INDÍGENAS EN MÉXICO Y OAXACA. PANORAMA GENERAL

The Warrior protects the land. And the Priest conducts the holy prayers. In the midst of the above four, the Yogi proclaims my Word of Guidance for the welfare of all. In this way, Righteousness is upheld upon Earth. This is My Eternal Law.

53. Let Earth be honoured at Sowing Time with festive song and fair dress. For, it is Earth that bears the seed, that it may grow and yield fruit. But Heaven shall be honoured at Harvest Time.

For it is from Heaven that the life in all seeds comes and Heaven it is that sows the seed.

54. But I the Lord shall be honoured at all times. For I am both Heaven and Earth: I Create, I Make Grow, and I set the Harvest Time too. I set the Wheel of Time in motion. I determine the beginning and end of a day, the seasons, the year and the age of many years. I ordain both life and death. Therefore, let all Souls worship Me with devotion in temples, holy places, in their homes and in their heart. In every fortnight, they shall set aside the eighth and the fourteenth for My Devotion. Likewise, when the Moon is Full. But that worship which is done upon a Moonless Night shall be regarded as the best of all. These four shall be My Holy Days.

55. He who wishes to obtain the Four Goals (of Life, see Ch. 5:53: Righteousness, Material Prosperity, Love, Spiritual Liberation) and attain Perfection in this very life shall always follow My Law. He that earnestly follows My Law is a Yogi and a True Man. He lives in Unity with Me, with the World, and with his true self. He indeed is a blessed one! Verily, there is nothing that a follower of Unity cannot obtain. This is My Eternal Law.

56. Supreme Perfection is attained by abiding in Unity with Truth, Goodness and Beauty. Truth is That Which is Good, Which is Above all other things and Which Ever Is. Goodness is the Constant Abiding in Truth. Beauty is the Recognition of Truth and Goodness in all things that are good.

57. When the Great Life, the Great Lord, Perceives Himself and nothing else beside, that, O Sages! is the Supreme Truth. When God Establishes His Law, that is the Supreme Goodness.

When He Beholds Himself in all things, that is the Supreme Beauty.

58. Therefore, O noble ones! let man also seek Truth, do Good, and love Beauty. By discarding all things that are false, perishable and wrong, man shall attain to Truth. By striving to establish My Law (Dharma Shasana) upon Earth, man shall do works that are Good. By seeing My Glory in all things that are both true and good, man shall see the Beauty of Him Who Is the One True and Truly Good.

59. Man is born of My divine Perfection and unto Perfection he shall return. This is the Eternal Law. Perfection is attained by the following of My Law. He who ever strives to be Perfect is a Yogi and a True Man. Him I shall elevate above all other men and to him I shall grant entrance into My Abode of Truth.

60. O you who are Rays of My Own Light! My Word of Truth shall not be doubted. For he that follows It is rightly guided. But he that follows It not, goes astray. Verily, no one can find the right path (satpatha) save he who is guided by the Guiding Light. I, the Lord, am that Eternal Light.

Commentary to Chapter Eight

30. Among Months, I am Margashirsha (November-December or sowing time, in India).

Among Seasons, I am fruit-bearing Spring (or harvest time): India is one of the World's largest countries, extending over most of South Asia, from the Himalaya Mountains in the North to the Indian Ocean in the South and from Iran in the West to Burma (Myanmar) in the East. As such, she enjoys a great variety of geographic and climatic conditions. Although the climate may vary from temperate (in the Himalayas) to sub-tropical (on the Indo-Gangetic Plain) and tropical (in the Peninsular Region), generally speaking, Indian weather is dominated by the seasonal winds which in summer bring rain from the Ocean in the South-West, and in winter cool, dry air from the Mountains in the North-East. This results in hot, wet summers and cool, dry winters. In consequence, field crops such as wheat and barley - the staple food of Ancient India - are sown in Autumn (September-November) when the Rainy Season (July-August) is over, while the harvest takes place in Spring (March-April). As the greater part of the country's population subsists by agriculture, such activities as sowing and harvesting are occasions for colourful festivities which have been observed for millennia by Indians from all walks of life. The Month of Margashirsha or Agrahayana (mid-November to mid-December), therefore, would represent the beginning of the agricultural year, while Spring as already observed would celebrate the gathering in of the harvest.

31. Land of Glory (India): While other nations have exported Colonialism, Capitalism or Communism, India has given Mankind the World's greatest Spiritualities and continues to be the Spiritual homeland to over two billion Yogis, Hindus, Jains, Buddhists and Sikhs from all over the World. She is the birthplace of Lord Rama, Lord Krishna, Bhagwan Mahavira, Lord Buddha, Shri Shankaracharya, Shri Abhinava Gupta, Guru Nanak, Shri Aurobindo, Swami Vivekananda, Shri Ramana Maharshi, Bhagwan Nityananda and thousands more great beings. No other country has produced as many Enlightened Souls as India. Visitors to India cannot fail to notice the great Spiritual Energy emanating from that land. Moreover, the variety of experience, Spiritual and material, as found in India is unparalleled in the whole World. As the Scriptures declare, "it is difficult to obtain birth in India. Those who are born in other countries, enjoy the reward, good or bad, of their actions. But he who is born in India can accomplish things beyond imagination.

The greatest variety of castes, life-stages, customs, pleasures and suffering are found in India.

Therefore, he who is born in India can easily attain to other Worlds, from the nethermost to the most high" (Tantraloka).

32. Among Plants I am the Mahaushadhi: The Mahaushadhi herb, literally, Most-Efficacious, valued for its manifold medicinal properties. Mahaushadhi (Supreme Medicine) is one of Shiva's thousand names listed in the Shiva Purana. As the name implies, Shiva is the Best Cure for all the ailments of the Soul whom He heals by destroying disease or disunity and creating Unity.

39. Man shall strive to become Perfect even as I Myself am The Most Perfect, etc: The Bible also says: "Be you therefore perfect, even as your Father (God) Who is in Heaven is Perfect"

(Mat. 5:48). According to Yoga, Life originates in the Perfection of God, where it exists in an unmanifest state, that is to say, it is known to God only. Then, at the beginning of Creation or Manifestation, that Supreme, Unmanifest Perfection manifests itself first in the Higher Spiritual Worlds (the Abode of Gods and other Enlightened Beings); it then descends to the Astral and Terrestrial Planes, where due to the limitations of material existence its glory becomes only a shadow of itself. Finally, Life returns to its point of departure in Heaven where it regains its Supreme Perfection. Indeed, it is an undeniable fact that all living beings consciously or unconsciously strive to achieve Perfection. When we have completed a particular task well, we feel at peace and content. It is obvious, therefore, that true happiness lies in Perfection. This is only natural for since we are, by nature, Divine and hence essentially Perfect, we cannot find happiness in what is imperfect. For this reason, all authentic Religions, Scriptures and Revelations, teach that the Ultimate Goal of man is to attain the Perfection of Heaven. Thus says the Bible: "All Scripture is given by Inspiration of God, and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in Righteousness: that the man of God may be perfect, thoroughly furnished unto all good works" (2 Tim. 3:16, 17). Furthermore, since Heaven is the Abode of Perfection, it can only be entered by those who have attained Perfection. If Perfection is not sought and attained, then he who is imperfect must remain outside of Heaven, in the Abode of Imperfection, so to say, where he will continue to undergo many kinds of suffering: mental, physical and emotional, until such time as Perfection and hence fitness for the Higher Worlds is attained. Therefore, for their own good all people are advised to strive for Perfection. To attain Perfection we need not leave this World and go somewhere else. Perfection can be attained right here and now. Just as Creation manifests God's Own Glory, man must manifest what is good, true and beautiful in himself. The cultivation of these attributes leads to Perfection. By abiding in that state of Perfection, we enjoy a Perfect Life, regardless where we happen to be in time and space. In this way, Heaven can be experienced everywhere. This, in short, is the timeless Teaching of Yoga and the essence of all genuine Spirituality.

42. Once as a Yogi and twice as a God: As manifestations of God's Own Powers, the Gods were brought into being for the specific purpose of assisting in the governance of the World. This is their first manifestation or coming into existence as distinct beings. In the second manifestation, having completed all or most of their tasks they, like all other created beings, enter upon the Path of return to the Supreme according to the Universal Principle that everything springs from and merges back into the Universal Consciousness, like waves in the Ocean. Yogis, on the other hand, may attain Unity with the Supreme instantly, if they so choose. Indeed, the Gods themselves having in their second manifestation become Yogis properly speaking, that is, beings that are intent on attaining Union (Samyoga) with the Supreme, attain Supreme Perfection in one lifetime. In the last analysis, therefore, there is practically no difference between the two.

Both Gods and Yogis are beings who live in Unity with Truth.

46. Equal to the Gods: The Gods or Radiant Ones are Beings of Light who came into existence as such from the beginning of Creation. Yogis on the other hand may have started as humans who then advanced upon the Spiritual Path that leads to Union with God. However, by virtue of their having attained Perfection, Perfect Yogis are equal with the Gods who are Perfect

by birth. Moreover, the Gods themselves are Yogis in so far as they are beings who live in Perfect Unity with God. In consequence, since both Yogis and Gods share the same degree of Spiritual Awareness and Power and indeed fulfil the same function as governing entities over the Lower Worlds, they are rightly said to be equal in the same way as various rivers whether they come from nearby or from afar, become equal once they have reached the Sea. An exact parallel to this gradation of Intelligences may be found in Christianity where Spiritually unawakened man represents the lowest level of experience, after which come (in ascending order) the Souls of men who have perfected themselves (corresponding to Yogis or Siddhas, Perfect Ones), then Angels (or Gods, the Radiant Ones) who are created Perfect, and finally, the Supreme Being (God, Shiva) Himself.

47. They (the Yogis) shall sit in the Assembly of Holy Sages and be a guiding light unto the King: Yogis means here not just any person who follows the Path of Yoga but Enlightened Yogis, that is, Souls who have attained Unity and Identity with the Supreme on the basis of which they are qualified to guide even the Ruler of a country himself. As an alternative interpretation, the King may be taken to mean the Soul and the Yogi one's own Higher Self. In other words, the Soul must allow himself to be guided by his own Higher Self rather than follow the conditioned and hence defective opinions of the mind.

53. Let Earth be honoured at Sowing Time, etc.: Autumn or Sowing Time is the period immediately following the rains, when the Earth is saturated with moisture and begins to cool down after the scorching heat of the summer, while the days are becoming shorter and the nights longer. It is the time of the year when the forces of Nature are associated with the moist, cool, dark, downward moving, lunar or "feminine" aspect of the Divine Spirit (Shakti). It is therefore the time of the great festivals in honour of Mother Earth, such as Durga Navami (also known as Dashami). It is not by accident that Autumn is named after the Goddess Sharada. Spring or Harvest Time, on the other hand, is the period immediately following the cold weather, when the Earth is dry and begins to warm up after the winter chills, while the days are getting longer and the nights shorter. It is that time of the year when those forces of Nature become active as are associated with the dry, hot, bright, upward moving, solar or "masculine" aspect of the Divine (Shiva). Says the Shiva Purana: "The Day is the Trident-Bearing Lord and Night is His Consort.

The Sky is Lord Shiva and Earth is His Beloved" (Vayaviya Samhita II, 4:63). In agricultural terms, Heaven (Svarga) represents the "male" Spirit of Vegetation who returns to Earth to re-awaken her to life after her winter rest. It is a time, therefore, to celebrate the return of the Heavenly Father to the woods, fields and homes with festivals such as Maha Shiva Ratri, Holi (Vasantotsava), Gangaur, Ram Navami and Ananga Puja (the Feast of the God of Fertility and Love).

54. These four shall be My Holy Days: The Shiva Purana also says: "The Great Worship of Shiva shall be performed on the eighth and fourteenth of every fortnight as well as on New and Full Moon Day" (Vayaviya Samhita II, 28:2-3). The 14th lunar day (Chaturdashi) of each fortnight is really a preparation for the actual holiday (New or Full Moon) falling on the next day (15th). Thus the four holidays are the 8th (Ashtami) and the 14th of the bright fortnight plus the 8th and the 14th of the dark fortnight including Full and New Moon, respectively.

End of Chapter 8 and Commentary