Page 72 (part 2)

[[Footnote(s)]] ------------------------------------------------- * See Sanchoniathon in "Eusebius," Pr. Ev. 36; Genesis xiv. ** "Society of Antiquaries of London," vol. xxv. p. 220. [[Vol. 2, Page]] 381 THE THEFT OF RAHU. Rahu, mythologically is a Daitya -- a giant, a Demi-god, the lower part of whose body ended in a Dragon or Serpent's tail. During the churning of the Ocean, when the gods produced amrita -- the water of Immortality -- he stole some of it, and drinking, became immortal. The Sun and Moon, who had detected him in his theft, denounced him to Vishnu, who placed him in the stellar spheres, the upper portion of his body representing the Dragon's head and the lower (Ketu) the Dragon's tail; the two being the ascending and descending nodes. Since then, Rahu wreaks his vengeance on the Sun and Moon by occasionally swallowing them. But this fable had another mystic meaning, since Rahu, the Dragon's head, played a prominent part in the mysteries of the Sun's ( Vikarttana ' s ) initiation, when the candidate and the Dragon had a supreme fight. The caves of the Rishis, the abodes of Tiresias and the Greek seers, were modelled on those of the Nagas -- the Hindu King-Snakes, who dwelled in cavities of the rocks under the ground. From Sesha, the thousand-headed Serpent, on which Vishnu rests, down to Python, the dragon serpent oracle, all point to the secret meaning of the myth. In India we find the fact mentioned in the earliest Puranas. The children of Surasa are the "mighty Dragons." The Vayu Purana replacing "Surasa" (of Vishnu Purana) by Danayas or Danavas -- the descendants of Danu by the sage Kasyapa -- and those Danavas being the giants (or Titans) who warred against the gods, they are thus shown identical with the "Dragons" and "Serpents" of Wisdom. By simply comparing the Sun-gods of every country, one may find their allegories agreeing perfectly with one another; and the more the allegorical symbol is occult the more its corresponding symbol in other systems agrees with it. Thus, if from three systems widely differing from each other in appearance -- the old Aryan, the ancient Greek, and the modern Christian schemes -- we select several Sun-gods and dragons at random, these will be found copied from each other. Let us take Agni the fire-god, Indra the firmament, and Karttikeya from the Hindus; the Greek Apollo; and Mikael, the "Angel of the Sun," the first of the AEons, called by the Gnostics "the saviour" -- and proceed in order. (1) Agni -- the fire-god -- is called in the Rig-Veda Vaiswanara. Now Vaisvanara is a Danava -- a giant-demon,* whose daughters Puloma and Kalaka are the mothers of numberless Danavas (30 millions), by [[Footnote(s)]] ------------------------------------------------- * He is thus named and included in the list of the Danavas in Vayu Purana ; the Commentator of Bhagavata Purana calls him a son of Danu, but the name means also "Spirit of Humanity." [[Vol. 2, Page]] 382 THE SECRET DOCTRINE. Kasyapa,* and live in Hiranyapura, " the golden city, " floating in the air . Therefore, Indra is, in a fashion, the step-son of these two as a son of Kasyapa; and Kasyapa is, in this sense, identical with Agni, the fire-god, or Sun (Kasyapa-Aditya). To this same group belongs Skanda or Karttikeya (god of War, the six-faced planet Mars astronomically), a Kumara, or virgin-youth, born of Agni** for the purpose of destroying Taraka, the Danava Demon, the grandson of Kasyapa by Hiranyaksha, his son,*** whose (Taraka's) yogi austerities were so extraordinary that they became formidable to the gods, who feared such a rival in power.**** While Indra, the bright god of the Firmament, kills Vritra (or Ahi), the Serpent-Demon -- for which feat he is called Vritra-han, "the destroyer of Vritra"; he also leads the hosts of Devas (Angels or gods) against other gods who rebel against Brahma, for which he is entitled Jishnu, "leader of the celestial Host." Karttikeya is found bearing the same titles. For killing Taraka, the Danava, he is Taraka-Jit, "Vanquisher of Taraka,"***** " Kumara Guha, " "the mysterious Virgin-youth" " Siddha-Sena " -- "the leader of the Siddhas"; and Saktidhara -- "Spear-holder." (2.) Now take Apollo, the Grecian sun-god, and by comparing the mythical accounts given of him, see whether he does not answer both [[Footnote(s)]] ------------------------------------------------- * Kasyapa is called the Son of Brahma, and is the "Self-Born" to whom a great part of the work of creation is attributed. He is one of the seven Rishis; exoterically, the son of Marichi, the son of Brahma; while Atharva-veda says, "The Self-born Kasyapa sprang from Time"; and esoterically -- Time and Space are forms of the One incognizable Deity. As an Aditya, Indra is son of Kasyapa, as also Vaivasvata Manu, our progenitor. In the instance given in the text, he is Kasyapa-Aditya, the Sun, and the Sun-god, from whom all the "Cosmic" Demons, Dragons (nagas), Serpent, or Snake-gods, and Danavas, the giants, are born. The meaning of the allegories given above is purely astronomical and cosmical, but will serve to prove the identity of all. ** All such stories differ in the exoteric texts. In the Mahabharata, Karttikeya, "the six-faced Mars," is the son of Rudra or Siva, Self-born without a mother from the seed of Siva cast into the fire. But Karttikeya is generally called Agnibhu, "fire born." *** Hiranyaksha is the ruler or king of the fifth region of Patala, a Snake-god. **** The Elohim also feared the knowledge of Good and Evil for Adam, and therefore are shown as expelling him from Eden or killing him spiritually.