Aum Namah Shivaya......
In the Indian mythological systems, the asuras (demons) are cousins of the gods, and indeed are created from the same cosmic material. They are demonic however, because they identify the Self with the body. All their cosmic power is perverted in finding ever fresher ways to satisfy the material consciousness. That gets them in self-destructive trouble over the long term, though in the short term they create some trouble of their own.
“This situation actually works for the good of all sentient beings in the universe, as the asuras are infinitely more powerful than the ‘gods’ – a situation that the Norse divinities knew only too well – and if they were more disciplined or wise, they could have taken over heaven on a permanent basis. As it is, the asuras are always a chaotic force in the evolving universe.
“One such asura suddenly got it into his mind that since he was the strongest being in the universe, he deserved the most beautiful woman existing. This sort of logic is typical asura, but for them to think is to act. He turned up at the abode of Siva the great God himself, and peremptorily demanded possession of Siva’s wife Parvati. Now Parvati is the Great Goddess, and this was stupidity on a scale that even the asura should have quailed at.
“Siva being pure consciousness, merely projected back at the asura a crystallization of his own insatiable desires. This new entity was far worse than anything the asura had seen. It was the living manifestation of a raw hunger, a world devouring flame that needed more, ever more, and was still left empty. The immensity of his own endless desire was now in front, and the asura turned and ran. The new demon chased him, intent on eating him up, devastating and devouring all that was between him and his prey. Peril breeds perspective, and the asura realised that his only hope was Siva. According to Indian mythology, you cannot refuse to grant quarter and protection if it is asked for. So now Siva had one suitably chastened asura on his hands – as well as an enormous problem that seemed determined to eat up the universe.
“The Hunger was accepting of Siva’s mercy, but he had a problem. ’What do I eat now?‘ He was brought into being to solve a crisis, and now his own existence was jeopardised – which reflected poorly on the God. Siva came up with the sort of Trickster solution so beloved of India – ‘Why don’t you eat yourself?’
“A god’s word is worth following, even if it seems senseless and destructive, and with faith in the Lord the demon did just that. He began to chomp and champ away, beginning with his toes and working upward in a grim straight line that never wavered, never doubted and never ceased to masticate. Finally he came to the neck and that was it – he could no longer contort himself to provide any room to bite.
“Siva laughed, the earth shaking peal of pure joy the attahasam that Kalidasa said was the Himalayas – the frozen laughter of Siva.This episode was a grimly humorous illumination on the nature of life. Life feeds on life, no matter how monstrous that may seem at first glance. Desire forms a perfect feedback loop that ends up eating even what is desired. This concept was known to the Sumerians as Ourobouros, the serpent eating its tail. Life feeds on Life. It is wildly exhilerating and liberating to realise and accept this concept, but it seems monstrous to those who have not had the experience.
“Siva named the Hunger Kirtimukha, the immortal face of glory. He is seen above the doors of all temples. Siva who is Constant Awareness, wants you to be aware of the real nature of the universe, to accept it. A philosophy of life and spirituality that will not acknowledge the dark side is only a milk and water religion after all, not really nourishing in the long run. To live in the world, is to be aware of that constant hunger, and as always Siva or Awakended Consciousness is the only way in which you can transcend it.
The important thing to realise, is that Kirtimukha is the Green Man of India, or to be precise, the Green Man as India experienced him. He is usually found above sculptures of gods forming an arch of vegetation, which erupt from his mouth and flow from his hair, usually from the Crown chakra. Even houses have him over the front door, even in the heart of a city like Bombay. He is tropical vegetation run riot in all his representations;
kirtimukha
“The Kirthimukha is a protector deity, a threshold guardian belonging to one of the two oldest groups of Cthonic deities in India: the Yakshas from the word Yakshamam – we shall protect. The other group is the Nagas – serpent energies of the earth. These are easily the oldest and perhaps original gods of India, predating the Vedas. Even the Buddha was at birth taken to the shrine of his clan’s guardian Yaksha – Sakha Vardhana. Hinduism, Buddhism and Jainism had to totally assimilate Yakshas and Nagas before they gained wide acceptance.
sacred-india-tarot-buddha-knight-disks-kartimukha
“Kirthimukha is the male aspect of nature, for while the earth is female, vegetation is masculine. … Europe knew him as Dionysius, then the Green Man or John Barleycorn,
green-man5-fired-clay-mask-by-walter-storey-www-in-between-org-uk
while the Sufi mystics still experience him as Khwaja Khidur – a gigantic being, a spiritual initiator and mentor, whose footsteps sprout vegetation… the special meaning of this card is forgiveness. Let go of grudges and hate, and let time take care of the rest.”
“To recognise Kirtimukha is to grow up, to have an adult understanding and acceptance of the universe, not a child’s fantasy. In Jungian terms, Kirtimukha is a visibilization, a personification of the Shadow (or some aspects of it). Kirtimukha is thus a threshold guardian to maturity, to the deepening of experience which is called wisdom.”
Rohit Arya is an Author, Yogi and Polymath. He has written the first book on Vaastu to be published in the West, {translated into five languages} the first book on tarot to be published in India, co-authored a book on fire sacrifice, and is the creator of The Sacred India Tarot {82 card deck and book}. He has also written A Gathering of Gods. He is a corporate trainer, a mythologist and vibrant speaker as well as an arts critic and cultural commentator. Rohit is also a Lineage Master in the Eight Spiritual Breaths system of Yoga.
IN many Indian temples you will find over the main gate, or over the door frame of the inner sanctum, a monstrous disembodied head glaring or grinning down at you. This is the Kirtimukha, face of glory. Our myth seeks to explain how this seeming incongruity came to occupy this respected position
In the Indian mythological systems, the asuras (demons) are cousins of the gods, and indeed are created from the same cosmic material. They are demonic however, because they identify the Self with the body. All their cosmic power is perverted in finding ever fresher ways to satisfy the material consciousness. That gets them in self-destructive trouble over the long term, though in the short term they create some trouble of their own.
“This situation actually works for the good of all sentient beings in the universe, as the asuras are infinitely more powerful than the ‘gods’ – a situation that the Norse divinities knew only too well – and if they were more disciplined or wise, they could have taken over heaven on a permanent basis. As it is, the asuras are always a chaotic force in the evolving universe.
“One such asura suddenly got it into his mind that since he was the strongest being in the universe, he deserved the most beautiful woman existing. This sort of logic is typical asura, but for them to think is to act. He turned up at the abode of Siva the great God himself, and peremptorily demanded possession of Siva’s wife Parvati. Now Parvati is the Great Goddess, and this was stupidity on a scale that even the asura should have quailed at.
“Siva being pure consciousness, merely projected back at the asura a crystallization of his own insatiable desires. This new entity was far worse than anything the asura had seen. It was the living manifestation of a raw hunger, a world devouring flame that needed more, ever more, and was still left empty. The immensity of his own endless desire was now in front, and the asura turned and ran. The new demon chased him, intent on eating him up, devastating and devouring all that was between him and his prey. Peril breeds perspective, and the asura realised that his only hope was Siva. According to Indian mythology, you cannot refuse to grant quarter and protection if it is asked for. So now Siva had one suitably chastened asura on his hands – as well as an enormous problem that seemed determined to eat up the universe.
“The Hunger was accepting of Siva’s mercy, but he had a problem. ’What do I eat now?‘ He was brought into being to solve a crisis, and now his own existence was jeopardised – which reflected poorly on the God. Siva came up with the sort of Trickster solution so beloved of India – ‘Why don’t you eat yourself?’
“A god’s word is worth following, even if it seems senseless and destructive, and with faith in the Lord the demon did just that. He began to chomp and champ away, beginning with his toes and working upward in a grim straight line that never wavered, never doubted and never ceased to masticate. Finally he came to the neck and that was it – he could no longer contort himself to provide any room to bite.
“Siva laughed, the earth shaking peal of pure joy the attahasam that Kalidasa said was the Himalayas – the frozen laughter of Siva.This episode was a grimly humorous illumination on the nature of life. Life feeds on life, no matter how monstrous that may seem at first glance. Desire forms a perfect feedback loop that ends up eating even what is desired. This concept was known to the Sumerians as Ourobouros, the serpent eating its tail. Life feeds on Life. It is wildly exhilerating and liberating to realise and accept this concept, but it seems monstrous to those who have not had the experience.
“Siva named the Hunger Kirtimukha, the immortal face of glory. He is seen above the doors of all temples. Siva who is Constant Awareness, wants you to be aware of the real nature of the universe, to accept it. A philosophy of life and spirituality that will not acknowledge the dark side is only a milk and water religion after all, not really nourishing in the long run. To live in the world, is to be aware of that constant hunger, and as always Siva or Awakended Consciousness is the only way in which you can transcend it.
The important thing to realise, is that Kirtimukha is the Green Man of India, or to be precise, the Green Man as India experienced him. He is usually found above sculptures of gods forming an arch of vegetation, which erupt from his mouth and flow from his hair, usually from the Crown chakra. Even houses have him over the front door, even in the heart of a city like Bombay. He is tropical vegetation run riot in all his representations;
kirtimukha
“The Kirthimukha is a protector deity, a threshold guardian belonging to one of the two oldest groups of Cthonic deities in India: the Yakshas from the word Yakshamam – we shall protect. The other group is the Nagas – serpent energies of the earth. These are easily the oldest and perhaps original gods of India, predating the Vedas. Even the Buddha was at birth taken to the shrine of his clan’s guardian Yaksha – Sakha Vardhana. Hinduism, Buddhism and Jainism had to totally assimilate Yakshas and Nagas before they gained wide acceptance.
sacred-india-tarot-buddha-knight-disks-kartimukha
“Kirthimukha is the male aspect of nature, for while the earth is female, vegetation is masculine. … Europe knew him as Dionysius, then the Green Man or John Barleycorn,
green-man5-fired-clay-mask-by-walter-storey-www-in-between-org-uk
while the Sufi mystics still experience him as Khwaja Khidur – a gigantic being, a spiritual initiator and mentor, whose footsteps sprout vegetation… the special meaning of this card is forgiveness. Let go of grudges and hate, and let time take care of the rest.”
“To recognise Kirtimukha is to grow up, to have an adult understanding and acceptance of the universe, not a child’s fantasy. In Jungian terms, Kirtimukha is a visibilization, a personification of the Shadow (or some aspects of it). Kirtimukha is thus a threshold guardian to maturity, to the deepening of experience which is called wisdom.”
Rohit Arya is an Author, Yogi and Polymath. He has written the first book on Vaastu to be published in the West, {translated into five languages} the first book on tarot to be published in India, co-authored a book on fire sacrifice, and is the creator of The Sacred India Tarot {82 card deck and book}. He has also written A Gathering of Gods. He is a corporate trainer, a mythologist and vibrant speaker as well as an arts critic and cultural commentator. Rohit is also a Lineage Master in the Eight Spiritual Breaths system of Yoga.
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