Yucatan

Dear Friends: thanks for paying attention to this space and following my journey. I began the year at  in Cambodia, exploring the ancient Vishnu temples of Angkor Wat. We found some strange parallels between the forgotten pyramids of Shiva built by the Khmer civilisation in the jungles of Cambodia and the Mayan and Aztec pyramids of Mexico. I'm ending the year with a trip to the Yucatan peninsula where the Mayans once thrived. 

As a cultural anthropologist I'm interested in how these ancient cultures might have been related and how their sense of myth and time led the followers of  the cult of the serpent to construct temple-pyramids at the far ends of the earth. 

I plan to visit the Pu'uc region of Classic Mayan temples and the areas around Kabah with its temple of the sun, as well as  Uxmal, one of the most important archaeological sites in Mexico, the jewel in the crown of the Mayan empire. I'm beginning to feel that the Nagas hold the key to the relationship between these ancient cultures. At Uxmal the Governor's palace is decorated with more than 20,000 stones that form a detailed scenario with repeated Chaac figures enveloped in latticework rattle-snakes. The rattle snake was a symbol of the sun. The great pyramid of Kukulkan at Chichen Itza is decorated with snake motifs as well. During the Solstices, the shadow of Quetzalcoatl forms as the sun moves through its course. At mid-day the shadow snakes all the way down the sacrificial staircase as the sun communicates its power to the snake of time.

The serpent staircase of the sun in Mexico has a certain resonance with themes often seen in Asia.

The Wat Dio Suthep temple in Chiang Mai, Thailand, for example has a stupendous Naga staircase.

And Nagas in different forms appear even from the rooftops.

One can't help being struck by the similarities between these Naga roof ornaments and the Quetzalcoatl plumed serpent of the sun found on the pyramids of Kukulkan. Could the ancients have been linked by some primitive cult of snake worship, or might they have been informed by the same mythology derived from Puranic sources? It seems outlandish, but the architectural evidence seems to point to some syncretism.

Quetzalcoatl decoration at the Pyramid of the Sun, Mexico City

Nagas, India

Quetzalcoatl devouring a demon

Vishnu with Ananta Shesh

The word "Naga" in Sanskrit and Pali refers to  for a god or mystic being with the form of a serpent.  The Naga mythologies are found in Hinduism, Buddhism, and Jainism.

In the great epic Mahabharata, the depiction of nagas are sometimes negative, as in the case of Takshaka, who kills Maharaja Pariksit. But often they are majestic, as in the case of Vasuki who aids in the churning of the ocean of milk. And yet when Janamejaya plans to rid the earth of snakes and serpents with his great sacrifice, his hand is stopped by the gentle Astik, a brahmana descended from the nagas.

In India there is a class of people who are descended from a race identified as the Naga tribesmen. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Naga_people

Tribesmen of the Naga, India

While snakes are often sinister and represent the devil or the forces of darkness, they are often agents of mystic powers. They control poison, mystic potions, and medicine. 

Caduceus or "Staff of Hermes"

The staff of Hermes shows entwined serpents and represents medical science. According to the Mahabharata and various Puranas, the Nagas were capable sorcerers and shape-shifters. The Nagas could their form at will. The serpent-people preside over the power of transformation. Just as a snake hides in the grass and suddenly appears, the Nagas held the ability to transform at will or disguise themselves.

Hidden places in earth and water were the hiding places of these subterranean or subaquatic and semi-demonic beings. The origin of the Khmer civilisation is said to have taken place when a Naga princess born within the waters of the Tonle Sap lake married a brahmin prince from India.

A diverse mythology involving the nagas inform the cultural traditions of Asia, from India to Cambodia. In southern India, nagas are considered nature spirits and the protectors of springs, wells and rivers. They bring rain, and thus fertility, but are also thought to bring disasters such as floods and drought. Shiva decorates his neck with a Naga, a cobra. The snake wraps round his neck three times, representing past, present, and future. Shiva wears time as an ornament since he is independent and controls time. 

The snake of time was important for the Aztecs. Their pagan calendar of the sun, while calculated centuries before the Christians of Europe was highly accurate and used to calculate eclipses thousands of years in advance. 

The Aztecs felt that Quetzalcoatl, the feathered serpent, was representative of time, wisdom, and the sun. They incorporated many of these ideas into their pyramids. In prehistoric times, these stone monuments were their books. I plan to investigate this further next week, when I travel to the far reaches of the Yucatan in search of a deeper understanding about these archeological wonders.

If you are enjoying these musings, please share the blog with your friends. 

Thanks all, have a happy new year, and we'll see you in the Yucatan.

Krishna dancing on the head of Kaliya-Naga

Krishna-tattva

শ্রী গৌड़िয-কন্ঠহার

Gaudiya Kanṭhahāra:

The Jeweled Necklace of the Gaudiya Vaishnavas

Being a compendium of quotations from revealed scriptures

concerning the truths about the cult of Chaitanya Mahāprabhu

Compiled under the authority and direction of

His Divine Grace

Bhaktisiddhānta Sāraswāti Goswāmī

Prabhupada

The 7th Jewel:

KṚṢṆA-TATTVA

The One Absolute Truth is Realized in Three

Different Ways

७.१

बदन्ति तत् तत्त्ब-बिदस् तत्त्बं यज् ज्ञानम् अद्बयम्

ब्रह्मेति परमात्मेति भगबान् इति शब्द्यते

7.1

vadanti tat tattva-vidas tattvaṁ yaj jñānam advayam

brahmeti paramātmeti bhagavān iti śabdyate 

Great seers of the truth, who understand the nature of the Absolute Truth,

describe that non-dual truth in three ways as

Brahman, Paramātmā, and Bhagavān. 

(Bhāg. 1.2.11)

७.२

अद्बय-ज्ञान तत्त्ब-बस्तु कृष्णेर स्बरूप 

ब्रह्म, आत्मा, भगबान् तिन ताङ्र रूप

7.2

advaya-jñāna tattva-vastu kṛṣṇera svarūpa 

brahma, ātmā, bhagavān tina tāṅra rūpa 

Kṛṣṇa is the one Absolute Truth which is conceived of in three ways, as Brahman, Paramātmā, and Bhagavān. 

(Cc. Ādi. 2.65)

Bhagavān Realization is Complete,  Paramātmā and Brahman are Partial Conceptions

७.३

भक्ति-योगे भक्त पाय याङ्हार दर्शन सूर्य 

येन सबिग्रह देखे देब-गण ज्ञान-योग-मार्गे 

ताङ्रे भजे येइ सब ब्रह्म-आत्मा-रूपे ताङ्रे करे अनुभब

7.3

bhakti-yoge bhakta pāya yāṅhāra darśana sūrya 

yena savigraha dekhe deva-gaṇa jñāna-yoga-mārge 

tāṅre bhaje yei saba brahma-ātmā-rūpe tāṅre kare anubhava

Through devotional service devotees can realize or see that Personality of

Godhead, just as the denizens of heaven see the personality of the sun. Those on

the paths of knowledge and yoga worship only Him. They perceive Him as the impersonal Brahman and localised Paramātmā. 

(Cc. Ādi 2.25,26)

The Conclusion of the Śruti About Brahman

७.४

न तत्र सूर्यो भाति चन्द्र-तारकं नेमा 

बिद्युतो भान्ति कूतो ऽयमग्नि तम् एब 

भान्तम् अनुभाति सर्बं तस्य 

भासा सर्बम् इदं बिभाति

7.4

na tatra sūryo bhāti candra-tārakaṁ nemā 

vidyuto bhānti kūto 'yamagni tam eva 

bhāntam anubhāti sarvaṁ tasya 

bhāsā sarvam idaṁ vibhāti

In the transcendental abode of the Lord there is no need of sun, moon, or stars

for illumination, nor is there any need of electricity, what to speak of lamps. All of them get their power of illumination from the

Lord's effulgence alone. In fact the whole universe exists only because of His existence.

 (Kaṭha Upaniṣad 2.2.15)

७.५

हिरन्मयेन पात्रेण सत्यस्यापिहितं मुखम् 

तत् त्बं पूषन्न्-अपाबृणु सत्य-धर्माय दृष्तये

7.5

hiranmayena pātreṇa satyasyāpihitaṁ mukham 

tat tvaṁ pūṣann-apāvṛṇu satya-dharmāya dṛṣtaye 

O my Lord, sustainer of all that lives, Your real face is covered by Your dazzling effulgence. Please remove that effulgent covering and show Yourself to Your pure devotee. 

(īśopaniṣad 15)

७.६

पूषन्न् अकर्ये यम सूर्य प्राजापत्य ब्युह-रश्मीन् समूह तेजो

यत् ते रूपं कल्याणतमं तत् ते पश्यामि यो ऽसब् असौ पुरुषः सो ऽहम् अस्मि

7.6

pūṣann akarye yama sūrya prājāpatya vyuha-raśmīn samūha tejo

yat te rūpaṁ kalyāṇatamaṁ tat te paśyāmi yo 'sav asau puruṣaḥ so 'ham asmi

O my Lord! O primeval philosopher, maintainer of the universe. O regulating principle, destination of the pure devotees, well- wisher of mankind please remove the effulgence of Your transcendental rays, so that I can see Your form of bliss. You are the eternal Supreme Personality of Godhead, like unto the sun, as am I, being like unto a mote of sunlight. 

(Iśopaniṣad 16)

The Conclusion of the Brahmā-saṁhitā

७.७

यस्य प्रभा प्रभबतो जगद्-अण्ड-कोटि

कोटिस्ब् अशेष-बसुधादि बिभूति-भिन्नम्

तद् ब्रह्म निष्कलम् अनन्तम् अशेष-भूतं 

गोबिन्दम् आदि-पुरुषं तम् अहं भजामि

7.7

yasya prabhā prabhavato jagad-aṇḍa-koṭi

koṭisv aśeṣa-vasudhādi vibhūti-bhinnam

tad brahma niṣkalam anantam aśeṣa-bhūtaṁ 

govindam ādi-puruṣaṁ tam ahaṁ bhajāmi

I worship Govinda, the primeval Lord, whose effulgence is the source of the nondifferentiated Brahman which is mentioned in the Upaniṣads, and which, being differentiated from the infinity of glories of the mundane universe, appears as the indivisible, infinite, and limitless truth. Millions and millions of universes emanate from that Brahman effulgence, which is infinite, causeless, and unlimited. That Brahman effulgence is simply the light emanating from the brilliant form of the Supreme Lord Govinda. 

(Brahmā-saṁhitā 5.40)

The Conclusion of the Bhagavad-gītā

७.८

ब्रह्मणो हि प्रतिष्ठाहम् 

अमृतस्याब्ययस्य च 

शाश्बतस्य च धर्मस्य 

सुखस्यैकान्तिकस्य च 

7.8

brahmaṇo hi pratiṣṭhāham 

amṛtasyāvyayasya ca 

śāśvatasya ca dharmasya 

sukhasyaikāntikasya ca 

I am the basis of the impersonal Brahman, which is immortal, imperishable,

and eternal, and is the constitutional position of ultimate happiness. 

(Bhagavadgītā 14.27)

The Conclusion of the Gosvāmīs

७.९

यस्य ब्रह्मेति संज्ञां क्बचिदपि निगमे याति चिन्-मात्रसत्ताप्यंशो

यस्यांशकैः स्बैर्बिभबति बशयन्नेब मायां पुमांश् च एकं

यस्यैब रूपं बिलसति परम्ब्योम्नि नारायणाख्यं

स श्री कृष्णो बिधत्तां स्बयमिह भगबान् प्रेम-तत्-पाद-भाजाम्

7.9

yasya brahmeti saṁjñāṁ kvacidapi nigame yāti cin-mātrasattāpyaṁśo

yasyāṁśakaiḥ svairvibhavati vaśayanneva māyāṁ pumāṁś ca ekaṁ

yasyaiva rūpaṁ vilasati paramvyomni nārāyaṇākhyaṁ

sa śrī kṛṣṇo vidhattāṁ svayamiha bhagavān prema-tat-pāda-bhājām

Śrī Kṛṣṇa is the Supreme Personality of Godhead. He appears in Vaikuṇṭha in the form of Nārāyaṇa. He expands as the Puruṣāvataras, who control the material world. He is Himself the Supreme Spiritual Truth designated by the word "Brahman" in the Vedas and Upaniṣads. May that Lord Kṛṣṇa grant pure love for Him to those engaged in devotional service to His lotus feet 

(Tattvasandarbha 8)

७.१०

ब्रह्म अङ्ग-कान्ति ताङ्र, निर्बिशेष प्रकाशे

सूर्य येन चर्म-चक्षे ज्योतिर्मय भासे

7.10

brahma aṅga-kānti tāṅra, nirviśeṣa prakāśe

 sūrya yena carma-cakṣe jyotirmaya bhāse

The manifestation of the impersonal Brahman effulgence, which is without variety, is the rays of Kṛṣṇa's personal bodily effulgence. It is exactly like the sun: When the sun is seen by ordinary eyes, it appears to only consist of effulgence. Similarly, when we view divinity through ordinary eyes, we are unable to penetrate its effulgence to see the beautiful form of Kṛṣṇa within. Rather we are blinded by the powerful rays of impersonal Brahman. 

(Cc. Madhya 20.159)

७.११

ताङ्हार अङ्गेर शुध किरण-मण्डल 

उपनिषत् कहे ताङ्रे ब्रह्म सुनिर्मल

7.11

tāṅhāra aṅgera śudha kiraṇa-maṇḍala 

upaniṣat kahe tāṅre brahma sunirmala

What the Upaniṣads call the impersonal Brahman is but the realm of the glowing effulgence of the Supreme Person. 

(Cc. Ādi. 2.12)

Nirviśeṣa Means Kṛṣṇa has no Material Qualities

7.12

tāṅre 'nirviśeṣa' kahi, cic-chakti nā māni ardha-svarūpa nā mānile pūrṇatā haya hāni 

When one speaks of the Supreme as impersonal, one denies His spiritual potencies. Logically, if you accept only half the truth, you cannot understand the whole. 

(Cc. Ādi 7.140)

७.१३

ब्याङ्जिते भगबत्-तत्त्बे ब्रह्म च ब्यज्यते स्बयम्

7.13

vyāṅjite bhagavat-tattve brahma ca vyajyate svayam

When the knowledge about Bhagavān is revealed, Brahman automatically becomes known. 

(Bhagavat-sandarbha 7) 

Yogis Worship the Supersoul

७.१४

ईश्बरः सर्ब-भूतानां 

हृद्-देशे ऽर्जुन तिष्ठति 

भ्रामयन् सर्ब-भूतानि 

यन्त्रारूढानि मायया 

7.14

īśvaraḥ sarva-bhūtānāṁ 

hṛd-deśe 'rjuna tiṣṭhati 

bhrāmayan sarva-bhūtāni 

yantrārūḍhāni māyayā 

The Supreme Lord is situated in every one's heart, O Arjuna, and is directing the wanderings of all living entities who are seated as on a machine made of material energy. (Bhagavad-gītā 18.61)

७.१५

अथ बा बहुनैतेन किं ज्ञातेन तबार्जुन 

बिष्टभ्याहम् इदं कृत्स्नम् एकांशेन स्थितो जगत्

7.15

atha vā bahunaitena 

kiṁ jñātena tavārjuna 

viṣṭabhyāham idaṁ 

kṛtsnam ekāṁśena sthito jagat

What need is there, O Arjuna, for all this detailed knowledge? With a single fragment of Myself, I pervade and support this entire universe. 

(Bhagavad-gītā 10.42)

७.१६

मयाध्यक्षेण प्रकृतिः सूयते स-चराचरम् 

हेतुनानेन कौन्तेय जगद् बिपरिबर्तते 

7.16

mayādhyakṣeṇa prakṛtiḥ 

sūyate sa-carācaram 

hetunānena kaunteya j

agad viparivartate 

Material nature, which is one of My energies, is working under My direction, O son of Kuntī, and produces all moving and non- moving beings. Under its rule, this manifestation is created and annihilated again and again. 

(Bhagavad-gītā 9.10)

७.१७

अहं हि सर्ब-यज्ञानां भोक्ता च प्रभुर् एब च

न तु माम् अभिजानन्ति तत्त्बेनातश् च्यबन्ति ते

7.17

ahaṁ hi sarva-yajñānāṁ 

bhoktā ca prabhur eva ca

na tu mām abhijānanti 

tattvenātaś cyavanti te

I am the only enjoyer and master of all sacrifices. Those who do not recognise My true transcendental position fall down. (Bhagavad-gītā 9.24)

Paramātmā is an Ekāṁśa Expansion of the

Supreme Lord

৭.১৮

পরমাত্মা যেঙ্হো, তেঙ্হো কৃষ্ণের এক অংশ 

আত্মার ঽাত্মাঽ হয কৃষ্ণ সর্ব-অবতংস

7.18

paramātmā yeṅho, teṅho kṛṣṇera eka aṁśa 

ātmāra 'ātmā' haya kṛṣṇa sarva-avataṁsa 

Paramātmā is the partially complete portion (ekāṁśa) of the Supreme

Personality of Godhead. Kṛṣṇa is the original source of all living entities, and is

the source of Paramātmā. 

(Cc . Mad. 20.161)

৭.১৯

কেচিৎ স্ব-দেহান্তর্-হৃদযাবকাশে প্রাদেশ-মাত্রম্ পুরুষং বসন্তম্

চতুর্-ভুজং কঞ্জ-রথাঙ্গ-শঙ্খগদা- ধরং ধারণযা স্মরন্তি

7.19

kecit sva-dehāntar-hṛdayāvakāśe prādeśa-mātram puruṣaṁ vasantam

catur-bhujaṁ kañja-rathāṅga-śaṅkhagadā- dharaṁ dhāraṇayā smaranti

Others conceive of the Personality of Godhead residing within the body in the region of the heart, and measuring only eight inches, with four hands holding lotus, wheel, conch, and club. 

(Bhāg. 2.2.8) 

The Supreme Truth has Three Potencies

Sandhinī (existence), Saṁvit (consciousness) and

Hlādinī (ecstasy)

७.२०

न तस्य कार्यं करणं च बिद्यते

न तत् समश् चाभ्यधिकश् च दृश्यते 

परास्य शक्तिर्-बिबिधैब श्रुयते 

स्बाभाबिकी ज्ञान-बल-क्रिया च

7.20

na tasya kāryaṁ karaṇaṁ ca vidyate

na tat samaś cābhyadhikaś ca dṛśyate 

parāsya śaktir-vividhaiva śruyate 

svābhāvikī jñāna-bala-kriyā ca

He does not have a bodily form like that of an ordinary living entity: He has a

transcendental form of bliss and knowledge. His senses are all transcendental.

Nothing is greater than Him or equal to Him. His potencies are multifarious,

such as cognitive, will and active potency. 

(Śvetāśvatara Upaniṣad 6.8)

Viṣṇu is the Supreme Truth

७.२१

ओं तद् बिष्णो परमं पदं सदा 

पश्यन्ति सूरयः दिबीब चक्षुर्-आततम् 

तद् बिप्रासो बिपन्यबो जागृबांसः 

समिन्धते बिष्णोर् यत् परमं पदम्

7.21

oṁ tad viṣṇo paramaṁ padaṁ sadā 

paśyanti sūrayaḥ divīva cakṣur-ātatam 

tad viprāso vipanyavo jāgṛvāṁsaḥ 

samindhate viṣṇor yat paramaṁ padam

The supreme abode of Lord Viṣṇu, or the lotus feet of Lord Viṣṇu, is spread all around like the sunlight in the sky. Great demigods and saintly persons always see that supreme abode, recognizing Him as the highest truth. Spiritually awake

souls learned in transcendental understanding glorify the Lord and make that abode more brilliant. 

(Ṛg Veda 1.22.20,21) 

Kṛṣṇa is the Supreme

७.२२

अद्बय-ज्ञान-तत्त्ब कृष्ण स्बयं भगबान्

ऽस्बरूप-शक्तिऽ रूपे ताङ्र हय अबस्थान 

7.22

advaya-jñāna-tattva kṛṣṇa svayaṁ bhagavān

'svarūpa-śakti' rūpe tāṅra haya avasthāna 

Kṛṣṇa is the non-dual Absolute Truth, the Supreme Personality of Godhead. Although He is one, He maintains different personal expansions and energies for His divine pastimes. 

(Cc. Madhya 22.7) 

Kṛṣṇa is the Independent Supreme Person

७.२३

जन्माद्य् अस्य यतो ऽन्बयाद् इतरतश् चार्थेष्ब् अभिज्ञः स्बराट्

तेने ब्रह्म हृदा य आदि-कबये मुह्यन्ति यत् सूरयः

तेजो-बारि-मृदां यथा बिनिमयो यत्र त्रि-सर्गो ऽमृषा

धाम्ना स्बेन सदा निरस्त-कुहकं सत्यं परं धीमहि

7.23

janmādy asya yato 'nvayād itarataś cārtheṣv abhijñaḥ svarāṭ

tene brahma hṛdā ya ādi-kavaye muhyanti yat sūrayaḥ

tejo-vāri-mṛdāṁ yathā vinimayo yatra tri-sargo 'mṛṣā

dhāmnā svena sadā nirasta-kuhakaṁ satyaṁ paraṁ dhīmahi

Lord Śrī Kṛṣṇa is the Absolute Truth, the primeval cause of all causes of the creation, sustenance, and destruction of the universes. He is directly and indirectly conscious of all manifestations, and He is independent because there

is no other cause beyond Him. It was He who imparted Vedic knowledge to the heart of Brahmā, the original living being. By Him even the great sages and demigods are placed into illusion as one is bewildered by the illusory

representations of water seen on fire or land seen on water. Only because of Him do the material universes, temporarily manifested by the reactions of the three modes of material nature, appear factual, although they are unreal. I

therefore meditate upon Him, Lord Śrī Kṛṣṇa, who is eternally existent in the transcendent abode which is forever free of illusion. I meditate upon Him, for He is the Absolute Truth. (Bhāg. 1.1.1.)

Kṛṣṇa is the Ultimate Goal of all Vedic Literature

७.२४

सर्बस्य चाहं हृदि सन्निबिष्टो 

मत्तः स्मृतिर् ज्ञानम् अपोहनं च 

बेदैश् च सर्बैर् अहम् एब बेद्यो 

बेदान्त-कृद् बेद-बिद् एब चाहम्

7.24

sarvasya cāhaṁ hṛdi sanniviṣṭo 

mattaḥ smṛtir jñānam apohanaṁ ca 

vedaiś ca sarvair aham eva vedyo 

vedānta-kṛd veda-vid eva cāham

I am seated in every one's heart. From Me comes remembrance, knowledge, and forgetfulness. By all the Vedas I am to be known. Indeed, I am the compiler of Vedānta, and I am the knower of the Vedas. 

(Bhagavad-gītā 15.15)

७.२५

एते चांश-कलाः पुंसः कृष्णस् तु भगबान् स्बयम्

इन्द्रारि-ब्याकुलं लोकं मृडयन्ति युगे युगे

7.25

ete cāṁśa-kalāḥ puṁsaḥ kṛṣṇas tu bhagavān svayam

indrāri-vyākulaṁ lokaṁ mṛḍayanti yuge yuge

All these incarnations are either plenary portions or portions of plenary portions

of the Supreme Lord, but Lord Śrī Kṛṣṇa is the Supreme Personality of Godhead. All the other incarnations appear whenever there is a disturbance created by the enemies of Indra. 

(Bhāg. 1.3.28)

७.२६

ईश्बरः परमः कृष्णः सच्-चिद्-आनन्द- बिग्रहः

अनादिर् आदिर् गोबिन्दः सर्ब-कारण-कारणम् 

7.26

īśvaraḥ paramaḥ kṛṣṇaḥ sac-cid-ānanda- vigrahaḥ

anādir ādir govindaḥ sarva-kāraṇa-kāraṇam 

Kṛṣṇa, who is known as Govinda, is the Supreme Personality of Godhead. He has a transcendental form of eternal bliss and knowledge. He is the origin of all and the cause of all causes. 

(Brahmā-saṁhitā 5.1)