48 The Birth OF THE A VAT ĀRA
The connection we have indicated between the symbolism of the heart and that of the 'World Egg' leads us, with regard to the 'second birth', to note another aspect than that which we considered earlier. This aspect is that of the birth of a spiritual principle at the center of the human individuality, which, as is well known, is represented plecisely by the heart. Indecd, this principle always resides at the center of every being, [1] but in the case of the ordinary man it exists only latently whereas, when one speaks of 'birth', one means strictly the beginning of an effective development; and it is precisely this starting-point that is determined, or at least made possible, by initiation. In one sense, the spiritual influence that is transmitted by initiation is identified with the very principle in question; in another sense, and if account is taken of the pre-existence of this principle in the being, it could be said that initiation has the effect of 'quickening' (not in itself, of course, but with regard to the being in which it resides), that is to say of making 'actual' its presence which was at first only potential; and it is obvious that the symbolism of birth can apply equally in both cases.
Now it must be understood that in virtue of the constitutive analogy between 'macrocosm' and 'microcosm', what is contained in the 'World Egg' (and it is hardly necessary to underline the obvious connection of the egg with the birth of a being or the beginning of its development) is identical to what is also symbolically contained
in the heart. [2] This is the spiritual 'seed' that in the macrocosmic order is, as we have already said, designated by the Hindu tradition as Hiranyagarbha; and this seed is the primordial Avatāra [3] with respect to the world at the center of which it lies. Now the birthplace of the Avatāra, as well as of that which corresponds to it in the 'microcosm', is precisely represented by the heart, also identified with the 'cavern', the initiatic symbolism of which would lend itself to explanations that we cannot possibly undertake here. This is very clearly indicated by texts such as this: 'Know that this Agni, which is the foundation of the eternal [principial] world, and by whom this may be attained, is hidden in the cave [of the heart]. [4] It might be objected that here, as in many other cases, the Avatāra is expressly called Agni, while on the other hand it is said that it is Brahmā who is enclosed in the 'World Egg', called for this reason Brahmända, thence to be born as Hiranyagarbha. But apart from the fact that in reality the different names only designate different divine aspects or attributes which are always perforce connected with each other, and never separate 'entities', there is reason to recall more particularly that Hiranyagharba has the character of a luminous and thus igneous principle, [5] which truly identifies it with Agni himself. [6]
To proceed to the 'microcosmic' application, it suffices to recall the analogy between the pinda, the subtle embryo of the individual
being, and Brahmānda or the 'World Egg'. [7] This pinda, as permanent and indestructible 'seed' of the being, is moreover identified with the 'kernel of immortality' which is called luz in the Hebrew tradition. [8] It is true that in general the luz is not considered to be situated in the heart, or at least this is only one of the different 'localizations' of which it is capable in its correlation with the corporeal organism, and that this is not the most usual; but the luz is nonetheless to be found there as well, where it is in immediate relation with the 'second birth', just as it is found in all the other locations. Indecd, these 'localizations', which correspond to the Hindu doctrine of the chakras or subtle centers of the human individual, relate to as many of its conditions or to as many phases of its spiritual development, which are the very phases of effective initiation. At the base of the spinal column is the state of 'sleep' where the luz of the ordinary man is found; in the heart is the initial phase of 'germination', which is precisely the 'second birth'; at the frontal eye is the perfection of the human state, that is to say the reintegration into the 'primordial state'; and finally, at the crown of the head is the passage to supra-individual states, which must lead finally to the 'Supreme Identity'.
We cannot dwell further on this without entering into considerations which, because they relate to the detailed examination of certain particular symbols, would be better left to other studies, for here we have wished to restrict ourselves to a more general point of view, and we have considered such symbols to the extent it was necessary only as examples or 'illustrations'. To end, it will therefore suffice to note briefly that, insofar as it is a 'second birth', initiation is fundamentally nothing other than the 'actualization' in the human being of the very principle which, in universal manifestation, appears as the 'eternal Avatära'.