Page 69 (part 5)

From thence, it stretched South across what is known to us as Southern India, Ceylon, and Sumatra; then embracing on its way, as we go South, Madagascar on its right hand and Australia and Tasmania on its left, it ran down to within a few degrees of the Antarctic Circle; when, from Australia, an inland region on the Mother Continent in those ages, it extended far into the Pacific Ocean, not only beyond Rapa-nui (Teapy, or Easter Island) which now lies in latitude 26 S., and longitude 110 W. ( See Addenda to this Book II., Section, " Proofs of the Submerged Continents. ") This statement seems corroborated by Science, -- even if only partially; as, when discussing continental trends, and showing the infra-Arctic masses trending generally with the Meridian, several ancient continents are generally mentioned, though inferentially. Among such the "Mascarene continent," which included Madagascar, stretching north and south, is spoken of, and the existence of another ancient continent running "from Spitzbergen to the Straits of Dover, while most of the other parts of Europe were sea bottom," is taught.* The latter corroborates, then, the Occult teaching which shows the (now) polar regions as the earliest of the seven cradles of Humanity, and as the tomb of the bulk of the mankind of that region during the Third Race, when the gigantic continent of Lemuria began separating into smaller continents. This is due, according to the explanation in the Commentary, to a decrease of velocity in the earth's rotation: -- " When the Wheel runs at the usual rate, its extremities (the poles) agree with its middle circle (equator), when it runs slower and tilts in every direction, there is a great disturbance on the face of the Earth. The waters flow toward [[Footnote(s)]] ------------------------------------------------- [[Footnote continued from previous page]] portions of the submerged Fourth-Race continent which were "beyond the pillars of Hercules," and which happened to keep above water after the general cataclysm. The last remnant of these -- Plato's Atlantis, or the "Poseidon" (another substitute or rather a translation of the real name) -- was the last of it some 11,000 years ago. Most of the correct names of the countries and islands of both continents are given in the Puranas; but to mention them specially, as found in other more ancient works, such as the Surya Siddhanta, would necessitate too lengthy explanations. If, in earlier writings, the two seem to have been too faintly disconnected, this must be due to careless reading and want of reflection. If ages hence, Europeans are referred to as Aryans, and a reader confuses them with the Hindus and the latter with the Fourth Race, as they live (some of them) in ancient Lanka -- the blame will not fall on the writer. * See Professor Dana's article, " American Journal of Science, " III , v. 442-3; Prof. Winchell's " World Life "; and other geological works. [[Vol. 2, Page]] 325 ATLANTIS -- OCEAN FLOOR. the two ends, and new lands arise in the middle belt (equatorial lands), while those at the ends are subject to pralayas by submersion . . . ." And again: -- . . . " Thus the wheel (the Earth) is subject to, and regulated by, the Spirit of the Moon, for the breath of its waters (tides). Toward the close of the age (Kalpa) of a great (root) race, the regents of the moon (the Pitar fathers, or Pitris) begin drawing harder, and thus flatten the wheel about its belt, when it goes down in some places and swells in others, and the swelling running toward the extremities (poles) new lands will arise and old ones be sucked in. " We have but to read astronomical and geological works, to see the meaning of the above very clearly. Scientists ( modern Specialists) have ascertained the influence of the tides on the geological distribution of land and water on the planets, and the shifting of the oceans with a corresponding subsidence and rise of continents and new lands. Science knows, or thinks it knows, that this occurs periodically.* Professor Todd believes he can trace the series of oscillations backward to the periods of the earth's first incrustation. ( See " American Naturalist, " XVIII., 15 et seq. ); therefore it seems easy for Science to verify the Esoteric statements. We propose to treat of this at greater length in the Addenda. ( Vide § § V. and VI.) It is asked by some Theosophists: "What will Atlantis be like when raised?" they understanding from a few words in " Esoteric Buddhism " that "old continents" that have been submerged will reappear. Here, again, there is a slight misconception. Were the same identical lands of Atlantis that were submerged to be raised again, then they would, indeed, be barren for ages. Because the Atlantic sea-bottom is covered with some 5,000 feet of chalk at present, and more is forming -- a new "cretaceous formation" of strata, in fact -- is no reason why, when the time for a new continent to appear arrives, a geological convulsion and upraising of the sea bottom should not dispose of these 5,000 feet of chalk for the formation of some mountains and 5,000 more come to the surface. The racial cataclysms are not a Noah's deluge of forty days -- a kind of Bombay monsoon. [[Footnote(s)]] ------------------------------------------------- * Speaking on periodical elevation and subsidence of the equatorial and polar regions, and ensuing changes of climate, Mr. Winchell (professor of Geology at Michigan) says -- "As the movements here contemplated are cyclical, the same conditions would recur again and again; and accordingly the same fauna might return again and again to the same region, with intervals of occupation by another fauna. Progressive sedimentation would preserve the records of such faunal alterations; and there would be presented the phenomena of 'colonies' 're-apparitions' and other faunal dislocations in the vertical and horizontal distributions of fossil remains. These phenomena are well known to the student of geology." (" Effects of Astronomical Changes .") [[Vol. 2, Page]] 326 THE SECRET DOCTRINE. That the periodical sinking and re-appearance of the mighty continents, now called Atlantis and Lemuria by the modern writers, is no fiction, will be demonstrated in the Section in which all the proofs of the same have been collated together. The most archaic Sanskrit and Tamil works teem with references to both Continents. The seven sacred Islands (Dwipas) are mentioned in the Surya Siddhanta, the oldest astronomical work in the whole world, and in the works of Asura Maya, the Atlantean astronomer whom Professor Weber has made out re-incarnated in Ptolemy.