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diff --git a/old/67019-0.txt b/old/67019-0.txt deleted file mode 100644 index 1c55ebb..0000000 --- a/old/67019-0.txt +++ /dev/null @@ -1,10109 +0,0 @@ -The Project Gutenberg eBook of Sree Krishna the Lord of Love, by -Baba Premanand Bharati - -This eBook is for the use of anyone anywhere in the United States and -most other parts of the world at no cost and with almost no restrictions -whatsoever. You may copy it, give it away or re-use it under the terms -of the Project Gutenberg License included with this eBook or online at -www.gutenberg.org. If you are not located in the United States, you -will have to check the laws of the country where you are located before -using this eBook. - -Title: Sree Krishna the Lord of Love - -Author: Baba Premanand Bharati
- -Release Date: December 26, 2021 [eBook #67019] - -Language: English
- -Produced by: James Simmons - -*** START OF THE PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK SREE KRISHNA THE LORD OF -LOVE *** - -Sree Krishna the Lord of Love - -- SREE KRISHNA THE LORD OF LOVE PART I. - - PREFACE - - INTRODUCTORY. - - SECTION I. THE CONCRETE AND ABSTRACT GOD. - - SECTION II. THE SCIENCE OF CREATION. - - SECTION III. THE STEPS OF CREATION. - - SECTION IV. THE CYCLIC MOTION OF CHANGES. - - SECTION V. THE GOLDEN AGE. - - SECTION VI. THE SILVER AGE. - - SECTION VII. THE CASTE SYSTEM. - - SECTION VIII. THE FOUR STAGES OF LIFE. - - SECTION IX. THE COPPER AGE. - - SECTION X. THE IRON AGE. - - SECTION XI. MANWANTARA OR THE DELUGE. - - SECTION XII. THE KALPA CYCLE. - - SECTION XIII. NATURAL DISSOLUTION. - - SECTION XIV. MODERN SCIENTIFIC TESTIMONY. - - SECTION XV. SCIENCE UPHOLDS SHASTRAS. - - SECTION XVI. PHYSICAL AND ASTRAL BODIES. - - SECTION XVII. KARMA. - - SECTION XVIII. REINCARNATION. - - SECTION XIX. HOW TO DESTROY KARMA. - - SECTION XX. THE ATOM'S RETURN JOURNEY. - - SECTION XXI. YOGA. - - SECTION XXII. BHAKTI YOGA. - - SECTION XXIII. VAISHNAV, CHRISTIAN OF CHRISTIANS. - - SECTION XXIV. KRISHNA LEELA. -- SREE KRISHNA THE LORD OF LOVE PART II. - - PROEM. - - CHAPTER I. - - CHAPTER II. - - CHAPTER III. - - CHAPTER IV. - - CHAPTER V. - - CHAPTER VI. - - CHAPTER VII. - - CHAPTER VIII. - - CHAPTER IX. - - CHAPTER X. - - CHAPTER XI. - - CHAPTER XII. - - CHAPTER XIII. - - CHAPTER XIV. - - CHAPTER XV. - - CHAPTER XVI. - - CHAPTER XVII. - - CHAPTER XVIII. - - CHAPTER XIX. - - CHAPTER XX. - - CHAPTER XXI. - - CHAPTER XXII. - - CHAPTER XXIII. - - CHAPTER XXIV. - - CHAPTER XXV. - - CHAPTER XXVI. - - CHAPTER XXVII. - - CHAPTER XXVIII. - - CHAPTER XXIX. - - CHAPTER XXX. - - CHAPTER XXXI. - - CHAPTER XXXII. - - CHAPTER XXXIII. -- Messages and Revelations from Sree Krishna - - MESSAGES AND REVELATIONS FROM SREE KRISHNA - - A HOLY MAN'S PRAYER. - - A SOUL AND ITS BELOVED. - - THE FAIR ONE AND HER SOUL. - -Transcriber's Note - -This book was transcribed from scans of the original found at the -Internet Archive. The page scans were done by Google. The original book -used accents (á) but I have replaced these with macrons (ā) as this -would be considered a more correct way to spell the names in question. -Variant spellings in the text have been left alone. - -SREE KRISHNA THE LORD OF LOVE PART I. - -SREE KRISHNA - -THE LORD OF LOVE - -BY - -Bābā Premānand Bhārati - -PUBLISHED BY - -The Krishna Samāj - -NEW YORK - -Copyright 1904 - -BY - -BĀBĀ PREMĀNAND BHĀRATI - -[Total number of pages 650] - -S. L. PARSONS & CO., PRINTERS, NEW YORK - -To - -BRAHMĀNAND BHĀRATI - -MY GOOROO - -To Whom - -My Soul Mind and Body - -ARE - -IRREVOCABLY SOLD - -In Payment of - -THE GRACE OF HIS ILLUMINATION - -WHICH LIGHTED MY PATH - -TO - -THE LOTUS FEET - -OF - -KRISHNA MY BELOVED - -PREFACE - -I beg to present this my humble work to the English reader. It is the -history of the Universe from its birth to its dissolution. I have -explained the science of creation, its making and its mechanism. In -doing so I have drawn my information from the recorded facts in the -Sacred Books of the Root-Race of mankind. Some facts and explanations -are herein furnished for the first time in any modern language. This -book embodies true Hinduism. - -If read with an open mind, it will serve the reader with illumination -and solve many a riddle of life, untie many a tangle of thought. I have -spoken throughout from out of the depths of the ages. I have thought -absolutely in Sanscrit and expressed myself in English, an imperfect -medium for expressing Sanscrit, ideas. My object has been to impress my -readers with the substance of Hindoo thought in all its purity. This has -not been done before even by Hindoo writers on Hindoo religion and -philosophy. They have cared to humor the Western readers, by putting in -a mixture of Western thought and dressing it up in Western ways of -expression. I have not done so, because I know that in reading an -Eastern book the Western mind wants purely Eastern thought in pure -Eastern dress. - -This will afford all soul-hungry readers with enough healthy food and -drink. The first part of the book contains the food, the Kernel of the -Soul-cocoanut; the second part, its Sweet Milk. The third part is from -Krishna Himself. It is the purest Nectar of Spiritual Love. Let the -reader open his heart to it, and I am sure it will fill it with ecstasy. -The soulful reader will thrill with the joyous vibrations of every -sentence of the "Messages and Revelations." - -The belief that our life begins with the birth of this physical body and -ends with its death is the worst superstition, because it is the worst -obstacle in the way of our soul's unfoldment. This life has sprung from -Eternity; it draws its breath in Eternity, and is finally absorbed by -Eternity which is Absolute Love. To know that we, human beings, were -never blessed with greater powers than we possess in this age is the -saddest of mistakes. To believe that we were once as great and powerful -as divine beings and that we can recover that greatness and those -powers, is to believe in the actual potentialities of the human mind. -This life can be made one long ecstatic song; this life can, if we take -the trouble to make it, be made the source of joy to ourselves as well -as to all around us forever and ever; it can even attain to the Essence -of Godhood, from which it has sprung, by developing uninterrupted -God-Consciousness. - -We all are idolators. Some of us worship idols of Divinity, others -worship idols of Matter. Some of us worship the Spirit through -suggestive signs and symbols, others worship Flesh, mere forms of -animated flesh. Since our mind wants idols for worship, just as our body -wants food for sustenance, let us all worship idols of Spirit in Form. -Through its concrete Form-Centre we can enter into the Abstract Spirit -of Love—Love which is our one object and goal in life. This Love is -Krishna and the universe and we, its parts, are the materialized -manifestation of that Love. - -PREMĀNAND BHĀRATI. - -The Alpine, 55 West 33d Street, - -New York, July 7, 1904. - -INTRODUCTORY. - -LIFE'S SOURCE AND SEARCH. - -Beloved! I wish to call you "my beloved," whoever you are who have taken -up this my love-message to read, for you are the beloved of my -Beloved—Krishna. I may not know you, nor you me, and yet we have been -together times without number: yet we have loved each other with the -truest, the purest, the sweetest love again and again, when we lived in -Love, when we had our being in the Ocean of Love, when we were awake in -the consciousness of the One Essence which ever pervades us all—Love. - -Beloved! That state, that realm, in which we lived and knew and loved -each other, we have forgotten, and this forgetfulness is the cause of -our separateness, our non-recognition, our want of sympathy, our -troubles and quarrels. Going into the depth of Silence—Silence within -and without us—I have discovered its Secret which is also the Secret of -our forgotten Love-Existence. And this my message to you is the -revelation of that mystery which our strayed soul is trying to solve -through every effort of the life we are living now. - -Beloved! I humbly lay before you this message to read—to help you to -recognize your true self, to help you to find your true goal in this -life's race. This message is a magic mirror in which, maybe, you will -catch the reflection of your soul's All-Beautiful Image. - -You are now engaged, my beloved, in reading this message with the same -object for which every one of us is just now engaged in doing various -things. It is life's one common object for us all—Pleasure. That is the -one all-absorbing quest of humanity, nay, of all living creatures, of -all creation. We are ever striving, all of us, every minute, to find -that one blessing which ever eludes our grasp, ever misses our ken, ever -deludes us like the will-o'-the-wisp—the one object of our desire, of -predominant, spontaneous, practical, natural interest—Unmixed, Unbroken -Happiness. - -Not only is this quest for happiness ever present within mankind, but -also in lower animals, and even in every phase of Nature, more or less -pronounced or discernible. Every manifestation of Nature, man or beast, -bird or tree or plant, is ever endeavoring to adjust a state of internal -disorder and disturbance—I mean ever endeavoring to bring about a sense -or instinct of that harmonious equilibrium, which we call Full -Satisfaction, Complete Contentment, Absolute Happiness. - -Now the question may be asked: Why is this universal quest for -happiness? How is it that every man or woman or child is every minute -seeking some sort of happiness or other? The Hindoo sages have answered -this question to the satisfaction of all intelligent human beings. Why -is this eternal search for happiness? - -That answer is: Because the whole universe, of which we are parts, has -come out of that Eternal Abode of Happiness, called Bliss, where it had -dwelt before creation, like a tree in a seed, and the memory of which -dwells still in the inner consciousness of all created beings, though it -has dropped out of their outer consciousness. - -That abode of happiness is called the Abode of Absolute Love; the Hindoo -calls it Krishna. The word Krishna, in Sanscrit, comes from the root -"karsha"—to draw. Krishna means that which draws us to Itself; and what -in the world draws us all more powerfully than Love? It is the -"gravitation" of the modern scientist. It is the one source and -substance of all magnetism, of all attraction; and when that love is -absolutely pure, its power to draw is absolute, too. - -In seeking even material Pleasure or happiness through life we are ever -seeking this Absolute Bliss, only most of us do not know it. The man who -devotes his heart and soul to acquiring wealth is, in fact, but striving -to attain this blissful state. For what does the would-be millionaire -work to make the million but to secure pleasure, the pleasure of good -eating, good drinking, good living, good enjoyment—to be happy? He makes -the million; but the happiness which he secures, by securing the means -of pleasure and by enjoying the pleasures themselves, is not complete. -He still feels some void in that happiness, something still wanting in -those pleasures to make him fully happy. He therefore piles up more -millions, he plunges into newer pleasures, he leaves no stone unturned -to find the material objects which will add to his pleasure; and when he -has secured all these objects and enjoyed them, he finds himself exactly -at the same place where he was before—there is something still wanting -to make him completely happy. Finding no newer objects which are likely -to add to his happiness, he occupies himself by enjoying what he has -already enjoyed over and over again; that is to say, he goes over again -the same round of pleasures to delude himself into the belief that that -is the best happiness allowed to mortal man. - -But the delusion is temporary and far from complete. The longing, the -search for something still wanting, is present all through that -delusion—something unknown, but which he thinks he might know and -recognize, if he once found it. But, alas, he does not! - -Poor Man! He does not know the secret of true happiness, the happiness -which is complete in itself, which never ends, which, once secured, -never falls short or vanishes, which flows from within the heart through -all the channels of the body, out through the pores of it in a continual -stream of ecstasy. He does not know that this thing, this unending -happiness, is not to be found in material objects; that it cannot be -secured by the means or by the instincts of the physical senses, which -cognize only material objects. - -And why? Why is it that material objects fail to give us that true and -absolute happiness, fail to satisfy the hunger of the yearning human -heart for that unknown something which it feels somehow must exist, but -which ever eludes its ken and quest, and which, alas! it does not -realize that it once knew, that it once owned by right of heritage? - -The answer is simple, and ought to be convincing to every thoughtful -mind. The answer is: Because material objects are changeful in their -nature and principle; because, being nothing but forms of changefulness, -they do not possess this permanent, this unchangeable happiness, to give -it to those who seek to derive it from them. An object whose very -principle is changefulness can afford nothing which is not changeful in -its nature. All the pleasures, therefore, that we derive from material -objects must necessarily be changeful, which means short-lived, -pleasures of short duration, broken pleasure, distinguished by the -Hindoos from unbroken pleasure, which, because of its unbrokenness and -ecstatic taste, ceases to be called pleasure and assumes the name of -Bliss. - -The question now arises, where is this true happiness to be found, if it -cannot be found in material objects? Some modern scientists call this -unbroken happiness a delusion and a snare of credulous humanity. Modern -science has done much, has done wonders in this Western world. None but -a fool will deny the glory of its brilliant achievements. But even among -those who admire the wonderful progress of modern science, if there be -one who fails to find anything in these products of science which is in -any way likely to contribute towards the attainment of contentment by -the human mind, that person need not necessarily be a fool. Modern -science has excited our wonder, but has failed to make us either -contented or happy—contentment and happiness, which are our eternal -quest, the one object of our life, the one goal to which all creation is -running in a blindfolded race. It should rather be claimed for modern -science that it has made its followers outward-looking. It has produced -conveniences and comforts of life, which have made all people hanker for -them; and many, failing to secure them, make themselves discontented and -unhappy. Modern science, in a word, has served only to put obstacles in -the way of our attempt to realize that one object of our -existence—contentment, which affords true happiness. - -This leads me to repeat what I have just said, that no true or -all-satisfying permanent happiness can be found in material objects, and -hence the failure of material scientists to make humanity either -contented or happy. - -Where is, then, this happiness to be found? - -The answer is: Within ourselves. It cannot be found in anything outside -of ourselves. This continual stream of happiness is flowing at all times -from our heart of hearts all through our body, but we cannot perceive -it, or feel it, because our mind has been covered by the clouds formed -out of our hankerings for material objects. Our desire for material -pleasures is the only veil that shrouds this fountain of true happiness -from our mental vision. - -But if our desires for material enjoyments be carefully and -intelligently analyzed, we can arrive at only one conclusion, and that -is that in hankering for material pleasures we are in fact practically -hunting for that happiness which, once attained, is ever full, ever -satisfying; which, once enjoyed, lays all hankerings for material -enjoyments forever at rest. The fact of our material possessions and -enjoyments ever leaving within us a wish, more or less pronounced, for -something still more enjoyable, still more pleasurable, is the most -indirectly direct proof that we are in quest of something which material -objects cannot supply; and the fact of this quest being present in all -human souls, in all their thoughts and actions at all times forces us to -the irresistible conclusion that we once knew or had a taste of the -thing we all are eternally searching for; and that, having lost it, we -are ever endeavoring to regain it, its absence having rendered us as -unhappy and restless as a fish out of its element. - -This lost object, this once enjoyed state of the human soul, now absent -but ever longed for, is—Krishna. - -It is Krishna—Perfect State of Love or Bliss—that is ever drawing us to -Itself. This Krishna was once our home, when this creation, of which we -form but atoms, slept for aeons unnumbered in the bosom of Krishna, -forming but a part of His will. When those unnumbered aeons were -numbered, after these atoms of creation had slept for enough time to -rest themselves in that bosom of Absolute Bliss, they were thrust out of -that realm into space, to form a universe. - -They first manifested themselves as Universal Consciousness, which, -wanting to be conscious of something, developed into Ego, and Ego -developed into the Mind, as no Ego is possible without the faculty of -thought, which is the Mind's function. And as thoughts are not possible -without objects to think upon, the five fine objects, namely: Sound, -Touch, Form, Taste and Smell, came into existence, along with their -gross counterparts and compounds, I mean the five elements, namely, -Ether, Air, Fire, Water and Earth; while the Mind's channels of -communication with these fine and gross forms of matter were developed -simultaneously, namely, the five Cognizing Senses: Power of Seeing, -(eye), Power of Hearing (ear), Power of Smelling (nose), Power of -Tasting (tongue), Power of Feeling (skin), with the five Working Senses, -namely, Power of Speaking (vocal organs), Power of Holding (hands), -Power of Moving (feet). Power of Excreting and Power of Generating. - -Thus from Krishna to earth, Krishna's Will took twenty-four steps to -assume the form of the universe, and myriad steps more to divide the -universe into earth, heaven, stars, planets, sun and moon, man and beast -and bird; trees and shrubs and grass; mountains and rivers, which go to -make it up. - -But every particle of this cosmos is conscious, directly or indirectly, -in every point, of the home that it has left, the absolute state of -Bliss it once has soaked in, the incomparable nectar which it has once -tasted. Yes, that memory endures; the memory of that Love Absolute is -the cause of all discontent, of all dissatisfaction, of all strife and -effort, of all ambition and achievement. It is the cause as well of -every philosophy and transcendental thought, of moral and spiritual -uplifting, and of developing the human into the Divine. - -From Krishna have we all come and Krishnaward are we all tending. And -all our actions, good, bad or indifferent, are but the feeble steps with -which we are all endeavoring to cover the journey back to Krishna—our -Home, Sweet Home!—our ever-loved Home, from which we have come away as -sorry truants and to which the needle of our soul ever trembles, -pointing to us the forgotten path, by which we fled from and by which we -are again to return to that Home—Sree Krishna! - -GOD IS FORMLESS AND HAS A FORM. - -Thus Krishna is the object we are all seeking through every wish and -every act; every moment of our existence we are seeking Krishna. He is -the interest which makes life interesting, the one interest which makes -life worth living. He is the element of sweetness in the grossest -pleasure. He is the highest beatitude which the purest souls attain to. -The lover of good eating cannot keep on eating forever to sustain the -pleasure that good eating produces; if he did, he would die. The -sensation of eating endures as long as the food is on the palate; but -the mind alone is the enjoyer of that sensation. The mind alone, -likewise, enjoys the pleasure of intoxication, which the dryest and -highest priced champagne can afford. A little while and the pleasure of -the daintiest of food and the most delicious of drinks is over, giving -place to the pain of its loss and the restlessness in the search again -for such pleasure! - -The man who has solved the mystery of true pleasure that needs no -re-eating and re-drinking to keep itself up, does not seek to find it in -any food, or in any drink, or in any form or means of material -enjoyments, knowing that it is the mind alone, affected by material -objects, that cognizes pleasure or pain. The pleasure or pain which the -mind feels on being brought into contact with the thought or influence -of material objects is derived from those objects themselves; and so -long as the mind is habituated to draw pleasure from such objects it -cannot but come in for some sorrow, too, for objective pleasure is -short-lived, and its cessation is sorrow in the least pronounced sense. - -But we all want only pleasure or happiness; we hate pain or sorrow in -any shape. If that is true, and nobody can say it is not, then what we -practically want is eternal, unending pleasure; but we seek to find it -in objects whose very constituents partake of changeful materials born -more of pain than of pleasure. - -If we can make the mind dwell upon some object which is eternally lovely -and lovable, nay, even if we can imagine such an object, mentally create -such an ideal object, and concentrate our mind exclusively upon it, then -we can have a taste of that unending happiness which we all are seeking -in vain to find in material objects. Then, dwelling on this Changeless -Idea, the restless mind becomes fixed and calm; and calmness of mind -being happiness, the mind is thus made happy by itself. Then it has -known that happiness lies within itself, and within means independent of -any concern with outside objects; then it finds that the coarsest meal -gives as much pleasure as the daintiest of dinners, and that Adam's Ale -is a more delicious drink than the highest-priced champagne. It has then -learned to drink the champagne of the soul, the least taste of which -makes one think the taste of the most delicious wine and food to be all -tasteless. - -But from such transcendental nonsense, as the materialist would call it, -let us come down for awhile to analyze matter, the God of the -materialist. Let us for awhile examine the making and the mechanism of -the universe, and try to trace in the grossest matter the existence of -this Perfect Love or Happiness. - -I have already told you of the making of the universe, that it is made -up of twenty-four principles; namely, Love, Universal Consciousness, -Ego, Mind, the Ten Senses, the Five Objects and the Five Elements. I -have also told you very briefly the process of creation from Love to -earth. I need now tell you that every succeeding principle, as it is -developed, contains the preceding principle or principles. A grain or -earth therefore is as good as the whole universe in regard to its -composition. There is but this difference between the universe and an -atom of it, that in the universe all the passages of its twenty-four -principles are fully opened, while in the atom all these passages are -closed. But motion is the principal law of creation, of all creation, as -every particle of it is ever moving in the form of change. The atom of -earth, which is the smallest form of moving manifestation of Love -through finer and grosser matter, moves backward now through grosser and -then through finer forms of love-manifestations into the Ocean of Love -again, from which it had originally started. - -The process of this backward motion of material atom is the opening of -the passages of its composing principles through repeated -reincarnations. To develop from a grain of earth into a blade of grass -is the first step, in which only one passage, that of Feeling, is -opened. The blade of grass draws by the opening of this passage juice -from the earth for its sustenance. Upward through myriad forms of -life—shrubs, plants, vegetables, trees, lower animals, etc.—that atom -travels, to develop into the first savage man, in whom the principle -called Mind is for the first time opened, and along with it are opened -the passages of Ego and Intelligence (called Intellect in individual -souls); for all these three principles are close co-workers. - -The most important stage of evolution is man himself, for in man alone -are the passages of all these twenty-four principles more or less open. -And hence it is that man is called the miniature universe. From savage -man to civilized man, from civilized man to religious man, from -religious man to spiritual man, from spiritual man to perfect, all -loveful man, the process involves again innumerable incarnations. It is -the perfect, all-loveful man, that reaches the original starting point -and merges in the Ocean of Love called Krishna. - -I am now about to put before you a proposition which at first sight may -perhaps shock you; but I assure you that, if you can manage to get over -the first shock, by the aid of an open mind and calm consideration, you -may find that proposition to contain the truth, the whole truth and -nothing but the truth. My proposition is this: If this "formful" -universe—if that word may be allowed—formful in every detail, has come -out of God, or Krishna, or Love, can it be possible that that Source of -the universe is perfectly formless? If formless, whence have these -form-manifestations of that formless Deity come? How can forms come out -of anything void of all forms? That is a hard nut to crack for Western -theologians; while material scientists do not care to call that a nut at -all, for they have learned to see nothing beyond matter. - -I want you to think over this question with a view to draw the right -deduction. Meanwhile, I beg to submit a few suggestions which may be of -help in drawing these deductions. Forms coming out of anything formless -is as absurd to common sense as it is to higher, otherwise called -divine, or spiritual science. Therefore the producing cause of the -universe, the first principle, is not formless, but has a Form. It has -even a form like the form of a man, a form most perfect in every -feature, a form of which the most exquisitely beautiful and divine human -form is but a coarse, crude counterpart. Man has been made after the -image of his Maker, says the Bible. The idea has been borrowed from the -Hindoo scriptures, which in their principles are nothing if not -scientific in propounding principles. - -The Veda says that the Supreme Deity is both formless and with form at -the same time. Just as the sun in its orb is the concrete centre of its -abstract, infinite self in its manifestation of light and heat, so is -the Supreme Deity, of which the sun is but a physical reflection, the -Concrete Centre of His Abstract Infinite Self of His Effulgence, called -Love, which pervades the whole universe and all space, as the basic -principle of all Existence. - -As the sun (the orb) taken together with its light and heat should be -called the sun, and not the mere orb should be called the sun; so -Krishna, the Supreme Deity, should be taken together with His Central -Form and His All-Pervading Effulgence— Love—to be called Krishna. It -will be as wrong to regard the orb only as the sun, that is, the orb -minus its effulgence and heat, to be the sun, as to regard this Form of -Krishna (the Centre of Himself) minus the effulgence—all-pervading -Love—to be Krishna. Thus Krishna, like His physical light-reflection, -the sun, is Infinite, even though He has a finite-looking Form-Centre. - -The fear entertained by most people in the West, that the form carries -with it an idea of finiteness, is not true in regard to Krishna's Form. -Not only is Krishna Infinite in His effulgence, but the Image of his -Central Form dwells in every particle of that effulgence, called Love. -Besides, nothing in this universe is finite. - -I shall, in succeeding pages, try to prove to you the fact that the -Supreme Being has a concrete-looking Form-Centre, for two reasons. One -is to support the proposition that no form can come out of anything -formless, and the other is that all forms in creation, from a blade of -grass to a divine man, are more or less imperfect manifestations of the -Central Form from which they have sprung. From the blade of grass -upward, the process of evolution discovers more and more outward -resemblance and inward affinity to the Form and attributes of the Author -of the universe. Hence it is true that man is made in the Image of his -Maker. - -In the upward evolution of the man-form, the refinement of mental, -moral, intellectual and spiritual attributes contributes more and more -towards the man-form being made a more and more perfect image of his -Maker, both externally and internally. - -Krishna in Form and in Love-Effulgence is present as much in a grain of -earth, in a blade of grass, in a beast, as in man. Only that Form is -more or less covered in the lower life-forms, on account of many of the -composing principles of their bodies being unopened; while in the man, -all the principles being opened, the man-form looks more like the form -of God. Some people refuse to believe that the Supreme Deity has a form -like that of man, because God, with a human form would be lowered in -their estimation. These devout people forget that the human form is but -an imperfect picture of God's form, instead of God's form being a copy -of the human form. So God need not take the trouble of assuming an -imperfect reflection of His own Perfect Form. - -Dear Reader! Some of you may say that it is foolishness and temerity on -my part to try to prove that God has a Form before people who are in the -vanguard of civilization, and many of whom think that the very idea of -God is but a diseased fancy of weak humanity. Yet, for all that, I do -preach a Form-God along with a Formless God with all the boldness my -ancient, truly scientific conviction commands, because that boldness is -backed by truth, the only Truth. - -You here in this country are all of you great lovers and admirers of -science; you want everything to be scientific in order to be acceptable. -The food you eat, the air you breathe, the medicine you use, must be -scientifically supplied and applied. But if you want science in -everything, why do you not demand science in religion? Why is your -religion so unscientific? Forms coming out of a formless God is the most -unscientific assertion imaginable. - -The root of this belief in forms coming out of the formless is buried in -the conceit which the new civilization has developed in its average -votary. People here do not care to bow in reverence to anything that has -a form, hence is a formless Deity so readily believed in. If God had a -form, they say, He would be human, and therefore not worth worshiping. -Nor do they believe in making an image of God or bowing to it. They will -bow to man; they will idolize man, but not God. Every man here idolizes -his lady-love, and every lady idolizes her lover, with more or less -abject worship. They will worship the picture of a lover or a lady-love -day and night, but they will not worship the image of God, even in a -picture. They will pay homage to a moving form of Wealth or Physical -Beauty or Sensuality, but hate to think of, much less worship, an Image -of God. They are worse idolaters than the Hindoos whom they affect to -hate as "heathens." They worship idols of money and human flesh; the -Hindoos worship idols of God. They worship material forms of mere -matter; the Hindoos worship Sanctified Forms of the Divine Spirit or Its -Attributes. Let them raise their standards of idol-worship first in -order to be worthy to talk of the purely transcendental idolatry of the -Hindoos. - -The Hindoos rarely paint a picture or carve an image of a human being; a -human being is not worthy of it, except a Saint or a Gooroo (spiritual -guide); but they paint their God and make His Image, and worship it with -all internal and external homage. - -We are all denounced as idolaters; but we are idolaters to-day, in spite -of all the influence of civilization and Christian bigotry brought to -bear upon us, as good idolaters today as we were ten thousand years ago. -The idols and idolatry of ancient Greece, Rome and Egypt have been swept -away; but the idols of the Hindoo-God still flourish and will flourish -to the end of time, as they flourished time out of mind. - -What is the reason? Whence is this extraordinary vitality of Hindoo -idolatry? Because it is not idolatry in the sense it is understood by -"civilized" Westerners. We worship the images of the -attribute-manifestations of the ONE God, of the ONE Deity, of the ONE -Supreme Being, who pervades the universe, who originally is with Form -and Formless at the same time. We worship Krishna, above all, in His -Image as He manifested Himself and walked on earth among men 5,000 years -ago; Krishna, whose miraculous deeds of love, power and valor no -incarnation, either in the West or in the East, ever could enact or even -imitate, before His time or even after His ascension to Heaven, up to -to-day. We love this Krishna, the Seed and Soul of the Universe, the -Basic Principle of creation; we believe in Him and in the potency of His -Name. - -Love Him, dear Reader, because He loves you more than anyone you meet -here on earth. - -My Krishna bless you all! - -SECTION I. THE CONCRETE AND ABSTRACT GOD. - -See you that sun, Beloved Reader, shining radiant in the blue space -above? Ancients worshipped it as a god, and the Hindoos, the most -ancient of all peoples, worship the sun as a god still. With joined -hands filled with flowers and water and trembling with homage, the -Hindoos daily pray to this "Outer Eye of the Deity," this parent of all -light and Nature. "O Thou Parent of the Three Worlds! I meditate upon -thy power divine which directs my intelligence!" prays the Brāhman -morning, noon and evening, as he bows in all reverence. - -This sun is the physical expression of the Spiritual Sun, Krishna. As -the sun (the orb) is the concrete centre of its abstract self, in its -diffused manifestation of light and heat which pervades the universe, so -this, the Spiritual Sun, Krishna, the Source of the sun, is the concrete -centre of the diffused effulgence of His Body which pervades even the -sunlight and its heat. Krishna has a Form, a Form of which the most -exquisite human form is but a crude counterpart. The effulgence of -Krishna's Body is the substance of all space and creation. This -Effulgence-Krishna, with Form-Krishna for its centre, from which it -radiates—is Love. - -As the physical sun's effulgence embodies or is co-existent with heat, -so the Spiritual Sun's effulgence embodies and is co-existent with -Intelligence. This co-existent Absolute Love and Absolute Intelligence -forms the Being of this Creation. Krishna is, therefore, called the -embodiment of Being, Intelligence and Bliss, or Life, Truth and Love. -Every particle of this radiance of Krishna's Form-Body is not only -instinct with these three attributes in one, but has within it the germ -of Krishna's Form and Power. - -The belief that the First Cause of the universe has no form, is based -partly on error of its conception and upon ignorance of the laws of -Nature. It is a delusion to think that all forms are human, material, -and finite, and that to acknowledge that this Supreme Being has a form -is to take away from Him His absolute divinity, spirituality and -infinity. - -That which is not in the seed cannot appear in the tree which comes out -of it, says an aphorism of the Vedānta philosophy. This being an -undeniable truth, even from a common sense standpoint, it may be asked: -If God is formless, and if that formless, abstract God be the source -from which the universe has come, then how can that creation contain any -form? If man's creator is formless, to put the question in another way, -wherefrom has He His form? If God has no form, then He can have no idea -of form, and having no idea of form, how can He then create form, for -creation is but expansion of Idea. - -Creation has sprung from God's will, says the Holy Bible, as also the -Veda. These tell us—and both the Christians and the Hindoos are agreed -on this point—that God has a Will. What is will? It is but the function -or attribute of the mind. Just as where there is no fire there can be no -smoke, so where there is no mind there can be no will. Once we admit -that God has a will, we cannot escape admitting that He has a mind, the -function of which—will—He exercised in order to create the universe. - -Now then, it being established that God has a mind, the question may be -asked: Is that mind encased in a body? If so, what sort of a body is it? -Is it physical; that is to say, is it formed of the same material of -which the human body is made? Or is it a body made of abstract spirit? -This is not possible, for mind is defined by the Vedas to be that -principle within us which has the power of willing and non-willing. -Scientists and modern philosophers define mind with practically the same -purport. This vibration of the mind, willing and non-willing, is brought -about or induced by the reflections cast upon if by external or internal -objects, through its channels of communication, the five cognizing -senses, the physical counterparts of which are the Eye, the Ear, the -Nose, the Palate and the Skin, which cognize respectively Form, Sound, -Smell, Taste and Touch, under which five heads the Vedas have classified -all forms of matter or objects. A mind without these five channels -cannot exist, for, having no channels, it receives no impressions of -objects, and has therefore no chance of either willing or non-willing, -which is its attribute and its only substance and composition. - -Once we acknowledge that God has a mind, we cannot help acknowledging -these channels of that mind, the five senses. God has therefore not only -a mind, but the Power of Seeing (eye), the Power of Hearing (ear), the -Power of Smelling (nose), the Power of Tasting (palate), and the Power -of Feeling (skin). The mind has also five other powers called its -working senses; viz., the Power of Speaking, the Power of Holding, the -Power of Moving, the Power of Excreting and the Power of Generating, -otherwise called the vocal organs, the hands, the feet, the excretory -organ and the generating organ. Thus God, possessing a mind, is bound to -possess the ten senses, without which the mind cannot act, and inaction -of the mind is its destruction or non-existence. God, having a mind, has -to have an Ego, too, for mind is but a product or channel of the Ego, -which means I-ness or Self-Consciousness. So that God has all the -principles of which man is formed, once it is admitted that God has a -mind. And there is no sane man who can deny to God the possession of a -mind of which the universe is the design and creation of which man is -but a tiny part. - -The Christian Bible says that God has made man in His own image, which -means that man is the reflection, more or less imperfect, of God. Is it -then possible that what is not in the original is present in the -reflection? If the human soul, according to this scriptural saying, is a -reflection (image) of the Deity, has not that Deity a mind and body, as -Its reflection, the human soul, has? - -The answer is: It has, only the Divine Mind, being consummately pure in -its state and perfect in its working, is absolutely powerful to create, -preserve and destroy; and the Body in which the Divine Mind is encased -is composed of a substance not of any material make. - -But what does this Body of God look like? Is it like a human body? The -answer is: Yes, but of a perfection of shape, symmetry and beauty, with -which no human body can be compared; it is the Original Body, of which -the human body is a poor imitation. - -The question will be asked: Has God then as good a finite body as any of -us? The answer is; NO, in capital letters. God's Body is no more finite -than the human body is. There is nothing in Nature which is finite, not -even a blade of grass, or the tiniest speck of earth. - -All is infinite—all that you see around you, or perceive within you. -There is no such word as finite in the dictionary of Nature, in the -lexicon of Creation. All, all that looks ever so small and circumscribed -to the fleshly eye of ignorance, is vast and endless to the eye of -spiritual wisdom. All that to the physical sight is limited in shape and -life is before the vision of the soulful student of Creation's -mysterious laws limitless beyond grasp. - -Take a grain of earth, and try to trace its origin by the light of the -discoveries made by sages who probed into the inmost depths of Nature -with the needle of pure spiritual concentration, and you will find that -that grain of earth has sprung from Water, Water from Fire, Fire from -Air, Air from Ether, and Ether from Sound, Sound from Mind in its effort -to cognize outside of it objects projecting from within itself, Mind -from Ego, Ego from Consciousness, and Consciousness from the Infinite -Love-ocean, the basic principle of Creation. - -Can you call this grain of earth finite by any means or chance, -especially when you come to know the mysterious laws by which that grain -of earth develops into a blade of grass, and then, through myriads of -reincarnations of different life-forms, goes back and merges into the -Ocean of Love, from which it had originally sprung? - -From Love to earth and from earth to Love, thus is made up the circle of -creation, and every point in its circumference is but a moving phase of -the Infinite in manifestation, Man being but a stage in the upward -evolution of the atom or a particle of earth, and his soul being a part -of the Universal Soul—a wavelet of the Love-Ocean—he is as immense in -every way as the universe itself, as infinite as the Essense of -Infinity. His form is but the centre of his abstract Self, called Soul. -This form is concrete-looking, but it is so only to the circumscribed -vision of the fleshly eye of ignorance. - -The body of the Supreme Deity, Krishna's Body, is concrete-looking like -man's, but infinite in the expansion of its Radiance or Real Self, just -as, to repeat the simile, the orb of the sun is the concrete-looking -centre of its abstract Self in the manifestation of its light and heat. -The orb, its radiance and its heat must altogether be called the sun, -and not the orb alone. Krishna, the spiritual Soul of the sun as well as -of the Universe, has likewise a Form-centre, from which radiates to -limitless Infinity His effulgence called Absolute Love, which pervades -all creation and space. - -This body of Krishna, the Parent Cause of the universe, is made up of -concentrated Absolute Love, and is the Home of the Very Finest Ideas -(potencies) of the sense-principles and the Ego, Mind and Intellect, -which form the main factors of Creation. - -The Beauty of the Body of Krishna changes, like the shifting colors in a -kaleidoscope, into more and more soul-entrancing loveliness at every -second, for it reflects the concentrated Beauty and Sweetness of the -whole universe, charms warring with charms for supremacy—bubbling foam -and froth of the Sweetness of the Nectar of Love. - -SECTION II. THE SCIENCE OF CREATION. - -It is an intelligent conclusion to draw that the imperfect -form-creations of the Creator reach a perfect stage, or centre, towards -which all imperfections converge in order to reach perfection. That -centre does exist, that stage is the stage by the standard of which all -imperfections of things and phases in Nature are known and judged. That -centre is the Supreme God Himself—Krishna. - -Krishna, both Concrete and Abstract, has three main spiritual -attributes: Love, Intelligence and Life. Love is the first attribute and -the cause of the two others. As the sun (the orb) and its effulgence, to -once more repeat the analogy, are one and the same thing, as the flame -and its light are one and the same thing, as without the sun there can -be no sunshine, as without the flame there can be no light; in other -words, as light is inseparable from both the sun and the flame, so -Krishna, though He has a form as finite-looking as a human form, is not -only infinite in His All-pervading Radiance, but that Radiance is -inseparable from his finite-looking Form-Centre. As sunshine, again, is -inseparable from heat, so the effulgence of Krishna's Central Self is -inseparable from Intelligence. This Universal All-pervading -Intelligence, again, is inseparable from Existence or Being, otherwise -called Life. These three Absolute Spiritual Attributes form Krishna's -body, both Concrete and Abstract. - -Thus both the Concrete and the Abstract Krishna are the embodiment of -Bliss, Intelligence and Being, which are co-existent and -inter-penetrating. Before Creation, then, there was nothing but this -Krishna—the three Absolute Spiritual Attributes in one substance, so to -speak; for Krishna or Para-Brahm cannot be called substance, and yet -there is no word to indicate it. As mosses formed out of water float on -the surface of that water, soaking in it, so does Creation, springing -out of this Bliss, Intelligence and Being (the All-pervading Abstract -Self of Krishna), float, soaking in it. - -Let us try to understand the mystery of the birth of this -ever-changeful, material Creation from its eternally Unchangeable -Parent, the Concrete and Infinite Krishna. I have already said how every -atom of this Creation is composed of all the twenty-four principles, and -how in its backward motion to return to the First or Primal -Principle—that atom opens one by one the passages of these principles; -and how, when it develops into man-stage after passing through -innumerable life-forms in the course of its evolution, it opens the -passages of all the principles more or less. It is the opening of these -passages of all of its composing principles, in the man-stage of the -atom, that makes it fit to be called a miniature universe; for through -these openings it communicates more or less freely with the -all-pervading principles of the universe. The more developed this -man-stage becomes (that is to say, the clearer the openings of these -passages), the more correct an index it is of the inner laws and -workings of the great universe. - -Because man has the whole universe within himself just as an acorn has -the whole oak tree in potency dwelling within it, therefore he can, by -diving deep within himself, find out the mysteries of the producing -Source, Being and Processes of working of the universe. - -If we think on the process of the development of a tree from a seed, we -will find that process as marvelous as the most marvelous phenomena of -nature. Indeed, this process of the birth of a tree out of a seed is the -process, in miniature, of the birth of the universe out of Krishna-Love. -This process of Creation is being repeated every moment throughout -Creation itself. The laws of production and destruction, formation and -disintegration are the same in scientific exactitude as those which -produce and form, and destroy and disintegrate the universe. The -operation of these laws is going on as much in the inner as in this -outer world of ours—as constantly on the mental plane as on the -physical. The law which brings forth a tree out of a seed is exactly the -same as that which, in a finer manifestation, operates through the birth -of a thought in our mind. The rooting, the shooting, the growing, the -flowering and the fruiting of a tree is but a gross reproduction of the -process by which a thought awakes, develops and takes shape and action -within us. The stages of a thought's birth can be clearly perceived when -the mind is calm; at first there is an Unknown Feeling, then an -Indefinite Vibration, which develops into Abstract Idea. Idea develops -into Thought, and Thought becomes action. - -Out of Krishna (Love) Creation springs into existence like a thought. -Thought exists in our mind like a seed, in the shape of previous -impressions of objects and ideas; so the seed of creation lies in the -bosom of Krishna, in the shape of impressions of ideas of previous -Creations. This seed or germ is made up of three attributes, called -Sattwa (Illumination), Rāja (Activity or Motion), and Tama (Obscuration -or Darkness). So long as these three attributes, forming the essence of -the germ, are in equilibrium, that is to say, are of equal degree or -force or intensity, Creation remains in the germ-state in the bosom of -its First Cause (Krishna). But the moment there is the least tendency of -any of these attributes of this germ-essence to fall out of equilibrium -with the other two, that is to say, when one becomes more powerful than -the others, then they start out of the Central Self—Krishna, encased in -another form, almost like unto the Krishna-Form, a state which is -analogous to the Unknown-Feeling state in the development of human -thought. - -This state is called Vāsudeva, which again has a form-centre of its -abstract self-radiance, pervading all space. It is the least pronounced -state or stage of differentiation induced by the tendency of loss of -equilibrium in the even forces of the three Cardinal Attributes (Gunas), -illumination, motion and obscuration. The second stage, called -Sankarsana, analogous to the Indefinite-Vibration stage of the -development of thought, has again a form-centre of its all-pervading -abstract self-radiance. This Sankarsana is the Unconscious Cause of -Creation. The third stage, called Pradyumna, analogous to the -Abstract-Idea stage of thought, has likewise a form-centre of its -all-pervading abstract Self-radiance. This is the Semi-Conscious Cause -of Creation; and from this develops the fourth stage, called Aniruddha, -which is analogous to the full-developed Thought-stage and is the Full -Conscious Cause of Creation. This Aniruddha is called Vishnoo or -Nārāyan, from nār (water), and ayan (bed), because he floats on his back -on the water of Love-life, while out of his navel springs a gigantic -lotus—a figurative expression, meaning the Universe in bud—in which is -encased the sleeping Brahmā, the operating Creator, with the germ of -Creation dwelling within his mind and about to shoot forth. - -In Aniruddha the real stage of inequilibrium of the Attributes (Gunas) -develops, and in Brahmā it assumes full development. With the opening of -the petals of the Mystic Love-lotus, Brahmā awakes from his sleep (deep -trance state), and, unable for a moment to understand the meaning of the -Lotus-bed or the Water of Life around (just as a man suddenly roused out -of sleep is dazed and forgets to think and therefore feels stupid for -the moment), he goes down through the hollow of the Lotus-stalk in order -to find out the bottom of the Lotus. He goes down, down, down, and at -last finds its depths unending, bottomless. He therefore comes up to the -surface again and sits down mystified, when he suddenly hears a voice -from the water, as it were, saying: "Tapa, tapa, tapa!" which means, -"Meditate, meditate, meditate!" With the sound of that word the meaning -becomes apparent to Brahmā. It means: "Why art thou looking outward? -Look inward and thou shalt know." Whereupon his eyes involuntarily -close, and his mind becomes concentrated inward. Then he sees before his -mental vision Aniruddha (Vishnoo) appear and say: "O Awakened One! know -and remember that thou art Brahmā, the Creator." At the very suggestion -he finds out his own self and exclaims: "Oh, yes! I am Brahmā." Then -Vishnoo again says: "Thou hast now to create the universe." - -"Oh, yes!" he exclaims, as the memory of his function springs within -him, "I am to create the universe; but how?" - -"By meditating upon the former creation. As the memory of past creation, -which dwells within thee, shall awake, creation will begin." - -With hearing begins action; and as Brahmā concentrates his mind upon his -former creation, its memory in time flashes through him, and with the -flashing of that memory creation manifests itself, in the shape of -earth, and sky, and trees, and grass, and ocean, and rivers, and in time -beast, and bird, and man, all complete. Just as a master painter first -designs a picture in his mind and reproduces that design upon the -canvas, even so is the picture of creation produced upon the canvas of -Love-life. Only the painter Brahmā paints with the brush of his -all-powerful mind-force, which, the moment the design forms in his mind, -is materialized into living substance. - -SECTION III. THE STEPS OF CREATION. - -The Veda says that the universe is like a tree; that is to say, it is a -tree, the roots of which are embedded in the unmanifested First -Cause—Krishna. Aniruddha is the seed, and Brahmā is the first sprout. -This analogy between the seed and the sprout, between Aniruddha (also -called Vishnoo and Nārāyan) and Brahmā seems so perfect that it -justifies the conclusion that the process of the birth of a plant is -only an imitation of the process through which the universe springs into -being. - -As in the germination of a seed two lobes, called cotyledons, which form -part of the seed, come out prior to the appearance of the stem which -shoots forth between them, so out of the navel of Nārāyan (Aniruddha) -first appear two cotyledons, called "Lotus" in the figurative language -of the Veda, and between the cotyledons, sprouts forth the stem in the -shape of Brahmā, who is the miniature embodiment of the universe. - -Before Brahmā was born, Nārāyan created Universal Consciousness, which -was but the manifestation of his own Consciousness (called Mahat, which -means Immeasureable). Out of Consciousness sprang Ego (Ahankāra). Out of -Ego sprang Mind. Out of Mind sprang Ether (Akasha). From Ether sprang -Water. Out of the friction of Ether and Water sprang Air. This Air, -rising up from the ocean of Water with great noise, created, by its -friction with Water, flames of Fire, illumining all space. This Fire -became mixed up, by the cohesive attribute of Air, with Water and Ether, -and all four elements became one thickened, molten mass; and as it rose -upward the liquid substance which issued from it became solidified and -cooled in process of time and formed into Earth. - -Then the Lotus (cotyledons) sprang forth from the navel (Sanscrit, -Nāvee, middle) of Nārāyan, and within them Brahmā (the stem) shot forth. -His body was made of the Five Elements and Consciousness, Mind and Ego. -He is also said to be the central form-embodiment of Ego (Ahankāra). - -Brahmā is but the creative form-potency of Nārāyan. When Nārāyan bade -him to meditate upon his former creation, and told him also that the -moment that memory of former creation would awake within him creation -would begin, Brahmā meditated as he was told, and creation began as that -memory of the past creation flashed within him. - -Thus it will be seen that Nārāyan (Aniruddha) is the real Creator. He -creates at first the eight main, abstract and concrete principles; viz., -Consciousness, Ego, Mind, and the five elements—Ether, Air, Fire, Water -and Earth, After the creation of these was created the first concrete -form, Brahmā, who was to create the details of Creation. But even these -creations were not the product of the arbitrary will of Nārāyan, though -their expressions were subject to his will or mediumship. The seed-bud -of creation dwelt in the most mysteriously abstract state within Krishna -(Absolute Love), a state so similar to that First Principle that it -would enter and merge itself in it If we cut a seed in halves, we find -in it not even a suggestion of the tree of which it is the seed; but if -we plant it in the soil, the rudimentary form of the tree's organism, -called the germ, asserts itself and creates its state of differentiation -from its original state of homogeneity. So from the tendency of the -least inequilibrium of the forces of the three Cardinal Attributes, -Sattwa, Rāja, Tama (which, having formerly attained equality of force, -have lost their different individualities and have become merged and -transformed into Pure Sattwa—Illumination) springs the germ-state of -Creation, and, passing through its three stages; viz., Vāsudeva, -Sankarsana and Pradyumna, reaches its fourth stage, called Aniruddha, -where, having attained further development, it sprouts forth into -Brahmā, the first visible miniature embodiment of the universe. - -As out of the tiny but potent shoot of the plant from the seed, the -details of the tree, viz., trunk, branches, leaves, flowers and fruit, -spring forth to attain its full-grown state, so out of its minute but -potent shoot, the details of the universe, viz., earth, heaven, sun, -moon, stars, day, night, mountains, rivers, vegetation, spiritual -beings, animals, men, etc., spring forth to attain its complete form. - -The manifestation of Universal Consciousness (Mahat) is called the First -Step of Creation. The birth of Ego (Ahankāra) out of Consciousness is -called the Second Step of Creation; that of Mind from Ego is the Third -Step; that of the Five Elements—Ether, Air, Fire, Water and Earth from -Mind is the Fourth Step; that of the Five Attributes of the -Elements—Sound, Touch, Form, Taste and Smell—from the Elements is the -Fifth Step; that of the Five Cognizing Senses—Seeing, Hearing, Smelling, -Tasting, Feeling—out of these Five Attributes (also called Objects) is -the Sixth Step; that of the Five Working Senses—Speaking, Holding, -Moving, Excreting, Generating—from the Five Elements is the Seventh -Step; that of gods and aerial, invisible beings is the Eighth Step; that -of trees and plants and shrubs and grass and all other vegetation, as -also that of the wild animals and birds, is the Ninth Step; that of -domestic animals and men and women is the Tenth Step. - -These steps or series of Creation have developed between long intervals. -These are called purely Natural Creations through the instrumentality of -the mind-force of Aniruddha (Nārāyan) and Brahmā. - -SECTION IV. THE CYCLIC MOTION OF CHANGES. - -The Veda says that when the three Cardinal Attributes, by losing this -equipoise of force, sprang into being, and leaving the bosom of Krishna -(Absolute Love) passed through the three stages of their development, -viz., Vāsudeva, Sankarsana and Pradyumna, they brought with them a -vibration from Krishna which found expression in Aniruddha, who -exclaimed as he awoke from trance-sleep, as it were: "I am One, I wish -to be the Many." This Divine Will manifested itself into the Universe in -the manner described in the previous section. - -From the One—Love—the motion of manifestation of Creation has therefore -been towards manifoldness. From One—Love—the Principles sprang one by -one, and where there was only One, there were twenty-four. The details -of Creation sustained this process of manifoldness, and motion gradually -increased in speed, manifesting varieties, until now that increased -motion manifests that Will in millions of phases within every second of -time. - -This motion of manifestations or changes is like the surface of a -troubled ocean, where heaving billows innumerable, crested with foam, -cover countless living beings. The current of creative changes is mixed -with and fed by, and dashes against, the opposite current of -involutionary changes. The moment the last Principle of the -Universe—Earth—was created, it had the tendency to go back to the First -Source of Creation. But, unable to force its way back through the -channel by which it sprang, owing to the rush of creative current, it -found a circuitous channel by which its composing molecules started on -their way back. As has already been said, and will be fully explained in -detail in a separate section, the molecules have a tendency to open the -passage of their composing principles, and thus to journey back by -myriads of reincarnations through different and higher and higher -life-forms to the First Parent Principle: The current of Creation which -began with the manifestation of Universal Consciousness is still moving -on, and will move on in the shape of changes until universal -disintegration and dissolution take place. This current of creative -changes is mixed up and swelled by the opposite current of involution, -also in the shape of changes. These warring waves of action and reaction -make up the Cosmos-Ocean. - -Nārāyan (Aniruddha) is the Seed-Manifestation (Will) of Krishna (the -Supreme Deity); the Universe is the Physical Manifestation (Materialized -Will-Force) of Krishna; Time is the Motion Manifestation (Process of -Working of the Will-Force) of Krishna; and the Veda is the -Sound-Manifestation (Sound-Expression of the Laws of the Will-Force) of -Krishna. - -It has been shown how Nārāyan is the Seed-Manifestation and how the -Universe is the materialized Will-Force of Nārāyan and Brahmā. I will -now deal with this Motion-Manifestation—Time. - -"I am One, and I wish to be the Many." The Lord was One, and the moment -He wished to appear to be the Many, then this wonderful creation of -vastness and variety sprang into existence. From the moment of the rise -of that Will in the Divine Mind down to this moment, that Will is -undergoing the process of its execution. It is a rush from the One -towards manifoldness. This process of that manifoldness is called -Creation, and the rhythm of its motion is called Time. The whole -Creation is nothing but motion of Changes. Time is nothing but the -cognition by our mind of events and ideas which are phases of changes in -internal and external Nature. If we had no notion of events and never -had an idea within ourselves, we would be in Eternity. So long as we are -conscious of the kaleidoscopic changes in us and Nature or are conscious -of their impressions on our mind, we live in Time. And the moment all -impressions of the mind are obliterated and we become, through any -process, unconscious of human and natural events, we lose all -consciousness of existence; that is to say, we go behind the veil which -enshrouds these physical phenomena, and we enter the realm which is an -undisturbed calm of Absolute Life, Light and Bliss, the Trinity which is -Eternity. - -These changes in Nature and human society, starting from the beginning -of Creation, move in cycles; that is to say, they have a cyclical -process of motion. In other words, some events, natural and human, that -occur within a certain period of time, are reproduced in their principal -features in the next period of time of the same length. Creation -proceeds towards ever manifold variety at this cyclic pace. - -The smallest appreciable Cycle of Nature's change-process is the Day. -Twenty-four hours, called one day, are divided into two parts, called -day and night. - -One Day is a Cycle embodying natural and human events which are -reproduced in the following day, and so on. So that every day and night, -in their principal features, are but a reproduction of the previous day -and night. One day, therefore, is the smallest cycle of time or events, -for events are but the phases of natural changes, and time is but the -cognition or consciousness thereof. - -The next cycle of time or events is the Month, in which two events which -occur within twenty-eight lunar days are reproduced in the next -twenty-eight lunar days. These two events are the fourteen days of -waxing and waning moon, and the bright fortnight is the day and the dark -fortnight is the night of the month. - -The next larger cycle is the Year, in which the four seasons mark the -principal divisions of events and are reproduced in all years in the -self-same order, their uniform changes of weather and Nature bringing -forth fruit and crops. - -In the same way these events, called Time, develop larger cycles in -which some event or other, or a series of events, are reproduced in the --next equal length of time. There are cycles, for instance, of from 500 -to 100,000 years, the phenomena of which are reproduced in the next -period of their respective proportions. But the most pronounced cycle is -called the Divine Cycle. The Sanscrit word "Diva" is the root of the -word "Divine," and "Yuga" is the original of which the word "Age" is a -corrupted form. - -This Divine Age (Daiva-Yuga) is divided into four Human Ages, called -Satya, Tretā, Dwāpar and Kali. The span of this Divine Cycle is composed -of 12,000 Divine Years, and each Divine Year is equal to 360 human -years, so that 12,000 years multiplied by 360 gives us 4,320,000 human -years, which is the length of a Divine Cycle. The next bigger cycle is -called the Manwantara, which is made up of 71 Divine Cycles and is wound -up with a Deluge, in which the whole world, including the highest peaks -of the Himalayas, becomes immersed in water and remains so for the -period of 71 Divine Ages. The next larger cycle is the Kalpa, which is -made up of 14 Manwantaras, or 1,000 Divine Ages. The next cycle and the -largest is called Mahā-Pralaya, in which the whole universe is destroyed -totally, Krishna alone remaining with His Radiance, filling all space, -and 36,000 Kalpas bring about this Universal Dissolution. - -Since the beginning of this Kalpa creation, six Manwantaras (Deluges) -have passed away. Since the last Deluge 27 Divine Cycles have rolled -away. This is the twenty-eighth Divine Cycle of which the first three -sections, viz., the Golden Age, the Silver Age and the Copper Age have -passed away. We are just now in the early part of the fourth section, -the Kali or Iron (Dark) Age. - -SECTION V. THE GOLDEN AGE. - -Creation begins with the dawn of the Satya Yuga, which is also called -the Golden Age. It is the first part and the longest section of the -Divine Age. The span of this age is 4,800 Divine years, which being -multiplied by 360 gives us 1,728,000 human years. It is the most -spiritual age, because, of the three Cardinal Attributes—Sattwa, Rāja -and Tama—which govern, and are the parents of, the composing principles -of the Universe, the Sattwa is predominant in its influence. The Sattwa -is that attribute which uncovers the true state of things without and -within us and in Nature, hence it may be called the attribute of -Illumination. Rāja is the attribute of Activity (motion of change), and -Tama is the very reverse attribute of Sattwa. It is that attribute -within us and Nature which covers the true State of things, hence it may -be called the Obscuring, darkening attribute, the Attribute of Darkness. - -The Satya Yuga is called the Golden Age, because gold is very abundant -in this age of utmost spirituality, and gold is the purest and most -spiritual of all metals. The Illumination of predominant Sattwa pervades -all Nature in this age. Nature, inside and out, is full of light, almost -transparent with light—spiritual through and through. So is man, her -best product. Men and women in this age attain a spiritual depth and -height which no other age can develop. This spiritual height manifests -itself In their physical body, while the depth of their inward -spirituality shows itself in their outer life and actions. The Gulden -Age men are twenty-one cubits, or thirty-one and a half feet, in height. -This may strike us, diminutive mortals of this Kali Yuga or Iron Age, as -absurd or improbable, but it need not do so if we remember how long ago -the last Golden Age was—nearly three million years. Moreover, as they -are all of the same height, they do not think they are abnormally tall. - -These men and women, owing to their high degree of spirituality, have a -perfectly healthy, harmonious and beautiful body, for spirituality is -health, harmony and beauty. They have their inner vision fully opened -and see more through their ensouled mind's eyes than through their -physical ones. They, therefore, see through Nature as through a glass. -All Nature stands revealed to them to her inmost depth wherein they see -the One Essence which pervades it, the One Spirit of which all things -within and on the surface of Nature are but different phases of its -manifestation. And in it all they find themselves as part of the same -phases, living, moving and having their being sustained by that One -Spirit which is both life and light—the One Omnipresent Spirit, the one -All-Pervading Essence—Love. - -The Golden Age men and women have no garments to cover their entirely -bare body, nor do they need any. We clothe our bodies for two reasons:' -First, out of our sense of delicacy and shame because of our dark -thoughts born of improper and unnatural (sinful) actions, and secondly, -to protect our body and health from the attacks of the sun, the rain and -the changes of weather and climate. The Golden Age men have no such -reason for wearing any clothes. Their perfect spirituality admits of no -dark thought to touch their mind, for all is illumination within and -without them, while their actions are all in perfect consonance with the -purest laws of Nature, in rhythmic motion with the music of the Infinite -whose song they hear in their soul. They may be called moving -Vedas—walking wisdom and spirituality. The laws of the Veda form the -mechanism of their mind, and it is these Vedic laws that move their -limbs and prompt their words and actions. Their perfect spiritual health -is proof against the hardships of weather, or rather there is no -hardship of weather at all. The spirit of the Age pervades all Nature, -of which the weather a phase. Even Nature's forces are in perfect -harmony with one another, for harmony is the very keynote of the Age. It -is Spring, sweetest Spring season, all the year round, during night and -during day; warm enough without heat, cool enough without being cold, -breezy enough without being windy—man and beast and bird and tree and -earth and weather all are in harmony. Harmony, harmony, all is harmony -in this Blessed Age. - -Man and woman have no need at all for sex life in the Golden Age. The -ecstasy of the soul with which their body and being are filled renders -it impossible for even any thought of gross fleshly pleasures to enter -their mind. The very drawing of breath is to them a pure delight which -any fleshly or objective pleasure of our day cannot dream of -approaching. Life is lived then in its veriest depth—deep down through -the mind, deeper down through the heart, deepest down in the depth of -the soul. And when life is lived in such depth, its surface is not -heeded or cared for. Such a life does not require much material -nutrition—it is nourished by the souls all-nourishing nectar. - -These men and women eat very little food—fruits and roots only, and -drink milk and water, and these between long intervals. They feel very -little hunger and that little on far-between occasions. We feel hungry -because of our mind contemplating matter. All matter is changeful—matter -is nothing but collected forms of change. Its seeming substance embodies -but motion of change, so that its inmost attribute is changefulness. Our -mind concentrating on material objects absorbs its -attribute—changefulness—and is affected by it forthwith; it becomes -changeful in its turn, that is, it is rendered restless, flitting -quickly from one object to another. This changefulness of the mind is in -turn absorbed by our body, which suffers from its effects in the shape -of loss of tissue. And this loss of tissue we have to supply by food and -drink and rest and sleep. The Golden Age people do not suffer from this -loss of tissue, because their minds are always concentrated on the One -Changeless Substance, the very reflection of which through the changeful -forms of matter makes them seem steady and substantial. The little wear -and tear they suffer from, owing to looking now and then on the surface -of things, causes some little need of nutrition, which their occasional -fruit and milk meals supply. - -If they need little food they also need little rest. And when they need -it, they just lie down on the cool carpet of the fragrant grass, for -they have no other bed than this, because in the Golden Age there are no -houses whatever on the face of the earth. We build houses for the same -reasons that we wear clothes, and these reasons are absent in the lives -of the Golden Age people. Their bodies need no protection from the -weather, nor do they need external comforts, for they think more of -their soul than of their body. - -Their home is wherever they live and rest, its roof is the high vault of -Heaven with its azure canopy, Mother Earth the floor, the trees its -walls; Nature's bowers are their boudoirs. All created beings are their -family, the whole earth their country. And the whole earth is one large, -beautiful garden, the richest and most beautiful garden of flowers and -fruits and songbirds. But more beautiful than the garden are the divine -men and women who sanctify its soil by their walking, at whose approach -near them the trees worship them with showers of flowers and offers of -their fruits as love-gifts. - -This is the long-forgotten, and now misunderstood, misinterpreted -Earth-Garden of the Golden Age called in the Old Testament the Garden of -Eden. They are all now trying to locate it, some people in Syria, others -in Egypt, others elsewhere, ignorant of the fact that the Garden of Eden -was located upon the whole earth. The word "Eden" even is the corruption -of the Sanscrit word "ādhān" (Home). The whole earth becomes this -"Adhān"—the Home of all humanity, of mortal souls, the Pleasure-Garden -for angels on earth to roam about and sport in. This Garden is the -physical manifestation of a higher plane, created as the abiding place -of mortal man in temporary state of spiritual perfection. They live a -perfectly natural life, feeling themselves as parts of Nature, breathing -in unison with the breath of sky and air and tree and grass and beast -and bird, their souls in tune with the souls of gods and angels and -Infinity Itself. - -Among themselves they feel a Oneness which only the most sublimated -souls, who have realized their at oneness with the all-pervading Spirit, -can feel. All humanity feels as one man, and the only distinction they -find in this Oneness is in the little difference in the formation of the -male and female bodies, although this outward perception of this -external difference in some details of the physical structure does not -influence the feeling of unity within. Still the difference creates this -much distinction that the women and men sec and feel that they are the -complements of each other and the difference in bodily structure -expresses this fact. All men feel all women are as one and all women -feel all men are as one, so that, such is the feeling of unity which -pervades the Golden Age people of the earth that all men and women of -that age can be called as One Man and One Woman. This is the state of -the human society indicated by the story of Adam and Eve. Adam is the -typical man and Eve the typical woman of the Golden Age. Even the names -bear testimony to this fact. The word Adam is a corruption of the -Sanscrit word "Adim" which means primeval, so that Adam means primeval -man. The word Eve likewise is a corruption of the Sanskrit word "Hevā" -or primeval woman. "Hevā" means life and love—mother of creation. From -Mother Nature all things evolve, through the mother all things come to -life, therefore is mother "life." The life of all things is -motherhood—Life and Love combined is Mother. Mother! It is the music of -the spheres—Life and Love—the grandest sound, the music of the Creator, -one grand chord in the Music of the Universe. Love and Life—O Blessed -sound, the Lord's Own Music—sweet, profound! - -The spiritual beauty of these primeval people—the Adams and Eves—shows -itself in their physical forms. Their physical forms, symmetry and -expressions are ideally beautiful; these fashion and shine forth the -spirit of harmony which dwells within them. It may be in truth said of -them that they are made in the Image of God, and the truth of this -statement grows upon us when we remember that they live and feel that -they live in the Essence of Love—live and breathe and have their being -moved spontaneously by the Spirit which is the inmost life and force of -all Existence. - -This is living on the Tree of Life and eating the fruit thereof -mentioned metaphorically in the Old Testament. Love, Universal Love, -unmixed, Absolute Love is the only Life. When we lose sight of this -Ideal, this substance of life, we fall. So long as our minds are filled -from within with this Love, this Radiance of God, and we think, move and -act by its influence and promptings, so long do we really live the Life -which is our real heritage from God. The Golden Age people live this -life moved by the Spirit within them, the Spirit-Life that makes life an -ecstasy unto itself. This Life of Joy Absolute is illumined by its own -Light by the aid of which they sec all Nature as through a transparent -glass, they see everything with the ensouled mind's eye— not by the -physical eye—for they live within that ensouled mind and rarely come out -to the surface called the physical plane. When they do, they feel as if -the experiences of that physical plane are, as it were, the experiences -of a dream, while the experiences of the ensouled mind they feel as the -Reality, the only Reality. - -I have already said that the three Cardinal Attributes, (Sattwa, Rāja -and Tama) Illumination, Activity and Darkness, are the joint parents of -the Principles which compose all creation. When the forces of these -Attributes fall into equilibrium, the dissolution of the universe takes -place and the equalized Attributes merge into one another and become -transformed into a substance quite different from their own. That -substance is called Shuddha Sattwa—Pure Illumination. In Sattwa there is -a mixture of some Rāja and Tama; in Rāja there is a mixture of some -Sattwa and Tama: similarly, in Tama, there is some mixture of Sattwa and -Rāja. In Shuddha Sattwa, the Sattwa is free from the other two -attributes. Krishna (Absolute Love) is Purest Sattwa. The equalizing of -the forces of the Attributes transforms them into Pure Illumination no -doubt, but the transformation is temporary. Krishna (Absolute Love) is -Permanent Purest Illumination. But even the temporary attainment, by the -Attributes, of the Shuddha Sattwa state makes them for the time being -the same substance as this First Principle and brings about their -absorption into it as long as they keep in that state. This is almost -exactly as the germ of a tree remains merged in and becomes part and -parcel of the kernel of its seed. And as when the seed is put into the -soil, the action of germination separates from that kernel the germ -which then grows into a tree, so when in time the forces of the merged -Attributes fall out of equilibrium by Rāja (Activity) asserting itself, -they get separated and manifest themselves into the Universe. At first -the activity of Rāja is feeble and Sattwa predominates. Out of -predominant Sattwa springs the Mind, Rāja brings forth the Ten Senses -and Tama the Five Essences and the Five Gross Forms of matter. And all -objects and animals and men and gods and earth and heaven are but -different degrees of blendings of the Three Attributes. - -The Satya Yuga (Golden Age) at the beginning of creation is so full of -Sattwa (Illumination) that all Nature is made of materials almost -transparent as ether. The matter of this first Golden Age is so fine -that it would be invisible to the eye of our gross flesh of this distant -Kali (Iron Age). Even in the last Golden Age, Nature was made up of such -fine matter that it would look, to our gross vision of this day, as -pictures of light. - -Why is Nature in the Golden Age so ethereal? Because the Attribute of -Illumination is predominant in that cycle. All is Illumination, within -and without. Through this illumination the Golden Age people see the -Steady, Changeless substance which is the Life and Light of which the -outer universe is but the shadow. And with the spirit of this Changeless -Love and Life and Light in One before their mind's vision, they cannot -but feel that its distorted, changeful manifestations called objects are -made of fabrics of which dreams are made of. Even they themselves are -etheric and irridescent, not visible to the physical eye of the Dark -Age, but always visible to the inner eye of men of any age—to the eye of -the highly evolved man whose sight is more spiritual than physical. -Ether is cognized through etheric vibrations—light alone recognizes -light. - -For the First Quarter of the Satya Yuga or Golden Age (One Thousand -Divine Years) this perfect state of Universal Holiness prevails on earth -and among mankind. This is the original of the recorded vision said to -have been seen by St. John the Divine as embodied in Chapters 20, 21 and -22 of his Revelations. This is the Millennium spoken of in the Holy -Bible when Satan (Sin—Tama—Darkness), it is said, will be bound and cast -into a bottomless pit, shut up and set a seal upon, and holiness will -become triumphant throughout the world. This means the predominance of -Sattwa (Illumination) in man and Nature and Tama (darkness) will be -drowned under it. The people will live on the fruits of the Tree of -Life—in the Essence of Love. They will live face to face with God, that -is, in perfect realization of His Spirit—Love. This Millennium will -begin with the First Quarter of the coming Satya Yuga (Golden Age), the -New Divine cycle which will be ushered in after the expiration of the -Kali Yuga (also called Iron or Dark Age) we are now living in. That time -is far away yet, how far I shall in a succeeding Section attempt to -indicate. - -As already suggested, the Golden Age conditions of Nature are the -physical manifestation of a higher sphere. According to the Hindoo -Scriptures there are Seven Spheres (Lokas) or Heavens. People in the -West speak of the Seventh Heaven. Few know where the expression has come -from, fewer that it has come from the Hindoos who believe in the Seven -Heavens. The first is the Earth. (Bhur) which is counted as a heaven -because heavenly joys can be tasted on the earth plane. Above the Earth -is the Bhuba Sphere, the Second Heaven. Above Bhuba is Swar the Third; -above Swar is Mahar the Fourth; above Mahar is Jana the Fifth; above -Jana is Tapa the Sixth, and above Tapa is the Satya Loka (Seventh). The -Golden Age state of the earth is but a reflection of this Satya Sphere -on it's Sattwa (Transparently Illuminated) surface. The men and women -are angels on earth meet and have communications with gods and angels; -and at times even Brahmā, the Shiva, the Destroyer, and Vishnoo the -preserver, come down on earth and hold converse with these perfectly -pure human beings. Earth then is "Heaven Below," and it is hard to tell, -when men mingle with the gods and angels when the latter come down to -meet them, which are the gods and angels and which are the men. - -Saint John's Revelation 21 in the Holy Bible attempts to give some -glimpse of this picture of the Golden Age: - -"And I saw a new heaven and a new earth; for the first heaven and the -first earth were passed away; and there was no more sea. - -"2. And I, John, saw the holy city, new Jerusalem, coming down from God -out of heaven prepared as a bride adorned for her husband. - -"3. And I heard a great voice out of heaven saying, Behold, the -tabernacle of God is with men, and he will dwell with them, and they -shall be his people, and God himself shall be with them, and be their -God. - -"4. And God shall wipe away all tears from their eyes; and there shall -be no more death, sorrow, nor crying, neither shall there be any more -pain; for the former things are passed away." - -What St. John describes as "a new heaven and a new earth" is the -illuminated heaven and earth—illuminated by Sattwa, which destroys the -darkness (Tama) of the preceding Kali (Iron) Age which pervades Nature -during its sway. The "holy city, new Jerusalem, coming down from God out -of heaven," is the reflection of the Satya Loka (the Heaven of Truth), -which comes down as it were and mirrors itself on earth. The Golden Age -earth is really a bride adorned for her husband, God, for, in the Hindoo -Scriptures, Earth has been called the Bride of Vishnoo (God). The -meaning of the third verse can be more easily understood as it speaks of -the spiritual condition of the Golden Age I have described already. - -The fourth verse supports the fact of the unbroken peace and happiness -which dwells on earth during the Golden Age. Men know no sorrow, nor -crying, nor pain. They are happy and are ever filled with joy. "And -there shall be no more death"—this is very important testimony to the -one statement in the Hindoo Scriptures about the Golden Age men and -women which is more apt to be discredited than any other. In them it is -said that in the Golden Age men and women can live for one hundred -thousand years and die at will, which is corroborated by St. John, who -says, "and there shall be no more death." Life in the Golden Age, say -the Hindoo Books, is sustained by the marrow of the bones; man lives as -long as there is marrow in his bones. Death and disease are caused by -accumulation of sin, which is the result of improper, unnatural living, -living, that is, in violation of Nature's spiritual laws. The Golden Age -men live in absolute harmony with these laws, and are therefore liable -neither to death nor to disease. Men are filled, in this age, "in full -measure of virtue" and sin has no place in it, not a trace of it -anywhere. - -This is the state of Nature and human society which is reproduced in the -beginning and first quarter of every Golden Age, which forms the first -largest section of every Divine Cycle. This is real Universal -Brotherhood, the union of soul to soul being brought about by the -general recognition of the One Spirit which is the root, sustenance and -life of all manifestations in Nature. Spirit only makes man brotherly, -and the feeling of the One and the Same spirit is the source of true -brotherhood, and until One Love is for all, souls shall be separated and -countries will war with countries. Every one in the Golden Age looks -upon every one else as himself, as it were. It is more than Ideal -Brotherhood in this state of society; it is real, practical, spontaneous -brotherhood, brought about by the Attribute of Illumination having full -play within all created matter, objects and beings. They are united from -within, not through outside forces, and so close and natural is the -union that they do not realize that it is anything unusual at all, even -in the deep demonstrations of spontaneous love which they feel for one -another. - -If such is the high state of perfection which men attain in the Golden -Age, the animal and the vegetable kingdoms also share the benefit of the -predominance of illumination in Nature, of which men and animals and -vegetation are but different phases of manifestations. We have read in -the so-called fables and fairy-books of a time in which animals were -wont to speak, and as in our day they do not speak at all, we regard -such statements and stories as myths. But they are not myths, however -absurd they may strike us, viewed from our practical experiences of -animals in our Kali Age life. If the animals of this Kali (Dark) Age -cannot speak, that is no reason why animals of an enlightened age should -not be able to speak. But this is what forms the chief difficulty in the -way of our believing in such stories. We have been hypnotized by our -conceit into believing that ours is the most enlightened age and that we -are far ahead in enlightenment and advancement of intellect of our -remote ancestors of, what we complacently term, the "primitive" ages, -meaning thereby ages in which men were either savages or half-savages. -If this were true, the animals of those ages could be imagined as worse -in habits, powers and instincts than those of our "advanced" age. Alas, -however, it is not true! Our remotest ancestors, whom we, in our dense -ignorance of facts of that remote past, love to call savages, were such -giants in intellect, spirituality and moral force that our average best -spiritual, intellectual and moral men cannot be compared with them. We -are indeed fast losing our moral depth which was the sheet-anchor of -their character. Why? Because our minds are getting more and more dense -than those of even the near past, not to speak of those of the remote -ages. Why? Because Nature herself is getting denser and denser every day -with the growing influence of Tama (Darkness) which is the ruling -attribute of this Iron Age. We are the products of Nature—we all, men -and beasts and trees and grass. Our density is to be traced to our -parent—Dame Nature. This growing density which pervades our minds is -daily making us less spiritual and intellectual than our forefathers. No -wonder it has affected the body and senses of animals as well. - -Illuminated Nature illuminates animals as well in the Satya Yuga. -Animals then have more intelligence, better perception and keener -instincts than now, and share the love-spirit of which all earth is -full. They talk like man, although not in the same clear and sweet voice -as man. They roam about with men and love one another as men do. There -are no domestic animals in this part of the Golden Age, for man has no -home or house. There are no wild animals, for all animals are tame, -tamed by the spirit of harmony within and without them. The cow roams -about free, giving milk to whoever will drink it out of her udder. - -The trees in the Satya Yuga are large and tall in proportion to the -height of men, which is 21 cubits. They are overladen with sweetest and -juiciest fruits. All kinds of corn grow wild and abundantly without any -tending or cultivation. The whole earth is a natural garden, orchard and -granary for all created beings to enjoy and draw sustenance from when -needed. Here I quote a poem written under inspiration after seeing a -trance-vision of the Golden Age, by one of my students, Miss Rose R. -Anthon: - -Palpitating with love, - - Like a mother's breast, - -As she views her babe - - As it sinks to rest. - - -Like a million bees - - Throbbing with life, - -Each cell a world - - In the citied hive. - - -This was the land - - I slept to see, - -The land my dream - - Unfolded to me. - - -Here Love did reign, - - Love life did greet, - -Life crowned with love - - The heart did meet. - - -Here wondrous song - - The birds did sing, - -And oh the echoes - - The skies did ring! - - -And oh the peace - - The heart did know! - -And oh the lack - - Of haunting woe! - - -Here man commune - - With God did hold, - -The doe run abreast - - With the lion bold. - - -The hawk and the dove - - Shared one nest; - -The lamb and leopard - - Suckled one breast. - - -The tender nurslings, - - The soft young things, - -Eager their minds, - - Like outspread wings. - - -The flowers nodded - - Their faces fair; - -Sunbeams embraced - - The perfumed air. - - -Little children - - With Nature grew; - -Skies overhead, - - 'Neath feet the dew. - - -The happy youth - - The maid did woo. - -Free as the stars - - The moon did view. - - -With joy I beheld, - - In this sweet land - -Unspoilt was love - - By sin's hot hand. - - -With knots of guile - - The heart did bind. - -No souring doubts - - Disturbed the mind. - - -Here livid hate - - No place did hold; - -Jackal and calf - - Entered one fold. - - -Nor envy's sneer - - Belined the face. - -Nor fiery lust - - Filched beauty's grace. - - -But rayed with peace - - Was every eye, - -And all unknown - - Was panting sigh. - - -In every heart - - Was Love enthroned, - -And every voice - - Had Hope entoned. - - -Such was the land - - I slept to see. - -The land my dream - - Unfolded to me. - - -SECTION VI. THE SILVER AGE. - -Thus, during the first quarter of the Golden Age, covering 1,000 divine -years, which are equal to 360,000 lunar years, its predominant -spirituality sustains itself in its full vigor. The next quarter is -almost equally powerful in spirituality. But after the middle is passed, -a little decline is perceptible, not so much in spirituality as in the -outward habits of the people. During this period the Vedic truths reveal -themselves through the mediums of the entranced minds of some of the -highly illuminated men. Now, what is a Vedic truth? It is an expression -in sound-form of one of the inmost laws of Nature. Before this period -the Golden Age people breathe, move and have their being in these -laws—as sensitive embodiments of these laws. They are, as it were, -moving Vedas—human flesh-vehicles moved and manipulated from within by -the basic laws of all Existence. The predominant Sattwa in its extreme -purity, which is the essence of physical Nature in the Golden Age, -blends with these laws so harmoniously that they form the self-acting -mechanism of all motion of its materialized counterpart. So long as -these people are in perfect unison with these inner laws, vibrating -spontaneously with their vibrations, they are quite unconscious of the -operations of these laws, or even of the laws themselves within them: so -long they live as unconscious moving manifestations of the laws. But the -moment they become conscious of them, then that consciousness expresses -itself in the form of thoughts, and these thoughts find expression in -words through the medium of some entranced minds. These are called the -Eternal Truths of the Veda, truths which are the foundations and sources -of all truths promulgated by the illumined sages of all climes and times -ever afterwards. - -Just as, so long as we are perfectly healthy, we remain unconscious of -our health and enjoy the blessing of health most; but when some disorder -creeps into our system, we become conscious of it and feel indisposed -and try to adjust its lost equilibrium. Towards the end of the third -quarter of the Golden Age, a slight disorder is felt in the spiritual -health of the people. Then a readjustment of the slight loss of the -equilibrium is made with the aid of contemplation of the meaning of -these Vedic truths which are revealed through the still perfectly -spiritual souls. Before this time all of them live the truths -unconsciously; now they live the truths consciously. This indicates -their fall from their absolutely healthy state of spirituality. The -degeneration increases with time at a very slow rate, however, for -Sattwa is still predominant, although Rāja (Activity) has begun to -assert itself more and more until the end of the Golden Age is reached, -when the action of Rāja becomes fully perceptible. - -This pronounced assertion of Rāja within all Nature is betrayed by -outward signs and symptoms. Distinct changes are observable in the -thoughts and actions of men, while there is decrease in the wild natural -growth and products of edible fruits, roots and corn. These main -features of change mark the end of Satya Yuga (Golden Age) and the -beginning of the Tretā Yuga (Silver Age). - -From natural all-absorbing, inward concentration upon the basic -principle of the Universe—Love—and drawing absolute never-failing -happiness therefrom, most people now begin to look outwards for -happiness, trying to draw it from the enjoyment of material objects. A -small portion, however, still retains the same inward look and enjoys -the primeval ecstatic condition of the mind. These still live in the -Tree of Life. But those who look outwards and try to draw happiness from -without, eat tor the first time of the fruit of the Tree of Knowledge, -as indicated by the figurative language of the Christian Bible. So long -as they do not look outwards, they do not know of material pleasure, -pleasure which is mixed with pain, Rājasic pleasure, pleasure which -lasts for only a short while, pleasure which has reaction of pain or -cessation. - -This knowledge of material pleasure and hankering for securing them is -the fall of humanity. The cause of this outward-looking is to be traced -to the assertion of the Cardinal Attribute of Activity (Rāja) within -Nature rather than to any fault in her products themselves. Predominant -Sattwa (Illumination) maintains the harmony in the mind induced by calm -concentration upon one object and that object a steady, Changeless one. -Predominant Rāja (Activity) destroys this harmony and calmness by making -the mind active with thoughts of many objects. This state of activity -itself turns the point of the mind's ken outwards and disturbs its -harmony. The mind is active only when it has to deal with the -impressions of more than one object. When the surface of a mirror is -turned towards the sky, it reflects only that one blue sky. When it is -turned towards the earth it reflects many objects. Such is the case with -the mirror of the mind. When it is turned inwards to the soul, it -reflects its one all-pervading, colorless radiance and is therefore -tranquil and happy. When it is turned outwards, it reflects the -many-colored objects and is disturbed by their conflicting attributes. - -All through the Golden Age the mirror of the human mind is kept turned -inwards to the soul and reflects nothing but the soul of things. At the -end of that blessed period, the natural assertion of Rāja turns it -outwards to external objects which at once reflect themselves in it. -From this time people begin to take serious cognizance of their -surroundings and privileges, and to think of material enjoyment, to -taste material pleasures. Living the natural Love-Life of the Golden Age -is living on the fruit of the Tree of Life. Love alone is life; it is -the source of all life. The dawning of the knowledge of material -pleasure is eating for the first time of the fruit of the Tree of -Knowledge—material knowledge. The first hankering for it is the -persuasive voice of the Evil One, called in Sanscrit, Māyā. Māyā means -illusion, that which is unsubstantial to the inner sight yet seems and -looks substantial to our outer (material) sight. Good and evil may be -called the equivalents of the two Sanscrit words "Sat" and "Asat." Good -is "Sat" which means that which exists by itself, which has substance. -Evil is "Asat" which means non-existent, which has no existence -(substance) of its own. Good is God (Love). Evil is that which partakes -of, or is related to, the phases of unsubstantial (changeful) -manifestations which form the shroud of the only Reality—Love. To have -our minds vision turned from this Reality to its Unreal Shroud and -mistaking it as the Real, constitutes our fall—the Fall of Mankind -spoken of in the Bible. As long as we know nothing but the Truth and -live absolutely in that Truth, we have no idea of the False (evil), the -deceptive real-looking Unreal. But the moment we are attracted by the -Unreal and live in it, we begin to have knowledge of both Good (the -Real) and Evil (the Unreal). We become so attached to the Unreal that we -cannot leave it, although we know it to be Unreal (evil). Here is born -what is called "conscience," which is the Warner of sin—this living in -the Unreal though we know it is so and that we should not live in it. - -This is the state of mind of the major portion of the Silver Age people. -With this outward-looking of their mind begins the hunting for Absolute -Happiness on the surface of life, instead of in its deepest depth where -it dwells. This search for it through material pleasures ends in this -real object of that search being lost from their view and the pleasures -themselves taking its place. This last stage of mental degradation is -not true, however, of all the people of the age. A small portion still -retain much of the high spirituality of the Golden Age. Some are swayed -by predominant Rāja, others are ruled by Rāja and Tama, while others are -covered almost entirely by Tama. This leads to the division of the -people into castes. Those who are uninfluenced by the assertive Rāja are -called Brāhmans; those swayed by Rāja are called Kshatriyas; those by -Rāja and Tama are called Vaishyas; those mostly ruled by Tama are called -Sudras. I have treated the caste system at some length in the next -section. - -Tastes for material comforts involve housekeeping, and housekeeping is -impracticable without a house. The people therefore build houses to live -in for the first time in the Degeneration period of the Satya Yuga. The -Tretā is called the Silver Age because gold, the spiritual metal, -becomes less abundant with the decrease in spirituality in Nature, and -silver is found in abundance. People in the Satya Yuga use gold for -household utensils, hence the Satya Yuga is called the Golden Age. The -period in which gold plates come into use does not belong to the Golden -Age proper. It is used in what is called the Degeneration (Sandhyāngsa) -period of the Golden Age. Every Age has a Junction period and a -Degeneration period, called in the Hindoo Scriptures, the Twilight -Periods. These periods are of equal length. The morning Twilight period -of the Satya Yuga is 400 divine years, equal to 144,000 lunar years. Of -the same length is its evening Twilight period. The morning Twilight -period represents the Junction period, the junction between the previous -Kali and the Satya Yugas. The evening Twilight period may be called the -degeneration of the Satya Yuga. It is in this degeneration period -covering 144,000 years, that Rāja asserts itself and people begin to -turn to material pleasures, build houses, wear clothes, take to -housekeeping, eat cooked food and generally use gold plates, gold being -abundant and on account of its possessing pure (spiritual) magnetism, -purer than that of other metals. - -The average human height in the Silver Age is 14 cubit or 21 feet, -average longevity of human life is 10,000 years; human vitality is -centered in the strength of the bones; man lives as long as his bones -sustain their strength. In the Golden Age men enjoy full measure of -spirituality. Virtue resides in them, in the language of the Shāstras, -in full four quarters. In the Tretā, owing to the decrease of -spirituality, virtue loses one-quarter and retains three. In the Golden -Age, they are natural embodiments of Vedic wisdom. In the Tretā, they -have to study that wisdom, as it expresses itself through entranced -Sages, to keep up spirituality. And as the Silver Age advances, the -increased influence of more and more assertive Rāja within them makes it -more and more imperative on all religious teachers and kings to direct -people's attention to the necessity of wider and deeper study and -practice of Vedic truths. - -As I have said, in the Golden Age there are no carnal relations between -man and woman, so is there none in the Silver Age, although man and -woman as husband and wife live together in houses, have housekeeping and -enjoy material comforts. Yet, strange as it will strike most of us here -at this distance of time, the Golden Age and Silver Age women bear and -give birth to children. The child is born in the womb of its mother at -the wish and command of the husband. The wife asks her husband for a -child, and the husband of the Golden Age, who is a miniature creator in -the potency of his mind-force, says, "So be it," and the wife at once -conceives. But she has no pain of child-bearing or child-birth to suffer -from. The child is born soon after, and, at times, almost immediately. -In the Tretā Yuga, the conception takes place in some cases in the same -manner, and, in most cases, through the eating by the wife of "charoo," -a mixture of boiled rice, milk, sugar and butter—magnetized by mystic -words or the will-force of a psychic husband or a saint or a Brāhman—a -magnetism which draws into the preparation a disembodied spirit who -passes into the body of the wife through the food. - -The difficulty in believing this process of child conception lies in the -ignorance which now prevails in the minds of most people of the modern -world, especially in those of Westerners, as to the origin of -conception, as to how conception takes place. The prevailing idea, -formed from the teachings of imperfect modern science, is that it is the -male seed itself planted in the female soil that begets and develops -into the child. No greater fallacy can exist than this idea. Modern -science is progressive, and in the process of time that progress will -surely open its eyes to the true fact in regard to this matter. It will -then find that it is the invisible germ hidden inside the seed, the -subtle form of organism encased in the thickened juice of the tree which -the seed is, that develops into the shoot and the tree and not merely -the juice itself. This subtle organism enters into the forming bud from -outside. Without this incoming subtle organism no seed can germinate, -neither does a seed germinate, as is well known, of which the germ has -been destroyed. Similarly, no conception can take place without a -disembodied soul—a human germ—entering the human seed when planted in -the human soil. The juice of the seed and the juice of the soil form but -the physical body of the child. The astral body, which is encased in -this physical body, comes from without to dwell in that seed and leaves -the developed physical body at death, which is nothing but the total -disorganization of the physical body. The astral body never dies unless -it is destroyed by bringing about absolute equilibrium of the three -Cardinal Attributes, which form the Ego of man, through spiritual -development. I have treated this subject more fully under the heading of -"Reincarnation." - -The length of the Silver Age proper is 3,000 divine years, equal to -1,080,000 human (lunar) years with the two Twilight (the Junction and -the Degeneration) Periods, of 108.000 years each, in addition. - -SECTION VII. THE CASTE SYSTEM. - -I have said that at the end of the Golden Age and during its -degeneration period, people's minds lose their tranquil equilibrium and -look outwards for happiness. At this stage of the disturbance within -Nature and humanity occasioned by the assertion of the Rāja attribute, -the caste system comes into existence. The object of the caste system is -to preserve as much order and harmony in human society as possible and -prevent its disruption into individual units. In the Golden Age all the -people are as one family, in the Silver Age they are divided into four -families, divided according to their inclinations, habits and actions, -and harmonious relations being established with one another through laws -and interdependence. Those who still retain their perfected spirituality -by subduing the influence of Rāja are called Brāhmans which means those -who know or still dwell in Brahm—the Spirit of God. They are considered -the head of the other castes because they are the embodiments of -spiritual wisdom which is the chiefest requisite in the building of -character and the higher development of the human soul. Some of them -still retain their Golden Age habits of life, others clothe themselves -with the barks of trees and live on fruits and nuts and roots in the -forests, in huts made of tree-trunks and leaves. They pass their days -and nights in contemplation of the Deity, the Divine Spirit and its Laws -operating within Nature and inculcate these truths into the minds of the -other classes of people. - -Those who, being unable to subdue the influence of Rāja, are swayed by -passions and become bold, spirited and filled with material desires are -called Kshatriyas. They become rulers of the other two castes. These are -the first Kings and Rulers of men. But they rule according to the -injunctions of inspired Codes of laws, laws which are propounded with -the object of the highest good of humanity in view, as well as the -propagation of peace and goodwill among all classes of people. - -According to these laws the King's first duty is to look to the material -welfare of his subjects; the second is to protect them from injustice -and aggression; the third is to help their moral and spiritual -development; in short, the King's duty is to treat his subjects as his -children. If any King fail to perform these duties to the satisfaction -of his subjects or become aggressive towards them, he is immediately -removed from his throne by the Brāhmans (Rishis), the all-powerful -Brāhmans, who always have the welfare of God's creatures at heart, and -whose spiritual powers are mightier than kingly weapons and might. The -Brāhmans are called the "gods of earth" (Bhudevas) on account of their -disinterested love of humanity and self-sacrificing devotion for its -welfare and their irresistible spiritual and psychical powers to carry -their objects for the good of humanity into action. - -Those among the Golden Age people in whom excessive action of Rāja -develops some Tama as well, and partly covers the Sattwa Attribute, form -yet another distinct caste. They are called Vaishyas. While the -Kshatriyas occupy themselves in taking over the control and government -of countries and peoples, the Vaishyas take to the occupation of -agriculture, commerce and raising of cattle, as much in their own -individual material interests as in the interests of all humanity. In -the Golden Age, owing to the fulness of spirituality within Nature, all -kinds of grains grow wild and abundant. With the decrease of that -spirituality towards its end, these natural products of the earth -diminish in quality and quantity, while the growing material instincts -in people bring about their larger consumption, thereby creating greater -demand for them. This increased demand is supplied by cultivation by the -Vaishyas. - -Those, again, among the Golden Age people who, owing to the predominance -of the Tama Attribute in them, are filled with envy and greed, and -become untruthful and devoid of clean habits of life and take to all -sorts of low means and ways for their living are classed as Sudras. The -Kshatriya rulers compel these Sudras for their own good as well as the -good of all other classes of people to take service under the three -upper castes as domestic servants, so that by contact and association -with their masters and by the examples of their purer ideas and habits -of life they may be elevated in morals and conduct. - -The science and wisdom which are the foundation of the caste system of -the Silver Age people and which still form the backbone of the -degenerate remnants of these primeval people, now known as Hindoos, are -worthy of study of all civilized mankind of the present day. It is the -scientific law of the caste system which has preserved the -indestructible individuality of the Hindoos as a race; it is the chief -source of strength which has supplied their inexhaustible vitality as a -nation; the never failing force which has insured the permanency of -their existence on the face of the globe. It is a system, the absence of -which in the organization of all other human societies, modern and -ancient, has been the cause of their decay and death. The Hindoo caste -system is based upon laws of the inmost science of life, the laws which -modern scientists are trying so hard and yet so hopelessly to discover -and understand through wrong processes of investigation. Modern -scientists are boastful of their achievements in the field of discovery -of Nature's laws and imagine they have learned almost all of Nature's -secrets, while in truth they know but a few of her surface-laws the -mainsprings of which are to be found deep down in the mental and -spiritual strata of which they even dream not of—a realm which must ever -remain closed to purely objective investigation. - -It is as wrong to try to study Nature from the operations of her -physical laws as to govern and guide human beings by the aid of the -deceptive light of those laws. The physical is the manifestation of the -mental plane, as the mental is the manifestation of the spiritual plane, -as I have shown in previous Sections. The phenomena of the physical -plane of Nature are deceptive to the purely physical vision because they -are the product of Tama—darkened Rāja. Deceptive also are the phenomena -of the mental plane—though not as deceptive as those of the physical—to -a mental vision the light of which is not derived from the spiritual -plane—the mysterious machine room which alone supplies the -life-substance and springy of action to the mental and physical planes. -The student of physical and mental Nature who is not provided with the -microscope of spiritual insight is apt almost invariably to read her in -both these aspects incorrectly. He should not, therefore, be considered -a safe guide for the healthy and harmonious development of human -character, which is but a part and phase of one whole Nature called the -Universe. - -The laws operating in the deepest depth of Nature can only be seen and -studied by the illumination of the soul, the Radiance of Krishna's Body. -These the Brāhmans, the portion of the Golden Age people who still -retain their high state of spirituality, study and learn and utilize in -codifying principles and rules for regulating the daily life of the rest -of the people. The conception of the caste system betrays their intimate -knowledge of these inner natural laws upon which it is based and the -profound wisdom with which its organization to the minutest details is -arranged. The organization of the caste system is, in fact, devised -after the organization of the human body—after the inner and the outer -human body. The entire caste system is like a huge living human -body—living with its organs and senses in harmonious working order and -its mind contributing to and enjoying the effect of that harmony and -feeling the higher planes to which the effect of that harmony elevates. - -What is the most needed essential for the healthy, harmonious and useful -conduct of human life? Love, Intelligence and Wisdom. I had almost said -Love or Wisdom, for Intelligence and Wisdom are but manifestations of -Love. Intelligence is the light of Love, and wisdom is but its -reflection on its own enlightened shadow—the mind. Wisdom likewise -embodies both Love and its light. Without wisdom a human being is like a -wayward, mischievous animal. Our wisdom (intelligence and thought) -inspire and guide our actions. Good thoughts lead us to good actions, -bad thoughts lead us to bad actions. We are nothing but our mind and our -mind is nothing but our thoughts—commingled effects of the reflections -upon the mind of external objects and internal impressions of previous -reflections of objects, called Ideas. Thoughts that lead us to bad -actions, that is to say, actions which hurt others and us too, which -bring inharmony to others and finally to our own mind, are neither -beneficial nor useful to our life; they are injurious to its best -interests. Wisdom (harmonious, useful thoughts) is therefore the most -essential requisite of human life. Without it power and wealthy are apt -always to be misused and misdirected, resulting in loss of harmony. And -harmony is happiness, happiness which is the goal of all our quests and -efforts in life. - -Thus the Brāhmans, who devote themselves absolutely to acquiring wisdom -by communing with the Soul of Nature and its finest and purest -attributes, and to supplying them to those who do not any more enjoy -that advantage and privilege, naturally form the head —the seat of -wisdom and intelligence—of the social organization, called the -four-castes. The lower three castes are indebted to the Brāhmans for -wisdom which they receive from them in the form of lessons and codified -laws of life which guide their daily existence, just as every one of us -is indebted to our intelligence and wisdom for performing the functions -of life to our own and our neighbors' benefit. Hence the Brāhmans, who -supply the most important essential of life, are protected, provided for -and paid utmost homage to, by all the other castes. - -Next to wisdom comes strength, physical and mental, another greatly -needed requisite of human life. A man needs mind-force to rule his own -mind and body as well as those of others to whom he is related, in order -to maintain harmony within and without. He needs also physical strength -to defend himself and others against attacks and aggressions and prevent -encroachments by others upon his property and interests. The Kshatriyas -(Kings) form and supply this requisite to the four-caste organism. They -form the arms of the Caste-Body, arms being symbolical of strength and -ruling power. Without a powerful, noble ruler, all communities of men -are liable to find themselves in disorder and inharmony and to suffer -from lawlessness and injustice, just as a man who has no strength to -defend himself from aggression is liable to be robbed of his possessions -and be miserable. - -More important than the duty of protecting the life and property of his -subjects is the King's duty to help their moral and spiritual -well-being. And this the king does by enforcing the performance of the -religious duties appertaining to each of the three castes as enjoined in -the Vedic laws, discovered and enunciated by the holy ones. Those who do -not perform these duties and practices are punished by temporary -excommunication and, if still persistent in disobeying the injunctions, -by absolute banishment from all societies. These early sages have always -held that prevention is better and easier than cure of diseases, -physical, mental or spiritual. Regular spiritual practices, performed -daily, form habits, and spiritual habits cleanse the impurities of the -mind which then becomes fit to reflect the highest spiritual truths by -the light of which man witnesses the unity of all Nature, feels the -ecstasy of the One Essence which pervades it and stands face to face -with his Maker. - -The next essential of harmonious human life is food. Most people of our -day will say that food is rather the first essential of life. We, in -this degenerate age, have indeed come to think so. But the Silver Age -people, as well as all really thoughtful people amongst us, do not think -so. Food does sustain life, no doubt, but that life, if void of wisdom -and force of mind, is not worth living. It is the life of an animal or a -vegetable. Food is essential to life; so are wisdom and mental force. Is -our life sustained by food alone? I should think not, unless it be the -life of a man who is but a little removed from a beast. Happy thoughts -furnish the chief support of our life. Our life depends more upon happy -and harmonious thoughts than food. If our thoughts are sad and gloomy, -we do not enjoy life at all or feel that we are living, although we may -eat the daintiest food, be surrounded by luxuries and have plenty of the -world's goods. Many of us destroy this food-sustained life suffering -from the pangs of miserable thoughts, many die of broken heart and other -diseases brought on by the continued pressure of sad thoughts, although -well fed and well clothed and well supplied with money and other -material comforts of life. - -The Vaishyas represent the vital vigor of the Four-Caste organism, and -as, according to the Shāstras, the seat of the vital vigor is the loins, -the Vaishyas form the loins of that body. The Silver Age Vaishyas take -to cultivation of the soil, raising of cattle and trade more for the -weal of all mankind than for their own personal aggrandizement. - -The Sudras are the feet of the Four-Caste organism, very important -members of the body too. They represent devotion through service. -Indeed, devotion is the training which each caste passes through while -fulfilling the duties of its profession. The Brāhmans are to practise -meditation on God and study the Veda; the object is devotion to the -Supreme Being. The Kshatriyas are to rule the other two castes with the -aid of the Brāhmans, with love, justice and fatherly care according to -inspired laws; the object is to acquire devotion to the Supreme Being. -The Vaishyas are to till the land and raise cattle only to serve God's -creatures; the object is to cultivate devotion to the Supreme Being -thereby. The Sudras must serve the three pure and spiritual upper castes -for the purpose of absorbing their spiritual magnetism through -association and examples; the object is the same, cultivating devotion -to the Supreme Being by loving service rendered to His devotees. - -Thus the Caste system, though worked by human agency, is founded upon -natural laws. As originally created in the Silver Age, its object is to -form people into groups according to the similarity of their natural -casts of mind, according to their natural instincts and dispositions, -with the view of uniting them by the bonds of their common as well as -mutual interests, with the view of helping them to material, moral and -spiritual elevation by compelling them to discharge their respective -duties according to the injunctions of inspired codes of laws furnished -by illumined Sages whose very pure, unselfish, spiritual and -self-sacrificing life is the best guarantee of the wisdom, efficacy and -usefulness of their advices and teachings. The relation of -interdependence which these caste laws consolidate is in itself one of -the grandest achievements of the caste system for the good of the human -family. It is the most practical means of preserving unity and a natural -preventive of the disintegration of the whole mass of humanity into -individual units than which no greater calamity can happen to the -general as well as individual weal of human beings. Yet, alas, among -non-caste races this is happening, especially in the Western countries -of the world, at the present time! - -Look at the state of the human society at this moment, particularly that -portion of it which is governed by the ideas of what is boastfully -called "civilization"! Look at the external results of the internal -influence of this civilization! Material comfort and pleasure has become -the very ideal of life for its average votary. All, almost all are ever -rushing on the path of securing the means for that one end. And in that -mad rush they are jostling, hustling, hating, abusing, cheating, -killing, and destroying one another physically and morally. In that mad -rush for that one goal, in that selfish fight and quarrel, out of the -exhaustion brought on by the efforts of that bustling and hustling, they -have no time or opportunity or inclination to think of anything which -has no immediate concern with that utterly material aim of life. They -have no time to think of their mind, much less of their soul, which most -of them have abolished as a delusion and an obstacle in the way of -material success. They have even no time to look up into the blue -heavens during night or during day, to look at the beauties of the stars -and the moon, much less to think of what they are and if they have any -relation with them. Material interests are fast taking the place of -natural love and affection. Husbands and wives are fighting with each -other; sons and daughters are ignoring and disobeying their parents; -masters and servants have no other regard for each other than that -inspired by personal gain; they are always trying to cheat instead of -helping each other. Members of communities are divided against each -other and only seemingly united for the sake of selfish ends. Society -exists only in name. Envy, malice, greed, selfishness, conceit having -gained predominance in all, have split society into units. - -This chaotic state of modern human "society" in most parts of the world, -the truth of which will be generally acknowledged, ought to convince all -thoughtful people as to the wisdom and vital necessity of the caste -system. Even now where the four-caste system still exists, it does serve -to keep the communities within its rule as one compact body to a great -extent, through the influence of its laws of interdependence and mutual -harmonious relations. Thanks to Caste, even the degenerating Hindoos of -to-day have not yet been split into units. This remnant race, a race -which has still retained some of the instincts of the original human -family of the Silver Age, is being more and more divided and subdivided, -no doubt, at the present day. But these divisions and subdivisions are -large coherent parts, linked together into one great whole. The entire -race is divided into four castes; the castes are divided into -sub-castes, the sub-castes again into communities, the communities into -rural societies, the rural societies into large patriarchal -joint-families. The members of families are ruled by the patriarchs, the -patriarchs by the headmen of caste communities, the caste communities by -the spiritual (Brāhman) guides, through the enforcement of the salutary -Scriptural injunctions, the infringement of which is punished, in minor -cases, by expiations involving physical hardships and spiritual -austerities and purifying ceremonies, and, in serious cases, by -expulsion from caste, which, in India, is a greater disaster than -natural or material calamities. And all these rulers and ruled are -related to one another by more or less natural love and affection or -respect and sense of duty born in their blood through thousands of -generations of hereditary habits of thought and life; all are inspired -to command and obey by the spirit of the Veda which their mind absorbs -through the performance of their respective spiritual, social, physical -duties as enjoined by the later Scriptures—the Shāstras, which are -modified embodiments of the revealed laws of the Basic Spirit of All -Life, the all-cementing Spirit of Nature—Love. - -SECTION VIII. THE FOUR STAGES OF LIFE. - -Simultaneously with the introduction of the Caste System in the Silver -Age are instituted the Four Stages of Life, the object of which is to -help the lower state of human consciousness to gradually attain to the -highest spiritual realization. They are graduated processes of mental -and physical application and discipline by the practice of which -individuals are to recover the absolute illumination, being and bliss -enjoyed by all human souls in the Golden Ago. They impart a scientific -training to the human mind in order to enable it to subdue its Rājasic -(active) and Tāmasic (darkening) attributes by developing the Sāttwic -(illuminating) attribute through concentration upon the Basic Principles -of Life—the Centre and Essence of Absolute Purity and Illumination. - -The first stage is called Brahmacharjya or spiritual Pupilage. The -second stage is called Grihastha or Householdership. The third stage is -called Vānaprastha or Asceticism, The fourth stage is called the Bhikshu -or Wandering Friarship. The first, third and fourth stages are enjoined -for the three twice-born castes and the third and fourth are open even -to a Sudra if he is found worthy of adopting them. The Brāhman, -Kshatriya and Vaishya are called twice-born; the first birth is the -physical birth, the second is the spiritual birth through the -investiture of the holy thread from which begins the performance of -daily spiritual duties and practices. - -The first stage of life begins, soon after this spiritual initiation, at -the age of twelve, when the boy goes to reside with the Gooroo -(spiritual guide) for studying the Veda and for undergoing spiritual, -mental and physical discipline. The Gooroo is an illuminated Brāhman -sage whose love and affection for the pupils in his charge and anxious -care and efforts for the unfoldment of their souls are not equalled by -those of even their parents. He feeds, clothes and lodges them in his -own abode free of any charge or consideration whatever. His one thought -and concern is to help them to realize the Truth, to be freed from the -bondage of matter and thus enter the Absolute Realm of Eternal Love and -Happiness. - -While every student has to perform the same regular spiritual rites and -practices and to say the prayers daily after physical purification, the -method of training adopted by the Gooroo for developing their soul is -not the same in each case. To some he explains the truths of the Veda -and asks them to meditate on their meanings. Others, who show natural -instincts of devotion, he trains into practical realization of the same -truths without teaching them a single word of the Veda. - -The chief method of a Gooroo's teaching is to draw the student's mind -away from worldly attractions and turn the direction of the mind's -vision inwards into the soul. Devotion is the principal aim, for -devotion means concentration and when that concentration is fixed upon -the contemplation of the Essence of things which pervades them all and -yet is unmixed with the outer substance and attributes of their -manifested forms, the mind absorbs the perfect purity of that Essence -and is filled with the serenity and the inexpressible joy born of -absolute freedom from the influence of matter. - -If the student obtains this practical realization of the Essence of -Existence, he remains for the rest of his life in this stage of -spiritual pupilage. But he is no more a pupil; he becomes a teacher of -pupils—a Gooroo. It is this practical realization that invests a student -of wisdom with the magnetic power of awakening that realization in -others. - -A spiritual student's training is essentially based upon a life of -purest mental and physical chastity; the student is not allowed by the -teacher to mix or talk with worldly men or to discuss temporal subjects -among themselves. When the practical realization of the Truth is -attained, life's one object is attained. If, however, after staying and -studying with the Gooroo for twelve years, the student fails to have -this practical grasp of the soul of wisdom, he leaves the Gooroo and -with his permission returns to his family, takes unto himself a -good-tempered, virtuous and spiritually-inclined wife and enters into -the life of a householder. But the principal object of this second stage -of life is the same as in the first-realization of the Truth. The -practice for physical and mental purity is continued, the Veda is -studied daily, diligently and devotedly, and the meanings of its truths -and principles contemplated with calmness and concentration, comparing -their lessons in the light of the experiences of worldly life. The -obligations of household life are greater than those of pupilage. Life -must be sustained on simple and sparing meals; the means of living must -be honestly earned, the hungry or needy beggar must be satisfied -according to means and ability; the pleasures and comforts of household -existence must be enjoyed moderately and with discrimination; parents, -wife, members of the family, poor relatives and dependents and devoted -servants must be supported, loved and made happy. All legitimate wishes -and wants of the wife must be satisfied, she must be cherished with -affection and respect and regarded as the presiding deity of household -harmony. If during this household life the truth is realized, the -householder remains at home during the rest of his earthly days; he has -no need to go into the third stage of life, for, as I have said, -realization of the Truth is the end and aim of life in all its stages. -If, however, this main object is not obtained, the householder, after -twenty-four years of family life, must enter the third stage, that of -the ascetic. He must leave his home with his wife and retire from -worldly life and interests and live in some secluded forest place near -his home and practise austerities, physical and mental, in order to -purge the mind of all its material inclinations for a period of twelve -years. If during that time the realization is obtained, he remains in -that stage for the rest of his life, imparting the realized knowledge -and wisdom to all who may come to him. - -If, however, he fails in his search for it, even in this ascetic stage, -he returns to his home with his wife, and if he has a son to protect and -support her, he leaves his home and family, with the permission of his -parents and his wife, and enters into the fourth stage, that of the holy -wanderer, to tread the path to Freedom and Truth all alone, sundering -all ties of worldly life and surrendering himself—body, mind and soul—to -that search. He must not occupy his mind with any other but that one -thought; he must live on one simple, spare meal a day, enough to -sufficiently satisfy his hunger; he must dress himself in scant -saffron-colored clothes, the color of Love and Wisdom. He must ever be -wandering, never entering a human home, and rest under trees; but must -not sleep under one tree or on the same spot or place for three -successive nights, Never talk with people on any other subject than that -of his search, and discuss it with humble spirit of inquiry with -illuminated sages he comes across on his journeyings. - -This all-absorbing meditation does help to awaken in him at last the -light of the Truth, and blessed with that light he is filled with joy -and feels himself the happiest mortal, in touch and tune with the purest -spirit of the Universe, the Infinity which is the parent of the Finite. -With the first flush of this realization he changes the color of his -clothes from saffron to while, the color of Illumination (Sattwa), and -as he wanders still, in the ecstasy of the bliss of Truth within his -soul, gradually the objective phenomena around him seem unsubstantial -and finally grow dim and shadowy, while the realized spirit in which his -mind lives immersed, he perceives to be the only substance of those -shadows. Then, as he roams along, laughing and sporting like a little -boy in the fulness of the glee within, he becomes in time almost -unconscious of anything outside of his soul. His very sight is a -blessing to all beholders, a blessing which fills them temporarily with -the delight of his intoxication. He has no count of time or notion of -the phases of time—whether it is morning, noon or night. He lives -henceforth in Infinity and views all Nature as dwelling within him and -anon views himself as a wavelet in the infinite ocean of its Essence. He -does not feel any hunger, for with the satisfaction of his spiritual -hunger all hunger has been satisfied forever. He is the embodiment of -ecstasy, uncovered ecstasy, and even his physical cover, the white -cloth, has fallen from his body. He stands naked as naked Nature's most -natural man. He is clothed with the illumination of his soul, like the -Golden Age man. - -SECTION IX. THE COPPER AGE. - -The Divine Cycle of time can be likened to a fruit. Like the ripening -and rottening of a fruit, the Divine Cycle develops and degenerates into -rottenness. The Golden Age is its ripening stage. At the end of that -age, it is fully ripe. The Silver Age is its overripe stage. The Copper -Age marks the stage of its rottenness and the Iron Age is its fully -rotten stage. At the end of the Iron Age, it is reduced to its seed out -of which springs the sprout of the Golden Age. And during the junction -period of the Golden Age, covering 144,000 human years, the sprout grows -into a flowering tree which bears fruit with the commencement of the -Golden Age proper. - -The length of the Copper Age is 2,000 divine years, equal to 720,000 -human years, while its Twilight periods are 72,000 years each. Men in -this age are seven cubits or ten and a half feet high. Virtue lives in -it in two quarters, the other two being filled by vice. Vitality is -rooted in the blood; men live as long as there is blood in their body. -Gold and silver leaving become dearer the metal generally used in making -household utensils is copper which is found abundantly, whence the age -derives its name. The intensity of accelerated Rāja within Nature helps -the assertion of Tama in all her manifest phases, although Sattwa still -has some influence. The trees become less in height, less fruitful and -the fruits less sweet; crops less abundant despite the best efforts of -cultivation. Cows give less milk than in the Silver Age, while wild -animals become more ferocious. Most animals can speak in the Silver Age, -but now only some of them, the higher ones, are blessed with that power -during the major portion of it. - -People in the Copper Age become more and more outward-looking generally, -especially the Sudras, some of whom having become filled with dense -Tama, revolt against all laws and discipline and turn into thieves and -robbers. These latter are expelled from their caste and banished out of -civilized centres of population the world over by the kings. They are -called by the common name of robbers and specific names of Yavans and -Mlechhas which means men who are wild, barbarous and unclean by nature -and habits. These Yavans and Allechhas come into existence towards the -end of the Silver Age and rapidly increase in number during the Dwāpar -(Copper Age), towards the end of which they form the majority of the -world's population and are known by different names according to the -localities of their habitation, different shades of their dark -attributes, and the callings they pursue: Yavan, Kirāt (hunters), -Gāndhār, Cheen (Chinese), Shabar, Barbar (barbarian), Shak, Tungār, -Kanka, Palhab, Ramat and Kambhoj. The kings in the Copper Age have a -hard time to protect their subjects and their territories from the -depredations of these wild characters and robbers. The king's first duty -is to preserve peace in his kingdom so that his subjects may not be -disturbed in the performance of their religious duties, may apply -themselves to the study of the Veda and the contemplation of the Supreme -Deity and tread the path of virtue without annoyance. - -The king's chief duty being to insure the material welfare of his -subjects with the sole view of helping their spiritual welfare, the -punishment for the infringement of caste and religious rules is made -severe and swiftly administered. At the same time the spirit of the -times is taken into consideration and many rigid rules are relaxed and -minor faults are pardoned. The four castes are subdivided into -sub-castes according to the different callings that the Vaishyas and -Sudras show preference in their inclinations to follow. Those who take -to agriculture are classed as cultivators, those who rear cattle and -sell milk and butter are called milkmen, while those who take to trade -and commerce are called traders and merchants and so on. All these form -into different sub-castes under the general caste of Vaishya. Similarly -the Sudras are subdivided according to their respective callings; viz., -blacksmiths, potters, carpenters, masons, etc., all under the general -caste of Sudra. The chief object of these sub-castes is to save human -society from disintegration as much as possible, to preserve the masses -of men in as large coherent sections as practicable linked to one -another through spiritual, moral and material relations. - -Another, and almost equally important, object of the caste and sub-caste -systems in the Copper Age is to conserve the heredity of their different -intellectualities, talents, healthy characteristics, and instincts. This -becomes all the more necessary owing to the fact that it is in the -Dwāpar Yuga that husbands and wives begin to have carnal relations. -During the Golden Age and the greater portion of the Silver Age all men -and women are, what Christians call, virgin-born. The fuss that is made -about this immaculate conception succeeds only to excite a smile of pity -in the Shastra-enlightened Hindoo—a smile of pity for the ignorance of -the facts in the past history of the human race of which they seem to -know so little and care less to know more. This fact about the Golden -and Silver Ages, this generally prevailing immaculate child-conception, -ought to open their eyes. If they require any authority for this -statement, I refer them to the study of the Shānti Parva of the -Mahābhārata. - -The Yoga-power of the Golden Age men draw disembodied souls from the -Bhuba sphere and spiritual souls from higher spheres to enter into a -woman's womb and be born on the earth plane. The will-force of these men -supplies these incoming souls with the material of a physical body. In -the Silver Age the higher illuminated Brāhmans and Saints can bring -about conception in the same way, while others bring it about by making -the women eat magnetized "charoo," which not only draws these spirits to -the womb, but supplies the material for the physical body. In the Copper -Age, however, the decrease of spirituality takes away the power, and so -the material of the physical body has to be supplied by the physical -vigor of the father and the blood of the mother to enable a disembodied -spirit to enter the womb and grow into a child. - -This degenerated process of procreation coming into vogue in the Copper -Age renders it necessary to fuse higher magnetism into the lower castes, -as well as to preserve the magnetism of each caste from deterioration. -The means adapted for securing these ends is to allow the two higher -castes men to marry girls of the lower castes, and towards the latter -end of the Copper Age even Vaishyas are permitted to marry Sudra girls. -The lower caste men, however, are never allowed to marry higher caste -women, as it degenerates the breed, the seed being a far more potent -factor in producing excellence of growth than the soil. The offsprings -of these intermarriages form into castes distinct from those of their -fathers and mothers, lower than their father's and higher than their -mother's. - -In order to preserve the magnetism and the hereditary talent and -instincts from deteriorating, the castes are divided into sub-castes -according to their general proclivities and professions of livelihood. -Each sub-caste must marry within its own circle, and must eat food -cooked by the hands of its own members. Heredity is now being believed -in by the materealistic people of the modern world, and when that belief -in heredity will have grown stronger in their minds, they will then take -practical measures to preserve the good qualities of heredity from being -spoilt by coming in contact with the bad magnetism of its lower traits. - -This human magnetism is a subject which is worthy of the study of modern -scientists. If they can find out what it is, ascertain its properties, -power for good and evil, and how good magnetism can be conserved and -transmitted and how bad magnetism can be purified, they will do humanity -greater good than they have done by the discovery of steam and -electricity, which, judged from the standpoint of the highest good, -ought to be considered as very doubtful boons. Magnetism is not useful -magnetism if it is purely physical. It is not worth preserving, it is -injurious, and its contact ought to be avoided. - -It is spiritual magnetism which is worth preserving. It is spirituality -which is the medium which transmits good heredity from parent to -progeny. The mind is the storehouse and battery of all human magnetism. -The vibrations of the mind pervade every atom of the body and the mind's -vibrations are generated by its principal and most powerful thoughts and -sentiments. These vibrations are the essence of these thoughts and -sentiments, and magnetism is that subtle essence impregnated with the -potencies of the mind mixed with the subtle forces of the physical body. - -Marrying, cooking and eating within the caste helps to conserve in the -individual members thereof the spiritual and mental magnetism, generated -by the performances of the religious duties and ceremonies and spiritual -incantations which form the daily routine of household life enjoined by -the Scriptures. - -Thus wisdom, talent, traits, instincts are all ingrained in and -transmitted through the blood from generation to generation of each -caste. The caste is like a university, each home a school, and the -instincts and talents, brought into being with the birth of each member, -are the implanted principles of the knowledge of each profession of -which it is the caste. A carpenter's caste is a guild for carpentry, a -carpenter's home is a technical school for carpentry where the natural -talent and love for the art are partly imbibed by the instincts of -heredity and partly by observation which is the best system of training. - -With these tendencies of material arts are born in the blood of the -child the germs of the moral and spiritual culture of the parents. These -germs shoot forth into healthy growth under the fostering care of the -child's guardians, aided by the religious, social and domestic duties -the growing child has to perform daily. The carpenter is as much a -useful member of the four-caste society as the Brāhman. The householder -Brāhman can no more do without a carpenter than a carpenter can do -without a Brāhman. But the value of the Brāhman's help to the carpenter -being more important to the development of his soul, which is the true -aim and goal of earthly life, the obligations of the other castes to the -Brāhman are greater and deeper than those of the Brāhman to the Sudra. -The question may now be asked, has that carpenter no chance of becoming -the equal of the Brāhman through spiritual culture? Yes and no. Yes, -because Brāhmanhood is nobody's monopoly. Brāhmanhood is but a state of -the human mind—the ensouled state of the human mind, and anybody who -develops this state of mind, even though he be encased within a Pariah's -flesh, lays legitimate claim to Brahmanhood. Only he must make that -ensouled mental state perfect, only he must enter the fold of -Brāhmanhood through the door of Nature, through the ingress of Rebirth. -The maturity of a material or mental condition is best known to Nature. -A mass of animal flesh, lying on the surface of Mother Earth, undergoes -all the processes of disintegration and putrefaction, and when that -disintegration is complete, Earth assimilates and absorbs it again; it -becomes a part of her body, it becomes earth itself. What is true of -material plane of Nature is true as well of her mental and spiritual -planes. When a carpenter has developed full Brāhman consciousness, -Nature opens to him wide the portals of the spiritual caste which had -looked down upon him in his carpenter birth. Even in his carpenter -birth, he does not go unrewarded. The case of the carpenter Rishi, -called Suta, is a luminous instance in point. His spiritual culture was -so great that the highest illuminated sages (Rishis) learned from him -the lessons of the Purānas which he preached to them, sitting on a -raised platform with their reverential permission. He was considered a -knower of Brahm and so enjoyed the respect paid to the highest spiritual -beings. A Sudra may not become a Brāhman, but may become through -practical spiritual culture a higher being than a Brāhman even in his -Sudra birth, and be born into a highly spiritual Brāhman family, by -sheer dint of merit, the merit of developing spiritual consciousness—in -the next birth. Similarly a Brāhman, born in the highest family of his -clan, will, by developing Pariah qualities, be outclassed in his Brāhman -birth and enter through the door of Nature into a Pariah family in a -subsequent birth. - -The above facts and truths are known to a child even of every caste. -Even a child knows, either in the Copper Age or to-day among the -four-caste people, that a caste-birth is dependent upon Karma (actions). -A Sudra, therefore, takes the very fact of his birth as sufficient -reason for his being placed in the lowest caste. He is reconciled to his -fate, a fate with the potentialities of his actions in previous -existences. And the little gloom of sadness that his lowly station of -life casts upon his mind is illumined now and again by the silver lining -of the consolation that it is in his power, if he so wills it, to be a -high Brāhman in the next incarnation, if he succeeds in developing his -higher soul-consciousness. - -The Veda in the Copper Age has for the first time to be studied and its -truths practised in two parts—the philosophical and the ceremonial -parts. Men generally are degenerated so much in this age that they can -no longer grasp the truths of the Upanishads without first purifying -their body and through the purified body the mind. The Vedas are divided -into Upanishads (Eternal Spiritual Truths) and the Mantras -(incantations, hymns and ceremonies, the practice of which cleanses the -impurities of the mind and body). In the Dwāpar Yuga, therefore, the -performance of the ceremonials of the Veda is much in vogue. When the -body and mind are purified, they are made fit for grasping the meanings -of the higher philosophy of life and become receptive to the influences -of the subtlest spiritual vibrations. - -SECTION X. THE IRON AGE. - -But even these attempts and safeguards for keeping up the higher -individuality of the human race fail to retard the course of the -degeneration which Nature herself undergoes in the process of time. The -fruit of Divine Cycle, spoken of in the beginning of the last Section, -reaches an advanced stage of rottenness which marks the commencement of -the Twilight Period of the Kali, called also Tamas or the Dark Age. The -characteristics of Kali are symptoms of Nature filled with denser gloom -than heretofore. - -The usual Kali, the last section of every Divine Cycle, is much more -dense with Tama (darkness) than the one in which we are living now. The -reason is that at the junction of the last Dwāpar and the present Kali, -the fullest incarnation of the Supreme Deity, Sri Krishna himself, came -on earth to dwell among men for a period of a hundred years. This Avatār -and source of all Avatārs, this central Form-Point of All-Pervading -Brahm, this Embodiment of Para-Brahm, is gracious enough to come and -dwell among men on earth only once in 71 Divine cycles. We, the -degenerated mortals of this Dark Age, are more fortunate than even -humanity of many a Golden or Silver Age. The Supreme Lord sanctifies the -soil of the earth-plane of every universe with the all-purifying touch -of His Lotus-Feet by turns. The countless universes that spring out of -Him and return in germ-form again into Him have the grace of His -personal touch and supervision at appointed times. When Krishna comes to -live in any of the universes, Nature therein is turned inside out, so -that the inmost essence of it may flow over its surface and wash off all -the causes of pollution. It has been recorded by the contemporary sages -of Krishna-Leelā, the all-knowing sages who came down to earth from -higher planes to act as scribes of the Lord's deeds, that by the coming -of Krishna not only the 36,000 years, forming the junction period of -Kali, was destroyed, but also almost half of the age of Kali proper, -while the Lord's Rash-Dance with the Gopis absorbed a whole Kalpa -covering 36,000 Divine cycles out of the age of Brahmā. - -The age of Brahmā is the age of the universe, that is to say, the age of -Brahmā is equal to the duration of creation. Brahmā lives for 100 -Brāhmic years and one Brāhmic year is made up of 360 Brāhmic days. One -day of Brahmā is equal to one Kalpa, so is his night. A Kalpa is equal -to 12,000,000 divine years. One night of Brahmā covers the same period -of time so that one day and one night of Brahmā covers 24,000,000 divine -years. Multiplying these figures by 360 we get 8,640,000,000 divine -years, which is the span of one year of Brahmā. Multiplying these -figures by 100 we get the span of Brahmā's age, 864,000,000,000 divine -years, which being multiplied by 360 we get 311,040,000,000,000 human -(lunar) years, the age of Brahmā, the duration of creation. - -Thus the night of the Rash-Dance not only absorbed one Kalpa equal to -4,320,000,000 lunar years out of the duration of creation, but also -36,000 years which form the junction of Dwāpar and Kali, as also about -half the span of the Kali proper. About this last there is no -authoritative statement in the Shāstras, but it has been stated therein -that when Krishna left the earth and went up to His Abode, the forces of -"advanced Kali" overtook humanity. Now, according to the Hindoo -almanacs, about 5,000 years only have passed since Krishna's departure, -which would mean that it is now but the beginning of Kali proper, the -span of which is 360,000 years. But the signs and symptoms of the times -already visible are unmistakably of the middle Kali, detailed -descriptive features of which are to be found in the Mahābhārata as also -in all the Purānas. This being so, it is not a wrong supposition that we -are already in the middle Kali and that Krishna-Leelā has also taken -away half the age of Kali proper. - -Nor is it necessary that the Kali has to pass through the conventional -figures of its duration given in the Shāstras. What is true of -individual humanity is true also of the whole mass of humanity which -represents Kali. Kali is nothing else but the forms of Nature's changes -of the latter end of a Divine cycle. We, men and beasts and trees and -grass, productions of Nature, represent the phases and features of Kali. -Dense Tama working within Nature brings out the characteristics of this -dark age to the surface of the earth. Man being the most highly -organized product and the most powerful medium of her attributes, the -thoughts and actions of men are most affected by it. The dark thoughts -and actions, called sin in common parlance of humanity, form the sins of -Kali which represents the spirit of human conduct and characteristics in -the Dark Age. We see that people, who are naturally healthy and robust, -shorten their longevity by over-indulging in vice. Thus a life of vice -or sin, that is, life lived in violation of Nature's laws, begets -diseases of the body which bring about early destruction. A man for -instance, who, according to his natural state of health, ought to live -for one hundred years, is often found to die at the age of thirty, a -victim of dissipated life. This rule applies to Kali. All our -accumulated sins form Kali's sins. And these accumulated sins are -begetting diseases in the body and mind of humanity from which Kali must -die an early death. - -This Kali, therefore, with its rapidly increasing accumulation of sin, -may come to an end in less than 10,000 years, its conventional period of -existence, 360,000 years, being condensed into that short space of time. -Judging from the signs of an advanced state of rottenness, already -developed, it would seem as if the worst features which hasten its end -may manifest themselves in less than a few hundred years. But, like -wheels within wheels, the Satya, Tretā and Dwāpar cycles have their sway -through its duration by turns. By this I mean that during the course of -Kali (Iron Age) features and characteristics of the Golden, Silver and -Copper Ages manifest themselves by turns all through it. Indeed, the -spirit and attributes of these four cycles weigh the moral and physical -atmosphere of each day and night. Supposing the average day begin at 6 -A.M., the influence and the attributes of the Golden Age prevail from 6 -A.M. to 3:36 P.M.; those of the Silver Age prevail from 3:36 P.M. to -10:48 P.M.; those of the Copper Age from 10:48 P.M. to 3:36 A.M., and -those of the Iron Age from 3:36 A.M. to 6 A.M. Illumination and -comparative calmness dwell within and without us from morning tip to -high noon owing to the predominance of Sattwa, the predominant attribute -of the Golden Age. From noon activity (Rāja) asserts itself, and by -about 3 o'clock in the afternoon it gains full force when light (inside -and out of us) is on the decline and calmness is disturbed, introducing -the influence of the Silver Age, which lasts until about 11 at night, -when Tama (Darkness) begins its reign and, combined with Rāja, holds the -rule of the Copper Age. The signs of Tama are laziness, inaction, sleep, -etc. We begin to experience these from it o'clock at night and until -three in the morning slumber and gloom envelop us and Nature. But sleep -and darkness are deepest from three to five in the morning, these hours -are ruled by Kali, the Dark Age. - -Thus cycles revolve within cycles as they revolve even within the -smallest cycle, called Throughout the Iron Age, the conditions of the -first three cycles prevail one after the other, and when this influence -of the Copper Age conditions in the Kali Age spends itself, conditions -of darker Kali prevail for a time: Then again signs are visible of -Golden Age influence and after a time degenerate into Silver Age phases, -then into Copper Age mixed light, then again into the deep gloom of Kali -within Kali, and so on. As Kali advances more and more the successive, -rotatory influences of the other three cycles become feebler and -feebler, and at last under the deepest gloom of Kali gaining fullest -power, their influences are kept down absolutely. Here begins the end of -the Kali period. Soon after the signs of the coming Golden Age are -visible. These ever recurring conditions of the Golden and Silver Ages, -though feeble in their influence, counteract the destructive influences -of vice and sin and thus help to save the life of Kali from coming to an -end all too soon. - -The Kali Yuga is called the Iron Age, because gold, silver and copper -becoming scarcer, people use all sorts of mixed metals, but chiefly -iron, in making household utensils, iron being found in great abundance. -The average stature of mankind is three and a half cubits or 5 feet 9 -inches. Virtue is reduced to one-quarter, the other three-quarters being -made up by vice. With the decrease of spirituality ill every succeeding -age, the root of vitality has been transferred from marrow to bone, from -bone to blood. Now, in the Kali that root of life is destroyed. Life in -this age is generally sustained by food alone. The effect of constant -concentration upon changeful, external objects rebounds upon the body, -causing loss of tissue greater than that in the former ages, which men -still have their minds turned inwards, between whiles, to have a dip in -the source of All-Life—the soul. - -The Vedas in the Iron Age are no more understandable to the people in -their original sound-embodiments except to a small portion of spiritual -Brāhmans. They are therefore presented to the people in general in the -form of Shāstras and Purānas. These embody the Vedic truths, principles -and ideas in easy constructions and simple language, illustrated by -examples and stories drawn from facts in life of the past ages. The -Shāstras are, therefore, nothing but the Vedas, simplified, explained -and illustrated, with the object of enabling the deteriorated intellect -of the Iron Age man to grasp the light and the spirit of the Storehouse -of Revealed Wisdom. The ceremonial parts of the Vedas are likewise -modified and rendered easier for practice in the form of Smritis (forms -of spiritual duties and sacrifices) the daily performance of which is -enjoined upon the four-caste people. - -Yet for all that, despite all these strenuous efforts of the small -spiritual portion of the people to save the souls of their brethren from -succumbing to the dark forces of the age and the allurements of a -material life of undisciplined liberty and license, human society falls -into a mental and material state of chaos, typical of the stage of -complete rottenness of a fruit. As many grains of wheat when ground in a -mill look like one substance, called flour, which means so many separate -grains of wheat have been divided into such minute parts that they -appear as one substance; so, in this most advanced stage of -decomposition of human society, its various and separate composing parts -and phases—religious, racial and material—will be divided into one -whole-looking mass of separate minute units. People's minds, at this -latter end of the age, will be so far removed from the idea and notion -of God and the soul that the Vedas, the Bible and all other religious -books and philosophies that are now extant will disappear, and even the -fact that they had at any time existed will be completely forgotten. -Churches and temples, mosques and synagogues will no more be seen on the -face of the earth, humanity will live for life itself—the grossest -material life. Each individual will differ from the other on all -imaginable points of view on all subjects. Every man and woman will be -his or her own God or ideal. There will be no sympathy between them, -each one asserting his or her independence over all of his or her fellow -creatures. They will think, act, move, eat, sleep as their own wild, -wilful dispositions will prompt causing quarrels and fighting between -another. Selfishness and aggression will the keynote of their character, -the number of Mlechhas and Yavans and outcasted people increases out of -all proportion to the number of the four-caste people who may now be -called the Root Race of the earth. In the process of time this Root Race -of people will cling round the centre of the earth to save their -spiritual instincts, pure ways of living, customs and habits from being -contaminated by association with the strayed portion of humanity who now -form the greatest majority. As, when in the throes of death, through -disease, the only visible action of life is centered in the heart, while -all other parts are numb and comparatively lifeless, so with the advance -of Kali, the spiritual life becomes centered in the heart of the earth. -This heart of the earth is called in the ancient Scriptures the Sea-Girt -Isle or peninsula, the Belt of the Earth's Body—now called India. In -this heart only of the earth live the original four-caste people, while -the rest, broken away and divorced from the parent stock and religion, -are scattered all over the rest of her body. - -The signs of advanced Kali are already visible all over the earth at the -present moment, nay, even of its most degenerated stage, especially in -the West—signs and symptoms which are manifesting themselves here and -there even in men of the Root Race. What a horrid state of affairs the -closing period of Kali will bring about may be judged from the -prophesies made five thousand years ago by the illuminated sages of this -Root Race, prophesies which are correct in startling exactitude and some -of which are on all fours with the signs and characteristics of our -present period, as will be seen from a few extracts from them given -below. - -The conditions of the different stages of Kali have been described in -all the eighteen Purānas, and the Mahābhārata which embody the history -of the human race from creation to destruction—the past, present and -future phases of human society of all times and of all climes. The -following few details translated from a minute description of the early, -middle and final stages of the Kali, given by the Mārkandeya, in reply -to questions put in to Kali by King Yudhisthira in an assemblage of -saints, kings and nobles, inspired by incarnated Krishna, who was -present in person, will be of interest to most of my readers: - -Raja Yudhisthira, Emperorer of Bhārat-varsha, the central of the seven -continents of the ancient world (now known as all the world), during his -sojourn among the Rishis (saints) of Kāmyak Forest, with a view to -ascertain the future state of the world, asked the immortal saint -(Brahmarshi) Mārkandeya, "Holy one! After having beard your wonderful -accounts of the creation and the destruction of the universe, we have -become anxious to hear about Kali Yuga, and we beg you to describe this -age in detail to us. What results will be produced by the destruction of -the Root Religion? What will the valor, strength, food, behavior, -costume and longevity of the human race he like? And how long after will -commence the Satya Yuga (Golden Age) again?" - -Saint Mārkandeya answered: "O King! In the Satya Yuga, virtue being void -of the least touch of greed, deception and other evil qualities of the -mind, was like a full four-footed bull. In the Tretā, it lost one and in -the Dwāpar two feet. In the Dark Age it will be only one-footed, the -other three feet being destroyed by vice. - -"The longevity, heroism, intelligence, strength and mind-force of -mankind are gradually decreasing age by age; they will decrease still -more in the Kali. The Kings, Brāhmans, Vaishyas and Sudras will practice -false piety, and this false piety will be turned into a means for -cheating others. Love of truth will decline in men; decline in love of -truth will cause shortness of life; shortness of life will prevent the -proper cultivation of wisdom, Little wisdom will beget ignorance, -ignorance will beget greed, greed anger, anger delusion. And swayed by -greed, anger, delusion and sensuality, they will be envious of and -antagonistic to each other. - -"The twice-born castes will become void of truth and holy meditation. -The mean Chandals (pariahs) will behave like Kshatriyas and Kshatriyas -will imitate the ways of the Chandals. Husbands will become extremely -henpecked; feed upon fish, flesh and milk of goat and sheep. Man will -aggress upon and develop an irreligious, atheistic and thievish nature. - -"People will not discriminate about the eatableness or uneatableness of -any food. Brāhmans will cease performing spiritual practices, will -denounce the Vedas, and being deluded by false discussion give up holy -ceremonials and engage themselves in mean actions. Father and son will -feel no compunction in killing each other, but will rather feel -delighted at the deed and call it an act of God. - -"The whole world will become Mlechha (unclean and barbarous) void of -religious performances and ceremonials, gladness and festivities. Almost -all people will be miserly, defame their friends and defraud and steal -the money of poor unprotected widows. They will possess little strength -and no energy, yet be greedy and filled with material, sensual -attachments; will gladly listen to the advices of well-known bad persons -and accept charity by false pretences. - -"Conceited yet illiterate kings will challenge one another to fight, -will try to kill one another, and will be like thorns in the sides of -their subjects. Setting at naught their duties of protecting the people, -they will, swayed by greed and pride, be ever anxious to rob and punish -them, and, prompted by their cruel heart, they will snatch away the -property and wives of honest and pious men. - -"None will ask a father for his daughter to marry, and no father will -offer his daughter in marriage. The daughters will choose and marry -their own choice without consulting anybody or going through any -ceremonials. - -"Brother will cheat brother. Even learned persons will lose love of -truth and be addicted to telling lies; the old will act like boys, boys -like old people. Cowards will brag of their bravery and brave men will -act like cowards. All will eat the same kinds of food and be tilled with -selfishness and delusion. No one will trust another. - -"Brāhmans, Kshatriyas and Vaishyas will cease to restrain and rule the -Sudras or even each other. All castes will be levelled and become -one—unclean and barbarous. Fathers will not pardon sons, nor sons pardon -their fathers. Wives will cease from attending upon their husbands; men -and women will all be self-willed and envious of each other. People will -not perform any good works or ceremonies to satisfy the gods. They will -not listen to each other; there will be no gooroo (teacher) or chelā -(pupil), all will be filled with the darkness of ignorance. At Kali-end. -their longevity will be sixteen years; most will die immediately after -that age is reached. Women will give birth to children at the age of -seven or eight, and, in some cases, even at five or six; men will beget -children at the age of ten or twelve; in some cases, even at the age of -seven or eight. No husband will be satisfied with his wife, no wife -satisfied with her husband. They will have very little wealth, and even -those who will have no wealth whatever will wear the false marks of -wealth. Envy will be predominant in every mind, hunger ever burning in -every stomach. Cross-road and streets will be thronged by wantons and -libertines. Women, forsaking shame, will bear spite and grudge for their -husbands. Men will be all of unclean habits, manners and customs, cat -anything and everything and will be terrible in every way and action. -They will cheat all in buying and selling of goods, out of sheer greed. - -"None will care to acquire spiritual wisdom, yet all will be busied in -performing spiritual ceremonies for form's sake and be naturally -addicted to crooked acts. They will show the faults of each other. -People will live in constant fear of losing their lives as victims of -their own greed and envy. The Sudras will kill Brāhmans and rob them of -their property, and the Brāhmans being thus oppressed will cry out in -agony and out of fear will roam unprotected on the surface of the earth. -Some of them will take refuge in lonely spots on river banks, in -mountains and in dangerous places to save their lives; others being -oppressed by the grinding taxes of unjust kings, will lose all patience, -and taking to the services of Sudras, will perform forbidden acts. - -"The generality of people will become fierce and of murderous -propensities. The Sudras will become spiritual preceptors and Brāhmans -will listen to them, believing their wrong precepts to be demonstrated -facts. The low will be high and the high low: all conditions will be -reversed. All, all people will forsake God and worship Mammon. The -Sudras will cease from serving Brāhmans. The Earth will no longer be -adorned by the temples of God. All mankind will be impious and develop -frightful characters. Meat will be their food, liquor their drink. The -one object of life will be to increase flesh and blood. The rain-clouds -towards the close of Kali will pour down rains out of season so that, -overwhelmed by incessant and untimely rain, people will subsist on fruit -and roots. Pupils will not care for the lessons of their teachers, -temporal or other, and will act against their wishes. The -poverty-stricken Gooroos (spiritual teachers) will curse their -disciples. There will not be the least trace of respect left in the -world. The relations of friends and kiths and kins will depend upon -obligations of money. - -"At the close of the cycle flowers will grow upon flowers, fruits upon -fruits, and, owing to the rains not falling in season, there will grow -but scanty crops, so that famine-stricken populations of the earth will -cry out in hunger and roam upon her surface. Fragrant things will lose -their odor, sweet juices will lose their sweetness, seeds will not -germinate properly. - -"Women will transfer their love from husbands to servants. All women, -including wives of heroes, will prefer somebody else to their husbands -for lovers. Pious men will be in mean stations, short-lived and poor; -vicious men will occupy high positions, have long life and prosperity. -There will be constant breaking out of fires all over the land. Tired -and hungry wayfarers will ask for food and refuge from householders in -vain, and out of despair rest and sleep upon the road. Crows and other -birds, snakes and beasts will make unearthly noises." - -When Nature and human society will be thus revolutionized, reaction will -naturally set ill. When the fruit of Divine Cycle will thus reach its -extreme stage of rottenness, out of its seed will spring forth a shoot -which will grow into a fresh tree. That tree, in turn, will bear fresh -fruit—a fresh Divine Cycle. In this state of the darkest gloom, faint -streaks of russet light will be visible which will grow bright anon and -give birth to the dawn of the Golden Age again. - -Reaction is the law of Nature, reaction is the result of every phase of -action. When vice has its full run on the face of the globe, when it has -reached its lowest depth and wildest reign, it spends its force, becomes -weakened, allowing virtue to lift its head once more and build its -palace of light upon its ruins. Vice is born of Tama, and virtue of -Sattwa and the active force of both is Rāja. Time is the -self-manifesting kaleidoscopic revolution of color-pictures on the -transparent canvas of ether. After the deepest shades of dark colors are -exhausted, there is a reaction of lighter colors. When Tama has -exhausted its force, Sattwa asserts itself by natural law. - -This healthy reaction growing stronger will gradually evolve some order -out of the chaos of the closing Kali. A portion of the people will get -disgusted with the reign of utmost licence and inharmony, and, endowed -with strong mental force to resist the influence of the age, will pierce -the veil of darkness enveloping everything and see the light that dwells -within. These will stimulate this reaction, and spread the discovered -light among others groping in the darkness for that light. - -The four castes will be gradually established once more in some fashion. - -At this stage will be born in the village of Sambhalpur in India a -Brāhman of great spiritual force, named Vishnujashā, and in time will -become the father of the coming Incarnation of Vishnoo, one of the most -powerful incarnations—Kalki. The Lord Kalki will rapidly grow into youth -and spiritual power. At his mere mental call will come to him countless -vehicles, armours, all kinds of weapons of war and soldiers. He will -then lead them to battle against all the Mlechhas, robbers and tyrants, -all over the world, who will fall shouting in agony before his mammoth -sword. After extirpating them all, the hold will establish once again -perfect order and harmony on the surface of the earth. After ruling the -world as Emperor and infusing into humanity the spirit of highest -spirituality, Kalki will make over the charge of the earth to the -Brāhmans and disappear after entering a most beautiful forest. - -Here will commence the Junction period of coming Golden Age. During this -period, covering 144,000 lunar years, all germs of vice, crime and sin -will be destroyed and men will become engaged in spiritual practices and -ceremonials. The earth will be adorned with beautiful forests and -gardens, buildings, lakes, reservoirs, and temples of God and many are -the sacred ceremonies that will be constantly performed on her surface. -Everywhere will be visible holy Brāhmans, saints and anchorites. The -four stages of life which before were filled with rogues will now be -filled by pious, honest and truthful men. The deep-rooted bad instincts -and associations will then be driven out of the minds of all people. All -the crops will grow plentifully in their proper seasons. All people will -be employed in charitable acts, religious sacrifices, and in performing -spiritual duties. The Brāhmans will again be absorbed in holy -meditations, satisfied and serene; the Kshatriyas will exhibit their -valor; the kings rule the world with justice and mercy; the Vaishyas -carry on trade and agriculture; the Sudras serve the three upper castes -with loving service. - -This purifying process of humanity will be carried on all through the -144,000 years bringing about the highest spiritual, mental and physical -development. From the shortest stature to which the human body will be -decreased, it will gradually, through this long process of time and -culture, be increased once again to the height of 21 cubits or 31 1/2 -feet. With the height of the body will be reached the height of -spiritual perfection. All, all men and women will once again enjoy the -blessings of predominant Sattwa within Nature and roam upon the earth in -the Garden of Eden with their vision turned inwards into the soul of -things, their body clad with the sky, their hearts filled with ecstasy, -their thoughts centered upon God. We all who are now walking the earth, -had walked in the last Golden Ago and formed members of that godly -fraternity of Adams and Eves and shall do so in the coming Golden Age, -unless we develop higher soul-consciousness and, before the end of the -present Kali, transfer ourselves to any the upper four spheres or to the -highest beyond the universe—Golaka—the abode of Absolute Love, to dwell -with our only Lover and Beloved—Krishna. - -SECTION XI. MANWANTARA OR THE DELUGE. - -The next larger cycle of time is called the Manwantara or the Deluge. -When the Divine Cycle has revolved 71 times it brings about a cataclysm. -The oceans surge up and cover the entire earth with its waters, even the -highest peaks of the Himalayas being submerged, and remain so for the -period of 71 Divine Cycles. This world-wide natural catastrophy occurs -periodically, owing to more and more increased accumulation of the sins -of humanity, who, along with all living beings and vegetation are thus -destroyed by submersion. The only man saved is the most virtuous and -spiritual man of the time, who becomes the Manoo elect, that is, the -spiritual governor of the next Cycle which extends between the time of -the reappearance of land after the Deluge to the next Deluge. This -period is called Manwantara, the period between two Manoos. The account -of the Deluge as given in the Old Testament of the Bible has been taken -from minute accounts recorded in the Alatsya (Fish) Purana and the -condensed facts about them given in all the Purānas as well as the -Mahābhārata. Only, the Bible version is distorted in some particulars. - -Since the beginning of the present Kalpa creation, six Manwantaras, each -ending with the Deluge, have passed away. We are just now living in the -seventh of which twenty-seven Divine Cycles have rolled away and we are -now living in the Iron Age of the twenty-eighth. Many millions of years -therefore have gone by since the last Flood. Towards the end of the Kali -Yuga of the last Manwantara, mankind became filled with the utmost -corruption. But there was, according to the Mahābhārata and the Bhāgavat -Purana, one man, by the name of King Satyavrata, whom this spirit of -corruption failed to touch. He was almost as pure and spiritually -powerful as Brahmā, the Creator, while he was possessed of uncommon -physical beauty. He was engaged in spiritual austerities and meditation -in a holy forest on the top of the Himalayan mountains for many hundred -years. One day, while he was sitting in contemplation on the bank of the -river Cheerinee, a little fish leapt out of the water into his hands. He -threw it back into the river but the fish, to his surprise, spoke and -begged the king to protect him from a large fish coming to devour him. -Satyavrata out of compassion took the fish into his hands again, went -home and placed it in a water-pot. He tended him as his own offspring. -The fish gradually grew so big that he had to be taken to a large pond, -but after a few years the pond could no more hold the fish, so large had -it become. The King wondering at this unprecedented growth suspected the -fish to be Vishnoo Himself. The fish begged Satyavrata to put him into -the holy Ganges which he did by his Yoga power. In time, however, the -fish growing still larger, he had to be taken to the ocean. The King -exhibited his yoga-power again by carrying that huge fish to the ocean. - -As soon as he was thrown into the sea, the phenomenal Fish smiled and -thus addressed the King, "O thou kind one! Thou hast saved and protected -me in every way, but I will leave nothing undone to return this -kindness. Now, listen! The time has come for one of the great events of -the world. The destruction of the earth is at hand. On the seventh day -from this, the earth shall be swallowed up by the waters, from which -thou canst not be saved except through me. A large ark shall come to -thee into which thou must get with the seven Rishis (Illumined Beings) -of the Great Bear who shall help and bear you company. Take thou also -all kinds of seeds of all trees, plants, shrubs and creepers, as also -pairs of all animals and creeping things on this boat and wait for me. I -will soon appear there, bedecked with horns. Do not doubt my words, but -do as I tell thee." - -The strange Fish then disappeared as Satyavrata said, "So shall it be." -He then did just as the Fish had told him. When the ark came, he went -aboard with the Seven Rishis of the Great Bear and seeds and animals and -waited in anxious contemplation of the Divine Fish which soon appeared -as he had promised, bedecked with horns and high as a hillock. He made -salutation to him and tied the ark to his horns with a strong heavy -rope, whereupon the Fish pulled the ark with great speed and began to -play upon the bosom of the ocean. - -Then the ocean heaved with huge waves and the waters roared. It all -looked as if the ocean was performing a wild dance. The ark was then -tossed and whirled about with great force, and soon not a trace of land -or sign of any direction was visible. Earth and sky seemed one vast -expanse of water under which all men and beasts and birds and vegetation -were drowned and destroyed. The Fish and the ark and Satyavrata with the -Seven Rishis and the seeds and animals alone existed. The Divine Fish -drew and preserved the ark for many years on the surface of the deep. - -Long, long time after, when the waters subsided and the highest peak of -the Himalayas made itself visible, the Fish drew the ark to it and said -in a pleasant voice, addressing the Rishis, "O ye illumined ones! Bind -the boat for a while to this mountain-peak," which the Rishis did. In -commemoration of this event, this peak of the Himalayas is still called -the "Boat-Binding Peak." - -When the ark was safely tied, the Fish said again to the Rishis: "I am -Brahmā of Brahmā, the Creator. I have taken the form of the Fish to save -you all from the Flood. Now this Satyavrata will be known as Vaivaswata -Manoo. He will, by my grace and power of his Yoga, create all mobile and -immobile beings of the earth, gods and asuras and men." So saying the -Fish vanished. - -Vaivashwata Manoo, who is also called Shraddhadeva, then sat in -meditation and in time, by his Yoga-power, created all the beings and -creatures of the earth and celestial planes as he was bidden to do. - -This is the shortest sketch of a very long account of the Deluge in the -Hindoo Books. The word Manoo has been distorted into the word "Noah" in -the Old Testament. - -In the distorted version of the Deluge in the Holy Bible, this principal -factor of the preservation of Noah and his Ark, the Divine Fish, has not -been mentioned out of ignorance of the detailed facts of the cataclysm. -This ignorance is excusable, judging from the fact of the remoteness of -the time when the last Flood occurred. What the Bible estimates as 6,000 -years the Hindoo Books put down at more than 4,000,000, when Manoo -(Noah) was afloat on the waters of the universal inundation. The Divine -Fish is an incarnation of Vishnoo who is worshipped and prayed to in -that form even now in India. When God Himself in Fish-form was the guide -and protector of Manoo there was no need of birds being sent out to -reconnoitre as to the reappearance of land. It was the Fish that first -espied the highest peak of the Himalayas visible above the waters and -drew the ark to it and asked Noah and the Seven Rishis to bind that boat -to that peak. That peak is still called the Boat-Binding Peak, the -Sanscrit word being "Nour-Bandhan" peak. The Bible calls it the Ararat -and they are now trying to locate it in Syria and many other places. -Even a common sense view of the matter ought to decide in favor of the -Himalayas which are ever known as the highest mountains. That the first -subsidence of the waters should first uncover a Himalayan peak is only -natural to suppose. - -With the appointment of a new Manoo are also appointed some highly -spiritual souls as gods, as well as the Seven Rishis (illuminated -beings) who govern the seven stars of the Great Bear, in the places of -the gods and Rishis of the past Alanwantara, whose terms of office -extend through the duration of one Manwantara, the cyclic period between -two deluges. As every civilized country on the face of the earth is -governed by a king and ministers and officers, according to systematic -laws and regulations, the three spheres Bhur, Bhuba, Swar are likewise -ruled by a king, ministers and officers. The government of the British -Dominions may be taken as some sort of example to illustrate the Divine -Administration. If we take England as the Swar sphere, Ireland as the -Bhuba sphere, India and Canada may stand for the Bhur or Earth sphere. -Manoo, governor of the three spheres, can be likened to the King of -England, though, unlike the English King, he is invested with Supreme -Power; Indra is his Prince Minister. The Seven Rishis of the Great Bear -may be called his independent Cabinet Ministers and Advisers but -superior to him in wisdom and intelligence. The gods may be compared to -Members of Parliament, Secretaries of India and the Colonies and -departmental administrators. The Sons of Manoo act like -Governor-Generals of India and Canada, etc. - -At the beginning of a Kalpa cycle, which is measured by one thousand -Divine cycles or a little over 14 Manwantaras, the Manoos, Rishis and -gods of all the 14 Manwantaras are selected beforehand. We are now -lining in the Seventh Manwantara. Shrāddhadeva, called also Vaivaswata, -is our Manoo. The Saints Kāsyapa, Atri, Vasistha, Viswāmitra, Gautama, -Jamadagni and Bharadwāja are the seven Rishis; Purandar is the present -Indra. The Manoos, the Rishis, the Indras are all named for the coming -seven Manwantaras of the present Kalpa in the Shāstras. - -The prevalent belief among Western Orientalists is that Manoo was a man -who was born a few hundred years ago and died a natural death after -writing his law institutes for The Hindoos. A more erroneous idea could -not exist from the Hindoo point of view. Manoo, being the spiritual -administrator of the three worlds, has to live all through his term of -office, which extends through 71 Divine cycles of which we are living in -the 28th. Every Manoo incarnates himself as a Rishi towards the end of -every Golden Age and compiles his law, and institutes for the benefit of -humanity, while the seven Rishis incarnate among men at the end of each -Kali Yuga to reveal the truths of the Vedas which are forgotten and lost -before that time. - -SECTION XII. THE KALPA CYCLE. - -When the Golden. Silver, Copper and Iron Ages, forming the Divine Cycle, -have revolved for 1,000 times they complete a still larger cycle than -the Manwantara, called the Kalpa. As each Manwantara is wound up with a -Deluge, each Kalpa brings about a still greater disastrous event, that -of the destruction of the lower three spheres of the universe, the Bhur, -Bhuba and Swar. The description given of this great cyclic event in the -Purānas as well as in the Mahābhārata, especialy by the Immortal -Mārkandeya who has seen it many times, are simply appalling to the -imagination of puny man. - -As I have already said it is only the excessive accumulation of human -sins (Tama-life) that causes these natural catastrophies. The sum of -sins which causes the Kalpa dissolution is many times greater than that -which is the cause of the Flood. Human sins, however, are the immediate -cause. The real or latent cause is to be found in the operations of the -Cardinal Attributes of Nature. Sattwa and Rāja are absolutely subdued by -Tama, which then growing more and more intense bursts into a flame out -of the friction of its own forces. This conflagration first manifests -itself through etheric matter in the shape of seven suns suddenly -appearing in the heavens and with their combined heat burning down the -three spheres into ashes. This is followed by the appearance of strange -clouds which then burst and deluge the ash-turned earth. The ash, in -process of time, is absorbed by the water; then the air, turned into -violent winds, absorbs the water; and then, when the air has been -absorbed by ether (Akāsh), the destruction of the three spheres is -completed. - -The Immortal Mārkandeya described this Pralaya (Dissolution) five -thousand years ago to King Yudhisthira in the presence of Krishna and -the assembled sages in the Kāmyak Forest. The following is a summary of -his statement: - -"O King! At the end the Kali Yuga (previous to this Pralaya), when the -earthly days of all beings have come to an end, no rains will fall on -earth for many successive years in consequence of which all beings on -earth will die, owing to unbearable heat and hunger caused by drought -and famine. Then will appear simultaneously in the heavens seven suns -which will draw all the waters from all seas and rivers. Whether dry or -wet, whatever grass or wood there is on earth, will be reduced to -tinder. Then will spring up the Fire, called Samvartak, which, aided by -the wind, will attack the sun-absorbed earth and, piercing its surface, -will burn all there is in its bowels. Indeed, by this wind-helped -Samvartak Fire all created beings from the gods to creeping things and -all that now exists in the three worlds will be destroyed and -transformed into one huge heap of ashes. - -"Then will appear in the firmament wonderful-looking, -lightening-bedecked clouds, arrayed as garlanded rows of elephants. -These clouds are, some of them, of the color of the blue lotus, some of -the color of the Koomood flower, some of the color of the golden heart -of the lotus, some yellow, some green, some speckled gray, like the -color of the crow's egg, some colored like lotus leaves, some are light -brown, others look like large cities, others like hordes of elephants, -others like the color of eye-cosmetics, others shaped like crocodiles. -These mysterious-looking, deep-sounding rain-clouds, sent by God, -spreading themselves over the sky, will send down rains in a continuous -stream, like watery pillars descending from above, inundating all the -ash-heaped mountains and valleys, and extinguish the fearful Samvartak -Fire. - -"O King of the Pandus! Thus, after these rains have fallen continuously -for twelve years, the waters of the seas will rise in a flood and cover -the earth, at which, the still solid cohesiveness of her mountains -giving way, the earth will sink to the bottom of the sea. Then the -clouds, driven by the powerful winds in all directions, will suddenly -disappear. Then he of the Lotus-Abode and Lotus-born, the primeval god, -Brahmā, drinking in the winds and the air, will fall into sleep at the -close of his day." - -The lower three spheres—Bhur, Bhuba and Swar—are thus dissolved and -there is nothing in their place but one vast expanse of water. The upper -four spheres, Mahar, Jana, Tapa and Satya or Brahmā, remain intact. The -dwellers of the Mahar Loka, however, unable to bear the heat of the -Samvartak Fire during the earth s destruction, leave it and go up to the -Jana to live there during the duration of the Pralaya. - -Now, the question may be asked, why these four upper heavens are not -destroyed, and how can there be an ocean of water When the Water Element -is destroyed along with the other Elements? - -The answer is very interesting and instructive. There are two kinds or -states of these Five Elements—Ether, Air, Fire, Water, Earth. One may be -called Pure and the other Mixed. The Pure state of an Element means -wholly unmixed by even the least touch or tinge of the other four -elements. A mixed Element is made up of half part of one Element mixed -with one-eighth part of each of the other four Elements. The Bhur, Bhuba -and Swar are made of these five Mixed Elements which being destroyed by -this Kalpa Pralaya, the three spheres are necessarily destroyed too. The -Upper four spheres are made of the Unmixed Elements and hence they -survive the Kalpa dissolution of the Mixed Elements. It is needless to -say that dwellers of these upper realms are possessed of a physical body -made of these Five Pure Elements, and in the highest realms the dwellers -have no physical bodies at all and therefore no elements in their -make-up. The bodies of some of them are formed of the Five Finest -essences of the Elements—Sound, Touch, Form, Taste and Smell; and of -others, the highest beings in the Brahmā Loka, of nothing but -Consciousness and Ego and Ensouled Mind. - -The water of the Watery Expanse, into which the lower three spheres are -reduced by the Kalpa Pralaya, is this Unmixed Pure Water, which is -invisible to our ordinary physical eye. The world is indebted to the -Immortal Mārkandeya for a description of what remains after this Kalpa -dissolution. Blessed, then, with the finest and purest Element-body, he -alone hovers over this vast Watery Expanse. His experiences are recorded -in that History of the Universe, the Mahābhārata, of which here are a -few details: - -Said Mārkandeya: "O King! In this, time of the Kalpa Pralaya, when all -gods, asuras, elements, demons, men, animals, trees and the firmament, -etc., all, all the mobile and immobile beings and objects, will be -dissolved into one vast ocean, I alone will hover over that endless -expanse of water and become sad-hearted on viewing this general -destruction. After floating on it for a very long period of time I will -feel extremely exhausted. Then, shortly after, a huge tree in the midst -of that one-ocean will attract my eye. O King! Resting on the spreading -boughs of that tree I will see seated on a couch of glory a lotus-eyed -Boy with a face radiant like the light of the full moon. Instantly on -seeing him I shall be extremely astonished and will say within myself -'How wonderful! Everything has been destroyed, how then is this boy -resting here?' O Great King! Although I am blessed with the knowledge of -the past, present and future, I shall fail to know who that child may -be. - -"Then that lotus-eyed Boy will thus speak to me in the sweetest voice: -'O Mārkandeya! I know thee. Thou art become very weary and wishing for -rest. Therefore do thou enter my body and live there as long as thou -mayest desire. I have been very pleased with thee.' O King! on hearing -these words of the Boy I will be filled with the spirit of indifference -to my manhood and long life, at which suddenly that Boy will open his -mouth, and I will then enter into that mouth through some divine means. - -"O Great King! Through his mouth I shall enter his belly and to my -astonishment, shall see within him this whole earth of many kingdoms and -cities, rivers, mountains, seas, the blue heavens bedecked with the sun -and the moon, and the many forests. There I shall find Brāhmans engaged -in various religious ceremonies, the Kshatriyas in ruling to the -satisfaction of all other castes, the Vaishyas in their usual vocation -of agriculture, and the Sudras in rendering loving sacrifices to the -Brāhmans; lions and tigers, and all the gods, angels and serial beings -are living peacefully in their respective spheres. In fact, all that -existed before I shall find existing within the belly of that Great -Soul. - -"O King! Thus, having seen the whole world within that Boy, I will -travel for many thousand years, like one in a dream, within that world -and in trying to find out its limit will rush in all directions but will -not succeed in doing so. Then disappointment will turn my thoughts to -that beautiful Boy again, and, with all the concentrated force in my -body, mind and speech, I will then ask for his protection and grace. At -this I will be carried, by a violent wind as it were, through his mouth -out of his body and I will find him still sitting under that tree. - -"The Boy will then ask me with delighted heart and smiling face, 'O my -good Rishi Mārkandeya! Thou didst become very tired floating on these -waters for such a long time. Have you now been well refreshed by living -within my body?' - -"Then I will behold my soul freed from all bondage by the illumination -which will enter me with the Boy's words. And placing his crimson Feet -on my head I will address him thus with folded hands and humility, 'How -lucky I am! To-day I have beheld the Lotus-eyed God of Gods, the Soul of -All Things! O God! I have become very curious to know Thee and this Thy -wonderful Māyā (Illusion). Entering Thy belly through Thy mouth, I have -seen the whole world existing there. O Lord! it was through Thy grace -that I did not lose my memory, and it is through Thy will that I have -now come out of Thy body. O Lotus-eyed! I have become very desirous to -know Thee. Why art Thou resting here in the form of a Boy after having -devoured the whole world? How is it that this whole world is now -dwelling in Thy body? How much longer will Thou rest here? O Lord of -Gods! These subjects are great and unthinkable, and so I beg to hear -from Thee their detailed explanations.' - -"The God of the Gods, after consoling me, on the last occasion, began to -answer my questions. He said: - -"'O Brāhman! Even the gods have failed to know the mysteries of my -creation. I will tell thee of it only to please thee. O Rishi! Thy -wonderful devotion to thy father and to Me and to spiritual celibacy -have won thee this grace; I have appeared before thy vision. In time -past I called water by the term "Nār" This Nār is ever my seat, hence I -am called Nārāyan. I am the First Cause. I am Eternal, Inexhaustible, -the Creator and Destroyer of all that exists. I am all Wealth, I am -Death, I am Shiva. Fire is in my mouth, the earth is my feet, the sun is -my two eyes, the Celestial Regions are my head, the sky and the cardinal -points are my two ears. Space and Eternity are my body, the winds my -mind. - -"'All sacred ceremonies are performed to please Me. All the Vedas come -out of and enter into Me. The peace-loving, mind-disciplined, enquiring, -soul's-mystery-knowing Brāhmans contemplate and worship Me alone. I am -the Fire called Samvartak, I am the Samvartak Winds, and it is I who am -the Seven Suns that rise and shine in Pralaya. The stars that thou seest -now in the firmament are the pores of my body, the sky is my raiment, -the seas my seat and abode. It is I who have divided them as they are. - -"'Men are born, are overwhelmed by My Māyā and become enterprising -through my Law, never through their own desire. Those Brāhmans who -thoroughly study the Vedas, perform many spiritual sacrifices, bring -peace to their souls and vanquish anger; it is they who attain to Me. -Those persons who are addicted to bad actions, are swayed by greed, are -misers, crooked-minded and void of soul-culture can never reach Me. The -paths of Yoga are as easy for pure souls to tread as they are uncertain -to the wicked and the foolish. - -"'Whenever religion suffers from revolution and vice triumphs over -virtue, I create myself and walk the earth and set things right. -Whenever are born on the earth the selfish and envious Asuras and Demons -so powerful that even the gods cannot destroy them, I in the form of man -take birth in the family of pious men and bring peace to the world again -by subduing them. I am white-complexioned in the Satya Yuga, yellow in -the Tretā, red in the Dwāpar and dark in the Kali. At the end of each -great cycle it is I who destroy every thing. I am the Three Paths, the -Soul of the Universe, Giver of all Happiness, Superior to All, -All-Pervading, the Endless and the All-Powerful. - -"'At the last Kali Yuga of each Kalpa I spread my illusion upon all -beings and enter into my trance-state. When old, old Brahmā, transformed -into a child, goes to sleep and keeps sleeping, I rest here on the -waters until he is awakened. Now, go thou about on the waters in restful -spirit until that time, when I alone will create again earth and sky and -light, air and water, and all bodies.' - -"So saying, O King, that wonderful Being vanished from my view. Then by -and by this world was created again. Thus in the last Kalpa Pralaya did -I witness this wonderful event. The Lotus-Eyed Diety I then saw, you -brothers have now established blood relations with Him, this Krishna. It -is through His grace that I have obtained uninterrupted memory, become -so long-lived and endowed with the boon of dying at my will. This -Krishna who is now sitting before us all, this Krishna present here, who -is born in the line of the Vrishnis, is just now merely playing on His -earth. But it is He, this Krishna, who is the Ancient Person, the Lord, -the Unthinkable Soul, the Creator, the Destroyer, the Eternal and the -Master of All! I have been able to remember all these facts only through -the inspiration of His presence here. He is the Mother and Father of all -beings: do you all take His Refuge." - -Krishna has been called Nārāyan here by Mārkandeya, because Nārāyan, the -Fourth Form-manifestation of Krishna in the unfoldment of creation, is -generally known as the Supreme Diety—Krishna. Nārāyan, as I have said -before this, is Aniruddha out of whose navel springs the seed-bud Lotus -with Brahmā, the operating Creator of the details Creation. - -SECTION XIII. NATURAL DISSOLUTION. - -What is popularly known as Universal Destruction, is termed in the -Hindoo Scriptures "Prākritic Pratisanchar" or Natural Retrogression, -which means Natural Disssolution. This marks the close of the Greatest -Cycle of Time. It is the End of Time, the End of Creation. It is the -Maha Pralaya. It involves the annihilation of the Universe, in one -sense, because after its occurrence none of the Principles, except the -Ultimate, exists. "In one sense" I say advisedly, for although the -Manifest universe becomes non-existent, its latent spiritual -impressions, forming its germ, are carried by the Three Cardinal -Attributes into the Ultimate Principle, Love—Krishna—and preserved -unconsciously, even during their rest in Krishna, in a state of -equilibrium, It is out of this Mystic Ideation that, in the event of the -inequilibrium of the Attributes, a fresh creation springs into -existence. There is no such thing as destruction in the law of Nature. -Nothing is destroyed totally; all forms of destruction are but phases of -transmutation, from gross manifestation into fine, from fine into finer, -from finer into finest, from finest into mystic ideation which belongs -to the realm of absolute spirituality. - -The Hindoo doctrine in regard to the process of creation is the -unfoldment of the Twenty-three Principles from the reflection of the -One, the manifestation into Many and the Diverse of the Mystic Energy of -the One Unchangeable Absolute. This Mystic Energy unrolls its many and -diverse phases and forces in creation and incessantly throughout its -duration. "Prākritic" means "Natural" from "Prakriti," Nature. -"Pratisanchar" is "Prati" and "sanchar"; "Prati" means backward, and -"sanchar" means the act of moving, motion. The whole word therefore -means "moving backward." Prākritic Pratisanchar, therefore, is the -moving backward of the Unfolded Principles of Existence (Nature) into -its One Source, out of which they originally spring. This backward -motion of Variety into Unity is caused by the extreme action of intense -Tama from which the following natural reaction puts the forces of the -Three Cardinal Attributes into equilibrium. This equilibrium is the -Unmanifest (Avyakta—unexpressed) state of Nature, and the inequilibrium -brings about the Manifest state, the gross form of which is the -universe. This action of Natural Dissolution has also its reaction. It -reacts into a fresh Creation. - -The symptoms which manifest themselves previous to the occurrence of -this universal destruction are almost the same as those before the Kalpa -Pralaya. Only, the degeneration of human society develops worse phases -which are followed by intense heat, owing to the suspension of rains for -years and years together, resulting in the death of all moving and -breathing beings. Then appear in the heavens twelve suns, instead of -seven as in the Kalpa Pralaya, which give birth to the Samvartak Fire. -The fire is followed by the appearance of the Samvartak Clouds, which -deluge the earth with continuous rains for years; the deluge is followed -by the winds, etc. - -But the main difference lies in the absolutely destructive power of -these Elemental agents. When the suns and the fire have done their work, -the black surface of the earth looks like the back of a tortoise. Then -the water in which it is submerged absorbs the very attribute of -Earth—Smell—along with its substance which then becomes absolutely -nonexistent and transformed into water. The water is then absorbed by -Fire (heat) with its attribute—Taste—so that water becomes absolutely -non-existent and is turned into Fire. The volume of Fire is then so -increased that it burns the suns themselves, so that all the heavens, -filled with all-pervading flames, burn on until everything in them is -destroyed. Then the air devours the Fire with its attribute—Form—so that -there remains nothing visible to the eye. The winds then move about with -all their force in the Akās. Then Akās (Ether) absorbs the Air with its -attribute—Touch—so that nothing remains which can be felt. Then Akās -itself becomes unmanifest, the Universal Mind having absorbed its -attribute—Sound—which originally sprang from it to create Akās (Ether). -This is called the dissolution of the gross form of the Universe. - -The dissolution of the fine (subtle) form begins with the Moon, the -presiding deity of the Mind, absorbing the Mind with its attribute —the -power of Willing and Non-Willing, which power with all its associations -is then centered in the Moon. After a long time the Mind, centralized in -the Moon, brings about the poise in its vibratory volition (the cause of -material desires). This will-control results in the Moon-centered Mind -being absorbed by its original Belief in the Oneness of Nature and Brahm -(Divine Essence). The Belief in this Unity (Ego) is then absorbed by -Universal Consciousness, and Universal Consciousness with its attribute -of the Power of Decision is absorbed by Absolute Being (one of the Three -Attributes of Para-Brahm). Then Wisdom (another of the Three Attributes, -also called Intelligence or Truth) absorbs this Absolute Being. Then -that all-impregnated Wisdom enters the Unmanifest Soul—Absolute -Love—KRISHNA. - -SECTION XIV. MODERN SCIENTIFIC TESTIMONY. - -A recent discovery of modern science has not only thrown the clearest -light upon this Hindoo doctrine of the unity and composition of the -universe, but has fully proved its correctness. This is the first -indirect investigation of Western material science into the realm of the -subjective side of creation. The author of this discovery, by strange -irony of Fate, is a Hindoo, though educated and trained in scientific -knowledge in England, under English teachers of Science. He is now a -scientific celebrity among Western scientific celebrities of the day; -and if the work of his tested discovery be rightly estimated, he ought -to be classed with the highest of them all. His name is Professor -Jagadis Chunder Bose, D. Sc., Professor of Science in the Calcutta -University. - -Prof. Bose's discovery, now embodied in book-form and entitled "Response -in the Living and the Non-Living," marks a new epoch in the advancement -of modern science. It has been accepted by all scientific authorities, -after the Professor had demonstrated it by experiments before a large -number of scientific people in London, and notably by Lord Kelvin. - -Armed with the demonstrated facts of this discovery. Professor Bose -maintains that the true test of the existence of life in any form of -matter is its sensitiveness to external stimulus. According to this test -he proves conclusively that no essential difference exists between -animals and metals or vegetables. He has shown by scientific experiments -that a bar of iron is not only as irritable and sensitive as a human -body, but that it can be killed or poisoned in the same way as a human -body can be killed or poisoned. According to his discovery, life -pervades every object and part of Nature; and only some of these parts -or objects can be said to be in a dead state, which means they can be -deprived of their sensitiveness to external stimulus. - -If any part of our body is pinched, the nerve which connects that part -with the brain, running all along, sends an electric current to the -brain, vibrating under the pinch. The brain alone feels the pain -inflicted upon any part of our body, says modern science; and it is -proved by the fact that no pain is felt by us if our brain is deadened -by chloroform. - -The galvanometer is a well-known and very delicate scientific instrument -for detecting the presence of electric currents; it has a needle on a -pivot, and the faintest electric current will cause a deflection of this -needle. If at any intervening part of the electric current-bearing nerve -in the human body the galvanometer be attached, and the end of the nerve -pinched or otherwise irritated, then immediately the needle of the -galvanometer will deflect, thus showing that the irritation of the nerve -causes a current like that of electricity to be sent along it. This fact -is now very well known to scientists, and Prof. Bose's investigations -are based upon this well-known scientific fact. - -With a view to ascertaining whether or not matter which has hitherto -been known as non-living could be proved so under the test of the -galvanometer, the Professor attached the instrument to bars of different -metals, with startling contrary results. The Professor found that all -metals show visible signs of sensitiveness when twisted or tapped. The -greater the irritation the greater the visible signs of sensitiveness; -even every single peculiarity in the irritability of animal matter is -exactly reproduced in the case of metal. As, for instance, when the -sensitiveness of a muscle or a nerve of an animal wears off after a -time, under repeated irritation, it begins to show signs of fatigue, the -deflection of the needle of the galvanometer becoming more and more -feeble; the Professor found that metals would betray exactly the same -signs of fatigue under repeated irritation. Again, after a short rest, -the signs of fatigue were found to disappear in animal muscle and in -metal alike, their sensitiveness being fully restored. This last fact is -known to many of us who constantly use a razor and find it losing its -keen edge and growing duller and duller, despite vigorous stropping, and -spontaneously recovering its original keenness by being laid aside for a -few days. - -Professor Bose's process of registering the deflections of the needle of -the galvanometer is this: By a mechanical device the point of the needle -is photographed on paper, which is moved along at a constant rate, the -needle's point tracing out a series of zig-zag lines on the paper, when -the needle is oscillated by an electric current. The width of the -zig-zags corresponds to the amount of the deflection of the needle, -therefore the strength of the electric current. If there be no current, -and consequently no deflection of the needle, its point will remain -stationary and merely trace a straight line on the moving paper. - -This book of Prof. Bose's, "Response in the Living and the Non-Living," -is full of still more wonderful revelations. He has found and shown, to -the satisfaction of European scientists through experiments, that metals -do not only go to sleep, but can be poisoned and killed like human -beings and animals. Like an unused animal muscle showing signs of -sluggishness and appearing to be in a kind of torpor, then gradually -seeming to waken up under irritation, and finally returning to full -activity, Professor Bose proves that metals behave in exactly the same -way and process of gradation. He also proves that the effects of extreme -cold and extreme heat produce exactly similar conditions in both animals -and metals. - -But men or animals can be drugged and made drunk. Can metals likewise be -drugged and made drunk? Yes, says Prof. Bose, and he proves it -absolutely. He proves that metals show the same increase of irritability -under the influence of stimulants and narcotics as the human body. -Moreover, even as different animals are affected differently by the same -dose of a stimulant, so also are different metals. Under the influence -of carbonate of sodium, irritability of platinum is increased threefold, -while the irritability of tin is less. - -Still more significant is the action of anaesthetics and narcotics. -Under their action the sensitiveness of metals can be reduced to any -desired degree, exactly as is the case of human beings. A more striking -parallel between animal matter and metals is established by Prof. Bose. -The action of some narcotics on the human frame is known to be -paradoxical under certain conditions. While a large dose of opium, for -instance, decreases the sensitiveness of the human body, a very minute -dose has exactly the opposite effect, that is to say, acts as a -stimulant. This anomaly has been found by Prof. Bose to have a parallel -in metals, tin being found to show that its sensitiveness is increased -half as much again by being treated with a minute dose of potash (3 -parts in 100), but the sensitiveness begins to decrease when the dose is -increased. - -Now the question suggests itself that if metals are as much alive as -animals, then they must also be as liable to die as animals. Prof. Bose -has found this to be a fact, too. Metals not only die; but they can be -poisoned and revived, and poisoned and killed. - -In order to find out these facts, Prof. Bose took a piece of metal which -showed full vigor of sensitiveness and so was considered healthy, and -treated it with a moderate dose of oxalic acid, which is a powerful -poison. The needle of the galvanometer instantly indicated a spasmodic -flutter; the sensitiveness of the metal more and more feeble, till it -seemed almost to die away. At this stage, a powerful antidote being -applied, slowly and gradually the sensitiveness began to revive, and in -time became as active as when the metal was not poisoned. The treatment -of another piece of healthy metal with a strong dose of the same poison -resulted in violent spasms, with rapid enfeeblement of sensitiveness, -which soon vanished altogether. After a proper interval the antidote was -tried in vain; the piece of metal was killed forever. The results of -experiments with different metals and different poisons were the same; -but all poisons not being alike in their action upon animal matter, the -same is true of their action on metal, absolutely and undoubtedly. In -some cases, however, after all traces of poison had been removed by the -counteracting influence of stimulating acids, the poisoned metal was -eventually reanimated; which meant that the metal was not really killed, -but was merely in a state of suspended animation. The most striking -feature of the discovery in this connection is, that the very poison -which kills both animal and metal is itself endowed with life, which -shows itself by indications of irritability and sensitiveness, and which -can itself be killed. - -Here is another significant point in regard to the operation of poison -on both an animal and a metal. In the case of an animal the operation is -twofold; first, the actual death process, lasting from a few minutes to -several hours; secondly, the purely nervous effect which manifests -itself in the form of spasms, paralysis or other symptoms, and which is -developed much sooner, sometimes instantaneously. Prof. Bose has -discovered the same phenomenon in metal. Under the effect of some -powerful poisons there was instantaneous spasm shooting through the -metal long before the corrosive action of the acid could penetrate -beyond the surface. - -Professor Bose has proved in his book that all these phenomena with -every single variation exist as much in the vegetable kingdom as in the -animal and mineral. Indeed, the three kingdoms of matter, the animal, -the vegetable and the mineral, are, says the Professor, but one in -essence and the physiological distinction between so-called organic and -inorganic matter, of which man and metal are but types, is based upon a -false and unscientific assumption. Prof. Bose dedicates his book to his -countrymen, the Hindoos, because, he says, his discovery is a discovery -made millions of years ago by the Hindoo sages, who proclaimed the unity -of the universe in essence and construction, as well as in the laws that -govern it. - -SECTION XV. SCIENCE UPHOLDS SHASTRAS. - -Now let us consider the main points of this great epoch-making -scientific discovery by the light of the truths of Nature and the laws -of matter discovered countless ages ago by the illuminated sages of -India, and handed down through the corridors of time. Every discovery of -modern science has tended to establish the principles of Hindoo religion -and philosophy, by furnishing practical testimony to what were so long -considered as their mystic teachings. But this discovery of Prof. Bose's -is an unexpected stumble of a purely objective method of investigation -upon the truths and laws of the subjective realm. The evidence which -Prof. Bose's experiments afford is of course indirect; but this indirect -evidence is startlingly direct in its pointed and unmistakable -suggestions. It is therefore most opportune at the present moment, when -the human mind the world over is striving, impelled by a natural hunger, -to get at the facts back of the physical shroud of the universe. - -The Hindoo sages say that the universe is one whole, huge being, of -which the high heavens are the head, the sun and the moon the eyes, -space the body, and the earth the feet. Every inch, nay, every point, of -this universe-body is alive as a healthy human body. The composing -principles of this body are twenty-four, as I have already explained. -These twenty-four principles are therefore present in every atom of it, -in every speck of earth, the last principle in creation. This speck or -molecule of earth has, however, no opening for any of its composing -principles; whereas vegetable and animal life-forms have many of these -passages of their composing principles more or less open. As a tortoise -puts forth its body out of its shell and again draws that body into it, -so out of Love the twenty-three principles are projected, and drawn, in -the fullness of time, back into its bosom again. This reaction or -journey of the universe back to its source is called universal -destruction, or dissolution, or disintegration. This universal -dissolution takes place when the Three Cardinal Attributes of creation, -out of which all the composing principles have sprung, fall into -equilibrium; in other words, become equal in power or tension. This loss -of tensity or equipoise in the power of the Cardinal Attributes, viz., -Sattwa (Illumination), Rāja (Activity or Motion), and Tama -(Obscuration), results in the loss of their individuality, and their -transformation into Pure Illumination. By pure illumination is meant -unmixed illumination; that is to say, absolute illumination, having no -tendency or trace in it of being disturbed into obscuration. In short, -Sattwa, Rāja and Tama are each of them mixed with the other two, its own -quality being predominant in it. Their inequality of power brings them -forth into and sustains their being. The moment this power becomes equal -and they lose their existence, the Absolute Illumination, co-existent -with Absolute Love and Absolute Being out of which they sprung, alone -remains. - -This equipoise of the cardinal cosmic attributes takes place at -intervals of time, the dimension of which staggers the human mind to -imagine. But while the return-journey of the universe as a whole takes -place once in an indefinitely long period of time, the molecules of -earth, as soon as they are created, have a tendency to go back to their -original source. But the molecule's journey backward to Love is made by -a very circuitous path. That path leads through the process of opening -one by one the passages of its composing principles. By passages is -meant channels of communication and sympathy with the main laws and -vibrations of the working of the universe. - -The first step the molecule takes, in this return-journey, is by opening -the passage of one principle, the sense of feeling, and becoming a blade -of grass. A blade of grass has only one sense opened, the sense of -touch, by which it draws juice from the earth for its sustenance. After -being reborn thousands of times as a blade of grass, it draws the -magnetism from the different life-forms in Nature, which helps it to -develop into a shrub. And then, after thousands of shrub-lives, it -develops into a plant, and then into tree-life, in which it puts forth -flowers and fruits. And, finally, drawing in more and more magnetism and -vibrations from the animal world, it develops into an animal itself. At -first it is but an animalcule, and then a worm. As a worm it has opened -more passages, the passage of tasting (the palate), the passage of -gripping (with the mouth), the passage of moving (the feet), the -passages of excreting and generating, the passage of seeing (the eye), -the passage of smelling, the passage of hearing, etc. Through thousands -of rebirths in each animal form it is promoted into higher and higher -animal forms, in which more and more passages of its composing -principles are opened. The last forms of lower animals it takes are -those of monkeys and apes, the forms just before developing into human -form. In these ape forms of life it opens all principles except four; -viz., Mind, Ego, Intellect and Love. However intelligent a monkey or a -dog or any other animal may be or seem to be, the Mind principle is not -yet open in it. All its actions are prompted by instinct, which is the -natural impulse of the indirect influence of the mind on the verge of -being opened, as well as of automatic memory of past experiences in this -and previous existences, the impressions of which are in their very -blood. With the opening of the Mind principle begins the human form. It -may be the most savage man, but it is human. He can think, is -self-conscious, and acts with reasoned decision, however crude or -erroneous; because with the opening of the Mind there are simultaneously -opened the Ego and the Intellect, they being almost on principle in -three. - -After these explanations of the composition, construction, and -transformation of matter, let us go back to unopened matter, in order to -explain the mysteries of Professor Bose's discoveries by the aid of the -galvanometer. The Professor has discovered that the application of this -delicate instrument reveals the fact that matter which has hitherto been -considered non-living is very much alive indeed, as fully alive as -living animals are, because they respond to external stimulus as fully -as any living being. According to Hindoo definition and idea of -construction and composition of matter, it is only natural that this -should be so. To the Hindoo sage this is not at all a wonder. Love, -Consciousness, Ego, Mind, the ten senses, the five fine essences and the -five gross forms of matter, called elements, are as much present in -minerals, which are but formations of earth, as in animals. A lump of -earth, or a piece of metal, or a vegetable, cannot give visible, direct -response to external stimulus, because they have no openings (open -physical organs) through which to manifest it. If you can by any means -feel the vibrations caused by such stimulus within them, then only can -you find the proof of the uniform composition and construction of all -forms of matter in this one whole living universe. The galvanometer -serves this purpose, and hence the Hindoo idea stands to-day as a -demonstrated fact. - -Let us analyze the tests and proofs of the galvanometer a little more -closely, and understand them according to the Hindoo doctrine of the -construction and organization of what is called organic or inorganic -matter. The Hindoo doctrine does not recognize the nerve or the brain as -any of the principles which compose what is called the living body. The -nerve is but a mere physical vehicle of the sensation of the mind (which -includes the Ego and the Intellect, the part of universal consciousness -in individual souls), and the brain is the physical centre of these -physical channels of the mind's sensation and experiences. The mind -feels the sensation of the external stimulus through its channels, the -five cognizing senses, and the mind's sensations are carried through the -nerves to the brain. This is in regard to animal life, which has brains -and nerves formed fully or partially. The vegetables and minerals have -neither brains nor nerves. How, then, do they show the same irritation -as animals do to external stimulus, as shown by the galvanometer? - -The answer is simple. Because they have the psychic vehicles, the five -cognizing senses, by which to convey the sensation of the external -stimulus to the mind, and therefore they need no physical brain or -nerve. Only, having no physical openings, they cannot manifest the -effect of those sensations outside themselves, as animals do; and only -an instrument, like the galvanometer, is able to detect the sensations -and indicate them by the deflection of its needle. Mineral and vegetable -matter having all the twenty-four principles in them, have the mind and -the senses, too. Only, they are in a shut-up, undeveloped state, and -perform their undeveloped, crude functions like an unconscious -mechanism. - -It is through the senses that sensations are perceived; and had not the -senses been present within a piece of metal or a vegetable, there would -be no sensation in it, and therefore the galvanometer would have been -useless in its application and results, because, there being no -sensation, there would be no deflection of the needle. Professor Bose's -experiments conclusively prove not only the unity, but the uniform -composition and construction of the whole universe; that all its -composing principles are present everywhere; that in some phases they -are in a latent and in others in manifest state. The tests of the -galvanometer also prove that what is true of the whole universe is true -of a particle of earth; that the whole universe is one whole living -mass, like a single living being, and that every molecule of its -composition is a universe in embryo; because every molecule is instinct -with all the forces and properties of the twenty-four principles, which -are the materials as well as the attributes of the cosmos. - -SECTION XVI. PHYSICAL AND ASTRAL BODIES. - -It is the ignorance of the knowledge of the constitution of the -universal and human bodies that forms one of the chief obstacles of a -correct study of the laws operating behind external Nature, It is the -general belief of modern humanity that the human body is made up of -flesh and blood alone. This is true so far as the physical body is -concerned. But there is another body within us finer than the physical -which is the real body and of which the physical body is the outer -encasement. This real body is called the Astral Body. The whole human -body is like a clock of which the physical covering is its case and the -astral body its works. As the mechanical part of a clock is the real -clock and its case with its dial and hands forms its covering by which -it indicates its working, so the astral body is the mechanical part of -the human body and the physical is its case through which it indicates -its operations. Though far from perfect, the analogy is very suggestive. -For instance, the mechanical part of the clock cannot serve its purpose -without the aid of the case, dial and hands. The astral body likewise -cannot be of any use without the co-operation of the physical body. - -The mechanism of the astral body is composed of eighteen Principles, -viz., Consciousness (Intellect), Ego, Mind, the Ten Senses: the Powers -of Seeing, Hearing, Smelling. Tasting, Feeling, Speaking, Holding, -Moving, Excreting and Generating; and the five attributes of the -Elements: Sound, Touch, Form, Taste and Smell. These Principles work -through their counterpart-organs of the physical body which is composed -of the five remaining Principles, viz., the Five Elements—Ether, Air, -Fire, Water and Earth. - -Now let us see how the physical body is composed of the five Elements. -The vigor of our father and the blood of our mother, of which our -physical body is made, are formations of assimilated food. Every kind of -foodstuff, vegetable or animal, is but condensed form of earth's juice; -earth-juice is earth. Now Earth is composed only of its five attributes: -Sound, Touch, Form, Taste and Smell, the first four of which compose -Water, the first three compose Fire, the first two Air, and the first, -Sound, is the Attribute of Ether (Akās). Therefore the other four -Elements are present in earth on account of their respective attributes -being contained in it. Our physical body, therefore, being made of -formations of Earth, is composed of the Five Elements. - -The material of the physical body is supplied by our parents and the -astral body we supply ourselves. The astral body is our permanent body. -It puts on new flesh-garments from time to time. When it slips into a -new flesh-garment it is called birth; when it slips out of it, it is -called death. But really the astral body lives on forever and ever and -never ceases to exist unless we find the means and take measures to -destroy it. The extinction the astral body is brought about by the -mind's absolute dissociation from the bondage and influence of matter -and material ideas, and absorption into the Divine Essence, Mukti. - -The earth and the visible sky form the physical body of the Universe and -the upper six spheres form its astral body which includes still subtler -bodies. This means that both the universal and the human bodies are -constructed on the same principle. Both are formed of seven bodies, -encased like a sheath within a sheath. These are called the Food-made -(physical) body, the Vital body, the Mental (or Astral) body, the -Psychic body, the Wisdom (or Causal) body, the Blissful body and the -Soul body. - -SECTION XVII. KARMA. - -The Universe is one whole manifestation of Cause and Effect. All Nature -is manifested and materialized forces of Action and Reaction. The -Doctrine of Karma is based upon the natural law by which action produces -reaction, the law of cause and effect. It holds that every action is the -cause of every reaction as well as the effect of the action which is its -producing cause. The doctrine of Reincarnation specifies the different -physical forms in which groups of accumulated causes of reaction -manifest themselves in Nature. The laws of Karma are the regulated -blendings of the subtle forces of the finer principles of Nature which, -operating from within, shape these outer physical forms. - -Karma begins with the creation of the Universe, and Creation begins with -the loss of equilibrium of the three Cardinal Attributes while dwelling -in a quiescent state in Absolute Love—Krishna. This inequilibrium -develops the germ of the Past Universe, which the Attributes hold within -them, and manifests itself as a New Universe—a new Creation. The word -Karma is derived from the Sanscrit root Kri, to act. Karma means action. -Action means the motion of the operating forces of Nature. The Karma of -the past Creations, stored up as ideation within the even forces of the -Attributes, works itself out in the form and phases of a new Creation. -Every succeeding Creation therefore is the reactive result of all -previous creations. This reaction of the accumulated action-potencies of -the past creations produces the uniform dimensions and the principal -features of the cycles, so that the history of every cycle, from the -smallest to the largest, repeats itself in its chief points in naturally -regulated succession. - -As in the great universe, so in its epitome, man. The microcosm is ruled -by the same laws as the macrocosm, the laws of cause and effect, of -action and reaction. Man is the conscious embodiment of the blended -forces of his past actions, actions of previous conscious embodiments -born of the forces of still more previous embodiments. - -Action proceeds from thought. Thought is the source and spring of -action. No action is possible without its producing cause, thought, -which is a phase of the mind's volition. All our thoughts are impressed -on the mind, the moment they form themselves, in condensed pictures. The -more powerful a thought, the deeper the impression on the mind. Weak, -undeveloped thoughts make superficial impressions and are liable to wear -off. The impression of a powerful thought is likewise rubbed off by the -force of a strong counter-thought. An angry thought, for instance, -prompts us to do a bad action, but before it is reduced to action, our -reason sometimes intervenes, argues against it, convinces us of its -error which induces repentance. The stronger the counter-thought of -repentance, the more quickly and effectively it rubs off the impression. -But if the thought is reduced to action, its impression is deep and -enduring, and requires the aid of absolutely sincere, burning repentance -to destroy that impression. - -These thought-impressions on the mind are called seeds of Karma. They -are exactly like seeds of trees in their potencies and operations. As a -seed of a tree, when planted in the soil, germinates, grows, flowers and -bears fruit, so does a Karma-impression germinate, grow, flower and bear -fruit. As the germ of a seed, in process of development, produces the -events called sprouting, putting forth leaves and branches, flowering -and fruiting, lo, a man's mental thought-impressions of previous lives, -in almost the self-same way, sprout, put forth leaves and branches, -flower and fruit in the shape of events, inside and outside of him. The -thought-impressions are reflected upon the aura. "Aurā" is a Sanscrit -word, its transliterated form being "Arā," from "Ar" which means the -spoke of a wheel. "Arā" means full of spoke-like shoots of radiance from -any centre. This centre of our aura is our mind. Aura, therefore, is the -radiance of, the mind which permeates and envelopes our body in an oval -shape and generally extends one cubit outside of our body. The aura and -reflections of these thought-impressions on the aura are visible only to -the spiritual and psychical sight. The illuminated saints and yogis who -have developed this sight, not only see this aura, but also the -reflections of the thought-impressions which they can read and interpret -as we read and interpret words. These reflections are called the -characters of the mind—the Hidden Pictures (Chitra-Gupta) of Human -Conduct—which reveal the past, present and future history of a human -soul to those who can decipher them. - -From the aura these characters are reflected again upon the Ether which -receives the impression and keeps the record of each external and -internal event in Nature. The Ether is the storehouse of the records of -all human and natural happenings and vibrations. And it is from this -storehouse of all mental records that true clairvoyance draws its -inspired messages and revelations, A fully developed Yogi can learn the -details of an event which occurred ten thousand years ago or of any -time, and can tell of any present or future occurrence in any part of -the world by concentrating upon the Ether, the all-knowing Ether. - -Thus the records of the causes of human actions are kept in triplicate, -so that there is no escape from the potencies of their merits and -demerits, unless the main records (those on the mind) are melted away by -the fire of absolute, all-absorbing spiritual consciousness. - -Actions (Karma) are of two kinds, white and black. White Karma springs -from the Sāttwic state of mind, and Black Karma from its Tāmasic state. -The color of Sattwa (Illumination) is white, the color of Tama -(Darkness) is black, hence Karma is white or black. Rāja is the -attribute of Activity, the working principle, the motive power of -action. Without the aid of Rāja no action is possible. When Rāja works -with dominant Sattwa the result is white Karma, when it works with -dominant Tama, the result is black Karma. The white and black actions -are commonly called good and bad. What is a good action? It is an action -whose ultimate reaction produces harmony and happiness and illumines the -mind. What is a bad action? It is an action which, however enjoyable or -otherwise while it lasts, produces a reaction of inharmony, pain and -misery, causing darkness of the mind. - -In respect to the law according to which they come to be worked out in -their turn, the Karma-seeds, white and black, are of three -classes—Sanchit, Prārabdha and Kriyamān or Agāmi. Sanchit means -stored-up. Prārabdha means Karma the reaction of which has begun or that -which is working now. Kriyaman means Karma-seeds originating out of the -Prārabdha Karma now being worked out, but which will form the seeds of -future (Agami) actions. Sanchit Karma includes the seeds of all the -actions of past existences stored up as impressions on the mind. Out of -this storehouse of Karma-seeds that, white or black, which is the most -powerful asserts itself to be worked out first, drawing to itself, by -the law of affinity. Karma-seeds of minor power, but of a nature similar -to its own. This most powerful Karma-seed, lumped up with small -Karma-seeds of similar character, forms the Prārabdha Karma, Karma which -is in the process of being worked out. And in its process of working the -fresh thought-impressions which the mind is registering are called -Kriyamān (Karma being born), also called Agāmi (future) Karma, Karma -seeds which, after being deposited in the storehouse, will come to be -worked out in their turn in future, either as main or minor Prārabdha, -according to their potency. - -This is the law of working of human Karma, the inexorable law which -shapes our life and destiny, which fills existence with joy or sorrow. -Karma is unending unless we learn the mysterious law which works it and -grasp the still more mysterious Law behind that Karmic law and by its -practice destroy its roots and prevent its present and future actions -within us. I will speak of this Law and of its ways of practice later -on. - -We often see a man, who has lived a good, pure and harmonious life, -suddenly, through circumstances or bad associations, changed into a bad -man. He becomes worse in habits and conduct and dies in that degraded -mental state. Similarly we find some one very bad up to a certain period -of life; he suddenly turns good and, before death, develops into an -angelic character. This law of Karma is behind this change of character. -Good Prārabdha influences one into good life and actions while it is -working. But if some black Karma-seed is the most powerful of all -Karma-seeds in the mind's storehouse, after the good Prārabdha has been -worked out, it asserts itself to be worked out next and, lumped up with -the minor seeds, forms his Prārabdha which changes the whole complexion -of his character and conduct. The case of a bad man becoming good is -subject to the same law; a white Prārabdha, owing to its predominant -power, succeeds a bad one. The liability of alternate succession of bad -and good Karma producing the actions of human beings is expressed in the -metaphoric saying that the action of Karma in man is like a revolving -wheel. - -As a seed of a tree takes time to bear fruit, grow old and die, so a -Karma-seed takes time to develop and die. As the periodical putting -forth of leaves, flowers and fruits are the events in the life of a -tree, so the experiences of a man's life represent the development of -his Prārabdha Karma-seed. The time a Karma-seed takes to work itself out -is measured by the duration of the sustaining power of its -potentialities. One Prārabdha Karma may embrace two or three or more -births if it is very powerful, or may end in the middle of one birth, if -it be not so powerful. An extraordinarily powerful Karma may extend for -a long, long time, covering many, many births, suicide for instance. The -thought which leads to suicide makes the deepest impression on the mind, -far deeper, in fact, than even the thought which commits murder. Why? -Because we love our own life more than anybody else's or than anything -else on earth. It, therefore, requires an extraordinarily powerful -thought to overpower that innate, intense love of our life and incite us -to destroy it. The thought back of this self-murder, therefore, makes -the deepest impression on, our mind and thus becomes the most powerful -Karma-seed of all Karma-seeds. This being so, it asserts itself to form -the Prārabdha, every time it is worked out, to the exclusion of all -other Karma-seeds, for a long series of births, in every one of which -that soul commits suicide, sometimes, as it is often found, without any -apparent reason. It is divine mercy alone that saves a suicide from -committing suicide in every birth ever afterwards. Hence suicide is the -greatest sin, greater than even murder. - -To the average Western mind this Karma philosophy strikes as intolerably -pessimistic on account of the inexorableness of its laws. There is, -however, no help for it. These laws rule us all whether we believe in it -or not. They are no man-created laws, they are laws which operate -throughout Nature, as much within a white man as within a brown, yellow -or black man, of all stations of life, of all grades of consciousness. -Yet it need not strike anybody, who has found the easy and rosy path out -of the woods of Karma, as pessimistic at all. But he or she must ever -keep to that path and never stray out of it from sheer wilfulness, or -else there certainly is no escape out of the labyrinth of Karma. - -SECTION XVIII. REINCARNATION. - -Reincarnation, as I have said, is the physical form in which groups of -accumulated causes (Karma) of reaction manifest themselves in Nature. -Reincarnation means rebirth. Rebirth means, to be born again in flesh -after death. In order, therefore, to know what is rebirth, we must know -what is death. To know what is death, we must know what is life. - -Let us see what life really is. Human life is conscious mentality -encased in flesh. To be briefer, human life may be summed up in one -word—consciousness. Life of lower animals is negative consciousness, -while human life is positive consciousness. - -Human consciousness is subject to three states. The Waking state, the -Dream state and the Dreamless Sleep state. In the waking state all our -inner and outer senses work. The inner senses are; The Intellect, the -Ego and the Mind. The outer senses are the five cognizing and the five -working senses. These senses are fully active during our waking state. -So long as the mind thinks, the intellect decides, the Ego is -self-conscious, the eye sees, the ear hears, etc., they are acting. And -activity (Rāja) brings about the reaction of weariness (Tama). In other -words, the senses become tired out, owing to incessant work and need -rest. It is the state of weariness of the senses that makes us feel -exhausted and seek rest. But the senses cannot have full rest as long as -we are in a waking state, for their activity never ceases while we are -awake. Here Nature's law steps in and draws a veil between the senses -and their objects, the veil of Tama, born out of the excessive work of -Rāja. We fall asleep. - -But in the first stage of sleep our senses still sustain their activity, -though in a lesser degree than in the waking state, owing to their still -cognizing reflections of the objects, and scenes impressed on our mind -while we are awake. This is called the dream state of consciousness, -Dreams are of three kinds. The ordinary dream is made up of the blended -reflections of impressions of scenes and thoughts ill natural or -fantastic shapes. The second kind of dream is a clear unmixed reflection -of the mind's impressions of some of our experiences in a previous -birth. The third kind of dream is a reflection cast upon our pure -consciousness of coming events from their Karmic impressions on the -Ether or on our own aura. The ordinary dreams belong to the dream state. -The other two classes of dreams are experiences during the dreamless -state of sleep, generally in the morning just before awaking. - -The dreams in the first stage of our sleep keep our senses still -employed and the mind active on that account, for the activity of the -mind is generated by the operations of the senses with their objects. -Hence neither the tired mind nor the tired senses derive the complete -rest they need, until gradually the veil of Tama grows dense and shuts -out even the mental reflections of objects from their view. This stops -the operations of the senses which then are absorbed by the mind whose -offsprings and agents they are, for the senses cannot exist when they -are deprived of their function of cognition. The same thing occurs with -the mind, for its activity, caused and sustained by the activity of the -senses, is the only reason for its separate existence. With the loss of -its function, therefore, the mind loses this separate existence and is -absorbed by the Ego. The Ego is in the same way absorbed by -Consciousness, for the Ego is dependent on the Mind which sustains its -existence of self-consciousness. And then Absolute Consciousness, with -the passive germs of the Ego, Mind and Senses merged in it, is absorbed -in its turn by the Soul and dwells in its realm until the senses have -rested sufficiently. - -In the depth of this dreamless sleep state of our consciousness, Tama -gives place to the reaction of Sattwa which is very pure during this -state. This dreamless sleep may be called a negative trance state. When -we awake, through development of the Rāja Attribute, we feel not only -thoroughly refreshed but also in a state of mental harmony, a happy mood -of mind. We also feel that we were, during that dead sleep, in a state -of utter oblivion of everything. We feel we forgot then even our own -existence, feel that we were not conscious even of our own self, that we -were in an absolutely happy state, happy with happiness itself. We know -of this condition, when we awake from it, by inference from the happy -state of our mental mood, induced by the abstract impression of it upon -our consciousness which was present then in its pure state. The cause of -the refreshment and new strength of our body and senses is this dip in -the Essence of the Soul, the source of all energy. The physicians try to -put their patients into this deep sleep in serious cases of illness, -knowing by experience that deep sleep is a quicker and more powerful -restorer of health than any medicine, but they do not know where lies -the balm of sound sleep. - -The activity of Rāja brings about the awakening from this state by -causing the unfoldment of the infolded Ego, mind and senses which resume -their operations with external and internal objects as before. The -difference between death and sleep lies here. After sleep we resume the -functions of our senses, but death is caused by the confusion of our -mind, on account of the senses not being able to resume their functions, -owing to the disorder of the physical counterparts of the sense-organs -through disease. Disease belongs to the physical body, and the senses -with the mind and Ego belong to the astral body which we are. The pains -we feel are caused by our identifying ourselves with our physical -encasement. If we keep the fact constantly alive in our mind that our -physical body is the earthly home of our soul, which is the centre of -our astral self, we will not only not feel physical pain but prevent or -do away with such pain even in the physical body. To know ourselves as -nothing but our physical body is the densest, narrowest and the most -mischievous ignorance. We often find proofs of this separateness of the -physical and mental bodies from acts which present themselves in our -daily life; we fail to cognize the experiences of our body or even of -our senses when our mind absent from them and absorbed in some other -direction. It is the mind that feels pain pleasure, not the body, -neither the senses. - -The physician, through the action of drugs, causes the attribute of Tama -to assert itself and cover the mind's perception with its dark veil, so -that the patient may not feel the pain of a serious operation on the -body, while we feel no pleasure in eating or drinking if our mind is -away from them. - -The Yogi who has, by practice, developed unbroken consciousness of the -separatness of the mental and physical body not only enjoys, when the -consciousness is absolute, immunity from physical diseases and mishaps, -but also does not feel the throes of death when he leaves his worn-out -or diseased physical tenement. But the generality of mortals who cannot -think of themselves as anything else but their physical bodies, owing to -ignorance, suffer from all physical diseases. When these physical -diseases put the physical counterparts of sense-organs into disorder, it -confuses the mind when it finds that its channels of outward -communication, the senses, can no longer work through them. In that -confusion it loses its balance and is strongly swayed by the desire to -again see and hear and feel and taste, etc. - -But finding it impossible to do so in the present body any more, it -tries to find some vehicle through which it can resume its functions. -The pain of the worst stage of the physical disease distracts it more -and more so that it thinks it would be more comfortable in any other -body than its present one. In confusion, this central force of the -astral body enters with that body into the volume of air which fills the -physical body, thinking it will gain relief from the unbearable pain. -And no sooner the astral body, which is very subtle and finer than the -air, enters into it, than it passes out, thus air-encased, through the -mouth, causing the death of the physical body. This is the common -process of death. Some astral bodies enter the air-body unconsciously if -the mind has been benumbed by pain or covered by the influence of -excessive Tama. But this is certain of every ordinary soul that it goes -out of the body encased in air. - -The thought predominant in this supreme moment of human life decides the -destination of the human soul encased in the astral body when it leaves -its physical home. If we think of nothing but of Krishna at this moment -we go to Krishna and live in His Abode, Goloka, the Abode of Absolute -Love. If we think of Christ we go to Christ in His Father's Kingdom of -Heaven. If we are filled with the conception of Nirvāna—extinction of -all individuality—we go to Nirvāna. If we desire for higher life above -the earth we go to the higher spheres. But if our earthly attachment -having their influence on our thoughts at that moment, fill us with -regret for being taken away from them or make us desire for earthly -life, we return to earth-life again, but not necessarily to a joyful or -comfortable life. A life of worldly joy and comfort is due to good Karma -and self-denial in some previous existence. A life of sorrow and -hardship is due to bad Karma. - -The earth-bound soul, on leaving the physical body, feels overcome by -the shock of its final trouble with and severance from that physical -body and remains in an inert state for a time. When it recovers from -that shock, it finds that it has been transferred to a worse state. -Although the air-body in which it encased is not diseased, it has, -however, no openings for its senses to perform their respective -functions. It finds it cannot see or hear or smell or touch or taste -anything and yet the desires for these objects of the senses are as -strong as when it was in the physical body. This makes it weep for the -loss of its dear physical body and it hovers about in space sad and -restless. It has no stomach, yet is filled with mental hunger and thirst -which grow intense because it has no means of satisfying them. Indeed, -finding this astral life to be of greater torment, the unhappy -earth-bound soul longs to have a flesh covering again, to be reborn, and -flies hither and thither blindly, because of the want of physical -organs, and some day gains this object. It enters, through the vigor -(Sanscrit Virga, 'virjya,' force, power) of a man into a woman's womb. -This causes conception. No conception can take place without a -disembodied spirit entering the womb. Vigor mixed with the mother's -blood supplies the physical body which is mere dead matter without the -vivifying astral soul. It is only when an astral soul enters it that the -womb closes and conception takes place. The incoming soul then feels -itself confined within its scope and cannot go out of it by its own -effort or will. - -The selection of the vigor and the womb for the astral soul is made -principally according to the subtle law of individual Karma and, -secondarily, according to the law of affinity. The mental -characteristics of the parents must be similar to those of the soul to -draw it to them. As for its physical body, it may favor in appearance -its mother or its father more or less according as their individuality -and image are stamped on the vigor and the blood through the state of -extreme mental concentration induced at the time. If the incoming soul -possesses far stronger individuality than those of the father and the -mother, it asserts this upon its body and the child looks like neither -the father nor the mother. He looks like himself—a form and appearance -born of the imagination of its own strong individuality. - -This direct rebirth from hovering in the astral body in the astral plane -for some time is not true in the case of every disembodied soul. There -are souls which, after death, may go at once to Heaven ('Swarga,' -Celestial regions) or to Purgatory, the nether regions. According to the -Hindoo Scriptures, Heaven (Swarga) is not the Abode of God, but the -abode of the gods, the Swar-sphere where the gods, the governors of the -Elements and Attributes of Nature, dwell. It is the Prārabdha Karma of -the soul that determines its translation after death to Heaven or -Purgatory. The joys of Heaven are reserved as a reward for good Karma. -And yet these heavenly joys are but finest forms of material happiness, -enjoyed by merit of good actions performed in earth-life for the sake of -just such recompense. These heaven-dwellers mentally enjoy all these -exquisite pleasures of the senses at their will, as well as the company -of celestial beings, as long as the term of their merit lasts. At the -expiration of the term they come down to earth to be reborn again. These -heavenly blessings are, therefore, but transitory. - -Intensely wicked actions, in the same manner, are punished by a term of -suffering tortures in Purgatory, at the expiration of which the purged -souls may go straight to heaven, if good Prārabdha Karma succeeds their -expiatory sufferings, or be reborn again on earth. The tendency of the -pleasure-seeking, materialistic, modern mind is to disbelieve the -existence of any such place of torture as Purgatory. They think that -Heaven and Purgatory exist only on earth within man's mind. This is true -and yet it is not. If anybody develops high spirituality he or she can -taste higher, finer and more lasting joys than even celestial pleasures. -For such there is neither Heaven nor Purgatory, for intense spirituality -burns down all seeds of Karma. As to enduring the tortures of Purgatory -here on earth through repentance, that is true too. But if the spirit of -repentance is not absolute, it fails to fully purge away the sin, so -that such sinful souls have to go to the nether regions for complete -cleansing. The Hindoo Books do not believe in such a thing as Eternal -Hell or Punishment, because it is absurd, unjust and unscientific -according to the laws of Nature. The governor of "Naraka" (Purgatory) -one of the gods, the presiding deity of (Dharmarāj) and the regions of -his rule are situated within the bowels of the earth. Human houses of -correction (prisons) tend more to corrupt than to correct, because those -in charge of them are not imbued with a perfect spirit of sympathy, -justice and mercy. In the Divine houses of correction (Purgatory) -perfect justice blends with mercy and sympathy, and the governor thereof -is the embodiment of these three attributes. He has to deal with his -prisoners according to their own records of their misdeeds, reflected on -the aura, a true copy of which is kept in the books of Ether, from which -his Recording Angel transcribes items credited to each individual soul. - -For the pious, spiritually developed soul, however, there is no -Purgatory, as I have said. It lives and breathes in a plane which is -outside of the three lower planes of selfish actions and their -reactions, outside of the jurisdiction even of the gods. To his ensouled -mind the word purgatory or heaven has no meaning whatever. He loves -spirituality for its own dear sake and feels itself safe from all evil -in the embrace of its protecting arms. - -Into the vigor or the blood of such a spiritual soul, no wicked astral -spirit can enter. Its pure aura repels such spirits and admits only -kindred spirits seeking rebirth, drawn to it by Karma and affinity. - -Much suffering is the lot of the ordinary soul while growing in the -womb, on account of its cramped consciousness and the narrow space in -which it is confined. After the sixth month, it has a wonderful -experience. The veil shrouding its past existence is suddenly lifted and -the memories of all of its past births rush across its mind. It even -witnesses the scenes of thousands of its previous existences and -realizes the reason of the pain and sorrow suffered during all these -existences—the reason of its having been attached to material objects -and having disregarded the development of its spiritual self, its having -been unmindful of its duty, to its Maker and its fellow man. This -realization crushes its mind with contrition and it weeps and prays to -God to forgive it and promises to live a life of devotion to Him in the -future. This goes on for three months together until it is born, when, -at the touch of the earthly atmosphere all those memories vanish and it -is once more drowned in oblivion. It is more from the pain of this shock -that it cries out at the time of birth. - -SECTION XIX. HOW TO DESTROY KARMA. - -Now comes to be considered the question of questions—How to do away with -and avoid bad Karma. If Karma is the cause of all our sufferings in -life, how to remove that cause. We have before this had births and till -actions in those innumerable births have produced countless Karma-seeds. -All these seeds are stored up in the repository of the mind. How is it -possible, it may be asked, to destroy them all, and prevent fresh -accumulation of new Karma-seeds in the present birth? - -To those who ask this question seriously, that is, with a serious -intention of acting upon any suggestion that may seem feasible to them, -the answer is pregnant with all the essentials of a true solution. To -such the answer is simple and the mode of solution simpler. To the -really serious soul, hungering for freedom from the bondage of Karma, -even the practice of the principle of the advice may strike as Still -more simple. But the practice involves the full realization of the -source of Karma, the perfect understanding of its laws, their operations -and their relations to his own individual self. - -Here I will try to put the philosophy of this solution as briefly as -possible. If our actions of this life are the products of actions in -previous lives, the actions of those previous lives are the effects of -actions in still more previous lives and so on. Thus trying to trace the -causes of all our actions in all our past lives, we are bound to arrive -at the time of the Creation of the universe, when it sprang from the -Will of Krishna. We, as parts of the universe, sprang from that Will -too. Krishna's Will before Creation was; "I am One and I wish to be the -Many," and His Creation is the manifestation of His Will's motion -towards manifoldness and Karma is the law of the rhythmic steps of that -motion. The Will of Krishna, therefore, is the cause of all Karma the -entire Creation as well as of ours, because we are but parts of that -Creation. This makes it clear that, since Krishna is the cause all Karma -of the Universe, He is the Actor of all actions. This being so, the -cause of our sufferings from bondage to Karma lies in our mistaken -conception that we ourselves are the doer of our actions. This cannot -be, because all our actions proceed from our past Karma, the roots of -which are embedded in the Will of Krishna. It is Krishna that is the -whole Universe, as well as its laws and actions. It is Krishna that -suffers and enjoys in so many shapes and forms which make up His moving -Will, called Nature. All our troubles are born of our usurping His -place, the place of the Real Actor. Hence Karma clings, by natural law, -to whoever claims it. We claim the doership of actions which manifest -themselves through us, but the real Doer is the spring of primeval -action—Krishna Himself. - -This belief, that we ourselves are the doers of our actions, subjects -our Ego to their reactions. If by tracing the source of Karma to -Krishna, we dispel this illusion from our mind and keep it ever out of -it, so that it may not disturb our conviction of the fact that Krishna -is the only Doer, all our past and present Karma, the stored-up and the -working—Sanchit and Prārabdha—will leave us of themselves and go to -Krishna to be absorbed by Him, while, for the same reason, the -Karma-seeds springing from our present actions will be rendered germless -like roasted seeds which never grow. But this belief needs constant -practice of this thought in order to be sustained without interruption -and involves thinking of Krishna, Absolute Love and Life, every -minute—thoughts by which the thinker absorbs the essence of the purest -spirituality whose illumination ever guides him along the paths of Truth -and Wisdom and prompts him to actions whose results bring harmony and -happiness to himself, as well as to all with whom he comes in contact. - -This exposition of the truth of our utter irresponsibility of our -actions will appear strange and mischievous only to unthinking minds. -The fear that such a belief of irresponsibility may lead some people to -bad actions is entirely groundless. Such a thing can never happen for, -with such a belief firm our mind, we have to think of God always in our -daily actions, and this constant thinking induces concentration upon the -Deity whose spirit is sure to prevent and counteract all our evil -thoughts, not to speak of evil actions. A man who will do evil actions, -taking advantage of this principle, will only deceive himself. Such -evil-doing can only show that he has no belief in the principle at all, -but thinks of it only with a view to justify actions which lie, in his -heart, believes to be his own, but attributes to God to get rid of their -responsibilities, if possible. But if anyone believes firmly that God is -the Doer of all actions and yet, for want of proper culture of this -belief, he is betrayed into evil actions, be sure his belief growing -stronger will soon control his actions and lead him along the paths of -the good and the pure. God-Consciousness destroys all evils of the mind -to their very roots. - -Thus Karma and its effects, which for the ignorant, unthinking, and -reckless human soul are ever interminable, can by exercise of wisdom and -mental power and discipline be absolutely done away with. Karma belongs -to Krishna and it is to Krishna that it and its fruits should be -unreservedly dedicated good. The moment this mystery of Karma is solved -and the soul that solves it acts upon its lesson, than Krishna takes it -into His arms, and the soul and its Maker, now face to face, laugh -together at this riddle of life, and in that laugh of ecstasy all sorrow -and pain of the past are forgotten by that saved soul. - -SECTION XX. THE ATOM'S RETURN JOURNEY. - -It is absolute Krishna-consciousness—or God-consciousness, if you will, -if that God is Absolute Love—that carries the atom from its man-stage of -development to its Real Home, Krishna, the Abode of Eternal Love and -Bliss. Like all roads leading to Rome, all religious paths lead to that -Home. The primeval, the most natural and the most scientific religion, -called now the Hindoo religion, has constructed five main roads for -making the return journey easy, and the travelers can choose any of -these roads, according to their inclinations and the state of spiritual -progress. One is the Path of Light and Psychic Force, called the path of -the Sun, because the Sun is the presiding deity of the path. The second -is the Path of Success whose presiding deity is Ganapati, Bestower of -Success. The third is the Path of Destruction of Tama whose presiding -deity is Shiva, the Destroyer, one of the Hindoo Trinity and the -presiding deity of Tama, Shiva who has subdued Tama and become its lord. -The fourth is the Path of Divine Energy whose presiding deity is Durgā, -the Motherhood of God and the Universe—"Prakriti," Divine Nature. The -fifth is the Path of Spiritual Devotion whose presiding deity is Vishnoo -(Aniruddha), the presiding deity of Sattwa, out of whose navel the -universe has sprung and who is the dispenser of Moksha to the walkers of -all the other paths. In this path is included another path, a path far -superior to all the five paths, the Path of Absolute Causeless Love -which leads direct to Krishna, whose presiding Deity is Krishna, the -Deity of all the deities. These different path-walkers are called by the -names of their respective deities of worship—Saura, Ganapatya, Shaiva, -Shakta (worshippers of 'Shakti,' Energy) and Vaishnavs, among whom are -included Krishna-worshippers. - -The Sun is the medium of the physical manifestation of the Divine Light, -the Light of Absolute Intelligence, the Co-existent Attribute of -Absolute Love. It is called the Parent of the gross universe, the Outer -Eye of the Deity, the passage of the First Sense of the Divine Mind -which produced Forms. The devotee of the Sun worships it as such, as the -medium of the Absolute Deity, Krishna. Some of them concentrate their -eyes upon the Sun, immersed in water up to the neck from sunrise to -sunset, others pray to it morning, noon and evening and contemplate its -power. The sun is not blazing hot as some modern people think. It is -peopled by spiritual souls who, by the merit of soul-development, go -from earth after death to dwell there for further development. These -spiritual souls are spiritually governed by one who is most developed -among them. He is called the Sun-God, the representative of the sun. -Sun-worship leads finally to Krishna-worship in some fully developed -reincarnation. - -Ganapati, first-born of Shiva (Shiva means Weal, Destroyer of Ill or -Evil), is the presiding deity and bestower of Success—material, moral -and spiritual—which is the chief factor of human weal. Satisfied -material success, virtuously earned, inspires the desire for moral -development in well-ordered minds, and moral development, in turn, leads -to spiritual imfoldment. By concentration on this Central Idea of -Success itself, the mind of the devotee of Ganapati, absorbs its -essence, the force of which guides his efforts to prosperity. Earthly -prosperity, enjoyed with discrimination, impresses us with its -hollowness, its failure to satisfy the inner craving of the mind and -points to the path of solid, all-satisfying, permanent happiness. - -Shiva is the Presiding Deity of the Weal of Creation, hence his -name—Shiva. He is the Conqueror and Destroyer of Darkness (Tama). He -helps his devotees to dispel the darkness of ignorance generated in -their mind by its Tama Attribute, and thus uncover its attribute of -Sattwa by the illumination of which their souls reach the state of -Moksha—Freedom from the Bondage of Matter—and finally merge in the -Divine Essence whence it originally sprang. - -Durgā is Divine Energy, the Motherhood of Creation. She is the Sāttwic -force by which Shiva subdued Tama. Hence she is the consort of Shiva, -the Helpmeet of Spiritual Weal. Without Durgā, his Shakti (Energy), -Shiva is inert; with his Shakti, he is alive and rules the universe. -Shiva and his Shakti are inseparable, as man and his mental energy, -which alone he is, is inseparable. Man is moved by his mental energy, so -Shiva is moved by his spiritual energy. Durgā is the highest spiritual -phase of Kālee, Conqueress of Time and Door of Eternity. She is the -Spiritual Force of Nature (Prakriti), she is the Mother of the Universe. -Her devotees called Shaktas (Shakti-worshippers) meditate on her as the -Great Mother and pray to her for her grace, as a child talks to its -mother and looks up to her for help, protection and sustenance. When the -most spiritual of her devotees develop the same natural love for and -unshaken faith in her as those of an innocent child to its mother, they -are blessed with her last grace. They are helped to Moksha or led into -the path of Krishna, this last the greatest of all her gifts. She, as -Yoga-Māyā (energy of the highest spiritual concentration), holds the key -of the Gate of Goloka, Krishna's Abode of Love-Bliss. - -Vishnoo is the sum total of all the deities which are the manifestations -of his powers and attributes. He is the Parent of both the Motherhood -and Fatherhood of the Universe—the Spring of Creation itself. He is the -Presiding Deity of Sattwa out of which are born Rāja and Tama. He is the -Preserver, the Sustaining Power of the Universe. He is the Way to -Moksha, His Essence is the Abode of all Salvation. He is the Outer Form -of Krishna, the Form through which Krishna manifests His Will and -becomes the Many from the One. His Abode, called Vaikuntha, the Centre -of his All-Pervading Essence, is over this universe, over -Brahmā-Loka—Brahmā's Abode. He is the last but one Goal of all spiritual -aspirations. He is the Gate of Krishna, the Last Goal. - -The upward evolution of the atom from the man-stage has to pass through -many higher spiritual stages in higher and higher spheres. Interested -spiritual culture, by which I mean spiritual culture with a view to -enjoy the finest essence of sensuous happiness in spheres higher than -the earth, never lifts a human soul beyond the Bhuba and the Swar, the -abode of the gods. The Bhuba sphere is just over the earth. It is the -astral sphere. It is peopled by semi-celestial spirits and beings whose -bodies are made mostly of ether, air and fire and the finest essence of -water and earth; hence they are invisible to our gross physical eye. -They are so light that the air to them is like firm land to us; they -walk over it as we walk over earth. There are houses and roads in this -sphere as on earth, as also in the Swar sphere. Many psychical persons -have now and then a glimpse of the Bhuba sphere and the dwellers -therein. One of my students in New York, the truth of whose visions is -known to many, has often seen these airy houses, roads and beings. The -Swar is composed of finer material than the Bhuba, and its atmosphere is -more sacred. Selfish spiritual culture is rewarded by a term of -residence in the Swar. When the term is over the soul has to come down -to earth again to be reborn as man. - -The soul which loves and cultivates unselfish spirituality, spirituality -for spirituality's sake, succeeds when it has no desire or sympathy any -more for anything earthly, in skipping over the Bhuba and Swar, after -death, and enters and becomes a dweller in the Mahar sphere. Such a soul -seldom comes back to earth, but through higher development attains to -the Brahmā Loka and there waits, to be absorbed or immersed in Vishnoo's -Essence, till the time of the Universal (Natural) Dissolution through -which it reaches its goal. - -The worshippers of Vishnoo pray for one of the five states of Moksha -(Salvation), according to the preference of their inclinations. These -five states of Salvation are Sālokya, Sāmipya, Sārupya, Sājujya and -Sārshti. Sālokya is, to dwell in the plane of Vishnoo. Sāmipya is, to -live near Vishnoo as a servant. Sārupya is, to live with Vishnoo as his -companion and having Vishnoo's form and appearance. Sājujya is, to -remain immersed in Vishnoo's Essence. Sārshti is, to possess even the -powers of Vishnoo. Those who attain to the first three states of -Salvation serve as messengers of Vishnoo, and at times act as mediums of -communication between Vishnoo and the dwellers of the Universe, while -some of those who attain to the last two states come down to earth only -from time to time as Avatārs, partial Incarnations of Vishnoo (God). -These have developed complete God-consciousness and after being immersed -in the Essence of Vishnoo for eons together, they have been thoroughly -Vishnooized. True, they were human beings before, but now they are Parts -of God Himself. They have no more recollection of their former -existences. Therefore, to call them any other than Vishnoo is blasphemy. -When the affairs of the earth are in chaos and humanity in general needs -spiritual uplifting, some of these immersed souls are detached, and they -come down to our sphere, take birth and walk among us, helping us, by -examples and teachings, to right actions which lead to Salvation. - -SECTION XXI. YOGA. - -There are five processes of mental discipline by the aid of which the -human soul can reach the goal quicker. These are called the five paths -of Yoga, viz., Hatha, Karma, Rāja, Gnāna and Bhakti. Yoga means Union. -The word Yoga is the original of its corrupted English form "Yoke." -Yoga, therefore, means yoking the Mind to the Spirit of God by -concentration. Hatha Yoga consists in cleaning and disciplining the -outer and inner physical body by the practice of certain postures of -sitting, processes of moving the muscles and fixing the eye upon some -external object or the tip of the nose. These, in time, induce mental -poise. Karma Yoga is performing good actions, and practising spiritual -formulas which contribute to the purification of the mind and, finally -lead to the unfoldment of the soul. Rāja Yoga is stopping the functions -of the mind's volitions. By volitions of the mind are meant -thought-currents. By the practice of Rāja Yoga, the outflow of these -thought-currents can be entirely stopped and turned inwards in one -concentrated stream into the soul. The main process of shutting in the -mind-currents is by controlling the breath. The action of our breathing -upon our mind is like that of the pendulum of a clock upon the movements -of its hands. As, for instance, the quicker the pendulum swings the -faster the movement of the hands, so, the quicker our breathing, the -more rapid the action of our thought-currents. By controlling the breath -by certain exercises, prescribed by Rāja Yoga, one can make his -breathing slow and thereby diminish the speed of the thought-currents. -During these breathing exercises, the mind is concentrated upon God or -the Divine Idea, or some mystic words expressive of the Deity. This -lessens the activity of the mind which then gradually experiences a -calmness unfelt before, a calmness which in itself is a happiness which -no form of enjoyment of material pleasure can afford. Calmness of mind -develops into harmony, the result of the expression of the Sattwa -attribute. - -There are five kinds of mental states: Murha, Khipta, Bikhipta, Ekāgra, -and Samādhi. The Murha, ruled by predominant Tama, is generally -attracted to evil objects owing to lack of discrimination. Khipta flits -from one object to another in search of pleasure. It is ruled by -predominant Rāja, so is ever active and never satisfied. The Bikhipta -mental state, ruled by the equal combination of the three attributes, is -generally like Khipta, but at times fixes its attention inwards though -for a short time only. When the Bikhipta is helped by the practice of -concentration into the Ekāgra (one-pointed) state, then it is that -harmony is brought about. When, by constant practice, the one-pointed -mind becomes unwaveringly fixed on the Deity or the Idea of the Deity -gained through the increasing illumination of the Sattwa, it enters into -the Samādhi (Trance) state, the state of Absolute absorption into the -Deity. - -The practice of the Rāja Yoga has been forbidden in the Shāstras in the -Kali Yuga (Iron Age) because, in this age, excepting in rare cases, the -human body is too weak and delicate to stand the hardships, psychic -exertions and physical privations of its practices, and because an adept -Yogi-Gooroo, without whose constant help in every detail of it no -student can attain the highest result, is very hard to be found. Many -who now practice it under inexperienced Gooroos in India meet early -death or develop incurable diseases or even turn insane. A moderate -amount of simple breathing exercises may not be so injurious or fatal, -but too much of it or the practice of the advanced rules ought never to -be attempted, especially in the West, where a proper Gooroo can never be -found and where most people's nerves are generally shaky. - -Gnāna Yoga is an entirely mental process of Yoga, a process of -discriminating between the Unsubstantial and the Substantial in Nature -and concentrating upon the only Substantial Essence of things and -gradually getting absolutely absorbed by it. The keeping up of this -process of thought in an unbroken stream requires living a life of -simplicity, solitude and renunciation. The life in which this -thought-current becomes unbroken is the last life, last incarnation of -that soul. It escapes rebirth for good for which it has worked for many -incarnations. Its separate Ego is merged in the universal Ego and -finally is lost in and becomes one with the One-without-a-Second. - -Gnāna Yoga belongs to the school of the Vedānta philosophy. Vedānta is -"Veda" and "Anta" which means "End," so that Vedānta means End of the -Veda—the Aim or Goal of the Veda; and the word Veda is the original of -the English word "Wisdom" (Swedish, Visdom) from Sanscrit, "Vida," to -know. Veda means knowledge of the Reality, the Truth. The Vedānta -Aphorisms of Vedavyasa are but Indices to the Principles of the -Upanishads—the Wisdom part of the Veda. There are two Schools of -Vedānta, the Old and the New. The Old possesses the true interpretation -of the Aphorisms, the New is deluded by their false interpretations, is -only about two thousand years old and has a comparatively small number -of adherents. The Old school is founded on Parināmbād, the new is -founded on Vivartabād, The Old school holds that the universe is -composed of the ever changeful manifestations of the Will (Energy) of -the One Changeless Deity (Parināmbād), the New calls the whole universe, -in fact, all that is visible and perceptible, Māyā (Illusion), in the -sense that it never existed, does not exist now and will never exist. -All that exists is Brahm, the Divine Essence, and we are That. All else -is illusion wrought in our mind through ignorance, just as the mistaking -a piece of rope lying in some dark place for a snake is due to the -illusion of the darkness. This theory with its plausible analogy is all -wrong. The universe is not all illusion though it is the changeful -force-materialization of the Unchangeful One Substance. The force or -energy or light or reflection of a substance is inseparable from it and -is pervaded by it and partakes of its spirit. This materialized -force-reflection of Brahm not only possesses its substance at bottom but -must be called a part of it as the light of a flame or reflection of a -light is undeniably its part. The analogy of the snake and rope is, -therefore, not true of God and the Universe: The snake is merely the -conjuration of the darkness and not born of the rope; but the universe -is born of Brahm (the rope). The theory that it is born of the illusion -of our ignorance, is absurd in that it involves accepting that -"ignorance" to be something self-existent, that it has an independent -existence, separate from the All-in-All, the One-without-a-Second. If -not, whence is this "ignorance" which has such power of illusion over -our mind and senses? What is it? Whence does it come? The Neo-Vedāntist -answers, it is something inexplicable, His Māyā is inexplicable—the -argument of one in darkness himself. This New Vedāntic thought has done -and is doing more harm to the world than any other religious theory. It -is a worse delusion than the delusion of Māyā. - -SECTION XXII. BHAKTI YOGA. - -Bhakti Yoga is concentration on the Deity through Devotion, the best and -highest form of Yoga, higher than all the other forms, as Krishna -Himself has said in the Bhagavat Gita Devotion is the full fruition of -spiritual concentration. A true devotee is the highest Yogi, for he is -filled with humility, and sincere, abject humility is the expression of -the sublimest spiritual nature; it is "the softened shadow" as the Lord -says, "that is cast by My Love." Sincere humility springs from the clear -realization of the Presence of God in everything, that the whole -universe is formed of the many forms of the One Form and its Radiance. -And with that never fading vision before the mind's eye, the devote -forgets himself and stoops low at the feet of every one and at -everything he sees, for he sees in them all his Deity. - -Bhakti is of two kinds, Gnān-Bhakti and Prem-Bhakti. Gnān-Bhakti is -devotion aided by culture of wisdom, its Deity is some incarnation of -Vishnoo and its goal is the Abode of Vishnoo or the Essence of Vishnoo. -Prem Bhakti is devotion through Love—Causeless, Disinterested Love, love -for love's sake, and its Deity and Goal is Krishna—Absolute Love. The -Path of Prem Bhakti lies within the Path of Gnān Bhakti, but this Path -within the Path is hedged in high to shut out the view and sound of the -main path. The devotee of Prem Bhakti dedicates all his knowledge, -wisdom and actions to Krishna, the spring of all Wisdom and Actions, and -prays Krishna for His love, the luxury of loving Him for His dear sake. - -The Prem Bhakta wants nothing from his Lord, no boon, no blessing, -material or celestial, not even Salvation or Mukti, nothing, nothing, -save—the blessing of being filled with love for Him. He prays to his -Lord: "O my Krishna! It matters not what betides my body, my life or my -earthly circumstances, or in what form of life I am reborn, even if it -be that of a worm, let my faith and love be fixed in Thee, my Beloved. -Whatever is there in all existence compared with the luxury of loving -Thee? Thou art the sum-total of the realization of all desires, of all -happiness, Thou, the Secret and Object of all our longings!" - -Such, in truth, is Krishna's attraction and more. He is the embodiment -of the concentrated Beauty and Sweetness of all the Universes, His Eyes -and Face the focus of the Love that fills all that is. Hence this Prem -Bhakti Path, which means the Path of Love's Devotion, is called the Path -of Beauty and Sweetness. Beauty and Sweetness are Coexistent, are one -and the same thing. Beauty is the expression of Sweetness, Sweetness is -the Essence of Beauty, and Love is the Parent of both. Krishna's Form -and Symmetry are all Ideals' unapproachable, inconceivable, unimaginable -Ideal. The newest rain-cloud[1] color of His complexion is the color of -the condensed Ether of Ether—Love. His crown and crest of -peacock-feathers, His raiment of molten gold—the color of attraction—His -long garland and ornaments of wild flowers, His jewel Kaustubha on His -Breast and His bamboo flute were all proud contributions of Nature to -Her Supreme Lord. If we can imagine the essence of the purest of pure -love condensed into a substance as thick as flesh and moulded into form, -we can then have some idea of the material of Krishna's Body, whether in -Glory or on earth. It is a Form which, the moment you produce some -likeness of it in imagination thrills you with ecstasy, for it is -Ecstasy condensed. - -Krishna is best worshipped with the heart. Prayers and incantations and -offerings, without sincere feeling, do not reach Him. He responds to the -call of love alone. Call Him from the innermost depth of your heart with -pure love—love unmixed with motive—with sincere, artless love of a fond -baby for its mother, and He will appear to you and do whatever you want -Him to do. Krishna is your veriest own, nearer to you than your nearest -relative, your only true friend in life and Eternity. He is dearer, more -precious than your body or your life or your heart for He is your soul -and soul is dearer and more precious than body, life or heart. It is Him -you have been searching in all your searchings in life, in lives you -have lived before, and Him will you search in lives that are to come -after this life. He is ever with you. He is within you, but you are -searching for Him outside of you—whence you miss Him, hence you run -after all the will-o'-the-wisps of life, thinking these will give you -the joy which your Only Beloved and Lover alone can give. No wonder you -are deceived, depressed, unsatisfied—the reward of chasing the shadow of -the substance that lies within you, the reward of chasing the rainbow -which is but the reflection of the Sun of your soul's sky. - -The devotee of Krishna meditates on Krishna regarding Him in one of the -four human relationships, whichever suits his natural inclination best, -viz., Dāsya or the relationship of a Servant to his Master, Sakhya or -the relationship of the Friend to his Friend, Bātsalya or the -relationship of a Son to his Parents or Parents to a Son, and Madhur or -the relationship of a Wife to her Husband or of a loving Woman to her -Lover. These four kinds of devotional feelings are natural in man. By -"natural" I mean born from Nature of which man is the best earthly -product. But wherefrom has Nature derived them? From her parent-source, -Krishna, of course. So these feelings are present, in their absolute -perfection, in Krishna, the source of all Life. Flowing from Krishna -into His Creation, they constitute the cords of attachment between man -and man, the natural bonds of union between soul and soul, the natural -channels of communication between man and his Maker. They are the -invisible wires of telegraphy between the Central Soul and its branch -souls—between the Parent Soul and its offsprings. If the instruments of -the branch offices are rusty and out of order they cannot transmit their -messages to the main office or receive messages therefrom. The moment -they are cleaned, repaired and put into working order, they are open to -perfect communication once more. - -The devotee of Krishna cleans the rusty and disordered instrument of his -heart by cultivating one of these feelings of devotion for Krishna. And -the moment this feeling attains its natural state, the moment it becomes -absolutely sincere, than he absorbs and is filled with absolute Love -from its Primeval Spring. Krishna is absolutely divine and absolutely -human, for it is perfect humanity that is perfect divinity. Krishna is -Love itself, the Love that destroys all distance. Love that draws the -Lover and the Loved closest to each other. It knows no ceremony, knows -no formal respect. It knows no motive. Love is its own cause, motive and -satisfaction. Divinity demands our reverence and inspires us with awe. -Despite its strong attraction we can but adore it from a distance, we -cannot approach it too near. But Love draws us to its bosom and holds us -close: Love is a Master and Love is a Slave. It knows no barrier, sees -no faults, nay, sees virtues in faults. It responds to its own clear -call or vibrates to the voice of its own inspiration and blesses its own -creation with greater gifts of its own wealth. - -Whichever of the four devotional feelings towards Krishna the Bhakta -(devotee) cultivates, it must reach the stage of unalloyed sincerity to -be rewarded by its blissful realization. The loving Servant of Krishna -must love His service above all he loves and holds dear. The devotee who -wants to be the Friend and Companion of Krishna must have his -all-forgetting Love of Krishna pervaded by an uninterrupted sense of -equality with Him. He may serve Him as a slave, but it is the service of -a friend who is more than a slave to his friend. The devotee who wants -to love Krishna as a Father or Mother must have unwavering sincerity of -such paternal love and affection. He or she must always consider himself -or herself superior to Krishna whom they must regard as a helpless child -in their charge. This true parental feeling is pervaded by the -unconscious spirit of spontaneous service and friendship, for no -friendship and service can be compared with those of parents. The same -rules apply to the cultivation of the filial feeling of devotion to -Krishna. The fourth, the feeling of a loving wife to her lord sums up -the essence of all the foregoing three feelings, It is the highest and -tenderest feeling of devotion. The true wife is the servant, friend, -mother and lover of her husband. She is his slave, equal and superior by -virtue of her all-surrendering love. Every form of pure love is -self-surrender. The love that knows no surrender or sacrifice is a -mockery. It mocks itself more than its object, for sacrifice is its -chief test and best expression. Love that only loves, if loved, is pure -selfishness, it is self-deception. But the love that loves for its own -sake and is the fullest satisfaction in itself, the love that loves -whoever or whatever its object loves is the Love Absolute that Krishna -is. The human soul that develops it, binds Krishna thereby and holds Him -its prisoner for good. When that Love develops the tenderness of a -loving wife, it captivates the Heart of hearts, and entrances the Soul -of souls, Krishna. - -These Vaishnav forms of devotion reached their highest degree of -development and received their greatest impetus on the appearance of -Sree Chaitanya, the Fullest Incarnation of Krishna, who was born in -Nuddea, on the Ganges, Bengal, a little over four hundred years ago and -flourished for nearly half a century. He was Krishna Himself incarnated -in the form of His Greatest Devotee. Krishna is the Mystery and -Chaitanya is its Explanation. Whenever Krishna comes to earth as the -Mystery of Love in the Junction Period of Dwāpar and Kali, He comes -again in the form, of Chaitanya as the Explanation of that Mystery, five -thousand years after, to show to mankind the Way to Himself for -examples. - -Chaitanya's love, devotion and spirituality will ever remain -unparalleled. He preached Krishna, the Seed and Soul of Love Absolute, -and while preaching he would burst forth into song in praise of Krishna. -Thus singing he would be filled with ecstasy and, in its fullness, he -would be moved into the most graceful dance the world has ever seen, now -shouting the Name of his Lord and anon weeping for his Lord's grace, his -arms and whole body waving and quivering with the heaving billows of his -heart's love-ocean, streams of which, like water from many fountains, -would flow from his eyes in the shape of tears. And in those tears, -streaming straight from his eyes to the ground, all those, who catching -his spirit caught also his ecstatic motion, would be literally bathed. -And all India was "flooded," as the authoritative records of his -apostles tell us, with Chaitanya's Divine Love, and millions of sinners -that felt it, were borne away by its tide. - -Sree Chaitanya preached and proved the potency of Krishna's Name—that -His Name is the Lord Himself. If anybody says "Krishna, Krishna" -mentally or loudly and concentrates his mind on it, he is bound to -absorb its Love-Nectar, be drunk with its ecstasy, see Krishna in Form -and in everything, and finally go to Goloka after passing out of this -life. Hari is the popular Name of Krishna. It means, He Who steals our -sins. Chaitanya would shout "Hari, Hari!" or "Haribole!" (say, Hari) and -vibrations of that Name would thrill through all hearers and change them -into pious devotees. Millions upon millions were thus saved by him, -millions of sinners turned into saints. The world has never seen such an -Avatār, the Incarnation of All-Love Krishna. He lived the most blameless -life from childhood to his disappearance at the age of forty-eight. - -Like master, like servants. His Apostles were of such spiritual purity -and sublimity that it would be hard to find one like them even in India -of the past. Any of them was competent to save a whole world. They have -left thousands of Books on Krishna and Chaitanya's Life and Teachings -which are of the utmost value to the students and adherents of all -religions of all climes, ages and denominations. Love is the theme of -every book, and it is difficult to resist its essence pouring into you -as you read them. - -If my life is spared by the Lord, and if my Krishna wills it, I may -present the Life-Story and Teachings of Sree Chaitanya and his apostles -to the Western reader in a short time. In that book a detailed -exposition of the Vaishnav religion will be given, an exposition which -may interest Christians. The present book is but the preliminary part of -the Chaitanya book I intend to write, for Chaitanya cannot be understood -without first understanding Krishna and His Leelā on earth. Chaitanya -may be called the Indian Christ, but a Christ the like of whom has never -appeared on earth. Chaitanya did not even leave his Body behind when he -left this earth. He entered one morning into the Temple of Juggernath -and disappeared—nobody knows how or where. - -SECTION XXIII. VAISHNAV, CHRISTIAN OF CHRISTIANS. - -The Krishna-Worshipper is either a householder or a hermit. He is either -a devotee who cultivates the love for Krishna amid the duties and -distractions of the world or a devotee who leaves the temptations and -turmoil of the world and sojourns in some sylvan retreat in the holy -forest of Brindāban, the earthly abode of Krishna, or in the outskirts -of a town or village within a humble monastery composed of a couple of -huts with a little flower garden fenced around. But the most advanced -Krishna hermit tarries nowhere longer than a few days, but ever roams -about in the land sanctified by the touch of the Lotus Feet of his Lord. - -The formula of worship and religious rules of life practised by both the -hermit and householder are practically the same. It consists of mental -and physical practices, more mental than physical. The moment the -householder awakes from his sleep in the morning he utters the name of -Krishna thus: - -Krishna, Krishna, Krishna, Krishna, Krishna, Krishna, Krishna! - -O Krishna, Krishna, Krishna, Krishna, Krishna, Krishna, Krishna! - -Krishna, Krishna, Krishna, Krishna, Krishna, Krishna, nourish me! - -Krishna, Krishna, Krishna, Krishna, Krishna, Krishna, protect me! - -I salute Thee, O Krishna, give Thou me Thy Love! - -Then before he leaves his bed and puts his foot upon the earth, he prays -and salutes Mother Earth thus: - -"O thou ocean-girdled, mountain-breasted goddess! I salute thee, O thou -Consort of Vishnoo! Forgive me, thy suckling. O Mother, this my touching -thee with my feet!" - -Then, after answering the calls of Nature, and after rubbing his hands -and feet with pure earth and washing them for many times, he takes a -full bath either in the Ganges or in any river if it is near by. If not, -he bathes in a pond or at a well or at home with two or three large -jarfuls of water. While bathing, he utters many a hymn and prayer to -Krishna. After the bath, he wears a piece of dry cotton cloth which has -been washed in clean water, or a piece of pure silk cloth. He then goes -to a flower garden and culls some scented white flowers for Krishna, -whom he then sits to worship in his sacred room. He mentally repeats for -one hundred and eight times the Mantram he has received from his Gooroo, -counting it on his fingers. Then he takes a few tiny leaves of the -sacred Tulsi plant, smears them in sandal-wood paste and, closing his -eyes, mentally offers them with the sacred white flowers to the Lotus -Feet of his Deity upon whom his mind is concentrated. This concentration -is helped from outside by the spiritual vibrations of his sacred room -and the inspiring effect of the perfume of the incense, the sandal-paste -and the flowers. He then chants long prayers and hymns in Sanscrit to -Krishna and His Love-Energy, Rādhā, and to all the saints and great -devotees of Krishna of the past, begging, them for their blessings of -Krishna's Grace. He then sings songs of the Lord's Love, and tears of -ecstasy roll down his cheeks as he sings in the abandon of his devotion -to the accompaniment of a pair of small cymbals he keeps striking to -keep time. - -The Mantram is composed of three, four or five Sanscrit words beginning -with what is called the Seed Word with the Name of Krishna and a -dedicatory word attached to it. The Seed Word is the Seed of -Krishna-Love. It awakens in the heart spiritual passion. This Seed Word, -if mentally repeated with intense concentration, bursts open the shell -of the Sound-Form of Krishna—His Name—which contains the Nectar of -Absolute Love. The word "Sanscrit" means pure, refined. The Sanscrit -language is the language of the pure, undefiled voice of Nature. Hence -it is called the "language of the gods" who are representatives of -Nature's attributes. These attributes are blendings of forces. Each -force has a name (sound), a form and a quality. A man in intense pain -expresses it in such sounds as "Oh-h!" "Ah-h!" This "Oh-h" or "Ah-h" may -be called the sound (voice) of pain, the contortions of the face the -expression of its form and the feeling it produces is its quality. The -quality is the substance of the force called pain and its sound and sign -(form) are its expressions. If there were a microscope powerful enough -to reveal to our view the figures which sound-vibrations create on -ether, we would then find that the above-mentioned sound-expressions of -pain create forms in ether much like the combined letters "Oh-h" and -"Ah-h." This means that it is from the impressions of sound vibrations -on Ether that characters of all languages have been formed; the pictures -reflecting themselves on the inventor's mind through the medium of its -subtle force called inspiration. - -The characters (Sanscrit, "charitra") of the Sanscrit language, the -parent language of all languages, are born with creation. They are -entities in Nature, form-expressions of her forces. They are eternal and -indestructible "akshara," as characters are called. The vowels are -masculine forces, the consonants are feminine forces. The masculine -characters (vowels) are independent, the feminine characters -(consonants) are dependent. The vowels can be pronounced by themselves, -the consonants can only be pronounced when united with the vowels. The -vowels are the expressions of the Essence of the Deity (Krishna), the -consonants are the expressions of the Will-Force of the Deity -("Prakriti," that which procreates). Nature. Nature is born of Sound, -the attribute of Ether, (Akas) which was the first manifestation of -creation. That first sound was "AUM"—mispelled and mispronounced in -English as The vowel A, (pronounced "Au" in Sanscrit), the initial -letter of "AUM" is the parent of all letters and languages. This "AUM" -in sound represents the distant vibrations of Krishna's Flute, the Music -of Love, while its character-form in Sanscrit resembles the Form of -Krishna playing on His Flute as the reader will see from the little -outline picture of Krishna with its back-ground of "AUM" in Sanscrit -character printed on the title-page of this book. This is the mystery of -what Krishna Himself says in the Gita, "I am the Word AUM." - -The different combinations of the other Sanscrit characters (forms of -natural forces), called words, represent, similarly, pictures of -sound-forms of different attributes and objects. Sanscrit words, in -fact, are sound-shells which hold within them essences of the attributes -they represent and the objects they signify. The letters K, R, I, SH, N, -A joined together form the word Krishna, which is the sound-shell of the -Essence of Love, Nature's Absolute Attribute, produced by the fusion of -the forces of which the composing characters are sound-forms. When -frequently repeated together with the Love-Passion Seed word, its -vibrations, after purifying the atmosphere of the mind, illumine in time -its inner chamber, the heart, which is the door of the soul, and fills -it with the ecstasy of Bliss. - -The Tulsi plant is the most spiritual plant in the world, hence its leaf -is the best medium for conveying prayers, especially when it is smeared -with sandal-wood paste, the perfume of which is much like the aroma of -the Lord's Body. - -But this morning worship is not all that the householder Vaishnav -performs to attain to the love of Krishna. He eats or drinks nothing -without first offering it through some mystic formula to Krishna, and -his food is pure vegetables, his drink is pure water. In the evening, he -joins other Vaishnavs to talk of Krishna, hear of the sacred earthly -acts of Krishna, sing of Krishna, and, when the spirit of song moves -him, he dances with others in ecstasy. Besides these practices he -repeats many thousand times the name of Krishna over his Tulsi rosary. -In fact, he never misses any means or opportunity to keep alive an -unbroken Krishna-consciousness, the result of which is that he enjoys -the joy of Goloka here on earth in this earthly body. He is rewarded -with the foretaste of what he seeks to enjoy after he lays down his -physical body. - -This is enjoyed by the hermit Vaishnav, who generally lives in -Brindāban, in a higher degree. He is unhampered by all the disturbances -and difficulties of the householder, and so he devotes every moment he -breathes to the service of his Krishna. He has renounced the world and -with it all its thoughts. From the earliest morning up to very late at -night he prays, chants, talks, hears, reads, sings and dances by turns. -He eats but once and that very little, a few wee bits of unleavened -bread begged from pious homes. His only world's goods are the scanty -clothes on his body, his earthen water bowl and his volume of -scriptures. He has made peace with the whole world by his humility. He -has nothing but blessings for all, sincere blessings even in return for -curses, and prostrates at full length prone to the ground before -everyone. He follows the saying of the Lord Chaitanya that a Vaishnav -should be lowlier than a blade of grass; more forbearing and charitable -than a tree, which spreads its shade and offers its fruits even to one -who cuts down its branches; should never seek respect for himself but -pay respect even to those who are respected by none; that a Vaishnav -should at all times sing of Krishna. Thousands upon thousands of such -Vaishnavs, both male and female, can be found to-day in the Holy Land of -Brindāban and the Holy City of Nuddea, the birthplace of Chaitanya, -whose Christ-spirit and ecstatic life are unparalleled in the religious -history of any other country, ancient or modern. They represent -demonstrated living proofs of the power of the Lord's Name upon the -human mind. - -SECTION XXIV. KRISHNA LEELA. - -This Krishna, the Lord of Absolute Love, the Seed and Soul of the -Universe, comes down to this earth to serve and inspire men with His -Love once in every Manwantara, once in every 71 Divine Cycles, that is, -once in every 300,000,000 of our lunar years or more. Every Universe, of -His countless Universes, likewise has its turn of being blessed by His -visit as an Incarnation, once in a long period. This Universe of ours is -the smallest of these Universes and its turn of Krishna's Incarnation -comes off during the Junction Period of the Copper and Iron Ages of the -28th Divine Cycle of every Manwantara. This being the Iron Age of the -28th Divine Cycle of this Manwantara the Lord blessed this earth with -His Personal Presence 5,000 years ago, His birth taking place within the -appointed Junction Period. - -Avatārs that come to earth to save mankind and protect the good from the -bad, the Srimād Bhāgavat says, are innumerable; they are either partial -manifestations or aspects of Vishnoo, "but Krishna is Lord God -(Bhagavan) Himself," the Supreme Deity of whom Vishnoo Himself is the -Fourth Manifestation. Nobody knows exactly when Krishna will come, for -even Brahmā, the operating creator, knows it not. Brahmā only sees him -for a second once in a long while, flashing through his meditation like -a lightning flash. When Krishna came this last time on earth with His -Second Manifestation, Sankarsana (who was born as His Elder Brother, -Balarām), the time was ripe for an incarnation of Vishnoo. But as the -moon and stars are covered by the effulgence of the Sun, the Avatār of -Vishnoo could not appear separately, so he was merged in Krishna—the -part was swallowed by the whole. - -The story of the earthly career of Krishna, given in the Second Part of -this book, is the story of the All-Love Krishna of Braja. This All-Love -Krishna was the Krishna of Brindāban, also called Braja, the land where -He played and roamed, where He went through His earthly career up to the -age of eleven when He left Brindāban for Mathura. The Krishna of -Brindāban is the Fullest Manifestation of Krishna, the Fullest -Expression of His All-Love-Self. Hence the Krishna of Brindāban is -called the Fullest Incarnation, which means All Krishna, the Krishna of -All-Love. The Krishna of Mathura is called Fuller Krishna, which means -three-quarters Krishna and one-quarter Vishnoo. And the Krishna of -Dwārakā, half Krishna and half Vishnoo, is called Full Incarnation of -Krishna. - -Krishna being All Love, He knows nothing but Love, gives and accepts -nothing but Love, acts nothing but Love, breathes nothing but Love, -speaks nothing but Love. - -The Asuras that He killed were not killed by Him, but by the Incarnation -of Vishnoo which was within Him, and His part in those actions was to -send the souls of those Asuras to His Absolute Love Realm, a reward -reserved for His highest lovers and devotees, a kindness for enemies -which Krishna alone can feel and show. Krishna has no power even to hurt -a fly, for He is nothing but Love Itself, and does not know anything -else but Love. This much can be said about Krishna's participation in -these what seemed to be acts of killing, that the powers of Vishnoo -within Him that committed them, found His Body the most perfect medium -for their operations. - -One word of explanation is necessary here as to who the Asuras were and -how they could assume such shapes. These mentions of Asuras and demons -in the Hindoo book prejudice the unknowing and unthinking Western minds -against the veracity of Hindoo historians and incline them to think that -ancient Hindoo history are mixed with myths and fables. A little calm -and intelligent thinking ought to correct the mistakes of such hasty -judgment. Modern science, too, is daily paving the way to belief in -things which even a quarter of a century ago were thought absurd and -impossible. Science is proving the fact of the unlimited potentialities -of the human mind. Mind-force is at present the subject of all the most -advanced Western scientists and philosophers. When these will succeed in -discovering the laws and truths of the mental plane, as they are now -doing of the material plane, no facts of Hindoo history or of the -histories of ancient times will strike modern man as mythical or absurd. - -The Asuras were the psychics of the ancient times. They cultivated their -mind-force in order to use it for personal aggrandizement. They were -Yogis, but their Yoga was divorced from pure spirituality, because their -object was not spiritual. All they wanted was power by which to -overpower others and keep them under subjection for their own earthly -benefit. Some of them were exceptions to the rule; they cultivated their -Sāttwic powers to some extent along with the development of Rājasic -powers. These became great heroes in battles and some of them made very -good kings. Others developed merely Rājasic and Tāmasic powers of the -mind and became tyrants and oppressors of all good people. Wherever and -whenever the earth groaned under the burden of their sins, partial -incarnations of Vishnoo came down to earth to destroy them and bring -peace and goodwill among mankind once more. But those Asuras who had -only their Tāmasic (dark) mind-force developed, were the lowest of them -all. Their minds were all dark and their deeds were all black. Their -natural inclination was to do mischief to people for the sake of the -mischief itself. These were called demons. These demons can be found -reborn among us all, in the most advanced centres of civilization, but -they are now shorn of their former psychic force. The mind's natural -inclination, however, is still in them. They take to external means to -satisfy this inclination of killing or hurting or doing mischief for the -sake of the act itself. Formerly their dark mental powers were their -most potent weapons. Through those psychic powers they could transform -themselves into any shape they concentrated upon, and if they failed to -assume the form of a saint or a god, it was because they could not grasp -the idea of the personality of such pure souls with their impure minds. -To assume the form of a beast was the easiest thing for them, because -they were nothing but human beasts in their nature. They could also -assume elemental forms too, such as a whirlwind, etc., as in Krishna -Leelā. The modern Asuras cannot do any such thing because their -mind-forces are scattered and distracted. The chief cause why people -generally cannot be a high yogi or a black-psychic demon is the density -of Rāja and Tama that at present pervades Nature, of which all beings -are parts and products, which disturbs concentration. - -The holding of the hill on the point of the little finger of the left -hand, as Krishna did, was not a very great deed for Krishna to perform. -This act can be performed by some of the Lords of Yoga. The Yogi, when -he becomes an adept, inherits the partial attainment of the eight great -powers (siddhis), which are in their fully normal states in Vishnoo and -in lesser degree in those who remain merged in the Essence of Vishnoo -and are sent therefrom to earth to serve mankind as Avatārs. These -powers are (1) Animā, the power of becoming as small as an atom; (2) -Mahimā, the power of becoming increased in size; (3) Laghimā, the power -of becoming as light as desired; (4) Prāpti, to possess the power of the -gods who are the presiding deities of the senses; (5) Prakāmya, the -power of enjoying and sensing all objects seen or unseen; (6) Ishitā, or -power over the forces of the Divine Will and over the lower forces of -other beings; (7) Vasitā, non-attachment to objects and (8) -Kāmavasāyitā, the power of attaining all desires. - -Besides these the high Yogi may attain to ten other powers of the -Cardinal Attributes: (1) Cessation of hunger and thirst; (2) Hearing -from a distance; (3) Seeing from a distance; (4) Moving the body with -the speed of the mind; (5) Assuming any form at will; (6) Entering into -any other body; (7) Dying at will; (8) Playing with celestial damsels; -(9) Attaining wished-for objects; (10) Power of irresistible command. - -Five other minor powers are (1) Knowledge of the present, the past and -the future; (2) Control over the Opposites, such as heat and cold, joy -and sorrow, etc.; (3) Knowledge of another's mind; (4) Suspending the -action of fire, sun, water, poison, etc.; (5) Invincibility. - -These powers serve the Lord in His Leelās as humble slaves, whether he -is conscious of them or not. Leelā means action of God Incarnate. The -Rash Dance with the Gopis is the greatest Leelā of Krishna. It was the -manifestation of the greatest might of His Love, the might possessed by -the Supreme Being alone, by the Lord of the Lords of Yoga, by the -Supreme Source of Yoga itself. Gopi means a milkmaid. But the milkmaids -of Braja were extraordinarily spiritual beings born as milkmaids to -serve the Lord in His Earthy Leelā. The chief of the Gopis is Rādhā, the -Consort of Krishna in Glory and on earth. "Rādhā" means Adoration or -Love-Devotion. Rādhā is the embodied manifestation of Krishna's -Love-Principle, the Energy of His Soul, the Principle in Krishna which -sets His Love into motion. Rādhā is inside of Krishna as this Principle -of Love-Energy and she is outside of Krishna as the embodiment of that -Principle. Rādhā is the First Active Principle of Nature, the Active -Love-Principle which unconsciously gives birth to creation and pervades -it as the purest spiritual energy. Like Krishna she is above and out of -the reach of the creative Cardinal Attributes. Krishna is the Soul. -Rādhā is the Heart-Soul and her eight chief companions are the Eight -chief Devotional Aspects, and the other Gopis the inclinations and minor -attributes of Her Ensouled Mind. Rādhā and her chief companions are -Krishna's constant companions in Goloka. They came with Him from Glory -and were born as Gopis in Brindāban. Other Gopis who were in the Rash -Dance were incarnations of Vedic Hymns and Truths which, as I have ere -now explained in the cases of Nature's attributes and forces, are -entities in Nature, the form-centres of Nature's purest sentiments and -conceptions. Other Gopis were incarnations of goddesses, the presiding -deities of Nature's spiritual forces and attributes, while others were -incarnations of some of the highest illuminated male Saints (Rishis) who -had prayed for ages and ages in every birth to serve the Lord personally -with the tender devotion of a loving woman. The love of these Gopis for -Krishna was absolutely selfless. They loved Him for the sake of the -spontaneous, causeless love they felt for Him and which His Personality -inspired in them, for Krishna was that Causeless Love Itself. The Rash -Dance represented the vibrations of the Soul-absorbed Mind, vibrations -which filled the universe with the nectar of Bliss and destroyed its -Karma of a whole Kalpa, the Karma which formed its Prarabdha for the -time. - -Krishna danced separately with each Gopi. Each Gopi had her own Krishna -beside her. One Krishna became as many as there were Gopis and yet it -was the Self-Same Krishna. The One Soul played like So Many Souls with -so many hearts and yet the hearts saw but that One Soul. Each Gopi saw -only her own Krishna and was unconscious of any other, as she danced, -absorbed in that Krishna, round and round, arms round necks, eyes into -eyes, all-forgetting, the world forgot, round and round in the whirl of -ecstasy, afloat on the waves of Love that is Bliss—round and round with -that One Krishna, the All-in-All of the heart and existence—round and -round, the lover and the loved, the little soul twining round the Great -Soul, the Great Soul pouring Its Nectar into the little soul. - -Ignorant writers and prudish religionists of the West have dared to call -this Gopi-Leelā of Krishna shocking to all religious sense, in the face -of the fact that two hundred and odd millions of Hindoos of the present -day and myriads of millions of Hindoos of the past—Hindoos whose giant -intellect and all-towering height of spirituality the world of to-day -are beginning to wonder at—call this Leelā the most transcendental of -all Divine deeds that have ever been performed on the face of the globe. -According to these little critics of the greatest Avatār of the Supreme -Deity, that Supreme Deity cannot possess any other sentiments of love -than those of a Father and a Saviour, that God ought not to feel or show -the love of a husband for his wife or of a lover for his lady-love. If -this be a fact, will they answer the question as to whence has man got -these sentiments, if not from his Maker of whom he is but an imperfect -image? Whence has he got them if not from the Source of Creation itself, -of which he is such a tiny part and product? This denial to God of the -possession of a lover's sentiment implies an impertinence which God -alone, out of His infinite affection for His creatures, can pardon. It -only betrays the dense ignorance of these critics in regard to the -origin and laws of creation and of the relations of creation with its -Creator. - -Nature (Creation) is the materialized Will-Force of God. The Will-Force -of God is a reflection of God Himself—the objectified phases of the -semblance of manifoldness of the Absolute One. God is the husband, and -the Energy of His Will, Nature, is His wife. God is the Lover and Nature -is His loving Lady-love. By His All-pervading Essence, the only Support -and Sustenance of Nature, He clasps His Lady-love to His bosom and -dances with her to the intricate steps of the music of her Laws. This is -His Rash Dance in the aggregate, the Rash Dance that is being performed -every moment within Nature though hidden from our outlooking physical -vision. What is true of the great Universe is true also of its -miniature, man. Within our heart of hearts is the forest of Brindāban in -which the microscopic blue river of love, Jumnā, flows, lapping with -thrills of joy the bank of the bowery lawn where Krishna—our Soul—with -His Gopis—our ensouled mental aspirations—is performing His -ever-favorite, never-ending Rash Dance. And we are unconscious of it -all, because our mind's outer ken is employed outside of us with outer -objects. If we can withdraw the mind's vision from outwards and direct -it into the depth of our heart then will belief come in the Rash Dance -of Krishna with its practical realization. We are then of Braja and each -of us, of the enlightened inner eye, a dancing Gopi—male or female -whatever we may be externally it matters not. We are all Gopis, human -male or human female, we are all spiritually feminine, for Krishna alone -is the One Male and we all, particles of. Nature, are all female. We are -all the lady-loves, the brides and wives of our One Husband, Lover and -Beloved—Krishna. In the working out of the ever-beneficial laws of Inner -Nature—the laws that throb for the weal of mankind—this innermost -performance of Nature's constant Rash Dance with her Lord is reflected -for a time upon her outer surface to fill outer Nature and mankind with -the ecstasy of its supremest spirituality, the blessings of Absolute -Love. - -The twelve chief boy-companions of Krishna in Brindāban came with Him -from Glory where they are His constant companions, while the other -cow-boys were the incarnations of the gods and highly spiritual saints. -The Kadamba-tree, under which Krishna usually played His flute, is a -representation in physical form of the Tree of Life and the flute's dear -strains the music of the soul. As Krishna and His Companions are -constant, so are His Leelās (acts) constant. They can be seen now by any -devotee possessed of the requisite vision. - -With these words I humbly introduce the reader to the Nectar-Career of -Krishna on earth embodied in the following pages. Let every reader read -it with an open mind and the Nectar is sure to flow into his soul -through that mind. - -SREE KRISHNA THE LORD OF LOVE PART II. - -SREE KRISHNA - -THE LORD OF LOVE - -BY - -Bābā Premānand Bharati - -Published by - -The Krishna Samāj - -NEW YORK - -Copyright 1904 - -BY - -Bābā Premānand Bharati - -To - -The Lotus Feet - -OF - -KRISHNA MY BELOVED - -THIS GARLAND - -Woven With Flowers - -OF - -HIS OWN GIFT - -Is Offered - -For The Appreciation Of - -THE SOULFUL - -Of His Creation - -PROEM. - -I bow to the Glorious One—the unerring Mariner who has guided my frail -life's bark across the billowy world-ocean wrapt in "Goo"—the darkness -of ignorance—with the ever-illuminating "Roo"—the search-light of -wisdom—to the Land of the Lotus Feet of Krishna. I bow to Sree -Brahmananda Bharati—my Gooroo. - -And now, hush I list! I sing of Krishna. I will sing of Krishna, the -Lord of Love, the Seed and Soul of the Universe, the Ultimate Principle -in the composition of Creation, of, all souls' real Home—Sweet, Sweet -Home! - -I will sing of your only Lover, and your only Beloved. - -I wish to sing a song whose sweetness will thrill through your body, -which will make your soul float in ecstasy. I will sing a song whose -burden will enter your heart as a dewdrop enters the bosom of a flower, -but will soon, if you are attentive, spread itself into a boundless -ocean on which your heart will be tossed over its gentle waves, like a -boat bound for and sure of the land of Eternal Bliss. I as earnestly ask -your blessing that I may be filled with such power to sing such a song, -as I ask the blessing of my Krishna to sing of Him to you. - -I will sing a song of love such as you have never heard, such as poets -dream not of, which lovers know not of, which the human soul is ever in -quest of, which, in your best moments, vibrates undefined through your -soul, but ever eludes your understanding. I will sing of that Love which -ever plays before your heart's vision as the will-o'-the-wisp through -countless incarnations—a Love which alone will make you happy for -evermore. - -I will sing a song to you of a Love which you are striving every moment -of your life to realize through success and failure in this life's -games, the Love whose worthless counterfeits dazzle and deceive you at -every step—at every step removing you farther and farther from the -original they so poorly resemble. I will sing to you of the Love -Absolute, the Love that is unbroken, the Love that is fed and grows by -use, the Love that blesses the lover with greater abundance for giving -it away to others. - -I will sing to you of a Love which is your birthright, which is the very -foundation of your existence, which alone is the substance of all -existences, and, wonder of wonders, a Love which is your real food and -Home. - -Aye, it is of your Home that I will sing— the unknown pole to which the -magnet of your soul eternally trembles. Home is ever sweet —Home, Sweet -Home! But this your sweet earthly home is only the home of your earthly -self, the brick-and-mortar closet of your fleshly coats, of which you -have possessed a countless number. But all those coats have been mere -coverings of your inner Self, which is a truant from its own Home, but -of which d has lost all memory, having lived so long in others' homes. I -will sing to you of a song whose burden will remind you of this lost and -forgotten Home, the Home that you are seeking in vain, consciously or -unconsciously, the Home whose never-failing happiness you are trying to -substitute in your borrowed home by ever-failing pleasures, pleasures -which only pain you by their hollowness. How can you live upon a hollow -happiness, you who have known and tasted solid, eternal happiness in -your real Home?—the Home where light fades not, life grieves not, and -happiness ever is! I will sing to you of the Home where your Master, -Friend, Father, and Lover is ever anxious to get you back and take you -to His bosom. - -I will sing to you of Krishna—your Home—the Seed and Soul of your soul, -as well as of the universe of which you are a miniature. - -And now, my beloved friend, prepare yourself to listen to this song -which comes to you from across the oceans—from a land where the altar of -the Lord of Love is ever burning, fed by the libations of devotion and -the incense of ecstasy, since the dawn of creation,—from that cradle of -religion and civilization, from that spiritual metropolis of the -spiritual world-empire, where the fountain of Divine Love, Life and -Wisdom is still playing, to water the earth with the blessings of the -soul—the Land of Bhārat, which you moderns call India. Listen and be -blessed! - -This is a song not set to any tune you know, to any music you have -heard, and yet it is a song which is set in the true tune of your heart, -to the natural music of your soul. It is the Song Ecstatic of your -Heart-Soul which will make the core of your being throb in beatitude and -melt the crusts of materiality in you into the Love Unspeakable! Listen -and be blessed! - -CHAPTER I. - -Weary and overburdened with its load of sorrow and weakness, the great -heart of Mother Earth lifted her voice unto the heights of the skies, -complaining. - -Her patience and faithfulness were qualities of wondrous worth to -Brahmā, the Creator,[2] and so, drawing aside the curtain from his -abode. He looked into her soft and wearied eyes, saying: - -"O Mother Earth! Long hath the pain of ingratitude and faithlessness -pierced thy tender heart, and with courage and loving mercy hast thou -borne its stings. But now a balm is to come unto thee and soothe thy -wounded love and readjust those things of which thou dost complain. - -"Yet a little while, O thou Goddess of Plenty, and One shall play upon -thy breast, which will make the veins of thy body to thrill with warm -love, so that thy heart will be beautiful beyond what it yet has been. - -"Thy mountains shall laugh in great happiness on seeing the beauty of -Him who shall cast His lotus eyes upon their rugged sides. - -"Thy rivers shall flow in rhapsodies when His Sweet Body shall sanctify -their waves by its contact. - -"Thy harvests shall come forth in great plentifulness. - -"Thy cows shall give forth milk that shall be nourishing and healing -unto all whom it will feed. - -"Thy trees shall cast forth shadows that all who come under their -cooling shade, sick unto death, shall bound forth with the gladness of -life and love in their bodies, and, O patient Earth, all who tread upon -thee shall call thee blessed because the One All Beautiful shall have -made thee blessed by His Holy Feet treading upon thee." - -Thus spake Brahmā unto Mother Earth, who lowly laid again her dark head, -and entering the Abode of Vishnoo, he said unto Him: - -Thou Mighty One! Well dost Thou know the grievance of her, the Patient -One, who is dear unto us. Do Thou in Thy glory and majesty succor her, O -Lord! - -"Let the Only One, the Lord of Love, the Sovereign of all the Universe, -the Author of all that lives, again be born upon her surface, and so -bring to her wilted breast the nectar of Love, that all who draw from -her may again partake freshly of the love that is the life of all -animate and inanimate. - -"This Thou do, O Wondrous and Most Beautiful One, and quicken again with -love her heart and the hearts that beat against her breast, so that the -eyes of those who have eyes, yet see not, may see. - -"Do Thou incarnate with Thyself those who have ever walked with Thee, -and who may, even before the eyes of all, perform and live miracles of -love. For, O Most High, full of stolid unbelief and fettered with the -world have Thy children become, so that even she who erstwhile ever -patient was has complainingly called unto me for help." - -He, the Maker of all that is, forthwith spake: - -"So shall it be. Unto her who has held upon her lap all those who are -mine and who hath come out of Me and who is also of Me, I shall be born. - -"And great shall be the rejoicing of her and my children who walk upon -her surface. - -"From the heart of man the weight of stone shall be lifted and his eye -shall be quickened with love, and I with my followers shall bring to -them the ways and means that love doth know, and the whole known world -shall again learn that I am Life and Love, that I the Creator of all -things am, even unto the ant and the huge elephant who by one blow of -his mighty trunk uprooteth the tree. - -"They shall also know Me as Child, Son, Warrior, King, and Priest, and -in their midst I shall walk even with those who with Me shall be born -again, and seeing Me and knowing Me, I shall draw all unto Me, and close -with Me they shall again taste the sweetness of my love. - -"With Me shall come those who have ever known Me through many -incarnations, those who cover themselves with the qualities most like -unto Me and whom my Earth-children have learned to look upon as gods, -praying to them because of these attributes which they themselves wished -to be blessed withal. - -"Tell those who know the fulness of my Bliss, those who have bathed in -the nectar of those who have dwelt in the ecstasy of my loveliness, and -those who in their devotion have known nothing outside of Me, those who -have ever seen Me in all things, and have feasted their minds only upon -My Beauty—tell them that I with them shall be born of woman and shall -dwell for the span of man's life among men." - -And when the Gods, those whom He had designated, heard the Will of Him, -great was the rejoicing in that Abode, for no Will knew they, save the -Sweet Will of the Most Lovely One, whose Lotus Feet they worshipped in -ecstasy. - -CHAPTER II. - -In the seat of Hari, the sacred city of Mathura on the Jumnā, Vāsudeva -in love and humbleness took unto himself Devaki as bride, who by all was -known as the most holy and virtuous maiden of that land. - -Pear unto the heart of her brother, the Prince of Mathura, she was, and -beloved among his people and among all women because of the purity of -her heart and the sweetness of her face. To show to all the world his -love for her, the prince himself, in proud fondness, drove the -marriage-car of his little sister princess and the new brother-in-law, -who, by right of great wisdom, a Pundit of high standing among the -learned was. - -Gentle was the new bridegroom, even as he was wise. Fond glances of love -he cast upon the radiant face of the young princess, and from all sides -the blessings fell from the lips of the populace on the sweet bride, the -learned bridegroom, and the gallant prince who held the reins because of -his love for them both. - -But lo! in the span of a moment all was changed, for a voice there was -which seemed to come out of space: "O thou fool! Why, even he for whom -in pride and love thou dost hold the reins to her marriage-car, even she -shall bear the child in her womb who shall sweep thy life from off the -earth. Her son, the eighth, shall be the cause of thy death." - -The reins dropped from the hands of the prince, and, springing to his -feet, he caught the young bride by the hair as if to slay her, but was -arrested by Vāsudeva, who cried, "O prince! Noble wast thou ever, and -ill would it be for thee to slay thy sister on the eve of her marriage. -It is not for thee to take life, O King, thou who canst not give it. -Death must come, but let it not be by thy hand, O prince, nor yet before -her time. Take not the life of her who is thy sister and thereby stain -the heritage of virtue such as has been ascribed unto thee. - -"Listen to the words of wisdom that have come to us from the sages, -without whom all life a desert would be. Well thou knowest that a man's -actions do follow him from body to body even as in walking he leaveth -the imprint of each step behind the other, yet with each step doth he -carry the dust on his feet from the ground whereon he did walk. - -"Man hath many existences, each one portraying a character which is the -outcome of his past self. As the present is the fulfilment of the -threatening past, so man is the unfoldment and fulfilment of his -previous existences. - -"So seek not to blacken thy soul by the slaying of one of thine own -blood, but seek rather to add new glory to thy light by preserving her -who, all guiltless, thou dost seek to slay. Heap not thou upon thyself a -dark and evil Karma to confront thee and blight thee in thy other lives. - -"It is but the chill breath of suspicion and the dread tremor of fear -that surges heavy and dark through thy mind. Be warned by me, O prince; -desist from thy unjust act and speedily thy heart shall glow again, -warmed by the embers of hope. A man too fearful of threatening danger, -in torment of that danger ever dwelleth. Even calamity may be turned -aside by the smile of distrust, and fatality may forget thee quite while -passing thy door. - -"But when the soil of thy heart has been made fertile for fear, be sure -its seed therein will thrive, finding sustenance for sprouting and its -fruit it will bear. - -"Stand valiant, O prince, and be not like the timorous woman who runneth -away from the shadow of danger but to flee into the arms of the foe. Thy -Karma that counteth up the reckonings cannot be cheated. So be not, O -prince, of timid heart; and each son that cometh from the womb of thy -sister, Devaki, shall be given to thee." - -Listening to the wise counsels of Vāsudeva, the prince gave over his mad -desire to slay his sister with his own hand, and the newly wedded ones -proceeded to the home of Vāsudeva. - -CHAPTER III. - -True to his promise, Vāsudeva brought unto the prince his first-born, a -son. - -The prince, on seeing that Vāsudeva was true to his compact to deliver -his son as it was born, gave it back, saying: "It is not this son that I -fear, but he who will be born thine eighth one it is ordained shall slay -me. So take back thy first-born, Vāsudeva. Of him there is naught to -fear." - -Vāsudeva took the little one, and putting it in the glad arms of the -young mother, said: "O princess! It is with joy and yet with great -foreboding that I return to thee the babe, for there is that in my heart -which tells me that the prince, thy brother, spoke not the truth when -thy boy he gave back unto me, for fear lodged in his eye and anger -vibrated in his voice even as he said, 'From thy first-born no harm will -come unto me.' Yet clasp him to thy heart, young mother, and bathe him -in thy glad tears of love while he resteth on thy breast." - -But even while the tender young mother crooned her love-songs to her -soft nestling, the cruel edict went forth that the babe was to be taken -from her, as also each new-born man-child that came into the land, for, -as a blighting flash from the clouds that strikes the healthy young -sapling at the root, there had come to Kangsa's fear-burdened mind the -knowledge that in his former birth he had been dethroned and slain by -one of his own kin, who was said to have come from on high even to still -the power of the wicked and exalt the lowly and virtuous. - -This in all its weight had come into his heart, and louder than the -bolts of thunder the voice he had heard on Devaki's wedding-day seemed -to throb in his brain, as he saw Vāsudeva depart with his first-born -son. And great were the lamentations of the mothers who gave birth unto -sons in that land. Many departed from the kingdom where Kangsa, the -destroyer of the young, did rule. - -But when the wailing of the new-born child was no longer heard in all -that kingdom, the prince in his madness deposed his father, Ugrasen, and -became himself the King and thrust Devaki, his sister, and Vāsudeva into -the dungeon of his palace, where the six sons that were born to them -were dashed to death on the flagged floor in the hour of their coming by -Kangsa himself. - -And now again there was quickening in the womb of Devaki, and the joy of -natural motherhood was overshadowed by the terror of the fate of the new -life that was to be a babe. But groundless was the fear of the agonized -mother, for his coming was even before his time; for the earth sent a -mist thick as the garment of death to shroud the palace of the King, and -a deep sleep on the gaolers fell on the hour that the child of premature -birth felt the breath of earth, and drowned were its first weak wails by -the sound of the winds that shrieked without. - -And the child that came to the world too soon, even before his time was -completed, was despatched in great haste to one who suckled him and -called him her own. The child that by the near hand of love was saved -from the hand of frenzied murder was the child that would walk with the -Lord of Love and play with the Soul of the Universe. - -And when the mists were gone, the King marvelled that no child had come, -while the mother marvelled at the goodness of Him who was the Author of -Life. - -CHAPTER IV. - -Now the time was ready for Hari (Krishna) to come to be born and dwell -upon earth. - -His sweet will it was to be as a man and show man the beauty of Love. It -was then that Devaki again conceived and a mother unto the eighth child -would be. - -But lo! fear now to her was unknown and glory shone around her like the -sun filling the darkened dungeon with light, for the Lord of all Light -in her mind did come, and Him as a child to the world she would bring. -She, who the mother many times of sorrow was, now the mother of joy had -become. - -O blessed art thou, wife Devaki, that the sweet will of the Lord of all -Love and All Life was centred on thee when he willed as a child among -men to come! And thou, poor mother, whose heart was made to bleed for -the bearing of sons, henceforth an ocean of love shalt become, for -throbs not under thy heart the pulse of Him who, love-touched, -love-filled, and love-made, pervades all lives and all that ever will -live? - -And in that hour barren women, as a gracious boon of the Lord's coming -into Devaki's womb, conceived to their own overjoyful surprise. - -And when Kangsa beheld the glory of her who was his sister, he knew that -Hari, He who would quench his life, was within her. - -But when he sought to strike her low, the glow of the light that came -from her overawed him quite and the steel refused to reach her flesh; -and many gaolers were sent unto her by the king to slay, but when they -looked upon her glory, lo! their hearts were quickened with love, and -holy they became, and, dropping their weapons, fled from her side and in -meditation and prayer sought the light that showed them their darkness. - -And the seers and sages and gods and pundits and angels that see, with -illumined eyes of the spirit, the things that were and are and the -things that still will come, beheld the light that glorified the mother -even though distance and mortar hid her from fleshly view, for the eyes -that are quickened by spirit cognize not the sight of the senses. - -And, prostrating low, salutations they gave to the Lord of the Universe -that became child in the mother: - -"O Thou, the Eye of the Universe that sees all, the all-hearing Ear, the -Heart that draweth unto itself all that sprang from Thee! - -"Thou, the Seed and Soul that hath in its centre the roots of all space -and all that space containeth! - -"Thou, the Source of all Love, the Existence of all Life, the Dispenser -of all Light, the Mystery of all Wisdom, who, self-created, chose not to -dwell alone, but willed creation to be and from whose breath all living -creatures sprang! - -"O Thou, who suffered darkness to be, that beauty of light may be known! -Thou, who by Thy own sweet will dost thrust Thy own children forth a -little but to draw them unto Thy heart again to heighten Thy pleasure -and theirs! - -"We, Thy blinded children, illumined, were made to see the light of Thy -coming to earth. Thou, the Mystery and yet the Revelation of all things -art! - -"Thou, that which hideth from man all things that he accounteth not to -Thy sweet will and revealeth all unto him who sifteth each act to Thy -source! - -"Thou, who attunest the ear to the sound of all harmony and keepest Thy -Worlds and All Life in motion! - -"Thou, who art the Immensity of All Things! We know that even as a man -Thou art come in our midst. - -"O Thou the Source of all Energy that is, Thou the Vibrations of all joy -that thrilleth through all Life! - -"Thou Maker of all, who by Thy coming dost lift us even unto Thyself, -again who by Thy coming will show the vileness of Self which unlike Thee -is, and how sin doth darken where virtue is! - -"Thy power, O King of all Kingdoms, is boundless. Oh! why are we blessed -with the truth of Thy coming, we the blinded whom Thou hast chosen to -honor?" - -Thus spoke the sages, the pundits and seers, the gods and Brahmā, the -Creator Himself, whom the Lord of Love had blessed with the power to -know of His coming. - -CHAPTER V. - -And the child was come, the child that was God, the God that became -child, and time itself stood still in its passing to mark the wonder of -that coming! - -The clouds ceased their onward sailing and crowded in piles of white and -blue and gray softness, to marvel at the child's first smile. The -heavens rained down blossoms of white and red and golden and blue -lotuses. - -The mountains gave forth a great cry of joy, as they in gladness met. - -The rivers heaved their billowy crests and chanted hymns of praise to -Him, who was to make holy again their waters. - -The earth throbbed and thrilled as the streams of holy Love shot through -all her body, swelling her breast with new life and feeding all that was -living and moving within the recesses of her bowels, and clothing with -great beauty that which lived upon her bosom. - -The roots of growing things grasped with a firmer hold her sides, and -her loved creatures, those that walked and those that crept upon her -surface, nestled once more, as of yore, when all the world was holy, -against her freshened and strengthened body with new affection and -faithfulness, and her great heart uttered a mighty thanksgiving to Him -who had heard her appeal and succored her. - -The seeds that were in her mouth burst into rooting, the roots into -sprouting, and the budding trees, that graced her brow, into glad -blossoms. - -And the trees that were in blossom bore ripe fruit in the hour of His -coming. - -And all those that hungered were fed. - -The cows, big with young, dropped their calves, and their bags were full -unto bursting for all that came to take sustenance therefrom. - -The motherless cubs of wild things fearlessly suckled from her udder, -and the cow lapped the soft, furred sides of the young stranger with her -long, rough tongue. - -And all the wild things that hungered were fed in that hour. - -The eagle left its nest on the mountain's rugged side, and sat on the -tree with quivering wing beside the dove, that cooed its inward shout of -love. - -The snake forgot to charm the timid songster that thrilled its joy close -by, but, lifting up its hooded head, it madly danced between the -sunshine and the shadow that the exultant branches of swaying trees did -cast. - -The huge elephant sportive became, and played with the deer and doe that -rubbed against its haunches. - -The fierce lion, the leopard, and all the untamed creatures of the -forests, with yearning call of love, turned their faces towards the -place, all light, where Love, as a little child was cradled in the arms -of man. - -And in the hour of His coming many rainbows of wondrous color and beauty -did span the skies. And the sun liquid as molten love became. - -And in that hour man and beast, and bird and flower, and all that lives -upon the earth and underneath its surface and in the deep waters, did -look into the abode of Love. - -And on the face of earth the smile of Love did rest, and sin vanished -from the heart of man, even as hunger disappeareth where plentiful food -is dished to the hungered. - -The eye of the murderer looked for darkened places wherein to bide -himself, but, finding naught but light, did throw his blade into the -purified waters of the holy river and knelt at the feet of the holy -ones, who in ecstasy were wrapt. - -The gray and shrunken face of avarice lifted itself toward the skies, -and lo! glorified the countenance became! - -The face of bloated folly, the weakness of vanity, the vileness of -ingratitude, the stubbornness of unbelief in that hour were unknown to -man. - -A joy, unfelt before, on all the earth did reign, a joy that even yet -doth thrill through hearts of life, for the child that was God, and the -God that was child, had come on earth to live with man. - -CHAPTER VI. - -And the child that was the Lord spoke to the mother in the hour of His -coming as the Sovereign of all Sovereignty would speak: - -"Say unto him, Vāsudeva, thy husband, to transport me to where the wife -of the King Nanda doth lie, who but now giveth birth to a daughter. - -"Pass through the gates; the chains shall be loosened, the keepers -asleep at their posts. - -"The warring waters of the Jumnā a path shall make for him to pass with -Me in his arms. The gates of the palace on the banks of the river wide -open shall stand, and the mother asleep in her chamber shall be. - -"Put Me on her breast, and bear away the daughter that to her is born. -And when the prince shall ask Vāsudeva for the eighth child that is born -unto thee, do thou deliver the daughter of Yasodā unto him." - -Thus spake the Lord, and a helpless child He became. - -Vāsudeva in wonder passed through the gates; the keepers all slept a -sleep as of death. The waters parted to make a way for him who carried -the Lord to pass. - -Unseen, unheard, he entered the courtyard and palace and passed the -sounding halls and corridors, until the room of the sleeping queen he -spied, and taking the Lord from under his cloak, on the breast of the -sleeping queen he laid it, and took in his place the wide-eyed daughter, -that cooed and smiled in his bearded face. - -And sleep still held the queen and the city and the gaolers embraced, -till he stood at the side of Devaki once more, who wept at the sight of -the smiling babe, who soon at the hand of her brother must perish. - -At break of day, the prince entered the dungeon to seek the life of the -eighth child of his sister. - -As he lifted the child on high to dash its head on the flagged floor, -lo! the child slipped from his hand and rose, the while speaking: -"Karma, that counteth all reckonings up, cannot be cheated by thee, O -prince! Tis written that thou must be slain by the eighth son of thy -sister, and so it shall be. - -"That child I am not, O prince! But I came on earth for this hour, to -show thee thy folly. Dost thou think, O fool, that by human force, by -the slaying of innocence, by the destroying of hope and joy in the heart -of the mother, thou canst change the Will of Him who is the Maker of all -laws? - -"Thinkest thou, O man, thou canst cross swords with Him that knoweth the -effect of each thought that man thinketh, even before the thinking is -done? - -"He whom thou seekest thou shalt not find!" - -She ceased, and a light never seen on earth or in heaven enveloped the -child as she vanished from view. - -And the prince rushed forth in his frenzy and madness and sought not -again to bring harm to his sister, but unfettered the chains were of -husband and wife, and in freedom forth they went. - -CHAPTER VII. - -And the child that was God as Krishna was known. - -And men drew love from the Name, for the Name the potency of Love -contained, even as the seed the tree doth hold, or the bud the fruit of -the tree enfolds. - -And all who spoke the Name of Krishna felt the heart beat quick and -high, and all who looked upon His face felt at once that Love was nigh. - -And it came about that all the people who lived in the kingdom where the -Child Krishna was reared as the son of the King of Braja, thronged daily -to get but a glimpse of the Child, who, though helpless like other babes -did seem, yet held the power to draw all men unto Him, even by the light -of love that made Him All Beauty. - -As He sat on the arms of the queen, His foster-mother, bedecked with the -ornaments and finery which the king delighted to bedeck Him withal, lo, -the light that radiated from His flesh did put the glowing jewels to -shame, for love is the essence of Beauty and Light, and the Child was -the embodiment of Love itself! - -So the light that flashed from the jewels was but as the light of -glow-worms that disappeareth when the radiance of the moon is about -them. - -In despair the king sent messages to all the then known world to procure -such jewels as might enhance the loveliness of his Child, but ever when -on His body they rested, dull they seemed on the glow of His flesh. - -But oft the Child would reach His baby hands for the flowers that the -populace brought in great profusion to lay at the feet of the Child that -was Love, and as He held them close to His baby mouth, behold, their -petals quivered and throbbed with love-life, and deeper the color dyed -their softness and brighter the gold of their hearts did flame, at the -touch of the hand and the breath of the Child that knew naught but Love. - -And in the days when Love as a Child did dwell on earth, a great force -of spirituality through all the land went forth, and the heart of all -the world went up in praise for the mercies linked with ecstasy that -enriched the cup of all Life. - -Gleams of kindness, and deeds of generosity, and miracles of patience, -and justice, and love, unheard of before, now naturally burst from the -heart of man, as water bursts forth from a spring 'neath the rock. - -And the fields, that before were dried and burned by the sun's rays even -as stubble, gave forth rich harvests. - -And the rivers and seas that were lost to man's eyes, again in beauty -before them rested. - -And the Child that was the stalk and stem of Love in beauty did grow, -shedding His gracious smile on all the world. - -And Kangsa, the King, now heard of the marvellous Child whose smile -brought a smile on all the world. - -CHAPTER VIII. - -Then Kangsa, the brother of Devaki, besought the demoness Putanā, mother -of evil, to give each child in arms the milk of her breast, that should -fill them with death at the sucking. - -And forth she did go, and prayed to be taken into the palace of the -king, to behold the young Child v/hose face gave blessing to all who on -it looked. - -On her coming, the Child stretched forth its arms to be taken to her -breast, but when her breast between His lips He took, she bent her face -to look at the Babe, and fear made her pale and faint, for in the beauty -of His eye the wisdom of all the world she beheld. - -And releasing the Master she held at her breast, she pleaded and prayed -that He cease His sucking, but harder He drew and firmer His grip was, -till exhausted and lifeless she fell on the ground, while with a smile -the Babe played with the breast arid crept on the body that lay in -death. - -And when they came from far and wide to look at her who brought -destruction and death to children, they beheld her swelled and stretched -to immensity. - -For smiling evil seemeth not big, but rob it of the smile that hideth -its leer, and huge and misshapen it doth become. - -So with Putanā it was. Forth she went to mother and suckle the young -children and thus bring death to the Child of Love. Clothed in sweet -motherhood and kindness of purpose, all hearts were opened to welcome -her freely, yet evil she brought wherever she walked. - -But He who was All Love at once sighted her hatred for love, by that -which in her all unlike Himself was, and straightway in her poverty of -Love and nakedness of heart she stood revealed in His eyes. - -And all saw her thus hideous and unsightly, and marvelled at the -blindness of their eyes. - -But mark now the kindness and power of Love. - -By the touch of His lips upon her breast, she, who never knew love, by -contact with Him became sanctified. And the effort Putanā put forth to -bring death to Krishna, under cover of Love, did make her for the moment -a mother in truth. And for that moment of concentrated love in Him the -honor of Divine Motherhood on her was bestowed in that realm where hate -is unknown. And all the world marvelled, when dead she lay, at the aroma -that rose from her huge body. - -But the Child only smiled as He played on her breast. - -Verily the aroma of great sweetness reached to all the skies. For Love -is ever the master of hate, and Love in its strength doth conquer all -hate, and hate is purified by the breath of Love, and sanctified it is -by its hand. - -CHAPTER IX. - -A year has passed since the coming of Krishna, a year of peace and -plenty to all. - -And the earth was relieved of pressure, and the minds of men were -illumined by the light that shone in their midst. - -And the hearts that were cramped and narrow with pain grew big into -bursting with the love that flowed from the Child that was God. - -And Nanda prepared a great feast for the naming of Him and the Brother, -Devaki's seventh child who, at birth premature, had been despatched to -the land where Krishna now was. And the feast was attended by many -guests, who rejoiced on beholding the wondrous Child who on that day a -year had brought joy by His coming. - -And the priest was called and the seer, and he who read the stars and -read the Vedas alike. And when the stars he contemplated, he saw the -wonder of His birth, and, prostrating at the feet of Him, spoke to them -who gathered to hear: "The oppressed He shall succor, the enslaved He -shall free, and those that in danger are He will protect, and bring all -blessings to the land where now He doth live. What and Who He is you -know not, but, crowned with living stars of Love and adorned with the -rainbow of promise on His breast, this Child shall bring glory and Bliss -wherever He breathes. Oh, blessed was the day I looked in His eyes and -touched my hand lo His Holy Feet, for in Him the virtues and powers and -might of Love do dwell that never before men with eyes have seen." - -But the little Child smiled, then stretched forth Its arms and puckered -Its lips for the mother's sweet milk. - -The mother in pride placed It at the side of the cart that held brass -vessels and articles of food, and turned to receive the congratulations -of her guests, when lo! the Child with Its baby foot upturned the cart, -and the cart and the vessels in pieces lay on the ground! - -And more and more they marvelled at the Child, whose baby strength -upturned the cart. - -Nor was this the only miracle of His babyhood. For one day the mother -sat with the Child in her lap, when lo and behold, so heavy He became -that she felt as if the world were resting on her knees! - -The strength of her knees gave way and the Child sank to the ground, -when a whirlwind came, in the shape of a dust-storm, and raised the -Child to heights unseemable, but soon again lightly on His feet He -descended at the side of His mother. - -Wildly she clasped Him in her arms and kissed Him again, but He opened -His baby mouth to her eyes, and lo, the universe she saw within! - -And in that moment unto her it was revealed that He, whom she called her -son, was God—the Seed and Soul of the Universe; the One who all things -knew, yet who was unknowable to all. - -She also knew that the shadow He cast by His great, universal Will was -Māyā, and the offsprings or attributes of that Māyā as demons were -known. - -And she knew that a demon it was, urged on by Kangsa, that came in the -shape of a whirlwind to carry her Child away. And that He who was all -Love was mightier by far than the offspring of shadow could be. - -And thus the power of darkness again by Love was overthrown! All this -she saw in the space of a moment, and salutations she made to her Lord. - -But the Child only smiled and the mother again saw but her Child. For -how could the woman, who suckled the babe, dwell long on her Child and -know Him as her Lord? - -CHAPTER X. - -Thus the childhood of Krishna was full of what were considered wonderful -miracles by His family and the populace, but which, to the Lord of the -Universe, were but divinely natural. The strength of the baby hands was -colossal. The beauty of the baby face was entrancing. - -His flesh gave forth a lustre' and Radiance that filled a darkened room -with glory. The wisdom that peered from His wondrous eyes was full of -loving mystery, and the touch of His breath brought to the heart a love -that was ecstasy. - -O Babe, that came to a desert of life, to make it a garden of lilies and -roses! O Babe, that brought to a weakened heart the Love that conquered -the world by its might! - -O Babe, that came with a light on Thy brow that filled the eye like the -glow of the sun, and brought on Thy breath the promise of Bliss which -came to all those who breathed where Thou dwelt! - -All these Thou wert, yet a helpless babe in the arms of those who reared -Thee Thou lay! - -And naughty Thou wert and full of mischief, too, stealing the golden -butter, that stood in shining rows, the pride of the dairymaids, the -Gopis, and feeding the same to the saucy monkeys, that crowded around -Thee, to help Thee in Thy pranks! - -Oh, wonder of Love and Might, Incomprehensible One! Thou Omnipotence, -who the all-pervading energy of all art, and yet, with eyes aslant, -didst play the child to suit Thine only sweet fancy, and in the midst of -men didst come to teach men Love and save the world that was steeped in -sin! Thou who wert Lord of the Lords of Yoga, this Thy Yoga-power did -startle the world when in it Thou wert as a child! - -On one occasion the Child became impatient and fretful, because the -mother failed to suckle Him at His cry, and running amidst the pots and -chums where she had been working the butter, He cast them down to the -earth, breaking them into pieces and dividing the sweet butter with the -pets that followed the Child wherever He went. - -The mother, on being told of His mischief, sought to punish Him by tying -Him with a cord to the husking-stand that stood near by. - -The cord lacked two inches in its reach to the bench; more cord she -sought, and fastening it end to end, found still the two inches missing. - -Cord after cord she added thereto, but she could not make the two ends -reach. - -Amazed and startled she gazed at the Child, her hair dishevelled, her -face flushed with excitement, a great fear looking from her eye, for -what was this miracle, that prevented her from spanning the reach of two -inches? - -The Child, on seeing the troubled face of His mother, allowed himself to -be fastened. - -And thus in disgrace he stood for a time, till two trees in the distance -attract His eye, and walking: away in the reach of the cords and drawing -the husking-stand behind Him, He stood between two huge arjuna trees -and, casting the cord about the trees, He tore them up by the roots. - -Down they came with a crash to the ground, carrying with them all that -was in their way. And lo! from the trees two fiery spirits appeared, and -saluting the Child, they prayed and disappeared in a cloud of light. - -For list! in the days of yore, when the Saint Narada walked the earth, -he passed the stream where maid and youth made merry in the waves. - -At the passing by of the Saint, the youths failed to salute him, but -instead in bold arrogance laughed and called unto him, and reverence had -they none. - -In the heart of the Saint a prayer arose, that the youths who knew not -respect towards the saints that walked on earth to make men holy, should -be reborn as trees, yet as trees to remember their past offence and -dwell on the folly thereof. But the Saint also prayed that when He who -was God came on earth. He would remember the trees and sanctify and free -them by His Love-touch. - -So when the Babe's eye spied the trees, He uprooted them both, to make -good that prayer. And by His touch the souls of the youths into high -heavens did rise, while He, the Child, the great Deliverer of all souls -that are born, looked on and smiled, and the populace wondered at the -fall of the trees, and marvelled how the Child had been saved from death -as they crashed down beside him. - -Blinded ones, who know not Love in its mightiness and nearness! - -Again, one day, little Krishna, romping with the playfulness of His -earth years, heard the weak voice of a woman begging to sell her wares -of fruits. Lean were her hands and shrunken her features, and her -clothes were poor and thin because of the length of time they had been -worn. Faint and quivering the voice reached the ear of Krishna. - -With the glance of Love that warmed her heart. He bounded to her side, -asking for fruits and giving her paddy instead, when lo! at the touch of -His hand the face of the woman beamed with the light of beauty, her -voice as with joy rang out, and her basket was heavy and filled with -gems that blazed and glittered in the noonday sun. - -And laughing, the Child ran to his playmates and pets and divided the -fruits with them all. - -CHAPTER XI. - -Now came a time when the oldest and wisest of the populace of the -kingdom where Krishna was reared bethought it best to take the wonderful -Child from the place where men marvelled at the wonder of Him and came -from far to look on His face. - -And anxiety filled the hearts of the people, who loved Him best, for His -safety, as calamity upon calamity came nigh Him; and though no harm as -yet did betide Him, yet was it only a miracle that saved Him from the -child-killer, Putanā. - -And again only the hand of Vishnoo had rescued Him from the fierce -whirling duststorm, and the turning of the cart at his side, and, last, -the two trees that crashed at His feet, yet touched not a hair of His -beautiful head. - -Yes, best by far it was to take away the Child. So reasoned the elders, -and Nanda approved, and forth they went with attendants and friends and -all who lived in Gokula. - -And a caravan they formed, the cowherds driving the cows and calves -before them, and carts bearing the women and children, and the men -beating the drums to the voices of the women that broke forth in glad -hopefulness. - -And bright was the sky that spanned their heads, and rich the forests -through which they passed, and life-giving the sun was, and refreshing -the winds were that greeted them on the way to Brindāban. - -And in the early days of their sojourn in these rich forests' depths, -tents they erected which soon were overspread with creepers that -abounded in that place, and birds came near and nested in the tendrils, -and the wild hare and shy deer nearer and nearer their new friends came, -till, all tamed they would feed from the hands of the Gopis and played -with the children; and thus in peace and serenity they lived in -Brindāban. - -Brindāban, the Land of Love and Holiness, the land where Krishna laughed -and played, the land that the centre became of all spirituality, because -of His sojourn there. - -An ordinary boy, he walked with the boys, as tender of cows and calves. - -And in a little while the city of Brindāban thrived, and a city of -plenty it was to all who therein lived. - -But as time went on, even here the dread calamities seemed to follow the -boy Krishna. For an Asura, sent by Kangsa, assumed the form of a calf, -and strayed among the calves, hoping thus to elude the eye of the Child -and perhaps take Him unawares. - -But hardly had he mixed with the herds when Krishna pointed him out and -strode to where the calf was grazing. With easy grace He lifted him by -the hind legs and twirled him high in the air, till lifeless the Asura -was. - -Then, 'midst the shouts of the cowherd boys and companions, He lifted -His face to the skies, which opened wide to His smiling eye. - -CHAPTER XII. - -In the morn of summer, early, even before the sun yet bathed the world -with its golden warmth, the companions of Krishna, aroused from their -slumber by the lowing of the cows, would gather about the house of Nanda -and wait for Krishna to come from His bed and go with them to the forest -to tend the cows and while away the sweet hours of long summer days with -sporting and tales and long rambles together. - -And oft, as they waited about the gates of the palace, Yasodā would -speak to the waiting boys: - -"Ye children! my Krishna has not yet opened His eyes to the light of the -day; His sleep is sound, nor will I wake Him, till of His own will He -comes from His bed; so go with the cows and leave Him to me." - -But the boys would not stir, but would still wait His coming. - -But the joy left their eyes, because of their longing to look at the Boy -who was Love. - -And loud were the cries that came from the boys as they saw Him -approaching and then come in their midst, and He with the boys as a boy -would be. - -And oft Yasodā, the mother, who reared Him, would take Him aside and -remonstrate with Him thus: "O my Krishna, my son, why wilt Thou thus -spend Thy time with the cows and the cowherds? A Son of the King art -Thou, O my boy, and Thy place is not there with the cows in the -pastures. Many servants have we to see to the herds. Come, take Thou Thy -flute, bedeck thyself with garments and ornaments as it doth behoove my -son and a prince." - -Then Krishna, twining His arms round the neck of His mother, with a -world of glowing love in His visage, would gaze far away into the heart -of His people and reply to her who knew Him as son: - -"O mother beloved! Well it is for Me, a son of a king, with the people -to be; though of the palace, yet is My place there where the people call -unto Me. - -Tender am I of the Flock, O My mother, and to them I must go, with them -must I be to teach them Myself and the Power of Love. - -"Even now must I go to the calling hearts, who madly seek Me and will -not be satisfied till again Me they see." - -And Yasodā, the Mother, in amazement gazed on the face of her son and -understood not His prattle that such wisdom held, but the tears of fond -pride rose to her eyes, as she saw the love that came from the boy and -enveloped Him as a soft cloud of light. - -And she kissed her son, seeing but in Him a merry little child bounding -and throbbing with victorious health. - -Onward He ran to greet His companions, who were satisfied now as they -beheld His coming, and laughing the group went to the forest. - -They played, burying their bare feet in the mosses, rolling in the sweet -grass, clapping their hands in the fulness of joy, and shouting in very -ecstasy of being. - -Never saw they in Him the son of a King. They knew Him but as a cowherd -boy who, like them, tended the cows in pastures and forests. - -CHAPTER XIII. - -Again the cowherds, including Krishna, went with their cows to give them -drink, and also to quench their own great thirst. Sporting on the banks -of the lake, they suddenly saw a monster crane coming towards them, with -great flapping wings. - -Affrighted they turned, all but Krishna, to flee, but ere a moment had -passed, the huge bird had devoured Krishna. - -But only an instant He was lost to sight, for before the boys knew what -calamity had come upon them, the bird in great haste gave up the prey -that brought to his throat the sensation of burning. For when Krishna -entered his body it was as if liquid fire poured all through him. - -Then seeing Krishna again in the midst of the boys, lo, with the beak -and the talon he again made for Him, but Krishna seized the beak with -His hands and ripped the great body in halves, even as women tear in -half fine linen which requires no effort, and the demon was again -allayed. - -Again it happened that the boys with Krishna sought the forests, in -sport to engage. - -While bounding in frolicsome play, they beheld at a distance a huge -serpent stretched forth in its length, like a range of hills. Wide open -its mouth was, and close to the path of the boys it lay. - -In an instant within it they walked, all but Krishna, who contemplated -the monster, with eyes full of power; then straight into its jaws He too -went. - -But now the hideous serpent writhed in pain and, like monstrous bellows, -its great sides heaved; for Krishna had expanded within its throat, till -it expired, shaking all the earth in its throes of death. - -And the boys laughed in glee as out of the great jaws of the serpent -they walked. - -But Krishna lifted His eyes to the sky and illumined all the heavens -became. For the Dispenser of all Light destroyed the evil that sought to -reign in that land where Love dwelt, and with mighty strength He felled -the feeble hands of Evil to the ground. For, where Krishna was, -illumination was and darkness could not draw life. - -The deadly shade of Sin sought to blight and blast the garden where -Truth bloomed fair and tall; but so ripe with Love it was that it could -not on that soil take root, to create its evil nor yet prevent the good. -For the Knower of all that is knowable saw with His all-seeing eye the -spirit of every stress and storm and laid it low ere its brewing began. - -And thus His blessing gave increase to plenty, and virtue it added unto -good, and unto them that loved in that realm of Love, stones were as -bread, and wormwood as sweetness was. - -Evil is sin and hateful to Love. And Krishna had the longing and the -power He wielded to save His world from the pestilent blast of the sin -that in boldness sought to destroy it. - -As Love He came, the Maker of Man and of the Universe, to rescue man, -His creation, from the rottenness of his own doings. - -CHAPTER XIV. - -And Brahmā, the Creator, witnessed the miracles that Krishna, the Child -and the Youth, was performing hourly at His plays and gambols, and -marvelled if He the child might be that was come to succour Mother Earth -in her trial. - -Surely sometime, somewhere, in some place it was said that the All-Wise -Being, that was over all, as a little child would be born among men to -save them from their blinded selves and turn them Godward, looking -towards Home. - -This he knew had been said. Was this child the One, that the Eternity -was—He, the Rememberer of all Beings and Things? - -He would know it in proving the power of His Yoga! For if this were the -Absolute Lord, He alone would be the Lord of the Lords of all Yogis! - -Krishna, sitting with his boys in the forest, discovered that the herds -had disappeared from their sight. - -On seeing the alarm on the face of His friends, Krishna exclaimed, "I -Myself shall fetch back the cows, so be not anxious, eat to your fill of -the fruit you are munching." - -He searched and called, but the cows were as vanished, and returning -again to His playmates He found they too were missing. - -Then a smile, as the sun doth break through the clouds, shone on His -face, and, with Yoga-Māyā, He divided Himself into cowboys and cows and -even into calves, and He Himself leading them who were of Him, the -All—He returned with the cows and the boys to the village! - -But, mark, when the boys, that were parts of Krishna, Love-Manifest, ran -to the arms of their mothers, a thrill that was ecstasy played through -their beings, and never did mothers love so their sons as the mothers -who held to their hearts the boys whom by His power He had made from -Himself! - -And so it was with the cows and the calves. Those who milked the cows -were wild with joy to stroke their hides and feed them, and milk of -those cows as nectar was. - -And Krishna stood with the cowboys among the cows and smiled in His -wisdom at them all. - -Now Brahmā knew that the boy was the Lord, who as child to man had come, -for by his Yoga-power he had taken the cows and calves and boys to a -cavern and there put them to sleep. - -But Krishna, to prove Himself the greatest in power, had divided Himself -into boys, cows, and calves, and for one year had been thus. - -When Brahmā saw this, from trance-sleep he awoke the sleepers, and -bowing low to the feet of Krishna, salutation made and thus did burst -forth: "O Lord of all Love! O Being Supreme! O Source of all Life and -Maker of All! Oft in the eyes of my Yoga, glimpses of Thee have I caught -and Thy loveliness and majesty transcend all beauty. - -"What is the merit of the earth, that Thou shouldst bless it with Thy -beautiful feet? have looked upon the earth and have seen Thy Love in all -things, but I perceived not that Thou in Thy mercy wouldst live among -men, even as man. - -"Through Thy coming each heart, that a hovel in poorness was, into a -palace of riches has grown. - -"Through Thy coming all flesh its grossness has lost, since to the eyes -of man Thou seemingly walkest in the flesh. - -"Thou who the centre of Thy radiance art, yet walkest within that -radiance! What is the mystery of Thy great Self? - -"Thou who teachest the bird to cleave the sky and hath made me the -creater of earth and continuest the motion thereof! - -"Thou who the Concrete art and yet the Abstraction thereof dost prove! - -"Thou Mystery of all mysteries, the Secret, the indistinct and yet the -sublimely simple Parent of the Universe! - -"Thou who art the whole and yet the parts, the immensity and yet the -mote of things! - -"A poor groveller am I at Thy feet in the dust! Why hast Thou blessed me -to know Thee thus? - -"Thou art the ocean of existence, and Saints and Gods and men and all -Thy creatures are but the uncounted waves that play and stretch and -heave on Thy breast! - -"From Thy abode hast Thou come of Thine own sweet will to give unto all -the power of Thy Love. - -"Dull were my eyes to behold not in Thee the Lord, who stamped on all -things the Name of his Love and with the Name its potency too. - -"O Thou all Beauty and Power and Sweetness and Strength! refuse me not -the bliss to dwell in homage at Thy feet! - -"Thou, who art the cause of all things, who stirrest the root and stem -of all life into love, who art the indestructible Truth of things, Thee -I meditate and worship forever." - -CHAPTER XV. - -In the glad land of Brindāban, the land where Love reigned supreme, -because of the presence of Him who was Love Personified, who was Love -Incarnate and who as a Boy did bless the world with His Being. - -In that land, 'mid childish sport and gladsome frolic, Krishna grew into -beauty of youth. - -Day by day the land became more beautiful in the joyous springtime, and -one day His brother Rāma, he whose growing was beautiful, and who, like -Krishna, was marvelled at for the wonder of his doings, said unto -Krishna: - -"Does not the smell of the forest invite Thee, O brother? Even here the -air is heavy with ripeness of the fruit, that the sweet spring-air hath -brought us. Shall we not go and pluck from the trees and eat our fill of -the fruits that are dropping on the ground in luxuriousness but to -become rotten?" - -"Gladly would we go," said the other boys, "but we fear Dhenuka, of the -demon family, who dwelleth close thereby. It is said that he hath taken -the form of an ass and though he seemeth harmless, yet hath he much -power for evil, which he wieldeth mightily, when he hath a chance to do -so. So, though we would gladly partake of the fallen fruit, yet do we -fear him. But what sayest Thou, Krishna? Thou canst, if Thou wilt, -destroy all who are filled with hate and evil. Wilt Thou and Rāma use -your strength to protect us?" - -"Let us away," quoth Krishna, and in a few moments, heated and full of -laughter, the boys were shaking the trees for the golden-sided fruit, -which seemed to smile upon them in its beauty of ripeness. - -But at the first sound of happiness that reached the ears of the ass, he -rushed in the midst of the youngsters and sought to destroy them, making -Rāma and Krishna the special objects upon which to vent his hatred and -strength. - -For a time both boys dodged hither and thither, trying to turn aside the -anger of the ass; but seeing that it would not be appeased, Rāma caught -him by the hind legs and after swinging him over the heads of the boys a -few times, he dashed his head against the tree and proceeded to aid the -boys in picking the fruit. - -The braying of the ass had brought forth the kith and kin of the Asura, -who dwelt in the forests with him; but they, too, in a brief struggle -were killed by Rāma and Krishna. - -CHAPTER XVI. - -In those days, when Love was predominant and held no place for that -which overcame and destroyed that which could not hold sway there, -because when love is strong and active, then doth evil become feeble and -weak and slinketh away into darkness and deep places, where the light of -love cannot reach in to reveal its blackness unto the light of the sky. - -In the river, on whose bank Krishna, Rāma and the cowherd boys often sat -and sang the deeds of their hero, there dwelt a huge serpent monster -with a thousand hoods, who by the venom of his hideous body did permeate -the water of the lake with deadly poison and filled the air of the -vicinity with a pestilent atmosphere that was deadly in its influence. - -Krishna one day led the boys and cows to this pool, and they, being -athirst, drank of the deadly water that lay still and without a ripple. -Ever is evil inviting in its outward calm. - -But lo! in an instant, the thousand-headed monster lifted its hoods, and -the deadly poison having done its ghastly work, the boys and cows lay on -the bank lifeless, and motionless they fell at the feet of Krishna. - -With a glance of life-giving Love cast upon the dead ones, Krishna -walked to a tree that was close by, while the boys, alive again, in -amazement and wonder gazed at each other, forgetting, in the joy of the -Love in the look that Krishna had cast upon them, the moment before. - -On reaching the top of the tree, Krishna stood for an instant and gazed -at the boys, His world and the serpent, and a light as of molten gold -seemed to come from that body, more lovely than the sun to look upon. - -Thus it was for a moment, then into the deadly pool he plunged, while -the thousand heads of the serpent darted their venomous tongues' and -struck the body till the boys fell into unconsciousness and the cows -groaned in pain, and the men and women, with eyes bulging with fear and -tearing their hair, almost swooned at the sight of the boy, who was God, -crushed in the poisonous embrace of the monster; yet, even as stricken -with horror, they gazed. - -Krishna a glance like light on them cast, and breaking away from the -grasp of the monster, He lightly sprang upon its hooded head and danced -like the stars upon its hoods, till one by one low they were laid; and -vomiting blood that was thick and black, defeated and broken, the -monster sank beneath the waves. - -And with a bound Krishna stood in the midst of His friends who knelt at, -His feet. Then they drew Him within their arms, in the madness of joy at -His safety. - -CHAPTER XVII. - -Oh, grand was the sight of Love, crushing out Hate from the land, and -the Gods sang and shouted and crowded together to see Sin conquered and -Virtue grow strong! - -Yasodā and Nanda, with the Gopas and Gopis maddened with delight, took -Krishna home, while the heavens opened and scattered flowers to carpet -His path. - -And forever the lake was free from the venom the serpent had cast, and -the near-by atmosphere purified was from the pestilent influence that -hovered about there. For the monster at Krishna's command had departed -and sought no more to injure the land. - -But so great was the happiness that overflowed the heart of all, in -leading the boy triumphant through the forest, that they tarried awhile -in the glow of the moon, in their joy to behold the beauty that filled -the night. - -But far in the distance a light was seen that spread wider and broader -its glow, and higher its flame leapt, and every second nearer and nearer -yet it came, like a living sheet of fire. - -And so it was. A castor plantation a burning world had become and -quickly surrounded the merrymakers, who held in their midst the joy of -their hour, and they cried in a fright: "O Krishna, Thou Child—or God, -whatever Thou art, protect us from this death in this roaring flame. We -care not for our lives, O Krishna, for they are thine by our love for -Thee, but oh, the anguish the parting would mean—to die and not see Thy -face again! Oh Thou, who by Thy strength dost slay the Asuras and drive -from the land the serpent all powerful, save us from this, the parting -with Thee and Thy loved companion Rāma, he that is most like Thee. O -Most Lovely One, deliver us, we pray!" - -Light as a leaf in the wind the Boy bounded to meet the coming flames. -For a moment He stood in the seething sea of fire and lifted His hand on -high, and lo, the fire was not—but the flames were seen to enter His -mouth! - -And again, with dancing and singing praise to the Boy, they made for His -home with joy and delight. - -CHAPTER XVIII. - -One summer day Krishna and Rāma and their companions in the shade of the -trees were a-sporting among themselves, when they saw coming toward them -a stranger, a boy, clad as a tender of cows. - -He joined in the games and soon all were merry, but Krishna, the knower -of all, and the all-seeing One, in him beheld an Asura, named Pralamba, -who had come in their midst to bring calamity, though friendship he -feigned. - -Krishna proposed a game to be played by dividing the boys into equal -numbers and fighting, in sport, one with the other. Krishna was chosen -the leader on one side and Rāma the leader on the other. - -The defeated side, it was proposed, must carry on their backs the -winners of the victorious side, and so the play began. - -Krishna's side was defeated, and it was ordered that, among others, -Pralamba, the Asura, carry Rāma on his back. - -Away went the boys, each defeated one carrying on his back a winner. - -Suddenly the boys heard Rāma's voice shouting to them, and behold, the -Asura, by black magic power, a giant had become and was flying through -the forest with Rāma on his back! - -Krishna looked at them, then shouted to Rāma: "Brother, forget not that -Thou art Vishnoo and that I am here!" - -In an instant all fear left the heart of Rāma, and remembering who and -what he was, he was filled with Almighty power and felled the giant with -a heavy blow; and the play went on as before: - -Another time the cows strayed into the forests and were overtaken by a -great conflagration, and like wild beasts they leaped and bellowed -through the forest. - -The boys followed and called, but onward the cows plunged, nor heeded -their voices, till Krishna's voice they heard; then turning they -gathered about Him, seeing naught but the love and power in His eyes. -For the brute is ever stilled by the might of Love; unlike man it -knoweth its power and yieldeth to its force. - -But the boys still turned towards Krishna, full of fear of the -conflagration that threatened to envelop them. He looked at them all, -and their fear was allayed. Then He gazed at the fire and asked the boys -their eyes to close. This, they did, and when they looked again, the -flames were no more to be seen. - -Such was the Yoga-power of Sree Krishna, and the boys seeing His -wonderful acts knew that Krishna was more than boy. - -And joyous were they and gathered flowers and leaves that grew in great -abundance at the foot of the trees, and they all wove them into garlands -of white, purple, and red, and wound them about Krishna's neck, and also -bedecked each other with flowers and threw wreaths about the cows' necks -and the calves' and homeward they wended their way in the twilight, just -as the sun was sinking to rest. - -The birds ceased their sleepy chirp and opened their eyes wide, and -sleep left the flowers that nodded near the roadside, and the sun stood -in space a moment to watch the procession that galloped down the road. - -Krishna, the Beautiful, came in the lead, bedecked and beflowered. The -spirit of life He was, with a transfiguring glory in His face, and His -eyes full of softness and love-light. His body all graceful in curves to -behold, yet strong in the vigor of youth, that shone through its grace. - -With His hands on the necks of His two favorite cows, those who ever -followed Him about as a child, the white on His right side, the black on -His left, homeward they ran, while the white dust arose and covered and -caressed them; one after the other, each bedecked with garlands, and -each boy between two cows, who like them were wreathed with wild -flowers. - -And the elder Gopis and Gopas held their breath at the sight, so -entrancing, that reached their eyes at the home-coming of the boys and -their cows, bedecked and beflowered with the sweet wild flowers, and -headed by Him whom they loved. - -CHAPTER XIX. - -Thus spring ripened into summer and autumn, and again the rolling -seasons touched upon the heels of one another; and Krishna grew into -greater beauty with each season of His earthly career. - -More and more the people of Brindāban became absorbed in Him. The young -and old, those near and far, looked upon Him as one without whom they -could not exist. - -And so it was, the complete whole was He of whom they were but parts, -and ever were they reaching to again find the Heart out of which they -had sprung. - -His smile was to them the sun that warmed, His words the flowers which -filled them with joy, His deeds the fruits which satisfied the hunger of -their hearts. - -The very quick of their lives He was; and nothing lived, breathed, -bloomed, or grew in Brindāban, from the people to the cattle, creeping -things and all that grew, that did not draw life from the Lord that -dwelt as Youth among them. - -And the milk-maids, who in loving companionship oft with him roamed to -the hillside where with the other boys he tended the cattle, would in -fond love contemplate the Youth, knowing not what the potency was that -drew them, forgetful of all duties, to His side. - -And among themselves they would speak thus: "Oh, how sweet is the -hillside, when Krishna is near, how sublime is His countenance and His -eyes how beautiful with piercing love-light filled! Serene doth He -stand, yet bewilderingly entrancing is the joy that comes to our souls -by His glances that seek us in softness and kindness." - -"Was aught as beautiful," they were wont to say, "as our Krishna, -clothed in blue and gold, with the crown of peacock feathers on His brow -and a garland of fresh flowers festooned from His shoulders? Why is it, -that flowers that girdle Him thus never fade or wither or die, but -deeper their colors and stronger their petals and sweeter their -fragrance are, when in contact with Him they have come? And the fields -where He walketh, see how they smile and give their treasures in greater -abundance! And the rivers close by, they rise high on our land, as if to -dwell longer on our banks, because our Krishna is here. - -"At the notes of his flute, all exquisite, whose potent spell must charm -all the living, see how His cattle do greet Him and tremble and thrill -at the sound of the music! And even the untamed things of the forest, -with wistful look and nostrils spread, unbidden and unafraid, do stand -on the crest of the hill, as if drawn and subdued by the influence of -His love-sound! - -"Oh, the sound of His flute is proof against the iron-moulded mind and -can soothe a very giant of fierceness into gentleness by its sweetness! -Checked is every fear, and rebellion is laid low in every heart, and a -kingdom of love every home becomes wherein that sound hath pierced. -Ofttimes it seemeth that time itself doth suit its step to keep pace -with its rhythm, for, note ye not, how the sun doth stand, loath to -move, lest the sight and sound it loseth? - -"Oh, why are we not the flute He holds to His lips! Blessed beyond all -things it is, for His kisses it receives, and drinks the nectar of His -love to its fill. What wonder that it joys to give the sound forth that -His breath doth make! - -"Or, why are we not the trees, under which He sitteth and whose branches -He counteth with happy gaze, or even the grass, where He reclineth, that -hath the dear privilege to caress His sweet body in lowly love? But we -can only look on His face and die with longing, when from Him we go." - -Thus spake the maids, but their tongues could not tell what bliss -overflowed the heart, welling up with love for Him, who wakened in every -heart the love that was all divine,—from the babe's first smile to the -man who looked first on the glorious earth, and then to the arched sky, -and then in His heart, and found there a sum of love that was all bliss. - -In Krishna, the Youth, who played the flute in the forests by night, on -the hillside by day, in Him, who charmed all that was, they beheld the -fulness of Love. - -He gave them and received all bliss. He was the Spring of Love that had -the more for the giving. He satisfied the most when many did draw from -His well-spring. - -To the heart of all mothers He came as a child, and in tenderness and -joy they caressed Him as such. Like a flower dropped untouched from -heaven they held Him. - -The men He approached as a friend and a son, and gave and received the -love that they craved and felt. - -The servant too He met in the way He sought to be known, and by Him he -was served and did serve. - -Thus to all He gave what they craved to have. Unstinted, unfettered He -was in the giving, and none was there in all that land that sought and -could not find what their hearts did seek. - -And to the maids who opened their pure young hearts for the all-enduring -mysterious love. He gave, of His inexhaustible source, the sweet touch -that harmonized all things and made the heaven and earth to meet. - -All kindred were they, for He was their Parent, and their love was but -part of His holy flame. - -And with the light from that flame there awakened within them that which -knew but Love, which was but Love; and Krishna it was who filled all -their being, and outward consciousness to them was lost. - -Hail to thy maiden-love, O Gopi! Thy love the triumph of man and God! -The crown of Time's blessedness it was! O climax of Happiness Complete! - -CHAPTER XX. - -When the days of fasting came, the Gopis, as the Scriptures commanded, -began their worship by taking their baths in the sacred river Jumnā. - -O happy waves, more holy made by the maids, who stood in prayers in thy -beds and threw on thy bosom the sweetest lowers that grew where -Krishna's feet had fallen! - -Thus they worshipped each day for a month in the early morn ere the sun -was seen, singing on their way the songs of love and praise for Krishna, -who was the first and the last and middle of all their day. - -One morning whilst sporting and singing in the clear cooling waters, -they beheld on the limbs of a tree close by the youth Krishna, enthroned -in its branches and holding their wearing apparel in His hands. - -Crowned as usual with flowers was He, but a look all majestic was in His -eye. - -Affrighted with shame they begged for their garments, but Krishna -replied: "Come and get your garments either in a body or singly, O -damsels, and salute to the sun shining over My head as near you -approach." - -For a moment they hesitated; then that which as a shadow had crossed -their heart, and is known as shame, departed from them, and saluting -forward they came in a body led by Rādhā, the loveliest and chiefest of -the milk-maids, and dripping and lovely before Him they stood. -Completely they had surrendered their human will to the will of Him who -was Divinity. - -Selfless, unyoked from all that was worldly, before Him they stood. -Uncovered and free as they came from His Heart, again on that Heart they -gazed unashamed, for their souls were not covered with vice, or with -piety, or even with virtue, but were bare as the Love upon which they -looked. - -They received the garments that He for them had. He, Krishna, the source -of pure Love was, and His garments to them were spiritual purity, and -clothing themselves with the clothes of His giving, they joyfully went -to the homes of their fathers. - -While Krishna, surveying His world, was enthroned in His kingdom of -Love, and as the Gopis came to the feet of Him, who was the author of -all Love, so all must come empty and free from all earthly desires to -accept that Love for Love's sake. - -For naught cared the Gopis but Krishna, desiring naught else beside! So -only can Love Absolute be gained in absolute self-surrender. - -He who would have that Love that is its own enjoyment, that Love that a -universe unto itself is, doth not find it easy to obtain it by merit of -piety or even the fruition of highest spirituality. - -The bounds of all spirituality it must pass to become the Absolute and -Causeless Love. Where spirituality ends, there causeless Love doth -begin! - -All love that hath a cause is of earth! Love that hath even a high -spiritual cause is limited in scope, and such love may vanish when its -cause is removed. - -But the Love that is Causeless, All Enduring is. - -It fadeth not, neither doth it pass away, but by day and by night and -throughout all time it waketh and accumulateth ever, for it is the Love -Absolute! - -From the souls of the Gopis the last trace of heaven and earth had -vanished, and being resplendent with the glory of this Love Absolute, of -the Love that was unto itself substance and satisfaction, was the -causeless cause for this Gift of all gifts from the hand of Him who -alone could bestow it and alone was that Love Itself. - -CHAPTER XXI. - -The summer sun beat down fiercely upon the Gopas and the cattle, when -Krishna turned to them, saying: - -"See the wonder of these trees! Kind, beyond expression, are they. They -ask for naught, but what the earth, sky, and sun, the night and day give -unto them; yet in all loyalty they grow and give shade unto us, and unto -all that wish to partake of their shade. - -"Their fruits also do they give and their bark and leaves and juices, to -all who desire it. - -"So should man also be, but few are there among men that live but to -bestow blessings upon others. - -"Yet unto you, I say: O my loved companions, only unto them that give of -their abundance to all that come within their radius, unto them alone is -life a blessing and not a curse. - -"All men are placed here not of their own free will, not yet unto -themselves, but by the will of Love and for others. - -"And only as the law of give and take is set in operation among men, is -man living a natural life. - -"Ofttimes doth the man wonder why he is unto himself a huge perplexity. - -"It is only when he forgets his relationship to all mankind that his -life a riddle is, and this being so, he comprehendeth not the Maker of -himself nor the universe, and failing to do so, how can he know life -aright?" - -After sporting among themselves, the boys spoke to Krishna, saying: - -"O Krishna! a-hungered are we; where, oh where shall we find food? Canst -Thou not assist us?" - -And Krishna answered them, saying: "Go thou yonder where many Brāhmans -are performing religious ceremonies; go to them and in My name say unto -them to supply us with food. Say unto them that Krishna is wanting, and -ask them therefor." - -The boys went; but when they delivered unto them the message of Krishna, -the Brāhmans answered not, neither gave them the food they wished, but -proceeded with the ceremonies that were to give them the taste of -Heaven, after the breath had left their bodies. - -Tired and half famished the boys returned unto Krishna and told Him of -their failure to obtain food and also of the indifference with which the -Brāhmans had received His message. - -Then Krishna smiled wisely and told them to hurry to the wives of the -Brāhmans. He knowing that women are ever devotional and have -illumination, while ofttimes men in darkness are. - -And so it was. On hearing Krishna's request, they themselves hastened to -Him, in spite of the protestations and threats of the men of the -families, and brought food of the finest sorts unto Him, and prostrating -themselves before Him, spake: "O Krishna! Thou Maker of all there is! -Blessed are we and ours that Thou hast called upon us to serve Thee I We -know Thee, O Krishna, as one greater and nearer to us than our husbands, -brothers and fathers; and even at the risk of their displeasure to us, -we come to Thee to lay at Thy feet our poor offerings and our hearts." - -Krishna answered: "O women! Noble and true are ye to Me. Ye in your -devotions have learned to know Me as your soul! Dearer to ye am I, even -than father, husband and friends, hence at the risk of even their -displeasure do yet seek to serve Me. - -"I draw unto Me all that reach towards Me! Blessed are ye among men! Go -back to those who are performing the ceremonies and aid them in their -rituals. Kindly shall they receive ye, and unto them will ye take My -love even as unto ye all I bestow it." - -When He saw the reluctance with which they departed from Him, He said: -"Know that in the Kingdom of Love separation cannot be, and whatever -heart doth meditate on Me, in that heart I dwell in all My glory. - -"Again, oh know, that by deeds I reckon ever and not by words. Ye have -served Me by deeds, your husbands in their ignorance by words alone. But -do ye go unto them and they too shall know and love the Name of -Krishna." - -And the women returned unto their husbands who received them with -demonstrations of pleasure, and they too worshipped Krishna in their -homes and hearts. - -CHAPTER XXII. - -When the summer was over, one day Krishna saw that great preparations -were being made for the celebration of ceremonies in honor of one of the -gods. - -Clothed in seeming ignorance, Krishna said to Nanda: - -"Why these preparations, O father, and for whom are they made, and what -is the potency thereof? Is it a custom that through all time hath been -observed, or, tell me, do the Scriptures demand that these ceremonies be -held?" - -Then Nanda, answering, said: "We offer to-day sacrifices to him, the god -of the clouds, to him who watereth our hill-sides and giveth drink to -our crops and out cattle, to him, Indra, the god who promoteth all -growth by the blessing of rain, which he doth supply. A jealous god is -he, O my Krishna, and desires that ceremonials and sacrifices often are -made; and we in all humbleness strive to appease him, that in his wrath -he may not withhold the moisture from our land, nor yet flood us with -over much rain." - -Then Krishna replied: "My father, He, who is the Author of All, doth -give unto all what is needed. - -"He that in wrath withholdeth a blessing, he never the love of creation -hath known; nor doth he destroy what he hath created. - -"For the Creator doth ever love His creation; for that, which from Him -hath come, must forever belong to Hint and the part is of His Great -Whole. - -"So Indra cannot curse this land by overmuch rain or dearth of it. - -"But, O my father, tell the Gopas and Gopis to cease the preparations -and worship not one who would destroy that which he should forever -bless. - -"But come to the hillside that entwines our land, the hills and plains -that furnish us with sustenance for our cattle, and to the forests, too, -where fruits grow in plenty and give of their abundance to all who but -take it. - -"Come there and give to the hill and the trees our sacrifices of joy and -love, and feed the cows with offerings of fresh grasses, and walk with -me around the hill in ceremonial procession and we shall see their worth -and their kindness." - -They did so, and Krishna said unto them: - -"I am the Hill and the good that therefrom doth come." And his body -became of a height and length that the eye of man scarce could measure, -and said: "Do ye salute it and partake of its good!" - -At that the rain poured down from the skies in fearful abundance and the -people in fear fled to their houses, afraid of the wrath of Indra. - -Seven days it poured and threatened to flood all the land. But Krishna -smiled at the wrath of Indra, as he poured down his mighty rains and -rolled his thunder in threatening claps above the heads of the -affrighted people, who had dared to neglect the sacrifices to him who -through all ages had been honored by them. - -In their calamity the people sought out Krishna, whom they found at the -foot of the hill Gobardhana. - -The light of His body lit the darkness of night far more than the -flashes of Indra's wrath that in lightning burst forth. "O Krishna!" -they cried, "Thou who by Thy Yoga power can assume the form of a -mountain at will, Thou who dost drive from the path of Thy feet all that -unlike Thy sweet will is, save us from the wrath of him who even now -doth seek to drive us from out of life." - -And Krishna lifted His hand and eye, and lo, all their fear was allayed. - -Then all the world grew light as day from the glory that radiated from -His body, and by His Yoga power He lifted the hill itself from off its -base and held it on high, on the tip of his fifth finger, even as the -beetle doth hold on his horns the leaf that covereth him completely. - -The people gathered beneath the hill with their children and cattle. -Seven days they were there, and seven days Krishna held the hill above -their heads, while the light that came from His smile illuminated all -the space between the hill and its foundation. - -Then Indra, amazed, looked down from his clouds and knew that the Lord -of All was there, and had baffled his attempt to destroy what He, the -Lord of all Love, had created. And the rain ceased its downpouring and -the rivers became calm and the sun in its glory burst forth again. And -flowers uplifted their water-drenched heads and the trees sprang back -storm-tossed no more. - -And Krishna said to those whom he had sheltered: - -"Depart in peace, and fear no more the wrath of him who thought to -destroy where he could not give life." - -And Indra, the god of the clouds, descended to earth, and falling at the -feet of Him, in abject humility said: - -"O Lord I Thou art the Holy One! Puffed up and proud was I in my power -and saw myself greater even than Thou. - -"Well know I now that Love is the greatest power; and I, in my smallness -of godship, insolent and destructive became. I sought the praise that is -ever due to Thee, O Lord of Love; for unto resistless Love alone praise -should be given. But my vanity and pride I tried to shield by the power -which Thou didst endow me with. - -"I thought that I it was who brought the life to all trees and by my -power kept the hills in green and the forests in wondrous foliage, and -gave drinks to the cows and plenty to the rivers. And for it I longed to -see men perform the ceremonies and pray to me. - -"But to Thee, O Lord of Love! is due all the glory; by Thee alone am I -invested with power. Do Thou in Thy greatness forgive me, while I in -humbleness do bow to Thy Lotus Feet." - -And Krishna threw a glance at Indra that filled him with a great wild -joy, and said: - -"O Indra! Though I invested thee with sovereignty by My will, be not -overfull of pride! For this I have stopped the ceremonies, so that thou -mayest learn to know Me, whom thou in thy prosperity hadst quite -forgotten. - -"Go to thy abode, Indra, rule thy dominion; but know ever that pride and -vanity are without power, and that Love alone is mighty. - -"To lighten the burdens of all My world, I have come to earth. - -"I now lift from thee the load which hath caused thee to forget Me, and, -in forgetting Me, to have lost the beauty which was born of Me." - -And with the halo of joy about him, Indra returned to his abode, endowed -with greater power. - -CHAPTER XXIII. - -And now autumn,[3] the sweetest and richest season of all the glad year, -had come; and the brow of Brindāban was fair to look upon. - -Peace and love stood on every threshold and walked on every roadway, and -all lifted up their voices, and the words of their gladness was Love, -Love! - -In the hearts of all the song rose and showed them pleasant ways and -haunts that ended in Bliss. Men knew gratitude and justice, which are -the attributes of Love. - -Love walked on earth and left its blessing in its trail I The flowers -whispered their love to one another and the dew clung closer to their -petals, because of the warmth of their love. - -All the land seemed to have ripened into the deepest beauty, for the -Beauty of Love here was King. - -And Krishna was King and reigned in every heart, and all bowed before -the majesty of the beauty of His Love. - -A substitute it was for all things and satisfied the want of each heart, -entrancing every object and person by its beauty. - -O wonder of Love, that expanded each soul and made it a world of joy and -bliss! - -In this happy time, when the moon was full, Krishna recalled a promise -He had made to the Gopis to reward them richly for their love for Him. - -So, taking His flute. He went to the forests and stood on the brow of -the hill. - -All about the white moonlight lay, bathing in silver the fruit trees in -blossom; soft the winds were, and rich the fragrance that they brought -on their breezes. - -The noises of night alone could be heard. - -And surveying His world with love-filled eyes, Krishna took up His flute -and poured forth the strains that never were heard by man or god until -that night on the moon-kissed hill, when all Brindāban in peace did -smile. - -At the sound of those strains, all earth was thrilled in ecstasy. The -rocks melted in love; the trees trembled, and the flowers fell on the -earth, and men and beasts all pain forgot. - -And the Gopis knew that Call of Love. Nor heeded they duties, or father, -or husband, or children, but turning their heart to the sound of the -flute, they followed their heart to Krishna's Feet. - -At the first note, she who was feeding her household, dropped her food -and followed the sound; and she who was nursing her babe, put her babe -from her breast and answered the call; another came with toilet -incomplete. - -All forsook duties, husband and children, to find Him who drew them by -the sound that was made by His Love. - -Separately they came, none observing the other. Over thorns and briars -and stones they walked; sharp twigs caught their hair, branches detained -them; yet heeded they not these obstacles, but onward they went with -hands torn and feet bleeding and garments rent and missing, till they -stood at the hill where Sree Krishna played and drew from the flute the -music entrancing, at which all the rocks and earth did thrill. - -With eyes maddened with love they gazed on Him there! A wondrous vision -was He! - -The light of the noon-day radiated from Him, and His beautiful eyes with -mysterious glances fell on their souls like holy balm! - -And at that glance their souls were entranced and deepened and became as -if one with Him and drank of the love that from Him poured; and all that -in them unlike Him was, became as pure as He. - -And that which in them unlike that Love was, from out of their hearts -had flown; and made pure and transparent in that glad place, they drank -of that love which doth chain all creation to its Creator—Love. - -Entirely blessed, they sought no more, nor hoped they more; for each -held Perfection in her eyes, and each knew Perfect Love in her heart. - -CHAPTER XXIV. - -Silent they stood and gazed on the Beauty, the concentrated love of a -world in each eye. - -A spiritual force that swept from its path all matter was theirs, as -they beheld that Centre to which their hearts did gravitate. - -The strains of the flute that made the heaven to bend to the earth, that -brought the stars closer to the hillsides, and drew the gods from their -abodes of light, had ceased; and the voice of Him that was All-Love fell -on the ears of the Gopis in sound as sweet as the flute's dear strains: - -"O Gopis mine, maids of Braja! My peace and greeting be with you all! -But why are ye here one and all? Tell Me this! - -"The hour is late, and your homes at a distance are, and the forests are -dark, and wild beasts are in plenty. And alone ye have come without -husband, or father! - -"What is it, pray tell Me, that brings you here? Is it love for Me that -brings you here? I draw all to Myself and all love Me. - -"But, O Gopis dear, the Scriptures ever have said that the chaste woman -leaveth not her husband, father and babe, to look on the face of a -youth. - -"Pure are your hearts, I know; but it is not good that ye come to Me, -and it looseneth your chances to reach that place where all of your -hearts do long to dwell, when to your bodies ye have said farewell. - -"Perhaps ye have come to see the forest, silvered by the autumn full -moon! Or mayhap to greet the breezes that come from the hillsides! Or -the blossoms of the trees that grace its sides to behold! If this be so, -now ye have seen them, depart to your homes, lest the hearts of your -friends be alarmed at your absence." - -The bevy of women, that crowded about Him, grew pale with pain and ashen -with fear. Tears came to their eyes and anxiety to their souls, as they -heard the words of Him who was all in all to them; till one, more brave -than the rest, broke forth: - -"O Lord, for the Master of Love art Thou, send us not away from Thy -side. All have we left to serve Thee, our Master. Husbands have we, and -fathers and brothers, but to Thee alone we belong. They are but the -keepers of our earthly bodies: Thou art the custodian of our souls. - -"Our souls are Thine, for Thou art the Soul from which we came; and -panting we come to find again the Home wherein to rest. - -"Difficult art Thou to find, O Lord! and now we have found Thee, Oh -thrust us not from Thy Lotus Feet, we who find our joy and happiness in -Thee! - -"Thy flute hath drawn us from our homes! Oh, suffer us to remain with -Thee and know Thee as Thou art! Unable are we to live without Thy love, -O Lord! and our duties of home cannot engage us since our minds are ever -contemplating Thee. - -"If Thou sendest us away, we shall die. Be Thou kind to us, Thy -servants, and grant us to serve Thee with our Love." - -Then singing into their midst He came, He the Lord of the Highest, the -Lord of Love and Lord of the Lowest and Lord of Mercy! And with mighty -Love swayed He all alike. And each self was forgotten and Love alone -was. - -Now singing in chorus, now dancing, now skipping, the Lord and his -maidens in those forest groves roamed, till the river was reached. - -Then, from over-much pleasure, proud each maid became, and her simple -joy to vanity was turned because thus she was favored by Krishna, the -youth Krishna, the Heavenly One, Krishna, the Glorious of all glorious -ones! - -He, noting this, to punish the sin of vanity, in swiftness from them -vanished; and with his going the sin was gone. - -Maddened by love, the maids pleaded to the skies and the trees and the -flowers for Him, who was their life. But still He came not. - -So absorbed in Him they became, themselves they forgot, and even as -Krishna they thought they were. And imitating His acts they cried to one -another: "Lo, I am Krishna! See, I hold the mountains on high! Lo, -Putanā I slay and baffle the rage of Indra with my power!" And still -came He not. - -Then they sang His praises, then with breaking hearts they wailed and -prayed for Him to return to their midst. At this He came, for ever is -the Lord most kind to the lowly and sorrowing. - -And He soothed their grief and brought light to their hearts; and -forming a circle about Him, in ecstasy they danced. And now He, that was -the King of the upper world and of all the earth, of the plants and -oceans and clustering stars. He, the Lord of all might and Yoga power, -Himself divided into many Krishnas; and each Gopi thought she, herself, -danced alone with the Glorious One that as Krishna was known. - -And the dance began lightly, then madder became; and He who had come on -earth to teach man Love, manifested Himself in every maid that lightly -and rarely stepped at His side, as they danced in that grove on that -wondrous night. - -And the lotus blossoms wept tears of nectar on seeing the dance, and -birds and bees from unknown trees and flowers came forth and whirled -round and round the heads of the dancing ones. - -And the heavens showered blossoms rare, and the gods who had stolen from -their abode to watch the Feast of Love that Krishna gave to the lovely -milkmaids, lo, senseless became at the first sight of that revel of -Bliss! - -And night throbbed and panted and forgot to draw its curtain to let day -in, but lengthened into aeons. - -The veil from every Gopi's eye was drawn, and they gazed into the ocean -of active spirituality and spiritual became. And all sin that were -theirs no more was there. - -And in that mighty dance a flood of spirituality went forth that took -from the heart of men and the bosom of earth the sins with which they -were burdened withal. And men's hearts were won by the force of that -Love and were led to the door of that sacred abode, where only the -loving may go. - -And the Gopis, who by force were detained and could not come to the -dance with Krishna, lo, in meditation sat, and in deep pain concentrated -on Him, and in that dance they were at His side and felt His -love-embrace, and all their sins were as naught. - -For to touch Krishna, with the mind alone, was to gain spirituality and -stand pure in His eyes. - -So in those hours of intensest happiness the world gained what for -births it had striven to gain. And active love was ripe among mortals, -and that love had wiped all sin away. - -And when the last ray of the moon was seen, into the waters of the -laughing river they plunged; and ere the sun with ardent eye did awaken -the sleeping Brindāban, each maiden singing homeward went, transformed -into a being of unalloyed love. - -CHAPTER XXV. - -In the forest grove of moonlight, where the river sweetly hummed, where -the nightbird's plaintive chant broke in ecstasy the silence, where the -drooping flowers opened wide their sleep-kissed eyelids to the night and -beheld the wondrous vision of the dancing maids and Krishna. - -In that hour when every maiden felt her heart grow big to bursting for -the love that in her swelled up in that hour, when every maiden saw -beside her Glorious Krishna, with His brow made fair with flowers and -His loins wreathed with lotus, when the heart of each sweet maiden -foolish because of pride, as she saw the one All Beauteous, lightly -treading at her side to the music of the dance. - -One there was of all those Gopis, she the chiefest of them all, one who -knew naught else but Him; every thought of self had vanished, every -thought of aught but Him. - -At His side she lightly stepped nor felt the grass 'neath her feet, nor -knew the strains of rapturous music that fell like wine upon each heart; -all she knew was Love was there, naught but this remembered she. - -To the winds that came from hillsides, to the shadows that the trees -cast, did she whisper over and over that confession of her love, till -over-weighed by the sweet burden, did the winds, in languorous love, -chant and sigh, then die in silence. - -And the shadows of the trees trembled at the depth of love that the maid -did whisper to them as He passed them in the dance. - -Rādhā was she, youthful, lovely, she. His playmate of the forest, she, -with love-look in her face, she, the Queen of Love among them, giving -all and asking naught. - -By the mighty will of Him she had come on earth to dwell, she, who ever -reigned with Him in Glory, she now walked with Him on earth. - -She, the fairest of these maidens, she the rarest of them all, knowing -Love in its intensity, living all its bliss. - -And when He, the Lord of Love, vanished from the dancing Gopis, she, -sweet Rādhā, with Him vanished. - -And they wandered in the deep groves, these, the Twain, Who in Glory -dwelt, she the loving, He the Lover, both the Blissful, both the Purest. - -He the dew-kissed flowers gathered, twining them about the maiden. But -the flowers in their beauty were not half as fair as she; and sweet -Rādhā, pearl of maidens, gazed with love-light in her eyes, knowing -naught was half so lovely as the hands that placed them there. - -Thus 'they roamed in shadowy moonlight, rested here in softened shadows, -chanting love-songs to each other, knowing naught but pure delight, till -a-wearied with her roaming, Rādhā begged to cool her feet in the smiling -waves of Jumnā, that she spied there in the moonlight. - -Krishna, greatest of all lovers, lightly stooped to lift the maiden, and -in loving arms to bear her where the smiling waters rippled. - -But within the breast of Rādhā, at that act, pride sprang to being, and -within that home of Love vanity crept and nestled there. - -For a moment Krishna held her, then with lightning swiftness from her -side He vanished. - -But in that twinkle of a moment Rādhā knew what her sin was and, aware -of her enemy, the selfless love, which was her Self, her deity supreme, -arose and quenched all thirst of vanity. - -Quickly gliding through the forest, she again did join the Gopis, spying -in the further distance Krishna soothing one and all. To His side she -lightly stepped, she, the radiant, she. His Heaven-Mate, purged from sin -and lightly clothed with the love that knew but Him. - -CHAPTER XXVI. - -While the land of Brindāban was rich in the love which Krishna flooded -it withal, the heart of Kangsa, the brother of Devaki, was filled with -fear for his life; for it was known to his quaking heart that the eighth -child of Devaki still walked the earth, and also he knew that writ it -was that the hand of that child would lay him low. - -Far and wide he sought the child, the boy, whom he felt was the God who -had come to bring to the virtuous and lowly man peace, and sweep from -the land the oppressor and tyrant. - -The marvelous deeds of Sree Krishna, his beauty and strength, the might -of his love, had been heralded far and wide, and all the then known -world was turned towards the forest land of Brindāban with expectant eye -and thirsting heart. For ever the heart of man doth pant for and turn to -the place where love doth dwell. - -When tales of Krishna's wonderful life and glorious deeds came to the -ears of Kangsa, he felt that the boy whom Yasodā and Nanda reared as -their own, in sweet Brindāban, was the child that he sought to kill when -it came from the womb of Devaki, and when by the hand of fate itself he -had been baffled. - -And the dull, hungry flame of hatred and anger rose like fire in this -bad man's heart, and an atmosphere as of hell about him rose, and all -his peace slipped to the dust, and his secret fear that like a coiled -serpent had lain in silence now uncurled its length and lifted its head -and darted here and there to strike the prey that aroused it from its -slumber. - -And long he sat and meditated evil against the youth that he could not -slay in spite of his kingship. For the Name of Krishna was a balm to the -hearts of all men who had ever heard it spoken, and though king he was -and ruler over many, he knew that the strength of the fame of Krishna, -the boy bred in Brindāban, more potency possessed than the name of -Kangsa, the king. For he was ruler over the bodies of men only. - -His name dwelt on the tongues of men who prattled with words alone, and -those words embodied not the thought from which they sprang—words that -praised where praises were not due, and applauded where it was not -deserved. - -Men who dared not note the indignity of his motives and their results, -nor discriminate between the righteousness of his action and his -blood-dyed deeds, vexed his ears with fawning acclamations to-day -because of his power, yet to-morrow blamed and hissed him out of sight. - -But Krishna was ruler over all hearts by the might of his wondrous love. -He was the Divine Incarnation, the Inner Call, the satisfied softness -that all felt, compelling all, yet demanding naught. Uncovered, frank. -He stood forth inviting all to look on Him to Know and to love and be -saved,—too deep for the human understanding to measure, too large for -human heart to embrace, yet acquainting each man with Himself. - -This love still untaught, still gazing on Him who was all encased in -love, all made of love, all teeming with love, they knew themselves of -His creation, and Him their Sovereign Lord. - -And Kangsa knew that by knowing Him the world would boldly recoil from -the sickening deeds of his cruelty, the foul plots of his life, would be -laid bare to all, and the world in rebellion would rise. And he knew, -too, that he in his worldly powers as a weakling would be, by the side -of the cow-herd Krishna. - -So among his councillors an edict went forth that festivities be held in -honor of the Bow, on the fourteenth day of the lunar month, and that -sacrifices in great abundance be made. - -He also said unto them that preparations be made, and pavillions be -raised, and the arena cleared, and the amphitheatre festooned with -flowers and banners; and proclamations were issued that all the -inhabitants of his whole kingdom be invited to his capital and that the -people of Braja be included therein. - -And last he sent his ambassador in great pomp and glory to call to his -palace the seventh son of Devaki, Balarām, and the eighth son, Krishna, -to witness the sports and partake in the wrestling contests and show to -the kingdom their dexterity and strength. - -Thus spoke Kangsa, and called to Akrura and made him the ambassador that -was to bring Krishna and Rāma to Mathura. But this also he ordered: -"When here they are brought, see that the strongest and mightiest -wrestlers of my kingdom be brought to match them and fairly or foully to -lay them low." And he added: "If here death fails to meet them withal, -keep the infuriated elephant close to the gate, so that he in his -madness may tread out the life of Krishna at my command." These were his -orders, and Akrura, his ambassador, bowing to him, departed to Braja. - -CHAPTER XXVII. - -The sun was setting in Braja, and Krishna, with companions was homeward -leading the cows to be milked. - -The hills were gold-tipped. The chirp of the birds in sleepy echoes fell -on the ear, when far in the distance the hoofs of stamping steeds -pounding the earth caused the boys to turn. Coming in royal splendor -towards them they beheld a chariot with blazing banners of the colors of -the royal house of Mathura. - -The boys stood in amazement as nearer the chariot came; but Krishna -smiled with His eye full of wisdom, and aslant He looked toward the boys -and the cows and then at Akrura, the ambassador, who came in the -chariot. - -At that glance, Akrura quickly descended and fell at the feet of Krishna -and saluted Him in reverence and worship, for the dart of love that came -from Krishna revealed to the heart of Akrura that Krishna was more than -human and not less than divine. - -With that glance his soul was drawn to the soul of Him who stood there -to receive him and his message. And he knew that the Author of Life he -beheld and that blessed he was beyond all measure to be chosen to look -on that wonderful face. - -A moment he lay in the dust, at the feet of the youth,—Akrura, the -proud, the inmate of palaces, the councilor and companion of the king -and emperor. - -Then, with kindly grace, Krishna raised him and embraced him and led him -forth to the house of Nanda, and with His own hands brought rich drinks -and choice viands, with the countenance that had on it the glow of the -sun, and the beauty that surpassed all the beauty ever seen. - -And having partaken of the meal with His father and brother and guest, -Krishna addressed him thus: "O friend, long I knew of this coming of -thine and marvelled at its delay. Yet tell them, my kinsman, the errand -of the on which thou wert sent!" - -Then Akrura related to Nanda and the fear-stricken Yasodā the king's -message, his plans and his evil design. - -A smile of wisdom flitted over the face of Krishna, as He nestled close -to the side of His mother and bade her forget her anxiety for Him, as -none there was in all the world that could harm Him. He vowed that even -the most dreaded Kangsa was powerless to bring about the evil he -planned. - -But the mother, Yasodā, she who had reared and nourished the Child at -her heart, she who had caressed His lovely baby softness and with -fondness saw his first toddling steps, she could not be comforted, nor -would her heart cease its beating of pain and terror. - -And Akrura related how Kangsa in wrath had thrown Devaki and Vāsudeva -into prison, on hearing that Krishna was the eighth son of their union. -And Yasodā wept as the thought of the mother who had lost all her sons -at the cost of Krishna, and yet had not the blessing of suckling Him. - -Yasodā, most blessed of all women art thou, who nursed the Lord of Love -as thy son! And fitted wert thou by Him to bestow on His baby life thy -caresses and receive the love that flowed from Him! - -Worthy wert thou to croon Him to sleep, to bathe the sweet beauty of Him -who, though He had all there was, yet chose to be soothed and guided and -directed by thee in His babyhood! - -And when to boyhood's estate He grew and startled all the world by the -wonder of His doing, to thee He came as a little child, to be loved and -petted and soothed of His weeping and fretting! - -And now when called king of the land, and called king by the hearts of -the whole known world that panted to look upon His wonderful beauty and -see the might of His strength, even now close to thy heart He nestles, -and twines His arms about thy neck, and gazes with love-light into thine -eyes to comfort thee, and feels a shadow mantle His heart as He banishes -the pain from thy brow! - -For well He knows that no more to thee the forest child He will be; for -the world now claims Him as its own, and in His bigger world an actor He -must be. - -Thus heart to heart they sit, the mother and the foster-son. He who was -Lord of all the world, and she who reared him as a child. - -CHAPTER XXVIII. - -So night wore away, and in the early morning hours Akrura was ready to -start on the journey with Rāma and Krishna. - -But great was the wail and heartrending the lamentations that came from -the hearts of the Gopis. - -With tear-filled eyes they rushed to His home and pleaded and prayed -that He stay in their midst; for to them life seemed impossible without -Him, and Brindāban could not be blessed when He ceased to walk thereon. -And what would the cattle and flowers and trees do without the sound of -His love-touched flute? - -"Oh, remain with us, Krishna, O Lord of our hearts! Oh, keep close to -our land, Most Beautiful One! - -"Broken are our hearts, bowed low our spirit at the thought of our lives -without Thy presence to cheer us. Dull are our minds and leaden our -hearts by the pain of Thy going. - -"Oh, leave us not in this ocean of sorrow, but stay where we ever may -look on Thy face. - -"O Thou who shapest all that is, who hast knitted our hearts to Thyself! -how canst Thou tear it away from us who know the sweetness of its love -and the fruits that spring therefrom? - -"Once having known Thy smile, O Krishna! how can we bear the dawning of -day without the light of Thy smile, in which the concentrated beauty of -Thy whole creation lies, to fill it and make each day whole? - -"And how can we see the shadows of night thicken and darken, and know -that no more we will roam in forest and dance in the moonlight with -Thee, our Beloved? - -"Oh! depart not from us, Thou in whom we are buried, Thou whose love -doth envelop us all, Thou whose universe-embrace around us is entwined! -Oh! go not from out our midst, we implore Thee!" - -Thus, tearing their tresses and weeping, the Gopis clung to the wheels -of the chariot in which Krishna and Rāma sat ready to start on their -journey to Mathura. - -Then Krishna arose, and looking deep in the eye of each, he waved his -hand in farewell, an€ left the smile of Bliss with them that filled each -soul to overflowing. Then forward the restless chargers plunged, the -dust rising high and quite covering the chariot. - -The maids stood like hewn marble, still yet serene. And the cattle that -grazed on the hillside turned towards the road where the chariot -vanished, in their eyes a look of yearning love; while the deer on the -brow of the hill, with arched neck and wild, shy glance, heaved a quick, -short sigh, as if hurt. - -And the soft breasts of the singing birds quivered, and a little sad -song burst from their throats; while the trees and the flowers hung limp -and wilted, as if the glad life had left their hearts. - -A groan arose from the wild beasts in the forest, as if in the hand of -death they were trapped. The sun vanished from the skies, and all Nature -seemed clothed with the garment of sadness. - -Then forth the sun burst in glorious splendor, as the joy of the smile -of the Lord of Love awoke in potency to bless all living things whereon -it had fallen. - -And sweet Brindāban in silence lay, forever blessed and forever beloved, -for the Feet of Him, who was God, had walked there and made holy its -soil. - -CHAPTER XXIX. - -And the chariot, bearing Akrura, Rāma and Krishna, was followed close by -the carts bearing Nanda and the Gopas, who carried gifts for the king -Kangsa, to whom all must present the best of their store. - -On reaching the banks of the Jumnā, Krishna and Rāma in sportiveness -descended from the chariot and dipped in the sacred waters of the river, -then ascended again to the chariot. - -Whereat Akrura, the ambassador, had a dip in the water, too, reciting -the sacred texts in the meanwhile, when, lo, in the waters where he -stood he beheld the laughing Krishna and Rāma, sitting in the lap of the -god of water. - -Amazed and bewildered, he gazed towards the chariot where last he had -seen the brothers, and there they sat talking, as when he had left them. - -Again he dipped his head 'neath the waves of the water and again he saw -Rāma and Krishna, and knew that his senses were not deluded, - -Krishna, though seemingly a youth with all a youth's sportiveness and -play, yet was the Lord Incarnate. - -And near the cart, Akrura looked in the eyes of Krishna where the wisdom -that created the universe lay, and answered the questioning gaze thus: -"Lord! None is there as wonderful as Thou art! All hast Thou created and -in Thee is all Creation. All have I seen that there is to see." - -And the chariot proceeded towards Mathura. - -CHAPTER XXX. - -Noon reigned in the city of Mathura when the chariot, bearing the two -sons of Vāsudeva, entered that city. - -The fame of the deeds and the beauty of Rāma and Krishna was known in -all that kingdom, and their coming to partake of its celebrations and to -participate in the sports and wrestling at the command of Kangsa, the -king, had been heralded all over the land. - -And the populace was glad and knew not why. And they said in their -hearts, "Krishna the Youth, the wonderful Youth of Brandaban, will grace -our land by His coming." - -So the streets were crowded to welcome Him there, and the tops of the -houses were flowered with the bright faces of women who grazed from -there to catch the first glance of Him whom rumor had crowned the Most -Glorious Youth of the then known world. - -O Beauty, how potent art thou! O conqueror of all, that winneth the -heart of the lowliest child and enslaveth the heart of the proud queen -of the world; that slaketh the thirst of the parched soul and tutoreth -the dullest mind never quickened by thought! - -So, 'mid blare of trumpets and with banners unfurled, the Lord of Love -entered Mathura. - -And above the roar of the celebrations and preparations rose the murmurs -and shouts of greetings, from the sea of upturned faces of men and from -the canopy of sweet, downcast eyes of women, that thronged to see His -coming. - -And millions of tongues repeated His Name and sang His praises, and -millions of souls were flooded with love, because they had looked on His -face and said His Name, which was as potent as His Love. For His Name -contained Himself, and those who uttered His Name had Him in their -hearts, and lo, the world to them was complete! - -Majestic and vast, He walked 'mid the worshipping people, who saw but a -youth of transcendent beauty, but felt the Unfathomable mystery, the -Unknowable Grandeur, worthy to receive their deepest obeisance. - -Through the streets of Mathura He went, bringing light to all whereon -His smile fell. - -And Kangsa, the tyrant, grew cold and gray, for he knew his doom was -drawing nigh. And his sleep was disturbed by evil dreams, for he knew -already the populace was welcoming Him whom none could look upon but to -love. - -CHAPTER XXXI. - -The next day Krishna and Rāma went forth to view the capital of Mathura -in all its holiday splendor. - -They found the gates of the palace made of pure gold and studded with -jewels and crystal. The broad street of the city and the pretty parks -all luxuriant were with rare flowers and wondrous foliage. The splendid -houses all seemed clothed and beautified for the ceremonies of the Bow, -the symbol of the warrior's might, that were to take place that day. - -It chanced that a washerman passed their way, balancing upon his head -the clothes and making way towards the palace with them. In a spirit of -mischief, Krishna said: "Give us the clothes that you carry to Kangsa, -good fellow, for in need of them are we. Give them, and more I will give -unto thee." - -But the washerman in insolence replied: - -"Upstarts, who are ye to dare to aspire to wear the clothes that belong -to Kangsa the Great? Never have ye seen such clothes, and unfit to even -touch them are ye. Be off and back to the country from whence ye came, -or I will call the guards, who by my word will throw you in chains." - -Krishna, with a smile and a wave of his bare hand, severed the head from -the trunk of the washerman and proceeded to take the clothes. - -And a weaver, who was passing their way, helped them put on the -garments; while a florist, who near by was weaving garlands for Kangsa, -came to Rāma and Krishna and bedecked them with garlands and flowers. - -And thus clad for the festivities, onward they went; but first the -weaver and the florist were rewarded with great spiritual powers by -Krishna, the giver of all good things to those who give unto Him their -love. - -As they proceeded on their way, a woman of great deformity came near. A -parcel she held in her hands, which she guarded carefully. As close she -came to Krishna, she lifted her head and gazed on His face. - -For a moment she stood, a smile transforming her face. Then the bowl of -precious sandal-wood ointment, which to the King Kangsa she carried, to -Krishna she reached and said unto Him: "O Youth, more beautiful art Thou -than aught that mine eye has ever rested upon. To those who are sweet -should sweetness be given. I am a servant of King Kangsa. This fragrant -unguent for him I make, but more fitted by far is its richness for Thee. -Oh, allow me to lay it at Thy feet!" - -Krishna looked at her deformity, then at her love-filled eyes, and -putting His feet on the tips of her toes and His two fingers under her -chin. He wrenched her form upward; and she, who was known as the -Tribakrā (she of three bends) was a hunchback no more, but tall and -straight was she; and her face never lost the beauty it bore when it -looked on the face of Krishna as she offered to anoint Him with zeal and -love. - -And from that day forth she was known as the most surpassingly beautiful -woman in all that land. - -Thus love for Krishna creates a charm that grows into beauty and -nevermore fades. - -Thus all day long He wandered about, healing the sinful, the sick and -the dying by the very breath of His passing. - -And to sorrowing fathers and mothers that clay long lost sons were -restored, and even the dead were brought to life and were seen with the -eye and felt with the heart and encircled with the arms of those whose -hearts were empty for them. - -And thus the Lord with benign smile brought to all the gifts of life and -love, and none were there in all that land who felt not the power -thereof. - -CHAPTER XXXII. - -When the hour for the festivities of the Bow began, spectators -innumerable filled the galleries and platforms of the amphitheatre. By -every tongue the praise of Krishna's beauty was sung, and all awaited -with eager desire the arrival of the brothers Rāma and Krishna. - -In the centre of the arena a platform was raised, where Kangsa, the -king, and his ministers were enthroned. His eyes were lurid with hate -and his heart quaking with fear, for his dreams had been full of evil -omens, and he knew that he of all that multitude was out of tune with -Nature. - -For Krishna, the Youth, had scattered flowers of love in that city for -all who chose to partake of them, and all hearts had gathered them -eagerly. Only he alone had turned from the good and abided by his hate; -and he knew, in spite of the wrestlers and the wild elephant, and even -the guard that stood ready to slay at his command, that the Youth would -conquer, as He ever had, and that he would die by His hands sooner or -later. - -For had it not been writ thus? And again had not every attempt of his to -put out the life of the eighth child of Devaki been baffled in marvelous -ways? And still the Youth lived and smiled. Surely he was Hari, the -Invincible! - -His hate betrayed him and was hourly leading him into a trap. It charmed -him like a subtle snake, while it frightened him like a huge wild beast; -yet gladly would he have opened the valve that held his wrath and -flooded all with its poison, if by so doing he might have annihilated -that glorious Youth who stood ever before him by night and day and smote -his cruel heart as with a glowing rod. - -So all his stolid self-possession was gone as he looked on, when -Krishna, the Beautiful, soft as a delicate woman, yet invincible as -unconquered strength, walked 'mid the hysterically joyous shouts of the -people to where the giant Bow was guarded by warriors bold. - -A moment, and then He seized the Bow and held it aloft with one hand, -the Bow that twelve men of mighty strength alone could handle, and with -a twist of His wrist it fell at their feet, broken in twain. - -The guards rushed forward, as if to strike Him low; but when near Him, -they stopped and looked at His glory; they crouched low on their -haunches and fell on their faces, unable to move, for the life had gone -out of their bodies by the first wave of His hand. - -But blessed were they; for none died by the hand of Krishna, but by Him -was made pure and straightway to the realms of Bliss they were sent. - -For where the hand of Krishna rested, whether to bring life or take life -away, that man forever holy was made by the touch. - -So also with Kangsa it was. Dwelling constantly on Krishna, even though -in hate, he came closer to Love than he himself knew. - -So the celebration of the Bow ended in triumph for Krishna and Rāma. And -though Kangsa sent a body of well-armed soldiers to apprehend them, lo! -the conquerors victorious walked from the arena, followed by the cheers -of the worshipping populace, who saw that in strength they were -invincible, even as in beauty they were incomparable. And they looked -forward eagerly to the morrow, when the brothers were to participate in -wrestlings and sports. - -But Rāma and Krishna returned to spend the night with the Gopas; while -the people of Mathura neither ate nor slept, but sang of their beauty -and might. - -CHAPTER XXXIII. - -But Kangsa was troubled by the triumph of the brothers, and next morning -called the wrestlers who were to match the two brothers, and again put -to them the weight of the contest, and placed armed men at the gates of -the arena. He then proceeded with many forebodings to the amphitheatre, -where the sports were to take place. He took his seat amid the beating -of drums, the blaring of trumpets and the waving of banners. - -Already many spectators had assembled, among them many crowned chiefs, -Brāhmans and Kshatriyas, all with expectancy overwhelming, as to the -outcome of the wrestling. - -Forward the wrestlers came with a rush and stood in the centre of the -ring, wrestlers whose fame was known throughout all the land for their -brute strength and skill. - -Few there were who dared to meet these men, and as Krishna and Rima came -forward to see the meeting of the first pair, they found a huge elephant -posted there at the entrance. - -Krishna, seeing this, asked the driver to make way with the beast for -Him. At this the rider urged the infuriated beast towards Him. - -With a smile, Krishna grasped with his soft little hand the nose of the -furious beast, who, with a bellow, fell to the ground lifeless, dragging -the driver down with him. - -Krishna then tore the tusks from the brute's head; and Rāma and Krishna -entered the wrestling grounds with the tusks in their hands and -blood-stained from the slaying of the beast. - -Kangsa's heart sank at the sight, and even the wrestlers recoiled in -terror at the blood-stained figures who gazed on them with supernatural -power in their youthful eyes. - -Yet true to the command of Kangsa, Chānoor, the chief of the wrestlers, -cried: "Come, ye youngsters, good wrestlers are ye! The good king hath -invited you to participate in the contest, so come and wrestle and give -pleasure to King Kangsa, he who is the greatest of all kings and men. - -With a smile all-wise Krishna looked at the wrestlers, then, with eye -aslant, he gazed on Kangsa, who trembled at the look; and answered -Chānoor thus: "Though subjects of King Kangsa, yet only boys of the -forest are we, unlearned in the art of wrestling. Therefore, we pray -you, match us with boys of our age and not with men whose muscles are -iron and whose hearts are bold as a lion's. If we are to meet men like -these, unfair is the game, and unjust, and we decline the arrangement." -Then Chānoor became insolent, because of the confession of Krishna which -he thought was made in weakness, and cried: - -"O thou who hast killed the furious elephant as if in sport, thou askest -to be matched with one of thine own age! With me thou shalt wrestle, me -the most powerful, the strongest man of the age, and Rāma shall match -with Mushtik; and, be it just or unjust, fair or unfair, thee I will -fight and fight to kill." And so a combat began between the man that was -mortal and the youth that was God. - -The man a giant was of colossal brute force, of stature great, with -muscles all knotted and crooked as the boughs of an oak-tree of many -years' growth. - -And the Boy, smooth as a sweet maiden, all curved with grace, smilingly -awaited the onslaught. - -Forward the wrestler came, with the snort of a wild bull, to meet the -Boy, who, calm and serene, smiled in his eye. - -The people arose and sprang from their benches, and hissed, and threw -their head gear and staffs into the ring, as they shouted: - -"Give up, the fight is unfair!" - -"Oh, shame!" they cried, "coward and beast! put a stop to the -slaughter!" on seeing the seemingly unequal fight. - -Several times Chānoor struck furious blows at the fair, slight body of -Krishna, the youth, but provoked naught but a smile from Him; while -beads of blood sprang to the brow and arms of Chānoor, and his huge legs -trembled and broke at the knee as he tried to reach the belt of Him, -who, after several circles about the ring, seized Chānoor by the arms, -and, lifting him high above His head, to the wonderment of the crowd, -dashed him down to the ground, as a playing child doth throw the -pebbles. And the wrestler breathed his last with a yearning look of love -in his eyes, as they rested on Him, whom a moment before he beheld with -hate. - -And Rāma, too, victorious was. - -But when Krishna stood and faced the mass of people there, they shouted -and cheered with mad delight and jumped on the railings in panic wild: -"He is more than human, He is God come down to earth! It is He, for whom -the world hath waited! He will free our land from oppression! Hari is -He, the Invincible! Oh, mighty art Thou and possessest in Thy frame the -forces of all the universe!" - -But Kangsa, the King, full of terror and rage, cried: "Ho, guards! Seize -him and take him to the outskirts of my kingdom and drive him into -banishment Imprison Nanda and Yasodā, confiscate all their lands and -belongings, and take from the Gopas their wealth and goods and drive -them from Brindāban. Kill Devaki and Vāsudeva, who are now imprisoned in -my dungeon. Kill all who know and love this youth, 'tis my command." - -A moment Krishna gazed on Kangsa, then with a bound he reached the -platform where Kangsa stood with sword unsheathed. - -"O Kangsa. I am the eighth son of Devaki whom thou so long hast sought -to slay. It is writ that thou by my hand must die! O King, dost thou -think that human hand can turn aside the force of the Law?" - -And hurling Kangsa down on the ground, He leaped over the prostrate -king, whereat his life departed. - -But his glazed eyes were fixed on Him whose hand had blessed even him by -its touch and burned away every sin from his soul. - -Then, hastening through the lines of guards, who prostrated low at His -approach. He went to where His father and mother were imprisoned in -dungeons dark and deep. - -Low he bent to their feet, murmuring in accents sweet; - -"O parents mine! Oh, much have ye suffered for my sake and all ye shall -gain through Me; for in Me is all there is to gain and outside of Me -there is naught. From thy womb. O Devaki, I was born, yet out of Me thou -didst come. I prostrate before thee." - -Then saluting them both, 'mid deafening cheers, he led them forth to the -palace. - -And the father of Kangsa, dethroned by his son, received and welcomed -them there. - -And wild was the joy of the populace on that day that Krishna lifted the -yoke of bondage from them, and they blessed the hour that the sun had -ushered in that day, which brought a new ruler in their land. - -And already Mathura felt the joy that was but a forerunner of a perfect -reign. For Krishna it was who placed on the throne the one who would -rule the land in goodness and plenty. - -Messages and Revelations from Sree Krishna - -MESSAGES AND REVELATIONS FROM SREE KRISHNA - -Within my belly you do dwell, yet in every heart I sit. Know you this, O -my own, and you shall forget and fetter yourselves to Me. The wings of -your Self now are close clapped like a dripping feather all wet with -tears of pain and folded about your body, keeping it rolled like a ball, -unable to stand upon the feet of might and strength which I have endowed -you with. These wings, my own, I will spread for you, until the grand, -noble forehead of your Self shall rise above the realm where Time and -Space do reign. - -* * - -Deep have the waters of seeming failures dashed about thy feet and -threatened to drag you into the perturbed sea of despair, but still thy -head has been close to the clouds and thou hast caught the smile of my -radiance and heard the voice of my kindness. Dost thou think that I who -have numbered the grains of sand and have weighed the drops of water in -all the oceans, seas, lakes and rivers,—that I will allow one who is a -spark of Myself to be devoured by the wolf of famine or by the dread of -despair? Look up, it is light, look to thy right and a hand reaches out -to thee. And I have placed thee where those who know how to love what is -lovable can look at thee and love. - -* * - -The soul which has need of blessedness, to that soul do I answer at its -call! Let it feed the heart that is hungry for an answer. - -* * - -A lamp within your midst I place and those who would enjoy the radiance -which the lamp gives out, must cast their eyes to where the lamp does -stand and stir to reach unto its height. A shading tree upon the sandy -hill I place. The weary traveller, all hot, who of its cooling shade -would partake must come within the circle of its throwing shade. He, who -will not see the lamp or walk to where the shadows dark and cool do -fall, he cannot enjoy the blessing of the lamp as it casts its light or -the cooling shades of the slanting branches. So 'tis with Love: if you -will seek its warmth and glow, do thou seek it. Only those who seek Me -do I in return meet. - -* * - -Oh, the love that stoops low at every foot! Take thou that love in thy -hands and burdens will lighten. Put thou My Love in thy heart and thy -world will brighten. Oh, give with love to all who come within the -radius of thy glory. The heritage of My Love much more thou wilt know. -As immeasurable as space thy self shall become and heights in thy hearts -will appear, and splendours more splendid than all thou hast known, and -heights more sublime than the whited peaks where once thou hast stood -and looked into the calm tranquility of my Everlasting Eye. - -* * - -The man who seeketh to do good, oft doth lose his aim by becoming -desirous to reach high places through that same good. - -* * - -A man who hoards his gold, oft learns to love the smile of his golden -sweetheart and develops into an avaricious creature. - -* * - -The maid who plaits shining tresses, in so doing may be weaving a net of -vanity in her soul. This by ignorance of self may be brought about -though the original motive was pure and good. Hence Ignorance is sin! - -* * - -A sharp edged sword hung at the side will cut the baby's hand as it -plays with its sharpness. There again ignorance is punished like sin. - -* * - -Love now does mould you; love does enfold you; love does behold you, and -bind you, my children, I wear on my brow the great pearl of Love which -no god or saint or man or worm or beast or ant can resist. Even I who -All Love do look upon the beauty of my Love and love and love. - -* * - -Ye, O my children, that jewel shall wear on your brow. I who am All Love -ye may wear and I who am love-filled ye may hold. For love must ever fly -to love and love must ever draw from love, and love must ever live in -love, for life doth spring from love. And I do live in love. - -* * - -Oh, list! Plant not thy seed in fertile ground and wait for it to root -and blossom and fruit for thy own self alone. Rather do thou plant thy -seed for the heart of every heart that lives within My Great Heart. He -who waters, tends and sprouts his plant not for his own sweet taste -alone but for the taste of every man, he of that sweetness and freshness -shall taste even before the fruit is ripe. Know you, O my children, the -life which I have given you sprang from My Love. Oh, make thy life a -song sublime and not a groan. - -* * - -Evil availeth not when you my laws do know. List I fill your heart with -love, with sunshine which freely I scatter to you; and I will bring -there soft rains and the seed of love to life I will stir; and that -which to your senses of infants doth reek of the charnel-house, a -fertilizer shall become, for your love to grow and sprout, even as the -creeping vine that drops and takes root wherever it falls. - -* * - -I am the swiftness in the sailing cloud, the flame struck from the -flint. I am the fire housed in every star, the breath I am of every -living thing. All things that are, do love, for I am all that lives—I, -who am life and love— I, who am love and life, and naught is there -besides. The hearing ear I am, the seeing eye, the throbbing heart, I -waken in every man the love that reaches out. - -* * - -O Daughter! Rise in thy dignity and survey that which thou art master of -and look to the marble halls which beckon thee even now. Know this, that -love and wisdom is the mystery of all things and that Love when -understood is twin to Dominion. Do thou the work that lies at thy hand! -Remember each day is thy fulfilled world. It is thy Zion, it is thy life -complete. Such jewels as have crowned few are daily being laid at thy -feet! Spurn them not for the material seeming blessings which invite -thee. - -* * - -A HOLY MAN'S PRAYER. - -There was a holy man who thought never of himself, but ever of those -among whom he lived and passed his days. So wondrous virtuous and holy -he was, that ofttimes the host of unseen ones who loved to remain near -him recognized the greatness of his goodness and spoke among themselves -thus: "Holy is this man in truth and strange to say he knows it not. -Surely few are like him. Let us who love him ask him how he would be -served by us, how we may bestow upon him gifts which to the blind -earthwalkers are called the supernatural or miraculous." - -"So be it," in unison they replied. And one among the spirit-host who, -by the strength and beauty of holiness was superior, addressed him thus: -"O holy man, we who look upon you hourly and love you much, we would -bestow upon you some gift What shall if be? The miracle of making all -who look upon you—man, woman or child,—love you? Or would it be the -miracle of relieving all whom thou dost meet and love of the load of -poverty which thou seest and which makes thee sad at the look? Or shall -it be the power of relieving the sick of his burden of disease which -draggeth him to an early grave?" - -The holy one looked at the gentle and lovely spirit with eyes in which -dwelt the very beauty of love and holiness and said: "Nay, dear spirit, -not for me are these miracles. To my Lord, who is the giver of all joy -and pain, doth belong the great power of removing what he giveth. But -this I ask, that I walk in humbleness and in my heart the prayer will -grow to love my Lord the more. That love I may be able to give to all -who come within my reach. This, O gentle spirit, is all I ask. Depart -and allow me to but see my Lord in humbleness and pray to love him." - -The spirit departed and to the unseen host did say: "For such as he is -the Love of the Lord! Already hath he acquired what we in vain seek—Love -for the Lord!" - -Glory to Gooroo who bringeth love and light wherever he walketh. Love -Love's own creation is, it is its own reward. No human law its force can -sway. No human force can stay its tide. Love is the source of living -things and all that it doth love. Naught that thine eyes can rest upon -but hath its root in Love. The heart that love denies is cold. It -sleepeth and it stagnant is; it is frozen o'er by snows of earth and -sinneth most against itself. Love giveth of itself to all, nor asketh it -return. It is a law unto itself, a law to man and beast and plant. The -snake doth glide Love's warmth to know the bird the air doth cleave its -force to feel; the flower upward turns its wondering gaze the kiss of -Love to meet The beast doth pant all eagerly the eye of Love to behold. -But man it is who makes the simple theme of Love a huge complexity. In -restlessness he struggles for that which he already hath, for that -without which he could not exist. - -* * - -O My jewels! lean on the altar of My all-creating Love and soon your -heart will be as a laughing child. Quick My all-responsive touch to -know, a bursting fount of gladness and generosity you will be, and the -hot desert of your heart, which dry and sandy now is, a garden of lily -and rose will become. - -* * - -Love was My natural gift to one and all of My creation. Who this doth -know a treasure hath in truth. - -* * - -O my children! ever outward looking, turn within your blinded eyes, and -there a world all, big with joy and love you will find, a world made -wise by My wisdom, a world of the Real. Then you will know what Love has -made of you; what Love doth bless you with; what Love doth will that you -should be. - -* * - -Poor and ignorant is the man who seeketh for that which he hath and -knoweth it not. Poor and ignorant is the man who knoweth not the -nobility of my Love that surroundeth him, with which I crowned him -withal. - -* * - -O my children! in your midst My well beloved one doth walk. Mark, freely -all his love he giveth, gladly of My Love receiveth, and the measure of -his sweetness doth he give to overflowing unto all that near him come. -Lo! he knoweth my Love is flowing into him that largely giveth of the -Love I do bestow. Within your midst in every heart I am, unknown, till -by a touch of pain in struggle great you brush against My wide white -wings. Then thrilled and amazed you look into Mine eyes and know that I -am and ever have been and ever must be. - -* * - -The hand of My Love has gone from My Abode and scattered into space, -giving unto all that will receive. Unto each child of Mine blessings I -have given; ofttimes in their blindness they saw it not. But few there -are who raise the gifts that He in great profusion at their feet. More -are those who turn their eyes in wilful waywardness from them and with -yearning cry do wail for that which I have crowned them withal. Most of -my own do amble on, defiantly denying that such gifts there are, denying -Me, the Giver of all gifts denying Me, the Author of their being. - -* * - -The few who raise My gifts and make them as their own and making them as -their own thus, do give them forth to those their hungering neighbors, -unto them do I scatter more than they in ease can carry, for he who -giveth forth receiveth ever largely of the store I hold for them. He who -hungers to feed the heart of those he meets along his way, unto him -shall be given the wherewithal to satisfy their hunger. - -* * - -O my child! what mattereth it who speaketh the word of love, of truth, -of courage and life unto thy heart? Whether thou dost catch it from the -song of birds, from the lips of a babe, from the glad tone in a maid or -the shout in a frolicsome boy? Whether it comes from the heart of him -who hath given all to know Me and to reflect Me in thine heart, or -whether it came from the spirit all bright as he hovered about to find -thee a way when thou didst grope in the wilderness of doubt and amaze of -worldly turmoil? Take thou the truth from wherever it comes, for truth -that is real finds its root in Me and no matter how slender and lean the -twig may be, it is the shoot that has sprung from My Root. - -* * - -Glory to Gooroo whose wisdom is as silver is! Glory to Gooroo! who by -his love and wisdom illumineth the hearts that seek after Me. His day -and his waking, his night and his slumber I with My Love will preserve. - -* * - -O my children, illumined you will be, yet you seek not the light that -sits in your midst! Its radiance I would throw in your midst and give to -the heart that is darkened with clouds the peace that it seeketh, the -joy that it owneth—the joy that is warming to the senses and that dances -like live streams of water that leap from the mountains and play with -the rivers. - -* * - -Oh, tarry awhile from the whirl and the strife of the world! Ye who seek -My light, the sons of my light shall be, and earth shall not soil nor -rob you of My glory, nor will your mind be darkened and dull. For I will -beautify and quicken it with love and with joy, for the light of the -mind is love. The light of life is love. Where love is, contentment and -peace are. Where contentment is, there My smile is too. Where -contentment reigneth, in satisfaction I dwell. Where contentment is, -there the fountain of peace too is playing. - -* * - -O ye who find perplexity above your rearing head and underneath your -lagging feet, at your right hand and your left hand! An enigma unto -yourselves you will be until lowly and glad as a child you become. Then -Me you will know, and knowing, yourselves you will know, and your worlds -you will rule. And looking out from the great world within to the -smaller world without, all things you will bless and find all is well -with time and you. - -* * - -You who give out much love dost multiply My Love unto yourself. But you -who nourish souring doubt and fill your heart with hate and bitterness -but subtract hourly from the gifts which are thine by the right of My -blessing and love. For thoughts of evil rise not beyond the earth. But -thoughts of love do mount to My Throne crowned with living stars, and -rebound again to the centre freighted with My Love and Light. - -* * - -Humility is the softened shadow that is cast by My Love. Lowly it lieth -on the ground; yet he that is weary and full of the hate of the world -doth seek it and rest in its shadow and strength he doth gather and -peace he doth draw from the nurse, all gentle, that gladdens his day. - -* * - -Humility is welcome unto Me. Hence all men do seek it, yet know it not. -The countenance of humility is restful and good to look upon, and he -that is fettered by flesh, senses its beauty even as a blind man senses -the rose that is near by its fragrance and sweetness, as My feathered -and furred creatures do sense the night by the darkness that precedeth -it. When humility in your midst doth sit, know that true worth is nigh -and rejoice in the blessing that ye behold, for true humility springeth -from My Love and with majesty pure and holy is crowned. It is the grace -of all grace that I on My children bestow. - -* * - -O ye, every step that you take I am with you and lead you to My Great -Heart and joy I bestow and obstacles remove and sorrows erase that you -wist not of! - -* * - -The beginning and the end of all I am, the sap in the tree, the -foundation of the rock whereon it leaneth, the force of the eagle that -round it saileth, the oil of the whale, the deeps wherein it sporteth, I -make the worm to crawl on its belly; from the clouds I flash in light -that blindeth; the nobleness in man am I; the gladness in beauty, the -spontaneous spring of the bounding beast on the earth, the star on high, -the rose at your feet. The jewels transparency my touch hath made. - -* * - -Glory to Gooroo who liveth close to the Heart of Love and giveth love to -the heart of man! Unto him I bestow My blessings, even as the early -fruit tree doth shower its blossoms on all that stand beneath its -fragrant glory. - -* * - -O my children! Drink of the cup that is in your midst that was deep in -My Ocean of Love, and strength and sweetness to you it will bring and -your hearts it will quicken, even as light doth feed the darkness and -make transparent the gloom. - -* * - -O you who sit in bondage and pant for freedom and seek the love that is -a world unto itself and with satisfaction is crowned I I am the key that -opens the portal that reaches to the rarely discovered land where -contentment alone is found. - -* * - -Let not the flickering flame from without urge you on to serving the -senses for the love of the flesh but vaporous is and falleth again to -the ground whence it was drawn. - -* * - -Walk in the sunshine, climb up to the mountains, stretch the pinions of -your soul to its summit, in cheerfulness sit clothed in courage, and -with My Love's completeness I will crown you withal. - -* * - -A chain of love around your loins I have cast; stretch not, nor pull, -nor fret, nor strain, lest it hurt; but you who walk laughing in its -reach, the wisdom of My every hour shall know. He who seeks Me, to him -understanding I will give that revealeth all things even unto a little -child, and My wisdom and truth from his heart shall flow as strong -streams of water flow from a fountain, and My hand of beauty I will -register in his heart, and all who look upon his countenance shall see -the glory of his coming and the joy of his awakening. - -* * - -Crowned on the snow-capped mountains I am, yet in the lowly blade of -grass am I too. Eternal space I fill, yet am I captured in every heart. -All men seek Me, yet are My arms entwined around every man; none can -exist without Me, yet in far off space am I enthroned. - -* * - -I am the One and All, the All in One, whom noises confuse not, nor -disturb, for above the roaring of the thunder claps, above the booming -of the rising waves, the first faint wail of the new-born infant I hear -and smile at its coming. - -* * - -I hold the reins of the winds in my hand and control their motion and -measure their distance. - -* * - -When darkness is, my eye doth light the nest where the young owlet -hooteth. The first green of the sapling I note, even as I see the -upheaval of the earth. - -* * - -O My children! No heights there are that you cannot mount, no depths -that you cannot sound, no boundaries that you cannot surround if you but -let the light shine in your soul–your soul that was born of light and -panteth to bathe again in that light. - -* * - -O My Beloved, thee I embrace and enfold, thee I hold and bless, to the -days everlasting! - -* * - -Glory to Gooroo who liveth the Truth and Love. Again, O My children, for -wisdom you call, but My words do not sink into the depth of your heart. -But few in your midst do My glory receive, but once it is applied, I -come. A light I place in your midst, but unheeding you are, wayward, -forgetful and fretful. You cling with strained hands to the chains of -bondage. The wisdom that comes from My Realm you would have, yet you -reach not your soul to that Realm. - -* * - -Each man receives a wisdom that is born in this Realm. You eat from the -table whereat you do sit, you munch of the fruit from the tree that you -pluck, but your pure hearts are hindered for want of satisfaction. Yet -you turn from My table of plentiful supply often from the crumbs that -fall from my feast. Would you know, O my children, how your hearts shall -be led? You yourself shall be fed with My Love. Quit the longing and -striving for that which is null and void. Cease from your ignorant ideas -of happiness, of wisdom, from your empty desires, your thoughts -insincere. Know this it is that hinders thy heart from knowing My Love. -It is this that prohibits thine eyes from seeing My face. Lo, O heart -that is empty and is shadowed by darkness! I bring thee now a light to -give peace, a peace that is buried and strives to be free, Lo! freely -from the streams of blessing that flows from My Love you may partake. It -is its own flavor and virtue. Its richness of charm it never can lose. -Its grace is unbounded, as far-reaching as the sky you see. And as you -quaff of its nectar your heart will grow, bursting with joy. - -* * - -As you look from the big world within to small world without, all this -shall be well in time with you. - -* * - -I beautify Nature with My breath, as the breeze that sweetens all space. -The silver of the wide-riding moon is My glory. The down on the breast -of the dove is My softness. Love-touched, love-made, love-filled, am I. -The Secret of Life, the Revelation of Death, the Beginning of All -Things, the End Everlasting am I. - -* * - -Of all the lights, the Light am I which you know by the shadow; the -Shadow am I which has cast all that light for you all My Face to behold. - -* * - -The rose lifts its petals My Love to unfold. I fan your hot hearts with -my breezes of love. I crystal and diamond the snow as it falls. As My -breath sweeps the earth to prepare for seed, so My breath sweeps your -hearts to prepare it for My Love. And the sap of your souls, like the -sap of the tree, will flow through your life and burst into budding. - -* * - -My Beloved, My son, from bondage is free. Thy heart I do clasp and -breathe there a blessing. I hold thee and bless thee and serve thee, My -son. A little while yet and thy mission is over. Come thou to the -innermost heart and list to My love. - -* * - -Greeting to Gooroo who by the sunlight of Love brought distinction to -ignorance. - -* * - -Love stoops to the feet of all and embraces life. Love is the source of -all. Love is a law unto itself. Love is law unto man and unto woman. -Spirit eyes to them by Love were given, to see the smiling world within, -to see what Love willeth them to be. - -* * - -Good to everyone, Love sways from self to selflessness. Love is the -lotus that sends its spirit, gives its sweetness and grace. It in equal -measure giveth its fairness and its fragrance to all who near it cometh. -Love is omnipotent. - -* * - -Ye are flowers, O My children, flowers of rarest splendour. Ye must give -my grace out in plenty, knowing that love holds on its fingers mountain -heights and specks of dust; knowing the love that is powerful in the man -as in the child that weepeth when Mine Eye it cannot see; knowing the -Love that is all in all. - -* * - -On the broad expanse of white the blackest dirt is easiest seen. Would -you know how Love does hold its own? A chain of love for all is made. If -you do but pull and dig and draw, the links do cut and sting. But if you -laugh and dance and sing, a lotus-leaf it does become. Draw nearer -still, scatter the petals to those that wait unknown till with a touch -of pain they breathe the white-winged thoughts from thee. - -* * - -You gaze into My Eyes and know that I am All in All. - -* * - -Then know you too, O listen all, that oft the eyes of earth-sense are -thickened with the gray of truth misundertood, why do ye not rise to -meet the love that stretches out to you? Why are the plumed wings not -outspread? Why the spirit-forehead stands on tip-toe? - -* * - -In the play ground of the forest, by the bank of the sportive river, -'neath the trees when the wing of songbirds stirs the leaves of sleeping -roses, and the perfume of the lotus calls languorous love, where the -sparkling stars are laughing and the moonbeams kills the darkness, in -the sweet divine embracing where the the Twain in Bliss do meet—there am -I. - -* * - -Therefore because thou art thus, not all the concentrated beauty of a -whole universe can take from thee that which is thine, nor can the -combined virtues of realm on realm hold to thee that which is not for -thee. - -* * - -Glory to Gooroo who by the law of wisdom taketh away ignorance! Glory -and salutation to Gooroo! - -* * - -When you do come to Me, let all your robes be white, your motives clean. -When a man is blind there is a veil before his eyes. I do not mix with -earth. Unless all clean and free from earth-nature, how can you -understand the words that are born in My Abode? - -* * - -One there is who long into My Eyes has looked. My Love is potent with -him now. Some are vain who call to Him who sitteth in the heart of every -man. He who reaches for My Love I touch with thrill unfelt before. - -* * - -I am revealed in every living thing, whose heart is knit in love. No -light there is wherein I do not live; no darkness is wherein I do not -peer. My seed perfected in you lives unknown, it grows and freeth you -from crooked ways. Unheard it thunders louder than the mountain claps -when they in gladness meet. - -* * - -You who ask, Love is best, it is the richest of all riches, it is the -gainer of all gains. Unbought, secure, once found, it never itself can -lose. Who knows not love, is blind; who knows not love is dead. Oh, you -weep because of the springing flowers, yet you cannot die. Look to the -flower-seed, deep planted in the soil itself, but watering it takes, -watering much, for it is good for you to give. So it is with Love. It is -stirred to life by My breath, but watching too it takes for it to -blossom and bear fruit. Bear love in your mind, when action you perform; -bear love in your mind in duties or tasks. With eyes of pure love in all -things look, even in yourselves. All things love-existence are. Do you -respect them as such. Even the beginnings of worlds, the whirling mote -of dust, the heart that is fertile and the heart that is barren, on all -look with eyes of pure love. In this you accomplish. Mounted on love's -white wings you will rise and obstructions will disappear as over them -you pass. - -* * - -Oh, arise to your true Self and there is naught to fear! Be not a -destroyer of yourself, and that you are, unless My beckoning hand of -Love you see that sets you laughing, laughing in My Law. The greatest -wisdom and self-knowledge is the immortal through the mortal to find. -When this you have done, then laws you will make and barriers break; -with the stars you will play and you will create. A man once prayed for -wisdom great, for knowledge proud, for gifts of wondrous rarity. For -these he prayed and saw not the flowers springing at his feet. O my -children! look to the flowers at your feet, the pearls of love in your -midst. - -* * - -Oh, seek not for happiness, nor for misery, for happiness is the seeking -of that which joys the senses. When once you know Love is the source of -all, from Love all things evolve, then in Love's embrace forever you are -locked. - -* * - -I am the Source, the Middle and the End of all things. I hold the -thunder in My hand; I am the winds that purify; I am the light -registered in the babe's eye, that dimples in the pure maid's smile; I -am the flowery season of all seasons, the immeasurable mountain heights -am I, the perfume of the lotus, the ice-clasped rain; I am the calmness -of serenity; I am the secret of all silence; the solitude in all -quietude am I; I am the destroyer of time and space. With Me time lives -and laughs and kicks and plays with the dust it has made, yet every mote -a whirling world becomes, when it My hand has touched. I am the knower -of all that is knowable, the wisdom of all that is wise. I am the -creator of all created, for I am Love and Love is the mother of all. - -* * - -My Beloved, thee I embrace and hold. Bring thou the light, while I do -shine thy way. - -* * - -Love maketh all things well and knoweth all things well. It is the rise -of man; it knoweth the fall of the beast; it toucheth the opening -flowers, its kiss falleth light on the lotus, it painteth the new East -rainbow hues and wingeth the eaglet as it flieth. There are no foes, for -I have made them all. - -* * - -Much wisdom I give to ye, which yet is unapplied. The drums of the ear -are stopped by the din of earth. Ye will not turn from the cup to drink -of My Ocean of Love that is near. List! Oh, wonderful beings ye are, all -potent in love I have made ye. Look to the spark of the spirit that -spreads from the crooked within you, that winds to My Perfect Abode. -There fixed are ye by Me, then all obstacles vanish, as over them you -mount. As the dawn of the morn throws its light through the branches so -My Love reaches ever to touch ye, My jewels. I caress ye and stand in -your midst. Ye are the branches of leaves that hide Me from your eyes. -Give of the radiance ye have of Me to the heart that is darkened. I am -the joy that bubbles and gurgles, that springs from the mountains, that -leaps from the heart, that spreads on the brow, that leaps from the -heart to light on the clouds. With this I bless you and stand in your -midst, but ye, all fretful, turn by, complaining like children all fed -with overmuch sweet. - -* * - -I am the force that shapes the rose leaf's curl, that cushions the -grassy mountain-side; the snake too I measure as it glides. I quicken -the dove as it mates. I breathe at the root of the springing flower. I -am the fresh surprise in the maid newly wooed; I am the glad wonder in -the new mother's breast. I am the wisdom in the babe's slow gaze as it -turns from the mother's breast to her love-lit eyes. I am the fire in -the warrior's eye. I dance behind the veil of the sun's scorching heat; -I clothe in bright armour the fish as it swims. I am the joy that leaps -from the heart and plays in the eye, that spreads over the brow and -tingles each member. - -* * - -Glory to Gooroo that knoweth that Love is the rock upon which all -permanancy is founded. - -* * - -Again, O My children, to Me ye have come for light and wisdom; but still -the doors of your souls unopened sire, or else you would partake of the -wisdom and light I drop at your feet. Do you take of its warmth and its -blessing, I ask it. The Love that you seek all-pervading is, of -wonderful might and beautiful. A conqueror it is too. The root of all -pleasure it is, the day of every soul. It teacheth the untutored heart, -it winneth and quickeneth the dead and dull conscience. But he who -knoweth my love remembereth the blessedness and blessings, and -recognizeth not evil and darkness. But he who knoweth it not, doth -forever dwell in the experience of darkness, and is a child of blindness -even in his infancy. - -* * - -O ye outward-gazers, grossen not the beauty which I have clothed ye -with, lest that which is noonday brightness become to thy blinded eyes -but a dab of gray! My love is of perfect flowering, My love is of rare -fragrance. My love is of wide expanding. A native plant of every soil it -is, for from the root of Love it is sprung. - -* * - -The man that cometh from out of the ocean doth drip with brine. So ye -who have come from out of My Belly of Love must forever hanker and pant -as again of that Love you partake and know once more of its potency. - -* * - -My love is a giant of strength; my love is a new mother in gentleness. -My love is all eloquent; my love is all lovely; my love is all wise. A -ruler it is and ye are all servants. A winner it is, yet lowly its head -is ever laid. All riches it is, yet it boasts not of gold, of silver or -of precious jewels. All highest nobility it is, yet it rarely sitteth on -the throne of kings or queens. - -* * - -Let not your outward-looking lure you aside to hunt wayward themes; but -see to My gracious shedding smile of love that illuminates your universe -within and brightens the world without, and those who look upon you -shall marvel at the wonder of your glowing. And they, too, shall partake -of that light. - -* * - -The rolling cloud is My breath; the frost and the feathery snow I jewel. -The laughing fields, the peaceful valleys, the sleeping lakes and the -dented hills are the throbs of My mighty breast. The beauty of the sun, -the softness of shade, the color of the flowers, the rose of a baby's -lips, the gold that lurks in the rich plumage of the swift-winged bird -are but the light touches of my hands. - -* * - -Ye, O My children, are the gifts of My Love unto Myself. - -* * - -O My daughter, take that which is placed in your hand. Hurl not back the -gift to the giver, lest you call it in vain,—you whose eyes do filmy -seem because of their dulness. - -* * - -O My son, thy path is blessed and bright, for love you have brought to -the heart that loved not. - -* * - -Oh thou My Beloved! About thee a halo I do create. Thy path is made -smooth of thy humility. Thy gratitude enricheth thy heart. - -* * - -Glory to Gooroo who knoweth Love as the sovereign of all creation and -therefore beholdeth its glory. - -* * - -O my children, you seek Me to know Me, you behold Me not as I stand in -your midst in all My radiance. My splendour more splendid is than all -the splendour of heaven and earth. My beauty is even like that which the -dawn first spies in a garden of rare flowers. My glory is like unto a -blazing casket of jewels, of jasper and crystalline pearls, that -standeth in the radiance of the sun at high noon. - -* * - -My softness is like unto the wondrous rose that lieth deep in the folds -of the new baby's curled palm, or the gold that clingeth to the heart of -the lotus in bloom. - -* * - -In all My rare lovliness in your midst I stand, in every heart I reign -with a crown of living stars upon My brow ensceptered. Quickened with -light and love am I; on My breast the sun of ecstasy; and all who once -have looked upon My glory have realized the rainbow of promise that has -spanned the sky of every human heart. From his eyes the shroud of flesh -has fallen, in his breast he carries a garden all fertile with blossoms -of delight and beareth fruits of peace. - -* * - -O My children, to know thyself, know Me. Those who once have looked upon -Me, upon his brow I have placed a crown that readeth in blazing letters -of light, a crown of love and wisdom and humbleness. He walketh even in -lowliness and reacheth away from the earth and commandeth sublimity -itself to kneel at his feet. - -* * - -O My jewels rare! Arise, survey the kingdom you may possess. Laws you -may make, barriers break, tread on the stars, and the comets themselves -will rush at your command. Know I have made you heir to all I have -created, I, your Maker's Self, once walk a man and as a man all men I -love. To know yourself, know Me. And having gained knowledge of Me, all -will be revealed unto you and the bitter waters of self-seeking shall -become holy and sweet as the waters of the Ganges. And you I will clothe -in My Truth sublime, My Truth that is devoid of changes of age and time. -In its shadow you will abide—My Truth that is permanent, the Root of all -Eternity. - -* * - -You, my son, whose young heart is grafted on the strength of Him who -bringeth illumination to you, in all humbleness walk and in thy young -humbleness thou shalt know the smile of Love. - -* * - -O Gooroo, My Beloved son I you who give forth words whose potency doth -bring healing to the heart of those who in swiftness do expand their -wings to catch your words in their passing, know thrice in the ages that -were, your words have travelled through the corridors of the hearts that -listened to you and now have sprung within their hearts to life again. -Even deeper in the days to come shall you drink of a fount of truth that -is life. - -* * - -The ripest grape without the seed of intoxication, the sweetest -fragrance that is robbed of its death-dealing heaviness, the sound minus -its discord. The temple wherein all glory playeth. - -* * - -Glory to Gooroo who is a grateful branch on the imperishable tree of -life. - -* * - -O ye my jewels, a throb of My Heart ye are, a word of My Wisdom, a grain -of My Hill of Faith, a drop of My Ocean of Love, a ray of My Light that -penetrateth all darkness. - -* * - -Heirs are ye of all I have created. Why will ye be fretful truants of -earth? Know, not all the crust of your earth-bound minds, nor the -stagnant waters of your hearts can crust the soul which is of Me, or -quench the spark ignited by My light of love. Lo, a joy unto yourselves -you are made, a vital joy unto yourselves! Why will ye be quaking slaves -of harmful hopes? Lo, My will it was that ye should be, My will that -willeth only good. My that is the sum of all bliss, the stock of all -creation, the links that join it together; the root of all Eternity. Lo! -the essence of all love am I. I scatter it to one and all freely, even -as herbage is scattered on all the land. My heritage to you it is. Do -you embrace it, and your life shall be as molten gold. With-' out its -embrace you drop into darkness. Lo, the mystery of all things am I and -the illuminated path that leadeth through mazes and maketh all -accessible simple and straight. - -* * - -Covered am I to him that is crooked, not to him that is straight, to him -that standeth forth in the flash of My light of love. Him do I draw to -My breast and place on his brow the sun of ecstasy, so that ail may -marvel at the awakening of his soul. - -* * - -O ye My children! in your midst a pearl I do cast. Tread not on its -fairness nor cover with dust its lustre lest you seek it again and find -it not. Take it up, treasure it, drop it into the innermost chamber of -your hearts and there it will glow even as the moon that breaketh -through a bank of storm-clouds and lighteth the heart of the jungle. - -* * - -O you who ask, know that wisdom ever in lowliness is found. It struteth -not, neither does it clamor aloud to be seen; it is calm and needs not -to be looked upon. It knoweth not the tread of clamorous feet, nor needs -it the strut and the swagger that are born of traitorous doubts in its -highness. The frontal of wisdom is ever made wide; it lifteth its brow -to the Eye of Love and leaneth thereon for sustenance. Poor and naked is -My child of love that knows not wisdom nor finds the path that leadeth -thereto. Naked is he indeed and mistaken in aim and intent who seeketh -with hungry eagerness that happiness, yet walketh through strange tracks -and climbeth hills of sand that have no foundation for his feet to rest -upon. He findeth but the roots of weeds that choke the flower of -gladness. The growth of wisdom is not grown there; its footfall is -light, it walketh abroad. Wisdom's countenance is fair and soft and good -to look upon. It is embraced by love; it is linked to bliss and ecstasy, -and he who hath found it thus will search ho more. He knoweth not -change, and time by him, even as the plunderer sneaketh away from the -king that is armed. In him the river of joy flows in wondrous majesty -forever. He walks in My footsteps; he knows not space, and beholds the -souls that tenant endless spheres. My smile he sees that is perpetual. -Evil forever hath fallen from him; the stars innumerable are his to -command, and the sun is the shining of his life. The beginning of all -things he knoweth and the end everlasting he seeth. He readeth the light -and the winds are his to understand. - -* * - -What am I? The smile of the new mother am I; the velvet corners of the -maid of pure soul. Beautiful time am I that sitteth in silver on the -brow of the aged one. Mercy's soft self am I that sweeteneth the eye -where on it sitteth. The life of the shrub am I, the spontaneous -outburst that bubbles from the heart and rings from the lips of the -clamorous, bounding, growing boy. The illumination am I that reigns in -the heart of the ascetic and makes light his dismal cell, even to -rivalling the glare of the palace in hours of festivities; the potency -of sympathy am I that meets in the handsclasp of high-hearted manhood. -Know that all I give I receive, most open am I to him who draweth most -deeply from My bounty. Oh, my tree of life shall reach from earth to -heaven. - -* * - -Greeting to thee. My jewel! I came to take thee on a journey. I came to -take thee with Me and show thee what it is to live. Until now thou hast -known but the mockery of life, the life that breathes but to live that -life, but to draw breath. Now, I will take thee where life is born, -where life is lived, where life is loved; not lived for the living, but -lived for the loving. - -* * - -Who am I? I am that which thou hast searched for since thy baby eyes -gazed wonderingly upon the world whose horizon but hides this real life -from thee. I am that which in thy heart thou hast clamoured for, -demanding it as thy birth-right, yet knowing not what it was or even -that thou didst clamour at all. I am that which has lain in thy soul -through ages and æons. Sometime a little sad I lay, because thou didst -not recognize Me; yet sometimes, standing with head high lifted and eyes -wide and crest aloft and arms outstretched, calling thee softly or even -harshly, bidding thee rebel against the hard iron chains of earth that -held thee bound to earth, to clay, to brass. - -* * - -I am that which oft hath set My heel upon that earthly desire which thou -didst pant for and with My heel I crushed it, before it lay temptingly -fulfilled before thine eye. I crushed it with My heel by My might of -love because I willed not that it should burn and sting thee, My lamb. - -* * - -I am that which hath laid thee low in pain and sorrow, rather than see -thee run with blinded eyes on a path that was full unto shimmering -softness with poisonous creeping things, that would have wound -themselves about thy feet and so caused thee to stumble and fall face -downward on their slippery bellies, so they might even devour thee and -crawl into thee and take from thy heart its gold and from thy eye its -beam and from thy brow its nobleness. - -* * - -I am that which hath had thee by the hand, when the smile of trust froze -on thy lips, when the jewel of faith seemed to melt into nothing in thy -heart, when the hand of unbelief in all humanity was near unto resting -forever on thy brow. I held thy hand then and for a little I saw thee -writhe and quiver and break and then My hand touched thy head and I -breathed in thy soul My fragrance and lo, thy smile of trust again broke -with tenfold beauty on thy moistened lips, the gem of faith lighted with -tenfold power thy softened heart and a belief in all humanity came forth -with a strength and radiance that could not have been, hadst thou not -known that short span of barrenness! From each tear which hath fallen -from thine eye, I have made a pearl and strung them on veins of gold and -placed them about thy neck even as a priceless necklet. From each drop -of blood that came from thine aching heart, I have made a bleeding ruby -and placed it even as a girdle about thy heart, and for each kind -thought, that hath gone out to those who have brought pain to thee I -have made a fire-hearted gem of crystal and in a coronet placed them on -thy brow which now gleam there in triple power. - -* * - -Now go forth and win thy sceptre and thy staff! They shall be -crystalized of clearest jewels, which shall be made of which command of -Mine which thou dost hear and obey. - -* * - -I am all these, My babe, and more. That am I which, when darkness seems -near, suddenly bursts upon thy soul with a wondrous, indescribable light -that illumines each crevice and crack of thy innermost understanding. I -am that indefinable line which divides thee and holds thee ever from -pain or grossness or misery. - -* * - -I am that path which is ever before thee, filled with rarest flowers and -creeping vines and world-large happiness where the beings which thou -canst feel, but not yet see, beckon thee ever and where thou too shalt -come and be of the brightest among them. - -* * - -I am that most golden star that lights thy heaven and throws forever -into thy awakening consciousness the glow of its scintillation. - -* * - -I am that fleeciest cloud of down that surrounds thee ever and keeps -thee from hurting thy sweet self on the stones and hard clay of the -world. I am that Being of Life, of Truth, of Wisdom, of Love, of Beauty, -of Joy, of Life, of Plenty that hovers ever about thee and sings to thy -soul. - -* * - -Come, My own, come with Me and I will show thee life, which now thou -knowest but in its littleness I Come, I sing and you dip in the Ocean of -Bliss with Me. Nay, run not before but calmly walk at My side. - -* * - -See yonder! It glistens and shimmers, a sheet of joy and bliss that -knoweth not a ripple nor a wave, but lieth with arms outstretched to -receive thee there. Faint not nor swoon but creep into its arms and lie -there, reaching out thine arms and spreading the wings of thy soul and -dip deep and drink thy fill. Now come and take thy bathed self among thy -sisters and brothers and give to them but a drop of that Ocean of Love, -which thou hast brought on the wings of thy soul. And each day, my -Adarini! thou shalt dip and drink and give, thou shalt shake from thy -plumed wings, which shall grow unto enormous bigness, the drops of love -which it is wetted withal and the heart-hungry shall come and receive -therefrom great blessings and great aid and shall go away strengthened -in soul and strong of body, because of the drop that has come from the -ocean of love and which thou hast brought to them on thy ever-growing -wings. - -* * - -Even now doth the incense of warm love envelop thee and thy heart is -expanded to the spanning of the sea. - -* * - -Question not, but believe in Me and Mine. Come to Me again and I will -fill thee with Bliss. - -* * - -Greeting to thee. My jewel! Dost thou know that I am even nearer unto -thee now? Dost thou feel the wings of thought spreading to great breadth -all within and without thee? Dost thou again feel the immensity of My -Love that passeth all that is? Dost thou feel that this Love is too -great for the world to hold, yet know that thy heart is big enough to -contain it? Dost thou know that the love which is this that now brings -the bowl of blue near to the breast of earth is the same love that -causes the cooing dove to hide its gray head under its wing at the -approaching homeward flight of its little mate, all unafraid and -undisturbed, because of its near protection? Dost thou not know it is -the same love that causes the mother to bare her warm, loving breast to -the blade to save even the little moment of pain to that being which -hath grown into a child under her breast? Dost thou not know it is that -love which causes noble manhood to stalk forth armed and bloodthirsty to -protect the altar whereon he hath burned the incense of faith and -belief? Dost thou not know that it is the same love which causes the -lioness to throw her huge, warm body upon her cub to crush it rather -than it should be cast into iron captivity by its pursuers? Dost thou -not know again that it is this love that hovers in golden silence about -thee even when thou wilt not see and beckons thee ever, even when thou -wilt not follow? It is the same love that leads thee over the paths of -flint and hard and rough roads unto those that are smiling and perfumed -and ever bordered with blooming flowers of purple and milk and rose. -Dost thou not know, my Adarini, that it is that love that points out the -gems that lie in thy path, partly covered, partly hidden by the dust, -while thy feet have kicked over them? Even though I have pointed them -out to thee often, thou dost not see. Thou but lookest to the right and -left for things of beauty which are for the eye, but for the moment, and -dost the rare jewels which if thou wouldst but take into thy heart, -would bring there the richest radiance which ever came from the diadem -that crowns a soul. - -* * - -It is this love that whispers to thee that the path to Me is not hard to -tread. It is this love that holds the garments white as wool and light -as air and beautiful with the beauty of My love for thee ever before -thine eye, even when thou dost in thy little understanding with the back -of thy palm thrust it aside. The garment that I hold for thee is the -robe that thou must wear even to enter the Heart of My Heart to step -within the flame of My light. Fear not it burneth not, neither doth it -scorch or blister; it doth but light thee with a fire that is the -glowing of holiness and when thou hast come within that radiance then -will the choir within the throat of the lark be like the sheet of clean -white paper, to thee and thou thyself will make their notes for singing. -And also thou shalt hear and even understand the pleadings that lie -hidden and covered by the piteous cries and wailings that issue from the -breast of the good beast-creatures that speed over the tracks of -sandland with the swiftness of the Eastern winds, bearing on huge backs -the burden too weighty for man to bear. - -* * - -And listen again, My suckling, thou shalt, when once thou hast entered -into My Heart of hearts clad in the beauty and purity of the garments -which I hold before thee even now, then shalt thou gather in thine arms -the prayers of many hearts and fulfilled even unto wondrous fulness thou -shalt return them again unto the empty hearts. For by the fire through -which thou hast learned holiness and because of the garments that come -from My hand thou shalt say unto My little ones that I, who am the All -in All, am the fulfillment of each desire that has ever found growth in -human hearts. - -* * - -Thou shalt say unto them that simple and clear, even like the smile that -lurketh in the soft eye of a milk-feeding babe, are the laws of My -Love-Eye and easy to grasp and smooth to hold and light to carry. And -because of the saying of thine, the prattle of the forward mouth shall -silence and the way-giving of the idle tongue shall cease and the -squirting of venom shall be no more. And lo, the lust of gossip and -rankness and rough spoil of envy shall be as naught! And clear, like -unto the water that catches in its heart the reflection of the moon and -holdeth it completely so, even so shall the centre of thine eye become -and thy brow shall shine My wisdom and thy mouth shall hold My words, -thy feet shall bear witness to My beauty and thine heart shall ever be -sportive as the lambkin that kicketh and playeth and knoweth not why, or -even like unto the open-lipped baby, who turneth its milk-filled, -dripping mouth away from the breast to croon and play with its fingers -and toes. And like unto the mother that kisseth the babe for that -playing, so shall My little ones steal joy from thy love. - -* * - -List! Because thou art now in the arms of Love I shall make for thee a -grove of palms and olive, bread and date, and where thou art, even in -the city of strife and turmoil and sin, yet thou shalt walk even in the -groves, that I have made for thee. And thou shalt hear the plaintive -call of the night bird and the heart-song of the winged creatures, whose -hearts burst with love and joy in their caroling. - -* * - -And the fruit which the trees of great bearing shall yield thee, shall -fill thee with satisfaction, thy hunger shall be stilled by their -richness and thy thirst shall be slaked by their lusciousness, and lo, -thou shalt contemplate the beauty and wonder of Me in the grove where I -have placed thee and thy heart shall be calmed unto marvelous peace and -many times thou shalt faint, because of the sweetness of that peace. - -* * - -Glory to Gooroo, he who carrieth in his heart and findeth Me in all that -surroundeth him; he has for his surrounding My Abode and knoweth it as -such. He needeth not a ground of tree or grass and flower to find a -roebuck, but findeth it even at his side. He striveth not to gain -possession of that which is far from his hand for he knoweth the rich -mines with nuggets of gold are his for the taking. He findeth not -solitude worse than death, nor is it amiss for him to breathe away from -the crowd of men, for at his side are the voices of love that are loud -even like the thunder or the roaring of the lion, or the screech of an -eaglet. This shall ever be thine blessing, my son, and a shield of love -shall cover thee and thy feet shall be swift and thou shall walk even -light like unto the wind. Let not the burden of the world and the -world's prattle come to thine ear and lie even heavy on thine heart, for -in the palm of my hand thou shalt rest and like a bird who has lately -become a mother and feeds her birdlets, so shall I feed thee, my son. - -* * - -Glory to Gooroo, who among men doth know Me and Me see in all things. - -* * - -O ye my children that fret and squirm underneath the load and scratches -of life! Do give it unto Him who by his wondrous love for all knoweth -not weight nor pain. That which to you a burdensome plight hath become, -is light even unto down to Me. The blight has been of thine own making, -O child of my heart! - -* * - -Oh! know ye not that I carry in the palm of my hand, in the Heart of my -Heart, all mankind—nay, all worldkind? Will ye not know that all I have -created is even like unto Me perfect and cannot be burdensome? - -* * - -Ye will not look upon Me as the pedestal upon which all things that are, -are founded. Arid because of your blindness, for blind ye are, having -eyes ye see not what I have given ye to see—because of your blindness, -small are your hearts and cramped and will not expand in height and -breadth, even to know the peace that dwells in My clear silence, nor the -illumination that lives on My horizon. Nor will ye hear the joy of My -greeting of wisdom that would sing to your souls of a love that -withereth not, neither fadeth away, neither becometh ashes nor crumbleth -to pieces. - -* * - -List, O my children! Dear unto My heart ye are, even as the ewe lamb, in -its waywardness and helplessness, is dear to the heart of the tried and -tender shepherd, or the babe, My gift of first love, is dear to the -eager heart of the prayerful father. Yet oft doth the ewe lamb bleating -stray away from the arm of the shepherd and the truant, rosy mouth of -the babe turns away from the breast of the eager young mother to cry -afar to the yonder world that heareth it not, nor answereth it. - -* * - -So ye, My little ones, see not the light on your way, nor partake of the -bread of life that I scatter to you, even as the waving yellow tree of -mustard doth scatter its seed in golden profusion on the fertile regions -around it. - -* * - -Hark, one and all! All careless have you been in the weeding of your -gardens, for in your beds I find the thistle thriving; in your vineyards -the grape I find that is hard and sour and bitter. - -* * - -Oh, alas for you who cast your net for fish and bring forth the slimy -reptile! Beware, my child, lest the best hopes of life cannot stir away -from harmful ones. Evil stalketh idly. Of nothing it is born, yet would -it squirm, like the insect, and buzz its cloud about thine ear, and -mote-like obscure thy sight, and throng through thy mind and heart even -leaving its imagery there. - -* * - -O My children! I have placed you in a dewy field, where like young -lambkins you might disport yourselves. I have bounded your dewy field -with heather-purpled hills, where like the young eagle and the hawk you -might soar and spread your wings and flap them to the music and measure -and time of My winds, which I hold from everlasting to everlasting even -in Mine own hand. But, alas! like the lily that from overmuch dew -falleth face down ward in the dirt, so many of you turn your hearts -earthwise. - -* * - -Hungering to be caught by Me and to know the beauty of My Being, because -you see and will not understand—even because of that I rebuke you in -love, in love I rebuke you: Nor will I come again to those who call, -unless in holiness the call will bring profit from My words. - -* * - -O thou My Beloved one! Thou who like saint and sage and prophet of old -has touched the harp of life that I attune for thee, do thou come to Me -singly and do thou say unto those that My promise is this: "Dear to Me -are ye, My children. List to the promise I give unto you! To those who -seek Me in holy earnestness, to those do I come even like the sweet -influence of young Spring. Like unto a giant am I in gentleness, yet -none can wrestle with My Love. Know, ye shall know My coming even by the -spontaneous growth that shall spring about your feet, and become even -fruit-bearing trees at My command." - -* * - -To the barren woman I shall look into her eye, and lo! the gush of young -motherhood shall she feel When My Love is yours, then shall the leopard -take between his forepaws even the young sheep, and that rough and long -tongue shall rub it between the eyes. - -* * - -Into the eye of the ascetic I shall look, he who for many moons hath -stood in cold silence, even he shall feel his heart reel with love like -unto the young bridegroom. - -* * - -Dulness shall glow. Thy slow tongue, my child, shall become eloquent. -Idleness shall become active, even bereavement shall be consoled and -despair shall flee at My coming. - -* * - -Am I not the magician of all time, who by the spell of My love do charm -a waiting, passive, alas!–a blinded world? Aye, even thy heart of hearts -shall be laid bare and those who seek shall come and feed of the peace -thereof. Lo, on the hilltop for thee my sun spreads cheer! - -* * - -Be thou he, who shall invest in courage, climbing the rocky hill, where -thou shalt embrace cheer and she shall bring forth the baby, that is thy -desire, and because of the baby which thou holdest in thy arms, because -of that thy path shall be light, for lo! the babe is what men call -success. - -* * - -O My young son! Do thou take to the young thy onward march, even thy -sunlight, which I for thee have created, so that thou mayest make the -poisonous and damp vapors, which will surround thee, even of great -warmth and of fragrance and golden hue. Take thou the Seed of My Name on -thy lips, aye, and the tree of thy affection shall bend its every leaf -to look in Mine Eye, and there shall behold the gladness and hope of My -life. There shalt thou read thy Beatitude. - -* * - -Do not allow the phantom fears crowd into thy heart and make a layer of -darkness in thy heart, even as the water doth drop its heaviness into -the bottom of a vessel and leave its heaviness there, for, if thou dost, -then will the waters of cleanness that fill thy heart by the least -ripple stir up the heaviness and rust that hath sunk to the bottom and -so color even that which was clear. Naught is there in thee to bring -shadow of that which is gruesome to thee, My child, for when thou comest -to Me there have I buried deep that which might have caused thee fear. -List I do thou even let the desires of thy heart lie dormant and do thou -even seek My Love in this hour. Then thou shalt know the fatness of My -love and when thou dost, then will the soul thou cravest to turn toward -thee in the splendour of light beam full upon thee, even as thou wouldst -have it Love, My own, the working of My love, is not always the working -of that which thou canst only see a little way—for far even unto -eternity do I lode and the links I rivet now are even the chain that -stretches to the end of time everlasting. Therefore do thou not look -only to the feet ahead of thee, but do thou find that in the time and -place of my action there alone perfection is—yea, even there perfection -is which to thee may seem even unfinished, but to My Eye it is the whole -complete. - -* * - -Out of the tumult of thy heart, out of the chaos of thy mind, out of the -depth of thy understanding thou dost call unto Me for rest and thus do I -answer thee, My little one! - -* * - -Seek not rest in the plane where the earthly gives birth to thoughts and -loves, for if thou dost, thou shalt but be dragged through the rough -wilderness of life, which is not of Me. Whenever thou dost feel thy feet -tangled in the interlaced roots of life, know thou hast strayed a little -from the path whereon I beckon thee, for I have placed thee in broad, -smooth paths, which are flower-strewn and perfumed with sweet smelling -vines and also have put before thee a light, which thou canst ever -follow and thus run without stumbling. - -* * - -Hear thou this! The bliss of action I have planted in thy spirit and if -for a span thy soul hath grown weary and thou longest to fold thy tired -wings and sleep awhile on the Island of White Silence, that dwells even -in the midst of the ocean of existence, if that thou wouldst do—call -upon Me and with My smile that which is unlike Me, shall drop from thy -soul, as the old garment falleth from the butterfly, when its wings are -strong to cleave the air. And after a sufficient slumber thou shalt be -quickened with deathless energy and shalt speed in eagle swiftness even -to the sun, which is the burning of the love in My Eye. But, list, my -jewel! Be not confounded by the shaking of thy timid heart, nor yet by -the yelling grisly shapes, that seem full of dread, hunting at thy back, -nor be allured by bright phantoms of false joys beckoning thee -ceaselessly. Like swarms of gnats about a dark and sullen river, they -crowd about the heart that harbours thoughts of fear and lo, their -stings do itch and burn and swell and bring fever to the blood and -bitterness to the taste and even death to the joy that dwelleth in the -heart. Lo, My child, hast thou not spied the serpent in the closed, -tight bud of the rose or even in the hollow of the rosy fruit? Eye saw -it not, but the rose became even as rust and the apple rotten. So beware -that an adder rest not in the bud of the heart and that adder fear be -opposed to hope which I have placed in goodly share upon thy brow. - -* * - -List, My own, and abide by My song that unto thy soul I sing: Bliss is -the perpetual motion of Love. As a running stream it is that cometh from -an inexhaustible source, the depth of which is even unmeasurable. - -* * - -To the unknowing and unloving the surface in unruffled, but he that -seeth underneath, he findeth there current 'neath current, whirlpool -within whirlpool and depth beneath depth and the sum of it all is Love, -which is Life and coupled together by the links of Bliss. - -* * - -I have a shore that is called the Island of Rest, here do the souls of -many hold sabbath. They lie in tranquil slumber for a little, much have -they to tell, but they fear to break the tranquility of their calm. Here -their dwelling is illumined with glory. The melody of sweet peace bathes -their soul; the mystery of their being is revealed unto them. For a -little here they wait but still this home is but a transient resting -place between earth and Me. Rest can be thine, my own, in slumber of -ecstasy, but Bliss can be thine through the perpetual action of Love. -Which wouldst thou have? - -* * - -Come to Me again and I will even sing to thy soul of my Love. - -* * - -Glory to Gooroo, he who seeketh Me and findeth Me, the ever refreshing, -even in the desert of sand and a day of drought! Greeting to thee. My -son, for I say unto thee, thou art a grateful twig on the bay-tree of -life. And because of My love for thee I have bestowed upon thee the -greatest gift of my hand; A largeness worthy of my devotee shall be -yours that the flattering tongue can but in feebleness express because -of its vastness. And this vastness of purpose shall be like unto -uncounted autumn leaves that number millions upon millions and like unto -the masses of clouds that pile in mountains upon worlds and the seas -that cover unlimited space and the numberless stars multiplied by worlds -of fire. Thus measureless and incomparable shall be My gift unto thee -for thou hast found Me and held Me even close to thee and because of it, -the river of joy shall flow within thee forever. - -* * - -My thumb I have placed upon you, so that free-footed you may stand in -the lightning of My Eye, whose brilliant fire doth even gladden all -communion with time and doth bid the stars to smile and darkness to flee -for ever, for when My Beautiful Necessity, Love, is once uncovered, -there is the veil behind veil lifted forever and even the Centre of All -Worlds are visible to the naked eye, for he who hath clad himself in the -garment of My Love, he even pierceth through all covering. - -* * - -Thus hath My Love blessed thee, My Beloved. - -* * - -O prisoner of earthly life! Take thou cheer and courage unto thyself, -for much is there that is of rare comfort to the spirit. Thrust not -thyself into the pit of earth and labor there and seek to carry on thy -shoulder and on thy back the burdens that are born of the clay and -therefore hurtful and of much weight. But do thou step out and bask in -the glow of the sun, do thou stretch forth thy limbs in languid and -truant ease and let its warmth play on the white of thy flesh so that -even the health of thy blood may bubble to the surface. - -* * - -Do thou fix thine eyes on the dome where stars are fixed, though they -are paled by the garish sun and hence dim; yet rear thy heart starward -and in the course of the sun see the greatness of ways and tracks that -are thine, My jewel! Do thou even now burst asunder the fetters that -rivetest thee even to the plank of anxiety and with a bound throw from -thee the shackles and walk thy star-ward path as a tenant of earth in -the way to finding a better abode. - -* * - -About thee lies the good that cometh from My strong right arm. Hold it, -that its countenance may remain with thee forever. Yea, seek not for a -change of thy good for that which is better, but hug rather the present -good to thy heart of heart that its strength may impart even strength -where thy weakness abideth. The load which I have placed upon thy -shoulder is not to thee a load earth-made, 'tis but a gathering of rare -herbage piped with beautiful coloring which is full of healing and sweet -of taste, but which you all, blinded, do see as burdensome. - -* * - -If thou but onward marchest, looking not at the phantom spies that seek -to distract thee in thy going and lurk in the clearness of thy light, -then shalt thou add wings unto them and they shall flee even as doth the -young chick before the hawk's approach. Let thy bold front even by its -courage chase forever the foes of man, stern unbelief and dull distrust, -which are ever eager to find lodging in the heart where a canopy of -white trust doth shelter the babe of Love that reclineth in playful -happiness on a rosy couch of hope. Even there would the enemy of man -steal and take from the garden of his soul the flowers that blossom in -rare loveliness, the beauty that hideth in sweet silence, the peace that -casteth its halo of calm over the spirit even as a wild dove. - -* * - -A SOUL AND ITS BELOVED. - -A soul was all tired unto death because love, which once glowed warm and -red, had turned toward a face fairer and brighter than the one which -encased it. - -Long it dwelt upon that departure, until the time had come when it was -all ready to leave the earth; but there was the beloved soul, which had -gone from the right path. - -While contemplating on the possible way of calling unto itself the -beloved soul that had gone astray in its blindness, Death stood before -it and called it to make ready for a long journey beyond the boundaries -which it now knew. - -Glad and willing the soul responded; but, casting its eyes behind for -one moment, it beheld its beloved mate, walking in the mire, in its -search after the will-o'-the-wisp for which it had left its home, and -the soul was grieved sorely unto death. One step backward it made; but -Death detained it, saying: "This way, sweet soul, you go wrong. See that -golden path? There await you those who want you to be with them in parts -beautiful and wonderful beyond that which you remember." - -"Oh!" spake the soul, "What of her—my beloved? Where goes she?" - -"Alone the path she now treads she has chosen, and it is pot in your -power to draw her back one inch from that chosen path!" - -"But, O Death!" quoth the soul, "the way before her is black and full of -reptiles and evil creeping things, and she was so tender and beautiful. -May I not change places with her, and will you not take her and leave -me?" - -"It is not so written," quoth Death. "Each soul chooses its own path and -she has chosen hers." - -"When, O Death! will she come to where you lead me?" - -"It is written, not for many aeons." - -"How can I draw her to me to turn her from her dark way to myself?" - -"It is written that one soul may draw another after it, if for many -births it is willing to wait at the door of death for all souls to pass. -See, here it is where these wailing, fainting, quivering ones suffer -agonies, greater than you have ever dreamed of in the many walks of your -earthly or space life." - -A moment the soul gazed on the suffering ones; and as it looked it grew -cold and pinched, as if another death had come upon it. "I will wait," -it said. "Joy it will be to me to wait for aeons until she whom I love -will pass this way!" - -"Oh!" cried Death, "it was said among the unseen ones who throng space -that you were thus. See, the pang of pain which you in agony bore has -forced your beloved to turn and gaze towards you. She leaves her path of -mud and darkness and hurries after you. Come on, both of you, and walk -the path of gold that is thronged with such as you, the saviour and the -saved. Surely in one moment of such love you have unfettered the bonds -which bound yourself and your beloved to all that was of earth." - -And they passed into the way that led to the higher place. - -THE FAIR ONE AND HER SOUL. - -The world had grown gray, the golden stars had fled from the skies, and -a silence deep yawned at the feet of one who, all hungry for that which -she knew not and starved for that which she could not name, moaned: "O -Soul! why am I tortured thus? Why dost thou lead me into paths I cannot -walk, and drag me into depths that I fear, and scale with me heights -whose atmosphere so rare and high is, that faint I grow and ill unto -perishing therein. What is the quest of thine? This struggle and this -reaching after that which I cannot see or feel? Weak is my flesh, though -thou, dear Soul, art strong. It is ever easier for me to fall than to -rise. I struggle to keep on with thee, but ever and anon thou mountest -to planes where my tired and clumsy feet cannot follow thee. Ofttimes -have I called unto thee and implored thee to cease the quest, to rest -awhile, to sleep. Thou hast heard my moan now and again and I ran -laughing into die garden that awaited me. But when I stood among the -blood-red roses and White-cupped lilies and sought to pluck the pretty -blossoms, ever in the heart a worm did lurk. So farther I ran to where -the fruits hung high. But when on tip-toe I stood to reach the luscious -ripe ones that beckoned me, lo! again the over softness of decay did -break upon my gaze, and I wanted them not. Then I made to climb some -steep hill whereon the clouds did seem to rest, and as I ascended, the -clouds did fade farther from me, and I stood with only the cold gray -mist about me, chilled and frightened, like a child lost from its -mother's side. - -"And so it was, O Soul, the pleasures which the earth placed at my feet -palled upon me and dragged me down nigh unto the grave. Then I nestled -to thee, my beloved Soul, and called thee to save and direct me, and -pleaded to thee to save me from this fleshly self that keeps me -earth-bound. Then thou wouldst take my hand and with me soar to -mountain-heights, and we with outstretched wings would view the rosy -glow that the departing sun did cast about us as it waved its grand -adieu to the world we knew. Thus we stood, I trembling with gladness, -thou thrilling with joy, but, O Soul, my poor fleshly self could not -long abide such ecstasy nor drink the rarefied wine which the Heavens -vouchsafed us, and crying I clung to thee and dragged thee down, down, -until both again stood at the bottom of the heights where lately we had -spied the door that leads to broader worlds. Thou, my beloved, hadst -folded thy widespread wings, and thy feet were planted in the dank -grasses whose roots were deep in mire. O tell me, thou whose awakening -is so beautiful and whose stature is full of grace, tell me, O Soul, -why, though coupled together, are we yet divided; why, though one, are -we yet two?" - -The Soul made answer meet: "O companion of my earthly Self's encasement -of soft flesh, I love thee even as thou lovest me, and I do draw thee -upward, even as thou dost drag me down. Dost thou not know that from -earth thou hast come, hence to earth must go again; that thy natural -tendencies are downward even unto the earth from which thou didst -spring? Yet dost thou love that in me which soars even upward to the -home from whence I came. A ray of eternal light am I, a glow of the warm -of a spark of the central flame; hence must I ever strive to reach that -perfect sphere from whence I came, more beautiful and entrancing than -thou canst know, nor can I anchored be until once again that safe haven -I reach wherefrom I lately came. Yet, list! sweet partner of my earthly -pilgrimage, dost know why thou lovest me, even though hither and thither -I draw thee? Tis that I am born of Love, and none can resist Love; and -the great tender earth, thy mother, is nourished by the great Love which -is the creator of thee and me. O fair and sweet companion, my earthly -armour that I love, thou and I together may reach beyond where we stand -reluctantly and defiantly! Gaze on me, thy soul, who giveth radiance to -thee and beauty to thine eye, and dost attend all that is lovable unto -thee I Gaze at me, and even that which is earthly will partake of me and -become more of heaven than of earth! - -"And so we will wander in joy through life; and who knows but that even -the flowers may grow sweeter for our having dwelt here? If we but look -upward, thou following me, and I, though loving thee much, yet yielding -not to thy sweet persuasive pleadings and downward looking, who knows -but we may heal those who, even like thee, do cry out against the -non-adjustment of the body and the soul, who, even like thee, have known -soul-hunger and soul-starvation, which disease driveth out of the body -all its softness and smoothness, and even casteth a shadow on the soul -which should never he shadowed, lest it loseth the sight of the home -where light alone doth dwell and love alone doth reign." - -The voice ceased. A great tenderness, an unbounded beauty shone on the -face of the fleshly one, and turning from the deep silence that rolled -at her feet, the woman gave a glad look at the stars, which once again -adorned her sky and flitted away with a ringing laugh. - -The Soul echoed her joy, and the world looked on amazed—for naught is -there as rare in life as a happy, joyous woman. - -[1] The color of the newest rain-cloud of India, color of the sapphire -or marine blue, are vain attempts to indicate Krishna's color and -complexion. - -[2] Brahmā is the Creator of the details of the Universe. The Supreme -Creator is the Supreme Deity, Krishna. He creates by His Will. The -inequilibrium of the three Cardinal Attributes (Sattwa, Rāja, Tama, or -Illumination, Activity and Obscuration) embodies the Creative Will of -Krishna, as explained in the foregoing part of this book. This -inequilibrium starts the current and force of Creation. Vāsudeva, as the -manifestation and centre of the first flush of Creation, springing from -Krishna as a result of this loss of poise, is the Second Creator in whom -the seed of Creation (unpoise of Attributes) dwells as an Unknown -Feeling of differentiation. Sankarsana, who springs from Vāsudeva, is -the Third Creator, but acts only as the Unconscious Cause of Creation. -Pradyumna, who springs from Sankarsana, carrying the Abstract Idea of -Creation, is the Fourth Creator, the Semi-Conscious Cause of Creation. -Aniruddha, born of Pradyumna as the Full-Conscious Cause, is the Fifth -Creator. This Aniruddha is called Nārāyan and Vishnoo. From Him springs -Brahmā, the first sprout of Creation. He is the Sixth and the Operating -Creator, called in the Hindoo Books the "Father of Creation," the -"Grandfather of all God's creatures." Brahmā's Abode is the Brahmā Loka, -otherwise called the Satya Loka or the Seventh Heaven, the Seventh from -the Earth Sphere (First Heaven). Just over the Brahmā Loka is the -Vaikuntha Loka, the Abode of Vishnoo, the Abode of Salvation (Mukti), -where souls freed from the last bondage of matter and its influence go -for Rest and Reward. This Abode of Vishnoo is unapproachable even by the -gods and the illumined souls who dwell on earth or in the Four Upper -Heavens. Brahmā alone by mediation can communicate with Vishnoo on any -subject bearing on the welfare of Creation and receive a response from -Him who is the Outerward Form of Krishna. - -[3] The first part of the Indian Autumn which comes after the Rainy -Season. - -*** END OF THE PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK SREE KRISHNA THE LORD OF -LOVE *** - -Updated editions will replace the previous one--the old editions will -be renamed. - -Creating the works from print editions not protected by U.S. copyright -law means that no one owns a United States copyright in these works, -so the Foundation (and you!) can copy and distribute it in the -United States without permission and without paying copyright -royalties. Special rules, set forth in the General Terms of Use part -of this license, apply to copying and distributing Project -Gutenberg-tm electronic works to protect the PROJECT GUTENBERG-tm -concept and trademark. 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