The Stanzas of Dzyan by H.P.

Blavatsky
The Stanzas of Dzyan
by H.P. Blavatsky
Reprinted from "The Secret Doctrine" by H.P. Blavatsky
The stanzas of The Book of Dzyan are not easy to understand but they reveal to the person !illin" to
study them a sublime description of cosmic evolution# the rea!akenin" of the universe after a period of
$uiescence the differentiation of forms the process of !orld formation the appearance of humanity on
earth and the early evolution of our species
%&R'(&RD
TH' S')R'T B&&*S &% +,-./R01+ -1D D23-1
4'5tracted from the 6rd 7olume of the Secret Doctrine/ Pa"e 89: ;
S31&PS0S &% TH' %0RST S'7'1 ST-12-S
P-RT &1' / )&S.&<'1'S0S ST-12- /=/ ST-12- />/
ST-12- /6/ ST-12- /8/ ST-12- /:/ ST-12- /?/ ST-12- /@/
P-RT T(& / -1THR&P&<'1'S0S ST-12- /=/ ST-12- />/
ST-12- /6/ ST-12- /8/ ST-12- /:/ ST-12- /?/ ST-12- /@/
ST-12- /A/ ST-12- /B/ ST-12- /=9/ ST-12- /==/ ST-12- /=>/
Pa"e =
The Stanzas of Dzyan by H.P. Blavatsky
FOREWORD
"(H&" asks .adame Blavatsky in the Preface to the first edition of the Secret Doctrine, has ever even
heard of the Book of DzyanC" That !as in =AAA. Today so many people have heard of it so many
students of the !orld/mystery have felt some inner fiber of their nature thrill in response to the sonorous
roll of its archaic phrases that in obedience to a very real and persistent demand the Stanzas on !hich
the first t!o volumes of the Secret Doctrine are based are here reprinted in convenient form.
%or the information of readers into !hose hands these Stanzas may no! fall for the first time it is
desirable to "ive some brief account of their source on the authority of the &ccultist !ho translated and
introduced them to the !orld of modern thou"ht. The follo!in" particulars are derived from the
0ntroduction and Proem to the Secret Doctrine and from the Preface to the Voice of the Silence, !hich
.adame Blavatsky tells us forms part of the same series of lon"/concealed manuscript treasurers to
!hich the Stanzas of Dzyan belon".
The Book of Dzyan 4 or Dzan / a !ord !hich .adame Blavatsky connects !ith Dhyana; is not in the
possession of any 'uropean library and !as never head of by 'uropean scholarshipD nevertheless it
e5ists and lies hidden even from the enterprisin" !ar/correspondent in one of the mysterious rock/
libraries that the spurs of the Himalayas may even yet contain.
.any rare and priceless heirlooms of a lon"/lost science are it is asserted still in e5istence in safe
custody# !orks that !ere thou"ht to have been lost to humanity since the burnin" of the "reat library of
-le5andria and much more of ori"inal documentary matter that has reached the modern !orld only in
the form of thousands of scattered fra"ments in the vast accumulation of Sanskrit .SS. remain for
posterity to unveil. The Stanzas of Dzyan are an earnest of !hat may follo! !hen the time is ripe the
present selection bein" !e are told but a fe! fra"ments of a "reat !hole !hich !ould seem to be
cosmic history upon the most "randiose and stupendous scale. They are !ritten in a lan"ua"e unkno!n
to philolo"y if indeed the term "!ritten" is applicable to ideo"raphs of !hich it !ould appear they lar"ely
consist and this associated !ith the use of a color system of symbolo"y. [See Preface to the "Voice of
the Silence ]
"They are "iven throu"hout" says H.P.Blavatsky in their modern translated version as it !ould be
!orse than useless to make the subEect still more difficult by introducin" the archaic phraseolo"y of the
ori"inal !ith its puzzlin" style and !ords".
The terms used !here non/translatable into 'n"lish are Tibetan or Sanskrit and for the "eneral reader
they !ill be fre$uently a stumblin"/block unless reference be made to the Secret Doctrine itself !here
the commentaries on the te5t !ill be "enerally found to supply the meanin".
Pa"e >
The Stanzas of Dzyan by H.P. Blavatsky
THE SECRET BOOKS OF !"#$R%& "&D D'("&
The Book of Dzyan - from the Sanskrit !ord "Dhyan" 4mystic meditation; / is the first volume of the
)ommentaries upon the seven secret folios of *iu/te and a <lossary of the public !orks of the same
name. Thirty/five volumes of *iu/te for e5oteric purposes and the use of the laymen may be found in the
possession of the Tibetan <elu"pa ,amas in the library of any monasteryD and also fourteen books of
)ommentaries and -nnotations on the same by the initiated Teachers.
Strictly speakin" those thirty/five books ou"ht to be termed "The Popularized 7ersion" of the Secret
Doctrine full of myths blinds and errorsD the fourteen volumes of Commentaries, on the other hand /
!ith their translations annotations and an ample "lossary of occult terms !orked out from one archaic
folio the Book of the Secret Wisdom of the World - contains a di"est of all the &ccult Sciences. These it
appears are kept secret and apart in the char"e of the Teshu ,ama of TEi/"ad/Ee. The Books of *iu/te
are comparatively modern havin" been edited !ithin the past millennium !hereas the earliest volumes
of the Commentaries are of untold anti$uity some fra"ments of the ori"inal cylinders havin" been
preserved. (ith the e5ception that they e5plain and correct some of the too fabulous and to every
appearance"rossly/e5a""erated accounts in the Books of *iu/te / properly so/called / the
Commentaries have little to do !ith these. They stand in relation to them as the )haldaeo / Fe!ish
Kabalah stands to the .osaic Books. 0n the !ork kno!n as the Avatumsaka Sutra, in section# "The
Supreme -tman GSoulH as manifested in the character of the -rhats and the Pratyeka Buddhas" it is
stated that#
Because from the be"innin" all sentient creatures have confused the truth and embraced the
false therefore there came into e5istence a hidden kno!led"e called -laya 7iEnana.
" (ho is in possession of the true kno!led"eC" is asked. "The "reat Teachers of the Sno!y .ountain" is
the response.
These +"reat Teachers" have been kno!n to live in the "Sno!y Ran"e" of the Himalayas for countless
a"es. To deny in the face of millions of Hindus the e5istence of their "reat <urus livin" in the -shrams
scattered all over the Trans / or the )is/Himalayan slopes is to make oneself ridiculous in their eyes.
(hen the Buddhist Saviour appeared in 0ndia their -shrams / for it is rarely that these "reat .en are
found in ,amaseries unless on a short visit / !here on the spots they no! occupy and that even before
the Brahmans themselves came from )entral -sia to settle on the 0ndus. -nd before that more than one
-ryan DviEa of fame and historical reno!n had sat at their feet learnin" that !hich culminated later on in
one or another of the "reat philosophical schools. .ost of these Himalayan Bhante !ere -ryan
Brahmans and ascetics.
1o studentunless very advanced !ould be benefited by the perusal of those e5oteric volumes. They
must be read !ith a key to their meanin" and that key can only be found in the Commentaries .oreover
there are some comparatively modern !orks that are positively so inEurious as far as a fair
comprehension of even e5oteric Buddhism is concerned. Such are the Buddhist Cosmos, by Bonze Fin/
ch+on of PekinD the Shin!-"au-ki 4or "he #ecords of the $nli!htenment of "atha!ata% by (an" Puk /
seventh centuryD &isai-Sutra 4or Book of Creation%, and some others.
Pa"e 6
The Stanzas of Dzyan by H.P. Blavatsky
S(&OPS%S OF THE F%RST SE)E& ST"&'"S
#e'rinted from the (roem to Vol-)- of the *Secret Doctrine*
The history of )osmic 'volution as traced in the Stanzas is so to say the abstract al"ebraical formula
of that evolution. Hence the student must not e5pect to find there an account of all the sta"es and
transformations !hich intervene bet!een the first be"innin"s of Iniversal 'volution and our present
state. To "ive such an account !ould be as impossible as it !ould be incomprehensible to men !ho
cannot "rasp the nature of even the plane of e5istence ne5t to that to !hich for the moment their
consciousness is limited.
The Stanzas therefore "ive an abstract formula !hich can be applied mutatis mutandis, to all evolution#
to that of our tiny 'arth to that of the )hain of Planets of !hich the 'arth forms one to the Solar
Iniverse to !hich that )hain belon"s and so on in an ascendin" scale till the mind reels and is
e5hausted in the effort.
The Seven Stanzas "iven in this 4the first; volume represent the seven terms of this abstract formula.
They refer to and describe the seven "reat sta"es of the evolutionary process !hich are spoken of in
the (uranas as the "Seven )reations" and in the Bible as the *Days* of )reation.
Stanza -1- describes the state of the &1' -,, durin" Pralaya before the first flutter of rea!akenin"
.anifestation.
- moment+s thou"ht sho!s that such a state can only be symbolizedD to describe it is impossible. 1or
can it be symbolized e5cept in ne"ativesD for since it is the state of -bsoluteness 'er se, it can possess
none of those specific attributes !hich serve us to describe obEects in positive terms. Hence that state
can only be su""ested by the ne"atives of all those most abstract attributes !hich men feel rather than
conceive as the remotest limits attainable by their po!er of conception.
Stanza $*$ describes a sta"e !hich to a (estern mind is so nearly identical !ith that mentioned in
Stanza 0. that to e5press the idea of its difference !ould re$uire a treatise in itself Hence it must be left to
the intuition and the hi"her faculties of the reader to "rasp as far as he canthe meanin" of the
alle"orical phrases used. 0ndeed it must be remembered that all these Stanzas appeal to the inner
faculties rather than to the ordinary comprehension of the physical brain.
Stanza $+$ describes the Rea!akenin" of the Iniverse to life after Pralaya. 0t depicts the emer"ence of
the .onads from their state of absorption !ithin the &nethe earliest and hi"hest sta"e in the formation of
(orlds / the term .onad bein" one !hich may apply e$ually to the vastest Solar System or the tiniest
atom.
Stanza $,$ sho!s the differentiation of the "<erm" of the Iniverse into the Septenary Hierarchy of
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The Stanzas of Dzyan by H.P. Blavatsky
conscious Divine Po!ers!hich are the active manifestations of the &ne Supreme 'ner"y. They are the
framers shapers and ultimately the creators of all the manifested Iniverse in the only sense in !hich
the name "creator" is intelli"ibleD they inform and "uide itD they are the intelli"ent Bein"s !ho adEust and
control evolution embodyin" in themselves those manifestations of the &ne ,a! !hich !e kno! as the
",a!s of 1ature".
<enerally they are kno!n as the Dhyan )hohans throu"h each of the various "roups has its o!n
desi"nation in the Secret Doctrine.
This sta"e of evolution is spoken of in Hindu mytholo"y as the ")reation of the <ods".
Stanza $-$ describes the process of !orld/formation. %irstdiffused )osmic .atter then the "%iery
(hirl!ind" the first sta"e in the formation of a nebula. This nebula condenses and after passin" throu"h
various transformations form a Solar Iniverse a Planetary )hain or a sin"le Planet as the case may
be.
Stanza $.$ indicates the subse$uent sta"es in the formation of a "(orld" and brin"s the evolution of
such a (orld do!n to its fourth "reat period correspondin" to the period in !hich !e are no! livin".
Stanza $/$ continues the history tracin" the descent of life do!n to the appearance of .anD and thus
closes the %irst Book of the Secret Doctrine.
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The Stanzas of Dzyan by H.P. Blavatsky
P"RT O&E
ST"&'" $0$
=. The 'ternal Parent !rapped in her 'ver/ 0nvisible Robes had slumbered once a"ain for Seven
'ternities.
>. Time !as not for it lay asleep in the 0nfinite Bosom of Duration
6. Iniversal .ind !as not for there !ere no -h/hi to contain it.
8. The Seven (ays to Bliss !ere not The <reat )auses of .isery !ere not for there !as no one to
produce and "et ensnared by them..
:. Darkness alone filled the Boundless -ll for %ather .other and Son !ere once more one and the Son
had not yet a!akened for the ne! (heel and his Pil"rima"e thereon.
?. The Seven Sublime ,ords and the Seven Truths had ceased to be and the Iniverse the Son of
1ecessity !as immersed in Paranishpanna to be outbreathed by that !hich is and yet is not. 1au"ht
!as.
@. The )auses of '5istence had been done a!ay !ithD the 7isible that !as and the 0nvisible that is
rested in 'ternal 1on/Bein" / the &ne Bein".
A. -lone the &ne %orm of '5istence stretched boundless infinite causeless in Dreamless SleepD and
,ife pulsated unconscious in Iniversal Space throu"hout that -ll/Presence !hich is sensed by the
&pened 'ye of Dan"ma
B. But !here !as Dan"ma !hen the -laya of the Iniverse !as in ParamJrtha and the <reat (heel !as
-nupadakaC
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The Stanzas of Dzyan by H.P. Blavatsky
ST"&'" $*$
=. . . . (here !ere the Builders the ,uminous Sons of .anvantaric Da!nC ... 0n the Inkno!n Darkness
in their -h/hi Paranishpanna. The Producers of %orm from 1o/%orm // the Root of the (orld // the
DevamJtri and SvabhJvat rested in the Bliss of 1on/Bein".
>. . . . (here !as SilenceC (here the ears to sense itC 1othere !as neither Silence nor SoundD nau"ht
save )easeless 'ternal Breath !hich kno!s itself not.
6. The Hour had not yet struckD the Ray had not yet flashed into the <ermD the .Jtripadma had not yet
s!ollen.
8. Her Heart had not yet opened for the &ne Ray to enterthence to fall as Three into %ourinto the ,ap of
.aya.
:. The Seven !ere not yet born from the (eb of ,i"ht. Darkness alone !as %ather/.other SvabhJvatD
and SvabhJvat !as in Darkness.
?. These T!o are the <erm and the <erm is &ne. The Iniverse !as still concealed in the Divine
Thou"ht and the Divine Bosom. .
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The Stanzas of Dzyan by H.P. Blavatsky
ST"&'" $+$
=. . . . The last 7ibration of the Seventh 'ternity thrills throu"h 0nfinitude. The .other s!ells e5pandin"
from !ithin !ithout like the Bud of the ,otus.
>. The 7ibration s!eeps alon"touchin" !ith its s!ift (in" the !hole Iniverse and the <erm that
d!elleth in Darkness the Darkness that breathes over the slumberin" (aters of ,ife..
6. Darkness radiates ,i"ht and ,i"ht drops one solitary Ray into the (aters into the .other/Deep. The
Ray shoots throu"h the 7ir"in '"" the Ray causes the 'ternal '"" to thrill and drop the non/eternal
<erm !hich condenses into the (orld/'"".
8. The Three fall into the %our. The Radiant 'ssence becomes Seven inside Seven outside. The
,uminous '"" !hich in itself is Three curdles and spreads in milk/!hite )urds throu"hout the Depths of
.other the root that "ro!s in the Depths of the &cean of ,ife.
:. The Root remains the ,i"ht remains the )urds remain and Still &eaohoo is &ne.
?. The Root of ,ife !as in every Drop of the &cean of 0mmortality and the &cean !as Radiant ,i"ht
!hich !as %ire and Heat and .otion. Darkness vanished and !as no moreD it disappeared in its o!n
'ssence the Body of %ire and (ater of %ather and .other.
@. Behold & ,anoo the Radiant )hild of the T!o the unparalleled reful"ent <lory/ Bri"ht Space Son of
Dark Space !ho emer"es from the Depths of the "reat Dark (aters. 0t is &eaohoo the 3oun"er the
KKK.He shine forth as the Sunhe is the Blazin" Divine Dra"on of (isdomD the 'ka is )hatur and )hatur
takes to itself Tri and the Inion produces the Sapta in !hom are the Seven !hich become the
Tridasha the Hosts and the .ultitudes. Behold him liftin" the 7eil and unfurlin" it from 'ast to (est. He
shuts out the -bove and leaves the Belo! to be seen as the <reat 0llusion. He marks the places for the
Shinin" &nes and turns the Ipper into a shoreless Sea of %ire and the &ne .anifested into the <reat
(aters.
A. (here !as the <erm and !here !as no! DarknessC (here is the Spirit of the %lame that burns in
thy ,amp & ,anooC The <erm is That and That is ,i"ht the (hite Brilliant Son of the Dark Hidden
%ather.
B. ,i"ht is )old %lame and %lame is %ire and %ire produces Heat !hich yields (ater / The (ater of ,ife
in the <reat .other.
=9. %ather/.other spin a (eb !hose upper end is fastened to Spirit the ,i"ht of the &ne Darkness and
the lo!er one to its shado!y end .atterD and this (eb is the Iniverse spun out of the T!o Substances
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The Stanzas of Dzyan by H.P. Blavatsky
made in &ne !hich is SvabhJvat.
==. 0t e5pands !hen the Breath of %ire is upon itD it contracts !hen the Breath of the .other touches it.
Then the Sons dissociate and scatter to return into their .other+s Bosom at the end of the <reat Day
and re/become one !ith her. (hen it is coolin" it becomes radiant. 0ts Sons e5pand and contract
throu"h their o!n Selves and HeartsD they embrace 0nfinitude.
=>. Then SvabhJvat send %ohat to harden the -toms. 'ach is a part of the (eb. Reflectin" the "Self/
'5istent ,ord" like a .irror each becomes in turn a (orld
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The Stanzas of Dzyan by H.P. Blavatsky
ST"&'" $,$
=. . . . ,isten ye Sons of the 'arth to your 0nstructors / the Sons of the %ire. ,earnthere is neither first
nor lastD for all is &ne 1umberissued from 1o/1umber.
>. ,earn !hat !e !ho descend from the Primordial Seven !e !ho are born from the Primordial %lame
have learnt from our %athers...
6. %rom the 'fful"ency of ,i"ht / the Ray of the 'ver/Darkness / spran" in Space the rea!akened
'ner"iesD the &ne from the '"" the Si5 and the %ive. Then the Three the &ne the %our the &ne the
%ive/ the T!ice Seventhe Sum Total. -nd these are the 'ssences the %lames the 'lements the
Builders the 1umbers the -rLpa the RLpa and the %orce or Divine .anthe Sum Total. -nd from the
Divine .an emanated the %orms the Sparks the Sacred -nimals and the .essen"ers of the Sacred
%athers !ithin the Holy %our.
8. This !as the -rmy of the 7oice the Divine .other of the Seven. The Sparks of the Seven are subEect
toand the servants of the %irst the Second the Thirdthe %ourththe %ifth the Si5th and the Seventh of
the Seven. These are called Spheres Trian"les )ubes,ines and .odellersD for thus stands the 'ternal
1idJna / the &i/Ha/Hou.
:. The &i/Ha/Hou !hich is Darkness the Boundless or the 1o/1umber -di/1idJna SvabhJvatthe &D
/=/The -di/Sanat the 1umber for he is &ne.
/>/The 7oice of the (ord SvabhJvat the 1umbersfor he is &ne and 1ine.
/6/ The "%ormless S$uare".
-nd these Three enclosed !ithin the & are the Sacred %ourD and the Ten are the -rLpa Iniverse. Then
come the Sons the Seven %i"hters the &ne the 'i"ht left out and his Breath !hich is the ,i"ht/.aker
?. ....Then the Second Seven !ho are the ,ipika produced by the Three. The ReEected Son is &ne. The
"Son/Suns" are countless.
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The Stanzas of Dzyan by H.P. Blavatsky
ST"&'" $-$
=. The Primordial Seven the %irst Seven Breaths of the Dra"on of (isdom produce in their turn from
their Holy )ircum"yratin" Breaths the %iery (hirl!ind.
>. They make of him the .essen"er of their (ill. The Dzyu becomes %ohat# the s!ift Son of the Divine
Sons !hose Sons are the ,ipika runs circular errands. %ohat is the Steed and the Thou"ht is the Rider.
He passes like li"htnin" throu"h the fiery cloudsD takes Three and %ive and Seven Strides throu"h the
Seven Re"ions aboveand Seven belo!. He lifts his 7oice and calls the innumerable Sparks and Eoins
them to"ether.
6. He is their "uidin" spirit and leader. (hen he commences !orkhe separates the Sparks of the ,o!er
*in"dom that float and thrill !ith Eoy in their radiant d!ellin"s and forms there!ith the <erms of (heels.
He places them in the Si5 Directions of Space and one in the .iddle/ the )entral (heel.
8. %ohat traces spiral lines to unite the Si5th to the Seventh / the )ro!n. -n -rmy of the Sons of ,i"ht
stands at each an"leD the ,ipika in the .iddle (heel. They say# "This is "ood". The first Divine (orld is
readyD the %irst the Second. Then the "Divine -rLpa " reflects itself in )hhJyJ ,oka the first <arment of
-nupJdaka.
:. %ohat takes five strides and builds a !in"ed !heel at each corner of the s$uare for the %our Holy
&nes.... and their -rmies..
?. The ,ipika circumscribe the Trian"lethe %irst &ne the )ube the Second &ne and the Pentacle
!ithin the '"". 0t is the Rin" called "Pass not" for those !ho descend and ascendD !ho durin" the *alpa
are pro"ressin" to!ards the <reat Day "Be (ith Is"..... Thus !ere formed the -rLpa and the RLpa #
from &ne ,i"ht Seven ,i"htsD from each of the Seven seven times Seven ,i"hts. The (heels !atch the
Rin"...
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The Stanzas of Dzyan by H.P. Blavatsky
ST"&'" $.$
=. By the po!er of the .other of .ercy and *no!led"e *!an/3in / the Triple of *!an / Shai/3in
residin" in *!an /3in /Tien // %ohat the Breath of their Pro"enythe Son of the Sons havin" called
forthfrom the ,o!er -byss the 0llusive %orm of Sien //Tchan and the Seven 'lements.
>. The S!ift and the Radiant &ne produces the seven ,aya )entres a"ainst !hich none !ill prevail to
the <reat Day "Be (ith Is"D and seats the Iniverse on these 'ternal %oundations surroundin" Sien/
Tchan !ith the 'lementary <erms.
6. &f the Seven / first &ne manifested Si5 concealedD T!o manifested %ive concealedD Three
manifested %our concealedD %our produced Three hiddenD %our and &ne Tsan revealed T!o and &ne/
Half concealedD Si5 to be manifested &ne laid aside. ,astly Seven Small (heels revolvin"D one "ivin"
birth to the other.
8. He builds them in the likeness of older (heels placin" them on the 0mperishable )entres.
Ho! does %ohat build themC He collects the %iery Dust. He makes Balls of %ire runs throu"h them and
round them infusin" life thereinto then sets them into motionD some one !ay some the other !ay. They
are cold he makes them hot. They are dry he makes them moist. They shine he fans and cools them.
Thus acts %ohat from one T!ili"ht to the other durin" Seven 'ternities.
:. -t the %ourth the Sons are told to create their 0ma"es &ne/Third refuses. T!o obey.
The )urse is pronounced. They !ill be born in the %ourth suffer and cause sufferin". This is the %irst
(ar.
?. The &lder (heels rotated do!n!ard and up!ard .... The .other+s Spa!n filled the !hole. There !ere
Battles fou"ht bet!een the )reators and the Destroyers and Battles fou"ht for SpaceD the Seed
appearin" and reappearin" continuously.
@. .ake thy calculations & ,anoo if thou !ouldst learn the correct a"e of thy Small (heel. 0ts %ourth
Spoke is our .other. Reach the %ourth %ruit of the %ourth Path of *no!led"e that leads to 1irvana and
thou shalt comprehend for thou shalt see....... .
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The Stanzas of Dzyan by H.P. Blavatsky
ST"&'" $/$
=. Behold the be"innin" of sentient formless ,ife.
%irst the Divine the &ne from the .other SpiritD then the SpiritualD the Three from the &ne the %our
from the &ne and the %ive from !hich the Three the %ive and the Seven. These are the Threefold and
the %ourfold do!n!ardD the .ind/born Sons of the %irst ,ord the Shinin" Seven. 0t is they !ho are thou
0 he & ,anooD they !ho !atch over thee and thy mother BhLmi
>. The &ne Ray multiplies the smaller Rays. ,ife precedes %orm and ,ife survivesthe last atom.
Throu"h the countless Rays the ,ife/Ray the &ne like a Thread throu"h many Beads.
6. (hen the &ne becomes T!o the Threefold appears and the Three are &neD and it is our Thread &
,anoo the Heart of the .an/Plant called Saptaparna
8. 0t is the Root that never diesD the Three/ton"ued %lame of the %our (icks. The (icks are the Sparks
that dra! from the Three/ton"ued %lame shot out by the Seven / their %lame / the Beams and Sparks of
one .oon reflected in the runnin" (aves of all the Rivers of 'arth.
:. The Spark han"s from the %lame by the finest thread of %ohat. 0t Eourneys throu"h the Seven (orlds of
.aya. 0t stops in the %irst and is a .etal and a StoneD it passes into the Second and behold / a PlantD
the Plant !hirls throu"h seven chan"es and becomes a Sacred -nimal. %rom the combined attributes of
these .anu the Thinker is formed. (ho forms himC The Seven ,ives and the &ne ,ife. (ho completes
himC The %ivefold ,ha. -nd !ho perfects the last BodyC %ish Sin and Soma.....
?. %rom the %irst/born the Thread bet!een the Silent (atcher and his Shado! becomes more stron" and
radiant !ith every )han"e. The mornin" Sunli"ht has chan"ed into noonday "lory....
@. "This thy present (heel" said the %lame to the Spark. "Thou art myself my ima"e and my shado!. 0
have clothed myself in thee and thou art my 7Jhan to the Day "Be (ith Is " !hen thou shalt re/become
myself and others thyself and me". Then the Builders havin" donned their first )lothin" descent on
radiant 'arth and rei"n over men // !ho are themselves.... . .
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The Stanzas of Dzyan by H.P. Blavatsky
P"RT TWO
"&THROPO1E&ES%S
4+rom the Second Volume of the *Secret Doctrine*%
&1,3 forty/nine Shlokas out of several hundred are here "iven and not every verse is translated
verbatim a periphrasis bein" sometimes used for the sake of clearness and intelli"ibility !here a literal
translation !ould be $uite unintelli"ible.
The Stanzas !ith the )ommentaries thereon in this volume are dra!n from the same -rchaic Records
as the Stanzas on )osmo"ony in 7olume /=/. -s far as possible a verbatim translation is "ivenD but some
of the Stanzas are too obscure to be understood !ithout e5planation and therefore as in 7olume /=/
they are first "iven in full as they stand and then !hen taken verse by verse !ith their )ommentaries
an attempt is made to make them clearerby !ords added in footnotesin anticipation of the fuller
e5planation of the )ommentary.
-s re"ards the 'volution of mankind the Secret Doctrine postulates three ne! propositions !hich stand
in direct anta"onism to .odern Science as !ell as to current reli"ious do"mas. 0t teaches# 4a; the
simultaneous evolution of seven human <roups on seven different portions of our "lobeD 4b; the birth of
the astral, before the 'hysical body the former bein" a model for the latterD and 4c; that man in this
Round preceded every mammalian / the anthropoids included / in the animal kin"dom / Secret Doctrine,
7ol./>/
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=. The ,ha !hich turns the %ourth is Servant to the ,ha 4s; of the Seven they !ho revolve drivin" their
)hariots around their ,ord the &ne 'ye of our (orld. His Breath "ave ,ife to the Seven. 0t "ave ,ife to
the %irst.
>. Said the 'arth# ",ord of the Shinin" %ace my House is empty .... Send thy Sons to people this (heel.
Thou has sent thy Seven Sons to the ,ord of (isdom. Seven times doth he see thee nearer to himself
seven times more doth he feel thee. Thou hast forbidden thy Servants the small Rin"s to catch thy
,i"ht and Heat thy "reat Bounty to intercept on its passa"e. Send no! thy Servant the same".
6. Said the ,ord of the Shinin" %ace# "0 Shall send thee a %ire !hen thy !ork is commenced. Raise thy
voice to other ,okasD apply to thy %ather the ,ord of the ,otus for his Sons ... Thy people shall be under
the rule of the %athers. Thy .en shall be mortals. The .en of the ,ord of (isdom not the Sons of
Somaare immortal. )ease thy complaints. Thy Seven Skins are yet on thee... Thou art not ready. Thy
.en are not ready".
8. -fter "reat throes she cast off her old Three and put on her ne! Seven Skins and stood in her first
one.
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:. The (heel !hirled for thirty crores more. 0t constructed RLpas D soft Stones that hardened hard Plants
that softened. 7isible from invisible 0nsects and small ,ives. She shook them off her back !henever they
overran the .other .... -fter thirty crores she turned round. She lay on her backD on her side .... She
!ould call no Sons of Heavenshe !ould ask no Sons of (isdom. She created from her o!n Bosom. She
evolved (ater/.en terrible and bad.
?. The (ater/.en terrible and bad she herself created from the remains of others. %rom the dross and
slime of her %irst Second and Thirdshe formed them. The DhyJni came and looked ... The DhyJni from
the bri"ht %ather/.other from the (hite Re"ions they came from the -bodes of the 0mmortal .ortals.
@. Displeased they !ere. "&ur %lesh is not there. 1o fit RLpas for our Brothers of the %ifth. 1o d!ellin"s
for the ,ives. Pure (aters not turbid they must drink. ,et us dry them".
A. The %lames came. The %ires !ith the SparksD the ni"ht/%ires and the Day/%ires. They dried out the
turbid dark (aters. (ith their heat they $uenched them. The ,has of the Hi"h the ,ha/mayin of Belo!
came. They sle! the %orms !hich !ere t!o/and four/faced. They fou"ht the <oat/.en and the Do"/
Headed .en and the .en !ith fishes+ bodies.
B. .other/(ater the <reat Sea !ept. She arose she disappeared in the .oon!hich had lifted
her!hich had "iven her birth.
=9. (hen they !ere destroyed .other 'arth remained bare. She asked to be dried.
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==/ The ,ord of the ,ords came. %rom her Body he separated the (aters and that !as Heaven above
the %irst Heaven.
=>/ The "reat )hohans called the ,ords of the .oon of the -iry Bodies# "Brin" forth .en .en of your
nature. <ive them their %orms !ithin. She !ill build )overin"s !ithout. .ales/%emales !ill they be. ,ords
of the %lame also...."
=6/ They !ent each on his allotted ,andD Seven of them each on his ,ot. The ,ords of the %lame remain
behind. They !ould not "o they !ould not create.
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=8/ The Seven Hosts the (ill/Born ,ords propelled by the Spirit of ,ife/"ivin" separate .en from
themselveseach on his o!n 2one.
=:/ Seven times seven Shado!s of %uture .en !ere born each of his o!n )olor and *ind. 'ach inferior
to his %ather. The %athers the Boneless could "ive no ,ife to Bein"s !ith Bones. Their pro"eny !ere
Bhuta !ith neither %orm nor .ind. Therefore they are called the )hhJyJ Race.
=?/ Ho! are the .anushya bornC The .anus !ith minds ho! are they madeC The %athers called to
their help their o!n %ire !hich is the %ire that burns in 'arth. The Spirit of the 'arth called to his help the
Solar %ire. These Three produced in their Eoint efforts a "ood RLpa 0t could stand!alk run recline or
fly. 3et it !as still but a )hhJyJ a Shado! !ith no Sense...
=@/ The Breath needed a %ormD the %athers "ave it. The Breath needed a <ross BodyD the 'arth molded
it. The Breath needed the Spirit of ,ifeD the Solar ,has breathed it into its %orm. The Breath needed a
.irror of its Body# "(e "ive it our o!nM" / said the Dhyanis. The Breath needed a 7ehicle of Desires# "0t
has itM"/ said the Drainer of (aters. But Breath needs a mind to embrace the Iniverse# "(e cannot "ive
thatM"/ said the %athers. "0 never had itM" said the Spirit of the 'arth. "The %orm !ould be consumed !ere
0 to "ive it mineM" /said the <reat %ire .... .an remained an empty senseless BhLta .... Thus have the
Boneless "iven ,ife to those !ho became .en !ith Bones in the Third.
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=A/ The %irst !ere the Sons of 3o"a. Their sons the children of the 3ello! %ather and the (hite .other.
=B/ The Second Race !as the product by buddin" and e5pansionthe -se5ual from the Se5less 4K;. Thus
!as & ,anoo the Second Race produced.
>9/ Their %athers !ere the Self/born. The Self/born the )hhJyJ from the brilliant bodies of the ,ords the
%athers the Sons of T!ili"ht.
>=/ (hen the Race became old the old (aters mi5ed !ith the fresher (aters. (hen its Drop became
turbidthey vanished and disappeared in the ne! Streamin the hot Stream of ,ife. The &uter of the %irst
became the 0nner of the Second. The &ld !in" became the ne! Shado! and the Shado! of the (in".
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>>/ Then the Second evolved the '""/born the Third. The S!eat "re! its Drops "re! and the Drops
became hard and round. The Sun !armed itD the .oon cooled and shaped itD the (ind fed it until its
ripeness. The (hite S!an from the Starry 7ault overshado!ed the bi" Drop. The '"" of the %uture
Racethe .an/s!an of the later Third. %irst male/female then man and !oman.
>6/ The Self/born !ere the )hhJyJs the Shado!s from the bodies of the Sons of T!ili"ht. 1either !ater
nor fire could destroy them. Their sons !ere.
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>8/ The Sons of (isdom the Sons of 1i"ht ready for rebirth came do!n. They sa! the vile forms of the
%irst Third. "(e can choose" said the ,ordsD "!e have !isdom". some entered the )hhJyJs. Some
proEected a Spark. Some deferred till the %ourth. %rom their o!n RLpa they filled the *Jma. Those !ho
entered became -rhats. Those !ho received but a Spark remained destitute of kno!led"eD the Spark
burned lo!. The Third remained mindless. Their Fivas !ere not ready. These !ere set apart amon" the
Seven. They became narro!/headed. The Third !ere ready. "0n these shall !e d!ell" said the ,ords of
the %lame and of the Dark (isdom.
>:/ Ho! did the .anas the Sons of (isdom actC They reEected the Self/born. They are not ready. They
spurned the S!eat/born. They are not $uite ready. They !ould not enter the first '""/born.
>?/ (hen the S!eat/born produced the '""/born the t!ofold the mi"htythe po!erful !ith bones the
,ords of (isdom said# "1o! shall !e create".
>@/ The Third Race became the 7Jhan of the ,ords of (isdom. 0t created Sons of (ill and 3o"a by
*riyashakti it created them the Holy %athers -ncestors of the -rhats......
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>A/ %rom the drops of s!eat from the residue of the substance matter from dead bodies of men and
animals of the (heel before and from cast/off dust the first animals !ere produced.
>B/ -nimals !ith bonesdra"ons of the deep and flyin" Sarpas !ere added to the creepin" thin"s. They
that creep on the "round "ot !in"s. They of the lon" necks in the !ater became the pro"enitors of the
fo!ls of the air.
69/ Durin" the Third the boneless animals "re! and chan"edD they became animals !ith bones their
)hhJyJs became solid.
6=/ The animals separated the first. They be"an to breed. The t!ofold man separated also. He said# ",et
us as theyD let us unite and make creatures". They did ....
6>/ -nd those !hich had Spark took hu"e she/animals unto them. They be"at upon them dumb races.
Dumb they !ere themselves. But their ton"ue untied. The ton"ues of their pro"eny remained still.
.onsters they bred. - race of crooked red/hair covered monsters "oin" on all fours. - dumb race to keep
the shame untold.
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66/ Seein" !hich the ,has !ho had not built men !ept sayin"#
68."The -mJnasa have defiled our future abodes. This is *arma. ,et us d!ell in the others. ,et us teach
them betterlest !orse should happen". They did .....
6:/Then all men became endo!ed !ith .anas. They sa! the sin of the mindless.
6?/ The %ourth Race developed speech.
6@/ The one became t!oD also all the livin" and creepin" thin"s that !ere still one "iant fish birds and
serpents !ith shell/heads.
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6A/ Thus t!o by t!oon the seven 2ones the Third Race "ave birth to the %ourthD the Sura became -/
sura.
6B/ The %irst one every 2one !as moon/coloredD the Second yello! like "oldD the Third RedD the %ourth
bro!n !hich became black !ith sin. The first seven human shoots !ere all of one comple5ion. The ne5t
seven be"an mi5in".
89/ Then the Third and %ourth became tall !ith pride. "(e are the kin"sD !e are the "ods".
8=/ They took !ives fair to look upon. (ives from the mindless the narro!/headed. They bred monsters
!icked demons male and female also *hado!ith little minds.
8>/ They built temples for the human body. .ale and female they !orshipped. Then the Third 'ye acted
no lon"er.
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86/ They build hu"e cities. &f rare earths and metals they built. &ut of the fires vomited out of the !hite
stone of the mountains and of the black stone they cut their o!n ima"es in their size and likeness and
!orshipped them.
88/ They built "reat ima"es nine yatis hi"hthe size of their bodies. 0nner fires had destroyed the land of
their fathers. The !ater threatened the %ourth.
8:/ The first "reat !aters came. They s!allo!ed the seven "reat islands.
8?/ -ll holy saved the unholy destroyed. (ith them most of the hu"e animals produced from the seat of
the earth.
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8@/ %e! remained. Some yello! some bro!n and black and some red remained. The moon/colored
!ere "one for ever.
8A/ The %ifth produced from the holy stock remainedD it !as ruled over by the first Divine/*in"s.
8B/ ..... The Serpents !ho re/descended !ho made peace !ith the %ifth!ho tau"ht and instructed it.......
K/ The idea and the spirit of the sentence only is here "iven as a verbal translation !ould convey very
little to the reader.
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