Layayoga: The Definitive Guide to the Chakras and Kundalini (33 page)

If the mantra is bija-mantra and is imparted by a guru directly to his disciple, it will produce quicker and better results. A bija-mantra is the depository of immense power in a most concentrated form which remains latent in it. This latent power is aroused by the mantra-process disclosed to the disciple by his guru. The sound aspect of the power gradually becomes more and more rarefied and, ultimately, is absorbed into Kundalini. At this stage Kundalini herself assumes the form of Ishtadewata. Ishtadewata is that divine form which arises from the bija-mantra when it is absorbed into Kundalini. When the latent mantra-power in the bija is aroused by the mantra-process, the sound is absorbed at a certain stage of concentration into Kundalini; and Kundalini manifests herself as the dewata linked to the bija. So Ishtadewata is the divine form of mantra. Ishtadewata is the manifested Kundali-power in form. This divine form is intrinsically related to the bija. bija is dewata.

Dewata—the divine form—is not an imaginary form, but a form which Kundalini herself has assumed. It is the form which arises from bija-mantra. In deep concentration, mantra-sounds are recoiled into Kundalini and Kundalini appears as Ishtadewata. In the sound-process, concentration gradually becomes uninterrupted and deep. In this manner, holding-concentration is transformed into deep concentration. At a higher stage of deep concentration Ishtadewata arises from mantra. Ishtadewata is not a passive phenomenon. Ishtadewata becomes living when concentration reaches the stage of samadhi. When this superconscious concentration is fully established Ishtadewata is seen also in a deconcentrated state. The devotee, who is in the dewata-consciousness, sees, hears and feels Ishtadewata in a post-concentration state, and is absorbed into that divine form in concentration. Ishtadewata finally leads the devotee to his or her formless infinite Supreme Being experienced in non-mens supreme concentration. This is wachya-power. The wachya-power is Maha-kundalini (Supreme Kundalini) as Supreme Consciousness.

Bija-mantra is a very specialized mantra. If bija-mantra does not harmonize with the birth-bija, it will not be fruitful. The birth-bija is the germ of the substance that causes the repeated births, growth, activities, decline and death of embodied beings. It creates a natural tendency toward spirituality or worldliness, morality or immorality, constructiveness or destructiveness. The birth-bija is a miniature mirror upon which the whole being is reflected. A guru should know all this by close contact with his disciple for a long period, so as to be able to choose the right bija-mantra for him. When the right mantra is chosen it will produce remarkable results within a short time. All bad and unspiritual tendencies will begin to change toward spiritual development, strength will replace weakness, disease will be displaced by health. There will be more and more happiness and less and less pain. If these things do not happen, either the wrong mantra has been chosen or the disciple is stone-hearted.

There is another unusual factor in relation to bija-mantra. When a yoga disciple first ascends to non-mens supreme concentration, he is unable to stay there and descends. When the ups and downs go on again and again, Mahakundalini, who is one with Parama Shiwa (Supreme Consciousness), exhibits her spiritual creativity, unlike the creativity of prana by which the universe has been evolved. Mahakundalini, masking everything that is not Consciousness, and only being in Consciousness, manifests herself through Supreme Nada and Supreme Bindu as bija-mantra and Ishtadewata at the sahasrara level. Bija-mantra arises from the Supreme Nada aspect of Mahakundalini and from the Supreme Bindu aspect. At one point bija-mantra becomes Ishtadewata, and at another point Ishtadewata becomes bija-mantra. It is Mahakundalini who shows her two aspects—bija-mantra and Ishtadewata. There is no difference between bija-mantra and Ishtadewata. The disciple at the sahasrara level, through bija-mantra, develops deepest concentration in which the entire consciousness is of Ishtadewata. When concentration is less deep, mantra-sound is heard and the mantra-sound makes concentration deeper and, at a certain point, it is transformed into Ishtadewata when concentration becomes deepest. In this manner, superconscious concentration becomes established in the disciple. He gradually becomes master. Then it becomes easier for him to pass through Supreme Bindu and Supreme Nada to Mahakundalini in her supreme spiritual aspect, and to attain stable non-mens supreme concentration.

There are two power-flows in mantra: one is the prana-flow and the other is the Kundalini flow. Kundalini exercises control over prana, both partially and completely. In partial control, the general creative activities of prana are restrained and the pranic energy is utilized in exhibiting superpowers. When prana is fully controlled, spiritual power arises in mantra by which Kundalini is aroused and her spiritual yoga power is released. This causes the absorption of all creative principles. So in mantra lie both spiritual yoga and wibhuti (superpower). In one aspect, mantra is a means to acquire super-powers; and in another aspect, mantra leads to spiritual yoga. This is why it has been stated: ‘When the principle of mantra is known, a person becomes freed-alive and attains animan power (the power of transforming the material body into subtle body) and other superpowers’ (—Yogashikhopanishad, 2.6–7).

Mantra in Waikhari-form

Mantra does not normally occur in the material field. Mantras are formed at the madhyama level where they exhibit their creative omnipotence under the full control of Ishwara—Supreme Being in his aspect of supreme powerfulness. On the other hand, mantras retain their basic spiritual power of arousing Kundalini. The mantra-sounds are heard at the shabda tanmatra level. Shabda tanmatra is all sound. Shabda tanmatra itself has its sound form. It is the bija ‘Hang’. When Shabda tanmatra evolves akasha (void) maha-bhuta and sparsha (touch) tanmatra by its sound-power, it becomes more specialized. In this sound energy-organization there are 16 matrika-units with the central bija ‘Hang’. In a similar manner, there are 12 matrika-units and the central bija ‘Yang’ in the touch energy-organization, 10 matrika-units and bija ‘Rang’ in the sight energy-organization, 6 matrika-units and bija ‘Wang’ in the taste energy-organization, and 4 matrika-units and bija ‘Lang’ in the smell energy-organization. Neither matrika-units nor bijas occur beyond this point. This is the borderland of the madhyama. So beyond madhyama there are no mantras. Matrika has progressively decreased in size and, at the ‘Lang’ level, there are only 4 matrikas. And thereafter there is nothing.

When this point is reached, there is no creation of new principles; the mahabhutas are combined with each other in a complex manner to form material energy and matter. Shabda tanmatra together with akasha mahabhuta produce sound-energy in the material field, which effects gross sounds. In a similar manner, sparsha tanmatra, rupa tanmatra, rasa tanmatra and gandha tanmatra together with wayu mahabhuta, teshs mahabhuta, ap mahabhuta and prithiwi mahabhuta produce respectively the sensory phenomena of touch, sight, taste, and smell in the material field. However, Shabda tanmatra is the only source of sound-energy which produces all kinds of sound in the material field, and only a part of it is audible. These are waikhari sounds. They are without nada-bindu. So they are non-mantra sounds.

The non-mantra waikhari sounds cannot go beyond the senso-intellectual consciousness, so they are unable to reach the tanmatra level. These waikhari sounds, when arranged in certain forms, become the avenues of the expression of mental ideas. It may also be said that nonmantra waikhari sounds are elements which contribute in the formation of that aspect of mind which functions through the senses and exhibits intellectual, volitional and affective phenomena. These sounds only operate in the material field. Mantra-sounds operate at the superconscious level. The non-mantra waikhari sounds are the elements causing distraction of the mind. This means that consciousness at the sensory level exhibits multiformity and is limited in its power. The sense-consciousness is only able to picture the outer world as smell, taste, sight, touch and sound. On the other hand, mantra-sounds develop concentration.

At the sensory level, one does not hear the mantra-sound nor see Ishtadewata. Then how is it possible to develop concentration through mantra? It indicates the necessity of having a guru who has heard the mantra-sound and seen Ishtadewata. The mantra-sound is that sound which is unmodified, natural, pure sound arising from a power having both aspects—pranic creativity and spirituality; and this perfect sound is ‘heard’ at the shabda tanmatra level.

Through a process of concentration the guru reaches the shabda tanmatra level. The process consists of five stages. He first reduces smell tanon in deep concentration to taste tanon, and then taste tanon to sight tanon, sight tanon to touch tanon and, finally, touch tanon to sound tanon—shabda tanmatra. At this level mantra-sounds are reflected, registered, and ‘heard’ by his highly purified and concentrated consciousness. He first hears the Weda-sounds, then Gayatri, then bija-mantras, then matrika and, finally, pranawa-sound. When he is established in concentration at the shabda tanmatra level, he follows the course of the sounds in a reverse way so as to reach their origin. At a certain level of concentration the Weda-sounds arise. When concentration becomes still deeper, the Weda-sounds vanish and the Gayatri-sounds arise. In this manner when Gayatri vanishes, bija-mantras arise and then bija-mantras merge into matrika. At this stage, the fifty specialized sounds are heard separately. Then there is a summation of these fifty sounds from which arises the sound ‘ong’. Then through ‘ong’ the source of the mantra-sound is reached. The sound ‘ong’ is finally absorbed into Kundalini in muladhara, and the guru experiences only Kundalini in her lightning-like splendorous form. Again he comes back to the sound-form of Kundalini and follows the course of the mantra-sound—pashyanti and then madhyama through sushumna, and reaches the shabda tanmatra level. In this manner, by going up and down through sushumna again and again he becomes established in mantrayoga.

Now the guru desires to give mantra a waikhari form. Mantra is the seat of both prana and Kundalini. When prana is operative, the yoga-superpower is manifested, and Kundalini becomes coiled; but when prana is controlled, Kundalini is aroused and spiritual concentration becomes a normal mode of being. To give mantra a Waikhari form it is necessary to add elements to the mantra-sound which will impart audibility. These elements come from prana. When the genuine mantra-sound is altered in this way both prana and Kundalini become coiled. The genuine mantra-sound is first transferred to the rarefied thought-intelligence level where mantra gets its sensory form and is reflected in the purified sense-consciousness. From sense-consciousness it passes to the will-mind and then it becomes conative impulse, then cerebral energy and, finally, motor impulses which activate the apparatus for voice production to produce a replica of the mantra-sound in a new sensory form—the waikhari mantra. The guru is able to reduce the waikhari mantra to its original sound-form. The guru utters the waikhari mantra to his chosen disciple who hears it; the guru also imparts the prana and spiritual powers to his disciple to make the waikhari mantra work. The guru does not wish to utter the mantra to those who are not prepared for it, because to them mantra appears as meaningless sounds. Even if a person hears a mantra and tries to work on it, he will achieve very little unless guided by a guru.

The mere sound-form of the waikhari mantra is without spiritual power and superpower. Consequently it is possible to think that such a mantra is useless. But it is different when a well-prepared disciple hears a mantra from his guru. The guru knows how to arouse both prana-force and Kundalini-power, which reside in the mantra in coiled forms, by applying appropriate processes. This is the arousing of the mantra—imparting life to the audible mantra. According to the direction of the guru, the disciple is able to make the mantra live. A guru of a very high order is able to impart to his thoroughly trained disciple an enlivened mantra, called siddha mantra, which does not require any process of awakening.

The auditory sound factor of the mantra is not useless at the sensory level. First of all, it is the only form in which the mantra can be used by a disciple who is unable to reach the tanmatra level by deep concentration. But it must come from a guru. The powerlessness of the waikhari mantra is mainly due to the transformation of its genuine normal sound to audible sound. But there are processes by which the audible mantra is made powerful and its spirituality is awakened. If this is not done, the mantra will remain as dead. But when it is made living, it exhibits various powers. On the spiritual side, Kundalini-power is awakened and in a right moment Kundalini manifests in an appropriate divine form linked to the mantra as Ishtadewata. Ishtadewata is also made to appear in a living material form by the mantra.

By ritualistic worship, pranayama (breath-control) and japa (sound-process), the spiritual power of the mantra begins to be aroused and as a result concentration becomes uninterrupted and deep. In this way, first dharana (holding-concentration) is mastered, and then dharana begins to be transformed into dhyana (deep concentration). When mantra is made fully enlivened by japa, dhyana and worship, Kundalini residing in the mantra in latent form is aroused and finally she appears in a divine form as Ishtadewata.

Except in case of an enlivened mantra, all waikhari mantras should be aroused by certain specific processes. They are complicated and cannot be successful without the help of guru. These processes consist in japa of certain specific waikhari mantras in a certain order with a number of nyasa (a special method of purification by placing hands on certain parts of the body with mantras), pranayama, and certain modes of concentration. The most important is the arousing of real sound-power in a waikhari mantra in which it has been latent due to an alteration of sound-form. The natural mantra-sound has been changed to the vibrational gross sound effected by the action of a vibrating mechanism. This is waikhari-sound. The mantra-sound is the pure normal sound intrinsically associated with power which is capable of exhibiting superpower and spiritual power. In creating the waikhari-sound, the normal mantra-sound which is apprehended without any modification in superconsciousness, has to be transmitted to intellect and sense-consciousness, where a process of modification takes place. This modification is necessary to give the sound a shape which can be reproduced as a vibrational waikhari-sound. In this process, the power emitting mantra-sound becomes latent, and its sound factor is reproduced, in a modified form, as waikhari mantra-sound. The original natural mantra-sound is called anahata-mantra (—Nirwanopanishad, 3.13). The mantra-sound is not produced through instrumentalization, but arises normally from Kundalini-power, this is why the sound is anahata, that is, not produced by a vibrating body, but unmodified and normal. Our object is to retransform the Waikhari mantra-sound to anahata mantra-sound by arousing the sleeping power. When the power is roused, the anahata-mantra-sound will arise normally.