Ancient Psychedelia: Alien Gods & Mushroom Goddesses
Online Book - Chapter 5, Page 58
Back to Online Book Mainpage / Next Page (Chapter 5, Page 59)
| One of the oldest creation myths is from India and tells the story of the earth mother: “At first Kujum-Chantu, the earth, was like a human being; she had a head, arms and legs, and an enormous fat belly. The original human beings lived on the surface of her belly. One day it occurred to Kujum-Chantu that if she ever got up and walked about, everyone would fall off and be killed, so she herself died of her own accord. Her head became the snow-covered mountains, the bones of her back turned into smaller hills. Her chest was the valley. From her neck came the North country. Her buttocks turned into the Assum plain. For just as the buttocks are full of fat, Assum has fat, rich soil. Kujum-Chantu’s eyes became the Sun and Moon. From her mouth was born Kujum-Popi, who sent the Sun and Moon to shine in the night sky.” (2) In Hindu hymns, Dyaus Pitar, the sky-father, is coupled with Prithvi Mata, the earth-goddess. These are essentially the head of the pantheon of heaven. (3) Eventually, Indra supersedes Dyaus, who is never mentioned in any of the hymns celebrating Heaven and Earth. (4) In ancient Indian mythology, we have Manu, the first man, being saved from the flood by a fish who tells him to build a boat and fasten it to a tree: “In the morning they brought to Manu water for washing. When he was washing himself, a fish came into his hands. It spoke to him the word, ‘Rear me, I will save thee!’ Manu replied, ‘Where from wilt thou save me?’ The fish returned, ‘A flood will carry away all these creatures from that I will save thee!’ ‘How am I to rear thee?’ Manu asked. The fish said, ‘As long as we are small, there is great destruction for us: fish devours fish. Thou wilt first keep me in a jar. When I outgrow that, thou wilt dig a pit and keep me in it. When I outgrow that, thou wilt take me down to the sea, for then I shall be beyond destruction.’ It soon became a ghasha (a large fish); for that grows largest (of all fish). Thereupon it said, ‘In such and such a year that flood will come. Thou shalt then attend to me (i.e. to my advice) by preparing a ship; and when the flood has risen, thou shalt enter into the ship, and I will save thee from it.’ After he had reared it in this way, he took it down to the sea. And in the same year which the fish had indicated to him, he attended to (the advice of the fish) by preparing a ship; and when the flood had risen, he entered into the ship. The fish then swam up to him, and to its horn he tied the rope of the ship, and by that means he passed swiftly up to yonder northern mountain. The fish then said, ‘I have saved thee. Fasten the ship to a tree; but let not the water cut thee off, whilst thou art on the mountain. As the water subsides, thou mayest gradually descend!’ “Accordingly, he gradually descended, and hence that (slope) of the northern mountain is called ‘Alarm's descent.’ The flood then swept away all these creatures, and Manu alone remained here.” (5) |
India’s Flood scene is depicted on a relief from Matsya India from the era of 400-1000 AD. There is a man standing above a pillar with a tree in the backdrop which forms a beautiful occulted mushroom image (18e). (18e) Matsya, Central India. India Flood Myth c. 900-1000 AD The Vedas and a Host of Indian Deities Manu, the first man, is described in the Atharva-veda, (written between 1200 BC-1000 BC, but dating back much farther through memory), where it is written: “Manu son of Vivasvant (a sun god) was her calf; earth was her vessel; her Prithu son of Vena milked; from her he milked both cultivation and grain.” (6) There is a story in the Puranas myth of the earth in the form of a cow, which is attacked by Prithu, son of Vena, a sacral king who went on a journey to bring back fertility to the earth, in the same manner as Telepinu and Horus, and Tammuz, etc. Eventually, she gave way to him and the earth has been bountiful, providing corn and vegetables ever since. (7) In the Rig Veda, the epithet “aghnya” meaning “not to be killed,” was assigned to the cow. (2) The Great Cosmic Mother, p. 49; Charles H. Long, Alpha, the Myths of Creation (New York: Collier Books, 1969), 36-37 (3) Cult of the Mother Goddess, p. 101 (4) Cult of the Mother Goddess, p. 112-13; (Rig Veda, v, 84, Iff) (5) (Satapatha Brahmana, Eighth Adhyaya. First Brahmana. The Ida. 1-6) (6) Manu, viii, 10, 22-29; Harvard Oriental Studies, viii, 514 (7) Vishnu Purana, bk I, chap. 13 |
Go Back to Page 57