‘Who comprehendeth this hath wisdom! He is quit of works in bliss!’
Know, too, from Me
Shineth the gathered glory of the suns
Which lighten all the world: from Me the moons
Draw silvery beams, and fire fierce loveliness.
- Ganguli XV.12
Krishna now enumerates the visible
states of the Supreme Oneness. The Lord God is that refulgence of the Sun that
lights the universe. The One is also the light reflected off the Moon and the
brilliance (tejas) in fire (XV.12).
As the Force and Power that enters (avisya) the earth, the Lord God sustains (dharayami) all beings (bhutani) and ‘objects existing on earth’ (Gambhirananda - XV.13).
I penetrate the clay, and lend all shapes
Their living force; I glide into the plant -
Root, leaf, and bloom - to make the woodlands green
With springing sap.
- Ganguli XV.13
The next line in verse 13 contains the Sanskrit word Soma - soma bhutva rasatmakah. The Lord becomes Soma ‘the essence of all saps’ to nourish all plants making them ‘juicy and tasteful’ (Gambhirananda). The translations of this verse vary as the ‘moisture of the Moon’ (B.Marjanovic) and the ‘Savoury Moon’ (M.N.Dutt) - or the famous Soma plant itself which is praised in the Vedas for producing ‘rapturous’ effects (Winthrop Sargeant).
It is accepted that Soma was used by the Vedic Aryan priests in sacrificial rituals, however no one seems to know exactly what Soma was. Some researchers consider Soma as an hallucinogenic mushroom (the amanita muscaria). I believe that whatever the true Soma was could only have been present in the previous cycles of time. In my view, its effectiveness and perhaps its very existence vanished in the Kali Yuga.
Guenon:‘The Fissures in the Great Wall’
Rene Guenon says that in our current modern era of time we have become essentially cut off from the higher realms. In ‘The Reign of Quantity’ he writes on the Fissures in the Great Wall, warning that our world is threatened by what he called unanticipated interferences. As we have come to accept matter as the only reality, meaning as the solidification of the world has progressed, we have come near to the limits to that solidification. And because the world can never become a completely closed system, what Guenon calls ‘fissures’ have occurred in the protective barrier that surrounds our world.
This protective barrier is known in metaphysics as the Great Wall and it exists to protect us. The Great Wall, as he terms it, is a shell and as such not only keeps energies out to act as our protection, it also serves as a limitation, a container. It exists to ensure that we are protected from being attacked by enemies from below. I assume this implies that many of these entities are not particularly evolved and may have a somewhat ‘Darkside’ consciousness.
Apparently in previous cycles of time before the current solidification of the world, there existed openings in the top of this protective shell that allowed us to communicate with the higher realms.
Such communication was the purpose of the ancient Spiritual Centers clustered all over the planet which function as time portals. Most of these are now abandoned and according to Rene Guenon have been intentionally taken over by the Darkside, so that they may feed off the residual frequencies once generated there. Think of how many once sacred sites are the focal point of ongoing wars and human misery (inannareturns.com/articles/invaders.htm).
The Doors of Perception ...?
In my
view those herbs and drugs that offer ‘doors’ into other dimensions, which are
so often cluttered with mysterious and often seductively hypnotic entities,
resonate only with the lower frequencies that would be easily accessible in a
Kali Yuga. Authentic access to the highest Consciousness that is the Real
Supreme Being, lies within the Heart as the God within us all. As Krishna has
said, God is seated in the Hearts of All (hrdi sarvasya visthitam - XIII.17).
Becoming vital warmth,
I glow in glad, respiring frames, and pass,
With outward and with inward breath, to feed
The body by all meats.
- Ganguli XV.14
The Lord takes the form of fire in the bodies of all living beings (vaisvanaras), and through the vital breath - inhaling (prana) and exhaling (apana) - digests with this fire (pacami) the food eaten (XV.14). The Gambhirananda translation says that this food should be meditated on as Soma. Perhaps seeing God in your food will turn it into Soma for you.
... by entering ... in the form of the jiva of each individual being, I shall clearly manifest name and form.
- Chandogya Upanishad VI.iii.2 as translated by Gambhirananda
Again Krishna says that he, as the Consciousness that is identified and at one with the Supreme Self (Paramatman), is in the Heart (hrdi) of All (XV.15). Both Memory (smrtis) and Knowledge (jnanam), as well as their loss (ca apohanam) arise from the Supreme Oneness.
Arrogant Seers
There are several stories in the Puranas where accomplished Seers become a bit arrogant in their acetic achievements and are covered by delusion (maya) to relieve them of their pride. These cautionary tales can be a lesson to us all, as this ‘vanishing wisdom’ can happen to even one as great as the Sage Narada.
After cursing the two attendants of Shiva suitably, the sage [Narada] still under the earlier delusion ... due to Shiva’s will. He did not wake from the delusion still again due to Shiva’s will ... he became unbearably infuriated ... his wisdom had vanished due to Shiva’s will.
- Shiva Purana; Rudra Samhita I, Ch.4.3-5
The Imperishable Akshara
Krishna tells Arjuna that in this world (loka) Consciousness (purusau) takes two forms (XV.16). One is the Perishable, the mutable ksarah; and the other is the Imperishable, the immutable akshara. The Perishable consists of all beings (sarvani bhutani) and the innumerable products of Prakriti’s guna-maya.
For in this world
Being is twofold: the Divided, one;
The Undivided, one. All things that live
Are "the Divided." That which sits apart,
"The Undivided."
- Ganguli XV.16
The Imperishable (akshara) is that which is covered by the illusory webs of the Lord’s self-created power to veil Its Self - Maya; but akshara is that which remains forever pure, untouched, and is never altered (Gambhirananda).
Higher still is He,
The Highest, holding all, whose Name is LORD,
The Eternal, Sovereign, First! Who fills all worlds,
Sustaining them.
- Ibid XV.17
Beyond these two expressions of Consciousness, the Perishable and the Imperishable, is another higher greater being - the Supreme Self, Paramatman (XV.17).
The Supreme Self permeates the three worlds (lokatrayam) as Isvara (pronounced Ishwara). The literal meaning of Isvara is ‘able to do’ or ‘capable of’ (M.Monier-Williams). My understanding of Isvara is that it describes the aspect of the Creator that has entered into this universe. Isvara is often heard in popular Hindi songs, especially in the context of asking for help or protection.
Hinduism has many words that describe the various subtle aspects of the One. However the understanding that is conveyed by a word may have different divergent meanings in various schools of thought. For example Isvara is also a name for Shiva.
And - dwelling thus beyond
Divided Being and Undivided - I
Am called of men and Vedas, Life Supreme,
The PURUSHOTTAMA.
- Ibid XV.18
The One Supreme Self (paramatman) that is simultaneously within and beyond both the Perishable (ksarah) and the Imperishable (akshara) is known as Purushottama, the Supreme Consciousness or Person (XV.18).
Who knows Me thus,
With mind unclouded, knoweth all, dear Prince!
And with his whole soul ever worshippeth Me.
- Ibid.19
Those who come to Know the Supreme Consciousness and thereby release their being from the frequency waveform of delusion, Become all-knowing (sarva-vit). When you Realize that the God within you is and has always been your True Self, you will of course, meaning quite naturally, feel an overwhelming wonderful cleansing and blissful Love for that Supreme Consciousness (Purushottama) with all you being, all your heart (XV.19).
यो
मामेवमसम्मूढो
जानाति
पुरुषोत्तमम्
.
स
सर्वविद्भजति
मां
सर्वभावेन
भारत
.. १५-
१९.
yo mām evam asaṃmūḍho jānāti
puruṣottamam
sa sarvavid bhajati māṃ sarvabhāvena bhārata 15.19
This Love is none other than the ‘unified field’ which modern science seeks so intently. Love is the Absolute Nature of the Supreme Consciousness. Love is the Source of this universe and all others. When you Know, you will want nothing more than to remain immersed in your own ‘true love’ - your own Self as the Supreme Consciousness.
Now is the sacred, secret Mystery
Declared to thee!
Who comprehendeth this
Hath wisdom! He is quit of works in bliss!
- Ibdi.XV.20
With a twinkle in his eye - I’m sure - Krishna lovingly tells his dear friend that what he has here been taught is the highest secret (guhya-taman). The real purpose and ultimate end of life and all lives is to Become wise (buddhiman) in this understanding (buddhva). Having attained this Knowledge, all ‘duties’ (krtyam) are fulfilled and accomplished (XV.20).
In solitude & by your own effort
Abhinavagupta reminds us that this wisdom ‘cannot be attained by an intellect engaged in ordinary worldly activities’ (B.Marjanovic). All who seek to be free from delusion and ignorance must in solitude and by our own efforts, confront the ‘demonic’ in the mind. These darkside forces are designed to hold us bound, ensnared and entrapped in temporal illusory holographic webs, until we Recognize them as our own creation.
Once we acquire the powerful Wisdom of Discrimination between the Real and the unreal, we are no longer bound in ignorance and delusion. In transcending their hold over our consciousness, we find our Way Home, back to the One from which we emerged into this grand adventure.
The Demonic is Us!
I would like to say something about the demonic forces here, especially as I am personally weary of all the endless speculation about the infamous Reptilians and their pernicious influence on human affairs.
The Darkside is what allows the existence of the universe. Those who are naive and want to believe that this earth plane is nice and sweet, and filled with rainbow puff-dreams, love to blame and dwell on the demonic forces that are playing their role and allowing the World Drama to unfold.
Yes, there are many Loka realms, the Myriad Worlds and ‘astral planes’ where millions of beings, including the extraterrestrials, dwell. Some are evolved and friendly, some are unevolved and solely motivated by their own selfish interests. These worlds are projections of the human mind over the Cycles of Time and have increased in complexity throughout the Kali Yuga. They are all expressions of the One. There is only the One.
Black Holes ‘Eat’ Everything!
A recent scientific study of black holes emphasizes the fact that black holes ‘eat’ everything that comes near them. They ‘devour’ stars and galaxies, and spew out the energy and matter that keeps Creation in its ongoing state of flux through creation (Brahman), sustained existence (support - Vishnu), and destruction (Shiva). Black Holes are part of the grand mechanism of Creation.
The ancients hid metaphysical Knowledge in metaphorical and anthropomorphic terms because they knew that the Kali Yuga was coming and that human consciousness was about to be ‘cooked by time’! They wanted to leave us simple symbols in the hope that a few of us might, by some lightning-strike chance, recognize and remember the Truth.
‘Caught in its mouth, whirls like a wheel ...’
‘The whole universe caught in its mouth [Kala - time] whirls like wheel through the activities of creation and annihilation’ (Shiva Purana; Stella Kramrisch). This description perfectly fits the activities of the black holes which are dotted throughout the vast blackness of space and at the center of galaxies.
The Principle of Destruction devours what It has Created and thus can be seen as ‘an eater’ of what is. This is distorted into an array of personal fears which are then projected into what really are ‘myths’ - and not Primordial traditional metaphysics. These fearful projections are the product of the human mind and have been perpetuated by an uniformed consciousness that does not understand metaphysical principles and therefore continues an endless menagerie of mischief and confusion - the domain of the Kali Yuga, which is the Age of Confusion.
Do not allow your consciousness to get lost in the low-ways and byways of fear and paranoia. Ignore the demonic. They are you! You created them to bind your consciousness in this temporal illusory hologram. Focusing on the darkside ad nauseum can only empower them and waste your time and energy. Forget the astral planes - they are illusions created by the mind of man.
Focus on the Knowledge that is Liberating Wisdom. Generate a higher frequency and leave the waveforms that resonate with the darkside ‘cooties’ behind. Everything you need to know is right here in the Bhagvad Gita. Become the God within you and you Become the God within All! Then as Krishna says, you will be ‘all-knowing’ (sarva-vit) - after which ‘nothing more remains to be known’ (VII.2).
Come Home! Home is in the Heart.
The Reign of Quantity & the Signs of the Times
Rene Guenon
Originally published in French, 1945
Sophia Perennis, 2001, Ghent, NY
The Presence of Siva
Stella Kramrisch
Princeton University Press, 1981, Chichester, West Sussex, UK
