A ND T H E

PH ILO SO PH Y O F TH E TATTVAS

AN L A T E D F ROLI T H E SA NSKRIT W IT H I N RODUC ORY A ND E X P L ANA ORY T R S , T T T

’

NATURE S FINER FO RCES .

RE P R INT E D F ROBI T H E H E OS OP H IS ” VV IT II BIODIF IC A T IONS T T , A ND ADD IT IO NS

M . A . F . T . . R A M A P R A S A D , , S

Its one ab solu e at rib u e Wt h i s 7 88 e ern al ceaseless o ion i s c alled t t t , “ t , M t , “ ” in eso eric arlan ce the reat B reat w ic is the e et ual mo ion of the t p G h , h h p rp t

niverse in the sen se o f limitles s ever - resent S a ce U , , p p . — v H . P . B la a lsky The S a me! Dart) m e

T R A ND R V D H I D E IS E E DIT ION .

LONDON

T H E E P P UB L IS H ING E TH OSO HICAL SOCI TY .

1 6 1 NEW B O N D S RE , T E T , IV .

CONTENTS.

The T att vas Evolution

T he Mutu al Rel ation of the T attvas and of the Principle s

P réna

T h e Mind

T he Cosmic Picture - Gallery

T h e M anifes tation s of Psychic Force — Yoga Th e Soul

T he Spiri t

T he Science of Bre ath GLOSSARY

ff to the book now o ered to the public . In the ninth

' and tenth volumes of Tize Tbeasop/z zst I wrote certain

“ ’ ” essays on Nature s Finer Forces . The subj ect of

' these essays interested the readers of T/ze Tlzeosop/z zst

I of so much , that was asked to issue the series essays

f or in book form . On reading the essays this purpose I found that in order to make a book they must be

r - almost entirely rearranged and perhaps e written .

of re- However, not being equal to the task writing I I what had once written , determined to publish a translation of the book in Sanskrit on the Science of

T attvas . Breath and the Philosophy of the As , more over, without these essays the book would have been I quite unintelligible , decided to add them to the book by way of an illustrative introduction . This accord in l T e 772 030 51 s g y has been done . The essays in fi 3 1

modifica have been reprinted with certain additions , I tions and corrections . Besides , have written several

more essays in order to make the explanations more

complete and authoritative .

I was confirmed in this course by one more c on vi PREFACE .

sideration . The book contains a good deal more than I the essays touched upon , and thought it better to

lay all of it before the public .

The book is sure to throw a good deal of light upon the scientific researches of the ancient Aryans b of India , and it will leave no dou t in a candid mind

that the religion of ancient India had a scientific basis . It is chiefly for this reason that I have drawn my illus trations T attvic of the Law from the Upanishads . There is a good deal in the book which can only be

i n shown to be true by long and d ligent experime t . Those who are devoted to the pursuit of truth with out prej udice will no doubt be ready to wait before they form any opinion about such portions of the

s . book . Others it is useless to rea on with To the former class of students I have to say one I t word more . From my own experience can tell hem

o o that the more they study the bo k, the more wisd m

z me t they are sure to find in it , and let hope tha ere

I e long shall have a goodly numb r of colleagues , who Will with me try their best to explain and illustrate

the book still better and more thoroughly .

RAMA P RA Sfi D. MEERUT, INDIA ,

N ovember th 1 88 . 5 , 9 PREFACE TO THE SECOND AND

REVISED EDITION.

T H E points on which revision has been attemp ted are : ( 1 ) the style of printing has been made uniform

“ ” of on with the rest the books printed the H . P . B .

Press ; (2 ) consistency in transliteration of Sanskrit

of cor terms has been studied , and a number errors rected ; (3) the English of some phrases has been improved ; and (4) a few passages have been omitted from the text . R . H . is responsible for some small

portion of the work of revision , and for the rest the undersigned , who has a high appreciation of Mr . Rama

’ — an Prasad s essays appreciation , however, which is not extended to certain portions of the Tantrik work he has so ably translated .

G . R . S . M .

1 8 . LONDON , 94

NA TURE’S F INER F ORCES ,

A ND THEIR INF LUENCE UPON

I H UM A N LIF E A ND DEST NY .

T H E TATTVAS.

T H E T attvas are the five modifications of the Great

Breath . Acting upon Prakriti this Great Breath throws it into five states , having distinctive vibratory

ff . motions , and performing di erent functions The first outcome of the evolutionary state of Barabrah man is the Akasha Tattva . After this come in order the Vayu , the Tejas , the Apas and the Prithivi . They are variously known as M ahabhfitas . The word Akasha is generally translated into English by the

ef/zer . to word Unfortunately , however, modern Eng lish science sound is n ot known t o be the di stinguish

also ing quality of ether . Some few might have the idea that the modern medium of light is the same as

’

Akasha . This , I believe , is a mistake . The lumini

n ot ferous ether is the subtle T ejas Tattva , and the

Akasha . A ll the five subtle T attvas might no doubt

f or A be called ethers , but to use the term ether kasha , ’ F IN R 2 NATURE S E FORCES .

without any distinguishing epithet , is misleading .

e \V might call Akasha the sonoriferous ether , the

t an iferous u stif erous Vayu the g ether , Apas the g

. as ether, and Prithivi the Odoriferous ether Just there exists in the universe the luminiferous ether, an element of refined matter without which it has been found that the phenomena of light find no adequate

e explanation , so do ther exist the four remaining ethers , elements of refined matter, without which it

O f will be found that the phenomena sound , touch , taste and smell find no adequate explanation . The luminiferous ether is supposed by modern science to be matter in a most refined state . It is the vibrations of this element that are said to constitute light . The vibrations are said to take place at right angles to the direction of the wave . Nearly the same is the description of the Tejas Tattva given in the book . It makes this Tattva move in an upward dirce tion , and the centre of the direction is , of course , the direction of the wave . Besides , it says that one whole vibration of this element makes the figure of a triangle . Suppose in this figure A B is the d irec tion of the wave ; B C the direction of the

. C A vibration is the line along which , seeing that in expansion the symmetrical arrangements of the atoms of a body are

t e not changed , the vibrating atom must turn to its symmetrical position in the line A B . The Tejas Tattva of the ancients is then exactly the T H T A T A E T V S . 3

of so luminiferous ether the moderns , far as the nature

of the vibration is concerned . There is no concep

a tion , however, Of the four remaining ethers , at ll

events in a direct manner, in modern science . The

r o of s vib ati ns Akasha , the sonoriferous ether , con ti tute sound ; and it is quite necessary to recogni z e the

d of istinctive character this form Of motion . The experiment of the b ell in a vac uum goes to prove that the vibrations o f the atmosphere propagate

as sound . Any other media , however , such the earth

the a re to and metals , known transmit sound in

u on e various degrees . There m st , therefore , be some thing in all these media which gives birth to sound

the vibration which con stitutes sound . That some

‘ thing is the Indian Akasha .

A s - But ka ha is all pervading , just as is the lumini

o . n ot to fer us ether Why , then , is sound transmitted

our ears when a vacuum is produced in the bell - jar ? ’ The real fact is that we must ma iz e a a zfi renee between the vibrations of the elements whi c h constitute sound w and light , etc . , and the vibrations Of the media hich

s r is n ot tran mit these impressions to ou senses . It the — — vibrations of the ethers the subtle T attvas that

our cause perceptions , but the ethereal vibrations

T h e reader might be put in mind of the phenomen a of the

and s s . It is a telephone, till better tho e of the photophone cle r th at the rays which tran s mit sound in the l atter are not the visua l

a s s un a re s a udible a s . T h e are r y of the . They urely r y former

' a s f i ’ r u \V hat are a ? the vibr tion O the lmm n fi o s ether. the l tter

T he a s s souor i Z’rous s vibr tion , of cour e , of the / ether, the con tituent

a a a is al A as a . of the Indi n Pr n , which c led k h ’ 4 NATURE S FINER FORCES .

t ff ransferred to di erent media , which are so many — modifications of gross matter the S thfila Maha h b fitas . The luminiferous ether is present j ust as

much in a darkened room as in the space without . The minutest space within the dimensions of the

w alls f surrounding themselves is not void o it . For all this the luminosity of the exterior is not present in ? the interior . Why The reason is that our ordinary vision does not see the vibrations of the luminiferous

ether . It only sees the vibrations of the media which

the ether pervades . The capability of being set into ff ethereal vibrations varies with di erent media . In the space without the darken ed room the ether brings the atoms of the atmosphere into the necessary state

of visual vibration , and one wide expanse of light is

presented to our view . The same is the case with

every other obj ect that we see . The ether which per vades the obj ect brings the atoms of that object into t the necessary state of visual vibration . The streng h of the ethereal vibrations which the presence of the sun imparts to the ether pervading our planet is not sufficient to evoke the same state in the dead matter

of the darkening walls . The internal ether, divided

c ut from the external one by this dead mass , is itself

off from such vibrations . The darkness of the room

is thus the consequence , notwithstanding the presence

therein of the luminiferous ether . An electric spark

in the vacuum of a bell - jar must needs be transmitted

to our eyes , because the glass of the j ar which stands in contact with the internal luminiferous ether has a 11 i b t i o h i h f h V ra n , w c rom t ence IS t rans

e external ether and thence to the eye . ould never be the case if we were to use

>r an earthen jar . It is this capability of to the state of visual V ibration which in

n f ra a ilar obj ects we call mfi reney. t o the sonoriferous ether (Akasha). Every

5 3 to matter has , a certain extent , which

v a uditor arying forms , what we may call y w t o say something about the nature of us . T w o things must be understood in

is connection . In the first place the ex rn al form of the vibration is something f ( e the hole o the ear .

It throws matter which is subj ect to it, to the form of a dotted sheet .

5 are little points , rising above surface so as to produce micro

i . to . the sheet It is said move

to ;tarts (Sankrama), and move

in all directions (S arvatogama). That means to say that the impulse f alls back upon itself along the line of its ’ 6 NATURE S FINER FORCES . which the auditory vibrations throw the atmospheric air is a true clue to the form of the ethereal vibration . And the vibrations of atmospheric air discovered by modern science are similar .

I come now to the tangif erous ether (Vayu). The vibrations of this ether are described as being spheri

c al in form , and the motion is said 0 0 0 to be at acute angles to the wave 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 9 0 0 T 1Wak Such 15 the representati on 0 O 6 6 0 0 0 8629 0 0 of these Vi brati ons on the plane of O the paper . 0 9 0 0 8880 The remarks about the transm i s sion Of sound in the case of Akasha ' ’ ’ muta t uta na s zs m z . apply here , too , The gustif erous ether (Apas Tattva) is said to re semble in shape the half moon . It is , moreover , said to move downward . This direction is opposite to that of the luminiferous ether . This force , there

a fore , causes contraction . Here is the represent tion of the Apas vibrations on the plane of paper .

The process of contraction w ill be considered when

I come to the qualities of the T attvas .

’ The odoriferous ether (Prithivi )is said to be quad ran gular in shape . Thus IZIEIIZIEJ IZID IZI ET EI IZI EI EI EI E]

o he Thi s is said t move in t middle . It neith er

nor nor u moves at right angles , at acute angles , p

n or o f wards , downwards , but it moves along the line the wave . The line and the quadrangle are in the same plane .

o of o f These are the forms , and the m des motion , the five ethers . Of the five sensations Of men , each of to on e : these ethers gives birth , thus

1 . . Akasha , sonoriferous ether , sound

if rous . 2 . tan e Vayu , g ether , touch

o . 3 . Tejas , luminiferous ether , col ur

ustif erous . 4 . Apas , g ether , taste

o s . 5 . Prithivi , odorifer u ether , smell

e e s e s In the process Of evolution th se co xi ting eth r , while retaining their general relative forms and pri

o the mary qualities , c ntract qualities Of the other

of Tattvas . This is known as the process Panchi karana or division into fiv e .

as our V L to If we take , book does , H , P , R , and be the algebraical symbol s f or

P a nchik arana respectively, the ethers after assume the following forms : ’ 8 NATURE S FINER FORCES .

a s s e s are,”

i r L " v. (5 ) i

of One molecule each ether , consisting of eight atoms , has four of the original principal ethers , and one each of the remaining four . The following table will Show the five qualities of each of the T attvas after P anchik arana .

. . E . SOUND . TOUCH TASTE . ICOLOUR SM LL

a . H . Ordin ry

. a . . P. Very light R ther cool Acid the cloud

H ot Red

Cool Astringent . White

Slightly hot . Sweet . Yellow

It might be remarked here that the subtle T attvas exist n ow in the universe on four planes . The hi gher of these planes diff ers from the lower in having a

greater number of vibrations per second . The four planes are :

s a I . Phy iologic l 2 a . Ment l s 3 . P ychic

4 .

’ ro NATURE S FINER FORCES .

' ’ ' piece assumes the shape of A B C . Expansion is thus the result .

‘ ' - onf raez z on . 4 . C This is the quality of the Apas

Tattva . As has been remarked before , the direction of this ether is the reverse of the Agni , and it is therefore easy to understand that contraction is the result of the play of this Tattva .

o s ve s ta n — 5 . C he i R e i s ce This is the quality of the ill . w Prithivi Tattva This , it be seen , is the reverse

f or of Akasha . Akasha gives room locomotion , while

Prithivi resists it . This is the natural result of the direction and shape of this vibration . It covers up the spaces of the Akasha . — m ot/z 72ess . . 6 . S o This is a quality of the Apas Tattva As the atoms of any body i n contraction come near each

- other and assume the semi lunar shape of the Apas , they must easily glide over each other . The very shape secures for the atoms easy motion . ff This , I believe is su icient to explain the general ff nature of the T attvas . The di erent phases of their manifestation on all the planes of life will be taken

up in their proper places . ll.

EVO L UTI O N .

IT to to will be very interesting trace , according the

of T attv as of theory the , the development man , and f the formation o the world .

T attv as The , as we have already seen , are the modi

fications of . find our Svara Regarding Svara , we in book “ In the Svara are the Vedas and the Shastras , and in the Svara is music . All the world is in the Svara ;

Svara is the spirit itself. The proper translation of the word Svara is t/ze

- current of f/ze lefe w ave. It is that wavy motion which is the cause of the evolution of cosmic nu ff f di erentiated matter into the di ferentiated universe , ’ 1 2 NATURE S FINER FORCES . have for their original the sound produced by the breath of animals . In the Science of Breath the

so technical symbol for inspiration is , and for expira tion fuz . It is easy to see how these symbols are con

as ab nected with the roots and . The current of the life - wave spoken of above is technically called Hansa

f ha so O . chasa , the motion and The word Hansa , which is taken to mean God , and is made so much of

r re resen in many Sansk it works , is only a symbolic p i n — 1m tat o of the two eternal processes of life and so .

- The primeval current of the life wave is , then , the same which i n man assumes the form of inspiratory and expiratory motion of the lungs , and this is the all - pervading source of the evolution and the involu tion of the universe . The book goes on “ It is the Svara that has given form to t/ze fi rst accumulations of the divisions of the universe ; the Svara causes involution and evolution ; the Svara is

od G G Himself, or more properly the reat Power (Ma

The Svara is the manifestation of the impression on matter of that power which in man is known to us as the power which knows itself. It is to be under f stood that the action o this power n ever ceases . It is ever at work , and evolution and involution are the very necessity of its unchangeable existence .

The Svara has two d iff erent states . The one is

- known on the physical plane of life as the sun breath ,

as - the other the moon breath . I shall , however, at I th e d a and i h I n as y n g t O P ara brah ma . evolutionary period is known as the hman ; the negative or involutionary

1 as the night of P arabrahman . These

follow each other without break . The this period comprehend all the phases 1 it is therefore necessary to give here e according to the Hindu Shastras . with a T ruti as the least division of

T H E DIVISION S O F TIM E . = 8 sh a s . 4 5 econd = = Ishth a 3% s econd s 8V ip alas .

: = a 1% minutes 4 Pa las . = = a 48minutes 2 Ghari s . = = har s y an d night 2 4 h ou rs 6o G i . = ts and odd hours : I P it rya d ay and night 1

I ours.

h r = 1 a : 6 a s 1 a d ay and night ye r 3 5 d y , s , 3

: Inights I D aiva year.

I S aty a Yuga .

I Treta Yuga .

I Dvap ara Yuga.

- 1 K ali Yuga . as I Ch at u r Yuga (four Yug ).

: as I D a i va Yuga .

I d ay and night of Brahma. and nights : 1 yea r of Brahma.

M anvan t ara .

d o . 1rs = I Ch atu r Yuga of Brahma an s on

- 5 ‘ I n v r a fl f ] O f p a r a b ra h n l an . E’ NATUR S FINER FORCES .

These days and nights follow each other in eternal

eternal succession , and hence evolution and involution .

I We have thus five sets of days and nights . , Para

2 P itr a M anusha . brahmic ; , Brahmic ; 3, Daiva ; 4, y ; 5 ,

' szxt/z M anvantaric M anvantaric A is the day , and the

a night (P ralay ). The days and nights of P arab rahman follow each

i the other without beg nning or end . The night ( negative period) and the day (the positive period) both merge into the S ushum na (the conjunctive period ) and emerge into the other . And so do the other days and nights . The days all through this division are sacred to the positive , the hotter current , and the nights to the negative , the cooler current .

The impressions of names and forms , and the power

n of produci g an impression , lie in the positive phase of existence . Receptivity is given birth to by the n egative current . After being subj ected to the negative phase of Para

P arabrahman brahman , Prakriti , which follows like a shadow , has been saturated with evolutionary recep tivit im y; as the hotter current sets in , changes are

it s . printed upon , and it appears in changed form The first impri nt which the evolutionary positive c ur

A s r . rent leaves upon Prak iti is known as ka ha Then , by and by , come into existence the remaining ethers . These modifications of Prakriti are the ethers of the

first stage . ob Into these five ethers , as now constituting the

ective a o n of j pl ne , works the current the Great EVOLUTION . 1 5

. la Breath A further development takes p ce . Diff erent centres come into existence . The Akasha throw s them

f or into a form which gives room locomotion . TV ith the beginning of the Vayu Tattva these elementary

o of ethers are thrown int the form spheres . This was

of or mation or the beginning f , what may also be called

n solidificatio .

our These spheres are Brahmandas . In them the

o — ethers assume a secondary devel pment . The so called division into five takes place . Well , but in this Brah mic sphere in which the new ethers have good room f or locomotion n ow , the Tejas Tattva comes into play ,

tatt ic and then the Apas Tattva . Every v quality is generated into , and preserved in , these spheres by

c m these currents . With the Apas the formation is o

of plete . I n process time we have a centre and an — atmosphere . This sphere is the self conscious uni verse .

to In this sphere , according the same process , a third

c ethereal state comes into existen e . In the cooler atmosphere removed from the centre another class of centres comes into existence . These divide the Brah mic state of matter into tw o di fferent states . After this comes into existence another state Of matter whose centres bear the name of Devas or suns . We have thus four states of subtle matter in the universe .

f or . I . Prana , life matter , with the Sun centre

M ann f or . 2 . Manas , mental matter , with the centre

h f or . . V i fian a w 3 j , psychic matter , ith Bra ma centre ’ 1 6 NA TURE S FINER FORCES .

P arabrahm . an 4 Ananda , spiritual matter , with as the infinite substratum . Every higher state is positive with regard to the lower one , and every lower one is given birth to by a composition of the positive and negative phase of the higher .

I . Prana has to do with three sets of days and nights in the above division of time .

(a) Our ordinary days and nights . (6) The bright and dark half of the month which are called the Pitrya day and night .

e ( ) The northern and southern halves of the year, the day and night of the Devas .

These three nights acting upon earth - matter impart to it the receptivity of the cool , negative shady phase

- of life matter . The respective days coming in after, these nights imprint themselves upon it . The earth i herself thus becomes a living being , hav ng a north pole , in which a central force draws the needle towards itself, and a south pole in which is centred a force which is , so to say , the shade of the north polar centre . It has also always the solar force centred in the eastern — — half, and the lunar the shade of the former centred in the western half.

These centres come , in fact , into existence even before the eart h is manifested on the gross plane . So also do the centres of other planets come into exist ence . As the sun presents himself to the Mann there come into existence two states of the matter in which the sun lives and moves— the positive and the nega

’ 1 8 NATURE S FINER FORCES .

. M aharlok a . 4 , sacred to Praj apati

. analok a to . 5 J , sacred Brahma

T a arlok a . 6 . p , sacred to Brahma

7 . Satyaloka , sacred to Brahma . It is not my purpose to try at present to explain the meaning of these Lokas . It is suffi cient for my present o purp se to say that the planets , the stars , the lunar

M ann mansions are all impressions of , j ust as the organisms of the earth are impressions of the sun . The solar Prana is prepared for this impression during

Man an aric the v t night . Similarly V ij fiana has to do with the nights and

Of days of Brahma , and Ananda with those Para brahman . It will thus be seen that the whole process of crea tion , on whatever plane of life , is performed most naturally by the five T attvas in their double modifica tions , the positive and negative . There is nothing in the universe which the Universal T attV iC Law of

Bre ath does not comprehend . After this very brief exposition of the theory of tattvic evolution comes a series of Essays , taking up

a d escrib all the subtle st tes of matter one by one , and ing more in detail the working of the tattvic law in those planes , and also the manifestations of these planes of life in humanity . I I I .

T H E MUTUA L RE L ATI ON OF T H E TATTVA S F P A ND O T H E RI N CI PL ES .

T H E Akasha is the most important of all the f T attvas . o It must , as a matter course , precede and

on of follow every Change Of state every plane life . Without this there can be no manifestation or cessa

‘ [ t is out o f f l zs a tion of forms . f u /za t/z t every form A ’ ' ’ comes aua zt 2 s A [ed /1a t/z at ver o m z v s e r l es . , y f The

of Akasha is full forms in their potential state . It

of T attvas intervenes between every two the five , and between every two of the five principles . The evolution of the T attvas is always part of the

s m evolution of a certain definite form . Thu the ani f estation of the primary T attvas is with the definite

of c aim giving what we may call a body , a prakriti

of form , to the Ishvara . In the bosom the Infinite ’ ao NATURE S FINER FORCES . pervades the whole universe and has a certain centre which serves to keep the whole expanse together , and as one whole separate from other universes (Brah mandas).

It has been mentioned , and further on will be more a clearly explained , that every Tattva has positive and a negative phase . It is also evident on the analogy of the sun that places more distant from the centre are always negative to those which are nearer . We might say that they are cooler than these , as it will be seen further on that heat is not peculiar to the sun only, but that all the higher centres have a greater amount of heat than even the sun itself.

Well , then , in this Brahmic sphere of Vayu , except

P arabrahmic for some space near the Akasha , every a n atom of the Vayu is re cted upo by an opposite force . The more distant and therefore the cooler one reacts upon the nearer and therefore the hotter . The equal and opposite vibrations of the same force cancel each

akashic . other , and both together pass into the state

Thus , while some of this space remains filled up by the Brahmic Vayu on account of the consta nt outflow

P arabrahmic of this Tattva from the Akasha , the

s remainder is rapidly turned into Akasha . Thi

Akasha is the mother of the Brahmic Agn i Tattva . The Agn i Tattva working similarly gives birth through another Akasha to the Apas , and this simi ’ i larly to the Prithivi . This Brahmic Prithiv thus contains the qualities of all the preceding T attvas

Of besides a fifth one its own . T A T T A A N RELATION O F V S D PRINCIPLES . 2 1

Of of The first stage the universe , the ocean psychic matter , has now come into existence in its entirety .

This matter is , of course , very , very fine , and there is absolutely no grossness in it as compared with the matter of the fifth plane . In this ocean shines the

r intelligence of Ishvara , and this ocean , with eve y

in - thing that might be manifest it , is the self conscious universe .

In this psychic ocean , as before , the more distant atoms are negative to the nearer ones . Hence , except a certain space which remains filled with the psychic Prithivi on account Of the constant supply of this

to element from above , the rest begins Change into f an Akasha . This second Akasha is full o what are called Manus in their potential state . The Manus are so of many groups Of certain mental forms , the ideas the various genera and species of life to appear further on . We have to d o with one of these . Impelled by the evolutionary current of the Great

M ann out of Breath , cornes this Akasha , in the same

out of P ar ra i way as Brahma did the ab hm c Akasha .

is First and uppermost in the mental sphere the vayu , and then in regular order the Tejas , the Apas , and the

Prithivi . This mental matter follows the same laws ,

akashic and similarly begins to pass into the third state , which is full of innumerable suns . They come out in

w ay to the same , and begin work on a similar plan , which will be better understood here than higher up . Everybody can here test for himself that the more distant portions of the solar system are cooler than ’ 2 2 NATU RE S FINER FORCES .

the nearer ones . Every little atom of Prana is com paratively cooler than the next one towards the sun from itself. Hence equal and opposite Vibrations cancel each other . Leaving , therefore , a certain space near the sun as always filled up with the T attvas of

Prana , which are there being constantly supplied from

Ak ashic the sun , the rest of the Prana passes into the state . It might be noted down here that the whole of this

o nt Prana is made up of innumerable little p i s . Of

oints T rutis these p I shall in future speak as , and might say here that it is these T rutis which appear on

Parama the terrestrial plane as atoms (Anu or nu).

They might be spoken of as solar atoms . These solar atoms are of various classes according to the prevalence of one or more of the constituent T attvas . Every point of Prana is a perfect picture of the whole ocean . Every other point is represented in

. c on every point Every atom has , therefore , for its stituents T attvas , all the four , in varying proportions according to its position in respect of others. The diff erent Classes of these solar atoms appear on the

terrestrial plane as the various elements of chemistry . The spectrum of every terrestrial element reveals the colour or colours of the prevalent Tattva or

T attvas of a solar atom of that substance . The greater the heat to which any substance is subj ected

the nearer does the element approach its solar state . Heat destroys for the time be ing the terrestrial coat

ings of the solar atoms . ' ' ’ I I U N U t ‘ l A l l V A b A IN ) l KI I ’ I N L I L h D . 14 6

trum of sodium thus sho w s the presence

)W of Prithivi , that lithium , the red Agni ,

low a Prithivi , that Of c esium , the red Agni ,

dmixture , the yellow Prithivi , and the blue

i bidium shows red , orange , yellow , green

the Agni , Prithivi and Agni , Prithivi , P t . s of ri hivi , and Vayu These clas es solar ch all together make up the wide ex

Ie aka shic . solar Prana , pass into the state sun keeps up a constant supply of these ! se that are passing into the ak ashic state

9 other side into the planetary Vayu . Cer ired portions of the solar Akasha naturally

hemselves to from others , according the reation whic h is to appear in those portions .

“ tions of Akasha are called Lokas . The

f is a Loka called the B hurlok a . I shall the earth f or further illustration of the

> rtion of the solar Akasha which is the

of to mother the earth , first gives birth

now r ial vayu . Every element is in the

1e now Vayu Tattva , which may be called

é s The V yu Tattva is spherical in hape , and gaseous planet bears similar outlines . The ’ 2 4 NATURE S FINER FORCES .

2 . The internal influence of the more distant atoms

‘ i a on the nearer ones and v ce vers .

' The first influence has a double eflect upon the gaseous sphere . It imparts more heat to the nearer hemisphere than to the more distant one . The super ficial air of the nearer hemisphere having contracted a certain amount of solar energy , rises towards the sun . Cooler air from below takes its place . But where does the superficial air go ? It cannot pass beyond the limit of the terrestrial sphere , which is surrounded by the solar Akasha , through which comes a supply from the solar Prana . It , therefore , begins t to move in a Circle , and thus a ro atory motion is established in the sphere . This is the origin of the ’ earth s rotation upon its axis .

Again , as a certain amount of the solar energy is imparted to the gaseous terrestrial sphere , the impulse of the upward motion reaches the centre its elf. That centre itself, therefore , and along with it the whole

s sphere , moves toward the sun . It cannot , however, go on in this direction , for a nearer approach would destroy that balance of forces which gives the earth its peculiarities . A Loka which is nearer to the sun than our planet cannot have the same conditions of life . Hence , while the sun draws the earth towards himself, those laws of life which have given it a con stitution , by which for ages it must roll on , keep it in n the sphere they have assig ed to it . Two forces thus come into existence . Drawn by one the earth would go towards the sun ; checked by the other it must

2 6 ’ NATURE S FINER FORCES .

akashic passes into the state , and from thence into the Tejas state . It is not necessary that the whole of

at the vapour should once pass into the next state . u The change is grad al . As the cold is gradually passing into the vapour, the Tejas modification is

in er n gradually appearing out of, and through the t ve tion of, the Akasha , into which it had passed during latency . This is being indicated on the thermometer .

When the whole has passed into the igneous state , and the thermometer has indicated the second

Akasha comes into existence . Out of this second Akasha comes the liquid state at the same tempera ture , the whole heat having again passed into the ak ashic state , and therefore is no longer indicated by the thermometer .

When cold is applied to this liquid , heat again begins to come out , and when it reaches this heat having come out of and through the Akasha into which it had passed , the whole liquid has passed

into the igneous state . Here it again begins to pass

into the akashic state . The thermometer begins to

fall down , and out of this Akasha begins to come the — Prithivi state of water ice . Thus we see that the heat which is given out by the

ak ashic influence of cold passes into the state , which

becomes the substratum of a higher phase , and the

ak ashic heat which is absorbed passes into another state ,

which becomes the substratum of a lower phase . It is in this way that the terrestrial gaseo us sphere

changes into its present state . The experiment de RELATION O F T A TT V A S A ND PRINCIP scribed above points out many important tr

of T attvas the relation these to each other . First of all it explains that very impbrtan of the Science of Breath which says that c eeding tattvic state has the qualities of al going tattvic states . Thus we see that as t]

of d state water is being acted upon by col , heat of steam is being cancelled and passin akashic state . This cannot but be the equal and opposite Vibrations of the same f o Aké cancel each other , and the result is the of this comes the Tejas state of matter . T state in which the latent heat Of stean patent . It will be Observed this state has f n ence . o e The Tejas form water , as ind

s f or len t other substance , cannot exi t any g because the major part of terrestrial matte lower and therefore more negative states of

f or an Prithivi , and whenever any cause y

surroundi passes into the Tejas state , the begin at once to react upon it with such str once to force it into the next akashic sta ' things which now live in the normal st Apas or the Prithivi find it quite against

to 6 tflheir existence remain , except under uen ce . , in the Tej as (igneous) state Th of g aseous water before passing into the A ’ 2 8 N TURE S FINER FORCES .

. t doubt has Cohesive resis ance is only wanted , and i that is the quality of the Prithiv Tattva . Now when this atom of liquid water passes into the

? a icy state , what do we see All the st tes which have preceded must again show themselves . Cold will t cancel the latent heat of the liquid s ate , and the ak a akashic state will come out . Out of this shic state is sure to come the gaseous state . This gaseous (Vayava)state is evidenced by the gyrations and other motions which are set up in the body of the liquid by the mere application of the cold . The motion , how ever, is not of very long duration , and as they are ceasing (passing into the ak ashic state)the Tejas state is coming out . This , too , however, is not of long

akashic duration , and as this is passing into the state , the ice is coming into existence . It will be easy to see that all the four states of terres a trial matter exist in our sphere . The gaseous (V yava) is there in what we now call the atmosphere ; the igneous (Tejas) is the normal temperature of earth life ; the liquid (Apas) is the ocean ; the solid (Par

term rma . thiva) is the fi None of these states , how

- ever , exists quite isolated from the other . Each is constantly invading the domain of the other , and thus it is difli cult to find any portion of space filled up only

T att as with matter in one state . The two adj acent v are found intermixed with each other to a greater extent than those that are removed from each other by an intermediate state . Thus Prithivi will be found mixed up to a greater extent with water than with T A TT V A S A ND RELATION OF PRINCIPLES . 2 9

Agni and vayu , Apas with Agni than with vayu , and

o Vayu with Agni more than with any ther . It would

to thus appear from the above , according the science

T attvas Of , that the flame and other luminous bodies

n n ot terrestr ia l o earth are in the Tejas (igneous)state .

They are in or near the solar state of matter . IV

P A R NA .

T H E CENTRES OF PRANA ; THE NADIS ; THE T A TT V I C C ENTRES OF LIFE ; THE ORDINARY C HANGE OF

B REATH .

A tattvic PR NA , as already expressed , is that state of matter which surrounds the sun , and in which move the earth and other planets . It is the next state above terrestrial matter . The terrestrial sphere is separated from the solar Prana by an Akasha . This Akasha is the immediate mother of the terrestrial Vayu whose native colour is blue . It is on this account that the sky looks blue .

Although at this point in the heavens , the Prana

s changes into the Aka ha , which gives birth to the terrestrial Vayu , the rays of the sun which fall on the sphere from without are not stopped on their inward journey . They are refracted , but move onwards into

the terrestrial sphere all the same . Through these

rays the ocean of Prana , which surrounds our sphere ,

z exerts upon it an organi ing influence . — The terrestrial Prana the earth - life which appears in the Shape of all the living organisms of our planet

- h fi n is , as a whole , nothing more t an a modi catio of

the solar Prana . A PR NA . 3 I As the earth moves round her own axis and round

sun the , twofold centres are developed in the terres trial Prana . During the diurnal rotation every place ,

to of sun as it is subj ected the direct influence the , sends forth the positive life - current f ro/n t/ze east to t/ze w est. During the night the same place sends forth the negative current . In the annual course the positive current travels from t/ze n or t/i to fil e soul/z during the six months of — summer the day Of the Devas , and the negative — during the remaining six months the night of the

Devas . The north and east are thus sacred to the positive

to current ; the Opposite quarters the negative current .

of The sun is the lord the positive current , the moon

of that the negative , because the negative solar Prana

o comes during the night t the earth from the moon . The terrestr ia l Prana is thus an ethereal being with

s o f . double centre work The first is the northern , the

T he tw o c second the southern . halves Of these entres are the eastern and western centres . During the six months of summer the c urrent o f life runs from the

to north the south , and during the months Of winter

the negative current goes the other way .

With every month , with every day , with every

imesha N , this current completes a minor course , and while the current continues in its course the diurnal

rotation gives it an eastern or a western direction . The northern current runs during the day of man

from east to west , during the night from west to 2 ’ 3 NATURE S FINER FORCES . east . The directions of the other current are respec tivel y opposite to the above . S O practically there are — only two directions the eastern and western . The diflerence of the northern and southern currents is not practically felt in terrestrial life . These two cur rents produce in the terrestrial Prana two distinguish able modifications of the composing ethers . The rays of either of these ethereal modifications , proceeding ff — from their di erent centres , run into each other the t one giving life, streng h , form , and various qualities to the other . Along the rays emerging from the

Of northern centre , run the currents the positive Prana ; along those emerging from the southern , the currents of the negative Prana . The eastern and western

of channels . these currents are respectively called

Pingala and Ida , two of the celebrated Nadis of the

Tantrists . It will be better to discuss the other bear ings of Prana when we have locali z ed it in the human body . The influence of this terrestrial Prana develops two centres of action in the gross matter which is to form

a human body . Part of the matter gathers round the

northern , and part round the southern centre . The northern centre develops into the brain ; the southern

into the heart . The general shape of the terrestrial

Prana is something like an ellipse . In this the north

ern focus is the brain ; the southern the heart . The column along which the positive matter gathers runs

between these foci . The line in the middle is the place where the eastern

’ 34 NATURE S FINER FORCES .

z the two centres , is the first cause of organi ed life . If the succeeding moments are in their t attv ic effect friendly to the first cause , the organism gains strength and develops ; if not , the impulse is rendered fruitless . The general eflect of these succeeding moments keeps up general life ; but the impulse Of any one moment

' tends to pass oflas the others come in . A system Of

forward and backward motion is thus established . One moment of Prana proceeding from the centre of action goes to the farthest ends of the gross vessel s — vascular and neural o f the organism . The succeed

ing moment gives it , however, the backward impulse . A few moments are taken in the completion of the

forward impulse , and the determination of the back ' ff diflers . ward one . This period in di erent organisms

As the Prana runs forward , the lungs inspire ; as it

recedes , the process of expiration sets in . The Prana moves in the Pingala when it in oves

from the northern centre towards the east , and from the southern towards the west ; it moves in Ida when

s it moves from the northern centre towards the we t ,

and from the southern centre towards the east . This means that in the former case the Prana moves from

the brain , towards the right , through the heart , to the left and back to the brain ; and from the heart to the

left through the brain to the right back to the heart .

In the latter the case is the reverse . To use other

terms , in the former case the Prana moves from the nervous system to the right through the system of

o - l bl od vessels , to the eft , and back again to the ner PRANA . 35

- vous system ; or, from the system Of blood vessels , to

to the left , through the nervous system , the right , and

to of - back again the system blood vessels . These i two currents co ncide . In the latter the case is the reverse . The left part of the body containing both

- the nerves and the blood vessels may be called Ida , the right , Pingala . The right and left bronchi form as of well the parts respectively Pingala and Ida , as any other parts Of the right and left divisions of the body . But what is S ushumna? One o f the names of

S ushumna is n tw o— Sa dhi , the place where the Ida — and Pingala join . It is really that place from which

— or — or the Prana may move either way right left ,

t . under cer ain conditions , both ways It is that place w hich the Prana must pass when it changes from the

to to . right the left and from the left the right It is , therefore , both the spinal canal and the cardiac canal .

B rahmaran dhra The spinal canal extends from the , the northern centre of Prana through the whole verte bral column (B rahmad and a). The cardiac canal ex tends from the southern centre midway between the t w o lobes of the heart . As the Prana moves from the spinal canal to the right hand towards the heart , the right lung works ; the breath coming in and going out at the right nostril . When it reaches the southern

. canal , one cannot feel the breath from either nostril

A s out of , however , it goes the cardiac canal to the

to left , the breath begins come from the left nostril , and flows through that until the Prana again reaches the spinal canal . There , again , one ceases to feel the ’ 36 NATURE S FINER FORCES .

breath from either nostril . The eff ect of these two

o of p sitions Prana is identical upon the flow of breath , and , therefore , both the northern and southern canals are design ated by S ushumna. If we may speak in this way , let us imagine that a plane passes midway between the spinal and cardiac canals . This plane

i ushumna w ll pass through the hollow of the S . But let it be understood that there is no such plane in reality . It will perhaps be more correct to say that as the rays of the positive Ida and Pingala spread both ways as nerves , and those of the negative similarly as

- ushumna blood vessels , the rays of the S spread all over the body midway between the nerves and blood — vessels the positive and negative Nadis . The follow ing is the description of S ushumna in the Science of Breath “ When the breath goes in and out , one moment by

too the left and the other by the right nostril , that is

ushumna. S When Prana is in that Nadi , the fires of death burn ; this is called V ishuna . When it moves f one moment in the right , and the other in the le t , let it be called the un equa l state (V ishunabhava); when

it moves through both at once , the wise have called it

V ishuna . Again [It is S ushumna] at the time of the passing of the

vice versa Prana from the Ida into the Pingala , or ; and ” also of the change of one Tattva into another .

Then the S ushunma has two other functions . It is

a - c lled Vedo Veda in one of its manifestations , and PRANA . 37

S andh asandhi . y in the other As , however, the right and left directions of the cardiac Prana coi ncide with

of the left and right the spinal current , there are some writers who dispense with the double S ushumna. According to them the spinal canal alone is the

‘ ‘ tta ra z ta S ushumna. The U g and the S /i atac/za kra

V i rZZ vzna c i / are works whi h favour this View . This me thod Of explanation takes away a good d eal of d iflficulty. The highest recommendation of this View is its comparative simplicity . The right side current from the heart , and the left side current from the f spine , may both , without any di ficulty , be taken as the left side spinal currents , as may the remaining two currents be deemed spinal currents of the right side .

One more consideration is in favo ur of this view .

of The nervous system represents the sun , the system

- of blood vessels the moon . Hence the real force life — dwells in the nerves . The positive and negative the — solar and lunar phases of life matter are only dif

f erent a of . o ph ses Prana , the solar matter The m re

f or o distant , and , that reason , the c oler matter is nega

i IS s o tive to that w hic h s nearer and hotter . It lar life whi c h manifests itself in the various phases of the

T o out of moon . pass technicalities , it is nervous force which manifests itself in various forms , in the

- - system of blood vessels . The blood vessels are only

of . the receptacles nervous force Hence , in the ner

of r vous system , the real life the g oss body are the a S ushumn . true I da , Pingala , and These are , in such s m a case , the spinal column , and the right and left y ’ 38 NATURE S FINER FORCES .

t r t pathetics , with all hei ramifications throughou the body . The development of the two centres is thus the

first stage in the development of the foetus . The matter which gathers up under the influence of the northern centre is the spinal column ; the matter which gathers up round the southern centre is the heart . The diurnal rotation divides these columns or canals into the right and left divisions . Then the correlative influence of these two centres upon each other develops an upper and lower division in each of these centres . This happens somewhat in the

as same way , and on the same principle , a Leyden jar is charged with positive electricity by a negative

rod . Each of these centres is thus divided into four

: 2 parts I , the right side positive ; , the left side positive ; f 3, the right side negative ; 4 , the le t side negative . In the heart these four divisions are called the right and left auricles and ventricles . The Tantras style these four divisions the four petals of the cardiac

bv . lotus , and indicate them various letters The posi tive petals of the heart form the centre from which — proceed the positive blood - vessels the arteries ; the negative peta ls are the starting points of the negative — - is blood vessels the veins . This negative Prana

: I 2 pregnant with ten forces , Prana ; , Apana ; 3,

ri 6 Krikila Sama a ; 4 , Vyana ; 5 , Udana ; , ; 7 , Naga ;

8 Devadatta n I o um . , ; 9, Dha anjaya ; , K r a These

ten forces are called Vayus . The word Vayu is

va derived from the root , to move , and means nothing PRANA . 39

a mot e more than iv pow er . The Tantrists must not be understood to define it as a gas . Hence I shall speak in future of these vayus as the forces or motive powers of Prana . These ten manifestations of Prana are by some reduced to the first five alone , holding that the remaining ones are only m odifications of the

- of former , which are the all important the functions f i f o . s s o Prana This , however , only a que tion divi sion . From the left side positive petal the Prana

ramifies the gathers up into a Nadi , which within chest into the lungs , and again gathers up into a Nadi

s which opens into the right side negative petal . Thi entire course forms something like a circle (Chakra). This Nadi is called in modern science the pulmonary artery and vein . Two lungs come into existence by the alternate workings Of the positive and negative

Pranas of the eastern and western powers . Similarly from the right side positive petal branch several Nadis , which go both upwards and downwards — in tw o directions the former under the influence Of

of the northern , the latter under the influence the

c ir southern powers . Both these Nadis open after a c ular march throughout the upper and lower portions

of the body into the left side negative petal . Between the left side positive and the right side

negative petal is one Chakra (disc). This Chakra

comprises the pulmonary artery , the lungs and the

pulmonary vein . The chest gives room to this to Chakra , which is positive with respect the lower f portions o the body , where run the ramifications of ’ 40 NATURE S FINER FORCES .

the lower Chakra , which latter joins the right side pos itive and the left side negative petals .

In the above - mentioned Chakra (in the cavity of the chest) is the seat of Prana , the first and most important Of the ten manifestations . Inspiration and expiration being a true index to the changes of Prana , the pulmonary manifestations thereof have the same name . With the changes of Prana we have a corres ponding change in the other functions of life . The lower negative Chakra contains the principal seats of some of the other manifestations of life . This A pana is located in the long intestine ; Samana in the navel ; and so on . Udana is located in the throat ; Vyana all Ku over the body . Udana causes belching ; rma causes the eyes to shut and open ; Krikila in the stomach

. e causes hunger In short , proce ding from the four petals of the heart we have an entire network of these

- blood vessels . There are two sets of these blood

d con vessels lying side by side in every part of the bo y , n — ected by innumerable little channels the capillaries . ’ We read in the P ros /i nopanisli aa “ From the heart [ramify the] Nadis . Of these there

1 are 1 0 principal ones [Pradhana Nadis]. Each of these . branches lnt0 I OO ; each of these again into

Thus , there are branch Nadis and

w - still smaller ones , or what are called T ig Nadis . The terminology is imitated from a tree . The root is in the heart . From this proceeds various stems . These ramify into branch - vessels and these again into twig vessels ; all t hese Nadis put together are

’ 42 NATURE S FINER FORCES .

navel] ten Nadis go upwards , ten downwards , and ” two and two crookedly . The number is the result of their own peculiar reckoning . It matters little which division we adopt if we understand the truth of the case . Along these Nadis run the various forces which form and keep up the physiological man . These channels gather up into various parts of the body as centres of the various manifestations of Prana . It is like water falling from a hill , gathering into various lakes , each lake letting out several streams . These centres are : 2 I , hand power centres ; , foot power centres ; 3, speech power centres ; 4, excretive power centres ; 5 , 6 generative power centres ; , digestive and absorbing 8 power centres ; 7, breathing power centres ; , the

five sense power centres . Those of these Nadis which proceed to the outlets of the body perform the most important functions of the body , and they are hence said to be the ten prin cipal ones in the whole system . These are

I . Gandhari goes to the left eye .

H asti ihv a . 2 . j goes to the right eye

P fi sha . 3 . goes to the right ear

Yashasvini . 4 . goes to the left ear

lambusha A lammukha r . A 5 , or (as it is va iously

mo h spelt in one goes to the nt . This evidently is the alimentary canal .

Kuhfi o the . 6 . g es to generative organs

hank hini . 7 . S goes to the excretive organs

8. Ida leads to the left nostril of the nose . PRANA . 43

to 9. Pingala leads the right nostril . It appears that

e these names are giv n to these local Nadis , for the same reason that the pulmonary manifestation of Prana is known by the same name . mna 1 0 . S ushu has already been explained in its various phases and manifestations .

tw o of There are more outlets the body , which re — c eive their natural development in the female the

o f breasts . It is quite possible that the Nadi Damini ,

no o which specific mention has been made , might g f to one of . o these Whatever it be , the principle the division and classification is clear, and this is some thing actually gained .

Left Side . Right Side . ’ 44 NATURE S FINER FORCES .

1 . While the minds rests in the eastern portion [or petal], which is white in colour , then it is inclined towards patience , generosity, and reverence . “ - 2 . While the mind rests in the south eastern portion , which is red in colour , then it is inclined towards sleep , torpor, and evil inclination . “ 3 . While the mind rests in the southern portion , which is black in colour, then it is inclined towards anger , melancholy, and bad tendencies . “ - 4 . While the mind rests in the south western portion , which is blue in colour , then it is inclined towards j ealousy and cunning . “

. s 5 While the mind rest in the western portion , which is brown in colour, then it is inclined towards smiles , amorousness , and jocoseness . “ - 6 . While the mind rests in the north western

Is I portion , which is indigo in colour , then it nclined towards anxiety , restless dissatisfaction , and apathy . “ 7 . While the mind rests in the northern portion , which is yellow in colour, then it is inclined towards love and enjoyment and adornment . “ - 8. While the mind rests in the north eastern

portion , which is white in colour, then it is inclined towards pity , forgiveness , reflection and religion . “ 9L While the mind rests in the Sandhis [c onj unc tions] of these portions , then arise disease and confusion in body and home , and the mind inclines towards the three humours . “ s 1 0 . While the mind rest in the middle portion , s which is Violet in colour, then consciousne s goes A PR NA . 45

Mfi é and beyond the qualities [the three qualities of y ],

it inclines towards intelligence .

on e of s When any these centre is in action , the min

is of of conscious the same kind feeling , and inclines

towards it . Mesmeric passes serve only to excite these

centres . These centres are located in the head as well as in

the chest , and also in the abdominal region and the

o . l ins , etc

It is these centres , together with the heart itself, f o or s . that bear the name Padmas , Kamala (lotuses)

' of Some these are large , some small , very small . A

of of tantrik lotus is the type a vegetable organism ,

a root with various branches . These centres are the

of of reservoirs various powers , and hence the roots the Padmas ; the Nadis ramifying from these centres A ” are their various branches . The nervous plexu ses of the modern anatomists

coi ncide with these centres . From what has been said above it will appear that the centres are constituted

- ff by blood vessels . But the only di erence between the

nerves and the blood - vessels is the difference between

of the vehicles the positive and negative Pranas . The

- nerves are the positive , the blood vessels the negative

system of the body . Wherever there are nerves there

- of are corresponding blood vessels . Both them are

h f or indiscriminately called Nadis . One set as its

of centre the lotus the heart , the other the thousand

of petalled lotus of the brain . The system blood

o f s sys vessels is an exact picture the nervou tem , is , 6 ’ 4 NATURE S FINER FORCES .

in fact , only its shadow . Like the heart the brain has its upper and lower divisions— the cerebrum and the — cerebellum and , as well , its right and left divisions . The nerves going to both sides of the body and coming back from thence , together with those going to the upper and lower portions , correspond to the four petals

cen of the heart . This system too , then , has as many ’i tres of energy as the former . Both these centres co n — cide in position . They are , in fact , the same the ner vous plexuses and ganglia of modern anatomy . Thus , in my opinion , the tantrik Padmas are not only the centres of nervous power of the positive northern Prana , but as well and necessarily of the negative Prana . The translation of the Science of Breath which is now presented to the reader has two sections eh ume rating the various actions which are to be done during the flow of the positive or the negative breath . They show nothing more than what can in some cases be very easily verified , that certain actions are better done by positive energy, and others by negative energy . The taking in of chemicals and their changes are actions , as well as any others . Some of the Chemicals are better assimilated by the negative} others by the positive r Prana . Some of our sensations produce ff more lasting e ects upon the negative , others upon the positive Prana . Prana has now arranged the gross matter in the

d - womb into the nervous and bloo vessel systems . The

F or a a n d f a s s a s ex mple , milk other tty ub t nce .

d as is d s i s a T Such foo ige ted n the tom ch . A PR NA . 47

of T attvas Prana , as has been seen , is made the five , a nd the Nadis serve only as lines for tattvic currents

of to run on . The centres power noticed above are centres of tattvic power . The tattvic centres in the right part of the body are solar , those in the left ,

of lunar . Both these solar and lunar centres are five descriptions . Their kind is determined by what are

- c alled the nervous ganglia . The semi lunar ganglia f are th e reservoirs o the Apas Tattva . Similarly we have the reservoirs of the other forces . From these central reservoirs the tattvic currents run over the same

to lines , and do the various actions allotted them in physiological economy . Everything in the human body which has more or less of cohesive resistance is made up of the Prithivi

T attvas im Tattva . But in this the various work printing diff ering qualities upon the various parts of the body .

The vayu Tattva , among others , performs the func tions of giving birth to , and nourishing the skin ; the

positive gives us the positive , and the negative the

of : negative skin . Each these has five layers

- - 1 2 ; 4 , , Pure Vayu ; , Vayu Agni ; 3, Vayu Prithivi

— - A s . Vayu Apas ; 5 , Vayu ka ha These five 0 0 0 f f ollow m s 0 Classes o cells have the g figure 0 30 0 0 O O 0 A 0 0 0 T hl S 0 0 0 1 . . IS Pure Vayu the complete 0 0 0 0 80 o sphere of the vayu . o o o

- 2 . Vayu Agni . The triangle is super

“ posed over the sphere , and the cells have something

like the following shape . ’ NATURE S FINER FORCES . 6 6 6 6 6 6 6 6 6 6)

- ! i . 3. Vayu Pr thivi This is the result of the super position of the quadrangular Prit hivi over the spherical Vayu . G

- 4 . vayu Apas . Something like

- an ellipse , the semi moon placed above the sphere . 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0

- 5 . Vayu Akasha . The sphere flattened by the super

position of the circle and dotted . A microscopic examination of ! the skin will show that its cells have this appearance .

Similarly are bone , muscle and fat given birth to by

i . the Prithiv , the Agni and the Apas Akasha appears in various positions . Wherever there is any room for any W e there is Akasha . The blood is a mix ture of nutritive substances kept in the fluidic state by the Apas Tattva of Prana . It is thus seen that while terrestrial Prana is an

exact manifestation of the solar Prana , the human

manifestation is an exact expression of either . The m ' icrocosm is an exact picture of the macrocosm . The four petals of the lotus of the heart branch really into

k ° Ii h h n ch chh h th . twelve Nadis (k , , g , g , , , , j , j , , t , )

e Similarly the brain has twelve pairs of nerves . Thes

’ 5 0 NATURE S FINER FORCES .

- u o of centres are semi l nar , th se the Tejas , the Vayu , the Prithivi , and the Akasha respectively triangular ,

u . spherical , quadrang lar, and circular Those of the

T a as u ta t ic composite ttv have composite fig res . Each t v

T att as centre has ganglia of all the v surrounding it .

of In this system Nadis moves the Prana . As the

sun passes into the sign of Aries in the macrocosm , the Prana passes into the corresponding Nadis (nerves)

of the brain . Thence it descends every day towards

the spine . With the rise of the sun it descends into

the first spinal Chakra towards the right . It thus

passes into the Pingala . Along the nerves of the

right side it moves , passing at the same time little by

- little into the blood vessels . Up to th e noon of every day the strength of this Prana is greater in the nervous

than in the venous Chakras . At noon they become of

equal strength . In the evening (with sunset), the Prana with its entire strength has passed into the

- blood vessels . Thence it gathers up into the heart ,

the negative southern centre . It then spreads into

- the left side blood vessels , passing gradually into the

z nerves . At midnight the strength is equali ed ; in the morning (P ratahsan dhya)the Prana is j ust in the spine ; from thence it begins to travel along the second

Chakra (disc , circle). This is the course of the solar current of The moon gives birth to other and

minor currents . The moon moves some twelve times

more than the sun . Therefore while the sun passes f— over one Chakra during sixty Gharis day and

n o ss s o odd C ight), the mo n pa e ver twelve hakras . A PR NA . 5 1

Therefore we have twelve 0 c changes of Prana during

- twenty four hours . Suppose the moon too begins in

Aries , she begins like the sun in the first Chakra , and

8m . 5 . t o takes 5 4 in reaching from the spine the heart ,

to and as many minutes from the heart back the spine . Both these Pranas move in their respective courses

tattvic f o f along the centres above spoken o . Either them is present at any one time all over the same class of tattvic on e r of centres , in any pa t the body . It

s manifests itself first in the Vayu centre , then in the

s Tejas , thirdly in the Prithivi , and fourthly in the Apa A centres . kasha comes after each , and immediately na precedes the S ushum . As the lunar current passes

the ri ht from the spine towards g , the breath comes out ‘ of the right nostril , and as long as the current of

of o Prana remains in the back part the b dy , the

T attvas change from the Vayu to the Apas . As the

o of current passes into the fr nt part the right half, the

T attvas change back from the Apas to the Vayu . As

is n ot the Prana passes into the heart , the breath felt at all passing out at the nose . As it proceeds from the to flow out heart to the left , the breath begins at the left nostril , and as long as it is in the front part of the

T attvas . body, the change from the Vayu to the Apas

They Change back again as before , until the Prana a A of re ches the spine , when we have the kasha

ush mna S u . Such is the even change of Prana which we have in the state of perfect health . The impulse that has been given to the localiz ed Prana by the sun and moon forces which give active power and existence to Prana its prototype , makes it work in the same way for ever and ever . The working of the human free will and certain other forces Change the

z nature of the local Prana , and individuali e it in such a way as to render it distinguishable from the universal terrestrial or ecliptical Pranas . With the varying

tattvic nature of Prana , the order of the an d the positive and negative currents may in various degrees

ff . be a ected Disease is the result of this variation .

In fact , the flow of breath is the truest indication of the tattvic changes of the body . The balance of the

tattvic e positive and negative curr nts results in health , while the disturbance of their harmony produces disease . The science of the flow of breath is there fore of the highest importance to every man who values his own health , and that of his fellow creatures .

It is at the same time the most important , the most useful and comprehensive , the easiest , and the most interesting branch of Yoga . It teaches us how to guide our will so as to eff ect desired changes in the order and nature of our positive and n egative tattvic

w . currents . This it does in the follo ing way All physical action is Prana in a certa in state . Without

Prana there is no action , and every action is the result

diflerin tattvic . s of the g harmonies of currents Thu , motion in any one part of the body is the result of the activity of the Vayu centres in that part of the body . i In the same way, whenever there is activ ty in the

Prithivi centres , we have a feeling of enjoyment and satisfaction . Similar are the causes of other sensations . PRANA . 5 3

We find that while lv in g down we change sides when the breath passes out at that nostril . We there fore conclude that if we lie on either side the breath

flow out . will at the opposite nostril Whenever , there

to fore , we see that it is desirable Change the negative

of our to conditions body the positive , we resort to this expedient . An investigation into the physiological

ff ects of on ff Prana the gross coil , and the counter e ects

of . gross action upon Prana , will next be dealt with The P ranamaya Kosha (coil of life) changes into — three general states during day and night the waking,

a rat S va na S u the dreaming , the sleeping (J g , p ,

chan es shupti). These three g produce correspond ing changes in the M anomaya Kosha (the mental

of coil), and thence arises the consciousness the changes

of . . life The mind , in fact , lies behind the Prana The strings (tattv ic lines) of the former instrument

r of is are fine than those the latter ; that , in the former we have a greater number of Vibrati ons than in the latter during the same space of time . Their tensions

stand to each other , however , in such a relation that

of one of with the Vibrations the , the other itself

to begins to vibrate . The changes give the mind , of therefore , a similar appearance , and consciousness not the phenomenon is caused . Of this , however , I will

treat at present . My present object is to describe all — — those changes o f P rfina natural or induced which

- f our make up the sum total o worldly experience , and

of c which , during ages evolution , have alled the mind

itself out of the state of laten c y . These changes , as ’ 5 4 NATURE S FINER FORCES .

I have said , divide themselves into three general — states the waking , the dreaming, and the sleeping . t Waking is the positive , sleeping the negative s ate of Prana ; dreaming is the conj unction of the two (S u shumna Sandhi). As has been stated , the solar current travels in a positive direction during the day , while we are awake . As night approaches the positive current has made itself lord of the body . It gains so much strength that the sensuous and active organs lose sympathy with the external world . Perception

off . and action cease , and the waking state passes The excess of the positive current slackens , as it were , the tattvic f chords of the dif erent centres of work , and they accordingly cease to answer to the ordinary ethe real changes of external nature . If at this point the strength of the positive current passed beyond ordi nary limits , death would ensue , and Prana would cease to have any connection with the gross body , the ordi nary vehicle of the extern al tattvic changes . But j ust at the moment the Prana passes out of the heart , the i u negative current sets in , and it beg ns to co nteract ff the e ects of the former . As the Prana reaches the ff spine , the e ects of the positive current have entirely

off passed , and we awake . If at this moment the strength of the negative current passes the ordinary ut limit by some cause or other, death would ensue , b j ust at this moment the positive current sets in with ff midnight , and begins to counteract the e ect of the

e c ur form r . A balance of the positive and negative rents thus keeps body and soul together . With excess PRANA .

of in the strength either current , makes appearance . We thus see that there are two k inc — or c an death the positive spinal , the negative or In the former the four higher pW or

B rahmarandhra al the body through the head , the , the spine ; in the latter they pass out of the nu

s through the lungs and the trachea . Be ides t there are generally speaking about six tattvic d All these deaths mark out diff erent paths higher principles . Of these , however, more here Let us at this stage investigate more thoroughl changes of Prana . There are certain manifestations of P réna w hic

find equally at work in all the three states .

cla manifestations have been , as I said before , by some writers under five heads . They have di

f of centres of work in dif erent parts the body , whence they assert their dominion over every p

: the physical coil . Thus ’ NATURE S FINER FORCES .

- 1 . Prana is that m anifestation of the life coil which draws atmospheric air from without into the system .

2 . Apana is that manifestation which throws , from inside , out of the system , things which are not wanted there .

3. Samana is that manifestation which draws in and carries the j uice of food to every part of the body .

4 . Vyana is that manifestation which causes every part of the body to keep its shape , and to consequently resist those putrefying forces which assert themselves in a dead body .

5 . Udana is that manifestation which inclines the — currents of life back to the centres the heart and the brain . It is , therefore , this manifestation which causes — death local or general . If Prana recedes from any part of the body (for some reason or other) that part loses its powers of

action . This is local death . It is in this way that we

d . become deaf, dumb , blin , etc It is in this way that

ff . our digestive powers su er , and so on General death

is similar in its Operations . With the excess of the

re strength of either of the two currents , the Prana

ushumn a a . mains in the S , and does not p ss out The acquired power of work of the body then begins to ff t — pass o . The farther from the cen res the heart and — the brain the sooner the part s die . It is thus that

the pulse first ceases to be felt in the extremities , and t then nearer and nearer the hear , until we find it

nowhere . A gain , it is this upward impulse which , under

’ 5 8 NATURE S FINER FORCES .

reddish white . The former is calmer and smoother

than the latter . The tattvic changes give to each of these five new

: phases of colour . Thus

— — H WH . WH POSITIVE REDDIS ITE NEGATIVE PURE ITE.

The zi 1 . T he a a a . . V u a a . v yu T ttv , green I y T ttv , green

h a a . 2 . The a 2 . T e a . Agni T ttv , red Agni T ttv , red

T he h a a . . T he T attva 3 . Prit ivi T ttv , yellow 3 Prithivi , yellow.

The as a . T he as a a . . a . 4 Ap T ttv , white 4 Ap T ttv , white

The A as a a A as a a a a . . a a . . The 5 k h T ttv , d rk 5 k h T ttv , d rk It is evident that there is a diff erence between the

tattvic positive and negative phases of colour . There

are thus ten general phases of colour . The positive current— the reddish white— is hotter — than the negative the pure white . I t may , therefore ,

be generally said that the positive current is hot , the

negative cool . Each of these , then undergoes five

tattvic changes of temperature . The Agni is the n hottest , the yellow ext to it ; the Vayu becomes cool ,

and the Apas is the coolest . The Akasha has a state l

w . hich neither cools nor heats This state is , therefore ,

of the most dangerous all , and , if prolonged , causes

death , disease , and debility . It is evident that if the cooling T attvas do not in due time set in after the

T attvas ff heating , to counteract the accumulated e ect

of the latter , the functions of life will be impaired . The j ust colour and the j ust temperature at which

these functions work in their vigour will be disturbed , d and disease , eath , and debility are nothing more than

this disturbance in various degrees . Similar is the A PR NA . 5 9 case if the heating T attvas d o not set in in due time after the cooling on es . It will be easy to understand that these changes of tattv ic colours and temperatures are not abrupt . The one off passes easily and smoothly into the other , and the tattvic mixtures produce innumerable colours — as many , in fact , as the solar Prana has been shown f to possess . Each o these colours tends to keep the body healthy if it remains in action j ust as long as it ought , but no sooner does the duration change than disease results . There is a possibility , therefore , of as many diseases as there are colours in the sun .

one If any colour is prolonged , there must be some one or more which has given the period of its dura tion to it ; similarly if one colour takes less time than

on e or it ought , there must be some more which takes its place . This suggests two methods of the treat ment of diseases . But before speaking of these , it will be necessary to investigate as fully as possible the causes which lengthen and shorten the ideal periods ’ 60 NATURE S FINER FORCES . the lungs are thrown into a triangular form of expan

ins i sion , atmospheric air runs in , and the process of p

T ruti ration is complete . With every , a backward impulse is given to the currents of Prana . The lungs are thrown with this returning current into their sta

tionar . y state , and the excess of air is expelled This is the process of expiration . The air that is thus

trian u la r orm thrown out of the lungs bears a g f . The

- water vapour which this air contains , to some extent furnishes us with a method of testing this truth bv experiment . If we take a smooth , shining looking glass , and , placing it under the nose , steadily breathe

- upon its cool surface , the water vapour of the air will be condensed , and it will be seen that this bears a particular figure . In the case of the pure Agni , the

- figure on the looking glass will be a triangle . Let another person look steadily upon the mirror, because

off the impression passes rapidly , and may escape the person who is breathing upon it . With the course of the other T attvas the lungs are thrown into their respective shapes , and the looking

a gl ss gives us the same figures . Thus in Apas we

- have the semi moon , in vayu the sphere , in Prithivi the quadrangle . With the composition of these

T attvas fi ures— we may have other g oblongs , squares , spheroids , and so on . It may also be mentioned that the luminiferous ether carries the materials drawn from the atmos pheric air to the centres of the luminiferous ether , and thence to every part of the bo dy . So also do the other ethers A PRANA .

i s carry these materials to their respective centres . It not necessary to trace the wo rki n gs of the other mani

f estations one one . a by It may , however , be said th t although all the fiv e T attvas work in all the fiv e

of n manifestations , each these manifestatio s is sacred to n f o e o these Tattvas . Thus in Prana the Vayu

ri Tattva prevails , in Sama a the Agni , in Apana the A Prithivi , in Vyana the Apas , in Udana the kasha . I may remind the reader that the general colour of

how Prana is white , and this will Show the Apas

Tattva prevails in Vyana . The darkness of Akasha

of . is the darkness death , etc , caused by the manifesta tion of Udana . During life these ten changes are always taking — place in Prana at the intervals of about twenty six

. or minutes each In waking , in sleep , in dream , these

tw o ushumnas changes never cease . It is only in the S or the Akasha that these changes become f or a moment

h tattvic potential , because it is from these that t ese manifestations Show themselves on the plane of the

is o of body . If this moment prolonged , the f rces

P rfina is Prana remain potential , and in death the thus in the potential state . When those causes which

of S ushumna tended to lengthen the period , and thus cause death , are removed , this individual Prana passes out or of the potential into the actual , positive , nega

z tive state as the case may be . It will energi e matter, and will develop it into the shape towards which its

accumulated potentialities tend . Something may n ow be said about the work of ’ NATURE S FINER FORCES .

T H E A N D SENSUOUS ACTIVE ORGANS . n! tatt vic t All work , it may generally be said , is motion . This work is capable of being carried on during the

waking state , and not in Sleep or dream . These ten

: organs have ten general colours , thus

E . S NSUOUS ORGANS ACTIVE ORGANS .

1 . E e . 1 . a a y , Agni , red H nd, V yu , blue .

ar A as a . 2 . E a 2 . . , k h , d rk Foot, Prithivi , yellow l . s r . . s as 3 No e , P ithivi , ye low 3 Tongue ( peech ), Ap , white .

. as as . . s A as a a . 4 Tongue (t te), Ap , white 4 Anu , k h , d rk a . . u 5 Skin , V yu , blue 5 . P dendum , Agni , red .

Although these are the generally prevalent T attvas

i T attvas in these var ous centres , all the other exist in

a subordinate position . Thus in the eye we have a

reddish yellow, reddish white , reddish dark , reddish

blue , and similarly in the other organs . This division into five of each of these colours is only general ; in reality there is an almost innumerable variation o f

colours in each of these .

ac t With every of every one of these ten organs , the

s organ specially , and the whole body generally , a sumes

ff tattvic a di erent colour, the colour of that particular

motion which constitutes that act . All these changes of Prana constitute the sum total

of our worldly experience . Furnished with this appa

ratus , Prana begins its human pilgrimage , in company

with a mind , which is evolved only to the extent of “ ” i ii ana connecting the I am of the Ahankara or V j ,

the fourth principle from below , with these manifesta in tion s o f Prana . Time imprints upon it all the A 6 PRANA . 3

of . numerable colours the universe The visual , the

u o tangible , the g statory , the auditory , and the lfactory appearances in all their variety gather into Prana j ust as our daily experience teaches us that on e current of electricity carries many messages at on e and the same

d o of time . In the same way the appearances the

fiv e active organs , and the remaining general func

of to tions the body , gather up in this Prana manifest themselves in due time .

A few illustrations will render all this clear . First to speak of our

S EX RELATIONS . The generative Agni Tattva of the male is positive

of . that the female negative The former is hotter , harsher , and more restless than the latter ; the latter

c oolef . is , smoother , and calmer than the former Here I shall only speak of the colouration o f Prana

o - o by the action or n n action of this power . The p si

”

s to vice verso . tive Agni tend run into the negative , and

n ot to d o so of If it is allowed , the repeated impulses this Tattva turn upon themselves , the centre gains

P rén a greater strength , and the whole is every day coloured deeper and deeper red . The centres of the Agni Tattva all over the body become stronger in their action , while all the others contract a general tinge of the red . The eyes and the stomach become

. in stronger If, however, man indulges his sexual stin cts , the male Prana gets coloured by the female a vice vers . Agni , and This tends to weaken all the

s of s to o centre thi Tattva , and gives the wh le Prana ’ 64 NATURE S FINER FORCES .

a feminine colour . The stomach also becomes cool . the eyes grow weak , and Virile manly power departs . If more than one individual female Agni takes posses

vice versa sion of the male Prana , and , the general an tagonistic Tattva becomes deeper and stronger . The whole Prana is vitiated to a greater extent , greater debility is the result , spermatorrhoea , impotence , and such other antagonistic colours take possession of the

Prana . Besides , the separate individualities of the n n male or female Ag is , which have taken possessio of any one Prana , will tend to repel each other . Suppose now that a man is given to

WALKING . i The Prithiv Tattva of the feet gains strength , the yellow colour pervades the whole Prana . The centres of the Prithivi all over the body begin to work more briskly ; Agni receives a mild and wholesome addition to its power, the whole system tends towards healthy

— hot — equilibrium neither too , nor yet too cold and a general feeling of satisfaction accompanied with

a * n y vigour , playfulness and relish of e jo ment is the result . Let me take one more illustration from the opera tions of vAx (SPEECH),

a and then I shall have done with the org ns of action .

V ak s i The power (Shakti) of speech ( , Sara vat ) is one of the most important goddess es of the H indfi pan

e ” theon . The chief ingredient of Prana which g o

’ 66 NATURE S FINER FORCES .

tions of the external world , as will be easily under

of stood , which excite the centres the Apas Tattva ; the current passes along the vocal Chords , they are made tense , and sound is produced . But the excite ment of these centres comes also from the soul through

m r the ind . The use of this sound in the cou se of evolution as the vehicle of thought is the marriage

V i fianama a of Brahma (the j y Kosha , the soul) with

Sarasvati , the power of speech as located in man .

The Apas Tattva of the vocal apparatus , although the chief motive power in the production of sound , is modified according to circumstances by the compo sition of the other T attvas in various degrees . As

r - far as human ken reaches , about fo ty nine of these variations have been recorded under the name of

Svara . First , there are seven general notes . These

T ivra may be positive and negative ( and Komala), and then each of these may have three subdivisions .

These notes are then composed into eight Ragas , and i i i each Raga has several Rag n s . The simple Ragin s may be then compounded into others , and each Ragini may have a good many arrangements of notes . The variations of sound thus become almost innumerable . All these variations are caused by the varying tension s i of the vocal chords , the V na of Sarasvati , and the tensions vary by the varying strength of the Apas

a e current , c used by the sup rp osition of the other

T attvas .

has Each variation of sound , then , a colour of its

ff . own , which a ects the whole Prana in its own way A PR NA .

The tattvic eff ect of all these sounds is noted books of music ; and various diseases may b e and good or bad tendencies imprinted on thr f — by the power o sound . Sarasvati is an all p

our f or goddess , and controls Pranas good or

or the case may be . If a song note is coloured

rel Agni Tattva , the sound colours the Prana larl A y the Vayu , the Apas , the kasha , and the I

— s blue , white , dark and yellow . The red colour

c causes heat ; it may ause anger , sleep , digesti

of A - redness colour . The kasha coloured son g fear, forgetfulness , etc . Songs may similarly our of ad l Prana the colour love , enmity ,

or . morality , immorality , as the case may be

Let us turn another key . If the words w

of — 10 bear the colour the Agni Tattva anger , — our : Prana is coloured red , and this redues u our substai pon ourselves . It may burn up th may look lean and lank , we may have ten 68 ’ NATURE S FINER FORCES .

hearing of pleasant sounds , to the smelling of dainty

. T attvas smells , etc , the colours of these will be over much strengthened , and gain a mastery over our Prana .

If we are fond of seeing beautiful women , hearing the music of their voices , heaven help us , for the least and the most general eff ect will be that our Pranas will receive the feminine colouration . These illustrations are suff icient to explain how the tattvic colours of external nature gather up in Prana . It may be necessary to say that no new

colours enter into the formation of Prana . All the

colours of the universe are already present there , j ust

as they are in the sun , the prototype of Prana . The colouration which I have spoken of is only the strengthening of the particular colour to an extent

which throws the others in shade . It is this disturb ance of balance which in the first place causes the

variety of human Prana , and in the second those

innumerable diseases which flesh is heir to . From this it is evident that every action of man

gives his Prana a separate colour, and the colour ff n a ects the gross body in its tur . But when , at what

tattvic aflect time , does the particular colour the body ? Ordinarily under similar tattvic conditions of

the external universe . This means that if the Agni Tattva has gained strength in any Prana at any one

a p rticular division of time , the strength will show itself when that particul ar division of time recurs

again . Before attempting a solution of this problem , it is necessary to understand the following truths : PRANA . 69

The sun is the chief life - giver of every organism in the system . The moment that a new organism has come into existence , the sun changes his capacity in relation to that organism . He now becomes the f sustainer in that organism o positive life . Along with this the moon begins to influence the organism in

ow n of her way . She becomes the sustainer negative life . The planets each of them establish their ow n

F r currents in the organism . o the sake of simplicity

of I have as yet only spoken the sun and the moon , the lords respectively of the positive and negative

of currents of the right and left halves of the body , the brain and the heart , of the nerves and the blood f . o vessels These are the two chief sources life , but the planets , it must be remembered , exercise a modify

tattvic ing influence over these currents . So the real condition of any moment is determined by all the seven planets , as also by the sun and the moon . Each

tattvic planet , after determining the general condition of the moment , proceeds to introduce changes in the organism which is the birth of the moment . These changes correspond with the manifestation of that

of . colour Prana which took its rise at that time Thus , suppose the red colour has entered Prana when the moon is in the second degree of the Sign of Libra . If there is no disturbing influence Of any other luminary , the red colour will manifest itself whenever the moon is in the same position ; if there be a disturbing in flu ence the red colour will manifest itself when that influence is removed . It mayshow itself in a month , ’ 70 NATURE S FINER FORCES .

di l or it may be postponed for ages . It is very fli cu t to determine the time when an act will have its eff ect . It depends a good deal upon the strength of the im

s pression . The strength of the impres ion may be a divided into ten degrees , lthough some writers have gone further . its I . Momentary This degree of strength has c flect there and then .

° fl 0 t . c ect 2 . 3 streng h In this case the will show its elf when each planet is in the same sign as at the time of the impression . ° a 1 . 3. 5 strength (Hor ) ° D a hk na . 1 t . res 4 . 0 s rength ( ) '

Navansha . 5 . 2 00 strength . ( )

' an D adash sha . 1 0 . v 6 . 5 strength ( )

' ° n an T ri sh sha . 60 1 . 7 . or strength ( ) " I a 8. strength . (Kal )

i ala . I . 9 . strength (V p )

i . 1 I . T rut 0 . strength ( )

Suppose in any Prana , on account of any action , the A gni Tattva obtains the strongest possible prevalence

o consistent with the preservation of the b dy , the

eflect Tattva will begin to have its then and there , until it has exhausted itself to a certain extent . It will then become latent and Show itself when at any time the same planets sit in the same mansions .

a Ex mples will illustrate better . Suppose the follow ing position of the planets at any moment denotes the tattvic condition when any given colour has e e rd nt red the Prana , say Tuesday, the 3 of April , S i g n d eg m s S un I I 2 2 5 2 5 5 M a rs 5 2 8 I 40 Mercury 10 2 5 42 2 7 S a turn 3 9 33 30

Venu s . I 1 2 6 35 I 7 Moon 8 16 5 9 J upiter 7 I 5 4 1 5 3

w It is at this time , we suppose , that the act abo t i referred o s committed . The present eff ect will pa ’ off with the tw o hours lunar current which may l

s . an pa sing at that time It will then become latent , remain so till the time when these planets are in tl

. 11: same position again These positions might , as been seen , be nine and more in number . As soon as the exact time passes off when a color

o ff ( has obtained pred minance in Prana , the e ect there

itse on the gross body becomes latent . It shows again in a general way w hen the stars sit in the sai r

s of o ff th man si on . Some the strength is worn at

c o to it se time , and the force again be mes latent Show in greater minuteness when at any time the hal

i so on the remain in mansions co ncide , and with parts noticed above . There may be any number ’ 7 2 NATURE S FINER FORCES .

upon Prana by any act , however insignificant , really

off i takes ages to pass , when the stars co ncide in posi tion to a degree with that when the act was com mitted . A knowledge of astronomy is thus highly essential in occult Vedic religion . The following observations may , however, render the above a little more intelligible .

P ranama a The y Kosha , as often remarked , is an exact picture of the terrestrial Prana . The periodical currents of the finer forces of nature which are in the earth operate according to the same laws in the prin

i le Z P ranama a c p of life ; j ust as is the odiac , so is the y

Kosha divided into mansions , etc . The northern and southern inclinations of the axis give us a heart and

of off a brain . Each these has branching from it n twelve ramifications , which are the twelve sig s of the Z odiac . The daily rotation then gives us the

- thirty one Chakras spoken of previously . These Chakras have all the divisions of the signs of the

- Z odiac . The division into semi mansions has already

- been spoken of. There is the positive semi mansion ,

- and the negative semi mansion . Then we have the one- - - third , the one ninth , the one twelfth , and so on

to a degree , or the divisions or subdivisions thereof.

Each of these Chakras , both diurnal and annual ,

° is in fact a circle of 360 like the great circles of

the heavenly spheres . Through these Chakras is established a course of seven descriptions of life

currents .

1 2 ( ) Solar ; ( )Lunar ; (3) Mars , Agni ; (4) Mercury ,

’ 74 NATURE S FINER FORCES .

DEATH .

A s already said , the two ordinary forms of death are the positive through the brain , and the negative through the heart . This is death through the S n

T att as . shumna . In this the v are all potential Death may also take place through the other Nadis . In this case there must always be the prevalence of one or more of the T attvas . Towards diff erent regions does the Prana go after death , according to the paths through which it passes out of the body . Thus

1 . S ushumna t The negative akes it to the moon .

2 . The positive S ushumna takes it to the sun .

3. The A gni of the other Nadis takes it to the hill R known as aurava (fire).

4 . The A pas of the other Nadis takes it to the hill

A mbarisha known as , and so on ; the Akasha , the

A ndhatamisra vayu and the Prithivi take it to , Kala sii tra Mahakala Yo a S zitra , and respectively (see g ,

1 1 1 2 6 . Pada , Aphorism , commentary) The negative path is that generally taken by the

Prana . This path takes it to the moon (the Chandra loka)because the moon is the lord of the negative sys

S ushumna tem , the negative currents , and the negative — the heart , which therefore is a continuation of the lunar Prana . The Prana which has the general negative

can colour only move along this path , and it is trans

o f n ferred naturally to the reservoirs , the centres the ega ’ tive Prana . Those men in whom the two hours lunar current is passing more or less regularly take this path . rana which has l ost the intensity of its terres

>ur z to , energi es lunar matter according its n th f or g , and thus establishes there itself a

> assive life . The mind is here in a state of

The tattvic impressions of gathered - up forces ire it in the same way as they do in our earthly The only diff erence is that in that state there i e superposed force of indigestion to render 'ic impressions so strong and sudden as to be That dreamy state is characteri z ed by extreme Whatever our mind has in it of the inter xperiences of this world ; whatever we have

or or or s of heard , seen , enjoyed ; the ense

ss on and enjoyment , the bliss and playfulne

A T attvas pas and the Prithivi , the languid

of love the Agni , the agreeable forgetfulness t kasha one , all make their appearance after r in perfect calm . The painful impressions

appearance , because the painful arises when ression forces itself upon the mind which is armony with its surroundings . It is in this

hand ralok a t the mind lives in the C , as will R ’ 76 NATU E S FINER FORCES .

with the Prana . Both of them have now lost the tinge of a former life . Of Prana it might be said

a has th t it has a new appearance ; of the mind , that it a new consciousness . When they are both in this

tattvic ff state , both very weak , the accumulated e ects of Prana begin to show themselves with the return of the same positions of the stars . These draw us back the from lunar to the terrestrial Prana . The mind at this stage has no individuality worth taking account

afli ni of, so that it is drawn by Prana to wherever its ties carry it . Thus it j oins with those solar rays which wear a similar colour, all those mighty poten tialities which Show themselves in the future man being as yet quite latent . With the rays of the sun it passes according to the ordinary laws of vegetation

a into grain be ring similar colours . Each grain has a separate individuality , which accounts for its separate existence , and there may be in many a grain human i i ts . potentialities , g ving it an individuality of own Similarly do human individualities come back from the five states which are known as hells . These are the states of posthumous existence fixed for those men who enjoy to an excessive and violent degree the various impressions of each of the T attvas . As the tattvic a intensity , which disturbs the b lance and there

off fore causes pain , wears in time , the individual Prana

off passes to the lunar sphere , and thence undergoes

the same states which have been above described . Along the positive path through the B rahmarandhra pass those Pranas which transcend the general eff ects PRANA . 77 of time , and therefore do not return to earth under ordinary laws . It is time that brings back the Pranas from the moon , and the least strong tattvic condition comes into play with the return of identical astral positions ; but the sun being the keeper of time him f self, and the strongest factor in the determination o

tattvic f or his condition , it would be impossible solar

to ff . o s time a ect solar Prana Therefore , nly tho e Pranas travel towards the sun in which there is alm ost

a ic o is no preponderance of any t ttv col ur . This the i state of the Prana of Yog s alone . By the constant

of of practice the eight branches Yoga , the Prana is

of purified any very strongly personifying colours , and since it is evident that on such a Prana time can

n o f have e fect under ordinary circumstances , they pass

n o off to the sun . These Pranas have distinct per sonifyin g colours ; all of them that go to the sun have almost the same general tinge . But their minds are ff di erent . They can be distinguished from each

of n other , according to the particular branch scie ce

or which they have cultivated , according to the par ticular and varying methods of mental improvement which they have follow ed 0 11 earth . In this state the n im mind is not dependent , as in the moo , upon the

of pressions of Prana . Constant practice Yoga has rendered it an independent worker , depending only

its ow n upon the soul , and moulding the Prana to

its . shapes , and giving it own colours This is a kind of Moksha .

o f Although the sun is the most potent lord life , ’ 78 NATURE S FINER FORCES . and the tattvic condition of Prana has now no eff ect upon the Prana which has passed to the sun , it is still ff t a ected by the plane ary currents , and there are times ff when this e ect is very strong , so that the earthly conditions in which minds have previously existed are again present with them . A desire to do the same sort of good they did in the world in their previous life takes possession of them , and impelled by this desire they sometimes come back to the earth . Shan k aracharya has noticed in his commentary on the

B rahmasfitra A antartamah that p , one of the Vedic

Dvai a Rishis , thus appeared on earth as Krishna p

Dva ara yana , about the end of the p and the beginning of the Kali Yuga . As it is desirable that as much should be known about Prana as possible , I give below some quotations on the subject from the They will give additional interest to the subj ect , and present it in a more comprehensive and far more attractive garb . “ He who knows the birth , the coming in , the places of manifestation , the rule , and the microcosmic appear ” ance of Prana becomes immortal by that knowledge . P ractica l knowledge of the laws of life and a sub ordination of the lower nature to the behests of such laws , must naturally end in the passing of the soul out of the shado w y side of life into the original light

the . a of sun This means immortality , that is , p ssing beyond the power of terrestrial death . But to go on with what the Upanishad has to say

he of t things to be known about Prana . PRANA . 79

A TH E BIRTH OF PR NA .

The Prana is b orn from the Atma ; it arl ses in the A tma , like the shadow in the body .

or The human body , other organism , coming as it does between the sun and the portion of space on the

i n of other side , throws a shade the ocean Prana . Similarly is the Prana seen as a shade i n the macro c osmic soul (Ishvara) because the macrocosmic mind

M ann of ( )intervenes . Briefly the Prana is the shade

M ann of the caused by the light Logos , the macro

c ow e cosmic entre . The suns their birth in this shade to the impression upon it of the macrocosmic mental

- of ideas . These suns the centres Prana , become in

their turn the positive starting - point of further develop

ment . The Manus , throwing their shade by the inter

v ention of the in suns , give birth those shades to

planets , etc . The suns throwing their shades by the

of . intervention planets , give birth to moons Then

ff to act these di erent centres begin upon the planets , and the sun descends on them in the shape of various

organisms , man included . ’ 8o NATURE S FINER FORCES .

and southern centres of Prana , the centres from which the southern and northern phases of life - matter take their start . The eastern and western halves are there also . — At every moment of time in every T ruti there

T rutis— — in are millions of perfect organisms space .

This may require some explanation . The units of

— a T r i time and space are the same ut . Take any one

r i T ut of time . It is well known that every moment of time the tattvic rays of Prana go in every direction

r from eve y point to every other point . Hence it is clear enough that every T ruti of space is a perfect picture of the whole apparatus of Prana , with all its centres and sides , and positive and negative relations .

a To express a good deal in a few words , every Tr ti of space is a perfect organism . In the ocean of Prana which surrounds the sun there are innumerable such i T rut s .

While essentially the same , it is easy to understand that the following items will make a diff erence in the

T r is ut . general colour, appearance , and forms of these

1 . Distance from the solar centre .

2 . Inclination from the solar axis .

z I take the earth for illustration . That one of solar life , taking into consideration both the distance and the inclination in which the earth moves , gives birth

- h z - to earth life . T is one of earth life is known as the

a l ecliptic . Now every Tr ti of space in this ec iptic is a separate individual organism . As the earth moves i i e. T rut in her annual course , . , as the of time changes ,

8 R ’ 2 NATU E S FINER FORCES .

it may pass to other spheres . When the terrestrial balance is again restored , when this posthumous life

z has been lived , the energi ation is again transferred to the earth .

Such is the macrocosmic appearance of Prana , with the pictures of all the organisms of the earth . And now for

H T E COMING IN. — How does this P ran amaya Kosha this T r uti of the macrocosm—come into this body ? “ By actions at ” whose root lies the mind , says briefly the Upanishad . It has been explained how every action changes the

P ranama a nature of the y Kosha , and it will be ex plained in the essay on the “ Cosmic Picture Gallery ” how these changes are represented in the cosmical

- counterpart of our life principle . It is evident that by these actions is produced the change in the general . relative nature of the Prana and the Rayi which has

been spoken of in the foregoing part of this essay . It is hardly necessary to say that the mind— the human free will— lies at the root of those actions which disturb “ ic - the tatt v balance of the life principle . Hence the

Prana comes into this body by actions , at whose root ” lies the mind .

TH F N E PLACES O MA IFESTATION .

o As the paramount power app ints its servants , ‘ ’ telling them , Rule such and such Villages , so does

the Prana . It puts its di ff erent manifestations in dif

ferent places . In the Payu [anus] and Upastha is the A PR NA . 83

a A pana [which discharges f eces and urine]. In the eye and the ear are the manifestations known as sight and

r hearing [Chak shuh and S h otra] . The Prana remains

out of itself, going mouth and nose . Between [the of places Prana and Apana , about the navel] lives the

ri Sama a . It is this that carries equally [all over the body] the food [and drink] that is thrown in the fire .

. of Hence are those seven lights [By means Prana ,

of light knowledge is thrown over colour, form , sound , etc . ] “ In the heart verily is this Atma [the P ranamaya

Kosha], and in it , verily , the other coils . Here there

on e are a hundred and Nadis , each Nadi containing a

of hundred coils . In each these branch Nadis there are other Nadis . In these moves the Vyana . “ one ushumna By [the S ] going upward , the Udana

to of carries good worlds by means goodness , and to evil o nes by means of evil ; by both to the world of

a wn .

“ The sun is , verily, the macrocosmic Prana ; he rises , and thereby helps the eyesight . The power that is in the earth keeps up the power of Apana ; the Akasha [the ethereal matter] that is between heaven and earth , helps the Samana .

The ethereal life - matter [independent of its being between the earth and heaven] which fills macrocosmic

is . space , Vyana “ — — The Tejas the luminiferous ether is Udana ; hence he whose natural fire is cooled down [ap p roaches death]. ’ 84 NATURE S FINER FORCES .

Then the man goes towards second birth ; the organs and senses go into the mind ; the mind of the man comes to the Prana [its manifestations now ceas

a ing]. The Prana is combined with the Tej s , going with the soul , it carries it to the spheres which are ” in View . The diff erent manifestations of Prana in the body; and the places where they manifest themselves have been dwelt upon . But there appear in this extract certain other statements of interest . It is said that

Pranama a K this Atma , this y osha with the other coils ,

has verily , is located in the heart . The heart , as — been seen , represents the negative side of life the

Ra i y . When the positive Prana , which is properly

n s Ra i located in the brai , impresses it elf upon the y —the heart and the Nadis that flow from it— the forms of life with the actions of man come into exist ence . It is therefore , properly speaking , the reflection in the heart that works in the world , this reflection being the proper lord of the sensuous and active organs of life . If this being in the heart learns not how to live here , the sensuous and active organs both lose their life and the connection with the world ceases . The being of the brain which has no immediate con nection with the world , except through the heart , now remains in its unrestrained purity ; in short , the soul

r l k goes to the S fi y o a (the sun).

THE E X TE RNA L PRANA . The next point of interest is the description of the functions of the external Prana , which lie at the root A PR NA . 85

of z of, and help the working the individuali ed Prana . i It is said that the sun s the Prana . This is evident enough , and has been mentioned many a time before

. of this The most important function life , inspiration and expiration , the function which , according to the

of on e of Science Breath , is the law the existence of

on of the universe all the planes life , is brought into

sun existence and kept in activity by the himself. It is the solar breath that constitutes his existence , and

to this reflected in man gives birth human breath .

The sun then appears in another phase . He rises ,

so and as he does , he supports the eyes in their natural action . Similarly the power that is in the earth sustains the

of Apana manifestation Prana . It is the power which

commen draws everything towards the earth , says the tator . In modern language it is gravity . Something more might here be said about the

of . Udana manifestation Prana As everybody knows , there is a phase of microcosmic Prana which carries everything , names , forms , sounds , sights , and all other

one to . sensations , from place another This is other

or of wise known as the universal Agni , the Tejas the

z f text . The locali ed manifestation o this phase of

or Prana is called Udana , that which carries the life 86 ’ NATURE S FINER FORCES . iz ed a manifest tions were to work in unison , and with temperance , doing their own duty, but not usurping the time and place of others , there would be but little evil in the world . But each of these manifestations asserts its sole power over the poor bewildered human soul . Each of these claims the whole life of man to be its ow n proper domain . “ A The Akasha , the vayu , the gni , the Prithivi , A — the pas , speech , Sight and hearing all of them say clearly that they are the sole monarchs of the human body .

The principal Prana- he whose manifestations all these are— tells them “ Be not forgetful ; it is I who sustain the human body, dividing myself into five . If the five manifestations of Prana with all their minor subdivisions revolt against him , if each begins to assert its own lordship , and ceases to work for the

general benefit of the lord paramount , which is the

s real life , misery makes its sad appearance to haras the poor human soul . “ i nor But the manifestations of Prana , blinded by g ” “ ” ance , would not put forth at the admonitions of their lord . “ He leaves the body, and as he leaves , all the other

minor Pranas leave it , too ; they stay there as he ” stays .

Then are their eyes opened . “ As the bees follow the queen bee in every way, P RANA . 87 so — do the Pranas namely , speech , the mind , the eye , — the ear follow him with devotion , and thus praise him . “ is of He the Agni , the cause heat ; he is the sun

of o [the giver light] ; he is the cl ud , he is the Indra ,

is Ra i he the Vayu , he is the Prithivi , he is the y , and

‘ A sat ii the Deva , the Sat , and the fi and he is the ii mortal .

of 4 ike the spokes in the nave a wheel , every

in — of 161 thing is sustained Prana the hymns the g ,

Ya u r S anta Z’cl as the the j , and the , the sacrifice ,

Kshatriyas and the Brahmans , etc . “ Thou art the progenitor ; thou mov est in the womb ; thou art born in the Shape of the father or the mother ; to thee , O Prana , that dwelleth in the f body with thy manifestations , these creatures o fer presents . “ of f to Thou art the carrier o ferings the Devas , thou art the carrier of oblations to the fathers ; thou art the action and the power of the senses and other manifestations of life . “ Thou art , O Prana , the great lord in power , the 8 ’ 8 NATURE S FINER FORCES .

Ek arshi consumer of all oblations , as the fire [of the A tharvas] ; thou art the preserver of all existence ; we are to thee the off erers of food ; thou art our father

- as the recorder [or the life giver of the recorder]. “ Make healthy that appearance of thine which is h located in the speec , the ear , the eye , and that which is stretched towards the mind ; do not fly away . “ Whatever exists in the three heavens , all of it is in the power of Prana . Protect us like a mother her ff ” o spring ; give us wealth and intellect .

With this I conclude my description of Prana , the second principle of the universe , and the human body . The epithets bestowed upon this mighty being in the above extract will be easy of understanding in the light of all that has gone before . It is now time to trace the working of the universal tattvic Law of Breath on the next higher plane of life— the mind

Mano a ( m ya Kosha).

’ 90 NATURE S FINER FORCES .

by the five T attvas . The object of the present essay is to run over briefly the various phenomena relating — to the third higher body of man the M anomaya — Kosha , the mind and note how symmetrically and universally the T attvas bring about the formation and work of this principle . KNOWLEDGE In general language it is knowledge that distin

uishes g the mind from physiological life (Prana), but it will be seen on a little consideration that diff erent degrees of knowledge might very well be taken as the distinguishing characteristics of the five states of matter, which in man we call the five principles . For what is knowledge but a kind of tattv ic motion of

- breath , elevated into self consciousness by the presence , in a greater or less degree , of the element of Ahankara (egoism)? This is no doubt the View taken of know ledge by the Vedantic philosopher when he speaks of intelligence as being the motive power , the first cause

of the universe . The word Svara is only a synonym

of intelligence , the one manifestation of the One

descending into Prakriti . “ ” I see something , means , according to our View of

M anoma a knowledge , that my y Kosha has been put

into visual vibration . “ ” M anoma a K I hear, means that my y osha is in a

state of auditory vibration . “ ” I feel , means that my mind is in a state of

tangible Vibration .

11 And so 0 with the other senses . T H E MIND .

I love , means that my mind is in a state of an

r ion i at (a form of attraction). — The first state that of the An andamaya t f te o the highest knowledge . There is the

f or infin e centre , the substratum the whole trabrahman , and the ethereal Vibrations of his e one throughout the whole expanse of in h one one w ere is but intelligence , but kno he otentialitie whole universe , with all its p i tual ties of . , is a part that knowledge This

no consc iousr. ghest state of bliss . There is

If f or I existenc here , the has only a relative ere must be a Tlzou or a H e before there can b

o the The Eg takes form when , in second pl

' istenc e one , more than minor centre come f i sten ce . It is or this reason that the name tra has been given to this state of matter . hereal impulses of those centres are confined t vn particular domain in space , and they di ff ch centre . They can , however , a ect each st in the same way as the individualiz ed e i pulses of one man aff ect those of others ’ 92 NATURE S FINER FORCES . under similar laws to those ruling the rest of the

irats cosmos . The suns move round the V in the same way as the planets move round the sun .

OF T H T H E FUNCTIONS E MIND .

The composition of the M ann is similar to that of Prana ; it is composed of a still finer grade of the five

T attvas T at as , and this increased fineness endows the tv with diff erent functions .

five The functions of Prana have been given . The

as following are the five functions of Manas , given by P atanj ali and accepted by V yasa :

a a . Pram n . 1 . Means of knowledge ( ) 2 False know

i ar a a . . ledge (V p y y ) 3 Complex imagination (Vikalpa).

Nidra . . . 4 . Sleep ( ) 5 Memory (Smriti) All the manifestations of the mind fall under one or

P ra n . ma a other of these five heads Thus , includes k ha . b P rat a s . a . Perception ( y ) Inference (Anu

c. . mana). Authority (Agama) V ip aryaya includes

a . . b. Ignorance (Avidya , Tamas) Egoism (As ’

. M aha c. moha . a mita , Moha) Retention (Raga , ) .

T amisra Dvesha . e. Repulsion ( , ) Tenacity of life

A bhinivesha A ndhatamisra . ( , )

The remaining three have no definite subdivisions . I shall now Show that all the modifications of thought

tattvic are forms of motion on the mental plane .

1 N OF W P RA M ANA . M EA S KNO LEDGE ( ).

The word Pramana (means of k nowledge)is derived

o ma from two ro ts , the predicative , and the derivative

’ 94 NATURE S FINE R FORCES .

u the i tong e , skin , the ear and the nose respect vely to u the i the Apas , the vay , the Akasha and Prithiv vibrations . The pure Agni causes the perception of

- r - red , the Tej as P ithivi of yellow , the Tejas Apas of

- white , the Tej as Vayu of blue , and so on . Other colours are produced in the mind by mixed vibrations in a thousand varying degrees . The Apas gives soft

u . ness , the Vay roughness , the Agni harshness We

r . see through the eyes not only colour , but also fo m It will be remembered that a particular f orm has been

tattvic all assigned to every vibration , and the forms of gr oss matter answer to correspo nding tattvi c vibra

e tions . Thus form can be perceiv d through every

n m can . u se se The eyes can see for , the tong e taste it , the skin can touch it , and so on . This may probably

s appear to be a novel a sertion , but it must be remem bered that virtue is not limited to its outw ard expres

. a the sion or act The ear would he r form , if more general use of the eye and the skin for this purpose had not almost stifled it into inaction . The one form ff d is di erentiated in at least five mo es , and each mode calls the same thing by a diff er ent name . This is aptly illustrated by the physiology of the five sense organs .

astIi n ent s The pure Apas vibrations cause an g ta te ,

- vi - the Apas Prithi a sweet , the Apas Agni hot , the

- and . u ari Apas vayu acid , so on Inn merable other v a tions of taste are caused by intermed iate vibrations in variou s degrees . The case is similar with the vocal and other changes T H E MIND . 95

our of vibration . It is clear that perceptive knowledge is nothing more than a veritable tattvic m otio n of the

s commun ica mental body , cau ed by the sympathetic

of of tions the Vibrations Prana , j ust as a stringed instrument of a certain tension begins to Vibrate spontaneously when vibration is set up in another similar instrument .

b I n erence A n umana . f ( )

The word A numana has the same roots as the word ff P raman a . The only di erence is in the prefix . We “ ”

a n u s of r a . have here , after , in tead p Inference

- (A numana)is therefore after motion . When the mind is capable of sustaining two Vibrations at one and the

set same time , then , if either of these vibrations is up and perceived , the second vibration must also manifest

. . c om itself Thus , suppose a man pinches me The plex vibrations that make up the perception of the

o acti n of a man pinching me are produced in my mind .

I recogni z e the phenomena . Almost simultaneously with these vibrations another set of vibrations is p ro d u ced in me . I call this pain . Now here are two

t attvic on e kinds of motion , the coming after the other .

If at any other time I feel similar pain , the image of the man pinching will be recalled to my consciousness . “ ” - This after motion is inference . Induction and 6 ’ 9 NATURE S FINER FORCES .

Whenever I think of the phenomenon of sunrise , the concept of that direction presents itself. I therefore say that the sun rises as a rule in that direction .

ta i Inference is , therefore , nothing more than a ttv c

motion coming after another related one .

A ut/zorit / Al a c. j ( g ma) The third modification of what is called the means

Pramana of knowledge ( )is authority (Agama). What ? is this I read in my geography, or hear from the lips of my teacher that Britain is surrounded by the ocean . Now what has connected these words in my mind with the picture of Britain , the ocean , and their

? erce tion mutual relations Certainly it is not p p , and therefore not inference , which must by nature work through sensuous knowledge . What then ? There must be some third modification . The fact that words possess the power to raise a certain picture in our minds is one of very deep in

z terest . Every Indian philosopher recogni es it as a third modification of the mind , but it receives no recognition at the h ands of modern European philo sophy .

There is , however, little doubt that the colour corresponding to this mental modification diff ers from that corresponding to either perception or inference . The colour belonging to the perceptive modifications of the mind is always single in its nature . A certain phase of the Tej as Vibration must always prevail in

s the vi ual modification , and similarly the Vibrations

’ 98 NATURE S FINER FORCES . so in the past ; in the present it has become native to the mind .

2 . W V I PA RV A YA FALSE KNO LEDGE ( ).

This is the second mental modification . This word

— i a also is derived from a root meaning motion or y, “ ” “ ”

m . a ri to go , to ove The prefix p is connected

ro with the root p , and gives the same idea to the root .

P ar a a P raman y y has the same radical meaning as a . “ The word V iparyaya therefore means a motion removed from the motion which coi ncides with the ” ra an i obj ect . The Vibrations of P m a co ncide in nature with the Vibrations of the obj ect of perception ; not so

i ar a a the vibrations of V p y y . Certain acquired condi tions of the mind imprint on the percepts a new colour of their own , and thus distinguish them from the

Pra an percepts of m a. There are five modifications of this manifestation .

a I noranc . g e This is the general field for the manifestation of all the modifications of V iparyaya (false knowledge). The ’ “ ” via word comes from the root , to know , the prefix a a i sufli x . , and the y The ori g nal meaning of the root “ ” “ ” is to be , to exist . The original meaning of Vidya “ ” is , therefore , the state of a thing as it is , or expressed “ in terms of the mental plane in one word , knowledge . As long as in the face of a human being I see a face and nothing else , my mental vibration is said to be

. see Vidya But as soon as I a moon , or something else

a not a face , when it is a face I am looking at , my ment l T H E MIND .

A vid vibration is no longer said to be Vidya , but y Avidya (ignorance) is therefore n ot a negative c oncej

i t . tion , is just as positive as Vidya itself It is a gre mistake to suppose that w ords having the privati ‘ prefixes always imply abstractions and never realitie

‘ . of This , however, is a digression The state Avid is that state in which the mental vibration is disturb <

of A T attvas w hi< by that kasha , and some other , thus produce false appearances . The general app ea — of A s w l ance Avidya is ka ha darkness , and this is f Tamas is a synonym o this word . This general prevalence of darkness is caused I

m fil so e defect in individual minds , because , as we

n ot i from daily experience , a given obj ect does cxc h of . t e the same set Vibrations in all minds What , is the mental defect ? It is to be found in the natu

- of of the stored up potential energy the mind . Tl storing up of potential energy is a problem of t

on e w hi deepest importance in philosophy , and in the doctrine of transmigration of souls finds its m 1

so- intelligible explanation . This called law of vasa may be enunciated as follows . If anything be set in any particular kind of tatt1 — motion— internal or external it acquires the ca; bilit of y, for a second time , being easily set into t s a m e k i n d o f m o ti on and of conseq uently resistin g ’ I oo NATURE S FINER FORCES .

Thus , if a man accustoms his body to a particular form of exercise , certain muscles in his body are very n easily set in motion . A y other form of exercise that requires the use of other muscles will be found f atigu ing on account of the resistance set up by muscular habits . Similar is the case with the mind . If I have

- a deep rooted conviction , as some have to this day , that the earth is flat and that the sun moves round it , it may require ages to alter my belief. A thousand examples might be cited of such phenomena . It is , however , only necessary in this place to state that the capacity of turning easily to one mental state and off ering resistance to another is what I mean by this

- anskara stored up energy . It is called vasana or S in

Sanskrit . “ vas The word Vasana comes from the root , to dwell . It means the dwelling or fixing of some form of vibra tory motion in the mind . It is by Vasana that certain

a truths become native to the mind , and , not only cert in so - so- called truths , but all the called natural tendencies

- — moral , physical and spiritual become in this way

' diflr n e native to the mind . The only e e c in diff erent

asanas a a n s V is in their respective st bility . Those v sa a which are imprinted upon the mind as the result of the ordinary evolutionary course of nature never change . The products of independent human actions are of

two kinds . If action result in tendencies that check ff the evolutionary progressive tide of nature , the e ect of the action exhausts itself in time by the repellent

- force of the under current of evolution . If, however,

’ 1 0 2 E NATUR S FINER FORCES .

E oi m i b. g s (A smitc )

A smita (egoism) is the conviction that real life (Purusha Svara) is one with its various mental and physiological modifications , that the higher self is one with the lower one , that the sum of our percepts and t concep s is the real Ego , and that there is nothing beyond . In the present cycle of evolution and in the previous ones , the mind has chiefly been occupied with these percepts and concepts . The real power of life is never seen making any separate appearance , hence the feeling that the Ego must be the same with the

no . mental phe mena It is plain that Avidya , as defined above , lies at the root of this manifestation .

c R et ntion Ra a . e ( g ) The misleading feeling of satisfaction above men i n t o ed under Avidya is the cause of this condition . When any obj ect repeatedly produces in our mind this

feeling of satisfaction , our mind engenders the habit of falling again and again into the same state of tattvic

Vibration . The feeling of satisfaction and the picture of the object which seemed to cause that satisfaction tend to appear together, and this is a hankering after

n ot us— t the object , a desire to let it escape that is o

say , Raga (pleasure). We may here investigate more thoroughly the n ature of this feeling of satisfaction and its Opposite

pleasure and pain . The Sanskrit words for these two

mental states are respectively Sukha and Duhkha . “ ” t ha n the Both come from the root , to dig ; prefixes ’ u a ff s and u /z make the di erence . The former prefix “ ” conveys the idea of ease , and it derives this idea from the unrestrained easy flow of breath . The radical idea of Sukha is , therefore , unrestrained digging digging where the soil offers but little resistance .

Transferred to the mind , that act becomes Sukha , that which makes upon it an eaSy impression . The act

of i must , in the nature its vibrations , co ncide with the then prevailing conditions of the mental vibrations . Before any percepts or concepts had taken root in the mind , there was no desire , no pleasure . The genesis

of — both desire and what is called pleasure that is , the sense of satisfaction caused by the impressions pro — d uced by exter nal objects begins with certain percepts

and concepts , taking root in the mind . This taking root is really only an overclouding of the original set of impressions arising out of evolutionary mental pro

f or gress . When contact with the external obj ect a moment removes that cloud from the clear hori z on of

of the mind , the soul is conscious a feeling of satis ’ 1 0 4 NATURE S FINER FORCES .

The mind does not easily give place to these vibra tions ; it tries to repel them with all its might . Thence arises a feeling of privation . It is as if something of its nature were being taken away , and an alien pheno menon introduced . This consciousness of privation , or want , is pain , and the repulsive power which these alien Vibrations excite inthe mind is known by the

Dvesha name of Dvesha (desire to repel). The word

' a vesti comes from the root , which is a compound of ’ a u isli is/z and ; itself appears to be a compound root , i s su . s C and The final is onnected with the root ,

“ ” “ ’ ” to breathe , to be in one s natural state . The root “ ” i isli means to go , and the root , therefore , means “ w ’ ” to go to ards one s natural state . Transferred to the mind , the word becomes a synonym of Raga . ’ The root au in Dvesha performs the same function as club in Duhkha . Hence Dvesha comes to mean a ” hankering after repulsion . Anger , jealousy , hatred ,

. ff etc , are all modifications of this , as love , a ection , r and f iendship are those of Raga . It is easy , by what has been said above , to follow up the genesis of the “ ” now principle of tenacity of life . I must try to assign these actions to their prevailing T attvas .

n i as The ge eral colour of Av dya is , already said , that of Akasha , darkness . When , however, Avidya is manifested as anger, the Agni Tattva prevails . If this be accompani ed by motion of the body Vayu is indicated . Stubbornness shows as Prithivi and tracta bilit y as Apas , while the condition of fear and trem bling finds expression in Akasha .

’ 1 06 NATURE S FINER FORCES .

4. SLEEP (NIDRA ).

This also is a phenomenon of the Manomaya Kosha

(mind). Indian philosophers speak of three states in — this connection Waking , Dream , Sleep .

a k n . a . W i g This is the ordinary state when the principle of life works in connection with the mind . The mind , then , through the action of the senses , receives impressions of the external obj ects . The other faculties of the mind are purely mental , and they may work in the ff waking as in the dreaming state . The only di erence is that in dreams the mind does not undergo the per ce ti ? p ve changes . How is this These changes of state are always passive , and the soul has no choice in being subj ected to them . They come and go as a necessary result of the working of Svara in all its five modifications . As has been explained in the article

ff re on Prana , the di erent sensuous organs cease to spond to external tattvic changes when the positive current gains more than ordinary strength in the body .

The positive force appears to us in the shape of heat , the negative in the shape of cold . I may , therefore , in future term these forces heat and cold .

The Upanishad says that in dreamless sleep the

- the soul sleeps in the blood vessels (Nadis), peri H as cardium (P uritat) and the hollow of the heart . — the system of blood - vessels the negative centre of ? Prana , anything to do with dream also The state of dream , according to the Indian sage , is an inter

one between waking and sleeping , and it is but able to suppose that there must be something system which accounts f or both these pher What is that something ? It is variously spok c

. n ee the Pitta , the Agni , and the Sun It is say that these words are meant to denote one

ff on l same thing . It is the e ect produced the

the solar breath in general , and the Agni T

mar particular . The word Pitta may mislead

to w o it is , therefore , necessary state that the “ ” n ot always mean lull There is one Pitts Sanskrit physiology locates specially in the

This is called the Sadhaka Pitta . It is nothi n nor w less than cardiac temperature , and it is

to r that we have do in sleep o dream .

According to the Indian philosopher, it is diac temperature that causes the three states

. 1 ing degrees This , and nothing more , is the of the Vedic text , which says that the soul 5 ’ 1 0 8 NATURE S FINER FORCES .

When the positive reaches its daily extreme the ac tions of the sense organs are no longer synchronous

a with the modification of the external T ttvas . It is a matter of daily experience that the sensuous organs respond to external tattvic vibrations within certain limits . If the limit is exceeded either way , the organs become insensible to these Vibrations .

There is , therefore , a certain degree of temperature

can at which the sensuous organs ordinarily work , but when this limit is exceeded either way the organs become incapable of receiving any impression from without . During day the positive life current gathers

r strengt h in the heart . The ordina y physical mood is naturally altered by this gathering up of the force ,

as . and , a result , the senses sleep They receive no f impression from without . This is su ficient to pro duce the dreaming state . As yet the chords of the gross body (S tli ii la Sharira)have alone slackened ; the soul sees the mind no longer aff ected by external impressions . The mind is , however , habituated to various percepts and concepts , and by the mere force

s of habit pa ses into various states . The breath , as it diflerentiates tattvic into the five states , becomes the cause of the varying impressions coming up . The soul , as already said , plays no part in calling up these

Visions . It is by the working of a necessary law of life that the mind undergoes the various changes of the waking and the sleeping states . The soul does

ur nothing in conj ing up the phantasms of a dream , otherwise it would be impossible to explain horrible

’ 1 1 0 NATURE S FINER FORCES .

11 0 111 5 within physical atmosphere . Such dreams are akin in their nature to the ravings of delirium ; the ff only di erence lying in strengt h and violence . When

a ill , we may i n a similar way dre m of health and its surroundings . The second kind of dream is caused by ordinary

t attvic . changes When the past , the present , and the future tattvic conditions of our surroundings are uni form in their nature , when there is no change , and when no change is in store for us , the stream of dreams is most calm and equable in its easy flow . As the atmospheric and the healthful physiological T attvas glide smoothly one into the other, so do the impressions of our minds in this class of dreams . Ordinarily we cannot even remember these dreams , for in them there is nothing of special excitement to keep them in our memory .

the The third kind of change is similar to the first , ff diff erence lying only in the nature of the e ects . These

ff s we call the e ects of disea e or health , as the case may be ; here we might gr oup the results under the general names of prosperity or calamity .

The process of this sort of mental excitement is , however , the same in both . The currents of life preg f nant with all sorts of good and evil , are su ficient in strength , while yet potential and only tending towards the actual , to set the sympathetic chords of the mind in

Vibration . The purer the mind , and the freer from dust of the world , the more sensitive is it to the slightest and remotest tendency of Prana towards some change . We consequently become conscious of coming events T H E MIND . I I I

of in dreams . This explains the nature prophetic

of dreams . To weigh , however, the force these dreams , to out find exactly what each dream means , is a most

ff i di cult , and , under ordinary circumstances , I may say , a quite impossible task . We may make ten thousand mistakes at every step , and we need nothing less than a perfect Yogi f or the right understanding of even our ow n to of of dreams , say nothing those others . Let us explain and illustrate the diff i culties which surround

11s of o r in the right understanding u dreams . A man

of in the same quarter the city in which I live , but unknown to me , is about to die . Pregnant with death , the tattvic currents of his body disturb the atmospheric

T attvas , and are through their instrumentality spread

of in various degrees strength all over the world .

too They reach me , and when I am sleeping excite the sympathetic chords of the mind . Now as there is no

f or special room in my mind that man , my impression will only be general . A human being , fair or ugly,

or thin or fat , male or female , lamented not , and having other like qualities , will come into the mind

- as on his death bed . But what man ? The power of complex imagination , unless kept in check by the most

of rigorous exercise Yoga , will have its play , and it is almost certain that a man who has previously been

t attvic connected in my mind with all these qualities , will make his appearance in my consciousness . It is

evident I shall be on the wrong track . That someone

is dead or dying, we may be sure , but who or where n it is impossible f or ordinary men to discover . And ot ’ 1 1 2 NATURE S FINER FORCES . only does the manifestation of V ik alpa put us on the wrong track , all the manifestations of the mind do that . The state of Samadhi , which is nothing more ’ than putting one s self into a state of the most perfect

tattvic im amenability to surroundings , is therefore possible unless all the other manifestations are held “ ” “ P atan ali in perfect check . Yoga , says j , is keeping ” in check the manifestations of the mind . But to resume .

D ee e c. p S le p The dreaming state is maintained as long as the cardiac temperature is not strong enough to aff ect the mental coil . But with increasing positive strength that too must be aff ected . The Manas and the Prana are made of the same materials and are subj ect to the same laws . The more subtle , however, these materials are , the stronger must be the forces that produce similar changes . All the coils are tuned together, and changes in the one aff ect the other . The vibrations per second of the first one are , however, greater in number than those of the lower one , and this causes its subtlety .

' The higher are always aflected through the imme

T att vas diately low er principles . Thus the external will aff ect Prana directly , but the mind can only be aff ected through the Prana and indirectly . The cardiac f/ temperature is only an indication of the degree of heat

ff e in Prana . When su icient is gather d up there , the i i ff ff Prana hav ng acqu red su icient strength , a ects the mental coil . That too now passes out of tune with

1 1 ’ 4 NATURE S FINER FORCES . with greater force when the mind is in a sympathetic state .

Every percept takes root in the mind , as explained above . It is nothing more than a change of the tattvic state of the mind , and what is left behind is only a capacity for falling into the same state more easily again . The mind falls back into the same state when it

tatt i is under the influence of the same v c surroundings . The presence of the same things calls back the same mental state . The tattvic surroundings may be of two descriptions — astral and local . The astral influence is the eff ect upon the individual Prana of the then condition of the

efle terrestrial Prana . If this ct appears as the Agni

Tattva , those of our concepts which have a prominent connection with this Tattva will make their appearance in the mind . Some of these are a hankering after wealth , a desire of progeny , etc . If we have the Vayu

Tattva , a desire to travel may take possession of our

tattvic minds , and so on . A minute analysis of all our

ffi concepts is of the greatest interest ; su ce it , however , to say here that the tattvic condition of Prana Often calls up into the mind obj ects which have been in similar previous conditions the obj ects of perception .

It is this power , as already shown , that underlies dreams of one class . In the waking state , too , this phase of memory often acts as reminiscence . Local surroundings are constituted by those objects which the mind has been accustomed to perceive together with the immediate obj ect of memory . This is the power of association . Both these phenome constitute memory proper (Smriti). Here the obj e

ac t an comes first into the mind , and afterwards the im the surroundings of perception . Another very p c

of a tant kind memory is what is called Buddhi , liter

is ] memory . This the power by which we call to mi

f r c what we have learnt o scientific facts . The p oc of the storing up these facts in the mind is same , b d ff th the coming back into consciousness i ers in this , here the act comes into the mind first and then t

T attvas o t obj ect . All the five and the f regoing men phenomena may cause the phen omenon of m emor

d o to i . Literary memory has a good deal with Yoga , the exerci se of free will to direct the energies of t

s mind into desirable channels . While those impres io which take root in the mind on account of n atui surroundings make the mind the unwilling slave

to ‘ the external world , Buddhi may lead it bliss a freedom . But will these t attvic surroundings alwa bring related phenomena into consciousness ? N

d o this depen s up n their correlative strength . It well known that when the vibration s per second Akasha (sound)pass beyond a certain limit either w

n ot f E they do a fect the tympanum . Similar is the C

is f or T attvas . with the other It , example , only : certain number of Vibrations per second of the Te ’ 1 1 6 NATURE S FINER FORCES . to vibrate as it comes into contact with the external world . Just as the varying states of the external o rgans make us more or less sensitive to ordinary ff sensation , so di erent men might not hear the same

n sounds , might not see the same sights , the me tal T attvas might not be aff ected by percepts of di ff erent

” aflected ff stren gth , or might be in di erent degrees by percepts of the same strength . The question is , how is the variation of this mental tattvic strength produced ?

By exercise , and the absence of exercise . If we accus

tom the mind , j ust as we do the body, to any particular

percept or concept , the mind turns easily to those

. i percepts and concepts If, however, we g ve up the ff exercise , the mind becomes sti and ceases by degrees

to respond to those percepts and concepts . This is

the phenomenon of forgetting . Let a student whose

literary exercise is just opening the buds of his mind , which is j ust gaining strength enough to see into the ff causes and e ects of things , give up his exercise . His

mind will begin to lose that nice perception . The stiff er the mind becomes the less will the causal rela ff tion a ect him , and the less he will know of it , until

at last he loses all his power . Ceaseless influence and activity of one sort being

o imp ssible in the ordinary course of nature , every

impression tends to pass away as soon as it is made . Its degree of stability depends upon the duration of

the exercise .

But although activity of one sort is impracticable ,

activity of some sort is always present in the mind .

’ 1 1 8 NATURE S FINER FORCES .

ff colour of the mind di ering from that of other minds , and yet retaining its general character for a whole life , gives us the consciousness of personal identity . In every act which has been done , or which is , or may be done , the soul sees the same general colour , and hence the feeling of personal identity . In death the general colour changes , and although we have the

diflerent . same mind , we have a consciousness Hence no continuance of the feeling of personal identity is possible through death .

M anoma a Such is a brief account of the y Kosha , the mental coil in the ordinary state . The influence of the higher principle (the V ij fi anamaya Kosha) through the exercise of Yoga induces in the mind a number of other manifestations . Psychic manifesta tions show themselves in the mind and the Prana , in the same way as mental manifestations are seen in n in flue c g and regulating the latter .

The universe , as has been seen , has five planes of existence (which may also be divided into seven).

The forms of the earth , which are little pictures of the universe , have also the same five planes . In some of these organisms the higher planes of exist ence are absolutely latent . In man , in the present

V i fi anama a age , the j y Kosha and the lower principles make their appearance . We have now had an insight into the nature of the macrocosmic Prana , and we have seen also that almost every point in this ocean of life represents a separate individu al organism . T H E MIND .

Similar is the case with the macrocos mi c Every T ruti of that centre in the same way take

whole of the macrocosmic mind . From ever the tattvic rays of the mental ocean go to ever and thus every point is a little picture Of the 111

mind . This is the individual mind . The universal mind is the original of all the of s a Prana , in the ame way as the solar Pran

- a original of the species of earth life . Individu t oo is s of a , imilarly the original all the individu f estations of the P ranamaya Kosha . Simila

s 0 11 s oul , and the highe t plane , the individua f is the perfect picture o all that comes below . With the four higher pla nes of life there

f of ‘ di ferent states consciousness , the waki

i . dreaming , the sleeping and the Tur ya With these remarks the following extract f r P ras/z nofia n is/z azl will be intelligible and instru “ ‘ ow S aur a ana Gar a N y y gy asked him , Sir ,

s body , what leeps , and what remains aw Which of these luminous beings sees dreams has this rest ? In whom d o all these [manif es ’ rest in the potential umn anif ested state ? “ ‘ Gar a He answered him , O gy , as the ray setting sun are all collected in the luminous she

out a ai then again go , as he rises again and g that is collected in the luminous sheath

e v ' A fi A n s m r t l1 i c r p q q n n f lu h t h e m a n f i n e s 1 ’ 1 2 0 NATURE S FINER FORCES .

not excrete , does not go . They say that he sleeps . The fires of the Prana alone remain awakened in this a body . The Apana is the G rhapatya fire ; the Vyana

han is the right d fire . The Prana is the Ahavaniya a h G r a a a . fire , which is made by the p ty That which carries equally everywhere the oblations of food and

ri . air, is the Sama a The mind (Manas) is the sacri

ficer (V aj amana). The Udana is the fruit of the sacri fi ce . sacrificer He carries the every day to Brahma . Here this luminous being [the mind] enjoys great

. w as things in dreams Whatever seen , he sees again

a as if it were real ; whatever was heard , he he rs as if it were real ; whatever w as experienced in dif f erent ff countries , in di erent directions , he experiences — the same again and again the seen or the unseen , the heard or the unheard , thought or not thought n upon . He sees all , appearing as the self of all ma i f estations .

“ ‘ When he is overpowered by the Tej as , then this l uminous being sees no dreams in this state ; then there appears in th e body this rest [the dreamless sleep]. “ ‘ In enume this state , my dear pupil , all [that is in rated below], stays the ulterior Atma , like birds that — "F resort to a tree for habitation the Prithivi composite and the Prithivi non - composite ; the Apas composite and the Apas non - composite ; the Tej as composite and the Tej as non - composite ; the vayu composite and the

By compos ite I me an th at Tattva which h as come into exi st

a s d s ssa . T he ence fter the divi ion into five, notice in the fir t e y

- s non composite me an s a Tattva before the divi ion into five .

VI

H MI I - L L T E COS C P CT URE GA ERY.

WE are directed by 0 111 Guru in the philosophy of

T attvas the to look into vacant space toward the sky ,

z when the hori on is perfectly clear , and fix the atten tion there with the utmost possible strength . We are told that after sufli cient practice we shall see there a variety of pictures— the most beautiful landscapes , the most gorgeous palaces of the world , and men , women and children in all the varying ? aspects of life . How is such a thing possible What do we learn by this practical lesson in the science of attention ? I think I have described in the essays with sufficient explicitness the ocean of Prana with the sun for its ffi centre , and have given a hint su ciently suggestive of the nature of the macrocosmic mental and psychic atmospheres . It is of the essential nature of these atmospheres that every point therein forms a centre of action and reaction for the whole ocean . From what

e has b en said already , it will be plain that each of these atmospheres has a limit of its own . The terres

r to t ial atmosphere extends only a few miles , and the

e ext rnal boundary line of this sphere must , it will readily understood , give it the appearance of an

of . nge , j ust like that the earth The case is the

1e with the solar Prana , and the higher atmo

‘ ICI CS . To begin with the terrestrial Prana , which

of our the measured limits atmosphere , every little

of our of m earth , and the most perfect organism ,

of well as the most imperfect , makes a centre action I reaction f or the tattvic currents of terrestrial

I of na . The Prana has the capability being thrown

of o or ff 3 the shape every rganism , , to use a di erent

>ression of , the rays Prana , as they fall upon every anism are returned from that organism according to

- of . well known laws reflection These rays , as is

tin well known , carry within themselves the pictures

the obj ects upon which they may have fallen . Bear

of these within them , they go up to the limit the

” estrial Prana noted above . It will be easy to con ve that within the imaginary sphere which sur

our now nds terrestrial Prana , we have a magnified

N on ture of our central organism . ot e organism

y , but all the smallest points ; the most imperfect

of z ginnings organi ed life , as well as the most per t organisms —all are pictured in this imaginary

- tere . It is a magnificent picture gallery , all that is

or or 0 11 of n heard , touched , tasted , smelt the face ’ 1 2 4 NATURE S FINER FORCES .

these pictures are now consigned to the solar Prana , whence in due course they reach step by step to the universal intelligence itself. a Secondly , these rays re ct upon themselves , and turning from the limiting sphere , are again reflected back to the centre . It is these pictures which the attentive mind sees in its z noonday ga e into vacancy , and it is these pictures , seen in this mysterious way , which give us the finest food for our imagination and intellect , and supply us wi th a far - reaching clue to the nature and working of the laws which govern the life of the macrocosm and the microc osm . For these pictures tell us that the smallest of our actions , on whatever plane of our exist ence , actions which may be so insignificant as to pass unnoticed even by ourselves , are destined to receive ff an everlasting record , as the e ect of the past and the cause of the future . These pictures , again , tell us of

T attvas the existence of the five universal , which plav so important a part in the universe . It is these pictures which lead us to the discovery of the manifold consti tution of man and the universe , and of those powers of the mind which have not yet received recognition at the hands of the off ici al science of the day . That these truths have found place in the Upani s hads may be seen from the follow ing quota tion from ' the Isbopanisbaa (Mantra 4) “ The Atma does not move ; is one ; is swifter than the mind ; the senses reach it not ; as it is the foremost in motion . It goes beyond the others in rapid motion

’ 1 2 6 NATURE S FI NER FORCES .

Now such a thing can by no means be the atmo spheric air . It is evidently that phase of Prana which carries the pictures of all actions and all motions from every point of space to every other point , and to

a - the limits of the S rya mandala . This phase of Prana is nothing more nor less than the Recorder . It holds ff in itself for ever and ever all the causes and e ects , the antecedents and consequents of this world of ours .

It is action itself. This means that all action is a change of phase of Prana . It is said in the above quotation that this Recorder lives in the Atma . Inasmuch as the Atma exists , this power always performs its function . The Prana draws its life itself from the Atma , and we accordingly

find a similarity between the qualities of the two . It is said of the Atma in the above extract that it does not move , and yet it moves faster than the mind . These appear to be contradictory qualities at the first sight , and it is such qualities which make the ordinary

God of common - place theologians the absurd being he always looks . Let us , however, apply these quali ties to Prana , and once understood on this plane , they will be quite as clearly understood on the highest plane , the Atma . It has been said more than once that from every point of the ocean of Prana the tattvic rays fly in every direction , to every point within the

a - S rya mandala . Thus the oc ean of Prana is in

all eternal motion . For this , however , does one point

of this ocean ever change its place ? Of course not . - 1 THE COSMIC PICTURE GALLERY . 2 7

r Thus while every point keeps its place , eve y point at the same time goes and shows itself in every other point .

It is in the same simple way that the all - pervading

Atma is in eternal motion and yet always at rest .

of our Similar is the case with all the planes life , all

our our actions , all thoughts , all aspirations , receive an

Matarish a everlasting record in the books of v . I must n ow notice these pictures a little more in

of detail . The science photography tells us that under certain conditions the Visual pictures c an be caught

f an on the plane o the sensitive film . But how c we account f or the reading of letters at a distance of thirty miles or more ? Such phenomena are to me a matter f o . personal experience Very lately , while Sitting abstracted , or it may be in a kind of dream , about four ’ - o clock in the morning , I read a post card written by a friend to a friend about me , the very same night , at a ’ 1 2 8 NATURE S FINER FORCES .

i could remember), as I had seen before . I ment on

r this phenomenon in particular , as in it the va ious requisites for the production of these phenomena are clearly defined . We adduce from an analysis of this incident the following points

1 . The writer of the card meant when he was i wr ting that I should read the card , and especially the paragr aph which concerned me .

2 . I was very anxious to know the news about me which that card contained .

3 . Of the frame of mind mentioned above in which r ? my friend w ote the card , what was the result The

s picture of his thought on the card , both on the physi cal a and ment l plane , flew in every direction along the tattvic rays of the macrocosmic Prana and mind . A picture w as immediately made on the macrocosmic spheres , and from thence it bent its rays towards the

- destination of the post card . No doubt all minds in the whole earth received a shock of this current of thought at the same time . But my mind alone was sensitive to the card and the news it contained . It was , therefore , on my mind alone that any impression was made . The rays were , as it were , refracted into my mind , and the result described above followed . It follows from this illustration that in order to receive the pictorial rays of the Prana we must have t m a mind in a s ate of sy pathy, and not of antipathy ; that is to say, a mind free from all action or intense feeling for the time being is the fitting receptacle for

e an d so the pictorial repres ntations of the cosmos , for

’ 1 30 NATURE S FINER FORCES .

her mind . This sympathetic state of mind may be

re natural to a person , or it may be acquired , but as gards the term “ natural ” it may be mentioned that what we are in the habit of calling natural powers are really acquired , but they have been acquired in pre

: vions incarnations . Says Shiva “ T attvas There are some to whom become known ,

is when the mind purified by habituation , either by the acquired rapidity of other birth s or by the kind ness of the Guru .

It seems that two pieces of granite , the same to all intents and purposes externally , may have an entirely

ff tattvic di erent colour, for the colour of a thing de pends to a very great extent upon its tatt vic surround u ings . It is this occ lt colour which constitutes the real soul of things , although the reader must by this time know that the Sanskrit word Prana is more appropriate . It is no myth to say that the practised Yogi may with a single eff ort of his will bring the picture of any

’ part of the world , past or present , before his mind s eye — and not only visual pictures , as our illustration might lead the reader to think . The preservation and forma tion of visual pictures is only the work of the lumini

— T attvas ferous ether the Tejas Tattva . The other perform their functions as well . The Akasha or sono ri f erous ether preserves all the sounds that have ever been heard or are being heard on earth , and similarly do the three others preserve the records of the remain

s s ing sensation re pectively . We see , therefore , that T H P ICT R - E COSMIC U E GALLE RY .

n contem l at combini g all these pictures , a Yogi in p may have before his mind ’s eye any man at distance whatsoever and may hear his voice a

Glyndon , in Italy , seeing and hearing the couve tion of Viola and Z anoni in their distant hom e

n ot e therefore merely a dream of the poet , but a s ifi ha t c reality . The only thing necessary is to t sympathetic mind . The phenomena of mental t

ho c c graphy , psyc metry , lairvoyance , lairaudience ,

of t att ic under too all phases this v action . Once s is all a very simple affair . It may be useful in place to off er some reflections as to how these pietr

’ representations of a man s present go to shape future . I shall first attempt to Show how comp the record is . I may at the outset remind the re: of what was said above about the tattvic colou everything . It is this which gives individuality e f to a piece o stone . This pictorial whole is only the cosmic counter n f t l1 p i 11 rl i v i ri n n l p r fi n a m a v a Y n c h a n r f lu : n n i l n f 1 2 ’ 3 NATURE S FINER FORCES .

in this posture is at once made in the ecliptic . Not only is his external appearance pictured , but the hue of his life receives the fullest representation . If the n Ag i Tattva prevails in him at that moment , if there is the light of satisfaction in his face , if the look in

s his eyes is calm , collected , and plea ant , if he is so

z r much absorbed in the ga e as to forget eve ything else ,

T attvas separate or in composition will do their duty , and all the satisfaction , calmness , pleasure , attention or inattention will , to the finest possible Shade , be

in h ' represented t e sphere of the ecliptic . If he walks

u tattvic or r ns , comes down or goes up , the rays of Prana with the utmost faithfulness picture the gene rating and the generated colours in the same retentive sphere .

A man stands with a weapon in his hand , with the look of cruelty in his eyes , with the glow of inhumanity in his veins , his Victim , man or animal , helpless or struggling before him . The whole phenomenon is instantaneously recorded . There stands the murderer and the Victim in their truest possible colours , there is the solitary room or j ungle , the dirty Shed or the filthy slaughter - house ; all are there as surely and certainly as they are in the eye of the murderer or the victim himself.

Let us again change the scene . We have a liar before us . He tells a lie , and thereby injures some brother man . No sooner is the word uttered than the

Akasha sets to work with all possible activity . There we have the most faithful representation . The liar is

’ 1 34 NATURE S FINER FORCES .

accurate representation , and , as I said before , these tattvic rays are united to the time that saw them leaving their record on the plane of our pictorial

i . reg on When , in the course of ages , the same time its i throws shade again upon the earth , the pictor al

z - o rays , stored up long since , energi e man pr ducing matter , and shape it according to their own potential i energy , which now beg ns to become active . It will be readily conceded that the sun gives life to the earth — to men as well as to vegetables and minerals . Solar life takes human shape in the womb of the mother, and this is only an infusion of some one set of our pictorial rays into the sympathetic life , which already shows itself on our planet . These rays thus produce for themselves a human gross body in the womb of the

v ff mother , and then ha ing the now somewhat di erent ff and di ering maternal body , start on their terrestrial journey . As time advances , the pictorial representation

tattvic changes its postures , and with it the gross body

does the same .

In the case of the re - birth of the man we saw gaz ing

on the mountains , the calm , watchful , contented atti tude of the mind which he cultivated then has its

influence upon the organism now , once more the man enjoys the beauty of nature and so is pleased and haPPY

But now take the case of the cruel murderer . He is

by nature cruel , he still yearns to murder and destroy , and he could not be restrained from his horrible

the practices , but that the picture of ebbing life of - T H E COSMIC PICTURE GALLERY . 1 35 the Victim is now part and parcel of his constitution ; the pain , the terror, and the feeling of despair and helplessness are there in all their strengt h . Occasion ally he feels as if the blood of life were leaving his

n o very veins . There is apparent cause , and yet he suffers pain ; he is subj ect to unaccountable fits of terror , despair and helplessness . His life is miserable ; slowly but surely it wanes away .

on Let the curtain fall this scene . The incarnated n thief now comes o the stage . His friends leave him one one or by he is driven away from them . The picture of the lonely house must assert its power over him . He is doomed to a lonely house . The picture of somebody coming into the house through some 1111

of frequented part , stealing some his property , perhaps strangling him , makes its appearance with the fullest strength . The man is doomed to eternal cowardice . He draw s towards himself irresi stibly the men who will cause him the same grief and heartrending he lon g a o of g caused to others . This posture heartrending grief has its influence upon him in the ordinary way , and it creates its surroundings under the same influence .

too . Take , , the case of the adulterer As he walks

of upon the earth , he is attracted towards as many the other sex as he has guiltily loved before . He loves one , and his love might meet with a favourable response ,

ur but very soon a second , a third , and a fo th picture make their appearance , which are , as a matter of course ,

e antagonistic to the first and repel it . The pled; s of ‘ 1 36 NATUR E S FINER FORCES .

love are quite unaccountably broken , and the heart rending pain that is caused may well be imagined . All the jealousy and all the complicated quarrels of lovers might with ease be traced to causes such as these . And those who have sinned by selling their love for gold long ago will now love and will in return be looked down upon with contempt for their poverty . What can be more miserable than to be denied even the luxury of love through very poverty ? ff These illustrations are , I believe , su icient to explain the law according to which these cosmic pictures govern our future lives . Whatever other sins may be committed under the innumerable varying circum

of tattvic ff r stances life , their e ects can easily be t aced through the pictorial representations of the cosmos . It is not difli cult to understa nd that the picture of each individual organism in Prana , although ever changing with the varying postures of the obj ect , remains the same in substance . Every obj ect exists in its form of Prana until , in the course of evolution , Prana itself merges into the higher atmosphere of

Every genus and every species of living organism upon the face of the earth is pictured in Prana , and it is these pictures which on the highest plane of existence

d a correspond in my opinion to the i e s of Plato . A very interesting question arises at this point . Are these pictures of eternal existence , or do they only come into existence after formations have taken place on the

’ 1 38 NATURE S FINER FORCES .

I have also said that these pictures have their counterparts in the mental and the higher atmospheres . Now it might be said that j ust as these solar pictures recur again and again , there are times at which these mental pictures also recur . The ordinary deaths known to us are terrestrial deaths . That is to say they consist in the withdrawal of the influence of the solar pictures f r o a time from the earth . When that time has ex

ired p , the duration depending upon the colours of the picture , they throw their influence again upon the

- re . earth , and we have terrestrial birth We may die any number of terrestrial deaths , and yet our solar life may not be extinct . But men of the present Manvantara may die solar deaths under certain circumstances . Then they pass out of the influence of the sun , and are born again only in the reign of the second M ann . Men who now die solar deaths will remain in a state of bliss all

re - through the present Manvantara . Their birth may also be delayed for more than one Manvantara . All these pictures remain in the bosom of Manu during

a the M anvantaric P ral ya . In the same way men may undergo higher deaths , and pass their time in a state of even higher and more enduring bliss . The

mental coil may be broken , too , just as the gross , the

terrestrial , and the solar may be , and then the blessed soul remains in bliss and unborn until the dawn of the

second Day of Brahma . Higher still and longer is the

state which follows Brahmic death . Then the spirit is at rest for the remaining Kalpa and the M ahapralaya that follows . After this it will be easy to understand

of H indfr the meaning the doctrine , that during the

Night of Brahma , as , indeed , during all the minor

of Nights , the human soul , and , in fact , the whole the universe , is hidden in the bosom of Brahma like the tree in the seed . Vll. T H E MAN I FESTA T I O N S OF PSYCHlC

FORCE.

PSYCH IC force is the form of matter known as V 1)nana

- in active connection with the mental and life matters . In the quotation given above from the it has been said that the Devas— the macrocosmic and — microcosmic manifestations of Prana d o not reach the Atma , inasmuch as it moves faster than even the

a mind . The T ttvas of Prana move with a certain momentum . The mind has greater velocity , and

' psychic matter greater still . In the presence of the higher, the lower plane always appears to be at rest , and is always amenable to its influence . Creation is a manifestation of the psychic force on the lower planes

o f . existence The first process is , of course , the appearance of the various macrocosmic spheres with — their various centres . In eac h of these spheres the

V i fi ana — Prana , the Manas , and the j the universal tattvic rays on their own planes give birth to innu

T r ti n merable individualities . Each u on the pla e of

- Prana is a life coil (P ranamaya Kosha). The rays which give existence to each of these T rutis come from

each and all of the other Trutis , which are situated in

’ 1 42 NA T URE S FINER FORCES .

T ruti V i fiana The first function of the individual , j , is to sustain the life of the mental T ruti j ust as the macrocosmic V ij fiana sustains the life of the macro cosmic mind . And so also does the mental T ruti sustain

T ru i the life of the individual t of Prana . In this state the souls are only conscious of their subj ectivity with reference to the mind and the Prana . They know that

T rutis they sustain the lower , they know themselves ,

T rutis they know all the other psychic , they know the

tattvic whole of the macrocosm of Ishvara , the rays reflecting every point into their individual conscious ness . They are omniscient ; they are perfectly happy because they are perfectly balanced . When the P ranamaya Kosha enters the habitation fini of earth , the soul is for the first time assailed by n tude . This mea s a curtailment , or rather the creation of a new curtailed consciousness . For long ages the soul takes no note of these finite sensations , but as the impressions gain greater and greater strengt h they are deluded into a belief of identity with these finite impressions . From absolute subj ectivity conscious A ness is transferred to relative passivity . new world

H o w of appearances is created . This is their fall . these sensations and perceptions , etc . , are born , and

f . how they af ect the soul , has been already discussed How the soul is awakened out of this forgetfulness and what it does then to liberate itself will come

further on . It will be s een at this stage that the soul lives two

c lives , an active and a passive . In the active apacity T H O F 1 E MANIFESTATIONS PSYCHI C FORC E . 43 it goes on governing and sustaining the substantial life of the lower T rutis . In the passive capacity it forgets itself, and deludes itself into identity with the changes of the lower T rutis imprinted upon them by the external T attvas . The consciousness is trans

o ferred t finite phases . The whole fight of the soul upon reawakening c onsists in the attempt to do away with its passive capacity and regain its pristine purity . This fight is

o Yoga , and the powers which Y ga evokes in the mind and the Prana are nothing more than tattvic m anif es tations of the psychic force , calculated to destroy the

n on power of the external world o the soul . This c stant change of phase in the new unreal finite coils of existen c e is the upward march of the life - current from the beginnings of relative consciousness to the original absolute state . There is n o difli culty in understanding the how of these manifestations . They are there in the psychic reservoir, they simply show themselves when the lower T rutis assume the state of sympathetic polish

att ic and t v inclination . Thus the spectrum only shows itself when certain obj ects assume the polish

of and form a prism . Ordinarily the psychic force does n ot manifest itself either in the Prana or the mind in any uncommon phase . Humanity progresses as a whole , and what

of ever manifestations this force take place , they take

s in race as a whole . Finite minds are therefore slow

o z to rec gni e it . ’ 1 44 NATURE S FINER FORCES .

But all the individuals of a race have not the same strength of tattvic phase . Some show greater sym pathy w ith the psychic force in one or more of its component tattvic phases . Such organisms are called

ta mediums . In them the particular ttvic phase of psychic force with which they are in greater sympathy than the rest of their kind , makes its uncommon ff appearance . This di erence of individual sympathy is caused by a diff erence of degree in the commissions

diflerent and omissions of individuals , or by the prae tice of Yoga . This psychic force may in this way manifest itself in the shape of all the innumerable possibilities of

tattvi c . combination Therefore, so far as theory is concerned , these manifestations may cover the whole domain of tattvic manifestations in the visible and also in the invisible macrocosm , which latter, however ,

a we know not . These manifest tions may violate all our present notions of time and space , cause and

ff . z e ect , force and matter Intelligently utili ed , this force might very well perform the functions of the

vril of Ti mComing Race. The follow ing essay will trace some of these manifestations on the plane of the mind .

’ 1 6 4 NATURE S FINER FORCES .

the unhappy ones of the other , the happy ones w ith the happy, and we have in the human constitution an arrangement of principles something like the following

. th la I The gross body (S u Sharira).

2 . The unhappy Prana .

3. The unhappy Mind .

4 . The happy Prana .

5 . The happy Mind . V i fi ana 6 . The soul ( j A 7 . The spirit ( nanda). The funda mentum in the fivefold division is U adhi the p , the particular and distinct state of matter (Prakriti)in each case ; in the sevenfold division it is the nature of Karma with reference to its eff ect upon human evolution . Both the sets of these powers— the blessed and the — unhappy work upon the same plane , and although the blessed manifestations tend in the long run toward s

Of Mok sli a the state , that state is not reached until the higher powers —the Siddhis— are induced in the mind by the exercise of Yoga . Yoga is a power of the soul .

It is , therefore , necessary to say something about the soul and Yoga , before the higher powers of the mind can be intelligibly described . Yoga is the science of human culture in the highest sense of the word . I ts purpose is the purification and strengt hening of the mind . By its exercise the mind is filled with high

s a pirations , and acquires divine powers , while the unhappy tendencies die out . The second and third — YO GA THE SOUL . 1 47 principles of this essay are burnt up by the fire of

of divine knowledge , and the state what is called salvation in life is attained . By and by the fourth principle , too , becomes neutral , and the soul passes into a state of M anvantaric Moksha . Higher still

of the soul may pass , according to the strength her

too exercise . When the mind , , is at rest , as in sound

ushu ti of sleep (S p ), during life , the omniscience the — V ij fiana is reached . There is a state higher still the u of state of Ananda . Such are the res lts Yoga ; I must n ow describe the nature of the thing and the process of acquirement . S o far as the nature of Yoga is concerned I may say that mankind has reached its present state of

of development by the exercise this great power .

Nature herself is a great Yogi , and humanity has been , and is being , purified into perfection by the exercise of her sleepless will . Man need only imitate the great teacher to Shorten for his individual self the road to

H ow e f or perfection . are w to render ourselves fit that great imitation ? What are the steps on the great ladder of perfection ? These things have been discovered

’ f or of P atan ali s us by the great sages yore , and j little book is only a short and suggestive transcript of so much of our past experiences and future poten tialiti es as is recorded in the book of nature . This little book uses the word Yoga in a double significa tion . The first is a state of the mind otherwise called Samadhi ; the second is a set of acts and Observances which induce that state in the mind . The definition ’ 1 48 NATURE S FINER FORCES .

one l given by the sage is a negative , and is on y applicable on the plane of the mind . The source of the positive power lies in the higher principle , the soul .

Yoga , it is said , is the keeping in check of the (five) manifestations of the mind . In the very wording of the definition is involved the supposition of the exist ence of a power which can control and keep in check the mental manifestations . This power is otherwise familiar to us as freedom of the will . Although by the manifestations of egoism (A smita)on the mental plane the soul is deluded into regarding herself as a slave of the second and third principles , the fact is not such , and as soon as the chord of egoism is slackened to a certain extent , the awakening takes place . This is the first step in the initiation by nature herself of the race

n of ma . It is a matter of necessity . The working side by side with each other of the second and third , and the fourth and fifth principles , weakens the hold of i “ A sm ta . natural mental upon the soul I am these , ”

a . or of these mental manifest tions , says egoism Such a state of things cannot , however, last long . These manifestations are double in their nature ; the one is f just the reverse O the other . Which of them is one with the Ego— the unhappy or the blessed ? No sooner is this question asked than the awakening takes place . It is impossible to answer any of these questions in the

ffi m r a r ative , and the soul naturally ends in discove ing that she is a separate thing from the mind , that though she has been the slave , she mi ght be (what she natur

o ally is) the Lord of the mind . Up t this time the

’ 1 5 0 NATURE S FINER FORCES .

stage . If I am these manifestations , which of them am I ? I think I am none of them . What am I then ? What are these ? ” The second question is solved in

m ra fia a ta . B e the S p j Samadhi , the first in the other fore entering further into the nature Of Samadhi a word about habituation and apathy . These two are mentioned by P atanj ali as the two means of checking mental manifestations , and it is very important to understand them thoroughly . The manifestation of apathy is the reflection in the mind of the c olour of the soul when she becomes aw are of her free nature and is disgusted consequently at the sway of the passions . It is a necessary consequence of the awaken ing . Habituation is the repetition of the state so as to confirm it in the mind . The confirmation of the mind in this state means a state Of ordinary mental inactivity . By this I mean that the five ordinary manifestations are for the time being at rest . This being so , the mind is for the time left free to receive any influences . Here for the first time we see the influence of the soul in the shape of

r ? curiosity (V ita k a). What is this ? What is that How is this ? How is that ? This is the form in which curiosity shows itself in the mind . C uriosity is a desire to know , and a question is an expression of such a desire . But how does man become familiar with questions ? The mental shape of curiosity and question will be easily understood by payin g a little attention to the remarks I have made on the genesis of desire . The process of the birth of philosophical — YOGA THE SOUL . 1 5 1

of f curiosity is similar to that the birth o desire . In the latter the impulse comes from the external world through Prana ; in the former directly from the soul . The place of pleasure in this is supplied by the reflec tion into the mind of the knowledge of the soul that Self and independence are better than the bondage of

- ou . o c N Self. The strength Of the phil sophi al curiosity

of depends upon the strength this reflection , and as this reflection is rather faint in the beginning (as in the present state of the spiritual development Of

of humanity it generally is), the hold philosophical curiosity upon the mind bears almost 110 comparison in strength with the hold Of desire . Philosophical curiosity is then the first step of mental ascent towards Yoga . We place before our mind to begin with every possible manifestation of

to of nature , and try fit in every possible phase it with

e . see very related manifestation This is , as we shall

. is to hereafter , Dharana It , in plain language , apply ourselves to the investigation Of all the branches of

natural science one by on e .

This is the natural result of curiosity . By this attempt to discover the relations already existing or

or possible , actual potential , among the phenomena Of

s nature , another power is induced in the mind . Thi

P atan ali V ichara . power j calls , meditation The radi cal idea of the word is to go among the various rela tions of the portions that make up the whole subject

on Of our contemplation . It is only a deeper hold the

of mind the philosophical curiosity noticed above . ’ 1 5 2 NATU R E S FINER FORCES .

The third state of this Samadhi is what is called

Ananda , happiness or bliss . As long as there is

s t curio ity or medi ation , the mind is only assuming the consistency of the soul . This means to say that the vibrations Of the soul are as yet only making way into

not . the mind , they have yet succeeded entirely When , however , the third stage is arrived at , the mind is suffi ciently polished to receive the full and clear image of the sixth coil . This image presents itself to the

mind as bliss . Every man who has devoted himself

has to the study of nature been , for however short a difli ult i . c time , n that coveted state It is very to make

it intelligible by description , but I am sure that the

maj ority of my readers are not strangers to it . But whence does this bliss come ? What is it ? I

have called it a reflection of the soul . But first of ? all , what is the soul From what I have been writing

up to this time , my readers will no doubt surmise that I understand the soul to be only a picture of the gross

body, the Prana , and the mind , so far only, however, i as ts constitution is concern ed . I have mentioned that in the macrocosm the sun

is the centre , and the Prana is the atmosphere of the

second principle , and that the ecliptic marks the shape

of this principle . I have also mentioned that the individual human principle is only a picture of this

macrocosmic whole . I have mentioned again that in the macrocosm Virat is the centre and Manu the

atmosphere of the second principle . This atmosphere

Of u T attvas is made the five niversal , j ust like Prana ,

’ 1 5 4 NATURE S FINER FORCES .

five ways I have described in the essay on mind .

Under the Brahma , however , the mental macrocosm

(Mann) attains the higher powers under discussion .

a This double influence ch nges , after a time , the nature of Manu himself. The universe has , as it were , a new mind after every Manvantara . This change is

z always for the better . The mind is ever spirituali ing .

The later the M ann the more spiritual . A time will come when the present macrocosmic mind will be entirely absorbed in the soul . The same is the case with the microcosm of man . Thus Brahma is by nature omniscient . He is conscious of a self. The types of everything that was or is to be in process of time are but so many varying compositions of his

T attvas . Every phase of the universe , with its ante cedents and consequents , is in him . It is himself, his

- own self consciousness . One mind is absorbed in him in the space of fourteen Manvantaras . The motion of the mental T attvas is so much accelerated that they become spiritual . By the time that this takes place in the universe the vibrations of the T attvas of

Prana are being accelerated , too , under the influence of Manu until the Prana itself is turned into the M ann e . of the next p riod And , again , while this is being done , the gross matter is similarly developing itself into Prana .

This is the process of involution , but for the present let us leave it here and resume the subj ect in hand . The human soul is an exact picture of this macro s It i i t co mic principle . is omn sc ient like ts pro otype , — YOGA T H E S OUL . 1 5 5

1nd has the same constitution . But the omniscience )f the human soul is still latent on account of her for

f i get ulness . The sixth pr nciple (absolute) has only

i ev elo ed p a little . Humanity in general has only a

v of of ery dim notion infinity , Godhead , and of all such subjects . This means that the rays of the in finite at this stage of our progress are only j ust e o r voking u sixth principle into active life . When in process of time the rays of the infinite gather sufli cient strength our soul will come out in her true light . We might accelerate this process by V airagya

(apathy), which , as has been seen , gives strength to

Yoga . The means of strengthening Yoga deserve separate consideration . Some of them help to remove those influences and forces which are antagonistic to pro gress , others , such as the contemplation of the divine

of principle , accelerate the process the development of

of the human soul , and the consequent absorption the

set mind in the soul . At present I have simply to forth the nature of the blissful Samadhi , which I spoke of as being caused by the reflection Of the soul

in the mind . f um e « a flo n f i n n c i m h lv m p q n q a s s m p o b V t h e. u ti n the ’ 1 5 6 NATURE S FINER FORCES .

u z ela tion English lang age recogni es by the name of , and this is the meaning of the word Ananda as quali fying the third state of the S ampraj fiata Samadhi . The Anandamaya Kosha takes its name from its being the state of the highest elation . Every moment of Ananda is a step towards the absorption of the

a mind , and by const nt scientific meditation the mind as it were changes its nature , passing for ever into a higher state of consistency . That state which in Ananda only appeared in the moment of triumph now nfi becomes part and parcel of the mind . This co rma tion of the higher energy is known by the name of

A smita , which may be translated (as it generally is)

e oism by the word g , but must be understood as the identification of the consciousness with self. The object in view in this essay is to mark the stages along the road of mental matter to its final absorption in the soul . In the last sentences I brought a the mind to the state of S ampraj fi ta Samadhi . It is in this state that the mind acquires the power of dis covering new truths , and seeing new combinations of

ai things existent . As this state has been att ned in

man has the long cycles of bygone ages , acquired a knowledge of science to its present stage of develop ment , and the attainment of this quantum of know ledge has been the means (in the manner traced) whereby our minds have been raised to our present

Of e n pitch p rfection , when we have lear ed to say that these great powers are native to the human mind . As

e s to I hav shown , the e powers have become native

U ’ 1 5 8 NAT RE S FINER FORCES . will no longer be deluded into false pleasure by the manifestations of Avidya . When this upward ineli nation becomes confirmed , when this habit of soaring towards the divine becomes second nature , the name of P aravairagya is given to the complementary mental state .

This state is reached in many ways , and the road is marked by many clearly defined sta ges f One way is

m ra fi ata the practice of S a p j Samadhi . By the con

a st nt practice of thi s Samadhi , to which the mind runs of itself when once it tastes the bliss of the a fourth st ge of that state , the mind is habituated to a

ffi state of faith in the e cacy of the pursuit . This faith is nothing more than a state of mental lucidity in which the yet unknown truths of nature begin to throw their shadows forward . The mind begins , as it

eel r were , to f truth in any and eve y place , and , drawn i by the taste of bliss (Ananda), proceeds w th greater

z its and greater eal to work out the process of evolution .

P atan ali This faith , I may remark , has been called by j

z Of Shraddha , and the consequent eal which I have

V ir a . spoken , he names y

m z Confir ed in this eal and working on , the mani ‘ f estation of memory comes in naturally . This is a state of high evolution . Every truth comes to be ’ present before the mind s eye at the slightest thought , and the four stages of Samadhi make their appearance again and again till the mind becomes very nearly a

mi rror of Nature .

a s s I m ay refer the re ader to my an ly i of memory. — YOGA THE SOUL . 1 5 9

s of P arav aira a This corresponds to the tate gy , which would in the seco nd place be also attained by the con

i n f o f t emplat o o the high prot type o the soul . This is

I of P atan ali the macrocosmic soul , the shvara j , which ’ f or remains ever in that entity s soul of pristine purity . It is this Ishvara of which I have spoken as the self conscious universe . I This shvara , as I conceive it , is only a macrocosmic

to centre , similar in nature , though higher in function

sun . than , the As the sun with his ocean of Prana is the prototype — — of our life - principle P ranam aya Kosha so Ishvara is the great prototype of our souls . What is the sixth principle if not a phase Of the existence Of this great being prolonged as a separate phase into the lower

ow n principles , yet destined again to merge into its true self ? Just as I have Shown that the principles of

our to life live in the sun after terrestrial death , recur

so again and again into actual life , in a similar way does the soul live in the Ishvara . We may if we please look upon this entity as being the group of all

s the liberated soul , but we must at the same time remember that the unliberated souls t oo are his un

in developed reflections , destined the long run to

r attain their original state . It is therefore necessa y to assume the independent existence of Ishvara , and , in

Ishvara , of other souls .

of This macrocosmic psychic centre , this ideal the

of sixth principle in man , is the great reservoir every actual force in the universe . This is the true type of ’ 1 60 NATURE S FINER FORCES .

the perfection of the human soul . The incidents of

and h s ical mental , p y existence which , however perfect in themselves , are mere imperfections , find no place in this centre . In this state there is no misery (the five comprehensive miseries of P atanj ali are en a me rated above), for misery can arise only in the retro

of grade process the first awakening of the mind , being only caused by sensation , and the inability of the human sixth principle to draw the mind towards itself and out of the domain of the senses , to make it , so to say, what its prototype originally is , the rod of dominion , and not as sensation has made it , the instrument of slavery . By this contemplation of the sixth principle of the universe , a sympathy is naturally established between it and the human soul . That sympathy is only necessary for the universal tattvic law to work with greater eff ect . The human soul begins to be cleansed ff of the dust of the world , and in its turn a ects the i mind in a similar way , and therein the Yog becomes conscious of this influence by the slackening of the i fetters forged by Prakr ti , and a daily , hourly streng

thening of heavenward aspirations . The human soul then begins to become a centre of

power for its own little universe , j ust as Ishvara is the

o centre of power in his universe . The micr cosm then

becomes a perfect little picture of the macroc osm .

a When perfection is att ined , all the mental and physio

a T attvas logic l of the microcosm , and to a certain

of extent the surrounding world , become the slaves

’ E1 1 62 NATURE S NER FORCES .

f j oy at the com ort of another is a high virtue . Why , what harm is there in jealousy ? I think that no other science except the philosophy of the T attvas explains with any amount of satisfaction the reason of such questions .

We have seen that in a state of enjoyment , comfort , i pleasure , satisfaction , and the like , the Prithiv or the

Apas Tattva prevails in the Prana and the mind . It is evident that if we put our minds in the same , we induce either of the two T attvas into our life and ? mental principles . What will be the result A pro cess of purification will set in . Both the principles will begin to be cleansed of any trace of defect which the excess of any of the remaining T attvas may have given to our constitution . All those physiological or mental causes which in duce inattention in the mind are removed . Bodily distempers take their leave , for they are the result of the disturbance of the balance of the physiological

T attvas , and comfort , pleasure , and enj oyment are foreign to these . The one induces the other . As the balance of the T attvas brings comfort and enjoyment of life , so the sense of comfort and enj oyment which colours our Prana and mind when we put ourselves in sympathy with the comfortable , restores the balance of our T attvas .

T attvas And when the balance of the is restored ,

a ? z what rem ins Disinclination to work , doubt , la iness and other feelings of that kind can no longer stand , and the only result is the restoration of the mind to per asa feet calmness . As says V y in his commentary , the

White Law makes its appearance in the mind . Such and in a similar way is the result of the manifestations

f r . o Of the other qualities But , such a result to be achieved , there must be long and powerful application .

The next method is Pranayama , deep expiration and inspiration . This too conduces to the same end and in the same way . The breathing Of deep breaths in and out has to some extent the same eff ect as run

ro ning and other hard exercise . The heat that is p d uced out of burns certain elements disease , which it is desirable should be burnt . But the practice in its effects differs f or the better from hard exercise . In

ushumna hard exercise the S begins to play , and that

f or . is not good physiological health Pranayama , however, if properly performed , is beneficial from a physiological as well as from a mental point Of view . The first eff ect that is produced in Pranayama is the

of n general prevalence the Prithivi Tattva . It is u ’ 1 64 NATURE S FINER FORCES .

The next is th e attainment of the twofold lucidity — the sensuous and the cardiac . The sensuous l uci dity is the power of the senses to perceive the changes of Prana . The previously trained attention , accord ing to Special aptitudes , is centred on any one or more of the five senses . If centred in the eyes , one can see the physiological and atmospheric colours of

fli rm can a . Prana . I this by personal experience I

an can see the various colours of the seasons . I c see rain coming an hour, two hours , and sometimes even two days before an actual shower . Bright sheets of the green washed into coolness and purity by the white — make their appearance anywhere about me in the

o r om , in the heavens , on the table before me , on the wall in front . When this happens , I am sure that rain is in the air , and to come down shortly. If the green is streaked with red , it takes some time to come, but it is surely preparing .

These remarks are enough for colour . The power can be made to Show itself by a sustained attempt to look into space, or anything else , as the moon , a star,

T he remainin a j ewel and so on . g four senses too o attain similar powers , and sounds , smells , tastes , and touches which ordinary humanity cannot perceive i begin to be perceived by the Yog . The cardiac lucidity is the power of the mind to feel and also that of the senses to perceive thoughts .

In a previous essay (p . 43) I have given a chart of the

a he d , specifying the places and giving the colours of the various kinds of mental manif estaf ions . These

’ 1 66 NATURE S FINER FORCES . of receiving the impressions of the four remaining se nsations . This faculty is acquired after the ex

and posa re of ages . Cycles upon cycles pass on , the mind is not yet ca pable of receiving these tattvic

z vibrations . The wave of life begins its organi ed j ourney upon earth with vegetable forms . From that time external tattvic currents begi n to aflect the y ege table organism , and this is the beginning of what we call sensation . The modifica tions of the external T attvas through the individualiz ed vegetable life strike the chords of the latent mind , but it will not yet respond . It is not in sympathy . Higher and higher through vegetable forms the life - wave travels ; greater and greater is the force with which it strikes the mental chords , and better and better is the capability of that principle to respond to the tattvic calls of life . When we reach the animal kingdom the external tattv ic foci are j ust visible . These are the sensuous organs , each of which has the capability of focussing i i n itself ts own peculiar tattvic rays . In the lowest forms of animal life they are j ust visible , and this is a si gn that the mental principle is then in a compara tively high state of perfection ; it has somewhat begun

re to respond to the external tattvic call . It may be marked here that this is the superposed relative mind ,

T rut i o and not the absolute original mental , of b th of which I have spoken in a former essay . It is the uprising of this evolutionary finite structure on all planes of life that has led a German philosopher to f the conclu s ion that God is becoming . This is O course a now sume . Longer and longer is the expo this animal life to the external T attvas ; and greater every day is the strength of these various foci ; higher and higher is the forma these foci ; stronger and stronger is the exter

1 u m pon the mind , and ore and more perfect rental response . A time comes in the progress evolution when the fiv e mental senses are

y developed , as is marked by the development

3xtern al senses . The action Of the five mental w e of call the phenomenon perception . On tnif estation of this perception is raised the fabric of those mental manifestations which

to on tried discuss in the essay mind . The which this evolution takes place is sketched

0 0 .

external T attvas of gross matter create gross

to a gross body w hence send their currents . ’ 1 ErN R 68 NATURE S E FORCES . psychic currents are located in what is called the ’ a — V ij ri namaya Kosha the psychic coil . At the time of the beginning of human life , the psychic foci are in that same state of perfection as are the animal — - foci the senses , at the time when the life wave begins its journey in the animal species . These psychic foci go on gaining strength , race after race , till we reach the point which I have called the awakening of the soul . That process ends in the confirmation of the

ar a state of P avair gya . From this state there are only a few steps to the power of what has been called ulterior or psychic perception . Our former perception we may now call animal perception . And j ust as on the basis of animal perception has been raised the mighty fabric of inference and verbal authority, so also may be raised (as indeed it has been by ancient Aryan sages) a more mighty fabric of inference and verbal authority on the

basis of psychic perception . We shall come to that by

and by . In the meantime , let us resume our subj ect from the po int at which we left it As practice confirms in the Yogi s mind the state of

P aravaira a . gy , it attains the most perfect calm It is

tattvic open to all sorts of influences , but without any

conse sensuous disturbance . The next power that

quently shows itself is called S amapatti . I Shall translate this word by the term and define it as that mental state in which it becomes possible to receive the reflection of the subjective and the objective worlds ; it is the means of knowledge at the slightest

motion in whatever manner impa rted .

’ 1 70 NATURE S FINER FORCES .

t or Tlze Tempes . Do you think those beautiful words will carry to him all they are intended to convey ? But why an uneducated peasant ? Did the great Johnson himself understand the beauties of Milton ? Take again a common schoolboy, and read to him in his ow n language the truths of philosophy . Does that language , even if you give him its dictionary mean

? U ani ing , convey any idea to his mind Take the p

can shads , and read them to any pandit who under stand Sanskrit grammatically and lexicographically — I — tolerably well . Does anyone doubt do not that he does not understand all that those noble words ? convey With such a mind , let him compare the mind of a really educated man , a mind which almost intuitively, as it were , takes in the true sense of words , which is not an easy task even for the highly edu cated - , for prej udice , deep seated antagonistic theories , ’ t Of the streng h one s own convictions , and perhaps

ia some other characteristics of the mind , prove an surmountable Obstacle . This comparison will Show that intuition is something more than a mere sharpen ing of the intellect . It is rather the light that is at the back of everything shining into and through the intellect which has been purged from all opaque

- obstacles , the densest of which is a deeply rooted and an tagonistic scepticism . Even a John Stuart Mill could not properly understand the philosophy of Sir

William Hamilton . One of the greatest Oriental ’ scholars says that P atanj ali s system is no philosophy at all ! A nother has expressed himself to the effect — YOGA THE SOUL . 1 7 1

’ that P atanj ali s A p/zor isms on Yoga are mere f anati cism ! There are many Tantras of which , though we might translate them verbally into another language , very few of us really know the meaning . This is a

to Very grave shortcoming, and sometimes much be

regretted . It disappears only with the manifestation

is ea of verbal intuition . In this state the Yogi at once ra orf pp with the author Of the book , and this is because

d c his mind is free from every blin ing prejudi e , and is ,

to in fact , a pure , bright , colourless crystal , ready show any phase of colour that may come in contact with it .

The next stage of intuition is the wordless . In this you no longer stand in need of books to initiate your self into the secrets of nature . Your mind becomes capable of deriving these truths from their fountain — head the true pictures of everything in every state of the Objective world which are represented through the — agency of Prana in the universal mind pictures which

sou ls of ow n are the these things , their true selves and

w y pregnant ith ever state into which they have passed , — or have to pass the realities of the various and vary — ing phases of the phenomenal world the characteristic qualities of things . These states have f or their Obj ect the gross pheno menal world . The next tw o stages of intuition have ' — f or their obj ect the w orld of forces the world of subtle bodies which lies at the root of the changes Of the gross world . The meditative intuition has f or its Obj ect only the present manifestation of the currents of the subtle body— the forces which are already showing ’ 1 72 NATURE S FINER FORCES .

or going to show themselves . In this state , for ex ample , the Yogi knows intuitively the present forces of the atmospheric Prana as they are gathering strength enough to give us a shower of rain or hail ,

has snow or hoarfrost , but he does not know what given them their present activity , or whether the potential will ever become the actual , and if so , to what extent . He knows the forces that are work ing at the present moment in that tree , that horse , that man ; he knows the powers that keep these things in the state they are in , but he does not know the antecedents and consequents of that state . The next has for its object all the three states of subtle bodies . The present state is of course known , but with it the Yogi combines the whole history of the

Obj ect from beginning to end . Place before him that rose , and he knows its subtle principle in all its states , antecedent and consequent . He is familiar with the w little beginnings of the tree , and its gro th in various states ; he knows how the budding began , he knows how the bud opened and how it grew into that beau

. its tiful flower He knows what will be end , how it w ill perish , and when . He knows at what time

m z again the sa e flower will energi e gross matter . Put before him a closed letter and he knows not only what

e a can that lett r cont ins , but trace the thoughts to the brain whence they proceeded , to the hand which traced the lines , to the room in which they were written , and

s o . on It is in this state too that mind knows mind , witho ut the medium of words .

1 ’ 74 NATURE S FINER FORCES .

Animal perception draws the mind towards gross matter , the world that has given it birth . So does psychic perception draw the mind towards the soul .

The practice of objective Samadhi destroys itself. The mind takes in so much of the higher energy of the soul that it loses its mental consistency . Down goes the entire structure of unreal names and forms .

no w The soul lives in herself, and not as in the mind .

With this the greater part of my work is done . It is now clear that what we call man lives chiefly in the mind . The mind has two entities to aff ect it .

- The one is the life principle , the other the psychic principle— the one producing certain changes in the mind from below , the other from above . These changes have been recorded , and it has been found that the dominion of the soul is more desirable than

- the that of the life principle . When mind loses itself entirely in the soul , man becomes God . The Object of these essays has been roughly to por tray the nature , function , and mutual relation of the

' to trace ilze o eralzon o the principles , in other words , f f

o xist nce u niversal fol/vie law on a ll l/ze pla nes f e e .

This has been briefly done . A good deal more remains to be said about the powers latent in the

Prana and the mind , which Show themselves in special

m an . departments of the progre ss of That need not , however , be entered on at present , and therefore with some description of the first and last principle of the — — cosmos the spirit I close thi s series . lX .

TH E SPI RIT .

An and ama a of THIS is the y Kosha , literally the coil

f an in bliss o the V ed t s . With the power of psychic

o f perception , the soul knows the existence this entity , but in the pre sent stage of human development it has hardly made its presence directly felt in the human ff constitution . The characteristic di erence between the soul and the spirit is the absence in the latter Of “ I ” the .

It is n ow the dawn of the day of evolution . It is — the first setting in of the positive current of the great

of breath . It is the first state cosmic activity after the

of M aha r la A a a . S night p y we have seen , the breath in every state Of exi stence has three diff erentiations

h mna us u . the positive , the negative , and the S The S ushumna is pregnant with either of the two remain ing states . This is the state which is described in the ’ P arameshthi Sukta of the R zg Vooa as neither Sat

n or (positive) Asat (negative). This is the primary

of P arabrahman state , in which the whole universe lies hidden like a tree in the seed . As billows rise

Of and lose themselves in an ocean , the two states

s evolution and involution take their rise in thi state , ’ 1 76 NATURE S FINER FORCES .

and are in due time lost in the same . What is Prakriti itself in this state of potential omnipotence ? The phenomena of Prakriti owe their origin and existence to the modifications of the great breath . When that

b S ushumna can great reath is in the state of , we not say that Prakriti itself is held in that state by S ushumna?

P abrahman It is in fact ar that is all in all . Prakriti is w only the shadow of that substance , and like a shado it follows the modifications of the breath . The first m odification of the great breath is the setting in of the evolutionary (positive)current . In this state Prakriti modifies itself into the ethers of the first degree , which make up the atmosphere from which Ishvara draws

P arabrahman life . The subj ect ( ), whose breath causes these prakritic modifications , is in this first state of

as - evolution known the Sat , the fountain head of all I existence . The is latent in this state and naturally h ff i enoug , because it is di erentiat on which gives birth I ? to the . But what is this state Must man be anni hilated before he reaches this state of what , from the

P arini an ? standpoint of man , is called Nirvana or rv a There is no reason to suppose that it is the state of annihilation any more than is the condition of latent heat in water . The simple fact is that the colour ’ which constitutes the ego becomes latent in the spirit s

a s higher form of energy . It is a st te of con ciousness

abo ve or knowledge self, certainly not destroying that self. The individual spi rit bears the same relation to the

the a the Sat which individual soul be rs to the Ishvara ,

’ 1 78 NATURE S FINER FORCES .

To return , however, to the dialogue between the father and the son . It is contained in the sixth ‘ ’ P rapathak a of the Clz/za naogya “ ‘ In the beginning, my dear , there was that only

7 6 av . which is ( ) one only, without a second Others say in the beginning there was that only which is

7 6 i av not ( p ) ) one only, without a second , and from that which is not , that which is was

This is the translation of Professor Max Muller .

Notwithstanding the authority of his great name , and real scholarship , I venture to think that the sense of the Upanishad is totally lost sight of in the translation . The words of the original are : ’ ’ ‘ a a m eaa a ci z S a eo sau y m gre s l . I cannot find any word in the translation giving the ' ’ z aa m r [ dam sense of the word in the o iginal . means “ ” this , and it has been explained as meaning the phenomenal world ; this that is perceived , etc . The real translation of the text would therefore be

This [world] was Sat alone in the beginning .

Perhaps in the translation of Professor Max Muller, “ ” “ ” the word there is printed by mistake for this . If this is the case the defect in the translation is at once remedied . The text means that the first state of the world ff before di erentiation was the state know n as Sat .

From what comes afterwards , it appears that this is the state of the universe in which all its phenomena

— ar n oss material , mental , and psychic e held i p e. The “ “ ” coo ” word , for which the word alone , or only , stands THE SPIRIT . 1 79

of in the translation , signifies that at the beginning the

of n ot or day evolution the universe had all five , even tw o or i of of lo el/z n ore the five planes existence g er .

Now it has , but in the beginning the Sat alone existed .

The Sat is one only , without a second . In these two

no of epithets there is qualification time . The Sat is one not alone , and has , like Prana , Virat , and Ishvara , (all three existing Simultaneously) a Shadowy side of existence . The next sentence goes on to say that in the begin ning there was Asat alone . As Professor Max Muller “ : ” renders it There was that only which is not .

ow N this carries no meaning , notwithstanding the

' 7 6 6v Greek accompaniment ( m) ). That the word Asat “ ” is used in the sense of that which is not or briefly “ ” no . n ot nothing , there is doubt But that such is

Of the meaning the Upanishad there is also no doubt . The words are used here in the same sense in which “ ” they are used in the Nosad asit Hymn of the R i g ’

Vooa .

“ nor Then there was neither the Sat the Asat . This is of course a state quite other than the Sat of the

n ushumna Upa ishad . It is nothing more than the S of the B ralrrrric breath . After this in the beginning of evolution the Brahman became Sat . This is the positive evolutionary potential phase . The Asat is nothing more than the cooler negative life current , which rules during the night of Mahapralaya . When the shadowy Prakriti has undergone the preparatory ’ 1 80 NATURE S FINER FORCES .

influence of the negative current , the day of evolution sets in with the beginning of the positive current . The dispute as to beginning is merely of a technica l nature . In reality there is no beginning . It is all a motion in a circle , and from this point of view we may put whatever state we like in the beginning . u But , arg es the Asat philosopher, unless the Maya undergo the preparatory influence of the Night , there can be no creation . Hence , according to him , we must put the Asat in the beginning . a To this the sage Udd lak a would not consent . According to him the active impressive force is in the

o as - Sat , the p sitive state , j ust all the life forms take their origin from Prana (the positive life - matter)and not from Kayi (the negative life It is only impressibility that exists in the Asat , the real names and forms of the phenomenal universe do not there exist . In fact the name Sat has been given to the primary state of the evolving universe for this very reason . If we would translate these two words into English we would have to coin two very unique com pounds : — - - - Sat that in which is . — - - - - Asat that in which is not . It is only such a rendering that would carry the tr ue all v a idea , and hence it is after ad isable to ret in the

Sanskrit words and explain them as one best may . That aclzca lly existi ng state in which the names and

s the forms exi t not , cannot very properly stand as cause

lm nis/m S ee the P ras opa d.

T H E SCI EN CE OF BREAT H .

’ 1 86 NATUR E S FINER FORCES .

of Parvati) as Brahma Vidya , the Divine Science or

T heoso hia . p There the goddess appears as a teacher ,

T h oso ia e and S he may well personify e ph . This xpla nation , however, will hardly hold good here . Here Shiva and Parvati seem to be the positive and nega b tive principles . They are est acquainted with their own working . The god , the positive principle , ex plaining to the Shakti , the negative principle , the various modes in which the finer forces of nature imprint themselves upon the grosser planes , may be the symbol of the eternal impression of all thoughts and living organisms into the Shakti - the passive

K — b e matter, ayi y Shiva the active principl ] Said the goddes s :

1 . o kind t o Lord Mahadeva , god of g ds , be me , and tell me the wisdom that comprehends everything . ? 2 . How did the universe come forth How does it ? ? 0 continue How does it disappear Tell me , lord , the philosophy of the universe . Said the god ‘ 3. The universe came out of Tattva [or the Tatt vas] ; it goes on by the instrumentality of the Tattvas ; it disappears into the T attvas ; by the T attvas is known the nature of the universe . [The universe comprehends all the manifestations with which we are familiar, either on the physical ,

ta . the men l , or the psychic plane All of them have

In the origin al the singu l ar numbe r is often u sed to denote — the common quality of the five T at tvas th at by which e ach is known as such . THE SCIENCE OF BREATH . 1 87

come out of the T attvas . The T attvas are the forces

of which lie at the root all these manifes tations .

Creation , preservation , and destruction , or, more strictly speaking , appearance , sustenance , and dis

of appearance the phenomena we are acquainted with , are tattvic changes of state ] Said the goddess

of T attvas 4 . The knowers the have ascertained the

T attvas od to be the highest root ; what , O g , is the nature of the T attvas ? Throw light upon the T attvas . Said the god

nrnanif ested 5 . U , formless , the one giver of light , is the Great Power ; from that appeared the sonorifer ous ether (Akasha); from that had birth the tangif erous ether . [This Great Power is the P arabrahman of the

edantins V , the first change Of state which stands at the crown of evolution . This is the first positive

of . phase life . All the Upanishads concur in this In the beginning all this was Sat (the positive phase of

Brahma). From this state come out by degrees the five ethers

‘ — s M a a h T attva or h b rrtas as they are also called . ” on From him came the Akasha and so , says the n Upanishad . This state of P arabrahma is called in “ ” n r n the text u na if ested . Manifestation for us only “ ” begins with the Ego , the sixth principle of our — c onstitution all beyond that is naturally numani f ested . “ Formless ” — this epithet is given because forms ’ 1 88 NATURE S FINER FORCES . only show themselves when the T attvas and the two t — states of mat er the positive and the negative , the — active and the passive come into existence .

a As yet there is only one universal st te of matter . “ ” Hence is also given to that state the epithet one . “ ” He is also called the giver of light . This light is the real life. It is this state which changes into the five ethers , which form the atmosphere of the sixth principle of the universe ]

tan iferous 6 . From the g ether , the luminiferous

ustiferous ether , and from this the g ether ; thence was the birth of the odoriferous ether . These are the five

- ethers and they have five fold extension .

7 . From these the universe came forth ; by these it continues ; into these it disappears ; among these also it Shows itself again .

T attvas 8. The body is made of the five ; the five

T attvas 0 , fair one , exist therein in the subtle form ; they are known by the learned who devote themselves to the T attvas . [The body— human as well as every other— is made of the five T attvas in their gross form . In this gross body play the five T attvas in their subtle form . They govern it physiologically , mentally , psychically and

s spiritually . The e are therefore the four subtle forms of the T attvas ]

e 9. On this account shall I speak of the ris of breath in the bod y ; by knowing the nature of inspi ration and expiration comes into being the knowledge of the three times .

’ 1 90 NATURE S FINER FORCES .

1 5 . In the Svara are the Vedas and the Shastras ; in the Svara the highest Gandharva ; in the Svara are all the three worlds ; the Svara is the reflection of P arabrahman . “ ” h In . as [ the Svara are the Vedas , etc Svara , as “ ” - been seen , is the current of the life wave . It is the ” “ a n same as the intelligence of the V ed nti s . The

z assertion in this stan a may have two meanings . It may mean that the things described in the Vedas are in the Svara , or it may mean that the description itself is there . It may mean that both are there . This is of course an absolute fact . There is nothing in the manifested universe which has not received existence from the Great Breath , which is the Prana of the universe on the highest plane of life . ]

1 6 . Without a knowledge of the breath [Svara] the astrologer is a house without its lord , a speaker with out learning , a trunk without a head .

1 7 . Whoever knows the analysis of the Nadis , the

T attvas u ushumna Prana , the , and the conj nctive S , gains salvation .

1 8. It is always auspicious in the seen or the unseen universe , when the power of breath is mastered ; they say , O fair one , that the knowledge of the science of breath is also somewhat auspicious . [This stanz a points to the diff erence between prae

c . tical and theoretical o cultism The practice is , of course , highly auspicious , but the theory , too , puts “ us in the right track , and is , therefore , somewhat 1 THE SCIENCE OF BREATH . 91

of 1 9. The parts and the first accumulations the uni

r verse were uade by the Svara , and the Svara is visible as the Great Power, the creator and the destroyer . [F or sonre reflections on this subject the reader is referred to the essay on Evolution]

2 0 . A knowledge more secret than the science of

w nrore of breath , ealth useful than the science breath ,

of a friend more true than the science breath , has f never been seen or heard o .

1 of 2 . An enemy is killed by the power the breath , friends also are brought together ; wealth is Obtained

of through the power the breath , and comfort and reputation also .

of one or 2 2 . By the power breath gets a female child meets a king ; by the power Of breath are gods propi ’ tiated , and by the breath is a kin g placed in a person s power .

o onrotion 2 3 . L c is caused by the power of breath ;

too of food , , is taken by the power breath ; urine and a f eces are also discharged by the power Of breath . b 2 . e 4 All the Shastras and Puranas and the rest , ginning with the Vedas and the Upanishads , contain no principle beyond the knowledge of Svara [the breath] .

2 5 . All are names and forms . Among all these people wander mistaken . They are fools steeped in ignorance unless the T attvas are known . [Every phenomenon is nothing more than a phase

ta i of ttv c motion . All the phenomena of the universe are names and ’ 1 92 NATURE S FINER FORCES .

forms . All these names and forms live in the Svara

Parabrahman T attvas of , or rather in the subtler , but there nothing is distinguishable . They are only dis tinguished as such when they are imprinted upon the grosser planes . The impression takes place by the

Ra i - instrumentality of y , the cooler state of life matter ,

Of which is only the shade Prana , the original state .

Hence the names and forms are all unreal . ]

2 6 . This science Of the rise of breath is the highest of all the high sciences ; it is a flame for illumining the mansion of the soul .

2 7 . The knowledge cannot be imparted to this man or that except in answer to a question ; it is therefore ’ to be known by one s ow n exertions in and by the

5 0 11] alone . “ [This is the celebrated dictum , Know thyself by ” f thyself, which dif ers from the Greek aphorism by the addition of the last two words ]

2 8. Neither the lunar day , nor the constellations , nor the solar day , nor planet , nor god ; neither rain

n or V ati ata V aidhrita . the y p , nor the conj unctions , etc , [These are all of them the various phases of the

ifleren a i five d t t ttv c states . They have a natural

fl c flect f c ect upon the terrestrial life . The dif ers with

tatt vic the thing influenced . The rays of the state of time w ill only be reflected into any organism if the i reflecting surface is akin . The Yog who has power over his breath can put it into any tattvic state he

o eflects ch oses , and the antagonistic of time are simply throw n

’ 1 94 NATURE S FINER FORCES .

sleep . She is no more wanted now . Upon the sup plies of the Kundalini depend the dimensions of the body of the child . It is said that it is possible to awake the goddess even in the developed organism by certain practices of Yoga ]

33. Two and two of the Nadis go crosswise ; they — are thus twenty four in number . The principal are the ten Nadis in which act the ten forces .

34 . Crosswise , or upwards , or downwards , in them

o is manifested the Prana all over the b dy . They are in the body in the shape Of Chakras supporting all the manifestations of Prana .

35 . Of all these , ten are the chief; of the ten , three — h us umna. are the highest Ida , and Pingala , and S i ih a 6 . H ast v a Yashas ini 3 Gandhari , j , P sha and v ;

busha K ir hankhini Alam S . , uh , , and also Damini

. u 37 Ida is in the left part , Pingala in the right , S shumna in the middle ; Gandhari in the left eye .

H asti ihva 38. In the right eye j ; in the right ear P irsha; Yashasvini in the left car ; in the mouth

Alamb usha.

Kuh lrankhini 39. fi in the pudendum ; in the anus S . a In this way one at each outlet st nd the Nadis .

humna a 0 . S us 4 Ida , Pingala , and st nd in the way of the Prana , these ten Nadis extend variously in the bod y . [For a di ssertation on these three Nadis the reader is referred to the essay on Prana . On a small scale the right and left chambers of the heart , and the right and left portions of the spinal column are the THE SCIENCE OF BREATH . 1 95

Pingala and Ida . The canal between these two is the

- to S ushumna. Taking the blood vessel system be a

of mere reflection the nervous system , the terminology

to . might be applied the nerves alone It appears ,

of however , that the Nadis the Tantrists comprehend both these systems . In the nervous system there is the real power , and this must be present everywhere where there is any manifestation of life . ]

1 4 . The above are the names of the Nadis . I now

of : I give the names the forces Prana ( ), Apana Samana Udana and Vyana

42 . Naga Kirrma and Krik ila Deva datta and Dhananjaya In the breast lives always the Prana ; the Apana in the circle of the anus .

43. The Samana in the circle of the navel , the Udana in the midst of the throat ; the Vyana pervades all the body . These are the ten principal forces .

44 . The five beginning with the Prana have been described . The remaining five forces begin with Naga .

Their names and places too I give .

K rma 45 . The Naga is known in belching ; the ir in the winking of the eye ; the Krik ila is known as the cause Of hunger ; the Devad atta is known in yawning .

- not 46 . The all pervading Dhananjaya does leave even the dead body . All these move in all the Nadis where they put on the appearance of life .

47 . Let the wise man know the manifest movements — z of the individuali ed Prana by the three Nadis Ida , a ushumn . Pingala , and S 1 6 ’ 9 NATURE S FINER FORCES .

48. The Ida is to be known in the left half and the

Pingala in the right [half of the body] .

o 49. The mo n is placed in Ida , the sun in Pingala ;

S ushumna Of S ambhir S ambhit has the nature , and is the self of Hamsa [both inspiration and expiration].

5 0 . Expiration is called Ha ; inspiration is S a ; Ha

a is the Shiva [the active], and S the Shakti [the passive].

1 5 . The moon appears as Shakti , causing the left

Nadi to flow ; causing the right Nadi to flow , the sun appears as Sambha [active]. 3

5 2 . Any charity given by the wise while the breath is in the left nostril is multiplied crores ‘ on crores of times in this world .

5 3. Let the Yogi look into his face , with one mind and with attention , and thus let him know fully the motion of the sun and the m oon .

5 4 . Let him meditate upon the Tattva when the

Prana is calm , never when it is disturbed ; his desire i l will be fulfilled , he w l have great benefit and victory .

5 5 . To those men who practise , and thus always r keep the sun and moon in prope order, knowledge of the past and the future becomes as easy as if they were in their hand .

5 6 . In the left Nadi the appearance of the breath is that of the Amrita [necta r] ; it is the great nourisher

i - of the world . In the r ght , the motion imparting

s portion , the world is alway born . [The negative phase of Prana has the qualities of A crore

’ 1 98 NATURE S FINER FORCES . in the dark one the sun ; beginning from the first lunar day they rise one after the other in order, each af ter three days .

62 . The moon and the sun have each the white

r [no thward , upward] and the black [southward , down a fl ward] duration of two and a half Gh ris . They ow in order during the Sixty Gharis of a day .

- 63. Then by a Ghari each [twenty four minutes] the five T attvas flow . The days begin with the Prati pata [the first lunar day]. When the order is reversed the eff ect is reversed .

6 . 4 In the bright fortnight the left [is powerful], in the dark the right ; let the Yogi with attention i a bring these into order, beginning w th the first lun r day . ‘ 6 . 5 If the breath rises by the way of the moon ,

sets and f by that of the sun , it confers groups of good qualities ; in the reverse , the reverse .

66 . Let the moon flow the whole day through , and the sun the whole night ; he who practises thus is verily a Yogi .

6 . 7 The moon is checked by the sun , the sun by the moon ; he who knows this practice , strides in a moment over the three worlds nothing in the three worlds ff can have an evil e ect upon him].

68. During Thursdays , Fridays , Wednesdays , and

i c s Mondays the left Nadi g ves suc e s in all acts , especially in the white fortnight .

6 . 9 During Sundays , Tuesdays , and Saturdays the

A t s s . A t s se unri e f un t. THE SCIENCE OF BREATH . 1 99

right Nadi gives success in all harsh acts , especially in the black fortnight .

T attvas 70 . During five Gbaris each , the have their

d . istinct rise in order , Ghari by Ghari

7 1 . Thus there are twelve changes during day and night . Taurus , Cancer , Virgo , Scorpio , Capricornus , Pisces are in the moon with these signs the breath ri ses in the left Nadi] .

eo 7 2 . During Aries , Gemini , L , Libra , Sagittarius

of and Aquarius , the rise the breath is in the righ t

or Nadi . From this good bad is ascertained .

su n is 73 . The centred in the east and the north , the moon in the west and south . Let none go to west and

o f south during the flw o the right Nadi .

74 . Let none go to east and north during the flow of the left Nadi

ho 75 . The wise w desire good should not therefore go in these directions during these intervals ; f or then assuredly will there be sufferin g and death .

6 . 7 When , during the bright fortnight , the moon

to flows , it is beneficial the man ; comfort is caused in mild deeds .

of - 77 . When at the time Of the rise the sun breath

” - vice verso the moon breath rises , and , quarrel and danger make appearance , and all good disappears .

li n [T e IVro g S vara . ]

n 78. When in the morning the wro g breath takes its

of rise , that is the sun in place the moon , and the moon in place of the sun ; then 2 00 ’ NATURE S FINER FORCES .

79. On the first day the mind is confused ; on the s econd [occurs] loss of wealth ; on the third they speak of motion ; on the fourth the destruction of the desired

[object].

80 . On the fifth the destruction of worldly pos ition ; on the sixth the destruction of all objects ; on the seventh disease and pain ; on the eighth death .

81 . When for these eight days , at all the three

c flect abso times , the breath is wrong , then the is l a tely bad ; when it is not quite so there is some ‘ good .

82 . When in the morning and the noon there is the moon , and in the evening the sun , then there is always success and benefit . The reverse gives pain .

83. Whenever the breath is in the right or the left

Nadi , the journey will be successful , if the right or the left , as the case may be , is the first step .

6 . o 9 During the flow of the m on , poison is de stroyed ; during that of the sun , power is obtained over

h mna t . any bod y . During S us u salvation is ob ained — One power stands in three forms Pingala , Ida , and

S us humna.

97 . It may happen that when something is to be

ow done , the breath is not rightly fl ing , or conversely , when the breath is flowing as it ought to be , there is

Thu s the eflc c ts of the wrong bre a th depend upon its s trength . In the m ajority of c ase s there m ay only be a tendency towards

s eflec ts ma be a d a an a ab , the e , or there y only re m of, or nxiety out

s thes e th ing .

’ 2 0 2 NATURE S FINER FORCES .

1 06 . In singing , in playing upon instruments , in thinking of the science of musical sounds , in entering any town or village , in coronation ,

1 0 . 7 In disease , sorrow , dej ection , fever and swoon ’ in establishing relations with one s people , and masters in collecting grain , and fuel , etc . ,

1 08. In the adornment of the person by women , when rain is coming , in the worship of the teacher , etc . , O fair one , the moon is auspicious .

1 09. Such acts also as the practice of Yoga are

s . succes ful in Ida In Ida , verily , let one give up the

Akasha and Tejas modifications of Prana .

1 1 0 . By day or by night all works are successful ; in all auspicious works the flow of the moon is good .

1 1 1 . In all harsh acts , in the reading and teaching ffi of di cult sciences , in going on board a ship , i 1 1 . 2 In all bad acts , in dr nking , in rehearsing the

Mantras of such a god as Bhairava ,

1 1 . s 3 In learning the Shastra , in going , in hunting , ffi in the selling of animals , in the di cult collection of

etc . bricks , wood , stone , and jewels , ,

1 1 . s 4 In the practice of mu ic , in the Yantras and

Tantras , in climbing a high place or mountain , in

the gambling , in theft , in breaking in of an elephant

s or a horse , in a carriage or otherwi e , ff 1 . 1 5 In riding a new donkey , camel , or bu alo , or THE SCIENCE OF BREATH . 2 0 3

t , or horse , in crossing a stream , in medicine ,

or athletic sports , in killing producing con practising the six Karmas , etc . , in obtaining

Yak shinis Yak shas V etalas o r , . , P isons and

c . ,

mesmeris killing , in enmity , in

n one d o n - in . g to anything at biddi g draw e and towards anything, in causing distress

in charity , and buying and selling ,

practising with swords , in battle , in seek

g e ing, in eatin 0 ) in bathing , in mercantil us , in harsh and hot deeds , the sun i

at aus i after eating, the sun is p ae too flov wise ought to sleep , , during the t breath .

I ir harsh acts , all those various acts which r e fine must be transitory and temporary , ’ 2 0 4 NATURE S FINER FORCES .

(i) When the breath comes one moment out of one nostril and the next out of the other . (ii) When the breath at once flows out of both nos trils with equal force . (iii) When the breath flows out of one nostril with greater force than it does out of the other .

The first is called the unequal state (V ishamabhava). The second and third are called the V ishuvat or

V ishuva . ]

1 2 2 . When the Prana is in that Nadi the fires of

ishuvat death burn . It is called V , the destroyer of all actions .

1 . 2 3 When both the Nadis , which ought to flow

one after the other , flow at once , then verily there is danger for him who is thus afli icted .

1 2 4 . When it is at one moment in the right , and the other moment in the left , it is called the unequal ff d state . The e ect is the reverse of what is desire , 0 ! and so it ought to be known , fair one

i u at 1 2 5 . The wise call it V sh v when both the Nadis

flow . Do neither harsh nor mild acts at that time ;

both will be fruitless .

1 2 6 . In life , in death , in asking questions , in income ,

its — or its absence , in success or want everywhere the

i h a reverse is the case during the flow of the V s uv t .

Remember then the Lord of the Universe .

1 2 7 . The Ishvara is to be remembe red by acts such

as be the practice of Yoga , nothing else is to done at

that time by those who desire success , income and

comfort .

’ 2 06 NATURE S FINER FORCES .

a S ank al a is the outcome of ment l motion ( p , Manah

r n of Sphrr a a). The state the conjunction of these two mental states is the Sandhya Sandhi . The same name seems to have been given to the higher S u shumna . When the two phases of mental matter are

z ushumna P ranama a neutrali ed in the S , the y Kosha loses its vitality and disappears . (ii) This is that state in which is thrown the reflec tion of the Higher Atma , and whence it is possible for it to come into th e mind . ]

1 2 . 3 The messenger who is above , in front , or on the left , is in the way of the moon , and he who is below, at the back and on the right , is in the way of the sun .

1 33 . The conj unction through which disappearance takes place in the subtle matter beyond , which has no beginning , is one , and is without [potential] nourish ment or confusion , is called Sandhya Sandhi .

1 34 . Some say there is no separate Sandhya Sandhi , but the state in which the Prana is in the V ishuvat is called Sandhya Sandhi .

1 . V edoveda 35 There is no separate , it does not

edo e a exist . That conjunction is called V v d by which the highest Atma is known .

[Tlze Ta lk /as ] Said the goddess

! od ! 1 36. Great lord g of the gods in thy mind is the great secret which gives salvation to the world ; tell me all of it . T H E SCIENCE O F BREATH .

Said the god

od 1 37 . There is no g beyond the seer of breath ; the Yogi w ho is devoted to t breath is the highest Yogi .

s 1 38. Creation take place from the five Tattva disappears in Tattva ; the five T tute the objects of the highest knowl e

T a as F orrn l the five ttv is the ess .

1 39. The Prithivi , the Apas , the Tej and the Akasha are the five T attvas ; of a i I the five T ttvas . Revered s he who — [H ow everything every poss ible phr the soul , the mind , the Prana , and the g

of T attvas is the , the introductory essa t o explai n ]

1 40 . In the beings of all the world are the same all over ; from the earth loka the arrangement only of the syst diff ers . [The nervous system is diff erent in a ’ 2 08 NATURE S FINER FORCES .

T att as v . to be maintained . The also must be balanced There may be other planes of life in which the respec tive powers of the two currents and the T attvas may be greater or less than they are on the earth . This

' diflerence will secure a diff erence in the arrangements of the Nadis , and also in their shape .

We experience this sort of thing even on our earth . ff a ff Di erent animals and veget bles have di erent shapes . This is simply on account of the diff erent T r utis on

ff d iflerentl di erent planes , y inclined to the solar axis . Suppose for the sake of illustration that the following is the sphere of the macrocosmic Prana

Works on astrology assign di ff erent organs to these v astral di isions , and I shall , for the purpose of explana

i a s s u . t on , s ume the e without f rther explanation

’ 2 1 0 NATURE S FINER FORCES .

As in evolution the necessities of the mind are being

P ranama a Koshas changed , the y change their planes , and it is thus that they are changed on earth according to the occult theory of evolution . ]

1 1 4 . In the left as well as in the right there is the

- T at as five fold rise [of the tv ]. The knowledge of the

- T attvas . is eight fold Hear me , fair one , I will tell thee . T attvas 1 42 . The first is the number of the ; the second the conj unction of breath ; the third is the Signs of the breath ; the fourth the place of the T attvas ;

T att as 1 43. The fifth is the colour of the v ; the sixth is the Prana itself ; the seventh is their taste ; the eighth is the mode of their vibration . — - ishu at 1 . V v 44 Hear of the three fold Prana the , the — in active [sun], the passive [the moon] these eight ‘ - forms . There is nothing , O lotus faced goddess , beyond the breath . ff 1 45 . When by the e ect of time the power of seeing

flb r does come it must be seen with great e t . The

a Yogis ct for the purpose of deceiving time . i [The Yog s act for the purpose of deceiving time . Time is the order of appearance of the various tattvic

ph ases of a living organism . In man this order is

regulated by his previous Ka rma . By the power of

diflerent previous Karma , the human organism assumes

v receptive states , and in accordance with the recepti ity

T he a is a a assi is a a ctive the Ch r , the motor, the p ve the Ach r

S thira r . or , the eceiver of motion F 1 T H E SCIENCE O BREATH . 2 1

— — the tattvic influences of time the solar Prana cause pains or enjoyments of different sorts . By the practice of Yoga the Yogi masters the tattvic changes of his body . Time is cheated . If he pushes the germ of disease out of his body n o epidemic will ever affect him . ]

his 1 6 . 4 Let a man Shut ears with his thumbs , his

his nostrils with the middle fingers , mouth with the

on e his last fingers and those last but , and eyes by the

remaining fingers .

T attvas 1 47 . In this state the five are gradually

known as the yellow , the white , the red , the blue , and the spotted without any other distinct Upadhi [differ

entia] .

1 8. 4 Looking into a mirror , let the breath be thrown upon it ; thus let the wise man know the difference of

the T attvas by their forms .

- heri 1 . s 49 ! uadrangular , semi lunar , triangular , p

c al o of , and spotted are respectively the f rms the five

T attvas . i 1 0 . 5 Thus the first , Prithiv , flows midway ; the

c s se ond , Apas , flows downwards ; the third , Agni , flow h upwards ; the fourt , Vayu , flows at acute angles ; the

Aka sha fl ows between every tw o .

1 1 i 5 . The Apas Tattva s white ; the Prithivi yellow ;

the Agni red ; the vayu Sky - blue ; the Akasha fore

shadows every colour .

1 f 5 2 . First o all flows the vayu Tattva ; secondly,

i o the Tejas ; thirdly , the Prithiv ; and f urthly , the

Apas . ’ 1 2 2 NATURE S FINER FORCES .

1 5 3. Between the two shoulders is located the Agni ; in the root of the navel vayu ; in the knees the Apas ; in the feet the Prithivi ; in the head the

Akasha .

1 i 5 4 . The Prithiv Tattva is sweet ; the Apas astrin gent ; the Tejas pungent ; the Yayu acid ; the Akasha bitter . ’ 1 5 5 . The Vayu flows eight fingers breadth ; the

Agni four ; the Prithivi twelve ; the Apas sixteen .

1 5 6 . The upward motion tends to death ; the down ward to calmness ; the one at acute angles to restless ness ; the middle one to endurance ; the Akasha is common to all .

1 5 7 . During the flow of the Prithivi are performed acts which are expected to live long ; during the Apas passing acts ; during the Tejas harsh acts ; during the vayu killing , etc .

1 5 8. Nothing ought to be done during the Akasha except the practice of Yoga ; all other acts will remain without their desired eff ect .

1 5 9. During the Prithivi and the Apas success is obtained ; death comes in the Tejas ; reduction in the

A tattvic Vayu . The kasha is known by the philo

Sophers to be altogether useless .

1 60 . During the Prithivi income is late ; during the

s Apas , immediate ; loss is made manifest by the Teja and the Vayu ; Akasha is altogether useless .

1 1 . i 6 The Prithiv Tattva is yellow , has slow motion ,

the end moves in the middle , comes in its flow up to

has of the sternum , is heavy in sound , slight heat in

’ 2 1 4 NATURE S FINER FORCES .

giver of Moksha is the Akasha Tattva , which is use less in all worldly works .

1 70 . The Prithivi and the Apas are auspicious

T attvas ff , the Tejas is moderate in its e ects , the Akasha and Yayu are inauspicious and cause loss and death to mankind . i 1 1 . 7 The Apas Tattva is in the east , the Prithiv in Y the west , the ayu in the north , the Tejas in the south , the Akasha in the middle . i 1 72 . When the Prithiv and the Apas are in the moon , and the Agni in the sun , then verily there is success in mild and harsh acts respectively .

1 . 73 The Prithivi causes income during the day, the Apas during the night ; death comes in the Tejas ; reduction in the Vayu ; the Akasha sometimes burns .

1 . 74 In fitness for living, in success , in income , in

or m cultivation [ , according to one reading , in enjoy ent and growth], in amassing wealth , in understanding the meaning of the Mantras , in questions about battle , in going and coming ,

s 1 75 . Benefit results during the Apa Tattva ; aus

ic ious p stay , wherever it is , during the Prithivi ; by the vayu they go away elsewhere ; the Akasha and the Tej as cause loss and death .

1 76 . In the Prithivi comes the thought of roots (Mala); in the Apas and the Vayu that of living beings ; in the Tej as comes the thought of minerals ; in the Akasha there is void . i 1 77 . In the Prithiv one thinks of [literally there are] beings of many feet ; in the Apas and Yayu of THE SCIENCE OF BREATH . 2 1 5 bipeds ; in the Tejas of quadrupeds ; in the Akasha of the footless .

1 8. P rith 7 Mars is said to be the Tejas , the Sun the Y ivi , Saturn the Apas , and Rahu the ayu in the right

Nadi .

1 . 79 The Moon is the Apas , Jupiter the Prithivi ,

Mercury the Vayu , and Venus the Tejas in the left

r Nadi ; f o all acts verily . [The tattvic value of the planets described in these tw o to of verses seems be the opinion a few only .

of o The opinion the writer , which is also the opini n of arahamihira the great astrologer V , is expressed in stan z a I 80 . ]

1 80 . Jupiter is the Prithivi ; the Moon and Venus are the Apas ; the Sun and Mars are the Tejas ; the Y r Dragon , the Ketu , and Saturn are ayu ; Mercu y is

the Akasha .

1 81 . Say during the Prithivi that the question is

ir about earthly things [roots , M la] ; during the Apas about life ; during the Tejas about minerals ; during

the Akasha about nothing .

1 82 . When the breath , leaving the Sun and the

to Moon , goes the Rahu know that it [Prana] is in

motion and desires another place . ff 1 83. Pleasure growth a ection playful ness success laughing in the Prithivi and the Apas ; want of power to work in the organs ’ fever trembling going out of one s country

[1 0] in the Tejas and Vayu .

of 1 2 1 84 . Loss the life substance and death [ ] ’ 2 1 6 NATURE S FINER FORCES . in the Akasha— these twelve are the phases of the moon the forms , etc . , which the negative matter assumes] ; they ought always to be known to be with pains by the wise .

[These twelve are the phases of the moon . The moon here means the power which gives sustenance

Ra i to names and forms . That power , the y , appears

tattvic . in twelve forms , according to changes The flow of the left Nadi in its diurnal course is not meant here . ]

1 8 . 5 In the east , the west , the south , the ‘ and

T attvas . north , the , Prithivi , etc , are powerful , so let it be said .

1 86. Fair one , the body must be known as made of

M ahabhirtas— the five the Prithivi , the Apas , the

Y . Tej as , the ayu , and the Akasha — 1 8 . 7 Bone , muscle , skin , Nadi and hair this is the

five- fold Prithivi as laid down by the B rahmvidya[the divine science] .

1 88. The male seed , the female germs , fat , urine , — and saliva this is the five- fold Apas as laid down by the divine science . — 1 8 . 9 Hunger , thirst , sleep , light , drowsiness this is

five— the fold Agni as laid down by the divine science .

1 0 . 9 Removing, walking, smelling , contraction and — inflation this is the five- fold Vayu as laid down by the divine science .

1 1 . e 9 Desire to have , desire to rep l , shame , fear and — forgetfulness this is the five - fold Akasha as laid down by the divine science .

’ 2 1 8 NATURE S FINER FORCES .

2 0 1 . Rama got victory in an auspicious Tattva ; so K did Arjuna . The auravas were all killed in battle on account of the antagonistic Tattva .

2 0 2 . By the acquired rapidity of other births , or by u the kindness of the Gur , some men come to know the nature of the T attvas by a mind purified by habit .

' [lbf ea ilalion on llze F ive Ta ttoos ]

2 0 3 . Meditate upon the Prithivi Tattva with L [or

Lam] as its algebraical symbol , as being quadrangular,

- yellow , sweet smelling , and conferring a colour as pure as that of gold , freedom from disease and light ness of the body .

2 0 4. Meditate upon the Apas Tattva with V [or

- Vam] as its algebraical symbol , as being semi lunar, white as the moon , and giving endurance of hunger

and thirst , etc . , and producing a sensation similar to

that of a plunge in water .

2 0 5 . Meditate upon the Tejas Tattva with R [or

Ram] as the algebraical symbol , as being triangular ,

red , and giving the power of consuming a great

amount of food and drink , and the endurance of burn

ing heat .

2 06 . Y Meditate upon the ayu , with P [or Pam] as

- the algebraical symbol , as being spherical , sky blue ,

and giving the power of going into space , and flying

like birds .

a 2 0 7 . Medit te upon the Akasha Tattva with H [or

Ham] as the algebraical symbol , formless , foreshadow 1 THE SCIENCE OF BREATH . 2 9

i ing many colours , and as g ving the knowledge of the three times , and the powers Anima , etc .

2 0 8. Where there is a man who knows the science

of c an no . breath , there be wealth better than him It is known that by the knowledge of breath one gets good fruit without much ado .

[T/ze A uspicious Victory ] Said the goddess f f 2 0 . od o o 9 Great lord , g gods , giver happiness , the Sc ience of the rise of breath is a very lofty science ; how does it comprehend the knowledge of the three times ? Said the god :

2 1 0 . one Fair , the knowledge of three times refers to three things , and nothing else

(i) Fortune .

(ii) Victory in battle .

(iii) Good or bad [end of other actions] .

1 2 1 . On account of the Tattva any act is good or bad in effect ; on account of the Tattva comes victory or discomfiture ; on account of the Tattva comes

a scarcity and abundance of wealth . The T attv s are said to Show themselves in these three states . Said the goddess

- 2 1 2 . od of Great lord , g gods , the all comprehending ocean of this world is the greatest friend and help mate of men ; [is it] he who causes the fulfilment of all his works ? Said the god

2 1 . 3 The Prana alone is the highest friend , the ’ 2 2 0 NATURE S FINER FORCES .

. t Prana is the greatest helpmate Fair one , here is no friend better than Prana . Said the goddess

2 1 4 . How does the force of Prana stand in the bod y ? What is the appearance of Prana in the body ? How is the Prana known by the Yogis to be acting in the T attvas ? Said the god

2 1 5 . In the city of the body the Prana is the lord protector ; while going in , it is ten fingers , while going out , twelve .

[This section refers to the human Aura . The subtle Prana surrounds the human gross body like a halo of light . The natural length from the body to the circumference of this halo is twelve fingers of the man whose Prana is measured . This length is aff ected during the ordinary course of inspiration and expiration . At the time of inspiration the length is reduced to ten fingers ; at the time of expiration it is restored to twelve . During certain other actions , too , the length varies . Thus , in walking , the length of

- - Prana becomes twenty four ; in running forty two .

a - five In cohabit tion , it becomes sixty ; in sleeping , one hundred . In eating and speaking , it becomes eighteen .

In ordinary men , the length is twelve fingers . The

e ordinary length is , however , reduced in xtraordinary

: men . Thus t In those men who are free from desire , the leng h of Prana is reduced by one finger ; it becomes eleven .

’ 2 2 2 NATURE S FINER FORCES .

[B attle ]

2 2 4 . In warfare in distant countries the moon is victorious ; in near places the sun . When the foo t raised first in walking belongs to the flowing Nadi , complete success is the result .

2 2 . 5 In beginning a journey , in marriage , in enter ing any town , etc . , in all auspicious acts , the flow of the moon is good . ’ 2 2 6 . By putting the enemy s army towards the empty ’ Nadi , and one s own towards the full , when the Tattva is congenial , one may conquer the whole world .

2 2 7 . Let one give battle in the direction towards which the breath flows ; victory is certain , even if

Indra be in front .

2 2 8. If a man puts a question about battle , he will win if he is towards the flowing Nadi ; will lose if he is towards the other .

2 2 9. The Prithivi Tattva points to wounds in the belly ; the Apas in the feet ; the Agni in the thighs ; the Yayu in the hands ;

five- 2 30 . The Akasha in the head . These fold wounds have been described in the Science of Breath .

2 1 . 3 He whose name has even letters wins , if he asks the question during the flow of the moon . He w ho has an odd number of letters in his name wins if he asks the question during the flow of the sun . 2 u 2 3 . When the q estion is put during the moon there w ill be a peaceful termination ; during the sun the fight must come .

2 . i 33 During the Prithiv Tattva , the fight will be THE SCIENCE OF BREATH . 2 2 3

equal . During the Apas the result will be equal .

During the Tejas there will be defeat . During the

Yayu and the Akasha death will ensue . fl 2 34 . When by some cause the ow of the breath is

of not clearly felt at the time the question , let the wise man resort to the following expedient .

2 35 . Sitting motionless let him have a flower thrown

u . on pon himself The flower will fall the full side . So let him give the answer .

or f 2 36 . Here elsewhere the knower o the laws of breath is very powerful ; who is more powerful than he ? Said the goddess

2 37 . These are the laws of victory when men fight among themselves ; how does victory come when they

fight with Yama [the god of death]. Said the god

2 38. Let him meditate upon the lord when the Prana is calm ; during the flow of the moon and then give up life when after that the two Pranas coincide .

He will have what he desires - great benefit and success . f 2 39. The whole manifested world has come out o the unmanifested . That manifested world disappears

the in unmanifested when the fact is known .

[Tb e Year . ]

a 2 60 . On the first lunar d y of the white fortnight of

of see the month Chaitra , let the wise Yogi both the ’ 2 2 4 NATURE S FINER FORCES . northward and southward journey of the sun by an analysis of the T attvas . [On this day begi ns the Samvat year of the era of

King V ik ramaditya . ]

2 6 1 . If at the time of the rise of the moon , the

Prithivi , the Apas , or the Vayu Tattva be flowing , all kinds of grain will be plentiful .

2 62 . The flow of the Tejas and the Akasha gives

f n ine fearful ar s . This is the nature of time . In this ff way is known the e ect of time in the year , the month , and the day . h mna 2 6 . us u 3 If the S , which is bad in all worldly concerns , be flowing, there will be confusion in the land , subversion of the kingdom , or fear thereof, epidemic and all sorts of diseases . i 6 . s 2 4 When the sun pas es into Aries , let the Yog meditate upon the breath , and , finding out the pre valent Tattva , tell the world what will be the nature of the next year .

tatt ic [On this day begins the solar year . The v — — colour of universal Prana the external one at any time is determined by the positions of the sun and moon and by those of the planets , whose presence exercises a very potent influence upon the tattvic value i of any moment . This tattv c value changes according to a universal law .

If at any time the Apas Tattva is flowing , it can

s never abruptly pass into the Tej a , but must do so

T attvas grade by grade . These atmospheric run

s many minor course . Hence it is possible , though

’ 2 2 6 NATURE S FINER FORCES .

1 ce 2 7 . When the full breath is in its own proper pla ,

T attvas with its own proper , success of all sorts is the

s result . If the sun and the moon are the rever e , grain must be laid up [against a scarcity] . be in 2 72 . If the Agni Tattva flows there will equality of prices ; if Akasha , there will be continuous i scarcity . Let things be laid up then ; there w ll be a rise in the prices two months thereafter .

2 73. When the breath is changing into the sun it gives birth to fearful diseases . When the Akasha and the Yayu are conjoined with the Tejas , the earth will become the picture of hell . [The disturbance of tattvic balance is disease ; hence every Tattva has its own diseases ]

[D isease ]

2 74 . In the Prithivi Tattva there is its own disease ; in the Apas Tattva the disease of the same Tattva ; and so in the Tejas , the Vayu , and the Akasha , similar and hereditary diseases . [When two men come together their Pranas ex change colour . It is on this account that one ca n ’ measure from the momentary reflection in one s own body the colour of any other man that is near him .

The present of every man is the father of his future .

s Hence one can predict the end of any disea e, or the time of death . All that has been ascertained to be true on these heads has been described in the various sections of this book . ] THE SCIENCE OF BREATH . 2 2 7

2 75 . When the messenger [querent] comes first to

of wards the empty half the body , and then towards the full half, he about whom the question is put will surely live , even if he be [apparently] lying in the swoon [of death] .

2 76 . If the question is put to the Yogi while sitting in the same direction with the patient , he will live even though nrany a disease may have gathered strength in his body .

2 . 77 When the breath is in the right nostril , and the messenger speaks of his affliction in piteous accents , the patient will live . During the moon the ff e ect is ordinary .

2 78. If the question be asked while holding the picture of the patient towards the Prana and looking at it , the patient will live .

2 . 79 When during the flow of the sun or moon , the Yogi gets into a carriage and the question is put to him while there , the messenger will have success in his desire . i 2 80 . When at the time of the question the Yog sits upstairs while the patient is downstairs , he will certainly live . If the patient be upstairs , he will certainly go to the house of Yama [the god of death].

1 f 2 8 . If at the time o the question the messenger is towards the empty nostril , but speaks the reverse of what he desires , he will have success . If the reverse is the case , the result too is the reverse .

2 82 . When the patient is towards the moon and the asker towards the sun the patient will cert ainly ’ 2 2 8 NATURE S FINER FORCES .

die , even if he be surrounded by hundreds of phy

S icians .

2 83. When the patient is towards the sun , and the asker towards the moon , then too the patient dies , even if S ambhfi be his protector .

its 2 84 . When one Tattva is out of proper time , people are subdued by disease ; when two are wrong, they cause misfortune to friends and relations ; if it is out of place for two fortnights death is the result .

' [T/ze P redi cti on of D eaf/z ]

2 8 . 5 At the beginning of a month , a fortnight , and

man a year, let the wise try to find out the time of death from the movements of the Prana .

T at as 2 86 . The lamp of the five tv receives its oil f from the moon . Protect it from the solar force ; li e will thereby become long and stationary .

2 8 . 7 If by mastering the flow of breath , the sun is t kept in check , life is prolonged . Even solar ime is cheated .

2 88. The moon falls from heaven giving the nectar of life to the lotuses of the body . By the constant practice of good actions and Yoga one becomes im mortal by the lunar necta r .

2 8 . t he i 9 Make moon flow dur ng the day , the sun during the night . He who practises thus is verily a i true Yog .

2 90 . If for one night and day the breath flows con tinuousl yby one Nadi , death will ensue in three years . 1 2 9 . He whose breath flows by the Pingala two

’ 0 2 3 NATURE S FINER FORCES .

m s to ably from good habits to bad , or fro bad habit o g od , he is sure to die .

2 99. He whose breath coming out of the nose is o is co l , but coming out of the mouth is hot like fire , sure to die of great heat .

00 . and 3 He who sees hideous figures , bright light

s f without making out the flame , die be ore nine months .

30 1 . He who suddenly begins to feel heavy bodies light , and light bodies heavy , and he who being dark

- in colour begins in disease to look gold coloured , must die .

0 2 . e 3 He whose hands , chest , and feet b come at once f dry a ter bathing, has not ten nights to live .

0 . 3 3 He who becomes dim of sight , and cannot see his face in the pupil of another’s eye must assuredly die .

30 4 . Now will I tell thee something about the

- K a fi ure Chha a . sh dow g ( y Purusha) nowing this , man very soon becomes the knower of the three times .

30 5 . I shall speak of those experiments by means of w hich even distant death is know n . I Shall describe all thes e in accordance with Shivagama .

306 . Going to a lonely place and standing with the back towards the sun let a man look with attention at the neck of the shade he throws on the ground .

h can 30 7 . Let him see this for as long a time as e “ calmly repeat the words : Om kram parabrahmane ” namah for one hundred and eight times . Then let n him loo k up into the sky. He will thus see Sha kara 1 THE SCIENCE OF BREATH . 2 3 [the figure of a being capable of appearing in many colours].

f or ix 0 8. s 3 By doing this months , the Yogi becomes the lord of those who walk on earth ; in two years he becomes absolutely independent and his own master .

30 9. He obtains the knowledge of the three times and great bliss . There is nothing impossible f or the constant practice of Yoga .

1 3 0 . The Yogi who sees this figure in the clear heavens having a dark colour , dies within six months .

1 1 f 3 . When it is yellow there is fear o disease ; when it is red there will be loss ; when it has many colours there will be great confusion and dej ection .

1 2 . 3 If the figure be wanting in feet , Shanks , abdomen and the right arm a relation is sure to die .

31 3. If the left arm is wanting the wife will die ; when the chest and the right arm is wanting, death and destruction will come .

1 . a 3 4 When the f eces and gas escape together, the man is sure to die in ten days .

1 . 3 5 When the moon flows altogether , and the sun

. O is not seen at all , death comes surely in a month S

of says the Science Death .

31 6. Those whose death is near cease to see the

A randhati Dhrrrva of s , the , the steps Vi hnu , and the circle of the mothers as they are pointed out to them .

A r n i 31 7 . The a dhat is the tongue ; the Dhruva the tip of the nose ; the eyebrows are the steps of Vishnu ; the pupil of the eye the circle of the mothers .

31 8. The man who ceases to see the eyebrows dies ’ 2 32 NATURE S FINER FORCES . within nine days ; he who ceases to see the pupil of the eye dies within five days ; he who ceases to see the nose di es within three days ; he who ceases to see the tongue dies w ithin one day .

31 9. The pupil of the eye is seen by pressing the eye near the nose .

[T/ze Nad i s]

32 0 . The Ida is also technically called Ganga ; the Pingala Yamuna ; the S ushumna S arasvati ; the con

ra a a j unction is called P y g . i o 32 1 . Let the Yog sit in the p sture called Padma sana , and perform Pranayama .

2 2 . i Pfirak a Rechak a 3 The Yog s must know the , the ,

Kumbhak a and the third , , for obtaining power over the body .

2 . P irrak a 3 3 The causes growth and nourishment , and equaliz es the lrumours ; the Kumbhaka causes stability, and increases the security of life .

R hak a ec . 32 4 . The takes away all sins He who practises this reaches the state of Yoga .

Kumbhaka 32 5 . In the hold the air in as much as possible ; let it go out by the moon and in by the sun .

6 . 32 The sun drinks the moon , the moon drinks the sun ; by saturating one with the other, one may live as long as the moon and the planets . ’

d . 32 7 . The Nadi flows in one s own bo y Have power over that ; if it is not let go through the mouth m an . or nose , one becomes a young

8. and 32 When the mouth , nose , eyes , ears are

GLOSSARY

’ 2 38 NATURE S FINER FORCES .

A N DA M A YA H s a s a a . AN KOS A, the piritu l coil , the piritu l mon d

A NA RADH A s a a s . , the eventeenth lun r m n ion A NDH A TAM IS H RA a s A as a a a , the hell where the qu litie of the k h T ttv

are found in p a inful excess .

A N UM ANA . , inference P a a s a s A ANA , th t m nife t tion of the life principle which throw out

s s s s s as ae s of the y tem thing which it no longer require , uch f ce ,

ri . u ne, etc A PA NTA RTA M A H a s sa a a a as V asa , Vedic Ri hi , id to h ve inc rn ted y

s a Dvai a ana a M a lniblzd ra ta . Kri hn p y , the uthor of the , etc P a T att vas a s a s A AS , the n me of one of the five , tr n l ted into Engli h

i er s a s the gust f ou ether.

AR a as i s s. DRA, one of the lun r ter m A SAM P RA NATA s a a a J , the higher t te of ment l tr nce, in which the T he s a is mind is perf ectly abs orbed in the soul . lower t te known

‘ as am ra rrat S p j a.

a a as a . ASAT, the neg tive bre th or ph e of m tter

AS H ES H A a a a s . L , lun r m n ion I A S H V I N s a a s . , the fir t lun r m n ion

M I' ‘ A a s a s 11 a a A S I a a . , (i) ynonym of Ah nk r ; egoi m ( ) M king p rt or he is a a p arcel of self . (iii) T notion th at the self nothing sep r te

s and from percept concepts. a s AVIDYA , f l e knowledge .

i B H A RA N s c a a s . , the e ond lun r m n ion B H OTA S s s a s ri s , the hell of the dep rted pi t

H s a a s as P arab rahman O ne BRA MA (with the hort ), l o known , the

s s s . Ab olute, from which come out the univer e

i (i s - s s rs six BRAHMA (w th the long ), the elf con ciou unive e, the th

r s p inciple of the univer e . B RA M H A DA NDA a . , the vertebr l column

s . a E a . BRAHMANDA , the univer e Liter lly, the gg of Br hma B RA H M A RA ND H R A a h r s , the hole in the he d t ough which the oul

of he a a a s in th e Yogi p asse s out of the body . T spin l c n l end

this.

B RA H M A V I DYA th e v TheOSO hia . , Di ine Science , p H s a BUDD I , under t nding. GLOSSARY . 2 39

s s ss s a a CH, the ymbol for one of tho e ve el which em n te from the

heart .

CH H s a . , the ymbol for nother of them a a a a a s CHAITRA, lun r month of the Indi n C lend r, corre ponding

a - a generally to Febru ry M rch .

a a s . CHAKRA, circle, di c

CH A KS H US a a a a. , the eye ; the ocul r modific tion of Pr n

A a CH NDRA , the moon , the left bre th .

CH A N DR A OKA a s . L , the lun r phere

CH A TURY UGA Y u aS— a a a Dva ara and a , the four g S ty , Tret , p K li

put together ; a period of D aiva years.

CH H ANDOGY A a a a s a a ass a s s , the n me of Up ni h d , cl of tre ti e on

a s s the Indi n E oteric Philo ophy.

a as s s CHITRA, one of the lun r teri m .

= a s as . A a a d a one a DAIVA, pert ining to the god (Dev ) D iv y ye r of = A a a a 6 s a s. men . D iv ye r 3 5 uch d y DA M INi a r ss s a , the n n e of one of the ve el of the hum n body, pro bably the one with all it s ramification s which proceeds to the

s P I a s an bre a t of the fem ale ( ). h ve not yet found it de cribed y

where . a a s s a DEVACHAN , Tibet n term now u ed in Engli h to denote th t

s a ss s a a a s . t te of bli which one enjoy , fter de th , in the lun r phere

DEV A DA TTA a s . , one of the ten modific tion of the life principle

a s . DHANANJ AYA , one of the ten modific tion of the life principle

DH A N I SH TH A a a a s . , lun r m n ion

a . DHARANA, concentr tion of the mind S Z a DR S H KA NA a a . E , the third p rt of ign of the odi c

DUH KKH A a . , p in N A a a S Z a DV ADA S H A S H . , the twelfth p rt of ign of the odi c DV ES H A a a s a s sa a , th t m nife t tion of the mind which repel di gree ble

things .

s ss s an m ar . G, the ymbol for one of the ve el which br ch fro the he t

GA NDH A Ri a s . , the N di which goe to the left eye

‘ e GA IDH A RV A a a s a . . h venly mu ici n

GA a al f or the sun a . GAN , technic term bre th ’ 2 40 NA TURE S FINER FORCES .

ARGYA A URYAYA NA a an a s al G S , the n me of ncient philo ophic a s a s s tudent mentioned in the Up ni h d .

GARH A P A TY A s s. , one of the three hou ehold fire

0 11 s s a , the ymbol for one of the tube which proceed from the he rt

to branch off all over the body .

H I a - s . A a G AR , or GHATI , (i) period of twenty four minute (ii) lun r — a ss - s a d a Gh ati is somewh t le one ixtieth of lun ar y. GH RANA a s s a , the org n of mell, the odoriferou modific tion of

Pran a .

a s ss x a . HA, (i) the technic l ymbol for the proce of e pir tion (ii) T he A as a a a n a HAM , symbol for the k h T ttv , the euter nomin tive

of the same . H am and S a is a a Parab rahman HAMSA , from , the technic l n me of , becau s e in this state both the po sitive and negative motion s lie

i n posse.

H A M SA CH ARA a ss a . , the technic l term for the proce of bre thing

a a a s HASTA, lun r m n ion .

H A S T I IH V A a a s th e . J , N di which goe to right eye

a a Z a a S . HORA , the h lf of odi c l ign

IDA a s a s a d f , the N di which pre d in the left p rt of the bo y ; the le t

sympathetic . s INDRA , the ruler of the god ; the wielder of the thunderbolt.

I H NI H A D a S O PA S a U a s a . , the n me of p ni h d

I H s s a S VARA, the ixth principle of the univer e ( ccording to the a s s a septen ry divi ion); the ame as Brahm .

s s a s a off J , the ymbol for one of the twelve tem N di which br nch

a from the he rt.

a s a . J AGRATA, the w king t te H s s a s c J , the ymbol for one of the tem N di pro eeding from the a he rt .

Y SH TH A a a a s . J E , lun r m n ion

K s a s a , the ymbol for one of the N di proceeding from the he rt. i s a 1 s . KAIA , div ion of time % minute

’ 2 42 NATURE S FINER FORCES .

A M s a a . L (L), the ymbol for the Prithivi T ttv

O a S . L KA , phere of being

a a s . MAGHA, the tenth lun r m n ion

M A H AB H OTA a s T a a. , ynonym of tty

A KA A a s vi a a M H A L , the hell in which the qu litie of the Prithi T ttv ss are found in p ainful exce .

A H AM H A s s P at an ali. A s M O , one of the five mi erie of j ynonym of

a Raga (desire to obtain or ret in).

M A S H V A RA a r a . H E , the gre t Lord , the g e t Power

- A H ORTA a i s s. M , div ion of time forty eight minute

A s . M NAS, mind ; the third principle of the univer e from below

A N M A Y A a . T he a z M O KOSHA , the ment l coil individu li ed mind

is as a S a s a a s which , it were, he th for the piritu l energy to m nife t

s a a w a . it elf in , in the p rticul r y we find the mind working as s s a MANU , the Being conceived the ub tr tum of the third prin

s The idea a c iple of the univer e from below . of the hum nity of

a a one of thos e cycles known s M anv ntaras .

M A N US H A a a . M anusha d a , pert ining to men ; hum n y, the ordi

a d a - s M anusha a ar n ry y of twenty four hour ; ye r, the ordin y

s a a T he a is as d a a ol r ye r . lun r month known the y of the f thers

Pi tri a s a a s is as d a ( y ), the ol r ye r it elf known the y of the god s

a s - Chatur u as MANVANTARA , cycle of eventy one y g , during which

M a nn s i . e. s s a a a one reign , , during which exi t hum nity of cert in

t) p e .

M A N V A NTA R I a a a a a C a. , pert ining to M nv nt r

A a s M ATA RI S H V s s a . ra a , liter lly, he who leep in p ce Applied to P n

as s a s performing the function of recording the ct of men , etc .

a s a S u nreru . T he a as s a its a M ERU , l o c lled Pur n pe k of being

a P arva ta a a is S a a a mount in ( , Ach l ), on which itu ted Sv rg , the

a i a a s s s a he ven of Ind , cont ining the citie of god , with cele ti l

s i s a a s. It is a S as m s p rit for inh bit nt , in f ct, poken of the Oly pu T he f a i of the H indfi s. ct s th at Meru is no mountain of earthly

s as are a a a a It mould , uch we f mili r with on the f ce of our e rth . is the bound ary line which divi de s the a tmosphere of e arth

a ir from the upper , the pure ether, or, in our terminology, the GLOSSARY . 2 43

s a a a s s Meru is the bounding circle of the terre tri l Pr n . Thi ide

is a it s a s a s s the circle our pl net, with tmo phere ; th t ide the cele

a a a a s a s . T he s a V asa s s ti l Pr n , the bode of the cele ti l ge y de cribe

‘ the B hrI rlok a (or e arth)as extending from sea level to the b ack

On a s o - a a of the Meru . the f ce of the c lled mount in live the

’ s a s a s a is its a . s is cele ti l , hence the e rth bound ry b ck Thi line

a a a its a a s . c lled mount in from fixed, unch nge ble po ition

ss It is a s A smita MOHA, forgetfulne . ynonym of , one of the five ” “ P at an ali mi series of j .

a s a a s MOKSHA , th t t te of being in which the downw rd tendencie

a s and of the mind b olutely die out, in which , therefore, the mind

rem ain s merged in the soul without the danger of rebirth .

M RIOA S H IR S H A a a a s . , lun r m n ion

M il A a a as s . L , lun r teri m

N s s a s ranrif , the ymbol for one of tho e N di which y from the

a he rt .

s ea s a a ss . It is a ind iscrimi NADI, thi word m n tube , ve el pplied

at el - ss s and s T he a is a n y to blood ve el nerve . ide of the word th t a a ss a a s fl s of tube, ve el , or even line, long which omething ow ,

a be it liquid or the current of a force .

a a s a a s s . NAGA , th t m nife t tion of life which c u e belching

N sa . AMAH , obei nce AS II’ ‘ a P i Veda d and NASAD , hymn of the g , the one hun red twenty a a a s s s In ninth of the tenth M nd l , which begin with the e word .

s a thi s hymn i found the germ of the Science of Bre th .

NA V ANS H A a a S Z a . , the ninth p rt of ign of the odi c

IDRA r S N d eanrless . , leep NIM H A a s 3 a s ES . a a s , divi ion of time 7 5 of econd Liter lly, it me n

the twinkling of the eye .

s a tend encres NIRVANA, the extingui hment of the downw rd of the

. It is a s mind ynonym of Mok sh a .

NIRV ICH AR A a - a , the ultr medit tive intuition in which , without the

as ff as and a s and le t e ort of thought, the p t future, the ntecedent con sequents of a present phenomenon at once m ake their ap earanc e p in the mind .

NIRV ITA RKA a S am atti ss i n , kind of intuition ( p ), the wordle ’ 2 44 NATURE S FINER FORCES .

It is a s a a tuition . th t t te of ment l lucidity in which the truth s of n ature shine of themselve s w ithout th e intervention of

words .

a a a a s a n PADA , foot ; th t modific tion of life m tter which ct in w lki g.

a s a a a. PADMA , ynonym of K m l

a a s a a 1 oz . PALA, me ure, weight, bout }

PA M a a a s a a a. P am is (P), the lgebr ic l ymbol for the v yu T ttv the

a P a s neuter nomin tive of the letter , the fir t letter of the word

a a a a s a . P v n , ynonym of Y yu

i - - P A NCH a a s a fi ve . It KARANA , liter lly, the word me n m king fold as a s a as s It a s h been roughly tr n l ted the divi ion into five . me n the proce ss of a minimum of a Tattva being composed with

s s . s a ss sa tho e of other Thu , fter the proce , every molecule, y of

a a s s a. the Prithivi T ttv , will con i t of eight minim P i i Akas a voy g p as Prithivi r thiv h u A ni A 4 8 8 8 T

A a a at as are s i fia A nd so . In T tv V na and on n nd the ingle . III j

- aft a s a is fi ve and a has a . erw rd e ch fold, hence e ch colour, etc

a a a . PANI , h nd ; m nu l power

PA RA B RA H M A N s is as a s ss a s , thi now well known the c u ele c u e of

U s One s A ll. the niver e, the Ab olute “ PA R A B RA H M A NE a P arab rahman a a a , the d tive of , me ning to P r ” a br hm a. ” PA RA M ES H T H I U th e “ asa as a is S KTA , N d it hymn noticed bove

a s a fik l o c lled the P arameshthi S ta. PA RA V A IRAGYA a s a its a s a s , th t t te of the mind when m nife t tion

a s a and s all become b olutely potenti l, lo e power of coming into In s s a the a ctual without the nod of the soul . thi t te every high

a power m akes its appear nce eas ily in th e mind. PA R IN IRV ANA as s a a s can , the l t t te in which the hum n oul live,

and s a and s a fl s a the p ychic, ment l , phy iologic l in uence h ve no a power on th t. PA TA N A I a s s a s J L , the uthor of the Aphori m of Yog , the cience of

a a a and l s ment l pplic tion embel i hment. a s a a a s PAYU , excretive org n ; the modific tion of Pr n which goe to

m ake up the se .

’ 2 46 NATURE S FINER FORCES .

O H ss a a a a s w as F RA A , the proce in Pr n y m of filling the lung ith

a ir a s ss a as a a as s s . much po ible , dr wing deep bre th po ible

P ORV AB H ADR A P A DA a nransio us. , one of the lun r

P URV AS H AD H A a a s s . , one of the lun r m n ion

U a s r a ea . P SHA , the n me of the N di which goe to the right

a a s s PUSHYA , one of the lun r m n ion .

A a a s a s s a R GA , (i) th t m nife t tion of the mind which eek to ret in

- as s . A s are ple ure giving object (ii) mode of mu ic . There eight

s s a nd a s h as s a s mode of mu ic, e ch of the e ever l minor mode

a a s a a has a a s a a s . c lled R gini . E ch R gini g in ever l h rmonie

RaGINi (See Raga).

RA M a Ra s a s as s A , neuter nomin tive of ; t nd the ymbol for the gni

a a T ttv .

a as . RASANA , the org n of t te RA URA V A a s as a a are , the hell in which the qu litie of the Tej T ttv

a ss found in p inful exce .

a as a s s os RAVI , the neg tive ph e of m tter, di tingui hed from the p i is as its ss . In a tive ph e by impre ibility f ct, it the cooler life

a is a a a . m tter, while the hotter n med Pr n RE CH A KA a a a a a a of , the pr ctice in Pr n y m of driving the bre th out t he lungs

R V A T I a a s s. E , one of the lun r m n ion

RI G s and s a as. VEDA, the olde t mo t import nt of the Ved RIT A M B H A RA a s , the f culty of p ychic perception by which the realitie s of the world are known with as much truth and ex act

r ne ss as the extern al things a e know n by ordin ary perception .

RoH INi a a s . , the fourth lun r m n ion

s ss s a . The a SA , the ymbol for the proce of in pir tion Sh kti , the

- a a is a s a S a. receptive modific tion of life m tter, l o c lled ADH A KA P IT’I‘ A a art sa a s S , the temper ture of the he , id to be the c u e

of intelligence and unders tanding. a s a is so a s SAMADHI , tr nce ; the t te in which the mind much b orbed

its s s as r s in the object of pur uit, or in the oul , to fo get it elf in

the object of its attention . a m a s a a is sa SAMANA , th t nife t tion of life which in the bdomen id to

c au se the absorption and dis tribution of food all over th e body. h a f o n e as a s . In a c an h intervene f ct , there be no c nge rom te of m a tter to another without thi s all- pervading Tattva

i s a . ervenin . s s a g Thi intervening t te , however, not the S ndhi t attvic conj unction a new conjunct T att va is a lways pro

ed s is a a . s . Thi indic ted by the length of the bre th Thu ,

and a is s en the Agni the V yu conjoin , the length omewhere

s a T attvas . If s ween the e two . Simil rly for other the po itive 1‘ nega tive ph as es in a ny object m ake their appea rance in

a a s ss s s a ml r immedi te ucce ion for ome time, they will be id to

a . If s in conjunction (S ndhi) , however, coming from oppo ite e s a a s is A as a etion , they c ncel e ch other, the re ult either k h or s a T h e a a humn . re der will perceive th t there is very little

Terenc e and s s at all s a s A as a , ometime none , in the t te of k h , d i A n h a n d S ushu m na. I f as a a s s a a is , k h rem in t tion ry, it t sh u mna S ush umna s a s s ; if tend tow rd production , it become

: s A a a a . In a s a is a s a a h f ct, k h th t t te which immedi tely fore ad o s n t w a y other ta tvic s ta te of being .

S a a a s A s KARA, cquired velocity ; cquired h bit . ynonym of ma a n .

AS V A T i s s s , the godde of peech .

s s a s the fir t t te of the univer e, in which every form of the I s s a a s la a . It is a s a ing univer e , even hv r him elf, y l tent th t t te an - s at are which the non compo ite T tvas first emitted .

( a ss A , ver city ; truthfulne ; truth .

I a . S ee Nirvitark a and Ni CHARA , the medit tive intuition ( r

:hara. ) rT A R H A . a a kind of intuition ; the verb l intuition . ’ 2 48 NATURE S FINER FORCES .

S H A N KH INi a a i all it s a a s s , N d , with r mific tion , which goe to the

a s nu .

HA s a s H ind fis. The six sc s S STRA , the cred book of the hool of

s philo ophy .

H A TA B H I S H A a a a s . S J , lun r m n ion

H A TA CH A KRA NIR OP A NA a a th e s S , the n me of work on philo ophy

of the T ant rists .

S H IV AGA M A a an a . The s a s , the n me of ncient book pre ent tre ti e on the Science of Bre ath cont ain s only th e s ubject of one is a a . ch pter of th t book, which now nowhere found

H RA V A NA a a a s . S , lun r m n ion

- S H ROT R A ear a as a . , ; the uditory ph e of life m tter S H VE I' ‘ A KETU a an a s i s re re , the n me of ncient philo opher who p s ented in the Cbbd ndogya Upanishad as reading B rahmavidya

with his father Gauta m a .

a e . SMRITI , the f culty of retentiv memory

S TH U A ss . L , gro T H O A H A RiR A ss as s u s S L S , the gro body di ting i hed from the higher

s ubtle principles .

A as . SUKH , the feeling of ple ure

S fiRYA sun . , the

OR YA O KA s a s . S L , the ol r phere S ORYA M A NDA A s a fl L , the portion of p ce where the in uence of the

sun re ache s. S US H UM NA a s a s , (i) the N di which pre d in the middle of the body .

T he s a all it s a a s . a s a (ii) pin l chord, with r mific tion (iii) Th t t te of force which is pregn ant of both the negative and positive ph ase s ;

- a sun - a fl s when neither the moon bre th nor the bre th ow , the

Pran a is s aid to be in S ushumna. S US H UPT I a ss s s a s , dre mle leep , the t te of the oul when the m anifestation s of the mind exp eri enced in dream are at

s re t.

V A P NA a a . S , dre m

- a a a SVARA, the current of the life w ve ; the Gre t Bre th ; the bre ath

man . T he a a a a has of Gre t Bre th , on wh tever pl ne of life, five

d a s T att vas. mo ific tion , the ' ‘ i S V A I a a a s . , lun r m n ion

’ 2 0 R 5 NATU E S FINER F ORCES .

I UTT A RA P H A G UN a a a s . L , lun r m n ion

’ ‘ UT I A RAS H A DH A a a a s . , nother lun r m n ion

V - V A IDH R IT A A I DH RITI s a. are , or , the twenty eventh Yog There “ - s as . The a sa s twenty even Yog in the ecliptic Yog , y Cole “ is s a a a sum brooke, nothing el e th n mode of indic ting the of ” i s su n a d a d i the long tude of the n moon ; n so it s .

' V A I RAGY A ind rflerence as s , to the ple ing object of the world .

V i a ss s a a a as a . , the godde of peech ; nother n me of S r v ti

V A M s as a a a i a s (V), the ymbol of the Ap T ttv , from V r , ynonym of

as Ap . A N a and V SA A, the h bit tendency engendered in the mind by the

doing of any ac t . i T at an if V Y U tvas t erous . , one of the ; the g ether

E s a s H ind fi s. V DAS, the four cred book of the m a V DOV EDA a a s a S ushu n . E , m nife t tion of the V I' ‘ n S E A A a . L , evil pirit

V ICH A RA a . , medit tion

V I NANA a a s . a is J , liter lly, it me n knowing Technic lly, it the

psychic m atter and its m anife sta tion s . N A M A A V I AN Y H s s . J KOS A, the p ychic coil of the pirit V IKA A i P a a . L , complex im g n tion V i N A a s ri s s . , t ng in trument of mu ic

VINDU , point .

V IPA A a as a s . L , me ure of time , of econd

V IP A RY AYA a s n a f s a ns , f l e k owledge , one of the five m ni e t tio of n li mind recogni z ed by the s age Pat a j a .

A a a M a nn and son a a. T he VIR T, the immedi te f ther of , of Br hm ak ashic s tate of psychic m atter from which proceed the mental ann T attvas which con stitute M .

V IS H AKH A a a as s . , lun r teri m

V IS H A M A B H AV A e a sta . s is a a s a S n , un qu l te Thi m nife t tion of In s r a fl s shumna. thi the b e th ow one moment out of one

nostril a nd the next out of the other. M P A N IS H A D a a U a s a a s a V IS H RA O , the n me of p ni h d tr n l ted in the

text.

' ‘ V A V IS H UV A I t s is a a s a S us humna. V ISH U . , hi m nife t tion of A A a a s a i i a s s a VY N , th t m nife t tion of l fe wh ch c u e every p rt of the

body to keep it s s h ape . V u l sa an a s a , ncient philo opher, the uthor of the

a a a s s a a s s comment tor on the phori m of Yog , the phori m of the

s Vedanta and other w ork .

V YA T I P A w n - s as AT . S ee aid h ri a V t . ) , one of the t e ty even Yog (

A K A a ( - ass n s . Y SH , cl of leu god Y K IN l A S H a a s a . , the fem le Y k h

‘ Y A M L- NA i a s , in the terminology of the Sc ence of Bre th u ed for fl the owing left N ad i . Y \ i S H A S H V IN a s ea r. , the N di which goe to the left

O A s a a a a nd s Y G , the cience of pplic tion , ttention , the embelli h

a ment of the hum n mi n d .