In beginning with Utpaththi Prakarana, the author gives out a story to illustrate Parabrahm manifesting itself as Brahma, the creator with the conception of “I “through its own Sankalpa. Instead of giving out, as in the Puranas, that the creator, Brahma arose out of the navel of NfirAyana with four hands, etc., this work states that, out of the one vast Akasa of Jnanaor the one Plenum of Abstract Intelligence, a Brahmin, the primeval ego called Akasaja was born who lived for a long time when Kala (time) wanted to get at him and bring him under his clutches but was unable to do so through the radiant Tejas (lustre) that shone about his per son.
Then Kala consulted with Yama (Death) who also is the personification of Time but in the lower or Rupa planes and advised the former to go in quest, of any of the past Karmas of the Brahmin which were found to be nil. Thereupon Yama is said to have remarked to Kala that the Brahmin was no other than Brahma himself; though performing Karmas, Brahma had nothing clinging to him, as he did not perform them for any selfish purposes of his own. From this, it will be clear that, ere creation began, there was one vast space or Akasa with no activity in it or in the noumenal state of Parabrahm. When evolution began, three kinds or states of Akasa are said to have evolved, vis., Jnana-Akas, Chidakas and Bhuta- kas.
The last is the elemental Akasa compounded of the quintuplicated five elements, Akasa, Vayu,&c., whereas Chida kas corresponds to the plane of the lower mind. Janakas corresponds to the third body or plane. The first ego of Brahma which is differentiated into many is then, in the story of Lila, traced in its workings in the three Akasa above- mentioned. The three pairs introduced therein are (i) Lila and Padma, (2) Arundhatiand Vasishta, (3) Yiduratha and his spouse. In the story of Karkati we come to the lowest stage, whether of the man or world. The intelligence or Purusha that pervades the physical body is described in this story. In the Upanishads and other books, the Purusha in this stage is likened to a thread or the tail-end of paddy.
As stated in this work further on, the normal experience of humanity now is their being no other than the physical body, though some may, in theory, hold that they are different from the body ; the second experience is the direct perception of their being like a thread-like substance in the gross body and being different from the gross one. In the third state, they rise to a direct experience of their being the universe. The Rakshasi Karkati having a voracious stomach was unable to fully gratify her appetite and hence got a boon from Brahma to enter as a Jiva-Suchi or living needle into all human beings, with the power of troubling those of lower desires but becom ing the slaves of those who are conquerors of them. It is this Rakshasi that is at the bottom of all our pains and that can be made to minister to our wants, if we will only make up our minds to lord over our desires.
The story of Aindhava brings some corroborations to the occult doctrine. The author, after describing that the uni verse is no other than the aspect of the Brahmic intelligence, now proceeds to the enumeration of the worlds that exist. At the beginning of a creation, Brahma is said to have asked the resplendent orb of the sun to describe its orgin. The sun and its nine brothers of suns are said to have been born out of Indhu since according to the Hindu or occult doctrine all things merge into the moon during Pralaya the son of Ksyapa, and to be ruling over the ten worlds created by their own Sankalpa as if they were Brahmas themselves.
Hence arose the ten worlds out of their minds. These ten worlds may refer to either the ten solar systems or the ten worlds which are subtler and subtler than one another and existing in space. Besides the 7 worlds as ordinarily known, there are said to be at first three other worlds which have arisen out of the one. Out of the one. arises at first the three lokas of Brahma, Vishnu and Rudra who originate and work in the seven worlds, Bhu, Bhuvar, &c., up to Satya. Then are in troduced the stories of the wily Indra, Chitta and a lad to exemplify the illusory nature of the universe. In the story of Sambarika, the Siddha, the illusory nature of time is also illustrated. Thus eight stories conclude this chapter wherein is traced the initial stage of the origin of “ I” ; wherein is exemplified the fact that the universe arises out of the mere Sankalpa of the original creator, both the universe and Jiva, the intelligence arising as the illusory aspect of the one Sub stratum.
This section deals with the Sthithi character or the pre servative aspect of the mind or the universe. In the first story of Sukra, the ego is made to pass after its origin through a series of births in a time appearing very short to his father Bhrigu who was then engaged in Nirvikalpa Sa- madhi near his son and hence was existing in higher planes. Students of esoteric literature know full well that, of all the planets, Sukra or Venus corresponds to our ego or the higher Marias. This higher Manas and the ray of Atma or Bud- dhi pass through the different forms of humanity as well as the lower ones. Having traced thus, the author next proceeds to give out the curious story of D ama and two others to illustrate how the “ I 1 in man concretes itself in him after innumerable births with the Ahankara we find in him now. Once upon a time, there raged a war between the Devas and the Asuras.
The latter, finding themselves worsted in it, creat ed through the M^yavic power of their leader three men with out Ahankara or the conception of “ I” in them to fight with their opponents ; since one without Ahankara will be able to face his enemy without any the least fear, and regardless of the consequences of his actions. The Devas, finding their enemy too tough for them to deal with, applied to the higher powers for help. Vishnu advised them to adopt a rather queer plan. That was of again and again pretending to make war with their opponents and of again and again retiring from the field, when their enemy made onslaughts against them.
Through this process, they were told by Vishnu that the “ I” in the Mciyavic personages would be provoked and hardened and that those personages would grow terribly afraid of the re sults of the war and be discomfited through the generation of “ I” in them. This procedure was adopted and the Devas gained the day. After this was over, three others of true Jndna and hence without Ahankara were created afresh by the Asuras and sent against the Devas, Finding them too hard to combat with, the passive powers of Devas again implored Vishnu for aid. In this instance, Vishnu came directly to the field of battle and took the 3 Maydvic personages away, as men of true Jnna find their asylum in Him alone. Thus we find that the desires in the external world which have at first no hold on the subtle “ I” in this world get a hold over it and concrete it through, as it were, a play of spiral game with it. It thus takes a long time ere the evils desires take possession of the heart. Likewise many births are required for their eradication. Both these stages are necessary to a progressing ego.
The ego should first get into desires and be tinged with Ahankara, so that, through such a course, it may learn the lessons at their hands and after the lessons are learnt it no longer needs the desires and gets out of them. This is the reason why, in that, valuable work called The Light on the Path, it says thus Seek in the heart the source of evil and expunge it. It lives fruit fully in the heart of the devoted disciple as well as in the heart of the man of desire. Only the strong can kill it out. The weak must wait for its growth, its fruition, its death. And it is a plant that lives and increases throughout the ages. It flowers when the man has accumulated unto himself innu merable existences.”
