Kundalini Breath of the Cosmos

Let’s enter into today’s sutra; in Brahma sutras 1st chapter part one 24th sutra jyotihi charana abhidanaat jyotihi charana abhidanaat. Here the word jyoti light is used as a equalent to Brahman. To talk about Brahman to mention about Brahman the word jyoti is used. Now that light which shines above this heaven, higher than all, higher than everything, in the highest worlds beyond which there are no other worlds, that is the same light within man.

Let us understand some of the sacred secrets in this sutra; what really Vyasa wants to convey through this sutra. Please understand what really Vyasa wants to convey. Anything which you cannot comprehend by your visualization is equated, used for referring, used as a referral point for Brahman. Please understand anything which you cannot comprehend by the mind, which you are not able to catch it by the mind is used as a referring method, referral point to refer Brahman. Just through this Vyasa is trying to explain to make us understand the inexplicable Brahman which can’t be caught by your mind, which you can’t comprehend.

Try to visualize light. How much ever you visualize you will always feel you not caught it. Visualize… naturally the moment you visualize it becomes dark. Please understand, the moment you visualize light, just because of the boundary it has already become dark.

In Hinduism light plays a major role. In my own native place, one of the oldest Vedic university, Arunachala, light is worshipped as the main deity; main deity itself is embodiment of light - jyotihi - deepaha. Jyoti becomes the main deity in my own native place. This festival is one of the oldest recorded festival in Vedic tradition - worshipping light; putting a huge light on the top of the hill and worshipping it.

So the light is the center of the worship. It represents Brahman in almost all traditions because you can’t visualize it. Try to visualize light, try continuously to visualize the light without boundary; you will disappear into it. Vacha eva ayam jyotishate palyayate karma kurute vipalyate iti. In Brihadaranyaka Upanishad 4th chapter 3rd canto 5th shloka - with speech only as light man sits. Whatever illumines something else may be considered as light. Whatever shows the other things and its own existence is light. The source of the whole universe is always remembered as light in Vedic tradition. The source of the whole is always remembered as a light because light is something which you can’t visualize. The negation has to be again and again explained.

The next reference of light being referred as God and Brahman in Brihadaranyaka 4th chapter 4th canto 16th shloka... samvatsaro ahobhihi parivartate taddevo taddeva jyotisham jyotirayu haa upaasate amrutam. The meaning says Him, the Gods worship as the light of lights as the immortal. Light of lights; only when you visualize the endless light again and again you will realize it is impossible for you to visualize. It is not possible for you to mentally capture the meaning of the word jyotihi, mentally understand the meaning of the word jyotihi. I can say this leads you to meditate on something with which, on which you can’t meditate.

It’s like he is creating, Vyasa is creating a new thought trend where the vada prativada can start, khandana mandana can start. Can you meditate on light? Where it will lead is different. Try, try the khandana mandana - can we meditate on light? Is it possible to grasp light through our visualization? See, light is such you can grasp when you start, you can’t grasp in the end.

Very beautifully one siddha describes in the five elements earth, water, fire, air and ether; air and ether are formless, water and earth has form - solid form. The fire is neither formless nor having form; it has some form but does not have a form. And not only that, fire has a capacity, if you put this earth and water into it, it will absorb the form and make that into air and ether formless. That is why Guru is considered as fire who goes on making form into formlessness. Disciples come to him with a name and form. He swallows the whole thing and makes them some ananda and formless. He makes them nameless and formless. Like agni, when the water and earth goes to agni, agni digests them and makes them air and ether; form becoming formless.

So jyoti is the bridge; jyoti is the energy which makes form into formlessness, name into namelessness. That is the reason light is respected as God, used to refer God, used to refer Brahman, used to refer cosmic existence. Form becoming formless, name becoming nameless, happens through light.

Do the khandana mandana vada prativada - can we meditate on light? Is it possible to meditate on light?