Nachiketas was an unusually wise young man and thought about this. He knew that there was nothing to fear; he was neither the first nor the last person to be offered to Yama. Certainly the blessings that would derive from this offering would be great. So the young man agreed. Nachiketas made his way to the land of the dead, but Yama was out gathering souls. Nachiketas waited for Yama for three days.
When Yama returned, his servants told him that a noble Brahman named Nachiketas awaited him. Certainly, given the wait, the young man was entitled to some welcome hospitality. Moreover, Yama knew that great harm comes to those who have a Brahman guest and fail to feed and welcome him.
So Yama told Nachiketas that, as an honored guest who had patiently waited for three days, the young mortal was entitled to three wishes that could not be refused. Nachiketas first wished that his father would recognize him and welcome him when he returned from the land of the dead. The second request was to know where the sacred fire that leads directly to heaven might be found. Third, Nachiketas asked to know the secret of what is beyond death, beyond the reach of Yama in the Underworld.
Although Yama gladly granted the first two requests, he was most reluctant to grant this third wish. Yama told Nachiketas, “Even the gods of old were in doubt as to this mystery. Ask anything else, whether wealth, fame, sons, long life, or any other wish, but not this.”
Nachiketas told Yama that wealth does not last forever, even a long life must come to an end, sons can be both a sorrow and a blessing, and all material things come to rust and rot; all these material blessings are but illusion. Yama then offered Nachiketas fine wives, the fairest maidens of Indra’s heavens, and worldly power. Nachiketas replied that all these things are but pleasure, and pleasure is also an illusion. The youth said, “There is nothing but the mystery beyond death that interests me.”
Yama smiled and responded, “You are very wise, Nachiketas. Duty is one path and delight is another. It is always best for one to choose duty, for delight can lead astray. The fool believes that only the life of this world is real and sets his heart on pleasures and wealth. Even the learned fall prey to illusion. But beyond death, I tell you, is the great and eternal One.* Many do not know the eternal One, nor do they seek him.
“To know the eternal One that is greater than all gods is to be deathless, O Nachiketas; the One never was born and never dies. Smaller than small and greater than great, the Self indwells in the human heart of those who seek Him. The human who knows the One knows no grief; there is nothing that can discourage him. This cannot be learned by mere explanation, nor even by knowing and reciting the Scriptures. When every knot in the human heart is loosened, then one can know the One.”
This third wish granted, Nachiketas returned to the land of the living. In asking Death what is beyond Death, he assured his immortality.
JEWISH DEATH MYTH
THE RABBI’S DEAD VISITOR
Once, after his death, a prominent Jew in the congregation of the Tsaddik [holy man] Rabbi Yissochor of Velburz came to ask him for help; as his wife had died, said the man, he needed money to remarry.
“But you’re dead yourself,” said the Tsaddik. “What are you doing in the land of the living?”
The dead man refused to believe him until the rabbi made him lift up his coat and showed him that there were shrouds underneath it. After he had departed, the rabbi’s son asked him, “Father, how do I know that I am not also a dead person who is haunting the land of the living?”
“If you know there’s such a thing as death, you’re not dead,” said the rabbi. “The dead themselves know nothing of death.”
—Pinhas Seder, Jewish Folktales, translated by Hillel Halkin
TIBETAN DEATH MYTHS
At the exact moment of death the soul first experiences the colorless light of emptiness, which bathes it. If one merges with the light at this opportunity, one is saved. Most people, however, first fall unconscious and then are shocked back into consciousness by the terror of the recognition that they are dead. Often the recognition that one is dying is frightening and the soul tries to flee; this is futile. If one tries to maintain a separate identity by clinging to the illusion of the ego, it is also pointless. Very few people attain salvation or have the insight necessary to understand what is happening.
For those who miss salvation at this first opportunity, there comes a period of nightmares that expiate the sins of a life, as well as pleasant dreams about the best times on earth. A few days after death the “mental body” merges; it is really the essence of a person charged with the karma of the past. It can travel through time and space at will.
Three and a half days after the moment of death, Buddhas and Boddhisatvas [saints] will appear in all their radiant glory and goodness. Their light will be so bright that the soul will have a hard time facing them directly. If one understands this without being frightened, the soul merges into the very heart of God and salvation is won. If one fails to understand what is happening, then the soul proceeds on its journey. The majority of people never understand this holy vision.
If one doesn’t understand what has just happened, then the next seven days will be horrifying. Angry deities will assail you, you will be asked why you failed to do good, why you didn’t hear the call of religion during your life, why you ignored the needs of others. You will hear yourself condemned for having failed to heed the saving truths.
This is a crucial point in the journey of the soul: There is another opportunity for salvation. However, the majority just continue on, tormented, and become part of the great Wheel of Becoming, facing reincarnation. But beware: Your next encounter is with Yama, lord of the dead.
You will tell Yama of your life; it is stupid to try to conceal anything or to lie. Yama holds before you the shining mirror of karma in which all things come to light and you pronounce your own judgment. That mirror is your conscience.
At this stage you will see various lights shining in the distance; these are the paths of destiny. You may follow a red light, which will lead you to rebirth among the Asuras, who are warlike spirits; this happens to one who has had a violent nature in life—it is not a pleasant rebirth. A blue light indicates that your rebirth will be as a human being. A green light means that your ignorance will lead you to be reborn among plants or animals. White lights are good news—you will be reborn in one of the heavens.
At this point, should you be drawn to the green or blue light, you will see pairs of animals or humans, respectively, engaged in intercourse. This attracts you. If in the next life you are to be a female, you will be attracted to the male; if you are to be male, you will be attracted to the female.* At the moment that the egg and sperm unite, the new incarnation begins.
BALDUR
(Norse)
NOTE: The myth of Baldur is of great interest for a number of reasons. It is given as a possible source of the superstition associated with the number thirteen—and especially Friday the thirteenth. It is also comparable in many ways to the Algonquin myth of Glooskap and Malsum, which is considered by some scholars to be an inter-borrowing from the Norse.
In any case, this is an excellent example of myths of the journey to the Underworld.
Baldur, a son of Odin and his wife Frigga, was the most beloved of the gods, but he was tormented by frightening dreams warning of his death. He told his parents of these dreams, and Frigga went about extracting promises from all living things not to harm Baldur, overlooking only the insignificant little mistletoe plant.
Odin was not satisfied with these steps and he went to see his sister Hel [the root of our word hell] in her realm, the land of the dead. He also spoke to Angerbode the Sorceress, who was dead and lived in the Underworld.
The inhabitants of Asgard, home of the gods, totaled twelve including Baldur. However, the evil giant Loki, a god of fire, had sworn a brotherhood oath with Odin and was not considered a thirteenth god. On the day sacred to Frigga [Friday], all thirteen of these gods assembled. Now that Baldur was apparently
invulnerable to any living thing, the gods had great fun flinging objects at him, watching them bounce off him without a scratch.
Loki took the form of a woman and went to Frigga for an explanation of this curious sport. Frigga explained about the oaths. Loki asked if there were any exceptions. Being a wife of Odin, Frigga was incapable of lying. So she said that she had indeed overlooked the mistletoe because it seemed so harmless. Not wasting a moment, Loki cut some sprigs of mistletoe and fashioned them into darts. Standing at the side of the other gods was the blind god Hodur. Loki asked him why he wasn’t joining in the fun. Hodur explained that there was no point in his flinging things at Baldur if he couldn’t see them bounce off him.
With Loki’s cunning and assistance, however, Hodur flung a mistletoe dart at Baldur, who fell dead instantly. The other gods were horrified, knowing that Loki had perpetrated this terrible deed, Frigga, stricken with grief for her son, told the assembled gods that whoever would travel to Hel and ransom Baldur would become her favorite. Hermod, another of Odin’s sons, volunteered and mounted Odin’s eight-legged horse, Sleipnir, to travel to the Underworld. Hermod came to the bridge of Gyoll, which all must cross to enter the land of the dead. A beautiful maiden waits at this bridge to conduct the dead to their home.
She asked Hermod what the nature of his business was. When Hermod replied that he had come to ransom Baldur, she replied that she had seen him arrive. Hermod, on Odin’s steed, leaped over the gates of the land of the dead and confronted Hel, who told him that she would release Baldur on one condition—if all living things would weep for the murdered god.
Hermod reported this back to the gods and soon all things, the mountains, rocks, trees, animals, and birds wept for Baldur. However, one creature refused to weep: an old witch named Thakkt. The heartless wretch said, “I will weep only dry tears for him; people die every day!” Thus Baldur remained in the land of the dead.
All Viking heroes had a ship of their own, and Baldur’s ship was the finest. The gods prepared a great funeral pyre on Baldur’s ship and placed the body on it, set it afire, and cast it out to sea.
Loki was now punished for his calumny. He fled the angry gods to hide in the mountains, building a hut with a door on each side to enable him to see any approaching danger. Odin, knowing all things, soon found Loki’s hiding place, but with his knowledge of fishing, the evil god changed himself into a salmon to escape Odin. Thor, the thunder god, cast a net with which to capture Loki. When Loki leaped high as salmon do, Thor caught him by the tail and gripped it hard. To this day, the tail of the salmon is finer and thinner than the tails of other fish, and Loki is still remembered as the inventor of the fisherman’s net.
Loki was then chained to a rock, where he will remain until the Twilight of the Gods. His wife Siguna is there with him. The gods placed a venomous serpent over his head; when the venom drips onto his face, the pain is horrible. Loki’s cries cause the earth to quake. But as Odin knows, the day is coming when Loki will have his revenge on the gods.
THE DEATH OF MOSES
(The Talmud)
When Moses reached the age of 120, Samael, now called Satan, asked the Almighty if he could serve as the angel of death and collect the soul of the lawgiver.
God responded, “What makes you think that you could take the soul of such a holy man, one beloved by me? And how would you approach this servant of Mine and take his soul? What do you think Moses would do when he saw you? Moses has seen My divine face on Mount Sinai—his hands have touched My law. Would you take his soul out by these hands? Or would you take his soul out by the ears—his ears have heard My voice. Would you take his soul from his feet? Those are feet that have stood on holy ground! You have my permission to try to take his soul.”
Samael buckled on his sword and went to Moses just as the great leader of the Exodus was writing the Most Holy Name of God with a stick. As Moses wrote, his face became radiant and shone like the sun. The power of God’s name caused Samael to flee in terror. Samael screwed up all of his courage and returned, squeaking out in a timid, wimpy voice, “Moses, give me your soul.”
Moses laughed at the devil and said, “Never to you, 0 enemy of God and mankind. Don’t you remember? I am the one chosen by Almighty God to lead his people out of Egypt, the one to whom He spoke from the burning bush, the one to whom He entrusted the Torah. Who do you think you are asking for my soul? Get out of here!” With this, Samael fled in terror.
Samael went back to God and told the Lord what had happened (as if He didn’t already know?).
God laughed again at Samael. “You pitiful little ignorant one. I remember when you rebelled against me, when you tempted my children in the Garden of Eden. You thought yourself so clever! I gave you permission to try to collect the soul of Moses and you crawl back to me with your tail between your legs! Let’s see if the ‘glorious’ fallen angel can collect the soul of Moses—for it is by your hand that death entered the world.”
Samael was now angered by this laughing contempt with which both God and Moses treated him. He went to Moses with new resolve. But Moses made him flee once again, this time by only reciting a few words of the sacred Torah—the Law of God.
Then Moses spoke to God, saying:
O Most High God—who created the world in love;
O Most High God—whose first word was a blessing;
Don’t turn me over to our enemy!
Treat me with love.
I know that Samael only comes to collect my soul for you and not himself.
But keep me out of his hands entirely;
keep me from the hated foe of all humankind.
God then heard the words of Moses and sent three angels to collect the lawgiver’s soul: Gabriel, Michael, and Zagzagel. Gabriel arranged for a place for Moses to lie down and die. Michael spread out the royal purple robe for Moses to lie on as Zagzagel positioned a pillow for the holy man’s head. Then God spoke to the soul of Moses:
My beautiful daughter, come home.
For one hundred and twenty years, you have lived in a
righteous body.
But now it is time to return to Me.
This is my will,
which you have followed all these years.
Moses heard God tell his soul, “Return to your rest as God commands.” With that God took the soul from Moses’ body with a kiss, sending it to a place beside His throne. The angels buried the body of Moses in a secret place, knowing that Samael was still searching for him.
Samael asked the sea, “Have you seen Moses?” The sea replied, “Not since the Exodus, when he parted the waters.” Samael asked the people in the Promised Land of Canaan. They told him that Moses had never entered there. Samael asked the rocks; they replied that they had not seen Moses since he caused a spring of water to pour forth, or since he had carved the tables of the Law from rock. Samael asked the mountains; they told him that they had not seen Moses since he had received the Law on Sinai.
Samael then asked the angels, who responded—
We have heard mourning on earth and rejoicing in heaven. But we haven’t seen him.
What they said was actually true. Only Gabriel, Michael, and Zagzagel of their number had actually seen Moses; the other angels had seen his soul, which is invisible. Angels never lie, but neither are they stupid.
Finally Samael went among humankind and asked for Moses. Humans are the prey of Samael and they usually greet him with fear. But this time they rejoiced and delighted in telling the evil one—
You will never find him here.
You can never find him here.
You have nothing more to do with him—
The deceiver has been deceived!
His soul is in heaven in the presence of God,
where your corruption can never go!
And with a curse on his lips, Samael returned to hell, entirely confounded.
* In Indian mythology a four-headed dog guards the gateway to the Underworld. As we shall soon see, the three-headed dog C
erberus performs the same function in Greek mythology.
* Byblos is present-day Lebanon.
† Astarte is a form of the name Ishtar; Melkart means “king.”
* The story of Aeneas is from the Latin epic the Aeneid by the Roman poet Virgil. The story recounts how Aeneas fled Troy after the Trojan War and traveled to Italy, where he was a founder of Rome. The Aeneid was the Roman founding myth; Roman nobles strived to trace their ancestry to Aeneas.
* In The World’s Great Speeches, edited by Lewis Copeland.
* Brahman.
* Shades of Freud’s Oedipal theory.
11. The End-Visions of the Apocalypse
When the end comes, Armageddon outta here …!
—J. F. Bierlein
HOW RUDRA DESTROYS THE UNIVERSE
(India)
The earth has been created, destroyed, and re-created many times—only the Eternal knows how many times this has taken place. Or perhaps he does not know. The laws of the universe are fixed: the Four Ages of man naturally occur and recur as Dharma—the four-legged stool of truth—is established and disintegrates, one leg at a time, until there is nothing for the world to stand on. However, the destruction of the universe is inevitable in every cycle.
At the beginning of each cycle, the world is created by Brahma; during the cycle, the world is sustained by Vishnu; then, it is destroyed by Shiva.
A cycle, or “Day of Brahma,” lasts 12,000 years of the devas, or 4,320,000 human years. At the beginning of each such “Day,” when the Eternal One wakes up, the world is re-created.
Parallel Myths Page 24
