Chapter 19
A thousand miles north of the northern line of the sun on the earth, in the middle between the east and west front of North Guatama, and from the earth upward, and without intervening space, five hundred miles, Yaton’te had founded his kingdom, and it was here that Fragapatti came to see him. Five hundred miles westward lay Ipseogee, extending north and south two thousand miles, where reigned the good Faithist, Hapacha, styled God of the West Wind.
After the avalanza reached Yaton’te’s capital, and the hosts duly landed in the lower heaven, Yaton’te ascended his throne, and after due ceremonies of welcome and thanksgiving, and with music rendering praise to the All High, Yaton’te proclaimed recreation for three days and three nights.
Then Fragapatti spoke to him, saying: I am glad to have this recreation time, for I desire to hear the story of your adventures, and of your success in this kingdom, for your record must also be my record, to be taken with us, at the end of this dawn, to heaven above. Hoab and his hosts shall also hear your words.
Yaton’te replied: What I have done, I have done. Nevertheless, he who has built great kingdoms may find little to admire in a small one.
Fragapatti said: I have seen old men who doted more on a grandchild than on a large family they had bred themselves. And is it not a wise provision of our Creator that He bestowed us with such means as enables us at all times to live over again our past history in the young? Every hour we find a new way open to remind us of our follies in youth; and also a new channel in which to witness Jehovih’s wisdom.
Yaton’te said: If a man converts his neighbor from evil into good, two great things are accomplished, the triumph of the man and the reformation of the neighbor. If, on the other hand, a man fails to convert his neighbor from evil to good, two misfortunes have transpired, which are, the disappointment of one and the loss of glory to Jehovih. It is a strong man who can recount his own failures and say he glorifies the Father because of them.
Fragapatti said: How shall we measure magnitudes, O Yaton’te? Does a mortal, who has delivered one druk into light, not have as great a glory as a God who delivers hundreds of thousands? Is the one not as great in magnitude as the other? According to our worthiness in righteous persistence, no matter what our limit is, is this not the greatest glory? Jehovih granted to man to first learn to deliver himself, to master himself, to rule himself in the All Highest. He who can do this is a great ruler. And in the next time, Jehovih entrusts him with a small kingdom, perhaps a drunkard, or a wanton, or even over his own family, to rule over to righteousness. He who does this is a great ruler. Is not, then, man’s persistence in righteousness the whole glory of his kingdom?
Yaton’te said: The Father knows! To try, and to try, and to try; this is the sum of the good a man does. And yet what man is there in heaven or on earth who cannot find an apology for falling short in the good work he accomplishes? Does the poor man not say: O, if I had this, what great good I would accomplish? And the rich man makes the same speech, and the king also. And yet Jehovih has given a kingdom to each and every one of them. But he who can say: I have done all I could, according to my strength and wisdom, rates among the highest of men and Gods.
Hear me, then, O Fragapatti, so you may best understand; imagine yourself to be absent from all light of high heaven, and to be in a place of darkness, where three billion spirits are vagrants, scattered far and wide on the corporeal earth. Such was Aoasu in this kingdom; but the spirits did not congregate together in hells, as they did in the east, for they had no association; no Gods, no Lords. They were perpetual migrants, except those who dwelt with the druks as familiars.
And as to the spirits of those who died in infancy, they were taken by the spirits of their fathers and mothers, or others, and cared for until they also gained sufficient knowledge to serve them as vagrants; and this was the end of their aspiration.
And strange to say, all these spirits were without clothes or drapery of any kind, and devoid of shame; neither were they good or evil, nor did they have any desire for, or knowledge of, a higher heaven, being content to rove about, to sleep, and to eat. And they had a thousand languages; or, at least, a thousand different kinds of signs and utterances, which they had acquired on earth, but lost and mixed up so that neither Lords nor Gods could converse with them.
Thus I surveyed them and found them before I built this capital, for which reason I located it centrally among them. Know also, O Chief, that I traveled among them with music and with fire, and gaudy apparel, in the hope of gaining their aspiration; but, alas, they neither smiled nor frowned at my fine shows, but vacantly gazed at us, or even fell asleep while our otevan was paraded before them!
Then I came here and built this capital, and founded Jehovih’s throne, on which you now honor me. And then I sent to them, here and there, presents of gaudy attire, in the hope of inspiring the multitude through the few; but, alas, those I attired soon removed their clothes, preferring nakedness. Thus ended my second failure.
After this, I sent a hundred thousand preachers to them, to portray the greater glory of a higher heaven. But, alas, they did not listen, or, if paying attention, in a day would forget all that had been told to them. And thus ended the third failure.
Then we held a holy council, imploring Jehovih for light and power; and His voice came upon me, saying: Go to their loves, My Son; go to mortals. Begin with es’yans.
Then I commanded my hosts to go and live for a season among mortals; and they brought the es’yans to Yaton’te, under guard of the asaphs. And the next of kin followed, desiring to remain. And I said to them: Behold, my place is fair, and my people are clothed. Unless you are clothed also, you cannot dwell with us, nor shall you look any more upon your next of kin, whom I have taken for myself.
And for love there came many mothers and fathers, and brothers and sisters, belonging to the recent dead; and they suffered themselves to be clothed; and these were the first in my kingdom.
Again I called my hosts together, and I said to them: A thousand Lords I must have. I will divide North Guatama among my Lords, and they shall dwell with mortals, having enough ashars to give one to each and every mortal, man, woman and child. And whether by natural death or by war, it does not matter, the es’yans shall be brought to my kingdom.
This I accomplished, providing nurseries and places of entertainment for those who were brought here. But, alas, the tens of thousands of spirits, who, because of their kin, came, and accepted clothing for sake of remaining, had little talent to talk, or even desire for anything.
At the next holy council the Light came to me, saying: Hear the voice of your Creator, O My Son; because you have been diligent in striving for the resurrection of My children, I have come to you. Behold, I created man naked, and with shame, as the foundation of industry. But because this people followed, in the Osirian age, the abandonment of spirit communion, while they were yet mortal, they lost the light of My countenance.
Neither can you inspire them to industry, except through clothing the body; but, first of all, you shall make them ashamed of nakedness; otherwise, there is no higher resurrection for them.
Then I inquired of the Creator as to how I should teach them shame. He said: Of themselves, to themselves, for themselves, you can do little. But you shall inspire them through mortals.
Every plateau shall be a thousand miles in breadth every way, except the lowest, which shall be two thousand miles; with a rise of one degree to the next, so that the plateaus shall extend from the earth up to your kingdom, like a stairway, one plateau higher than another.
And for both the lowest and second lowest plateaus, your Lords shall provide subjective entertainments, subjective teaching and subjective things in general. Nor shall there be anything real on these two plateaus, except the inhabitants and their food, and the mirrors, lenses, and machinery for producing subjectives.
And the lowest plateau, being on the earth, shall be provided as a mirage, having everything spiritual in appearance, as they are corporeally on the earth. And it shall be provided with forests, lakes and rivers, and with all types of animals, birds and fish, and with whatever is suitable food for mortals. And the lowest plateau shall be called Hochedowa, signifying, happy hunting ground.
And you shall send word to your Lords, saying: Thus says your Creator: Behold, I have created a good place, and called it Hochedowa. Teach this to mortals, by inspiration and otherwise, saying also to them: Go tell one another, for, after death, the soul shall go there in great delight. And you shall say to them: Unless you wear garments to hide your nakedness, you shall not enter Hochedowa.
Yaton’te said: When the lowest plateau was made habitable, covering a large portion of North Guatama, the Voice came again, saying: Through your Lords, My Son, you shall possess all mortals, every man, woman and child, allowing not one of the drujas to come near them.
And because of the construction of your plateau, behold, I will send in many places upon the land, great droughts, and these wandering spirits shall not find sustenance, except through you and your Lords. And as fast as they come, you shall oblige them to be clothed, or draped about the loins; but you shall show preference to all those who wear ornaments.
Yaton’te said: This much we have accomplished, O Fragapatti: The foundation of my heavenly kingdom is broad and sure, but as yet I have few subjects to show you.
Fragapatti said: Behold, I will take two days of rest, and then I will inspect your places. Proclaim, therefore, recreation for two days.