Primordial Man or Universal Man?

 

PART I

Before commencing this article, it must be noted that this is one of the last articles that deals with untangling certain serious biases that may exist within the readers of Rene Guenon. It must also be remembered that if the intervals between articles are presently large, it is due to want of time and also, many other engagements that presently cannot be avoided. First, a brief recapitulation is in order. Those who have seen some benefit in what has been said thus far, ought to carefully consider these articles in the following order: 1 2 3 4 5. I will sumarize the basis of what has been said in them:

- All beings are ultimately Perfect (See for example, the "Faces of Atma", Man and his becoming according to the Vedanta, by Rene Guenon).

- However, while undergoing the limited experience of the cosmos as a consequence of maya-shakti, discrepancy arises. This limited experience is undergone willingly by some of these perfect beings, while others however decided not to undergo it.

- The discrepancies borne of this (though illusory) are immensely varied, however, they can ultimately be divided into 2: on the "Supreme side" there are those beings that decided not to undergo this limited cosmic experience and there are also those who did undergo this limited cosmic experience but have also finished it. They crossed from the "non-Supreme side" to the "Supreme side". On the other hand, there are those beings who are still within the "non-Supreme side" that can then be influenced by beings on the "Supreme side". (There is really no other way to put it, given the limitation inherent to language, however crude this may sound. See also, "The riddle of this world" by Sri Aurobindo).

- But within the "non-Supreme side" there are also, as has been stated, an indefinite series of hierarchies, based on differences in proximity to the Centre or to the Pole.

- It is due to all these differences that guidance, manipulation, compassion, subservience, etc. come into being. Otherwise, what would be their raison d'être? If all beings had no differences between them, then dynamics based on differences would not come into play.

- Traditions are all mirrored images of the Primordial Tradition for this particular Manvantara and for a tradition to be "orthodox", it must be an adapted image of Agarttha and it must also have men within it who are consciously aware of Agarttha and who maintain a living link between it and Agarttha. It is this that is the mark of  "orthodoxy", at least, according to Rene Guenon.

- The traditional outlook incorporates a great deal of manipulation, justified by the aforementioned discrepancy between beings in the cosmos. Rene Guenon manipulated very many people, he also manipulated his readers with a specific outcome in mind, hoping that the end would justify the means. Sadly, his immediate practical plans appeared to have all failed.

- Regarding the nature of those who have attained spiritual states (if not the Supreme State), given the "multiple states of the being", there can nonetheless be, in spite of the spiritual state they have attained, a disharmony of sorts between these different multiple states. What this means is that all sorts of errors, limitations and biases can still persist within different portions of their manifested aspects.

- Rene Guenon himself had a bias against the doctrine of Power, either failing to understand it, misrepresenting it, or both. This is one of the worst shortcomings of his works since it not only misleads his readers, it also prevents them from invoking certain possibilities, because they have been almost invincibly blinded, ironically by the very works they claim have illuminated them.

- The most disastrous outcome of this bias is in refusing to acknowledge the initiatic possibilities connected to Power, more precisely, connected to Kundalini, in order to create a state of anxiety which would cause many of his readers to believe that spiritual development is only possible under the rigid conditions he set up. That way, they would all join various traditions and the old traditional order would thereby be resuscitated; this particular outcome R.G. desired did not come to fruition.

- Outside of these biases and errors, Rene Guenon's corpus remains indispensable, it being a direct emanation from the Supreme Centre itself, in a way that is almost "unsealed", hiding almost nothing, stating the most profound truths to those who are capable of grasping them.

- This work however, as Rene Guenon himself admitted, is to be served as a foundation for something more. Further, this work in a way is one of those things that signals the demise of the esoteric and thus of the old dynamic upon which it was based. This has eschatological significance and is connected to the looming "Cycle of Heroes", the "144,000", the "Gathering of the lost Word", etc. But outside of all these symbolic descriptions, above and beyond them, it really is just about the reemergence of Universal Man, the Polar beings who will both prepare the way for the next Satya Yuga and even participate in it themselves.

Having said that, we can now proceed to the present article. This article is prompted by what seems to be a difficulty in understanding the difference between "primordial man" and Universal Man, especially as spoken of by R.G. It is also necessary to dispel the notion that Satya Yuga Man was merely "primordial man", which sadly, R.G. seems to insinuate (the reasons for this will be shown). Further, it will be the first time someone has showcased in technical detail, a connection between the Tantric teachings of these two categories of beings and what R.G. himself wrote about them. 

Monumental Initiatic Stops: the origin of Rene Guenon's Schema

The states of being are indefinite and based on this, the degrees of initiation can also be, theoretically indefinite. However, different initiatic organizations, greatly based on their adaptive nature, view different integral points as more monumental than others. R.G. states this himself:

"

...Moreover, it goes without  saying  that  the changes undergone by the being in  the course of its development  are really indefinite  in  number; the initiatic degrees ritually conferred, whatever  the traditional form may be, can thus correspond  only  to a sort of general classification of the principal  stages  to be traversed,  and each of these can itself epitomize a multitude of secondary and intermediate stages...

"

[Rene Guenon, Perspectives on Initiation, Chapter 26, "Initiatic Death", page 173]

As has already been stated, based on the extent to which they maintain a fidelity to the Polar Spirit, different traditions have different points of view. Those that have taken on many adaptations and hail from some secondary centre such as Atlantis, seem to also have considerably more limits than those that have not. Thus some view the initiatic degree realized at the "ajna chakra" as "primordial", whereas others do not even see this particular point as monumental at all.

In his general schema on the question of a being that has taken a human birth, Rene Guenon maintained two divisions: the perfect individual and the perfect being, seeing the "primordial state" as the former. Maintaining his signature vagueness, he then further speaks on things that relate to both these categories, 

regarding the "perfect individual":

- The power of the silver key.

- The sphere of the moon.

- The reflection of transcendent states of being within this state of the "perfect individual".

- The function of "prophecy", more aptly put, the reception of orders and influences from transcendent states and various consequences that arise from this, such as the elaboration of a traditional form.

- The sense of eternity, the centre of the temporal modality.

Regarding the "perfect being", Rene Guenon is even more vague. This is because, there are a series of degrees that separate this perfect being, in the metaphysical sense (Metaphysical being that which is beyond the physical, the "physical" in this case being the totality of the manifested order: spiritual, psychic, corporeal and infra-psychic) from the "perfect individual". These degrees pertain to the "spiritual order" and here Rene Guenon refers to both (the intermediary spiritual degrees and the ultimate degree of the perfect being) collectively as simply, the "greater mysteries". 

However, a schema can still be perceived, regarding the spiritual:

- The power of the golden key.

- The sphere of the sun.

- A direct possession of transcendent states, i.e. transcendent to the individual order, transcendent to the "perfect individual".

- The source of "divine inspiration".

Further, regarding the metaphysical:

- The infinitesimal solar door, the black point at the centre of the sun.

- The non-manifested.

That is basically it. The rest are elaborations that are rather vague, predicated mostly on Atlantean traditions: earthly paradise, heavenly paradise, angelic states, etc. Where he speaks of such things based on non-Atlantean sources (though to what degree that traditions that aren't from Atlantis changed after its destruction remains unknown. What is known is that the changes that occurred following its destruction seem to have affected and modified nearly everything, including many of those traditions that are Polar, as a consequence of the qualitative change in the present cycle), it is no less vague, in the "Great Triad" for example, we see repetitions of this persistent schema, only clothed in a Far-Eastern form. (Chen-jen: true man, the perfect individual, Chun-jen: transcendent man, the perfect being, Universal Man, Rene Guenon states that the Wen Tzu is where one can find the "clearest" exposition of the Taoist approach to these different categories of being. See the Great Triad by Rene Guenon for more). 

This is all well and good, however, as has been stated, the problem arises when Rene Guenon implies that Satya Yuga Man, "primordial man" was merely a being at the point of perfect individuality, seemingly ignorant of the rest of himself. It may be that Rene Guenon was simply performing a division wherein on this particular earth, as he resided here, Satya Yuga Man was at its centre and was hence a perfect individual, but beyond this earth, regarding states that he also possessed, he was supra-human and finally, he was Universal Man. 

This division however, is unnecessary and not as ubiquitous as Rene Guenon implies, since, in many Tantric lineages, it does not exist. In fact, all that exists in the Tantra regarding man is: man is already Universal Man who is paradoxically both Supreme and non-Supreme at the same time and also, beyond this dualistic distinction. However, in relation to the non-Supreme, man ultimately bears an instrument through which he explores this lesser possibility, that instrument is known as antahkarana. The motion of the cycle correlates with man becoming too steeped in the non-Supreme and through tamasic influence (tamas in its lesser sense, since it also has a superior sense) forgetting the Supreme. Thus Satya Yuga Man was Universal Man, a being fixed in the unassailable knowledge of Paramashiwa, since at the beginning of the cycle, this forgetting had not yet occured. 

ANTAHKARANA: MAN'S INSTRUMENT

Before proceeding, some words regarding antahkarana are in order. This is because it will help in understanding why in the Tantra, especially in certain lineages (there are innumerable lineages that are all "tantric", a term that R.G. himself says is mysterious and that these lineages themselves appear to be something extremely fluid, "loose", unfixed, unnamed), man is only Universal Man and he explores the non-supreme aspect of himself by way of an "inner instrument".

I will not at this time explain the entire process of man's manifestation conceptually, but what I say, though partial will make sense. Starting at Parabindu (Being, "the infinitesimal central solar door", the lowest metaphysical, of which there are 5 as taught by the Tantra), there is as One, Supreme Consciousness and Supreme Power. At this level, Supreme Power-Consciousness is Ishwara. In Supreme Power lay multiple aspects, one of which pertains to the manifestation of the cosmos. In realizing this possibility, Ishwara wills to express his (or her) creativity and does so using the specific power of maya-shakti.

Upon the actualization of maya-shakti, there is an illusory bifurcation of Parabindu, in which Ishwara appears as an isolated, pure consciousness, known as Purusha and the Power or Shakti of Ishwara then appears as an independent bindu-power known as Prakriti. This bindu-power (called so because it consists of 3 secondary bindus which are the 3 gunas) is all potentiality, endowed with the potential of receiving and responding to whatever influence is desired by Purusha. Thus under maya-shakti, Supreme Consciousness appears as an isolated principle, Purusha, and Supreme Power, All Possibility appears as "all potentiality", primus, Prakriti. These 2 poles are still beyond manifestation, but their interaction will determine the entirety of the cosmos.

Ishwara as Purusha is endowed with Prana and a Will. Purusha infuses prakriti with prana-wayu ("the breath of life"). Prakriti consists of 3 gunas: sattwa, rajas and tamas. The guna (or secondary bindu) that first receives prana-wayu from Purusha is the rajas guna and here, there is a further division, this pranic influence is split in 2: as rajas energy and as life energy.

At the rajas point, the rajas energy and the life energy create the "power field", power here in the lesser sense of that which sustains all of manifestation. At the sattwa point, rajas energy becomes the basis for sentience, consciousness, intelligence and the life energy works to sustain the functioning of sattwa. At the tamas point, rajas energy forms the basis for "meta-matter" and "matter" and life energy vivifies these two. 

Sattwa is not conscious, rather it is rarefied to such an extent that it can receive and reflect consciousness from Purusha ("the image of God"). Sattwa itself remains unconscious, however. Here then, as a consequence of this reflection, "purushas are many" or, the microcosm as a reflection of the macrocosm begins. 

Tamas then would be the "substance"  that reflects the essential quiddities, or, defining characteristics between beings and worlds ("the clay out of which things are created"). Starting in the formal world, the presence of forms and the difference between forms are due to tamas. This is so whether the forms are corporeal forms or incorporeal forms, i.e. incorporeal forms would be psychic and infra-psychic. Similarly, though the supra-formal state of being is not limited by the presence of forms and so the beings therein are not distinguished one from another on the basis of form, there still must be a defining characteristic that distinguishes them. All these distinctions are manifestations of a quiddity that ultimately stems forth from the Metaphysical essence itself. A direct example of this kind of distinction in the formal world would be the 5 senses, why is the sense of hearing different from the sense of seeing? It is because they pertain to different "tamasic qualities". Clearly both hearing and seeing are formal, but they pertain to different forms. This difference in form is due to tamas. Put simply, tamas is actually "qualitative".

The 3 gunas are inseparably connected and when one is active, the other two must be active as well. However, the dominance of each guna varies from one state of being to another. Here then, "a spectrum of states of being" emerges and this spectrum is determined by varying degrees of dominance of each guna. Where sattwa dominates, the "spiritual world" is born, where rajas dominates, the "psychic world" is born and where tamas dominates, the "material world" is born. Where tamas dominates further, the "infra-psychic" world is born. Tamas of course has a much higher aspect to it which can be briefly stated as the capacity to release what it has absorbed. In the course of manifestation, tamasic influence absorbs sattwic and rajasic influence, but conversely, this means that tamas can also release all the sattwa and rajas it has absorbed, resulting in a graduated ascent back to the spiritual state. The process via which this tamasic-release is effected is known as the "Dance of Shiwa", which mainly consists of a "pressing" on tamas to either absorb or release the sattwic and rajasic influences.

Having stated these preliminary remarks, let us now consider the case of Man more specifically. We now return to antahakarana. Antahakarana is a sattwic instrument for the acquisition of knowledge that is non-supreme, viz., knowledge that pertains to the spiritual, psychic, corporeal and infra-psychic, Supreme Knowledge is obviously Metaphysical, i.e. beyond the physical, the physical consisting of these aforementioned 4 states of being, as R.G. pointed out numerous times. Antahkarana is also an instrument of "power", or more aptly put, it is an instrument through which the control of prana in all its manifested modalities is accomplished. Thus regarding the non-Supreme possibility, Universal Man "explores" it by way of this instrument. In the Tantra, Antahkarana is Mind as a whole, not merely something that defines man as an individual species, rather, Antahakarana is Mind as incorporating into itself multiple states of being, whether or not this mind is prefixed by qualifiers such as "super", thus super-mind, which is usually connected to the spiritual state of being, is also a part of Mind; this will become clearer in what follows.

The three gunas can also be considered from a mantric perspective. A mantra consists of three aspects: bija, nada and bindu. Tamas would be the bija, that which determines the quality of the mantra, rajas would be the nada, that which in sonorous form provides power in a vivifying fashion and stands in between, and lastly, sattwa would be the bindu, the concentrated conscious point of sentience. Rajas stands in between tamas and sattwa as nada; when related to bija, it is in a relative de-concentrated state that vivifies it and when related to bindu, it is in a concentrated state whose concentration (i.e. concentrated pranic energy) enables the functioning of consciousness and without which, consciousness cannot exist. In its own field, rajas as nada creates a force-field, wherein for example, the 5 prana-wayus will properly operate. This is of course a simplification, but the point is to lay ground for the ensuing explanations.

When sattwa first receives and reflects illumination from Purusha, Mahan/Mahat comes into being. There is a maximal concentration of sattwa in Mahan and the influences of both rajas and tamas though present, are slight. Mahan is thus the spiritual, the integral synthesis of all that will follow in the "great chain of Being" (here all sorts of things that are alluded to by more secondary traditions can be seen, from concepts of the "first ancestor", the "prophet" as the first creation of pure light, the "highest arch-angel" etc.). Mahan is the very first emergence of antahkarana and through it, the reality of Prajnaloka is apprehended by Universal Man, as he begins his first exploration of the non-Supreme possibility. (For more on explorers "cultivating" a world that they are in reality foreign to, see the Landnamabok, as treated by A.K. Coomaraswamy).

The ensuing cosmic evolution (the abuse of this word necessitates a constant disclaimer, evolution in the sense of cyclic unwinding, not in any modern "Darwinian" sense) is as a consequence of the increasing influence of both tamas and rajas and this can be represented in a simple table of sorts:

THE SPECTRUM OF ANTAHKARANA :

BIJA/TAMAS            NADA/RAJAS                BINDU/SATTWA

Arthavattva                   -------------                         Mahan (Spiritual state of being)

Anvaya                         --------------                        Ahang  (The pure I)

Suksma                         --------------                       Ritambhara-Prajna (Psychic state of being)

 

______________________PARAMANU__________________________________________________

_______________________ANU________________________________________________________

Svarupa                         --------------                       Visayavati-Pravritti (Subtle sensory)

Sthula                            --------------                       Jyotisvati-Pravritti (Extra sensory)

                                                                            Aindriya-jnana (Sensory)

The intention here is to provide a very simplified exegesis of antahkarana but some further elaborations and explanations are in order. Of course beyond the level of Mahan, primus (Prakriti), Purusha and maya-shakti are completely absorbed by Kundalini and one finally enters into the Metaphysical (this simple observation already shows the Transcendence of Kundalini, since she is able to absorb even Purusha/Ishwara as Purusha). The moment Purusha emerges as a consequence of maya shakti, so does Prakriti and what is possessed in perfect simultaneity within Purusha, in an essential sense is reflected to varying degrees in Prakriti, but this reflection involves cyclic evolution and so it is not perfectly simultaneous. However, Purusha and Prakriti "exist" in simultaneity, thus the one illusory reality is on the one hand simultaneous and static(Purusha) and on the other hand, cyclically successive and dynamic(Prakriti), both at the same time. The "eternal ideas" in the "divine intellect" (Purusha) are reflected in varying ways in the vast waters (Prakriti) and as a consequence the cosmic egg is born.

Back to the table just provided, since the 3 gunas are always inexorably interrelated upon their awakening, they each have varying effects on each other. At the first level, that of Mahan, there is a maximal concentration of sattwa and the result is a consciousness that is spiritual, pure light as it were (prajna) with a great concentration of prana as sound (ONG). ONG  (AUM) is Pranawa, that is, it is a reflection of Kundali-power in the cosmos by which prana is fully controlled. Tamas here is in a limited state and furnishes two possibilities: moksha, by which the limitation of consciousness is transcended or bhoga, that which furthers cosmic evolution. Consciousness (not Supreme Consciousness which is beyond all limits) is a limitation, since as we have just seen, the sattwic bindu or guna is not conscious, but merely reflects whatever Purusha reflects upon it, further, Purusha is also illusory, since it is birthed by maya. R.G. himself states this:

"...A very important consequence of the foregoing is that knowledge, understood absolutely and in all its universality, is in no way synonymous with or equivalent to consciousness, whose domain is coextensive only with that of certain determined states of being, so that it is only in those states to the exclusion of all others, that knowledge is realized by means of what can properly be called 'becoming conscious' of anything. Consciousness, as we have understood the term until now, even in its most general sense and without restricting it to its specifically human form, is only a contingent and special mode of knowledge under certain conditions, a property inherent to a being envisaged in certain states of manifestation; all the more reason, then, to say that it is not applicable in any degree to unconditioned states, that is, to all that goes beyond Being, since it is not even applicable to the whole of Being. Knowledge, on the contrary, considered in itself and independently of the conditions attaching to any particular state, can admit of no restriction, and to be adequate to total truth must be coextensive not only with Being but also with universal Possibility itself, and therefore it must be infinite, as the latter necessarily is..."

[Rene Guenon, The Multiple States of the Being, "Knowledge and Consciousness", chapter 16, page 81].

(Of course, whenever certain qualifiers such as "Supreme" are added, then the Consciousness in question is exactly similar to Knowledge as R.G. envisions it, i.e. Supreme Consciousness= Metaphysical Knowledge).

Upon more influence from tamas and rajas, Mahan gradually begins to "shrink". This "shrinking" can be symbolized via the contraction of a sphere with no bounds, which then ultimately births two things, the conscious, subjective "I" and objective consciousness. This is because the shrinking sphere would "leave out" a vacuum and that vacuum would be "filled up" with objects that are experienced and known by a subject which stands at a central point relative to them. In this way, individuality is born:

Mahan "shrinks" and ahang is born, with ahang, comes objects. The white space would be the objective consciousness where objects are "seen" and the shrunken blue point would the subjective consciousness that "sees" these objects. The "I".

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

The birth of individuality is first realized in the pure "I" at the centre of all the objects around it without being limited by them. This is Ahang. Within this further duality, there is a reflection of the antecedent state of Mahan where subject and object were one in an integral way. This reflection shows itself when the "I" eventually illustrates interest in the objects around it, in that, it desires to be one with them.  When the "I" first notices objects (at the pinnacle of the psychic state), it immediately shows interest and attraction to them. This is an imprint based on the longing for the unitary state it just had before it was born as a seemingly separate entity. The state of tamas here is anvaya and the first "object" witnessed by the "I" is ParaShiwa and after that, SadaShiwa. These are the reflections of Mahan, or rather, the memory of Mahan, experienced by Ahang, when it is first born. This is the level of anvaya, following the table above.

Further down, with the addition of more tamas and rajas, the conscious I shrinks and now, the psychic state is properly entered into. Here, rajas predominates both sattwa and tamas. The psychic state consists of the 5 tanmatras and mahabhutas, working in conjunction with the 5 prana-wayus. These are, [tanmatra-mahabhuta]: shabda-akasha, sparsha-wayu, rupa-tejas, rasa-ap and gandha-prithwi. The wayus are: prana, udana, samana, wyana and apana. The tanmatras, mahabhutas and prana-wayus at this level are at Suksma and are apprehended by the subjective consciousness through the power of ritambhara prajna. It is obviously not possible to enter into the complexities of all these at this time and they are only mentioned to further elaborate on what antahkarana consists of.

At the last tanmatra-mahabhuta level of gandha-prithwi, or gandha-kshiti, the degree of tamasic presence is so high that all the mahabhutas and prana-wayus converge to form a subtle elliptical body which has two phases: paramanu and anu. Beneath the anu level, the subtlest sensory forms are born and further down, corporeal bodies are eventually formed. Due to the high presence of tamas in its lesser sense, antahkarana undergoes an "externalization", i.e. it projects itself further externally in the form of indriyas. Antahkarana is ultimately a sattwic instrument but beneath the paramanu-anu level, the sattwic presence is very weak and so it cannot directly operate there. The tamasic convergence forces it to externally project itself as vahih indriya, i.e. "outer instrument", the instrument in this case being that which pertains to sensory perception as jnane-indriya or sensory action as karme-indriya. 

The "super-sensory" forms perceived at the svarupa level are the subtlest sensory forms, from the dream-state to sensory forms that are even subtler than that. Beyond the anu-paramanu level however, there can be no sensory forms at all, the sensory limitation having been fully surpassed. The "extra-sensory" is really just the acquisition of gross sensory forms without the instrumentation of sensory organs. Sensory phenomena immediately come to consciousness without them. At the last level, the usual ordinary sensory forms of a corporeal fashion are perceived. Beneath the level of aindriya-jnana and sthula would be the infra-psychic domain, or, the states that a being would (ordinarily) go through before attaining a human birth, but this does not really concern this topic in particular.

This brief incursion into antahkarana already presents various problems regarding the perspective R.G. has of Satya Yuga Man. Firstly, it can already be seen that the starting point of antahkarana  is just beneath Parabindu. It is a sattwic "internal stress" and hence it cannot be said to begin at the psychic level, since the guna that predominates therein would be the rajas guna and not the sattwic guna. 

To say that Satya Yuga Man was ignorant of Mahan and considered himself as suddenly beginning from Ahang is ridiculous. Such a perspective can only be excused, as has been said, if it is only taken as a convenient classification, it however still maintains a degree of strangeness. 

As has already been shown above, this perspective of considering Satya Yuga Man as nothing other than Ahang is mainly an Atlantean one and even where it does not directly proceed from Atlantis, such as in the Far-Eastern Traditions, it nonetheless sprang up after the destruction of Atlantis since before the teachings of Fu-Hsi and later on, Lao Tzu, there are even more mysterious and incredibly cryptic loose passages and R.G. himself says that the split into Taoism and Confucianism only occurred at a relatively recent date:

"...However remote such an origin may appear when one compares it with that of the Greco-Roman civilisation and with the dates of so-called "classical" antiquity, it is, in fact, still fairly recent; what was the state of the yellow race, which then probably inhabited certain regions of central Asia, before that time? In the absence of sufficiently explicit data, it is impossible to say exactly; but it would seem that this race had been going through a period of obscurity, whose length we cannot estimate, and that it was roused from this sleep at a time which is also notable for important changes affecting other parts of mankind. Thus it is that what appears as a beginning was really the revival of a much earlier tradition which had to be put in another form so as to fit new conditions..."

[Rene Guenon, "Taoism and Confucianism"]

 

Thus it can only be due to a cyclic adaptation that such a strange point of view, that of reducing Satya Yuga Man to Ahang can occur.

The Tantra however does not have such vagaries, it is clear and direct. Man is already considered as Universal Man, the Supreme and the cosmic possibility within himself that he explores is done by  antahkarana, which would be the non-Supreme. The processes furnished through certain tantric lineages thus stress that the one who does them is none other than Universal Man, even at the beginning. It is a process of seizing the entire spectrum of antahkarana and going beyond it by appealing to Kundalini. Satya Yuga Man is Universal Man and Universal Man as having complete mastery over the instrument through which he explores the possibility of the cosmos. This instrument, antahkarana, does not start at the psychic level, but at the spiritual level and so, the one who makes use of it must be at a level that is even beyond the spiritual state.

These few considerations already show a difference in perspectives, between something as pure and Polar as the Tantra and things which are the consequence of a considerable number of adaptations, such as Atlantean traditions. The cosmogonic process in many traditions is indirectly conveyed as a symbolic drama and the varying points of antahkarana are at times even presented as being the exclusive province of certain historical figures. This is truly tragic, if as a concession it creeps into the properly esoteric domain (though there has never really been anything like "esoterism/esotericism" in the Tantra, since everything is just one continuous spectrum inasmuch as it is manifested and beyond that, there is no continuity, since there would only be the Supreme) and shapes the attitudes of people who would benefit more from purer things.

Before proceeding, there are a few words that may be of interest to some that ought to be said. The continuous flow from Universal Man "outwards" through  antahkarana is connected to certain martial teachings as well, wherein the use of weapons is considered as something inferior, but where a concession is made, these weapons are also seen as extensions of the one using them. A true martial artist has complete and total control and mastery over antahkarana and this means that the true and legitimate martial artist is none other than one who has realized himself as Universal Man. The motions are effortless and seemingly "weightless", yet their effects are monumental and all destructive. The full control of this instrument in the sense of a full sattwic development that illuminates it entirely, a full rajasic development that completely and harmoniously enlivens it and a full tamasic development that allows one to grasp and express all of its distinct qualities is won at the level of Universal Man, more precisely, at the ultimate that lies beyond Parabindu.

Here, it must be noted that what has just been written is a great simplifcation, since to properly consider antahkarana would involve looking at the entire chakra-system, from the Sahasrara down to the Muladhara, but that would obviously be a pointless thing to do in a space like this. However, as it relates to the unnecessary distinction of primordial man and Universal Man made by Rene Guenon, some words regarding the distinction between the ajna-chakra, which in reality is actually part of an "ajna-system" and the sahasrara-chakra, which is also part of a "sahasrara-system", are in order.  

It must however be stated that R.G.'s treatment of Kundalini Yoga is quite flawed, for a few reasons. He seems to confuse a few things, such as stating that the kamakala is the "abode of Shakti", or that ParamaShiwa directly communicates with ajna, when it is in fact the Guru Chakra that does so, which is itself an inferior aspect of the Sahasrara and kamakala is primus or prakriti, which is a lesser aspect of Shakti and not her abode. A truly disastrous thing is when he states the embodied being, jivatman is not in the anahata, when it in fact is; jiva is in the anahata, beneath the bana-linga. He also states that Nirwana Shakti is in union with ParamaShiwa, when in reality, Nirwana Shakti is at a level that is beneath Parabindu and ParamaShiwa is the Supreme State beyond Parabindu, a state termed "Nishkala Shiwa", beyond even the notion of union, NI-denoting absorption to the point of negation, KALA-denoting Power, NishKala Shiwa, meaning, Shiwa beyond any attribute, including the attribute of union, His Power, Kundalini is at this point, in a completely non-dual sense, Himself, His being (the true Metaphysical Zero). He misrepresents Kundalini as a "force", when in reality She is Shiwa Himself. He accepts that all that one needs is to awaken Kundalini through certain processes, but seems to imply that only one set works, that which is connected to the use of mantras, when this is totally and utterly false. As this article is meant to focus on showcasing the true sense of Satya Yuga Man as Universal Man, a proper criticism of R.G.'s treatment of Kundalini Yoga, Laya Yoga and the Tantra in general cannot be explored at this time, but may be explored in the future. (I hesitate to recommend where one can see these errors displayed by R.G., but regardless, they can be seen in the book "Studies in Hinduism", specifically the chapter that deals with Kundalini Yoga. It must be stressed that R.G. significantly misrepresents the Tantra in this book and up until a few articles on this blog, nobody bothered to make the relevant corrections in all these decades...)

Some Reflections on the Ajna Chakra 

For brevity's sake and to maintain fidelity to the reason behind this article, only part of the ajna-system will be considered. More specifically, that which relates to what R.G. has written about: 

- The reception of a "divine order" at this central point. (Connected to "prophetic inspiration").

- The sense of eternity.

- The reflection of what R.G. terms "super-human" states.

- The ability to go anywhere in space and time, since the entirety of these two possibilities is integrally possessed at this central point. (One of the "gifts" possessed by the true Rosicrucians and not the many fakes, losers and liars that shamelessly and in vain, tried to appropriate them).

- The power that allows the development of forms at the "lunar sphere". (This is also connected to the ability of developing any and all forms, including language forms and thus it can be seen that one who has attained this degree is truly blessed with the "gift of tongues").

 

To start with, the lower and most commonly known meaning behind the term "ajna" is order. That is, a divine order or more aptly put, an order from Guru at the Guru Chakra, which is the inferior aspect of the Sahasrara Chakra (more on this later) is received at this axial, lower point. This would be the communication with "supra-human" states that R.G. has spoken of multiple times. This is also the basis of the function of  what some traditions refer to as "prophecy" and other more Polar ones as "seer" (rishi):

"

...

 The vision of the 'third eye', by which the being is set free from the temporal condition (and which has nothing in common with the 'clairvoyance' of occultists and Theosophists), is ultimately linked to the 'prophetic' function; this is what the Sanskrit word rishi alludes to, which properly signifies seer and has its exact equivalent in the Hebrew roeh, the ancient designation of the prophets, later replaced by the word nabi (that is, 'he who speaks by inspiration'). And let us add, without however dwelling upon it, that what we are pointing out in this as in the preceding note, is related to the esoteric interpretation of the Surat Al Qadr, concerning the 'descent of the Koran'

...

"

[Rene Guenon, Studies in Hinduism, chapter 3, Kundalini Yoga, pages 25-26.]

Once again, it must be stressed that the book in question is both biased and flawed, but moving on, here, we can see that a very common occurrence in the Tantra appears as something monumental in Atlantean forms, such as in Islam, where the "descent of the Koran", is in the end nothing other than a particularity of the ajna chakra. Further, it is something that all men have the potential of realizing and is not the province of a "special prophet". (The ajna chakra is not even an important centre in many Tantric lineages.)

Before moving on to the next aspects, the higher and real meaning of the term "ajna" ought to be considered now. Far from only being a point from which Guru's ajna (order) is received, it is also connected to Kundali-power, flowing from Guru in the Guru chakra down to the ajna chakra. "Ajna" in this sense means "OU", which is Kundali-power in "ou" form. Kundali-power in the form of "oung" flows from Guru down to ajna and when this happens "ONG" (pashyanti-nada) in the triangle above the ajna chakra itself is awakened.

When this awakening occurs, consciousness becomes immensely rarefied, so rarefied that it becomes an instance of Kundalini-consciousness. It is in this that the "reflection of supra-individual states" occurs, since this awakening of Ong came about as a result of an influence from Guru, a supra-individual state. This is the actual process that R.G. indirectly refers to when he says such a thing. Connected to this is also the "sense of eternity", wherein the integral synthesis of individual state is realized (since it is beneath this central position that the temporal condition begins to manifest itself).

Mention has just been made of a triangle with "ONG" (AUM) within it that is above the ajna chakra. It is not possible to go into details on the entire ajna-system here and now, but a few words will be stated, for clarity's sake. There is obviously a distance between the spatio-temporal position of the ajna chakra, between the 2 eyes on the forehead and the crown of the head. In this vertical distance, there are other chakras, in brief: within the ajna chakra, there is the presiding deity there (an instance of ParamaShiwa in form, or, a particular form of consciousness that Man can assume within his instrument of antahkarana), known as Hakini, above her, there is the triangle with Ong within it, above that, there is Itara linga within a triangle, above that, there is the subtle sensory mind (manas 2) in the form of a secondary bindu, above that, there is the Manas chakra (seat of chitta, sensory consciousness), above that, there is Indu chakra (seat of buddhi, also known as soma chakra) above that, there is mahanada and finally, at the crown of the head, there is nirwana-chakra (the seat of Ahang, the I). Within the nirwana-chakra is the brahmarandhra (dwadashanta-brahmarandhra), which is the opening beyond which the supra-individual states lay.

The faculty with which Man can go anywhere in space or time is first gained is found at the subtle manas (not the manas chakra), which is above the Itara linga. This centre has 3 powers in operation: kala, nirodhika and indu. Kala is that through which the de-materialized sensory forms, conducted ultimately via the ida-nadi are synthesized, organized and ultimately transmitted to the sensory consciousness within the manas-chakra above it (i.e. above the subtle manas 2). Nirodhika, wherever it is found, is associated with control and when activated in this instance, it exercises control over kala, when kala is thus controlled, indu begins to manifest its power. The power of indu is the reception of any sensory forms without the instrumentation of the senses. The 3 limits of the senses (vipakrista or obstruction, suksma or size and vyavihita or distance) are thereby overcome and thus Man can go anywhere in space or time since he no longer depends on sensory instrumentation to explore spatio-temporal possibilities. (This is true for time as well as space, since the only reason the past or future cannot properly be perceived is on account of obstruction, strange as this may sound. There is "something" blocking both past and future and so they ordinarily cannot be as directly apprehended as the present. This obstruction is brought about as a function of tamas, obviously).

Regarding the creation of forms, specifically, traditional forms, this comes mainly as a function of two faculties, the first is the faculty of buddhi, within the Indu (soma, the lunar-sphere) chakra, the second, is as one of the different powers that Hakini possesses. Buddhi is the centre of the intellect, inasmuch as this intellect is reflected in an individual state (since, according to R.G. the real intellect, the intellectual intuition, is Supreme Knowledge and this would be found past Parabindu). The full power of this centre is active during samadhi, but the full extent of this cannot be explained here. All that can be said is this, ordinarily, the two petals of the ajna-chakra, which really are 2 manifestations of the matrikas "hang" and "kshang", emit two radiations, one flowing upward, another downward. These 2 radiations possess multiple influences which activate the specific upper and lower chakras, thus allowing them to function (These radiations are very weak, chaotic and fragile in the ordinary man of today, but of course, in those who have been properly established in the tantric path and its equivalents in other traditions, these flows are mighty, harmonious, full of power). These separate radiations however become one when the state of samadhi is realized, the two radiations unite and fully flow upwards, activating the upper centres, but in a different sense. The centres in this state are activated in their higher sense, a sense that maintains concentration (samadhi); for its part, Indu here displays the full capacity of buddhi, the intellect in its individual reflection and through this, supra-individual truths from the point beyond the nirwana chakra are received and given extremely rarefied forms. This process continues further below, where goddess Hakini (or the consciousness Man is able to assume at this particular centre), wielding a "book" as one of her instruments, gives these forms greater "substance", so to speak. 

There are many things connected to the entire ajna-system that obviously cannot be explored in such a limited place, but these few considerations were written to demonstrate the directness with which the Tantra, specifically certain lineages within it, consider what in other traditions are seen in high esteem and even what are seen as the specific priviledge of special "prophets and messiahs". This state of being, that R.G. errenously considers the original state of Satya Yuga Man, is not even seen as a monumental stop on the journey of spiritual realization within the Tantric path. In doing so, R.G. seems to take on, for whatever reason, perspectives connected to Atlantis (perhaps because he was primarily addressing a "western" audience?). This disastrous perspective can only be excused, as has been earlier stated, if R.G. is performing a convenient classification, that inasmuch as Man resides on this earth, he is at a central point, but this does not mean that there are other transcendent states he cannot assume. In connection to supra-individual states and their connection to the ajna chakra, a part of the "Sahasrara-system", of which the guru-chakra is part, will now be considered.

A Few Considerations on the Sahasrara Chakra

The passage from the Nirwana chakra, through the brahmarandhra, upon Kundalini's absorption of it(the nirwana chakra) and all the other centres beneath it, is facilitated by wisarga (power-bridge, more precisely, the first wisarga). Without getting too much into technical details, wisarga is an aspect of Kundali-power that is in the form of the matrika-arna Ang. This matrika is in coiled form and a part of it elicits a straight, vertical force-motion, which causes the emergence of two rings, a lower one and an upper one. Through this first bridge, the motion from the individual state to the supra-individual state is achieved. The individual state in question is the central state of the pure I, Ahang, at the nirwana chakra. The supra-individual state in question is the guru-chakra, which is the inferior aspect of the sahasrara chakra. Through wisarga, Kundalini passes from nirwana chakra and enters guru chakra. Thus it is through wisarga that there is a continution between the intra-cranial brahma nadi(the innermost passage of sushumna, a void through which Kundalini ascends) and the extracranial guru-chakra which finally gives way to the sahasrara chakra.

Without entering into too much detail, the guru chakra, an inferior aspect of the sahasrara chakra, is the abode of Guru and his Shakti. An important thing that happens within the guru chakra, is the culmination of dhyana before it becomes samprajnata samadhi (that is, in the terms employed by R.G., the culmination of the lesser mysteries and simulatenous entrance into the greater mysteries), it is as it were, a sort of interstice between these two states of being. Guru is the very first form of ParamaShiwa, who is beyond all forms and attributes. ParamaShiwa lies within Guru in a latent state, when Guru appears in the guru chakra. Guru and his Shakti are found in the pericarp of the 12-petalled guru chakra, specifically, within a triangle called AKaTha...

Before proceeding with other considerations regarding the sahasrara chakra, the connection between the guru chakra and the King of the World will be briefly explored, but at this time, not entirely.

The Guru Chakra and The King of the World

The entire reality of Agarttha, especially as presented by R.G., is rather complex. That said, there are certain things that remain constant, wherever anything to do with it is found. These things are: 

- A Polar notion, of "something" that was once known, after it came into being, but that has now become obfuscated.

- An axial path, along which this "something" descended as the cycle continued, becoming more and more obfuscated, until seemingly entirely disappearing altogether today.

- A persistent communication and reception of a transmission from this "something" as this obfuscation ensued, this communication taking on so many varying "traditional forms".

These three things remain a constant and have their exact microcosmic equivalent in Man. First, it must be noted that Agarrtha is not something that is to be found at the beginning of the Satya Yuga, for the simple reason that the beings alive at that time were all at the state of ParamaShiwa and hence had no need for traditions, initiations and a "King". This is also why the reality of Agarttha and of the King of the World is not related to the Supreme state of ParamaShiwa, but rather, to a point that is inferior to it, that of Guru in the guru chakra.

The kamakala triangle, is the non-manifested synthesis of all manifested reality as the potential substantial pole (the complement of which will be purusha as the essential pole), which is found at the first and lowest Metaphysical, Parabindu. This triangle consists of 3 lines made up of non-actualized matrikas. This triangle will constitute prakriti (primus) once maya-shakti begins to operate. This triangle itself is not part of manifestation, but determines it (as "universal substance", to use R.G's terminology). However, there are replicas of this triangle within manifestation itself. A replica of this triangle is found in the pericarp of the inferior aspect of the sahasrara chakra, the guru chakra. (R.G. is completely and utterly wrong when he says that this triangle is "the abode of shakti"! This triangle is but an aspect of Supreme Shakti. The true "abode" of Shakti is as the being of Shiwa, as ParamaShiwa, which lays far beyond Parabindu.)

In the pericarp of the guru chakra lies the AKaTha triangle (the similarity of the terms "Agarttha" and "AKaTha" are quite obvious). This triangle is inverted and its lines consist of matrika-units; each line has 16 matrika-units. On the left side of the apex lays the left line, the "A" line, with matrika-units from A to ah, the base line is the "Ka"  line, with matrika-units from Ka to Ta and finally, the right line, the "Tha" line, from Tha to Sa. The three angles of the triangle also possess matrika-units: the angle at the apex has the matrika "La", the angle at the left corner has the matrika "Ha" and the angle at the right corner has the matrika "Ksha". Within this triangle, lays Guru with his Shakti, but here there are also  other multiple aspects within this triangle. There is the aspect that is both a jewelled altar, manipitha and a bright throne, singhasana, there is also a jewelled foot stool and finally, there is the formless aspect. The guru chakra itself has twelve petals, each with matrika units on them. These 12 petals have specific defining attributes, writtis.

From the above paragraph, the discerning reader will already notice the entire structure of Agarttha, as well as of the "King of the World", having its exact microcosmic equivalent in the Guru chakra. First, the petals of the guru chakra itself are 12, much like the 12 members connected to the inner circle of Agarttha and the "12 rays of the sun":

"

 There is another, no less remarkable, parallel. Saint-Yves, describing the different degrees or circles of the initiatic hierarchy which correspond specifically to certain symbolic numerals, particularly those of the divisions of time, concludes: 'the highest circle, nearest to the mysterious centre, is composed of twelve members who represent the supreme initiation and correspond, amongst other things, with the 'Zodiacal Zone'....

...Seen from the sphere of cosmic order, the twelve members of Agarttha's inner circle represent not only the twelve signs of the Zodiac but also (it is tempting to say 'rather', although neither interpretation negates the other) the twelve Adityas which are as many forms of the sun acting in concord with these Zodiacal signs.... 

...The Sun with twelve rays can be considered as representing the twelve Adityas. From another point of view, if the Sun represents the Christ, the twelve rays are the twelve apostles (the word Apostolos signifies 'sent', and the rays are also 'sent' by the Sun). In the number of the twelve apostles one can, moreover, see a sign, among many others,
of the perfect conformity of Christianity with the primordial tradition...

"

[Rene Guenon, The Lord of the World, Chapter 4, "The three Supreme functions", page 23]

Secondly, regarding the AKaTha triangle itself, it consists of the totality of matrika units which themselves determine manifested reality, first in the synthentic and integral sound of ONG (AUM), known as pashyanti-nada (radiant life-full sound) and then, upon further elaboration (i.e. upon more rajasic and tamasic influence), as madhyama sound (specified sound). These sounds are lesser aspects of Shakti or Kundalini. Therefore, they are the "Word" that proceeds from the Serpent, as R.G. himself admits:

"...By analogy, the 'Centre of the World' is, from a cosmogonic viewpoint, the original point from which the the creative Word is uttered, and is also the Word itself..." 

[Rene Guenon, Insights into Christian Esotericisim, Chapter 3, "Guardians of the Holy Land", page 28]

Further, the three lines that constitute the AKaTha triangle are in the nature of, respectively (red left line, yellow/white base line, black right line): Brahma/Rajas/Wama, Wishnu/Sattwa/Jyestha and Shiwa/Tamas/Roudri. These are connected to the "three  supreme functions" of the "three leaders of Agarttha", however there is a difference between what R.G. states and what these principles actually are, since beyond them is Guru, who would be the "King of the World" and not the Brahatma as R.G. expresses. Before explaining why this is, it must be stressed that these three lines, in the nature of these three principles, are around Guru. First are the 12 petals on the outermost periphery of the chakra, then comes the triangle, made up of these three lines that reflect the aforementioned three principles. Lastly, Guru and his Shakti are within the triangle. Thus the "three supreme functions": Brahatma, Mahatma and Mahanga, corresponding to Wishnu/Jyestha, Brahma/Wama and Shiwa/Roudri are secondary to Guru and his Shakti; besides, in various traditional figurations, there is usually a "special person", such as Christ, who is surrounded by three Magi-Kings and these types of figurations are but secondary reflections of the structure of Agarttha. For there to be consistency therefore, Brahatma must also be a peripheral figure and not a central one. However, all the 12 emanations and the 3 principles connected to the Guru chakra are ativarna (beyond caste distinction), and this is further stressed by the fact that the innermost state of the Guru Chakra is known as Hamsa, the "polar swan", this would be the "unique and indivisible essence" mentioned by R.G:

"

 ...The distinction is comparable to that between Brahmin and Kshatriya, although in other respects the Mahatma and the Mahanga, being 'beyond castes', have themselves, like the Brahatma, elements of both powers...

...It is said that the Adityas (issue of Aditi, or the 'indivisible') were first seven before being twelve and that their chief was then Varuna. The twelve Adityas are: Dhatri, Mitra, Aryaman, Rudra, Varuna, Surya, Bhaga, Vivasvat, Pushan, Savitri, Tvashtri, Vishnu. They are so many manifestations of a unique and indivisible essence; it is also said that these twelve Suns will appear simultaneously at the end of the cycle, entering then into the essential and primordial unity of their common nature...

"

[Rene Guenon, The Lord of the World, Chapter 4, "The Three Supreme Functions", pages 21 and 23, respectively]

 It must be noted that all that has been cited regarding different traditions thus far pertains to secondary reflections of Agarttha within different traditions. It is only in the Tantra that the direct nature of Agarttha, specifically in the teachings pertinent to the Guru Chakra, is openly and purely stated. Having briefly shown the structure around Guru as being an exact equivalent of the most essential aspects of Agarttha, let us now examine Guru himself, who is the "King of the World".

As has already been mentioned, there is a point in the guru chakra that is at once an altar and a throne. This is clearly a point where, to employ terms used by R.G., the principle of spiritual authority (manipitha, the jewelled altar) and temporal power (singhasana, the bright throne) is found in an inseparable and united way (though this fusion is reflected in varying ways too, within the lower chakras). Specifically, it (the altar and the throne) is located within the AKaTha triangle, within the mantra from which Guru arises. This is the Guru-bija-mantra Aing and in between the nada and bindu of this mantra lies that which is both the manipitha and the singhasana. In the chapter "Royalty and Pontificate" of the book, "The King of the World", R.G. explains that the King of the World is "Manu", essentially he who unites within himself the fullness of spiritual authority and temporal power; this of course, is ultimately the King of the World, but also, secondarily, anyone who has attained a similar spiritual state that would allow him to play a similar function within a secondary spiritual centre. Without going too much into detail, what has just been said regarding the manipitha-singhasana should give the keen reader room for thought.

The last things to be considered, are the "jewelled footstool", which is connected to Hamsa/HangSah and the formless luminosity as the deepest essence of Guru. The reason the footstool will be considered is brief, but not insignificant, since R.G. stated that there are ancient concepts connected to the imprints of animals and humans on stones, as traces of "higher states of being" on our earth:

"...It was only Coomaraswamy who expressed to me on this subject an idea completely in line with the one I already had of it: it would essentially be a representation of "traces" of the supra-human states in our world. This also fits with what you envision, especially for human footprints; and this would also explain their attribution to characters possessing, in any capacity, a superhuman character..."

[Rene Guenon, Letter to Georges Tamos, Cairo, July 16, 1937]

The footstool of Guru signifies his presence and Guru is transcendent to the world beneath him. It would not be too improbable to see in this then, the trace of those who would have attained this spiritual degree of realization (i.e. complete realization of the Guru chakra) whenever the question of footprints embedded in stone, especially jewelled-stones are to be found (such as the well-known instances of the footprints of the Buddha, for example). Regarding Hamsa/Hangsah, this is actually found in the bindu of the Guru-bija-mantra, within the Hamsa/Hangsah-pitha. HangSah is actually the union of Shiwa and Shakti, Hang being Shiwa and Sah being Shakti (the Swan Hamsa/HangSah is also that which unites in itself the avian and serpentine principles). This is a replica of the Shiwa-Shakti Metaphysical Principle, where Shakti remains in Shiwa as his being; in Guru as HangSah however, Shakti is manifested as his complement. The Shakti form in the Guru chakra is in the nature of unmani, meaning, her power is ultimately Kundali-power, which destroys all objects from consciousness (however elevated these objects may be), making it established in Shiwa form. Through this, the subject-object limitation is transcended and Ahang expands, becoming  ultimately transformed into Mahan within the Sahasrara above Guru. (Since unmani destroys all objects, then the subject-object duality is thereby transcended and so, Ahang, which would have been realized at the Nirwana chakra, undergoes a transformation in the Guru chakra which furnishes its expansion into Mahan in the superior aspect of the Sahasrara chakra).

Before concluding and moving on to the proper Sahasrara above the Guru chakra, a few more considerations will be made. First, the AKaTha triangle has its reflection within the first and lowest chakra, the Muladhara chakra. This reflection is yonisthana, the red triangle that is also in the nature of Wama, Jyestha and Roudri (also known as Iccha or Will, Jnana or Knowledge and Kriya or Action). Within this triangle, lies Swayambhu linga around whom is Kundalini in a state of yoga-nidra, i.e. Supreme Concentration devoid of antahkarana, asamprajnata samadhi, samadhi without mental instrumentation. Thus this state (asamprajnata samadhi) has become literally "occluded" inside a cavern (yonisthana) within the earth (the earth being prithwi/kshiti mahabhuta, which is within the percarp of the muladhara chakra). This is analogous to the occultation of Agarttha, that comes about with the progress of the cycle and at the lowest point of the cycle, the Kali Yuga, Agarttha and the King of the World assume a state of latency or sleep (yoga-nidra). An awakening however is always possible for those who know how to do so. These few notes on the Guru chakra and its reflection in the Muladhara chakra should give profound clues on the nature and reality of Agarttha, it's remote point of elevation, before its axial descent into a state of occultation. This is, in Man, a descent from the conscious solar point at the Guru chakra, down through the wisarga power-bridge, and down again through the sushumna before finally settling at the earthly cavern in the Muladhara. This is a cyclic motion upon which so many initiations are based, especially those of a truly ancient and mysterious character that have to do with caves. As has been mentioned in other articles, the writings of R.G. that concern: the mountain, the cave and ultimately, the symbolism of stones and serpents also ought to be carefully considered for anyone whose interest these words have triggered.

Considerations on the Sahasrara Chakra Continued 

The higher aspect of the Sahasrara chakra is above the guru chakra and hangs above it as an umbrella (but only in a certain state, in another state, it is fully in bloom and in yet another state, it is fully absorbed, as is the same for other chakras). For brevity's sake, only certain aspects, especially those relevant to the spirit of this article will be considered. 

In the greater aspect of the sahasrara chakra, beyond the guru chakra, the spiritual, luminous, formless state of Mahan is finally attained. This is considered to be the first monumental point of realization in the Tantra (or, at least specifically, the Tantric teaching that I have benefited from). It is the state of samprajnata samadhi, that is, in its real meaning, superconsciouness of a formless state of pure light. The domain of prajna-loka, where the splendour of Shiwa's being as Kundalini is realized. It is a lesser aspect of Kundalini that is the source of all this Divine Solar light.

The Sahasrara chakra has 1000 petals and within its perciarp lies a circular moon region. Within this moon region lies a triangle and it is within this triangle that Mahan is realized. In the triangle lay these aspects in ascending order: amakala, first ring of wisarga (the second wisarga, the first wisarga being that which furnishes the motion from Nirwana chakra to Guru chakra), nirwanakala, nirodhika wahni, nirwana shakti, second ring of wisarga (the second wisarga), ParamaShunya/Parabindu.

Without getting into too much detail, it is at the amakala point (a red crescent associated with the moon) that Mahan is first realized. This would be in Man, the sattwic point where the fullness of Purusha consciousness (or Ishwara as Purusha) is first reflected, the first point, the highest point of his sattwic mental instrument for the acquisition of knowledge within the manifested cosmos. It is here that a significant realizatory "initiatic" state of being is first noted in the Tantra. But clearly, this is something that R.G. never considered or highlighted specifically and as can be seen, the ajna chakra, far beneath this amakala point, is not considered at all as monumental in these Tantric teachings.

Before briefly considering the other aspects within the pericarp of the sahasrara, the solar nature of this specific chakra is stressed in its petals, which number 1000. They number 1000 because they are elaborations of the principle that is both luminous and sonorous at the level of Parabindu. When Parabindu, which is ParamaShunya, that is, "Supreme Void", "expands" as it were, due to the influence of maya-shakti, the kamakala triangle, which is a part of Parabindu, "breaks", being infused with immense pranic-energy. This "breaking" produces the ONG sound, pashyanti-nada. Within pashyanti nada lay 1000 rashmis (light-powers) as well as 50 matrika units (sounds), but not in a specified or distinguished way, rather, in an integral synthetic way, as part of one reality. Upon further elaboration, as the expansion continues, these 50 matrika units form 20 layers, each layer having 50 units, each matrika conjoint with a rashmi (light-power) to finally terminate as the 1000 petals of the sahasrara chakra. Each matrika is repeated 20 times since it possesses 20 aspects, briefly stated: Kundali-power, three bindus, three gunas, three specific powers, five dewatas and five pranas, which make twenty. These rashmis are solar in nature, since they are the light-powers that Shiwa as Surya or Aditya, the "Sun-God" with His Shakti possesses. Furthermore, Guru beneath the Sahasrara is then, the "Son of the Sun", he who concentrates the Solar illumination within himself before radiating it to the world he rules over. This agrees completely with what R.G. and Saint Yves relay regarding one of the aspects of the King of the World as well.

Moving on, above amakala is a ring of wisarga, which facilitates the transformation of consciousness from samprajnata samadhi into asamprajnata samadhi, that is, Man begins to go beyond the limitation of Mahan and tends towards the reality of vivekaja jnana, something that he will start to realize at the nirwana-kala point (note that wherever wisarga is present, a monumental change in state of being is going to occur...). At the nirwana-kala point, samprajnata samadhi has attained its highest point of development and Kundalini manifests her great absorptive power, by which samadhi-consciousness is absorbed into her. This absorption is associated with nirodhika-wahni, the power of supreme control.

When the power of nirodhika-wahni, supreme control (control over prana and all manifested reality) is fully exercised, the stage of nirwana-shakti is reached. Nirwana-Shakti is all-absorbing power and here, Kundalini absorbs: Maya-Shakti, Purusha and Prakriti and finally, Kundalini passes into ParamaShunya, Supreme Void, the state of "Being" as R.G. described; here, the two principles of universal essence and universal substance are finally fully united in their common principle, which is Parabindu. ParamaShunya is Parabindu, which itself is not a chakra and thus this marks the end of all manifested reality, here a state of "mental-negativity" occurs, since there is nothing, no-thing, there is no inner instrument, no antahkarana. Man puts aside his instrument and Knows Himself. This is the dark point of the solar-door (that is, ParamaShunya, which is Parabindu, is the infinitesimal black solar door), beyond which true Metaphysics begins...

THE DARKNESS BEYOND THE SOLAR DOOR

At the point of Parabindu, the first and lowest stage of asamprajnata samadhi is attained. Asamprajnata samadhi, means the negation of samadhi based on antahkarana in its highest state of Mahan or samprajnata samadhi. Though R.G. at times relates the concept of a solar door to the brahmarandhra, that is, the opening in the skull beyond which lay true supra-individual states, the true solar door is actually ParamaShunya. This is because the cosmos consists of the spiritual, psychic, corporeal and infra-psychic states. Thus the true exit from the "cosmic cave" would be the infinitesimal void in the sahasrara chakra, which is ParamaShunya, Parabindu, since there is no "cosmos" from this point and beyond it. Parabindu and the Metaphysical beyond it are not chakras, they are not part of the cosmos in any way whatsoever. They are beyond them all.

Once again, the entirety of what lays beyond the sahasrara chakra cannot be dealt with here, but a few considerations can be made. Firstly, at the point of Parabindu lies Being, which is Supreme Consciousness with Shakti. In the Tantra, this Void is Shiwa with Kundalini infinitesimally wrapped around him, this entire circular process is known as writta. In Parabindu, there are also certain pronounced aspects of Shakti, but in an unmanifested state, these are: Maya-Shakti, kamakala and Prana. Maya-Shakti is the power of "negato-positivity", meaning, it is the power by which something which does not really exist (hence being negative) nonetheless appears to exist (hence being positive, in a lesser sense). Kamakala is also called, jagat kalpana, which is the "creative ideation", the unmanifested desire in the form of an inverted triangle consisting of 3 coiled bindus and the non-manifested matrika-units which form its three lines. Lastly, there is Prana, supremely concentrated, as an aspect of Shakti, which Shiwa as Ishwara will control to manifest the entire cosmos.

The second stage of asamprajnata samadhi is ParaNada, which is the Metaphysical Principle of prana and sound. Before reaching this stage, Kundalini absorbs Parabindu in its entirety and here, in ParaNada, is Shiwa and Kundalini(Shakti), together with a "faint trace" of what will eventually become Prana and sound (Shabda). Beyond ParaNada is the third stage of asamprajnata samadhi known as the Shiwa-Shakti stage. Kundalini absorbs the entirety of ParaNada before reaching this stage and in the Shiwa-Shakti stage there is only Shiwa and Shakti in supreme union; however, from Shakti, the supreme yoga-power which destroys anything, even the "faintest trace" of what would "flow away" from Shiwa is present. Kundalini absorbs Shiwa-Shakti principles and goes to the fourth stage of asamprajnata samadhi known as Sakala Shiwa. In Sakala Shiwa, there is nothing other than Shiwa and Shakti, however, Shakti is "pronounced slightly" as the being of Shiwa. (Sa-with pronounced Power, Kala being Power, Sa-Kala, with infinitesimally pronounced Power).

Kundalini absorbs Sakala Shiwa and finally, the Ultimate Supreme Stage of Nishkala Shiwa is attained. Here, Kundalini remains unmanifested, fully unpronounced as Shiwa. It is impossible to say anything about this state (or about any of the other four, even the term "state" is utterly imperfect), but still, here, Universal Man is finally and fully realized. This is ParamaShiwa, Supreme, non-dual, the true Metaphysical Zero with no attributes whatsoever (hence the name NishKala, "NI", negating all manifested power "Kala"). This is the second and last monumental realization that the Tantra has.

Before continuing with the last part of this article, a few things must be stated. Those of you who have read all this keenly, (especially those of you who have also read the other English articles thus far) can see just what Kundalini "is". She absorbs everything. All the dewatas are absorbed by Her, even Ishwara is absorbed. Parabindu, Paranada, Shiwa-Shakti, Sakala-Shiwa, all these, even though they are Metaphysical are absorbed. She completely and utterly frees Man (Shiwa) from any and all bondages, She gives Him everything. So when R.G. speaks in a pejorative fashion regarding the use of Power as a "low means to Metaphysical realization", it is a rather shameful display of strange bias. What is "low" about Kundalini, when She absorbs everything? Further, this is the state of Satya Yuga Man. Satya Yuga Man was at the final stage of asamprajnata samadhi and he had complete control over antahakarana, the instrument with which he explored the possibility of manifestation. How then, does it make sense to say that Satya Yuga Man was merely at the level of the ajna chakra? Why partake in such a strange division? It's even stranger when elsewhere, regarding R.G. and his treatment of the Yogi, he ascribes to him "the Supreme Identity", but then wouldn't Satya Yuga Man have a similar state? 

These are a few things for serious readers to consider. Man is already Nishkala Shiwa, he just does not know it, on account of being lost within his own instrument, antahkarana. He has no mastery over it and has thus become its slave, as well as the slave of all the other beings this instrument seemingly projects into his awareness. Ajna chakra is merely a part of this instrument, more specifically, it is not even the most elevated part of it. The control, mastery and ultimate transcendence of this instrument is brought about by Kundalini, who is already in man, more aptly put, who is man. Man is Kundalini. Kundalini is Shiwa (even in Islamic esoterism, there is a phrase that goes "Man was once a Serpent"). The interesting thing, is that it is precisely in these teachings that these words, written by R.G. himself are realized:

...moreover, even among those who try to react against modern ‘materialism’, how many are actually capable of conceiving a spirituality free from all special forms—and more particularly from a religious form—and of separating principles from every application to contingent circumstances? Among those who pose as defenders of spiritual authority, how many have even an inkling of what this spiritual authority can be in its pure state? How many truly realize what its essential functions are, and do not stop short at outward appearances, where everything is reduced to mere questions of rites (the profound reasons for which remain moreover totally misunderstood) and even of ‘jurisprudence’, which is quite a temporal thing? Among those who would attempt to restore intellectuality, how many do not debase it to the level of a simple philosophy, understood this time in the usual and profane sense of the word? And who understands that, in their essence and in their profound reality, intellectuality and spirituality are absolutely one and the same thing under two different names? Among those who in spite of all have kept something of the traditional spirit (and we address them because they are the only ones whose thought could have any value in our eyes), how many envisage the truth for its own sake, in a totally disinterested way, independent of every sentimental preoccupation, of every party or ideological passion, of all concern for domination or proselytism?...

[Rene Guenon, Spiritual Authority and Temporal Power, Chapter 9, the Immutable Law, pages 82-83.] 

Though in the just referenced book, his bias shines through, these particular words are worth reflecting on. A spirituality devoid of any form, truth envisaged for its own sake, whatever it may be. Aren't these and more, realized in the directness of Kundalini? Where is jurisprudence here? Where are prophets, messiahs and special forms? Where are gods and devils? Where is the prison of traditional societal structures, where, on account of the stupidity of the majority, a sort of tyranny is created, whereby those who can partake in the transcendent are limited by said tyranny? None of these limitations and restrictions exist for one who directly appeals to his own true being, Kundalini. In doing so, if he is successful in the entirety of the journey, he realizes that Supremeness that Satya Yuga Man, his ancestor, effortlessly possessed. Furthermore, he attains complete and total control over his cosmic instrument, antahkarana, something which, given the present conditions of the world, is extremely relevant, since it leads to true autonomy, both inside and outside.

PART II

Some Clarifications

Certain reactions to some of the things that have been said in these articles warrant a bit of clarification. The first, is the origin and nature of these teachings. The things spoken of here, to do with the Tantra especially, are neither new nor recent. They pertain firstly to the Supreme Reality and secondly, in a secondary sense, to the technical nature of the entirety of the cosmos. They are not the consequence of any kind of "research", especially in the profane sense, rather, they are known outside of space and time, by beings who are at the Metaphysical state and then, they are relayed to those who are able to listen. Thus there is nothing recent about this, nor are they "discoveries"; even in extremely remote times, they were known. It is those beings who have reached the ultimate state of Universal Man that have spoken and written on them, the only thing I am doing is making them known to those readers of R.G. who are not rendered mentally impotent by bias and manipulation. As has been noted, the work of R.G., though immensely monumental and indispensible, has also had the disastrous side effect of stupefying many of its readers. This causes them to neglect many possibilities that may have otherwise helped them.

Some people have also expressed astonishment at the necessity of approaching things from a strictly technical point of view as well as approaching things outside of the bureaucracy stressed by those like R.G. The fear is that the "ego" will lead them astray. However, the "ego" is something that isn't even considered in the Tantra as this article has shown. Regarding the actual method, there are certain fundamental Laws that are brought into play (that I cannot obviously state here) the consequence of which is the awakening of Kundalini. Jiwatman at the anahata chakra descends and immediately merges with Kundalini at the Muladhara chakra following which, the ascent begins. In this ascent, the practitioner is Shiwa and his Shakti is Kundalini from the beginning. Where then, is the "ego" in this? It is simply a matter of transcending the many "veils", in the form of chakras, that restrict a direct Knowledge of one's true being as Kundalini. The difficulty, if it can be called that, is simply a question of extent of ascent and not deceptions and fears brought about by the "ego". By constantly appealing to Kundalini the right way, the degree of elevation gradually increases until total freedom is won in the end. Completely and utterly focusing on Her shields the practitioner from everything, since as has been shown, She illuminates, enlivens, controls and absorbs, destroys all things. What harm then can befall one who fully commits himself to Her?

Another thing that needs clarification, is the idea that these teachings once applied lead to an "abandoning of the world". It is strange that some people think this, especially when these articles have emphatically renounced such attitudes. Even though it cannot be denied that those who have reached extremely exalted states, if not the Supreme State itself, have little to no interest in this world, this does not mean zero efforts should be directed to transforming it. This is especially true in the teachings of the Tantra, whereby, Kundalini not only ascends, She also descends (ascending and descending realization) and this descent is a vivification of the cosmic environment, first microcosmically and then, macrocosmically. This is all the more so if the being that has completed this journey consciously chooses to radiate its inner splendour. Regarding the various practices that compliment the theoretical teachings, one need only a proper vacant room, ideally sound-proof, with either kusha grass upon which rests a cushion with a white unused cloth atop it, more advanced practitioners could even get an antelope, lion or tiger hide to use. There are of course other exercises and conditions to fulfill, but even these can easily be done in one's own home. No one is advocating running away to some inaccessible retreat and "renouncing the world".

The new social dynamic

R.G. was extremely astute when he said:

"

...It is true that the masses have always been led in one manner or another, and it could be said that their part in history consists primarily in allowing themselves to be led, since they represent a merely passive element, a 'matter' in the Aristotelian sense of the word. But, in order to lead them today, it is sufficient to dispose of purely material means, this time in the ordinary sense of the word, and this shows clearly to what depths our age has sunk. At the same time, the masses are made to believe that they are not being led, but that they are acting spontaneously and governing themselves, and the fact that they believe this is a sign from which the extent of their stupidity may be inferred...

"

[Rene Guenon, The Crisis of the Modern world, Chapter 7, "A Material Civilization", page 89]

Briefly and aptly put, the masses are and have been for a long time, the analogue of prakriti, as has already been stated in the prior articles. Here once again, R.G. admits that whoever is directing the masses now are not the genuine would-be esoterists, but the same "diabolical force" that according to him, is behind the entire anomaly of the modern world in its anti-traditional and counter-traditional phases (though in all honesty, some reservation is warranted regarding this, the traditional world had many problems and voids which were bound to be filled up by something eventually...).

Later on, having mostly given up on the idea of a return to tradition and accepting the cataclysmic fate that awaits the whole world, he pointed to a change in the social dynamic regarding the generality of people alive today:

"

...The conclusion that emerges clearly from all this is that uniformity, in order that it may be possible, presupposes beings deprived of all qualities and reduced to nothing more than simple numerical 'units'; also that no such uniformity is ever in fact realizable, while the result of all the efforts made to realize it, notably in the human domain, can only be to rob beings more or less completely of their proper qualities, thus turning them into something as nearly as possible like mere machines...

"

[Rene Guenon, The Reign of Quantity and the Signs of the Times, "Uniformity against Unity" Chapter 7, page 51]

Further:

"

...In other words, in order that the terrestrial environment may be suitable for such
action, must it not be in some way predisposed thereto by the cosmic conditions of the cyclic period in which we now are; that is,must there not be something in that environment which, with reference to earlier periods, has undergone a change? It would be premature to go fully into the nature of that change at this point, or to do more than characterize it as being necessarily of the nature of a qualitative diminution, allowing a firmer hold to everything that springs from quantity...

the possibility of a change of this kind conceivable and renders understandable the idea that the artificial modifications of the world, in order that they may come about, must presuppose natural modifications to which they merely correspond or conform in one way or another, by virtue of the correlation that invariably exists in the cyclical movement of time between the cosmic order and the human order...

"

[Ibid., pages 53-54]

Therefore, given the qualitative changes in the cyclic conditions of which human beings are part, the conditions that govern the social aspects of ordinary men are also changing. They are taking on something that pretends to be beneath manifestation itself, voiding the common man of anything that distinguishes him from the other. The resonant imprint in the cosmos would be that of a parody of unity (Parabindu) on their part and no longer that of Prakriti governed regularly by Purusha. R.G. takes it even further when he says:

"

...In order to induce people to live as much as possible 'in public', it is not enough that they should be assembled in the 'mass' on every occasion and on any and every pretext, but they must in addition be lodged, not only in 'hives' as was suggested earlier, but literally in 'glass hives', and these must be arranged in such a way that they can only take their meals 'in common'. People who are capable of submitting themselves to such an existence have really fallen to a 'infra-human' level, to the level, say, of insects like bees or ants; and in addition every device is brought into play for 'organizing' them so that they may become no more different among themselves than are the individuals of those same species of animals, and perhaps even less so...

"

[Ibid., Chapter 12, "The Hatred of Secrecy", page 87]

Reading these words, especially in light of recent events, is both harrowing and amusing. As stated in this French article (admittedly, one not as serious as the English articles), the announcement of plans such as "The Great Reset" by the likes of counter-initiatic agents such as Klaus Schwab is a fulfillment of the things R.G. warned of. In the great reset, people will own nothing, will live publicly in pods that are under 24 hour surveillance, will eat insects, will have no say or authority on any matter and will be reduced, via "genetic modification", to a level of forced "equality".

This video sums up the nature of the plans in question. The desire to change the "genetic makeup" not only changes human beings, it changes the cosmic environment around them and this as explained is in line with the collapse of the barrier that separates this world from the infra-psychic one. In the chapter, "The Limits of History and Geography" of the book, "The Reign of Quantity and the Signs of the Times", R.G. explains how there are triggers, both natural and artificial, that contribute towards changing the experience of reality that the generality of terrestrial humanity has. In brief, what is eventually going to happen, is a break from the "solidity" that marked the prior eras and a sudden re-perception of immaterial states of being. The present global push to literally modify the "genetic makeup" of most people will contribute towards this change.

Once these modifications are foistered on the majority, they will gradually lose a part of what makes them human. It must also be remembered that cataclysms in prior times were caused by similar things, a symbolic reference of this being found in various books that chronicle the mixing of humans with non-human subtle entities which led to so much terrestrial instability that eventually a cataclysm was triggered. Isn't it interesting that around this time, there are also concerted efforts to "declassify UFO/UAP activity"? This is scarcely a coincidence, since these entities behind the "alien phenomena" are really the infra-psychic entities R.G. spoke of. It is as it were, a collective drugging of the human race both physically and psychically, the combined consequence of which is a further collapse of this barrier that separates this world from the one where these psychic entities reside. 

These few observations show that as time goes on, the Purusha-Prakriti dynamic is dead. The pact that existed between Agarttha and outer humanity tapers all the more and also, the connection between authentic traditional esoterism and exoterism is tenuous to the point of extinction. The looming dynamic will reduce most humans to food for the incoming otherworldly visitors and at that point, there will be no need to hold on to anything. Should all these things happen, then the prophecy attributed to the King of the World in Ossendowski's book will occur. Those who have higher possibilities cannot benefit from such a decadent environment. They would need a conch (or ark) within which they remain separated from the rest of the denatured humans. Therein, they would be free to pursue the development of their highest possibilities without refrain, apology or fear. They would also wait for the appearance of the King of the World as the tenth and final Avatara, along with all the people of Agarttha as the "celestial army" at his command and the revelation of Agarttha itself, as the "solar city", in a deeper sense, this would contribute greatly to the mystery regarding the inversion of the poles, whereby at the very least, the spiritual state realized at the Guru chakra would become more and more manifest among these cordoned heroes, these preserved 144,000 (a multiple of 12, specifically, 12x12x1000, like the 12 rays of the Spiritual sun...).

CONCLUSION

This article is meant to correct the notion that Satya Yuga Man was a being stuck at the ajna chakra. It is also meant to show the difference betweeen primordial man and Universal Man. Primordial man as envisioned by R.G. does not even have an equivalent within the Tantra since the ajna chakra is not considered as a monumental point of inner realization (this is especially true for the tantric teachings I have benefitted from). ParamaShiwa is Man completely beyond the cosmos and as such, beyond all the chakras. Thus ParamaShiwa is not part of any chakra but lays beyond all things in complete and total freedom. Further, in exploring the limited cosmic possibility, it is as a consequence of maya that causes the "inner instrument", antahkarana in its entirety, to emerge and it is through this instrument that Man explores the cosmos. To truly Know oneself would be to not only Know oneself beyond this instrument, but to also know one's own instrument fully, with a complete and perfect mastery over it. (This is especially connected to Universal Man as explained by R.G. in The Symbolism of the Cross, when he speaks of "amplitude and exaltation"). Many traditional people were however taught to ignore either different portions of their instrument, or to disregard it entirely, the consequence of which was a cultivation and maintanence of a weakness that rendered them impotent against all sorts of intrusions.

Before properly concluding, a few more words regarding the present state of things are needed. Through many simulated crises, including medical crises (as of the writing of this article, after the flu-pandemic, now a new pandemic is potentially emerging, monkeypox!), the counter-initiates presently gain increasing control over the whole human race. This is fundamentally exploiting the weakness of those who have zero knowledge of themselves and of their instrument.  If one however were to increasingly gain knowldege and control at the very least over one's own instrument, then diseases would no longer affect such a person. Drinking the most lethal poisons many times over will bring no effect (R.G. was for example, in a proven way, completely immune to snake venom). But this is only a small fraction of the many powers and faculties real knowledge brings. We must not forget what R.G. himself said:

"...the things in question are the most tremendous that exist, and compared with them everything else is mere child’s play..."

[Rene Guenon, East and West, The constitution of an elite and the part to be played by it, page 125] 

Weakness invites destruction. If one has no weaknesses, then there is nothing to exploit. Instead of being destroyed, one becomes the destroyer, potentially, if not actually. Instead of fearing, one becomes the feared (even the gods fear Man since He can destroy them as Kundalini...). The twofold realization brought about by Kundalini completely frees Man from his instrument and at the same time illuminates and enlivens it fully, this shields one from any and all vicissitudes. While it is still possible to pursue spiritual development via the "usual" means, once again, it must be said that the possibilities hereby revealed should not be neglected, especially by those that can form an elite as envisioned by R.G.

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NOTE: Commenting and asking questions are completely allowed, but please, for those of you who will end up doing so (and this is in fact encouraged), try to make comments that are relevant to what is spoken of here. You are encouraged to not sporadically react, but first, to read at your own pace, digest, assilimate and then participate. Otherwise, what would be the point?