SPRITUAL SCIENCE ABOUT CONSCIOUSNESS AND ENERGY

HARE KRISHNA

Albert Einstein had discovered that matter is energy. Today most of the scientists also say that –

Matter only appears; otherwise there is no such thing as matter and that nothing is solid. Even the solid rock is a pulsating energy. The solid rock is as much energy as the roaring ocean. The waves that are arising in the solid rock cannot be seen because they are very subtle, but the rock is waving, pulsating, breathing; it is alive. Modern day scientists say that Body, Mind and Consciousness are also energies. Scientists are involved in experiments to harness Consciousness the way they have done with energy. In fact they treat Consciousness as an invisible commodity like they are doing to electric energy. Their argument is that if we can create, store and use electric energy, the same can be done for Body, Mind and Consciousness also.

Let us see what Indian spiritual practitioners or Yogis have to say about Consciousness and Energy. After all they also were responsible and persevered. But many Yogis also tend to use the two words synonymously.   

The tendency to treat energy and Consciousness as one and the same is generally seen among spiritual Yogis who follow the Hatha Yoga, Jnana Yoga, Karma Yoga, or Raja Yoga. In this category we can even include those doing pranayama or other breath control exercises. These Yogis experienced the Kundalini Shakti being aroused in their Body. In the course of Yoga the Consciousness in the Body stored in the Muladhara Chakra (located at the base of the spine) rises up and moves towards the Ajna Chakra (located in between the eye brows). They refer to this as Kundalini energy and not Consciousness. That was so because they felt the immense force of the rising Consciousness as it moved from Chakra to Chakra more than the Consciousness that was moving up. Thus under Kundalini Yoga or Chakra meditation, the energy was felt brilliantly, but not the Consciousness.

Now let us see what Yogis on the Bhakti Yoga path have to say. They would always refer to their experiences as Krishna Consciousness and not Kundalini awakening, Shakti or Energy. They called Consciousness as absolute bliss or nectar because the flow of energy was very delicate and soothing. They could feel the delicate flow of Consciousness down their Body but couldn’t feel its energy.

Even when the Divine Krishna Consciousness reversed and rose from the feet to the head, they never felt the energy. Not even when the Divine Krishna Consciousness pushed the energy stored in the Muladhar Chakra above the Spine towards his head. Here again they described it as a flow of Consciousness. Once again they never felt the immense energy of Consciousness.

The difference is so obvious. Under Bhakti Yoga, Yogis could feel the nectar like Consciousness, but not its powerful energy. Under Hatha Yoga, Jnana Yoga, Karma Yoga, or Raja Yoga they could feel the powerful energy of Consciousness, but not the Consciousness.

When Consciousness stored in a capsule or a seed (called Muladhar Chakra) gets activated through Yogic techniques, the Consciousness stored there gushes upwards ferociously. In the process it can damage certain parts of our Body organs or the cause mental disturbances.

When Consciousness from an open source enters our Body or into any part of a Body or particle, it is relatively calm and serene.

The same principle is seen when consecrating an idol in a temple as per the Vedic science. A consecrated idol in a temple is a bundle of energy. As per Vedic science, deities are capable of releasing Consciousness in small or in huge volumes. Forcefully or delicately.   

Deities have powerful Consciousness stored in them. Consciousness can be very benevolent if appropriated properly and can be devastating if ignored, or misused. Deities are consecrated bodies.

If anyone tries to create, change, alter, amend, manipulate, destroy the Consciousness it will be a disaster. If the spiritual energy of Consciousness is unleashed improperly it can lead to lifelong sufferings for generations of the individual, place or country involved in such wanton destruction.

Similarly if the Consciousness in the atmosphere tends to accumulate, either under water, earth or in the atmosphere and if it is disturbed for any reason it could lead to cyclones, tsunamis, earthquakes, plagues, etc.

Stored Consciousness will generate and spread powerful energy. But free Krishna Consciousness is controlled, Divine, Blissful and a very pleasant energy.

Modern day scientists say that Body, Mind and Consciousness are all energies. Bhagavan Krishna doesn’t say that Mind, Body and Consciousness are energies.

Bhagavan says in the Bhagavad Gita that everything in the Universe is Consciousness. This is Spiritual Science.

 

HARE KRISHNA

KARMIC LEVELS OF A SPIRITUAL PERSON

Hare Krishna.

The concept of Karma is one of the central beliefs of Hinduism. The Bhagavad Gita and all Hindu scriptures say that our actions will have consequences when they are performed with selfish desires and expectations. Actions could be good or bad. But actions performed and accumulated for the cause of Dharma and the Supreme  Lord Sri Krishna are the best Karmas. Action performed for Dharma and the Supreme Lord is also called Bhakti Yoga.

The main purpose of this post is to describe how a spiritual person  directs his action in his present life so that he can avoid bad Karmas and start accumulating good karmas. That he has to suffer in this or the future life for the bad Karmas is a well known fact. For him also there is no escape from bad Karmas. Undoubtedly a spiritual person undergoes intense pains and sufferings to discharge the bad Karmas.    

As per the Bhagavad Gita, it is advisable to exhaust all the bad Karmas in this life itself because any bad Karma left undischarged in this life gets carried over to our next life.   

As per our scriptures, human beings alone have the capacity to discharge all their past and present life Karmas while they are still alive. That is possible if and only if a person becomes spiritual and adopts the path of Bhakti Yoga.  

It is true that once a person enters the spiritual path he is gradually able to reduce or discharge his past life and present life Karmas. That being so, by the end of his present life, a spiritual person would have been a free and liberated soul. But this generally does not happen in most or almost all the cases, unless he is on the Bhakti Yoga path. There are certain reasons to explain this situation.

It is seen that even if a person is able to discharge all his Karmas, his very presence and activities in the material world makes him act, feel and think about material activities and material things. This happens even to a person on the Bhakti Yoga path. These actions adds to his positive or negative Karma though he is also spiritual.

Then there are other issues also. Karma not only attaches to us by our own thoughts, feelings and actions, but it also attaches to us due to people around us. A spiritual person is very sensitive to the Karmas of others and people around him. A spiritual person generally does the following to avoid such Karmas:

1. 1.     He would never come in public or meet people. He would rather avoid connection with even the worldly news.

1. 2.     He would never attend any functions like marriages or deaths. But the shastras say that  he should respect his mother as an avathar of the Lord. Therefore the only function he attends is his mother’s funeral.

1. 3.     He would never sit on an asana or seat that his not his.

1. 4.     He would generally cook his own food and wash his clothes by himself.

1. 5.     He would never touch others, allow others to touch or feel him. He will  maintain arm’s length at all times.

All the above and many other things are done because thoughts, feelings and actions of others do effect a spiritual person. In the process he himself suffers the bad Karmas of others. Even his close disciples’ Karmas act on him. This leads to actions or reactions within him. Giving an audience to other people easily triggers his feelings and causes reactions.

In such situations you will find a spiritual person spending most of his waking time by himself, shutting his mouth, ears, tongue, touch, eyes and thoughts and meditating on the Supreme Lord.

Most of the times a spiritual person is very calm as long as he is by himself. But if someone tries to take him on or irritate him, he can become very hostile and lethal. Indian scriptures like the Bhagavad Gita are full of incidents when Maharishis have lost their tempers and burnt their adversaries to ashes by a mere look. Lord Shiva, though very benevolent, was very nasty if and when provoked. In order to avoid such severe situations , a spiritual person prefers to lead an isolated life, away from the human civilisation, so that he does not lose his self control and commit a wrong. Many spiritual persons are therefore known to give up family and friends and have lived in forests or mountains.

A spiritual person is as prone to add to his Karma as much as any one is. The only difference being, he will try to discharge the Karmas, in this life itself, unlike a non-spiritual person who is unable to discharge his Karmas. In the end, a bit of Karma of a spiritual person invariably gets carried over to the next life, in case he has to be reborn. A spiritual person’s capacity to absorb other people’s Karma may be high, but he has to suffer a lot in the process.

Lord Krishna says in the Bhagavad Gita that by resorting to Bhakti Yoga alone a person would have erased his past and present life Karma. This is possible by devoting full time to the Supreme Lord Sri Krishna. The way a person can prevent further additions to his Karma is:

• 1.     To surround himself by those who are similarly placed in devotion and bhakti. And

• 2.     To constantly utter the Holy name of the Supreme Lord Krishna in his wakeful state.

When he utters the name of the Lord in his wakeful state, the name percolates deep into his body, mind, senses and the soul. And the Lord’s name echoes even when he is asleep.

It is therefore better to start uttering His name at all times, irrespective of our age and state of health. Always be  in Krishna Consciousness and accumulate the best Karma.

 

HARE KRISHNA