Kumbha Mela and the Reestablishment of India's Truth and Power in the World ⁓ Part 3

Left: Hindu Ritual of Surya Arghya (offering water to the Sun, source: Astrology Magazine;
Right: the Water Bearer of Aquarius, source: Wikipedia.

In Parts One and Two I promised to write about ‘the equivalence between Kumbha [the Water Jar of Aquarius], the sacred rivers of the Vedas, the amrita of Vishnu and the Vesica Piscis of the Circle/Zodiac’; as well as the role the Kumbha plays in ‘the correct measure of the zodiacal year and hence the key to the correct measure and sense of the Kumbha Mela.’ In the first two posts I have tried to give readers some background about the zodiacal basis of the Kumbha Mela and on the serious problems that arise when the true Vedic sense and measure of such festivals are lost. In this post I will try to better illuminate what has been lost regarding the true Vedic sense and measure of the Kumbha Mela. First, it is necessary to revisit what is currently understood about the etymology, mythology and history of the festival.

‘Kumbha Mela derives its name from both the original festival being held according to the astrological sign "Kumbha" (Aquarius), and from the associated Hindu legend in which the gods and demons fought over a pot, or “kumbh,” of nectar that would give them immortality. A later day addition to the legend which says that after taking the pot [Vishnu] spilled drops of nectar near four places where Kumbha Mela is presently held, is not found in the earliest mentions of the original legend of samudra manthan (churning of the ocean) as described in various ancient Hindu texts collectively known as the Puranas (orig. 3rd century CE to 10th century CE).

The generation of Vishnu’s Kumbha/Pot of Amrita, Rabi Behera, Exotic Indian Art 

‘The legend of samudra manthan [the Churning of the Milky Ocean] tells of a battle between the Devas (benevolent deities) and Asuras (malevolent demigods) for amrita, the nectar drink of immortality. During samudra manthan, amrita was produced and placed in a Kumbha (pot/water jar). To prevent the asuras from seizing the amrita, a divine carrier flew away with the pot. In one of the most popular versions added to the original legend later, the carrier of the kumbha is the divine physician Dhanavantari, who stops at four places where the Kumbh Mela is celebrated. In other later additions to the legend, the carrier is Garuda [the Eagle], Indra [the Bull] or Mohini who spills the amrita at four places. [1] 

‘While several ancient texts, including the various Puranas, mention the samudra manthan legend, none of them mentions spilling of the amrita at four places. Neither do these texts mention the Kumbh Mela. Therefore, multiple scholars, including R. B. Bhattacharya, D. P. Dubey and Kama Maclean believe that the samudra manthan legend has been applied to the Kumbh Mela relatively recently, in order to show scriptural authority for it.… 

‘The Kumbh Mela of Haridwar appears to be the original Kumbh Mela, since it is held according to the astrological sign "Kumbha" (Aquarius), and because there are several references to a 12-year cycle for it. The earliest extant texts that contain the name "Kumbha Mela" are Khulasat-ut-Tawarikh (1695 CE) and Chahar Gulshan (1759 CE). Both these texts use the term "Kumbh Mela" to describe only Haridwar's fair, although they mention the similar fairs held in Prayag and Nashik district. The Khulasat-ut-Tawarikh lists the following melas: an annual mela and a Kumbh Mela every 12 years at Haridwar; a mela held at Trimbak when Jupiter enters Leo (that is, once in 12 years); and an annual mela held at Prayag in Magh. The Magh Mela of Prayag is probably the oldest among these, dating from the early centuries CE, and has been mentioned in several Puranas. However, its association with the Kumbha myth and the 12-year old cycle is relatively recent, probably dating back to the mid-19th century.’ – ‘Kumbha Mela’, Wikipedia  [Bold emphasis added]  

‘[The Kumbha Mela] festival does not figure in Vedic texts, sutra literature, epic-Puranic texts, smritis, dharmashastras, or any other digests. It is believed that the Kumbh Mela takes place at the locations where drops of nectar fell as the suras (gods) and asuras (demons) churned the ocean (samudramanthan). The churning threw up many things, including the cup of nectar. Though the story of the samudramanthan is found in the epic-Puranic texts, the incident of four drops spilling at four places on earth is not mentioned. It appears that this epic-Puranic myth was verbally grafted some time to provide the tradition of the Kumbh Mela with a respectable antiquity....  

‘To trace the historicity of the Kumbh Mela to Vedic times, some orthodox votaries quote two passages from the Atharva Veda (IV.34.7; XIX.53.3), three from the Rig Veda (I.8.9, X.89.7, XII.3.23) and one from the Yajur Veda (Madhyandina, 19.87). Of the Atharva Veda verses—‘चतुर: कुम्भांश्चतुर्धा ददामि’ and ‘पूर्ण: कुम्भोSधिकाल आहितस्तं’—  the first belongs to a hymn in glorification of the Vishtari sacrifice and the second is related to 'godly time'. Here, kumbh stands for the Sanskrit word meaning a 'water pitcher', and not the festival. Even the scholars of the Vedas from medieval India, such as Udgitha (17th century) and Sayana (14th-15th century), did not associate these phrases with any festival, though pilgrimages and festivals were very common from the 14th century onward. Even the meaning of the passages from Rig and Atharva Vedas is unrelated to the Kumbh festival. Another fact that supports the argument is that the knowledge of the Roman/Western zodiac signs—one of the important factors behind the festival—was unknown to the Vedic people. India became familiar with the Western zodiac only around the beginning of the Christian era.’ ‒ Prof. D.P. Dubey, 'Kumbha Mela: Do Our Vedic Texts Mention this Unique Pilgrimage?' [Bold emphasis added]

What is clear in the above accounts of the Kumbha Mela is that scholars deny a connection between the kumbha (pitcher, jar, pot) in the Vedas and Puranas, and the Kumbha Mela named after the astrological sign Kumbha (Aquarius), the 11th sign of the Zodiac. It does appear to be entirely true that there is no specific mention in the Vedas or Puranas of a river festival celebrated at Haridwar when Jupiter transits the sign of Aquarius approximately every 12 years. However, what is widely missed and needs to be fully seen, recognized and understood, is that the Kumbha Mela is a festival/celebration of the time in Vedic Year (Yajna) associated with the victorious release of the purifying waters (rivers) of the kumbha (or mountain cave) upon humanity by the Vedic heroes who acquire and drink of the nectar of immortality (a.k.a. Amrita, also called Soma wine and honey wine or meath). It also needs to be seen and understood that the astrological lore of the Water Bearer of Aquarius pouring out sacred waters from his water jar (kumbha) onto humanity, thus cleansing humanity of its sins (i.e. its Ignorance), is entirely equivalent to the release of the Vedic rivers/waters. 

One of the main impediments to this understanding and appreciation of the Vedic essence of the Kumbha Mela is the reigning belief in India and in the world (highlighted in bold above) that the Zodiac is not found in the Rig Veda and that it was imported or introduced to India by foreigners. Thea discussed this issue her article ‘Cosmology in the Rig Veda’ (The Hindu, 2002):

‘Kumbha in the Rigveda is what it still is today, thousands of years after the hymns were recorded: the zodiacal sign Aquarius, the Water Carrier, who, from the jar he carries, dispenses upon the whole world the waters of a divine substance; it is known in Sanskrit as Kumbha. This is the same Kumbha that gives its name to the world-famous Mela we celebrate year after year during the very same zodiacal month of Kumbha (PNB, 1978, 1981, 2001, 2002). 

‘A point needs to be made here. Myths evolve from the cosmic script, and not the reverse. In the Indian context regarding the Kumbha Mela, mythology tells us that the precious amrit from the Moon was taken in a jar back to Earth. Where drops of this immortalising substance fell, the ground was sanctified. Thereafter, celebrations were held in those locations according to specific planetary progressions. We can recognise here elements of the same cosmic script in the pictograph of the Aquarius Water Carrier. 

‘Indian scholars will contend that these zodiacal figures are equally `imports', similar to an `imported civilisation'. Therefore, those who seek to support their theories of an indigenous culture will argue that the zodiac as we know it today was brought to India by the Greeks, long after the Rigveda was penned; and that therefore its symbols cannot possibly be found in the Veda.  

‘These arguments are easily countered. A simple perusal of the praises to Vishnu (RV, I, 154) will prove that the so-called Western Zodiac was not only fully known in Vedic times but that it was a fundamental part of the culture (PNB, 1981). Vishnu's famous three strides (to measure the universe) cannot be more revealing. The first `step' is like a lion (Leo), according to the Veda; the second is a bull (Taurus); the third, and most revealing of all, is the Friend [Aquarius]…. 

‘The Rigveda is replete with references to what is now considered a tropical zodiac import and in no way related to the sidereal zodiac in vogue for the past 1000 years in India.’

Without this understanding, the astrological essence of the Kumbha Mela and of the Samudra Manthan mythology cannot be rightfully tied to the Rig Veda and to the Vedic gnosis of the Rishis. As long as the Zodiac is considered a post-Vedic import into India, not to be found in the Rig Veda, the Kumbha Mela celebrations of the four drops of Vishnu’s Amrita in conjunction Jupiter’s transit through the four preservation signs of the Zodiac will continue to be denied their true Vedic moorings.    

The Geometric and Zodiacal Basis of the Kumbha Mela

Another major impediment to the understanding and appreciation of the Vedic essence of the Kumbha Mela is the long-forgotten truth of what exactly the symbol of the kumbha (jar) containing healing waters and immortalizing wine or nectar of the gods actually represents in the Vedas and subsequently in all post-Vedic symbols, lore and religious celebrations. As presented in Geometric Keys of Vedic Wisdom [2018], the Vedic kumbha containing the sacred or holy waters, wine and Amrita of the gods is a symbol of the eternal (i.e. immortal) form and law of the vesica piscis.

The vesica piscis is the almond shape (shown above in blue) formed when two circles overlap with a common radius. The Italian word for this almond shape is fittingly mandorla meaning ‘almond’. This shape is geometrically constructed by putting the fulcrum point of the radius on the circumference of an already constructed circle and arcing it back through the circumference of the original circle, measuring out one-third or 120 degrees of the circle, equivalent to 432,000 seconds of degrees of arc. The number 432,000 is simultaneously the measure of the Sun’s radius in miles, the measure of the Kali Yuga and the measure of the Rig Veda (said to be 432,000 syllables). [2] [See 'Recovering the Ancient Light and Amrita of the Vedas, Parts I & 2] This sacred number is meant to be understood in terms of the eternal measure or law (sanatana dharma) of the radius and vesica piscis which forms the basis of the triadic division of the 360° circle. This eternal law (sanatana dharma) is the foundation of our 9 (3x3) base number system and the 12 (3x4) division of the Earth’s Year/Zodiac. [See my video ‘The Divine Trinity’] In the tryptic of images below, I have highlighted the first vesica piscis or kumbha of each circle to clearly demonstrate the role of the kumbha in the division of the circle into 3, 9 and 12 even segments or units. In the division of 3, there are 3 vesicae piscium (kumbhas), in the division of 9 there are 9 vesicae piscium (kumbhas), and in the division of the year by 12, there are 12 vesicae piscium (kumbhas).

In Part Two of this series, I quoted Rig Veda 1.164.48 wherein the Rishi sings of the 360 degrees (pegs) and 12 months (spokes) of the Earth’s Year as well as its triadic essence. The division of the circle by three radii and three vesica piscis is depicted in hundreds upon hundreds of ways in the Rig Veda. Here are a few examples.

‘By Law the Son of Aditi, Law Observer, hath spread abroad the world in threefold measure.’ ‒ Rig Veda 4.42.4, tr. RTH Griffith 

‘He, Pusan Visnu, poured forth three great vessels to him, the juice that cheers, that slaughters Vrtra.’ [3] ‒ Rig Veda 6.017.11, tr. RTH Griffith    

‘The cup whence Indra drinks the draught is present: the Amṛta dear to Indra hath been drunken,... [Thou art] Bull of the rivers, Bull of standing waters.... He found in heaven … the threefold Amṛta in its close concealment.’ ‒ Rig Veda 6.44.16, 21 & 23, tr. RTH Griffith 

‘[Indra, the Sage] … formed the nectar in three headlong rivers.’ ‒ Rig Veda 6.047.3-4, tr. RTH Griffith 

‘The Bull who wears all shapes, the triple-breasted, three-uddered.… Ruleth majestic with his triple aspect, the Bull, the Everlasting Ones' impregner. [As] their tracer he observed them…. [The Goddesses, the Waters] who were wandering separate enclosed him. Streams! the wise Gods have thrice three habitations. Child of three Mothers, he is Lord [[at the rites (in the cosmic divisions)]]. Three are the holy Ladies of the Waters, thrice here from heaven supreme in our assembly. Send us, O Bhaga, triple wealth and treasure; cause the two worlds [Heaven and Earth] to prosper us, Preserver! Savitar thrice from heaven pours down abundance’ ‒ Rig Veda 3.56.3-7, tr. RTH Griffith, [[tr. Jamison & Brereton]]

Names of the radius or radii above include the Son of Aditi (the Divine Mother equivalent to the Circle/Zodiac), Pusan Vishnu, Indra, the Sage, the Bull, the Gods, the Child who is the Lord of sacrificial year (yajna) and its divisions, as well as the god Bhaga (the Enjoyer who is the origin of the Roman god Bacchus) and the solar god Savitar. Names of triple vesicae piscium which triply divide the Circle/Zodiac include the Son’s threefold measure, the three Mothers of the Child, the threefold Amrita poured by Vishnu, the nectar in three headlong rivers, the three breasts or udders of the Bull, the three holy Ladies of the Waters, Bhaga’s triple wealth and treasure, and the triple abundance poured down by Savitar. Other images of the vesica(e) piscis include Indra’s cup (and drink/draught), the rivers, the standing waters, the Everlasting Ones (impregnated and traced out by the Bull/radius), Goddesses, Waters, Streams. The division of the circle by 9 is depicted as the ‘thrice three habitations’ of the wise Gods.

Given the triple division of the circle by the three immortal rivers (a.k.a. ‘holy Ladies of the Waters’, three Mothers, three Goddesses, threefold Amrita) of the vesica piscis some readers might be able to see and appreciate the geometric and Vedic basis of the celebrated Triveni Sangam (meaning ‘confluence of three rivers’) which is the designated location of the Prayagraj Kumbha Mela. The geometric confluence of the three vesicae piscium or three rivers (triveni) of the field of the Vedic Sacrifice [shown above left] is the center point (bindu) of the circle. [4]

In Parts One and Two of this series I discussed the four-fold division (the four cardinal points) of the Earth’s Tropical Year which are established by the Earth’s equinoxes and solstices. This four-fold division of the Earth’s Year (Yajna) is portrayed in various ways by the Vedic Rishis, including as a four-fold chalice, as the four quarters of the sky, the four regions of heaven and as a (four-footed) cow. It is upon this four-fold cross of the Earth’s Year that the full 12 signs of the Zodiac are measured out by the radius and vesica piscis of the circle. The following verses demonstrate some of the ways in which the Rishis portrayed the four-fold base and the construction of the Zodiac via the arcs of the radius and vesica piscis. 

‘As for a year the Ṛbhus kept the Milch-cow, throughout a year fashioned and formed her body, And through a year's space still sustained her brightness, through these their labours they were made immortal. Two beakers let us make,—thus said the eldest. Let us make three,—this was the younger's sentence. Four beakers let us make,—thus spoke the youngest. Tvaṣṭar [the Divine Architect] approved this rede [counsel] of yours, O Ṛbhus. The [Ṛbhus] spake truth and even so they acted: this Godlike way of theirs the Ṛbhus followed. ...[Tvaṣṭar] looked on the four beakers resplendent as the day….’ – Rig Veda 4.33 4-6 

‘[T]he drinking-chalice of the [God], which till that time was one, ye [Ṛbhus] made to be fourfold. The Ṛbhus, children of Sudhanvan [Su = beautiful; dhanvan = bow or archer], bright as suns, were in a year's course made associate with prayers…. The Ṛbhus, with a rod measured, as ’twere a field, the single sacrificial chalice, wide of mouth….’ – Rig Veda 1.110 3, 5, tr. RTH Griffith 

'The chalice that is single make ye [Ṛbhus] into four: thus have the Gods commanded; therefore am I come.... Then Tvaṣṭar, when he viewed the four wrought chalices, concealed himself among the Consorts of the Gods. As Tvaṣṭar thus had spoken, Let us slay these men who have reviled the chalice, drinking-cup [i.e. kumbha] of Gods … ye [Ṛbhus did] shape the cups, speaking the words of truth.'  – Rig Veda 1.116, 2,4-5, 9, tr. RTH Griffith 

‘May the far-seeing Sun rise up to bless us: be the four Quarters of the sky auspicious. Auspicious be the firmly-seated Mountains, auspicious be the Rivers and the Waters.’ – Rig Veda 7.35.8, tr. RTH Griffith 

‘Seas flow everywhere from her [Vak/the Cow]: by that the four directions live, from that the syllable flows, upon that does everything live.’ – Rig Veda 1.164.42, tr. Jamison & Brereton 

‘When, uttering words which no one comprehended, Vak, Queen of Gods, the Gladdener, was seated, [t]he heaven's four regions drew forth drink and vigour: now whither hath her noblest portion vanished?’ – Rig Veda 8.100.10, tr. RTH Griffith 

‘Four [sisters/cows/rivers] pouring out the holy oil attend [Agni], sitting together in the same container. To him they flow …. from every side [around him].’ ‒ Rig Veda 9.89.5, tr. RTH Griffith   

The Ribhus [called the ‘Artisans of Immortality’ by Sri Aurobindo] and Tvaṣtar [the Divine Architect] in these verses are symbols of the radius/radii of the Circle; and the four beakers, chalices, drinking-cups and the consorts of the gods as well as the mountains are symbols of multiple vesica piscis that measure out the 12-month Vedic Yajna (Zodiac). [5]

In the image above and in the image to the right, which both show the geometric construction of the Zodiac, I have highlighted one of the four vesicae piscium (the four kumbhas) which together divide the four seasons of the year into three months each. Each of these four vesicae piscium (a.k.a. chalices, rivers, kumbhas or drops of Amrita) are formed by arcing or tracing the radii of the four cardinal points of the Earth’s Solar Year through the circumference of the circle via the center point or bindu of the circle. In this image to the right I have emphasized the flower shape formed when the four arcs of the four cardinal radii are connected outside of the circle. As I have discussed in Part One of my book, this flower form sticking out of the ‘shell’ of the circle is the geometric basis of the Turtle (Kurma) form of Vishnu’s second avatar, upon whose back the Churning of the Milky Ocean (Samudra Manthan) takes place, by which the Amrita of the gods is said to be generated. [6] The four petals or ‘legs’ of the Turtle encompass Vishnu’s four preservation signs: Taurus the Bull, Leo the Lion, Scorpio the Scorpion or Eagle and Aquarius the Man, Friend or Water Bearer. In Rig Veda 4.58.2-3 this geometry is portrayed as a four-horned buffalo or bull. I emphasized the words ‘drops of Amrita’ above because I want readers to see and understand that there is a real mathematical, geometric, zodiacal and Vedic basis for the mythology of the Kumbha Mela wherein Vishnu the Preserver is said to have spilled four drops of Amrita from his kumbha, at four places, as well as a real mathematical, geometric, zodiacal and Vedic basis for the mythology of the recovery of the Amrita of the gods upon Kurma’s (Vishnu’s) back. The geometry of the vesica piscis within the Zodiac (Aditi) is laid out in the verses below. 

‘In Butter and milk are drawn from animated cloud; thence Amṛta is produced, centre of sacrifice…. The Soma-stalk hath roared, following with the wave…. Upon the lap of Aditi [Agni-Soma] lays the germ…. The [[four hidden streams]] have been sent downward from the heavens: dropping with oil they bring Amṛta and sacred gifts.… [Agni-Soma] assumes white colour…. Down the steep slope, through song, [Agni-Soma] comes to sacrifice, and will burst the water-holding cask of heaven…. Yea, to the shining milk-anointed beaker, as to his goal, hath stepped the conquering Courser.’ ‒ Rig Veda 9.74.4-8, tr. RTH Griffith [[tr. Jamison & Brereton]]

In order to begin to read the occult symbols in all of the verses quoted above one has to begin to see and think like the Vedic Rishis who, in their unity consciousness, described the many-facetted nature of the One Circle (the unified field of Time and Space) by using a multitude of diverse symbols and names for same geometric figures. In RV 9.89.5 the multiple vesicae piscium of the Zodiac are depicted as sisters (elsewhere as rivers and cows). The vesica piscis is also the goddess Vak (the goddess of Speech), her ‘syllable’ and the drink that is drawn forth from heaven’s four regions in RV 1.100.10 and RV 1.164.42, as well as the mountains, rivers and waters in RV 7.35.8.  In RV 9.74, the vesica piscis is referred to as a cloud pouring out holy oil (or butter/milk), and as Amrita (the ‘centre’ of the sacrificial year), a wave, ‘the water-holding cask of heaven’, the ‘milk-anointed beaker’, and as the germ (i.e. seed) of Agni laid on the lap of Aditi – the Divine Mother (Cow) who is a symbol of the full circle of the Zodiac (a.k.a. the ‘Mother of all Sciences’). Symbols of the radius (which simultaneously dwells within and creates the form of the circle and the vesica piscis) in this same hymn include Agni (a.k.a. the purifying god Soma-Pavamana), the Soma-stalk, and the conquering Courser or Horse. The beaker and cask of heaven in these verses are not only equivalent to the kumbha (water jar) and to Vishnu’s jar or drop of Amrita, but also to the sign of Kumbha (Aquarius) as portrayed by the Vedic Rishis.

Whereas the Vedas do not specifically speak of a river festival or mass pilgrimage to Haridwar or other cities which host the Kumbha Melas, I do believe that the lore of the victorious release of the Vedic Rivers/Waters speak of the specific day of the Vedic Year (the specific holy day or holiday) when the Sun enters into the sign of Kumbha (Aquarius). It appears to me that the conquering White Horse [Agni-Soma] in Rig Veda 9.74.7-8 (above, and repeated below) is specifically a symbol of the radius of the 9th sign of Sagittarius  – the only sign of the Zodiac associated with the Horse [7], which arcs or ‘steps’ from 0° Libra  to its ‘goal’ at 0° Aquarius/Kumbha , which is the only sign of the Zodiac associated with or named after the water jar (a.k.a. cask/beaker). [See image to the right.]

‘[Agni-Soma] assumes white colour…. Down the steep slope, through song, [Agni-Soma] comes to sacrifice, and will burst the water-holding cask of heaven…. Yea, to the shining milk-anointed beaker, as to his goal, hath stepped the conquering Courser.’ ‒ Rig Veda 9.74.7-8, tr. RTH Griffith 

This arc or step of the horse/radius is sometimes portrayed by the Rishis as a gallop. It is also portrayed as the ‘Stallion’s Flood’. [8] 

‘[Agni] is the wise, mighty and liberating Son born from our works and our sacrifice, the Hero in our warfare and Seer of our knowledge, the White Steed in the front of our days who gallops towards the upper Ocean.... He is the source and outpourer of the ambrosial Wine of divine delight and we drink it drawn from the sevenfold waters of existence … uplifted by its raptures we become immortal.’ ‒ Sri Aurobindo, The Secret of the Veda, CWSA, Volume 15, p. 371 

‘Send down for us the rain of heaven, ye [storm gods] and let the Stallion's flood descend in torrents. Come hither with this thunder while thou pourest the waters down, our heavenly Lord and Father. Thunder and roar: the germ of life deposit. Fly round us on thy chariot water-laden. Thine opened water-skin draw with thee downward, and let the hollows and the heights be level. Lift up the mighty vessel [Kumbha], pour down water, and let the liberated streams rush forward….’ ‒ Rig Veda 5.83.6-8 tr. R.T.H. Griffith  [Bold emphasis added]

As presented in my book, I believe that this ‘step’ (vesica piscis) of the Horse (or radius of the 9th sign Sagittarius) which culminates at the entrance (sankranti) into the sign of Kumbha (Aquarius), is equivalent to the seventh river (the seventh of the seven-fold waters) of the Zodiac. It appears to me that the (White) Horse’s arrival at, and bursting open of the water jar (i.e. kumbha/cask of Heaven) at 0° Aquarius is entirely equivalent to Indra’s victorious act of breaking open the cave or mountain (of Capricorn/Makar) from which the sacred Seven Rivers (Sapta Sindhu) of the Vedas are released for the purification and healing of the Earth’s divisive consciousness and the uplifting of truth-consciousness in our world. It also appears to me that this Vedic victory is the true and forgotten Vedic essence of the Kumbha Mela celebration. [9]

As long as the true Vedic sense of the Kumbha Mela remains lost in collective Ignorance, along with the lost Tropical measure of the Vedic Year [as discussed in Parts One and Two], there is ZERO chance that the celebration of Kumbha Mela will result in the real purification, healing and yogic boons that Hindu pilgrims, sadhus (holy men and women) and pujaris (priests) attribute to the festival rites of bathing in the sacred rivers. This cleansing ritual is directly tied to the Rig Veda wherein the Vedic hero is cleansed and empowered for victory by the immortal rivers or drops or by the jar (kumbha) of the vesica piscis, which also appears to be depicted as a purifying filter in the Vedas. As Sri Aurobindo wrote in The Secret of the Veda, the symbols of the Vedas (including the rivers of truth and clarity) are not to be taken literally, but as occult symbols of higher knowledge. 

As long as this higher knowledge remains unknown and unapplied toward the uplifting of consciousness, the purification rituals of the Kumbha celebration will remain largely faith-based (rather than knowledge-based) and isolated to specific years and locations rather than being a yearly celebration across all of India and all of the globe. The idea that this chance of purification and healing is limited to specific years and locations, creates the toxic situation wherein swarms or hordes of humans descend upon a designated ‘sacred’ river, only to disastrously pollute that river and its surrounding environment. As amazing and powerful as the Kumbha Mela festivals are, this idea of isolated opportunities for purification and healing in a few sacred rivers of India is based upon the loss of the true understanding of what exactly the purifying sacred river and the nectar of Immortality (Amrita) of the Rig Veda actually represent. Below are a few of the hundreds upon hundreds of Vedic verses that speak of the cleansing or purification of the Vedic hero in terms of multiple symbols of the vesica piscis in the Vedas. Symbols of the vesica piscis include the beaker (aka kumbha), streams, rivers, the sieve (filter), Agni’s wave, the water’s lap, the paths of Holy Law, Agni’s voice, the bowl of milk, the jars, the Immortal drops, floods, Agni’s robe of waters/milk, and the ancient fluid. These verses (and many other Vedic verses) appear to me to specifically indicate the movement of the radius of Sagittarius (the Sage) to the Aquarius (Kumbha/Beaker), forming the seventh vesica piscis (river) of the Zodiac.

‘[Agni-Soma] the Lord of heaven, flows, shouting to the beaker, with his thousand streams. Coloured like gold he rests in seats where Mitra [the Friend] dwells, the Steer made beautiful by rivers.… [He] gains the beaker by a course of hundred paths.… Mixt with the streams he caused the beakers to resound…. [He] who gave the rivers room … [is] poured within the beaker and the sieve.… Seven Milch-kine [Seven Rivers] glorify the Tawny-coloured One while with his wave … he purifies himself. The living men, the mighty, have impelled the Sage into the waters' lap, the place of sacrifice.… On flows the King of rivers and the Lord of heaven: he follows with a shout the paths of Holy Law. The Golden-hued is poured forth, with his hundred streams, Wealth-bringer, lifting up his voice while purified.… Thy streams that flow forth rapidly … as thou art cleansed. When, Indu, thou art balmed [[or bathed in some Vedic hymns]] with milk within the bowl, thou sinkest in the jars, O [Agni] Soma, when expressed.' ‒ Rig Veda 9.86.11-47, tr. RTH Griffith [Bold emphasis added]

'These rapid Soma-streams have stirred themselves to motion like strong steeds, … Immortal, cleansed, these drops, since first they flowed, have never wearied, fain to reach the regions and their paths.' ‒ Rig Veda 9.22.1, 4, tr. RTH Griffith 

'Engendering the Sun in floods, engendering heaven's lights, green-hued, Robed in the waters and the milk, Shedding the ancient fluid he is poured into the cleansing sieve: He, thundering, hath produced the Gods. [Agni] Soma, while purifying, sends hither all things to be desired, He sends the Gods who strengthen Law.' ‒ Rig Veda 9.42.1,4-5, tr. RTH Griffith [Bold emphasis added]

The real purification to be gained from the celebration of Kumbha (Kumbha Mela) is the purification that will naturally come when the hundreds of millions of Indians who celebrate the Kumbha Mela become collectively aware of the key role the kumbha (the vesica piscis), and simultaneously the sign of Kumbha/Aquarius, plays in the pouring out of the secrets of the Vedas, in the correct measure of the Vedic/Zodiacal Year, in the foundation of sanatana dharma, and in uncovering or revealing the hidden light in India’s ancient mythologies and symbols as well as in related mythologies and symbols throughout the world. Those who come to see, utilize and celebrate this key of gnosis (the Amrita of Vishnu and the Vedic gods) will inevitably find themselves in the position of participating in the pouring out the waters (and eternal law) of the sacred kumbha (water jar) upon the world in our current Age of Aquarius/Kumbha, thereby cleansing the world of thousands of years of misunderstandings regarding the fragmented religious mythologies, symbols, rituals and celebrations, and in reestablishing the Vedic consciousness of (and celebration of) the divine unified field of Time and Space. 

Variations of the Vedic Victory

Below are various verses [some of which I quoted in Part Two of this series] which appear to me as variations of the same pouring out of the kumbha (water jar/pitcher) after passage through 10 months of the 12-month Vedic sacrifice (a.k.a. the Vedic Year, Yajna, or Zodiac) and upon entrance into the 11th sign of Aquarius/Kumbha at 0° Aquarius.  

'I hold for you in the waters [rivers/floods] the thought that wins the possession of the Sun-world, whereby the Navagvas [the 9-rayed] have completed the ten-months [of the sacrificial year]. By these thoughts, may we be protected by the Gods. By these thoughts, may we pass safe, beyond the sin.' ‒  Rig Veda 5.45.11, tr. RL Kashyap 

'[Indra] slew the Dragon, then disclosed the waters, and cleft the channels [rivers] of the mountain.' ‒ Rig Veda 1.32.1, tr. RTH Griffith 

‘[Indra the Bull] fixed fast and firm the earth that staggered, and set at rest the agitated mountains, who measured out the air's wide middle region and gave the heaven support…. [He] slew the Dragon, freed the Seven Rivers, and drove the kine forth from the cave of Vala [i.e. the cave of Ignorance]…. [W]ith seven guiding reins [he] set free the Seven great Floods to flow….' ‒  Rig Veda 2.12.2-3, 12, tr. R.T.H. Griffith 

'[Indra broke] down the strongholds and dug out the rivers. He cleft the mountain like a new-made pitcher [kumbha].' ‒ Rig Veda 10.089.7, tr. RTH Griffith [Bold emphasis added] 

'Entreated by Vivasvān's [the Sun’s] ten, Indra cast down the water-jar [kumbha] with threefold hammer from the sky.' ‒ Rig Veda 8.61.8, tr. RTH Griffith  [Bold emphasis added] 

Ten sisters, pouring out the rain together, swift-moving thinkers of the sage, adorn him. Hither hath run the gold-hued Child of Surya and reached the vat [kumbha] like a fleet vigorous courser.  ‒ Rig Veda 9.93.1    

It appears to me in these last two verses that ‘Vivasvan’s [the Sun’s] ten’ and the 'ten sisters' are clear references to the 10 months of the Solar/Tropical Year that leads up to entrance into the sign of Kumbha/Aquarius [a.k.a. 'the vat']. The release of the Seven Rivers by the Sage/Horse (the radius) of Sagittarius in the Vedas is portrayed in St. John’s Revelation as the seventh angel pouring out the seventh of seven vials or bowls or ‘plagues of God’s wrath’, and the world-purifying victory of the Divine Son on his White Horse. [10]

'The seventh angel poured out his bowl into the air,  and out of the temple came a loud voice  from the throne, saying, "It is done!"'  ‒  Revelation 16:17, NIV  

'Then the angel showed me the river of the water of life, as clear as crystal, flowing from the throne of God and of the Lamb down the middle of the great street of the city. On each side of the river stood the tree of life, bearing twelve crops of fruit, yielding its fruit every month [of the year]. And the leaves of the tree are for the healing of the nations. No longer will there be any curse.' ‒  Revelation 22.1-3, NIV  

‘And one of the four beasts [the Man of Aquarius] [11] gave unto the seven angels seven golden vials full of the wrath of God, who liveth for ever and ever. And the temple was filled with smoke from the glory of God, and from his power; and no man was able to enter into the temple, till the seven plagues of the seven angels were fulfilled.’ Revelation 15.7-8, KJV  

‘I saw heaven standing open and there before me was a white horse, whose rider is called Faithful and True. With justice he judges and wages war.… Coming out of his mouth is a sharp sword with which to strike down the nations. “He will rule them with an iron scepter.” He treads the winepress of the fury of the wrath of God Almighty. On his robe and on his thigh he has this name written….’ Revelation 19.11-23

As I have written in Geometric Keys of Vedic Wisdom, the White Horse and its rider (the victorious divine son) in Revelation is equivalent to the White Horse and divine hero-son of the Vedas. This Man-Horse pairing is a symbol of the 9th sign Sagittarius. Symbols of the radius here include the horse and rider, the sharp sword, the iron scepter, and the name of the rider. Symbols of the vesica piscis include the rider’s mouth, the winepress of God (the pressing out of Soma wine in the Rig Veda), the divine hero’s robe and his thigh. Some of Thea’s commentary on Revelation 15 and 16 elucidates the connection between the pouring out of the seven bowls, vials or plagues and the sign of Aquarius/Kumbha. 

‘The work of the Age of Aquarius begins to manifest. [Chapter 15] is a description of the powers of transformation, the waters which are gathered in the golden bowls and will be poured out upon the Earth. The image is the same as the symbol of Aquarius, the man-angel who pours the transforming waters from his water jug which bring out a change in all areas of human life. Nowhere else in the Revelation is the sign Aquarius so clearly rendered.... Thus the Aquarian Age is ushered in by this higher knowledge that allows the waters to flow from the jug....

‘The essence of the sign Aquarius is the transformation of consciousness on a universal scale. But this is accomplished because the way is opened for the powers to flow onto the Earth from the higher planes. It is only with the beginning of that Age that the veils are rent which block the downward flowing stream of light which is a power…. [T]he Aquarian Age is ushered in by this higher knowledge that allows the waters to flow from the jug.... [12] 

‘In verse 7 John sees that one of the four beasts gives the seven golden vials to the angels. These are the beasts of the Sphinx, or the four fixed signs [of the Zodiac], ‒ of which Aquarius is one. It is the man-beast that is indicated here; he hands over the water jugs to be poured out and onto the Earth. – Thea, The Hidden Manna [1976], pp. 199-200 

‘[Chapter 16 of Revelation] is precisely the description of the initial transformation caused by the cascading currents from the jug of the Water-Carrier, he who pours forth the transforming waters of life. There is no area of existence that escapes the transfiguring touch. For it is a new world that is being born. – Thea, Ibid., pp. 218-19

The tree of life is clearly a symbol of the 12-month Zodiac, and just as the bowl and the ‘river of the water of life’ are symbols of the vesica piscis, so are the leaves of the tree (i.e. leaves of the Zodiac). In Revelation 22.1-3 the prophecy of the expected healing and purifying impact of the pouring out (i.e. revelation) of the ‘river’ on the world is fully apparent, as it is in the Rig Veda.  

‘The way to bliss for Gods and man [Indra found] seven lovely floods, divine, untroubled…. [Indra] from the curse didst free the mighty Waters, and as their only God didst watch and guard them.’ ‒ Rig Veda 10.104.8, tr. R.T.H. Griffith 

‘[Agni], the bright Son... hath stirred the [seven] guileless rivers which have magnified the Single Eye. These [seven] helped to might the Youthful One, high over all, invincible…. The immortal Courser [i.e. Horse], good to draw, looks down upon the Seven.… Aid us in holy rites … drive away Dark shades that must be met in fight.… Make the lights shine as erst they shone…. Win for us wisdom, win the light.’ ‒ Rig Veda 9.9.3-6, tr. R.T.H. Griffith 

‘[Agni-Soma] beautifies himself … like an impetuous steed in war…. [R]iver-like he hath swelled with surge …. into the vat that drops with meath [honey-wine]. Like a dear son who must be decked, the Lovely One hath clad him in a shining robe.… Purified in the bowl …. Robed in the flood, the Mighty One hath clad himself with milk and settled in the vats.’ ‒ Rig Veda 9.107.11-18 excerpts, tr. R.T.H. Griffith 

‘[T]he Sage flows to the banquet of the Gods, Subduing all our enemies.  ... He [Agni-Soma] like a courser in the floods invincible … is resting in the jars.  ‒ Rig Veda 9.20.1-6, excerpts, tr. R.T.H. Griffith

Some readers may have already deduced from the above verses, that in addition to the river, flood, bowl, vat, jar, and drops of meath [akin to the drops of Amrita], the robe is also a symbol of the vesica piscis in the Rig Veda. In Greek mythology this Vedic Victory of Agni as the Horse/Sage of Sagittarius (the ‘courser in the floods’) is portrayed as the white-winged horse Pegasus kicking a rock and releasing a spring called Hippocrene (meaning ‘the Horse’s Fountain’). This spring, like the seventh river of the Vedas Saraswati, is associated with poetic inspiration. [13] Elements of this Vedic symbolism can also be found in the Pueblo Native American mythology of the Water Jar Boy of a boy who is born in a water jar (kumbha) and eventually falls and hits a rock, breaking out of his jar and thereupon embarks upon a journey to find his father who is found living in a spring (of water). The Water Jar Boy is a symbol or the radius ‘born’ or dwelling within the vesica piscis (kumbha or water jar) equivalent to the Vedic mythology of Agni, the Son who dwells within, is hidden within, is robed by, and is born from the sacred waters of the vesica piscis. In Arthurian legend the Vedic water jar or pot of Amrita is called the ‘holy grail’. Another variation of this Vedic victory is found in the Ongiara Native American mythology of Niagara (Ongiara) Falls, wherein the thunder god slays and defeats with his lightning bolt a great poisonous snake who menaces the river and its people similar to the mythology of Indra (the thunder god) defeating the great snake Vritra with his thunderbolt and freeing the rivers (cows) with the help of the seven Angiras Rishis of the Rig Veda. The parallels between the mythology (and name) of the Ongiara Native Americans of the Niagara Falls area and the Angiras Rishis of the Vedas is striking.

In Grecian mythology the Vedic hero's quest to retrieve or win the immortal vesica piscis from the veils, caves and forces of Ignorance is portrayed as Jason and the Argonauts' quest for the golden fleece (of the Divine Ram ‒ a symbol of Aries, Mars and Agni), guarded by a serpent or dragon akin to Vritra in the Vedas. The fleece ‒ or wool coat of the ram/sheep ‒is a common symbol of the vesica piscis in the Vedas, equivalent to the robe or mantle of the victorious divine hero-son or hero-horse [Agni/Soma].

'[T]hese drops of Soma pass the cleansing fleece, while, gold-hued, they cast their covering off to pour the rain down.' ‒ Rig Veda 9.69.9, tr. RTH Griffith  

'Making the kine his mantle [robe], he, the lovely Sage, runs like a sporting courser onward through the fleece.' ‒ Rig Veda 9.086.26, tr. RTH Griffith    

'Thy stream when thou art pressed runs on like some victorious warrior's steed hastening onward through the fleece like a fierce horse who wins the prize.' ‒ Rig Veda 9.100.4 , tr. RTH Griffith    

'By means of this eternal fleece may [the Sun's] Daughter purify [[your circling soma with the fleece-filter in unfailing measure]]. Ten sister maids of slender form seize [the Child/Agni] within the press and hold Him firmly on the final day.' ‒ Rig Veda 9.1.6-7, tr. RTH Griffith [[tr. Jamison & Brereton]]

The Sun's Daughter in this last verse is yet another symbol of the vesica piscis, and the ten sisters are once again symbols of the ten months of the Vedic Year (Tropical Zodiac). I believe the 'final day' can be taken as the victorious (holy) day in the year marking the Vedic hero-son's release or pouring out of the sacred Kumbha or seven sacred rivers at 0° Aquarius and his complete passage through ten months of the Vedic Year. In RV 5.78 this Vedic hero-son is characterized as ‘the ten-month babe’ ‒ likened to the rishi Saptavadhri in this hymn ‒ who is born together with the release of the waters of his own afterbirth after ‘lying in this mother’s side’ for ten months.

'Tree, part asunder like the side of her who bringeth forth a child. Ye Aśvins, listen to my call: loose Saptavadhri from his bonds.... [As] the wind ... ruffles a pool of lotuses [[in every direction]], so stir in thee the babe unborn, so may the ten-month babe descend. Like as the wind, like as the wood, like as the sea is set astir, So also, ten-month babe, descend together with the after-birth. The child who hath for ten months' time been lying in his mother's side,—May he come forth alive, unharmed, yea, living from the living dame.' ‒ Rig Veda 5.78.7-9, tr. RTH Griffith [[tr. Jamison & Brereton]] [14]

In Part Four I will discuss the connection between Jupiter and Brihaspati in the Rig Veda, the upcoming 2020 conjunction of Jupiter and Saturn at 0° Aquarius upon Makar Sankranti (the December Solstice) which all those celebrating the sidereal (nirayana), post-Vedic measure of the Year will sadly not notice or celebrate as an important holy day involving the sankrantis (entrance into) Makar/Capricorn and Kumbha/Aquarius. In Part Five I will discuss various ways the Vedic kumbha is celebrated in India, other than the Kumbha Mela, including the tradition of Surya Arghya, wherein water from a kumbha is poured out and offered to the Sun, at sunrise, noon and sunset and the common tradition of placing a kumbha (kalasha) or three kumbhas (trikalasha) at the apex of Hindu temples.

Link to Parts 1, 2, 4, 5, 6

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Endnotes

[1] All of these carriers or preservers of the Amrita, including the divine physician Dhanavantari, are names/forms of Vishnu.
[2] 120° = 120° x 60′ x 60ʺ = 432,000ʺ. This math and its connections to the measure of the Sun’s radius as well as to the measure of the Kali Yuga and the Rig Veda was presented by Thea in her books The Gnostic Circle and The New Way, Volumes 1 & 2. I began writing Geometric Keys of Vedic Wisdom after I had a dream vision regarding the importance of the numerical equivalence and geometric relationship between the 432,000 measure of the Sun’s radius and the 432,000ʺ measure of the vesica piscis within the circle. Chapter One of Geometric Keys of Vedic Wisdom is thus titled ‘432,000’.

[3] Vritra is the serpent or dragon whose name means ‘the Coverer’ of Light/Truth.

[4] In truth, the location of ‘Triveni Sangam’ at Prayagraj is the confluence of only two rivers – the Ganges and Yamuna rivers. It is suggested that the invisible Saraswati river is the third river in this configuration, but this belief is far-fetched considering the Saraswati River is thought to have descended southwestward through the Indus Valley into what is now called the Arabian Sea, rather than in the southeastern direction of the Ganges and Yamuna rivers.

[5] Sri Aurobindo wrote a chapter called ‘The Ribhus, Artisans of Immortality’ in The Secret of the Veda, wherein he discusses the Ribhus as a trinity who pour the ‘[wine or nectar of] immortal essence’ [i.e. Amrita] into the ‘lower world’ establishing the ‘thrice-seven ecstasies’ and the perfect division of the sacrificial year. Thea thought of the Ribhus as the three energy flows of the Zodiac (creation/rajas, preservation/sattva, dissolution/tamas) which divide each of the four seasons of the year into three months. She discussed the ‘thrice-seven ecstasies’ as ‘the combined scales of 9 and 12, based on the multiples three times three and three times four that the Ribhus, artisans of Immortality, personify.’ [The New Way, Vols. 1 & 2, p. 402] Neither Sri Aurobindo nor Thea were aware that the Rishis disguised the simple geometry of the radius pouring out the Eternal/Immortal form of the vesica piscis in their symbolic language.

[6] As told in Geometric Keys of Vedic Wisdom, seeing the geometric basis of the Turtle form of Vishnu’s avatars led to seeing the form of Vishnu’s first avatar ‒ Matsya [the Fish] ‒  in terms of the Vesica Pisces, which in turn led to seeing all of Vishnu’s avatars in terms of the geometry of the 360° circle/cycle of the Vedic Year. 

[7] The Sanskrit name of Sagittarius is Dhanvan or Dhanu, indicating a ‘bow’ as in the bow and arrow of the Archer which is a name/symbol associated with Sagittarius. As discussed in Geometric Keys of Wisdom, the bow and arrow of the Vedic heroes is a symbol of the bow or arc of the vesica piscis and its radius. Dhanvan is  the root of one of Vishnu’s avatars, Dhanvantari (the Divine Physician or Healer) who emerges from the Samudra Manthan (Churning of the Milky Ocean) in conjunction with Vishnu’s Amrita. Dhanvantari means ‘moving in a curve’ (i.e. in an arc). 

[8] See Geometric Keys of Vedic Wisdom, Part Two for a fuller explanation and discussion of the zodiacal and geometric essence of the ‘Stallion’s Flood’ along with the zodiacal and geometric essence of other Vedic (and post-Vedic) symbols and lore, including a lengthy discussion of the geometric and zodiacal sense of the Seven Rivers and Seven Vials of Revelation.
[9] Thea wrote in her book The New Way, Vols. 1 & 2 that the Seven Rivers of the Vedas are released in the sign of Capricorn (Makar), specifically at the 7 Point of the Circle (10° Capricorn). In my view, in light of the recent realization that the River/Waters/Kumbha of the Rig Veda function as symbols of the vesica pisces, the location of this victorious release of the Seven Rivers in the Vedic Year is 0° Aquarius. This view is contested/rejected by some of Thea’s students who believe that Thea could not have been wrong about her seeing of the point of release of the Seven Rivers in the Zodiacal Year. Thea contributed much crucial gnosis towards the restoration of the zodiacal essence of the Rig Veda, but as mentioned in ‘Endnote 5’ above, she was not aware of the important and central role the vesica piscis plays in the Rig Veda and in the release of the cleansing waters of the Veda. As told in Geometric Keys of Vedic Wisdom, this key occurred to me seven days before Thea’s passing. I immediately shared the discovery with her (without whom the discovery would never have been made) and seven days later, she departed. I never got to discuss my findings with her, or to discuss the position of the release of the Seven Rivers in light of the new key of the Vedas that descended the week of her passing.

[10] See Geometric Keys of Vedic Wisdom for more on this subject of the astrological and geometric sense of the Seven Rivers/Vials and other well-known mythologies and sacred symbols.

[11] Thea identified this fourth beast as the Man of Aquarius in The Hidden Manna [1976]. She wrote: ''In [Chapter 15] verse 7 John sees that one of the four beasts gives the seven golden vials to the angels. These are the beasts of the Sphinx, or the fixed four signs, ‒ of which Aquarius is one. It is the man-beast that is indicated here; he hands over the water jugs to be poured out and onto the Earth.' [THM, pp. 199, 203]
[12] Thea was writing here of the entrance into the Age of Aquarius in terms of the backwards movement of the Precession of the Equinoxes – the 25,920-year ‘Great Year’ consisting of 12 Astrological Ages. In this ‘Great Year’, one month, sign or age of the Zodiac covers the span of 2160 years. She wrote: ‘It is only with the beginning of that Age that the veils are rent which block the downward flowing stream of light which is a power. This is accomplished by the avatar [of Vishnu] who brings new knowledge into the atmosphere, which is a power at work for the purpose of piercing the veils.’ She recognized Sri Aurobindo as Vishnu’s avatar in our current Aquarian Age which, according to her, began in 1926. So whereas it can be seen that there has been a significant outpouring of the higher gnosis of the Kumbha and with it the uplifting of many hidden secrets and treasures of the Veda in the first degrees of the Aquarian Age (corresponding 29° and  28° Aquarius), I still believe that, in terms of the forward movement of the Vedic Heroes through the 12 months of the Vedic/Tropical Year, all indications point to the release of the Kumbha in conjunction with the entrance into 0° Aquarius in the Rig Veda. This zero point of Aquarius (0° Aquarius) begins where the 10th month of Capricorn ends. I imagine that the knowledge which has been poured out (or descended) via Sri Aurobindo (and his companions) upon the backwards entrance into Vishnu’s Age of Aquarius/Kumbha (via movement through 0° Piscis) is the necessary seed of what is to be fully realized by the end of the Age of Aquarius, when we move into the so-called ‘Golden’ Age of Capricorn (which begins with the precessional movement backwards across 0° Aquarius, into the last degree of Capricorn; in the year 4086 according to Thea). All Vedic and religious prophecies and beliefs aside, it will be Time that tells the story of how this outpouring of Vishnu’s Kumbha will actually affect our current Age of Kumbha. 

[13] Saraswati is mentioned specifically as the seventh river in RV 7.36.6: ‘Coming together, glorious, loudly roaring-Sarasvati, Mother of Floods, the seventh [Flood/River] With copious milk, with fair streams, strongly flowing, full swelling with the volume of their water….’ [tr. RTH Griffith] Her association with ‘inspiration’, wisdom and illumination is found in RV 1.3.12: ‘Sarasvati, the mighty flood, ‒ she with the light illuminates, She brightens every pious thought.’ [tr. RTH Griffith]
[14] The tree in these verses is a symbol of the Zodiac (the tree of Life who is also the Divine Mother of Light – Aditi) and the parting of her side can be taken as a symbol of the geometry of the 'opening' created by the vesica piscis within the Zodiac. The identity and meaning of Saptavadhri is not agreed upon. It is clear to all that Sapta indicates the number seven. Vadhri is thought by some to mean 'castrated' but I very much doubt 'seven-times castrated' is the right interpretation here. I believe the more accurate interpretation is 'fettered by 7 thongs (applied to the soul)' [Sanskritdictionary.com], wherein the seven thongs [i.e. seven straps] are entirely equivalent to the first Seven Rivers (Seven Vesicae Piscium) of the Zodiac ... the waters in which the Vedic son-hero-horse is hidden and from which he is born forth. In Geometric Keys of Vedic Wisdom I wrote about the equivalence of the radius of Sagittarius (the sign of the hero-son-horse) and the Seventh Rishi of the Vedas. This hymn makes geometric sense considering that the radius-son of Sagittarius arcs through ten full months of the Zodiac to the entrance into the sign of Kumbha/Aquarius as demonstrated in two pictures above in this post.