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To: tariqas@europe.std.com From: nagasiva@luckymojo.com (haramullah) Subject: Naga Tales and Locomotion (was RE-Introduction) 50000229 IVom Erismas! assalam alaykum, my kin. > Welcome back. . .draw up a chair and rest your feet. Surely living within > such polarities, as described in your re-intro above, must be very tiring. . > .perhaps a cup of lithium might be helpful. . . > :-) thank you for the warm welcome. my polar explorations are less biophysical than metaphysical, kin. lithium has served some of those with whom I have visited, however: best taken on a doctor's recommendation. ;> > Still, I guess its appropriate that the Nagasiva (snake of siva?) turns up > right when we are discussing Adam. indeed. some identify nagas with snakes. to some, nagas are more of a being between snakes and dragons, perhaps dwellers in a realm just beyond the physical (that of myth). Adam, being a character in just such a mythical story, would also seem to be related. > Perhaps you might be able to answer the following question as posed > by another freind just before your entrance: > > *Jinavamsa writes: > well, one take on Genesis 3:8-13... so: if the snake crawled > around on its belly from that point forward, how was it moving > about *before* that restriction on its movement in 3:14????* > :-) the Last, Al-Akhir, shall be first: "O Adam, inherit, thou and thy wife, the Garden, and eat of where you will, but come not nigh this tree, lest you be of the evildoers." Then Satan whispered to them, to reveal to them that which was hidden from them of their shameful parts. He said, "Your Lord has only prohibited you from this tree lest you become angels, or lest you become immortals." And he swore to them, "Truly, I am for you a sincere adviser." So he led them on by delusion; and when they tasted the tree, their shameful parts revealed to them, so they took to stitching upon themselves the leaves of the Garden. And their Lord called to them, "Did not I prohibit you from this tree, and say to you, 'Verily Satan is for you a manifest foe'?" They said, "Lord, we must have wronged ourselves, and if Thou dost not forgive us, and have mercy upon us, we shall be among the lost." Said He, "Get you down, each of you an enemy to each. In the earth a sojourn shall be yours, and enjoyment for a time." Said He, "Therein you shall live, and therein you shall die, and from there shall be brought forth." (7:1-24 [Qur'an, excerpt]) ... And recite to them the tidings of him to whom We gave Our signs, but he cast them off, and Satan followed after him, and he became one of the perverts. And had We willed, We would have raised them up thereby; but he inclined toward the earth and followed his lust. So the likeness of him is as the likeness of a dog; if thou attackest it it lolls its tongue out, or if thou leavest it it lolls its tongue out. That is that people's likeness who cried lies to Our signs.... (7:172-180 [Qur'an, excerpt]) -------------------------------------------- "Islam", ed. by John Alden Williams, published by George Braziller, 1961; "Qur'an" excerpts, p. 22-4. ______________________________________ the tales contained in "Genesis" are of Canaanite origin, translated into a Jewish framework. originally the serpent was seen as a liberator, rather than a deceiver. "Qur'an" illustrates the development of the Adversary from Iblis to Shaitan in name as an indication of his perversion. many Judeochristian texts indicate that Iblis/Shaitan, although not specifically identified as the serpent of Genesis until later centuries (New Testament books like "The Revelation of St. John", etc.), was a wayward or corrupt angel. even some Muslim sources seem to proclaim Iblis the Greatest Lover of Allah (being one who would not bow down to Adam, and for this reason was cast down into the underworld to dwell at the furthest reach from the Most Compassionate) rather than the Instigator of All Evils. from the above, it seems reasonable that if the serpent and Shaitan are presumed to be the same entity, and, further, if this entity was angelic, that it could have used a great many different modes of transportation, inclusive of flight, levitation, or erect sliding motion without physical propulsion. it should be said, however, that the way the story reads it comes sounding off more like a Kipling animal-origination story comparable to "How the Leopard Got its Spots" or, in this case, "Why the Snake Crawls on its Belly". lest we enter into arrogance over such myths, we'd be wise to remember the following traditional sufi tale: Encounter with the Devil ------------------------ A certain devout man, convinced that he was a sincere Seeker after Truth, embarked upon a long course of discipline and study. He had many experiences, under various teachers both in his inner and outer life, over a considerable period of time. One day he was meditating when he suddenly saw the Devil sitting beside him. "Away, demon!" he cried, "for you have no power to harm me; I am treading the Path of the Elect." The apparition disappeared. A truly wise man passing by told him, sadly: "Alas, my friend, you have grafted effort upon such an unsure basis as your unaltered fear, greed, and self-esteem that you have arrived at your ultimate possible experience." "How so?" asked the Seeker. "That 'devil' is, in reality, an angel. 'Devil' is only how *you* saw him." ------------------------------------------------------------------- "Caravan of Dreams: Writings and Sayings from the Near East", ed. by Idries Shah, Penguin Books, 1968; p. 178. _____________________________________________________________ peace be with you, haramullah
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