Intimately woven into the theory and philosophy of tantra is the science of mantra, yantra and mandala. Tantra is both a philosophy and a practical science, and its sublime theories become efficacious through the use of mantra, yantra and mandala. Here we shall examine the mandala from which arose the rich art of tantric iconography, temples, art, architecture and music.

Principle of mandala: primal form

Any form which is pictorially or visually created within the consciousness of man, forms a mandala. In order to create a mandala, you have to be able to see within yourself, not in the form of thought but of vision, as clearly as you see the world with open eyes. The clearer your inner vision, the more accurate and powerful the mandala you create.

The principle of a mandala is that it lives within a circle. Thus any mandala that is visualized, has to be represented within the symmetry of a circle. This is due to the fact that the circle is considered as a primal form. Even the earth on which we live is not flat but round or elliptical. The formation of a mandala follows the same principle as that of light as expounded by science. Light waves move in a curve thus bending space and forming an arc or curvature. The circular aura is an essential factor of the mandala and this is clearly evident in all the ancient tantric mandalas existing today.

Anything can form a mandala; a tree, a house, a car, an animal, a human being- even your body is a mandala. When you are able to visualize through the ‘inner eye’, the form you see of any object is very precise, even more precise than you can see with your eyes open. You may be visualizing the same object both inside and out, but the difference is that, when you visualize an object through the higher mind you momentarily glimpse what lies behind the form. Thus you are able to perceive more than the average eye. We can see a tree, a house, an animal or a beautiful landscape and then reproduce it on canvas or paper. However, that is an insufficient mandala because we have not been able to see beyond the object We have not perceived the object on a linear dimension, or in the form of colour or sound. Therefore it cannot convey to us any meaning beyond the fact that it is what it is meant to be.

Creating a mandala: mystic vision

In order to create a mandala that has both power and force, both inner clarity and the ability to replicate the inner vision are important. Some people can clearly see inside but cannot re-create externally what they have seen. This is often what distinguishes a good artist from a bad one. Both may have the same inner vision but it differs in clarity of reproduction. A mandala is the essence of an object perceived by one who has refined his inner vision; an inner cosmic picture which is reproduced for all to see.

The mandala you create is dependent on your level of consciousness. The more evolved your consciousness, the more universal will be the mandala you create. A universal mandala is that which is created through a mind in tune with cosmic consciousness. It is therefore applicable and relevant to all mankind, whereas mandalas created by minds which are still on the individual plane, have less universal appeal and ability to invoke higher levels of consciousness in others. Moreover, certain mandalas are created by those who have transcended the material plane and have become enraptured by supra-conscious ecstasy. It is these mandalas which can evoke spiritual experience in others and it is primarily these which tantra has employed.

Every culture and civilization has its mandalas to offer us, and the quality of their creations gives us a clear idea of the level of consciousness of that society. All forms of art, sculpture and architecture are mandala creations which have been envisaged in the abyss of the mind, and then been re-created. That is why the work is so profound, and can influence so many generations so many centuries later, who stand in awe.

The difference between a mandala created by an artist and that created by a mystic is significant. An artist communicates his inner experience by translating it into a concept that is bound by time and space, because his insight is not as profound as that of a mystic. It usually conveys only his emotions and not a metaphysical truth. A mystic on the other hand, goes far beyond the limitations of the finite mind, emotions and intellect, and therefore these experiences relate more profoundly to the universal concepts of the cosmos.

Both artist and mystic explore and depict inner truths. However, an artist expels his experiences through his work of art, whereas the mystic continues to develop one experience into another, A mystic is not aiming to discover inner visions, but that which lies beyond. If an artist were to do the same he would be transformed into a mystic Therefore, all art based on divine inner experience has been able to withstand the test of time, and exist as an immortal and eternal idea.

In India, all forms of art, music and architecture are deeply influenced by the spiritual insight of its ancestral past. Classical Indian music, through its blend of melody, beat and rhythm, creates a mandala that can evoke a response in the deepest layers of consciousness. The artwork of the Ajanta and Ellora caves, the famed Khajuraho temples, the Konarak sun temple in Orissa, and millions of other such works, are in actual fact mandalas that deeply influence the consciousness of those who see them.

This influence is always very subtle yet precise. One cannot know the levels of mind that the mandala explores and influences. It is the subconscious and unconscious mind with which the mandalas converse, and thereby are able to awaken inner visions. It is through this process that the deeper layers of mind begin to manifest.

Devi and Devata: divine forces

In tantra, mandalas have also been depicted as pictorial representations of divine forces, symbolised as theriomorphic and anthropomorphic forms. Tantra asserts that these forms of divinity do not exist as objective entities any where in any part of the stratospheres, presiding over our destiny. However, it does feel the necessity of developing the idea of divinity in human form in order to make it comprehensible to the gross awareness of man.

Tantra asks how a man who is incapable of seeing within himself, can visualize or experience the formless reality. We cannot even experience or witness our own thoughts, let alone the higher reality. So the mandala forms of devis and devas developed into elaborate and visually arresting symbols, However, the grosser imagination of divinity is ultimately to be transcended and developed into the experience of formless reality.

The mandala symbology of devis and devas covers an infinite array of forms, colours and depictions. Some are ravishingly beautiful, others provocative, some kind and compassionate, others grotesque and fear-provoking; some suggest divine powers and others material gain. In each case the structure is elaborately detailed and designed to evoke a corresponding response within the consciousness of the aspirant. This symbology is based on the eternal archetypal structure of man’s collective unconscious and these mandalas draw out those archetypes as a magnet draws out iron filings from a heap of diamonds.

Concentration on a mandala awakens the deep-seated samskaras within and reveals the unknown mysteries in. the form of dreams, visions and mental action. You are not compelled to face the samskaras directly and so they do not affect your action in daily life. They are dispensed with during meditation and dream. It is a way of bypassing a terrible and fearsome enemy against which you have no defence. These mandalas which are always very aesthetic and visually arresting, and able to capture and direct the imagination, which is the subtle link to the higher mind.

Shiva-Shakti : field of power

Perhaps the most controversial mandala which tantra has defined to date is the kriya of maithuna. The kriya of maithuna forms a mandala that has corresponding yantras and mantras. The erotic sculptures of the Khajuraho temples, and other temples in Orissa, are based entirely on the tantric belief that maithuna is an act through which the divine powers can be invoked. Man represents Shiva or the positive polarity and woman represents Shakti or the negative polarity. Through their esoteric and esoteric union, they create a field of or an energy circuit which is the mandala. These works do not denote carnal passion but union on the highest esoteric level. It is parallel to the union of energy and consciousness, Shiva and Shakti.

The linga and yoni mandala is also symbolic of this higher union, and that is why this symbol has been venerated in India for centuries. The linga signifies that which is effulgent, while the yoni signifies the source. Therefore the linga should be understood as the symbol of pure consciousness and the yoni as the source of energy, which together are the twin forces behind creation. Man and woman unite on the physical plane to relive the experience of unity from which they have evolved. This unity is an internal experience, just as a spiritual experience is an internal experience, and there is nothing sinful about it. Today, however, the practice of maithuna has mostly degenerated into a mere exoteric act due to the admonitions imposed by religion.

Tantra is perhaps the only philosophy that has been bold enough to say this. Others have remained quiet about it, or exploited the idea by branding it a sin, thereby inducing a sense of guilt and depravity in man for doing it. However, guilt and shame are very hard to expel from the consciousness. They stay with a man a long time, controlling his actions, mind, personality and life. Unless man is able to break through these barriers, he cannot attain the higher experience. For that experience he will have to eradicate his guilt and shame.

Tantra holds that maithuna is not a sin but an act of worship which can help the individual transcend his lower consciousness, a concept which most people disbelieve due to their complex of guilt and shame. Thus, this knowledge was kept secret and only handed down from guru to disciple, establishing the tradition of an eternal mandala, because the guru and disciple tradition begins and ends at the same point, which signifies that it continues forever.

Tattwa Shuddhi : a glance within

The practice of Tattwa Shuddhi is also skilfully arranged as a mandala. We begin the practice at some point of evolution and travel very far into the self. After having followed the process of evolution and involution of creation, we find ourselves back at the same point, as if it were an endless circle that we had been following from birth to death to birth. When you see the reality behind your birth and existence, the desire for liberation awakens, compelling you to discover the means to free yourself from this endless cycle of cause and event.

This circular form given to the practice of tattwa Shuddhi has a deliberate pattern, a deliberate idea, and a deliberate force. That force is the secret power of the mandala, which you can only know when you pursue it, as a young man pursues his first love. The practice gives you a momentary glance into that secret power; just a flash of the eye and the experience is gone, so that often you may not even know you had it. However the effect can be felt on the subtler dimensions of your consciousness, and it is that part of you that the mandala is trying to reach.

Mantra, yantra, mandala : perfect harmony

Mantra, yantra and mandala are all a product of the profound inner vision of the yogis, rishis and seers who have enquired deeply into the nature of the cosmos. They are a product of high states of spiritual enlightenment, ecstasy and experience. In that state of mind the consciousness transcends all barriers and therefore the experience is called ‘universal’.

As long as you are bound by time and space your experiences are limited and related only to that dimension. However, when you transcend that, there is no religion, no caste, no creed and no sex, so how can the vision be limited? Moreover, in that state of mind, you are one with the whole process of Nature and can commune with Her. Then all the visions become a part of the cosmic truth and these images follow the strict codes and laws which are inherent in every process of Nature. This is evident in the tantric mantra, yantra and mandala which are all in perfect linear and geometrical harmony and balance.

In the tantric system, each mantra, yantra and mandala is calculated right down to the last detail. If it does not fulfil the exact mathematical equation which defines its balance, then it is inefficacious and incomplete. You need on]y to glance at some of these mandalas and yantras to verify their mathematical balance. In fact, that is one of the first aspects which attracts your attention.

In the tantric system, the mandala represents the visual iconographic form of a higher force, the yantra represents the abstract form of that force, and the mantra represents the subtle form. Thus each mandala has a corresponding yantra and mantra and one can be substituted for the other, according to the level of the aspirant, as they evoke the same results. However, different deities represent different levels of consciousness and are to be chosen on that basis. Yantras and mandalas must never be misunderstood as being religious, occult, mystic or mysterious symbols, but as highly charged forces of energy which can invoke the same frequency within us to expand our consciousness.

(Courtesy : Yoga Magazine, Jan,1991)

‘If the guru is to transfer spiritual power to the disciple and make him or her a medium through which he can work, it can only be achieved by total obedience.’
Swami Satyananda Saraswati

Mantra moolam guror vaakyam

The guru’s word, and therefore his every order, is mantra. When the mind of the disciple receives his command, fully accepts it at ajna chakra, and forthwith acts upon it, then that very action releases the hidden, power or shakti lying deep within the word, enabling him to carry the action out. The action, once set in motion, performs itself and the disciple is merely the participant.

A shower of rain

When Ganga Darshan was still wild and uncultivated Swamiji used to lead us on jungle-clearing expeditions. He would appear from his kutir at 5 a.m. on the dot and go forth in all his glory, with measured stride, stomach to the fore like a conquering hero. Those disciples eager and lucky enough to be up to witness this would follow behind like imprinted ducklings, carrying whatever instruments they could find.

The most dense part of the undergrowth would be selected and there would then follow great cuttings and clearings, pushings and pullings, heavings and sweatings, in an intensity of concentrated work as Swamiji ordered and directed, encouraged and cajoled and sweated and worked fully with us. In this way the gardens and disciples were gradually trimmed and trained.

On one such occasion it began to rain just before breakfast, so we adjourned to the kitchen building. Everyone was exhausted but there was mixture and bananas and Swamiji sitting above us on one of the little ledges in the corridor, so the atmosphere as well as being infused with Swamiji’s presence was one of light laughter and joy. It was raining heavily outside and not being able to see Swamiji from where I was sitting, I put my full concentration into my breakfast.

Suddenly two feet appeared right in front of my plate. Absorbed in those feet, it was some time before my rational mind realised above these beautiful feet must be one, rather large stomach, and above that again, a magnificent bead. Then it struck home; Swamiji is standing right in front of ME. Looking up I met his eyes and he gave me the order to clean up the outside kitchen area.

Without a second thought I went straight to the work. It was raining very heavily and everyone bad gone, but I seemed to be caught up in a kind of whirling energy. It was doing the work and I was just riding its waves. The strength of several strong men seemed to surge through me and I forgot myself in the work, sweeping and lifting and pulling and weeding, merging with rain and mud and dirt. So much joy was there in simply obeying. The more I worked the more energy I received, and the more energy I received the more I worked, until the area was cleaned.

Now why did Swamiji tell me alone to perform this action? I may never know, I do not wish to know and it is not important for me to know, because I acted on the unconsciousness trust that whatever he tells me to do is entirely for my own benefit A very deep meaning underlies the guru’s command, for although he cannot directly interfere with nature, he can save us from the disaster of our own karma. So it is pure common sense to obey the guru if nothing else.

‘He told me’

Swamiji once had a disciple who was a government official. He used to distribute cards for Guru Poornima. Once, just before Guru Poornima, Swamiji asked him how he would distribute the cards, to which he replied that he would get one of the office boys to do it. Swamiji told him to take the day off and distribute the cards himself instead, because it involved a different route from the office, but he said he could not do so as there was much work at the office.

On reaching the office he was sent out to a place where it was believed there were some thieves, in order to investigate, and on the way the car went out of control and into the river. Within two hours of his having left Swamiji, he died in hospital repeating from his unconscious state, ‘He told me, he told me not to go’.

These few pages deal with only several hours but to be able to sustain the joy of continual obedience, inner and outer, to ride the constant current of guru’s grace, how many such disciples are there who can achieve this? I have had only brief flashes of ignition where my mind appeared to connect with his, but if he were to tell me to enter the fire, touch that thousand volt wire, or jump off the top of the seven-storey building, would I be able to do that without a thought? Would you? Life is anybody’s game and the goal is anyone’s for the achieving, if we can simply – obey.

(Courtesy : Yoga Magazine, Sep, 1990)

Obedience is a quality which must be cultivated by every sadhaka and disciple, if he wishes to advance to a higher level in spiritual life. Unfortunately, however, it is a quality which most people nowadays think that they can live without, and Sadhakas are no exception. In fact, I have asked many of the Sadhakas and sannyasins here in this ashram what they think about obedience and its role in spiritual life and almost all replied, ‘Look, I cannot say anything about it, because I am a most disobedient person.’

Much of our ignorance, apathy and even disdain of this important aspect of spiritual life is due to our early training in life, and also to the era in which we are living. In this kali yuga where man has already lost three quarters of his spiritual faith and moral principles and is in the process of losing the remaining quarter, the prevailing values can hardly give rise to any form of moral or spiritual obedience. Man is no longer able to follow the dharma, for at all levels he is living for himself. Then whom should he obey and for what?

In the previous eras when man was more spiritual minded, he was also more inclined towards obedience. It came naturally for him to obey his parents, his elders, his gurus and his superiors. That was the way of the dharma, and also in those days the elders were disciplined and worthy of being obeyed. Today, however, the situation is very different. Even a small child refuses to obey. The first word he learns to say is ‘No!’ The child establishes his own individual identity at an early age and this remains with him for life. This is his personality or ego.

Passive and dynamic obedience

We are living in an age of anarchy where the material has sway over the spiritual. Obedience has been lost, because there is nobody to obey. It is each man for himself. Of course, one must obey the social rules and laws of the land to some extent, in order to avoid being ostracised, incarcerated or heavily fined. However, this type of passive obedience is of no value to us spiritually. It is only for maintaining the social order. What is necessary in the life of a sadhaka, of a disciple and of a sannyasin, is a dynamic form of obedience. That is what is essential for maintaining a spiritual order.

Passive obedience is developed by following the rules and restrictions which are externally enforced for the promotion of social order and welfare. Whereas dynamic obedience comes from within. One obeys certain rules or precepts and follows a particular discipline, because he wishes to do so for the purpose of spiritual development. In the early stages the guru or preceptor is instrumental in helping the disciple to develop this form of obedience by giving him a particular sadhana or discipline to follow. But in later stages this form of obedience must be internalised as the disciple learns to obey the commands of the internal guru or the Self.

Dynamic obedience is the basis of discipleship. Without this type of inner obedience, the disciple’s spiritual progress is constantly hindered by the dictates of the lower mind, which lead him away from the path of sadhana and self-discipline again and again. Obedience is the sign of a disciple who is prepared to loosen the bonds of ego and to unite the lower self with the higher Self, in whatever form it may take, be it guru, elder, ishta or inner guide.

Obedience is the crux of spiritual life. It is the submission of the lower will to the higher will. It is only through the higher will that the disciple is able to transcend the instinctive drives and persevere with a regular sadhana and discipline. By wilful obedience the blockages imposed by intellect and ego are removed and the disciple’s mind becomes receptive to the higher teachings. For the disciple who has attuned his mind to the guru through obedience, spiritual transmission takes place spontaneously, at all times, whether waking or sleeping.

The three attributes

Once the disciple has understood the role of obedience in spiritual life, be can cultivate this quality as he might other qualities such as charity, compassion, abstinence etc. Obedience is an inherent part of our nature, which we are all born with but few develop, because in our life there is no one whom we feel to obey. That obedience which comes from one’s own volition must be based on three important attributes: respect, faith and devotion. In order to practise dynamic obedience, there must be someone in our life who can inspire these three within us. Then obedience comes naturally and it is highly expedient to our spiritual growth.

This is why, at a certain stage of our evolution, we need a guru, a person before us who has risen above the ignominies of life, and can therefore inspire these three attributes within us. To obey such a person is a privilege and an honour. When the ego and intellect are stilled by respect, faith and devotion, submission becomes an intoxicating and thrilling experience. It is not oppressive but expressive of the divine will which manifests through you during the act of obedience.

To obey the guru or teacher who is able to inspire respect, faith and devotion, is never difficult, no matter what you are asked to do. Through obedience the realisation dawns that you are not the doer, but guru is doing everything through you. Therefore, nothing is impossible. His knowledge, power and capacity will come through you and the deed will be done. When the disciple experiences this, his respect, faith and devotion for the guru become deep and unwavering within him. All doubts and uncertainties are dissolved, and he becomes established on the path. From this point there can be no turning back for him.

Guru is God

Through obedience the disciple forms an immutable link with the guru and nothing can be withheld from either. The very life of both flows one into the other, and the two merge at the cosmic level where the guru is established. The disciple who is absolutely devoted and obedient is easily raised to the level of his guru, because there is no blockage, no restraint and no duality in their relationship. Through obedience the disciple removes all the barriers, so that the guru can raise him.

The true disciple is, therefore, one who loses his mind in the guru. As the disciple develops a deep, internal communion with the guru, he becomes less and less argumentative and more and more intuitive. He sacrifices himself, his desires, his ego and loses himself totally in the guru. The guru’s desire becomes his desire. He understands the guru’s command whether spoken or unspoken. Such a disciple obeys the guru with an internal urgency which brooks no intellectual speculation, rather the entire awareness of the disciple is focused on the doing.

This is something which the disciple must experience for himself in order to understand. And this experience in itself will be enough to transport him into unimagined heights of bliss which are not attainable even through years of contemplation and meditation. Therefore, it is said that the guru is god, and the true disciple ever approaches him with an attitude of humility and obedience. In obeying the guru, the disciple obeys god.

Sunshine and shadow

For the disciple who practises obedience, the guru’s word is final. There can be no question, no alternative and no compromise. The attitude of ‘Thy will be done’ begins to develop at this stage through the contact and link with the external guru. Later on, when the practice of obedience becomes internalised, the disciple becomes a guru in his own right, as be is able to express the divine will through his own Self, and he is disciplined and strong enough to follow it through. Such a disciple has fulfilled his commitments.

The guru also puts such disciples to very severe tests. One test is that he asks the disciple to remain physically afar. The guru knows that a fruit must have both sunshine and shadow in order to ripen. So, the disciple must have the experience of both fellowship and separation. In separation too, there is union. Spiritual obedience to the guru’s will, not physical nearness to the guru, is the mark of true discipleship.

(Courtesy : Yoga Magazine, Sep, 1990)

As the master grew old and infirm, the disciples begged him not to die. Said the master, ‘if I did not go, how would you see?

‘What is it we fail to see when you are with us?’ the disciples asked. But the Master would not say.
‘When the moment of his death was near, they said, ‘What is it that we will see when you are gone?’
With a twinkle in his eye, the Master said, ‘All I did was sit on the river bank handing out river water. After I am gone, I trust you will notice the river.’

There is a beauty in the desert, in the wilderness, stark and still, a vibration of centuries of powerful silence. It is not the verdant blossoming of green, the overflowing of the palette of nature – with crimson, gold and purple flowers spilling over in their fullness, over stone and moss. It is not the spell binding brilliance of youth. It is the cool radiance of tapasya. No flowering here, no languid breeze to caress a delicate blossom seared by the heat of the relentless sun, no footstep, no whisper. All nature seems to wait with hushed breath, holding in its womb the birth of the unknown.

Here, on this dry and arid ground, called by the local Bihar is ‘Smashan Bhoomi’, sitting alone before a fire, was the man I had travelled for six days to be with for a few minutes. I had not planned to visit. I had not calculated the time to come to Munger. As always I had followed a deep inner urge, the pull of my inner self in this direction. I was simply obeying a call. And during my journey I had constantly thought of Him- my Guru, the Gardener, of how he had given up his personal freedom for the sake of a Mission.

For there was a mission to be accomplished, taking yoga from door to door, across oceans, into scientific laboratories, into temples of learning, places of healing and homes, the cradles of world cultures. Meticulously, the soul was planting seeds, nurturing young plants, toiling in silence until they grew into tall, sturdy trees, yielding shade and fruit to seekers of light the world over. There was a purpose to every weed he pulled out, every plant he pruned, every flower that blossomed. And yet, as he worked, it was as if he was working amidst shadows. The shrubs flowered, the grass grew, the trees were laden with fruit. But deep within him, it was not the garden that held him captive. It was the vision of the Beloved whom he was serving.

The quality of a disciple

Many years ago I had asked him, ‘If a disciple had to have one quality, which should it be? And he had said. ‘Obedience, It will help you to get the bhavana. ‘Na Ham Karta, Gum Karta, Guru Karta Hi Kevalam.’ At that time I had taken it to be an instruction to me. Today I feel that I, the questioner, was a movement in the periphery of a larger consciousness, seeking and being answered, a little pattern in the vast waters.

Have you seen a river flowing? Somewhere along the way is a stone. The flow is disturbed. The questioning waters form a ripple which is answered by another ripple, which in turn forms a wave until the stone is passed and it finds its own inner harmony and is agitated no more. It exists then, not as many ripples, but as one river.

I kept that one word ‘Obedience’ in the sacred recesses of my heart. It was like a Zen koan. It disturbed me in difficult moments. It turned my life upside down a few times. It played joyous tunes in my moments of clarity. But always it was present, a seed planted in a thirsty soil. It was like a constant breath my restless mind butted against as if it were a rock. ‘Obedience’ to Whom? What is the Guru? What is the stuff gurutwam or guru consciousness is made of? Is there someone who commands and someone who surrenders? What is this command and surrender made of?

Over the years the patterns changed and changed. They swirled and eddied around me. The splashing dissolved. Colours and lights flowed into the patterns as if that one word, ‘Obedience’ were a bindu around which yantras of life unfolded, making glorious music. All life now became an orchestra, all interactions seen from the centre as vibrations of a symphony, millions of musical instruments trying to tune into a harmony.

Obeying an order

As I sat before Swamiji at Deoghar, all the patterns dissolved. He was a mandala, a symbol of humanity at its peak. He was an unfolding of true manhood, all that is best and beautiful in spiritual consciousness. As I watched him, smeared with holy ash, ebony coloured by the overhead sun and the fire in front of him, the question rose in my mind, ‘Why is this necessary?’ As this surfaced to my mind, unvoiced because of reverence, the answer came, ‘I am not doing this for name or fame, not even for spiritual benefit. I am simply obeying an order.’

As he said this, everything became still. He was not there. I was not there. There was something permeating, pervading, overwhelming and uplifting. It was a glimpse, a second perhaps of being one. In that instant I understood the meaning of ‘Obedience’. The years between his utterance of the word and my understanding of it rolled into oblivion. The hair on my body stood on end as I realised how blessed I was to be in the presence of this magnificent phenomenon, to witness the flow of the divine in the empty bamboo of his physical frame. The guru was there. The shishya was there. And then both were stilled.

I renounced everything

When he said later, ‘At Tryambakeshwar, I placed my clothes before the deity and with that I renounced everything, even my identity as guru, and I said, ‘I have fulfilled the mission. What should I do now?’ he was talking like a child. I was reminded of one of the steps in formal worship where the devotee offers apiece of cloth saying, ‘Vastram Samarpayami’. This cloth is symbolic of the avarna shakti of divinity, the quality of covering its limitlessness by seeming limited- Maya, so that, in the words of Sri Aurobindo, ‘God plays hide and seek with himself’. In offering the geru to the divine beloved, Swamiji had in one blow cut asunder all individual identity to merge into a vaster consciousness.

Masters always talk of the inner. Our confusions arise because we are preoccupied with the outer. When he continued, ‘I will not even be able to guide you any more,’ I smiled at his Grace, for he was stilling my mental needs, my search for guru and my receptivity as disciple. He was pointing to my innermost core which was neither this nor that, but which simply is – the Truth, Satyam.

As I left, I felt a tangible presence, as if I were wrapped in love. This feeling persisted. I remembered him saying years ago, ‘After the first diksha, each initiation becomes subtler and subtler’.

(Courtesy : Yoga Magazine, Sep, 1990)

Satyam School of Yoga, St. Albans, N.S.W. Australia 22.5.1988

Some people have taken mantra and some karma sannyas initiation, so I will give a few guidelines in mantra sadhana and karma sannyas sadhana.

We have heard and read a lot about mantra, and I think everybody has an idea of what mantra is. Mantra deals with the body, this composition of energy, and the energy field of the body has a vibratory aspect to it. Where there is energy, there is movement, there is some type of vibration, and vibration definitely gives rise to some type of sound. What type of sound we do not know. There are sounds which are beyond and beneath the normal range of the ears. The act of moving an arm creates friction in the air and a sound is being created for a moment. You do not experience the sound as such, but sound does exist as a form of vibration, a form of movement, a pulsation of energy. These vibrations are not confined to the physical body or to the pranic body, they are also in the realm of mind, emotion and intellect.

Yoga is very clear. It says that even when we think, waves are being generated inside the mind which produce definite vibrations and definite sounds. When we become introvert, directing our faculties of mind and perception inside, then the sound is experienced and it is known as nada, the sound of the personality, the sound of being, the sound of the self. This nada is the most subtle sound that we can experience in this dimension. It is not a sound that breaks, it is a continuous sound, and this concept has been defined in kundalini yoga.

When we look at the image of a chakra, we find that every chakra has a beeja mantra and then many other mantras attached to it. Beeja mantra is the sound which controls the chakra, but the other mantras around the periphery are vibrations which awaken or stimulate a particular state of experience of the chakra. Yoga says that the sounds are aksharas, which literally means ‘sounds which do not die’. From the birth of humanity until now we have been using sounds to express these sounds ourselves. We have been utilising externally. We have experienced the quality, the power, the effect of sound externally. In yoga we experience the quality, the effect and the energy of sound internally and the process of that internal experience is known as the mantra experience. This is mantra sadhana.

When we think, what actually happens is we hear the sound inside. Of course it is not that we simply plug our ears and begin to hear the sounds within the body, within the physical or pranic structure. It is a process of becoming more sensitive on the mental or psychic plane and finding the balance between the external and the internal consciousness. When we are eternalised we do not hear the internal vibrations and sounds. When we are internalised in deep meditation we do not experience the external vibrations or sounds. A special branch of yoga has been created which is called nada yoga. It seeks to provide experience of the vibrations of body, mind, thought waves, the desires, emotions and expressions simultaneously; all in one concise shape.

As you become more balanced, as you become more cantered through the process of dhyana (meditation), through the practise of asanas harmonising the body, pranayama creating some sort of organisation in your pranic structure, pratyahara and dharana giving balance to your mental and emotional expressions, then the awareness of nada as the vibration which is behind every action and reaction and movement commences. As long as we live in this world there is movement. When we are just sitting quietly, peacefully, the body does not move, yet the thoughts are creating waves, emotions are creating waves- there is movement.

We are surrounded by an ocean of movement which is taking place in different dimensions simultaneously. When we begin to chant or to repeat a mantra we begin the process of pratyahara which is the gradual withdrawal of the sensory perceptions, and then focus on one particular point. After the process of withdrawal is complete then focussing is total and there is no distraction or dissipation of any type- That is known as dharana. Then mantra gives the ability to achieve the state of dharana, un-fluctuating mind. It can then take you deeper into the experience of the un-fluctuating mind, which later transforms itself into the practice of dhyana.

The definition of mantra is therefore, ‘the force which liberates the mind’. So when we do mantra sadhana a special awareness has to be evolved in the mind and also in the body. It is not just a process of holding the mala and starting to repeat the mantra. Of course, that is acceptable, and we do say that you can repeat the mantra anywhere at anytime- while walking, while sitting, while doing anything in life, one can be aware of the mantra. One can be aware of the mantra expressing itself in every dimension of the personality at any time. However, there is a definite scientific process involved in mantra sadhana which is awareness, not only of the mantra which we are repeating inside our head, but of the effect that it is producing in our whole structure. The mind, the awareness, the consciousness has to become one. It has to merge with the repetition of the mantra. It is not that the mind is wandering here and there and the mantra practice is going on separately. Total identification has to take place with the repetition, with the experience and with the awareness of the mantra.

Swamiji has talked about the process of dhyana. He says there are three things which happen simultaneously at the time of meditation. First is awareness of myself as the practitioner. Second is awareness of the process – that I am practising this particular sadhana. Third is the state of dhyana, the goal that is set in front of us. When all three become one, when the meditative experience is felt inside and we lose body consciousness and mental awareness, and there is nothing but the state of experience – this is called dhyana.

With mantra this same principle applies. The only difference is that we are constantly aware of the vibration, the chanting and the effect. We become one with all this. We become the mantra, we become the living mantra. The mantra becomes a living experience and this is known as liberation of mind. When the concept of duality does not exist and there is only one thing, it is known as liberation of the mind.

Those people who have taken mantra initiation should remember that they should find at least ten minutes in every twenty-four hours where they can be alone, forget everything, and just do mantra sadhana. Initially you will have to become aware of the body, the posture, how you are sitting, whether you are comfortable or not. Initially you will have to become aware of the breath flowing up and down. Afterwards there is awareness of the symbol which has been given with the mantra. Awareness of the symbol is the final state of pratyahara. When we first try to see it, it is a process of pure imagination; we do not see our symbol clearly. When we hold a flower before our open eyes we see colour, we experience the form, the smell, everything, but the experience with closed eyes is different. However, when the mental experience becomes very strong and as powerful as the visual experience, then that is known as the termination point of the state of pratyahara. All the mental energies have been brought together, focused, and the understanding, the awareness, the experience has taken place.

So, after becoming aware of the breath and alter making an effort to visualise, to experience the symbol inside, then start with the repetition of the mantra inside in harmony with the process of inhalation and exhalation. The mantra and the breath are not two different things, they become one. It does not matter whether you breathe in slowly and deeply or if your breath is short and shallow. The mantra has to merge totally with the breath, that is all. This is the first effort of the mantra sadhak. You do this practice for ten minutes every day and when it is finished again eternalise yourself. There is no change in the lifestyle, no change in the thinking pattern. We are not trying to create any change, we are just trying to develop an experience of the mantra. When that experience is awakened it develops by itself and then the changes take place automatically, spontaneously.

Now regarding karma sannyasa. It is an attitude towards life. Those of you who have been initiated have been told very clearly that you have been initiated on behalf of Swami Satyananda and you have to keep his ideals and his mission in mind, which is yoga not as a form of spiritual sadhana, but yoga as a part of our day to day existence. The whole of life then becomes an experience of yoga. There is no separation. It isn’t just ‘every morning I get up and practise asana, pranayama, kriya, meditation’. These are yoga practices, they are not yoga. Yoga means the experience of unity, the experience of harmony and balance in all the strata of our personality. When you become aware of this process throughout the material, the mental, the emotional, the intellectual and the intimate experiences, closer than husband or wife, this is yoga.

Now, what do we expect to get out of yoga? By having this other awareness of matter, energy and consciousness; by understanding the process of body, prana, mind, ego and the super-consciousness, our dharma undergoes a total transformation. We cannot necessarily say that they become more spiritual, but we can say that they become more balanced. Only to have spiritual development is a lopsided development of human nature. Only to have development of the material aspect is also lopsided, unbalanced. Therefore, as sannyasi or karma sannyasi, we are definitely not concerned with either our spiritual state of mind nor our gross state of mind alone, but we are more concerned with trying to bring about a balance in the experience of matter and spirituality.

You have heard of karma yoga; in the life of a spiritual aspirant, if one practises true yoga at all, then it is karma yoga. When I say karma yoga, I do not mean going out to the field and working there until blood and sweat become one; that is only one aspect of it. The true spirit of karma yoga means that every action in life, whether physical, social or intellectual -the thoughts, the analytical and critical processes of the mind, or emotional feelings of anger, frustration, depression, anxiety, hatred, greed, or spiritual experiences of being in harmony, in tune with the self – everything is analysed together. They are observed, they are experienced and they are transcended. That is the spirit of karma yoga- total involvement in the fulfilment of our commitments, obligations, duties, the dharma.

Many people think that dharma means a system, a religion, a philosophy, but it does not mean that at all. There are two types of dharma. One is Sanatana dharma, the eternal duty, the commitments, responsibilities which never change according to the laws of nature and the laws of the divine. The other is the dharma which is relevant to the present time. It might change after a month, after a few years- the ideas, the commitments, the duties, all these things might change after a few centuries. However, the whole thrust here has been aimed at understanding one’s obligations and commitments. We are to improve them, to experience, not neglect them or avoid them. So being established in the dharma is the objective of karma sannyasa.

Karma sannyasa is, of course, more difficult than the process of sannyasa because in full sannyasa there is total dedication to the guru and he manages all your affairs. In karma sannyasa you maintain your spiritual identity and your external identity, and by maintaining both of these identities together you progress further in life. When both the identities, the internal and external, move side by side, we find a centre inside. We then experience the centre of our being.

You know there are two processes. One process is known as the process of becoming; we become, there is effort. Another is the process of being what we are. Full sannyasa is the process of becoming; we become. We become the instrument of the guru and he uses us in the way he thinks fit. Karma sannyasa is the process of being. You are where you are; there is no change. Only one thing is necessary, and that is to have a spiritual awareness. And what is that spiritual awareness?

We can say that the identity of Swami’ is the first spiritual awareness; the identity of ‘Saraswati’ is the second; the name, such as Niranjanananda, this or that is the third spiritual identity that one can have. Swami means ‘one who is master of himself. Of course it is an idea, which we try to approach in the best possible way- It is like obtaining a doctorate degree but you are given the degree first- okay, you can call yourself ‘doctor’ with hopes that you will now do your thesis.

The thesis that a swami has to do is a life long process of self-discovery in which he gains control over the body, the mind and the spirit, the actions of head, heart and hand, the emotions and the intellect.

So, no matter what state of experience you are in, whether it is full of tension and conflict; full of bliss, joy and happiness, or whether it is nothingness, you are understanding it as a swami. ‘I am master of the body. I am not this mind, I am master of the mind, I am not the spirit. I am master of the spirit’. This concept leads to an understanding of transcendental awareness.

Somebody asked Swamiji whether it is possible to experience transcendental consciousness in this life. Swamiji simply said; ‘No’. You might be thinking now, ‘Then what is the purpose? What is the use?’ You want to experience something. But Swamiji went further, he said, ‘If the transcendental mind can be understood by our limited mind, then it would not be called transcendental. In order to experience the transcendental consciousness it is necessary to have a transcendental brain and a transcendental mind.’ So the idea of being a swami is achieving this state. This is the first spiritual identity. From there we observe everything, we become the witness, we become the experiencer.

The second identity is of Saraswati. This is a tradition, an order to which the swamis and karma sannyasins belong. The symbolic representation of Saraswati is the goddess of learning, knowledge and wisdom. What does this mean? Never have tunnel vision. Always see everything. Never say one thing is right and everything else is wrong. That is against the principles of gyana (wisdom), because wisdom encompasses everything.

The third spiritual identity is of the name. The name which is given seems the most suitable one for our personality which is eh pressed outwardly now. For this expressed identity, the name symbolises the aim, the goal. For this body, for this head, for this action, we have a goal We have to experience this, whatever the name may be.

The fourth identity is of course the geru. This is the spiritual identity as well as the external flag of a sannyasi. It is the symbolic representation of fire. Fire can consume anything that you throw into it and yet remain unaffected. Of course if you throw in damp wood lots of smoke will come out through your ears and eyes and nose and mouth. Sometimes black smoke will come out, sometimes stench will come out, that is a different matter. Fire consumes everything- that is the idea. The mind, the personality, the attitude of a sannyasi or a karma sannyasi is of fire.

Remain unaffected. Consume everything, all the bad that the world throws at you, that your mind throws at you and all the good that the world throws at you, that your mind throws at you. There is no negation of one and no acceptance of the other. If there is negation of the bad and acceptance of the good then we are no different. Normal people get shaken up when bad things are thrown at them and they are elated when good things are given to them. If we remain like that even after we have taken sannyasa, if there is not going to be any change, then it is better not to be a sannyasi or a karma sannyasi. Therefore the awareness of fire becomes the fourth symbolic awareness of spirituality, the spiritual identity, these are the various states of experience of a karma sannyasi.

The sadhana of a karma sannyasin is the witnessing sadhana. Sit down comfortably and just observe. Observe what you are experiencing physically and consume it in the fire. Understand it, express it, transcend it. Even when you reach the spiritual level, that also you should understand, express and transcend. Sitting in meditative posture, with the eyes closed, one part of the awareness is separate and it observes everything which is going on in the other areas. Even if you are in a very stressful and tense situation or experiencing very deep conflict with conflicting samskaras, one part of the awareness should always be observing. No matter what you are experiencing or what condition in life you are expressing, always be observant. You are the seer, the drastha. This is the sadhana, for the awakening of a karma sannyasin.

(Courtesy: Yoga Magazine, July, 1990)

(Lonavla Retreat, 16.5.86)

Rama was a perfect personality who lived within the limits and precepts of the Vedic traditions. His birth was under auspicious circumstances. He was a boon from Agni, and the boon of fire is a perfect gift. Rama had the qualities which are transcendental, which are divine.

Rama’s attitude, Rama’s behaviour, was never egotistical. He never considered himself to be the knower of everything; he maintained humility; he maintained the attitude of a disciple. All the personalities with whom Rama was involved during his lifetime were very highly realised souls- some on the path, following the precepts of dharma, duty and karma, action; and some who deviated from the path of dharma but still had all the understanding of it.

Now it happens that when consciousness is transcendental, in order to gain experience of the lower qualities of consciousness, there is a tendency for the pure consciousness to be pulled downwards to gain that experience of the lower manifestations of consciousness, the gross manifestations. If we stay on land we want to experience the water, we want to swim. Whenever we see water there is a desire to go in. If we stay in the water, after some time we want to come out, to be on dry land again; dwandwa.

As a child, Rama was perfect. It is known that children are very innocent, simple-minded, and within them they have developed intuitive capacities. They are free, they are open, they are outgoing, they are not inhibited in any way. While maintaining the state of a child, the Supreme Being also maintains a state which is pure. Then there is the desire to experience the lower qualities; the lower tendencies. Without experience, nothing can be called perfect.

He already was perfect before; his perfection only needed to be expressed. In order for his perfection to be expressed, he had to pull that consciousness to the gross consciousness. The moon of course represents gross matter, the worldly, sensory experience, and Rama, therefore, wanted the moon. The story of the moon is not emphasised in the history of the other great personalities. Out of all the ten different incarnations Rama is the supreme, and he wanted to have the experience of the gross so he asked for the moon. Then his mother, the shakti aspect, comes in with a mirror because Rama is only permitted to see the reflection. He has the indirect experience of the worldly affairs, senses, pleasures, matter, and then he is satisfied.

Even when we talk of consciousness, a supreme consciousness cannot, while maintaining its universality have direct experience of gross matter, it can only have indirect experience. It can only have direct experience when it loses that universality and out of one it becomes many. Out of one it develops an ego and identity and then it is subject to the plays of maya. In the life of Rama there was never any dwandwa. He accepted his destiny without conflict.

(Courtesy : Yoga Magazine, May, 1990)

(Part 1)

Over the past few years there has been increasing interest in ‘translating’ the knowledge of one system into the language of another. For example, 20th century Western scientists, especially physicists, have been comparing quantum mechanics with mystical knowledge as exemplified by Fritjof Capra in The Tao of Physics (1). This same process has been occurring in psychology with Charles Tart’s Transpersonal Psychologies (3) and Paranjpe’s Theoretical Psychology (3), both examining Eastern philosophies and religions from a Western psychological standpoint. Much of this translation has, of necessity, been in very general terms, since we have to clarify the overall picture first. By chance, I seem to be involved in this process from a rather different perspective. I have been researching a specific topic, the pineal gland, which seems to be generalising to a whole system, the chakras, I must stress that what follows is in an early speculative and exploratory stage as I have been gathering together the information for only ten years and neurochemistry is such a complex science.

The yogic chakra system

The yogic chakra system as explained by Swami Satyananda (4), consists of seven chakras which are normally depicted as a sort of ‘spinal column’ with three channels which interweave, the crossing points at the sites of the chakras. The root chakra (Mooladhara) is situated at the tip end of the tail bone in the perineum and is linked with certain aspects of the urino-genital system. The second chakra (Swadhisthana) is sited at the root of the spinal cord which is just below the small of the back, and is linked with other aspects of the genital system. The third chakra (Manipura) is sited behind the navel and is linked with the solar plexus. The fourth chakra (Anahata) is sited behind the heart and is linked with the cardiac plexus. The fifth chakra (Vishuddhi) is sited in the neck and is linked with the throat. The sixth chakra (Ajna) is sited in the pineal gland and is considered to be the ‘command’ chakra; and the seventh chakra (Sahasrara) is the crown chakra at the crown of the head. These chakras are considered to be important points for the channelling of consciousness, energy nodes linking the physical with the spiritual. They have been adopted quite widely into popular usage in the West, partly through the Theosophists, partly because of their obvious correspondence with the Tree of Life, and partly because of the intense interest in Eastern spirituality which has arisen since the sixties.

Pineal gland: Ajna chakra

As a para-psychologtst I am naturally very interested in the lore surrounding Ajna chakra which is held to be the centre of psychic activity. This corresponds very closely with out Western lore which considers the pineal gland to be the, ‘third eye’ or the ‘seat of second sight’. Satyananda (5) states that: “The name ajna comes from the root ‘to know and to obey and to follow’. ” Literally the word ajna means ‘command’-Yogis, who are scientists of the subtle mind, have spoken of telepathy as a ‘siddhi’, a psychic power for thought-communication and clairaudience.

The medium of such siddhis is Ajna chakra, and its physical terminus is the pineal gland.” I have found that his concept of the pineal gland as the psychic chakra and as the ‘command’ chakra has a sound neurochemical basis.

The pineal gland is a strange little gland in that it is situated in the centre of the brain and yet it is outside the blood-brain barrier, so it is not part of the brain! Its main function is to make hormones which affect the brain and the endocrine glands. Melatonin is the best studied of these and is implicated in a wide range of functions. Most people have heard of the pituitary gland, which is often known as the ‘master gland’ in that the hormones it makes exert a controlling effect on many other systems. We can think of the pituitary as being an ‘on switch’ and the pineal as being an ‘off switch’ in that it works with the pituitary in keeping the body running.(1)

The most important function of the pineal gland is maintaining the biological clock, on a daily basis according to the sun, on an annual basis according to length of day, and in women on a lunar bask as well, (a) This is achieved principally through the actions of two chemicals catted serotonin and melatonin (3). Serotonin is made during the day and melatonin at night. Serotonin is a very important neurotransmitter in the brain and its action has been linked with mental states Such as psychosis, and also with psychedelics. Melatonin is linked with sleep and possibly also with dreams. Its main site of action appears to be the hypothalamus, which is that part of the brain involved in mediating the effects of various hormones to keep the body and our emotions running harmoniously (8). I have discovered, however, that the pineal gland also makes another chemical known as a beta-carboline, and beta-carbolines are hallucinogenic if taken in sufficient quantities (8,9).

These beta-carbolines are found mainly in the pineal gland and it is speculated that they are the chemical trigger for our dreams. However, they are also found in the retina of the eyes, in the adrenal glands and in the gut. An important fact about these beta-carbolines is that they are structurally very similar to a chemical called harmaline extracted from a vine used by shamans and elders in Amazonian Indian tribes specifically for psychic purposes. The Amazon has a huge variety of psychotropic plants, yet all the tribes throughout the vast area use this same vine for heating, clairvoyance and divination. (10,11,12)

In the 1960′s a Chilean psychotherapist, Claudio Naranjo, used a variety of hallucinogens including harmaline in the psychotherapeutic setting and came to the conclusion that: “Harmaline may be said to be more hallucinogenic than mescaline… both in terms of images reported and their realistic quality. In fact, some subjects felt that certain scenes which they saw had really happened and that they had been as disembodied witnesses of them in a different time and place. This matches the experience of South American shamans.” There is extensive evidence from many anthropologists which suggests that this vine is a psi-conducive drug. Thus, the anthropological evidence suggests that harmaline stimulates psychic ability; the neurochemical evidence suggests that harmaline is an analogue of a beta-carboline which is produced in the pineal gland. The Yogic and occult teachings and common folk lore all say that the pineal gland is the psychic centre.

The thyroid gland: Vishuddhi chakra

According to Satyananda, the Vishuddhi chakra is located in the throat and is the centre of the nectar of immortality. It is connected with the sense of hearing and thus with the ears, and of course with the vocal cords and with self-expression.

Neurochemically, the thyroid is under the inhibitory control of the pineal gland, so that removal of the pineal results in thyroid enlargement and increased hormonal secretion rate (13). The thyroid takes up more iodine than any other part of the body and the pineal takes up the second largest quantity of iodine (14). Synthetic melatonin has the effect of inhibiting iodine uptake and the secretion of thyroid hormones, and given at the correct times, can produce the daily and annual light-dark cycles, or circadian rhythms, since iodine uptake naturally decreases during the night. Thus, evening injections of melatonin are more effective than morning ones, showing that the time of day when hormone supplementation is given is a significant factor. The effect of synthetic melatonin on the secretion of thyroid hormones decreases after puberty.

Experimental evidence indicates that the pineal is under feedback control by the glands which it influences. Pineal cells respond to thyroxine, which is one of the hormones made by the thyroid, the response being particularly strong at night, showing the influence of the circadian rhythm once again.

The thyroid regulates the metabolic rate via thyroxine, which means that it controls how fast the body runs. Thus an overactive thyroid means that the heart beats fast, one becomes thin, sexual desire increases, the mind works overtime; whilst an underactive thyroid has the opposite effect. Thyrotrophin, a thyroid regulator made by the pituitary, together with melatonin is involved in coping with long-term stress.

Stress is intimately connected with metabolic rate, heart rate, an overactive mind and also with age, as an older person cannot cope with stress as well as a younger person. Long-term stress is very different from short-term stress (which is dealt with by the adrenals), and it is interesting that Ajna, Vishuddhi and Manipura are all concerned with stress, which also affects the heart. Relaxation is the first step in meditation: slowing down, letting go, releasing the stress, stilling the endless internal chatter (the beta-rhythm mental chatter) which is one of the worst aspects of long-term stress. These are all the negative aspects of Vishuddhi and we learn through meditation to overcome these aspects and so to become peaceful, still, calm, and to live to a ripe old age. To me this is merely another way of saying that the thyroid is connected with immortality because, as exemplified so well by the Chinese symbol of immortality, the tortoise, the slower you go, the longer you live. The yogis say that it is perfectly possible to regulate the functioning of the endocrine system, thus learning how to control ones metabolic rate.

The heart centre: Anahata chakra

According to Satyananda, the Anahata chakra is concerned with will, feeling, touch and the skin, especially of the hands, all manifesting in arts such as painting, poetry and music, which, he says, are all aspects of heart energy. He also states: “In the present age, at this moment, we, the people of this world, are passing through a phase of Anahata chakra. This means that this chakra is beginning to awaken in us, whether we are working on it or not. Anahata chakra is the lowest of the three non-earthly or spiritual chakras – Anahata, Vishuddhi and Ajna. (For a discussion of the Heart chakra see Lilla Bek: The Heart of the Matter, by Robert Holden in Caduceus issue 4, page 22).

For me, the feeding of a new-born baby is the essence of the meaning of the heart chakra, the nurturing, giving, loving element. Such blessed joy to love, to give, to care, to share with others- that wonderful soaring emotion of the heart. Prana, the breath of life, is love. When the heart centre is open then you can do no harm to others anymore, because love is the basis of all your actions. It is very important at this time to learn to love yourself, because then you no longer feel depressed and negative, and, because you love yourself you love the earth and all upon her. So, the negativity of the three lowest chakras can be fully transmuted.

Some have suggested that the endocrine gland connected with this heart energy is the thymus, but what I have noticed in my research is that the pineal is linked with a hormone called prolactin which is connected with pregnancy, the mammary gland and the mother’s production of milk. Most of the research with prolactin has been with animals. All ruminants show a marked seasonal fluctuation in plasma prolactin concentration, high in summer and low in winter, this fluctuation being controlled by the pineal gland even though prolactin is made by the pituitary. Prolactin secretion is also controlled by the ovarian steroids, its level being modified by the fluctuating oestradiol levels, which in women is a lunar cycle. So if you have tender breasts once a month this is possibly the reason why.

The inhibition of prolactin secretion in ruminants inhibits implantation of the blastocyst during the winter, so that the foetus does not implant into the womb until spring time, even though mating and fertilisation occurred in autumn.

Thus, from my own observation, heart energy-love, fluctuates with the seasons and is intimately linked with our sexuality, not just in terms of actual lovemaking, but more particularly in relation to the lunar menstrual cycle and to pregnancy. I know that during my pregnancy, after the sixth month I became more soft, open and flowing with pure heart energy.

Most of the above-mentioned connections are more related to melatonin than to the beta-carbolines, since melatonin inhibits prolactin secretion. However, the finding that pineal beta-carboline increases plasma production levels may support the hypothesis that this chemical acts as a psychic agent in our system (8).

Prolactin appears to be made in men as well, but I have not yet discovered its function, although it is linked both with puberty and the circadian system. Hormones act not only at the physical level, but also at emotional and psychological levels, and if their physical actions appear irrelevant, perhaps we should explore the psycho and neurological aspects further.

(To be continued)

(Courtesy : Yoga Magazine, March, 1990)

A satsang at Ganga Darshan 1989

According to yogic concepts, the identity of the baby in the womb is not different from that of the mother, in that its feeding and growth depend totally on her. There are three aspects of this which we will cover before going into the aspect of mantra. The first is the direct effect of the mother’s mind on the unborn child; the second concerns the unborn or newly-born child recognising certain words and responding to them; and the third concerns the impressions that are left in the mind field of the baby by the attitude and behaviour of the mother.

The three aspects of identity

1. mother’s mood

Firstly, concerning behaviour and attitudes: if there is tension in the mind, or the mother is feeling frustrated, depressed, or in a negative frame of mind, then of course her respiration, heartbeat, glandular activity and hormonal secretions within the body will affect the body of the child. The feelings that arise within her are converted into glandular and hormonal activity which is transmitted to the baby.

2. language

Secondly, we all respond to a particular language, a particular set of words, because that is the tool of understanding we utilise. You may have a mastery of two or twenty languages but generally, in Western countries, if you speak Chinese or Hindi, Japanese or Arabic, to a person who doesn’t understand those languages, it doesn’t make any difference. However, if you speak English, which is understood, the words create an emotion, feeling or desire. The concept and understanding of the language is automatically imbibed by the child via the mother’s reactions. In India, generally speaking, Hindi is automatically imbibed by the child by the same process of the baby’s picking up the mother’s reactions. It is not the language as a language but the ideas or feelings behind the language which are imbibed.

There is further unconscious training going on which forms our reactions. When you hear the word ‘idiot! or ‘compassion’, you react in a certain way; that information is also fed to the child. The seed of their reactions to the word ‘father’, ‘mother’, ‘stupid’, ‘good’, is already there and this can affect their whole nature in a positive or negative way. The credit for this again goes to the mother. It has been said that within minutes of birth a child reacts to every sound of its native language with a particular muscular response or movement. This is not unnatural because the seed of the reaction, the seed of feeling which goes with a language or a word, is already imbibed by the child in the womb.

The umbilical cord is the physical link which supplies the necessary items for the growth and development of the child. If the mother’s body is not pure, the toxins can affect the unborn child despite protective mechanisms built into the umbilical network. In the Indian tradition it is emphasised that the mother should lead a very pious, harmonious and balanced life. Maybe it doesn’t happen nowadays, but the idea is there. Traditionally, at the time of pregnancy all work would stop and more time would be devoted to listening to religious or spiritual stories, satsang the chanting of mantras and so forth. Even in Western countries they are now telling mothers-to-be to stop any intake of liquid or food which might have a negative effect on the unborn child, and to avoid any kind of mental tension, anxiety or worry which could influence the child.

3. the mind field

This is where our third aspect, the creation of impressions in the mind field, or the programming of the mind field, comes in. In the satsang which Swamiji gave at Trayambakeshwar, he said the soul enters the womb after the fourth month, which is in accordance with Indian traditional belief, and thereafter one has to be very careful to control the thinking process, the emotions, the desires, and to always maintain a positive attitude towards life. This is because after the entry of the soul, the consciousness is wide open to any kind of information being fed in. The programming of the mind begins with this feeding-in of information in the form of maternal reactions and language training.

This is known as samskara. After the fourth month, whatever information goes into the child is known as sowing the seed of samskara. Creating samskara means programming the mind to act or behave in a particular way. There are many instances where people have actually been taught different scriptures or sciences while still in the womb. One is that of Arjuna’s son Abhimanyu, of the Mahabharata war who learned the science of archery while in the womb. Another is the story of Astavakra, a saint who was deformed in eight parts of the body. He knew all the Vedas while still in the womb.

Mantra and psychic development

As we understand it, mantras do not mean anything literally. They are combination of various sounds or vibrations which stimulate various areas of the dormant personality. It is necessary to make a distinction between mantra and prayer. When we chant a mantra which does not carry any kind of emotional link with it, e.g., ‘So-Ham’, it will have a different result, a different influence on the child than saying ‘O, Lord, grant me this, grant me that; make my child happy and successful in life’. Nothing, no link at all, just the sound of breathing in and out. That will have a different effect to any prayer, whether it is in Sanskrit, Latin, English or Hindi, because with every kind of prayer there is an emotional link which we create ourselves.

The feeling that ‘I am praying to somebody and that somebody is listening’, is a link which I am creating between myself and that concept. With mantra this link is not there as long as you are unaware of any religious or philosophical connotations of the mantra. The mantra ‘Om Namah Shivaya’ is powerful. The moment you know that this belongs to Shiva, the concept of Shiva as some figure of godhead will convert that mantra repetition into a form of prayer by creating the link, ‘Oh, I am repeating the name of Shiva’. The mantra ‘Om Namo Narayanaya’, will become a prayer the moment you think of Vishnu. Once there is the idea that you are repeating the mantra for somebody it becomes a prayer, but if you don’t know about that it will work on the psychic personality.

During pregnancy it is suggested that if the mother chants or repeats the mantra, mentally or verbally, with complete concentration, there is a state of oneness within her mind. That state of concentration and mantra awareness will program the mind field of the child in such a way that its psychic awakening will be very simple. That is the concept of the psychic child, or in Western terminology, of the Age of Aquarius – that every new-born child will be intuitive, psychic, and have control over the faculties of self. If we can create that kind of impression in the mind field of the child through mantra; if the mother is doing very well, which means there are no external distractions; if the atmosphere is there, then that atmosphere itself will also help the mother concentrate, focus and centre herself better, and it will become an external aid in influencing the mind field of the child.

One thing to remember is that chanting a mantra at the time of pregnancy will not make the child spiritual. The purpose is not to make anyone spiritual. ‘Spirituality’ is just a state of being which manifests naturally and spontaneously. One person is spiritual by nature and another is not, even though they may be highly perceptive, intuitive and psychic. Spirituality is a symptom of a particular state of mind and consciousness. The purpose of mantra chanting is to make the totality of the mind field accessible and allow the natural and spontaneous growth of the so-called ‘dormant faculties’. These faculties are dormant within us but may not be dormant within the child after birth, because we have already created a passage in the psyche of the child. If it can be brought up to lead a particular disciplined way of life, then the mind field will be accessible through the natural effort of the child.

Educating the child

In order to further this kind of result the child should be introduced to three things at the age of eight, just before the age of puberty, before the time-bombs go off in the body. The first is asana to control the explosions and create balanced growth and activity in the glandular and hormonal systems. The second is pranayama so that the clear mind field is not cluttered up by the tensions and situations which are naturally injected into the mind of a child. The third is mantra so there is open access for psychic development and awakening of the faculties. Earlier it is not possible, but practising asana, pranayama and mantra from the age of eight allows the proper balanced activity of the sensory and motor nervous system.

Education, analysing, co-ordinating and communicating, starts officially from the age of eight, though unofficially it starts long before this. We begin educating ourselves with sincerity, achieving control over ourselves, the body and the thinking process, However, the cluttering-up of the child’s system begins from about eight. Grown-ups think the child should be taught in a certain way. You might think that in one hour, ten minutes teaching and fifty minutes no-teaching will provide sufficient relaxation for the child not to become agitated or anxious. That is our concept, but from the child’s point of view, every minute of the day is an education, although not verbal or academic. Whatever the child sees or perceives to be; whatever he experiences (even hunger, thirst or satisfaction) is analysed.

Any communication the child has with its parents – ‘Daddy, I want this; Mummy, I want that; I don’t like this’, and their reactions, are all educational. How you react – you walk in the door and slump onto the sofa – is an education for the child. How you talk to your wife and how she responds – that is a moment of education. Every moment is a moment of education for the child and so there is a lot of information being fed in. In the early stages the child is unable to filter out unnecessary information and retain the necessary information because the intellect is not developed. In order to stop this overcrowding of information, mantra has been used, allowing concentration to be developed from a very early age.

The mantra which has been used is Gayatri and the idea has been implanted that it is for education. ‘If you repeat this mantra you will get a good education, fast’. That idea has been purposely implanted. It is also said that you should look at the red rising sun while you repeat this mantra. That concept again has been purposefully implanted because the rising sun acts as a symbol on which to focus yourself, otherwise you will be looking here and looking there, repeating the mantra at random, sometimes slowly, sometimes fast, thinking it does not matter. We can’t tell a child to close his eyes and imagine the sun rising each day. In order to create the conditions suitable for the mind of an eight-year-old to repeat the mantra we say, ‘Listen, every morning you have to see the rising sun. You know what the rising sun looks like? It’s red. While you look at the rising sun you repeat the mantra 21 or 30 or 15 times. Why? So you’ll be properly educated. You will have the blessings of Saraswati, Gayatri.’

It is like hanging the carrot in front of the donkey and making it move towards the carrot. It is the concept of meditation but it is taught in a dynamic way. Instead of seeing the sun internally, you see it out there on the horizon. Instead of sitting clown for five minutes and repeating the mantra while looking here and there you count it on your fingers fifteen times, otherwise your mother will be angry with you. ‘Okay’, says the child ‘I’ll do it fifteen times’, and for that length of time his concentration is there. However, if you told the child to sit in a corner and repeat the mantra for some time, soon he would be scratching himself and then the monkey-business would begin. So a lot of human psychology has been used to control the dissipation of the mental faculties and to encourage the child’s mental alertness and concentration.

Conclusion

So, certain regimes should be maintained from the time of pregnancy until about age ten. During pregnancy it is necessary for the mother to have a positive attitude and a balanced physical condition so that there is physical purity within her body. Her reactions should be well-balanced rather than explosive reactions to any kind of situation. Repetition of mantra is important so that the state of concentration within the mother will open up the psychic or subtle areas within the mind field of the child. Then at eight years of age the introduction of three things is important: asana, in which surya namaskara is prescribed; pranayama, in which nadi shodhana is prescribed; and Gayatri mantra.

We are not intending to teach asana, pranayama and meditation as such; we teach the dynamic form of self-expression to the child through yoga. So if this system is maintained from the time of pregnancy until the age of ten, then the child will adjust properly with life and develop the skill to face life with complete confidence, ease and awareness.

(Courtesy : Yoga Magazine, March,1990)

1989 began with a pilgrimage to Mathura mandal or Vraj where Lord Krishna took avatar in the Dvapar yuga, and where he enacted the entire Vraj leela. The Lord himself has staled in Varahi Purana that there is no other place in all the there worlds dearer to him than Vraj or Mathura.

The crystal blue waters of Yamunaji from Yamunotri flow freely through this town, and sitting on its bank I delved deep into the nostalgic memories of the playful leela of Krishna with Radha, which has been lyricised by renowned poets time and again.

Everything in Vraj resounded with the blissful memories of Krishna consciousness whether it was a darshan of Gokul, the first home of Krishna where he acquired the name ‘Makhan Chor’; or Vrindavan where he slaughtered Kaliya and enacted his rasa leela with the gopis, and acquired the name ‘Rasiya’; or a parikrama of Govardhana Parvat where he protected his people from Indra’s wrath by lifting the mountain on his finger, thus acquiring the name ‘Giridhar’; or a stroll through Barsana where his favourite gopi, Radha, lived.

I spent 12 days in the land of Krishna, at Swami Akhandanandaji’s ashram, and during that time the entire Bhagwat katha came alive with its stories of a legend that will forever umpire me. It was here too that I had darshan of the great saint, Devraha Baba.

Kumbha Mela, Prayag, Allahabad, 12-14 January, 2-7 February

Prayag, the confluence of Ganga, Yamuna and Saraswati, the symbols of ida, pingala and sushumna, has been forever eulogised as the king of teerthas or Teertharaj. The Padma Purana states:

Just as the Sun is supreme among the planets and the Moon is supreme among the stars, Prayag is the supreme teertha.

Poorna Kumbh Mela is held at Prayag every 12 years when the planetary positions of Brihaspati or Jupiter in Vrish Rashi and Surya or the Sun in Makar Rashi are affected. This year was especially auspicious as Somavati Amavasya took place after 172 years.

I took part in two ‘Snan parvas’ or bathing festivals, that of Makar Sankranti on January 14th and Somavati Amavasya on February 6th. The charged waters of Sangam electrified my whole body and I could easily feel the truth of the saying that a bath here gives man rebirth in this life itself.

I had called Swami Niranjan to be with me during this momentous occasion and to have darshan of Ganga, Yamuna and Saraswati Devi. During the rest of the days we jostled with millions of devotees who had come there like me, and being a midst them was in itself a moving experience. Throngs of people from every culture, race and creed, with just one thought in mind- to bathe at Prayag, gave me the unique vision of witnessing faith in motion, and I could easily conceive the idea of that ‘faith’ which is a dynamic principle and has been known to move mountains.

I also had the darshan of many sadhus and saints who had all gathered there, including Mahant Godavari of Juna Akhada, Devraha Baha, the Jagatguru Shankaracharyas and many other tapasvis and tyagis. For days after wards and even now when I close my eyes, I can re-enact that vision of the crowds milling through the sandy bed of Ganga and all the devas, gandharvas and apsaras gathered in the sky lo witness this great spectacle.

Datia, 15 January to 8 February

I took a few days off between the two Snan parvas at the Kumbh to pay a visit to Pitambari Peeth at Datia for the Anusthan of Tripura Sundari who has been enshrined there.

The swamis accompanying me chanted Saundarya Lahari for the success of my anushthan.

Katni, 8-10 February

After my second bath at Kumbh Mela, where I made the sankalpa to throw off the mantle of a guru and don the robes of a parivrajak, I travelled to Katni at the invitation of Sri Agarwal to inaugurate his yoga school Although I have totally abandoned preaching, teaching and initiating disciples, I kept this appointment as I had already committed myself earlier.

Dwarka, 18-20 February

The land where Lord Krishna migrated from Mathura with the entire Vrishni clan, to set up his kingdom and enact yet another episode of his leela, for which he was given the title ‘Ranchornathji’, or one who fled from the battleground.

The images of Baal Gopal and Kanhaiya are replaced by that of Dwarkanath, or king of Dwarka. Sitting on the banks of the Gomati river, I relived the era when the city of Dwarka which is now submerged, flourished as the kingdom of the Lord. Amidst the chanting of folk songs, I had darshan of the Chaturbhuj image of ‘Ranchornathji’ glamorously decorated with 108 different types of bhog, yet another aspect of the divine.

My stay at Dwarka was rendered in three hours, from 7:15 to 10:45 p.m. The temple doors were closed during this time, so as not to disturb the Lord, and sitting in my hotel room I lost myself in naam smaran and a deep inner vision of Vishnu, reposing on an eclipsed moon.

Somnath, 21-23 February

Somnath, one of the Dwadash jyotirlingas, having a history which fades into legend, is said to have been originally built out of gold by Somraj, the moon God, himself. Today, despite the repeated raids and ravages of destruction that the temple has faced, a stone jyotirlinga majestically glows in the temple precincts. I spent my days at the seashore in reflection and chintan.

Shirdi, 12-14 March

The samadhi of Sai Baba, who has been heralded as an avatar, was the first teertha I visited in Maharashtra. It is said that not just the temple but the entire town of Shirdi resonates with the spiritual vibrations of the great saint Sai Baba.

Sitting at the eternally lit dhuni of Baba I did feel a strong spiritual energy field which could only have been created by the tapasya and vairagya of a maha purusha. The early morning aarti which I attended was filled with the shraddha and love of thousands of devotees who had gathered there.

Mahabaleshwar, 5-8 April

Beautifully housed in a temple of black slab stone, The jyotirlinga of Mahabaleshwar is also said to be the source of five rivers: Savitri, Krishna, Venya, Koyan and Gayatri. As a result, this jyotirlinga, which bears the mark of a Rudraksha Aakar, is continually bathed by the sanctified waters of these rivers.

It is said that Brahma, Mahesh and Vishnu are eternally present here and the stark beauty of the valleys, the shady and dense forests, the streams, all lend probability to this belief. I spent many hours here at Mahabaleshwar, walking through the forests which are beautiful but sinister, and few dare to venture there. I saw the spot where Brahma held a yajna and one day I accidentally came across an abandoned Shiva temple overlooking the beautiful Krishna valley.

Nasik/Trayambakeshwar, 12-14 April

My next teertha was to the holy cities of Nasik and Trayambakeshwar where Godavari, one of the seven holy rivers of India, originates. It was here in Panchavati, that Sri Rama spent eleven, years in exile and it was here too that Sita was abducted by Ravana.

After archana at Kushavrat, the source of Godavari, I had darshan of the jyotirlinga of Lord Trayambakeshwar, which is unique on account of three lingas emerging out of a single stone. Here I conducted a special pooja, with chants of Rudrashtakam. Later I did parikrama of the mandir and had darshan of many mahatmas residing there.

Bhimashankar, 5-6 May

A pilgrimage to Bhimashankar was like a journey back to nature. The lush green forests at Bhimashankar, unspoiled and untarnished by modern civilisation, radiated peace and harmony. Surrounded by hills where the rakshasi Dakini is known to reside, is the jyotirlinga of Bhimashankar. The temple itself is very ancient, and unlike other tirthas where one has to ascend to worship the deity, here the devotee has to descend a flight of steps before having darshan of the jyotirlinga.

Although this place is less known among the jyotirlinga, the tranquil setting and the spiritual vibrations of the place make it an important teertha. Shiva is known to have rested here after slaying the demon Tripurasura.

Ghushmeshwar, 7-9 May

Named after a bhakta called ‘Ghushma’, the jyotirlinga at Ghushmeshwar was a boon she received from Shiva for her unflinching devotion. It is also known as Shivalaya, because Shiva promised her that he would be eternally present here.

Near this temple are the famed Ellora Caves which I also visited after many years. The beautiful sculptures carved out of gigantic mountains spread over an area of one mile are breathtaking and a soothing sight for the eyes.

Nathdwara, 15-17 May

The seat of the Vallabh Sampradaya renowned for the rites and rituals adopted by the Pushti Margis, Nathdwara gives one the feeling of actually being in the presence of Lord Krishna. The rich folklore which recounts the legend of Lord Krishna is sung daily in the courtyard which houses the deity, while devoted pujaris tend to every need of the Lord, such as bathing, dressing, sleeping, eating, and even tanning him while he reposes on his silken bed. Devotees are even given darshan of the decorative headgear, jewellery and costumes of Lord Krishna amidst showers of cool water sprinkled with khas and rose fragrance, a wonderful experience for a bhakta.

According lo legend, the black stone image of Sri Nathji was brought here from Mathura in 1669 and, when an attempt was later made to move the image, the wagon carrying the deity sank into the ground up to the axles, indicating that the image preferred to stay where it was.

Kankroli, 15-17 May

A little further down from Nathdwara is another important seat of the Pushti Maryi sect which houses an image of Dwarkadheesh. It is a simple temple with the tame elaborate ceremonies as in Nathdwara. I saw here for the first time a beautiful painting which speaks of an incident when Sri Krishna received the prasad of bhang from Lord Shiva. Strangely enough, the Charanamrit given to me here was thandai with bhang. I sat in the temple precincts for many hours amidst the chanting of Krishna bhajans in the local dialect.

Eklingji, 15-37 May

The temple of Sri Eklingji is spread over a vast area and houses images of almost every deity. The main deity in the garbha griha is that of a four-faced image of Shiva emerging from a black marble shivalingam. The deity is elaborately decorated every day and mantras are chanted as a part of the ritual. To enter the garbha griha, I was given a special robe by the pujari and I had personal darshan of Eklingji Maharaj.

Pushkar, 18-20 May

Just as Prayag is known as the king of teerthas, Pushkar is renowned as the Guru of all teerthas. No pilgrimage is complete without a visit here. Its main importance lies in the fact that the only Brahma, temple in India is found here. It is said that Rishi Agastya had his ashram here.

After a dip in the Pushkar lake and a bath at Agastyakund I had darshan of Brahmaji and conducted a special pooja at the beautiful temple.

Mount Abu, 1 May

In the artistic and majestic Jain temple of Dilwara I meditated in front of the big dark statue of Lord Mahavir. Here I was inspired to further walk the path of self-discovery, filled with renunciation (tyagabhawa).

Here also, I had darshan of the cave and place of austerity of Lord Dattatreya, which is now under the patronage of Niranjani Akhada. I had stayed here in ray previous wanderings many, many years ago. I feel that my future is being directed by Lord Dattatreya.

Ajmer, May

After my time at Pushkar, I went to the Dargah of Khwaja Moinuddin Chisti and offered a chadar. Thousands come to this place to pray, forgetting their caste and religion. In the atmosphere, filled with devotion and faith, I did japa and dhyan.

Gangotri/Badrinath, 30 May to 20 June

This lap of my teertha was terminated by a visit to Rishikesh, my guru’s ashram, Gangotri and Badrinath. I had called Swami Niranjan to accompany me on this trip. There I met many saints and mahatmas and bathed in the icy cold waters of Ganga at Gangotri and the steaming hot water of the Tapt kund at Badrinath. At Badrinath I also had darshan of Saraswati udgam at Manas where she emerges with full force out of the mountain – a sight to behold!

Chaturmaas, 14 July to 14 September

Now my chaturmaas begins and I have been invited by a great mahatma of Juna Akhara, Mahant Shivgiri, to stay at Neel Parbat, Trayambakeshwar. Neel Parbat is set amidst a lush range of mountains on all sides. Several of the mountains are naturally shaped like shivalingams. Neel Parbat itself is a jagrat and siddha place, and I have chosen a small gaushala to stay in for the next two months. It is a small room, 8′ x 8′, and here I will remain in ‘Agyat Vaas’ and continue the next lap of my sadhana of naam smaran and remembrance of the Lord. My good wishes to all.

(Courtesy : Yoga Magazine, Jan, 1990)

People throng to religion, gurus and spiritual organisations for guidance and the achievement of their desires. In return they get self-satisfaction and many of their desires are also fulfilled. The problems of this planet may not get solved, but they get an opportunity to dip into the ocean of knowledge. They derive wisdom but it remains unexpressed in their behaviour, for the droplets of wisdom which they acquire evaporate in the hot sands of samsara.

The channelling of sublime wisdom into creative action is a rare gift which only a few extraordinary individuals possess. On an encounter with Swamiji, even a casual one, one is deeply impressed that he epitomises such a person. Behind his personality flows a stream in which wisdom and action are the main currents. The realisation of the supreme, from the Brahma Sutras to the selfless action of the Gita, is a spontaneous expression which has become one in him.

Renunciation, giving of alms, sacrifice and austerities are performed by many people, but it is rarely done with a vision of the future. Rather, we see that it is done more for self-contentment. One kind of action moves, motivates and inspires the world, another is only for self-indulgence.

We are counted in the latter category. To motivate, inspire and provide direction to the world, a leader is required who embodies anger as well as pardon and peace, brilliance and shrewdness as well as simplicity and innocence, down to earth awareness as well as far sightedness. One in whom both the fiery brilliance of Parashuram as well as the astute and calm wisdom of Rama are manifest. One who symbolises the determination and righteous wisdom of Krishna and Yudhishthira, the glow and harsh warmth of the sun and the silvery, soothing and healing coolness of the moon. Such a multifaceted, mysterious and practical leader can mould a definite future from the gathering of scattered, diverted and dissipated energies.

Upon meeting and seeing Swamiji, all know deep down that he is such a leader. At present he is on a pilgrimage of India and its siddha, teerthas with a definite constructive purpose. He is infusing the heart and mind with a new energy, a new mantra to unite the future. Be ready to receive him.

(Courtesy : Yoga Magazine, Jan,1990)