Demystifying the Ancient Symbol of Three Fish with One Head

"Buddha’s Footprint", Hand drawn frontispiece to Indian Journals by Allen Ginsberg.

A colleague of mine sent me an article entitled “From emperor Akbar’s tomb to Ginsberg’s sketchbook, this mysterious motif has persisted over time” by Annabel Teh Gallop (Scroll.In, 25 January 2020) discussing an ancient symbol of three fish with one head. The quote that accompanies the title reads: “At some point, the ‘three fish one head’ symbol was co-opted by every major world religion – Christianity, Buddhism, Hinduism and Islam.” The colleague who sent me the article posed the question “VARIATION OF VESICA PISCES?” in the subject line of her email. She was familiar enough with my work on the role the vesica piscis plays in ancient mythology and iconography to suspect that there was a connection between the “mysterious” ancient three fish symbol and the sacred geometry of the vesica piscis.

Before reading the article I had never seen the Three Fish with one head symbol. If I had, it would have been featured in Geometric Keys of Vedic Wisdom (2018) as being a symbol of the three vesicae piscium of the circle (drawn out by the radius) which perfectly divide the circumference of the 360° circle (and the 12 signs of the Zodiac) into three even segments of 120° (= 120° x 60′ x 60ʺ = 432,000ʺ). [See GKVW and “The Sacred Measure of 432,000”, a five-part series discussing the 432,000-measure of the circle in relation to the measure of the Vedas, the Yugas, and the Sun's radius.]

Whereas I did not know about the triple-fish symbol or all of the places it has appeared throughout history until early March 2020, a version of it is found in the red triquetra I constructed for the spine of my book in late 2017 featuring three overlapping or knotted vesicae piscium which share a common “head”, shown below left. It is also the favicon of this blog. The center point of this triquetra can be seen as the shared eye of Three Fish.   

According to the Gallop article, “The earliest known manifestation of the three-fish-one-head symbol is in ancient Egypt, where it was a [familiar] motif on ceramic dishes from the New Kingdom period between the 16th to 11th centuries BCE. Representing the tilapia fish and found together with depictions of the lotus, it is associated with the Goddess Hathor.” The stems of these lotuses are symbols of the radii (also found in the Vedas), that draw out the Three Fish (=three vesicae piscium) of the circle.

Three-Fish, Bangalore Fort wall
Credit: 'Journeys across Karnataka'

Gallop’s article points to instances of the three-fish-one-head symbol on an ancient depiction of the footprint of Buddha at Bodh Gaya (5th century CE) and on “the 13th-century Hindu Harihareshwara temple in Harihar and in a flat schematic depiction on the wall of the Bangalore Fort – fortified between the 16th and 18th centuries.” 

She also discusses Alan Ginsberg’s use of this symbol, which Ginsberg first sketched in Indian Journals detailing his 1962-63 trip to India [See the image featured at the top of this post]. According to Ginsberg, he first “saw the three fish one head, carved on [the] insole of naked Buddha Footprint stone at Bodh-Gaya under the Bo-tree.” [Catholic Worker, May 1967]. Apparently this symbol, which is called the “Footprint of the Buddha”, is not all that common in portrayals of Buddha’s footprint. Regardless, it is perfectly fitting that this symbol is associated with (and sometimes found upon) Buddha’s iconic footprint. The reason WHY this symbol on Buddha's footprint is perfectly fitting, and why it can no longer be considered an enigma or mystery, will take a few steps to explain.

The explanation begins with the fact that, however erroneously, Gautama the Buddha has long been considered to be the 9th Avatar of the Vedic God Vishnu. Vishnu "the Preserver", according to Hindu lore, reincarnates or appears in certain Ages to preserve the Eternal Law (Sanatana Dharma) for humanity. In the Vedas, Vishnu is repeatedly depicted as taking three steps across the world,—or universe in post-Vedic lore—, and thus one of his names is Trivikrama meaning “Three Steps”. 

"Through all this world strode Viṣņu; thrice his foot he planted, and the whole was gathered in his footstep's dust." – Rig Veda 1.22.17, tr. RTH Griffith 

"Viṣņu, the Guardian, he whom none deceiveth, made three steps; thenceforth establishing his high decrees." – Rig Veda 1.22.18, tr. RTH Griffith 

"Viṣņu measured out the earthly realms three times exactly…." – Rig Veda 6.49.13, tr. RTH Griffith 

"Now I shall proclaim the heroic deeds of Viṣņu, who measured out the earthly realms…. [In his] three wide strides dwell all living beings. …Vishnu [the wide-ranging Bull] with just three steps measured out this dwelling place here, whose three steps, filled with honey, never become depleted… Might I reach the dear cattle pen of his…the wellspring of honey in the highest step of Viṣņu." – Rig Veda 1.154.1-5, tr. Jamison & Brereton

In the process of writing Geometric Keys of Vedic Wisdom,—much of which I experienced as a download into my consciousness throughout 2016—, I came to see that the first Avatar of Vishnu’s Ten Avatars was Matsya (the FISH), precisely because the Vessel of the Fish (the Vesica Piscis) functions as a key to restoring and preserving the Eternal Law (Sanatana Dharma) of the Vedic Rishis. With this key, it became apparent to me that Vishnu’s three steps are equivalent to three vesicae piscium (i.e. three FISH and three steps of the radius through the circle) that divide the circle and the Sacrificial Year (Yajna) of the Vedic Rishis into three, [1] creating the original basis of the Divine Trinity that reverberates (however distorted) through the world’s religious myths, symbols and lore. The connection between the three steps of Vishnu and the "vessel" of the vesica piscis becomes even clearer in Rig Veda 6.17.11 wherein Vishnu is portrayed as pouring out three vessels.

"[Vishnu] poured forth three great vessels to [Indra], the juice that cheers, that slaughters Vṛtra [the dragon/demon/coverer of Truth]" – tr. RTH Griffith

In both cases of Vishnu’s action,—taking three steps or pouring out three vessels (or lakes according to Jamison and Brereton)—, I believe that the Rishis were referring to the sacred geometry and Eternal Law of the radius of the circle which draws or pours out the three formative vesicae piscium (i.e. the THREE FISH) that establish the Divine Maya or sacred measure of the circle and Zodiac. Thus it can be seen that the Three Fish with One Head is a symbol of the Eternal Geometry or Eternal Law of the Vedic Rishis and of their twelve-month Yajna or Sacrificial Year (aka the Zodiac), which Vishnu’s Avatars (the first being the FISH) are periodically [yuge-yuge] tasked with recovering and preserving. [2]

Assigning the symbol of Three Fish with One Head to the iconic "Footprint of Buddha" would have been entirely appropriate if Gautama the Buddha had indeed been an Avatar of Vishnu. However, as discussed at length by Patrizia Norelli-Bachelet (Thea), the avatars of Vishnu "the Preserver" descend in the Preservation Ages of the Zodiac and the Buddha was born in the Age of Aries thousands of years before our current “Preservation” Age of Aquarius, and thus thousands of years before the Time or Age of Vishnu's 9th Avatar. She also discussed the fact that Gautama’s spiritual teachings,—though valuable in their own way—, were antithetical to the mission of Vishnu’s Avatars, which is to recover the Eternal Law (Sanatana Dharma) known to sages and rishis in Ages long gone by, and to uplift, divinize, and unify life on Earth rather than perpetuating the spiritual error of separating Spirit and Matter and dismissing the material world or creation as an illusion to be transcended. [3] Thea considered Sri Aurobindo to be Vishnu's 9th Avatar, recognizing his yogic knowledge, his consciousness-force, his unveiling and uplifting the Sanatana Dharma and symbols of the Vedic Rishis, and his yoga of unveiling and establishing the seeds of the Life Divine and the Supramental Consciousness on Earth, along with the "cosmic credentials" of his birth, as fulfilling the requirements of his avataric position and mission.

As I have written in my book and on this blog, the recent (2016) recovery of the "Vessel of the Fish" (the vesica piscis) as a long-lost key of the Sanatana Dharma of the Vedic Rishis, and of the cryptic language the Rishis used to preserve their gnosis, was born out of Sri Aurobindo’s Supramental Yoga, as well as the Supramental yoga of his yogic companions the Mother and Thea. It emerged out of thousands of years of obscurity,—sunk and lost in the deep waters of the forgotten Past—, through his yoga and his yogic lineage. In my view, recovering this key is entirely equivalent to Vishnu’s recovery of the pot of Kumbha of Amrita in Vedic and post-Vedic Mythology [See “Recovering the Ancient Light and Amrita of the Vedas”, Parts One and Two]. Likewise, it is entirely thanks to Sri Aurobindo's yoga and his lineage, that the Three Fish with One Head symbol can now be recognized, at least by some, in our fledgling Age of Aquarius as a symbol of the triadic sacred geometry and triadic Eternal Law or triadic gnosis (trayi vidya) of the Vedic Rishis. It can likewise be recognized as a symbol of Vishnu and as a symbol of what he is charged with restoring and preserving in his Preservation Ages.

Although the Three-Fish with One Head symbol has apparently not been found in India earlier than the 5th century BCE, the triad of three vesicae piscium is portrayed in dozens upon dozens of cryptic ways in the ancient Rig Veda. Portrayals of this sacred triad and triadic measure of the circle include three mothers, three sisters, three goddesses, three dames, three dawns, three holy ladies of the waters, three cows, three filters; three vessels, as well as three beakers, jars, bowls, reservoirs and lakes; three voices, three words, three hymns, three splendors, three bodies, three breasts, three udders, three backs, three celestial lights, the three-fold Amrita, three servings of immortalizing Soma-wine; three rivers, streams or flowing waters; three shelters, three dwellings, three (foot)steps, three forms, three shapes, three bonds, etc. Note that these examples are all translations of the Sanskrit text of the Vedas by RTH Griffith, and their Sanskrit counterparts are translated a bit differently by different translators. The vesica piscis is covertly symbolized in hundreds of other ways in the Vedas. I have only mentioned some of the vesica piscis symbols that are specifically numbered as three. 

Just as the Vedic Rishis used hundreds of names to describe the vesica piscis, they also used hundreds of names to describe its indwelling radius, aka the "hidden one", "son" and eternal law that measures out and flows through the 12-month, 360° Solar Zodiacal Year. In the image below left, I have included the radius that draws, forms and measures out the first vesica piscis (=river, mother, cow, bowl, etc.) of the Zodiac. Below right, I have illustrated the twelve vesicae piscium (=bowls or chalices) that measure out all twelve signs of the Zodiac, emphasizing the Trinity or Fire Trine of the Divine Son. Note that the indwelling radii of these "bowls", as shown to the right, are "hidden" or unseen.

"Him [Agni] with fair wings though only One in nature, wise singers shape, with songs, in many figures. While they at sacrifices fix the metres, they measure out twelve chalices of Soma [=Amrita]." – Rig Veda 10.114.5, tr. RTH Griffith (bold emphasis and text in brackets added)

 

In the following hymn, names of the radius include all of the gods mentioned; and the birds that “fly robed in the waters” are multiple, self-same radii of the zodiacal circle. This imagery makes perfect sense when we see and understand that the radius of the circle of the Zodiac, is "robed" in "the waters" or in the "water-jar" (kumbha) of the vesica piscis.

"They call him Indra, Mitra, Varuṇa, Agni, and he is heavenly nobly-winged Garutmān. To what is One, sages give many a title they call it Agni, Yama, Mātariśvan. 

"Dark the descent: the birds are golden-coloured; up to the heaven they fly robed in the waters. Again descend they from the seat of Order, and all the earth is moistened with their fatness. 

"Twelve are the fellies, and the wheel is single; three are the naves. What man hath understood it? Therein are set together spokes three hundred and sixty, which in nowise can be loosened."

In Rig Veda 3.56.3 the radius is depicted as a Bull,—a form simultaneously associated with Agni, Indra and Vishnu—, who impregnates and traces out the Immortal Ones (i.e. the vesicae piscium). The radius is also described as the son or child of Three Mothers and of the Holy Ladies of the Waters. Elsewhere his three mothers-goddesses, waters or rivers are depicted as seven in number, which I have discussed at length elsewhere and will not address here.

"The Bull who wears all shapes, the triple-breasted, three-uddered, with a brood in many places, Ruleth majestic with his triple aspect, the Bull, the Everlasting Ones' impregner. When nigh them, as their tracer he observed them: he called aloud the dear name of Ādityas. The Goddesses, the Waters, [stopped] to meet him: they who were wandering separate enclosed him. Streams! the wise Gods have thrice three habitations. Child of three Mothers, he is Lord in synods. Three are the holy Ladies of the Waters, thrice here from heaven supreme in our assembly." – tr. RTH Griffith

A version of this same coded or encrypted geometry is found in the Egyptian mythology of fish who eat Osiris’s penis (cast into a river). The penis (lingam) in this scenario is a symbol of the radius of the circle which is lost or hidden inside the Vessel of the Fish (lost in the waters). 

In Mayan mythology and iconography, the three vesicae piscium are portrayed as three fire stones (or hearth stones). Another version is found in the “three hares” iconography in which three rabbits, joined at the ears, form a triangle within a circle. According to Wikipedia, this symbol shows up “in sacred sites from the Middle and Far East to the churches of Devon, England (as the "Tinners' Rabbits"), and historical synagogues in Europe.” [4]  In Vedic mythology both the hero-son Agni and the villain-dragon (Vritra) are portrayed as three-headed. The three-headed Vedic dragon shows up in Sienna, Italy on the Etruscan “Tomb of the Infernal Chariot” (4th century CE); and in modern times, in “Game of Thrones” which features three dragons and the prophecy: “The Dragon has three heads”. The "three hares" window below (right) is found at Paderborn Cathedral in Germany. The image of the three fire stones on the Turtle's back is from the Dresden Codex. Note that Vishnu's second avatar is known as the Turtle (Kurma).

The most ancient instance of a potential symbolic reference to the triad of vesicae piscium that divide the circle into three (that I've seen to date) is found on Pillar 43 of the 12,000-year-old Gobekli Tepe. Some refer to the three shapes on top of this pillar as three handbags, but I believe these "bags" which are individually found in the hands of ancient gods across the world, are equivalent to the water jars or pots (kumbha, koza, camasa, kalasha, etc.) of the Vedic heroes. Another name for this carrier of water in India is kamandalu. "Water in a kamandalu represents Amrita—the elixir of life—thus a symbol of fertility, life and wealth." [Wiki] In the Bhagavata Purana, the Fish form of Vishnu (Matsya) is said to be taken from the river and put inside such a water pot as a protective measure. In Part Three of "The Sacred Measure of 432,000" series I discussed the equivalence between the water bucket of the Apkallu and the vesica piscis. 

Another expression of this Vedic symbolism/Eternal Law is found in an alchemical symbol portraying three snakes inside a circular kumbha (jar, beaker, vial, etc.). Three snakes are drawn along the three sides of the downward pointing equilateral triangle which encompasses a dragon. An imperfect vesica-piscis shape, formed by two overlapping circles, is superimposed upon the wings and central body of the dragon. This alchemical image not only occultly contains within itself the equivalence between the dragon, the serpent, the vesica piscis, and the alchemical flask, it also occultly conveys the Eternal Law of the triadic division of the circle by the vesica piscis and its indwelling radius or "son". It simultaneously demonstrates a connection between the alchemical vessel (aka the "flask") of the vesica piscis and the zodiacal sign of Aquarius – the 11th month of the Vedic/Zodiacal Year which is called Kumbha (among many other names) in the Vedas and in the post-Vedic astrology of India. The connection with the sign of Aquarius/Kumbha is portrayed via the fact that the three corners of the downward facing triangle point to the zero degrees of the three Air signs (=the Air Trine) of the Zodiac,—0° Gemini, 0° Libra and 0° Aquarius/Kumbha—, given that 0° Aries is positioned at the apex of the circle. Aquarius is the last and highest manifestation of these three Air signs, signifying the divinized or fully illumined Mind or supramental consciousness in Sri Aurobindo's terminology. As discussed in Geometric Keys of Vedic Wisdom (book), three interconnected dragons are associated with Sri Aurobindo’s Siddhi Day and with "the manifestation of Truth" on Earth.

“In the verandah, on the wall near Sri Aurobindo's door, just behind his chair, a black silk curtain with gold lace work representing three Chinese dragons was hung. The three dragons were so represented that the tail of one reached up to the mouth of the other and the three of them covered the curtain from end to end. We came to know afterwards that there is a prophecy in China that the Truth will manifest itself on earth when the three dragons…meet. Today on the 24th of November the Truth was  descending and the hanging of the curtain was significant.” – A.B. Purani  [Bold emphasis added]

Sadly, I have never found a picture of that dragon curtain, nor have I been able to find any mention of this Chinese prophecy anywhere other than in relation to Sri Aurobindo’s Siddhi Day. I believe this prophecy is multi-layered (as are the symbols of the Vedas), pointing not only to the triadic yoga of Sri Aurobindo, the Mother and Thea, but also to what their yoga bore forward regarding sacred geometry of the three vesicae piscium whose heads and tails meet, functioning as a triadic key to the restoration of the Eternal Truth of the Ancient Rishis. In the image to the right, I have highlighted one of the three “dragons” (one of the three vesicae piscium) of the circle/zodiac whose heads and tails meet at the entrance or zero degree of the three Fire signs — Aries, Leo and Sagittarius. I believe the entire reason that dragons are associated with Fire via the lore of “fire-breathing dragons” is due to the ancient occult association of the vesica piscis with the figure of the dragon, and the radius (aka Agni) with the element of Fire in Vedic, and likely pre-Vedic, times.

I am not suggesting, by any means, that the Divine Trinity of the Vedic Rishis and all of the symbols and characters (gods and goddesses, etc.) used to portray the victory or embodiment of the Soul in the measured course of the Vedic Year (Yajna/Sacrifice/Zodiac) have no meaning or significance beyond the sacred geometry of the Zodiac. What I am suggesting is that the sacred geometry/eternal law by which the radius of the circle divides the circle into three even segments via the arcs of three interlocking vesicae piscium, pervades and is inseparable from the other holistically interwoven layers and symbols of the Rig Veda, as illuminated by Sri Aurobindo, the Mother and Thea. I am also suggesting that this geometric trinity is, in higher truth, vision and gnosis, inseparable from all expressions of the Divine Trinity that reverberate throughout our world's religions, mythologies, and iconography, ancient and modern alike. As soon as the fragmented and obstructive view of the binary-linear mental consciousness is dismantled, the separation between the geometric trinity and the Divine Trinity, however symbolized throughout ancient and modern times, dissolves as well. Furthermore, I am suggesting that sacred geometry of the "Three Fish" is a crucial key of defragmenting the binary-linear mental consciousness, helping humanity move towards unity consciousness (aka supramental consciousness, truth-consciousness, solar consciousness, divine consciousness, etc.) based upon that which binds us together, as ONE.

In other words, seeing through the “enigma” of the Three Fish with One Head symbol found across various regions and religions of the world is a step towards defragmenting our fragmented mindset. We can see that these Three Fish—symbols of the triad of vesicae piscium that divide the circumference of the 360° circle and year into three even (432,000") segments—function as a triadic key of restoring the Eternal Law (Eternal Truth) that Vishnu’s avatars are prophesied to restore in certain Ages, this current Age of Aquarius being one such Age. By seeing the myriad cryptic ways the Vedic sages portrayed the divine measure of the radius and vesica piscis measuring out the 12-month Solar Year, humanity can begin to shed the baggage of several millennia worth of collective and generationally-compounded ignorance, misinterpretation and distortion regarding ancient symbols that were all born out of the same zodiacal and geometric womb and context. Shedding this ignorance will assist humanity in evolving beyond the myopia, fragmentation and divisiveness of the egoic-mental consciousness towards a more integral and unified consciousness.

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[Note this is version 2.0 of this article, revised in July 2023]

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Endnotes:

¹ As discussed in Geometric Keys of Vedic Wisdom (p. 126), Patrizia Norelli-Bachelet saw Vishnu’s Three Steps as an expression or symbol of Vishnu the Preserver measuring out the four Preservation Signs of the Zodiac, starting from Vishnu’s carrier the Eagle (Scorpio) and proceeding to the signs of the Lion (Leo), the Bull (Taurus), and to the Man or Friend (Aquarius). She did not see these steps in terms of the sacred geometry and Eternal Law of the radius and vesica piscis measuring out the circle of the Vedic Year. For more on Thea’s understanding of Vishnu’s steps, see: “Vishnu’s Three Steps in the Rig Veda” and the following “Interpretation” on Dharmapedia.

² The Islamic equivalent to Vishnu (in relation to the Fish/Matsya and the Amrita) is found in the figure of Al-Khidr, who is shown standing on a Fish (as his vehicle), or guarding over the “Well of Immortality” or “Fountain of Life” which he is said to have established. The connection between this well, fountain or water of immortality (Amrita) and the Fish (Pisces) of the Zodiac is evident in the second image below. In the third image, Al-Khidr holds a Fish reminiscent of the way the Apkallu holds the pinecone, which I have discussed as a symbol of the vesica piscis, likening its surface to the scales of fish. [See Part 3 of my 432,000 series]. It is important to note here that the earliest occurrence of the two fish (vesicae piscium) of the Zodiac appears to be in a 12,000-year-old petroglyph (below right) discovered in Ratnagiri, India (September 2018). See Part 4 of my 432,000 series for more on this and other petroglyphs found in the same area, which in my mind are clear indications of gnosis of the sacred geometry of the Zodiac in ancient India.

In St. John’s Revelation, the guardian and dispenser of this Vedic/Zodiacal "Fountain of Live" is the Son of God,—long associated with the Fish by Christians—, akin to Agni-Soma, aka the Son of the Waters.

‘[The one who was seated on the throne] said to me: “It is done. I am the Alpha and the Omega, the Beginning and the End. To the thirsty I will give water without cost from the spring of the water of life." – Revelation 21:7, 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. And the leaves of the tree are for the healing of the nations. No longer will there be any curse. The throne of God and of the Lamb will be in the city, and his servants will serve him." – Revelation 22:1-3, NIV

³ The following is an excerpt from Thea’s book, The Gnostic Circle [1975] regarding the error of including Buddha in the line or lineage of Vishnu's avatars: 

“After Sri Krishna there seems to be some confusion in spiritual circles regarding the next Avatar and the subsequent stage of development for the Earth. One factor which contributes most to this reigning confusion is that it seems to have been forgotten that the Evolutionary Avatar, when appearing for that particular work, can only come during the Ages which pertain to Vishnu, the force of Preservation; the four faces of the Sphinx, or the four Fixed signs of the zodiac. But it seems that man is in a hurry to fill in the blanks before the time periods are completed, and before even entering the 9th Manifestation he has already proclaimed the next Avatar, before actually understanding in full what it is that the advent is to truly mean. Therefore to include the Buddha in the list of Avatars as the 9th, which in the deeper meaning would signify that he was the Avatar of the 9th Manifestation, is impossible. The Buddha's birth and the span of his life formed a part of the 8th Manifestation, opening the way to the 9th, and his function was precisely to bring about a greater cleavage between the seekers after the 'Void' and those seeking fulfilment in the full manifestation of the Divine. It may appear odd to speak here in these terms of the Buddha and the student may consider that one is attempting to minimise his role, or in some way to place him in a negative light. In actual fact we seek to do the contrary. This great spiritual figure was an element that served to bring about a certain depletion in the spiritual effectiveness of India as a nation, and thus contributed to the full entrance of humanity into the age of darkness, a preparation for the coming light. This was a necessary step, though one which nonetheless requires a subsequent corrective measure, the work of Kalki, as Sri Aurobindo and the Indian scriptures have pointed out. Kalki, the last Avatar of the Hindu tradition, has as his mission to bring the movement back to its rightful destiny, to join the two poles and then erase the separation that exists in the reservoir of spiritual energy on the planet. All paths, all realisations can give us the experience of God, but the plan of evolution is only one, though this is all-embracing and makes use of different means to arrive at the Goal. 

“All forms of spiritual thought and practice that have served to heighten the rift between the two poles of spirit and matter must, at this time, give way to the new creation. If the student is truly perceptive he can see that even within the provinces of the Spirit there can be a materialism opposed to spirituality – but neither one nor the other is the way leading to the establishment of the Era of Truth. There must be a unity of the two; only in this realisation can the Earth know its rightful destiny in full. Kalki comes precisely for this purpose: to establish the reign of Truth. In order to do this he wields the sword of Fire, the power of Truth, and thus eradicates the falsehood prevailing, first and foremost in the spiritual realm on Earth. This does not at all mean that religions, for example, do not contain the seed of Truth. What is meant is simply that each movement is correct according to the Time-Spirit. The advocates of the theory of the 'illusion' of creation, or those who would escape into the unmoving heights of Nirvana, propounded the truth of the times in which these teachings were revealed and prevailed. Once out of that period they no longer have the Power, the Shakti, working through them, so what then develops is a religion, the fossilisation of the truth which, because of its dogmatic and unfluid form, is carried over into an epoch where it does not belong. This is the error of all religions. Because of the formidable body or structure of their organisations, they are able to survive through periods of decline, when in actual fact they should give way to the plastic and dynamic action of the truth of the Time-Spirit.’ –  Thea, The Gnostic Circle, pp. 48-49

For more on the error of considering Buddha an Avatar of Vishnu, see: "A Joint Declaration: Buddha is Not an Avatar of Vishnu" (9 July, 2010).

⁴ In Chinese mythology/iconography we find a white rabbit who stirs a pot or kumbha of Amrita with a long stick. In the Vedas, the vessel, pot or kumbha of Amrita (the Nectar of Immortality) symbolizes the eternal form of the vesica piscis. The rabbit’s stick here is a symbol of the radius whose movement forms or stirs the vesica piscis within the circle of the Zodiac. In Rig Veda 7.4.6 the hero Agni is called the “Lord of Amrita”. In Buddhist mythology this Amrita-stirring rabbit goes by the name Śakra – which is one of the many names of the Vedic hero Indra who, strengthened by the immortalizing Amrita, releases the seven rivers (which are in turn themselves symbols of the arc of the vesica piscis flowing through the Zodiac). With this Amrita and the release of these sacred rivers, the Vedic heroes defeat all Enemies of the Truth.

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