The Inherent Powers of Silence and Sound

   The universe was initially in a state of absolute silence, peace, tranquil state- mahattanta shanta. This is the state of equilibrium where the purusha and prakruti are one in quietude, 'brahmn', 'bhuman'. Any disturbance in this state creates a ripple, a wave, a sound (nada) that condenses into a gross form bindu. These 'nada', svara, shabda, and 'bindu' are the gross forms while the tremor, ripple, wave, current are all powerful subtler forces that have their origin in the tranquil state of absolute silence! The first emanate sound is a and m- the beginning (open mouth to pronounce a and close the lips to pronounce m!  The universe begins with a and ends with m! The existence (sthiti), maintenance or sustenance depends on h, that makes ah; further, the sound ah when joined  by m becomes ah and am as u and ultimately the primordial gross sound of aum (Om) pervades the universe, throughout its depth and extent far and wide- unlimited! The bhutishakti akasha (sky) is the first to emanate from the sound as it traverses it!  The sound is the subtler aspect, tanmatra, of akasha (space). It is traversed, pervaded by Om as the first creative energy. 'Om' is an insignia, a symbol, of creation, sustainance and disssolution- all-in-one; It has not taken the gross form of an alphabet or akshara since the material world is yet to take a form! The first sound 'ah', full of creative energy is thus formed out of the sound emanating from the vishuddhi chakra, at throat. The sound uh originates at the heart level, in the anahata chakra. Finally ah and am become aum with the sound m joining at the nabhi (navel) manipura chakra. This is narrated by the Adhya Shakti Devi Shree! 
  Devi Shree is the manifest form of Shree Hari Narayana, and as such, She holds all the powers of Narayana. Narayana is parabrahman. He is the 'Silent Ocean of Consciousness' (Shanta mahachitsagara). He is the ultimate, absolute, param padam dhamam. He is adviteeyam and incomparable. He is nishkala (blemishless), tejomaya (Brilliant), and all-pervasive, vishnu.
  "The 'ahanta' (I-hood or I-ness, Shakti) is Lakshmi., the absolute power of Brahmn, the supreme soul (param atman). Devi Shree says, " In order to help all living beings, I voluntarily manifest myself in the form of 'matrika-mantra' containing shabdabrahmn. In the form of the mantra, I follow each particular deity referred to in it.  In the beginning, (the adept) should evoke me in my original tara-form. First, the adept should take the letter dhruva (a), then add the (letter) karna to it (a+u). then he should add the (letter) nabhi (m)to that finally utter them together (a+u+m- OM)"

   "Having thus constructed Om, the adept should first decorate the Brahma-taraka with bindu, thereupon with nada. Thus, as an accompaniment to this taraka he should meditate on the  eternal brahmn made up of these three letters in the vaishnava form (Lakshmi-narayana), the mind following towards it incessantly, like tailadhara, continuous flow of oil!."
  "Here, a is aniruddha; u is pradyumna; m is sankarshana and Om is vasudeva!"
Devi proceeds to say, "O Sureshvara,  the indivisibility (integral nature) of these four letters is the nada. The highest perfection of 'nada' is Me, the 'I-ness', 'ahanta', of Vishnu, brahmn, who is the highest Goddess (Lakshmi) " (Lakshmi Tantra, XXIV 1-10)

What is Liberation?

"Liberation from worldly bondage means that the jiva has been forced from his three limitations - of space (anutva), of knowledge (ajnyana/asarvajnyatva), and of powers to act (anaishvarya)." However, the embedded jiva, engaged in mundane worldly pursuits due to avidya, ajnyana, can overcome these limitations. The means of liberation are: karma, sankhya (jnyan), sanyasa (renunciation) and sharanagati or prapatti. The Bhagavad-Gita gives a detailed account of the karma, sankhya and the sanyasa yoga and these are the traditional ways of attaining liberation, mukti. The principle of sharanagati is the bhagavata sampradaya (bhakti tradition) which demands total abnegation of the Self. It is presumed that the jiva suffers due to ajnyana, avidya, ignorance as to its true nature. The moment the jiva realizes the nature of existence on this earth where everything has a beginning and an end, and understands the process of evolution, as also the purpose of existence there comes enlightenment. Knowledge leads to wisdom and renunciation that paves the way for liberation. It is also very important to know the concept of God or the power that governs the jiva! God is supposed to be the supreme and essential consciousness. Consciousness is at the root of all existence. It is cognitive power without which there comes nothing into jiva's attention. Besides, karma and jnyana there comes dhyana, meditation. The jiva can attain liberation with the help of yoga sadhana under a learned teacher, guru, an attained one!

   'Samadhi' and 'samyama' are the two ways of Meditation. In the first, the jiva enters samadhi and merges into the absolute state of brahmn, become one with IT. In fact, the jiva existed in this state of brahman prior to its embodiment! Hence, it reverts to its, to its original pure and pristine form! This is called 'pratyabhijnya hrudyam', remembering its past. This is achieved by introspection, savikalpa samadhi yoga, samyama. 

   Worship of God according to pancharatra agama shastra is supposed to be the most pleasing one to Devi, Shakti. This will enable the devotee to get instant mukti also due to Her grace! Even a side glance of Devi Shree is enough! The jiva is cleansed of all ts blemishes, karma kleshas, rendered free to attain jnyan, bhakti, vairagya and mukti! This is the best way to practice since it also gives what all one desires in life and liberation at one's will by the grace of Devi Shree! So many devotees take to worship of Devi in all Her power and glory! They adopt the mantra shastra for worship and chakra dhyana and celebrate the Devi's festivities and enjoy all the goodies of life as well. (LT. XVI 32, 40). There a re elaborate means of creating the icons, idols and methods of worship and the rules and regulations to be followed. This is not an easy task!

    However, a word of caution: These are to be undertaken under a well trained acknowledged priest and a guru. Any deviation in the right path will bring catastrophic results!

The Predicament of the Jiva and Liberation in Lakshmi Tantra

'Lakshmi tantra' is a very important source of knowledge about the nature of the jiva and its predicaments, and means of liberation. Accordingly, "The jiva, an animate thing, is the 'self-imposed limited  state of the absolute consciousness' which is God's essence." The five koshas viz, anna, prana, manas, vijnyana, and ananda are the sheathes that cover the Atman (Soul, the Self).These are the maya kosha and the jivakoshas since there are annam (food and drinks) as the basis or support of the physical body, without which the jiva will not survive beyond a few days! And, then there are the subtle forces such as prana and manas that are beyond the control of the jiva. Thus, life is governed by many subtle forces that are beyond the control of the person.  

   Lakshmi tantra explicitly states that "Three primary divine pairs- Brahma-trayi, Vishnu-Lakshmi, and Rudra-Gouri, and all God's incarnations manifested within the cosmic embryo possesses transcendental bodies." All  that exist, starting from the subtler energy aspects, Shakti or Deities like hari hara virinchi down to the germs, viruses and insects, all the different subtle, gross forms of existence are conscious beings, from celestial gods to plants,  have material bodies acquired due to their actions and the results of actions as karma phala. "Jiva is not different from Shakti". Just as Shakti creates the universe from itself as its own support (svayambhu), i.e., 'self-existent', so also does the jiva manifests the universe reflected on him the same way as a  mirror reflects a mountain. (LT XIII 24). This principle is also found in Chandogya Upanishad VI. 2. I."It  is like seeing the universe in one's body, o  the ocean in a drop of water.

   Further, Lakshmi tantra goes on to say, "The jivas, like Shakti, too have five functions. His cognition of objects is his creative functions; his attachment to material objects is his function of sustenance; his satiation by these objects is his destructive function; and his desire for material objects is his function of delusion. And, finally, his detachment from that desire is the function of divine grace. Some jivas are fettered to worldly existence; some are liberated from that bondage; and, some are 'ever free'!

    Jiva's liberation always depends on Shakti's compassion,which persuades her to bestow her divine grace on the initiate. This occurrence, happening, is called "shaktipaata'.,  .

(to be contd.)

"Lakshmi Tantra"

    We have an invaluable source of material regarding the creation, nature of the jiva and the universe and many a beautiful techniques to live successfully, happily, joyfully, peacefully, and even gracefully exit. This ancient scripture was found in a village Kalale, near Najangud (Mysore) in Telugu language. This was traced by Prof. Sanjukta  Gupta, teaching in Oxford, formerly at university of Utrecht, Netherlands. She has given the English translation of the verses, published by Motilal Banarsidass Publishers, Delhi 2007. The beauty of these verses is that they go to the root words, syllables and sounds that emanated from Divine Mother Devi Lakshmi. It is a dialogue between Shakra (Indra) and Lakshmi, the power and glory of Shree Hari Narayana. Shakra asks a number of questions regarding the creation, the nature and predicaments of the living beings (jiva), the means of liberation, and other questions about devi devata and their powers, including Her own powers and relationship with Narayana! and the powers inherent in them. Lakshmi explains all the secrets in this ancient scripture, one of the two hundred pancharatra samhita. 

   In Her own words, "Devi Shree (addressing Shakra)- Listen to the description of the three states of existence viz,gross, subtle, and absolute (states) of (the shakti), which is the supreme science (i.e., mantra) called Tarika, the savior (of the devotee from the sufferings of) existence. The gross form (of Tarika, who is identical with) me, contains five sounds- hreem (is adorned with the sound called 'naada' after the 'bindu' which resembles the tingling sound of a bell, otherwise it is just four letters), or (sometimes) four; my subtle form possesses three sounds ('Im' or 'eem'); and (my) absolute form consists of (the sound called) vishnu (I or ee). Further, Devi Shree states: "Each of these three states of mine (That is of Tarika) is again subdivided into three conditions. The absolute condition in the gross state contains (the sound) 'paramatman' (ha), joined with (the sounds) 'asheshabhuvanaadhaara' (ra), vishnu (I or ee), and vyapin (hreem). This state contains both the enjoyer and the object of enjoyment. [Sanjukta Gupta: Lakshmi Tantra Ch.XXII verse 1-3).

   This is how the Tarika mantra 'hreem' has come to be very important in the tantric world!
  However, this should not be treated as a very simple and easy technique to practice for ordinary mortals. Let's see what Devi Shree says regarding this. "The true form of the jiva" is given Ch. XIII. Devi Shree says, "Broiling in their own deeds (they) are in the very center of the hot coal that represents mundane life; they inadvertently seek happiness, but  (instead), owing to ignorance, get crushed by misery." Further, She says, "As movable and immovable beings they continuously pass through an endless chain of births. Inextricably enmeshed in the miseries of body, senses, mind, and intelligence through the results caused by certain deeds, (jivas) are ever subjected to recurrent birth and death, and undergo affliction through systematic exertion or its absence (i.e., attempts to avoid misery or to pursue happiness, as the case may be). (These considerations engender (in Me) endless compassion for these jivas. I obliterate their sins, and I, Shree, ensure that (such) jivas escape beyond the clutches of misery. (This act of compassion of mine) is called 'anugraha', which is also referred to as the 'descent' of the supreme Shakti. Further, even this is not so simple! Devi Shree says, "Having received My Grace. they (such of the fortunate jivas who received it) are absolved from their karman (i.e., extinction of consequences of their actions). The jivas infused with My grace possess My 'apaschima' (non-phenomenal), a pure or sattvika body transcending the material body. 
   Thus, it is essential to attract the grace of the Devi by constantly chanting Her mantra! (ibid, Ch. XIII 4- 9)

The Sound of Breath.

   The scriptures assert that "The vibrant energy that pervades the universe as 'chit-shakti', 'Consciousness', is the breath of the Lord". It is said, "He, the Lord breathes unto us without Himself breathing"! All that breathes here is the creative energy of the vital airs, 'prana-shakti', the breath of the Lord. It is He who is seated in us as 'antaryamin', the Self' of all, that breathes. As humans or animals, we have absolutely no control over it. If it stops, it stops. Nothing can be done about it!
  Breathing is an action that produces sound 'sa' in in-breath and 'ha' in out-breath. Everything is sustained by the syllables 's', 'h' supported by 'r' and 'i'. The term 'Shri' is the name and function of the creative power Devi Adhya Shakti. She breathes unto us without Herself ever breathing! She is the power and glory of the Lord! It is called in the female gender since it the power of creation. All creations are thus the 'Sound' of Her breath, the creative energy of the Lord. The sound that we hear traverse the space and it has the potential to create anything and everything!
   The English alphabets called the vowels a, e, i, o, and u are the potential sounds and the same akshara (syllables) are the powerful sounds in samskruta bhasha, as well! However, it must be noted that there are no upper case capital letters in the devanagari. In fact, use of capital letters for proper nouns are also prohibited for they will give different sounds with different power of creation. The samskruta vidwan, pundits, give special importance to phonetics in uttering the mantra. The mantra have the power of creation, sustenance, transformation, as well as dissolution. Mantra protects us from dangers! trayate iti matra | The single sound that creates us is 'shreem' and that protects us is 'hreem'. The tarika mantra that protects us is 'hreem' the deity of which is tara. The power of creation is inherent in the sound- 'aim', pronounced as 'eye m'. The syllable 'm' has the power of joining, uniting, merging, anything with anything! We close the lips to pronounce this syllable (sound) 'm'. The jiva (u) is united by 'm' with paramatman (a) when the mantra 'aum' is uttered in dhyan.
  The world comes into existence with the sound of the  'aum'. These  three sounds of a, u, and m have their source in the sound of our breath originating from the navel, heart, and the throat, respectively. The creative potential is in the sound of the syllable 'a' and the creative energy as a dynamic force comes from the heart, almost ending with the sound of 'm' at the throat that tries to escape from the mouth, but prevented to sustain the creation by closing the lips! Hence whatever we speak, opening our mouth lose all their power of creation, the sat and chit aspect of the supreme Creatrix. The great sages always keep quiet, 'mum' for fear of losing their power of askesis, tapas. They are called 'muni'. 
   The sound of every syllable of the alphabets have thus inherent power of creation without exception! The most powerful of them are, however, so important that the entire universe is created, sustained and dissolved by them These are: ya, ra, la, va, sa, ha, sha, pa, pha, bha, ma, ka, and ksha. Even the space, air, fire, water, land, and life are created by the sound of these syllables! All that we breathe is producing these sounds by the circulation of the in-breath and the out-breaths. The jiva stops functioning with the departing out-breath never to come back, and it is not in our hands to get it back once it leaves! Now, the secret of creation is revealed by none other than the deities called by different names like lakshmi, parvati, durga, kali,sharada, saraswati, Ila, bhu, etc.   

Vayu (Air) and Agni (Fire)

Vayu manifests from Akasha; agni manifests from both akasha and vayu. Thus, vayu is fifty percent of akasha and, agni is one-third akasha and one-third vayu. These elements are generated from the creative power of the syllables like a+k='ak' (agni, where 'a' the potent energy joining k takes the form g to create fire), va+y+u (vayu/air). Similarly, 'jal' (water) is formed when the syllable 'l' (the water principle) is joined ja, becomes jal (gross liquid form of water is created! Thus, the three elements (bhuti - air, fire and water come into existence from space (akasha), rather, appear as if coming one out of one another! One may ask, "How does one come out of the other? Well, it seems, the other was already there before come out of it, as if One comes out of zero, nothing and two comes out of one by one becoming one more! However, it is stated in the scriptures that the syllable  'a' is brahmn (bruhat), vast that holds everything, Akasha! It is 'akshara brahma'. The syllable a is potent enough to create everything! When brahmn the vast  becomes reduced (as if Shiva desired)(kanchuki) to a concise form or compressed form to the size of a small particle, condensed into a bindu (a point) iota, or 'ion', it becomes consonant 'k'. Thus, a becomes k and together 'k+a' in the process is generated enormous heat due to compression, condensation like the potential energy (a) converted into kinetic energy (k). Thus, we find heat, fire, agni emanating along with vayu ('sa' or 's+ha') making it A+ka=sha (Akasha).Thus, Akasha (Space) contained vayu and agni. In other words, the principal elements of air and fire emanated in space! Interestingly, the scientists also speak in the same tome and have given the names of the persons who discovered it. The invisible particle that was all energy without mass discovered by the French scientist Fermi came to be known as fermion and the particle that obtained mass from it due to condensation as discovered by Bose and Einstein came to be known as bosons! Both are 'ion' (eye on) since their eyes fell on it? Any wonder how the material made its appearance from almost a state of nothing! All the sub-atomic particles like the Guam, Electrons, Protons, Neutrons, quarks are the energy particles!
   Rk Veda proclaimed everything is Agni (Fire) 'Energy'. The 'tribhandu' (three brothers) are surya, soma, and anala, different forms of agni. The Sun, the Moon, the Earth, and all that we find here, are the forms of Energy. There are the coal, oil,natural gas that are flammable! There is fire hidden in the dry sticks, stones (just not coal but radio-active minerals included), atomic energy, water power (hydel and wave energy), air (Wind energy), and everything that can be named can be harnessed! We are yet to develop the full potential of huge waste of bio-fuels?

    This is not all. The process of creation continued. There appeared water and earth from these space, air and fire! Water, as we all know is compound of Hydrogen and Oxygen that existed in air. Vayu (air) contained the life-force prana (oxygen) and hydrogen was already there in the Sun (agni / Fire). The alphabets 'sa' and 'ha' (of A ka sha) represent the Life-force as our own in-breath and out-breath! Thus, we the humans breathing and living here are also the product of this chain process of creation and our body is made of all these pancha mahabhuta (five elements - the space, air, fire, water and earth). The alphabet 'ka' also represents the jiva or prani.

Space (Akasha)

   Space is the most intriguing of all creations! Who created Space? What is Space? What are the dimensions of Space? But, surprisingly, we are told that there is One who rolls it and carries it away under His arms! Yes, it is the most intriguing thing. 

   The scriptures state that 'Space' is an illusion. It is beyond our ability to think about space since it is so vast that it will not come within the grasp of our comprehension. It is there, it is not there! We do not know what is this space that accommodates everything, imagined  unimagined or ever imagined! It is flexible. It expands or contracts as we deem fit or as we desire, or for that matter, as is our mind.Our Mind is the space! Thre is nothing that exists outside of us and, as such, the space exists within us. 

  What is 'space'? Is it matter or spirit? Spirits, too, exist in space. Space is everything and there is nothing that exists outside of space. Whatever exists is covered by space  The space is both matter and spirit; it is visible and not visible. It is paradoxical that we create space and we are within space, rather limitation of space. Space creates time and time creates space. Both space and time exists within us! Space is the first creation of mind and mind is nothing but space! The scripture called space as brahmn. Kham brahma | Brahmn is the creator and He only manifests as space. All that we see or perceive is brahman! sarvam kahaluvidam brahma  There is nothing that is not brahmn|

   Thus, space is the first manifest form of the supreme Lord. It is His energy aspect and all objects that fill it are a form of energy only, a vibrant energy, waves of different frequency, intensity, and wavelength. All objects become gross when they are lose their energy by radiation like Uranium becoming lead. Even the Stars become planets or dud at the end when they lose all the energy since the energy is transformed from subtle to gross state. Space is thus energy. It is elastic. It expands to accommodate everything that is created by itself. 

    Space is an invisible screen. All objects are presented on this screen as their background. Objects disappear if the background, the screen, is removed. So also, the mind screen, whatever we see as objective phenomenal  world is that which is presented on the mind screen. If the Mind is not interested, even that which we see or hear, touch or smell will not be experienced! This world of experience is not even there if we do not exercise any interest or desire in it! Hence anything that is in space is within us only and the mind is the repository of all memories. The mind has the capacity to dwell deep into its deep subconscious layers and retrieve from memory what all it desires. Henc the Mind-space is much deeper and vast as one can imagine.

    The most beautiful secret about creation of space is that Light creates it. Light is the first emanate of the star, the sun, for all practical purposes for us. The moment Light is emitted by the Sun as electromagnetic waves of radiation, they start creating space. Light travels at a speed of 180 000 miles per sec. and there is no limit to its journey unless something intervenes! Hence the space is limitless and light creates it as its path of journey, Further, with the creation of space comes its companion 'Time'. Time begins the moment Light begins its journey from the point of its source, the star! Thus, we, the earthlings are in a wonderland of illusory creation, a product of time, space and light. The Space is indeed dark and full of dark matter. Light flickers here and there as a result of galaxies and stars appearing in space. We cannot see light even if it is present since light is its own Self and cannot be seen without its reflection or refraction by objects. All objects are thus created by light, time, and space. This takes us into a different world, beyond senses, mind, intellect and ego.  .

Silence, Sound Waves, Words, World and Noise

    There is a beautiful sequential order in creation. It all starts with absolute silence, mahattanta shanta! Not a thing stirs! From this state of stillness there arises somewhere in the abysmal depth a small bubble which assumes the size of a gross particle creating a wave, a sound- svara, nada and bindu. These are the subtler forces of energy that are at the base of all creation. What we can hear, see or perceive with our  mind and senses are an insignificant bandwidth of the vast range and depth of the subtler forces of creation! The ancient saints have given the names of devi and devata to each and every force, shakti, that is the cause of creation! These start as a symbol of a piece of stone, rounded or otherwise, with marks like shalagrama, Sri Chakra, Om, Swastika, or otherwise, with names like Sharda, saraswati, durga, lakshmi, kali, shivalinga or sudarshana! Thus, the ingenuity of the learned sages in identifying these subtle forces of not only creation, but dissolution, as well is seen in the scriptures like Brahmanda purana, Shiva purana, Vishnu purana, Garuda purana, Padma purana, etc. There are innumerable scriptures, most of them that are in ms. state and unpublished describing these secrets. But our ignorance prompts us to criticize anything and everything that we do not understand. There are almost two hundred pancharatra samhitas that are a storehouse of secret knowledge, where every word is of esoteric nature and needs a scholar to interpret them. Do we care? the height and depth of our ignorance is such that we do not bother to realize the fact that there are no capital letters in devanagari samskruta bhasha and the impact of capital English letters that create mess while doing translation or transliteration! This is an eye opener. Most of the European scholars have fallen into this pit of ignorance with the result there is lot of misinterpretations of ancient Indian scriptures, needless to say that the practice continues even today, now and here.

    Thus we have a lot of subtle forces opearting behind creation that cannot be put into syllable, alphabets or words. A few examples are: a, A, ba and Bha, ra, ya, va, lru, Im, shree and shreem, ka, Na and na, sa, sha, and Sha, ha, aham, Ah, ksha, Om. This list is endless. But every syllable or sound is an atomic bomb when exploded creates a vast diverse field of material objects that are in a state of elemental or compounds of gaseous, liquid, plasma or gross solid states. This is how all the elements and compounds like air, water, soil, rocks and minerals are formed! Behind every simple element lies enormous power and we have seen how the towns of Hiroshima and Nagasaki are reduced to rubble after the bombing raid! This is seen today in Mosul also! Much worse even a thought (thoughtron) is like a Hydrogen bomb! The terrorists are all evil-minded thought-forces bent on destruction! The simple physical law of entropy works here. Everything is reduced to nothingness  at the end!

   Every abstract object has a subtle spiritual force behind it! The sky we see so so vast that nobody knows its extent. What all the modern gadgets like the most powerful electronic telescopes or infra-red and UV cameras present to us are mere images and these are our own imagination; an artist can develop such images, or impression he gets on a canvass, too! Thus, we find our own powerful brain supported a much powerful mind (but weak instruments of senses!). However, the sages have come to know the secret of transcending time, space and reaching the depths of secrets of creation and dissolution. The space is not elsewhere but within us, so also, the Time! Every thing is our own creation! The Creator is seated within us as an invisible force, adrushya shakti. It is this inherent power of creation that gives us the life-force, the vital airs, the power of thinking and initiating the thought process bringing out images through imagination, mentation and ideation. All these ultimately stand before us as the gross perceivable objective world. In factr, the wife, children, friends, society, nation are all created by our own imagination! Once we close our eyes to the world, the world disappears! Nothing exists when we go into deep sleep! Then, what is this world, but a mere vibration of mental energy? In fact, we create what we desire! That all.   

'vasana' or Impressions and Rebirth

   The phenomenal objective world is the product of 'desire' followed by resolve and action.Behind all these lie the imagination and images appearing on the mind screen. Even before the ideas are created lies the mysterious 'vasana', previous impressions! These impressions are the carry-over residues, may be, of several previous lives! It is believed that all the desires are not fulfilled at one go in one life or two lives since the jiva departs along with the impressions, memories, and things experienced even before they are fulfilled! The mind, Intellect, and ego withdraw from the dying person and depart along with the prana. These come back with the prana when the jiva takes another body, not necessarily in the same form of the previous birth! Thus, a human being dying may take birth as a cat or a dog and will have to wait to experience the unfulfilled desires till another human form is taken! This chain of births and deaths goes on and on until the jiva realizes its folly of its journey in this death knell, planet earth and takes steps to revert to its pure state! Whether one believes in rebirth or not is a different matter. Bhagavan Shree Krishna has emphatically stated that this eternal bondage that has accrued to jiva due to its ignorance, avidya, has to be terminated with the help of realization of its true nature. This realization of the true nature of the Self is Atmajnyan. Atmajnyan cannot be had without the help of a guru and practice of yoga. The jiva is finally relieved from this eternal bondage when it burns all its karma klesha and vasana. Thus the jiva attains to its pristine state.
  The Bhagavad-Gita (Ch. XIV Verses 14-19) explicitly states that all that we see is nothing but the 'quality of nature' (guneshu gunavartante). The jiva display the quality it has imbibed from nature. The persons who died with the predominant guna of sattva, rajas, or tamas at the time of departing the body will take birth again in that respective quality and displays that quality (guna) as a sagely person, or demoniac person, or even an insect! That's all. There is no secret here since Bhagavan Shree Krishna has revealed all these secrets in jnyana-vijnyan yoga (Ch. VII). As regards, the means of transcending this trap, He, the Lord, advises Arjuna to take to transcend all tattva and guna, and take to yoga.  He says, sarva dharma parityjya. .. .. | nistraigunyobhavaarjuna | tasmad yogirbhava Arjuna |

   It is often observed how those who died in accidents have taken another body and continue with the same skills and appear as child prodigies! These are matters of spiritual nature than material and needs to be realized with the help of yoga than learnt from scientific research. 

Silence holds the Truth

Silence isthe repository of all Knowledge, Truth and Bliss- jnyanam, satyam and anandam. A person who has perfected the art of maintaining silence under all situations, adverse or favorable, becomes a sage, 'muni'. However, this has a rider, a clause that says, "all cannot be sages and only knowledgeable persons (jnyani), wise ones (viveki), and a renunciates (sanyasi) who has no desire in worldly sensuous life only can become a muni.!" A person who knows the 'truth' will not speak for he knows the principle: na bhruyat satyam apriyam, meaning, truth that hurts others should not be spoken! The enlightened Buddha did not speak when people asked him about God. He did not reply because he thought these innocent people would go in search of the impossible if he says 'yes' and would be disappointed if he says 'no'. The question of God is not something that could be answered by somebody else, but to be realized by oneself, knowing one's Self'.  

   Silence is the basis of all that exists. Everything has its source in silence. The first emanate from silence as a buble with a center, bindu, creates vibration, nada or svara. Thus the universe ensues from this center and everything vibrates around it like the electrons and protons circling around a nucleus. The universe  has a core, its center (soul), and its periphery; this outer limit is surprisingly so far, unimaginably far, far away extending over trillions of Light Years! But what fills it is dark space with Energy and light particle floating in it!It is this 'light' that is very important here.

   Now as regards the 'Energy' aspect of the universe, it must be understood that the entire universe is nothing but  energy- potential brahmn, and the kinetic universe, prakruti. The mahat or bruhat is brahmn, and 'kinchit' or condensed form is the individualized consciousness. One is a vast ocean and the other a drop of it! This is also a process of condensation. Finally everything dissipates! This is explained in Shaivagama as Shiva-jiva continuum. Jagat is a vibrant form of jiva's conscious outward awareness and Shiva is the same inward self-conscious state.

   Thus, everything is chit, Consciousness, Knowledge, and Existence.

Silence Speaks Louder than Sound

The ability to hear the sound is much limited and we can only hear a certain feeble ones and close our ears if the sound exceeds tolerable limits. Sound is often considered a disturbance and we are asked to keep quiet, silent when something serious is discusses! In what way, does silence affect us is something mystic and beyond our ability to understand. Absolute silence, mahattanta shanta, is the 'Absolute State of Reality' and, all sounds are unreal since they cease to exist after some time. The primordial sound originated with the Big Bang creating the material universe is still ringing in our ears! The universe begins and ends with it.

    Origin of the sounds are traced to our own physical body and the universe too reciprocates, vice versa. The human body, sensitive as it is, is capable of hearing even the unheard of sounds, anahata dhvani in a state of absolute silence. This is what is the beginning of the sadhana, yogic practice of samadhi. All the scriptural knowledge that we has come down to us through the ages has come from this intuitive knowledge and the sounds heard in transcendental meditative mode, samadhi, termed apourusheya The Vedic doctrines are thus termed apourusheya, not attributed to any person. The Bhagavad-Gits is actually treated as the sacred words of Bhagavan. When the Lord says, i exist in all that is created as the 'self' there is no need further clarification as to who speaks! The inner voice is the souls cravings, the inaudible subtler sounds are the same that we get as the intutional one, not of the mind, buddhi or ahankara or chitta (mentation)!

    Is there any difference between the sounds that we hear from outside and the sounds that come from within? No. There is absolutely no difference between the 'inner' and the 'outer' since bot are one and the same but for the thin wall of separation- the elemental body. The same elements that appear outside also appear within us, that too in the same proportion! The humans are made of water (70 per cent) and the gross body supported by food derived from the soil (earth) is 28 percent. The remaining is the air we breathe, the heat generated by the food and the sun, and space that allows the flows of all sorts. Thus, the inner and outer are the same! The sounds created by us are attributed to these same elements.    
   The sounds created within our body due to the function of the air we breathe in are primarily five- naga, kurma, krukrura, devadatta and dhananjaya. These are the different sounds that come out as a result of  digestion or indigestion of food and the expulsion of toxic gases. The sounds that we constantly hear at night is sometimes mesmerizing! It seems the sound of rotation of the earth is also heard in a state of conscious awareness in deep sleep as in samadhi. The sound of the inner function of the body also find expression. However, the most important sound that emanates from the navel is the primordial sound attributed to the Creator Brahma, 'a'. This is the para level. The next level is the heart level, pashyanti. The sound here is 'u'. This is the seat of vishnu, all-pervading Consciousness. The seekers, sadhaka or the adepts in yoga constantly focus their attention here and perceive the reality of existence. This level of existence is the seat of all emotions, antahhkarana- manas, buddhi, and ahankara. Thus, the yogins who perceive 'truth' experience supreme bliss.The third level is madhyama at the throat level with the sound 'm' that stands for maheshvara. these three constitute the three levels of srushti (creation), sthiti (sustenance) and laya (dissolution).. There is a fourth feeble sound that rings like a humming bee, mmm. This is where everything disappear. like the sound of a gong of a bell that starts loud and gradually ceases at the end! This is the same with everything that is created, that comes with a big bang and gradually disappears with a whimper! The law of entropy is developed on these lines. It states that everything will ultimately gets back to its original state of silence, nothingness, equilibrium, or 'dust unto dust'. The whole universe is thus a vibration of energy and and nothing else! This is also true of our life. We all are beings that appear as vibrant energy making noise and finally revert to eternal silence.

From the Abysmal Depths..

   The universe has its beginning in a foggy dense mass of stellar dust that manifested from a process of condensation of invisible stellar dust. These dust particles are described as the shiny dust particles adhering to Devi Raja Rajeshvari'sfeet while she was traversing space on Her Lotus feet! (Soundarya Lahari, Verse 1). The Purusha Sukta of Rk Veda, Mandala X also says that the Purusha appeared in the form of a vast hazy form of a human with a head torso and limbs that has been photographed by a powerful telescope last year. Thus, all that exists as the material universe is traced to the primordial dust particulates of photons, light particles and these account for just 4 per cent and the remaining 96 per cent still constitute the heavy dark matter- all energy particles! How do these emanate in space and who created space? What is space that accommodates the material universe? The answers are there but not in the domain of science since they belong to the world of invisible spirit!

    The term 'space' is that which accommodates anything and everything! So far the visible material world is made of tiny particulates, may it be gaseous, liquid, semi-solid or solid. But how does the gaseous elements originate? The Sun is a hot gaseous mass of Hydrogen (H) and Helium (He4). The source of Oxygen, Nitrogen are yet to be clearly answered? The earth's atmosphere is so simple that it constitutes hardly five or six gaseous elements- Nitrogen, Oxygen, Nitrogen, Argon, Methane and Ozone, the rest are formed later out of other metallic or non-metallic elements. All these elements are, in principle, materials that formed under extremely vague conditions, as a result of elements combining to form compounds. However, still it is not clear when and how the primordial matter originated!

    The first principle of creation is Energy and all the materials that formed have displayed energy and this has been traced to remnants of some pre-existing elemental star material, particulates of radio-active minerals or materials like uranium, radium, vanadium, zircon, barium and the like. Dissipation of energy or transformation of energy into matter has been accepted as the cause of this vivid, diversified, material world of objects. It may be surprising here to know how the primordial matter originated from the abysmal depth of 'silence' that gave rise to ripples, waves and currents of sounds! These primordial sounds are the basis of all that exists today! The sound of wind (air), fire, water, earth are all there to feel and experience. The sounds of breath, sa, ha, ah, oh, uh, as already explained are the seeds of creation. All the vowels such as a, i, u, e, ae, ou, am, ah, are all powerful root syllables, combining with the consonants ranging from ka, kha, ga, gha to pa, pha, ba, bha, ma are the principal root syllable that created space, air, fire, water, soil (earth), the senses and sense objects, the qualities of the objects that filled the space as the material, phenomenal, objective world. But, all these are rooted in silence is the most difficult principle to understand!

   How do these objective world originate from silence? All that we see here as the objects of perception, experience, feeling, forms and functions depend on the power of the sense organs. If the eyes and ears are weak and powerless nothing can be seen or heard. Whatever the senses experience, feel, observe, perceive, hear and know or try to understand do not exist, in the sense do not come into our purview, unless the mind is interested in them! No mind, no interest, no matter whatever exists or not! Thus, we as humans, experience the world in a limited way, subject to our interest, ability to know and understand, and nothing beyond! We cannot see beyond a distance, hear beyond, know or understand beyond our ability and nothing can be said of this world. Everybody lives and works within a limited sphere in an extremely narrow field. However, the possibilities of expanding and going beyond our limitations is not either limited or restricted.  

    The material object is virtually created from the 'desire' that has its seat in 'absolute silence'! It emanates as will. If there is no will, there is no way to experience! When a person is at rest, in deep silence, a bubble of desire, ichha, will to experience, emanates from the abyss of silence. It is extremely difficult to be seated quiet since the abyss of silence props up bubbles of desires. Desires give rise to intense mental activity and create  images, ideas, imagination, and create means of fulfillment. Thus, the seeds of creation are sown and the creation ensues and goes on endless within limitations of space and time. Everything, that way, is the creation of desire, may it be a wife and children, family and extended families, society, nation and the maps with boundaries, wars and changing boundaries, and all that.It is desire and desire that create the world! Even the simple things like an umbrella, a pot, or a glass come in this way. Supposing there is a desire to hold something on the head in case of rain or heat of the scorching sun there comes an idea to hold a stick with a piece of cloth over it.  Ah! There comes an umbrella. So also a desire to sit on something elevated, above the ground, there comes a chair. All that we see as the train, bus, car, cycle, aircraft, ship or submarine have come as a result of desire to move faster and faster on and above the ground and below the water! There is nothing that ingenuity can produce but for the absolute silence, contemplation, desire and will behind it.

   But, now, how do these syllables, alphabets -vowels and consonants create the material world? It is very simple, These syllables are the vital airs, fire, and water- the life-force finding expression in sounds, syllables, and words. The words created by the root syllables have the respective meaning that stand for the respective object. The umbrella is the object that has come into existence as an idea first as a desire in the mind and then came an idea. followed by an image and finally the word which took the form of the object. syllable, word and its meaning and the object is the sequence in which the world of objects are created. This principle applies to the creation of space, air, fire, water, earth and food and living beings as well! The desire is the root cause. The Lord lying in yoganidra contemplated upon, desired and willed! Lo! There came the visual world all that exists in consciousness. No consciousness, no world or no existence! These are the basic principles.

   The Rk Veda, Srividya, Sri Chakra, the mantra shastra are the source of this knowledge. The supreme Lord, mahapurusha willed, desired. He having created entered it! He, the Lord was, is and will be alone! However, He consciously became aware of his loneliness, desired to create and thus creation ensued! It is the supreme Lord only who exists as the Self of all. He only exists and nothing exists besides Him. All this world is His creation. There is nothing that is i,me,mine, here. Close the eys, the world disappears! It is so simple as that. Nothing exists if there is no desire to create or experience!  It is we as the images that play a drama of life at the desire and will of the Lord! Nothing moves here without his will.

   Thus all that exists here is a magical experience that come out of silence and disappear into silence. Silence is the only truth, all else a noise, disturbance, and an illusion. Only a yogi in deep contemplation can realize this truth.  

"Akshara brahma" and "akshara" (The Alphabets)

    There is a statement in the scriptures that "She, the Divine Mother breathes unto others without Herself breathing!" It is true of Mother Parvati who made a doll of clay and breathedd life unto Him and made Him the Lord of the Elements, Gana adhipati! Thus, we all breather as She, the Divine Mother breathes unto us life-force! With this breath comes the sound 'sa', 'ha' and 'sa', and this 'sa' being the in-breath and 'ha' the out-breath! If the out-breath 'ha' doesn't come back refreshed as in-breath again as 'sa' that is the end of life! These syllables sa and ha are the Life-forces! God lives in the GAP between these two!
   There are two meanings of the term 'akshara', each one very significant! One is alphabet and the other is that which 'does not diminish' ('kshara' means 'diminish')! That which does not diminish is also called 'achyuta' and it is the eternal, immortal, unceasing, unborn and exists in its pure state without undergoing any change! And, that is 'brahmn' As regards, the alphabets that start from the vowels- a to am and ah, each and every syllable is potent enough to create the spiritual and material, rather, noumenal (invisible subtler forces!) and phenomenal world of objects in all their subtler and gross aspects. We are concerned with both these aspects of 'akshara' here since they constitute the support, foundation, basis of this universe. .
  The term "akshara' (samsk.) or the Alphabets (Eng.) has a greater significance than what is usually understood by the common man. the samskruta varnamala  begins with 'a' and ends with 'ksha' and includes 15 vowels and 31 consonants. While the vowels are potential enough to create the subtler forces like light, energy, magnetism, colors, time and space, etc., the consonants are potential enough to create bhutadi like akasha, vayu, agni, jal, and pruthvi as also their tanmatras like the sound, sight, touch, form, taste and  other qualities of objects, as also, the sense organs to experience them! Thus, the elements- space, air, fire, water, earth, life including the senses, mind, intellect and ego to experience the creation are all the products of the waves, vibrations of energy, light, sound, alphabets and the words formed out of the syllables! Hence, the entire universe is created by the sound of the syllables. For example the syllables a u m are the deity of creative energy and force (brahma), sustaining forces (vishnu), and the dissolution power (maheshvara), respectively, expressed in an insignia 'Om'; this has not yet taken the written form of alphabet -a u m! These syllables originate as sounds emanating from our own body such as navel (a), heart (u), and throat (m). These constitute the primordial sounds of creation, maintenance and dissolution. These are also said to be the seats of  the respective deities Lakshmi, saraswati, and durga. Thus, the seed syllables and the words formed out of them  constitute the atman and the form of the concerned deities. These sounds are known as the seed-letter mantra! Om, aim, hreem, shreem kleem, hsou || Each one of is extremely powerful as sound that contains powers of creation, sustaining power, and power of dissolution and their deities, respectively. Further, it is stated that whoever utters these syllable as mantra with full knowledge (of their nature) will sail through life smooth and attain liberation.
    The mantra is thus a syllable or a few syllables that are potential and constitute the substratum of all that exist. These are thus attributed to the respective deities (Devi) and Lakshmi is believed to be the Divine Mother, 'Shreem'. Here, 's' stands for the deity Lakshmi and the remaining three- 'h' 'r' and 'eem' stand for maheshvara, vishnu and brahma also called virinchi. Thus, 'Shreem' is a mahamantra that contains all the powers of knowledge (jnyan), resources (aishvarya), strength (bala), potency (virya) and glory (tejas) required for creation, sustenance and dissolution- all-in-one!
  Hence, the syllables, words and sentences go to form the sacred mantra full of potency to create, sustain and dissolve the universe! The syllables are the seeds of creation.
     Akashara is the very source of Creation! It all begins as a bubble, a condensed particle in vast 'Ocean of Silence' (shanta-sagara), the repository of all 'jnyan' (Knowledge), also called the 'sudha sindho'. All Galaxies and Stars have their source here! The Sun, the Planets and their Satellites, including the 'life-forms' have their source here. But, nobody knows what is this inexplicable unique 'akshara' that manifests everything? It is called 'akshara brahmn' since the 'akshara' is the supreme Creator brahmn! The Bhagavad-Gita has elaborately described akshara brahma. The supreme Lord, Bhagavan Shree Krishna is the eternal, immutable, unborn and undying, un-diminishing ekakshara brahma (a- kshara).
 There are two concepts of the same term-1. brahmn (the supreme unmanifest or akshara, attributeless or nirguna brahmn) and, 2. brahman , the manifest, qualified brahmn who manifests as the universe. There is yet another brahma, cited in the epics (purana). This brahma is the  'chaturmukha brahma' (four-faced one) whose powers (Shakti) are said to be many of which the important ones are: kaal (yama/Time), vidhi (Fate), vaani (vak), and saraswati (jnyan/knowledge)! Here, it is important to note that creation as such is yet to begin! The very Creator is yet to be created! But then, whois the Creator of all creations? Nobody knows the ultimate source of all creation! It is traced to almost nothing from which things begin; it is nowhere from which 'now' (Time) and here (place/space) begin! Thus, from almost nothing, called manifest brahman (qualified brahmn) or brahman with attributes are born everything like time, space, light, sound, consciousness, knowledge, energy and forces that include atomic energy, gravitational force, strong and weak electrical charges, mind, thoughts, ideas, images etc originate. Here is the beginning of the material world in its subtler-most forms of waves and vibrations. what all we see are only the gross manifest forms. Humans are not, ordinarily, equipped with senses, buddhi or intellect, and mind to perceive these subtler forces. However, some yogins have developed their keen sense of  perception and gain intuitive knowledge. The experience of such yogins have come down to us as the source of our knowledge regarding what all we know about the early stages of Creation!
    Akshara Brahman is one such concept narrated in the scriptures. There are almost two hundred samhita that explain these details. One such important samhita is 'Lakshmi Tantra' which gives how the alphabets of devanagari script have evolved and the power of creation vested in these alphabets. These are the alpha and beta of creation.
(to be contd.) 

Where is this 'Self'?

  There are the Adhyatma Upanishad, Koushitaki Upanishad and many others which give details about the Atman, the Self of All. The Bhagavad-Gita defines what is the Atman and the supreme Lord says, "He is the Self of All". 
 But where is this 'Self'? It is both within and outside the jiva, living beings! It has no specific place. The air we breathe divides itself into five prominent channels or divisions and spreads through out the body. There are also five sub-divisions besides the main. These support the body as the vital airs, the pranic energy. It (the air) is outside as well as inside! Is it the Self? No, it only serves the body as source of support! But, then what is the Self? This question can never be answered! If it is something other than the self, one can say this is this. If what we call the self is the only thing that exists and all else is its manifest forms how can one separate and say this is this? This is the enigmatic subject that attracts all intellectuals and the debate never ends! 
  What the Upanishad says about the 'Self' is very interesting. What cannot be explained, what implicit,or what cannot be expresses in words are expresses in innumerable ways, but still remains unexplained!  Several great sages have tried to explain  according to their understanding of the Self and some of these are quoted here in  the following. 

   "Those of his fellows who belong to him here and those who are dead and whatever else there is which he wishes for and does not obtain-he finds all that by going in there (i.e. into his own Self). For there, indeed, lie those true desires of his, covered by what is false. As people who do not know the spot where a treasure of gold has been hidden somewhere in the earth, walk over it again and again without finding it, so all these creatures day after day go into the World of Brahman and yet do not find it, because they are carried away by untruth. That Self abides in the heart. The etymological explanation of heart is this: This one (ayam) is in the heart (hridi); therefore It is called the heart (hridayam). He who knows this goes every day in deep sleep to Heaven (i.e. Brahman, dwelling in the heart). Now, this serene being, after rising from this physical body and attaining the Highest Light, reaches his own true form. This is the Self. Thus he (i.e. the teacher, questioned by his pupils) spoke. Continuing, he said: This is the immortal, the fearless. This is Brahman. And of this Brahman the name is Satyam, the True. This name Satyam consists of three syllables: Sat, ti and yam. That which is Sat signifies the Immortal; and that which is ti is the mortal; and yam binds them both. Because this syllable binds both, therefore it is called yam. He who knows this goes every day in deep sleep to Heaven (i.e. Brahman, dwelling in the heart)". [Sama Veda, Chandogya Upanishad VIII, III - The Serene Self and Satya Brahman, 2-5]

    "The self is a dam, a separating boundary, for keeping these worlds apart. This dam is not passed by day and night, by old age, death and grief, or by good and evil deeds. All evils turn back from It, for the World of Brahman is free from all evil." [Sama Veda, Chandogya Upanishad, VIII, IV - Brahman as a Dam, 1].

Then Maitreyi said: Just here you have completely bewildered me, venerable Sir. Indeed, I do not at all understand this. He replied: Certainly I am not saying anything bewildering, my dear. Verily, this Self is immutable and indestructible. This Self is That which has been described as 'Not this, not this.' It is imperceptible, for It is never perceived; undecaying, for It never decays; unattached, for It never attaches Itself; unfettered, for It never feels pain and never suffers injury.Through what, O Maitreyi, should one know the Knower? Thus you have the instruction given to you. This much, indeed, is the means to Immortality. Having said this, Yajnavalkya renounced home. [Yajur Veda, Brihadaranyaka Upanishad IV, V-Yajnavalkya and Maitreyi (II), 14-15]

   These words of the Upanishads are terse and difficult to understand. These doctrines are to be explained by a learned teacher. 

"Shining in the Glory of the Lord"

    Who shine and what shines? The Sun shines and the power behind the Sun is Aditya, the First-born, rather an unborn and undying immortal, eternal, nonexistent for all practical purposes, but an existential reality!  The Sun is said to be an element Hydrogen (H) which on fission and fusion turns into Helium (He4) and all these simple elemental entities exist in invisible forms of waves, charges, formulations, subtler elements and compounds, appearing as gross physical objects. Even the chemical and biological entities are nothing but variations of physical entities that start as invisible waves and vibrations!

   The human beings are midway between the invisible viruses and germs, unicellular amoeba to multi-cellular whales and sharks to ants and elephants! Even the Gods and Goddesses called devi devata staring from the Creator chaturmukha Brahma, Vishnu and Maheshwara are symbolic forces  equivalent to gravitation, electromagnetism, electricity, magnetism, atomic energy, radiation as waves and vibrations of light, sound, etc. Even the simple sub-atomic particles like the fermions, bosons, quarks, neutrinos, electrons, protons, neutrons, are all invisible forces as radiation in quanta of energy! In fact, everything is Energy (E).

    Thus, the living beings are nothing but vibration of pranic energy, life-force! This 'life-force' is like any other radioactive wave that traverses throughout the body supporting every cell, tissue, organ and the body. The moment this energy as Prana, life-force ceases to exist in the body, or departs from the body, or the body fails to use it, the life is said to become extinct. The way the living being is born and die, sooner or later, is the same for all living beings- whether a plant, a germ, small or big physical bodies like animals, plants, birds, or human beings! The Prana as particle of light, photon becomes extinct, in the sense it leaves the body, just as it entered it! This is the simple truth how we, as humans, exist for a short period, a short span of life! However, we do not realize that it is a long long journey, the journey of the soul' on this supposed to be the only living  Planet. We cannot realize this due to the intermittent existence in different forms and functions! This limitation, coupled with short memories make this human life a life of no consequence at all! But it really has greater significance when viewed in its holistic existence. This can be realized only through scriptures and a learned teacher (Guru). The attainments of all jiva are the manifestations of the glory of the Lord only and nothing else. All beings are endowed with intelligence and every jiva is destined to fulfill a purpose meant for it! Thus, it is the supreme Lord only that manifest indifferent forma and functions, appears and disappears time ad again!

    We will consider the journey of the soul and its purpose later.

Supreme Lord is the 'Self of All'

   The Vedic doctrine is that the supreme Lord (parmatman), the Higher Self, is seated as the 'Witnessing Self' (Sakshin) in the heart of all! There are three different hearts in the living beings, jivarashi. These are (a). the physical heart pumping blood, (b). the subtle heart called antahkarana full of human emotions such as love, compassion, piety, etc. It is also said to be the seat of mind, intellect and ahankar; and (c). the soul (Atman) which is totally invisible and beyond all comprehension. It is this Soul that moves from body after body to experience the phenomenal world in different forms and shapes and names. The soul can enter a pig or a lion, an ant or an elephant or air and fire and become an active name and form. We cannot see this invisible source of energy and may, at best, trace it to Sun or a distant Star. It is the atomic energy in different quanta at different levels like the automobile battery, pen torch shell, or a cadmium cell in a watch or pen! It can eneter and exit at will! It cane create anything it desires since it has all the knowledge (K), information (I) and Intelligence (I), technology (T) and extraordinary ability (A) to transform one object into another, as also energy into matter! This is what led Einstein to formulate the famous E=m.c2. It is Energy (E) that supports all that exist! It is the prana, life-force of what we call the jiva, This is the soul, the Atman that is basic support of the jivas. This is what is creating the structure and composition of all that is the sperm, the cell, the organic entity in the living beings, and  the same is the energy aspect of all the inorganic substance that radiate energy like the uranium, radium, vanadium, barium, zircon, and even the trace elements that may have existed in time not known! The effect is there but its source is not known. So also the soul that is developing a certain characteristics in the jiva. The Astronomers trace it to distant stars and the astrologers predict the behavior accordingly! There is a separate science of this and very few are well-versed in these since it requires a high level of purity as also the sixth sense in experiencing and understanding the vibrations. Mind reading is possible to some people; so also; some people can accurately forecast the happenings, while some can see through and through these hidden forces in a gross object! The tantra shastra deals with these. 

   Now, how a person attains a certain level of intelligence and gains worldly acclaim can be understood here.

The Power and Glory of the 'Soul'

   There is the Vedic statement that explains the power and glory of the soul, the Atman. tat srushtva tat evanupravishat | meaning, "having created creation it entered into it". The supreme Lord (tat), having created creation like the living beings He found that it was not functioning! Hence, He only entered into it! There is a small hole on the head called the brahma randhra through which the Life-force (prana shakti) enters! Gradually this hole is closed by the skull. This is evident in the case of the birth of a child. The doctor and nurse will be anxiously waiting for the child to cry and even splash cold water and tap it immediately after the delivery! There are instances where the child is dead after delivery even though certified everything fine with it a day before! Nothing can be said about these things! It is still a mystery how a child that is certified by the doctor as well developed and in good health suddenly finds it is not breathing when it comes out of the womb! It is also not well understood when exactly this mind (manas), Intellect (buddhi), and Intelligence (buddhivantike), and ego (ahankar) etc enter the jiva? \

  Also, if the supreme Lord only enters it (the jiva) why it becomes so weak and helpless! However, all these problems have been addressed and the answers are given by the great sages. These are enshrined in the Upanishads and the Veda. We have to carefully study and understand all these. But, how many are really interested is the question. We will address these problems one by one later.

The Concept of Soul

    The term 'Soul' (Eng.) has a different meaning then the one that is used in the deva bhasha samskrutam (not the Anglicized 'sans krit' which gives a wrong meaning?). It is 'Atma' (samsk.). Atman is defined or explained in a number of different ways by different knowledgeable persons. Some say it is the core of the substance like an indivisible subtler-most form of an atom (trasarenu, atom or anu, dvayanu and tryanu, etc. Sage Kanada has given a detailed analysis of this primordial matter that is at the base of all creation. There are the Sankhyans (jnyanis) who give a detailed account of the fundamental principles (moola tattva) of creation. Sage Kapila is the proponent of this and it is also associated with yoga (practical method of visualization and experience!). The abstract forces that are behind the gross objective phenomenal world cannot be explained in words since the alphabets required for the construction of meaningful words are yet to be created in this process. Thus, nothing can be said about what cannot be put in words. Hence many a great sages have simply said 'Atman', the core of substance. All that exists has a spiritual base  and a gross covering, as such, only the gross is visible and the spiritual, energy content, is invisible. Thus, Atman is the energy, the mainstay of all that exists. In case of the living beings, it is this energy principle, the prana-shakti, that sustains and it is said to be the one that has no beginning or end. Energy cannot be created or destroyed is the principle. Thus 'Atman' is the deathless, eternal, and immortal entity of all that exists as a phenomenal world.
   Now, what exactly is this 'Soul', the Atman? In a way, it is everything! As the core of the substance, the basis of what all that exists, it is everything! It has the power of creation, sustenance and dissolution. It is as good as the Creator! In fact, our physical body is created by the power of this Soul, the Atman. It is the seed that creates a tree, but found nowhere in it! The Vedic doctrine of the Atman is very clear. It is supreme Lord, the power (Shakti), knowledge (jnyan), resources (aishvarya), strength and power (bala), and the potency (virya) that go into creation. All these are the powers of Shree Hari Narayana that manifests as Lakshmi. Thus, Goddess Lakshmi says, I only manifest in all, as the Atman, the core of the substance! (See Lakshmi Tantra). The supreme Lord manifests in all and Bhagavan Shree Krishna says, I am residing all as the Self', the Atma of all!
    Thus, Atma is nothing but the supreme Lord, paramatman. Atma eva brahmaa is the Vedic doctrine. It is this knowledge of Brahman that is imparted in the Gita as the secret science of 'knowledge of teh self'. Gits reveals the secret of creation. It is the brahma vidya and it is the means of knowing the Brahman, as yoga shastra. Whoever knows this, understands this concept and experiences in yogic trance becomes one with Brahman.