Chapter 6 of Gyaneshwari
I shall now describe to you an excellent Mudra. first he should sit folding the legs on the corresponding thighs placing the left leg obliquely over the other leg. Then pressing firmly the right heel against the sphincter of the anus, and keeping it on the ground, he should press it against the pubic bone so that the right heel perches on the left heel. Of the space of four fingers between the anus and the male organ he should leave the space of one and half fingers above and below (191-195) and press by the upper part of the heel the middle space one finger wide. Then balancing the body, as if lifting the lower part of the spinal column, he should keep the two ankles straight. Now the whole body, O Partha, remains steady on the two heels, Arjuna, this is the characteristic of the mudra known as mulabandha, also known as vajrasana, the diamand posture. When he achieves this mudra, the inbreath, with its downward passage blocked, begins to move backwards (196-200).
· Holding the body, head and neck erect and steady without motion, he should fix his gaze on the tip of his nose, without looking around.
Then he should place both his palms on the left knee, so that the shoulder blades are raised up. Since the shoulders are lifted up, the head becomes buried (in the chest) and the eye-lashes begin to close. The upper eye-lash remains steady and the lower one spreads out so that the eyes look half-closed. In this way, the vision remains inwards and even if it tries to go out, it remaains confined to the region of thenose-tip. Thus this half-closed sight remains centered inwards and unable, to go outwards, rests on the nose-tip (201-205). Then all desire to look in all directions or to wait until the activity of vaious form to impinge on the sight naturally ceases. Thereafter the adam's apple is pushed back and the chin is tightly set against the jugular notch pressing against the chest. When the adam's apple disappears from sight, the bandha so formed, O Arjuna, is known as Jalandhara (Chin-Lock). Then the navel comes up, the belly becomes deflated and inside the diaphragm rises up. This bandha which is formed above the lowest nerve centre and below the nerve-centre ate the neval is known as Udiyana. When the yoga proceeds in this manner in respect of the parts of the body, then it reduces the grip of the mental functions.
· Then with a serene mind, and becoming fearless and firm in the vow of chastity, the yogi should control his mind, thinking of ME and remain devoted to Me.
Then the imagination subsides, activity becomes calm, and the functions of the body and the mind stand still. Then thoughts of hunger and sleep do not bother him and he does not even remember them. The in-beath which was confined by the anal construction (mulabandha) moves backwards and being excited and puffy, it grows in its place of confinement and bangs at the naval centre (manipura). Then this expanded in breath churns the belly from all sides and removes the impurities collected theirin from childhood. But instead of rolling at the bottom, it enters the belly and destroys the bile and phlegm therein. It overturns the seven humours without leaving a trace, pulversies the rolls of fat and draws out the marrow of the bones. It calms the nerves and making the limbs loose, frightens the spiritual aspirant, but he should not funk. It gives rise to illness, but cures it also instantaneously and mixes together the liquid (bile, phlegm etc.) and solid (flesh, marrow etc.) parts of the body (216-120). O Arjuna, next the heat nererated by the posture wakes up the serpent power known as Kundalini like a young serrpent bathed in red pigment (kumkuma) resting twisted round itself, this small serpent power, the kundalini, is asleep with mouth downwards in three and a half coils. She is like a streak of lightening or a fold of flame, or a polished band of pure gold.
This kundalini sitting crowded at the naval centre wakes up, when she gets pushed up by the annal contraction (mulabandh) (221-225). Now as though a star has fallen or the sun's seat has broken loose or the seed of lustre, which has been planted, has produced a sprout, so this serpent power is seen to uncoil herself and stand up relaxing her body on the naval centre. She has been hungry for long, and by reason of her being woken up, she opens her mouth wide and forcefully raises it up. Arjuna, then she embraces the in-breath collected under the lotus of the heart, and begins to bite the upper and lower flesh (226-230). She easily swallows the flesh wherever she can find it, and then she takes one or two mouthfuls of the heart's flesh also. Then she searches for the soles of the feet and palms of hands, and piercing their upper parts she shakes up all the limbs and joints. Thereafter without leaving her place, she draws out the core of the finger-nails, and cleansing the skin, clings to the skeleton. She clean up the bones and scrapes the fibres of muscles, so tht the grwoth of the hair-roots of the body begin to wither. Then she quenches her thirst by lapping up the seven humours, and makes the body completely dried up all over (231-235). Then she draws in forcibly the out-breath, flowing outwards from the nostrils to a distance of twelve fingers. She thereafter pulls up the in-breath and pulls down the out-breath, and when they meet, only the sheaths of nerve-centres remain. Both the breaths would have mingled at that time; but the Kundalini, being uneasy for a moment, asks them to keep away. O Arjuna, this serpent power eats up all the solid stuff in the body, and leaves nothing of the watery parts also. When she eats these solid and liquid parts of the body, she becomes satisfied and remains calm in the spinal cord (236-240).
In this state of satiation, the venom she turns in nectar and sustains life. The fiery venom which comes out nectar and sustains life. The fiery venom which comes out cools internally the body, which regains once again the strength which it had lost. The nervous flow stops and the nine life-breaths except prana cease and then the body too loses its functions. Then the breaths flowing through the left and right nostrils mingle, the knots of the three lower nerve-centres become loose, and the six nerve-centres become disjoined. The sun and moon currents of breath, which flow through the nostrils, are so subtle that they are not felt on the fibre held before them (241-245). The sparkle the intellect then ceases and the frangrance in the nose, along with the serpent power, entres the spinal cord. The cask of moon-nectar situated above tilts on one side, and the nectar begins to flow into the mouth of the Kundalini. The nectar fills her and then spreads to the whole body and is soaked therein by the aid of the prana. As wax, placed in a red-hot mould melts and fills it up, so the body looks as if lustre, covered by skin, has descended in the human form (246-250). As the sun, hidden behind the cloak of a cloud, comes out in full splendour when the cloud is scattered, so the scales of skin, which seemed dry, fall off like husk, and then the body assumes a complexion so comely as though it is fashined out of crystal or has sprouted from a gem, or dressed up with the red hue of the evening sky, of it is the figure taken on by the inner light. Then his body looks as if it is filled with red pigment and nectar or it appears as though it is peace incarnate (251-255). It is like a picture of delight, or a form of great happiness, or a full-grown bush of contentment, or a bud of gold-flowered champak (michelia Champaca) or a bust of nectar or an orchared laden with tender leaves, or like the moon embellished with the autumnal dew, or like a statue made of lustre sitting on a seat, when the Kundalini drinks the moon elixir. Then even Death-god stands in awe of that figure.
Then old age recedes, youthfulness takes a leap backwards, and the childhood which had long past returns (256-260). Even though he looks so young, he performs great feats and his courage is equally great and unexcelled. Even as sparkling buds come out from the leaves of the golden tree, new lustrous finger-nails come out of his body. He also gets new teeth, but they are so small, that they look like two rows of pearls set in the mouth. Like the broken bits of atom-sized rubies, tips of hair grow on his whole body. The palms of the hands and the soles of the feet become red like red lotuses and how can one describe his clear eyes (261-265)? Just as the shell cannot contain the pearl when it swells and becomes oversize, and its seam gives way and begins to open, so the sight, instead of being held within the eye-lashes, goes out far and wide and pervades the whole heaven. O Arjuna, the body takes on a golden colour but possesses the lightness of wind, having lost the liquid and solid parts of matter.
Then the yogi can see beyond the seas, hear the sounds of heaven, and comprehend the desire of an ant. He can ride on the wind, walk on water without wetting his feet, and in this way he acquires many miraculous powers (266-270). Holding the hand of prana and climbing the steps in the region of hearts, the Kundalini reaches the heart centre through the spinal cord. This Kundalini is the mother of the world, who illumine the self and gives shade to the sprouted seed of the universe. It is the embodiment of the formless Brahman, the cask of Lord Shiva, the main spring of the sacred syllable Om. When this outhful Kundalini enters the heart-centre, she begins to utter unbeaten sounds. The sounds fall slightly on the ears of intelligence, which is very close to the serpent power (271-275). In the cubicle from which these sounds emanate, they manifest themselves as figures as if drawn on the lines of Om. This can be known only by imagination, but where to find one who possess it? No one knows that rumbling foes on in the region of the heart. I forgot to mention, O Arjuna, that so long as prana remains, these subtle sounds are produced in the region of the heart. When the latter resounds with these sounds resembling the rumbling of clouds, then the window to the Brahmarudhra redily opens. There is another great region resembling the calyx of a lotus, in which the self resides aloft (276-280). The supreme Kundalini then enters this abode of the self and offers him the victuals of her lustre. She indeed offers intelligence as a vegetable dish to him and does it in such a way as to leave no trace of dualism. Then the Kundalini gives up her fiery complexion and reamins in the gaseous state. You might as well ask how she looks at that time. She dissolves herself in this gaseous form and keeps aside her garment of golden stripes. Even as the light is extinguished by the touch of the wind, or the lightning flashes and disappars in the sky (281-285), so when the Kundalinin enters the lotus of the heart centre, she looks like a gold-chain or like water flowing from a spring of light. Then all of a sudden she subsides into the calyx of the heart, and her form merges into the formless Shakti. Although she is called Shakti, she is still in the form of gas (Vayu). At that time one is not aware of the Nada, or the Bindu or of the Kalajyoti. Then the conquest of mind, the support of breath-control and resort to meditation do not survive, and though and its absence come to a stop. So she is the crucible in which the gross elements crubmle (286-290). That the body should be swallowed by the body is the Natha creed and and its purport is disclosed here by Lord Krishna, the incarnation of Vishnu. Untying the bundle of that purport and unfolding the truth, I have presented it before you, who are its clients.
· By applying himself thus constantly the self-controlled Yogi attains peace consisting of infnite bliss, that abides in Me.
Arjuna, when the Shakti loses her power, the body becomes bereft of form and becomes invisible to the world. But then the body looks like a banana tree which, shedding its outer skin, stands bare in its core or like the sky which has put forth limbs (291-295). When the body assumes this form, the yogi is called the sky-rover. When he attains to his state, his body works wonders in the world. When he walkes leaving a trail behind him, then the eight miraculous powers wait upon him at every step. But of what avail are these powers to us? O Arjuna, the elements of earth, water and fire get dissolved in the body. the earth is dissolved by water, water by fire, and the wind dissolves the fire in the heart. Then the wind alone remains, but in the form of the body; and that too becomes absorbed in the sky of the Brahmarandhra (296-300). She retains her shakti form until she becomes one with Brahman.
Now she is not known as Kundalini, but takes on the name 'aerial' (maruta). Then leaving the jalandhara bandha and breaking open the end of the sushumna nadi she enters the cidakasha of Brahmarandhra. Placing her foot on the back of Omkara, she then crosses the second stage of speech known as pashyanti. Then she pierces the half crescent matra of Om and enters the cidakasha, as the river enters the sea. Making herself steady in the Brahmarandhra with the conviction that 'I am Brahman there. then with the destruction of the veil of the five great elements results the union of Shiva and Shakti. And she along with the cidakasha becomes merged in the blilss of Brahman, just as the sea water being transformed into clouds (by the process of enaporation) and the clouds pouring down into the rivers, ultimately rejoin the sea, in the same way the embodied self, by means of the human body, enters the abode of Brahman and becomes united with it.
At this stage all doubt or discussion whether there is duality or unity comes to an end. When a person experiences this state in which the cidakasha becomes merged in akasha, he becomes one with it (306-310). This state cannot possibly be experessed in words so that it can be explained in conversation. O Arjuna, even Vaikhai, the fourth form of speech which boasts of its power of expressing a thought remains mute in this case. Even the makara, (the third syllable of Om) finds it difficult to enter the region behind the eyebrows. Similarly, the vital breath prana experiences difficult to enter the region behind the eyebrows. Similarly, the vital breath prana experiences difficulty in entering the cidaksha. When it gets merged in the cidakash, the expressive power of words comes to an end, and then even the akasha becomes attenuated, so that one finds it difficult to trace it in thedeep waters of the unmanifest state of the Absolute. Of what avail are words then? (311-315). This state cannot be certainly brought within the scope of words or of hearing: this is the absolute truth. If fortune favours a person and he cares to experience it, he becomes one with it. Then nothing remains to be known, O archer, and any further talk about it would be fruitless. It is a state from which words turn back, in which desire ends and which is beyond paleof thought. This is the beautiful state of mental obsorbtion, the youthful state of samadhi in which the yogi becomes one with Brahman.It is beginningless and unfathmable (316-320). It is the orgin of the universe, the fruit of the Yoga-tree and the very sentience of bliss. It is that in which the state of emancipation, all beginning and end get merged. This Brahman is the orgin of the five great elements, the light of light, in short, o partha, it is my own essence. When the non-believers persecuted the band of my devotees, I became incartnate and assumed the beautiful human form with four arms. In order to attain the indescribable bliss of this form men strove creaselessly and became full of bliss (321-325). Those who practised this method of Yoga described by me became purified and achieved a capability equal to mine. There bodies appear brilliant, as if they are fashioned out of the essence of the supreme spirit, cast in the mould of the human form. Once such experience illumines the mind, the entire world of appearance vanishes.
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