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JUDAE-SAPTAN

(The Jerusalem Above)

FROM THE GARDEN OF EDEN IN THE WEST, AND THE COLLAPSE OF THE ATLANTEAN AGE; FROM THE TIME OF THE VEDAS AND THE WESTWARD JOURNEYS OF ABRAHAM AND SARAI (BRAHMA AND SARASVATI) TO THE FORMATION OF THE TORAH; FROM THE RISE OF ISRAEL IN THE TIME OF JOSHUA TO THE RETURN TO EUROPE AGAIN IN THE MYSTERY OF CHRIST:

(Please see Chapters 2 and 4)

KNOW YE NOT THAT IT IS HE WHO SITS UPON THE GREAT CIRCLE OF THE EARTH...(Isaiah 40:2126).

The Seven Seers (Sapta-Rishis)
HT71

The seers are mysterious beings related to the origin of both man and knowledge. Often represented as 'human' sages, they nevertheless are conceived as eternal powers, symbolizing the primordial energies responsible for all manifest creation. They are 'seers' by virtue of being able to see the divine law which governs all creation, and indeed sustains it.

The most important seers are believed to be seven in number, and said reside in the sky as the seven stars of the Great Bear. According to the Shatapatha Brahmana, these seven are the 'authors' of the Vedic hymns. Their names are, Gautama, Bharadvaja, Vishvamitra, Jamadagni, Vashishtha, Kashyapa, and Atri. Here inscribed in the 'takri' script as the 'sons of Brahma,' are these very names. They sit surrounding a small pile of smoldering ash, much in the tradition of Shaivite saints.

At the center in the top row sits Jamadagni, with his head thrown back, and his hair reaching his thighs. With the right hand he holds a long rosary. Next to him in the clockwise direction is Gautama, clad only in a loin-cloth, with prodigiously long nails, and similarly long hair under his armpits. He holds his hands above his head, in a tight, clasping posture.

Vashishtha is next, holding in his extended right hand a ceremonial water vessel, his left hand resting on his right knee. He is adorned all over with tulsi beads, including his chest, wrists, upper-arms, and the crown on his head. He sits on a small white prayer mat.

Following Vashishtha is Atri. He tells upon beads held in his right hand that is enclosed in a gomukha-glove, and at the same time also holds a small rosary in his other hand. Bhardavaja stands on his head, performing a yogic asana, with his two hands supporting his mortal frame. Kashyapa hods a coconut shell in his left hand, which holds ritual ashes which he has applied all over his body, and continues to do so on his forehead. He is bare except for a leopard skin covering his genitals.

Last is Vishvamitra, rendered the most elaborate of all. Seated on an antelope skin, he holds in his hands various sacred texts, which also lie by his side. His mouth is bound with a cloth. This probably refers to a long vow of silence this seer is believed to have undertaken.

Sapta rsayah-The Big Dipper (ursa maior)...In the oldest Indian text, the Rgveda, the seven stars of Ursa Maior, in English variously called ‘Great Dipper’,‘Great Wagon’ (Wain) ‘Great Bear’ appear just once as “the bears” (RV 1.24.10, a designation quoted in a´·late Vedic text, Satapatha Brahmana 2.1.2.4 ‘formerly called cf. Taittiriya Aranyaka 2.11.2). This name is similar to that of the Homeric Greeks, where the Bearess (hearktos) is followed by her children (Iliad 18.487, Odyssey 5.273 “called the Wain which always wheels around in the same place”). Both indicate an Indo-European age of the concept, and probably a still older hunters’ idea of stone age antiquity. But in a very late passage of the same Vedic text (RV10.82.2) we already find this asterism under the name “the Seven Sages” (sapta rsayah).

(1) The seven primordial sages (rsi) have been transported into Heaven, again not unlike the Greek heroes, as one of the few exceptions of persons admitted after the (2) gods reached heaven and “shut the door behind them.” (3) There, their white bones´ (sarirani) shine each night. However, the concept of Seven Sages is purely Indian, a local development. (4) The Seven Sages are seen close to the celestial NorthPole, so that they can forever be seen (if one lives above circa 30 degrees North), as the seven stars of the ‘Great Dipper’ (ursa maior). Therefore, they appear to be for-ever ‘in the highest heaven’, never to leave this position, like other deceased persons, whether transposed as stars or just following the yearly movement of the Milky Way. This is connected with the movement of the Big Dipper as well. Kuiper pointed out some 20 years ago (5) that·the gods such as Varuna turn over a heavenly casket and empty its contents over the earth beneath it, e.g. RV·5.85.3 “Varuna has poured out the cask, with its rim turned downwards, over heaven and earth, and the interspace. Thereby THE KING OF WHOLE WORLD SPRINKLES THE SOIL, AS THE RAIN (SPRINKLES) THE BARLEY.” (Hebrews 6:1-8). However, the identity of this heavenly casket has escaped us for many years. The key for an understanding is Atharvaveda 10.9.8 which runs as follows: “A bowl (camasa) with the orifice downwards, bottom-side up, in it is deposited glory of all forms; there sit together the seven seers, who have become the keepers of it, THE GREAT ONE.”

Even clearer is ´Brhadaranyaka Upanisad 2.2.4 (SB 14.5.2.4) “There is a cup with its mouth below and its bottom up. In it is placed every form of glory. On its rim sit seven seers. Voice as an eighth is united with prayer (brahman)” [Hume]. The “commentary” by the author of this Upanisad passage even identifies the very Rsis: “On its rim sit seven seers....the seven Rsis identified with Ursa Major.This asterism actually can be observed to turn upside down every night. Ursa Maior has the form of a big spoon that is emptied out every night: it slowly turns around, scooping up the heavenly water and then releases it over the earth.The image actually is not so rare as we might think... It has its similarities in ancient and modern Japan (hokutoshichisei, the ‘northern spoon’) and in North American English, where Ursa Maior is called “the Big Dipper”.One of the early generations of Japanese gods (coming after Izanagi/Izanami) in the Kojiki and Nihon Shoki also represents a name of this meaning. Even in South America where the Incas regarded the Milky Way as a river,the god of thunder, Inti, was seen in the asterism of theGreat Bear, where he scooped water from the Milky Way,in order to wet the earth. This image is also close to the Black North American one of the Big Dipper as a “drinking gourd.” The Black slaves who in the 19th century tried to escape to Canada used these code words in their songs: “follow the drinking gourd!” These similarities which go beyond the idea of a Heavenly River and a Big Ladle or Spoon should alert us for more similarities in myth, spread all over the American and Eurasian area.

The Old Iranian texts (Avesta: Yast 8.12, 12.28, 13.60) have a similar expression, “the seven signs” (hapto-iringa), which would be sapta·linga(ni) in Sanskrit. (Jaiminiya Brahmana 2.302 lokanam punyatamo yam ...sapta rsaya ardhnuvan “the best of places whom the seven Rsis obtained.” (Sat.Br. 1.6.2.1, Taitt. Samh. 6.5.3.1, Ait.Br. 3.42; see also John E. Mitchiner, Traditions of the Seven Rsis, Delhi 1982, p.249 Cf. the closely related Avestan texts. Reprinted in F. B. J. Kuiper, Ancient Indian Cosmogony, Delhi 1983, p. 138, Ame. no ku-hiza-mochi. no kami ‘Heavenly water drawing gourd possessor’, and its mundane counterpart: Kuni.no ku-hiza-mochi.no kami‘Earthly water drawing gourd possessor.’ This was meant as secretly giving the directions (pointing out the North) of the “underground railway”, bringing them from the southern states to the northern slave-free ones and into Canada, before the Civil War of 1861-65.

I was gifted this book by the Publishers. Enjoyed reading truths. The world's most complex truths presented in simple English, so easy to understand yet so difficult to imbibe and practice. The content is verbatim from the book.

" The tradition of Himalayan masters refers not so much to a geographical identity as to a symbolic representation of the heights of spiritual wisdom. Shankaracharya established the tradition of the Himalayan masters some 1200 years ago. However, written record of this tradition first appears in the Vedic literature. The Chhandogya Upanishad which was compiled app 900 B.C. mentions an unbroken lineage of more than 60 generations. Even if we to assign only 25 years to each generation, it would take us back to 2400 B.C. According to oral tradition, the history goes back to atleast 5,000 years.

These masters...were freethinkers, explorers of truth, and the architects of human civilization. It is they who drew the blueprint of spirituality, and the philosophers, saints and yogis who came later built and elaborated the structure on the basis of this blueprint. A number of yogis go to the Himalayas for higher training. If they are well prepared they are able to join the cave monasteries that are hidden in the interiors of the Himalayas.

From the literary point of view, the tradition of the Himalayan masters refers to the tradition that was expounded in the Vedas, and then gradually evolved while passing through the development of the Upanishads and Puranas, all the way to the saintly literature written in the regional languages of India. Thus, in essence, the tradition of the Himalayan masters is the tradition of the Vedic stages.

The breath and scope of spiritual literature that issued from the sages of the Himalayan tradition is enormous. After some thought, we elected to include only the eight masters whose teachings have the most direct bearings on the questions that confront most serious seekers today. Accordingly this volume has chapters on Sanatkumara, Vashistha, Dattatreya, Parashurama and Shankaracharya. Vyasa, the most famous of all the ancient masters was excluded because his work is widely available. The other three masters Vidyaranya Yati, Maadhusudana Saraswati and Swami Rama are considerably more modern.

Sanatkumara - is a conversation between Sage Narada and Sanatkumara taken primarily from the Chhandogya Upanishad on how to attain happiness. Acquisition of intellectual knowledge is not enough, we need to practice what we know. Some super simple tips.

Vasistha - tells about the Philosophy of Reflectionism. It has the complete inner dialogue that Vashistha had with his mind, is beautifully narrated by Valmiki in the Yoga Vashistha. This work is a treasure house of Vashistha's spiritual experiences, spiritual experiences, which he shared with his beloved student Lord Ram. There is also problems of the mind, taming the senses and mind and six qualities of mind that speed transformation.

Dattatreya - is a conversation between a King and Dattatreya, where the latter tells the former about who HIS TWENTY FOUR GURUS are and why. (Revelation 5:14).

Parashurama - is a conversation between Dattatreya and Parashurama. It covers mind, meditation and self-mastery, purposes of spiritual practices and categories of enlightened beings.

Shankaracharya - tells you about his visit to Benaras and his arguments with the husband wife duo of Mandana Misra and Bharati.

The constellation of Ursa Major, the Great Bear (Rksa), is forever present in the northern sky; SEVEN STELLAR PUPILS SEEN AS SEVEN ASTRAL EYES, RADIANT THROUGH SELF-REFLEXION. Their path about the Pole defines the innermost third of the sky, AND MARKS THE CELESTIAL DIVISION OF HEAVEN AND EARTH. This bear's claw is the ancient sage's cleaver.

Those Sapta-Rsi are named:

3. Bharadvaja
Phad (Phecda; Phekda; Phegda; Phekha; Phacd): Thigh, Gamma Ursæ Majoris.

4. Gautama
Megrez (Kaffa): Insertion-point (of the bear's tail), Delta Ursæ Majoris.

7. Kasyapa
Alkaid (Benetnash, Benetnasch, Elkeid): Chief Daughter of the Bier, Eta Ursæ Majoris.

Across the Galactic Equator, a cluster of six (Seven) stars called Pleiades is the first constellation of the Indian astral calendar; and they are remembered as the remaining wives of the Sapta-Rsi. Only ever-faithful Anasuya dwells with her consort.

In Old Tamil, Min indicates a glittering object, and names both a Star and a Fish; the Pleiades are thus Six-Fish (Aru-min), and Ursa major is the school of Seven-Fish (Elu-Min).

In Sumerian Cuneiform, every divine name is prefixed with the Star-pictogram, which indicates God (Dingir) or Sky (Anu ~ the supreme deity of ancient Sumer).

SAPTA-RATNA, the seven jewels talisman, combines the gems which correspond to the planets ruling the seven days of the week. Every day of the week is governed over by a specific planet. In many languages the days are named directly after the planet that rules over them. In English we must simply examine the Anglo-Saxon origin of the names of the days to see the correspondence.

Tuesday (Mars) is derived from "Tewes," the Anglo-Saxon name for Mars, god of war.

Wednesday (Mercury) comes from Woden's day, the Anglo-Saxon name for Mercury, the messenger.

Thursday (Jupiter) is from Thor, the Anglo-Saxon name for the lord of the demigods, Jupiter.

And Friday (Venus) is from Frides, the Anglo-Saxon name for Venus, the deity of art, beauty, and material enjoyment.

In practically every other language from Hindi to Thai the weekdays are directly named after their ruling planet.

Sri Raghunath Temple of Saptya sajya is one of the Important Baisnav temples of Dhenkanal. One can proceed 12Km in the Sankarpur road from Dhenkanal Bus stop and then turn west at the Badagila chowk and pass two K.M. to reach Saptya Sajya a scenic beauty where the holy temple of Maryada Purusottama Sri Ramachandra is located at about 900 feet at the hilltop. A mountains stream flows down as if touching His Holy Feet in veneration.

Mythologically this place is important and many legends are still available. Its name is Sapta Sajya because, there are seven hills surrounding the area. Again there is story that, the Saptarashi had their ashramas here in this place. There is also a mythological story, that, Sriram during his exile or Vanabasha had spent seven days in this beautiful spot. Secondly the Pandavas during their 12 years of exile and one year of Agyanta Vasa had chosen this mountains for shelter.

However the worship of Lord Sri Ram for the first time began on 18.4.1956 at Saptya Sajaya . The king of Dhenkanal constituted a committee of some eminent persons among whom Sri Harekrishna Pattnaik was one. The eminent sculptor Late Kumar Moharana built the statues of Sri Rama ,Laxman and Sita who were being worshipped in a thatched temple. After 1958, due to patronage of Rajamata Ratnaprava Devi, H.K.Pattnaik and Late Krishna Chandra Harichandan took initiative to construct the present temple. The marble statues of Sri Ram, Laxman and Sita were brought from Jaipur in Rajastan and the then Chief Minister of Orissa Late Rejendra Narayan Singdeo inaugurated the temple by organising Four days ritualistic function from 7th to 10th May,1971. The then Collector Sri Suresh Mishra IAS. and Dr.Dasarathi Mishra were actively involved in this great event.

The Govt. constructed the Pukka road way in 1982. Inside the temple complex Maa Annapurna temple was constructed in 1982,the 1st floor Kalki temple in 1985, the Surya Narayan temple in 1990. Now the temple of Sri Rameswara Shiva, Sri Ganesh, Sri Mahivir, and the Nabagrah Temple with each room for each graha are found. Mahakali , Mata Saraswati, Sri Nrushingha temple are conceived to be built in the holy complex. This scenic spot has become a good tourist and picnic spot where thousands of tourists and devotees gather from different corners of Orissa and India.

The great Vedic scripture Srimad Bhagavatam is the epitome of Vaisnava knowledge. Encyclopedic in scope, poetic in composition, profound in significance, it contains all knowledge of importance to a Vaisnava; indeed, it contains—at least in seed form—all that is knowable. Just as from the vantage of a great height, features that look impressive from the ground become insignificant, so from the elevated Krsna-conscious viewpoint of Srimad Bhagavatam, great sciences of deep import are often summed up in a few verses or even a single line.

Take for example the science of music, specifically the issue of intonation in music, from which all other Vedic musical concepts are derived. We find many erudite tomes in the great libraries of the world containing complex expositions and conflicting arguments on this subtle, highly technical subject. Yet the entire topic is summed up in the following line from the Srimad Bhagavatam: "svarah sapta viharena bhavanti sma prajapateh" ...Brahma's sensual activities were manifested as the Seven notes of music (svara saptah). [Srimad-Bhagavatam 3.12.47]

This sloka (which inspires both the content and the title of this essay) is commented upon in the following purport by Srila Prabhupada:

"...The musical notes [svaras] are sa, ri, ga, ma, pa, dha and ni. All these vibrations are originally called sabda-brahma, or spiritual sound. It is said, therefore, that Brahma was created in the maha-kalpa as the incarnation of spiritual sound. The Vedas are spiritual sound, and therefore there is no need of material interpretation for the sound incarnation of the Vedic literature... In the ultimate issue there is nothing material because everything has its origin in the spiritual world. The material manifestation is therefore sometimes called illusion in the proper sense of the term. For those who are realized souls there is nothing but spirit."

These statements occur in the context of an elaborate discussion of the creation of the material universe, summarized as follows: The Supreme Lord, in His form as Maha-Visnu, is the master and controller of the total material substance (pradhana or mahat-tattva). By His will, material substance emanates from His pores and breathing in the form of innumerable material universes (brahmandas) like the one in which we find ourselves today. The Lord then enters within each of the universes as Visnu, and differentiates the pradhana into the categories of material elements: earth, water, air, fire, space (akasa), mind, intelligence and false ego (ahankara). LORD BRAHMA THEN TAKES BIRTH DIRECTLY FROM THE LOTUS NAVEL OF VISNU AND CONTINUES THE MATERIAL CREATION, FASHIONING THE VARIOUS PLANETARY SYSTEMS FROM THE INCHOATE MATERIAL ELEMENTS BY THE SPIRITUAL SOUND VIBRATION (SABDA BRAHMA).

...According to Srimad-Bhagavatam the svarah sapta are the basis of the Vedic spiritual sound vibration used by Brahma to create the material worlds. Therefore the technical terms svarah sapta and sa, ri, ga, ma, pa, dha and ni used in the verse and purport quoted above are much more than simply Sanskrit names for the notes of the musical scale. They embody in capsule form the complete Vedic cosmological and spiritual world view, include a comprehensive understanding of psychoacoustics and the psychophysiology of sound, and provide a working knowledge of the creative potency of spiritual sound vibration to the aspiring devotee and musician.

Finally, for the serious yogi, these same seven sounds offer a means for withdrawing the soul from the entanglement of matter, for they hold the key to the creation, and therefore also the annihilation, of the material universe. This paper attempts to elucidate the esoteric concept of svara, revealing it as a vitally important requirement for successfully chanting the Vedic mantras.

Research Background
In 1968-71, this author designed and performed a comprehensive series of experiments with different kinds of music to determine their effects on living beings. Analysis of the results revealed that of all musical styles, none is so beneficial to living beings as Vedic sound vibration (raga and mantra). Of the varieties of Western music tested, only very early European classical music (madrigals and Gregorian chant) had any positive effect at all on living beings. All other forms of modern music were shown to be deleterious to various degrees. These experiments are briefly summarized in the Appendix.

A comprehensive survey and analysis of Vedic musical form revealed it to be composed of three elements: svara (tuning), matra or tala (poetic meter or rhythmic cycle) and raga (melodic species) in support of a sacred text (mantra). An additional series of experiments, utilizing these elements separately, determined that the major cause of the observed beneficial and therapeutic effects of Vedic music is its precise tuning, different from that of the Western scale. Further research in the Vedic literatures revealed that this system of tuning—called Just Intonation in Western music theory—is explicitly and scientifically explained in the Vedic literature as the sapta svarah, and has deep philosophical and spiritual significance.

Seven temples in the vicinity of Tiruvarur have grand shrines dedicated to Tyagaraja (Somaskanda) and are referred to as the Sapta Vitanka shrines. The foremost of them is Tiruvarur with its grand shrine to Tyagaraja - or Veedhi Vitankar. Tyagaraja at Tiruvarur is associated with the Ajapaa Natanam (dance). The Ajapaa Natanam is of great mystical significance and it denotes the movement of the image of Somaskanda that adorned the chest of Vishnu in synch with his breath.

All of these seven shrines are said to have been established by the valorous king Muchukunda Chakravarti, where he enshrined the 7 images of Somaskanda presented to him by Indra the King of the Gods. Each of these shrines (named below) is associated with a certain form of dance. Each of these shrines has been glorified by the Tevaram verses of the Tamil Saivite Saints of the 1st millennium CE.

Tiruvarur Veedi Vitankar Ajapaa Natanam
Tirunallaar Naha Vitankar Unmatta Natanam
Nagappattinam Sundara Vitankar Paraavaara Taranga Natanam
Tirukkaaravaayil Aadi Vitankar Kukkuta Natanam
Tirukkuvalai Avani Vitankar Bhringa Natanam
Tiruvaaimur Neelavitankar Kamala Natanam
Tirumaraikkaadu Bhuvani Vitankar Hamsapaada Natanam

They now take seven steps, together, to the northeast. As each step is taken, a promise is made. The seven promises are :

The first step to nourish each other
The second step to grow together in strength
The thrid step to preserve our wealth
The fourth step to share our joys and sorrows
The fifth step to care for our children
The sixth step to be together forever
The seventh step to remain lifelong friends, the perfect halves to make a perfect whole

Sapta Yoga international was created, inspired by Yogacharya Dr. Sushil Bhattacharya in the year 1995 by the old, traditional Yoga texts of the "Gheranda Samhita". "Sapta" is a Sanskrit word and is called "sieves". With Sapta Yoga are meant the seven systems of the Yoga, OR SYMBOLICALLY THE SEVEN STAGES FOR ILLUMINATING THE SEVEN-LEVEL EXERCISE WAY OF THE LARGE YOGI SHRI GHERANDA. Sapta points also to the sieved large Rishis (Seher) of India and to the seven Chakras. Sapta Yoga teaches the traditional healthy body necessary to receive to authentic Yoga, whose goal is a balanced psyche to form the concentration ability to increase the way to a clear spirit.

1. Shat Karma: Body cleaning and chamfered.
2. Asana: Body exercises, mobility.
3. Mudra: Energy control, gesture.
4. Pratyahara: Withdraw the sense, silence.
5. Pranayama: Breath exercises, techniques.
6. Dhyana: Pure view, realization
7. Samadhi: Sinking, meditation.

Sapta Yoga is a ganzheitliche method, which helps us to change false attitudes within the physical and mental-mental range. Practice sits down together from Asana, Pranayama as well as relaxation? and concentration exercises. The body exercises are accomplished either dynamically in conformity with the breath, or concentrated staying in a position. The first goal of the breath training is a naturally flowing breath. The Asana helps to solve the mental and physical blockades this free breath in the way. For Yoga there is no age limit. It does not prevail achievement pressure, because than outside perfection is more important, what in our inside happens. We work concentrated within the own possibilities and borders. We do not compare ourselves with others. All participant inside are individually promoted. In the classical Hatha Yoga, and/or Sapta Yoga aids are not used, as for example rope, volumes, pegs. Sapta Yoga assumes progress is possible only from own effort and particularly with exercise. Many difficult Asanas become by the ease of the switching desireful experiments. The body becomes flexibly, stronger and easy. If one practices Sapta Yoga during a longer period, one will soon notice that not only on the physical level something changes, but also within the mental-mental range. More consciousness in the everyday life, more patience, we do not lose any longer so fast the version, a more affectionate relationship our fellow men and the environment becomes noticeable. In the Yoga it does not depend on the outside achievement. In the Yoga everything is to grow organically and harmoniously. If one practiced correctly, then one feels erfrischt for a Yogastunde. Yogauebungen are a method to come on the way over the body to itself. Each exercise is in the reason a Meditationsuebung, with itself. It is harmonization of the personality by release from Unrast, scatter and splintering. The enemy number one in the Yoga is the hastyness, the hurry, the unreasonable fear, one could something miss, if one leaves oneself to time. If one does not leave oneself time, then one loses something....sein best: itself.