Article 32 - Anger: Deeper Aspects

My teacher used to say, “Do not lose your anger, it is very precious.” Anger is the highest form of negativity; it is energy vibrating at a very high frequency.

Nature is interested in us getting angry; she wants to use this highly volatile psychic energy for a specific purpose. This energy can only be created in a human being, and every time we express anger, we are serving nature’s purpose. There is a small gap between the impulse to get angry and the actual manifestation of anger. A special energy is needed to bridge this gap, which normally, man does not have. Hence, this is provided by nature. This very precious energy, added by nature, my teacher called the ‘energy of the essence of consciousnesses’.

Now suppose that I sit in meditation for an hour in the morning but later, I get irritated easily hearing an announcement that the bus I am waiting for would be late. Here, nature adds the energy that allows me to let my anger manifest as irritation. I could not remember at the right time that the fault lies inside, not outside. This shows that I do not have enough of the energy of essence of consciousness to hold awareness at the right time. This is the energy which is the bridge to the divine.

Article 31 - Hanuman Chalisa

During my current tour of South Africa, a gentleman asked me to explain the deeper meaning of the Hanuman Chalisa, Goswami Tulsidas’ wonderful poem. Here’s a brief note on it.

The word Hanuman comes from ‘han’ meaning to kill, man is ‘mat’ or intelligence; the intelligence to kill the negativity within our psychic nature.

The poem starts with a doha, where the poet says he has cleaned his mind with the dust of his Guru’s feet. He uses the word ‘raj’, meaning both, dust and pollen. The dust of the higher was pollen to the lower, exposing us to a deeper law of higher and lower cosmoses. For instance, if we take off some dead skin from our fingers, ants immediately come to eat it up.

When his mind was clean, it became a two-faced mirror. One side reflected life and in the other he saw Ram, Sita, and Lakshman. Here the technique of double arrowed attention is being talked about; the disciple aims one arrow of attention on the events of life and the other towards his reactions to them, leading to a state of self-observation.

Lakshman comes from ‘lakshya’, or aim. Our aim is to awaken from the dream we call life, and we should always hold our aim in the mirror of our mind. Ram means to play; the art of moving towards our aim with an attitude of playfulness and not as if we are carrying a heavy burden. Ram also means fire, to take the fire of suffering as if it is just a play.

Sita means bliss or ‘masti’.  When we live in playfulness, we extract bliss and enjoyment from every moment and event of life. Whether an event brings joy or sorrow, Ram is still married to Sita.

The poet says he was without intelligence, in a state of darkness called ‘buddhihin’, from which he awakens by remembering ‘sumirau Pavan Kumar’ or son of the wind. Each moment we live in the darkness of our hypnosis to the events of life. To awaken from this and realise our aim, my teacher taught rhythmic breathing. He said ‘sumirau pavan kumar’.

By ‘sumirau’ he gets ‘bal’ or will, ‘buddhi’ and ‘vidya’ to overcome his weaknesses or ‘kleshas'.

Article 30 - Fundamental Questions

In the Mahabharata is the story of King Nahusha who was cursed to live as a python. He could only be freed of his curse if Yudhishthira answered his questions. The Python is a symbol of our unconscious mind and deep animal nature. Yudhishthira answering his questions symbolises how knowledge frees us from the darkness of the unconscious. Let us go through their talk.

Nahusha asked, “Which enemy cannot be defeated and what is an eternal disease?”

Yudhishthira said, “Desire is an enemy which can never be defeated and greed is the eternal disease.” Here Yudhishthira is saying that by working on desire we can be free of its hypnosis, we can make it powerless but we cannot kill it completely. When his daughter leaves home every father will have a hidden desire that she should be safe. The warrior which symbolises desire is Ashwatthama.  ‘swa’ means tomorrow and ‘aswa’ means not tomorrow, ‘tha’ means ‘sthayi’ or steady. So the meaning would go as that which was yesterday has changed today but is always. Yesterday’s desire has changed today but desire is always there.

Greed is the hypnosis of being attracted and possessing. Because gravitation is a natural phenomenon in nature, which becomes greed in man, one cannot be free of it totally. Thus one can be aware of its workings but it is the eternal disease.

Nahusha asked, “O King what is temptation, what is self love and what is laziness?”

Yudhishthira replies, “That which takes us away from our Dharma is temptation, if one has put a value or price tag on what they think of themselves which others should honour it is self love, and not performing the actions that lead to Dharma is laziness.”

Dharma is the path that leads to an increase in consciousness and an awakening from the dream of life. So, in any moment, that which leads us into deeper hypnosis is temptation. We all have a picture of ourselves which if someone criticises we feel hurt. This is self love. Laziness is of three kinds: physical of the body, emotional where we do not feel like doing it and intellectual where we keep on giving logical arguments about why we should not perform an action. This is called pramada or the movement of mada or intoxication.

Article 29 - Thinking and Remembering

An important exercise we can do is to think without the use of memory. Our thinking is clouded by memory. That is why we really never think but just remember. Most of our thinking is just fixed opinions and attitudes.

For example, something we have read somewhere, an article that appealed to us, or some form of advertisement.

Deep down within us is the wish that everything should be explained to us so that we do not have to think for ourselves; only recall instructions, freeing us from the effort to find our own solutions. Whenever I am giving talks, I have always felt an urge to refer to notes previously written. At times I wilfully put this aside, try and cut off my memory, and allow the words to flow spontaneously. In these short periods I have always felt uplifted, new meanings seem to descend from a higher level and the whole audience is transported to a different level of understanding. Memory is like old food from the refrigerator, whereas spontaneity is eating freshly picked fruit.

Can we learn to think in a new way where impulses open new pathways and passages in the brain? Our thinking centre is full of borrowed opinions and ideas. We have nothing that we have thought for ourselves. We follow slogans, prejudices, catch phrases, even the last thing we read.

A technique we can use is to take one idea and open up as many shades of meaning possible. Say, I have a punctured tyre and am late for a meeting. Take this as one idea and mentate on it. I could say this is a lesson in patience, or irritation, something that was lying hidden in me is surfacing and now I can work with it. The meeting was important so I am teaching my nerves to hold tension in a relaxed manner. Patanjali calls this ‘dharana’ or the power to hold. This simple exercise would open up new roads in our brains, blood would start flowing through unused pathways, and our thinking and understanding would be lifted to a totally new dimension.

In our thinking we follow our inner hatreds, jealousies and obstinacies, along with our education and upbringing. If we worked to think in a new way, the world would change.

Article 28 - Feeling Nothingness

April Fool’s Day just went by; let us try and understand what the Fool within us represents. The Fool is that aspiration for freedom and understanding of the mystery of life that lies dormant within. It is a symbol of the awakening of intuition or rising above our logical mind.

In the Srimad Bhagwad Gita, Arjuna continuously argues with Sri Krishna. At one point he is empty of all arguments and he realises and tells the lord that he knew nothing, was his disciple, and pleads him to show him the path of shreya (welfare). It is only after this emptying out that the immortal wisdom of the Gita is spoken. What is this feeling of Nothingness?

We have many emotions — love, happiness, and pain, among others. The emotion of Nothingness is totally different. It is when we know that in spite of all our knowledge, we really know nothing; that even though we have a lot of money, richness is something totally different. It is the most beautiful and receptive state we can or will ever be in.

When the disciple comes to the teacher, he comes with the wish to see, feel, know, and understand the truth. The teacher wants to give it to him but he cannot do this as long as the student is full of his own ideas, opinions, and information about truth. There is a long period of apprenticeship where the teacher talks of everything but the truth. At a certain point in time, the disciple slowly calms his thoughts, is free of all his so called knowledge, feels a deep receptivity and vulnerability, and the inner spirit cries, “I know nothing”, just like Arjuna’s did. The vessel is now empty and the teacher pours his whole being into it.

In ancient India, the kings would have a Guru who advised them on everything. Similarly in Europe, the kings had a court jester. He was called a Fool, but in reality he was the wisest of the wise and the king consulted him in everything. It was the Guru in disguise.
If for a moment we could become the fool and feel our nothingness, we would be filled with knowledge beyond all words and thinking.

Article 27 - Conscious Childbirth

What lesson about childbirth can we learn from the birth of the Pandavas as narrated in the Mahabharata? Sex can be used for excitement or it can lift us to higher levels of consciousness and sensitivity. The male is a symbol of being active and aggressiveness, whereas the female represents receptivity and passivity. We are not talking of genders, but of male and female energy, both of which are present in both man and woman.

When sex is passionate and aggressive, the male principle is active in both partners, leading to a state of hypnosis. Biologically a child is a child, but the Mahabharata says there is a difference in conception through excitement and that through receptivity and sensitivity. These days many children are conceived through accidental sex. A child conceived with a meditative attitude knows right from wrong, and will be free of negativity and violence.

Pandu was cursed by a rishi that if he had union with his wives, he would die. Kunti, his wife, had a mantra by which she could invoke a god and bear a child from him. Here, Rishi Vyasa suggests that a higher soul can be invoked. Pandu does not take part in the act of having children. This signifies that Pandu, the Male principle, is just a silent witness remaining in meditative receptivity. Kunti, the female principle, is in a state of prayer, calling on something from a higher dimension to manifest as a child in our time and space. We relate sex only with excitement and cannot fathom the quality and beauty of this happening.

The three children born to Kunti have a different quality about them. The eldest was intelligent, benevolent, and commanded respect. The second was extremely strong but gentle at the same time. The third child, or Arjuna, was not conceived immediately.

Pandu practiced severe austerities for one year before Kunti invoked Arjuna. Not only was he the greatest warrior, but also the embodiment of a disciple for whom Lord Krishna spoke the verses of the Gita. She then gave the mantra to Madri, who invoked twins — the most handsome of all men. If our youth could be educated in child birth today, we may see a different humanity tomorrow.

Article 26 - Anger’s Many Faces

In the Mahabharata, there is the story of Krodha (anger) and her nine daughters. The scripture looks at anger in a very dynamic and radical way. It reveals that in each instance of anger there lies very valuable energy which should be seen and transformed. Let us study the nine forms of anger personified as the daughters of Krodha.

Mrigi: This is anger which leads to fear or flight. It also means to search, enter the mysteries of life. When we are in pain or suffering, we are very close to the mystery of life. We spend our lives running away from suffering and because of that we cannot enter into the secrets behind life.

Manda: This means to remain lethargic or lazy.The deeper meaning is to rejoice. When we are lethargic, the energies of life are not overflowing. We remain stagnant and do not have the power to rejoice and enjoy life.

Hari: To snatch away or steal.We get into a sudden frenzy and steal. If we pause and transform this energy, our whole being becomes attractive with a kind of godliness.
Bhadramana: In this form of anger, we are very loud. Bhadra also means to prosper. So by transforming this energy, we gain the power to attract only those events which bring happiness and prosperity.

Matangi: Meaning a mad elephant. This is a very dangerous form that can lead to destruction. By transforming this form, we are blessed with immense power and become the leader of our clan.
Shardul: In this we want to hurt and injure. By its transformation, our eyes become powerful and we can see beyond the visual causes of events.

Shweth: Meaning white. It is characterised by impatience. By working on this, we get dharana shakti - the power to meditate and ponder on a problem.

Surabhi (the cow of plenty):A very subtle form which unknowingly hurts or insults. By bringing our awareness to what is happening unknowingly, the energy transforms. This brings us good luck and good fortune.

Surasa: This manifests in snakes and is characterised by a hissing sound. Our small oohs and aahs. Also the urge for revenge. By transforming this, we gain the capacity to enjoy the fruits of life.

Article 25 - Holy water

Recently a friend brought a wonderful film about current scientific studies on water. Let us see some things it highlighted. The chemical composition of water is H₂O, but the structure or arrangement of the molecules of water adjusts to the surroundings. Say, if we are drinking water, our thoughts and emotions can change its quality. Thus, water mirrors the emotion we give it. Thoughts of hate or violence, or any other negative emotion makes the water molecules take on an ugly shape, reflecting our feelings.

The opposite happens with positive emotions. The scientists found that the emotions of love and gratitude energized the water and gave the molecules a beautiful shape and structure. The glass of water that we drink affects our emotions and psyche; why not give it a positive thought before drinking it? The same can be done with food that has high water content, and also with the cooking water we use. We could also give it a wish to heal.

 Sanskrit has a rich collection of names for water, each reflecting a property of it. ‘Apas’ means to reach out, meaning to reach the divine. Another is ‘Parjanya’ or to sprinkle, representing water in the form of rain that gives life. Hence the belief that sprinkling water on plants could be better than just watering them. There is ‘Niram’, from ‘ni’ to lead, to guide; ‘udakam’ or to issue out, signifying the power of springing forth. ‘Kam’ or softness, ‘Salil’ from ‘sal’ or the power of movement. ‘Jal’, which means to make rich. There are many more such names. So when we drink our next glass, we can power it with any of the feelings our rishis put in the Sanskrit words.

Water also has memory. They experimented where water was subject to the music of Bach, Beethoven, and other classical composers; the molecules re-arranged into wonderful structures, which they held on to.

My teacher created a piece of music for us to breathe in rhythm. By breathing in this rhythm, the vibrations produced between the breath and our body matched the vibrations of the chanting of the Gayatri Mantra. Since watching the film, I have been putting a glass of water on the gadget that plays this music. Yes, we can all drink our glass of holy water, every day.

Article 24 - The power of sound

The word mantra comes from ‘man’, to think or mind and ‘tra’ to protect. From ‘tra’ we can also get ‘tarna’ to swim. So we can derive that mantra is that which helps us swim across the ocean of the mind. Mantra has the power to fulfill our wishes and can help us lead a happy, prosperous and healthy life. Through mantra we can awaken hidden and divine powers that lie in our psyche.

In Taoism as also in other systems of yoga there are specific sounds given to heal definite organs of the body. These techniques are combined with visualisation and breathing to produce a powerful effect on the organ.

If, for example, the heart is damaged, then we can use a specific sound for the heart. We first study a picture of the heart in a book on physiology till we are able to recreate the picture in our minds. We then hold that picture in the mind and move our attention through the heart and all the adjoining blood vessels using the specific sound. To this we add a system of breathing and pausing in a certain rhythm. The whole technique would require an immense amount of concentration and dedication and if it clicks we may get the desired result. Not only would it bring physical health but would heal us both psychologically and emotionally.

Just as we study sound in physics; likewise the scriptures went very deep into the study of sound. They say that the universe was created from sound and that every physical object we see is nothing but sound energy vibrating at a certain frequency. The scriptures further say that the creator first visualised all objects in his divine mind and then projected them onto the physical plane through mantra. From this we can get a hint of the power of mantra. If we desire something very strongly; then we can through the power of mantra create an image of that object in our minds and try to project it into our lives. In this way we may realise our deepest dreams.

Article 23 - Will or self-will?

When we hear the word will, we take it as will power.  We say if a person is determined and dogged in his pursuance of something he has a strong will.  A person may be a habitual smoker and suddenly he hits the brakesor even stops. We call this will.

Our will is a kind of self-will - aggressive, having our way, wanting our desires to be fulfilled. We do not realise that we have so many desires that they fragment our will. An experiment I practise is observing the play of desires in the small incidents of life. I decide to sit down to write a few notes. As I sit down, I switch on the TV and scan the channels. Some good serial is on so I say, I will write the notes later, let’s watch the serial. Watching the serial, I feel a little itch - maybe a drink with a packet of chips would be good, even though in the morning I had decided to go on a diet. Observing everything from afar one can only laugh at the comedy. Yes, we have a fragmented will.

To increase will, we can do small experiments. If we are feeling very hungry, then stay with the feeling of hunger for just half an hour. Similarly, we can practise this with so many of our likes and dislikes. Over a period of time, as our fragmented will starts uniting, we will have a new and powerful feeling of ourselves. Then every thought or desire that pops up in our minds will not seduce us.

What the guru teaches the disciple is spiritual will. That is, to rearrange a negative situation and connect it with a positive idea. If someone insults me, and I am feeling hurt - I now rearrange everything.  I say my aim is to be free of the ego. His insult is helping me do this, as the ego which was lying in the dark has suddenly appeared because of his insult. Now that we can see the ego, we can work with it. We rearrange the same situation positively.

The Bible says Real Will is the word of God, but we can only connect with it by dropping our personal self-will.