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This exploration helps us to understand the interactions between ancient cultures, the significance of the ancient beliefs, customs, and traditions, and the immense wisdom of our ancestors about the cosmos, the cycles of time that govern human civilization, and the human soul. "},"link":[{"rel":"http://schemas.google.com/g/2005#feed","type":"application/atom+xml","href":"https:\/\/www.bibhudevmisra.com\/feeds\/posts\/default"},{"rel":"self","type":"application/atom+xml","href":"https:\/\/www.blogger.com\/feeds\/6864653463177413678\/posts\/default\/-\/Article?alt=json-in-script"},{"rel":"alternate","type":"text/html","href":"https:\/\/www.bibhudevmisra.com\/search\/label\/Article"},{"rel":"hub","href":"http://pubsubhubbub.appspot.com/"},{"rel":"next","type":"application/atom+xml","href":"https:\/\/www.blogger.com\/feeds\/6864653463177413678\/posts\/default\/-\/Article\/-\/Article?alt=json-in-script\u0026start-index=26\u0026max-results=25"}],"author":[{"name":{"$t":"Bibhu Dev Misra"},"uri":{"$t":"http:\/\/www.blogger.com\/profile\/15388473714672380058"},"email":{"$t":"noreply@blogger.com"},"gd$image":{"rel":"http://schemas.google.com/g/2005#thumbnail","width":"32","height":"28","src":"\/\/blogger.googleusercontent.com\/img\/b\/R29vZ2xl\/AVvXsEh4sklyRp_L5BfqEXTjoskgFPFYpJiNJSuDN5zrcldGBaXot626bOTu8q5TUYsip63M6EkY2JbuoE6l1N5fMKiqKfzFfaaKpqm91QZx9rMdAL3t-ju2QdYi1K-BeCJsjw\/s130\/DSCN1699.JPG"}}],"generator":{"version":"7.00","uri":"http://www.blogger.com","$t":"Blogger"},"openSearch$totalResults":{"$t":"62"},"openSearch$startIndex":{"$t":"1"},"openSearch$itemsPerPage":{"$t":"25"},"entry":[{"id":{"$t":"tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6864653463177413678.post-3000228420777678157"},"published":{"$t":"2025-10-11T20:07:00.006+05:30"},"updated":{"$t":"2025-10-13T17:37:35.013+05:30"},"category":[{"scheme":"http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#","term":"Article"},{"scheme":"http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#","term":"Earth Mysteries"}],"title":{"type":"text","$t":"Comets Are Conscious Space Organisms, resembling Terrestrial Microbes! "},"content":{"type":"html","$t":"\u003Cp\u003E\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cdiv class=\"separator\" style=\"clear: both; text-align: center;\"\u003E\u003Ca href=\"https:\/\/blogger.googleusercontent.com\/img\/b\/R29vZ2xl\/AVvXsEj6IeuXnI4szeLGmdQiqWZiplSmE9XIyJv72Tvk-YeBqi9NKjFdIKOHpeTHSDN194TAUmuuO2-zWT61bjGvnuwF_RGKZpuqTj89xBz7Jj1beN2AByPZ4DVAWGEQsCs3br36GAUe_37dNgfNPcoid-urAV-okhy0T4U7e5uocdyRhFD6_HbybnZd8d3tMnE\/s600\/Comet_12P_Pons-Brooks%20ESA%20Public%20Domain%20very%20small.jpg\" style=\"margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;\"\u003E\u003Cimg border=\"0\" data-original-height=\"376\" data-original-width=\"600\" height=\"201\" src=\"https:\/\/blogger.googleusercontent.com\/img\/b\/R29vZ2xl\/AVvXsEj6IeuXnI4szeLGmdQiqWZiplSmE9XIyJv72Tvk-YeBqi9NKjFdIKOHpeTHSDN194TAUmuuO2-zWT61bjGvnuwF_RGKZpuqTj89xBz7Jj1beN2AByPZ4DVAWGEQsCs3br36GAUe_37dNgfNPcoid-urAV-okhy0T4U7e5uocdyRhFD6_HbybnZd8d3tMnE\/s320\/Comet_12P_Pons-Brooks%20ESA%20Public%20Domain%20very%20small.jpg\" width=\"320\" \/\u003E\u003C\/a\u003E\u003C\/div\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003ELike many people, I have always been fascinated by comets, but my interest went up a few notches when I was researching for my book \u003Ca href=\"https:\/\/www.amazon.com\/YUGA-SHIFT-IMPENDING-PLANETARY-TRANSFORMATION\/dp\/B0CPJVYQG4\/ref=pd_ci_mcx_mh_mcx_views_0_title?pd_rd_w=TosBU\u0026amp;content-id=amzn1.sym.679481c3-2bf4-4843-80c0-ffb319282e84%3Aamzn1.symc.c3d5766d-b606-46b8-ab07-1d9d1da0638a\u0026amp;pf_rd_p=679481c3-2bf4-4843-80c0-ffb319282e84\u0026amp;pf_rd_r=QCJZ25RGD4WM3VZG96JX\u0026amp;pd_rd_wg=Mr83J\u0026amp;pd_rd_r=3965b0ad-d80d-4593-b6fa-0d0c9a9faa24\u0026amp;pd_rd_i=B0CPJVYQG4\" target=\"_blank\"\u003EYuga Shift\u003C\/a\u003E and realized that the turbulent periods of transition between the Yugas or World Ages are almost always accompanied by comet and meteor impacts originating from the Taurid resonant swarm – a dense swarm of comets and asteroids hidden in the core of the Taurid meteor stream.\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EThat’s when I started becoming aware aware of the mysterious, inexplicable, and quite unpredictable nature of comets that has been a source of great puzzlement for astronomers. David H. Levy, an amateur Canadian astronomer who has discovered 22 comets, and is widely regarded as one of the most successful comet discoverers in history, had famously said, \u003Cb\u003E“comets are like cats: they have tails, and they do precisely what they want.”\u003C\/b\u003E\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Ca name='more'\u003E\u003C\/a\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EThere are good reasons why David Levy had made this observation. Comets are difficult to track, and they are often not found at their expected position in their orbit. Sometimes they change their trajectory, their speed, or both. As a result, they might arrive at their perihelion positions either too soon or too late.[1]\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EIn 2024, the orbital period of Comet A3 Tsuchinshan ATLAS was drastically reduced after its perihelion passage on 27 September 2024, from one that was hundreds of millions of years long to a much shorter one in the range of a few hundred thousand years.[2] In 2017, observations from NASA’s Hubble Space Telescope confirmed that Oumuamua, the first known interstellar object to travel through our solar system, \"got an unexpected boost in speed and shift in trajectory as it passed through the inner solar system\".[3]\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Ctable align=\"center\" cellpadding=\"0\" cellspacing=\"0\" class=\"tr-caption-container\" style=\"margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;\"\u003E\u003Ctbody\u003E\u003Ctr\u003E\u003Ctd style=\"text-align: center;\"\u003E\u003Ca href=\"https:\/\/blogger.googleusercontent.com\/img\/b\/R29vZ2xl\/AVvXsEgLKZei8bjCG3nLwSWcCtViU74gfmT-CQHWsWjjOf_b-vOh7yDc14nrBLQ22b0LWc6LFkzYjYBSf9mGH98o0MX_ULtcPKuPRR3I4Hj1v_Hsv4wiAQMYAIcvHRb7zO17H6c63WZFwCj2gjXaN-mvILQFsOtKA0wo2Sqz0cqe3dawhG54I5zQmkzghOFL_O0\/s1400\/50%20oumuamua%20eso.jpg\" style=\"margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;\"\u003E\u003Cimg border=\"0\" data-original-height=\"693\" data-original-width=\"1400\" height=\"198\" src=\"https:\/\/blogger.googleusercontent.com\/img\/b\/R29vZ2xl\/AVvXsEgLKZei8bjCG3nLwSWcCtViU74gfmT-CQHWsWjjOf_b-vOh7yDc14nrBLQ22b0LWc6LFkzYjYBSf9mGH98o0MX_ULtcPKuPRR3I4Hj1v_Hsv4wiAQMYAIcvHRb7zO17H6c63WZFwCj2gjXaN-mvILQFsOtKA0wo2Sqz0cqe3dawhG54I5zQmkzghOFL_O0\/w400-h198\/50%20oumuamua%20eso.jpg\" width=\"400\" \/\u003E\u003C\/a\u003E\u003C\/td\u003E\u003C\/tr\u003E\u003Ctr\u003E\u003Ctd class=\"tr-caption\" style=\"text-align: center;\"\u003EFigure 1: An artist’s impression of Oumuamua, the first detected \ninterstellar object in our solar system. Credit: ESO\/M. Kornmesser, \nPublic Domain Image.\u003C\/td\u003E\u003C\/tr\u003E\u003C\/tbody\u003E\u003C\/table\u003E\u003Cp\u003EMoreover, astronomers can’t say for sure when a comet will start to brighten up, how bright it will become, what gases it will emit, and when it will stop outgassing and become almost invisible.\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EFor instance, in early 2013, Comet C\/2011 L4, also known as Comet PANSTARRS, had become very bright far away from the Sun, but, contrary to expectations, the rate of increase of brightness began to fall steadily after it was somewhere between the orbits of Mars and Jupiter.[4] Comet ISON in 2013 had also experienced a significant slowdown in brightness.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Ctable align=\"center\" cellpadding=\"0\" cellspacing=\"0\" class=\"tr-caption-container\" style=\"margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;\"\u003E\u003Ctbody\u003E\u003Ctr\u003E\u003Ctd style=\"text-align: center;\"\u003E\u003Ca href=\"https:\/\/blogger.googleusercontent.com\/img\/b\/R29vZ2xl\/AVvXsEiT3OrhnJ2nSOAhVNM0X6plgZnY984zz49o6-mqiSyzTNTGekFhLaS2ARqvPxsTCnPJIBfSrNlnfHf-Oxc1WSgBf4LrCts4ioWtjArfhb9iL-k96wZE3ykQWJWmfkC6tyyukGU4PayewFhtMJA5Hb2e4cRT1TtX7uXEAwy2VuYBot7HMIihKpjQuc5Vt24\/s1400\/Comet%20C%202012%20S1%20ISON%20was%20taken%20with%20the%20TRAPPIST%20national%20telescope%20at%20ESOs%20La%20Silla%20Observatory%20on%2015%20November%202013,%20TRAPPIST%20E%20Jehin%20ESO%20CC%20BY%204.jpg\" style=\"margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;\"\u003E\u003Cimg border=\"0\" data-original-height=\"1066\" data-original-width=\"1400\" height=\"305\" src=\"https:\/\/blogger.googleusercontent.com\/img\/b\/R29vZ2xl\/AVvXsEiT3OrhnJ2nSOAhVNM0X6plgZnY984zz49o6-mqiSyzTNTGekFhLaS2ARqvPxsTCnPJIBfSrNlnfHf-Oxc1WSgBf4LrCts4ioWtjArfhb9iL-k96wZE3ykQWJWmfkC6tyyukGU4PayewFhtMJA5Hb2e4cRT1TtX7uXEAwy2VuYBot7HMIihKpjQuc5Vt24\/w400-h305\/Comet%20C%202012%20S1%20ISON%20was%20taken%20with%20the%20TRAPPIST%20national%20telescope%20at%20ESOs%20La%20Silla%20Observatory%20on%2015%20November%202013,%20TRAPPIST%20E%20Jehin%20ESO%20CC%20BY%204.jpg\" width=\"400\" \/\u003E\u003C\/a\u003E\u003C\/td\u003E\u003C\/tr\u003E\u003Ctr\u003E\u003Ctd class=\"tr-caption\" style=\"text-align: center;\"\u003EFigure 2: Comet C\/2012 S1 (ISON) photographed with the TRAPPIST national\n telescope at ESOs La Silla Observatory on 15 November 2013. Credit: \nTRAPPIST \/ E. Jehin \/ ESO, CC BY 4.0 via Wikimedia Commons\u003C\/td\u003E\u003C\/tr\u003E\u003C\/tbody\u003E\u003C\/table\u003E\u003Cdiv class=\"separator\" style=\"clear: both; text-align: center;\"\u003E\u003C\/div\u003E\u003Cp\u003EThe unpredictable nature of comets has confounded astronomers for a long time. It’s almost as if comets have their own secret agendas and ways of working, about which we are still in the dark.\u0026nbsp;\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EWhile researching for \u003Ca href=\"https:\/\/www.amazon.com\/YUGA-SHIFT-IMPENDING-PLANETARY-TRANSFORMATION\/dp\/B0CPJVYQG4\/ref=pd_ci_mcx_mh_mcx_views_0_title?pd_rd_w=TosBU\u0026amp;content-id=amzn1.sym.679481c3-2bf4-4843-80c0-ffb319282e84%3Aamzn1.symc.c3d5766d-b606-46b8-ab07-1d9d1da0638a\u0026amp;pf_rd_p=679481c3-2bf4-4843-80c0-ffb319282e84\u0026amp;pf_rd_r=QCJZ25RGD4WM3VZG96JX\u0026amp;pd_rd_wg=Mr83J\u0026amp;pd_rd_r=3965b0ad-d80d-4593-b6fa-0d0c9a9faa24\u0026amp;pd_rd_i=B0CPJVYQG4\" target=\"_blank\"\u003EYuga Shift\u003C\/a\u003E, I had noticed something about comet tails that had utterly captivated me. The structure and variety of their tails are identical to the flagella used by a number of microorganisms for locomotion – particularly algae. And the way comets move through space while rotating on their axis and waving their tails, is exactly the manner in which algae move as well.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Ch2 style=\"text-align: left;\"\u003EComet Tails and Flagella\u003C\/h2\u003E\u003Cp\u003EHow do comets move through space? The current thinking is that, a comet is a ball of ice and frozen gases with a covering of dirt, and the term “dirty snowballs” is often used to describe them.\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EWhen a comet approaches the Sun, the nucleus gets heated by solar radiation. As a result, the sub-surface ices begin to sublimate (i.e. they turn directly from solid to gas) and come out through the cracks on the crust. As the gases come out, they blow off bits of dust particles. The rocket-like outgassing of materials gives a comet the ability to move and accelerate on its own.\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EThe gas and dust released by the nucleus of a comet forms the brilliant coma around the nucleus and, typically, two long tails - a yellowish-white, curvy, “dust tail” and a straight, bluish, “ion tail” -\u0026nbsp; both of which point away from the Sun due to the effect of solar wind.\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EIn general, the diameter of a cometary nucleus can vary from 100 m to more than 100 km, while the diameter of a coma can reach a thousand kilometers, and the tails can extend for millions of kilometers.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Ctable align=\"center\" cellpadding=\"0\" cellspacing=\"0\" class=\"tr-caption-container\" style=\"margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;\"\u003E\u003Ctbody\u003E\u003Ctr\u003E\u003Ctd style=\"text-align: center;\"\u003E\u003Ca href=\"https:\/\/blogger.googleusercontent.com\/img\/b\/R29vZ2xl\/AVvXsEgMgzsVscsOB5COsfAaQ2w2ZGna7Z3AwSciNEtjDvFpLz-xIz3RtUIg_qsgXehBvolXHMwpMCjcyBGLz2-_bN4xa0rYKBHPT063bTVtuXWbnqkIHpISyT1ayYYBTF3ByDDhPPlCP0O1ZyiGvjMD3J5JrxVeh65UYjZQKh3M6xFP5RlFZI4SrppdH_xOqDM\/s1400\/Comet%20Hale%20Bopp%20clicked%20on%2014%20March,%201997,%20credit%20ESO%20E%20Slawik,%20edit%20Public%20Domain%20small.jpg\" style=\"margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;\"\u003E\u003Cimg border=\"0\" data-original-height=\"957\" data-original-width=\"1400\" height=\"274\" src=\"https:\/\/blogger.googleusercontent.com\/img\/b\/R29vZ2xl\/AVvXsEgMgzsVscsOB5COsfAaQ2w2ZGna7Z3AwSciNEtjDvFpLz-xIz3RtUIg_qsgXehBvolXHMwpMCjcyBGLz2-_bN4xa0rYKBHPT063bTVtuXWbnqkIHpISyT1ayYYBTF3ByDDhPPlCP0O1ZyiGvjMD3J5JrxVeh65UYjZQKh3M6xFP5RlFZI4SrppdH_xOqDM\/w400-h274\/Comet%20Hale%20Bopp%20clicked%20on%2014%20March,%201997,%20credit%20ESO%20E%20Slawik,%20edit%20Public%20Domain%20small.jpg\" width=\"400\" \/\u003E\u003C\/a\u003E\u003C\/td\u003E\u003C\/tr\u003E\u003Ctr\u003E\u003Ctd class=\"tr-caption\" style=\"text-align: center;\"\u003EFigure 3: The dust tail and ion tail of Comet Hale-Bopp, 1997. Credit: ESO \/ E. Slawik, Public Domain Image.\u003C\/td\u003E\u003C\/tr\u003E\u003C\/tbody\u003E\u003C\/table\u003EI never really had any reason to doubt these explanations until I saw a couple of images of comet tails which sparked off a different line of thinking.\u003Cp\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Ch4 style=\"text-align: left;\"\u003EComet Tail Striations\u003C\/h4\u003E\u003Cp\u003EIn some comets, the dust tail has distinct striations. These were first observed in Comet McNaught in 2007, which was one of the brightest comets visible from the earth in the past 50 years. NASA reported that, “Setting McNaught apart further still from its peers, however, was its highly structured tail, composed of \u003Cb\u003Emany distinct dust bands called striae, or striations\u003C\/b\u003E, that stretched more than 100 million miles behind the comet, longer than the distance between Earth and the Sun.”[5]\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Ctable align=\"center\" cellpadding=\"0\" cellspacing=\"0\" class=\"tr-caption-container\" style=\"margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;\"\u003E\u003Ctbody\u003E\u003Ctr\u003E\u003Ctd style=\"text-align: center;\"\u003E\u003Ca href=\"https:\/\/blogger.googleusercontent.com\/img\/b\/R29vZ2xl\/AVvXsEg5d-MSYsru5rzjsLDGwq7ejMu_WlDgp3FD1uMt-WHgbCGDR_r_XgJjC40fRA9mxkgsECn9a9wDuDOE4gjHP-RmfZWYJhXek3dYdDLL9jpOf_uukMWCD3Xoz7S2JVTt3g3TTM8wqtZ5MMfaQeVGFn-5iUSfwt7CA4fBkIWOjHUN0nCI0t-7C0_pIO9r2EY\/s1400\/Comet%20McNaught%20over%20the%20Pacific%20ocean%20as%20viewed%20from%20the%20ESO%20Paranal%20Observatory,%202007,%20ESO%20slash%20Sebastian%20Deiries,%20CC%20BY%204%20small.jpg\" style=\"margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;\"\u003E\u003Cimg border=\"0\" data-original-height=\"932\" data-original-width=\"1400\" height=\"426\" src=\"https:\/\/blogger.googleusercontent.com\/img\/b\/R29vZ2xl\/AVvXsEg5d-MSYsru5rzjsLDGwq7ejMu_WlDgp3FD1uMt-WHgbCGDR_r_XgJjC40fRA9mxkgsECn9a9wDuDOE4gjHP-RmfZWYJhXek3dYdDLL9jpOf_uukMWCD3Xoz7S2JVTt3g3TTM8wqtZ5MMfaQeVGFn-5iUSfwt7CA4fBkIWOjHUN0nCI0t-7C0_pIO9r2EY\/w640-h426\/Comet%20McNaught%20over%20the%20Pacific%20ocean%20as%20viewed%20from%20the%20ESO%20Paranal%20Observatory,%202007,%20ESO%20slash%20Sebastian%20Deiries,%20CC%20BY%204%20small.jpg\" width=\"640\" \/\u003E\u003C\/a\u003E\u003C\/td\u003E\u003C\/tr\u003E\u003Ctr\u003E\u003Ctd class=\"tr-caption\" style=\"text-align: center;\"\u003EFigure 4: Comet McNaught over the Pacific Ocean, 2007. The dust tail has\n many striations. Credit: ESO \/ Sebastian Deiries, CC BY 4.0.\u003C\/td\u003E\u003C\/tr\u003E\u003C\/tbody\u003E\u003C\/table\u003E\u003Ctable align=\"center\" cellpadding=\"0\" cellspacing=\"0\" class=\"tr-caption-container\" style=\"margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;\"\u003E\u003Ctbody\u003E\u003Ctr\u003E\u003Ctd style=\"text-align: center;\"\u003E\u003Ca href=\"https:\/\/blogger.googleusercontent.com\/img\/b\/R29vZ2xl\/AVvXsEgLn39SGY6wle2WWO3659yODMYWLOXRXIDIqMJyCVA3e-QUzcLo_OVjoSzgv-293kfNDVm1o3iwWScAx54EwkZqOxQYKS1cNYi9zAlheYLxaPdHcGPmEXOlakXsn0yECJ89hznQFu-xcgs2MnvAjSnp81KhsOp6PH_OGRMXOTQ8TdbHuhCIrh4wwNK1v7M\/s1214\/Comet%20Neowise%20Zixuan%20Lin%20%20NASA%20APOD%202020%20July%2022.jpg\" style=\"margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;\"\u003E\u003Cimg border=\"0\" data-original-height=\"1214\" data-original-width=\"960\" height=\"400\" src=\"https:\/\/blogger.googleusercontent.com\/img\/b\/R29vZ2xl\/AVvXsEgLn39SGY6wle2WWO3659yODMYWLOXRXIDIqMJyCVA3e-QUzcLo_OVjoSzgv-293kfNDVm1o3iwWScAx54EwkZqOxQYKS1cNYi9zAlheYLxaPdHcGPmEXOlakXsn0yECJ89hznQFu-xcgs2MnvAjSnp81KhsOp6PH_OGRMXOTQ8TdbHuhCIrh4wwNK1v7M\/w316-h400\/Comet%20Neowise%20Zixuan%20Lin%20%20NASA%20APOD%202020%20July%2022.jpg\" width=\"316\" \/\u003E\u003C\/a\u003E\u003C\/td\u003E\u003C\/tr\u003E\u003Ctr\u003E\u003Ctd class=\"tr-caption\" style=\"text-align: center;\"\u003EFigure 5: The Structured Tails of Comet NEOWISE. This is a 40-image \nconglomerate, captured through the dark skies of the Gobi Desert in \nInner Mongolia, China. Credit: NASA APOD 2020 July 22 \/ Zixuan Lin\u003C\/td\u003E\u003C\/tr\u003E\u003C\/tbody\u003E\u003C\/table\u003E\u003Cp\u003ESimilar striations were observed in the dust tail of Comet NEOWISE in 2020. NASA Science reported that, “Comet NEOWISE's impressive \u003Cb\u003Edust-tail striations\u003C\/b\u003E are not fully understood, as yet, but likely related to rotating streams of sun-reflecting grit liberated by ice melting on its 5-kilometer wide nucleus.”[6]\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EWhat is really intriguing about these dust-tail striations is that, even though we have been able to detect these striations only in recent decades using highly advanced telescopes, they were clearly depicted in an ancient Chinese “comet atlas” found in a Han-era tomb that was sealed in 168 BCE.\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EThe 2000-year-old comet atlas – a portion of the \u003Cb\u003EMawangdui Silk Text\u003C\/b\u003E - records hundreds of comet sighting over three centuries, with two dozen rendering of specific cometary forms. Each sighting noted the time of appearance, flight path, and disappearance, accompanied by a caption describing an event that corresponded to the comet's appearance, such as, “the death of the prince,” “the coming of the plague,” “the 3 year drought” etc.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Ctable align=\"center\" cellpadding=\"0\" cellspacing=\"0\" class=\"tr-caption-container\" style=\"margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;\"\u003E\u003Ctbody\u003E\u003Ctr\u003E\u003Ctd style=\"text-align: center;\"\u003E\u003Ca href=\"https:\/\/blogger.googleusercontent.com\/img\/b\/R29vZ2xl\/AVvXsEjze0JnBLrPtqbOTHQJd9Sg6uxjAzEvo3GUGF_oRdQVu4QQjSGB7iPw4jcQsIhRR8d1kSuj8qHC33HbfYEqst-NoG4TLOxyGo6ZdaGfw7_FTgKMjJPti1AP0L_yL8zuDfal-s-btG_ZEOfKWZPKs-bq1sJSs7WSi42E6N3ATEzFlnBJfkMva9MHenU94jw\/s1162\/Mawangdui%20Silk%20comet%20atlas%20solarsystem.nasa.gov.jpg\" style=\"margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;\"\u003E\u003Cimg border=\"0\" data-original-height=\"1162\" data-original-width=\"1152\" height=\"400\" src=\"https:\/\/blogger.googleusercontent.com\/img\/b\/R29vZ2xl\/AVvXsEjze0JnBLrPtqbOTHQJd9Sg6uxjAzEvo3GUGF_oRdQVu4QQjSGB7iPw4jcQsIhRR8d1kSuj8qHC33HbfYEqst-NoG4TLOxyGo6ZdaGfw7_FTgKMjJPti1AP0L_yL8zuDfal-s-btG_ZEOfKWZPKs-bq1sJSs7WSi42E6N3ATEzFlnBJfkMva9MHenU94jw\/w396-h400\/Mawangdui%20Silk%20comet%20atlas%20solarsystem.nasa.gov.jpg\" width=\"396\" \/\u003E\u003C\/a\u003E\u003C\/td\u003E\u003C\/tr\u003E\u003Ctr\u003E\u003Ctd class=\"tr-caption\" style=\"text-align: center;\"\u003EFigure 6: The comet atlas in the Mawangdui Silk Text clearly depicts \nstriations in the comet tails. Source: NASA, Public Domain Image\u003C\/td\u003E\u003C\/tr\u003E\u003C\/tbody\u003E\u003C\/table\u003E\u003Cp\u003EThe images in the Mawangdui comet atlas indicates that the ancient Chinese astronomers could clearly see the dust tail striations of comets. Which makes you wonder, what kind of advanced optical instruments could they have been using? Surely, they were not peering through hollowed-out bamboo shoots, as experts would have us believe.\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EWhile looking at this Chinese comet atlas, it occurred to me that the cometary tails look vaguely familiar, as if I had seen them a long time ago. “Isn’t this how the flagella of unicellular organisms look like? “ I thought to myself, and decided to refresh my memory of high school biology.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EHere’s what I found out, in brief. Many unicellular organisms such as bacteria, algae, and protozoa use cilia and flagella for locomotion. The flagella are long, whip-like projections from the cell body, while the cilia are small, hair-like projections on the cell surface. While a cell may have hundreds of cilia, the number of flagella are generally less than ten.\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Ctable align=\"center\" cellpadding=\"0\" cellspacing=\"0\" class=\"tr-caption-container\" style=\"margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;\"\u003E\u003Ctbody\u003E\u003Ctr\u003E\u003Ctd style=\"text-align: center;\"\u003E\u003Ca href=\"https:\/\/blogger.googleusercontent.com\/img\/b\/R29vZ2xl\/AVvXsEiHG6XPRY-uXif6WYaY_Ys_b3kTmDN9G8u0b16RNPiQKX-7ivlfElt120gdXBaoQqfPX9dB8g0N8lapeKGqCjdnM1dj_p20J_ZSKY8_g-PFyUqOoWDfLqMC81430ZBPF9oFobeBHRyfPqVZ0qX_rIs8dwOW1ZL3wi4kT-tWQUXuPsWAPqxQkeir4Kv0GBo\/s1400\/Cilia%20and%20Flagella%20small.jpg\" style=\"margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;\"\u003E\u003Cimg border=\"0\" data-original-height=\"1191\" data-original-width=\"1400\" height=\"544\" src=\"https:\/\/blogger.googleusercontent.com\/img\/b\/R29vZ2xl\/AVvXsEiHG6XPRY-uXif6WYaY_Ys_b3kTmDN9G8u0b16RNPiQKX-7ivlfElt120gdXBaoQqfPX9dB8g0N8lapeKGqCjdnM1dj_p20J_ZSKY8_g-PFyUqOoWDfLqMC81430ZBPF9oFobeBHRyfPqVZ0qX_rIs8dwOW1ZL3wi4kT-tWQUXuPsWAPqxQkeir4Kv0GBo\/w640-h544\/Cilia%20and%20Flagella%20small.jpg\" width=\"640\" \/\u003E\u003C\/a\u003E\u003C\/td\u003E\u003C\/tr\u003E\u003Ctr\u003E\u003Ctd class=\"tr-caption\" style=\"text-align: center;\"\u003EFigure 7: Differences between cilia and flagella. Source: Adobe Stock\u003C\/td\u003E\u003C\/tr\u003E\u003C\/tbody\u003E\u003C\/table\u003E\u003Cp\u003EA unicellular organism uses both cilia and flagella for locomotion. While the cilia execute a back-and-front beating, the flagella moves in a propeller-like manner to drive the organism forward, such that it forms waves on the flagella.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Ctable align=\"center\" cellpadding=\"0\" cellspacing=\"0\" class=\"tr-caption-container\" style=\"margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;\"\u003E\u003Ctbody\u003E\u003Ctr\u003E\u003Ctd style=\"text-align: center;\"\u003E\u003Ca href=\"https:\/\/blogger.googleusercontent.com\/img\/b\/R29vZ2xl\/AVvXsEi_f4C3IuYwyEtRR52Tui13M1jVdX5Tu2jsvbdw_eRRILftuT3V39w9nj0BEEmcb4sSkMCiq2Ii9UoGpGDJx988MOXs8oGZvCbnIz99LhSTUaH-fta-liC0d0XV_txlfo4pYejFB99PEpWYtut0gEoRXogRPyI1l6880O7HYJBz6BiRXEatxWDuQEhAsVY\/s1400\/Cilia%20and%20Flagella%20locomotion%20small.jpg\" style=\"margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;\"\u003E\u003Cimg border=\"0\" data-original-height=\"933\" data-original-width=\"1400\" height=\"426\" src=\"https:\/\/blogger.googleusercontent.com\/img\/b\/R29vZ2xl\/AVvXsEi_f4C3IuYwyEtRR52Tui13M1jVdX5Tu2jsvbdw_eRRILftuT3V39w9nj0BEEmcb4sSkMCiq2Ii9UoGpGDJx988MOXs8oGZvCbnIz99LhSTUaH-fta-liC0d0XV_txlfo4pYejFB99PEpWYtut0gEoRXogRPyI1l6880O7HYJBz6BiRXEatxWDuQEhAsVY\/w640-h426\/Cilia%20and%20Flagella%20locomotion%20small.jpg\" width=\"640\" \/\u003E\u003C\/a\u003E\u003C\/td\u003E\u003C\/tr\u003E\u003Ctr\u003E\u003Ctd class=\"tr-caption\" style=\"text-align: center;\"\u003EFigure 8: Motion of cilia and flagella. Source: Adobe Stock\u003C\/td\u003E\u003C\/tr\u003E\u003C\/tbody\u003E\u003C\/table\u003E\u003Cp\u003EThis is what made my eyes light up: there are four types of flagella in algal cells, and a single cell may have one or more of these types:\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Col style=\"text-align: left;\"\u003E\u003Cli\u003E\u003Cb\u003EAcronematic\u003C\/b\u003E flagella is smooth and elongated without any hairs.\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/li\u003E\u003Cli\u003E\u003Cb\u003EPantonematic\u003C\/b\u003E flagella has a central filament with two rows of lateral hairs (called mastigonemes) attached to it like feathers.\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/li\u003E\u003Cli\u003E\u003Cb\u003EPantocronematic\u003C\/b\u003E flagella also has a central filament with two rows of hairs, but with a single terminal hair.\u003C\/li\u003E\u003Cli\u003E\u003Cb\u003EStichonematic\u003C\/b\u003E flagella has a central filament with a single row of hair.\u0026nbsp;\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/li\u003E\u003C\/ol\u003E\u003Ctable align=\"center\" cellpadding=\"0\" cellspacing=\"0\" class=\"tr-caption-container\" style=\"margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;\"\u003E\u003Ctbody\u003E\u003Ctr\u003E\u003Ctd style=\"text-align: center;\"\u003E\u003Ca href=\"https:\/\/blogger.googleusercontent.com\/img\/b\/R29vZ2xl\/AVvXsEjzOR69Qgg6Kg1eziWbkD4_tHjNUL57at9i7RH1K7nAmCMBbsEQvhaiv6wY9befAJy6j9vZYWMH4s4V7rrJ4fiC8I19X-scdKjGawsLxL_81pm2Eny6fnj4f7PhqF5gbCc4DCToxTkEAUJWgWDOBBj7bLSZh_0CHLwQTI66kjdkN_xOhtCfOlGdjwpEA4g\/s1045\/Different%20Types%20of%20Flagella.jpg\" style=\"margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;\"\u003E\u003Cimg border=\"0\" data-original-height=\"613\" data-original-width=\"1045\" height=\"235\" src=\"https:\/\/blogger.googleusercontent.com\/img\/b\/R29vZ2xl\/AVvXsEjzOR69Qgg6Kg1eziWbkD4_tHjNUL57at9i7RH1K7nAmCMBbsEQvhaiv6wY9befAJy6j9vZYWMH4s4V7rrJ4fiC8I19X-scdKjGawsLxL_81pm2Eny6fnj4f7PhqF5gbCc4DCToxTkEAUJWgWDOBBj7bLSZh_0CHLwQTI66kjdkN_xOhtCfOlGdjwpEA4g\/w400-h235\/Different%20Types%20of%20Flagella.jpg\" width=\"400\" \/\u003E\u003C\/a\u003E\u003C\/td\u003E\u003C\/tr\u003E\u003Ctr\u003E\u003Ctd class=\"tr-caption\" style=\"text-align: center;\"\u003EFigure 9: Different types of flagella in algal cells. Credit: Sketch by Bibhu Dev Misra\u003C\/td\u003E\u003C\/tr\u003E\u003C\/tbody\u003E\u003C\/table\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EIn general, the acronematic flagella (i.e. the one without the lateral hairs) are also called \u003Cb\u003Ewhiplash flagella\u003C\/b\u003E, while the other three types of flagella having lateral hairs are collectively called \u003Cb\u003Etinsel flagella\u003C\/b\u003E.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003ENow, if we look back at the depictions of the comets in the Mawangdui comet atlas, we will notice something quite astonishing: \u003Ci\u003Eeach and every comet tail depicted in the Mawangdui comet atlas corresponds to one of the flagella types of algal cells!\u003C\/i\u003E\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EIn the diagram below, I have mapped the comet tails depicted in the Mawangdui comet atlas to the flagella types of algae.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Ctable align=\"center\" cellpadding=\"0\" cellspacing=\"0\" class=\"tr-caption-container\" style=\"margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;\"\u003E\u003Ctbody\u003E\u003Ctr\u003E\u003Ctd style=\"text-align: center;\"\u003E\u003Ca href=\"https:\/\/blogger.googleusercontent.com\/img\/b\/R29vZ2xl\/AVvXsEhIfZ994L7F7ncU4tjX-O5xgwLE-j2x9ruQ5tM6OZDrrFnumK6n3zqrJ-z0VDL7GDH8uuy3PeKvXUpnNPAn0h4Y5BSRpLd9_vd-KN97S7_ZgjLHsArAAR4GtA7bWJ-hNBosaCu93GIzNCRxgapZDD_WPEhCbBNKh9hdtoJwFhzC2ZpIhpwaCPS_uh9XpqQ\/s1077\/Chinese%20comet%20atlas%20Mawangdui%20Silk%20Text%20Flagella%20types.jpg\" style=\"margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;\"\u003E\u003Cimg border=\"0\" data-original-height=\"1077\" data-original-width=\"1063\" height=\"640\" src=\"https:\/\/blogger.googleusercontent.com\/img\/b\/R29vZ2xl\/AVvXsEhIfZ994L7F7ncU4tjX-O5xgwLE-j2x9ruQ5tM6OZDrrFnumK6n3zqrJ-z0VDL7GDH8uuy3PeKvXUpnNPAn0h4Y5BSRpLd9_vd-KN97S7_ZgjLHsArAAR4GtA7bWJ-hNBosaCu93GIzNCRxgapZDD_WPEhCbBNKh9hdtoJwFhzC2ZpIhpwaCPS_uh9XpqQ\/w632-h640\/Chinese%20comet%20atlas%20Mawangdui%20Silk%20Text%20Flagella%20types.jpg\" width=\"632\" \/\u003E\u003C\/a\u003E\u003C\/td\u003E\u003C\/tr\u003E\u003Ctr\u003E\u003Ctd class=\"tr-caption\" style=\"text-align: center;\"\u003EFigure 10: The comets tails in the Mawangdui Silk Texts can be mapped to algal flagella types\u003C\/td\u003E\u003C\/tr\u003E\u003C\/tbody\u003E\u003C\/table\u003E\u003Cp\u003EI was amazed by the exact correlation. It’s almost as if the ancient Chinese astronomers, instead of looking up at the sky, were peering at the ground with their telescopes and describing unicellular organisms with flagella! But, obviously, that’s not the case.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EWhat this strange association implies is that, comets might actually have faint tail-like structures for locomotion, which become visible when a comet emits gases, and sunlight reflects off it, but otherwise remain invisible to us at such long distances. The gas and dust released by a comet may be coalescing around the cilia to form the brilliant coma, and around the flagella to form the comet tails.\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EThat would explain why the coma and the tails of a comet have well-defined shapes that remain extremely stable over time, even as the comet hurtles through space. If the tails were formed only by solar wind, as per current reckoning, then it would have lacked any definite shape and would be in a constant state of flux. Imagine smoke coming out of a chimney that is being blown around by wind.\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EThe whiplash flagella appears to correspond to the “ion tail” of a comet, which is straight and bluish in color and does not have any striations, while the tinsel flagella correspond to the curvy “dust tail” of a comet where the striations appear.\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EComet C\/2014 Q2 (Lovejoy), a long-period comet which came from the Oort cloud and spun around the Sun in 2015, displayed multiple “ion tails”, indicative of multiple whiplash flagella. The Mawangdui comet atlas also has a number of comets with multiple whiplash flagella.\u0026nbsp;\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Ctable align=\"center\" cellpadding=\"0\" cellspacing=\"0\" class=\"tr-caption-container\" style=\"margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;\"\u003E\u003Ctbody\u003E\u003Ctr\u003E\u003Ctd style=\"text-align: center;\"\u003E\u003Ca href=\"https:\/\/blogger.googleusercontent.com\/img\/b\/R29vZ2xl\/AVvXsEjsZLAZFPAZS3igYkXrAe5RMPIGbRzXYy44gwy7C0vG7AHuX_hOzwdUrRKiZUWOID6u_j5FDm2BetspsdwE8og8HfbvA0Ux_aO7G31RGa7JYS0hUgTLWQ1pVO7_6kNoGCqlk2PUvUrP8Y1YklxlzxsTh9_fDst7dDOsGgjPdyMTCH9IQeRWevVxDLpx3y8\/s960\/Comet%20Lovejoy%20Velimir%20Popov%20and%20Emil%20Ivanov%20of%20IRIDA%20Observatory.jpg\" style=\"margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;\"\u003E\u003Cimg border=\"0\" data-original-height=\"713\" data-original-width=\"960\" height=\"475\" src=\"https:\/\/blogger.googleusercontent.com\/img\/b\/R29vZ2xl\/AVvXsEjsZLAZFPAZS3igYkXrAe5RMPIGbRzXYy44gwy7C0vG7AHuX_hOzwdUrRKiZUWOID6u_j5FDm2BetspsdwE8og8HfbvA0Ux_aO7G31RGa7JYS0hUgTLWQ1pVO7_6kNoGCqlk2PUvUrP8Y1YklxlzxsTh9_fDst7dDOsGgjPdyMTCH9IQeRWevVxDLpx3y8\/w640-h475\/Comet%20Lovejoy%20Velimir%20Popov%20and%20Emil%20Ivanov%20of%20IRIDA%20Observatory.jpg\" width=\"640\" \/\u003E\u003C\/a\u003E\u003C\/td\u003E\u003C\/tr\u003E\u003Ctr\u003E\u003Ctd class=\"tr-caption\" style=\"text-align: center;\"\u003EFigure 11: The ion tail of Comet C\/2014 Q2 (Lovejoy) has distinct \nthreads of ionized gas which change their wavy appearance over time. \nCredit: NASA, APOD, Jan 21, 2015 \/ Velimir Popov \u0026amp; Emil Ivanov \n(IRIDA Observatory)\u003C\/td\u003E\u003C\/tr\u003E\u003C\/tbody\u003E\u003C\/table\u003E\u003Ctable align=\"center\" cellpadding=\"0\" cellspacing=\"0\" class=\"tr-caption-container\" style=\"margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;\"\u003E\u003Ctbody\u003E\u003Ctr\u003E\u003Ctd style=\"text-align: center;\"\u003E\u003Ca href=\"https:\/\/blogger.googleusercontent.com\/img\/b\/R29vZ2xl\/AVvXsEgyR-uFh6wklPXllg3chH3NdH7c4BjiMVlaEiwh-E3bmOXC9WBVQzAPpnO-s0YR41dIQFmiZCIksaYze5BacHnfitJ0OJtsBjyMdCDrTCMmJ0k6sU2GF3OCo6JdGsjpGZngsVPeRaKhtGgS_lKEblvf3fzCjRCfaIP6Uq3svCmO9lOBHSzVjK8C-LHEC0o\/s1400\/AdobeStock_1117569172%20Cholera%20bacteria%20small.jpg\" style=\"margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;\"\u003E\u003Cimg border=\"0\" data-original-height=\"723\" data-original-width=\"1400\" height=\"330\" src=\"https:\/\/blogger.googleusercontent.com\/img\/b\/R29vZ2xl\/AVvXsEgyR-uFh6wklPXllg3chH3NdH7c4BjiMVlaEiwh-E3bmOXC9WBVQzAPpnO-s0YR41dIQFmiZCIksaYze5BacHnfitJ0OJtsBjyMdCDrTCMmJ0k6sU2GF3OCo6JdGsjpGZngsVPeRaKhtGgS_lKEblvf3fzCjRCfaIP6Uq3svCmO9lOBHSzVjK8C-LHEC0o\/w640-h330\/AdobeStock_1117569172%20Cholera%20bacteria%20small.jpg\" width=\"640\" \/\u003E\u003C\/a\u003E\u003C\/td\u003E\u003C\/tr\u003E\u003Ctr\u003E\u003Ctd class=\"tr-caption\" style=\"text-align: center;\"\u003EFigure 12: A cholera bacteria with multiple whiplash flagella. Source: Adobe Stock\u003C\/td\u003E\u003C\/tr\u003E\u003C\/tbody\u003E\u003C\/table\u003E\u003Ch4 style=\"text-align: left;\"\u003EComet Tails Wiggle and Change their Wavy Appearance\u003C\/h4\u003E\u003Cp\u003ENASA had reported something interesting about the movement of the tails of Comet C\/2014 Q2 (Comet Lovejoy).\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp style=\"margin-left: 40px; text-align: left;\"\u003E“Comet C\/2014 Q2 (Lovejoy), which is currently at naked-eye brightness and near its brightest, has been showing an exquisitely detailed ion tail...The effect of the variable solar wind combined with different gas jets venting from the comet's nucleus accounts for the tail's complex structure. Following the wind, structure in Comet Lovejoy's tail can be seen to move outward from the Sun even \u003Cb\u003Ealter its wavy appearance over time\u003C\/b\u003E.”[7]\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EI found it intriguing that the ion tails of Comet C\/2014 Q2 (Lovejoy) changed their wavy appearance over time. This is what you would expect if the tails were being used for locomotion. In unicellular organisms, the flagella rotates like a propeller which gives it a wavy appearance.\u0026nbsp;\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Ctable align=\"center\" cellpadding=\"0\" cellspacing=\"0\" class=\"tr-caption-container\" style=\"margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;\"\u003E\u003Ctbody\u003E\u003Ctr\u003E\u003Ctd style=\"text-align: center;\"\u003E\u003Ca href=\"https:\/\/blogger.googleusercontent.com\/img\/b\/R29vZ2xl\/AVvXsEjewQtM7JSnwdCPlE-Zm1kaGnfJrEM2obUN8-VM1eSe4JS3buk2WMyvcjbHdnWIN1zIeMM5oQLGWLBwb2-Q3yeWvFD8vJwOw1GmtXFRUXcwqhoP_T_z5IdyWcFFTHBtMjxJOOZNV-mTfhLf6MdaHB9KUHLS3vVHkQk6XDffKaAV3wweGxhpuYiPHr8zf5I\/s1400\/AdobeStock_105175979%20Pseudomonas%20Bacteria%20small.jpg\" style=\"margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;\"\u003E\u003Cimg border=\"0\" data-original-height=\"933\" data-original-width=\"1400\" height=\"426\" src=\"https:\/\/blogger.googleusercontent.com\/img\/b\/R29vZ2xl\/AVvXsEjewQtM7JSnwdCPlE-Zm1kaGnfJrEM2obUN8-VM1eSe4JS3buk2WMyvcjbHdnWIN1zIeMM5oQLGWLBwb2-Q3yeWvFD8vJwOw1GmtXFRUXcwqhoP_T_z5IdyWcFFTHBtMjxJOOZNV-mTfhLf6MdaHB9KUHLS3vVHkQk6XDffKaAV3wweGxhpuYiPHr8zf5I\/w640-h426\/AdobeStock_105175979%20Pseudomonas%20Bacteria%20small.jpg\" width=\"640\" \/\u003E\u003C\/a\u003E\u003C\/td\u003E\u003C\/tr\u003E\u003Ctr\u003E\u003Ctd class=\"tr-caption\" style=\"text-align: center;\"\u003EFigure 13: The wavy appearance of the flagella of the Pseudomonas bacteria. Source: Adobe Stock\u003C\/td\u003E\u003C\/tr\u003E\u003C\/tbody\u003E\u003C\/table\u003E\u003Cp\u003EComet C\/2011 W3 (also called Comet Lovejoy, since it was discovered by amateur Australian astronomer, Terry Lovejoy) passed deep within the solar corona in December 2011. A team of researchers published a paper in the \u003Ci\u003EScience\u003C\/i\u003E journal, where they said that the tail of Comet Lovejoy “wiggled”.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp style=\"margin-left: 40px; text-align: left;\"\u003E“What the researchers found most interesting about Lovejoy's close call (with the Sun) was the movement of its tail as it passed though parts of the corona—it \u003Cb\u003Ewiggled\u003C\/b\u003E, displaying major changes in intensity, direction, persistence and magnitude.”[8]\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EIt gets more and more intriguing. Not only do the structure and variety of the tails of comets exactly resemble the flagella of algae, comets also wiggle their tails like algae, which changes their wavy appearance over time.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Ch4 style=\"text-align: left;\"\u003EComet Tail Disconnection Event\u003C\/h4\u003E\u003Cp\u003EOne of the most remarkable phenomena associated with comet tails is the “disconnection event”, \u003Ci\u003Ein which the entire tail, or a part of it, is separated from the comet’s head and moves away from the comet\u003C\/i\u003E. However, a comet soon regrows the disconnected tail.\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EA number of disconnection events have been observed over the years. On April 20, 2007, NASA’s solar observatory STEREO-A recorded comet Encke’s tail getting ripped off by a solar eruption. \u003Ca href=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/watch?v=pUzCaN3nlVQ\" target=\"_blank\"\u003EWatch this NASA video on YouTube.\u003C\/a\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EA piece of Comet Leonard's tail was pinched off and carried away by solar wind on Dec. 27, 2021, while a CME ripped off Comet Nishimura’s tail as it approached the Sun on September 2, 2023. \u003Ca href=\"https:\/\/www.scientificamerican.com\/article\/watch-a-comets-tail-get-mangled-by-the-sun\/\" target=\"_blank\"\u003ESee this gif on Scientific American.\u003C\/a\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EOn April 12, 2024, Comet 12P\/Pons-Brooks (12P) also called \"devil's comet\", experienced “a disconnection event, in which the comet's dusty tail was temporarily blown away by the solar storm before later regrowing.”[9]\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EThis is an extraordinary phenomenon! If a comet tail is formed simply due to outgassing, why would it get disconnected and carried away by solar wind, as if it were a physical structure?\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EAlthough many theories have been proposed to explain this phenomenon – such as ion production effects, pressure effects and magnetic reconnection – there is no convincing explanation as of now. YF Li et al. state in their recent paper, “From the above discussions we can see that further work is needed to understand the DE (Disconnection Event) triggering mechanisms.”[10]\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EBut what if comets actually possess physical tails, similar to the flagella of unicellular organisms such as algae? Do algae demonstrate a similar behavior? You bet they do! Not only do algal cells deflagellate i.e. detach their flagella in response to certain stimuli, they also regrow their flagella once the external stimuli is removed.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EMany studies have been done in this area. This paper titled, \"Isolation of Chlamydomonas flagella\", published in the journal \u003Ci\u003ECurrent Protocols in Cell Biology\u003C\/i\u003E states that,\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp style=\"margin-left: 40px; text-align: left;\"\u003E“Chlamydomonas can be synchronously deflagellated by treatment with chemicals, pH shock, or mechanical shear...Upon a rapid drop from neutral pH to pH 4.5, Chlamydomonas cells will synchronously and rapidly (within seconds) shed their flagella. After ~60 sec, the pH is returned to neutral and the cells begin regenerating their flagella, which re-grow to nearly full-length in about an hour.”[11]\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EThus, the extremely mysterious tail “disconnection event” of comets can be also explained using the analogy of the deflagellation of algal cells. That’s not all though. There’s more.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Ch4 style=\"text-align: left;\"\u003EComet Nucleus Rotates\u003C\/h4\u003E\u003Cp\u003EIt has been known for a long time that the nucleus of a comet rotates as it moves. Small comets rotate rapidly, while larger ones rotate slowly.[12] Algae move in a similar manner. Scientists studying the motion of the single-celled green alga called Chlamydomonas found that the body of the alga rotates in a corkscrewing movement, as it moves. As per a press release by the University of Exeter (2021):\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp style=\"margin-left: 40px; text-align: left;\"\u003E“A team of researchers from the University of Exeter’s flagship Living Systems Institute has discovered how the model alga Chlamydomonas is seemingly able to scan the environment by \u003Cb\u003Econstantly spinning around its own body axis\u003C\/b\u003E in a corkscrewing movement. This helps it respond to light, which it needs for photosynthesis...In the new study, the researchers first performed experiments which revealed that the two flagella in fact beat in planes that are slightly skewed away from each other.”[13]\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Ctable align=\"center\" cellpadding=\"0\" cellspacing=\"0\" class=\"tr-caption-container\" style=\"margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;\"\u003E\u003Ctbody\u003E\u003Ctr\u003E\u003Ctd style=\"text-align: center;\"\u003E\u003Ca href=\"https:\/\/blogger.googleusercontent.com\/img\/b\/R29vZ2xl\/AVvXsEieLO-JZHpv6nrFUDWd82RJ6b4ffIzvQPDwX1T_J4TNIsyvRlvjGrjGVfJjtViWzGWP9RFGwWc8BDHxF2O6NLJfkagyCO1Ee8o5GQWFuY6MlK6OESYnmD2iOHoVIgVmBLbJMkpJ0Kf8j5gMRyM-vsDenq8Gg-e50cNza_TR3jhYkcr79CK-waFibEvrRew\/s1400\/AdobeStock_1091126996%20Chlamydomonas%20small.jpg\" style=\"margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;\"\u003E\u003Cimg border=\"0\" data-original-height=\"785\" data-original-width=\"1400\" height=\"358\" src=\"https:\/\/blogger.googleusercontent.com\/img\/b\/R29vZ2xl\/AVvXsEieLO-JZHpv6nrFUDWd82RJ6b4ffIzvQPDwX1T_J4TNIsyvRlvjGrjGVfJjtViWzGWP9RFGwWc8BDHxF2O6NLJfkagyCO1Ee8o5GQWFuY6MlK6OESYnmD2iOHoVIgVmBLbJMkpJ0Kf8j5gMRyM-vsDenq8Gg-e50cNza_TR3jhYkcr79CK-waFibEvrRew\/w640-h358\/AdobeStock_1091126996%20Chlamydomonas%20small.jpg\" width=\"640\" \/\u003E\u003C\/a\u003E\u003C\/td\u003E\u003C\/tr\u003E\u003Ctr\u003E\u003Ctd class=\"tr-caption\" style=\"text-align: center;\"\u003EFigure 14: Chlamydomonas, the green alga, is a favorite subject of scientific research. Source: Adobe Stock\u003C\/td\u003E\u003C\/tr\u003E\u003C\/tbody\u003E\u003C\/table\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EAs I continued to down this line of thinking, more and more similarities between comets and terrestrial microbes, specifically algae, began to crop up. And so I wondered: what about the movement of comets around the Sun? Can that be explained as well using this analogy?\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Ch4 style=\"text-align: left;\"\u003EPhototaxis, Gravitaxis and Magnetoreception\u003C\/h4\u003E\u003Cp\u003EThe study done by the University of Exeter that I cited above found another interesting propensity of algae: \u003Ci\u003EChlamydomonas cells swim towards the light using their flagella, using light sensors on their body\u003C\/i\u003E. As prototrophs, they need the light for photosynthesis. As per the scientists in the study,\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp style=\"margin-left: 40px; text-align: left;\"\u003E“Chlamydomonas cells are able to sense light through a red eye spot and can react to it, known as \u003Cb\u003Ephototaxis\u003C\/b\u003E. The cell rotates steadily as it propels itself forwards using a sort of breaststroke, at a rate of about once or twice a second, so that its single eye can scan the local environment.”\u0026nbsp;\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EAmazing, isn’t it? A comet moves towards the Sun by wiggling its tails, and its nucleus rotates as it moves. Chlamydomonas cells move towards the light by beating their flagella, and the cell rotates as it moves to allow the “red eye spot” to scan the environment. The correspondences are spot on.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EPerhaps, comets also move by means of phototaxis? That would explain why they change their trajectory and speed so often, even when they are not close enough to any large planet to be influenced by their gravity. Comets may not be gravitationally bound to the Sun at all, and move on their own accord by means of phototaxis.\u0026nbsp;\u0026nbsp;\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Ctable align=\"center\" cellpadding=\"0\" cellspacing=\"0\" class=\"tr-caption-container\" style=\"margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;\"\u003E\u003Ctbody\u003E\u003Ctr\u003E\u003Ctd style=\"text-align: center;\"\u003E\u003Ca href=\"https:\/\/blogger.googleusercontent.com\/img\/b\/R29vZ2xl\/AVvXsEhmlbdZvcDuWEzNUwsVF5I2VccD4F6eGsLNwBtUJnlpeBGtnUX4NuqkWfw4fgsd_W-V9OQ4zUDwTki7EujsctIsKKxGNaSTxvHMbatBBlmVYtdfx3Gc5_iqf8BBYoipRb99kT1lKIIXA9UW6DLezIqpZ6Q6p_yXjfdqIgzkT3wOx_WuPyS82X3eKs1nCEU\/s1200\/phototaxis.png\" style=\"margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;\"\u003E\u003Cimg border=\"0\" data-original-height=\"812\" data-original-width=\"1200\" height=\"434\" src=\"https:\/\/blogger.googleusercontent.com\/img\/b\/R29vZ2xl\/AVvXsEhmlbdZvcDuWEzNUwsVF5I2VccD4F6eGsLNwBtUJnlpeBGtnUX4NuqkWfw4fgsd_W-V9OQ4zUDwTki7EujsctIsKKxGNaSTxvHMbatBBlmVYtdfx3Gc5_iqf8BBYoipRb99kT1lKIIXA9UW6DLezIqpZ6Q6p_yXjfdqIgzkT3wOx_WuPyS82X3eKs1nCEU\/w640-h434\/phototaxis.png\" width=\"640\" \/\u003E\u003C\/a\u003E\u003C\/td\u003E\u003C\/tr\u003E\u003Ctr\u003E\u003Ctd class=\"tr-caption\" style=\"text-align: center;\"\u003EFigure 15: Phototaxis in the green alga Volvox rousseletii. Source: Wikimedia Commons CC BY 2.0\u003C\/td\u003E\u003C\/tr\u003E\u003C\/tbody\u003E\u003C\/table\u003E\u003Cp\u003EOf course, this leads to another question: if comets move by means of phototaxis, then how do short-period comets (orbital periods less than 200 years), with their aphelion near Jupiter or Neptune, have relatively stable orbital periods? Even though the orbital periods of short-period comets also fluctuate, the variation is not significant. For instance, orbital period of Halley’s Comet has varied between 74 and 80 years since 240 BCE.\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003ECan phototaxis, by itself, guarantee such stable orbits? Since long-period comets from the Oort cloud have wildly fluctuating orbital periods, they are not of any concern in this regard.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Ctable align=\"center\" cellpadding=\"0\" cellspacing=\"0\" class=\"tr-caption-container\" style=\"margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;\"\u003E\u003Ctbody\u003E\u003Ctr\u003E\u003Ctd style=\"text-align: center;\"\u003E\u003Ca href=\"https:\/\/blogger.googleusercontent.com\/img\/b\/R29vZ2xl\/AVvXsEiWjxX_ThmaHA8usungw3f9T_ueReZQxk_QNTh6NHjvYqcBvrfJHXrEuFlFvAa0xExPMa6X25bUbsRPQ7UK9XvcgySq-1PT_3LVcIzbwdwQQU31FfXKuhg5qhHP2Lpy8-W6legddi3ZbYeX9bITwBDkgzjdeHQrMTb08zdtK9cS5E0luQF8IWvxz_qw4gg\/s1350\/52%20Short%20Period%20comets%20Yuga%20Cycle2.jpg\" style=\"margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;\"\u003E\u003Cimg border=\"0\" data-original-height=\"957\" data-original-width=\"1350\" height=\"454\" src=\"https:\/\/blogger.googleusercontent.com\/img\/b\/R29vZ2xl\/AVvXsEiWjxX_ThmaHA8usungw3f9T_ueReZQxk_QNTh6NHjvYqcBvrfJHXrEuFlFvAa0xExPMa6X25bUbsRPQ7UK9XvcgySq-1PT_3LVcIzbwdwQQU31FfXKuhg5qhHP2Lpy8-W6legddi3ZbYeX9bITwBDkgzjdeHQrMTb08zdtK9cS5E0luQF8IWvxz_qw4gg\/w640-h454\/52%20Short%20Period%20comets%20Yuga%20Cycle2.jpg\" width=\"640\" \/\u003E\u003C\/a\u003E\u003C\/td\u003E\u003C\/tr\u003E\u003Ctr\u003E\u003Ctd class=\"tr-caption\" style=\"text-align: center;\"\u003EFigure 16: Short-period comets have orbital periods of less than 200 \nyears and are believed to originate from the Kuiper Belt, a ring of icy \nobjects beyond the orbit of Neptune. Credit: Bibhu Dev Misra\u003C\/td\u003E\u003C\/tr\u003E\u003C\/tbody\u003E\u003C\/table\u003E\u003Ctable align=\"center\" cellpadding=\"0\" cellspacing=\"0\" class=\"tr-caption-container\" style=\"margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;\"\u003E\u003Ctbody\u003E\u003Ctr\u003E\u003Ctd style=\"text-align: center;\"\u003E\u003Ca href=\"https:\/\/blogger.googleusercontent.com\/img\/b\/R29vZ2xl\/AVvXsEj4W-C7B-1xNjm0_5O5Qzw8mhmEujTDCs9zbUocIJs_woP5m54p9YmSryRjx-RHlx-SElSqvQhmfh7YHePXP9me2lrV7KqxK6-bRXj1FrLlRdmVDByBOXjN0Atx0QZ8XjIHjEoDZHAXE8ZOpDMRQ6zC3rw3v62-p3jzwDGqKSs21ASXzuKkT8dinl7HY-w\/s1400\/53%20Long%20Period%20comets%20Yuga%20Cycle.jpg\" style=\"margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;\"\u003E\u003Cimg border=\"0\" data-original-height=\"997\" data-original-width=\"1400\" height=\"456\" src=\"https:\/\/blogger.googleusercontent.com\/img\/b\/R29vZ2xl\/AVvXsEj4W-C7B-1xNjm0_5O5Qzw8mhmEujTDCs9zbUocIJs_woP5m54p9YmSryRjx-RHlx-SElSqvQhmfh7YHePXP9me2lrV7KqxK6-bRXj1FrLlRdmVDByBOXjN0Atx0QZ8XjIHjEoDZHAXE8ZOpDMRQ6zC3rw3v62-p3jzwDGqKSs21ASXzuKkT8dinl7HY-w\/w640-h456\/53%20Long%20Period%20comets%20Yuga%20Cycle.jpg\" width=\"640\" \/\u003E\u003C\/a\u003E\u003C\/td\u003E\u003C\/tr\u003E\u003Ctr\u003E\u003Ctd class=\"tr-caption\" style=\"text-align: center;\"\u003EFigure 17: Long-period comets have orbital periods of more than 200 \nyears, and they originate from the spherical Oort cloud. These comets \ncan enter the solar system from any random direction. Credit: Bibhu Dev \nMisra\u003C\/td\u003E\u003C\/tr\u003E\u003C\/tbody\u003E\u003C\/table\u003E\u003Cp\u003EIn addition to phototaxis, marine algae and other unicellular organisms have another ability called \u003Cb\u003Egravitaxis\u003C\/b\u003E, by means of which move towards or away from gravity. This is how algae move in circular patterns near the air-water interface.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EShort-period comets could be using a combination of phototaxis and gravitaxis for their orbital motion. They move towards the Sun by means of phototaxis and move back towards the gas-giants Jupiter and Neptune by means of gravitaxis. That would allow them to move in reasonably stable orbits.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EThen there is \u003Cb\u003Emagnetoreception\u003C\/b\u003E. We know that many types of terrestrial animals, such as migratory birds and sea turtles, use magnetoreceptors for sensing the earth’s magnetic field to orient themselves and navigate over long distances. Studies indicate that even microbial organisms possess magnetoreception. As per this paper titled, “Magnetoreception in Microorganisms”, published in \u003Ci\u003ETrends in Microbiology\u003C\/i\u003E (2020),\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp style=\"margin-left: 40px; text-align: left;\"\u003E“While an old report alleged the existence of microbial algae with similar behavior (i.e. magnetoreception), recent discoveries have demonstrated the existence of unicellular eukaryotes able to sense the geomagnetic field, and have revealed different mechanisms and strategies involved in such a sensing.”14\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EComets may possess “magnetoreceptors” inside their nucleus, using which they orient their orbits along the interplanetary magnetic field (IMF). Since the interplanetary magnetic field lines have occasional bends and twists (just like the earth’s magnetic field), a comet may not be found at the expected point in their orbit. Moreover, comets being conscious organisms, might jump from one magnetic field line to another, thereby changing their trajectory. They might increase or decrease their speed consciously, in response to certain internal or external stimuli.\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EIn other words, comets may not be like “cats”, as David H. Levy had quipped, but could very well be like unicellular organisms such as algae and bacteria. It is possible that they are not gravitationally bound to the Sun, but are moving around the sun consciously, using a combination of \u003Cb\u003Ephototaxis\u003C\/b\u003E, \u003Cb\u003Egravitaxis\u003C\/b\u003E and \u003Cb\u003Emagnetoreception\u003C\/b\u003E, using their flagella-like tails as locomotary organs.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EWhat started off for me as an intriguing connection between the structure of comet tails and algal flagella, led to me to start looking at comets in an entirely different way. They appear to be conscious space organisms, moving in the vast “cosmic ocean” of outer space within the meteor streams, in the same manner that marine plankton – algae, bacteria and other microorganisms - drift with the ocean currents.\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EIn other words, comets could be \u003Cb\u003E“space plankton”\u003C\/b\u003E, performing the same kinds of functions in outer space that marine plankton perform in the oceans of the earth – which is to maintain the chemical balance of the Solar System to facilitate its proper functioning, and support the growth and evolution of life in planetary systems such as ours.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EIn case you are not yet convinced that comets could possibly be conscious let me drop a bombshell: \u003Ci\u003Ecomets can reproduce in the same manner as unicellular organisms!\u003C\/i\u003E\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Ch2 style=\"text-align: left;\"\u003EBinary and Multiple Fission\u003C\/h2\u003E\u003Cp\u003EComets have an uncanny ability of fragmenting into many smaller comets. There are at least 25 instances over the past couple of centuries when a comet has been seen to fragment into smaller comets. In some cases, two or more comets have been discovered in nearly the same orbit, and calculations have indicated that they were once a single comet.\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EIf a comet nucleus was composed of the solidified ices of various gases and complex organic molecules, as astronomer suppose, and if the nucleus were to break apart in space due to tidal forces - something which often happens when a comet gets close to the Sun - \u003Ci\u003Ethen its interiors would have been instantly vaporized and dissipated!\u003C\/i\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EBut that’s not what happens in reality. Comets routinely fragment into multiple smaller comets during their perihelion passage, or after they enter the inner solar system and start to brighten up. The smaller comets formed by this fragmentation continue to move around the Sun in the same orbit as the parent comet.\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u003Ci\u003EWhat this means is that, comets don’t “fragment” into smaller comets. They replicate.\u003C\/i\u003E They have the ability to spawn more of their own, which is an intrinsic characteristic of living organisms.\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Ch4 style=\"text-align: left;\"\u003EReplication in Comets\u003C\/h4\u003E\u003Cp\u003ELet us look at a couple of instances of fragmenting comets, recorded in recent years.\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EIn September 2016, the Comet 332P\/Ikeya-Murakami, which orbits the Sun once every six years, fragmented into building-sized cometary nuclei, when it was just outside the orbit of Mars. The Hubble Space Telescope captured sharp images showing a large, bright speck of light - the solid core of Comet 332P, around 490 meters long - trailed by a parade of smaller bluish-white dots.\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EInterestingly, observations made earlier in 2015 by the Pan-STARRS telescope in Hawaii showed that there might be another chunk of rock (i.e. cometary nucleus), very close to the nucleus of Comet 332P and of almost the same size, suggesting that the parent of 332P may have split nearly in half at some point in the past. [15]\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Ctable align=\"center\" cellpadding=\"0\" cellspacing=\"0\" class=\"tr-caption-container\" style=\"margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;\"\u003E\u003Ctbody\u003E\u003Ctr\u003E\u003Ctd style=\"text-align: center;\"\u003E\u003Ca href=\"https:\/\/blogger.googleusercontent.com\/img\/b\/R29vZ2xl\/AVvXsEgGeHwNq_2G9PEZ4-XfQHZMK2qjsRmn-mov02I5G1HzQllTLY4tuoxUOxKhqO4vZjXI2fq9fp3bZFiiXtDaWYUUBr0dAXRuwQK8tbOcO-aY4m8c8yxI9z8JH6fhI3UfOAXM3GmB3KRVZV2rw2NtxJav4_2gcE-M9rudGyf2X2jMMEx5sZ2XqSp1q07MDV0\/s1024\/Comet%20332P%20Ikeya%20Murakami%20is%20breaking%20apart%20NASA.webp\" style=\"margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;\"\u003E\u003Cimg border=\"0\" data-original-height=\"734\" data-original-width=\"1024\" height=\"458\" src=\"https:\/\/blogger.googleusercontent.com\/img\/b\/R29vZ2xl\/AVvXsEgGeHwNq_2G9PEZ4-XfQHZMK2qjsRmn-mov02I5G1HzQllTLY4tuoxUOxKhqO4vZjXI2fq9fp3bZFiiXtDaWYUUBr0dAXRuwQK8tbOcO-aY4m8c8yxI9z8JH6fhI3UfOAXM3GmB3KRVZV2rw2NtxJav4_2gcE-M9rudGyf2X2jMMEx5sZ2XqSp1q07MDV0\/w640-h458\/Comet%20332P%20Ikeya%20Murakami%20is%20breaking%20apart%20NASA.webp\" width=\"640\" \/\u003E\u003C\/a\u003E\u003C\/td\u003E\u003C\/tr\u003E\u003Ctr\u003E\u003Ctd class=\"tr-caption\" style=\"text-align: center;\"\u003EFigure 18:\u0026nbsp; Comet 332P\/Ikeya-Murakami fragmented into building-size \ncometary nuclei, which trail the main comet nucleus. Images taken by the\n Hubble Space Telescope. Credit: NASA\/ESA and D. Jewit (UCLA), Public \nDomain Image\u003C\/td\u003E\u003C\/tr\u003E\u003C\/tbody\u003E\u003C\/table\u003E\u003Cp\u003EIn April 2020, the Hubble Space Telescope captured the fragmentation of the solid nucleus of Comet Atlas into as many as 30 separate pieces. Each of these fragments was roughly the size of a house. Astronomers saw the individual comets flashing on and off like twinkling lights on a Christmas tree.\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E“Most comets that fragment are too dim to see. Events at such scale only happen once or twice a decade,” said the leader of a second Hubble observing team, Quanzhi Ye, of the University of Maryland, College Park.[16]\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Ctable align=\"center\" cellpadding=\"0\" cellspacing=\"0\" class=\"tr-caption-container\" style=\"margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;\"\u003E\u003Ctbody\u003E\u003Ctr\u003E\u003Ctd style=\"text-align: center;\"\u003E\u003Ca href=\"https:\/\/blogger.googleusercontent.com\/img\/b\/R29vZ2xl\/AVvXsEhZl8z7WXv8W_7jRdE2kvF6sfHIS3rSB7dPKORoW5XdNKDBrTSlNQfPRGYq82sqvlrFw3hjI8wSmZCYCx4shy6KLN-ZaUVWuKL_EwVwx51eDvx_x7sk_ziUP4YlX6Gkhzv30WcuQ30Xz1nhO94Mk0fr2Z31EU-tgEpHT5SkWPlBc77ALM-5TbZTC2wOuZw\/s1500\/Comet%20Atlas%20NASA.png\" style=\"margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;\"\u003E\u003Cimg border=\"0\" data-original-height=\"441\" data-original-width=\"1500\" height=\"188\" src=\"https:\/\/blogger.googleusercontent.com\/img\/b\/R29vZ2xl\/AVvXsEhZl8z7WXv8W_7jRdE2kvF6sfHIS3rSB7dPKORoW5XdNKDBrTSlNQfPRGYq82sqvlrFw3hjI8wSmZCYCx4shy6KLN-ZaUVWuKL_EwVwx51eDvx_x7sk_ziUP4YlX6Gkhzv30WcuQ30Xz1nhO94Mk0fr2Z31EU-tgEpHT5SkWPlBc77ALM-5TbZTC2wOuZw\/w640-h188\/Comet%20Atlas%20NASA.png\" width=\"640\" \/\u003E\u003C\/a\u003E\u003C\/td\u003E\u003C\/tr\u003E\u003Ctr\u003E\u003Ctd class=\"tr-caption\" style=\"text-align: center;\"\u003EFigure 19: These two Hubble Space Telescope images of comet C\/2019 Y4 \n(ATLAS), taken on April 20 (left) and April 23, 2020, show the breakup \nof the solid nucleus of the comet into as many as 30 separate fragments.\n Credits: NASA, ESA, STScI and D. Jewitt (UCLA), Public Domain image.\u003C\/td\u003E\u003C\/tr\u003E\u003C\/tbody\u003E\u003C\/table\u003E\u003Cp\u003EA well-known group of comets formed through fragmentation is the Kreutz family of sungrazing comets. Sungrazing comets come very close to the Sun at their perihelion. The Kreutz sungrazers are believed to be the fragments of the giant comet observed in 371 BCE, which may have fractured into two pieces on the 326 CE perihelion passage, and then underwent further fragmentation into hundreds of pieces on the 1106 CE perihelion passage. Other sungrazing comet groups are the Meyer group, Kracht group and the Marsden group.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EThe manner in which a comet nucleus fragments into two or multiple nuclei, \u003Ci\u003Ecorresponds exactly to the processes of binary fission or budding, and multiple fission, in unicellular organisms!\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/i\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EIn \u003Cb\u003Ebinary fission\u003C\/b\u003E, the chromosomes inside the nucleus replicate and segregate, followed by the development of a new cell wall in the middle of the cell which splits the original cell into two equal-sized daughter cells. The process of \u003Cb\u003Ebudding\u003C\/b\u003E in yeast is similar to binary fission, except that the daughter cell in case of budding is much smaller than the parent cell.\u0026nbsp;\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Ctable align=\"center\" cellpadding=\"0\" cellspacing=\"0\" class=\"tr-caption-container\" style=\"margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;\"\u003E\u003Ctbody\u003E\u003Ctr\u003E\u003Ctd style=\"text-align: center;\"\u003E\u003Ca href=\"https:\/\/blogger.googleusercontent.com\/img\/b\/R29vZ2xl\/AVvXsEiz684TvOHWHE-NYW6Y6bdvtB9nOlbEM8cOO-UGT1b6zT1XAPIMCuudfjapoJNprksx9OVzcGgsY5iPlDjoDwt4pu9J-2m4OvjHf_jKCn_Huz3WjQOzPf5J-lioWCUcSo4E-VEd9QsU5kYuGWbgPgphhWZ0KQitIvJAJnI-pjYLrqBhxuEDF-RH-4Ti3tg\/s1400\/AdobeStock_429513296%20Binary%20Fission%20in%20Euglena%20small.jpg\" style=\"margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;\"\u003E\u003Cimg border=\"0\" data-original-height=\"641\" data-original-width=\"1400\" height=\"294\" src=\"https:\/\/blogger.googleusercontent.com\/img\/b\/R29vZ2xl\/AVvXsEiz684TvOHWHE-NYW6Y6bdvtB9nOlbEM8cOO-UGT1b6zT1XAPIMCuudfjapoJNprksx9OVzcGgsY5iPlDjoDwt4pu9J-2m4OvjHf_jKCn_Huz3WjQOzPf5J-lioWCUcSo4E-VEd9QsU5kYuGWbgPgphhWZ0KQitIvJAJnI-pjYLrqBhxuEDF-RH-4Ti3tg\/w640-h294\/AdobeStock_429513296%20Binary%20Fission%20in%20Euglena%20small.jpg\" width=\"640\" \/\u003E\u003C\/a\u003E\u003C\/td\u003E\u003C\/tr\u003E\u003Ctr\u003E\u003Ctd class=\"tr-caption\" style=\"text-align: center;\"\u003EFigure 20: Binary fission in Euglena, a type of algae. Source: Adobe Stock\u003C\/td\u003E\u003C\/tr\u003E\u003C\/tbody\u003E\u003C\/table\u003E\u003Ctable align=\"center\" cellpadding=\"0\" cellspacing=\"0\" class=\"tr-caption-container\" style=\"margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;\"\u003E\u003Ctbody\u003E\u003Ctr\u003E\u003Ctd style=\"text-align: center;\"\u003E\u003Ca href=\"https:\/\/blogger.googleusercontent.com\/img\/b\/R29vZ2xl\/AVvXsEivb_WwCs6YhsdGkXOGEyhyJDlI8GgxcQ_25zEVevQgGGH1q22vgzoL0MQmXLYnEl0hGbO_6LZMKF6SsDIlb1TqisKyrHwhOwmGkJLse9foIeik1X_w2gS4xMI45Ttg6yc-RikZcc9p1DCwoAUa3KVxFof76dddX7b5HpUwZaocxyUYeFXr0zitykRNgZo\/s1400\/AdobeStock_569229677%20Budding%20of%20Yeast%20small.jpg\" style=\"margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;\"\u003E\u003Cimg border=\"0\" data-original-height=\"933\" data-original-width=\"1400\" height=\"426\" src=\"https:\/\/blogger.googleusercontent.com\/img\/b\/R29vZ2xl\/AVvXsEivb_WwCs6YhsdGkXOGEyhyJDlI8GgxcQ_25zEVevQgGGH1q22vgzoL0MQmXLYnEl0hGbO_6LZMKF6SsDIlb1TqisKyrHwhOwmGkJLse9foIeik1X_w2gS4xMI45Ttg6yc-RikZcc9p1DCwoAUa3KVxFof76dddX7b5HpUwZaocxyUYeFXr0zitykRNgZo\/w640-h426\/AdobeStock_569229677%20Budding%20of%20Yeast%20small.jpg\" width=\"640\" \/\u003E\u003C\/a\u003E\u003C\/td\u003E\u003C\/tr\u003E\u003Ctr\u003E\u003Ctd class=\"tr-caption\" style=\"text-align: center;\"\u003EFigure 21: Budding of yeast, in which a small daughter cells buds off from the parent cell. Source: Adobe Stock\u003C\/td\u003E\u003C\/tr\u003E\u003C\/tbody\u003E\u003C\/table\u003E\u003Cp\u003EIn \u003Cb\u003Emultiple fission\u003C\/b\u003E, the cell encloses itself in a protective covering called a cyst. The nucleus then divides rapidly within the cyst to form a large number of daughter nuclei. Cytoplasm surrounds each daughter nucleus to form daughter cells. When the cyst ruptures, the daughter cells are released. While binary fission takes place in favorable conditions, multiple fission takes place when conditions are not favorable.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Ctable align=\"center\" cellpadding=\"0\" cellspacing=\"0\" class=\"tr-caption-container\" style=\"margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;\"\u003E\u003Ctbody\u003E\u003Ctr\u003E\u003Ctd style=\"text-align: center;\"\u003E\u003Ca href=\"https:\/\/blogger.googleusercontent.com\/img\/b\/R29vZ2xl\/AVvXsEj01AFsf57TsxcT3aupLyOHUm5vrqEkkhHWUXfWwqv_HRLCdKsdxJW_DXoIXwAoxVWv-hsbgOzPbx_gt3UrmhczIeBWv-sGYXCGM-hDOOd9QFif7yzupT04AoKqs_zmEJ-sp6tq44A5bKZ9ekHz2mxGRB5ZB3usFEHJ_akSPLnTK-GHlMKUt771W-zQ7V4\/s1269\/multiple%20fission1.jpg\" style=\"margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;\"\u003E\u003Cimg border=\"0\" data-original-height=\"675\" data-original-width=\"1269\" height=\"213\" src=\"https:\/\/blogger.googleusercontent.com\/img\/b\/R29vZ2xl\/AVvXsEj01AFsf57TsxcT3aupLyOHUm5vrqEkkhHWUXfWwqv_HRLCdKsdxJW_DXoIXwAoxVWv-hsbgOzPbx_gt3UrmhczIeBWv-sGYXCGM-hDOOd9QFif7yzupT04AoKqs_zmEJ-sp6tq44A5bKZ9ekHz2mxGRB5ZB3usFEHJ_akSPLnTK-GHlMKUt771W-zQ7V4\/w400-h213\/multiple%20fission1.jpg\" width=\"400\" \/\u003E\u003C\/a\u003E\u003C\/td\u003E\u003C\/tr\u003E\u003Ctr\u003E\u003Ctd class=\"tr-caption\" style=\"text-align: center;\"\u003EFigure 22: Multiple fission occurs in many eukaryotes such as algae and protozoa.\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/td\u003E\u003C\/tr\u003E\u003C\/tbody\u003E\u003C\/table\u003E\u003Cp\u003EThe process of comet fragmentation is identical to what happens in binary fission \/ budding and multiple fission.\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EIn the case of Comet 332P\/Ikeya-Murakami (that I discussed earlier), the parent comet underwent a \u003Cb\u003Ebinary fission\u003C\/b\u003E sometime in 2015, which created two roughly equal-sized daughter comets. This was followed by the \u003Cb\u003Emultiple fission\u003C\/b\u003E of one of the daughter comets in 2016, which created the trail of comet fragments behind the core of Comet 332P.\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EOn the other hand, the fragmentation of Comet Atlas into 30 separate pieces in April 2020 was a case of \u003Cb\u003Emultiple fission\u003C\/b\u003E.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003ETo me, this was the most convincing evidence that comets are conscious space organisms that are capable of reproducing just like terrestrial microbes. A comet formed of the frozen ices of gases simply cannot behave like this.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EThe tendency of comets to reproduce by means of binary fission or budding solves yet another long-standing enigma about comets: Why are so many cometary nuclei bi-lobed?\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Ch4 style=\"text-align: left;\"\u003EBi-lobed Cometary Nuclei\u003C\/h4\u003E\u003Cp\u003EThe Rosetta mission had found that the nucleus of Comet 67P has a bi-lobed structure i.e. it has a “narrow neck that connect the comet’s two large lobes”.[17]\u0026nbsp;In fact, \"of the seven comets astronomers have seen at high resolution, five (including 67P) are bi-lobed.\"\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EIt has been a paradox to astronomers as to why the bi-lobed structure is so common, since such a shape would be inherently unstable against the tidal forces that act on the comet’s nucleus as it moves through space.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EThe answer is simple. A bi-lobed nucleus implies that the comet is in the process of undergoing binary fission or budding. If the two lobes are of equal size it must be undergoing \u003Cb\u003Ebinary fission\u003C\/b\u003E, and if they are of unequal size then it is undergoing \u003Cb\u003Ebudding\u003C\/b\u003E. Sometime down the line, the bi-lobed nucleus will split up into two daughter cometary nuclei.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Ctable align=\"center\" cellpadding=\"0\" cellspacing=\"0\" class=\"tr-caption-container\" style=\"margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;\"\u003E\u003Ctbody\u003E\u003Ctr\u003E\u003Ctd style=\"text-align: center;\"\u003E\u003Ca href=\"https:\/\/blogger.googleusercontent.com\/img\/b\/R29vZ2xl\/AVvXsEjeLAHYkthfzRklh7IDTZsALc63GHAGtRghn1bgyoVv-i1Jkg-TI6e1yFwCvVNcfDwHU1n9YxNRmzd73zwle0aFMZzGTlkNGxZX3dkvn-iRzsC5yfDTFs5KNfAQPCgkY0J0SSXEu4BiqLGRj3xWfO-6RclQQtIHG5DiJAHxOVaVPCroSbiA3uJpZKoMDkU\/s765\/Comet-nuclei-imaged-from-spacecraft-encounters-or-groundbased-radar-Panel-a.png\" style=\"margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;\"\u003E\u003Cimg border=\"0\" data-original-height=\"431\" data-original-width=\"765\" height=\"360\" src=\"https:\/\/blogger.googleusercontent.com\/img\/b\/R29vZ2xl\/AVvXsEjeLAHYkthfzRklh7IDTZsALc63GHAGtRghn1bgyoVv-i1Jkg-TI6e1yFwCvVNcfDwHU1n9YxNRmzd73zwle0aFMZzGTlkNGxZX3dkvn-iRzsC5yfDTFs5KNfAQPCgkY0J0SSXEu4BiqLGRj3xWfO-6RclQQtIHG5DiJAHxOVaVPCroSbiA3uJpZKoMDkU\/w640-h360\/Comet-nuclei-imaged-from-spacecraft-encounters-or-groundbased-radar-Panel-a.png\" width=\"640\" \/\u003E\u003C\/a\u003E\u003C\/td\u003E\u003C\/tr\u003E\u003Ctr\u003E\u003Ctd class=\"tr-caption\" style=\"text-align: center;\"\u003EFigure 23: Comet nuclei imaged from spacecraft encounters or ground-based radar. Source: Researchgate \/ S.Eggl\u003C\/td\u003E\u003C\/tr\u003E\u003C\/tbody\u003E\u003C\/table\u003E\u003Ctable align=\"center\" cellpadding=\"0\" cellspacing=\"0\" class=\"tr-caption-container\" style=\"margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;\"\u003E\u003Ctbody\u003E\u003Ctr\u003E\u003Ctd style=\"text-align: center;\"\u003E\u003Ca href=\"https:\/\/blogger.googleusercontent.com\/img\/b\/R29vZ2xl\/AVvXsEhU4WwcKmOh9-b7pZ0U_tejS_VaPdxT6MXOlaC9tIwgt-gTwZWY15SkCWaMhjUBSCWqc8jsmybS_byErnuPboWOUOniyNjSokxPehZzU7GeMJp0GiZjWsgxoITp4VIcJyuXd9Bfa6jlXJXhJPOx6vCHQ1Pjto_7oUL7YqtcZXXb_CPObvtw-OsVbozJgVQ\/s1400\/AdobeStock_1064529443%20Euglena%20binary%20fission%20small.jpg\" style=\"margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;\"\u003E\u003Cimg border=\"0\" data-original-height=\"933\" data-original-width=\"1400\" height=\"426\" src=\"https:\/\/blogger.googleusercontent.com\/img\/b\/R29vZ2xl\/AVvXsEhU4WwcKmOh9-b7pZ0U_tejS_VaPdxT6MXOlaC9tIwgt-gTwZWY15SkCWaMhjUBSCWqc8jsmybS_byErnuPboWOUOniyNjSokxPehZzU7GeMJp0GiZjWsgxoITp4VIcJyuXd9Bfa6jlXJXhJPOx6vCHQ1Pjto_7oUL7YqtcZXXb_CPObvtw-OsVbozJgVQ\/w640-h426\/AdobeStock_1064529443%20Euglena%20binary%20fission%20small.jpg\" width=\"640\" \/\u003E\u003C\/a\u003E\u003C\/td\u003E\u003C\/tr\u003E\u003Ctr\u003E\u003Ctd class=\"tr-caption\" style=\"text-align: center;\"\u003EFigure 24: Euglena cell forms a bi-lobed structure when it undergoes binary fission. Source: Adobe Stock\u003C\/td\u003E\u003C\/tr\u003E\u003C\/tbody\u003E\u003C\/table\u003E\u003Ctable align=\"center\" cellpadding=\"0\" cellspacing=\"0\" class=\"tr-caption-container\" style=\"margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;\"\u003E\u003Ctbody\u003E\u003Ctr\u003E\u003Ctd style=\"text-align: center;\"\u003E\u003Ca href=\"https:\/\/blogger.googleusercontent.com\/img\/b\/R29vZ2xl\/AVvXsEhLohIFO_idN3f9-QMCuJGNhoUEYPfX8V4Uta3sf_NClVCyU7_dV8H2THu0NNzA-QXzWpPM5Qpg9t2h3zd8EJ3eqa7xoC52JciqEzd1HV-CQVuRmckYPPQqTnRrn8K5gNGpE9S2yZs5xsQkphyunjUqGRCqIUPINEkD4EkNpBjEY9lHfzjhUyKFLnjxJzs\/s1400\/Budding%20in%20Saccharomyces%20yeast%20cell.jpg\" imageanchor=\"1\" style=\"margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;\"\u003E\u003Cimg border=\"0\" data-original-height=\"764\" data-original-width=\"1400\" height=\"350\" src=\"https:\/\/blogger.googleusercontent.com\/img\/b\/R29vZ2xl\/AVvXsEhLohIFO_idN3f9-QMCuJGNhoUEYPfX8V4Uta3sf_NClVCyU7_dV8H2THu0NNzA-QXzWpPM5Qpg9t2h3zd8EJ3eqa7xoC52JciqEzd1HV-CQVuRmckYPPQqTnRrn8K5gNGpE9S2yZs5xsQkphyunjUqGRCqIUPINEkD4EkNpBjEY9lHfzjhUyKFLnjxJzs\/w640-h350\/Budding%20in%20Saccharomyces%20yeast%20cell.jpg\" width=\"640\" \/\u003E\u003C\/a\u003E\u003C\/td\u003E\u003C\/tr\u003E\u003Ctr\u003E\u003Ctd class=\"tr-caption\" style=\"text-align: center;\"\u003EFig 25: Budding in Saccharomyces yeast cell\u003C\/td\u003E\u003C\/tr\u003E\u003C\/tbody\u003E\u003C\/table\u003E\u003Ch4 style=\"text-align: left;\"\u003E\u0026nbsp;Dormant Comets\u003C\/h4\u003E\u003Cp\u003ESometimes comets enter into a dormant state, and remain in that state for a long time before becoming active again. Dormant comets are quite common within the solar system. For instance, the “centaurs” are a class of small bodies which revolve around the sun in slightly elliptical orbits, between Jupiter and Neptune. Many centaurs – such as Chiron and 29P - occasionally outburst and develop a comet-like coma, which is why they have been classified both as asteroids and comets.\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EThis mirrors the way in which unicellular organisms like algae and bacteria and get into a dormant state when conditions are not favorable. Small algae are sometimes found in abundance during a short period of the year and remain dormant during the rest of the year, when they form a cyst. This allows them to endure harsh environmental conditions like extreme temperatures, lack of light, or nutrient scarcity. The dormant algae are revived when conditions become more favorable.\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EThese three correlations – the ability of comets to replicate using binary or multiple fission, to enter into a dormant state like algae and bacteria, and the existence of bi-lobed nucleus –left me with no doubt that comets are, indeed, conscious space organisms and behave like space plankton.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EThat left me with one remaining question, and it’s a big one: \u003Ci\u003EWhat is the reason for a comet’s outgassing of different types of gases?\u003C\/i\u003E\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EAt this point, the answer popped up in my mind effortlessly. The gases must be the end products of metabolism. There must be various metabolic reactions going on in the interior of a comet’s nucleus that generate the energy needed for their movement as well as the gases they release.\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Ch2 style=\"text-align: left;\"\u003EMetabolic Activity inside Comets\u003C\/h2\u003E\u003Cp\u003EOur information about the gases released by comets comes from studying the spectra of different comets. The dominant gases in the coma are water vapor and carbon dioxide, followed by carbon monoxide.\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Ctable align=\"center\" cellpadding=\"0\" cellspacing=\"0\" class=\"tr-caption-container\" style=\"margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;\"\u003E\u003Ctbody\u003E\u003Ctr\u003E\u003Ctd style=\"text-align: center;\"\u003E\u003Ca href=\"https:\/\/blogger.googleusercontent.com\/img\/b\/R29vZ2xl\/AVvXsEh_2jsNYUa9t7tgjMldr4yMHHu_tCER_2PvXat3IJeqKzpW-Jn5JWFIEw9x7vlmH3F9iRe5YHZDsMsMKcv2rTczsYMP9LaML7g9Yzy5BtUA2BPbYx4x8punjqP_RW2vkUQytiMWaZNaa9vWxZBOxtZ17iOg9LFwQXB5huFb-5WZuplFzDw8Z7znqAfVlz8\/s1280\/C%202014%20Q2%20Lovejoy,%20a%20long%20period%20comet,%20photographed%20from%20from%20Tucson,%20Arizona,%202104,%20John%20Vermette%20CC%20BY%20SA%204.jpg\" style=\"margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;\"\u003E\u003Cimg border=\"0\" data-original-height=\"841\" data-original-width=\"1280\" height=\"263\" src=\"https:\/\/blogger.googleusercontent.com\/img\/b\/R29vZ2xl\/AVvXsEh_2jsNYUa9t7tgjMldr4yMHHu_tCER_2PvXat3IJeqKzpW-Jn5JWFIEw9x7vlmH3F9iRe5YHZDsMsMKcv2rTczsYMP9LaML7g9Yzy5BtUA2BPbYx4x8punjqP_RW2vkUQytiMWaZNaa9vWxZBOxtZ17iOg9LFwQXB5huFb-5WZuplFzDw8Z7znqAfVlz8\/w400-h263\/C%202014%20Q2%20Lovejoy,%20a%20long%20period%20comet,%20photographed%20from%20from%20Tucson,%20Arizona,%202104,%20John%20Vermette%20CC%20BY%20SA%204.jpg\" width=\"400\" \/\u003E\u003C\/a\u003E\u003C\/td\u003E\u003C\/tr\u003E\u003Ctr\u003E\u003Ctd class=\"tr-caption\" style=\"text-align: center;\"\u003EFigure 26: Comet C\/2014 Q2 (Lovejoy), a long period comet, released \nsignificant amounts of ethyl alcohol and organic molecules. Credit: John\n Vermette CC BY-SA 4.0 via Wikimedia Commons\u003C\/td\u003E\u003C\/tr\u003E\u003C\/tbody\u003E\u003C\/table\u003E\u003Cp\u003EIn 2014, the Comet C\/2014 Q2 (Lovejoy) released 21 different organic molecules, including ethyl alcohol. “We found that comet Lovejoy was releasing as much alcohol as in at least 500 bottles of wine every second during its peak activity,” said Nicolas Biver of the Paris Observatory, France. Lovejoy passed closest to the sun on January 30, 2015, when it was releasing water at the rate of 20 tons per second.[18]\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003ESome comets release small amounts of other gases such as methane, ammonia, hydrogen sulphide, cyanogen etc. Currently interstellar object 3i\/Atlas is not only releasing carbon-dioxide, water and carbon monoxide into its coma, but significant quantities of nickel and iron vapor as well.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EESA’s Rosetta mission discovered the amino acid glycine - which is commonly found in proteins and phosphorus, and is a key component of DNA and cell membranes - in the coma of Comet 67P - Churyumov-Gerasimenko.[19] So, comets not only emit gases, but they also release metallic vapor and complex organic molecules which are the building blocks of life.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EThe current thought process is that, comets are reservoirs of primitive material in the Solar System which are stored in the nucleus as frozen ices and they are sublimated and released when they get warmed up by the Sun.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EBut there is a big problem with this hypothesis. Firstly, there is no explanation as to how the frozen ices of these gases, metals and organic molecules ended up inside a comet in the first place. Secondly, many of these gases, metals and organic molecules are released by a comet long before the temperature reaches the sublimation point (i.e. the temperature when a solid directly turns into a gas) or fusion point.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EMost comets develop a coma and tails when they are somewhere between the orbits of Jupiter and Mars. Scientists believe that this happens because frozen water begins to sublimate at at 3 AU from the Sun (Mars is at 1.5 AU, Jupiter at 5.2 AU; 1 AU = distance between Sun and Earth).\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EHowever, nearly one-third of comets become active beyond the water-ice sublimation boundary at 3 AU.[20] For instance, the Long-period Comet Hale-Bopp had a giant coma upon discovery at a distance of 7 AU (near Saturn's orbit). The coma consisted of dust, CO and water vapor. While CO is a volatile and sublimates at large distances from the Sun, how did water vapor appear in the coma at 7 AU?\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EBesides, how is interstellar comet 3i\/Atlas – which is currently flying between the orbits of Jupiter and Mars - releasing large amounts of nickel and iron atoms? At such distances, temperatures are simply too low to vaporize the metallic grains that contain nickel and iron atoms. What’s going on?\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EMy proposition is that, all the gases released by comets are the byproducts of metabolic reactions taking place within the comet’s nucleus, and not due to the sublimation of frozen ices. This can be understood by looking at the metabolic reactions that occur within various unicellular organisms. Let’s get going.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Ch4 style=\"text-align: left;\"\u003EWater Vapor, Carbon-Dioxide and Oxygen\u003C\/h4\u003E\u003Cp\u003EUnicellular phototrophs such as algae, euglena and cyanobacteria contain different types of photosynthetic pigments – such as chlorophyll, carotenoids and phycobiliproteins – to harvest different wavelengths of light for photosynthesis. The color of different types of algae depend on the pigments they have. Here’s an excerpt from the \u003Ci\u003EEncyclopaedia Brittanica\u003C\/i\u003E:\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp style=\"margin-left: 40px; text-align: left;\"\u003E“Chlorophylls absorb red and blue wavelengths much more strongly than they absorb green wavelengths, which is why chlorophyll-bearing plants appear green. The carotenoids and phycobiliproteins, on the other hand, strongly absorb green wavelengths. Algae with large amounts of carotenoid appear yellow to brown, those with large amounts of phycocyanin appear blue, and those with large amounts of phycoerythrin appear red.”[21]\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EIt’s likely that comets also contain photosynthetic pigments that determine their color. A number of comets in recent years – including 3i\/Atlas – have displayed a green glow which suggests that the dominant pigment is chlorophyll. Scientists had speculated that the green glow may be due to diatomic carbon molecules in the coma, but no such molecules have been detected in the coma of 3i\/Atlas.\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EMany comets have a yellowish, reddish or bluish glow which could be due to high levels of carotenoids and phycobiliproteins.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003ERecently, 3i\/Atlas did something very intriguing. When it was first spotted it appeared reddish, but later it developed a green glow. What happened there? Is that something that happens in algae as well? Yes, it does!\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EAlgae can change their color in response to environmental conditions like light, temperature, nutrient availability etc. They can produce different photosynthetic pigments which can alter their dominant pigment, and thereby their color.\u0026nbsp;\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EWhat probably happened in case of 3i\/Atlas is that, initially its dominant pigment was phycoerythrin which made it appear red, but as it moved closer to the Sun it started producing chlorophyll (in order to absorb the red and blue wavelengths), which gave it a greenish glow.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003ELet’s move on to the reasons for cometary outgassing. In addition to the photosynthetic pigments, a comet nucleus will also contain reservoirs of water with dissolved carbon dioxide. Not only do algal cells contain water and carbon-dioxide, a recent study found pockets of carbon dioxide-rich liquid water inside salt crystals in a carbonaceous chondrite (which come from spent comets).[22]\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EWhen a comet approaches the Sun, at a certain point in its orbit when the light intensity gets strong enough, \u003Cb\u003Ephotosynthesis\u003C\/b\u003E will get initiated to produce glucose and oxygen.\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E6CO2 + 6H2O + Sunlight = C6H12O6 (glucose) + 6O2\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EIn case of plankton, all the oxygen that is produced by photosynthesis is not released into the atmosphere. A portion is used for cellular respiration, and the rest is released. In \u003Cb\u003Eaerobic cellular respiration\u003C\/b\u003E, the glucose produced during photosynthesis is broken down into water, carbon dioxide and ATP molecules (which provides the energy for cellular activities). A similar reaction must be occurring within comets as well.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EC6H12O6 (glucose) + 6O2 = 6CO2 + 6H2O + ATP (energy molecules)\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EComets will produce oxygen, water and carbon-dioxide as outputs of its most important metabolic reactions – photosynthesis and aerobic cellular respiration. And what are the dominant gases in the coma of a comet – water and carbon-dioxide!\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u003Ci\u003EThis explains why comets emit large amounts of water vapor even when they are beyond the water-ice sublimation boundary (3 AU)\u003C\/i\u003E. It is released as a byproduct of aerobic cellular respiration (and not sublimation).\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003ESince comets move through space, where oxygen is scarce, they are would not want to release the oxygen produced during photosynthesis, and, instead, use it for cellular respiration. But, if there is a surplus of oxygen, comets should release oxygen as well.\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EESA’s Rosetta spacecraft had detected molecular oxygen in high abundance in the coma of Comet 67P\/Churyumov–Gerasimenko.[23] This was an extremely surprising discovery, since molecular oxygen is highly reactive and readily breaks apart to bind with other atoms and molecules.\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EAs per Kathrin Altwegg, the principal investigator in the study, “It’s also unanticipated because there aren’t very many examples of the detection of interstellar O2. And thus, even though it must have been incorporated into the comet during its formation, this is not so easily explained by current Solar System formation models.”\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EThe ESA scientists also found that,” the amount of molecular oxygen detected showed a strong relationship to the amount of water measured at any given time, suggesting that their origin on the nucleus and release mechanism are linked.”\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Ctable align=\"center\" cellpadding=\"0\" cellspacing=\"0\" class=\"tr-caption-container\" style=\"margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;\"\u003E\u003Ctbody\u003E\u003Ctr\u003E\u003Ctd style=\"text-align: center;\"\u003E\u003Ca href=\"https:\/\/blogger.googleusercontent.com\/img\/b\/R29vZ2xl\/AVvXsEhiU2PQomzuxdCVWFalflMJYIzXoDxVAZGPhzLaKmvK_6c4UrjeNjPY3AANE9cVCPETGxc41WPSS0jBJVFHv3-vQmCY9yOW-8rKyfpTV17gZN1W_xd8fyO8-T6LuhCWjB0JioyW2wsU8xMIqUnsaQ9R6NAUPZ1TzPyxZ1_2TvRffnWLjh1EfadNff0M0zE\/s1024\/Comet%2067P%20Churyumov%20Gerasimenko%20on_3_August_2014%20ESA.png\" style=\"margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;\"\u003E\u003Cimg border=\"0\" data-original-height=\"768\" data-original-width=\"1024\" height=\"300\" src=\"https:\/\/blogger.googleusercontent.com\/img\/b\/R29vZ2xl\/AVvXsEhiU2PQomzuxdCVWFalflMJYIzXoDxVAZGPhzLaKmvK_6c4UrjeNjPY3AANE9cVCPETGxc41WPSS0jBJVFHv3-vQmCY9yOW-8rKyfpTV17gZN1W_xd8fyO8-T6LuhCWjB0JioyW2wsU8xMIqUnsaQ9R6NAUPZ1TzPyxZ1_2TvRffnWLjh1EfadNff0M0zE\/w400-h300\/Comet%2067P%20Churyumov%20Gerasimenko%20on_3_August_2014%20ESA.png\" width=\"400\" \/\u003E\u003C\/a\u003E\u003C\/td\u003E\u003C\/tr\u003E\u003Ctr\u003E\u003Ctd class=\"tr-caption\" style=\"text-align: center;\"\u003EFigure 27: The nucleus of comet 67P\/Churyumov-Gerasimenko imaged by \nRosetta’s camera on 3 August, 2014. Credit: ESA, Public Domain Image.\u003C\/td\u003E\u003C\/tr\u003E\u003C\/tbody\u003E\u003C\/table\u003E\u003Cp\u003EThe entire mystery unravels when we realize that comets are the celestial counterparts of marine plankton. \u003Ci\u003EOn earth, the only sources molecular oxygen are photosynthetic organisms\u003C\/i\u003E. So, the molecular oxygen in the coma Comet 67P\/Churyumov–Gerasimenko strongly indicates that \u003Ci\u003Ecomets can photosynthesize.\u003C\/i\u003E\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EThe fact that ratio of molecular O2 and H2O remained surprisingly stable for Comet 67P\/Churyumov–Gerasimenko, even as it moved towards the Sun, also makes sense in this context. \u003Ci\u003EAs a comet moves towards the Sun, the rates of both photosynthesis and cellular respiration will increase\u003C\/i\u003E, thereby maintaining a stable O2 \/ H2O ratio.\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003ECellular respiration also generates the crucial ATP molecules, which provide the necessary energy to comets to power their journey through space by moving their cilia and flagella. When comets are far away from the Sun and are not able to photosynthesize, they probably use the stored ATP molecules to continue their journey. This could be why many comets can accelerate even when they are at vast distances from the Sun and the coma and tails are not visible.\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u003Ci\u003EIn other words, outgassing is not necessary for cometary acceleration\u003C\/i\u003E, as was particularly evident in the case of the Interstellar Comet Oumuamua, which accelerated away from the Sun at a tremendous speed, and yet showed no signs of a coma or tails.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Ch4 style=\"text-align: left;\"\u003EEthyl Alcohol\u003C\/h4\u003E\u003Cp\u003EIn the absence of oxygen, many unicellular organisms, including algae, switch to anaerobic metabolic pathways such as “mixed acid fermentation” and “anaerobic respiration” to generate ATP molecules. It is quite likely that comets also switch to \u003Cb\u003Eanaerobic metabolism\u003C\/b\u003E when it runs out of its internal store of oxygen.\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EIn \u003Cb\u003Emixed acid fermentation\u003C\/b\u003E, glucose is converted into a variable mixture of products including several organic acids (lactic, acetic, formic, succinic), ethanol, and gases (carbon dioxide, hydrogen), and ATP molecules.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EIn \u003Cb\u003Eanaerobic respiration\u003C\/b\u003E, the stored glucose is broken down into ethanol, carbon dioxide and ATP molecules.\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u003Ci\u003EThis explains why Comet C\/2014 Q2 (Lovejoy) was releasing large amounts of ethanol: it had switched to mixed acid fermentation or anaerobic cellular respiration, due to lack of an internal supply of oxygen\u003C\/i\u003E. Anaerobic metabolism also accounts for the different types of organic molecules found in the coma of comets.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Ch4 style=\"text-align: left;\"\u003ECarbon Monoxide\u003C\/h4\u003E\u003Cp\u003ECarbon Monoxide (CO) is found in the coma of many distantly active comets. It is released routinely, in large amounts, by the short-period comet 29P\/Schwassmann–Wachmann (orbital period 14.66 years). This is a big mystery, since CO is highly volatile and sublimates at very low temperatures, and if it came from subsurface ices, then all of it would have sublimated by now. This means, CO is being produced internally within the nucleus.\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EOnce again the answer comes from unicellular organisms. A study titled, “Carbon Monoxide in the Biosphere: CO Emission by Fresh-Water Algae” found that, “the chemical processes associated with the biosynthesis and degradation of the photosynthetic pigments in algae produce large amounts of carbon monoxide (CO)”.[24]\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EIncidentally, Carbon Monoxide has been detected in the coma of 3i\/Atlas, which changed its color from red to green – most likely by producing more chlorophyll.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Ch4 style=\"text-align: left;\"\u003ECyanogen\u003C\/h4\u003E\u003Cp\u003ECyanogen gas (commonly called cyanide) has been observed in the coma of many comets, including Comet Hartley 2 and the Interstellar Comet Borisov. Cyanogen is produced when a gas called hydrogen cyanide (HCN) is broken apart by sunlight.[25]\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EAs per a recent study (2020) titled, “Cyano-assassins: Widespread cyanogenic 2 production from cyanobacteria”, HCN is produced by cyanobacteria (commonly called blue-green algae).\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp style=\"margin-left: 40px; text-align: left;\"\u003E“The\u0026nbsp; production\u0026nbsp; of\u0026nbsp; HCN\u0026nbsp; was\u0026nbsp; examined\u0026nbsp; in\u0026nbsp; 78\u0026nbsp; cyanobacteria\u0026nbsp; strains\u0026nbsp; from\u0026nbsp; all\u0026nbsp; five principal sections of cyanobacteria…Twenty-eight\u0026nbsp; (28) strains\u0026nbsp; were\u0026nbsp; found\u0026nbsp; positive for\u0026nbsp; HCN\u0026nbsp; production...HCN production could be linked with nitrogen fixation, as all of HCN producing strains are considered capable of fixing nitrogen.”[26]\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Ch4 style=\"text-align: left;\"\u003EAmmonia\u003C\/h4\u003E\u003Cp\u003ECyanobacteria, commonly known as blue-green algae, can convert atmospheric nitrogen into ammonia, through a process called nitrogen fixation. Since nitrogen is present in interstellar clouds27, comets may be able to convert it into ammonia, in order to make aminoacids. As I mentioned earlier, aminoacids such as glycine have been detected in the atmosphere Comet 67P.[28]\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Ch4 style=\"text-align: left;\"\u003EMethane\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/h4\u003E\u003Cp\u003EA class of bacteria called methanogens produce methane and water as a byproduct of anaerobic respiration. They are found in regions low in oxygen (anoxic) such as wetlands, landfills etc.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Ch4 style=\"text-align: left;\"\u003EHydrogen Sulphide\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/h4\u003E\u003Cp\u003ESulfate reducing bacteria, which live in the coastal waters, produce hydrogen sulphide as a by-product of anaerobic respiration.\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EAnd finally, I will address the issue of the nickel and iron vapor that are currently being released by Interstellar comet 3i\/Atlas.\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Ch4 style=\"text-align: left;\"\u003ENickel and Iron\u003C\/h4\u003E\u003Cp\u003EBoth nickel and iron are abundant in comets. In recent times it has been found that, iron and nickel atoms are present in the atmospheres of comets throughout our Solar System.\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EJean Manfroid, who led a new study on Solar System comets published in \u003Ci\u003ENature \u003C\/i\u003E(2021) said, “It was a big surprise to detect iron and nickel atoms in the atmosphere of all the comets we have observed in the last two decades, about 20 of them, and even in ones far from the Sun in the cold space environment.\"[29]\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EThe emission of nickel and iron vapor by 3i\/Atlas might have caught everyone by surprise, but it is by no means an exception.\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EBut why do comets contain so much nickel and iron, and how do they release these gases so far away from the Sun, since at distances of ~3 AU, where temperatures are just too cold to vaporize the metallic grains that contain nickel and iron atoms.\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003ENot surprisingly, the answer can be found by studying the behavior of unicellular organisms, particularly algae.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EMicroalgae are very efficient in removing heavy metals such as Iron, Nickel, Zinc etc. from aquatic environments, which is why they have been studied extensively for bioremediation of urban wastewater systems. One of the studies focusing on the removal of Nickel and Zinc found that,\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp style=\"margin-left: 40px; text-align: left;\"\u003E\"Research has shown that living algae are capable of both adsorption (i.e. sticking to the surface) and absorption of metals...The data obtained from these experiments showed sorption of both Ni(II) and Zn(II) by the algae community during the growth phase. The algae released a portion of the previously sorbed metals during the chilled phase.\"[30]\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EAnother study titled, \"Iron Uptake Mechanisms in Marine Phytoplankton\" states that,\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp style=\"margin-left: 40px; text-align: left;\"\u003E\"Oceanic phytoplankton species have highly efficient mechanisms of iron acquisition, as they can take up iron from environments in which it is present at subnanomolar concentrations. In eukaryotes, three main models were proposed for iron transport into the cells...\"[31]\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EIt has been also observed that under certain stress conditions, such as a heat shock, algae can release iron from its internal store.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EExtending this scenario to comets, we can surmise that comets adsorb and absorb heavy metals like Iron and Nickel in their growth phase, but when they find themselves in stressful conditions such as heat shock, or in chilled environments, they release nickel and iron atoms into their coma.\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EWhich is probably why 3i\/Atlas is emitting nickel and iron atoms at nearly 3 AU from the Sun. At such distances, it is in a “chilled environment”, and has also been subjected to a few “heat shocks” in the form of CMEs from the Sun.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Ctable align=\"center\" cellpadding=\"0\" cellspacing=\"0\" class=\"tr-caption-container\" style=\"margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;\"\u003E\u003Ctbody\u003E\u003Ctr\u003E\u003Ctd style=\"text-align: center;\"\u003E\u003Ca href=\"https:\/\/blogger.googleusercontent.com\/img\/b\/R29vZ2xl\/AVvXsEgXZLephrbTLMVdTC9nW7bE4am4Q5x5o37GWC3G2JP-URa6WJ7-6XOCGAEdJLgr0ErVOgbUFyC1JKmuKF2Sb75lYD9WlOqsHb9ROZOyPZFqC9h5ImVneq7Xj8V0ecDcP0vfqVm569uA0H6dyJXFOhSqsCFczxJk1yEgVZBCqTuFnuaK9vO0_d5fQBKN7DY\/s900\/An%20image%20of%20interstellar%20Comet%203i%20Atlas%20captured%20by%20the%20Gemini%20Multi%20Object%20Spectrograph%20GMOS%20on%20Gemini%20South%20at%20Cerro%20Pach%C3%B3n%20in%20Chile,%20International%20Gemini%20Observatory%20NOIRLab%20NSF%20AURA%20Shadow%20the%20Scientist%20CC%20BY%204.png\" style=\"margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;\"\u003E\u003Cimg border=\"0\" data-original-height=\"700\" data-original-width=\"900\" height=\"311\" src=\"https:\/\/blogger.googleusercontent.com\/img\/b\/R29vZ2xl\/AVvXsEgXZLephrbTLMVdTC9nW7bE4am4Q5x5o37GWC3G2JP-URa6WJ7-6XOCGAEdJLgr0ErVOgbUFyC1JKmuKF2Sb75lYD9WlOqsHb9ROZOyPZFqC9h5ImVneq7Xj8V0ecDcP0vfqVm569uA0H6dyJXFOhSqsCFczxJk1yEgVZBCqTuFnuaK9vO0_d5fQBKN7DY\/w400-h311\/An%20image%20of%20interstellar%20Comet%203i%20Atlas%20captured%20by%20the%20Gemini%20Multi%20Object%20Spectrograph%20GMOS%20on%20Gemini%20South%20at%20Cerro%20Pach%C3%B3n%20in%20Chile,%20International%20Gemini%20Observatory%20NOIRLab%20NSF%20AURA%20Shadow%20the%20Scientist%20CC%20BY%204.png\" width=\"400\" \/\u003E\u003C\/a\u003E\u003C\/td\u003E\u003C\/tr\u003E\u003Ctr\u003E\u003Ctd class=\"tr-caption\" style=\"text-align: center;\"\u003EFigure 28: An image of interstellar Comet 3i\/Atlas captured by the \nGemini Multi-Object Spectrograph (GMOS) on Gemini South at Cerro Pachón \nin Chile. Credit:\u0026nbsp; International Gemini Observatory \/ NOIRLab \/ NSF \/ \nAURA \/ Shadow the Scientist, CC BY 4.0\u003C\/td\u003E\u003C\/tr\u003E\u003C\/tbody\u003E\u003C\/table\u003E\u003Cp\u003EThus, most of the important gases, metallic vapor and organic molecules commonly found in the coma of comets can be explained as the by-products of various metabolic reactions taking place inside a comet’s nucleus. While I have not accounted for every single gas and organic molecule found in the coma of comets, this study gives me the confidence that further study will reveal that to be the case as well.\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Ch2 style=\"text-align: left;\"\u003EConcluding Remarks\u003C\/h2\u003E\u003Cp\u003EThe hypothesis that comets are “dirty snowballs” is unable to account for many things about cometary behavior. The list of anomalies is very long, and keeps getting longer with every new comet that arrives in the solar system.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EIn fact, if astronomers were to create a giant frozen ball made of the ices of various gases, organic molecules and metallic grains, give it a coating of organic matter, and release it into space, it will not behave anything like a comet. It will simply move in a straight line with uniform velocity until all the ices sublimate – and sublimation will happen really fast as soon as the sublimation temperatures are reached. There won’t be any change of direction or acceleration, no movement towards or away from the Sun, no coma or any long, well-formed, intricate tails, and certainly no replication. The metallic vapor will not be released, nor the organic molecules (since most organic molecules do not sublimate).\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EOn the other hand, almost everything that we know about comets can be explained by comparing them to marine plankton like algae, bacteria and other microorganisms. The correlations are absolutely stunning, and make a very strong case that comets are conscious space organisms, that behave like space plankton. It is very likely that comets perform the same job in the solar system that plankton do in the oceans – which is to maintain the chemical balance of the solar system and allow the evolution of life in planetary systems like the earth.\u0026nbsp; \u0026nbsp;\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EThis is, obviously, a radically new way of looking at comets, and in order for this idea to be explored further, there needs to be a fundamental overhaul in the way we view the universe. We have to stop thinking of the cosmos as an inert, lifeless space characterized by random occurrences and energetic reactions, and instead, allow, pockets of consciousness to exist and thrive within this environment. That won’t be easy since deeply ingrained ideologies are difficult to let go of.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EWe also need to involve marine biologists in the study of comets, and I have little doubt that if the exploration of comets, meteors and associated phenomenon is carried out by cross- functional teams of astronomers and marine biologists, we would understand more about comets in the next five years than we have in the past fifty.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EBefore ending this article, let me summarize the key correlations between comets and marine plankton such as algae and bacteria.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E1) The tail structures of comets are remarkably similar to the flagella of algae and other microorganisms. The \"ion tail\" of a comet corresponds to the “whiplash flagella”, while the \"dust tail\" of a comet, where the striations appear, correspond to the “tinsel flagella” which have lateral hairs.\u0026nbsp;\u003Cbr \/\u003E2) The gas and dust released by a comet may be coalescing around the cilia to form the brilliant coma, and around the flagella to form the comet tails. That is why the coma and the tail have definite, complex, shapes that remain extremely stable over time, even as the comet hurtles through space.\u003Cbr \/\u003E3) Comets use their cilia and flagella to move through space. Comets have been seen wiggling their tails as they move, which gives their tails a wavy appearance that changes over time.\u0026nbsp;\u003Cbr \/\u003E4) The tail “Disconnection Event” of comets - in which the tail gets separated from the comet’s head and moves away, and is replaced by a new one – corresponds to the deflagellation of algal cells. Algae detach their flagella in response to certain stimuli, and regrow their flagella once the external stimuli is removed.\u0026nbsp;\u0026nbsp;\u003Cbr \/\u003E5) The nucleus of a comet rotates as it moves, in the same manner that the body of the alga, Chlamydomonas, rotates as it moves.\u003Cbr \/\u003E6) Comets may not be gravitationally bound to the Sun and move in their orbits using a combination of phototaxis (light), magnetoreception (magnetic field) and gravitaxis (gravity), using their flagella-like tails as locomotary organs, similar to unicellular organisms.\u003Cbr \/\u003E7) The fragmentation of a comet nucleus into two or more comets, corresponds exactly to the processes of binary fission (or budding) and multiple fission in unicellular organisms.\u003Cbr \/\u003E8) The reason why many comets have a bi-lobed nucleus, which is an inherently unstable structure, is probably because these comets are in the process of undergoing binary fission or budding.\u003Cbr \/\u003E9) Comets have a tendency to enter into a dormant state from time to time, which is something microbes do as well.\u0026nbsp;\u003Cbr \/\u003E10) Like unicellular phototrophs, comets may contain different types of photosynthetic pigments – such as chlorophyll, carotenoids and phycobiliproteins - which not only allows them to photosynthesize by harvesting sunlight, but also gives them their specific colors – green, red, blue, yellow etc.\u003Cbr \/\u003E11) Like algae, comets could be producing different photosynthetic pigments which alter their dominant pigment, and thereby their color.\u003Cbr \/\u003E12) Just like unicellular organisms, the various gases and organic molecules released by a comet are byproducts of their internal metabolic activity, such as photosynthesis, aerobic and anaerobic respiration, biosynthesis and degradation of photosynthetic pigments, nitrogen fixation etc. This is why comets emit water vapor even when they are beyond the water-ice sublimation boundary.\u003Cbr \/\u003E13) Like algae, comets absorb and adsorb heavy metals like Nickel and Iron from the surrounding, and release these atoms when they are in a “chilled environment” or in stressful conditions such as a “heat shock”.\u003Cbr \/\u003E14) The ATP generated from cellular respiration provides the energy to comets to power their journey through space by moving their cilia and flagella. This is why comets can accelerate even when they don’t display signs of outgassing.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EThis is a long list of correlations, and I can only hope that this study will enthuse scientists and researchers to undertake further exploration of this new approach to understanding comets.\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u003Cb\u003ENote:\u003C\/b\u003E An older version of this article was published on MysteriousUniverse (\u003Ca href=\"https:\/\/mysteriousuniverse.org\/\" target=\"_blank\"\u003Ehttps:\/\/mysteriousuniverse.org\/\u003C\/a\u003E)\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cb\u003E\u003Cu\u003EReferences\u003C\/u\u003E\u003C\/b\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E[1] “Comet”, Enclyclopaedia Britannica, \u003Ca href=\"https:\/\/www.britannica.com\/science\/comet-astronomy\/The-modern-era\" target=\"_blank\"\u003Ehttps:\/\/www.britannica.com\/science\/comet-astronomy\/The-modern-era\u003C\/a\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E[2] Ezzy Pearson, “Aliens are more likely to see Comet A3 Tsuchinshan ATLAS again than Earth is!” Sky At Night Magazine 31 Oct 2024, \u003Ca href=\"https:\/\/www.skyatnightmagazine.com\/news\/comet-a3-tsuchinshan-atlas-orbit-100000\" target=\"_blank\"\u003Ehttps:\/\/www.skyatnightmagazine.com\/news\/comet-a3-tsuchinshan-atlas-orbit-100000\u003C\/a\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E[3] \"Our Solar System’s First Known Interstellar Object Gets Unexpected Speed Boost\", NASA Hubble Mission Team, 27 June 2018, \u003Ca href=\"https:\/\/science.nasa.gov\/missions\/hubble\/our-solar-systems-first-known-interstellar-object-gets-unexpected-speed-boost\/\" target=\"_blank\"\u003Ehttps:\/\/science.nasa.gov\/missions\/hubble\/our-solar-systems-first-known-interstellar-object-gets-unexpected-speed-boost\/\u003C\/a\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E[4] \"C\/2011 L4 (PanSTARRS)\", Wikipedia, \u003Ca href=\"https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/C\/2011_L4_(PanSTARRS)\" target=\"_blank\"\u003Ehttps:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/C\/2011_L4_(PanSTARRS)\u003C\/a\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E[5] “New insights on comet tails are blowing in the solar wind”, NASA\/Goddard Space Flight Center, News Release Nov 2, 2018,\u0026nbsp; \u003Ca href=\"https:\/\/www.nasa.gov\/solar-system\/new-insights-on-comet-tails-are-blowing-in-the-solar-wind\/\" target=\"_blank\"\u003Ehttps:\/\/www.nasa.gov\/solar-system\/new-insights-on-comet-tails-are-blowing-in-the-solar-wind\/\u003C\/a\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E[6] \"The Structured Tails of Comet NEOWISE\", NASA Science, Jul 22, 2020, \u003Ca href=\"https:\/\/science.nasa.gov\/structured-tails-comet-neowise\" target=\"_blank\"\u003Ehttps:\/\/science.nasa.gov\/structured-tails-comet-neowise\u003C\/a\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E[7] NASA Astronomy Picture of the Day, 2015 January 21, \u003Ca href=\"https:\/\/apod.nasa.gov\/apod\/ap150121.html\" target=\"_blank\"\u003Ehttps:\/\/apod.nasa.gov\/apod\/ap150121.html\u003C\/a\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E[8] Bob Yirka , \"Comet Lovejoy's wiggle offers glimpse of Sun's variable coronal magnetism\", Phys.org June 7, 2013, \u003Ca href=\"https:\/\/phys.org\/news\/2013-06-comet-lovejoy-wiggle-glimpse-sun.html\" target=\"_blank\"\u003Ehttps:\/\/phys.org\/news\/2013-06-comet-lovejoy-wiggle-glimpse-sun.html\u003C\/a\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E[9] Harry Baker, \"See the explosive 'devil comet' get its tail ripped off by a solar storm days before its close approach to the sun\", Live Science 19 April 2024, \u003Ca href=\"https:\/\/www.livescience.com\/space\/comets\/see-the-explosive-devil-comet-get-its-tail-ripped-off-by-a-solar-storm-days-before-its-close-approach-to-the-sun\" target=\"_blank\"\u003Ehttps:\/\/www.livescience.com\/space\/comets\/see-the-explosive-devil-comet-get-its-tail-ripped-off-by-a-solar-storm-days-before-its-close-approach-to-the-sun\u003C\/a\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E[10] Li, YF., Li, YT., Wang, WM. et al. 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Womack, G. Sarid, and K. Wierzchos, \"CO and Other Volatiles in Distantly Active Comets\", Publications of the Astronomical Society of the Pacific, 2017 February 9, Volume 129, Number 973.\u003Cbr \/\u003E[21] “Algae”, Brittanica, \u003Ca href=\"https:\/\/www.britannica.com\/science\/algae\/Photosynthesis-and-light-absorbing-pigments\" target=\"_blank\"\u003Ehttps:\/\/www.britannica.com\/science\/algae\/Photosynthesis-and-light-absorbing-pigments\u003C\/a\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E[22] Ritsumeikan University. \"Carbon dioxide-rich liquid water in ancient meteorite.\" ScienceDaily. ScienceDaily, 21 April 2021, \u003Ca href=\"http:\/\/www.sciencedaily.com\/releases\/2021\/04\/210421151254.htm.\" target=\"_blank\"\u003Ewww.sciencedaily.com\/releases\/2021\/04\/210421151254.htm.\u003C\/a\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E[23] \"First detection of molecular oxygen at a comet\", ESA 28 Oct 2015, \u003Ca href=\"https:\/\/www.esa.int\/Science_Exploration\/Space_Science\/Rosetta\/First_detection_of_molecular_oxygen_at_a_comet\" target=\"_blank\"\u003Ehttps:\/\/www.esa.int\/Science_Exploration\/Space_Science\/Rosetta\/First_detection_of_molecular_oxygen_at_a_comet\u003C\/a\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E[24] H.L. Crespi, J.J.Katz, \"Carbon Monoxide in the Biosphere: CO Emission by Fresh-Water Algae\", National Service Center for Environmental Publications (NSCEP), US EPA, 1972.\u003Cbr \/\u003E[25] Sergio Prostak, \"Astronomers Detect Cyanide Gas in Interstellar Comet 2I\/Borisov\", Sci News Sep 28, 2019, \u003Ca href=\"http:\/\/www.sci-news.com\/astronomy\/cyanide-gas-interstellar-comet-2i-borisov-07637.html\" target=\"_blank\"\u003Ehttp:\/\/www.sci-news.com\/astronomy\/cyanide-gas-interstellar-comet-2i-borisov-07637.html\u003C\/a\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E[26] Manthos Panou and Spyros Gkelis, \"Cyano-assassins: Widespread cyanogenic 2 production from cyanobacteria\", biorxiv.org January 6, 2020, \u003Ca href=\"https:\/\/www.biorxiv.org\/content\/10.1101\/2020.01.04.894782v1.full.pdf\" target=\"_blank\"\u003Ehttps:\/\/www.biorxiv.org\/content\/10.1101\/2020.01.04.894782v1.full.pdf\u003C\/a\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E[27] Lisa De Nike \"Astronomers Detect Molecular Nitrogen Outside Our Solar System\", The JHU Gazette June 21, 2004, \u003Ca href=\"https:\/\/pages.jh.edu\/gazette\/2004\/21jun04\/21detect.html\" target=\"_blank\"\u003Ehttps:\/\/pages.jh.edu\/gazette\/2004\/21jun04\/21detect.html\u003C\/a\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E[28] \"Rosetta’s comet contains ingredients for life\", ESA 27 May, 2016, \u003Ca href=\"https:\/\/www.esa.int\/Science_Exploration\/Space_Science\/Rosetta\/Rosetta_s_comet_contains_ingredients_for_life\" target=\"_blank\"\u003Ehttps:\/\/www.esa.int\/Science_Exploration\/Space_Science\/Rosetta\/Rosetta_s_comet_contains_ingredients_for_life\u003C\/a\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E[29] \"Heavy metal vapours unexpectedly found in comets throughout our Solar System — and beyond\", ESO Press Release, 19 May 2021, \u003Ca href=\"https:\/\/www.eso.org\/public\/news\/eso2108\/\" target=\"_blank\"\u003Ehttps:\/\/www.eso.org\/public\/news\/eso2108\/\u003C\/a\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E[30] Ellen Fielding, Robert W. Nairn, Robert C. Knox, \"Sorption and Release of Nickel and Zinc Using a Mixed-Algae Community Collected from a Mine Drainage Passive Treatment System\", Journal of Environmental Engineering, 25 Nov 2021, Volume 148, Issue 2, \u003Ca href=\"https:\/\/doi.org\/10.1061\/(ASCE)EE.1943-7870.0001953\" target=\"_blank\"\u003Ehttps:\/\/doi.org\/10.1061\/(ASCE)EE.1943-7870.0001953\u003C\/a\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E[31] Robert Sutak, Jean-Michel Camadro, Emmanuel Lesuisse, \"Iron Uptake Mechanisms in Marine Phytoplankton\", Frontiers in Microbiology, 05 November 2020, Volume 11 - 2020, \u003Ca href=\"https:\/\/doi.org\/10.3389\/fmicb.2020.566691\" target=\"_blank\"\u003Ehttps:\/\/doi.org\/10.3389\/fmicb.2020.566691\u003C\/a\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E"},"link":[{"rel":"replies","type":"application/atom+xml","href":"https:\/\/www.bibhudevmisra.com\/feeds\/3000228420777678157\/comments\/default","title":"Post Comments"},{"rel":"replies","type":"text/html","href":"https:\/\/www.bibhudevmisra.com\/2025\/10\/comets-are-conscious-space-organisms.html#comment-form","title":"2 Comments"},{"rel":"edit","type":"application/atom+xml","href":"https:\/\/www.blogger.com\/feeds\/6864653463177413678\/posts\/default\/3000228420777678157"},{"rel":"self","type":"application/atom+xml","href":"https:\/\/www.blogger.com\/feeds\/6864653463177413678\/posts\/default\/3000228420777678157"},{"rel":"alternate","type":"text/html","href":"https:\/\/www.bibhudevmisra.com\/2025\/10\/comets-are-conscious-space-organisms.html","title":"Comets Are Conscious Space Organisms, resembling Terrestrial Microbes! "}],"author":[{"name":{"$t":"Bibhu Dev Misra"},"uri":{"$t":"http:\/\/www.blogger.com\/profile\/15388473714672380058"},"email":{"$t":"noreply@blogger.com"},"gd$image":{"rel":"http://schemas.google.com/g/2005#thumbnail","width":"32","height":"28","src":"\/\/blogger.googleusercontent.com\/img\/b\/R29vZ2xl\/AVvXsEh4sklyRp_L5BfqEXTjoskgFPFYpJiNJSuDN5zrcldGBaXot626bOTu8q5TUYsip63M6EkY2JbuoE6l1N5fMKiqKfzFfaaKpqm91QZx9rMdAL3t-ju2QdYi1K-BeCJsjw\/s130\/DSCN1699.JPG"}}],"media$thumbnail":{"xmlns$media":"http://search.yahoo.com/mrss/","url":"https:\/\/blogger.googleusercontent.com\/img\/b\/R29vZ2xl\/AVvXsEj6IeuXnI4szeLGmdQiqWZiplSmE9XIyJv72Tvk-YeBqi9NKjFdIKOHpeTHSDN194TAUmuuO2-zWT61bjGvnuwF_RGKZpuqTj89xBz7Jj1beN2AByPZ4DVAWGEQsCs3br36GAUe_37dNgfNPcoid-urAV-okhy0T4U7e5uocdyRhFD6_HbybnZd8d3tMnE\/s72-c\/Comet_12P_Pons-Brooks%20ESA%20Public%20Domain%20very%20small.jpg","height":"72","width":"72"},"thr$total":{"$t":"2"}},{"id":{"$t":"tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6864653463177413678.post-2216139462428762632"},"published":{"$t":"2025-05-05T19:16:00.002+05:30"},"updated":{"$t":"2025-08-02T12:33:00.696+05:30"},"category":[{"scheme":"http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#","term":"Article"},{"scheme":"http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#","term":"Yuga Cycle"}],"title":{"type":"text","$t":"The Garabandal Prophecies and their connection to the End of the Kali Yuga"},"content":{"type":"html","$t":"\u003Cp\u003E\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cdiv class=\"separator\" style=\"clear: both; text-align: center;\"\u003E\u003Ca href=\"https:\/\/blogger.googleusercontent.com\/img\/b\/R29vZ2xl\/AVvXsEjFfKdUj2cksHELmdTrZQhwq_92Tj52AdXWve2dsiDPtxYaIK43YbPFMCaPaQbTI9I0ndlayd8yJIGdyrDlm8WqpVmzJBema2kwEA0Qk1fhRgV7XBZU0Md9AlWuLrL-wOddlWdwPGTQtKfiUmEnfkBs6lssXcPlhNrJ4zdBjHIh2XDEzuYo8wTad0NYc8c\/s600\/Garabandal%20Blessed%20Mother%20featured%20small1.jpg\" style=\"margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;\"\u003E\u003Cimg border=\"0\" data-original-height=\"343\" data-original-width=\"600\" height=\"183\" src=\"https:\/\/blogger.googleusercontent.com\/img\/b\/R29vZ2xl\/AVvXsEjFfKdUj2cksHELmdTrZQhwq_92Tj52AdXWve2dsiDPtxYaIK43YbPFMCaPaQbTI9I0ndlayd8yJIGdyrDlm8WqpVmzJBema2kwEA0Qk1fhRgV7XBZU0Md9AlWuLrL-wOddlWdwPGTQtKfiUmEnfkBs6lssXcPlhNrJ4zdBjHIh2XDEzuYo8wTad0NYc8c\/s320\/Garabandal%20Blessed%20Mother%20featured%20small1.jpg\" width=\"320\" \/\u003E\u003C\/a\u003E\u003C\/div\u003E\u003Cdiv class=\"separator\" style=\"clear: both; text-align: center;\"\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003C\/div\u003E\u003Ci\u003ENote: This article was originally published on Mysterious Universe (https:\/\/mysteriousuniverse.org\/). \u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003C\/i\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003ETill a few weeks back, I had never heard of Garabandal. But then, I received an unexpected email from a person who wrote, \u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp style=\"margin-left: 40px; text-align: left;\"\u003E“I came across your page when listening to the Mysterious Universe YouTube channel interview, found it very interesting. The dates you state of the ending of the kali yuga in 2025 and the transition period being between 2025-2040 and the destruction being fire from the sky is exactly what the seers of Garabandal state as well...I used to be 80% sure Garabandal would happen, now with reading your narrative of the Kali Yuga cycle, I now am 99% convinced.”\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003ENeedless to say, I was very intrigued. From the email, Garabandal sounded like the name of a place, but I had no idea where it was, who the “seers” of Garabandal were, and what exactly they had prophesied. So, I started doing what I have been doing for sometime now. Which is to dig around for facts.\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EAs I started finding out more and more about the strange, inexplicable and downright supernatural events that had transpired in the small mountain village of Garabandal in northern Spain in the mid 20th century, I was utterly amazed. “How come I had never heard any of this before?” I wondered to myself. The chilling prophecies that were revealed to the visionaries of Garabandal are so closely tied to the impending end of the Kali Yuga, and the monumental planetary shift that we are now entering, that I felt it was necessary to bring this to the attention of more people.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Ctable align=\"center\" cellpadding=\"0\" cellspacing=\"0\" class=\"tr-caption-container\" style=\"margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;\"\u003E\u003Ctbody\u003E\u003Ctr\u003E\u003Ctd style=\"text-align: center;\"\u003E\u003Ca href=\"https:\/\/blogger.googleusercontent.com\/img\/b\/R29vZ2xl\/AVvXsEhwP7KXFXbNq76xkJICmePKpEq4l45dZwQWlyJ-L4hQhKThX4KZg01FmsME8i2kQN6L9XX7H_ExMKn6uMxLMcuQV2PqWm-KZlyHchksXtu_QMy3AjCsRTBNtDDeXuRkUsR17-XYCwtydW1xedNT__yNrgFFrV_pwfYTIsaKYiSQaAnCaGpbyKhwCpfzj8c\/s1400\/Garabandal%20Adobe.jpg\" style=\"margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;\"\u003E\u003Cimg alt=\"Garabandal in Northern Spain\" border=\"0\" data-original-height=\"931\" data-original-width=\"1400\" height=\"426\" src=\"https:\/\/blogger.googleusercontent.com\/img\/b\/R29vZ2xl\/AVvXsEhwP7KXFXbNq76xkJICmePKpEq4l45dZwQWlyJ-L4hQhKThX4KZg01FmsME8i2kQN6L9XX7H_ExMKn6uMxLMcuQV2PqWm-KZlyHchksXtu_QMy3AjCsRTBNtDDeXuRkUsR17-XYCwtydW1xedNT__yNrgFFrV_pwfYTIsaKYiSQaAnCaGpbyKhwCpfzj8c\/w640-h426\/Garabandal%20Adobe.jpg\" width=\"640\" \/\u003E\u003C\/a\u003E\u003C\/td\u003E\u003C\/tr\u003E\u003Ctr\u003E\u003Ctd class=\"tr-caption\" style=\"text-align: center;\"\u003EFigure 1: The village of Garabandal in northern Spain. Source: Adobe Stock\u003C\/td\u003E\u003C\/tr\u003E\u003C\/tbody\u003E\u003C\/table\u003E\u003Cp\u003EAfter watching a number of YouTube videos[1] about the Marian apparitions at Garabandal which occurred between 1961 and 1965, I came upon the earliest and most authoritative book on this subject titled, \u003Ca href=\"https:\/\/www.garabandal.info\/book\" target=\"_blank\"\u003E\u003Ci\u003EThe apparitions of Garabandal\u003C\/i\u003E\u003C\/a\u003E, written by F. Sanchez-Ventura Y Pascual, a lawyer, who also held the Chair of Economics and Legislation at the University of Saragossa.[2] \u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EThe book was written in Spanish in 1965, and was translated into English in 1966. The author had personally been to Garabandal in 1961 and had interacted with the visionaries and many eye-witnesses, and from them he “was able to gather countless reports, films, letters, photographs, tape recordings and other testimony of all kinds, the very abundance of which served to cross-check their authenticity”. I have relied on this authoritative work of Mr. Pascual for describing the mystical Marian apparitions that took place more than half-a-century ago.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Ch2 style=\"text-align: left;\"\u003EThe Garabandal Visions\u003C\/h2\u003E\u003Cp\u003ESan Sebastian de Garabandal is a small village of barely seventy homes, nestling on the Cantabrian Mountains, at a height of about two thousand feet. The houses here are quaint, and the lanes picturesque, though surfaced in rough stone. Starting in the summer of 1961, four young girls named Mary Loly, Conchita, Jacinta and Mary Cruz, all of whom were between the ages of 11 and 12, were routinely taken up into ecstatic raptures. During these raptures they interacted with the Blessed Mother, and sometimes received visions and prophecies of great future events.\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Ctable align=\"center\" cellpadding=\"0\" cellspacing=\"0\" class=\"tr-caption-container\" style=\"margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;\"\u003E\u003Ctbody\u003E\u003Ctr\u003E\u003Ctd style=\"text-align: center;\"\u003E\u003Ca href=\"https:\/\/blogger.googleusercontent.com\/img\/b\/R29vZ2xl\/AVvXsEhoTAWYHH3iuC1KSfhFE2By51SAnLn6OdjMKpoS9lkbLG20Jr_Bvhrj1UIxZAb-lWo5_TmSJfL6__QgUQGBcpxqomheBVAwbT_SGPtfiJwC6HOXqb8piKuOlC_hmX4_QgAWXB7wfMVH4Yx-gR3GRIIxzUOowGV0eE0YiR5fOeQLCQkjl9vD3sQAMIuvr54\/s1400\/Garabandal1.jpg\" style=\"margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;\"\u003E\u003Cimg alt=\"The four visionaries of Garabandal\" border=\"0\" data-original-height=\"791\" data-original-width=\"1400\" height=\"226\" src=\"https:\/\/blogger.googleusercontent.com\/img\/b\/R29vZ2xl\/AVvXsEhoTAWYHH3iuC1KSfhFE2By51SAnLn6OdjMKpoS9lkbLG20Jr_Bvhrj1UIxZAb-lWo5_TmSJfL6__QgUQGBcpxqomheBVAwbT_SGPtfiJwC6HOXqb8piKuOlC_hmX4_QgAWXB7wfMVH4Yx-gR3GRIIxzUOowGV0eE0YiR5fOeQLCQkjl9vD3sQAMIuvr54\/w400-h226\/Garabandal1.jpg\" width=\"400\" \/\u003E\u003C\/a\u003E\u003C\/td\u003E\u003C\/tr\u003E\u003Ctr\u003E\u003Ctd class=\"tr-caption\" style=\"text-align: center;\"\u003EFigure 2: The four visionaries of Garabandal. From left to right: Mary \nLoly, Jacinta, Maria-Cruz and Conchita. Source: The apparitions of \nGarabandal\u003C\/td\u003E\u003C\/tr\u003E\u003C\/tbody\u003E\u003C\/table\u003E\u003Cp\u003EBetween 1961 and 1965 they experienced nearly 2000 of these apparitions, most of which took place while they were surrounded by huge crowds of pilgrims and onlookers. Many inexplicable events of a supernatural nature occurred during these raptures. For instance, the girls did not feel any pain or external sensations, their body weight increased, they experienced time dilation and many more which we will look at in more detail. When they were not in ecstasy, the girls led simple lives as farmers and shepherds.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EIt all started in the late afternoon of the 18th June, 1961, when the four young girls were playing marbles with some pebbles, in the lane that lead to the pine grove located a little bit above the village. Suddenly, they saw the apparition of an angel, whom Conchita described as, \"a very beautiful figure, surrounded by a great light that did not dazzle my eyes.\"\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003ELater, the four girls gave the following description of the angel they had seen to the schoolmistress: “He was wearing a long, seamless blue robe. He had fairly big pink wings…He looked about nine years old. But, although he was a child to look at, he gave the impression of being very strong.\" Later that day, while going to bed, all four girls at the same time heard a voice that said: 'Do not worry. You will see me again'.\" \u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Ctable align=\"center\" cellpadding=\"0\" cellspacing=\"0\" class=\"tr-caption-container\" style=\"margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;\"\u003E\u003Ctbody\u003E\u003Ctr\u003E\u003Ctd style=\"text-align: center;\"\u003E\u003Ca href=\"https:\/\/blogger.googleusercontent.com\/img\/b\/R29vZ2xl\/AVvXsEhxNY5GRPSTITnRFtEewf5tx3q-uIFePwYqzSwK7npB-F1X-T4wNo1jCoWuJG-Cr9BRA1VUcPWCoV3wobfYt_7NuVTKshS0vKDlP-74fsFl3SzKrNLEZpzGxQv83DV6JVG2k-8db3yJOeBf8OgAmbn1pQ9sK9NySSCIgMc6QPmpUH5hEY4i2RGdpSMvlpw\/s1114\/Pine%20grove%20above%20garabandal.jpg\" style=\"margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;\"\u003E\u003Cimg alt=\"The pine grove above the village of Garabandal\" border=\"0\" data-original-height=\"613\" data-original-width=\"1114\" height=\"352\" src=\"https:\/\/blogger.googleusercontent.com\/img\/b\/R29vZ2xl\/AVvXsEhxNY5GRPSTITnRFtEewf5tx3q-uIFePwYqzSwK7npB-F1X-T4wNo1jCoWuJG-Cr9BRA1VUcPWCoV3wobfYt_7NuVTKshS0vKDlP-74fsFl3SzKrNLEZpzGxQv83DV6JVG2k-8db3yJOeBf8OgAmbn1pQ9sK9NySSCIgMc6QPmpUH5hEY4i2RGdpSMvlpw\/w640-h352\/Pine%20grove%20above%20garabandal.jpg\" width=\"640\" \/\u003E\u003C\/a\u003E\u003C\/td\u003E\u003C\/tr\u003E\u003Ctr\u003E\u003Ctd class=\"tr-caption\" style=\"text-align: center;\"\u003EFigure 3: The pine grove above the village. Source: Adobe Stock\u003C\/td\u003E\u003C\/tr\u003E\u003C\/tbody\u003E\u003C\/table\u003E\u003Ctable align=\"center\" cellpadding=\"0\" cellspacing=\"0\" class=\"tr-caption-container\" style=\"margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;\"\u003E\u003Ctbody\u003E\u003Ctr\u003E\u003Ctd style=\"text-align: center;\"\u003E\u003Ca href=\"https:\/\/blogger.googleusercontent.com\/img\/b\/R29vZ2xl\/AVvXsEjOWJPAGYQuJ4E80qFjkpuIn1nyp1OBa2WdGVPQoGLTILt2MJxMx8UgZ_1WAmlkopANczMFQaPW6JT0WTa0LDqleH0VCdBb10AEUTmGKfN5JqMmnEDNWbnW36xh-ZVzef1SlW8EgByiOIry8nNCCgjSF39drpAmWXshDEpFamGQf90UC2CFUFLOqXITZJ4\/s687\/The%20Sunken%20Lane.jpg\" style=\"margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;\"\u003E\u003Cimg border=\"0\" data-original-height=\"687\" data-original-width=\"573\" height=\"400\" src=\"https:\/\/blogger.googleusercontent.com\/img\/b\/R29vZ2xl\/AVvXsEjOWJPAGYQuJ4E80qFjkpuIn1nyp1OBa2WdGVPQoGLTILt2MJxMx8UgZ_1WAmlkopANczMFQaPW6JT0WTa0LDqleH0VCdBb10AEUTmGKfN5JqMmnEDNWbnW36xh-ZVzef1SlW8EgByiOIry8nNCCgjSF39drpAmWXshDEpFamGQf90UC2CFUFLOqXITZJ4\/w334-h400\/The%20Sunken%20Lane.jpg\" width=\"334\" \/\u003E\u003C\/a\u003E\u003C\/td\u003E\u003C\/tr\u003E\u003Ctr\u003E\u003Ctd class=\"tr-caption\" style=\"text-align: center;\"\u003EFigure 4: The sunken lane leading to the pines was a site of many apparitions. Source: The apparitions of Garabandal\u003C\/td\u003E\u003C\/tr\u003E\u003C\/tbody\u003E\u003C\/table\u003E\u003Cp\u003ESince then, the angel appeared to the four girls on a number of separate occasions. All the sightings took place in the same location, in the late afternoon or evening, after the girls had said the rosary and were in the company of the villagers and the parish priest. This is what happened on the afternoon of June 21st, as Mr. Pascual writes,\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp style=\"margin-left: 40px; text-align: left;\"\u003E“So it happened that several villagers were there to say the rosary that afternoon of June 21st. Then, as they ended the decade, all at once the extraordinary thing happened. As one, the four girls seemed suddenly to be frozen to the spot. Kneeling there, they wore a sweet expression on their pale faces, which seemed to reflect a strange light. All four were looking in the same direction, absorbed. Their heads were thrown back at a surprising angle. Their unblinking eyes were staring up at the heavens. One smiled. Another posed the question that the parish priest had instructed them to ask. \"Who are you? Why have you come?\" But the angel did not answer.\" \u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Ctable align=\"center\" cellpadding=\"0\" cellspacing=\"0\" class=\"tr-caption-container\" style=\"margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;\"\u003E\u003Ctbody\u003E\u003Ctr\u003E\u003Ctd style=\"text-align: center;\"\u003E\u003Ca href=\"https:\/\/blogger.googleusercontent.com\/img\/b\/R29vZ2xl\/AVvXsEhtKUs-ln6wrP8eQ0s_i9WuR24BejnqMX3tawKdNBP2m_uL0O6AX6t8aP7i82gzx6lNFW5-4UOg-LFKanXB_MfGl9nCNoSVadHWIKXDY0DOM8PhwzmyDdXYj9sYk7HnQ9p1mSqHENLtGEo1avGfmuRwg-hrEeKwF8JWHFMJufaM1A178JppVW6OU2BMQQo\/s1200\/Garabandal3.jpg\" style=\"margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;\"\u003E\u003Cimg alt=\"Mary Loly, Conchita and Jacinta in a vision at Garabandal\" border=\"0\" data-original-height=\"979\" data-original-width=\"1200\" height=\"326\" src=\"https:\/\/blogger.googleusercontent.com\/img\/b\/R29vZ2xl\/AVvXsEhtKUs-ln6wrP8eQ0s_i9WuR24BejnqMX3tawKdNBP2m_uL0O6AX6t8aP7i82gzx6lNFW5-4UOg-LFKanXB_MfGl9nCNoSVadHWIKXDY0DOM8PhwzmyDdXYj9sYk7HnQ9p1mSqHENLtGEo1avGfmuRwg-hrEeKwF8JWHFMJufaM1A178JppVW6OU2BMQQo\/w400-h326\/Garabandal3.jpg\" width=\"400\" \/\u003E\u003C\/a\u003E\u003C\/td\u003E\u003C\/tr\u003E\u003Ctr\u003E\u003Ctd class=\"tr-caption\" style=\"text-align: center;\"\u003EFigure 5: Mary Loly, Conchita and Jacinta in a vision (from left to right). Source: The apparitions of Garabandal\u003C\/td\u003E\u003C\/tr\u003E\u003C\/tbody\u003E\u003C\/table\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Ctable align=\"center\" cellpadding=\"0\" cellspacing=\"0\" class=\"tr-caption-container\" style=\"margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;\"\u003E\u003Ctbody\u003E\u003Ctr\u003E\u003Ctd style=\"text-align: center;\"\u003E\u003Ca href=\"https:\/\/blogger.googleusercontent.com\/img\/b\/R29vZ2xl\/AVvXsEhGFITZVgzi72J6AbJf9OQb9v-JHJkZoog0WE8fSX1CnHVVQqX3JF8jk0OW41FAjRnVBrwTOUpssXUdZRYHjqtCQfa1RWVRrINba4hnSXUqH7UZ7u9JM3PJRfZvzMUQ1GusVFy4PwxmUGGEQxOM4l-POGRFz6Dca2XDLl6TXKse6d_E9r4E69sTBb6mqxQ\/s705\/Garabandal13.jpg\" style=\"margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;\"\u003E\u003Cimg alt=\"Mary Loly (left) and Jacinta (right) following the vision in Garabandal\" border=\"0\" data-original-height=\"705\" data-original-width=\"473\" height=\"400\" src=\"https:\/\/blogger.googleusercontent.com\/img\/b\/R29vZ2xl\/AVvXsEhGFITZVgzi72J6AbJf9OQb9v-JHJkZoog0WE8fSX1CnHVVQqX3JF8jk0OW41FAjRnVBrwTOUpssXUdZRYHjqtCQfa1RWVRrINba4hnSXUqH7UZ7u9JM3PJRfZvzMUQ1GusVFy4PwxmUGGEQxOM4l-POGRFz6Dca2XDLl6TXKse6d_E9r4E69sTBb6mqxQ\/w269-h400\/Garabandal13.jpg\" width=\"269\" \/\u003E\u003C\/a\u003E\u003C\/td\u003E\u003C\/tr\u003E\u003Ctr\u003E\u003Ctd class=\"tr-caption\" style=\"text-align: center;\"\u003EFigure 6: Mary Loly (left) and Jacinta (right) following the vision through the village. Source: The apparitions of Garabandal\u003C\/td\u003E\u003C\/tr\u003E\u003C\/tbody\u003E\u003C\/table\u003E\u003Cp\u003EMr. Pascual further informs us that, when girls went into the visionary state, “it was as if they were deep in a divine slumber; they were unaware of anything that occurred about them.\u0026nbsp; They entered a field of vision placed above the natural plane, a state that isolated them from the things of this world. When they were in an ecstasy, they could see each other. But, if one of them lost her state of ecstasy, she disappeared from the field of vision of the others, as though the rapture were a stage and one of the visionaries had gone off into the wings.” And every time the four girls came out of the vision, they were quite normal and smiling.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EAs the news of the apparitions spread, people began to arrive from distant villages, including doctors, priests and people from all walks of life. On the scene of the apparitions – which was a specific place on the “sunken lane” that lead to the pine grove - a small stone enclosure (“cuadro”) had been erected to protect the children from the avalanche of eager spectators. The angel never spoke during the first few visions. But finally, on July 1st, he told the girls that the next day, Sunday, the Blessed Mother would come, and she would appear under the name of Our Lady of Mount Carmel.\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003ENeedless to say, on Sunday, July 2nd, the streets of Garabandal were packed with strangers. Just before six o'clock, the girls set off for the \"cuadro,\" (i.e. the stone enclosure on the sunken lane) and no sooner had they reached the spot that they found themselves in the presence of the Blessed Mother, accompanied by two angels. One was a stranger; the other was St. Michael. As per Conchita, the angels were very alike, \"as if they were twins\". On the Blessed Mother's right, they could see a “square of red fire framing a triangle with an eye and some writing in an odd oriental script.”\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003ELater, the girls gave the following description of the Blessed Mother: “She comes wearing a white robe, a blue mantle and a crown of golden stars; her hands are outstretched with a brown scapular, except when she has the Infant Jesus in her arms. Her dark chestnut hair is long and parted in the middle. Her face is rather long, with a very dainty nose. Her mouth is very pretty, with slightly full lips. She looks about seventeen and is tallish.” All four girls stress the unmistakable sound of her voice. \"There's no other voice like hers.\"\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003ELet us pause here for a while and reflect on the archetypal symbols associated with the vision of the Blessed Mother. “Why did she appear with the infant Jesus in her arms?” some have wondered. “Does, Jesus have the body of a child in heaven?” they have mused sarcastically. \u003Ci\u003EThe answer lies in the fact that, this is the archetypal form in which the “Planetary Mother” has been venerated over eons by our ancestors, as the divine mother and protector of the “Savior God” of humanity.\u003C\/i\u003E\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EIn ancient Egypt, this was the form in which the Mother Goddess Isis was represented, nursing the infant Horus, who would later become the leader of the sky gods and an indefatigable force against evil. It is Horus, who was addressed as the “Benu Bird” or “Phoenix”, who will return as the herald of a new age.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Ctable align=\"center\" cellpadding=\"0\" cellspacing=\"0\" class=\"tr-caption-container\" style=\"margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;\"\u003E\u003Ctbody\u003E\u003Ctr\u003E\u003Ctd style=\"text-align: center;\"\u003E\u003Ca href=\"https:\/\/blogger.googleusercontent.com\/img\/b\/R29vZ2xl\/AVvXsEiJurZEiqWP6gnFWPec5IaTBwEHCBkTxE2q8MgvuGwfHHpZsONjqPOmCs2fYivCpmgsvbAqztnzg3NPZYF2O9X9f7H7Sgj6QhMaVxBgnJI0BD0iITgLoTuw_pxVYWEUN0kXukQPU8cOF9c42-u3rNez0Md4V0tPAysmUw1XcfvrOdxA98B1cLZYoFstajU\/s1481\/Isis%20with%20Horus%20the%20Child,%20bronze,%20c%20680%20to%20640%20BC,%20Walters%20Art%20Museum,%20Wikimedia%20Commons%20CC%20BY%20SA%203.jpg\" style=\"margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;\"\u003E\u003Cimg alt=\"Isis with Horus the Child\" border=\"0\" data-original-height=\"1481\" data-original-width=\"1319\" height=\"400\" src=\"https:\/\/blogger.googleusercontent.com\/img\/b\/R29vZ2xl\/AVvXsEiJurZEiqWP6gnFWPec5IaTBwEHCBkTxE2q8MgvuGwfHHpZsONjqPOmCs2fYivCpmgsvbAqztnzg3NPZYF2O9X9f7H7Sgj6QhMaVxBgnJI0BD0iITgLoTuw_pxVYWEUN0kXukQPU8cOF9c42-u3rNez0Md4V0tPAysmUw1XcfvrOdxA98B1cLZYoFstajU\/w356-h400\/Isis%20with%20Horus%20the%20Child,%20bronze,%20c%20680%20to%20640%20BC,%20Walters%20Art%20Museum,%20Wikimedia%20Commons%20CC%20BY%20SA%203.jpg\" width=\"356\" \/\u003E\u003C\/a\u003E\u003C\/td\u003E\u003C\/tr\u003E\u003Ctr\u003E\u003Ctd class=\"tr-caption\" style=\"text-align: center;\"\u003EFigure 7: Isis with Horus the Child, c. 680 to 640 BC.\u0026nbsp; Credit: Walters Art Museum, CC BY-SA 3.0 via Wikimedia Commons\u003C\/td\u003E\u003C\/tr\u003E\u003C\/tbody\u003E\u003C\/table\u003E\u003Ctable align=\"center\" cellpadding=\"0\" cellspacing=\"0\" class=\"tr-caption-container\" style=\"margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;\"\u003E\u003Ctbody\u003E\u003Ctr\u003E\u003Ctd style=\"text-align: center;\"\u003E\u003Ca href=\"https:\/\/blogger.googleusercontent.com\/img\/b\/R29vZ2xl\/AVvXsEjLfz_TvNGEWq-ZHs4bklu7ZALXneoNTtFvOjN0BHOVdnA1y4hxRExFhIsyVJcXXKc7GcmeARyjWdH5NAz1WmTmvPHqrJlzBgMRi8EzInR2aEH3VIqfzJ8tjBEAuXRccHpszUDCf5cPN17NBevSo7DA0IVs6S1-PFEB0L-L9YriavVjRMg3rVmLZ6HpWC8\/s900\/Devaki%20holding%20baby%20Krishna,%204th%20to%205th%20century%20CE,%20Deogarh%20temple,%20Jhansi,%20India%20Credit%20National%20Museum,%20New%20Delhi.jpg\" style=\"margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;\"\u003E\u003Cimg alt=\"Devaki holding the baby Krishna\" border=\"0\" data-original-height=\"900\" data-original-width=\"900\" height=\"400\" src=\"https:\/\/blogger.googleusercontent.com\/img\/b\/R29vZ2xl\/AVvXsEjLfz_TvNGEWq-ZHs4bklu7ZALXneoNTtFvOjN0BHOVdnA1y4hxRExFhIsyVJcXXKc7GcmeARyjWdH5NAz1WmTmvPHqrJlzBgMRi8EzInR2aEH3VIqfzJ8tjBEAuXRccHpszUDCf5cPN17NBevSo7DA0IVs6S1-PFEB0L-L9YriavVjRMg3rVmLZ6HpWC8\/w400-h400\/Devaki%20holding%20baby%20Krishna,%204th%20to%205th%20century%20CE,%20Deogarh%20temple,%20Jhansi,%20India%20Credit%20National%20Museum,%20New%20Delhi.jpg\" width=\"400\" \/\u003E\u003C\/a\u003E\u003C\/td\u003E\u003C\/tr\u003E\u003Ctr\u003E\u003Ctd class=\"tr-caption\" style=\"text-align: center;\"\u003EFigure 8: Devaki holding the baby Krishna, c.4th to 5th century CE, Deogarh temple, India. Credit: National Museum, New Delhi.\u003C\/td\u003E\u003C\/tr\u003E\u003C\/tbody\u003E\u003C\/table\u003E\u003Cp\u003EIn India, the Mother Goddess Parvati is shown nursing her heroic son Kartikeya – also popularly known as “Sanat Kumara” (i.e. the eternally youthful one) - who is the “Lord of the World” and the leader of the celestial army, and will return as the Avatar at the end of this age. A similar image from India shows Devaki nursing the infant Krishna, who will appear at the end of this Yuga to deliver people from evil.\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003ESimilar archetypes exist in many other cultures, such the goddess Tyche holding the infant Plutus in Greek art, the goddess Kariteimo of Japan holding an infant in her left hand, and so on. The reason why this archetypal form was chosen by the Blessed Mother was probably because she wanted to send across the message that her manifestation at Garabandal cuts across the limitations of religion and cult, time and space, and is relevant for the whole word.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EAnother interesting archetypal symbol associated with the apparition of the Blessed Mother is the “square of red fire framing a triangle with an eye”. The “triangle with an eye” is a symbol that many are familiar with in the modern day. It represents the “All-Seeing Eye” or the “Eye of Providence”, which is the form in which the Creator and Savior of humanity was represented in a multitude of ancient cultures. \u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Ctable align=\"center\" cellpadding=\"0\" cellspacing=\"0\" class=\"tr-caption-container\" style=\"margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;\"\u003E\u003Ctbody\u003E\u003Ctr\u003E\u003Ctd style=\"text-align: center;\"\u003E\u003Ca href=\"https:\/\/blogger.googleusercontent.com\/img\/b\/R29vZ2xl\/AVvXsEiI_Y0_Vqj0xXtKz_WAusU3e1NhnTEL4nRJeIAL43uyxlP6qEmaI9F0zk98KQKNwn3sMjDcqdgueIwt_LgIy7fYgGB3RqBnSkA9kXDhPnSL2NT2WBVx8opP_BrFTu4WuI3Ul5lz3x17x5wCYzTSPBONiA8cDZrxVi3-l_PyOHz6PraEBwkTEcjR75yHvL4\/s1288\/The%20Eye%20of%20God%20or%20All%20Seeing%20Eye%20Aachen%20Cathedral,%20Germany,%20established%20805%20CE,%20Grunpfnul%20slash%20Sascha%20Faber%20CC%20BY%20SA%204.jpg\" style=\"margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;\"\u003E\u003Cimg alt=\"The All Seeing Eye depicted on the Aachen Cathedral, Germany\" border=\"0\" data-original-height=\"1288\" data-original-width=\"1200\" height=\"400\" src=\"https:\/\/blogger.googleusercontent.com\/img\/b\/R29vZ2xl\/AVvXsEiI_Y0_Vqj0xXtKz_WAusU3e1NhnTEL4nRJeIAL43uyxlP6qEmaI9F0zk98KQKNwn3sMjDcqdgueIwt_LgIy7fYgGB3RqBnSkA9kXDhPnSL2NT2WBVx8opP_BrFTu4WuI3Ul5lz3x17x5wCYzTSPBONiA8cDZrxVi3-l_PyOHz6PraEBwkTEcjR75yHvL4\/w373-h400\/The%20Eye%20of%20God%20or%20All%20Seeing%20Eye%20Aachen%20Cathedral,%20Germany,%20established%20805%20CE,%20Grunpfnul%20slash%20Sascha%20Faber%20CC%20BY%20SA%204.jpg\" width=\"373\" \/\u003E\u003C\/a\u003E\u003C\/td\u003E\u003C\/tr\u003E\u003Ctr\u003E\u003Ctd class=\"tr-caption\" style=\"text-align: center;\"\u003EFigure 9: The All Seeing Eye depicted on the Aachen Cathedral, Germany, \nestablished 805 CE. Credit: Grunpfnul \/ Sascha Faber, CC BY-SA 4.0 via \nWikimedia Commons\u003C\/td\u003E\u003C\/tr\u003E\u003C\/tbody\u003E\u003C\/table\u003E\u003Cp\u003EIn Egypt, this was called the “Eye of Horus” or “Eye of Ra”, which protects the king and wards off his enemies. Spell 316 of the Coffin Texts states “I am the all-seeing eye of Horus, whose appearance strikes terror…who takes the form of blazing light…whose birth Atum established.\" In India, the preserver god Vishnu (one of whose avatars was Krishna) was described as an “eye in heaven.” The Rig Veda 1.22 states, “The princes evermore behold that loftiest place where Vishnu is, laid as it were an eye in heaven.” The Buddha is referred to as the “Eye of the World” (\u003Ci\u003Ecakkhuma-loke\u003C\/i\u003E).\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Ctable align=\"center\" cellpadding=\"0\" cellspacing=\"0\" class=\"tr-caption-container\" style=\"margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;\"\u003E\u003Ctbody\u003E\u003Ctr\u003E\u003Ctd style=\"text-align: center;\"\u003E\u003Ca href=\"https:\/\/blogger.googleusercontent.com\/img\/b\/R29vZ2xl\/AVvXsEgnbVV0RbWNfS4YfdtWxgCytg342LGh3X8lg60tvXTboZ4qwxU29AALpZ2TtCXR4uz0raVSLz_-exCaY6LdJHKxB-S9u2WGsuiF2JrmQiCUpWxrVg5VCSCJNaop2LPXqqdTOgP11UMXbzDhPmSIuFqYYrg_MGNLqoJrMc-WDJrJC7BcpJoGZb1UK_pfx0o\/s866\/A%20'Eye%20of%20Ra'%20pendant,%20Jon%20Bodsworth,%20public%20domain.jpg\" style=\"margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;\"\u003E\u003Cimg alt=\"An “Eye of Horus” pendant\" border=\"0\" data-original-height=\"650\" data-original-width=\"866\" height=\"240\" src=\"https:\/\/blogger.googleusercontent.com\/img\/b\/R29vZ2xl\/AVvXsEgnbVV0RbWNfS4YfdtWxgCytg342LGh3X8lg60tvXTboZ4qwxU29AALpZ2TtCXR4uz0raVSLz_-exCaY6LdJHKxB-S9u2WGsuiF2JrmQiCUpWxrVg5VCSCJNaop2LPXqqdTOgP11UMXbzDhPmSIuFqYYrg_MGNLqoJrMc-WDJrJC7BcpJoGZb1UK_pfx0o\/w320-h240\/A%20'Eye%20of%20Ra'%20pendant,%20Jon%20Bodsworth,%20public%20domain.jpg\" width=\"320\" \/\u003E\u003C\/a\u003E\u003C\/td\u003E\u003C\/tr\u003E\u003Ctr\u003E\u003Ctd class=\"tr-caption\" style=\"text-align: center;\"\u003EFigure 10: An “Eye of Horus” pendant. Credit: Jon Bodsworth, Public Domain via Wikimedia Commons\u003C\/td\u003E\u003C\/tr\u003E\u003C\/tbody\u003E\u003C\/table\u003E\u003Cp\u003EThe symbol was popular amongst the Gnostics of Europe, found its way into Renaissance art where it became a symbol of the Trinity, and subsequently came to be used by the Freemasons, who regard it as a symbol of the Supreme Being, the “Grand Architect of the Universe”. This is how it eventually ended up on the US one dollar bill.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EThe Garabandal visions of the Blessed Mother, can, therefore, be interpreted in a much broader context, wherein, the “Planetary Mother”, who is also the mother of the “Savior God” of humanity, appeared to the four girls in order to pass on some important messages to humanity, particularly about the epochal changes that lie ahead for all of us, and how we ought to live and change our lives in order navigate these challenges. With that said, let us carry on with the events that had transpired at Garabandal.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EDuring the first apparition, the girls spoke to the Blessed Mother at considerable length about their day-to-day life in the village; just the kind of normal, spontaneous conversation that a child would have with her mother. She spoke to them with great love and patience. They blew her kisses, and she even permitted them to hold her crown in their hands. Mr. Pascual writes,\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp style=\"margin-left: 40px; text-align: left;\"\u003E“Henceforth the visions became more and more frequent. There were often several in a single day. The hour at which the apparitions took place also varied greatly; they occurred early in the morning, at noon, after lunch, etc. The commonest time was from seven to nine in the evening. Later on, they occurred at night, ending as late as five o'clock in the morning on a number of occasions. Their duration was equally variable. As a rule, however, the rapture lasted about half an hour, and often enough continued for as long as two hours.” \u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Ctable align=\"center\" cellpadding=\"0\" cellspacing=\"0\" class=\"tr-caption-container\" style=\"margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;\"\u003E\u003Ctbody\u003E\u003Ctr\u003E\u003Ctd style=\"text-align: center;\"\u003E\u003Ca href=\"https:\/\/blogger.googleusercontent.com\/img\/b\/R29vZ2xl\/AVvXsEjxKGQ0EMiwvuXv2uRhZtbhaxlKYhjSrmKsKTzuqa7FirS5GU6PP0kJagGqw8ovd57eezdp2pEfqYndw55kDoKZ54d1uHlRBPkR-4VFMWaD-MpAu34ydqrBTbnEXvxGNV0U-gi6XvpbY8SHcUZ7V_0SSrWCwcrRcWnGfVLuCwobmlDFm3WpTxDoRv9Jzvo\/s1200\/Garabandal8.jpg\" style=\"margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;\"\u003E\u003Cimg alt=\"Mary Loly (left) and Jacinta (right) in a vision in Garabandal\" border=\"0\" data-original-height=\"990\" data-original-width=\"1200\" height=\"330\" src=\"https:\/\/blogger.googleusercontent.com\/img\/b\/R29vZ2xl\/AVvXsEjxKGQ0EMiwvuXv2uRhZtbhaxlKYhjSrmKsKTzuqa7FirS5GU6PP0kJagGqw8ovd57eezdp2pEfqYndw55kDoKZ54d1uHlRBPkR-4VFMWaD-MpAu34ydqrBTbnEXvxGNV0U-gi6XvpbY8SHcUZ7V_0SSrWCwcrRcWnGfVLuCwobmlDFm3WpTxDoRv9Jzvo\/w400-h330\/Garabandal8.jpg\" width=\"400\" \/\u003E\u003C\/a\u003E\u003C\/td\u003E\u003C\/tr\u003E\u003Ctr\u003E\u003Ctd class=\"tr-caption\" style=\"text-align: center;\"\u003EFigure 11: Mary Loly (left) and Jacinta (right) in a vision, followed by\n crowds of onlookers. Source: The apparitions of Garabandal\u003C\/td\u003E\u003C\/tr\u003E\u003C\/tbody\u003E\u003C\/table\u003E\u003Cp\u003ESoon, the pilgrims and curious visitors started giving the girls all kinds of sacred objects such as rosaries, wedding rings, medals etc. that the girls offered to the Blessed Mother to kiss. The girls were guided by the apparition to return each object to its rightful owner. Many miraculous events occurred during these raptures, which the author has documented in great detail. The visions continued from 1961 to 1965, in course of which the Blessed Mother gave the girls some important messages for humanity as well as visions and prophecies of future events.\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EA letter from Conchita talks about her last vision which happened in November 13th, 1965. In course of the conversation, the Blessed Mother told Conchita, \"Conchita, I have not come only for your sake; I have come for the sake of all my children, with the desire of bringing them closer to Our Hearts\". And when Conchita asked her, “Why do you not take me with you now?” the Blessed Mother replied, “Remember what I told you on your saint's day, and when you present yourself before God you must show Him your hands full of good works done by you for the benefit of your brethren and for the Glory of God; and at present your hands are empty.”\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Ctable align=\"center\" cellpadding=\"0\" cellspacing=\"0\" class=\"tr-caption-container\" style=\"margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;\"\u003E\u003Ctbody\u003E\u003Ctr\u003E\u003Ctd style=\"text-align: center;\"\u003E\u003Ca href=\"https:\/\/blogger.googleusercontent.com\/img\/b\/R29vZ2xl\/AVvXsEgJUm61WMQRgeoZt7PKaXnlCoO8AS1Ak0tPhGP5_K6OC356HFZxEVM5jtsWK6iUNmfdFMcqk4PJhVULUkhV9V71Orzs5LC2BJJ1-zfwTtXMGzmWXEsnXx5pfJvCDf1_JihqQjvXAwFhkdnJaklVJs9IVqfOQA-2TVAT__ga1Ij7smHc95J8DmMoqdIP37w\/s1200\/Garabandal15.jpg\" style=\"margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;\"\u003E\u003Cimg alt=\"Conchita surrounded by pilgrims, during one of the final visions in Garabandal\" border=\"0\" data-original-height=\"659\" data-original-width=\"1200\" height=\"220\" src=\"https:\/\/blogger.googleusercontent.com\/img\/b\/R29vZ2xl\/AVvXsEgJUm61WMQRgeoZt7PKaXnlCoO8AS1Ak0tPhGP5_K6OC356HFZxEVM5jtsWK6iUNmfdFMcqk4PJhVULUkhV9V71Orzs5LC2BJJ1-zfwTtXMGzmWXEsnXx5pfJvCDf1_JihqQjvXAwFhkdnJaklVJs9IVqfOQA-2TVAT__ga1Ij7smHc95J8DmMoqdIP37w\/w400-h220\/Garabandal15.jpg\" width=\"400\" \/\u003E\u003C\/a\u003E\u003C\/td\u003E\u003C\/tr\u003E\u003Ctr\u003E\u003Ctd class=\"tr-caption\" style=\"text-align: center;\"\u003EFigure 12: Conchita surrounded by pilgrims, during one of the final visions. Source: The apparitions of Garabandal\u003C\/td\u003E\u003C\/tr\u003E\u003C\/tbody\u003E\u003C\/table\u003E\u003Cp\u003EBefore we get to the messages and prophecies given to the girls by the Blessed Mother, let us look at some of the strange, inexplicable and miraculous events that used to happen during these visions, that has defied all explanations. Even though hundreds of doctors, priests, reporters and people from all walks of life visited Garabandal to investigate the phenomenon, they were utterly bewildered and could offer no rational explanation for what was going on; which leaves supernatural as the only possible answer.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Ch2 style=\"text-align: left;\"\u003EThe Miraculous Phenomena\u003C\/h2\u003E\u003Cp\u003EDuring the visions the girls could not see anything around them, apart from the Blessed Mother (and the angels, when they were present). They could see the other girls as long as they remained in a state of ecstasy. It’s almost as if they had been pulled into a “bubble dimension”, where the laws of physics operate differently, and into which the light from our world cannot penetrate and vice versa. The presence of light sources or objects very close to their eyes did not cause the slightest flicker of their eyelids. On one occasion, a film was taken of the visionaries of Garabandal, with the help of powerful spotlights. As long as the girls were in the visionary state they did not even blink. But as soon as the vision ended, they immediately shut their eyes and protested at the glare of the lights trained on them.\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EAnother peculiar feature was that, as long as the girls were in rapture they could lift one another up with the greatest of ease. In one of the photographs, Conchita can be seen, before the church door, lifting Mary Loly up to give something to the Virgin to be kissed. “On the other hand, two grown men were barely able to move a single child when in a rapture,” because of a strange extra weight that overcame the girls when in ecstasy. It’s as if even gravity operates differently within the “bubble dimension” the girls got pulled into. \u0026nbsp;\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EThe girls were completely oblivious to any kind of physical pain while they were in rapture. They did not even feel the weather, and sometimes, when the rapture occurred during a spell of rain, they did not realize that they were getting drenched, until after the vision had ended. Dozens of tests were done over the years, such as pricking them with needles, or keeping lighted candles close to their skin, but they evoked no response, whatsoever. Even Edgar Cayce had been subjected to many such tests by physicians, and all of them had walked away scratching their heads as to why Cayce was oblivious to pain when he went into his trances. It seems, as though, the pain-sensing neurons in our body (“nociceptors”) get switched off when someone enters a trance-like state or gets pulled into a “bubble dimension”. The visionaries of Garabandal displayed this trait on numerous occasions. During many of their raptures, they used to suddenly fall on their knees, crashing down on the stony pathways with tremendous force. But they showed not the slightest sign of pain. “They only left marks,” Conchita stated. Mr. Pascual writes,\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp style=\"margin-left: 40px; text-align: left;\"\u003E\"One totally reliable eyewitness was deeply impressed on one occasion, when Mary Loly fell and hit her head on the edge of a step. The step in question was made of cement. The noise of the jarring blow was spine-chilling. “The bystanders”, says the eyewitness, “smothered a scream of horror, but the child remained calmly sitting on the floor, smiling and chatting happily with the Virgin. When she came out of her, rapture, they asked whether she had felt the blow. She could recall nothing...On examination, however, her head was seen to have a large bump where it had struck the step.\"\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EWithin this “bubble dimension”, time stood still for the visionaries. Very often they would have a vision lasting a couple of hours, which seemed like a mere two minutes to the girls. When the Virgin took her leave, they were saddened. \"Don't go yet awhile; you have only been here a second,\" they often pleaded. Moreover, the visions did not induce any kind of physical tiredness in the girls. They did not require the sleep that they lost during the vision. Once, Mary Loly remained in ecstasy from 9 pm to 5 am, with one or two brief intervals.\u0026nbsp; She went to bed at six o'clock in the morning and rose for Mass at nine, without showing the slightest signs of weariness later in the day.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EAfter the few days of the initial vision of the Blessed Mother, the girls began their ecstatic walks. They walked at whirlwind speed, without looking to see the way, and the villagers had to run to keep pace with them. They walked forwards and backwards, and, quite incredibly, many a times, they descended along the uneven, stony path that led to the pines, by walking backwards at breakneck speed. The Catalonian author, Mercedes Salisachs, who had visited Garabandal, wrote. “When Mary Loly at last started down the mountainside, I saw her running backwards, her gaze piercing the gloom overhead, avoiding obstacles and pot holes as if she had eyes in the back of her head.” It seems that even the locomotive abilities of the girls were being controlled by the apparition as long as they were in the “bubble dimension”.\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EMercedes Salisachs even saw Conchita levitate above the ground, which suggests an external control over the movement of the girls. She wrote,\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp style=\"margin-left: 40px; text-align: left;\"\u003E“After kneeling down, she arched over backwards until she was reclining on the floor. All at once, it was as if she was lifted upwards. People round her claimed that not a single part of her was touching the floor, but I cannot testify to this case of levitation because, from where I stood, I could not be certain.”\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Ctable align=\"center\" cellpadding=\"0\" cellspacing=\"0\" class=\"tr-caption-container\" style=\"margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;\"\u003E\u003Ctbody\u003E\u003Ctr\u003E\u003Ctd style=\"text-align: center;\"\u003E\u003Ca href=\"https:\/\/blogger.googleusercontent.com\/img\/b\/R29vZ2xl\/AVvXsEh6yzmW3rjFB8UfBsDiP5BGWAv8Iff5tLYEw1BTgWwlFb3VEM3JjqHdiX_KjEkyi1sXkb_SKfENW5hh6jvVhBqWhNwWfd-O4z9k1YMLP2FV-0lhzS1AMhs1YdDuS3jBTkg7NOCkUdBULhe0jWYD5prkaxsgvPaH9F_NrcoYLkd9k-xgPZ-H-zVONkL6gCA\/s806\/The%20chindren%20walking%20backwards.jpg\" style=\"margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;\"\u003E\u003Cimg border=\"0\" data-original-height=\"573\" data-original-width=\"806\" height=\"284\" src=\"https:\/\/blogger.googleusercontent.com\/img\/b\/R29vZ2xl\/AVvXsEh6yzmW3rjFB8UfBsDiP5BGWAv8Iff5tLYEw1BTgWwlFb3VEM3JjqHdiX_KjEkyi1sXkb_SKfENW5hh6jvVhBqWhNwWfd-O4z9k1YMLP2FV-0lhzS1AMhs1YdDuS3jBTkg7NOCkUdBULhe0jWYD5prkaxsgvPaH9F_NrcoYLkd9k-xgPZ-H-zVONkL6gCA\/w400-h284\/The%20chindren%20walking%20backwards.jpg\" width=\"400\" \/\u003E\u003C\/a\u003E\u003C\/td\u003E\u003C\/tr\u003E\u003Ctr\u003E\u003Ctd class=\"tr-caption\" style=\"text-align: center;\"\u003EFigure 13: The Children Walking backwards during their vision.\u0026nbsp; Source: The apparitions of Garabandal\u003C\/td\u003E\u003C\/tr\u003E\u003C\/tbody\u003E\u003C\/table\u003E\u003Cp\u003EDuring the visions the girls used to carry dozens of rosaries, wedding rings and other sacred objects given by the onlookers, which they gave to the Blessed Mother to kiss. There are many photographs where the children are seen with thick ropes of rosaries round their necks and their fingers covered in wedding rings. They had no idea to whom these objects belonged, but were guided by the apparition to return each object to the rightful owner. The visionaries put the rosary or chain around the neck of the owner, without taking their eyes off the apparition. They unerringly placed rings on the correct finger. When a pious object was lost or misplaced during the walks, the girls managed to retrieve it by asking the Blessed Mother for directions.\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EAn article published in the \"Pensamiento Alaves\" newspaper on April 27th, 1962, describes in vivid and moving details, the experience of Dr. Jose de la Vega at Garabandal.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp style=\"margin-left: 40px; text-align: left;\"\u003E\"A few hours later, I found myself watching the second apparition at close quarters. It was before dawn on Holy Saturday. The rain was pouring down, and the whole village looked like a rock-strewn mud-pie. Armed with torches, we followed one of the visionaries at a great pace as she went round the village streets in ecstasy. Clasped between her hands was a crucifix. Her head was thrown back, her smiling eyes staring up at the heavens . . . From time to time, she would drop to her knees, pray and kiss the Cross. Half the locals and all the strangers, even visiting children, followed her, openmouthed in wonder. \u0026nbsp;\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp style=\"margin-left: 40px; text-align: left;\"\u003EIn the little visionary's wake, we plunged down practically every lane and alley in the hamlet; we visited the church porch, the cemetery, and the mountainside where the Virgin Mary had appeared for the first time. The unevenness of the ground underfoot, the darkness and my city-dweller's innate clumsiness caused me to trip up on every stone that lay in my path. Bit by bit, I was left behind. I could go no farther and decided to await the return of the others. My wife could not bear to stop, despite the fact that she was already panting for breath. On she went, drawing courage from my own incredulity.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp style=\"margin-left: 40px; text-align: left;\"\u003EAll of a sudden, before she reached the brow, the ecstatic child halted in her tracks and started to run downhill backwards, scarcely brushing the steep stony ground in her passage, her smiling gaze never leaving the night sky. Reaching the spot where I was waiting, she stopped. With a resounding thud, she fell to her bare knees on the sharp stones, as though they were a feather cushion. Then, she raised her crucifix heavenwards, paused, and proffered it to me to kiss. Around her neck were hanging medals and rosaries belonging to nearly all those present. Her fingers sought a particular chain, while she whispered rather than talked to her invisible apparition: \"Tell me which one it is. Is this it?” She held the medal up for the Virgin in her vision to kiss. “Now, tell me whose it is,” we all heard her murmur huskily. \"Without a moment's hesitation, she turned to my wife, opened the gold catch of the chain and fastened it round her neck. My wife fell to her knees, moved to tears like myself and others who saw that strange scene. The child made her kiss the medal blessed by the Virgin Mary's lips and helped her to her feet with an angelic smile that we shall never forget.”\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Ctable align=\"center\" cellpadding=\"0\" cellspacing=\"0\" class=\"tr-caption-container\" style=\"margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;\"\u003E\u003Ctbody\u003E\u003Ctr\u003E\u003Ctd style=\"text-align: center;\"\u003E\u003Ca href=\"https:\/\/blogger.googleusercontent.com\/img\/b\/R29vZ2xl\/AVvXsEi7LFMQLCVkxBDZlDRQzNGHTAMf62725rXKALxDPUEPSqRB7l3A9bqb8kghYSSVTzckcRR3PmLWCxfMUCQB70r9AevOnR7dyOpgtuh2fEwP8jAupMY-CrdzDLWVVf-TmIdrcxP5a6W2Za3zLb7mBWhU9DoN0B2ds1HkF-c-vt3MoA8lTVw459XSgXlfIA8\/s1231\/Garabandal9.jpg\" style=\"margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;\"\u003E\u003Cimg alt=\"Mary Loly returning chains and amulets to their rightful owners in Garabandal\" border=\"0\" data-original-height=\"665\" data-original-width=\"1231\" height=\"216\" src=\"https:\/\/blogger.googleusercontent.com\/img\/b\/R29vZ2xl\/AVvXsEi7LFMQLCVkxBDZlDRQzNGHTAMf62725rXKALxDPUEPSqRB7l3A9bqb8kghYSSVTzckcRR3PmLWCxfMUCQB70r9AevOnR7dyOpgtuh2fEwP8jAupMY-CrdzDLWVVf-TmIdrcxP5a6W2Za3zLb7mBWhU9DoN0B2ds1HkF-c-vt3MoA8lTVw459XSgXlfIA8\/w400-h216\/Garabandal9.jpg\" width=\"400\" \/\u003E\u003C\/a\u003E\u003C\/td\u003E\u003C\/tr\u003E\u003Ctr\u003E\u003Ctd class=\"tr-caption\" style=\"text-align: center;\"\u003EFigure 14: Mary Loly returning chains and amulets to their rightful \nowners, without taking her eyes off the vision. Source: The apparitions \nof Garabandal\u003C\/td\u003E\u003C\/tr\u003E\u003C\/tbody\u003E\u003C\/table\u003E\u003Cp\u003EThe mode of communication between the apparition and the girls appears to have been entirely telepathic. When it was time for an ecstasy, the girls received telepathic “summons” – which they heard within their heard, and not through the ears. When all of them were called together, all four rushed out of the house at the same time (even though they did not posses any watch). An investigator of events at Garabandal noted down Jacinta's impressions.\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp style=\"margin-left: 40px; text-align: left;\"\u003E\"When the Virgin calls you, does she say 'Jacinta'?\"\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp style=\"margin-left: 40px; text-align: left;\"\u003E\"The first time,\" she explained, \"she just says 'Jacinta'; the second, 'Jacinta, come'; and the third time, 'Jacinta, hurry, hurry, hurry . . .' But all this is inside me and without actual words.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003ESometimes, when the raptures were interrupted, the children kept up their telepathic contact with the apparition, which they called “locution”. Conchita said: \"They're like a voice of joy, a voice of happiness, a voice of peace. These locutions have done me a lot of good, because it's as though the Blessed Virgin were inside me. I prefer the locutions to the apparitions, because in the locutions I have her inside me.”\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EIt is quite likely that, during the visions, the girls were also communicating telepathically with the Blessed Mother, since they were heard whispering in earnest voices. Since the girls were accustomed to speech, they may have continued to move their lips and tongue, although that might not have been necessary.\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EThis is just a brief overview of some of the extraordinary and miraculous events that used to occur routinely in Garabandal between the years 1961and 1965. The entire phenomenon had been seen, documented, photographed, filmed, recorded and scrutinized by so many people that there is no doubt about the veracity of what had happened there, as incredulous as it may seem. There are many more interesting details, anecdotes, reports and miraculous phenomena documented in the book by Mr. Pascual, which should be consulted by anyone who is curious to know more.\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EThose who had visited Garabandal in those days, felt a strong sense of peace, love and friendship, and those who went there with a bit of skepticism in their minds, inevitably returned baffled, and often entirely transformed. The visions, undoubtedly, constitute some of the most mind-boggling paranormal events of the 20th century.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EOne might naturally wonder, why don’t we hear of Garabandal more often? Why didn’t the Catholic Church officially declare it as a supernatural event or miracle, and convert Garabandal into a major site of pilgrimage? The reason for that will become apparent once we read the two messages for humanity that the Blessed Mother had asked the girls to deliver – the first one in 1961 and the second one in 1965. \u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Ch2 style=\"text-align: left;\"\u003EThe Two Messages\u003C\/h2\u003E\u003Cp\u003EThe first message was read out by Conchita on October 18, 1961, from a piece of paper signed by all four of them. She read out the message from the pine grove, where many pilgrims had assembled. This is what the message said:\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp style=\"margin-left: 40px; text-align: left;\"\u003E“We must make many sacrifices, do much penance. We must visit the Blessed Sacrament frequently; but first, we must be good and unless we do this, a punishment will befall us. The Cup is already filling and unless we change, a very great punishment will befall us.”\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EThe second and final message of the Blessed Mother was given to Conchita by St. Michael the Archangel, in an ecstasy on June 18, 1965. Conchita knew about the vision more than five months in advance. Here’s what it stated:\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp style=\"margin-left: 40px; text-align: left;\"\u003E\"As my Message of the 18th of October has not been complied with, and as it has not been made known to the world, I am telling you that this is the last one. Previously, the Cup was filling; now, it is brimming over. Many priests are following the road to perdition, and with them they are taking many more souls. Ever less importance is being given to the Holy Eucharist. We should turn the wrath of God away from us by our own efforts. If you ask His forgiveness with a sincere heart. He will pardon you. I, your Mother, through the intercession of St. Michael the Archangel, wish to tell you that you should make amends. You are now being given the last warnings. I love you very much, and I do not want your condemnation. Ask Us sincerely and We shall grant your plea. You must make more sacrifices. Reflect on the Passion of Jesus.\"\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Ctable align=\"center\" cellpadding=\"0\" cellspacing=\"0\" class=\"tr-caption-container\" style=\"margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;\"\u003E\u003Ctbody\u003E\u003Ctr\u003E\u003Ctd style=\"text-align: center;\"\u003E\u003Ca href=\"https:\/\/blogger.googleusercontent.com\/img\/b\/R29vZ2xl\/AVvXsEjGpofmHzk-EMWrRy5vkjlu6q5X4lCeEB4tDz0raTI2JTvOvqRWWQ4gfyksZGCyEtX16wZvrRi_M7hN_NJWwB-6YmxLu4LzcA3L6f2AmRYTg0V4A0Sb0uTT8xoeC5fkK8i2EGlK44_U7aOOX6DTY2WhPeOvDAX5Ub3D0UcxlF1cWZWRP8Y-vjbb9ZIYfkk\/s795\/Conchita%20June%2018%201965.jpg\" style=\"margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;\"\u003E\u003Cimg border=\"0\" data-original-height=\"739\" data-original-width=\"795\" height=\"371\" src=\"https:\/\/blogger.googleusercontent.com\/img\/b\/R29vZ2xl\/AVvXsEjGpofmHzk-EMWrRy5vkjlu6q5X4lCeEB4tDz0raTI2JTvOvqRWWQ4gfyksZGCyEtX16wZvrRi_M7hN_NJWwB-6YmxLu4LzcA3L6f2AmRYTg0V4A0Sb0uTT8xoeC5fkK8i2EGlK44_U7aOOX6DTY2WhPeOvDAX5Ub3D0UcxlF1cWZWRP8Y-vjbb9ZIYfkk\/w400-h371\/Conchita%20June%2018%201965.jpg\" width=\"400\" \/\u003E\u003C\/a\u003E\u003C\/td\u003E\u003C\/tr\u003E\u003Ctr\u003E\u003Ctd class=\"tr-caption\" style=\"text-align: center;\"\u003EFigure 15: Conchita receiving the second and final message, June 18, 1965. Source: The apparitions of Garabandal\u003C\/td\u003E\u003C\/tr\u003E\u003C\/tbody\u003E\u003C\/table\u003E\u003Cp\u003EAs soon as we read the second message it become obvious why the Catholic Church did not acknowledge the events at Garabandal as a miracle. The cat was out of the bag! Many priests were on the road to perdition and taking souls with them. And how many skeletons have tumbled out of the closet of the Church since then! We can well imagine that, if “many” priests were on the road to perdition in 1965, that lane must be clogged by now, and quite a few would be already rejoicing in their destination.\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EIn a way, it’s a blessing that the miraculous events at Garabandal did not receive official recognition as a miracle, for, had that been the case, there is a very good chance that all the writings, films and recordings of Garabandal may have been seized, the details of the actual events would have been scrubbed, sanitized, and infused with Church dogma, the visionaries may have been instructed not to interact with the media, and the entire phenomenon could have been reduced into a contrived narrative, devoid of truth or inspiration. Maybe, that is why the second message was delivered – to preserve the truth of what had happened at Garabandal for posterity.\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EWe now come to the three important prophecies that had been given to the visionaries of Garabandal, which has evinced much interest amongst those who are aware of these events. These prophecies are known as The Warning, The Miracle and The Chastisement.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Ch2 style=\"text-align: left;\"\u003EThe Warning\u003C\/h2\u003E\u003Cp\u003EAs per the book, \u003Ci\u003EThe apparitions of Garabandal\u003C\/i\u003E, the following note had been written down by Conchita regarding the warning:\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp style=\"margin-left: 40px; text-align: left;\"\u003E“The Virgin told me about this on January 1st, 1965, up in the pine grove. I can not say what it will consist of, because she did not command me to do so. And, as for when it is going to be, she did not tell me, so I do not know. What I do know is that it will be visible to everybody; it will be a direct work of God and will take place before the miracle. I do not know whether people will die because of it. They could only die from the shock of seeing it.\"\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EIn a letter written by Conchita, she wrote that she had received message of a \"warning so that the world will make amends\". \"This warning,\" she says, \"is like a punishment, for the just and the wicked alike; for the just, so as to bring them closer to God, and for the wicked to announce to them that time is running out, and that these are the last warnings. It is very long; I cannot explain it by letter. Nobody can prevent this coming. It is a certainty, although I do not know the day or anything about the date.”\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EIn 1973, after Conchita had moved to the US, \u003Ca href=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/watch?v=J94A1CMslEg\" target=\"_blank\"\u003Eshe was interviewed by Dr. Jeronimo Dominguez in New York City\u003C\/a\u003E. In that interview, Conchita described the warning.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp style=\"margin-left: 40px; text-align: left;\"\u003E“The lady said that she was going to give us the best remedies to help us lead good lives, and this warning was for the whole world. It will be felt all over; Garabandal, America, the whole world. Everyone will feel it, you will feel alone in the world before your sins and all your miseries, and have a chance to amend your life. It will be a terrible feeling, you will suffer terror but without physical pain. Yes, everyone will feel it, everybody in a different way, it will be felt in all countries by people of all religions. (Will anyone die from the warning?) No, only if it is by shock.\"\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Ctable align=\"center\" cellpadding=\"0\" cellspacing=\"0\" class=\"tr-caption-container\" style=\"margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;\"\u003E\u003Ctbody\u003E\u003Ctr\u003E\u003Ctd style=\"text-align: center;\"\u003E\u003Ca href=\"https:\/\/blogger.googleusercontent.com\/img\/b\/R29vZ2xl\/AVvXsEg4wqs7OIhkjJb0Pr-o3cZQwmEsWuY1N2onBsoFr92XPaf4Fmd6SnMCogD2ofu9n4hgEq9c6o3X5dFNF5zZ5f2q42Z-DFcx8Wm4aPNqrg2EhNduEB9BHzlMVwDjapff9RuCgHI4Q57lut0ukWyB0PLTQE461-ochEMXwgztmoToh-AMsAS-Nxj8yZIZ6c8\/s1341\/Conchita%20interview%201973.jpg\" style=\"margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;\"\u003E\u003Cimg border=\"0\" data-original-height=\"901\" data-original-width=\"1341\" height=\"269\" src=\"https:\/\/blogger.googleusercontent.com\/img\/b\/R29vZ2xl\/AVvXsEg4wqs7OIhkjJb0Pr-o3cZQwmEsWuY1N2onBsoFr92XPaf4Fmd6SnMCogD2ofu9n4hgEq9c6o3X5dFNF5zZ5f2q42Z-DFcx8Wm4aPNqrg2EhNduEB9BHzlMVwDjapff9RuCgHI4Q57lut0ukWyB0PLTQE461-ochEMXwgztmoToh-AMsAS-Nxj8yZIZ6c8\/w400-h269\/Conchita%20interview%201973.jpg\" width=\"400\" \/\u003E\u003C\/a\u003E\u003C\/td\u003E\u003C\/tr\u003E\u003Ctr\u003E\u003Ctd class=\"tr-caption\" style=\"text-align: center;\"\u003EFigure 16: Conchita being interviewed by Dr. Jeronimo Dominguez in 1973. Source: YouTube\u003C\/td\u003E\u003C\/tr\u003E\u003C\/tbody\u003E\u003C\/table\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u003Ca href=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/watch?v=QCDDtD-mZYk\" target=\"_blank\"\u003EIn an interview in English in 1980\u003C\/a\u003E, Conchita revealed more details on how the warning may sound and look like:\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp style=\"margin-left: 40px; text-align: left;\"\u003E\"You can be anywhere in the world...you are going to feel that warning. It will be direct from God. You are going to feel it inside you. You are going to see it with your eyes. But it will not hurt you. To me it’s like two stars crashing and making a lot of noise and a lot of light but they don’t fall down. They don’t hit us and we are going to see it. In that moment, we are going to see our conscience. You are going to see everything wrong that you are doing. You are going to see everything good that you are not doing.\"\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Ctable align=\"center\" cellpadding=\"0\" cellspacing=\"0\" class=\"tr-caption-container\" style=\"margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;\"\u003E\u003Ctbody\u003E\u003Ctr\u003E\u003Ctd style=\"text-align: center;\"\u003E\u003Ca href=\"https:\/\/blogger.googleusercontent.com\/img\/b\/R29vZ2xl\/AVvXsEhmdEuR8frxcimtYaX0NWCeV_udFGYIy0Aa9uNz7QjUEbs7oK6jeO1n-u7nPKJoQTOBwDcce9Z-wPOee75rwKtr26zrQs3BXoJ9FBZRGaI4XI2CR5mXCWtzo5Dxq8y_0yVqq4RGyK-_J2zFLNM5ml9cbexSUHwqWTf-2phXbGWg5hO0bXmDc-UIRV9HZbE\/s1275\/Conchita%20Interview%201980.jpg\" style=\"margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;\"\u003E\u003Cimg border=\"0\" data-original-height=\"921\" data-original-width=\"1275\" height=\"289\" src=\"https:\/\/blogger.googleusercontent.com\/img\/b\/R29vZ2xl\/AVvXsEhmdEuR8frxcimtYaX0NWCeV_udFGYIy0Aa9uNz7QjUEbs7oK6jeO1n-u7nPKJoQTOBwDcce9Z-wPOee75rwKtr26zrQs3BXoJ9FBZRGaI4XI2CR5mXCWtzo5Dxq8y_0yVqq4RGyK-_J2zFLNM5ml9cbexSUHwqWTf-2phXbGWg5hO0bXmDc-UIRV9HZbE\/w400-h289\/Conchita%20Interview%201980.jpg\" width=\"400\" \/\u003E\u003C\/a\u003E\u003C\/td\u003E\u003C\/tr\u003E\u003Ctr\u003E\u003Ctd class=\"tr-caption\" style=\"text-align: center;\"\u003EFigure 20: Conchita interviewed in 1980. Source: YouTube\u003C\/td\u003E\u003C\/tr\u003E\u003C\/tbody\u003E\u003C\/table\u003E\u003Cp\u003EMary Loly was one of the visionaries of Garabandal, and she was the only one (of the four) who knew the date of the warning. Unfortunately, Mary Loly passed away in New Hampshire in 2009. \u003Ca href=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/watch?v=4j5jteIi3Q0\" target=\"_blank\"\u003EIn an interview in 1983\u003C\/a\u003E, Mary Loly described what the warning will feel like.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp style=\"margin-left: 40px; text-align: left;\"\u003E\"It is a purification so that you notice your own faults, how much we have been offending God, the things that we do wrong and to feel sorry for it. Everybody is supposed to feel the warning at the same time, no matter where they are. Everything will stop. Each one feel depending on how that person is. They will feel frightened, sad, because they will recognize the things that they do wrong very clearly.\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp style=\"margin-left: 40px; text-align: left;\"\u003E(Interviewer: \"You once said before the warning Communism will dominate the world. Did the Blessed Mother tell you this?\") Yes. The communists will take over the world. She said it will be very hard for the priest to say mass, for the people to practice religion, and the priests will be persecuted. The churches will be closed for they will not allow for the priest to say mass or the people to go there.\"\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Ctable align=\"center\" cellpadding=\"0\" cellspacing=\"0\" class=\"tr-caption-container\" style=\"margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;\"\u003E\u003Ctbody\u003E\u003Ctr\u003E\u003Ctd style=\"text-align: center;\"\u003E\u003Ca href=\"https:\/\/blogger.googleusercontent.com\/img\/b\/R29vZ2xl\/AVvXsEgOS38kA-R0cOb6NygvVYey0gYs37uVaL1xylka_vHzWtjhqs_ZME3zhvydw3dWRuRXRNUwqUZhonnXx6WQ_Yez7AxTucTwZKoCf_U6meZv7LSWoM-JXMEOs0F986qPyQ6Ss8FByUtwR1_lGBI0T9QRkD2cIAbQq4nn-aJ0leTXhHbHQKh8asDtBvo_q8E\/s1383\/Mary%20Loly%201983%20interview.jpg\" style=\"margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;\"\u003E\u003Cimg border=\"0\" data-original-height=\"907\" data-original-width=\"1383\" height=\"263\" src=\"https:\/\/blogger.googleusercontent.com\/img\/b\/R29vZ2xl\/AVvXsEgOS38kA-R0cOb6NygvVYey0gYs37uVaL1xylka_vHzWtjhqs_ZME3zhvydw3dWRuRXRNUwqUZhonnXx6WQ_Yez7AxTucTwZKoCf_U6meZv7LSWoM-JXMEOs0F986qPyQ6Ss8FByUtwR1_lGBI0T9QRkD2cIAbQq4nn-aJ0leTXhHbHQKh8asDtBvo_q8E\/w400-h263\/Mary%20Loly%201983%20interview.jpg\" width=\"400\" \/\u003E\u003C\/a\u003E\u003C\/td\u003E\u003C\/tr\u003E\u003Ctr\u003E\u003Ctd class=\"tr-caption\" style=\"text-align: center;\"\u003EFigure 17: Mary Loly being interviewed in 1983. Source: YouTube\u003C\/td\u003E\u003C\/tr\u003E\u003C\/tbody\u003E\u003C\/table\u003E\u003Cp\u003EMany people have wondered over the years when the warning might occur, and what it could consist of. One thing is quite certain: it is definitely going to occur in the near future. Within one year of the warning, Conchita is going to announce the date when a miracle will happen at Garabandal. Since Conchita turned 75 in early 2024, the warning and the miracle should both take place sometime in the next 15 years or so.\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EThis is what got me really interested in the Garabandal prophecies, since, as per the Yuga Cycle framework, the Kali Yuga ends in 2025, which is due to be followed by an intense period of transformation till 2040, when the current ideologies and constructs of the Kali Yuga that are based on greed, separation and selfish interests are likely to fade away and our reality will be dramatically altered.\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E2025 is the year when we enter into the period of transformation that the Greeks called Ekpyrosis – which means cleansing by fire – and no sooner did the year get underway than we saw the devastating fires erupt in Los Angeles, during a time which is not traditionally considered to be the fire season. The morning shows the day, and the ongoing fire events across the world seem to be a message from Mother Nature that the period of transformation has already commenced.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EIn one of her interviews, Conchita provided an important clue for deciphering what the warning might consist of. She said, “To me it’s like two stars crashing and making a lot of noise and a lot of light but they don’t fall down.” To me, this sounds like a large, effulgent comet entering our atmosphere with a lot of noise. Large meteors and comets can cause “sonic booms” when they enter the earth’s atmosphere, since they travel faster than the speed of sound. Sonic booms generate enormous amounts of sound energy, and sound similar to an explosion or a thunderclap.\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EComets can also remain stationary in the skies for a long time, and don’t always follow Kepler’s laws of motion.\u0026nbsp; The 1st century CE historian, Josephus, was referring to a comet when he described a star, resembling a sword, which stood over the city of Jerusalem for an entire year, in 66 CE.[3] \u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EComets have also been traditionally described as the harbingers of doom and as “warnings sent to humanity by God”. In \u003Ci\u003EThe Popular Science Monthly\u003C\/i\u003E (1885), Andrew Dickson White, the Late President of Cornell University, wrote about the early Christian beliefs about comets:\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp style=\"margin-left: 40px; text-align: left;\"\u003E“The belief that every comet is ball of fire, flung from the right hand of an angry God to warn the groveling dwellers of earth, was received into the early Church…The great Fathers of the Church committed themselves unreservedly to this doctrine. Tertullian declared that ‘comets portend revolutions of kingdoms, pestilence, war, winds, or heat.’ Origen insisted that they indicate “catastrophes and the downfall of empires and worlds.’”[4]\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EIt is not difficult to imagine that if a massive, brilliant comet were to enter the earth’s atmosphere with a deafening sonic boom, and lurk in the heavens above us for sometime, it will appear as if that comet has a conscious mind or is regulated by a divine intelligence. The powerful energies of the comet will be seen and felt all over the world, and can potentially induce strong psychological reactions and intense soul searching.\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EThe Garabandal warning also shows a connection to the Hopi prophecy of the Blue Star Kachina. As per the Hopi, this is the ninth and final sign that will indicate the end of the Fourth World: \u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp style=\"margin-left: 40px; text-align: left;\"\u003E\"You will hear of a dwelling-house in the heavens, above the earth, that shall fall with a great crash. It will appear as a Blue Star. Very soon after this the ceremonies of my people will cease.\" \u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EIt seems to me very likely that the “Blue Star” refers to a comet with a brilliant ion-tail, which typically appears bluish due to the presence of carbon monoxide ions. The comet is expected to give off a thundering sonic boom sounding like a “great crash” as it enters the earth’s atmosphere.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Ctable align=\"center\" cellpadding=\"0\" cellspacing=\"0\" class=\"tr-caption-container\" style=\"margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;\"\u003E\u003Ctbody\u003E\u003Ctr\u003E\u003Ctd style=\"text-align: center;\"\u003E\u003Ca href=\"https:\/\/blogger.googleusercontent.com\/img\/b\/R29vZ2xl\/AVvXsEhQouEK6dEzCu2YIEwdGpwromVD0V0A1SJ-ZybT8W0ix0zMV9TFFHHThxyusUciX6X-uzvkWefkUpn-GBR_GlRMo_IcezgLC0sthiVdZ2npV5Ul9UDM8Poxvx4A1LJqWd3149WoI-zAU83PMBt6rjzEfaDaNnWhODf1FrsP2fxg6sULGO5u1DNtmU8gM_E\/s1300\/74%20Comet%20NEOWISE%20photographed%20from%20the%20Eastern%20Sierras%20of%20California%20in%202020,%20Benjamin%20Inouye,%20CC%20BY%204.jpg\" style=\"margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;\"\u003E\u003Cimg border=\"0\" data-original-height=\"883\" data-original-width=\"1300\" height=\"434\" src=\"https:\/\/blogger.googleusercontent.com\/img\/b\/R29vZ2xl\/AVvXsEhQouEK6dEzCu2YIEwdGpwromVD0V0A1SJ-ZybT8W0ix0zMV9TFFHHThxyusUciX6X-uzvkWefkUpn-GBR_GlRMo_IcezgLC0sthiVdZ2npV5Ul9UDM8Poxvx4A1LJqWd3149WoI-zAU83PMBt6rjzEfaDaNnWhODf1FrsP2fxg6sULGO5u1DNtmU8gM_E\/w640-h434\/74%20Comet%20NEOWISE%20photographed%20from%20the%20Eastern%20Sierras%20of%20California%20in%202020,%20Benjamin%20Inouye,%20CC%20BY%204.jpg\" width=\"640\" \/\u003E\u003C\/a\u003E\u003C\/td\u003E\u003C\/tr\u003E\u003Ctr\u003E\u003Ctd class=\"tr-caption\" style=\"text-align: center;\"\u003EFigure 18: Comet NEOWISE photographed from the Eastern Sierras of \nCalifornia in 2020. Credit: Benjamin Inouye, CC BY 4.0 via Wikimedia \nCommons\u003C\/td\u003E\u003C\/tr\u003E\u003C\/tbody\u003E\u003C\/table\u003E\u003Cp\u003EDr. Robert Ghost Wolf in the book, \u003Ci\u003ELAST CRY: Native American Prophecies \u0026amp; Tales of the End Times\u003C\/i\u003E, gave more details of the Blue Star Kachina.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp style=\"margin-left: 40px; text-align: left;\"\u003E“The story of the Blue Star Kachina is a very old story, very old. I have been aware of the story of the Blue Kachina since I was very young. I was told this story by grandfathers who are now between 80 and 108 years of age. Frank Waters also wrote about Saquasohul, the Blue Star Kachina in “The Book of the Hopi”, the story came from Grandfather Dan, Oldest Hopi...It was told to me that first the Blue Kachina would start to be seen at the dances, and would make his appearance known to the children in the plaza during the night dance. This event would tell us that the end times are very near. Then the Blue Star Kachina would physically appear in our heavens which would mean that we were in the end times...The return of the Blue Star Kachina who is also known as Nan ga sohu will be the alarm clock that tells us of the new day and new way of life, a new world that is coming. This is where the changes will begin. They will start as fires that burn within us, and we will burn up with desires and conflict if we do not remember the original teachings, and return to the peaceful way of life…”[5]\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003ESo the Blue Star Kachina is also expected to trigger some pretty intense psychological reactions within us, which will seem like “fires that burn within us”. The fire could either cleanse our ego, leading us towards greater awareness, empathy and harmony, or, it could exacerbate the lustful and violent tendencies within us and cause further global conflicts.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EIn my book \u003Ca href=\"https:\/\/www.amazon.com\/YUGA-SHIFT-IMPENDING-PLANETARY-TRANSFORMATION\/dp\/B0CPJVYQG4\/ref=pd_ci_mcx_mh_mcx_views_0_image\" target=\"_blank\"\u003EYuga Shift\u003C\/a\u003E, I have postulated that the passage of the earth through the dense swarm of comets and asteroids within the Taurid meteor stream, known as the Taurid Resonant Swarm, in the years 2032 and 2036, could be the defining moments of the Yuga-transitional period. My thinking was that, just prior to the 2032 passage, one or more comets within the swarm could get activated (they are currently in a dormant state), and cause serious damage. However, I had an intuitive feeling that the 2032 encounter would be more of a “warning”. Here’s what I wrote in my book:\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp style=\"margin-left: 40px; text-align: left;\"\u003E“I think that the 2032 passage will fire the warning shots, making us aware of a greater reality, and of the ardent need to change our thought patterns and way of life. It will not cause a civilizational collapse but could be a dress rehearsal for what will happen in 2036” \u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EOn the basis of my study, I would place the Garabandal warning in the year 2032, when we pass the Taurid swarm sometime between October and December.\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EThere’s something that Mary Loly said about the situation prevailing in the world prior to the warning that deserves our attention. She said that, “The communists will take over the world. It will be very hard for the priest to say mass, for the people to practice religion, the priests will be persecuted, and the churches will be closed.”\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EI think what Mary Loly really meant by the word “communists” are the forces and agencies of irreligion, atheism and gross materialism. Her statements seem to imply that, prior to the warning, a large part of the world may come under the rule of a technology and AI regulated New World Order where the practice of religion will be prohibited and the places of worship –churches, temples, mosques, monasteries etc. - will be shut down.\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EThis is a plausible scenario that could emerge sometime around 2029, since, as I have already explained in an earlier article titled, \u003Ca href=\"https:\/\/www.bibhudevmisra.com\/2025\/03\/four-signs-that-yuga-shift-is-already.html\" target=\"_blank\"\u003E\"Four Signs that the Yuga Shift is already underway\"\u003C\/a\u003E, the 7-year period from 2029 to 2036 could be the “7 years of Tribulation” during the end-times described in the Revelations. The asteroid Apophis is going to make two close flybys to the earth in the years 2029 and 2036, effectively serving as a celestial clock marking out the prophetic times.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EAs per the WEF vision, 2030 is the year by which the Great Reset needs to be implemented, when a global government will call the shots, and “individuals will own nothing and be happy.” Moreover, the year 2029 \/ 2030 is the time when the EU is planning for a direct military confrontation with Russia, along with China and Iran, as is evident from the volatile rhetoric made by the leaders of various European nations in 2024. In other words, plans and preparations are already afoot for a global war to unfurl the New World Order on a scared, miserable population, caught up in the throes of large-scale devastation.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EThere is a good chance, therefore, that people in some parts of the world could be living under the tyranny of a New World Order, when the warning comes, as Mary Loly had seen in her visions. Let us now move on to the next prophecy revealed to the Garabandal visionaries – the Miracle.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Ch2 style=\"text-align: left;\"\u003EThe Miracle\u003C\/h2\u003E\u003Cp\u003EAs per the book, \u003Ci\u003EThe apparitions of Garabandal\u003C\/i\u003E, the following note had been written down by Conchita regarding the miracle:\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp style=\"margin-left: 40px; text-align: left;\"\u003E\"The Virgin told only me about the miracle. She forbade me to say what it will consist of. I cannot reveal the date either until eight days beforehand. What I am allowed to say is that it will coincide with an event in the Church, and with the feast of a saint who is a martyr of the Holy Eucharist; it will be at half-past eight on a Thursday evening; it will be visible to everybody in the village and on the surrounding mountainsides; the sick who are present will be cured and the incredulous will believe. It will be the greatest miracle that Jesus has worked for the world. There will not remain the slightest doubt that it comes from God and is for the good of mankind. In the pine grove, a sign of the miracle will be left forever. It will be possible to film and televise it.\"\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Ctable align=\"center\" cellpadding=\"0\" cellspacing=\"0\" class=\"tr-caption-container\" style=\"margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;\"\u003E\u003Ctbody\u003E\u003Ctr\u003E\u003Ctd style=\"text-align: center;\"\u003E\u003Ca href=\"https:\/\/blogger.googleusercontent.com\/img\/b\/R29vZ2xl\/AVvXsEi7MEHNGHYlp-OSLWuu5eoYTjAeH2itVzPstC7vlpd-KV-DUV7hiQDWBTxiz42whnTvO_wPse8SmoFmREcG1sg5cCPc_xQY0itaMadptGGGLNF7a9vKDxc9WiawugM8SbTFHzxj-yLs3O-AitL1Kqmr-DzWV1h5HCtzovBWm6FMd06RoI4Y2cDyEHEGfUo\/s801\/Conchita%20at%20the%20pines.jpg\" style=\"margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;\"\u003E\u003Cimg alt=\"Conchita at the pines, in Garabandal\" border=\"0\" data-original-height=\"596\" data-original-width=\"801\" height=\"297\" src=\"https:\/\/blogger.googleusercontent.com\/img\/b\/R29vZ2xl\/AVvXsEi7MEHNGHYlp-OSLWuu5eoYTjAeH2itVzPstC7vlpd-KV-DUV7hiQDWBTxiz42whnTvO_wPse8SmoFmREcG1sg5cCPc_xQY0itaMadptGGGLNF7a9vKDxc9WiawugM8SbTFHzxj-yLs3O-AitL1Kqmr-DzWV1h5HCtzovBWm6FMd06RoI4Y2cDyEHEGfUo\/w400-h297\/Conchita%20at%20the%20pines.jpg\" width=\"400\" \/\u003E\u003C\/a\u003E\u003C\/td\u003E\u003C\/tr\u003E\u003Ctr\u003E\u003Ctd class=\"tr-caption\" style=\"text-align: center;\"\u003EFigure 19: Conchita at the pines, the site of many apparitions. Source: The apparitions of Garabandal\u003C\/td\u003E\u003C\/tr\u003E\u003C\/tbody\u003E\u003C\/table\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u003Ca href=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/watch?v=J94A1CMslEg\" target=\"_blank\"\u003EIn the 1973 interview\u003C\/a\u003E, Conchita said that the information about the miracle was given to her on the 19th of March, 1963. This is how she described the miracle in the interview: \u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp style=\"margin-left: 40px; text-align: left;\"\u003E\"She (The Blessed Mother) said that there would be a great miracle at Garabandal that God would perform for the world. It would be something very big and there would not be any doubt that God has sent it himself. He will use nothing of this world to make this miracle. All present near and around will witness it. The sick will be cured. There will be a sign that will remain for all time in the pines (the pine grove at Garabandal), that you can see, photograph or televise, but not touch. A definite sign from God. I don't know when the warning will come, but it will be before the miracle. The date of the miracle I know exactly. However, I have been charged by the lady not to speak of it until eight days prior to the miracle. I will tell everybody eight days before it happens...I am waiting for the words of the lady to be fulfilled. I am waiting for the miracle.\"\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u003Ca href=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/watch?v=QCDDtD-mZYk\" target=\"_blank\"\u003EIn the interview in English in 1980\u003C\/a\u003E, Conchita said, “I know the sign but I cannot explain it. I know you can see it, you can take pictures, but you can’t feel it. (\"Is it like a bright light?\" she is asked by the interviewer) Yes, something like that, and its going to be there forever.”\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u003Ca href=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/watch?v=m8O3VdJDejk\" target=\"_blank\"\u003EIn an interview with the “Late Late Show From New York”\u003C\/a\u003E, Conchita said, \"I say it (miracle) will happen between April and June.”\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EJacinta, who was one of the Garabandal visionaries, \u003Ca href=\"https:\/\/garabandalnews.org\/2021\/11\/18\/interview-to-jacinta-one-of-the-seers-of-the-apparitions-of-our-lady-in-garabandal-published-as-a-book-by-jose-maria-zavala-a-renown-spanish-catholic-journalist-in-november-15th-2021\/\" target=\"_blank\"\u003Erevealed in an interview with José María Zavala in 2021\u003C\/a\u003E, that: “We must have hope. The Warning will come first and in the same year, I believe, the Miracle. And if despite the Miracle there is no repentance, then no one will get rid of the Chastisement.”[6]\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EThese are some of the statements about the miracle made by the Garabandal visionaries. I have no idea what the miracle might consist of, and I guess we will only know it when it happens. As for the date, it is supposed to occur within one year of the warning, on a Thursday, sometime between April and June. Going by this information and my earlier estimate for the date of the warning, the miracle should occur in the year 2033, in the month of April \/ May \/ June on a Thursday at 8:30 pm, on the day of the feast of a saint who is a martyr of the Holy Eucharist.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003ENow, I had published this article on the Mysterious Universe website a few months ago, and one of the persons who had read this article with interest was Chris Sterkel. Chris did some digging around for potential dates for the miracle, and for the year 2033 he found a date which exactly matches the criteria specified by Conchita - \u003Cb\u003EThursday April 14th 2033\u003C\/b\u003E. This date falls in the Holy Week, which is the week prior to Easter. This is also the feast day of Saint Anicetus, who is believed to be a martyr. Chris had found a few more potential dates for the miracle between the years 2031 and 2042, and he sent me all of that information via email, but at this moment I will just go with Thursday April 14th 2033 as the most likely date for the miracle.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003ENow let’s move on to what the Garabandal visionaries have said about the Chastisement.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Ch2 style=\"text-align: left;\"\u003EThe Chastisement\u003C\/h2\u003E\u003Cp\u003EOn June 19, 1962, the young visionaries were shown terrifying scenes of future events. For fifty minutes they were in a state of agony. On the second night - The Night of The Screams - the prophecy of the conditional chastisement was revealed to the seers, which brought terror and tears to the children. As per the book, \u003Ci\u003EThe apparitions of Garabandal\u003C\/i\u003E, the following note had been written down by Conchita regarding the chastisement or punishment:\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp style=\"margin-left: 40px; text-align: left;\"\u003E“The punishment is conditioned to whether or not mankind heeds the Blessed Virgin's messages and the miracle. If it does take place, then I know what it will consist of, because the Virgin told me, but I am not allowed to say. What is more, I have seen the punishment. What I can assure you is that, if it comes, it is far worse than if we were enveloped in fire; worse than if we had fire above us, and fire beneath. I do not know how long a time will elapse after the miracle, before God sends it.\"\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u003Ca href=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/watch?v=QCDDtD-mZYk\" target=\"_blank\"\u003EIn the 1980 interview\u003C\/a\u003E, when Conchita was asked, \"When you look at your little children, and you look ahead to the future, are you frightened for them?” she replied that she was, and the ongoing moral degeneration of our society tells her that the chastisement is almost certain.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp style=\"margin-left: 40px; text-align: left;\"\u003EYes, I do...I think they are going to suffer a lot. I believe after the miracle, although we will say we are going to change our lives, I think we got too spoiled, we don’t do sacrifice, we have lost our sense of sin, its very hard to start all over again, even to teach it to children, and I see the way they are teaching to children now that there is no sin anymore. I believe we are all going to get the punishment and if the punishment is coming I am sure it is going to get my children and my children’s lives. And that worries me.”\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u003Ca href=\"https:\/\/garabandalnews.org\/2021\/11\/18\/interview-to-jacinta-one-of-the-seers-of-the-apparitions-of-our-lady-in-garabandal-published-as-a-book-by-jose-maria-zavala-a-renown-spanish-catholic-journalist-in-november-15th-2021\/\" target=\"_blank\"\u003EIn Jacinta’s interview with José María Zavala in 2021\u003C\/a\u003E, which has been published in a book titled, \u003Ci\u003EThe end times are here: the seer Jacinta of Garabandal breaks her silence\u003C\/i\u003E, Jacinta explained how we must lead our lives in order to face the coming miracle and chastisement.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp style=\"margin-left: 40px; text-align: left;\"\u003E“The Chastisement, I insist, is contingent on conversion and we must have hope and pray a lot for the world to change, even if it doesn’t seem like this is going to occur for the moment...It will be a rebirth for the soul. Many people are terrified of thinking about the Chastisement, but I tell them: The best thing is to live from day to day with hope and peace, staying close to God. The rest will follow. The problem is the people who continue to live with their backs to Christ and thus it is impossible to be happy and have hope…You do not have to be afraid, but change your life right now, instead of waiting for the Miracle to occur while you dedicate yourself to offend God as you please. I will not be tired of repeating that the conversion has to be today, and not tomorrow. We should ask God for a lot of help, because He is the only one who can sustain us and protect us in the face of the adversity that lies ahead.”\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Ctable align=\"center\" cellpadding=\"0\" cellspacing=\"0\" class=\"tr-caption-container\" style=\"margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;\"\u003E\u003Ctbody\u003E\u003Ctr\u003E\u003Ctd style=\"text-align: center;\"\u003E\u003Ca href=\"https:\/\/blogger.googleusercontent.com\/img\/b\/R29vZ2xl\/AVvXsEgutzwepbTnfW1tIpkS4ZkUNlT-DF7VK3XazRt9pO58NFcXpPeXAQciVGO0UPaKWS9oev8C7cxrOTKl8oWpXv_UQiAnmKE7xULEE3iWl7Li68Fr3IE0LnDaTYAQAs3Pvn8BhdccqQS1X6F12q_-PgO5E9zMZ-Nkapplt42J0Nvd816CylN1VCauWMckoI8\/s1243\/Jacinta%20interview.jpg\" style=\"margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;\"\u003E\u003Cimg border=\"0\" data-original-height=\"911\" data-original-width=\"1243\" height=\"294\" src=\"https:\/\/blogger.googleusercontent.com\/img\/b\/R29vZ2xl\/AVvXsEgutzwepbTnfW1tIpkS4ZkUNlT-DF7VK3XazRt9pO58NFcXpPeXAQciVGO0UPaKWS9oev8C7cxrOTKl8oWpXv_UQiAnmKE7xULEE3iWl7Li68Fr3IE0LnDaTYAQAs3Pvn8BhdccqQS1X6F12q_-PgO5E9zMZ-Nkapplt42J0Nvd816CylN1VCauWMckoI8\/w400-h294\/Jacinta%20interview.jpg\" width=\"400\" \/\u003E\u003C\/a\u003E\u003C\/td\u003E\u003C\/tr\u003E\u003Ctr\u003E\u003Ctd class=\"tr-caption\" style=\"text-align: center;\"\u003EFigure 21: Jacinta (sitting next to her husband) being interviewed in the “Garabandal Visionaries Interviews”, YouTube video.\u003C\/td\u003E\u003C\/tr\u003E\u003C\/tbody\u003E\u003C\/table\u003E\u003Cp\u003EThe chastisement, as we learn from Conchita’s description, will be caused by fire which will come from above and below, which lines up with what the Yuga Cycle framework tells us: that, we are now entering a period of transition called Ekpyrosis, when the world will be purified and renewed by fire.\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003ENearly 75 years ago, the theosophist Alice Bailey had made a similar prophecy about the times we are living in. She said that, “three aspects of our reality must be recognized by humanity before the year 2025, if the destruction of mankind is to be averted. They are: Recognition of the Christ spirit within, Recognition of the Hierarchy, and Recognition of the Divine Plan. She believed that a destruction by fire is a definite possibility. “If humanity fails to unite under the banner of the Forces of Light against the forces of material aggression and selfishness, then the “fiery ordeal” might be unavoidable.”[7]\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003ESo what might cause the fiery ordeal at the end of this age? The Hopi prophecies provide a clue. The Hopi say that the Blue Star Kachina will be followed by the Red Star Kachina who will bring about the Day of Purification. This is what Dr. Robert Ghost Wolf wrote in the book \u003Ci\u003ELAST CRY: Native American Prophecies \u0026amp; Tales of the End Times\u003C\/i\u003E. \u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp style=\"margin-left: 40px; text-align: left;\"\u003E“When the Purifier comes we will see him first as a small Red Star which will come very close and sit in our heavens watching us. Watching us to see how well we have remembered the sacred teachings… This Purifier will show us many miraculous signs in our heavens. In this way we will know that the Creator is not a dream. Even those who do not feel their connection to spirit will see the face of creator across the sky. Things unseen will be felt very strongly…Many things will begin to occur that will not make sense, for reality will be shifting back in and out of the dream state... All living things will want to be present for this day when time ends, and we enter the forever cycle of the Fifth World…\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp style=\"margin-left: 40px; text-align: left;\"\u003EAfter a time we will again walk with our brothers from the Stars, and rebuild this earth. But, not until the Purifier has left his mark upon the universe…Nothing living will go untouched, here or in the heavens. The way through this time it is said is to be found in our hearts, and reuniting with our spiritual self. Getting simple and returning to living with and upon the earth and in harmony with her creatures. Remembering that we are the caretakers, the fire keepers of the Spirit. Our relatives from the Stars are coming home to see how well we have fared in our journey.”\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EIt seems to me that the Red Star Kachina could be another large, effulgent comet, which appears red due to the emission of sodium ions. Incidentally, the Navajo people have a prophecy that a Nine-pointed Star – which is most likely a comet with nine tails - will come from the east and unify all races and nations.\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EIn \u003Ca href=\"https:\/\/www.amazon.com\/YUGA-SHIFT-IMPENDING-PLANETARY-TRANSFORMATION\/dp\/B0CPJVYQG4\/ref=pd_ci_mcx_mh_mcx_views_0_image\" target=\"_blank\"\u003EYuga Shift\u003C\/a\u003E, I had shown that many ancient cultures venerated a large, brilliant comet as the symbol, star, messenger or animal mount of the Savior God, which is tasked with carrying out the divine will. It was described by the ancients as a many-tailed, effulgent, “bird of fire” that can strike us with thunder and lightning, stop the rotation of the earth, block out the sun, bring rain and fertility and seed the earth with new life. It returns periodically to herald a new age and was known by many names – the Phoenix, Benu Bird, the Eagle of Zeus, the Garuda Bird of Vishnu, the Thunderbird of the Native Americans etc. It is possible that this comet is located within the Taurid Resonant Swarm and may get activated sometime prior to our passage through the swarm in the year 2036.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EAlthough Conchita mentioned that she does not know how long after the miracle the chastisement will happen, in a number of readings, Edgar Cayce had said that that return of the Messiah will take place in ’36, when “His star will appear”. The year ’36 very likely refers to 2036, for there is no reason why Cayce would have prophesied the return of the Savior in 1936, when he had, in fact, made a number of stunningly accurate predictions about the Second World War that followed soon afterwards.\u0026nbsp; Cayce’s descriptions of the events that will accompany the return of the Messiah are reminiscent of a cometary apocalypse. Cayce said that the earth changes in 2036 will be initiated by “outside forces”, which will “disturb the equilibrium of the earth itself in space”, and, as a result, “the sun will be darkened and the earth shall be broken up in diverse places”.[8]\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EI will, therefore, place the chastisement in the year 2036, sometime between June 5 and July 18, when the earth will cross the section of the Taurid stream known as the Beta Taurids.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EEvidently, a number of prophecies are converging in the near future. The fact that Conchita is now 75 years old, and she is waiting to announce the date of the miracle, is a clear indication that we are in the end times. We just can’t get around it anymore. It’s all getting very real now. This is the time for us to wake up from the stupor of the Kali Yuga and put our lives back on the right track, by returning to living in truth, love, simplicity and harmony, as all the messages are telling us to do.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EAs I was watching the interviews of the Garabandal visionaries, I was struck by how all of them radiated love, peace, humility, and empathy, which shows that their conscience has been touched by a divine influence. They shunned the limelight all their lives, and led simple, married lives, dedicated to service, because, as per Conchita, that is what the Blessed Mother had instructed them to do. While Conchita is now waiting for the time to announce the miracle, I think the world will benefit greatly if she came out of her self-imposed exile and shared her wisdom and insights with the rest of the world, and be a beacon in these challenging times. As the Kali Yuga winds up and the day of warning draws nearer, the world needs as much truth, guidance and inspiration as it can possibly get.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cb\u003EReferences\u003C\/b\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E[1] These two YouTube videos provide a good overview of what had happened at Garabandal: \u003Ca href=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/watch?v=mkhhh85hiew\" target=\"_blank\"\u003Ehttps:\/\/www.youtube.com\/watch?v=mkhhh85hiew\u003C\/a\u003E and \u003Ca href=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/watch?v=G26eQ-4SSGA\" target=\"_blank\"\u003Ehttps:\/\/www.youtube.com\/watch?v=G26eQ-4SSGA\u003C\/a\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E[2] The book is available for free download at the Garabandal.info website. Click here: \u003Ca href=\"https:\/\/www.garabandal.info\/book\" target=\"_blank\"\u003Ehttps:\/\/www.garabandal.info\/book\u003C\/a\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E[3] Flavius Josephus, The Wars of the Jews 6.5.3, \u003Ca href=\"https:\/\/www.gutenberg.org\/files\/2850\/2850-h\/2850-h.htm\" target=\"_blank\"\u003Ehttps:\/\/www.gutenberg.org\/files\/2850\/2850-h\/2850-h.htm\u003C\/a\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E[4] Andrew Dickson White, “New Chapters in the Warfare of Science: The Doctrine of Comets”, The Popular Science Monthly, 1885, p. 723.\u003Cbr \/\u003E[5] Dr. Robert Ghost Wolf, Last Cry: Native American Prophecies \u0026amp; Tales of the End Times, Trafford Publishing, 2003.\u003Cbr \/\u003E[6] \u003Ca href=\"https:\/\/garabandalnews.org\/2021\/11\/18\/interview-to-jacinta-one-of-the-seers-of-the-apparitions-of-our-lady-in-garabandal-published-as-a-book-by-jose-maria-zavala-a-renown-spanish-catholic-journalist-in-november-15th-2021\/\" target=\"_blank\"\u003Ehttps:\/\/garabandalnews.org\/2021\/11\/18\/interview-to-jacinta-one-of-the-seers-of-the-apparitions-of-our-lady-in-garabandal-published-as-a-book-by-jose-maria-zavala-a-renown-spanish-catholic-journalist-in-november-15th-2021\/\u003C\/a\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E[7] Dorje Jinpa, “The Coming Avatar”, 2013, \u003Ca href=\"http:\/\/whenthesoulawakens.org\/the-coming-avatar_448.html\" target=\"_blank\"\u003Ehttp:\/\/whenthesoulawakens.org\/the-coming-avatar_448.html\u003C\/a\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E[8] Reading 311-8, April 9, 1932; Reading 3976-10, August 2, 1932; Reading 3976-15, January 19, 1934.\u003C\/p\u003E"},"link":[{"rel":"replies","type":"application/atom+xml","href":"https:\/\/www.bibhudevmisra.com\/feeds\/2216139462428762632\/comments\/default","title":"Post Comments"},{"rel":"replies","type":"text/html","href":"https:\/\/www.bibhudevmisra.com\/2025\/05\/the-garabandal-prophecies-and-their.html#comment-form","title":"21 Comments"},{"rel":"edit","type":"application/atom+xml","href":"https:\/\/www.blogger.com\/feeds\/6864653463177413678\/posts\/default\/2216139462428762632"},{"rel":"self","type":"application/atom+xml","href":"https:\/\/www.blogger.com\/feeds\/6864653463177413678\/posts\/default\/2216139462428762632"},{"rel":"alternate","type":"text/html","href":"https:\/\/www.bibhudevmisra.com\/2025\/05\/the-garabandal-prophecies-and-their.html","title":"The Garabandal Prophecies and their connection to the End of the Kali Yuga"}],"author":[{"name":{"$t":"Bibhu Dev Misra"},"uri":{"$t":"http:\/\/www.blogger.com\/profile\/15388473714672380058"},"email":{"$t":"noreply@blogger.com"},"gd$image":{"rel":"http://schemas.google.com/g/2005#thumbnail","width":"32","height":"28","src":"\/\/blogger.googleusercontent.com\/img\/b\/R29vZ2xl\/AVvXsEh4sklyRp_L5BfqEXTjoskgFPFYpJiNJSuDN5zrcldGBaXot626bOTu8q5TUYsip63M6EkY2JbuoE6l1N5fMKiqKfzFfaaKpqm91QZx9rMdAL3t-ju2QdYi1K-BeCJsjw\/s130\/DSCN1699.JPG"}}],"media$thumbnail":{"xmlns$media":"http://search.yahoo.com/mrss/","url":"https:\/\/blogger.googleusercontent.com\/img\/b\/R29vZ2xl\/AVvXsEjFfKdUj2cksHELmdTrZQhwq_92Tj52AdXWve2dsiDPtxYaIK43YbPFMCaPaQbTI9I0ndlayd8yJIGdyrDlm8WqpVmzJBema2kwEA0Qk1fhRgV7XBZU0Md9AlWuLrL-wOddlWdwPGTQtKfiUmEnfkBs6lssXcPlhNrJ4zdBjHIh2XDEzuYo8wTad0NYc8c\/s72-c\/Garabandal%20Blessed%20Mother%20featured%20small1.jpg","height":"72","width":"72"},"thr$total":{"$t":"21"}},{"id":{"$t":"tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6864653463177413678.post-2044109551705216034"},"published":{"$t":"2025-04-06T17:41:00.003+05:30"},"updated":{"$t":"2025-04-17T21:55:34.564+05:30"},"category":[{"scheme":"http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#","term":"Article"},{"scheme":"http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#","term":"Earth Mysteries"}],"title":{"type":"text","$t":"The Atlantean “Hall of Records” is under the Old Sphinx Temple"},"content":{"type":"html","$t":"\u003Cp\u003E\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cdiv class=\"separator\" style=\"clear: both; text-align: center;\"\u003E\u003Ca href=\"https:\/\/blogger.googleusercontent.com\/img\/b\/R29vZ2xl\/AVvXsEhN-rwgXWkTTcgn5MJ8INeO19ZcCSlvo7ER8otx1dQvhFJkEnMnX03b6X1r5lVvSGNYq7ILTHSSPIPIYbJ9NHI9WHDoSq-GrKnEqOtpIG4xcJetJ7J7k6g1fkLAmPJpftVlPRtN8JuN6ipZoBEXIxxmeoTXSBtqFkH2dJB6XhG8ZViKfwD_kI-VJxIFqiQ\/s700\/Great%20Sphinx%20Featured%20small.jpg\" style=\"margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;\"\u003E\u003Cimg border=\"0\" data-original-height=\"389\" data-original-width=\"700\" height=\"178\" src=\"https:\/\/blogger.googleusercontent.com\/img\/b\/R29vZ2xl\/AVvXsEhN-rwgXWkTTcgn5MJ8INeO19ZcCSlvo7ER8otx1dQvhFJkEnMnX03b6X1r5lVvSGNYq7ILTHSSPIPIYbJ9NHI9WHDoSq-GrKnEqOtpIG4xcJetJ7J7k6g1fkLAmPJpftVlPRtN8JuN6ipZoBEXIxxmeoTXSBtqFkH2dJB6XhG8ZViKfwD_kI-VJxIFqiQ\/s320\/Great%20Sphinx%20Featured%20small.jpg\" width=\"320\" \/\u003E\u003C\/a\u003E\u003C\/div\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u003Ci\u003ENote: This article was originally published on Mysterious Universe (https:\/\/mysteriousuniverse.org\/)\u003C\/i\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Ch3 style=\"text-align: left;\"\u003EThe Atlantean Hall of Records in Egypt\u003C\/h3\u003E\u003Cp\u003EFor a long time, speculations have been rife about secret chambers and tunnels hidden under the Great Sphinx at Giza, which preserve ancient artifacts of great significance. The idea had been popularized by Edgar Cayce, the early 20th century American psychic, who used to enter into a trance-like state and give stunningly accurate readings on a number of different subjects.\u0026nbsp;\u003Cspan\u003E\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Ca name='more'\u003E\u003C\/a\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EAround sixty percent of Cayce’s readings were medical diagnosis and treatments, some twenty percent were “life readings”, while the rest were on a variety of topics. Some of Cayce’s predictions about the Great Depression and the beginning of World War II came true with astonishing precision. Little wonder then, his readings on Atlantis, and the “Hall of Records” concealed near the Sphinx, generated a lot of interest, and have been taken seriously by many researchers.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EIn many life readings of people, Cayce described their past incarnations on Atlantis. These are probably the most fantastic of all his readings, and the most difficult to verify. Was Cayce’s unconscious mind making up this information, on the basis of what he had read?\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EEdgar Cayce's son, Hugh Lynn Cayce, wrote in the foreword to his brother’s book, \u003Ci\u003EEdgar Cayce on Atlantis\u003C\/i\u003E, that, “My brother, the author, and I know that Edgar Cayce did not read Plato's material on Atlantis, or books on Atlantis, and that he, so far as we know, had absolutely no knowledge of this subject.”[1] This was typical of Cayce. When he went into a trance, he gave readings on subjects he had no knowledge of; and when he came out of the trance he had no recollection of what he had said.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EIn numerous life readings, given over a span of 43 years, Cayce had said that Atlantis had experienced three periods of destruction, with the final obliteration occurring around 10,500 BCE, which correlates remarkably well with Plato’s estimated date of 9600 BCE for this event, and falls during the period of \"Younger Dryas\" (c.10,900 - 9700 BCE) when our planet was struck by a slew of cataclysmic events that killed off the Ice Age megafauna and led to long period of freezing cold. \u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003ECayce said that when some Atlanteans became aware of the impending destruction of their civilization they emigrated to different lands – notably Egypt, Pyrenees and the Yucatan peninsula of Mexico. A number of readings allude to this. For instance,\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp style=\"margin-left: 40px; text-align: left;\"\u003E“With the realization of the children of the Law of One that there was to be the final breaking up of the Poseidian-Atlantean lands, there were the emigrations with many of the leaders to the various lands.” (Reading 1007-3)\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp style=\"margin-left: 40px; text-align: left;\"\u003E“…in Atlantis during periods of the breaking up of the land. Set sail for Egypt, but ended up in the Pyrenees in what are now Portuguese, Spanish and French lands.” (Reading 315-4)\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp style=\"margin-left: 40px; text-align: left;\"\u003E“…in Atlantean land when there was knowledge that there was soon to be the destruction of that land and there were attempts of individuals to leave the land. Entity (the person requesting the reading) among those who went to Egypt.” (Reading 708-1) \u0026nbsp;\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp style=\"margin-left: 40px; text-align: left;\"\u003E“…in Atlantis when there was the breaking up of the land, came to what was called the Mayan land or what is now Yucatan – entity was the first to cross the water in the plane or air machine of that period.” (Reading 1710-3)\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EThe Atlanteans, before emigrating to various lands, had created records of their civilization and kept them in a temple in Atlantis, which sank into the ocean after the breaking up of the land. Some of the emigrants to Egypt carried copies of the records with them and kept them in a tomb or \"Hall of Records\", which was specifically built for that purpose.\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp style=\"margin-left: 40px; text-align: left;\"\u003E“…in Atlantean land in household of the king before destruction, assisted Alta the scribe in preparing a history of the land.” (Reading 339-1)\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp style=\"margin-left: 40px; text-align: left;\"\u003E“…in Atlantean land before the final destruction – when the priest came from Egypt to Poseidia to gain understanding of Law of One (or God) that there might be records carried back to Egypt, the entity returned with the priest…Entity had charge of records brought back from Atlantis to Egypt.” (Reading 378-13)\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp style=\"margin-left: 40px; text-align: left;\"\u003E“…in Egypt during the building of many tombs that are being found today [the entity] aided in the construction of the Hall of Records yet to be uncovered.” (Reading 519-1)\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp style=\"margin-left: 40px; text-align: left;\"\u003E“…entity in the Atlantean and Egyptian land – among those who came into the Egyptian experience for preserving the records of those activities – became a supervisor of the excavations – in studying the old records and in preparing and building the house of records for the Atlanteans as well as a part of the house initiate – or Great Pyramid.” (Reading 2462-2)\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003ECayce provided specific details about the exact location of the Hall of Records in Egypt. He said it can be reached by a passage that opens near the right forepaw of the Sphinx. The hall of records must have been carved into the bedrock, since it was also referred to as a “tomb”. As per the readings, the sealed underground chamber lies on the east-west axis that passes between the paws of the Sphinx, which, as we all know, looks directly eastwards towards the rising Sun. \u003Ci\u003EHowever, it is not located vertically below the Sphinx, as is believed by some. It lies between the Sphinx and the Nile. \u003C\/i\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp style=\"margin-left: 40px; text-align: left;\"\u003E“There is a chamber or passage from the right forepaw (of the Sphinx) to this entrance of the record chamber or record tomb.” (Reading 5748-6)\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp style=\"margin-left: 40px; text-align: left;\"\u003E“…the opening of the records that are as copies from the sunken Atlantis; for, with the change, it must rise again. This in position lies, as the sun rises from the waters, the line of the shadow (or light) falls between the paws of the Sphinx, that was later set as the sentinel or guard, and which may not be entered from the connecting chambers from the Sphinx's paw until the TIME has been fulfilled when the changes must be active in this sphere of man's experience. Then [it lies] between the Sphinx and the river.” (Reading 378-16)\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EToday, the Nile passes nearly 8 km from the Giza plateau, but during the Old Kingdom period and earlier, a branch of the Nile passed by the foot of the Giza plateau, directly in front of the Sphinx.\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EEgyptologist Mark Lehner had done substantial work, on the basis of archaeological evidence, traces of ancient landscape features, samples of sediments from deeply-buried surfaces, and best guesses and inferences, to reconstruct the 4th Dynasty Giza waterfront, along the base of the Giza Plateau.[2]\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EThe proposed Old Kingdom Nile channel follows the course of the Libeini Canal, a relic Nile channel. During the flooding of the Nile, flood waters used to fill the canals and harbors that the Egyptians had built for delivering materials and supplies for pyramid-building.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Ctable align=\"center\" cellpadding=\"0\" cellspacing=\"0\" class=\"tr-caption-container\" style=\"margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;\"\u003E\u003Ctbody\u003E\u003Ctr\u003E\u003Ctd style=\"text-align: center;\"\u003E\u003Ca href=\"https:\/\/blogger.googleusercontent.com\/img\/b\/R29vZ2xl\/AVvXsEgnv55GQ8OJZe5HVi2T_Fv2l7i0TMeRhSKdefqJ7uEedLYeTCJRiismOcNEG1zOv3k8xOxCEOJdFgvX-FfVxmiymn2tcuAeDwqDzRLZeyhHhJkUDK9uT1Dghxpeo_WcWEh9iQhzj674ZUfKsFYjmCDfhSeWdr6bUNAbW3j4cE6N34qFsCr0ZFpYg0KSDR8\/s1525\/Nile%20canals%20and%20harbors%20near%20Giza%20plateau%20Mark%20Lehner.jpg\" style=\"margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;\"\u003E\u003Cimg alt=\"The Giza waterfront during the 4th Dynasty\" border=\"0\" data-original-height=\"763\" data-original-width=\"1525\" height=\"320\" src=\"https:\/\/blogger.googleusercontent.com\/img\/b\/R29vZ2xl\/AVvXsEgnv55GQ8OJZe5HVi2T_Fv2l7i0TMeRhSKdefqJ7uEedLYeTCJRiismOcNEG1zOv3k8xOxCEOJdFgvX-FfVxmiymn2tcuAeDwqDzRLZeyhHhJkUDK9uT1Dghxpeo_WcWEh9iQhzj674ZUfKsFYjmCDfhSeWdr6bUNAbW3j4cE6N34qFsCr0ZFpYg0KSDR8\/w640-h320\/Nile%20canals%20and%20harbors%20near%20Giza%20plateau%20Mark%20Lehner.jpg\" width=\"640\" \/\u003E\u003C\/a\u003E\u003C\/td\u003E\u003C\/tr\u003E\u003Ctr\u003E\u003Ctd class=\"tr-caption\" style=\"text-align: center;\"\u003EThe Giza waterfront during the 4th Dynasty. Credit: Mark Lehner \/ www.aeraweb.org\u003C\/td\u003E\u003C\/tr\u003E\u003C\/tbody\u003E\u003C\/table\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Ctable align=\"center\" cellpadding=\"0\" cellspacing=\"0\" class=\"tr-caption-container\" style=\"margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;\"\u003E\u003Ctbody\u003E\u003Ctr\u003E\u003Ctd style=\"text-align: center;\"\u003E\u003Ca href=\"https:\/\/blogger.googleusercontent.com\/img\/b\/R29vZ2xl\/AVvXsEhu7EVRzmLvzJ-zZCnz9WPgGF4r1z5tmoYQ-57jSqeJ33dYk_G_XbsJvmg3D4vcbH-lFsKJojtRnKmeocmcBQkTr695eQI6m6GoF7AM2HCTe-dAMjcRmUhSd7AWg00wfsp75LijbN_RhnDQEN8Rz8FJl96liLmQn83YawCWebg9q7_zPt1FSqTOEybwYns\/s1400\/Model-of-Giza-pyramid-complex-when%20nile%20used%20to%20flow%20close%20to%20Giza%20edit%20small.jpg\" style=\"margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;\"\u003E\u003Cimg alt=\"The Nile used to flow by the foot of the Giza plateau, directly in front of the Sphinx\" border=\"0\" data-original-height=\"423\" data-original-width=\"1400\" height=\"194\" src=\"https:\/\/blogger.googleusercontent.com\/img\/b\/R29vZ2xl\/AVvXsEhu7EVRzmLvzJ-zZCnz9WPgGF4r1z5tmoYQ-57jSqeJ33dYk_G_XbsJvmg3D4vcbH-lFsKJojtRnKmeocmcBQkTr695eQI6m6GoF7AM2HCTe-dAMjcRmUhSd7AWg00wfsp75LijbN_RhnDQEN8Rz8FJl96liLmQn83YawCWebg9q7_zPt1FSqTOEybwYns\/w640-h194\/Model-of-Giza-pyramid-complex-when%20nile%20used%20to%20flow%20close%20to%20Giza%20edit%20small.jpg\" width=\"640\" \/\u003E\u003C\/a\u003E\u003C\/td\u003E\u003C\/tr\u003E\u003Ctr\u003E\u003Ctd class=\"tr-caption\" style=\"text-align: center;\"\u003EThe Nile used to flow by the foot of the Giza plateau, \ndirectly in front of the Sphinx, during the Old Kingdom and earlier. \nCredit: Photo Companion to the Bible\u003C\/td\u003E\u003C\/tr\u003E\u003C\/tbody\u003E\u003C\/table\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EThis means, as per the readings of Cayce, the Hall of Records is carved \ninto the bedrock in front of the Sphinx, between the Sphinx and the \nNile, along the east-west axis that passes between the paws of the \nSphinx.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003ERight in front of the Sphinx are the eroded ruins of the Old Sphinx Temple which dates to the time when the Sphinx was built. The core limestone blocks used to build the walls of the temple came from the ditch surrounding the Sphinx. Workmen must have hauled away the quarried blocks to construct the temple, as the Sphinx was being carved out of the stone. The Sphinx temple was built on a terrace eight feet lower than the floor of the Sphinx. It is in a very ruined state now, and any inscriptions it may once have carried, which might have told us about its purpose, are long gone.\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EArchaeologists believe that the Sphinx Temple may have been an ancient “solar temple”. The twenty-four columns suggest that there was one for each hour of the day and night. There were also ten to twelve statues, suggesting a statue for each hour of the day.[3] \u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Ctable align=\"center\" cellpadding=\"0\" cellspacing=\"0\" class=\"tr-caption-container\" style=\"margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;\"\u003E\u003Ctbody\u003E\u003Ctr\u003E\u003Ctd style=\"text-align: center;\"\u003E\u003Ca href=\"https:\/\/blogger.googleusercontent.com\/img\/b\/R29vZ2xl\/AVvXsEjftg_1Qvglbx0rcw_MisP-dLAeNdWsaIk2pVlD0DsyqERpOdvQmwzJq19VUV8oCvvl0rLFxj2dsMQtBNCcVfKrUKW7fBPddBbvufDJc7N3ojVruKe-6wxm7gvj3JyDqCfW6lYv5y-L7ED5DLHchIY0veRL8azknHnYw27icTKhGDbsOaavMzy5MLkgUFw\/s1199\/The%20Old%20Sphinx%20Temple%20lies%20directly%20in%20front%20of%20the%20Great%20Sphinx%20Credit%20Djehouty%20CC%20BY%20SA%204%20edit.jpg\" style=\"margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;\"\u003E\u003Cimg alt=\"The Old Sphinx Temple lies directly in front of the Great Sphinx\" border=\"0\" data-original-height=\"700\" data-original-width=\"1199\" height=\"374\" src=\"https:\/\/blogger.googleusercontent.com\/img\/b\/R29vZ2xl\/AVvXsEjftg_1Qvglbx0rcw_MisP-dLAeNdWsaIk2pVlD0DsyqERpOdvQmwzJq19VUV8oCvvl0rLFxj2dsMQtBNCcVfKrUKW7fBPddBbvufDJc7N3ojVruKe-6wxm7gvj3JyDqCfW6lYv5y-L7ED5DLHchIY0veRL8azknHnYw27icTKhGDbsOaavMzy5MLkgUFw\/w640-h374\/The%20Old%20Sphinx%20Temple%20lies%20directly%20in%20front%20of%20the%20Great%20Sphinx%20Credit%20Djehouty%20CC%20BY%20SA%204%20edit.jpg\" width=\"640\" \/\u003E\u003C\/a\u003E\u003C\/td\u003E\u003C\/tr\u003E\u003Ctr\u003E\u003Ctd class=\"tr-caption\" style=\"text-align: center;\"\u003EThe Old Sphinx Temple lies directly in front of the Great Sphinx, which looks eastwards. Credit: Djehouty CC BY-SA 4.0\u003C\/td\u003E\u003C\/tr\u003E\u003C\/tbody\u003E\u003C\/table\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Ctable align=\"center\" cellpadding=\"0\" cellspacing=\"0\" class=\"tr-caption-container\" style=\"margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;\"\u003E\u003Ctbody\u003E\u003Ctr\u003E\u003Ctd style=\"text-align: center;\"\u003E\u003Ca href=\"https:\/\/blogger.googleusercontent.com\/img\/b\/R29vZ2xl\/AVvXsEhsSfcCEUb2Y-kZ0u0pKohRrxnxPhYU_LhH3604WTsn5Usoop7p20IY8QyXlHUN1f-jcC90HM2ytxU228ngTD2Uvsaps_PgwlNoE_srznnayr85tzBRAd3axL85P6TARroKxVoRf9LG20KVlShRUu8PGhA99fEH09JyLxfMxjGJlYn7kbDrdAdowTVIXQc\/s1024\/The%20eroded%20stone%20of%20the%20Sphinx%20Temple,%20clicked%20from%20Khafre's%20causeway,%20HoremWeb%20CC%20BY%20SA%204.jpg\" style=\"margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;\"\u003E\u003Cimg alt=\"The eroded stones of the Old Sphinx Temple\" border=\"0\" data-original-height=\"768\" data-original-width=\"1024\" height=\"480\" src=\"https:\/\/blogger.googleusercontent.com\/img\/b\/R29vZ2xl\/AVvXsEhsSfcCEUb2Y-kZ0u0pKohRrxnxPhYU_LhH3604WTsn5Usoop7p20IY8QyXlHUN1f-jcC90HM2ytxU228ngTD2Uvsaps_PgwlNoE_srznnayr85tzBRAd3axL85P6TARroKxVoRf9LG20KVlShRUu8PGhA99fEH09JyLxfMxjGJlYn7kbDrdAdowTVIXQc\/w640-h480\/The%20eroded%20stone%20of%20the%20Sphinx%20Temple,%20clicked%20from%20Khafre's%20causeway,%20HoremWeb%20CC%20BY%20SA%204.jpg\" width=\"640\" \/\u003E\u003C\/a\u003E\u003C\/td\u003E\u003C\/tr\u003E\u003Ctr\u003E\u003Ctd class=\"tr-caption\" style=\"text-align: center;\"\u003EThe eroded stones of the Old Sphinx Temple. Credit: HoremWeb CC BY-SA 4.0\u003C\/td\u003E\u003C\/tr\u003E\u003C\/tbody\u003E\u003C\/table\u003E\u003Cp\u003EThe most likely location for the Hall of Records, therefore, is in the bedrock under the floor of the Sphinx Temple. The Sphinx may have been carved out later, to serve as the protector of the chamber of records. Many ancient temples – such as the Temple of the Sun (Coricancha) in Cuzco, Peru – have a hidden network of tunnels and chambers under the temple, which were built for preserving precious artifacts and records, particularly during times of invasions or catastrophes. It is not unlikely, therefore, that the Sphinx Temple also has tunnels and chambers under its floor.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003ECayce’s readings suggest that were three sets of records of Atlantis. The first set was kept in a temple in Atlantis that sank into the ocean. Another set was preserved in a temple built by Iltar in Yucatan, while the third was in Egypt. Cayce said that the records in Atlantis will be found in future, for Atlantis will rise again from the sea. In fact, all the three Hall of Records may be opened at around the same time, when great changes are imminent in the consciousness of our world.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp style=\"margin-left: 40px; text-align: left;\"\u003E“The one in the Atlantean land, that sank, which will rise and is rising again; another in the place of the records that leadeth from the Sphinx to the hall of records, in the Egyptian land; and another in the Aryan or Yucatan land, where the temple there is overshadowing same.” (Reading 2012-1)\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp style=\"margin-left: 40px; text-align: left;\"\u003E“Yet, as time draws nigh when the changes are to come about, there may be the opening of those three places where the records are one, to those that are initiates in the knowledge of the One God. The temple of Iltar (in Yucatan) will then rise again. Also, there will be the opening of the temple or hall of records in Egypt, and those records that were put into the heart of the Atlantean land may also be found there – that have been kept, for those that are of that group.\u0026nbsp; The RECORDS are ONE.” (Reading 5750-1)\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EThese are some of the life readings given by Cayce which describe the hidden Hall of Records near the Sphinx, along with the circumstances that led to its creation. This naturally makes one wonder if any passages or chambers have been discovered near the Sphinx that could validate Cayce’s prophecies. Are we any closer to solving this long-standing mystery now, than we were nearly 80 years ago when these readings were first dictated?\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Ch3 style=\"text-align: left;\"\u003EThe Passages and Shafts associated with the Sphinx\u003C\/h3\u003E\u003Cp\u003EThere are \u003Cb\u003Efive\u003C\/b\u003E shafts, holes or passages that lead into the body of the Sphinx or into the bedrock under it, and they have already been photographed and documented.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cb\u003E1. On Top of the Head of the Sphinx\u003C\/b\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EOne shaft is located on the on top of the head of the Sphinx. It is a short dead-end shaft, approx. 6 feet deep. A photograph taken in 1925, when Émile Baraize had started his 11-year excavation and restoration work on the Sphinx, shows a man standing in the hole. Baraize had closed the hole with a metal hatch in 1926.[4] The hole could have been an anchoring point for the crown of the Sphinx, since some New Kingdom stelae depict the Sphinx wearing a crown.[5]\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Ctable align=\"center\" cellpadding=\"0\" cellspacing=\"0\" class=\"tr-caption-container\" style=\"margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;\"\u003E\u003Ctbody\u003E\u003Ctr\u003E\u003Ctd style=\"text-align: center;\"\u003E\u003Ca href=\"https:\/\/blogger.googleusercontent.com\/img\/b\/R29vZ2xl\/AVvXsEhAjVFwkL4hTQey3UznWd4epd7eY8luaNWr_wTzKDe_bPxD8mLNgt6ntXJNDcBkVsZnSObExv3ICLyn8tWUqAsqQqNq5hg9VL6LU6jiGCVxSa1ctSXokcXpVOEe0EQ3EtgPq37Kdn9uEOT3Wh-jsvI6vga9IYZtbVWivuMWUVy6-yN-10EyP0lTm7MG6ys\/s800\/Man%20standing%20in%20the%20hole%20on%20the%20top%20of%20the%20head%20of%20the%20Great%20Sphinx%20of%20Giza,%20December%2015,%201925,%20Raphael%20Giveon%20CC%20BY%204.jpg\" style=\"margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;\"\u003E\u003Cimg border=\"0\" data-original-height=\"600\" data-original-width=\"800\" height=\"300\" src=\"https:\/\/blogger.googleusercontent.com\/img\/b\/R29vZ2xl\/AVvXsEhAjVFwkL4hTQey3UznWd4epd7eY8luaNWr_wTzKDe_bPxD8mLNgt6ntXJNDcBkVsZnSObExv3ICLyn8tWUqAsqQqNq5hg9VL6LU6jiGCVxSa1ctSXokcXpVOEe0EQ3EtgPq37Kdn9uEOT3Wh-jsvI6vga9IYZtbVWivuMWUVy6-yN-10EyP0lTm7MG6ys\/w400-h300\/Man%20standing%20in%20the%20hole%20on%20the%20top%20of%20the%20head%20of%20the%20Great%20Sphinx%20of%20Giza,%20December%2015,%201925,%20Raphael%20Giveon%20CC%20BY%204.jpg\" width=\"400\" \/\u003E\u003C\/a\u003E\u003C\/td\u003E\u003C\/tr\u003E\u003Ctr\u003E\u003Ctd class=\"tr-caption\" style=\"text-align: center;\"\u003EMan standing in the hole on the top of the head of the Great \nSphinx of Giza. Photo taken on December 15, 1925. Credit: Archives \nLacau, Centre Golenischeff, EPHE, PSL, CC BY 4.0\u003C\/td\u003E\u003C\/tr\u003E\u003C\/tbody\u003E\u003C\/table\u003E\u003Ctable align=\"center\" cellpadding=\"0\" cellspacing=\"0\" class=\"tr-caption-container\" style=\"margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;\"\u003E\u003Ctbody\u003E\u003Ctr\u003E\u003Ctd style=\"text-align: center;\"\u003E\u003Ca href=\"https:\/\/blogger.googleusercontent.com\/img\/b\/R29vZ2xl\/AVvXsEj9_cT5zPgam9Zo1MnnV-EhzS2B6kNQp-lvQZcjOdqRHIFy7Diu8mh4mM_S3G8oksUTzvPzLaBOhSSRB62Z4HiyZzQbzajwnG4QkIcqU9WzwS8Be3haA2A6sPwBVGoWTNxJejkQWCn9PoQcv-WolZpL4WB-x9HzGR0KgcEsr7ctd4aonSdAVW-8Td2f0YI\/s787\/Sphinx%20head%20metal%20hatch.jpg\" style=\"margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;\"\u003E\u003Cimg border=\"0\" data-original-height=\"429\" data-original-width=\"787\" height=\"217\" src=\"https:\/\/blogger.googleusercontent.com\/img\/b\/R29vZ2xl\/AVvXsEj9_cT5zPgam9Zo1MnnV-EhzS2B6kNQp-lvQZcjOdqRHIFy7Diu8mh4mM_S3G8oksUTzvPzLaBOhSSRB62Z4HiyZzQbzajwnG4QkIcqU9WzwS8Be3haA2A6sPwBVGoWTNxJejkQWCn9PoQcv-WolZpL4WB-x9HzGR0KgcEsr7ctd4aonSdAVW-8Td2f0YI\/w400-h217\/Sphinx%20head%20metal%20hatch.jpg\" width=\"400\" \/\u003E\u003C\/a\u003E\u003C\/td\u003E\u003C\/tr\u003E\u003Ctr\u003E\u003Ctd class=\"tr-caption\" style=\"text-align: center;\"\u003EThe metal hatch on the head of the Sphinx put there by Baraize. Source: adapted from airpano.com\u003C\/td\u003E\u003C\/tr\u003E\u003C\/tbody\u003E\u003C\/table\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u003Cb\u003E2. The Rump Passage\u003C\/b\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EAnother deep passage called the rump-passage is located at ground level at the back of the Sphinx, on the north side of the rump. This tunnel had been discovered by Baraize in 1926 and sealed up. More than fifty years later, the existence of the passage was reported by three men who had worked with Baraize as basket carriers. The rump-passage was reopened in 1980 and explored by Mark Lehner and Zahi Hawass.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EThe passage has an upper and a lower section. The lower part descends into the bedrock to a depth of nearly 16 feet and terminates in a pit at groundwater level. The upper part ascends to a height of nearly 13 feet above the floor level and terminates in a small niche 3.3\u0026nbsp;ft wide and 5.9\u0026nbsp;ft high.\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EThe purpose of the passages remains a mystery. Was it an unfinished tomb, an exploratory shaft, or was it dug out by treasure hunters at a later date? No-one knows. But the existence of the rump passage suggests that the Egyptians may have built a network of tunnels and chambers under the Sphinx.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Ctable align=\"center\" cellpadding=\"0\" cellspacing=\"0\" class=\"tr-caption-container\" style=\"margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;\"\u003E\u003Ctbody\u003E\u003Ctr\u003E\u003Ctd style=\"text-align: center;\"\u003E\u003Ca href=\"https:\/\/blogger.googleusercontent.com\/img\/b\/R29vZ2xl\/AVvXsEjAaldd9j365-xi-ZN1z4dks05v2HBJDeOjPj320ZgTQZYP2_CN_1LqPyhWk4zs2tFRBuqb8Ib7QId13rO84IZIBwrCgK_yaQcFRSyzod9wlw6Q6gCabMO4nIqOpPExfPHXhE6ZXegNBPrd6MCrS3dIgtR5fweum3eMBfXTL5VQscj1XIlKgNffIKAoIaE\/s599\/The%20rump%20passage%20entrance%20of%20the%20Sphinx%20at%20floor%20level,%20blocked%20by%20stones,%20Credit%20Mark%20Lehner,%20ARCE%20Sphinx%20Project%201979%201983%20Archive,%20CC%20BY%204.jpg\" style=\"margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;\"\u003E\u003Cimg alt=\"The rump passage entrance of the Sphinx at floor level\" border=\"0\" data-original-height=\"599\" data-original-width=\"408\" height=\"400\" src=\"https:\/\/blogger.googleusercontent.com\/img\/b\/R29vZ2xl\/AVvXsEjAaldd9j365-xi-ZN1z4dks05v2HBJDeOjPj320ZgTQZYP2_CN_1LqPyhWk4zs2tFRBuqb8Ib7QId13rO84IZIBwrCgK_yaQcFRSyzod9wlw6Q6gCabMO4nIqOpPExfPHXhE6ZXegNBPrd6MCrS3dIgtR5fweum3eMBfXTL5VQscj1XIlKgNffIKAoIaE\/w273-h400\/The%20rump%20passage%20entrance%20of%20the%20Sphinx%20at%20floor%20level,%20blocked%20by%20stones,%20Credit%20Mark%20Lehner,%20ARCE%20Sphinx%20Project%201979%201983%20Archive,%20CC%20BY%204.jpg\" width=\"273\" \/\u003E\u003C\/a\u003E\u003C\/td\u003E\u003C\/tr\u003E\u003Ctr\u003E\u003Ctd class=\"tr-caption\" style=\"text-align: center;\"\u003EThe rump passage entrance of the Sphinx at floor level, blocked by stones. Credit: Mark Lehner CC BY 4.0\u003C\/td\u003E\u003C\/tr\u003E\u003C\/tbody\u003E\u003C\/table\u003E\u003Cdiv class=\"separator\" style=\"clear: both; text-align: center;\"\u003E\u003C\/div\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Ctable align=\"center\" cellpadding=\"0\" cellspacing=\"0\" class=\"tr-caption-container\" style=\"margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;\"\u003E\u003Ctbody\u003E\u003Ctr\u003E\u003Ctd style=\"text-align: center;\"\u003E\u003Ca href=\"https:\/\/blogger.googleusercontent.com\/img\/b\/R29vZ2xl\/AVvXsEiEGQQ932JU2F2_WznDGvjz6YnRleUzeWzgYkTt-7vpROvFYOnayeIodt2PMBa8PScW2P3kluhNP52z4v88HJfIsrxWFQbDsSwFTGeGdJULS0G6WwfIVVg9nXWfWSjlBpTOAggHvxchnJPJWNHO3suC_dDsqS2I6Z08v7m8iENgwfQLh0tCrU9aaYuhem8\/s904\/Lower%20part%20of%20the%20rump%20passage%20of%20the%20Great%20Sphinx%20of%20Giza%20ends%20at%20the%20groundwater%20level%20Credit%20Mark%20Lehner%20CC%20BY%204.jpg\" style=\"margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;\"\u003E\u003Cimg border=\"0\" data-original-height=\"904\" data-original-width=\"679\" height=\"400\" src=\"https:\/\/blogger.googleusercontent.com\/img\/b\/R29vZ2xl\/AVvXsEiEGQQ932JU2F2_WznDGvjz6YnRleUzeWzgYkTt-7vpROvFYOnayeIodt2PMBa8PScW2P3kluhNP52z4v88HJfIsrxWFQbDsSwFTGeGdJULS0G6WwfIVVg9nXWfWSjlBpTOAggHvxchnJPJWNHO3suC_dDsqS2I6Z08v7m8iENgwfQLh0tCrU9aaYuhem8\/w300-h400\/Lower%20part%20of%20the%20rump%20passage%20of%20the%20Great%20Sphinx%20of%20Giza%20ends%20at%20the%20groundwater%20level%20Credit%20Mark%20Lehner%20CC%20BY%204.jpg\" width=\"300\" \/\u003E\u003C\/a\u003E\u003C\/td\u003E\u003C\/tr\u003E\u003Ctr\u003E\u003Ctd class=\"tr-caption\" style=\"text-align: center;\"\u003ELower part of the rump passage of the Great Sphinx ends at the groundwater level. Credit Mark: Lehner CC BY 4.0\u003C\/td\u003E\u003C\/tr\u003E\u003C\/tbody\u003E\u003C\/table\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Ctable align=\"center\" cellpadding=\"0\" cellspacing=\"0\" class=\"tr-caption-container\" style=\"margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;\"\u003E\u003Ctbody\u003E\u003Ctr\u003E\u003Ctd style=\"text-align: center;\"\u003E\u003Ca href=\"https:\/\/blogger.googleusercontent.com\/img\/b\/R29vZ2xl\/AVvXsEjulEBL21TH_tVsrf_wRWUtP4TQK7f-e_9sTdE7z6dBFcaQQTnlGaAY0H_K-6OGDp2hzJDD__Ll4lW6A29-3uWy2UR4j9fM0QXNZD-f-Ee14XLKVANiUdR5UWUYQnTWZKR-ES0AjEhib3wTE4EFgj9hf4f5kQePSQaX-6gYP4Y6ECwgocpSV8fL3FJ8em8\/s914\/Upper%20part%20of%20the%20rump%20passage%20of%20the%20Sphinx%20Credit%20Mark%20Lehner%20CC%20BY%204.jpg\" style=\"margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;\"\u003E\u003Cimg border=\"0\" data-original-height=\"615\" data-original-width=\"914\" height=\"269\" src=\"https:\/\/blogger.googleusercontent.com\/img\/b\/R29vZ2xl\/AVvXsEjulEBL21TH_tVsrf_wRWUtP4TQK7f-e_9sTdE7z6dBFcaQQTnlGaAY0H_K-6OGDp2hzJDD__Ll4lW6A29-3uWy2UR4j9fM0QXNZD-f-Ee14XLKVANiUdR5UWUYQnTWZKR-ES0AjEhib3wTE4EFgj9hf4f5kQePSQaX-6gYP4Y6ECwgocpSV8fL3FJ8em8\/w400-h269\/Upper%20part%20of%20the%20rump%20passage%20of%20the%20Sphinx%20Credit%20Mark%20Lehner%20CC%20BY%204.jpg\" width=\"400\" \/\u003E\u003C\/a\u003E\u003C\/td\u003E\u003C\/tr\u003E\u003Ctr\u003E\u003Ctd class=\"tr-caption\" style=\"text-align: center;\"\u003EUpper part of the rump passage of the Sphinx. Credit: Mark Lehner CC BY 4.0\u003C\/td\u003E\u003C\/tr\u003E\u003C\/tbody\u003E\u003C\/table\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cb\u003E\u0026nbsp;3. A Natural Fissure through the Waist of the Sphinx\u003C\/b\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EA major natural fissure in the bedrock cuts through the waist of the Sphinx. At the top of the back it measures up to 6.6\u0026nbsp;ft in width. The bottom of the fissure is irregular bedrock, about 3.3\u0026nbsp;ft above the outside floor. Baraize, in 1926, sealed the sides and roofed it with iron bars, limestone and cement, and installed an iron trap door at the top.[6]\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Ctable align=\"center\" cellpadding=\"0\" cellspacing=\"0\" class=\"tr-caption-container\" style=\"margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;\"\u003E\u003Ctbody\u003E\u003Ctr\u003E\u003Ctd style=\"text-align: center;\"\u003E\u003Ca href=\"https:\/\/blogger.googleusercontent.com\/img\/b\/R29vZ2xl\/AVvXsEg-hM1iHzro7P_B8ZB3_7Y_zw_tCf22jMzHAuo5HRPaIbxv69w_WO0HetVUZhjFscGQZ4ZML0IAELKZ__A2LpDzCnsDiAK-4P2OtBvj6Wh6VP91CEsVXVdvH8bdZmtjNkN0YJyGus2GOfQ4OpF0zPShT3zlE7Olb1c85Pk3Eanrdion8bFDlq517iMJrEQ\/s800\/Top%20of%20Sphinx%20back%20before%20modern%20restorations,%20Archives%20Lacau,%20Centre%20Golenischeff,%20EPHE,%20PSL%20CC%20BY%204.jpg\" style=\"margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;\"\u003E\u003Cimg alt=\"Top of the Sphinx's back before modern restorations. A large natural fissure cut through the waist.\" border=\"0\" data-original-height=\"595\" data-original-width=\"800\" height=\"297\" src=\"https:\/\/blogger.googleusercontent.com\/img\/b\/R29vZ2xl\/AVvXsEg-hM1iHzro7P_B8ZB3_7Y_zw_tCf22jMzHAuo5HRPaIbxv69w_WO0HetVUZhjFscGQZ4ZML0IAELKZ__A2LpDzCnsDiAK-4P2OtBvj6Wh6VP91CEsVXVdvH8bdZmtjNkN0YJyGus2GOfQ4OpF0zPShT3zlE7Olb1c85Pk3Eanrdion8bFDlq517iMJrEQ\/w400-h297\/Top%20of%20Sphinx%20back%20before%20modern%20restorations,%20Archives%20Lacau,%20Centre%20Golenischeff,%20EPHE,%20PSL%20CC%20BY%204.jpg\" width=\"400\" \/\u003E\u003C\/a\u003E\u003C\/td\u003E\u003C\/tr\u003E\u003Ctr\u003E\u003Ctd class=\"tr-caption\" style=\"text-align: center;\"\u003ETop of the Sphinx's back before modern restorations. A large natural\n fissure cut through the waist. Source: Archives Lacau, Centre \nGolenischeff, EPHE, PSL, CC BY 4.0\u003C\/td\u003E\u003C\/tr\u003E\u003C\/tbody\u003E\u003C\/table\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Ctable align=\"center\" cellpadding=\"0\" cellspacing=\"0\" class=\"tr-caption-container\" style=\"margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;\"\u003E\u003Ctbody\u003E\u003Ctr\u003E\u003Ctd style=\"text-align: center;\"\u003E\u003Ca href=\"https:\/\/blogger.googleusercontent.com\/img\/b\/R29vZ2xl\/AVvXsEh6JOsj1SOn5g-A2UtUpAKdJTurb_SMgaa2L_cSdUjFKmJ8Ce9-Mgpnmv5XG9CGhp0GoDlpeJTlZay2JKLjMmAxJtnkrAhtJWQjleVuoPMb-OJDb8H0vs3kDJzzgp0erG4mZaxZHtowFhK7KlWWhsCAJL7uADv-B6FiPeah_WZDfAnlyNNzhw_6XMn0dUw\/s819\/Iron%20trap-door%20over%20fissure%20at%20top%20of%20Sphinx%20back,%20Mark%20Lehner,%20ARCE%20Sphinx%20Project%201979%20to%201983%20Archive,%20CC%20BY%204.jpg\" style=\"margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;\"\u003E\u003Cimg border=\"0\" data-original-height=\"819\" data-original-width=\"696\" height=\"400\" src=\"https:\/\/blogger.googleusercontent.com\/img\/b\/R29vZ2xl\/AVvXsEh6JOsj1SOn5g-A2UtUpAKdJTurb_SMgaa2L_cSdUjFKmJ8Ce9-Mgpnmv5XG9CGhp0GoDlpeJTlZay2JKLjMmAxJtnkrAhtJWQjleVuoPMb-OJDb8H0vs3kDJzzgp0erG4mZaxZHtowFhK7KlWWhsCAJL7uADv-B6FiPeah_WZDfAnlyNNzhw_6XMn0dUw\/w340-h400\/Iron%20trap-door%20over%20fissure%20at%20top%20of%20Sphinx%20back,%20Mark%20Lehner,%20ARCE%20Sphinx%20Project%201979%20to%201983%20Archive,%20CC%20BY%204.jpg\" width=\"340\" \/\u003E\u003C\/a\u003E\u003C\/td\u003E\u003C\/tr\u003E\u003Ctr\u003E\u003Ctd class=\"tr-caption\" style=\"text-align: center;\"\u003EIron trap-door over the fissure on the Sphinx's back. Credit: Mark Lehner CC BY 4.0\u003C\/td\u003E\u003C\/tr\u003E\u003C\/tbody\u003E\u003C\/table\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u003Cb\u003E4. Rectangular Pit Behind the Dream Stele\u003C\/b\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EThe space behind the Dream Stele, between the paws of the Sphinx, had a small rectangular pit which was covered by an iron beam and cement roof, and fitted with an iron trap by Baraize.[7]\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EThe Dream Stele, incidentally, was set up by the pharaoh Tuthmosis IV. The stele tells the story of young king Tuthmosis, who fell asleep near the Sphinx, and dreamt that the sun god Khepri-Re-Atum will make him the pharaoh of Upper and Lower Egypt, if he cleared away the sand that had been building up around the Sphinx. Tuthmosis IV did as he was instructed and went on to become the pharaoh of unified Egypt.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Ctable align=\"center\" cellpadding=\"0\" cellspacing=\"0\" class=\"tr-caption-container\" style=\"margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;\"\u003E\u003Ctbody\u003E\u003Ctr\u003E\u003Ctd style=\"text-align: center;\"\u003E\u003Ca href=\"https:\/\/blogger.googleusercontent.com\/img\/b\/R29vZ2xl\/AVvXsEg8OvzYHuh_IGnh8DnSWBMZnnLZFGgaQtvCza44QDopg6AO6JvHmYuM8b89zOOf42zwUMvbMFyA__Z_7esUZIAwXGtGWK9Krv2dCyCNTZTvYaGoGaf0Iy07_lq7lmw4-VC6jZHr6-w_F73UP-vMTUkM4sXdAvb-8uswlMnkSzpmBMMH0fh1TkHMchkKBzw\/s1180\/Sphinx%20Dream%20Stele%20trap%20door.jpg\" style=\"margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;\"\u003E\u003Cimg border=\"0\" data-original-height=\"733\" data-original-width=\"1180\" height=\"249\" src=\"https:\/\/blogger.googleusercontent.com\/img\/b\/R29vZ2xl\/AVvXsEg8OvzYHuh_IGnh8DnSWBMZnnLZFGgaQtvCza44QDopg6AO6JvHmYuM8b89zOOf42zwUMvbMFyA__Z_7esUZIAwXGtGWK9Krv2dCyCNTZTvYaGoGaf0Iy07_lq7lmw4-VC6jZHr6-w_F73UP-vMTUkM4sXdAvb-8uswlMnkSzpmBMMH0fh1TkHMchkKBzw\/w400-h249\/Sphinx%20Dream%20Stele%20trap%20door.jpg\" width=\"400\" \/\u003E\u003C\/a\u003E\u003C\/td\u003E\u003C\/tr\u003E\u003Ctr\u003E\u003Ctd class=\"tr-caption\" style=\"text-align: center;\"\u003EIron trap door covering a rectangular pit behind the Dream Stele. Source: adapted from airpano.com\u003C\/td\u003E\u003C\/tr\u003E\u003C\/tbody\u003E\u003C\/table\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u003Cb\u003E5. Perring’s Hole\u003C\/b\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003ELastly, there is a hole on the back of the Sphinx, about 4 feet behind the head, called “Perring’s hole”. This is of recent origin. In the 1840s, General Howard Vyse, a British Egyptologist, had directed his engineer John Perring to drill a tunnel in the back of the Sphinx, just behind the head. The boring rods became stuck at a depth of 27 feet (8.2\u0026nbsp;m), and attempts to blast the rods free created a crater. The hole was cleared in 1978. Among the rubble was a fragment of the Sphinx's nemes headdress. [8]\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Ctable align=\"center\" cellpadding=\"0\" cellspacing=\"0\" class=\"tr-caption-container\" style=\"margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;\"\u003E\u003Ctbody\u003E\u003Ctr\u003E\u003Ctd style=\"text-align: center;\"\u003E\u003Ca href=\"https:\/\/blogger.googleusercontent.com\/img\/b\/R29vZ2xl\/AVvXsEjAwW9Axsdbuv9N7OqSDJppDDvFaGHNiSM7Oy-7SzPCYXpHh_AkXBU9YzyzapK5w5ityzzmyw5uF3FRRAXmTZMCWeu2aSHc1cOqBy5UsmaSlSrk_oLK43Iu6RVpSB8VaDBntETInINiDamiKi4UyB2lmHvQ40PDLqwVHw1Tpt6-FoQu0ou4nYylBZQqdWo\/s1024\/Perring's%20hole,%20The%20Crater%20left%20by%20Vyse%20on%20top%20of%20the%20Sphinx's%20back%20behind%20the%20head,%20fragment%20of%20nemes%20on%20the%20right,%20Mark%20Lehner,%20ARCE%20Sphinx%20Project%201979%20to%201983%20Archive,%20CC%20BY%204.jpg\" style=\"margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;\"\u003E\u003Cimg alt=\"Perring's hole, the Crater left by Vyse on top of the Sphinx's back behind the head\" border=\"0\" data-original-height=\"702\" data-original-width=\"1024\" height=\"274\" src=\"https:\/\/blogger.googleusercontent.com\/img\/b\/R29vZ2xl\/AVvXsEjAwW9Axsdbuv9N7OqSDJppDDvFaGHNiSM7Oy-7SzPCYXpHh_AkXBU9YzyzapK5w5ityzzmyw5uF3FRRAXmTZMCWeu2aSHc1cOqBy5UsmaSlSrk_oLK43Iu6RVpSB8VaDBntETInINiDamiKi4UyB2lmHvQ40PDLqwVHw1Tpt6-FoQu0ou4nYylBZQqdWo\/w400-h274\/Perring's%20hole,%20The%20Crater%20left%20by%20Vyse%20on%20top%20of%20the%20Sphinx's%20back%20behind%20the%20head,%20fragment%20of%20nemes%20on%20the%20right,%20Mark%20Lehner,%20ARCE%20Sphinx%20Project%201979%20to%201983%20Archive,%20CC%20BY%204.jpg\" width=\"400\" \/\u003E\u003C\/a\u003E\u003C\/td\u003E\u003C\/tr\u003E\u003Ctr\u003E\u003Ctd class=\"tr-caption\" style=\"text-align: center;\"\u003EPerring's hole. The Crater left by Vyse on top of the \nSphinx's back behind the head. Fragment of nemes headress on the right. \nCredit: Mark Lehner CC BY 4.0\u003C\/td\u003E\u003C\/tr\u003E\u003C\/tbody\u003E\u003C\/table\u003E\u003Cp\u003EThese are the five well-known passages and shafts associated with the Great Sphinx of Giza, and it is a good idea to be aware of their existence, for, every now and then on the internet, one might come across an image of one of the iron trap doors installed by Baraize, or one of the shafts, accompanied by hysterical claims that Egyptologists are deliberately keeping people in the dark about the existence of these openings. Not true. All of these passages have been explored and documented, particularly by Egyptologist Mark Lehner.\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EOf all the known tunnels and shafts, it is the rump-passage near the tail that is truly intriguing, for not only does it traverse a fair distance into the body of the Sphinx and under the bedrock, it looks like an ancient construction and its purpose remains unknown.\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EDoes this mean that Cayce was wrong in his prediction? Not necessarily. Cayce had said that the Hall of Records was carved in the bedrock in front of the Sphinx, between the Sphinx and the Nile, along the east-west axis that passes between its paws. Therefore, the most likely location for the Atlantean Hall of Records is under the bedrock of the Old Sphinx Temple, which sits directly in front of the Sphinx. But, have the Egyptologists looked there?\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Ch3 style=\"text-align: left;\"\u003EUnderground Chambers in the vicinity of the Sphinx\u003C\/h3\u003E\u003Cp\u003ESince the 1970s, a series of scientific surveys have been carried out by experts using ground-penetrating radar and other remote sensing equipment to find out if there are additional passages and chambers in the bedrock below the Sphinx.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EIn 1987 a Japanese team from the Waseda University, Tokyo, carried out an electromagnetic sounding survey of the Sanctuary of the Sphinx. Their results indicated the existence of a water pocket 2.5m to 3m underground near the south hind paw of the Sphinx, another cavity near the north hind paw, and the evidence of a tunnel underneath the Sphinx oriented in a north-south direction.[9] Since cavities and fissures can occur naturally in a limestone bedrock, one cannot say for sure if these anomalies were naturally formed or were or man-made. \u0026nbsp;\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Ctable align=\"center\" cellpadding=\"0\" cellspacing=\"0\" class=\"tr-caption-container\" style=\"margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;\"\u003E\u003Ctbody\u003E\u003Ctr\u003E\u003Ctd style=\"text-align: center;\"\u003E\u003Ca href=\"https:\/\/blogger.googleusercontent.com\/img\/b\/R29vZ2xl\/AVvXsEg72TA3lQPnChzQO-2l1qPRS1DcYiH_LKXI3bez9rH0Lj-MXkCot8ZrJNMbeheTy6TxW22XW8Xqn2hbEHPLA0Ugs8z1sghPwdGd-ntHUi1uOe788W3XtU3FFbY98sOsBDO6moSQHs2yWCv5njy0Odp5eEfCWv0YHg8Uy0Z7Fj1LxovazXLNN6U8vmHSsmI\/s700\/Great%20Sphinx%20Featured%20small.jpg\" style=\"margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;\"\u003E\u003Cimg border=\"0\" data-original-height=\"389\" data-original-width=\"700\" height=\"356\" src=\"https:\/\/blogger.googleusercontent.com\/img\/b\/R29vZ2xl\/AVvXsEg72TA3lQPnChzQO-2l1qPRS1DcYiH_LKXI3bez9rH0Lj-MXkCot8ZrJNMbeheTy6TxW22XW8Xqn2hbEHPLA0Ugs8z1sghPwdGd-ntHUi1uOe788W3XtU3FFbY98sOsBDO6moSQHs2yWCv5njy0Odp5eEfCWv0YHg8Uy0Z7Fj1LxovazXLNN6U8vmHSsmI\/w640-h356\/Great%20Sphinx%20Featured%20small.jpg\" width=\"640\" \/\u003E\u003C\/a\u003E\u003C\/td\u003E\u003C\/tr\u003E\u003Ctr\u003E\u003Ctd class=\"tr-caption\" style=\"text-align: center;\"\u003EThe Great Sphinx. Credit: Radosław Botev CC BY 3.0\u003C\/td\u003E\u003C\/tr\u003E\u003C\/tbody\u003E\u003C\/table\u003E\u003Cp\u003EAnother survey was carried out in 1991 by a team led by Robert Schoch and John Anthony West. They found subsurface cavities in front of the front left paw, and extending from the left paw back along the south flank.[10] \u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EThe Florida State University in association with the Schor Foundation carried out seismographic surveys and ground scans around the Sphinx and elsewhere on the Giza plateau in 1996. Since the Schor Foundation was established by Joseph Schor, a multimillionaire life member of ARE (Edgar Cayce’s Association for Research and Enlightenment), there can be little doubt that their objective was to locate the Hall of Records. They claimed to have found rooms and tunnels in front of the Sphinx and running from the rear of the Sphinx.[11]\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EClearly, all the ground scans carried out till date indicate that a network of chambers and tunnels exist under the Sphinx oriented in different directions. The rooms and tunnels found in front of the Sphinx are particularly interesting from my perspective, since, as per Edgar Cayce, the Hall of Records was carved into the bedrock in front of the Sphinx, along the east-west axis that passes between its paws. \u003Ci\u003EHowever, it seems to me that ground scans have not been performed on the floor of the Old Sphinx Temple, which is the most likely location for the Hall of Records\u003C\/i\u003E.\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003ENevertheless, the remote sensing projects conducted till date suggest that the Hall of Records may not be illusory. Unfortunately, additional ground scans have not been undertaken after 1996, nor have any excavations been commissioned for determining once and for all, if the underground chambers and tunnels detected by the remote sensing projects are natural or man-made.\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EThe dominant position amongst mainstream Egyptologists these days is that, the Hall of Records is a fable, and the ground penetrating radars have detected the natural fissures of the bedrock. It is this stubborn refusal to act on the available data, and undertake additional surveys and excavations, that has driven a chasm between mainstream Egyptologists and alternative researchers, with allegations of cover-ups flying all over the place.\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EBut interest in the Hall of records refuses to wane. Many historians are of the opinion that the bedrock below the Sphinx may contain important tombs and burial chambers which need to be explored. In a program aired on Channel 5 in 2019, well-known British historian Dr. Bettany Hughes stoked the flames of this long-standing mystery when she said that, “Archaeologists are investigating under the statue because there are tantalizing clues that the Sphinx sits right on top of an ancient network of chambers and tunnels…and some are hopeful that these hidden tunnels may lead us to new, undiscovered treasures.”[12] \u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EThese treasures are not caches of gold and silver, but invaluable historical records of Atlantis which could potentially overhaul our understanding of the past, and provide insights into a lost high civilization of the Ice Age. Provided, of course, we are able to decipher the records, if and when they are found. In one of his life readings Cayce had said that the records were written using two separate scripts: the script of the Atlanteans and the hieroglyphs of the early Egyptians.\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp style=\"margin-left: 40px; text-align: left;\"\u003E“... the entity joined with those who were active in putting the records in forms that were partially of the old characters of the ancient or early Egyptian, and part in the newer form of the Atlanteans. These may be found, especially when the house or tomb of records is opened, in a few years from now.” [Reading 2537-1; Jul 17, 1941]\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EIf a large chunk of the records are in an unknown “Atlantean script” then decipherment may prove to be problematic unless a new Rosetta stone is found.\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003ECayce was optimistic that the Hall of Records in Egypt will be opened “in a few years” after 1941. That date, of course, is long gone. However, Cayce also said that, the Hall of Records cannot be \"entered from the connecting chambers from the Sphinx's paw until the TIME has been fulfilled when the changes must be active in this sphere of man's experience.\" I believe that time is now, for my analysis of the Yuga Cycle reveals that we have exited the Kali Yuga - the age of ignorance and darkness - in March 2025, and are now on the ascending cycle of consciousness (of which the first 1200 years is a period of cleansing by fire called Ekpyrosis), when much truth will come to the surface, making us aware of our ancient origins and cosmic connections.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003ETherefore, there is cause for hope that one day the hidden Hall of Records will be found, which will awaken us to a lost era of the erstwhile Golden Age, when highly advanced civilizations flourished on the earth.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u003Cb\u003EReferences\u003C\/b\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E[1] Edgar Evans Cayce, \"Edgar Cayce on Atlantis\", Warner Books, 1968\u003Cbr \/\u003E[2] Mark Lehner, \"On the Waterfront: Canals and Harbors in the Time of Giza Pyramid-Building\", \u003Cbr \/\u003EAeragram VOL. 15 NO. 1 \u0026amp; 2, Spring-Fall 2014, https:\/\/aeraweb.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/08\/aeragram15_1-2.pdf#page=14\u003Cbr \/\u003E[3] Allen Winston, \"The Old and New Kingdom Sphinx Temples at Giza\", http:\/\/www.touregypt.net\/featurestories\/sphinx3.htm\u003Cbr \/\u003E[4] Mark Lehner, Archaeology of an Image: The Great Sphinx of Giza, 1991, p.\u0026nbsp;187.\u003Cbr \/\u003E[5] Ibid, p.\u0026nbsp;363.\u003Cbr \/\u003E[6] Ibid, p.\u0026nbsp;202–203.\u003Cbr \/\u003E[7] Ibid, p.\u0026nbsp;298.\u003Cbr \/\u003E[8] Ibid, pp.\u0026nbsp;204–205.\u003Cbr \/\u003E[9] Responses by Zahi Hawass and Mark Lehner to questions on the Sphinx chambers, PBS \u0026gt; NOVA \u0026gt; Pyramids, February 10, 1997, http:\/\/www.pbs.org\/wgbh\/nova\/pyramid\/mail\/responses970210.html\u003Cbr \/\u003E[10] Ibid\u003Cbr \/\u003E[11] Ibid\u003Cbr \/\u003E[12] Sean Keach, \"Mystery HOLE in Sphinx ‘leading down to hidden chambers’ could reveal ‘lost Pharaoh’s treasures’, top historian claims\", The Sun, 15 Aug 2019, https:\/\/www.thesun.co.uk\/tech\/9730019\/sphinx-chambers-tunnels-pharaoh-treasure-khufu-pyramid-giza\/\u003C\/p\u003E"},"link":[{"rel":"replies","type":"application/atom+xml","href":"https:\/\/www.bibhudevmisra.com\/feeds\/2044109551705216034\/comments\/default","title":"Post Comments"},{"rel":"replies","type":"text/html","href":"https:\/\/www.bibhudevmisra.com\/2025\/04\/the-atlantean-hall-of-records-is-under.html#comment-form","title":"2 Comments"},{"rel":"edit","type":"application/atom+xml","href":"https:\/\/www.blogger.com\/feeds\/6864653463177413678\/posts\/default\/2044109551705216034"},{"rel":"self","type":"application/atom+xml","href":"https:\/\/www.blogger.com\/feeds\/6864653463177413678\/posts\/default\/2044109551705216034"},{"rel":"alternate","type":"text/html","href":"https:\/\/www.bibhudevmisra.com\/2025\/04\/the-atlantean-hall-of-records-is-under.html","title":"The Atlantean “Hall of Records” is under the Old Sphinx Temple"}],"author":[{"name":{"$t":"Bibhu Dev Misra"},"uri":{"$t":"http:\/\/www.blogger.com\/profile\/15388473714672380058"},"email":{"$t":"noreply@blogger.com"},"gd$image":{"rel":"http://schemas.google.com/g/2005#thumbnail","width":"32","height":"28","src":"\/\/blogger.googleusercontent.com\/img\/b\/R29vZ2xl\/AVvXsEh4sklyRp_L5BfqEXTjoskgFPFYpJiNJSuDN5zrcldGBaXot626bOTu8q5TUYsip63M6EkY2JbuoE6l1N5fMKiqKfzFfaaKpqm91QZx9rMdAL3t-ju2QdYi1K-BeCJsjw\/s130\/DSCN1699.JPG"}}],"media$thumbnail":{"xmlns$media":"http://search.yahoo.com/mrss/","url":"https:\/\/blogger.googleusercontent.com\/img\/b\/R29vZ2xl\/AVvXsEhN-rwgXWkTTcgn5MJ8INeO19ZcCSlvo7ER8otx1dQvhFJkEnMnX03b6X1r5lVvSGNYq7ILTHSSPIPIYbJ9NHI9WHDoSq-GrKnEqOtpIG4xcJetJ7J7k6g1fkLAmPJpftVlPRtN8JuN6ipZoBEXIxxmeoTXSBtqFkH2dJB6XhG8ZViKfwD_kI-VJxIFqiQ\/s72-c\/Great%20Sphinx%20Featured%20small.jpg","height":"72","width":"72"},"thr$total":{"$t":"2"}},{"id":{"$t":"tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6864653463177413678.post-6670759207454871005"},"published":{"$t":"2025-03-19T19:05:00.003+05:30"},"updated":{"$t":"2025-08-02T12:42:42.180+05:30"},"category":[{"scheme":"http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#","term":"Article"},{"scheme":"http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#","term":"Yuga Cycle"}],"title":{"type":"text","$t":"Four Signs that the Yuga Shift is already underway"},"content":{"type":"html","$t":"\u003Cp\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cdiv class=\"separator\" style=\"clear: both; text-align: center;\"\u003E\u003Ca href=\"https:\/\/blogger.googleusercontent.com\/img\/b\/R29vZ2xl\/AVvXsEgnpHzJWde2vMpVrR4TOUHUX4mURKsTUBJzxm8xfbgUDsUUvUBEWd9kDu2HJrd4LrYocKQlGWsFuyWHARi1OkZqX3z1tLyi89t1IOfogIB4UagbtR8kZBZbjs1hkRduLnVgsCR5XT_vXL9NbqMsPg-dVen0UwNc0ozW4KOrjWUvsiwVx6GsrGpgLAfqzaA\/s500\/AdobeStock_956346941%20black%20hole%20thumbnail.jpg\" style=\"margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;\"\u003E\u003Cimg border=\"0\" data-original-height=\"280\" data-original-width=\"500\" height=\"179\" src=\"https:\/\/blogger.googleusercontent.com\/img\/b\/R29vZ2xl\/AVvXsEgnpHzJWde2vMpVrR4TOUHUX4mURKsTUBJzxm8xfbgUDsUUvUBEWd9kDu2HJrd4LrYocKQlGWsFuyWHARi1OkZqX3z1tLyi89t1IOfogIB4UagbtR8kZBZbjs1hkRduLnVgsCR5XT_vXL9NbqMsPg-dVen0UwNc0ozW4KOrjWUvsiwVx6GsrGpgLAfqzaA\/s320\/AdobeStock_956346941%20black%20hole%20thumbnail.jpg\" width=\"320\" \/\u003E\u003C\/a\u003E\u003C\/div\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003EAs I am writing this article in the middle of March 2025, I am taken aback at the speed at which things are unfolding in the world right now. My expectation was that the pace of transformation will slowly pick up in 2025, and intensify further after March 21st, which is the date when the Kali Yuga will be completely over and the period of transition called Ekpyrosis will begin.\u0026nbsp;\u003Cspan\u003E\u003Ca name='more'\u003E\u003C\/a\u003E\u003C\/span\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EBut right from the get-go, 2025 has been a very eventful year, and some of the things that I had mentioned in my book, \u003Ca href=\"https:\/\/www.amazon.com\/YUGA-SHIFT-IMPENDING-PLANETARY-TRANSFORMATION\/dp\/B0CPJVYQG4\/ref=pd_ci_mcx_mh_mcx_views_0_image\" target=\"_blank\"\u003EYuga Shift\u003C\/a\u003E, are already manifesting in the world.\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EI want to discuss four events that have already occurred which indicate that the shift out of the Kali Yuga has well and truly commenced, and we are now entering uncharted waters, when things are likely to become very fluid, unpredictable and chaotic, as the illusory reality bubble we live in begins to come apart at the seams, allowing the light of a greater cosmic reality to shine through which will elevate our awareness and intuitive understanding.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Ch2 style=\"text-align: left;\"\u003EEkpyrosis Begins\u003C\/h2\u003E\u003Cp\u003EThe first event I will talk about, which happened right at the beginning of 2025, was the devastating wildfire in LA. The fiery catastrophe served as a potent warning that we are now entering the period of Ekpyrosis - which is an extended period of transition between the descending and ascending arcs of the Yuga Cycle – when the world is cleansed and purified by fire. The term Ekpyrosis is of Greek origin and it means “burning” or “conflagration”.\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EWhat happened in LA was so unusual, ferocious, and unrelenting, it was almost as if nature had blown a fuse and gone berserk, and was trying to shake us out of the stupor of the Kali Yuga. As the fire raged, it was disheartening to see all the finger pointing, blame games and conspiracy theories, when we should have really been doing some serious soul searching and asking the important questions: Why is nature behaving this way? Is there any message for us? What can we do differently?\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EEven in the midst of this damage, a miracle occurred at Pacific Palisades, where the fire had burnt with the most severity. The fire burnt all around the Lake Shrine of the Self-Realization Fellowship, keeping all the structures in the complex intact, except one. The Lake Shrine had been established by Paramahansa Yogananda in 1950, to serve as an “open-air shrine of all religions”, where man would be inspired to achieve communion with his highest Self.\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EWhen I read about this miracle, it seemed to me that the fire was conscious and was telling us, “Only that which is aligned with spirit, and supports the unfolding of our divine nature, will make it through the period of Ekpyrosis.”\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Ctable align=\"center\" cellpadding=\"0\" cellspacing=\"0\" class=\"tr-caption-container\" style=\"margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;\"\u003E\u003Ctbody\u003E\u003Ctr\u003E\u003Ctd style=\"text-align: center;\"\u003E\u003Ca href=\"https:\/\/blogger.googleusercontent.com\/img\/b\/R29vZ2xl\/AVvXsEjaigV3Ki1AGVoUuXoA5YA0x1DKcHKIvdhlEUfGWXnAgLID1X8Y5xXaC4arL5MSIyFWlcMyTcz-opA9yelKCqyPQqQUMc9dLlazcg7UUJTNQJw21mjWzhZzeWn5c5Ew3p15Z9fjPLoaJpEvv9aZb8dTCrPfljH54NUYn0HKqBlVj1i-xqJLnmCXrV7VEKw\/s1400\/wildfire%20small.jpg\" style=\"margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;\"\u003E\u003Cimg border=\"0\" data-original-height=\"933\" data-original-width=\"1400\" height=\"426\" src=\"https:\/\/blogger.googleusercontent.com\/img\/b\/R29vZ2xl\/AVvXsEjaigV3Ki1AGVoUuXoA5YA0x1DKcHKIvdhlEUfGWXnAgLID1X8Y5xXaC4arL5MSIyFWlcMyTcz-opA9yelKCqyPQqQUMc9dLlazcg7UUJTNQJw21mjWzhZzeWn5c5Ew3p15Z9fjPLoaJpEvv9aZb8dTCrPfljH54NUYn0HKqBlVj1i-xqJLnmCXrV7VEKw\/w640-h426\/wildfire%20small.jpg\" width=\"640\" \/\u003E\u003C\/a\u003E\u003C\/td\u003E\u003C\/tr\u003E\u003Ctr\u003E\u003Ctd class=\"tr-caption\" style=\"text-align: center;\"\u003EWildfires are becoming more frequent and intense. Source: Adobe Stock\u003C\/td\u003E\u003C\/tr\u003E\u003C\/tbody\u003E\u003C\/table\u003E\u003Cp\u003EOver the past two months of 2025, there have a number of large fire events around the world. Japan experienced its biggest fire in decades and wildfires erupted in the Carolinas in the US. What makes these fires so unusual is not only their ferocity, but the fact that they were burning in the winter months in regions that are normally not prone to wildfires. Even as I write this, there is a headline on AP News which reads, “At least 39 dead after tornadoes, wildfires and dust storms wreak havoc across multiple US states.”\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EIn addition to the fire events, there have been a number of freak, flooding incidents across the world over the past few months. In an earlier article, titled, “\u003Ca href=\"https:\/\/www.bibhudevmisra.com\/2025\/02\/the-sioux-prophecy-of-white-buffalo.html\" target=\"_blank\"\u003EThe Sioux Prophecy of the White Buffalo Calf Woman came true in 2024\u003C\/a\u003E” I had written about these flooding events, and how they began to increase in number and intensity after the Sioux Prophecy of the White Buffalo Calf Woman came true in the month of June, 2024.\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EAs per the Sioux, the appearance of a white buffalo calf in the wild would indicate that the current World Cycle is on the verge of ending, and the White Buffalo Calf Woman – who gave the Sioux people their sacred laws and ceremonies - is about to return to purify the world, and restore harmony and balance. In early June, 2024, a white bison calf was photographed in the Yellowstone National Park, which was taken by the Sioux people as a foreboding sign of imminent changes.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EThe White Buffalo Calf Woman corresponds to the goddess Isis of Egypt, who was regarded as the bringer of the Nile floods. This might explain the spate of intense flooding events across the world. The standout weird incidents, of course, were the unusual floods in the Sahara Desert and the snowstorm in the Arabian Desert last year, which are reminiscent of scenes straight out of apocalyptic movies.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Ctable align=\"center\" cellpadding=\"0\" cellspacing=\"0\" class=\"tr-caption-container\" style=\"margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;\"\u003E\u003Ctbody\u003E\u003Ctr\u003E\u003Ctd style=\"text-align: center;\"\u003E\u003Ca href=\"https:\/\/blogger.googleusercontent.com\/img\/b\/R29vZ2xl\/AVvXsEjQuSAIC44nHK4yujSH1CGBaq38SxbVYtFSALsKdOV3x70W__H0MiQC7UP3Jtxoupqh7eP6RXgFO72g0Xu51F_6eeoqgK34fI8kReh5YeG5kf45Fynv_a7kCF9e7GmYfkwHvTQFbCikl2wCPLYO8DV5Mc1ekk4havwaGFwJpPSzK5WUEhX9XtbzMx0x3tU\/s1400\/Sahara%20flood%202024.jpg\" style=\"margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;\"\u003E\u003Cimg border=\"0\" data-original-height=\"785\" data-original-width=\"1400\" height=\"358\" src=\"https:\/\/blogger.googleusercontent.com\/img\/b\/R29vZ2xl\/AVvXsEjQuSAIC44nHK4yujSH1CGBaq38SxbVYtFSALsKdOV3x70W__H0MiQC7UP3Jtxoupqh7eP6RXgFO72g0Xu51F_6eeoqgK34fI8kReh5YeG5kf45Fynv_a7kCF9e7GmYfkwHvTQFbCikl2wCPLYO8DV5Mc1ekk4havwaGFwJpPSzK5WUEhX9XtbzMx0x3tU\/w640-h358\/Sahara%20flood%202024.jpg\" width=\"640\" \/\u003E\u003C\/a\u003E\u003C\/td\u003E\u003C\/tr\u003E\u003Ctr\u003E\u003Ctd class=\"tr-caption\" style=\"text-align: center;\"\u003EThe Flood in the Sahara in 2024 created lakes in the desert. Source: Adobe Stock\u003C\/td\u003E\u003C\/tr\u003E\u003C\/tbody\u003E\u003C\/table\u003E\u003Cp\u003ETo add to our woes, there is an ongoing magma movement in the earth’s crust, which has been causing intense “earthquake swarms” in places like Santorini in Greece and the Campi Flegrei region west of Naples in Italy. Just a few days ago, a headline on AP News stated, “A volcano near Alaska's largest city could erupt in the coming weeks or months, scientists say.”\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EThings have been happening at a frantic pace, keeping large populations worried and on the edge. It’s almost as if a cosmic magician has waved his magic wand, and our planet has started waking up after a long period of hibernation, kicking off a number of dormant planetary processes of cleansing and renewal.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EThe question is, who is the cosmic magician who is setting off these environmental events, just as we are about to transition out of the Kali Yuga? Scientists are happy to blame these changes on man-made global warming or on absurdities like “cow farts”, but that may not necessarily be the case.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Ch2 style=\"text-align: left;\"\u003EThe Black Hole Enters its AGN Phase\u003C\/h2\u003E\u003Cp\u003EIn \u003Ca href=\"https:\/\/www.amazon.com\/YUGA-SHIFT-IMPENDING-PLANETARY-TRANSFORMATION\/dp\/B0CPJVYQG4\/ref=pd_ci_mcx_mh_mcx_views_0_image\" target=\"_blank\"\u003EYuga Shift\u003C\/a\u003E, I had proposed that the radiation from the central black hole of the Milky Way regulates the fluctuation of consciousness, lifespan, physical stature and the environmental conditions in course of the Yuga Cycle.\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EThe Vedic sages referred to the central black hole as “Brahma” – the supreme, unformed, creative principle at the navel of the world (Vishnunabhi) – which is well-aligned with how scientists describe the black hole i.e. as the central engine powering our galaxy.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Ctable align=\"center\" cellpadding=\"0\" cellspacing=\"0\" class=\"tr-caption-container\" style=\"margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;\"\u003E\u003Ctbody\u003E\u003Ctr\u003E\u003Ctd style=\"text-align: center;\"\u003E\u003Ca href=\"https:\/\/blogger.googleusercontent.com\/img\/b\/R29vZ2xl\/AVvXsEiRVaSEDbnLodCyBVYBGa6pAY6xFu85o9M666ZbechWHI5pFyf9EyR1ZzXNkYI786ddpF4LvtOFCXmANTqt_1Eqkrh99P4RJRR9qes0AcvBIjwA-e_o659s2bNktbzxHCG0nhucZrklS1dcLFJSKuab4xYXuRzyIl9ujkPe1WQQtEoI5TT2XJtp-E3rF4c\/s1080\/Milky%20Way%20edit%20NASA%20JPL%20Caltech%20R%20Hurt.jpg\" style=\"margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;\"\u003E\u003Cimg alt=\"Vishnu, Vishnunabhi and Brahma in the Milky Way galaxy\" border=\"0\" data-original-height=\"1080\" data-original-width=\"1080\" height=\"400\" src=\"https:\/\/blogger.googleusercontent.com\/img\/b\/R29vZ2xl\/AVvXsEiRVaSEDbnLodCyBVYBGa6pAY6xFu85o9M666ZbechWHI5pFyf9EyR1ZzXNkYI786ddpF4LvtOFCXmANTqt_1Eqkrh99P4RJRR9qes0AcvBIjwA-e_o659s2bNktbzxHCG0nhucZrklS1dcLFJSKuab4xYXuRzyIl9ujkPe1WQQtEoI5TT2XJtp-E3rF4c\/w400-h400\/Milky%20Way%20edit%20NASA%20JPL%20Caltech%20R%20Hurt.jpg\" width=\"400\" \/\u003E\u003C\/a\u003E\u003C\/td\u003E\u003C\/tr\u003E\u003Ctr\u003E\u003Ctd class=\"tr-caption\" style=\"text-align: center;\"\u003EAs per the Vedic cosmovision, Vishnu is the central bar, Vishnunabhi \ni.e. the navel of Vishnu is the Galactic Center, and Brahma the creative\n principle is the central black hole. Credit: NASA\/JPL-Caltech\/R. Hurt, \nPublic Domain Image.\u003C\/td\u003E\u003C\/tr\u003E\u003C\/tbody\u003E\u003C\/table\u003E\u003Cp\u003EMy contention was that, the central black hole (Sgr A*) will switch from the “Start-up phase” of its AGN cycle to the active or “AGN phase”, after we transition out of the Kali Yuga, and when this high-frequency energetic impulse reaches us it will trigger a range of changes in our genetics and ecosphere that would propel us towards the ascending arc of the Yuga Cycle.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EIn the “Start-up phase”, a black hole is generally very quiet, and emits occasional X-ray flares. This is what the central black hole of the Milky Way has been doing over the past few centuries. But when a black hole switches to its active or “AGN phase”, it emits profuse quantities of EM radiation at all frequencies, from infrared to visible to gamma rays. At this point, the nucleus becomes highly luminous and outshines the light from all the stars of the galaxy put together, and is called an AGN i.e. an Active Galactic Nucleus.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Ctable align=\"center\" cellpadding=\"0\" cellspacing=\"0\" class=\"tr-caption-container\" style=\"margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;\"\u003E\u003Ctbody\u003E\u003Ctr\u003E\u003Ctd style=\"text-align: center;\"\u003E\u003Ca href=\"https:\/\/blogger.googleusercontent.com\/img\/b\/R29vZ2xl\/AVvXsEjgQpI23AoWIb4KDlVHcnZPRiRyx4iiQY9sHAoue2AezvrSBG3roFxrGkmzhcQyRSX6cnBBQSnzyXy1X9-SrZ8aPh4vx56YehcyVG6mWtKno4psxRAPWi2G6eFkm2Lx23Q4mY1bnadiv8G_47u9KrOZlvsYtC8TM5rlVL8wniVNTyMWSGZdib9w5Vt8cjA\/s1400\/49%20Yuga%20Cycle%20and%20AGN%20phases%20of%20black%20hole1.jpg\" style=\"margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;\"\u003E\u003Cimg border=\"0\" data-original-height=\"1060\" data-original-width=\"1400\" height=\"485\" src=\"https:\/\/blogger.googleusercontent.com\/img\/b\/R29vZ2xl\/AVvXsEjgQpI23AoWIb4KDlVHcnZPRiRyx4iiQY9sHAoue2AezvrSBG3roFxrGkmzhcQyRSX6cnBBQSnzyXy1X9-SrZ8aPh4vx56YehcyVG6mWtKno4psxRAPWi2G6eFkm2Lx23Q4mY1bnadiv8G_47u9KrOZlvsYtC8TM5rlVL8wniVNTyMWSGZdib9w5Vt8cjA\/w640-h485\/49%20Yuga%20Cycle%20and%20AGN%20phases%20of%20black%20hole1.jpg\" width=\"640\" \/\u003E\u003C\/a\u003E\u003C\/td\u003E\u003C\/tr\u003E\u003Ctr\u003E\u003Ctd class=\"tr-caption\" style=\"text-align: center;\"\u003EThe different phases of the AGN cycle of the Milky Way can be mapped to \nthe Yuga Cycle of 25,800 years. Source: \u003Ca href=\"https:\/\/www.amazon.com\/YUGA-SHIFT-IMPENDING-PLANETARY-TRANSFORMATION\/dp\/B0CPJVYQG4\/ref=pd_ci_mcx_mh_mcx_views_0_image\" target=\"_blank\"\u003EYuga Shift\u003C\/a\u003E by Bibhu Dev Misra\u003C\/td\u003E\u003C\/tr\u003E\u003C\/tbody\u003E\u003C\/table\u003E\u003Cp\u003EThis is what I wrote in \u003Ca href=\"https:\/\/www.amazon.com\/YUGA-SHIFT-IMPENDING-PLANETARY-TRANSFORMATION\/dp\/B0CPJVYQG4\/ref=pd_ci_mcx_mh_mcx_views_0_image\" target=\"_blank\"\u003EYuga Shift\u003C\/a\u003E, regarding the activation of the central black hole (Sgr A*):\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp style=\"margin-left: 40px; text-align: left;\"\u003E“The AGN phase of Sgr A* could begin after the end of the Kali Yuga in 2025, sometime during the 1200-year period of Ekpyrosis. The AGN phase may continue for the entire 11,700 years of the ascending Yuga Cycle, till the end of the Golden Age. During this time, the nucleus of the Milky Way could become extraordinarily luminous and photoionize the entire galaxy.\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp style=\"margin-left: 40px; text-align: left;\"\u003EThe increase in the intensity of “ionizing radiation” from Sgr A*, such as extreme UV, X-ray, and Gamma rays, could trigger beneficial genetic mutations that can progressively increase our cranial volume, height and lifespan during the ascending cycle. Ionizing radiation is very effective in killing bacteria and disease-causing microorganisms. This could be why the higher Yugas were said to be free of diseases. The photoionization of the earth’s atmosphere will also provide a positive boost to our mood and attitude. Many studies have shown that exposure to negative ions can alleviate depression, reduce stress, increase mental alertness and improve cognitive abilities.”\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EImagine my surprise, therefore, when I came across \u003Ca href=\"https:\/\/edition.cnn.com\/2025\/02\/19\/science\/milky-way-black-hole-flickers-webb?cid=ios_app\u0026amp;fbclid=IwY2xjawI2dH1leHRuA2FlbQIxMQABHVXzMIBhdSSmNpQlGonQ0wGnSEX9sTsswKtoi0aUC57smeEDjMUUDQmA-A_aem_6unHAcT-oJcHVawfytDttw\" target=\"_blank\"\u003Ethis piece of news on CNN Science\u003C\/a\u003E which stated that, over the past one year, the black hole has been emitting blindingly bright flares of light on a daily basis, along with many shorter flashes. Here’s a small excerpt from the article.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp style=\"margin-left: 40px; text-align: left;\"\u003E“Astronomers using the James Webb Space Telescope have spied dynamic flares of light near the supermassive black hole at the center of the Milky Way galaxy. The constant, rapid-fire display includes seconds-long short flashes and longer, blindingly bright flares of light on a daily basis...A study describing the findings was published Tuesday in The Astrophysical Journal Letters...\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp style=\"margin-left: 40px; text-align: left;\"\u003EIn our data, we saw constantly changing, bubbling brightness,” said lead study author Farhad Yusef-Zadeh, a professor of physics and astronomy at Northwestern University’s Weinberg College of Arts and Sciences, in a statement. “And then boom! A big burst of brightness suddenly popped up. Then, it calmed down again. We couldn’t find a pattern in this activity. It appears to be random. The activity profile of this black hole was new and exciting every time that we looked at it.”\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EThis is a clear indication that the black hole has shifted to the “AGN phase” of its AGN Cycle. It’s still in the initial stages of the AGN phase, because of which it is emitting only visible light, but in course of time we can expect it to become considerably more active and emit intense radiation at all frequencies.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Ctable align=\"center\" cellpadding=\"0\" cellspacing=\"0\" class=\"tr-caption-container\" style=\"margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;\"\u003E\u003Ctbody\u003E\u003Ctr\u003E\u003Ctd style=\"text-align: center;\"\u003E\u003Ca href=\"https:\/\/blogger.googleusercontent.com\/img\/b\/R29vZ2xl\/AVvXsEhUh_PbdjEz47luIHdqK8rbDhstKpnrPcZXI9HrTChebBmoslbLRxacyRtEsypfor-W9ajae5ZSmdQy0WnXCQ1ak5y2FkXuOTZWZ9iKGtbjR4xQwh1snDdPBHIxsRwBEftSvTANY3HAXKUSGlbB6XdvC2xpGxFttzU7zMGntNTuoZRL5IKodTa4dbdoQtI\/s1400\/AdobeStock_956346941%20black%20hole%20small.jpg\" style=\"margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;\"\u003E\u003Cimg border=\"0\" data-original-height=\"785\" data-original-width=\"1400\" height=\"358\" src=\"https:\/\/blogger.googleusercontent.com\/img\/b\/R29vZ2xl\/AVvXsEhUh_PbdjEz47luIHdqK8rbDhstKpnrPcZXI9HrTChebBmoslbLRxacyRtEsypfor-W9ajae5ZSmdQy0WnXCQ1ak5y2FkXuOTZWZ9iKGtbjR4xQwh1snDdPBHIxsRwBEftSvTANY3HAXKUSGlbB6XdvC2xpGxFttzU7zMGntNTuoZRL5IKodTa4dbdoQtI\/w640-h358\/AdobeStock_956346941%20black%20hole%20small.jpg\" width=\"640\" \/\u003E\u003C\/a\u003E\u003C\/td\u003E\u003C\/tr\u003E\u003Ctr\u003E\u003Ctd class=\"tr-caption\" style=\"text-align: center;\"\u003EAn artists’ impression of the central black hole, surrounded by magnetic\n filaments glowing in the light emitted by the black hole. Source: Adobe\n Stock\u003C\/td\u003E\u003C\/tr\u003E\u003C\/tbody\u003E\u003C\/table\u003E\u003Cp\u003EI was expecting that the activation of the black hole will happen sometime after 2025, but as it turns out, the shift had already happened in 2024. And now that I think back, it explains a lot of what was going on in 2024. Many people around the world were waking up from the stupor of the Kali Yuga, and started asking questions about what was really going on in the world. There was a definite uptick in psychic and intuitive abilities, and many people received premonitions of a big shift. The interest in our origins and the wisdom of our ancestors was picking up and the call for moving away from the drama and negativity of the outer world and aligning with inner spirit kept getting stronger.\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EI had anticipated that these types of changes in the collective consciousness will begin to manifest as we enter the transitional period on March 21, 2025. This is what I had written in \u003Ca href=\"https:\/\/www.amazon.com\/YUGA-SHIFT-IMPENDING-PLANETARY-TRANSFORMATION\/dp\/B0CPJVYQG4\/ref=pd_ci_mcx_mh_mcx_views_0_image\" target=\"_blank\"\u003EYuga Shift\u003C\/a\u003E:\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp style=\"margin-left: 40px; text-align: left;\"\u003E“At the same time, the peculiar energies of this time period could set in motion a global movement to return to our roots, reclaim our past from academic misinterpretations and use the ancient wisdom teachings to chart our way to the future…In other words, even as the violence around the world escalates, more and more people will discard the decaying energies of the Kali Yuga, and try to align themselves with the subtle energies of the Yuga that is on the way. Even in the midst of an emerging totalitarian nightmare, a common planetary consciousness will begin to take root, which will be concerned with the welfare of all. While this process has already been underway for sometime, I think it will gain momentum after 2025.”\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EThe activation of the central black hole is a sure-shot indication that the spiritual ascension of humanity has already begun. The process is unstoppable now, and its effects will be felt everywhere in the coming years. Anything that is not in resonance with these divine vibrations of unity consciousness and love, truth and harmony, will collapse and fade away. All structures and ideologies based on the dense Kali Yuga energies of greed and lies, selfishness and hatred, will inevitably be disrupted and transformed. Brahma is opening his eyes, and a dramatic shift in our reality is underway.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EWe must remember that as the old forms and power structures collapse – due to internal conflicts, financial issues, revolutions, wars or environmental catastrophes – it will cause chaos and suffering. I think of it as a “collective rehab” that we may need to go through, in order to wean us away from our addictions and material obsessions, so that we can find the wisdom and light, the joy and contentment, within us that can heal us and take us forward on our path.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EMy belief is that the enhanced radiation from the black hole is also responsible to a large extent for the heating up of the earth’ core and mantle, which, in turn, is causing global temperatures to increase, wildfires to erupt more frequently, and the ongoing magma movement in the earth’s crust which is causing the seismic swarms. The warmer ocean waters are causing more powerful cyclones and flooding events.\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EAt an esoteric level, what appears to be happening is that, the central black hole – which is the “primordial consciousness” that creates, organizes and transforms everything in our galaxy - is telling our planet that the time of darkness is over, a new dawn is approaching, and Mother Nature needs to get into action and get the house cleaning done, so that the “new humans” who are about break out of their shells can embark on a brand new adventure of self-discovery in the ascending Yuga Cycle.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Ch2 style=\"text-align: left;\"\u003EThe Asteroids “2024 YR4” and Apophis\u003C\/h2\u003E\u003Cp\u003EThe asteroid “2024 YR4” created a global scare in late January, when astronomers announced that the space rock, having a diameter of roughly 180 feet, could impact the earth on December 22nd, 2032. At one point, the odds of a strike in 2032 were as high as about 3.1% and topped the world’s asteroid-risk lists.\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003ESubsequent observations of the trajectory of the asteroid have ruled out the chance of a direct hit with the earth. However, the asteroid still has a chance 1.7% chance of impacting the Moon on December 22nd, 2032. If the lunar impact occurs, it could create an impact crater with a diameter of 500 to 2000 metres and release 340 times more energy than the Hiroshima bomb.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EWhen it had been announced that “2024 YR4” has more than a 3% chance of hitting the earth in 2032, I had received a few messages from people who had read \u003Ca href=\"https:\/\/www.amazon.com\/YUGA-SHIFT-IMPENDING-PLANETARY-TRANSFORMATION\/dp\/B0CPJVYQG4\/ref=pd_ci_mcx_mh_mcx_views_0_image\" target=\"_blank\"\u003EYuga Shift\u003C\/a\u003E, since 2032 was one of the critical dates of the transition period that I had identified in my book.\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EAstronomers have calculated that, in 2032, the earth will pass through the dense center of the Taurid swarm, which contains a large number of closely packed comets and asteroids. My proposition is that, sometime prior to 2032, one or more dormant comets within this swarm could get reactivated as effulgent cometary bodies, and we might begin to see “new stars in the sky”. Comets do that a lot – they can suddenly change from a dormant to an active state, and vice versa.\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Ctable align=\"center\" cellpadding=\"0\" cellspacing=\"0\" class=\"tr-caption-container\" style=\"margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;\"\u003E\u003Ctbody\u003E\u003Ctr\u003E\u003Ctd style=\"text-align: center;\"\u003E\u003Ca href=\"https:\/\/blogger.googleusercontent.com\/img\/b\/R29vZ2xl\/AVvXsEhbSlXthwM2epLtDKEOS5E-6jzGN0i82DNUs4Op0zZS9VkEAKSMwS6z2kKnnYOUILUbEROabrCqRxoxxpU99ns0qREw6teSolS86j6hrK33gZ2sCtToWGnKXxiMox2VFjSXW9cNyWIEks_IzGCwGajgq3wPSSn1H1vLJFQY_PzEo7jT5NrUsdJeXpXxfJo\/s1000\/Taurid%20Resonant%20Swarm%20Source%20skyandtelescope%20Credit%20David%20Clark%20%20Univ%20of%20Western%20Ontario.jpg\" style=\"margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;\"\u003E\u003Cimg border=\"0\" data-original-height=\"565\" data-original-width=\"1000\" height=\"362\" src=\"https:\/\/blogger.googleusercontent.com\/img\/b\/R29vZ2xl\/AVvXsEhbSlXthwM2epLtDKEOS5E-6jzGN0i82DNUs4Op0zZS9VkEAKSMwS6z2kKnnYOUILUbEROabrCqRxoxxpU99ns0qREw6teSolS86j6hrK33gZ2sCtToWGnKXxiMox2VFjSXW9cNyWIEks_IzGCwGajgq3wPSSn1H1vLJFQY_PzEo7jT5NrUsdJeXpXxfJo\/w640-h362\/Taurid%20Resonant%20Swarm%20Source%20skyandtelescope%20Credit%20David%20Clark%20%20Univ%20of%20Western%20Ontario.jpg\" width=\"640\" \/\u003E\u003C\/a\u003E\u003C\/td\u003E\u003C\/tr\u003E\u003Ctr\u003E\u003Ctd class=\"tr-caption\" style=\"text-align: center;\"\u003EThe Taurid Resonant Swarm within the Taurid meteor stream. Source: Sky \n\u0026amp; Telescope \/ David Clark, University of Western Ontario.\u003C\/td\u003E\u003C\/tr\u003E\u003C\/tbody\u003E\u003C\/table\u003E\u003Cp\u003EAs a result, when we pass through this swarm in 2032, the intense energies of the comets might induce powerful psychological reactions within us, forcing us to engage in deep soul-searching and introspection, making us confront our sins, our deepest fears and our subconscious trauma. It could be a collective life-review of sorts, where every person on earth becomes aware of how he or she is not fulfilling the purpose of his or her incarnation.\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EThere could also be some impact events during this passage in 2032, but my feeling, based on my reading of the ancient texts and prophecies is that, the impacts will be minimal and strategically directed to serve as a “warning” to humanity, telling us to change our materially focused, self-indulgent ways of life, and to align ourselves with the objective for which the earth was fashioned – to serve as a school for the progressive evolution of consciousness.\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EThe activation of the comets within the Taurid swarm could be the event that the Hopi refer to as the appearance of the “Blue Star Kachina”, which will be the final sign heralding the end of the Fourth World. As per the “The Book of the Hopi” by Frank Waters, the prophecy states,\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp style=\"margin-left: 40px; text-align: left;\"\u003E\"You will hear of a dwelling-house in the heavens, above the earth, that shall fall with a great crash. It will appear as a Blue Star. Very soon after this the ceremonies of my people will cease.\"\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EIt is very likely that the “Blue Star” refers to a comet with a brilliant, bluish ion-tail, which will give off a thundering sonic boom when it enters the earth’s atmosphere. The ancient cultures referred to comets as “stars”, and the term comet itself originates from the Greek word “kometes” which means “hairy star”.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Ctable align=\"center\" cellpadding=\"0\" cellspacing=\"0\" class=\"tr-caption-container\" style=\"margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;\"\u003E\u003Ctbody\u003E\u003Ctr\u003E\u003Ctd style=\"text-align: center;\"\u003E\u003Ca href=\"https:\/\/blogger.googleusercontent.com\/img\/b\/R29vZ2xl\/AVvXsEiqg0rjheVqErtbh-6lT5qGgIZfuXOjDKkQuaWhi_qfihLVUC4NwSSx3gnm4YUpJSkxpbRNkYHTMm4d26yeF2OHHkva-C8ZJ2d52kdGvjDrbRx44hYMhWE_m9yk6SFfn0eHBhl-faXKZVUfMdN-UGP5C4J27RsNd80PpiE_LhtVLKdrVwwodeJhbTIoDRE\/s1080\/51%20Comet_Hale-Bopp_Wikimedia%20CC%20BY%20SA3.jpg\" style=\"margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;\"\u003E\u003Cimg border=\"0\" data-original-height=\"923\" data-original-width=\"1080\" height=\"341\" src=\"https:\/\/blogger.googleusercontent.com\/img\/b\/R29vZ2xl\/AVvXsEiqg0rjheVqErtbh-6lT5qGgIZfuXOjDKkQuaWhi_qfihLVUC4NwSSx3gnm4YUpJSkxpbRNkYHTMm4d26yeF2OHHkva-C8ZJ2d52kdGvjDrbRx44hYMhWE_m9yk6SFfn0eHBhl-faXKZVUfMdN-UGP5C4J27RsNd80PpiE_LhtVLKdrVwwodeJhbTIoDRE\/w400-h341\/51%20Comet_Hale-Bopp_Wikimedia%20CC%20BY%20SA3.jpg\" width=\"400\" \/\u003E\u003C\/a\u003E\u003C\/td\u003E\u003C\/tr\u003E\u003Ctr\u003E\u003Ctd class=\"tr-caption\" style=\"text-align: center;\"\u003EComet Hale-Bopp, April 1997, had a brilliant blue ion tail. Credit: E. \nKolmhofer, H. Raab; Johannes-Kepler-Observatory, Linz, Austria; CC BY-SA\n 3.0 via Wikimedia Commons.\u003C\/td\u003E\u003C\/tr\u003E\u003C\/tbody\u003E\u003C\/table\u003E\u003Cp\u003EDr. Robert Ghost Wolf in the book “LAST CRY: Native American Prophecies \u0026amp; Tales of the End Times”, gave more details of the Blue Star Kachina.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp style=\"margin-left: 40px; text-align: left;\"\u003E“The Blue Star Kachina would physically appear in our heavens which would mean that we were in the end times...The return of the Blue Star Kachina who is also known as Nan ga sohu will be the alarm clock that tells us of the new day and new way of life, a new world that is coming. This is where the changes will begin. They will start as fires that burn within us, and we will burn up with desires and conflict if we do not remember the original teachings, and return to the peaceful way of life…”\u0026nbsp;\u0026nbsp;\u0026nbsp; \u0026nbsp;\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EThis is why, when I had heard about the discovery of the asteroid “2024 YR4”, I wasn’t particularly interested or shocked, because from my perspective the encounter with the Taurid swarm of comets in 2032 is likely to be the critical event that the prophecies are talking about.\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EHowever, the discovery of asteroid “2024 YR4” served an important purpose in the sense that, it brought the 2032 date into the public consciousness. It’s telling us that this is an important date we need to pay attention to. Effectively, “2024 YR4” is serving as a celestial clock, making us aware of the significance of the year 2032 in the unraveling of the Kali Yuga.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EAnother asteroid, which seems to be functioning as a celestial clock, is Apophis, which is estimated to be around 335 meters across. Apophis will make a close flyby to the earth in the years 2029 and 2036. When Apophis was discovered in 2004, it quickly gained notoriety as an asteroid that could impact us in 2029 and 2036, but subsequent observations have ruled out that possibility.\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EEven then, Apophis will get uncomfortably close to the earth in 2029. On April 13, 2029, Apophis will pass less than 20,000 miles (32,000 kilometers) from our planet’s surface – closer than the distance of geosynchronous satellites – and will be visible to the naked eye.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EEven though we will be spared from a direct collision with Apophis, it is an important portent of the coming changes. The time difference between the two close flybys of Apophis in April 2029 and March, 2036 is seven years. This tells me that Apophis could be a celestial clock marking out the “seven-year period of tribulation” mentioned in the Biblical prophecies about the end-times.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003ELet me explain why I think so. In June-July 2036, the earth will pass through the absolute center of the dense “Taurid swarm”, which could be the critical event that will pull down the curtains on the Kali Yuga. I have talked about this at length in my book, and I shall not get into it now, other than to point out that, in a number of readings, Edgar Cayce had said that that return of the Messiah will take place in ’36, when “His star will appear”. The year ’36 very likely refers to 2036, for there is no reason why Cayce would have prophesied the return of the Savior in 1936, when he had, in fact, made a number of stunningly accurate predictions about the Second World War that followed soon afterwards. \u0026nbsp;\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EMoreover Cayce’s descriptions of the events that will accompany the return of the Messiah are strikingly reminiscent of a cometary apocalypse. Cayce said that the earth changes in 2036 will be initiated by “outside forces”, which will “disturb the equilibrium of the earth itself in space”, and, as a result, “the sun will be darkened and the earth shall be broken up in diverse places”.\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EIf the return of the Messiah or Avatar and the “Day of Purification” is in 2036, then the seven-year period of tribulation should begin in 2029. And, almost in confirmation of this, the asteroid Apophis is going to make two close flybys in 2029 and 2036, effectively serving as a celestial clock marking out the prophetic times.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EIn \u003Ca href=\"https:\/\/www.amazon.com\/YUGA-SHIFT-IMPENDING-PLANETARY-TRANSFORMATION\/dp\/B0CPJVYQG4\/ref=pd_ci_mcx_mh_mcx_views_0_image\" target=\"_blank\"\u003EYuga Shift\u003C\/a\u003E, I had identified the 15-year period from 2025 to 2040 as being the time of intense transformation changes that will propel us to the ascending arc of the Yuga Cycle. But now it seems to me that, within that 15-year window, the 7-year period from 2029 to 2036 could be the time when we experience some of the most powerful transformative events.\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EIncidentally, as per the WEF vision, 2030 is the year by which the Great Reset needs to be implemented, when a global government will call the shots, and “individuals will own nothing and be happy.”\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EThe year 2029 \/ 2030 is also the time when the EU is planning for a direct military confrontation with Russia, along with possibly China and Iran. This is evident from the volatile rhetoric made by the leaders of various European nations last year. The new head of the British army, Gen Sir Roland Walker, said that, Britain must be ready to fight a war in three years i.e. by 2027, and he counted Russia, China and Iran as the greatest threats. The German Defense Minister Boris Pistorius said, “We must be ready for war by 2029,” citing potential Russian aggression as the reason. Sweden issued a statement in August saying that, Russia poses the most serious threat to the Nordic country’s security until 2030, while the newly appointed EU Commissioner for Defense and Space, Andrius Kubilius, said that, “We must be ready to meet Russia militarily in six to eight years,” and followed it up with a dose of Kali Yuga wisdom, “If you want peace, prepare for war.”\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003ESo, the cosmic timelines for the \u003Ca href=\"https:\/\/www.amazon.com\/YUGA-SHIFT-IMPENDING-PLANETARY-TRANSFORMATION\/dp\/B0CPJVYQG4\/ref=pd_ci_mcx_mh_mcx_views_0_image\" target=\"_blank\"\u003EYuga Shift\u003C\/a\u003E are overlapping with the timeline envisaged by the elites for a global government and the complete enslavement of humanity. Coincidence? I don’t think so. There is, quite obviously, a higher cosmic intelligence which is secretly orchestrating the whole drama that is now unfolding.\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EFrom my perspective, therefore, the asteroids Apophis and “2024 YR4” are messages sent to us from the universe to make us aware of the importance of the dates 2029, 2032 and 2036 during the period of transition after the Kali Yuga ends. The fact that the asteroid “2024 YR4” came into public focus in the year 2025 is no coincidence either. As the Kali Yuga winds down, we need to become aware of what lies ahead. \u0026nbsp;\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Ch2 style=\"text-align: left;\"\u003EThe Geopolitical Shifts\u003C\/h2\u003E\u003Cp\u003EMy expectation was that, as we approach March 21st 2025, and enter the period of transition, the dense energies of the Kali Yuga begin to slowly dissipate. As a result, the tyrants will begin to lose some of their powers, lies and corruption will get exposed, skeletons will tumble out of closets, disclosures will come thick and fast, and many ignored and maligned truths will bubble to the surface. This process of churn and chaos will create more polarization in the world, and the increased desperation of the elites can lead to the outbreak of more wars and violence in the world. This is what I had written in \u003Ca href=\"https:\/\/www.amazon.com\/YUGA-SHIFT-IMPENDING-PLANETARY-TRANSFORMATION\/dp\/B0CPJVYQG4\/ref=pd_ci_mcx_mh_mcx_views_0_image\" target=\"_blank\"\u003EYuga Shift\u003C\/a\u003E, concerning this period:\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp style=\"margin-left: 40px; text-align: left;\"\u003E“As the Kali Yuga energies will be on wane after 2025, the tyrants and dictators, who control the affairs of the world, may begin to find that their evil plans are no longer coming to fruition as easily as before. Their lies will get exposed, their propaganda will no longer be as effective, and their wicked schemes for gaining more profit and control will get disrupted. They may face increasing opposition from people around the world, who will begin to stand up for themselves and demand an end to the deceptions, injustices, exploitation of resources, instigated revolutions and false flag terror attacks. Humanity may become more polarized than ever before, leading to greater social and economic instability, and taking us closer to the next World War.”\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EThe geopolitical shifts over the past few months have been pretty intense, and quite a lot of it has been along the lines I had anticipated, although I had never expected things to move so fast and in this manner. We have definitely seen some deeply entrenched power systems lose some of their clout, many lies and deceptions perpetrated at the highest level against the whole of humanity are coming out into the open, many countries are shaking off the yoke of colonial oppression, the fault lines between nations are getting more distinct, and the warmongering instincts of many leaders, countries and coalitions are being revealed for all to see. At the same time, new war fronts are opening up in the Middle-east, and it won’t be surprising if more battles break out in future to secure the profits of the military-industrial complex.\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EThere seems to be an almost unreal zeal right now in the Western world for going ahead with AI technologies, digital currencies, and nanotech-based mRNA vaccines, and it is no secret that the current aggressive rhetoric for acquiring land and mineral resources is for the purpose of supporting these new ventures. No points for guessing where all of this could eventually lead – an AI regulated “beast system” where people are chipped and injected with nanosensors for monitoring and influencing their thoughts and physiology on a real-time basis, thereby taking us farther and farther away from our connection to our inner divinity, to community, to nature and to the cosmic consciousness. That’s the Kali Yuga end game.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EYou might think, “who is going to buy into that dystopian vision?”, but make no mistake, the powers-that-be are the wizards of deception, and they are likely to use the full force of their propaganda machinery to weave a compelling story – by using a combination of fear, coercion, financial inducements and utopian ideas – so that most people will feel an irresistible urge to queue up in lines to obey their diktat, and turn against those who don’t. We have seen that happen before, haven’t we?\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EIn other words, there could be a time in the near future, possible around 2029 or 2030, when every person will have to make a choice – does he go with the technology-dominated dystopian world of surveillance and control, which will be promoted as a “Golden Age”, or does he align with his inner spirit and the sacred wisdom of his ancestors, and trust the natural laws that bring about the gradual unfolding of consciousness and our spiritual abilities in the ascending cycle?\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EWe must choose wisely if and when that moment comes, for it will be the most important choice that we will be making in this incarnation.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003ESometimes, people ask me, “Why can’t advanced technology like AI lead us to a Golden Age?” and I find that suggestion hilarious. Really? Is there any technology out there which can clear our mind of egoic dross, make us give up our bad habits, dissolve our anger and hatred, heal our trauma and unresolved karma, take the mind away from the pursuit of greed and lust, stop us from lying, cheating, insulting and oppressing others, and take us closer to our inner spirit so that we may radiate the love and compassion, truth and wisdom, bliss and harmony of our inner world?\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EI don’t think so, and never will there be any such technology. It was not a lack of technology that got us into the descending Yuga Cycle and it will not be the invention of any new gadgets that will take us on the ascending curve. It will be the inner work that each one of us does, aided, of course, by the divine light of the central black hole, that will take us to the next Golden Age. We are entering into a period when spirit will triumph over matter in all its manifestations. Every person who retains sovereignty over his consciousness, remains true to his higher Self, and manifests his soul purpose, will make the world a better place and help to usher in the conditions for a utopian society to emerge.\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EAnd so, we finally arrive at the end of the Kali Yuga in a couple of days. This time around, the spring equinox will be on March 20 at 9:01 am GMT and 5:01 am EDT.\u0026nbsp; In India, the equinox will occur precisely at 2:31 pm on March 20, and even later in the day at 8:01 pm for people who live in Australia. Thus, the Kali Yuga will end on March 20th, and the ascending Yuga Cycle, of which the first 1200 years is Ekpyrosis, will begin on the next day i.e. March 21st, sunrise.\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EI had never thought that anything special will occur on the vernal equinox date, since this is just a calendar date, and the transition between the ages occurs gradually over many years, just as the transition between the seasons occur gradually over many days. The events of the past few months have made it quite clear that the Yuga Shift has already commenced. You can literally feel the energies shifting right now, and see the changes manifesting all around you at an unnerving speed. \u0026nbsp;\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EWhat amazed me the most was the discovery that the central black hole has already switched to its AGN phase. This was an assurance that the ascension train will not stop and stutter anymore, and will continue to move relentlessly in an upward trajectory over the next 12000 years, taking us to the pinnacle of human consciousness and abilities, and manifest a virtual utopia on earth. Nothing can derail this process, no power on earth can stop it. So hop on guys, and let go of any worries. Tickets are not required on this journey, all that is needed is an open heart to welcome the new energies and a willingness to manifest your soul potential.\u003C\/p\u003E"},"link":[{"rel":"replies","type":"application/atom+xml","href":"https:\/\/www.bibhudevmisra.com\/feeds\/6670759207454871005\/comments\/default","title":"Post Comments"},{"rel":"replies","type":"text/html","href":"https:\/\/www.bibhudevmisra.com\/2025\/03\/four-signs-that-yuga-shift-is-already.html#comment-form","title":"62 Comments"},{"rel":"edit","type":"application/atom+xml","href":"https:\/\/www.blogger.com\/feeds\/6864653463177413678\/posts\/default\/6670759207454871005"},{"rel":"self","type":"application/atom+xml","href":"https:\/\/www.blogger.com\/feeds\/6864653463177413678\/posts\/default\/6670759207454871005"},{"rel":"alternate","type":"text/html","href":"https:\/\/www.bibhudevmisra.com\/2025\/03\/four-signs-that-yuga-shift-is-already.html","title":"Four Signs that the Yuga Shift is already underway"}],"author":[{"name":{"$t":"Bibhu Dev Misra"},"uri":{"$t":"http:\/\/www.blogger.com\/profile\/15388473714672380058"},"email":{"$t":"noreply@blogger.com"},"gd$image":{"rel":"http://schemas.google.com/g/2005#thumbnail","width":"32","height":"28","src":"\/\/blogger.googleusercontent.com\/img\/b\/R29vZ2xl\/AVvXsEh4sklyRp_L5BfqEXTjoskgFPFYpJiNJSuDN5zrcldGBaXot626bOTu8q5TUYsip63M6EkY2JbuoE6l1N5fMKiqKfzFfaaKpqm91QZx9rMdAL3t-ju2QdYi1K-BeCJsjw\/s130\/DSCN1699.JPG"}}],"media$thumbnail":{"xmlns$media":"http://search.yahoo.com/mrss/","url":"https:\/\/blogger.googleusercontent.com\/img\/b\/R29vZ2xl\/AVvXsEgnpHzJWde2vMpVrR4TOUHUX4mURKsTUBJzxm8xfbgUDsUUvUBEWd9kDu2HJrd4LrYocKQlGWsFuyWHARi1OkZqX3z1tLyi89t1IOfogIB4UagbtR8kZBZbjs1hkRduLnVgsCR5XT_vXL9NbqMsPg-dVen0UwNc0ozW4KOrjWUvsiwVx6GsrGpgLAfqzaA\/s72-c\/AdobeStock_956346941%20black%20hole%20thumbnail.jpg","height":"72","width":"72"},"thr$total":{"$t":"62"}},{"id":{"$t":"tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6864653463177413678.post-4753195052443727018"},"published":{"$t":"2025-03-08T20:20:00.009+05:30"},"updated":{"$t":"2025-05-23T00:07:36.530+05:30"},"category":[{"scheme":"http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#","term":"Article"},{"scheme":"http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#","term":"Earth Mysteries"}],"title":{"type":"text","$t":"Hero Stones of ancient India \u0026 their connection to Psychopomps and NDEs"},"content":{"type":"html","$t":"\u003Cdiv class=\"separator\" style=\"clear: both; text-align: center;\"\u003E\u003Ca href=\"https:\/\/blogger.googleusercontent.com\/img\/b\/R29vZ2xl\/AVvXsEgtRm4GS-RzMqjhO82u2CcdjFnHCtSo77Sjnox0BnPdFkKbXlM1In4_Ua9QVFHMEeurNBkqHcZIy_z-yfSGJOLATQ1x7h3D_vbpgGxZp8i-Uh-zANFpQBb74STXM9O-S1-6wFRJgH6c9qaawnYQ6l_xAEWB6Addtdgf4hfbYUZDe7flvqilMWD0GoLiP9A\/s500\/Hero%20stones%20Viragal%2010th%20century%20at%20Bandalike%20Trimurti%20Narayanagudi%20temple%20%20small.jpg\" style=\"margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;\"\u003E\u003Cimg border=\"0\" data-original-height=\"375\" data-original-width=\"500\" height=\"240\" src=\"https:\/\/blogger.googleusercontent.com\/img\/b\/R29vZ2xl\/AVvXsEgtRm4GS-RzMqjhO82u2CcdjFnHCtSo77Sjnox0BnPdFkKbXlM1In4_Ua9QVFHMEeurNBkqHcZIy_z-yfSGJOLATQ1x7h3D_vbpgGxZp8i-Uh-zANFpQBb74STXM9O-S1-6wFRJgH6c9qaawnYQ6l_xAEWB6Addtdgf4hfbYUZDe7flvqilMWD0GoLiP9A\/s320\/Hero%20stones%20Viragal%2010th%20century%20at%20Bandalike%20Trimurti%20Narayanagudi%20temple%20%20small.jpg\" width=\"320\" \/\u003E\u003C\/a\u003E\u003C\/div\u003E\u003Cp style=\"text-align: center;\"\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u003Ci\u003ENote: This article was first published on Mysterious Universe (\u003Ca href=\"https:\/\/mysteriousuniverse.org\/\" target=\"_blank\"\u003Ehttps:\/\/mysteriousuniverse.org\/\u003C\/a\u003E)\u003C\/i\u003E \u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EMemorial pillars erected in honour of the deceased was a funerary custom followed by many ancient cultures. In India, elaborately carved memorial stones used to be erected in honor of a person who had died in a battle. These stones are called “hero stones” (or “Viragallu” in the Kannada language).\u0026nbsp;\u003Cspan\u003E\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Ca name='more'\u003E\u003C\/a\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EHero stones had an inscription at the bottom which narrate the act of bravery performed by the deceased, and other details about his life. The inscriptions indicate that the vast majority of these stones date from the 4th century BCE till the 13th century CE, although the custom continued till the 18th century in some parts. The largest concentration of hero stones are in the state of Karnataka, but they are scattered over many adjacent states. \u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Ctable align=\"center\" cellpadding=\"0\" cellspacing=\"0\" class=\"tr-caption-container\" style=\"margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;\"\u003E\u003Ctbody\u003E\u003Ctr\u003E\u003Ctd style=\"text-align: center;\"\u003E\u003Ca href=\"https:\/\/blogger.googleusercontent.com\/img\/b\/R29vZ2xl\/AVvXsEj29aZJx361O5u4rEsLEb5xV5ow1AhSB_FOvI2iMf34ABOw3_XMfoXBPmsA9ZrDg5TcX56oIoLfTR9qoC8f99A7PeRULhBIM5amfrvjdO-wYKLFxYrtuBfn46N3RVQqOg3gOnKbAOdIogl9Q76ZPCZiEMZztOsSEnAKY1odUmB6gpfc_XhRG0DPRG4Dtf4\/s1080\/Hero%20stones%2010th%20century%20at%20Bandalike%20Trimurti%20Narayanagudi%20temple,%20Karnataka.jpg\" style=\"margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;\"\u003E\u003Cimg alt=\"Hero stones dating from the 10th century CE, Karnataka\" border=\"0\" data-original-height=\"628\" data-original-width=\"1080\" height=\"372\" src=\"https:\/\/blogger.googleusercontent.com\/img\/b\/R29vZ2xl\/AVvXsEj29aZJx361O5u4rEsLEb5xV5ow1AhSB_FOvI2iMf34ABOw3_XMfoXBPmsA9ZrDg5TcX56oIoLfTR9qoC8f99A7PeRULhBIM5amfrvjdO-wYKLFxYrtuBfn46N3RVQqOg3gOnKbAOdIogl9Q76ZPCZiEMZztOsSEnAKY1odUmB6gpfc_XhRG0DPRG4Dtf4\/w640-h372\/Hero%20stones%2010th%20century%20at%20Bandalike%20Trimurti%20Narayanagudi%20temple,%20Karnataka.jpg\" width=\"640\" \/\u003E\u003C\/a\u003E\u003C\/td\u003E\u003C\/tr\u003E\u003Ctr\u003E\u003Ctd class=\"tr-caption\" style=\"text-align: center;\"\u003EHero stones dating from the 10th century CE, at Bandalike \nTrimurti Narayanagudi temple, Karnataka. Source: Wikimedia Commons\u003C\/td\u003E\u003C\/tr\u003E\u003C\/tbody\u003E\u003C\/table\u003E\u003Ctable align=\"center\" cellpadding=\"0\" cellspacing=\"0\" class=\"tr-caption-container\" style=\"margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;\"\u003E\u003Ctbody\u003E\u003Ctr\u003E\u003Ctd style=\"text-align: center;\"\u003E\u003Ca href=\"https:\/\/blogger.googleusercontent.com\/img\/b\/R29vZ2xl\/AVvXsEhF3UiiZFz3YeV1NeV4SJqLRifMzUQ6ugXJ4lEmDMyz71UjjH9-jK4vj18Z4F91uDtqDpTrkajleL9pq_XfnFwyTn0RT1Ot0ogMuD0BQyTAKmQ_czx4zi4z3KYzfbY40VQiaDEjZc-nbcaI4rG4x4Q68-ntMathN0pfQwJI5gXiSvLUjUz4fChfWE12CiI\/s1315\/Hero%20stones%20collage1.jpg\" style=\"margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;\"\u003E\u003Cimg alt=\"Hero stones from Karnataka\" border=\"0\" data-original-height=\"1077\" data-original-width=\"1315\" height=\"524\" src=\"https:\/\/blogger.googleusercontent.com\/img\/b\/R29vZ2xl\/AVvXsEhF3UiiZFz3YeV1NeV4SJqLRifMzUQ6ugXJ4lEmDMyz71UjjH9-jK4vj18Z4F91uDtqDpTrkajleL9pq_XfnFwyTn0RT1Ot0ogMuD0BQyTAKmQ_czx4zi4z3KYzfbY40VQiaDEjZc-nbcaI4rG4x4Q68-ntMathN0pfQwJI5gXiSvLUjUz4fChfWE12CiI\/w640-h524\/Hero%20stones%20collage1.jpg\" width=\"640\" \/\u003E\u003C\/a\u003E\u003C\/td\u003E\u003C\/tr\u003E\u003Ctr\u003E\u003Ctd class=\"tr-caption\" style=\"text-align: center;\"\u003EA couple of hero stones from Karnataka\u003C\/td\u003E\u003C\/tr\u003E\u003C\/tbody\u003E\u003C\/table\u003E\u003Cp\u003EWhat is interesting about the hero stones is that they tell us a story; not only of the events that led to the person’s death, but what is expected to happen afterwards. A typical hero stone has three panels.\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EThe bottom panel depicts the hero engaged in a battle that ultimately led to his death. The battle may have been fought for many reasons. The hero could be fighting a battle for his king, defending his village or community against invaders, protecting the cattle of the village against a cattle-raid, safeguarding the dignity of women, or fighting wild beasts.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EThe middle panel shows the deceased hero being lifted towards heaven by celestial nymphs called \"apsaras\", who, in many cases, are accompanied by an entourage of heavenly musicians called \"gandharvas\". The apsaras and gandharvas figure heavily in Indian legends and architecture, and I shall discuss more about them later.\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EThe top panel shows that the hero has reached the heaven of Indra (Indraloka) where he is seated on a throne and is attended by the apsaras. Or, he has been conducted to the heaven of Shiva (Shivaloka), where he is shown worshiping a \"shiva lingam\" stone with folded hands. Perhaps, the religious inclinations of a person during his lifetime was used for determining the final destination in the afterlife – Indraloka or Shivaloka.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Ctable align=\"center\" cellpadding=\"0\" cellspacing=\"0\" class=\"tr-caption-container\" style=\"margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;\"\u003E\u003Ctbody\u003E\u003Ctr\u003E\u003Ctd style=\"text-align: center;\"\u003E\u003Ca href=\"https:\/\/blogger.googleusercontent.com\/img\/b\/R29vZ2xl\/AVvXsEiZ0i_dOLwUZGiF7wQPyc9TpSQ_magOdA5yWE7_CA2nsZg5-1HosRJejQzBimmtX_lFqcNYhyphenhyphenYbksAqk1W73S7lVghlkIH5a3D6z52Y8nLzvJkxujxKhkiQAE_ft2mAKtJVLvLlu0DxongTVsQdRj2_lFytlOz5DRFhLJmFDse7b-2pwwTPiQT0yR42wzc\/s1285\/Hero%20stones%20collage2.jpg\" style=\"margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;\"\u003E\u003Cimg alt=\"Hero stones showing the deceased hero being escorted to heaven on a vimana.\" border=\"0\" data-original-height=\"1075\" data-original-width=\"1285\" height=\"536\" src=\"https:\/\/blogger.googleusercontent.com\/img\/b\/R29vZ2xl\/AVvXsEiZ0i_dOLwUZGiF7wQPyc9TpSQ_magOdA5yWE7_CA2nsZg5-1HosRJejQzBimmtX_lFqcNYhyphenhyphenYbksAqk1W73S7lVghlkIH5a3D6z52Y8nLzvJkxujxKhkiQAE_ft2mAKtJVLvLlu0DxongTVsQdRj2_lFytlOz5DRFhLJmFDse7b-2pwwTPiQT0yR42wzc\/w640-h536\/Hero%20stones%20collage2.jpg\" width=\"640\" \/\u003E\u003C\/a\u003E\u003C\/td\u003E\u003C\/tr\u003E\u003Ctr\u003E\u003Ctd class=\"tr-caption\" style=\"text-align: center;\"\u003EHero stones showing the deceased hero being escorted to heaven on a vimana.\u003C\/td\u003E\u003C\/tr\u003E\u003C\/tbody\u003E\u003C\/table\u003E\u003Cp\u003EInterestingly, in many hero stones, the hero is shown seated inside a “vimana” or flying vehicle, while being guided towards heaven by the apsaras and gandharvas. The vimana ride seems to be a reward – sort of the icing on the cake - for an extraordinary act of valour. An inscription on a hero stone from Soraba, dated 1165 CE, tells us that \u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp style=\"margin-left: 40px; text-align: left;\"\u003E“The apsaras carried the hero in a “Pushpaka vimana”, along with belugode (white umbrella), kalasa (water pitcher), kannadi (mirror), torana, suradundubhi (heavenly drum), chamara (fly whisk) and entered Amaravati city to introduce him to the pleasures of the Indraloka.”[1] \u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EObviously, it seems kind of pointless for the soul of the deceased to travel on a vimana, considering that the soul is free to travel on its own, as many NDE accounts reveal. The “vimana” element in the story was, undoubtedly, added later to further glorify the deceased. I had mentioned in an earlier article that the vimanas described in the ancient Indian legends behave in a manner very similar to how UFOs have been described by eye-witnesses. This suggests that the gandharvas and apsaras could be tied up with the UFO phenomenon.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003ESome hero stones are quite big, for they have more than one panel describing each of the three stages i.e. the battle, the hero's ascent, and the heavenly abode. One of the largest hero stones found so far is nearly 12 feet high. Perhaps, the chieftains and the rich generals had the resources to have these enormous sculpted stones raised in their honour. The stones were always erected in a prominent spot where the people generally assembled, such as temples, tanks and lakes, so that people could offer their respect to the hero who sacrificed himself for their sake.\u0026nbsp; \u0026nbsp;\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Ctable align=\"center\" cellpadding=\"0\" cellspacing=\"0\" class=\"tr-caption-container\" style=\"margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;\"\u003E\u003Ctbody\u003E\u003Ctr\u003E\u003Ctd style=\"text-align: center;\"\u003E\u003Ca href=\"https:\/\/blogger.googleusercontent.com\/img\/b\/R29vZ2xl\/AVvXsEj_Qhh_WfRwYSR72krH-03_bQqQV7hRANOQrFBC96YqXPr5uGUvPF7-LHiuHAZJnt3uAUQogyea_jVmsuK8MiCj24BcEQV3BNHsE9jSbXbBh-gEbi3CK-HJjsQI4SqA8bx8j_3N6lT41agFi_k8AgAEljqNLd5qRcJfmMKKxGo0DNja6HO8sDcymFAt0lE\/s1413\/Hero%20stones%20collage3.jpg\" style=\"margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;\"\u003E\u003Cimg alt=\"Large hero stones with multiple panels, Karnataka\" border=\"0\" data-original-height=\"1071\" data-original-width=\"1413\" height=\"486\" src=\"https:\/\/blogger.googleusercontent.com\/img\/b\/R29vZ2xl\/AVvXsEj_Qhh_WfRwYSR72krH-03_bQqQV7hRANOQrFBC96YqXPr5uGUvPF7-LHiuHAZJnt3uAUQogyea_jVmsuK8MiCj24BcEQV3BNHsE9jSbXbBh-gEbi3CK-HJjsQI4SqA8bx8j_3N6lT41agFi_k8AgAEljqNLd5qRcJfmMKKxGo0DNja6HO8sDcymFAt0lE\/w640-h486\/Hero%20stones%20collage3.jpg\" width=\"640\" \/\u003E\u003C\/a\u003E\u003C\/td\u003E\u003C\/tr\u003E\u003Ctr\u003E\u003Ctd class=\"tr-caption\" style=\"text-align: center;\"\u003ELarge hero stones with multiple panels describing each of the three stages.\u003C\/td\u003E\u003C\/tr\u003E\u003C\/tbody\u003E\u003C\/table\u003E\u003Cp\u003ENow let’s move on to the topic of psychopomps. Psychopomps are generally creatures, spirits or angels in many religions whose responsibility is to escort newly deceased souls from the Earth to the afterlife. Some of the well-known psychopomps of ancient legends are the Norse Valkyries, who are a host of female figures who guide souls of dead warriors to the god Odin's hall Valhalla, located in Asgard; Hermes, the “messenger of the gods”, who is able to move quickly and freely between the worlds of the mortal and the divine, and guides the souls of the deceased to the afterlife; and the finely dressed angelic being Daena of Zoroastrian belief, who guides the good and pure souls over the Chinvat Bridge to paradise.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Ctable align=\"center\" cellpadding=\"0\" cellspacing=\"0\" class=\"tr-caption-container\" style=\"margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;\"\u003E\u003Ctbody\u003E\u003Ctr\u003E\u003Ctd style=\"text-align: center;\"\u003E\u003Ca href=\"https:\/\/blogger.googleusercontent.com\/img\/b\/R29vZ2xl\/AVvXsEjmQPIw72o5T23RptbsgXFavOTE99GQHv3Nfmjvu0H78v0WnhUOgxSitVF0F1MAd59PQYrftLjZ0b-VHxJgXB59u8rltgYH3Op0EnPouzL1t4NIjw2HwAvTQwNFRoRtWaq0_NOpkCJ64LUiKoPwSs05Ocir5KKTAJw2VqujsCb_GjREakHsSd5Lziv47GU\/s1284\/Charon%20standing%20in%20his%20boat,%20receiving%20Hermes%20as%20a%20psychopomp%20leading%20a%20deceased%20woman,%20Thanatos%20Painter,%20Attic%20lekythos,%20c%20430%20BC,%20ArchaiOptix%20CC%20BY%20SA%204%20copy.jpg\" style=\"margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;\"\u003E\u003Cimg border=\"0\" data-original-height=\"1266\" data-original-width=\"1284\" height=\"395\" src=\"https:\/\/blogger.googleusercontent.com\/img\/b\/R29vZ2xl\/AVvXsEjmQPIw72o5T23RptbsgXFavOTE99GQHv3Nfmjvu0H78v0WnhUOgxSitVF0F1MAd59PQYrftLjZ0b-VHxJgXB59u8rltgYH3Op0EnPouzL1t4NIjw2HwAvTQwNFRoRtWaq0_NOpkCJ64LUiKoPwSs05Ocir5KKTAJw2VqujsCb_GjREakHsSd5Lziv47GU\/w400-h395\/Charon%20standing%20in%20his%20boat,%20receiving%20Hermes%20as%20a%20psychopomp%20leading%20a%20deceased%20woman,%20Thanatos%20Painter,%20Attic%20lekythos,%20c%20430%20BC,%20ArchaiOptix%20CC%20BY%20SA%204%20copy.jpg\" width=\"400\" \/\u003E\u003C\/a\u003E\u003C\/td\u003E\u003C\/tr\u003E\u003Ctr\u003E\u003Ctd class=\"tr-caption\" style=\"text-align: center;\"\u003EHermes as a psychopomp leading a deceased woman while Charon \nwaits from them in his boat, Attic funerary lekythos, c.430 BCE. Credit:\n ArchaiOptix, CC BY-SA 4.0 via Wikimedia Commons\u003C\/td\u003E\u003C\/tr\u003E\u003C\/tbody\u003E\u003C\/table\u003E\u003Cp\u003EThe hero stones indicate that apsaras and gandharvas played the role of psychopomps in the Indian belief system. But who were the apsaras and gandharvas, and what do we know about them?\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003ETo put it very simply, the gandharvas were a group of spirit beings who were expert musicians. They could carry messages between dimensions and entertained the gods in their heavenly court. The apsaras were their consorts, who were captivatingly beautiful and sensuous, and were expert dancers. This is why, in Indian architecture, apsaras and gandharvas were generally depicted flying through the sky, or playing various kinds of musical instruments and dancing in a group.\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EBut, there is a lot more to these intriguing semi-divine beings, which can help us to identify their counterparts in other cultures.\u0026nbsp; \u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Ctable align=\"center\" cellpadding=\"0\" cellspacing=\"0\" class=\"tr-caption-container\" style=\"margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;\"\u003E\u003Ctbody\u003E\u003Ctr\u003E\u003Ctd style=\"text-align: center;\"\u003E\u003Ca href=\"https:\/\/blogger.googleusercontent.com\/img\/b\/R29vZ2xl\/AVvXsEgfhYCTrNPF4L1_Jt76wpgF_rV3Y-wtG3itSaMLJl8aWBXd2TcAzxWGCjUOPbI2UzXUUZp52Excv_hyphenhyphenQmxWJ_NNZMTx2BPuAbjvyWHTVFMUFLWRQ_pjrV3Z-wH5x5y8z8G7Ypqob_CKscGxWxfN42pQwzHEjoYS8K2fP19OKOy__2088C2v8YrHp9VRtb0\/s1280\/Gandharva%20and%20Apsara%20flying%20through%20the%20sky,%20Nomu420,%20CC%20BY%20SA%203.jpg\" style=\"margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;\"\u003E\u003Cimg alt=\"A gandharva and an apsara flying across the sky\" border=\"0\" data-original-height=\"840\" data-original-width=\"1280\" height=\"263\" src=\"https:\/\/blogger.googleusercontent.com\/img\/b\/R29vZ2xl\/AVvXsEgfhYCTrNPF4L1_Jt76wpgF_rV3Y-wtG3itSaMLJl8aWBXd2TcAzxWGCjUOPbI2UzXUUZp52Excv_hyphenhyphenQmxWJ_NNZMTx2BPuAbjvyWHTVFMUFLWRQ_pjrV3Z-wH5x5y8z8G7Ypqob_CKscGxWxfN42pQwzHEjoYS8K2fP19OKOy__2088C2v8YrHp9VRtb0\/w400-h263\/Gandharva%20and%20Apsara%20flying%20through%20the%20sky,%20Nomu420,%20CC%20BY%20SA%203.jpg\" width=\"400\" \/\u003E\u003C\/a\u003E\u003C\/td\u003E\u003C\/tr\u003E\u003Ctr\u003E\u003Ctd class=\"tr-caption\" style=\"text-align: center;\"\u003EA gandharva and an apsara flying across the sky, India. Credit: Nomu420, CC BY-SA 3.0 via Wikimedia Commons\u003C\/td\u003E\u003C\/tr\u003E\u003C\/tbody\u003E\u003C\/table\u003E\u003Ctable align=\"center\" cellpadding=\"0\" cellspacing=\"0\" class=\"tr-caption-container\" style=\"margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;\"\u003E\u003Ctbody\u003E\u003Ctr\u003E\u003Ctd style=\"text-align: center;\"\u003E\u003Ca href=\"https:\/\/blogger.googleusercontent.com\/img\/b\/R29vZ2xl\/AVvXsEi-JUPWQ7NS13hamY1nZhKCzy6etqf9ZPT7ibqHIZWTcaPKaLmaZ2n-gh8m4gPOXsWIEFye9l0TveFsTOaMd6ArWF8zXaurQ7AffWannRpJ_tMs5IvRk5BXK-6RCkxY_DHdzsqMc2CFwWvLErBn-5ViVzyxpKgLNmjShB1Qpl40HqphXWnYgXUth_6fpCg\/s1280\/Apsaras%20dancing%20at%20the%20Bayon%20Temple,%20Angkor,%20Cambodia,%20Credit%20Photo%20Dharma%20CC%20BY%202.jpg\" style=\"margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;\"\u003E\u003Cimg alt=\"Dancing apsaras at the Bayon Temple, Cambodia.\" border=\"0\" data-original-height=\"960\" data-original-width=\"1280\" height=\"300\" src=\"https:\/\/blogger.googleusercontent.com\/img\/b\/R29vZ2xl\/AVvXsEi-JUPWQ7NS13hamY1nZhKCzy6etqf9ZPT7ibqHIZWTcaPKaLmaZ2n-gh8m4gPOXsWIEFye9l0TveFsTOaMd6ArWF8zXaurQ7AffWannRpJ_tMs5IvRk5BXK-6RCkxY_DHdzsqMc2CFwWvLErBn-5ViVzyxpKgLNmjShB1Qpl40HqphXWnYgXUth_6fpCg\/w400-h300\/Apsaras%20dancing%20at%20the%20Bayon%20Temple,%20Angkor,%20Cambodia,%20Credit%20Photo%20Dharma%20CC%20BY%202.jpg\" width=\"400\" \/\u003E\u003C\/a\u003E\u003C\/td\u003E\u003C\/tr\u003E\u003Ctr\u003E\u003Ctd class=\"tr-caption\" style=\"text-align: center;\"\u003EDancing apsaras at the Bayon Temple, Angkor, Cambodia. Credit: Photo Dharma, CC BY 2.0 via Wikimedia Commons\u003C\/td\u003E\u003C\/tr\u003E\u003C\/tbody\u003E\u003C\/table\u003E\u003Cp\u003EIn the paper, “Strangers in a Familiar Land: The role of the Gandharvas in Vedic Literature”, the author Arjan Sterken of the Radboud University, Netherlands, has unearthed a number of innate characteristics associated with the gandharvas in the Vedic corpus.[2] \u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EIn the epic literature of India, such as the Mahabharata, the gandharvas are described as semi-divine or spirit beings akin to genies, who can confound people by casting illusions. They possess esoteric wisdom and foresight, which is why gandharva sages acted as the teachers of royal princes. They were the guardians and keepers of the soma plant; they knew where to find the plant and how to prepare the soma drink that the gods loved so much. This is why, gandharvas played a key role in the Vedic fire sacrifices.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EGandharvas are said to be extremely attractive and radiant beings, and yet, they are not entirely human and possess certain animal characteristics. For instance, gandharvas can have horns, hairy bodies, and a tail like a monkey or a horse. The gandharva sage Tumburu, for instance, had the head of a horse, reminding us of the centaurs of Greek legends.\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EEven though the gandharvas and the apsaras were generally said to spirits of nature who inhabited forests, streams and mountains, it is not explicitly specified where their actual home is. It is likely to be in the subterranean regions, for, in one of the hymns of the Rig Veda (VIII, 66, 5), Indra is celebrated because “he has smitten the Gandharva into the bottomless darkness.”\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Ctable align=\"center\" cellpadding=\"0\" cellspacing=\"0\" class=\"tr-caption-container\" style=\"margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;\"\u003E\u003Ctbody\u003E\u003Ctr\u003E\u003Ctd style=\"text-align: center;\"\u003E\u003Ca href=\"https:\/\/blogger.googleusercontent.com\/img\/b\/R29vZ2xl\/AVvXsEglrFtmPLxNcaH0ZNmUVfWmWk3EBX7BABuN3HfdWTqgnxFXyP1C0AkfoUcY0anGc8BFnzQuL3IRYwgzB_SXkJlbfh-BAylN2ZDOpIhpneQpcWCW-JX-L16g1TIUNeG9RIQbKrMp-79L9U1S7wGoSBBAYSVq-dJ98lTltds0vStqhN_Y_6uq3F4dQWztvmY\/s1432\/Ahilyabai%20temple%20Maheshwar%20Gandharva.jpg\" style=\"margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;\"\u003E\u003Cimg alt=\"Winged gandharvas, holding musical instruments or bow and arrow, depicted on the Ahilyabai temple, Maheshwar, India\" border=\"0\" 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\u003Cw:LsdException Locked=\"false\" Priority=\"39\" SemiHidden=\"true\"\n   UnhideWhenUsed=\"true\" Name=\"toc 5\"\/\u003E\n  \u003Cw:LsdException Locked=\"false\" Priority=\"39\" SemiHidden=\"true\"\n   UnhideWhenUsed=\"true\" Name=\"toc 6\"\/\u003E\n  \u003Cw:LsdException Locked=\"false\" Priority=\"39\" SemiHidden=\"true\"\n   UnhideWhenUsed=\"true\" Name=\"toc 7\"\/\u003E\n  \u003Cw:LsdException Locked=\"false\" Priority=\"39\" SemiHidden=\"true\"\n   UnhideWhenUsed=\"true\" Name=\"toc 8\"\/\u003E\n  \u003Cw:LsdException Locked=\"false\" Priority=\"39\" SemiHidden=\"true\"\n   UnhideWhenUsed=\"true\" Name=\"toc 9\"\/\u003E\n  \u003Cw:LsdException Locked=\"false\" SemiHidden=\"true\" UnhideWhenUsed=\"true\"\n   Name=\"Normal Indent\"\/\u003E\n  \u003Cw:LsdException Locked=\"false\" SemiHidden=\"true\" UnhideWhenUsed=\"true\"\n   Name=\"footnote text\"\/\u003E\n  \u003Cw:LsdException Locked=\"false\" SemiHidden=\"true\" UnhideWhenUsed=\"true\"\n   Name=\"annotation text\"\/\u003E\n  \u003Cw:LsdException Locked=\"false\" SemiHidden=\"true\" UnhideWhenUsed=\"true\"\n   Name=\"header\"\/\u003E\n  \u003Cw:LsdException Locked=\"false\" SemiHidden=\"true\" UnhideWhenUsed=\"true\"\n   Name=\"footer\"\/\u003E\n  \u003Cw:LsdException Locked=\"false\" SemiHidden=\"true\" UnhideWhenUsed=\"true\"\n   Name=\"index heading\"\/\u003E\n  \u003Cw:LsdException Locked=\"false\" Priority=\"35\" SemiHidden=\"true\"\n   UnhideWhenUsed=\"true\" QFormat=\"true\" Name=\"caption\"\/\u003E\n  \u003Cw:LsdException Locked=\"false\" SemiHidden=\"true\" UnhideWhenUsed=\"true\"\n   Name=\"table of figures\"\/\u003E\n  \u003Cw:LsdException Locked=\"false\" SemiHidden=\"true\" UnhideWhenUsed=\"true\"\n   Name=\"envelope address\"\/\u003E\n  \u003Cw:LsdException Locked=\"false\" SemiHidden=\"true\" UnhideWhenUsed=\"true\"\n   Name=\"envelope return\"\/\u003E\n  \u003Cw:LsdException Locked=\"false\" SemiHidden=\"true\" UnhideWhenUsed=\"true\"\n   Name=\"footnote reference\"\/\u003E\n  \u003Cw:LsdException Locked=\"false\" SemiHidden=\"true\" UnhideWhenUsed=\"true\"\n   Name=\"annotation reference\"\/\u003E\n  \u003Cw:LsdException Locked=\"false\" SemiHidden=\"true\" UnhideWhenUsed=\"true\"\n   Name=\"line number\"\/\u003E\n  \u003Cw:LsdException Locked=\"false\" SemiHidden=\"true\" UnhideWhenUsed=\"true\"\n   Name=\"page number\"\/\u003E\n  \u003Cw:LsdException Locked=\"false\" SemiHidden=\"true\" UnhideWhenUsed=\"true\"\n   Name=\"endnote reference\"\/\u003E\n  \u003Cw:LsdException Locked=\"false\" SemiHidden=\"true\" UnhideWhenUsed=\"true\"\n   Name=\"endnote text\"\/\u003E\n  \u003Cw:LsdException Locked=\"false\" SemiHidden=\"true\" UnhideWhenUsed=\"true\"\n   Name=\"table of authorities\"\/\u003E\n  \u003Cw:LsdException Locked=\"false\" SemiHidden=\"true\" UnhideWhenUsed=\"true\"\n   Name=\"macro\"\/\u003E\n  \u003Cw:LsdException Locked=\"false\" SemiHidden=\"true\" UnhideWhenUsed=\"true\"\n   Name=\"toa heading\"\/\u003E\n  \u003Cw:LsdException Locked=\"false\" SemiHidden=\"true\" UnhideWhenUsed=\"true\"\n   Name=\"List\"\/\u003E\n  \u003Cw:LsdException Locked=\"false\" SemiHidden=\"true\" UnhideWhenUsed=\"true\"\n   Name=\"List Bullet\"\/\u003E\n  \u003Cw:LsdException Locked=\"false\" SemiHidden=\"true\" UnhideWhenUsed=\"true\"\n   Name=\"List Number\"\/\u003E\n  \u003Cw:LsdException Locked=\"false\" SemiHidden=\"true\" UnhideWhenUsed=\"true\"\n   Name=\"List 2\"\/\u003E\n  \u003Cw:LsdException Locked=\"false\" SemiHidden=\"true\" UnhideWhenUsed=\"true\"\n   Name=\"List 3\"\/\u003E\n  \u003Cw:LsdException Locked=\"false\" SemiHidden=\"true\" UnhideWhenUsed=\"true\"\n   Name=\"List 4\"\/\u003E\n  \u003Cw:LsdException Locked=\"false\" SemiHidden=\"true\" UnhideWhenUsed=\"true\"\n   Name=\"List 5\"\/\u003E\n  \u003Cw:LsdException Locked=\"false\" SemiHidden=\"true\" UnhideWhenUsed=\"true\"\n   Name=\"List Bullet 2\"\/\u003E\n  \u003Cw:LsdException Locked=\"false\" SemiHidden=\"true\" UnhideWhenUsed=\"true\"\n   Name=\"List Bullet 3\"\/\u003E\n  \u003Cw:LsdException Locked=\"false\" SemiHidden=\"true\" UnhideWhenUsed=\"true\"\n   Name=\"List Bullet 4\"\/\u003E\n  \u003Cw:LsdException Locked=\"false\" SemiHidden=\"true\" UnhideWhenUsed=\"true\"\n   Name=\"List Bullet 5\"\/\u003E\n  \u003Cw:LsdException Locked=\"false\" SemiHidden=\"true\" UnhideWhenUsed=\"true\"\n   Name=\"List Number 2\"\/\u003E\n  \u003Cw:LsdException Locked=\"false\" SemiHidden=\"true\" UnhideWhenUsed=\"true\"\n   Name=\"List Number 3\"\/\u003E\n  \u003Cw:LsdException Locked=\"false\" SemiHidden=\"true\" UnhideWhenUsed=\"true\"\n   Name=\"List Number 4\"\/\u003E\n  \u003Cw:LsdException Locked=\"false\" SemiHidden=\"true\" UnhideWhenUsed=\"true\"\n   Name=\"List Number 5\"\/\u003E\n  \u003Cw:LsdException Locked=\"false\" Priority=\"10\" QFormat=\"true\" Name=\"Title\"\/\u003E\n  \u003Cw:LsdException Locked=\"false\" SemiHidden=\"true\" UnhideWhenUsed=\"true\"\n   Name=\"Closing\"\/\u003E\n  \u003Cw:LsdException Locked=\"false\" SemiHidden=\"true\" UnhideWhenUsed=\"true\"\n   Name=\"Signature\"\/\u003E\n  \u003Cw:LsdException Locked=\"false\" Priority=\"1\" SemiHidden=\"true\"\n   UnhideWhenUsed=\"true\" Name=\"Default Paragraph Font\"\/\u003E\n  \u003Cw:LsdException Locked=\"false\" SemiHidden=\"true\" UnhideWhenUsed=\"true\"\n   Name=\"Body Text\"\/\u003E\n  \u003Cw:LsdException Locked=\"false\" SemiHidden=\"true\" UnhideWhenUsed=\"true\"\n   Name=\"Body Text Indent\"\/\u003E\n  \u003Cw:LsdException Locked=\"false\" SemiHidden=\"true\" UnhideWhenUsed=\"true\"\n   Name=\"List Continue\"\/\u003E\n  \u003Cw:LsdException Locked=\"false\" SemiHidden=\"true\" UnhideWhenUsed=\"true\"\n   Name=\"List Continue 2\"\/\u003E\n  \u003Cw:LsdException Locked=\"false\" SemiHidden=\"true\" UnhideWhenUsed=\"true\"\n   Name=\"List Continue 3\"\/\u003E\n  \u003Cw:LsdException Locked=\"false\" SemiHidden=\"true\" UnhideWhenUsed=\"true\"\n   Name=\"List Continue 4\"\/\u003E\n  \u003Cw:LsdException Locked=\"false\" SemiHidden=\"true\" UnhideWhenUsed=\"true\"\n   Name=\"List Continue 5\"\/\u003E\n  \u003Cw:LsdException Locked=\"false\" SemiHidden=\"true\" UnhideWhenUsed=\"true\"\n   Name=\"Message Header\"\/\u003E\n  \u003Cw:LsdException Locked=\"false\" Priority=\"11\" QFormat=\"true\" Name=\"Subtitle\"\/\u003E\n  \u003Cw:LsdException Locked=\"false\" SemiHidden=\"true\" UnhideWhenUsed=\"true\"\n   Name=\"Salutation\"\/\u003E\n  \u003Cw:LsdException Locked=\"false\" SemiHidden=\"true\" UnhideWhenUsed=\"true\"\n   Name=\"Date\"\/\u003E\n  \u003Cw:LsdException Locked=\"false\" SemiHidden=\"true\" UnhideWhenUsed=\"true\"\n   Name=\"Body Text First Indent\"\/\u003E\n  \u003Cw:LsdException Locked=\"false\" SemiHidden=\"true\" UnhideWhenUsed=\"true\"\n   Name=\"Body Text First Indent 2\"\/\u003E\n  \u003Cw:LsdException Locked=\"false\" SemiHidden=\"true\" UnhideWhenUsed=\"true\"\n   Name=\"Note Heading\"\/\u003E\n  \u003Cw:LsdException Locked=\"false\" SemiHidden=\"true\" UnhideWhenUsed=\"true\"\n   Name=\"Body Text 2\"\/\u003E\n  \u003Cw:LsdException Locked=\"false\" SemiHidden=\"true\" UnhideWhenUsed=\"true\"\n   Name=\"Body Text 3\"\/\u003E\n  \u003Cw:LsdException Locked=\"false\" SemiHidden=\"true\" UnhideWhenUsed=\"true\"\n   Name=\"Body Text Indent 2\"\/\u003E\n  \u003Cw:LsdException Locked=\"false\" SemiHidden=\"true\" UnhideWhenUsed=\"true\"\n   Name=\"Body Text Indent 3\"\/\u003E\n  \u003Cw:LsdException Locked=\"false\" SemiHidden=\"true\" UnhideWhenUsed=\"true\"\n   Name=\"Block Text\"\/\u003E\n  \u003Cw:LsdException Locked=\"false\" SemiHidden=\"true\" UnhideWhenUsed=\"true\"\n   Name=\"Hyperlink\"\/\u003E\n  \u003Cw:LsdException Locked=\"false\" SemiHidden=\"true\" UnhideWhenUsed=\"true\"\n   Name=\"FollowedHyperlink\"\/\u003E\n  \u003Cw:LsdException Locked=\"false\" Priority=\"22\" QFormat=\"true\" Name=\"Strong\"\/\u003E\n  \u003Cw:LsdException Locked=\"false\" Priority=\"20\" QFormat=\"true\" Name=\"Emphasis\"\/\u003E\n  \u003Cw:LsdException Locked=\"false\" SemiHidden=\"true\" UnhideWhenUsed=\"true\"\n   Name=\"Document Map\"\/\u003E\n  \u003Cw:LsdException Locked=\"false\" SemiHidden=\"true\" UnhideWhenUsed=\"true\"\n   Name=\"Plain Text\"\/\u003E\n  \u003Cw:LsdException Locked=\"false\" SemiHidden=\"true\" UnhideWhenUsed=\"true\"\n   Name=\"E-mail Signature\"\/\u003E\n  \u003Cw:LsdException Locked=\"false\" SemiHidden=\"true\" UnhideWhenUsed=\"true\"\n   Name=\"HTML Top of Form\"\/\u003E\n  \u003Cw:LsdException Locked=\"false\" SemiHidden=\"true\" UnhideWhenUsed=\"true\"\n   Name=\"HTML Bottom of Form\"\/\u003E\n  \u003Cw:LsdException Locked=\"false\" SemiHidden=\"true\" UnhideWhenUsed=\"true\"\n   Name=\"Normal (Web)\"\/\u003E\n  \u003Cw:LsdException Locked=\"false\" SemiHidden=\"true\" UnhideWhenUsed=\"true\"\n   Name=\"HTML Acronym\"\/\u003E\n  \u003Cw:LsdException Locked=\"false\" SemiHidden=\"true\" UnhideWhenUsed=\"true\"\n   Name=\"HTML Address\"\/\u003E\n  \u003Cw:LsdException Locked=\"false\" SemiHidden=\"true\" UnhideWhenUsed=\"true\"\n   Name=\"HTML Cite\"\/\u003E\n  \u003Cw:LsdException Locked=\"false\" SemiHidden=\"true\" UnhideWhenUsed=\"true\"\n   Name=\"HTML Code\"\/\u003E\n  \u003Cw:LsdException Locked=\"false\" SemiHidden=\"true\" UnhideWhenUsed=\"true\"\n   Name=\"HTML Definition\"\/\u003E\n  \u003Cw:LsdException Locked=\"false\" SemiHidden=\"true\" UnhideWhenUsed=\"true\"\n   Name=\"HTML Keyboard\"\/\u003E\n  \u003Cw:LsdException Locked=\"false\" SemiHidden=\"true\" UnhideWhenUsed=\"true\"\n   Name=\"HTML Preformatted\"\/\u003E\n  \u003Cw:LsdException Locked=\"false\" SemiHidden=\"true\" UnhideWhenUsed=\"true\"\n   Name=\"HTML Sample\"\/\u003E\n  \u003Cw:LsdException Locked=\"false\" SemiHidden=\"true\" UnhideWhenUsed=\"true\"\n   Name=\"HTML Typewriter\"\/\u003E\n  \u003Cw:LsdException Locked=\"false\" SemiHidden=\"true\" UnhideWhenUsed=\"true\"\n   Name=\"HTML Variable\"\/\u003E\n  \u003Cw:LsdException Locked=\"false\" SemiHidden=\"true\" UnhideWhenUsed=\"true\"\n   Name=\"Normal Table\"\/\u003E\n  \u003Cw:LsdException Locked=\"false\" SemiHidden=\"true\" UnhideWhenUsed=\"true\"\n   Name=\"annotation subject\"\/\u003E\n  \u003Cw:LsdException Locked=\"false\" SemiHidden=\"true\" UnhideWhenUsed=\"true\"\n   Name=\"No List\"\/\u003E\n  \u003Cw:LsdException Locked=\"false\" SemiHidden=\"true\" UnhideWhenUsed=\"true\"\n   Name=\"Outline List 1\"\/\u003E\n  \u003Cw:LsdException Locked=\"false\" SemiHidden=\"true\" UnhideWhenUsed=\"true\"\n   Name=\"Outline List 2\"\/\u003E\n  \u003Cw:LsdException Locked=\"false\" SemiHidden=\"true\" UnhideWhenUsed=\"true\"\n   Name=\"Outline List 3\"\/\u003E\n  \u003Cw:LsdException Locked=\"false\" SemiHidden=\"true\" UnhideWhenUsed=\"true\"\n   Name=\"Table Simple 1\"\/\u003E\n  \u003Cw:LsdException Locked=\"false\" SemiHidden=\"true\" UnhideWhenUsed=\"true\"\n   Name=\"Table Simple 2\"\/\u003E\n  \u003Cw:LsdException Locked=\"false\" SemiHidden=\"true\" UnhideWhenUsed=\"true\"\n   Name=\"Table Simple 3\"\/\u003E\n  \u003Cw:LsdException Locked=\"false\" SemiHidden=\"true\" UnhideWhenUsed=\"true\"\n   Name=\"Table Classic 1\"\/\u003E\n  \u003Cw:LsdException Locked=\"false\" SemiHidden=\"true\" UnhideWhenUsed=\"true\"\n   Name=\"Table Classic 2\"\/\u003E\n  \u003Cw:LsdException Locked=\"false\" SemiHidden=\"true\" UnhideWhenUsed=\"true\"\n   Name=\"Table Classic 3\"\/\u003E\n  \u003Cw:LsdException Locked=\"false\" SemiHidden=\"true\" UnhideWhenUsed=\"true\"\n   Name=\"Table Classic 4\"\/\u003E\n  \u003Cw:LsdException Locked=\"false\" SemiHidden=\"true\" UnhideWhenUsed=\"true\"\n   Name=\"Table Colorful 1\"\/\u003E\n  \u003Cw:LsdException Locked=\"false\" SemiHidden=\"true\" UnhideWhenUsed=\"true\"\n   Name=\"Table Colorful 2\"\/\u003E\n  \u003Cw:LsdException Locked=\"false\" SemiHidden=\"true\" UnhideWhenUsed=\"true\"\n   Name=\"Table Colorful 3\"\/\u003E\n  \u003Cw:LsdException Locked=\"false\" SemiHidden=\"true\" UnhideWhenUsed=\"true\"\n   Name=\"Table Columns 1\"\/\u003E\n  \u003Cw:LsdException Locked=\"false\" SemiHidden=\"true\" UnhideWhenUsed=\"true\"\n   Name=\"Table Columns 2\"\/\u003E\n  \u003Cw:LsdException Locked=\"false\" SemiHidden=\"true\" UnhideWhenUsed=\"true\"\n   Name=\"Table Columns 3\"\/\u003E\n  \u003Cw:LsdException Locked=\"false\" SemiHidden=\"true\" UnhideWhenUsed=\"true\"\n   Name=\"Table Columns 4\"\/\u003E\n  \u003Cw:LsdException Locked=\"false\" SemiHidden=\"true\" UnhideWhenUsed=\"true\"\n   Name=\"Table Columns 5\"\/\u003E\n  \u003Cw:LsdException Locked=\"false\" SemiHidden=\"true\" UnhideWhenUsed=\"true\"\n   Name=\"Table Grid 1\"\/\u003E\n  \u003Cw:LsdException Locked=\"false\" SemiHidden=\"true\" UnhideWhenUsed=\"true\"\n   Name=\"Table Grid 2\"\/\u003E\n  \u003Cw:LsdException Locked=\"false\" SemiHidden=\"true\" UnhideWhenUsed=\"true\"\n   Name=\"Table Grid 3\"\/\u003E\n  \u003Cw:LsdException Locked=\"false\" SemiHidden=\"true\" UnhideWhenUsed=\"true\"\n   Name=\"Table Grid 4\"\/\u003E\n  \u003Cw:LsdException Locked=\"false\" SemiHidden=\"true\" UnhideWhenUsed=\"true\"\n   Name=\"Table Grid 5\"\/\u003E\n  \u003Cw:LsdException Locked=\"false\" SemiHidden=\"true\" UnhideWhenUsed=\"true\"\n   Name=\"Table Grid 6\"\/\u003E\n  \u003Cw:LsdException Locked=\"false\" SemiHidden=\"true\" UnhideWhenUsed=\"true\"\n   Name=\"Table Grid 7\"\/\u003E\n  \u003Cw:LsdException Locked=\"false\" SemiHidden=\"true\" UnhideWhenUsed=\"true\"\n   Name=\"Table Grid 8\"\/\u003E\n  \u003Cw:LsdException Locked=\"false\" SemiHidden=\"true\" UnhideWhenUsed=\"true\"\n   Name=\"Table List 1\"\/\u003E\n  \u003Cw:LsdException Locked=\"false\" SemiHidden=\"true\" UnhideWhenUsed=\"true\"\n   Name=\"Table List 2\"\/\u003E\n  \u003Cw:LsdException Locked=\"false\" SemiHidden=\"true\" UnhideWhenUsed=\"true\"\n   Name=\"Table List 3\"\/\u003E\n  \u003Cw:LsdException Locked=\"false\" SemiHidden=\"true\" UnhideWhenUsed=\"true\"\n   Name=\"Table List 4\"\/\u003E\n  \u003Cw:LsdException Locked=\"false\" SemiHidden=\"true\" UnhideWhenUsed=\"true\"\n   Name=\"Table List 5\"\/\u003E\n  \u003Cw:LsdException Locked=\"false\" SemiHidden=\"true\" UnhideWhenUsed=\"true\"\n   Name=\"Table List 6\"\/\u003E\n  \u003Cw:LsdException Locked=\"false\" SemiHidden=\"true\" UnhideWhenUsed=\"true\"\n   Name=\"Table List 7\"\/\u003E\n  \u003Cw:LsdException Locked=\"false\" SemiHidden=\"true\" UnhideWhenUsed=\"true\"\n   Name=\"Table List 8\"\/\u003E\n  \u003Cw:LsdException Locked=\"false\" SemiHidden=\"true\" UnhideWhenUsed=\"true\"\n   Name=\"Table 3D effects 1\"\/\u003E\n  \u003Cw:LsdException Locked=\"false\" SemiHidden=\"true\" UnhideWhenUsed=\"true\"\n   Name=\"Table 3D effects 2\"\/\u003E\n  \u003Cw:LsdException Locked=\"false\" SemiHidden=\"true\" UnhideWhenUsed=\"true\"\n   Name=\"Table 3D effects 3\"\/\u003E\n  \u003Cw:LsdException Locked=\"false\" SemiHidden=\"true\" UnhideWhenUsed=\"true\"\n   Name=\"Table Contemporary\"\/\u003E\n  \u003Cw:LsdException Locked=\"false\" SemiHidden=\"true\" UnhideWhenUsed=\"true\"\n   Name=\"Table Elegant\"\/\u003E\n  \u003Cw:LsdException Locked=\"false\" SemiHidden=\"true\" UnhideWhenUsed=\"true\"\n   Name=\"Table Professional\"\/\u003E\n  \u003Cw:LsdException Locked=\"false\" SemiHidden=\"true\" UnhideWhenUsed=\"true\"\n   Name=\"Table Subtle 1\"\/\u003E\n  \u003Cw:LsdException Locked=\"false\" SemiHidden=\"true\" UnhideWhenUsed=\"true\"\n   Name=\"Table Subtle 2\"\/\u003E\n  \u003Cw:LsdException Locked=\"false\" SemiHidden=\"true\" UnhideWhenUsed=\"true\"\n   Name=\"Table Web 1\"\/\u003E\n  \u003Cw:LsdException Locked=\"false\" SemiHidden=\"true\" UnhideWhenUsed=\"true\"\n   Name=\"Table Web 2\"\/\u003E\n  \u003Cw:LsdException Locked=\"false\" SemiHidden=\"true\" UnhideWhenUsed=\"true\"\n   Name=\"Table Web 3\"\/\u003E\n  \u003Cw:LsdException Locked=\"false\" SemiHidden=\"true\" UnhideWhenUsed=\"true\"\n   Name=\"Balloon Text\"\/\u003E\n  \u003Cw:LsdException Locked=\"false\" Priority=\"39\" Name=\"Table Grid\"\/\u003E\n  \u003Cw:LsdException Locked=\"false\" SemiHidden=\"true\" UnhideWhenUsed=\"true\"\n   Name=\"Table Theme\"\/\u003E\n  \u003Cw:LsdException Locked=\"false\" SemiHidden=\"true\" Name=\"Placeholder Text\"\/\u003E\n  \u003Cw:LsdException Locked=\"false\" Priority=\"1\" QFormat=\"true\" Name=\"No Spacing\"\/\u003E\n  \u003Cw:LsdException Locked=\"false\" Priority=\"60\" Name=\"Light Shading\"\/\u003E\n  \u003Cw:LsdException Locked=\"false\" Priority=\"61\" Name=\"Light List\"\/\u003E\n  \u003Cw:LsdException Locked=\"false\" Priority=\"62\" Name=\"Light Grid\"\/\u003E\n  \u003Cw:LsdException Locked=\"false\" Priority=\"63\" Name=\"Medium Shading 1\"\/\u003E\n  \u003Cw:LsdException Locked=\"false\" Priority=\"64\" Name=\"Medium Shading 2\"\/\u003E\n  \u003Cw:LsdException Locked=\"false\" Priority=\"65\" Name=\"Medium List 1\"\/\u003E\n  \u003Cw:LsdException Locked=\"false\" Priority=\"66\" Name=\"Medium List 2\"\/\u003E\n  \u003Cw:LsdException Locked=\"false\" Priority=\"67\" Name=\"Medium Grid 1\"\/\u003E\n  \u003Cw:LsdException Locked=\"false\" Priority=\"68\" Name=\"Medium Grid 2\"\/\u003E\n  \u003Cw:LsdException Locked=\"false\" Priority=\"69\" Name=\"Medium Grid 3\"\/\u003E\n  \u003Cw:LsdException Locked=\"false\" Priority=\"70\" Name=\"Dark List\"\/\u003E\n  \u003Cw:LsdException Locked=\"false\" Priority=\"71\" Name=\"Colorful Shading\"\/\u003E\n  \u003Cw:LsdException Locked=\"false\" Priority=\"72\" Name=\"Colorful List\"\/\u003E\n  \u003Cw:LsdException Locked=\"false\" Priority=\"73\" Name=\"Colorful Grid\"\/\u003E\n  \u003Cw:LsdException Locked=\"false\" Priority=\"60\" Name=\"Light Shading Accent 1\"\/\u003E\n  \u003Cw:LsdException Locked=\"false\" Priority=\"61\" Name=\"Light List Accent 1\"\/\u003E\n  \u003Cw:LsdException Locked=\"false\" Priority=\"62\" Name=\"Light Grid Accent 1\"\/\u003E\n  \u003Cw:LsdException Locked=\"false\" Priority=\"63\" Name=\"Medium Shading 1 Accent 1\"\/\u003E\n  \u003Cw:LsdException Locked=\"false\" Priority=\"64\" Name=\"Medium Shading 2 Accent 1\"\/\u003E\n  \u003Cw:LsdException Locked=\"false\" Priority=\"65\" Name=\"Medium List 1 Accent 1\"\/\u003E\n  \u003Cw:LsdException Locked=\"false\" SemiHidden=\"true\" Name=\"Revision\"\/\u003E\n  \u003Cw:LsdException Locked=\"false\" Priority=\"34\" QFormat=\"true\"\n   Name=\"List Paragraph\"\/\u003E\n  \u003Cw:LsdException Locked=\"false\" Priority=\"29\" QFormat=\"true\" Name=\"Quote\"\/\u003E\n  \u003Cw:LsdException Locked=\"false\" Priority=\"30\" QFormat=\"true\"\n   Name=\"Intense Quote\"\/\u003E\n  \u003Cw:LsdException Locked=\"false\" Priority=\"66\" Name=\"Medium List 2 Accent 1\"\/\u003E\n  \u003Cw:LsdException Locked=\"false\" Priority=\"67\" Name=\"Medium Grid 1 Accent 1\"\/\u003E\n  \u003Cw:LsdException Locked=\"false\" Priority=\"68\" Name=\"Medium Grid 2 Accent 1\"\/\u003E\n  \u003Cw:LsdException Locked=\"false\" Priority=\"69\" Name=\"Medium Grid 3 Accent 1\"\/\u003E\n  \u003Cw:LsdException Locked=\"false\" Priority=\"70\" Name=\"Dark List Accent 1\"\/\u003E\n  \u003Cw:LsdException Locked=\"false\" Priority=\"71\" Name=\"Colorful Shading Accent 1\"\/\u003E\n  \u003Cw:LsdException Locked=\"false\" Priority=\"72\" Name=\"Colorful List Accent 1\"\/\u003E\n  \u003Cw:LsdException Locked=\"false\" Priority=\"73\" Name=\"Colorful Grid Accent 1\"\/\u003E\n  \u003Cw:LsdException Locked=\"false\" Priority=\"60\" Name=\"Light Shading Accent 2\"\/\u003E\n  \u003Cw:LsdException Locked=\"false\" Priority=\"61\" Name=\"Light List Accent 2\"\/\u003E\n  \u003Cw:LsdException Locked=\"false\" Priority=\"62\" Name=\"Light Grid Accent 2\"\/\u003E\n  \u003Cw:LsdException Locked=\"false\" Priority=\"63\" Name=\"Medium Shading 1 Accent 2\"\/\u003E\n  \u003Cw:LsdException Locked=\"false\" Priority=\"64\" Name=\"Medium Shading 2 Accent 2\"\/\u003E\n  \u003Cw:LsdException Locked=\"false\" Priority=\"65\" Name=\"Medium List 1 Accent 2\"\/\u003E\n  \u003Cw:LsdException Locked=\"false\" Priority=\"66\" Name=\"Medium List 2 Accent 2\"\/\u003E\n  \u003Cw:LsdException Locked=\"false\" Priority=\"67\" Name=\"Medium Grid 1 Accent 2\"\/\u003E\n  \u003Cw:LsdException Locked=\"false\" Priority=\"68\" Name=\"Medium Grid 2 Accent 2\"\/\u003E\n  \u003Cw:LsdException Locked=\"false\" Priority=\"69\" Name=\"Medium Grid 3 Accent 2\"\/\u003E\n  \u003Cw:LsdException Locked=\"false\" Priority=\"70\" Name=\"Dark List Accent 2\"\/\u003E\n  \u003Cw:LsdException Locked=\"false\" Priority=\"71\" Name=\"Colorful Shading Accent 2\"\/\u003E\n  \u003Cw:LsdException Locked=\"false\" Priority=\"72\" Name=\"Colorful List Accent 2\"\/\u003E\n  \u003Cw:LsdException Locked=\"false\" Priority=\"73\" Name=\"Colorful Grid Accent 2\"\/\u003E\n  \u003Cw:LsdException Locked=\"false\" Priority=\"60\" Name=\"Light Shading Accent 3\"\/\u003E\n  \u003Cw:LsdException Locked=\"false\" Priority=\"61\" Name=\"Light List Accent 3\"\/\u003E\n  \u003Cw:LsdException Locked=\"false\" Priority=\"62\" Name=\"Light Grid Accent 3\"\/\u003E\n  \u003Cw:LsdException Locked=\"false\" Priority=\"63\" Name=\"Medium Shading 1 Accent 3\"\/\u003E\n  \u003Cw:LsdException Locked=\"false\" Priority=\"64\" Name=\"Medium Shading 2 Accent 3\"\/\u003E\n  \u003Cw:LsdException Locked=\"false\" Priority=\"65\" Name=\"Medium List 1 Accent 3\"\/\u003E\n  \u003Cw:LsdException Locked=\"false\" Priority=\"66\" Name=\"Medium List 2 Accent 3\"\/\u003E\n  \u003Cw:LsdException Locked=\"false\" Priority=\"67\" Name=\"Medium Grid 1 Accent 3\"\/\u003E\n  \u003Cw:LsdException Locked=\"false\" Priority=\"68\" Name=\"Medium Grid 2 Accent 3\"\/\u003E\n  \u003Cw:LsdException Locked=\"false\" Priority=\"69\" Name=\"Medium Grid 3 Accent 3\"\/\u003E\n  \u003Cw:LsdException Locked=\"false\" Priority=\"70\" Name=\"Dark List Accent 3\"\/\u003E\n  \u003Cw:LsdException Locked=\"false\" Priority=\"71\" Name=\"Colorful Shading Accent 3\"\/\u003E\n  \u003Cw:LsdException Locked=\"false\" Priority=\"72\" Name=\"Colorful List Accent 3\"\/\u003E\n  \u003Cw:LsdException Locked=\"false\" Priority=\"73\" Name=\"Colorful Grid Accent 3\"\/\u003E\n  \u003Cw:LsdException Locked=\"false\" Priority=\"60\" Name=\"Light Shading Accent 4\"\/\u003E\n  \u003Cw:LsdException Locked=\"false\" Priority=\"61\" Name=\"Light List Accent 4\"\/\u003E\n  \u003Cw:LsdException Locked=\"false\" Priority=\"62\" Name=\"Light Grid Accent 4\"\/\u003E\n  \u003Cw:LsdException Locked=\"false\" Priority=\"63\" Name=\"Medium Shading 1 Accent 4\"\/\u003E\n  \u003Cw:LsdException Locked=\"false\" Priority=\"64\" Name=\"Medium Shading 2 Accent 4\"\/\u003E\n  \u003Cw:LsdException Locked=\"false\" Priority=\"65\" Name=\"Medium List 1 Accent 4\"\/\u003E\n  \u003Cw:LsdException Locked=\"false\" Priority=\"66\" Name=\"Medium List 2 Accent 4\"\/\u003E\n  \u003Cw:LsdException Locked=\"false\" Priority=\"67\" Name=\"Medium Grid 1 Accent 4\"\/\u003E\n  \u003Cw:LsdException Locked=\"false\" Priority=\"68\" Name=\"Medium Grid 2 Accent 4\"\/\u003E\n  \u003Cw:LsdException Locked=\"false\" Priority=\"69\" Name=\"Medium Grid 3 Accent 4\"\/\u003E\n  \u003Cw:LsdException Locked=\"false\" Priority=\"70\" Name=\"Dark List Accent 4\"\/\u003E\n  \u003Cw:LsdException Locked=\"false\" Priority=\"71\" Name=\"Colorful Shading Accent 4\"\/\u003E\n  \u003Cw:LsdException Locked=\"false\" Priority=\"72\" Name=\"Colorful List Accent 4\"\/\u003E\n  \u003Cw:LsdException Locked=\"false\" Priority=\"73\" Name=\"Colorful Grid Accent 4\"\/\u003E\n  \u003Cw:LsdException Locked=\"false\" Priority=\"60\" Name=\"Light Shading Accent 5\"\/\u003E\n  \u003Cw:LsdException Locked=\"false\" Priority=\"61\" Name=\"Light List Accent 5\"\/\u003E\n  \u003Cw:LsdException Locked=\"false\" Priority=\"62\" Name=\"Light Grid Accent 5\"\/\u003E\n  \u003Cw:LsdException Locked=\"false\" Priority=\"63\" Name=\"Medium Shading 1 Accent 5\"\/\u003E\n  \u003Cw:LsdException Locked=\"false\" Priority=\"64\" Name=\"Medium Shading 2 Accent 5\"\/\u003E\n  \u003Cw:LsdException Locked=\"false\" Priority=\"65\" Name=\"Medium List 1 Accent 5\"\/\u003E\n  \u003Cw:LsdException Locked=\"false\" Priority=\"66\" Name=\"Medium List 2 Accent 5\"\/\u003E\n  \u003Cw:LsdException Locked=\"false\" Priority=\"67\" Name=\"Medium Grid 1 Accent 5\"\/\u003E\n  \u003Cw:LsdException Locked=\"false\" Priority=\"68\" Name=\"Medium Grid 2 Accent 5\"\/\u003E\n  \u003Cw:LsdException Locked=\"false\" Priority=\"69\" Name=\"Medium Grid 3 Accent 5\"\/\u003E\n  \u003Cw:LsdException Locked=\"false\" Priority=\"70\" Name=\"Dark List Accent 5\"\/\u003E\n  \u003Cw:LsdException Locked=\"false\" Priority=\"71\" Name=\"Colorful Shading Accent 5\"\/\u003E\n  \u003Cw:LsdException Locked=\"false\" Priority=\"72\" Name=\"Colorful List Accent 5\"\/\u003E\n  \u003Cw:LsdException Locked=\"false\" Priority=\"73\" Name=\"Colorful Grid Accent 5\"\/\u003E\n  \u003Cw:LsdException Locked=\"false\" Priority=\"60\" Name=\"Light Shading Accent 6\"\/\u003E\n  \u003Cw:LsdException Locked=\"false\" Priority=\"61\" Name=\"Light List Accent 6\"\/\u003E\n  \u003Cw:LsdException Locked=\"false\" Priority=\"62\" Name=\"Light Grid Accent 6\"\/\u003E\n  \u003Cw:LsdException Locked=\"false\" Priority=\"63\" Name=\"Medium Shading 1 Accent 6\"\/\u003E\n  \u003Cw:LsdException Locked=\"false\" Priority=\"64\" Name=\"Medium Shading 2 Accent 6\"\/\u003E\n  \u003Cw:LsdException Locked=\"false\" Priority=\"65\" Name=\"Medium List 1 Accent 6\"\/\u003E\n  \u003Cw:LsdException Locked=\"false\" Priority=\"66\" Name=\"Medium List 2 Accent 6\"\/\u003E\n  \u003Cw:LsdException Locked=\"false\" Priority=\"67\" Name=\"Medium Grid 1 Accent 6\"\/\u003E\n  \u003Cw:LsdException Locked=\"false\" Priority=\"68\" Name=\"Medium Grid 2 Accent 6\"\/\u003E\n  \u003Cw:LsdException Locked=\"false\" Priority=\"69\" Name=\"Medium Grid 3 Accent 6\"\/\u003E\n  \u003Cw:LsdException Locked=\"false\" Priority=\"70\" Name=\"Dark List Accent 6\"\/\u003E\n  \u003Cw:LsdException Locked=\"false\" Priority=\"71\" Name=\"Colorful Shading Accent 6\"\/\u003E\n  \u003Cw:LsdException Locked=\"false\" Priority=\"72\" Name=\"Colorful List Accent 6\"\/\u003E\n  \u003Cw:LsdException Locked=\"false\" Priority=\"73\" Name=\"Colorful Grid Accent 6\"\/\u003E\n  \u003Cw:LsdException Locked=\"false\" Priority=\"19\" QFormat=\"true\"\n   Name=\"Subtle Emphasis\"\/\u003E\n  \u003Cw:LsdException Locked=\"false\" Priority=\"21\" QFormat=\"true\"\n   Name=\"Intense Emphasis\"\/\u003E\n  \u003Cw:LsdException Locked=\"false\" Priority=\"31\" QFormat=\"true\"\n   Name=\"Subtle Reference\"\/\u003E\n  \u003Cw:LsdException Locked=\"false\" Priority=\"32\" QFormat=\"true\"\n   Name=\"Intense Reference\"\/\u003E\n  \u003Cw:LsdException Locked=\"false\" Priority=\"33\" QFormat=\"true\" Name=\"Book Title\"\/\u003E\n  \u003Cw:LsdException Locked=\"false\" Priority=\"37\" SemiHidden=\"true\"\n   UnhideWhenUsed=\"true\" Name=\"Bibliography\"\/\u003E\n  \u003Cw:LsdException Locked=\"false\" Priority=\"39\" SemiHidden=\"true\"\n   UnhideWhenUsed=\"true\" QFormat=\"true\" Name=\"TOC Heading\"\/\u003E\n  \u003Cw:LsdException Locked=\"false\" Priority=\"41\" Name=\"Plain Table 1\"\/\u003E\n  \u003Cw:LsdException Locked=\"false\" Priority=\"42\" Name=\"Plain Table 2\"\/\u003E\n  \u003Cw:LsdException Locked=\"false\" Priority=\"43\" Name=\"Plain Table 3\"\/\u003E\n  \u003Cw:LsdException Locked=\"false\" Priority=\"44\" Name=\"Plain Table 4\"\/\u003E\n  \u003Cw:LsdException Locked=\"false\" Priority=\"45\" Name=\"Plain Table 5\"\/\u003E\n  \u003Cw:LsdException Locked=\"false\" Priority=\"40\" Name=\"Grid Table Light\"\/\u003E\n  \u003Cw:LsdException Locked=\"false\" Priority=\"46\" Name=\"Grid Table 1 Light\"\/\u003E\n  \u003Cw:LsdException Locked=\"false\" Priority=\"47\" Name=\"Grid Table 2\"\/\u003E\n  \u003Cw:LsdException Locked=\"false\" Priority=\"48\" Name=\"Grid Table 3\"\/\u003E\n  \u003Cw:LsdException Locked=\"false\" Priority=\"49\" Name=\"Grid Table 4\"\/\u003E\n  \u003Cw:LsdException Locked=\"false\" Priority=\"50\" Name=\"Grid Table 5 Dark\"\/\u003E\n  \u003Cw:LsdException Locked=\"false\" Priority=\"51\" Name=\"Grid Table 6 Colorful\"\/\u003E\n  \u003Cw:LsdException Locked=\"false\" Priority=\"52\" Name=\"Grid Table 7 Colorful\"\/\u003E\n  \u003Cw:LsdException Locked=\"false\" Priority=\"46\"\n   Name=\"Grid Table 1 Light Accent 1\"\/\u003E\n  \u003Cw:LsdException Locked=\"false\" Priority=\"47\" Name=\"Grid Table 2 Accent 1\"\/\u003E\n  \u003Cw:LsdException Locked=\"false\" Priority=\"48\" Name=\"Grid Table 3 Accent 1\"\/\u003E\n  \u003Cw:LsdException Locked=\"false\" Priority=\"49\" Name=\"Grid Table 4 Accent 1\"\/\u003E\n  \u003Cw:LsdException Locked=\"false\" Priority=\"50\" Name=\"Grid Table 5 Dark Accent 1\"\/\u003E\n  \u003Cw:LsdException Locked=\"false\" Priority=\"51\"\n   Name=\"Grid Table 6 Colorful Accent 1\"\/\u003E\n  \u003Cw:LsdException Locked=\"false\" Priority=\"52\"\n   Name=\"Grid Table 7 Colorful Accent 1\"\/\u003E\n  \u003Cw:LsdException Locked=\"false\" Priority=\"46\"\n   Name=\"Grid Table 1 Light Accent 2\"\/\u003E\n  \u003Cw:LsdException Locked=\"false\" Priority=\"47\" Name=\"Grid Table 2 Accent 2\"\/\u003E\n  \u003Cw:LsdException Locked=\"false\" Priority=\"48\" Name=\"Grid Table 3 Accent 2\"\/\u003E\n  \u003Cw:LsdException Locked=\"false\" Priority=\"49\" Name=\"Grid Table 4 Accent 2\"\/\u003E\n  \u003Cw:LsdException Locked=\"false\" Priority=\"50\" Name=\"Grid Table 5 Dark Accent 2\"\/\u003E\n  \u003Cw:LsdException Locked=\"false\" Priority=\"51\"\n   Name=\"Grid Table 6 Colorful Accent 2\"\/\u003E\n  \u003Cw:LsdException Locked=\"false\" Priority=\"52\"\n   Name=\"Grid Table 7 Colorful Accent 2\"\/\u003E\n  \u003Cw:LsdException Locked=\"false\" Priority=\"46\"\n   Name=\"Grid Table 1 Light Accent 3\"\/\u003E\n  \u003Cw:LsdException Locked=\"false\" Priority=\"47\" Name=\"Grid Table 2 Accent 3\"\/\u003E\n  \u003Cw:LsdException Locked=\"false\" Priority=\"48\" Name=\"Grid Table 3 Accent 3\"\/\u003E\n  \u003Cw:LsdException Locked=\"false\" Priority=\"49\" Name=\"Grid Table 4 Accent 3\"\/\u003E\n  \u003Cw:LsdException Locked=\"false\" Priority=\"50\" Name=\"Grid Table 5 Dark Accent 3\"\/\u003E\n  \u003Cw:LsdException Locked=\"false\" Priority=\"51\"\n   Name=\"Grid Table 6 Colorful Accent 3\"\/\u003E\n  \u003Cw:LsdException Locked=\"false\" Priority=\"52\"\n   Name=\"Grid Table 7 Colorful Accent 3\"\/\u003E\n  \u003Cw:LsdException Locked=\"false\" Priority=\"46\"\n   Name=\"Grid Table 1 Light Accent 4\"\/\u003E\n  \u003Cw:LsdException Locked=\"false\" Priority=\"47\" Name=\"Grid Table 2 Accent 4\"\/\u003E\n  \u003Cw:LsdException Locked=\"false\" Priority=\"48\" Name=\"Grid Table 3 Accent 4\"\/\u003E\n  \u003Cw:LsdException Locked=\"false\" Priority=\"49\" Name=\"Grid Table 4 Accent 4\"\/\u003E\n  \u003Cw:LsdException Locked=\"false\" Priority=\"50\" Name=\"Grid Table 5 Dark Accent 4\"\/\u003E\n  \u003Cw:LsdException Locked=\"false\" Priority=\"51\"\n   Name=\"Grid Table 6 Colorful Accent 4\"\/\u003E\n  \u003Cw:LsdException Locked=\"false\" Priority=\"52\"\n   Name=\"Grid Table 7 Colorful Accent 4\"\/\u003E\n  \u003Cw:LsdException Locked=\"false\" Priority=\"46\"\n   Name=\"Grid Table 1 Light Accent 5\"\/\u003E\n  \u003Cw:LsdException Locked=\"false\" Priority=\"47\" Name=\"Grid Table 2 Accent 5\"\/\u003E\n  \u003Cw:LsdException Locked=\"false\" Priority=\"48\" Name=\"Grid Table 3 Accent 5\"\/\u003E\n  \u003Cw:LsdException Locked=\"false\" Priority=\"49\" Name=\"Grid Table 4 Accent 5\"\/\u003E\n  \u003Cw:LsdException Locked=\"false\" Priority=\"50\" Name=\"Grid Table 5 Dark Accent 5\"\/\u003E\n  \u003Cw:LsdException Locked=\"false\" Priority=\"51\"\n   Name=\"Grid Table 6 Colorful Accent 5\"\/\u003E\n  \u003Cw:LsdException Locked=\"false\" Priority=\"52\"\n   Name=\"Grid Table 7 Colorful Accent 5\"\/\u003E\n  \u003Cw:LsdException Locked=\"false\" Priority=\"46\"\n   Name=\"Grid Table 1 Light Accent 6\"\/\u003E\n  \u003Cw:LsdException Locked=\"false\" Priority=\"47\" Name=\"Grid Table 2 Accent 6\"\/\u003E\n  \u003Cw:LsdException Locked=\"false\" Priority=\"48\" Name=\"Grid Table 3 Accent 6\"\/\u003E\n  \u003Cw:LsdException Locked=\"false\" Priority=\"49\" Name=\"Grid Table 4 Accent 6\"\/\u003E\n  \u003Cw:LsdException Locked=\"false\" Priority=\"50\" Name=\"Grid Table 5 Dark Accent 6\"\/\u003E\n  \u003Cw:LsdException Locked=\"false\" Priority=\"51\"\n   Name=\"Grid Table 6 Colorful Accent 6\"\/\u003E\n  \u003Cw:LsdException Locked=\"false\" Priority=\"52\"\n   Name=\"Grid Table 7 Colorful Accent 6\"\/\u003E\n  \u003Cw:LsdException Locked=\"false\" Priority=\"46\" Name=\"List Table 1 Light\"\/\u003E\n  \u003Cw:LsdException Locked=\"false\" Priority=\"47\" Name=\"List Table 2\"\/\u003E\n  \u003Cw:LsdException Locked=\"false\" Priority=\"48\" Name=\"List Table 3\"\/\u003E\n  \u003Cw:LsdException Locked=\"false\" Priority=\"49\" Name=\"List Table 4\"\/\u003E\n  \u003Cw:LsdException Locked=\"false\" Priority=\"50\" Name=\"List Table 5 Dark\"\/\u003E\n  \u003Cw:LsdException Locked=\"false\" Priority=\"51\" Name=\"List Table 6 Colorful\"\/\u003E\n  \u003Cw:LsdException Locked=\"false\" Priority=\"52\" Name=\"List Table 7 Colorful\"\/\u003E\n  \u003Cw:LsdException Locked=\"false\" Priority=\"46\"\n   Name=\"List Table 1 Light Accent 1\"\/\u003E\n  \u003Cw:LsdException Locked=\"false\" Priority=\"47\" Name=\"List Table 2 Accent 1\"\/\u003E\n  \u003Cw:LsdException Locked=\"false\" Priority=\"48\" Name=\"List Table 3 Accent 1\"\/\u003E\n  \u003Cw:LsdException Locked=\"false\" Priority=\"49\" Name=\"List Table 4 Accent 1\"\/\u003E\n  \u003Cw:LsdException Locked=\"false\" Priority=\"50\" Name=\"List Table 5 Dark Accent 1\"\/\u003E\n  \u003Cw:LsdException Locked=\"false\" Priority=\"51\"\n   Name=\"List Table 6 Colorful Accent 1\"\/\u003E\n  \u003Cw:LsdException Locked=\"false\" Priority=\"52\"\n   Name=\"List Table 7 Colorful Accent 1\"\/\u003E\n  \u003Cw:LsdException Locked=\"false\" Priority=\"46\"\n   Name=\"List Table 1 Light Accent 2\"\/\u003E\n  \u003Cw:LsdException Locked=\"false\" Priority=\"47\" Name=\"List Table 2 Accent 2\"\/\u003E\n  \u003Cw:LsdException Locked=\"false\" Priority=\"48\" Name=\"List Table 3 Accent 2\"\/\u003E\n  \u003Cw:LsdException Locked=\"false\" Priority=\"49\" Name=\"List Table 4 Accent 2\"\/\u003E\n  \u003Cw:LsdException Locked=\"false\" Priority=\"50\" Name=\"List Table 5 Dark Accent 2\"\/\u003E\n  \u003Cw:LsdException Locked=\"false\" Priority=\"51\"\n   Name=\"List Table 6 Colorful Accent 2\"\/\u003E\n  \u003Cw:LsdException Locked=\"false\" Priority=\"52\"\n   Name=\"List Table 7 Colorful Accent 2\"\/\u003E\n  \u003Cw:LsdException Locked=\"false\" Priority=\"46\"\n   Name=\"List Table 1 Light Accent 3\"\/\u003E\n  \u003Cw:LsdException Locked=\"false\" Priority=\"47\" Name=\"List Table 2 Accent 3\"\/\u003E\n  \u003Cw:LsdException Locked=\"false\" Priority=\"48\" Name=\"List Table 3 Accent 3\"\/\u003E\n  \u003Cw:LsdException Locked=\"false\" Priority=\"49\" Name=\"List Table 4 Accent 3\"\/\u003E\n  \u003Cw:LsdException Locked=\"false\" Priority=\"50\" Name=\"List Table 5 Dark Accent 3\"\/\u003E\n  \u003Cw:LsdException Locked=\"false\" Priority=\"51\"\n   Name=\"List Table 6 Colorful Accent 3\"\/\u003E\n  \u003Cw:LsdException Locked=\"false\" Priority=\"52\"\n   Name=\"List Table 7 Colorful Accent 3\"\/\u003E\n  \u003Cw:LsdException Locked=\"false\" Priority=\"46\"\n   Name=\"List Table 1 Light Accent 4\"\/\u003E\n  \u003Cw:LsdException Locked=\"false\" Priority=\"47\" Name=\"List Table 2 Accent 4\"\/\u003E\n  \u003Cw:LsdException Locked=\"false\" Priority=\"48\" Name=\"List Table 3 Accent 4\"\/\u003E\n  \u003Cw:LsdException Locked=\"false\" Priority=\"49\" Name=\"List Table 4 Accent 4\"\/\u003E\n  \u003Cw:LsdException Locked=\"false\" Priority=\"50\" Name=\"List Table 5 Dark Accent 4\"\/\u003E\n  \u003Cw:LsdException Locked=\"false\" Priority=\"51\"\n   Name=\"List Table 6 Colorful Accent 4\"\/\u003E\n  \u003Cw:LsdException Locked=\"false\" Priority=\"52\"\n   Name=\"List Table 7 Colorful Accent 4\"\/\u003E\n  \u003Cw:LsdException Locked=\"false\" Priority=\"46\"\n   Name=\"List Table 1 Light Accent 5\"\/\u003E\n  \u003Cw:LsdException Locked=\"false\" Priority=\"47\" Name=\"List Table 2 Accent 5\"\/\u003E\n  \u003Cw:LsdException Locked=\"false\" Priority=\"48\" Name=\"List Table 3 Accent 5\"\/\u003E\n  \u003Cw:LsdException Locked=\"false\" Priority=\"49\" Name=\"List Table 4 Accent 5\"\/\u003E\n  \u003Cw:LsdException Locked=\"false\" Priority=\"50\" Name=\"List Table 5 Dark Accent 5\"\/\u003E\n  \u003Cw:LsdException Locked=\"false\" Priority=\"51\"\n   Name=\"List Table 6 Colorful Accent 5\"\/\u003E\n  \u003Cw:LsdException Locked=\"false\" Priority=\"52\"\n   Name=\"List Table 7 Colorful Accent 5\"\/\u003E\n  \u003Cw:LsdException Locked=\"false\" Priority=\"46\"\n   Name=\"List Table 1 Light Accent 6\"\/\u003E\n  \u003Cw:LsdException Locked=\"false\" Priority=\"47\" Name=\"List Table 2 Accent 6\"\/\u003E\n  \u003Cw:LsdException Locked=\"false\" Priority=\"48\" Name=\"List Table 3 Accent 6\"\/\u003E\n  \u003Cw:LsdException Locked=\"false\" Priority=\"49\" Name=\"List Table 4 Accent 6\"\/\u003E\n  \u003Cw:LsdException Locked=\"false\" Priority=\"50\" Name=\"List Table 5 Dark Accent 6\"\/\u003E\n  \u003Cw:LsdException Locked=\"false\" Priority=\"51\"\n   Name=\"List Table 6 Colorful Accent 6\"\/\u003E\n  \u003Cw:LsdException Locked=\"false\" Priority=\"52\"\n   Name=\"List Table 7 Colorful Accent 6\"\/\u003E\n \u003C\/w:LatentStyles\u003E\n\u003C\/xml\u003E\u003C![endif]--\u003E\u003C!--[if gte mso 10]\u003E\n\u003Cstyle\u003E\n \/* Style Definitions *\/\n table.MsoNormalTable\n\t{mso-style-name:\"Table Normal\";\n\tmso-tstyle-rowband-size:0;\n\tmso-tstyle-colband-size:0;\n\tmso-style-noshow:yes;\n\tmso-style-priority:99;\n\tmso-style-parent:\"\";\n\tmso-padding-alt:0in 5.4pt 0in 5.4pt;\n\tmso-para-margin-top:0in;\n\tmso-para-margin-right:0in;\n\tmso-para-margin-bottom:10.0pt;\n\tmso-para-margin-left:0in;\n\tline-height:115%;\n\tmso-pagination:widow-orphan;\n\tfont-size:11.0pt;\n\tfont-family:\"Calibri\",\"sans-serif\";\n\tmso-ascii-font-family:Calibri;\n\tmso-ascii-theme-font:minor-latin;\n\tmso-hansi-font-family:Calibri;\n\tmso-hansi-theme-font:minor-latin;\n\tmso-bidi-font-family:\"Times New Roman\";\n\tmso-bidi-theme-font:minor-bidi;\n\tmso-ansi-language:EN-US;\n\tmso-fareast-language:EN-US;}\n\u003C\/style\u003E\n\u003C![endif]--\u003EWinged gandharvas, holding musical instruments or bow and arrow, depicted on the Ahilyabai temple, Maheshwar, India. Source: Wikimedia Commons\u003C\/td\u003E\u003C\/tr\u003E\u003C\/tbody\u003E\u003C\/table\u003E\u0026nbsp;\u003Ctable align=\"center\" cellpadding=\"0\" cellspacing=\"0\" class=\"tr-caption-container\" style=\"margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;\"\u003E\u003Ctbody\u003E\u003Ctr\u003E\u003Ctd style=\"text-align: center;\"\u003E\u003Ca href=\"https:\/\/blogger.googleusercontent.com\/img\/b\/R29vZ2xl\/AVvXsEgC8Kh_EY2D1eagGGmEQ169GcV-CoB1Q_q5CsKmd48Qra4ClJIfa7jQLJUP5GD_lc2cJpgcN3QI11O9jzBSiszgqJCNaR_k0miFBPg4RkeTDkRcZTPD4NLCtk3OQ5xiDPBm4BG6EVvtHka2n02eTRDx8fViD57hODZhHSlXdujj6TJ6Cjsno7vDfBCeqSk\/s1024\/Bharhut%20stupa,%20apsaras%20and%20gandharvas%20with%20garlands,%20Freer%20Gallery%20of%20Art,%20CC%20BY%203.jpg\" style=\"margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;\"\u003E\u003Cimg alt=\"A pair of gandharvas flying in with garlands in their hands, to pay homage to the Bharhut Stupa, India\" border=\"0\" data-original-height=\"918\" data-original-width=\"1024\" height=\"359\" src=\"https:\/\/blogger.googleusercontent.com\/img\/b\/R29vZ2xl\/AVvXsEgC8Kh_EY2D1eagGGmEQ169GcV-CoB1Q_q5CsKmd48Qra4ClJIfa7jQLJUP5GD_lc2cJpgcN3QI11O9jzBSiszgqJCNaR_k0miFBPg4RkeTDkRcZTPD4NLCtk3OQ5xiDPBm4BG6EVvtHka2n02eTRDx8fViD57hODZhHSlXdujj6TJ6Cjsno7vDfBCeqSk\/w400-h359\/Bharhut%20stupa,%20apsaras%20and%20gandharvas%20with%20garlands,%20Freer%20Gallery%20of%20Art,%20CC%20BY%203.jpg\" width=\"400\" \/\u003E\u003C\/a\u003E\u003C\/td\u003E\u003C\/tr\u003E\u003Ctr\u003E\u003Ctd class=\"tr-caption\" style=\"text-align: center;\"\u003EA pair of gandharvas flying in with garlands in their hands, to pay homage to the Bharhut Stupa, India. Source: Freer Gallery of Art, CC BY 3.0\u003C\/td\u003E\u003C\/tr\u003E\u003C\/tbody\u003E\u003C\/table\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EThe apsaras, on the other hand, in addition to their beauty and dancing abilities had other magical traits. They were said to be shape shifters who could become invisible at will, and they were associated with fertility and healing. Newly wed couples were blessed by the apsaras and gandharvas, while infertile women prayed to them for children.\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EIn Indonesia, the apsaras were called “bidadari” from the Sanskrit “vidyadhari” which literally means “bearer of knowledge”. It refers to a wise person who can cast spells. Both the gandharvas and the apsaras have powers illusion and can cast spells that can make people go mad. In other words, they can be both benevolent and malevolent, and you don’t want to rub them up the wrong way.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Ctable align=\"center\" cellpadding=\"0\" cellspacing=\"0\" class=\"tr-caption-container\" style=\"margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;\"\u003E\u003Ctbody\u003E\u003Ctr\u003E\u003Ctd style=\"text-align: center;\"\u003E\u003Ca href=\"https:\/\/blogger.googleusercontent.com\/img\/b\/R29vZ2xl\/AVvXsEhQXpVD0rVrlKvIx5Bnuke0gaYzXUhAG1q9JgUSSLmhUubyrSRjvMhXSre5G7VBaBxYY7st63Sq3Y1xeA0EAbwuiAKbAYEV5YmtLR6z0cEP0c04Lh8X_IyhBsgTXZAWp4u0JdnAPWB7yymU0JsfE3mtNrMXDUZDVia0OQ2v51EW_9Ulm_iIa1I2SaAHReo\/s1440\/Flying%20Apsara,%20Borobudur%20bas%20relief,%20Central%20Java,%20Indonesia,%20Gunawan%20Kartapranata,%20CC%20BY%20SA%203.jpg\" style=\"margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;\"\u003E\u003Cimg alt=\"A flying apsara depicted on a Borobudur bas relief, Central Java, Indonesia.\" border=\"0\" data-original-height=\"1440\" data-original-width=\"1080\" height=\"400\" src=\"https:\/\/blogger.googleusercontent.com\/img\/b\/R29vZ2xl\/AVvXsEhQXpVD0rVrlKvIx5Bnuke0gaYzXUhAG1q9JgUSSLmhUubyrSRjvMhXSre5G7VBaBxYY7st63Sq3Y1xeA0EAbwuiAKbAYEV5YmtLR6z0cEP0c04Lh8X_IyhBsgTXZAWp4u0JdnAPWB7yymU0JsfE3mtNrMXDUZDVia0OQ2v51EW_9Ulm_iIa1I2SaAHReo\/w300-h400\/Flying%20Apsara,%20Borobudur%20bas%20relief,%20Central%20Java,%20Indonesia,%20Gunawan%20Kartapranata,%20CC%20BY%20SA%203.jpg\" width=\"300\" \/\u003E\u003C\/a\u003E\u003C\/td\u003E\u003C\/tr\u003E\u003Ctr\u003E\u003Ctd class=\"tr-caption\" style=\"text-align: center;\"\u003EA flying apsara depicted on a Borobudur bas relief, Central Java, Indonesia. Credit: Gunawan Kartapranata, CC BY-SA 3.0\u003C\/td\u003E\u003C\/tr\u003E\u003C\/tbody\u003E\u003C\/table\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Ctable align=\"center\" cellpadding=\"0\" cellspacing=\"0\" class=\"tr-caption-container\" style=\"margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;\"\u003E\u003Ctbody\u003E\u003Ctr\u003E\u003Ctd style=\"text-align: center;\"\u003E\u003Ca href=\"https:\/\/blogger.googleusercontent.com\/img\/b\/R29vZ2xl\/AVvXsEhmlyyNZ0assixiJWk4AZwbm__uRppbR4i8N_SGRnD27uEp226FARIAmdmHslF6VCsvEyrv2s1ZmU_w7k-Dy8syokPwVNkWQWiH_riZfPQZyjWro4-qXI12WAXLw5Oezne4ulFxewtVWsXHNBylDS-rPC-AYNaxZbejYPSGgJ_o4fuSz0TG2zmSEx7ygu0\/s2256\/Belur%20Temple%20Apsara%20with%20Mirror,%20India,%20Nithin%20bolar%20k,%20CC%20BY%20SA%204.JPG\" style=\"margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;\"\u003E\u003Cimg alt=\"An apsara holding a mirror, Belur Temple, India\" border=\"0\" data-original-height=\"2256\" data-original-width=\"1496\" height=\"400\" src=\"https:\/\/blogger.googleusercontent.com\/img\/b\/R29vZ2xl\/AVvXsEhmlyyNZ0assixiJWk4AZwbm__uRppbR4i8N_SGRnD27uEp226FARIAmdmHslF6VCsvEyrv2s1ZmU_w7k-Dy8syokPwVNkWQWiH_riZfPQZyjWro4-qXI12WAXLw5Oezne4ulFxewtVWsXHNBylDS-rPC-AYNaxZbejYPSGgJ_o4fuSz0TG2zmSEx7ygu0\/w265-h400\/Belur%20Temple%20Apsara%20with%20Mirror,%20India,%20Nithin%20bolar%20k,%20CC%20BY%20SA%204.JPG\" width=\"265\" \/\u003E\u003C\/a\u003E\u003C\/td\u003E\u003C\/tr\u003E\u003Ctr\u003E\u003Ctd class=\"tr-caption\" style=\"text-align: center;\"\u003EAn apsara holding a mirror, Belur Temple, India. Credit: Nithin bolar k, CC BY-SA 4.0\u003C\/td\u003E\u003C\/tr\u003E\u003C\/tbody\u003E\u003C\/table\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Ctable align=\"center\" cellpadding=\"0\" cellspacing=\"0\" class=\"tr-caption-container\" style=\"margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;\"\u003E\u003Ctbody\u003E\u003Ctr\u003E\u003Ctd style=\"text-align: center;\"\u003E\u003Ca href=\"https:\/\/blogger.googleusercontent.com\/img\/b\/R29vZ2xl\/AVvXsEhY0TyTY-k31zkp9MipZigHA0LOdHQwuLdbYKewLW5OYoCkMdPA0dwksDqhIZkIhTqgQIWCRvBCxFjsTVQQVdYu6vrUHsDPkQ1mFcyBbHgjdsG63pPdEO84KdTDf2QuLhd2qtuen0os_Kg_No1AmSoYvyBUtf8gT5JZMGFFCiqVVmZmG34fhO2CsnXrykk\/s1024\/A%2012th%20century%20sandstone%20statue%20of%20an%20apsara%20from%20Madhya%20Pradesh,%20India,%20Metropolitan%20Museum%20of%20Art,%20Public%20Domain.jpg\" style=\"margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;\"\u003E\u003Cimg alt=\"A 12th century sandstone statue of an apsara, India.\" border=\"0\" data-original-height=\"1024\" data-original-width=\"853\" height=\"400\" src=\"https:\/\/blogger.googleusercontent.com\/img\/b\/R29vZ2xl\/AVvXsEhY0TyTY-k31zkp9MipZigHA0LOdHQwuLdbYKewLW5OYoCkMdPA0dwksDqhIZkIhTqgQIWCRvBCxFjsTVQQVdYu6vrUHsDPkQ1mFcyBbHgjdsG63pPdEO84KdTDf2QuLhd2qtuen0os_Kg_No1AmSoYvyBUtf8gT5JZMGFFCiqVVmZmG34fhO2CsnXrykk\/w334-h400\/A%2012th%20century%20sandstone%20statue%20of%20an%20apsara%20from%20Madhya%20Pradesh,%20India,%20Metropolitan%20Museum%20of%20Art,%20Public%20Domain.jpg\" width=\"334\" \/\u003E\u003C\/a\u003E\u003C\/td\u003E\u003C\/tr\u003E\u003Ctr\u003E\u003Ctd class=\"tr-caption\" style=\"text-align: center;\"\u003EA 12th century sandstone statue of an apsara from Madhya \nPradesh, India. Credit: Metropolitan Museum of Art, Public Domain.\u003C\/td\u003E\u003C\/tr\u003E\u003C\/tbody\u003E\u003C\/table\u003E\u003Cp\u003ESo what does this tells us? It’s pretty obvious that the gandharvas and apsaras correspond to the elves and fairies of European folklore. Like the gandharva, the elf was a supernatural being, an expert musician and possessed magical powers of illusion, invisibility and shape shifting. Elves were also said to be strikingly attractive - like the gandharvas - and possessed animal traits such as pointed ears. Elves could strike people with illness - mostly sharp, internal pains and mental disorders, particularly epilepsy - just as a gadharva could cast a spell on a person to make him go mad.\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EThe fairies were the strikingly beautiful female companions of the elves. They were known for prescribing cures for various ailments. Medieval legends are full of stories where the fairies passed on the art of making potions to humans. Like the apsaras, the fairies were known for their wisdom and clairvoyance, and prognosticated the future from time to time. They lived in the forest, within hills and mounds and in subterranean chambers.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EWhat the elves and fairies were most fond of doing, however, is singing and dancing, just like their gandharva and apsaras counterparts. The elves and fairies of Norse legends were seen dancing over meadows, particularly at night and on misty mornings. They left a circle where they had danced, called “elf circles” or “fairy rings”.\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003ECould that be a possible explanation for the crop circle phenomenon? Is it possible that these spirit beings, who possess the abilities of invisibility and shape shifting, and were regarded as the intermediaries between humans and the gods, are making these exquisite, mysterious patterns on the crops in order to send some information to us, coded in the language of symbols? It’s certainly a possibility worth considering. \u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Ctable align=\"center\" cellpadding=\"0\" cellspacing=\"0\" class=\"tr-caption-container\" style=\"margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;\"\u003E\u003Ctbody\u003E\u003Ctr\u003E\u003Ctd style=\"text-align: center;\"\u003E\u003Ca href=\"https:\/\/blogger.googleusercontent.com\/img\/b\/R29vZ2xl\/AVvXsEgYsIQPdFpsDgrlMfp3Nibw1z5YxXUWpgXCcazW-57vC4y3Qg33909HNcg1pW_I0tBIX0uaU2gvaQq4njEQzkqz1VngH9tAfrGydhcAgTuz8vHUFEQ3oqfyah8Nj3uJPnNLr3EDtISpGBPLa6rMppxj7sIZKJeUbeT-r5ekfzQXhWoYvEj6QX7pENHzlKw\/s920\/Dance%20of%20the%20elves%20and%20the%20fairies%20in%20a%20meadow%20in%20the%20twilight,%20by%20Nils%20Blomm%C3%A9r,%201850,%20Public%20Domain.jpg\" style=\"margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;\"\u003E\u003Cimg border=\"0\" data-original-height=\"713\" data-original-width=\"920\" height=\"496\" src=\"https:\/\/blogger.googleusercontent.com\/img\/b\/R29vZ2xl\/AVvXsEgYsIQPdFpsDgrlMfp3Nibw1z5YxXUWpgXCcazW-57vC4y3Qg33909HNcg1pW_I0tBIX0uaU2gvaQq4njEQzkqz1VngH9tAfrGydhcAgTuz8vHUFEQ3oqfyah8Nj3uJPnNLr3EDtISpGBPLa6rMppxj7sIZKJeUbeT-r5ekfzQXhWoYvEj6QX7pENHzlKw\/w640-h496\/Dance%20of%20the%20elves%20and%20the%20fairies%20in%20a%20meadow%20in%20the%20twilight,%20by%20Nils%20Blomm%C3%A9r,%201850,%20Public%20Domain.jpg\" width=\"640\" \/\u003E\u003C\/a\u003E\u003C\/td\u003E\u003C\/tr\u003E\u003Ctr\u003E\u003Ctd class=\"tr-caption\" style=\"text-align: center;\"\u003EDance of the elves and the fairies in a meadow in the \ntwilight, by Nils Blommér, 1850. Source: National Museum, Sweden, Public\n Domain.\u003C\/td\u003E\u003C\/tr\u003E\u003C\/tbody\u003E\u003C\/table\u003E\u003Cp\u003EThese correlations across cultures suggest that the psychopomps of different religions are, in fact, the “faerie folk”. That’s right. The Valkyries were fairies. And, Hermes was an elf. That is why Hermes was said to be the inventor of music itself, and the designer of the lyre. That’s also the reason he was associated with fertility and healing.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EIn Christianity, the faerie folk came to be known as the “angels”, who served as the “intermediaries” between humans and God and as the “messengers” of God. Angels can also function as our personal “spirit guide” or “guardian angel”, and conduct the souls of the deceased to the otherworld. In Christian art, the angels have been depicted as human-like beings of extraordinary beauty, with wings and brilliant halos – just as the fairies used to be described by the earlier traditions. It is quite ironical, therefore, that the Church had instituted the brutal “witch hunt” in the medieval period to punish people for their belief in the fairies, even though the belief in “angels” was considered to be perfectly acceptable.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EOne of the questions that crossed my mind is, if psychopomps really escort the souls of the dead, then have they been mentioned in the voluminous reports of Near Death Experiences that are now available?\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003ENow, in general psychopomps are unlikely to be seen in NDEs, since they only said to conduct the souls of gallant heroes who have died in a righteous battle, and we surely can’t have too many NDEs of that kind. Moreover, in a NDE, the person does not really die for his or her time is not yet up. So, a psychopomp – who, presumably, keeps a good track of a person’s lifespan – doesn’t really have any need to make an appearance. Or does he?\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003EIn any case, I was curious if psychopomps or angels have been mentioned in NDEs and I came across a paper authored by Dr. Craig R. Lundahl of the Western New Mexico University, titled, \u003Ci\u003E“Angels in Near-Death Experiences”\u003C\/i\u003E.[3] Dr. Lundahl surveyed the published literature of NDE accounts and found a few mentions of angelic beings in NDEs.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EIn Moody's first case of a childhood NDE, a 9-year old boy was met on the other side by a group of angels whom he described as having no wings, glowing, and seeming to love him very much.\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EReferences to angels were mentioned in “Closer to the Light”, a book reporting the findings on childhood NDEs by Melvin Morse and Paul Perry (1990). In this book, Morse and Perry pointed out that many children describe guardian angels who are blond or “all white” who escort them to heaven. For instance, in her NDE, Katie, a 9-year old girl, met Elizabeth, who seemed to Katie to be a guardian angel. Katie entered a tunnel that opened, and through the tunnel came Elizabeth, described by Katie as tall and nice with bright, golden hair. Elizabeth accompanied Katie up the tunnel, where she saw her late grandfather and met several other people, including two new friends. Another child, Dean, had a NDE in which he was transported to heaven by an angel or someone whom he described as about seven feet tall with golden hair and wearing a long white gown with a simple belt tied at the waist.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EDr. Lundahl wrote that “beings of light” had been mentioned by adult near-death experiencers in Raymond Moody’s book “Life After Life” (1975). In that book, Moody wrote that the identification of these beings seemed to vary with the NDEr’s religious background. For example, Moody said, a Jewish person might identify the being of light as an angel, whereas a Christian person might identify the being as Christ. In many cases, the “beings of light” have been identified as a deceased family member such as a parent or grandparent.\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EThe number of cases in which angels have been specifically identified by adult NDErs are limited. In one NDE case identified by Dr. Lundahl, a woman experienced a complete life review, as she approached the bright light, which is one of the key features of a NDE. She recalls,\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp style=\"margin-left: 40px; text-align: left;\"\u003E“I experienced this judgment as I was nearing the bright light. Then I saw someone coming toward me, with many other people behind him. He was an angel who had come to get me. I don't know who he was, but he was someone who had always helped me. We had been familiar with one another for a very long time, and it would have been ridiculous to make an introduction at this point. I was excited and wanted to express my happiness at the relief I felt from the cares of the world, but I was told that I had made some promises and commitments and had been set apart to do some work before this world was. I had accepted a responsibility that would have a great missionary effect. (Sorensen and Willmore, 1988, pp. 89-95)”\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EIn another NDE account, a person was having an Out of Body Experience (OBE), which is the first stage of a NDE. He recalled floating in the air and seeing his own body lying lifeless on the bed. He felt perfectly natural in his new environment. He then said, \u0026nbsp;\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp style=\"margin-left: 40px; text-align: left;\"\u003E“While contemplating this new condition, some thing attracted my attention, and on turning around I beheld a personage, who said: \"You did not know that I was here.\" I replied: \"No, but I see you are. Who are you?\" \"I am your guardian angel; I have been following you constantly while on earth.\"\u003Cbr \/\u003EI asked: \"What will you do now?\" He replied: \"I am to report your presence, and you will remain here until I return.\" He informed me, on returning, that we should wait there, as my sister desired to see me, but was busy just at that time. Presently she came. (Johnson, 1920, p. 451)”\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EIn the two adult NDE cases, the guardian angels turned up to advise the person regarding the future course of action. The guardian angel, presumably, also serves as the psychopomp when a person actually dies. In case of the NDE accounts of children, psychopomps escorted the person through the tunnel. This tells us that psychopomps are more likely to turn up in a NDE and escort the soul through the tunnel, if the deceased person is a child. In case of adults, psychopomps or guardian angels are far less likely to appear, and even if they do so, they might simply advise the deceased to return to his or her body.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EThe ancient belief in psychopomps and spirit guides appear to be corroborated by NDE accounts, which suggests that these beliefs were not just fantasies or superstitions, but may be based on actual events that transpire after death, which, obviously would seem too incredulous to a modern society that has drifted far away from the wisdom of the ancients and are literally scared to death at the very though of death.\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EThis brings up another question: Could we be sharing our planet with various types of spirit beings having magical abilities, who used to be seen in a physical form in earlier times, but have now limited their interactions with us to simply being our spirit guides and psychopomps?\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EQuite possible, in my opinion. It is illogical to think that ancient societies around the world embarked on a grand conspiracy and invented the same kind of fairy tales, simply to fool the future historian. It is more likely that the nature of our reality was vastly different in the past, since inter-dimensional contacts were said to be a routine affair in the higher Ages of Man. Since we are currently on our way out of the Kali Yuga, our understanding of our reality is likely to undergo a drastic shift in the coming years.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cb\u003EReferences\u003C\/b\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E[1] Rice 1904, Sb.6, taken from \"HERO STONES IN MEDIEVAL KARNATAKA AND CHANGING PERCEPTIONS OF AFTERLIFE\", Kudoha Alumni March 14, 2018, https:\/\/kudohaalumni.wordpress.com\/2018\/03\/14\/hero-stones-in-medieval-karnataka-and-changing-perceptions-of-afterlife\/\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E[2] Arjan Sterken, \"Strangers in a Familiar Land The role of the Gandharvas in Vedic literature\", ResearchGate, January 2016, https:\/\/www.researchgate.net\/publication\/330667018\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E[3] Craig R. Lundahl, \"Angels in Near-Death Experiences\", Journal of Near-Death Studies, 11(1) Fall 1992.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cdiv class=\"separator\" style=\"clear: both; text-align: center;\"\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003C\/div\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E"},"link":[{"rel":"replies","type":"application/atom+xml","href":"https:\/\/www.bibhudevmisra.com\/feeds\/4753195052443727018\/comments\/default","title":"Post Comments"},{"rel":"replies","type":"text/html","href":"https:\/\/www.bibhudevmisra.com\/2025\/03\/the-hero-stones-of-ancient-india-and.html#comment-form","title":"0 Comments"},{"rel":"edit","type":"application/atom+xml","href":"https:\/\/www.blogger.com\/feeds\/6864653463177413678\/posts\/default\/4753195052443727018"},{"rel":"self","type":"application/atom+xml","href":"https:\/\/www.blogger.com\/feeds\/6864653463177413678\/posts\/default\/4753195052443727018"},{"rel":"alternate","type":"text/html","href":"https:\/\/www.bibhudevmisra.com\/2025\/03\/the-hero-stones-of-ancient-india-and.html","title":"Hero Stones of ancient India \u0026 their connection to Psychopomps and NDEs"}],"author":[{"name":{"$t":"Bibhu Dev Misra"},"uri":{"$t":"http:\/\/www.blogger.com\/profile\/15388473714672380058"},"email":{"$t":"noreply@blogger.com"},"gd$image":{"rel":"http://schemas.google.com/g/2005#thumbnail","width":"32","height":"28","src":"\/\/blogger.googleusercontent.com\/img\/b\/R29vZ2xl\/AVvXsEh4sklyRp_L5BfqEXTjoskgFPFYpJiNJSuDN5zrcldGBaXot626bOTu8q5TUYsip63M6EkY2JbuoE6l1N5fMKiqKfzFfaaKpqm91QZx9rMdAL3t-ju2QdYi1K-BeCJsjw\/s130\/DSCN1699.JPG"}}],"media$thumbnail":{"xmlns$media":"http://search.yahoo.com/mrss/","url":"https:\/\/blogger.googleusercontent.com\/img\/b\/R29vZ2xl\/AVvXsEgtRm4GS-RzMqjhO82u2CcdjFnHCtSo77Sjnox0BnPdFkKbXlM1In4_Ua9QVFHMEeurNBkqHcZIy_z-yfSGJOLATQ1x7h3D_vbpgGxZp8i-Uh-zANFpQBb74STXM9O-S1-6wFRJgH6c9qaawnYQ6l_xAEWB6Addtdgf4hfbYUZDe7flvqilMWD0GoLiP9A\/s72-c\/Hero%20stones%20Viragal%2010th%20century%20at%20Bandalike%20Trimurti%20Narayanagudi%20temple%20%20small.jpg","height":"72","width":"72"},"thr$total":{"$t":"0"}},{"id":{"$t":"tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6864653463177413678.post-525923549163224889"},"published":{"$t":"2025-02-25T22:28:00.006+05:30"},"updated":{"$t":"2025-08-02T12:44:33.541+05:30"},"category":[{"scheme":"http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#","term":"Article"},{"scheme":"http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#","term":"Yuga Cycle"}],"title":{"type":"text","$t":"26-Million-Year Cycle of Mass Extinctions \u0026 the Day and Night of Brahma"},"content":{"type":"html","$t":"\u003Cp\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cdiv class=\"separator\" style=\"clear: both; text-align: center;\"\u003E\u003Ca href=\"https:\/\/blogger.googleusercontent.com\/img\/b\/R29vZ2xl\/AVvXsEgixJrmtmZbLY0U7a1J8U32vU538EHA1eCZdP7MNqxDV7RTrLWPDN2h2_ir3GnJLGPGMmKKxTY5K4k1UphWyfAfW2virVUKH0tcIAQVP7wfmKtPoGJ6KRoU3nVLnpCFR-Dq3pRJrfNWS2ci3jc5y3C1P86sJ-HshUiKRam_g9bMIjOfQFtLyCNC499xBJM\/s700\/Mass%20Extinction%20small.jpg\" style=\"margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;\"\u003E\u003Cimg border=\"0\" data-original-height=\"377\" data-original-width=\"700\" height=\"172\" src=\"https:\/\/blogger.googleusercontent.com\/img\/b\/R29vZ2xl\/AVvXsEgixJrmtmZbLY0U7a1J8U32vU538EHA1eCZdP7MNqxDV7RTrLWPDN2h2_ir3GnJLGPGMmKKxTY5K4k1UphWyfAfW2virVUKH0tcIAQVP7wfmKtPoGJ6KRoU3nVLnpCFR-Dq3pRJrfNWS2ci3jc5y3C1P86sJ-HshUiKRam_g9bMIjOfQFtLyCNC499xBJM\/s320\/Mass%20Extinction%20small.jpg\" width=\"320\" \/\u003E\u003C\/a\u003E\u003C\/div\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u003Ci\u003ENote: This is an updated version of an earlier article that I had written about the connection between the Day and Night of Brahma and the cycle of mass extinctions.\u003C\/i\u003E \u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EThe idea that human civilization has been gradually evolving over time in a linear manner, is a relatively new concept that was formulated during the period of colonization. Nearly every ancient culture believed otherwise. They said that time moves in cycles, smaller and larger, and that our civilization has gone though innumerable ups and downs over eons.\u0026nbsp;\u003Cspan\u003E\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Ca name='more'\u003E\u003C\/a\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EWith the emergence of new scientific data, it is becoming increasingly obvious that the ancients knew what they were talking about, and we have been far too quick to denounce the collective wisdom of our ancestors as the flights of fancy of primitives.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EThe concept of the Yuga Cycle or the Great Year was known to most ancient cultures, and, as per this framework, we have devolved from an erstwhile Golden Age of illumination, harmony and abundance to the current age of greed and lies, discord and scarcity.\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EThe fundamental factor that differentiates a higher age from a lower one is the state of man’s consciousness. In a Golden Age, consciousness is so elevated and purified, that we can easily comprehend the mysteries of creation, and of our place in the wider scheme of things, and, thus, we are able to lead long lives in a state of joy, balance and harmony. Since the environment reflects our state of consciousness, there is fertility and abundance in the higher ages, and a lack of diseases and natural disasters.\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EBut as we devolve along the descending arc of the Yuga Cycle or Great Year, we move from soul consciousness to ego consciousness, accompanied by a degradation in our physical size and the external environment, which gradually leads to a burgeoning of violence, misery and discontent in society.\u0026nbsp; \u0026nbsp;\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EWhat is really striking is that, all of these claims are now being borne out by scientific findings from different disciplines. It turns out that, over the past 12,000 years of the descending arc of the Yuga Cycle, humans have shrunk in size by at least 10%, along with a corresponding decline in bone strength and athleticism. This has been accompanied by a 10% to 17% reduction in our cranial volume over the same period, which has not only diminished the average intellect, but reduced our memory and atrophied our sense of judgment and morality, along with a host of subtle mental abilities such as foresight, telepathy etc.\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EAnd to add to these surprising statistics, it turns out that, towards the end of the last Ice Age, there was no food scarcity or diseases, but as time went on, food sources became scarce, many kinds of diseases became endemic, and incidences of violent deaths increased substantially.\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EEverything that the ancients said about the Yuga Cycle or Great Year is now turning out to be facts, but why aren’t these statistics being discussed on mainstream media outlets? It’s because they run counter to the Darwinian myth of gradual evolution by natural selection that has been literally shoved down our throats and turned into an incontrovertible dogma.\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EVery few scientists, academics or media channels will dare to question Darwinism, for fear of getting ridiculed, denied funds or promotions, or even hounded out of their profession. Do not question the science, is the current science. This, unfortunately, is the insidious manner in which things work in the Kali Yuga, darkest age of human history.\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EIn my book, \u003Ca href=\"https:\/\/www.amazon.com\/YUGA-SHIFT-IMPENDING-PLANETARY-TRANSFORMATION\/dp\/B0CPJVYQG4\/ref=pd_ci_mcx_mh_mcx_views_0_image\" target=\"_blank\"\u003EYuga Shift\u003C\/a\u003E, I have presented what I believe is the original Yuga Cycle framework. It is of the same duration as the precessional cycle of the earth i.e. 25,800 years, and comprises an ascending cycle of consciousness and a descending cycle of consciousness, which are separated by two extended periods of transition that the Greeks called Kataklysmos (meaning “Deluge”) or the “great winter” of the Great Year, and Ekpyrosis (meaning “Conflagration”) or the “great summer” of the Great Year. It is the period of Ekpyrosis that we are heading towards, as the Kali Yuga and the entire descending cycle of consciousness comes to an end in 2025.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Ctable align=\"center\" cellpadding=\"0\" cellspacing=\"0\" class=\"tr-caption-container\" style=\"margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;\"\u003E\u003Ctbody\u003E\u003Ctr\u003E\u003Ctd style=\"text-align: center;\"\u003E\u003Ca href=\"https:\/\/blogger.googleusercontent.com\/img\/b\/R29vZ2xl\/AVvXsEiaSSdDSSMrcPvdicDh7Qg3W01jW7wwAgraCke1gqqRb1k8ZSOkPnSfa94nB2yDbh7NjRJ3ivy8COHnO9JgTUnDdZB7XNzeS8Fin-CdyuF7MpAS5O34PGG7fqa0EB-l9uKJbplr457Cc3uLj6Gu0Tww27_OCJzXBXZ06hBKTSBuV_tFZ7E6BuWPdHDZX0Q\/s1400\/39%20Yuga%20Cycle%2025800%20years2.jpg\" style=\"margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;\"\u003E\u003Cimg alt=\"The 25,800-year Yuga Cycle\" border=\"0\" data-original-height=\"1135\" data-original-width=\"1400\" height=\"518\" src=\"https:\/\/blogger.googleusercontent.com\/img\/b\/R29vZ2xl\/AVvXsEiaSSdDSSMrcPvdicDh7Qg3W01jW7wwAgraCke1gqqRb1k8ZSOkPnSfa94nB2yDbh7NjRJ3ivy8COHnO9JgTUnDdZB7XNzeS8Fin-CdyuF7MpAS5O34PGG7fqa0EB-l9uKJbplr457Cc3uLj6Gu0Tww27_OCJzXBXZ06hBKTSBuV_tFZ7E6BuWPdHDZX0Q\/w640-h518\/39%20Yuga%20Cycle%2025800%20years2.jpg\" width=\"640\" \/\u003E\u003C\/a\u003E\u003C\/td\u003E\u003C\/tr\u003E\u003Ctr\u003E\u003Ctd class=\"tr-caption\" style=\"text-align: center;\"\u003EThe 25,800-year Yuga Cycle. The ascending and descending \ncycles are separated by two extended periods of transition, called \nKataklysmos and Ekpyrosis. Credit: Bibhu Dev Misra.\u003C\/td\u003E\u003C\/tr\u003E\u003C\/tbody\u003E\u003C\/table\u003E\u003Ch2 style=\"text-align: left;\"\u003EA Day and Night of Brahma\u003C\/h2\u003E\u003Cp\u003EOne of the thoughts that come to mind when we think about the Yuga Cycle or the Cycle of the Ages is that, does it continue indefinitely, without any beginning or end, or is it part of an even larger cycle of time?\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EAs per the ancient Vedic texts, there is an even longer cycle of time called the “Day and Night of Brahma”, which extends for a whopping 25.8 million years! It consists of a “Day of Brahma” which extends for a thousand Yuga half-cycles of 12,900 years each, adding up to 12.9 million years. A “Day of Brahma” is followed by a “Night of Brahma” of equal duration. This cycle has been described in a number of Sanskrit texts.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EAs per the \u003Ci\u003EVishnu Purana\u003C\/i\u003E, at the beginning of a “Day of Brahma”, the world is created from unmanifested matter by Brahma, who is the pure, eternal, formless, consciousness, seated at the navel of the world. At the end of a “Day of Brahma”, the entire creation is destroyed and turns into a mighty, formless ocean. This is followed by a “Night of Brahma” when no life forms exist. The creative process begins once again at the beginning of the next “Day of Brahma”.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp style=\"margin-left: 40px; text-align: left;\"\u003E“At the end of this day (i.e. “Day of Brahma”) a dissolution of the universe occurs, when all the three worlds, earth, and the regions of space, are consumed with fire…When the-three worlds are but one mighty ocean, Brahma…satiate with the demolition of the universe, sleeps upon his serpent-bed…for a night of equal duration with his day (i.e. Night of Brahma); at the close of which he creates anew.”[1]\u0026nbsp; \u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EIn the \u003Ci\u003EBhagavad Gita\u003C\/i\u003E, Lord Krishna provides a specific value for the duration of the “Day and Night of Brahma”. \u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp style=\"margin-left: 40px; text-align: left;\"\u003E“Those who understand the cosmic laws know that the Day of Brahma ends after a thousand Yugas and the Night of Brahma ends after a thousand Yugas. When the Day of Brahma dawns, forms are brought forth from the Unmanifest; when the Night of Brahma comes, these forms merge in the Formless again. This multitude of beings is created and destroyed again and again in the succeeding days and nights of Brahma.”[2]\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EIt should be remembered here that, when the Sanskrit texts talk of the Yuga Cycle, they mean the Yuga half-cycle, which goes from Satya Yuga -\u0026gt; Treta Yuga -\u0026gt; Dwapara Yuga -\u0026gt; Kali Yuga, including the periods of transition between them.\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EA 1000 Yuga half-cycles is equivalent to 500 complete Yuga Cycles of 25,800 years each, which works out to 12.9 million years.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Ctable align=\"center\" cellpadding=\"0\" cellspacing=\"0\" class=\"tr-caption-container\" style=\"margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;\"\u003E\u003Ctbody\u003E\u003Ctr\u003E\u003Ctd style=\"text-align: center;\"\u003E\u003Ca href=\"https:\/\/blogger.googleusercontent.com\/img\/b\/R29vZ2xl\/AVvXsEjtcXb5M9QJc0cE_sosnSCA4jt7btB9Ls6N-RV7Pv7iq9e7C6zHVGE55sM2HapyUO4H3e3fZnP0DwGcJdq_aORSWY_uViAXr41dSUHvWWBY4UTmdk6WMd8f8YuxR8a1eHq8bAFNI-YfU8FriHVsLfIktiy3qoqCyD6AuHDfVe7jIdvSONsdczR4mon7uAI\/s1400\/Day%20and%20Night%20of%20Brahma1.jpg\" style=\"margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;\"\u003E\u003Cimg alt=\"A Day and Night of Brahma of 25.8 million years duration\" border=\"0\" data-original-height=\"1198\" data-original-width=\"1400\" height=\"548\" src=\"https:\/\/blogger.googleusercontent.com\/img\/b\/R29vZ2xl\/AVvXsEjtcXb5M9QJc0cE_sosnSCA4jt7btB9Ls6N-RV7Pv7iq9e7C6zHVGE55sM2HapyUO4H3e3fZnP0DwGcJdq_aORSWY_uViAXr41dSUHvWWBY4UTmdk6WMd8f8YuxR8a1eHq8bAFNI-YfU8FriHVsLfIktiy3qoqCyD6AuHDfVe7jIdvSONsdczR4mon7uAI\/w640-h548\/Day%20and%20Night%20of%20Brahma1.jpg\" width=\"640\" \/\u003E\u003C\/a\u003E\u003C\/td\u003E\u003C\/tr\u003E\u003Ctr\u003E\u003Ctd class=\"tr-caption\" style=\"text-align: center;\"\u003EA “Day and Night of Brahma” spans 25.8 million years, and \nconsists of a “Day of Brahma” of 12.9 million years and a “Night of \nBrahma” of equal duration. Credit: Bibhu Dev Misra.\u003C\/td\u003E\u003C\/tr\u003E\u003C\/tbody\u003E\u003C\/table\u003E\u003Cp\u003EA “Day of Brahma”, therefore, extends for 12.9 million years, during which time we experience a long sequence of 500 complete Yuga Cycles or 1000 Yuga half-cycles, and the earth is bustling with life and civilization. It is followed by a “Night of Brahma” of an equal duration of 12.9 million years, when all life is snuffed out, and the entire world exits as a giant, formless, lifeless ocean.\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EThus, the “Day and Night of Brahma” is a grand cosmic cycle of creation and dissolution spanning over of 25.8 million years. It is easy to see that the time period between two successive dissolution events in this cycle is 25.8 million years, which can be rounded off to 26 million years.\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003ENow, if a dissolution of life on a cosmic scale occurs every 26 million years, shouldn’t this fact be reflected in the fossil records of our planet?\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EAmazingly enough, this is exactly what has been indicated by recent paleontological evidence: \u003Cb\u003Eevery 26 million years there is a mass extinction of species on the earth!\u003C\/b\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Ch2 style=\"text-align: left;\"\u003EThe Mass Extinction Events\u003C\/h2\u003E\u003Cp\u003EAround 67 million years ago, the earth looked like a very different place. Enormous dinosaurs stalked the landscape, while massive avian reptiles patrolled the skies. But, then, something catastrophic happened, which changed things almost overnight. Nearly 66 million years ago the earth went through a period a rapid death, called a mass extinction, when more than 75% of all animal and plant species became extinct. Scientists now have evidence that the die-off was caused when an asteroid, about 10 kilometers in diameter, struck the earth at a speed of about 20 km\/sec and created the 200-km wide Chicxulub Crater in southeastern Mexico, releasing a billion times more energy than the atomic bombs dropped on Hiroshima.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Ctable align=\"center\" cellpadding=\"0\" cellspacing=\"0\" class=\"tr-caption-container\" style=\"margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;\"\u003E\u003Ctbody\u003E\u003Ctr\u003E\u003Ctd style=\"text-align: center;\"\u003E\u003Ca href=\"https:\/\/blogger.googleusercontent.com\/img\/b\/R29vZ2xl\/AVvXsEg6nacDAEIPvxc1qZ59QTPEmhCUh5sxJRp8HeSR1y639d3WnRkAig5Iw2r_7Mj217NdDL8Te3pd3Y2pN11YKlJD-UEEvBOwYOidOVgwc9JeUty4J6t2Q8CkusMXswnKS3byKfSqceGNmgnw0MB5q9unSC9K8p5jMCJRV7E4TJisgytCgAe5ZeCiarW1TMI\/s1400\/Dinosaur%20Extinction%20small.jpg\" style=\"margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;\"\u003E\u003Cimg border=\"0\" data-original-height=\"785\" data-original-width=\"1400\" height=\"358\" src=\"https:\/\/blogger.googleusercontent.com\/img\/b\/R29vZ2xl\/AVvXsEg6nacDAEIPvxc1qZ59QTPEmhCUh5sxJRp8HeSR1y639d3WnRkAig5Iw2r_7Mj217NdDL8Te3pd3Y2pN11YKlJD-UEEvBOwYOidOVgwc9JeUty4J6t2Q8CkusMXswnKS3byKfSqceGNmgnw0MB5q9unSC9K8p5jMCJRV7E4TJisgytCgAe5ZeCiarW1TMI\/w640-h358\/Dinosaur%20Extinction%20small.jpg\" width=\"640\" \/\u003E\u003C\/a\u003E\u003C\/td\u003E\u003C\/tr\u003E\u003Ctr\u003E\u003Ctd class=\"tr-caption\" style=\"text-align: center;\"\u003EThe extinction of the dinosaurs was caused by an asteroid \nimpact at the K-T boundary, nearly 66 million years ago. Source: Adobe \nStock.\u003C\/td\u003E\u003C\/tr\u003E\u003C\/tbody\u003E\u003C\/table\u003E\u003Cp\u003EThe impact generated hot winds and shock waves, and ejected a gigantic jet of molten material, several times hotter than the surface of the sun, which set fire to everything within a thousand miles. Measurements of the layer of ash and soot that eventually coated the Earth indicate that fires consumed about seventy per cent of the world’s forests. The collision triggered powerful earthquakes and spawned mega tsunamis, hundreds of feet tall. A model of the impact event developed by scientists at Los Alamos National Laboratory revealed that,\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp style=\"margin-left: 40px; text-align: left;\"\u003E“The dust and soot from the impact and the conflagrations prevented all sunlight from reaching the planet’s surface for months. Photosynthesis all but stopped, killing most of the plant life... After the fires died down, Earth plunged into a period of cold, perhaps even a deep freeze. Earth’s two essential food chains, in the sea and on land, collapsed. About seventy-five per cent of all species went extinct. \u003Ci\u003EMore than 99.9999 per cent of all living organisms on Earth died, and the carbon cycle came to a halt\u003C\/i\u003E.”[3]\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp style=\"text-align: left;\"\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp style=\"text-align: left;\"\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp style=\"text-align: left;\"\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp style=\"text-align: left;\"\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp style=\"text-align: left;\"\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp style=\"text-align: left;\"\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp style=\"text-align: left;\"\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp style=\"text-align: left;\"\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Ctable align=\"center\" cellpadding=\"0\" cellspacing=\"0\" class=\"tr-caption-container\" style=\"margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;\"\u003E\u003Ctbody\u003E\u003Ctr\u003E\u003Ctd style=\"text-align: center;\"\u003E\u003Ca href=\"https:\/\/blogger.googleusercontent.com\/img\/b\/R29vZ2xl\/AVvXsEiGwd04vFO3RXYgrk66js8zEJU5-LQnLRu4ECvVGjvg0vXQTUhA-65IwE148XyN6X8MkEi5GSYgsxsEZnFllfllpr7D8lR5iR-i-mUIyrafrwdjGfmlK3HNNzaOLyxw2S7g6Qj0SLmZoV7UJfUd-mvawRIA3K1HjuTBuZUeNZ0rI3-KN2acstquj87TyWA\/s1200\/asteroid%20impact%20small.jpg\" style=\"margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;\"\u003E\u003Cimg border=\"0\" data-original-height=\"800\" data-original-width=\"1200\" height=\"426\" src=\"https:\/\/blogger.googleusercontent.com\/img\/b\/R29vZ2xl\/AVvXsEiGwd04vFO3RXYgrk66js8zEJU5-LQnLRu4ECvVGjvg0vXQTUhA-65IwE148XyN6X8MkEi5GSYgsxsEZnFllfllpr7D8lR5iR-i-mUIyrafrwdjGfmlK3HNNzaOLyxw2S7g6Qj0SLmZoV7UJfUd-mvawRIA3K1HjuTBuZUeNZ0rI3-KN2acstquj87TyWA\/w640-h426\/asteroid%20impact%20small.jpg\" width=\"640\" \/\u003E\u003C\/a\u003E\u003C\/td\u003E\u003C\/tr\u003E\u003Ctr\u003E\u003Ctd class=\"tr-caption\" style=\"text-align: center;\"\u003EThe asteroid impact at the K-T boundary released a billion \ntimes more energy than the atomic bombs dropped on Hiroshima. Source: \nAdobe Stock.\u003C\/td\u003E\u003C\/tr\u003E\u003C\/tbody\u003E\u003C\/table\u003E\u003Cp\u003EIt is to be noted here that the impact event at the K-T boundary effectively killed off all the living organisms on our planet, even though the species die-off is estimated at roughly 75%. This is because some of the species that existed at that time, re-appeared in the fossil records at a later date, and therefore, is not considered to have gone extinct.\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EThe fiery cataclysm that led to the extinction of the dinosaurs’ is in perfect alignment with the description of the dissolution event that occurs at the end of a “Day of Brahma”, when all life forms on the earth are destroyed, and, as the \u003Ci\u003EVishnu Purana\u003C\/i\u003E states, “all the three worlds, earth, and the regions of space, are consumed with fire”.\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EEvidently, the ancient Vedic sages knew a thing or two about the true history of our planet!\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EMoreover, this is not the only mass extinction event that had occurred on our planet in the past. There are many more, and, quite surprisingly, they occur in a cyclical manner every 26 million years!\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EIn 1984, paleontologists David Raup and Jack Sepkoski of the University of Chicago identified a 26-million-year periodicity in extinction rates over the past 250 million years.[4] As part of a broad study of the distribution of marine life through geologic time, Sepkoski had prepared a listing of about a quarter of a million species of sea-dwelling creatures, both extinct and current, noting the point in time where they appeared and became extinct. The study was confined to marine organisms since the chances of finding fossils are much higher under the sea. The oceans are areas of net sedimentation, whereas land is an area of net erosion.\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EDavid Raup, a senior colleague at the University of Chicago, suggested to Sepkoski that he examine the list for any evidence of a pattern in the timing of the mass extinctions. Sepkoski decided to concentrate on the last 250 million years of geologic time and throw out animals whose exact timing of appearance and disappearance were debated. He was left with about 500 of his original 3,500 marine families (250,000 species).\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003ESepkoski put the data through a computer program and was surprised to find that life forms on Earth disappeared in great numbers every 26 million years. Both of them checked for errors and confirmed the pattern; life seemed to disappear drastically exactly every 26 million years. In their seminal paper, Raup and Sepkoski wrote:\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp style=\"margin-left: 40px; text-align: left;\"\u003E“The temporal distribution of the major extinctions over the past 250 million years has been investigated statistically using various forms of time series analysis. The analyzed record is based on variation in extinction intensity for fossil families of marine vertebrates, invertebrates, and protozoans, and contains 12 extinction events. The 12 events show a statistically significant periodicity (P \u0026lt;0.01) with a mean interval between events of 26 million years. Two of the events coincide with extinctions that have been previously linked to meteorite impacts (terminal Cretaceous and late Eocene). Although the causes of the periodicity are unknown, it is possible that they are related to extraterrestrial forces (solar, solar system, or galactic.)”\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Ctable align=\"center\" cellpadding=\"0\" cellspacing=\"0\" class=\"tr-caption-container\" style=\"margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;\"\u003E\u003Ctbody\u003E\u003Ctr\u003E\u003Ctd style=\"text-align: center;\"\u003E\u003Ca href=\"https:\/\/blogger.googleusercontent.com\/img\/b\/R29vZ2xl\/AVvXsEgmxzrPqB84Qm7zhgpSnbRjmr82fDLCDsDksikjti0lKFklPqq2sv872BjecvnuCYg0AWfZTJdcbHEYnDcOWPQJ7SFaPczGZqJD9M2-O-TDAmh9-oLII4mpiIvXYuBg0bGYtHPTROD7Q7BrV5anKKnyVw87b7zIE5EAH8CQ2Q58A72p2agHxvxFlSvl2pc\/s1400\/Raup%20Sepkoski%20mass%20extinction%20model%201.jpg\" style=\"margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;\"\u003E\u003Cimg alt=\"The 26 million year mass extinction cycle\" border=\"0\" data-original-height=\"960\" data-original-width=\"1400\" height=\"438\" src=\"https:\/\/blogger.googleusercontent.com\/img\/b\/R29vZ2xl\/AVvXsEgmxzrPqB84Qm7zhgpSnbRjmr82fDLCDsDksikjti0lKFklPqq2sv872BjecvnuCYg0AWfZTJdcbHEYnDcOWPQJ7SFaPczGZqJD9M2-O-TDAmh9-oLII4mpiIvXYuBg0bGYtHPTROD7Q7BrV5anKKnyVw87b7zIE5EAH8CQ2Q58A72p2agHxvxFlSvl2pc\/w640-h438\/Raup%20Sepkoski%20mass%20extinction%20model%201.jpg\" width=\"640\" \/\u003E\u003C\/a\u003E\u003C\/td\u003E\u003C\/tr\u003E\u003Ctr\u003E\u003Ctd class=\"tr-caption\" style=\"text-align: center;\"\u003EThe mass extinction data of the past 250 Myr shows that the \nextinction rate peaks every 26 million years. Source: Raup and Sepkoski \n(1984)\u003C\/td\u003E\u003C\/tr\u003E\u003C\/tbody\u003E\u003C\/table\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EThe mass extinction events are not selective at all, in the way Darwin had proposed. As per Darwinism, the evolutionary process is gradual, and life forms evolve slowly through a process of natural selection, in which the inferior life forms are eliminated since they are less suited in the struggle for existence. However, in case of a mass extinction, there is no way of knowing beforehand which species will survive the extinction event and which will die out. The process is entirely random.\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EIn a paper titled, “The Role of Extinction in Evolution” (1982), David Raup wrote,\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp style=\"margin-left: 40px; text-align: left;\"\u003E“The largest mass extinctions produce major restructuring of the biosphere wherein some successful groups are eliminated, allowing previously minor groups to expand and diversify…There is little evidence that extinction is selective in the positive sense argued by Darwin. It has generally been impossible to predict, before the fact, which species will be victims of an extinction event.”[5]\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EThe 26-million-year extinction cycle has, since then, been validated by a number of independent studies. In 2010, Adrian Melott and Richard Bambach identified a 27 Myr periodicity in the extinction data, extending over the past 500 million years. They wrote,\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp style=\"margin-left: 40px; text-align: left;\"\u003E“We examined periodicities in extinction over the last 500 million years, and concluded that a signal detected by Raup \u0026amp; Sepkoski (1984) was present in better resolved, more extensive current data, over a longer time period than they had originally claimed, and at a higher level of significance. The claimed period grew from 26 to 27 Myr, and is also now observed to extend over the entire 500 million years interval rather than just the last 250 million years, due to revisions in the geological timescale since the 1980s.”[6]\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Ch2 style=\"text-align: left;\"\u003EMass Extinctions and Impact Craters\u003C\/h2\u003E\u003Cp\u003EIt has become quite obvious over time that the primary triggers for the mass extinctions are impact events. In 1980, the father-son duo of the Nobel Prize-winning physicist Luis Alvarez and his son, the geologist Walter Alvarez, had inferred that the sudden extinction of dinosaurs at the K-T (Cretaceous–Tertiary) boundary, nearly 66 million years ago, was due to the impact of a large asteroid or comet.\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cdiv class=\"separator\" style=\"clear: both; text-align: center;\"\u003E\u003Ca href=\"https:\/\/blogger.googleusercontent.com\/img\/b\/R29vZ2xl\/AVvXsEhb0um97zicthe7X7fzKukmXmJB1wcIgP6dgxHp8G53jgXz91TGFPgxizWAjRtAv2igKrYWEHGJuQAEBZLLDZuDdx5BVheVxfpUbr4IpWThHSEnHg8b6WkfJI18y5afVNasI1vUseu53_d9y69HRudp0oxqtpBkZJm5a5lFQYpduvyvHAmBjX-viLt_fN4\/s1800\/Mass%20Extinction%20featured.jpg\" style=\"margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;\"\u003E\u003Cimg border=\"0\" data-original-height=\"970\" data-original-width=\"1800\" height=\"344\" src=\"https:\/\/blogger.googleusercontent.com\/img\/b\/R29vZ2xl\/AVvXsEhb0um97zicthe7X7fzKukmXmJB1wcIgP6dgxHp8G53jgXz91TGFPgxizWAjRtAv2igKrYWEHGJuQAEBZLLDZuDdx5BVheVxfpUbr4IpWThHSEnHg8b6WkfJI18y5afVNasI1vUseu53_d9y69HRudp0oxqtpBkZJm5a5lFQYpduvyvHAmBjX-viLt_fN4\/w640-h344\/Mass%20Extinction%20featured.jpg\" width=\"640\" \/\u003E\u003C\/a\u003E\u003C\/div\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003ELuis and Walter Alvarez had noticed that sedimentary layers all over the world at the K-T boundary contain a concentration of iridium many times greater than normal. Iridium is extremely rare in the earth's crust but is abundant in chondritic meteorites and asteroids. Moreover, the isotopic ratio of iridium in asteroids is similar to that seen in the K–T boundary layer.\u0026nbsp;\u003Cp\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EBased on this, the Alvarez team suggested that the iridium spike at the K-T boundary was of extraterrestrial origin and had settled out of a global dust cloud triggered by the impact of an asteroid, at least 10 km in diameter. While Alvarez’s theory was initially rejected by most paleontologists, the subsequent discovery and dating of the Chicxulub Crater in Mexico validated their findings and silenced the dissenters.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003ESince then, other scientists have found that the estimated ages of a number of impact craters coincide with the mass extinction events.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EIn the mid-1980s, cratering specialist Richard Grieve ran his list of well-dated impact craters through the computer at NASA’s Goddard Institute for Space Studies, and identified a crater periodicity of nearly 30 million years. Around the same time, Walter Alvarez and Richard Muller at UC Berkeley identified a 28 million-year cycle using a somewhat different set of craters.\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Ctable align=\"center\" cellpadding=\"0\" cellspacing=\"0\" class=\"tr-caption-container\" style=\"margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;\"\u003E\u003Ctbody\u003E\u003Ctr\u003E\u003Ctd style=\"text-align: center;\"\u003E\u003Ca href=\"https:\/\/blogger.googleusercontent.com\/img\/b\/R29vZ2xl\/AVvXsEjLJFVxiICxnRVP2uplypzb-w-IeZcu3OK-Wf0Wolg_VMBeAOFa6ApQcoD6jo1QtDNDoCJyINaTanABMGrCGzo0LopJbjMoCuWx87nlQbWAIBYrkjM3eh8dGtb5YDTuDVfCE8sultQRdPrqObKqJEemUmRM9ne4O76zPwCCMFqvcPyzYZDg4agr4l6a-Dk\/s1400\/Aerial%20Photograph%20of%20the%20Barringer%20Meteor%20Crater%20in%20Arizona,%20USA,%20LarryBloom%20CC%20BY%203%20edit.jpg\" style=\"margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;\"\u003E\u003Cimg border=\"0\" data-original-height=\"883\" data-original-width=\"1400\" height=\"404\" src=\"https:\/\/blogger.googleusercontent.com\/img\/b\/R29vZ2xl\/AVvXsEjLJFVxiICxnRVP2uplypzb-w-IeZcu3OK-Wf0Wolg_VMBeAOFa6ApQcoD6jo1QtDNDoCJyINaTanABMGrCGzo0LopJbjMoCuWx87nlQbWAIBYrkjM3eh8dGtb5YDTuDVfCE8sultQRdPrqObKqJEemUmRM9ne4O76zPwCCMFqvcPyzYZDg4agr4l6a-Dk\/w640-h404\/Aerial%20Photograph%20of%20the%20Barringer%20Meteor%20Crater%20in%20Arizona,%20USA,%20LarryBloom%20CC%20BY%203%20edit.jpg\" width=\"640\" \/\u003E\u003C\/a\u003E\u003C\/td\u003E\u003C\/tr\u003E\u003Ctr\u003E\u003Ctd class=\"tr-caption\" style=\"text-align: center;\"\u003EAn aerial photograph of the Barringer Meteor Crater in \nArizona, USA, which was created about 50,000 years ago. Credit: \nLarryBloom, CC BY 3.0 via Wikimedia Commons\u003C\/td\u003E\u003C\/tr\u003E\u003C\/tbody\u003E\u003C\/table\u003E\u003Cp\u003EIn 2015, Michael Rampino and his student Ken Caldeira studied more impact craters with improved crater-age data, and “found that craters and extinctions both seem to occur with the same 26 million-year cycle”.[7] Crater formation rate peaks close to the time of an extinction event, and some of the largest impact craters were formed during an extinction event.\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EClearly, the 26 million-year extinction cycle is a significant geological signal, which some scientists call the “geological heartbeat” of our planet.\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EIt is nothing short of astonishing that, such precise information about the 26-million-year mass extinction cycle has been specified in the Vedic texts. Of course, a couple of questions still need to be clarified.\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EThe Vedic doctrine claims that the earth remains entirely devoid of all life forms for the entire 12.9-million-year duration of the “Night of Brahma” that follows the extinction event. Do have any scientific evidence in support of this? As it turns out, there is. And more studies are arriving at the same conclusion.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Ctable align=\"center\" cellpadding=\"0\" cellspacing=\"0\" class=\"tr-caption-container\" style=\"margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;\"\u003E\u003Ctbody\u003E\u003Ctr\u003E\u003Ctd style=\"text-align: center;\"\u003E\u003Ca href=\"https:\/\/blogger.googleusercontent.com\/img\/b\/R29vZ2xl\/AVvXsEhfZljmASxxjMIr0MgqABnqV3iqanFYmm1emVQLjpS-m43Ia6jsaMiAOrF_EFhR0fCmxlAngWdcEsjeEydLPDNqzqRru3cp24JoyFcLyQrT6haA0GtzhXjCTBAPU6OXQ00Sq3chLTs46nZdP0EN3UkW1NdegCzhyphenhyphenDM1CPbo96lvzFcxxi2FqeZNo_KC3BM\/s1407\/Day%20and%20Night%20of%20Brahma.jpg\" style=\"margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;\"\u003E\u003Cimg alt=\"A Day and Night of Brahma\" border=\"0\" data-original-height=\"819\" data-original-width=\"1407\" height=\"372\" src=\"https:\/\/blogger.googleusercontent.com\/img\/b\/R29vZ2xl\/AVvXsEhfZljmASxxjMIr0MgqABnqV3iqanFYmm1emVQLjpS-m43Ia6jsaMiAOrF_EFhR0fCmxlAngWdcEsjeEydLPDNqzqRru3cp24JoyFcLyQrT6haA0GtzhXjCTBAPU6OXQ00Sq3chLTs46nZdP0EN3UkW1NdegCzhyphenhyphenDM1CPbo96lvzFcxxi2FqeZNo_KC3BM\/w640-h372\/Day%20and%20Night%20of%20Brahma.jpg\" width=\"640\" \/\u003E\u003C\/a\u003E\u003C\/td\u003E\u003C\/tr\u003E\u003Ctr\u003E\u003Ctd class=\"tr-caption\" style=\"text-align: center;\"\u003EThe mass extinction event and rapid speciation event occurring\n in a “Day and Night of Brahma”, as per the Vedic texts. Credit: Bibhu \nDev Misra\u003C\/td\u003E\u003C\/tr\u003E\u003C\/tbody\u003E\u003C\/table\u003E\u003Ch2 style=\"text-align: left;\"\u003EThe Night of Brahma\u003C\/h2\u003E\u003Cp\u003EIn May 2012, an article in Nature Geoscience written by Dr. Zhong-Qiang Chen of the China University of Geosciences in Wuhan and Professor Michael Benton of the University of Bristol, stated that it took nearly 10 million years for life forms to appear after the end-Permian mass extinction event 250 million years ago, which had wiped out nearly 90% of all living species.[8] \u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EAs per the scientists, two factors could have delayed the appearance of new life forms:\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Col style=\"text-align: left;\"\u003E\u003Cli\u003EThe sheer intensity of the crisis\u003C\/li\u003E\u003Cli\u003EThe continuing grim conditions on earth after the first wave of extinction.[9]\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/li\u003E\u003C\/ol\u003E\u003Cp\u003EProfessor Michael Benton wrote that, “in this most devastating case, life did recover, after many millions of years, and new groups emerged. The event had re-set evolution.”[10]\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EAnother study conducted in 2019 found that it takes at least ten million years before the diversity of a species achieves a similar level to that seen before the mass extinction event.[11] Dr. Lowery and Dr. Fraass studied foram fossils for a time period covering roughly 20 million years, from the end of the Cretaceous mass extinction (66 million years ago) and extending through the ensuing recovery, to determine how long it took these minibeasts to recover their species diversity. Dr. Lowery and Dr. Fraass concluded that it took \u003Ci\u003Eat least ten million years for foram species diversity to recover.\u003C\/i\u003E[12]\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EThese studies confirm that, in general, it takes around 10 million years or more for life forms to emerge and global biodiversity to recover, after a mass extinction event. This confirms what Vedic sages said about the “Night of Brahma” being a time when the earth is devoid of life forms.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EThe other question that was on my mind is this: As per the Vedic doctrine, life forms arise very quickly after a “Night of Brahma” ends, and the next “Day of Brahma” begins. Now, does this really happen? Do we see a sudden emergence of life forms after a mass extinction event, or do they appear gradually through a process of natural selection extending over millions of years, as Darwin had proposed?\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Ch2 style=\"text-align: left;\"\u003EPunctuated Equilibrium\u003C\/h2\u003E\u003Cp\u003EDarwin’s theory that new species arise by the slow and steady transformation of entire populations is not reflected in the fossil records. If this were true, then a continuous sequence of “intermediate forms”, showing incremental changes on the way to a new species, should have been found in the rock strata. Unfortunately, intermediate forms connecting species have never been identified.\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EThe absence of “missing links” had also concerned Darwin, who attributed it to the imperfections of the geological record. In the \u003Ci\u003EOrigin of Species\u003C\/i\u003E, Darwin wrote, \u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp style=\"margin-left: 40px; text-align: left;\"\u003E“Why then is not every geological formation and every stratum full of such intermediate links? Geology assuredly does not reveal any such finely graduated organic chain; and this, perhaps, is the most obvious and gravest objection which can be urged against my theory.”[13] \u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp style=\"margin-left: 40px; text-align: left;\"\u003E“The geological record is extremely imperfect and this fact will to a large extent explain why we do not find interminable varieties, connecting together all the extinct and existing forms of life by the finest graduated steps. He who rejects these views on the nature of the geological record will rightly reject my whole theory. ”[14]\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EIn 1972, Harvard University paleontologists Stephen Jay Gould and Niles Eldredge wrote their seminal paper titled, “Punctuated Equilibria: an alternative to phyletic gradualism”, in which they argued that the fossil record is not imperfect, as claimed by Darwinists. The many breaks in the fossil records are real, and they express how evolution occurs. The absence of transitional forms implies that evolution does not occur by the slow and gradual transformation of a species.\u0026nbsp; \u0026nbsp;\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp style=\"margin-left: 40px; text-align: left;\"\u003E“Under the influence of phyletic gradualism, the rarity of transitional series remains as our persistent bugbear…Many breaks in the fossil record are real; they express the way in which evolution occurs, not the fragments of an imperfect record. The sharp break in a local column accurately records what happened in that area through time.”[15]\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp style=\"margin-left: 40px; text-align: left;\"\u003E“Although phyletic gradualism prevails as a picture for the origin of new species in paleontology, very few classic examples purport to document it. A few authors have offered a simple a literal interpretation of this situation: in-situ, gradual, progressive evolutionary change is a rare phenomenon. But we usually explain the paucity of cases by a nearly ritualized invocation of the inadequacy of the fossil record.”[16]\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EGould and Eldredge proposed the theory of Punctuated Equilibrium to explain what is really happening in the fossil records. They said that, the fossil records show long periods of stasis or equlibrium, extending for millions of years, during which time there is little or no evolutionary change, which are punctuated by rapid, episodic periods of speciation, occurring within the space of a few thousand years.\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EGould provided further clarification in his article titled, “Evolution’s Erratic Pace (1977)”, in which he wrote that, in any local area, “a species does not arise gradually by the steady transformation of its ancestors; it appears all at once and fully formed”[17]. Once a species appears, it undergoes very little or no evolutionary change for millions of years. Most species, “appear in the fossil record looking much the same as when they disappear; morphological change is usually limited and directionless.”[18] \u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp style=\"text-align: left;\"\u003EGould berated the paleontological community for being so heavily influenced by Darwin’s theory of gradual evolution, that they did not notice the obvious patterns in the fossil records.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp style=\"margin-left: 40px; text-align: left;\"\u003E“The extreme rarity of transitional forms in the fossil record persists as the trade secret of paleontology…Paleontologists have paid an exorbitant price for Darwin's argument. We fancy ourselves as the only true students of life's history, yet to preserve our favored account of evolution by natural selection we view our data as so bad that we never see the very process we profess to study.”[19] \u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EGould was one of the most influential and widely read authors of popular science of his generation. He wrote 300 popular essays in the Natural History magazine, for both specialists and non-specialists. In April 2000, the US Library of Congress named him a “Living Legend”. Throughout his career, Gould insisted that the gradualistic models of evolution are simply not reflected in the fossil records, and there is a strong tendency within the scientific community to restrict their thinking within certain belief systems.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EIn the essay, “Darwin's Untimely Burial” (1976), Gould gave vent to his frustration when he wrote that, “I am a strong advocate of the general argument that “truth” as preached by scientists often turns out to be no more than prejudice inspired by prevailing social and political beliefs.”[20] \u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EIn “The Return of Hopeful Monsters” (1977), he wrote that, “all paleontologists know that the fossil record contains precious little in the way of intermediate forms; transitions between major groups are characteristically abrupt.” And then, in the essay titled, “Is a new and general theory of evolution emerging?” (1980), Gould reiterated the obvious flaws in the Darwinian model of evolution: \u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp style=\"margin-left: 40px; text-align: left;\"\u003E“The absence of fossil evidence for intermediary stages between major transitions in organic design, indeed our inability, even in our imagination, to construct functional intermediates in many cases, has been a persistent and nagging problem for gradualistic accounts of evolution.”[21]\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EThe truth is that, when we go purely by the fossil records – leaving aside all theories and speculations - what we see are rapid bursts of speciation and not long-drawn-out gradual accumulation of small variations.\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EGould’s Harvard colleague, Niles Eldredge, estimated that the rapid periods of evolutionary change, “took something between 5,000 and 50,000 years—a mere blink of an eye geologically speaking.”[22]\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EIt is equally fascinating that this estimate is very close to the value mentioned in the \u003Ci\u003ESurya Siddhanta\u003C\/i\u003E, which is the oldest astronomical treatise of India. The text states: “One hundred times four hundred and seventy four years passed while the All-Wise was employed in creating the animate and inanimate creation, plants, stars, gods, demons and the rest.”[23]\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EThis means, the entire creative process (possibly at the beginning of the current Day of Brahma) took 47,400 years, which falls in the range of values found by Eldredge i.e. between 5000 – 50,000 years.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Ch2 style=\"text-align: left;\"\u003EOscillations in Morphology\u003C\/h2\u003E\u003Cp\u003EOnce speciation is completed, every species remains amazingly stable for millions of years. That does not mean that they do not change at all. In his study of Devonian trilobites, which lived between 380-375 million years ago, Eldredge had found that, once a new species appeared, they persisted for millions of years with very little morphological change. \u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp style=\"margin-left: 40px; text-align: left;\"\u003E“There were some oscillations in morphology, so species weren’t completely invariant, but the net sum of any changes usually tended to cancel out, leading to no net change.”[24]\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EGould, by the way, had also found very similar patterns in his studies that focused on fossil land snails from the genus Poecilozonites that lived a few hundred thousand years ago during the Pleistocene.[25]\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EI was amazed to know of these findings, because this is precisely what I had discovered in course of my explorations into the Yuga Cycle. In \u003Ca href=\"https:\/\/www.amazon.com\/YUGA-SHIFT-IMPENDING-PLANETARY-TRANSFORMATION\/dp\/B0CPJVYQG4\/ref=pd_ci_mcx_mh_mcx_views_0_image\" target=\"_blank\"\u003EYuga Shift\u003C\/a\u003E, I had proposed, based on ample data points, that, both human cranial volume as well as physical size fluctuates in a sinusoidal manner over a 25,800-year precession cycle, without a net increase or decrease in any direction. I had written that this oscillation must have been going on over the past 2 million-odd years of human evolution.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Ctable align=\"center\" cellpadding=\"0\" cellspacing=\"0\" class=\"tr-caption-container\" style=\"margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;\"\u003E\u003Ctbody\u003E\u003Ctr\u003E\u003Ctd style=\"text-align: center;\"\u003E\u003Ca href=\"https:\/\/blogger.googleusercontent.com\/img\/b\/R29vZ2xl\/AVvXsEh5XFDIBXocSbZAi1mD3azlZqVEi7Pp0smhQxQHxlOiqol6NkWxeX0x6Z3sUNGuj8XX9K4a01Hpifn9jqcGjbuGytshfH1tNQa845S8SrysyB9lm6zOEE_RWz8zTeJXasKL4fBDxkUVmN8ZGoFwKMJwZVJ92BJcsO_qiBhfctr9rRsOcm8iQJsnMHdOh2o\/s1400\/40%20Cranial%20Volume%20Fluctuation%20Yuga%20Cycle%2025800%20years.jpg\" style=\"margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;\"\u003E\u003Cimg border=\"0\" data-original-height=\"690\" data-original-width=\"1400\" height=\"316\" src=\"https:\/\/blogger.googleusercontent.com\/img\/b\/R29vZ2xl\/AVvXsEh5XFDIBXocSbZAi1mD3azlZqVEi7Pp0smhQxQHxlOiqol6NkWxeX0x6Z3sUNGuj8XX9K4a01Hpifn9jqcGjbuGytshfH1tNQa845S8SrysyB9lm6zOEE_RWz8zTeJXasKL4fBDxkUVmN8ZGoFwKMJwZVJ92BJcsO_qiBhfctr9rRsOcm8iQJsnMHdOh2o\/w640-h316\/40%20Cranial%20Volume%20Fluctuation%20Yuga%20Cycle%2025800%20years.jpg\" width=\"640\" \/\u003E\u003C\/a\u003E\u003C\/td\u003E\u003C\/tr\u003E\u003Ctr\u003E\u003Ctd class=\"tr-caption\" style=\"text-align: center;\"\u003EThe cranial volume of Homo sapiens fluctuates over the \n25,800-year Yuga Cycle or Precession Cycle. Credit: Bibhu Dev Misra.\u003C\/td\u003E\u003C\/tr\u003E\u003C\/tbody\u003E\u003C\/table\u003E\u003Cp\u003EAnd now it turns out that the “oscillations in morphology” occur not only in case of humans, but is a characteristic feature of the entire animal kingdom! All species increase and decrease in size and cranial capacity in a sinusoidal manner over the entire “Day of Brahma” of 12.9 million years, spanning 500 complete Yuga Cycles.\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EThis is why the Ice Age megafauna were so much bigger than the animals of today. It’s a recurring pattern of nature!\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EEvery assertion of the Vedic texts with respect to the “Day and Night of Brahma” has now been detected in the fossil records. It is not an approximate correlation, but an almost exact match. Let me recapitulate the important connections: \u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cul style=\"text-align: left;\"\u003E\u003Cli\u003EThe fossil records show that a mass extinction of species occurs every 26 million years, while the Vedic texts claim that all life on the earth is extinguished at the end of a “Day of Brahma”, every 26 million years.\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/li\u003E\u003Cli\u003EThe fossil records show that it takes 10 million years or more for new life forms to emerge and for global biodiversity to recover, after a mass extinction event. The Vedic texts claim that the earth remains in a lifeless state during the “Night of Brahma”, which extends for 13 million years after an extinction event.\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/li\u003E\u003Cli\u003EThe fossil records show that new species appear in rapid, episodic bursts, in a fully formed state. The rapid speciation events are completed within 5,000 - 50,000 years. The Vedic texts claim that new life forms arise on the earth as soon as a new “Day of Brahma” dawns, and it takes nearly 47,400 years for all living entities to be created.\u003C\/li\u003E\u003C\/ul\u003E\u003Cp\u003EThe fossil records are in perfect alignment with every element of the doctrine of the “Day and Night of Brahma”. This is yet another indication of the profound knowledge of the vast time cycles that our ancestors had possessed, and they passed them down to us in simple verses, although, sometimes they also employed metaphors and symbolic imageries to drive home the point and aid in memorization.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EFor instance, the events that occur in course of a “Day and Night of Brahma” has also been metaphorically described as the “breathing in and out of Brahma”. When Brahma breathes out, life forms get dispersed across the cosmos, and when he breathes in, life forms return to the source and the cosmos becomes lifeless.\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EIn \u003Ca href=\"https:\/\/www.amazon.com\/YUGA-SHIFT-IMPENDING-PLANETARY-TRANSFORMATION\/dp\/B0CPJVYQG4\/ref=pd_ci_mcx_mh_mcx_views_0_image\" target=\"_blank\"\u003EYuga Shift\u003C\/a\u003E, I have proposed that the unmanifested, creative principle, that the Vedic sages called Brahma, refers to the central black hole of the Milky Way galaxy, which, as most scientists agree, acts as the central engine of our galaxy. \u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Ch2 style=\"text-align: left;\"\u003EWhen does the current Day of Brahma end?\u003C\/h2\u003E\u003Cp\u003EIn case you are wondering when the current “Day of Brahma” will come to a cataclysmic end, you can rest easy, for it is still a very long way off. The last mass extinction event was the “Middle Miocene Disruption” which occurred around 14.8 Mya (Million years ago). This means that the current “Day of Brahma” started 12.9 Myr later, at around 1.9 Mya.\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003ENot surprisingly, the earliest fossil remains of the genus Homo (to which our own species Homo sapiens belongs) started appearing around the same time. The oldest hominin fossils are those of Homo habilis, dated to around 1.9 Mya. H. habilis cranial volume fluctuated between 500 cc – 800 cc over the course of its presence in the fossil records till around 1.5 Mya. The bipedal, erect walking, Homo erectus appears in the fossil records from 1.7 Mya till around 250,000 years ago. H. erectus shows a fluctuation in cranial volume between 850 – 1200 cc.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003ESince the current “Day of Brahma” started around 1.9 Mya, the next cosmic dissolution event is nearly 11 million years away. So we can safely take it off our calendar for now. It is not cosmic dissolution that should worry us, but the impending transition out of the Kali Yuga in 2025, which is likely to be very turbulent.\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EThere is no doubt that our ancestors had a very sophisticated understanding of the vast cycles of time that regulate life and civilization on our planet. Unfortunately, this wisdom was gradually forgotten, as we devolved along the descending arc of the Yuga Cycle. The scientific advances of the past couple of centuries is now helping us to uncover the true significance of these ancient doctrines.\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EHowever, in general, the attitude of scientists and academics towards the ancient cultures continues to remain dismissive. The problem is that, once we become indoctrinated with a specific belief system since childhood, it becomes extremely difficult to dislodge it, even with the aid of voluminous amounts of scientific data. Unless we adopt an attitude of respect towards the ancient civilizations, we will continue to remain oblivious to the grand stores of wisdom that have been encoded into their sacred texts, symbols and magnificent archaeological monuments.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cb\u003EReferences\u003C\/b\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E[1] The Vishnu Purana 1.3, tr. by Horace Hayman Wilson, 1840, https:\/\/sacred-texts.com\/hin\/vp\/vp037.htm\u003Cbr \/\u003E[2] The Bhagavad Gita 8.17-8.20 tr. Eknath Easwaran, Penguin Books, 1996.\u003Cbr \/\u003E[3] Douglas Preston, The Day the Dinosaurs Died, The New Yorker, 29 March 2019, https:\/\/www.newyorker.com\/magazine\/2019\/04\/08\/the-day-the-dinosaurs-died\u003Cbr \/\u003E[4] Raup and Sepkoski, Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci. USA, 81(1984): 801-805 \u003Cbr \/\u003E[5] D M Raup, “The role of extinction in evolution”, PNAS 91 (1994): 6758-6763.\u003Cbr \/\u003E[6] Adrian L. Melott and Richard K. Bambach, \"DO PERIODICITIES IN EXTINCTION—WITH POSSIBLE ASTRONOMICAL CONNECTIONS—SURVIVE A REVISION OF THE GEOLOGICAL TIMESCALE?\",\u0026nbsp; The Astrophysical Journal, 2013, Volume 773, Number 1\u003Cbr \/\u003E[7] Michael R. Rampino, \"Dark matter’s shadowy effect on Earth\", Astronomy.com July 31, 2019, https:\/\/astronomy.com\/magazine\/2019\/07\/dark-matters--shadowy-effect--on-earth\u003Cbr \/\u003E[8] Zhong-Qiang Chen, Michael J. Benton, “The timing and pattern of biotic recovery following the end-Permian mass extinction” Nature Geoscience, 2012, DOI: 10.1038\/ngeo1475\u003Cbr \/\u003E[9] University of Bristol, “It took Earth ten million years to recover from greatest mass extinction” ScienceDaily, 27 May 2012, www.sciencedaily.com\/releases\/2012\/05\/120527153810.htm\u003Cbr \/\u003E10 Ibid\u003Cbr \/\u003E[11] Christopher M. Lowery and Andrew J. Fraass, “Morphospace expansion paces taxonomic diversification after end Cretaceous mass extinction”, Nature Ecology \u0026amp; Evolution, 9 April 2019, DOI:10.1038\/s41559-019-0835-0\u003Cbr \/\u003E[12] GrrlScientist, “Appearance Of New Species After Mass Extinction Has Evolutionary 'Speed Limit'”, Forbes Apr 13, 2019, https:\/\/www.forbes.com\/sites\/grrlscientist\/2019\/04\/13\/appearance-of-new-species-after-mass-extinction-has-evolutionary-speed-limit\/?sh=7a3c6dfa525b\u003Cbr \/\u003E[13] Charles Darwin, Origin of Species (1859) 280\u003Cbr \/\u003E[14] Charles Darwin, Origin of Species (1859) 342\u003Cbr \/\u003E[15] Gould, S. J. and Eldredge, N., “Punctuated equilibria: an alternative to phyletic gradualism” Models in paleobiology ed. Schopf, TJM Freeman (San Francisco: Cooper \u0026amp; Co, 1972) pp. 82-115\u003Cbr \/\u003E[16] Ibid\u003Cbr \/\u003E[17] Ibid\u003Cbr \/\u003E[18] Gould, S.J, \"Evolution's Erratic Pace\", Natural History 86 (1977): 14\u003Cbr \/\u003E[19] Gould, S. J., 1977, “Evolution’s erratic pace” Natural History, 86(1977):14\u003Cbr \/\u003E[20] Stephen Jay Gould, \"Darwin's Untimely Burial,\" Natural History 85 (1976): 24-30\u003Cbr \/\u003E[21] Gould, S. J , “Is a new and general theory of evolution emerging?” Paleobiology 6 (1980):119–130.\u003Cbr \/\u003E[22] Eldredge, N. The Early “Evolution” of “Punctuated Equilibria”. Evo Edu Outreach 1, 107–113 (2008). https:\/\/doi.org\/10.1007\/s12052-008-0032-0\u003Cbr \/\u003E[23] Surya-Siddhanta: A text-book of Hindu astronomy, trans. Ebenezer Burgess, Phanindralal Gangooly (Motilal Banarsidass Publ., 1989) chapter 1, p 13.\u003Cbr \/\u003E[24] \"Punctuated equilibrium and stasis\", Digital Atlas of Ancient Life, Paleontological Research Institution, https:\/\/www.digitalatlasofancientlife.org\/learn\/evolution\/punctuated-equilibrium-and-stasis\/\u003Cbr \/\u003E[25] \"Punctuated equilibrium and stasis\", Digital Atlas of Ancient Life, Paleontological Research Institution, https:\/\/www.digitalatlasofancientlife.org\/learn\/evolution\/punctuated-equilibrium-and-stasis\/\u003C\/p\u003E"},"link":[{"rel":"replies","type":"application/atom+xml","href":"https:\/\/www.bibhudevmisra.com\/feeds\/525923549163224889\/comments\/default","title":"Post Comments"},{"rel":"replies","type":"text/html","href":"https:\/\/www.bibhudevmisra.com\/2025\/02\/the-26-million-year-cycle-of-mass.html#comment-form","title":"2 Comments"},{"rel":"edit","type":"application/atom+xml","href":"https:\/\/www.blogger.com\/feeds\/6864653463177413678\/posts\/default\/525923549163224889"},{"rel":"self","type":"application/atom+xml","href":"https:\/\/www.blogger.com\/feeds\/6864653463177413678\/posts\/default\/525923549163224889"},{"rel":"alternate","type":"text/html","href":"https:\/\/www.bibhudevmisra.com\/2025\/02\/the-26-million-year-cycle-of-mass.html","title":"26-Million-Year Cycle of Mass Extinctions \u0026 the Day and Night of Brahma"}],"author":[{"name":{"$t":"Bibhu Dev Misra"},"uri":{"$t":"http:\/\/www.blogger.com\/profile\/15388473714672380058"},"email":{"$t":"noreply@blogger.com"},"gd$image":{"rel":"http://schemas.google.com/g/2005#thumbnail","width":"32","height":"28","src":"\/\/blogger.googleusercontent.com\/img\/b\/R29vZ2xl\/AVvXsEh4sklyRp_L5BfqEXTjoskgFPFYpJiNJSuDN5zrcldGBaXot626bOTu8q5TUYsip63M6EkY2JbuoE6l1N5fMKiqKfzFfaaKpqm91QZx9rMdAL3t-ju2QdYi1K-BeCJsjw\/s130\/DSCN1699.JPG"}}],"media$thumbnail":{"xmlns$media":"http://search.yahoo.com/mrss/","url":"https:\/\/blogger.googleusercontent.com\/img\/b\/R29vZ2xl\/AVvXsEgixJrmtmZbLY0U7a1J8U32vU538EHA1eCZdP7MNqxDV7RTrLWPDN2h2_ir3GnJLGPGMmKKxTY5K4k1UphWyfAfW2virVUKH0tcIAQVP7wfmKtPoGJ6KRoU3nVLnpCFR-Dq3pRJrfNWS2ci3jc5y3C1P86sJ-HshUiKRam_g9bMIjOfQFtLyCNC499xBJM\/s72-c\/Mass%20Extinction%20small.jpg","height":"72","width":"72"},"thr$total":{"$t":"2"}},{"id":{"$t":"tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6864653463177413678.post-7096797123787606389"},"published":{"$t":"2025-02-07T16:08:00.009+05:30"},"updated":{"$t":"2025-08-02T12:45:12.428+05:30"},"category":[{"scheme":"http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#","term":"Article"},{"scheme":"http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#","term":"Yuga Cycle"}],"title":{"type":"text","$t":"The Sioux Prophecy of the White Buffalo Calf Woman came true in 2024"},"content":{"type":"html","$t":"\u003Cp\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cdiv class=\"separator\" style=\"clear: both; text-align: center;\"\u003E\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/div\u003E\u003Cdiv class=\"separator\" style=\"clear: both; text-align: center;\"\u003E\u003Cdiv class=\"separator\" style=\"clear: both; text-align: center;\"\u003E\u003Ca href=\"https:\/\/blogger.googleusercontent.com\/img\/b\/R29vZ2xl\/AVvXsEgX-iXBNRT89s1kERq0tb3VKmwqw7_d-ZAvC55c_AMvx0981XcL1C7CPgzn3NuGQoUEVHJx5gxEWrCesLJhe7sLh8eke9gYb20LT3byrtmwk5uayvq0eGoF_drazGhpyHdPBmKWDpr9fCWp1T_neGyHZQAhwF4qujXZDbE-7m4BVcNlQIwxBJX8m_-jZ-8\/s800\/White%20Buffalo%20Calf%20woman%20featured%20small.jpg\" style=\"margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;\"\u003E\u003Cimg border=\"0\" data-original-height=\"499\" data-original-width=\"800\" height=\"200\" src=\"https:\/\/blogger.googleusercontent.com\/img\/b\/R29vZ2xl\/AVvXsEgX-iXBNRT89s1kERq0tb3VKmwqw7_d-ZAvC55c_AMvx0981XcL1C7CPgzn3NuGQoUEVHJx5gxEWrCesLJhe7sLh8eke9gYb20LT3byrtmwk5uayvq0eGoF_drazGhpyHdPBmKWDpr9fCWp1T_neGyHZQAhwF4qujXZDbE-7m4BVcNlQIwxBJX8m_-jZ-8\/s320\/White%20Buffalo%20Calf%20woman%20featured%20small.jpg\" width=\"320\" \/\u003E\u003C\/a\u003E\u003C\/div\u003E\u003Cdiv style=\"text-align: left;\"\u003E\u003Ci\u003ENote: This article was first published on Mysterious Universe (https:\/\/mysteriousuniverse.org\/)\u003C\/i\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003C\/div\u003E \u003C\/div\u003E\u003Cp\u003ESacred, ancient, prophecies do not come true every year; but when one of them do, it is a cause for introspection and quiet reflection. And, maybe, just a little bit of freaking out as well. The prophecy that I am talking about is the Sioux prophecy of the White Buffalo Calf Woman that came true, quite unexpectedly, in the month of June, 2024. The news received widespread coverage on both mainstream and social media, which prompted me to explore the possible implications of this event for our out-of-balance world.\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Ca name='more'\u003E\u003C\/a\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EThe Sioux tribes of North America live in the Great Plains around the Lake Superior, and are composed of two linguistic groups – the Lakota and Dakota. It is no secret that the lives of the Native American tribes were inextricably linked with the buffalo, which provided them with food, clothing, habitat and nearly every material need. That’s the reason why, their ancient legends and sacred prophecies are also intimately related to the buffalo.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003ELike so many other ancient cultures, the Sioux people also believe in a Cycle of Four Ages, in course of which there is a gradual deterioration in our morals and environment. They say that, at the beginning of the current Cycle of Four Ages, a buffalo was placed in the west in order to hold back the waters that inundate the earth at the end of every cycle. Every year, the buffalo loses a hair, and at the end of an Age he loses a leg. When all its hair and the four legs are gone, the waters will rush in and the Cycle of Four Ages will come to a rather watery end.\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EInterestingly, as per their beliefs, the buffalo is now nearly bald and is standing on only one leg. Which means that the end of the Cycle of Four Ages, is not far away.[1] We are living in a world that is teetering at the brink of a major transformation! But when exactly will this cycle come to end? What kind of signs, if any, will appear beforehand to warn us of the impending changes, and provide guidance for the great shift? This is precisely where the prophecy of the White Buffalo Calf Woman comes in.\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cdiv class=\"separator\" style=\"clear: both; text-align: center;\"\u003E\u003Ca href=\"https:\/\/blogger.googleusercontent.com\/img\/b\/R29vZ2xl\/AVvXsEgo-he0MkNKYqLIgLhrLFxNh0dzTkhgTYIaGdWI0XyHhR-iyvwVJijOdaerZpmmh7JdBInS8VN5NCpf4sRkvQsw555kZmvhYq2nLXnyuoQSjThXb1aXN3mOO-mwmdoWPvY6nZeHxKBVhmc9RHPfC0aLFmQgqAsNPrmI1y-f8bTxpjiR41lRjsgMYXysJGc\/s1200\/Native%20American%20chief%20on%20horseback.jpg\" style=\"margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;\"\u003E\u003Cimg border=\"0\" data-original-height=\"604\" data-original-width=\"1200\" height=\"322\" src=\"https:\/\/blogger.googleusercontent.com\/img\/b\/R29vZ2xl\/AVvXsEgo-he0MkNKYqLIgLhrLFxNh0dzTkhgTYIaGdWI0XyHhR-iyvwVJijOdaerZpmmh7JdBInS8VN5NCpf4sRkvQsw555kZmvhYq2nLXnyuoQSjThXb1aXN3mOO-mwmdoWPvY6nZeHxKBVhmc9RHPfC0aLFmQgqAsNPrmI1y-f8bTxpjiR41lRjsgMYXysJGc\/w640-h322\/Native%20American%20chief%20on%20horseback.jpg\" width=\"640\" \/\u003E\u003C\/a\u003E\u003C\/div\u003E\u003Cp\u003EThe story goes back some 2000 year ago, when the White Buffalo Calf Woman gave the Sioux people their sacred bundle and sacred prayer pipe. Joseph Chasing Horse gives us the story.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp style=\"margin-left: 40px; text-align: left;\"\u003E“The story goes that she appeared to two warriors at that time. These two warriors were out hunting buffalo, hunting for food in the sacred Black Hills of South Dakota, and they saw a big body coming toward them. And they saw that it was a white buffalo calf. As it came closer to them, it turned into a beautiful young Indian girl.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp style=\"margin-left: 40px; text-align: left;\"\u003EThat time one of the warriors had a bad thought in his mind, and so the young girl told him to step forward. And when he did step forward, a black cloud came over his body, and when the black cloud disappeared, the warrior who had bad thoughts was left with no flesh or blood on his bones. The other warrior kneeled and began to pray.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp style=\"margin-left: 40px; text-align: left;\"\u003EAnd when he prayed, the white buffalo calf who was now an Indian girl told him to go back to his people and warn them that in four days she was going to bring a sacred bundle.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp style=\"margin-left: 40px; text-align: left;\"\u003ESo the warrior did as he was told. He went back to his people and he gathered all the elders and all the leaders and all the people in a circle and told them what she had instructed him to do. And sure enough, just as she said she would, on the fourth day she came.\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp style=\"margin-left: 40px; text-align: left;\"\u003EThey say a cloud came down from the sky, and off of the cloud stepped the white buffalo calf. As it rolled onto the earth, the calf stood up and became this beautiful young woman who was carrying the sacred bundle in her hand.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp style=\"margin-left: 40px; text-align: left;\"\u003EAs she entered into the circle of the nation, she sang a sacred song and took the sacred bundle to the people who were there to take of her. She spent four days among our people and taught them about the sacred bundle, the meaning of it…She brought us the seven sacred ceremonies and taught our people the songs and the traditional ways. And she instructed our people that as long as we performed these ceremonies we would always remain caretakers and guardians of sacred land. She told us that as long as we took care of it and respected it that our people would never die and would always live.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp style=\"margin-left: 40px; text-align: left;\"\u003EWhen she was done teaching all our people, she left the way she came. She went out of the circle, and as she was leaving she turned and told our people that she would return one day for the sacred bundle. And she left the sacred bundle, which we still have to this very day.\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp style=\"margin-left: 40px; text-align: left;\"\u003EThe sacred bundle is known as the White Buffalo Calf Pipe because it was brought by the White Buffalo Calf Woman. It is kept in a sacred place (Green Grass) on the Cheyenne River Indian reservation in South Dakota. It's kept by a man who is known as the keeper of the White Buffalo Calf Pipe, Arvol Looking Horse.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp style=\"margin-left: 40px; text-align: left;\"\u003EWhen White Buffalo Calf Woman promised to return again, she made some prophecies at that time. One of those prophesies was that the birth of a white buffalo calf would be a sign that it would be near the time when she would return again to purify the world. What she meant by that was that she would bring back harmony again and balance, spiritually.”[2]\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EEvidently, as far as the Sioux are concerned, the birth of white buffalo calf is the foolproof sign that the current World Cycle is on the verge of ending, and the White Buffalo Calf Woman is about to return to purify the world, and restore harmony and balance in our lives and in the entire ecosphere.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cdiv class=\"separator\" style=\"clear: both; text-align: center;\"\u003E\u003Ca href=\"https:\/\/blogger.googleusercontent.com\/img\/b\/R29vZ2xl\/AVvXsEiiyO4VHj7KP-RHSEM6xnSb9wryM51fXJX_vExdXDM7KFhxL67n9iRDY3JxYSKPUEp7-vqeD4lYW9BFqUZOtsl5kLXBL7dZBO4Uu5t15fd3JhHf9l_TB21CX6Vg351rANG_YrVbO822c-hZCKo4fiMBD40nYtROuSkQo4OVz_3j8m5UKJmCgeVpez_pdiM\/s1800\/White%20Buffalo%20Calf%20woman%20featured.jpg\" style=\"margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;\"\u003E\u003Cimg border=\"0\" data-original-height=\"984\" data-original-width=\"1800\" height=\"350\" src=\"https:\/\/blogger.googleusercontent.com\/img\/b\/R29vZ2xl\/AVvXsEiiyO4VHj7KP-RHSEM6xnSb9wryM51fXJX_vExdXDM7KFhxL67n9iRDY3JxYSKPUEp7-vqeD4lYW9BFqUZOtsl5kLXBL7dZBO4Uu5t15fd3JhHf9l_TB21CX6Vg351rANG_YrVbO822c-hZCKo4fiMBD40nYtROuSkQo4OVz_3j8m5UKJmCgeVpez_pdiM\/w640-h350\/White%20Buffalo%20Calf%20woman%20featured.jpg\" width=\"640\" \/\u003E\u003C\/a\u003E\u003C\/div\u003ENow, it is worth noting that a number of white buffaloes have been born in the Sioux farmlands over the past century - which caused some degree of excitement in their community - but the elders and the keepers of sacred prophecies did not look upon them as the fulfilment of the prophecy of the White Buffalo Calf Woman, since all these calves were born in captivity where cross-breeding of species is very common. The Sioux have been patiently waiting for the appearance of a white buffalo calf in the wild, and that event occurred in the month of June, this year. On 13th June, 2024, the BBC reported that,\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp style=\"margin-left: 40px; text-align: left;\"\u003E“An incredibly rare white bison calf has been photographed in Yellowstone National Park, exciting Native American tribes who view it as a religious sign heralding major change. It was spotted in the Lamar Valley area, and is the first white bison to be born in the last wild herd in the US, according to modern records…\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp style=\"margin-left: 40px; text-align: left;\"\u003EMontana photographer Erin Braaten took photos of the young buffalo in the Lamar Valley on 4 June while visiting the park with three of her eight children....\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp style=\"margin-left: 40px; text-align: left;\"\u003EChief Arvol Looking Horse, who is the 19th generation keeper of the pipe believed to have been given by the white buffalo woman, said that the calf's arrival was a sign “we must do more”.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp style=\"margin-left: 40px; text-align: left;\"\u003E“All nations should come together at their sacred places and unify with us in prayer,” he said. He called the calf's arrival \"a blessing and a warning”. “I'm so overwhelmed. It's a miracle,” the spiritual leader told BBC News on Thursday. “It makes my hairs stand up just to even talk about it, because I can't believe this is happening - the spirit of the white buffalo calf woman sending a message to us.””[3]\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EA few days later, on January 26, the birth of the white buffalo calf was celebrated in a tribal ceremony which was organized on the north shore of Hebgen Lake, just west of Yellowstone National Park. It was attended by nearly 500 tribal members, tourists, and others, who were addressed by representatives from the Shoshone-Bannock, Lakota, Sioux, Northern Arapaho and Colville tribes.[4]\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EThe overarching feeling of the elders was that the birth of the white calf, “was a foreboding message that the world is in a bad place at the moment, but also that it would help bring forth guidance on how to fix things... people need to recognize that its coming means they will have to change their behaviors with each other and with nature in order to save Mother Earth.”\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E“It’s up to each and every one of you to make it happen for the future of our children. We must come together and bring that good energy back,” said Chief Arvol Looking Horse, who presided over the ceremony, and called the calf’s birth a “momentous time in our history.”\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003ELooking Horse said when he was chosen in 1966 at 12 years old to be the sacred pipe and bundle keeper, his grandmother who preceded him in that role had a warning about Mother Earth and the prophecy of the White Buffalo Calf Woman. “She also told the people that if people don’t straighten up, then I shall be the last sacred bundle keeper, and that is always in my heart.”\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cdiv class=\"separator\" style=\"clear: both; text-align: center;\"\u003E\u003Ca href=\"https:\/\/blogger.googleusercontent.com\/img\/b\/R29vZ2xl\/AVvXsEgJxA_yflQDFbkMw6UN_vIfKo2yS36cqpkSEWT6b10A0oAF6LiVkqU0aM2B72ayBmNk9m-7-ce8jXv7K9TzeSKS_3awb0NItgACRXje9-17q1jx4qCY5UVKPdymO0fTnk9ZrV1lU-TnhhhoDzRgdRbKy9tiEZ786m7C_sOKuBB5CUgnip2hs5AzebbGfhI\/s4500\/AdobeStock_1059142278.jpeg\" style=\"margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;\"\u003E\u003Cimg border=\"0\" data-original-height=\"3000\" data-original-width=\"4500\" height=\"266\" src=\"https:\/\/blogger.googleusercontent.com\/img\/b\/R29vZ2xl\/AVvXsEgJxA_yflQDFbkMw6UN_vIfKo2yS36cqpkSEWT6b10A0oAF6LiVkqU0aM2B72ayBmNk9m-7-ce8jXv7K9TzeSKS_3awb0NItgACRXje9-17q1jx4qCY5UVKPdymO0fTnk9ZrV1lU-TnhhhoDzRgdRbKy9tiEZ786m7C_sOKuBB5CUgnip2hs5AzebbGfhI\/w400-h266\/AdobeStock_1059142278.jpeg\" width=\"400\" \/\u003E\u003C\/a\u003E\u003C\/div\u003E\u003Cp\u003EI was wondering what might have gone through my mind if, at the age of 12, I was handed a sacred relic of our community by my grandma, that has passed hands in an unbroken succession for 2000 years. “What on earth did I do that made you think that I will keep it safe, grandma?” would have probably been my first reaction. “Haven’t you noticed all the stuff that I have lost, broken, or exchanged with my friends? That stuff belongs in a bank locker, grandma!”\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EPerhaps not in as many words, but looking back my sentiments might have been along those lines. But Chief Arvol Looking Horse was obviously of a different breed, and he might have felt wonder and excitement in equal measure as the objects were entrusted to him. As the keeper of the sacred pipe for such a long time, his thoughts on the significance of this prophecy being fulfilled is of greatest importance to us.\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EA couple of words Looking Horse said stuck in my mind. He said that the appearance of the white calf is a “blessing and a warning”. As I thought about it, I started to realize why. It’s a blessing because, it means that the energies of the Planetary Mother or Divine Feminine is being activated on our planet after a long period of dormancy. Therefore, it will now become easier for anyone who chooses to do so, to tap into this energy field for solace, guidance and illumination. It also suggests that there will be gradual restoration and rebalancing of the environment, leading to more fertility and abundance.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EAt the same time, it is also a warning, since the process of purification always entails a lot of suffering. Not only will the process of cleansing entail the purification of our ecosphere, which has suffered a lot of abuse over the past few hundred years of industrial revolution, it will also require the healing and dissolving of our egoic selves, which brings about so much misery not only to ourselves but to everyone around us. It is only through the purification of nature and the collective shadow self can we truly move into a new era of divinely guided harmony, balance and prosperity.\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EWhich means that the White Buffalo Calf Woman may create the conditions that forces each one of us to look within and introspect, and do some serious inner work, so that we might find the wisdom and the light to heal ourselves and guide us through the portal of initiation to the new era. This, essentially, requires us to swim against the tide of spiritual darkness that has engulfed the world and is taking us ever closer to the precipice. However, since the divine energies of the Planetary Mother are getting activated on our planet, help is at hand, and it may not be as much of an uphill task as earlier.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EI was wondering who the White Buffalo Calf Woman might represent in the context of the mythology of other ancient cultures, and I was reminded of the Egyptian goddesses Isis and Hathor, both of whom were shown wearing a headdress of cow horns. Hathor, in particular, was also depicted as a cow, either protecting or nursing the pharaoh. Both Isis and Hathor were goddess of waters, milk, nourishment, fertility, magic, music, love and maternal care. They were also regarded as psychopomps, who roamed between worlds, helping the souls of the dead on their way to the afterlife.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Ctable align=\"center\" cellpadding=\"0\" cellspacing=\"0\" class=\"tr-caption-container\" style=\"margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;\"\u003E\u003Ctbody\u003E\u003Ctr\u003E\u003Ctd style=\"text-align: center;\"\u003E\u003Ca href=\"https:\/\/blogger.googleusercontent.com\/img\/b\/R29vZ2xl\/AVvXsEjhdpZA2n55vlnLaSkA79qyssCA4PNcfofOAhy1-r_9KJKLJMhHgYr8rbciZPwxY_BszW0aKPia4y5ue0wXGhih-H62JUT4Klj6JAXSMtSLWWfchkFEQYzIGq_9p44NSZGW3PugeO61bLOp-mjRLkqQqlWY6XRe4vRsWmQqcu-1H8uZhi-tF4_3_sUSVpU\/s1481\/Isis%20with%20Horus%20the%20Child,%20bronze,%20c%20680%20to%20640%20BC,%20Walters%20Art%20Museum,%20Wikimedia%20Commons%20CC%20BY%20SA%203.jpg\" style=\"margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;\"\u003E\u003Cimg alt=\"Isis with Horus the Child\" border=\"0\" data-original-height=\"1481\" data-original-width=\"1319\" height=\"400\" src=\"https:\/\/blogger.googleusercontent.com\/img\/b\/R29vZ2xl\/AVvXsEjhdpZA2n55vlnLaSkA79qyssCA4PNcfofOAhy1-r_9KJKLJMhHgYr8rbciZPwxY_BszW0aKPia4y5ue0wXGhih-H62JUT4Klj6JAXSMtSLWWfchkFEQYzIGq_9p44NSZGW3PugeO61bLOp-mjRLkqQqlWY6XRe4vRsWmQqcu-1H8uZhi-tF4_3_sUSVpU\/w356-h400\/Isis%20with%20Horus%20the%20Child,%20bronze,%20c%20680%20to%20640%20BC,%20Walters%20Art%20Museum,%20Wikimedia%20Commons%20CC%20BY%20SA%203.jpg\" width=\"356\" \/\u003E\u003C\/a\u003E\u003C\/td\u003E\u003C\/tr\u003E\u003Ctr\u003E\u003Ctd class=\"tr-caption\" style=\"text-align: center;\"\u003E\u003Cspan style=\"font-size: small;\"\u003EIsis with Horus the Child, bronze, c. 680 to 640 BCE, Walters Art Museum. Source: Wikimedia Commons CC BY-SA 3.0\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/td\u003E\u003C\/tr\u003E\u003C\/tbody\u003E\u003C\/table\u003E\u003Ctable align=\"center\" cellpadding=\"0\" cellspacing=\"0\" class=\"tr-caption-container\" style=\"margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;\"\u003E\u003Ctbody\u003E\u003Ctr\u003E\u003Ctd style=\"text-align: center;\"\u003E\u003Ca href=\"https:\/\/blogger.googleusercontent.com\/img\/b\/R29vZ2xl\/AVvXsEjbI4mb0fo-34fYDvnelmJcFaqzOkb-X5rI6zIqL6sJ0AX9YQ3vxtgIEfbu3XWYtv-mnPvp7DqqhW4O4KsDfUMRSsYV_EeXtgFPizaFFgq5yHmSSTUPkbxMSB277hGGQneimb4Ap5mtBz9NbKiv5gKqLGeBZeOkSR5lTnKBpbL5gYJbaeJxUGw4HzeMFMk\/s1024\/Hathor%20depicted%20in%20the%20form%20of%20a%20standing%20cow,%20flanked%20by%20three%20different%20forms%20of%20Hathor,%20seated%20with%20a%20crown,%20standing%20with%20lioness%20head%20Sekhmet,%20and%20female%20headed%20serpent,%20664%20BC%20to%20332%20BC,%20Louvre%20Museum,%20Rama,%20CC%20BY%20SA%203.jpg\" style=\"margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;\"\u003E\u003Cimg alt=\"Hathor depicted in the form of a standing cow\" border=\"0\" data-original-height=\"886\" data-original-width=\"1024\" height=\"346\" src=\"https:\/\/blogger.googleusercontent.com\/img\/b\/R29vZ2xl\/AVvXsEjbI4mb0fo-34fYDvnelmJcFaqzOkb-X5rI6zIqL6sJ0AX9YQ3vxtgIEfbu3XWYtv-mnPvp7DqqhW4O4KsDfUMRSsYV_EeXtgFPizaFFgq5yHmSSTUPkbxMSB277hGGQneimb4Ap5mtBz9NbKiv5gKqLGeBZeOkSR5lTnKBpbL5gYJbaeJxUGw4HzeMFMk\/w400-h346\/Hathor%20depicted%20in%20the%20form%20of%20a%20standing%20cow,%20flanked%20by%20three%20different%20forms%20of%20Hathor,%20seated%20with%20a%20crown,%20standing%20with%20lioness%20head%20Sekhmet,%20and%20female%20headed%20serpent,%20664%20BC%20to%20332%20BC,%20Louvre%20Museum,%20Rama,%20CC%20BY%20SA%203.jpg\" width=\"400\" \/\u003E\u003C\/a\u003E\u003C\/td\u003E\u003C\/tr\u003E\u003Ctr\u003E\u003Ctd class=\"tr-caption\" style=\"text-align: center;\"\u003EHathor depicted in the form of a standing cow, flanked by \nthree different forms of Hathor - seated with a crown, standing with \nlioness head (Sekhmet), and female headed serpent, c.664 to 332 BCE, \nLouvre Museum. Credit: Rama, CC BY-SA 3.0 via Wikimedia Commons\u003C\/td\u003E\u003C\/tr\u003E\u003C\/tbody\u003E\u003C\/table\u003E\u003Ctable align=\"center\" cellpadding=\"0\" cellspacing=\"0\" class=\"tr-caption-container\" style=\"margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;\"\u003E\u003Ctbody\u003E\u003Ctr\u003E\u003Ctd style=\"text-align: center;\"\u003E\u003Ca href=\"https:\/\/blogger.googleusercontent.com\/img\/b\/R29vZ2xl\/AVvXsEhl2NFNhnmkEDrETEmDExaGIR4Xw3zP-KqI_Q6NCp_va6FrGBKaRfTvjdz_GECt97coiT-5bt39Xj_bRQRyQ_RHMEiluXYX6bMWaqAfOFnvrFEbuhZXEzPiAjjYxyMRFIOoV09uiCmFvqdTQfwvO9DEB5L7-FQwzgoYgQaLo21v43-vWV4QvuwCwroZ4UU\/s1371\/The%20goddess%20Hathor%20depicted%20as%20a%20cow,%20protecting%20king%20Amenhotep%20II%20who%20stands%20below%20her%20neck,%2018th%20dynasty,%201425%20to%201400%20BCE,%20Sandstone,%20Cairo%20Museum,%20Olaf%20Tausch%20CC%20BY%20SA%203.jpg\" style=\"margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;\"\u003E\u003Cimg alt=\"The goddess Hathor depicted as a cow, protecting king Amenhotep II\" border=\"0\" data-original-height=\"1371\" data-original-width=\"1200\" height=\"400\" src=\"https:\/\/blogger.googleusercontent.com\/img\/b\/R29vZ2xl\/AVvXsEhl2NFNhnmkEDrETEmDExaGIR4Xw3zP-KqI_Q6NCp_va6FrGBKaRfTvjdz_GECt97coiT-5bt39Xj_bRQRyQ_RHMEiluXYX6bMWaqAfOFnvrFEbuhZXEzPiAjjYxyMRFIOoV09uiCmFvqdTQfwvO9DEB5L7-FQwzgoYgQaLo21v43-vWV4QvuwCwroZ4UU\/w350-h400\/The%20goddess%20Hathor%20depicted%20as%20a%20cow,%20protecting%20king%20Amenhotep%20II%20who%20stands%20below%20her%20neck,%2018th%20dynasty,%201425%20to%201400%20BCE,%20Sandstone,%20Cairo%20Museum,%20Olaf%20Tausch%20CC%20BY%20SA%203.jpg\" width=\"350\" \/\u003E\u003C\/a\u003E\u003C\/td\u003E\u003C\/tr\u003E\u003Ctr\u003E\u003Ctd class=\"tr-caption\" style=\"text-align: center;\"\u003EThe goddess Hathor depicted as a cow, protecting king \nAmenhotep II who stands below her neck. 18th Dynasty, c. 1425 - 1400 \nBCE, Sandstone, Cairo Museum. Credit: Olaf Tausch, CC BY-SA 3.0, via \nWikimedia Commons\u003C\/td\u003E\u003C\/tr\u003E\u003C\/tbody\u003E\u003C\/table\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EInterestingly, the Egyptians associated the star Sirius with a goddess called Sopdet who was identified with Isis and Hathor. Since the heliacal rising of Sirius preceded the annual flooding of the Nile, the goddess Sopdet, and by extension Isis and Hathor, were also associated with the Nile floods, which restored fertility to the arid lands. Sopdet was long thought to be represented by the cow on an ivory tablet from the reign of Djer (First Dynasty), which ties her strongly to Hathor, Isis and the White Buffalo Calf Woman of Sioux legends.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EAs I reflected upon this connection, it occurred to me that, it may be no coincidence that the sighting of the white buffalo calf has been followed by a spate of flooding incidents in 2024, in places like Spain, parts of the US, Eastern Europe, UAE, Philippines etc. and freak flooding incidents have continued in 2025 at places like Mecca, Australia etc. While some might attribute such events to human-induced climate change, a couple of them are conspicuous for their extreme rarity.\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EIn September 2024, Sahara experienced its first floods in half a century, when more than a year’s worth of rain fell in two days in south-east Morocco, filling up lakes that have been dry for decades. Dramatic images from the desert town of Merzouga show that the rare deluge carved new lakes into the sand dunes. \u003Ci\u003EThe Guardian\u003C\/i\u003E reported that,\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp style=\"margin-left: 40px; text-align: left;\"\u003E“Two days of rainfall in September exceeded yearly averages in several areas of south-east Morocco and caused a deluge...Satellite imagery from NASA showed Lake Iriqui, a lake bed between Zagora and Tata that had been dry for 50 years, being filled up.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp style=\"margin-left: 40px; text-align: left;\"\u003E“It’s been 30 to 50 years since we’ve had this much rain in such a short space of time,” Houssine Youabeb, an official of Morocco’s meteorology agency told the Associated Press. Such rains, which meteorologists call an extratropical storm, may change the weather conditions in the region in the coming months and years.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp style=\"margin-left: 40px; text-align: left;\"\u003ECeleste Saulo, the secretary general of the World Meteorological Organization, told reporters on Monday that water cycles across the world were changing with increasing frequency. “As a result of rising temperatures, the hydrological cycle has accelerated. It has also become more erratic and unpredictable, and we are facing growing problems of either too much or too little water,” she said.”[5]\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Ctable align=\"center\" cellpadding=\"0\" cellspacing=\"0\" class=\"tr-caption-container\" style=\"margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;\"\u003E\u003Ctbody\u003E\u003Ctr\u003E\u003Ctd style=\"text-align: center;\"\u003E\u003Ca href=\"https:\/\/blogger.googleusercontent.com\/img\/b\/R29vZ2xl\/AVvXsEieGXIoXXzrqvgwz17fAk0Q7shyphenhyphenSOa8JLzUNsx0JZXTCJJTPnbLv8mil0mU2OOWUtRW0t1TXcjH9ziE6okxxxBGylZ2FZtjkBX6Xn-aPWgzMj2WfMCcNfB_YSPJ10pWIDjOnEZeDx4TbHANJ71qQIv0HM9s0rPUfbMRQbG12QePS_m0wFiYH_9HKn6L7-g\/s1400\/Sahara%20flood%202024.jpg\" style=\"margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;\"\u003E\u003Cimg border=\"0\" data-original-height=\"785\" data-original-width=\"1400\" height=\"358\" src=\"https:\/\/blogger.googleusercontent.com\/img\/b\/R29vZ2xl\/AVvXsEieGXIoXXzrqvgwz17fAk0Q7shyphenhyphenSOa8JLzUNsx0JZXTCJJTPnbLv8mil0mU2OOWUtRW0t1TXcjH9ziE6okxxxBGylZ2FZtjkBX6Xn-aPWgzMj2WfMCcNfB_YSPJ10pWIDjOnEZeDx4TbHANJ71qQIv0HM9s0rPUfbMRQbG12QePS_m0wFiYH_9HKn6L7-g\/w640-h358\/Sahara%20flood%202024.jpg\" width=\"640\" \/\u003E\u003C\/a\u003E\u003C\/td\u003E\u003C\/tr\u003E\u003Ctr\u003E\u003Ctd class=\"tr-caption\" style=\"text-align: center;\"\u003EFlooded dunes in the Sahara after the 2024 floods. Source: Adobe Stock.\u003C\/td\u003E\u003C\/tr\u003E\u003C\/tbody\u003E\u003C\/table\u003E\u003Cp\u003EYet another bizarre climatic incident of 2024 took everyone by surprise. In a scene straight out of the movie “Day After Tomorrow”, Saudi Arabia’s desert received its first ever recorded snowfall in early November, transforming the arid region, traditionally known for its scorching heat and golden sand dunes, into a winter wonderland.\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003ESnow blanketed many parts of the Al-Jawf region in the northern Al-Nafud desert, following a series of severe weather events that swept through the region, including heavy rain and hailstorms. The event sent waterfalls and rivers flowing through the region, making the landscape barely recognizable. According to a report in \u003Ci\u003ENewsweek\u003C\/i\u003E,\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp style=\"margin-left: 40px; text-align: left;\"\u003E\"Meteorologists have linked the unusual weather to a low-pressure system that moved from the Arabian Sea to Oman...Climatologists suggest that such atypical weather events may increase in frequency due to shifting atmospheric conditions associated with global climate change.\"[6]\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Ctable align=\"center\" cellpadding=\"0\" cellspacing=\"0\" class=\"tr-caption-container\" style=\"margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;\"\u003E\u003Ctbody\u003E\u003Ctr\u003E\u003Ctd style=\"text-align: center;\"\u003E\u003Ca href=\"https:\/\/blogger.googleusercontent.com\/img\/b\/R29vZ2xl\/AVvXsEhDhBlOIJFbF9mhyphenhyphen99glNyFBIaT6mXP0eQhRtK4AeFefk-0yyeD7OdwhAHWYvXIGgSBSGaiMC7jr0BxNdUS5NtatAfgaa00KxrzM1SppLqmEHtFxVGqujMAADBB3q5nYQxhVZW5n8M73UUQ2MhegLVgmwhKGmBatRMw-_2rCN24AK7VA2XAG3pPGC5_qME\/s834\/Saudi%20Arabia%20snowfall%20Global%20Dissident%20Twitter.jpg\" style=\"margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;\"\u003E\u003Cimg border=\"0\" data-original-height=\"531\" data-original-width=\"834\" height=\"408\" src=\"https:\/\/blogger.googleusercontent.com\/img\/b\/R29vZ2xl\/AVvXsEhDhBlOIJFbF9mhyphenhyphen99glNyFBIaT6mXP0eQhRtK4AeFefk-0yyeD7OdwhAHWYvXIGgSBSGaiMC7jr0BxNdUS5NtatAfgaa00KxrzM1SppLqmEHtFxVGqujMAADBB3q5nYQxhVZW5n8M73UUQ2MhegLVgmwhKGmBatRMw-_2rCN24AK7VA2XAG3pPGC5_qME\/w640-h408\/Saudi%20Arabia%20snowfall%20Global%20Dissident%20Twitter.jpg\" width=\"640\" \/\u003E\u003C\/a\u003E\u003C\/td\u003E\u003C\/tr\u003E\u003Ctr\u003E\u003Ctd class=\"tr-caption\" style=\"text-align: center;\"\u003ESnow blankets the Al-Jawf region of Saudi Arabia. Credit: Global Dissident @X\u003C\/td\u003E\u003C\/tr\u003E\u003C\/tbody\u003E\u003C\/table\u003E\u003Cp\u003EWhile watching \u003Ca href=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/watch?v=wbRS7nVY3mA\" target=\"_blank\"\u003Ethis YouTube video\u003C\/a\u003E about this unprecedented weather event, I came across a number of comments which claimed that the Prophet Muhammad had predicted that Saudi Arabia will turn green before the end of this age. As per one person, Muhammad had said, “The Hour (of the end times) will not begin until the land of the Arabs once again becomes meadows and rivers.” It seems that this prophecy, too, might be on its way to fulfillment.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EIt is quite a coincidence - if coincidence, at all, is the right word here - that two extremely unusual flood and snow events, one in Egypt and the other in Saudi Arabia, occurred one after the other in the same year, soon after the prophecy of the White Buffalo Calf Woman was fulfilled, who, as we have discussed, is also Isis-Hathor, the goddess of the Nile floods. It’s almost as if some unknown climatic switch has been suddenly activated making everyone scratch their heads in wonder.\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EThere is another reason why these two climatic events are really intriguing. Till around 4000 BCE, both the Sahara, as well as the Arabian Peninsula, used to be covered with lush green vegetation, rivers and vast lakes. Large herds of animals roamed freely across the plains. The African Humid Phase ended at around 3900 BCE, and by 3500 BCE sand dunes had started reclaiming the Sahara and Saudi Arabia. “The end of the ‘Green Sahara’ came about quite suddenly around 5,500 years ago,”[7] states climate scientist Gavin Schmidt, of NASA’s Goddard Institute for Space Studies.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EAs per the Yuga Cycle framework that I have presented in my book \u003Ca href=\"https:\/\/www.amazon.com\/YUGA-SHIFT-IMPENDING-PLANETARY-TRANSFORMATION\/dp\/B0CPJVYQG4\/ref=pd_ci_mcx_mh_mcx_views_0_image\" target=\"_blank\"\u003EYuga Shift\u003C\/a\u003E, the time period from roughly 4000 – 3700 BCE was also the time of transition to the Kali Yuga cycle – the lowest point in terms of our consciousness, in the Cycle of the Ages. Since then, human civilization has passed through two back-to-back Kali Yugas, which span most of recorded history. The descending Kali Yuga, which started in 3676 BCE, is what historians refer to as the Bronze Age, while the ascending Kali Yuga, which began in 676 BCE is known to us as the Iron Age.\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EAs per this framework, the ascending Kali Yuga ends in 2025, thereby pulling down the curtains on an extended Kali Yuga cycle, when humanity became disconnected from its Inner Source, from each other, and from the environment.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003ELooking at these events from the perspective of the Yuga Cycle, it seems that, just as we are about to emerge from the Kali Yuga cycle, a climatic reversal has been initiated, which could very well turn the Sahara and the Arabian Peninsula into the kind of lush green grasslands they were before the beginning of the Kali Yuga cycle.\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EAt the same time, we are now entering a period of transition between the Yugas called Ekpyrosis, which means \"Burning\" or \"Conflagration\". This is the time when the world is cleansed and renewed by fire, to make it suitable for the next cycle. So, we are going to experience increasing fire events, which could be in the form of wildfires, explosions, volcanic eruptions etc. Floods and fires will be the primary means by which Mother Nature will cleanse herself of the toxic waste that has been dumped on her over the course of the descending Yuga Cycle, and the past few hundred years in particular.\u0026nbsp; \u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EIt is becoming quite apparent that these large cycles of time are real, the shifts are real, and the scientific data is validating what the ancients have been saying all along. The fulfillment of the prophecy of the White Buffalo Calf Woman is a timely reminder to us that the wisdom and prophecies left behind by our ancestors are not simply old wives tales meant for our amusement, but that they encode precious information about the momentous events of the long bygone ages, and provide much-needed guidance about the epochal planetary shift that we are going into right now.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cb\u003EReferences\u003C\/b\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E[1] Sandra Ingerman, Hank Wesselman, Awakening to the Spirit World: The Shamanic Path of Direct Revelation, ReadHowYouWant.com, 2010, p. 335.\u003Cbr \/\u003E[2] Joseph Chasing Horse, \"WHITE BUFFALO CALF WOMAN Brings The First Pipe\", \u003Ca href=\"http:\/\/www.kstrom.net\/isk\/arvol\/buffpipe.html\" target=\"_blank\"\u003Ehttp:\/\/www.kstrom.net\/isk\/arvol\/buffpipe.html\u003C\/a\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E[3] Max Matza and Madeline Halpert, \"Native Americans see omen in Yellowstone's rare white bison\", BBC News 13 June 2024, \u003Ca href=\"https:\/\/www.bbc.com\/articles\/ckrrlpdlzj7o\" target=\"_blank\"\u003Ehttps:\/\/www.bbc.com\/articles\/ckrrlpdlzj7o\u003C\/a\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E[4] Blair Miller \"‘Sacred Return’: Tribal ceremony honors birth of prophesied white buffalo calf\", Utah News Dispatch June 29, 2024, \u003Ca href=\"https:\/\/utahnewsdispatch.com\/2024\/06\/29\/tribal-ceremony-honors-birth-of-prophesied-white-buffalo-calf\/\" target=\"_blank\"\u003Ehttps:\/\/utahnewsdispatch.com\/2024\/06\/29\/tribal-ceremony-honors-birth-of-prophesied-white-buffalo-calf\/\u003C\/a\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E[5] Eromo Egbejule, \"Dramatic images show the first floods in the Sahara in half a century\", The Guardian Fri 11 Oct 2024, \u003Ca href=\"https:\/\/www.theguardian.com\/environment\/2024\/oct\/11\/dramatic-images-show-the-first-floods-in-the-sahara-in-half-a-century\" target=\"_blank\"\u003Ehttps:\/\/www.theguardian.com\/environment\/2024\/oct\/11\/dramatic-images-show-the-first-floods-in-the-sahara-in-half-a-century\u003C\/a\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E[6] \"Saudi Arabian Desert's First Ever Snowfall Shown in Photos\", Newsweek Nov 11, 2024, \u003Ca href=\"https:\/\/www.newsweek.com\/saudi-arabian-desert-first-ever-snowfall-photos-1983839\" target=\"_blank\"\u003Ehttps:\/\/www.newsweek.com\/saudi-arabian-desert-first-ever-snowfall-photos-1983839\u003C\/a\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E[7] Anuradha K. Herath, “How Earth's Orbit Shaped the Sahara”, Space.com, 21 December 2010, \u003Ca href=\"https:\/\/www.space.com\/10527-earth-orbit-shaped-sahara.html\" target=\"_blank\"\u003Ehttps:\/\/www.space.com\/10527-earth-orbit-shaped-sahara.html\u003C\/a\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E"},"link":[{"rel":"replies","type":"application/atom+xml","href":"https:\/\/www.bibhudevmisra.com\/feeds\/7096797123787606389\/comments\/default","title":"Post Comments"},{"rel":"replies","type":"text/html","href":"https:\/\/www.bibhudevmisra.com\/2025\/02\/the-sioux-prophecy-of-white-buffalo.html#comment-form","title":"6 Comments"},{"rel":"edit","type":"application/atom+xml","href":"https:\/\/www.blogger.com\/feeds\/6864653463177413678\/posts\/default\/7096797123787606389"},{"rel":"self","type":"application/atom+xml","href":"https:\/\/www.blogger.com\/feeds\/6864653463177413678\/posts\/default\/7096797123787606389"},{"rel":"alternate","type":"text/html","href":"https:\/\/www.bibhudevmisra.com\/2025\/02\/the-sioux-prophecy-of-white-buffalo.html","title":"The Sioux Prophecy of the White Buffalo Calf Woman came true in 2024"}],"author":[{"name":{"$t":"Bibhu Dev Misra"},"uri":{"$t":"http:\/\/www.blogger.com\/profile\/15388473714672380058"},"email":{"$t":"noreply@blogger.com"},"gd$image":{"rel":"http://schemas.google.com/g/2005#thumbnail","width":"32","height":"28","src":"\/\/blogger.googleusercontent.com\/img\/b\/R29vZ2xl\/AVvXsEh4sklyRp_L5BfqEXTjoskgFPFYpJiNJSuDN5zrcldGBaXot626bOTu8q5TUYsip63M6EkY2JbuoE6l1N5fMKiqKfzFfaaKpqm91QZx9rMdAL3t-ju2QdYi1K-BeCJsjw\/s130\/DSCN1699.JPG"}}],"media$thumbnail":{"xmlns$media":"http://search.yahoo.com/mrss/","url":"https:\/\/blogger.googleusercontent.com\/img\/b\/R29vZ2xl\/AVvXsEgX-iXBNRT89s1kERq0tb3VKmwqw7_d-ZAvC55c_AMvx0981XcL1C7CPgzn3NuGQoUEVHJx5gxEWrCesLJhe7sLh8eke9gYb20LT3byrtmwk5uayvq0eGoF_drazGhpyHdPBmKWDpr9fCWp1T_neGyHZQAhwF4qujXZDbE-7m4BVcNlQIwxBJX8m_-jZ-8\/s72-c\/White%20Buffalo%20Calf%20woman%20featured%20small.jpg","height":"72","width":"72"},"thr$total":{"$t":"6"}},{"id":{"$t":"tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6864653463177413678.post-1215584282932750232"},"published":{"$t":"2024-12-28T13:57:00.004+05:30"},"updated":{"$t":"2025-08-02T12:48:26.715+05:30"},"category":[{"scheme":"http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#","term":"Article"},{"scheme":"http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#","term":"Yuga Cycle"}],"title":{"type":"text","$t":"Did we live for Hundreds of Years in the Higher Yugas? Yes, we probably did!"},"content":{"type":"html","$t":"\u003Cp\u003E\u0026nbsp;\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cdiv class=\"separator\" style=\"clear: both; text-align: center;\"\u003E\u003Ca href=\"https:\/\/blogger.googleusercontent.com\/img\/b\/R29vZ2xl\/AVvXsEgsLbr4h3FVAQUtQZ_5-RCLL60BKM3-uki9algejpZFtKVnmWk8f3fi8zgMUnYM56VRGMzh8XykZeiO0FnsHGmbvQLXMHXjfDEKBsl5qmsKPywKTXwmk7pM2efQuHE019c4z1v2LgOZPZDf9GnFqJ2Pq8K_vT6dn31L3y2_uBpQKhX_YPdfaNcVZDMTgLI\/s600\/Ancient%20Sage%20thumbnail.jpg\" style=\"margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;\"\u003E\u003Cimg border=\"0\" data-original-height=\"336\" data-original-width=\"600\" height=\"179\" src=\"https:\/\/blogger.googleusercontent.com\/img\/b\/R29vZ2xl\/AVvXsEgsLbr4h3FVAQUtQZ_5-RCLL60BKM3-uki9algejpZFtKVnmWk8f3fi8zgMUnYM56VRGMzh8XykZeiO0FnsHGmbvQLXMHXjfDEKBsl5qmsKPywKTXwmk7pM2efQuHE019c4z1v2LgOZPZDf9GnFqJ2Pq8K_vT6dn31L3y2_uBpQKhX_YPdfaNcVZDMTgLI\/s320\/Ancient%20Sage%20thumbnail.jpg\" width=\"320\" \/\u003E\u003C\/a\u003E\u003C\/div\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u003Ci\u003ENote: This article is based on information from my book, \u003Ca href=\"https:\/\/www.amazon.com\/YUGA-SHIFT-IMPENDING-PLANETARY-TRANSFORMATION\/dp\/B0CPJVYQG4\/ref=pd_ci_mcx_mh_mcx_views_0_image\" target=\"_blank\"\u003EYuga Shift\u003C\/a\u003E, and was first published on Mysterious Universe (https:\/\/mysteriousuniverse.org\/)\u003C\/i\u003E \u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EThe legends and folklore of many cultures assert that humans lived much longer in the bygone ages – for some hundreds of years, in fact, – which seems difficult for most people to accept in the modern day, considering that the average lifespan today is around 80 years or so. As per the Yuga Cycle doctrine of ancient India, the average lifespan gradually declines as we move from the higher Yugas to the lower Yugas. The \u003Ci\u003ELaws of Manu\u003C\/i\u003E declares that, \u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cblockquote\u003E“(Men are) free from disease, accomplish all their aims, and live four hundred years in the Krita age (Satya Yuga), but in the Treta and (in each of) the succeeding (ages) their life is lessened by one quarter.”[1]\u003C\/blockquote\u003E\u003Cspan\u003E\u003Ca name='more'\u003E\u003C\/a\u003E\u003C\/span\u003EThis passage tells us that, humans lived 400 years in the Satya Yuga (Golden Age), 300 years in the Treta Yuga (Silver Age), 200 years in the Dwapara Yuga (Bronze Age) and 100 years in the Kali Yuga (Iron Age). The Satya Yuga or Golden Age corresponds to the antediluvian period, for, as per the Indian legends, the Great Flood, in which the righteous King Manu was the sole survivor, had occurred at the end of the Satya Yuga or Golden Age.\u0026nbsp;\u003Cp\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EThus, as per the Yuga Cycle doctrine, average human lifespan was 400 years in the antediluvian period, while in the postdiluvian period it kept on decreasing gradually until it reached 100 years in the Kali Yuga, which is the current age of greed and lies, strife and discord, when human consciousness touches rock bottom.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Ctable align=\"center\" cellpadding=\"0\" cellspacing=\"0\" class=\"tr-caption-container\" style=\"margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;\"\u003E\u003Ctbody\u003E\u003Ctr\u003E\u003Ctd style=\"text-align: center;\"\u003E\u003Ca href=\"https:\/\/blogger.googleusercontent.com\/img\/b\/R29vZ2xl\/AVvXsEi6IVlasWZbDz3pCk09LuMTbi0kCsIjNPKRRnTgMSiLtQblyj59n6l4cpm-RAqBI4CKqlUcdp3QTtzdKa9VXGpkqoPSwP1GlNRJRajZ1WMHtQFCKlEs2gje7JlyjnIqiSPw-cGlfLP_YgiKlw3nVnkoC2jzlHATt7hc9u7qqw6MVbBilxuWcO4221ZtYUg\/s1080\/Matsya%20pulls%20a%20boat%20carrying%20Manu%20and%20Saptarishi%20during%20Pralaya,%20Hindi%20Gita%20Press%20Mahabharata,%20Wikimedia%20Commons,%20Public%20Domain%20edit.jpg\" style=\"margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;\"\u003E\u003Cimg alt=\"King Manu, along with the Seven Sages, escaping the Flood\" border=\"0\" data-original-height=\"787\" data-original-width=\"1080\" height=\"466\" src=\"https:\/\/blogger.googleusercontent.com\/img\/b\/R29vZ2xl\/AVvXsEi6IVlasWZbDz3pCk09LuMTbi0kCsIjNPKRRnTgMSiLtQblyj59n6l4cpm-RAqBI4CKqlUcdp3QTtzdKa9VXGpkqoPSwP1GlNRJRajZ1WMHtQFCKlEs2gje7JlyjnIqiSPw-cGlfLP_YgiKlw3nVnkoC2jzlHATt7hc9u7qqw6MVbBilxuWcO4221ZtYUg\/w640-h466\/Matsya%20pulls%20a%20boat%20carrying%20Manu%20and%20Saptarishi%20during%20Pralaya,%20Hindi%20Gita%20Press%20Mahabharata,%20Wikimedia%20Commons,%20Public%20Domain%20edit.jpg\" width=\"640\" \/\u003E\u003C\/a\u003E\u003C\/td\u003E\u003C\/tr\u003E\u003Ctr\u003E\u003Ctd class=\"tr-caption\" style=\"text-align: center;\"\u003EFigure 1: The King Manu, along with the Seven Sages (Saptarishis) on a \nboat pulled by a great fish (Matsya), during the Deluge at the end of \nthe Satya Yuga. Source: Wikimedia Commons, Public Domain\u003C\/td\u003E\u003C\/tr\u003E\u003C\/tbody\u003E\u003C\/table\u003E\u003Cp\u003EThe information in the \u003Ci\u003ELaws of Manu\u003C\/i\u003E is in alignment with the extremely long lifespans of the Biblical patriarchs in the \u003Ci\u003EGenesis\u003C\/i\u003E. The term “patriarchs” is broadly used to refer to the twenty male ancestor-figures between Adam and Abraham. The first ten of them are known as the “antediluvian patriarchs”, who lived before the Flood.\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EThe Genesis[2] states that the average lifespan of the antediluvian patriarchs was around 900 years. The list includes Adam (930), Seth (912), Enos (905), Cainan (910), Mahalaleel (895), Jared (962), Enoch (365), Methuselah (969), Lamech (787) and Noah (950). Noah was the last patriarch of the antediluvian period who lived for 600 years before the Flood and 350 years after the Flood - adding up to a lifespan of 950 years.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EIn the post-Flood period, the lifespans of the patriarchs kept on decreasing till the time of Abraham, and even after him. From Noah to Abraham there are ten postdiluvian patriarchs. They are: Shem (600), Arphaxad (438), Salah (433), Eber (464), Peleg (239), Reu (239), Serug (230), Nahor (148), Terah (205), and Abraham (175). Abraham was followed by Ishmael (137), Isaac (180), Jacob (147) and Joseph (110), all of whom lived in the first half of the 2nd millennium BCE i.e. between 2000 – 1500 BCE.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Ctable align=\"center\" cellpadding=\"0\" cellspacing=\"0\" class=\"tr-caption-container\" style=\"margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;\"\u003E\u003Ctbody\u003E\u003Ctr\u003E\u003Ctd style=\"text-align: center;\"\u003E\u003Ca href=\"https:\/\/blogger.googleusercontent.com\/img\/b\/R29vZ2xl\/AVvXsEiQ9WVuw8qPK4aRXcEP9wQDyObdfQP1VPbtblKERLLTByf6I3nMqUYWNtDNGtbgfw_B8Oe_LpWbyHRCaeoRmHQfOWW9OH4eAdqCAmAgijvzOUg5cXR69nt26PdYLnmHb-4gu-inNZMtfphKSXeI_eO4TpfvmB-t9IDpIF30QhM2J1w5ZCepU8nv0xVS200\/s1002\/noah's%20ark%20peakpx.jpg\" style=\"margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;\"\u003E\u003Cimg border=\"0\" data-original-height=\"686\" data-original-width=\"1002\" height=\"438\" src=\"https:\/\/blogger.googleusercontent.com\/img\/b\/R29vZ2xl\/AVvXsEiQ9WVuw8qPK4aRXcEP9wQDyObdfQP1VPbtblKERLLTByf6I3nMqUYWNtDNGtbgfw_B8Oe_LpWbyHRCaeoRmHQfOWW9OH4eAdqCAmAgijvzOUg5cXR69nt26PdYLnmHb-4gu-inNZMtfphKSXeI_eO4TpfvmB-t9IDpIF30QhM2J1w5ZCepU8nv0xVS200\/w640-h438\/noah's%20ark%20peakpx.jpg\" width=\"640\" \/\u003E\u003C\/a\u003E\u003C\/td\u003E\u003C\/tr\u003E\u003Ctr\u003E\u003Ctd class=\"tr-caption\" style=\"text-align: center;\"\u003EFigure 2: The Flood of Noah, at the end of the Golden Age. Source:peakpx, Free Image\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003C\/td\u003E\u003C\/tr\u003E\u003C\/tbody\u003E\u003C\/table\u003E\u003Cp\u003EAs per the Yuga Cycle framework that I have presented in my book, \u003Ca href=\"https:\/\/www.amazon.com\/YUGA-SHIFT-IMPENDING-PLANETARY-TRANSFORMATION\/dp\/B0CPJVYQG4\/ref=pd_ci_mcx_mh_mcx_views_0_image\" target=\"_blank\"\u003EYuga Shift\u003C\/a\u003E, the Golden Age or the antediluvian period ended in 10,876 BCE, with the onset of the 1200-year Younger Dryas period, which the Greeks referred to as Kataklysmos, meaning “Deluge”, or the “great winter” of the Great Year. It was during the period of Kataklysmos or Younger Dryas that the earth was impacted by a long sequence of 26 comets, as described in the Sanskrit text \u003Ci\u003EAdbhuta-sagara\u003C\/i\u003E. The impact events precipitated a period of freezing cold temperatures, while the second comet in this sequence caused the Great Flood recounted in the flood legends of many cultures. \u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Ctable align=\"center\" cellpadding=\"0\" cellspacing=\"0\" class=\"tr-caption-container\" style=\"margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;\"\u003E\u003Ctbody\u003E\u003Ctr\u003E\u003Ctd style=\"text-align: center;\"\u003E\u003Ca href=\"https:\/\/blogger.googleusercontent.com\/img\/b\/R29vZ2xl\/AVvXsEhhCesK17Yr1CfJRMt1pdJeFFI5rWNHuN7zwjkhDw_UMJje6IJHa-GvunY-XoEIHFm8kLrQf_lhOAd1J_W_Z7hyphenhyphen0PuKk2UG9yK4AcmshHbLRXwqTdhVBoMZfd3gU2XGtWyxOlPdT9uud2vx5Fa4PmB7kzbLPClN_vMRvZcCxGg5odu2_nHO4w9bOjee0kA\/s1400\/39%20Yuga%20Cycle%2025800%20years2.jpg\" style=\"margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;\"\u003E\u003Cimg alt=\"The 25,800-year Yuga Cycle\" border=\"0\" data-original-height=\"1135\" data-original-width=\"1400\" height=\"518\" src=\"https:\/\/blogger.googleusercontent.com\/img\/b\/R29vZ2xl\/AVvXsEhhCesK17Yr1CfJRMt1pdJeFFI5rWNHuN7zwjkhDw_UMJje6IJHa-GvunY-XoEIHFm8kLrQf_lhOAd1J_W_Z7hyphenhyphen0PuKk2UG9yK4AcmshHbLRXwqTdhVBoMZfd3gU2XGtWyxOlPdT9uud2vx5Fa4PmB7kzbLPClN_vMRvZcCxGg5odu2_nHO4w9bOjee0kA\/w640-h518\/39%20Yuga%20Cycle%2025800%20years2.jpg\" width=\"640\" \/\u003E\u003C\/a\u003E\u003C\/td\u003E\u003C\/tr\u003E\u003Ctr\u003E\u003Ctd class=\"tr-caption\" style=\"text-align: center;\"\u003EFigure 3: The 25,800-year Yuga Cycle. Credit: Bibhu Dev Misra\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003C\/td\u003E\u003C\/tr\u003E\u003C\/tbody\u003E\u003C\/table\u003E\u003Cp\u003EThus, what the data in the \u003Ci\u003ELaws of Manu \u003C\/i\u003Eor the \u003Ci\u003EGenesis\u003C\/i\u003E tells us is that humans lived hundreds of years prior to 10,876 BE. As per the \u003Ci\u003ELaws of Manu\u003C\/i\u003E, average human lifespan during this time was 400 years, while the \u003Ci\u003EGenesis\u003C\/i\u003E states that the eminent spiritual figures of this time lived for 900 years or so. But after 9676 BCE, i.e. in the Holocene or post-glacial period, average lifespan kept on declining until it reached around 110 years in c.1500 BCE.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003ESince we have an ingrained tendency to look at the past in the context of our present circumstances, the dominant tendency in scientific and academic circles is to disregard such data as being mythical. But that is not a rational way of looking at the past.\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EHuman lifespan is governed by a number of different factors such as genetics, environmental conditions, prevalence of diseases, healthcare, diet, lifestyle, stress, exercise, exposure to harmful radiation etc. None of these factors have remained constant over time. Human genes have been constantly mutating, the ecosphere has degraded significantly, diseases have multiplied, and people are leading increasingly sedentary and stressful lives and consuming unhealthy food. The amount of harmful radiation that we are exposed to on a daily basis, which responsible for many kinds of diseases and accelerates our aging – such as cosmic rays, UV rays and the background radiation from the soil and rocks of the earth – may not have remained constant over time either, and they may be fluctuating in a manner that we don’t fully understand.\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EThe problem is compounded by the fact that human skeletal remains – which have been found in large numbers for the Holocene period - cannot be analyzed to find out how long a person had lived. The only way to validate these claims is by looking at extant historical records, of which, unfortunately, we don’t have a great deal.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EThe Chinese Shujing (meaning “Classic of History”) is a compilation of records related to events in China’s history, covering a total of 88 generations. As per these records, the first 7 emperors, who ruled from 2953 BCE – 2255 BCE had an average reign length of 95 years.[3] If we assume that the average age of the emperors at the time of ascension to the throne was 25 years, the average lifespan during this period was around 120 years.\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EBy around 100 BCE, however, the average reign lengths of the rulers of the Xiong Nu Dynasty (obtained from other historical sources) had come down to only 12 years, which works out to an average lifespan of around 37 years, assuming ascension to the throne at the age of 25. Thus, the average lifespan of Chinese emperors had declined from roughly 120 years at around 2900 BCE to only 37 years at around 100 BCE.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EOne might imagine that the ancient Egyptians must have left behind tons of inscriptional evidence about the lifespans of their pharaohs, which can help us to figure out if their lifespan was on a decline in the Bronze Age. As it turns out, the Egyptian funerary art and stelae contain hardly any information about the dates of birth or death, or the ages at which the pharaohs had died. Only a few documents indicate that 110 years was the ideal Egyptian lifespan,[4] which is very close to the 100 years average lifespan in the Kali Yuga, mentioned in the Laws of Manu.\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003ECertain pharaohs of the Old Kingdom approached this ideal Egyptian lifespan. For instance, King Pepi II Neferkare of the 6th Dynasty (Old Kingdom, c. 2250 BCE) lived for a 100 years, and ruled for 96 of them. One of his provincial governors, Pepiankh, lived till the age of 100, for, on his tomb, the following text was inscribed: “I spent a lifetime until a hundred years among the living, in possession of my faculties.”[5]\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EIt appears that, during the Old Kingdom (c. 2686 BCE – 2181 BCE) at least, some people reached close to the ideal Egyptian lifespan of 110 years.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Ctable align=\"center\" cellpadding=\"0\" cellspacing=\"0\" class=\"tr-caption-container\" style=\"margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;\"\u003E\u003Ctbody\u003E\u003Ctr\u003E\u003Ctd style=\"text-align: center;\"\u003E\u003Ca href=\"https:\/\/blogger.googleusercontent.com\/img\/b\/R29vZ2xl\/AVvXsEg7bWYEkzkyvzCcETCjfVp6BzAtxV8bkpApahXdfXU62pfrJHv1mNvBMlJNET4qA2ks_mp4p5IFSLIbpfxp35r3U8GLFn01I2P8uZzjwzl6BO61-1vOEQvFKK_6pBT2_FOZ2knnvpz2Sed-f3ZgYHZL1ynFdH1AxBm2idh2soYKXcqql9za2cTUNwK-Cek\/s1109\/Pepi%20II%20seated%20on%20the%20lap%20of%20his%20mother%20Queen%20Ankhnes-meryre%20II,%20c%202288%20ro%202224%20BCE,%20Brroklyn%20Museum,%20Public%20Domain.jpg\" style=\"margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;\"\u003E\u003Cimg border=\"0\" data-original-height=\"1109\" data-original-width=\"1011\" height=\"400\" src=\"https:\/\/blogger.googleusercontent.com\/img\/b\/R29vZ2xl\/AVvXsEg7bWYEkzkyvzCcETCjfVp6BzAtxV8bkpApahXdfXU62pfrJHv1mNvBMlJNET4qA2ks_mp4p5IFSLIbpfxp35r3U8GLFn01I2P8uZzjwzl6BO61-1vOEQvFKK_6pBT2_FOZ2knnvpz2Sed-f3ZgYHZL1ynFdH1AxBm2idh2soYKXcqql9za2cTUNwK-Cek\/w365-h400\/Pepi%20II%20seated%20on%20the%20lap%20of%20his%20mother%20Queen%20Ankhnes-meryre%20II,%20c%202288%20ro%202224%20BCE,%20Brroklyn%20Museum,%20Public%20Domain.jpg\" width=\"365\" \/\u003E\u003C\/a\u003E\u003C\/td\u003E\u003C\/tr\u003E\u003Ctr\u003E\u003Ctd class=\"tr-caption\" style=\"text-align: center;\"\u003EFigure 5: Pepi II seated on the lap of his mother Queen Ankhnes-meryre II, c 2288 ro 2224 BCE, Brroklyn Museum, Public Domain\u003C\/td\u003E\u003C\/tr\u003E\u003C\/tbody\u003E\u003C\/table\u003E\u003Cp\u003EWe must remember that there is a difference between lifespan and life expectancy. Lifespan tells us how long a person may expect to live once he gets past the fragile childhood years. Life expectancy, on the other hand, is computed after accounting for child mortality rates. Most Bronze Age societies had poor survival rates among children, which lowered their life expectancy. Historians generally say that people in ancient Egypt had a life expectancy of around 35 years. This does not mean that Egyptians started falling down and dying in their thirties. It means that infant mortality rates were very high. The Egyptian ideal lifespan of 110 years tells us how long an Egyptian could have expected to live, once he got past the childhood years.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EBy the Ptolemaic period (c.305 – 30 BCE), when Egypt was under Roman rule, average lifespan had fallen far below the ideal age of 110 years. During the Ptolemaic period, dates of birth and death were recorded, which show that the average age at death was 54 years for men and 58 for women.[6] This is comparable to the lifespan of the Romans at this time.\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EAnthropologist John Hawks of the University of Wisconsin Madison, wrote in a web post that, “A rough estimate (gleaned from tomb inscriptions that give ages) is that half of Romans who lived to age 15 – and therefore escaped child mortality – were dead before age 45.”[7] This implies that the median lifespan of the Romans was around 45 years. The average lifespan would have been close to this value.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EClearly, average lifespan was declining throughout the Bronze Age, which corresponds to the descending Kali Yuga. It may have hit rock bottom during the Greek Dark Ages (c. 1200 – 800 BCE), and then began to slowly increase. However, at the moment, we don't know exactly when the reversal took place.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EOver the past 2000-odd years of the historical era or the ascending Kali Yuga, average lifespan has been steadily rising. Historical records show that, in the UK, from 1200 CE to 1745, 21-year-olds would reach an average age of anywhere between 62-70 years, which can be taken as a measure of the lifespan. Today, the infant mortality rates have reduced so drastically that the life expectancy for a newborn in the UK is 81 years, while the life expectancy for a 20-year-old (i.e. the lifespan) is 82 years.[8]\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EThus, the data from the UK indicates that average lifespan has increased steadily from 62 years to 82 years over a period of nearly 800 years from 1200 CE till now. This parallels the increase in physical stature of humans during the ascending Kali Yuga (or Iron Age), which began in c.676 BCE, as I have described in the \u003Ca href=\"https:\/\/www.bibhudevmisra.com\/2024\/12\/why-did-humans-become-smaller.html\" target=\"_blank\"\u003Eprevious article\u003C\/a\u003E, and in my book, \u003Ca href=\"https:\/\/www.amazon.com\/YUGA-SHIFT-IMPENDING-PLANETARY-TRANSFORMATION\/dp\/B0CPJVYQG4\/ref=pd_ci_mcx_mh_mcx_views_0_image\" target=\"_blank\"\u003EYuga Shift\u003C\/a\u003E.\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EThe increase in average lifespan and physical stature during the ascending Kali Yuga is only to be expected, since the ascending Kali Yuga is a time of increasing material prosperity, and if you are bigger and stronger and live longer you can work more and accumulate more wealth. However, our cranial capacity has continued to decline throughout the descending Yuga Cycle starting from c.9676 BCE, as I have described in an \u003Ca href=\"https:\/\/www.bibhudevmisra.com\/2024\/12\/the-shocking-decline-in-human-cranial.html\" target=\"_blank\"\u003Eearlier article\u003C\/a\u003E, and in \u003Ca href=\"https:\/\/www.amazon.com\/YUGA-SHIFT-IMPENDING-PLANETARY-TRANSFORMATION\/dp\/B0CPJVYQG4\/ref=pd_ci_mcx_mh_mcx_views_0_image\" target=\"_blank\"\u003EYuga Shift\u003C\/a\u003E. This explains the ongoing degradation in our consciousness in the Kali Yuga.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EThus, the historical and archaeological data available to us indicate that human lifespan was declining during the Bronze Age, staged a reversal sometime after the Greek Dark Ages (c.1200 BCE – 800 BCE) had ended, and started increasing during the Iron Age. Let me summarize some of the key pieces of information that we just discussed:\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cul style=\"text-align: left;\"\u003E\u003Cli\u003EThe Chinese Shujing (“Classic of History”) shows that average lifespan of Chinese rulers had declined from 120 years between 2953 BCE – 2255 BCE, to around 37 years at 100 BCE.\u003C\/li\u003E\u003Cli\u003EThe Egyptian records show that during the Old Kingdom (c. 2686 BCE – 2181 BCE), some people reached close to the ideal Egyptian lifespan of 110 years. However, by the Ptolemaic period (c.305 – 30 BCE), the average lifespan of Egyptian men had come down to 54 years. The average lifespan of Romans during the same period was around 45 years.\u003C\/li\u003E\u003Cli\u003EThe data from the UK shows that average lifespan has increased steadily from 62 years to 82 years, over a period of nearly 800 years, from 1200 CE till now.\u003C\/li\u003E\u003C\/ul\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u003Ci\u003ESince lifespan had been declining during the Bronze Age, it is possible that the people living in the higher Yugas had longer lifespans. And, since we are currently living in a time of increasing lifespan, at some point in the future human lifespan could become much longer.\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/i\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EEven though the average lifespan today is around 80 years, an unusually high percentage of seniors on Japan’s Okinawa Island live more than 100 years, which is the average for the Kali Yuga. People there suffer from low levels of heart disease, cancer and dementia, and remain very active well past 100. The secret: they have not been unduly influenced by the unhealthy beliefs and practices of the modern,\u0026nbsp; money-obsessed civilization.\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Ctable align=\"center\" cellpadding=\"0\" cellspacing=\"0\" class=\"tr-caption-container\" style=\"margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;\"\u003E\u003Ctbody\u003E\u003Ctr\u003E\u003Ctd style=\"text-align: center;\"\u003E\u003Ca href=\"https:\/\/blogger.googleusercontent.com\/img\/b\/R29vZ2xl\/AVvXsEj-zBlmdLpOoKhgrYFHccEscKieflreRUmISNWmGU8d89lOTGNYotCHI9b9wjV5GPfgbGkmWMkCIe0PZTPDM-T1gVOayPsZF0ZNkX0HChbXypbIFAoKBKVNdBskfxHOEKUyycHJvQRJC-pvX0z3VsbKhdFPhsiV0DGbru9HcW2qptspeAsUU2UFKvpufiw\/s1400\/Japanese%20woman%20from%20Okinawa%20who%20is%20well%20past%20100.jpg\" style=\"margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;\"\u003E\u003Cimg border=\"0\" data-original-height=\"933\" data-original-width=\"1400\" height=\"426\" src=\"https:\/\/blogger.googleusercontent.com\/img\/b\/R29vZ2xl\/AVvXsEj-zBlmdLpOoKhgrYFHccEscKieflreRUmISNWmGU8d89lOTGNYotCHI9b9wjV5GPfgbGkmWMkCIe0PZTPDM-T1gVOayPsZF0ZNkX0HChbXypbIFAoKBKVNdBskfxHOEKUyycHJvQRJC-pvX0z3VsbKhdFPhsiV0DGbru9HcW2qptspeAsUU2UFKvpufiw\/w640-h426\/Japanese%20woman%20from%20Okinawa%20who%20is%20well%20past%20100.jpg\" width=\"640\" \/\u003E\u003C\/a\u003E\u003C\/td\u003E\u003C\/tr\u003E\u003Ctr\u003E\u003Ctd class=\"tr-caption\" style=\"text-align: center;\"\u003EFigure 5: A Japanese centenarian woman from the island of Okinawa, radiating warmth and wisdom. Source: Adobe Stock.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003C\/td\u003E\u003C\/tr\u003E\u003C\/tbody\u003E\u003C\/table\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EAs this BBC article[9] explains, people in Okinawa are motivated on a daily basis by a sense of purpose, or \u003Ci\u003Eikigai\u003C\/i\u003E, which gives meaning to their lives. They have social support groups called \u003Ci\u003Emoai\u003C\/i\u003E that start in their childhood and extend into their 100s. They regularly meet with their moai to gossip, play, share advice and provide emotional or financial support. Okinawans try to stay happy and fun-loving, and regularly exert their bodies in low-intensity exercise such as cooking and gardening, which also allows them to reconnect with nature. Their diet is rich in vegetables and antioxidant foods, and they only eat until they feel 80% full, which aligns with the ancient wisdom advising against overeating.\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u003Ci\u003EIn other words, it is by living in tune with ancient wisdom and the traditional way of life that the people of Okinawa manage to remain healthy, happy, and active well past 100 years. \u003C\/i\u003EIt goes without saying that the average lifespan today for all of us would have touched the Kali Yuga average of 100 years, had it not been for the fact that our lives are immersed in the toxic fruits of modernity.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EThe historical information available to us today suggests that human lifespan is fluctuating in a sinusoidal manner in tandem with the 25,800-year Yuga Cycle, and, it is very likely that the information in the \u003Ci\u003ELaws of Manu\u003C\/i\u003E and the \u003Ci\u003EGenesis\u003C\/i\u003E are based on actual historical data.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u0026nbsp; \u0026nbsp;\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cb\u003EReferences\u003C\/b\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E[1] The Laws of Manu, tr. G. Buhler, Chapter I, verse 83, from sacred-texts\u003Cbr \/\u003E[2] Genesis 5-11.\u003Cbr \/\u003E[3] Walter Cruttenden, Lost Star of Myth and Time, St. Lynn’s Press, 2006, p. 263.\u003Cbr \/\u003E[4] Marie Parsons, “Old Age in Ancient Egypt”, \u003Ca href=\"http:\/\/www.touregypt.net\/featurestories\/oldage.htm\" target=\"_blank\"\u003Ehttp:\/\/www.touregypt.net\/featurestories\/oldage.htm\u003C\/a\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E[5] Ibid.\u003Cbr \/\u003E[6] Ibid.\u003Cbr \/\u003E[7] John Hawks, “Human lifespans have not been constant for the last 2000 years”,\u0026nbsp; \u003Ca href=\"http:\/\/johnhawks.net\/weblog\/reviews\/life_history\/age-specific-mortality-lifespan-bad-science-2009.html\" target=\"_blank\"\u003Ehttp:\/\/johnhawks.net\/weblog\/reviews\/life_history\/age-specific-mortality-lifespan-bad-science-2009.html\u003C\/a\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E[8] “Life Expectancy”, Our World In Data, \u003Ca href=\"https:\/\/ourworldindata.org\/life-expectancy\" target=\"_blank\"\u003Ehttps:\/\/ourworldindata.org\/life-expectancy\u003C\/a\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E[9] Keith Bedford \u0026amp; Shiho Fukada, \"Okinawa: The island of almost-eternal youth\" BBC 28 November 2020, \u003Ca href=\"https:\/\/www.bbc.com\/travel\/article\/20201126-why-so-many-japanese-live-to-100\" target=\"_blank\"\u003Ehttps:\/\/www.bbc.com\/travel\/article\/20201126-why-so-many-japanese-live-to-100\u003C\/a\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/p\u003E"},"link":[{"rel":"replies","type":"application/atom+xml","href":"https:\/\/www.bibhudevmisra.com\/feeds\/1215584282932750232\/comments\/default","title":"Post Comments"},{"rel":"replies","type":"text/html","href":"https:\/\/www.bibhudevmisra.com\/2024\/12\/did-we-live-for-hundreds-of-years-in.html#comment-form","title":"0 Comments"},{"rel":"edit","type":"application/atom+xml","href":"https:\/\/www.blogger.com\/feeds\/6864653463177413678\/posts\/default\/1215584282932750232"},{"rel":"self","type":"application/atom+xml","href":"https:\/\/www.blogger.com\/feeds\/6864653463177413678\/posts\/default\/1215584282932750232"},{"rel":"alternate","type":"text/html","href":"https:\/\/www.bibhudevmisra.com\/2024\/12\/did-we-live-for-hundreds-of-years-in.html","title":"Did we live for Hundreds of Years in the Higher Yugas? Yes, we probably did!"}],"author":[{"name":{"$t":"Bibhu Dev Misra"},"uri":{"$t":"http:\/\/www.blogger.com\/profile\/15388473714672380058"},"email":{"$t":"noreply@blogger.com"},"gd$image":{"rel":"http://schemas.google.com/g/2005#thumbnail","width":"32","height":"28","src":"\/\/blogger.googleusercontent.com\/img\/b\/R29vZ2xl\/AVvXsEh4sklyRp_L5BfqEXTjoskgFPFYpJiNJSuDN5zrcldGBaXot626bOTu8q5TUYsip63M6EkY2JbuoE6l1N5fMKiqKfzFfaaKpqm91QZx9rMdAL3t-ju2QdYi1K-BeCJsjw\/s130\/DSCN1699.JPG"}}],"media$thumbnail":{"xmlns$media":"http://search.yahoo.com/mrss/","url":"https:\/\/blogger.googleusercontent.com\/img\/b\/R29vZ2xl\/AVvXsEgsLbr4h3FVAQUtQZ_5-RCLL60BKM3-uki9algejpZFtKVnmWk8f3fi8zgMUnYM56VRGMzh8XykZeiO0FnsHGmbvQLXMHXjfDEKBsl5qmsKPywKTXwmk7pM2efQuHE019c4z1v2LgOZPZDf9GnFqJ2Pq8K_vT6dn31L3y2_uBpQKhX_YPdfaNcVZDMTgLI\/s72-c\/Ancient%20Sage%20thumbnail.jpg","height":"72","width":"72"},"thr$total":{"$t":"0"}},{"id":{"$t":"tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6864653463177413678.post-5454445325587761324"},"published":{"$t":"2024-12-22T00:20:00.007+05:30"},"updated":{"$t":"2025-08-02T12:49:49.214+05:30"},"category":[{"scheme":"http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#","term":"Article"},{"scheme":"http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#","term":"Yuga Cycle"}],"title":{"type":"text","$t":"Why did we become smaller, unhealthier and violent over the past 12,000 years?"},"content":{"type":"html","$t":"\u003Cp\u003E\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cdiv class=\"separator\" style=\"clear: both; text-align: center;\"\u003E\u003Ca href=\"https:\/\/blogger.googleusercontent.com\/img\/b\/R29vZ2xl\/AVvXsEhHcMDj1hXiA6koNQhH05iO6IH5zjBOHdgw38CxfMTVl1obqXKVvmOQeM1YETppp-FiRiErzzl4671WbBDWoWB6uGj1H5w2t76a8ht6MfiJnoXy6uB91a-Jili_QNlazX_gufp2BKY09KPLVBLzb3N6jHY9JV3RT3aPdUzk8cXfunGMMew9GE-KzrTJqwU\/s600\/human%20height%20decline%20thumbnail.jpg\" style=\"margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;\"\u003E\u003Cimg border=\"0\" data-original-height=\"309\" data-original-width=\"600\" height=\"165\" src=\"https:\/\/blogger.googleusercontent.com\/img\/b\/R29vZ2xl\/AVvXsEhHcMDj1hXiA6koNQhH05iO6IH5zjBOHdgw38CxfMTVl1obqXKVvmOQeM1YETppp-FiRiErzzl4671WbBDWoWB6uGj1H5w2t76a8ht6MfiJnoXy6uB91a-Jili_QNlazX_gufp2BKY09KPLVBLzb3N6jHY9JV3RT3aPdUzk8cXfunGMMew9GE-KzrTJqwU\/s320\/human%20height%20decline%20thumbnail.jpg\" width=\"320\" \/\u003E\u003C\/a\u003E\u003C\/div\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u003Ci\u003ENote: This article has been extracted from my book, \u003Ca href=\"https:\/\/www.amazon.com\/YUGA-SHIFT-IMPENDING-PLANETARY-TRANSFORMATION\/dp\/B0CPJVYQG4\/ref=pd_ci_mcx_mh_mcx_views_0_image\" target=\"_blank\"\u003EYuga Shift\u003C\/a\u003E\u003C\/i\u003E \u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EWhen we read the ancient legends and folktales, we constantly hear about how the heroes of the bygone ages were big and phenomenally strong. And I am not talking about the Greek demigods here, who were supposedly as tall as 15 feet, as per the classical Greco-Roman writers. I am talking about normal human beings. Pliny the Elder wrote in \u003Ci\u003ENatural History\u003C\/i\u003E, \u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cblockquote\u003E“But it is almost a matter of observation that with the entire human race the stature on the whole is becoming smaller daily, and that few men are taller than their fathers...Moreover, the famous bard Homer nearly 1000 years ago never ceased to lament that mortals were smaller of stature than in the old days.”[1]\u003C\/blockquote\u003E\u003Cspan\u003E\u003Ca name='more'\u003E\u003C\/a\u003E\u003C\/span\u003EA similar belief was held by the ancient Indians. In the \u003Ci\u003EMahabharata\u003C\/i\u003E, the sage Markandeya tells Yudhisthira, “Know, O Yudhisthira, that the period of life, the energy, intellect and the physical strength of men decrease in every Yuga!”[2] \u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EAn interesting story in the Sanskrit text, \u003Ci\u003EVishnu Purana\u003C\/i\u003E, illustrates this. A wise king of the Satya Yuga called Raivata had a lovely daughter called Revati. Unable to find anyone worthy of her hand, King Raivata went with his daughter to the celestial realm of Brahma, in order to consult the god regarding a suitable bridegroom. When they arrived, Brahma was listening to a musical performance. So, they waited till the performance was over. After the performance, Raivata prostrated himself before Brahma, explained his purpose, and presented a list of bridegrooms with whom he would be pleased. Brahma then smiled at him graciously, and said:\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cblockquote\u003E“Of those whom you have named the third or fourth generation no longer survives, for many successions of ages have passed away whilst you were listening to our songsters: now upon earth the twenty-eighth great age of the present Manu is nearly finished, and the Kali period is at hand. You must therefore bestow this virgin gem upon some other husband, for you are now alone, and your friends, your ministers, servants, wife, kinsmen, armies, and treasures, have long since been swept away by the hand of time.”[3]\u003C\/blockquote\u003EBrahma then told Raivata that the Creator Vishnu was incarnate on earth at that particular time in the forms of Krishna and his brother Balarama. He advised Raivata to confer the hand of his daughter to Balarama. When Raivata returned to earth, \u003Cb\u003E“he found the race of men dwindled in stature, reduced in vigor, and enfeebled in intellect.”\u003C\/b\u003E Returning to the city of Kusasthali, he bestowed his daughter’s hand on Balarama. “Beholding the damsel of excessively lofty height, the chief (i.e. Balarama), whose banner is a palm-tree, shortened her with the end of his ploughshare, and she became his wife.”\u003Cp\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EWithout breaking our heads over how Balarama managed to shorten Revati with his plough, let us take note of a key message in the story; and that is, Revati, a lady of the Satya Yuga, was taller than Balarama, who was a big and powerful warrior of the Dwapara Yuga.\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EThe reference to time dilation in this story is also intriguing. King Revati and his daughter had spent only a few minutes in Brahma’s realm, but, by that time, thousands of Earth-years had elapsed. The phenomenon of time dilation, was discovered in the early 20th century by Einstein. As per Einstein’s relativistic principles, time slows down for someone who is travelling at a high speed, or has reached a different star system with a higher gravity. But, our ancestors were aware of time dilation thousands of years before modern physicists figured it out. How do you explain that?\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EWhen I started to hunt for information about human stature in the past, I was astonished by what I found out. A wealth of scientific data from multiple regions of the world reveals the exact same trend: humans, in general, have shrunk in size by at least 10% since the end of the last Ice Age!\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EThe measurements of height for the Eastern Mediterranean region, documented by anthropologist J.L. Angel[4] of the Smithsonian Institution in 1984, shows that a continuous decline in average height for both males and females occurred since the Paleolithic period (earlier than 9000 BCE) till the Middle People (2000 – 1500 BCE) or Middle Bronze Age, after which there has been a slight increase in average heights.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EIn the image below, I have done a rough mapping between the time periods in Angel’s classification to the Yuga Cycle timeline presented in my book \u003Ca href=\"https:\/\/www.amazon.com\/YUGA-SHIFT-IMPENDING-PLANETARY-TRANSFORMATION\/dp\/B0CPJVYQG4\/ref=pd_ci_mcx_mh_mcx_views_0_image\" target=\"_blank\"\u003EYuga Shift\u003C\/a\u003E.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Ctable align=\"center\" cellpadding=\"0\" cellspacing=\"0\" class=\"tr-caption-container\" style=\"margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;\"\u003E\u003Ctbody\u003E\u003Ctr\u003E\u003Ctd style=\"text-align: center;\"\u003E\u003Ca href=\"https:\/\/blogger.googleusercontent.com\/img\/b\/R29vZ2xl\/AVvXsEjeHCSNRgi7Q4eaO6CM8p1joyLHv86T0VXl_05MvhktH-18R3soqZsqUxyHF1lsHOJT5kTIhc33AXCRQdJxcnCNDnHn8NtG7cRwpkX3OYPhzj2yCsaE2K_c-nbPAE137fgIOHWFKnQ6pBSi9Ra-qR_SgXqnL-vk1Fa9NN0MxGW_GTrLrUAYS7tAAVvrhYE\/s1397\/Decline%20in%20height%20in%20Eastern%20Mediterranean%20mapped%20to%20Yuga%20Cycle.jpg\" style=\"margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;\"\u003E\u003Cimg alt=\"Change in Height in the Eastern Mediterranean region, mapped to the Yuga Cycle\" border=\"0\" data-original-height=\"819\" data-original-width=\"1397\" height=\"376\" src=\"https:\/\/blogger.googleusercontent.com\/img\/b\/R29vZ2xl\/AVvXsEjeHCSNRgi7Q4eaO6CM8p1joyLHv86T0VXl_05MvhktH-18R3soqZsqUxyHF1lsHOJT5kTIhc33AXCRQdJxcnCNDnHn8NtG7cRwpkX3OYPhzj2yCsaE2K_c-nbPAE137fgIOHWFKnQ6pBSi9Ra-qR_SgXqnL-vk1Fa9NN0MxGW_GTrLrUAYS7tAAVvrhYE\/w640-h376\/Decline%20in%20height%20in%20Eastern%20Mediterranean%20mapped%20to%20Yuga%20Cycle.jpg\" width=\"640\" \/\u003E\u003C\/a\u003E\u003C\/td\u003E\u003C\/tr\u003E\u003Ctr\u003E\u003Ctd class=\"tr-caption\" style=\"text-align: center;\"\u003EFigure 1: Change in Height in centimeters the Eastern Mediterranean \nregion, mapped to the Yuga Cycle timeline. Source: Angel, 1984.\u003C\/td\u003E\u003C\/tr\u003E\u003C\/tbody\u003E\u003C\/table\u003E\u003Ctable align=\"center\" cellpadding=\"0\" cellspacing=\"0\" class=\"tr-caption-container\" style=\"margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;\"\u003E\u003Ctbody\u003E\u003Ctr\u003E\u003Ctd style=\"text-align: center;\"\u003E\u003Ca href=\"https:\/\/blogger.googleusercontent.com\/img\/b\/R29vZ2xl\/AVvXsEiyHiyWxE5QuzRC4O5hvM4EkaBUPT7PxQlkDuHvU_LrBqB3Mu4x2rpKOP-aVFq_LEwerxZTS7JxNor_kq_86gd2hwBdn931_vx5TiWZEFe0T2H4bgcJiIXzVmA07jCYOj1_2cwc_juQbWuYqhzcksE_6QuwQR_iYXWaptYurJf6DwGNuBSpI3aP9D-AAok\/s1400\/39%20Yuga%20Cycle%2025800%20years2.jpg\" style=\"margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;\"\u003E\u003Cimg alt=\"The complete Yuga Cycle of 25,800 years\" border=\"0\" data-original-height=\"1135\" data-original-width=\"1400\" height=\"518\" src=\"https:\/\/blogger.googleusercontent.com\/img\/b\/R29vZ2xl\/AVvXsEiyHiyWxE5QuzRC4O5hvM4EkaBUPT7PxQlkDuHvU_LrBqB3Mu4x2rpKOP-aVFq_LEwerxZTS7JxNor_kq_86gd2hwBdn931_vx5TiWZEFe0T2H4bgcJiIXzVmA07jCYOj1_2cwc_juQbWuYqhzcksE_6QuwQR_iYXWaptYurJf6DwGNuBSpI3aP9D-AAok\/w640-h518\/39%20Yuga%20Cycle%2025800%20years2.jpg\" width=\"640\" \/\u003E\u003C\/a\u003E\u003C\/td\u003E\u003C\/tr\u003E\u003Ctr\u003E\u003Ctd class=\"tr-caption\" style=\"text-align: center;\"\u003EFigure 2: The complete Yuga Cycle of 25,800 years, with the 1200-year \nperiods of Kataklysmos and Ekpyrosis. Credit: Bibhu Dev Misra.\u003C\/td\u003E\u003C\/tr\u003E\u003C\/tbody\u003E\u003C\/table\u003E\u003Cp\u003EWe can make an interesting observation from the data collected by Angel. The table indicates that the average height of a female in the Paleolithic or Satya Yuga (i.e. earlier than 9000 BCE in Angel’s classification) was 166.5 cm, while that of a male in the late Neolithic (5000 – 3000 BCE) or late Dwapara Yuga was 161.3 cm. This means that, on an average, \u003Cb\u003Ea Satya Yuga lady was taller than a Dwapara Yuga man by 5.2 cm or 2 inches.\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/b\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EWhy is this important? Because, as per the story in the \u003Ci\u003EVishnu Purana\u003C\/i\u003E that I had related earlier, the princess Revati, who belonged to the Satya Yuga, was taller than the heroic Balarama who lived in the late Dwapara Yuga. However, the height difference was not very significant, only around 2 inches. Which is why, in spite of being taller than Balarama, Revati got married to him. Clearly, the Vishnu Purana is spot on in this case.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Ctable align=\"center\" cellpadding=\"0\" cellspacing=\"0\" class=\"tr-caption-container\" style=\"margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;\"\u003E\u003Ctbody\u003E\u003Ctr\u003E\u003Ctd style=\"text-align: center;\"\u003E\u003Ca href=\"https:\/\/blogger.googleusercontent.com\/img\/b\/R29vZ2xl\/AVvXsEjcAqm3nE4MF3qJ_IAD8zI0YN93xqzk2FdNj4o8jBfVBa7bRlihDGhbEAGZQ7spfIXDaq8-Y6VtHxgH57E1l5lON-XZAAKHqVj_yIrEnRyZ-rtJ34ueuS74Zvo0Xei61mWQUw6vgClxFQ2NTaKGDGAto90HKcZXdE3U2IKdSlr56om3uxjoWt6WHkXEoHg\/s1400\/34%20Change%20of%20Height%20in%20the%20Eastern%20Mediterranean%20Yuga%20Cycle.jpg\" style=\"margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;\"\u003E\u003Cimg alt=\"Change in Height in the Eastern Mediterranean region, based on Angel, 1984\" border=\"0\" data-original-height=\"903\" data-original-width=\"1400\" height=\"412\" src=\"https:\/\/blogger.googleusercontent.com\/img\/b\/R29vZ2xl\/AVvXsEjcAqm3nE4MF3qJ_IAD8zI0YN93xqzk2FdNj4o8jBfVBa7bRlihDGhbEAGZQ7spfIXDaq8-Y6VtHxgH57E1l5lON-XZAAKHqVj_yIrEnRyZ-rtJ34ueuS74Zvo0Xei61mWQUw6vgClxFQ2NTaKGDGAto90HKcZXdE3U2IKdSlr56om3uxjoWt6WHkXEoHg\/w640-h412\/34%20Change%20of%20Height%20in%20the%20Eastern%20Mediterranean%20Yuga%20Cycle.jpg\" width=\"640\" \/\u003E\u003C\/a\u003E\u003C\/td\u003E\u003C\/tr\u003E\u003Ctr\u003E\u003Ctd class=\"tr-caption\" style=\"text-align: center;\"\u003EFigure 3: Change in Height in the Eastern Mediterranean region, based on Angel, 1984. Credit: Bibhu Dev Misra.\u003C\/td\u003E\u003C\/tr\u003E\u003C\/tbody\u003E\u003C\/table\u003E\u003Cp\u003EThe graph based on Angel’s data for the Eastern Mediterranean region shows a gradual decline in heights of both males and females till the Late Bronze Age, which is exactly what you would expect as per the Yuga Cycle doctrine. However, there are a couple of anomalies in the trend. Firstly, there was a temporary dip in only male heights between 5000 to 3000 BCE, which may be due to lack of proper sample data for males.\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003ESecond, there was a distinct spike in both average male and female heights around 1450 BCE. How do we explain this? Going by the Yuga Cycle model, average height should have gradually decreased till around 1000 BCE, since the period of transition between the descending and the ascending Kali Yuga extended from 976 - 676 BCE, overlapping with the Greek Dark Ages. After that, the average heights should steadily increase in the ascending Kali Yuga. The second part of the hypothesis is clearly reflected in the data. In case of both males and females, the mean heights show a gradual upward trend since the Classic Period (c.650 BCE) till the Roman Period.\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EThe only anomaly is the small bump in the graph for both males and females at around 1450 BCE. What could be the reason for this?\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EI believe this is probably due to gene flow into the Eastern Mediterranean region from other parts of the world, which altered the local trend. Around 2800 BCE, the Yamnaya – a group of nomads from the steppes of southern Russia and eastern Ukraine – began to move west with their wagons and cattle herds. Within a few centuries, Yamnaya DNA had spread all over Europe. In some places, such as Britain and Germany, there was a substantial replacement of the Neolithic farmers by the Yamnaya. The Yamnaya also spread out over the Eastern Mediterranean region. Since they were of a tall built, it is possible that they increased the average height of the population, which caused the small spike in the graph at around 1450 BCE. Within a few generations, however, the effect of this sudden gene infusion smoothened out, and the average heights reverted back to the local trend.\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EOverall, the data for the Eastern Mediterranean region shows a striking correlation with an important tenet of the Yuga Cycle. There is clear decline in average height for both males and females, since the end of the Satya Yuga till the middle part of the descending Kali Yuga, followed by an upward trend in average height after the beginning of the ascending Kali Yuga.\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EIn the modern day, the average height of males in the Eastern Mediterranean countries such as Turkey, Syria, Lebanon, Cyprus, Greece and Egypt is close to 170 cm for males, which is just 1 cm more than that during the Imperial Roman period.[5] This, means average height has continued to increase throughout the ascending Kali Yuga, albeit at a very slow rate.\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EThe reason why average height increased during the ascending Kali Yuga is because, it is an important determinant of our wealth and prosperity. If you are bigger and stronger, you can work harder and accumulate more wealth. The ascending Kali Yuga brings about an increase in our material prosperity, but the decline in the state of our consciousness continues unabated throughout the entire Kali Yuga.\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EThis demonstrates the importance of the Yuga Cycle model in correctly understanding and interpreting many aspects of our prehistory, which may, otherwise, be appear to be a confusing mess when looked though the lens of the linear model of human progress and evolution.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EA similar reduction in height took place during the Holocene period in Central and Northeast Europe. Michael Hermanussen notes in his paper “Stature of early Europeans” that,\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cblockquote\u003E“Upper Paleolithic males (before 16,000 BC) were tall and slim (mean height 179 cm, estimated average body weight 67 kg)…Late Upper Paleolithic males (8000 – 6600 BC) were of medium stature and robusticity (mean height 166 cm, estimated average body weight 62 kg)…Stature further decreased to below 165 cm with estimated body weight of 64 kg in Neolithic males of the Linear Band Pottery Culture (5500–4500 BC)…The body stature of European males remained within the range of 165 to 170 cm up to the end of the 19th century.”[6]\u003C\/blockquote\u003EPutting this data in the context of the Yuga Cycle, we can see that the mean height of European males declined from 179 cm in the ascending Satya Yuga (c.16000 BCE) to less than 165 cm towards the end of the descending Dwapara Yuga (c.4500 BCE), paralleling the reduction in male height in the Eastern Mediterranean region during this period.\u0026nbsp;\u003Cp\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EMichael Hermanussen writes that, “The reasons for the shortening of body stature during the Warming of the European climate are essentially unknown.” Of course they are unknown! Because, we have deliberately painted the ancients as primitives, and discarded their sacred doctrines. And yet, when we look at the hard, scientific data, we find that they fit in snugly with Yuga Cycle model. We would find it a lot easier to understand our past if we gave our ancestors the respect that they deserve.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003ENot only did humans become shorter in the descending Yuga Cycle, there was a decline in strength and athleticism. Michael Hermanussen writes in his paper that, “Upper Paleolithic humans not only were taller and had more robust bones in comparison with the Linear Band Pottery Culture Neolithic people, they also had longer limbs, a shorter trunk and, similar to modern African people, very long forearms.” Hermanussen’s observations on nutrition and diseases is equally revealing:\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cblockquote\u003E“Paleolithic population density was small, there was enough food for everybody, and there is no evidence of major endemic diseases...During the Mesolithic, population density did not significantly increase, but there is evidence of increased migration, with multiple documents of violent deaths and new endemic diseases (malaria, hookworm).”[7] \u003C\/blockquote\u003EAs I mentioned, Paleolithic is the period prior to the Holocene (c.9600 BCE), which corresponds to the Satya Yuga. So, what the data shows is that, in the Satya Yuga or Golden Age, there was enough food for everybody, and there weren’t any major endemic diseases. Now where have we heard this before? In practically every ancient doctrine about the Yuga Cycle or the Cycle of the Ages of Man! In the Satya Yuga or Golden Age, there was no scarcity, everyone easily obtained the necessities of life, and there were no diseases, old age or suffering.\u003Cp\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EThe Mesolithic is the period between Upper Paleolithic and Neolithic, which extended from roughly 9600 – 4500 BCE in Europe. So, it basically includes nearly the whole of the Treta and the Dwapara Yugas in the descending cycle. According to Hermanussen, multiple instances of violent deaths and endemic diseases were found during the Mesolithic. This corresponds exactly to what Hanuman had related to Bhima; that, in the Dwapara Yuga, due to the prevalence of sin, men suffer from various diseases and natural calamities. In the Ramayana and Mahabharata, as well as in Hesiod’s description of the Ages of Man, we find that people became aggressive and warlike in the Treta (Silver) and Dwapara (Bronze) Yugas.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EIn a study done at the Cambridge University in 2014, researchers found that the leg bones of male farmers 7300 years ago (5300 BCE), were just as good as those of modern day cross-country runners.[8] “Even our most highly trained athletes pale in comparison to these ancestors of ours,” Dr. Colin Shaw told the \u003Ci\u003EOutside Magazine\u003C\/i\u003E. But, by 2300 BCE, leg bone structures had degraded so much that they resembled those of the couch potatoes of the Netflix-watching generation.\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EIn the context of the Yuga Cycle this means that the average farmer of the Dwapara Yuga could have easily outrun a highly trained modern athlete. An earlier study by the Cambridge University in 2011 had found that modern-day people are on an average 10 per cent shorter than their hunter-gatherer ancestors.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003ELet me summarize the key points that we just discussed, which are in perfect alignment with the tenets of the Yuga Cycle, but contradict the Darwinian principle of gradual evolution by natural selection:\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cul style=\"text-align: left;\"\u003E\u003Cli\u003EThe data from the Eastern Mediterranean region indicates that, since the end of the Satya Yuga (prior to 9000 BCE) till the middle of the descending Kali Yuga (2000 - 1500 BCE), the average height of males reduced by 4.3 inches, while that of females by 5.1 inches. In the ascending Kali Yuga, average height has been gradually increasing, but even now they are significantly less than that of our Satya Yuga ancestors.\u003C\/li\u003E\u003Cli\u003EIn Eastern and Central Europe, the mean height of males declined from 179 cm in the ascending Satya Yuga (c.16000 BCE) to less than 165 cm towards the end of the descending Dwapara Yuga (c.4500 BCE). The body stature of European males remained within the range of 165 to 170 cm up to the end of the 19th century. On an average, modern-day people are 10 per cent smaller and shorter than their Satya Yuga ancestors.\u003C\/li\u003E\u003Cli\u003EThe people of the ascending Satya Yuga (c.16000 BCE) had stronger bones, longer limbs, and very long forearms. The average farmer of the Dwapara Yuga (c.5300 BCE) could have easily outrun a highly trained modern athlete.\u003C\/li\u003E\u003Cli\u003EDuring the ascending Satya Yuga (c.16000 BCE), there was enough food for everybody, and there weren’t any major diseases. In the Treta and Dwapara Yugas (9600 – 4500 BCE), food scarcity increased and multiple instances of violent deaths and endemic diseases were found.\u003C\/li\u003E\u003C\/ul\u003E\u003Cp\u003EThis is an almost word-for-word validation of the key tenets of the Yuga Cycle doctrine. And yet, hardly anybody knows about it. The scientists who study the data are so baffled by the progressive deterioration of the human race since the last Ice Age that they prefer to keep silent about it, for they are unable to explain this trend by taking recourse to their favored model of gradual evolution by natural selection.\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EThe truth is that, evolution by natural selection is simply a myth that was invented without any verifiable scientific evidence and turned into an incontrovertible fact by continuous repetition. When we look at the hard scientific data, it becomes obvious that human physical size as well as the environmental conditions – as reflected in the availability of food and presence of diseases – fluctuates in a sinusoidal manner over the 25,800-year Yuga Cycle or precession cycle of the earth.\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EAll the ancient cultures knew about this, and it is only because we are languishing in the Kali Yuga – the age of darkness and ignorance – that we have lost sight of this basic truth, and there is, in fact, a deliberate effort to keep this information hidden from the public at large, and propagate the lie that we are standing at the pinnacle of human evolution and human civilization. As we head towards a tumultuous period of transition following the end of the Kali Yuga in 2025, it is time to recover the ancient wisdom and remember our true origins and purpose.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cb\u003EReferences\u003C\/b\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E[1] Pliny, Natural History 7.73 -74.\u003Cbr \/\u003E[2] Mahabharata 3.189, \u003Ca href=\"https:\/\/www.sacred-texts.com\/hin\/m03\/m03189.htm\" target=\"_blank\"\u003Ehttps:\/\/www.sacred-texts.com\/hin\/m03\/m03189.htm\u003C\/a\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E[3] Vishnu Purana 4.1, \u003Ca href=\"http:\/\/www.sacred-texts.com\/hin\/vp\/vp093.htm\" target=\"_blank\"\u003Ehttp:\/\/www.sacred-texts.com\/hin\/vp\/vp093.htm\u003C\/a\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E[4] Angel, 1984, taken from Michael Hermanussen, “Stature of early Europeans”, Hormones, 2003, Vol.2, No.3, pp. 175-178, \u003Ca href=\"http:\/\/www.hormones.gr\/pdf\/Stature_europeans.pdf\" target=\"_blank\"\u003Ehttp:\/\/www.hormones.gr\/pdf\/Stature_europeans.pdf\u003C\/a\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E[5] “Average human height by country”, Wikipedia.\u003Cbr \/\u003E[6] Michael Hermanussen, “Stature of early Europeans”, op. cit. \u003Cbr \/\u003E[7] Michael Hermanussen, “Stature of early Europeans”, op. cit.\u003Cbr \/\u003E[8] Sara Malm, Ellie Zolfagharifard, “How modern humans have become WEAKLINGS compared with our ancient ancestors who could outrun and outlift today's top athletes”, Daily Mail, 28 April 2014.\u003C\/p\u003E"},"link":[{"rel":"replies","type":"application/atom+xml","href":"https:\/\/www.bibhudevmisra.com\/feeds\/5454445325587761324\/comments\/default","title":"Post Comments"},{"rel":"replies","type":"text/html","href":"https:\/\/www.bibhudevmisra.com\/2024\/12\/why-did-humans-become-smaller.html#comment-form","title":"0 Comments"},{"rel":"edit","type":"application/atom+xml","href":"https:\/\/www.blogger.com\/feeds\/6864653463177413678\/posts\/default\/5454445325587761324"},{"rel":"self","type":"application/atom+xml","href":"https:\/\/www.blogger.com\/feeds\/6864653463177413678\/posts\/default\/5454445325587761324"},{"rel":"alternate","type":"text/html","href":"https:\/\/www.bibhudevmisra.com\/2024\/12\/why-did-humans-become-smaller.html","title":"Why did we become smaller, unhealthier and violent over the past 12,000 years?"}],"author":[{"name":{"$t":"Bibhu Dev Misra"},"uri":{"$t":"http:\/\/www.blogger.com\/profile\/15388473714672380058"},"email":{"$t":"noreply@blogger.com"},"gd$image":{"rel":"http://schemas.google.com/g/2005#thumbnail","width":"32","height":"28","src":"\/\/blogger.googleusercontent.com\/img\/b\/R29vZ2xl\/AVvXsEh4sklyRp_L5BfqEXTjoskgFPFYpJiNJSuDN5zrcldGBaXot626bOTu8q5TUYsip63M6EkY2JbuoE6l1N5fMKiqKfzFfaaKpqm91QZx9rMdAL3t-ju2QdYi1K-BeCJsjw\/s130\/DSCN1699.JPG"}}],"media$thumbnail":{"xmlns$media":"http://search.yahoo.com/mrss/","url":"https:\/\/blogger.googleusercontent.com\/img\/b\/R29vZ2xl\/AVvXsEhHcMDj1hXiA6koNQhH05iO6IH5zjBOHdgw38CxfMTVl1obqXKVvmOQeM1YETppp-FiRiErzzl4671WbBDWoWB6uGj1H5w2t76a8ht6MfiJnoXy6uB91a-Jili_QNlazX_gufp2BKY09KPLVBLzb3N6jHY9JV3RT3aPdUzk8cXfunGMMew9GE-KzrTJqwU\/s72-c\/human%20height%20decline%20thumbnail.jpg","height":"72","width":"72"},"thr$total":{"$t":"0"}},{"id":{"$t":"tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6864653463177413678.post-844870136415002552"},"published":{"$t":"2024-12-12T20:19:00.020+05:30"},"updated":{"$t":"2025-08-02T12:50:55.506+05:30"},"category":[{"scheme":"http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#","term":"Article"},{"scheme":"http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#","term":"Earth Mysteries"}],"title":{"type":"text","$t":"The Mysterious Hybrid creatures depicted on the Black Obelisk of Shalmaneser"},"content":{"type":"html","$t":"\u003Cp\u003E\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cdiv class=\"separator\" style=\"clear: both; text-align: center;\"\u003E\u003Ca href=\"https:\/\/blogger.googleusercontent.com\/img\/b\/R29vZ2xl\/AVvXsEjKI_jlgO1Unlv7mT8eCqiVFv9lxpZeZrpIiUva9Vt1Jq8XzJRvACLCBAf3YplNqTy-aPdiyKszemL-n7wpnu_h4JfxQGK-xj9QcH_tXfEiDGThockvUYMK4lFHpNHpbqZatooVZ3dVHXIGCJUZ7fDj3rE1Q9VXsbsFcg-wdysIJLjMnm79GTcJcPFgqIE\/s600\/Black%20Obelisk%20Shalmaneser%20featured%20thumbnail.jpg\" style=\"margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;\"\u003E\u003Cimg border=\"0\" data-original-height=\"301\" data-original-width=\"600\" height=\"161\" src=\"https:\/\/blogger.googleusercontent.com\/img\/b\/R29vZ2xl\/AVvXsEjKI_jlgO1Unlv7mT8eCqiVFv9lxpZeZrpIiUva9Vt1Jq8XzJRvACLCBAf3YplNqTy-aPdiyKszemL-n7wpnu_h4JfxQGK-xj9QcH_tXfEiDGThockvUYMK4lFHpNHpbqZatooVZ3dVHXIGCJUZ7fDj3rE1Q9VXsbsFcg-wdysIJLjMnm79GTcJcPFgqIE\/s320\/Black%20Obelisk%20Shalmaneser%20featured%20thumbnail.jpg\" width=\"320\" \/\u003E\u003C\/a\u003E\u003C\/div\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u003Ci\u003ENote: This article was first published on Mysterious Universe (https:\/\/mysteriousuniverse.org\/)\u003C\/i\u003E \u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EThe Black Obelisk of Shalmaneser III is one of the most intriguing artifacts of the Neo-Assyrian Empire. Discovered by Sir Austen Henry Layard in 1846, it is one of only two complete Neo-Assyrian obelisks yet discovered.\u0026nbsp;\u003Cspan\u003E\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Ca name='more'\u003E\u003C\/a\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EThis perfectly preserved monument commemorates 31 years of King Shalmaneser III’s reign, who ruled from 858–824 BCE. It was erected as a public monument in 825 BCE, in the central square of Nimrud (biblical Calah, or ancient Kalhu), located in modern-day Iraq. After its discovery, the object was transferred to the British Museum where it still resides.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EThe four-sided obelisk is made of black limestone, and stands just under 2 meters (6 ½ feet) tall. It has five vertically arranged panels on each side, adding up to a total of 20 panels. They depict five different subdued kings, bringing tribute and prostrating before King Shalmaneser. The tributes from each subdued king occupies four panels around the monument and is described by a cuneiform script above them.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Ctable align=\"center\" cellpadding=\"0\" cellspacing=\"0\" class=\"tr-caption-container\" style=\"margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;\"\u003E\u003Ctbody\u003E\u003Ctr\u003E\u003Ctd style=\"text-align: center;\"\u003E\u003Ca href=\"https:\/\/blogger.googleusercontent.com\/img\/b\/R29vZ2xl\/AVvXsEglCMBepYiVeNXqH6etDOlWCtXErdBQhte7WN29DAID0BPMmoqd1qi_qR4nsS3RhpG8Ir0KIlKrALZ1ji0IurAxa9zyjYO1YiN_jPt0vJYiQfi5sqX2KrACbOYW8K170DJD8iLNW1Q2ohV6hBBQ39t6yuK71zGNPXaC5OrX0NpL5f2YpefJG5rH4MZMgck\/s1125\/The%20Black%20Obelisk%20of%20Shalmaneser.jpg\" style=\"margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;\"\u003E\u003Cimg alt=\"Black Obelisk of Shalmaneser III\" border=\"0\" data-original-height=\"1079\" data-original-width=\"1125\" height=\"384\" src=\"https:\/\/blogger.googleusercontent.com\/img\/b\/R29vZ2xl\/AVvXsEglCMBepYiVeNXqH6etDOlWCtXErdBQhte7WN29DAID0BPMmoqd1qi_qR4nsS3RhpG8Ir0KIlKrALZ1ji0IurAxa9zyjYO1YiN_jPt0vJYiQfi5sqX2KrACbOYW8K170DJD8iLNW1Q2ohV6hBBQ39t6yuK71zGNPXaC5OrX0NpL5f2YpefJG5rH4MZMgck\/w400-h384\/The%20Black%20Obelisk%20of%20Shalmaneser.jpg\" width=\"400\" \/\u003E\u003C\/a\u003E\u003C\/td\u003E\u003C\/tr\u003E\u003Ctr\u003E\u003Ctd class=\"tr-caption\" style=\"text-align: center;\"\u003EFigure 1: Black Obelisk of Shalmaneser III in the British Museum, black limestone, c 827 to 824 BCE, Nimrud, Iraq.\u003C\/td\u003E\u003C\/tr\u003E\u003C\/tbody\u003E\u003C\/table\u003E\u003Cp\u003EThe really intriguing elements of this obelisk can be seen on the third panel from the top, which depicts the tributes brought by an unnamed ruler of “Musri”.\u0026nbsp; Earlier, historians used to think that Musri was a kingdom in northern Iraq, but now that it is accepted that it was a Neo-Assyrian term for Egypt, phonetically similar to the Hebrew “Mizraim”, Classical Arabic “Misr” and Egyptian Arabic “Masr”.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003ESo, what did this subdued king of Egypt (not necessarily the pharaoh), bring as tribute to Shalmaneser III, sometime around the 9th century BCE? Human-animal hybrid beings, which are depicted alongside other easily recognizable animals! The hybrids are smaller than humans, and are held in chains like pets.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Ctable align=\"center\" cellpadding=\"0\" cellspacing=\"0\" class=\"tr-caption-container\" style=\"margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;\"\u003E\u003Ctbody\u003E\u003Ctr\u003E\u003Ctd style=\"text-align: center;\"\u003E\u003Ca href=\"https:\/\/blogger.googleusercontent.com\/img\/b\/R29vZ2xl\/AVvXsEi_S8CN9DEcEFyWfeliFN2kt38qWLVD07YgEKJLcZe69OUytoBSgoIqBfCw-ba0a7ocnNK0K9_DnV_R5VxYHHMBQI35wp5cgFwZ6cfiKo5V-7I71EOsgLYAzFNiZtP4Hea36S9lPOhIE9Cv3lKiVZjKrb_irsUcXGYTaUtGM9x59KL67g-5N8DMizHYJ5c\/s1800\/Black%20Obelisk%20Shalmaneser%20featured.jpg\" style=\"margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;\"\u003E\u003Cimg alt=\"Black Obelisk of Shalmaneser III\" border=\"0\" data-original-height=\"902\" data-original-width=\"1800\" height=\"320\" src=\"https:\/\/blogger.googleusercontent.com\/img\/b\/R29vZ2xl\/AVvXsEi_S8CN9DEcEFyWfeliFN2kt38qWLVD07YgEKJLcZe69OUytoBSgoIqBfCw-ba0a7ocnNK0K9_DnV_R5VxYHHMBQI35wp5cgFwZ6cfiKo5V-7I71EOsgLYAzFNiZtP4Hea36S9lPOhIE9Cv3lKiVZjKrb_irsUcXGYTaUtGM9x59KL67g-5N8DMizHYJ5c\/w640-h320\/Black%20Obelisk%20Shalmaneser%20featured.jpg\" width=\"640\" \/\u003E\u003C\/a\u003E\u003C\/td\u003E\u003C\/tr\u003E\u003Ctr\u003E\u003Ctd class=\"tr-caption\" style=\"text-align: center;\"\u003EFigure 2: Tributes brought to Shalmaneser III by the king of Musri i.e. Egypt. Credit: Osama Shukir Muhammed Amin, CC BY-SA 4.0\u003C\/td\u003E\u003C\/tr\u003E\u003C\/tbody\u003E\u003C\/table\u003E\u003Cp\u003EThis panel shows a pair of human-animal hybrid beings, held by chains. Both the creatures have human-like head and arms, but their hind limbs are like that of an animal, and they also have a tail. The creatures appear to be capable of standing or walking on their hind limbs. One might think that they look like a miniature version of a sphinx, which, of course, is a startling thought, for haven’t we been told that the sphinx is a “mythological” creature?\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EAnother panel shows three human-animal hybrids, of which two are held by ropes. These hybrids seem to be quite comfortable walking on their hind legs, and are very human-like except for their long tail. One of the hybrids is perched on the shoulder of a man, which indicates that they have a friendly attitude towards humans and can be trained. They resemble the satyrs of Greek art, and the vanaras of Indian legends, which, once again makes us wonder how so-called mythical beings could have been offered as a tribute by a king of Egypt in the 9th century BCE.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Ctable align=\"center\" cellpadding=\"0\" cellspacing=\"0\" class=\"tr-caption-container\" style=\"margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;\"\u003E\u003Ctbody\u003E\u003Ctr\u003E\u003Ctd style=\"text-align: center;\"\u003E\u003Ca href=\"https:\/\/blogger.googleusercontent.com\/img\/b\/R29vZ2xl\/AVvXsEiROLLX2ebmxNUMu4zYEKFl2eCKKJ3e1uvIeEdbuHEXYshE0mt7ZwxPK1f06JeXMXa7_L-h9r7FuRqSm6nUE_lAm_bSz5CLIovx8CcGxHw1oNoVbKDF7ws7zmnLBXKg11OZqoFJBvRLXYV5jPklh9HYHN1Kp5KInsf9ZijqufUU0aY3yN3TYNfRi7dfKZY\/s1080\/Neo-Assyrian_Black_Limestone_Obelisk_of_Shalmaneser_III,_Nimrud,_825_BC_-_35725097223%20small.jpg\" style=\"margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;\"\u003E\u003Cimg alt=\"Black Obelisk of Shalmaneser III\" border=\"0\" data-original-height=\"647\" data-original-width=\"1080\" height=\"384\" src=\"https:\/\/blogger.googleusercontent.com\/img\/b\/R29vZ2xl\/AVvXsEiROLLX2ebmxNUMu4zYEKFl2eCKKJ3e1uvIeEdbuHEXYshE0mt7ZwxPK1f06JeXMXa7_L-h9r7FuRqSm6nUE_lAm_bSz5CLIovx8CcGxHw1oNoVbKDF7ws7zmnLBXKg11OZqoFJBvRLXYV5jPklh9HYHN1Kp5KInsf9ZijqufUU0aY3yN3TYNfRi7dfKZY\/w640-h384\/Neo-Assyrian_Black_Limestone_Obelisk_of_Shalmaneser_III,_Nimrud,_825_BC_-_35725097223%20small.jpg\" width=\"640\" \/\u003E\u003C\/a\u003E\u003C\/td\u003E\u003C\/tr\u003E\u003Ctr\u003E\u003Ctd class=\"tr-caption\" style=\"text-align: center;\"\u003EFigure 3: Tributes brought to Shalmaneser III by the king of Musri i.e. Egypt. Credit: Osama Shukir Muhammed Amin, CC BY-SA 4.0\u003C\/td\u003E\u003C\/tr\u003E\u003C\/tbody\u003E\u003C\/table\u003E\u003Cp\u003EIt is important to remember that the Black Obelisk of Shalmaneser III was a royal monument which was meant for the express purpose of recording the various tributes that King Shalmaneser had received during his reign. It was probably executed by the royal scribes, working hand-in-hand with the royal sculptors. This was not the place where the sculptor could indulge in flights of fancy, and employ religious symbols and metaphorical devices. Nor could a sculptor afford to attach a tail to a prisoner, simply because he had a personal dislike for that person. The Neo-Assyrian kings were not known for their sense of humour, and any deviation or practical joke would have been severely dealt with.\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EWhat I am trying to get at is that, if a royal monument shows human-animal hybrid beings being received as tribute, then it is very likely that they were. And it is only because such creatures do not exist today that we find this thought so incredible.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EThese kinds of human-animal hybrid beings have been mentioned in the apocryphal \u003Ci\u003EThe Book of Jasher\u003C\/i\u003E. In Chapter 36, there is a story in which Anah was feeding his father's asses and he brought them to one of the deserts on the sea shore, opposite the wilderness. While he was feeding them, a very heavy storm came from the other side of the sea and rested upon the asses that were feeding there, and they all stood still.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cblockquote\u003E“31. And afterward about one hundred and twenty great and terrible animals came out from the wilderness at the other side of the sea, and they all came to the place where the asses were, and they placed themselves there.\u003Cbr \/\u003E32. And those animals, from their middle downward, were in the shape of the children of men, and from their middle upward, some had the likeness of bears, and some the likeness of the keephas, with tails behind them from between their shoulders reaching down to the earth, like the tails of the ducheephath, and these animals came and mounted and rode upon these asses, and led them away, and they went away unto this day.\u003Cbr \/\u003E33. And one of these animals approached Anah and smote him with his tail, and then fled from that place.\u003Cbr \/\u003E34. And when he saw this work he was exceedingly afraid of his life, and he fled and escaped to the city.\u003Cbr \/\u003E35. And he related to his sons and brothers all that had happened to him, and many men went to seek the asses but could not find them, and Anah and his brothers went no more to that place from that day following, for they were greatly afraid of their lives.”[1]\u003C\/blockquote\u003EThere is documented evidence that bizarre, human-animal hybrid beings existed in some parts of the world till the late first millennium BCE. One of the interesting accounts was written by a Greek physician called Ctesias, who served as a doctor at the court of the king Artaxerxes II of Persia. He wrote a book called \u003Ci\u003EIndica\u003C\/i\u003E, which is based on various stories brought to the Persian court by visitors and travelers from India and other parts of the world. Pliny the Elder, quoting Ctesias, writes that,\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cblockquote\u003E“Ctesias informs us, that among these same Ethiopians, there is an animal found, which he calls the mantichora; it has a triple row of teeth, which fit into each other like those of a comb, the face and ears of a man, and azure eyes, is of the colour of blood, has the body of the lion, and a tail ending in a sting, like that of the scorpion. Its voice resembles the union of the sound of the flute and the trumpet; it is of excessive swiftness, and is particularly fond of human flesh.”[2]\u003C\/blockquote\u003ECtesias also wrote of similar hybrid animals being found in the mountainous regions of India. Pliny quoting Ctesias in \u003Ci\u003ENatural History\u003C\/i\u003E, writes that,\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cblockquote\u003E“There are also satyrs in the mountains in the east of India...this is an extremely swift animal, sometimes going on all fours and sometimes standing upright as they run, like human beings; because of their speed only the old ones or the sick are caught.”[3]\u003C\/blockquote\u003EThe satyr in the above description, could, of course, refer to the Mande Burung, which is the counterpart of the Yeti that lives in the mountains of eastern India, in the state of Meghalaya. What it most certainly does not describe is the “monkey”, which is an animal that everyone in India is familiar with, and unlikely to evoke any interest.\u0026nbsp;\u003Cp\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EThe accounts of Ctesias indicate that human-animal hybrids, like those depicted on the Black Obelisk of Shalmaneser III, may have existed in Ethiopia and India around the 5th century BCE, and therefore, could have been given as a tribute by a king of Egypt in the 9th century BCE.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EAnother interesting incident was recorded by the Greek historian Plutarch in the 2nd century CE. Plutarch wrote in the \u003Ci\u003ELife of Sulla\u003C\/i\u003E that the soldiers of the Roman general Sulla had captured a satyr sleeping during a military campaign in Greece in 89 BCE.[4] Sulla’s men brought the satyr to him and he attempted to interrogate it, but it spoke in an unintelligible sound, which was a cross between the neighing of a horse and the bleating of a goat.\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EIt appears from accounts such as these that, satyrs may not be imaginary creatures, as is commonly believed, but could have been hybrid beings that lived till the beginning of the Christian era and became extinct soon afterwards, as the environmental conditions continued to change. Millions of animals have become extinct over time, so why not sphinxes and satyrs? Or, perhaps, they did not become extinct, but retreated inside mountain caves and subterranean grottoes, where they are simply hibernating until conditions become favorable for their emergence?\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EThe question is, if these creatures actually lived in the past, how did they evolve? We know that human DNA is not compatible with that of animals, which means we can pretty much rule out any involvement of humans in this matter. What do the ancient texts and traditions have to say about it?\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EWhen it comes to the sphinx, there is not much to go on with respect to their origin. We know that the sphinx was always regarded as a protector or guardian of a sacred sanctuary, and was generally depicted in pairs on either side of the entrance to a temple, palace or tomb. This custom was consistently followed across the world, wherever sphinxes are depicted in art and architecture - in Egypt, Greece, Mesopotamia, India and South-east Asia.\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EWith regards to their appearance, there are slight differences between cultures. In Greece, the sphinx was generally female, and had a pair of wings. In Mesopotamia, the sphinx was called \u003Ci\u003Elamassu\u003C\/i\u003E. It combined the characteristics of a man and a bull, and was typically depicted with wings. Colossal statues of the lamassu were placed in pairs at the entrances of the royal palaces and cities. Interestingly, on many cylinder seals, the lamassu was depicted in an upright, standing position, adoring the stylized “sacred tree”, which indicates that they played an important role in the religious life of the people. \u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Ctable align=\"center\" cellpadding=\"0\" cellspacing=\"0\" class=\"tr-caption-container\" style=\"margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;\"\u003E\u003Ctbody\u003E\u003Ctr\u003E\u003Ctd style=\"text-align: center;\"\u003E\u003Ca href=\"https:\/\/blogger.googleusercontent.com\/img\/b\/R29vZ2xl\/AVvXsEiLT1l35Xf3MYnnBjaYhauL98Ii0gENNkZmf_dKcjPe-QkKse6VB2MNjUJXkkV4GYKgYsDfV4xthp-1VRyKIC-eR-n2t9d9AvLFCS_s0XHpmC5PtTEpCcMtiakHSDkNxg19PYEssawqS-2mS0ITHiofInIG1GtnoLOSF7mmKLSa-CD4F2JDSGTdMgnWtGs\/s1080\/Gilgamesh%20and%20Lamassu%20Louvre%20Credit%20sailko%20CC%20BY%20SA%203%20edit.jpg\" style=\"margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;\"\u003E\u003Cimg alt=\"Assyrian lamassu\" border=\"0\" data-original-height=\"777\" data-original-width=\"1080\" height=\"460\" src=\"https:\/\/blogger.googleusercontent.com\/img\/b\/R29vZ2xl\/AVvXsEiLT1l35Xf3MYnnBjaYhauL98Ii0gENNkZmf_dKcjPe-QkKse6VB2MNjUJXkkV4GYKgYsDfV4xthp-1VRyKIC-eR-n2t9d9AvLFCS_s0XHpmC5PtTEpCcMtiakHSDkNxg19PYEssawqS-2mS0ITHiofInIG1GtnoLOSF7mmKLSa-CD4F2JDSGTdMgnWtGs\/w640-h460\/Gilgamesh%20and%20Lamassu%20Louvre%20Credit%20sailko%20CC%20BY%20SA%203%20edit.jpg\" width=\"640\" \/\u003E\u003C\/a\u003E\u003C\/td\u003E\u003C\/tr\u003E\u003Ctr\u003E\u003Ctd class=\"tr-caption\" style=\"text-align: center;\"\u003EFigure 4: A gigantic sculpture of a lamassu, flanked by an equally big \nsculpture of Gilgamesh grasping a lion. From the throne room of Sargon \nII, in Khorsabad. Louvre, Paris. Credit: Sailko, CC BY-SA 3.0.\u003C\/td\u003E\u003C\/tr\u003E\u003C\/tbody\u003E\u003C\/table\u003E\u003Ctable align=\"center\" cellpadding=\"0\" cellspacing=\"0\" class=\"tr-caption-container\" style=\"margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;\"\u003E\u003Ctbody\u003E\u003Ctr\u003E\u003Ctd style=\"text-align: center;\"\u003E\u003Ca href=\"https:\/\/blogger.googleusercontent.com\/img\/b\/R29vZ2xl\/AVvXsEjmchKa7lEZQyRazAdfw2SbF58TRx3ej8KnP48H9c7tpCId3M1hx5TOX3nkbFHWZ1kHqrfFd38jQgR1ch9AfQKXMn6FP2UaTeJX4LW-f0sabWXA8nCc4h6UiiFRVnnEBvhXMSMIK2VL7z2f9-_B0rRQbwqs1wYpiE0jvXV3s5K4OFR4yokQydWNmftHPxg\/s1080\/winged%20disk%20cylinder%20seal%20neo%20assyrian%209th%20to%207th%20century%20BC%20metmuseum%20public%20domain%20edit.jpg\" style=\"margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;\"\u003E\u003Cimg border=\"0\" data-original-height=\"766\" data-original-width=\"1080\" height=\"284\" src=\"https:\/\/blogger.googleusercontent.com\/img\/b\/R29vZ2xl\/AVvXsEjmchKa7lEZQyRazAdfw2SbF58TRx3ej8KnP48H9c7tpCId3M1hx5TOX3nkbFHWZ1kHqrfFd38jQgR1ch9AfQKXMn6FP2UaTeJX4LW-f0sabWXA8nCc4h6UiiFRVnnEBvhXMSMIK2VL7z2f9-_B0rRQbwqs1wYpiE0jvXV3s5K4OFR4yokQydWNmftHPxg\/w400-h284\/winged%20disk%20cylinder%20seal%20neo%20assyrian%209th%20to%207th%20century%20BC%20metmuseum%20public%20domain%20edit.jpg\" width=\"400\" \/\u003E\u003C\/a\u003E\u003C\/td\u003E\u003C\/tr\u003E\u003Ctr\u003E\u003Ctd class=\"tr-caption\" style=\"text-align: center;\"\u003EFigure 5: Neo-Assyrian Cylinder Seal from c. 9th - 7th century BCE, \ndepicting a pair of bearded bull-men, standing on either side of a \nsacred tree, with the winged disk of Ashur hovering above it. Source: \nMet museum, Public Domain.\u003C\/td\u003E\u003C\/tr\u003E\u003C\/tbody\u003E\u003C\/table\u003E\u003Cp\u003EIn India, the sphinx was called \u003Ci\u003Epurusha-mriga\u003C\/i\u003E or \u003Ci\u003Ekimpurusha\u003C\/i\u003E. It was depicted both in a standing position at the entrances of temples, as well as an upright position in front of a Shiva-linga. The Shiva-linga, which is a stone pillar symbolizing the god Shiva, is the axis-mundi of the world, and is conceptually equivalent to the stylized “sacred tree” depicted on the Mesopotamian cylinder seals.\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EIt is apparent that the Mesopotamian lamassu or the Indian purusha-mriga, when it is in an upright standing posture, looks quite similar to the hybrid creatures depicted on the Black Obelisk of Shalmaneser III.\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Ctable align=\"center\" cellpadding=\"0\" cellspacing=\"0\" class=\"tr-caption-container\" style=\"margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;\"\u003E\u003Ctbody\u003E\u003Ctr\u003E\u003Ctd style=\"text-align: center;\"\u003E\u003Ca href=\"https:\/\/blogger.googleusercontent.com\/img\/b\/R29vZ2xl\/AVvXsEjlTr6GwqH3lrXtvnt9kXM8jLYVVSL8sg7lioVEQVd-VUUySeXLNML8qQnjfBiZD9BUBbI9btbgB7UX55rNDcXKfLn3CJAF336qhfOsmhVIQaHUhlYP866Tc9r84EDk5D143XEzAC57t-8BPC1SFdpqOB4Bq9Sfwx0eAAr0tn2kUqjY1fjbtOLGdIypAPE\/s1080\/purusha%20mrigam2.jpg\" style=\"margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;\"\u003E\u003Cimg alt=\"purusha-mriga or Indian sphinx\" border=\"0\" data-original-height=\"633\" data-original-width=\"1080\" height=\"235\" src=\"https:\/\/blogger.googleusercontent.com\/img\/b\/R29vZ2xl\/AVvXsEjlTr6GwqH3lrXtvnt9kXM8jLYVVSL8sg7lioVEQVd-VUUySeXLNML8qQnjfBiZD9BUBbI9btbgB7UX55rNDcXKfLn3CJAF336qhfOsmhVIQaHUhlYP866Tc9r84EDk5D143XEzAC57t-8BPC1SFdpqOB4Bq9Sfwx0eAAr0tn2kUqjY1fjbtOLGdIypAPE\/w400-h235\/purusha%20mrigam2.jpg\" width=\"400\" \/\u003E\u003C\/a\u003E\u003C\/td\u003E\u003C\/tr\u003E\u003Ctr\u003E\u003Ctd class=\"tr-caption\" style=\"text-align: center;\"\u003EFigure 6: A pair of Indian sphinxes, worshipping a Shiva-linga. Credit: Raja Deekshithar.\u003C\/td\u003E\u003C\/tr\u003E\u003C\/tbody\u003E\u003C\/table\u003E\u003Cp\u003EUnfortunately, there are very few stories associated with the sphinx, because of which we don’t know anything about it origins or parentage. In case of the satyrs, however, a lot more information is available, which hints at a genetic experiment carried out by the gods, sometime prior to 7000 BCE, in order to produce these strange, hybrid creatures.\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EIn Greek art, the satyrs were shown with the ears and tails of a horse, but their face was like that of humans, and they sported long beards. In fact, apart from their ears and tail, everything about the satyrs is completely human-like. They walked upright like humans, played the aulos (double flute), lyre and other musical instruments, drank wine, and danced around merrily in the entourage of Dionysus, along with the maenads i.e. dancing nymphs.\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EI have no doubt that if a satyr were to cover his ears with long, flowing hair, and dress up in a formal suit, he would be unrecognizable in any modern-day orchestra. Who knows, they might already be lingering amongst us!\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Ctable align=\"center\" cellpadding=\"0\" cellspacing=\"0\" class=\"tr-caption-container\" style=\"margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;\"\u003E\u003Ctbody\u003E\u003Ctr\u003E\u003Ctd style=\"text-align: center;\"\u003E\u003Ca href=\"https:\/\/blogger.googleusercontent.com\/img\/b\/R29vZ2xl\/AVvXsEjCXLozXCBA28NrZ74v94SZ93DiIAjqH-68yqNQH0fTPxkhtuYh8bD1809fi2JCncNDB926SwHntUwCULXPBblYcDKV1tiN_wDgPCb5q4dpthOHq4hVOwxe5sAUD1rGmrf9nizt3fgCRbKCMycYyIMQNR55PdG8FNWn1un7PkbbNShdcuWoDuNCml8C3m0\/s939\/Dionysos%20and%20satyr,%20c%20480%20BC,%20Altes%20Museum,%20Berlin,%20Jean%20Pierre%20Dalb%C3%A9ra,%20CC%20BY%202.jpg\" style=\"margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;\"\u003E\u003Cimg alt=\"A satyr playing the aulos to entertain Dionysus\" border=\"0\" data-original-height=\"925\" data-original-width=\"939\" height=\"394\" src=\"https:\/\/blogger.googleusercontent.com\/img\/b\/R29vZ2xl\/AVvXsEjCXLozXCBA28NrZ74v94SZ93DiIAjqH-68yqNQH0fTPxkhtuYh8bD1809fi2JCncNDB926SwHntUwCULXPBblYcDKV1tiN_wDgPCb5q4dpthOHq4hVOwxe5sAUD1rGmrf9nizt3fgCRbKCMycYyIMQNR55PdG8FNWn1un7PkbbNShdcuWoDuNCml8C3m0\/w400-h394\/Dionysos%20and%20satyr,%20c%20480%20BC,%20Altes%20Museum,%20Berlin,%20Jean%20Pierre%20Dalb%C3%A9ra,%20CC%20BY%202.jpg\" width=\"400\" \/\u003E\u003C\/a\u003E\u003C\/td\u003E\u003C\/tr\u003E\u003Ctr\u003E\u003Ctd class=\"tr-caption\" style=\"text-align: center;\"\u003EFigure 7: A satyr playing the aulos to entertain Dionysus, c.480 BCE. Credit: Jean Pierre Dalbéra, CC BY 2.0.\u003C\/td\u003E\u003C\/tr\u003E\u003C\/tbody\u003E\u003C\/table\u003E\u003Ctable align=\"center\" cellpadding=\"0\" cellspacing=\"0\" class=\"tr-caption-container\" style=\"margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;\"\u003E\u003Ctbody\u003E\u003Ctr\u003E\u003Ctd style=\"text-align: center;\"\u003E\u003Ca href=\"https:\/\/blogger.googleusercontent.com\/img\/b\/R29vZ2xl\/AVvXsEjiOhjtiuy6FWRBeoBgsLz1ciHRyG0I8czzPP2vUfuWGnP2gC-lcVMwN7pzMKg2f1bQGHSHzE7GbBe1KGah2mhIKyzd7W61jyelTCaNV03AYzRYpA0AX0c0V4OoD6wO_erxnpmo1TtE5TkieJc-zqr9VDGxrA8RlOJGrz-MsTcr1rB6oq4tQYHM0ANlUdE\/s1080\/Dionysos%20with%20kantharos%20seated%20on%20stool,%20between%202%20dancing%20satyrs,%20Athens,%20c%20510%20to%20500%20BC%20ArchaiOptix%20CC%20BY%20SA%204%20edit.jpg\" style=\"margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;\"\u003E\u003Cimg alt=\"Dionysos seated on stool and holding a wine cup, entertained by two dancing satyrs\" border=\"0\" data-original-height=\"796\" data-original-width=\"1080\" height=\"295\" src=\"https:\/\/blogger.googleusercontent.com\/img\/b\/R29vZ2xl\/AVvXsEjiOhjtiuy6FWRBeoBgsLz1ciHRyG0I8czzPP2vUfuWGnP2gC-lcVMwN7pzMKg2f1bQGHSHzE7GbBe1KGah2mhIKyzd7W61jyelTCaNV03AYzRYpA0AX0c0V4OoD6wO_erxnpmo1TtE5TkieJc-zqr9VDGxrA8RlOJGrz-MsTcr1rB6oq4tQYHM0ANlUdE\/w400-h295\/Dionysos%20with%20kantharos%20seated%20on%20stool,%20between%202%20dancing%20satyrs,%20Athens,%20c%20510%20to%20500%20BC%20ArchaiOptix%20CC%20BY%20SA%204%20edit.jpg\" width=\"400\" \/\u003E\u003C\/a\u003E\u003C\/td\u003E\u003C\/tr\u003E\u003Ctr\u003E\u003Ctd class=\"tr-caption\" style=\"text-align: center;\"\u003EFigure 8: Dionysos seated on stool and holding a wine cup, entertained \nby two dancing satyrs, c. 510 - 500 BCE. Credit: ArchaiOptix CC BY-SA \n4.0.\u003C\/td\u003E\u003C\/tr\u003E\u003C\/tbody\u003E\u003C\/table\u003E\u003Cp\u003EPan was the leader of the satyrs in the Dionysian retinue, and he was the general of Dionysus’s army during his military expeditions. He had precocious musical talent, being the inventor of the “pan flute”. An Orphic Hymn to Pan states: “Only at evening, as he (Pan) returns from the chase, he sounds his note, playing sweet and low on his pipes of reed: not even she could excel him in melody —that bird who in flower-laden spring pouring forth her lament utters honey-voiced song amid the leaves.”[5]\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EInterestingly, Pan was regarded as a demigod, being the son of Hermes, and he was worshiped in caves and grottoes as the god of the wilderness, pastures, groves, flocks, music and fertility.\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EThe satyrs of Greek art correspond to the vanaras of Indian legends, who accompanied Rama on his military campaigns. The vanaras had monkey-like faces covered with beard, hairy bodies, and a long tail. But they walked upright like human beings, and were similar to humans in their speech and customs.\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EThe most powerful of the vanaras was Hanuman. Like Pan, he was a demigod, being the son of the wind-god Pavan, and was therefore known as “Pavan-putra Hanuman.” Hanuman was also musically gifted, being a sitar player par-excellence, and one of the four styles of Indian (Hindustani) classical music is named after him. \u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Ctable align=\"center\" cellpadding=\"0\" cellspacing=\"0\" class=\"tr-caption-container\" style=\"margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;\"\u003E\u003Ctbody\u003E\u003Ctr\u003E\u003Ctd style=\"text-align: center;\"\u003E\u003Ca href=\"https:\/\/blogger.googleusercontent.com\/img\/b\/R29vZ2xl\/AVvXsEgfTTbpocA1-sVutIZzEeJpYX5zUqVGCm8m3k_dG7mxKdV8Ja_v_zkpX2OCidGNGYHDAQA6y4ETlRFh5FuJ72PpYrMnf6PCH5_yP1rBc74sqeGx9TZU9KXh3Jq5-gSzEgm0cQej84XuYWbMvC-wgwvgOvOdW0LpbaT5mQOQY8lNj2XClUSfCR1rH1U9UFU\/s1600\/Hanuman,%20with%20raised%20right%20hand,%20and%20left%20hand%20holding%20a%20branch,%20Ramachandra%20Temple,%20Hampi,%20G41rn8,%20CC%20BY%20SA%204.jpg\" style=\"margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;\"\u003E\u003Cimg alt=\"Hanuman, with raised right hand, and holding a branch in his left hand, Ramachandra Temple, Hampi\" border=\"0\" data-original-height=\"1600\" data-original-width=\"1200\" height=\"400\" src=\"https:\/\/blogger.googleusercontent.com\/img\/b\/R29vZ2xl\/AVvXsEgfTTbpocA1-sVutIZzEeJpYX5zUqVGCm8m3k_dG7mxKdV8Ja_v_zkpX2OCidGNGYHDAQA6y4ETlRFh5FuJ72PpYrMnf6PCH5_yP1rBc74sqeGx9TZU9KXh3Jq5-gSzEgm0cQej84XuYWbMvC-wgwvgOvOdW0LpbaT5mQOQY8lNj2XClUSfCR1rH1U9UFU\/w300-h400\/Hanuman,%20with%20raised%20right%20hand,%20and%20left%20hand%20holding%20a%20branch,%20Ramachandra%20Temple,%20Hampi,%20G41rn8,%20CC%20BY%20SA%204.jpg\" width=\"300\" \/\u003E\u003C\/a\u003E\u003C\/td\u003E\u003C\/tr\u003E\u003Ctr\u003E\u003Ctd class=\"tr-caption\" style=\"text-align: center;\"\u003EFigure 9: Hanuman, with raised right hand, and holding a branch in his \nleft hand. Ramachandra Temple, Hampi. Credit: G41rn8, CC BY-SA 4.0.\u003C\/td\u003E\u003C\/tr\u003E\u003C\/tbody\u003E\u003C\/table\u003E\u003Ctable align=\"center\" cellpadding=\"0\" cellspacing=\"0\" class=\"tr-caption-container\" style=\"margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;\"\u003E\u003Ctbody\u003E\u003Ctr\u003E\u003Ctd style=\"text-align: center;\"\u003E\u003Ca href=\"https:\/\/blogger.googleusercontent.com\/img\/b\/R29vZ2xl\/AVvXsEgN2NN1hLxpf_YFo9H06ZPdrgEIUNgXZhi7xIjEG96u74ZjfDK-XtWVueF8daslyyPavV-nXaJ4a_aBkWNPXyofAvnv-k2lGjDlbe_GiTiLULvSiYQsSswnRn-fUDtQDdor6-Jewlgv5_84FPz6PA3XVFJgi-68axE8MxyR2NRrO4Iny4vECCdUvns0dKQ\/s1280\/Rama%20with%20Sugriva,%20Srivaikuntam%20temple,%2016th%20century,,%20Tamil%20Nadu,%20sowrirajan%20s,%20CC%20BY%202.jpg\" style=\"margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;\"\u003E\u003Cimg alt=\"Rama with Hanuman, Srivaikuntam temple, Tamil Nadu\" border=\"0\" data-original-height=\"1280\" data-original-width=\"960\" height=\"400\" src=\"https:\/\/blogger.googleusercontent.com\/img\/b\/R29vZ2xl\/AVvXsEgN2NN1hLxpf_YFo9H06ZPdrgEIUNgXZhi7xIjEG96u74ZjfDK-XtWVueF8daslyyPavV-nXaJ4a_aBkWNPXyofAvnv-k2lGjDlbe_GiTiLULvSiYQsSswnRn-fUDtQDdor6-Jewlgv5_84FPz6PA3XVFJgi-68axE8MxyR2NRrO4Iny4vECCdUvns0dKQ\/w300-h400\/Rama%20with%20Sugriva,%20Srivaikuntam%20temple,%2016th%20century,,%20Tamil%20Nadu,%20sowrirajan%20s,%20CC%20BY%202.jpg\" width=\"300\" \/\u003E\u003C\/a\u003E\u003C\/td\u003E\u003C\/tr\u003E\u003Ctr\u003E\u003Ctd class=\"tr-caption\" style=\"text-align: center;\"\u003EFigure 10: Rama with Hanuman (or Sugriva). Srivaikuntam temple, Tamil Nadu. Credit: Sowrirajan s, CC BY 2.0.\u003C\/td\u003E\u003C\/tr\u003E\u003C\/tbody\u003E\u003C\/table\u003E\u003Cp\u003EWhen the noted scholar and philologist, Sir William Jones, came to Calcutta, India, in 1783, as a Supreme Court judge, he immediately noticed the stark correlations between Dionysus and Rama, and wrote an article elaborating on these connections, which I had discussed in detail in my book, \u003Ca href=\"https:\/\/www.amazon.com\/YUGA-SHIFT-IMPENDING-PLANETARY-TRANSFORMATION\/dp\/B0CPJVYQG4\/ref=pd_ci_mcx_mh_mcx_views_0_image\" target=\"_blank\"\u003EYuga Shift\u003C\/a\u003E.\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EA number of Greek historians had written that Dionysus had been born on a mountain of India named Meros, which was located close to the city called Nysa, from where his name Dionysus (God of Nysa) had originated. It appears that Rama and his retinue of vanaras had gone westwards, propagating a mystery religion in which god-communion was achieved through ritual ecstasy. This is not surprising, considering that Rama was a great devotee Lord Shiva, and many elements of the Dionysian rites – such as the long processions, consumption of intoxicants, ritual dances, the use of serpents and phallic cult objects – are still associated with the worship and veneration of Shiva.\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EAfter the conquests of Alexander, the Greek and Roman historians - Pliny, Solinus and Arrian - wrote about Indian customs and culture. Their writings indicate that the Indians counted their kings from 6776 BCE, starting with a ruler whom they identified with the Greek Dionysus or Roman Bacchus. Since we can be quite certain that Dionysus or Bacchus is indeed Rama, it means that the satyrs or vanaras were roaming the world since that remote period.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EThis brings us to the big question: how did this strange race of vanaras originate? As per the \u003Ci\u003ERamayana\u003C\/i\u003E, the gods, sages and other celestial beings mated with the animals of the forests to create powerful progenies who would be able to assist Rama in his fight against the rakshasas i.e. giants. For instance,\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cblockquote\u003E“When Brahma addressed them thus, those gods agreed to his order and accordingly started to parent sons in the semblance of monkeys.”6\u003Cbr \/\u003E“Thus the gods have procreated many thousands of such valorous and guise changing monkeys who with their immeasurable strength and bravery are manifest for the elimination of the decahedral demon Ravana.”[7]\u003C\/blockquote\u003ESo, the gods were involved in the creation of the race of vanaras. As to who these gods were, I shall not speculate here, other than to say that the accounts of most cultures portray them as extraterrestrial “humanoid” beings of great power, who came to the earth in the very ancient times, the most likely place of their origin being identified as the Pleiades star cluster.\u0026nbsp;\u003Cp\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EBut did the gods actually procreate with the forest animals for the purpose of creating the vanaras or did they use advanced genetic manipulation techniques? Probably the latter, for that is the method that the gods had adopted for the creation of human beings, as per the Mesopotamian epic of creation, the \u003Ci\u003EEnuma Elish\u003C\/i\u003E.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EThe Enuma Elish relates that the gods lived on the earth in the beginning, and toiled hard to make the rivers, lakes, mountains and other features of the ecosystem, so that our planet could become habitable. After Marduk slayed Tiamat, the monstrous serpent of the oceans, he wanted to create man, so that man could take over the labors of the gods and the gods could rest. Enki (or Ea), the Lord of Underworld, then created man from the blood of Qingu, who was one of the underworld divinities who had instigated Tiamat to rebel against the gods. These are the exact lines from the \u003Ci\u003EEnuma Elish\u003C\/i\u003E:\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cblockquote\u003E27 The Igigi, the great gods, answered him (Marduk),\u003Cbr \/\u003E28 That is, Lugaldimmerankia, the counsellor of the gods, the lord,\u003Cbr \/\u003E29 \"Qingu is the one who instigated warfare,\u003Cbr \/\u003E30 Who made Tiamat rebel and set battle in motion.\"\u003Cbr \/\u003E31 They bound him, holding him before Ea (Enki),\u003Cbr \/\u003E32 They inflicted the penalty on him and severed his blood-vessels.\u003Cbr \/\u003E33 From his blood he (Ea) created mankind,\u003Cbr \/\u003E34 On whom he imposed the service of the gods, and set the gods free.[8]\u003C\/blockquote\u003E\u003Cp\u003EAlthough the text doesn’t say so explicitly, it is quite likely that Enki extracted Qingu’s DNA from his blood and re-engineered it to create human beings. This would explain why the “gods” could mate with humans and produce demigods, as so many ancient texts assert. The DNA of the gods must be very similar to human DNA, since inter-species breeding is impossible, particularly for humans.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EThe gods may have also deactivated certain genetic sequences in the human DNA, which we now call the \"junk DNA\" or \"non-coding DNA\", which does not code for any protein. A staggering 98% of the human genome is junk DNA!! In my book \u003Ca href=\"https:\/\/www.amazon.com\/YUGA-SHIFT-IMPENDING-PLANETARY-TRANSFORMATION\/dp\/B0CPJVYQG4\/ref=pd_ci_mcx_mh_mcx_views_0_image\" target=\"_blank\"\u003EYuga Shift\u003C\/a\u003E, I have proposed that, in the higher Yugas, Yogis or spiritual adepts were able to activate portions of the junk DNA, and thereby acquire many \"yoga siddhis\" or magical powers, which have been mentioned in the Vedic texts - such as increasing or decreasing the size or weight of the body, becoming invisible or shapeshifting, healing by chanting etc. All of these abilities seem mythical to us today, because we have forgotten the spiritual practices that can activate the junk DNA, but things may have been drastically different in the past.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EIf human beings were created by the gods through genetic manipulation, then it is quite likely that a similar process was followed for the creation of the vanaras, satyrs, sphinxes and many other kinds of magical, hybrid beings that are depicted in ancient art and architecture. In other words, the creation of these enigmatic, hybrid beings was a genetic experiment of the gods.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EOne of the questions that comes up, when we talk about the possibility of hybrid creatures existing on our planet a few thousand years ago is, why haven't we found their fossils?\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EWe ought to remember that, as per scientific estimates, more than 99% of all species that ever lived on earth, amounting to over five billion species, have died out. The vast majority of species that become extinct are never scientifically documented. A typical species becomes extinct within 10 million years of its first appearance.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EFinding relatively intact fossils of animals that lived sometime in the past 12,000 years (i.e. post Ice Age) is almost impossible, since animals do not receive burials, unlike humans, and their remains are destroyed, eroded and washed away. Although mummification was practiced in Egypt, it was performed only for the pets of the pharaohs and for a few specific animals that were sacred to the gods.\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EIn case of hybrid creatures, finding partial remains would be of no use. If part of the upper torso is found, it would be regarded as a human fossil. If part of the lower body is found, it would be considered as animal remains. And if portions of both are found, it would interpreted as a human and his pet that was buried along with him.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EHowever, if we go by the extant texts and the archaeological depictions, it seems that these hybrid beings existed in the past, and their DNA may have degraded over time due to the accumulation of harmful genetic mutations. As a result, either they slowly became extinct, or they retreated to some hidden location, such as mountain caves or underground caverns, where they may be hibernating till the return of more favorable conditions.\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EThe Black Obelisk of Shalmaneser III shows that some of these hybrid creatures were still around in the 9th century BCE. They had shrunk in size by then, and were caught by humans and possibly trained as pets. However, their numbers would have substantially reduced by that time, to the extent that they became rare or exotic animals, and were offered as tributes to kings. \u0026nbsp;\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cb\u003EReferences\u003C\/b\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E[1] The Book of Jasher, Internet Sacred Text Archive, \u003Ca href=\"https:\/\/sacred-texts.com\/chr\/apo\/jasher\/36.htm\" target=\"_blank\"\u003Ehttps:\/\/sacred-texts.com\/chr\/apo\/jasher\/36.htm\u003C\/a\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E[2] Pliny the Elder, The Natural History 8.30, \u003Ca href=\"https:\/\/www.perseus.tufts.edu\/hopper\/text?doc=Plin.+Nat.+8.30#note1\" target=\"_blank\"\u003Ehttps:\/\/www.perseus.tufts.edu\/hopper\/text?doc=Plin.+Nat.+8.30#note1\u003C\/a\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E[3] Pliny the Elder, The Natural History 7.2.6, \u003Ca href=\"https:\/\/topostext.org\/work\/148\" target=\"_blank\"\u003Ehttps:\/\/topostext.org\/work\/148\u003C\/a\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E[4] Hansen 2017, pp. 167–168.\u003Cbr \/\u003E[5] Hymn 19 to Pan, ed. Hugh G. Evelyn-White.\u003Cbr \/\u003E[6] Valmiki Ramayana 1.17.8\u003Cbr \/\u003E[7] Valmiki Ramayana 1.17.17\u003Cbr \/\u003E[8] Enuma Elish, Tablet VI, lines 33-34, \u003Ca href=\"https:\/\/www.worldhistory.org\/article\/225\/enuma-elish---the-babylonian-epic-of-creation---fu\/\" target=\"_blank\"\u003Ehttps:\/\/www.worldhistory.org\/article\/225\/enuma-elish---the-babylonian-epic-of-creation---fu\/\u003C\/a\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E"},"link":[{"rel":"replies","type":"application/atom+xml","href":"https:\/\/www.bibhudevmisra.com\/feeds\/844870136415002552\/comments\/default","title":"Post Comments"},{"rel":"replies","type":"text/html","href":"https:\/\/www.bibhudevmisra.com\/2024\/12\/the-mysterious-hybrid-creatures.html#comment-form","title":"2 Comments"},{"rel":"edit","type":"application/atom+xml","href":"https:\/\/www.blogger.com\/feeds\/6864653463177413678\/posts\/default\/844870136415002552"},{"rel":"self","type":"application/atom+xml","href":"https:\/\/www.blogger.com\/feeds\/6864653463177413678\/posts\/default\/844870136415002552"},{"rel":"alternate","type":"text/html","href":"https:\/\/www.bibhudevmisra.com\/2024\/12\/the-mysterious-hybrid-creatures.html","title":"The Mysterious Hybrid creatures depicted on the Black Obelisk of Shalmaneser"}],"author":[{"name":{"$t":"Bibhu Dev Misra"},"uri":{"$t":"http:\/\/www.blogger.com\/profile\/15388473714672380058"},"email":{"$t":"noreply@blogger.com"},"gd$image":{"rel":"http://schemas.google.com/g/2005#thumbnail","width":"32","height":"28","src":"\/\/blogger.googleusercontent.com\/img\/b\/R29vZ2xl\/AVvXsEh4sklyRp_L5BfqEXTjoskgFPFYpJiNJSuDN5zrcldGBaXot626bOTu8q5TUYsip63M6EkY2JbuoE6l1N5fMKiqKfzFfaaKpqm91QZx9rMdAL3t-ju2QdYi1K-BeCJsjw\/s130\/DSCN1699.JPG"}}],"media$thumbnail":{"xmlns$media":"http://search.yahoo.com/mrss/","url":"https:\/\/blogger.googleusercontent.com\/img\/b\/R29vZ2xl\/AVvXsEjKI_jlgO1Unlv7mT8eCqiVFv9lxpZeZrpIiUva9Vt1Jq8XzJRvACLCBAf3YplNqTy-aPdiyKszemL-n7wpnu_h4JfxQGK-xj9QcH_tXfEiDGThockvUYMK4lFHpNHpbqZatooVZ3dVHXIGCJUZ7fDj3rE1Q9VXsbsFcg-wdysIJLjMnm79GTcJcPFgqIE\/s72-c\/Black%20Obelisk%20Shalmaneser%20featured%20thumbnail.jpg","height":"72","width":"72"},"thr$total":{"$t":"2"}},{"id":{"$t":"tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6864653463177413678.post-6557170361643723231"},"published":{"$t":"2024-12-11T13:27:00.005+05:30"},"updated":{"$t":"2025-08-02T12:51:42.371+05:30"},"category":[{"scheme":"http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#","term":"Article"},{"scheme":"http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#","term":"Yuga Cycle"}],"title":{"type":"text","$t":"The Shocking Decline in Human Cranial Capacity over the past 12,000 years"},"content":{"type":"html","$t":"\u003Cp\u003E\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cdiv class=\"separator\" style=\"clear: both; text-align: center;\"\u003E\u003Ca href=\"https:\/\/blogger.googleusercontent.com\/img\/b\/R29vZ2xl\/AVvXsEgaLNUUZC3elpunCDPi9Gpz_w4d_xxOtyCHcVkaZzgWs27zh3vtce-37wxea1HRyIbYellVTTUbUFvHsKZHbCw-Lb4O-SJ_TUAjDTTa6hvRnBMwtjLjopbynpMOmVnpxq6DeTILkikjIHiz5hyCpDXfg0tgX33dwWgM41Se3tHP2bfgEbEO4Q-6Gx8GATw\/s519\/Human%20Skull%20thumbnail.jpg\" style=\"margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;\"\u003E\u003Cimg border=\"0\" data-original-height=\"330\" data-original-width=\"519\" height=\"203\" src=\"https:\/\/blogger.googleusercontent.com\/img\/b\/R29vZ2xl\/AVvXsEgaLNUUZC3elpunCDPi9Gpz_w4d_xxOtyCHcVkaZzgWs27zh3vtce-37wxea1HRyIbYellVTTUbUFvHsKZHbCw-Lb4O-SJ_TUAjDTTa6hvRnBMwtjLjopbynpMOmVnpxq6DeTILkikjIHiz5hyCpDXfg0tgX33dwWgM41Se3tHP2bfgEbEO4Q-6Gx8GATw\/s320\/Human%20Skull%20thumbnail.jpg\" width=\"320\" \/\u003E\u003C\/a\u003E\u003C\/div\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u003Ci\u003ENote: This article is extracted from my book, \u003Ca href=\"https:\/\/www.amazon.com\/YUGA-SHIFT-IMPENDING-PLANETARY-TRANSFORMATION\/dp\/B0CPJVYQG4\/ref=pd_ci_mcx_mh_mcx_views_0_image\" target=\"_blank\"\u003EYuga Shift\u003C\/a\u003E and was first published on Mysterious Universe (https:\/\/mysteriousuniverse.org\/)\u003C\/i\u003E \u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EOne of the stories that most of us have grown up hearing is that the human species is continuously evolving to higher levels of intellect, by a gradual process of evolution by natural selection. It has been literally drilled into us that the modern human species i.e. Homo sapiens, has evolved over millions of years from ape-like ancestors.\u0026nbsp;\u003Cspan\u003E\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Ca name='more'\u003E\u003C\/a\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EThe fundamental physical factor that drove the process of evolution was the increase in brain volume or cranial capacity, which, over time, led to a slew of innovations such as fire, tools, weapons, clothes, boats, shelter, burials, rock art, music, language etc. The cranial capacity is regarded as the most important indicator of IQ, since many studies using Magnetic Resonance Imaging (MRI) of the brain in individuals who were tested for IQ, found significant correlations between the size of cerebral structures and measures of intelligence.\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003ENow, if this story were true, then even in the modern day we should have found that our cranial capacities are gradually increasing over time. Instead, a number of studies have revealed the exact opposite! The human brain has been consistently shrinking in volume over the past 12,000-odd years, since the end of the last Ice Age. We are dumber today than any time before in the Holocene era!\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EIn one of the early studies titled, “Decrease of Human Skull Size in the Holocene”, published in the \u003Ci\u003EHuman Biology\u003C\/i\u003E journal in 1988, scientists computed cranial capacity (CC) for \u003Cb\u003Enearly 9500 male crania and 3300 female crania\u003C\/b\u003E, originating from Europe and North Africa. The study found,\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cblockquote\u003E“Among male samples the peak CC (cranial capacity) occurred in the Mesolithic (1593 cc), the lowest value falls in modern times (1436 cc); in females sample timing is the same: Mesolithic maximum of 1502 cc and modern minimum of 1241 cc. For both males and females the decrease through time is smooth, statistically significant and inversely exponential. A decrease of 157 cc (9.9 % of the larger value) in males and of 261 cc (17.4 %) in females is a considerable one, of the order of magnitude comparable to the difference between averages for H. Erectus and H. Sapiens.”[1]\u003C\/blockquote\u003ESeparate studies conducted on large samples from Europe, the Near East, Africa, Japan and Australia have confirmed this general trend. Human cranial capacity has decreased by approx. 10% of its average value (i.e. 100-150 cc) since the Late Pleistocene until the early 20th century.[2] \u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EIf evolution by natural selection is consistently making us smarter then why did we lose such a large chunk of brain volume at a time when, supposedly, for the first time, humans transitioned from a hunter-gatherer lifestyle to settled, agricultural communities that allowed the first great civilizations of the world to flourish?\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EOne of the first recognizable members of the genus Homo is called Homo erectus (meaning “upright man”), whose earliest appearance in the fossil records occurred around 2 million years ago. Homo erectus are thought to have been the earliest human ancestors capable of using fires, hunting and gathering in coordinated groups, caring for injured or sick group members, seafaring, and possibly art-making. The difference between the average cranial volume of Homo erectus and Homo sapiens is roughly the same as the amount of cranial volume that has been lost in the past 12,000 years in the Holocene period.\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EAllow that to sink in. \u003Cb\u003EIn just 12,000 years, we have lost the same amount of intelligence that, purportedly, took nearly 2 million years to develop!\u003C\/b\u003E How does that happen? And why has the cranial volume been declining at a time when the most significant advancements in human civilization supposedly took place?\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EClearly, something is amiss here. The data does not lie. Certain unfounded assumptions appears to have been made about human evolution and the origins of civilization that does not accord with the precipitous decline in human cranial capacity during the Holocene period. One of the thoughts that struck my mind when I came across this stunning data is, how do evolutionists and anthropologists explain it?\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cdiv class=\"separator\" style=\"clear: both; text-align: center;\"\u003E\u003Ca href=\"https:\/\/blogger.googleusercontent.com\/img\/b\/R29vZ2xl\/AVvXsEj8NbJ5eQsnMS5yDvqW0ockwhGzIxJIOaZJqaryzIjwNRpX-XqlOlHW8sNZaWvUYNc76j09sULFUKrDqcLhj5FCVKVO7rgVaCG9aZD2YR1_jbtc9OjFHT3becHc513MCIo6HQEDqYplxo-tvzZdkqTuiiM33sW_zMpPU5CYFXHLsJ24JdjKlzw83UxiUUk\/s1200\/Human%20skull%20small.jpg\" style=\"margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;\"\u003E\u003Cimg border=\"0\" data-original-height=\"675\" data-original-width=\"1200\" height=\"360\" src=\"https:\/\/blogger.googleusercontent.com\/img\/b\/R29vZ2xl\/AVvXsEj8NbJ5eQsnMS5yDvqW0ockwhGzIxJIOaZJqaryzIjwNRpX-XqlOlHW8sNZaWvUYNc76j09sULFUKrDqcLhj5FCVKVO7rgVaCG9aZD2YR1_jbtc9OjFHT3becHc513MCIo6HQEDqYplxo-tvzZdkqTuiiM33sW_zMpPU5CYFXHLsJ24JdjKlzw83UxiUUk\/w640-h360\/Human%20skull%20small.jpg\" width=\"640\" \/\u003E\u003C\/a\u003E\u003C\/div\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003EI had a hard time finding a well-written paper or article on this topic, until I came across this piece in the \u003Ci\u003EDiscover Magazine\u003C\/i\u003E titled, “If Modern Humans Are So Smart, Why Are Our Brains Shrinking?”[3], in which, science writer Kathleen McAuliffe, tell us that she was utterly dismayed when anthropologist John Hawks of the University of Wisconsin told her that, over the past 20,000 years, the average volume of the human male brain has decreased from 1,500 cc to 1350 cc, losing a chunk the size of a tennis ball. “This happened in China, Europe, Africa - everywhere we look,” Hawks informed her. \u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003EWhen Kathleen contacted other experts to find out if they knew about the shrinking human brain, she came to a startling realization. It was a closely guarded secret. “Only a tight-knit circle of paleontologists seem to be in on the secret, and even they seem a bit muddled about the matter,” she wrote to her utter surprise.\u0026nbsp;\u003Cp\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EOne of the experts she consulted was Christopher Stringer, a paleoanthropologist at the Natural History Museum in London. Stringer told her something quite stunning: “Scientists haven’t given the matter the attention it deserves. Many ignore it or consider it an insignificant detail”. I could hardly believe this. This absolutely jaw-dropping piece of scientific data, which turns the Darwinian theory of gradual evolution by natural selection on its head, is treated by some scientists as an “insignificant detail”. What really is significant then? How the Homo erectus learnt to pick his nose?\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EBesides, why is there so much secrecy around this information? Why is it that only a “tight-knit circle of paleontologists” know about this, and everyone else seems to be in the dark? Isn’t it the duty of scientists, academia and the media to widely disseminate this kind of shocking information and invite debates and discussions over it?\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EThe truth is that, and many have written about it, scientists and academics do not earn any brownie points by ruffling the calm surface of “Lake Consensus”, as John Anthony West put it. There is a strong tendency to adhere to the status quo, and very often, errant academics who do not toe the official line, are put in their place by being denied grants, positions and other academic privileges. As a result, even if grave anomalies are observed in a theory that has achieved consensus, they are ignored or quietly filed away from the public eye. This kind of knowledge filtering goes on continuously, and what we know as the truth is simply a “consensus”, and nothing more.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cdiv class=\"separator\" style=\"clear: both; text-align: center;\"\u003E\u003Ca href=\"https:\/\/blogger.googleusercontent.com\/img\/b\/R29vZ2xl\/AVvXsEgsESXG8oiPMgtgSlFUAoGtupM6BHV4B5Yq16zGEhyphenhyphenw3dAzcyj_vYftrXBrntbPb7cXVvrv3Udn0rXDgcA3aVPTzjOupwlIqsqYGhuZzgueW2K4LEoljlbU4sL6RsVDUE_N_14PC8PlfxyHxMJOcrGVTLmOAFYVQfuFLieOVDTk7HZP1C86J2BekXsECm0\/s1800\/Human%20Skull%20featured.jpg\" style=\"margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;\"\u003E\u003Cimg border=\"0\" data-original-height=\"991\" data-original-width=\"1800\" height=\"352\" src=\"https:\/\/blogger.googleusercontent.com\/img\/b\/R29vZ2xl\/AVvXsEgsESXG8oiPMgtgSlFUAoGtupM6BHV4B5Yq16zGEhyphenhyphenw3dAzcyj_vYftrXBrntbPb7cXVvrv3Udn0rXDgcA3aVPTzjOupwlIqsqYGhuZzgueW2K4LEoljlbU4sL6RsVDUE_N_14PC8PlfxyHxMJOcrGVTLmOAFYVQfuFLieOVDTk7HZP1C86J2BekXsECm0\/w640-h352\/Human%20Skull%20featured.jpg\" width=\"640\" \/\u003E\u003C\/a\u003E\u003C\/div\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003EKathleen went on to write that, some scientists have tried to explain why our brains are shrinking, but their explanations are vague, muddled and inconsistent. According to Christopher Stringer, the reduction in cranial volume may be due to the decline in human stature since the Holocene period, since a larger brain is required to control a bigger body mass. However, John Hawks has contested this, claiming that the brain has shrunk much faster than the body. “For a brain as small as that found in the average European male today, the body would have to shrink to the size of a pygmy”, Hawks said.\u0026nbsp;\u003Cp\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EBesides, the scientific data indicates that human height declined till the end of the Bronze Age, after which it has been steadily increasing. But, brain volume has continued to decline till the modern period. This means there cannot be any cause-effect relationship between body size and brain size.\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003ECognitive scientist David Geary of the University of Missouri believes that people actually became dumber in the Holocene period. According to him, as population density increased and complex societies emerged, people did not have to be as smart to survive; they could get by with the help of others. This created the selection pressure for the brain to become smaller.\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EHowever, historical facts do not support his contention. It is only around c. 5000 BCE in the Eastern Mediterranean that we see a jump in population densities, followed by the emergence of complex Bronze Age societies. In many other parts of the world, complex societies arose even later than that. By that time, there had already been a substantial reduction in cranial volume. What this implies is that, only after humans became substantially stupid they began to form large, complex societies, and, as a result, some people were able to get by without possessing any specific skill or sufficient gray matter.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EJohn Hawks put a different twist to the situation. He believes that humans may be getting smarter due to a re-wiring of the brain. The brain is an energy guzzler; it consumes nearly 20 percent of our calorie intake. A bigger brain uses up more energy. So, optimally, we need a brain that packs the most intelligence for the least energy. Hawks believes that, over the past 10,000 years, due to a series of advantageous brain-related mutations, the neural connections of the brain may have become streamlined and the molecular activity at the synapses improved, thereby making us more intelligent than our Paleolithic ancestors, even though we have smaller brains.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003ESo, what Hawks is essentially saying is that, after moving in the wrong direction for nearly 2 million years, turning itself into an energy-guzzling SUV, the brain went through a sudden awakening at the end of the last Ice Age and decided to change course and transform itself into a Tesla. Hawks himself admits that such a course correction would require a large number of very rare, beneficial mutations, the chances of which are extremely slim.\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EThe fact is that, random new mutations are more likely to reduce than to raise intelligence. A course correction for the human brain after 2 million years of evolution in the wrong direction, due to the sudden appearance of extremely rare beneficial mutations, is wishful thinking at best.\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EBesides, there is no tangible evidence that the neural connections in the brain suddenly became more efficient after the onset of the Holocene Period. Nor is it likely that any such evidence will ever be found, since brain tissue is not preserved for such long periods of time. If they were, we might have found that even the neural connections have degraded! \u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003EThe truth is very simple. Our declining cranial capacity indicates that we have been getting dumber over the course of the past 12,000 years. Our memories have declined substantially compared to our ancestors who could remember massive volumes of data, and transmit them orally to the next generation. Our powers of judgment and discrimination have declined because of which we cannot distinguish between the truth and lies, or discern what truly serves our welfare as opposed to what takes us down the path of misery. Our ethics and morality have nosedived, along with all the subtle abilities of the brain that we possessed in the bygone ages such as intuition, telepathy, clairvoyance etc.\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EUnfortunately, most people have been brought up to believe otherwise. They think that we are the smartest generation of people that ever lived, since that is the idea that is pushed down their throat from an early age. The problem is, once people have been indoctrinated with a specific belief or ideology, no amount of evidence is enough to overturn that. The hardest things to get rid of are deeply held biases, and scientists are no exceptions to this.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EAlthough the decline in cranial capacity during the Holocene period is at odds with Darwinian evolution, it is perfectly aligned with the doctrine of the Yuga Cycle or Great Year. The last 12,000 years comprise the descending arc of the Yuga Cycle, when human consciousness, memory and intelligence are supposed be in a state of continuous degradation. In the \u003Ci\u003EMahabharata\u003C\/i\u003E, the sage Markandeya told Yudhisthira, “Know, O Yudhisthira, that the period of life, the energy, intellect and the physical strength of men decrease in every Yuga!”[4] These statements, which have been generally regarded as fanciful notions, are amply borne out by the scientific data collected over the past few decades. \u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Ctable align=\"center\" cellpadding=\"0\" cellspacing=\"0\" class=\"tr-caption-container\" style=\"margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;\"\u003E\u003Ctbody\u003E\u003Ctr\u003E\u003Ctd style=\"text-align: center;\"\u003E\u003Ca href=\"https:\/\/blogger.googleusercontent.com\/img\/b\/R29vZ2xl\/AVvXsEjpEzLY8J7b_7RydSJxyFoAz_5ILyqXKOYAv9WrYM2z2i218qWOKF0r-BxVbQnoGjREfuAoAUOiSsRbYG2t65-7yApBfJQNx9ZbWJveMO56HRbMe7zHBkz3uK_TifDcuQe_Gs_vKoYzin1ylJKOVga43tTHQe-cDpttM-_BCG7mQ2KvWzWBthu7DL0kWTw\/s1400\/39%20Yuga%20Cycle%2025800%20years2.jpg\" style=\"margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;\"\u003E\u003Cimg alt=\"Yuga Cycle 25,800 Years\" border=\"0\" data-original-height=\"1135\" data-original-width=\"1400\" height=\"518\" src=\"https:\/\/blogger.googleusercontent.com\/img\/b\/R29vZ2xl\/AVvXsEjpEzLY8J7b_7RydSJxyFoAz_5ILyqXKOYAv9WrYM2z2i218qWOKF0r-BxVbQnoGjREfuAoAUOiSsRbYG2t65-7yApBfJQNx9ZbWJveMO56HRbMe7zHBkz3uK_TifDcuQe_Gs_vKoYzin1ylJKOVga43tTHQe-cDpttM-_BCG7mQ2KvWzWBthu7DL0kWTw\/w640-h518\/39%20Yuga%20Cycle%2025800%20years2.jpg\" width=\"640\" \/\u003E\u003C\/a\u003E\u003C\/td\u003E\u003C\/tr\u003E\u003Ctr\u003E\u003Ctd class=\"tr-caption\" style=\"text-align: center;\"\u003EFigure 1: The 25,800-year Yuga Cycle, including the 1200-year periods of Kataklysmos and Ekpyrosis. Credit: Bibhu Dev Misra.\u003C\/td\u003E\u003C\/tr\u003E\u003C\/tbody\u003E\u003C\/table\u003E\u003Cp\u003ESince we are now approaching the end of the Kali Yuga, the shrinking of the human brain has already started tapering off in some populations. We can expect that, once we come out of the Kali Yuga, our cranial capacity will again start increasing gradually and attain their peak value in the next Golden Age or Satya Yuga, after another 12,000 years evolution along the ascending arc of the Yuga Cycle.\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003ESo, what does all of this mean for human evolution? It means that the sinusoidal fluctuation in cranial volume, height and lifespan has been going on for millions of years, ever since man first appeared on the earth. Over a period of roughly 25,800 years, cranial volume goes up and down with a 10% - 15% fluctuation in its value.\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EContrary to oft-repeated claims, there has not been a gradual increase in cranial volume over the past 2 million years. That is an assumption and not a fact. We have found less than 200 pre-Holocene hominin skulls.\u003Cb\u003E 200 skulls in a span of 2 million years! \u003C\/b\u003EHow can such a scanty collection of pre-Holocene crania reveal the pattern of human evolution? A regression line was fitted through these data points assuming that cranial volume must have increased linearly. That is an unacceptable assumption. Literally any kind of curve can be drawn through a scatter of 200 data points over a 2 million year time period. There are hundreds of thousands of years in the graph without a single data point!\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EOn the other hand, tens of thousands of Holocene crania have been found, and that data indicates that cranial volume has been decreasing over the past 12,000 years and gradually flattening out. \u003Ci\u003ESurely, the true nature of the cranial capacity curve will be revealed where the data density is the highest!\u003C\/i\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EThe only sensible conclusion to be drawn from this is that human cranial capacity fluctuates in a sinusoidal manner over a 25,800 year cycle. My proposition is that all the available Homo sapiens cranial specimens can be plotted on this sinusoidal curve. Since I do not have access to a well-dated set of human skulls I cannot test it out myself. But, there is a well-known set of cranial specimens belonging to the Cro-Magnon, which supports this argument.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EThe Cro-Magnon were one of the earliest examples of modern Homo sapiens in Western Europe. Cro-Magnon were taller than modern humans, had more robust bones, with a cranial capacity of around 1600 cc, which is comparable to the peak cranial capacity of the Mesolithic period.[5] Their fossils have been found between 30,000 to 40,000 years ago, which straddles the peak of an earlier Golden Age at around 38,676 BP (Before Present) or 36,676 BCE. \u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Ctable align=\"center\" cellpadding=\"0\" cellspacing=\"0\" class=\"tr-caption-container\" style=\"margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;\"\u003E\u003Ctbody\u003E\u003Ctr\u003E\u003Ctd style=\"text-align: center;\"\u003E\u003Ca href=\"https:\/\/blogger.googleusercontent.com\/img\/b\/R29vZ2xl\/AVvXsEiCX1wuDfdHdK56XIoybCt56RYcamMJluhYRwiNi1b3JadVFzVNy-aWR9pCr_EwcC6r48xc34vcBEFjqS3BEVxNhppmWHRCotfxjDV5lUfLdT_640kA0clcHuB5Y4JMh4x9HYweJBE3CV7lShTJAXQ6y88Q7J9QRH9cciVPcqobo_a5-9f4Trd5L7pOXp8\/s1400\/40%20Cranial%20Volume%20Fluctuation%20Yuga%20Cycle%2025800%20years.jpg\" style=\"margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;\"\u003E\u003Cimg alt=\"Sinusoidal fluctuation of Cranial Capacity over the 25,800-year precession cycle\" border=\"0\" data-original-height=\"690\" data-original-width=\"1400\" height=\"317\" src=\"https:\/\/blogger.googleusercontent.com\/img\/b\/R29vZ2xl\/AVvXsEiCX1wuDfdHdK56XIoybCt56RYcamMJluhYRwiNi1b3JadVFzVNy-aWR9pCr_EwcC6r48xc34vcBEFjqS3BEVxNhppmWHRCotfxjDV5lUfLdT_640kA0clcHuB5Y4JMh4x9HYweJBE3CV7lShTJAXQ6y88Q7J9QRH9cciVPcqobo_a5-9f4Trd5L7pOXp8\/w640-h317\/40%20Cranial%20Volume%20Fluctuation%20Yuga%20Cycle%2025800%20years.jpg\" width=\"640\" \/\u003E\u003C\/a\u003E\u003C\/td\u003E\u003C\/tr\u003E\u003Ctr\u003E\u003Ctd class=\"tr-caption\" style=\"text-align: center;\"\u003EFigure 2: The cranial volume fluctuates over a 25,800-year Yuga Cycle. Credit: Bibhu Dev Misra.\u003C\/td\u003E\u003C\/tr\u003E\u003C\/tbody\u003E\u003C\/table\u003E\u003Cp\u003EThis can be easily calculated from the Yuga Cycle timeline. The peak of the last Golden Age was reached around 10,876 BCE, and we need to add 25,800 years to get the previous peak i.e. 36,676 BCE. This means that the Cro-Magnons lived in an earlier Golden Age and some part of the descending Yuga Cycle. This is why, their morphology and cranial capacities are larger than that of modern humans and comparable to the peak cranial capacities of the Mesolithic period i.e. the most recent Golden Age.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Ctable align=\"center\" cellpadding=\"0\" cellspacing=\"0\" class=\"tr-caption-container\" style=\"margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;\"\u003E\u003Ctbody\u003E\u003Ctr\u003E\u003Ctd style=\"text-align: center;\"\u003E\u003Ca href=\"https:\/\/blogger.googleusercontent.com\/img\/b\/R29vZ2xl\/AVvXsEga3nKZRXgTHMeCmlN2NV3KvXQE5VU4jKIkRM62kM3bJB9Fac36tfU5GgcyGuMpAEksNnLs9_4Aekw-EHBrzcsP-lMa7MBZPbf88EhmQfBQ1GnjvZyt6ynOXuYxlbO0P7jbY-92zkbWiqgdAnAAvkD8XMr_e-l1I3cvcnWpsGtJ24C1aIsBb0RUcpIaq4g\/s1024\/Skull%20and%20lower%20jaw%20of%20Cro-Magnon,%20exhibited%20at%20the%20Mus%C3%A9e%20de%20l'Homme%20in%20Paris,%20Thilo%20Parg,%20CC%20BY%20SA%204.jpg\" style=\"margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;\"\u003E\u003Cimg border=\"0\" data-original-height=\"1024\" data-original-width=\"1024\" height=\"320\" src=\"https:\/\/blogger.googleusercontent.com\/img\/b\/R29vZ2xl\/AVvXsEga3nKZRXgTHMeCmlN2NV3KvXQE5VU4jKIkRM62kM3bJB9Fac36tfU5GgcyGuMpAEksNnLs9_4Aekw-EHBrzcsP-lMa7MBZPbf88EhmQfBQ1GnjvZyt6ynOXuYxlbO0P7jbY-92zkbWiqgdAnAAvkD8XMr_e-l1I3cvcnWpsGtJ24C1aIsBb0RUcpIaq4g\/s320\/Skull%20and%20lower%20jaw%20of%20Cro-Magnon,%20exhibited%20at%20the%20Mus%C3%A9e%20de%20l'Homme%20in%20Paris,%20Thilo%20Parg,%20CC%20BY%20SA%204.jpg\" width=\"320\" \/\u003E\u003C\/a\u003E\u003C\/td\u003E\u003C\/tr\u003E\u003Ctr\u003E\u003Ctd class=\"tr-caption\" style=\"text-align: center;\"\u003EFigure 3: Skull and lower jaw of Cro-Magnon, exhibited at the Musée de \nl'Homme in Paris. Credit: Thilo Parg, CC BY-SA 4.0 via Wikimedia Commons\u003C\/td\u003E\u003C\/tr\u003E\u003C\/tbody\u003E\u003C\/table\u003E\u003Ctable align=\"center\" cellpadding=\"0\" cellspacing=\"0\" class=\"tr-caption-container\" style=\"margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;\"\u003E\u003Ctbody\u003E\u003Ctr\u003E\u003Ctd style=\"text-align: center;\"\u003E\u003Ca href=\"https:\/\/blogger.googleusercontent.com\/img\/b\/R29vZ2xl\/AVvXsEhsu38KEiCgVC29OG_ny7Ca8PDkj2BQ9NMJCFIfbBZ3OFYj9ovHE775x0ZreqVdihAqte768xTLvchAkaan5-3wabHxKYyBMU4oe876_pruMzFEOsZ8YgUOKScM298DuJ2oj_Ruw8PQCWtXm-9T92ueZpl3w6-yfespiyYL7B7M5YTmNlPbMvpC625ia-o\/s1280\/Forensic%20facial%20reconstruction%20of%20a%20Cro-Magnon%20man,%20usgin%20a%20cast%20of%20skull,%20Cicero%20Moraes,%20CC%20BY%20SA%204.jpg\" style=\"margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;\"\u003E\u003Cimg border=\"0\" data-original-height=\"393\" data-original-width=\"1280\" height=\"196\" src=\"https:\/\/blogger.googleusercontent.com\/img\/b\/R29vZ2xl\/AVvXsEhsu38KEiCgVC29OG_ny7Ca8PDkj2BQ9NMJCFIfbBZ3OFYj9ovHE775x0ZreqVdihAqte768xTLvchAkaan5-3wabHxKYyBMU4oe876_pruMzFEOsZ8YgUOKScM298DuJ2oj_Ruw8PQCWtXm-9T92ueZpl3w6-yfespiyYL7B7M5YTmNlPbMvpC625ia-o\/w640-h196\/Forensic%20facial%20reconstruction%20of%20a%20Cro-Magnon%20man,%20usgin%20a%20cast%20of%20skull,%20Cicero%20Moraes,%20CC%20BY%20SA%204.jpg\" width=\"640\" \/\u003E\u003C\/a\u003E\u003C\/td\u003E\u003C\/tr\u003E\u003Ctr\u003E\u003Ctd class=\"tr-caption\" style=\"text-align: center;\"\u003EFigure 4: Forensic facial reconstruction of a Cro-Magnon man, using a \ncast of skull. Credit: Cicero Moraes, CC BY-SA 4.0 via Wikimedia Commons\u003C\/td\u003E\u003C\/tr\u003E\u003C\/tbody\u003E\u003C\/table\u003E\u003Cp\u003EWhat this means is that, over the past 2 million years, since the first hominin fossils began to appear, our cranial volume has been oscillating over a 25,800-year cycle, without a net increase or decrease in any direction. This is true not only for Homo sapiens crania, but is likely to be equally applicable to all the extinct members of the human family, including the Neanderthals and Homo erectus.\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Ctable align=\"center\" cellpadding=\"0\" cellspacing=\"0\" class=\"tr-caption-container\" style=\"margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;\"\u003E\u003Ctbody\u003E\u003Ctr\u003E\u003Ctd style=\"text-align: center;\"\u003E\u003Ca href=\"https:\/\/blogger.googleusercontent.com\/img\/b\/R29vZ2xl\/AVvXsEiC7XZnHni3zYJ4vmHSqOokQ3dUzw5FH2CniB8UvU9WMUi61n_nQAjWbvKaHYhs3U78NNWr5MnOE24oZT1F7G_MNRasSXG8ejJ5ieecZXpyLkMTloCrR526WTfMTuW0lBB5bFYTZQRCY98H3GbQL7MNqfv7X8gCQ05giVfiyMPhQkqMYiXpDOZDlZGdx1c\/s1025\/Comparison%20of%20Modern%20Human%20and%20Neanderthal%20skulls%20from%20the%20Cleveland%20Museum%20of%20Natural%20History,%20hairymuseummatt%20CC%20BY%20SA%202.png\" style=\"margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;\"\u003E\u003Cimg border=\"0\" data-original-height=\"533\" data-original-width=\"1025\" height=\"332\" src=\"https:\/\/blogger.googleusercontent.com\/img\/b\/R29vZ2xl\/AVvXsEiC7XZnHni3zYJ4vmHSqOokQ3dUzw5FH2CniB8UvU9WMUi61n_nQAjWbvKaHYhs3U78NNWr5MnOE24oZT1F7G_MNRasSXG8ejJ5ieecZXpyLkMTloCrR526WTfMTuW0lBB5bFYTZQRCY98H3GbQL7MNqfv7X8gCQ05giVfiyMPhQkqMYiXpDOZDlZGdx1c\/w640-h332\/Comparison%20of%20Modern%20Human%20and%20Neanderthal%20skulls%20from%20the%20Cleveland%20Museum%20of%20Natural%20History,%20hairymuseummatt%20CC%20BY%20SA%202.png\" width=\"640\" \/\u003E\u003C\/a\u003E\u003C\/td\u003E\u003C\/tr\u003E\u003Ctr\u003E\u003Ctd class=\"tr-caption\" style=\"text-align: center;\"\u003EFigure 5: Comparison of Modern Human and Neanderthal skulls from the \nCleveland Museum of Natural History. The Neanderthal skull is the one on\n the right. Credit: hairymuseummatt CC BY-SA 2.0 via Wikimedia Commons\u003C\/td\u003E\u003C\/tr\u003E\u003C\/tbody\u003E\u003C\/table\u003E\u003Cp\u003EFor instance, the Neanderthals had a bigger skull than modern humans with an average cranial capacity of around 1500 cc, which is comparable to the cranial volume of humans who lived at the end of the last Ice Age. However, even Neanderthal skull capacities vary between 1300 to 1600 cc, and it is quite possible that this variation occurs in tandem with the 25,800-year precession cycle. No-one has tested for this till now, but if we plot out the available Neanderthal skulls on this curve, we may be taken by surprise.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EHowever, cranial specimens need to be be accurately dated before plotting on the 25,800-year sinusoidal curve, because even a small percentage error in dating can make things go haywire. The difference between the peaks and troughs of the curve is only 12,900 years, which is very small in geological terms. Ideally, the hominin cranial specimens which have been discovered in the past 100,000 to 200,000 years should be used for plotting on this curve, so that the error in dating is not very significant.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EIn case you are wondering what could be responsible for the decline in our cranial capacity during the Holocene period, certain studies indicate that genetics is the main driving factor. Over the past 12,000 years, we have been acquiring harmful gene mutations, and passing them on to our children, leading to the gradual degeneration of the human race. In a couple of papers published in the journal \u003Ci\u003ETrends in Genetics \u003C\/i\u003E(2012), Professor Gerald Crabtree of the Stanford University showed that, as a species, we are gradually declining in average intellect because we are accumulating mutations that deleteriously affect brain development or function.[6]\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EProfessor John Sanford of the Cornell University firmly believes that the human race is devolving, and that there is no evidence of human evolution being directed by the forces of natural selection. In the book \u003Ci\u003EGenetic Entropy \u0026amp; the Mystery of the Genome\u003C\/i\u003E (2008), he argued that the minimal rate of human mutation is estimated to be 100 new mutations per generation. While most mutations do not have any effect, some of them are deleterious. This causes a genetic degradation that leads to the gradual extinction of a species through time. In an interview with Jim Cantelon, he explained the new findings in the field of genetics:\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cblockquote\u003E“It’s kind of a trade secret amongst population geneticists - any really well-informed population geneticist understands that man is degenerating…what’s happening is that, every gene in every chromosome of every cell in my body is mutating, and so that guarantees my aging and my death. But the problem is that - these mutations that are accumulating in my body - some of them are transmitted to my children. I take all the mutations that I inherited from my ancestors – tens of thousands of deleterious mutations in my body – and I add my own contribution to that – about a 100 new mutations at least – and pass it on to the next generation…It means we are a perishing people living in a dying world…there is no circle of life where things just continue staying the same, and it’s not an upward spiral of evolution where things keep getting better and better, it is a downward spiral. ”[7] \u003C\/blockquote\u003EA downward spiral indeed! In other words, the descending arc of the Yuga Cycle or Great Year in which human intellect gradually declines. The wisdom of the ancients is now being validated by different scientific disciplines. But why is there so much secrecy?\u0026nbsp;\u003Cp\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EJohn Sanford said that the degeneration of man is a “trade secret amongst population geneticists”, while Kathleen McAuliffe had noted that the phenomenon of the shrinking human brain is a secret known to “only a tight-knit circle of paleontologists.” Why is this knowledge being concealed from the people at large? Why not just come out and say, “Its confirmed guys. We are idiots, and we are getting dumber, and that’s why we are messing up the world.” Is that too much to ask?\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EI believe that John Sanford’s statement that we are “a perishing people in a dying world” is a bit too pessimistic, for it seems to imply that there is no hope for the world. That is not exactly true. Had the deterioration of the human brain been going on ceaselessly for the past 2 million years, then we would have transformed into chimps by now. Or become extinct. But we didn’t, right? This means that the process of degeneration is not unidirectional, but reverses itself at periodic intervals. Humanity is not headed towards extinction, but towards transformation.\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EAt some point after the completion of the Kali Yuga, the harmful genetic mutations will get replaced by beneficial genetic mutations, which will then keep on accumulating and drive the upward spiral of evolution till the next Golden Age. This is how the Cycle of the Ages operate, and it is a shame that this essential wisdom has been discarded by the modern civilization. But, then, this is exactly what happens in the Kali Yuga, the age of ignorance and darkness, when, in spite of having so many advanced technologies, humanity remains completely oblivious of its origins and purpose.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EOne might naturally wonder what could be causing the harmful and beneficial genetic mutations to fluctuate over a 25,800-year cycle. Could the radiation from some powerful cosmic source be driving this phenomenon? The answer is yes, and I have explored this idea in my book \u003Ca href=\"https:\/\/www.amazon.com\/YUGA-SHIFT-IMPENDING-PLANETARY-TRANSFORMATION\/dp\/B0CPJVYQG4\/ref=pd_ci_mcx_mh_mcx_views_0_image\" target=\"_blank\"\u003EYuga Shift\u003C\/a\u003E, and I shall write about it in future articles.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cb\u003EReferences\u003C\/b\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E[1] Maciej Henneberg, “Decrease of Human Skull Size in the Holocene”, Human Biology, June 1988, Vol.60, No.3, pp. 395-405, https:\/\/digitalcommons.wayne.edu\/humbiol\/vol60\/iss3\/5\/\u003Cbr \/\u003E[2] Christopher B. Ruff et al, “Body mass and encephalization in Pleistocene Homo”, Nature, 1997, Vol.387, pp. 173 - 176.\u003Cbr \/\u003E[3] Kathleen McAuliffe, “If Modern Humans Are So Smart, Why Are Our Brains Shrinking?” Discover Magazine, 20 January 2011, https:\/\/www.discovermagazine.com\/the-sciences\/if-modern-humans-are-so-smart-why-are-our-brains-shrinking\u003Cbr \/\u003E[4] Mahabharata 3.189, https:\/\/www.sacred-texts.com\/hin\/m03\/m03189.htm\u003Cbr \/\u003E[5] “Cro-Magnon”, Britannica, https:\/\/www.britannica.com\/topic\/Cro-Magnon\u003Cbr \/\u003E[6] Gerald R. Crabtree, “Our fragile intellect. Part I” and “Our fragile intellect. Part II”, published in Trends in Genetics. Taken from Kevin J. Mitchell, “Genetic entropy and the human intellect”, Trends in Genetics, 2013, Vol.29, No.2, pp. 59-60.\u003Cbr \/\u003E[7] Dr. John Sanford, author of “Genetic Entropy and the Mystery of the Genome”, in an interview with Jim Cantelon, on the YouTube channel 100huntley, https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/watch?v=K8KbM-xkfVk\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E"},"link":[{"rel":"replies","type":"application/atom+xml","href":"https:\/\/www.bibhudevmisra.com\/feeds\/6557170361643723231\/comments\/default","title":"Post Comments"},{"rel":"replies","type":"text/html","href":"https:\/\/www.bibhudevmisra.com\/2024\/12\/the-shocking-decline-in-human-cranial.html#comment-form","title":"8 Comments"},{"rel":"edit","type":"application/atom+xml","href":"https:\/\/www.blogger.com\/feeds\/6864653463177413678\/posts\/default\/6557170361643723231"},{"rel":"self","type":"application/atom+xml","href":"https:\/\/www.blogger.com\/feeds\/6864653463177413678\/posts\/default\/6557170361643723231"},{"rel":"alternate","type":"text/html","href":"https:\/\/www.bibhudevmisra.com\/2024\/12\/the-shocking-decline-in-human-cranial.html","title":"The Shocking Decline in Human Cranial Capacity over the past 12,000 years"}],"author":[{"name":{"$t":"Bibhu Dev Misra"},"uri":{"$t":"http:\/\/www.blogger.com\/profile\/15388473714672380058"},"email":{"$t":"noreply@blogger.com"},"gd$image":{"rel":"http://schemas.google.com/g/2005#thumbnail","width":"32","height":"28","src":"\/\/blogger.googleusercontent.com\/img\/b\/R29vZ2xl\/AVvXsEh4sklyRp_L5BfqEXTjoskgFPFYpJiNJSuDN5zrcldGBaXot626bOTu8q5TUYsip63M6EkY2JbuoE6l1N5fMKiqKfzFfaaKpqm91QZx9rMdAL3t-ju2QdYi1K-BeCJsjw\/s130\/DSCN1699.JPG"}}],"media$thumbnail":{"xmlns$media":"http://search.yahoo.com/mrss/","url":"https:\/\/blogger.googleusercontent.com\/img\/b\/R29vZ2xl\/AVvXsEgaLNUUZC3elpunCDPi9Gpz_w4d_xxOtyCHcVkaZzgWs27zh3vtce-37wxea1HRyIbYellVTTUbUFvHsKZHbCw-Lb4O-SJ_TUAjDTTa6hvRnBMwtjLjopbynpMOmVnpxq6DeTILkikjIHiz5hyCpDXfg0tgX33dwWgM41Se3tHP2bfgEbEO4Q-6Gx8GATw\/s72-c\/Human%20Skull%20thumbnail.jpg","height":"72","width":"72"},"thr$total":{"$t":"8"}},{"id":{"$t":"tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6864653463177413678.post-4167605369154706085"},"published":{"$t":"2024-11-14T21:41:00.008+05:30"},"updated":{"$t":"2025-08-02T12:53:28.122+05:30"},"category":[{"scheme":"http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#","term":"Article"},{"scheme":"http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#","term":"Yuga Cycle"}],"title":{"type":"text","$t":"The Kaali Impact Crater and the Late Bronze Age collapse"},"content":{"type":"html","$t":"\u003Cp\u003E\u003Cspan style=\"font-size: medium;\"\u003E\u003Cspan style=\"font-family: inherit;\"\u003E\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cdiv class=\"separator\" style=\"clear: both; text-align: center;\"\u003E\u003Cspan style=\"font-size: medium;\"\u003E\u003Ca href=\"https:\/\/blogger.googleusercontent.com\/img\/b\/R29vZ2xl\/AVvXsEjpN_pgapDUcxiMAqkFjIQ713Zkh0E12-U0fzY78uN5GNw4DgoggRnrDdLSYLk5HzR4ByxgGKFFZZbqWzUsdVxY4mCHeJJLFNPftxCdnQIArJIbyJ-iCuIhywx4KgdrNZYQEpBfxxFB6wz5ZWrS9iThoOItT5zOukROhFmvZAVnvhAQNoBIog4RziG15R4\/s500\/Meteor%20Airbursts%20thumbnail.jpg\" style=\"margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;\"\u003E\u003Cimg border=\"0\" data-original-height=\"263\" data-original-width=\"500\" height=\"168\" src=\"https:\/\/blogger.googleusercontent.com\/img\/b\/R29vZ2xl\/AVvXsEjpN_pgapDUcxiMAqkFjIQ713Zkh0E12-U0fzY78uN5GNw4DgoggRnrDdLSYLk5HzR4ByxgGKFFZZbqWzUsdVxY4mCHeJJLFNPftxCdnQIArJIbyJ-iCuIhywx4KgdrNZYQEpBfxxFB6wz5ZWrS9iThoOItT5zOukROhFmvZAVnvhAQNoBIog4RziG15R4\/s320\/Meteor%20Airbursts%20thumbnail.jpg\" width=\"320\" \/\u003E\u003C\/a\u003E\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/div\u003E\u003Cspan style=\"font-size: small;\"\u003E\u003Cspan style=\"font-family: inherit;\"\u003E\u003Cb\u003E\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/b\u003E\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/span\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u003Cspan style=\"font-size: large;\"\u003E\u003Cspan style=\"font-family: inherit;\"\u003E\u003Cb\u003EThe Late Bronze Age Collapse\u003C\/b\u003E\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/span\u003E\u003Cspan style=\"font-size: small;\"\u003E\u003Cspan style=\"font-family: inherit;\"\u003E \u003C\/span\u003E\u003Cspan style=\"font-family: inherit;\"\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u003Cspan style=\"font-size: medium;\"\u003E\u003Cspan style=\"font-family: inherit;\"\u003EThe sudden and catastrophic collapse of the Bronze Age civilizations was one of the most dreadful events of history. Towards the beginning of the 12th century BCE, cities across the eastern Mediterranean region – in Cyprus, Crete, Greece, Anatolia, Egypt, Syria, Levant etc. – went up in flames, never to rise again, and the cultural expressions and religious institutions of the Bronze Age were lost forever.\u0026nbsp;\u003Cspan\u003E\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Ca name='more'\u003E\u003C\/a\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u003Cspan style=\"font-size: medium;\"\u003E\u003Cspan style=\"font-family: inherit;\"\u003EHistorian Robert Drews, Professor of Classical Studies, Emeritus, at Vanderbilt University, wrote in the book \u003Ci\u003EThe End of the Bronze Age: Changes in Warfare and the Catastrophe ca. 1200 BC\u003C\/i\u003E, that, \u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cblockquote\u003E\u003Cspan style=\"font-size: medium;\"\u003E“Within a period of forty to fifty years at the end of the thirteenth and the beginning of the twelfth century almost every significant city in the eastern Mediterranean world was destroyed, many of them never to be occupied again…Throughout the eastern Mediterranean, the twelfth century BC ushered in a dark age, which in Greece and Anatolia was not to lift for more than four hundred years. Altogether, the end of the Bronze Age was arguably the worst disaster in ancient history...”[1] \u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/blockquote\u003E\u003Cspan style=\"font-size: medium;\"\u003EThe intensity and geographic scale of this devastation is quite mind-boggling. When the archaeologists of the mid-19th century started exploring the ancient Bronze Age sites in the eastern Mediterranean, they found that the cities and palaces – which were constructed of megalithic blocks of stone - had been entirely leveled, and almost everywhere they detected a layer of ash containing charred wood.\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/span\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u003Cspan style=\"font-size: medium;\"\u003E\u003Cspan style=\"font-family: inherit;\"\u003EAt Hattusa, the capital of the mighty Hittite Empire, the excavators found a layer of “slag, formed when mud-bricks melted from the intense heat of the conflagration,”[2] while at Mycenae, the “masonry structures within the fortification walls (of the citadel) melted in a fire of great intensity.”[3]\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u003Cspan style=\"font-size: medium;\"\u003E\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Ctable align=\"center\" cellpadding=\"0\" cellspacing=\"0\" class=\"tr-caption-container\" style=\"margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;\"\u003E\u003Ctbody\u003E\u003Ctr\u003E\u003Ctd style=\"text-align: center;\"\u003E\u003Ca href=\"https:\/\/blogger.googleusercontent.com\/img\/b\/R29vZ2xl\/AVvXsEjYT23609zBbwTu7oQ2pi_vCGO35udjna-fYYZgmAon9h53r0L8HnC2gLcQ9QGQS1FMp96sF4OaUHeZKW92kxtfZOJTuu2nYfLy8z6iNMALVQRQi_weRBhNrmVWCay5mHBkwHMV2j_mJ2qDNGm32GEHUjic6dzcC4fQmRBPsz8W2RKcInouOcd0KMn5aXk\/s1400\/The%20area%20of%20the%20Great%20Temple%20with%20storerooms%20surrounding%20the%20temple%20proper,%20Hattusa,%20Turkey,%20Carole%20Raddato,%20CC%20BY%20SA%202%20small.jpg\" style=\"margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;\"\u003E\u003Cimg border=\"0\" data-original-height=\"747\" data-original-width=\"1400\" height=\"342\" src=\"https:\/\/blogger.googleusercontent.com\/img\/b\/R29vZ2xl\/AVvXsEjYT23609zBbwTu7oQ2pi_vCGO35udjna-fYYZgmAon9h53r0L8HnC2gLcQ9QGQS1FMp96sF4OaUHeZKW92kxtfZOJTuu2nYfLy8z6iNMALVQRQi_weRBhNrmVWCay5mHBkwHMV2j_mJ2qDNGm32GEHUjic6dzcC4fQmRBPsz8W2RKcInouOcd0KMn5aXk\/w640-h342\/The%20area%20of%20the%20Great%20Temple%20with%20storerooms%20surrounding%20the%20temple%20proper,%20Hattusa,%20Turkey,%20Carole%20Raddato,%20CC%20BY%20SA%202%20small.jpg\" width=\"640\" \/\u003E\u003C\/a\u003E\u003C\/td\u003E\u003C\/tr\u003E\u003Ctr\u003E\u003Ctd class=\"tr-caption\" style=\"text-align: center;\"\u003E\u003Cspan style=\"font-size: small;\"\u003E\u003Cspan style=\"font-family: inherit;\"\u003EFigure 1: The area of\n the Great Temple with storerooms surrounding the temple proper, \nHattusa, Turkey. Credit: Carole Raddato, CC BY-SA 2.0 via Wikimedia \ncommons\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/td\u003E\u003C\/tr\u003E\u003C\/tbody\u003E\u003C\/table\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u003Cspan style=\"font-size: medium;\"\u003E\u003Cspan style=\"font-family: inherit;\"\u003EEverywhere there were signs of a massive, violent conflagration that had brought on the utter demise of these longstanding centers of culture. Many of these sites – such as Hattusa or Mycenae - remained unoccupied, forgotten, and lost from the pages of history for thousands of years, until they were dug up by archaeologists in the 19th century.\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u003Cspan style=\"font-size: medium;\"\u003E\u003Cspan style=\"font-family: inherit;\"\u003EAt some of the sites, archaeologists have detected signs of rebuilding after the initial wave of devastation in the early 12th century BCE. However, even the rebuilt cities did not last long and were destroyed and abandoned shortly. Apparently, whatever had brought on this widespread disaster, had lingered on for some time during the 400 years of Dark Ages that followed till around 750 BCE.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u003Cspan style=\"font-size: medium;\"\u003E\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Ctable align=\"center\" cellpadding=\"0\" cellspacing=\"0\" class=\"tr-caption-container\" style=\"margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;\"\u003E\u003Ctbody\u003E\u003Ctr\u003E\u003Ctd style=\"text-align: center;\"\u003E\u003Ca href=\"https:\/\/blogger.googleusercontent.com\/img\/b\/R29vZ2xl\/AVvXsEgF-YTSPWEPF9PAbpE_-9wzYINts0PODB1KuxrGDAUhzmiZIS1Q5nv-DeQm9qwgRnG8XA6R8iVIy9Zk2cjBX2cCPMYvLHFYkvCN-N5r_vMnv_1Juv5tIGcLlZG6IqGb-TWsBZ6zrBxVGlU8ZpVkgha9MGC5Jw-vUVDs-k1WAo2k-kjNfaGsylStVLnayEQ\/s1400\/Mycenae%20Archaeological%20site,%20Annatsach,%20CC%20BY%20SA%204%20small.jpg\" style=\"margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;\"\u003E\u003Cimg border=\"0\" data-original-height=\"831\" data-original-width=\"1400\" height=\"380\" src=\"https:\/\/blogger.googleusercontent.com\/img\/b\/R29vZ2xl\/AVvXsEgF-YTSPWEPF9PAbpE_-9wzYINts0PODB1KuxrGDAUhzmiZIS1Q5nv-DeQm9qwgRnG8XA6R8iVIy9Zk2cjBX2cCPMYvLHFYkvCN-N5r_vMnv_1Juv5tIGcLlZG6IqGb-TWsBZ6zrBxVGlU8ZpVkgha9MGC5Jw-vUVDs-k1WAo2k-kjNfaGsylStVLnayEQ\/w640-h380\/Mycenae%20Archaeological%20site,%20Annatsach,%20CC%20BY%20SA%204%20small.jpg\" width=\"640\" \/\u003E\u003C\/a\u003E\u003C\/td\u003E\u003C\/tr\u003E\u003Ctr\u003E\u003Ctd class=\"tr-caption\" style=\"text-align: center;\"\u003E\u003Cspan style=\"font-size: small;\"\u003E\u003Cspan style=\"font-family: inherit;\"\u003EFigure 2: Archaeological site of Mycenae, Greece. Credit: Annatsach, CC BY-SA 4.0 via Wikimedia Commons\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/td\u003E\u003C\/tr\u003E\u003C\/tbody\u003E\u003C\/table\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u003Cspan style=\"font-size: medium;\"\u003E\u003Cspan style=\"font-family: inherit;\"\u003EHowever, not all cultures in the region were utterly decimated in the 12th century itself. In some cases, the collapse was long drawn out. In Egypt, the rule of Ramses III – the last of the great pharaohs - ended in 1155 BCE with his murder, following which there was a “mega drought” lasting 150 years or more, which caused a severe economic crisis.[4] The end of the 20th Dynasty in 1069 BCE marked the end of Egypt as an independent power. The period from 1070 BCE – 664 BCE is called the “Third Intermediate Period” of Egypt, when the Libyans and the Kushites claimed the throne, at a time of political turmoil, social disintegration, droughts and famine.\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u003Cspan style=\"font-size: medium;\"\u003E\u003Cspan style=\"font-family: inherit;\"\u003EAnother ancient empire that survived the initial wave of destruction in the 12th century was Assyria, even as most cities in the Levant and Southern Mesopotamia went up in flames. However, upon the death of Ashur-bel-kala in 1056 BCE, even Assyria went into a comparative decline for the next hundred or so years. The empire shrank significantly, and by 1020 BCE, Assyria appears to have controlled only areas close to Assyria itself.\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u003Cspan style=\"font-size: medium;\"\u003E\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Ctable align=\"center\" cellpadding=\"0\" cellspacing=\"0\" class=\"tr-caption-container\" style=\"margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;\"\u003E\u003Ctbody\u003E\u003Ctr\u003E\u003Ctd style=\"text-align: center;\"\u003E\u003Ca href=\"https:\/\/blogger.googleusercontent.com\/img\/b\/R29vZ2xl\/AVvXsEg9kX2LKC4j-UHn_ER1Kp2wnNZXeMVZteuLgIjEpIGssMSQ76iRFR9p5Qd_eJPnwUe-pPmoXZZcmNuQn_EyNrHI7cH-3-L1HaEml2ekbY0nBQy9V-OPT4bSAsdGT8nR3qs4kTk5rz8kESi-QZ8G_YD2Ep5cBTa2QexNbxlTd-Ec-exiGoeZj_wLdy9hAXA\/s1536\/The%20ruins%20of%20the%20bronze%20age%20city%20of%20Ugarit%20in%20Ras%20Shamra,%20Syria,%20Loris%20Romito,%20CC%20BY%20SA%203.jpg\" style=\"margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;\"\u003E\u003Cimg border=\"0\" data-original-height=\"1024\" data-original-width=\"1536\" height=\"426\" src=\"https:\/\/blogger.googleusercontent.com\/img\/b\/R29vZ2xl\/AVvXsEg9kX2LKC4j-UHn_ER1Kp2wnNZXeMVZteuLgIjEpIGssMSQ76iRFR9p5Qd_eJPnwUe-pPmoXZZcmNuQn_EyNrHI7cH-3-L1HaEml2ekbY0nBQy9V-OPT4bSAsdGT8nR3qs4kTk5rz8kESi-QZ8G_YD2Ep5cBTa2QexNbxlTd-Ec-exiGoeZj_wLdy9hAXA\/w640-h426\/The%20ruins%20of%20the%20bronze%20age%20city%20of%20Ugarit%20in%20Ras%20Shamra,%20Syria,%20Loris%20Romito,%20CC%20BY%20SA%203.jpg\" width=\"640\" \/\u003E\u003C\/a\u003E\u003C\/td\u003E\u003C\/tr\u003E\u003Ctr\u003E\u003Ctd class=\"tr-caption\" style=\"text-align: center;\"\u003E\u003Cspan style=\"font-size: small;\"\u003E\u003Cspan style=\"font-family: inherit;\"\u003EFigure 3: The ruins \nof the Bronze Age city of Ugarit in Ras Shamra, Syria. Credit: Loris \nRomito, CC BY-SA 3.0 via Wikimedia Commons\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/td\u003E\u003C\/tr\u003E\u003C\/tbody\u003E\u003C\/table\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u003Cspan style=\"font-size: medium;\"\u003E\u003Cspan style=\"font-family: inherit;\"\u003EThe effect of this catastrophic civilizational collapse on the people of the eastern Mediterranean was traumatic, to say the least. There was large-scale depopulation, and the people lived in small, isolated, settlements. Some squatters occupied the ruins of the big cities and lived in small huts. Famine gripped the lands, and people migrated in search of food. The ancient trading networks came to a grinding halt. A Dark Age gripped the lands for nearly 400 years, during which time the entire cultural edifice of the Bronze Age was lost forever.\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u003Cspan style=\"font-size: medium;\"\u003E\u003Cspan style=\"font-family: inherit;\"\u003EWhen the Iron Age began at around 750 BCE, the construction of megalithic cities and palaces had ceased. The pottery had simple geometric patterns. Iron replaced bronze as the metal of choice for manufacturing tools and weapons. Chariots were no longer used in warfare. The Linear B writing of the Mycenaean period was forgotten, and the Greeks had to re-learn the alphabet from the Phoenicians in the 8th century BCE. It was almost as if an “epoch” of humanity was over and the old had given way to the new.\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u003Cspan style=\"font-size: medium;\"\u003E\u003Cspan style=\"font-family: inherit;\"\u003EModern historians think of the Greek Dark Ages as a time of “transition” from the Bronze Age to the Iron Age. Robert Drews used the term “dawn time” to refer to this period of catastrophe and transformation. He wrote that,\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cblockquote\u003E\u003Cspan style=\"font-size: medium;\"\u003E“The end of the eastern Mediterranean Bronze Age, in the twelfth century BC, was one of history’s most frightful turning points. For those who experienced it, it was a calamity. In long retrospect, however, the episode marked a beginning rather than an end, the “dawn time” in which people in Israel, Greece, and even Rome sought their origins. ...The metallurgical progress - from bronze to iron - was only the most tangible of the innovations. More significant by far were the development and spread of alphabetic writing, the growth of nationalism, of republican political forms, of monotheism, and eventually of rationalism.”[5] \u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/blockquote\u003E\u003Cspan style=\"font-size: medium;\"\u003EThe philosophers of ancient Greece generally thought of the Dark Ages as a time when a “Shift in the Ages” took place from the “Age of the Heroes” to the “Iron Age”. Many Greek writers dated the famous battle of Troy described in the Iliad, to around the same time that the Late Bronze Age collapse had occurred: Ephorus had dated it to 1135 BCE, Sosibius to 1172 BCE, and Eratosthenes to 1184 BCE. \u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003C\/span\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u003Cspan style=\"font-size: medium;\"\u003E\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Ctable align=\"center\" cellpadding=\"0\" cellspacing=\"0\" class=\"tr-caption-container\" style=\"margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;\"\u003E\u003Ctbody\u003E\u003Ctr\u003E\u003Ctd style=\"text-align: center;\"\u003E\u003Ca href=\"https:\/\/blogger.googleusercontent.com\/img\/b\/R29vZ2xl\/AVvXsEhP7mdhIKeI2FvQ5kTy_atYnzqQsrGyxWLQdsEA5Nf28gMsAC7ubHqfapaBYVNjJCkjXY9btWAz1czqIIRQnIsAwa5piwYQgqGwgbGf8iJ1Lik_WojYUmqObjpgyC_DT3g1d4V2EAb7TkpT0ORQ1OpdwytbDh5zW_E8EASV1vgJ7c2shd7xY6a_92UuZ-s\/s1536\/The%20ruins%20of%20the%20Late%20Bronze%20Age%20gates%20and%20terraces%20at%20Troy,%20Bgabel,%20CC%20BY%20SA%203.jpg\" style=\"margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;\"\u003E\u003Cimg border=\"0\" data-original-height=\"999\" data-original-width=\"1536\" height=\"416\" src=\"https:\/\/blogger.googleusercontent.com\/img\/b\/R29vZ2xl\/AVvXsEhP7mdhIKeI2FvQ5kTy_atYnzqQsrGyxWLQdsEA5Nf28gMsAC7ubHqfapaBYVNjJCkjXY9btWAz1czqIIRQnIsAwa5piwYQgqGwgbGf8iJ1Lik_WojYUmqObjpgyC_DT3g1d4V2EAb7TkpT0ORQ1OpdwytbDh5zW_E8EASV1vgJ7c2shd7xY6a_92UuZ-s\/w640-h416\/The%20ruins%20of%20the%20Late%20Bronze%20Age%20gates%20and%20terraces%20at%20Troy,%20Bgabel,%20CC%20BY%20SA%203.jpg\" width=\"640\" \/\u003E\u003C\/a\u003E\u003C\/td\u003E\u003C\/tr\u003E\u003Ctr\u003E\u003Ctd class=\"tr-caption\" style=\"text-align: center;\"\u003E\u003Cspan style=\"font-size: small;\"\u003E\u003Cspan style=\"font-family: inherit;\"\u003EFigure 4: The ruins \nof the gates and terraces at Troy, dating to the Late Bronze Age. \nCredit: Bgabel, CC BY-SA 3.0 via Wikimedia Commons\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/td\u003E\u003C\/tr\u003E\u003C\/tbody\u003E\u003C\/table\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u003Cspan style=\"font-size: medium;\"\u003E\u003Cspan style=\"font-family: inherit;\"\u003EAs it turns out, the ruins of the city of Troy was discovered by Heinrich Schliemann in 1870, in course of his excavations on the mound of Hisarlik, which overlooks the plain along the Turkish Aegean coast. The excavations at the site have revealed multiple occupation layers dating back to 3600 BCE.\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u003Cspan style=\"font-size: medium;\"\u003E\u003Cspan style=\"font-family: inherit;\"\u003EWhat is interesting is that, Troy was destroyed at around 1180 BCE – coinciding with the onset of the Late Bronze Age collapse - following which the city was rebuilt but was destroyed again in 1050 BCE, possibly due to an earthquake. Troy was again rebuilt by the survivors, but suffered yet another destruction by a fire in 950 BCE. This tells us that the entire Mediterranean region was visited by an extended period of catastrophes during the Dark Ages. Robert Drews writes: \u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cblockquote\u003E\u003Cspan style=\"font-size: medium;\"\u003E\"Altogether, then, the Catastrophe seems to have begun with sporadic destructions in the 1st quarter of the thirteenth century, gathered momentum in the 1190s, and rages in fully fury in the 1180s. By about 1175 the worst was apparently over, although dreadful things continued to happen throughout the twelfth century.\"[6] \u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/blockquote\u003E\u003Cspan style=\"font-size: medium;\"\u003EThe question is, what could have caused this widespread and long drawn-out calamity in the Mediterranean region that obliterated the Bronze Age cultures that had flourished in the region for nearly three millennia? \u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003C\/span\u003E\u003Cspan style=\"font-size: large;\"\u003E\u003Cspan style=\"font-family: inherit;\"\u003E\u003Cb\u003EThe Sea Peoples\u003C\/b\u003E\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/span\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u003Cspan style=\"font-size: medium;\"\u003E\u003Cspan style=\"font-family: inherit;\"\u003ESome historians believe that the so-called “Sea Peoples”- a loose, seafaring, confederation of uncertain origin – are to blame for these upheavals. The principal evidence for the invasions of the Sea Peoples comes to us from the inscriptions and pictorial reliefs on the walls of the mortuary temple of Ramesses III at Medinet Habu.\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u003Cspan style=\"font-size: medium;\"\u003E\u003Cspan style=\"font-family: inherit;\"\u003EThey tell us that, during the eighth year of the pharaoh’s reign, a coalition of foreign states that originally lived “on the islands in the middle of the (Aegean) sea” attacked Egypt. The attackers are said to have defeated a number of countries in the Eastern Mediterranean, including Hatti (Hattusa), Alashiya (Cyprus) and Arzawa (a small city in Western Anatolia). Ramesses III claims to have slaughtered the Sea Peoples in a naval battle, and took many of them as captives.[7] \u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u003Cspan style=\"font-size: medium;\"\u003E\u003Cspan style=\"font-family: inherit;\"\u003EScholars now believe that the Sea Peoples were a military alliance of “western Anatolian petty states”, since the names of some of the individual tribes that made up the Sea Peoples (which have been mentioned in the Egyptian inscriptions) are, to a large extent, identical to the neighbors of the Hittites in the west and in the southeast.\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u003Cspan style=\"font-size: medium;\"\u003E\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Ctable align=\"center\" cellpadding=\"0\" cellspacing=\"0\" class=\"tr-caption-container\" style=\"margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;\"\u003E\u003Ctbody\u003E\u003Ctr\u003E\u003Ctd style=\"text-align: center;\"\u003E\u003Ca href=\"https:\/\/blogger.googleusercontent.com\/img\/b\/R29vZ2xl\/AVvXsEhuCNOpI0Dljc0Uk3KFhbRzeObnJApBnbRoGvgwsM9THZh5a9UNyWk49euUXVHwnAHU3gOQyVQqm033nNX8hyphenhyphen_mifvT2wQif4PDvly5OAeRdEBMqszZ4Xhx3VolU7LFUHRf6LTDipJh3Uo0cZb5XpSO50dS1W5IELUpx2TbyCeyq29IlzhAN1exxx_-vaY\/s1151\/Late%20Bronze%20Age%20collapse%20in%20the%20Eastern%20Mediterranean.jpg\" style=\"margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;\"\u003E\u003Cimg border=\"0\" data-original-height=\"875\" data-original-width=\"1151\" height=\"486\" src=\"https:\/\/blogger.googleusercontent.com\/img\/b\/R29vZ2xl\/AVvXsEhuCNOpI0Dljc0Uk3KFhbRzeObnJApBnbRoGvgwsM9THZh5a9UNyWk49euUXVHwnAHU3gOQyVQqm033nNX8hyphenhyphen_mifvT2wQif4PDvly5OAeRdEBMqszZ4Xhx3VolU7LFUHRf6LTDipJh3Uo0cZb5XpSO50dS1W5IELUpx2TbyCeyq29IlzhAN1exxx_-vaY\/w640-h486\/Late%20Bronze%20Age%20collapse%20in%20the%20Eastern%20Mediterranean.jpg\" width=\"640\" \/\u003E\u003C\/a\u003E\u003C\/td\u003E\u003C\/tr\u003E\u003Ctr\u003E\u003Ctd class=\"tr-caption\" style=\"text-align: center;\"\u003E\u003Cspan style=\"font-size: small;\"\u003E\u003Cspan style=\"font-family: inherit;\"\u003EFigure 5: A map of \nthe Late Bronze Age collapse in the Eastern Mediterranean shows the \ncities which collapsed, and those which survived the initial \ndestruction. Credit: Lommes, CC BY-SA 4.0 via Wikimedia Commons.\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/td\u003E\u003C\/tr\u003E\u003C\/tbody\u003E\u003C\/table\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u003Cspan style=\"font-size: medium;\"\u003E\u003Cspan style=\"font-family: inherit;\"\u003EBut, if we think about it, the Sea Peoples were not such a powerful adversary, since they were easily annihilated by Ramses III, and therefore - while they might have defeated a few Hittite cities - they were unlikely to have reduced those cities to utter rubble. Besides, the Late Bronze Age collapse took place over a vast swathe of land in the eastern Mediterranean and the Sea Peoples certainly didn’t go anywhere after the thrashing they received in Egypt.\u003C\/span\u003E\u003Cspan style=\"font-family: inherit;\"\u003E\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u003Cspan style=\"font-size: medium;\"\u003E\u003Cspan style=\"font-family: inherit;\"\u003EMoreover, the catastrophic events in the Mediterranean region had persisted for some time during the Dark Ages. It was not just a collapse of cities that we are dealing with here. Famines had overtaken the lands, trade networks were disrupted, people forgot how to read and write, and all the cultural expressions of the Bronze Age were lost.\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u003Cspan style=\"font-size: medium;\"\u003E\u003Cspan style=\"font-family: inherit;\"\u003E\u003Ci\u003EClearly, this was not the work of some invaders of uncertain origin, but of Mother Nature. A major environmental cataclysm must have brought this on.\u003C\/i\u003E\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u003Cspan style=\"font-size: medium;\"\u003E\u003Cspan style=\"font-family: inherit;\"\u003ESome historians have pointed to the eruption of the Hekla volcano in Iceland as a potential trigger. The eruption of Hekla has been dated to around 1021 BCE (±130), and it caused worldwide temperatures to drop for nearly 18 years, as recorded in Irish bog oaks.[8] Since the explosion occurred nearly two hundred years after the beginning of the Late Bronze Age collapse it cannot be a regarded as a cause, although it certainly contributed to the woes already inflicting the people.\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u003Cspan style=\"font-size: medium;\"\u003E\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Ctable align=\"center\" cellpadding=\"0\" cellspacing=\"0\" class=\"tr-caption-container\" style=\"margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;\"\u003E\u003Ctbody\u003E\u003Ctr\u003E\u003Ctd style=\"text-align: center;\"\u003E\u003Ca href=\"https:\/\/blogger.googleusercontent.com\/img\/b\/R29vZ2xl\/AVvXsEjnj6aPcY_kmvFHMCnvnlLmQAXPkL0dO6oWpBtsuiOAqHYlTo8pWK7ia1akUTvp63xdxW7xOZ28aNMGIQ39U8vlBWx1pFMjGfr81VLsy99GdGCZqXKd4HEB8t1-hWh9z13x385f64WJK0phCzYCiwTz_d1FcW8OfNrmC8fgfDu7cIbpgZYTff0jFKBd-QU\/s1400\/Hekla%20volcano,%20beyond%20a%20snowy%20field%20of%20volcanic%20ash,%20cogdogblog,%20CC%20BY%202.jpg\" style=\"margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;\"\u003E\u003Cimg border=\"0\" data-original-height=\"851\" data-original-width=\"1400\" height=\"390\" src=\"https:\/\/blogger.googleusercontent.com\/img\/b\/R29vZ2xl\/AVvXsEjnj6aPcY_kmvFHMCnvnlLmQAXPkL0dO6oWpBtsuiOAqHYlTo8pWK7ia1akUTvp63xdxW7xOZ28aNMGIQ39U8vlBWx1pFMjGfr81VLsy99GdGCZqXKd4HEB8t1-hWh9z13x385f64WJK0phCzYCiwTz_d1FcW8OfNrmC8fgfDu7cIbpgZYTff0jFKBd-QU\/w640-h390\/Hekla%20volcano,%20beyond%20a%20snowy%20field%20of%20volcanic%20ash,%20cogdogblog,%20CC%20BY%202.jpg\" width=\"640\" \/\u003E\u003C\/a\u003E\u003C\/td\u003E\u003C\/tr\u003E\u003Ctr\u003E\u003Ctd class=\"tr-caption\" style=\"text-align: center;\"\u003E\u003Cspan style=\"font-size: small;\"\u003E\u003Cspan style=\"font-family: inherit;\"\u003EFigure 6: Hekla volcano, beyond a snowy field of volcanic ash, Iceland. Credit: cogdogblog, CC BY 2.0 via Wikimedia Commons\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/td\u003E\u003C\/tr\u003E\u003C\/tbody\u003E\u003C\/table\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cspan style=\"font-size: large;\"\u003E\u003Cspan style=\"font-family: inherit;\"\u003E\u003Cb\u003EMeteor Airbursts?\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/b\u003E\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/span\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u003Cspan style=\"font-size: medium;\"\u003E\u003Cspan style=\"font-family: inherit;\"\u003EA possible cause for the Late Bronze Age collapse could be a series of meteor airbursts above the eastern Mediterranean region. When meteors explode in the air, they do not leave any impact craters, but their effects on human civilization can be utterly devastating. Shock waves from meteor airbursts can flatten cities and the intense temperatures from the explosions can cause violent conflagrations capable of melting mud-bricks and stone walls – which is what has been seen at many Late Bronze Age sites.\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u003Cspan style=\"font-size: medium;\"\u003E\u003Cspan style=\"font-family: inherit;\"\u003EAn well-known example of a meteor airburst is the Tunguska event of June 30, 1908, when a large meteor - about 120 feet across weighing 100 million kilograms - exploded over Eastern Siberia with the force of a 1000 Hiroshima nuclear bombs, and flattened over 2000 square kilometers of forest. Strong seismic waves and near-hurricane gusts of wind were felt 600 kilometers from the site. Locally, hundreds of reindeer were killed, but there was no evidence that any person was killed in the blast, due to the remoteness of the location. The same explosion over a densely populated city would have had tragic consequences on human life.\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u003Cspan style=\"font-size: medium;\"\u003E\u003Cspan style=\"font-family: inherit;\"\u003EIn the eastern Mediterranean, a devastating meteor airburst had occurred a few centuries prior to the Late Bronze Age collapse. In 2021, a team of scientists discovered that the Bronze Age city of Tall el-Hammam in Jordan had been completely flattened by a Tunguska-sized meteor airburst at around 1650 BCE. The high temperatures from the airburst melted pottery shards and clay bricks and produced diamond-like carbon, while the incredible pressures shocked quartz crystals. Their findings were published in the journal \u003Ci\u003ENature\u003C\/i\u003E.[9] \u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u003Cspan style=\"font-size: medium;\"\u003E\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Ctable align=\"center\" cellpadding=\"0\" cellspacing=\"0\" class=\"tr-caption-container\" style=\"margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;\"\u003E\u003Ctbody\u003E\u003Ctr\u003E\u003Ctd style=\"text-align: center;\"\u003E\u003Ca href=\"https:\/\/blogger.googleusercontent.com\/img\/b\/R29vZ2xl\/AVvXsEgBzgo9hxv2aTGIvaSFVlWZaCWF9hwvlRxxsGjEQbykIZXrt68FVljLRRpFKHAWkdIH3inx2mgU6SWr7h0gtEvHSP8PSHk-7-SJ4LzaQNjprv_WW9ws80N5YhcmAIBsfzDjsOMp7qY8-vXKT2Q7lVqW9Qx0qqZqKeLNI6dANIslmS9Y0CHImUY8biUai6M\/s1000\/tall-el-hammam-excavation-uc-santa-barbara.jpg\" style=\"margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;\"\u003E\u003Cimg border=\"0\" data-original-height=\"750\" data-original-width=\"1000\" height=\"480\" src=\"https:\/\/blogger.googleusercontent.com\/img\/b\/R29vZ2xl\/AVvXsEgBzgo9hxv2aTGIvaSFVlWZaCWF9hwvlRxxsGjEQbykIZXrt68FVljLRRpFKHAWkdIH3inx2mgU6SWr7h0gtEvHSP8PSHk-7-SJ4LzaQNjprv_WW9ws80N5YhcmAIBsfzDjsOMp7qY8-vXKT2Q7lVqW9Qx0qqZqKeLNI6dANIslmS9Y0CHImUY8biUai6M\/w640-h480\/tall-el-hammam-excavation-uc-santa-barbara.jpg\" width=\"640\" \/\u003E\u003C\/a\u003E\u003C\/td\u003E\u003C\/tr\u003E\u003Ctr\u003E\u003Ctd class=\"tr-caption\" style=\"text-align: center;\"\u003E\u003Cspan style=\"font-size: small;\"\u003E\u003Cspan style=\"font-family: inherit;\"\u003EFigure 7: Tall el-Hammam excavations. Credit: UC Santa Barbara\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/td\u003E\u003C\/tr\u003E\u003C\/tbody\u003E\u003C\/table\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u003Cspan style=\"font-size: medium;\"\u003E\u003Cspan style=\"font-family: inherit;\"\u003ESome researchers believe that, Tall el-Hammam could be the biblical city of Sodom mentioned in the \u003Ci\u003EGenesis\u003C\/i\u003E, which, in addition to Gomorrah, had been destroyed by God, since its inhabitants had become wicked. As per the \u003Ci\u003EGenesis\u003C\/i\u003E, fire and sulfur had rained down on the cities, which levelled the buildings, killed all the inhabitants and destroyed the vegetation in the fields.[10] \u003C\/span\u003E\u003Cspan style=\"font-family: inherit;\"\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u003Cspan style=\"font-size: medium;\"\u003E\u003Cspan style=\"font-family: inherit;\"\u003EJames Kennett, emeritus professor of Earth Science at UC Santa Barbara, who was leading the research team, said that, “All the observations stated in Genesis are consistent with a cosmic airburst…but there's no scientific proof that this destroyed city is indeed the Sodom of the Old Testament.”[11] \u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u003Cspan style=\"font-size: medium;\"\u003E\u003Cspan style=\"font-family: inherit;\"\u003EWhile the biblical identity of Tall el-Hammam will continue to be debated, it is becoming evident that meteor airbursts can have devastating consequences on human civilization, and many such events have occurred in the past. But, did anything of this sort occur during the time of the Late Bronze collapse?\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/span\u003E\u003Cspan style=\"font-size: large;\"\u003E\u003Cspan style=\"font-family: inherit;\"\u003E\u003Cb\u003EThe Kaali Crater\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/b\u003E\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u003Cspan style=\"font-size: medium;\"\u003E\u003Cspan style=\"font-family: inherit;\"\u003EA recent scientific paper published in the \u003Ci\u003EInternational Journal of Astronomy and Astrophysics\u003C\/i\u003E (2020), claims that the Kaali Crater in Estonia - which is named after a small village called Kaali located close to the impact site - was caused by a meteorite impact between 1183 - 1162 BCE. The force of the impact set up a Baltic-wide mega-tsunami at 1171 BCE, and caused violent seismotectonic effect in Sweden. The author of the paper, Nils-Axel Morner, a retired geologist of the Stockholm University wrote,\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cblockquote\u003E\u003Cspan style=\"font-size: medium;\"\u003E“At about 1200 cal. yr. BC something quite unique occurred in the Baltic region: a meteorite impacted the ground on Saaremaa Island in Estonia giving rise to the Kaali Crater and 8 minor impact marks. At the same time along the Swedish east coast, we record high-magnitude paleoseismic activity, ground shaking with power of fracturing the bedrock, intensive methane venting tectonics, and the occurrence of a mega-tsunami with a run-up on the order of 15 m. In this paper, we propose that all the events occurred at the same time, and that the geodynamic events along the Swedish east coast were all triggered by the Kaali impact.”[12]\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/blockquote\u003E\u003Cspan style=\"font-size: medium;\"\u003EThe main Kaali Crater has a diameter of around 110 m and a depth of 25 m, including its debris rim. Today, the crater has a lake in it, fed by groundwater and precipitation. There are eight minor craters within 1 km of the main crater, with diameters ranging from 12 – 40 m. It is believed that these craters were created when a large meteor, weighing anywhere between 400 – 1000 tons entered the earth’s atmosphere and fragmented into multiple pieces, which struck the Saaremaa Island in Estonia with a velocity of about 10 - 20 km. per second.\u003C\/span\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Ctable align=\"center\" cellpadding=\"0\" cellspacing=\"0\" class=\"tr-caption-container\" style=\"margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;\"\u003E\u003Ctbody\u003E\u003Ctr\u003E\u003Ctd style=\"text-align: center;\"\u003E\u003Ca href=\"https:\/\/blogger.googleusercontent.com\/img\/b\/R29vZ2xl\/AVvXsEgwNVkthe82MmpGddgi_ogx2Sy35k4Tl2Y9IvqTrnMN0fS0WTnmQE7wHlf2VJNwUfhwOE9rs_nXNdM5s0MSjPQ0L2-JTDUr3O9VFzDSVjD6JrlHnB5R8DLBYt1yomrBqNCO8BLWerLcgjJjSaQDPedjFlj9bnT49xIdiGmpL7tHVp6dFvNzLuf57N28HZM\/s858\/Kaali%20crater%20location%20of%20map.jpg\" style=\"margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;\"\u003E\u003Cimg border=\"0\" data-original-height=\"720\" data-original-width=\"858\" height=\"336\" src=\"https:\/\/blogger.googleusercontent.com\/img\/b\/R29vZ2xl\/AVvXsEgwNVkthe82MmpGddgi_ogx2Sy35k4Tl2Y9IvqTrnMN0fS0WTnmQE7wHlf2VJNwUfhwOE9rs_nXNdM5s0MSjPQ0L2-JTDUr3O9VFzDSVjD6JrlHnB5R8DLBYt1yomrBqNCO8BLWerLcgjJjSaQDPedjFlj9bnT49xIdiGmpL7tHVp6dFvNzLuf57N28HZM\/w400-h336\/Kaali%20crater%20location%20of%20map.jpg\" width=\"400\" \/\u003E\u003C\/a\u003E\u003C\/td\u003E\u003C\/tr\u003E\u003Ctr\u003E\u003Ctd class=\"tr-caption\" style=\"text-align: center;\"\u003E\u003Cspan style=\"font-size: small;\"\u003E\u003Cspan style=\"font-family: inherit;\"\u003EFigure 8: The Kaali Crater is located on Saaremaa Island off the coast of Estonia. Source: Google Maps\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/td\u003E\u003C\/tr\u003E\u003C\/tbody\u003E\u003C\/table\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u003Cspan style=\"font-size: medium;\"\u003E\u003Cspan style=\"font-family: inherit;\"\u003E\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Ctable align=\"center\" cellpadding=\"0\" cellspacing=\"0\" class=\"tr-caption-container\" style=\"margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;\"\u003E\u003Ctbody\u003E\u003Ctr\u003E\u003Ctd style=\"text-align: center;\"\u003E\u003Ca href=\"https:\/\/blogger.googleusercontent.com\/img\/b\/R29vZ2xl\/AVvXsEi2EBw7izUIUTF3uhwXHK3jOf9g-pIcR69JW2oq_QjEL7hza8EIYJOc4bIKojC5Uat_bbz2JdgsBA12TNcQyBzZTYHXXHaY7Cl6OFtDeo7t-X62EZzrHQ_CIqNiIW8aLl7JRzJ2-SMH2BBvkTtRR032PyiwztrFnVOO6vb1voIDHZ7opd4PLl4eAGfH1II\/s1400\/Kaali%20crater%20on%20Saaremaa%20Island,%20Estonia,%20viewed%20from%20near%20the%20debris%20rim,%20Mannobult%20CC%20BY%20SA%203%20small.jpg\" style=\"margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;\"\u003E\u003Cimg border=\"0\" data-original-height=\"674\" data-original-width=\"1400\" height=\"308\" src=\"https:\/\/blogger.googleusercontent.com\/img\/b\/R29vZ2xl\/AVvXsEi2EBw7izUIUTF3uhwXHK3jOf9g-pIcR69JW2oq_QjEL7hza8EIYJOc4bIKojC5Uat_bbz2JdgsBA12TNcQyBzZTYHXXHaY7Cl6OFtDeo7t-X62EZzrHQ_CIqNiIW8aLl7JRzJ2-SMH2BBvkTtRR032PyiwztrFnVOO6vb1voIDHZ7opd4PLl4eAGfH1II\/w640-h308\/Kaali%20crater%20on%20Saaremaa%20Island,%20Estonia,%20viewed%20from%20near%20the%20debris%20rim,%20Mannobult%20CC%20BY%20SA%203%20small.jpg\" width=\"640\" \/\u003E\u003C\/a\u003E\u003C\/td\u003E\u003C\/tr\u003E\u003Ctr\u003E\u003Ctd class=\"tr-caption\" style=\"text-align: center;\"\u003E\u003Cspan style=\"font-size: small;\"\u003E\u003Cspan style=\"font-family: inherit;\"\u003EFigure 9: The Kaali \ncrater on Saaremaa Island, Estonia, viewed from near the debris rim. \nCredit: Mannobult CC BY-SA 3.0 via Wikimedia Commons\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/td\u003E\u003C\/tr\u003E\u003C\/tbody\u003E\u003C\/table\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u003Cspan style=\"font-size: medium;\"\u003E\u003Cspan style=\"font-family: inherit;\"\u003EThere have been ongoing debates about the age of the Kaali Crater, with the span of uncertainty ranging between 1700 BCE – 1000 BCE. New mathematical models used by Brendan Duffy for the computation of the boundary age for the onset of sedimentation within the crater provides dates ranging from 1183 BCE - 1162 BCE. This is in close agreement with the 1171 BCE date for the Baltic-wide mega-tsunami that has been recorded at 11 sites in Sweden.\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u003Cspan style=\"font-size: medium;\"\u003E\u003Cspan style=\"font-family: inherit;\"\u003ENils-Axel Morner has proposed that a large meteor fragment must have fallen into the Baltic Sea, somewhere between Estonia and Sweden, and caused the mega-tsunami. Around the same time, there was an abnormal peak of seismotectonic events at 13 sites in Sweden resulting in bedrock deformation, large-scale liquefaction, and explosive methane venting tectonics.\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u003Cspan style=\"font-size: medium;\"\u003E\u003Cspan style=\"font-family: inherit;\"\u003EThe timing of the impact i.e. between 1183 - 1162 BCE coincides with the catastrophe that struck the eastern Mediterranean at the beginning of the 12th century BCE. Since multiple fragments of the meteorite struck the land in Estonia, and a large fragment probably fell into the Baltic Sea, all of them may have originated from a large, disintegrating, comet.\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u003Cspan style=\"font-size: medium;\"\u003E\u003Cspan style=\"font-family: inherit;\"\u003EIt is quite possible that some large chunks of cometary debris exploded over the eastern Mediterranean region, flattening the Bronze Age cities, and causing the mud-bricks and stone masonry to melt. Cosmic airbursts and impact events can also destroy the vegetation in the fields and induce widespread aridity, thereby causing famines. Since volcanism can also be triggered by meteor impacts, the Hekla eruption could have been a result of these bombardments.\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u003Cspan style=\"font-size: medium;\"\u003E\u003Cspan style=\"font-family: inherit;\"\u003EThe reason why the Sea Peoples were invading other cultures of that time was possibly because they were one of the first victims of the meteor airbursts; and having lost their homes and food sources, they were searching around for a new place to settle.\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u003Cspan style=\"font-size: medium;\"\u003E\u003Cspan style=\"font-family: inherit;\"\u003EThere are indications that meteor impacts continued to occur during the Dark Ages. Lars Franzen and Thomas Larsson of Goeteborg University, Sweden, have presented evidence from sites in Tunisia and Sweden, which show that,\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cblockquote\u003E\u003Cspan style=\"font-size: medium;\"\u003E“A major atmospheric cooling event, accompanied by excessive precipitation, which led to flooding, occurred around 1000 BCE. The event was sudden and widespread, and the finding of small glassy spherules pointed to a possible impact origin. Franzen and Larsson suggested that an asteroid or comet of diameter in the range 0.5-5 km may have landed in the eastern Atlantic around 1000 BCE, affecting in particular Europe, North Africa and the Middle East.”[13]\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/blockquote\u003E\u003Cspan style=\"font-size: medium;\"\u003ENow, why would the earth be subjected to an extended period of bombardment from asteroids and meteors? From where did these impactors originate? The answer to that question probably lies within the dense core of the Taurid meteor stream. \u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003C\/span\u003E\u003Cspan style=\"font-size: large;\"\u003E\u003Cspan style=\"font-family: inherit;\"\u003E\u003Cb\u003EThe Taurid Swarm\u003C\/b\u003E\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/span\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u003Cspan style=\"font-size: medium;\"\u003E\u003Cspan style=\"font-family: inherit;\"\u003EThe Taurids are the largest meteor stream in the inner solar system. It contains some large chunks of rocks that have struck the earth in the past. Most scientists believe that the Beta Taurids – which is the section of the stream we cross from June 5 to July 18, with peak activity on June 29 – was the source of the Tunguska meteor of June 30, 1908.\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u003Cspan style=\"font-size: medium;\"\u003E\u003Cspan style=\"font-family: inherit;\"\u003EThe progenitor of the Taurid stream was a giant comet, around 50 - 100 km in diameter, which had entered the inner solar system at least 20,000 to 30,000 years ago. The comet was tossed into a short-term orbit around the Sun, and disintegrated in stages, leaving behind the trail of debris known as the Taurid meteor stream or Taurid Complex.[14] \u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u003Cspan style=\"font-size: medium;\"\u003E\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Ctable align=\"center\" cellpadding=\"0\" cellspacing=\"0\" class=\"tr-caption-container\" style=\"margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;\"\u003E\u003Ctbody\u003E\u003Ctr\u003E\u003Ctd style=\"text-align: center;\"\u003E\u003Ca href=\"https:\/\/blogger.googleusercontent.com\/img\/b\/R29vZ2xl\/AVvXsEgzZPwh52UTem8EFF62zfgEVTtdERPAMYbgz5r89gjZFOBHGXZ3I4M3XdbIviXcghtCCy6t8edijCgGlwjwkb-7JyKL6W7qw7pdKUh413bLExKCVXiAKDTsCG0Q2ogb3UAJXwovv_eT9m2BzzUoLhcH2GoWZGjdMvMzafoE1g0BfWnZ3zh5oquBbJGI09k\/s1000\/Taurid%20Resonant%20Swarm%20Source%20skyandtelescope%20Credit%20David%20Clark%20%20Univ%20of%20Western%20Ontario.jpg\" style=\"margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;\"\u003E\u003Cimg border=\"0\" data-original-height=\"565\" data-original-width=\"1000\" height=\"362\" src=\"https:\/\/blogger.googleusercontent.com\/img\/b\/R29vZ2xl\/AVvXsEgzZPwh52UTem8EFF62zfgEVTtdERPAMYbgz5r89gjZFOBHGXZ3I4M3XdbIviXcghtCCy6t8edijCgGlwjwkb-7JyKL6W7qw7pdKUh413bLExKCVXiAKDTsCG0Q2ogb3UAJXwovv_eT9m2BzzUoLhcH2GoWZGjdMvMzafoE1g0BfWnZ3zh5oquBbJGI09k\/w640-h362\/Taurid%20Resonant%20Swarm%20Source%20skyandtelescope%20Credit%20David%20Clark%20%20Univ%20of%20Western%20Ontario.jpg\" width=\"640\" \/\u003E\u003C\/a\u003E\u003C\/td\u003E\u003C\/tr\u003E\u003Ctr\u003E\u003Ctd class=\"tr-caption\" style=\"text-align: center;\"\u003E\u003Cspan style=\"font-size: small;\"\u003E\u003Cspan style=\"font-family: inherit;\"\u003EFigure 10: The Earth \ncrosses the Taurid meteor stream twice in course of its annual orbit. \nThe dense swarm of comets within the stream is called the Taurid \nResonant Swarm. Credit: David Clark, University of Western Ontario.\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/td\u003E\u003C\/tr\u003E\u003C\/tbody\u003E\u003C\/table\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u003Cspan style=\"font-size: medium;\"\u003E\u003Cspan style=\"font-family: inherit;\"\u003EThe giant progenitor comet of the Taurid meteor stream still remains hidden in the center of the Taurids, moving within a tightly packed swarm consisting of several large comets formed by the fragmentation of the progenitor (all of which are in a dormant state), and dozens of full-size asteroids up to 1 km wide. This dense cluster of comets and asteroids within the Taurid meteor stream is called the “Taurid Resonant Swarm”. The faint Comet Encke, which is the only visible comet within the Taurid meteor stream today, could be a recently reactivated fragment of the Taurid progenitor comet.\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u003Cspan style=\"font-size: medium;\"\u003E\u003Cspan style=\"font-family: inherit;\"\u003EIn an article in the \u003Ci\u003ENational Geographic\u003C\/i\u003E, Australian astronomer Duncan Steel provided an estimate of how often we get hit by the comets and asteroids within the Taurid swarm:\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cblockquote\u003E\u003Cspan style=\"font-size: medium;\"\u003E“Every 2,500 to 3,000 years or so, the core of the Taurid stream passes near Earth and produces much more intense meteor showers for a few centuries, said Steel. A gap of a few centuries separates the era of intensity between Northern Taurids and Southern Taurids.”[15]\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/blockquote\u003E\u003Cspan style=\"font-size: medium;\"\u003EThis is a significant observation from the perspective of the Late Bronze Age collapse. If the earth had passed through the dense core of the Taurids towards the beginning of the 12th century BCE, then it would have resulted in intense meteor showers over a period of a few centuries – with consequent cosmic airbursts and impact events - which could account for all the calamities that befell the eastern Mediterranean region over the next 400 years. \u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003EThe area of collapse, in fact, was much wider than the eastern Mediterranean. In reality, the Greek Dark Ages was a time of global collapse of civilization. \u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003C\/span\u003E\u003Cspan style=\"font-size: large;\"\u003E\u003Cspan style=\"font-family: inherit;\"\u003E\u003Cb\u003EA Global Catastrophe\u003C\/b\u003E\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/span\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u003Cspan style=\"font-size: medium;\"\u003E\u003Cspan style=\"font-family: inherit;\"\u003EEverywhere we look around the world, the period from 1200 BCE – 700 BCE was the time when the erstwhile Bronze Age cultures collapsed and gave way to the Iron Age civilizations. In Persia, for instance, the Median kingdom emerged in the 8th century BCE, but what do we know about the Bronze Age cultures of the region? Very little, for all of them disappeared, and it is only at sites like Jiroft that we get an inkling of Bronze Age Persia.\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u003Cspan style=\"font-size: medium;\"\u003E\u003Cspan style=\"font-family: inherit;\"\u003EThe Indus Valley civilization had already undergone a catastrophic collapse at around 1900 BCE due to a host of environmental conditions – notably droughts and earthquakes - and most Indus cities had been abandoned by 1700 BCE. However, a Late Harappan, post-urban culture continued to survive in parts of Sindh and Saurashtra, which was characterized by relative poverty in their material culture – crude pottery, poorly constructed buildings, disappearance of urban amenities etc. The Late Harappan phase continued till around 1000 - 900 BCE,[16] and ended due to factors not clearly known. After a gap of nearly 400 years we see the emergence of the 16 Great Kingdoms (Mahajanapadas) in the Gangetic plains at around 600 BCE, marking the beginning of the Iron Age culture of India. While certain Harappan traditions were carried over to the later-day Indian civilization, many elements of their skills, beliefs, customs, and socio-cultural set up were lost forever.\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u003Cspan style=\"font-size: medium;\"\u003E\u003Cspan style=\"font-family: inherit;\"\u003ECatastrophe also struck the Olmec civilization of Mesoamerica at this time. The center of Olmec culture in the early years was at San Lorenzo Tenochtitlan. However, in c.950 BCE there was a wholesale destruction of San Lorenzo monuments. The site was abandoned at around 900 BCE, and the center of power shifted to La Venta soon afterwards. Mesoamerican scholars believe that severe environmental changes may have been responsible for this shift in Olmec centers, with certain important rivers changing course.\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u003Cspan style=\"font-size: medium;\"\u003E\u003Cspan style=\"font-family: inherit;\"\u003EApparently, the Greek Dark Ages was a time when civilizations across the world got a drastic reboot. The old ways of doing things were violently erased, and while some elements of the Bronze Age societies were carried forward, we mostly see the emergence of new artistic styles, religious beliefs, philosophies, architecture, and modes of governance. This brings to mind those haunting words that the Egyptian priest of Sais had spoken to Solon, the Athenian law-giver, when Solon had gone to Egypt at around 600 BCE: \u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cblockquote\u003E\u003Cspan style=\"font-size: medium;\"\u003E“Whereas just when you and other nations are beginning to be provided with letters and the other requisites of civilized life, after the usual interval, the stream from heaven, like a pestilence, comes pouring down, and leaves only those of you who are destitute of letters and education; and so you have to begin all over again like children, and know nothing of what happened in ancient times, either among us or among yourselves.”[17]\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/blockquote\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u003Cspan style=\"font-size: medium;\"\u003EThe “stream from heaven” that the Egyptian priest spoke of, could refer to the Taurid meteor stream, which plays a crucial role in the periodic annihilation of civilization.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u003Cspan style=\"font-size: medium;\"\u003EIn my book \u003Ca href=\"https:\/\/www.amazon.com\/YUGA-SHIFT-IMPENDING-PLANETARY-TRANSFORMATION\/dp\/B0CPJVYQG4\/ref=pd_ci_mcx_mh_mcx_views_0_image\" target=\"_blank\"\u003EYuga Shift\u003C\/a\u003E, I have shown that, as per the Yuga Cycle timeline, the “Greek Dark Ages” (c.1200 to 800 BCE) that followed the Late Bronze Age collapse correspond to the period of transition between the descending Kali Yuga and the ascending Kali Yuga in the Yuga Cycle. The descending Kali Yuga, which started in 3676 BCE, is what historians refer to as the Bronze Age, while the ascending Kali Yuga, which began in 676 BCE, is known to us as the Iron Age. I have also identified the Taurid Resonant Swarm as the primary trigger for the cataclysms of the transitional periods between the Yugas.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cb\u003EReferences\u003C\/b\u003E\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u003Cspan style=\"font-size: medium;\"\u003E\u003Cspan style=\"font-family: inherit;\"\u003E\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/span\u003E\u003Cspan style=\"font-size: small;\"\u003E\u003Cspan style=\"font-family: inherit;\"\u003E[1] Robert Drews, The End of the Bronze Age: Changes in Warfare and the Catastrophe ca. 1200 B.C., Princeton University Press, 1993, p. 3-4.\u003Cbr \/\u003E[2] Ibid p. 8.\u003Cbr \/\u003E[3] Ibid p. 24\u003Cbr \/\u003E[4] Dave Roos, “What Caused Ancient Egypt’s Decline?”, History, 10 August 2022, https:\/\/www.history.com\/news\/decline-ancient-egypt-causes\u003Cbr \/\u003E[5] Ibid p. 3.\u003Cbr \/\u003E[6] Robert Drews, The End of the Bronze Age: Changes in Warfare and the Catastrophe ca. 1200 B.C., op. cit., p. 7.\u003Cbr \/\u003E[7] \"The Sea Peoples’ Inscriptions and Excavation Results\", Luwian Studies, https:\/\/luwianstudies.org\/the-sea-peoples-inscriptions-and-excavation-results\/\u003Cbr \/\u003E[8] Mike Baillie, “Do Irish bog oaks date the Shang dynasty?” Current Archaeology 1989, 10: 310–313.\u003Cbr \/\u003E[9] Ted E. Bunch et al, “A Tunguska sized airburst destroyed Tall el-Hammam a Middle Bronze Age city in the Jordan Valley near the Dead Sea”, Scientific Reports, 2021, Vol.11, Article No.18632, https:\/\/www.nature.com\/articles\/s41598-021-97778-3\u003Cbr \/\u003E[10] Genesis 19:24-26.\u003Cbr \/\u003E[11] Sonia Fernandez, “Evidence that a cosmic impact destroyed ancient city in the Jordan Valley”, Phys.org, 20 September 2021, https:\/\/phys.org\/news\/2021-09-evidence-cosmic-impact-ancient-city.html\u003Cbr \/\u003E[12] N. Mörner, “The Kaali Impact as Trigger of a Mega-Tsunami Event and Violent Seismotectonics in Sweden”, International Journal of Astronomy and Astrophysics, 2020, Vol.10, No.3, pp. 235-246, https:\/\/www.scirp.org\/journal\/paperinformation.aspx?paperid=103095\u003Cbr \/\u003E[13] Trevor Palmer, Robert N. Brandon, Perilous Planet Earth: Catastrophes and Catastrophism Through the Ages, Cambridge University Press, 2003, p. 344.\u003Cbr \/\u003E[14] D.I. Steel, D.J. Asher, S.V.M Clube, “The Taurid Complex: Giant Comet Origin?” International Astronomical Union Colloquium, 1991, Vol. 126, pp. 327-330, https:\/\/doi.org\/10.1017\/S0252921100067063 \u003Cbr \/\u003E[15] John Roach, “Meteor Shower Promises Seven Shooting Stars an Hour”, National Geographic News, 7 November 2003, https:\/\/news.nationalgeographic.com\/news\/2003\/11\/1107_031107_taurids.html\u003Cbr \/\u003E[16] Jim G. Shaffer, “Reurbanization: The Eastern Punjab and Beyond”, Studies in the History of Art, 1993, vol. 31, pp. 53–67.\u003Cbr \/\u003E[17] Plato, Timaeus, http:\/\/classics.mit.edu\/Plato\/timaeus.html\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E"},"link":[{"rel":"replies","type":"application/atom+xml","href":"https:\/\/www.bibhudevmisra.com\/feeds\/4167605369154706085\/comments\/default","title":"Post Comments"},{"rel":"replies","type":"text/html","href":"https:\/\/www.bibhudevmisra.com\/2024\/11\/the-kaali-impact-crater-and-late-bronze.html#comment-form","title":"2 Comments"},{"rel":"edit","type":"application/atom+xml","href":"https:\/\/www.blogger.com\/feeds\/6864653463177413678\/posts\/default\/4167605369154706085"},{"rel":"self","type":"application/atom+xml","href":"https:\/\/www.blogger.com\/feeds\/6864653463177413678\/posts\/default\/4167605369154706085"},{"rel":"alternate","type":"text/html","href":"https:\/\/www.bibhudevmisra.com\/2024\/11\/the-kaali-impact-crater-and-late-bronze.html","title":"The Kaali Impact Crater and the Late Bronze Age collapse"}],"author":[{"name":{"$t":"Bibhu Dev Misra"},"uri":{"$t":"http:\/\/www.blogger.com\/profile\/15388473714672380058"},"email":{"$t":"noreply@blogger.com"},"gd$image":{"rel":"http://schemas.google.com/g/2005#thumbnail","width":"32","height":"28","src":"\/\/blogger.googleusercontent.com\/img\/b\/R29vZ2xl\/AVvXsEh4sklyRp_L5BfqEXTjoskgFPFYpJiNJSuDN5zrcldGBaXot626bOTu8q5TUYsip63M6EkY2JbuoE6l1N5fMKiqKfzFfaaKpqm91QZx9rMdAL3t-ju2QdYi1K-BeCJsjw\/s130\/DSCN1699.JPG"}}],"media$thumbnail":{"xmlns$media":"http://search.yahoo.com/mrss/","url":"https:\/\/blogger.googleusercontent.com\/img\/b\/R29vZ2xl\/AVvXsEjpN_pgapDUcxiMAqkFjIQ713Zkh0E12-U0fzY78uN5GNw4DgoggRnrDdLSYLk5HzR4ByxgGKFFZZbqWzUsdVxY4mCHeJJLFNPftxCdnQIArJIbyJ-iCuIhywx4KgdrNZYQEpBfxxFB6wz5ZWrS9iThoOItT5zOukROhFmvZAVnvhAQNoBIog4RziG15R4\/s72-c\/Meteor%20Airbursts%20thumbnail.jpg","height":"72","width":"72"},"thr$total":{"$t":"2"}},{"id":{"$t":"tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6864653463177413678.post-2807348724985314784"},"published":{"$t":"2024-11-08T18:57:00.009+05:30"},"updated":{"$t":"2025-08-02T12:55:16.811+05:30"},"category":[{"scheme":"http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#","term":"Article"},{"scheme":"http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#","term":"Yuga Cycle"}],"title":{"type":"text","$t":"The Precession of the Equinoxes is caused by the Rotation of the Solar System"},"content":{"type":"html","$t":"\u003Cp\u003E\u003Cspan style=\"font-family: inherit;\"\u003E\u003Cspan style=\"font-size: large;\"\u003E\u003Cb\u003E\u003C\/b\u003E\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cdiv class=\"separator\" style=\"clear: both; text-align: center;\"\u003E\u003Cspan style=\"font-family: inherit;\"\u003E\u003Cspan style=\"font-size: large;\"\u003E\u003Cb\u003E\u003Ca href=\"https:\/\/blogger.googleusercontent.com\/img\/b\/R29vZ2xl\/AVvXsEgIP3WyhMPdW_KgiFo8CRsAYVojzpQAbj799Jal9f35VxZnkPtO5vmn1zL6vaYMvb5lb-jubcUpKSJrCDfC6kBlKGfmKIRT90LpS2K6O9_VwxA6ZSGgWh8jMTj0zh_Cq3ErOAbKazJhriE-mgQCbnPiB2ABdUIUJ6h2LOIkAWOYywe3EFQTtDZflLKf05k\/s500\/Precession%20of%20the%20Equinoxes%20Yuga%20Cycle%20thumbnail.jpg\" style=\"margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;\"\u003E\u003Cimg border=\"0\" data-original-height=\"378\" data-original-width=\"500\" height=\"242\" src=\"https:\/\/blogger.googleusercontent.com\/img\/b\/R29vZ2xl\/AVvXsEgIP3WyhMPdW_KgiFo8CRsAYVojzpQAbj799Jal9f35VxZnkPtO5vmn1zL6vaYMvb5lb-jubcUpKSJrCDfC6kBlKGfmKIRT90LpS2K6O9_VwxA6ZSGgWh8jMTj0zh_Cq3ErOAbKazJhriE-mgQCbnPiB2ABdUIUJ6h2LOIkAWOYywe3EFQTtDZflLKf05k\/s320\/Precession%20of%20the%20Equinoxes%20Yuga%20Cycle%20thumbnail.jpg\" width=\"320\" \/\u003E\u003C\/a\u003E\u003C\/b\u003E\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/div\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u003Cspan style=\"font-family: inherit;\"\u003E\u003Cspan style=\"font-size: large;\"\u003E\u003Cb\u003EThe Precession of the Equinoxes\u003C\/b\u003E\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u003Cspan style=\"font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;\"\u003E\u003Cspan\u003ETraditionally, the vernal equinox date (March 21st) has served as a reference point for calendars, for most ancient cultures. The ancient astronomers were aware that position of the vernal equinox sun, relative to the fixed stars of the zodiac, drifts slowly backwards along the zodiac, completing an entire 360\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/span\u003E\u003Cspan style=\"font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;\"\u003E\u003Cspan\u003E°\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/span\u003E\u003Cspan style=\"font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;\"\u003E\u003Cspan\u003E circuit around the zodiac in about 25,800 years. This slow movement of the equinoctial point backwards along the zodiac is called the “precession of the equinoxes” or simply, precession, while the cycle duration of 25,800 years is called the “precession cycle” of the earth.\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Ca name='more'\u003E\u003C\/a\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u003Cspan style=\"font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;\"\u003E\u003Cspan\u003EEven though the Greek astronomer Hipparchus is generally credited with the discovery of precession in c.133 BCE, Hipparchus’s value of precession was off the mark by a fair bit. His calculated value of around 1° per century translates to a precession cycle of 36,000 years. In comparison, the value of precession given in the \u003Ci\u003ESurya-Siddhanta\u003C\/i\u003E, the astronomical treatise of ancient India, is 54 arc-seconds per year, which gives us a precession cycle of 24,000 years.[1] This is more accurate, and the \u003Ci\u003ESurya Siddhanta\u003C\/i\u003E has existed in a written form since at least the 6th century BCE, and had been transmitted through oral traditions for many thousands of years prior to that.\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u003Cspan style=\"font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;\"\u003E\u003Cspan\u003EThe philosophers of ancient India referred to the precession cycle of the earth by another name – the Yuga Cycle. In the late 19th century, an Indian yogi named Sri Yukteswar Giri wrote a book called \u003Ci\u003EThe Holy Science \u003C\/i\u003E(1894), in which Yukteswar said that a complete Yuga Cycle is of 24,000 years duration, and is comprised of an ascending cycle of 12,000 years when virtue gradually increases followed by a descending cycle of another 12,000 years, in which virtue gradually decreases.[2]\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u003Cspan style=\"font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;\"\u003E\u003Cspan\u003EThe Greco-Roman philosophers knew the Yuga Cycle as the Great Year or Platonic Year, and as per the Roman philosopher Cicero, the duration of the Great Year is 12,954 years.[3] If we assume that this value is that of the precession half-cycle, then the complete cycle becomes 25,908 years, which is quite close to the scientifically measured value of the precession cycle i.e. 25,800 years.\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u003Cspan style=\"font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;\"\u003E\u003Cspan\u003EIn my book \u003Ca href=\"https:\/\/www.amazon.com\/YUGA-SHIFT-IMPENDING-PLANETARY-TRANSFORMATION\/dp\/B0CPJVYQG4\/ref=pd_ci_mcx_mh_mcx_views_0_image\" target=\"_blank\"\u003EYuga Shift\u003C\/a\u003E, I have proposed a revised framework of the Yuga Cycle, as per which the duration of the Yuga Cycle is 25,800 years and is exactly equal to the precession cycle of the earth. This led me to explore the two competing theories of precession, namely the “lunisolar theory” and the “binary theory”. Having investigated both of them, I came to the realization that both of these theories have their own shortcomings, and do not explain the phenomenon in its entirety. I have proposed that the precession of the equinoxes is caused by the clockwise rotation of the Solar System on its axis, once in 25,800 years, as it revolves around the Galactic Center.\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u003Cspan style=\"font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;\"\u003E\u003Cspan\u003EIn this article, which is based on my book \u003Ca href=\"https:\/\/www.amazon.com\/YUGA-SHIFT-IMPENDING-PLANETARY-TRANSFORMATION\/dp\/B0CPJVYQG4\/ref=pd_ci_mcx_mh_mcx_views_0_image\" target=\"_blank\"\u003EYuga Shift\u003C\/a\u003E, I shall explore the current theories of precession and their drawbacks, and why the proposed theory is the simplest and most elegant explanation for the precession of the equinoxes, and is perfectly aligned with the known laws of celestial mechanics.\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cdiv style=\"text-align: left;\"\u003E\u003Cspan style=\"font-family: inherit;\"\u003E\u003Cspan style=\"font-size: large;\"\u003E\u003Cb\u003EThe Phenomenon of Precession\u003C\/b\u003E\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/div\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u003Cspan style=\"font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;\"\u003E\u003Cspan\u003EThe twelve constellations of the zodiac encircle our solar system like a giant ring, and as the earth rotates on its axis from west to east, the constellations appear to move across the sky from east to west.\u0026nbsp; Moreover, as the earth moves along its orbit around the sun in an anti-clockwise direction, the position of the sun relative to the background constellation also changes every month, moving from Aries to Taurus to Gemini and so on, in course of the solar year.\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u003Cspan style=\"font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;\"\u003E\u003Cspan\u003EIn the present epoch, on the vernal equinox date of 21st March, the sun appears very close to the beginning of the Pisces constellation, near its boundary with the Aquarius constellation. This can be determined by drawing a line from the earth to the sun and extending it to the ring of fixed stars beyond. One would, therefore, expect that, every year on March 21st, when the earth reaches the same point in its orbit, the sun will appear in front of the Pisces constellation. But that’s not what happens in reality.\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u003Cspan style=\"font-family: inherit;\"\u003E\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Ctable align=\"center\" cellpadding=\"0\" cellspacing=\"0\" class=\"tr-caption-container\" style=\"margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;\"\u003E\u003Ctbody\u003E\u003Ctr\u003E\u003Ctd style=\"text-align: center;\"\u003E\u003Ca href=\"https:\/\/blogger.googleusercontent.com\/img\/b\/R29vZ2xl\/AVvXsEh1XLoyY0CuC7qC2KyJ_vHQ7PEG35H0wAj8Z7nr1f_X7hNR10kTlo9_KktTkzU4B7B1M_37OjPACpGjB9JrvTpkrRSFNSbO7T6XlrPmA6LRkq_xTIQBj2GJ6gMhgtLLBQgFDnJs35J060TYf7c6_xi-0sJhJbUCMQ_uhih9S1cAf0Xd3Mm2ouRVUDSNCc0\/s1400\/36%20Zodiac%20Constellations%20Yuga%20Cycle.jpg\" style=\"margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;\"\u003E\u003Cimg alt=\"The Zodiac Constellations\" border=\"0\" data-original-height=\"1059\" data-original-width=\"1400\" height=\"484\" src=\"https:\/\/blogger.googleusercontent.com\/img\/b\/R29vZ2xl\/AVvXsEh1XLoyY0CuC7qC2KyJ_vHQ7PEG35H0wAj8Z7nr1f_X7hNR10kTlo9_KktTkzU4B7B1M_37OjPACpGjB9JrvTpkrRSFNSbO7T6XlrPmA6LRkq_xTIQBj2GJ6gMhgtLLBQgFDnJs35J060TYf7c6_xi-0sJhJbUCMQ_uhih9S1cAf0Xd3Mm2ouRVUDSNCc0\/w640-h484\/36%20Zodiac%20Constellations%20Yuga%20Cycle.jpg\" width=\"640\" \/\u003E\u003C\/a\u003E\u003C\/td\u003E\u003C\/tr\u003E\u003Ctr\u003E\u003Ctd class=\"tr-caption\" style=\"text-align: center;\"\u003E\u003Cspan style=\"font-family: inherit;\"\u003E\u003Cspan style=\"font-size: small;\"\u003EFigure 1: The zodiac \nconstellations encircle the solar system like a giant ring. On the \nvernal equinox date, the Sun appears in front of the Pisces \nconstellation. Credit: Bibhu Dev Misra.\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/td\u003E\u003C\/tr\u003E\u003C\/tbody\u003E\u003C\/table\u003E\u003Cspan style=\"font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;\"\u003E\u003Cspan\u003EVery soon – perhaps, in a few decades - the vernal equinox sun will appear in front of the Aquarius constellation. In this manner, the vernal equinox point slowly shifts its position relative to the fixed stars of the zodiac at the rate of 1\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/span\u003E\u003Cspan style=\"font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;\"\u003E\u003Cspan\u003E°\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/span\u003E\u003Cspan style=\"font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;\"\u003E\u003Cspan\u003E every 71.67 years, spending roughly 2150 years in each constellation, and completing the entire 360\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/span\u003E\u003Cspan style=\"font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;\"\u003E\u003Cspan\u003E°\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/span\u003E\u003Cspan style=\"font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;\"\u003E\u003Cspan\u003E circuit around the zodiac in nearly 25,800 years.\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/span\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u003Cspan style=\"font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;\"\u003E\u003Cspan\u003EThis slow change in the position of the equinoctial sun against the backdrop of the fixed stars is called the precession of the equinoxes or simply precession, while the cycle duration of 25,800 years is called a precession cycle. The movement of the equinoctial point due to precession takes place backwards along the zodiac from Pisces to Aquarius to Capricorn and so on.\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u003Cspan style=\"font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;\"\u003E\u003Cspan\u003EThe time that the vernal equinox sun spends in each zodiac constellation is called an \u003Ci\u003EAstrological Age\u003C\/i\u003E, which is of 2150 years duration (2150*12 = 25,800 years). Over the past 2000-odd years, the vernal equinox sun has been in the Pisces constellation, and we have been living in the Age of Pisces. Today, the vernal equinox sun is near the boundary between the Pisces and Aquarius constellations, which means we are about to transition from the Age of Pisces to the Age of Aquarius.\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u003Cspan style=\"font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;\"\u003E\u003Cspan\u003ESince the boundaries between the constellations are not precisely defined by a specific star or asterism, the exact date of transition from one Astrological Age to another is kind of hazy and subject to individual interpretation. After moving to Aquarius, the vernal equinox sun will spend 2150 years in Aquarius before moving to Capricorn. In this manner, human civilization will live through twelve Astrological Ages in a complete precession cycle of 25,800 years.\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u003Cspan style=\"font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;\"\u003E\u003Cspan\u003EDue to precession, the Pole Star also keeps on changing over long periods of time. Currently, the North Celestial Pole of the earth (i.e. the projection of the earth’s axis in the northern sky) points to the star Polaris, which is regarded as the Pole Star. But almost 5,000 years ago the earth’s axis pointed towards the star Thuban in the constellation of Draco, which was the Pole Star of that period. In another 5,500 years, the North Celestial Pole will point towards the star Alderamin in the Cephus constellation, which will be the Pole Star of that epoch. The North Celestial Pole traces out a circle around the North Ecliptic Pole in course of the precession cycle of 25,800 years.\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Ctable align=\"center\" cellpadding=\"0\" cellspacing=\"0\" class=\"tr-caption-container\" style=\"margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;\"\u003E\u003Ctbody\u003E\u003Ctr\u003E\u003Ctd style=\"text-align: center;\"\u003E\u003Ca href=\"https:\/\/blogger.googleusercontent.com\/img\/b\/R29vZ2xl\/AVvXsEhUzxi5zaIXxEhbWTtkIuO4WfKIax0Sr6MVKcZ69ydwV426lpkCdaVIcKpNGTr9dwby4jLimFCpxkPLIuuwtMSR0mST7K_6h2ZMG8lwA8Dn749splUKpNriv43PZjwaj1u7z3r9ozTk1lQrBwrdJJpMIo2pqS9E8eKiR7PNVFBHmmPK_vrp9d_GcDPHpYc\/s902\/37%20precession%20pole%20star%20wikimedia%20adapted.jpg\" style=\"margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;\"\u003E\u003Cimg border=\"0\" data-original-height=\"902\" data-original-width=\"900\" height=\"400\" src=\"https:\/\/blogger.googleusercontent.com\/img\/b\/R29vZ2xl\/AVvXsEhUzxi5zaIXxEhbWTtkIuO4WfKIax0Sr6MVKcZ69ydwV426lpkCdaVIcKpNGTr9dwby4jLimFCpxkPLIuuwtMSR0mST7K_6h2ZMG8lwA8Dn749splUKpNriv43PZjwaj1u7z3r9ozTk1lQrBwrdJJpMIo2pqS9E8eKiR7PNVFBHmmPK_vrp9d_GcDPHpYc\/w399-h400\/37%20precession%20pole%20star%20wikimedia%20adapted.jpg\" width=\"399\" \/\u003E\u003C\/a\u003E\u003C\/td\u003E\u003C\/tr\u003E\u003Ctr\u003E\u003Ctd class=\"tr-caption\" style=\"text-align: center;\"\u003E\u003Cspan style=\"font-family: inherit;\"\u003E\u003Cspan style=\"font-size: small;\"\u003EFigure 2: The North \nCelestial Pole traces out a circle around the North Ecliptic Pole over \n25,800 years. The Pole Star at around 3000 BCE was Thuban, while in \nanother 8000 years it will be Deneb. Source: Adapted from Tau?olunga CC \nBY-SA 2.5 via Wikimedia Commons.\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/td\u003E\u003C\/tr\u003E\u003C\/tbody\u003E\u003C\/table\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u003Cspan style=\"font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;\"\u003E\u003Cspan\u003EWhat is it that causes the equinox point to shift backwards along the zodiac? The current scientific explanation is that the earth behaves like a “wobbling top”, that moves backwards as it spins. This theory is officially called the lunisolar theory of precession, since the combined gravitational force of the sun and the moon are believed to be causing precession.\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u003Cspan style=\"font-family: inherit;\"\u003E\u003Cspan style=\"font-size: large;\"\u003E\u003Cb\u003EThe Lunisolar Theory of Precession\u003C\/b\u003E\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u003Cspan style=\"font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;\"\u003E\u003Cspan\u003EBefore proceeding, we need to understand what is meant by “equinox”. The equinox is the exact instant when earth's rotational axis is absolutely perpendicular to the sun-earth line. During an equinox, the earth’s axis neither tilts towards or away from the sun.\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u003Cspan style=\"font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;\"\u003E\u003Cspan\u003EAs per the lunisolar theory, as the earth revolves around the sun, the combined gravitational force of the sun and the moon acts on the earth’s bulge, and slightly twists the earth’s spin axis in a clockwise manner. As a result, the equinox - which is the perpendicular alignment between the earth's rotation axis and the sun-earth line - occurs slightly before the earth completes a 360° revolution around the sun. Every year the equinox occurs after the earth moves 359°59´9.72´´around the sun and not a complete 360°. In other words, the equinox occurs 50.28 arc seconds before a complete 360° revolution.\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u003Cspan style=\"font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;\"\u003E\u003Cspan\u003EEffectively, this means that, from equinox to equinox, the earth is slipping backwards along its orbit by 50.28 arc seconds every year. This is what causes the position of the equinoctial sun to precess relative to the fixed stars of the zodiac at the rate of 50.28 arc seconds every year or 1° every 71.6 years.\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Ctable align=\"center\" cellpadding=\"0\" cellspacing=\"0\" class=\"tr-caption-container\" style=\"margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;\"\u003E\u003Ctbody\u003E\u003Ctr\u003E\u003Ctd style=\"text-align: center;\"\u003E\u003Ca href=\"https:\/\/blogger.googleusercontent.com\/img\/b\/R29vZ2xl\/AVvXsEh8xyZeD2hpd8pE5dgs8jELGdBR_HBs5QvtPBE3wn9kbc7nNPe98_BHuCNRUOev-EDWlnt2xGeOXjKDgdnF0h9m2CET8ONNdAiBv9IrLqe3UhhdLLCg_fXH4PXBn98VU5yDJ2dKWG40DIiCNqk3h5rHQP8cV-JcIpClG8z0xKMKs9ms0GpvH3rZ8unj18Y\/s1400\/41%20Precession%20of%20the%20Equinoxes%20Yuga%20Cycle.jpg\" style=\"margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;\"\u003E\u003Cimg alt=\"Precession of the Equinoxes\" border=\"0\" data-original-height=\"1057\" data-original-width=\"1400\" height=\"484\" src=\"https:\/\/blogger.googleusercontent.com\/img\/b\/R29vZ2xl\/AVvXsEh8xyZeD2hpd8pE5dgs8jELGdBR_HBs5QvtPBE3wn9kbc7nNPe98_BHuCNRUOev-EDWlnt2xGeOXjKDgdnF0h9m2CET8ONNdAiBv9IrLqe3UhhdLLCg_fXH4PXBn98VU5yDJ2dKWG40DIiCNqk3h5rHQP8cV-JcIpClG8z0xKMKs9ms0GpvH3rZ8unj18Y\/w640-h484\/41%20Precession%20of%20the%20Equinoxes%20Yuga%20Cycle.jpg\" width=\"640\" \/\u003E\u003C\/a\u003E\u003C\/td\u003E\u003C\/tr\u003E\u003Ctr\u003E\u003Ctd class=\"tr-caption\" style=\"text-align: center;\"\u003E\u003Cspan style=\"font-family: inherit;\"\u003E\u003Cspan style=\"font-size: small;\"\u003EFigure 3: On March \n21st, 2023, the equinoctial Sun appeared at the border of the Pisces and\n Aquarius constellations. After 72 years, on March 21st 2095, the Earth \nwould have slipped backwards along its orbit by 1°, and the equinoctial \nSun may appear in front of Aquarius. Credit: Bibhu Dev Misra.\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/td\u003E\u003C\/tr\u003E\u003C\/tbody\u003E\u003C\/table\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u003Cspan style=\"font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;\"\u003E\u003Cspan\u003EOver a period of 25,800 years, the earth completes a retrograde motion on its own spin axis, and one retrograde orbit around the sun. This is why earth is said to behave like a “wobbling top”, that moves backwards as it spins.\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u003Cspan style=\"font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;\"\u003E\u003Cspan\u003EIn a nutshell, therefore, as per the lunisolar theory, the earth does not complete a 360° revolution around the sun from equinox to equinox, and instead comes up slightly short by 50.28 arc seconds every year, or 1° every 71.6 years. This causes the position of the equinox sun to precess relative to the fixed stars of the zodiac by the same amount.\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u003Cspan style=\"font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;\"\u003E\u003Cspan\u003EOn the face of it, the lunisolar theory sounds plausible. There shouldn’t really be any reason for us to doubt it, right? Neither did I, until I read Walter Cruttenden’s book, \u003Ci\u003ELost Star of Myth and Time\u003C\/i\u003E.[4] Cruttenden put forward convincing arguments indicating that the currently accepted lunisolar theory of precession has major flaws which do not accord with observations.\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u003Cspan style=\"font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;\"\u003E\u003Cspan\u003EOne of his interesting arguments is that the earth does not appear to precess with respect to the meteor streams within the solar system. We know that the earth passes through a number of meteor streams that intersect its orbit. The meteor streams are “rivers of debris” left behind by a comet with an Earth-crossing orbit. When the earth passes through a meteor stream, some of the meteoroids enter the atmosphere at high speeds and burn up due to friction, producing a dazzling streak of light that we call a meteor or shooting star.\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Ctable align=\"center\" cellpadding=\"0\" cellspacing=\"0\" class=\"tr-caption-container\" style=\"margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;\"\u003E\u003Ctbody\u003E\u003Ctr\u003E\u003Ctd style=\"text-align: center;\"\u003E\u003Ca href=\"https:\/\/blogger.googleusercontent.com\/img\/b\/R29vZ2xl\/AVvXsEjaYCjT5ahoq4wg1gJRTqOllzctzn5rqhVOh_aLp7PQEbWuDjJjERri369X5KcNmtxuhVSoyMVRYgIlVZNgH7gVf9m5ziKtIItxCO0B47URPrMRRSymkMdoO3oRa_puIXk7RmNSvEAKv93H598pbDSa7ir4XXWFFDjs5sxsbhrko8jBR5EaXsvPUaHIuec\/s1200\/42%20Perseid%20Meteor%20Stream%20Yuga%20Cycle1.jpg\" style=\"margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;\"\u003E\u003Cimg border=\"0\" data-original-height=\"812\" data-original-width=\"1200\" height=\"271\" src=\"https:\/\/blogger.googleusercontent.com\/img\/b\/R29vZ2xl\/AVvXsEjaYCjT5ahoq4wg1gJRTqOllzctzn5rqhVOh_aLp7PQEbWuDjJjERri369X5KcNmtxuhVSoyMVRYgIlVZNgH7gVf9m5ziKtIItxCO0B47URPrMRRSymkMdoO3oRa_puIXk7RmNSvEAKv93H598pbDSa7ir4XXWFFDjs5sxsbhrko8jBR5EaXsvPUaHIuec\/w400-h271\/42%20Perseid%20Meteor%20Stream%20Yuga%20Cycle1.jpg\" width=\"400\" \/\u003E\u003C\/a\u003E\u003C\/td\u003E\u003C\/tr\u003E\u003Ctr\u003E\u003Ctd class=\"tr-caption\" style=\"text-align: center;\"\u003E\u003Cspan style=\"font-family: inherit;\"\u003E\u003Cspan style=\"font-size: small;\"\u003EFigure 4: The Earth \npasses through the center of the Perseid meteor stream on August 12th, \nevery year. This date has not changed due to precession. Credit: Bibhu \nDev Misra.\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/td\u003E\u003C\/tr\u003E\u003C\/tbody\u003E\u003C\/table\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u003Cspan style=\"font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;\"\u003E\u003Cspan\u003EThe earth passes through these meteor streams like clockwork on specific dates of the calendar year. For instance, the Perseids peak on August 12th, the Orionids on October 21st, the Northern Taurids on November 12th and so on. There is evidence that humans have been watching meteor showers for ages. The Perseids and the Eta Aquarids have been observed for at least 2000 years, while the first known recorded Leonid event was in 902 CE.\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u003Cspan style=\"font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;\"\u003E\u003Cspan\u003EAs per the lunisolar theory of precession, the earth moves backwards along the orbit by 50.28 arc seconds every year. If that were the case, the dates of the meteor showers should have also changed over time, since the meteor streams intersect the earth’s orbit at specific points. The Perseid meteor shower peaks on August 12th, when the earth crosses stream of particles spread along the orbit of Comet Swift-Tuttle. This date should have moved almost six days since the Gregorian Calendar Reforms in 1582. But records show that it has not changed, even though the orientation of the equinoctial points relative to the fixed stars has changed in this period.\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u003Cspan style=\"font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;\"\u003E\u003Cspan\u003EWhat does this mean? It means that the earth does not move backwards along its orbit as required by lunisolar precession.\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u003Cspan style=\"font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;\"\u003E\u003Cspan\u003EWhile the earth does not precess relative to the fixed meteor streams, it is somewhat complicated to determine if the earth precesses with respect to other objects within the solar system such as the moon and the other planets, since they have their own motions in their respective orbits. However, as Cruttenden points out in his book, lunar rotation equations – the same numbers that are used to plot eclipse cycles – assumes that the earth goes around the sun 360\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/span\u003E\u003Cspan style=\"font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;\"\u003E\u003Cspan\u003E°\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/span\u003E\u003Cspan style=\"font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;\"\u003E\u003Cspan\u003E from equinox to equinox, and does not take into account the backward slippage of the equinox along the orbit, as required by lunisolar precession.\u003C\/span\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cspan\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003EBesides, if precession were due to lunisolar forces, then shouldn’t all the other planets of the solar system - such as Jupiter with its 79 moons, or Saturn with its 82 moons - also experience precession in different amounts and directions, and therefore slip backward or move forward in their orbits every year? There is absolutely no reason to think that it is only the earth which gets affected by the lunisolar forces, and not the other planets of the solar system. However, neither the precession of the earth, nor those of other planets, are factored into the programs that compute transit times or planetary conjunctions, and yet, all of these routines function quite perfectly.\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u003Cspan style=\"font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;\"\u003E\u003Cspan\u003EThis implies that, objects within the solar system do not precess with respect to each other. Hence, precession cannot be due to the lunisolar forces twisting the earth’s axis and causing it to slip back in its orbit. Rather, precession must be due to a motion of the entire solar system. The solar system as a whole is changing its orientation relative to the fixed stars.\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u003Cspan style=\"font-family: inherit;\"\u003E\u003Cspan style=\"font-size: large;\"\u003E\u003Cb\u003EThe Binary Star Hypothesis\u003C\/b\u003E\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u003Cspan style=\"font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;\"\u003E\u003Cspan\u003ECruttenden advanced the hypothesis that that our sun may be part of a binary star system. Stars in a binary system are gravitationally bound to each other, and orbit a common center of mass. The binary companions can be of similar or differing sizes, and the orbits can be as short as a few days or as long as thousands of years. It is estimated that nearly 50% of all the stars in the Milky Way may be part of a binary or multiple star relationship. Therefore, it would not be anything out of the ordinary if our sun were to have a binary companion as well.\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u003Cspan style=\"font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;\"\u003E\u003Cspan\u003EIf the sun, along with the planets of the solar system, curved through space in a clockwise orbit around the common center of mass of a binary star system, then this will cause a change in orientation of the equinoctial points relative to the fixed stars. Thus, precession can be simply explained as an outcome of the solar system’s curved motion through space in a binary orbit.\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u003Cspan style=\"font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;\"\u003E\u003Cspan\u003EIn a binary model, the earth will not slip back along its orbit every year. Instead, it will complete a 360° revolution around the sun from equinox and equinox. Therefore, the earth will not precess relative to the local objects within the solar system, nor will the other planets precess relative to us. The binary model, therefore, takes care of the limitations of the lunisolar theory.\u003C\/span\u003E\u003Cspan\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u003Cspan style=\"font-family: inherit;\"\u003E\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Ctable align=\"center\" cellpadding=\"0\" cellspacing=\"0\" class=\"tr-caption-container\" style=\"margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;\"\u003E\u003Ctbody\u003E\u003Ctr\u003E\u003Ctd style=\"text-align: center;\"\u003E\u003Ca href=\"https:\/\/blogger.googleusercontent.com\/img\/b\/R29vZ2xl\/AVvXsEhN5OU9egMMDaDim6-jvCCthw0Dh1KNjMVIAmN2LkGIoXVT0V2d50K5VpPIJekUglUzRdygsel2dv3VA6TGETy-Lbuyzl4WuN_elqpwJNk89jikpr-Gi_EbQd6I2bc4wxLKcpPywRvgjKzZHd2Onr1qeHlbt3m1IL1ih0jA9KnF1MFNj4TJBk546e95pQ0\/s1200\/43%20Binary%20Star%20system1.jpg\" style=\"margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;\"\u003E\u003Cimg alt=\"Binary Star System\" border=\"0\" data-original-height=\"773\" data-original-width=\"1200\" height=\"258\" src=\"https:\/\/blogger.googleusercontent.com\/img\/b\/R29vZ2xl\/AVvXsEhN5OU9egMMDaDim6-jvCCthw0Dh1KNjMVIAmN2LkGIoXVT0V2d50K5VpPIJekUglUzRdygsel2dv3VA6TGETy-Lbuyzl4WuN_elqpwJNk89jikpr-Gi_EbQd6I2bc4wxLKcpPywRvgjKzZHd2Onr1qeHlbt3m1IL1ih0jA9KnF1MFNj4TJBk546e95pQ0\/w400-h258\/43%20Binary%20Star%20system1.jpg\" width=\"400\" \/\u003E\u003C\/a\u003E\u003C\/td\u003E\u003C\/tr\u003E\u003Ctr\u003E\u003Ctd class=\"tr-caption\" style=\"text-align: center;\"\u003E\u003Cspan style=\"font-family: inherit;\"\u003E\u003Cspan style=\"font-family: inherit;\"\u003E\u003Cspan style=\"font-size: small;\"\u003EFigure 5: Two \nstars in a binary system are gravitationally bound to each other and \nrevolve around a common center of mass. Credit: Bibhu Dev Misra.\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/span\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cspan style=\"font-family: inherit;\"\u003E\u003Cspan style=\"font-size: small;\"\u003E\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/td\u003E\u003C\/tr\u003E\u003C\/tbody\u003E\u003C\/table\u003E\u003Cspan style=\"font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;\"\u003E\u003Cspan\u003ECruttenden had stated in his book that his binary star hypothesis had been inspired by a statement made by Sri Yukteswar in the book \u003Ci\u003EThe Holy Science\u003C\/i\u003E (1894), in which Yukteswar wrote that,\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/span\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u003Cspan style=\"font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;\"\u003E\u003Cspan\u003E\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cblockquote\u003E\u003Cspan style=\"font-size: medium;\"\u003E“We learn from Oriental astronomy that…the sun, with its planets and their moons, takes some star for its dual and revolves around it in about 24,000 years of our earth – a celestial phenomenon which causes the backward movement of the equinoctial points around the zodiac.”[5]\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/blockquote\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u003Cspan style=\"font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;\"\u003E\u003Cspan\u003ESri Yukteswar, quite clearly, did not take credit for the binary theory of precession, and had explicitly stated that it was the “Oriental astronomers” he was in touch with, who subscribed to the concept of a binary system, in order to explain the phenomenon of precession. Since the binary theory of precession has not been explicitly stated in any ancient Indian book of astronomy, it was probably transmitted orally, and was never written down.\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u003Cspan style=\"font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;\"\u003E\u003Cspan\u003EWhen I had first read about the binary star hypothesis in Cruttenden’s book, it seemed like a very simple and elegant alternative to the lunisolar theory. It had none of the shortcomings of the lunisolar theory, and was based on the sun having a binary companion – which was quite realistic, given that there are so many stars with binary companions out there.\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u003Cspan style=\"font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;\"\u003E\u003Cspan\u003EHowever, the more I investigated this theory, the more it became apparent that the binary theory comes with its own set of flaws. A binary companion of the sun has not yet been found, in spite of extensive sky surveys. It is expected that a binary companion of the sun will be a red dwarf star or a brown dwarf star, for such stars have very low surface luminosity and are much smaller than our sun, because of which they cannot be easily spotted.\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u003Cspan style=\"font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;\"\u003E\u003Cspan\u003EIn 1984, astronomers Davis, Hut and Muller had proposed that the sun might have an unseen binary companion which could be responsible for the “mass extinction events” that occur periodically every 26 million years.[6] They had theorized that the sun’s binary companion may be in a 26-million-year elliptical orbit, which periodically disturbs the comets in the spherical Oort cloud that surrounds the solar system, with a consequential increase in impact events on the earth.\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u003Cspan style=\"font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;\"\u003E\u003Cspan\u003EThe hypothesized companion star became known as Nemesis. As per Richard Muller, Nemesis was most likely a faint “red dwarf star” with an apparent magnitude between 7 and 12, at a maximum distance of 3 light-years.[7]\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u003Cspan style=\"font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;\"\u003E\u003Cspan\u003EThis means Nemesis, if it exists, is not visible to the naked eye, since the naked eye can only detect stars with an apparent magnitude of up to 6.5. Astronomers, by that time, had already determined that there is no “visible star” (i.e. visible to the naked eye) in the vicinity of the solar system that is in a binary orbit with the sun, since the motions and distances of the nearby visible stars had been mapped out, and none of them qualify as a binary candidate.\u0026nbsp; \u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u003Cspan style=\"font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;\"\u003E\u003Cspan\u003EIf a binary companion in a 26-million-year orbit can be at a maximum distance of 3 light-years from our sun, then it stands to reason that a binary companion in a 25,800-year orbit, as proposed by Cruttenden, should be much closer to the sun than 3 light-years. However, the IRAS (Infrared Astronomical Satellite) in the 1980’s, the 2MASS astronomical survey conducted from 1997 – 2001, and the most recent WISE mission (Wide-field Infrared Survey Explorer) launched in 2009, which used powerful infrared telescope technology capable of detecting red or brown dwarf stars as cool as 150 kelvins out to a distance of 10 light-years from the sun, have all failed to locate a red dwarf or brown dwarf star close enough to the sun to qualify as a binary candidate. As a result, most astronomers have given up the search for a binary companion, and believe that our sun is a lone star.\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u003Cspan style=\"font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;\"\u003E\u003Cspan\u003EIn spite of this, some people may argue that, maybe, the hypothetical binary companion is a very low luminosity dwarf star or, perhaps, it is hidden inside gas clouds, which is why we can’t find it. Our ability to not find it does not mean that the binary theory of precession is incorrect. That’s fair enough. We don’t know everything that is out there.\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u003Cspan style=\"font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;\"\u003E\u003Cspan\u003EThe reason why I believe that the binary hypothesis is incorrect is because of two important reasons. The first one is that, if the solar system were to move in a clockwise orbit around the common center of mass of a binary system, then the equinoctial points would not precess a full 360\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/span\u003E\u003Cspan style=\"font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;\"\u003E\u003Cspan\u003E°\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/span\u003E\u003Cspan style=\"font-family: inherit;\"\u003E\u003Cspan style=\"font-size: medium;\"\u003E around the zodiac. Rather, the equinoctial points would oscillate between two fixed points on the zodiac. In one half of the orbit, the equinoctial points would precess along the zodiac, while in the other half of the orbit they would move in the opposite direction\u003C\/span\u003E\u003Cspan style=\"font-size: small;\"\u003E.\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Ctable align=\"center\" cellpadding=\"0\" cellspacing=\"0\" class=\"tr-caption-container\" style=\"margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;\"\u003E\u003Ctbody\u003E\u003Ctr\u003E\u003Ctd style=\"text-align: center;\"\u003E\u003Ca href=\"https:\/\/blogger.googleusercontent.com\/img\/b\/R29vZ2xl\/AVvXsEhdtgEPMZNSSy7-yp3yu7w1LV4mR9B8Iv9-9FPJFggwEjxWMHfONHobnOJYdMbuBKnlqIBeLkeH6YLZmC6hXQCwpDphNFC_L1sSswl3MgkLDGSdxdDXDLzTi2b8hNhfYNT8tTh7FUoXYLzkGYsfPbd_LNhFY6XIyEb7GuZU7TqwVt4AjGVB6f5hydLm2xY\/s1400\/44%20Oscillation%20of%20Equinoxes%20in%20Binary%20System%20Yuga%20Cycle%20-%20Copy.jpg\" style=\"margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;\"\u003E\u003Cimg alt=\"The oscillation of the equinoxes in a binary system\" border=\"0\" data-original-height=\"1040\" data-original-width=\"1400\" height=\"476\" src=\"https:\/\/blogger.googleusercontent.com\/img\/b\/R29vZ2xl\/AVvXsEhdtgEPMZNSSy7-yp3yu7w1LV4mR9B8Iv9-9FPJFggwEjxWMHfONHobnOJYdMbuBKnlqIBeLkeH6YLZmC6hXQCwpDphNFC_L1sSswl3MgkLDGSdxdDXDLzTi2b8hNhfYNT8tTh7FUoXYLzkGYsfPbd_LNhFY6XIyEb7GuZU7TqwVt4AjGVB6f5hydLm2xY\/w640-h476\/44%20Oscillation%20of%20Equinoxes%20in%20Binary%20System%20Yuga%20Cycle%20-%20Copy.jpg\" width=\"640\" \/\u003E\u003C\/a\u003E\u003C\/td\u003E\u003C\/tr\u003E\u003Ctr\u003E\u003Ctd class=\"tr-caption\" style=\"text-align: center;\"\u003E\u003Cspan style=\"font-family: inherit;\"\u003E\u003Cspan style=\"font-size: small;\"\u003EFigure 6: The \nsun-earth reference frame in a binary orbit around a common center of \nmass. The vernal equinox point will oscillate between two fixed points \nin the zodiac. Credit: Bibhu Dev Misra\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/td\u003E\u003C\/tr\u003E\u003C\/tbody\u003E\u003C\/table\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u003Cspan style=\"font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;\"\u003E\u003Cspan\u003EThis can be easily determined by plotting the sun-earth reference frame at different points in the hypothesized orbit, and drawing a straight line from the earth to the sun and extending it to the ring of fixed stars beyond. A binary system will produce an “oscillation of the equinoxes” and not a “precession of the equinoxes”. This is not acceptable. There is no indication, whatsoever, from historical data that the equinoctial points oscillate between fixed points on the zodiac.\u003C\/span\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u003Cspan style=\"font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;\"\u003E\u003Cspan\u003EAnother significant issue with the binary model is that, the spin axis of the earth will always point in the same direction, and will not trace out a circle around the North Ecliptic Pole, as is required of precession. As a result, the Pole Star will remain unchanged over the duration of the precession cycle, and will always be Polaris. This is not acceptable either. It is well-documented in the ancient texts that the Pole Star changes over time. Nearly 5,000 years ago the earth’s axis pointed towards the star Thuban in the constellation of Draco, which was the Pole Star of that period. Prof. R.N. Iyengar has shown that the star Thuban was known to the Vedic Indians as Dhruva; and the evidence from a number of Puranas and Yajurveda texts show clearly that, “in India, for the Yajurvedic people, Thuban was Dhruva the Pole Star c. 2800 BCE”.[8]\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u003Cspan style=\"font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;\"\u003E\u003Cspan\u003ESo, there are two primary issues with the binary hypothesis which makes it untenable. Firstly, in a binary model, there will be an “oscillation of the equinoxes” between two fixed point on the zodiac, and not precession of the equinoxes. Secondly, in a binary model, the Pole Star will remain unchanged. The binary model, therefore, cannot be treated as a valid explanation for the phenomenon of precession. It did seem like a simple and elegant option to me when I had first read about it, but, unfortunately, it falls short in key areas.\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u003Cspan style=\"font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;\"\u003E\u003Cspan\u003EWhich means, we need to look for an alternative explanation. And, indeed, there is one: a simpler model of precession that explains all the nitty-gritties without the need for any additional variables, and is perfectly aligned with our understanding of celestial mechanics.\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u003Cspan style=\"font-family: inherit;\"\u003E\u003Cspan style=\"font-size: large;\"\u003E\u003Cb\u003EThe Solar System Rotates on it’s Axis\u003C\/b\u003E\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u003Cspan style=\"font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;\"\u003E\u003Cspan\u003EIn general, we tend to think of the solar system as a flat, planetary disk with the sun in the center. But, the overall shape of the solar system actually resembles a giant sphere, because it is enclosed by a vast, spherical cloud of comets called the “Oort Cloud”. The inner edge of the Oort Cloud is thought to be between 2,000 and 5,000 AU from the sun (1 AU = distance from the earth to the sun). The outer edge might be 10,000 or even 100,000 AU from the sun — that’s nearly halfway between the sun and the nearest star, Alpha Centauri (which is 4.2 light-years away). Vast swarms of comet-like bodies orbit the sun in these distant regions, numbering more than a trillion, of which only around 4,000 are known to us today. The spherical structure of the Oort Cloud was deduced on the basis of the observed motions of these comets. Astronomers believe that the Oort Cloud was probably formed nearly 4.5 billion years ago, during the infancy of the solar system.\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u003Cspan style=\"font-family: inherit;\"\u003E\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Ctable align=\"center\" cellpadding=\"0\" cellspacing=\"0\" class=\"tr-caption-container\" style=\"margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;\"\u003E\u003Ctbody\u003E\u003Ctr\u003E\u003Ctd style=\"text-align: center;\"\u003E\u003Ca href=\"https:\/\/blogger.googleusercontent.com\/img\/b\/R29vZ2xl\/AVvXsEiQcZZnGhlaPoVrh8HijNWo7X7KWcvvwS7Q0DSpXzkCheTMeFhbH1lOpyBNc0HyRlA6MfgugArNRxFngbE_tZMRS1c_8XMo8d-GzOCJw3CEjYs3N0MZ5lj8mWDAFO8sUSOAuDynFDMmTIfdRVxMEOG51IMnIe7vOv-hlmwnPhG6leWr98ZPESuSyvjSu8Q\/s1400\/45%20Solar%20System%20and%20Earth.jpg\" style=\"margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;\"\u003E\u003Cimg alt=\"The spherical structure of the Solar System, including the Oort Cloud, resembles the internal structure of the Earth\" border=\"0\" data-original-height=\"824\" data-original-width=\"1400\" height=\"376\" src=\"https:\/\/blogger.googleusercontent.com\/img\/b\/R29vZ2xl\/AVvXsEiQcZZnGhlaPoVrh8HijNWo7X7KWcvvwS7Q0DSpXzkCheTMeFhbH1lOpyBNc0HyRlA6MfgugArNRxFngbE_tZMRS1c_8XMo8d-GzOCJw3CEjYs3N0MZ5lj8mWDAFO8sUSOAuDynFDMmTIfdRVxMEOG51IMnIe7vOv-hlmwnPhG6leWr98ZPESuSyvjSu8Q\/w640-h376\/45%20Solar%20System%20and%20Earth.jpg\" width=\"640\" \/\u003E\u003C\/a\u003E\u003C\/td\u003E\u003C\/tr\u003E\u003Ctr\u003E\u003Ctd class=\"tr-caption\" style=\"text-align: center;\"\u003E\u003Cspan style=\"font-family: inherit;\"\u003E\u003Cspan style=\"font-size: small;\"\u003EFigure 7: The \nspherical structure of the Solar System, including the Oort Cloud, \nresembles the internal structure of the Earth. Credit: NASA, Public \nDomain Image.\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/td\u003E\u003C\/tr\u003E\u003C\/tbody\u003E\u003C\/table\u003E\u003Cspan style=\"font-family: inherit;\"\u003E\u003Cspan style=\"font-size: small;\"\u003E \u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/span\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u003Cspan style=\"font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;\"\u003E\u003Cspan\u003EIt’s quite fascinating how the overall structure of the spherical solar system resembles that of the earth. The sun in the center corresponds to the solid “Inner Core” of the earth. The planetary region where planets are in constant motion corresponds to the liquid “Outer Core” of the earth, where the constant movement of liquid metal generates the earth’s magnetic field. The spherical Oort Cloud, which surrounds the solar system and extends out to a distance of nearly 2 light-years, corresponds to the earth’s mantle. The earth’s crust, which is only about 35-70 km thick, is negligible compared to the radius of the earth. And, who knows, maybe even the solar system has a thin, crust-like outer envelope that encloses the Oort Cloud?\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u003Cspan style=\"font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;\"\u003E\u003Cspan\u003EIn this analogy we find yet another instance of the macrocosm being reflected in the microcosm – a deeply held belief of so many ancient cultures. The essential patterns of the universe seem to repeat from the biggest to the smallest levels, and, once we understand how one of the levels function, it is possible to intuitively deduce the workings of the other levels.\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u003Cspan style=\"font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;\"\u003E\u003Cspan\u003EIt is common knowledge that the earth rotates on its axis once in 24 hours and revolves around the sun in 365.24 days. Scientists have also discovered that the solar system orbits around the Galactic Center once in roughly 225-250 million years. Shouldn’t we, therefore, expect the spherical solar system to rotate on its axis as it revolves around the Galactic Center?\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u003Cspan style=\"font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;\"\u003E\u003Cspan\u003ESince all celestial bodies rotate on their axis in order to conserve their angular momentum, the same should hold true for the solar system as well. The angular momentum of any celestial body comes from the primordial solar nebula from which they formed. The probability of a celestial body forming in such a manner as not to rotate is negligibly small. Therefore, we can be more or less certain that the spherical solar system rotates on its axis as it orbits the Galactic Center.\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u003Cspan style=\"font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;\"\u003E\u003Cspan\u003EIt is known that the axis of the solar system is inclined at an angle of nearly 30\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/span\u003E\u003Cspan style=\"font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;\"\u003E\u003Cspan\u003E° \u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/span\u003E\u003Cspan style=\"font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;\"\u003E\u003Cspan\u003Eto the galactic plane. If the solar system rotates around its axis in a clockwise direction (i.e. opposite to the direction in which the earth revolves around the sun), it will appear as if the equinoctial points are precessing clockwise around the zodiac. And, if the time required by the solar system to complete one clockwise rotation on its axis is 25,800 years, it will cause the equinoctial points to slowly change their orientation relative to the fixed stars of the zodiac by 50.28 arc seconds every year, thereby causing the phenomenon called the precession of the equinoxes. Interestingly, in December 2020, the VERA Experiment used state-of-the-art telescopic measurements to determine that the distance of the earth from the central black hole is exactly 25,800 light-years![9]\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u003Cspan style=\"font-family: inherit;\"\u003E\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Ctable align=\"center\" cellpadding=\"0\" cellspacing=\"0\" class=\"tr-caption-container\" style=\"margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;\"\u003E\u003Ctbody\u003E\u003Ctr\u003E\u003Ctd style=\"text-align: center;\"\u003E\u003Ca href=\"https:\/\/blogger.googleusercontent.com\/img\/b\/R29vZ2xl\/AVvXsEifT95cySEVr8s_uvoj_Euf63jcpYy8uhjnpTF4Vg7BL5V_dymMXnNBKs6xAfUo4whOiJxlYqZBSovBGYvjscVJfRaaEG0xrdyX8cjiz7rRsjv6EIXedcb2TJELQHsfO3kDG7zRuesHbhxxz6RbU0TvLTDA7S01AKJpQO62QMH3upGXCqWC8yJhGxp1714\/s1333\/Solar%20System%20rotating%20Black%20hole.jpg\" style=\"margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;\"\u003E\u003Cimg alt=\"The spherical Solar System rotates clockwise on its axis, once in 25,800 years, as it revolves around the Galactic Center\" border=\"0\" data-original-height=\"667\" data-original-width=\"1333\" height=\"320\" src=\"https:\/\/blogger.googleusercontent.com\/img\/b\/R29vZ2xl\/AVvXsEifT95cySEVr8s_uvoj_Euf63jcpYy8uhjnpTF4Vg7BL5V_dymMXnNBKs6xAfUo4whOiJxlYqZBSovBGYvjscVJfRaaEG0xrdyX8cjiz7rRsjv6EIXedcb2TJELQHsfO3kDG7zRuesHbhxxz6RbU0TvLTDA7S01AKJpQO62QMH3upGXCqWC8yJhGxp1714\/w640-h320\/Solar%20System%20rotating%20Black%20hole.jpg\" width=\"640\" \/\u003E\u003C\/a\u003E\u003C\/td\u003E\u003C\/tr\u003E\u003Ctr\u003E\u003Ctd class=\"tr-caption\" style=\"text-align: center;\"\u003E\u003Cspan style=\"font-family: inherit;\"\u003E\u003Cspan style=\"font-size: small;\"\u003EFigure 8: The \nspherical Solar System rotates clockwise on its axis, once in 25,800 \nyears, as it revolves around the Galactic Center, completing one \nrevolution in 225-250 million years. Image not to scale. Credit: Bibhu \nDev Misra, using public domain images from NASA.\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/td\u003E\u003C\/tr\u003E\u003C\/tbody\u003E\u003C\/table\u003E\u003Cspan style=\"font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;\"\u003E\u003Cspan\u003EThis is the simplest explanation for precession that one can possibly think of. Practically every celestial body rotates on its axis, and it is only to be expected that the solar system does the same. A rotating solar system will ensure that the equinoxes precess through all the twelve zodiac constellations, and the North Celestial Pole of the earth traces out a circle around the North Ecliptic Pole, thereby resulting in a change of the Pole Star over the precession cycle.\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/span\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u003Cspan style=\"font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;\"\u003E\u003Cspan\u003E\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u003Cspan style=\"font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;\"\u003E\u003Cspan\u003EThus, the hypothesis of a rotating solar system, which completes one clockwise rotation on its axis in 25,800 years, explains the phenomenon of precession in its entirety. It addresses all the shortcomings of the lunisolar theory of precession that we discussed earlier, as well as the flaws of the binary model, without introducing any additional variables. Moreover, it is completely aligned with the laws of celestial mechanics which requires celestial bodies to rotate on their axis in order to conserve their angular momentum. Occam’s razor states that, “the simplest solution is the most likely one”, and a rotating solar system definitely fulfills that criteria. To sum up, this is my proposed theory for the precession of the equinoxes: \u003Ci\u003E\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/i\u003E\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u003Cspan style=\"font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;\"\u003E\u003Cspan\u003E\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cblockquote\u003E\u003Cspan style=\"font-size: medium;\"\u003EThe precession of the equinoxes is due to the clockwise rotation of the solar system on its axis once in 25,800 years, as it revolves around the Galactic Center.\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/blockquote\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u003Cspan style=\"font-family: inherit;\"\u003E\u003Cspan style=\"font-size: medium;\"\u003EIt is my sincere hope that this new theory of precession will come to the attention of the scientific community at large and will receive due consideration.\u003C\/span\u003E\u003Cspan style=\"font-size: small;\"\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003C\/span\u003E\u003Cspan style=\"font-size: medium;\"\u003E\u003Cb\u003EReferences\u003C\/b\u003E\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u003Cspan style=\"font-family: inherit;\"\u003E\u003Cspan style=\"font-size: small;\"\u003E[1] Surya-Siddhanta: a text-book of Hindu astronomy, tr. by. Rev. Ebenezer Burgess, ed. by Phanindralal Gangooly, University of Calcutta, 1935, Chapter 1.\u003Cbr \/\u003E[2] Sri Yukteswar Giri, The Holy Science, 1894, p. xi.\u003Cbr \/\u003E[3] Cornelius Tacitus, The Works of Tacitus: The History, Germany, Agricola, and Dialogue on orators, Vol. II, George Bell \u0026amp; Sons, 1889, p. 412.\u003Cbr \/\u003E[4] Walter Cruttenden, Lost Star of Myth and Time, St. Lynn’s Press, 2006.\u003Cbr \/\u003E[5] Sri Yukteswar Giri, The Holy Science, 1894, p. 13.\u003Cbr \/\u003E[6] Davis, Hut, Muller, “Extinction of species by periodic comet showers”, Nature, 1984, Vol. 308, No.5961, pp. 715–717.\u003Cbr \/\u003E[7] Richard A. Muller, “Evidence for Nemesis: A Solar Companion Star”, LBL Publications, 1985, https:\/\/escholarship.org\/uc\/item\/3q33r0gj\u003Cbr \/\u003E[8] R.N. Iyengar, “Dhruva the Ancient Indian Pole Star: Fixity, Rotation and Movement”, Indian Journal of History of Science, 2011, Vol.46, No.1, pp. 23-39.\u003Cbr \/\u003E[9] Diane Lincoln, “Our galaxy's supermassive black hole is closer to Earth than we thought”, LiveScience, 20 December 2020, https:\/\/www.livescience.com\/milky-way-black-hole-closer-to-earth.html\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E"},"link":[{"rel":"replies","type":"application/atom+xml","href":"https:\/\/www.bibhudevmisra.com\/feeds\/2807348724985314784\/comments\/default","title":"Post Comments"},{"rel":"replies","type":"text/html","href":"https:\/\/www.bibhudevmisra.com\/2024\/11\/the-precession-of-equinoxes-is-caused.html#comment-form","title":"4 Comments"},{"rel":"edit","type":"application/atom+xml","href":"https:\/\/www.blogger.com\/feeds\/6864653463177413678\/posts\/default\/2807348724985314784"},{"rel":"self","type":"application/atom+xml","href":"https:\/\/www.blogger.com\/feeds\/6864653463177413678\/posts\/default\/2807348724985314784"},{"rel":"alternate","type":"text/html","href":"https:\/\/www.bibhudevmisra.com\/2024\/11\/the-precession-of-equinoxes-is-caused.html","title":"The Precession of the Equinoxes is caused by the Rotation of the Solar System"}],"author":[{"name":{"$t":"Bibhu Dev Misra"},"uri":{"$t":"http:\/\/www.blogger.com\/profile\/15388473714672380058"},"email":{"$t":"noreply@blogger.com"},"gd$image":{"rel":"http://schemas.google.com/g/2005#thumbnail","width":"32","height":"28","src":"\/\/blogger.googleusercontent.com\/img\/b\/R29vZ2xl\/AVvXsEh4sklyRp_L5BfqEXTjoskgFPFYpJiNJSuDN5zrcldGBaXot626bOTu8q5TUYsip63M6EkY2JbuoE6l1N5fMKiqKfzFfaaKpqm91QZx9rMdAL3t-ju2QdYi1K-BeCJsjw\/s130\/DSCN1699.JPG"}}],"media$thumbnail":{"xmlns$media":"http://search.yahoo.com/mrss/","url":"https:\/\/blogger.googleusercontent.com\/img\/b\/R29vZ2xl\/AVvXsEgIP3WyhMPdW_KgiFo8CRsAYVojzpQAbj799Jal9f35VxZnkPtO5vmn1zL6vaYMvb5lb-jubcUpKSJrCDfC6kBlKGfmKIRT90LpS2K6O9_VwxA6ZSGgWh8jMTj0zh_Cq3ErOAbKazJhriE-mgQCbnPiB2ABdUIUJ6h2LOIkAWOYywe3EFQTtDZflLKf05k\/s72-c\/Precession%20of%20the%20Equinoxes%20Yuga%20Cycle%20thumbnail.jpg","height":"72","width":"72"},"thr$total":{"$t":"4"}},{"id":{"$t":"tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6864653463177413678.post-391275576620055567"},"published":{"$t":"2024-04-20T13:38:00.015+05:30"},"updated":{"$t":"2025-08-02T13:09:32.786+05:30"},"category":[{"scheme":"http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#","term":"Article"},{"scheme":"http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#","term":"Yuga Cycle"}],"title":{"type":"text","$t":"Alice Bailey’s Prophecy about 2025 and its links to the Kalachakra Tantra"},"content":{"type":"html","$t":"\u003Cp\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cdiv class=\"separator\" style=\"clear: both; text-align: center;\"\u003E\u003Ca href=\"https:\/\/blogger.googleusercontent.com\/img\/b\/R29vZ2xl\/AVvXsEhib2gfV8jlA0HOmZC3hs-bb_FZevCJEVGh_kPbQYl33I00ofPiI9SkAV58z3qIFP8DR9gCAcig78BFg91pj_ku7yCPXJU8D74iQvdk779At4oyFRN2i6U8wCYv6-ikhkabX1cpAqx_V7sQAOzKtkApUDMz-6J0JZofbn5mmacZM3IJrxDE0sBJw2SvcTA\/s495\/Rudra%20Chakrin,%20the%20King%20of%20Shambhala,%20from%20Potala%20palace,%20source%20pbase%20small.jpg\" style=\"margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;\"\u003E\u003Cimg border=\"0\" data-original-height=\"495\" data-original-width=\"400\" height=\"320\" src=\"https:\/\/blogger.googleusercontent.com\/img\/b\/R29vZ2xl\/AVvXsEhib2gfV8jlA0HOmZC3hs-bb_FZevCJEVGh_kPbQYl33I00ofPiI9SkAV58z3qIFP8DR9gCAcig78BFg91pj_ku7yCPXJU8D74iQvdk779At4oyFRN2i6U8wCYv6-ikhkabX1cpAqx_V7sQAOzKtkApUDMz-6J0JZofbn5mmacZM3IJrxDE0sBJw2SvcTA\/s320\/Rudra%20Chakrin,%20the%20King%20of%20Shambhala,%20from%20Potala%20palace,%20source%20pbase%20small.jpg\" width=\"259\" \/\u003E\u003C\/a\u003E\u003C\/div\u003EWe are living in exceptional times. After trudging through the dense, materialistic, vibrations of the Kali Yuga (Iron Age) for nearly 5700 years, we have reached the crossroads of the Yugas once again, when the direction of our civilization will be altered forever.\u0026nbsp;\u003Cspan\u003E\u003Ca name='more'\u003E\u003C\/a\u003E\u003C\/span\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EThe year 2025 signifies a watershed moment in our collective experience, for the Yuga Cycle framework based on the “Saptarshi Calendar” indicates that on 21st March, 2025, the Kali Yuga will end. This will be followed by a long transitional period of 1200 years - which the Greek philosophers called Ekpyrosis (meaning “Conflagration”) - when the decadent structures, philosophies and ideologies of the Kali Yuga will be entirely obliterated and a nascent civilization based on elevated spiritual principles shall take root, which will eventually grow into the enlightened civilizations of the ascending Yuga Cycle, culminating in the next Golden Age.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EAt the same time, my research also indicates that the destruction of the current Kali Yuga civilization is likely to be completed within a small window of time between 2025 and 2040, due to a combination of global wars, environmental catastrophes and comet impacts. These are the end-times that the ancient prophecies warned us of, when the apocalyptic events described in the eschatological texts will be fulfilled and our reality will be drastically altered. \u003C\/p\u003E\u003Ctable align=\"center\" cellpadding=\"0\" cellspacing=\"0\" class=\"tr-caption-container\" style=\"margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;\"\u003E\u003Ctbody\u003E\u003Ctr\u003E\u003Ctd style=\"text-align: center;\"\u003E\u003Ca href=\"https:\/\/blogger.googleusercontent.com\/img\/b\/R29vZ2xl\/AVvXsEjzZnuu75phyJxfuEZyydGJ_RiEO2PreeBM6dgiuyZZ2H2BBxJl2Se9e7vPzigMIkdm26eJgtGT3QA6bQ107ykC_fAdtUCn-XLUJCtMNLsSFwq-slkGYuuJ3rBPu-FXX0LoMi85kZiXKhWpixFhIXhZ2brC8Su6eHU1PZlWjKh0XNeUwG59WEw6xmWT2yg\/s1400\/39%20Yuga%20Cycle%2025800%20years2.jpg\" style=\"margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;\"\u003E\u003Cimg alt=\"Yuga Cycle of 25,800 years duration\" border=\"0\" data-original-height=\"1135\" data-original-width=\"1400\" height=\"518\" src=\"https:\/\/blogger.googleusercontent.com\/img\/b\/R29vZ2xl\/AVvXsEjzZnuu75phyJxfuEZyydGJ_RiEO2PreeBM6dgiuyZZ2H2BBxJl2Se9e7vPzigMIkdm26eJgtGT3QA6bQ107ykC_fAdtUCn-XLUJCtMNLsSFwq-slkGYuuJ3rBPu-FXX0LoMi85kZiXKhWpixFhIXhZ2brC8Su6eHU1PZlWjKh0XNeUwG59WEw6xmWT2yg\/w640-h518\/39%20Yuga%20Cycle%2025800%20years2.jpg\" title=\"Yuga Cycle\" width=\"640\" \/\u003E\u003C\/a\u003E\u003C\/td\u003E\u003C\/tr\u003E\u003Ctr\u003E\u003Ctd class=\"tr-caption\" style=\"text-align: center;\"\u003EFigure 1: The 25,800-year Yuga Cycle, including the 1200-year periods of Kataklysmos and Ekpyrosis. Credit: Bibhu Dev Misra.\u003C\/td\u003E\u003C\/tr\u003E\u003C\/tbody\u003E\u003C\/table\u003E\u003Cp\u003EIn my book, \u003Ca href=\"https:\/\/www.amazon.com\/YUGA-SHIFT-IMPENDING-PLANETARY-TRANSFORMATION\/dp\/B0CPJVYQG4\/ref=pd_ci_mcx_mh_mcx_views_0_image\" target=\"_blank\"\u003EYUGA SHIFT\u003C\/a\u003E, I have provided a detailed explanation of the Yuga Cycle framework based on the Saptarshi Calendar with its 2700-year cycle, and I had outlined some of the essential points in my previous articles (\u003Ca href=\"https:\/\/www.bibhudevmisra.com\/2012\/07\/end-of-kali-yuga-in-2025-unraveling.html\" target=\"_blank\"\u003Elink1\u003C\/a\u003E, \u003Ca href=\"https:\/\/www.bibhudevmisra.com\/2024\/03\/the-yuga-cycle-and-earths-precession.html\" target=\"_blank\"\u003Elink2\u003C\/a\u003E) on this topic.[1][2] Without getting into too many details, let me just point out that the upcoming period of transition in 2025 not only marks the end of the Kali Yuga – which is the current age of greed and lies, corruption and violence that we are living in – but the culmination of the entire descending cycle of consciousness that began in 9676 BCE, soon after the Ice Age came to an abrupt end. This amplifies the significance of the impending transition, when a series of transformative events will sweep over us, and alter our reality beyond recognition.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EIn \u003Ca href=\"https:\/\/www.amazon.com\/YUGA-SHIFT-IMPENDING-PLANETARY-TRANSFORMATION\/dp\/B0CPJVYQG4\/ref=pd_ci_mcx_mh_mcx_views_0_image\" target=\"_blank\"\u003EYuga Shift\u003C\/a\u003E, I have presented a gamut of scientific evidence from various disciplines – history, archaeology, anthropology and astronomy – which validates the essential tenets of the Yuga Cycle doctrine. At the same time, I was also interested in finding out scriptural confirmations of this timeline. To this end, I came across some very interesting information from the writings of Alice Bailey, and the eschatological vision outlined in the Tibetan sacred text, the Kalachakra Tantra.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Ch3 style=\"text-align: left;\"\u003EThe Prophecy of Alice Bailey and Djwal Khul\u003C\/h3\u003E\u003Cp\u003EThe year 2025 had been specifically mentioned by the theosophist Alice Bailey in some of her writings nearly a century ago, as being a herald of a period of impending transformation. Alice Bailey had written more than twenty-four books on various theosophical and esoteric subjects. She had claimed that the majority of her works - which were written between 1919 and 1949 - had been telepathically transmitted to her by the Tibetan Master Djwal Khul.\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EIn a very well-researched article titled, “The Coming Avatar”, author Dorje Jinpa has quoted deeply symbolic passages from the writings of Alice Bailey and Helena Blavatsky, as well as other Hindu and Buddhist manuscripts, to present a picture of the Avatar who is expected to arrive at the close of this Yuga. Quoting from Bailey’s, \"A Treatise on Cosmic Fire\", Dorje Jinpa writes,\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cblockquote\u003E“From the gates of gold down to the pit of earth, out from the flaming fire down to the circle of gloom, rideth the secret Avatar, bearing the sword that pierceth. Naught can arrest His approach, and none may say nay. To the darkness of our sphere He rideth alone, and on His approach is seen the uttermost disaster, and the chaos of that which seeketh to withstand…The noise discordant of the warring elements greets the oncoming One and deters Him not…Yet, He passeth on His way, sweeping the circle of the spheres, and sounding forth the WORD.”[3]\u003C\/blockquote\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EBailey clarified that the “Word” that the Avatar sounds forth is “the vibration of His Silent Will, the Impulse of Synthesis – One Life, One Purpose, One Family.” She wrote that the Avatar is “coming to the earth in order to further the manifestation of unity, of oneness and of inter-relation, and He comes, therefore, to wield and apply first ray energy.”\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EShe described the Avatar as an “extra-planetary avatar”, who will accomplish his purpose without taking a mortal form. She wrote that, “these Avatars appear rarely, but when they do, the effectiveness and results of their work is very great…They never descend lower than the mental plane…They bring about death – the death of the old and limiting forms and of that which houses evil.”\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EBailey’s writings are closely aligned with the descriptions of the Yuga-ending avatar in many eschatological texts, in which the Savior arrives from the heavens wielding a sword, at a time when our planet is plagued by wars and disasters. The Yuga-ending avatars have an immensely transformative effect on the planet, and while they may use force when required, it is really the power of their spiritual energy and silent will that effects the greatest change.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EWhat is probably most relevant for our times is Bailey’s statement regarding the date when the Avatar will manifest himself. She said that the reappearance of the Avatar and the externalization of the Hierarchy (i.e. the hierarchy of gods or angels who work for the evolution of human consciousness) would begin after 2025. In, \"The Externalisation Of The Hierarchy\", Bailey wrote,\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cblockquote\u003E“In 2025, the date in all probability will be set for the first stage of the externalization of the Hierarchy. The present cycle (from now until that date) is called technically “The Stage of the Forerunner”. It is preparatory in nature, testing in its methods, and intended to be revelatory in its techniques and results.”[4]\u003C\/blockquote\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EI was amazed to learn that Bailey had explicitly identified 2025 as the cut-off date after which the manifestation of the hierarchy of gods will begin. This exactly matches the end date of the Kali Yuga in 2025, which I had arrived at by a very different method. Bailey brought up the prophetic implications of the 2025 date later in her writing career. In the article, “The Coming Avatar”, Dorje Jinpa writes that,\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cblockquote\u003E“In 1945, at a time when the enemy’s external threat through Hitler’s armies had just been averted, Bailey said that three recognitions must be evidenced by humanity before the year 2025, if the ‘destruction of mankind is to be averted.’ They are: 1. Recognition of the Christ spirit within. 2. Recognition of the Hierarchy. 3. Recognition of the Divine Plan. The destruction mentioned here could mean something like the great flood of the last days of Atlantis, although as Bailey points out some prophecies say that destruction by fire is also a possibility. “If humanity fails to unite under the banner of the Forces of Light against the forces of material aggression and selfishness, then the ‘fiery ordeal’ might be unavoidable.”\u003C\/blockquote\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EApparently, the year 2025 is the cut-off date for humanity to recognize that we are divine souls, that the gods described in many ancient traditions are the guardians of the human civilization, and it is our sacred obligation to act in accordance with the divine plan, which is to live in peace and harmony, and to progressively purify our consciousness by following the ancient wisdom teachings. If we are unable to do so by 2025 – and, to be honest, that seems quite unrealistic at this stage – catastrophic changes will inevitably sweep over the earth.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EIt is interesting that Bailey mentions that a fiery ordeal” may be unavoidable, for, as per the Yuga Cycle framework, the 1200-year period of transition after the Kali Yuga is called “Ekpyrosis”, - a Greek term meaning “Conflagration” – when the world is cleansed by fire. \u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EThe question that was foremost on my mind as I read these prophetic utterings was, how did Bailey arrive at the 2025 date as a marker of the end-times? Since she claimed to be documenting the esoteric wisdom of the Tibetan Master Djwal Khul, it occurred to me that the end of the Kali Yuga in 2025 must have been known to certain Tibetan Masters, even though it was forgotten by the people at large. But from where did the Tibetan lamas get this date? After I bit of searching around, I realized that the Tibetan Kalachakra Tantra prophecy points to the year 2025 as the time of the apocalyptic end-time battle.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Ch3 style=\"text-align: left;\"\u003EThe Kalachakra Tantra Prophecy\u003C\/h3\u003E\u003Cp\u003EThe Kalachakra Tantra is a Buddhist sacred text, containing some of the most esoteric teachings of Tibetan Buddhism. In one of the chapters, it describes an apocalyptic end-time battle that parallels the Hindu prophecy of the Kalki Avatar appearing from Shambhala to eradicate evil. Since most of the scriptures that comprise the Tibetan Canon were translated from the ancient Sanskrit texts, this correlation is only to be expected.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EAs per the Kalachakra Tantra, 32 Kings shall rule in the hidden, mystical kingdom of Shambhala, after the time of the Buddha. Each of them will rule for a 100 years, adding up to a total of 3200 years. The first 7 kings will be called Dharmarajas (Truth Kings), while the next 25 will be known as Kalki Kings (Holder of the Castes). The final Kalki King will be called Rudra Chakrin (meaning, “The Wrathful One with the Wheel”), who will ascend the throne of Shambhala as the 25th and last king.\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Ctable align=\"center\" cellpadding=\"0\" cellspacing=\"0\" class=\"tr-caption-container\" style=\"margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;\"\u003E\u003Ctbody\u003E\u003Ctr\u003E\u003Ctd style=\"text-align: center;\"\u003E\u003Ca href=\"https:\/\/blogger.googleusercontent.com\/img\/b\/R29vZ2xl\/AVvXsEjavVZcqDcbYZ9dgsWkM5J3ryZxr1kRp-D16dEPWXGaNsjI22ZVqPyj4VTclB5AJZSlciXWpyxBFfKc4rg-4O2793oa9gxDNjYiTa0tRwPSG0aVmH-WU6bqXXIez8MlnVi3h3Ol1v2o_SYexVF4xcexNHRaARrc5nkgOHerUyTYKoQaii3FEab42vi9ff8\/s978\/Rudra%20Chakrin,%20from%20Edward%20Henning%E2%80%99s%20website,%20Kalacakra%20dot%20org%20edit.jpg\" style=\"margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;\"\u003E\u003Cimg border=\"0\" data-original-height=\"956\" data-original-width=\"978\" height=\"313\" src=\"https:\/\/blogger.googleusercontent.com\/img\/b\/R29vZ2xl\/AVvXsEjavVZcqDcbYZ9dgsWkM5J3ryZxr1kRp-D16dEPWXGaNsjI22ZVqPyj4VTclB5AJZSlciXWpyxBFfKc4rg-4O2793oa9gxDNjYiTa0tRwPSG0aVmH-WU6bqXXIez8MlnVi3h3Ol1v2o_SYexVF4xcexNHRaARrc5nkgOHerUyTYKoQaii3FEab42vi9ff8\/w320-h313\/Rudra%20Chakrin,%20from%20Edward%20Henning%E2%80%99s%20website,%20Kalacakra%20dot%20org%20edit.jpg\" width=\"320\" \/\u003E\u003C\/a\u003E\u003C\/td\u003E\u003C\/tr\u003E\u003Ctr\u003E\u003Ctd class=\"tr-caption\" style=\"text-align: center;\"\u003EFigure 2: Rudra Chakrin, the final Kalki King of Shambhala, holding a \nspear (shakti) and a wheel (chakra). Image taken from Edward Henning’s \nwebsite, Kalacakra.org.\u003C\/td\u003E\u003C\/tr\u003E\u003C\/tbody\u003E\u003C\/table\u003E\u003Cp\u003EAs the succession of the Shambhala kings takes place, corruption and deterioration will predominate on the earth. Victoria Dmitrieva, in her thesis titled, “The Legend of Shambhala in Eastern and Western Interpretations (1997)”, wrote that, as per the Kalachakra Tantra,\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cblockquote\u003E\u003Cp\u003E“Religions will no longer be duly respected, an aggressive materialism will rule the planet and spiritual attainments will be of no value. The barbarians (Kla-klo), fighting each other for power, will be finally united under an evil King. After the whole world has submitted to him, the hidden land of Shambhala will reveal itself and the (evil) King, overwhelmed with rage that he is not the only ruler of the world, will lead a war against Shambhala.\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EThe Kla-klo king will have all kinds of mighty terrible weapons at his disposal. This final battle of Shambhala with the Kla-klo army will be held in 2425 CE. Then the 32nd Shambhala King, Rudra Chakrin, will lead his army against the barbarians and will destroy them, thus bestowing the “perfect age” for at least a thousand years. At that time the whole world will turn into Shambhala with no sickness or poverty, and no need to work to earn a living. Even great saints and sages of the past will return to life to teach true wisdom, and many will attain enlightenment through the practice of the Kalachakra.”[5]\u003C\/p\u003E\u003C\/blockquote\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EThe final battle between Rudra Chakrin and the barbarian rulers of the earth is prophesied to happen in 2425 CE, which is exactly 400 years after the 2025 CE date for the end of the Kali Yuga. The “perfect age” of a thousand years that will follow the end-time battle corresponds to the 1200-year period of Ekpyrosis after the Kali Yuga. Although the 1200-year period of Ekpyrosis will be a time of significant earth changes, which will purify, rearrange and renew our world, it will also be an amazing time to live for the survivors of the impending apocalyptic events, for a new, divine, energy will course through our planet, which will cleanse our minds of egoic dross and activate the dormant chakra centers and subtle mental abilities. As a result, the people of that period are likely to experience powerful feelings of bliss that are inconceivable today.\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EI was curious, though, as to why the apocalyptic battle in the Kalachakra Tantra was prophesied to occur in 2425 CE, exactly 400 years after 2025 CE. When I looked into the calculations in the Kalachakra Tantra a bit more closely, I realized that some amendments had been introduced into the text, either during the time of translation or at a later date, as a result of which the date of the end-time battle was extended by 400 years.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Ctable align=\"center\" cellpadding=\"0\" cellspacing=\"0\" class=\"tr-caption-container\" style=\"margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;\"\u003E\u003Ctbody\u003E\u003Ctr\u003E\u003Ctd style=\"text-align: center;\"\u003E\u003Ca href=\"https:\/\/blogger.googleusercontent.com\/img\/b\/R29vZ2xl\/AVvXsEiji6jix6oCtj1nkRJAk4eN8WAGKYKa-Td3lAFq5_OHll0DoZ_s7rIWyV4_CLQIlwwehqy69UNBeE5kHq2s4FauABaOOEnouvZEpcfWqilMOFcOjqZ4gY8qoMEyGWHflGVjZ6nt1-yKJB40viChGq3Q7qKyeasquoPoEdbG7SqfyR1BS3QNeIgQTMs75d8\/s800\/Rudra%20Chakrin,%20the%20King%20of%20Shambhala,%20from%20Potala%20palace,%20source%20pbase.jpg\" style=\"margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;\"\u003E\u003Cimg border=\"0\" data-original-height=\"800\" data-original-width=\"647\" height=\"400\" src=\"https:\/\/blogger.googleusercontent.com\/img\/b\/R29vZ2xl\/AVvXsEiji6jix6oCtj1nkRJAk4eN8WAGKYKa-Td3lAFq5_OHll0DoZ_s7rIWyV4_CLQIlwwehqy69UNBeE5kHq2s4FauABaOOEnouvZEpcfWqilMOFcOjqZ4gY8qoMEyGWHflGVjZ6nt1-yKJB40viChGq3Q7qKyeasquoPoEdbG7SqfyR1BS3QNeIgQTMs75d8\/w324-h400\/Rudra%20Chakrin,%20the%20King%20of%20Shambhala,%20from%20Potala%20palace,%20source%20pbase.jpg\" width=\"324\" \/\u003E\u003C\/a\u003E\u003C\/td\u003E\u003C\/tr\u003E\u003Ctr\u003E\u003Ctd class=\"tr-caption\" style=\"text-align: center;\"\u003EFigure 3: Rudra Chakrin, the final king of Shambhala, riding a white \nhorse and killing the barbarians with his spear (shakti). Source: \npbase.com\u003C\/td\u003E\u003C\/tr\u003E\u003C\/tbody\u003E\u003C\/table\u003E\u003Cp\u003EAs per the prophecy, the end-time battle will occur after each of the 32 Shambhala Kings have ruled for 100 years each, for a total duration of 3200 years after the time of Buddha. Within the Eastern Buddhist tradition of China, Vietnam, Korea and Japan, the traditional date for the death of the Buddha was 949 BCE.[6] Since the first Shambhala King Suchandra, was believed to be ruling during the time of Buddha, the period of Suchandra’s rule is assumed to have extended from c. 976 – 876 BCE. Thereafter, each King ruled for a hundred years.\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EThis sequence should have taken us to 2225 CE for the end-time battle, but, for some inexplicable reason, the 3rd Kalki King named Bhadra has been assumed to rule for 300 years, instead of the usual 100. As a result, the date of the end-time battle got extended to 2425 CE.\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EAs I went through the numbers in the Kalachakra Tantra, I was astonished by how closely the dates and time periods in the prophecy correspond to the Yuga Cycle framework based on the Saptarshi Calendar. Here are the primary correlations that took me by surprise:\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Col style=\"text-align: left;\"\u003E\u003Cli\u003EThe first Shambhala King, Suchandra’s reign extended for 100 years from 976 – 876 BCE. Thus, the counting in the Kalachakra system begins from 976 BCE. In the Yuga Cycle timeline, the descending Kali Yuga ended in 976 BCE - the exact same date!\u0026nbsp; \u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003C\/li\u003E\u003Cli\u003EAs per the Yuga Cycle timeline, the end of the descending Kali Yuga in 976 BCE was followed by a 300-year period of transition and the 2700-year ascending Kali Yuga thereafter, adding up to a 3000-year Yuga. In the Kalachakra Tantra, the rule of the 32 Shambhala kings extend for a total of 3200 years, starting from 976 BCE.\u003C\/li\u003E\u003Cli\u003EIn the Kalachakra Tantra, each Shambhala king rules for 100 years, starting from 976 BCE, whereas the Yuga Cycle was tracked by the Saptarshi Calendar in which the Seven Sages spend 100 years in each nakshatra or lunar house, thereby completing a 2700-year cycle around the ecliptic. Thus, not only is the starting point of the current epoch same in both systems i.e. 976 BCE, they both use a 100-year tracking system.\u003C\/li\u003E\u003C\/ol\u003E\u003Cp\u003EThese correlations clearly indicate that the Saptarshi Calendar served as the basis for determining the dates in the Kalachakra Tantra. The 100 years of rule of each Shambhala king was the 100 years that the Saptarshis spend in each nakshatra; while the beginning of the present epoch in 976 BCE in the Kalachakra system coincides with the end of the descending Kali Yuga in 976 BCE, and, effectively, the beginning of the next Yuga of 3000 years.\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EIt is the Saptarshi Calendar that begins in the 76th year of each century BCE, and, therefore, a counting system that begins from 976 BCE and uses a 100-year reckoning must, necessarily, be based on the Saptarshi Cycle.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EThe reason why the end-time battle in the Kalachakra prophecy occurs in 2425 CE - exactly 400 years after 2025 CE – is because of a couple of deviations in the Kalachakra system. Firstly, as I have already mentioned, in the Kalachakra system, the 3rd Kalki King, Bhadra, has been arbitrarily assumed to rule for 300 years, instead of the usual 100. That’s 200 extra years, which should be rightly ignored for computing the date of the end-time battle.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003ESecondly, in the Kalachakra system, the current epoch starting in 976 BCE lasts for 3200 years, whereas in the Yuga Cycle doctrine each Yuga is of 3000-years durations. That’s another 200 extra years. It is rather odd why the Kalachakra considers the final epoch to be of 3200 years duration, when, both in the Indian and Persian doctrines, each Yuga extended for 3000 years. I wondered if the 200 extra years were added later to the Kalachakra text. My instinctive feeling was vindicated when I came across an intriguing piece of information in the Kalachakra.org website, which has been put together by Edward Henning, a renowned Kalachakra scholar, translator and Tibetan astrology expert, and the author of the book “Kalachakra Mandala”. Edward Henning observes that,\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cblockquote\u003E“There are some problems with the listing of the kalki-kings. The general list given in Tibetan texts, and used in the series of pictures shown here, contains 25 names, but the great Indian Kalacakra teacher Vibhuticandra pointed out to Tibetan colleagues that the names of the 18th and 19th in this list, Hari and Vikrama, belonged together as one name, Harivikrama. He also pointed out to them that some Tibetan lists similarly split up the name of number 24 in the list into two names, Ananta and Vijaya. This persists to this day. The advice of this great Kalacakra teacher was duly noted by the Tibetans but in practice ignored, and their misreading of the Sanskrit when translating into Tibetan was not corrected.”[7]\u003C\/blockquote\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003ENow we begin to get an idea of what might have happened. A single name in the Sanskrit text was broken up into two different names in the “official” Tibetan list of Shambhala kings. This definitely happened in case of the king Harivikrama as noted by Vibhuticandra, and it is not unlikely that another error of a similar type was introduced into the Tibetan texts during the process of translation.\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EIn fact, I would suggest that the 11th king \"Aja\" and the 12th king \"Surya\" belonged together as one king \"AjaSurya\". This is because the term \"Aja\" is a title of \"Surya\". In the book, \u003Ci\u003EAn Introduction to Comparative Mythology: Ancient Near Eastern Studies,\u003C\/i\u003E Marchall and Pilkey wrote that, \"The mysterious figure AJA is claimed as the Father of Dasaratha. “AJA” is a ‘seed’ title of SURYA.\" Then the authors identified some of the lineages leading to Rama, such as, \"Raghu- AJA(Surya)- Dasaratha-Rama, Nabhaga- AJA(Surya)- Dasaratha-Rama\". In other words, the terms \"Aja\" and \"Surya\" belong together as \"AjaSurya\", and are very unlikely to be the names of two consecutive kings. \u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EIt is eminently possible that the original Kalachakra system had 30 Shambhala Kings (and not 32) ruling for 100 years each, adding up to a 3000-year Yuga. Thus, the date of the end-time battle in the original Kalachakra system was 2025 CE, but due to subsequent amendments - either during the process of translation or at a later date - this date got extended by 400 years.\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EFortunately, the original date of the apocalyptic battle i.e. 2025 CE was not completely forgotten but was preserved by means of oral transmission within certain lineages of monks. This is the date that the Tibetan master Djwal Khul had conveyed to Alice Bailey, as being the time when the externalization of the “Divine Hierarchy” will begin.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003ESince the Tibetan Canon was largely translated from the ancient Sanskrit texts, it implies that, in ancient India, there was a system of tracking the Yuga Cycle using the Saptarshi Calendar, in which the current Yuga of 3000 years duration began in 976 BCE. The knowledge of this system was lost from India when the country came under a slew of external invasions from the 11th century onwards. This means, the Yuga Cycle timeline that I have proposed, is not a new interpretation of the Yuga Cycle. Rather, it is a “rediscovery” of an ancient method of tracking the Yuga Cycle using the Saptarshi Calendar. This method was prevalent in India for thousands of years, and then it was forgotten sometime during our long passage through the darkness of the Kali Yuga.\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EOne of the questions that I had pondered over is, why did the Tibetan Buddhists extend the date of the end-time battle by 400 years to 2425 CE? It is quite clear that the end-date was deliberately extended and was not done inadvertently. My guess is that, there was an attempt to bring it in line with the Zoroastrian beliefs about the end of the current World Cycle.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EThe Persians, who were the neighbors of the Indus Valley civilization, and with whom the Indians had longstanding cultural and linguistic connections, not only believed in a World Cycle of 12,000 years, but they also divided it up into four equal Ages of 3,000 years each.[8]\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EAs per the ancient Persian accounts, Zoroaster lived between the 7th and 6th centuries BCE, and had received his revelation from Ahura Mazda in the world-year 9000.[9] This takes the beginning of the current World Cycle, when Supreme Lord, Ahura Mazda, had recreated the world, to the period between 9600 BCE to 9700 BCE - the precise time when the last Ice Age had ended. As per the Yuga Cycle framework, the descending cycle of consciousness began in 9676 BCE, which is perfectly aligned with the Persian estimates.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EThe Zoroastrian tradition holds that, after Zoroaster began teaching the doctrine of Ahura Mazda, he initiated the final World Age of 3000 years, which will be followed by the final renovation of the world when the forces of light will triumph over evil. Thus, the 12000-year World Cycle is scheduled to end sometime between 2300 and 2400 CE. This is the approximate time that the Tibetan Buddhist might have “targeted” for placing their apocalyptic battle, in which Rudra Chakrin will emerge from Shambhala and vanquish the forces of evil and inequity.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003ESince the concept of the “transitional periods” between the Yugas is missing in the Zoroastrian doctrine, their belief was that, the bulk of the transformative changes are effected at the very end of a 3000-year Yuga. This belief is not correct, as I have shown in my book and previous articles, for there is always a period of transition spanning 300 years or so between the Yugas, when a series of cataclysmic events eradicate the older civilizations and a new wave of civilizations begin to appear in the archaeological records.\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EOne of the key takeaways from this discussion is that, the end of the Kali Yuga is not some vague date hundreds of thousands of years into the future as many Hindus tend to believe, but is very close at hand. In many Puranas, the duration of the Yuga Cycle had been inflated to a humungous number (4,320,000 years) by multiplying the 12000-year half-cycle by 360, and this has now become the dominant idea, even though the 12000-year cycle has been explicitly specified in the Mahabharata and the Laws of Manu. Unfortunately, it is very difficult to dislodge an erroneous conception once people have become indoctrinated with it.\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EBut, we cannot have different Yuga Cycles for different cultures, and my study shows that the Yuga Cycle and the earth’s precession cycle are one and the same, and the Kali Yuga ends on 21st March, 2025. I do hope that open-minded seekers of the truth will reflect on this information and re-evaluate their understanding of the Yuga Cycle, so that they can prepare themselves to deal with the transformative changes that are on the way, and that have, to some extent, already started to manifest.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u0026nbsp;\u003Cb\u003EReferences\u003C\/b\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E[1] Bibhu Dev Misra, \"The end of the Kali Yuga in 2025: Unraveling the mysteries of the Yuga Cycle\", Ancient Inquiries, July 15, 2012, \u003Ca href=\"https:\/\/www.bibhudevmisra.com\/2012\/07\/end-of-kali-yuga-in-2025-unraveling.html\" target=\"_blank\"\u003Ehttps:\/\/www.bibhudevmisra.com\/2012\/07\/end-of-kali-yuga-in-2025-unraveling.html\u003C\/a\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E[2] Bibhu Dev Misra, \" The Yuga Cycle and the 25,800-year Precession Cycle of the Earth\", Ancient Inquiries, March 18, 2024, \u003Ca href=\"https:\/\/www.bibhudevmisra.com\/2024\/03\/the-yuga-cycle-and-earths-precession.html\" target=\"_blank\"\u003Ehttps:\/\/www.bibhudevmisra.com\/2024\/03\/the-yuga-cycle-and-earths-precession.html\u003C\/a\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E[3] Dorje Jinpa, “The Coming Avatar”, 2013, \u003Ca href=\"http:\/\/whenthesoulawakens.org\/the-coming-avatar_448.html\" target=\"_blank\"\u003Ehttp:\/\/whenthesoulawakens.org\/the-coming-avatar_448.html\u003C\/a\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E[4] Alice Bailey, The Externalisation Of The Hierarchy, Lucis Publishing Company, 1957.\u003Cbr \/\u003E[5] Victoria Dmitrieva, The Legend of Shambhala in Eastern and Western Interpretations, Mc Gill University, November 1997, p. 11.\u003Cbr \/\u003E[6] L.S. Cousins, “The Dating of the Historical Buddha: A Review Article”, Journal of the Royal Asiatic Society, 6, 1 (1996), pp. 57 - 63.\u003Cbr \/\u003E[7] \"The Kings of Sambhala\", \u003Ca href=\"http:\/\/www.kalacakra.org\/kings\/skings2.htm\" target=\"_blank\"\u003Ehttp:\/\/www.kalacakra.org\/kings\/skings2.htm\u003C\/a\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E[8] Mary Boyce, Textual Sources for the Study of Zoroastrianism, op. cit., p. 20.\u003Cbr \/\u003E[9] “ASTVA?.?R?TA”, Enclyclopaedia Iranica, \u003Ca href=\"https:\/\/iranicaonline.org\/articles\/astvat-ereta-savior\" target=\"_blank\"\u003Ehttps:\/\/iranicaonline.org\/articles\/astvat-ereta-savior\u003C\/a\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E"},"link":[{"rel":"replies","type":"application/atom+xml","href":"https:\/\/www.bibhudevmisra.com\/feeds\/391275576620055567\/comments\/default","title":"Post Comments"},{"rel":"replies","type":"text/html","href":"https:\/\/www.bibhudevmisra.com\/2024\/04\/alice-baileys-prophecy-about-2025-and.html#comment-form","title":"55 Comments"},{"rel":"edit","type":"application/atom+xml","href":"https:\/\/www.blogger.com\/feeds\/6864653463177413678\/posts\/default\/391275576620055567"},{"rel":"self","type":"application/atom+xml","href":"https:\/\/www.blogger.com\/feeds\/6864653463177413678\/posts\/default\/391275576620055567"},{"rel":"alternate","type":"text/html","href":"https:\/\/www.bibhudevmisra.com\/2024\/04\/alice-baileys-prophecy-about-2025-and.html","title":"Alice Bailey’s Prophecy about 2025 and its links to the Kalachakra Tantra"}],"author":[{"name":{"$t":"Bibhu Dev Misra"},"uri":{"$t":"http:\/\/www.blogger.com\/profile\/15388473714672380058"},"email":{"$t":"noreply@blogger.com"},"gd$image":{"rel":"http://schemas.google.com/g/2005#thumbnail","width":"32","height":"28","src":"\/\/blogger.googleusercontent.com\/img\/b\/R29vZ2xl\/AVvXsEh4sklyRp_L5BfqEXTjoskgFPFYpJiNJSuDN5zrcldGBaXot626bOTu8q5TUYsip63M6EkY2JbuoE6l1N5fMKiqKfzFfaaKpqm91QZx9rMdAL3t-ju2QdYi1K-BeCJsjw\/s130\/DSCN1699.JPG"}}],"media$thumbnail":{"xmlns$media":"http://search.yahoo.com/mrss/","url":"https:\/\/blogger.googleusercontent.com\/img\/b\/R29vZ2xl\/AVvXsEhib2gfV8jlA0HOmZC3hs-bb_FZevCJEVGh_kPbQYl33I00ofPiI9SkAV58z3qIFP8DR9gCAcig78BFg91pj_ku7yCPXJU8D74iQvdk779At4oyFRN2i6U8wCYv6-ikhkabX1cpAqx_V7sQAOzKtkApUDMz-6J0JZofbn5mmacZM3IJrxDE0sBJw2SvcTA\/s72-c\/Rudra%20Chakrin,%20the%20King%20of%20Shambhala,%20from%20Potala%20palace,%20source%20pbase%20small.jpg","height":"72","width":"72"},"thr$total":{"$t":"55"}},{"id":{"$t":"tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6864653463177413678.post-7852601839223914204"},"published":{"$t":"2024-03-18T19:13:00.009+05:30"},"updated":{"$t":"2025-08-02T13:11:04.119+05:30"},"category":[{"scheme":"http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#","term":"Article"},{"scheme":"http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#","term":"Yuga Cycle"}],"title":{"type":"text","$t":"The Yuga Cycle and the 25,800-year Precession Cycle of the Earth"},"content":{"type":"html","$t":"\u003Cp\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cdiv class=\"separator\" style=\"clear: both; text-align: center;\"\u003E\u003Ca href=\"https:\/\/blogger.googleusercontent.com\/img\/b\/R29vZ2xl\/AVvXsEh1Vc0rAeCGwffMYDip1NdD31rdLOJI89UZxaL9DYBG2zqEfRTzUna9GOPh8Ud0Mk5rviMvGixKmBa55H8FWtA3iwK0E_HlGEiNkI9_aiL5J5KrVHv_zl1A0p7deGzaPDrmTpAE9bWAOZ8lXTrIeOs6n1WnG25txkJS5Yg1p7hOWPZE7rbRuLhczsakIOk\/s700\/Yuga%20Cycle%2025800%20years2%20small.jpg\" style=\"margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;\"\u003E\u003Cimg border=\"0\" data-original-height=\"568\" data-original-width=\"700\" height=\"260\" src=\"https:\/\/blogger.googleusercontent.com\/img\/b\/R29vZ2xl\/AVvXsEh1Vc0rAeCGwffMYDip1NdD31rdLOJI89UZxaL9DYBG2zqEfRTzUna9GOPh8Ud0Mk5rviMvGixKmBa55H8FWtA3iwK0E_HlGEiNkI9_aiL5J5KrVHv_zl1A0p7deGzaPDrmTpAE9bWAOZ8lXTrIeOs6n1WnG25txkJS5Yg1p7hOWPZE7rbRuLhczsakIOk\/s320\/Yuga%20Cycle%2025800%20years2%20small.jpg\" width=\"320\" \/\u003E\u003C\/a\u003E\u003C\/div\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003EMost ancient cultures believed that human civilization and consciousness moves in grand cycles, slowly declining from Golden Ages of illumination and harmony to Dark Ages of ignorance and strife. In India, this cycle was called the Yuga Cycle. Other cultures knew it by different names. The Greeks referred to it as the Cycle of the Ages of Man, the Supreme Year, or the Great Year. The Persians called it the World Cycle. The Hopi refer to the four previous ages as the Four Worlds, while the Aztecs knew them as the Four Suns. The Egyptians were also aware of the Yuga Cycle, as did many other cultures; for this understanding was encoded into the ancient tales and sacred wisdom that had been orally transmitted for generations.\u003Cspan\u003E\u003Ca name='more'\u003E\u003C\/a\u003E\u003C\/span\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EIn the years leading up to 2012, when there was considerable global consternation over the approaching end of the Mayan Calendar, I became interested in the Yuga Cycle doctrine of ancient India, and decided to take a closer look at the available data and philosophical speculations in order to determine the possible ending of the Kali Yuga or Iron Age – which is the current age of greed and lies, discord and violence, that we are living in. When I dove into the details, however, I realized that a number of errors and omissions had crept into the ancient texts in course of our long passage through the darkness of the Kali Yuga, as a result of which, the original formulation of the Yuga Cycle was completely lost.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EThe guiding principle that I decided to adopt in order work out the original Yuga Cycle formulation was that, there could not have been different Yuga Cycles for different cultures. There was only one Yuga Cycle for the entire world that governed the periodic rise and fall of consciousness, and in order to stitch together the original framework, it was of utmost importance to delineate the common threads that run through the different traditions. I was also keenly aware that I needed to keep tabs on the latest archaeological, anthropological and historical findings, for any Yuga Cycle framework needs to be backed up by as much scientific data as possible.\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EIn July 2012, I had published an article titled, \u003Ca href=\"https:\/\/www.bibhudevmisra.com\/2012\/07\/end-of-kali-yuga-in-2025-unraveling.html\" target=\"_blank\"\u003E\"The End of the Kali Yuga in 2025: Unraveling the Mysteries of the Yuga Cycle\"\u003C\/a\u003E[1] in which I had put forward, what, in my opinion, was the original Yuga Cycle timeline, which indicated that the Kali Yuga was due to end in 2025. I had discussed the rationale for the proposed timeline in the article, and I have treated the matter with a lot more rigor in the book. Without going into the nitty-gritties, let me present some of the essential building blocks of this framework.\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E1. The complete Yuga Cycle is of 24,000-years duration, and is comprised of an ascending cycle of 12000 years, when human consciousness gradually increases, followed by a descending cycle of 12000 years when consciousness gradually diminishes.\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E2. Each 12,000-year half-cycle is comprised of four Yugas of equal duration of 3000-years each. The actual duration of a Yuga is 2700 years, and it is followed by a transitional period of 300 years before the qualities of the subsequent Yuga is manifested. The Yuga Cycle was tracked using the “Saptarshi Calendar” or “Calendar of the Seven Sages” of ancient India, which has a 2700-year cycle called a “Saptarshi Yuga”.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E3. It can be determined from the extant historical records that, one of the starting points of the Saptarshi Calendar was in 6676 BCE, which denotes the beginning of the Dwapara Yuga (Bronze Age) in the descending cycle. Using this date as an anchor point, the entire Yuga Cycle timeline gets unraveled, as shown below. For those who are not familiar with the Sanskrit terms: Satya Yuga is Golden Age, Treta Yuga is Silver Age, Dwapara Yuga is Bronze Age and Kali Yuga is Iron Age.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Ctable align=\"center\" cellpadding=\"0\" cellspacing=\"0\" class=\"tr-caption-container\" style=\"margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;\"\u003E\u003Ctbody\u003E\u003Ctr\u003E\u003Ctd style=\"text-align: center;\"\u003E\u003Ca href=\"https:\/\/blogger.googleusercontent.com\/img\/b\/R29vZ2xl\/AVvXsEgrvlCZ_t4L3zjkYp5zEfJU1slMXC2ufJNZnyZDW2Glc_2cCnRjWKgtEpv_1K-z1ZXzIL_YWPFswpycz5YUHuWsVaR2YHwD5Mu1EsT4n6lc1f0PyIa_2C6BlgOpWwBu6TAJmfTrua9wkCeVSRyfGsR5ltOcN7ry5KBOaHrVpl4XEZ0fwhG21rTsUvI-zC4\/s1400\/25%20Yuga%20Cycle%20timeline%2024000%20years3.jpg\" style=\"margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;\"\u003E\u003Cimg alt=\"Yuga Cycle 24,000 years\" border=\"0\" data-original-height=\"1165\" data-original-width=\"1400\" height=\"533\" src=\"https:\/\/blogger.googleusercontent.com\/img\/b\/R29vZ2xl\/AVvXsEgrvlCZ_t4L3zjkYp5zEfJU1slMXC2ufJNZnyZDW2Glc_2cCnRjWKgtEpv_1K-z1ZXzIL_YWPFswpycz5YUHuWsVaR2YHwD5Mu1EsT4n6lc1f0PyIa_2C6BlgOpWwBu6TAJmfTrua9wkCeVSRyfGsR5ltOcN7ry5KBOaHrVpl4XEZ0fwhG21rTsUvI-zC4\/w640-h533\/25%20Yuga%20Cycle%20timeline%2024000%20years3.jpg\" width=\"640\" \/\u003E\u003C\/a\u003E\u003C\/td\u003E\u003C\/tr\u003E\u003Ctr\u003E\u003Ctd class=\"tr-caption\" style=\"text-align: center;\"\u003EFigure 1: The 24000-year Yuga Cycle based on the Saptarshi Calendar. Credit: Bibhu Dev Misra\u003C\/td\u003E\u003C\/tr\u003E\u003C\/tbody\u003E\u003C\/table\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u0026nbsp;The Yuga Cycle framework reveals that the descending cycle of consciousness began in 9676 BCE, around the same time that the last Ice Age came to a rather abrupt end. The ancient authors indicate that this was the time when the Golden-age kingdom of Atlantis sank into the ocean, and the Supreme Creator of the Zoroastrians, Ahura Mazda, had re-created the world and initiated the current World Cycle of 12,000 years.\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EOver the past 5700-odd years, we have been living in two back-to-back Kali Yugas - the descending Kali Yuga followed by the ascending Kali Yuga. These two Yugas of ignorance and discord span most of recorded history, starting with the Bronze Age civilizations in Egypt, Mesopotamia and the Indus Valley.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EWe are now approaching the end of ascending Kali Yuga in the year 2025. The term “ascending” tends to convey the wrong impression that we may be in a “higher Yuga” and our civilization is on an upward trajectory of virtue and progress. Far from it. In the ascending Kali Yuga only the material circumstances of life begin to improve, along with an increase in our lifespan and physical stature, but the degradation of human consciousness and the proliferation of vices continues unabated throughout the entire duration of the Kali Yuga. This is why, at the fag end of the Kali Yuga, we have an out-of-balance society which is characterized by a massive “matter-spirit gap” that is highly destabilizing and is responsible for much of the misery and injustices we see around us. The need of the hour is to reduce our attachment to material acquisitions and focus our energies on the other dimensions of our life, particularly on cultivating mental and spiritual awareness, in order to restore the much-needed balance, harmony and sanity in our lives.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EThe Yuga Cycle timeline indicates that we are living in the times of momentous changes, which will begin to unfold as we get closer to 2025 and enter the period of transition. Not only are we about to emerge from the dense, materialistic vibrations of the Kali Yuga, but we are also at the cusp of the entire descending cycle of consciousness that began in 9676 BCE. The events of the past few years have revealed that human consciousness has now plunged into utter depravity, and, all means, however despicable, are now considered legitimate for the acquisition of money and influence and for the exploitation and enslavement of the masses. The specter of hatred, war and unrestrained violence is spreading across the world, while the frequency and ferocity of extreme weather phenomenon such as floods, landslides and wildfires have dramatically increased over the past few years. All of these are precursors of the planetary-scale changes that lie ahead of us.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EEvery time we go though the periods of transition between the Yugas, there is a cataclysmic obliteration of the existing civilizations (“pralaya”, in Sanskrit), which is followed by the re-emergence of a new wave of civilizations with different artistic, technological and cultural traits. The purging events purify our consciousness and restore all of nature to its original pristine state to support another round of civilization. In my article, I had presented a gamut of archaeological and geological evidence which show that, every 3000-odd years, a new wave of civilizations emerge all over the world, built on the ashes of the previous civilizations, which are wiped away by a slew of cataclysmic events occurring over a period of roughly 300 years.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EIt happened in c.9600 BCE, soon after the cataclysmic end of the last Ice Age, with the establishment of the settlements at Gobekli Tepe. We can be quite certain that similar settlements were springing up elsewhere at the same time, the evidence of which we are yet to uncover. In c.6500 BCE, new settlements emerged in Anatolia and Southeastern Europe with distinct cultural traits, but we don’t have much of an idea about what was going on in other parts of the world at that time. This was preceded by a bout of global flooding, triggered primarily by the collapse of the Laurentide Ice Sheet in North America. Then in c.3600 BCE, the “Bronze Age” civilizations arose almost simultaneously in Egypt, Mesopotamia, India, Malta and other places, while the pre-Bronze Age cultures were wiped out without a trace. Finally at around c.700 BCE, the Iron Age cultures emerged almost simultaneously in the Eastern Mediterranean region, Persia, India, Mesoamerica etc., built on the ashes of the Bronze Age civilizations which had collapsed in a heap over the previous 400-odd years.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EThe trend is distinct and unmistakable. The Yuga Cycle is not an article of faith but an important scientific doctrine which captures the cyclical nature of human civilization. Not only does it give us a clear perspective of what had happened in the past, it also tells us where our own decadent civilization of the Kali Yuga is headed. In my book \u003Ca href=\"https:\/\/www.amazon.com\/YUGA-SHIFT-IMPENDING-PLANETARY-TRANSFORMATION\/dp\/B0CPJVYQG4\/ref=pd_ci_mcx_mh_mcx_views_0_image\" target=\"_blank\"\u003EYUGA SHIFT\u003C\/a\u003E, I have taken a closer look at the events of the last four Yuga-transitional periods, which reveals that comet and meteor impacts inevitably play a crucial role in the periodic destruction and renewal of civilizations.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EHowever, one of the questions that had puzzled me for a long time ever since I wrote the article on the Yuga Cycle was the reason for the discrepancy between the complete Yuga Cycle of 24,000 years and the earth’s precession cycle of 25,800 years.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EThe phenomenon of the “precession of the equinoxes” was known to, and tracked by, many ancient cultures. Briefly, what this means is that, the position of the vernal equinox sun relative to the fixed stars of the zodiac changes very slowly at the rate of 1° every 71.6 years, completing an entire cycle of 360° around the zodiac in about 25,800 years.\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EIn the present epoch, the vernal equinox sun is very close to the beginning of the Pisces constellation, near its boundary with the Aquarius constellation. This can be determined by drawing a line from the earth to the sun and extending it to the ring of fixed stars beyond.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Ctable align=\"center\" cellpadding=\"0\" cellspacing=\"0\" class=\"tr-caption-container\" style=\"margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;\"\u003E\u003Ctbody\u003E\u003Ctr\u003E\u003Ctd style=\"text-align: center;\"\u003E\u003Ca href=\"https:\/\/blogger.googleusercontent.com\/img\/b\/R29vZ2xl\/AVvXsEiw0KB_bBQXIp66pzdnIngcZrMh7f1db9iU59QJNrbrWLWn4lKQZgC6QT-RGVEyHvJr8jjv86Wnr8AmpyLI90ipmAhmdxQJyGdiVT9cOVNAJhG2qrxFa0l8qwxoEl8cctpEyjvwAy-DiEbK800hjbslcFxlUcXI3hZiWOYpW7y80pQsW-1HIoCdt4k5w9w\/s1400\/36%20Zodiac%20Constellations%20Yuga%20Cycle.jpg\" style=\"margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;\"\u003E\u003Cimg alt=\"Precession of the Equinoxes\" border=\"0\" data-original-height=\"1059\" data-original-width=\"1400\" height=\"485\" src=\"https:\/\/blogger.googleusercontent.com\/img\/b\/R29vZ2xl\/AVvXsEiw0KB_bBQXIp66pzdnIngcZrMh7f1db9iU59QJNrbrWLWn4lKQZgC6QT-RGVEyHvJr8jjv86Wnr8AmpyLI90ipmAhmdxQJyGdiVT9cOVNAJhG2qrxFa0l8qwxoEl8cctpEyjvwAy-DiEbK800hjbslcFxlUcXI3hZiWOYpW7y80pQsW-1HIoCdt4k5w9w\/w640-h485\/36%20Zodiac%20Constellations%20Yuga%20Cycle.jpg\" width=\"640\" \/\u003E\u003C\/a\u003E\u003C\/td\u003E\u003C\/tr\u003E\u003Ctr\u003E\u003Ctd class=\"tr-caption\" style=\"text-align: center;\"\u003EFigure 2: The zodiac constellations encircle the solar system like a \ngiant ring. On the vernal equinox date, the Sun appears in front of the \nPisces constellation. Credit: Bibhu Dev Misra.\u003C\/td\u003E\u003C\/tr\u003E\u003C\/tbody\u003E\u003C\/table\u003E\u003Cp\u003EVery soon – perhaps, in a few decades - the vernal equinox sun will appear in front of the Aquarius constellation. In this manner, the vernal equinox point slowly shifts its position relative to the fixed stars of the zodiac at the rate of 1° every 71.67 years, spending roughly 2150 years in each constellation called an Astrological Age. So, we are now in the Age of Pisces, and about to transition to the Age of Aquarius very soon. Since the boundaries between the constellations are not precisely defined by a specific star or asterism, the exact date of transition from one Astrological Age to another is kind of hazy and subject to individual interpretation.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EThe slow change in the position of the equinoctial sun against the backdrop of the fixed stars of the zodiac is called the “precession of the equinoxes” or simply precession, while the cycle duration of 25,800 years is called a precession cycle. Human civilizations lives through twelve Astrological Ages in course of the 25,800-year precession cycle. \u0026nbsp;\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003ENow, here’s the mystery that had baffled me for a long time: What is the reason for the mismatch in values between the 24,000-year Yuga Cycle and the 25,800-year precession cycle? The duration of the Great Year specified by Cicero i.e. 25,920 years, is so close to the scientifically measured value of the precession cycle that it leaves little doubt that the two cycles must be identical.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EMoreover, the Yuga Cycle doctrine of the Jains - which I had discussed in the original article on the Yuga Cycle - strongly hints at this possibility. If we recollect, as per the Jains, the Yuga Cycle consists of an ascending half called Utsarpini, which is comprised of six smaller periods, and a descending half called Avasarpini, which is comprised of six periods as well. Thus, the complete Yuga Cycle consists of twelve smaller periods. What could these twelve periods be, if not the twelve Astrological Ages? If the complete Yuga Cycle is comprised of twelve Astrological Ages, then it gives us a very good reason to suspect that the Yuga Cycle and the precession cycle are one and the same.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EBut, how do we account for the apparent mismatch in values?\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EI found an answer to this conundrum when I came across a key piece of information about the Yugas mentioned in the ancient Greek texts, that I had overlooked earlier. As per the doctrine of the Ages of Man in Greek tradition, the earth is subjected to two extended periods of purging in course of the Great Year. One is called Kataklysmos (meaning, “Deluge”) or the “great winter” of the Great Year, when the earth is inundated by water. The other is called Ekpyrosis (meaning “Conflagration”) or the “great summer” of the Great Year, when the world is destroyed by fire. In the 3rd century CE, the Roman philosopher Censorinus wrote:\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cblockquote\u003E“There is a period called “the supreme year” by Aristotle, at the end of which the sun, moon and all the planets return to their original position. This “supreme year” has a great winter, called by the Greeks Kataklysmos which means deluge, and a great summer, called by the Greeks Ekpyrosis or combustion of the world. The world, actually, seems to be inundated and burned alternately in each of the epochs.”[2]\u003C\/blockquote\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003ENow, there was a fair degree of unanimity in the ancient times that the Flood had occurred at the end of the Golden Age or Satya Yuga. This means that the period of transition that the Greeks called Kataklysmos must have followed the Golden Age or Satya Yuga.\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EIt is extremely intriguing that the period of Kataklysmos was also called the “great winter” of the Great Year, for it just so happens that the earth went through a long period of freezing temperatures called the Younger Dryas period, which extended for nearly 1200 years from 10,900 BCE - 9700 BCE. During this time, global temperatures had plummeted by nearly 10 - 15°C to near-glacial conditions and the glaciers had advanced to their Ice Age positions.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003ECould the entire 1200-year Younger Dryas period, therefore, be the extended period of transition that the Greeks called Kataklysmos or “great winter”?\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EIn 2007, a team of international scientists led by Richard B. Firestone found compelling evidence that that the earth was bombarded by multiple fragments of a giant disintegrating comet nearly 12,900 years ago, (c.10,900 BCE) which destabilized the Laurentide Ice Sheet and triggered the Younger Dryas cooling. The shock waves and biomass burning generated by this catastrophic impact even led to the extinction of 35 genera of North American Pleistocene megafauna, and ended the prehistoric Clovis culture.[3]\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EA dense, carbon-rich, black layer, called the “black mat” was deposited over the bones of the extinct megafauna and the Clovis artifacts at more than 50 sites across North America. The black mat contains evidence of biomass burning and impact proxies such as elevated levels of Iridium, and its thickness spans the entire Younger Dryas cooling period from c.10, 900 – 9,700 BCE. This suggests that impact events must have continued to occur throughout the entire Younger Dryas period! Surprisingly, hardly anyone seems to be talking about this possibility. Is this scenario too mind-bogglingly catastrophic even for our consideration?\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003ENot many would be aware, though, that a little-known Sanskrit text called \u003Ci\u003EAdbhuta-sagara\u003C\/i\u003E provides astonishing details of a sequence of 26 comets that struck the earth, one after the other, throughout the Younger Dryas period. The second comet in the sequence is said to have caused the Deluge, the tell-tale signs of which are still preserved in the black mat! In \u003Ca href=\"https:\/\/www.amazon.com\/YUGA-SHIFT-IMPENDING-PLANETARY-TRANSFORMATION\/dp\/B0CPJVYQG4\/ref=pd_ci_mcx_mh_mcx_views_0_image\" target=\"_blank\"\u003EYuga Shift\u003C\/a\u003E, I have discussed in detail about the Younger Dryas comet swarm and the evidence of the Flood.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EObviously, the kind of environmental calamities that had swept over the world during the Younger Dryas period could not have happened while the Golden Age was still in progress. Conditions of life in the Golden Age were supposed to have been utopian; temperatures were pleasant, nature was teeming with life, and natural disasters or diseases were unknown. The Younger Dryas period could have started only after the Golden Age had ended.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EThe Yuga Cycle timeline that I had proposed earlier had a 300-year period of transition after the Golden Age. But that may not be correct, and it is quite likely that the Golden Age had ended by 10,876 BCE, and was followed by a 1200-year period of Kataklysmos or “great winter”, that extended from 10,876 BCE - 9676 BCE, coinciding with the Younger Dryas period.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EThis means, the end of Kali Yuga in 2025 will be also followed by an extended period of cataclysmic activity called Ekpyrosis (meaning “Conflagration”) or the “great summer” of the Great Year, for nearly 1200 years, since the upcoming transition is diametrically opposite to the Younger Dryas period. In other words, post 2025, it will be the Younger Dryas period all over again; except that, this time the cleansing will be by fire and not by ice and water.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EThere are direct references to the upcoming period of Ekpyrosis in many end-time prophecies. For instance, the \u003Ci\u003EKalachakra Tantra\u003C\/i\u003E prophecy tells us that, after the divine Savior Rudra Chakrin will destroy the evil forces in an apocalyptic battle, he will bestow “the “perfect age” for at least “a thousand years”, during which time, “the whole world will turn into Shambhala with no sickness or poverty, and no need to work to earn a living.”[4] This dovetails with \u003Ci\u003EThe Revelation\u003C\/i\u003E, according to which, after his Second Coming, Christ will reign for a “thousand years” along with the resurrected holy men.[5] Both these prophecies appear to be telling us about the 1200-year period of transition called Ekpyrosis which will follow the Kali Yuga, before the ascending Yuga Cycle begins.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EAlthough the 1200-year period of Ekpyrosis will be a time of significant earth changes and periodic comet impacts, which will purify and renew our world, it will also be an amazing time to live for the survivors of the impending cataclysms, for a new, divine energy will course through our planet, activating our dormant chakra centers and subtle mental abilities, and, as a result, the people of that period are likely to experience powerful feelings of bliss and connectedness that are inconceivable today. Their awareness will be expanded, revealing to them new possibilities and ways of living that promote peace, justice and harmony. They will establish the foundations of a new civilization which will eventually grow into the enlightened civilizations of the ascending Yuga Cycle, culminating in the next Golden Age.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EIn the Yuga Cycle framework that I had proposed earlier, all the transitional periods were of equal length of 300 years. However, since the extended periods of transition called Kataklysmos and Ekpyrosis extend for a whopping 1200 years each, the duration of the complete Yuga Cycle is extended by (900 + 900) i.e. 1800 years. Thus, the duration of the complete Yuga Cycle becomes equal to (24,000 + 1800) = 25,800 years, which is exactly the same as the scientifically measured value of the precession cycle!\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Ctable align=\"center\" cellpadding=\"0\" cellspacing=\"0\" class=\"tr-caption-container\" style=\"margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;\"\u003E\u003Ctbody\u003E\u003Ctr\u003E\u003Ctd style=\"text-align: center;\"\u003E\u003Ca href=\"https:\/\/blogger.googleusercontent.com\/img\/b\/R29vZ2xl\/AVvXsEjwlNyWnnuigxWFhmpzXxp0qum73w352aeHqy2lK2pRuH-lU4BUWvvEwhNk5_rSC7e9kQaQMpRG6mDir5ynRAPww29w1WMrC4FVroUTUoL9Drbl7y92mSObxFqiQyoa_Djcc6abVLBCJtASIa4lS7KF_5VtIsiFVXiZwjNGwPtum__-fbl5L8E3_0Yit2I\/s1400\/39%20Yuga%20Cycle%2025800%20years2.jpg\" style=\"margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;\"\u003E\u003Cimg alt=\"Yuga Cycle 25,800 years\" border=\"0\" data-original-height=\"1135\" data-original-width=\"1400\" height=\"518\" src=\"https:\/\/blogger.googleusercontent.com\/img\/b\/R29vZ2xl\/AVvXsEjwlNyWnnuigxWFhmpzXxp0qum73w352aeHqy2lK2pRuH-lU4BUWvvEwhNk5_rSC7e9kQaQMpRG6mDir5ynRAPww29w1WMrC4FVroUTUoL9Drbl7y92mSObxFqiQyoa_Djcc6abVLBCJtASIa4lS7KF_5VtIsiFVXiZwjNGwPtum__-fbl5L8E3_0Yit2I\/w640-h518\/39%20Yuga%20Cycle%2025800%20years2.jpg\" width=\"640\" \/\u003E\u003C\/a\u003E\u003C\/td\u003E\u003C\/tr\u003E\u003Ctr\u003E\u003Ctd class=\"tr-caption\" style=\"text-align: center;\"\u003EFigure 3: The 25,800-year Yuga Cycle, including the 1200-year periods of Kataklysmos and Ekpyrosis. Credit: Bibhu Dev Misra.\u003C\/td\u003E\u003C\/tr\u003E\u003C\/tbody\u003E\u003C\/table\u003E\u003Cp\u003EIt is quite amazing to realize that, once the periods of Kataklysmos and Ekpyrosis are included in the Yuga Cycle framework, the complete Yuga Cycle and the earth’s precession cycle become perfectly aligned! For a long time, the discrepancy in values between the two had baffled me, and it was a great relief to be able to finally put my finger on the solution.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003ELike a giant jigsaw puzzle, critical bit and pieces of the Yuga Cycle doctrine had been scattered all over the world, lying concealed with the sacred texts and oral traditions of disparate cultures, for many generations. It is only when we diligently pick up all the pieces and scrutinize them, keeping one eye always on the scientific data so that we don’t veer off track, does it become possible to put together this puzzle for the ages.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EEvidently, the Yuga Cycle and the earth’s precession cycle are one and the same, and extend for 25,800 years. On 21st of March 2025, the Kali Yuga and the entire descending cycle of consciousness will come to an end; and we will enter a long period of transition of nearly 1200 years, during which time our planet will be dramatically altered beyond recognition, and the outlines of a new civilization will be manifested, which will be permeated by compassion, peace, harmony and truth. The environment will be restored to its original pristine state, and the interdimensional gateways may open up revealing to us a reality that we have long forgotten.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EHowever, my research also indicates that the collapse of the current Kali Yuga civilization is likely to be completed in a small window of time between 2025 to 2040, due to a combination of global wars and comet impacts. These are the end-times that the ancient prophecies tells us of, when our reality will be drastically altered, and we will be forced to introspect about our patterns of thought and our way of life. The survivors of these transformative events will inherit a renewed earth and become the seeds of the new dispensation that is on the way.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EIn my book, \u003Ca href=\"https:\/\/www.amazon.com\/YUGA-SHIFT-IMPENDING-PLANETARY-TRANSFORMATION\/dp\/B0CPJVYQG4\/ref=pd_ci_mcx_mh_mcx_views_0_image\" target=\"_blank\"\u003EYUGA SHIFT\u003C\/a\u003E, I have discussed what causes the cyclical fluctuation of consciousness in course of the Yuga Cycle, the cosmic triggers for the cataclysms during the periods of Yuga transition, and the real meaning of the various prophecies that describe the return of a Savior or Avatar at the end of this age. If you are one of those who can already sense that a momentous shift is underway, and are trying to figure out how exactly this transformation may play out in the coming years, then you are likely to find the answers to some of your questions in the book.\u0026nbsp; \u0026nbsp;\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cb\u003E\u003Cu\u003EReferences\u003C\/u\u003E\u003C\/b\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E[1] Bibhu Dev Misra, \"The end of the Kali Yuga in 2025: Unraveling the mysteries of the Yuga Cycle\", Ancient Inquiries, July 15, 2012, \u003Ca href=\"https:\/\/www.bibhudevmisra.com\/2012\/07\/end-of-kali-yuga-in-2025-unraveling.html\" target=\"_blank\"\u003Ehttps:\/\/www.bibhudevmisra.com\/2012\/07\/end-of-kali-yuga-in-2025-unraveling.html\u003C\/a\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E[2] Censorinus, De Die Natali, xviii.\u003Cbr \/\u003E[3] R. B. Firestone et al, “Evidence for an extraterrestrial impact 12,900 years ago that contributed to the megafaunal extinctions and the Younger Dryas cooling”, Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences (PNAS), Oct 2007, Vol.104, No.41, pp. 16016-16021, https:\/\/www.pnas.org\/doi\/full\/10.1073\/pnas.0706977104\u003Cbr \/\u003E[4] Victoria Dmitrieva, The Legend of Shambhala in Eastern and Western Interpretations, Mc Gill University, November 1997, p. 11.\u003Cbr \/\u003E[5] Revelation 20.4-6\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/p\u003E"},"link":[{"rel":"replies","type":"application/atom+xml","href":"https:\/\/www.bibhudevmisra.com\/feeds\/7852601839223914204\/comments\/default","title":"Post Comments"},{"rel":"replies","type":"text/html","href":"https:\/\/www.bibhudevmisra.com\/2024\/03\/the-yuga-cycle-and-earths-precession.html#comment-form","title":"21 Comments"},{"rel":"edit","type":"application/atom+xml","href":"https:\/\/www.blogger.com\/feeds\/6864653463177413678\/posts\/default\/7852601839223914204"},{"rel":"self","type":"application/atom+xml","href":"https:\/\/www.blogger.com\/feeds\/6864653463177413678\/posts\/default\/7852601839223914204"},{"rel":"alternate","type":"text/html","href":"https:\/\/www.bibhudevmisra.com\/2024\/03\/the-yuga-cycle-and-earths-precession.html","title":"The Yuga Cycle and the 25,800-year Precession Cycle of the Earth"}],"author":[{"name":{"$t":"Bibhu Dev Misra"},"uri":{"$t":"http:\/\/www.blogger.com\/profile\/15388473714672380058"},"email":{"$t":"noreply@blogger.com"},"gd$image":{"rel":"http://schemas.google.com/g/2005#thumbnail","width":"32","height":"28","src":"\/\/blogger.googleusercontent.com\/img\/b\/R29vZ2xl\/AVvXsEh4sklyRp_L5BfqEXTjoskgFPFYpJiNJSuDN5zrcldGBaXot626bOTu8q5TUYsip63M6EkY2JbuoE6l1N5fMKiqKfzFfaaKpqm91QZx9rMdAL3t-ju2QdYi1K-BeCJsjw\/s130\/DSCN1699.JPG"}}],"media$thumbnail":{"xmlns$media":"http://search.yahoo.com/mrss/","url":"https:\/\/blogger.googleusercontent.com\/img\/b\/R29vZ2xl\/AVvXsEh1Vc0rAeCGwffMYDip1NdD31rdLOJI89UZxaL9DYBG2zqEfRTzUna9GOPh8Ud0Mk5rviMvGixKmBa55H8FWtA3iwK0E_HlGEiNkI9_aiL5J5KrVHv_zl1A0p7deGzaPDrmTpAE9bWAOZ8lXTrIeOs6n1WnG25txkJS5Yg1p7hOWPZE7rbRuLhczsakIOk\/s72-c\/Yuga%20Cycle%2025800%20years2%20small.jpg","height":"72","width":"72"},"thr$total":{"$t":"21"}},{"id":{"$t":"tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6864653463177413678.post-3284133419772115839"},"published":{"$t":"2023-12-15T15:05:00.013+05:30"},"updated":{"$t":"2025-08-02T13:17:19.870+05:30"},"category":[{"scheme":"http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#","term":"Article"},{"scheme":"http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#","term":"Yuga Cycle"},{"scheme":"http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#","term":"Yuga Shift"}],"title":{"type":"text","$t":"Announcing The Release Of My Book \"YUGA SHIFT\""},"content":{"type":"html","$t":"\u003Cp\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u003Cspan style=\"font-size: medium;\"\u003E\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cdiv class=\"separator\" style=\"clear: both; text-align: center;\"\u003E\u003Ca href=\"https:\/\/blogger.googleusercontent.com\/img\/b\/R29vZ2xl\/AVvXsEhrKQmZDUkwlapXaSoWT-bu9XxXiHzy4xvEpUqzFvXUW9K3LFrpd-QA3pFbk1pBVrPic-cIvWPnMGiBCS5rHTmM0p-SQxJNRDWkS7n_ui4szivg1-FecR522YMxjreafAkgWLIUucXzbt6Y3tTqSpBwH0k3tEa-n1JbL2l6IC0KkmJs09TWHavDjLr-a-4\/s400\/Yuga%20shift%20edit.png\" style=\"margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;\"\u003E\u003Cimg border=\"0\" data-original-height=\"258\" data-original-width=\"400\" height=\"206\" src=\"https:\/\/blogger.googleusercontent.com\/img\/b\/R29vZ2xl\/AVvXsEhrKQmZDUkwlapXaSoWT-bu9XxXiHzy4xvEpUqzFvXUW9K3LFrpd-QA3pFbk1pBVrPic-cIvWPnMGiBCS5rHTmM0p-SQxJNRDWkS7n_ui4szivg1-FecR522YMxjreafAkgWLIUucXzbt6Y3tTqSpBwH0k3tEa-n1JbL2l6IC0KkmJs09TWHavDjLr-a-4\/s320\/Yuga%20shift%20edit.png\" width=\"320\" \/\u003E\u003C\/a\u003E\u003C\/div\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u003Cspan style=\"font-size: medium;\"\u003EI am pleased to announce that my book \"Yuga Shift: The End of the Kali Yuga \u0026amp; The Impending Planetary Transformation\" has been released on December 15, 2023.\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u003Cspan style=\"font-size: medium;\"\u003E\u003Cspan\u003E\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Ca name='more'\u003E\u003C\/a\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u003Cspan style=\"font-size: medium;\"\u003EAs some of you are aware, more than a decade ago, in the year 2012, I had written an article on the Yuga Cycle and the impending end of the Kali Yuga in 2025. Since then, I have done a great deal of additional research on this very important topic that concerns all of us, and come across many pieces of evidence from diverse disciplines that corroborates my initial study and sheds much-needed light on many aspects of this grand cycle of time that regulates human civilization and human consciousness.\u0026nbsp; \u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u003Cspan style=\"font-size: medium;\"\u003EThe book is available for purchase on Amazon.com for \u003Ci\u003EInternational readers\u003C\/i\u003E and on Amazon.in, Flipkart, and the online book store of White Falcon Publishers (at a 10% discount) for \u003Ci\u003EIndian readers\u003C\/i\u003E. The links are provided below:\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u003Cspan style=\"font-size: large;\"\u003E\u003Cb\u003EInternational\u003C\/b\u003E\u003C\/span\u003E\u003Cspan style=\"font-size: medium;\"\u003E\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u003Cspan style=\"font-size: medium;\"\u003E\u003Ci\u003E\u003Cb\u003EAmazon.com:\u003C\/b\u003E\u003C\/i\u003E\u003Ca href=\"https:\/\/www.amazon.com\/YUGA-SHIFT-IMPENDING-PLANETARY-TRANSFORMATION\/dp\/B0CPJVYQG4\/ref=tmm_pap_swatch_0?_encoding=UTF8\u0026amp;qid=1702617983\u0026amp;sr=8-1\" target=\"_blank\"\u003Ehttps:\/\/www.amazon.com\/YUGA-SHIFT-IMPENDING-PLANETARY-TRANSFORMATION\/dp\/B0CPJVYQG4\/ref=pd_ci_mcx_mh_mcx_views_0_image\u003C\/a\u003E\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u003Cspan style=\"font-size: medium;\"\u003E\u003Cb\u003E\u003Ci\u003EGoogle e-book\u003C\/i\u003E: \u003C\/b\u003EGo to https:\/\/books.google.com\/ and search for YUGA SHIFT,\u003Cb\u003E \u003C\/b\u003Eto get the link for your country.\u003Cb\u003E \u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003C\/b\u003E\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u003Cspan style=\"font-size: large;\"\u003E\u003Cb\u003EIndia\u003C\/b\u003E\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u003Cspan style=\"font-size: medium;\"\u003E\u003Ci\u003E\u003Cb\u003EAmazon.in\u003C\/b\u003E\u003C\/i\u003E: \u003Ca href=\"https:\/\/www.amazon.in\/dp\/B0CPJVYQG4?ref=myi_title_dp\" target=\"_blank\"\u003Ehttps:\/\/www.amazon.in\/dp\/B0CPJVYQG4?ref=myi_title_dp\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003C\/a\u003E\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u003Cspan style=\"font-size: medium;\"\u003E\u003Ci\u003E\u003Cb\u003EFlipkart\u003C\/b\u003E\u003C\/i\u003E: \u003Ca href=\"https:\/\/www.flipkart.com\/product\/p\/itme?pid=9798892220965\" target=\"_blank\"\u003Ehttps:\/\/www.flipkart.com\/product\/p\/itme?pid=9798892220965\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003C\/a\u003E\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u003Cb\u003E\u003Ci\u003E\u003Cspan style=\"font-size: medium;\"\u003EWhite Falcon Publishing store (\u003C\/span\u003E\u003Cspan style=\"font-size: medium;\"\u003EPaperback, 10% discount)\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/i\u003E\u003C\/b\u003E\u003Cspan style=\"font-size: medium;\"\u003E\u003Cb\u003E:\u003C\/b\u003E \u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Ca href=\"https:\/\/store.whitefalconpublishing.com\/collections\/latest-books\/products\/yuga-shift-the-end-of-the-kali-yuga-the-impending-planetary-transformation\" target=\"_blank\"\u003Ehttps:\/\/store.whitefalconpublishing.com\/collections\/latest-books\/products\/yuga-shift-the-end-of-the-kali-yuga-the-impending-planetary-transformation\u003C\/a\u003E\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u003Cspan style=\"font-size: medium;\"\u003E\u003Cb\u003E\u003Ci\u003EGoogle e-book (discounted price Rs. 209)\u003C\/i\u003E\u003C\/b\u003E:\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u003Cspan style=\"font-size: medium;\"\u003E\u003Ca href=\"https:\/\/books.google.co.in\/books?id=-XfzEAAAQBAJ\u0026amp;lpg=PR14\u0026amp;ots=9Kc8O3qibq\u0026amp;dq=yuga%20shift%20google%20books\u0026amp;pg=PP1#v=onepage\u0026amp;q=yuga%20shift%20google%20books\u0026amp;f=false\" target=\"_blank\"\u003Ehttps:\/\/books.google.co.in\/books?id=-XfzEAAAQBAJ\u0026amp;lpg=PR14\u0026amp;ots=9Kc8O3qibq\u0026amp;dq=yuga%20shift%20google%20books\u0026amp;pg=PP1#v=onepage\u0026amp;q=yuga%20shift%20google%20books\u0026amp;f=false\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003C\/a\u003E\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u003Cspan style=\"font-size: medium;\"\u003EI am sharing a brief description of the book, and a few testimonials. In the coming months, I shall write a series of articles for sharing some of the important ideas, evidence and insights in the book.\u0026nbsp;\u003Ci\u003E\u0026nbsp; \u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003C\/i\u003E\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u003Cspan style=\"font-size: medium;\"\u003E\u003Ci\u003E\u003C\/i\u003E\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Ch2 style=\"margin-left: 40px; text-align: left;\"\u003E\u003Cspan style=\"font-size: medium;\"\u003EBook Description\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/h2\u003E\u003Cp style=\"margin-left: 40px; text-align: left;\"\u003E\u003Cspan style=\"font-size: medium;\"\u003EAlmost every ancient culture believed that human civilization and consciousness has progressively declined since an erstwhile Golden Age or Satya Yuga till the current age of greed and lies, discord and strife, called the Iron Age or Kali Yuga. Unfortunately, during our long passage through the darkness of the Kali Yuga, the original formulation of the Yuga Cycle was lost.\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp style=\"margin-left: 40px; text-align: left;\"\u003E\u003Cspan style=\"font-size: medium;\"\u003EIn this extensively researched book, Bibhu Dev Misra has delineated the common threads that run through the Yuga Cycle doctrines of multiple ancient cultures, taking the aid of scientific discoveries from various disciplines. His reconstruction of the original Yuga Cycle framework indicates that \u003Ci\u003Ethe end of the Kali Yuga is just around the corner - in 2025!\u003C\/i\u003E\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp style=\"margin-left: 40px; text-align: left;\"\u003E\u003Cspan style=\"font-size: medium;\"\u003EWithin a span of just 15 years, by the year 2040, the Kali Yuga civilization is likely to collapse due to a combination of global wars, environmental catastrophes and comet impacts. \u003Ci\u003EWe are living in the end-times that the ancient prophecies had warned us about.\u003C\/i\u003E The survivors of the impending cataclysms will inherit a renewed earth, bathed in the divine light of the Central Sun.\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp style=\"margin-left: 40px; text-align: left;\"\u003E\u003Cspan style=\"font-size: medium;\"\u003EThere is compelling evidence from many sources that the Yuga Cycle is a valid scientific doctrine, and is perfectly aligned with the earth’s precession cycle. It explains the periodic collapse and re-emergence of civilizations across the world every 3000-odd years, and the progressive decline in our physical size and cranial volume over the past 11,700 years of the descending Yuga Cycle.\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp style=\"margin-left: 40px; text-align: left;\"\u003E\u003Cspan style=\"font-size: medium;\"\u003EBut why does our size and consciousness fluctuate in a sinusoidal manner over the course of the Yuga Cycle? What are the triggers for the cataclysmic obliteration of civilization during the periods of transition between the Yuga? What is the significance of the end-time prophecies which tell of a Savior or Avatar returning at the end of the Kali Yuga? How can we navigate through the upheavals and chaos of the Yuga-ending period?\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp style=\"margin-left: 40px; text-align: left;\"\u003E\u003Cspan style=\"font-size: medium;\"\u003EThese are some of the key questions addressed in this book. This riveting and thought-provoking work contains one of the most important messages of our time.\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Ch2 style=\"margin-left: 40px; text-align: left;\"\u003E\u003Cspan style=\"font-size: medium;\"\u003ETestimonials\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/h2\u003E\u003Cp style=\"margin-left: 40px; text-align: left;\"\u003E\u003Cspan style=\"font-size: medium;\"\u003E\"Yuga Shift is a triumph in its scope and overall message...The world now sits at the precipice of a major transformation. This book is the key to understanding these changes in an entirely new, yet grounded and centered way, that emerges from Misra's meticulous research and spiritually infused voice.\"\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E- Brian Francis Culkin, author, The Ayahuasca Dialogues and Studies in Symbolic Astrology\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\"Impeccably weaving together mythology, history and sacred texts from across the world, Bibhu Dev Misra makes a compelling case that we are nearing the end of the Kali Yuga, and beginning to emerge once again towards an Age of Light...through the doorway of awakening, perhaps as early as 2025.\"\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E- Kiara Windrider, author, Gaia Luminous, Homo Luminous, and the Issa trilogy\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\"Yuga Shift is both enlightening and riveting. Harnessing a wealth of historical data, Misra meticulously charts the Yuga Cycles, unraveling ancient timelines with remarkable precision. A monumental contribution that couldn't have arrived at a more urgent time.\"\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp style=\"margin-left: 40px; text-align: left;\"\u003E\u003Cspan style=\"font-size: medium;\"\u003E- Benjamin Grundy, host of the Mysterious Universe podcast series.\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u003Cspan style=\"font-size: medium;\"\u003EI hope that the readers will find the book interesting and informative. Over the years, many readers have asked me though-provoking questions about many aspects of the Yuga Cycle, which, in some cases, led to long-drawn-out email discussions. I had many lingering doubts and queries of my own, and I am glad to say that I have been able to tie up the loose ends and present a comprehensive picture of the original Yuga Cycle formulation along with its implications for the modern-day civilization.\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u003Cspan style=\"font-size: medium;\"\u003EAfter trudging through the dense, materialistic vibrations of the Kali Yuga over the past 5700-odd years, humanity has, once again, reached the crossroads of the Yugas. A long period of dramatic transformation lies ahead of us, which\n will test all of us to the very core.\u003C\/span\u003E\u003Cspan style=\"font-size: medium;\"\u003E I hope the book will provide much-needed clarity to the readers as to what exactly is going on, where our decadent civilization of the Kali Yuga is headed and how we can deal with the significant changes that are on the way.\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u003Cspan style=\"font-size: medium;\"\u003ENamaste, and happy reading! \u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u003Cspan style=\"font-size: medium;\"\u003E\u0026nbsp;\u0026nbsp; \u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E"},"link":[{"rel":"replies","type":"application/atom+xml","href":"https:\/\/www.bibhudevmisra.com\/feeds\/3284133419772115839\/comments\/default","title":"Post Comments"},{"rel":"replies","type":"text/html","href":"https:\/\/www.bibhudevmisra.com\/2023\/12\/announcing-release-of-my-book-yuga-shift.html#comment-form","title":"21 Comments"},{"rel":"edit","type":"application/atom+xml","href":"https:\/\/www.blogger.com\/feeds\/6864653463177413678\/posts\/default\/3284133419772115839"},{"rel":"self","type":"application/atom+xml","href":"https:\/\/www.blogger.com\/feeds\/6864653463177413678\/posts\/default\/3284133419772115839"},{"rel":"alternate","type":"text/html","href":"https:\/\/www.bibhudevmisra.com\/2023\/12\/announcing-release-of-my-book-yuga-shift.html","title":"Announcing The Release Of My Book \"YUGA SHIFT\""}],"author":[{"name":{"$t":"Bibhu Dev Misra"},"uri":{"$t":"http:\/\/www.blogger.com\/profile\/15388473714672380058"},"email":{"$t":"noreply@blogger.com"},"gd$image":{"rel":"http://schemas.google.com/g/2005#thumbnail","width":"32","height":"28","src":"\/\/blogger.googleusercontent.com\/img\/b\/R29vZ2xl\/AVvXsEh4sklyRp_L5BfqEXTjoskgFPFYpJiNJSuDN5zrcldGBaXot626bOTu8q5TUYsip63M6EkY2JbuoE6l1N5fMKiqKfzFfaaKpqm91QZx9rMdAL3t-ju2QdYi1K-BeCJsjw\/s130\/DSCN1699.JPG"}}],"media$thumbnail":{"xmlns$media":"http://search.yahoo.com/mrss/","url":"https:\/\/blogger.googleusercontent.com\/img\/b\/R29vZ2xl\/AVvXsEhrKQmZDUkwlapXaSoWT-bu9XxXiHzy4xvEpUqzFvXUW9K3LFrpd-QA3pFbk1pBVrPic-cIvWPnMGiBCS5rHTmM0p-SQxJNRDWkS7n_ui4szivg1-FecR522YMxjreafAkgWLIUucXzbt6Y3tTqSpBwH0k3tEa-n1JbL2l6IC0KkmJs09TWHavDjLr-a-4\/s72-c\/Yuga%20shift%20edit.png","height":"72","width":"72"},"thr$total":{"$t":"21"}},{"id":{"$t":"tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6864653463177413678.post-8589366943828816253"},"published":{"$t":"2023-11-10T12:36:00.010+05:30"},"updated":{"$t":"2024-05-25T12:16:12.467+05:30"},"category":[{"scheme":"http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#","term":"Article"},{"scheme":"http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#","term":"Earth Mysteries"},{"scheme":"http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#","term":"Indus Valley Civilization"}],"title":{"type":"text","$t":"Indra Killed Vritra in 9703 BCE: The Comet Impact that ended the Ice Age"},"content":{"type":"html","$t":"\u003Cp\u003E\u003Cspan style=\"font-size: medium;\"\u003E\u003Cspan style=\"font-family: inherit;\"\u003E\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u003Cspan style=\"font-size: medium;\"\u003E\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cdiv class=\"separator\" style=\"clear: both; text-align: center;\"\u003E\u003Cspan style=\"font-size: medium;\"\u003E\u003Ca href=\"https:\/\/blogger.googleusercontent.com\/img\/b\/R29vZ2xl\/AVvXsEj7_1035TWPGM-gSPAP1sYi_CVmi_3tCiga2QxuN-y0ojn7Qhq1y72IYOozoFPhHzMckp0_4-aamL41YwjTQfBAUh6NvunSYYS_JWkD3U1v-KThdqxzot0NWzAN-1_AkiA3tFAYzfoVtDGMhM0m816DYrWZK7xCG6IXi32pDPb-Do-ZONUC-5TH0YtNU74\/s1400\/Header%20Image%20Adobe%20Stock%20Comet%20and%20asteroid%20impact.jpg\" style=\"margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;\"\u003E\u003Cimg border=\"0\" data-original-height=\"785\" data-original-width=\"1400\" height=\"179\" src=\"https:\/\/blogger.googleusercontent.com\/img\/b\/R29vZ2xl\/AVvXsEj7_1035TWPGM-gSPAP1sYi_CVmi_3tCiga2QxuN-y0ojn7Qhq1y72IYOozoFPhHzMckp0_4-aamL41YwjTQfBAUh6NvunSYYS_JWkD3U1v-KThdqxzot0NWzAN-1_AkiA3tFAYzfoVtDGMhM0m816DYrWZK7xCG6IXi32pDPb-Do-ZONUC-5TH0YtNU74\/s320\/Header%20Image%20Adobe%20Stock%20Comet%20and%20asteroid%20impact.jpg\" width=\"320\" \/\u003E\u003C\/a\u003E\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/div\u003E\u003Cspan style=\"font-size: medium;\"\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003EThe last Ice Age, which began nearly 125,000 years ago, had reached its maximum extent during the Last Glacial Maximum (LGM) around 20,000 years ago. At this time, large parts of the Northern Hemisphere were covered in kilometers thick ice caps, and the sea level was nearly 400 feet lower than it is today.[1] Large tracts of the continental shelves which are now submerged under water, used to be sea-front, real estate – perhaps supporting many thriving, maritime, Ice Age civilizations. Not only were the existing islands much larger back then, but many new islands were exposed in the seas, which were connected to each other and to the mainland by land bridges, forming vast antediluvian landmasses.\u0026nbsp;\u003Cspan\u003E\u003Ca name='more'\u003E\u003C\/a\u003E\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/span\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u003Cspan style=\"font-size: medium;\"\u003E\u003Cspan style=\"font-family: inherit;\"\u003EAround 19,000 years ago, as the weather began to warm up, the ice-sheets started to melt and retreat, resulting in a gradual rise in sea level. The Barbados coral reef borings reveal that, a massive pulse of freshwater – called “Meltwater Pulse 1A” or MWP-1A – was released into the oceans from the melting ice caps between 14,690 - 13,730 years ago, which raised sea level by nearly 24 meters.[2] This took place during a sudden warm phase known as the Bølling–Allerød interstadial, which extended from about 14,400 to 13,000 years ago.\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u003Cspan style=\"font-size: medium;\"\u003E\u003Cspan style=\"font-family: inherit;\"\u003EIt was around this time that the Ice Age finally appeared to be ending and the climate started warming up all over the world. The glaciers were in retreat and plant and animal life started to proliferate. All was warm, good and looking up. But then, something drastic happened which completely reversed the process of post-glacial warming.\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u003Cspan style=\"font-size: medium;\"\u003E\u003Cspan style=\"font-family: inherit;\"\u003EAround 12,900 years ago (10,900 BCE), temperatures suddenly plummeted to glacial-like conditions for a period of nearly 1200 years. It was as if some giant freezer switch had been flipped. The glaciers began to advance to their Ice Age positions. This period of sudden cooling is called the Younger Dryas (YD) period, since it was first recognized in fossil pollens of the \u003Ci\u003EDryas octopetala\u003C\/i\u003E wildflower, which became common in parts of Europe some 12,800 years ago.\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u003Cspan style=\"font-size: medium;\"\u003E\u003Cspan style=\"font-family: inherit;\"\u003EFor a long time scientists were unsure as to what had caused this abrupt reversal to Ice Age conditions. In 2007, a team of international scientists led by Richard B. Firestone found compelling evidence that that the earth was bombarded by multiple fragments of a giant disintegrating comet nearly 12,900 years ago, (c.10,900 BCE) which destabilized the Laurentide Ice Sheet and triggered the Younger Dryas cooling. The shock waves and biomass burning generated by this catastrophic impact even led to the extinction of 35 genera of North American Pleistocene megafauna, and ended the prehistoric Clovis culture – the first human inhabitants of the New World.[3] \u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u003Cspan style=\"font-size: medium;\"\u003E\u003Cspan style=\"font-family: inherit;\"\u003EThe Younger Dryas period, which extended for roughly 1200 years from c.10, 900 to 9,700 BCE, ended as abruptly as it had started, for reasons not clearly understood. Geologists from the Niels Bohr Institute of the University of Copenhagen, studied the Greenland ice-core data in 2008 and concluded that the Ice Age ended exactly in 9,703 BCE. Ice Core researcher Jorgen Peder Steffensen wrote that, “Then, finally 11,703 years before 2000 AD, the climate flipped back into a warmer mode where it has remained ever since.”[4] \u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u003Cspan style=\"font-size: medium;\"\u003E\u003Cspan style=\"font-family: inherit;\"\u003EIn an interview with the Danish paper Politiken, Steffensen said that the transition from the ice age to our current warm, interglacial period was so sudden that “it is as if a button was pressed.” In a span of a single year, temperatures increased by 10 – 15°C in many parts of the world.\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u003Cspan style=\"font-size: medium;\"\u003E\u003Cspan style=\"font-family: inherit;\"\u003EIn spite of the fact that the end of the last Ice Age has been narrowed down to a specific year i.e. 9,703 BCE, scientists don’t know what caused this sudden reversal in temperatures. However, the legends and sacred texts left behind by our ancestors provide some tantalizing clues.\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp style=\"text-align: left;\"\u003E\u003Cspan style=\"font-size: medium;\"\u003E\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Ctable align=\"center\" cellpadding=\"0\" cellspacing=\"0\" class=\"tr-caption-container\" style=\"margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;\"\u003E\u003Ctbody\u003E\u003Ctr\u003E\u003Ctd style=\"text-align: center;\"\u003E\u003Ca href=\"https:\/\/blogger.googleusercontent.com\/img\/b\/R29vZ2xl\/AVvXsEj4B53KAZGZHbc9jjuvkM2nw5ZCQXf5x0GiKRzdN7QgKxdczP9Bseij4EDV3JkOZkD6k54tLnVJRpf4PCLXN5siQNIJJx92-EadvREpHRkkvboPinmqfUmqkTcKoiufTSG9wlYlNYaTPH39D2LathM86ZnmCirELaY1433MbqEbnnM-M6S5kihQBjYuYRU\/s1180\/Temperature%20changes%20during%20late%20Pleistocene%20and%20early%20Holocene,%20Younger%20Dryas,%20based%20on%20Greenland%20ice%20core%20data,%20Wikimedia%20Commons,%20United%20States%20Geological%20Survey,%20Public%20Domain.jpg\" style=\"margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;\"\u003E\u003Cimg border=\"0\" data-original-height=\"1089\" data-original-width=\"1180\" height=\"369\" src=\"https:\/\/blogger.googleusercontent.com\/img\/b\/R29vZ2xl\/AVvXsEj4B53KAZGZHbc9jjuvkM2nw5ZCQXf5x0GiKRzdN7QgKxdczP9Bseij4EDV3JkOZkD6k54tLnVJRpf4PCLXN5siQNIJJx92-EadvREpHRkkvboPinmqfUmqkTcKoiufTSG9wlYlNYaTPH39D2LathM86ZnmCirELaY1433MbqEbnnM-M6S5kihQBjYuYRU\/w400-h369\/Temperature%20changes%20during%20late%20Pleistocene%20and%20early%20Holocene,%20Younger%20Dryas,%20based%20on%20Greenland%20ice%20core%20data,%20Wikimedia%20Commons,%20United%20States%20Geological%20Survey,%20Public%20Domain.jpg\" width=\"400\" \/\u003E\u003C\/a\u003E\u003C\/td\u003E\u003C\/tr\u003E\u003Ctr\u003E\u003Ctd class=\"tr-caption\" style=\"text-align: center;\"\u003E\u003Cspan style=\"font-size: small;\"\u003E\u003Cspan style=\"font-family: inherit;\"\u003EFigure 1: \nTemperature changes during the late Pleistocene and early Holocene \nperiod, with the Younger Dryas period clearly marked out. Temperature \ngraph based on Greenland ice core data. Credit: United States Geological\n Survey, Public Domain, via Wikimedia Commons.\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/td\u003E\u003C\/tr\u003E\u003C\/tbody\u003E\u003C\/table\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u003Cspan style=\"font-size: medium;\"\u003E\u003Cspan style=\"font-family: inherit;\"\u003EThe Rigvedic legend of Indra killing the dragon Vritra, which has been repeated in many hymns of the Rig Veda, appears to be describing a blistering volley of impacts from a comet swarm as being the causative agent for end of the Ice Age. The echoes of the same story can be found in the Mesopotamian legend of Marduk slaying the water dragon Tiamat, the Cherokee folktale of the God of Thunder killing the monstrous water serpent Uktena, and the Greek legend of Zeus killing the serpent-headed monster called Typhon.\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Ch2 style=\"text-align: left;\"\u003E\u003Cspan style=\"font-size: medium;\"\u003E\u003Cspan style=\"font-family: inherit;\"\u003EIndra Kills Vritra\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/h2\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u003Cspan style=\"font-size: medium;\"\u003E\u003Cspan style=\"font-family: inherit;\"\u003EThe Rig Veda are the earliest scriptural texts of humanity composed in Vedic Sanskrit. The text contains more hymns dedicated to the thunder-wielding King of the Gods, Indra, than to any other deity. The foremost achievement of Indra, for which he had been extolled in many hymns, was the smiting of the dragon Vritra (“the enveloper”), and releasing the waters of the Seven Rivers that had been “imprisoned” by Vritra. It was because of this feat that Indra was given the epithet Vrtraghna (“the slayer of Vritra”). The hymns describing Indra’s battle with Vritra are not only found in the Early Books (6, 3, 7) of the Rig Veda but also in the Middle Books (4, 2) and the Late Books (5, 1, 8, 9, 10).\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u003Cspan style=\"font-size: medium;\"\u003E\u003Cspan style=\"font-family: inherit;\"\u003EThe first Rigvedic book, Mandala VI (Book 6), provides a detailed description of Indra’s battle with Vritra, which was repeated without much variation in the later books.\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp style=\"margin-left: 40px; text-align: left;\"\u003E\u003Cspan style=\"font-size: medium;\"\u003E\u003Cspan style=\"font-family: inherit;\"\u003EBefore his epic battle with Vritra, Indra consumed the Soma juice which gave him “power and rapture” (RV 6.40.2). Then, “leagued with Visnu”, he “slewest Vrtra the dragon who enclosed the waters” (RV 6.20.2). The weapon used by Indra for crushing the dragon was his irresistible thunder, “the bolt with thousand spikes and hundred edges”, which was made for him by Tvastar (RV 6.17.10). When Indra smote the dragon, he “settest free the rushing wave of waters, the floods’ great swell encompassed and obstructed” (RV 6.17.12). The released waters cascaded down the mountain slopes along channels that were carved out by Indra, and rushed towards the ocean. “Along steep slopes their course thou turnedst, Indra, directed downward, speeding to the ocean” (RV 6. 17.12).\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u003Cspan style=\"font-size: medium;\"\u003E\u003Cspan style=\"font-family: inherit;\"\u003EThis is the essential theme of the legend that repeats in different hymns of the Rig Veda. It is obvious that the hymns describe an event of monumental importance that occurred in the Himalayas in the distant past, for there are unambiguous references to the “Seven Rivers”, which are the seven tributaries of the Indus River that are collectively called Sapta-Sindhu. For instance,\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp style=\"text-align: left;\"\u003E\u003Cspan style=\"font-size: medium;\"\u003E\u003Cspan style=\"font-family: inherit;\"\u003E\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cblockquote\u003E\u003Cspan style=\"font-size: medium;\"\u003E“He, men, is Indra, Who slew the Dragon, freed the Seven Rivers, and drove the kine forth from the cave of Vala” (RV 2.12.2-3). \u003Cbr \/\u003E“Indra with mighty strength cleft asunder the head of Arbuda the watery monster, Slain Ahi (another name of Vrtra, meaning “serpent”), and set free the Seven Rivers” (RV 10.67.12).\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/blockquote\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u003Cspan style=\"font-size: medium;\"\u003E\u003Cspan style=\"font-family: inherit;\"\u003EIt has been noted by scientists and researchers that the smiting of Vritra and the release of the imprisoned waters of the Seven Rivers could allude to the great meltdown of Himalayan glaciers at the end of the last Ice Age. One of the earliest observations along these lines came from geologist B. P. Radhakrishna, who wrote in the book, \u003Ci\u003EVedic Sarasvati: Evolutionary History of a Lost River of Northwestern India\u003C\/i\u003E (1999) that,\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp style=\"text-align: left;\"\u003E\u003Cspan style=\"font-size: medium;\"\u003E\u003Cspan style=\"font-family: inherit;\"\u003E\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cblockquote\u003E\u003Cspan style=\"font-size: medium;\"\u003E“Geological record indicates that during Late Pleistocene glaciation, the waters of the Himalaya were frozen and that in place of rivers there were only glaciers, masses of solid ice. As and when the climate became warmer, the glaciers began to break up and the frozen water held by them surged forth in great floods, inundating the alluvial plains in front of the mountains. This was a great event and no wonder, the early inhabitants of the plains burst into song praising Lord Indra for breaking up the glaciers and releasing water which flowed out in seven mighty channels (Sapta Sindhu). The analogy of a slowly moving serpent (Ahi) for describing the Himalayan glacier is most appropriate.”[5]\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/blockquote\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u003Cspan style=\"font-size: medium;\"\u003E\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Ctable align=\"center\" cellpadding=\"0\" cellspacing=\"0\" class=\"tr-caption-container\" style=\"margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;\"\u003E\u003Ctbody\u003E\u003Ctr\u003E\u003Ctd style=\"text-align: center;\"\u003E\u003Ca href=\"https:\/\/blogger.googleusercontent.com\/img\/b\/R29vZ2xl\/AVvXsEguKnkfNNlqdlwALEH-_vgA98IaQY8snFnyD6Xkh2M0b6l0S7xXHZtIgt1Yrqs36HheV1H_0Z20q4J2UNqxXtQFcUKbC3JoX7wxaQ3TLxRpc0mc1Ep3k_6RPrbEpEu2rdYDiAaUYUVdgPHB1USSRWCwkMG19o4G2MmmHQuYMpg_rnxxtCfbmO3j2Coo9dw\/s1280\/The%20Khumbu%20Glacier%20lies%20at%20an%20elevation%20of%2017,999%20ft%20on%20the%20slopes%20of%20Mount%20Everest%20and%20moves%20an%20estimated%203%20to%204%20ft%20every%20day,%20Uwe%20Gille,%20CC%20BY%20SA%203.jpg\" style=\"margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;\"\u003E\u003Cimg border=\"0\" data-original-height=\"840\" data-original-width=\"1280\" height=\"421\" src=\"https:\/\/blogger.googleusercontent.com\/img\/b\/R29vZ2xl\/AVvXsEguKnkfNNlqdlwALEH-_vgA98IaQY8snFnyD6Xkh2M0b6l0S7xXHZtIgt1Yrqs36HheV1H_0Z20q4J2UNqxXtQFcUKbC3JoX7wxaQ3TLxRpc0mc1Ep3k_6RPrbEpEu2rdYDiAaUYUVdgPHB1USSRWCwkMG19o4G2MmmHQuYMpg_rnxxtCfbmO3j2Coo9dw\/w640-h421\/The%20Khumbu%20Glacier%20lies%20at%20an%20elevation%20of%2017,999%20ft%20on%20the%20slopes%20of%20Mount%20Everest%20and%20moves%20an%20estimated%203%20to%204%20ft%20every%20day,%20Uwe%20Gille,%20CC%20BY%20SA%203.jpg\" width=\"640\" \/\u003E\u003C\/a\u003E\u003C\/td\u003E\u003C\/tr\u003E\u003Ctr\u003E\u003Ctd class=\"tr-caption\" style=\"text-align: center;\"\u003E\u003Cspan style=\"font-size: small;\"\u003E\u003Cspan style=\"font-family: inherit;\"\u003EFigure 2: The \nKhumbu Glacier lies at an elevation of 17,999 feet on the slopes of \nMount Everest and moves an estimated 3 to 4 feet every day. Credit: Uwe \nGille, CC BY-SA 3.0 via Wikimedia Commons\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/td\u003E\u003C\/tr\u003E\u003C\/tbody\u003E\u003C\/table\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u003Cspan style=\"font-size: medium;\"\u003E\u003Cspan style=\"font-family: inherit;\"\u003ERadhakrishna’s observation that the serpentine Himalayan glaciers were described in the Vedic hymns as the Vritra dragon is most illuminating. However, his suggestion that the melting of the Himalayan glaciers had resulted in a sudden release of the frozen waters, which flowed out in seven mighty channels, is not entirely convincing. This is because, the melting of glaciers occurs slowly due to the thermal inertia of large ice sheets. The Meltwater Pulse 1B, which had caused an episode of rapid sea level rise between 9500 BCE – 9200 BCE, had begun nearly 200 years after the Ice Age had ended.\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u003Cspan style=\"font-size: medium;\"\u003E\u003Cspan style=\"font-family: inherit;\"\u003EOn the other hand, the Vritra legend describes a sudden, dramatic release of the “imprisoned” waters of the Seven Rivers, after Indra smote the dragon.\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u003Cspan style=\"font-size: medium;\"\u003E\u003Cspan style=\"font-family: inherit;\"\u003EA slightly different scenario was proposed by Graham Hancock in the book, \u003Ci\u003EUnderworld: The Mysterious Origins of Civilization\u003C\/i\u003E (2002). Hancock suggested that the release of the imprisoned waters probably describes a particularly devastating episode of “glacial lake outburst flooding” (GLOF), which occur when massive glacial lakes break through their ice or moraine dams.\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u003Cspan style=\"font-size: medium;\"\u003E\u003Cspan style=\"font-family: inherit;\"\u003EOutburst floods occur routinely in the Himalayas even now. Sometimes landslides or surging glaciers block-off river valleys creating large glacial lakes. A subsequent cloudburst or landslide can cause the moraine dam to be breached, resulting in catastrophic outburst floods that cause significant downstream damages, obliterating villages, army camps, power plants, roads and arable land.\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u003Cspan style=\"font-size: medium;\"\u003E\u003Cspan style=\"font-family: inherit;\"\u003EA similar situation may have prevailed towards the end of the last Ice Age, albeit on a much larger scale.\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u003Cspan style=\"font-size: medium;\"\u003E\u003Cspan style=\"font-family: inherit;\"\u003EWith the onset of the Younger Dryas, the glaciers had started advancing again, and attained the same gigantic size as they had during the Last Glacial Maximum. It is likely that the re-advance of the Himalayan glaciers between 10,900 – 9,700 BCE blocked off most of the important river valleys, cut off the flow of water along the river channels, and created massive, upstream glacial lakes. The Vedic bards may have described this event as the dragon Vritra “imprisoning” the waters of the Seven Rivers.\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u003Cspan style=\"font-size: medium;\"\u003E\u003Cspan style=\"font-family: inherit;\"\u003EWhen the Ice Age came to a sudden end in 9,703 BCE, the ice-dams which had blocked the flow of the rivers were suddenly and catastrophically breached, and the waters of the massive glacial lakes burst out in huge torrents, cascading down the steep mountain slopes, and glided all the way to the ocean. This event was probably described in the Rigvedic hymns as Indra slaying the dragon Vritra and releasing the waters of the Seven Rivers.\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u003Cspan style=\"font-size: medium;\"\u003E\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Ctable align=\"center\" cellpadding=\"0\" cellspacing=\"0\" class=\"tr-caption-container\" style=\"margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;\"\u003E\u003Ctbody\u003E\u003Ctr\u003E\u003Ctd style=\"text-align: center;\"\u003E\u003Ca href=\"https:\/\/blogger.googleusercontent.com\/img\/b\/R29vZ2xl\/AVvXsEgAI9qdmPyNLZ5wIwDnvnX5BtGpIb8bZzyM5P5rCce_vWDX32UG9PeUSunAOQgeSMUyP8PkJWQtcoEfiG0XA5zlWIz_wcbx4QBFac0jPR6l4mPUF5bdc7DCGU3_8WdE-SL1QxfjPWly4vqs9fWI82rL82lAauvMd325seufN-lZn_eqdMjAqeb6YiUxUZE\/s622\/Glacial%20lake%20outburst%20flood%20credit%20Richardson%20and%20Reynolds,%20BBC1.jpg\" style=\"margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;\"\u003E\u003Cimg border=\"0\" data-original-height=\"352\" data-original-width=\"622\" height=\"226\" src=\"https:\/\/blogger.googleusercontent.com\/img\/b\/R29vZ2xl\/AVvXsEgAI9qdmPyNLZ5wIwDnvnX5BtGpIb8bZzyM5P5rCce_vWDX32UG9PeUSunAOQgeSMUyP8PkJWQtcoEfiG0XA5zlWIz_wcbx4QBFac0jPR6l4mPUF5bdc7DCGU3_8WdE-SL1QxfjPWly4vqs9fWI82rL82lAauvMd325seufN-lZn_eqdMjAqeb6YiUxUZE\/w400-h226\/Glacial%20lake%20outburst%20flood%20credit%20Richardson%20and%20Reynolds,%20BBC1.jpg\" width=\"400\" \/\u003E\u003C\/a\u003E\u003C\/td\u003E\u003C\/tr\u003E\u003Ctr\u003E\u003Ctd class=\"tr-caption\" style=\"text-align: center;\"\u003E\u003Cspan style=\"font-size: small;\"\u003E\u003Cspan style=\"font-family: inherit;\"\u003EFigure 3: Glacial \nLake Outburst Floods are caused when the moraine dam is breached due to \ncloudbursts, landslides, earthquakes and meteor impacts. Credit: \nRichardson and Reynolds, BBC.\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/td\u003E\u003C\/tr\u003E\u003C\/tbody\u003E\u003C\/table\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u003Cspan style=\"font-size: medium;\"\u003E\u003Cspan style=\"font-family: inherit;\"\u003EGraham Hancock had further opined that, “the sages who composed at least some of the verses of the Vedas could have been in the Himalayas 12,000 years ago to witness the end of the Younger Dryas cold advance and to commemorate it as Indra’s victory over Vrtra.”[6] \u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u003Cspan style=\"font-size: medium;\"\u003E\u003Cspan style=\"font-family: inherit;\"\u003EWhile this seems to be the most logical explanation for these Rigvedic hymns, such ideas are generally ignored by mainstream historians, who seem to assign no particular geological, archaeological or environmental importance to these sacred hymns left behind by our ancestors. Which, of course, doesn’t make any sense, since sacred texts which have been memorized and transmitted orally for many millennia are expected contain important clues to the significant events of past.\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u003Cspan style=\"font-size: medium;\"\u003E\u003Cspan style=\"font-family: inherit;\"\u003EThe sudden ending of the Younger Dryas period resulted in a slew of catastrophic events transpiring all over the world, and not just in the Himalayas. The Vedic legend of Indra slaying Vritra has its almost exact counterpart in the story of Marduk slaying the water dragon Tiamat, as described in the \u003Ci\u003EEnuma Elish\u003C\/i\u003E, the Babylonian creation epic.\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u003Cspan style=\"font-size: medium;\"\u003E\u003Cspan style=\"font-family: inherit;\"\u003EMarduk was the god of war and thunder and stood at the head of the Babylonian pantheon. The name Marduk was pronounced as \"Marutuk\",[7] which sounds uncannily similar to \"Marutvat\", an epithet of Indra, which means “the leader of the Maruts” (the Maruts are a group of sky-gods who accompany Indra). While Indra rode a chariot drawn by two horses or was seated on an elephant called Airavata, Marduk went to battle on his storm-chariot drawn by four horses, or rode a horned dragon called Mushussu. Marduk’s thunderbolt and the “vajra” in the hands of Indra look exactly similar; both resemble double tridents.\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u003Cspan style=\"font-size: medium;\"\u003E\u003Cspan style=\"font-family: inherit;\"\u003ETiamat, was the goddess of the salt sea, symbolizing the forces of chaos. In some sources she is described as an enormous sea serpent or sea dragon. Tiamat spawned a brood of monsters – fanged serpents, scorpion men and others – and appointed her son Kingu as her general in her battle against the gods. But Marduk made a “net of seven winds” to entrap her, released a mighty wind that burst her belly and slayed her with his lightning bolts.[8] He then sliced Tiamat’s body in half. Her eyes became the source of the Tigris and the Euphrates Rivers, and mountains emerged from her breasts.\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u003Cspan style=\"font-size: medium;\"\u003E\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Ctable align=\"center\" cellpadding=\"0\" cellspacing=\"0\" class=\"tr-caption-container\" style=\"margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;\"\u003E\u003Ctbody\u003E\u003Ctr\u003E\u003Ctd style=\"text-align: center;\"\u003E\u003Ca href=\"https:\/\/blogger.googleusercontent.com\/img\/b\/R29vZ2xl\/AVvXsEh7m1m5PMg31A_QQ-RnL_AW0UjLVcgTCNcu7_ONof0ct8WVhmzfr7agSLw2Y6_lZcekezEPn5Yt0rdkANIApVTdmffv7KwJxXEYwBeyOlA1VquPbAxRgWvv84Q5F6baX8NOf07dxe5iMzis3pn1IYQP7K3dSeB4zkwDQUBDYAC5_d2EVc3xT-8tnjTq_zA\/s1042\/Tiamat%20Marduk%20Neo%20Assyrian%20cylinder%20seal%20impression%20from%20the%20eighth%20century%20BCE%20identified%20by%20several%20sources%20as%20a%20possible%20depiction%20of%20the%20slaying%20of%20Tiamat%20from%20the%20Enuma%20Elish,%20Ben%20Pirard%20at%20nl%20dot%20wikipedia%20CC%20BY%20SA%203.JPG\" style=\"margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;\"\u003E\u003Cimg border=\"0\" data-original-height=\"603\" data-original-width=\"1042\" height=\"370\" src=\"https:\/\/blogger.googleusercontent.com\/img\/b\/R29vZ2xl\/AVvXsEh7m1m5PMg31A_QQ-RnL_AW0UjLVcgTCNcu7_ONof0ct8WVhmzfr7agSLw2Y6_lZcekezEPn5Yt0rdkANIApVTdmffv7KwJxXEYwBeyOlA1VquPbAxRgWvv84Q5F6baX8NOf07dxe5iMzis3pn1IYQP7K3dSeB4zkwDQUBDYAC5_d2EVc3xT-8tnjTq_zA\/w640-h370\/Tiamat%20Marduk%20Neo%20Assyrian%20cylinder%20seal%20impression%20from%20the%20eighth%20century%20BCE%20identified%20by%20several%20sources%20as%20a%20possible%20depiction%20of%20the%20slaying%20of%20Tiamat%20from%20the%20Enuma%20Elish,%20Ben%20Pirard%20at%20nl%20dot%20wikipedia%20CC%20BY%20SA%203.JPG\" width=\"640\" \/\u003E\u003C\/a\u003E\u003C\/td\u003E\u003C\/tr\u003E\u003Ctr\u003E\u003Ctd class=\"tr-caption\" style=\"text-align: center;\"\u003E\u003Cspan style=\"font-size: small;\"\u003E\u003Cspan style=\"font-family: inherit;\"\u003EFigure 4: This \nNeo-Assyrian cylinder seal impression from the 8th century BCE could be a\n depiction of the slaying of Tiamat by Marduk. Credit: Ben Pirard CC \nBY-SA 3.0, via Wikimedia Commons.\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/td\u003E\u003C\/tr\u003E\u003C\/tbody\u003E\u003C\/table\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u003Cspan style=\"font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;\"\u003EThere are a number of obvious parallels between this story and the Rigvedic legend of Indra killing Vritra. While Indra’s killing of Vritra had released the waters of the Seven Rivers, Marduk’s slaying of Tiamat released the waters of the Tigris and the Euphrates Rivers. Marduk had trapped Tiamat with a “net of seven winds”, and the net was the weapon used by Indra to snare his enemies. The Atharva Veda states, “Vast indeed is the tactical net of great Indra…By that net, O Indra, pounce upon all the enemies so that none of the enemies may escape the arrest and punishment.”[9]\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003EIn Native American folklore, a similar tale has been recounted. In Cherokee legends, Uktena or Great Serpent was a monstrous water serpent having horns and a magic crystal on his head. As per the legends,\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u003Cspan style=\"font-size: medium;\"\u003E\u003Cspan style=\"font-family: inherit;\"\u003E\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cblockquote\u003E\u003Cspan style=\"font-size: medium;\"\u003E“Anyone who approached Uktena would be dazed by the light of the crystal in his head and would run towards the serpent rather than away from it. In one myth, Uktena was slain in a battle with the Tlanuwa, the Great Hawk…In another legend, Uktena fought with the God of Thunder, wrapping himself around Thunder’s head so tightly that the god cried out for help. A hunter called out that he was coming to Thunder’s rescue, but before he could arrive, Thunder killed Uktena with a mortal blow.”[10]\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/blockquote\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u003Cspan style=\"font-size: medium;\"\u003E\u003Cspan style=\"font-family: inherit;\"\u003EThe slaying of the monstrous water serpent Uktena by the God of Thunder has obvious parallels with the killing of Vritra by Indra or of Tiamat by Marduk. The Cherokee legend does not specifically mention the waters of the rivers being released upon the death of Uktena, but in light of the other symbolic connections it is apparent that the same legend has been recorded here.\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u003Cspan style=\"font-size: medium;\"\u003E\u003Cspan style=\"font-family: inherit;\"\u003EThe Greek story of Zeus killing the monster Typhon is along similar lines. In \u003Ci\u003ETheogony\u003C\/i\u003E, Hesiod writes that, from Typhon’s shoulders grew, “a hundred heads of a snake, a fearful dragon, with dark, flickering tongues, and from under the brows of his eyes in his marvelous heads flashed fire…”[11] Zeus struck Typhon with his thunderbolt, burnt the serpent heads of the monster, and hurled down his wrecked body on the earth. Such was the force of the impact, that the earth groaned, and “a great part of huge earth was scorched by the terrible vapor and melted as tin melts.”\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u003Cspan style=\"font-size: medium;\"\u003E\u003Cspan style=\"font-family: inherit;\"\u003EThe melting of the earth’s crust due to the impact is suggestive of meteor and comet impacts. When a comet or an asteroid hits the earth, it vaporizes the material from the rock that they hit, which, then, condenses into microscopic droplets of metal called impact spherules. Is this legend alluding to a comet impact at the end of the last Ice Age? Quite possibly.\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Ch2 style=\"text-align: left;\"\u003E\u003Cspan style=\"font-size: medium;\"\u003E\u003Cspan style=\"font-family: inherit;\"\u003EA Horse Comet ended the Ice Age?\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/h2\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u003Cspan style=\"font-size: medium;\"\u003E\u003Cspan style=\"font-family: inherit;\"\u003EThe Rigvedic hymns inform us that Indra had hurled “the bolt with thousand spikes and hundred edges” to shatter the body of Vritra and release the imprisoned waters. This seems to imply that a shower of large, sharp projectiles – most likely stony meteors or cometary debris - had impacted the Himalayan ice-caps and triggered the collapse of the ice dams, and the subsequent meltdown.\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u003Cspan style=\"font-size: medium;\"\u003E\u003Cspan style=\"font-family: inherit;\"\u003EThe Rigvedic hymns spare no effort to remind us of the tremendous force with which Indra’s bolt struck the body of Vritra, shattered them into countless pieces, which were then washed away by the gushing torrents of water.\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u003Cspan style=\"font-size: medium;\"\u003E\u003Cspan style=\"font-family: inherit;\"\u003E\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cblockquote\u003E\u003Cspan style=\"font-size: medium;\"\u003E“Indra with his own great and deadly thunder smote into pieces Vrtra.” (RV 1.32.5) “Emasculate yet claiming manly vigour, thus Vrtra lay with scattered limbs dissevered.” (RV 1.32.7) “The Dragon lies beneath the feet of torrents which Vrtra with his greatness had encompassed.” (RV 1.32.8) “Rolled in the midst of never-ceasing currents flowing without a rest for ever onward. The waters bear off Vrtra's nameless body.” (RV 1.32. 10)\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/blockquote\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u003Cspan style=\"font-size: medium;\"\u003E\u003Cspan style=\"font-family: inherit;\"\u003EEven though the Rigvedic hymns generally describe Indra as a powerful god riding a chariot pulled by a pair of horses, one of the hymns praising his feat of slaying Vritra describes him as a “horse’s tail”:\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u003Cspan style=\"font-size: medium;\"\u003E\u003Cspan style=\"font-family: inherit;\"\u003E\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cblockquote\u003E\u003Cspan style=\"font-size: medium;\"\u003E“A horse's tail wast thou when he (Vritra), O Indra, smote on thy bolt; thou, God without a second” (RV 1.32.12).\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/blockquote\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u003Cspan style=\"font-size: medium;\"\u003E\u003Cspan style=\"font-family: inherit;\"\u003EThis conjures up the imagery of a comet, since the curvy, white dust tail of a comet bears a resemblance to the tail or mane of a horse. The Roman philosopher Pliny had mentioned a class of comets called “hippeus” or “horse comets”[12], having plumes much like horses’ mane in rapid motion. Hephaistion of Thebes tells us that the hippeus comet foretold the quick fall of kings and tyrants.[13] \u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u003Cspan style=\"font-size: medium;\"\u003E\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Ctable align=\"center\" cellpadding=\"0\" cellspacing=\"0\" class=\"tr-caption-container\" style=\"margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;\"\u003E\u003Ctbody\u003E\u003Ctr\u003E\u003Ctd style=\"text-align: center;\"\u003E\u003Ca href=\"https:\/\/blogger.googleusercontent.com\/img\/b\/R29vZ2xl\/AVvXsEjp9bW7asKiFEDwOl-WSEbXn4xPZwSVnMoKcyChruePJ1KkxJXWwMKjdXxwdPcWXx2Pdhm1eRsfjYTkFBf6kLrqu_0vgyDnN43FBMlSEoAylOmCjxUQmwjv0985ugXCygWMOmzuWX5-mIUWPgm_Z9kAeonnO5fa_1ppJ91-j-M8N8FZKnqR-M4XSE9odkI\/s1400\/Comet%20McNaught%20over%20the%20Pacific%20ocean%20as%20viewed%20from%20the%20ESO%20Paranal%20Observatory,%202007,%20ESO%20slash%20Sebastian%20Deiries,%20CC%20BY%204%20small.jpg\" style=\"margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;\"\u003E\u003Cimg border=\"0\" data-original-height=\"932\" data-original-width=\"1400\" height=\"426\" src=\"https:\/\/blogger.googleusercontent.com\/img\/b\/R29vZ2xl\/AVvXsEjp9bW7asKiFEDwOl-WSEbXn4xPZwSVnMoKcyChruePJ1KkxJXWwMKjdXxwdPcWXx2Pdhm1eRsfjYTkFBf6kLrqu_0vgyDnN43FBMlSEoAylOmCjxUQmwjv0985ugXCygWMOmzuWX5-mIUWPgm_Z9kAeonnO5fa_1ppJ91-j-M8N8FZKnqR-M4XSE9odkI\/w640-h426\/Comet%20McNaught%20over%20the%20Pacific%20ocean%20as%20viewed%20from%20the%20ESO%20Paranal%20Observatory,%202007,%20ESO%20slash%20Sebastian%20Deiries,%20CC%20BY%204%20small.jpg\" width=\"640\" \/\u003E\u003C\/a\u003E\u003C\/td\u003E\u003C\/tr\u003E\u003Ctr\u003E\u003Ctd class=\"tr-caption\" style=\"text-align: center;\"\u003E\u003Cspan style=\"font-size: small;\"\u003E\u003Cspan style=\"font-family: inherit;\"\u003EFigure 5: Comet \nMcNaught, the Great Comet of 2007, over the Pacific Ocean as viewed from\n the ESO Paranal Observatory. The white dust tail of a comet can be \nimagined as the tail or mane of a horse in motion. Credit: ESO\/Sebastian\n Deiries, CC BY 4 via Wikimedia Commons.\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/td\u003E\u003C\/tr\u003E\u003C\/tbody\u003E\u003C\/table\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u003Cspan style=\"font-size: medium;\"\u003E\u003Cspan style=\"font-family: inherit;\"\u003E\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u003Cspan style=\"font-size: medium;\"\u003E\u003Cspan style=\"font-family: inherit;\"\u003EThe earliest known depiction of a “horse comet” is found on the bronze coins issued by Mithridates VI of Pontus, which shows the unusually bright comet that appeared sometime around c.135 BCE, coinciding with the year of birth of Mithridates. The coins depicts a ten-pointed star with a long tail that resembles a horse’s mane.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003ECould it be that the celestial appearance of Indra, towards the close of the last Ice Age, was in the form of a “horse comet”? Perhaps, this is why Indra used to be seen in the skies by the early poets, but in a hymn of a later period the composer wonders aloud, “Where the famous Indra is now located? Where he travels, among what people?” (RV VI.21.4)\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Ch2 style=\"text-align: left;\"\u003E\u003Cspan style=\"font-size: medium;\"\u003E\u003Cspan style=\"font-family: inherit;\"\u003EThe Maruts as a Comet Swarm\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/h2\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u003Cspan style=\"font-size: medium;\"\u003E\u003Cspan style=\"font-family: inherit;\"\u003EThe idea of Indra being a “horse comet” is aligned with the hypothesis of Prof. R.N. Iyengar of the Indian Institute of Science, who had argued with substantial evidence in the paper titled, “Comets and Meteoritic Showers in the Rig Veda and their Significance”[14] that the group of Rigvedic deities called Maruts, who were the followers of Indra (Indra is called Marutvat i.e. “Chief of the Maruts”), were actually “meteoritic storms”.\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u003Cspan style=\"font-size: medium;\"\u003E\u003Cspan style=\"font-family: inherit;\"\u003EThere are 33 hymns dedicated to the Maruts in the \u003Ci\u003ERig Veda\u003C\/i\u003E. They are described as a group made up of 27 to 60 fierce sons of Rudra (Shiva). Most of the hymns describe them as brilliant celestial objects, who move in swarms, and appear like shining stars. Their roaring sound induces fear in the minds of men, and they hurl stones that disturb the oceans, shatter mountains and human dwellings, and kill animals. Once they created an impact crater filled with water. They also eat up the forests with their bright red flames.\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u003Cspan style=\"font-size: medium;\"\u003E\u003Cspan style=\"font-family: inherit;\"\u003EProf. Iyengar believes that such hymns can only refer to a “swarm of meteors” that periodically enter into the earth’s atmosphere and cause widespread havoc. Let us review some of these descriptions from the Rig Veda, as documented by Prof. Iyengar:\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp style=\"text-align: left;\"\u003E\u003Cspan style=\"font-size: medium;\"\u003E\u003Cspan style=\"font-family: inherit;\"\u003E\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cblockquote\u003E\u003Cspan style=\"font-size: medium;\"\u003EMaruts are brilliant with terrible forms and kill people. Maruts sit as deities in heaven, above the luminous vault. They move the mountains and disturb the oceans (RV I.19.5, 6, 7). Maruts are described as widening with their light and storming the oceans with their power (RV I.19.8). To withstand the ferocious journey of the Maruts, man has strengthened his dwelling with columns. Even rugged hills get crushed (RV I.37.7). Maruts have mowed down men on earth and have made mountains fall. Wherever the group of Maruts goes, everyone is sure to hear their roaring sound (RV I.37.12, 13). At the roar of the Maruts, every house on the earth shook. The people also trembled (RV I.38.10). The Maruts are mighty, with wondrous power and marvelously bright, self-strong like mountains, who glide swiftly on their way. Like the wild elephants they eat the forests up when they assume their strength among the bright red flames (RV I.64.7). All creatures on earth along with their dwellings shake in fear that they might get hit by the weapons of Maruts. The tearing weapons of Maruts hit animals like well-aimed darts. Maruts are visible at a distance shining like stars (RV I.166). They come in thousands like waves on water (RV I.168.4). They came down to earth together, effortless, with burning looks and shook the mountains (RV I.168.5). Far be from us, your impetuous shaft. Far from us be the stone you hurl (RV I.172.2). Maruts dug a well for Gotama (RV V.52.12).\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/blockquote\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u003Cspan style=\"font-size: medium;\"\u003E\u003Cspan style=\"font-family: inherit;\"\u003EWhile Prof. Iyengar’s inference that the Maruts may be a swarm of “stony meteorites” is very insightful, I would like to take the argument forward and propose that the Maruts were likely to have been a “swarm of comets”. This is because the Maruts were said to be a “fixed number of deities”, numbering between 27 and 60. If the Maruts were meteoroids (which are typically small grains of dust or fist-sized pebbles) they would have burnt up and dissipated on atmospheric entry or upon striking the earth’s surface. But a swarm of comets can come close to the earth, strike the surface with stony debris, and move away, thereby retaining the number of members in the swarm.\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u003Cspan style=\"font-size: medium;\"\u003E\u003Cspan style=\"font-family: inherit;\"\u003EAnother point that argues in favor of the Maruts being comets is that, they were said to form clouds and bring rain. For instance,\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u003Cspan style=\"font-size: medium;\"\u003E\u003Cspan style=\"font-family: inherit;\"\u003E\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cblockquote\u003E\u003Cspan style=\"font-size: medium;\"\u003EMaruts are sure to bring airless showers to deserts (RV I.38.7). They loosen their rain-floods (RV I.38.8). When they inundate the earth they spread forth darkness in day time, with the water-laden rain-cloud (RV I.38.9).\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/blockquote\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u003Cspan style=\"font-size: medium;\"\u003E\u003Cspan style=\"font-family: inherit;\"\u003EThe current scientific opinion is that comets seeded life on the early earth by bringing in water and complex organic molecules. Comets are believed to have a frozen nucleus containing the ices of many gases, the most copious amounts being that of frozen water vapor. Hence, comets striking the earth’s surface can create pools of water. However, I believe that it is not even necessary for comets to impact the earth, in order for us to receive water. Comets can create rainclouds, simply by passing through the earth’s atmosphere.\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u003Cspan style=\"font-size: medium;\"\u003E\u003Cspan style=\"font-family: inherit;\"\u003EThis is because, comets release jets of water vapor and carbon-dioxide (along with small quantities of other organics), which blow dust grains into the coma. If a comet enters the earth’s atmosphere, the dust grains in the coma can act as “nucleating agents” around which the water vapor released by the comet can condense to form water drops. Therefore, if a swarm of comets were to glide through the earth’s atmosphere – something that has not happened in the historical era - we can expect the formation of rainclouds and heavy precipitation. \u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Ch2 style=\"text-align: left;\"\u003E\u003Cspan style=\"font-size: medium;\"\u003E\u003Cspan style=\"font-family: inherit;\"\u003EA Comet Swarm ended the last Ice Age\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/h2\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u003Cspan style=\"font-size: medium;\"\u003E\u003Cspan style=\"font-family: inherit;\"\u003EThe Rigvedic legend of Indra slaying Vritra seems to be telling us of an exceptional time in our prehistory, when a swarm of comets called the Maruts, periodically entered the earth’s atmosphere, and struck the surface of the earth with large chunks of rocks causing the mountains and dwellings to shatter. They also brought copious rainfall, for which they were praised by the poets.\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u003Cspan style=\"font-size: medium;\"\u003E\u003Cspan style=\"font-family: inherit;\"\u003EPerhaps, the comet swarm was caught up in the gravitational field of the earth for an extended period of time towards the end of the last Ice Age. Something similar had happened with comet Shoemaker-Levy 9 in 1992, when it was captured by the gravitational field of Jupiter during a close approach, and then broke apart into at least 20 pieces. Over a period of six days in July 1994, these pieces, having diameters up to 2 km, slammed into Jupiter at 60 km\/s. and created huge craters on its surface.[15] \u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003EOne of the comets in this swarm called Maruts, was a giant “horse comet”, which the Vedic sages referred to as Indra, the King of the Gods. This giant comet bombarded the Himalayan glaciers with large chunks of fiery projectiles that caused the ice barriers to shatter and release torrents of waters that had been locked up in the high-altitude glacial lakes. This blistering volley of impactors effectively ended the Ice Age and initiated the warm interglacial epoch that we live in today, called the Holocene. The whole of nature underwent a drastic transformation – almost as if winter had given way to spring – in 9703 BCE.\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u003Cspan style=\"font-size: medium;\"\u003E\u003Cspan style=\"font-family: inherit;\"\u003E\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cdiv class=\"separator\" style=\"clear: both; text-align: center;\"\u003E\u003Cspan style=\"font-size: medium;\"\u003E\u003Cspan style=\"font-family: inherit;\"\u003E\u003Ca href=\"https:\/\/blogger.googleusercontent.com\/img\/b\/R29vZ2xl\/AVvXsEjDxjGSHndVlCUoPz5P6rqh1lWDTnCvPY_uaYWWh_qHWwRey3rb6gomT8WTqFqQwZr8fgtBLjGxeEBQnTPAbfnepI1eYMThJiiSoSoFInOOhpqhi8SKXY1RGGIR46srqPXIrYT8U8w8KpNOYroZ-FEEDr3GuCibCqYRfemjU12SH7FP2VhT-62VyCND1_U\/s1400\/Header%20Image%20Adobe%20Stock%20Comet%20and%20asteroid%20impact.jpg\" imageanchor=\"1\" style=\"margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;\"\u003E\u003Cimg border=\"0\" data-original-height=\"785\" data-original-width=\"1400\" height=\"358\" src=\"https:\/\/blogger.googleusercontent.com\/img\/b\/R29vZ2xl\/AVvXsEjDxjGSHndVlCUoPz5P6rqh1lWDTnCvPY_uaYWWh_qHWwRey3rb6gomT8WTqFqQwZr8fgtBLjGxeEBQnTPAbfnepI1eYMThJiiSoSoFInOOhpqhi8SKXY1RGGIR46srqPXIrYT8U8w8KpNOYroZ-FEEDr3GuCibCqYRfemjU12SH7FP2VhT-62VyCND1_U\/w640-h358\/Header%20Image%20Adobe%20Stock%20Comet%20and%20asteroid%20impact.jpg\" width=\"640\" \/\u003E\u003C\/a\u003E\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/div\u003E\u003Cspan style=\"font-size: medium;\"\u003E\u003Cspan style=\"font-family: inherit;\"\u003EWe now reach a rather incredible conclusion: Indra had killed Vritra in exactly 9,703 BCE! It is quite amazing to realize that, it is, in fact, possible to assign a specific date to this famous Rigvedic legend, which has its counterparts in the traditions of many other cultures. This just goes to show that many of the sacred hymns and oral legends transmitted by our ancestors encode vital information about the monumental events of the remote past; and, as such, they are of great importance to us for gaining a well-rounded understanding of what may have transpired on our planet in those ancient times.\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/span\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u003Cspan style=\"font-size: medium;\"\u003E\u003Cspan style=\"font-family: inherit;\"\u003EA final question, however, still needs to be answered. If it was a comet swarm that ended the last Ice Age, then from where did this swarm of comets originate?\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Ch2 style=\"text-align: left;\"\u003E\u003Cspan style=\"font-size: medium;\"\u003E\u003Cspan style=\"font-family: inherit;\"\u003EThe Taurid Resonant Swarm\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/h2\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u003Cspan style=\"font-size: medium;\"\u003E\u003Cspan style=\"font-family: inherit;\"\u003EProf. R.N. Iyengar, whose insightful paper on comet showers in the Rig Veda I had referred to earlier, had associated the Maruts with the Taurid meteor stream. He provided specific evidence from the Vedic texts to support his argument. He wrote that, the Vedic text called \u003Ci\u003ETaittiriya Brahmana\u003C\/i\u003E (which is a branch of the \u003Ci\u003EKrishna Yajurveda\u003C\/i\u003E) “associates a season with Maruts, namely the hemanta rtu (i.e. autumn) the dewy season, which is the two month period ending with the winter solstice”. As we know, this is the time of the year when the earth passes through the Northern Taurid meteor stream.\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u003Cspan style=\"font-size: medium;\"\u003E\u003Cspan style=\"font-family: inherit;\"\u003EHe further pointed out that, another Vedic-era text called the \u003Ci\u003ETaittiriya Aranyaka\u003C\/i\u003E (which is also a branch of the \u003Ci\u003EKrishna Yajurveda\u003C\/i\u003E) mentions two different groups of related sky deities - rudra-gana and marut-gana. Prof. Iyengar wrote,\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u003Cspan style=\"font-size: medium;\"\u003E\u003Cspan style=\"font-family: inherit;\"\u003E\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cblockquote\u003E\u003Cspan style=\"font-size: medium;\"\u003E\u003Cspan style=\"font-family: inherit;\"\u003E“The Taittiriya Aranyaka differentiates rudra-gana from marut-gana and mentions that the first appear in the grisma-rtu (summer), the two month season ending with the summer solstice before the rainy season starts. The latter appear in the hemanta-rtu, as in the Taittiriya Brahmana. The commentators mention that both are sky deities appearing in the respective seasons. Rudra- gana is described as being white robed and recurring with the summer season. The second group appears red with anger as though ready for battle in the dewy season. It is easily recognized that both should be meteor groups separated by six months.”\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/blockquote\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u003Cspan style=\"font-size: medium;\"\u003E\u003Cspan style=\"font-family: inherit;\"\u003EOn the basis of this information, Prof. Iyengar concluded that the Taurid meteor stream was the source of the impactors since, as he wrote, “even now, the two branches of the Taurid meteor shower appear in May-June and November-December.”\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u003Cspan style=\"font-size: medium;\"\u003E\u003Cspan style=\"font-family: inherit;\"\u003EBefore we go further, let me add some relevant information about the Taurid meteor stream. We know that the earth experiences a number of meteor showers every year, in course of its annual orbit around the sun. The meteor showers occur when the earth passes though a meteor stream that intersects its orbits. The meteor streams are “rivers of debris” left behind by a comet with an Earth-crossing orbit, composed mainly of dust and pebbles. \u0026nbsp;\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u003Cspan style=\"font-size: medium;\"\u003E\u003Cspan style=\"font-family: inherit;\"\u003EThe Taurid meteor stream is the largest stream of cosmic debris in the inner solar system. The earth crosses the Taurid stream twice in course of its orbit around the sun, once in summer and once in late autumn.\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u003Cspan style=\"font-size: medium;\"\u003E\u003Cspan style=\"font-family: inherit;\"\u003E\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Ctable align=\"center\" cellpadding=\"0\" cellspacing=\"0\" class=\"tr-caption-container\" style=\"margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;\"\u003E\u003Ctbody\u003E\u003Ctr\u003E\u003Ctd style=\"text-align: center;\"\u003E\u003Ca href=\"https:\/\/blogger.googleusercontent.com\/img\/b\/R29vZ2xl\/AVvXsEg4cCE8h4CJp4Pe1V2mxe__aWDHCL9za1Lmc3flQmjHk1sPKhQnAqcxe-9iRhovxoL89eTCvcDGfaVkQol7PWxnpHjTBpWz-39fXKHvHZN5F5nLxOtF0fX32xIDlV7yHBexDt3S1tOeK37aZk3dPOy2gNqk7CF9IshS3nxz_11jMUUYbhKn07AedDimRqs\/s1400\/54%20Taurid%20Meteor%20Stream%20Yuga%20Cycle.jpg\" style=\"margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;\"\u003E\u003Cimg border=\"0\" data-original-height=\"1001\" data-original-width=\"1400\" height=\"458\" src=\"https:\/\/blogger.googleusercontent.com\/img\/b\/R29vZ2xl\/AVvXsEg4cCE8h4CJp4Pe1V2mxe__aWDHCL9za1Lmc3flQmjHk1sPKhQnAqcxe-9iRhovxoL89eTCvcDGfaVkQol7PWxnpHjTBpWz-39fXKHvHZN5F5nLxOtF0fX32xIDlV7yHBexDt3S1tOeK37aZk3dPOy2gNqk7CF9IshS3nxz_11jMUUYbhKn07AedDimRqs\/w640-h458\/54%20Taurid%20Meteor%20Stream%20Yuga%20Cycle.jpg\" width=\"640\" \/\u003E\u003C\/a\u003E\u003C\/td\u003E\u003C\/tr\u003E\u003Ctr\u003E\u003Ctd class=\"tr-caption\" style=\"text-align: center;\"\u003E\u003Cspan style=\"font-size: small;\"\u003E\u003Cspan style=\"font-family: inherit;\"\u003EFigure\n 6: The earth crosses the Taurid meteor stream twice a year, in course \nof its orbit around the sun. Credit: Bibhu Dev Misra.\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/td\u003E\u003C\/tr\u003E\u003C\/tbody\u003E\u003C\/table\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u003Cspan style=\"font-size: medium;\"\u003E\u003Cspan style=\"font-family: inherit;\"\u003EThe first crossing of the Taurids takes place from June 5 – July 18, with peak activity on June 29. This is a daytime shower called the Beta Taurids. The next crossing of the Taurids occurs from Sep 10 – Nov 20, when the earth crosses the Southern Taurids, followed by the Northern Taurids from Oct 20 – Dec 10. These are two cross sections of the same meteor stream. The Southern Taurids peak on October 10, while the Northern Taurids peak on November 12. It is during a one-week time frame extending from November 5 through November 12 when the Taurids are most active. Since these meteor showers occur in late October and early November they are also called “Halloween fireballs”.\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u003Cspan style=\"font-size: medium;\"\u003E\u003Cspan style=\"font-family: inherit;\"\u003EAs Prof. Iyengar pointed out, in the Vedic astronomical texts, the sky deities called rudra-gana who appeared in the summer season were described as “white robed”. That’s because the Beta Taurids, which is active from June 5 – July 18, is a daytime shower, and the meteors, if at all they are visible, appear as white streaks of light. On the other hand, the Vedic texts describe the marut-gana, who appear in autumn, as being “red with anger”. This is because, the Northern Taurid meteors, which blaze through the skies between October 20 to December 10, have a yellow, orange or reddish hue.\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u003Cspan style=\"font-size: medium;\"\u003E\u003Cspan style=\"font-family: inherit;\"\u003EWhile most meteor streams contain small particles, not larger than a grain of sand or a pebble, the Taurid meteor stream contains some large chunks of rocks. The Beta Taurids have been held responsible for generating Earth-impacting meteors in the recent past. Astronomers believe that the Beta Taurids, which have peak activity on June 29, probably caused the Tunguska event of June 30, 1908, when a large meteor exploded over Eastern Siberia with the force of a 1000 Hiroshima nuclear bombs, and flattened over 2000 square kilometers of forest.[16] The meteor is believed to have been about 120 feet across and weighed a 100 million kilograms.\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u003Cspan style=\"font-size: medium;\"\u003E\u003Cspan style=\"font-family: inherit;\"\u003EBritish astronomers Victor Clube and Bill Napier had postulated that the progenitor of the Taurid stream was a giant comet, around 50 - 100 km in diameter, which had entered the inner solar system at least 20,000 to 30,000 years ago. The comet was tossed into a short-term orbit around the Sun, and disintegrated in stages, leaving behind the trail of debris known as the Taurid Complex.[17]\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u003Cspan style=\"font-size: medium;\"\u003E\u003Cspan style=\"font-family: inherit;\"\u003EThe research carried out by Clube, Napier, Asher and their colleagues indicate that the giant progenitor comet of the Taurids still remains hidden in the center of the Taurid stream, moving within a tightly packed swarm consisting of several minor comets formed by the fragmentation of the progenitor (all of which are probably in a dormant state), and dozens of full-size asteroids up to 1 km wide. This dense cluster of comets and asteroids within the Taurid meteor stream is called the “Taurid Resonant Swarm”.\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u003Cspan style=\"font-size: medium;\"\u003E\u003Cspan style=\"font-family: inherit;\"\u003EThe faint Comet Encke, which is the only visible comet within the Taurid meteor stream today, orbits the Sun once in 3.3 years, and could be a recently reactivated fragment of the Taurid progenitor comet. The Taurid Resonant Swarm is in an orbit similar to that of Comet Encke’s, moving round the sun in an Earth-crossing orbit every 3.3 years. Napier noted that at least 19 of the largest NEO’s (Near-Earth Objects) have orbits significantly close to that of Comet Encke, and are likely to be the remnants of the giant Taurid progenitor.[18]\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u003Cspan style=\"font-size: medium;\"\u003E\u003Cspan style=\"font-family: inherit;\"\u003ETherefore, the most likely location for the comet swarm called Maruts and the giant “horse comet” called Indra described in the Rig Veda, is within the Taurid Resonant Swarm, which contains many large fragments of the Taurid progenitor comet. It is eminently possible that the earth had a few head-on encounters with the Taurid Resonant Swarm in the decades prior to 9703 BCE, which resulted in a series of cometary bombardments that brought about the end of the last Ice Age. The memories of this epochal event were recorded by the Vedic sages in their sacred hymns that commemorated the victory of the thunder-god Indra over the dragon Vritra, who had imprisoned the waters of the Seven Rivers. \u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003C\/span\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u003Cspan style=\"font-size: medium;\"\u003E\u003Cb\u003EReferences\u003C\/b\u003E\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E[1] “Sea Level Rise”, Smithsonian, https:\/\/ocean.si.edu\/through-time\/ancient-seas\/sea-level-rise\u003Cbr \/\u003E[2] Edouard Bard, Bruno Hamelin, Richard G. Fairbanks \u0026amp; Alan Zindler, “Calibration of the 14C timescale over the past 30,000 years using mass spectrometric U-Th ages from Barbados corals”, Nature, May 1990, 345, pp. 405-410.\u003Cbr \/\u003E[3] R. B. Firestone et al, “Evidence for an extraterrestrial impact 12,900 years ago that contributed to the megafaunal extinctions and the Younger Dryas cooling”, Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences (PNAS), Oct 2007, Vol.104, No.41, pp. 16016-16021, https:\/\/www.pnas.org\/doi\/full\/10.1073\/pnas.0706977104\u003Cbr \/\u003E[4] Jørgen Peder Steffensen, \"Determination of end of the Ice Age?\" Niels Bohr Institute, University of Copenhagen, https:\/\/nbi.ku.dk\/english\/sciencexplorer\/earth_and_climate\/golden_spike\/determination_of_end_of_ice_age\/\u003Cbr \/\u003E[5] B. P. Radhakrishna, S. S. Merh, Vedic Sarasvati: Evolutionary History of a Lost River of Northwestern India, Geological Society of India, 1999, p. 7.\u003Cbr \/\u003E[6] Graham Hancock, Underworld: The Mysterious Origins of Civilization, op. cit., p. 196.\u003Cbr \/\u003E[7] “Marduk”, Encyclopedia of Religion, ed. by Lindsay Jones, vol. 8, 2nd ed., pp.\u0026nbsp;5702–5703.\u003Cbr \/\u003E[8] “Enuma Elish”, New World Encyclopedia, https:\/\/www.newworldencyclopedia.org\/entry\/Enuma_Elish\u003Cbr \/\u003E[9] Atharva Veda 8.8.6, taken from Atharva Veda: Authentic English Translation by Tulsi Ram, 2013.\u003Cbr \/\u003E[10] Native American Mythology A to Z, Infobase Publishing, 2010, p. 48.\u003Cbr \/\u003E[11] Hesdiod, Theogony 825-880, http:\/\/www.perseus.tufts.edu\/hopper\/text?doc=urn:cts:greekLit:tlg0020.tlg001.perseus-eng1:820-852\u003Cbr \/\u003E[12] Pliny, Natural History 2.22.\u003Cbr \/\u003E[13] M. R. Molnar, “New Numismatic Evidence about the Comets of Mithridates the Great of Pontus (134 and 119 BC)\", Bulletin of the American Astronomical Society, December 1997, Vol.29, p.1262.\u003Cbr \/\u003E[14] R.N. Iyengar, “Comets and Meteoritic Showers in the Rig Veda and their Significance”, Indian Journal of History of Science, 2010, Vol.45, No.1, pp. 1-32, https:\/\/www.academia.edu\/7324390\/COMETS_AND_METEORITIC_SHOWERS_IN_THE_R_GVEDA_AND_THEIR_SIGNIFICANCE\u003Cbr \/\u003E[15] “Comet Shoemaker-Levy 9 Collision with Jupiter”, NASA, http:\/\/nssdc.gsfc.nasa.gov\/planetary\/comet.html.\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E[16] John Roach, “Meteor Shower Promises Seven Shooting Stars an Hour”, National Geographic News, 7 November 2003, https:\/\/news.nationalgeographic.com\/news\/2003\/11\/1107_031107_taurids.html\u003Cbr \/\u003E[17] D.I. Steel, D.J. Asher, S.V.M Clube, “The Taurid Complex: Giant Comet Origin?” International Astronomical Union Colloquium, 1991, Vol. 126, pp. 327-330, https:\/\/doi.org\/10.1017\/S0252921100067063 \u003Cbr \/\u003E[18] W. M. Napier, “Palaeolithic extinctions and the Taurid Complex”, Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society, Vol.405, No.3, July 2010, pp. 1901–1906, https:\/\/doi.org\/10.1111\/j.1365-2966.2010.16579.x \u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E"},"link":[{"rel":"replies","type":"application/atom+xml","href":"https:\/\/www.bibhudevmisra.com\/feeds\/8589366943828816253\/comments\/default","title":"Post Comments"},{"rel":"replies","type":"text/html","href":"https:\/\/www.bibhudevmisra.com\/2023\/11\/indra-killed-vritra-in-9703-bce.html#comment-form","title":"10 Comments"},{"rel":"edit","type":"application/atom+xml","href":"https:\/\/www.blogger.com\/feeds\/6864653463177413678\/posts\/default\/8589366943828816253"},{"rel":"self","type":"application/atom+xml","href":"https:\/\/www.blogger.com\/feeds\/6864653463177413678\/posts\/default\/8589366943828816253"},{"rel":"alternate","type":"text/html","href":"https:\/\/www.bibhudevmisra.com\/2023\/11\/indra-killed-vritra-in-9703-bce.html","title":"Indra Killed Vritra in 9703 BCE: The Comet Impact that ended the Ice Age"}],"author":[{"name":{"$t":"Bibhu Dev Misra"},"uri":{"$t":"http:\/\/www.blogger.com\/profile\/15388473714672380058"},"email":{"$t":"noreply@blogger.com"},"gd$image":{"rel":"http://schemas.google.com/g/2005#thumbnail","width":"32","height":"28","src":"\/\/blogger.googleusercontent.com\/img\/b\/R29vZ2xl\/AVvXsEh4sklyRp_L5BfqEXTjoskgFPFYpJiNJSuDN5zrcldGBaXot626bOTu8q5TUYsip63M6EkY2JbuoE6l1N5fMKiqKfzFfaaKpqm91QZx9rMdAL3t-ju2QdYi1K-BeCJsjw\/s130\/DSCN1699.JPG"}}],"media$thumbnail":{"xmlns$media":"http://search.yahoo.com/mrss/","url":"https:\/\/blogger.googleusercontent.com\/img\/b\/R29vZ2xl\/AVvXsEj7_1035TWPGM-gSPAP1sYi_CVmi_3tCiga2QxuN-y0ojn7Qhq1y72IYOozoFPhHzMckp0_4-aamL41YwjTQfBAUh6NvunSYYS_JWkD3U1v-KThdqxzot0NWzAN-1_AkiA3tFAYzfoVtDGMhM0m816DYrWZK7xCG6IXi32pDPb-Do-ZONUC-5TH0YtNU74\/s72-c\/Header%20Image%20Adobe%20Stock%20Comet%20and%20asteroid%20impact.jpg","height":"72","width":"72"},"thr$total":{"$t":"10"}},{"id":{"$t":"tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6864653463177413678.post-1360228214041993026"},"published":{"$t":"2023-10-14T18:51:00.005+05:30"},"updated":{"$t":"2024-05-20T12:27:45.808+05:30"},"category":[{"scheme":"http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#","term":"Article"},{"scheme":"http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#","term":"Yuga Cycle"}],"title":{"type":"text","$t":"The Lament of Hermes: A Prophecy of Civilizational Decline and the End-Times"},"content":{"type":"html","$t":"\u003Cp style=\"text-align: center;\"\u003E\u0026nbsp;\u003Ca href=\"https:\/\/blogger.googleusercontent.com\/img\/b\/R29vZ2xl\/AVvXsEghWBXW5HHEF2VNvzZO1dwoL-XTXvKeIOvHrFIVUfec4Isv0-RjhFvDClqdCQrndc1_PTvnLeRvpJoqyTwR58rzvj-qOr-YhxE2h_wu_FIxm8ZsCkMeAXNs8EYy4fJupecM3DUjAQ9F9ro-LjjMPoj6tIgwhUdxfYq98q9gw9806fjbCO3fV8kOCLS69eU\/s1800\/the-end-of-the-world-wallpaper.jpg\" style=\"margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;\"\u003E\u003Cimg border=\"0\" data-original-height=\"1013\" data-original-width=\"1800\" height=\"180\" src=\"https:\/\/blogger.googleusercontent.com\/img\/b\/R29vZ2xl\/AVvXsEghWBXW5HHEF2VNvzZO1dwoL-XTXvKeIOvHrFIVUfec4Isv0-RjhFvDClqdCQrndc1_PTvnLeRvpJoqyTwR58rzvj-qOr-YhxE2h_wu_FIxm8ZsCkMeAXNs8EYy4fJupecM3DUjAQ9F9ro-LjjMPoj6tIgwhUdxfYq98q9gw9806fjbCO3fV8kOCLS69eU\/s320\/the-end-of-the-world-wallpaper.jpg\" width=\"320\" \/\u003E\u003C\/a\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u003Cspan style=\"font-family: inherit;\"\u003E\u003Cspan style=\"font-size: medium;\"\u003E\u003Ci\u003ENote: This article was first published on \u003Ca href=\"https:\/\/mysteriousuniverse.org\/2022\/09\/The-Lament-of-Hermes-A-Soul-Stirring-Prophecy-of-Civilizational-Decline-and-the-End-Times\/?fbclid=IwAR2sW9CF95kZrKN8hqtPCdZEpMyYIeIYQHvWaSAbdg4duIIciBVb154dWrw\" target=\"_blank\"\u003EMysterious Universe (MU)\u003C\/a\u003E.\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/i\u003E\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u003Cspan style=\"font-family: inherit;\"\u003E\u003Cspan style=\"font-size: medium;\"\u003EThere was a widespread belief in the ancient times that human civilization has declined from an erstwhile Golden Age of uncommon peace and prosperity, when all men were virtuous. The ancient accounts reveal that the enlightened consciousness of the higher Ages allowed our ancestors to interact with inter-dimensional beings that they called their “gods”.\u003Cspan\u003E\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Ca name='more'\u003E\u003C\/a\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u003Cspan style=\"font-family: inherit;\"\u003E\u003Cspan style=\"font-size: medium;\"\u003EIn the Golden Age, the gods lived on the Earth with humans, married mortal women and gave birth to demi-gods of extraordinary strength and magical prowess. The gods founded kingdoms, established the rules of monarchy, built temples and instituted rituals and sacrifices. In the \u003Ci\u003ECritias\u003C\/i\u003E, Plato wrote,\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cblockquote\u003E\u003Cspan style=\"font-family: inherit;\"\u003E\u003Cspan style=\"font-size: medium;\"\u003E“In the days of old (Golden Age) the gods had the whole earth distributed among them by allotment...They all of them, by just apportionment, obtained what they wanted, and peopled their own districts; and when they had peopled them they tended us, their nurselings and possessions, as shepherds tend their flocks...Now different gods had their allotments in different places which they set in order.”[1]\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/blockquote\u003E\u003Cspan style=\"font-family: inherit;\"\u003E\u003Cspan style=\"font-size: medium;\"\u003EOver time, men began to fall from their state of divine grace, as their minds started becoming tainted with selfish desires. In tandem with the decline with human consciousness, the environment started to degrade, resulting in higher incidences of natural calamities and diseases.\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/span\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u003Cspan style=\"font-family: inherit;\"\u003E\u003Cspan style=\"font-size: medium;\"\u003EThe gods, however, continued to maintain a watch over human civilization till the beginning of the Iron Age, which the Hindus call Kali Yuga – the current age of greed, lies, violence and corruption that began in 3676 BCE. It is at that point that the gods, possibly, thought to themselves, “this is quite hopeless”, and packed their bags and left. Hesiod wrote in his \u003Ci\u003EWorks and Days\u003C\/i\u003E, that, in the Iron Age,\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cblockquote\u003E\u003Cspan style=\"font-family: inherit;\"\u003E\u003Cspan style=\"font-size: medium;\"\u003E“Envy, foul-mouthed, delighting in evil, with scowling face, will go along with wretched men one and all. And then Aidos (Goddess of Modesty) and Nemesis (Goddess of Retribution), with their sweet forms wrapped in white robes, will go from the wide-pathed earth and forsake mankind, to join the company of the deathless gods: and bitter sorrows will be left for mortal men, and there will be no help against evil.”[2]\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/blockquote\u003E\u003Cspan style=\"font-family: inherit;\"\u003E\u003Cspan style=\"font-size: medium;\"\u003EAidos was the goddess of shame and modesty whose presence prevented men from breaking the moral laws, while Nemesis was the goddess who afforded divine retribution against injustices and hubris. With both of them gone, it became an open playing field for the forces of evil; sort of like going to school with all the teachers on leave - the bullies call all the shots.\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/span\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Ctable align=\"center\" cellpadding=\"0\" cellspacing=\"0\" class=\"tr-caption-container\" style=\"margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;\"\u003E\u003Ctbody\u003E\u003Ctr\u003E\u003Ctd style=\"text-align: center;\"\u003E\u003Ca href=\"https:\/\/blogger.googleusercontent.com\/img\/b\/R29vZ2xl\/AVvXsEjoGmLUR16lLotTOVbruaskSvhb9LxDlCJAQbj3lO9BInPCi1ePrD109B-l2MkKfn1xOk9Shxoyg7eMN4O6gkbXNMVzDMqNy_Hl74TlGMSrt4xVjqbmilULYiwrT_Ib-IT5VeMvd6Gh9dP_ptkx1GezwuWEweuvhZYIomnDxMDIfaMR7EnkVi7XaYZ0uCI\/s1536\/Statuette%20of%20Nemesis%20in%20Form%20of%20female%20griffin,%20resting%20on%20the%20wheels%20of%20fate,%20Roman%20period%202nd%20century,%20faience,%20Brroklyn%20museum,%20CC%20BY%203.jpg\" style=\"margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;\"\u003E\u003Cimg alt=\"Nemesis in the form of a female griffin, resting on the wheels of fate\" border=\"0\" data-original-height=\"1536\" data-original-width=\"1209\" height=\"400\" src=\"https:\/\/blogger.googleusercontent.com\/img\/b\/R29vZ2xl\/AVvXsEjoGmLUR16lLotTOVbruaskSvhb9LxDlCJAQbj3lO9BInPCi1ePrD109B-l2MkKfn1xOk9Shxoyg7eMN4O6gkbXNMVzDMqNy_Hl74TlGMSrt4xVjqbmilULYiwrT_Ib-IT5VeMvd6Gh9dP_ptkx1GezwuWEweuvhZYIomnDxMDIfaMR7EnkVi7XaYZ0uCI\/w315-h400\/Statuette%20of%20Nemesis%20in%20Form%20of%20female%20griffin,%20resting%20on%20the%20wheels%20of%20fate,%20Roman%20period%202nd%20century,%20faience,%20Brroklyn%20museum,%20CC%20BY%203.jpg\" width=\"315\" \/\u003E\u003C\/a\u003E\u003C\/td\u003E\u003C\/tr\u003E\u003Ctr\u003E\u003Ctd class=\"tr-caption\" style=\"text-align: center;\"\u003E\u003Cspan style=\"font-family: inherit; font-size: small;\"\u003E\u003Cspan\u003EFigure\n 1: Statuette of Nemesis in form of a female griffin, resting on the \nwheels of fate. Roman period, 2nd century CE, Faience. Source: Brooklyn \nMuseum, CC BY 3.0\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/td\u003E\u003C\/tr\u003E\u003C\/tbody\u003E\u003C\/table\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u003Cspan style=\"font-family: inherit;\"\u003E\u003Cspan style=\"font-size: medium;\"\u003EThe progressive degeneration of humanity, and the eventual renewal of the world at the end of this Age, was stated in a poignant manner in the form of a prophecy called the “The Lament of Hermes” in the Hermetic text called \u003Ci\u003EAsclepius\u003C\/i\u003E [3].\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u003Cspan style=\"font-family: inherit;\"\u003E\u003Cspan style=\"font-size: medium;\"\u003EThe Hermetic texts or Hermetica were written in Latin between the c. 1st century – 3rd century CE, during the Greco-Roman culture of the Ptolemaic and Roman periods of Egypt. These writings on philosophical and occult topics were attributed to Thoth, the Egyptian god of wisdom, writing, science and magic, whom the Greeks identified with their god Hermes. Hermes was the “messenger of the gods”, who moved easily between the mortal and divine realms wearing his winged sandals. As such, his wisdom and insights were highly valued. \u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u003Cspan style=\"font-family: inherit;\"\u003E\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Ctable align=\"center\" cellpadding=\"0\" cellspacing=\"0\" class=\"tr-caption-container\" style=\"margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;\"\u003E\u003Ctbody\u003E\u003Ctr\u003E\u003Ctd style=\"text-align: center;\"\u003E\u003Ca href=\"https:\/\/blogger.googleusercontent.com\/img\/b\/R29vZ2xl\/AVvXsEjvsIwvJeSDmzksKVg-xoAOa-5T-YXh_ShvvkdrVUxJcFRDO3mqDml6Qg3n5jOd2jX5UpzjXbnx8bBEm5-w9e2ucUDckBcuqzeIzevwpb4FC_S4dSCvRc7vfHCswj7GOLpzweVF-ykVX0LmqixfzdP-oLb_GvpEnfn2DLqC32qzmSRV1USrBec_R1arA0I\/s881\/Hermes,%20the%20messenger%20god,%20wearing%20winged%20sandals%20and%20cholding%20the%20caduceus,%20Terracotta%20oil%20flask%20480%20to%20470%20BCE,%20edit%20Greek,%20Metmuseum,%20Public%20Domain.jpg\" style=\"margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;\"\u003E\u003Cimg alt=\"Hermes, wearing winged sandals and holding the caduceus\" border=\"0\" data-original-height=\"881\" data-original-width=\"780\" height=\"400\" src=\"https:\/\/blogger.googleusercontent.com\/img\/b\/R29vZ2xl\/AVvXsEjvsIwvJeSDmzksKVg-xoAOa-5T-YXh_ShvvkdrVUxJcFRDO3mqDml6Qg3n5jOd2jX5UpzjXbnx8bBEm5-w9e2ucUDckBcuqzeIzevwpb4FC_S4dSCvRc7vfHCswj7GOLpzweVF-ykVX0LmqixfzdP-oLb_GvpEnfn2DLqC32qzmSRV1USrBec_R1arA0I\/w354-h400\/Hermes,%20the%20messenger%20god,%20wearing%20winged%20sandals%20and%20cholding%20the%20caduceus,%20Terracotta%20oil%20flask%20480%20to%20470%20BCE,%20edit%20Greek,%20Metmuseum,%20Public%20Domain.jpg\" width=\"354\" \/\u003E\u003C\/a\u003E\u003C\/td\u003E\u003C\/tr\u003E\u003Ctr\u003E\u003Ctd class=\"tr-caption\" style=\"text-align: center;\"\u003E\u003Cspan style=\"font-family: inherit; font-size: small;\"\u003E\u003Cspan\u003EFigure\n 2: Hermes, the messenger god, wearing winged sandals and holding the \ncaduceus. Greek Terracotta oil flask, c.480 - 470 BCE. Source: \nMetropolitan Museum of Art, Public Domain\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/td\u003E\u003C\/tr\u003E\u003C\/tbody\u003E\u003C\/table\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u003Cspan style=\"font-family: inherit;\"\u003E\u003Cspan style=\"font-size: medium;\"\u003EThe prophecy begins with Hermes telling his pupil Asclepius of the dark days of Egypt that were to come when the gods leave the Earth. \u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u003Cspan style=\"font-family: inherit;\"\u003E\u003Cspan style=\"font-size: medium;\"\u003E\u003Cb\u003EThe Lament of Hermes\u003C\/b\u003E\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u003Cspan style=\"font-family: inherit;\"\u003E\u003Cspan style=\"font-size: medium;\"\u003E\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cblockquote\u003E\u003Cspan style=\"font-family: inherit;\"\u003E\u003Cspan style=\"font-size: medium;\"\u003E“Do you not know, Asclepius, that Egypt is an image of heaven, or, to speak more exactly, in Egypt all the operations of the powers which rule and work in heaven have been transferred to earth below? Nay, it should rather be said that the whole Kosmos dwells in this our land as in its sanctuary. And yet, since it is fitting that wise men should have knowledge of all events before they come to pass, you must not be left in ignorance of this: there will come a time when it will be seen that in vain have the Egyptians honoured the deity with heartfelt piety and assiduous service; and all our holy worship will be found bootless and ineffectual. For the gods will return from earth to heaven. Egypt will be forsaken, and the land which was once the home of religion will be left desolate, bereft of the presence of its deities.”\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/blockquote\u003E\u003Cspan style=\"font-family: inherit;\"\u003E\u003Cspan style=\"font-size: medium;\"\u003EIn this part of the prophecy, Hermes describes Egypt as an “image of heaven”, in which the heavenly powers dwell. Egypt is not an exception in this respect, for many ancient cultures laid out their cities in accordance with a cosmic plan, in which the central temple or palace symbolized the cosmic center and the seat of the cosmic sovereign; typically, four roads led outwards from this central place, dividing the kingdom into four parts, each of which represented one of the four cosmic quarters, presided over by a guardian deity. This basic pattern was followed not only in the Buddhist kingdoms of Asia, but also in large parts of Mesoamerica.\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/span\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u003Cspan style=\"font-family: inherit;\"\u003E\u003Cspan style=\"font-size: medium;\"\u003EHermes tells Asclepius that the holy worship of the people of Egypt will become ineffective in future when “the gods will return from earth to heaven”. This suggests that the prophecy had been dictated at a time prior to the beginning of the Iron Age or Kali Yuga, when the gods still interacted with humans and responded to their prayers. Even though the prophecy was written down sometime between the 1st and 3rd centuries, the contents appear to be significantly older.\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u003Cspan style=\"font-family: inherit;\"\u003E\u003Cspan style=\"font-size: medium;\"\u003EComing back to the prophecy, Hermes continues to describe to Asclepius the calamities that will befall Egypt:\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u003Cspan style=\"font-family: inherit;\"\u003E\u003Cspan style=\"font-size: medium;\"\u003E\u003Cb\u003EThe Lament of Hermes (contd)\u003C\/b\u003E\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u003Cspan style=\"font-family: inherit;\"\u003E\u003Cspan style=\"font-size: medium;\"\u003E\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cblockquote\u003E\u003Cspan style=\"font-family: inherit;\"\u003E\u003Cspan style=\"font-size: medium;\"\u003EThis land and region will be filled with foreigners; not only will men neglect the service of the gods, but … ; and Egypt will be occupied by Scythians or Indians or by some such race from the barbarian countries thereabout. In that day will our most holy land, this land of shrines and temples, be filled with funerals and corpses...\u003Cbr \/\u003EDo you weep at this, Asclepius? There is worse to come; Egypt herself will have yet more to suffer; she will fall into a far more piteous plight, and will be infected with yet more, grievous plagues; and this land, which once was holy, a land which loved the gods, and wherein alone, in reward for her devotion, the gods deigned to sojourn upon earth, a land which was the teacher of mankind in holiness and piety, this land will go beyond all in cruel deeds. The dead will far outnumber the living; and the survivors will be known for Egyptians by their tongue alone, but in their actions they will seem to be men of another race.\u003Cbr \/\u003EO Egypt, Egypt, of thy religion nothing will remain but an empty tale, which thine own children in time to come will not believe; nothing will be left but graven words, and only the stones will tell of thy piety. And in that day men will be weary of life, and they will cease to think the universe worthy of reverent wonder and of worship. And so religion, the greatest of all blessings, for there is nothing, nor has been, nor ever shall be, that can be deemed a greater boon, will be threatened with destruction; men will think it a burden, and will come to scorn it. They will no longer love this world around us, this incomparable work of God, this glorious structure which he has built, this sum of good made up of things of many diverse forms, this instrument whereby the will of God operates in that which he has made, ungrudgingly favouring man’s welfare, this combination and accumulation of all the manifold things that can call forth the veneration, praise, and love of the beholder.\u003Cbr \/\u003EDarkness will be preferred to light, and death will be thought more profitable than life; no one will raise his eyes to heaven; the pious will be deemed insane, and the impious wise; the madman will be thought a brave man, and the wicked will be esteemed as good. As to the soul, and the belief that it is immortal by nature, or may hope to attain to immortality, as I have taught you, all this they will mock at, and will even persuade themselves that it is false. No word of reverence or piety, no utterance worthy of heaven and of the gods of heaven, will be heard or believed.\u003Cbr \/\u003EAnd so the gods will depart from mankind, a grievous thing!, and only evil angels will remain, who will mingle with men, and drive the poor wretches by main force into all manner of reckless crime, into wars, and robberies, and frauds, and all things hostile to the nature of the soul…After this manner will old age come upon the world. Religion will be no more; all things will be disordered and awry; all good will disappear.\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/blockquote\u003E\u003Cspan style=\"font-family: inherit;\"\u003E\u003Cspan style=\"font-size: medium;\"\u003EThis part of the prophecy is quite striking in the sense that the fate of ancient Egypt turned out exactly the way it had been foretold by Hermes. When the vast architectural treasures of ancient Egypt were rediscovered in 1798, during the military expedition of Napoleon – when more than 160 artists and scholars had traveled with the French army to take extensive notes and make sketches – the religion, language and culture of Egypt had already been forgotten for many centuries. Many of the grand monuments of the past had collapsed into piles of stones and reclaimed by the sand. The exotic relief carvings and the extensive hieroglyphic inscriptions on the stones told of a mysterious past, when the pharaohs ruled the land and worshiped a litany of strange gods.\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/span\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u003Cspan style=\"font-family: inherit;\"\u003E\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Ctable align=\"center\" cellpadding=\"0\" cellspacing=\"0\" class=\"tr-caption-container\" style=\"margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;\"\u003E\u003Ctbody\u003E\u003Ctr\u003E\u003Ctd style=\"text-align: center;\"\u003E\u003Ca href=\"https:\/\/blogger.googleusercontent.com\/img\/b\/R29vZ2xl\/AVvXsEgID7qSgZtTLlq9z7k6cFifmgzcI5eIVIJZPoZhyphenhyphenLBCX991cJtfyRrP1PPGmu_Il01w3lIViBV6eFPAk3YJlSetvuWt8aUpYhyphenhyphenx5oYJxhHETd6MhXdOechlCppeqxq-cO047wvB5p2bVKfYx0xog3rqpwvQ5ArPy4DnuV0iuQUfKFgRHHVjUF_M9-v5tKA\/s1024\/Napoleon%20Bonaparte%20Before%20the%20Sphinx,%20Jean-L%C3%A9on%20G%C3%A9r%C3%B4me,%20oil%20on%20canvas,%201868%20CE,%20Wikimedia%20Commons,%20Public%20Domain.jpg\" style=\"margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;\"\u003E\u003Cimg alt=\"Napoleon Bonaparte Before the Sphinx\" border=\"0\" data-original-height=\"607\" data-original-width=\"1024\" height=\"380\" src=\"https:\/\/blogger.googleusercontent.com\/img\/b\/R29vZ2xl\/AVvXsEgID7qSgZtTLlq9z7k6cFifmgzcI5eIVIJZPoZhyphenhyphenLBCX991cJtfyRrP1PPGmu_Il01w3lIViBV6eFPAk3YJlSetvuWt8aUpYhyphenhyphenx5oYJxhHETd6MhXdOechlCppeqxq-cO047wvB5p2bVKfYx0xog3rqpwvQ5ArPy4DnuV0iuQUfKFgRHHVjUF_M9-v5tKA\/w640-h380\/Napoleon%20Bonaparte%20Before%20the%20Sphinx,%20Jean-L%C3%A9on%20G%C3%A9r%C3%B4me,%20oil%20on%20canvas,%201868%20CE,%20Wikimedia%20Commons,%20Public%20Domain.jpg\" width=\"640\" \/\u003E\u003C\/a\u003E\u003C\/td\u003E\u003C\/tr\u003E\u003Ctr\u003E\u003Ctd class=\"tr-caption\" style=\"text-align: center;\"\u003E\u003Cspan style=\"font-family: inherit; font-size: small;\"\u003E\u003Cspan\u003EFigure\n 3: Napoleon Bonaparte Before the Sphinx, oil on canvas by Jean-Léon \nGérôme, 1868 CE. Source: Wikimedia Commons, Public Domain\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/td\u003E\u003C\/tr\u003E\u003C\/tbody\u003E\u003C\/table\u003E\u003Ctable align=\"center\" cellpadding=\"0\" cellspacing=\"0\" class=\"tr-caption-container\" style=\"margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;\"\u003E\u003Ctbody\u003E\u003Ctr\u003E\u003Ctd style=\"text-align: center;\"\u003E\u003Ca href=\"https:\/\/blogger.googleusercontent.com\/img\/b\/R29vZ2xl\/AVvXsEg0ZtHFFIG4UafAWKfmhNbc8u7tZCfyx4MQVeBUrM1JXfKVL9CrdrAoOQJA7dpwwDMZPXV3g8ygAop7OSeUNjZLvO0Ni3qXsPvg5sj5EKCrIM8qXRLxz0-mcFwjrFs0XT39W0NjvDiKHTVJN3ZjNaCAomZkoZBT_JHpvKV3V0PRIXxOiPwW20-XMD-rYd8\/s1024\/Columns%20of%20the%20temple%20at%20Edfu,%20Egypt,%20Coloured%20lithograph%20by%20Louis%20Haghe%20after%20David%20Roberts,%201846,%20Wikimedia%20Commons%20CC%20BY%204.jpg\" style=\"margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;\"\u003E\u003Cimg border=\"0\" data-original-height=\"659\" data-original-width=\"1024\" height=\"412\" src=\"https:\/\/blogger.googleusercontent.com\/img\/b\/R29vZ2xl\/AVvXsEg0ZtHFFIG4UafAWKfmhNbc8u7tZCfyx4MQVeBUrM1JXfKVL9CrdrAoOQJA7dpwwDMZPXV3g8ygAop7OSeUNjZLvO0Ni3qXsPvg5sj5EKCrIM8qXRLxz0-mcFwjrFs0XT39W0NjvDiKHTVJN3ZjNaCAomZkoZBT_JHpvKV3V0PRIXxOiPwW20-XMD-rYd8\/w640-h412\/Columns%20of%20the%20temple%20at%20Edfu,%20Egypt,%20Coloured%20lithograph%20by%20Louis%20Haghe%20after%20David%20Roberts,%201846,%20Wikimedia%20Commons%20CC%20BY%204.jpg\" width=\"640\" \/\u003E\u003C\/a\u003E\u003C\/td\u003E\u003C\/tr\u003E\u003Ctr\u003E\u003Ctd class=\"tr-caption\" style=\"text-align: center;\"\u003E\u003Cspan style=\"font-family: inherit; font-size: small;\"\u003E\u003Cspan\u003EFigure\n 4: The temple of Horus at Edfu, Egypt. Coloured lithograph by Louis \nHaghe after David Roberts, 1846. Source: Wikimedia Commons CC BY 4.0\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/td\u003E\u003C\/tr\u003E\u003C\/tbody\u003E\u003C\/table\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u003Cspan style=\"font-family: inherit;\"\u003E\u003Cspan style=\"font-size: medium;\"\u003EThere is no way that the compilers of the Hermetic texts, which had been put into writing between the 1st and 3rd centuries could have anticipated such a turn of events for the magnificent civilization of Egypt. Even though Egypt was under Greco-Roman rule from 304 BCE – 395 CE, there was hardly any diminution of the Egyptian culture or religion during this period.\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u003Cspan style=\"font-family: inherit;\"\u003E\u003Cspan style=\"font-size: medium;\"\u003EThe Ptolemaic Greek rulers of Egypt called themselves “pharaohs”, participated in the rituals of kingship, and venerated the Egyptian gods just like their predecessors. More significantly, the Ptolemies renovated the existing temples and built a number of news ones in pure Egyptian style. In fact, the most well-preserved temples of Egypt in the current day – that of Horus at Edfu, Hathor at Dendera, Horus and Sobek at Kom Ombo and the ethereal temple of Isis at Philae – were built during the Ptolemaic period (304 BCE – 30 BCE), and sometimes completed during the Roman rule (30 BCE – 395 CE). Even during the Roman period, the Roman Emperor was represented as a pharaoh in temple reliefs, and his name was enclosed in a cartouche, although few of them ever visited Egypt.\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Ctable align=\"center\" cellpadding=\"0\" cellspacing=\"0\" class=\"tr-caption-container\" style=\"margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;\"\u003E\u003Ctbody\u003E\u003Ctr\u003E\u003Ctd style=\"text-align: center;\"\u003E\u003Ca href=\"https:\/\/blogger.googleusercontent.com\/img\/b\/R29vZ2xl\/AVvXsEixRfUYUIDaVvR2koJ8HHPFTAz4gqTpYskbSZPmSpIno8Dsz6OGEMsUd9WA5f8_lX2MzZpYNQNUCKub0N7sNp4EwQoHEvyeAj_tMgThTEhTWetxu1aR41jhEWGxICkJsWCu463BFMlNn3pRN5Svt93HB_kwy-6Y7vOmU_G8iZmTOhJhvEnzp4OWASiRlGA\/s995\/Relief%20from%20the%20temple%20of%20Kom%20Ombo%20depicting%20Ptolemy%20VIII%20receiving%20the%20sed%20symbol%20from%20Horus,%20copy%20Olaf%20Tausch,%20CC%20BY%203.jpg\" style=\"margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;\"\u003E\u003Cimg alt=\"Kom Ombo relief depicting Ptolemy VIII receiving the sed symbol from Horus\" border=\"0\" data-original-height=\"995\" data-original-width=\"780\" height=\"400\" src=\"https:\/\/blogger.googleusercontent.com\/img\/b\/R29vZ2xl\/AVvXsEixRfUYUIDaVvR2koJ8HHPFTAz4gqTpYskbSZPmSpIno8Dsz6OGEMsUd9WA5f8_lX2MzZpYNQNUCKub0N7sNp4EwQoHEvyeAj_tMgThTEhTWetxu1aR41jhEWGxICkJsWCu463BFMlNn3pRN5Svt93HB_kwy-6Y7vOmU_G8iZmTOhJhvEnzp4OWASiRlGA\/w314-h400\/Relief%20from%20the%20temple%20of%20Kom%20Ombo%20depicting%20Ptolemy%20VIII%20receiving%20the%20sed%20symbol%20from%20Horus,%20copy%20Olaf%20Tausch,%20CC%20BY%203.jpg\" width=\"314\" \/\u003E\u003C\/a\u003E\u003C\/td\u003E\u003C\/tr\u003E\u003Ctr\u003E\u003Ctd class=\"tr-caption\" style=\"text-align: center;\"\u003E\u003Cspan style=\"font-family: inherit; font-size: small;\"\u003E\u003Cspan\u003EFigure\n 5: Relief from the temple of Kom Ombo depicting Ptolemy VIII receiving \nthe sed symbol from Horus. Source: Wikimedia Commons \/ Olaf Tausch, CC \nBY 3.0\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/td\u003E\u003C\/tr\u003E\u003C\/tbody\u003E\u003C\/table\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u003Cspan style=\"font-family: inherit;\"\u003E\u003Cspan style=\"font-size: medium;\"\u003EThe real decline of the Egyptian civilization started soon afterwards. The death knell was sounded in 391 CE, when the Roman Emperor Theodosius I issued the first in a series of edicts that prohibited all pagan cult worship.\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u003Cspan style=\"font-family: inherit;\"\u003E\u003Cspan style=\"font-size: medium;\"\u003E\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cblockquote\u003E\u003Cspan style=\"font-family: inherit;\"\u003E\u003Cspan style=\"font-size: medium;\"\u003E“No person shall approach the shrines, shall wander through the temples, or revere the images formed by mortal labor, lest he become guilty by divine and human laws.”[4]\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/blockquote\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u003Cspan style=\"font-family: inherit;\"\u003E\u003Cspan style=\"font-size: medium;\"\u003EThen in 392 CE, in a long decree, he forbade all forms of pagan worship, including private religious rites. No sacrifice in any place or any city was permitted. A burnt offering became a treasonable offense, while one who practiced more humble pagan rites, such as the veneration of a statue or even tying a ribbon around a tree, was threatened with the loss of property [5].\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u003Cspan style=\"font-family: inherit;\"\u003E\u003Cspan style=\"font-size: medium;\"\u003EThe enactments unleashed fanatical mobs of Christian monks across the Roman Empire on an unbridled spree of destruction of pagan temples and idols. Libanius, a teacher of the Sophist school, wrote to Theodosius describing the ongoing attacks of Christian monks, who he said,\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cblockquote\u003E\u003Cspan style=\"font-family: inherit;\"\u003E\u003Cspan style=\"font-size: medium;\"\u003E“Hasten to attack the temples with sticks and stones and bars of iron, and in some cases, disdaining these, with hands and feet. Then utter desolation follows, with the stripping of roofs, demolition of walls, the tearing down of statues and the overthrow of altars, and the priests must either keep quiet or die. After demolishing one, they scurry to another, and to a third, and trophy is piled on trophy, in contravention of the law. Such outrages occur even in the cities, but they are most common in the countryside.”[6] \u0026nbsp;\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/blockquote\u003E\u003Cspan style=\"font-family: inherit;\"\u003E\u003Cspan style=\"font-size: medium;\"\u003ETheodosius ordered Cynegius, the praetorian prefect of the East, to permanently close down the temples and forbade the worship of the deities throughout Egypt and the East.[7] Cynegius went further than Theodosius’s official policy, and commissioned temple destruction on a wide scale, even employing the military under his command and “black-robed monks” for this purpose.[8]\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/span\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u003Cspan style=\"font-family: inherit;\"\u003E\u003Cspan style=\"font-size: medium;\"\u003EIn 391 CE, the bishop of Alexandria, Theophilus, ordered the destruction of the Serapeum – which housed the remaining books of the Library of Alexandra - and its conversion into a church. In an unsurpassed act of cruelty, a horde of Christian monks brutally murdered Hypatia, the world- renowned mathematician, astronomer and philosopher of Alexandria. As per the \u003Ci\u003EBritannica\u003C\/i\u003E, “they pulled her from her carriage on a street in Alexandria, dragged her to a church, stripped her naked, beat her to death and \/ or flayed her, tore off her limbs, and burned her remains.”[9]\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u003Cspan style=\"font-family: inherit;\"\u003E\u003Cspan style=\"font-size: medium;\"\u003EThe acts of madness spread quickly throughout Egypt, leading to a wider destruction of holy sites, which is borne out by the archaeological findings of broken and burnt out buildings and hastily buried objects of piety [10].\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Ctable align=\"center\" cellpadding=\"0\" cellspacing=\"0\" class=\"tr-caption-container\" style=\"margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;\"\u003E\u003Ctbody\u003E\u003Ctr\u003E\u003Ctd style=\"text-align: center;\"\u003E\u003Ca href=\"https:\/\/blogger.googleusercontent.com\/img\/b\/R29vZ2xl\/AVvXsEhpwAGX6rcJptRKZoVUaO20fBl26t6-3yA5UYudSr82wsREAyz8pazj1HVaMfY-4HfXxfxFTqT9vDLPj3qfq8ZrrguKmelnJ9K3PANzW4M-EsqcihQjimIlAzBgNhkXXzmwyKEMYGraZCtvn16bIXqMFWlKWvf9iFiDNRb2aigcNw1dd3WHTNTXTbWJ9wg\/s1024\/The%20Burning%20of%20the%20Library%20at%20Alexandria%20in%20391%20CE,%20Lithograph%20by%20Ambrose%20Dudley%20c%201910,%20Wikimedia%20Commons,%20Public%20Domain.jpg\" style=\"margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;\"\u003E\u003Cimg alt=\"The Burning of the Library at Alexandria which was housed in the Sepapeum in 391 CE\" border=\"0\" data-original-height=\"754\" data-original-width=\"1024\" height=\"295\" src=\"https:\/\/blogger.googleusercontent.com\/img\/b\/R29vZ2xl\/AVvXsEhpwAGX6rcJptRKZoVUaO20fBl26t6-3yA5UYudSr82wsREAyz8pazj1HVaMfY-4HfXxfxFTqT9vDLPj3qfq8ZrrguKmelnJ9K3PANzW4M-EsqcihQjimIlAzBgNhkXXzmwyKEMYGraZCtvn16bIXqMFWlKWvf9iFiDNRb2aigcNw1dd3WHTNTXTbWJ9wg\/w400-h295\/The%20Burning%20of%20the%20Library%20at%20Alexandria%20in%20391%20CE,%20Lithograph%20by%20Ambrose%20Dudley%20c%201910,%20Wikimedia%20Commons,%20Public%20Domain.jpg\" width=\"400\" \/\u003E\u003C\/a\u003E\u003C\/td\u003E\u003C\/tr\u003E\u003Ctr\u003E\u003Ctd class=\"tr-caption\" style=\"text-align: center;\"\u003E\u003Cspan style=\"font-family: inherit; font-size: small;\"\u003E\u003Cspan\u003EFigure\n 6: The Burning of the Library at Alexandria which was housed in the \nSepapeum in 391 CE. Lithograph by Ambrose Dudley c. 1910. Source: \nWikimedia Commons, Public Domain\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/td\u003E\u003C\/tr\u003E\u003C\/tbody\u003E\u003C\/table\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u003Cspan style=\"font-family: inherit;\"\u003E\u003Cspan style=\"font-size: medium;\"\u003EThe persecutions did not stop here. More misery was in store for Egypt. In 639 CE, the Arabs conquered Egypt by wrestling control from the Byzantine Empire. This started another phase of tyranny, but this time the Coptic Christians bore the brunt of it. Christian churches were destroyed, forced conversions to Islam was order of the day, accompanied by jizya (tax) for those who refused to convert. By the 10th century, Islam had become the dominant faith of Egypt, and Arabic the sole vernacular.\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u003Cspan style=\"font-family: inherit;\"\u003E\u003Cspan style=\"font-size: medium;\"\u003EAlmost as a reaction to the malice that men bore against each other, Mother Nature also turned violent. Secular records show that 83 earthquakes were recorded in Egypt between 2200 BCE – 1899 CE. Of these only 7 occurred in the BCE years; at most 3 till the end of the ninth century; and the remaining 73 earthquakes occurred in the next millennium [11]. Many of these earthquakes devastated the ancient temples, which had already been wrecked by the fanatics and were tottering due to disuse and neglect. Some of these temples disappeared in the sands of the expanding desert forever, taking with them the grand legends and mysterious incantations that they held.\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u003Cspan style=\"font-family: inherit;\"\u003E\u003Cspan style=\"font-size: medium;\"\u003EThus, the prophecy of Hermes was fulfilled in a rather spectacular manner. Egypt was occupied by foreigners who did not speak their tongue or revere their gods, evil angels drove men to all kinds of reckless crimes, and nothing was left of the ancient Egyptian civilization except the stones that told of their religion and their piety. The sacred land of the gods was vandalized by waves of fanaticism and hatred that it had never witnessed before. In a way, what happened in Egypt was a mirror for what was happening in the rest of the world, as native cultures came under the sword of invaders, their natural resources plundered, their lands taken away from them, and their culture, language, manuscripts, temples and precious artifacts ruthlessly exterminated.\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u003Cspan style=\"font-family: inherit;\"\u003E\u003Cspan style=\"font-size: medium;\"\u003EWe have now reached a stage where the inversion of values is almost complete. Everything that is simple, pure and healthy, and brings peace, joy and contentment, has been devalued and cast away as being impractical or unnecessary, while the acquisition of wealth and power at any cost, and the uninhibited indulgence of the senses, has been touted as the sole purposes of life. Standing on their ivory towers, scientists and academics have proclaimed the non-existence of the soul and the futility of religious rituals and the spiritual way of life. The ancients have been labeled as primitives and our own self-destructive ways of life have been positioned as the greatest achievements of humanity.\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u003Cspan style=\"font-family: inherit;\"\u003E\u003Cspan style=\"font-size: medium;\"\u003EIt is difficult to imagine how any mortal, living in the 1st - 3rd centuries CE, could have made a prediction of such astonishing precision. Surely, the prophecy must have proceeded from some divine agency at an earlier period i.e. from Thoth \/ Hermes, and was put down in writing much later. In the final part of the prophecy, Hermes tells Asclepius that, at some point in the future, the decline will be reversed and the Earth will be renewed by the divine will of the Creator.\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u003Cspan style=\"font-family: inherit;\"\u003E\u003Cspan style=\"font-size: medium;\"\u003E\u003Cb\u003EThe Lament of Hermes (contd)\u003C\/b\u003E\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u003Cspan style=\"font-family: inherit;\"\u003E\u003Cspan style=\"font-size: medium;\"\u003E\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cblockquote\u003E\u003Cspan style=\"font-family: inherit;\"\u003E\u003Cspan style=\"font-size: medium;\"\u003EBut when all this has befallen, Asclepius, then the Master and Father, God, the first before all, the maker of that god who first came into being, will look on that which has come to pass, and will stay the disorder by the counterworking of his will, which is the good. He will call back to the right path those who have gone astray; he will cleanse the world from evil, now washing it away with water-floods, now burning it out with fiercest fire, or again expelling it by war and pestilence. And thus he will bring back his world to its former aspect, so that the Kosmos will once more be deemed worthy of worship and wondering reverence, and God, the maker and restorer of the mighty fabric, will be adored by the men of that day with unceasing hymns of praise and blessing.\u003Cbr \/\u003ESuch is the new birth of the Kosmos; it is a making again of all things good, a holy and awe-striking restoration of all nature; and it is wrought in the process of time by the eternal will of God. For Gods will has no beginning; it is ever the same, and as it now is, even so it has ever been, without beginning. For it is the very being of God to purpose good.”\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/blockquote\u003E\u003Cspan style=\"font-family: inherit;\"\u003E\u003Cspan style=\"font-size: medium;\"\u003EThe final part of the prophecy tells us of the Purification event that occurs at the end of every World Age or Yuga, which has been mentioned in so many ancient traditions. The periodic cleansings are necessary, not only to remove the evil that gradually infests the minds of men in course of the descending Yuga Cycle, but, just as importantly, to return the Earth to a pure and pristine state for a new wave of human civilization to emerge; and god knows that over the past few centuries we have polluted our world with dangerous toxins and garbage, and defiled our minds with an endless stream of egoic desires and dark thoughts. This means that the next Day of Purification could be just round the corner.\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/span\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u003Cspan style=\"font-family: inherit;\"\u003E\u003Cspan style=\"font-size: medium;\"\u003EThe Egyptians believed that the collapse and re-emergence of civilization occurs on a periodic basis; and that the triggers for periodic cataclysmic events that obliterate civilization come from outer space in the form of comets and meteors. This belief was expressed quite explicitly by an old Egyptian priest of Sais, in course of his conversation with Solon, the Athenian law-giver, as recounted by Plato in the \u003Ci\u003ETimaeus\u003C\/i\u003E. The Egyptian priest of Sais told Solon,\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cblockquote\u003E\u003Cspan style=\"font-family: inherit;\"\u003E\u003Cspan style=\"font-size: medium;\"\u003E“There have been, and will be again, many destructions of mankind arising out of many causes; the greatest have been brought about by the agencies of fire and water, and other lesser ones by innumerable other causes…\u003Cbr \/\u003EThere is a story, which even you have preserved, that once upon a time Phaethon, the son of Helios, having yoked the steeds in his father's chariot, because he was not able to drive them in the path of his father, burnt up all that was upon the earth, and was himself destroyed by a thunderbolt. Now this has the form of a myth, but really signifies a declination of the bodies moving in the heavens around the earth, and a great conflagration of things upon the earth, which recurs after long intervals; at such times those who live upon the mountains and in dry and lofty places are more liable to destruction than those who dwell by rivers or on the seashore...When, on the other hand, the gods purge the earth with a deluge of water, the survivors in your country are herdsmen and shepherds who dwell on the mountains, but those who, like you, live in cities are carried by the rivers into the sea. \u003Cbr \/\u003EWhereas just when you and other nations are beginning to be provided with letters and the other requisites of civilized life, after the usual interval, the stream from heaven, like a pestilence, comes pouring down, and leaves only those of you who are destitute of letters and education; and so you have to begin all over again like children, and know nothing of what happened in ancient times, either among us or among yourselves.”[12]\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/blockquote\u003E\u003Cspan style=\"font-family: inherit;\"\u003E\u003Cspan style=\"font-size: medium;\"\u003EThe reference to the “stream from heaven” that comes pouring down like a pestilence, is a clear allusion to the many meteor streams that the Earth crosses during its annual orbit around the Sun. During such times, the Earth can get impacted by civilization-ending bolides and large comet fragments that move within these streams.\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/span\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u003Cspan style=\"font-family: inherit;\"\u003E\u003Cspan style=\"font-size: medium;\"\u003EEvidence is mounting by the day that comet impacts and meteor airbursts have caused widespread devastation in the past. Many such events have been recorded in the folklore and sacred texts of the ancients. The periodic nature of such events led the people of antiquity to look upon comets as the portents of all sorts of troubles such as wars, earthquakes, famines, diseases etc. Comets were called the “harbingers of doom”, and “the portents of impending disaster” sent directly from heaven for the warning of mankind.\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u003Cspan style=\"font-family: inherit;\"\u003E\u003Ca href=\"https:\/\/blogger.googleusercontent.com\/img\/b\/R29vZ2xl\/AVvXsEgtwfWqcsv99P1edh3z_VFiFb2vVqA_8RvvYwjuqGfz7stu6XEbBOb6iV2BZ0m2G2OqB_FUPc-a0EInW4Ec-exHXJri1xXHdraC21d-Mz404eOYXsqIDIxNGnV1v0vI5sNtzj01WKOazMgnJeA0GhHkRXjIUbDDogKrwxbGLNSB89QVKWGxUDxfx1rdagA\/s1080\/Comet%20hitting%20earth%20small.jpg\" style=\"margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;\"\u003E\u003Cimg border=\"0\" data-original-height=\"617\" data-original-width=\"1080\" height=\"366\" src=\"https:\/\/blogger.googleusercontent.com\/img\/b\/R29vZ2xl\/AVvXsEgtwfWqcsv99P1edh3z_VFiFb2vVqA_8RvvYwjuqGfz7stu6XEbBOb6iV2BZ0m2G2OqB_FUPc-a0EInW4Ec-exHXJri1xXHdraC21d-Mz404eOYXsqIDIxNGnV1v0vI5sNtzj01WKOazMgnJeA0GhHkRXjIUbDDogKrwxbGLNSB89QVKWGxUDxfx1rdagA\/w640-h366\/Comet%20hitting%20earth%20small.jpg\" width=\"640\" \/\u003E\u003C\/a\u003E\u003C\/span\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cspan style=\"font-family: inherit;\"\u003E\u003Cspan style=\"font-size: medium;\"\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003EConsidering the unnerving accuracy of the prophecy of Hermes thus far, there is every likelihood that the final part of the prophecy will also be fulfilled at some point in the future. As much as some people would like to believe, there is no magic wand which can be waved to turn the tide and miraculously elevate human consciousness and restore all of nature to the original pristine state. We must, necessarily, go through these narrow environmental bottlenecks, out of which only a few survivors emerge, and begin again from scratch with a new set of values and guiding principles. The ancients knew about these grand cycles very well, and we would do well to heed their warnings. \u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cb\u003EReferences\u003C\/b\u003E\u003C\/span\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u003Cspan style=\"font-family: inherit;\"\u003E\u003Cspan style=\"font-size: medium;\"\u003E[1] Plato, CRITIAS (360 BCE), tr. by Benjamin Jowett, https:\/\/www.sacred-texts.com\/cla\/plato\/critias.htm\u003Cbr \/\u003E[2] Hesiod: Works and Days translated by Hugh G. Evelyn-White [1914], https:\/\/people.sc.fsu.edu\/~dduke\/lectures\/hesiod1.pdf\u003Cbr \/\u003E[3] The Lament, Asclepius III, tr. by Walter Scott, taken from https:\/\/www.kemetexperience.com\/the-lament\/\u003Cbr \/\u003E[4] Codex Theodosianus XVI.10.10, taken from “The End of Paganism”, Encyclopaedia Romana, https:\/\/penelope.uchicago.edu\/~grout\/encyclopaedia_romana\/greece\/paganism\/paganism.html\u003Cbr \/\u003E[5] Codex Theodosianus. XVI.10.12, taken from: as above\u003Cbr \/\u003E[6] Pro Templis (Oration XXX.8-10)\u003Cbr \/\u003E[7] Grindle, Gilbert (1892), The Destruction of paganism in the Roman Empire, pp. 29–30\u003Cbr \/\u003E[8] Peter Brown, Power and Persuasion in Late Antiquity: Towards a Christian Empire, University of Wisconsin Press, 1992, pp. 107.\u003Cbr \/\u003E[9] “Hypatia”, Encyclopedia Britannica, https:\/\/www.britannica.com\/biography\/Hypatia\u003Cbr \/\u003E[10] MacMullen, Ramsay (1984), Christianizing The Roman Empire AD 100–400, Yale University Press\u003Cbr \/\u003E[11] Ahmed Badawy, \"Historical Seismicity of Egypt\", Acta Geodaetica et Geophysica Hungarica 34(1):119-135, https:\/\/www.researchgate.net\/publication\/283839188_Historical_seismicity_of_Egypt\u003Cbr \/\u003E[12] Plato, Timaeus (360 BC) tr. by Benjamin Jowett\u003Ci\u003E\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/i\u003E \u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003C\/span\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E"},"link":[{"rel":"replies","type":"application/atom+xml","href":"https:\/\/www.bibhudevmisra.com\/feeds\/1360228214041993026\/comments\/default","title":"Post Comments"},{"rel":"replies","type":"text/html","href":"https:\/\/www.bibhudevmisra.com\/2023\/10\/the-lament-of-hermes-soul-stirring.html#comment-form","title":"5 Comments"},{"rel":"edit","type":"application/atom+xml","href":"https:\/\/www.blogger.com\/feeds\/6864653463177413678\/posts\/default\/1360228214041993026"},{"rel":"self","type":"application/atom+xml","href":"https:\/\/www.blogger.com\/feeds\/6864653463177413678\/posts\/default\/1360228214041993026"},{"rel":"alternate","type":"text/html","href":"https:\/\/www.bibhudevmisra.com\/2023\/10\/the-lament-of-hermes-soul-stirring.html","title":"The Lament of Hermes: A Prophecy of Civilizational Decline and the End-Times"}],"author":[{"name":{"$t":"Bibhu Dev Misra"},"uri":{"$t":"http:\/\/www.blogger.com\/profile\/15388473714672380058"},"email":{"$t":"noreply@blogger.com"},"gd$image":{"rel":"http://schemas.google.com/g/2005#thumbnail","width":"32","height":"28","src":"\/\/blogger.googleusercontent.com\/img\/b\/R29vZ2xl\/AVvXsEh4sklyRp_L5BfqEXTjoskgFPFYpJiNJSuDN5zrcldGBaXot626bOTu8q5TUYsip63M6EkY2JbuoE6l1N5fMKiqKfzFfaaKpqm91QZx9rMdAL3t-ju2QdYi1K-BeCJsjw\/s130\/DSCN1699.JPG"}}],"media$thumbnail":{"xmlns$media":"http://search.yahoo.com/mrss/","url":"https:\/\/blogger.googleusercontent.com\/img\/b\/R29vZ2xl\/AVvXsEghWBXW5HHEF2VNvzZO1dwoL-XTXvKeIOvHrFIVUfec4Isv0-RjhFvDClqdCQrndc1_PTvnLeRvpJoqyTwR58rzvj-qOr-YhxE2h_wu_FIxm8ZsCkMeAXNs8EYy4fJupecM3DUjAQ9F9ro-LjjMPoj6tIgwhUdxfYq98q9gw9806fjbCO3fV8kOCLS69eU\/s72-c\/the-end-of-the-world-wallpaper.jpg","height":"72","width":"72"},"thr$total":{"$t":"5"}},{"id":{"$t":"tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6864653463177413678.post-8184758531374740519"},"published":{"$t":"2023-05-03T19:31:00.007+05:30"},"updated":{"$t":"2024-05-25T12:17:15.200+05:30"},"category":[{"scheme":"http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#","term":"Article"},{"scheme":"http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#","term":"Earth Mysteries"}],"title":{"type":"text","$t":"Could the \"Eye of the Sahara\" be the Legendary Atlantis?"},"content":{"type":"html","$t":"\u003Cp\u003E\u003Ci\u003E\u003Cspan style=\"font-size: medium;\"\u003E\u003Cspan style=\"font-family: inherit;\"\u003E\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/i\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cdiv class=\"separator\" style=\"clear: both; text-align: center;\"\u003E\u003Ci\u003E\u003Ca href=\"https:\/\/blogger.googleusercontent.com\/img\/b\/R29vZ2xl\/AVvXsEjyCLF_bL19vF_FD-Ls_PSU7xf68pLjx4AK04pfLr53WDV_cnB78uo2ZVkvwoKpa6mAuf3dvaacAf_lMAoYGK1zbc2BmKwz8SYVNNvnkfxHMWvRf_UOK1QDgpqYlRaKyQfG-IpEGteX1NpttczQuUyvVun0IdK5AeSvXEPlhU-zwG6tSxhIEl1cxlXS\/s721\/Richat%20Structure%20USGS%20EROS%20NASA%20Landsat%20Public%20Domain%20edit%20very%20small.jpg\" style=\"margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;\"\u003E\u003Cimg border=\"0\" data-original-height=\"721\" data-original-width=\"720\" height=\"320\" src=\"https:\/\/blogger.googleusercontent.com\/img\/b\/R29vZ2xl\/AVvXsEjyCLF_bL19vF_FD-Ls_PSU7xf68pLjx4AK04pfLr53WDV_cnB78uo2ZVkvwoKpa6mAuf3dvaacAf_lMAoYGK1zbc2BmKwz8SYVNNvnkfxHMWvRf_UOK1QDgpqYlRaKyQfG-IpEGteX1NpttczQuUyvVun0IdK5AeSvXEPlhU-zwG6tSxhIEl1cxlXS\/s320\/Richat%20Structure%20USGS%20EROS%20NASA%20Landsat%20Public%20Domain%20edit%20very%20small.jpg\" width=\"320\" \/\u003E\u003C\/a\u003E\u003C\/i\u003E\u003C\/div\u003E\u003Ci\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cspan style=\"font-family: times; font-size: medium;\"\u003E\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/span\u003E\u003Cspan style=\"font-family: arial; font-size: medium;\"\u003ENote: This article was first published on \u003Ca href=\"https:\/\/mysteriousuniverse.org\/2023\/04\/A-New-Theory-Claims-that-the-Eye-of-the-Sahara-is-Atlantis.-Is-there-Sufficient-Evidence-\/\" target=\"_blank\"\u003EMysterious Universe (MU)\u003C\/a\u003E\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/i\u003E\u003Cspan style=\"font-family: arial; font-size: medium;\"\u003E \u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003C\/span\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u003Cspan style=\"font-family: arial; font-size: medium;\"\u003EA new theory doing the rounds on the internet in recent times is that, the geological feature in the Sahara desert known as the “Eye of the Sahara” is the legendary kingdom of Atlantis.\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u003Cspan style=\"font-family: arial; font-size: medium;\"\u003EMy initial reaction was one of skepticism, since Plato had described Atlantis as a large island, as big as Libya and Asia Minor combined, located beyond the Straits of Gibraltar. However, I decided to take a closer look at what the proponents of this idea are claiming to check if that conforms to the descriptions of Atlantis found in the \u003Ci\u003ECritias\u003C\/i\u003E [1] and the \u003Ci\u003ETimaeus\u003C\/i\u003E [2].\u003Cspan\u003E\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Ca name='more'\u003E\u003C\/a\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u003Cspan style=\"font-family: arial; font-size: medium;\"\u003EThe Eye of the Sahara, also known as the “Richat Structure”, is a prominent circular feature in the Sahara desert of Mauritania. It is about 45 km in diameter and forms a conspicuous bull’s-eye in the otherwise featureless expanse of the desert. Since the feature is so large, one cannot really make out the whole structure from the ground. The overall contours were seen only after NASA started sending people to space, and was used as a landmark by shuttle crews. The Gemini-mission astronauts were the first to photograph the formation in the 1960s. Later, Landsat satellite images provided precise information about the size, height, and extent of the structure.\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Ctable align=\"center\" cellpadding=\"0\" cellspacing=\"0\" class=\"tr-caption-container\" style=\"margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;\"\u003E\u003Ctbody\u003E\u003Ctr\u003E\u003Ctd style=\"text-align: center;\"\u003E\u003Ca href=\"https:\/\/blogger.googleusercontent.com\/img\/b\/R29vZ2xl\/AVvXsEj7MYFoEHcy72IxgKqR8gXSkwZKu8HiF7GgcLFgWvfVDK8-EMKH9nXgBhOTWhPLwhRcQ_ykGCHdJFPA7fa3Kk7RQJd3GpMEN-ye6EaRKKaOfNkBYtQq4GMgF9pJz47VYSrAzZ1xkLA407b39_7PZgboqN0MqaadAyXTWGY1zI46iQpWChKBhDgpLWgDTFI\/s1028\/The%20Eye%20of%20the%20Sahara%20in%20Mauritania,%20Africa.jpg\" style=\"margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;\"\u003E\u003Cimg border=\"0\" data-original-height=\"714\" data-original-width=\"1028\" height=\"278\" src=\"https:\/\/blogger.googleusercontent.com\/img\/b\/R29vZ2xl\/AVvXsEj7MYFoEHcy72IxgKqR8gXSkwZKu8HiF7GgcLFgWvfVDK8-EMKH9nXgBhOTWhPLwhRcQ_ykGCHdJFPA7fa3Kk7RQJd3GpMEN-ye6EaRKKaOfNkBYtQq4GMgF9pJz47VYSrAzZ1xkLA407b39_7PZgboqN0MqaadAyXTWGY1zI46iQpWChKBhDgpLWgDTFI\/w400-h278\/The%20Eye%20of%20the%20Sahara%20in%20Mauritania,%20Africa.jpg\" width=\"400\" \/\u003E\u003C\/a\u003E\u003C\/td\u003E\u003C\/tr\u003E\u003Ctr\u003E\u003Ctd class=\"tr-caption\" style=\"text-align: center;\"\u003E\u003Cspan style=\"font-family: arial; font-size: small;\"\u003EFigure 1: The Eye of the Sahara in Mauritania, Western Africa. Source: Google Maps\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/td\u003E\u003C\/tr\u003E\u003C\/tbody\u003E\u003C\/table\u003E\u003Ctable align=\"center\" cellpadding=\"0\" cellspacing=\"0\" class=\"tr-caption-container\" style=\"margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;\"\u003E\u003Ctbody\u003E\u003Ctr\u003E\u003Ctd style=\"text-align: center;\"\u003E\u003Ca href=\"https:\/\/blogger.googleusercontent.com\/img\/b\/R29vZ2xl\/AVvXsEifT_J1OKoJvE4XlgRWJRBInsCH6_VciJ0UbySsLnjFBEjnwRGWRtEdim5Yd_udQokdaAXGnZodwdEJXCb0-rUogScdNIiKcH7BetLZMFDSfaFwutbUvjAAbIYLVwkAzdRl1NZNvGwZSd6ylt9iHmGdZzxLL11pl76l1M0JZ_a0K9NirtDj2LRNqdCTTfo\/s720\/Richat%20Structure,%20photographed%20from%20the%20International%20Space%20Station,%20NASA%20Earth%20Observatory,%20Public%20Domain.jpg\" style=\"margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;\"\u003E\u003Cimg alt=\"Richat Structure, photographed from the International Space Station\" border=\"0\" data-original-height=\"480\" data-original-width=\"720\" height=\"426\" src=\"https:\/\/blogger.googleusercontent.com\/img\/b\/R29vZ2xl\/AVvXsEifT_J1OKoJvE4XlgRWJRBInsCH6_VciJ0UbySsLnjFBEjnwRGWRtEdim5Yd_udQokdaAXGnZodwdEJXCb0-rUogScdNIiKcH7BetLZMFDSfaFwutbUvjAAbIYLVwkAzdRl1NZNvGwZSd6ylt9iHmGdZzxLL11pl76l1M0JZ_a0K9NirtDj2LRNqdCTTfo\/w640-h426\/Richat%20Structure,%20photographed%20from%20the%20International%20Space%20Station,%20NASA%20Earth%20Observatory,%20Public%20Domain.jpg\" width=\"640\" \/\u003E\u003C\/a\u003E\u003C\/td\u003E\u003C\/tr\u003E\u003Ctr\u003E\u003Ctd class=\"tr-caption\" style=\"text-align: center;\"\u003E\u003Cspan style=\"font-family: arial; font-size: small;\"\u003EFigure 2: Richat Structure, photographed from the International Space Station, NASA Earth Observatory, Public Domain\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/td\u003E\u003C\/tr\u003E\u003C\/tbody\u003E\u003C\/table\u003E\u003Cp style=\"text-align: center;\"\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Ctable align=\"center\" cellpadding=\"0\" cellspacing=\"0\" class=\"tr-caption-container\" style=\"margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;\"\u003E\u003Ctbody\u003E\u003Ctr\u003E\u003Ctd style=\"text-align: center;\"\u003E\u003Ca href=\"https:\/\/blogger.googleusercontent.com\/img\/b\/R29vZ2xl\/AVvXsEhlrl8_oaR6jVwf7bJDrFDdRc5b5c4KIS8wVlZnRDapcG33-kCOZmQQ1-PqIXwUgGrgqPk8yUJ4E5oDo6G23XzB4kqYXq5RK6ULLuaKKmBuKtb0I_V_KOAMzgScvLLxqjWpb9bXZqypsi4fa3G2sjec5prBgWO9J74xtrHMBe57kWLp4p2trN-V_i180Ns\/s1280\/The%20Richat%20Structure%20of%20Mauritania,%20NASA,%20Public%20Domain.jpg\" style=\"margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;\"\u003E\u003Cimg alt=\"The Richat Structure of Mauritania, NASA\" border=\"0\" data-original-height=\"850\" data-original-width=\"1280\" height=\"266\" src=\"https:\/\/blogger.googleusercontent.com\/img\/b\/R29vZ2xl\/AVvXsEhlrl8_oaR6jVwf7bJDrFDdRc5b5c4KIS8wVlZnRDapcG33-kCOZmQQ1-PqIXwUgGrgqPk8yUJ4E5oDo6G23XzB4kqYXq5RK6ULLuaKKmBuKtb0I_V_KOAMzgScvLLxqjWpb9bXZqypsi4fa3G2sjec5prBgWO9J74xtrHMBe57kWLp4p2trN-V_i180Ns\/w400-h266\/The%20Richat%20Structure%20of%20Mauritania,%20NASA,%20Public%20Domain.jpg\" width=\"400\" \/\u003E\u003C\/a\u003E\u003C\/td\u003E\u003C\/tr\u003E\u003Ctr\u003E\u003Ctd class=\"tr-caption\" style=\"text-align: center;\"\u003E\u003Cspan style=\"font-family: arial; font-size: small;\"\u003EFigure 3: The Richat Structure of Mauritania. Credit: NASA, Public Domain\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/td\u003E\u003C\/tr\u003E\u003C\/tbody\u003E\u003C\/table\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u003Cspan style=\"font-family: arial; font-size: medium;\"\u003EWhen the feature was first studied in the 1930s and 40s, it was thought to have been an impact crater, and was known as the Richat Crater. However, subsequent studies revealed that the structure lacks any impact proxies, and, therefore, must have formed due to terrestrial processes.\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u003Cspan style=\"font-family: arial; font-size: medium;\"\u003EThe dominant theory is that it is a highly eroded geological dome. An underlying alkaline igneous intrusion of the Cretaceous age uplifted the overlying sedimentary rocks in the form of a dome. Subsequently, the differential erosion of alternating hard and soft rock layers of this geological dome, created the circular distribution of ridges and valleys. Today, the Eye of the Sahara is somewhat sunken below the level of the surrounding landscapes.\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u003Cspan style=\"font-family: arial; font-size: medium;\"\u003EExtensive field mapping and aeromagnetic data has revealed that the sedimentary and igneous rocks have formed two concentric ring dykes around the central dome. A recent journal paper (2021) provides precise data of their dimensions.[3]\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cul style=\"text-align: left;\"\u003E\u003Cli\u003E\u003Cspan style=\"font-family: arial; font-size: medium;\"\u003EThe central dome is spread over a surface area of about 4 sq.km. It forms a rough topography with vertical structures as high as 40 m.\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/li\u003E\u003Cli\u003E\u003Cspan style=\"font-family: arial; font-size: medium;\"\u003EThe inner ring dyke, located 3 km from the center, has an estimated thickness of about 30 m.\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/li\u003E\u003Cli\u003E\u003Cspan style=\"font-family: arial; font-size: medium;\"\u003EThe outer gabbroic ring dyke is located 8 km from the center of the structure with a thickness of about 70 meters. \u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/li\u003E\u003C\/ul\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Ctable align=\"center\" cellpadding=\"0\" cellspacing=\"0\" class=\"tr-caption-container\" style=\"margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;\"\u003E\u003Ctbody\u003E\u003Ctr\u003E\u003Ctd style=\"text-align: center;\"\u003E\u003Ca href=\"https:\/\/blogger.googleusercontent.com\/img\/b\/R29vZ2xl\/AVvXsEgool77M4j8O676m38PaE_IsjTf3CZNVGXrLx5kZCAFnNuO_Tmwze-lSSv95A80U5Lso5UnMglw4DlqVa8oZuXNeDAFTSXszlid1DGZEeGSs7O8mmt_KnHlw072FANulDAe2iGFwfBOdbXYvUcMaTnuwmhYS6pf35Az-JBWJcr-E_QFuRvkst1WpX1e3_E\/s1080\/the%20Eye%20of%20the%20Sahara,%20as%20viewed%20from%20Sentinel%202%20satellite,%20ESA,%20CC%20BY%20SA%20IGO%203%20via%20Wikimedia%20Commons.jpg\" style=\"margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;\"\u003E\u003Cimg alt=\"The Eye of the Sahara, as viewed from Sentinel 2 satellite, ESA\" border=\"0\" data-original-height=\"740\" data-original-width=\"1080\" height=\"438\" src=\"https:\/\/blogger.googleusercontent.com\/img\/b\/R29vZ2xl\/AVvXsEgool77M4j8O676m38PaE_IsjTf3CZNVGXrLx5kZCAFnNuO_Tmwze-lSSv95A80U5Lso5UnMglw4DlqVa8oZuXNeDAFTSXszlid1DGZEeGSs7O8mmt_KnHlw072FANulDAe2iGFwfBOdbXYvUcMaTnuwmhYS6pf35Az-JBWJcr-E_QFuRvkst1WpX1e3_E\/w640-h438\/the%20Eye%20of%20the%20Sahara,%20as%20viewed%20from%20Sentinel%202%20satellite,%20ESA,%20CC%20BY%20SA%20IGO%203%20via%20Wikimedia%20Commons.jpg\" width=\"640\" \/\u003E\u003C\/a\u003E\u003C\/td\u003E\u003C\/tr\u003E\u003Ctr\u003E\u003Ctd class=\"tr-caption\" style=\"text-align: center;\"\u003E\u003Cspan style=\"font-family: arial; font-size: small;\"\u003EFigure 4: The Eye of the Sahara, as viewed from Sentinel 2 satellite. Credit: ESA, CC BY-SA IGO 3.0 via Wikimedia Commons\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/td\u003E\u003C\/tr\u003E\u003C\/tbody\u003E\u003C\/table\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Ctable align=\"center\" cellpadding=\"0\" cellspacing=\"0\" class=\"tr-caption-container\" style=\"margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;\"\u003E\u003Ctbody\u003E\u003Ctr\u003E\u003Ctd style=\"text-align: center;\"\u003E\u003Ca href=\"https:\/\/blogger.googleusercontent.com\/img\/b\/R29vZ2xl\/AVvXsEi7y27W7tOsdTULCOG9-mPr9KsMGoJYM0PbugQ9zb37WQvixZxKcPdFkV0k_9MjC1LlAuBjzrag9lU_oC3u1zjNYPpjAeNlkQ9Zt0kB4AS3n5RDeYI7DxnmcWIVx_C3AhXRvSMO6Xeyjd2pkHZTJsnkq2gNZsjdgdart586_9cEcHjvp865-sqrc3YgWpA\/s1280\/The%20central%20zone%20of%20the%20Richat%20Structure%20displays%20a%20large%20unit%20of%20collapse%20breccia%20with%20hydrothermal%20internal%20sediments%20of%20Cretaceous%20age,%20Michel%20Jebrak,%20CC%20BY%20SA%204.jpg\" style=\"margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;\"\u003E\u003Cimg alt=\"The central zone of the Richat Structure\" border=\"0\" data-original-height=\"960\" data-original-width=\"1280\" height=\"300\" src=\"https:\/\/blogger.googleusercontent.com\/img\/b\/R29vZ2xl\/AVvXsEi7y27W7tOsdTULCOG9-mPr9KsMGoJYM0PbugQ9zb37WQvixZxKcPdFkV0k_9MjC1LlAuBjzrag9lU_oC3u1zjNYPpjAeNlkQ9Zt0kB4AS3n5RDeYI7DxnmcWIVx_C3AhXRvSMO6Xeyjd2pkHZTJsnkq2gNZsjdgdart586_9cEcHjvp865-sqrc3YgWpA\/w400-h300\/The%20central%20zone%20of%20the%20Richat%20Structure%20displays%20a%20large%20unit%20of%20collapse%20breccia%20with%20hydrothermal%20internal%20sediments%20of%20Cretaceous%20age,%20Michel%20Jebrak,%20CC%20BY%20SA%204.jpg\" width=\"400\" \/\u003E\u003C\/a\u003E\u003C\/td\u003E\u003C\/tr\u003E\u003Ctr\u003E\u003Ctd class=\"tr-caption\" style=\"text-align: center;\"\u003E\u003Cspan style=\"font-family: arial; font-size: small;\"\u003EFigure 5: The central zone of the Richat \nStructure displays a large unit of collapse breccia with hydrothermal \ninternal sediments of Cretaceous age. Credit: Michel Jebrak, CC BY-SA \n4.0 via Wikimedia Commons\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/td\u003E\u003C\/tr\u003E\u003C\/tbody\u003E\u003C\/table\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cspan style=\"font-family: arial; font-size: medium;\"\u003EWith that overview, let’s investigate why it has been proposed as a likely location of Atlantis. To the best of my knowledge, the hypothesis was first advanced by Martin K. Ettington in his book \u003Ci\u003EThe Real Atlantis: In the Eye of the Sahara\u003C\/i\u003E (2018), although I can’t be sure if someone else had made the connection earlier. Videos posted on the \"Bright Insight\" YouTube channel in 2018 and 2023, provides additional arguments. Let us see if the evidence stacks up in favor of this hypothesis.\u003C\/span\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Ctable align=\"center\" cellpadding=\"0\" cellspacing=\"0\" class=\"tr-caption-container\" style=\"margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;\"\u003E\u003Ctbody\u003E\u003Ctr\u003E\u003Ctd style=\"text-align: center;\"\u003E\u003Ca href=\"https:\/\/blogger.googleusercontent.com\/img\/b\/R29vZ2xl\/AVvXsEgn0YQOZRuP9_koxkRK8KOLKqg5Vk5PM986zQa5cTOYVhsYO4DZZUN-99JfcgUx5CY8_sYuKlYgguOQuL16OnEyYal_ysJDc43mSpmpxU6AR_Zolsc94D1q0lBFWc4TfmvenS_TqhZ68T7_ELciNk26UyFY4YxZEWlnCiFJlG6jnTeN65XxM1ohgy39zv0\/s900\/Atlantis%20rocio-espin-pinar%202.jpg\" style=\"margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;\"\u003E\u003Cimg alt=\"Artist representation of Atlantis\" border=\"0\" data-original-height=\"550\" data-original-width=\"900\" height=\"392\" src=\"https:\/\/blogger.googleusercontent.com\/img\/b\/R29vZ2xl\/AVvXsEgn0YQOZRuP9_koxkRK8KOLKqg5Vk5PM986zQa5cTOYVhsYO4DZZUN-99JfcgUx5CY8_sYuKlYgguOQuL16OnEyYal_ysJDc43mSpmpxU6AR_Zolsc94D1q0lBFWc4TfmvenS_TqhZ68T7_ELciNk26UyFY4YxZEWlnCiFJlG6jnTeN65XxM1ohgy39zv0\/w640-h392\/Atlantis%20rocio-espin-pinar%202.jpg\" width=\"640\" \/\u003E\u003C\/a\u003E\u003C\/td\u003E\u003C\/tr\u003E\u003Ctr\u003E\u003Ctd class=\"tr-caption\" style=\"text-align: center;\"\u003E\u003Cspan style=\"font-family: arial; font-size: small;\"\u003EFigure 6: Artist representation of Atlantis, as described by Plato. Credit: Rocio Espin Pinar\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/td\u003E\u003C\/tr\u003E\u003C\/tbody\u003E\u003C\/table\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u003Cspan style=\"font-family: arial; font-size: medium;\"\u003EAt first sight, the Richat Structure does bear an uncanny structural similarity to Atlantis since it has two concentric bands of ring dykes separated by eroded valleys. As per Plato’s description of Atlantis in the \u003Ci\u003ECritias\u003C\/i\u003E, the central island of Atlantis - on which was located the hill where Poseidon and his mortal wife Cleito lived – was enclosed by two zones of land and three zones of water. The text states, \u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cblockquote\u003E\u003Cspan style=\"font-family: arial; font-size: medium;\"\u003E“Poseidon breaking the\u0026nbsp; ground, enclosed the hill in which she (Cleito) dwelt all round, making\u0026nbsp; alternate zones of sea and land, larger and smaller, encircling one another; there were two of land and three of water, which he turned as\u0026nbsp; with a lathe, each having its circumference equidistant every way from the centre.”\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/blockquote\u003E\u003Cspan style=\"font-family: arial; font-size: medium;\"\u003ELet us look at the dimensions of the central island and the land and sea zones of Atlantis. As per the \u003Ci\u003ECritias\u003C\/i\u003E, “The (central) island in which the palace was situated had a diameter of five stadia.” The measure of a Greek stade (plural: stadia) is generally taken as 180 meters. Thus, the diameter of the central island was 900 meters. This gives an estimated area of 0.63 sq.km, which is 6-times less than the area of the central dome of the Richat structure (4 sq.km).\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/span\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u003Cspan style=\"font-family: arial; font-size: medium;\"\u003ENevertheless, the areas are comparable in magnitude. In fact, I was pleasantly surprised that the central dome of the Richat Structure covers such a large area. You do need a lot of space for the royal palace, temples, statues of gold, fountains, groves, baths, gardens, buildings, guard houses and docks that had been built on the central island of Atlantis, where the kings and their family lived.\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Ctable align=\"center\" cellpadding=\"0\" cellspacing=\"0\" class=\"tr-caption-container\" style=\"margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;\"\u003E\u003Ctbody\u003E\u003Ctr\u003E\u003Ctd style=\"text-align: center;\"\u003E\u003Ca href=\"https:\/\/blogger.googleusercontent.com\/img\/b\/R29vZ2xl\/AVvXsEg2GRurfe7fF_YxHprRaXhqdvJefQDHpf9bbKOaMCUgf5SXwO4pMxJ8DiP44WkfYpH4bcNH4AAyw0Uyughyphenhyphenj_84VtVJn0iX2P4CC2LrT6J03o0Aw8aaG8ajgbZnk3OenipTc-b5Hz9ivK1UBRywwS-11q7iXex_-hgR8S_V5dsnQoMocTQz9hWBTeqah80\/s1435\/Atlantis%20Richat.jpg\" style=\"margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;\"\u003E\u003Cimg alt=\"A comparison of Atlantis and the Richat Structure\" border=\"0\" data-original-height=\"486\" data-original-width=\"1435\" height=\"216\" src=\"https:\/\/blogger.googleusercontent.com\/img\/b\/R29vZ2xl\/AVvXsEg2GRurfe7fF_YxHprRaXhqdvJefQDHpf9bbKOaMCUgf5SXwO4pMxJ8DiP44WkfYpH4bcNH4AAyw0Uyughyphenhyphenj_84VtVJn0iX2P4CC2LrT6J03o0Aw8aaG8ajgbZnk3OenipTc-b5Hz9ivK1UBRywwS-11q7iXex_-hgR8S_V5dsnQoMocTQz9hWBTeqah80\/w640-h216\/Atlantis%20Richat.jpg\" width=\"640\" \/\u003E\u003C\/a\u003E\u003C\/td\u003E\u003C\/tr\u003E\u003Ctr\u003E\u003Ctd class=\"tr-caption\" style=\"text-align: center;\"\u003E\u003Cspan style=\"font-family: arial; font-size: small;\"\u003EFigure 7: A comparison of Atlantis and the Richat Structure.\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/td\u003E\u003C\/tr\u003E\u003C\/tbody\u003E\u003C\/table\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u003Cspan style=\"font-family: arial; font-size: medium;\"\u003EAs per the \u003Ci\u003ECritias\u003C\/i\u003E, the outermost zones of land and sea of Atlantis were three stadia (540 meters) in width, the inner zones of land and sea were two stadia (360 meters) in width, while the zone of sea which surrounded the central island was one stadium (180 meters) in width. Here is the relevant section from the text: \u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cblockquote\u003E\u003Cspan style=\"font-family: arial; font-size: medium;\"\u003E“Now the largest of the zones into which a passage was cut from the sea was three stadia in breadth, and the zone of land which came next of equal breadth; but the next two zones, the one of water, the other of land, were two stadia, and the one which surrounded the central island was a stadium only in width.”\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/blockquote\u003E\u003Cspan style=\"font-family: arial; font-size: medium;\"\u003EThe dimensions of the zones of land and sea in Atlantis do not match with that of the Richat Structure. The inner ring dyke has an estimated width of only 30 meters as opposed to 360 meters in Atlantis, while the outer dyke has a width of 70 meters as opposed to 540 meters for Atlantis. The width of the ring dykes seem too small to support a city with all its amenities.\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/span\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u003Cspan style=\"font-family: arial; font-size: medium;\"\u003EHowever, on careful reading of the \u003Ci\u003ECritias\u003C\/i\u003E, I found that these two zones of land had gardens, places for exercise for men and horses, a race course etc. It seems to me that these two zones were used primarily by the army for protecting the central island, with the zones of water acting as “moats”. People who provided support services to the royal palace may have also lived here. It was not a place meant for common people. If that were the case, the narrow widths of the ring dykes would have sufficed.\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u003Cspan style=\"font-family: arial; font-size: medium;\"\u003EThe width of the zones of water surrounding the central island of Atlantis doesn’t correlate with the Richat Structure either. The first zone of water was said to be one stadium (180 meters) wide, whereas in the Richat structure, the inner dyke is 3 km from the center, which means the width of the eroded valley is approx. 2 km (since the radius of the central dome is approx. 1 km). The second zone of water was two stadia (360 meters) wide, while the outer dyke in the Richat structure is 8 km from the center, which means the width of the eroded valley is nearly 5 km. The third zone of water was three stadia (540 meters) wide, while the width of the third eroded valley works out to nearly 14.5 km (assuming the Richat Structure is 45 km wide).\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u003Cspan style=\"font-family: arial; font-size: medium;\"\u003EThe overall diameter of the concentric zones of Atlantis was 27 stades i.e. 4.8 km, while the diameter of the Richat Structure is around 45 km. So, the Richat Structure is nearly 10 times larger. Even though the dimensions do not match, it interesting that, \u003Ci\u003Ethe width of the zones of land and water are in increasing proportion in case of Atlantis as well as the Richat Structure\u003C\/i\u003E. \u0026nbsp;\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Ctable align=\"center\" cellpadding=\"0\" cellspacing=\"0\" class=\"tr-caption-container\" style=\"margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;\"\u003E\u003Ctbody\u003E\u003Ctr\u003E\u003Ctd style=\"text-align: center;\"\u003E\u003Ca href=\"https:\/\/blogger.googleusercontent.com\/img\/b\/R29vZ2xl\/AVvXsEj_L5eNnclBuYol04eoY7vtNI0wC4PFuXOHYBB_LDjVsPB4-tsmonTXRk84ncw-5v0deU6xKByDLNr7kn59tDBWnvkoQgCpqdOjz4bb6SYaFxaHfanAg3DYdQDa8E7s_qbnlB1F-fCi5gHBvCQeOnhPua9rgFADYJIo1O4f8nOHYauwMSDW4HdX5nTcqiQ\/s1920\/Atlantis%20rocio-espin-pinar.jpg\" style=\"margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;\"\u003E\u003Cimg alt=\"Artist’s representation of Atlantis\" border=\"0\" data-original-height=\"1374\" data-original-width=\"1920\" height=\"458\" src=\"https:\/\/blogger.googleusercontent.com\/img\/b\/R29vZ2xl\/AVvXsEj_L5eNnclBuYol04eoY7vtNI0wC4PFuXOHYBB_LDjVsPB4-tsmonTXRk84ncw-5v0deU6xKByDLNr7kn59tDBWnvkoQgCpqdOjz4bb6SYaFxaHfanAg3DYdQDa8E7s_qbnlB1F-fCi5gHBvCQeOnhPua9rgFADYJIo1O4f8nOHYauwMSDW4HdX5nTcqiQ\/w640-h458\/Atlantis%20rocio-espin-pinar.jpg\" width=\"640\" \/\u003E\u003C\/a\u003E\u003C\/td\u003E\u003C\/tr\u003E\u003Ctr\u003E\u003Ctd class=\"tr-caption\" style=\"text-align: center;\"\u003E\u003Cspan style=\"font-family: arial; font-size: small;\"\u003EFigure 8: Artist’s representation of Atlantis, depicting the canal from the sea to the outermost zone. Credit: Rocio Espin Pinar\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/td\u003E\u003C\/tr\u003E\u003C\/tbody\u003E\u003C\/table\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u003Cspan style=\"font-family: arial; font-size: medium;\"\u003EIt is extremely unlikely that the eroded valleys between the ring dykes were filled with sea-water during the Ice Age when Atlantis flourished. As per the \u003Ci\u003ECritias\u003C\/i\u003E, the concentric bands of land and sea was in the southern part of the island, around 50 stade i.e. 9 km from the surrounding ocean. The Atlanteans had built a canal from the sea to the outermost zone of water. This is what the text states:\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cblockquote\u003E\u003Cspan style=\"font-family: arial; font-size: medium;\"\u003E“And beginning from the sea they bored a canal of three hundred feet in width and one hundred feet in depth and fifty stadia in length, which they carried through to the outermost zone, making a passage from the sea up to this, which became a harbour, and leaving an opening sufficient to enable the largest vessels to find ingress.”\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/blockquote\u003E\u003Cspan style=\"font-family: arial; font-size: medium;\"\u003EHowever the Eye of the Sahara is located nearly 500 km from the Atlantic coast, and there is no sign of any canal linking it to the ocean. Even if we assume that the canal may have existed in the past and got covered over during the YD period or by subsequent erosion, it is impossible for water to have flowed from the Atlantic Ocean to the Richat Structure, which is located 400 meters above sea level! During the Ice Age, sea levels were a further 120 meters lower. How on earth would sea water flow up such a gradient?\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/span\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u003Cspan style=\"font-family: arial; font-size: medium;\"\u003EPlato also mentioned that the Atlanteans had built bridges from the central island to the rest of the city. They also cut channels through the zones of land, so that ships could reach the central island. Every passage to the city was guarded by gates and towers, and a wall surrounded each of the city's rings. The walls were constructed of red, white and black rock, and were covered with brass, tin and orichalcum. Moreover, the entire city was encircled by an outer wall which was at a distance of 50 stades i.e. 9 km from the outermost zone. The \u003Ci\u003ECritias\u003C\/i\u003E states,\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cblockquote\u003E\u003Cspan style=\"font-family: arial; font-size: medium;\"\u003E“Leaving the palace and passing out across the three harbours, you came to a wall which began at the sea and went all round: this was everywhere distant fifty stadia from the largest zone or harbour, and enclosed the whole, the ends meeting at the mouth of the channel which led to the sea. The entire area was densely crowded with habitations.”\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/blockquote\u003E\u003Cspan style=\"font-family: arial; font-size: medium;\"\u003EThe ordinary people lived outside the concentric zones, but within the outer wall. This means there was a significant urban sprawl outside the concentric zones. The overall diameter of the city of Atlantis, therefore works out to (50 + 13.5)*2 = 127 stades or 22.86 km, which is roughly half the width of the Richat Structure (45 km).\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003C\/span\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Ctable align=\"center\" cellpadding=\"0\" cellspacing=\"0\" class=\"tr-caption-container\" style=\"margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;\"\u003E\u003Ctbody\u003E\u003Ctr\u003E\u003Ctd style=\"text-align: center;\"\u003E\u003Ca href=\"https:\/\/blogger.googleusercontent.com\/img\/b\/R29vZ2xl\/AVvXsEhEP9pDXWGJ5fQfygg83HkcyxAl4qMNmtfEIpHAGYsrXFSb5SI8JU4iqRgMuuy0998UiEjwYfStwTmABGvOJBiwf_4CBFr4yzpsIJsE1dTXDwNcOJWK9ZQORh8h-4XA0qGMpJmLA1oLib43X3BVH8aBVWm1kXfMlNO04mpLWkzRP6V8g7UkM9u2tPZNY7o\/s1920\/Atlantis%20rocio-espin-pinar%203.jpg\" style=\"margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;\"\u003E\u003Cimg alt=\"Atlantis\" border=\"0\" data-original-height=\"1357\" data-original-width=\"1920\" height=\"452\" src=\"https:\/\/blogger.googleusercontent.com\/img\/b\/R29vZ2xl\/AVvXsEhEP9pDXWGJ5fQfygg83HkcyxAl4qMNmtfEIpHAGYsrXFSb5SI8JU4iqRgMuuy0998UiEjwYfStwTmABGvOJBiwf_4CBFr4yzpsIJsE1dTXDwNcOJWK9ZQORh8h-4XA0qGMpJmLA1oLib43X3BVH8aBVWm1kXfMlNO04mpLWkzRP6V8g7UkM9u2tPZNY7o\/w640-h452\/Atlantis%20rocio-espin-pinar%203.jpg\" width=\"640\" \/\u003E\u003C\/a\u003E\u003C\/td\u003E\u003C\/tr\u003E\u003Ctr\u003E\u003Ctd class=\"tr-caption\" style=\"text-align: center;\"\u003E\u003Cspan style=\"font-family: arial; font-size: small;\"\u003EFigure 9: Atlantis probably had a significant urban sprawl outside the concentric zones. Credit: Rocio Espin Pinar\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/td\u003E\u003C\/tr\u003E\u003C\/tbody\u003E\u003C\/table\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cspan style=\"font-family: arial; font-size: medium;\"\u003EClearly, the dimensions don’t match up. But what about the archaeological remains of Atlantis?\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/span\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u003Cspan style=\"font-family: arial; font-size: medium;\"\u003EIf a large civilization like Atlantis had flourished in the Eye of the Sahara, and destroyed by a global catastrophe sometime during the Younger Dryas period, then it would have left some material traces – pottery fragments, carved stone blocks, tools and utensils made of gold, silver, brass, tin, orichalcum, wood, ivory etc. which the Atlanteans were said to have used in profusion. But archaeologists have found nothing of that sort.\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u003Cspan style=\"font-family: arial; font-size: medium;\"\u003EInstead, what they found was an exceptional accumulation of Acheulean artifacts.[4] Acheulean is an archaeological industry of stone tool manufacture characterized by oval and pear-shaped hand axes associated with Homo Erectus. They were produced during the Lower Palaeolithic era across Africa and much of West Asia, South Asia, East Asia and Europe. It is thought that Acheulean technologies first developed about 1.76 million years ago, and lasted until as late as 130,000 years ago.[5] In addition to Acheulean artifacts, \u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cblockquote\u003E\u003Cspan style=\"font-family: arial; font-size: medium;\"\u003E“Sparse and widely scattered Neolithic spear points and other artifacts have also been found. However, since these sites were first discovered by Theodore Monod in 1974, mapping of artifacts within the area of the Richat Structure have found them to be generally absent in its innermost depressions. So far, neither recognizable midden deposits (i.e. old dump for domestic waste) nor manmade structures have been recognized and reported from the Richat Structure. This is interpreted as indicating that the area of the Richat Structure was used for only short-term hunting and stone tool manufacturing.”[6]\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/blockquote\u003E\u003Cspan style=\"font-family: arial; font-size: medium;\"\u003EThus, the archaeological evidence for an Atlantis-like civilization is completely absent in the Richat Structure, and the area seems to have been inhabited by Homo Erectus in a very remote past and later by Neolithic hunter-gatherers.\u003C\/span\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Ctable align=\"center\" cellpadding=\"0\" cellspacing=\"0\" class=\"tr-caption-container\" style=\"margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;\"\u003E\u003Ctbody\u003E\u003Ctr\u003E\u003Ctd style=\"text-align: center;\"\u003E\u003Ca href=\"https:\/\/blogger.googleusercontent.com\/img\/b\/R29vZ2xl\/AVvXsEhke42a3vlD_tK_mryD7j5Iq1_S_rzhw660v19IMKTUgJPXRAoWeMyej7FKFlaUvs8kMANraNIgPWDSVwlBGYS9m9TaKDmcZLpovhBQ7NSJBokLy8q8TMzRP7k7jerhhKRX9gTM8eKR9n9D1JDHYJ37AtNyp1CfjSRcR-iwiFxbCKNbI96pJe6Jr-w5K1k\/s962\/Stones%20and%20salt%20flats%20inside%20the%20Richat%20Structure,%20LBM1948,%20CC%20BY%20SA%204.jpg\" style=\"margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;\"\u003E\u003Cimg alt=\"Stones and salt flats inside the Richat Structure\" border=\"0\" data-original-height=\"673\" data-original-width=\"962\" height=\"280\" src=\"https:\/\/blogger.googleusercontent.com\/img\/b\/R29vZ2xl\/AVvXsEhke42a3vlD_tK_mryD7j5Iq1_S_rzhw660v19IMKTUgJPXRAoWeMyej7FKFlaUvs8kMANraNIgPWDSVwlBGYS9m9TaKDmcZLpovhBQ7NSJBokLy8q8TMzRP7k7jerhhKRX9gTM8eKR9n9D1JDHYJ37AtNyp1CfjSRcR-iwiFxbCKNbI96pJe6Jr-w5K1k\/w400-h280\/Stones%20and%20salt%20flats%20inside%20the%20Richat%20Structure,%20LBM1948,%20CC%20BY%20SA%204.jpg\" width=\"400\" \/\u003E\u003C\/a\u003E\u003C\/td\u003E\u003C\/tr\u003E\u003Ctr\u003E\u003Ctd class=\"tr-caption\" style=\"text-align: center;\"\u003E\u003Cspan style=\"font-family: arial; font-size: small;\"\u003EFigure 10: Stones and salt flats inside the Richat Structure. Credit: LBM1948, CC BY-SA 4.0 via Wikimedia Commons\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/td\u003E\u003C\/tr\u003E\u003C\/tbody\u003E\u003C\/table\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u003Cspan style=\"font-family: arial; font-size: medium;\"\u003EThe island of Atlantis was much larger than the city, which, as we have discussed was around 127 stades in diameter and surrounded by an outer wall. Beyond the city wall, Atlantis had large fertile plains that extended for hundreds of kilometers. As per the \u003Ci\u003ECritias\u003C\/i\u003E,\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cblockquote\u003E\u003Cspan style=\"font-family: arial; font-size: medium;\"\u003E“The whole country was said by him to be very lofty and precipitous on the side of the sea, but the country immediately about and surrounding the city was a level plain, itself surrounded by mountains which descended towards the sea; it was smooth and even, and of an oblong shape, extending in one direction three thousand stadia (540 km), but across the centre inland it was two thousand stadia (360 km).”\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/blockquote\u003E\u003Cspan style=\"font-family: arial; font-size: medium;\"\u003ESo, we are basically talking of an enormous, oblong-shaped island, surrounded by high mountains, which measured 540 km by 360 km. The city of Atlantis, with its concentric zones of land and water in the center, was located at the southern end of the island, 9 km from the sea.\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/span\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u003Cspan style=\"font-family: arial; font-size: medium;\"\u003EThe Richat Structure, however, is not an island, but is located inland, nearly 500 km from Atlantic coast. An interesting correlation here is that, one of the diameters of Atlantis was around 540 km, which is quite close to the distance between the Richat Structure and the Atlantic coast i.e. 500 km. The region beyond the Richat Structure would have been green and fertile during the African Humid phase (9500 BCE – 3500 BCE), supporting farmlands, forests, rivers, lakes and abundant wildlife of every kind. In that respect it conforms to the fertile outer plains of Atlantis.\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u003Cspan style=\"font-family: arial; font-size: medium;\"\u003EPlato states that a large circular ditch encircled the plain around the city. No sign of such a circular ditch exists around the Richat Structure in the present day.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cblockquote\u003E\u003Cspan style=\"font-family: arial; font-size: medium;\"\u003E“It (the circular ditch) was excavated to the depth of a hundred, feet, and its breadth was a stadium (180 m) everywhere; it was carried round the whole of the plain, and was ten thousand stadia in length (1800 km). It received the streams which came down from the mountains, and winding round the plain and meeting at the city, was there let off into the sea. Further inland, likewise, straight canals of a hundred feet in width were cut from it through the plain, and again let off into the ditch leading to the sea.” \u0026nbsp;\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/blockquote\u003E\u003Cspan style=\"font-family: arial; font-size: medium;\"\u003EFinally, let us talk about the location of Atlantis specified by Plato. Plato was very clear that Atlantis was located beyond the Pillars of Hercules, which is now known as the Straits of Gibraltar. In fact, the extremity of the island was close to the Strait, for Plato wrote that, the twin brother of Atlas ruled over “the extremity of the island towards the Pillars of Heracles, facing the country which is now called the region of Gades.” To reach the Richat Structure, on the other hand, one need not cross the Strait of Gibraltar by boat, but travel overland though Africa.\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/span\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u003Cspan style=\"font-family: arial; font-size: medium;\"\u003EOne of the interesting points that Martin Ettington had raised in support of his argument is that, ancient Greek maps, based on “The Histories” (c.450 BCE), written by Herodotus, shows a place called Atlantes in north-west Africa, near Mount Atlas. He claims that this is an indication that the Greeks knew that Atlantis was in Africa and was not an island in the Atlantic Ocean.\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Ctable align=\"center\" cellpadding=\"0\" cellspacing=\"0\" class=\"tr-caption-container\" style=\"margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;\"\u003E\u003Ctbody\u003E\u003Ctr\u003E\u003Ctd style=\"text-align: center;\"\u003E\u003Ca href=\"https:\/\/blogger.googleusercontent.com\/img\/b\/R29vZ2xl\/AVvXsEgzI9zxeMQob3oT7oI6r5_Xf1LSvjeuHSo71TirQdQNO_y8bdAoDh7kk4QDGxVVuoLVP3PspwRqGfSt29lR-DrF3H6tBrZYVC6bNEHOrSNsFm03DqP2KO5z2S-M3ysMRpFtuClVTteD5Gz7_NnRN4TxH7ckCWS54RiK4ZBCA9tHPN6ovGhrw18WxZiHPtI\/s1180\/World%20map%20according%20to%20Herodotus.jpg\" style=\"margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;\"\u003E\u003Cimg alt=\"A world map based on “The Histories” of Herodotus\" border=\"0\" data-original-height=\"697\" data-original-width=\"1180\" height=\"236\" src=\"https:\/\/blogger.googleusercontent.com\/img\/b\/R29vZ2xl\/AVvXsEgzI9zxeMQob3oT7oI6r5_Xf1LSvjeuHSo71TirQdQNO_y8bdAoDh7kk4QDGxVVuoLVP3PspwRqGfSt29lR-DrF3H6tBrZYVC6bNEHOrSNsFm03DqP2KO5z2S-M3ysMRpFtuClVTteD5Gz7_NnRN4TxH7ckCWS54RiK4ZBCA9tHPN6ovGhrw18WxZiHPtI\/w400-h236\/World%20map%20according%20to%20Herodotus.jpg\" width=\"400\" \/\u003E\u003C\/a\u003E\u003C\/td\u003E\u003C\/tr\u003E\u003Ctr\u003E\u003Ctd class=\"tr-caption\" style=\"text-align: center;\"\u003E\u003Cspan style=\"font-family: arial; font-size: small;\"\u003EFigure 11: A world map based on “The \nHistories” of Herodotus. Atlantes is a group of people living near Mount\n Atlas. Source: www.heritage-history.com\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/td\u003E\u003C\/tr\u003E\u003C\/tbody\u003E\u003C\/table\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u003Cspan style=\"font-family: arial; font-size: medium;\"\u003EHowever, according to Herodotus, “Atlantes” is not a place, but a group of people who live near Mount Atlas and derive their name from this mountain. This is what he wrote:\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cblockquote\u003E\u003Cspan style=\"font-family: arial; font-size: medium;\"\u003E“Another ten days' journey from the Garamantes there is again a salt hill and water, where men live called Atarantes. These are the only men whom we know who have no names; for the whole people are called Atarantes, but no man has a name of his own. When the sun is high, they curse and very foully revile him, because his burning heat afflicts their people and their land. After another ten days' journey there is again a hill of salt, and water, and men living there. Near to this salt is a mountain called Atlas, whose shape is slender and conical; and it is said to be so high that its heights cannot be seen, for clouds are always on them winter and summer. The people of the country call it the “pillar of heaven”. These men get their name, which is Atlantes, from this mountain. It is said that they eat no living creature, and see no dreams in their sleep…I know and can tell the names of all the peoples that live on the ridge as far as the Atlantes, but no farther than that. But I know this, that the ridge reaches as far as the Pillars of Heracles and beyond them.”[7]\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/blockquote\u003E\u003Cspan style=\"font-family: arial; font-size: medium;\"\u003EAs per the text, the “Atlantes” people are not related to the island-kingdom of Atlantis described by Plato, but derive their name from Mount Atlas, which borders the Mediterranean Sea and the Atlantic Ocean.\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/span\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u003Cspan style=\"font-family: arial; font-size: medium;\"\u003EIncidentally, Mount Atlas, which is regarded by the natives as the “pillar of heaven” derives its name from Atlas, the Titan of Greek mythology, who was condemned to hold up the heavens for eternity after the Titanomachy. Atlas also became the first king of the ancient region of \"Mauretania\" (which corresponds to modern-day Morocco and west Algeria, where Mount Atlas is located. The modern-day country of Mauritania is to the south, where the Richat Structure is located). Plato had mentioned that the first king of Atlantis was Atlas, but this Atlas was a different person, being the son of Poseidon the god of the sea and Cleito, a mortal woman.\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u003Cspan style=\"font-family: arial; font-size: medium;\"\u003EOne could argue, of course, that the legends may have become confused over time, and the Titan Atlas of Greek mythology and Atlas, the son of Poseidon, were the same person. We certainly cannot rule out that possibility. One could further argue that \u003C\/span\u003E\u003Cspan style=\"font-family: arial; font-size: medium;\"\u003Ethe modern-day country of Mauritania\u003C\/span\u003E\u003Cspan style=\"font-family: arial; font-size: medium;\"\u003E \u003C\/span\u003E\u003Cspan style=\"font-family: arial; font-size: medium;\"\u003Emay have been a part of ancient \"Mauretania\", which is not impossible either, otherwise why would the people of Mauritania name their country after this ancient kingdom. There must be a collective memory amongst the people of having once being an integral part of the ancient \u003C\/span\u003E\u003Cspan style=\"font-family: arial; font-size: medium;\"\u003EMauretania. If we go down that line of thinking, then it is also possible that, in some remote antiquity, the people of Mauritania were known as \"Atlantes\", since they used to be ruled by King Atlas, and their capital city, which was founded inside the Richat Structure, could have been given the name Atlantis, which formed the basis of the legend handed down to Plato. \u0026nbsp; \u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u003Cspan style=\"font-family: arial; font-size: medium;\"\u003EOn the whole, there are some interesting correlations between the Richat Structure and Atlantis, as well as many disparities. Let me sum up the correlations first. The central dome of the Richat Structure occupies a large area of 4 sq. km, which is 6-times larger than central island of Atlantis, but still within the range of comparison. The Richat Structure has two concentric ring dykes, and three eroded valleys, corresponding to the two zones of land and three zones of sea in Atlantis. The width of the zones of land and sea in Atlantis are in increasing proportion as are the widths of the ring dykes and eroded valleys in the Richat Structure. During the Ice Age, the Richat Structure would have been surrounded by the fertile, green plains of the Sahara with abundant natural resources, just as Atlantis was said to be enclosed by fertile plains. There is a possibility that the ancient region of Mauritania was ruled over by Atlas, the son of Poseidon, as a result of which the people of that region were called Atlantes, and the city built inside the Richat Structure came to be known as Atlantis. \u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u003Cspan style=\"font-family: arial; font-size: medium;\"\u003EHowever, there are many points which do not match up. The diameter of the concentric zones of Atlantis was 4.8 km, which is 10-times less than the diameter of the Richat Structure i.e. 45 km. The width of the zones of land in Atlantis are much larger than the width of the ring dykes in the Richat Structure (30m and 70m wide). There is no way that the eroded valleys between the ring dykes could have been filled with sea water during the Ice Age, since it is 400 m above current sea level, and would have been nearly 520 m above sea level during the Ice Age. There is no sign of any canal linking the Richat Structure with the Atlantic coast, which is nearly 500 km away. No archaeological remains of a high civilization or a permanent habitation at the site have yet been found, other than tools associated with Homo Erectus and Neolithic hunter-gatherers. No evidence has been found of a circular ditch in the outer plains. Finally, Plato had described Atlantis as a massive island located beyond the Straits of Gibraltar, measuring 540 km by 360 km, and surrounded by steep mountains that descend to the sea. The Richat Structure, on the other hand, is an inland geological feature, roughly 45 km in diameter, which can be reached from within the Straits by traveling overland.\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u003Cspan style=\"font-family: arial; font-size: medium;\"\u003ESo, what do we conclude from this? I think, going by the large number of disparities, it would be quite a stretch to claim that the Eye of the Sahara is the Atlantis described by Plato. On the other hand, we know that legends undergo a lot of modifications and exaggerations over time. The story of Atlantis had been transmitted by means of oral tradition for more than 9000 years after Atlantis was destroyed, before it was written down by Plato. We can’t assume, therefore, that everything Plato wrote about Atlantis was correct. The original Atlantis may not have looked exactly the same as Plato described it. We also know that the people of the ancient times were not big on geography. The ancient Greek maps of the world were quite childish when compared to modern globes. Hence, the descriptions of the geography of Atlantis by Plato could have been way off the mark. So, we need to loosen up a bit, and start asking some questions.\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u003Cspan style=\"font-family: arial; font-size: medium;\"\u003EWhat if the original Atlantis was not really an island, but an inland geological feature like the Richat Structure, which gave the impression of being an island because it was surrounded by multiple zones of water? Over time, this could have led to the idea that the entire kingdom of Atlantis, 540 km by 360 km in dimension, was an island.\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u003Cspan style=\"font-family: arial; font-size: medium;\"\u003ECould it not be that there were rivers and waterways which connected the Richat Structure with the Atlantic coast during the Ice Age, and the kings and merchants of Atlantis used to sail up the Atlantic coast and enter the Mediterranean Sea through the Straits of Gibraltar, which gave rise to the notion of a large island-kingdom located beyond the Straits of Gibraltar?\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u003Cspan style=\"font-family: arial; font-size: medium;\"\u003EWhat if the eroded valleys between the ring dykes were not filled with sea water but with freshwater that was brought in through canals from the many rivers and streams that crisscrossed the Sahara during the Ice Age? Plato mentions that the Atlanteans built many canals which connected their rivers with these zones of water. After the African Humid phase ended, these rivers and canals may have dried up and disappeared. The remnants of one possible canal can be seen towards the southern end of the Richat Structure.\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u003Cspan style=\"font-family: arial; font-size: medium;\"\u003ETenochtitlan, the capital of the Aztec Empire, was built on an island in the middle of a freshwater lake called Lake Texcoco. Then, why not Atlantis? In fact, it would make a lot more sense for a city to be built in the middle of a freshwater lake, for that would give you easy access to water for drinking and other household purposes.\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Ctable align=\"center\" cellpadding=\"0\" cellspacing=\"0\" class=\"tr-caption-container\" style=\"margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;\"\u003E\u003Ctbody\u003E\u003Ctr\u003E\u003Ctd style=\"text-align: center;\"\u003E\u003Ca href=\"https:\/\/blogger.googleusercontent.com\/img\/b\/R29vZ2xl\/AVvXsEiwMoCtxhRlygxra6jgjb2jEaiUU2JmypmcohCLVR2dciJOLA_0zZPDIpuFdSa6O7t5Vr9Ch4SYrULUrO27VUq9UVrUbMTWtfJbzdKt8Z72JEawkSgIHYBAafRDusy-5qT9CwKS8Tz1E2_Wmw0dtLPcRIGJtAtWivsk9-tL2KPoFUxN8_nIYY6USRVPmjg\/s2259\/Richat%20Structure%20NASA%20JPL%20NIMA.jpg\" style=\"margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;\"\u003E\u003Cimg alt=\"Richat Structure, Mauritania\" border=\"0\" data-original-height=\"1244\" data-original-width=\"2259\" height=\"352\" src=\"https:\/\/blogger.googleusercontent.com\/img\/b\/R29vZ2xl\/AVvXsEiwMoCtxhRlygxra6jgjb2jEaiUU2JmypmcohCLVR2dciJOLA_0zZPDIpuFdSa6O7t5Vr9Ch4SYrULUrO27VUq9UVrUbMTWtfJbzdKt8Z72JEawkSgIHYBAafRDusy-5qT9CwKS8Tz1E2_Wmw0dtLPcRIGJtAtWivsk9-tL2KPoFUxN8_nIYY6USRVPmjg\/w640-h352\/Richat%20Structure%20NASA%20JPL%20NIMA.jpg\" width=\"640\" \/\u003E\u003C\/a\u003E\u003C\/td\u003E\u003C\/tr\u003E\u003Ctr\u003E\u003Ctd class=\"tr-caption\" style=\"text-align: center;\"\u003E\u003Cspan style=\"font-family: arial; font-size: small;\"\u003EFigure 12: Richat Structure, Mauritania. \nWater could have flowed into the structure through the opening on the \nleft. Credit: NASA\/JPL\/NIMA, Public Domain\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/td\u003E\u003C\/tr\u003E\u003C\/tbody\u003E\u003C\/table\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u003Cspan style=\"font-family: arial; font-size: medium;\"\u003EWe can see from the images that the ring dykes in the Richat Structure are not continuous but have breaks in some places. Perhaps, this is how the water from the outer zones flowed into the inner zones, and not through a single channel as Plato had described? It would make sense to have multiple points of entry and exit into such a large island-city, in order to reduce travel time, effort and traffic logjams in the water zones.\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u003Cspan style=\"font-family: arial; font-size: medium;\"\u003EIt is now scientifically established that fragments of a large comet struck the Earth at the Younger Dryas boundary and set off a global chain of cataclysms – wildfires, tsunamis, earthquakes, acid rain etc. - that destroyed the civilizations of that period. What if the cataclysms of the Younger Dryas struck the Richat Structure with such ferocity that it was virtually scrubbed clean of all the artifacts produced by the Atlanteans? Perhaps, that is why archaeologists have found Acheulean artifacts associated with Homo erectus (c.1.7 Mya – 130 K BP), followed by Neolithic stone tools (from c. 8000 BCE), and nothing for the period in-between, which is the time when Atlantis is said to have flourished? Maybe, all the evidence of an Atlantean civilization have been washed away to sea?\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u003Cspan style=\"font-family: arial; font-size: medium;\"\u003ESo, where do we stand? If we are looking for a precise match between the Atlantis described by Plato and the Eye of the Sahara, then we are not going to find it, for there are plenty of dissimilarities. However, if we go by the spirit of the story of Atlantis, and not get bogged down by too many details, knowing fully well that the legend must have undergone distortions and embellishments in course of oral transmissions over nearly 9000 years, then there is a glimmer of hope that the Eye of the Sahara could, indeed, be the location of Atlantis.\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u003Cspan style=\"font-family: arial; font-size: medium;\"\u003EIt may well have been the “real” Atlantis, which served as an inspiration for the legend. The latitude of the Richat Structure (21.7° N) is very close to the Tropic of Cancer, which means it would have enjoyed moderate climate even during the peak of the Ice Age. That, combined with a green, fertile Sahara, filled with various kinds of flora and fauna (including elephants, which, as per Plato, were present in Atlantis) would have provided all the natural resources needed for a large civilization to thrive. Perhaps, future discoveries will shed more light on whether this line of thinking has any merit or not.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cb\u003EReferences\u003C\/b\u003E\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u003Cspan style=\"font-family: arial; font-size: medium;\"\u003E[1] Plato, Critias (360 BCE), tr. by Benjamin Jowett, https:\/\/www.sacred-texts.com\/cla\/plato\/critias.htm\u003Cbr \/\u003E[2] Plato, Timaeus (360 BCE), tr. by Benjamin Jowett, https:\/\/www.sacred-texts.com\/cla\/plato\/timaeus.htm\u003Cbr \/\u003E[3] El Houssein Abdeina, Sara Bazin, Gilles Chazot, Hervé Bertrand, Bernard Le Gall, Nasrrddine Youbi, Mohamed Salem Sabar, Mohamed Khalil Bensalah, Moulay Ahmed Boumehdi, \"Geophysical modelling of the deep structure of the Richat magmatic intrusion (northern Mauritania): insights into its kinematics of emplacement\", Arabian Journal of Geosciences (2021) 14:2315, https:\/\/doi.org\/10.1007\/s12517-021-08734-4\u003Cbr \/\u003E[4] “Richat Structure”, Wikipedia, https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Richat_Structure\u003Cbr \/\u003E[5] \"Acheulean\", Wikipedia, https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Acheulean\u003Cbr \/\u003E[6] “Richat Structure”, Wikipedia, https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Richat_Structure\u003Cbr \/\u003E[7] Herodotus, The Histories, 4.184.1-4, 4.185.1, https:\/\/www.arcus-atlantis.org.uk\/atlantis\/indices\/index-locorum-h-o.html#herodotus4-184\u003C\/span\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E"},"link":[{"rel":"replies","type":"application/atom+xml","href":"https:\/\/www.bibhudevmisra.com\/feeds\/8184758531374740519\/comments\/default","title":"Post Comments"},{"rel":"replies","type":"text/html","href":"https:\/\/www.bibhudevmisra.com\/2023\/05\/eye-of-sahara-atlantis.html#comment-form","title":"2 Comments"},{"rel":"edit","type":"application/atom+xml","href":"https:\/\/www.blogger.com\/feeds\/6864653463177413678\/posts\/default\/8184758531374740519"},{"rel":"self","type":"application/atom+xml","href":"https:\/\/www.blogger.com\/feeds\/6864653463177413678\/posts\/default\/8184758531374740519"},{"rel":"alternate","type":"text/html","href":"https:\/\/www.bibhudevmisra.com\/2023\/05\/eye-of-sahara-atlantis.html","title":"Could the \"Eye of the Sahara\" be the Legendary Atlantis?"}],"author":[{"name":{"$t":"Bibhu Dev Misra"},"uri":{"$t":"http:\/\/www.blogger.com\/profile\/15388473714672380058"},"email":{"$t":"noreply@blogger.com"},"gd$image":{"rel":"http://schemas.google.com/g/2005#thumbnail","width":"32","height":"28","src":"\/\/blogger.googleusercontent.com\/img\/b\/R29vZ2xl\/AVvXsEh4sklyRp_L5BfqEXTjoskgFPFYpJiNJSuDN5zrcldGBaXot626bOTu8q5TUYsip63M6EkY2JbuoE6l1N5fMKiqKfzFfaaKpqm91QZx9rMdAL3t-ju2QdYi1K-BeCJsjw\/s130\/DSCN1699.JPG"}}],"media$thumbnail":{"xmlns$media":"http://search.yahoo.com/mrss/","url":"https:\/\/blogger.googleusercontent.com\/img\/b\/R29vZ2xl\/AVvXsEjyCLF_bL19vF_FD-Ls_PSU7xf68pLjx4AK04pfLr53WDV_cnB78uo2ZVkvwoKpa6mAuf3dvaacAf_lMAoYGK1zbc2BmKwz8SYVNNvnkfxHMWvRf_UOK1QDgpqYlRaKyQfG-IpEGteX1NpttczQuUyvVun0IdK5AeSvXEPlhU-zwG6tSxhIEl1cxlXS\/s72-c\/Richat%20Structure%20USGS%20EROS%20NASA%20Landsat%20Public%20Domain%20edit%20very%20small.jpg","height":"72","width":"72"},"thr$total":{"$t":"2"}},{"id":{"$t":"tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6864653463177413678.post-3878745904258658092"},"published":{"$t":"2023-01-17T11:54:00.005+05:30"},"updated":{"$t":"2024-05-20T22:20:28.765+05:30"},"category":[{"scheme":"http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#","term":"Article"},{"scheme":"http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#","term":"Yoga and Spirituality"}],"title":{"type":"text","$t":"The Lost Years of Jesus in India: Following the Trail of Evidence"},"content":{"type":"html","$t":"\u003Cp\u003E\u003Cspan style=\"font-size: medium;\"\u003E\u003Cspan style=\"font-family: inherit;\"\u003E\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u003Cspan style=\"font-size: medium;\"\u003E\u003Cspan style=\"font-family: inherit;\"\u003E\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cdiv class=\"separator\" style=\"clear: both; text-align: center;\"\u003E\u003Cspan style=\"font-size: medium;\"\u003E\u003Ca href=\"https:\/\/blogger.googleusercontent.com\/img\/b\/R29vZ2xl\/AVvXsEi-q-In8BzC_bzVJIuwGrbwedTkAeNFttGTr5zvV8XKlIs9Lkus11ZgXu_2lo8FuDA7jpqoBmTinEwSgU57h1x62-O7LHDs5CTO-KQEN1DhpgLXOj7Rc8I5WnrIVvqIrY5jp882TexgDblI9LzDHKib6fT-cAl_UtC3Utf-kIdpJrnAKV9uuO9oqO6v\/s1800\/Jesus%20Christ%20meditation.jpg\" style=\"margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;\"\u003E\u003Cimg border=\"0\" data-original-height=\"1000\" data-original-width=\"1800\" height=\"223\" src=\"https:\/\/blogger.googleusercontent.com\/img\/b\/R29vZ2xl\/AVvXsEi-q-In8BzC_bzVJIuwGrbwedTkAeNFttGTr5zvV8XKlIs9Lkus11ZgXu_2lo8FuDA7jpqoBmTinEwSgU57h1x62-O7LHDs5CTO-KQEN1DhpgLXOj7Rc8I5WnrIVvqIrY5jp882TexgDblI9LzDHKib6fT-cAl_UtC3Utf-kIdpJrnAKV9uuO9oqO6v\/w400-h223\/Jesus%20Christ%20meditation.jpg\" width=\"400\" \/\u003E\u003C\/a\u003E\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/div\u003E\u003Cspan style=\"font-size: medium;\"\u003E\u003Cspan style=\"font-family: inherit;\"\u003E \u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/span\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u003Cspan style=\"font-size: small;\"\u003E\u003Cspan style=\"font-family: inherit;\"\u003E\u003Ci\u003ENote: This article was originally published on \u003Ca href=\"https:\/\/mysteriousuniverse.org\/2022\/12\/The-Lost-Years-of-Jesus-in-India-Following-the-Trail-of-Evidence\/\" target=\"_blank\"\u003EMysterious Universe (MU)\u003C\/a\u003E\u003C\/i\u003E\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u003Cspan style=\"font-size: medium;\"\u003E\u003Cspan style=\"font-family: inherit;\"\u003E\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EThe Gospels contain surprisingly scanty information about the early life of Jesus. Only four out of the eighty nine chapters in the Gospels – two each in Matthew and Luke – describe Jesus’s life prior to his ministry. As per Matthew, the family fled to Egypt when Jesus was an infant, and returned to Nazareth after the death of Herod in 4 BCE.[1]\u0026nbsp;\u003Cspan\u003E\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Ca name='more'\u003E\u003C\/a\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EA brief vignette in Luke records that, when Jesus was twelve years old, Joseph and Mary had gone to Jerusalem for the Passover feast. While returning back to Nazareth, they realized that Jesus was not with them. They went back to Jerusalem looking for him, and found him “sitting in the midst of the teachers, listening to them and asking them questions, and all who heard him were astounded at his understanding and his answers.”[2]\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EAnd that is the last we hear of Jesus’s childhood. The next time he appears in the Gospels, he is already thirty years old, when he travels from Galilee to the Jordan River to be baptized by John. Absolutely nothing is known of what happened during those 18 years, from twelve to thirty, the so-called “lost years of Jesus”. A single line in Luke sums up the activities of Jesus during those years, “And Jesus advanced [in] wisdom and age and favor before God and man.”[3] \u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EScholars generally assume the Jesus may have lived around Nazareth during this period, and did nothing noteworthy to report. That is very unlikely. Someone like Jesus would have easily stood out in a crowd during the prime years of his life. Besides, one simply does not perform astonishing healings and other miracles, without having learnt from one or more teachers. Surely, Jesus would not have wasted the prime learning years of his life pottering around his father’s carpenter’s shed, when his mind was clearly set on acquiring wisdom.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EIn 1894, the Russian journalist Nicolas Notovitch created quite a sensation when he published a book called \u003Ci\u003EThe Unknown Life of Jesus Christ\u003C\/i\u003E, in which he claimed that, as per ancient Buddhist manuscripts in the Hemis monastery in Ladakh, India, Jesus had traveled across India and Nepal during his lost years, learning from the Hindu and Buddhist masters and preaching to the people.\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003ENotovitch’s account was later backed up by the eye-witness testimony of Swami Abhedananda who went to Hemis by foot in 1922. A few years later, the Russian archaeologist, artist and philosopher Nicholas Roerich, embarked on a wide-ranging expedition across Central Asia from 1924-1928, when he came across many variations of the legend of Christ recounted by the people in Kashmir, Ladakh and Central Asia.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EThis grand saga of exploration and discovery in the cold, barren, upper reaches of the Himalayas, spanning nearly half a century, has been documented in riveting detail by Elizabeth Clare Prophet in the book \u003Ci\u003EThe Lost Years of Jesus (1984)\u003C\/i\u003E.[4] Let us look at the some of the textual evidences of Jesus’s sojourn in the East, as documented by Clare Prophet, before moving on to other lines of evidence.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cb\u003E\u003Cspan style=\"font-size: medium;\"\u003EThe Unknown Life of Jesus Christ\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/b\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003ENicolas Notovitch, a Russian-born journalist, had a long-standing interest in exploring the culture, customs and mysterious past of India. With that in mind, he embarked on a journey in 1887, and reached Ladakh by way of Afghanistan, Rawalpindi and Kashmir in the same year.\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EOn the way to Leh, he visited the Mulbekh monastery in Kargil, which is dramatically located on top of an isolated rock. There, a lama told him about the prophet Issa (Isa was the name for Jesus in Arabic, while Issa was his name in India) in whom the spirit of God was incarnate. “It is he who has enlightened you, who has brought back within the pale of religion the souls of the frivolous, and who has allowed each human being to distinguish between good and evil. His name and his acts are recorded in our sacred writings,” the lama said.\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EOn further enquiry, the lama clarified that the principal scrolls containing the story of Issa were compiled in India and Nepal in the Pali language, and are kept in Lhasa, Tibet. Some of the chief monasteries contain copies of these scrolls in Tibetan. The conversation had greatly stirred Notovitch’s curiosity, and he had made up his mind to travel to Tibet at some point to extract more information about the visit of Jesus to these remote regions.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Ctable align=\"center\" cellpadding=\"0\" cellspacing=\"0\" class=\"tr-caption-container\" style=\"margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;\"\u003E\u003Ctbody\u003E\u003Ctr\u003E\u003Ctd style=\"text-align: center;\"\u003E\u003Ca href=\"https:\/\/blogger.googleusercontent.com\/img\/b\/R29vZ2xl\/AVvXsEgmM81WS8M-roOCYc7l6vFkvIiYJEXFYvVLtO8duoR6WnM94nvyqs7AT1-MSl6Rz59aH7RHoBAFrIwP2bCICCxIGEHLFkbqqlURroo1jZw7I7uQ6c1ciJSyJ1Jx1XN7a_BXZSP2OuHf6hHs9FB-j7mOpp8o1QxcdC_Xye6lALH-Vo5ravEt9XmBws3Fa38\/s1596\/Srinagar%20to%20Mulbekh%20and%20Hemis.jpg\" style=\"margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;\"\u003E\u003Cimg border=\"0\" data-original-height=\"704\" data-original-width=\"1596\" height=\"282\" src=\"https:\/\/blogger.googleusercontent.com\/img\/b\/R29vZ2xl\/AVvXsEgmM81WS8M-roOCYc7l6vFkvIiYJEXFYvVLtO8duoR6WnM94nvyqs7AT1-MSl6Rz59aH7RHoBAFrIwP2bCICCxIGEHLFkbqqlURroo1jZw7I7uQ6c1ciJSyJ1Jx1XN7a_BXZSP2OuHf6hHs9FB-j7mOpp8o1QxcdC_Xye6lALH-Vo5ravEt9XmBws3Fa38\/w640-h282\/Srinagar%20to%20Mulbekh%20and%20Hemis.jpg\" width=\"640\" \/\u003E\u003C\/a\u003E\u003C\/td\u003E\u003C\/tr\u003E\u003Ctr\u003E\u003Ctd class=\"tr-caption\" style=\"text-align: center;\"\u003E\u003Cspan style=\"font-size: small;\"\u003EFigure 1: Srinagar is the capital of Kashmir. Hemis is a trek of 441 \nkms, and the road passes through the Mulbekh monastery in Kargil. \nSource: Google maps.\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/td\u003E\u003C\/tr\u003E\u003C\/tbody\u003E\u003C\/table\u003E\u003Ctable align=\"center\" cellpadding=\"0\" cellspacing=\"0\" class=\"tr-caption-container\" style=\"margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;\"\u003E\u003Ctbody\u003E\u003Ctr\u003E\u003Ctd style=\"text-align: center;\"\u003E\u003Ca href=\"https:\/\/blogger.googleusercontent.com\/img\/b\/R29vZ2xl\/AVvXsEi5uEf1b8AlkQej9xAUMrcZqhq6fB2rEeeT8DlqkRoVKV_wwCMTk9Egjmac0NyBB1UHvSD0Otaf7KNM4BR1AZeNvhZ47_afvoRcnocUOAg_PCa7Zbnr68vOafkrvfeHQoHHYxs7qo6z6uwu0mbq0L5mVM4T-jIwUNMxr8aIF3_3sAQRQFUUIqy3qbbc72U\/s1024\/Mulbekh%20monastery%20Jparande%20CC%20BY%20SA%203.jpg\" style=\"margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;\"\u003E\u003Cimg alt=\"Mulbekh Monastery in Kargil, Ladakh, India\" border=\"0\" data-original-height=\"768\" data-original-width=\"1024\" height=\"480\" src=\"https:\/\/blogger.googleusercontent.com\/img\/b\/R29vZ2xl\/AVvXsEi5uEf1b8AlkQej9xAUMrcZqhq6fB2rEeeT8DlqkRoVKV_wwCMTk9Egjmac0NyBB1UHvSD0Otaf7KNM4BR1AZeNvhZ47_afvoRcnocUOAg_PCa7Zbnr68vOafkrvfeHQoHHYxs7qo6z6uwu0mbq0L5mVM4T-jIwUNMxr8aIF3_3sAQRQFUUIqy3qbbc72U\/w640-h480\/Mulbekh%20monastery%20Jparande%20CC%20BY%20SA%203.jpg\" width=\"640\" \/\u003E\u003C\/a\u003E\u003C\/td\u003E\u003C\/tr\u003E\u003Ctr\u003E\u003Ctd class=\"tr-caption\" style=\"text-align: center;\"\u003EFigure 2: Mulbekh Monastery in Kargil, Ladakh, India. Credit: Mulbekh \/ FB\u003C\/td\u003E\u003C\/tr\u003E\u003C\/tbody\u003E\u003C\/table\u003E\u003Ctable align=\"center\" cellpadding=\"0\" cellspacing=\"0\" class=\"tr-caption-container\" style=\"margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;\"\u003E\u003Ctbody\u003E\u003Ctr\u003E\u003Ctd style=\"text-align: center;\"\u003E\u003Ca href=\"https:\/\/blogger.googleusercontent.com\/img\/b\/R29vZ2xl\/AVvXsEhdMZugvMWgwLxRk9UuTB4VfYUvug-QHCYiAjBpB3d7jH4hjG4XJIENs2h-6xpleDKJTjZXiiw7bffpfOZla6QRmjwzUBOtpkbk6xWz-d6EHmusM15mIc0K4stYAZC_qHl4BzvpwowsD8C0xUxrZ3He5jTw65EFDPWG3FGgB1qiiFqLbIlyjMhb7WLJpNk\/s1326\/Mulbekh_Chamba_Statue.jpg\" style=\"margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;\"\u003E\u003Cimg alt=\"The famous rock-cut Chamba Statue in Mulbekh village\" border=\"0\" data-original-height=\"1326\" data-original-width=\"1011\" height=\"400\" src=\"https:\/\/blogger.googleusercontent.com\/img\/b\/R29vZ2xl\/AVvXsEhdMZugvMWgwLxRk9UuTB4VfYUvug-QHCYiAjBpB3d7jH4hjG4XJIENs2h-6xpleDKJTjZXiiw7bffpfOZla6QRmjwzUBOtpkbk6xWz-d6EHmusM15mIc0K4stYAZC_qHl4BzvpwowsD8C0xUxrZ3He5jTw65EFDPWG3FGgB1qiiFqLbIlyjMhb7WLJpNk\/w305-h400\/Mulbekh_Chamba_Statue.jpg\" width=\"305\" \/\u003E\u003C\/a\u003E\u003C\/td\u003E\u003C\/tr\u003E\u003Ctr\u003E\u003Ctd class=\"tr-caption\" style=\"text-align: center;\"\u003EFigure 3: The famous rock-cut Chamba Statue in Mulbekh village, \ndepicting a standing Maitreya Buddha, or Buddha-to-come, early centuries\n CE. Credit: Kondephy CC BY-SA 3.0\u003C\/td\u003E\u003C\/tr\u003E\u003C\/tbody\u003E\u003C\/table\u003E\u003Cp\u003EOn reaching the Hemis monastery in Ladakh – which is tucked away in a hidden valley some 11,000 feet above sea level - Notovitch asked the chief lama if he had ever heard of Issa. The lama said that the name of Issa is held in great respect by the Buddhists, but only the lamas who have read the sacred scrolls know about him. He clarified that the Hemis monastery has a number of manuscripts, and, \u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cblockquote\u003E“among them are to be found descriptions of the life and acts of the Buddha Issa, who preached the holy doctrine in India and among the children of Israel and who was put to death by the pagans, whose descendants have since embraced the tenets he then propagated, which we believe to be yours.” \u003C\/blockquote\u003EThe lama, then, went on to say, “When the holy child was still a boy, he was taken to India, where until manhood he studied the laws of the great Buddha who dwells eternally in heaven.” The lama also told Notovitch that a copy of the life of Issa lies somewhere in the Hemis monastery, and he would be happy to show it to Notovitch if he visits the gompa again.\u003Cp\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Ctable align=\"center\" cellpadding=\"0\" cellspacing=\"0\" class=\"tr-caption-container\" style=\"margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;\"\u003E\u003Ctbody\u003E\u003Ctr\u003E\u003Ctd style=\"text-align: center;\"\u003E\u003Ca href=\"https:\/\/blogger.googleusercontent.com\/img\/b\/R29vZ2xl\/AVvXsEiiJA7CXKi1utynK994asxjerP-BuQEvfgN5bpTa0HHuNCiWTftP4EMqXjdOctkSpILaDYoV38CaKIJd2Pg-jvgR9VuxoyTk9DkkB2cTKWe7HS7Tc1DLNxXkdqyUoZOS5o3SZiAoyN0tsUddNbxHjQfHRKZk2stzzoVNlz2R-iK4QD7M59dPgxKN1j8Q9s\/s1024\/Hemis_Monastery,_Ladakh_Michael%20Day%20CC%20BY%202.jpg\" style=\"margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;\"\u003E\u003Cimg alt=\"Hemis Monastery, Ladakh.\" border=\"0\" data-original-height=\"683\" data-original-width=\"1024\" height=\"426\" src=\"https:\/\/blogger.googleusercontent.com\/img\/b\/R29vZ2xl\/AVvXsEiiJA7CXKi1utynK994asxjerP-BuQEvfgN5bpTa0HHuNCiWTftP4EMqXjdOctkSpILaDYoV38CaKIJd2Pg-jvgR9VuxoyTk9DkkB2cTKWe7HS7Tc1DLNxXkdqyUoZOS5o3SZiAoyN0tsUddNbxHjQfHRKZk2stzzoVNlz2R-iK4QD7M59dPgxKN1j8Q9s\/w640-h426\/Hemis_Monastery,_Ladakh_Michael%20Day%20CC%20BY%202.jpg\" width=\"640\" \/\u003E\u003C\/a\u003E\u003C\/td\u003E\u003C\/tr\u003E\u003Ctr\u003E\u003Ctd class=\"tr-caption\" style=\"text-align: center;\"\u003EFigure 4: Hemis Monastery, Ladakh. Credit: Michael Day CC BY 2.0\u003C\/td\u003E\u003Ctd class=\"tr-caption\" style=\"text-align: center;\"\u003E\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/td\u003E\u003Ctd class=\"tr-caption\" style=\"text-align: center;\"\u003E\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/td\u003E\u003C\/tr\u003E\u003C\/tbody\u003E\u003C\/table\u003E\u003Cp style=\"text-align: left;\"\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Ctable align=\"center\" cellpadding=\"0\" cellspacing=\"0\" class=\"tr-caption-container\" style=\"margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;\"\u003E\u003Ctbody\u003E\u003Ctr\u003E\u003Ctd style=\"text-align: center;\"\u003E\u003Ca href=\"https:\/\/blogger.googleusercontent.com\/img\/b\/R29vZ2xl\/AVvXsEifdbqsZjeKDB4BMHe5Bw-hmTx7wjaxy_MZSXgx6UwbigjIOl03V4rcTWmRLUV5IbkNs8slp3MvQB2WIZRpIcS_6zxzc8nOac5j5fdVYp8EmqO8khgsts2kDiECMdhOk7JeHCcPlKQu2FRep3I3XN3VaHlJLAP6lLU_4SiIYIWZ9mq9lh5oGTaT1XaDJe4\/s1024\/Hemis_Reach4avik%20CC%20BY%20SA%203.JPG\" style=\"margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;\"\u003E\u003Cimg alt=\"Hemis Monastery, Ladakh\" border=\"0\" data-original-height=\"683\" data-original-width=\"1024\" height=\"426\" src=\"https:\/\/blogger.googleusercontent.com\/img\/b\/R29vZ2xl\/AVvXsEifdbqsZjeKDB4BMHe5Bw-hmTx7wjaxy_MZSXgx6UwbigjIOl03V4rcTWmRLUV5IbkNs8slp3MvQB2WIZRpIcS_6zxzc8nOac5j5fdVYp8EmqO8khgsts2kDiECMdhOk7JeHCcPlKQu2FRep3I3XN3VaHlJLAP6lLU_4SiIYIWZ9mq9lh5oGTaT1XaDJe4\/w640-h426\/Hemis_Reach4avik%20CC%20BY%20SA%203.JPG\" width=\"640\" \/\u003E\u003C\/a\u003E\u003C\/td\u003E\u003C\/tr\u003E\u003Ctr\u003E\u003Ctd class=\"tr-caption\" style=\"text-align: center;\"\u003EFigure 5: Hemis Monastery, Ladakh. Credit: Wikimedia Commons \/ Reach4avik CC BY-SA 3.0\u003C\/td\u003E\u003C\/tr\u003E\u003C\/tbody\u003E\u003C\/table\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp style=\"text-align: left;\"\u003ENotovitch did not want to display too much eagerness and arouse the suspicions of his host. He left the Hemis monastery, planning to return at a later date. But, as luck would have it, on his return journey, he fell from his horse and fractured his leg, and used his injury as an excuse to return to Hemis for proper treatment. His recovery took nearly 6 weeks, during which time he made several requests to the chief lama, who finally assented and produced “two large bound volumes with leaves yellowed by time”, and from them, read to Notovitch the biography of Issa, which was composed of isolated verses scattered out of sequence throughout the scrolls. Notovitch’s interpreter translated the story from Tibetan, which the Russian journalist wrote down in his notebook. He published the biography of Issa with the title, \u003Ci\u003E“The Life of Saint Issa: Best of the Sons of Men”\u003C\/i\u003E, and included it with the account of its discovery, in the book \u003Ci\u003EThe Unknown Life of Jesus Christ\u003C\/i\u003E.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EAlthough The Life of Saint Issa is an incredible document, the events leading up to the birth of Issa in Israel does not deviate much from the Old and New Testament. The plot thickens in Issa’s thirteenth year, the age when, according to Jewish custom, an Israelite should take a wife. Many rich and noble men arrived at the doorsteps of his parents’ humble dwelling, wishing to have as their son-in-law the young Issa, who was “already famous for his edifying discourses in the name of the Almighty.” Issa, however, was intent on “perfecting himself in the Divine Word and of studying the laws of the Great Buddhas.” So, he secretly left his parent’s house in Jerusalem and departed towards India with a caravan of merchants. The journey would have taken him along the Silk Route, and by the time he reached Sind he was fourteen years old.\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Ctable align=\"center\" cellpadding=\"0\" cellspacing=\"0\" class=\"tr-caption-container\" style=\"margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;\"\u003E\u003Ctbody\u003E\u003Ctr\u003E\u003Ctd style=\"text-align: center;\"\u003E\u003Ca href=\"https:\/\/blogger.googleusercontent.com\/img\/b\/R29vZ2xl\/AVvXsEjH76PWd9EwaweX0Qah0BCU5NRJIj1p7KYhqNCw51_zpN2WfmqxytEhCIbhy0Iui9QSQZGPwVFO0wbku09dx-W-MWrr_8ruEmNknclIihMQjYWyS-aoo16r3jJQPInBBzk3oueaDFyx_zA_nG7X59sx9QQFHmzpv_HvpP8qm-9bqqEjRVQTbZZmw38dI0A\/s1024\/Silk%20Road%20nytimes.jpg\" style=\"margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;\"\u003E\u003Cimg alt=\"The Overland Silk Route\" border=\"0\" data-original-height=\"747\" data-original-width=\"1024\" height=\"466\" src=\"https:\/\/blogger.googleusercontent.com\/img\/b\/R29vZ2xl\/AVvXsEjH76PWd9EwaweX0Qah0BCU5NRJIj1p7KYhqNCw51_zpN2WfmqxytEhCIbhy0Iui9QSQZGPwVFO0wbku09dx-W-MWrr_8ruEmNknclIihMQjYWyS-aoo16r3jJQPInBBzk3oueaDFyx_zA_nG7X59sx9QQFHmzpv_HvpP8qm-9bqqEjRVQTbZZmw38dI0A\/w640-h466\/Silk%20Road%20nytimes.jpg\" width=\"640\" \/\u003E\u003C\/a\u003E\u003C\/td\u003E\u003C\/tr\u003E\u003Ctr\u003E\u003Ctd class=\"tr-caption\" style=\"text-align: center;\"\u003EFigure 6: The Overland Silk Route. Source: nytimes.com\u003C\/td\u003E\u003C\/tr\u003E\u003C\/tbody\u003E\u003C\/table\u003E\u003Cp\u003EIssa, crossed the breadth of India and reached the temple of Lord Jagannath (Krishna) in Puri, on the Eastern shore, where the priests joyously welcomed him. “They taught him to read and understand the Vedas, to cure by aid of prayer, to teach, to explain the holy scriptures to the people, and to drive out evil spirits from the bodies of men, restoring unto them their sanity.” He spent six years in the holy cities of Puri, Rajagriha and Benares (Varanasi), and everyone loved him.\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EIn course of time, he had a fallout with the Brahmin priests who forbade Issa from preaching the Vedic doctrines to the lower castes (Sudras), for, as they said, the Sudras were to serve in perpetuity as slaves to the upper castes. But Issa would have none of it. He told the Brahmins, “God the Father makes no difference between his children; all to him are equally dear”. “Those who deprive their brethren of divine happiness shall be deprived of it themselves,” he admonished them.\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Ctable align=\"center\" cellpadding=\"0\" cellspacing=\"0\" class=\"tr-caption-container\" style=\"margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;\"\u003E\u003Ctbody\u003E\u003Ctr\u003E\u003Ctd style=\"text-align: center;\"\u003E\u003Ca href=\"https:\/\/blogger.googleusercontent.com\/img\/b\/R29vZ2xl\/AVvXsEgHjdDvlTBuBufO_buRE9A_kX75AKP1aw_vbLDVJout8QriRJvcdIu1n56dDD6JPXjAN5pNwyM4KqgA2Z-xpvR2b5lHp5A9FgJu65Dl_r21UxrYCIGRegncSVORX3jA1OvK9TzTBmQvGU1nkRGholH1AawRG0bTdngW1NVc02oUDZEUVFhY00ECchBeLCQ\/s1024\/Lord_Jagannath_temple_at_night%20Kalyanpuranand%20CC%20BY%20SA%204.jpg\" style=\"margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;\"\u003E\u003Cimg alt=\"Jagannath Temple, Puri, India\" border=\"0\" data-original-height=\"731\" data-original-width=\"1024\" height=\"456\" src=\"https:\/\/blogger.googleusercontent.com\/img\/b\/R29vZ2xl\/AVvXsEgHjdDvlTBuBufO_buRE9A_kX75AKP1aw_vbLDVJout8QriRJvcdIu1n56dDD6JPXjAN5pNwyM4KqgA2Z-xpvR2b5lHp5A9FgJu65Dl_r21UxrYCIGRegncSVORX3jA1OvK9TzTBmQvGU1nkRGholH1AawRG0bTdngW1NVc02oUDZEUVFhY00ECchBeLCQ\/w640-h456\/Lord_Jagannath_temple_at_night%20Kalyanpuranand%20CC%20BY%20SA%204.jpg\" width=\"640\" \/\u003E\u003C\/a\u003E\u003C\/td\u003E\u003C\/tr\u003E\u003Ctr\u003E\u003Ctd class=\"tr-caption\" style=\"text-align: center;\"\u003EFigure 7: The towering spires of the Jagannath Temple, Puri, India. Credit: Kalyanpuranand CC BY-SA 4.0\u003C\/td\u003E\u003C\/tr\u003E\u003C\/tbody\u003E\u003C\/table\u003E\u003Ctable align=\"center\" cellpadding=\"0\" cellspacing=\"0\" class=\"tr-caption-container\" style=\"margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;\"\u003E\u003Ctbody\u003E\u003Ctr\u003E\u003Ctd style=\"text-align: center;\"\u003E\u003Ca href=\"https:\/\/blogger.googleusercontent.com\/img\/b\/R29vZ2xl\/AVvXsEiFkbt6zp4wVgw0Z_ZarzmbglMWV0J-oqDQSqCcft6ORo_G_faZ2W5SsouGTxM2oP5N3YqMw8TU-aGS1GA_qTiK2gfY7apGdUv3ZHHHUQxLXyI-Dv_7-MDMMqrKspNL9bZlV8Fu2XL6vnmfEOv0lEYjaYLWUKdotbw_uJXcon_dFEbbsdUviV_fRpztNxQ\/s1024\/Varanasi_Munshi_Ghat%20Marcin%20Bia%C5%82ek%20CC%20BY%20SA%203.jpg\" style=\"margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;\"\u003E\u003Cimg alt=\"Varanasi\" border=\"0\" data-original-height=\"714\" data-original-width=\"1024\" height=\"446\" src=\"https:\/\/blogger.googleusercontent.com\/img\/b\/R29vZ2xl\/AVvXsEiFkbt6zp4wVgw0Z_ZarzmbglMWV0J-oqDQSqCcft6ORo_G_faZ2W5SsouGTxM2oP5N3YqMw8TU-aGS1GA_qTiK2gfY7apGdUv3ZHHHUQxLXyI-Dv_7-MDMMqrKspNL9bZlV8Fu2XL6vnmfEOv0lEYjaYLWUKdotbw_uJXcon_dFEbbsdUviV_fRpztNxQ\/w640-h446\/Varanasi_Munshi_Ghat%20Marcin%20Bia%C5%82ek%20CC%20BY%20SA%203.jpg\" width=\"640\" \/\u003E\u003C\/a\u003E\u003C\/td\u003E\u003C\/tr\u003E\u003Ctr\u003E\u003Ctd class=\"tr-caption\" style=\"text-align: center;\"\u003EFigure 8: Varanasi (also called Benares or Kashi) has been a sacred \nplace of Hindu pilgrimage and spiritual learning for centuries. Credit: \nMarcin Bialek CC BY-SA 3.0\u003C\/td\u003E\u003C\/tr\u003E\u003C\/tbody\u003E\u003C\/table\u003E\u003Cp\u003EIt came to Issa’s knowledge that there was a danger to his life, and he escaped to the birthplace of the Buddha at Lumbini (Kapilavastu) in Nepal, near the foothills of the Himalayas. He perfected himself in the Pali language, applied himself to the study of the Buddhist sutras, and in six years became a perfect expositor of the sacred writings.\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EDuring this time he traveled far and wide across the Himalayan ranges, and must have visited Kashmir and Ladakh as well, because of the persistent whispers of Issa having taught there. Some believe that he visited Tibet during this time, which, in my opinion is unlikely, since Buddhism reached Tibet only in the 7th century CE, and there could be no other reason for Jesus to undertake the extremely difficult trek to Tibet.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Ctable align=\"center\" cellpadding=\"0\" cellspacing=\"0\" class=\"tr-caption-container\" style=\"margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;\"\u003E\u003Ctbody\u003E\u003Ctr\u003E\u003Ctd style=\"text-align: center;\"\u003E\u003Ca href=\"https:\/\/blogger.googleusercontent.com\/img\/b\/R29vZ2xl\/AVvXsEgOs-AAJ-93EdOhOh6AN1O7CMAyKNKPqvGzwBiLETTnEzh-S9UbzjiSDFDB-rLx_sEwnkaCDw6QUfnO6Sn2g4MYJc8ahtmGhANNI830c1jQ-cmqSsnzLrRMKNrdLOnC8UFvSu8_rVhMRuLd2GfwUAH7RKsU_G43Ax8nhcd-Qi-Y-0VDVS_u101HYeO_uSk\/s1232\/Jesus%20in%20India%20route.jpg\" style=\"margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;\"\u003E\u003Cimg alt=\"Jesus' route in India\" border=\"0\" data-original-height=\"772\" data-original-width=\"1232\" height=\"402\" src=\"https:\/\/blogger.googleusercontent.com\/img\/b\/R29vZ2xl\/AVvXsEgOs-AAJ-93EdOhOh6AN1O7CMAyKNKPqvGzwBiLETTnEzh-S9UbzjiSDFDB-rLx_sEwnkaCDw6QUfnO6Sn2g4MYJc8ahtmGhANNI830c1jQ-cmqSsnzLrRMKNrdLOnC8UFvSu8_rVhMRuLd2GfwUAH7RKsU_G43Ax8nhcd-Qi-Y-0VDVS_u101HYeO_uSk\/w640-h402\/Jesus%20in%20India%20route.jpg\" width=\"640\" \/\u003E\u003C\/a\u003E\u003C\/td\u003E\u003C\/tr\u003E\u003Ctr\u003E\u003Ctd class=\"tr-caption\" style=\"text-align: center;\"\u003EFigure 9: The likely route followed by Saint Issa in India, as per the account of Nicolas Notovitch. Credit: Bibhu Dev Misra\u003C\/td\u003E\u003C\/tr\u003E\u003C\/tbody\u003E\u003C\/table\u003E\u003Cp\u003EAfter six years, Issa descended from the mountains to the plains of Rajasthan, from where he went westwards, preaching all the time against idol worship, animal and human sacrifices, and inspiring men to supreme perfection by doing good to one’s neighbor. “And Issa further taught the pagans not to strive to see the Eternal Spirit with their eyes but to endeavor to feel him in their hearts and by purity of soul to render themselves worthy of his favors.” Issa must have taken the Silk Route through Persia to return back to Israel, since the manuscript states that he ran afoul of the magi in Persia by preaching against the worship of the sun and fire sacrifices.\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EQuite clearly, Jesus was quite the rabble rouser, preaching constantly against the superstitions and injustices of the priestly class – something that he continued to do on reaching Israel in his twenty-ninth year. Thus, his sixteen year sojourn in the East – from the age of thirteen when he left home till the age of twenty-nine – came to an end. And it would not be a mistake to state he was a vastly transformed person by this time; a saint who had attained the peak of his mental and spiritual capabilities, and was able to preach, heal and work miracles like no other.\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EAccording to Notovitch, it was probably the Indian merchants who witnessed the crucifixion in Palestine who brought the rest of the story of Issa’s life to India. In my estimation, however, it is more likely that the Buddhist missionaries, who were preaching in the countries around the Mediterranean during the time of Christ, were the main protagonists, who brought back the stories from Palestine, and then collated them with the stories of Issa in India, which were probably kept in some of the monasteries. In Rock Edict 13, the Indian Emperor Ashoka (reign c. 268 – c. 232 BCE) had written that he had sent Buddhist missionaries to the kingdom of the Greeks, which is corroborated by the discovery of Buddhist gravestones, decorated with the Dharma Wheel and Trishula, from the Ptolemaic period (305 BCE – 30 BCE) in Alexandria. It would be in keeping with the Buddhist tradition to seek out and collect information about Issa’s life in Palestine and record it for posterity.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003ENotovitch’s account created quite a stir, to say the least. While some accepted that his story was “not improbable”, and worthy of attention, others such as Max Muller were apparently not pleased to hear of Jesus’s Oriental connections, and brazenly attacked Notovitch, accusing him of being a liar who never visited Hemis and fabricated the entire account, or at the very least, was naive enough to be fooled by the lamas who enjoy mystifying inquisitive travelers. In those days it was very difficult to reach the Hemis monastery, which required an arduous trek of many days through challenging mountain terrains, and, thus, it was difficult to corroborate if the manuscript truly existed. The problem of verification was compounded by the fact that the lamas tend to issue a flat denial if they have the slightest misgivings.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003ENotovitch mentioned in the introduction to his book that the lamas are wary of Westerners, thinking they have come to carry off their manuscripts. “The lama says to himself “If these manuscripts are asked for, it is to carry them off,” so he naturally holds aloof and refuses any explanation…I knew how to approach from afar the question which interested me, whilst everybody now asks point blank questions.” This is a valid point, for a great theft of artifacts had taken place during the colonial rule, and the lamas are naturally on their guard.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003ENotovitch dropped another bombshell in the introduction to his book. He wrote that he met a cardinal of the Roman Church (whose name he did not disclose) who told Notovitch, “The Unknown Life of Jesus Christ is no novelty to the Roman Church…the Vatican Library possesses sixty-three complete or incomplete manuscripts in various Oriental languages referring to this matter, which have been brought to Rome by missionaries from India, China, Egypt and Arabia.” Imagine that! If this is true, it would explain why the Catholic Church maintained a stoic silence after Notovitch had published his book. And also why the lamas are so wary of their books being carried off!\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cb\u003E\u003Cspan style=\"font-size: medium;\"\u003ESwami Abhedananda’s Testimony\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/b\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EFortunately, a corroboration of Notovitch’s account came many years later from an Indian monk called Swami Abhedananda, who was a direct disciple of the saint Ramakrishna. Abhedananda’s credentials are such that it immediately commands respect. He spent ten years as an ascetic, traveling the length and breadth of India by foot, depending on alms and visiting the holy pilgrimage sites, before setting off for the United States where he became the head of the Vedanta Society of New York. He spent the next 25 years of his life preaching the wisdom of the Vedic texts and that of his guru Ramakrishna.\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EAfter returning to India in 1921, he crossed the Himalayas by foot, first going to Tibet to study Tibetan Buddhism, and then arrived at the Hemis monastery in 1922, with the specific intention of verifying Notovitch’s account.\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EAbhedananda recorded the events of his journey in a Bengali travelogue titled \u003Ci\u003EKashmir O Tibbate\u003C\/i\u003E (In Kashmir and Tibet), which was published in 1929. It was composed partly by Abhedananda and partly by his assistant who worked from his notes and diary. As a result, Abhedananda is often referred to in the third person as “Swamiji” in the text. As per the book, after Abhedananda had been shown around the monastery by a lama, he asked the lama about the veracity of Notovitch’s account and he learnt that the account was indeed true. \u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cblockquote\u003E“The lama who was showing Swamiji around took a manuscript [about Issa] off the shelf and showed it to Swamiji. He said that it was a copy and the original was in a monastery at Marbour near Lhasa. The original was written in Pali, but this was a translation into Tibetan. It consisted of 14 chapters and 224 verses. With his help, Swamiji got a part of it translated.”\u003C\/blockquote\u003EThe lama translated the Tibetan manuscript into English, which Abhedananda later translated into Bengali and published in \u003Ci\u003EKashmir O Tibbate\u003C\/i\u003E. Abhedananda’s description of Jesus’s journey to India is aligned with that of Notovitch’s to a great extent, with the exception that Abhedananda’s account is more concise. This is understandable, since Notovitch had mentioned that his verses were translated from two separate manuscripts, while Abhedananda’s source was a single manuscript. The fact that Abhedananda got access to the manuscript merely by asking about it, unlike Notovitch who had to literally beg for it, reveals that the lamas felt a sort of kinship with Abhedananda, who just like them, was a monk who had forsaken material attachments and devoted his life to spiritual pursuits, and could, therefore, be easily trusted.\u0026nbsp;\u003Cp\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EAbhedananda added an interesting detail in his account which highlights the popular appeal of Jesus amongst the common people. He wrote that, on his way back to Israel, “Jesus halted at a wayside pond near Kabul to wash his hands and feet, and rested for a while. That pond still exists. It is known as Issa-pond. To mark the event, every year a fair is held at this place. This is mentioned in an Arabic book, Tariq-A-Ajhan.”\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EAbhedananda also backed up Notovitch’s claim regarding the manner in which the manuscript was compiled: “The reverend lama said…three or four years after he [Jesus] left his body, the original manuscript was compiled in Pali from the descriptions of all those Tibetans (i.e. Buddhists missionaries) who met him at that time, as well as from descriptions of traders who, with their own eyes, witnessed his crucifixion by the king of his country.”\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EAbhedananda’s testimony is an important validation of Notovitch’s claim, and, given the stature and credibility of Abhedananda, it virtually confirms the existence of the manuscripts beyond any reasonable doubt.\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EAn intriguing twist in the tale took place soon afterwards – the Issa scrolls suddenly disappeared from the Hemis monastery. In an interview with Richard Bock, Abhedananda’s disciple Swami Prajnananda said, “I heard from his own lips that he [Abhedananda] saw the scrolls [at Hemis] and he translated from them. Years afterwards he inquired, but they said the scrolls were no longer there. I also requested to see the scrolls, but there is nothing. There are no scrolls. They have been removed, by whom we do not know.” Very strange indeed! Where were the scrolls taken? Were they deliberately hidden? If so, why and by whom?\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EWhile visiting Hemis in 1974-75, Tibetologists David Snellgrove and Tadeusz Skorupski were told that in the Hemis monastery, “there is certainly a considerable collection (of treasures) locked away in a safe room, known as the ‘Dark Treasury’…which is said to be opened only when one treasurer hands over to a successor.” This basically implies that the Dark Treasury is never opened. Is this where the Issa scolls were hidden away from the prying eyes of curious visitors? Quite possibly so, as the experience of Nicholas Roerich reveals.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cb\u003E\u003Cspan style=\"font-size: medium;\"\u003ENicholas Roerich’s Himalayan Expeditions\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/b\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EThe Russian-born Nicholas Roerich was not only a Harvard trained archaeologist and a Professor at the Imperial Archaeological Institute, but also an internationally acclaimed painter and poet. Between 1924 to 1928, Roerich, along with his wife Helena and son George led an expedition through Central Asia to create a pictorial record of the lands and peoples of these regions and to gather information about the culture, religion, monuments, archaeology and language of inner Asia. “Perhaps no traveler from the West has been better equipped, in knowledge, spirit and psychology to travel in the East,” wrote Dr.Garabed Paelian in his study \u003Ci\u003ENicholas Roerich\u003C\/i\u003E.\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EThroughout the expedition, Roerich came across persistent murmurings about the sojourn of Saint Issa in these regions, which he recorded in a series of books: Himalaya (1926), Heart of Asia (1929) and his travel diary Altai-Himalaya (1929). He first came across the legend of Christ in Kashmir, India, at the very beginning of his expedition. In \u003Ci\u003EHeart of Asia\u003C\/i\u003E, he wrote, “In Srinagar we first encountered the curious legend about Christ’s visit to this place. Afterwards we saw how widely spread in India, in Ladakh and in Central Asia, was the legend of the visit of Christ to these parts during his long absence, quoted in the gospel.”\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EThe legend of Issa cropped up again when Roerich reached Leh, the capital of Ladakh. In \u003Ci\u003EHeart of Asia\u003C\/i\u003E he wrote,\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cblockquote\u003E“In Leh, we again encountered the legend of Christ’s visit to these parts. The Hindu postmaster of Leh and several Ladakhi Buddhists told us that in Leh not far from the bazaar, there still exists a pond, near which stood an old tree. Under this tree, Christ preached to the people, before his departure to Palestine. We also heard another legend of how Christ, when young, arrived in India with a merchant’s caravan and how He continued to study the higher wisdom in the Himalayas. We heard several versions of this legend which has spread widely throughout Ladakh, Sinkiang and Mongolia, but all versions agree on one point, that during the time of His absence, Christ was in India and Asia.” \u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003C\/blockquote\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Ctable align=\"center\" cellpadding=\"0\" cellspacing=\"0\" class=\"tr-caption-container\" style=\"margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;\"\u003E\u003Ctbody\u003E\u003Ctr\u003E\u003Ctd style=\"text-align: center;\"\u003E\u003Ca href=\"https:\/\/blogger.googleusercontent.com\/img\/b\/R29vZ2xl\/AVvXsEgVhIZKJzyDNRvnEQiy5CiO7WpoUUfVYgBfqmxjxt181RQsrm5YNCVzitqkHq8VyC9pIeOx-pnFem3TxIMcx-3z0fJfWILrnZkKUJvcB7KlMjrhfnwoCJ8-73D4gJB31Z3ogu26LHlPDHFq6pCJZBaVv9T8f61rI1SF0FYpxO6zuGTvrY81s4rnlk5dvHc\/s1024\/Leh_City_seen_from_Shanti_Stupa%20Anirvan%20Shukla%20CC%20BY%20SA%203.JPG\" style=\"margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;\"\u003E\u003Cimg alt=\"Leh city, Ladakh\" border=\"0\" data-original-height=\"768\" data-original-width=\"1024\" height=\"480\" src=\"https:\/\/blogger.googleusercontent.com\/img\/b\/R29vZ2xl\/AVvXsEgVhIZKJzyDNRvnEQiy5CiO7WpoUUfVYgBfqmxjxt181RQsrm5YNCVzitqkHq8VyC9pIeOx-pnFem3TxIMcx-3z0fJfWILrnZkKUJvcB7KlMjrhfnwoCJ8-73D4gJB31Z3ogu26LHlPDHFq6pCJZBaVv9T8f61rI1SF0FYpxO6zuGTvrY81s4rnlk5dvHc\/w640-h480\/Leh_City_seen_from_Shanti_Stupa%20Anirvan%20Shukla%20CC%20BY%20SA%203.JPG\" width=\"640\" \/\u003E\u003C\/a\u003E\u003C\/td\u003E\u003C\/tr\u003E\u003Ctr\u003E\u003Ctd class=\"tr-caption\" style=\"text-align: center;\"\u003EFigure 10: Leh city seen from the Shanti Stupa. Credit: Anirvan Shukla CC BY-SA 3.0\u003C\/td\u003E\u003C\/tr\u003E\u003C\/tbody\u003E\u003C\/table\u003E\u003Cp\u003EWhat an odd coincidence it is that, not only was there was an Issa-pond in Kabul, as mentioned in the writings of Abhedananda, there was one in Leh as well. Apparently, Jesus liked to conduct his teaching sessions next to water bodies!\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003ERoerich, quite naturally, visited the Hemis monastery when he was in Ladakh, since he was acquainted with the work of Notovitch. Unfortunately, however, he could not get access to the manuscript. Apparently, by that time, the relevant scrolls had already been hidden away in the “Dark Treasury” that Tibetologists Snellgrove and Skorupski had mentioned. In \u003Ci\u003EHimalaya\u003C\/i\u003E (1926), Roerich wrote, \u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cblockquote\u003E“Regarding the manuscripts of Christ – first there was complete denial. Of course denial first comes from the circle of missionaries. Then slowly, little by little, are creeping fragmentary reticent details, difficult to obtain. Finally it appears – that about the manuscripts, the old people in Ladakh have heard and know…And such documents as manuscripts about Christ and the Book of Chamballa (Shambhala) lie in the darkest place…and how many other relics have perished in dusty corners?”\u003C\/blockquote\u003EElizabeth Clare Prophet mentioned another gentleman in her book, by the name of Edward Noack, of Sacramento, California – who was a fellow of the Royal Geographical Society of London –\u0026nbsp; and had traveled eighteen times to the different Himalayan kingdoms, including four times to Leh itself. He confided to Elizabeth that, during his stay at Hemis in the late seventies, “a lama at the monastery told him that a manuscript describing Jesus’s pilgrimage to Ladakh was locked in the storeroom”.\u0026nbsp;\u003Cp\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EIt appears from these testimonies that the Issa scrolls have been transferred to the “Dark Treasury” of Hemis for good, and it is unlikely that anyone will set his eyes on it in future. The lamas at Hemis seem to have made up their minds that enough has already been revealed about the texts, and it is now up to us what we want to do with the information.\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EIn \u003Ci\u003EAltai Himalaya\u003C\/i\u003E (1929), Roerich had penned down an account of the pilgrimage of Issa to India, which corresponds to that of Notovitch’s to a great extent. However, Roerich did not specify the source of his information. Since he had reported that he did not get access to the Hemis scrolls, it is not clear if he had borrowed from Notovitch’s account with which he was clearly familiar, or he had relied on oral traditions, or, perhaps, copied from some unknown manuscript. In the absence of a clearly specified source, Roerich’s biography of Issa’s journey to India cannot be regarded as a confirmation of the Hemis scrolls. What is of greater significance, however, is the realization how far and wide the legend of Issa had percolated in the Himalayan kingdoms. That, in itself, strongly suggests that the work of Notovitch was not fictional, and he merely provided the textual basis of these tales that have been circulating for centuries.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EThis is the primary textual evidence about the journey of Jesus to India during his lost years, which I have presented from Elizabeth Clare Prophet’s book, \u003Ci\u003EThe Lost of Years of Jesus\u003C\/i\u003E. Now, I shall explore another line of evidence based on my own research – which is the clear influence of yogic spiritual practices in the Gospel accounts and Orthodox Christian icons.\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EIt has been known for a long time, and noted by many scholars, that there are a number of overlaps between Christian and Hindu-Buddhist ritual practices. The rosary beads used by the Christian saints are the japamala used by Hindu-Buddhist monks. The holy water used by the Church priest for baptism and blessings is the sanctified water called amrita used for purification in Hindu-Buddhist rituals. The use of religious icons, and their worship by lighting candles and incense sticks by the Orthodox Christians is similar to the Hindu mode of worship. The dress of the Buddhist lamas is similar to the manner in which the Apostles are painted, while the headdress of the Dalai Lama resembles the mitre worn by the Pope. The asceticism, celibacy, prayer, chanting, singing, fasting, poverty, processions, relic worship and other elements of the monastic life of the Church priests is similar to that of Buddhist monks. And, it is hard to ignore that, some of the Eastern Orthodox monasteries, perched on the top of steep cliffs, difficult to access and far away from the vestiges of civilization, are reminiscent of the Buddhist monasteries of the Himalayas.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Ctable align=\"center\" cellpadding=\"0\" cellspacing=\"0\" class=\"tr-caption-container\" style=\"margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;\"\u003E\u003Ctbody\u003E\u003Ctr\u003E\u003Ctd style=\"text-align: center;\"\u003E\u003Ca href=\"https:\/\/blogger.googleusercontent.com\/img\/b\/R29vZ2xl\/AVvXsEi2-Ghs0z0rHnwyxGHFEt7A_3reHSb8vwWrbJgdiiWBJlZ06YmOZKhBP8wpo2fZzqU0cHV-hmIcBtFNOv-TSwrbrd3lWxqxYZGjuGrqTKA5dTAO0JbV3l5SewQ8QnXXRKJhugBMWCR7HFQZX9RBIXln2BzBfmGUs7GpRYiwNG0BlP6eRwj_3hWUGhCeu1E\/s1024\/Monastery%20of%20the%20Holy%20Trinity,%20Meteora,%20Greece,%20Bernard%20Gagnon%20CC%20BY%20SA%204.jpg\" style=\"margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;\"\u003E\u003Cimg border=\"0\" data-original-height=\"683\" data-original-width=\"1024\" height=\"426\" src=\"https:\/\/blogger.googleusercontent.com\/img\/b\/R29vZ2xl\/AVvXsEi2-Ghs0z0rHnwyxGHFEt7A_3reHSb8vwWrbJgdiiWBJlZ06YmOZKhBP8wpo2fZzqU0cHV-hmIcBtFNOv-TSwrbrd3lWxqxYZGjuGrqTKA5dTAO0JbV3l5SewQ8QnXXRKJhugBMWCR7HFQZX9RBIXln2BzBfmGUs7GpRYiwNG0BlP6eRwj_3hWUGhCeu1E\/w640-h426\/Monastery%20of%20the%20Holy%20Trinity,%20Meteora,%20Greece,%20Bernard%20Gagnon%20CC%20BY%20SA%204.jpg\" width=\"640\" \/\u003E\u003C\/a\u003E\u003C\/td\u003E\u003C\/tr\u003E\u003Ctr\u003E\u003Ctd class=\"tr-caption\" style=\"text-align: center;\"\u003EFigure 11: Monastery of the Holy Trinity, Meteora, Greece. Credit: Bernard Gagnon CC BY-SA 4.0\u003C\/td\u003E\u003C\/tr\u003E\u003C\/tbody\u003E\u003C\/table\u003E\u003Ctable align=\"center\" cellpadding=\"0\" cellspacing=\"0\" class=\"tr-caption-container\" style=\"margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;\"\u003E\u003Ctbody\u003E\u003Ctr\u003E\u003Ctd style=\"text-align: center;\"\u003E\u003Ca href=\"https:\/\/blogger.googleusercontent.com\/img\/b\/R29vZ2xl\/AVvXsEhq9_8yoORDICaOs68sWMZgf4MmYcQKou7UUr5ONbq3dzLAxdI-aAfa4XTH2rc2O9UX9B89CFYOLrfNZ0g4f8V6Mhfyu0ZcpfnZLx537BSIsbkyRM8Bd8ttgdWI7oBb8MUpY2tKal8iyp_7u-eAfRXRKtsij9iu9-hDunvNFnEJSbUNEXm6yj_7SPEfPOw\/s1015\/Tiger's%20Nest%20Monastery%20in%20Paro,%20Bhutan,%20Afifa%20Afrin%20CC%20BY%20SA%204.jpg\" style=\"margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;\"\u003E\u003Cimg border=\"0\" data-original-height=\"680\" data-original-width=\"1015\" height=\"429\" src=\"https:\/\/blogger.googleusercontent.com\/img\/b\/R29vZ2xl\/AVvXsEhq9_8yoORDICaOs68sWMZgf4MmYcQKou7UUr5ONbq3dzLAxdI-aAfa4XTH2rc2O9UX9B89CFYOLrfNZ0g4f8V6Mhfyu0ZcpfnZLx537BSIsbkyRM8Bd8ttgdWI7oBb8MUpY2tKal8iyp_7u-eAfRXRKtsij9iu9-hDunvNFnEJSbUNEXm6yj_7SPEfPOw\/w640-h429\/Tiger's%20Nest%20Monastery%20in%20Paro,%20Bhutan,%20Afifa%20Afrin%20CC%20BY%20SA%204.jpg\" width=\"640\" \/\u003E\u003C\/a\u003E\u003C\/td\u003E\u003C\/tr\u003E\u003Ctr\u003E\u003Ctd class=\"tr-caption\" style=\"text-align: center;\"\u003EFigure 12: Tiger's Nest Monastery in Paro, Bhutan. Credit: Afifa Afrin CC BY-SA 4.0\u003C\/td\u003E\u003C\/tr\u003E\u003C\/tbody\u003E\u003C\/table\u003E\u003Cp\u003EThe commonalities in ritual practices is suggestive of a Buddhist influence in Christianity, when it was in a nascent stage of growth. This could have resulted from the presence of Buddhist monks in the countries around the Mediterranean, particularly in Alexandria, where some of the most active early centers of Christianity were established. What is, perhaps, not so well-known is that there are some religious icons of the Orthodox Church which depict Jesus, Mary, and the saints performing hand-gestures which correspond exactly to specific yoga mudras. \u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cb\u003E\u003Cspan style=\"font-size: medium;\"\u003EYoga Mudras in Orthodox Art\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/b\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EBefore proceeding further, let me briefly explain the concept of yoga mudras. Yoga mudras are a set of hand-gestures performed during meditation, which direct the flow of the vital energy called “prana” to the different parts of the body through the invisible energy channels called “nadis”. This helps to balance the five elements called Pancha Mahabhutas in Ayurveda (the Vedic system of medicine) that make up the human body. These five elements are - fire, air, ether, earth, and water. In Ayurveda, it is believed that whenever there are imbalances in these five elements it results in various types of disease. Yoga mudras, therefore, are a simple and effective healing mechanism.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EWhen I started to look at the Orthodox icons, I could identify at least 11 different yoga mudras, which I have described in an \u003Ca href=\"https:\/\/www.bibhudevmisra.com\/2017\/11\/yoga-mudras-in-orthodox-christian-art.html\" target=\"_blank\"\u003Eearlier article\u003C\/a\u003E. There could be many more waiting to be found out. The following images describe each of these yoga mudras found in Orthodox art, along with their physical, emotional and spiritual healing benefits. \u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cdiv class=\"separator\" style=\"clear: both; text-align: center;\"\u003E\u003Ca href=\"https:\/\/blogger.googleusercontent.com\/img\/b\/R29vZ2xl\/AVvXsEhzjr73Phw0NENSq1vvtiAjvEF_eGEgxFyGlJJ-rbAz2pmEWaUmKeEtw6xRvb8mZ_kLJzSFxtst43fiBLA-JBR3uzmOoOLseaOCcwGE7YCbMTRmW2CR06z5GGKGy_gSvbhnjwVV2YpZav5odzWcU6XDzdJT6xbGWjM5PgJyWb2sXs1vfTcNZa4S4ObGp3w\/s1337\/Prithvi%20new.jpg\" style=\"margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;\"\u003E\u003Cimg alt=\"Prithvi Mudra\" border=\"0\" data-original-height=\"1061\" data-original-width=\"1337\" height=\"509\" src=\"https:\/\/blogger.googleusercontent.com\/img\/b\/R29vZ2xl\/AVvXsEhzjr73Phw0NENSq1vvtiAjvEF_eGEgxFyGlJJ-rbAz2pmEWaUmKeEtw6xRvb8mZ_kLJzSFxtst43fiBLA-JBR3uzmOoOLseaOCcwGE7YCbMTRmW2CR06z5GGKGy_gSvbhnjwVV2YpZav5odzWcU6XDzdJT6xbGWjM5PgJyWb2sXs1vfTcNZa4S4ObGp3w\/w640-h509\/Prithvi%20new.jpg\" width=\"640\" \/\u003E\u003C\/a\u003E\u003C\/div\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cdiv class=\"separator\" style=\"clear: both; text-align: center;\"\u003E\u003Ca href=\"https:\/\/blogger.googleusercontent.com\/img\/b\/R29vZ2xl\/AVvXsEhWiE-c5oSrWXAQ1MEnzrRRXha_N9pS2w7kvz3NwV6PlkzoxeZnFrZ4DmWMX9b9gZ03_klXmMu49KoHMuqQ80jFD3CotYoE3NMdeLDJsFfZFv33xVnbKjP98lBz1IOzFlYJg8T_GfN0Ez_bGfbqGxu7z5sREmtOf1pjZng9YSxIRo6PQC_Z9SxY8dID53Q\/s1335\/Prana%20new.jpg\" style=\"margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;\"\u003E\u003Cimg alt=\"Prana Mudra\" border=\"0\" data-original-height=\"1063\" data-original-width=\"1335\" height=\"510\" src=\"https:\/\/blogger.googleusercontent.com\/img\/b\/R29vZ2xl\/AVvXsEhWiE-c5oSrWXAQ1MEnzrRRXha_N9pS2w7kvz3NwV6PlkzoxeZnFrZ4DmWMX9b9gZ03_klXmMu49KoHMuqQ80jFD3CotYoE3NMdeLDJsFfZFv33xVnbKjP98lBz1IOzFlYJg8T_GfN0Ez_bGfbqGxu7z5sREmtOf1pjZng9YSxIRo6PQC_Z9SxY8dID53Q\/w640-h510\/Prana%20new.jpg\" width=\"640\" \/\u003E\u003C\/a\u003E\u003C\/div\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cdiv class=\"separator\" style=\"clear: both; text-align: center;\"\u003E\u003Ca href=\"https:\/\/blogger.googleusercontent.com\/img\/b\/R29vZ2xl\/AVvXsEhsSZToJrMGpsGZ1tFAiy-h6ttfPL-fHdisqh5OWrTlgdcu4dZqaSM5OrnAC9jc7V56qJbLd_G9gHVemSiSXbE8zqbH9caK6yQE3q06bpiZlqODlwCYJR9roSqjh6TzTRolpIbWyvEc4wbPVvJWCgDKKG4Mdl-82TX0etINMKVDHiBa3M_1u9Bxlhl_2f0\/s1351\/Apana%20new.jpg\" style=\"margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;\"\u003E\u003Cimg alt=\"Apana Mudra\" border=\"0\" data-original-height=\"1065\" data-original-width=\"1351\" height=\"504\" src=\"https:\/\/blogger.googleusercontent.com\/img\/b\/R29vZ2xl\/AVvXsEhsSZToJrMGpsGZ1tFAiy-h6ttfPL-fHdisqh5OWrTlgdcu4dZqaSM5OrnAC9jc7V56qJbLd_G9gHVemSiSXbE8zqbH9caK6yQE3q06bpiZlqODlwCYJR9roSqjh6TzTRolpIbWyvEc4wbPVvJWCgDKKG4Mdl-82TX0etINMKVDHiBa3M_1u9Bxlhl_2f0\/w640-h504\/Apana%20new.jpg\" width=\"640\" \/\u003E\u003C\/a\u003E\u003C\/div\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cdiv class=\"separator\" style=\"clear: both; text-align: center;\"\u003E\u003Ca href=\"https:\/\/blogger.googleusercontent.com\/img\/b\/R29vZ2xl\/AVvXsEhUXZjAUKWLwBNYYafpwbqFVtIeDUVi0EVNw2KkmBrluvNkYJKnCzqZ1tvzlF5k1y_kQgnCZfArMvCTQpFGQ9lKODw0hOU5MNIFaXhmoL0iBTJXlNiqfpit0yCN7f6V09BoDYLU55sNSQuhavRchFTklHrkUNCiEF4mFSLlF50FcuxB3OERXtxwS2OiDow\/s1335\/Karana%20new.jpg\" style=\"margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;\"\u003E\u003Cimg alt=\"Karana Mudra\" border=\"0\" data-original-height=\"1059\" data-original-width=\"1335\" height=\"509\" src=\"https:\/\/blogger.googleusercontent.com\/img\/b\/R29vZ2xl\/AVvXsEhUXZjAUKWLwBNYYafpwbqFVtIeDUVi0EVNw2KkmBrluvNkYJKnCzqZ1tvzlF5k1y_kQgnCZfArMvCTQpFGQ9lKODw0hOU5MNIFaXhmoL0iBTJXlNiqfpit0yCN7f6V09BoDYLU55sNSQuhavRchFTklHrkUNCiEF4mFSLlF50FcuxB3OERXtxwS2OiDow\/w640-h509\/Karana%20new.jpg\" width=\"640\" \/\u003E\u003C\/a\u003E\u003C\/div\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cdiv class=\"separator\" style=\"clear: both; text-align: center;\"\u003E\u003Ca href=\"https:\/\/blogger.googleusercontent.com\/img\/b\/R29vZ2xl\/AVvXsEjASMZi1tjwGZcDf15CiTKBKrO4ahP0guHHA7G0we-iKD4ziQdB2_hYAqRW5uH_BnTmSKRAhSjD5aAdWoyaQo5Qpys7BMsgp-qIyUyaldOfsioQMMdBn4TxE6FSqH_hKPuY3rh2SqloYyLsKB_TE6Lm7AMHk4C_hZ_u3IP6yUURdHjmgkvv54qsPV8gX5w\/s1355\/Shuni%20new.jpg\" style=\"margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;\"\u003E\u003Cimg alt=\"Shuni Mudra\" border=\"0\" data-original-height=\"1045\" data-original-width=\"1355\" height=\"494\" src=\"https:\/\/blogger.googleusercontent.com\/img\/b\/R29vZ2xl\/AVvXsEjASMZi1tjwGZcDf15CiTKBKrO4ahP0guHHA7G0we-iKD4ziQdB2_hYAqRW5uH_BnTmSKRAhSjD5aAdWoyaQo5Qpys7BMsgp-qIyUyaldOfsioQMMdBn4TxE6FSqH_hKPuY3rh2SqloYyLsKB_TE6Lm7AMHk4C_hZ_u3IP6yUURdHjmgkvv54qsPV8gX5w\/w640-h494\/Shuni%20new.jpg\" width=\"640\" \/\u003E\u003C\/a\u003E\u003C\/div\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cdiv class=\"separator\" style=\"clear: both; text-align: center;\"\u003E\u003Ca href=\"https:\/\/blogger.googleusercontent.com\/img\/b\/R29vZ2xl\/AVvXsEhL_cecYB9ikB8ATBRjbtm1-sYQzzIQj03Z8iL1tbPRNnUUw7XoQu2_Df-nSiJUDfy9mblNTPZyfyDZQMk3BIFlgpPmtqnmbDNOokCfLliwnoKDyfpb6hzOemDxcUgt4CVm7sCo9mak5UK0eRAhvfghl92oK2hfEFCiTRYKnqVIJnUZn0RW-a07SeX9YB4\/s1353\/Surya%20new.jpg\" style=\"margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;\"\u003E\u003Cimg alt=\"Surya Mudra\" border=\"0\" data-original-height=\"1021\" data-original-width=\"1353\" height=\"482\" src=\"https:\/\/blogger.googleusercontent.com\/img\/b\/R29vZ2xl\/AVvXsEhL_cecYB9ikB8ATBRjbtm1-sYQzzIQj03Z8iL1tbPRNnUUw7XoQu2_Df-nSiJUDfy9mblNTPZyfyDZQMk3BIFlgpPmtqnmbDNOokCfLliwnoKDyfpb6hzOemDxcUgt4CVm7sCo9mak5UK0eRAhvfghl92oK2hfEFCiTRYKnqVIJnUZn0RW-a07SeX9YB4\/w640-h482\/Surya%20new.jpg\" width=\"640\" \/\u003E\u003C\/a\u003E\u003C\/div\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cdiv class=\"separator\" style=\"clear: both; text-align: center;\"\u003E\u003Ca href=\"https:\/\/blogger.googleusercontent.com\/img\/b\/R29vZ2xl\/AVvXsEjWmMz957N0bMeU-fuYOr93MRl1U-6m_-pR4MaamjQucTz8X9yENsz4wpRB5n8dmVCkr4PMWPgfeyu2rZ9xC3g3urSfBT24E1gKf62BwgpjgBnXrsYlFn_9q0u9VvPzaN35C0cPktBWgTmbu1YbhbZQcU2s0BdvpwhZDCQ60tAqorbinUh4a4hxtInRDmQ\/s1353\/Dhyana%20new.jpg\" style=\"margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;\"\u003E\u003Cimg alt=\"Dhyana Mudra\" border=\"0\" data-original-height=\"1041\" data-original-width=\"1353\" height=\"493\" src=\"https:\/\/blogger.googleusercontent.com\/img\/b\/R29vZ2xl\/AVvXsEjWmMz957N0bMeU-fuYOr93MRl1U-6m_-pR4MaamjQucTz8X9yENsz4wpRB5n8dmVCkr4PMWPgfeyu2rZ9xC3g3urSfBT24E1gKf62BwgpjgBnXrsYlFn_9q0u9VvPzaN35C0cPktBWgTmbu1YbhbZQcU2s0BdvpwhZDCQ60tAqorbinUh4a4hxtInRDmQ\/w640-h493\/Dhyana%20new.jpg\" width=\"640\" \/\u003E\u003C\/a\u003E\u003C\/div\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cdiv class=\"separator\" style=\"clear: both; text-align: center;\"\u003E\u003Ca href=\"https:\/\/blogger.googleusercontent.com\/img\/b\/R29vZ2xl\/AVvXsEhh5qCWISkdHiqO1S0fngxtRADVL_YMGuYs2qk9y3B3K7pVjEierVRP0SiQeloKwUiONWe-ICYdGwI_TU67IA4vJkqP1azzRvNwSFb1Fx6-43o5TdTHyUxL9KZJoYUE_k6dY_CnOZop_1NOJBp2A8y8L-wtvsgGAKTJqVvmIG2PFwe4yWyXnvh6dEboeeY\/s1363\/Anjali%20new.jpg\" style=\"margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;\"\u003E\u003Cimg alt=\"Anjali Mudra\" border=\"0\" data-original-height=\"1045\" data-original-width=\"1363\" height=\"490\" src=\"https:\/\/blogger.googleusercontent.com\/img\/b\/R29vZ2xl\/AVvXsEhh5qCWISkdHiqO1S0fngxtRADVL_YMGuYs2qk9y3B3K7pVjEierVRP0SiQeloKwUiONWe-ICYdGwI_TU67IA4vJkqP1azzRvNwSFb1Fx6-43o5TdTHyUxL9KZJoYUE_k6dY_CnOZop_1NOJBp2A8y8L-wtvsgGAKTJqVvmIG2PFwe4yWyXnvh6dEboeeY\/w640-h490\/Anjali%20new.jpg\" width=\"640\" \/\u003E\u003C\/a\u003E\u003C\/div\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cdiv class=\"separator\" style=\"clear: both; text-align: center;\"\u003E\u003Ca href=\"https:\/\/blogger.googleusercontent.com\/img\/b\/R29vZ2xl\/AVvXsEihWPhf3eLVMRLEDntI8WEdIywFJOkQXNIyVkdvtfYq0W83Yta0h3kQ93FMbVkHi4QWFcO0QaXJVVJ96Mc7xNjWj2kvJiDMPXuaKgCPYFy-QrOiRUmZagiCLs29Rwdf5AjntNnY6RejFkDAdAZVxhfHkTkC4rB2rRRearOQdida52AtzyMpt3q0cl42hIc\/s1343\/Abhaya%20new.jpg\" style=\"margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;\"\u003E\u003Cimg alt=\"Abhaya Mudra\" border=\"0\" data-original-height=\"1029\" data-original-width=\"1343\" height=\"490\" src=\"https:\/\/blogger.googleusercontent.com\/img\/b\/R29vZ2xl\/AVvXsEihWPhf3eLVMRLEDntI8WEdIywFJOkQXNIyVkdvtfYq0W83Yta0h3kQ93FMbVkHi4QWFcO0QaXJVVJ96Mc7xNjWj2kvJiDMPXuaKgCPYFy-QrOiRUmZagiCLs29Rwdf5AjntNnY6RejFkDAdAZVxhfHkTkC4rB2rRRearOQdida52AtzyMpt3q0cl42hIc\/w640-h490\/Abhaya%20new.jpg\" width=\"640\" \/\u003E\u003C\/a\u003E\u003C\/div\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cdiv class=\"separator\" style=\"clear: both; text-align: center;\"\u003E\u003Ca href=\"https:\/\/blogger.googleusercontent.com\/img\/b\/R29vZ2xl\/AVvXsEhr9oSzqkskgvB4_-HNGoPTVl5r7B8RijZkH8k3V8YTgwlicFtSieGRvPsJP1y7WpuFnT8wOakvuCYIwxgMN42fMFDvyvjCI6tUfVz3qFDfHXBtyjgYkGn6B4DvAOW0yYpbuqh3CMZD1vEKoIsVdJDNit7xhqzshtZde1ovs_RzmeK85naieeDKIFopknw\/s1327\/Varada%20new.jpg\" style=\"margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;\"\u003E\u003Cimg alt=\"Varada Mudra\" border=\"0\" data-original-height=\"1055\" data-original-width=\"1327\" height=\"509\" src=\"https:\/\/blogger.googleusercontent.com\/img\/b\/R29vZ2xl\/AVvXsEhr9oSzqkskgvB4_-HNGoPTVl5r7B8RijZkH8k3V8YTgwlicFtSieGRvPsJP1y7WpuFnT8wOakvuCYIwxgMN42fMFDvyvjCI6tUfVz3qFDfHXBtyjgYkGn6B4DvAOW0yYpbuqh3CMZD1vEKoIsVdJDNit7xhqzshtZde1ovs_RzmeK85naieeDKIFopknw\/w640-h509\/Varada%20new.jpg\" width=\"640\" \/\u003E\u003C\/a\u003E\u003C\/div\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cdiv class=\"separator\" style=\"clear: both; text-align: center;\"\u003E\u003Ca href=\"https:\/\/blogger.googleusercontent.com\/img\/b\/R29vZ2xl\/AVvXsEg7EDVUC5gKDyJ5VYqs9pFuCcrTI2r9hiy_fuVv9FXcsqlYAbHtq_3t0V0Zerkn8ErSklCqpiA690S2gF8Q_a25K_7iB8gB-jDfvjCI5cIN3Sc47QMys2mJ5RBGgtPEq9an-PMxlSmSfJUhP_Blcu3fDt1FhCVMJnPvHu7t26IRCa_8dY8SMVZuXA1Tksk\/s1351\/Ardhapataka%20new.jpg\" style=\"margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;\"\u003E\u003Cimg alt=\"Ardhpataka Mudra\" border=\"0\" data-original-height=\"989\" data-original-width=\"1351\" height=\"469\" src=\"https:\/\/blogger.googleusercontent.com\/img\/b\/R29vZ2xl\/AVvXsEg7EDVUC5gKDyJ5VYqs9pFuCcrTI2r9hiy_fuVv9FXcsqlYAbHtq_3t0V0Zerkn8ErSklCqpiA690S2gF8Q_a25K_7iB8gB-jDfvjCI5cIN3Sc47QMys2mJ5RBGgtPEq9an-PMxlSmSfJUhP_Blcu3fDt1FhCVMJnPvHu7t26IRCa_8dY8SMVZuXA1Tksk\/w640-h469\/Ardhapataka%20new.jpg\" width=\"640\" \/\u003E\u003C\/a\u003E\u003C\/div\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EThis is a rather long list of yoga mudras depicted in the religious icons of the Orthodox Christian Church. The term “Orthodox” means “right belief” and Orthodox Christians consider themselves to be the inheritors of the true faith and Church passed on in its purest form. They claim to have maintained the original teachings of Jesus and the Apostles. If that is the case, then it implies that meditation using yoga mudras must have formed a core part of the spiritual practices propounded by the early Church.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EThe question is, how did Jesus and the Apostles become aware of yoga mudras? Did Jesus learn about yoga mudras when in India during his lost years? That seems to be the most likely possibility, since in the ancient times, the knowledge of yoga was always transferred from a guru to his student in a monastic environment.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EMost of the Byzantine icons were created from the 3rd century CE till the fall of Constantinople to the Ottoman Turks in 1453 CE. Therefore, the knowledge of these yoga mudras may have persisted within the Orthodox Church till the 15th century CE, after which it was forgotten. In the present day, however, most Christian scholars do not seem to be aware that these hand-gestures are yoga mudras, and instead refer to them generically as signs of blessing.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EThe relative abundance of the different yoga mudras in Orthodox art reveals that particular emphasis was placed on two specific yoga mudras – the Prithvi Mudra and the Prana Mudra – for they appear in the largest number of icons. While the Prithvi Mudra strengthens and heals the body, the Prana Mudra strengthens the immune system, which gives the body the resilience to heal itself. Both the mudras also activate the root chakra which promotes a sense of tranquility, stability, and self-assurance. Since, both the Prithvi Mudra and the Prana Mudra are very effective healing mudras, we can deduce why they have been accorded so much importance in Orthodox art. The Gospel accounts tell us of the presence of a multitude of sick people in Palestine during the time of Jesus, and how they were brought in great numbers to Jesus to be healed. It is possible that, not only did Jesus heal the sick people, but he also taught them about yoga mudras, so that they could keep themselves healthy and energetic even when he was gone.\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EIn addition to yoga mudras, another aspect of yoga is reflected in the Gospel accounts, and that is yoga siddhis - which are various supernatural or magical abilities acquired by advanced yogic practitioners through their penances or sadhana.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cb\u003E\u003Cspan style=\"font-size: medium;\"\u003EYoga Siddhis in the Gospels\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/b\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EThere are supposed to be eight classical siddhis or magical powers, and a yogi who acquires one or more such powers is called a “siddha yogi” i.e. a perfected yogi or spiritual adept. Such persons transform their body and mind through their spiritual practices, and live in a pure state of god consciousness. Even though the siddhis unfold naturally along the path of Self-realization, one needs to learn from a master how to manifest and handle such powers responsibly. As per the \u003Ci\u003ESrimad Bhagavatam\u003C\/i\u003E [5] the eight classical siddhis are as follows:\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cul style=\"text-align: left;\"\u003E\u003Cli\u003EAnima: Shrink the body size to the smallest particle\u003C\/li\u003E\u003Cli\u003EMahima: Make the body very heavy\u003C\/li\u003E\u003Cli\u003ELaghima: Make the body weightless like a feather\u003C\/li\u003E\u003Cli\u003EPrapti: Manifest any desired object\u003C\/li\u003E\u003Cli\u003EPrakamya: Fulfill any desire\u003C\/li\u003E\u003Cli\u003EIsitva: Lordship over the forces of nature to create or destroy\u003C\/li\u003E\u003Cli\u003EVasitva: Control over the five great elements (pancha mahabhutas)\u003C\/li\u003E\u003Cli\u003EKamavasayita: Assume any form at will\u003C\/li\u003E\u003C\/ul\u003E\u003Cp\u003EIn the Gospels, we find Jesus manifesting quite a few of these siddhis or miraculous powers. He fed around five thousand men with only five loaves of bread and two fish,[6] which demonstrates a mastery over the siddhi called Prapti, in which you can manifest whatever you desire.\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EJesus walked on the waters of a lake to reach the boat in which his disciples were traveling.[7] As incredible as it may sound, this can be accomplished if one has mastery over the siddhi called Laghima in which the body becomes weightless.\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EJesus also healed the sick and diseased people of Palestine, who were suffering from all sort of ailments - seizures, paralysis, leprosy, fever etc. -\u0026nbsp; as well as many who were deaf, dumb or mute. This indicates a mastery over the Vasitva siddhi, in which you can control the five elements (Pancha Mahabhutas) which constitute the human body, and all things in the universe. Any imbalance of the five elements within the body manifests in the form of diseases. So, someone who has mastery over the five elements can heal with ease.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EThe portrayal of yoga mudras in Orthodox icons and the demonstration of yoga siddhis in the Gospel accounts are clear indications that Jesus was familiar with the yogic techniques that lead to Self-Realization; which tells us that the Hemis monastery scrolls, describing Issa’s sojourn in India during his lost years, are very likely to be authentic.\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EEven in his teachings, Jesus shared the same kind of wisdom that can be found in the philosophy of Vedanta. When Jesus said, “The kingdom of God is within you,”[8] he was relating the Vedantic principle, “Atman is Brahman” i.e. the Soul is Divine, or, the Soul is of the essence of the Creator.\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EA person who connects with his Soul or Self, in the depths of meditation, radiates the virtues of the Soul and acquires supernatural powers or siddhis. Jesus told his disciples much the same: “Truly, truly, I tell you, whoever believes in Me will also do the works that I am doing. He will do even greater things than these, because I am going to the Father.”[9] Which means that, those who listen to Jesus’ teachings with faith and follow the spiritual practices he has given them, can acquire the same siddhis i.e. miraculous powers, as Jesus himself, and could end up doing greater works.\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EThis is why, in the yogic tradition of India, Jesus has always been regarded as a Self-realized yogi. Such Avatars and Prophets appear from time to time to remind us of our own divine heritage so that we are inspired to follow their paths and become channels through which the divine grace can come into this world. \u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cb\u003EReferences\u003C\/b\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E[1] Matthew 2:13 - 23\u003Cbr \/\u003E[2] Luke 2:42 - 49\u003Cbr \/\u003E[3] Luke 2:52\u003Cbr \/\u003E[4] Elizabeth Clare Prophet, The Lost Years of Jesus, Summit University Press, 1984\u003Cbr \/\u003E[5] Srimad Bhagavatam 2.2.22\u003Cbr \/\u003E[6] Matthew 14:13-21\u003Cbr \/\u003E[7] Matthew 14:22-33\u003Cbr \/\u003E[8] Luke 17:21\u003Cbr \/\u003E[9] John 14:12\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E"},"link":[{"rel":"replies","type":"application/atom+xml","href":"https:\/\/www.bibhudevmisra.com\/feeds\/3878745904258658092\/comments\/default","title":"Post Comments"},{"rel":"replies","type":"text/html","href":"https:\/\/www.bibhudevmisra.com\/2023\/01\/the-lost-years-of-jesus-in-india.html#comment-form","title":"4 Comments"},{"rel":"edit","type":"application/atom+xml","href":"https:\/\/www.blogger.com\/feeds\/6864653463177413678\/posts\/default\/3878745904258658092"},{"rel":"self","type":"application/atom+xml","href":"https:\/\/www.blogger.com\/feeds\/6864653463177413678\/posts\/default\/3878745904258658092"},{"rel":"alternate","type":"text/html","href":"https:\/\/www.bibhudevmisra.com\/2023\/01\/the-lost-years-of-jesus-in-india.html","title":"The Lost Years of Jesus in India: Following the Trail of Evidence"}],"author":[{"name":{"$t":"Bibhu Dev Misra"},"uri":{"$t":"http:\/\/www.blogger.com\/profile\/15388473714672380058"},"email":{"$t":"noreply@blogger.com"},"gd$image":{"rel":"http://schemas.google.com/g/2005#thumbnail","width":"32","height":"28","src":"\/\/blogger.googleusercontent.com\/img\/b\/R29vZ2xl\/AVvXsEh4sklyRp_L5BfqEXTjoskgFPFYpJiNJSuDN5zrcldGBaXot626bOTu8q5TUYsip63M6EkY2JbuoE6l1N5fMKiqKfzFfaaKpqm91QZx9rMdAL3t-ju2QdYi1K-BeCJsjw\/s130\/DSCN1699.JPG"}}],"media$thumbnail":{"xmlns$media":"http://search.yahoo.com/mrss/","url":"https:\/\/blogger.googleusercontent.com\/img\/b\/R29vZ2xl\/AVvXsEi-q-In8BzC_bzVJIuwGrbwedTkAeNFttGTr5zvV8XKlIs9Lkus11ZgXu_2lo8FuDA7jpqoBmTinEwSgU57h1x62-O7LHDs5CTO-KQEN1DhpgLXOj7Rc8I5WnrIVvqIrY5jp882TexgDblI9LzDHKib6fT-cAl_UtC3Utf-kIdpJrnAKV9uuO9oqO6v\/s72-w400-h223-c\/Jesus%20Christ%20meditation.jpg","height":"72","width":"72"},"thr$total":{"$t":"4"}},{"id":{"$t":"tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6864653463177413678.post-1117896251160525044"},"published":{"$t":"2022-11-16T18:34:00.007+05:30"},"updated":{"$t":"2024-05-25T12:17:40.656+05:30"},"category":[{"scheme":"http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#","term":"Article"},{"scheme":"http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#","term":"Earth Mysteries"},{"scheme":"http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#","term":"Yuga Cycle"}],"title":{"type":"text","$t":"The Four Worlds and the Mysterious Ant People of the Hopi: What it Means For Us"},"content":{"type":"html","$t":"\u003Cp\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cdiv class=\"separator\" style=\"clear: both; text-align: center;\"\u003E\u003Ca href=\"https:\/\/blogger.googleusercontent.com\/img\/b\/R29vZ2xl\/AVvXsEjSp2D3pE2FTGS3Tmotqi6pbzojiZzs4Ixgk3-vdB9pF1IQRYpsY508KpopSm3SlXgCXFuNyqWicCcDFR4JmjzpTWkVeyBXb1Gwnw5rjs7BNIPyekgJiWJubC01V40XzsNPWyABKzSaEVYHuYu8Kv8s4-kBBkTTAt44gySzSJ3tnqw_zyUGu0LD7nDQ\/s500\/Hopi%20McKee%20Springs%20Petroglyph%20featured%20image%20small.jpg\" style=\"margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;\"\u003E\u003Cimg border=\"0\" data-original-height=\"366\" data-original-width=\"500\" height=\"234\" src=\"https:\/\/blogger.googleusercontent.com\/img\/b\/R29vZ2xl\/AVvXsEjSp2D3pE2FTGS3Tmotqi6pbzojiZzs4Ixgk3-vdB9pF1IQRYpsY508KpopSm3SlXgCXFuNyqWicCcDFR4JmjzpTWkVeyBXb1Gwnw5rjs7BNIPyekgJiWJubC01V40XzsNPWyABKzSaEVYHuYu8Kv8s4-kBBkTTAt44gySzSJ3tnqw_zyUGu0LD7nDQ\/s320\/Hopi%20McKee%20Springs%20Petroglyph%20featured%20image%20small.jpg\" width=\"320\" \/\u003E\u003C\/a\u003E\u003C\/div\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Ci\u003E\u003Cspan style=\"font-size: medium;\"\u003EN\u003Cspan style=\"font-family: inherit;\"\u003E\u003Cspan\u003Eote: This article was first published on \u003Ca href=\"https:\/\/mysteriousuniverse.org\/2022\/11\/The-Four-Worlds-and-the-Mysterious-Ant-People-of-the-Hopi-What-it-Means-For-Us\/\" target=\"_blank\"\u003EMysterious Universe (MU)\u003C\/a\u003E\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/span\u003E\u003Cspan style=\"font-family: inherit;\"\u003E\u003Cspan style=\"font-size: medium;\"\u003E \u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/i\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u003Cspan style=\"font-family: inherit;\"\u003E\u003Cspan style=\"font-size: medium;\"\u003EThe Hopi tribe consists of twelve villages built on top of three rocky mesas in northeastern Arizona. The mesas are flat-topped ridges that rise abruptly out of the desert plains. Even though the Hopi have been subjected to waves of external influences, and an overtly technological civilization swirls all around them, their traditional way of life has not been greatly affected. They have maintained their sacred covenant with Maasaw – the Lord of the Dead \u0026amp; the Caretaker of the earth – and live as peaceful, humble farmers, respecting the land and its resources, always remembering the Creator Taiowa and the spirit beings called Kachina, through their ceremonies, songs, dances and rituals. This helps, as they claim, to maintain the harmony and balance of the world.\u003Cspan\u003E\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Ca name='more'\u003E\u003C\/a\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u003Cspan style=\"font-family: inherit;\"\u003E\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Ctable align=\"center\" cellpadding=\"0\" cellspacing=\"0\" class=\"tr-caption-container\" style=\"margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;\"\u003E\u003Ctbody\u003E\u003Ctr\u003E\u003Ctd style=\"text-align: center;\"\u003E\u003Ca href=\"https:\/\/blogger.googleusercontent.com\/img\/b\/R29vZ2xl\/AVvXsEj9LTPhT0xRlS9qkJTCxNxxak06vifjgh9MIWwfwueMjArB5SyH5-AQ7btzSXy2y67ld1b6YM88Vftd8Y8akXNZaZBGZOFri_X6NUMmG7SD0o0Lu_W4NKr9T6VSIEQ42hnyKWWEQX4UK6ocXGqVX1JetgZ_o61t8_U3rKveJQEVkhUihBH8CkIc3xM8FtI\/s1004\/The%20Hopi%20village%20of%20Wolpi,%20Arizona,%201972,%20US%20National%20Archives%20and%20Records%20Administration,%20Public%20Domain.jpg\" style=\"margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;\"\u003E\u003Cimg alt=\"The Hopi village of Wolpi, Arizona, 1972\" border=\"0\" data-original-height=\"604\" data-original-width=\"1004\" height=\"386\" src=\"https:\/\/blogger.googleusercontent.com\/img\/b\/R29vZ2xl\/AVvXsEj9LTPhT0xRlS9qkJTCxNxxak06vifjgh9MIWwfwueMjArB5SyH5-AQ7btzSXy2y67ld1b6YM88Vftd8Y8akXNZaZBGZOFri_X6NUMmG7SD0o0Lu_W4NKr9T6VSIEQ42hnyKWWEQX4UK6ocXGqVX1JetgZ_o61t8_U3rKveJQEVkhUihBH8CkIc3xM8FtI\/w640-h386\/The%20Hopi%20village%20of%20Wolpi,%20Arizona,%201972,%20US%20National%20Archives%20and%20Records%20Administration,%20Public%20Domain.jpg\" width=\"640\" \/\u003E\u003C\/a\u003E\u003C\/td\u003E\u003C\/tr\u003E\u003Ctr\u003E\u003Ctd class=\"tr-caption\" style=\"text-align: center;\"\u003E\u003Cspan style=\"font-family: inherit; font-size: small;\"\u003E\u003Cspan\u003EFigure 1: The Hopi village of Wolpi, Arizona, 1972. Source: US National Archives and Records Administration, Public Domain\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/td\u003E\u003C\/tr\u003E\u003C\/tbody\u003E\u003C\/table\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Ctable align=\"center\" cellpadding=\"0\" cellspacing=\"0\" class=\"tr-caption-container\" style=\"margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;\"\u003E\u003Ctbody\u003E\u003Ctr\u003E\u003Ctd style=\"text-align: center;\"\u003E\u003Ca href=\"https:\/\/blogger.googleusercontent.com\/img\/b\/R29vZ2xl\/AVvXsEh65-5-q1M4eP5OxQAagYoIRpfINg2Zm_WyqdJqEDi6fNZPtgFI5lNpQKzwoq9D2-A0C6tmQlsnkghK-SEykz2g8U-yEqDRpCNyr71IoOxbutn7khLj2Q9QhnPRpmTfiyBjEW7FrG1wtHEvGykVUqjcXf7C7y7yO9i1DRxC9t9hFTEIc-FLlRI8__QzKPs\/s942\/Hopi%20men%20performing%20the%20Hopi%20Snake%20Dance%20Ceremony%20at%20the%20pueblo%20of%20Oraibi,%20Arizona,%201898,%20California%20Historical%20Society,%20Public%20Domain.jpg\" style=\"margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;\"\u003E\u003Cimg alt=\"Hopi men performing the Snake Dance Ceremony at the pueblo of Oraibi, Arizona, 1898\" border=\"0\" data-original-height=\"697\" data-original-width=\"942\" height=\"296\" src=\"https:\/\/blogger.googleusercontent.com\/img\/b\/R29vZ2xl\/AVvXsEh65-5-q1M4eP5OxQAagYoIRpfINg2Zm_WyqdJqEDi6fNZPtgFI5lNpQKzwoq9D2-A0C6tmQlsnkghK-SEykz2g8U-yEqDRpCNyr71IoOxbutn7khLj2Q9QhnPRpmTfiyBjEW7FrG1wtHEvGykVUqjcXf7C7y7yO9i1DRxC9t9hFTEIc-FLlRI8__QzKPs\/w400-h296\/Hopi%20men%20performing%20the%20Hopi%20Snake%20Dance%20Ceremony%20at%20the%20pueblo%20of%20Oraibi,%20Arizona,%201898,%20California%20Historical%20Society,%20Public%20Domain.jpg\" width=\"400\" \/\u003E\u003C\/a\u003E\u003C\/td\u003E\u003C\/tr\u003E\u003Ctr\u003E\u003Ctd class=\"tr-caption\" style=\"text-align: center;\"\u003E\u003Cspan style=\"font-family: inherit; font-size: small;\"\u003E\u003Cspan\u003EFigure\n 2: Hopi men performing the Snake Dance Ceremony at the pueblo of \nOraibi, Arizona, 1898. The priest in front is holding a snake in his \nmouth. Source: California Historical Society, Public Domain\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/td\u003E\u003C\/tr\u003E\u003C\/tbody\u003E\u003C\/table\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u003Cspan style=\"font-family: inherit;\"\u003E\u003Cspan style=\"font-size: medium;\"\u003EThe Hopi creation stories tell us of three previous Worlds, each of which was destroyed by cataclysmic events when it was overtaken by evil and war. In every case, however, a few righteous Hopi were saved who populated the next World. Today, we are living in the Fourth World, which, too, will suffer the same fate as the previous ones, if humanity lives out of balance and forgets his obligations to the Creator and the environment.\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u003Cspan style=\"font-family: inherit;\"\u003E\u003Cspan style=\"font-size: medium;\"\u003EIn the seminal \u003Ci\u003EBook of the Hopi\u003C\/i\u003E,[1] Frank Waters presented a moving account of the Hopi traditions and their way of life. He sourced his information directly from some thirty Hopi elders of the Oraibi village, which is the oldest, continuously occupied settlement in the US.\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u003Cspan style=\"font-family: inherit;\"\u003E\u003Cspan style=\"font-size: medium;\"\u003EThe Hopi believe that, in the beginning, Taiowa was the only one who existed in the midst of endless space. He conceived the plan of creation in his mind, and brought forth Sotuknang to act as an instrument of his will. Sotuknang created all the universes, by gathering what he needed from space and transforming it into solid, liquid and gaseous substances. He created Spider Woman to be his helper on Earth.\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u003Cspan style=\"font-family: inherit;\"\u003E\u003Cspan style=\"font-size: medium;\"\u003ESpider Woman created all life forms, including human beings, while Sotuknang gave the First People the power of speech, wisdom and the ability to reproduce and multiply. Then he said to them, \u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cblockquote\u003E\u003Cspan style=\"font-family: inherit;\"\u003E\u003Cspan style=\"font-size: medium;\"\u003E“With all these I have given you this world to live on and to be happy. There is only one thing I ask of you. To respect the Creator at all times. Wisdom, harmony and respect for the love of the Creator who made you. May it grow and never be forgotten among you as long as you live.”\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/blockquote\u003E\u003Cspan style=\"font-family: inherit;\"\u003E\u003Ctable align=\"center\" cellpadding=\"0\" cellspacing=\"0\" class=\"tr-caption-container\" style=\"margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;\"\u003E\u003Ctbody\u003E\u003Ctr\u003E\u003Ctd style=\"text-align: center;\"\u003E\u003Ca href=\"https:\/\/blogger.googleusercontent.com\/img\/b\/R29vZ2xl\/AVvXsEgxJviQ-nmSxOduJqhA8epEAJLnEXh4JxN_HZv7xfd8_29q62e5MvLfZmJIhtxTMIA6xfiakFRDEVbJp3VSNG7K3FeprzIB5QOT4EXU9RowVIiX74xn-WOCb68sBIh9X3VkSfT58zbnekt4yUAXJ3q3e0-0QaZMSgF8fpKpL0yJglsVTJewjl5lD2SVADw\/s1007\/Hopi%20mural%20depicting%20Taiowa,%20the%20sun%20spirit,%20Petrified%20Forest%20National%20Park,%20Arizona,%20NPS,%20Public%20domain.jpeg\" style=\"margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;\"\u003E\u003Cimg alt=\"Hopi mural depicting Taiowa\" border=\"0\" data-original-height=\"676\" data-original-width=\"1007\" height=\"269\" src=\"https:\/\/blogger.googleusercontent.com\/img\/b\/R29vZ2xl\/AVvXsEgxJviQ-nmSxOduJqhA8epEAJLnEXh4JxN_HZv7xfd8_29q62e5MvLfZmJIhtxTMIA6xfiakFRDEVbJp3VSNG7K3FeprzIB5QOT4EXU9RowVIiX74xn-WOCb68sBIh9X3VkSfT58zbnekt4yUAXJ3q3e0-0QaZMSgF8fpKpL0yJglsVTJewjl5lD2SVADw\/w400-h269\/Hopi%20mural%20depicting%20Taiowa,%20the%20sun%20spirit,%20Petrified%20Forest%20National%20Park,%20Arizona,%20NPS,%20Public%20domain.jpeg\" width=\"400\" \/\u003E\u003C\/a\u003E\u003C\/td\u003E\u003C\/tr\u003E\u003Ctr\u003E\u003Ctd class=\"tr-caption\" style=\"text-align: center;\"\u003E\u003Cspan style=\"font-family: inherit; font-size: small;\"\u003E\u003Cspan\u003EFigure\n 3: Hopi mural depicting Taiowa. The Sun was regarded as the “Face of \nTaiowa”, his visible manifestation in the Solar System. Petrified Forest\n National Park, Arizona. Credit: NPS, Public domain\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/td\u003E\u003C\/tr\u003E\u003C\/tbody\u003E\u003C\/table\u003E\u003C\/span\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cspan style=\"font-family: inherit;\"\u003E\u003Cspan style=\"font-size: large;\"\u003E\u003Cb\u003ETokpela – The First World\u003C\/b\u003E\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/span\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u003Cspan style=\"font-family: inherit;\"\u003E\u003Cspan style=\"font-size: medium;\"\u003EThe First People led a pure and happy life in the First World, which was called Tokpela meaning “Endless Space”. They multiplied and spread over the earth, and could communicate telepathically with each other and with the birds and animals. But soon they became engrossed in materialistic desires and forgot the plan of creation. They became keenly aware of the racial and linguistic differences between people, and of the differences between humans and animals. \u003C\/span\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u003Cspan style=\"font-family: inherit;\"\u003E\u003Cspan style=\"font-size: medium;\"\u003EThen, the first signs of rift and discord began to appear. “They became suspicious of one another and accused one another wrongfully until they became fierce and warlike and began to fight one another…There was no rest, no peace.” It wasn’t long before Sotuknang appeared before some of the righteous Hopi and told them that, “this world must be destroyed and another one created so you people can start over again. You are the ones we have chosen.”\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u003Cspan style=\"font-family: inherit;\"\u003E\u003Cspan style=\"font-size: medium;\"\u003EThe selected Hopi were instructed to follow certain “clouds” in the sky during the daytime and certain “stars” at night, and reach a specific place. When the last ones arrived, Sotuknang, \u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cblockquote\u003E\u003Cspan style=\"font-family: inherit;\"\u003E\u003Cspan style=\"font-size: medium;\"\u003E“Led them to a big mound where the Ant People lived, stamped on the roof, and commanded the Ant People to open up their home. When an opening was made on top of the anthill, Sotuknang said to the people, ‘Now you will enter this Ant kiva, where you will be safe when I destroy the world. While you are here I want you to learn a lesson from these Ant People. They are industrious. They gather food in summer for the winter. They keep cool when it is hot and warm when it is cool. They live peacefully with one another. They obey the plan of creation.’”\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/blockquote\u003E\u003Cspan style=\"font-family: inherit;\"\u003E\u003Cspan style=\"font-size: medium;\"\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/span\u003E\u003Cspan style=\"font-family: inherit;\"\u003E\u003Ctable align=\"center\" cellpadding=\"0\" cellspacing=\"0\" class=\"tr-caption-container\" style=\"margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;\"\u003E\u003Ctbody\u003E\u003Ctr\u003E\u003Ctd style=\"text-align: center;\"\u003E\u003Ca href=\"https:\/\/blogger.googleusercontent.com\/img\/b\/R29vZ2xl\/AVvXsEhPnUsC2vrli6ZCX0_0zeIC056Tao46bQFp-rr7YFqDYTIIReT4alzmEZzoogr8yaMtgdkhF0bWclemR77jHqw97Yl09QyEk9yy5_PsC4koaVpcc-XU8ER0qavgM6ewIFjD3qC1SvwBA-A19uUtMPS4pFIib4Bstw4bloeUsUC7ZqD8CUxd8x-DnkEqCcc\/s1033\/Hopi%20McKee%20Springs%20Petroglyph%20featured%20image%20copy.jpg\" style=\"margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;\"\u003E\u003Cimg alt=\"A Hopi petroglyph at McKee Springs, Utah\" border=\"0\" data-original-height=\"756\" data-original-width=\"1033\" height=\"468\" src=\"https:\/\/blogger.googleusercontent.com\/img\/b\/R29vZ2xl\/AVvXsEhPnUsC2vrli6ZCX0_0zeIC056Tao46bQFp-rr7YFqDYTIIReT4alzmEZzoogr8yaMtgdkhF0bWclemR77jHqw97Yl09QyEk9yy5_PsC4koaVpcc-XU8ER0qavgM6ewIFjD3qC1SvwBA-A19uUtMPS4pFIib4Bstw4bloeUsUC7ZqD8CUxd8x-DnkEqCcc\/w640-h468\/Hopi%20McKee%20Springs%20Petroglyph%20featured%20image%20copy.jpg\" width=\"640\" \/\u003E\u003C\/a\u003E\u003C\/td\u003E\u003C\/tr\u003E\u003Ctr\u003E\u003Ctd class=\"tr-caption\" style=\"text-align: center;\"\u003E\u003Cspan style=\"font-family: inherit; font-size: small;\"\u003E\u003Cspan\u003EFigure\n 4: A Hopi petroglyph at McKee Springs, Utah, which, many think, may be \ndepicting a Hopi person in the company of the Ant People. Source: Adobe \nStock.\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/td\u003E\u003C\/tr\u003E\u003C\/tbody\u003E\u003C\/table\u003E\u003C\/span\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cspan style=\"font-family: inherit;\"\u003E\u003Cspan style=\"font-size: medium;\"\u003EThe Hopi lived peacefully in the underground habitat of the Ant People. They had large rooms to live in and rooms for storage. Even though it was dark, the crystals on the walls of the rooms had absorbed sunlight and radiated that light, allowing the Hopi to see. In the meantime, Sotuknang had destroyed the world above them with a rain of fire and by opening up the volcanoes.\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/span\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u003Cspan style=\"font-family: inherit;\"\u003E\u003Cspan style=\"font-size: medium;\"\u003EAfter the world had cooled off, he created the Second World. “He changed its form completely, putting land where the water was and water where the land had been, so the people upon their Emergence would have nothing to remind them of the previous wicked world.” Finally he came to the roof of the Ant kiva, and asked the people to emerge into the Second World.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003C\/span\u003E\u003Cspan style=\"font-size: large;\"\u003E\u003Cb\u003ETokpa – the Second World\u003C\/b\u003E\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u003Cspan style=\"font-family: inherit;\"\u003E\u003Cspan style=\"font-size: medium;\"\u003EAs the Hopi began to emerge into the Second World from the Ant mound, Sotuknang said to them, \u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cblockquote\u003E\u003Cspan style=\"font-family: inherit;\"\u003E\u003Cspan style=\"font-size: medium;\"\u003E“Make your Emergence now to this Second World I have created. It is not quite as beautiful as the First World, but it is beautiful just the same. You will like it. So multiply and be happy. But remember your Creator and the laws he gave you. When I hear you singing joyful praises to him I will know you are my children, and you will be close to me in your hearts.”\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/blockquote\u003E\u003Cspan style=\"font-family: inherit;\"\u003E\u003Cspan style=\"font-size: medium;\"\u003EThe Second World was called Tokpa, meaning Dark Midnight. Once again, the people multiplied and spread out over the world, retaining their ability to communicate over long distances by telepathy. However, the animals were wild and stayed apart. The people built houses, produced artifacts, and started trading. In course of time, their desires began to multiply. The more they got, the more they wanted. Slowly, they drifted away from the life of simplicity they had been given, and forgot to sing praises to the Creator. Quarrels and wars erupted between villages.\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/span\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u003Cspan style=\"font-family: inherit;\"\u003E\u003Cspan style=\"font-size: medium;\"\u003EOnce again, Sotuknang appeared before a few righteous people, and told them that the Second World will also be destroyed. He called on the Ant People to open up their underground world for those Hopi who would be saved from the impending catastrophe. \u003Cbr \/\u003ESotuknang then asked the twins Poqanghoya and Palongawhoya, who lived at the North and South Poles and controlled the rotation of the earth, to leave their posts. As result, the earth spun around wildly, and briefly stopped rotating. Mountains plunged into the seas, the waters sloshed over the land, and everything froze into solid ice.\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u003Cspan style=\"font-family: inherit;\"\u003E\u003Cspan style=\"font-size: medium;\"\u003EAfter a long time, the rotation of the earth was restored, the ice began to melt and Sotuknang created the Third World by rearranging the landmasses and seas, mountains and plains, and created all forms of life. He then went to the Ant kiva and asked the Hopi to come out.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003C\/span\u003E\u003Cspan style=\"font-size: large;\"\u003E\u003Cb\u003EKuskurza – The Third World\u003C\/b\u003E\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u003Cspan style=\"font-family: inherit;\"\u003E\u003Cspan style=\"font-size: medium;\"\u003EWhen the Hopi came out of the Ant kiva, Sotuknang imparted to them the instructions for living in the Third World. \u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cblockquote\u003E\u003Cspan style=\"font-family: inherit;\"\u003E\u003Cspan style=\"font-size: medium;\"\u003E“I have saved you so you can be planted again on this new Third World. But you must always remember the two things I am saying to you now. First, respect me and one another. And second, sing in harmony from the tops of the hills. When I do not hear you singing praises to your Creator I will know you have gone back to evil again.”\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/blockquote\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u003Cspan style=\"font-family: inherit;\"\u003E\u003Cspan style=\"font-size: medium;\"\u003EThis time, as the people spread out and multiplied over the earth, they built large cities, and a complex civilization emerged, which demanded all their time and attention.\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u003Cspan style=\"font-family: inherit;\"\u003E\u003Cspan style=\"font-size: medium;\"\u003ESoon enough, they began to move away from the true path and forgot their obligations to the Creator. Immorality burgeoned everywhere. Some people made flying shields called patuwvota, on which they could fly to a big city, carry our guerrilla-style attacks, and return so quickly that no-one knew who or what hit them. As more cities began to make patuwvotas and attack each another, a big war broke out.\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u003Cspan style=\"font-family: inherit;\"\u003E\u003Cspan style=\"font-size: medium;\"\u003EPredictably, Sotuknang decided to destroy the world once again, so that the people who still had the song in their hearts could be saved. He instructed Spider Woman to cut off tall plants with hollow stems, put the selected people inside with a little water and cornmeal dough, and seal them up. After that Sotuknang unleashed a terrible flood in which the continents broke asunder and sank beneath the waves. \u003C\/span\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u003Cspan style=\"font-family: inherit;\"\u003E\u003Cspan style=\"font-size: medium;\"\u003EAfter a long time of getting tossed around on the waves, Spider Woman brought the people out of the hollow reeds. They saw that there was water everywhere, and they were standing on a piece of land which had been the top of one of their highest mountains.\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u003Cspan style=\"font-family: inherit;\"\u003E\u003Cspan style=\"font-size: medium;\"\u003ESpider Woman then instructed the Hopi to build boats using the hollow reeds, and they sailed eastwards towards the rising sun. The great fleet of boats and rafts stopped at a few islands on the way for rest, but they were constantly urged on by Spider Woman to keep sailing eastwards. Finally, they reached the shores of a large landmass which extended from north to south as far as they could see, with high mountains that came down to the water’s edge. They had arrived at the Fourth World! \u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003C\/span\u003E\u003Cspan style=\"font-size: large;\"\u003E\u003Cb\u003ETuwaqachi – The Fourth World\u003C\/b\u003E\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u003Cspan style=\"font-family: inherit;\"\u003E\u003Cspan style=\"font-size: medium;\"\u003ESotuknang, as always, appeared before them and told them, while pointing in the direction from which they came, “Down on the bottom of the seas lie all the proud cities, the flying patuwvotas, and the worldly treasures corrupted with evil, and those people who found no time to sing praises to the Creator from the tops of the hills.” He, then, gave the survivors the necessary instructions for living in the Fourth World.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cblockquote\u003E\u003Cspan style=\"font-family: inherit;\"\u003E\u003Cspan style=\"font-size: medium;\"\u003E“The name of this Fourth World is Tuwaqachi, World Complete. You will find out why. It is not all beautiful and easy like the previous ones. It has height and depth, heat and cold, beauty and barrenness; it has everything for you to choose from. What you choose will determine if this time you can carry out the plan of Creation on it or whether it must in time be destroyed too. Now you will separate and go different ways to claim all the earth for the Creator. Each group of you will follow your star until it stops. There you will settle.”\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/blockquote\u003E\u003Cspan style=\"font-family: inherit;\"\u003E\u003Cspan style=\"font-size: medium;\"\u003EThen the Hopi met Masaw, the caretaker, guardian and protector of the Fourth World. Masaw was also the Lord of the Dead in the underworld. Masaw instructed the Hopi to complete their migrations, as instructed by Sotuknang. He added that, “if you go back to evil ways again, I will take over the earth from you, for I am its caretaker, guardian and protector…so go now and claim the land with my permission.”\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/span\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u003Cspan style=\"font-family: inherit;\"\u003E\u003Cspan style=\"font-size: medium;\"\u003EAnd, thus, began a long period of Hopi migrations, after which the clans settled in the places indicated by their guiding stars. The Hopi believe that they were guided by their star to this harsh desert landscape so that they would always have to evoke the spirits through their prayers and songs in order to ensure timely rains and good crops, and thereby maintain their faith in the Creator and their connection with the otherworld.\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u003Cspan style=\"font-family: inherit;\"\u003E\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Ctable align=\"center\" cellpadding=\"0\" cellspacing=\"0\" class=\"tr-caption-container\" style=\"margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;\"\u003E\u003Ctbody\u003E\u003Ctr\u003E\u003Ctd style=\"text-align: center;\"\u003E\u003Ca href=\"https:\/\/blogger.googleusercontent.com\/img\/b\/R29vZ2xl\/AVvXsEgonzxX_gwtOGeHXbP46a_2AqM6iNPU7Uw4yc5Oy1L9On-u7LSoCG_Z7-FhVlUr5q5WwFRD9o48k55gkhYJUNv5Pgf_2DnEdVpbazgUw3Xg3kPcueuVxWjYYQJUBdKdzsLqIS4icmrhp1a2qXDEH9QkwDZGXMdBk3WAi2QZN3XAb4RE7c2CzYejjPrv81Q\/s1024\/Hopi%20Oraibi%20village,%20Arizona,%20between%201871%20to%201907,%20US%20National%20Archives%20and%20Records%20Administration,%20Public%20Domain.jpg\" style=\"margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;\"\u003E\u003Cimg alt=\"Hopi village of Oraibi, 1898\" border=\"0\" data-original-height=\"809\" data-original-width=\"1024\" height=\"506\" src=\"https:\/\/blogger.googleusercontent.com\/img\/b\/R29vZ2xl\/AVvXsEgonzxX_gwtOGeHXbP46a_2AqM6iNPU7Uw4yc5Oy1L9On-u7LSoCG_Z7-FhVlUr5q5WwFRD9o48k55gkhYJUNv5Pgf_2DnEdVpbazgUw3Xg3kPcueuVxWjYYQJUBdKdzsLqIS4icmrhp1a2qXDEH9QkwDZGXMdBk3WAi2QZN3XAb4RE7c2CzYejjPrv81Q\/w640-h506\/Hopi%20Oraibi%20village,%20Arizona,%20between%201871%20to%201907,%20US%20National%20Archives%20and%20Records%20Administration,%20Public%20Domain.jpg\" width=\"640\" \/\u003E\u003C\/a\u003E\u003C\/td\u003E\u003C\/tr\u003E\u003Ctr\u003E\u003Ctd class=\"tr-caption\" style=\"text-align: center;\"\u003E\u003Cspan style=\"font-family: inherit; font-size: small;\"\u003E\u003Cspan\u003EFigure\n 5: Hopi village of Oraibi, showing terraced houses with ladders that \nconnect each floor. Arizona, 1898. Source: California Historical \nSociety, Public Domain\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/td\u003E\u003C\/tr\u003E\u003C\/tbody\u003E\u003C\/table\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cspan style=\"font-family: inherit;\"\u003E\u003Cspan style=\"font-size: medium;\"\u003EThe Hopi account of the previous Worlds, where the conditions of life deteriorated from one World to the next, mirrors the concept of the Yuga Cycle. Clearly, their Four Worlds correspond to the four Yugas. In each of the previous Worlds, human consciousness degenerated over time, leading to the eruption of quarrels and wars. In the First World, the differences between people gave rise to suspicions and hatred, in the Second World the obsession with materialistic desires gave rise to discord, while in the Third World a complex civilization indulged in immoral behavior and invented flying crafts and terrible weapons of war that were used in an indiscriminate manner.\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/span\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u003Cspan style=\"font-family: inherit;\"\u003E\u003Cspan style=\"font-size: medium;\"\u003EWhen we think of our own decadent civilization in the Fourth World, we can check all those boxes and still have a bucketload of evils left over. Which means, there is a fair chance that Sotuknang may be pursing his lips right now and thinking, “It’s time to do away with these corrupt fellows!”\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u003Cspan style=\"font-family: inherit;\"\u003E\u003Cspan style=\"font-size: medium;\"\u003EIt is apparent from the Hopi worldview that, although, each of the previous Worlds was fresh and beautiful when it started, the conditions were slightly worse than the one before it. In other words, in tandem with the decline in virtue, the environment became less favorable. This is aligned with the tenets of the Yuga Cycle doctrine. The cataclysms that destroyed each of the previous Worlds – Fire, Floods and Ice - were said to be so powerful, that absolutely nothing remained of the previous World. The landmasses and seas were completely rearranged. This explains why it has been so difficult to find material evidence of the high civilizations of the past.\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u003Cspan style=\"font-family: inherit;\"\u003E\u003Cspan style=\"font-size: medium;\"\u003EIt is fascinating to know that, in the Third World, the Hopi people had designed \"flying shields” called patuwvotas, on which they could carry out aerial attacks on other cities. When the Third World was destroyed by Sotuknang, the patuwvotas and other worldly treasures sank to the bottom of the seas. In the Indian epics such as the Ramayana and the Mahabharata, there are many descriptions of flying vehicles called “vimanas”, which could be used for terrestrial travel and aerial warfare. For instance, the Ramayana relates that, in the Treta Yuga, Rama had returned from Lanka to Ayodhya on the spacious, dome-shaped, Pushpaka vimana, which was gilded and shone like the sun, and was operated by thoughts or voice instructions.[2] \u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003C\/span\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Ctable align=\"center\" cellpadding=\"0\" cellspacing=\"0\" class=\"tr-caption-container\" style=\"margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;\"\u003E\u003Ctbody\u003E\u003Ctr\u003E\u003Ctd style=\"text-align: center;\"\u003E\u003Ca href=\"https:\/\/blogger.googleusercontent.com\/img\/b\/R29vZ2xl\/AVvXsEgtFrzeRUCNz3rlHEUf96YPFj2kQ7lwsWLH5IDQ5TGA_PGl8yWEelyEAp2ugUZ1qYL1Tf3jZdE8Y-AswkOW2YKOXJEW3l_9HJ0g-ZZtbL4NREICR6SYyEXQSj2UyrRYGX3GQZgu6K90K1nCzvOd_mHteIsIGFm8lG3gzrH6rt3aRiRL2mEstPC9goi-t58\/s1026\/Pushpaka%20small.jpg\" style=\"margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;\"\u003E\u003Cimg alt=\"Pushpaka Vimana\" border=\"0\" data-original-height=\"829\" data-original-width=\"1026\" height=\"324\" src=\"https:\/\/blogger.googleusercontent.com\/img\/b\/R29vZ2xl\/AVvXsEgtFrzeRUCNz3rlHEUf96YPFj2kQ7lwsWLH5IDQ5TGA_PGl8yWEelyEAp2ugUZ1qYL1Tf3jZdE8Y-AswkOW2YKOXJEW3l_9HJ0g-ZZtbL4NREICR6SYyEXQSj2UyrRYGX3GQZgu6K90K1nCzvOd_mHteIsIGFm8lG3gzrH6rt3aRiRL2mEstPC9goi-t58\/w400-h324\/Pushpaka%20small.jpg\" width=\"400\" \/\u003E\u003C\/a\u003E\u003C\/td\u003E\u003C\/tr\u003E\u003Ctr\u003E\u003Ctd class=\"tr-caption\" style=\"text-align: center;\"\u003E\u003Cspan style=\"font-family: inherit; font-size: small;\"\u003E\u003Cspan\u003EFigure\n 6: The Pushpaka Vimana on which Rama flew from Lanka to Ayodhya. Pahari \nart, Himachal Pradesh, India c. 1650 CE. Source: San Diego Museum of \nArt, Public Domain\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/td\u003E\u003C\/tr\u003E\u003C\/tbody\u003E\u003C\/table\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u003Cspan style=\"font-family: inherit;\"\u003E\u003Cspan style=\"font-size: medium;\"\u003EA king of the Dwapara Yuga, named Salva, had acquired a vimana called Saubha from Lord Shiva, which was made by an asura called Maya Danava. This “flying city of iron” showed amazing maneuverability. The \u003Ci\u003ESrimad Bhagavatam\u003C\/i\u003E narrates,\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cblockquote\u003E\u003Cspan style=\"font-family: inherit;\"\u003E\u003Cspan style=\"font-size: medium;\"\u003E“At one moment the magic airship built by Maya Danava appeared in many identical forms, and the next moment it was again only one. Sometimes it was visible, and sometimes not. Thus Salva’s opponents could never be sure where it was. From one moment to the next the Saubha airship appeared on the earth, in the sky, on a mountain peak or in the water. Like a whirling, flaming baton, it never remained in any one place.”[3]\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/blockquote\u003E\u003Cspan style=\"font-family: inherit;\"\u003E\u003Cspan style=\"font-size: medium;\"\u003EThe vimana described in the \u003Ci\u003ESrimad Bhagavatam\u003C\/i\u003E displayed the same kind of unreal movements that have been ascribed to UFOs in many reported sightings. This tells you that the UFO phenomenon must have been going on for thousands of years. The vimanas described in the ancient texts of India, however, were not built by humans. They were given to humans by the “gods”. As to who these “gods” were is a mystery that is yet to be resolved.\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/span\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u003Cspan style=\"font-family: inherit;\"\u003E\u003Cspan style=\"font-size: medium;\"\u003EThe references to the “Ant People” in the Hopi legends is equally mystifying. After the destruction of the first two Worlds, a few righteous Hopi were taken to the subterranean world of the Ant People. The Ant People are similar to the race of dwarfs mentioned in the legends of many ancient cultures, where they are called gnomes, goblins, leprechauns, yakshas etc. \u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003C\/span\u003E\u003Cspan style=\"font-size: large;\"\u003E\u003Cb\u003EThe Subterranean World of the Dwarfs\u003C\/b\u003E\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u003Cspan style=\"font-family: inherit;\"\u003E\u003Cspan style=\"font-size: medium;\"\u003EDwarfs figured prominently in the Maya civilization as well, where they were looked upon as a wise, skillful, clairvoyant race who built the now-ruined Maya archaeological sites. Eric Thompson, one of the most eminent scholars of Mesoamerican archaeology, wrote that, \u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cblockquote\u003E\u003Cspan style=\"font-family: inherit;\"\u003E\u003Cspan style=\"font-size: medium;\"\u003E“The Zayamuincob (dwarfs) built the now-ruined archaeological sites, and the great stone roads while the world was still in darkness, before the sun was created…they (dwarfs) had magical powers and needed only to whistle to bring together stones in their correct positions in buildings.”[4] \u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/blockquote\u003E\u003Cspan style=\"font-family: inherit;\"\u003E\u003Cspan style=\"font-size: medium;\"\u003EAs per the beliefs of the Tzotzil and Oxchuc Maya, the dwarfs live below the surface of the earth.[5] Thompson further opined that, Zayamuincob, the name by which the dwarfs were known by the Maya, “may also be connected with zay, “ant,” for there is also a Yucatec tradition of an ancient race called chac zay uincob, “red ant men.”[6]\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/span\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u003Cspan style=\"font-family: inherit;\"\u003E\u003Cspan style=\"font-size: medium;\"\u003EApparently, the Maya referred to the dwarfs as “ant men” - the same term used by the Hopi! These widespread, ancient beliefs about the dwarfs and their subterranean cities makes one wonder if these legends could have been based on an underlying reality, which we have forgotten over time. How much do we really know about the subterranean world?\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u003Cspan style=\"font-family: inherit;\"\u003E\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Ctable align=\"center\" cellpadding=\"0\" cellspacing=\"0\" class=\"tr-caption-container\" style=\"margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;\"\u003E\u003Ctbody\u003E\u003Ctr\u003E\u003Ctd style=\"text-align: center;\"\u003E\u003Ca href=\"https:\/\/blogger.googleusercontent.com\/img\/b\/R29vZ2xl\/AVvXsEgcpxOKuFo4cGjrHw7demQXOGEJT55l4i9Q9jiBf1JFv-qWgsi4C3YDSnn1wX8tfDCM5ccQN_TF11UveW0M17blNYR-Vss8Zs1zgbH0fsq_sgzBpoG1AhIZP4MyYMUiG00hzxh5oIOKXzWZUhapwJiAUcM3291uDvwtZxZPKoEvCQ2wvvpQ4W50AqB99ww\/s1094\/Maya%20dwarfs%20looking%20at%20a%20ballgame%20from%20their%20cave,%20Yaxchilan,%20Chiapas,%20Mexico,%20Jami%20Dwyer,%20edit%20Public%20Domain.jpg\" style=\"margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;\"\u003E\u003Cimg alt=\"Two Maya dwarfs look towards the King playing ball, from their cave. Yaxchilan, Chiapas, Mexico\" border=\"0\" data-original-height=\"725\" data-original-width=\"1094\" height=\"424\" src=\"https:\/\/blogger.googleusercontent.com\/img\/b\/R29vZ2xl\/AVvXsEgcpxOKuFo4cGjrHw7demQXOGEJT55l4i9Q9jiBf1JFv-qWgsi4C3YDSnn1wX8tfDCM5ccQN_TF11UveW0M17blNYR-Vss8Zs1zgbH0fsq_sgzBpoG1AhIZP4MyYMUiG00hzxh5oIOKXzWZUhapwJiAUcM3291uDvwtZxZPKoEvCQ2wvvpQ4W50AqB99ww\/w640-h424\/Maya%20dwarfs%20looking%20at%20a%20ballgame%20from%20their%20cave,%20Yaxchilan,%20Chiapas,%20Mexico,%20Jami%20Dwyer,%20edit%20Public%20Domain.jpg\" width=\"640\" \/\u003E\u003C\/a\u003E\u003C\/td\u003E\u003C\/tr\u003E\u003Ctr\u003E\u003Ctd class=\"tr-caption\" style=\"text-align: center;\"\u003E\u003Cspan style=\"font-family: inherit; font-size: small;\"\u003E\u003Cspan\u003EFigure\n 7: Two Maya dwarfs look towards the King playing ball, from their cave.\n Yaxchilan, Chiapas, Mexico. Credit: Jami Dwyer, Public Domain\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/td\u003E\u003C\/tr\u003E\u003C\/tbody\u003E\u003C\/table\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u003Cspan style=\"font-family: inherit;\"\u003E\u003Cspan style=\"font-size: medium;\"\u003EIn Norse legends, the race of little dwarfs were described as a wise and skillful folk, but in nature more like the giants than the good Aesir (gods); for they were spiteful and often wicked, and they loved the dark and the cold better than light and warmth.\u0026nbsp; In the book, \u003Ci\u003EIn the Days of Giants: A Book of Norse Tales\u003C\/i\u003E, we find the following description of the dwarfs:\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cblockquote\u003E\u003Cspan style=\"font-family: inherit;\"\u003E\u003Cspan style=\"font-size: medium;\"\u003E“They lived deep down below the ground in caves and rocky dens, and it was their business to dig the precious metals and glittering gems that were hidden in the rocks, and to make wonderful things from the treasures of the under-world. Pouf! pouf! went their little hammers on their little anvils all day and all night. Sometimes they were friendly to the giants, and sometimes they did kindly deeds for the Aesir. But always after men came upon the earth they hated these new folks who eagerly sought for the gold and jewels which the dwarfs kept hidden in the ground. The dwarfs lost no chance of doing evil to the race of men.”[7]\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/blockquote\u003E\u003Cspan style=\"font-family: inherit;\"\u003E\u003Cspan style=\"font-size: medium;\"\u003EThe dwarfs of Norse legends were, apparently, not helpful towards humans, and often harmed them. However, in Germanic folklore, the dwarfs were portrayed as wise, skillful people who were wont to extend their help to humans. As per the \u003Ci\u003EEncyclopedia Britannica\u003C\/i\u003E, the dwarfs were a species of fairy beings inhabiting the interiors of mountains and the lower levels of mines. They were about the height of a two-year-old child, and were sometimes beautiful, but more usually they resembled grave old men with long beards.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cblockquote\u003E“The mountain dwarfs were organized in kingdoms or tribes, with their own kings, chieftains, and armies. They lived in subterranean halls, believed to be full of gold and precious stones. They were principally famous for their skill in all kinds of metalwork and the forging of magical swords and rings, but they were also credited with profound wisdom and secret knowledge, having power to foresee the future (clairvoyance), assume other forms (shapeshifting), and make themselves invisible (which they did using the “Tarnkappe” or cloak of invisibility).\u003Cbr \/\u003EMany legends show dwarfs as kindly beings, generous to those who pleased them but vengeful when offended…Services rendered to them were often repaid by gifts of gold from their hoards; but those who stole their treasures either met with great misfortune thereafter or found the gold turned to dead leaves when they reached home. Mine-dwelling dwarfs were usually more capricious and spiteful than their mountain brothers. They could be heard moving about the lower levels and were sometimes seen by miners, who took care to placate them by gifts of food.”[8]\u003C\/blockquote\u003EEvidently, the dwarfs of Germanic legends are generous and helpful towards humans, although they have a propensity to become spiteful when they are offended.\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/span\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u003Cspan style=\"font-family: inherit;\"\u003E\u003Cspan style=\"font-size: medium;\"\u003EIn Celtic folklore, many stories of the dwarfs have been preserved, some of which, scholars believe, were transmitted in a series of waves from the 2nd to 11th centuries, to Wales, which was “the birthplace and the early home of Arthurian romance.” In the book, \u003Ci\u003EThe Dwarfs Of Arthurian Romance And Celtic Tradition\u003C\/i\u003E (1958) Vernon J. Harward tells us that the Celtic dwarfs live in a dimly lit subterranean world, which can be reached through hidden passages in the hills or river banks that overhang the deeper parts of the water. The dwarfs are said to be enormously strong – possibly as powerful as ten men - and possess magic vessels and supernatural weapons. They are immortal, clairvoyant, have the ability to disappear and possess musical skills which can lull a person to sleep. Interestingly, they are noble and truthful as well, and exhibit a friendly and generous attitude towards mortals, whom they sometimes conduct to their underground kingdoms.[9]\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u003Cspan style=\"font-family: inherit;\"\u003E\u003Cspan style=\"font-size: medium;\"\u003EA Welsh story written by Walter Map about 1183 CE, in his \u003Ci\u003EDe Nugis Curialmn\u003C\/i\u003E, tells of a dwarf king who had attended the wedding of Herla, a king of the ancient Britons. The dwarfs appeared in a great host, and brought with them sumptuous provisions for the feast, which were laid out in vases made of precious stones and vessels made of gold and crystal. A year later, the dwarf king reappeared to lead Herla to his own kingdom. “He [Herla] and his guide entered a very lofty cliff and after a space of darkness they passed into the light, seemingly not of the sun but of many lamps, like the palace of the sun in Ovid’s description.”\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u003Cspan style=\"font-family: inherit;\"\u003E\u003Cspan style=\"font-size: medium;\"\u003EHaving celebrated there the marriage of the dwarf king, and having discharged his debt to the dwarf, Herla returned back laden with gifts, and with presents of horses, dogs, hawks, and other things. “When Herla returned to his own world, however, he learned that what had seemed only three days’ visit had been two hundred years or more.” This phenomenon of time dilation is very typical in Irish and Welsh legends, and occurs whenever someone returns after a visit to the land of the fairy folk.\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u003Cspan style=\"font-family: inherit;\"\u003E\u003Cspan style=\"font-size: medium;\"\u003EA story, similar in many respects, is found in the \u003Ci\u003EItinerarium Cambriae\u003C\/i\u003E, written about 1191 CE by Giraldus Cambrensis. He relates that in the neighborhood of Swansea, the priest Eliodorus confessed to Bishop David II (1148-1176), a strange experience of his boyhood. \u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cblockquote\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u003Cspan style=\"font-family: inherit;\"\u003E\u003Cspan style=\"font-size: medium;\"\u003E“While playing truant from school and hiding under the bank of a river…two little men of pigmy stature appeared to him, saying, “If you will come with us, we will lead you into a country full of delights and sports.” Assenting and rising up he followed his guides through a path at first subterraneous and dark into a most beautiful country, adorned with rivers and meadows, woods, and plains, but dim and not illuminated with the full light of the sun...The boy was brought before the king and introduced to him in the presence of the court...These men were of the smallest stature, but very well proportioned in their make; they were of fair complexion with luxuriant hair falling over their shoulders like that of women. They had horses adapted to their small stature, equal in size to greyhounds. They never took an oath; they detested nothing so much as lies. As often as they returned from the upper hemisphere, they reprobated our ambitions and our inconstancies; they had no form of public worship, being strict lovers and reverers, as it seemed, of truth...\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u003Cspan style=\"font-family: inherit;\"\u003E\u003Cspan style=\"font-size: medium;\"\u003EAdvised by his mother to bring her some time a present of gold, with which that region abounded, he stole, while at play with the king's son, the golden ball with which he used to divert himself, and ran back in haste with it to his mother by the usual path. And when he reached the door of his father's house, but not unpursued by that people, and was entering it in a great hurry, his foot stumbled on the threshold, and he fell down into the room where his mother was sitting; two pigmies who had followed his tracks seized the ball which had dropped from his hand, and departed emitting spittle, contempt and derision...When he prepared to return by the accustomed way, and when he had reached the waterfall and the underground passage, no entrance whatever was visible.” \u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E\u003C\/blockquote\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u003Cspan style=\"font-family: inherit;\"\u003E\u003Cspan style=\"font-size: medium;\"\u003EThese stories tell us that the dwarfs, in general, were hospitable and generous towards humans, and it is because of the innate tendency of humans to lie, cheat or steal, that they got offended and took recourse to harmful actions. The dwarfs of Irish or Welsh legends appear to be no different than the Ant People of the Hopi, who lived in lavish comfort in dimly lit subterranean chambers, and willingly shared their homes with the Hopi, during the cataclysmic periods of destruction between the Worlds. The subterranean world of the Ant People could be reached by entering an Ant mound, while, in Celtic legends, the most common way of reaching the underground kingdom of the dwarfs was through passages hidden inside hills and mounds.\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u003Cspan style=\"font-family: inherit;\"\u003E\u003Cspan style=\"font-size: medium;\"\u003EIn Ireland, many hillocks and man-made mounds are called “sidhe” which are believed to be the home of the fairy folk, who are called aos sí , aes sídhe or daoine sí, meaning “people of the sidhe”. While some believe that the fairy folk lived inside the fairy mounds, according to others the fairy mounds contain a secret “hole in the ground” - which was sometimes covered with a stone that moved in obedience to certain words - that transported one to the underworld realm of the fairies and other spirit beings, including the dwarfs who are a part of the fairy tradition.[10] As per Irish folklore, the Boyne Valley passage mounds – which includes Newgrange, Dowth and Knowth – were the abode Oengus, the son of the Dagda, who was one of the Tuatha de Danann i.e. the ancestors of the fairy folk who once lived on the surface of the earth, but later moved underground.\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Ctable align=\"center\" cellpadding=\"0\" cellspacing=\"0\" class=\"tr-caption-container\" style=\"margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;\"\u003E\u003Ctbody\u003E\u003Ctr\u003E\u003Ctd style=\"text-align: center;\"\u003E\u003Ca href=\"https:\/\/blogger.googleusercontent.com\/img\/b\/R29vZ2xl\/AVvXsEg0G4RppRZidyKmDEm4ecxHiyUBuw2h0pb1eABfG3-zCiSUqiSTpLfwk8siU5ZL-IM9ZeaZtqMRtkpZAr3uVJEFZifqiHpQefKjnw8Vao0swERWphQL4RSVIFFEhMDX-FFHtxdt0egKmhjcVZsyw60jUycX2NK0tMKr5f8DhYS8aka98ywa3ll_B15imrQ\/s1080\/Knowth%20the%20largest%20prehistoric%20passage%20tomb%20of%20Bru%20na%20Boinne,%20edit%20small.jpg\" style=\"margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;\"\u003E\u003Cimg alt=\"The large prehistoric passage mound at Knowth, Ireland,\" border=\"0\" data-original-height=\"720\" data-original-width=\"1080\" height=\"426\" src=\"https:\/\/blogger.googleusercontent.com\/img\/b\/R29vZ2xl\/AVvXsEg0G4RppRZidyKmDEm4ecxHiyUBuw2h0pb1eABfG3-zCiSUqiSTpLfwk8siU5ZL-IM9ZeaZtqMRtkpZAr3uVJEFZifqiHpQefKjnw8Vao0swERWphQL4RSVIFFEhMDX-FFHtxdt0egKmhjcVZsyw60jUycX2NK0tMKr5f8DhYS8aka98ywa3ll_B15imrQ\/w640-h426\/Knowth%20the%20largest%20prehistoric%20passage%20tomb%20of%20Bru%20na%20Boinne,%20edit%20small.jpg\" width=\"640\" \/\u003E\u003C\/a\u003E\u003C\/td\u003E\u003C\/tr\u003E\u003Ctr\u003E\u003Ctd class=\"tr-caption\" style=\"text-align: center;\"\u003E\u003Cspan style=\"font-family: inherit; font-size: small;\"\u003E\u003Cspan\u003EFigure\n 8: The large prehistoric passage mound at Knowth, Ireland, on the \nvalley of the River Boyne, surrounded by 17 smaller satellite mounds, \ndating from c. 3200 BC. Source: Adobe Stock.\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/td\u003E\u003C\/tr\u003E\u003C\/tbody\u003E\u003C\/table\u003E\u003Cspan style=\"font-family: inherit;\"\u003E\u003Cspan style=\"font-size: medium;\"\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/span\u003E\u003Cspan style=\"font-family: inherit;\"\u003E\u003Ctable align=\"center\" cellpadding=\"0\" cellspacing=\"0\" class=\"tr-caption-container\" style=\"margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;\"\u003E\u003Ctbody\u003E\u003Ctr\u003E\u003Ctd style=\"text-align: center;\"\u003E\u003Ca href=\"https:\/\/blogger.googleusercontent.com\/img\/b\/R29vZ2xl\/AVvXsEhYgtI6PkLD8WhEem0phvzLogWW0mA9SZKOOoSow5oaxJA5kGjdDymhbwCqsPGjjUdLMRhYGVRYrcJKa4_Eu4Zm5g49_Ce_N5M6kZVd-YkkMryw2yAekAXuJfyr4RqNXkZ5h0h9X4kfdXmQTQ9LzZDm6ON33xQC3G4suBDKn9phr67VwlSfSeggJ785i40\/s1024\/One%20of%20the%2017%20satellite%20mounds%20at%20Knowth,%20Ireland,%20Jean%20Housen%20CC%20BY%20SA%203.JPG\" style=\"margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;\"\u003E\u003Cimg alt=\"One of the 17 satellite mounds at Knowth, Ireland\" border=\"0\" data-original-height=\"685\" data-original-width=\"1024\" height=\"428\" src=\"https:\/\/blogger.googleusercontent.com\/img\/b\/R29vZ2xl\/AVvXsEhYgtI6PkLD8WhEem0phvzLogWW0mA9SZKOOoSow5oaxJA5kGjdDymhbwCqsPGjjUdLMRhYGVRYrcJKa4_Eu4Zm5g49_Ce_N5M6kZVd-YkkMryw2yAekAXuJfyr4RqNXkZ5h0h9X4kfdXmQTQ9LzZDm6ON33xQC3G4suBDKn9phr67VwlSfSeggJ785i40\/w640-h428\/One%20of%20the%2017%20satellite%20mounds%20at%20Knowth,%20Ireland,%20Jean%20Housen%20CC%20BY%20SA%203.JPG\" width=\"640\" \/\u003E\u003C\/a\u003E\u003C\/td\u003E\u003C\/tr\u003E\u003Ctr\u003E\u003Ctd class=\"tr-caption\" style=\"text-align: center;\"\u003E\u003Cspan style=\"font-family: inherit; font-size: small;\"\u003E\u003Cspan\u003EFigure 9: One of the 17 satellite mounds at Knowth, Ireland. Credit: Jean Housen CC BY-SA 3.0\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/td\u003E\u003C\/tr\u003E\u003C\/tbody\u003E\u003C\/table\u003E\u003C\/span\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cspan style=\"font-family: inherit;\"\u003E\u003Cspan style=\"font-size: medium;\"\u003EThere are some remarkable correlations between the fairy mounds of Ireland the Hopi kiva. The kiva is a circular, semi-subterranean, pithouse used by the Hopi for conducting their religious ceremonies. The floor of the kiva is excavated three to four feet below the ground level, and upright sandstone slabs are used to line the earthen side walls. Four wooden posts set into the floor support the roof, which is made of wooden beams, covered over with bark and mud, giving the general appearance from outside of a flat-topped earthen mound.[11]\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/span\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u003Cspan style=\"font-family: inherit;\"\u003E\u003Cspan style=\"font-size: medium;\"\u003EThe kiva is entered from a hole in the roof using a ladder. At the center of the floor of the pithouse is a fire pit. Next to the fire pit is a small, deep, hole called sipapupuni or sipapu, which symbolizes the “Place of Emergence”, where the ancestral Hopi people came out of the underworld. It appears that the Hopi kiva was built in the likeness of the “Ant mound” or “Ant kiva” mentioned in their creation stories, while the sipapu symbolizes the entrance to a subterranean passage that led to the underground kingdom of the Ant People.\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u003Cspan style=\"font-family: inherit;\"\u003E\u003Cspan style=\"font-size: medium;\"\u003EThe parallels between the Hopi kiva and the fairy mounds of Ireland - which are also believed to contain a hole in the ground that transports one to the subterranean, otherworldly realm of the fairies, dwarfs and other spirit beings – are obvious and striking.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u003Cspan style=\"font-family: inherit;\"\u003E\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Ctable align=\"center\" cellpadding=\"0\" cellspacing=\"0\" class=\"tr-caption-container\" style=\"margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;\"\u003E\u003Ctbody\u003E\u003Ctr\u003E\u003Ctd style=\"text-align: center;\"\u003E\u003Ca href=\"https:\/\/blogger.googleusercontent.com\/img\/b\/R29vZ2xl\/AVvXsEhvvgA96yie8JlK8IojOdmofhbA2RMaRY4LqKIe55_YrH1HoQi4-h8HIBVvB1eq1dN8Jxn7HaZZqSlynG-KlB6hsWnNEMd6fQQklwpZFRRO3MbZmkkkETVg6RAPWTzpHpp9HTW-TNarW6bXQUEI6VLs8HaINITMgYoZ-SbIROwk-F1cuUXUCKGVJtmx03c\/s905\/A%20reconstructed%20kiva%20at%20Bandelier%20National%20Monument,%20Public%20Domain%20edit.jpg\" style=\"margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;\"\u003E\u003Cimg alt=\"A reconstructed kiva at Bandelier National Monument\" border=\"0\" data-original-height=\"543\" data-original-width=\"905\" height=\"384\" src=\"https:\/\/blogger.googleusercontent.com\/img\/b\/R29vZ2xl\/AVvXsEhvvgA96yie8JlK8IojOdmofhbA2RMaRY4LqKIe55_YrH1HoQi4-h8HIBVvB1eq1dN8Jxn7HaZZqSlynG-KlB6hsWnNEMd6fQQklwpZFRRO3MbZmkkkETVg6RAPWTzpHpp9HTW-TNarW6bXQUEI6VLs8HaINITMgYoZ-SbIROwk-F1cuUXUCKGVJtmx03c\/w640-h384\/A%20reconstructed%20kiva%20at%20Bandelier%20National%20Monument,%20Public%20Domain%20edit.jpg\" width=\"640\" \/\u003E\u003C\/a\u003E\u003C\/td\u003E\u003C\/tr\u003E\u003Ctr\u003E\u003Ctd class=\"tr-caption\" style=\"text-align: center;\"\u003E\u003Cspan style=\"font-family: inherit; font-size: small;\"\u003E\u003Cspan\u003EFigure 9: A reconstructed kiva at Bandelier National Monument, Public Domain.\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/td\u003E\u003C\/tr\u003E\u003C\/tbody\u003E\u003C\/table\u003E\u003Cspan style=\"font-family: inherit;\"\u003E\u003Cspan style=\"font-size: medium;\"\u003E\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/span\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u003Cspan style=\"font-family: inherit;\"\u003E\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Ctable align=\"center\" cellpadding=\"0\" cellspacing=\"0\" class=\"tr-caption-container\" style=\"margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;\"\u003E\u003Ctbody\u003E\u003Ctr\u003E\u003Ctd style=\"text-align: center;\"\u003E\u003Ca href=\"https:\/\/blogger.googleusercontent.com\/img\/b\/R29vZ2xl\/AVvXsEiF7AOUpoNDhFi7vVY6YX3Hk_BoAop3VGUQoJBXg5ENjAPH17aOmazdp-N3mYZ80drh58HTCJZDs138kR0jyKVfsHZ9rOVYXJDuodyOmf-yp5yqEoGzSqH5M4YNojpvaT07mA-u-pknpI0ELtnABleFgLEIZeq4R-P6jaxmfzJojd7f4wyoxPWiqgfVwaA\/s1024\/Great%20Kiva,%20Chaco%20Canyon,%20US,%20NPS%20public%20domain.jpg\" style=\"margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;\"\u003E\u003Cimg alt=\"The Great Kiva, Chaco Canyon\" border=\"0\" data-original-height=\"768\" data-original-width=\"1024\" height=\"480\" src=\"https:\/\/blogger.googleusercontent.com\/img\/b\/R29vZ2xl\/AVvXsEiF7AOUpoNDhFi7vVY6YX3Hk_BoAop3VGUQoJBXg5ENjAPH17aOmazdp-N3mYZ80drh58HTCJZDs138kR0jyKVfsHZ9rOVYXJDuodyOmf-yp5yqEoGzSqH5M4YNojpvaT07mA-u-pknpI0ELtnABleFgLEIZeq4R-P6jaxmfzJojd7f4wyoxPWiqgfVwaA\/w640-h480\/Great%20Kiva,%20Chaco%20Canyon,%20US,%20NPS%20public%20domain.jpg\" width=\"640\" \/\u003E\u003C\/a\u003E\u003C\/td\u003E\u003C\/tr\u003E\u003Ctr\u003E\u003Ctd class=\"tr-caption\" style=\"text-align: center;\"\u003E\u003Cspan style=\"font-family: inherit; font-size: small;\"\u003E\u003Cspan\u003EFigure 10: The ruins of the Great Kiva, Chaco Canyon, US. Source: NPS, public domain\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/td\u003E\u003C\/tr\u003E\u003C\/tbody\u003E\u003C\/table\u003E\u003Cspan style=\"font-family: inherit;\"\u003E\u003Cspan style=\"font-size: medium;\"\u003E\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/span\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u003Cspan style=\"font-family: inherit;\"\u003E\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Ctable align=\"center\" cellpadding=\"0\" cellspacing=\"0\" class=\"tr-caption-container\" style=\"margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;\"\u003E\u003Ctbody\u003E\u003Ctr\u003E\u003Ctd style=\"text-align: center;\"\u003E\u003Ca href=\"https:\/\/blogger.googleusercontent.com\/img\/b\/R29vZ2xl\/AVvXsEhzh71LCLSSVk-VzH0jJh6hGf0MjBHX6QaOZgGXxT5jusNnxOkEV3XZvrCUPqs8mx6YqVfRfvzylTzR7eRSMj1FS_h8QpbMpUvKDwQSDrzoTzYEzv8Vpwq6xQQaucldKF0CTOYT5k_M7geQAOhto9k5qpAAhyuugnBhr_h7ha917vRddlw9wFhBSbnxfhM\/s1024\/Sipapuni%20in%20the%20floor%20of%20ruined%20kiva%20in%20Mesa%20Verde%20National%20Park,%20Colorado,%20US,%20Credit%20wvbailey%20CC%20BY%20SA%203.jpg\" style=\"margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;\"\u003E\u003Cimg alt=\"Figure 11: A sipapu in the floor of a kiva in Mesa Verde National Park, Colorado. Source: NPS, Public Domain\" border=\"0\" data-original-height=\"768\" data-original-width=\"1024\" height=\"480\" src=\"https:\/\/blogger.googleusercontent.com\/img\/b\/R29vZ2xl\/AVvXsEhzh71LCLSSVk-VzH0jJh6hGf0MjBHX6QaOZgGXxT5jusNnxOkEV3XZvrCUPqs8mx6YqVfRfvzylTzR7eRSMj1FS_h8QpbMpUvKDwQSDrzoTzYEzv8Vpwq6xQQaucldKF0CTOYT5k_M7geQAOhto9k5qpAAhyuugnBhr_h7ha917vRddlw9wFhBSbnxfhM\/w640-h480\/Sipapuni%20in%20the%20floor%20of%20ruined%20kiva%20in%20Mesa%20Verde%20National%20Park,%20Colorado,%20US,%20Credit%20wvbailey%20CC%20BY%20SA%203.jpg\" width=\"640\" \/\u003E\u003C\/a\u003E\u003C\/td\u003E\u003C\/tr\u003E\u003Ctr\u003E\u003Ctd class=\"tr-caption\" style=\"text-align: center;\"\u003E\u003Cspan style=\"font-family: inherit; font-size: small;\"\u003E\u003Cspan\u003EFigure 11: A sipapu in the floor of a kiva in Mesa Verde National Park, Colorado. Source: NPS, Public Domain\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/td\u003E\u003C\/tr\u003E\u003C\/tbody\u003E\u003C\/table\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u003Cspan style=\"font-family: inherit;\"\u003E\u003Cspan style=\"font-size: medium;\"\u003EHow could such strange legends, symbols and architecture – which seem so outlandish in the context of our present worldview - take root amongst so many ancient cultures, unless they reflect a version of reality that was known to our ancestors but has been forgotten over time? It is no secret that giant subterranean caverns exist under the earth’s surface, while inexplicable sightings of dwarf humanoid beings continue to be reported till the present day. But, we seem to be living in a culture of denial, which simply cannot get its head around the possibility of other intelligent, humanoid beings inhabiting the planet with us, or for that matter, existing elsewhere in the universe.\u003C\/span\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cspan style=\"font-size: medium;\"\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003EAlthough we fancy ourselves as a highly advanced civilization, being overtly proud of our technological progress and flashy gadgets, as per the worldview of the Hopi and other indigenous cultures, we are, in fact, languishing at the fag end of an age of darkness and ignorance, having lost nearly all of our psychic abilities and being disconnected from other dimensions of existence, our spiritual core and the soul of the planet. We are on a roller-coaster ride towards a steep precipice, being beset, as we are, by ever-burgeoning levels of greed, deception and hatred.\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u003Cspan style=\"font-family: inherit;\"\u003E\u003Cspan style=\"font-size: medium;\"\u003EThe Hopi legends suggest that when the eventual dissolution of this phase of civilization is at hand, certain righteous people, who are deemed worthy of making it across to the new World, will be guided to the subterranean land of the dwarfs until the world is renewed. Which means that the eventual destruction is likely to be preceded by a time of “lifting of the veil” when we will become aware of other dimensions of existence, and of our place and role in the greater scheme of things. A lot of what passes as myths and legends today, could then be revealed as eye-witness accounts of the previous Worlds, left behind by our ancestors. \u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cb\u003EReferences\u003C\/b\u003E\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u003Cspan style=\"font-family: inherit;\"\u003E\u003Cspan style=\"font-size: medium;\"\u003E[1] Frank Waters, Book of the Hopi, Ballantine Books, New York, 1963.\u003Cbr \/\u003E[2] Valmiki Ramayana, 6.124 - 126, https:\/\/www.wisdomlib.org\/hinduism\/book\/the-ramayana-of-valmiki\/d\/doc424752.html\u003Cbr \/\u003E[3] Srimad Bhagavatam 10.76.2 – 10.76.33 and 10.77.1 – 10.77.37, https:\/\/www.srimadbhagavatamclass.com\/srimad-bhagavatam-canto-10-chapter-76-text-01\/\u003Cbr \/\u003E[4] J. Eric S. Thompson, Maya History and Religion, University of Oklahoma Press, 1972, pp. 340-341.\u003Cbr \/\u003E[5] Ibid p. 347.\u003Cbr \/\u003E[6]J. Eric S. Thompson, Maya History and Religion, op. cit., p. 341.\u003Cbr \/\u003E[7]Abbie Farwell Brown, \"In the Days of Giants: A Book of Norse Tales\", 1902, p 6-7.\u003Cbr \/\u003E[8] \"Dwarf\", Britannica, https:\/\/www.britannica.com\/topic\/dwarf-mythology\u003Cbr \/\u003E[9] Vernon J. Harward Jr., “The Dwarfs of Arthurian Romance and Celtic Tradition”, E. J. Brill, Leiden, 1958, p 6-20\u003Cbr \/\u003E[10] W. Buck Baker, Celtic Mythological Influences on American Theatre, 1750-1875 (University Press of America, 1994) 31\u003Cbr \/\u003E[11] Arthur H. Rohn and William M. Ferguson, Puebloan Ruins of the Southwest (UNM Press, 2006) 31.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E"},"link":[{"rel":"replies","type":"application/atom+xml","href":"https:\/\/www.bibhudevmisra.com\/feeds\/1117896251160525044\/comments\/default","title":"Post Comments"},{"rel":"replies","type":"text/html","href":"https:\/\/www.bibhudevmisra.com\/2022\/11\/httpswww.bibhudevmisra.com202211hopi-four-worlds-ant-people.html.html#comment-form","title":"0 Comments"},{"rel":"edit","type":"application/atom+xml","href":"https:\/\/www.blogger.com\/feeds\/6864653463177413678\/posts\/default\/1117896251160525044"},{"rel":"self","type":"application/atom+xml","href":"https:\/\/www.blogger.com\/feeds\/6864653463177413678\/posts\/default\/1117896251160525044"},{"rel":"alternate","type":"text/html","href":"https:\/\/www.bibhudevmisra.com\/2022\/11\/httpswww.bibhudevmisra.com202211hopi-four-worlds-ant-people.html.html","title":"The Four Worlds and the Mysterious Ant People of the Hopi: What it Means For Us"}],"author":[{"name":{"$t":"Bibhu Dev Misra"},"uri":{"$t":"http:\/\/www.blogger.com\/profile\/15388473714672380058"},"email":{"$t":"noreply@blogger.com"},"gd$image":{"rel":"http://schemas.google.com/g/2005#thumbnail","width":"32","height":"28","src":"\/\/blogger.googleusercontent.com\/img\/b\/R29vZ2xl\/AVvXsEh4sklyRp_L5BfqEXTjoskgFPFYpJiNJSuDN5zrcldGBaXot626bOTu8q5TUYsip63M6EkY2JbuoE6l1N5fMKiqKfzFfaaKpqm91QZx9rMdAL3t-ju2QdYi1K-BeCJsjw\/s130\/DSCN1699.JPG"}}],"media$thumbnail":{"xmlns$media":"http://search.yahoo.com/mrss/","url":"https:\/\/blogger.googleusercontent.com\/img\/b\/R29vZ2xl\/AVvXsEjSp2D3pE2FTGS3Tmotqi6pbzojiZzs4Ixgk3-vdB9pF1IQRYpsY508KpopSm3SlXgCXFuNyqWicCcDFR4JmjzpTWkVeyBXb1Gwnw5rjs7BNIPyekgJiWJubC01V40XzsNPWyABKzSaEVYHuYu8Kv8s4-kBBkTTAt44gySzSJ3tnqw_zyUGu0LD7nDQ\/s72-c\/Hopi%20McKee%20Springs%20Petroglyph%20featured%20image%20small.jpg","height":"72","width":"72"},"thr$total":{"$t":"0"}},{"id":{"$t":"tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6864653463177413678.post-8466509196546281790"},"published":{"$t":"2022-10-18T13:39:00.005+05:30"},"updated":{"$t":"2024-05-21T22:15:25.099+05:30"},"category":[{"scheme":"http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#","term":"Article"},{"scheme":"http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#","term":"Earth Mysteries"}],"title":{"type":"text","$t":"The Giants who Ruled the Ancient World: Art, Texts and Skeletal Remains"},"content":{"type":"html","$t":"\u003Cp\u003E\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cdiv class=\"separator\" style=\"clear: both; text-align: center;\"\u003E\u003Ca href=\"https:\/\/blogger.googleusercontent.com\/img\/b\/R29vZ2xl\/AVvXsEg_PhZYApqp4RueS-t_vMcRYp8uz54gUc9GhBgTPqSbp8xbSkpQ8cBYfUAOc7uLOo5BT8ksTD4Eb53VcJJwudOANQmLTxExj060ChCIMjw7yeae9rk5LhGB6wTVok46tMz6i0YNzzUoWq3MFKVx030PF_aWFxMN87cV-D7aROO6Z4icZJxijlp6qUAoaOs\/s1200\/Giants%20edit%20small.jpg\" style=\"margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;\"\u003E\u003Cimg border=\"0\" data-original-height=\"800\" data-original-width=\"1200\" height=\"266\" src=\"https:\/\/blogger.googleusercontent.com\/img\/b\/R29vZ2xl\/AVvXsEg_PhZYApqp4RueS-t_vMcRYp8uz54gUc9GhBgTPqSbp8xbSkpQ8cBYfUAOc7uLOo5BT8ksTD4Eb53VcJJwudOANQmLTxExj060ChCIMjw7yeae9rk5LhGB6wTVok46tMz6i0YNzzUoWq3MFKVx030PF_aWFxMN87cV-D7aROO6Z4icZJxijlp6qUAoaOs\/w400-h266\/Giants%20edit%20small.jpg\" width=\"400\" \/\u003E\u003C\/a\u003E\u003C\/div\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u003Ci\u003E\u003Cspan style=\"font-size: medium;\"\u003ENote: This article was first published on \u003Ca href=\"https:\/\/mysteriousuniverse.org\/2022\/10\/The-Giants-who-Ruled-the-Ancient-World-The-Astonishing-Correlation-Between-Art-Texts-and-Skeletal-Remains-\/\" target=\"_blank\"\u003EMysterious Universe (MU)\u003C\/a\u003E. \u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/i\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cdiv dir=\"auto\"\u003E\u003Cdiv class=\"x1iorvi4 x1pi30zi x1l90r2v x1swvt13\" data-ad-comet-preview=\"message\" data-ad-preview=\"message\" id=\"jsc_c_81\"\u003E\u003Cdiv class=\"x78zum5 xdt5ytf xz62fqu x16ldp7u\"\u003E\u003Cdiv class=\"xu06os2 x1ok221b\"\u003E\u003Cspan class=\"x193iq5w xeuugli x13faqbe x1vvkbs x1xmvt09 x1lliihq x1s928wv xhkezso x1gmr53x x1cpjm7i x1fgarty x1943h6x xudqn12 x3x7a5m x6prxxf xvq8zen xo1l8bm xzsf02u x1yc453h\" dir=\"auto\"\u003E\u003Cdiv class=\"xdj266r x11i5rnm xat24cr x1mh8g0r x1vvkbs x126k92a\"\u003E\u003Cdiv dir=\"auto\" style=\"text-align: start;\"\u003E\u003Cspan style=\"font-size: medium;\"\u003EThere was a widespread, and deeply ingrained, belief in the ancient world that a race of giants once walked the Earth and interacted with our human ancestors. These demigods – born of the union of gods and mortals - were endowed with exceptional physical size and strength. They were the heroic warriors and rulers of old, who would embark on exciting adventures, make new discoveries and slay powerful, bizarre monsters. Our ancestors adored and deified them, their heroic deeds being woven into songs and etched in stone.\u003Cspan\u003E\u003Ca name='more'\u003E\u003C\/a\u003E\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/div\u003E\u003Cdiv dir=\"auto\" style=\"text-align: start;\"\u003E\u003Cspan style=\"font-size: medium;\"\u003E\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/div\u003E\u003Cdiv dir=\"auto\" style=\"text-align: start;\"\u003E\u003Cspan style=\"font-size: medium;\"\u003EThe \u003Ci\u003EGenesis\u003C\/i\u003E referred to them as the Nephilim, who were born in the antediluvian period, when the gods mated with the daughters of men: \u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cblockquote\u003E“When human beings began to increase in number on the earth and daughters were born to them, the sons of God saw that the daughters of humans were beautiful, and they married any of them they chose...The Nephilim were on the earth in those days — and also afterward — when the sons of God went to the daughters of humans and had children by them. They were the heroes of old, men of renown.” (Genesis 6:1-4)\u003Cspan style=\"font-size: medium;\"\u003EThe first labor of Hercules was to slay the monstrous Nemean lion, whose skin was so tough that no weapon could penetrate it. Hercules killed the lion by strangling it with his bare hands. Greco-Roman depictions show that Hercules was somewhat taller than the Nemean lion, when it stood on its hind legs. After killing the lion, Hercules had skinned its hide to make an impenetrable lion-skin armor, which extended below his knees.\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/blockquote\u003EThere was another class of giants called the Titans or Earth giants, who were the sons of the Earth (Gaia). These enormous, hulking monsters, apparently, lived inside caves, or subterranean chambers, hidden within dense forests or mountainous terrains. The Titans were liable to turn rogue from time to time, oppressing, abducting or killing humans, and destroying their farms and places of worship. At such times of discord and disorder, the heroic demigods would come to the rescue of humanity, by getting rid of the violent monsters.\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/div\u003E\u003Cdiv dir=\"auto\" style=\"text-align: start;\"\u003E\u003Cspan style=\"font-size: medium;\"\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003EOne such episode recorded in Greek legends is the famous Gigantomachy – which was an epic battle between the Titans and the Olympian gods for supremacy. The Olympian gods knew that they needed the help of a mortal in order to emerge victorious, and they found the perfect ally in the demigod Hercules, who killed the giants with the assistance of Zeus, Poseidon and Athena. Sculptural representations of Gigantomachy, depict many of the Titans having legs in the form of coiled serpents, which is indicative of their chthonic (underworld) origin.\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/div\u003E\u003Cdiv dir=\"auto\" style=\"text-align: start;\"\u003E\u003Cspan style=\"font-size: medium;\"\u003E\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/div\u003E\u003Cdiv dir=\"auto\" style=\"text-align: start;\"\u003E\u003Ctable align=\"center\" cellpadding=\"0\" cellspacing=\"0\" class=\"tr-caption-container\" style=\"margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;\"\u003E\u003Ctbody\u003E\u003Ctr\u003E\u003Ctd style=\"text-align: center;\"\u003E\u003Ca href=\"https:\/\/blogger.googleusercontent.com\/img\/b\/R29vZ2xl\/AVvXsEi13AIXh4qPnSnCw6wcQtCVtIUIha4sFbOF5OMeHpPJ19lNflO73ADT-h_r8fs4rx9SMJFMca-JggKYv_v3jvWxyzY41b4JVQRQj4WFrRIf5vJ9Q8NOlNmaYAoqOBXlVkPWKXBUQi-G-be5BsSieh4fZJ5GIETWu42tEMwwxX7HaQPtre-XCQeSByHrwuw\/s640\/Gigantomachy,%20Athena%20and%20snake%20legged%20giants,%20Roman%20Period,%201st%20century%20CE,%20from%20Aphrodisias,%20on%20display%20in%20Istanbul%20Archaeological%20Museum,%20Source%20Wikimedia%20Commons%20Giovanni%20Dall'Orto.jpg\" style=\"margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;\"\u003E\u003Cimg alt=\"Gigantomachy\" border=\"0\" data-original-height=\"480\" data-original-width=\"640\" height=\"480\" src=\"https:\/\/blogger.googleusercontent.com\/img\/b\/R29vZ2xl\/AVvXsEi13AIXh4qPnSnCw6wcQtCVtIUIha4sFbOF5OMeHpPJ19lNflO73ADT-h_r8fs4rx9SMJFMca-JggKYv_v3jvWxyzY41b4JVQRQj4WFrRIf5vJ9Q8NOlNmaYAoqOBXlVkPWKXBUQi-G-be5BsSieh4fZJ5GIETWu42tEMwwxX7HaQPtre-XCQeSByHrwuw\/w640-h480\/Gigantomachy,%20Athena%20and%20snake%20legged%20giants,%20Roman%20Period,%201st%20century%20CE,%20from%20Aphrodisias,%20on%20display%20in%20Istanbul%20Archaeological%20Museum,%20Source%20Wikimedia%20Commons%20Giovanni%20Dall'Orto.jpg\" width=\"640\" \/\u003E\u003C\/a\u003E\u003C\/td\u003E\u003C\/tr\u003E\u003Ctr\u003E\u003Ctd class=\"tr-caption\" style=\"text-align: center;\"\u003E\u003Cspan class=\"x193iq5w xeuugli x13faqbe x1vvkbs x1xmvt09 x1lliihq x1s928wv xhkezso x1gmr53x x1cpjm7i x1fgarty x1943h6x xudqn12 x3x7a5m x6prxxf xvq8zen xo1l8bm xzsf02u x1yc453h\" dir=\"auto\" style=\"font-size: small;\"\u003E\u003Cspan\u003EFigure\n 1: Gigantomachy showing Athena and snake-legged giants. Roman Period, \n1st century CE, from Aphrodisias. On display in Istanbul Archaeological \nMuseum. Source: Wikimedia Commons \/ Giovanni Dall'Orto\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/td\u003E\u003C\/tr\u003E\u003C\/tbody\u003E\u003C\/table\u003E\u003Cspan style=\"font-size: medium;\"\u003EA corresponding event in Indian legends is the battle of Rama against the giants called Rakshasas. The Rakshasas were of colossal stature and strength, having bodies covered in hair, often cannibalistic, possessing supernatural powers of disappearance and deception. The \u003Ci\u003ERamayana\u003C\/i\u003E tells us that, when Rama lopped off the head of a colossal Rakshasa called Kumbhakarna with his arrow,\u0026nbsp; \u003C\/span\u003E\u003Cspan style=\"font-size: medium;\"\u003E\u003Cblockquote\u003E“The head of the Titan resembling a mountain, fell on the earth crushing the highways, residences, gates and edifices of the city, bearing down the high walls also; and that gigantic body of great resplendence belonging to the titan, fell into the sea where it crushed the great sharks, huge fishes and serpents, and plunged into the depths below.”[1]\u003C\/blockquote\u003E\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/div\u003E\u003Cdiv dir=\"auto\" style=\"text-align: start;\"\u003E\u003Cspan style=\"font-size: medium;\"\u003E\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/div\u003E\u003Cdiv dir=\"auto\" style=\"text-align: start;\"\u003E\u003Cspan style=\"font-size: medium;\"\u003EWhen we read descriptions of such towering giants we are left to wonder if they are just exaggerations, or could it be that the Earth actually supported such monstrous beings in the past. Given the past history of gigantism on our planet, nothing should be off the table, really. The question is, if these giants really existed, how big were they? Fortunately, some indications of the heights of these prehistoric giants can be gleaned from ancient art, sacred texts and some records of gigantic skeletal remains found during the Greco-Roman period as well as the modern era. Let us begin by looking at some visual depictions, and who better to start with than Hercules.\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/div\u003E\u003Cdiv dir=\"auto\" style=\"text-align: start;\"\u003E\u003Cspan style=\"font-size: medium;\"\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003C\/span\u003E\u003Cspan style=\"font-size: medium;\"\u003E\u003Cb\u003E\u003Cspan style=\"font-size: large;\"\u003EGiants in Art\u003C\/span\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003C\/b\u003E\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/div\u003E\u003Cdiv dir=\"auto\" style=\"text-align: start;\"\u003E\u003Cspan style=\"font-size: medium;\"\u003E\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/div\u003E\u003Cdiv dir=\"auto\" style=\"text-align: start;\"\u003E\u003Cspan style=\"font-size: medium;\"\u003E\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/div\u003E\u003Cdiv dir=\"auto\" style=\"text-align: start;\"\u003E\u003Cspan style=\"font-size: medium;\"\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003EThe first labor of Hercules was to slay the monstrous Nemean lion, whose skin was so tough that no weapon could penetrate it. Hercules killed the lion by strangling it with his bare hands. Greco-Roman depictions show that Hercules was somewhat taller than the Nemean lion, when it stood on its hind legs. After killing the lion, Hercules had skinned its hide to make an impenetrable lion-skin armor, which extended below his knees.\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/div\u003E\u003Cdiv dir=\"auto\" style=\"text-align: start;\"\u003E\u003Cspan style=\"font-size: medium;\"\u003E\u0026nbsp;\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/div\u003E\u003Cdiv dir=\"auto\" style=\"text-align: start;\"\u003E\u003Cspan style=\"font-size: medium;\"\u003EHow big was the Nemean lion? The largest African lion recorded till now had a body length (head and torso) of 3.3 m i.e. nearly 11 feet.[2] The monstrous Nemean lion was probably of similar size, not only because it was the largest of its time, but also because lions have progressively become smaller as their habitats have shrunk. A lion of this size would easily exceed 13 feet, standing on its hind legs. This tells us that the Greco-Roman artists visualized Hercules as a 15-feet giant! That’s 5 feet higher than a baskteball hoop. How many times did he bang his head while going in and out of the house? No wonder he preferred to spend most of his time outdoors!\u0026nbsp; \u003C\/span\u003E\u003Cspan class=\"x193iq5w xeuugli x13faqbe x1vvkbs x1xmvt09 x1lliihq x1s928wv xhkezso x1gmr53x x1cpjm7i x1fgarty x1943h6x xudqn12 x3x7a5m x6prxxf xvq8zen xo1l8bm xzsf02u x1yc453h\" dir=\"auto\"\u003E\u003Ctable align=\"center\" cellpadding=\"0\" cellspacing=\"0\" class=\"tr-caption-container\" style=\"margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;\"\u003E\u003Ctbody\u003E\u003Ctr\u003E\u003Ctd style=\"text-align: center;\"\u003E\u003Ca href=\"https:\/\/blogger.googleusercontent.com\/img\/b\/R29vZ2xl\/AVvXsEjJqYxblI2tYGnvFIpC6DaIqu_G-Y7cJEPwIWbJWpVZLx4zPWgPofW-TjbXVy0G8G8eWe6Pn1VtbbmpkO6f2XL-ysbnoDyT97t1Qhw0-volTIVAD8rlfinOBPT6kPvJZall2kvkpHDfLY9CfBE0JJ9SrY8DTp0OtdtLCtEAgvRrB6YIaNRS_21ehIBr8Sg\/s1551\/Hercules%20and%20the%20Nemean%20Lion,%20Attic%20oinochoe,%20c%20520%20to%20500%20BCE,%20British%20Museum,%20Credit%20Jastrow%20Public%20Domain.jpg\" style=\"margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;\"\u003E\u003Cimg alt=\"Hercules and the Nemean Lion\" border=\"0\" data-original-height=\"1551\" data-original-width=\"1024\" height=\"400\" src=\"https:\/\/blogger.googleusercontent.com\/img\/b\/R29vZ2xl\/AVvXsEjJqYxblI2tYGnvFIpC6DaIqu_G-Y7cJEPwIWbJWpVZLx4zPWgPofW-TjbXVy0G8G8eWe6Pn1VtbbmpkO6f2XL-ysbnoDyT97t1Qhw0-volTIVAD8rlfinOBPT6kPvJZall2kvkpHDfLY9CfBE0JJ9SrY8DTp0OtdtLCtEAgvRrB6YIaNRS_21ehIBr8Sg\/w264-h400\/Hercules%20and%20the%20Nemean%20Lion,%20Attic%20oinochoe,%20c%20520%20to%20500%20BCE,%20British%20Museum,%20Credit%20Jastrow%20Public%20Domain.jpg\" width=\"264\" \/\u003E\u003C\/a\u003E\u003C\/td\u003E\u003C\/tr\u003E\u003Ctr\u003E\u003Ctd class=\"tr-caption\" style=\"text-align: center;\"\u003E\u003Cspan class=\"x193iq5w xeuugli x13faqbe x1vvkbs x1xmvt09 x1lliihq x1s928wv xhkezso x1gmr53x x1cpjm7i x1fgarty x1943h6x xudqn12 x3x7a5m x6prxxf xvq8zen xo1l8bm xzsf02u x1yc453h\" dir=\"auto\" style=\"font-size: small;\"\u003E\u003Cspan\u003EFigure 2: Hercules and the Nemean Lion. c. 520 to 500 BCE, British Museum. Credit: Jastrow, Public Domain\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/td\u003E\u003C\/tr\u003E\u003C\/tbody\u003E\u003C\/table\u003E\u003C\/span\u003E\u003Cspan style=\"font-size: medium;\"\u003EIf you think 15-feet is excessive, then Gilgamesh, the legendary hero of Mesopotamian literature, will surely smirk at you from behind his well-plaited beard.\u0026nbsp; A 5.5 m (18 feet) high Assyrian relief carving of Gilgamesh, which was found in the throne room of the Palace of Sargon II at Dur Sharrukin (c.713–706 BCE), shows him effortlessly grasping a lion with his left hand – almost as if it was a Chihuahua being taken to the local dog show. \u003C\/span\u003E\u003Cspan class=\"x193iq5w xeuugli x13faqbe x1vvkbs x1xmvt09 x1lliihq x1s928wv xhkezso x1gmr53x x1cpjm7i x1fgarty x1943h6x xudqn12 x3x7a5m x6prxxf xvq8zen xo1l8bm xzsf02u x1yc453h\" dir=\"auto\"\u003E\u003Ctable align=\"center\" cellpadding=\"0\" cellspacing=\"0\" class=\"tr-caption-container\" style=\"margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;\"\u003E\u003Ctbody\u003E\u003Ctr\u003E\u003Ctd style=\"text-align: center;\"\u003E\u003Ca href=\"https:\/\/blogger.googleusercontent.com\/img\/b\/R29vZ2xl\/AVvXsEgI7dw1E3D7YnFddi4v5-ArVutK6y9aTmvyx4XrervNPB-Yg7bL7LdxAUm7ts4f_Hm6oJX9DDN5_OFloINStO-kg-ms8RdgrYR6yYbDET9Z40iQ8tX5SVWKQ4_cAt4dx66mSG5TD-5JUsFArNNRnRsLWA6-0fcbbz2RE3XyEDNZlxRNiQsaV0ppd5aisfo\/s1080\/Gilgamesh%20and%20Lamassu%20Louvre%20Credit%20Darafsh%20CC%20BY%20SA%203.jpg\" style=\"margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;\"\u003E\u003Cimg alt=\"Gilgamesh and Lamassu\" border=\"0\" data-original-height=\"750\" data-original-width=\"1080\" height=\"444\" src=\"https:\/\/blogger.googleusercontent.com\/img\/b\/R29vZ2xl\/AVvXsEgI7dw1E3D7YnFddi4v5-ArVutK6y9aTmvyx4XrervNPB-Yg7bL7LdxAUm7ts4f_Hm6oJX9DDN5_OFloINStO-kg-ms8RdgrYR6yYbDET9Z40iQ8tX5SVWKQ4_cAt4dx66mSG5TD-5JUsFArNNRnRsLWA6-0fcbbz2RE3XyEDNZlxRNiQsaV0ppd5aisfo\/w640-h444\/Gilgamesh%20and%20Lamassu%20Louvre%20Credit%20Darafsh%20CC%20BY%20SA%203.jpg\" width=\"640\" \/\u003E\u003C\/a\u003E\u003C\/td\u003E\u003C\/tr\u003E\u003Ctr\u003E\u003Ctd class=\"tr-caption\" style=\"text-align: center;\"\u003E\u003Cspan class=\"x193iq5w xeuugli x13faqbe x1vvkbs x1xmvt09 x1lliihq x1s928wv xhkezso x1gmr53x x1cpjm7i x1fgarty x1943h6x xudqn12 x3x7a5m x6prxxf xvq8zen xo1l8bm xzsf02u x1yc453h\" dir=\"auto\" style=\"font-size: small;\"\u003E\u003Cspan\u003EFigure 3: Gilgamesh standing next to a Lamassu. On display at the Louvre. Source: Wikimedia Commons \/ Darafsh CC BY-SA 3.0\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/td\u003E\u003C\/tr\u003E\u003C\/tbody\u003E\u003C\/table\u003E\u003C\/span\u003E\u003Cspan style=\"font-size: medium;\"\u003EUsing the size of the lion as a yardstick, it appears that Gilgamesh was a little more than twice the size of the lion – which would make him a strapping 30-feet giant! One might think that the Assyrian artist who sculpted this was probably a huge Gilgamesh-fan and went a bit overboard here, and I would tend to agree with that assessment.\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/div\u003E\u003Cdiv dir=\"auto\" style=\"text-align: start;\"\u003E\u003Cspan style=\"font-size: medium;\"\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003EWe know that Gilgamesh was a demigod or Nephilim, and a king of the Sumerian city of Uruk. His father was a deified king called Lugalbanda, who had ruled for a mind-boggling 1200 years, while his mother was the goddess Ninsun, the protector of cows. Some scholars have suggested that, if Gilgamesh was a historical king, he may have ruled at around 2700 BCE - which simply does not make sense in the context of the Sumerian Kings List (SKL)[3]. In the Sumerian Kings List, there are 51 kings and 5,454 years between Gilgamesh and Sargon of Akkad, who is well attested in the archaeological records for his conquests of the Sumerian city states. Sargon’s rule has been dated between c. 2334–2279 BCE; which implies that Gilgamesh would have lived 5454 years earlier, at around 7788 BCE – a very remote time when, as per the doctrine of the World Ages, the gods used to interact with humans, and powerful demigods were born from their union with mortal women.\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/div\u003E\u003Cdiv dir=\"auto\" style=\"text-align: start;\"\u003E\u003Cspan style=\"font-size: medium;\"\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003EA symbolic motif, very similar to the ones above, appears in the Bronze Age art of multiple ancient cultures. The icon depicts a powerful person grasping two ferocious animals – usually lions or tigers – with his hands, and sometimes dangling the animals by their hind legs. Historians refer to this symbolic motif as “Master of Animals”, which indicates dominance and control over animals. \u003C\/span\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003C\/div\u003E\u003Cdiv dir=\"auto\" style=\"text-align: start;\"\u003E\u003Cspan style=\"font-size: medium;\"\u003EThe earliest instance of the “Master of Animals” symbol was discovered quite recently, in 2018, on the western coast of India, at a place called Ratnagiri. Hundreds of petroglyphs were found in the region, which were etched on the flat, laterite, hilltops of the Konkan coastline. Tejas Garge, the Director of the Maharashtra State Archaeology Department, told the BBC that, “our first deduction from examining these petroglyphs is that they were created around 10,000 BCE.”[4] That puts the creation of these petroglyphs at the very beginning of the post glacial era.\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/div\u003E\u003Cdiv dir=\"auto\" style=\"text-align: start;\"\u003E\u003Cspan style=\"font-size: medium;\"\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003EOne of the petroglyphs found at Ratnagiri shows a man holding two animals upside-down by their hind legs – a classic “Master of Animals” motif. It is not clear from the petroglyph what the two animals are, but the image exudes a sense of immense strength and courage. Considering that the Ice Age megafauna were much larger than those of the present day, the person pulling off this feat was probably very tall. \u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/div\u003E\u003Cdiv dir=\"auto\" style=\"text-align: start;\"\u003E\u003Cspan style=\"font-size: medium;\"\u003E\u003C\/span\u003E\u003Cspan class=\"x193iq5w xeuugli x13faqbe x1vvkbs x1xmvt09 x1lliihq x1s928wv xhkezso x1gmr53x x1cpjm7i x1fgarty x1943h6x xudqn12 x3x7a5m x6prxxf xvq8zen xo1l8bm xzsf02u x1yc453h\" dir=\"auto\"\u003E\u003Ctable align=\"center\" cellpadding=\"0\" cellspacing=\"0\" class=\"tr-caption-container\" style=\"margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;\"\u003E\u003Ctbody\u003E\u003Ctr\u003E\u003Ctd style=\"text-align: center;\"\u003E\u003Ca href=\"https:\/\/blogger.googleusercontent.com\/img\/b\/R29vZ2xl\/AVvXsEie0wjleygKjoG19FYIFQ1juyx6YrLnH0V3Qu4i55basMMf4Ijf1js_e9UfCdd4D9BwkVkDmDW6_2fpLTnymUTosZftzuxsUdOITqt2XHBBnRdUm1ExjSb72vbLVVeAuPgG4Gzf8Ypkbeyv8dL6yhFWWiHg9VUbBXoAu2W8noUu-rcTOP5bZDubd0o_hww\/s659\/Petroglyph%20Ratnagiri1%20bbc.jpg\" style=\"margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;\"\u003E\u003Cimg alt=\"“Master of Animals” petroglyph at Ratnagiri, India\" border=\"0\" data-original-height=\"467\" data-original-width=\"659\" height=\"284\" src=\"https:\/\/blogger.googleusercontent.com\/img\/b\/R29vZ2xl\/AVvXsEie0wjleygKjoG19FYIFQ1juyx6YrLnH0V3Qu4i55basMMf4Ijf1js_e9UfCdd4D9BwkVkDmDW6_2fpLTnymUTosZftzuxsUdOITqt2XHBBnRdUm1ExjSb72vbLVVeAuPgG4Gzf8Ypkbeyv8dL6yhFWWiHg9VUbBXoAu2W8noUu-rcTOP5bZDubd0o_hww\/w400-h284\/Petroglyph%20Ratnagiri1%20bbc.jpg\" width=\"400\" \/\u003E\u003C\/a\u003E\u003C\/td\u003E\u003C\/tr\u003E\u003Ctr\u003E\u003Ctd class=\"tr-caption\" style=\"text-align: center;\"\u003E\u003Cspan class=\"x193iq5w xeuugli x13faqbe x1vvkbs x1xmvt09 x1lliihq x1s928wv xhkezso x1gmr53x x1cpjm7i x1fgarty x1943h6x xudqn12 x3x7a5m x6prxxf xvq8zen xo1l8bm xzsf02u x1yc453h\" dir=\"auto\" style=\"font-size: small;\"\u003E\u003Cspan\u003EFigure 4: A “Master of Animals” petroglyph at Ratnagiri, India. Source: bbc.com\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/td\u003E\u003C\/tr\u003E\u003C\/tbody\u003E\u003C\/table\u003E\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/div\u003E\u003Cdiv dir=\"auto\" style=\"text-align: start;\"\u003E\u003Cspan style=\"font-size: medium;\"\u003EThe “Master of Animals” motif was depicted throughout the Bronze Age in Egypt, Greece, Crete, Indus Valley and other cultures. The icon was primarily used in the context of ancient kings, heroes and demigods, although it was also used to symbolize gods. Sometimes the central figure is a female, in which case the icon is called the “Mistress of Animals”. The images were most likely the remembrances of an earlier time, when the Nephilim or demigods lived on the Earth – as mentioned in the sacred texts and oral legends - and ruled over humanity.\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/div\u003E\u003Cdiv dir=\"auto\" style=\"text-align: start;\"\u003E\u003Cspan style=\"font-size: medium;\"\u003E\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/div\u003E\u003Cdiv dir=\"auto\" style=\"text-align: start;\"\u003E\u003Ctable align=\"center\" cellpadding=\"0\" cellspacing=\"0\" class=\"tr-caption-container\" style=\"margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;\"\u003E\u003Ctbody\u003E\u003Ctr\u003E\u003Ctd style=\"text-align: center;\"\u003E\u003Ca href=\"https:\/\/blogger.googleusercontent.com\/img\/b\/R29vZ2xl\/AVvXsEhPU8p14-gMB4E1phca4ZEzftb-RhTxQBYAfCaoIRa5LnFkjHL70w5dThkRlybpp9Wgrol9t65ZPMcwO6M1-C-7HT-ahZOtPotVqzGz7EpTbTgGUY2RVGvpCKOVa947uQixZfT8XMi_FsHpOYH7el9v4Bv_8MrjMzID1JVnudVcAECirFHrNhmLncgfHyc\/s1024\/Master%20of%20Animals%20depicted%20on%20the%20ivory%20handle%20of%20the%20Gebel%20el%20Arak%20knife,%20c%203300%20to%203200%20BCE,%20Naqada%20II%20Culture%20of%20Predynastic%20Egypt,%20Louvre%20edit,%20Credit%20Rama%20CC%20BY%20SA%202.jpg\" style=\"margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;\"\u003E\u003Cimg alt=\"Master of Animals depicted on the ivory handle of the Gebel el-Arak knife\" border=\"0\" data-original-height=\"971\" data-original-width=\"1024\" height=\"379\" src=\"https:\/\/blogger.googleusercontent.com\/img\/b\/R29vZ2xl\/AVvXsEhPU8p14-gMB4E1phca4ZEzftb-RhTxQBYAfCaoIRa5LnFkjHL70w5dThkRlybpp9Wgrol9t65ZPMcwO6M1-C-7HT-ahZOtPotVqzGz7EpTbTgGUY2RVGvpCKOVa947uQixZfT8XMi_FsHpOYH7el9v4Bv_8MrjMzID1JVnudVcAECirFHrNhmLncgfHyc\/w400-h379\/Master%20of%20Animals%20depicted%20on%20the%20ivory%20handle%20of%20the%20Gebel%20el%20Arak%20knife,%20c%203300%20to%203200%20BCE,%20Naqada%20II%20Culture%20of%20Predynastic%20Egypt,%20Louvre%20edit,%20Credit%20Rama%20CC%20BY%20SA%202.jpg\" width=\"400\" \/\u003E\u003C\/a\u003E\u003C\/td\u003E\u003C\/tr\u003E\u003Ctr\u003E\u003Ctd class=\"tr-caption\" style=\"text-align: center;\"\u003E\u003Cspan class=\"x193iq5w xeuugli x13faqbe x1vvkbs x1xmvt09 x1lliihq x1s928wv xhkezso x1gmr53x x1cpjm7i x1fgarty x1943h6x xudqn12 x3x7a5m x6prxxf xvq8zen xo1l8bm xzsf02u x1yc453h\" dir=\"auto\" style=\"font-size: small;\"\u003E\u003Cspan\u003EFigure\n 5: Master of Animals depicted on the ivory handle of the Gebel el-Arak \nknife, c. 3300 - 3200 BCE. Naqada II Culture of Predynastic Egypt, \nLouvre. Credit: Wikimedia Commons \/ Rama CC BY-SA 2.0\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/td\u003E\u003C\/tr\u003E\u003C\/tbody\u003E\u003C\/table\u003E\u003Cspan style=\"font-size: medium;\"\u003E\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/div\u003E\u003Cdiv dir=\"auto\" style=\"text-align: start;\"\u003E\u003Ctable align=\"center\" cellpadding=\"0\" cellspacing=\"0\" class=\"tr-caption-container\" style=\"margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;\"\u003E\u003Ctbody\u003E\u003Ctr\u003E\u003Ctd style=\"text-align: center;\"\u003E\u003Ca href=\"https:\/\/blogger.googleusercontent.com\/img\/b\/R29vZ2xl\/AVvXsEjzCMb3jmNPmMQhdZs8wg5_qUBARHZ45gpeeOVzQb2upKXQufjhatLMrHFiQpSR6bgBXt4O06AD2azDChWEywmD7R4VQpZjSkgUtDC45mRu3iKGkORpu1nLI486m615jVCQz1rc-7xj3WNNHL_5W3wI7ltcl3Awp9WFEZTJ8xoTChh6-xe3l6a-MsXt7dU\/s972\/Master%20of%20Animals,%20Indus%20Valley,%202600%20to%201900%20BCE,%20Wikimedia%20Commons%20Public%20Domain.jpg\" style=\"margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;\"\u003E\u003Cimg border=\"0\" data-original-height=\"964\" data-original-width=\"972\" height=\"396\" src=\"https:\/\/blogger.googleusercontent.com\/img\/b\/R29vZ2xl\/AVvXsEjzCMb3jmNPmMQhdZs8wg5_qUBARHZ45gpeeOVzQb2upKXQufjhatLMrHFiQpSR6bgBXt4O06AD2azDChWEywmD7R4VQpZjSkgUtDC45mRu3iKGkORpu1nLI486m615jVCQz1rc-7xj3WNNHL_5W3wI7ltcl3Awp9WFEZTJ8xoTChh6-xe3l6a-MsXt7dU\/w400-h396\/Master%20of%20Animals,%20Indus%20Valley,%202600%20to%201900%20BCE,%20Wikimedia%20Commons%20Public%20Domain.jpg\" width=\"400\" \/\u003E\u003C\/a\u003E\u003C\/td\u003E\u003C\/tr\u003E\u003Ctr\u003E\u003Ctd class=\"tr-caption\" style=\"text-align: center;\"\u003E\u003Cspan class=\"x193iq5w xeuugli x13faqbe x1vvkbs x1xmvt09 x1lliihq x1s928wv xhkezso x1gmr53x x1cpjm7i x1fgarty x1943h6x xudqn12 x3x7a5m x6prxxf xvq8zen xo1l8bm xzsf02u x1yc453h\" dir=\"auto\" style=\"font-size: small;\"\u003E\u003Cspan\u003EFigure 6: Master of Animals, Indus Valley steatite seal, c.2600 - 1900 BCE. Source: Wikimedia Commons, Public Domain\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/td\u003E\u003C\/tr\u003E\u003C\/tbody\u003E\u003C\/table\u003E\u003Ctable align=\"center\" cellpadding=\"0\" cellspacing=\"0\" class=\"tr-caption-container\" style=\"margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;\"\u003E\u003Ctbody\u003E\u003Ctr\u003E\u003Ctd style=\"text-align: center;\"\u003E\u003Ca href=\"https:\/\/blogger.googleusercontent.com\/img\/b\/R29vZ2xl\/AVvXsEhYQKWN7aI4Ae32SF-l-1WnXCiNg8-NbPOdy6E19pE7hv48mTOfELxK9ZC_gVyDEwWWjNTQWXljAHhQhqzeAtfwxkTR-ywTNyhKcRYJYGdP7eYp3TSDtXFfCJGe8kU4qS4jMZOydgqzhCnvp_lCee5W0-O0Gtmtioe3WFATmZKHC6_ftBv0NkBloBJXGTw\/s507\/Mistress%20of%20animals,%20Potnia_Theron%20Winged%20Artemis%20lekythos,%20c%20560%20550%20CE,%20from%20Athens,%20Louvre%20Museum,%20edit%20Wikimedia%20Commons%20Bujomar%20CC%20BY%20SA%204.jpg\" style=\"margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;\"\u003E\u003Cimg alt=\"Winged Artemis as Mistress of Animals\" border=\"0\" data-original-height=\"477\" data-original-width=\"507\" height=\"376\" src=\"https:\/\/blogger.googleusercontent.com\/img\/b\/R29vZ2xl\/AVvXsEhYQKWN7aI4Ae32SF-l-1WnXCiNg8-NbPOdy6E19pE7hv48mTOfELxK9ZC_gVyDEwWWjNTQWXljAHhQhqzeAtfwxkTR-ywTNyhKcRYJYGdP7eYp3TSDtXFfCJGe8kU4qS4jMZOydgqzhCnvp_lCee5W0-O0Gtmtioe3WFATmZKHC6_ftBv0NkBloBJXGTw\/w400-h376\/Mistress%20of%20animals,%20Potnia_Theron%20Winged%20Artemis%20lekythos,%20c%20560%20550%20CE,%20from%20Athens,%20Louvre%20Museum,%20edit%20Wikimedia%20Commons%20Bujomar%20CC%20BY%20SA%204.jpg\" width=\"400\" \/\u003E\u003C\/a\u003E\u003C\/td\u003E\u003C\/tr\u003E\u003Ctr\u003E\u003Ctd class=\"tr-caption\" style=\"text-align: center;\"\u003E\u003Cspan class=\"x193iq5w xeuugli x13faqbe x1vvkbs x1xmvt09 x1lliihq x1s928wv xhkezso x1gmr53x x1cpjm7i x1fgarty x1943h6x xudqn12 x3x7a5m x6prxxf xvq8zen xo1l8bm xzsf02u x1yc453h\" dir=\"auto\" style=\"font-size: small;\"\u003E\u003Cspan\u003EFigure\n 7: Winged Artemis as Mistress of Animals. A lekythos (oil flask), c. \n560-550 CE, from Athens. Louvre Museum. Source: Wikimedia Commons \/ \nBujomar CC BY-SA 4.0\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/td\u003E\u003C\/tr\u003E\u003C\/tbody\u003E\u003C\/table\u003E\u003Ctable align=\"center\" cellpadding=\"0\" cellspacing=\"0\" class=\"tr-caption-container\" style=\"margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;\"\u003E\u003Ctbody\u003E\u003Ctr\u003E\u003Ctd style=\"text-align: center;\"\u003E\u003Ca href=\"https:\/\/blogger.googleusercontent.com\/img\/b\/R29vZ2xl\/AVvXsEh3ORP5Twfn0Q1OkNP1r87OFjBsC6Bg1uv97TGwyAy4Xtw97TxsMH098zikfDALkdyBNVBL0mkm0x4KuUE1811Oko6b_kd6MG-FQg7vQ76RFLjMT-Bt989-b6rBzBgEW44I070UDSa0pS96djy-YfaiS4Z0uf4z1Bflx82sXnjfrqsIdOhiNLYzEMUIGmg\/s550\/Minoan%20Master%20of%20Animals,%20c%2014th%20century%20BCE,%20Cylinder%20seal%20impression,%20edit%20Met%20Museum%20Public%20Domain.jpg\" style=\"margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;\"\u003E\u003Cimg alt=\"Minoan Master of Animals\" border=\"0\" data-original-height=\"348\" data-original-width=\"550\" height=\"405\" src=\"https:\/\/blogger.googleusercontent.com\/img\/b\/R29vZ2xl\/AVvXsEh3ORP5Twfn0Q1OkNP1r87OFjBsC6Bg1uv97TGwyAy4Xtw97TxsMH098zikfDALkdyBNVBL0mkm0x4KuUE1811Oko6b_kd6MG-FQg7vQ76RFLjMT-Bt989-b6rBzBgEW44I070UDSa0pS96djy-YfaiS4Z0uf4z1Bflx82sXnjfrqsIdOhiNLYzEMUIGmg\/w640-h405\/Minoan%20Master%20of%20Animals,%20c%2014th%20century%20BCE,%20Cylinder%20seal%20impression,%20edit%20Met%20Museum%20Public%20Domain.jpg\" width=\"640\" \/\u003E\u003C\/a\u003E\u003C\/td\u003E\u003C\/tr\u003E\u003Ctr\u003E\u003Ctd class=\"tr-caption\" style=\"text-align: center;\"\u003E\u003Cspan class=\"x193iq5w xeuugli x13faqbe x1vvkbs x1xmvt09 x1lliihq x1s928wv xhkezso x1gmr53x x1cpjm7i x1fgarty x1943h6x xudqn12 x3x7a5m x6prxxf xvq8zen xo1l8bm xzsf02u x1yc453h\" dir=\"auto\" style=\"font-size: small;\"\u003E\u003Cspan\u003EFigure 8: Minoan Master of Animals, c. 14th century BCE. Cylinder seal impression. Source: Met Museum, Public Domain\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/td\u003E\u003C\/tr\u003E\u003C\/tbody\u003E\u003C\/table\u003E\u003Cspan style=\"font-size: medium;\"\u003EIt is apparent from the “Master of Animals” motif that the ancient artists envisaged their heroes as very tall and powerful beings; and using the lions and tigers as benchmarks, we can infer that most of them were touching the 15 feet mark.\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/div\u003E\u003Cdiv dir=\"auto\" style=\"text-align: start;\"\u003E\u003Cspan style=\"font-size: medium;\"\u003E\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/div\u003E\u003Cdiv dir=\"auto\" style=\"text-align: start;\"\u003E\u003Cspan style=\"font-size: medium;\"\u003EInterestingly, there was a prevailing belief in the Greco-Roman world that their ancient heroes were 15 feet tall. This is evident from a passage from Philostatus’s On Heroes, where a Phoenician sailor tells a vinedresser that, “What is said about the great size of the heroes—how they were ten cubits (15 feet) tall—I consider pleasing in storytelling, but false and unconvincing for one who observes things according to nature.”[5] \u003C\/span\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003C\/div\u003E\u003Cdiv dir=\"auto\" style=\"text-align: start;\"\u003E\u003Cspan style=\"font-size: medium;\"\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003EIt is reassuring to note that, what can be deduced visually from the artistic output, finds confirmation in the ancient texts. The art and the texts are in sync. It’s an indication that we are being able to peek into the minds of the ancient artists to know that they were really trying to tell us. The biblical texts provide some more intriguing details about the enormous stature of the Nephilim who roamed the world during the Late Bronze and Early Iron Age.\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/div\u003E\u003Cdiv dir=\"auto\" style=\"text-align: start;\"\u003E\u003Cspan style=\"font-size: medium;\"\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003C\/span\u003E\u003Cspan style=\"font-size: large;\"\u003E\u003Cb\u003EThe Biblical Giants\u003C\/b\u003E\u003C\/span\u003E\u003Cspan style=\"font-size: medium;\"\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/div\u003E\u003Cdiv dir=\"auto\" style=\"text-align: start;\"\u003E\u003Cspan style=\"font-size: medium;\"\u003EThe Old Testament mentions a number giant races who inhabited Canaan during the Late Bronze Age, such as the Anakites, Emites, Zamzummites and Rephaites. The Anakites or Anakim were of such large stature that they had alarmed the spies sent by Moses into Canaan. Upon their return, the spies related that:\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cblockquote\u003E“All the people we saw there are of great size. We saw the Nephilim there (the descendants of Anak who come from the Nephilim). We seemed like grasshoppers in our own eyes, and we looked the same to them\" (Numbers 13:32–33)\u003C\/blockquote\u003EIn Deuteronomy 2: 10, 11, it is told, in reference to the wilderness of Moab, that, “The Emites used to live there, a people great and many, as tall as the Anakites.” Deuteronomy 2: 20 , 21 states, regarding the land of Ammon, “that too was regarded as the land of the Rephaim, who used to live there, though the Ammonites called them Zamzummites. They were a people great and many, as tall as the Anakites.” The question is, how tall were these giants of the Old Testament? Fortunately, there are some textual references which throw light on this matter.\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/div\u003E\u003Cdiv dir=\"auto\" style=\"text-align: start;\"\u003E\u003Cspan style=\"font-size: medium;\"\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003EKing Og, the ruler of Bashan, was a giant who had been slain by Moses and his men. Deuteronomy 3:11 declares, “Og king of Bashan was the last of the Rephaites. His bed was decorated with iron and was more than nine cubits long (13.5 feet) and four cubits (6 feet) wide. It is still in Rabbah of the Ammonites.” Since a bedstead is usually longer than the sleeper by at least a couple of feet, it is probable that Og was around 10-11 feet tall.\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/div\u003E\u003Cdiv dir=\"auto\" style=\"text-align: start;\"\u003E\u003Cspan style=\"font-size: medium;\"\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003EGoliath of Gath, whose was slayed by David, was apparently a descendant of the Anakites who fled to Philistia. As per 1 Samuel 17, Goliath had a height of “six cubits and a span,” which would make him nearly 9 feet 9 inches tall. It appears, therefore, that during the Late Bronze age, those who were regarded as giants stood between 9 -11 feet in height.\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/div\u003E\u003Cdiv dir=\"auto\" style=\"text-align: start;\"\u003E\u003Cspan style=\"font-size: medium;\"\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003EIn the “Wars of the Jews” – which is the best ancient source of the events that led up the destruction of Jerusalem and the holy temple in 70 CE – the Jewish historian Josephus mentions a 10.5 feet giant Jew named Eleazar who was presented as a gift to Tiberius Caesar, in the presence of Herod Antipas, by the king of Parthia, Artabanus III in 33 or 34 CE.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cblockquote\u003E“When Tiberius had heard of these things, he desired to have a league of friendship made between him and Artabanus… And when they had agreed upon the terms of peace, Herod [Antipas] the tetrarch erected a rich tent on the midst of the passage, and made them a feast there. Artabanus also, not long afterwards, sent his son Darius as an hostage, with many presents, among which there was a man seven cubits tall [10.5 feet], a Jew he was by birth, and his name was Eleazar, who, for his tallness, was called a giant.”[6]\u003C\/blockquote\u003EPliny the Elder, also writing in the 1st century CE, stated in \u003Ci\u003ENatural History\u003C\/i\u003E that, “The tallest person our age has seen was a man named Gabbara brought from Arabia in the principate of the deified Claudius who was 9 ft. 9 in. in height. Under the deified Augustus there were two persons 6 inches taller (i.e. 10.3 feet), whose bodies on account of this remarkable height were preserved in the tomb in Sallust's Gardens; their names were Pusio and Secundilla.”[7]\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/div\u003E\u003Cdiv dir=\"auto\" style=\"text-align: start;\"\u003E\u003Cspan style=\"font-size: medium;\"\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003EBoth Pliny and Josephus were writing in the Early Iron Age, and from their accounts it is evident that during these periods the biggest giants measured around 9 -11 feet in height. We may consider this to be the benchmark values for giants in the Late Bronze and Early Iron Age. Evidently, the average size of giants had reduced from 15 feet during the time of the legends i.e. the Neolithic, Mesolithic and Early Bronze Age, to around 10 feet during the Early Iron Age. \u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/div\u003E\u003Cdiv dir=\"auto\" style=\"text-align: start;\"\u003E\u003Ctable align=\"center\" cellpadding=\"0\" cellspacing=\"0\" class=\"tr-caption-container\" style=\"margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;\"\u003E\u003Ctbody\u003E\u003Ctr\u003E\u003Ctd style=\"text-align: center;\"\u003E\u003Ca href=\"https:\/\/blogger.googleusercontent.com\/img\/b\/R29vZ2xl\/AVvXsEgnAfLwFniDTnyg_QsKeqfW6zwdbwQB9WACKiyrfpCysTXKaKspf6MGJKkfAE103PizvAN-9LHWngVHGSh_OwPrRp3zl1CL-_gcYffQnUrAXyq-PiQbST7mN_UQzfIb2MCXvmNykZjOm6xyZnBw6jfdmVbwQZ9oayXd72VSVSwo3vMjX69Uaafh34ivzYM\/s856\/Ashurbanipal%20lion%20hunt%20scene%20from%20Northern%20Palace,%20Nineveh,%20c%20645%20to%20635%20BCE%20edit%20Zunkir%20CC%20BY%20SA%204.jpg\" style=\"margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;\"\u003E\u003Cimg alt=\"Ashurbanipal hunting a lion\" border=\"0\" data-original-height=\"501\" data-original-width=\"856\" height=\"374\" src=\"https:\/\/blogger.googleusercontent.com\/img\/b\/R29vZ2xl\/AVvXsEgnAfLwFniDTnyg_QsKeqfW6zwdbwQB9WACKiyrfpCysTXKaKspf6MGJKkfAE103PizvAN-9LHWngVHGSh_OwPrRp3zl1CL-_gcYffQnUrAXyq-PiQbST7mN_UQzfIb2MCXvmNykZjOm6xyZnBw6jfdmVbwQZ9oayXd72VSVSwo3vMjX69Uaafh34ivzYM\/w640-h374\/Ashurbanipal%20lion%20hunt%20scene%20from%20Northern%20Palace,%20Nineveh,%20c%20645%20to%20635%20BCE%20edit%20Zunkir%20CC%20BY%20SA%204.jpg\" width=\"640\" \/\u003E\u003C\/a\u003E\u003C\/td\u003E\u003C\/tr\u003E\u003Ctr\u003E\u003Ctd class=\"tr-caption\" style=\"text-align: center;\"\u003E\u003Cspan class=\"x193iq5w xeuugli x13faqbe x1vvkbs x1xmvt09 x1lliihq x1s928wv xhkezso x1gmr53x x1cpjm7i x1fgarty x1943h6x xudqn12 x3x7a5m x6prxxf xvq8zen xo1l8bm xzsf02u x1yc453h\" dir=\"auto\" style=\"font-size: small;\"\u003E\u003Cspan\u003EFigure\n 9: Assyrian king Ashurbanipal hunting a lion, c. 645 - 635 BCE. A \nnormal lion standing on its hindlegs is around 10 feet tall. Since this \nlion is inclined, it appears that Ashurbanipal portrayed himself as \nroughly 9 feet fall. Source: Wikimedia Commons \/ Zunkir CC BY-SA 4.0\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/td\u003E\u003C\/tr\u003E\u003C\/tbody\u003E\u003C\/table\u003E\u003Cspan style=\"font-size: medium;\"\u003EThe decline in height is in perfect alignment with the doctrine of the World Ages or Yuga Cycles, as per which there is a progressive reduction in physical stature during the descending Yuga Cycle. There is an interesting story in the Sanskrit text called the \u003Ci\u003EVishnu Purana\u003C\/i\u003E, in which a king named Raivata travels to the celestial realm of Brahma during the Golden Age, but when he returns, after listening to a musical performance, it was already the Kali Yuga or Iron Age on Earth, and “he found the race of men dwindled in stature, reduced in vigor, and enfeebled in intellect.”[8]\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/div\u003E\u003Cdiv dir=\"auto\" style=\"text-align: start;\"\u003E\u003Cspan style=\"font-size: medium;\"\u003E\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/div\u003E\u003Cdiv dir=\"auto\" style=\"text-align: start;\"\u003E\u003Cspan style=\"font-size: medium;\"\u003EThe Greeks philosophers’ shared similar sentiments in this respect, for Pliny wrote in \u003Ci\u003ENatural History\u003C\/i\u003E, \u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cblockquote\u003E“But it is almost a matter of observation that with the entire human race the stature on the whole is becoming smaller daily, and that few men are taller than their fathers...Moreover, the famous bard Homer nearly 1000 years ago never ceased to lament that mortals were smaller of stature than in the old days.”[9]\u003C\/blockquote\u003EA Cambridge University study in 2011 found that modern-day people are around 10 per cent smaller than their hunter-gatherer ancestors, which indicates that these ancient beliefs are rooted in facts. We know that the Ice Age megafauna were substantially bigger than those of the present day, and it appears that the contraction in size was not restricted to animals only. Humans and “giants” shrunk in size as well.\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/div\u003E\u003Cdiv dir=\"auto\" style=\"text-align: start;\"\u003E\u003Cspan style=\"font-size: medium;\"\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003EA pertinent question which comes up during any discussion about prehistoric giants is: where are their skeletal remains? Many of us may not be aware, but a number of well-known historians of the Greco-Roman period reported on the discovery of giant human skeletons, which were unearthed from their tombs either by accident or deliberately, and caused a considerable amount of excitement amongst the people of the time.\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/div\u003E\u003Cdiv dir=\"auto\" style=\"text-align: start;\"\u003E\u003Cspan style=\"font-size: medium;\"\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003C\/span\u003E\u003Cspan style=\"font-size: large;\"\u003E\u003Cb\u003EThe Greco-Roman Giant Skeletons\u003C\/b\u003E\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/div\u003E\u003Cdiv dir=\"auto\" style=\"text-align: start;\"\u003E\u003Cspan style=\"font-size: medium;\"\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003EHerodotus wrote in The Histories that, sometime in the mid-6th century BCE, Sparta had engaged in a series of wars with Arkadian Tegea and suffered humiliating defeats. When they consulted the Delphic Oracle, the Pythia (i.e. high priestess) told them that “they must bring home the bones of Orestes, son of Agamemnon”, who was buried somewhere in Tegea in Arkadia. The oracle provided some puzzling clues to his whereabouts, but the Spartans had trouble finding the location. Finally, the Spartan Lichas met a goldsmith in Tegea who told him, \u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cblockquote\u003E\"I wanted to dig a well in the courtyard here, and in my digging I hit upon a coffin twelve feet long. I could not believe that there had ever been men taller than now, so I opened it and saw that the corpse was just as long as the coffin. I measured it and then reburied it.”[10] \u003C\/blockquote\u003ELichas, then, realized that those must be the bones of Orestes indicated by the Oracle, since it matched the other clues. He hired the yard, dug up the grave, collected the bones, and hurried off to Sparta with them. Ever since then, the Spartans were far superior to the Tegeans whenever they met each other in battle. \u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/div\u003E\u003Cdiv dir=\"auto\" style=\"text-align: start;\"\u003E\u003Cspan style=\"font-size: medium;\"\u003E\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/div\u003E\u003Cdiv dir=\"auto\" style=\"text-align: start;\"\u003E\u003Cspan style=\"font-size: medium;\"\u003E\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/div\u003E\u003Cdiv dir=\"auto\" style=\"text-align: start;\"\u003E\u003Cspan class=\"x193iq5w xeuugli x13faqbe x1vvkbs x1xmvt09 x1lliihq x1s928wv xhkezso x1gmr53x x1cpjm7i x1fgarty x1943h6x xudqn12 x3x7a5m x6prxxf xvq8zen xo1l8bm xzsf02u x1yc453h\" dir=\"auto\"\u003E\u003Cdiv class=\"separator\" style=\"clear: both; text-align: center;\"\u003E\u003Ca href=\"https:\/\/blogger.googleusercontent.com\/img\/b\/R29vZ2xl\/AVvXsEgMdZyX1JefsftY7nYvpcSIPRl41BIUag_fP8Wa9L_kxQXbh_7gfw4IYwlJaYDkHH_fHMIljPU08WC9Jj-EoDFIS8N6Bvyl9FBqSlNbaLRBxuaTYfaa4FNO9wey7avOBbrSvdupp4ODQSfFtRFfhvOpUksVJpF8SGo4zxnA-6f3KDCydARzA6aC2f6syfs\/s1200\/Giants%20edit%20small.jpg\" style=\"margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;\"\u003E\u003Cimg border=\"0\" data-original-height=\"800\" data-original-width=\"1200\" height=\"426\" src=\"https:\/\/blogger.googleusercontent.com\/img\/b\/R29vZ2xl\/AVvXsEgMdZyX1JefsftY7nYvpcSIPRl41BIUag_fP8Wa9L_kxQXbh_7gfw4IYwlJaYDkHH_fHMIljPU08WC9Jj-EoDFIS8N6Bvyl9FBqSlNbaLRBxuaTYfaa4FNO9wey7avOBbrSvdupp4ODQSfFtRFfhvOpUksVJpF8SGo4zxnA-6f3KDCydARzA6aC2f6syfs\/w640-h426\/Giants%20edit%20small.jpg\" width=\"640\" \/\u003E\u003C\/a\u003E\u003C\/div\u003E\u003C\/span\u003E\u003Cspan style=\"font-size: medium;\"\u003EIn \u003Ci\u003ENatural History\u003C\/i\u003E, Pliny wrote of the accidental discovery of a giant skeleton of incredible dimensions. “When a mountain in Crete was cleft by an earthquake a body 69 feet in height was found, which some people thought must be that of Orion and others of Otus.”[11]\u003C\/span\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003C\/div\u003E\u003Cdiv dir=\"auto\" style=\"text-align: start;\"\u003E\u003Cspan style=\"font-size: medium;\"\u003E\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/div\u003E\u003Cdiv dir=\"auto\" style=\"text-align: start;\"\u003E\u003Cspan style=\"font-size: medium;\"\u003EIncidentally, both Orion and Otus were sons of the sea god Poseidon, but with different mothers. Homer wrote about Otus in The Odysey: \u003Cblockquote\u003E\"She (Iphimedeia) bore two sons Otus and Ephialtes, but both were short lived. They were the finest children that were ever born in this world, and the best looking, Orion only excepted; for at nine years old they were nine fathoms high (54 feet), and measured nine cubits round the chest (13.5 feet).”[12]\u003C\/blockquote\u003EOne of the famous giants of Greek legends was Antaeus of Libya – the son of the sea god Poseidon and the Earth goddess Gaea. He compelled all strangers who were passing through the country to wrestle with him. Antaeus remained invincible as long as he was in contact with the Earth, who was his mother. Heracles, when he was in combat with him, discovered the source of his strength and lifting him up from the Earth, crushed him to death.\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/div\u003E\u003Cdiv dir=\"auto\" style=\"text-align: start;\"\u003E\u003Cspan style=\"font-size: medium;\"\u003E\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/div\u003E\u003Cdiv dir=\"auto\" style=\"text-align: start;\"\u003E\u003Cspan style=\"font-size: medium;\"\u003EPlutarch, the Greek philosopher and historian of the 1st century CE, wrote in \u003Ci\u003ESertorius\u003C\/i\u003E that, when the Roman commander Quintus Sertorius crossed from Hispania to North Africa, he captured the city of Tingis - named after Tinga, the consort of Antaeus - located far to the west of Libya. \u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cblockquote\u003E“In this city the Libyans say that Antaeus is buried; and Sertorius had his tomb dug open, the great size of which made him disbelieve the Barbarians. But when he came upon the body and found it to be sixty cubits long (90 feet), as they tell us, he was dumbfounded, and after performing a sacrifice filled up the tomb again, and joined in magnifying its traditions and honours.”[13]\u003C\/blockquote\u003ESome of the most detailed descriptions of the ancient tombs and monuments of Greece – particularly those which were either very old or had a deep religious significance – were recorded by Pausanius, a Greek from Asia Minor, who toured old Greece in the mid-2nd Century CE. In \u003Ci\u003EDescription of Greece\u003C\/i\u003E, Pausanius provided many accounts of giant skeletons that had been unearthed in various parts of Greece. \u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cblockquote\u003E“[1.35.6] Before the city of the Milesians is an island called Lade, and from it certain islets are detached. One of these they call the islet of Asterius, and say that Asterius was buried in it, and that Asterius was the son of Anax, and Anax the son of Earth. Now the corpse is not less than ten cubits (15 feet).”[14]\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E“[1.35.7,8] But what really caused me surprise is this. There is a small city of upper Lydia called The Doors of Temenus. There a crest broke away in a storm, and there appeared bones the shape of which led one to suppose that they were human, but from their size one would never have thought it. At once the story spread among the multitude that it was the corpse of Geryon, the son of Chrysaor, and that the seat also was his. For there is a man's seat carved on a rocky spur of the mountain…And when I criticized the account and pointed out to them that Geryon is at Gadeira, where there is, not his tomb, but a tree showing different shapes, the guides of the Lydians related the true story, that the corpse is that of Hyllus, a son of Earth, from whom the river is named.”[15] \u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E“[8.29.3,4] The Syrian river Orontes does not flow its whole course to the sea on a level, but meets a precipitous ridge with a slope away from it. The Roman emperor wished ships to sail up the river from the sea to Antioch. So with much labour and expense he dug a channel suitable for ships to sail up, and turned the course of the river into this. But when the old bed had dried up, an earthenware coffin more than eleven cubits long (16.5 feet) was found in it, and the corpse was proportionately large, and human in all parts of its body. This corpse the god in Clarus, when the Syrians came to his oracle there, declared to be Orontes, and that he was of Indian race.”[16] \u003C\/blockquote\u003EPhilostratus, writing in the 3rd century CE, mentions a number of giant skeletons as well. In \u003Ci\u003EOn Heroes\u003C\/i\u003E [17], he describes a conversation between a Phoenician merchant and a vinedresser, which I have already alluded to earlier. The Phoenician merchant said that he did not believe that the ancient heroes of Greece were 15 feet tall, since no-one has seen ever such fabulous men with their own eyes, but simply relied on hearsay.\u0026nbsp; At this, the vinedresser went on to drown the poor sailor in a sea of information about ancient giant skeletons: \u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/div\u003E\u003Cblockquote\u003E\u003Cdiv dir=\"auto\" style=\"text-align: start;\"\u003E\u003Cspan style=\"font-size: medium;\"\u003E“[8.1] I had a grandfather who knew many of the things you do not believe. He used to say that the tomb of Ajax was destroyed by the sea near which it lies, and that bones appeared in it of a person eleven cubits (16.5 feet) tall. He also said that upon his arrival at Troy the emperor Hadrian embraced and kissed some of the bones, wrapped them up, and restored the present tomb of Ajax.\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/div\u003E\u003Cdiv dir=\"auto\" style=\"text-align: start;\"\u003E\u003Cspan style=\"font-size: medium;\"\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E[8.6] Moreover, not more than fifty years ago, Sigeion—right over here—revealed the body of a giant on an outcropping of its promontory. Apollo himself asserts that he killed him while fighting on behalf of Troy. When sailing into Sigeion, my guest, I saw the very condition of the earth and how big the giant was. Many Hellespontians and Ionians and all the islanders and Aeolians sailed there as well. For two months the giant lay on the great promontory, giving rise to one tale after another since the oracle had not yet revealed the true story.\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/div\u003E\u003Cdiv dir=\"auto\" style=\"text-align: start;\"\u003E\u003Cspan style=\"font-size: medium;\"\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E[8.8] But the one in Sigeion was twenty-two cubits (33 feet) long, and it was lying in a rocky cleft with its head toward the mainland and its feet even with the promontory. But we did not see any sign of serpents around it, nor is there anything different about its bones from those of a human being. \u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/div\u003E\u003C\/blockquote\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cblockquote\u003E\u003Cdiv dir=\"auto\" style=\"text-align: start;\"\u003E\u003Cspan style=\"font-size: medium;\"\u003E[8.9] Furthermore, Hymnaios of Peparêthos, who is on friendly terms with me, sent one of his sons here some four years ago to consult Protesilaos through me about a similar marvel. When Hymnaios happened to dig up vines on the island of Ikos (he alone owned the island), the earth sounded somewhat hollow to those who were digging. When they opened it up, they found a twelve cubit (18 feet) corpse lying there with a serpent inhabiting its skull. \u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/div\u003E\u003C\/blockquote\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cblockquote\u003E\u003Cdiv dir=\"auto\" style=\"text-align: start;\"\u003E\u003Cspan style=\"font-size: medium;\"\u003E[8.12] Now, there is a headland on Imbros” facing the south, under which a spring is found that turns male animals into eunuchs, and makes females so drunk that they fall asleep. At this spot, when a piece of land was severed from the mainland, the body of a very large giant was pulled out. If you disbelieve me, let us set sail. The corpse still lies exposed, and the sea journey to Naulokhos is short. \u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/div\u003E\u003C\/blockquote\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cblockquote\u003E\u003Cdiv dir=\"auto\" style=\"text-align: start;\"\u003E\u003Cspan style=\"font-size: medium;\"\u003E[8.14] But do not yet regard as credible what I have said, my guest, until you sail to the island of Cos, where the bones of earthborn men lie, the first descendants of Merops, they say, and until you see the bones of Hyllos, son of Herakles, in Phrygia and, by Zeus, those of the Alôadai in Thessaly, since they are really nine fathoms long (54 feet) and exactly as they are celebrated in song.”\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/div\u003E\u003C\/blockquote\u003E\u003Cdiv dir=\"auto\" style=\"text-align: start;\"\u003E\u003Cspan style=\"font-size: medium;\"\u003E\u003Cdiv class=\"separator\" style=\"clear: both; text-align: center;\"\u003E\u003Ca href=\"https:\/\/blogger.googleusercontent.com\/img\/b\/R29vZ2xl\/AVvXsEhusnM-xPU5QKLX12rpmqwf-0JZ-mM6YbO2fIh3kD3nHkbq4oLGypIXmfpgaBcirUu2KzOTopflcIgh9BfB3vboTxswyOC9B_OjPvSa0vkllKe3kUbM70Dk2jxnrmpIHUNrz6BeRsjEFU72oH-Un7-5Sx2B4TlnV93SWLBDN1Zt2IcnEQaOfvy3dI9-_Tw\/s1200\/Giant%201%20edit%20small.jpg\" style=\"margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;\"\u003E\u003Cimg border=\"0\" data-original-height=\"800\" data-original-width=\"1200\" height=\"426\" src=\"https:\/\/blogger.googleusercontent.com\/img\/b\/R29vZ2xl\/AVvXsEhusnM-xPU5QKLX12rpmqwf-0JZ-mM6YbO2fIh3kD3nHkbq4oLGypIXmfpgaBcirUu2KzOTopflcIgh9BfB3vboTxswyOC9B_OjPvSa0vkllKe3kUbM70Dk2jxnrmpIHUNrz6BeRsjEFU72oH-Un7-5Sx2B4TlnV93SWLBDN1Zt2IcnEQaOfvy3dI9-_Tw\/w640-h426\/Giant%201%20edit%20small.jpg\" width=\"640\" \/\u003E\u003C\/a\u003E\u003C\/div\u003EFinally, let us read what Phlegon of Tralles had to say about giant bones. Phlegon was a Greek writer and freedman (i.e. a person freed from slavery) of the emperor Hadrian in the 2nd century CE. In his book, \u003Ci\u003EOpuscula De rebus mirabilibus et De longaevis\u003C\/i\u003E, he has a section on “Finds of Giant Bones”. R. S. Kirsby, quoting from his works, writes, \u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cblockquote\u003E“He likewise tells us that the Carthaginians, when sinking their trenches, met with two coffins, each containing the skeleton of a giant. The length of one was twenty-three cubits (34.5 feet), and of the other twenty-four cubits (36 feet). He adds, that in the Cimmerian Bosphorus an earthquake brought to light several huge bones, which being arranged formed an enormous human skeleton twenty-four cubits (36 feet) in length.”[18]\u003C\/blockquote\u003ENow, that was a lot of eye-opening - or should I say eye-popping - details. Surely, all these respected historians, on whose authority we rely for much of ancient history, were not indulging in puerile sensationalism to sell their books. While a degree of exaggeration could be there in some of the accounts, particularly those in which the number of witnesses were limited, we have to admit that a number of giant skeletons were discovered during the Greco-Roman times. However, their identification with specific heroes from the past is liable to be suspect, for there is no foolproof basis on which such associations can be made.\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/div\u003E\u003Cdiv dir=\"auto\" style=\"text-align: start;\"\u003E\u003Cspan style=\"font-size: medium;\"\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003EOne of the arguments that is generally used to “explain away” these findings is that, these skeletons could be those of extinct Pleistocene quadrupeds like mammoths or mastodons, or oceanic vertebrates like whales, which the Greeks mistook for human skeletons. It is true that there is a possibility of misidentification in certain cases, particularly when only fragments of bones or teeth have been recovered. However, in many cases, entire human skeletons were found buried underground, within tombs or coffins. It is extremely unlikely for misidentifications to happen in such cases, for neither would anyone give ceremonial human burials to extinct megafauna, nor would the Greeks be unable to distinguish a complete human skeleton from that of an animal.\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/div\u003E\u003Cdiv dir=\"auto\" style=\"text-align: start;\"\u003E\u003Cspan style=\"font-size: medium;\"\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003EIn many of these records (at least five of them) the size of the skeleton ranges between 12 feet – 18 feet, which gives us an average of around 15 feet. Once again, we hit that magic 15 feet number. It’s almost as if the entire gamut of ancient artifacts are pushing us to recognize that 15-feet tall Nephilim did indeed roam the world in the past.\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/div\u003E\u003Cdiv dir=\"auto\" style=\"text-align: start;\"\u003E\u003Cspan style=\"font-size: medium;\"\u003E\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/div\u003E\u003Cdiv dir=\"auto\" style=\"text-align: start;\"\u003E\u003Cspan style=\"font-size: medium;\"\u003EA few of the skeletons – some of which were found within coffins or tombs – are around 35 feet in length, which could be those of the hulking Titans or Earth giants ,who were said to live within the bowels of the Earth, from where they emerged through hidden tunnel systems, and often got into altercations with humans and the Nephilim. The skeletons that are astronomically huge – touching 54 feet, 69 feet or 90 feet – could be exaggerations or misidentifications of extinct megafauna or marine animals like whales, since two out of three such enormous skeletons were reported lying in the open.\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/div\u003E\u003Cdiv dir=\"auto\" style=\"text-align: start;\"\u003E\u003Cspan style=\"font-size: medium;\"\u003E\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/div\u003E\u003Cdiv dir=\"auto\" style=\"text-align: start;\"\u003E\u003Cspan style=\"font-size: medium;\"\u003EIt is natural to wonder at this stage, as to why we have not found giant bones in the modern era. First of all, we have to remember that giants were not a dime a dozen; they were a rare breed. If some of them practiced cremation - which is quite possible, because funerary urns containing cremated remains have been found buried under massive tumuli and megalithic dolmens all over the world – then the chances of finding skeletal remains decreases substantially. Even then, at least a couple of discoveries of giant bones have been reported in the modern era.\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/div\u003E\u003Cdiv dir=\"auto\" style=\"text-align: start;\"\u003E\u003Cspan style=\"font-size: medium;\"\u003E\u0026nbsp;\u0026nbsp;\u0026nbsp;\u0026nbsp; \u0026nbsp;\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003C\/span\u003E\u003Cspan style=\"font-size: large;\"\u003E\u003Cb\u003EThe Giant of Castelnau\u003C\/b\u003E\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/div\u003E\u003Cdiv dir=\"auto\" style=\"text-align: start;\"\u003E\u003Cspan style=\"font-size: medium;\"\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003EThe most well-documented discovery of giant bones in the modern times are the bone fragments of the so-called “Giant of Castelnau”, which were discovered by Georges Vacher de Lapouge in the Bronze Age cemetery of Castelnau-le-Lez, France, in 1890.[19]\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/div\u003E\u003Cdiv dir=\"auto\" style=\"text-align: start;\"\u003E\u003Cspan style=\"font-size: medium;\"\u003E\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/div\u003E\u003Cdiv dir=\"auto\" style=\"text-align: start;\"\u003E\u003Cspan style=\"font-size: medium;\"\u003Ede Lapouge had found three bones – a humerus (upper-arm bone), a tibia (shin-bone), and part of a femur (thigh-bone). All the bone fragments were much larger, in fact, almost double the size of normal human bones. The height of this prehistoric giant was estimated by de Lapouge at 3.50\u0026nbsp;m (11\u0026nbsp;feet 6\u0026nbsp;inches), and the bones were dated to the Neolithic period, since they were found at the very bottom of the Bronze Age burial tumulus. The findings were published in the journal \u003Ci\u003ELa Nature\u003C\/i\u003E, Vol. 18, 1890, in which de Lapouge wrote:\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cblockquote\u003E“I think it unnecessary to note that these bones are undeniably human, despite their enormous size.... The volumes of the bones were more than double the normal pieces to which they correspond. Judging by the usual intervals of anatomical points, they also involve lengths almost double.... The subject would have been a likely size of 3m, 50.”[20]\u003C\/blockquote\u003EThe Castelnau bones were studied by many professors at the University of Montpellier and the Montpellier School of Medicine, who concurred that they were human bones. One of the professors, Dr. Paul Louis André Kiener, said that they represented a “very tall race”.\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/div\u003E\u003Cdiv dir=\"auto\" style=\"text-align: start;\"\u003E\u003Cspan style=\"font-size: medium;\"\u003E\u0026nbsp;\u003Cbr \/\u003EAnother discovery of giant bones was reported in the press in 1894, this time from a prehistoric cemetery located 5 km southwest of Castelnau in Montpellier. These bones were even larger, and belonged to a race of giants who stood between 10 -15 feet tall. The \u003Ci\u003EPrinceton union\u003C\/i\u003E of October 11, 1894, carried the following report:\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cblockquote\u003E“In a prehistoric cemetery recently uncovered at Montpellier, France, while workmen were excavating a water works reservoir, human skulls were found measuring 28, 31 and 32 inches in circumference (as opposed to 19 inches for a normal human skull). The bones which were found with the skulls were also of gigantic proportions. These relics were sent to the Paris academy, and a learned “savant” who lectured on the find says that they belonged to a race of men between ten and fifteen feet in height.”[21]\u003C\/blockquote\u003EOnce again we find that the upper limit of these prehistoric giants touches the 15-feet mark, thereby aligning in a remarkable fashion with what we have already noted from the ancient art, sacred and historical texts and the records of giant skeletal remains from the Greco-Roman times.\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/div\u003E\u003Cdiv dir=\"auto\" style=\"text-align: start;\"\u003E\u003Cspan style=\"font-size: medium;\"\u003E\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/div\u003E\u003Cdiv dir=\"auto\" style=\"text-align: start;\"\u003E\u003Cspan style=\"font-size: medium;\"\u003EIt is at this point that the skeptic has to lay aside his pen, take a deep breath, loosen his inhibitions and admit that his preconceived notions were incorrect, and that it is very likely that 15-feet tall giants lived in the past, whose echoes can be seen in a variety of ancient artifacts. The demigods or Nephilim that the ancients wrote about and venerated were not mere figments of their imagination, but eye-witness accounts and depictions of their reality, which was dramatically different from that of the present day.\u0026nbsp; \u0026nbsp;\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cb\u003EReferences\u003C\/b\u003E\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/div\u003E\u003Cdiv dir=\"auto\" style=\"text-align: start;\"\u003E\u003Cspan style=\"font-size: medium;\"\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E[1] Valmiki Ramayana 6.67, tr. Hari Prasad Shastri (1952), \u003Ca href=\"https:\/\/www.wisdomlib.org\/hinduism\/book\/the-ramayana-of-valmiki\/d\/doc424696.html\" target=\"_blank\"\u003ELink\u003C\/a\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E[2] \"The Biggest Lions in the World\", Discovery, \u003Ca href=\"https:\/\/www.discoveryuk.com\/big-cats\/the-biggest-lions-in-the-world\/\" target=\"_blank\"\u003ELink\u003C\/a\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E[3] “The Sumerian King List”, Livius.org, \u003Ca href=\"http:\/\/www.livius.org\/sources\/content\/anet\/266-the-sumerian-king-list\/\" target=\"_blank\"\u003ELink\u003C\/a\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E[4] “Prehistoric art hints at lost Indian civilization”, BBC News, 1 Oct. 2018, \u003Ca href=\"https:\/\/www.bbc.com\/news\/world-asia-india-45559300\" target=\"_blank\"\u003ELink\u003C\/a\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E[5] Philostratus, On Heroes 7.9, \u003Ca href=\"http:\/\/demonax.info\/doku.php?id=text:on_heroes_-_philostratus\" target=\"_blank\"\u003ELink\u003C\/a\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E[6] Josephus, Antiquities of the Jews, 18.101-105, \u003Ca href=\"https:\/\/lexundria.com\/j_aj\/18.101\/wst\" target=\"_blank\"\u003ELink\u003C\/a\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E[7] Pliny, Natural History 7.74, 75, \u003Ca href=\"http:\/\/attalus.org\/translate\/pliny_hn7a.html\" target=\"_blank\"\u003ELink\u003C\/a\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E[8] The Vishnu Purana 4.1, Sacred Texts, \u003Ca href=\"http:\/\/www.sacred-texts.com\/hin\/vp\/vp093.htm\" target=\"_blank\"\u003ELink\u003C\/a\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E[9] Pliny, Natural History 7.73 -74, \u003Ca href=\"http:\/\/attalus.org\/translate\/pliny_hn7a.html\" target=\"_blank\"\u003ELink\u003C\/a\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E[10] Herodotus, The Histories 1.68.1 - 1.68.6, \u003Ca href=\"http:\/\/www.perseus.tufts.edu\/hopper\/text?doc=Perseus%3Atext%3A1999.01.0126%3Abook%3D1%3Achapter%3D68%3Asection%3D1\" target=\"_blank\"\u003ELink\u003C\/a\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E[11] Pliny, Natural History 7.73, \u003Ca href=\"http:\/\/attalus.org\/translate\/pliny_hn7a.html\" target=\"_blank\"\u003ELink\u003C\/a\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E[12] Homer, The Odysey 11.7, \u003Ca href=\"https:\/\/www.perseus.tufts.edu\/hopper\/text?doc=Perseus%3Atext%3A1999.01.0218%3Abook%3D11%3Acard%3D7\" target=\"_blank\"\u003ELink\u003C\/a\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E[13] Plutarch, Sertorius 9.3, \u003Ca href=\"http:\/\/www.perseus.tufts.edu\/hopper\/text?doc=Perseus%3Atext%3A2008.01.0062%3Achapter%3D9%3Asection%3D3\"\u003ELink\u003C\/a\u003E \u003Cbr \/\u003E[14] Pausanius, Description of Greece 1.35.6 , \u003Ca href=\"https:\/\/www.theoi.com\/Text\/Pausanias1C.html\" target=\"_blank\"\u003ELink\u003C\/a\u003E \u003Cbr \/\u003E[15] Pausanius, Description of Greece 1.35.7,8, \u003Ca href=\"https:\/\/www.theoi.com\/Text\/Pausanias1C.html\" target=\"_blank\"\u003ELink\u003C\/a\u003E \u003Cbr \/\u003E[16] Pausanius, Description of Greece 8.29.3,5, \u003Ca href=\"https:\/\/www.theoi.com\/Text\/Pausanias8B.html\" target=\"_blank\"\u003ELink\u003C\/a\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E[17] Philostratus, On Heroes, 8.1 – 8.14, \u003Ca href=\"http:\/\/demonax.info\/doku.php?id=text:on_heroes_-_philostratus\" target=\"_blank\"\u003ELink\u003C\/a\u003E \u003Cbr \/\u003E[18] R. S. Kirby, Kirby's Wonderful and Scientific Museum: Or, Magazine of Remarkable Characters (1804), Volume 2, p 375\u003Cbr \/\u003E[19] “Giant of Castelnau”, Wikipedia, \u003Ca href=\"https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Giant_of_Castelnau\" target=\"_blank\"\u003ELink\u003C\/a\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E[20] de Lapouge, G. (1890). \"Le G?ant Fossile de Castelnau\". La Nature. 888: 11–12, taken from Wikipedia, “Giant of Castelnau”, \u003Ca href=\"https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Giant_of_Castelnau\" target=\"_blank\"\u003ELink\u003C\/a\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E[21] Princeton union, October 11, 1894, \u003Ca href=\"https:\/\/chroniclingamerica.loc.gov\/lccn\/sn83016758\/1894-10-11\/ed-1\/seq-2\/?date1=1894\u0026amp;index=1\u0026amp;date2=1896\u0026amp;searchType=advanced\u0026amp;lccn=\u0026amp;proxdistance=5\u0026amp;state=\u0026amp;rows=20\u0026amp;ortext=\u0026amp;proxtext=\u0026amp;phrasetext=\u0026amp;andtext=montpellier+france+skulls\u0026amp;dateFilterType=yearRange#words=skulls%2BMontpellier%2BFrance\" target=\"_blank\"\u003ELink\u003C\/a\u003E\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/div\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cdiv dir=\"auto\" style=\"text-align: start;\"\u003E\u0026nbsp;\u0026nbsp; \u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003C\/div\u003E\u003C\/div\u003E\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/div\u003E\u003C\/div\u003E\u003C\/div\u003E\u003C\/div\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E"},"link":[{"rel":"replies","type":"application/atom+xml","href":"https:\/\/www.bibhudevmisra.com\/feeds\/8466509196546281790\/comments\/default","title":"Post Comments"},{"rel":"replies","type":"text/html","href":"https:\/\/www.bibhudevmisra.com\/2022\/10\/the-giants-who-ruled-ancient-world.html#comment-form","title":"2 Comments"},{"rel":"edit","type":"application/atom+xml","href":"https:\/\/www.blogger.com\/feeds\/6864653463177413678\/posts\/default\/8466509196546281790"},{"rel":"self","type":"application/atom+xml","href":"https:\/\/www.blogger.com\/feeds\/6864653463177413678\/posts\/default\/8466509196546281790"},{"rel":"alternate","type":"text/html","href":"https:\/\/www.bibhudevmisra.com\/2022\/10\/the-giants-who-ruled-ancient-world.html","title":"The Giants who Ruled the Ancient World: Art, Texts and Skeletal Remains"}],"author":[{"name":{"$t":"Bibhu Dev Misra"},"uri":{"$t":"http:\/\/www.blogger.com\/profile\/15388473714672380058"},"email":{"$t":"noreply@blogger.com"},"gd$image":{"rel":"http://schemas.google.com/g/2005#thumbnail","width":"32","height":"28","src":"\/\/blogger.googleusercontent.com\/img\/b\/R29vZ2xl\/AVvXsEh4sklyRp_L5BfqEXTjoskgFPFYpJiNJSuDN5zrcldGBaXot626bOTu8q5TUYsip63M6EkY2JbuoE6l1N5fMKiqKfzFfaaKpqm91QZx9rMdAL3t-ju2QdYi1K-BeCJsjw\/s130\/DSCN1699.JPG"}}],"media$thumbnail":{"xmlns$media":"http://search.yahoo.com/mrss/","url":"https:\/\/blogger.googleusercontent.com\/img\/b\/R29vZ2xl\/AVvXsEg_PhZYApqp4RueS-t_vMcRYp8uz54gUc9GhBgTPqSbp8xbSkpQ8cBYfUAOc7uLOo5BT8ksTD4Eb53VcJJwudOANQmLTxExj060ChCIMjw7yeae9rk5LhGB6wTVok46tMz6i0YNzzUoWq3MFKVx030PF_aWFxMN87cV-D7aROO6Z4icZJxijlp6qUAoaOs\/s72-w400-h266-c\/Giants%20edit%20small.jpg","height":"72","width":"72"},"thr$total":{"$t":"2"}},{"id":{"$t":"tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6864653463177413678.post-7141075652161279855"},"published":{"$t":"2022-09-21T19:03:00.008+05:30"},"updated":{"$t":"2022-12-06T23:48:26.565+05:30"},"category":[{"scheme":"http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#","term":"Article"},{"scheme":"http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#","term":"Earth Mysteries"}],"title":{"type":"text","$t":"The Vimanas and Aerial Cities described in the Ancient Indian Texts"},"content":{"type":"html","$t":"\u003Cp\u003E\u003Cspan style=\"font-size: medium;\"\u003E\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cdiv class=\"separator\" style=\"clear: both; text-align: center;\"\u003E\u003Cspan style=\"font-size: medium;\"\u003E\u003Ca href=\"https:\/\/blogger.googleusercontent.com\/img\/b\/R29vZ2xl\/AVvXsEgM_zEp2LqIUxkD8YHx0W8M5qQuDy_-1frcKGFYPqrpngd0Al3Zyj8wsVGHpzBAJABBq6Db1tlN4tHTNn9poUZlSX6VFDOmlFXyqZDAsPzh8mYEPpJtDEZ0O-AnZaC9uDCn_rr7fHDd87NN-c-sGhGySj5pNgVL6xBeXPTyUjad3gAZ3klXCjaWDViq\/s1026\/Pushpaka%20small.jpg\" style=\"margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;\"\u003E\u003Cimg border=\"0\" data-original-height=\"829\" data-original-width=\"1026\" height=\"259\" src=\"https:\/\/blogger.googleusercontent.com\/img\/b\/R29vZ2xl\/AVvXsEgM_zEp2LqIUxkD8YHx0W8M5qQuDy_-1frcKGFYPqrpngd0Al3Zyj8wsVGHpzBAJABBq6Db1tlN4tHTNn9poUZlSX6VFDOmlFXyqZDAsPzh8mYEPpJtDEZ0O-AnZaC9uDCn_rr7fHDd87NN-c-sGhGySj5pNgVL6xBeXPTyUjad3gAZ3klXCjaWDViq\/s320\/Pushpaka%20small.jpg\" width=\"320\" \/\u003E\u003C\/a\u003E\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/div\u003E\u003Cspan style=\"font-size: medium;\"\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003EVimanas or flying crafts as well as aerial cities have been mentioned in many places in the ancient Indian texts. There is a colourful description of the \u003Ci\u003EPushpaka vimana\u003C\/i\u003E in the Ramayana, in which Rama returns to Ayodhya from Lanka. The Srimad Bhagavatam describes the \u003Ci\u003ESaubha vimana\u003C\/i\u003E in which King Salva had attacked Dvaraka, the city of Krishna. The Mahabharata tells us of the celestial chariot of Indra, on which Arjuna traveled to Amaravati - the heavenly city of Indra.\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/span\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Ca name='more'\u003E\u003C\/a\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u003Cspan style=\"font-size: medium;\"\u003EThe Mahabharata also tells us of large “aerial cities” belonging to the asuras and danavas, which were furnished with gates, towers and houses, just like any terrestrial city. A couple of these aerial cities have been described in detail – \u003Ci\u003EHiranyapura\u003C\/i\u003E and \u003Ci\u003ETripura\u003C\/i\u003E. In the following sections, I have selected passages from the primary texts to illustrate what these vimanas and aerial cities looked like and how they functioned.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Ch2 style=\"text-align: left;\"\u003E\u003Cspan style=\"font-size: medium;\"\u003ERama Returns from Lanka on the Pushpaka Vimana\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/h2\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u003Cspan style=\"font-size: medium;\"\u003ERavana, the demon-king of Lanka, had abducted Rama’s wife Sita, at which Rama marched there with an army of monkey-chiefs headed by Hanuman. After Rama killed Ravana, he installed Ravana’s brother Bibhisana on the throne of Lanka. When Rama expressed his desire to return to Ayodhya quickly, Bibhisana told him about the Pushpaka Vimana which could take him to Ayodhya in a day. This is described in Chapters 124, 125 and 126 of the \u003Ci\u003EYuddha Kanda\u003C\/i\u003E (Book 6) of the \u003Ci\u003EValmiki Ramayana\u003C\/i\u003E.[1] Here are some excerpts from the text that describe how the Pushpaka vimana conducted Rama and his army of monkey chiefs from Lanka to Ayodhya.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cblockquote\u003E\u003Cspan style=\"font-size: medium;\"\u003EThus did Rama speak and Bibishana answered: “I will arrange for you to reach that city in one day, O Prince! May happiness attend you! There is an aerial car named Pushpaka that shines like the sun, which the powerful Ravana forcibly took from Kuvera, having overcome him in combat. That celestial and marvellous chariot, going everywhere at will, is at your disposal, O You of unequalled prowess! That car, bright as a cloud, which will transport you to Ayodhya in perfect safety, is here.”\u003Cbr \/\u003E…Hearing Rama’s words, that Indra among the Titans, Bibishana, hastened to order the aerial Chariot Pushpaka, gilded and bright as the sun, with its seats of emerald and pearl, its rooms ranged round about, silvered all over, its white banners and supports and gilded apartments enriched with golden lotuses which were hung with many bells. Round the windows, set with pearls and rare gems, rows of bells were placed giving forth a melodious sound, and that moving palace, resembling the peak of Mount Meru, constructed by Vishvakarma, abounded in rich ornaments, gold and jewels and sparkled with silver, and its floors were inlaid with crystal and the thrones of emerald (displayed there) furnished with rare coverings.\u003Cbr \/\u003EHaving prepared that indestructible vehicle, the Chariot Pushpaka, which was as swift as thought, Bibishana stood before Rama, and that aerial car, that went everywhere at one’s will and resembled a mountain, having been placed at his disposal, the magnanimous Rama who was accompanied by Saumitri, was astonished.\u003Cbr \/\u003E…Rama ascended the chariot of his adversary, holding the chaste and illustrious Vaidehi (Sita) to his breast and accompanied by his brother Lakshmana, that valiant bow-man…Thereupon Sugriva with the monkeys and Bibishana with his counsellors, took their places in the celestial Pushpaka Chariot and, all being installed, that marvellous aerial car belonging to Kuvera rose into the air under Raghava’s command. In the chariot, which shone brightly, and was harnessed to swans, Rama exulted, overcome with delight, and resembled Kuvera himself, whilst all the monkeys, bears and titans, full of vigour, seated comfortably in that celestial car travelled at ease. Under Rama’s command, that aerial chariot harnessed to swans flew through the air with a great noise…”\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/blockquote\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Ctable align=\"center\" cellpadding=\"0\" cellspacing=\"0\" class=\"tr-caption-container\" style=\"margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;\"\u003E\u003Ctbody\u003E\u003Ctr\u003E\u003Ctd style=\"text-align: center;\"\u003E\u003Ca href=\"https:\/\/blogger.googleusercontent.com\/img\/b\/R29vZ2xl\/AVvXsEivtrf5CcY4c_jctuOjaBsPBxOaUcdCtPZW2BucYMma2yjFALr9KcwQBXW_xd-oCXtWYcRDb4eNpjfnoQqy_UvIalNNzhxtdxSobpLefhG2-EXOaFPZHcWowaZ0jV7SO57SOPeewKDAUYmxWZfYdAk0yn-fmDI51mp8VUDempfloAbZd78lz0POyDmd\/s1493\/Pushpaka%20Vimana,%20Pahari%20art,%20Himachal%20Pradesh,%20India%20c%201650%20CE,%20San%20Diego%20Museum%20of%20Art,%20Public%20Domain.jpg\" style=\"margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;\"\u003E\u003Cimg alt=\"Pushpaka Vimana, Pahari art, Himachal Pradesh, India c. 1650 CE. San Diego Museum of Art.\" border=\"0\" data-original-height=\"1493\" data-original-width=\"1173\" height=\"640\" src=\"https:\/\/blogger.googleusercontent.com\/img\/b\/R29vZ2xl\/AVvXsEivtrf5CcY4c_jctuOjaBsPBxOaUcdCtPZW2BucYMma2yjFALr9KcwQBXW_xd-oCXtWYcRDb4eNpjfnoQqy_UvIalNNzhxtdxSobpLefhG2-EXOaFPZHcWowaZ0jV7SO57SOPeewKDAUYmxWZfYdAk0yn-fmDI51mp8VUDempfloAbZd78lz0POyDmd\/w503-h640\/Pushpaka%20Vimana,%20Pahari%20art,%20Himachal%20Pradesh,%20India%20c%201650%20CE,%20San%20Diego%20Museum%20of%20Art,%20Public%20Domain.jpg\" width=\"503\" \/\u003E\u003C\/a\u003E\u003C\/td\u003E\u003C\/tr\u003E\u003Ctr\u003E\u003Ctd class=\"tr-caption\" style=\"text-align: center;\"\u003E\u003Cspan style=\"font-size: small;\"\u003EFigure 1: Pushpaka Vimana, Pahari art, Himachal Pradesh, \nIndia c. 1650 CE. San Diego Museum of Art. Source: Wikimedia Commons, \nPublic Domain\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/td\u003E\u003C\/tr\u003E\u003C\/tbody\u003E\u003C\/table\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u003Cspan style=\"font-size: medium;\"\u003EIn a single day, Rama and the monkey chiefs of his army, returned from Lanka to Ayodhya, crossing over the seas and the mountains in the Pushpaka vimana, in a journey that would have otherwise taken many months of arduous walking. Throughout the journey, Rama looked out of the windows of the vimana, and described to Sita all the places that he had roamed, while looking for her, until the great battle with Ravana in Lanka. The spacious vimana, which was gilded and shone like the sun, was dome-shaped or conical (for it resembled a mountain), was operated by the power of the will or by voice instructions and moved through the air making a great noise.\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Ctable align=\"center\" cellpadding=\"0\" cellspacing=\"0\" class=\"tr-caption-container\" style=\"margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;\"\u003E\u003Ctbody\u003E\u003Ctr\u003E\u003Ctd style=\"text-align: center;\"\u003E\u003Ca href=\"https:\/\/blogger.googleusercontent.com\/img\/b\/R29vZ2xl\/AVvXsEjb8FKfn-nHknkWdS4S3joHsVrEfi9iDOMvpTbLa77O0oAbpbBBcG0M-TL465zTDgzc6HAH8IsVdR0uwuc86-3pWWPVMefLbVafNdMwDvuhkosl8vb-Q5G80Z9teKIWcJ9qDh9cFzGkSmkSIDNcywrpsscLOP_zG9NQa2V-voRFZfULyN6S4XTVLdSf\/s1106\/A%20miniature%20of%20the%20Phnom%20Rung%20temple,%20being%20drawn%20through%20the%20air%20by%20Hanuman's%20monkey%20army,%20identified%20as%20Ravana's%20Pushpaka%20chariot,%20Michael%20Gunther,%20CC%20BY%20SA%204.jpg\" style=\"margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;\"\u003E\u003Cimg alt=\"A miniature of the Phnom Rung temple, Thailand, being drawn through the air by Hanuman's monkey army. It has been identified as Ravana's Pushpaka vimana.\" border=\"0\" data-original-height=\"1028\" data-original-width=\"1106\" height=\"594\" src=\"https:\/\/blogger.googleusercontent.com\/img\/b\/R29vZ2xl\/AVvXsEjb8FKfn-nHknkWdS4S3joHsVrEfi9iDOMvpTbLa77O0oAbpbBBcG0M-TL465zTDgzc6HAH8IsVdR0uwuc86-3pWWPVMefLbVafNdMwDvuhkosl8vb-Q5G80Z9teKIWcJ9qDh9cFzGkSmkSIDNcywrpsscLOP_zG9NQa2V-voRFZfULyN6S4XTVLdSf\/w640-h594\/A%20miniature%20of%20the%20Phnom%20Rung%20temple,%20being%20drawn%20through%20the%20air%20by%20Hanuman's%20monkey%20army,%20identified%20as%20Ravana's%20Pushpaka%20chariot,%20Michael%20Gunther,%20CC%20BY%20SA%204.jpg\" width=\"640\" \/\u003E\u003C\/a\u003E\u003C\/td\u003E\u003C\/tr\u003E\u003Ctr\u003E\u003Ctd class=\"tr-caption\" style=\"text-align: center;\"\u003E\u003Cspan style=\"font-size: small;\"\u003EFigure 2: A miniature of the Phnom Rung temple, Thailand,\n being drawn through the air by Hanuman's monkey army. It has been \nidentified as Ravana's Pushpaka vimana. Source: Wikimedia Commons \/ \nMichael Gunther CC BY-SA 4.0\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/td\u003E\u003C\/tr\u003E\u003C\/tbody\u003E\u003C\/table\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u003Cspan style=\"font-size: medium;\"\u003E\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Ch2 style=\"text-align: left;\"\u003E\u003Cspan style=\"font-size: medium;\"\u003EKing Salva Attacks Dvaraka on a Vimana\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/h2\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u003Cspan style=\"font-size: medium;\"\u003EKing Salva had aquired a vimana called \u003Ci\u003ESaubha\u003C\/i\u003E from Lord Shiva, which was made by Maya Danava. He attacked Lord Krishna’s city Dvaraka from the vimana, when Krishna and Balarama had gone to Indraprastha. Upon returning, Krishna fought against Salva, destroyed the vimana using his mace, and killed Salva with his discus weapon, the Sudarshana Chakra. This event has been described in the \u003Ci\u003ESrimad Bhagavatam\u003C\/i\u003E, Canto 10, Chapters 76 \u0026amp; 77.\u0026nbsp;(SB 10.76.2 – 10.76.33; 10.77.1 – 10.77.37).[2] Here are a few selected passages from the text that illustrate the nature of this fantastic flying machine and how it was eventually destroyed by Lord Krishna.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cblockquote\u003E\u003Cspan style=\"font-size: medium;\"\u003EThe great Lord Umapati [Shiva] is known as “he who is quickly pleased,” yet only at the end of a year did he gratify Salva, who had approached him for shelter, by offering him a choice of benedictions. Salva chose a vehicle that could be destroyed by neither demigods, demons, humans, Gandharvas, Uragas nor Raksasas, that could travel anywhere he wished to go, and that would terrify the Vrsnis. Lord Siva said, “So be it.” On his order, Maya Danava, who conquers his enemies’ cities, constructed a flying iron city named Saubha and presented it to Salva.\u003Cbr \/\u003EThis unassailable vehicle was filled with darkness and could go anywhere. Upon obtaining it, Salva went to Dvaraka, remembering the Vrsnis’ enmity toward him. Salva besieged the city with a large army, O best of the Bharatas, decimating the outlying parks and gardens, the mansions along with their observatories, towering gateways and surrounding walls, and also the public recreational areas. From his excellent airship he threw down a torrent of weapons, including stones, tree trunks, thunderbolts, snakes and hailstones. A fierce whirlwind arose and blanketed all directions with dust. Thus, terribly tormented by the airship Saubha, Lord Krsna’s city had no peace, O King, just like the earth when it was attacked by the three aerial cities of the demons….\u003Cbr \/\u003EAt one moment the magic airship built by Maya Danava appeared in many identical forms, and the next moment it was again only one. Sometimes it was visible, and sometimes not. Thus Salva’s opponents could never be sure where it was. From one moment to the next the Saubha airship appeared on the earth, in the sky, on a mountain peak or in the water. Like a whirling, flaming baton, it never remained in any one place. Wherever Salva would appear with his Saubha ship and his army, there the Yadu commanders would shoot their arrows…As the Yadus and Salva’s followers thus went on attacking one another, the tumultuous, fearsome battle continued for twenty-seven days and nights.\u003Cbr \/\u003EInvited by Yudhisthira, the son of Dharma, Lord Krsna had gone to Indraprastha. Now that the Rajasuya sacrifice had been completed and Sisupala killed, the Lord began to see inauspicious omens. So He took leave of the Kuru elders and the great sages, and also of Prtha and her sons, and returned to Dvaraka. The Lord said to Himself: Because I have come here with My respected elder brother, kings partial to Sisupala may well be attacking My capital city. After He arrived at Dvaraka and saw how His people were threatened with destruction, and also saw Salva and his Saubha airship, Lord Kesava [Krishna] arranged for the city’s defense and then addressed Daruka as follows. [Lord Krishna said:] O driver, quickly take My chariot near Salva. This lord of Saubha is a powerful magician; don’t let him bewilder you.\u003Cbr \/\u003EThus ordered, Daruka took command of the Lord’s chariot and drove forth. As the chariot entered the battlefield, everyone there, both friend and foe, caught sight of the emblem of Garuda. When Salva, the master of a decimated army, saw Lord Krsna approaching, he hurled his spear at the Lord’s charioteer. The spear roared frighteningly as it flew across the battlefield. Salva’s hurtling spear lit up the whole sky like a mighty meteor, but Lord Sauri tore the great weapon into hundreds of pieces with His arrows. Lord Krsna then pierced Salva with sixteen arrows and struck the Saubha airship with a deluge of arrows as it darted about the sky. Firing His arrows, the Lord appeared like the sun flooding the heavens with its rays…\u003Cbr \/\u003EWhile Salva continued to hurl torrents of weapons at Him with great force, Lord Krsna, whose prowess never fails, shot His arrows at Salva, wounding him and shattering his armor, bow and crest jewel. Then with His club the Lord smashed His enemy’s Saubha airship. Shattered into thousands of pieces by Lord Krsna’s club, the Saubha airship plummeted into the water. Salva abandoned it, stationed himself on the ground, took up his club and rushed toward Lord Acyuta. As Salva rushed at Him, the Lord shot a bhalla dart and cut off his arm that held the club. Having finally decided to kill Salva, Krsna then raised His Sudarsana disc weapon, which resembled the sun at the time of universal annihilation. The brilliantly shining Lord appeared like the easternmost mountain bearing the rising sun. Employing His disc, Lord Hari removed that great magician’s head with its earrings and crown, just as Purandara had used his thunderbolt to cut off Vrtra’s head. Seeing this, all of Salva’s followers cried out, “Alas, alas!”\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/blockquote\u003E\u003Cspan style=\"font-size: medium;\"\u003EIn this manner, the magical “flying city of iron” fashioned by Maya Danava– which could go anywhere, appear in many identical forms, and disappear at will – was eventually destroyed by Lord Krishna using his mace. This tells us that, although vimanas were said to be indestructible, they could be smashed into pieces by very powerful weapons.\u0026nbsp; \u0026nbsp;\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003C\/span\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Ch2 style=\"text-align: left;\"\u003E\u003Cspan style=\"font-size: medium;\"\u003EArjuna Goes to Indra’s heaven on a flying chariot\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/h2\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u003Cspan style=\"font-size: medium;\"\u003EThe Pandava prince Arjuna had performed great austerities and penances on Mount Mandara, upon which Lord Shiva became pleased with him and granted him the invincible weapon called the “Pasupata astra”. Soon afterwards, he was visited by Indra, the King of the Gods, who informed him that his celestial chariot, driven by Matali, shall conduct Arjuna to Indra’s heavenly city Amaravati, where he shall bestow on Arjuna all his celestial weapons. This event has been described in the \u003Ci\u003EVana Parva\u003C\/i\u003E, Chapter 42 (Indralokagama parva) of the \u003Ci\u003EMahabharata\u003C\/i\u003E.[3] Here are some extracts from the text that describe Arjuna’s fantastic journey on the flying chariot.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cblockquote\u003E\u003Cspan style=\"font-size: medium;\"\u003EAfter the Lokapalas had gone away, Arjuna - that slayer of all foes - began to think, O monarch, of the car of Indra! And as Gudakesa (Arjuna) gifted with great intelligence was thinking of it, the car endued with great effulgence and guided by Matali, came dividing the clouds and illuminating the firmament and filling the entire welkin with its rattle deep as the roar of mighty masses of clouds. Swords, and missiles of terrible forms and maces of frightful description, and winged darts of celestials splendour and lightnings of the brightest effulgence, and thunderbolts, and propellors furnished with wheels and worked with atmosphere expansion and producing sounds loud as the roar of great masses of clouds, were on that car…And the car was drawn by ten thousands of horses of golden hue, endued with the speed of the wind. And furnished with prowess of illusion, the car was drawn with such speed that the eye could hardly mark its progress…And while Arjuna was occupied with his thoughts regarding the car, the charioteer Matali, bending himself after descending from the car, addressed him, saying, 'O lucky son of Sakra (Indra)! Sakra himself wisheth to see thee. Ascend thou without loss of time this car that hath been sent by Indra. The chief of the immortals, thy father - that god of a hundred sacrifices - hath commanded me, saying, 'Bring the son of Kunti hither. Let the gods behold him…’\u003Cbr \/\u003E\"Arjuna replied, 'O Matali, mount thou without loss of time this excellent car, a car that cannot be attained even by hundreds of Rajasuya and horse sacrifices. Even kings of great prosperity who have performed great sacrifices distinguished by large gifts (to Brahmanas), even gods and Danavas are not competent to ride this car. He that hath not ascetic merit is not competent to even see or touch this car, far less to ride on it. O blessed one, after thou hast ascended, it, and after the horses have become still, I will ascend it, like a virtuous man stepping into the high-road of honesty.'\"\u003Cbr \/\u003E…Thus having bidden farewell to the mountain, that slayer of hostile heroes – Arjuna- blazing like the Sun himself, ascended the celestial car. And the Kuru prince gifted with great intelligence, with a glad heart, coursed through the firmament on that celestial car effulgent as the sun and of extra-ordinary achievements. And after he had become invisible to the mortals of the earth, he beheld thousands of cars of extra-ordinary beauty. And in that region there was no sun or moon or fire to give light, but it blazed in light of its own, generated by virtue of ascetic merit. And those brilliant regions that are seen from the earth in the form of stars, like lamps (in the sky) - so small in consequence of their distance, though very large - were beheld by the son of Pandu, stationed in their respective places, full of beauty and effulgence and blazing with splendour all their own. And there he beheld royal sages crowned with ascetic success, and heroes who had yielded up their lives in battle, and those that had acquired heaven by their ascetic austerities, by hundreds upon hundreds. And there were also Gandharvas, of bodies blazing like the sun, by thousands upon thousands, as also Guhyakas and Rishis and numerous tribes of Apsaras. And beholding those self-effulgent regions, Phalguna (Arjuna) became filled with wonder, and made enquiries of Matali. And Matali also gladly replied unto him, saying, 'These, O son of Pritha, are virtuous persons stationed in their respective places. It is these whom thou hast seen, O exalted one, as stars, from the earth.' Then Arjuna saw standing at the gates (Indra's region) the handsome and ever victorious elephant – Airavata - furnished with four tusks, and resembling the mountain of Kailasa with its summits. And coursing along that path of the Siddhas, that foremost of the Kurus and the son of Pandu, sat in beauty like Mandhata - that best of kings. Endued with eyes like lotus leaves, he passed through the region set apart for virtuous kings. And the celebrated Arjuna having thus passed through successive regions of heaven at last beheld Amaravati, the city of Indra.\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/blockquote\u003E\u003Cspan style=\"font-size: medium;\"\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003C\/span\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Ctable align=\"center\" cellpadding=\"0\" cellspacing=\"0\" class=\"tr-caption-container\" style=\"margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;\"\u003E\u003Ctbody\u003E\u003Ctr\u003E\u003Ctd style=\"text-align: center;\"\u003E\u003Ca href=\"https:\/\/blogger.googleusercontent.com\/img\/b\/R29vZ2xl\/AVvXsEiBrfSXYl4z63EmBuW1_mq1c7Do9_aBNPtP7T6FfUoRkJAJSOK-d2WF00leODifg6x-db2xZhsXpOrFrnvpc5ulUcSpUyeLOlWhZt0_u0emgfBgp9-BFD8Ece5C6Km5E1a-bkViy2YrVlLGnuM2yvktUY-NZ-tj7FAcjrSyE7lMvl8nB8wV3PlMTiYB\/s1882\/King%20Nemi%20riding%20through%20the%20skies%20on%20the%20chariot%20of%20Indra%20drawn%20by%20Matali,%20Scene%20from%20the%20Nemi%20Jataka%20in%20a%20paper%20folding%20book,%20central%20Thailand,%201894,%20British%20Library,%20Public%20Domain.jpg\" style=\"margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;\"\u003E\u003Cimg alt=\"King Nemi riding through the skies on the chariot of Indra drawn by Matali, scene from the Nemi Jataka in a paper folding book. Central Thailand, 1894.\" border=\"0\" data-original-height=\"1882\" data-original-width=\"1295\" height=\"640\" src=\"https:\/\/blogger.googleusercontent.com\/img\/b\/R29vZ2xl\/AVvXsEiBrfSXYl4z63EmBuW1_mq1c7Do9_aBNPtP7T6FfUoRkJAJSOK-d2WF00leODifg6x-db2xZhsXpOrFrnvpc5ulUcSpUyeLOlWhZt0_u0emgfBgp9-BFD8Ece5C6Km5E1a-bkViy2YrVlLGnuM2yvktUY-NZ-tj7FAcjrSyE7lMvl8nB8wV3PlMTiYB\/w440-h640\/King%20Nemi%20riding%20through%20the%20skies%20on%20the%20chariot%20of%20Indra%20drawn%20by%20Matali,%20Scene%20from%20the%20Nemi%20Jataka%20in%20a%20paper%20folding%20book,%20central%20Thailand,%201894,%20British%20Library,%20Public%20Domain.jpg\" width=\"440\" \/\u003E\u003C\/a\u003E\u003C\/td\u003E\u003C\/tr\u003E\u003Ctr\u003E\u003Ctd class=\"tr-caption\" style=\"text-align: center;\"\u003E\u003Cspan style=\"font-size: small;\"\u003EFigure 3: King Nemi riding through the skies on the \nchariot of Indra drawn by Matali, scene from the Nemi Jataka in a paper \nfolding book. Central Thailand, 1894. Source: British Library, Public \nDomain\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/td\u003E\u003C\/tr\u003E\u003C\/tbody\u003E\u003C\/table\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u003Cspan style=\"font-size: medium;\"\u003EThere are a few interesting points in this rather extraordinary passage. Firstly, Arjuna mentioned that a person could ride a vimana only after he has aquired sufficient ascetic merit. This means, ordinary mortals couldn’t buy tickets and go on a joyride in a vimana. This was a privilege granted only to a few. Secondly, when Arjuna passed through the celestial regions, he saw “thousands of cars of extra-ordinary beauty”. This tells us that vimanas were extensively used as the means of transport by the heavenly dwellers. Finally, Arjuna saw that the bodies of the celestial beings blazed with a light which illuminated the entire area. This is an imagery that recurs multiple times in the ancient texts. The divine and semi-divine beings appear as “shining orbs of light”, and most ordinary mortals are not able to make out their bodily form.\u0026nbsp; \u0026nbsp;\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Ctable align=\"center\" cellpadding=\"0\" cellspacing=\"0\" class=\"tr-caption-container\" style=\"margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;\"\u003E\u003Ctbody\u003E\u003Ctr\u003E\u003Ctd style=\"text-align: center;\"\u003E\u003Ca href=\"https:\/\/blogger.googleusercontent.com\/img\/b\/R29vZ2xl\/AVvXsEh5e-oFwsHeJ-Ew406ufPGwszxVEf3gguFD_SoFjvuWKOpFE66yinNmAVb3lxB-W6UVv-ft_n3boZNZb3rU4fLYJ11M9afB1w32EpFEVJkcNj2TEKixmMhOBdUV53btkb20diVjm66gyNpiKeskKzQnv58deNVWO5eXA4rZHGpBaTDQd2L1HT4-j8Zo\/s3133\/Krishna%20and%20Rukmini%20as%20Groom%20and%20Bride%20in%20a%20Celestial%20Chariot%20Driven%20by%20Ganesha,%20Rajasthan%201675%20to%201700,%20watercolour,%20LACMA,%20Public%20Domain.jpg\" style=\"margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;\"\u003E\u003Cimg alt=\"Krishna and Rukmini as Groom and Bride in a Celestial Chariot Driven by Ganesha. Rajasthan 1675 - 1700, watercolour.\" border=\"0\" data-original-height=\"3133\" data-original-width=\"2515\" height=\"640\" src=\"https:\/\/blogger.googleusercontent.com\/img\/b\/R29vZ2xl\/AVvXsEh5e-oFwsHeJ-Ew406ufPGwszxVEf3gguFD_SoFjvuWKOpFE66yinNmAVb3lxB-W6UVv-ft_n3boZNZb3rU4fLYJ11M9afB1w32EpFEVJkcNj2TEKixmMhOBdUV53btkb20diVjm66gyNpiKeskKzQnv58deNVWO5eXA4rZHGpBaTDQd2L1HT4-j8Zo\/w514-h640\/Krishna%20and%20Rukmini%20as%20Groom%20and%20Bride%20in%20a%20Celestial%20Chariot%20Driven%20by%20Ganesha,%20Rajasthan%201675%20to%201700,%20watercolour,%20LACMA,%20Public%20Domain.jpg\" width=\"514\" \/\u003E\u003C\/a\u003E\u003C\/td\u003E\u003C\/tr\u003E\u003Ctr\u003E\u003Ctd class=\"tr-caption\" style=\"text-align: center;\"\u003E\u003Cspan style=\"font-size: small;\"\u003EFigure 4: Krishna and Rukmini as Groom and Bride in a \nCelestial Chariot Driven by Ganesha. Rajasthan 1675 - 1700, watercolour.\n Source: LACMA, Public Domain\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/td\u003E\u003C\/tr\u003E\u003C\/tbody\u003E\u003C\/table\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u003Cspan style=\"font-size: medium;\"\u003EThese are the three well-documented instances of vimanas that have been described in detail in the ancient Indian texts. We can see that, in every case, the vimana had been built by the “archiects of the gods or asuras” and gifted to humans for their use. The \u003Ci\u003EPushpaka vimana\u003C\/i\u003E, on which Rama returned to Ayodhya, had been built by Vishwakarma – the architect of the gods - and gifted to Kuvera, the Lord of Wealth, from whom it was taken away by Ravana. The \u003Ci\u003ESaubha vimana\u003C\/i\u003E, which used by King Salva to attack Dvaraka, was built by Maya Danava – the architect of the asuras - and was given to Salva by Lord Shiva. Finally, the celestial chariot on which Arjuna reached the heavenly city of Amaravati, belonged to Indra, the King of the Gods. Therefore, the ancient texts make it abundantly clear that vimanas were not built by humans - which means, vimanas were not a product of human technology; they represent the “technology of the gods”.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Ch2 style=\"text-align: left;\"\u003E\u003Cspan style=\"font-size: medium;\"\u003EThe Aerial Cities – Hiranyapura and Tripura\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/h2\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u003Cspan style=\"font-size: medium;\"\u003EIn addition to the vimanas, we also read of some “aerial cities” in the Mahabharata. One of these was called \u003Ci\u003EHiranyapura\u003C\/i\u003E. Arjuna saw this beautiful, effulgent, aerial city – furnished with gates and towers - from the aerial chariot driven by Matali, when he was returning to Amaravati after defeating the demons called Nivata-Kavachas. When Arjuna asked Matali about the city, he said this city was given to the daityas and asuras as a boon by Brahma. It was, \u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cblockquote\u003E\u003Cspan style=\"font-size: medium;\"\u003E“A highly effulgent and surpassingly fair aerial city, furnished with all manner of gems and invincible even by the celestials…this city is furnished with all desirable objects, and is unknown of grief or disease. And, O hero, celebrated under the name of Hiranyapura, this mighty city is inhabited by the Paulamas and the Kalakanjas…Formerly, Brahma had destined destruction at the hands of mortals.”[4]\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/blockquote\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u003Cspan style=\"font-size: medium;\"\u003EWhen Arjuna attacked that aerial city - since it was inhabited by the enemies of the gods - he found that, the sky-ranging unearthly aerial city, which resembled Amaravati, the city of Indra, was capable of going anywhere at will. \u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cblockquote\u003E\u003Cspan style=\"font-size: medium;\"\u003E“And now (the city) entered unto the earth and now it rose upwards; and at one time it went in a crooked way and at another time it submerged into water. At this, O represser of foes, I assailed that mighty city, going anywhere at will, and resembling Amaravati. And, O best of the Bharatas, I attacked the city containing those sons of Diti, with multitudes of shafts, displaying celestial weapons. And battered and broken by the straight-coursing iron shafts, shot by me, the city of the Asuras, O king, fell to the earth.”\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/blockquote\u003E\u003Cspan style=\"font-size: medium;\"\u003EThe Mahabharata also describes three aerial cities of the demons, collectively called \u003Ci\u003ETripura\u003C\/i\u003E, which were received by the demons as a boon from Brahma. Three asuras performed great penances and propitiated Brahma. They requested him for a boon saying, “Residing in three cities, we will rove over this Earth, with thy grace ever before us. After a 1,000 years then, we will come together, and our three cities also, O sinless one, will become united into one.” The cities were then constructed by the architect of the demons called Maya. The text states,\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cblockquote\u003E“Then Maya, of great intelligence, by the aid of his own ascetic merit, constructed three cities, one of which was of gold, another of silver, and the third of black iron. The golden city was set in heaven, the silver city in the welkin (upper atmosphere), and the iron city was set on the Earth, all in such a way as to revolve in a circle, O lord of Earth. Each of those cities measured a hundred yojanas in breadth and a hundred in length. And they consisted of houses and mansions and lofty walls and porches.”[5]\u003C\/blockquote\u003EWhen the demons began to oppress the inhabitants of all the worlds, and defeated the gods in battle as well, Lord Shiva fired a single missile at the three aerial cities, when they came together in the heavens (like a conjunction of planets) after 1000 years. This weapon, called the \u003Ci\u003EPasupata astra\u003C\/i\u003E, burnt the three cities to ashes, along with the host of danavas who lived in them.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cblockquote\u003E“The illustrious deity, that Lord of the universe, then drawing that celestial bow, sped that shaft (Pasupata astra) which represented the might of the whole universe, at the triple city. Upon that foremost of shafts, O thou of great good fortune, being shot, loud wails of woe were heard from those cities as they began to fall down towards the Earth. Burning those Asuras, he threw them down into the Western ocean. Thus was the triple city burnt and thus were the Danavas exterminated by Maheswara.”[6]\u003C\/blockquote\u003EEvidently, both the aerial cities mentioned in the Mahabharata – \u003Ci\u003EHiranyapura\u003C\/i\u003E and \u003Ci\u003ETripura\u003C\/i\u003E - were given as boons by Brahma to the demonic beings called the asuras and daityas. The text explicitly mentioned that Tripura – the triple city - was built by the architect of the demons, Maya, on the advise of Brahma. The aerial cities were not gifted to humans or inhabited by them at any stage.\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/span\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u003Cspan style=\"font-size: medium;\"\u003EThe ability of the aerial cities to revolve around the Earth, and move at will in any direction, suggests that they could be “enlarged versions” of the vimanas themselves. In other words, the same kind of technology was probably used to propel both the vimanas and the aerial cities. In the modern parlance, we could refer to the vimanas as “UFOs” and to the aerial cities as “UFO Motherships”.\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u003Cspan style=\"font-size: medium;\"\u003EI would like to stress that, at no point, is it suggested in the texts that humans were involved in the construction of the vimanas or aerial cities, nor has it been specified how they were constructed. They were given as “gifts” by the gods; and if we think of the ancient gods of humanity as alien beings – for there is no other way to visualize them – then they represent “alien technology”.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Ch2 style=\"text-align: left;\"\u003E\u003Cspan style=\"font-size: medium;\"\u003EThe Fraudulent Vaimanika Shastra\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/h2\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u003Cspan style=\"font-size: medium;\"\u003EAn early 20th century fraudulent text called the \u003Ci\u003EVaimanika Sastra\u003C\/i\u003E has introduced a lot of erroneous ideas into the topic of vimanas. The Vaimanika Sastra was written in Sanskrit by Pandit Subbaraya Shastry sometime between the years 1918 to 1923. Shastry claimed that the text was \u003Ci\u003Etelepathically transmitted to him by the ancient sage Bharadvaja.\u003C\/i\u003E In other words, its not an “ancient text” at all, as has been incorrectly claimed by many people who have written about it. It is purported to be “channeled text”, which, in itself, makes its authenticity extremely doubtful. While telepathy or channeling may work to a limited degree in some specific situations, to channel a entire technical manual on vimanas from an ancient sage who lived thousands of years ago is pure nonsense. It is good to be open-minded while investigating ancient civilizations. But we should not become gullible and put our faculties of reason and logic in abeyance.\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u003Cspan style=\"font-size: medium;\"\u003EIn the 1950s a Hindu academic called G R Josyer found a copy of the text written by Subbaraya Shastry, and brought out a Hindi translation in 1959, followed by an English translation in 1973. The book is filled with absurd diagrams of vimanas, resembling wedding cakes and minarets, along with a mass of bizarre items for building and powering the vimana. For instance, Angela Saini notes,\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cblockquote\u003E\u003Cspan style=\"font-size: medium;\"\u003E“On the baby-pink cover of his book was a small pencil drawing of one of these planes. Part submarine, part mechanical fish, it was built in four tiers like a wedding cake, with three fins and a thin propeller at the front. Among the substances powering this unlikely contraption, the book said, was mercury, the silver-coloured liquid metal used in thermometers. Other ingredients included snake poison, rhinoceros bones and camel urine…And there was a detailed description of how to generate electricity to power the dynamos that would drive the aircraft (‘get a . . . flame-faced lion’s skin, duly cleaned, add salt, and placing in the vessel containing spike-grass acid, boil for . . . 15 hours. Then wash it with cold water’).”[7]\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/blockquote\u003E\u003Cspan style=\"font-size: medium;\"\u003ERight. Camel urine-powered vimanas running on lion-skin electricity! Sounds like the kind of aircraft the penguins made to get out of Madagascar. \u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003C\/span\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u003Cspan style=\"font-size: medium;\"\u003EThankfully, in 1974, a detailed study of this text was carried out by the researchers at the Indian Institute of Science, Bangalore. They found that aircrafts that the Vaimanika Sastra described were aeronautically unfeasible, and the discussion of the principles of flight in the text were largely perfunctory and incorrect. The study concluded:\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cblockquote\u003E\u003Cspan style=\"font-size: medium;\"\u003E“Any reader by now would have concluded the obvious – that the planes described above are at best poor concoctions, rather than expressions of something real. None of the planes has properties or capabilities of being flown; the geometries are unimaginably horrendous from the point of view of flying; and the principles of propulsion make them resist rather than assist flying. The text and the drawings do not correlate with each other even thematically.”[8]\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/blockquote\u003E\u003Cspan style=\"font-size: medium;\"\u003EObviously, the Vaimanika Sastra is not an ancient doctrine on vimanas but a modern fabrication that is often bandied around as a proof of high technology in the ancient times. No flying craft has ever been built, or can ever be built, using those specifications. As we have already noted, the ancient Indian texts make it very clear that vimanas and aerial cities were given as boons by the “gods”. They were not built by humans, and therefore, the question of a human technology does not arise at all. Unfortunately, the Vaimanika Sastra has gained a lot of undue popularity due to continuous repetition by people who do not bother to check for facts or logic.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003EI would like to conclude by saying that there are ample descriptions of vimanas and aerial cities in the “truly ancient” Indian texts, and it is not necessary to take recourse to modern-day fraudulent texts as proof of high technology in the ancient times. Both vimanas and aerial cities were given by the “gods” as boons to humans, asuras and danavas. We do not know who these gods were or what technologies were used in the construction of vimanas or aerial cities. However, the fact remains that the ancient Indian texts are replete with information about flying vehicles and cities, that could perform astonishing manoeuvres in the sky. This suggests that the ancients may have been in contact with higher-order beings, perhaps from other dimensions or stellar systems, who interacted with humanity and nurtured and guided the growth of the civilizations on our planet in the past. \u003C\/span\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cu\u003E\u003Cspan style=\"font-family: arial;\"\u003E\u003Cspan style=\"font-size: small;\"\u003E\u003Cb\u003EEnd Notes\u003C\/b\u003E\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/u\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u003Cspan style=\"font-family: arial;\"\u003E\u003Cspan style=\"font-size: small;\"\u003E1 Ramayana 6.124, https:\/\/www.wisdomlib.org\/hinduism\/book\/the-ramayana-of-valmiki\/d\/doc424752.html\u003Cbr \/\u003E2 Srimad Bhagavatam 10.76, https:\/\/www.srimadbhagavatamclass.com\/srimad-bhagavatam-canto-10-chapter-76-text-01\/\u003Cbr \/\u003E3 Mahabharata 3.42, https:\/\/www.sacred-texts.com\/hin\/m03\/m03042.htm\u003Cbr \/\u003E4 Mahabharata 3.172, https:\/\/www.sacred-texts.com\/hin\/m03\/m03172.htm\u003Cbr \/\u003E5 Mahabharata 8.33, https:\/\/www.sacred-texts.com\/hin\/m08\/m08033.htm\u003Cbr \/\u003E6 Mahabharata 8.34, https:\/\/www.sacred-texts.com\/hin\/m08\/m08034.htm\u003Cbr \/\u003E7 Angela Saini, \"The Strange Library: A visit to the Academy of Sanskrit Research in Melkote\", The Caravan, 25 January 2015, https:\/\/caravanmagazine.in\/vantage\/grjosyer-academy-sanskrit-research-melkote\u003Cbr \/\u003E8 Mukunda, H. S.; Deshpande, S. M.; Nagendra, H. R.; Prabhu, A. \u0026amp; Govindraju, S. P. (1974). \"A critical study of the work \"Vyamanika Shastra\"\" (PDF). Scientific Opinion: 5–12. Retrieved 2007-09-03.\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/span\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E"},"link":[{"rel":"replies","type":"application/atom+xml","href":"https:\/\/www.bibhudevmisra.com\/feeds\/7141075652161279855\/comments\/default","title":"Post Comments"},{"rel":"replies","type":"text/html","href":"https:\/\/www.bibhudevmisra.com\/2022\/09\/the-vimanas-and-aerial-cities-described.html#comment-form","title":"4 Comments"},{"rel":"edit","type":"application/atom+xml","href":"https:\/\/www.blogger.com\/feeds\/6864653463177413678\/posts\/default\/7141075652161279855"},{"rel":"self","type":"application/atom+xml","href":"https:\/\/www.blogger.com\/feeds\/6864653463177413678\/posts\/default\/7141075652161279855"},{"rel":"alternate","type":"text/html","href":"https:\/\/www.bibhudevmisra.com\/2022\/09\/the-vimanas-and-aerial-cities-described.html","title":"The Vimanas and Aerial Cities described in the Ancient Indian Texts"}],"author":[{"name":{"$t":"Bibhu Dev Misra"},"uri":{"$t":"http:\/\/www.blogger.com\/profile\/15388473714672380058"},"email":{"$t":"noreply@blogger.com"},"gd$image":{"rel":"http://schemas.google.com/g/2005#thumbnail","width":"32","height":"28","src":"\/\/blogger.googleusercontent.com\/img\/b\/R29vZ2xl\/AVvXsEh4sklyRp_L5BfqEXTjoskgFPFYpJiNJSuDN5zrcldGBaXot626bOTu8q5TUYsip63M6EkY2JbuoE6l1N5fMKiqKfzFfaaKpqm91QZx9rMdAL3t-ju2QdYi1K-BeCJsjw\/s130\/DSCN1699.JPG"}}],"media$thumbnail":{"xmlns$media":"http://search.yahoo.com/mrss/","url":"https:\/\/blogger.googleusercontent.com\/img\/b\/R29vZ2xl\/AVvXsEgM_zEp2LqIUxkD8YHx0W8M5qQuDy_-1frcKGFYPqrpngd0Al3Zyj8wsVGHpzBAJABBq6Db1tlN4tHTNn9poUZlSX6VFDOmlFXyqZDAsPzh8mYEPpJtDEZ0O-AnZaC9uDCn_rr7fHDd87NN-c-sGhGySj5pNgVL6xBeXPTyUjad3gAZ3klXCjaWDViq\/s72-c\/Pushpaka%20small.jpg","height":"72","width":"72"},"thr$total":{"$t":"4"}},{"id":{"$t":"tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6864653463177413678.post-2343087347955073153"},"published":{"$t":"2022-09-20T11:35:00.008+05:30"},"updated":{"$t":"2024-05-23T10:46:23.607+05:30"},"category":[{"scheme":"http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#","term":"Article"},{"scheme":"http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#","term":"Earth Mysteries"}],"title":{"type":"text","$t":"Yeti Footprints found by Indian Army point to Monsters of Indian Legends!"},"content":{"type":"html","$t":"\u003Cp\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u003Ci\u003E\u003Cspan style=\"font-size: medium;\"\u003E\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/i\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp style=\"text-align: center;\"\u003E\u003Cspan style=\"font-size: medium;\"\u003E\u003Ca href=\"https:\/\/blogger.googleusercontent.com\/img\/b\/R29vZ2xl\/AVvXsEhgX-IgxOtb522ZzB2U6em8ewHg6Sh5U97Sb3pQb-iPPWWfL8kQXv4fNPx0O13ct0L6JL3HAB9NVkjP37wm_PYm37B_TFOkK4S7VblcovhF9CVJuHjhHfjygcoHeKgcrPYU6-_wsWJtEQALisW-EoHkdoCz1qzaVMjTKPdsSWn5nKSvutcOQUcg_4HvPdI\/s1200\/Yeti%20small%20dangerous.jpg\" style=\"margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;\"\u003E\u003Cimg border=\"0\" data-original-height=\"800\" data-original-width=\"1200\" height=\"266\" src=\"https:\/\/blogger.googleusercontent.com\/img\/b\/R29vZ2xl\/AVvXsEhgX-IgxOtb522ZzB2U6em8ewHg6Sh5U97Sb3pQb-iPPWWfL8kQXv4fNPx0O13ct0L6JL3HAB9NVkjP37wm_PYm37B_TFOkK4S7VblcovhF9CVJuHjhHfjygcoHeKgcrPYU6-_wsWJtEQALisW-EoHkdoCz1qzaVMjTKPdsSWn5nKSvutcOQUcg_4HvPdI\/w400-h266\/Yeti%20small%20dangerous.jpg\" width=\"400\" \/\u003E\u003C\/a\u003E\u003C\/span\u003E\u003Ci\u003E\u003Cspan style=\"font-size: medium;\"\u003E \u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/i\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u003Ci\u003E\u003Cspan style=\"font-size: medium;\"\u003ENote: This article was originally published on \u003Ca href=\"https:\/\/mysteriousuniverse.org\/2022\/09\/The-Giant-Yeti-Footprints-found-by-the-Indian-Army-Clues-Lead-to-Monsters-of-Indian-Legends-\/\" target=\"_blank\"\u003EMysterious Universe (MU)\u003C\/a\u003E \u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/i\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u003Cspan style=\"font-size: medium;\"\u003EPerhaps, one of the most sensational sightings of Yeti footprints in recent times – which created quite a stir on social media – was the tweet released by the Indian army to its nearly 6 million followers on April 19, 2019, in which they claimed that a mountaineering expedition of the Indian army had seen and photographed Yeti footprints measuring a gigantic 32x15 inches. The tweet read:\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u003Cspan style=\"font-size: medium;\"\u003E\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cblockquote\u003E\u003Cspan style=\"font-size: medium;\"\u003E“For the first time, an #IndianArmy Moutaineering Expedition Team has sited Mysterious Footprints of mythical beast 'Yeti' measuring 32x15 inches close to Makalu Base Camp on 09 April 2019. This elusive snowman has only been sighted at Makalu-Barun National Park in the past.”\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/blockquote\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u003Cspan style=\"font-size: medium;\"\u003EIncidentally, the Makalu Base Camp in eastern Nepal is located at an altitude of 4870 m (15978 ,feet), at the base of the majestic Mount Makalu - the fifth highest peak in the world at 8485 m (27,838 feet). This part of the remote Himalayas was closed to the outside world until the 1950s, when British mountaineer Eric Shipton first trekked into the region. Since then, it has remained relatively inaccessible and little-known, except to a handful of keen trekkers - a perfect place for a solitary beast like the Yeti to hang out.\u003Cspan\u003E\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Ca name='more'\u003E\u003C\/a\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u003Cspan style=\"font-size: medium;\"\u003EIncidentally, it was Eric Shipton who had clicked the first photograph of Yeti footprints in 1951, when he was leading an Everest expedition, to survey possible routes to reach the summit. In the Menlung Basin at 19,000 feet, they had found a series of tracks of a biped – around 13x8 inches in size – which went on down the glacier for about a mile. Shipton’s fellow mountaineer Tom Bourdillon wrote on the underside of one of the photos, “I am quite clear that it is no animal known to live in the Himalaya, \u0026amp; that it is big.”[1]\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Ctable align=\"center\" cellpadding=\"0\" cellspacing=\"0\" class=\"tr-caption-container\" style=\"margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;\"\u003E\u003Ctbody\u003E\u003Ctr\u003E\u003Ctd style=\"text-align: center;\"\u003E\u003Ca href=\"https:\/\/blogger.googleusercontent.com\/img\/b\/R29vZ2xl\/AVvXsEg3owbWprbNk7zlxmiCqkJPtz0_BRz3vD3S63Yl86L2k1OmCzJ-7nrr3NRqscbN-JpR3uRzolKBxUYb5N_9UqlKymQw0iNOckzu62A2ogqpdCaAGBRn6jbwJ0jkKyal5I_7JkorBKp77BIot-utGYAVC11G9mdlUSs20OygyVzY0_rKN_tZkcqgR2BIE7g\/s1080\/Mount%20Makalu%20left%20and%20Chamlang%20right%20as%20seen%20from%20Mera%20Peak,%20Craig%20Taylor%20edit%20CC%20BY%20SA%202.jpg\" style=\"margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;\"\u003E\u003Cimg alt=\"Mount Makalu\" border=\"0\" data-original-height=\"810\" data-original-width=\"1080\" height=\"480\" src=\"https:\/\/blogger.googleusercontent.com\/img\/b\/R29vZ2xl\/AVvXsEg3owbWprbNk7zlxmiCqkJPtz0_BRz3vD3S63Yl86L2k1OmCzJ-7nrr3NRqscbN-JpR3uRzolKBxUYb5N_9UqlKymQw0iNOckzu62A2ogqpdCaAGBRn6jbwJ0jkKyal5I_7JkorBKp77BIot-utGYAVC11G9mdlUSs20OygyVzY0_rKN_tZkcqgR2BIE7g\/w640-h480\/Mount%20Makalu%20left%20and%20Chamlang%20right%20as%20seen%20from%20Mera%20Peak,%20Craig%20Taylor%20edit%20CC%20BY%20SA%202.jpg\" width=\"640\" \/\u003E\u003C\/a\u003E\u003C\/td\u003E\u003C\/tr\u003E\u003Ctr\u003E\u003Ctd class=\"tr-caption\" style=\"text-align: center;\"\u003E\u003Cspan style=\"font-size: small;\"\u003EMount Makalu (left) and Chamlang (right), as seen from Mera Peak. Source: Wikimedia Commons \/ Craig Taylor CC BY-SA 2.0\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/td\u003E\u003C\/tr\u003E\u003C\/tbody\u003E\u003C\/table\u003E\u003Ctable align=\"center\" cellpadding=\"0\" cellspacing=\"0\" class=\"tr-caption-container\" style=\"margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;\"\u003E\u003Ctbody\u003E\u003Ctr\u003E\u003Ctd style=\"text-align: center;\"\u003E\u003Ca href=\"https:\/\/blogger.googleusercontent.com\/img\/b\/R29vZ2xl\/AVvXsEjrRV_yK2Smz8GUNTU-RLlG10ESljjAAH_7TguMX797OapuGVBhK6C7ZrGqL8PP4bRndS4mMb5eAvKJNhWIsXk6TE1k8zhYxGll6NRn-s7iEnzu1ymfIHIZL5GL2_IHpgF7tj32XOgNpFKD4NFDXKn2eIvblmPk4DzOawNxZThHzz_2lXZgLXq3d-IEV68\/s715\/Photograph%20of%20an%20alleged%20yeti%20footprint%20found%20by%20Michael%20Ward,%20Photograph%20was%20taken%20at%20Menlung%20glacier%20during%20the%20Everest%20expedition%20by%20Eric%20Shipton%20in%201951,%20Public%20Domain.png\" style=\"margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;\"\u003E\u003Cimg alt=\"Photograph of a Yeti footprint taken by Eric Shipton in 1951\" border=\"0\" data-original-height=\"604\" data-original-width=\"715\" height=\"338\" src=\"https:\/\/blogger.googleusercontent.com\/img\/b\/R29vZ2xl\/AVvXsEjrRV_yK2Smz8GUNTU-RLlG10ESljjAAH_7TguMX797OapuGVBhK6C7ZrGqL8PP4bRndS4mMb5eAvKJNhWIsXk6TE1k8zhYxGll6NRn-s7iEnzu1ymfIHIZL5GL2_IHpgF7tj32XOgNpFKD4NFDXKn2eIvblmPk4DzOawNxZThHzz_2lXZgLXq3d-IEV68\/w400-h338\/Photograph%20of%20an%20alleged%20yeti%20footprint%20found%20by%20Michael%20Ward,%20Photograph%20was%20taken%20at%20Menlung%20glacier%20during%20the%20Everest%20expedition%20by%20Eric%20Shipton%20in%201951,%20Public%20Domain.png\" width=\"400\" \/\u003E\u003C\/a\u003E\u003C\/td\u003E\u003C\/tr\u003E\u003Ctr\u003E\u003Ctd class=\"tr-caption\" style=\"text-align: center;\"\u003E\u003Cspan style=\"font-size: small;\"\u003EPhotograph of a Yeti footprint taken by Eric Shipton in 1951, at Menlung glacier. Source: Wikimedia Commons, Public Domain\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/td\u003E\u003C\/tr\u003E\u003C\/tbody\u003E\u003C\/table\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u003Cspan style=\"font-size: medium;\"\u003EIntriguingly, the photographs shared by the Indian army show that the alleged footprints of the Yeti are in a straight line, with no stagger to the right or left, as would be expected for a bipedal animal. It’s almost as if the Yeti was doing a catwalk across the snow-covered terrain for the upcoming winter collection. The strides, however, are giant, and the imprints in the snow are deep, indicating that it was made by a massive, biped, not known to exist anywhere in the world.\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Ctable align=\"center\" cellpadding=\"0\" cellspacing=\"0\" class=\"tr-caption-container\" style=\"margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;\"\u003E\u003Ctbody\u003E\u003Ctr\u003E\u003Ctd style=\"text-align: center;\"\u003E\u003Ca href=\"https:\/\/blogger.googleusercontent.com\/img\/b\/R29vZ2xl\/AVvXsEhihLkZjPjht5vCE9ko_E4PczBQJghkalt_OoJQ7hyTNYI_fX0rkntOU96XvKVYZUHOO24l0LYro_AWcrtb6XNgR_wAHe57jmy6G2oqQd0FEc9RCO1FqXh6DzFhq1WnoalcWBRVYscMixtpdXPrpRVz1ATyr20A5ynN9v_zWSmTF6PmqyDfgreg_n97YPY\/s1024\/Yeti%20footprints%20Indian%20army2.jpg\" style=\"margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;\"\u003E\u003Cimg alt=\"Yeti tracks at Makalu, Indian Army, Twitter\" border=\"0\" data-original-height=\"1024\" data-original-width=\"683\" height=\"640\" src=\"https:\/\/blogger.googleusercontent.com\/img\/b\/R29vZ2xl\/AVvXsEhihLkZjPjht5vCE9ko_E4PczBQJghkalt_OoJQ7hyTNYI_fX0rkntOU96XvKVYZUHOO24l0LYro_AWcrtb6XNgR_wAHe57jmy6G2oqQd0FEc9RCO1FqXh6DzFhq1WnoalcWBRVYscMixtpdXPrpRVz1ATyr20A5ynN9v_zWSmTF6PmqyDfgreg_n97YPY\/w426-h640\/Yeti%20footprints%20Indian%20army2.jpg\" width=\"426\" \/\u003E\u003C\/a\u003E\u003C\/td\u003E\u003C\/tr\u003E\u003Ctr\u003E\u003Ctd class=\"tr-caption\" style=\"text-align: center;\"\u003E\u003Cspan style=\"font-size: small;\"\u003EYeti tracks at Makalu. Credit: ADG PI - Indian Army \/ Twitter\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/td\u003E\u003C\/tr\u003E\u003C\/tbody\u003E\u003C\/table\u003E\u003Ctable align=\"center\" cellpadding=\"0\" cellspacing=\"0\" class=\"tr-caption-container\" style=\"margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;\"\u003E\u003Ctbody\u003E\u003Ctr\u003E\u003Ctd style=\"text-align: center;\"\u003E\u003Ca href=\"https:\/\/blogger.googleusercontent.com\/img\/b\/R29vZ2xl\/AVvXsEglsnAM30UR7rbDrMGsB3e6XYweNUm-pLFiZXQCa0jhStecVQOvIEbXCmNydI-512Z84dFPjFJlOO1rdHETeh27QBCMMP9A-5h1Db3IRTIDt1o5BbnHK7ykEJsLAYlin-6rq1yRwDo_7iOB8rC2QxaiROGI_o46O87hVqPBIv_C_ZeiE0KTdRB-KQOkXP4\/s1024\/Yeti%20footprints%20Indian%20army3.jpg\" style=\"margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;\"\u003E\u003Cimg alt=\"Yeti tracks at Makalu, Indian Army, Twitter\" border=\"0\" data-original-height=\"683\" data-original-width=\"1024\" height=\"426\" src=\"https:\/\/blogger.googleusercontent.com\/img\/b\/R29vZ2xl\/AVvXsEglsnAM30UR7rbDrMGsB3e6XYweNUm-pLFiZXQCa0jhStecVQOvIEbXCmNydI-512Z84dFPjFJlOO1rdHETeh27QBCMMP9A-5h1Db3IRTIDt1o5BbnHK7ykEJsLAYlin-6rq1yRwDo_7iOB8rC2QxaiROGI_o46O87hVqPBIv_C_ZeiE0KTdRB-KQOkXP4\/w640-h426\/Yeti%20footprints%20Indian%20army3.jpg\" width=\"640\" \/\u003E\u003C\/a\u003E\u003C\/td\u003E\u003C\/tr\u003E\u003Ctr\u003E\u003Ctd class=\"tr-caption\" style=\"text-align: center;\"\u003E\u003Cspan style=\"font-size: small;\"\u003EYeti tracks at Makalu. Credit: ADG PI - Indian Army \/ Twitter\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/td\u003E\u003C\/tr\u003E\u003C\/tbody\u003E\u003C\/table\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u003Cspan style=\"font-size: medium;\"\u003EWhenever the topic of Yeti footprints come up, fingers are inevitably pointed at the Himalayan brown bears as the possible culprit, and this time it was no different. But, we should “bear in mind” that bears are not bipeds. They usually get around on four legs particularly on steep, snow-covered mountain slopes. They stand up on their hind legs only to forage or to defend themselves. On the other hand, almost every recorded footprint of the Yeti has been that of a biped. \u003C\/span\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u003Cspan style=\"font-size: medium;\"\u003EBesides, what kind of brown bear would leave footprints that are 32 inches in length? The largest brown bears in the world are the Kodiak bears that inhabit the Kodiak Archipelago in southwest Alaska. The largest recorded wild male Kodiak bear weighed 751 kg (1,656 lb), and had a hind foot measurement of 46 cm (18 inches),2 which is significantly smaller than the 32-inch tracks at Makalu.\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Ctable align=\"center\" cellpadding=\"0\" cellspacing=\"0\" class=\"tr-caption-container\" style=\"margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;\"\u003E\u003Ctbody\u003E\u003Ctr\u003E\u003Ctd style=\"text-align: center;\"\u003E\u003Ca href=\"https:\/\/blogger.googleusercontent.com\/img\/b\/R29vZ2xl\/AVvXsEgmcuAF-vmnhcT9inGqecO9OeQ5ksP4DyW7g7Sg3qJCtYrEMDU8bcEVtw9O01HaycEUucQ2GTglGSB2gDbyKVOh805RiSFv33wCVSujmuLyTN9x5InzueReqnFWLtUA1k0DviI4O13ilIt4PsYyDQUfri8d2cBNCkYQ-kjiqijS7lzSKlT6pPxGwiq6Hgo\/s978\/Grizzly_bear_tracks_edit%20public%20domain.jpg\" style=\"margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;\"\u003E\u003Cimg alt=\"Grizzly bear tracks on snow at Yellowstone National Park\" border=\"0\" data-original-height=\"978\" data-original-width=\"800\" height=\"400\" src=\"https:\/\/blogger.googleusercontent.com\/img\/b\/R29vZ2xl\/AVvXsEgmcuAF-vmnhcT9inGqecO9OeQ5ksP4DyW7g7Sg3qJCtYrEMDU8bcEVtw9O01HaycEUucQ2GTglGSB2gDbyKVOh805RiSFv33wCVSujmuLyTN9x5InzueReqnFWLtUA1k0DviI4O13ilIt4PsYyDQUfri8d2cBNCkYQ-kjiqijS7lzSKlT6pPxGwiq6Hgo\/w328-h400\/Grizzly_bear_tracks_edit%20public%20domain.jpg\" width=\"328\" \/\u003E\u003C\/a\u003E\u003C\/td\u003E\u003C\/tr\u003E\u003Ctr\u003E\u003Ctd class=\"tr-caption\" style=\"text-align: center;\"\u003E\u003Cspan style=\"font-size: small;\"\u003EGrizzly bear tracks on snow. Yellowstone National Park, NPS. Source: Wikimedia Commons, Public Domain\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/td\u003E\u003C\/tr\u003E\u003C\/tbody\u003E\u003C\/table\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u003Cspan style=\"font-size: medium;\"\u003ELet’s admit it, the tracks at Makalu were not made by any beast known to man. In which case, it is likely to have been made by the Yeti - a stealthy, solitary, bipedal monster that lurks in the unexplored, foreboding, snow-covered terrains of the Himalayas, about whom stories and folklores have circulated amongst the Sherpa communities for generations.\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u003Cspan style=\"font-size: medium;\"\u003EThe Sherpa people are not unduly worried about the scientific skepticism about the Yeti. It is woven into their folklore and is a part of their daily lives in these rugged, high, mountains, where they eke out a living primarily through yak rearing, potato farming, and by leading mountaineering expeditions on these treacherous slopes. They know these landscapes like the back of their hand, and are, to be fair, the only experts of this region.\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u003Cspan style=\"font-size: medium;\"\u003EThere have been countless sightings of the Yeti or its footprints amongst the Sherpas. Some have heard the peculiar whistling and guttural noises the Yeti makes during its nocturnal adventures, or smelt their vile, pungent body odor. They generally describe the Yeti as an ape-like beast with a conical head, long hands, a human-like face with a flat nose, body covered in reddish or black hair. While it generally walks upright, sometimes it has been seen scampering over the mountain slopes very quickly using its hands and feet.\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Ctable align=\"center\" cellpadding=\"0\" cellspacing=\"0\" class=\"tr-caption-container\" style=\"margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;\"\u003E\u003Ctbody\u003E\u003Ctr\u003E\u003Ctd style=\"text-align: center;\"\u003E\u003Ca href=\"https:\/\/blogger.googleusercontent.com\/img\/b\/R29vZ2xl\/AVvXsEiVmeFGI1CJWFsHe8UOR3vMYVkqw1KKDYXX2UyjANaQ2i0OuYrRKAoyK0Xjx996_ViKKrxO94bO2-IJ1ALQWNTnXHg7n0yzood7GP-uLi0d-VSkeyfS33EDlJtribuibLWrJF7sPtxxh0dSSTPuMa_rYAQjvxPhr44I7kbmWK-KtXkg7G_UZigXunVE3cE\/s1024\/Namche%20bazar,%20the%20gateway%20to%20Mt%20Everest,%20This%20is%20where%20most%20of%20the%20Sherpas%20who%20are%20involved%20in%20the%20tourism%20business%20stay,%20Wikiemdia%20Commons%20Gaurab%20CC%20BY%20SA%203.jpg\" style=\"margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;\"\u003E\u003Cimg alt=\"Namche bazar, the gateway to Mt Everest\" border=\"0\" data-original-height=\"768\" data-original-width=\"1024\" height=\"480\" src=\"https:\/\/blogger.googleusercontent.com\/img\/b\/R29vZ2xl\/AVvXsEiVmeFGI1CJWFsHe8UOR3vMYVkqw1KKDYXX2UyjANaQ2i0OuYrRKAoyK0Xjx996_ViKKrxO94bO2-IJ1ALQWNTnXHg7n0yzood7GP-uLi0d-VSkeyfS33EDlJtribuibLWrJF7sPtxxh0dSSTPuMa_rYAQjvxPhr44I7kbmWK-KtXkg7G_UZigXunVE3cE\/w640-h480\/Namche%20bazar,%20the%20gateway%20to%20Mt%20Everest,%20This%20is%20where%20most%20of%20the%20Sherpas%20who%20are%20involved%20in%20the%20tourism%20business%20stay,%20Wikiemdia%20Commons%20Gaurab%20CC%20BY%20SA%203.jpg\" width=\"640\" \/\u003E\u003C\/a\u003E\u003C\/td\u003E\u003C\/tr\u003E\u003Ctr\u003E\u003Ctd class=\"tr-caption\" style=\"text-align: center;\"\u003E\u003Cspan style=\"font-size: small;\"\u003ENamche\n bazar, the gateway to Mt Everest. This is where most of the Sherpas who\n are involved in the tourism business stay. Source: Wikimedia Commons \/ \nGaurab, CC BY-SA 3.0\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/td\u003E\u003C\/tr\u003E\u003C\/tbody\u003E\u003C\/table\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u003Cspan style=\"font-size: medium;\"\u003EThe Sherpas believe that the reason why the Yeti cannot be seen very easily is because it’s primarily a nocturnal animal. It has certain supernatural powers and can disappear at will. In fact, it is considered to be a bad omen to even see a Yeti. Some claim that if a Yeti sees you first, it will cast some kind of a spell that will prevent you from moving. Then the Yeti will devour you. Any Sherpa will tell you that your best bet is to run downhill, as fast as you can, the moment you spot a Yeti. If the Yeti chases you down a sharp incline, the wind will blow the long hair into his eyes and momentarily blind him, allowing you to escape. \u003C\/span\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cspan style=\"font-size: medium;\"\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003EIn general, the Yeti is not hostile to humans, though. It is best left alone; if you don’t bother it, it won’t bother you. The Yeti mainly feeds on small fauna such as frogs and small mouse-hares called pikas, found widely in the Himalayas. However, they are known to attack and kill yaks. The Sherpas believe that organized expeditions to capture or hunt the Yeti will never bear fruit. The animal can disappear at will and it is only by accident that it is seen.[3]\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u003Cspan style=\"font-size: medium;\"\u003EWhat makes the Yeti footprints shared by the Indian army all the more intriguing is that, very similar footprints had been seen nearly 80 years ago by Major Bill Tilman in 1937, as noted by the mountaineer and author Graham Hoyland in his book \u003Ci\u003EYeti: an abominable history\u003C\/i\u003E.\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u003Cspan style=\"font-size: medium;\"\u003EGraham Hoyland was the 15th Briton to the climb the Everest - a feat he accomplished in 1993. In course of thirty or so trips to the Himalayas, he heard many tales of the Yeti from the Sherpas. He wrote a promotional article for his book, titled, “Top 10 yeti and abominable snowman sightings”[4], which has some very interesting nuggets of information, including Major Bill Tillman’s account. This is what Tillman had noted in his diary:\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cblockquote\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u003Cspan style=\"font-size: medium;\"\u003E“While contouring round the foot of the ridge between these two feeder glaciers, we saw in the snow the tracks of an Abominable Snowman. They were eight inches in diameter, eighteen inches apart, almost circular, without signs of toe or heel. They were three of four days old, so melting must have altered the outline. The most remarkable thing was that they were in a straight line one behind the other, with no ‘stagger’ right or left, like a bird’s spoor.\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u003Cspan style=\"font-size: medium;\"\u003EA four-footed animal walking slowly puts its hindfoot in the track of its forefoot, but there are always some marks of overlapping, nor are the tracks immediately in front of each other. However many-legged it was, the bird or beast was heavy, the tracks being nearly a foot deep. We followed them for a mile, when they disappeared on some rock. The tracks came from a glacier pool where the animal had evidently drunk, and the next day we picked up the same spoor on the north side of Snow Lake.\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u003Cspan style=\"font-size: medium;\"\u003EThe Sherpas judged them to belong to the smaller type of Snowman, or yeti, as they call them, of which there are apparently two varieties: the smaller, whose spoor we were following, which feeds on men, while his larger brother confines himself to a diet of yaks. My remark that no-one had been here for thirty years and that he must be devilish hungry did not amuse the Sherpas as much as expected! The jest was considered ill-timed, as it perhaps was, the three of us standing forlorn and alone in a great expanse of snow, looking at the strange tracks like so many Robinson Crusoes.”\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E\u003C\/blockquote\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u003Cspan style=\"font-size: medium;\"\u003EI found it utterly fascinating to find out that the Yeti tracks seen by Major Tillman, more than 80 years ago, were also in a straight line, one behind the other, with no deviation towards the left or the right. This exactly matches the nature of the footprints spotted by the Indian army in Makalu, except that the Makalu prints were much bigger at 32x15 inches, while those seen by Major Tillman were 18x8 inches. If the tracks seen by Major Tillman were those of the “smaller variant” of the Yeti, it stands to reason that the footprints at Makalu must have been left behind by the “larger variant” which feeds on yaks.\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u003Cspan style=\"font-size: medium;\"\u003EGraham Hoyland clarified in his article that, based on his interactions with the villagers across the Himalayan range, from Arunachal Pradesh to Ladakh, there seems to be three types of Yeti:\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u003Cspan style=\"font-size: medium;\"\u003E\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cul style=\"text-align: left;\"\u003E\u003Cli\u003E\u003Cspan style=\"font-size: medium;\"\u003EFirst, and largest, is the terrifying \u003Cb\u003Edzu-teh\u003C\/b\u003E, who stands eight feet tall when he is on his back legs. He can kill a yak with one swipe of his claws.\u003C\/span\u003E\u003Cspan style=\"font-size: medium;\"\u003E\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/li\u003E\u003Cli\u003E\u003Cspan style=\"font-size: medium;\"\u003EThere is the smaller \u003Cb\u003Echu-teh\u003C\/b\u003E or thelma, a little reddish-coloured child-sized creature who walks on two legs and has long arms. He is seen in the forests of Sikkim and Nepal.\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/li\u003E\u003Cli\u003E\u003Cspan style=\"font-size: medium;\"\u003EThen there is the \u003Cb\u003Emeh-teh\u003C\/b\u003E, who is most like a man and has orangey-red fur on his body. He attacks humans and is the one most often depicted on monastery wall paintings. Yeh-teh or yeti is a mutation of his name. He looks most like the \"Tintin in Tibet\" yeti. \u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/li\u003E\u003C\/ul\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u003Cspan style=\"font-size: medium;\"\u003EBased on Hoyland’s classification, the Makalu footprints would have been those of the eight feet tall dzu-the (although I suspect this one was probably an oversized monster amongst the dzu-tehs).\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u003Cspan style=\"font-size: medium;\"\u003EOne of the stories narrated by Hoyland provides an important clue to understand the true nature of the Yeti from the context of Indian mythological traditions. This is the earliest Western account of a “wild man” in the Himalayas given by Brian Houghton Hodgson in 1832. Hodgson was the Court of Nepal’s first British Resident, and the first Englishman permitted to visit this forbidden land. He wrote in his diary:\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cblockquote\u003E\u003Cspan style=\"font-size: medium;\"\u003E“Religion has introduced the Bandar [rhesus macaque] monkey into the central region, where it seems to flourish, half domesticated, in the neighbourhood of temples, in the populous valley of Nepal proper [this is still the case]. My shooters were once alarmed in the Kachár by the apparition of a ‘wild man’, possibly an ourang, but I doubt their accuracy. They mistook the creature for a càcodemon or rakshas (demons) and fled from it instead of shooting it. It moved, they said, erectly, was covered with long dark hair, and had no tail.”\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/blockquote\u003E\u003Cspan style=\"font-size: medium;\"\u003EThe fact that the Nepali shooters called the Yeti a “Rakshas” made me sit up and take notice, for the Rakshasas have been vividly described in the two Indian epics, the \u003Ci\u003ERamayana\u003C\/i\u003E and the \u003Ci\u003EMahabharata\u003C\/i\u003E. They are generally described as demonic, fierce-looking, nocturnal beings, some of whom are man-eaters. When the entire world goes to sleep, that is when they emerge from their lairs and stalk the forests for prey. They have huge bodies covered in red hair, and are enormously powerful. Humans are no match for their strength. They inhabit dense, remote, forests and the inaccessible slopes of the Himalayas. Their strength and powers of illusion are dramatically enhanced during the twilight hours – dawn and dusk - which is when they are to be avoided at all costs. They can use their magical powers to disappear, fly across the sky, assume ferocious forms, and, in general, play all kinds of tricks on the fragile human mind.\u003C\/span\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cdiv class=\"separator\" style=\"clear: both; text-align: center;\"\u003E\u003Ca href=\"https:\/\/blogger.googleusercontent.com\/img\/b\/R29vZ2xl\/AVvXsEiLwaWAspUVCv7-8EHYju1FisBo-3JQM12XJLHZ5VjCtmrLnfhusT4zOJs99Am2xsyXOvTHOk8BK3MgpANBUnIYFH-QW3rGamb2S806Gic0J3itnUcEMdKoDDNK5KIgHvzpsvczauhyphenhyphenEfnkZr4GqOKUzBaIV53YAfzwE36n2oKfbdFiCos7LZGOOTgTt6M\/s1200\/Rakshas%20small.jpg\" style=\"margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;\"\u003E\u003Cimg border=\"0\" data-original-height=\"800\" data-original-width=\"1200\" height=\"426\" src=\"https:\/\/blogger.googleusercontent.com\/img\/b\/R29vZ2xl\/AVvXsEiLwaWAspUVCv7-8EHYju1FisBo-3JQM12XJLHZ5VjCtmrLnfhusT4zOJs99Am2xsyXOvTHOk8BK3MgpANBUnIYFH-QW3rGamb2S806Gic0J3itnUcEMdKoDDNK5KIgHvzpsvczauhyphenhyphenEfnkZr4GqOKUzBaIV53YAfzwE36n2oKfbdFiCos7LZGOOTgTt6M\/w640-h426\/Rakshas%20small.jpg\" width=\"640\" \/\u003E\u003C\/a\u003E\u003C\/div\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u003Cspan style=\"font-size: medium;\"\u003EThe Mahabharata has a number of stories about these man-eating monsters, but the most interesting ones are those which involve a tussle between a Rakshas and the prince Bhima – who was a demi-god and arguably the strongest man in the world of his time. Once Bhima and his brothers were passing through a dense forest at night, in which dwelt a Rakshas called Hidimva. Bhima’s brothers had fallen asleep while he stayed awake to guard them. This is when the Rakshas got the strong smell of human prey, wafting though the forest like a spring-break barbecue. The text states:\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cblockquote\u003E\u003Cspan style=\"font-size: medium;\"\u003E“Possessed of great energy and prowess, he (Hidimva) was a cruel cannibal of visage that was grim in consequence of his sharp and long teeth. He was now hungry and longing for human flesh. Of long shanks (limbs) and a large belly, his locks and beard were both red in hue. His shoulders were broad like the neck of a tree; his ears were like unto arrows, and his features were frightful.”[5]\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/blockquote\u003E\u003Cspan style=\"font-size: medium;\"\u003EAfter a few twists and turns in the story, Bhima became engaged in a terrible hand-to-hand combat with the Rakshas, with both of them rolling on the ground and wrestling each other, emitting loud growls. It is at this point that Bhima’s younger brother Arjuna woke up from his sleep and advised Bhima to kill the Rakshas without much delay, since its power of illusion will get enhanced at daybreak.\u003Cblockquote\u003E“What need, O Bhima, for keeping the Rakshasa alive so long? O oppressor of enemies, we are to go hence, and cannot stay here longer. The east is reddening, the morning twilight is about to set in. The Rakshasa become stronger by break of day, therefore, hasten, O Bhima! Play not (with thy victim), but slay the terrible Rakshasa soon. During the two twilights Rakshasas always put forth their powers of deception. Use all the strength of thy arms.”[6]\u003C\/blockquote\u003EEventually, Bhima prevailed over the Rakshas and slayed him by breaking his spine. At another time, Bhima fought with a Rakshas called Vaka, who has been described as follows: “Of huge body and great strength, of red eyes, red beard, and red hair, he was terrible to behold, and he came, pressing deep the earth with his tread.”[7] Clearly, the man-eating, nocturnal monsters of the \u003Ci\u003EMahabharata\u003C\/i\u003E were covered with red hair, just like the smaller variant of the Yeti (also known as meh-teh) which attacks humans.\u0026nbsp;\u0026nbsp;\u0026nbsp;\u0026nbsp;\u0026nbsp; \u003C\/span\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u003Cspan style=\"font-size: medium;\"\u003EThe \u003Ci\u003EMahabharata\u003C\/i\u003E also tells us that the Rakshasas generally inhabited dense forests, particularly those located on the remote slopes of the Himalayas. There are multiple passages in the Mahabharata which confirm this. For instance:\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cul style=\"text-align: left;\"\u003E\u003Cli\u003E\u003Cspan style=\"font-size: medium;\"\u003EThis Himalaya is inaccessible, and abounds with Yakshas (dwarfs) and the Rakshasas, and searching about for me, they will be distracted.[8]\u003C\/span\u003E\u003Cspan style=\"font-size: medium;\"\u003E \u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/li\u003E\u003Cli\u003E\u003Cspan style=\"font-size: medium;\"\u003EProtected by them, and also watched over by the Rakshasas, these mountains (Himalayas) have been rendered inaccessible.[9]\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/li\u003E\u003Cli\u003E\u003Cspan style=\"font-size: medium;\"\u003ESo Rakshasas and Pishacas (shape-shifting spirits who can possess humans) protect the Himavat (Himalayas), the best of mountains.[10]\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/li\u003E\u003C\/ul\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u003Cspan style=\"font-size: medium;\"\u003EWhat we can conclude from these ancient accounts is that, the Yeti phenomenon is intimately tied up with the scary monsters of the Indian epics called Rakshasas. While some of the Rakshasas of the epic tales correspond to the smaller, man-eating, red-haired Yetis called meh-teh, there are others which are not man-eaters, and probably correspond to the larger variant of the Yetis, the dzu-teh, which is covered in dark hair and feeds on yaks.\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u003Cspan style=\"font-size: medium;\"\u003E\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cdiv class=\"separator\" style=\"clear: both; text-align: center;\"\u003E\u003Cspan style=\"font-size: medium;\"\u003E\u003Ca href=\"https:\/\/blogger.googleusercontent.com\/img\/b\/R29vZ2xl\/AVvXsEgidxFs1EW_8vZBIK9orwU4SNnT1GDQFCduFMgpXRwOOKxq-wsNCiBQzFLI6xWT5Ie8T8URcBDqTJ9eQyCp_YnQ8RIInaACdVUJbQm3hJFLeSWt_MUTu04hu6_xKDA0XwcSG7h6Fm7usgjRYmkozfEtAks36tZYY0oI3rayFvb2gqhVHJc9bevH81Z3v_g\/s1200\/Yeti%20small%20dangerous.jpg\" imageanchor=\"1\" style=\"margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;\"\u003E\u003Cimg border=\"0\" data-original-height=\"800\" data-original-width=\"1200\" height=\"426\" src=\"https:\/\/blogger.googleusercontent.com\/img\/b\/R29vZ2xl\/AVvXsEgidxFs1EW_8vZBIK9orwU4SNnT1GDQFCduFMgpXRwOOKxq-wsNCiBQzFLI6xWT5Ie8T8URcBDqTJ9eQyCp_YnQ8RIInaACdVUJbQm3hJFLeSWt_MUTu04hu6_xKDA0XwcSG7h6Fm7usgjRYmkozfEtAks36tZYY0oI3rayFvb2gqhVHJc9bevH81Z3v_g\/w640-h426\/Yeti%20small%20dangerous.jpg\" width=\"640\" \/\u003E\u003C\/a\u003E\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/div\u003E\u003Cspan style=\"font-size: medium;\"\u003EUnfortunately, since most scientists and academics these days derisively dismiss the ancient legends as being the stuff of fantasy, we find ourselves in a tricky situation where we cannot explain the numerous sightings of strange and bizarre creatures such as the Yeti, Bigfoot and others, even though similar creatures have been mentioned in the ancient sources.\u003C\/span\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u003Cspan style=\"font-size: medium;\"\u003EThe whole Yeti phenomenon, it appears, must have been going on in the Himalayas for thousands of years, which is how it became a part of the folklore of the Sherpas. It is only after the mountaineering expeditions begun in the early 20th century that the phenomenon received wider publicity.\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u003Cspan style=\"font-size: medium;\"\u003EOf course, the Yetis these days are a lot more secretive and prefer to live in seclusion, as compared to the bygone ages when they were seen much more easily. It is difficult to guess why this is so. Are they as spooked out by humans as we are by them? Do they think of us a vicious, merciless, predators who will capture them or destroy their peaceful lives? We can’t tell until we can somehow initiate conversations with them. Some Sherpas think that the Yeti have their own language, and the whistling and growling is a part of their communications. Some believe that they are protectors of the mountain terrains, and, in such an estimation, they are in agreement with the Mahabharata, which calls them the “protectors of the Himalayas”.\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u003Cspan style=\"font-size: medium;\"\u003EBut who are they protecting the mountains from? And what exactly are they protecting? Is it possible that they are the guardians of some hidden caves and passages that lead to the subterranean realms of various spirit beings, including their own hideouts deep inside the bowels of the earth? Perhaps they want to deter humans from coming too close to these camouflaged entrances so that they don’t stumble into them by accident? It’s not impossible, I would think. And who better to deter unwanted intruders than some monstrous cannibals of great strength and magical abilities – with a foul body odor to boot. \u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cb\u003EReferences\u003C\/b\u003E\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u003Cspan style=\"font-size: medium;\"\u003E[1] Eric Earle Shipton (1907-1977), Photographer, Yeti footprints in the Menlung Basin, https:\/\/www.christies.com\/en\/lot\/lot-4966479\u003Cbr \/\u003E[2] Wood, Gerald (1983). The Guinness Book of Animal Facts and Feats. Enfield, Middlesex\u0026nbsp;: Guinness Superlatives, taken from Wikipedia, “Kodiak bear”.\u003Cbr \/\u003E[3] \"NEPAL: Myth and Folklore of the Yeti\", Earthstoriez, https:\/\/www.earthstoriez.com\/nepal-myth-folklore-yeti\/\u003Cbr \/\u003E[4] Graham Hoyland, \"Top 10 yeti and abominable snowman sightings\", https:\/\/www.grahamhoyland.com\/yeti-sightings\/\u003Cbr \/\u003E[5] Mahabharata 01.155, https:\/\/www.sacred-texts.com\/hin\/m01\/m01155.htm\u003Cbr \/\u003E[6] Mahabharata 01.157, https:\/\/www.sacred-texts.com\/hin\/m01\/m01157.htm\u003Cbr \/\u003E[7] Mahabharata 01.166, https:\/\/www.sacred-texts.com\/hin\/m01\/m01166.htm\u003Cbr \/\u003E[8] Mahabharata 3.178.8839\u003Cbr \/\u003E[9] Mahabharata 3.139.7073\u003Cbr \/\u003E[10] Mahabharata 8.45.2467\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E"},"link":[{"rel":"replies","type":"application/atom+xml","href":"https:\/\/www.bibhudevmisra.com\/feeds\/2343087347955073153\/comments\/default","title":"Post Comments"},{"rel":"replies","type":"text/html","href":"https:\/\/www.bibhudevmisra.com\/2022\/09\/httpswww.bibhudevmisra.com202209yeti-footprints-indian-army.html#comment-form","title":"0 Comments"},{"rel":"edit","type":"application/atom+xml","href":"https:\/\/www.blogger.com\/feeds\/6864653463177413678\/posts\/default\/2343087347955073153"},{"rel":"self","type":"application/atom+xml","href":"https:\/\/www.blogger.com\/feeds\/6864653463177413678\/posts\/default\/2343087347955073153"},{"rel":"alternate","type":"text/html","href":"https:\/\/www.bibhudevmisra.com\/2022\/09\/httpswww.bibhudevmisra.com202209yeti-footprints-indian-army.html","title":"Yeti Footprints found by Indian Army point to Monsters of Indian Legends!"}],"author":[{"name":{"$t":"Bibhu Dev Misra"},"uri":{"$t":"http:\/\/www.blogger.com\/profile\/15388473714672380058"},"email":{"$t":"noreply@blogger.com"},"gd$image":{"rel":"http://schemas.google.com/g/2005#thumbnail","width":"32","height":"28","src":"\/\/blogger.googleusercontent.com\/img\/b\/R29vZ2xl\/AVvXsEh4sklyRp_L5BfqEXTjoskgFPFYpJiNJSuDN5zrcldGBaXot626bOTu8q5TUYsip63M6EkY2JbuoE6l1N5fMKiqKfzFfaaKpqm91QZx9rMdAL3t-ju2QdYi1K-BeCJsjw\/s130\/DSCN1699.JPG"}}],"media$thumbnail":{"xmlns$media":"http://search.yahoo.com/mrss/","url":"https:\/\/blogger.googleusercontent.com\/img\/b\/R29vZ2xl\/AVvXsEhgX-IgxOtb522ZzB2U6em8ewHg6Sh5U97Sb3pQb-iPPWWfL8kQXv4fNPx0O13ct0L6JL3HAB9NVkjP37wm_PYm37B_TFOkK4S7VblcovhF9CVJuHjhHfjygcoHeKgcrPYU6-_wsWJtEQALisW-EoHkdoCz1qzaVMjTKPdsSWn5nKSvutcOQUcg_4HvPdI\/s72-w400-h266-c\/Yeti%20small%20dangerous.jpg","height":"72","width":"72"},"thr$total":{"$t":"0"}},{"id":{"$t":"tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6864653463177413678.post-5821816365079786586"},"published":{"$t":"2022-08-20T22:33:00.011+05:30"},"updated":{"$t":"2024-12-10T20:34:10.319+05:30"},"category":[{"scheme":"http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#","term":"Article"},{"scheme":"http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#","term":"Cosmic Wisdom"},{"scheme":"http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#","term":"Yuga Cycle"}],"title":{"type":"text","$t":"The Phoenix: Is it a Bird or a Many-tailed, Sungrazing, Jupiter Family Comet?"},"content":{"type":"html","$t":"\u003Cp\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cdiv class=\"separator\" style=\"clear: both; text-align: center;\"\u003E\u003Ca href=\"https:\/\/blogger.googleusercontent.com\/img\/b\/R29vZ2xl\/AVvXsEjOTQrKHY4Sw-3_wqBRDGQJcnBj5Z5mftnUKDp-yJX0v1Ie1bqjo8YcR57Rp2QzpHVxOQZtYjUbz4wbb4H8Ty1ke7NGTtrxSd1H5aQdvuThxaoImcEVD0TQCBOfvtd0pwraqnC1bclKc3ewu-HHRd-2wskzpZjlItjafbJfU2s24Ba_ZdtLrmO2_E6ZKnk\/s500\/Phoenix%20thumbnail.jpg\" imageanchor=\"1\" style=\"margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;\"\u003E\u003Cimg border=\"0\" data-original-height=\"333\" data-original-width=\"500\" height=\"213\" src=\"https:\/\/blogger.googleusercontent.com\/img\/b\/R29vZ2xl\/AVvXsEjOTQrKHY4Sw-3_wqBRDGQJcnBj5Z5mftnUKDp-yJX0v1Ie1bqjo8YcR57Rp2QzpHVxOQZtYjUbz4wbb4H8Ty1ke7NGTtrxSd1H5aQdvuThxaoImcEVD0TQCBOfvtd0pwraqnC1bclKc3ewu-HHRd-2wskzpZjlItjafbJfU2s24Ba_ZdtLrmO2_E6ZKnk\/s320\/Phoenix%20thumbnail.jpg\" width=\"320\" \/\u003E\u003C\/a\u003E\u003C\/div\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u003Cspan style=\"font-family: arial;\"\u003E\u003Cspan style=\"font-size: medium;\"\u003E\u003Ci\u003E\u003Cspan style=\"font-size: small;\"\u003ENote: This article is based on my book,\"Yuga Shift\", and was originally published on MU (mysteriousuniverse.org).\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/i\u003E\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u003Cspan style=\"font-family: arial;\"\u003E\u003Cspan style=\"font-size: small;\"\u003EIn 1973, archaeologists opened the tomb of Lady Dai, the wife of a Han dynasty aristocrat, who had died in 168 BCE. In the tomb, they found a collection of manuscripts written on silk – more than 2000 years old – now known as the Mawangdui Silk Texts, since the tomb was found at the Mawangdui burial site in the Hunan province of China.\u0026nbsp;\u003Cspan\u003E\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Ca name='more'\u003E\u003C\/a\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u003Cspan style=\"font-family: arial;\"\u003E\u003Cspan style=\"font-size: small;\"\u003EAmong the treasure trove of manuscripts was a Han-era “Comet Atlas”, in which was recorded hundreds of comet sightings over a few centuries, with two-dozen rendering of specific comet forms. One of them, in particular, stood out. It was a swastika-like comet called “Di Xing, the long-tailed pheasant bird”. This comet had the longest description in the atlas: “Appearing in spring means good harvest, in summer means drought, in autumn means flood, in winter means small battles.”[1]\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u003Cspan style=\"font-family: arial;\"\u003E\u003Cspan style=\"font-size: small;\"\u003EThe reason why this comet was described as a “long-tailed pheasant bird” is not hard to guess. The tails of the comet must have resembled the pheasant bird’s long, colorful tail. There is, in fact, a strong visual similarity between a bird and a two-tailed comet. The straight, bluish, ion tail of a comet looks like the tail feathers of a bird, while the curvy, yellowish, dust tail corresponds to the wings of a bird. A two-tailed comet streaming through the night sky can be easily imagined as a gigantic, luminous bird in flight.\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Ctable align=\"center\" cellpadding=\"0\" cellspacing=\"0\" class=\"tr-caption-container\" style=\"margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;\"\u003E\u003Ctbody\u003E\u003Ctr\u003E\u003Ctd style=\"text-align: center;\"\u003E\u003Ca href=\"https:\/\/blogger.googleusercontent.com\/img\/b\/R29vZ2xl\/AVvXsEjetExIgVVK_fgH83m9qPruourbK5lzR9t8jGXCCR6bTJ9VbOsle_c3gLKM73Xvz_A6D6NBVQZHwZVmlw4wjeFpBGsQkSS4dcn9HGfSzC_22tKtpJ4z5uowiVuALKPJfJ-BvVLn9o7h0nc6YBFD0orGNnMThtR6Hx0U1SJGu13E-ihtHiMBNeaEfc6AwmI\/s1080\/51%20Comet_Hale-Bopp_Wikimedia%20CC%20BY%20SA3.jpg\" style=\"margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;\"\u003E\u003Cimg alt=\"Comet Hale-Bopp\" border=\"0\" data-original-height=\"923\" data-original-width=\"1080\" height=\"341\" src=\"https:\/\/blogger.googleusercontent.com\/img\/b\/R29vZ2xl\/AVvXsEjetExIgVVK_fgH83m9qPruourbK5lzR9t8jGXCCR6bTJ9VbOsle_c3gLKM73Xvz_A6D6NBVQZHwZVmlw4wjeFpBGsQkSS4dcn9HGfSzC_22tKtpJ4z5uowiVuALKPJfJ-BvVLn9o7h0nc6YBFD0orGNnMThtR6Hx0U1SJGu13E-ihtHiMBNeaEfc6AwmI\/w400-h341\/51%20Comet_Hale-Bopp_Wikimedia%20CC%20BY%20SA3.jpg\" width=\"400\" \/\u003E\u003C\/a\u003E\u003C\/td\u003E\u003C\/tr\u003E\u003Ctr\u003E\u003Ctd class=\"tr-caption\" style=\"text-align: center;\"\u003E\u003Cspan style=\"font-family: arial;\"\u003E\u003Cspan style=\"font-size: small;\"\u003EFigure\n 1: Comet Hale-Bopp, April 1997, shortly after passing perihelion. \nSource: E. Kolmhofer, H. Raab; Johannes-Kepler-Observatory, Linz, \nAustria; Wikimedia Commons CC BY-SA 3.0\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/td\u003E\u003C\/tr\u003E\u003C\/tbody\u003E\u003C\/table\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u003Cspan style=\"font-family: arial;\"\u003E\u003Cspan style=\"font-size: small;\"\u003EComets with multiple tails bear an even greater degree of resemblance to the many, colorful tails of the pheasant bird. For instance, the Great Comet of 1744 (also known as Comet de Chéseaux) was exceedingly bright and was visible to the naked eye for several months in 1744. It developed a spectacular “fan” of six tails after it moved away from perihelion i.e. the closest point to the Sun.\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u003Cspan style=\"font-family: arial;\"\u003E\u003Cspan style=\"font-size: small;\"\u003EIn early March 1744, the six tails extended well above the horizon while the comet's head remained invisible due to the morning twilight.[2] Observers in the Southern Hemisphere reported an incredible tail length of approximately 90° (spanning almost half the sky) on March 18.[3]\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Ctable align=\"center\" cellpadding=\"0\" cellspacing=\"0\" class=\"tr-caption-container\" style=\"margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;\"\u003E\u003Ctbody\u003E\u003Ctr\u003E\u003Ctd style=\"text-align: center;\"\u003E\u003Ca href=\"https:\/\/blogger.googleusercontent.com\/img\/b\/R29vZ2xl\/AVvXsEjn6dp4kPMbdESOoA7F1cnRHmhld57XMC06DSOGUJ5c_pAAKc6LD5gYRrKyzCtY_OWQn0qUQcAt62tQFGsd-ALT8OJAKPKLi_S-uESabI9eG0oMdVy1po4CRdAgGaODD2_1t7T5SF5awmlAMHKm0vnRnGPRRPPJnyg_Sns-pItlnGOH_3OJz7wFG-7008k\/s1080\/56%20The%20Great%20Comet%20of%201744.jpg\" style=\"margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;\"\u003E\u003Cimg border=\"0\" data-original-height=\"752\" data-original-width=\"1080\" height=\"279\" src=\"https:\/\/blogger.googleusercontent.com\/img\/b\/R29vZ2xl\/AVvXsEjn6dp4kPMbdESOoA7F1cnRHmhld57XMC06DSOGUJ5c_pAAKc6LD5gYRrKyzCtY_OWQn0qUQcAt62tQFGsd-ALT8OJAKPKLi_S-uESabI9eG0oMdVy1po4CRdAgGaODD2_1t7T5SF5awmlAMHKm0vnRnGPRRPPJnyg_Sns-pItlnGOH_3OJz7wFG-7008k\/w400-h279\/56%20The%20Great%20Comet%20of%201744.jpg\" width=\"400\" \/\u003E\u003C\/a\u003E\u003C\/td\u003E\u003C\/tr\u003E\u003Ctr\u003E\u003Ctd class=\"tr-caption\" style=\"text-align: center;\"\u003E\u003Cspan style=\"font-family: arial;\"\u003E\u003Cspan style=\"font-size: small;\"\u003EFigure\n 2: The Great Comet of 1744. From Amedee Guillemin’s The World of Comets\n (London, 1877). Source: Wikimedia Commons, Public Domain\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/td\u003E\u003C\/tr\u003E\u003C\/tbody\u003E\u003C\/table\u003E\u003Cp style=\"text-align: center;\"\u003E\u003Cspan style=\"font-family: arial;\"\u003E\u003Cspan style=\"font-size: small;\"\u003E\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/span\u003E\u003Cspan style=\"font-family: arial;\"\u003E\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Ctable align=\"center\" cellpadding=\"0\" cellspacing=\"0\" class=\"tr-caption-container\" style=\"margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;\"\u003E\u003Ctbody\u003E\u003Ctr\u003E\u003Ctd style=\"text-align: center;\"\u003E\u003Ca href=\"https:\/\/blogger.googleusercontent.com\/img\/b\/R29vZ2xl\/AVvXsEiOwwg3PPbT5JFeu89U-SkqNKbHR3ogbk0qBTmJRlGfSqpFPUcrb9bHDW9uuH288c5S1lhZ9oss2pZIsH5CnJLHw_OlsRkQWjCUnHLt-XK-DDhL714SKLTHi__pBsE8fLsYHVHZKlS1TgzZ-t84G9llbKzZFhMnpynrCo2YeYXzCEsJVikXjjF8_FtW_PQ\/s2016\/Golden%20pheasant%20twitter.jpg\" imageanchor=\"1\" style=\"margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;\"\u003E\u003Cimg border=\"0\" data-original-height=\"2016\" data-original-width=\"1590\" height=\"400\" src=\"https:\/\/blogger.googleusercontent.com\/img\/b\/R29vZ2xl\/AVvXsEiOwwg3PPbT5JFeu89U-SkqNKbHR3ogbk0qBTmJRlGfSqpFPUcrb9bHDW9uuH288c5S1lhZ9oss2pZIsH5CnJLHw_OlsRkQWjCUnHLt-XK-DDhL714SKLTHi__pBsE8fLsYHVHZKlS1TgzZ-t84G9llbKzZFhMnpynrCo2YeYXzCEsJVikXjjF8_FtW_PQ\/w315-h400\/Golden%20pheasant%20twitter.jpg\" width=\"315\" \/\u003E\u003C\/a\u003E\u003C\/td\u003E\u003C\/tr\u003E\u003Ctr\u003E\u003Ctd class=\"tr-caption\" style=\"text-align: center;\"\u003E\u003Cspan style=\"font-family: arial;\"\u003E\u003Cspan style=\"font-size: small;\"\u003EFigure 3: The male golden pheasant bird. Source: Twitter\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/td\u003E\u003C\/tr\u003E\u003C\/tbody\u003E\u003C\/table\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u003Cspan style=\"font-family: arial;\"\u003E\u003Cspan style=\"font-size: small;\"\u003EAn important ecological function performed by migratory birds is the dispersal of seeds over long distances, which they carry in their plumage or digestive tract. Comets perform a similar function on a cosmic scale. Most scientists believe that comets seeded life on Earth by bringing water and complex organic molecules. \u003C\/span\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cspan style=\"font-size: small;\"\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003EProponents of the “cometary panspermia” doctrine, such as Sir Fred Hoyle and Chandra Wickramasinghe, have proposed that comets seeded life on Earth by bringing dormant bacteria and desiccated DNA and RNA molecules. They believe that life-bearing planetary ejecta can easily hitch a ride within the shielded environment of comets, and seed distant planetary systems with life.\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u003Cspan style=\"font-family: arial;\"\u003E\u003Cspan style=\"font-size: small;\"\u003EA small percentage of meteorites found on the earth – called \"carbonaceous chondrites\" - are believed to be the remnants of extinct comets. Many carbonaceous chondrites have been found to contain water and microbial fossils, in addition to organic compounds of extraterrestrial origin.[4] \u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u003Cspan style=\"font-family: arial;\"\u003E\u003Cspan style=\"font-size: small;\"\u003ESome scientists have argued that, if comets were to transfer life across the galaxy, then solar UV radiation and cosmic rays would kill such “seeds of life” in transit. But these doubts have been dispelled by numerous experiments that show that even a thin layer of soil can protect most bacteria from lethal radiation.\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u003Cspan style=\"font-family: arial;\"\u003E\u003Cspan style=\"font-size: small;\"\u003EThe spores of Bacillus subtilis were mixed with soil and exposed to space in the BIOPAN facility of the ESA (European Space Agency), onboard the Russian Earth-orbiting FOTON satellite. The spores showed a survival rate of up to 100% after 2 weeks of exposure. The scientists in the study concluded that, \u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cblockquote\u003E\u003Cspan style=\"font-family: arial;\"\u003E\u003Cspan style=\"font-size: small;\"\u003E“The data suggest that in a scenario of interplanetary transfer of life, small rock ejecta of a few cm in diameter could be sufficiently large to protect bacterial spores against the intense insolation.”[5]\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/blockquote\u003E\u003Cspan style=\"font-family: arial;\"\u003E\u003Cspan style=\"font-size: small;\"\u003EIt would not be amiss, therefore, to think of comets as cosmic birds involved in spreading the “seeds of life” across the universe.\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/span\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u003Cspan style=\"font-family: arial;\"\u003E\u003Cspan style=\"font-size: small;\"\u003EIt is well-known that many ancient cultures venerated a specific bird-deity as a symbol of immense strength, speed and prowess, which could block out the Sun with its wings, and release thunder and flashes of lightning to destroy its enemies. This bird was variously represented as an eagle, pheasant, peacock, heron etc., and was said to return periodically to the earth. It is still used as the insignia of royalty and the armed forces in many countries around the world.\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u003Cspan style=\"font-family: arial;\"\u003E\u003Cspan style=\"font-size: small;\"\u003EThe most well-known of these bird-deities is probably the Phoenix, which the ancient Egyptians knew as the Benu Bird. When we study the descriptions of the Benu Bird or the Phoenix, and some of its related symbols in the Mediterranean world such as the Aquila or the Double-Headed Eagle, it becomes quite apparent that the Phoenix is not a terrestrial bird by any stretch of the imagination, but a giant comet that returns periodically to the Earth and causes major upheavals.\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Ch2 style=\"text-align: left;\"\u003E\u003Cspan style=\"font-family: arial; font-size: small;\"\u003E\u003Cspan\u003EThe Phoenix and the Benu Bird\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/h2\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u003Cspan style=\"font-family: arial;\"\u003E\u003Cspan style=\"font-size: small;\"\u003EWhen Herodotus had gone to Egypt he came across the legend of the Phoenix, which the Egyptians knew as the Benu Bird. The Benu Bird was self-created (“He Who Came into Being by Himself”), a manifestation of the High God Atum, who mediated between the divine mind and created things.[6]\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u003Cspan style=\"font-family: arial;\"\u003E\u003Cspan style=\"font-size: small;\"\u003EIn the primordial times, the cry of the Benu bird broke the silence of the primeval night with the call of life and destiny, “which declared everything that is and not yet.”[7] In other words, it was the Benu Bird who set the act of creation in motion, determining everything that is to come.\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u003Cspan style=\"font-family: arial;\"\u003E\u003Cspan style=\"font-size: small;\"\u003EThe Benu was a brilliant “bird of light”, for its name is related to the Egyptian verb “wbn”, meaning “to rise in brilliance” or “to shine”. The Shu texts talk of the “breath of life which emerged from the throat of the Benu Bird”[8], which tells us that the Benu brought life to the earth.\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u003Cspan style=\"font-family: arial;\"\u003E\u003Cspan style=\"font-size: small;\"\u003EIn a Coffin Text, the victorious soul says: “I come from the Isle of Fire, having filled my body with Hike, like “that bird” who [came and] filled the word with that which it had not known.”[9] \u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u003Cspan style=\"font-family: arial;\"\u003E\u003Cspan style=\"font-size: small;\"\u003EThe renowned Egyptologist R.T. Rundle Clark had clarified that, as per Egyptian belief, the Isle of Fire is the “place of everlasting light beyond the limits of the world, where the gods were born or revived and whence they were sent into the world”; while Hike is the “vital essence” of life.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Ctable align=\"center\" cellpadding=\"0\" cellspacing=\"0\" class=\"tr-caption-container\" style=\"margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;\"\u003E\u003Ctbody\u003E\u003Ctr\u003E\u003Ctd style=\"text-align: center;\"\u003E\u003Ca href=\"https:\/\/blogger.googleusercontent.com\/img\/b\/R29vZ2xl\/AVvXsEgFndZg82Hpv9sce9l47RZLLS68rFjp9iAHOexNTUsFx3aJaSSdfb53zIAA0nUF8zgGmyYiZwmIn0Qg-dM8A29mPl3aOrZLoT26m2jMkUjmCTux3s0PY_iLHubVesyk9-vSA5P8hzb6InfVnphqnauTMiWV9ApiGTNUn2G22X4pgdkL8SEfZN246O5y93M\/s1200\/59%20Benu%20bird%20papyrus%20Wikimedia%20public%20domain.jpg\" style=\"margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;\"\u003E\u003Cimg border=\"0\" data-original-height=\"870\" data-original-width=\"1200\" height=\"290\" src=\"https:\/\/blogger.googleusercontent.com\/img\/b\/R29vZ2xl\/AVvXsEgFndZg82Hpv9sce9l47RZLLS68rFjp9iAHOexNTUsFx3aJaSSdfb53zIAA0nUF8zgGmyYiZwmIn0Qg-dM8A29mPl3aOrZLoT26m2jMkUjmCTux3s0PY_iLHubVesyk9-vSA5P8hzb6InfVnphqnauTMiWV9ApiGTNUn2G22X4pgdkL8SEfZN246O5y93M\/w400-h290\/59%20Benu%20bird%20papyrus%20Wikimedia%20public%20domain.jpg\" width=\"400\" \/\u003E\u003C\/a\u003E\u003C\/td\u003E\u003C\/tr\u003E\u003Ctr\u003E\u003Ctd class=\"tr-caption\" style=\"text-align: center;\"\u003E\u003Cspan style=\"font-family: arial;\"\u003E\u003Cspan style=\"font-size: small;\"\u003EFigure\n 4: The Benu Bird was depicted in Egyptian art as a grey heron wearing \nthe Atef crown or a solar disk. Source: Public Domain Image via \nWikimedia Commons.\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/td\u003E\u003C\/tr\u003E\u003C\/tbody\u003E\u003C\/table\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u003Cspan style=\"font-family: arial;\"\u003E\u003Cspan style=\"font-size: small;\"\u003EApparently, the Egyptians are telling us of a celestial bird of light, who had brought life to the primordial earth from a place of everlasting life in the cosmos which the Egyptians called the Isle of Fire.\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u003Cspan style=\"font-family: arial;\"\u003E\u003Cspan style=\"font-size: small;\"\u003EThe Isle of Fire could be the sun, for the Benu Bird was also called the “son of Ra”[10]. The Britannica informs us, “both Horapollo and Tacitus speak of the Phoenix as a symbol of the sun.”[11] There is a definite allusion to comets here, for comets come from outer space, swing around the sun, and seed planetary systems such as ours with water and life.\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u003Cspan style=\"font-family: arial;\"\u003E\u003Cspan style=\"font-size: small;\"\u003EThe Egyptians used to depict the Benu Bird as a grey heron, wearing the Atef crown or a solar disk. When Herodotus (c.425 BCE) brought back the story of the Phoenix from Egypt to Greece, it had, by that time, transformed into an eagle with red and gold plumage. Herodotus wrote:\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cblockquote\u003E\u003Cspan style=\"font-family: arial;\"\u003E\u003Cspan style=\"font-size: small;\"\u003E“There is another sacred bird called the Phoenix. I have never seen it myself except in pictures, for it is extremely rare, only appearing, according to the people of Heliopolis, once in five hundred years, when it is seen after the death of its parent. If the pictures are accurate its size and appearance are as follows: Its plumage is partly red and partly gold, while in shape and size it is very much like an eagle. They (the Heliopolitans) tell a story about this bird which I personally find incredible: the Phoenix is said to come from Arabia, carrying the parent bird encased in myrrh; it proceeds to the temple of the sun and there buries the body.”[12]\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/blockquote\u003E\u003Cspan style=\"font-family: arial;\"\u003E\u003Cspan style=\"font-size: small;\"\u003EThe fact that the Phoenix was believed to return periodically every 500 years, is a tantalizing clue to its true nature. The only way we can explain it logically is if the Phoenix is a periodic comet.\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/span\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u003Cspan style=\"font-family: arial;\"\u003E\u003Cspan style=\"font-size: small;\"\u003EPliny added more color to Herodotus’s description of the Phoenix. In Natural History, Pliny wrote that the Phoenix “has a brilliant golden plumage around the neck, while the rest of the body is of a purple color; except the tail, which is azure (blue), with long feathers intermingled of a roseate hue.”[13] This conforms to the general appearance of comets, which have a yellowish dust tail, a blue ion tail, while some comets appear reddish due to the emission of sodium ions.\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u003Cspan style=\"font-family: arial;\"\u003E\u003Cspan style=\"font-size: small;\"\u003EHarris Rackham observed that Pliny’s description of a Phoenix, “tallies fairly closely with the golden pheasant of the Far East.”[14] Now, where else did we read about the golden pheasant? In the comet atlas of the Mawangdui Silk Texts, in which a swastika-like comet called Di Xing was described as a “long-tailed pheasant bird”.\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u003Cspan style=\"font-family: arial;\"\u003E\u003Cspan style=\"font-size: small;\"\u003EClaudian, while describing the Phoenix, wrote, “A mysterious fire flashes from its eye, and a flaming aureole enriches its head. Its crest shines with the sun’s own light and shatters the darkness with its calm brilliance.”[15] What could the flaming halo around the head of the Phoenix be, if not the brilliant coma around the nucleus of a comet? The gas and dust spewed by a comet is lighted up by solar radiation and forms an enormous glowing atmosphere around the nucleus called the coma. The dust particles reflect the sunlight directly, while the gases glow due to ionization.\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Ctable align=\"center\" cellpadding=\"0\" cellspacing=\"0\" class=\"tr-caption-container\" style=\"margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;\"\u003E\u003Ctbody\u003E\u003Ctr\u003E\u003Ctd style=\"text-align: center;\"\u003E\u003Ca href=\"https:\/\/blogger.googleusercontent.com\/img\/b\/R29vZ2xl\/AVvXsEhJ4KOWrnJJKEqh0XceVdTNpC8FT2Sp4WNYvFQgBG4FULDWAdxYJQsOjeibxaLwgTb2LagFgMU0dBhp7XGyWiZWMR6kssz1N00rKGDgM1kfB4WkOxcC5R9BRou-zAFHiPqD1Mgk6uZ4U59OQ6a3tW_gxTz11Dy6pxTsTTVZEmxzzQoWSPAeMMXU-4L1ovE\/s1024\/Phoenix-Fabelwesen.jpg\" style=\"margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;\"\u003E\u003Cimg border=\"0\" data-original-height=\"896\" data-original-width=\"1024\" height=\"350\" src=\"https:\/\/blogger.googleusercontent.com\/img\/b\/R29vZ2xl\/AVvXsEhJ4KOWrnJJKEqh0XceVdTNpC8FT2Sp4WNYvFQgBG4FULDWAdxYJQsOjeibxaLwgTb2LagFgMU0dBhp7XGyWiZWMR6kssz1N00rKGDgM1kfB4WkOxcC5R9BRou-zAFHiPqD1Mgk6uZ4U59OQ6a3tW_gxTz11Dy6pxTsTTVZEmxzzQoWSPAeMMXU-4L1ovE\/w400-h350\/Phoenix-Fabelwesen.jpg\" width=\"400\" \/\u003E\u003C\/a\u003E\u003C\/td\u003E\u003C\/tr\u003E\u003Ctr\u003E\u003Ctd class=\"tr-caption\" style=\"text-align: center;\"\u003E\u003Cspan style=\"font-family: arial;\"\u003E\u003Cspan style=\"font-size: small;\"\u003EFigure 5: A depiction of the Phoenix by Friedrich Justin Bertuch, 1806. Source: Wikimedia Commons, Public Domain.\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/td\u003E\u003C\/tr\u003E\u003C\/tbody\u003E\u003C\/table\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u003Cspan style=\"font-family: arial;\"\u003E\u003Cspan style=\"font-size: small;\"\u003EHerodotus had mentioned an intriguing fact about the Phoenix which has not been properly understood or explored. He wrote that the Phoenix carries the body of its parent, encased in myrrh, to the “Temple of the Sun” in Heliopolis and buries it there. There is a well-known story behind it.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cblockquote\u003E\u003Cspan style=\"font-family: arial;\"\u003E\u003Cspan style=\"font-size: small;\"\u003E“When the solitary Phoenix felt itself near death, which occurred every 500 to 1000 years, it built a nest of aromatic wood, and set it on fire. The flames consumed the Phoenix and a new (or renewed) Phoenix sprang up from the pyre. The new Phoenix embalmed the ashes of the prior Phoenix in an egg of fragrant myrrh, and then flew to Heliopolis, the City of the Sun. There, it left the egg on the sun god’s altar.”[16]\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/blockquote\u003E\u003Cspan style=\"font-family: arial;\"\u003E\u003Cspan style=\"font-size: small;\"\u003ENone of this, obviously, makes any sense in the context of a terrestrial bird. But if Heliopolis, the “City of the Sun” - which was known as the “House of Ra” during the Old Kingdom - refers to the sun itself, then the meaning of this passage can be unraveled. What this story could be telling us is that, the Phoenix is a \"sungrazing comet\", which loses a part of its mass due to fragmentation, when it swerves round the sun during its perihelion passage. \u003C\/span\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003C\/span\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u003Cspan style=\"font-family: arial;\"\u003E\u003Cspan style=\"font-size: small;\"\u003ESungrazing comets are a special class of comets that come very close to the sun (within 850,000 miles) at their nearest approach (i.e. perihelion), such that they undergo fragmentation and lose a part of their mass. Most sungrazing comets belong to the cometary group known as the “Kreutz sungrazers”, which are the fragments of the comet of 371 BCE, which fractured into several pieces on the 326 CE perihelion passage, and then further fractured into thousands of pieces on the 1106 CE perihelion passage. Some of the other sungrazing cometary groups are the Meyer group, Kracht group and the Marsden group.\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u003Cspan style=\"font-family: arial;\"\u003E\u003Cspan style=\"font-size: small;\"\u003EThe accounts of the Phoenix preserved in the Egyptian texts and recorded by the Greco-Roman writers suggests that the Phoenix is a colorful, periodic, sungrazing comet that suffers fragmentation during its perihelion passage around the sun, and some of the largest fragments plunge onto the solar surface and get buried there. This information was encoded in the form of a story in which the Phoenix deposited the ashes of its parent in Heliopolis.\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u003Cspan style=\"font-family: arial;\"\u003E\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cdiv class=\"separator\" style=\"clear: both; text-align: center;\"\u003E\u003Cspan style=\"font-family: arial;\"\u003E\u003Ca href=\"https:\/\/blogger.googleusercontent.com\/img\/b\/R29vZ2xl\/AVvXsEgQLoKKTmMRwqFX2Q6iXlYxXeuW6CzdZBE5bJKJeu7X-HmjUeNctOuPEy3L1Jn8LeGn_dLsPZ_5Z5eBmiqK5VEPRAYPNkZwD8Q3Xnnqn_W8nATSmx5UcfS2c2VJFrw-i11EagfPBMCzqaIXKhJJ9FI9_uINSd1sVOzASEwYvEIg1ZOs6UlD5MO_-TjtnNU\/s1400\/Phoenix%20small.jpg\" style=\"margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;\"\u003E\u003Cimg border=\"0\" data-original-height=\"933\" data-original-width=\"1400\" height=\"426\" src=\"https:\/\/blogger.googleusercontent.com\/img\/b\/R29vZ2xl\/AVvXsEgQLoKKTmMRwqFX2Q6iXlYxXeuW6CzdZBE5bJKJeu7X-HmjUeNctOuPEy3L1Jn8LeGn_dLsPZ_5Z5eBmiqK5VEPRAYPNkZwD8Q3Xnnqn_W8nATSmx5UcfS2c2VJFrw-i11EagfPBMCzqaIXKhJJ9FI9_uINSd1sVOzASEwYvEIg1ZOs6UlD5MO_-TjtnNU\/w640-h426\/Phoenix%20small.jpg\" width=\"640\" \/\u003E\u003C\/a\u003E\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/div\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cspan style=\"font-family: arial;\"\u003E\u003Cspan style=\"font-size: small;\"\u003EThe Phoenix could not have been a mortal bird by any stretch of the imagination for it was said to have an immeasurably long lifespan, and had witnessed the passing of many Ages of Man. Claudian writes, \u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cblockquote\u003E“Thou (Phoenix) hast beheld all that has been, hast witnessed the passing of the ages. Thou knowest when it was that the waves of the sea rose and o'erflowed the rocks, what year it was that Phaethon’s error devoted to the flames. Yet did no destruction overwhelm thee; sole survivor thou livest to see the earth subdued.”[17]\u003C\/blockquote\u003EThere was a widely held view in the Greco-Roman world that the appearance of the Phoenix heralds a new Age of Man. Pliny tells us that, according to the senator Manilius, the Phoenix appeared at the end of each Great Year [18] (which corresponds to one-half of the complete Yuga Cycle i.e. 12,900 years). Since we are living in an era when the descending Yuga Cycle is about to end, the return of the Phoenix could be imminent. Egyptologist R.T. Rundle Clark wrote, \u0026nbsp; \u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cblockquote\u003E“As the herald of each new dispensation, it (Phoenix) becomes, optimistically, the harbinger of good tidings…We are told that ‘the watchers tremble’ with joy when they behold it (Phoenix) coming, with the assurance that creation is still active and the world is not yet to be reabsorbed into the Abyss.”[19]\u003C\/blockquote\u003EThe “watchers” are the semi-divine beings who are believed to watch over humanity. The fact that even they erupt in joy at the sight of the Phoenix reveals the extraordinary nature of this comet which returns at the end of a Yuga and acts as a herald of a new era. Although the Phoenix brings great destruction and upheavals, it is ultimately a “harbinger of good tidings”, for it restores peace and health, joy and prosperity.\u003C\/span\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003C\/span\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u003Cspan style=\"font-family: arial;\"\u003E\u003Cspan style=\"font-size: small;\"\u003EHerodotus may have carried the legend of the Phoenix to Greece, but the Greco-Romans had their own version of the Phoenix called Aetos Dios or Aquila. An exploration of the legends and symbols associated with Aetos Dios and Aquila provides more insights into the nature of this periodic comet.\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Ch2 style=\"text-align: left;\"\u003E\u003Cspan style=\"font-family: arial;\"\u003E\u003Cspan style=\"font-size: small;\"\u003EAetos Dios and Aquila\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/h2\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u003Cspan style=\"font-family: arial;\"\u003E\u003Cspan style=\"font-size: small;\"\u003EIn Greece, the Eagle of Zeus was called Aetos Dios. It carried the thunderbolts of Zeus for striking down his opponents. To the Romans, the Eagle of Zeus was known as Aquila (meaning “eagle” in Latin). The Aquila holding the lightning of Jupiter was the standard of the Roman legions, and was a herald of victory. A legionary known as an aquilifer, the “eagle-bearer”, carried this standard. The Roman military went to great lengths to protect a standard, and in case it was lost during a battle, they spared no effort to recover it.\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u003Cspan style=\"font-family: arial;\"\u003E\u003Cspan style=\"font-size: small;\"\u003EIn addition to being an imperial symbol, the Aquila was also used as a funerary emblem, indicating a belief that the Aquila carried the souls of the deceased to heaven.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Ctable align=\"center\" cellpadding=\"0\" cellspacing=\"0\" class=\"tr-caption-container\" style=\"margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;\"\u003E\u003Ctbody\u003E\u003Ctr\u003E\u003Ctd style=\"text-align: center;\"\u003E\u003Ca href=\"https:\/\/blogger.googleusercontent.com\/img\/b\/R29vZ2xl\/AVvXsEhdaah2aMG1j5s4uQKlNNNqAMhmocqvDdhBCpU7MXdm4Qb-cODPAFuN4jYh-aN9jOnT-pRetCgdh1Ou1qCsxrnxyRn77XzRgO2R3A-HdP9w9_NbnnN49mm-cklabB3kja1NX7QyHxZIg3ndDzYsx5MSIVvBfcBiS0yqoaaT4PiJpXDE6PnysZumKEBIEsk\/s1400\/60%20Zeus%20and%20Aetos%20Dios%20the%20Eagle%20of%20Zeus.jpg\" style=\"margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;\"\u003E\u003Cimg border=\"0\" data-original-height=\"716\" data-original-width=\"1400\" height=\"205\" src=\"https:\/\/blogger.googleusercontent.com\/img\/b\/R29vZ2xl\/AVvXsEhdaah2aMG1j5s4uQKlNNNqAMhmocqvDdhBCpU7MXdm4Qb-cODPAFuN4jYh-aN9jOnT-pRetCgdh1Ou1qCsxrnxyRn77XzRgO2R3A-HdP9w9_NbnnN49mm-cklabB3kja1NX7QyHxZIg3ndDzYsx5MSIVvBfcBiS0yqoaaT4PiJpXDE6PnysZumKEBIEsk\/w400-h205\/60%20Zeus%20and%20Aetos%20Dios%20the%20Eagle%20of%20Zeus.jpg\" width=\"400\" \/\u003E\u003C\/a\u003E\u003C\/td\u003E\u003C\/tr\u003E\u003Ctr\u003E\u003Ctd class=\"tr-caption\" style=\"text-align: center;\"\u003E\u003Cspan style=\"font-family: arial;\"\u003E\u003Cspan style=\"font-size: small;\"\u003EFigure\n 6: Ancient Greek sculpture of a reclining Zeus, attended by Aetos Dios \nclasping the thunderbolt of Zeus. Source: Adobe Stock.\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/td\u003E\u003C\/tr\u003E\u003C\/tbody\u003E\u003C\/table\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u003Cspan style=\"font-family: arial;\"\u003E\u003Ctable align=\"center\" cellpadding=\"0\" cellspacing=\"0\" class=\"tr-caption-container\" style=\"margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;\"\u003E\u003Ctbody\u003E\u003Ctr\u003E\u003Ctd style=\"text-align: center;\"\u003E\u003Ca href=\"https:\/\/blogger.googleusercontent.com\/img\/b\/R29vZ2xl\/AVvXsEjZqR62G0-p_wpbFm-7aly4E7SQgDgOxLP3tXuiBTXwyXuR7qkKA6WMfC-lFwt5fctKnftoq3F-6_AfXFR02b49bVEXjy3vZmc1dKNV5sxjKwLwn14TdNxGvsDRd5_e2m578goDpR_CRMb1XWRkidZEnaC3JYtmYOhqgYqSWP6HNu2LOcSFIpaj-HSMU4g\/s1200\/Eagle%20of%20Zeus%20standing%20on%20a%20thunderbolt.jpg\" imageanchor=\"1\" style=\"margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;\"\u003E\u003Cimg border=\"0\" data-original-height=\"613\" data-original-width=\"1200\" height=\"204\" src=\"https:\/\/blogger.googleusercontent.com\/img\/b\/R29vZ2xl\/AVvXsEjZqR62G0-p_wpbFm-7aly4E7SQgDgOxLP3tXuiBTXwyXuR7qkKA6WMfC-lFwt5fctKnftoq3F-6_AfXFR02b49bVEXjy3vZmc1dKNV5sxjKwLwn14TdNxGvsDRd5_e2m578goDpR_CRMb1XWRkidZEnaC3JYtmYOhqgYqSWP6HNu2LOcSFIpaj-HSMU4g\/w400-h204\/Eagle%20of%20Zeus%20standing%20on%20a%20thunderbolt.jpg\" width=\"400\" \/\u003E\u003C\/a\u003E\u003C\/td\u003E\u003C\/tr\u003E\u003Ctr\u003E\u003Ctd class=\"tr-caption\" style=\"text-align: center;\"\u003E\u003Cspan style=\"font-family: arial;\"\u003E\u003Cspan style=\"font-size: small;\"\u003EFigure 7: Ptolemaic silver coin with the Eagle of Zeus standing on a thunderbolt. Source: Wikimedia Commons CC BY-SA 3.0\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/td\u003E\u003C\/tr\u003E\u003C\/tbody\u003E\u003C\/table\u003E\u003Ctable align=\"center\" cellpadding=\"0\" cellspacing=\"0\" class=\"tr-caption-container\" style=\"margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;\"\u003E\u003Ctbody\u003E\u003Ctr\u003E\u003Ctd style=\"text-align: center;\"\u003E\u003Ca href=\"https:\/\/blogger.googleusercontent.com\/img\/b\/R29vZ2xl\/AVvXsEgiVf_ic2SQ8gIaa9MXoETxUT0UMJNcjDi_OOLztixKtq4bUMc6qU8wX2ou_Lxnw-mqmTDd6fHJiLwqUCTkJKybhP6WZ9BkfDZrR8wV6dbM1zQGDk27xVygB9P3YpR754WhaS057d5H9GaoIzHsv9G7cUwM2z__xOeoCoUPJbmN5BIArhTK97tF_TvYe4g\/s724\/Aquila%20standard%20edit%20Wikimedia%20Commons%20CC%20BY%20SA%204.jpg\" imageanchor=\"1\" style=\"margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;\"\u003E\u003Cimg border=\"0\" data-original-height=\"724\" data-original-width=\"600\" height=\"320\" src=\"https:\/\/blogger.googleusercontent.com\/img\/b\/R29vZ2xl\/AVvXsEgiVf_ic2SQ8gIaa9MXoETxUT0UMJNcjDi_OOLztixKtq4bUMc6qU8wX2ou_Lxnw-mqmTDd6fHJiLwqUCTkJKybhP6WZ9BkfDZrR8wV6dbM1zQGDk27xVygB9P3YpR754WhaS057d5H9GaoIzHsv9G7cUwM2z__xOeoCoUPJbmN5BIArhTK97tF_TvYe4g\/s320\/Aquila%20standard%20edit%20Wikimedia%20Commons%20CC%20BY%20SA%204.jpg\" width=\"265\" \/\u003E\u003C\/a\u003E\u003C\/td\u003E\u003C\/tr\u003E\u003Ctr\u003E\u003Ctd class=\"tr-caption\" style=\"text-align: center;\"\u003E\u003Cspan style=\"font-family: arial;\"\u003E\u003Cspan style=\"font-family: arial;\"\u003E\u003Cspan style=\"font-size: small;\"\u003EFigure\n 8: The Praetorians Relief depicting Roman soldiers along with a \nstandard bearer, who holds an aquila standard, with the eagle grasping a\n thunderbolt in its talon. Marble relief, c.51-52 CE, Louvre. Source: \nChristophe Jacquand CC BY-SA 4.0 via Wikimedia Commons \u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/td\u003E\u003C\/tr\u003E\u003C\/tbody\u003E\u003C\/table\u003E\u003Cspan style=\"font-size: small;\"\u003E\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u003Cspan style=\"font-family: arial;\"\u003E\u003Cspan style=\"font-size: small;\"\u003E\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u003Cspan style=\"font-family: arial;\"\u003E\u003Cspan style=\"font-size: small;\"\u003EAccording\n to Aeschylus, when Zeus had threatened to strike the house of Amphion \nwith lightning, he had declared that he would burn it up “by means of \neagles bearing fire”.[20] Apparently, Zeus controlled a multitude of \neagles that could strike his opponents with thunderbolts.\u0026nbsp;\u0026nbsp; \u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/span\u003E\u003Cspan style=\"font-family: arial;\"\u003E\u003Cspan style=\"font-size: small;\"\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u003Cspan style=\"font-family: arial;\"\u003E\u003Cspan style=\"font-size: small;\"\u003EIt all sounds very cryptic and puzzling, until we realize that the “eagles bearing fire” are actually comets, and the “thunderbolts” which the eagles release are the fiery debris of an Earth-approaching comet, which can cause large-scale devastation.\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u003Cspan style=\"font-family: arial;\"\u003E\u003Cspan style=\"font-size: small;\"\u003EIt is a known fact that the gravity of Jupiter exerts a strong influence on the orbits of comets. Whenever a Kuiper belt or Oort cloud comet comes near Jupiter, it is either sent into a short-period orbit in the inner solar system, or is ejected out of the solar system. This is why the vast majority of short-period comets have their aphelion (i.e. farthest point from the sun) near the orbit of Jupiter. Of the nearly 586 known short-period comets, 511 have their aphelion near Jupiter's orbit. These comets are collectively known as Jupiter-family comets.\u003C\/span\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u003Cspan style=\"font-family: arial;\"\u003E\u003Cspan style=\"font-size: small;\"\u003EThis means, the “eagles bearing fire” that Zeus-Jupiter sends against his enemies, are nothing but Jupiter-family comets! It is quite astonishing that the ancient Greeks seem to have been well-aware of the role played by the planet Jupiter in regulating the periodic appearance of comets, although astronomers have discovered this only in the last few decades. The Eagle of Zeus or Aetos Dios, is, therefore, likely to be a Jupiter-family comet.\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u003Cspan style=\"font-family: arial;\"\u003E\u003Ctable align=\"center\" cellpadding=\"0\" cellspacing=\"0\" class=\"tr-caption-container\" style=\"margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;\"\u003E\u003Ctbody\u003E\u003Ctr\u003E\u003Ctd style=\"text-align: center;\"\u003E\u003Ca href=\"https:\/\/blogger.googleusercontent.com\/img\/b\/R29vZ2xl\/AVvXsEjHtN7kzjaiTeyeb7PIhcIZT9rMLH_zVFH82kk-xYjSehAhaZYXFnTrT4PK_X_HfFDSXiEtfAIsgdth9QgzZRRSTP-Z0JEBCGkQdsqnV_zXvaeojj0IExoJKiWqUFK1xoAy4FC0AshpgRNzq8x8vUWWsYAgiCJ9WjiBrNltCg1yCX1UOxPq6iNMaQDBKWo\/s1063\/Jupiter%20family%20comets%20Bibhu.jpg\" style=\"margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;\"\u003E\u003Cimg border=\"0\" data-original-height=\"893\" data-original-width=\"1063\" height=\"336\" src=\"https:\/\/blogger.googleusercontent.com\/img\/b\/R29vZ2xl\/AVvXsEjHtN7kzjaiTeyeb7PIhcIZT9rMLH_zVFH82kk-xYjSehAhaZYXFnTrT4PK_X_HfFDSXiEtfAIsgdth9QgzZRRSTP-Z0JEBCGkQdsqnV_zXvaeojj0IExoJKiWqUFK1xoAy4FC0AshpgRNzq8x8vUWWsYAgiCJ9WjiBrNltCg1yCX1UOxPq6iNMaQDBKWo\/w400-h336\/Jupiter%20family%20comets%20Bibhu.jpg\" width=\"400\" \/\u003E\u003C\/a\u003E\u003C\/td\u003E\u003C\/tr\u003E\u003Ctr\u003E\u003Ctd class=\"tr-caption\" style=\"text-align: center;\"\u003E\u003Cspan style=\"font-family: arial;\"\u003E\u003Cspan style=\"font-size: small;\"\u003EFigure 9: Jupiter-family comets have their aphelion near the orbit of Jupiter. Credit: Bibhu Dev Misra\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/td\u003E\u003C\/tr\u003E\u003C\/tbody\u003E\u003C\/table\u003E\u003C\/span\u003E\u003Cspan style=\"font-family: arial;\"\u003E\u003Cspan style=\"font-size: small;\"\u003EJupiter-family comets are all short-period comets having orbital periods of less than 200 years. But the Phoenix is supposed to return after 500 years or at the end of a Great Year of 12,900 years duration. How do we reconcile this contradiction? \u003C\/span\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u003Cspan style=\"font-family: arial;\"\u003E\u003Cspan style=\"font-size: small;\"\u003EWhat probably happens is that, this giant comet, after being active for some time, enters into a dormant state over long periods of time, when it remains hidden from view. Thus, it appears as a long-period comet even though it is a short-period, Jupiter-family comet. It is known that many comets alternate between a dormant and an active state. For instance, the centaurs are a class of small bodies which revolve around the Sun in slightly elliptical orbits, between the outer planets. Many centaurs – such as Chiron and 29P - occasionally outburst and develop a comet-like coma, which is why they have been classified both as asteroids and comets. In other words, centaurs are comets which become dormant from time to time.\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u003Cspan style=\"font-family: arial;\"\u003E\u003Cspan style=\"font-size: small;\"\u003EThe legend of the Phoenix dying, and a new Phoenix re-emerging from its ashes, was probably\u0026nbsp; based on the propensity of the comet to alternate between a dormant and an active state. When it became dormant, the old Phoenix was believed to die. When it became reactivated as a massive, dazzling, bird-like comet with many tails, it appeared to be reborn from the ashes of its parent.\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u003Cspan style=\"font-family: arial;\"\u003E\u003Cspan style=\"font-size: small;\"\u003EAnother form, in which the Aetos Dios or Aquila had became popular in Europe during the medieval age, is the “Double-headed Eagle”, which still appears on the flags and the coat of arms of many nations.\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Ch2 style=\"text-align: left;\"\u003E\u003Cspan style=\"font-family: arial;\"\u003E\u003Cspan style=\"font-size: small;\"\u003EThe Double-Headed Eagle\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/h2\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u003Cspan style=\"font-family: arial;\"\u003E\u003Cspan style=\"font-size: small;\"\u003EThe earliest known instance of the double-headed eagle symbol dates to the Hittite period (c.1600 BCE – 1200 BCE). It was carved on the Sphinx Gate at the Hittite settlement at Alaca Hoyuk in Turkey. After a gap of more than 2000 years, the double-headed eagle motif reappeared in Europe between the 10th -13th centuries CE, when it started being used by the Byzantine Empire, the Holy Roman Empire, Serbia and Russia. \u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/span\u003E\u003Cspan style=\"font-family: arial;\"\u003E\u003Ctable align=\"center\" cellpadding=\"0\" cellspacing=\"0\" class=\"tr-caption-container\" style=\"margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;\"\u003E\u003Ctbody\u003E\u003Ctr\u003E\u003Ctd style=\"text-align: center;\"\u003E\u003Ca href=\"https:\/\/blogger.googleusercontent.com\/img\/b\/R29vZ2xl\/AVvXsEgwRgFivhbL7kn6NbwUMDksNZxG6-RinidCca1asDGI-2pUZafHjnhYOGP0nAft8_qDNjnIrpo_n5pZXRNBYcPAfDngVazLhOUMhK11au_Vb2NRKPbYc2jKBymRuv4dsEaR4ta593fd-fAOFR8K40PtrODNMZLcR-FZ9vtsfvbIdTAMTAuvDXEohiEhYhs\/s1400\/61%20Double%20headed%20eagle%20Hittite%20Russia.jpg\" style=\"margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;\"\u003E\u003Cimg border=\"0\" data-original-height=\"624\" data-original-width=\"1400\" height=\"286\" src=\"https:\/\/blogger.googleusercontent.com\/img\/b\/R29vZ2xl\/AVvXsEgwRgFivhbL7kn6NbwUMDksNZxG6-RinidCca1asDGI-2pUZafHjnhYOGP0nAft8_qDNjnIrpo_n5pZXRNBYcPAfDngVazLhOUMhK11au_Vb2NRKPbYc2jKBymRuv4dsEaR4ta593fd-fAOFR8K40PtrODNMZLcR-FZ9vtsfvbIdTAMTAuvDXEohiEhYhs\/w640-h286\/61%20Double%20headed%20eagle%20Hittite%20Russia.jpg\" width=\"640\" \/\u003E\u003C\/a\u003E\u003C\/td\u003E\u003C\/tr\u003E\u003Ctr\u003E\u003Ctd class=\"tr-caption\" style=\"text-align: center;\"\u003E\u003Cspan style=\"font-family: arial;\"\u003E\u003Cspan style=\"font-size: small;\"\u003EFigure 10: Double-headed eagle symbols of the Hittites and the Russian Empire.\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/td\u003E\u003C\/tr\u003E\u003C\/tbody\u003E\u003C\/table\u003E\u003C\/span\u003E\u003Cspan style=\"font-family: arial;\"\u003E\u003Cspan style=\"font-size: small;\"\u003ESome scholars believe that the Roman Aquila was modified into a double-headed eagle emblem, while others suspect that a lingering Hittite influence from Turkey may have played a part in the re-emergence of this symbol.\u003C\/span\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u003Cspan style=\"font-family: arial;\"\u003E\u003Cspan style=\"font-size: small;\"\u003EAfter the double-headed eagle was adopted as the imperial symbol of the Byzantine Empire, its use became widespread, particularly on the coat of arms of many nations.\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u003Cspan style=\"font-family: arial;\"\u003E\u003Cspan style=\"font-size: small;\"\u003EIn India, a double-headed eagle called Gandaberunda – having long tail feathers like that of a peacock - was used as the insignia of the Kingdom of Mysore in the 15th century CE. Like the single-headed eagle, the double-headed eagle was an imperial symbol that represented the divine authority of the king, insurmountable strength and martial prowess.\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u003Cspan style=\"font-family: arial;\"\u003E\u003Cspan style=\"font-size: small;\"\u003EBut why was imperial eagle symbol depicted with two heads? The enigma can be resolved when we take into consideration that the imperial eagle symbolizes a comet.\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u003Cspan style=\"font-family: arial;\"\u003E\u003Cspan style=\"font-size: small;\"\u003ERecent scientific discoveries have revealed that many cometary nucleus are bi-lobed. In 2014, the Rosetta mission of the European Space Agency (ESA) found that the nucleus of Comet 67P has a bi-lobed structure i.e. it has two large lobes, connected by a narrow neck.[21] As per a press release by the ESA, Comet 67P has “a duck-like appearance”[22], since one of the lobes slightly was bigger than the other. \u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/span\u003E\u003Cspan style=\"font-family: arial;\"\u003E\u003Ctable align=\"center\" cellpadding=\"0\" cellspacing=\"0\" class=\"tr-caption-container\" style=\"margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;\"\u003E\u003Ctbody\u003E\u003Ctr\u003E\u003Ctd style=\"text-align: center;\"\u003E\u003Ca href=\"https:\/\/blogger.googleusercontent.com\/img\/b\/R29vZ2xl\/AVvXsEi0Ie8J86JVvRMVWQ0t5jqudVzFJC_Eb8VXJXYlGl_Cf8yp8sY2nDrA0lV-emlJ-pS9_CRIH04fkpJA_TRLPW1O2RDhQ5h5UD_ePo1oHcDhhc9hJtBgd_S7oHuLag0cDkh6FNwht4hbQaC0K2MNp4gXCwmq5MycZJ72KEY__KO_I8IOuVZn0vhrCiqIKF4\/s900\/62%20Comet%2067P%20Churyumov%20Gerasimenko%20on_3_August_2014%20ESA.jpg\" style=\"margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;\"\u003E\u003Cimg border=\"0\" data-original-height=\"675\" data-original-width=\"900\" height=\"300\" src=\"https:\/\/blogger.googleusercontent.com\/img\/b\/R29vZ2xl\/AVvXsEi0Ie8J86JVvRMVWQ0t5jqudVzFJC_Eb8VXJXYlGl_Cf8yp8sY2nDrA0lV-emlJ-pS9_CRIH04fkpJA_TRLPW1O2RDhQ5h5UD_ePo1oHcDhhc9hJtBgd_S7oHuLag0cDkh6FNwht4hbQaC0K2MNp4gXCwmq5MycZJ72KEY__KO_I8IOuVZn0vhrCiqIKF4\/w400-h300\/62%20Comet%2067P%20Churyumov%20Gerasimenko%20on_3_August_2014%20ESA.jpg\" width=\"400\" \/\u003E\u003C\/a\u003E\u003C\/td\u003E\u003C\/tr\u003E\u003Ctr\u003E\u003Ctd class=\"tr-caption\" style=\"text-align: center;\"\u003E\u003Cspan style=\"font-family: arial;\"\u003E\u003Cspan style=\"font-size: small;\"\u003EFigure 11: Comet 67P\/Churyumov-Gerasimenko images by Rosetta’s camera on 3 August, 2014. Credit: ESA, Public Domain Image.\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/td\u003E\u003C\/tr\u003E\u003C\/tbody\u003E\u003C\/table\u003E\u003C\/span\u003E\u003Cspan style=\"font-family: arial;\"\u003E\u003Cspan style=\"font-size: small;\"\u003E In fact, of the seven comets astronomers have seen at high resolution till now, five are bi-lobed. It is quite possible, therefore, that the “bird comet” venerated by the ancient cultures also has a bi-lobed nucleus i.e. its nucleus consists of two lobes joined by a narrow neck.\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u003Cspan style=\"font-family: arial;\"\u003E\u003Cspan style=\"font-size: small;\"\u003EThis would explain why it was represented as a double-headed eagle. Apparently, our ancestors had a very detailed knowledge of the structure of this comet which returns periodically to reset civilization.\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Ch2 style=\"text-align: left;\"\u003E\u003Cspan style=\"font-family: arial;\"\u003E\u003Cspan style=\"font-size: small;\"\u003EConclusion\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/h2\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u003Cspan style=\"font-family: arial;\"\u003E\u003Cspan style=\"font-size: small;\"\u003EThis review of the legends and characterestics of the Phoenix and the Benu Bird, as well as the related symbols in the Mediterranean region such as the Aetos Dios \/ Aquila and the Double-headed Eagle, indicates quite clearly that the Phoenix was not a terrestrial bird by any stretch of the imagination. Its description matches those of a periodic comet that returns to the Earth towards the end of every World Age or Yuga, and acts as a herald of a new way of life. \u003Cbr \/\u003EEven though it causes great destruction, it was regarded as a symbol of “good tidings” for it restored health and prosperity.\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u003Cspan style=\"font-family: arial;\"\u003E\u003Cspan style=\"font-size: small;\"\u003EA great deal of specific information about this comet can be gleaned from the ancient legends and texts, once we become aware of its true nature:\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cblockquote\u003E\u003Cspan style=\"font-family: arial;\"\u003E\u003Cspan style=\"font-size: small;\"\u003EIt is an enormous, colourful, many-tailed comet that resembles the golden pheasant bird with its many colourful tails.\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/blockquote\u003E\u003Cblockquote\u003E\u003Cspan style=\"font-family: arial;\"\u003E\u003Cspan style=\"font-size: small;\"\u003EIt periodically strikes the Earth with burning pieces of rocks, which the ancients called the “thunderbolts” of the gods.\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/blockquote\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cblockquote\u003E\u003Cspan style=\"font-family: arial;\"\u003E\u003Cspan style=\"font-size: small;\"\u003EThe comet seeded the Earth with water and life - as posited by the “cometary panspermia” doctrine - and initiated the cycles of creation.\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/blockquote\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cblockquote\u003E\u003Cspan style=\"font-family: arial;\"\u003E\u003Cspan style=\"font-size: small;\"\u003EIt is a sungrazing comet that suffers fragmentation during its perihelion passage around the Sun, and some of the large fragments plunge onto the solar surface.\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/blockquote\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cblockquote\u003E\u003Cspan style=\"font-family: arial;\"\u003E\u003Cspan style=\"font-size: small;\"\u003EIt is a Jupiter-family comet, with its aphelion near the orbit of Jupiter, since the comet was controlled by Zeus \/ Jupiter. \u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/blockquote\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cblockquote\u003E\u003Cspan style=\"font-family: arial;\"\u003E\u003Cspan style=\"font-size: small;\"\u003EIt periodically enters into a dormant state and becomes active after at the end of 500 years or a Great Year of approximately 12,900 years duration.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/blockquote\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cblockquote\u003E\u003Cspan style=\"font-family: arial;\"\u003E\u003Cspan style=\"font-size: small;\"\u003EThe nucleus of the comet has a bi-lobed structure i.e. it has two large lobes connected by a narrow neck, which gives the appearance of a double-headed bird.\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/blockquote\u003E\u003Cspan style=\"font-family: arial;\"\u003E\u003Cspan style=\"font-size: small;\"\u003EThe cometary nature of the bird-deity is obvious from the descriptions in the ancient texts and legends. Indeed, nothing other than a comet would tally with these imageries!\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/span\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u003Cspan style=\"font-family: arial;\"\u003E\u003Cspan style=\"font-size: small;\"\u003EThis just goes to show that specific scientific details can be extracted from the ancient texts, once we view them in the proper perspective, instead of simply dismissing them as myths and fantasies – as so many mainstream historians and archaeologists are inclined to do.\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u003Cspan style=\"font-family: arial;\"\u003E\u003Cspan style=\"font-size: small;\"\u003EI had proposed in an earlier article that the Kali Yuga, which is the present age of discord and strife, greed and deceit, will end in 2025, followed by a long period of transition.[23] This means we getting close to the time when this comet will return and we shall confront a reality that has long been forgotten and relegated to the realm of myths. It may not be very long before the brilliant bird of light illuminates the skies and emits its call of “life and destiny”, which heralds the dawn of a new era.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cb\u003EReferences\u003C\/b\u003E\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u003Cspan style=\"font-family: arial;\"\u003E\u003Cspan style=\"font-size: x-small;\"\u003E[1] Dayle L. Brown, Skylore from Planet Earth: Stories from Around the World, AuthorHouse, 30-Jan-2015.\u003Cbr \/\u003E[2] Kronk, G. W. Cometography: A Catalog of Comets, I, Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 1999, p. 410\u003Cbr \/\u003E[3] Kronk, G. W. Cometography: A Catalog of Comets, I, Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 1999, p. 411.\u003Cbr \/\u003E[4] Chandra Wickramasinghe, “Bacterial morphologies supporting cometary panspermia: A reappraisal”, International Journal of Astrobiology, 2011, Vol.10, No.1, pp. 25-30. \u003Cbr \/\u003E[5] Gerda Horneck et al, “Protection of bacterial spores in space, a contribution to the discussion on panspermia”, Origins of Life and Evolution of the Biosphere, 2001, Vol.31, No.6, pp. 527–547. \u003Cbr \/\u003E[6] R.T. Rundle Clark, Myth and Symbol in Ancient Egypt, op. cit., p. 246\u003Cbr \/\u003E[7] Ibid, p. 84.\u003Cbr \/\u003E[8] Ibid, p. 246.\u003Cbr \/\u003E[9] Ibid, p. 247.\u003Cbr \/\u003E[10] Ibid, p. 246.\u003Cbr \/\u003E[11] “Phoenix”, The Encyclopedia Britannica: A Dictionary of Arts, Sciences, and General Literature, Vol. 18, 1885.\u003Cbr \/\u003E[12] Herodotus, The Histories 2.73.\u003Cbr \/\u003E[13] Pliny, Natural History 10.2.\u003Cbr \/\u003E[14] Pliny, Natural History, Volume III: Books 8-11, tr. by Harris Rackham, Harvard University Press, 1940, pp. 292–294.\u003Cbr \/\u003E[15] Claudian, The Carmina Minora 27: The Phoenix, Loeb Classical Library, 1922, p. 225, https:\/\/penelope.uchicago.edu\/Thayer\/E\/Roman\/Texts\/Claudian\/Carmina_Minora*\/27.html\u003Cbr \/\u003E[16] Josepha Sherman, Storytelling: An Encyclopedia of Mythology and Folklore, Routledge, 2015, p. 364.\u003Cbr \/\u003E[17] Claudian, The Carmina Minora 27:The Phoenix, Loeb Classical Library, 1922, p. 231, https:\/\/penelope.uchicago.edu\/Thayer\/E\/Roman\/Texts\/Claudian\/Carmina_Minora*\/27.html\u003Cbr \/\u003E[18] Pliny, Natural History 10.2.\u003Cbr \/\u003E[19] R.T. Rundle Clark, Myth and Symbol in Ancient Egypt, op. cit., pp. 246-247.\u003Cbr \/\u003E[20] Niobe quoted in Aristophanes, Birds, pp. 1247-48.\u003Cbr \/\u003E[21] Ana V. Aceves, “Comets Break Up and Make Up”, Sky \u0026amp; Telescope, 13 June 2016, https:\/\/skyandtelescope.org\/astronomy-news\/comets-break-up-and-make-up\/\u003Cbr \/\u003E[22] “Rosetta arrives at comet destination”, European Space Agency, 6 August 2014, https:\/\/www.esa.int\/Science_Exploration\/Space_Science\/Rosetta\/Rosetta_arrives_at_comet_destination\u003Cbr \/\u003E[23] Bibhu Dev Misra, “The end of the Kali Yuga in 2025: Unraveling the mysteries of the Yuga Cycle”, Ancient Inquiries, July 15, 2012 , https:\/\/www.bibhudevmisra.com\/2012\/07\/end-of-kali-yuga-in-2025-unraveling.html\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E"},"link":[{"rel":"replies","type":"application/atom+xml","href":"https:\/\/www.bibhudevmisra.com\/feeds\/5821816365079786586\/comments\/default","title":"Post Comments"},{"rel":"replies","type":"text/html","href":"https:\/\/www.bibhudevmisra.com\/2022\/08\/the-phoenix-is-it-bird-or-sungrazing_2.html#comment-form","title":"2 Comments"},{"rel":"edit","type":"application/atom+xml","href":"https:\/\/www.blogger.com\/feeds\/6864653463177413678\/posts\/default\/5821816365079786586"},{"rel":"self","type":"application/atom+xml","href":"https:\/\/www.blogger.com\/feeds\/6864653463177413678\/posts\/default\/5821816365079786586"},{"rel":"alternate","type":"text/html","href":"https:\/\/www.bibhudevmisra.com\/2022\/08\/the-phoenix-is-it-bird-or-sungrazing_2.html","title":"The Phoenix: Is it a Bird or a Many-tailed, Sungrazing, Jupiter Family Comet?"}],"author":[{"name":{"$t":"Bibhu Dev Misra"},"uri":{"$t":"http:\/\/www.blogger.com\/profile\/15388473714672380058"},"email":{"$t":"noreply@blogger.com"},"gd$image":{"rel":"http://schemas.google.com/g/2005#thumbnail","width":"32","height":"28","src":"\/\/blogger.googleusercontent.com\/img\/b\/R29vZ2xl\/AVvXsEh4sklyRp_L5BfqEXTjoskgFPFYpJiNJSuDN5zrcldGBaXot626bOTu8q5TUYsip63M6EkY2JbuoE6l1N5fMKiqKfzFfaaKpqm91QZx9rMdAL3t-ju2QdYi1K-BeCJsjw\/s130\/DSCN1699.JPG"}}],"media$thumbnail":{"xmlns$media":"http://search.yahoo.com/mrss/","url":"https:\/\/blogger.googleusercontent.com\/img\/b\/R29vZ2xl\/AVvXsEjOTQrKHY4Sw-3_wqBRDGQJcnBj5Z5mftnUKDp-yJX0v1Ie1bqjo8YcR57Rp2QzpHVxOQZtYjUbz4wbb4H8Ty1ke7NGTtrxSd1H5aQdvuThxaoImcEVD0TQCBOfvtd0pwraqnC1bclKc3ewu-HHRd-2wskzpZjlItjafbJfU2s24Ba_ZdtLrmO2_E6ZKnk\/s72-c\/Phoenix%20thumbnail.jpg","height":"72","width":"72"},"thr$total":{"$t":"2"}}]}});