While the whole world fashionably chants “As above, so below,” it feels uncomfortable for people when I tell them that the concept is as Vedic as it is Hermetic. It is a truth that has echoed across civilizations, whispered in the sacred halls of India’s rishis and in the philosophical musings of ancient Greece and Egypt. At its heart lies a simple but profound recognition: the microcosm and the macrocosm are not separate entities but reflections of the same divine principle.
The Hermetic Foundations
Hermes Trismegistus, the mystical figure believed to be both man and god, is credited with authoring the Emerald Tablet and the Corpus Hermeticum. These writings, dating back as early as the first century A.D., laid the foundation for Hermeticism, a spiritual philosophy that bridged alchemy, astrology, and theurgy. At the core of Hermeticism are the Seven Hermetic Principles, which include:
1. The Principle of Mentalism – ‘All is Mind.’
2. The Principle of Correspondence – ‘As above, so below; as below, so above.’
3. The Principle of Vibration – ‘Nothing rests; everything moves.’
4. The Principle of Polarity – ‘Everything has its pair of opposites.’
5. The Principle of Rhythm – ‘Everything flows, rises, and falls.’
6. The Principle of Cause and Effect – ‘Every cause has its effect.’
7. The Principle of Gender – ‘Everything has masculine and feminine aspects.’
Of these, the Principle of Correspondence has become the most quoted, the most revered, and often, the most misunderstood. It is this very principle that finds a striking resonance in the Sanskrit wisdom of India, particularly in the phrase “Yat Pinde Tat Brahmande.”
Yat Pinde Tat Brahmande – The Vedic Mirror
Yat Pinde Tat Brahmande is an ancient Sanskrit verse from the Puranas. Translated, it means “What is in the body, is in the cosmos.” It is an acknowledgment of the strong connection between Brahmanda (the macrocosmos) and Pindanda (the microcosmos).
The body, the self, the individual — these are not isolated fragments floating in the vast sea of existence. Rather, they are exact reflections of that sea. Every element that exists in the universe also exists within us. The stars, the planets, the rhythms of time, the cycles of creation and destruction — all reverberate within the subtle architecture of our being.
The ancient seers envisioned the human body not merely as flesh and bone but as a sacred vessel containing universes. The rivers in our veins mirror the cosmic rivers, the nadis (energy channels) reflect the pathways of the stars, and the breath of life aligns with the pulsation of creation itself.
If the universe is mirrored within us, then we are not mere mortals groping through darkness. We are, instead, carriers of divinity, endowed with connection, sustenance, and authority over our transformation. The microcosm is not a poor imitation of the macrocosm but its living expression. This is why spiritual traditions across the world emphasize the journey inward. To know oneself is to know the cosmos. To heal oneself is to realign with the universal order. And to transcend oneself is to merge with the infinite.
The Hath Yoga Pradeepika offers a piercing insight into this dissolution of separateness:
Just as camphor dissolves in contact with fire or rock salt in water, cognition disappears in contact with its own essence.
(Hath Yoga Pradeepika, Chapter 4, Samadhi)
In this metaphor lies the essence of self-realization. Just as camphor loses itself in fire, our limited sense of identity dissolves when it encounters its true essence — the boundless consciousness of which it is but a spark.
In the most philosophical terms, we are, indeed, the universe looking at itself, trying to understand itself. As warped as this sounds, the ancient seers were always aware of this truth. The play of existence — the dramas, struggles, and triumphs of human life — are but the cosmos experimenting with its own reflection.
Astrology becomes a fascinating tool in this grand design. Your horoscope is not a random chart of celestial bodies but the user manual of your life. The moment of birth is like a cosmic photograph — the universe stamping upon your soul the arrangement of its energies at that exact time. This arrangement is not arbitrary. It is a coded message, a divine script, a map for your incarnation.
In this light, astrology is not about predicting whether you will stumble or succeed. It is about aligning with the rhythm of the universe that you yourself chose before you entered this body. The planets, in their positions, do not dictate your fate but mirror the choices your soul has already made.
Hinduism as Cosmic Art
Here, I step away from the back-and-forth debates and take the liberty to say that Hinduism is not merely a religion but a piece of art — a grand mural painted with philosophies, myths, rituals, and sciences. Each stroke, each detail, enhances the whole, creating a tapestry that is as intricate as it is infinite.
Its beauty lies in its openness to interpretation. Hinduism does not cage you with dogma; instead, it invites you into a dance. You can approach it as a devotee, as a philosopher, as a scientist, or as a poet — and it will reveal itself accordingly. In its temples, scriptures, and cosmic theories, it acknowledges the unity of Brahmanda and Pindanda with a grace unmatched by any other tradition.
The Vedas speak of creation as an expansion from the One into the many, and the Upanishads remind us that the many are but reflections of the One. The Puranic cosmologies, with their cycles of yugas and kalpas, are not idle myths but profound metaphors for the pulsation of consciousness itself.
What then does this wisdom mean for us in practical life?
– It means we carry within us the same divinity that lights up the stars.
– It means our struggles, though they appear personal, are reflections of universal processes.
– It means healing ourselves, even in small ways, contributes to the harmony of the cosmos.
– And most of all, it means we are not separate from the whole but woven into its very fabric.
The Hermetic and Vedic traditions, though arising from different geographies, converge on this truth. Whether you hear it as ‘As above, so below’ or as ‘Yat Pinde Tat Brahmande,’ the call is the same: recognize yourself as the cosmos in miniature.
The wisdom of Brahmanda and Pindanda reminds us that the search for truth is not out there but in here. Each time we look up at the stars, we are gazing into the vastness of our own inner cosmos. Each time we meditate, we are aligning with the eternal rhythms of creation. Perhaps this is why both the rishis of India and Hermes of Egypt chose poetry, paradox, and symbol to communicate their truths. For how else can one speak of the unspeakable, except through mirrors?
In the end, whether you approach through Hermetic principles or Vedic verses, the destination remains the same: the recognition that you are the universe trying to know itself.
And what a magnificent, artistic, and eternal play that is.
