Sunday, Aug. 19, 2012, at the Bangalore ULT
Pages covered : vol. I, p. 445, para 1 to p. 449 top.
Power of Words :
Wonderful cures effected by certain people by pronouncing certain words. Origen, one of the very learned Christian Church Father of the 3rd century, spoke of Brahmans performing this feat. Orioli, a learned correspondent of the French Institute in the 19th century, corroborated Origen of the 3rd century. Leonard de vair spoke of the same thing in 16th century. The latter said that persons, by pronouncing certain words performed wonders, such as :
- walk barefooted on red hot burning coal,
- walked on points of a sharp knives stuck in the ground,
- poised on them on one toe and lifted up a heavy man in the air,
- tamed wild horses, most furious bulls with a single word.
They are called MANTRA in India. Human evidence down the ages prove that such magic words do exists. (See Theosophical Glossary for the word Mantra and Mantrika Shakti)
This is to be studied with reference to the item numbers 1, 2, 3, and 4 of the 10 propositions of Oriental psychology, given in Isis Unveiled, vol. II, pp. 587 and 588 or in the Home page of the website under ‘basic propositions.’)
These 10 propositions of psychology are ever to be kept in mind when studying Isis. The whole of Isis is an elaborate expositions and demonstrations of these 10 basic principles of ancient Oriental Psychology.
Mantrika Shakti is one of the branches of ancient Magic. There is White Magic and Black Magic (Proposition no. 5) It is said that some Jesuits picked up some of the tricks during their missionary travels from the native Sorcerers of East Indies. An instance is cited in which Jesuits demonstrated that they could bring red hot coal in their bare hands to warm their companions exposed to cold weather.
Some modern mediums also perform this feat after they are entranced. They are termed as fire-proof mediums. The condition is that they must be entranced for them to exercise the power of immunity against fire.
But in the Orient it is otherwise. Wide awake, in full glare of day light, “jugglers” can exhibit the power. They will dip their hands to the elbow in red hot coals. They need no prior preparations, nor do they need to go into trance, but wide awake, at any time, can handle red hot iron or molten lead or burning coal without injury. During religious ceremony of Siva Ratri (vigil-night of Siva) in India such phenomena take place. One instance is cited : One Tamil juggler did wonderful feats by summoning to his aid an Elemental Sprite he called Kutti Sattan, meaning, the little demon. Kablists say it was Elemental, called Gnome.
Such magical performances are done by certain groups of people who transmit their secret knowledge from generations to generations. (See item 8 of the 10 propositions – Isis, II p. 588)
Power of clairvoyance and prophecy :
Some Brahmans possess this power. They live in secluded places, mainly in the western coast of India. It is not caste compulsion which make them so seclude themselves. The real reason for their secrecy and seclusion may perhaps become known after many centuries have elapsed.
Ceremonial practices adopted by Hindus to drive away evil spirits (p. 447)
Christians believe in the “Devil” as an entity who lead man in to evil ways. It is one of the fundamental dogmas of the Church. Christian missionaries have been misrepresenting the ancient ceremonial practice of the Hindus to drive away evil spirits as worship of the devil. It suits their purpose in spreading such an impression in the west that Hindus are “devil worshippers.”
What is the real fact which underlie this custom of theirs ? It is said that it is merely a ceremonial precaution against “terrestrial” and human spirits, whom they dread far more than elemental sprites. These “terrestrial spirits” are the Kama-rupas, the dregs of the passions and desires which every man leaves behind in the Astral World, after his physical death just as he leaves the physical body in the physical world; after leaving the physical, the disembodied Soul purges away his Body of Desires and Passions (Kama – Rupa) in the Astral World, In Kama-Looka, and thereafter, the pure Soul repairs to heavenly abode, suffused with the spiritual aroma of his life, his noble thoughts and aspirations, for rest and reward of happiness for the good he has done.
The Kama-rupa is what people in India dread. They are called Elementaries in Theosophical parlance. (See Theosophical Glossary for Elementary) They are earth-bound “spirits” of people who have led sinful lives. Very wicked people leave behind Kama-rupas which are dangerous to the living as they haunt the sensitive living people and try to satisfy their lusts and evil desires through them. Hindus use all kinds of means, such as music, incense, perfumes etc. in their efforts to drive them away. They offer them cakes and fruits and various kinds of foods which they liked when living since many of them have experienced the wickedness of these returning “dead ones” whose persecutions are sometime dreadful. This is not worship of the Devil as the missionaries misrepresent, but a ceremony in an effort to ward off the earth-bound spirits—called in the West as Larvae.
These Larvae are called by many names : spook, puttum in Tamil, Pisaca in Sanscrit, “haunting spooks,” ghosts. They are believed to visit the places where their bodies were buried or cremated.
But “Elementals’ are different (See Theosophical Glossary). They are Nature Spirits, the noumenal powers of the visible Elements—Fire, Air, Water and Earth. The Fire elementals are the Rosicrucian gnomes and salamanders; they are pictured as dwarfs of a fiery appearance living in earth and fire.
Are ‘Vampires,’ in which there is universal belief, mere fiction? That will the topic of study in the next study class.
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