| On the way of his journey he was interrupted by a man on a bull who told him he should partake of the cow’s dung and urine before proceeding. Uttanka was appalled but the man on the bull insisted that his guru had done it before him. At the home of King Pausya, he was given the earrings but warned to be careful leaving as the nagaraja Takshaka, was on the lookout for the king’s prized possessions. Takshaka took the form of a naked ascetic who tricked Uttanka into setting down the jewels while he went to wash himself off of impurities, he had accrued in his “vision,” but when Uttanka set them down, Takshaka took his true form as the serpent king and took off with the earrings. Takshaka disappeared into a hole in the ground and Uttanka followed but saw nothing, however, Uttanka was blessed with two visions in the meantime. Two women were weaving threads on a loom and a young man and six boys were turning a wheel. Afterwards a man appeared and asked him what he wanted. He related the story to him. He was asked to blow into the anus of a horse and when he did smoke came out and drew out the serpent from the hole who returned the earrings, and when Uttanka got back to the kingdom with them just in time he asked his teacher what was the meaning of it all? The meaning his teacher told him, was that the man on the bull was Indra, the dung and urine were the amrita and because he had eaten it, he could go into the netherworld and return alive and this now completed his initiation. The fact that there is hidden symbolism in the story, which is further admitted within the same story, is evidence in fact, that the hidden symbolism was used in ancient mythologies. This should be a clear indicator as any. But what is important in this story as well, is the fact that other mythologies have spawned off from this such as the story of Gilgamesh which draws directly from this story when Gilgamesh retrieves the plant of immortality and sets it on the bank of the river, while he goes to sleep. When he wakes, the serpent has stolen the plant. Now, the story of Gilgamesh is very different, but the theme of the water, the “jewels” and a “serpent’s theft” of them is a direct correlation between the two. (56) The idea of eating dung or drinking urine is one I first heard of when I first learned about Tantra. It is mentioned by conservative Christians when referring to devil practices and even Hindu religionists end up sounding like apologists when discussing the past rituals and mysteries. Hindu religionists who have no concept of the true meaning, that is. It seems quite unlikely that anybody ate cow dung for religious purposes back in ancient times. This was simply referring to the use of the mushroom which grows from the dung. The reference to the urine consumption is due to the fact that at least the A. muscaria mushroom can be recycled in the urine and re-consumed for the same effect, minus the negative sickness. This process may be repeated up to five times, according to many accounts from Siberia. It is this fact which gave rise to the early Brahman priesthood which led to the collapse of early |
forms of Indian Soma worship. The priesthood had started hoarding the mushroom, and only gave the urine to their followers, causing the followers to believe the priest was enlightened by his mere birthright. This led to what became the personal “guru” or “high holy” person who hoarded his secrets and his mushrooms, only giving his piss to his most devoted followers. A crude ritual that seems to have developed well after the sacred cow ideals were firmly rooted in Indian minds, is the Taurobolium which was described by Prudentius, (57) where initiates would sit beneath a bull that was stabbed while the blood poured out over them with blood completely covering the body, the aspirant was said to be purified and born again. This was obviously several steps removed from the time period when the Brahman priesthood would consume the A. muscaria then require the followers to drink the urine. It would appear this was the beginning of the evolution of actual church rituals like baptism. The baptismal act however, does not replace the enlightening visionary experience of consuming a psychedelic mushroom and falls short of actually causing the initiate to feel like (s)he was “born again.” (58) Serpent & Eagle Lore in Hindu Mythology Hindu myth typically has the serpent deities represented as the “Nagaraja.” Three main deities are mentioned, Shesha, Takshaka and Vasuki. They are children of rishi Kashyapa and Kadru. Shesha is said to hold all the planets of the universe on his hoods and constantly sings the praise of Vishnu, who oftentimes rests upon him. He is depicted as a five or seven-headed serpent. He is sometimes referred to as Ananta Shesha, which means the “endless Shesha” or the “first Shesha.” In the Bhagavad Gita 10:20, Shree Krishna declares: “Amongst the snakes I am Anant; amongst aquatics I am Varun. Amongst the departed ancestors I am Aryama; amongst dispensers of law I am Yamraj, the lord of death.” In the Bhagavata Purana, Shesha is named Sankarshana, and lives deep in the earth, where there are many serpents with gems on their heads and where Sankarshana is the ruler. (56) Secret Drugs of Buddhism, p. 227 (57) Peristephan, x, 1034-9, 1076; Firmicus Maternus, op. cite.., 27, 8; Wissowa, Religion and Kultus der Romer, Munich, 1902, pp. 323ff. (58) Cult of the Mother Goddess, p. 162-63 |