Theos-Talk Archives (July 1996 Message tt00014)

Dear Bee:

I believe you touched a key string in stating that for our
present brain power it is mere speculation to think about sishtas
in the 10-fold or 12-fold classifications.  In fact even the
ideas of "Sishta's" is so little known by us in its actual
ramifications that it seems fruitless to speculate.  However,
what you say is in harmony with key teachings when you write:
"Once the door is closed to animal monads they remain as such but
much later, in the NEXT CHAIN, they become the animal-human monad
that will be like us now, in that chain."

Nicholas just showed me a passage from H.P.B.'s article "Have
Animals Souls?" where H.P.B.  is speaking of the pralaya at the
end of each Manvantara---"when there will be left the *Sishtas*,
or remnants seven Rishis and one warrior, and all the seeds for
the next human `tide-wave of the following Round'." Then follows
a footnote reference to an orthodox Hinsu view which is
summarized from ~What is Hindu Religion~ by Dewan Bahadur
Raghunath Rao of Madras, who says:

"At the end of each Manvantara, annihilation of the world takes
place; but one warrior, seven Rishis, and the seeds are saved from
destruction....These eight persons are called *Sishtas*, or
remnants, because they alone remain after the destruction of all
the others."

H.P.B.  adds: "This is the orthodox version.  The secret one
speaks of seven Initiates having attained Dhyanchohanship toward
the end of the seventh Race on this earth, who are left on earth
during its `obscuration' with the seed of every mineral, plant,
and animal that had not time to evolute into man for the next
Round or world-period.  See ~Esoteric Buddhism~ by A.P.  Sinnett,
5th ed.  Annotations, pp.146, 147."

I feel the key words here are "the seed....THAT HAD NOT TIME TO
EVOLUTE INTO MAN [caps for emphasis]" The goal of this evolution
is Man becoming God-like, but still Man, not animals.  Because I
do feel it is enough to get the over-all picture at this stage of
our "round"ing out, I am unable to speculate further on all these
charming but questionable statements of men as "pets" of the
Gods.

Admiring your ability to deal with abstractions,

Dara