If we saw Tavayogi and Kartigayan fill us in on creation in the earlier post, we look towards Swami Vivekananda in his "Raja Yoga - Conquering the Internal nature", Advaita Ashrama, Calcutta, 1998 for his explanation. "When there was neither aught nor naught, what existed", he asks us.
At the beginning of creation, there was only akasha. Before creation, Akasha was in existence or in a state of being without motion. "By what power is the akasha manufactured into this universe," he asks. By the power of prana. Just as akasha is the infinite, omnipresent material of this universe, so is this prana the infinite, omnipresent manifesting power of this universe.
Before creation, that akasha existed without motion. The physical motion of the prana was stopped, but it existed all the same. Akasha that is existence and without shape and form, is given shape and form by Prana. Akasha that is subtle is seen only once it takes on a form. From a potential state, it comes into action or becomes kinetic through the action of the forces brought forth by prana. It is akasha that becomes air, which in turn becomes the liquids; which then turns to solids. Prana is the power or energy that brings forth these forms and their relative transformation and transitions.
While akasha is the omnipresent, all-pervading existence that can be considered as an egg that contains all of creation and its existence; the equally omnipresent, manifesting power or energy that creates, sustains, annihilates, and drives all things is prana. Before creation, prana existed, all the same, its physical action temporarily put on hold. Prana is the driving force behind all the forces such as motion, gravitation, magnetism etc. Prana manifests as actions, thoughts, nerve currents, etc Prana that is in each particle of food, in every drop of water, ever-present in the air around us, and dwells in the deepest reaches of the ground and the far reaches of space, is the reason we all are breathing and alive today.
Just as at the end of its cycle, they all return to their former states - solids to liquids and liquids to gases and finally it all melts back into akasha, all the forces in the universe too, be it the subtle, mental or physical, all resolve back into the original state of prana, evolving and involving through eternity. At the end of a cycle, the energies now displayed in the universe quieten down and become potential. At the end of the cycle while the solids, the liquids, and the gases all melt into the akasha again, all the forces that are in the universe resolve back into the prana. At the beginning of the next cycle, they start up, strike upon the akasha, and out of the akasha evolve these various forms. And the next creation proceeds out of this akasha.
From thought down to the lowest force, everything is but the manifestation of prana. It is in the ether that the forces of prana are most subtle, in the finer states of vibration. Hence thought is the finest of prana. Thoughts though is classified as arising out of the unconscious, conscious and superconscious. Instincts, reflex action, and unconscious thought is the lowest plane of action. Conscious thought includes judging, thinking, deliberating the pros and cons, and reasoning. But these are all limited by reason. When thoughts go beyond reason and instinct that is superconsciousness. Swami Vivekananda says that a Yogi pushes his mind to the state of superconscious. Imagine if one could harness this prana energy that is the life energy of creation and all its manifestations just as we harness electricity from sunlight, the wind, and water? The Siddhas realized that the only "apparent difference between the living and the dead was the function of respiration." This observation mooted the Siddhas to find ways to increase and retain the prana, that energizes all of creation including both the world around us and including us.
How do we retain this prana in us? The means is by yoga. The technique is by observing the breath. He explains the ways of yoga and pranayama. We are moved by prana to inhale and exhale says Swami Vivekananda. Pranayama then is control of the motion of the lungs. Nerve currents will have to be displaced and given a new channel. New sorts of vibration will begin, the whole constitution will be remodeled, as it were.
Korakar in his "Chandraregai 200", extolls the importance of the prana and its vehicle that is the breath.
வீடான வீடதுவும் சொந்தமாச்சு
வெளியாக ஓதிவைத்தேன் வினையம் ஏக
நாடான நாடதனிற் கடவுளென்று
நானிலத்தி லாட்டு வித்தல் காற்று காற்று
கோடான கோடி தெய்வம் காற்றுக்கே தான்
கூறி வைத்தா ரல்லாது வேறொன்றில்லை
ஆடாத ஆட்டமெல்லாம் காற்று மாகும்
அதுவகன்றா லகிலமுத லழிந்து போமே
Korakar sums it up saying all things move because of this prana and the moment it stops moving the universe perishes. Tavayogi once told me "Breath is God." Agathiyar has mentioned in numerous incidences that he gave his breath to save his devotee.
Korakar in his "Chandraregai 200", mentions the means in retaining the breath within and subduing the mind at the same time, making this body God's dwelling.
பான்மையுறப் பதினெண்பேர் நாதாக்கள் தாம்
பாலிதங்களான தொறு ஞான சூட்சம்
மேன்மையுட னோதிடுவேன் வாசி கூட்டி
முக்கோணம் அதனுள்ளே வட்டம் சோதி
ஆன்மமுடன் நீ பார்த்து அசையா துற்றால்
ஆதாரமாக மனம் அசையா துய்யும்
வான் மதியும் ரவியடங்கும் வட்டத் துள்ளே
வாசிவெளி யாகாது ஞான வீடே 192
Its translation,
"I shall share a divine secret of the 18 Nattakal,
Inhaling, bringing your soul or Atma to witness or look into the circular Jhoti within the triangle,
the mind tends to settle, the moon and sun sets into the circle,
the breath is stalled within, leading to the kingdom of Gnana."
Kalanginathar too reiterates the technique in his "Upadesa Gnanam 34".
ஆவியென்ற பிராணமது புருவமீது
அடங்கினால் மறுபிறவி யுண்டாம் பாரு
ஆவியென்ற பிராணனது முக்கோணத்தில்
அடங்கினால் மறுபிறவி யில்லை யில்லை 21
"When the prana settles in at the Agnai,
there shall be another birth,
But when it settles in the triangle,
there is no further birth."
Tavayogi wrote in his book, Andamum Pindamum, its translation, "The common man cannot travel the journey as long as he is a captive of the physical and material body. A transformation and transmutation within the depths of the body are required prior to venturing further on. The experiencing of this internal process that comes with the internal journey is Gnanam and Soruba Siddhi. The Siddha path leads to this experience."
மனிதன் உடலில் இருக்கும் வரை மேல்நோக்கிப் பயணம் செய்ய முடியாது. ஆகவே பஞ்சபூத உடலை வேதியியல் மாற்றத்தால் மாற்றி மூல அணுவாக மாற்றி புவியீர்ப்புக் கோட்டை கடந்து வெட்டவெளியில் சேர்ந்து சுதந்திரமாக உலாவுவதே ஞானம் ஆகும். அதுவே சொரூப சித்தி எனப்படும். அதை போதிப்பதுதான் சித்தர் நெறி. வெட்டவெளி ஜோதியாவதே ஞானம்.
The transformation comes with Pranayama and the control of the motion of the lungs, says Swami Vivekananda. With practice, nerve currents will be displaced and given a new channel. New sorts of vibration will begin, the whole constitution will practically be remodeled. If we had previously taken tavam or austerities and dhanam or charity as the tool to in Sariyai and Kriyai, we take the breath as the tool to bring about this transformation and transmutation in Yogam.
When one starts to observe his normal breathing and its pattern, he has moved into yoga and pranayama. Agathiyar had asked that we observe and meditate on this. So when Agathiyar asked if I was doing it, I told him it was rather difficult to get the mind to settle down. He immediately asked if I had started the simple purification therapy that he recommended that I prepare and take on a daily basis. Prior to that, he had Siddha Vaidyar Arivan prepare and give me and others his Agathiyar Kuzhambu that was a purgative to rid of the toxins or kalivu accumulated in the body all these years. I took it and saw the results of this massive cleanout. It was one-off and one could take it again after six months. But that which Agathiyar asks to take daily, was difficult to swallow. He instructed me to take as there were still toxins lodged, although the main course had expelled much of it and brought a balance to the three dosas in the body. On a later visit, he acknowledged that the mind is indeed difficult to tame and bring under control as it will resist all attempts towards it. Nevertheless, he asks to continue the practice of observing the breath. The most compassionate father revealed to us that his Diksa mantra, when recited with the breath held in retention or kumbaka, shall pave the way for one to eventually see bodily changes take place. The existing Asuddha Deham becomes pure or Suddha Deham and later turns into the Pranava Deham and finally becomes Oli Deham.
As I was recalling all these messages and guidance given by Agathiyar and my gurus including the many upagurus who came by, Roshan Sekhon shares a passage from Ruzbeh Bharucha's book "The Fakir - the Journey Within" in our Gnanakottam Whatsapp group, "Was reading, came across this wonderful explanation by Baba. Since we are all into going within and staying still, it's a good read and advice." It came at a time when I was making a deal with Agathiyar asking him if there was an easy way to reach Gnana without any effort. I received the answer (and another slap on the cheeks) from Shirdi Sai through this passage. I have become used to receiving slaps on the cheeks from the gurus and the masters for my foolishness, stupidity, and overzealousness.
It is obvious now that there are no easy means to attain Yogam and Gnanam, reaffirming Agathiyar's earlier moments with me when I asked for Gnanam. He told me Gnana was not given by him, but I had to earn it by placing concerted efforts in moving within. The experiences that unfold during this journey in going within is Gnana for us and it would vary from person to person. As Baba says, "There are no free meals in the cosmos. We all have to work for each meal of ours" and "Under no cost are you or anybody so privileged that you can expect meditation, Oneness, and nothingness to come without proper effort and dedication", nothing comes easy.
Ramalinga Adigal, the most recent Siddha, in his many compositions, that are documented experiences of his journey, tells us that by taking the hand of his guru, Agathiyar, he strived for 12 long years and with the grace of the divine, he attained the much-acclaimed state of deathlessness. Agathiyar himself is said to have meditated under the sea for 12 long years too. Arunagiri is said to have been told to go within and stayed in that deep state of meditation for 12 long years too. When Jnana Jhotiamma was told to go within, Agathiyar shut her up completely inside a room and asked her to stay away from all social media that he said would adversely affect her meditation in solitude or tavam. We too have been reminded to go within. We have to brace ourselves for it is going to be a very very long journey.
