Functions of Sanat Kumara
Let us identify
the major functions of Sanat
Kumara that we may
ponder.
1. Sanat Kumara
is the Lord of Shambhalla.
It is said that
Sanat Kumara dwells "in Jana
Loka, his own sphere
or spiritual state" along with the other 7 and 105
Kumaras. The Jana Loka is the fifth Divine Loka,
which is located, it is
said, "beyond the Solar
System."
In this sense,
Shambhalla is composed of
Kumaras, just as the
Hierarchy is composed of Egos or the Spiritual
Triads, and Humanity is composed of humans or
personalities. These three
Kingdoms form the Head,
Heart, and Throat centers of the planetary Life:
Spirit --
Shambhalla -- Head Center
Consciousness -- Spiritual Hierarchy -- Heart
Center
Form --
Humanity -- Throat Center
To say that
Shambhalla is composed of Kumaras
is another way
of saying that Shambhalla is composed of groups of
Monads
Therefore the world or environment of the
Monad is Shambhalla, just as the
threefold world
of the Triad is the Hierarchy, and the three
worlds (the
mental, astral, and physical planes)
the realm of the personality.
It is intended,
at the end of this cycle, to
have each of the
three lowest sub planes of the physical plane--the
fire, water, and earth sub planes--to be fully
responsive to the
energies of Shambhalla, the
Spiritual Hierarchy, and Humanity respectively.
At
that time, the three centers will have merged into
their higher
coordinating center--the planetary
ajna--and physical plane experience will
be
transcended in this Scheme. This transcendence
will not be due to
pralaya, but rather by the
achievement of a relative perfection.
This is the
higher correspondence to the
achievement of
initiation by the human being. The human being
normally
achieves an exit of the physical plane by
way of death. Initiation is, in
one sense, a
different exit which does not lead to further
incarnation.
For example, a first degree initiate
will not have his or her physical
elemental
reincarnate--it has been transcended. Of course,
the
consciousness will still need a physical
vehicle for each incarnation until
the fourth
initiation is taken, but the physical elemental
life has
reached a peculiar point in evolution.
This relative
perfection at the end of this
cycle will be
achieved through the process of individualization,
initiation, and identification. Sanat Kumara has
led Humanity to
individualization ages ago in "Lemurian"
days. Sanat Kumara today leads
Humanity on the
path of Initiation in this era, and will one day
be the
focal point of the process of
Identification. Therefore:
2. Sanat Kumara
is the One Initiator.
Sanat Kumara is
thus the First Hierophant, the
Maha-Guru or
Greatest Guru, and the head of all evolution in
this Fourth
Globe of the Earth Scheme. He acts as
the Hierophant at the third, fourth,
and fifth
initiations, wielding the rod of initiation to
bring about
dramatic changes within the
consciousness of the initiate and sealing
certain
achievements. The previous two initiations, the
first and the
second, are presided over by the
Christ.
The Monads have
sacrificed themselves, and
taken upon themselves
the substance of the five lower planes, and
evolved through countless ages through the
mineral, plant, animal, and
human kingdoms in
order to "gain experience" and "achieve contact."
Without this sacrifice, neither Humanity or the
Hierarchy would exist.
Our Monad is a
"Voluntary Exile" from the
realms of Shambhalla.
We have chosen to take incarnation and gain
experience, and learn in this manner, in order to
further the
development of our Monadic essence (if
such a phrase has any meaning) and to
further the
planetary and solar evolution as well. Our Monads
were
driven forth to creation by the Sound of the
solar AUM, and that Word still
is sounding forth,
driving each tiny life in every planetary Scheme
onwards in cyclic growth.
We have
sacrificed ourselves in part for the
sake of the
evolution of the elementals of the vehicles. When
we gain
control and mastery over our vehicles,
these devas also attain a relative
perfection.
When the vehicles are fully purified and refined,
and the
individual is liberated from their
limitations, the devas of the
vehicles--etheric,
astral, and concrete mind--also reach the goal of
their lesser cycle of activity.
Just as we refine
our threefold vehicle and
lift their elemental
lives, so does Sanat Kumara refine the sevenfold
cosmic physical plane. Just as we have sacrificed
ourselves for the sake
of the evolution of our
vehicles, so has Sanat Kumara taken incarnation,
and will not attain His own particular goal in
evolution until a
relative perfection has been
achieved for the entire planet. This is a
tremendous sacrifice on the part of Sanat Kumara,
on an unprecedented
scale; consequently:
3. Sanat Kumara
is the Great Sacrifice.
Thus just as the
Ego holds the personality
vehicles in incarnation
by the force of its Will, so does Sanat Kumara
hold the planet, and the subjective vehicles of
the planet, together
into one functioning unit.
We might get the
idea from this that Sanat
Kumara is to the Earth
Scheme what the Ego is to the personality; and in
one sense, that is correct. But in truth, the
matter is far more
difficult and the analogy is
not exact. Consider that Sanat Kumara is but
one
tiny unit within the etheric head center of the
planetary Life. From
this angle, Sanat Kumara is
hardly of any significance to the entire scheme.
There is, then, something that makes Sanat Kumara
unique from all other
Kumaras. We come to what is
perhaps the most important definition of Sanat
Kumara:
4. Sanat Kumara
is the focal point through
which the planetary
Life of the Earth Scheme comes into contact with
our
Globe.
This is a deep
mystery, and there have been
many attempts to find
analogies to explain this unique relationship
between the planetary Life and Sanat Kumara. It
has been said, for
example, that Sanat Kumara is
the personality of the planetary Life, or the
Ego
of the planetary Life, or the incarnation of the
planetary Life each
of these is partly true, but
do not explain the truth in full. As the
Tibetan
puts it,
�Sanat Kumara is
the planetary Logos yet He is
not. A reflection of
this method of direct incarnation can be seen when
a disciple steps out of his body and permits his
Guru, or a more
advanced chela, to use it. (Alice
Bailey, A Treatise on Cosmic Fire,
pp. 753)
In such cases,
the disciple has willingly and
deliberately
allowed the Guru, Initiate or Master to use his
personality
vehicles for a set time and in a set
place in order to perform a service
project. In
the case of the planetary Life, this service
project is in
part what we call Initiation.
So Sanat Kumara
and the planetary Life are both
distinct entities;
one is not an aspect of the other. Yet at the same
time they are very closely related. (Note: It
should be noted that
sometimes statements
concerning Sanat Kumara are relevant to Sanat
Kumara being the planetary Life or Logos, and
other statements about
Sanat Kumara are relevant
only insofar as Sanat Kumara is a Kumara.) It
should be understood, then, that Sanat Kumara (as
a kumara) is a much
lesser Being than the
planetary Life. Sanat Kumara is but the physical
form expression of Monadic Life or Spirit.
Sanat Kumara is
thus the means by which the
planetary Life comes
into dense physical plane expression. Sanat Kumara
is the manifestation of the appropriation of a
dense physical body of
the planetary Life. This
first occurs at the time of human
individualization, and necessitates 1) the
development of the three
worlds to a particular
rate of vibration and 2) the vitalization of the
heart center of the Heavenly Man, the Spiritual
Hierarchy.
The planetary
Life uses Sanat Kumara just as
the soul uses a
temporary personality "when that personality is at
an
advanced stage of initiate consciousness."
(Alice Bailey, The Rays and
the Initiations,
pp. 206) This is a parallel, not an analogy.
5. Sanat Kumara
is the planetary Logos of our
scheme in physical
incarnation.
This is now to be
understood with the
qualifications given above.
Sanat Kumara is not the planetary Life itself,
but
is the means by which that Life incarnates. By
means of Sanat
Kumara, the planetary Life can
reach and intelligently contact the
individualized
units within the Scheme. This makes it possible
for
Initiates and above to contact and speak to
the planetary Life by means of
Sanat Kumara. Sanat
Kumara is the individualized mind of the planetary
Life.
Thus as an
analogy or comparison rather than as
a fact, it is
said that Sanat Kumara is the personality aspect
of the
Lord of the World, the planetary Life. The
planetary Life is, on His own
plane, to Sanat
Kumara what the soul is to the personality.
We have seen that
Sanat Kumara is a
manifestation or avatar of the
intelligence of the Planetary Logos, the
Planetary
Life in incarnation. In turn, Sanat Kumara sends
his
intelligence outwards and downwards into form,
resulting in the appearance
of Divine Beings who
are avatars of Sanat Kumara. As H. P. Blavatsky
said, "A certain Ray (principle) from Sanat Kumara
spiritualized
(animated) Pradyumna, the son of
Krishna during the great Mahabharata
period...."
Thus on occasion Sanat Kumara appears as an avatar
to
humanity, bringing certain new energies and
principles into manifestation,
primarily the
principle of our planetary Life.
6. Sanat Kumara
is the embodiment of a
principle of the planetary
Life of the Earth Scheme.
The Earth Scheme
is one of the four schemes
that compose the
quaternary or lower fourfold aspect of the solar
Life.
Just as each of our four vehicles--the
physical, etheric, astral, and
concrete mental
vehicles--has its own characteristics and
principles, so
does each of these schemes,
including the Earth Scheme, have its own
principle. This principle of the planetary Life
manifests through Sanat
Kumara. The other Kumaras
transmit energies from the other schemes, not only
of the solar quaternary, but also the seven and
the ten solar schemes.
The Kumaras,
then, are the means by which the
planetary Life
comes into contact with the seven rays and other
extra-planetary energies. They are a mechanism of
contact, just as the
personality is a mechanism of
contact for the soul, or an etheric center is
the
mechanism of contact for the inner Observer. This
is a part of the
function of the planetary head
center, Shambhalla. Thus taken as a whole,
the
Kumaras are the head center of the planetary Life.
The seven Kumaras
that are each related to a
principle have a
special relationship within the planetary head
center.
They are the equivalent of the seven head
centers in the head. Thus:
7. Sanat Kumara
is one of the seven head
centers within Shambhalla,
the head center of the planetary Life.
Sanat Kumara and
the other Kumaras are "focal
points for the energy
of the planetary Logos on His own plane." (Alice
Bailey, A Treatise on Cosmic Fire, pp. 728)
They are thus
each related to:
a. A planetary
principle or vehicle, and thus
to the seven Sacred
Planets.
b. One of the
seven Rays, emanating from the
constellation of
the Great Bear. The force and energy of one of the
principles of the planetary Life--from the
constellation of the Great
Bear--pours from the
planetary Life to what corresponds to the monad of
the Kumara. From there it reaches the
consciousness of the Kumara, and
is transmitted to
the Earth Scheme.
c. One of the
seven major planetary centers or
kingdoms
(humanity, the animal kingdom, etc.). Sanat Kumara
is closely
related to the center we call Humanity,
producing definite effects within
that center.
Sanat Kumara is in one sense the energy of
individual
identity within humanity, and the other
three Kumaras are closely related to
the three
lower kingdoms, producing their motion and grades
of
consciousness.
d. One of the
seven schemes. The three Buddhas
of Activity, or
the three exoteric Kumaras Who work with the Lord
of the
World, relate our scheme to the other three
schemes of the Solar quaternary.
The other three,
hidden or esoteric Kumaras relate this scheme to
the
higher three schemes (among the seven). They
represent energies that are not
yet manifesting
within this planet, but the energies of the fourth
Kumara will soon begin to make their impact.
e. One of the
seven Ashrams.
Sanat Kumara is
thus one of these head centers
within the
planetary Life. Each of the seven Kumaras is one
of the head
centers in the planetary Life of Earth
in the same way that the seven Stars
of the Great
Bear are the seven head centers of the One About
Whom
Naught May Be Said.
7 Head Centers --
7 Kumaras -- 7 Stars of Great
Bear
7 Etheric Centers -- 7 Ashrams -- 7 Solar Systems