Heart
In the centre of the cavity of the Heart the sole Brahman shines by
itself as the Atman (Self) in the feeling of `I-I'. Reach the Heart by
diving within yourself, either with control of breath, or with thought
concentrated on the quest of the Self. You will thus get fixed in the
Self.
I have been saying all along that the Heart Centre is on the right
side, even when learned men differed from me. I speak from experience.
I knew it even in my home during my trances (samadhi). Again during the
incident recorded in Self- Realization, I had a very clear vision and
experience. All of a sudden a light came from one side erasing the
world-vision. I felt that the heart on the left had stopped and the
body became blue and inert. Vasudeva Sastri embraced the body and wept
over my death, but I could not speak. All the time I was feeling that
the Heart Centre on the right was working as well as ever. This state
lasted fifteen or twenty minutes. Then suddenly something shot out from
the right to the left like a rocket bursting into the sky. The blood
resumed circulation and the normal condition of the body was restored.
The entire universe is condensed in the body and the entire body in the
Heart. Thus the Heart is the nucleus of the whole universe. This world
is not other than the mind, the mind is not other than the Heart; that
is the whole truth.
The source is a point without any dimensions. It expands as the cosmos
on the one hand and as Infinite bliss on the other. That point is the
pivot. From it a single vasana starts and expands as the experiencer
(`I'), the experience and the experienced (the world).
To Rama who questioned Vasishta: `Which is that big mirror in which all
these are mere reflections? What is the heart of all souls or creatures
in this universe?' Vasishta replied: `All creatures in this universe
have two kinds of hearts — one to be taken note of and the other
ignored. Hear their respective traits: The one to be ignored is the
physical organ called the heart which is situated in the chest as a
part of the perishable body. The one to be taken note of is the Heart
which is of the nature of consciousness. It is both inside and outside
(us) and has neither an inside nor an outside.'
This is the really important Heart. It is the mirror which holds all
reflections. It is the basis and source of all objects and all kinds of
wealth. Therefore, it is only that Consciousness, which is the Heart of
all, not that organ - a small part of the body, which is insentient
like a stone, and perishable. So one can achieve the eradication of all
desires and control of breath, by the practice of merging the mind in
the Heart, which is Pure Consciousness.
Concentrating one's thoughts solely on the Self will lead to happiness
or bliss. Drawing in the thoughts, restraining them and preventing them
from going outwards is called vairagya. Fixing them in the Self is
sadhana or abhyasa (practice). Concentrating on the Heart is the
same as concentrating on the Self. The Heart is another name for the
Self.
The Self is the Heart. The Heart is Self-luminous. Light arises from
the Heart and reaches the brain which is the seat of the mind. The
world is seen with the mind, that is by the reflected light of the
Self. It is perceived with the aid of the mind. When the mind is
illumined it is aware of the world. When it is not itself so illumined,
it is not aware of the world. If the mind is turned inward towards the
source of light, objective knowledge ceases and the Self alone shines
forth as the Heart.
The moon shines by the reflected light of the sun. When the sun has
set, the moon is useful for revealing objects. When the sun has risen,
no one needs the moon, although the pale disc of the moon is still
visible in the sky. So it is with the mind and the Heart.