Page:Philosophy of bhagawad-gita.pdf/65

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SECOND LECTURE
41

serious results. What may happen to the astral body may also happen to the karana sharira. The karana sharira bears the same relation to the Devas in swargam, that the astral body does to the elementals on the astral plane. In this devaloka there are beings, or entities, some vicious and some good, and, if a man who wishes to evoke these powers were to fix his attention upon them, he might in course of time attract these powers to himself, and it is quite possible that when the force generated by the concentration of his attention upon these beings attains a certain amount of strength, the karana sharira may be absorbed into one of these Devas, just as the astral body may be absorbed into an elemental. This is a far more serious result than any that can happen to man in the case of elemental worship, for the simple reason that he has no more prospect of reaching the Logos.

The whole of his individuality is absorbed into one of these beings, it will subsist as long as that being exists, and no longer. When cosmic pralaya comes it will be dissolved as all these beings will be dissolved. For him there is no immortality. He may indeed have life for millions of years, but what are millions of years to immortality? You will recollect that it is said in Mr. Sinnett's book that there is such a thing as immortality in evil. The statement, as it stands, is no doubt an exaggeration. What Mr. Sinnett meant to say was that, when those who follow the left-hand path evoke certain powers which are