________________
NOTES
213
represents the totality of spiritual mankind. He is the first to appear when the time has come for a great renewal, a new cycle. Viśvakarma is the modeler of all things, the one who reawakens the energetic forces of nature. In the Rig Veda he sacrifices "himself to himself,” and according to Blavatsky this means that when a manvantara (i.e. a cycle between two Manus) opens, the beings which are - because of their karmic duty or impulse – the origin of it, by themselves and of themselves form the beginning of things, thus sacrificing themselves to "themselves” – the latter being their manifested plurality (See Blavatsky, H.P.: The Secret Doctrine search for "Višvakarma(n)" in index or electronically. Also described in the Encyclopedic Theosophical Glossary which is only available on the internet. 1s Among others in the Svapna-sūtra, the Bhagavati-sūtra, the Matsya Purāna and the Agni Purāna 16 We should feel pity or great admiration for the wife of Rishabha who bore all these 98 sons and a daughter, if this is to be taken literally. The number 98 can be expressed as 7x14, and these numbers remind us of the above-mentioned Manus. The “sons” of Rishabha are therefore rather his spiritual sons, who represent the essence of the whole Rishabha period in the smaller subperiods. The Jain cycle is usually divided into 12 segments, but if we take the ratios of duration the 1st period lasts 4 timeunits (= 1014 sāgaras) the 2nd last 3 time-units, the 3rd 2 timeunits, and the 4", 5, and 6h together last 1 time-units (reminding us of the ratio of the Hindu yugas also). In occult teachings cycles always consist of seven subcycles, each of which is opened and closed by an initiator and closer respectively, and they carry the seeds of the past and the future within them. 17 The following information is taken from: Kalghatgi, T.G., Study of Jainism, Prākrit Bhārati Academy, Jaipur, 1988, based on the existing ancient Indian literature on this subject.
Jain Education International
For Personal & Private Use Only
www.jainelibrary.org
