The knowledge of Good and Evil (GEN. 3 22-23)
The lower mind was the serpent and the evil, even in Paradise, because it is separate from God, the Center of all Good, All Balance, All Love and Selflessness. One naturally wonders why it was created at all, and put there for a snare unto man and woman in Paradise.
When we question this, we overlook the fact that the entire mind is nothing else but a stepped-down expression of the soul's lower energies, desires and free will; the craving for its own separate experience called the life of self, and its experience in space and in matter. The soul's own ego is the cause, the tempter and also the cruel taskmaster “Kal” (Sanskrit) Negative power or Satan. The latter is through the mind's own process of function as sensory or motor, in temptation or in action of attempted satisfaction of its desires.
The serpent is the mind energy itself. No new beast or reptile was introduced here to spoil the happiness in Paradise. The mind is the outer shell and negative pole of the soul. It is situated below the soul, where it accumulates the dregs of the soul's desires. These dregs of "Adi Karma' must be gotten rid of, so the soul can survive and rise in consciousness.
This process of purification and free expression of self will and desire was the purpose and object of creation. This has been explained in the chapter on "Satan', pointing out the original Sin as the EGO, which is the ROOT OF ALL EVIL, for personal sensory (feeling) or motor satisfaction of action.
In the involuting process, the mind expresses the soul's desire through sense energies. By this very action AND DESIRE FOR FURTHER ACTION AND SENSATION, THE MIND ITSELF BECOMES CONDITIONED AND BOUND BY THE REACTIONS OF EACH ACTION. Then it no longer acts according to the desires of the soul, but becomes a blind slave of the senses. Thus the soul is enveloped with stored karma, which has been accumulated throughout the past ages and which is called " Sinchit'; also with the karma which has been allotted to it as a portion of the stored karma, for this particular lifetime, and which is called "Pralabdh'; on top of that, the soul is everyday accumulating the results of good and bad actions as well as thoughts, to be paid off at some future date, and that is called ‘’Kryiaman’’. The latter may be either added to a reserve store of Sinshit, or may be included in that which is to be paid on as Pralabah in this lifetime.
This was clearly understood by the Greek Psychologist who wrote the great drama of ‘’Prometheus Bound’’. The god Prometheus brought the fire of life down to the consciousness of men, and for this he was by being punished by being bound on Mount Caucasus, with the vultures devouring his liver. The water for which he thirsted so much, would tantalizingly reach up to his chin, and then recede.That is the story in brief. It seems so unjust and arouses the sympathy of men for such a benefactor.
