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Preface
5 Planes of Existence
Introduction
Five Planes of Manifestation
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PURUSHA
A symbol of the Divine Spirit or Self, replete
with all qualities, who descends into union with Matter (prakriti)
in order to reproduce himself as the Archetypal Man,— the perfect
prototype and progenitor of the human race.
"Purusha, the Self, is within the midst of the body of the size of a
thumb, the lord of all that has been and of all that is to be. This
alone is to-day and is to-morrow. This is that." - Katha, Upanishad,
IV.
The Self is said to be in "buddhi within the cavity of the heart,"
figuratively of "the size of a thumb."
“From him, called Purusha, was born Viraj, and from Viraj was
Purusha produced, whom gods and holy men made their oblation. With
Purusha as victim they performed a sacrifice. When they divided him,
how did they cut him up? What was his mouth? What were his arms? and
What his thighs and feet? The Brahman was his mouth, the kingly
soldier was made his arms, the husband-man his thighs, the servile
Sudra issued from his feet" (Mundaka Upanishad, II). - MON.
WILLIAMS, Indian Wisdom, p. 24.
From the Supreme Spirit was produced the buddhic principle (Viraj),
and from buddhi was born, in the new cycle on the buddhic plane,
Higher Self, who, in incarnating on the lower planes, became the
Divine Sacrifice for humanity. The ideals of goodness, love and
truth (gods and holy men) make this sacrifice to the Supreme in
order that the highest qualities shall manifest in the souls of men.
So it was the Archetypal Man died out of the cycle of Involution to
be born in that of Evolution. Then from him and of his pattern and
image was formed the human being. The expression (mouth) of his
Divinity became the Individuality (Brahman) on the higher mental
plane; the active and contesting qualities (the arms) became the
Personality (soldier) on the lower mental plane ; progressive
quality (the thighs) became the desire-nature (husbandman) on the
astral plane; and the foundation serving quality (feet) became the
physical nature (Sudra) on the physical plane.
“Vishnu or Krishna is called Purushottama, and the name Purusha is
equally given to Brahma and Siva." - Ibid., p. 101.
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