THE SAHASRARA
Tantric paths teach the gradual uncoiling of the Kundalini or spiritual current in a man. As it uncoils and rises upwards, itenfranchises a series of chakras or spiritual centres in the body, each bestowing its own powers and perceptions until it culminates in the Sahasrara or thousand-petalled lotus in the brain or the crown of the head. When asked about this, Bhagavan replied that, whatever the experience may be, the ultimate seat of the Self, and therefore of Realisation, is the Heart.
D.: Why doesn't Sri Bhagavan direct us to practise
concentration on some particular centre or chakra [?]?
B.: The Yoga Sastras say that the Sahasrara or brain is the
seat of the Self. The Purusha Sukta declares that the Heart is its seat. To enable the aspirant to steer clear of any possible doubt, I tell him to take up the thread or the clue of `I'-ness and follow it to its source. Because, firstly it is impossible for anybody to entertain any doubt about this `I' notion; secondly, whatever be the means adopted, the final goal is Realisation of the source of I-am-ness, which is what you begin from in your experience. If you, therefore, practise Self-enquiry, you will reach the Heart which is the Self.1
D.: Does the Jivanadi (subtle nerve column) really exist
or is it a figment of the imagination?
B.: The yogis say that there is a nadi [?] called the jivanadi,
atmanadi or paranadi. The Upanishads speak of a centre from which thousands of nadis branch off. Some locate this in the brain and others in other places. The Garbhopanishad traces the formation of the foetus and the growth of the child in the womb. The ego is considered to enter the child through the fontanelle in the seventh month of its growth. In evidence thereof it is pointed out that the fontanelle is tender in a baby and is also seen to pulsate. It takes some months for it to ossify. Thus the ego comes from above, enters through the fontanelle and works
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through thousands of nadis which are spread over the whole body. Therefore the seeker of truth must concentrate on the sahasrara, that is the brain, in order to regain his source. Breath- control is said to help the yogi to rouse the Kundalini-Shakti which lies coiled in the solar plexus. The Shakti rises through a nerve called the sushumna, which is embedded in the core of the spinal cord and extends to the brain.
If one concentrates on the sahasrara there is no doubt that the ecstasy of samadhi ensues. The vasanas [?], that is the latencies, are however, not destroyed. The yogi is therefore bound to wake up from samadhi because the release from bondage is not yet accomplished. He must still try to eradicate the vasanas [?] in order that the latent tendencies yet inherent in him may not disturb the peace of his samadhi. So he passes down from the sahasrara to the heart through what is called the jivanadi, which is only a continuation of the sushumna. The sushumna is thus a curve. It starts from the solar plexus, rises through the spinal cord to the brain and from there bends down and ends in the heart. When the yogi has reached the heart, samadhi becomes permanent. Thus we see that the heart is the final centre.
Some Upanishads also speak of a hundred and one nadis which spread from the heart, one of them being the vital nadi [?]. If the ego descends from above and is reflected in the brain, as the yogis say, there must be a reflecting surface. This must also be capable of limiting the Infinite Consciousness to the limits of the body. In short, the Universal Being becomes limited as an ego. Such a reflecting medium is furnished by the aggregate of vasanas [?] of the individual. It acts like the water in a pot which reflects an object. If the pot is drained of its water there will be no reflection. The object will remain without being reflected. The object here is the Universal Being-Consciousness which is
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all-pervading and therefore immanent in all. It need not be cognised by reflection alone. It is self-resplendent. Therefore, the seeker's aim must be to drain away the vasanas [?] from the heart and let no reflecting medium obstruct the light of the Eternal Consciousness. This is achieved by the search for the origin of the ego and by diving into the heart. This is the direct path to Self-realisation. One who adopts it need not worry about nadis, brain, sushumna, kundalini, breath-control and the six yogic centres.
The Self does not come from anywhere nor does it enter the body through the crown of the head. It is as it is, ever shining, ever steady, unmoving and unchanging. The changes which are noticed are not inherent in the Self, for the Self abides in the heart and is self-luminous like the sun. The changes are seen in Its light. The relationship between the Self and the body or the mind may be compared to that of a clear crystal and its background. If the crystal is placed against a red flower it shines red, if against green it shines green, and so on. The individual confines himself to the limits of the changeable body or of the mind which derives its existence from the unchanging Self. All that is necessary is to give up this mistaken identity and, that done, the ever shining Self will be seen to be the single, non-dual Reality.1
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