Summary and discussions
Isis unveiled, vol. I
Chapter XV –INDIA THE CRADLE OF CIVILIZATION
Pages 574 – 577
Chapter XV of the first volume of Isis Unveiled ends the first volume.
The main purpose of the author of Isis Unveiled is to dispute the general notion of the times that mankind has progressed to the present civilization from savagery, and that the early history of mankind was primitive and uncultured. Falsity of this modern assumption, she shows, arises from the materialistic spirit of the civilization characterized by mere intellectual advancement and almost total spiritual blindness. Contrary to the prevalent notion, humanity is shown to have spiritual origin, and the universe—of which humanity is the highest expression—to be embodied consciousness, both being emanations of One Absolute Being, involved in threefold evolutionary development—spiritual, intellectual and physical—whose final end and consummation is the realization of the true nature of Self and Being to be the Universe itself, both manifest and unmanifest—Divinity.
The XIV chapter was devoted to showing many strings of evidence—historical, scriptural, writings of classical authors of ancient literature, modern scientific researches, architectural features of ancient ruins, etc.—in support of the claim that a divine degree of highest knowledge and wisdom, its custodians and teachers, always existed on earth from the highest antiquity, that it was universally diffused, is existent today, that man is essentially a spiritual being and has divine potentialities of knowledge and powers hidden within him, and his destiny is to fully manifest and express the same unhindered and unimpeded by the imperfections of his material covering—his lower self. In the XIV chapter the wondrous ancient monuments—the Pyramids of Egypt, Nagkon Wat of Siam, Mexican temples were shown to exhibit in their architectural symbolism and hieroglyphic inscriptions evidences of the universally diffused Esoteric Science and Knowledge. Extensive discourse on extraordinary heights of achievements of Egyptian civilization, with supporting evidence, was given.
In the XV chapter prevalence of similar high ancient civilization of India is discoursed upon.
Tenacious vitality of the WORLD-TREE OF KNOWLEDGE
It was said in Chapter IV that there cannot be more than one universal religion, for there can be but one truth concerning God. It was likened to “ an immense chain whose upper end, the alpha, remains invisibly emanating from a Deity—in statu absconidito—with every primitive theology—it encircles our globe in every direction; it leaves not even the darkest corner unvisited, before the other end, the omega, turns back on its way to be again received where it first emanated. On the divine chain was strung the exoteric symbology of very people. Their variety of form is powerless to effect their substance, and under their diverse ideal types of the universe of matter, symbolizing its vivifying principles, the uncorrupted immaterial image of the spirit of being guiding them is the same.” (I, 560)
Chapter XV opens with a reference again to this World-Tree of Knowledge. Truth has always been there. But who wants Truth, who is prepared to make personal sacrifices to obtain it ? History of mankind is full of the accounts of the struggle between the two poles of being—Truth and Untruth, good and evil, spirit and matter. The Secret Doctrine has ever been ridiculed and prevented to take root and grow and spread its benevolent canopy. It has always been like the “man of sorrows” of the biblical prophet Isaiah. It is hated by established religions, scouted by materialistic science, because it shows the errors of both, and show how they can reform themselves and grow complete. It has never been welcome. But it exhibits a tenacious vitality all over the globe and persists everywhere, though esoterically. No lightening of human ridicule can fell it to the ground, no thunderbolt ever forged by the Vulcans of science have the power to blast its trunk, or even scar the branches of this WORLD-TREE OF KNOWELDGE.
Esoteric science concealed in the exoteric, apparently contradictory, verbiage of sacred scriptures of the world.
Revealed word of sacred scriptures are the dead-letters, which when taken literally, misleads the seeker. One has to learn to discover the hidden wisdom within those otherwise meaningless jumble of words and mythical symbols. Thus in the Books of Hermes can be found, if read esoterically, to find the evidence of a truth and philosophy which must be based on eternal Laws. Then we will better understand the hidden sense of the gift lavished by the Elohim on Adam : “Behold, I have given you everything which is upon the face of all the earth...subdue it, ´and “have dominion” over all.
Genesis I and II seem contradictory when taken in the literal dead-letter sense; but when read esoterically they perfectly harmonize
The first chapters of the Book of Genesis is a narration of historical events. One need not consider in esoteric sense to recognize in them a part of the history of prehistoric humanity. Kabalists show how to interpret the verses cited in Genesis to read in them ancient geographical and historical facts. The narration given in the scripture are allegorical and parables.
(Allegorical mode of teaching in the Bible is clearly hinted at by Jesus and St. Paul : “Which things are an allegory.” – Galatians, 4 / 24; Jesus said to his disciples that he spoke to the multitudes in parables : Matthew, 13 / 10-15)
Gen I and II seem to contradict each other when read literally, but the fact is that there is no contradiction in reality. The two narratives of creation seem diametrically opposed to each other in nearly every particular of order, time, place, and methods employed in the work of creation; also seem to belittle the majesty of the Unknown Deity, dragging him down to the level of earthly man and endow him with personality of man, feeling jealous, using precaution against man lest he should eat of the fruit of the Tree of Good and Evil and become like a god, etc. But that is the impression one gets from the outer dead-letter reading. Esoterically, it is different.
The Garden of Eden as a locality is no myth at all, and not all mere allegory. Eden is Hebrew Gan-Eden, which means a park. Garden of Eden is an archaic name of the country watered by Euphrates and its many branches, from Asia and Armenia to the Erythraian sea. Alexander Wilder says that ‘Gan-duniyas” is a name of Babylonia. In the Chaldean Book of Numbers its location is designated in numerals. In the cipher Rosicrucian MSS left by Count St. Germain it is fully described. The Elohim may be taken in one sense to be gods or powers, and in another one for the Aleim or the Priests—the Hierophants initiated into the mystery of the good and evil of the world. There was a college of priests called Aleim, the chief of whom was known as Java-Aleim. “Behold, the man is become as one of us” meant exercise of precaution against those among men who sought to learn the secret wisdom without prior purification and fitness, lest they should desecrate the sacred science to the hurt of the world and of themselves. Instead of becoming a neophyte, and gradually obtaining his esoteric knowledge through regular initiation, Adam, or man, uses his intuitional faculties, and prompted by the Serpent—Woman and Matter—tastes of the Tree of Knowledge, the esoteric or the secret doctrine, unlawfully. (“Matter”, “woman,” refer to the passional nature of the lower self of man).
The origin of The Book of Genesis is to be traced to Babylonia, which, in turn, is traced to India, the cradle of civilization; Akkads do not belong to Turanian race but are, in truth, emigrants from India, who founded the Babylonian civilization
Hebrew scriptures bear on their face the marks of their double origin : Genesis is reminiscent of Babylonian captivity. The names, places, men, objects mentioned in the original Hebrew texts point to the Chaldeans and Akkadians, and the Aryan instructors of the former. Akkad tribes of Chaldea, Babylonia, and Assyria were cognate with Brahmans of India, in support of which there are proofs. They emigrated from India, tarried on their way to Asia Minor, to initiate and civilize barbarian people. It is a proven fact that Babylonian civilization was neither born nor developed in that country. It was imported from India, and importers were Brahmanical Hindus.
Alexander Wilder disputes the contention of Max Muller that Akkads were “Turanians.” The historical reality of the latter tribe itself is questionable, and is purely a hypothetical idea based of some philologists and ethnologists.
In the next blog, the Hindu origins of Biblical myths will be discussed.
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------
No comments:
Post a Comment