The Purusha Sukta ─Part I

Spring 2009

Zachary F. Lansdowne

Abstract vealed and who gave expression to it as the hymn on the Supreme Purusha.” 2 he Purusha Sukta is an ancient Hindu T hymn that celebrates the sacrifice of a The Purusha Sukta is a small hymn, with only God-like entity called “Purusha,” and it is still sixteen verses, and is written in the oldest form regularly chanted during Hindu worship. Mod- of Sanskrit that has been preserved. Some of ern scholars, however, find this hymn to be its words have multiple meanings, and some obscure. This article gives a theosophical in- may have had meanings that were lost during terpretation, showing that Purusha corresponds the intervening years. Its language is ritualistic to the concept of the Planetary Logos. Part I of and may seem archaic. Moreover, this hymn this article covers verses 1 through 10, and Part may have a hidden, or esoteric, significance II covers verses 11 through 16. that was concealed behind its ritualistic language. Background For these reasons, modern scholars generally he Rig Veda, the oldest text in Hinduism, find the Purusha Sukta to be obscure. For ex- is a collection of 1,028 Sanskrit hymns ample, John Muir refers to it as, “Another im- T portant, but in many places obscure, hymn of and is often dated between 1700–1100 BCE. 3 The earliest version of the Purusha Sukta is in the Rig Veda.” Zenaide Ragozin writes, “The hymn, as a whole, is exceedingly obscure and the Rig Veda, but subsequent versions of this 4 hymn appear elsewhere with some modifica- of entirely mystical import.” One verse, which tions and redactions. It is one of the few hymns characterizes something as both the parent and in the Rig Veda still being used in contempo- progeny of something else, is called “a crypto- 5 rary Hinduism, as reported by the President of gram” by Rein Fernhout. Another verse seems the Ramakrishna Mission at Chennai, India: to describe a paradoxical situation in which a “This Sukta finds a place even today in the sacrifice has the same subject and object, so worship of a deity, in a temple or at home, in Steven Rosen asks, “Was the confusion that the daily parayana [chanting], in establishing naturally bursts forth from this paradox meant to be like a Zen koan , a mystical riddle, or is it the sacred fire for a Vedic ritual, in various 6 rituals, and even in the cremation of a dead a product of the Vedas’ incomprehensibility?” 1 body.” On the other hand, Helena Blavatsky, co- According to the Hindu tradition, the Purusha founder of the Theosophical Society, states Sukta was written down by an ancient scribe that this hymn has a coherent esoteric mean- known as Narayana. Swami Krishnananda, the General Secretary of The Divine Life Society, reports on this somewhat mythical origin: About the Author “The Seer (Rishi) of the Sukta is Narayana, the greatest of sages ever known, who is rightly Zachary F. Lansdowne, Ph.D., who served as proclaimed in the Bhagavata [Purana] as the President of the Theosophical Society in Boston, only person whose mind cannot be disturbed has been a frequent contributor to The Esoteric Quarterly . His book The Revelation of Saint John , by desire and, as the Mahabharata says, whose which provides a verse-by-verse analysis of the power not even all the gods can ever imagine. entire Revelation , was reviewed in the Fall 2006 Such is the Rishi to whom the Sukta was re- issue. He can be reached at [email protected].

Copyright © The Esoteric Quarterly, 2009 15 The Esoteric Quarterly ing: “It is those scholars only who will master tween Purusha, or the Planetary Logos, and the secret meaning of the Purushasukta, who human beings. may hope to understand how harmonious are 1. Thousand-headed is Purusa, thousand- its teachings and how corroborative of the Eso- eyed, thousand-footed. Having covered teric Doctrines. One must study in all the ab- the earth on all sides, he stood above it struseness of their metaphysical meaning the the width of ten fingers. relations therein between the (Heavenly) Man ‘Purusha,’ sacrificed for the production of the The Planetary Logos, whose body incor- Universe and all in it, and the terrestrial mortal porates all human beings, expresses Him- man.” 7 self through the planet Earth but tran- scends it. Blavatsky continues: “Hence in the Purusha Sukta of the Rig Veda, the mother fount and Sri V. Sundar provides a slightly different source of all subsequent religions, it is stated translation for the last phrase in the verse: “He allegorically that ‘the thousand-headed Pu- stands beyond the count of ten fingers.” The rusha’ was slaughtered at the foundation of ten fingers in this phrase are the fingers of hu- the World, that from his remains the Uni- man hands. Sundar explains this symbol: verse might arise. This is nothing more nor “They are the basis of count, of all mathemat- less than the foundation—the seed, truly—of ics, of all the logic and science built on the later many-formed symbol in various mathematics. However, they are all limited religions, including Christianity, of the sacri- when it comes to analyzing Purusha. He is ficial lamb. For it is a play upon the words. transcendent, and beyond such limited under- ‘Aja’ (Purusha), ‘the unborn’ or eternal standing.” 10 Spirit, means also ‘lamb’ in Sanskrit. Spirit disappears—dies, metaphorically—the more Who or what is Purusha (or Purusa) in this it gets involved in matter, and hence the sac- hymn? The Sanskrit word Purusha can be rifice of the ‘unborn,’ or the ‘lamb.’” 8 translated as man, soul, or spirit. The Purusha Sukta in its earliest version, which appears in Blavatsky never published a detailed commen- the Rig Veda, does not call Purusha by any tary on the Purusha Sukta. In fact, to our name other than Purusha and so it is not clear knowledge, the two paragraphs given above what this word actually denotes. Blavatsky, constitute most of her published comments on however, offers this clue: “In these Hymns, the this hymn. Alice Bailey, a later theosophical ‘Heavenly Man’ is called purusha .” 11 So, who author, wrote a great deal on subjects related to or what is the Heavenly Man? the Purusha Sukta but did not write anything explicitly about this hymn. Bailey uses the terms “Heavenly Man” and “Planetary Logos,”12 and also the plural forms In what follows, the English translation of each “Heavenly Men” and “Planetary Logoi,” as verse of the Purusha Sukta (as found in the Rig synonyms. She says, “Human beings are the Veda) by Michael Myers, a Professor of the 13 9 cells in the body of a Heavenly Man.” She Philosophy of Religion, is given in bold, fol- also speaks of “the planet Earth, through which lowed by an interpretation of that verse in ital- our Planetary Logos expresses Himself,” 14 and ics showing that Purusha corresponds to the goes on to say, “A Heavenly Man has His concept of the Planetary Logos. The subse- source outside the solar system.” 15 Thus, Bai- quent theosophical commentary, including a ley’s descriptions of the Planetary Logos are detailed analysis of the symbols in the verse, is consistent with how the first verse describes based primarily on the writings of Blavatsky Purusha. The commentary that follows shows and Bailey. that interpreting Purusha as the Planetary Lo- gos also yields a coherent treatment for the Purusha subsequent verses. he first five verses provide us with a de- 2. Only Purusa is all this, that which has T tailed description of the relationship be- been and that which is to be. He is the

lord of the immortals, who grow by cycle of rebirth comes to an end. We take these means of [ritual] food. liberated human beings to be the “immortals” because they are no longer born into mortal The Planetary Logos is the prototype for physical bodies. Theosophy uses the terms human beings, the model for their past “spiritual kingdom” and “Hierarchy” to denote development and future attainment. He is them. the lord of the spiritual kingdom and achieves as human beings sacrifice their The verse designates the Planetary Logos as own limited ideals and pride. “the lord of the immortals.” The Planetary Lo- gos could be regarded in such a way because A prototype can be defined as an original the spiritual kingdom endeavors to carry out model after which similar things are patterned. the will of the Planetary Logos, as Bailey ex- This definition allows the model and similar plains: “The Chohans of the Hierarchy now on things to have different dimensions. We inter- Earth … work consciously carrying out the pret the first sentence to mean that the Plane- Will of the Planetary Logos in the planet, but tary Logos is the proto- even They are as yet far type for each human Approxim ately eighteen mi l- from appreciating fully being even though they the Will and purpose of have vastly different lion years ago occurred a the Logos as He works dimensions. Genesis great event that signified, through the system. 1:27 states: “So God among other things, the fol- Glimpses They may get created man in his own and an idea of the gen- image, in the image of lowing developments: The eral plan, but the details God created he him.” 16 Planetary Logos of our Earth are as yet unrecogniz- This quotation supports able.” 19 Here, the our interpretation be- scheme, one of the Seven “Chohans” denote the cause the Planetary Lo- Spirits before the throne, presiding officers of the gos could be regarded took physical incarnation … spiritual kingdom. as the personal God of Sacrifice in Hinduism our planet. 17 Bailey [With Him] came a group of can be outer or inner. 20 says, “Man is gradually other highly evolved Entities In the above verse, “rit- achieving that con- … to form focal points of ual food” is taken as scious control over mat- bits of the lower self ter in the three worlds planetary force for the help- that are surrendered as that his divine Proto- ing of the great plan for the part of inner sacrifice, types, the Heavenly self-conscious unfoldment of but what are those bits? Men, have already Bailey encourages “the achieved.” 18 In other all life. spontaneous relinquish- words, human beings ing of long-held ideals when a greater and are essentially similar to the Planetary Logos, more inclusive presents itself” and “the sacri- but gradually become in practical manifesta- fice of pride and the sacrifice of personality tion what they truly are and what the Planetary when the vastness of the work and the urgency Logos has already achieved. If we accept the of the need are realized.” 21 Thus, ritual food premise that the Planetary Logos is the proto- includes surrendered ideals and pride. type for human beings, we can make infer- ences about the Planetary Logos based on Sacrifice, however, does not imply pain and analogies with human beings. suffering, as Bailey points out: “Students should also bear in mind that they need to rid The above verse mentions the “immortals,” but themselves of the usual idea of sacrifice as a who are they? In Hinduism, human beings are process of giving-up, or renunciation of all that said to have attained moksha —a Sanskrit word makes life worth living. Sacrifice is, techni- that means salvation or liberation—when their cally speaking, the achievement of a state of

Copyright © The Esoteric Quarterly, 2009 17 The Esoteric Quarterly bliss and of ecstasy because it is the realization and from there observe His body. The verse of another divine aspect.” 22 states that His body is formed by “all beings,” so the Planetary Logos is able to observe those Myers’s translation of the verse, given above, beings. suggests that the entire spiritual kingdom grows by means of ritual food. Rosen, how- Bailey explains the last point in more detail: ever, translates the last part of the verse as, “Let me now expand the concept further, re- “He is the lord of eternal life, and grows by minding you of the phrase so oft employed, virtue of [ritual] food,” 23 which suggests only ‘the All-Seeing Eye.’ This refers to the power that the Planetary Logos grows by means of of the Planetary Logos to see into all parts, such food. Bailey writes, “When man achieves, aspects, and phases (in time and space) of His then the Heavenly Men likewise achieve.” 24 planetary vehicle, which is His physical body, Thus, when human beings sacrifice their lim- and to identify Himself with all the reactions ited ideals and pride, the Planetary Logos also and sensitivities of His created world and to advances. participate with full knowledge in all events and happenings.” 27 Proverbs 15:3 has a similar 3. Such is his greatness, yet more than this notion: “The eyes of the LORD are in every is Purusa. One-quarter of him is all be- place, beholding the evil and the good.” ings; three-quarters of him is the im- mortal in heaven. 4. Three-quarters of Purusa went upward, one-quarter of him remained here. Such is the greatness of the Planetary Lo- From this [one-quarter] he spread in all gos, and yet He is more than even this. directions into what eats and what does The Planetary Logos is also the “All- not eat. Seeing Eye” that sees into His body, including every human being, because He The will, love-wisdom, and intelligence of can be focused within His higher life. the Planetary Logos flow through His vital body, which includes the human king- Theosophy considers a human being to con- dom of nature, and then through His sist of the following four parts: the Monad, or dense physical body, which includes the divine Self; the Triad, consisting of spiritual animal, vegetable, and mineral kingdoms. will, intuition, and higher mind; the causal body, which is the storehouse for the wisdom The physical body of a human being has both gained from experience; and the personality, dense and subtle portions. The dense physical consisting of the mental, emotional, and body contains the muscles, organs, and bones. physical bodies. 25 Accordingly, the personal- The subtle physical body is called the vital or ity is only one-quarter of these parts; the re- etheric body in theosophy; pranamayakosha , a maining three-quarters are in higher, or more Sanskrit name, in Hinduism; meridians in Chi- abstract, realms. Human beings can be self- nese medicine; and biofield in alternative observant because they can be focused within western medicine. their higher life and from there observe the According to theosophy, the manifested uni- personality. Indeed, Bailey says, “The task of verse consists of seven worlds that are often the disciple is to become consciously aware— called “planes.” These planes are arranged like a detached onlooking Observer—of these metaphorically in a tiered sequence. The men- energies and their expressing qualities as they tal, emotional, and physical planes are the function within himself.” 26 three lowest planes; and they constitute the As indicated by the above verse, the body of three worlds of human endeavor. The physical the Planetary Logos is only one-quarter of Him plane is the lowest plane, and it is said to have because He mainly consists of higher parts that seven subplanes. The three lowest physical are in “heaven.” By analogy, the Planetary Lo- subplanes (called the gaseous, liquid, and gos can also be self-observant, which means dense subplanes) provide the substance for the that He can be focused within His higher life dense physical bodies of human beings. The

18 Copyright © The Esoteric Quarterly , 2009 Spring 2009 four highest physical subplanes (called the body is the remaining one-quarter. Subsequent etheric subplanes) provide the substance for verses provide examples of how these four the vital bodies of human beings. 28 principles are applied. His dense physical body is not counted as a principle because its activ- An analogous situation holds for the Planetary ity is simply an effect, or outcome, of the four Logos. Bailey writes, “Our seven planes are manifested principles. only the seven subplanes of the cosmic physical plane,” 29 and speaks of “the appropriation The third verse associates “one-quarter of him” of a dense physical body by the Planetary Lo- with “all beings,” while the above verse asso- gos; this body is composed of matter of our ciates “he spread in all directions” with “what three lower planes.” 30 The point is that our eats and what does not eat.” Thus, these sym- mental, emotional, and physical planes, which bols are interpreted as meaning that the vital are the three lowest cosmic physical subplanes, body of the Planetary Logos includes all hu- provide the substance for the dense physical man beings, while His dense physical body body of the Planetary Logos. Similarly, our includes the subhuman kingdoms of nature— four highest planes, which are the four highest namely, the animal, vegetable, and mineral cosmic physical subplanes, provide the sub- kingdoms. stance for the vital body of the Planetary Lo- This interpretation is supported by Bailey’s gos. The physical body of the Planetary Logos descriptions of the planetary bodies: “It must is the combination of His dense physical and be remembered that the sumtotal of human and vital bodies. deva units upon a planet make the body vital of Human beings have inner streams of energy a Planetary Logos, whilst the sumtotal of lesser that flow through their vital body and then lives upon a planet (from the material bodies through their dense physical body. 31 The above of men or devas down to the other kingdoms of verse depicts the analogous flow of energy for nature) form His body corporeal .” 36 Here, Bai- the Planetary Logos. “Three-quarters of Purusa ley uses deva , which is the Sanskrit word for went upward” is taken as His streams of en- deity, to denote an angelic builder of the form ergy that originate within higher cosmic aspect of a planet. 37 planes; “one-quarter of him remained here” as His vital body, which remains within the cos- 5. From him the shining one was born, mic physical plane; and “he spread in all direc- from the shining one was born Purusa. tions” as the streaming of these energies into When born he extended beyond the His dense physical body. earth, behind as well as in front. What is the meaning of the fractions that ap- The Planetary Logos brings about illumi- pear in the verse? Three-quarters are associ- nation in human beings, and this illumi- ated with streams of energy, one-quarter with nation brings about an awareness of the the vital body, and zero-quarters with the Planetary Logos. When the Planetary Lo- dense physical body. These fractions are based gos for our planet began His work, His upon the total number of principles that the influence extended beyond the Earth be- Planetary Logos manifests, as Bailey explains: cause He affected the other Planetary “Only four principles in the Heavenly Men are Logoi within our solar system. as yet manifesting to any extent.”32 She goes on to point out that “a Heavenly Man contains The above verse describes the paradoxical within Himself three major principles—will, situation in which “the shining one” is born love-wisdom, intelligence,”33 and that “the from Purusha and then Purusha is born from dense physical body is not a principle for a “the shining one.” Here, “the shining one” is a Heavenly Man” 34 though “the etheric body … translation of the Sanskrit word viraj , which is the principle of coherence in every form.”35 could also be translated as “splendor, radiance, Thus, will, love-wisdom, and intelligence are or light.” Modern scholars have attempted to three-quarters of the principles manifested by resolve this paradox by offering differing con- the Planetary Logos, and His vital, or etheric, ceptions about what viraj denotes. In this

Copyright © The Esoteric Quarterly, 2009 19 The Esoteric Quarterly commentary, “the shining one” is taken to rep- clarified butter, summer the kindling, resent psychological illumination because the autumn the oblation. latter shines forth like an inner light within the When the divinity hidden within the forms personality. of life in the planet sought added life and Bailey speaks of “the great experiment that has illumination, the Planetary Logos sacri- been inaugurated on Earth by our Planetary ficed Himself by entering into those Logos in connection with the process of initia- forms, thereby transforming their life cy- tion” 38 and says, “The objective of the experi- cles into evolutionary cycles. ment might be stated as follows: It is the intent of the Planetary Logos to bring about a psy- The above verse may seem complex because it chological condition that can best be described depicts how the process of invocation and evo- as one of ‘divine lucidity.’” 39 In other words, cation affected the process of evolution. the Planetary Logos brings about illumination Invocation is the act of petitioning for help or in human beings through the process of initia- support from a greater entity; evocation is the tion. This illumination is a manifestation of the subsequent response of help. The earlier verses principle of love-wisdom mentioned in the describe the evocation of added life and illu- fourth verse. Bailey also writes, “At initiation, mination from the Planetary Logos. The forms man becomes aware consciously of the Pres- of life in our planet, however, must have in- ence of the Planetary Logos through self- voked such help before the corresponding evo- induced contact with his own divine Spirit.” 40 cation could have occurred. Thus, this illumination, which is brought about Bailey describes this process of invocation and by the Planetary Logos, in turn brings about an evocation as follows: awareness of the Planetary Logos. That outcome is also suggested by Psalm 36:9: “In thy The basic sacrifice that the Planetary Lo- light shall we see light.” Just as the light from gos made was when He decided to incar- a lamp enables us to see the lamp itself, the nate or enter into the form of this planet … illumination brought about by the Planetary This sacrifice was imperative in the fullest Logos enables us to perceive the cause of that sense, owing to the ability of the Planetary illumination. Logos to identify Himself in full consciousness with the Soul in all forms of The final phrase, “he extended beyond the life, latent within the planetary substance. earth, behind as well as in front,” means that When He “took over” this task, He, eso- the Planetary Logos for our planet affects the terically, had no choice because the deci- Planetary Logoi for the other planets in our sion was inherent in His own nature. Be- solar system. Bailey describes how the Plane- cause of this identification, He could not tary Logoi may affect each other: “Each of the refuse the invocative appeal of the “seeds Heavenly Men pours forth His radiation, or of life, striving within the substance of the influence, and stimulates in some way some form, and seeking added life and light,” as other center or globe. To word it otherwise, the Old Commentary puts it. This striving His magnetism is felt by His Brothers in a and reaching forth evoked His response greater or less degree according to the work 41 and the going out of His divinity, as ex- being undertaken at any one time.” pressed in will, activated by “fixed deter- mination” to meet the deeply hidden divin- The Sacrifice of Purusha 42 ity within these seeds. erses six through ten depict for us the ef- The last part of the verse is concerned with V fects of divine sacrifice on the various evolution. The three seasons—spring, summer, forms of life on our planet. and autumn—represent the life-cycle of annual plants: their birth, life, and death. The verse 6. When the gods performed a sacrifice mentions three elements of a sacrificial ritual: with the offering Purusa, spring was its clarified butter, which brightens the sacrificial

20 Copyright © The Esoteric Quarterly , 2009 Spring 2009 fire; kindling, which enables the fire to burn; as a sacrifice. With him the gods sacri- and oblation, which is burned in the fire. Clari- ficed, the demi-gods, and the seers. fied butter, which is called “ghee” in India, is At the beginning of the current Manvan- butter that has had the milk solids and water tara, the Planetary Logos for our planet removed. The verse states that the sacrifice of became a center within the vital body of the Planetary Logos transformed the three sea- the Solar Logos, transmitting streams of sons into these elements. If the implicit fire in energy from the other Planetary Logoi to the verse is interpreted as symbolizing the evo- the forms of life within the dense physical lutionary process, then the transformed seasons body of the Solar Logos. may be interpreted in the following way: spring represents the birth of a new form, In Hinduism, a Manvantara is a very long du- which—like ghee—reveals the glory of the ration of time. According to Blavatsky, “The evolutionary process; summer represents the full period of one Manvantara is … discovery of the form’s limitations, which— 308,448,000 years.” 44 Bailey uses the term like kindling—support the continuation of the “Manvantara” to denote the “cycle of physical evolutionary process; and autumn represents incarnation” of a Planetary Logos. 45 So, in the the death of the form, which—like an obla- above verse, “the beginning” refers to the be- tion—invokes a new and better form to take its ginning of the current Manvantara. place. In theosophy, the “Solar Logos” is the entity Consequently, the interpretation of the verse is who expresses Himself through our solar sys- as follows: “The gods” represent the divinity tem, just the Planetary Logos expresses Him- hidden within the forms of life in the planet. self through our planet. The term “Grand Man “The gods performed a sacrifice with the offer- of the Heavens” is a synonym for the Solar ing Purusa” means that the hidden divinity per- Logos, just as “Heavenly Man” is a synonym formed an invocation that evoked the sacrifice for the Planetary Logos. Moreover, the Solar of the Planetary Logos. “Spring was its clari- Logos is the prototype for the Planetary Logos, fied butter, summer the kindling, autumn the just as the Planetary Logos is the prototype for oblation” means that the sacrifice of the Plane- human beings. Bailey says, “What is true of tary Logos transformed the life cycles of the him [a human being] is true of his great proto- forms into evolutionary cycles. type, the Heavenly Man, the Planetary Logos, This interpretation is supported by Bailey’s and true again of the prototype of his proto- discussion of cyclic evolution: “Cyclic evolu- type, the Grand Man of the Heavens, the Solar tion is entirely the result of the activity of mat- Logos.” 46 Thus, we can make statements about ter, and of the Will or Spirit. It is produced by the Solar Logos based on analogies with hu- the interaction of active matter and molding man beings. Spirit … The active will, intelligently applied, The Solar Logos has both a vital body and a of an Entity … affects all lesser lives in cyclic dense physical body, just as a human being has evolution within the Body of that particular both. According to the Hindu Upanishads, hu- actively willing Existence … No form is as yet man beings have seven major centers, called perfect, and it is this fact that necessitates cy- 47 chakras in Sanskrit, within their vital body. clic evolution and the continual production of By analogy, the Solar Logos also has seven forms until they approximate reality in fact and 43 major centers within His vital body. In the in deed.” Here the molding “Will or Spirit” is above verse, three clues indicate that the the will of the Planetary Logos, which the Planetary Logos has become one of those cen- fourth verse depicts as flowing into the human ters. and subhuman kingdoms. First, the sacrifice of the Planetary Logos takes 7. It was Purusa, born in the beginning, place on “sacred grass.” Grass also appears as which they sprinkled on the sacred grass a symbol in Revelation 8:7, for which it has been interpreted as the human vital body be-

Copyright © The Esoteric Quarterly, 2009 21 The Esoteric Quarterly cause it resembles that body in the following lar Logos,” 51 where etheric is synonymous way. 48 According to the Upanishads, the hu- with vital. man vital body consists of an extensive and intricate network of energy channels, which 8. From that sacrifice completely offered, are called nadis in Sanskrit. A single nadi is a the clotted butter was brought together. thin channel of force, so its form is similar to It made the beasts of the air, the forest that of a blade of grass. The Upanishads con- and the village. sider this vital body to consist of many nadis As a result from the sacrifice of the Plane- but do not agree on the exact number of them; 49 tary Logos, the evolutionary changes oc- the number most often mentioned is 72,000. curred much more rapidly. This speedup Similarly, a field of grass consists of many enabled certain lives to pass relatively blades of grass. By analogy, a field of grass quickly through the three stages in the evo- also resembles the vital body of the Solar Lo- lutionary process for animals and become gos, so “sacred grass” in the verse is taken as human beings. symbolizing that body. Second, “they sprinkled” The term “clotted butter” is the Planetary Logos. a translation of the Sanskrit Sundar expands Myers’s It is those scholars only word prsadajya , which is translation, given above, who will master the se- “curdled or clotted butter, with the sentence, “Those [or] ghee mixed with co- cret meaning of the Pu- 52 achievers sprinkled him agulated milk.” As in the with holy water.” 50 In rushasukta, who may sixth verse, ghee symbol- either translation, “sprin- hope to understand how izes the birth of a new evo- kled” is taken as depicting lutionary form. According the transmission of harmonious are its teach- to this association, ghee is streams of energy, which ings and how corrobora- spread out over the time- is a key function of a cen- tive of the Esoteric Doc- line, appearing whenever ter within the vital body. evolutionary change occurs. trines … [including] the Thus, “the clotted butter Third, “with him the gods was brought together” sacrificed, the demi-gods, relations therein between the (Heavenly) Man ‘Pu- means that the evolutionary and the seers.” Thus, the changes, which would have other participants in the rusha,’ sacrificed for the been spread out over a sacrifice are as follows: comparatively long time- “gods,” which could sig- production of the Uni- line, were brought together nify macrocosms, or large verse and all in it, and the over a relatively short time- worlds, are taken as the terrestrial mortal man. line. In other words, those vital and dense physical changes occurred much bodies of the Solar Logos; more rapidly. “demi-gods,” which could signify lesser macrocosms, are taken as the other Planetary Bailey describes three stages in the evolution- Logoi; and “seers,” which could signify beings ary process for the animal kingdom: “First, the with insight, are taken as the forms of life that higher animals and the domestic animals, such invoked added life and illumination, as men- as the dog, the horse and the elephant. Sec- tioned in the sixth verse. ondly, the so-called wild animals, such as the lion, the tiger, and the other carnivorous and Consequently, we interpret the verse as saying dangerous wild animals. Thirdly, the mass of that the Planetary Logos for our planet became lesser animals.” 53 In the above verse, we take a center within the vital body of the Solar Lo- the animals of the air, forest, and village as gos. This interpretation is supported by Bai- representing Bailey’s three stages of animal ley’s statement, “The bodies of the seven evolution, but in their correct temporal se- Heavenly Men are the etheric centers for a So-

22 Copyright © The Esoteric Quarterly , 2009 Spring 2009 quence. By mentioning all three stages and Him] came a group of other highly evolved indicating that the duration of those stages had Entities … to form focal points of planetary been significantly compressed, the verse sug- force for the helping of the great plan for the gests that some lives completed their evolution self-conscious unfoldment of all life. Their as animals and so became human beings. places have gradually been filled by the sons of men as they qualify, though this includes This interpretation is supported by Bailey’s very few, until lately, from our immediate historical account: “Left to himself for long Earth humanity.” 55 eons, animal man would have eventually pro- gressed out of the animal kingdom into the Bailey also says, “The main technique of the human and would have become a self- Hierarchy is that of conveying inspiration.” 56 conscious, functioning, rational entity, but how Thus, after being founded by the Planetary Lo- slow the process would have been … The de- gos, the spiritual kingdom, or Hierarchy, in- cision of the Planetary Logos to take a physical spired human beings to write sacred scriptures, vehicle produced an extraordinary stimulation such as the Rig Veda. in the evolutionary process; and, by His incar- The Sanskrit word mantra , mentioned in the nation and the methods of force distribution He above verse, denotes a word or phrase of employed, He brought about in a brief cycle of spiritual significance and power. Each verse time what would otherwise have been incon- in the Rig Veda is said to be a mantra, be- ceivably slow. The germ of mind in animal cause it is thought to carry the truth and crea- man was stimulated … The fourth, or human tive power that can lead to spiritual realiza- kingdom, came thus into being; and the self- tion. A meter , also mentioned in the verse, is conscious or rational unit, man, began his ca- the rhythmic pattern of a stanza in a poem. reer.” 54 The earliest known metrical texts are the The above quotation refers to the human king- hymns in the Rig Veda, which are written in dom as the “fourth” kingdom of nature. In this a variety of meters. In the Purusha Sukta, the enumeration, the mineral, vegetable, and ani- first fifteen verses are composed in the same mal kingdoms are counted as the first, second, meter and the final verse in another meter. and third kingdoms, respectively, and the spiritual kingdom as the fifth kingdom. 10. From it the horses were born and all that have cutting teeth in both jaws. The 9. From that sacrifice completely offered, cows were born from it, also. From it the mantras [Rig Veda] and the songs were born goats and sheep. [Samaveda] were born. The meters were As yet another result from the sacrifice of born from it. The sacrificial formulae the Planetary Logos, human beings pro- [Yajurveda] were born from it. duced farm animals through the training As another result from the sacrifice of the and selective breeding of wild animals. Planetary Logos, the spiritual kingdom appeared and inspired human beings to Selective breeding of animals is the process by write sacred scriptures containing man- which a breeder develops a cultivated breed tras, songs, rhythmic patterns, and trans- over time, while selecting qualities within in- formational techniques. dividuals of the breed that are passed on to the next generation. Scientific evidence shows that According to Bailey, the sacrifice of the Plane- selective breeding, rather than mutation or tary Logos led to the founding of the spiritual natural selection, best explains how domestica- kingdom for our planet: “Approximately eight- tion of animals typically proceeded. Livestock een million years ago occurred a great event or farm animals are animals that have been that signified, among other things, the follow- domesticated for food or work. ing developments: The Planetary Logos of our In the above verse, “it” refers to the sacrifice Earth scheme, one of the Seven Spirits before of the Planetary Logos, all of the mentioned the throne, took physical incarnation … [With animals are farm animals, and the word “born”

Copyright © The Esoteric Quarterly, 2009 23 The Esoteric Quarterly is a translation of the Sanskrit word that could also mean “made” or “produced.” Conse- 4Zenaide A. Ragozin, Vedic India as Embodied quently, this verse is taken as saying that the Principally in the Rig-Veda (New York: G. P. Put- sacrifice of the Planetary Logos led to the pro- nam’s Sons, 1902), 280. duction of farm animals through the training 5Rein Fernhout, Canonical Texts, Bearers of Abso- and selective breeding of wild animals. lute Authority: Bible, Koran, Veda, Tipitaka (At- lanta, GA: Rodopi, 1994), 35. Bailey makes a similar statement: “The true 6Steven J. Rosen, Essential Hinduism (Westport, and intelligent training of the wild animals and CT: Praeger, 2006), 55. their adaptation to the conditions of ordered 7Helena P. Blavatsky, The Secret Doctrine , Vol. II living are part of the divine process of integrat- (1888; reprint; Pasadena, CA: Theosophical Uni- ing the Plan and of producing an ordered and versity Press, 1977), 606. harmonious expression of the divine intent.” 57 8Helena P. Blavatsky, Collected Writings , Vol. XIV Here, “adaptation” is taken as selective breed- (Wheaton, IL: Theosophical Society in America, 2002), 397. ing, “the Plan” as a manifestation of the intel- 9 ligence of the Planetary Logos (mentioned in Paul Brians, et al., Reading About the World , Vol. the fourth verse), and “the divine intent” as the 1 (3rd ed., Fort Worth, TX: Harcourt Brace College Publishing, 2006), 128, http://www.wsu.edu/ will of the Planetary Logos (also mentioned in ~wldciv/world_civ_reader/world_civ_reader_1/rig_ the fourth verse). veda.html (accessed Dec. 20, 2008). 10 As shown by earlier verses, the Purusha Sukta Sri V. Sundar, Purusha Sukta , February 17, 1995, emphasizes the role of inner design; but this http://www.ramanuja.org/purusha/sukta-1.html inner design does not imply a single Designer, (accessed Dec. 20, 2008). 11 Blavatsky, The Secret Doctrine , Vol. II, 606. such as a personal God who creates the design. 12 Alice A. Bailey, The Light of the Soul (New York: Blavatsky explains the last point: “The Uni- Lucis Publishing, 1927), 387. verse is worked and guided from within out- 13 Alice A. Bailey, A Treatise on Cosmic Fire (New wards … The whole Kosmos is guided, con- York: Lucis Publishing, 1925), 353. trolled, and animated by almost endless series 14 Alice A. Bailey, Esoteric Healing (New York: of Hierarchies of sentient Beings, each having Lucis Publishing, 1953), 433. 15 a mission to perform, and who … are ‘messen- Bailey, A Treatise on Cosmic Fire , 271. 16 gers’ in the sense only that they are the agents All Biblical verses are taken from the King James of Karmic and Cosmic Laws.” 58 So, for exam- Version. 17 Letters on Occult Meditation ple, the Planetary Logos is guided by the Solar Alice A. Bailey, (New York: Lucis Publishing, 1922), 357. Logos (seventh verse); the spiritual kingdom is 18 Bailey, A Treatise on Cosmic Fire , 410. guided by the Planetary Logos (second verse); 19 Ibid., 732. the human kingdom is guided by the spiritual 20 Satguru Sivaya Subramuniyaswami, Dancing with kingdom (ninth verse); and the animal king- Siva: Hinduism’s Contemporary Catechism (Kapaa, dom is guided by the human kingdom (tenth HI: Himalayan Academy Publications, 2004), 849. verse). 21 Alice A. Bailey, Esoteric Psychology , Vol. 2 (New York: Lucis Publishing, 1942), 109. [Part II covers verses 11 through 16] 22 Alice A. Bailey, The Rays and the Initiations (New York: Lucis Publishing, 1960), 492. 23 Rosen, Essential Hinduism , 55. 1Swami Amritananda, Sri Rudram and Purushasuk- 24 Bailey, A Treatise on Cosmic Fire , 244. tam (Chennai, India: Sri Ramakrishna Math, 1997), 25 Annie Besant, A Study in Consciousness (Madras, vii. India: Theosophical Publishing House, 1904), 189- 2Swami Krishnananda, Daily Invocations 191; Bailey, A Treatise on Cosmic Fire , 260-261. (Rishikesh, India: Sivananda Ashram, 2008), 6, 26 Alice A. Bailey, Esoteric Astrology (New York: http://www.swami-krishnananda.org/invoc_0.html Lucis Publishing, 1951), 414. (accessed Dec. 20, 2008). 27 Alice A. Bailey, Discipleship in the New Age , Vol. 3John Muir, Original Sanskrit Texts , Vol. V (Lon- 2 (New York: Lucis Publishing, 1955), 291. don: Trubner and Company, 1872), 367. 28 Arthur E. Powell, The Etheric Double (Wheaton, IL: Theosophical Publishing House, 1925), 1; Al-

ice A. Bailey, Initiation, Human and Solar (New York: Lucis Publishing, 1922), 218. 29 Bailey, The Rays and the Initiations , 357. 30 Bailey, A Treatise on Cosmic Fire , 690. 31 Bailey, Esoteric Healing , 34. 32 Bailey, A Treatise on Cosmic Fire , 253. 33 Ibid., 252. 34 Ibid., 253. 35 Alice A. Bailey, Esoteric Psychology , Vol. 1 (New York: Lucis Publishing, 1936), 54. 36 Ibid., 301. 37 Bailey, Initiation, Human and Solar , 36. 38 Bailey, A Treatise on Cosmic Fire, 1174. 39 Bailey, Esoteric Psychology , Vol. 1, 252-253. 40 Bailey, A Treatise on Cosmic Fire , 752. 41 Ibid., 359. 42 Bailey, Discipleship in the New Age , Vol. 2, 286- 287. 43 Bailey, A Treatise on Cosmic Fire , 275, 393, 925. 44 Blavatsky, The Secret Doctrine , Vol. II, 69. 45 Bailey, A Treatise on Cosmic Fire , 670. 46 Bailey, The Light of the Soul , 387. 47 Hiroshi Motoyama, Theories of the Chakras (Wheaton, IL: Theosophical Publishing House, 1984) , 130-133. 48 Zachary F. Lansdowne, The Revelation of St. John (York Beach, ME: Red Wheel/Weiser, 2006), 72. 49 Motoyama, Theories of the Chakras , 135. 50 Sundar, Purusha Sukta , http://www.ramanuja.org/ purusha/sukta-3.html (accessed Dec. 20, 2008). 51 Bailey, A Treatise on Cosmic Fire , 352. 52 Sir Monier Monier-Williams, A Sanskrit-English Dictionary , http://webapps.uni-koeln.de/tamil/ (accessed Dec. 20, 2008). 53 Bailey, Esoteric Psychology , Vol. 1 , 224, 253. 54 Bailey, Initiation, Human and Solar , 31-32. 55 Ibid., 28-29. 56 Bailey, The Rays and the Initiations , 230. 57 Bailey, Esoteric Psychology , Vol. 1 , 255. 58 Blavatsky, The Secret Doctrine , Vol. I, 274.