3O Evolution of Life and Form. 



and belong not to our present stages of evolution 

 at all ; therefore they are ordinarily left out, and 

 only the five that make up the evolution of our 

 universe are spoken of in the sacred books. Here 

 an d there the seven are mentioned, but only rarely. 

 You may remember the seven tongues of fire, for 

 instance, and one or two other similar phrases. 

 But generally five-fold is Prana, the five-fold 

 evolving life. First, in every case, is a modification 

 of consciousness sent forth as a power by Ishvara. 

 Turn to the Vishnu Purdna and you will see 

 exactly the stage that I am pointing out to you in 

 more modern phrases. Ishvara Himself, as Brahma, 

 sends forth a power, due to a modification of His 

 consciousness, called in the Vishnu Purdna a 

 Tanmatra. In the English translation the word 

 rudiment is used. You remember the rudiments 

 of sound, of touch, of colour, and so on. All these 

 rudiments are the tanmatras. These tanmatras are 

 the powers due to modifications in consciousness or 

 life, without which no modification in matter can 

 be. The consciousness first, then the form. The 

 first great vibration that goes forth is the vibration 

 that gives rise to what we speak of here as sound 

 all our terms being drawn from the lowest, or 

 physical, manifestations ; the form that it brings 

 into manifestation is A'kasha, the mighty element 



