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Preface
5 Planes of Existence
Introduction
Five Planes of Manifestation
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CHARIOT, OR CAR
A symbol of a vehicle of the Soul, Self, or
consciousness, on one of the four lower planes. It is usually a
symbol of the causal-body on the higher mind plane.
"The youthful men (the Maruts) placed (Rodasî) the young maid in
their chariot, as their companion for victory, mighty in
assemblies."Rig-Veda, Mand I. Hymn 167, 6. S. B. of E.
The spiritual or atmic egos (Maruts) with the principle of buddhi (Rodasî)
occupied the causal-body, for it is by atma-buddhi that victory is
gained over the lower nature through the transmutation and
segregation of the qualities.
"Know the soul to be sitting in the chariot, the body to the
chariot, the intellect (buddhi) the charioteer, and the mind the
reins. The senses they call the horses, the objects of the senses
their roads. . . . He who has no understanding, and he whose mind
(the reins) is never firmly held, his senses (horses) are
unmanageable, like vicious horses of charioteer. But he who has
understanding and whose mind is always firmly held, his senses are
under control, like good horses of a charioteer. He who has no
understanding, who is unmindful and always impure, never reaches the
goal, but enters into the round of births (samsâra). But he who has
understanding, who is mindful and always pure, reaches indeed the
goal, from whence he is not born again (from whence there is no
return)." - MAX MÜLLER, Katha. Upanishad, iii. 3.
The " body," or “chariot," is the causal-body. The charioteer is the
spiritual ego (buddhi-manas). The senses are the mental activities
aroused by the desires, and mentally guided (the reins). The
little-evolved ego is full of illusions, and fails to control his
activities, which drag him hither and thither. But the fully evolved
ego has wisdom and knowledge, and his activities are completely
controlled. The ego filled with illusion and ignorance fails to
reach the goal of perfection, and is re-incarnated life The after
life, in the lower nature. wise ego who is perfected is liberated,
and returns no more to birth upon the lower planes.
"In Mait. Upanishad, II. 6, where the organs of knowledge are the
five reins, the organs of action are the horses, the manas is the
driver, and the prakriti his whip. By means of this, manas drives
the organs of action (speech, grasp, movement, evacuation,
begetting) to their work, and they are then guided and controlled by
manas by means of the organs of knowledge (sight, hearing, taste,
smell, touch)." - DEUSSEN, Phil. of Upanishads, p. 274.
The intellect-will (manas) by means of nature (prakriti) drives the
activities of mind (the horses), viz. mental action (speech),
discipline (grasp), progress (movement), riddance of lower qualities
(evacuation), production of higher qualities (begetting), to their
work of the evolution of the soul. These activities are guided and
controlled by the intelligent will in the causal-body (chariot) by
means of the knowing faculties (senses), viz. consciousness (sight),
intuition (hearing), desire (taste), sensation (smell), and lower
mind (touch).
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