579. Tortoise as a Symbol
The set of twelve signs starting from the vernal
equinox is called the annual zodiac or the tropical zodiac.
It can be understood only in the light of the constellations
behind. In fact, the 12 signs of the tropical zodiac can be
compared to the twelve glasses of the twelve windows
around the equator. The constellations can be compared
to the scenery without. Each window constitutes an angle
of visibility of the scenery. The properties of the zodiac
and its seasonal effects are subordinate to the visible
symbols of the scenery. The constellations influencing the
zodiac form only a part of the stars in the space around
us. After having a definite idea of this, we have to study
those stars that do not come under the visibility of the
belt of space around the zodiac. This belt divides the
visible dome of space around the earth into two
hemispheres, the northern and the southern. By this we
mean the congregation of stars which assumes the shapes
of two umbrellas, one each around the north and the south
poles.
A study of as many of these stars on the umbrella as
possible enables us to fathom the depths of the universal
symbols. In the Pura-n.a-s, the northern half-globe of space
together with the stars and their shapes is described as
the back of a great tortoise. The portion is divided in its
entirety into the back, the head, the tail and the four legs
of the tortoise. By such a division, it becomes possible to
locate the various stars, the glorious Suns with their