chariot" or "vehicle" conveying Vishnu-Narayana, who is also the Holy Spirit and/or Voice for God. As explained in a previous post, King Indra (Har) is God's Word, Lord Shiva (Hara) is God's Mouth, and Lord Vishnu (Hari) is God's Voice.
Or, as Course-Jesus explains along similar lines:
The Holy Spirit is your Guide in choosing. He is in the part of your mind that always speaks for the right choice, because He speaks for God. He is your remaining communication with God, which you can interrupt but cannot destroy. The Holy Spirit is the way in which God’s Will is done on earth as it is in Heaven. Both Heaven and earth are in you, because the call of both is in your mind. The Voice for God comes from your own altars to Him. These altars are not things; they are devotions. Yet you have other devotions now. Your divided devotion has given you the two voices, and you must choose at which altar you want to serve. The call you answer now is an evaluation because it is a decision. The decision is very simple. It is made on the basis of which call is worth more to you. (ACIM, T-5.II.8:1-12)
Moving on, Rv 1.11.4 reads: vajasya gomatah stotrbhyah mamhate magham puram bhinduh.
My translation:
Belonging to Vaja, the Mother Cow (Kamadhenu or Surabhi, the milch-cow of Divine Love) glorifies the sacred marriage of the inner "They" producing the sound of the pure radiance broken into pieces.
My word divisions and definitions:
vāja-sya (Belonging to Vaja) gomataḥ (the oneness of creation underneath? the Mother Cow, Kamadhenu or Surabhi, the metaphoric milch-cow providing the "miracles" of corrected thought? or the pure communications of God underneath?) stotṛ-bhyaḥ (glorifies the sacred marriage of) maṃhate (the inner "They") ma-gham (producing the sound) pu-rām (of the pure inner radiance) bhinduḥ (broken into pieces)
My notes:
Let's start with Vaja, one of the Ribhus -- the three demigod "artisans" credited with fashioning Indra's horses, Brahspati's miracle-cow, and other divine instruments for the gods to use for our benefit. Primarily mentioned in the Rig Veda, the Ribhus are said by some sources to be the sons of King Indra, and by others to be the sons of Sudhavan (the Sacred Sound or Holy Voice), descending from Angiras (the Spiritual Body or Temple).
The word-name Ribhu means "the flow of purification," while the name Vaja means "the sound or water coming from the mouth." The youngest of the three Ribhu brothers, Vaja supplies "the plenitude of the divine light and substance by which the complete work (of the atonement) can be done." And herein we are told that the Miracle Cow, which the Ribhus created, belongs to Vaja -- if indeed the enigmatic Sanskrit term "gomata" or "gomatah" means "Mother Cow." Let's assume for the moment it does, since no better definition can be found. But let's also be crystal clear about what the Rig Veda's SYMBOLIC Mother Cow or Miracle Cow actually represents.
In the scriptures and legends of Hinduism, the Mother Cow is known by two names: Kamadhenu and Surabhi. Contrary to popular belief, Kamadhenu is NOT a compound of "kama" (desire) and "dhenu" (milch-cow). She is NOT, in other words, the grantor of our egoic or worldly wishes and desires. More accurately, the name is a three-way marriage of "kama" (Divine Love), "dhe" (to be absorbed or taken into one's self), and "nu" (in the present or now moment of eternity). Surabhi, meanwhile, is a compound of "sur" (the supreme or divine power) and "abhi" (the Red Ray).
Ergo, the Miracle Cow symbolizes in Hinduism "the Holy Instant" of Miraculous Perception much discussed in the Course. That is, of course, an understatement, given that the Course is no less than the Holy Spirit's training manual for the universal miracle-working that will eventually end the dream. In the first chapter, Jesus lays out fifty "principles" to help us understand what miracles are and do. Not that we really can understand what they are and do until we get quite a bit further along in the curriculum.
For the purposes of our current discussion, let me share three of these "miracle principles":
19. Miracles make minds one in God. They depend on cooperation because the Sonship is the sum of all that God created. Miracles therefore reflect the laws of eternity, not of time.
20. Miracles reawaken the awareness that the spirit, not the body, is the altar of truth. This is the recognition that leads to the healing power of the miracle.
21. Miracles are natural signs of forgiveness. Through miracles you accept God’s forgiveness by extending it to others.
In my definitions worksheet, I provided three possible meanings of "gomatah." To save you scrolling back, those definitions are: 1) the oneness of creation underneath (the illusion of separation); 2) the Mother Cow, Kamadhenu or Surabhi, the metaphoric milch-cow providing the "miracles" of corrected thought; and 3) the pure communications of God underneath (the illusion). Based on what Jesus says above (and what we know about the syllabic fluidity of Sanskrit), all three definitions are, in fact, correct and/or interchangeable.
Before we move on, let's explore two other loaded terms in this verse. Those terms are "the sacred marriage" and "They." As I understand it, the "sacred marriage" can refer to 1) the joining of the Soul (the Bride of Christ) with the Bridegroom (the whole Christ Self or Body of Christ), 2) the joining of the Blood and Water Rays to manifest "the transcendent power of True Forgiveness," or 3) the reunification of the Christ Self or Presence (the Face of Christ) with the God Self or Presence (the memory of God).
The rishis probably mean the latter, given that Course-Jesus uses the upper-case "They" and "Them" in that context. In Chapter 26 of the Text, under the heading "For They Have Come," he says (among many other pertinent things):
Is it too much to ask a little trust for him who carries Christ to you, that you may be forgiven all your sins, and left without a single one you cherish still? Forget not that a shadow held between your brother and yourself obscures the face of Christ and memory of God. And would you trade Them for an ancient hate? The ground whereon you stand is holy ground because of Them Who, standing there with you, have blessed it with Their innocence and peace. (ACIM, T-26.IX.2:1-4)
Let's move on, because the rishis also mention the proverbial "They" in the next verse (Rv 1.11.5), which reads (in transliterated Sanskrit): yuva kavih amitaojah ajayata indrah visvasya karmanah dharta vajri.
My translation:
Yoked together, "They" bring forth the enlightened consciousness of the infinite Almighty, born of the unborn King Indra, the whole universal mind acting to uphold the thunderbolt-wielding Cosmic Being underneath the self belonging to Vala.
My word divisions and definitions:
yuvā (Yoked or joined together, "They" bring forth) kaviḥ (the enlightened consciousness) amita-ojāḥ (of the infinite Almighty) ajāyata (born of the unborn) indraḥ (King Indra) viśvasya (the whole universal) kar-maṇaḥ (mind acting) dhartā (to uphold) vajrī (the thunderbolt-wielding) puru-stu-tah (cosmic being underneath) tvam (the self) valasya (belonging to Vala)
My notes:
In Hinduism, Vala is perceived as a demonic figure representing a cave, enclosure, or covering, wherein many "cows" are held captive, along with Ushas, the goddess of dawn(ing illumination). Vala is the chief of the panis, a class of demons characterized by their greed and miserliness. Like their leader, the panis seek to keep for themselves the "Light (of God)" belonging to everyone.
The definition of Vala as "cave," "enclosure," or "covering" is extremely interesting. Why? Because the very same definitions apply to the Hebrew word "gan." In the second chapter of the Book of Genesis, we are told that God planted a "gan" east of Eden for Adam and Eve to live in after the fall from grace. In the KJV Bible, "gan" is translated as "garden."
If Vala represents that same "gan" or "enclosure," his characterization as a demon is an interesting twist -- unless the "enclosure" or "cave" Vala represents is Brahmanda or Brahma's Egg, wherein the Ego Mind imprisons the Soul (the Light of God) in the "shell" of ego-body consciousness and self-interested manifesting on the left-hand side of the Wheel of Worldly Existence.
In the lore, King Indra overcomes Vala and his allies, freeing the cows and Ushas, thus symbolizing the triumph of light over darkness and order over the chaos and conflict Vala reportedly represents. I say "reportedly" because I'm not convinced that interpretation is accurate. If Vala is the same "enclosure" or "covering" referenced in Genesis, he, in fact, represents the Atonement or Golden Egg housing our Souls -- the "cows" in the stories. Those "cows" aren't milk-producing bovine; they're the fragmented Light and Life of God we share as brothers in Christ in the endless Circle of True Forgiveness. By freeing those "cows," Indra essentially elevated our self-perception from being separate Souls working together to end the dream, to being ONE inseparable Holy Creation or Son of God.
Now, uncoincidentally, as always, after writing all this, I arrived this morning at Workbook Lesson 239: The glory of my Father is my own. I mention this because the prayer in the lesson perfectly describes what King Indra personifies in Hindu theology. That illuminating prayer reads as follows:
We thank You, Father, for the light that shines forever in us. And we honor it, because You share it with us. We are one, united in this light and one with You, at peace with all creation and ourselves. (ACIM, W-239.2:1-3)
According to the Garuda Purana, Vala's war-cry agitated the Great Ocean, leading to the creation of Vaiduryayas. And this fits with Course-Jesus's account of what provoked God to devise the Atonement Plan. In case you missed that particular post, it was the first act of murder, which God could not abide.
Let's put a pin in Vala for now and move on to Vaiduryayas. Based on my research, the word means either the Four Cat's Eyes, the Four Eyes of Shiva, or the Four Beryls. And guess what? We find those same Four Beryls in the Bible -- as the eye-speckled gyroscopic wheels belonging to the four Living Beings. In Ezekiel 1:16 and 10:9, the Hebrew prophet reportedly describes those mysterious double wheels as being "like unto the color of a beryl."
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There's lots of speculation among Biblical scholars about what the prophet meant by "beryl." Most suggest the wheels he saw resembled a yellow jasper or topaz. But what Ezekiel actually wrote was "mareh ophan ma'asah ayin tarshiysh," which I translate thusly: "Revealed in my prophetic vision was a revolving chariot wheel producing an eye of shining crystal."
If you doubt my result, consider that the idea of a "crystal clear eye" in the context of clear vision, perception, and/or judgment of reality features in Christianity, Hinduism, and Buddhism (and probably other world religions as well).
Now, "tarshiysh" is one of those mysterious words whose meaning still eludes Biblical scholars. Never mind that the word appears twenty-five times in the Old Testament, often in relationship to boats and metals. From these associations, many presume Tarshiysh was an ancient city or place near a body of water. Others more insightfully suppose the word refers to some sort of gemstone.
How did I solve the longstanding mystery? By converging several different clues. The first came from a credible source suggesting "shiysh" means "white crystal" in Hebrew. The second came from a slightly less credible source suggesting the Hebrew-rooted name "Tarsha" meant "shining." Since no other definition for "tar" could be found -- and "shining" worked well with "crystal" -- I put them together. The third clue was the plausible-albeit-untraceable idea that "tarshiysh" means "beryl." The fourth was all the eyes on the double-wheel shown above. And the fifth and most reliable clue came from my research into Vala's role in the Hindu fable of the Churning of the Ocean of Milk.From all of that, I worked out that the "ayin-tarshiysh" Ezekiel saw represents the Spiritual Eye, the reopening of which is indeed the aim of the circle-journey (symbolized in the prophet's vision by the chariot-wheel).Or, to quote Course-Jesus:
Correction is for all who cannot see. To open the eyes of the blind is the Holy Spirit’s mission, for He knows that they have not lost their vision, but merely sleep. He would awaken them from the sleep of forgetting to the remembering of God. Christ’s eyes are open, and He will look upon whatever you see with love if you accept His vision as yours. The Holy Spirit keeps the vision of Christ for every Son of God who sleeps. In His sight the Son of God is perfect, and He longs to share His vision with you. He will show you the real world because God gave you Heaven. Through Him your Father calls His Son to remember. The awakening of His Son begins with his investment in the real world, and by this he will learn to re-invest in himself. For reality is one with the Father and the Son, and the Holy Spirit blesses the real world in Their Name. (ACIM, T-12.VI.4:1-10)
Okay, so ... what's all this got to do with beryls? Quite a lot, actually; because the "eye of shining crystal" Ezekiel saw and described is no less than the "crest-jewel" in the breastplate of righteousness in the New Testament, the breastplate of the priest in the Old Testament, and the supreme invincible armor or "kavacha" worn by Shiva, Vishnu, and Karna (who got it from Surya and gave it to Indra) in the Hindu literature. That breastplate or armor is worn by those who have recovered the Holy Vision or Spiritual Sight described above by Jesus. And, in scriptural symbolism, the "crest-jewel" in that ego-proof armor represents the "single eye," "spiritual eye," "third eye," "nous," or "eye of the heart" in the symbolic form of a cat's eye chrysoberyl gemstone.
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| The chrysoberyl's "cat eye" variety gets its name from the band of light running up the center. |
Was Ezekiel acquainted with the "cat's eye beryl"? And was he, in fact, describing that stone when he wrote "ayin-tarshiysh" back in the day? It's certainly possible, given that the stone is mentioned in various Jewish texts. "Midrash Talpiyot," a detailed commentary on the Torah published in the 1800s, describes the cat's eye beryl as a powerful talisman for attracting prosperity, as well as protection, luck, intuition, and self-fulfillment. So, it was a stone known to and valued by the ancient Jews.Reasonably rare and valuable, cat's eye beryls are found in Brazil, Sri Lanka (Ceylon), Myanmar (Burma), and India, as well as Russia, China, and Zimbabwe. In India, the semiprecious gems are most commonly mined in Cassis and Kerala (Malabar), the port city where Thomas Didymus established his ministry and church after the (un)death and resurrection of Jesus. Being a major trade port, Kerala had a sizeable Jewish population at that time -- a population whose roots dated back to the days of King Solomon. So, it's safe to presume the majority of cat's eye beryls the Jews acquired and/or traded back in Ezekiel's day came from the Kerala mines. It's probable, therefore, that some of the mystical beliefs attached to those gems also originated in India.
In Hinduism, the cat's eye beryl is closely linked with Vishnu, Krishna, and Ketu, a "shadow planet" in Vedic astrology associated with Moksha. Ketu, as I've explained, means "Lamps of God," so the chrysoberyl (unbeknownst to most) is closely tied to the Great Rays, as well as the circle-journey leading to Moksha (the chariot-wheel Ezekiel saw). The stone also is believed to be the Kaustubha -- the "crest jewel" or "lotus-hued ratna" worn by Vishnu and Krishna. And yes, before you ask, cat's eye beryls can be red in color (as the image below demonstrates).
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| Based on the evidence, the Kaustubha worn by Vishnu and Krishna is more likely a red cat's eye beryl than an actual ruby. |
In the allegorical story, nine to fourteen (depending on source) precious treasures, jewels, or "ratnas" emerged after Vala's war-cry agitated the Ocean of Milk. Among the first and most precious of these was the Kaustubha -- the crest-jewel in the necklace worn by Vishnu. The Skanda Purana (Chapter 11, verses 51 to 53) describes what went down as follows:From the ocean that was being churned emerged a highly refulgent, extremely bright, most excellent gem having the brilliance of the Sun. It was called Kaustubha. With its brilliance, it illuminated the three worlds. Keeping the Cintamani (a miraculous stone) in front, they saw the Kaustubha brightening the worlds. All those Suras gave the Kaustubha to Visnu. Suras and Asuras of enhanced strength lustily roared again and began to churn the ocean, keeping Cintamani in the middle.I haven't yet worked out what the word "Kaustubha" means, but "Cintamani" (which allegedly means "auspicious jewel" or "magic gem") most accurately translates as "the touchstone of God's Thoughts" -- a turn-of-phrase Course-Jesus uses in the following excerpt from Workbook Lesson 157: Into His Presence would I enter now:
From this day forth, your ministry takes on a genuine devotion, and a glow that travels from your fingertips to those you touch, and blesses those you look upon. A vision reaches everyone you meet, and everyone you think of, or who thinks of you. For your experience today will so transform your mind that it becomes the touchstone for the holy Thoughts of God. (ACIM, W-157.5:1-3)
Let's hop back to Ezekiel for a moment, because we've also learned that the double wheel the prophet saw wasn't gyroscopic in configuration. Gyroscopes weren't, in point of fact, invented until the 1800s. So the insertion of the word "gyroscope" in Ezekiel's description of the wheels in the KJV Bible had to be a later addition. What Ezekiel actually saw and described was a revolving two-part chariot wheel whose inner and outer sections turned in opposite directions. So, what he beheld was the Wheel at the Center of the Universe, around which the four Living Beings travel to complete the circle-journey to reopen the Spiritual Eye (thereby restoring Christ's or Shiva's Vision of the Forgiven World). That Wheel is, btw, the endless Circle of True Forgiveness mentioned in the Rig Veda's sixth Sukta, as well as the Circle of Atonement described in the following from the Course:
We are all joined in the [circle of] Atonement here, and nothing else can unite us in this world. So will the world of separation slip away, and full communication be restored between the Father and the Son. The miracle acknowledges the guiltlessness that must have been denied to produce the need of healing. Do not withhold this glad acknowledgment, for hope of happiness and release from suffering of every kind lie in it. Who is there but wishes to be free of pain? He may not yet have learned how to exchange guilt for innocence, nor realize that only in this exchange can freedom from pain be his. Yet those who have failed to learn need teaching, not attack. To attack those who have need of teaching is to fail to learn from them. (ACIM, T-14.V.5:1-8)
On that clarion note, let's move on to Rv 1.11.6, which is rather lengthy compared to the others in this Sukta. It's also incredibly profound. In transliterated Sanskrit, the verse reads: gomatah apa avah adrivah bilam tvam devah abibhyusah tujyamanasah avisu tava aham sura ratibhih prati ayam sindhum avadan upa atisthanta girvanah viduh te tasya karavah
My translation:
The Mother Cow's water of life manifests Kamadeva, the Love of God, to support the cave-of-the-Self's Divine Beings fearlessly joined in the offering pushing forward the Thought of God in two equal parts bearing the fiery red I Am, the celestial being Rati-dev, the Atonement Trinity, leads back to the four rivers of God's Face, above and beyond the Resting Place where God is praised to extract from the Holy Name the Great Purusha's thunder-like sound.
My word divisions and definitions:
go-mataḥ (the Mother Cow's) apa (water) avaḥ (of life) adr-i-vaḥ (manifests Kamadeva, the Love of God to support) bilam (the cave of) tvām (the Self's) devāḥ (divine or celestial beings) abibh-yuṣaḥ (fearlessly joined in the offering) tujyamānāsaḥ (pushing forward the Thought) ā-vi-ṣuḥ (of God in two parts bearing) tava (the fiery red) aham ("I Am") śūra (the celestial being or holy inner radiance) rāti-bhiḥ (Rati-dev, the partner of Kamadeva, or the Atonement Trinity) prati (lead back to) āyam (the four) sindhum (rivers) ā-vadan (of God's face) upa (above) ati-ṣṭhanta (and beyond the Resting Place) girvaṇaḥ (where God is praised) viduḥ (to extract) te (from) tasy-a (the Holy Name) kā-ravaḥ (the Great Purusha's thunder-like sound)
My notes:
I told you it was long and rather profound. It also echoes, to a large extent, the quote I shared earlier about the Trinity and the Name from Chapter 12 of the Course's Text. There are, nevertheless, a few phrases warranting further explanation. Let's tackle them in order, starting with "the Cave of the Self." As I understand it, "the Cave of the Self," also sometimes called "the Innermost Cave of the Self," is the same as "the Cave of the Heart" or "Guha" -- a metaphor in Hinduism for the deep inner dwelling place of the True Self, together with the Divine Presence(s) of God and Christ (the "They" referenced herein, as well as in the Course).
Now, it would seem that the "cave" Vala represents and the "cave" mentioned herein are the same, meaning Vala isn't a demon at all. He's merely an atonement device our Souls eventually "outgrow," with Indra's help. And this tracks with Vala being the son of Tvashtr, the artisan god who fashioned the other atonement instruments.
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| Tvastr, the artisan god, who is closely identified, if not another name for, Vishvakarma, the divine architect who built the chariots, cities, and weapons for the gods in the Hindu lore. |
According to Google-bot, the "cave of the self" also is all of the following:
--a space for contemplation that allows us to recognize our True Self and our connection to the Supreme Spirit
--the place where the True Self and the ego unite (or do battle)
--a secret passageway to an "underworld," where we can make contact with powers and forces that will eventually make their way into the world of light
--a place where Brahman's essence is realized
--a place where the Atman or eternal Self is hidden
So, essentially, when Course-Jesus says to "sink deep into the peace that waits for you beyond the frantic, riotous thoughts and sights and sounds of this insane world" (as he does in Workbook Lesson 49: God's Voice speaks to me all through the day), he is instructing us to seek after the deep inner Heart-Cave or Cave of the Self. It's also to this "Innermost Cave" that King David refers in Psalm 51:6, when he writes:
Behold, thou desirest truth in the innermost-innermost: and in the hidden-hidden thou shalt make me to know wisdom.
(As explained in a much earlier post, repeating a word in Hebrew elevates it to divine status, so the innermost-innermost and hidden-hidden are spiritual rather than physical locations.)
This "Innermost Cave" spoken of by King David and the Vedic scribes also is the place Bible-Jesus instructs his disciples to pray when he says (in Matthew 6:6): "But thou, when thou prayest, enter into they closet, and when thou hast shut thy door, pray to thy Father, which is in secret; and thy Father which seeth in secret shall reward thee openly."
The Greek word translated into English as "closet" was tameion, which more accurately describes an "inner room" or "secret chamber." So, Jesus never said we should pray inside actual closets. Neither did he say "shut thy door." What he said was "keio sous thura," which translates metaphorically as, "in the glory of the divine presence."
So, when translated with more illuminated insight, Matthew 6:6 should read: "When you pray, enter into the innermost chamber and, in the glory of the divine presence within, pray to your Father who is hidden; and your Father who beholds the hidden offering to your own Self shall give back inwardly."
But wait, there's more ... because Jesus also mentions this "innermost chamber" in the Gospel of Philip -- one of the disciple-authored texts rejected, condemned, and ordered destroyed by the early "catholic" authorities who chose the New Testament canon. Philip, whose birth-name was Nadir, was a lifelong friend of Yeshua's, as was Mary (the Magdala). According to the two Ascended Masters who dictated The Disappearance of the Universe and The Lifetimes When Jesus and Buddha Knew Each Other to Gary R. Renard (another Course teacher), the Souls of Jesus and Nadir were linked over seven lifetimes. In the one just previous, Nadir was Siddhartha, the Buddha, while Jesus was the son few knew the Buddha had.
Like the Gospel of Thomas, the Gospel of Philip was lost to humanity until the discovery in 1945 of the "Nag Hammadi Library," a collection of sacred texts someone buried in a jar centuries before. Also like the Gospel of Thomas, the Gospel of Philip is a "sayings" rather than a narrative gospel. Like Thomas, Philip simply wrote down some of the things he heard Jesus say first-hand. And here's what he heard Jesus say first-hand about the Innermost Chamber:
He said, “My father who is in secret.”He said, “Go into the chamber and shut the door behind you,and pray to your father who is in secret,”the one who is innermost.But what is within them all is the fullness.Beyond it there is nothing inside.This is the place they call “the uppermost.”
While I question the translation of "and shut the door behind you," I'm not going to bother digging deeper. Instead, let's skip ahead to "the four rivers of God's Face" -- a rather odd turn of phrase I'd never heard before now. So, I looked it up. And guess what? The four rivers of God's Face are indeed mentioned in the Bible -- in the second chapter of Genesis, in the section describing "the planting of the garden" (Genesis 2:8-14). So let's see what those passages can tell us about these four rivers.
According to the Anglican KJV translators, those passages read as follows:
And the LORD God planted a garden eastward in Eden; and there he put the man whom he had formed. And out of the ground made the LORD God to grow every tree that is pleasant to the sight, and good for food; the tree of life also in the midst of the garden, and the tree of knowledge of good and evil.
And a river went out of Eden to water the garden; and from thence it was parted, and became into four heads. The name of the first [is] Pison: that [is] it which compasseth the whole land of Havilah, where [there is gold]. And the gold of that land [is] good: there [is] bdellium and the onyx stone. And the name of the second river [is] Gihon: the same [is] it that compasseth the whole land of Ethiopia. And the name of the third river [is] Hiddekel: that which goeth toward the east of Assyria. And the fourth river [is] Euphrates.
Okay, then. Not very elucidating as translated by the Anglicans; but something tells me it's a veritable goldmine of spiritual wisdom waiting to be excavated. So, let's see what revisiting the original Hebrew will reveal.
Yowah (The Name of God) Elohim (the Spirit of Grace or Red Ray) planted (in the manner of seeds) in a protective enclosure in the eastern direction of Eden (a compound of "ed" and "en," meaning "fountain-altar" or "spring-altar"); thither to position the Soul (Adam) to form, fashion, or create "Adam-ah" (the kinship or brotherhood of Souls) bringing forth Yowah (the Name of God) sprouting from the branch of desiring greatly the vision of the good fruits to be eaten from the branches of the Living Beings ("chay," as in Ezekiel) in the midst of the enclosure; branches of experiential knowledge, good and ill, stream out of Eden (the fountain-altar or wellspring) to furnish drink divided into four "heads" or "faces," united in name or glory.
Piyshown (Pishon), the first, revolves around the earth or world circle (chavilah), seeking after gold (or splendor) -- the gold of worldly wealth and favor, separate from her brothers' beryl-stone name (or glory); the second stream, Gichon, revolves around the region of Kuwsh (meaning "the Black One" or "Holy Grass" -- not Ethiopia!); and the third stream, Chiddeqel, proceeds rapidly eastward on the blessed journey to the fourth stream of Perath (the Hebrew word for Euphrates, which, when correctly translated means "Holy Glorification").
So, pretty similar overall to the Vedic verse under discussion. When correctly translated, Genesis doesn't say "God planted a garden east of Eden"; it says Elohim (King Indra) planted the Name of God (OM or YHWH) in an enclosure in the eastern direction of the fountain-altar -- the cardinal direction "guarded" by King Indra, the Red Ray and/or Word of God. That same "fountain" is mentioned again in Zechariah 13:1; Proverbs 14:27, 16:22,18:4; and Psalms 36:9. In Jeremiah 2, Yowah describes himself as "the fountain of living waters," which we forsook by choosing the "broken cisterns" of ego-body perception over God's righteous omniscience. In John 7:37, Jesus says: "If anyone thirsts (longs for spiritual fulfillment) to come toward me and to drink, to have faith and enter into me, just as the scriptures say, from out of the same heart will pour forth a river, stream, torrent, or flow of Living Water."
From what Genesis tells us (when correctly translated), we can safely deduce that the four rivers of God's Face also are the four Living Beings seen by Ezekiel, Zechariah, and John the Elder, as well as the throne-bearers of Allah (in Islam), the four aspects of Lakshmi (in Hinduism), and the four Taras (in Buddhism).
The Hebrew dictionaries define the names as follows:
Pishon = to scatter, spread out, or disperse
Gichon = bursting forth or gushing
Chiddeqel = swift flowing or "the swift one" (the Hebrew name for the Tigris River)
Perath = to break forth or rushing (the Hebrew name for the Euphrates River)
I'm not convinced these definitions are right, because they tell us next to nothing useful. And the Holy Spirit's communications are always useful to sincere truth-seekers. We also know that Perath is the Hebrew name for the Eurphrates River, which forms the easternmost border of Israel -- the external projection of the internal "Promised Land for the Chosen Ones." The Real or Forgiven World, in other words, projected outward as maya. We also know that Euphrates means "Holy Glorification" -- the Christian equivalent of Moksha. Disappointingly, I can't solve this particular mystery. If these river names did mean something else originally, those meanings seem to have been lost to time.
Let's move on to the next verse, Rv 1.11.7. Another fairly long one, the text reads: mayabhih indra mayinam tvam susnam ava atrirah viduh te tasya medhirah tesam sravamsi uttira indram isanam
My translation:
The light in the cosmic illusion, King Indra is the divine power within the self of Susna, the drought-demon; the spirit beyond the separation dispersing the Holy Name's high-level wisdom from Pracetas, the prescient one(s) streaming the components of the whole to raise the riverbanks of King Indra's supreme controlling power.
My word divisions and definitions:
māyābhiḥ (the light in the cosmic illusion) indra (Indra) māyinam (is the divine power within) tvam (the self) śuṣṇam (of Susna, the drought-demon), ava (the spirit) ati-raḥ (beyond the separation) viduḥ (dispersing) te (from) tasya (the Holy Name's) medhirāḥ (high-level wisdom) teṣām (from the "pracetas" -- the prescient one or ones) śrav-āṃsi (streaming the components of the whole) ut-tira (to elevate or raise the riverbank) indram (of Indra's) īśānam (supreme controlling power)
My notes:
Another pretty solid textbook definition of what King Indra represents in the Hindu pantheon. We also learn herein that it is Pracetas -- the prescient one(s) -- who stream(s) the components of the whole to raise the riverbanks of King Indra's supreme controlling power. As a word, "pracetas" means "advancing consciousness," while "prescient" means "knowledge of future events." Anyone who hears and shares the Om advances the consciousness of the Christ Self. But not everyone who hears the Om has "knowledge of future events." So, the Pracetas spoken of in the Puranic lore are probably the same Ascended Masters Course-Jesus calls "the teachers of teachers." And it is they, I believe, who teach the hearers of God's Voice how to fulfill their holy purpose in the Circle of Om.
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| The Pracetas paying homage to Shiva. |
Since the last verse mentioned the four rivers of God's Face or Presence, we can presume the riverbanks in this one belong to those four rivers. One of those metaphoric rivers -- Chiddeqel or Hiddekel, the Hebrew name for the Tigris River -- features in a vision described in Daniel 10:2-9. While sitting "by the side of the great river, which is Hiddekel" there appeared to the Biblical patriarch a figure he describes not as "a certain man" (as per the KJV translation), but as "a bridegroom, clothed in fine white linen, whose loins were girded with a pure gold uwphaz."
Why did Daniel describe the apparition as "a bridegroom"? I'm guessing it's because he was dressed in the fine white linen costume of a Jewish man about to be married. And that white linen costume also identified him as the True Husband mentioned at the start of this Sukta.
Let's go back to the Hebrew word uwphaz, the meaning of which has eluded scholars and Hebrew-speakers for centuries. I strongly suspect it's a marriage of uwpha (winged or bird-like), and the Hebrew letter "zayin," which means "sword." And a winged sword is indeed a symbol of divine power and authority, which this "riverbank" apparition exudes in every possible way. Moreover, to "gird the loins" literally meant to wear a sword in Biblical times.
But wait ... because the winged sword more specifically represents Michael, the presumed "archangel" whose name means, more or less, "in the likeness of God." And the bridegroom figure does indeed mention Michael by name a little farther on in Daniel's account of his riverside vision.
Daniel describes the figure thusly (as I interpret the original Hebrew): "His body was tarshish (shining crystal, like a beryl), and his countenance gleamed like a fountain of lightning flashes and fire. Mightily he stood, a fountain of burnished bronze, sounding the Word of God with a noise like a roaring crowd."
In the next section, the Bridegroom speaks to Daniel. What he says is, however, quite different from what the KJV translation reports. Based on the original Hebrew, what he communicates is more along these lines:
Daniel, the Bridegroom desires you to perceive the Word of God ("dabar-dabar"). Arising to set free the Word's enduring quake demands deep reverence, Daniel, for the beginning-time of bestowing the heart-thoughts to perceive the Answer in the presence of Elohim, the Word of God to be heard to enter into God's communications, covenantal promise, or guidance of higher authority. The Kingdom's scattered or spread-out parts (our Souls) remain one in completion eternally. Michael, the one firstborn prince, has come to assist in preserving the relationship of the Kingdom's scattered parts, by bringing to pass the perception of meeting as a collective body, identity, or name to end the dream of time.
Okay, wow. Clearly it wasn't my ego that guided me to this excerpt from the Book of Daniel -- and urged me to translate this section of dialog this morning before proceeding to the final verse. Michael is described herein as "the one firstborn prince" -- a title most Christians would assign to Jesus Christ. But, as Jehovah's Witnesses rightly believe, Michael is the pre-human and post-resurrection "spirit of Christ" embodied within Jesus of Nazareth after he overcame the Ego Mind. That "spirit" or "likeness of God" dwells within all of us, waiting to be purified by the vibrational Word of God. So Michael isn't just the "chief angel" or the name Jesus is known by in Heaven; Michael is the name we ALL share in Heaven as "the one firstborn prince."
Michael is, therefore, the Name we share with God, as well as another form of King Indra, who is identified elsewhere in the Rig Veda as the "one in the likeness of God."
Are you keeping up? Lol.
Before we move on to the Sukta's eighth and final verse, I want to add something. While out searching for an image of an ancient Israelite bridegroom (without much luck), I came across a very interesting article on the website of the International Christian Embassy Jerusalem. The article, titled "Yom Kippur: A Day to Prepare Our Wedding Garments," explained (among other things) that the Hebrew word "kippur" means both "covering over" and "atonement." And that little nugget inspired my "a-ha" realization that the "covering," "enclosure," or "cave" Elohim built "east of Eden" is, in fact, the vehicle through which we remember our at-one-ment in "Michael," the one firstborn prince in the likeness of God. And that "vehicle" is the Circle of Forgiveness, Prabhamandala, or Golden Egg in which Shiva "dances" to play out in time God's Will for our deliverance from the dream of hell.
Makes sense, right?
Let's now move on to the Sukta's eighth and final verse, which reads: ojasa abhi stomah anusata sahasram yasya ratayah uta va santi bhuyasih
My translation:
God's radiant energy, the Red Ray speaks Anu's Truth in the hidden dwelling place of the One whose love springs from the fountain bringing forth peace in abundance.
My word divisions and definitions:
ojasā (God's radiant energy) abhi (the Red Ray) stomāḥ (speaks) anūṣata (Anu's Truth) sahasram (in the hidden dwelling place of) yasya (the one whose) rāta-yaḥ (love springs from) uta (the fountain) vā (bringing forth) santi (peace) bhūyasīḥ (in abundance)
My notes:
In case it isn't clear, the hidden dwelling place is the innermost chamber spoken of by Jesus, while the One whose love springs from the fountain (in the vibrational "voice" of the Red Ray and supplying peace in abundance) is God.
My beloved brother, I hope you've learned as much from this exercise as I have. In closing, let me reiterate that our true function in this world is to go within to that hidden chamber where God speaks to us and simply listen -- with the intention of sharing the saving grace we receive with EVERYONE.
In case you doubt me, I will leave you with the complete text of Workbook Lesson 154: I am among the ministers of God, which echoes all we've just discussed.
Let us today be neither arrogant nor falsely humble. We have gone beyond such foolishness. We cannot judge ourselves, nor need we do so. These are but attempts to hold decision off, and to delay commitment to our function. It is not our part to judge our worth, nor can we know what role is best for us; what we can do within a larger plan we cannot see in its entirety. Our part is cast in Heaven, not in hell. And what we think is weakness can be strength; what we believe to be our strength is often arrogance.
Whatever your appointed role may be, it was selected by the Voice for God, Whose function is to speak for you as well. Seeing your strengths exactly as they are, and equally aware of where they can be best applied, for what, to whom and when, He chooses and accepts your part for you. He does not work without your own consent. But He is not deceived in what you are, and listens only to His Voice in you.
It is through His ability to hear one Voice which is His Own that you become aware at last there is one Voice in you. And that one Voice appoints your function, and relays it to you, giving you the strength to understand it, do what it entails, and to succeed in everything you do that is related to it. God has joined His Son in this, and thus His Son becomes His messenger of unity with Him.
It is this joining, through the Voice for God, of Father and of Son, that sets apart salvation from the world. It is this Voice which speaks of laws the world does not obey; which promises salvation from all sin, with guilt abolished in the mind that God created sinless. Now this mind becomes aware again of Who created it, and of His lasting union with itself. So is its Self the one reality in which its will and that of God are joined.
A messenger is not the one who writes the message he delivers. Nor does he question the right of him who does, nor ask why he has chosen those who will receive the message that he brings. It is enough that he accept it, give it to the ones for whom it is intended, and fulfill his role in its delivery. If he determines what the messages should be, or what their purpose is, or where they should be carried, he is failing to perform his proper part as bringer of the Word.
There is one major difference in the role of Heaven’s messengers, which sets them off from those the world appoints. The messages that they deliver are intended first for them. And it is only as they can accept them for themselves that they become able to bring them further, and to give them everywhere that they were meant to be. Like earthly messengers, they did not write the messages they bear, but they become their first receivers in the truest sense, receiving to prepare themselves to give.
An earthly messenger fulfills his role by giving all his messages away. The messengers of God perform their part by their acceptance of His messages as for themselves, and show they understand the messages by giving them away. They choose no roles that are not given them by His authority. And so they gain by every message that they give away.
Would you receive the messages of God? For thus do you become His messenger. You are appointed now. And yet you wait to give the messages you have received. And so you do not know that they are yours, and do not recognize them. No one can receive and understand he has received until he gives. For in the giving is his own acceptance of what he received.
You who are now the messenger of God, receive His messages. For that is part of your appointed role. God has not failed to offer what you need, nor has it been left unaccepted. Yet another part of your appointed task is yet to be accomplished. He Who has received for you the messages of God would have them be received by you as well. For thus do you identify with Him and claim your own.
It is this joining that we undertake to recognize today. We will not seek to keep our minds apart from Him Who speaks for us, for it is but our voice we hear as we attend Him. He alone can speak to us and for us, joining in one Voice the getting and the giving of God’s Word; the giving and receiving of His Will.
We practice giving Him what He would have, that we may recognize His gifts to us. He needs our voice that He may speak through us. He needs our hands to hold His messages, and carry them to those whom He appoints. He needs our feet to bring us where He wills, that those who wait in misery may be at last delivered. And He needs our will united with His Own, that we may be the true receivers of the gifts He gives.
Let us but learn this lesson for today: We will not recognize what we receive until we give it. You have heard this said a hundred ways, a hundred times, and yet belief is lacking still. But this is sure; until belief is given it, you will receive a thousand miracles and then receive a thousand more, but will not know that God Himself has left no gift beyond what you already have; nor has denied the tiniest of blessings to His Son. What can this mean to you, until you have identified with Him and with His Own?
Our lesson for today is stated thus:
I am among the ministers of God, and I am grateful that I have the means by which to recognize that I am free.The world recedes as we light up our minds, and realize these holy words are true. They are the message sent to us today from our Creator. Now we demonstrate how they have changed our minds about ourselves, and what our function is. For as we prove that we accept no will we do not share, our many gifts from our Creator will spring to our sight and leap into our hands, and we will recognize what we received.
