Patrizia Norelli-Bachelet
Director, Aeon Centre of Cosmology
Part II
In Part I of this series a certain basis was established for our discourse regarding the role of Kashmir in this Indo-centric cosmology. Certain elements of a lost ancient knowledge were drawn into the present and made applicable today. Cobwebs were cleared away in key areas of the knowledge, one being the difference between the Sayana and Nirayana zodiacs, as well as the role of the so-called ‘western zodiac’ in Indian lore. Having shown that these same symbols were known to the ancient Rishis and are found in the Rig Veda significantly, we may safely state that the Sayana zodiac, with the very symbols and hieroglyphs used today in the West, had its origin in India many thousands of years ago. The power of this ancient lore was such that it continues into the present, though now beyond the borders of Bharat Mata, since in its own land a great ‘sleep’ descended after the passing of Krishnavatar.
What is interesting to learn from the last issue of PRAKASH is that Bhagawan Gopinath paid homage to Saturn in his daily practice. I propose now to unravel the deeper reasons, perhaps unknown to Bhagawan Gopinath himself. This is not unusual. A yogi, a sage, a seer, does not need to be conscious of the reasons why certain acts must be performed. He/she only knows, through an inner divine Command, that this must be done. Being the perfectly realised souls that they are, and such pure instruments, they carry out those commands unfailingly. And finally, many years later we may come to know that their actions were meaningful and indeed crucial in a process that was at the time in its infant stage but that nonetheless required their participation for a future fulfilment.
Saturn, the Time-Spirit
In this context, Saturn is indeed a central element in the cosmological story I am piecing together in these pages, with a view particularly to informing the Kashmiri Pundit community of their own part in this grand mosaic involving the highest levels of India’s mission for the world. In Part I, I discussed the Makar Sankranti and the December Solstice. I pointed out that the shortest day of the year, the Solstice occurring on 21-22 December each year, and the gateway into the sign Capricorn (Makar) are one and the same and they cannot be separated. I noted that the present 23-day difference between the Solstice and the Makar Sankranti is an aberration and finds no sanction in the Veda. Rather, by 15th January we are already 23 days/degrees into the sign, far away from the Sankranti.
But finally, why is Capricorn so important for India? Perhaps Bhagawan’s worship of Saturn can help us understand. For it is known to astrologers throughout the world that Saturn rules Capricorn; and further, it is accepted by all that Capricorn is the planetary ruler of India. That Bhagawan Gopinath paid homage every day to this planet should therefore not surprise us, since this planet is central to India’s destiny. From ancient times Saturn has been equated with Chronos, the Time-Spirit. This is Siva in his form of Mahakala. It is this aspect that we will focus on in these pages.
In this series, I propose to demonstrate the relevance of both Saturn and Capricorn in India’s destiny, from ancient times into the present, in a manner that silences all speculation. I will carry the discussion into deeper levels where we will come to a greater understanding of the role of Kashmir in this special destiny, where Time and Circumstance have such a significant role to play. As a child of Saturn, India would have a special relationship with this power – that is, to Time’s operations in the world and the web of destiny it weaves. No nation on Earth can demonstrate this relationship better than India. And indeed, the hand of fate hangs heavily over this land because Time is exacting and its dictates must be fulfilled.
I wish to present a non-speculative argument for readers of this journal. Given the critical state of affairs, particularly where Kashmir is concerned, and above all the condition of the Pundit Community, there is little time left for speculative discourse. What I propose to reveal can help the reader understand exactly why this community, above all others, has had to bear the heavy burden of exile and humiliation for decades, and that this situation is not only understandable but inevitable. On the other hand, there is also hope amidst these difficult circumstances because Saturn, like Durga, is not only exacting and ruthless in the fulfilment of its divine Purpose; it is a planet that offers protection at the same time. The day will soon come when this protection will be made manifest.
India: Bharat Mata incarnate
There is a simple way to take this discourse out of the realm of speculation. Presenting here the map of Akhand Bharat with the Capricorn hieroglyph superimposed upon it can do this, the very sign we are discussing. None can deny that this is a perfect correspondence. But the implications of this discovery are enormous. To begin, the origins of this sacred design are unknown, lost in the nights of Time. It is believed that the zodiacal hieroglyphs and symbols originated in Mesopotamia, some three or four millennia ago. However, since we have discovered that those very symbols were known during the Vedic Age in this exact form and order, and as the age of that civilisation has now been recognised to be far older than scholars previously believed, it can be appreciated that this so-called western zodiac could not have arisen in Mesopotamia. It either originated in India thousands of years ago and was then transported beyond her borders in a westward direction, along with Sanskrit and other cultural expressions; or else, that India too inherited it from a now lost or submerged civilisation, perhaps the one located in the Indian Ocean of which the Tamil Sangam literature speaks.
From: The New Way, Vol.1, p.154, Aeon Books
Since the Capricorn hieroglyph probably dates back to the very early Vedic Age, thousands of years old, its superimposition on the map of Akhand Bharat forces us to appreciate that the ancient Rishis had the power to see the entire land as if it were a contemporary map in a school atlas. In so doing, they could fashion this special and sacred symbol according to the physical shape of Bharat, at a time when there were ostensibly no tools to carry this out. I need not labour the point that yogis can exit their bodies and position their consciousness anywhere, even above the Indian landmass; and from there gain a total vision of this geography without the need of aircraft or satellites. This was possible in ancient times; it is possible still today, when certain disciplines are followed to develop these powers. That apart, there is much to discover in this design. It has been called the Name of God in certain Mystery Schools. To be accurate, the Name of the Goddess would be more appropriate because the design depicts the flow of the Gunas, rajas, sattva, and tamas. This is what is written in this arcane hieroglyph, now made universal via the spread of astrology throughout the world, which utilises these very same symbols from ancient times..
The fascinating point to note is that we are faced with somewhat of a paradox. Did the concept of the Gunas arise from the landmass itself, which was then imprinted in this hieroglyph; or was the hieroglyph revealed and then seen in the landmass with the flow of the Gunas as the living and pulsating Goddess herself? Moreover, there is a cosmological application, without which again we find ourselves in the realm of speculation. But this cosmology can only be applied when the flow is in this order: rajas, sattva, and tamas.
Indeed, the later disarrangement of the Gunas explains many things. We can trace the origins of India’s current woes to the day in ancient times when that order was rearranged and Sattva was made supreme. We may well agree that Sattva is the best poise, given the turmoil the Gunas present to the seeker. But if we do so by a disarrangement, we cannot APPLY the knowledge to our world in time and space. All we can do is to cut ourselves off from the universal play, find salvation and solace in a beyond, and leave the world to its turmoil, to fend for itself, to die or survive without the help of the finest energies embodied in the human species, those of its spiritual realisers.
The story of our contemporary society indeed reflects this abandonment; we have driven a wedge between Spirit and Matter and left the latter to its own devices. In so doing, science has created tools for our complete destruction. We have reached the point where this abandonment has driven the world to the brink of an abyss where we face creation or destruction, with no space in between. Indeed, these are the keywords of our plight. None are aware of this more acutely than the inhabitants of Kashmir with the constant threat of nuclear war at their doorstep.
When the spiritual realiser disengaged himself from the Play and in so doing brought disorder into the Gunas, the split between Spirit and Matter was complete because there was no way to bridge the gap without the sacred Play, the Divine Lila, as a legitimate and integral part of the quest for Truth. Above all, jyotish was the primary casualty since without the true arrangement, cosmology, as a body of higher knowledge, cannot be applied to the affairs of the world. To repeat, if we can discover when that disarrangement first occurred, we can know from what point in time the fate of India was sealed as the future centre of the nuclear strife she is now experiencing. This future scenario was predictable.
Today, with the discovery of the new Indo-centric cosmology, supported by the ancient Veda, we have even more precise tools to help us understand the problem in its fullest dimensions. I propose to present these aids for our deeper and more complete understanding; once again, to eliminate the scourge of the speculative mind by presenting hard facts, albeit founded on the suggestive subtleties of an inner vision.
From: Time and Imperishability, Aeon Books
Bharat herself is our best non-speculative aid. The map I am presenting here stands for the Gunas in an eastward flow, as indicated above. There can be no mistake: this is the true cosmic order and in this manner alone can we apply the cosmological formulas to help us in our understanding of destiny. For our best proof to explain the application is the India we know today, the people who inhabit the different portions of the Guna-Map, and the role they play even in the present for the civilisation. We are more than aware of the fact that people of that temperament inhabit the rajas segment; similarly, the south has long been held as the preserver of the Tradition. To make that clear, this three-part superimposition can also be seen as Creation, Preservation, Destruction (Dissolution), where Preservation corresponds to Sattva, the middle Guna in the map, the ‘V’ that plunges deep to into the south.
I have explained these correspondences extensively in my published works. They need not detain us here. In this series, I wish to carry the discourse ahead and focus on the role of Kashmir, always within the context of this cosmology and the knowledge contained in this Name of God.
The Divine Maya or Measure
In my major work, The New Way, Volumes 1 and 2, I have written extensively on the role of Kashmir today within the evolution of the Vedic Civilisation. Yet, the body of knowledge I use for the conclusions drawn is very ancient. There are clear traces of it, fragments as it were, in the four Vedas. But these are indeed only fragments. Those documents were not intended to serve as manuals, therefore they do not give us the details of the applicable formulas; the Vedangas were to serve that purpose. But the problem we face today is that Vedic Civilisation has been experiencing a serious decline, which began at the time of Sri Krishna’s passing. Tradition does indeed tells us that Kaliyuga began then; and if we are to believe the Pundits, it continues today and will plague our existence for many thousand years to come.
The true knowledge, now lost, does not concur. Yes, the civilisation did fall into decline from that point onward. It was a slow and steady process that is still going on. In fact, we have reached the culmination of that dark slumber, if it may be so called. The knowledge tells us that this slumber was foreseen in the Cosmic Process as described in the zodiac with its special hieroglyphs and symbols. But it gives us an exact time frame and informs us when and how India is to emerge from this slumber. We are not discussing some event many thousands or even hundreds of years into the future. This momentous awakening is upon us now. And Kashmir lies at the heart of it.
Given this central importance, is it not understandable that this portion of the Guna-Map would be the area of severest contest? We note that it stands as a sort of crown over the rest of Bharat. It is to be seen indeed as Siva’s abode, wherefrom the sacred waters descend into his matted locks as he mitigates the flow to Earth. From there the grace trickles down until it reaches the depths of the land and stands firmly rooted there, forever after.
In this time of awakening, India is not left abandoned. According to the tradition, at times such as these the Avatar appears and re-establishes the Dharma. This time, however, a culmination has been reached. It is not only to make secure what has already been achieved, or even to eliminate the cobwebs covering the knowledge, which time’s passage necessarily engenders. There is far more involved. For this is the time of the last appearance. The 10th in the line brings us to the apotheosis; at the same time, it is the most serious contest: we must face either creation or destruction. But with these special aids, the war is fought with Durga’s many weapons; in particular with the Trident of her Lord. These are the invincible tools with which we conquer and the Falsehood and the Ignorance are forever banished from this land.
Now, in this Age of Aquarius, the sign of universal Ideals, the entire Earth is drawn into the process. What is achieved in India is for the entire planet and all her civilisations, irrespective of the diversity of appearances. It is not a uniform world that is ordained from above. It is rather the reign of Truth, the Satya Yuga, the descent and establishment of the Truth-Consciousness as a guiding principle of the species. What the world is experiencing now is simply a passage to that apotheosis. What the people of Kashmir and indeed the rest of India are experiencing is the opening of the path for that Truth to become fully established on Earth.
However, this is an exacting process. There are laws to respect. There is a divine knowledge to abide by. There are indeed cobwebs to be dissolved. Foremost of these is the erroneous time-measure currently used by the Pundits. For without this cleansing the true knowledge cannot serve us in these perilous times. Confusion will continue to reign and provide the perfect terrain for the furtherance of the designs of the enemies of this highest Truth. The greatest aide of those dark powers is chaos and disunity. For Indian society, with its deep roots in Vedic tradition, the only truly unifying factor lies in veda. Therefore it must be Knowledge that serves us in this moment of confusion to re-establish that Dharma on the remade foundations carried over from ancient times.
India’s Geography and the Divine Measure
In this ancient lore the Sayana Zodiac is the key. Its symbols and, above all, their relation to time in our solar calendar, hold deep truths, many wonders of knowledge. For example, we may take this same circle of signs and their hieroglyphs and apply them to the actual body of the Earth. In my book, The New Way, Volume 2, Chapter 9, I have carried out this application, by means of which once again the central importance of Capricorn in the civilisation is confirmed. Taken from the book, I reproduce here a ‘cosmic ruler’, as it were. This is the same zodiac of the ecliptic of our solar system, but lain across the body of the Earth, starting with 0 degree Aries at Greenwich and continuing through the 360 degrees of the circle in an eastward motion backward through the signs. The 30-degree segments of the twelve zodiacal signs cover different portions of the Earth’s geography. The reader will be amazed to note that the sign Capricorn, beginning as it does at 60 degree east is precisely the longitude where India in the Guna-Map begins. I have indicated the correspondence below.
From: The New Way, Vol.2, p. 348, Aeon Books
If the ecliptic is laid on the globe, using its zodiacal segments of 30 both for longitudes (vertical) and latitude (horizontal) coordinates, the entire Earth is covered and measured with the zodiac. And in both directions, vertical and horizontal, or through longitude as well as latitude coordinates, Bharat falls within the sign Capricorn. This is an astonishing precision. It is a contemporary application of the ancient lore in that when we speak of the Gods and Goddesses embodying cosmic energies, it is all too vague unless we can see in what manner these ‘energies’ are applicable to our Earthly experience. When we realise that these segments of vertical and horizontal directions are actually connected to the cosmic surround, those Gods and Goddesses begin to descend. They become ‘measurable’, and we must understand that this is the contemporary method to make the tale of Mahakal a living reality, applicable to our modern world and its scientific obsession with Measure.
Thus, the whole of the sign Capricorn covers the physical body of Bharat, since the landmass of Akhand Bharat begins at 60 degrees east, and continues thereafter through 40 degrees longitude eastward. Her latitude measurement begins at 6 degrees north, ending 30 degrees later at 36 north. This is the ‘measure’ of Bharat Mata on the body of the Earth.
In order to understand the precision, it must be stated that this key of knowledge involves two divisions of the 360-degree circle, or zodiac. There is first the division into 12 signs of 30 degrees each, and it is used to measure space via the latitude coordinate, as we have done here; the other is the division into 9, with segments of 40 degrees, and by this we measure time through the longitude bands. The two superimposed become the immensely important key of knowledge that opens the doors to these sacred Mysteries. I have called this superimposition, the Gnostic Circle. (See The Gnostic Circle, Aeon Books.) The Divine Measure of Akhand Bharat based on this zodiacal key of applied cosmology is thus 30 degrees latitude north and 40 degrees longitude east. As indicated in the diagram above, these 30 + 40 give us the sacred divine Measure of India. And it is the Capricorn symbol, known in ancient Schools of Wisdom as the Name of God that gives us the key. I am reproducing the Capricorn geography with the measure of Bharat Mata indicated in time and space.
40 degrees longitude (time)
30 degrees latitude (space)
From: The New Way, Vol. 2, p. 351. Aeon Books
This stands as further proof of the continuing importance of the Makar Sankranti in the culture, though there may not be many who are aware of these deeper connections. With the help of the longitudinal/latitudinal bands, dividing up the circle of 360 degrees by segments of 30, we offer proof of the rulership of Capricorn over India in a manner that has never been done before. Indeed, this is a contemporary rendition of the sacred tale of Siva’s descent, where the godhead is indeed Mahakal, the Time-Spirit. This is time rendered material, incarnate in the soil of the Earth, and no longer an elusive and mysterious power that we can never hope to form an alliance with for the salvation of the Earth. We may go farther, with the help of the map we work with it to measure this sacred land and discover key positions, areas on its surface that are particularly vulnerable and vital. For example, we can measure an exact halfway into the sign of 30 degrees and we uncover what may be considered the spinal column of Bharat, as if it were the Goddess herself embodied in the land, as indeed she is. This brings us to the 76th parallel. Starting from the ‘crown’ at 36 degrees north, and descending down and through the land, this spinal column is akin to an axis. It is the 15th degree of the sign, or the midway point.
To better understand the symbolism, the traditional significance of Capricorn comes to our aid: it is the sign of the Mountain and the 15th degree is its apex, indicated below at 76 degrees longitude east and 36 north. This falls in what is now occupied Kashmir. In this cosmology it is known as the Eye of Siva. It is the power that holds the Dharma together through time and space throughout the ages, the keeper of the keys of Destiny
From: The New Way, Vol.. 2, p. 350, Aeon Books
We may refer to the Puranas to help us understand the power of this point on the Indian landmass. It is the mythical Mt Meru, which the diagram above makes clear. But when we MEASURE by means of this applied cosmology, Mt Meru is no longer mythical. It is the Crown of India, and the Eye of Siva is its jewel.
Further, we may ‘locate’ Ganga Mata incarnate by the same means. The diagram below measures the geographical point where she ‘descends’ from Siva’s locks and graces the Earth with her sacred waters.
From: The New Way, Vol. 2, p.350. Aeon Books
Everything recorded in the Puranas can be ‘seen’ in the Gnostic Circle in this way. But it is made relevant to India today; moreover, it helps us understand why certain areas are especially vulnerable. In the course of this discussion, I will make that clear. I will provide explicit proof that this measuring device is accurate, but also that when we ignore these truths, and when we deviate from the path, there are serious consequences. For all these measurements have been taken from a very special key of Knowledge, a sacred plan of a temple dedicated to Mahakal and his consort, to the powers that are presiding over these momentous times at this critical crossroads of destiny, not only of India but of the whole Earth.
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