Theosophical Society,
NIGHTMARE
TALES
A
Compilation of Stories
By
H P Blavatsky
H P Blavatsky
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The Legend of the Blue Lotus
By
H P Blavatsky
The
title of every magazine or book should have some meaning, and especially
should
this be the case with a Theosophical publication. A title is supposed to
express
the object in view, symbolising, as it were, the content of the paper.
Since
allegory is the soul of Eastern philosophy, it may be objected that
nothing
can be seen in the name "Le Lotus Bleu," save that of a water plant
--
the
Nymphea Cerulea or Nelumbo. Furthermore a reader of this calibre would see but
the blue colour of the list of contents of our journal.
To
avoid a like misunderstanding, we shall attempt to initiate our readers into
the
general symbolism of the lotus and the particular symbolism of the Blue
Lotus.
This mysterious and sacred plant has been considered through the ages,
both
in
valley
of the
the
capitals of the Egyptian pillars, on the thrones and even the head-dresses
of
the Divine Kings, the lotus is everywhere found as a symbol of the Universe.
It
inevitably became an indispensable attribute of every creative god, as of
every
creative goddess, the latter being, philosophically considered, only the
feminine
aspect of the god, at first androgynous, afterwards male.
It
is from Padma-Yoni, "the bosom of the Lotus," from Absolute Space, or
from the Universe outside time and space, that emanates the Cosmos, conditioned
and limited by time and space. The Hiranya Garbha, "the egg" (or the
womb) of gold, from which Brahma emerges, is often called the Heavenly Lotus.
The God, Vishnu, -- the synthesis of the Trimurti or Hindu Trinity -- during
the "nights of Brahma" floats asleep on the primordial waters,
stretched on the blossom of a lotus.
His
Goddess, the lovely Lakshmi, rising from the bosom of the waters, like
Venus-Aphrodite, has a white lotus beneath her feet. It was at the churning
of
the
assembled
together, that Lakshmi, Goddess of Beauty and Mother of Love (Kama) formed of
the froth of the foaming waves, appeared before the astonished Gods, borne on a
lotus, and holding another lotus in her hand.
Thus
have arisen the two chief titles of Lakshmi; Padma the Lotus, and
Kshirabdi-tanaya
daughter of the
been
degraded to the level of a god, notwithstanding the fact that he was the
first
mortal within historical times fearless enough to interrogate that dumb
Sphinx,
which we call the Universe, and to wrest completely therefrom the
secrets
of Life and Death. Though he has never been deified, we repeat, yet he
has
nevertheless been recognised by generations in
This
is why the conqueror and master of the world of thought and philosophy is
represented
as seated on a lotus in full bloom, emblem of the Universe thought
out
by him. In
the
Buddhists of the North, it is blue.
But
there exists in one part of the world a third kind of lotus -- the Zizyphus.
He
who eats of it forgets of his fatherland and those who are dear to him, so
say
the ancients. Let us not follow this example. Let us not forget our
spiritual
home, the cradle of the human race, and the birthplace of the Blue
Lotus.
Let
us then raise the veil of oblivion which covers one of the most ancient
allegories
-- a Vedic legend which, however, the Brahman chroniclers have
preserved.
Only as the chroniclers have recounted the legend each after his own
manner,
aided by variations* of his own, we have given the story here -- not
according
to the incomplete renderings and translations of these Eastern
gentlemen
but according to the popular version. (* Cf. the history of Sunahsepha in the
Bhagavata, IX, XVI, 35 and of the Ramayana, Bk. I. Cap. 60; Manu, X, 105; Koulouka
Bhatta [the Historian]; Bahwruba and the Aitareya Brahmanas; Vishnu Purana,
etc., etc. Each book gives its own version.) Thus is it that the old bards of
Rajasthan sing it, when they come and seat themselves in the verandah of the
traveller's bungalow in the wet evenings of the rainy season.
Let
us leave then the Orientalists to their fantastic speculations. How does it
concern us whether the father of the selfish and cowardly prince, who was the
cause of the transformation of the white lotus into the blue lotus, be called
Harischandra
or Ambarisha? Names have nothing to do with the naive poetry of the legend, nor
with its moral -- for there is a moral to be found if looked for
well.
We shall soon see that the chief episode in the story is curiously
reminiscent
of another legend -- that of the story of Abraham and the sacrifice
of
Isaac in the Bible. Is not this one more proof that the Secret Doctrine of
the
East may have good reason to maintain that the name of the Patriarch was
neither
a Chaldean or a Hebrew name, but rather an epithet and a Sanskrit
surname,
signifying abram, i.e., one is non-Brahman,* a debrahmanised Brahman, one who
is degraded or who has lost his caste? After this how can we avoid suspecting
that we may find, among the modern Jews, the Chaldeans of the time of the Rishi
Agastya -- these makers of bricks whose persecution began from eight hundred to
a thousand years ago, but who emigrated to Chaldea four thousand years before
the Christian era -- when so many of the popular legends of Southern India
resemble the Bible stories. Louis Jacolliot speaks in several of
his
twenty-one volumes on Brahmanical India of this matter, and for once he is
right.
* The
particle a in the Sanskrit word shews this clearly. Placed before a
substantive this particle always means the
negation or the opposite of the
meaning of the expression that follows. Thus
Sura (god) written a-Sura,
becomes non-God, or the devil, Vidya is
knowledge, and a-Vidya, ignorance
or the
opposite of knowledge, etc., etc.
We
will speak of it another time. Meanwhile here is the Legend of
THE
BLUE LOTUS
Century
after century has passed away since Ambarisha, King of Ayodhya, reigned in the
city founded by the holy Manu, Vaivasvata, the offspring of the Sun. The King
was a Suryavansi (a descendant of the Solar Race), and he avowed himself a most
faithful servant of the God, Varuna, the greatest and most powerful deity in
the Rig-Veda.* But the god had denied male heirs to his worshipper, and this made
the king very unhappy.
* It is only much later in the orthodox
Pantheon and the symbolical
polytheism of the Brahmans that Varuna became Poseidon or
Neptune –
which he is now.
In the Vedas he is the most ancient of the
Gods, identical with Ouranos of the
Greek, that is to say a personification of
the celestial space and the
infinite gods, the creator and ruler of
heaven and earth, the King, the Father
and the Master of the world, of gods and of
men. Hesiod's Uranus and the
Greek Zeus
are one.
"Alas!"
he wailed, every morning while performing his puja to the lesser gods,
"alas!
What avails it to be the greatest king on earth when God denies me an
heir
of my blood. When I am dead and placed on the funeral pyre, who will fulfil
the
pious duties of a son, and shatter my lifeless skull to liberate my soul
from
its earthly trammels? What strange hand will at the full moon-tide place
the
rice of the Shraddha ceremony to do reverence to my shade? Will not the very birds
of death [Rooks and ravens] themselves turn from the funeral feast? For, surely,
my shade earthbound in its great despair will not permit them to partake of
it."
* The Shradda is a
ceremony observed by the nearest relatives of the
deceased for the nine
days following the death. Once upon a time it was a magical ceremony. Now, however, in addition to other
practices, it mainly consists of scattering balls of cooked rice before the
door of the dead man's house. If the
crows promptly eat the rice it is a sign that the soul is liberated and at rest.
If these birds which are so greedy did not touch the food, it was a
proof that the pisacha
or bhut (shade) is present and is preventing them.
Undoubtedly the Shradda
is a superstition, but certainly not more so than
Novenas or masses for
the Dead.
The
King was thus bewailing, when his family priest inspired him with the idea
of
making a vow. If God should send him two or more sons, he would promise God to
sacrifice to Him at a public ceremony the eldest born when he should have attained
the age of puberty.
Attracted
by this promise of a burnt-offering of flesh -- a savory odour very
agreeable
to the Great Gods -- Varuna accepted the promise of the King, and the
happy
Ambarisha had a son, followed by several others. The eldest son, the heir
to
the throne for the time being, was called Rohita (the red) and was surnamed
Devarata
-- which, literally translated, means God-given. Devarata grew up and
soon
became a veritable Prince Charming, but if we are to believe the legends he
was
as selfish and deceitful as he was beautiful.
When
the Prince had attained the appointed age, the God speaking through the
mouth
of the same Court Priest, charged the King to keep his promise; but when
each
time Ambarisha invented some excuse to postpone the hour of sacrifice, the God
at last grew annoyed. Being a jealous and angry God, he threatened the King with
all His Divine wrath.
For
a long time, neither commands nor threats produced the desired effect. As
long
as there were sacred cows to be transferred from the royal cowsheds to
those
of the Brahmans, as long as there was money in the Treasury to fill the
Temple
crypts, the Brahmans succeeded in keeping Varuna quiet. But when there were no
more cows, when there was no more money, the God threatened to overthrow the
King, his palace and his heirs, and if they escaped, to burn them alive. The poor
King, finding himself at the end of his resources, summoned his first-born and
informed him of the fate which awaited him. But Devarata lent a deaf ear to these
tidings. He refused to submit to the double weight of the paternal and divine
will.
So,
when the sacrificial fires had been lighted and all the good towns-folk of
Ayodhya
had gathered together, full of emotion, the heir-apparent was absent
from
the festival. He had concealed himself in the forests of the Yogis.
Now,
these forests had been inhabited by holy hermits, and Devarata knew that
there
be would be unassailable and impregnable. He might be seen there, but no
one
could do him violence -- not even the God Varuna Himself. It was a simple
solution.
The religious austerities of the Aranyakas (the holy men of the
forests)
several of whom were Daityas (Titans, a race of giants and demons),
gave
them such dominance that all the Gods trembled before their sway and their
supernatural
powers -- even Varuna, himself.
These
antediluvian Yogis, it seems, had the power to destroy even the God
Himself,
at will -- possibly because they had invented Him themselves.
Devarata
spent several years in the forests; at last he grew tired of the life.
Allowing
it to be understood that he could satisfy Varuna by finding a
substitute,
who would sacrifice himself in his place, provided that the
sacrificial
victim was the son of a Rishi, he started on his journey and finally
discovered
that he sought.
In
the country which lies around the flower-covered shores of the renowned
Pushkara,
there was once a famine, and a very holy man, named Ajigarta,* was at the point
of death from starvation, likewise all his family. He had several sons
of
whom the second, Sunahsepha, a virtuous young man, was himself also preparing to
become a Rishi. Taking advantage of his poverty and thinking with good reason that
a hungry stomach would be a more ready listener than a satisfied one, the crafty
Devarata made the father acquainted with his history. After this he offered him
a hundred cows in exchange for Sunahsepha, a substitute burnt-offering on the
altar of the Gods.
* Others call him Rishika and call King Ambarisha,
Harischandra, the famous sovereign who was a paragon of all the virtues.
The
virtuous father refused at first point-blank, but the gentle Sunahsepha
offered
himself of his own accord, and thus addressed his father: "Of what
importance
is the life of one man, when it can save that of many others. This
God
is a great god and His pity is infinite; but He is also a very jealous god
and
His wrath is swift and vengeful. Varuna is the Lord of Terror, and Death is
obedient
to His command. His spirit will not for ever strive with one who is
disobedient
to Him. He will repent Him that He has created man, and then will
burn
alive a hundred thousand lakhs* of innocent people (*A lakh is a measure of 100,000,
whether men or pieces of money be in question.), because of one man who is
guilty.
If
His victim should escape Him, He will surely dry up our rivers, set fire to our
lands and destroy our women who are with child -- in His infinite kindness. Let
me then sacrifice myself, oh! my father, in place of this stranger who offers
us a hundred cows. That sum would prevent thee and my brothers from dying of
hunger and will save thousands of others from a terrible death. At this price
the giving up of life is a pleasant thing." The aged Rishi shed some
tears, but he ended by giving his consent and began to prepare the sacrificial
pyre.*
*Manu (Book X, 105)
alluding to this story remarks that Ajigarta, the holy
Rishi, committed no sin
in selling the life of his son, since the sacrifice
preserved his life and
that of all the family. This reminds us of another
legend, more modern,
that might serve as a parallel to the older one. Did not
the Count Ugolino,
condemned to die of starvation in his dungeon, eat his own children "to
preserve for them a father"? The popular legend of Sunahsepha is more
beautiful than the commentary of Manu -- evidently an interpolation of some
Brahmans in falsified manuscripts.
The
Pushkara lake* was one of the spots of this earth favoured by the Goddess,
Lakshmi-Padma
(White Lotus); she often plunged into the fresh waters that she
might
visit her eldest sister, Varuni, the consort of the God Varuna.**
Lakshmi-Padma
heard the proposal of Devarata, witnessed the despair of the
father,
and admired the filial devotion of Sunahsepha. Filled with pity, the
Mother
of Love and Compassion sent for the Rishi Visvamitra, one of the seven
primordial
Manus and a son of Brahma, and succeeded in interesting him in the
lot
of her protege. The great Rishi promised her his aid. Appearing to
Sunahsepha,
but unseen by all others, he taught him two sacred verses (mantras)
of
the Rig-Veda, making him promise to recite these on the pyre. Now, he who
utters
these two mantras (invocations) forces the whole assembly of the Gods,
with
Indra at their head, to come to his rescue, and because of this becomes a
Rishi
himself in this life or in his next incarnation.
* This lake is sometimes called in our day
Pokker. It is I place famous for a
yearly pilgrimage, and is charmingly situated
five English miles from Ajmeer
in Rajisthan. Pushkara means "the Blue
Lotus", the surface of the lake being
covered as with a carpet with these beautiful
plants. But the legend avers
that they were at first white. Pushkara is
also the proper name of a man, and
the name of one of the seven sacred
islands" in the Geography of the Hindus,
the septa dwipa.
**
Varuni, Goddess of Heat (later Goddess of Wine) was also born of the
The
altar was set up on the shore of the lake, the pyre was prepared and the
crowd
had assembled. After he had laid his son on the perfumed sandal wood and bound
him, Ajigarta equipped himself with the knife of sacrifice. He was just
raising
his trembling arm above the heart of his well-beloved son, when the boy
began
to chant the sacred verses. There was again a moment of hesitation and
supreme
grief, and as the boy finished his mantram, the aged Rishi plunged his
knife
into the breast of Sunahsepha.
But,
oh! the miracle of it! At that very moment Indra, the God of the Blue Vault
(the
Universe) issued from the heavens and descended right into the midst of the
ceremony.
Enveloping the pyre and the victim in a thick blue mist, he loosed the
ropes
which held the youth captive. It seemed as if a corner of the azure
heavens
had lowered itself over the spot, illuminating the whole country and
colouring
with a golden blue the whole scene. Filled with terror, the crowd, and
even
the Rishi himself, fell on their faces, half dead with fear.
When
they came to themselves, the mist had disappeared and a complete change of scene
had been wrought.
The
fires of the funeral pyre had rekindled of themselves, and stretched thereon
was
seen a hind (Rohit)* which was none else than the Prince Rohita, Devarata,
who,
pierced to the heart with the knife he had directed against another, was
burning
as a sacrifice for his sin.
* A play upon words.
Rohit in Sanskrit is the Dame of the female of the deer,
the hind, and Rohita
means "red". It was because of his cowardice and fear of death that
he was changed, according to the legend, into a hind by the Gods.
Some
little way apart from the altar, also lying stretched out, but on a bed of
Lotuses,
peacefully slept Sunahsepha; and in the place on his breast where the
knife
had descended was seen to bloom a beautiful blue lotus. The Pushkara lake, itself,
covered a moment before with white lotuses, whose petals shone in the sun like
silver cups full of Amrita's waters [The Elixir which confers
Immortality.],
now reflected the azure of the heavens -- the white lotuses had
become
blue.
Then
like to the sound of the Vina [A species of the Lute. An instrument, the
invention
of which is attributed to Shiva.] rising to the air from the depth of
the
waters, was heard a melodious voice which uttered these words and this
curse:
"A
prince who does not know how to die for his subjects is not worthy to reign
over
the children of the Sun. He will be reborn in a race of red haired peoples,
a
barbarous and selfish race, and the nations which descend from him will have a heritage
ever on the decline. It is the younger son of a mendicant ascetic who
will
become the King and reign in his stead."
A
murmur of approbation set in movement the flowery carpet that overspread the lake.
Opening to the golden sunlight their hearts of blue, the lotuses smiled
with
joy and wafted a hymn of perfume to Surya, their Sun and Master. All nature rejoiced,
save Devarata, who was but a handful of ashes.
Then
Visvamitra, the great Rishi, although he was already the father of a
hundred
sons, adopted Sunahsepha as his eldest son and as a precautionary
measure
cursed in advance anyone who should refuse to recognise, in the last
born
of the Rishi, the eldest of his children and the legitimate heir of the
throne
of Ambarisha.
Because
of this decree, Sunahsepha was born in his next incarnation in the royal
family
of Ayodha and reigned over the Solar race for 84,000 years.
With
regard to Rohita -- Devarata or God-given as he was -- he fulfilled the lot
which
Lakshmi Padma had vowed. He reincarnated in the family of a foreigner
without
caste (Mleccha-Yavana) and became the ancestor of the barbarous and
red-haired
races which dwell in the West.
It
is for the conversion of these races that the Lotus Bleu has been
established.
If any of our readers should allow themselves to doubt the historical truth of this
adventure of our ancestor; Rohita, and of the transformation of the white lotus
into the blue lotus, they are invited to make a journey to Ajmeer.
Once
there, they need only to go to the shores of the lake thrice blessed, named
Pushkara,
where every pilgrim who bathes during the full moon time of the month of Krhktika
(October-November) attains to the highest sanctity, without other effort. There
the sceptics would see with their own eyes the site where was
built
the pyre of Rohita, and also the waters visited by Lakshmi in days of
yore.
They
might even have seen the blue lotuses, if most of these had not since been
changed,
thanks to a new transformation decreed by the Gods, into sacred
crocodiles
which no one has the right to disturb. It is this transformation
which
gives to nine out of every ten pilgrims who plunge into the waters of the
lake,
the opportunity of entering into Nirvana almost immediately, and also
causes
the holy crocodiles to be the most bulky of their kind.
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