Forlong - Rivers of Life

42
Rivers of Life, or Faiths of Man in all Lands.
influence of the spirituous god, is but an old Aryan story of the great god Homa,
enriched by the sculptures of a Phidias or the glowing pen of Olympic poetry.
Homa or Soma is Oushādesh, Heb. cdq {u etz kadesh, holy tree, or king
of trees, shrub, and vegetables, and also of medicines, for all the vegetable
kingdom is said to be medicinal. The plant containing the nectar of the gods
is called alter him Soma or Somavaly: it is said not to be a vine, but a creeper
or runner which some say is now lost to man. It is represented as always
the first thing usad at all sacrifices. Fire was at once rendered sacred by a
few drops of Soma being thrown on it, and the priest, after doing this, divided the
balance amongst his fellows “to quicken their memories” in repeating their Vedic
hymns (see Haug on this subject). The juice of the Soma is constantly mentioned
with reference to giving great gifts of memory and intelligence; and spirituality, or
spirit may be derived from this vinous foundation of the god Homa. Jollity is heavenly,
and inspiration is from on high; and its reverse is the dull dead level of ordinary
mortals, requiring for its reeeption reason or common sense and other mundane qualities.
The Zoroastrians looked upon their Homa rite with the same solemnity as the
Hindoo on his Soma sacrificcs; and it is probably the Homa, and not the Vine, which
European writers on Asyrian remains tell us is there everywhere ahown in company
with holy palms and firs. Layard says that “the Zoroastrian Homa, or sacred tree,
was preserved by the Persians almost as represented on the Asyrian monuments until
the Arab invasion.” (Nin. II., 472, note). The plant, or its product, was called
the mystical body of God, the living water or food of eternal life, when duly consecrated
and administered according to Zoroastrian rites; thus we observe the probable
origin of the celebrations of Jewish “holy” or paschal suppers, and other Eucharistic
rites. There is same confusion betwixt the Ficus and Homa, as I have read of its
juice, and even the wood of the Homa, fulfillng many of the offices usually said to
belong to the Ficus alone; but the fact is, from both trees or fruits, an exhilarating
and delightful beverage was made, much relished by gods and priests, who, like our
medieval abbots, had their quiet convivialities, and relished good cheer.
I may here note that though both flesh and spirits are denied. to all Brahmans,
yet, as with the Jewish Levites, the remnants of those used in sacrifices to the gods
might be taken; and as the priest directs the proper oblation, so he can get whatevcr
he desires in this way; especially do the worshippers of Bhavani exceed in the use of
flesh and spirits.
M. Reynaud thinks that Hom was, among the Aryans of Bactria, a great god who
preceded Ormazd, just as El or Elohim preceded Jhavh, “Ego dominus qui apparui
Abraham, Isaac et Jacob, in Deo Omnipotente; et nomen meum Adonai non indicavi
eis” (Ex. vi. 3). Thus Homa was, about 5000 years ago, the Word, the Tree and
the Water of Life, the Mystical Body of God,—to partake of it was a “sacrament,”
and if rightly, it was the veritable food of etemal life, just as the bread and wine of