The Guru Chakra and Gurusakásha

The glands and sub-glands are controlled by the brain.

The susceptibility, the automatic response of those glands and sub-glands, is regulated by the nerve cells.

There are numerous, countless cells in the brain.

Some people say that there are 1,000 cells [based on the thousand-petalled lotus of the scriptures] in the brain.

But actually these are many, many more. Just as we use the expression “thousands” without actually counting, so we might also speak of “one thousand”.

The number of cells in a female body is a little smaller than the number in a male body.

Again, from the viewpoint of sentimentality, the number of nerve cells in a woman’s body is a little greater than that in a man’s.

That is why in areas needing intelligence, knowledge and rationality men progress rapidly, and in areas where success depends on sentimentality, women progress very swiftly.

Through the dispensation of God, men’s deficiency is balanced by women’s sentimentality, and women’s deficiency is balanced by men’s resoluteness and subtle propensive propulsion.

This is why in the sphere of education, both men and women must be afforded equal opportunities. Otherwise society will become crippled, and its all-round well-being cannot be achieved.

There is a regulating point or práńakendra for each of the innumerable nerve cells in the brain.

Over and above these many práńakendras or regulating points of the brain, there is one regulating point which controls the many práńakendras.

This point resembles, to some extent, the tip of a blade of kusha [a type of grass].

In this point is the Guru cakra.

From this point, human beings receive a thousand and one kinds of inspiration and propulsion. The humanity of human beings and the animality of lesser creatures all depend on this point.

In this point is ensconced the Guru, Parama Guru, Parápara Guru, Paramesti Guru.

It is the loftiest point for the purposes of meditation and contemplation.

It is at this point that the meditation on Guru has to be undertaken.

That which I call the sahasrára cakra is an ideational point – without any realistic existence based on the nerve cells – but this is not the case with the Guru cakra.

So human beings must take recourse to the Guru Cakra – they must take shelter under it: Nányapanthá vidyate-ayanáyá [“There is no other way than this”].

In this Guru cakra, the aspirant meditates on the Guru – on that ennobling Entity – channelizing his or her mundane bondages into the non-mundane realm, and elevating his or her non-mundane psychic bondages to the realm of the supramental entity, the source of supra-cognitive power.

Hence, dhyána yoga [meditational Yoga] is the best yoga for sádhaná.

Dhyána yoga is acknowledged by hat́ha yoga, Rája Yoga and Rájádhirája Yoga.

It is also acknowledged by Buddhist and Jain Tantra, and by Bhágavata dharma.

Guru dhyána in the Guru cakra is called Gurusakásha.

In ancient times, Maharshi Vishvamitra, as well as the virtuous Yudhisthira, the son of Yama, the dispenser of dharma, used to say that much time is wasted by human beings in sleep.

Yet it is essential to give the brain rest.

Sleep is needed for physical health.

If a man lives for 60 years, he spends 20 years of these in sleep.

If a person constantly chants his or her japa mantra or meditates ceaselessly, then the rhythm of this japa, the rhythm that adores the Guru during dhyána, will act as auto-suggestion during the time of sleep, although the person will not remember it.

After waking up, the person may wonder what the state of his or her mind was while he or she was asleep. He or she will feel that the state of sleep is the lack of any idea or thing – a sense of vacuum.

Each propensity in human beings thrives on a particular idea.

If the propensity is to be kept alive, then it must take recourse to some particular idea. The condition of sleep is the absence of idea – emptiness.

That is to say, when one wakes up after sleeping one feels that for so long one was in the midst of some sort of idleness, in the midst of the propensity of “nothing whatsoever”.

If, while remaining in the midst of a feeling of “nothing whatsoever”, any pulsation reaches the nerve cells – generally owing to the upward movement of wind or to indigestion, or from the positive viewpoint, owing to much chanting and meditation – a shiver will be caused in the nerve cells, and the picture of this pulsation is called a “dream”.

The pulsation caused by japa or dhyána:

• links the jiiva [unit being] with the higher realms, and
• establishes it in the cognitive properties for the time being.

The pulsation that is caused by some physical condition is an unreal dream and connected with the mundane realm, and has no value.

So when, through the symphony of meditation and japa, the rhythm of life persists, it is called dharmamegha samádhi.

Moreover, if the symphony of meditation or japa persists for some time, and if in the natural course of events the jiiva does not forsake the meditation or japa, then loss of memory does not occur. This state is called dhruvásmrti, or “infallible, eternal memory”.

A sádhaka with this capacity continues his or her dhyána and japa even in sleep.

This kind of japa is called either:

• ajapá japa – without performing japa, japa is going on, or
• adhyáná dhyána – without actually meditating, meditation is going on.

Maharshi Vishvamitra, Dharmarája Yudhisthira, Rájádhirája Yogii Vashiśt́a, Maharshi Astavakra, Vibhandaka and Kalahana have all said that those who waste time because of their susceptibilities (the time of one who does adhyáná dhyána or ajapá japa is not wasted), should remember the Guru in the Guru cakra.

This they should do sitting in siddhásana [perfect posture] or any other convenient ásana [posture], on the same blanket, skin, seat or bed as they had used for sleeping, immediately after waking up and before doing any other work or before having any other thought – even before performing their morning duties or any other task.

This will be a high category of Gurusakásha.

If it cannot always be done immediately after sleep, it is essential to remember the Guru early in the morning after overcoming sleepiness.

If this is done, they will meet with success or illumination in each and every subtle and spiritual task that they perform in the course of the whole day.

It is said:

[Early in the morning one should meditate on the Guru in varábhaya mudrá with two hands and two eyes seated on a white lotus in Guru cakra, and remember Him by chanting His holy name (through a mantra).]

Prátah means “in the morning”. Prátah is indeclinable.

So the first, second, fourth, fifth and all other case endings are not needed – there is no inflection or declension.

Prátah, prátam, prátena, prátáya, prátát, prátasya and similar forms of declension will be out of place, since with an indeclinable word no suffix is added. Shirasi means “at the topmost point” – that is to say, in the Guru cakra.

Shukle means “in a white”; abje means “in the lotus”; shuklébje means “in or on a white lotus”. And you have to meditate on the Guru who is dvinetra [endowed with two eyes] and dvibhuja [endowed with two hands]. In what posture is this Guru endowed with two eyes and two hands?

In varábhaya mudrá [the gesture imparting fearlessness and bestowing grace].

He is your well-wisher and your benefactor.

Whatever words you use mentally to address the Guru at the time of dhyána or Guru dhyána, should also be used at the time of this Guru dhyána. You should always address the Guru for an extended period. This is Gurusakásha.

10 June 1990, Calcutta