| 349 | 349 |
- 45. The first great waters came. They swallowed the seven great islands (a).
- 46. All holy saved, the unholy destroyed. With them most of the huge animals produced from the sweat of the earth (b).
| 350 | 350 |
(a) As this subject — the fourth great deluge on our globe in this Round — is fully treated in the chapters that follow the last Stanza, to say anything more at present would be mere repetition. The seven great islands (Dwipas) belonged to the continent of Atlantis. The secret teachings show that the “ Deluge ” overtook the Fourth, giant Race, not on account of their depravity, or because they had become “ black with sin,” but simply because such is the fate of every continent, which — like everything else under our Sun — is born, lives, becomes decrepit, and dies. This was when the Fifth Race was in its infancy.
(b) Thus the giants perished — the magicians and the sorcerers, adds the fancy of popular tradition, but “ all holy saved,” and alone the “ unholy were destroyed.” This was due, however, as much to the prevision of the “ holy ” ones, who had not lost the use of their “ third eye,” as to Karma and natural law. Speaking of the subsequent race (our Fifth Humanity), the commentary says : —
“ Alone the handful of those Elect, whose divine instructors had gone to inhabit that Sacred Island — ‘ from whence the last Saviour will come ’ — now kept mankind from becoming one-half the exterminator of the other [as mankind does now — H.P.B.]. It (mankind) became divided. Two-thirds of it were ruled by Dynasties of lower, material Spirits of the earth, who took possession of the easily accessible bodies ; one-third remained faithful, and joined with the nascent Fifth Race — the divine Incarnates. When the Poles moved (for the fourth time) this did not affect those who were protected, and who had separated from the Fourth Race. Like the Lemurians — alone the ungodly Atlanteans perished, and ‘ were seen no more.’ ”