Theos-Talk Archives (January 2003 Message tt00183)

BHAKTI ANANDA GOSWAMI'S 1-11-03 SUMMARY AND REPLY TO VARIOUS 
QUESTIONS ASKED BY THEOSOPHISTS
PART 1

IN THE BELOW SUMMARY THE MW PAGE NUMBERS GIVEN ARE FROM THE 1979 
OXFORD EDITION OF THE SIR M. MONIER-WILLIAMS SANSKRIT-ENGLISH 
DICTIONARY. THE NUMBERS IN () ARE TO REFERENCES BELOW THE PAPER IN 
THE REFERENCES SECTION.

The Earliest Sources For HPB's Teachings

To Summarize and comment on H.P. Blavatsky's (HPB) Theosophical 
Society "The Secret Doctrine" teachings,( from the claimed "Stanzas 
of Dzyan"), below I have excerpted some of the key ideas from a 
summary of the Theosophical teachings in G.A. Farthings book "Deity, 
Cosmos and Man". My interspersed comments are at >. I am a recognized 
authority on the Sanskrit Vedic-Vaishnava Tradition that HPB's 
Eastern (Advaiti Shaivite Hindu, Mahayana Buddhist, Sikh etc.) 
teachings are obviously derived from. The reason that there are some 
shared doctrines in these various Eastern traditions that HPB 
consulted, is because these all developed over long periods of time 
from the most ancient religio-cultural substratum of Vedic-
Vaishnavism, the Rig Vedic Era worship of PURUSHA (MW 637) or VISHNU 
as VASU-DEVA, the Supreme Being and Soul of the Universe (MW 948). 
The Rig Vedic culture's worship of KRISHNA (Minoan and Greek 
Meghistos Kouros Helios) as Polieus / Purusha or VISHNU (Hebrew YISMA-
Yahu ) long pre-dated any of the other traditions that HPB derived 
her teachings from (1). These other Eastern Traditions that HPB 
studied, all drew from the much more ancient Sanskrit Vedic-Vaishnava 
Tradition, which was the basic inspiration for their own thought 
systems. Thus the genealogy of the later Advaiti Hindu (and 
Shaivite), Buddhist and Sikh thought that HPB presented was 
essentially Vedic-Vaishnava. 

To support my assertion, one only needs to read a Sanskrit dictionary 
that gives the text sources of all the Sanskrit words used by HPB. 
Consulting an etymological Sanskrit Dictionary (even a Sanskrit-
English Dictionary like MW), a person FAMILIAR WITH VAISHNAVISM can 
easily recognize that all of the earliest extant sources for these 
Sanskrit words are Vaishnava texts (MW xxxiii and xxxiv List of Works 
and Authors). This means that these texts extol Vishnu as Purusha (or 
one of Purusha's well-known Nama-Rupa / Name-Forms such as 
Vishnu,Vasudeva, Hari, Purusottama, Parabrahman, etc.) as the Supreme 
Personality of Godhead. To say this in another way, NO other eastern 
Sanskrit Scriptural religious tradition within Hinduism or Buddhism 
etc. has a corpus of sacred literatures even remotely as ancient as 
the Vedic-Vaishnava scriptures. ALL of the extant separate Shaivite, 
Shakti, Advaitan, and Buddhist Sanskrit texts (Mahayana Buddhist 
Texts are originally in Vaishnava Sanskrit) are much later than the 
Vedic-Vaishnava texts. However one dates the Vaishnava Sastras and 
these later texts, and the traditions they represent, the separated 
traditions are clearly based on the former existence of the Vedic-
Vaishnava Tradition. Thus the common inheritance / genealogy of the 
separated traditions in is Vedic-era Purusha or Vishnu worship. The 
popular Western view of 'Hindusim' completely ignores this reality. 
Vedic Vaishnavism is the Source and the other separated Indic and 
Eastern Traditions are much later developments from the historical 
sub-stratum of Vishnuism. A way to visualize this is to think of the 
Grand Canyon in the United States. The deepest, lowest 'oldest' 
stratum exposed is called the Vishnu Schist or Vishnu Group. As all 
the other visible features of the Grand Canyon were built up over 
time upon the Vishnu Layer, in history all of the related Eastern 
Religious Traditions were built-up on the foundation of Vishnu 
worship. (2) This is the simple fact as revealed by all the evidence, 
no matter how much non-Vishnu worshippers may want to deny it, and 
thus deny the genealogy of their own world view.

The Cosmic Sacrifice of Purusha and Benevolent Sacramental Social 
Order

Vaishnavism is a living Tradition today, and the earliest authentic 
monotheistic understanding of the Sanskrit canon of Vaishnava sacred 
texts is not in doubt. Thus Vaishnavas have no difficulty in 
understanding that all of the Vedic Devas were manifest from the Body 
(Vishva Rupa) of Vishnu as the cosmic Purusha. In the Sanskrit Rig 
Vedic Hymns, this doctrine is revealed throughout and especially 
explained in the Purusha Sukta. The Purusha Sukta is considered by 
many scholars to be the oldest, or at least among the very oldest of 
the Vedic Hymns. This Purusha Sukta Hymn is still chanted every day 
hundreds of millions of times by Vaishnavas and related religionists, 
in various forms and languages, especially as sacrificial offerings 
are being made. The Vedic Hymns themselves are considered part of the 
cosmic manifestation of Vishnu as PURUSHA YUPA DHVAJA, from whose 
self-sacrificed Universal Form, all of a cosmic manifestation is 
created, maintained and ultimately beatified / redeemed. The Vedic-
Vaishnava Purusha doctrine of His once-and-all-sufficient Cosmic 
Sacrifice comes down to the present as a vibrant living tradition not 
only in Vaishnavism, but is at the core of the Judeo-Catholic 
doctrine of the atoning cosmic sacrifice of Messiah-Christ (YUPA 
DHVAJA), and is found also at the heart of Pure Land Buddhism and 
Theistic Shaivism, Parseeism and numerous other ancient traditions as 
well. The Vedic doctrine of the daiva varnashram dharma sacramental 
social body of Purusha (Greek POLIEUS) endures in Catholicism as the 
mystical SACRAMENTAL SOCIAL BODY OF CHRIST. Thus the PARISH and POLIS 
social order of the PUR ( 3) (see Purusha Cities Chart) of PURUSHA 
organized humanity into its first forms of daiva varnashram dharma 
(DVD) high civilization. 

In the Theocentric DVD system, human community is envisioned as A 
SACRAMENTAL SOCIAL BODY in which MUTUAL LOVING SELF-SACRIFICE and the 
value-in-trade of goods and services BETWEEN ALL MEMBERS creates a 
living ORGANISMIC SOCIAL SET. To understand the socio-biology of the 
Theory of Organismic Sets, read Prof. Nicholas Rashevsky's ORGANISMIC 
SETS (4) regarding the physics, biophysics and socio-biology of sets, 
hierarchical systems and connectivity. Through His cosmic self-
sacrifice, Purusha becomes the Creator, Maintainer and Redeemer of 
every cosmic manifestation, and as VISHNU THE GUNA AVATARA OF SATTVA 
GUNA, HE BECOMES THE FOOD OF ALL BEINGS. Unknown in this His cosmic 
Self-Sacrifice for all, humanity is invited back into a knowing, 
personal relationship with HIM through the EUCHARISTIC SACRIFICES OF 
THE VEDAS. Thus the Rig Vedic Hotri Priests and Sama Vedic Saman 
Priests performed PURUSHA SUKTA RELATED SACRIFICES and distributed 
the consecrated PURUSHA-IDA or PRASADAM 'remnants of His Sacrifice' 
throughout the His Social Body, thereby creating sacred order, and 
high civilization as a result. To this day Vaishnavas, Shavites, Pure 
Land Buddhists and others in the East perform Purusha Sukta related 
sacrifices, and distribute the consecrated remnants of these 
sacrifices as the REAL PRESENCE OF PURUSHA IN THEIR THEO-PHAGOS 
MYSTERY FEASTS. 

Of course among the Vaishnavas, and other Sattvic (pietistic, 
ascetic) groups, these sacrifices were and are always ahimsa or NON-
BLOODY vegetarian or lacto-vegetarian offerings. These are related to 
the Jewish 'praise' and 'thanks' offerings, and the unbloody 
offerings of the Nazarites and the priesthood of Mechizedek, who 
offered bread and wine. Among the Rajarshic groups, sacrifices may be 
bloody as certain allowed animals were / are used to represent 
PURUSHA. The Jew's 'sin', 'guilt' and 'trespass' offerings were 
bloody sacrifices. Then there were / are the Tamasic groups, which 
sacrifice all kinds of forbidden creatures in forbidden ways, 
including HUMAN SACRIFICE. These 'Left Hand Tantric' groups are 
historically connected to the orgiastic and cannibalistic pseudo-
Dionysic Maenad or Bacchant related traditions of the ancient 
Mediterranean. Thus one key to understanding the complex historical 
connections between orthodox sattvic Purusha worshiping groups and 
other heterodox rajarshic and tamasic groups in the ancient world is 
their sacrificial practices. 

In the Mediterranean the sattvic practices of the Heliopolitan 
Ascetics, including the Nazarite Jews etc. clearly identifies them 
with the orthodox Sattvic form of Krishna-Vishnu worship. The Helleno-
Semitic and Egyptian sacrifices of Bulls and Goats etc., according to 
the Vedic (Hebrew YEDA= VEDA) Rajarshic or Royal rites, connected the 
Rajarshic Kingly Traditions of the East and West. The Sattvic and 
Rajarshic Traditions were perennially locked-into conflict with the 
Tamasic practitioners of 'black magic' and the unorthodox sacrifices 
and cannibalism of the Tamasic or Left Hand Tantric Traditions, like 
those of the heretical worship of Kali in the East, and the Maenads 
in the West. While the Sattvic Traditions worked towards creating 
ever more benevolent social orders, and the Rajarshic Traditions 
worked towards creating ever more materially powerful social orders, 
the Tamasic Traditions were anarchistic, anti-social or created 
Shadow Government criminal conspiracies / organized crime as both 
anarchic attempts to destroy Sattvic and Rajarshic Sacramental Social 
Order, or as counter-governments to feed-off-of / exploit functioning 
Sattvic and Rajarshic Societies. 

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BHAKTI ANANDA GOSWAMI'S REFERENCE SECTION


(1) SPECULATION ON THE EXTREME ANTIQUITY OF THE RIG VEDA...

IndianCivilization From: "gktk_us" Date: Wed Nov 20, 2002 10:49 am
Subject: Age of Veda: Was Re: How accurate is the current version of 
Rig Veda? 


Update on the continuing search :)

--- In IndianCivilization@y..., "Raj Mohanka" wrote:
> 
> The age (of Rg Veda) you mentioned, 7000 years is a bit too far in 
my opi= nion. > From the works of scriptural and historical experts, 
I believe a 
> consensus is forming that the Vedas go back to the 4000/3000 B.C.E. 
> timeframe which puts them at 6000 years old at a MAXIMUM with 5000 
> years old probably more likely.

Cross posted from "sarasvatisindhu@yahoogroups.com"

Message # 122: Date: Sun Jan 16, 2000 2:45 am
Subject: Dating the Veda: 10000 BC; celestial key

B.G. Siddharth, 1999, The Celestial Key to the Vedas: Discovering the 
origi=
ns of the world's oldest civilization, Rochester, Vermont, Inner 
Traditions.= 


This work provides an astronomical key to the date of the
Veda-dating it ca. 10,000 BC. 


(2)A FUN VISUAL AID...VISUALIZING VISHNU AS THE HISTORICAL FOUNDATION

http://www.rockhounds.com/grand_hikes/geology/overview.shtml
Grapevine Canyon, Vishnu Canyon, Vishnu Temple 
Copyright © Bob Ribokas, 1994-2002, all rights reserved. This 
publication and its text and photos may not be copied for commercial 
use without the express written permission of Bob Ribokas. 

Indicated below are the Vishnu Group at the deepest exposure within 
the Grand Canyon, and above it, exposures of each of the fourteen 
Paleozoic Era spanning formations from the Tapeats Sandstone to the 
Kaibab formation at the rim. 

KF = Kaibab Formation 
TF = Toroweap Formation 
CS = Coconino Sandstone 
HS = Hermit Shale 
Supai Group: 
ES = Esplanade Sandstone, Wes = Wescogame Formation, Man = Manakacha 
Formation, Wat = Watahomigi Formation 
SCF = Surprise Canyon Formation 
RF = Redwall Formation 
TBF = Temple Butte Formation 
Tonto Group: 
ML = Muav Limestone, BAS = Bright Angel Shale, TS = Tapeats Sandstone 
VG = Vishnu Group 

Early Pre-Cambrian Rocks
Vishnu Schist ..." This layer averages about 1,700 to 2,000 million 
years old and consists of mica schist." ... "The Color of this layer 
is dark grey or black."

(3) EXAMPLES OF SOME OF THE PUR CITIES OF THE PURUSHA / POLIEUS 
WORSHIPING ALLIANCES
http://www.saragrahi.org/columns/one/one1/purusha_chart.htm


(4) PURUSHA, SACRAMENTAL SOCIAL ORDER, VARNASHRAM DHARMA AND THE 
THEORY OF ORGANISMIC SETS

Rashevsky, Nicolas: (1938) Mathematical Biophysics, v. 1-2, Dover, 
New York, [ Physico-Mathematical Foundations of Biology ] 
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Rashevsky, Nicolas: (1968) Looking at History Through Mathematics, 
MIT Press, Cambridge MA, 

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Rashevsky, Nicolas: (1972) Organismic Sets, Mathematical Biology, 
Holland MI, 

From: "Bhakti Ananda Goswami 
Date: Sat Dec 7, 2002 7:53 pm
Subject: Bhakti Ananda's Response to LHM and KP Johnson

I recommend scientists and scientifically minded theosophists to 
study the Organismic Set Theory of the late Father of the Field of 
Mathematical Biology (or Mathematical Biophysics), Dr. Nicholas 
Rashevsky. He was the Mentor of my own Father, Ralph L. Sherman Sr., 
an electrobiophysicist and the Founder of J.M. Richards Laboratories, 
Biophysics. 

In Dr. Rashevsky's summary presentation of his life's work, co-
published posthumously by J.M. Richards Laboratories and The Society 
for Mathematical Biology, and edited by Dr. George Karreman, Dr. A.F. 
Bartholomay, Dr. A. E. Ruark and Dr. H. D.Landahl,(1972) Dr. 
Rashvesky presents his "Organismic Sets, Some Reflections on the 
Nature of Life and Society". In this brilliant work, he masterfully 
describes the development of Mathematical Physics and Biology, the 
Postulate of Nondeducibility, the Theory of Sets and Spaces, and the 
Theory of Relations. Dr. Rashevsky then formally defines Organismic 
Sets, Postulates Relational Forces, and describes the Mortality of 
Organismic Sets. Then he discusses Equilibria in Organismic Sets, 
Polymorphism, Metamorphosis and Similar Phenomena. He treats the 
subject of the Organizer or President of Sets, Leadership, 
Aggressiveness and Submissiveness, Donors and Receptors in Binary 
Relations from the sub-organic molecular through the biological realm 
and WHY THERE ARE ONLY TWO SEXES [GIVING and RECEIVING] at most 
involved in sexual reproduction. He concludes with an examination of 
Structures Produced by Relational Forces, the Evolution of Organismic 
Sets, and the Einstein-Eddington Surmise. 

When I first read this amazing work, I was stunned at its 
similarity to the physics and metaphysics of the ancient Vedic-
Vaishnava source-works, the same ones that HPB and so many others, 
including some of the greatest scientists of the last two centuries 
found fascinating. To call this ancient revelation, recognition or 
intuition (...I don't care how you interpret it) of the all-
pervasiveness of BINARY RELATIONS IN PHYSICS AND BIOLOGY 
an "obviously anthropomorphized phallic interpretation" as some 
Theosophists have, is preposterous. For theosophists who 
are 'standing on the shoulders of giants' to insult those giants is a 
pretty small-minded and arrogant thing. My only suggestion to 
scientists and theosophists and all other sincere truth seekers, is 
not to prejudicially reject the historical 'revelatory' testimony of 
the Deity whose scriptures contain such amazing things. Humility even 
in the face of merely profound human inspiration is always a virtue. 
The Sanskrit Bhakti Shastra have been providing 'food for thought' to 
some of the world's greatest thinkers for thousands of years. A 
little respect for these literatures and their God Ess is in 
order. Respect where it is deserved is always a good thing.