Page 2 - march-2025

parama-pürëa vastu, which is of the nature of caitanya and änanda.
It is hidden in the hearts of all beings, as seen in the mantra we
discussed. The means to realize it was also given – adhyätma yoga,
the yoga of meditation, which deals with how to withdraw the
mind’s attention from the outer world and turn it towards the
Self. But some people may still find it very abstract and difficult
to comprehend. No wonder, since we are at present completely
identified with the body, and what is described here is the
transcendental Truth. For some, it is very difficult even to
understand the existence of something different from or other
than the body. So Nachiketa requests Dharmaräjä to simplify it by
giving some indications, signs or clues by which we can understand
the existence of the Self as something other than the body.
Once, a person went to meet the Managing Director of a big
company. The MD told his secretary to send the man away by saying
that he was not in the office. But the man was adamant on meeting
him and waited for 2-3 hours. The MD became restless because he
wanted to go out. So, finally, he called that man in and asked him,
“What made you wait so long, even when you were told that I was
not in the office?” The man replied, “I knew you were in the office
because everyone was working quietly at their own desks. That is a
sure sign (liìgam) that you are here!”
From the next mantra onwards, some of the vital signs of the
presence of the Self are pointed out.

%Xv¡ àa[muÚyTypan< àTygSyit,

mXye vamnmasIn< ivñe deva %paste. 3.
urdhvaà präëam-unnayaty-apänaà pratyag-asyati,

madhye vämanam-äsénaà viçve devä upäsate. (3)
The physical body is vitalized by the präëas – the vital airs.
This is known as the präëamaya koña. We think of präëa only in
terms of breathing, but that is not all. It is energy. And the çästras
speak of five-fold präëas – präëa, apäna, vyäna, udäna, samäna.
The flowing of the präëas itself is the proof of some other
entity, because the präëas by themselves cannot do anything.

Tapovan Prasad 19 March 2025