“in the year 223 after the creation of the World, by objective time-calculation”

In cosmic time reckoning, it's 223 years since the universe’s beginning.

“as it would be said here on the ‘Earth,’ in the year 1921 after the birth of Christ”

From the Earth-based Christian calendar perspective, it is the year 1921.

“Through the Universe flew the ship Karnak of the ‘transspace’ communication”

A spacecraft named Karnak, capable of interstellar travel, was in motion across the universe.

“from the spaces ‘Assooparatsata,’ that is, from the spaces of the ‘Milky Way’”

The origin point of the ship’s journey is identified as the Milky Way galaxy.

“from the planet Karatas to the solar system ‘Pandetznokh’”

The ship departs from Karatas and is headed toward a system known as Pandetznokh.

“the sun of which is also called the ‘Pole Star’”

Pandetznokh’s central star is what Earthlings know as the Pole Star (Polaris).

“On the said ‘transspace’ ship was Beelzebub with his kinsmen and near attendants”

Beelzebub is traveling with his family and close associates aboard the ship.

“to a special conference in which he had consented to take part”

He’s heading to a specific event or gathering that he agreed to attend.

“at the request of his friends of long standing”

Old companions persuaded him to join this meeting.

He is stating that:

Beelzebub, accompanied by his entourage, is en route via a “transspace” vessel called Karnak from his homeworld in the Milky Way to attend a conference in the Pole Star system, responding to an invitation from longtime friends. The timing is set using both a cosmic and Earth-based calendar.

• He begins with a cosmic calendar—not the usual Earth-centered reckoning, but a framework of “objective time” hinting at a metaphysically different standard for chronology.

• Spatial geography is galactic—Karatas, Milky Way, Pandetznokh, and Polaris are treated as accessible stops in a vast communicative network, not unreachable stars.

• “Transspace” is casually introduced—suggesting a normality of interstellar or interdimensional travel, without technological explanation.

• Beelzebub is not solitary—his companions and reasons for travel immediately imply a complex social and cosmic backdrop. The drama is not one of exile but of engagement.

“Only the remembrance of these old friendships had constrained him to accept this invitation”

He agreed to go only because he remembered his old friends.

“since he was no longer young”

He was aged and less able to travel comfortably.

“so lengthy a journey, and the vicissitudes inseparable from it”

The journey was long and full of difficulties.

“were by no means an easy task for one of his years”

Such travel was quite hard for someone of his age.

“Only a little before this journey Beelzebub had returned home to the planet Karatas”

He had just gotten back to his home planet, Karatas.

“where he had received his arising”

Karatas is where he was originally born or came into being.

“and far from which... he had passed many years”

He had spent a long time away from Karatas.

“on account of circumstances independent of his own essence”

He had been forced away by outside factors, not by his own nature.

“in conditions not proper to his nature”

He had to live in an environment unsuitable to him.

“This many-yeared existence... had not failed to leave on his common presence a perceptible mark”

The long exile under foreign conditions changed his being in a noticeable way.

He is stating that:

Beelzebub reluctantly accepted the invitation because of loyalty to old friends, despite his age and the hardships involved. He had only just returned home after a long exile caused by external factors, and this exile—filled with experiences and perceptions foreign to his essence—had deeply altered him.

• He begins with constraint— not enthusiasm or duty, but the compulsion of friendship strong enough to overcome age and hardship.

• “Not proper to his nature”— implies a metaphysical mismatch between being and circumstance, pointing to Gurdjieff’s central concern with essence vs. personality.

• His “common presence” bears the mark— the phrase hints at a cosmological anthropology: lived experience leaves visible impressions on one's total being, not just on memory or psychology.

• External circumstances override essence— and yet shape it—an early thematic warning about the dangers of unnatural environments.

“time itself had by now inevitably aged him”

The passage of time had naturally made him old.

“the said unusual conditions of existence had brought Beelzebub... to an also exceptional old age”

The strange, unsuitable conditions of his life caused him to age beyond what was typical, given his once-exceptional vitality.

“just that Beelzebub who had had such an exceptionally strong, fiery, and splendid youth”

He had once been unusually energetic, passionate, and powerful as a youth.

“Long, long before, while Beelzebub was still existing at home on the planet Karatas”

Far in the past, when he still lived on his native planet Karatas.

“he had been taken... into service on the ‘Sun Absolute’”

He was selected to serve at a central cosmic location of immense importance.

“owing to his extraordinarily resourceful intelligence”

He was chosen because of his exceptional cleverness and capability.

“where our lord sovereign endlessness has the fundamental place of his Dwelling”

The Sun Absolute is where the highest being—sovereign endlessness—resides.

“had become an attendant upon his endlessness”

He served directly under the supreme being, in a position of great honor.

He is stating that:

Beelzebub, once filled with extraordinary vigor in youth, has become unusually aged due to the combined effects of time and ill-suited life conditions. Long before, his brilliance had earned him a prestigious role in the service of the supreme being at the heart of cosmic order—the Sun Absolute.

• He continues blending myth with metaphysics— referring to aging not just as biological decay but as deformation of essence due to environmental mismatch.

• “Sun Absolute” is introduced as the dwelling of “our lord sovereign endlessness”— a theological and cosmological axis evoking a divine hierarchy beyond familiar religion or science.

• Beelzebub’s past as an honored attendant— suggests a fall or transformation, casting his aging as not merely physical but existential.

• Time and essence are linked— the quality of one’s being is shaped by both chronology and the nature of one’s experience.

“owing to the as yet unformed Reason due to his youth”

Because he was still young and had not developed mature judgment.

“callow and therefore still impetuous mentation with unequally flowing association”

His immature and impulsive thinking process was unstable and poorly connected.

“mentation based... on a limited understanding”

His thoughts were formed on a narrow, undeveloped grasp of reality, as is typical for the immature.

“saw in the government of the World something which seemed to him ‘illogical’”

He thought he had detected a flaw in how the universe was governed.

“having found support among his comrades... interfered in what was none of his business”

Encouraged by his equally unformed peers, he intruded into matters he shouldn’t have.

“Thanks to the impetuosity and force of Beelzebub’s nature”

Because Beelzebub was so intense and headstrong.

“his intervention... soon captured all minds”

The rebellious sentiment spread widely and rapidly.

“the effect was to bring the central kingdom of the Megalocosmos almost to the edge of revolution”

The disturbance nearly caused a breakdown at the very core of the cosmic order.

He is stating that:

Because of his immature and impulsive nature, Beelzebub once mistook the workings of the universe for something faulty and, together with his equally immature comrades, acted disruptively. Their actions had such power and influence that they nearly incited a revolution at the very heart of cosmic governance.

• He attributes rebellion to “unformed Reason”— not evil intent, but developmental immaturity, linking cosmic error to spiritual psychology.

• “Unequally flowing association”— introduces a technical diagnosis of thought dysfunction, framed in esoteric cognitive mechanics.

• “Interfered in what was none of his business”— starkly contrasts his divine appointment with his improper overreach, suggesting a Fourth Way caution against misdirected force.

• The central kingdom of the Megalocosmos almost falls— a nearly metaphysical coup, caused by unbalanced mentation and group contagion. The stakes are cosmic, not merely personal or moral.

“Having learned of this”

Once the supreme being became aware of the situation.

“his endlessness”

The supreme being or cosmic authority, possibly God in Gurdjieffian metaphysics.

“notwithstanding his All-lovingness and All-forgiveness”

Even though he is perfectly loving and forgiving by nature.

“was constrained to banish Beelzebub with his comrades”

Was forced to exile them despite his merciful disposition.

“to one of the remote corners of the Universe”

To a very distant part of the cosmos.

“namely, to the solar system ‘Ors’”

Specifically, to our solar system, which Gurdjieff names “Ors.”

“whose inhabitants call it simply the ‘Solar System’”

Earthlings refer to this system without the cosmic name.

“to assign as the place of their existence one of the planets... namely, Mars”

Mars was designated as their main home during exile.

“with the privilege of existing on other planets also”

They were allowed to travel or reside on other planets.

“though only of the same solar system”

But only within the bounds of this solar system, no farther.

He is stating that:

As a result of Beelzebub’s disruption, the supreme being—despite his infinite compassion—was compelled to exile Beelzebub and his peers to the solar system we know as ours, restricting their existence primarily to Mars but granting access to other planets within that system only.

• He frames divine punishment as reluctant necessity— suggesting cosmic governance operates under laws even higher than mercy or forgiveness.

• Earth’s solar system is introduced as a cosmic penal colony— our familiar neighborhood becomes recontextualized as a remote outpost for exile, turning cosmology into moral allegory.

• The phrase “his endlessness” stands unqualified— inviting the reader to intuit or infer a being of absolute scale, neither anthropomorphic nor named by any known tradition.

• Permission to move between planets within the system— introduces a controlled freedom, underscoring both limitation and potential influence over multiple planetary spheres.

“Among these exiles, besides the said comrades of Beelzebub”

In addition to Beelzebub’s fellow rebels, others were also sent into exile.

“were a number of those who merely sympathized with him”

Even those who only agreed with or supported Beelzebub were exiled.

“and also the attendants and subordinates both of Beelzebub and of his comrades”

Their personal assistants and lesser-ranking associates were also included in the exile.

“All, with their households, arrived at this remote place”

They traveled to and settled in this distant region of the cosmos with their families.

“and there in a short time on the planet Mars a whole colony was formed”

Soon, a full settlement arose on Mars.

“of three-centered beings from various planets of the central part of our Great Universe”

The colony included conscious beings from multiple planets of the universe’s core region.

He is stating that:

The exile included not just Beelzebub and his co-conspirators, but also sympathizers, subordinates, and their families. These diverse beings, hailing from central planets of the Great Universe, established a thriving colony on Mars.

• He expands exile beyond guilt— including sympathizers and those tangentially associated, highlighting the reach and totality of cosmic justice.

• The inclusion of households— suggests the exile is both social and generational, with whole communities displaced.

• Mars becomes a cosmopolitan outpost— seeded with “three-centered beings,” which points to a population capable of higher consciousness, not simply exiled criminals.

• The “central part of our Great Universe”— implies a lost center of gravity or harmony, now relocated to a cosmic periphery.

“All this population, extraordinary for the said planet”

This group of exiles was unusual compared to Mars' usual conditions or inhabitants.

“accommodated itself little by little to its new dwelling place”

They gradually adapted to living on Mars.

“many of them even found one or another occupation”

Several managed to find work or activities.

“for shortening the long years of their exile”

To help pass the time during their extended banishment.

“on this same planet Mars or upon the neighboring planet”

They worked either on Mars or nearby planets.

“on those planets that had been almost entirely neglected”

These neighboring planets had been overlooked or unused.

“on account of their remoteness from the center and the poverty of all their formations”

They were considered too far and lacking in useful resources or features.

“migrated gradually from the planet Mars to other planets”

Over time, many left Mars for other planetary locations.

“either on their own initiative or in response to needs of general character”

They left either by personal choice or due to shared needs among the group.

“Beelzebub himself... remained on the planet Mars”

Beelzebub chose to stay on Mars with his close followers.

“organized his existence more or less tolerably”

He managed to build a life that was reasonably stable or livable.

He is stating that:

The exiled beings slowly adjusted to Mars, finding work or distractions to endure their long stay. Some extended their activities to nearby, previously neglected planets. As time passed, many relocated elsewhere, but Beelzebub and his close attendants stayed and created a bearable life on Mars.

• He describes colonization as gradual adaptation— the exiles transform desolation into habitation through persistence and industry.

• Neglected planets become useful— what was once seen as barren or peripheral gains new meaning under exilic necessity.

• Migration emerges organically— both voluntary and systemic, revealing an unforced, evolutionary dispersion of intelligent beings across a system.

• Beelzebub stays behind— choosing stability and proximity to his past, he establishes a “tolerable” life, neither triumphant nor despairing, evoking the Work’s emphasis on inner order amidst outer exile.

“One of his chief occupations was the arranging of an ‘observatory’”

Beelzebub focused heavily on creating a facility for celestial and planetary observation.

“on the planet Mars for the observation both of remote points of the Universe and of the conditions of existence of beings on neighboring planets”

The observatory was used to study distant cosmic regions and nearby planetary life.

“this observatory... afterwards became well known and even famous everywhere in the Universe”

In time, his observatory gained universal fame and recognition.

“Although the solar system ‘Ors’ had been neglected owing to its remoteness from the center and to many other reasons”

Ors had been largely ignored due to its distance and other unspecified factors.

“nevertheless our lord sovereign had sent from time to time his Messengers to the planets of this system”

Despite this, divine emissaries were occasionally sent to Ors.

“to regulate, more or less, the being-existence of the three-brained beings arising on them”

The messengers helped shape the lives of the intelligent species living there.

“for the co-ordination of the process of their existence with the general World Harmony”

The goal was to align these beings’ lives with the broader cosmic order.

He is stating that:

Beelzebub established a major observatory on Mars to monitor distant cosmic regions and nearby planetary life. This facility later gained galaxy-wide renown. Even though the solar system Ors was usually overlooked, divine messengers were still sent to help guide intelligent life there in harmony with universal order.

• He portrays science as sacred work— an observatory becomes not just a tool but a locus of cosmic significance and future renown.

• Remote systems are not abandoned— even “neglected” corners of the universe are recipients of divine attention, preserving their spiritual potential.

• “Three-brained beings”— a Gurdjieffian term implying beings capable of reason, emotion, and instinct—appear here as universal evolutionary types.

• Cosmic harmony is the baseline— not merely moral alignment, but a metaphysical orchestration of life with the grand design.

“to a certain planet of this solar system, namely, the planet Earth”

One such mission was to Earth, our planet, within the Ors system.

“there was once sent as such a Messenger from our endlessness, a certain Ashiata Shiemash”

A divine being named Ashiata Shiemash was sent to Earth by the supreme cosmic intelligence.

“Beelzebub had then fulfilled a certain need in connection with his mission”

Beelzebub played a helpful role during Ashiata’s work on Earth.

“earnestly besought his endlessness to pardon this once young and fiery but now aged Beelzebub”

Ashiata pleaded for forgiveness on behalf of the now-older and wiser Beelzebub.

“modest and cognoscent existence of Beelzebub himself”

Beelzebub had lived humbly and with understanding during his exile.

“our maker creator pardoned him”

The supreme being granted Beelzebub forgiveness.

“gave him permission to return to the place of his arising”

He was allowed to go back to his original home (Karatas or the Sun Absolute region).

“Beelzebub, after a long absence, happened now to be again in the center of the Universe”

This is why Beelzebub is now present in the central cosmic location after so long away.

He is stating that:

Because Beelzebub had aided a divine Messenger during a mission to Earth, that Messenger—Ashiata Shiemash—interceded for him. Due to this intervention and Beelzebub’s own spiritual development, the supreme cosmic being forgave him and allowed him to return home. This explains his current presence at the center of the Universe.

• He reveals Earth as a stage for cosmic redemption— not just a remote exile zone, but a location of divine mission and intercession.

• Forgiveness is relational and earned— not automatic, but invoked by a sacred advocate and grounded in Beelzebub’s transformation.

• The name “Ashiata Shiemash” enters— a pivotal figure in Gurdjieff’s cosmology, blending messianic, prophetic, and teacher archetypes.

• Return to the center is conditional— cosmic rehabilitation is possible, but only through inner change and external validation.

“His influence and authority had not only not declined during his exile”

He had not lost status while exiled.

“but, on the contrary, they had greatly increased”

Instead, his reputation and authority had grown stronger.

“since all those around him were clearly aware”

Because everyone near him understood clearly.

“that, thanks to his prolonged existence in the aforementioned unusual conditions”

His long life under abnormal circumstances...

“his knowledge and experience must inevitably have been broadened and deepened”

...had certainly expanded his understanding and insight.

“when events of great importance occurred on one of the planets of the solar system ‘Pandetznokh’”

Major happenings took place in a distant solar system.

“Beelzebub’s old friends had decided to intrude upon him”

His friends felt justified in contacting him again.

“and to invite him to the conference concerning these events”

They asked him to participate in a discussion about what had happened.

He is stating that:

Beelzebub’s exile had not diminished his standing; it enhanced it, because those around him saw that his hardships had made him wiser. When serious events unfolded in the Pandetznokh system, his old companions invited him to a high-level gathering to address them.

• He reverses the exile trope— portraying banishment not as a fall from grace, but as a path to deeper authority.

• “Unusual conditions” are a crucible— suggesting that exposure to difficulty, far from degrading essence, may refine and enlarge it.

• Old friends “intrude”— the word choice hints at respectful hesitation, acknowledging both the dignity of Beelzebub’s withdrawal and the necessity of his return.

• The solar system “Pandetznokh”— expands the cosmological map, signaling another center of meaning beyond Earth or Mars.

“And it was as the outcome of this that Beelzebub was now making the long journey”

This explains why Beelzebub is currently traveling a great distance.

“on the ship Karnak from the planet Karatas to the planet Revozvradendr”

He is traveling aboard the Karnak, going from his home world to another planet for a specific event.

“On this big space-ship Karnak”

This vessel is large and interstellar in scope.

“the passengers included the kinsmen and attendants of Beelzebub”

His family and personal staff are traveling with him.

“and also many beings who served on the ship itself”

There are additional crew members who maintain and operate the ship.

“During the period to which this tale of ours refers”

This part of the story takes place during the ship's voyage.

“all the passengers were occupied either with their duties”

Everyone had responsibilities or tasks they were performing.

“or simply with the actualization of what is called ‘active being mentation’”

They were also practicing a disciplined form of conscious thought.

He is stating that:

Beelzebub’s return journey is underway aboard the Karnak, headed toward the conference. Alongside him are family, staff, and crew. While in transit, all aboard are either performing their assigned roles or engaging in a practice of deliberate, conscious thought called “active being mentation.”

• He turns a spaceship into a monastery— describing the passengers not only as travelers but as practitioners of higher consciousness.

• “Active being mentation”— introduces a key Fourth Way concept early in the narrative: the cultivation of awareness through inner discipline.

• Movement and presence coexist— the external voyage is mirrored by internal Work, aligning metaphysical effort with spatial travel.

• Beelzebub’s entourage isn’t passive— their presence implies a community of effort, suggesting a collective laboratory of consciousness.

“Among all the passengers aboard the ship one very handsome boy was conspicuous”

A particularly good-looking boy stood out among the other travelers.

“he was always near Beelzebub himself”

He stayed physically close to Beelzebub during the voyage.

“This was Hassein, the son of Beelzebub’s favorite son Tooloof”

The boy’s identity is Hassein, descended from Beelzebub’s most cherished child.

“After his return home from exile, Beelzebub had seen this grandson of his, Hassein, for the first time”

Beelzebub met his grandson Hassein only after his exile ended.

“appreciating his good heart”

Recognizing Hassein’s kind and noble inner qualities.

“and also, owing to what is called ‘family attraction,’”

And because of an instinctive familial bond or affinity.

“he took an instant liking to him”

Beelzebub immediately felt affection for his grandson.

He is stating that:

Beelzebub’s grandson Hassein, son of Tooloof, stood out among the passengers aboard the ship. Having only just met him after returning from exile, Beelzebub was instantly drawn to the boy’s good heart and familial connection, forming a strong bond with him.

• He introduces the intimate familial thread— not just cosmic missions but grandfatherly love, rooting the tale in personal emotional stakes.

• “Family attraction” is treated as a subtle force— hinting at a metaphysical principle of lineage and resonance beyond sentimentality.

• Hassein’s presence foreshadows the pedagogical structure— suggesting that Beelzebub’s teachings may be directed toward his grandson, mirroring the reader’s learning arc.

“And as the time happened to coincide with the time when the Reason of little Hassein needed to be developed”

The timing matched the developmental stage when Hassein’s intellect needed formation.

“Beelzebub, having a great deal of free time there, himself undertook the education of his grandson”

With time available, Beelzebub personally chose to instruct Hassein.

“from that time on took Hassein everywhere about with him”

Beelzebub kept Hassein by his side continually from then on.

“That is why Hassein also was accompanying Beelzebub on this long journey”

His presence on the Karnak is a result of this decision.

“and was among the number around him”

Hassein was included in Beelzebub’s inner circle of companions.

“so loved his grandfather that he would not stir a step without him”

Hassein was so attached that he remained constantly by Beelzebub’s side.

“and he eagerly absorbed everything his grandfather either said or taught”

He listened intently and took in every lesson Beelzebub gave.

He is stating that:

Beelzebub took responsibility for educating his grandson Hassein, whose development had just begun. This led to Hassein constantly accompanying him, including on the voyage aboard the Karnak. Their relationship was marked by deep mutual affection and a strong teacher-student bond.

• He makes education a cosmic thread— the development of “Reason” becomes the hinge around which the entire tale turns.

• The grandfather-grandson relationship grounds the narrative— creating emotional warmth and human scale within a vast cosmological frame.

• Hassein is positioned as both audience and mirror— his learning process parallels the reader’s, justifying the storytelling method that follows.

• “Active being mentation” now finds its pupil— setting the stage for a pedagogy of conscious development to unfold through relationship and shared inquiry.

“At the time of this narrative”

This moment in the story.

“Beelzebub with Hassein and his devoted old servant Ahoon”

Beelzebub is accompanied by his grandson and longtime assistant.

“were seated on the highest ‘Kasnik’”

They are sitting on the top deck of the spaceship.

“under the ‘Kalnokranonis,’ somewhat resembling... a large ‘glass bell’”

They are beneath a transparent dome for viewing space.

“were talking there among themselves while observing the boundless space”

They are engaged in conversation while looking into deep space.

“Beelzebub was talking about the solar system where he had passed long years”

He is sharing memories from his long exile in that system.

“describing the peculiarities of the nature of the planet called Venus”

He is discussing specific traits of Venus.

“it was reported to Beelzebub that the captain of their ship wished to speak with him”

He receives a message from the ship’s captain requesting a meeting.

“and to this request Beelzebub acceded”

Beelzebub agrees to meet with the captain.

He is stating that:

Beelzebub, with his grandson and servant, is seated on the Karnak’s upper deck, reflecting aloud on his past experiences—specifically on the planet Venus—under a glass-like dome while observing space. Their conversation is paused when the ship’s captain calls for him, and Beelzebub consents to meet.

• He spatializes storytelling— the tale begins not with narration but with three beings literally elevated in space, watching the cosmos while recalling the past.

• The “glass bell” evokes an alchemical vessel— the Kasnik and Kalnokranonis suggest containment for inner transformation as well as outer observation.

• Venus enters the story— hinting at planetary character as something unique and knowable, reinforcing the idea that each world has essence.

• Transition by interruption— the call from the captain breaks the contemplative mood and shifts us into the narrative’s next movement, mirroring how external events intrude on inner life.