Gnostic Mandaean Scrolls: I became the illuminator of the worlds of Light

Gnostic Mandaean Scrolls: I became the illuminator of the worlds of Light

Books Containing Mandaean Scriptures
The Gnostic Bible, edited by Willis Barnstone and Marvin Meyer, Shambhala
The Other Bible, Willis Barnstone, Harper Collins

Mandaean History, Background Information, and Photographs
Gnosis, by Kurt Rudolph
The Gnostic Religion, by Hans Jonas, Beacon Press
The Gospel of Jesus, John Davidson, Clear Press UK

Mandaean Scriptures and Art Online, Websites
MandaeanWorld:
http://www.mandaeanworld.com/mandaeanworld1.html
Canonical Prayerbook of the Mandaeans:
http://www.geocities.com/mandaeanworld1/cpindex1.html
The Mandaean Section of the The Gnostic Library:
http://www.gnosis.org/library/mand.htm
http://www.gnosis.org/library/ginzarba.htm

Gnostic Mandaean Scrolls: I became the illuminator of the worlds of Light
By James Bean
Copyright January 2006

I sometimes like saying that the Nag Hammadi Library found in Egypt represents 'the prose of the Gnostics', but the Mandaean writings from Iraq are 'the poetry'. Below is a Mandaean psalm-scroll translated by the German scholar Werner Forrester. Below that are a couple of Mandaean Aramaic words defined. And below that, I provide commentary on the meaning of these ancient Aramaic verses from the Middle east, chanted in antiquity. I have always been quite fond of these Mandaean psalm-scrolls translated in "Gnosis II", "The Canonical Prayerbook of the Mandaeans" (out of print), and also in, "The Gnostic Book of John the Baptizer" (Kissinger Reprints).

In the Name of the Great Life,
Sublime Light Be Praised.

Naamaste',

James

I became the illuminator of the worlds of Light

. . . . .

I became a garment to the worlds of Light. . .
I became a king to the Nasoreans.
I became a king to the Nasoreans,
who received praise and stability through my Name.
Praise and stability they received,
and by my Name they ascend to the Place of Light
and behold the Place of Light.

As for the chosen righteous, who put me on (as a garment),
their eyes were filled with Light.
Their eyes were filled with Light,
and Manda dHaiye* [Knowledge or Acquaintance with God]
was established in their hearts.
Whoever puts me on, the Treasure of Life, (as a garment),....
I speak to them, [saying]:

"The vine which bears (fruit) ascends,
(the vine) which bears nothing is cut off here (from the Light).
Whoever is enlightened and instructed by me
rises and beholds the Place of Light.
Whoever is not enlightened and instructed by me
is cut off (from the Light), and falls into
the great Ocean of Suf**."

(Mandaean Aramaic psalm translated in, "Gnosis II", by Werner Forrester, Oxford University Press, out of print)

*Notes:

**"Suf" in Mandaic Aramaic: "Sea of Reeds or Sea of the End, a place of unbelievers: like the Egyptians in the biblical narrative: the departure of the Israelites from Egypt was evidently interpreted allegorically as the departure of the soul from the body." (Glossary in "Gnosis II")

*"Manda dHaiye": -- Gnosis of the Great Life (Great Life, a term for God); Knowledge or Acquaintance with God; Divine Knowledge, often personified in the Mandaean texts as "the name of the most important messenger of Light and Redeemer". (Glossary in "Gnosis II")

Commentary

"I became the illuminator of the worlds of Light."

"Understand what the Great Light is". (Apocryphon of James the Just, Nag Hammadi Library) In the Mandaean texts, written in a dialect of Aramaic almost two thousand years ago, a term for God is "Light", very much as in the Gospel of Thomas: Light=God=Christ=Kingdom of the Father. "God is Light and in Him there is no darkness." "Darkness is not dark to Thee." One phrase or benediction often repeated or chanted literally thousands of times in these old Mandaean scrolls is: "In the Name of the Great Life, Sublime Light Be Praised." God is described as "the Great Light", and heavenly realms are called "A Place of Light." Souls clothed in their heavenly garments are described as radiant beings like suns or stars.

The true messenger of God is a "Light-giver".

"Whoever is enlightened and instructed by me rises and beholds the Place of Light."

As wonderful as old writings of saints might be, people are in need a competent living teacher who has become one with God to be their guide, in order to have the right-view, right-knowledge, and right-practice. Otherwise, it is a teacher of a lesser order that is one's influence, or perhaps one's own limited and ever-changing interpretations. We "see through a glass darkly" (saint Paul), which means that what the ego may comprehend is not necessarily the whole picture but a dim outline at best. Only someone who is one with God is qualified to guide others into that divine experience. Rather than the usual "blind leading the blind", someone with Sight needs to be recognized as the guide. Like the Mandaeans of old, we also need a living Light-giver.

What is the result of this spiritual guidance from "a living one"? Souls "ascend to the Place of Light and behold the Place of Light", and, "....Their eyes were filled with Light..." There are visions of the divine Light -- real Light is seen, and ascensions to "the Place of the Light" are experienced.

Clues are provided in the text about not only the luminous visionary results, by at least one of the spiritual practices that was imparted, and it is a contemplative practice universally taught by saints and mystics.

"I became a king to the Nasoreans,
who received praise and stability through my Name.
Praise and stability they received,
and by my Name they ascend to the Place of Light and behold the
Place of Light."

The Prayer of God's Name has been taught, and continues to be taught, by countless saints and mystics. The name or names that one is instructed to repeat may vary from place to place, from language to language, and from tradition to tradition. A sacred word is slowly and prayerfully repeated, either verbally, or even better: mentally (higher, more "within"), and can indeed lead to beatific revelations or visions of Light, and even travels in spirit, "up hither" to the Place of the Light.

"As for the chosen righteous, who put me on (as a garment),
their eyes were filled with Light.
Their eyes were filled with Light,
and Manda dHaiye* [Knowledge or Acquaintance with God]
was established in their hearts.
Whoever puts me on, the Treasure of Life, (as a garment),....
I speak to them, [saying]:

"'The vine which bears (fruit) ascends,
(the vine) which bears nothing is cut off here (from the Light).'"

Here there is language that is reminiscent of the Gospel of John about abiding in the living vine of Yeshua and hearing the heavenly Voice: life is connected with the Great Life. On a spiritual level, one abides in the teacher, one becomes united to the teacher, puts the radiant form of the teacher on like a garment, and this is an essential stage of the journey of ascension.

Being able go go beyond darkness is extremely important. As has been said, "Watch out that the vision within you is not darkness." "Consider the One who is alive while you are alive, lest you die and then seek to behold that One - and you will not be able to behold." (Bently Layton's translation of Gospel of Thomas, 59) And, "Seek to see Him who is living, while you are living; rather than to die and to seek to see Him when you can no longer see Him!" (same verse, Doresse translation). While others put the spiritual life off till the next life or after some hypothesised "end of the world" scenario at the end of time, the contemplative soul "seeks to see Him" right now in the living present -- the present moment of time. It is necessary to be united with the Light now, in order to know that one will be united with the Light in eternity. "If one does not receive the Light while here in this place, one cannot receive it in the other place." (Gospel of Philip) That which we treasure or are attached to in this life, there we go. "What is found now, is found then." (Kabir) If Gnosis of the Place of the Light -- Knowledge or Acquaintance with God -- is established within our hearts, then our "eyes are filled with Light." "Perfect things have opened to us, and Hidden Things of Truth." (Gospel of Phillip) "Whoever drinks from my mouth will become like me, I myself will become that person, and the Hidden Things will be revealed to them." (Yeshua, Gospel of Thomas, 108) If you eye becomes Single, your whole body will be full of Light. If you are no longer divided, but become whole, darkness will give way to Light, and you will become a child of the Light.

"Help me and save me in thy Mysteries.
Incline thy ear to me and free me.
Let the power of thy Light save me and carry me
to the aeons on high,
for it is thou who appears to me in the darkness,
savest me and takest me
to the height of thy aeons.
Rescue me, O Light."
(Pistis Sophia)

"Truly, truly, I say to you that I will complete you in all
Mysteries of the Kingdom of the Light." (Egyptian Book of Pistis Sophia)

The Living Teacher gives us:
What no eye has seen,
what no ear has heard,
what no hand has touched, and
what has never occurred to the human mind. (Coptic Gospel of Thomas, 17)

From another psalm-scroll of the Mandaean texts:

From the Place of Light have I gone forth,
from thee, Bright Habitation.

I come to feel the hearts,
to measure and try all minds,
to see in whose heart I dwell,
in whose mind I repose.

Who thinks of me, of him I think:
who calls my Name, his name I call.
Who prays my prayer from down below,
his prayer I pray from the Place of Light. . . .

I came and found
the truthful and believing hearts.
When I was not dwelling among them,
yet my Name was on their lips.
I took them and guided them up to the World of Light. . . . ////////

(a Mandaean psalm-scroll quoted in, "The Gnostic Religion -- The Message of the Alien God and the Beginnings of Christianity", by Hans Jonas, Beacon Press)

 

 

Part Two of: Tulsi Sahib, the Great Grandfather of Modern-day Sant Mat

Part Two of: Tulsi Sahib, the Great Grandfather of Modern-day Sant Mat

Selected Mystic Verses from the Ghat Ramayana of Param Sant Tulsi Sahib

Tulsi's Descriptions of God and the Inward Journey

Utter the Name of the Lord. Oh! do utter His Name. Why has your Surat [soul's attention] become so oblivious? Give up all quarrels and wranglings. The terrible Kal [gnostic demiurge, false god, lord of time and illusion] beguiles you through karmas [actions]. Shake off your illusion and flee to your Original Abode.

Surat alone, by adopting the Sound Current, can proceed beyond the Fourth Lok [realm, plane or inner region]. Take a vow to hold fast to this very method which, really, is the unique religion of Sants.

Worship Sat [Eternal Truth, God] by means of Surat [attention faculty of the soul at the third eye center], and this will enable you to reach the regions beyond the Sky [Gagan]. Seek Sat within, which alone will enable you to reach the region that knows no death and decay, and thus attain great happiness and bliss.

In the blessed company of Sants [Masters, Sant Satgurus, Saints], I have been able to know of the secrets of the true and indescribable One who has neither form nor any line of demarcation and is also invisible. I have described in detail Sat Mat with which worldly ways are incompatible. I have tasted the bliss of the Original Abode which alone is true. The world, on the other hand, is only a fleeting show, and only if one ponders over this, one will be able to realize the essence of Sat Mat and then alone will one's boat of life be able to cross the ocean of worldly existence. Great reverberation of Shabd [Sound] is going on within. One should fix one's attention on It and dance with joy. Blessed with the merciful gaze of the Satguru, I have been able to get Darshan [Vision] of the Invisible Being. My goal is Sat Purush whose abode is Sat Lok. He is all-merciful and is beyond Triloki [three worlds, physical, astral, causal]. My attention is riveted on His holy feet and I have His Darshan all the time. I have reached the Original Abode, which is beyond Kal's net. This world is perverse. I have been blessed with Darshan of the Supreme Being. I have seen the entire Brahmand [regions of universal mind], not to speak of this And [astral realm], which is only a very small region. I have vanquished the mind as well as Kal and, discarding this world, have become rid of it. I have seen the entire expanse of the earth, the sun and the moon. I have won the battle with Kal thanks to Sant Mat [the teachings of the Sants], which alone is true. Traversing the path within, I have been able to get the Vision (Darshan) of the Supreme Being.

0 soul! Give up all blind adherence and beliefs, concentrate within and seek the Supreme Being there, adopting Him alone as your Isht or goal. Do ponder over what I say and see for yourself with eyes wide open that there is none in this world whom you can call your own. You should adopt the Supreme Being alone as your prop and support.

Mention has been made of the states of wakefulness, dream, deep slumber and Turiya. The Trans-Turiya state lies beyond them and it is realized only by one who practises true Yoga.

The Shastras have described the four kinds of Bani (spiritual sound), namely, Para, Pashyanti, Madhyama and Baikhri. All this is known to the Gyani and Yogi. This is what the Gyani says. The secret. of what lies beyond is something unique, which is known only to Sants.

I (Tulsi) pierced the Sky and went beyond and met the Essence. My Surat darted above like an arrow shot by bending the bow. It proceeded beyond the three worlds, and reached the fourth Lok whose deity is Sat Nam Sat Purush, who took me in His arms.

The Supreme Being whose abode lies further ahead, is unique and only Sants know about Him. He is Nameless (Anami, Soundless: Anadi) and free from Maya. How to explain what He is. He has no colour, no form and no line of demarcation. Shabd is unmanifest in His region. I am worthless and know nothing but I had the good fortune of reaching His Abode. By placing my head at the feet of all Sants, I could reach that Original Abode which knows no decay. The three worlds are created and they perish, but I have taken my Surat beyond the Fourth Lok.

Surat darts forth with all-attention, and catching hold of Shabd, soars high like a kite secured to a cord.

ESOTERIC INSTRUCTIONS

Steadfast Attention Fixed at the Infintismal Point, the Third Eye Center Which Becomes a Portal to Mystic Light and Sound

He who has been able to know the true nature of the mind, has recognized Surat [inner hearing] and, by awakening Nirat [inner seeing], has repaired to the highest region. Sants, after realizing the truth themselves, have given out the secrets and I also join them. I have known the ways of the mind and recognized Surat, and I can assure you that the true path cannot be traversed without the participation and cooperation of Surat. After recognizing Surat [reaching the third eye center], one should partake of the bliss of higher regions, and then only will one be able to find the path to the Original Abode. One should fix one's Surat on the Current of inner Light and Sound with your attention as steadfast as that of a turtle fixed on its eggs, never looking to any other thing. One's Surat should partake of the bliss of Shabd in the manner of a Chakor-bird looking at the moon with steadfast attention. One should apply one's Surat so steadfastly to Shabd that ambrosia drips forthwith and one is able to partake of the bliss of the Shabd.

During Surat Shabd Meditation Traversing Inner Regions
Back Up to the Eighth Heaven -- Kaivalaya or Oneness with the Soundless One

Surat will unite with Naam or Shabd when it reaches the Kanwals [Lotuses]. Sants have said that if one seeks the shelter and protection of Sants, one's Surat will be able to see the Kanwals and will thus develop true faith. Above the third eye center is Neel Shikhar (Blue Mountain Peak). From there one should fix one's gaze at the Portal to the Inaccessible. One will then be free from the clutches of Kal and be rid of worldly pursuits.

One should constantly keep one's Surat fixed at Gagan [Mystic Sky in the region of Brahm] and keep on looking through the perforated screen. On thus applying Surat to Shabd all the time, one will not think of any other goal. Thus frolicking at the Portal, Surat strolls in the region of Shyam Safed. In the region of Shyam (black), there is a white island, where, in between a conch and a wheel, there is an oyster, and beyond them lies the unique citadel of Bank Nal [Crooked Tunnel].

Proceeding through Sukhmana [central energy current which runs from the eye center into the higher spiritual regions], one gets across Mansarover [Lake of Amritsar or Nectar in the region of Daswan Dwar]. Beyond that is Triveni [confluence of three sacred rivers]. Going past it, Surat takes to the route leading to the Inaccessible Region. If, after taking one's bath in Triveni, one proceeds onward, towards the Inaccessible, then only will one be able to meet the true Satguru.

There is a Four-Petalled Kanwal or Lotus within, proceeding through which, one will reach the Twelve-Petalled Lotus, viz., Sat Lok. Beyond that, one will have Darshan of the Supreme Being (Anami Purush) who has neither form nor colour and who is Inaccessible as well as Indescribable. Sants have described His region as the Eighth Lok. Some have described that region as the Eighth Terrace while others have called it the Eighth Mansion.

-- Param Sant Tulsi Sahib, Saint of Hathras, from his Ghat Ramayana

For more information on the meditation practice, see the online book, The Philosophy of Liberation, by Maharishi Mehi:
http://www.thewayofsages.com/new_page_7.htm

There are two books in English featuring the writings of Sant Tulsi:

"Param Sant Tulsi Saheb", translated by S.D. Maheshwari: The Maheshwari family in Agra -- they now have a website: radhasoami-faith.info

and,

"Tulsi Sahib -- Saint of Hathras", by J.R. Puri & V.K. Sethi: scienceofthesoul.org