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THE FALL
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Name of the god or goddess cursed.
Nature of the
curse.
Nature of the modification.
Interpretation.
therefore, be worshipped as a world-God; but, since the soul is the true Redeemer itself, those who worship their own Self obtain all kinds of blessings, including the final release from the samsara.
Indra
... To be bound in Shall not remain in Indra is life, which waxes and
chains by his ene- bondage for ever, wanes in power, according to mies, and to be and shall be re
circumstances and beliefs. Its confined in a leased by his son. enemies are the different kinds strange country.
of karmic force, or desires. He is also to lose
The strange country is the his city and sta
realm of matter; and the loss tion.
of city and station signifies the state of bondage. The Liberator of the soul, i.e., Life or Jiva, is Wisdom, personified as the son of the god.
Agni
To be a devourer "The unclean things Agni is the personification of of all things, clean shall become pure the fire of tapas (asceticism) and unclean. at his mere touch. which purifies all things
Hence, the curse and its modification.
Vishnu
... To be born amongst He shall regain his
men, and also to wife eventually. endure the agony of having his wife ravished from him by his enemies.
Vishnu is the personification of dharma or jnana which incarnates amongst men. His enemy is ignorance who steals away his wife (jnana, in its objective aspect), through the door-ways of senses. But, since an actual separation between the Knower and Knowledge is not possible in reality, and also since the soul acquires perfection in jnana prior to the attainment of nie vana, Vishnu is to recover his wife eventually,
Shiva
... To be deprived of the loss of man- Shiva represents Will, the bis manhood. hood shall not in Thing in itself, which is free
terfere with the land irresistible by nature. Its
, * Agni is here described as the devourer of all things, clean and unclean, because it is only when the effect of its good and evil actions is burnt up by the fire of asceticism (vairágya) that the soul attains to nirvanu.
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