Scorpio 159of the man. God gave “coats of skin” to man and woman
and there was the curse to result in the formation of
physical bodies (Previously, they were on the soul-level
and hence without the physical plane). Henceforth the
snake crawled on earth, worked as the vehicle of man for
the fall, and the woman brought forth children through
pain. This fall of man is the story of the activity of Scorpio.
In the story of the Serpents and Eagles in the Maha--
bha-rata, the good serpents are cursed for disobedience by
their mother Kadruva* to be burnt up in a big Snake
Sacrifice. The sacrifice signifies the utilisation of the
serpents of the upward path, to assist the whole creation
achieve the divine level. Thus through this sacrifice,
Na-ga became endless (Naza or the white serpent) as the
seat of Lord Vishn.u (raised to Taurus) and Sarpa, the
existence (the upward coil Va-suki), as the necklace of Lord
s’iva (emanated from the throat-centre in Gemini, the
divine Androgyne). When the serpentine consciousness
of Kundalini is raised from the bondage of Mu-la-dha-ra (the
base-centre), Swa-dhishta-na (the spleen-centre) and Mani-
pu-raka (the Solar Plexus), it manifests as the word of
blessing from the throat-centre. If the disciple raises this
further by keeping silent, it manifests as the Divine-
Winged Serpent from the lotus that forms between the
throat-centre and the A
-
jna- chakra. It comes out as a glance
of grace which raises the fellow-beings into discipleship.
It is at this centre (the second half of Taurus) that the Eagle
and the Serpent become one, the winged serpent. This is
the symbolism of Aaron’s rod.
The snake scarifice was conducted by a king of the
lunar race. His object was to kill a wicked serpent, Takshaka
- See Garuda in Appendix A.