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Anahat-nad
‘ Soonna Marai’
My encounter with the Bihari Sanyasi shed more light on some of my past karma. He was from the tradition of Adi Shankar. It indicated that I, too, had been in some way related to the Sanyasi and the Vedantic tradition of Shankar, in addition to my past connections to Dnyaneshwar, the Dnyaneshwari, the Gita and Shri Gopal Krishna.
That is how I must have come in the contact of this Bihari Sanyasi, who gave me a rare book on the Gita. Howsoever, it may be. The Bihari Sanyasi did not clarify regarding the Anahat-nad, except by quoting Kabir: ‘Let the Shoonya dissolve; let the Ajapa too. Let even the Anahat-nad dissolve into nothing.’
His mere quote helped me a lot, in my understanding the phenomenon, and my position vis-à-vis the Anahat-nad. Osho, in his book on saint Kabir, has quoted the said couplets from Kabir. 43 Kabir calls himself as a slave of Ram. He says that: ‘All people die; in fact, all the world dies. However, none merges into Ram:
the Ultimate. The Nitya-nitya-vivek is foreign to all. Of what use are such hundred deaths, if one is to be reborn?’
‘If one has ever to die, it should be such as to free oneself from this enslaving world, once forever. Until one enters the abode of Ram, one will remain afraid of Death, even if dying a hundred deaths.
The entry into that home is rather very difficult. It is so far off!’
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‘I am waiting for such a death, after which I will enter the abode of Ram. Once one enters in it, there will be no death. It is beyond the places of the Shoonya, the Ajapa, and even the Anahat-nad. These are but the lofty steps to that abode, which one leaves behind, when one enters it.’
‘I am not afraid of such a death. On the other hand, I am very much pleased at the thought of dying thus. I am anxiously awaiting it. Oh! When would I die thus, and merge myself into the Poorna Param-anand: the ultimate bliss!’
Kabir asks all to befriend Ram; reside with Him in His abode.
Such a one, who is with Ram, never can die, he says.
In this couplet, Kabir indicates that the Shoonya has to be traversed to reach the Ajapa, which has also to be crossed over to reach the farthest Anahat-nad. The Anahat-nad is the final stage and experience of the yogi in the Sagun.
The Kundalini’s final destination is the Param-pad, beyond the Anahat. The Unmani and the Nad are synonymous. The end of the Unmani signifies the entry into the Turiy-atita, into the province of Ram: the Ultimate abode.
Until the yogi is in the terrain of the Sagun, he listens to the Anahat, which is Anand, or the bliss; and whenever he is in the Nirgun, he becomes full of bliss, actually known by the anomalous misnomer: the Anand-atit stage. Anahat is the extensive domain of the Sat-Chit-Anand. We can learn so many things from this couplet of Kabir 47.
The Bihari Sanyasi could not understand my stage on the path.
However, his appeared to have extensively studied the saints’
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literature. My query on the Anahat invoked his memory, letting out the signature tune of Kabir’s couplet, just so necessary for my guidance. The Unknown was guiding me in its own inscrutable ways!
Saint Dnyaneshwar has indicated the stage of the Anahat in his Ovis in the sixth chapter of Dnyaneshwari.44 The province of the Nad is adjacent to the Par-Brahm i.e. at the end of yoga path. It is the boundary between the Turiy-atita and the Moksha.
The Nad = Turiy-atita = the stage between the first and the last stages of Nivritti = the final stage of the Moksha. Beyond all, is, the Par-Brahm = the stage beyond the last existential state of the Jagat. These Ovis give the precise location of the province of the Anahat-nad.
I had referred to the case of a Nath-panthi guru with a few hundred disciples. Once he casually mentioned that nowadays they are routinely granting the Shaili-shringi to some of their senior disciples, without passing the criterion, just for the sake of continuing their lineage.
The Shaili-shringi is granted as a token of the Anahat-nad. If the disciple has evinced the Nad, then only he is eligible for the token.
The guru and the disciple are then equals. The Anahat is the criterion for the bestowal of the guru-pad. Only one who is steady in the Nad can really be a guru.
One guru from the tradition of Nity-anand once told me that one of his disciples had attained to the Nad. He wanted him to become a
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guru. The disciple was, however, not interested in the guru-pad, thus offered by his guru.
Leave alone the Bihari Baba. He was just a book-knowing person.
How can such persons understand the language of the Anahat?
However, through the Bihari, the fate willed, to let me know the level of my unintended achievement, though very late, in my opinion. I came to know very late, might be after two decades, the significance of the Anahat: the pinnacle of yoga, with which I began on yoga path. May be, it was willed so by my destiny!
On first learning of the Anahat from Swami Sivanand’s book, I became curious to check the facts. I researched many sources for satisfying my curiosity viz. The experiences of the yogis on the six chakras, saints’ writings, yoga treatises, Saint Dnyaneshwar and other saints’ Abhangas, Kabir’s yogic couplets, Shri-Mad-Bhagawat, and Saint Eknath’s Bhagawat etc.
I was like the antler in search of the fragrance of Kasturi, hidden within own umbilicus. When the Anahat had first surfaced, in my ignorance, I had been to the Gajanan maharaj of Shegaon, and requested him to stop its outburst.
That I, and the other I, after insight into the secret of Anahat and its yogic stature, were two distinct entities, but of myself!
My search for the guru, however, stopped once for all, on acquiring this new knowledge, of the Anahat: which, though had intrigued and somewhat terrified me, at the outset, by the suddenly invading me, at the start of my yogic journey.
It was my unusual fortune to experience the Nad continuously, for more than the past twenty-five years, since its first appearance. At that time, none of the so-called gurus were in my vicinity, let alone the real gurus’ guru: Saint Dnyaneshwar.
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Even though I, myself, was bestowed with the position of the guru, at the start of yoga path, ignorance of my position led to my frantic search of the guru. It took a long many years to come to a halt.
The only knower of my unique position of being the guru was the one I met at Alandi from the tradition of Saint Dnyaneshwar - Satyamal-nath - Gaibi-nath - Gupt-nath - Udbodh-nath - Kesari-nath - Shiv-deen-Kesari-nath - Narhari-Kesari-nath - Mahipati-Kesari-nath. He had offered me the guru-pad in our first meet.
I now wonder, how, even then, I kept up my search of the guru, due to my ignorance of the significance of the Anahat.
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The Ajapa-jap And
The Para-vak
I have experienced the Ajapa. I had a vision that I was hanging from a high cliff, and totally terrified that I may fall down any instant. The extreme fear started my Ajapa. I started distinct and loud intoning of the mantra, invoking the Lord Almighty.45
The voice coming out of me was so vociferous that my vocal cords felt exhausted in the end. The throat started aching, though I was not uttering even a word vocally. The head felt dizzy with the sound of reverberating Mridang. At the same time, there was the unmistakable feeling of ecstasy. That was the Ajapa-jap, 49 invoked in the Para-vak.
The Kundalini had ascended to the highest position. It was not descending. The Ajapa-jap, which started then, pacified the mind.
It was the first time I had the vision of the Ajapa, however, it had been going on in my innate being since a long time.
Saint Gajanan maharaj Gupte explains the phenomenon of the Anahat thus: ‘The Soham mantra leads to turning of the mind inwards. All the Chitta-vrittis become one at the thousand-petalled lotus.’
While transiting towards the Sahasrar Kamal, the yogi witnesses some visions, in the form of well-illuminated scenes. These are actual visions, not hallucinations. The Manas Pooja effected at that time comes into reality.’
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Some may experience the fragrance of the flowers, which they are then mentally offering to God; hear His voice, and the like. At times, depending upon the intensity of the vision, other persons nearby may also experience the unexplained fragrance, or even the Jyoti: the divine flame, or the Light.’
The yogi witnesses all these scenes without any efforts on his part.
After a time, the scenes dissolve into the Atma-tattwa. At that time, the yogi immerses into the Samadhi and experiences total bliss. Nad. OM is the Shabda, which in its truest form is the Ajapa-jap.
Attainment of the Anahat-nad is the purpose of the Ajapa-jap.’
‘When one goes to a temple, one tolls the bell while having the Darshan of the deity. The nad is just like that. The Anahat-nad tolls in various ways as soon as one enters into the abode of the Ultimate and takes Its Darshan, i.e. actually becomes one with It.’
‘Yoga-shastra mentions ten Nadas in particular; inter alia, the sounds of the conch shell, the Veena, the flute, and the Sarangi etc.
These Nadas are the Brahm-nadas.’
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‘On experiencing any of these Nadas, one has to go to the Brahm-randhra to have the Darshan of the Par-Brahm. Anyone who experiences such an Nad uninterruptedly is the most fortunate soul.
He has attained all that can be sought for.’
‘The Ajapa-jap or the Soham practice is the highest level of yoga.
This is also called the Shambhavi-vidya. The Soham mantra paves the way for the Shambhavi-vidya: the attaining to the Vihangam path. ’
‘The other yoga paths viz. the Pipilika, the Kapi and the Meena are paths for those of lower intensity of attainment. They are slow. The Vihangam is much faster. The path one takes is always in tune with his inner make-up, and the past Samskaras. It is the working of the karma, and the fate, which set the path of a yoga practitioner. All the paths, whether the slower or the faster, lead to the attainment of the same goal: the Par-Brahm.’
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The Pointer Of
My Destiny
When I realised that I am positioned so high up on yoga path, the perennial question of who might have been my guru, whether in this life, or the past again arose. The saints, including Saint Dnyaneshwar, tell us of the utter necessity of the Sad-guru on the path. I, therefore, wondered to whom the credit would go, for this unprecedented high level of my attainment.
The destiny was pointing to me to interpret the problem in the context of my worship of Lord Ganesh and the Gayatri, the Gita and the Dnyaneshwari’s place in my life, my devotion to Lord Pandurang, the affection of Shri Krishna and Dnyaneshwar towards me, the Kripa of Swami Swarup-anand of Pawas, et al.
Added to it was the pointer to Adi Shankar, through the Bihari sadhu.
I was also fortunate to have been blessed by a sadhu from the tradition of Nity-anand - Mukt-anand. Actually, before I started experiencing the Nad, I had been to Ganesh-puri to take the Darshan of Nity-anand, and by the way of his disciple: Mukt-anand
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Earlier, I had been to Ganesh-puri and Vajreshwari on many occasions. When Nity-anand was around, I had passed by his ashram many a times. I was an atheist then. Therefore, I missed the Darshan of Nity-anand when he was around, just as in the case of Swami Swarup-anand. I had gone near his place too. That time, I did not know his greatness.
However, the ways of the saints are most intractable. May be they had blessed me without my knowledge; may be they had waited for me to come to them and meet them personally. I would not know.
When I put all these things together, I find a collage revealed, intertwining all the elements of my esoteric personality: The Shankar-Adwaita, and the Jnyan-karma-Bhakti-yoga complex of Adi Shankar/ Saint Dnyaneshwar, the Nath-pantha, the Dnyaneshwari, the Gita and the Bhagawat, the Pantharaj and yoga path/Ganesh - Gayatri - Pandurang - Shri Krishna worship/Nity-anand - Mukt-worship/Nity-anand and the Shakti-pat yoga.
All these seemingly diverse elements comprised the key to my Jagad-guru: Shri Krishna, the Param-atma. He is the guru of all, the most prior guru of the whole world, so we say when we bow to Him. i47 The Patanjal-sutras also tell us that the Ultimate is the guru of all, unbound by Time and the Space (the Kal and the Dik).ii 47
He, The Timeless, precedes even Brahmadev, The Eldest, and the predecessor of the world, and its beings. He is the Param-atma! He
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is the Sanatan Brahm! He upholds the Adi-Maya. Is not Saint Dnyaneshwar His Avatar; in our sense of the term? Because, is there ever any birth to The Unborn?
How can we, or anybody, mortal as we are, find the roots and the trunk, the branches and the leaves of that primordial, age-old banyan tree? The Gita has said thus about Him: 48 the Ultimate Principle. He is the Param-guru of all.
If it is so, why am I searching in vain for the Sad-guru? He abides in the heart of our hearts. Then why for this search outside? Why search Him at Varanasi and Rameshwar? Where should one search Him, who is in our hearts?
Patanjali says on searching Him thus: 49 The mantra of the search is the Pranav: the OM. One should meditate on Him, thinking thus:
That the Ishwar: the guru is Pranav-rup. This Jap of the Pranav will definitely take one to the Param-dham.
One hidden reference in the said Patanjal-sukta (1-28) is to the Kundalini. When we study the Abhangas of Saint Dnyaneshwar, we understand its significance. The Kundalini is itself Ishwar-rupa.
The Jap of the Pranav actually means that one should practise the Laya-yoga of the Kundalini: the Pantharaj. That yoga of Saint Dnyaneshwar will ultimately lead the practitioner to the Param-tattwa, that is the secret of the said Patanjal-sutras (1-27, 28).49 Yoga-sutra (1-23)50 is the base of yoga and the Bhakti; and since the two cannot be devoid of the Jnyan, it is the base of yoga and the Bhakti; and since the two cannot be devoid of the Jnyan, which is their repository.
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I had Patanjali before me. The Gita, the Dnyaneshwari, too! I also had with me a number of the best and even the rare treatises on yoga-shastra. ‘The Mater of yogis’: Saint Dnyaneshwar, had sung the lullaby of the Anahat to coax me into the deep Jnyan-mayi sleep of the Samadhi. i50
Shri Krishna told Arjun that, with Him by his side, he had found the most precious jewel: ‘The Chid-ratna’.ii55
He was indirectly cautioning Arjun not to throw It away like a stone. I, too, was privy to it: the jewel of jewels, the Atma.
The Jagad-amba, the Adi-Maya: the Kundalini, did not desire that I should remain ignorant of my state. She was trying hard to reach across to me, to let me into the truth.
Like every mother does for her child, She was trying to make me wise, and knowledgeable; and She was after all the Jagad-amba:
‘The Mother of All’, the primal instinct of motherhood Herself.
How would She remain silent!
She was playfully persuading me to research deeper into all that mystic field of ‘The Unknown’, giving me some clues from time to time. At times, She was just outright telling me who I was, where I was going, through mediums: of the saints and the seers, the psychics and the mystics, the clairvoyants and the others.
In the course of time, everything became more and more clear.
However, the origin of this knowledge was in my stark ignorance of Who the Kundalini is, and what is called yoga.
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A Disciple of
The Bihari Guru
Yesterday I had been to meet a disciple of the Bihari Sanyasi, on his invitation. He was Swami Shiv-tattw-anand, the guru’s principal disciple. The purpose of calling me was to find out how I was progressing in the Nam-sadhana.
He was sore over my not having contacted the guru, after our initial meetings. He was lecturing everybody. I did not like his attitude. Therefore, I tried to gauge his knowledge. I asked him the same question on the Anahat-nad, which I had posed before his guru.
I told him that my purpose of visiting his guru was to get guidance in my Sadhana of the Anahat-nad. Regrettably, I could not get the due guidance. May be, I said, the esteemed Swami before me himself, could enlighten me.
Swami Shiv-tattw-anand told me that they do not give much importance to Anahat-nad. In their system: the Vihangam path, they do not experience the Anahat, ever. They directly go to the Agam and the Anami Lokas, the last stop on the path. The only Sadhana they do is to recite the Nam given by the guru.
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After bidding adieu to the Swami, I sent him an SMS: ‘Thanks for yesterday’s enlightenment. I cannot wish away Anahat - a constant companion of more than twenty-two years, which came uninvited to carry me on the Path. I came to your guru in search of one, who has Antar-jnyan and does not see my experience of it as unbelievable.’
‘I regret that I am yet to meet one so discreet. I met a few mystics who had the clairvoyance to see it clearly, even without my asking or hinting at the Anahat experience.’
‘I regret that I am yet to meet one so discreet. I met a few mystics who had the clairvoyance to see it clearly, even without my asking or hinting at the Anahat experience.’