Thakur & Upanishads-3

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In the Gospel, Thakur repeatedly says that 'Heart' is the best place to

meditate. When we look at this statement closely, we find another statement,

that is at once Upanishadic as well as Biblical.

 

According to Tantra, 'Heart' is the middle (fourth) centre of the seven centres.

There are three centres below it and there are three centres above it. The

serpent energy lies coiled in the lowest centre (Mulaadhaaraa).

 

For householders, it is centred in the three centres below the 'Heart' centre.

'Yoga' in that case means raising the serpent energy from these three lower

centres, upwards from the fourth 'Heart' centre upto 'Sahasraaraa' the seventh

centre in the Head. That being the object, there is no point in meditating on

the lower three centres. Therefore, one has to begin by meditating on the

fourth 'Heart' centre.

 

But, there is more to Thakur's statement about the 'Heart' centre, which will

come to our attention, if we read the Gospel, with Love and Reverence for the

Master.

 

According to Vedanta, the serpent energy rising upto the 'Sahasraaraa', does not

confer the final state of realisation. Because, if that were so, the final

state of consciousness must always have reference to the Head. But, this is not

so.

 

Let us say, we are travelling in a crowded bus and we are standing in the bus.

Further suppose that we are very tired and suddenly sleep overtakes us, as we

are standing. Our heads repeatedly falls down and rises above, as we shuttle

helplessly between waking and deep sleep state.

 

According to Vedanta, when we fall asleep, the serpent energy reaches its

source, which is the final state of realisation, obviously without awareness, by

resolving itself into its causal state. Therefore, if that state, which is pure

consciousness, had some reference to the Head, our heads will not fall down as

the serpent energy rapidly proceeds to that state.

 

Again, according to Vedanta, the serpent energy after rising upto 'Sahasraaraa'

dives into the 'Heart' centre, which is the seat of the final realisation. This

'Heart' centre is experienced somewhere on the right side of the chest. That is

why, when we refer to ourselves, we unconsciously point to our right side of the

chest. This, we can say, is the eighth centre after the 'Sahasraaraa',

frequently referred to as the 'Turiya' state and obviously is not the fourth

centre, which is way below the 'Sahasraaraa'.

 

If the serpent energy reaches this 'Heart' consciously (like a goat searching

for a lion at the centre of the forest and entering into its cave willingly), it

cannot thereafter return to the 'Sahasraaraa' (for the Supreme Self eats it up,

leaving no trace of it) and then fall headlong to the 'Mulaadhaaraa'.

 

This 'Heart' centre is the source of our 'I am the Body Idea' as well as our

'Vital Energy'. In fact, the Sanskrit equivalent, 'Hridayam', means, 'This is

the Centre'. This centre is also called in Vedanta as

'I-I' Centre, which is the true 'I' and the false 'I' is our ego, the 'I am the

Body Idea', which rises from It and sinks back into It.

 

This centre can be consciously accessed by the Vedantic method of Self-Enquiry,

by repeatedly inquiring with rapt attention into the source of all our thoughts,

thus:

" 'For whom is this thought?

When the attention thus returns from the object of thought to the thinker, by

inquiring,

'Who am I?' "

 

Thus, we can see that Thakur referred the householders to meditate on the fourth

'Heart' centre and the all-renouncing monks to meditate on the eighth Turiya

'Heart' centre.

 

Incidentally, this also brings about a unity between Christianity and Vedanta.

 

In the Bible, Lord Jesus says that the 'Heart' is on the left (physical heart

made of flesh, which pumps incessantly till death) for fools and for the wise on

the right. The Vedantic essence of the teaching of Christ is to be found in the

statement, 'Be Still and know that I am (is) God'. Similarly, the Biblical

term, 'Jehovah' means 'I am that I am'.