Master and Margarita. Message to the World?

‘Witchcraft, as you know, once it starts, there's nothing to stop it. ‘But it will be right, that's what the world is built on!’ So be it!
M.A. Bulgakov

‘The Master and Margarita’... Probably there is not a single person who would not be familiar with this ambiguous work. Why ‘ambiguous’? Because Mikhail Afanasyevich himself as if puts before the readers the task - to solve the rebus of this mirror puzzle: who is who, where is the light, where is the darkness? Is there absolute light and absolute darkness? No novel is written out of thin air, every work is a kind of reflection of our surrounding reality, of the world, of people.... I remember, at the very beginning of our acquaintance, my Native Soul and I decided to discuss the similarities between the Master and Voland. But our conversation was interrupted at the most interesting place. It's a pity. However, the thought of my friend, who suggested that through the darkness of suffering and pain can break through the light, made me delve into the maze of myths and legends, in order to try to understand who this mysterious ‘W’, who visited Moscow at the beginning of the 20th century, according to Bulgakov. Well, Mikhail Afanasyevich, let's try to understand and find a way out of this Kingdom of Crooked Mirrors. If there is one, of course. I don't pretend to be scientifically accurate, but....

Well, we should start with the fact that, as one of the main characters of the novel, Maestro Woland, put it: ‘Nothing in this world changes. That is the nature of things. And people. Well, people are like people. They love money, but that has always been the case... Mankind loves money, no matter what it is made of, whether it is leather, paper, bronze or gold. Well, frivolous... well, well... and mercy sometimes knocks in their hearts... ordinary people... in general, resemble the old ones... the flat question has only spoilt them...’ That's right, you're quite right, sire... I'm surprised. All this time this character was as if hidden by a fog, from the very first acquaintance with this work, it was impossible to unravel him. But in the words of the same character: ‘Nothing in this world happens by itself, just like that and without reason. Even a brick will never fall on anyone's head out of the blue. Everything in this world is subject to inevitability and certain laws!’ The realisation came by itself. Not at once, by long research.

1. Messire, the Master. It is commonly believed that he is the protagonist of the novel..... But have you ever thought that this character is not as simple as he seems? He has both light and darkness in him... Darkness, which he, being a man, tries to fight with all his might, because only a man has this dual nature in him. And only by accepting this duality in himself he finds peace and liberation. And next to him is the invariable Mirror Twin - the ghost of Marguerite. The similarity of these two characters is very vivid, but at the same time they are opposite. Doesn't this description remind you of anything? And the Mirror? After all, Bulgakov himself left us a clue - the inverted letter ‘W’ in the name of the Master and Woland.... A kind of reflection, isn't it? But we'll come back to the image of Woland. So who is hidden under this ‘M’? To understand this, it is worth revisiting the very Mirror that the author used. We do not know the name of the main character, and this is not just because of this, most likely because his image is collective. Moreover, he is the only one who is not horrified at the mention of Woland's name. Moreover, he even regrets that Ivan met him and not the Master himself, and he would be ready to give a bunch of keys from the hospital for that, as he has nothing more to give.... Woland himself is not particularly surprised when Marguerite gives him the ‘name’ of her lover, and having learnt about the novel says:
- What is the novel about?
- It's about Pontius Pilate.
Here again the tongues of the candles swayed and jumped, the dishes on the table rattled, Woland laughed thunderously, but did not frighten anyone and did not surprise anyone with his laughter. The hippopotamus applauded for some reason.
- About what, about what? About whom? - Voland spoke, having stopped laughing. - Now? That's marvellous! And you couldn't find any other subject? Let me see,’ Woland held out his hand palm upwards. - Manuscripts don't burn!

It is worth noting here that Woland again shows no sign of amazement, but rather.... understanding. ‘It's all clear now!’ - he pronounces, eventually, moreover, at the very beginning of the work he himself tells Berlioz and the poet a passage from this ‘novel’, only allegorically. Is it a novel? I remember that critics call the novel nothing but ‘an analogy of the life of Jesus Christ’, and the Master ‘a dangerous Old Believer’. It turns out that the Master is the author of the Bible itself! But a slightly different, ‘Old Believer’ version, for, according to Wieland, nothing that is written in the well-known book ‘did not happen as described’. But he also lambasts the arrogant poet when he dares to claim that God and Jesus do not exist. ‘Consider that Jesus existed, and to this you will be presented the proof!’..... Doesn't that mean he not only KNOWS the novel, but was present when it was written? And given the mirroring of the characters, it turns out that he is also its author. How is this possible, since the Master is on the side of Light, and Wieland is on the side of darkness. But is it darkness? For if Woland were ruled by full-fledged Chaos and Darkness, he would leave no stone unturned from the city and the people, for the true Prince of Darkness is absolute Evil, and there is not a drop of light in him. And Woland is both Light and Darkness, and it's not for nothing that I originally mentioned the Master. He and Woland. They are like two parts of a whole, except that the Master is human and Woland is superhuman. And just as there is Darkness in the Master, so there is Light in Woland. That is why the latter brings the world not destruction by his appearance, but enlightenment, exposing human vices and shedding Light where before there was Darkness, reviving in people their true nature.

Let's go back many centuries ago in Slavic times, where Kin (a group of people who are united by blood kinship in the past, present and future) was the source of everything, and the world was divided into four parts - Yav, where people live, Prav - the world of our ancestors and the place where the souls of the righteous, saints went after they had overcome Nav - the inter-world (sinners were also sent to Nav so that after passing the tests they made a choice between light and darkness) and Slav - the world of Gods. And each of these worlds was ruled by a certain Deity: Yavya - Dazhdbog (Kryshen) and Zhiva; Pravya - Rod Heavenly and Makosh; Navya - Mara and Karachun (aka Chernobog, not to be confused with the Prince of Darkness), and above all three was Slav, with its ruler, Svarog (White God) and Lada- Mother. It is interesting that in various writings it is possible to find correspondences of the name of Svarog - Vyshen, Ra, Odin, Velund, VOLAND (at Scandinavians and Finns). Well, well...

Dig further... Let's transfer to India and open the volume of Vedas - the most ancient collection of teachings, given to the world by Shiva himself (whom the Hindus still call the Master of Yoga, the Great Prophet and Teacher), which is considered to be the primary source of all world movements and beliefs - the Bible, the Koran, the Torah. And what do we see? Here too, the Rod is what we come out of and what is our basis and defence in this world. In the Vedas he goes by the name of Brahma. But still he is not the Source of all things. He was Shiva - Mahadev. He is the Absolute, the vacuum in which the universe originated, and is trinity in nature. This Trinity includes Shiva - Mahadev, Vishnu - Narayana and Brahma.... As well as our Slavic Triglav consists of Svarog - the Creator of the Universe, Vyshenya - the Creator of the manifested world and Rod Heavenly. This ‘trimurti’ occupies the highest position in the material Universe and is responsible for the processes taking place in it: ‘Life and peace, and death.... from the ages.’ All are important and are generally equal in power and influence. They represent three aspects: creation, maintenance and preservation. Observing the Hindu Trimurti, we see Brahma, the keeper of wisdom, looking to the left; Vishnu, the sustainer of creation, looking straight ahead, and Shiva, the creator and destroyer, looking to the right. They are individual and triune in essence, although Rod - Brahma is static and constant; Vyshen (aka Vishnu in the Vedas) is the penetrator (‘he who is all and within all’), the protector and preserver of love and harmony as he is connected to sacred nature; Svarog (Shiva) is one of the most complex, contradictory and powerful gods.

While the first two are more detached, Svarog is dynamic, he is everything and everything in him. He is both Darkness and Light, Day and Night. He is the destruction and he is the rebirth from the ashes. He is the truth and the champion of ignorance. In Slavic Svarog is the god blacksmith, he ‘forges’ the universe and man. The word ‘weld’ is still present in our everyday life. It means something miraculous to master, to create, to make something unknown. And he's the closest thing we have to a human being. just as Shiva often intervenes in the development of the physical world if he sees that the balance is out of balance. And then he appears in the form of Bhairava - Nataraja - destroying negativity. Because of his dark hair and eyes, blazing fire, he in Slavic traditions was named Chernobog, while Shiva himself was called Svarog - White God. In general, the Creator God has many names - Shiva, Mahadev, Mahayogi, Pashupati, Nataraja, Bhairava, Vishwanath, Bhava and Bolenath; Svarog; Velund, V;lund, Weyland.... WOLAND.

This is it... But this character of Mikhail Afanasievich Bulgakov has always raised many questions. For example, why is he ‘part of the force that somehow does good’? Yes, and, if you think about it, where is the evil that should be manifested in the actions of this character, except that all those who in one way or another make him angry, got what they deserved... When Bulgakov read the first two chapters of the novel to his friends, he asked who, in their opinion, Woland. Remarkably, not everyone thought he was a demonic character. Perhaps he is: he is not a force that can be called evil, rather he is in charge of earthly problems: he establishes some kind of justice, punishes bribe-takers and fools, gives a few decent people ‘peace’ and flies away. Woland and Gella are two forces called to fight injustice and chaos, but when their mission in this world is fulfilled, they disappear, merging with the Absolute, the Creator-Mother of the Universe.

This unusual trait is perfectly shown in the research of the author of the site masterimargo.ru: ‘Woland performs in the novel the function of a fair supreme judge, by which the author checks the actions of other characters. Woland expresses Bulgakov's favourite idea: everyone will be given according to his faith. Both evil and good, the writer believes, are equally present in the world, but they are not predetermined from above, but generated by people. Consequently, man is free in his choice. ‘In general, man is more free than many people think, and not only from the rock, but also from the surrounding ... circumstances.’ And, therefore, he is fully responsible for his actions. ‘Woland recognises the rare, the few things that are truly great, true and imperishable. He knows the real price of the master's creative feat and Pilate's remorse.’ Marguerite's love, pride and self-esteem makes him sympathetic and respectful. And he considers the feat of Yeshua Ga-Notzri inviolable to him. There was no such thing in world literature before Bulgakov.’

Amazing, right? Bulgakov himself denied that this image had any prototype. He said: ‘I don't want to give any reason for amateurs to look for prototypes. Voland has no prototypes’. But is it really so? Well, who knows, who knows.....

2. The Master and Margarita. Throughout the narrative, next to the Master we see the invariable Mirror Twin - the ghost of Margarita. The similarities between these two characters are very striking, but at the same time they are opposites. Does this description ring a bell? Once again the Mirror. After all, Bulgakov himself left us a clue - the inverted letter ‘W’ in the name of the Master and Woland.... A kind of reflection, isn't it? Woland, who is always and in everything assisted and helped by Gella - the Master (whose name we never managed to find out), who is invisibly protected, inspired and for whom his Margarita lives. But if Gella is rather a tough, fierce image of the Goddess, Marguerite is capable of compassion and mercy. However, before we return to the undeservedly shaded ‘companion of Messire’ - Gella. In the novel she is labelled as a ‘witch’, which in my opinion is too modest a characterisation for such a character. After all, she is the very embodiment of fire, sorcery, night. She punishes sinners and is the embodiment of ‘kama’ - the highest degree of sensuality and eroticism. This image and red hair make us think of the Greek goddess Garm (the prototype of Greek Hecate and Indian Mahakali). By the way, the companions of Hecate, Garm and Kali were most often cats.

Garm and Velund ( Woland) - completely correspond to Mara (Mahakali) and Karachun (Mahakalu-Bhairava), and difference in appearance is defined by nationalities that worshipped these deities, though the essence is the same. But how can the Dark Deities be worshipped? Here it is necessary to consider the fact that in ancient times the Gods did not have a dark or light image as we see now, they came from a single source, but differed from each other like day and night. For the Dark Powers had a different meaning - chaos, evil. The minions of chaos were called demons - asuras in Vedic chronicles, and their leader was Koschei (Princes of Darkness, Tarakasur, Shumbha and Nishumbha), and it is these Koschei, according to one of the versions, infiltrating into the matrix of mankind periodically provoke a failure, because of which world cataclysms, wars and epidemics begin.... Because of the continuity of incarnations, they change their form from century to century, with which the Supreme Gods - Svarog and Lada (Mahakal and Mahakali) fight: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DfOjhLBp6wk.

But why then does Bulgakov's novel say that the Master and Margarita do not deserve light, but peace? We find the answer in the same Kali-Purana, where it is said that after great battles or fulfilment of their missions in human avatars on Earth, Shiva and Shakti retire to Kailash, where they immerse themselves in Samadhi, a kind of state of deep meditation, unlike Narayana-Vishnu-Christ, who eternally abides in the ocean of light, together with his consort Sri Lakshmi. For this is the nature of the Creators of our universe: Narayana is closer to Earth, he is the personification of prosperity and love and arrives in eternal bliss (except for those rare descents into the manifested world in his avatars) in the world of Light; Brahma - the Rod and keeper of knowledge (Vedas) also lives in the world of Light, not far from Narayana, in the form of the Holy Spirit and Gods and Devas (Warriors of Light) often consult with him on various issues; Shiva - Mahadev is the symbol of Eternity and Absolute Detachment, the embodiment of Time and Timelessness, the Creator and Destroyer of the Universe. He is the main deity of the whole Holy Trinity, as God the Father, and He is above darkness and light, He is the Infinity in which worlds are created and destroyed and with which we merge when we leave this physical world. Therefore, the symbolic ‘banishment’ of the Master (Shiva) and Margarita (Shakti) is not a banishment at all, but rather a voluntary departure into Eternity, where they find peace together in order to be reborn in their true images.

Then the next question arises - why is Woland their guide to the world of Eternity and not, say, Ga-Notzri Yeshua? Here again we can turn to the ancient texts, where it is said that the Black God (Bhairava) arose from the essence of the White God (Shiva), as Mara (Mahakali, Garma) was reborn from Lada (Shakti). They are one, and presumably arose as soon as the Gods realised themselves: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4GCtYLnc_7U Belobog (Shiva, Mahadev) and Lada (Shakti) - the Giving Hypostasis of the Rod. Chernobog (Bhairava) and Mara (Mahakali) are the Punishing Hypostasis of God. So doesn't this mean that Gella and Margarita as well as Master and Woland are one in the same way as Mahakal and Mahakali? Perhaps, perhaps... And then it is logical to assume that having fulfilled their mission in the manifested world and having let go of everything that kept them in this incarnation, the Master and Margarita no longer need the help of their ‘militant’ images, having become One Whole, accepting them in themselves, as it is said in the Vedas: ‘Black God and White God, merging together at the End of Time, will create God as Himself, just as God, having divided into TWO Parts at the Beginning of Time, gave birth to Them.’

But back to the novel and its protagonist Margarita. Bulgakov's Margarita is a symbol of femininity, fidelity, beauty, self-sacrifice in the name of love. It is in the love of a woman, not in himself, that the Master draws his strength, once again returned to his flat in the Arbat lane. ‘Enough,’ he says to Margarita, ’You have shamed me. I shall never again allow cowardice or return to this matter, be calm. I know that we are both victims of my mental illness, which perhaps I have passed on to you..... Well, then, together we shall bear it.’ Margarita's spiritual intimacy with the Master is so strong that the Master is unable to forget his beloved even for a moment. And Margarita even has prophetic dreams in which she sees her beloved: ‘..... The door of this log building swings open, and he appears. Quite far away, but he is clearly visible. He's ragged, you can't tell what he's wearing. His hair is dishevelled, unshaven. His eyes are large, troubled. He is beckoning her with his hand, calling her...’ It is this closeness that transforms them, helps them to overcome all their trials. Although their souls cannot yet reach the light - they are destined for a respite ‘rest’. And again rebirth, and again search, trials: ‘This dream will heal you, you will reason wisely. But you will not be able to drive me away. I'll be the one to keep your dream safe.’ Yin and Yang? Maybe, maybe.

It is not for nothing that the Vedas say - ‘Shiva without Shakti is a dead man’. In order for the physical world to manifest from the Spiritual world, a Mistress is needed.... It is the Mother of the Universe, the Creative Power of Creation - Shakti, Parvati. And when both energies unite in the Universal Dance called Lasya, the time of Creation comes, Worlds are created, new Constellations, Planets and Galaxies are born.... But God forbid, if these two energies meet, as Mahakal - Bhairava (Black God) and Mahakali, who are filled with anger against this world! Then their dance moves into the Fiery Tandava and the period of destruction begins: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=F_F5aQD-3rU, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tO4Is2vIE0s. What is this but the Ball described in the novel? What's worth it is Berlioz's head turning into a wine cup. Again returning to the Vedas, we recall Mahakali's battle with Shumbha and Nishumbha, in the finale of which, in order to defeat the asuras, she had to ‘drink’ all the blood of her enemies: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=I0EiwfQQkJY Coincidence? I don't think so.

It has already been proven that everything in the world comes from one source, and again (for the umpteenth time!) in the Kali Purana texts we find evidence indicating that Shiva and Shakti were often separated in order to teach this or that lesson to this manifested physical world. But Shiva, in letting Shakti go, knows that they are destined to meet again: ‘Without Shakti, Shiva is a corpse “shivasana”.’ Neither can Shakti exist without Shiva, for only He can take control of her dark side - Mahakali. The first time, according to the Vedas, Shiva stopped Shakti by becoming ‘shivasana’. And the second.... remember how in Bulgakov's novel Margarita, who went on a rampage in Latunsky's flat, nearly destroyed the whole house and its occupants in her rage? And who stopped her? A child... Her anger subsided, she embraced him with the words:
 - I'll tell you a tale, - Margarita spoke and put her heated hand on his haircut head, - there was an aunt in the world. And she had no children, and no happiness at all. And so she cried a great deal at first, and then she became angry....  - Margarita fell silent, took her hand off - the boy was asleep.
Marguerite quietly put the hammer on the windowsill and flew out of the window. There was a commotion outside the house.  On the asphalted pavement, strewn with broken glass, people were running and shouting something.

Now let us turn to the Vedas. In the epic Mahabharata, in pursuit of Shumbha and Neshumbha who insulted her, Shakti in the form of the formidable Mahakali penetrated into the physical world. But such is the nature of the formidable Goddess that her appearance brings with it fire and chaos..... Seeing this, Vishnu prayed to Shiva with terror and entreaty, asking him to pacify the angry Mahakali. But Shiva rejected the request, remembering his promise to never henceforth become ‘shivasana’ in the path of his half, Shakti Kali. However, the situation was escalating and Shiva had no option but to intervene by going tricky. The goddess was rushing on the ground without seeing anything when she heard a child crying: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DdDzUabvaRM This makes her immediately calm down, tempering her fervour. He stretches out his arms to her, and Kali encloses the baby in her embrace. But who is he, where is he from? The baby looks at her tenderly and utters one word: ‘Shiva’. Immediately becoming God.... Kali regains her Shakti image at the sight of her husband. But her eyes are full of tears..... For like Margarita, she cannot have children. Shiva is God, she is half human. But Shiva smiles mysteriously, everything in the world has its cause and effect. Parvati (Shiva's human essence) cannot have children. But Shakti is Nature itself, Energy.... In unity with Shiva, Shakti similarly becomes the creator. This is the law of the universe: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2jxviaiEhZk

So in Bulgakov's novel, the Master and Margarita find peace only by joining each other. So does Woland (Bhairava, the dark side of Shiva), who disappears as soon as they find each other, remembering their essence.... However, they have not yet earned the light, as their souls are too weary in their earthly journey. Therefore they descend into purgatory, so that then, awakened, they can shed their astral avatars and ascend to their higher selves - Svarog and Lada... I will not sin (if only a little) against the truth, if I say that Bulgakov surprisingly veiled not only Shakti - Lada - Margarita, but also Kali - Gella. The former is sacrificial and just, Love itself, while the latter is rage..... But both are devoted to their halves - the Master and Voland. It's amazing how the deck shuffles!

As we have already said, no novel is written simply out of nothing. And here we have everything - the past, the present and the future.... And doom and the most sublime love! But it's all so intertwined that it becomes difficult to separate the light from the darkness. But right, what would the light do if all the shadows disappeared at once? And what would the darkness do if there wasn't at least a ray of light in it? Maybe this is the idea: to show life as it is, to bring us into a kind of looking-glass, where everyone could see his reflection....  Of course, these are just my assumptions, but according to the theory that our world is surrounded by a dense ring of the Mental (informational) field, it often happens that some people receive certain information or images ‘from above’ in the form of insights, which we are free to express as we can understand and manifest them - in the form of poems, songs, books, films or theatrical performances. And only after a while we can understand the hidden meaning of these ‘messages’.

Yes, Bulgakov is truly a miracle worker, having created such a novel. And the most interesting thing is that everyone sees in it what he can see. And the more enlightened a person is, the clearer he becomes the hidden meaning and ‘truth power’. The Master - Woland - Yeshua Ga-Notzri. One way or another, only in the struggle against darkness, not succumbing to it and passing many tests and lessons (from Navi, Yavi, to Pravi and Slavi) one can find the way to the truth, and thus to the Light. This is the chain that the author goes through in his work on the way to finding peace and, in fact, freedom: ‘Free, HE is waiting for you!’ ....