Theos-Talk Archives (July 1996 Message tt00021)

The article by Purucker on the Sishtas has a lot of interesting
materials, some of it getting into less-obvious and obscure
aspects of the Esoteric Philosophy, and some of it hinting at
perhaps profound ideas, not directly voiced.

One signficant point is that the literal word, Sishta, as a past
participle, is written in identical fashion with another word.
In its first meaning, it is "remainders" or "those left behind".
In the other meaning, it is "disciplined, learned, select, wise,
excellent".

Perhaps, in one sense, as individuals we experience the Globes in
the same manner as the lifewaves. We leave behind "the best of
us" on each Globe. What is that "best of us"? It is the
qualities, features, talents (e.g. Shandhas) that make us what
we truly are on each Globe. This is one slant on the idea.

The Sishtas are the highest representatives of a Kingdom, and are
left behind when the lifewave departs and a Globe goes into
obscuration. An interesting question here is: How do the Sishtas
experience the obscuration, and physically survive through it? On
our Globe, in this Round, we see the Mineral, Plant, and Animal
Kingdoms represented. Is what we know of these Kingdoms rudimentary
Fifth Round forms for them? And did the Fourth Round forms for
them end when their lifewaves departed the earth, and the Globe
when into obscuration? Did the Fifth Round forms arise after the
obscurations, thrown off by higher kingdoms? -- There are several
points here to ponder.

The Sishtas are the most fully-evolved of a Kingdom. They awaken
to the flowing into the Globe of the first representatives of the
succeeding lifewave. Is this "awakening" one of coming into
birth into higher forms, as thrown off by the incoming, higher
Kingdom, or is it simply a quickening of their evolutionary
progress, from a state of inactivity to one of slow evolution?

Their evolution is slow, and they exist in a quasi-passive state.
They have regular lifetimes, though, regularly reproducing
themselves, and having the same post-mortem destiny as before.
This also brings up some important points to ponder. In their
after-death states, as they might "visit" the other Globes, when
they reach the Globe where the human lifewave is on, could or do
they find normal incarnation? Could, for instance, a human Sishta
on Globe B find rebirth on Globe D among humanity today?

Additional things to consider can be found in THE SECRET
DOCTRINE, I, 182:

> The most developed Monads (the lunar) reach the human germ-stage
> in the first Round; become terrestrial, though very ethereal
> human beings towards the end of the Third Round, remaining on it
> (the globe) through the "obscuration" period as the seed for
> future mankind in the Fourth Round, and thus become the pioneers
> of Humanity at the beginning of this, the Fourth Round.

That is, the most evolved of humanity becomes human, although
still in germ stage, in the First Round. By the end of the Third
Round they've become etherial humans on earth, and are the
pioneers of humanity in this Round as well. They are in the
forefront of the human lifewave, and are the first to become
truly human.

> Others reach the Human stage only during later Rounds, i.e., in
> the second, third, or first half of the Fourth Round.

Others in the human lifewave only become truly human in later
rounds, in the Second, Third, or start of the Fourth. They were
ready for the human evolutionary experience, and therefore in the
human kingdom, but were slower to evolve forth and awaken to
their innate humanness.

> And finally the most retarded of all, i.e., those still occupying
> animal forms after the middle turning-point of the Fourth Round
> -- will not become men at all during this Manvantara.

This implies that until one's innate humanity is awakened, one
incarnates in an animal form and cannot be externally
distinguished from an animal in the animal kingdom. There is a
special potential inside, but externally one cannot be
distinguished.

Perhaps the same is true of humans and yet higher kingdoms. As
time progresses, there may be Dhyani-Chohans in human bodies that
eventually awaken their Dhyani-Chohanic faculties and become
proper members of their own kingdoms?

Earlier this Round, then, there were etherial humans, and
physical animals. The etherial humans started incarnating into
the animal forms and started both the mammals and the future
human stock.

> They will reach to the verge of humanity only at the close of the
> Seventh Round to be, in their turn, ushered into a new chain
> after PRALAYA by older pioneers, the progenitors of humanity, or
> the Seed-Humanity (SISHTA), viz., the men who will be at the head
> of all at the end of these Rounds.

Those that don't enter the Human Kingdom proper, by the middle of
the Fourth Round, when the door to the Human Kingdom closes, will
have to wait until the next Planetary Manvantara, until the start
of the next scheme of existence, for their next chance to become
human. This is partly because as that "door" closes, the Human
Kingdom starts to rapidly accelerate, with the gap between it and
the Animal Kingdom widening and animals falling too far behind to
catch up.