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THE KEY OF KNOWLEDGE.
the nature of the part assigned to the twenty-four Elders in the Apocalyptic drama. The worshipping of the one, that is the Essence of Being or Life, is the symbol of the recognition of its one-ness in all the twenty-four* Perfected Souls. Hence the idea conveyed is that of the One-ness of Life, as distinguished from the twenty-four perfect Beings in whom it is manifested. Lest some pious but unthinking Christian be inclined to think that the one on the throne is the Jesus of the Gospels, we desire to add that the historical Jesus is nowhere to be found in this drama, but the redeemed Soul may be said to be the Lamb whose conquest is described in the subsequent chapters of the Apocalypse. Hence, Jesus, t and, in general, every aspiring Soul, may be said to be represented by the Lamb, who unseals the Book of Life, written inside and at the back, i.e., in the matter of the spinal marrow, and sealed with the seven chakras (psychic centres) of yoga.
In the state of moksha, then, the Soul is robed in its natural garment of bliss which enables it to recog. nize its one-ness with Life, and yet retain its individuality as that of the conquering jiva. As such, it rises upto the top-most part of the universe, called the Siddha Sila, and resides there for ever, free from transmigration, i.e., the liability to repeated births and deaths.
The storehouse of unevolved jivas is the region * Twenty-four is also the number of Buddhas according to Buddhistic belief, though some claim for Gautama Buddha the privilege of being the twenty-fifth.
† As a matter of fact, John employs the word 'Jesus' in the Book of Revelation in the sense of soul.'
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