The Meaning of “Krśńa” in Rája Yoga

14 January 1980, Calcutta

Now we come to the fourth of our various interpretations of “Krśńa”.(1) We
come to another type of interpretation – the Rája Yaogik interpretation.
This human body is controlled by nerve fibres, which in turn are controlled by
nerve cells. The human body generally moves as it is directed to by the mind.
But when the body functions under the impact of certain inborn instincts, it
does not require direction by the mind. Such actions are absolutely physical or
mundane. Then there are some functions which, though physical, are also
related to the mind, such as hunger, thirst, sleep and drowsiness. The latter
functions are regulated by the ten váyus [vital-energy flows] – práńa, apáńa,
samána, udána, vyána (the five [internal] váyus), and nága, kúrma, krkara,
devadatta and dhanaiṋjaya (the five [external] váyus). Through these external
váyus all kinds of natural functions are performed. The mind does not play any
particular role in these cases.
All other functions, however, are controlled by the mind. The mind will send
instructions to the body according to how it (the mind) is controlled or
regulated by physico-psycho-spiritual practices; and in order to control the
mind the ten váyus have to be brought under control. The systematic and
scientific process to regulate the váyus in order to control the mind is called
práńáyáma. Práńán yamayatyeśah práńáyámah – “The process of controlling
the váyus is known as práńáyáma.” (The word práńáyáma is derived as: [práń
+ á – yam + ghaiṋ].)
There is a unique causal relationship between the functioning of the váyus and
the functioning of the mind. If someone keeps running at a certain pace by
drawing rapidly on accumulated vital energy, the person’s respiration
becomes faster, and if the respiration becomes fast, one loses the capacity for
deep thinking or deep contemplation. That is, one loses the capacity to think,
or to assimilate or internalize any idea through the organs, in a calm and
systematic way. If the [body] is restless, the [mind] will also be restless. That is
why during spiritual practice, the body should be kept motionless. One must
practise seated in a certain posture, because if the body becomes calm and
motionless the mind also tends to become calm and concentrated. If someone
is constantly thinking that he or she will have to sit down at a certain time,
stand up at a certain time, catch hold of one’s nose or ears at a certain time,
the mind will automatically tend to become restless. Such is the intimate
relation between the body and the mind.
Indriyáńám manonáthah manonáthastu márutah – “The indriyas(2) – both
sensory indriyas and motor indriyas – are controlled by [the mind and the mind
is controlled by] the váyus.”(3)
This sort of functioning of the mind is discharged in and through the body with
the help of the nerve cells and nerve fibres. Its principle controlling centre is
situated in the sahasrára cakra – the pineal gland – but its substations are
located in various parts of the body. The substations are located in sites of the
body from which particular kinds of thought-waves control the adjacent areas
of the body in their own respective ways. These substations are called cakra or
padma or kamala – plexus in Latin – thus we have the various cakras –
múládhára, svádhiśth́ ána, mańipura, anáhata, vishuddha, ájiṋá, etc. The mind,
instead of exerting its control directly from the sahasrára cakra, exerts its
control through the other cakras, the other plexi. Hence in order to advance
spiritually, one has first to establish control over these lower cakras, then
finally over the sahasrára cakra. If one, conversely, tries to control the
sahasrára first while the other cakras remain uncontrolled, spiritual practice
on the sahasrára may be hampered. Not only that; even if the sahasrára cakra
can be brought under control, the final result will not be good if the subsidiary
cakras are not brought under control. It is not enough that the driver of a car
be efficient, the car as well must be free from any defect.
The various cakras are controlled by particular biija mantras, particular
acoustic roots, and also emanate sound vibrations; and every sound vibration
coming from each such plexus – each such network of nád́iis [psychic-energy
channels] – is in scripture given the name of a particular devatá [deity], a
particular vibrational existence. When you think in a particular way, your mind
is vibrated in the corresponding way, and your nerve cells and nerve fibres are
vibrated in the corresponding way. When someone gets angry, the mind also
becomes heated and red, and there is a corresponding reaction in the nerves.
The body becomes reddish and starts trembling. Now these devatás or
vibrational existences – each the repository of a particular kind of thinking and
each representing one point in a given cakra – are controlled by the nuclei of
their respective plexi, and all those nuclei are controlled by the human mind,
which is the collective expression of fifty main propensities.
Those fifty main propensities function both internally and externally. One may
donate something to someone both internally and externally. Likewise, one
can steal both mentally and physically. Hence every propensity is functioning
in two ways, and fifty times two equals one hundred. Furthermore, each
propensity functions in ten directions [north, south, east, west, northeast,
northwest, southeast, southwest, up and down]. One hundred times ten
equals one thousand. Hence there are one thousand functioning propensities.
These one thousand vrttis are controlled by the mind from the pineal gland,
which is why [its corresponding cakra] is called sahasrára [sahasra means
“thousand”]. So the nucleus of the sahasrára controls the sahasrára itself,
every subsidiary plexus below the pineal gland, and the vrtti-controlling points
of all those cakras. (Each of these points is a vibrational existence, a devatá.)
All the devatás of a given plexus are controlled by the controlling point of that
plexus, and the supreme controlling point is the controlling point of the pineal
gland. This supreme controlling point is called Paramashiva in yoga philosophy
– Paramashivah Puruśottamah vishvasya kendram [“Supreme Consciousness
at the nucleus of the universe is known as Paramashiva or Puruśottama”]. The
same entity which is called Paramashiva or Puruśottama in Rája Yoga is known
as “Krśńa” in Vaeśńava Tantra. This is one aspect [of the Krśńa concept in
philosophy]. This is a very important point which should be well understood.
When a spiritual aspirant can concentrate all his or her psycho-physical
existence or individual “I” feeling on Paramashiva or Puruśottama in the
sahasrára cakra, the jiiva becomes Shiva. A jiiva is manifested out of
Paramashiva as a jiiva in a human body – or rather, simultaneously in the
Cosmic Body and in a human body. Each and every microcosmic structure is
like a universe. Hence the yoga scriptures say, Traelokye yáni bhútáni táni
dehatah – “Whatever exists in the universe exists in your small structure as
well.” Just as the universe, starting from Paramashiva, Puruśottama, flows on
and on along the path of saiṋcara and attains the form of the crudest matter
(if it undergoes further crudification it will explode), and thereafter starts
moving on the path of subtlety, similarly in the human frame the last vertebra
is the crudest manifestation. The last vertebra in the human body is termed
kula in Sanskrit. So kula literally means “that which bears the load of the entire
body”.(4)
That entity which sleeps [coiled], like a snake, [around] the last vertebra, with
the sleeping divinity (that is, the unexpressed divinity(5) within a human or
animal structure) clamped in its mouth, is called kulakuńd́alinii.
When human beings do sádhaná, the kulakuńd́alinii, an ideative entity, rises
upward through the spine. It pierces through cakras one after the other, and
simultaneously the thoughts or propensities controlled by their respective
cakras are brought under control. As soon as the kulakuńd́alinii pierces the
múládhára, svádhiśth́ ána and mańipura cakras, it brings under control all the
propensities up to and including those of the mańipura cakra. The mańipura is
the controlling cakra of ten propensities – shyness, sadistic tendency, envy,
staticity, melancholia, peevishness, yearning for acquisition, infatuation,
hatred, fear. When after rising and rising the kulakuńd́alinii reaches the
sahasrára, it becomes one with Paramashiva. This is the state of liberation.
You know very well that in medieval India, Tantra branched out into numerous
schools: Saora Tantra, Shákta Tantra, Shaeva Tantra, Gáńapatya Tantra,
Vaeśńava Tantra, etc.(6) So according to yoga scripture, the kuńd́alinii resides
in the múládhára and Paramashiva in the sahasrára. And according to
Vaeśńava Tantra, the kulakuńd́alinii is called “Rádhá” and Paramashiva is
called “Krśńa”. This is the essence of the concept of Rádhá and Krśńa.
Unfortunately, the actual underlying spirit of the Vaishnavite Cult is forgotten
or ignored by many.
Quite often at the end of a [Vaishnavite] kiirtana you will hear that Rádhá and
Krśńa have become united. The participants express this with a sentence that
includes the words, Haribol, Haribol. The fact is that the sádhaná has elevated
the jiivabháva [microcosmic bearing], and, it having become one with
Paramashiva at the sahasrára cakra, the microcosm has gone beyond the
periphery of all bondages, and has attained the bliss of emancipation. This is
the inner secret.
Here the seven cakras, from múládhára to sahasrára, which the kulakuńd́alinii
has to pierce, are the fetters or ropes which a spiritual aspirant has to snap.
Páshabaddho bhavejjiivah, páshamukto bhavecchiva – “Those who are in
bondage are called jiivas, and those who have been freed are Shiva.”
This is the last of our interpretations of the term “Krśńa”. In the sahasrára
cakra, Paramashiva is the controlling point. Paramashiva is the same as
“Krśńa”.