Arthur Koestler

Yoga Unexpurgated The Lotus and the Robot (I)

I~ ~ w o R D Yogameans Union. The aim is based only bowdlerised versions are made of all Yogapractices, as defined in the available to Western sympathisers. These give T YogaSutras o[ Patanjali, is the ultimate the impression that Hatha Yoga is merely a absorption of the subject in his "real self," in superior system of gymnasticexercises, designed pure consciousness without object. Whenthis is to relax the body and mind by adopting a suit- attained, individual consciousness merges into able posture, a natural way of breathing, and cosmicconsciousness, and the real self dissolves thus to facilitate a meditative attitude. At the in the universal self--"as sparks issued from the sametime, it is usually denied that there is any- samefire are destined to return to it," or "as thing "mysterious" or "occult" about its the dewdrop, trembling on a lotus, slips into doctrines. the shining sea." Then the Yogi’s detached In fact, every Indian-born practitioner of alone-ness becomestransformed into the experi- Hatha Yoga, from the Himalayan hermit to ence of all-oneness; both expressions are derived the Bombayinsurance clerk whospends an hour from the same root, and the Sanskrit word a day at a Yoga institute, knows that Hatha atman covers both. Yoga does promise the attainment of super- natural powers; and he also knowsthat every posture and exercise has both a symbolic mean- The Prise of HathaYoga ing and a physiological purpose related to the A X A N J ~, Z ~’ S YogaSutras, whichprobably tenets of ayurvedic medicine, and not considered p date from the second or third century B.c., a fit subject for discussionwith foreigners. are a profoundlyseductive, if somewhatobscure, The following summaryof Hatha Yoga doc- treatise on a mystic philosophy of muchearlier trines and practices is based partly on the origin. Yoga began apparently in the form of primary sources, and partly on information Raja Yoga--as a journey towards the primal obtained from various Indian YogaInstitutes, verities, the Royal Unionwith the Absolute, by Research Centres, and individual practitioners. wayof meditation. But it was gradually super- The primary sources are: the Hatha Yoga Pradi- seded by Hatha Yoga--literally "forced Union" pika, apparently the first standard workon the --a discipline with its main emphasison physio- subject, probablywritten in the ~2th century, but logical techniques. HathaYoga is at least a thou- based on a much older tradition; the Siva sand years old, and seems to have remained Samhita and the GherandaSamhita, which are basically unchangedthroughout that period. It compendiaof a somewhatlater date. All three is the only form of Yogastill practised on a have been translated into English, but are rather large scale, taught by individual gurus or difficult1 to obtain. approvedYoga institutes, and propagatedin the Westernworld. But of the doctrine on which it Yl~s ~ioI~x sTzvs OR LIMBS OF YOGA according to Patanjali are: (x) and (2) abstentions observances (such as non-violence, chastity, This is the first of two articles by Mr. avoidance of humancompany, dietary rules); Koestlerbased on his recent trip to India and (3) postures; (4) controlled breathing; (5) Japan;a brieJ introductorynote on his Jorth- (6) sense-withdrawal and concentration; (7) comingboo k, THZnoxvs ANDTH.~ ROBOT, will meditation; (8) samadhi--the complete absorp- be found among"’Authors" in this number. tion of the mindin the atma,

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8 Arthur Koestler The Hatha Yoga Pradipika opens with the 14. Dhouti is of four kinds, and they clear statementthat its purposeis to serve "as a stair- awaythe impurities of the body.... case" for those aspirants who, confused by the VATASARA-DHOUTI i(;. Contractthe mouthlike the beak of a crow multiplicity of methods recommended by and drink air slowly, and fill the stomachslowly various sects, are unable to master Raja Yoga. with it, and moveit therein, and then slowly The steps of the staircases are bodily exercises. force it out throughthe lower passage. In the original system of Patanjali, these were r7. The Vatasar is a very secret process, it contained under headings (3) and (4): posture causesthe purificationof the body,it destroysall diseasesand increases the gastric fire. and breathing, and were discussed only briefly, VARISARA-DHOUTI in general terms. Aboutthe first he merely says ~8. Fill the mouth with water downto the that it is preferable to adopt a posture "in which throat, and then drink it slowly; and then move one can continue for long and with ease;" about it through the stomach forcing it downwards breathing he is equally laconic. expellingit throughthe rectum. In the Hatha Yoga Pradipika, however, no 19. This process should be kept very secret. It purifies the body. Andby practising it with less than eighty-four postures are mentioned, care one gets a luminousor shining body. most of them consisting of twists and contor- 2o. The Varisara is the highest Dhouti. He tions, and the control of breathing is carried to whopractises it with ease purifies his filthy body the gruesomelength to be presently described. and turns it into a shining one. Someof the postures, such as the various head- AGNISARA OR FIRE PURIFICATIOIq 2I. Pressin the navelknot or intestines towards stands and spine twists, serve gymnastic pur- the spine for one hundredtimes. This is Agnisar poses, but the moreelaborate ones have a differ- or fire process.... ent function. BAHISKRITA-DHOUTI Before he is allowed to practise the advanced 24 ..... standing in navel-deep water, draw techniques, the adept must learn to master the out the Saktinadi(long intestines), washthe Nadi various cleansing practices. Foremost among with hand, and so long as its filth is not all washedaway, wash it with care, and then draw these are purification of the alimentary tract. it in again into the abdomen.... The stomach is cleaned by three principal methods:(a) by thrusting a stalk of cane slowly The reverse procedures are knownunder the downthe gullet and drawing it out; (b) term basti or "Yogaenemas." Jala-basti consists swallowing as muchtepid water as the stomach in squatting in a tub of water navel-high and will hold and vomitingit up; (c) by swallowing sucking the water up through the rectum. At a a cloth about four inches wide and twenty-two- more advanced stage, the adept also learns to and-a-half-feet long, and then pulling it out. The suck liquids up through his penis (vajroli last method is considered the most effective, mudra). These achievements presuppose, of and is still vigorouslypractised, for instance, at course, considerable training, particularly the exercises knownas uddiyama and nauli (the the approved Yoga Health Centre at Santa Cruz, Bombay.It takes about a month or two isolation and independentcontrol of the straight to learn to swallow the seven and a half yards and transverse abdominal muscles) and asvini mudra(control of the anal sphincter and of cer- of surgical gauze in about ten minutes, and it is supposed "to cleanse the waste matter coating tain visceral muscles). By these methods it the walls of the stomach." becomespossible to reverse peristalsis, and to I must nowenter upon the painful subject of create suctional effects in the digestive and the Hindu obsession with the bowel functions, urinary tracts. which permeated religious observances and The remarkable thing is that these techniques social custom. I quote from the Gheranda are still recommendedand practised in precisely Samhita: the same form in which the GherandaSamhita and Hatha Yoga Pradipil~a taught them a mil- lenium ago. Thus in Yoga Hygqene Simplified 1Sinh, Pancham(tr.), Hatha Yoga Pradipika. (Bombay, x957), a booklet published by the 2nd ed. Atlahabad, pub. by Lalit MohanBasu, The above-mentionedYoga Institute in Santa Cruz, Panini Office, I932. Vidyarnava,Rai BahadurSrisa it is asserted that practice of the methodsjust Chandra(tr.), Siva Samhita. 2rid ed. Allahabad, described leads to results "which could not be pub. by SudhindraNath Basu, The Panini Office, x923. Vasu, Sris Chandra(tr.), GherandaSanhita, accomplished by any modern device known to The Tatva-VivechakaPress, Bombay,i895. science."

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Yoga Unexpurgated 9 The Vital Breath (locks, seals, restraints), whichserve to seal all R^NAY^M^occupies a central position in bodily orifices. Someexamples of these are: pthe doctrine of Yoga. Prana means "life Jalandharamudra, or chin lock. It consists in breath," in the physical sense of air, and in the contracting the throat and pressing the chin wider sense of vital spirit, comparableto the firmly into the jugular notch, while simultane- Greek pneuma and the Hebrew ruakh. ously contracting the abdominal muscles and Patanjali has only this to say about pranayama: drawing in the anus. The eyes and mind are "5o. The regulation of breath is exhaling, in- focused on the space between the eyebrows. haling, and storing within; is governedby place, "This causes the mind to swoonand give com- time, and number;~ and is long and subtle. fort. For by this joining the mind with the 5I. A fourth form of the control of breath is its atrnan, the bliss of Yogais certainly obtained." storing up with attention on an external or in- Maha mudra and maha bandha ("the great ternal object. 52. Bybreath-control, the afflictions binding") consist in a combinationof the chin- that shroud the luminous quality are anni- lock, the drawing in of the abdominalviscerae hilated; 53. and the mindbecomes fit for steady towards the spine, and the drawing of air into contemplation.... " the small intestines by contractions of the anal Thus originally the control of breathing, like sphincter. The air is kept locked in by pressure that of bodily posture, was meantto facilitate a of the heel of the left foot against the anus and peaceful, meditative state of mind. By the time perineum. I ought to remark here that in most the Hatha Yoga Pradipi&acame to be written, of the advanced postures the left foot is used it had becomenot only an all-cure for every form for the samedefinite purpose,that is, for sealing of disease, but also a meansfor acquiring super- the anal orifice, with simultaneouspressure on natural powers. the genitals. The opening passage of the chapter on Maha-vedha("the great piercing") is a varia- breathing in the Pradipil~ais significant: "When tion of the previous, but the Yogi "resting both the breath moves, the mind also moves. When hands equally on the ground, should raise him- breath ceases to move, the mind becomes self a little and strike his buttocks against the motionless. The body of the Yogi becomesstiff ground gently," then exhale the locked-in air as a stump. Therefore one should control the through the rectum. breath." One of the most important practices is "Control" means, chiefly, holding the breath l~hecari mudra,because it is supposedto confer locked in the body as long as possible to induce the gift of levitation. It is described at great the trance state of samadhi.The first step in the length by the Hatha Yoga Pradipika; a shorter training is the cleansing of the nadis--the version is given in the GherandaSamhita: channels or pathways through which the vital Cut the lower tendon of the tongue, and move forces of the body are supposed to move. the tongueconstantly; rub it with fresh butter, This is achieved by various techniques, such and draw it out (to lengthen it) with an iron instrument.By practising this always,the tongue as bhastrika (bellow-breathing), or inhaling becomeslong, and whenit reaches the space through the right nostril and exhaling through betweenthe eyebrows, then Khecari is accom- the left nostril at a fixed rhythm. The classic plished. Then (the tongue being lengthened) timing is I:4:2 for the duration of inhalation, practise turning it upwardsand backwardsso as to touchthe palate, till at length it reachesthe retention, and exhalation respectively; for in- holes of the nostrils openinginto the mouth. stance: 2 seconds, 8 seconds, 4 seconds. After a Close those holes with the tongue(thus stopping few monthsof these preliminary exercises, the inspiration), and fix the gaze on the space nadis have been purified, and the proper breath- betweenthe eyebrows. This is called Khecari. ing practices can begin. By this practice there is neither fainting, nor hunger, nor thirst, nor laziness. There comes Their main purpose, as already said, is to neither disease, nor decay, nor death. The body suspendthe flow of breath by locking in the air. becomesdivine. This is achieved by various mudrasand bandhas This technique is often called the King of the ~ "Place" in this context meansthe minimum Mudras.It is still actively practised. The best distance fromthe subject’s lips at whicha feather documentedreport of a Europeaninitiated into will remainundisturbed by his quiet exhalation; "time," the duration of holding the breath locked the higher techniques of Yoga is Hatha Yoga, in, and "number,"the rhythm. a Report of a Personal Experience by Dr. Theos

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10 Arthur Koestler Bernard. a His account of learning khecari fluids. At first it wasthick, heavy, and slimy; mudrais as follows: eventually, it becamethin, dear, and smooth.... Theprocess itself is simple enough.I started Dr. Bernardfurther reports that blocking both by "milking" the tongue. This wasaccomplished cranial holes of the nose seemedto inhibit the by washingit and then catching hold of it with breathing reflex. He had progressed to a stage a linen towd.... I pulled it straight out and then from side to side as far as it wouldgo. This I of proficiency where he could hold his breath did regularly twice a day for ten minutes. After for four minutes, but that was his limit. At this a couple of weeksI noticed that the fraenumwas stage he learned l~hecari mudra, which enabled beginning to give way because of being drawn him to hold it for five minutes in ten consecu- over the incisor teeth; but I wantedto encourage tive breathing cycles; while "for a single aspira- the process, so I resorted to a razor blade. Each morningI delicately drew the blade across the tion I could hold my breath several minutes fraenum until blood appeared. There was no longer." However, to acquire supernatural pain, and the bleeding stoppedbefore I finished powers, the texts prescribe a suspension of at milking the tongue. The following morningthe least an hour-and-a-half. woundhad begunto heal and a light tissue was beginning to form, whichI scraped off; then I repeatedthe process of the precedin~gday. TheVital Fluid I wasalso taught a practice supplementaryto vAR T frombreath control, khecari, the king milking the tongue. In order to get the tongue of the mudras, serves another, more im- downthe throat, it is first necessaryto loosen A the soft palate. The most convenient wayis to portant purposerelated to one of the traditional bend the end of the handle of an ordinary tea- ideas of Yoga and Hindu medicine. It is the spoon enoughto form a hook. Insert this in the belief that a man’svital energy is concentrated back of the throat and draw it forwarduntil it in his seminalfluid, and that this is stored in a catches on to the palate ridge. Whena firm grip has been secured, repeatedly pull the palate cavity in the skull. It is the most precious sub- towardsthe front part of the mouth.In time this stance in the body--variously called hindu, membranewill becomeso flexible that it will be soma-rasa,nectar, vital fluid, etc.--an elixir of almost possible to touch the teeth with the soft life both in the physical and mystical sense, palate. I practisedthis daily for ten minutesafter milkingthe tongue. distilled from the blood; it is supposedto take Success depends upon the amount of time forty drops of blood and forty days to makeone spent in practice. I wasable to accomplishit in drop of semen. A large store of l~’ndu of pure about four monthsby workingan average of ten quality guarantees health, longevity, and super- minutesa day .... Toelongate the tongueso that natural powers; it is also held responsible for it can be placed betweenthe eyebrowsrequires several years,~ but it is not necessaryto achieve that radiant glow of the body, ascribed to Yogis this goal at once. It is sufficient to acquirethe and all Brahmacharis--men living in con- ability to swallowthe tongue and to use it to tinence. Conversely,every loss of it is a physical direct the breath into the desired nostril or shut and spiritual impoverishment.Losses occur not it off completely.... In the beginning I was permitted to help the only in sexual intercourse, but also through tonguedown the throat with the fingers, but after suspicious dischargesof the ears, nose, and other a time it wasnot necessary. Assoon as I placed body openings; they all consist of spoiled hindu. the tongue behind the palate, the saliva began By blocking his windpipe, gullet, and nostrils to flow in a constant stream. In this wayI was through l(hecari mudra, the adept is supposed supposedto determinethe condition of the body to prevent the loss of vital fluid through its 3London, I95o. Dr. Bernard studied under dripping downinto the lower centres, and to various gurus in India and Tibet (he was killed in absorb it back through his tongue. ]alandhara Tibet in i947). Tht thirty-six plates in his book raudra, the chin lock, incidentally also serves showing him performing the various asanas are that purpose, but less effectively. Hencethe probably the best photographic documentationon Hatha Yoga Pradipika: Yoga. ~ Sris ChandraVasu, the translator of Gheranda If the hole behindthe soft palate be stopped Samhita,writing in I894, remarks,"It takes about with khecari by turning the tongue upwards, three years to cut awaythe whole tendon. I saw then Mnducannot leave its place even if a woman myGuru doing it in this wise. Onevery Monday were embraced.If the Yogi drinks somarasaby he used to cut the tendon one-twelfth of an inch sitting with the tongue turned backwardsand deepand sprinkle salt over it so that the cut por- mindconcentrated, there is no doubt he conquers tions maynot join together. Then rubbing the death within fifteen days.... Asfire is insepar- .tonguewith butter he used to pull it out. Peculiar ably connectedwith the woodand light is con- Iron instruments are employedfor this purpose." nectedwith the wickand oil, so doesthe soul not

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Yoga Unexpurgated 11 leave the body full of nectar exuding from the secretions prior to or during...orgasm under Soma[cavity in the skull] .... He who drinks sexual excitement and thus cause their resorption the clear stream of liquor falling from the brain through the lymphatics. In case the secretions .... by applying the tongue to the hole of the happen to be eiected, the Yogi is advised to with- pendant in the palate.., becomesfree from dis- draw the secretion from the vagina where it ease and tender in body, like the stalk of a lotus, may have become deposited, with aid of and that Yogi lives a very long life. On top of Madhavadasavacuum [part of the vairoli tech- the Meru [spinal column], concealed in a hole, nique] .... The scientific theory maybe simpli- is the somarasa..., the essence which, leaving the fied thus: that instead of mere passivity, it is body, causes death in men. It should, therefore, preferable and hygienic to engage in normal be stopped from shedding. This [khecari mudra] sexual activities whennecessary--for this cer- is a very good instrument for this purpose .... tainly causes less strain and lesser energy waste than what has to be actually expended in self- An even more drastic instrument, serving the denials and repressions--remembering that there same purpose, is va~roli tundra, which I have should be no physiological loss. This loss, to be briefly mentioned before. sure, is inevitable if the secretions escape from the body. The Yogi, therefore...suffers no Even one who lives a wayward life, without corresponding loss. On the contrary, he gains observing any rules of Yoga, but performs muchthrough healthful reactions and resorption vairoli, deserves success and is a Yogi. Twothings of the extra fresh fluids otherwise not avail- are necessary for this, and these are difficult to s able .... It is thus.., an excellent hygienic ideal get for the ordinary people (I) milk and (2) and--/l only the process of va~roli could be womanbehaving as desired. By practising to draw made available to and brought within the prac- in the bindtt discharges during cohabitation, tice of one and all--solves incidentally the most whether one be a man or a woman, one obtains success in the practice of va}roli. By means of a discussed topic in modern eugenics, namely, family planning through birth-control .... pipe, one shouldblow [i.e., draw] air slow. ly into the passage in the male organ. By practice, the The author is the head of an Institute which discharged bindu is drawn up. One can draw enjoys Government support. back and preserve one’s own discharged bindu. Even level-headed Englishmen, if they have The Yogi who can protect his bindu thus, over- comes death; because death comes by discharging lived long enough in India, seem to succumb to hindu, and life is prolonged by its preservation. these ideas. Thus Mr. Ernest Wood, the author By preserving bindu, the body of the Yogi emits of the latest popular book on the subject," who a pleasing smell. There is no fear of death, so had a long and distinguished career as an educa- long as the hindu is well established in the body. The bindu of men is under the control of the tionalist at the Universities of Bombay and mind, and life is dependent on the bindu. Hence, Madras: mind and bindu should be protected by all means. fit should be] remembered that the semen The pipe mentioned in the quotation is used draws its material from all over, and transmits in the first stage of the training, until the adept something from every part of the body to the has learned to aspire fluids through the urethra, succeeding generation, and that waste of this as he has previously learnt to do through the fluid, or excessive generation of it, depletes the body all over, and on the other hand conserva- colon. To Hindus brought up in the traditions tion of it is highly beneficial to the whole body. of ayurvedic medicine--which applies to the It appears that this is the one function of the vast majority of the nation--the procedure may body which does not work for the benefit of the seem complicated, but perfectly logical. Thus in body, but draws from it for the sake of another or others, and therefore its non-use does not harm Hatha Yoga Simplified, published by the Yoga the body but on the contrary is beneficial to it. Institute, Santa Cruz, the author explains that This is at the back of the universal belief of the sexual intercourse in itself is not harmful, only Yogis in favour of continence and celibacy. the loss of vital fluid which it entails. Therefore Weshall see that this preoccupation with con- vairoli mudra is to be highly recommended. tinence in the strictly physiological, seminal After explaining the various stages of training-- meaning is not restricted to Yogis, but to be the aspiration through the urethra first of water, found in every region and in every social stratum "then of liquids of higher specific gravity, e.g., in India. milk, honey, and sometimes even mercury" (the latter, however, only under expert supervision), he concludes: The Serpent Power The highest technique of vajroll.., consists in r~ ultimate aim of Hatha Yoga is to successfully withholding the ejaculation of sex T awaken the vital force in man slumbering at the base of his spine in the shape of a coiled ~ Milk is believed by Hindusto be an aphrodisiac. "Yoga. Penguin Books (I959). serpent--Kundalini. When Kundalini is awak-

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12 Arthur Koestler ened, she must be forced to ascend through a numbersof petals in the lower centres is six- narrowcanal in the spinal cord, through various teen, the top of the brain displays a thousand- gates and stations, to the top of the brain, and petalled lotus. there consummate her symbolic union with Each time Kundalini passes through one of Shiva, her spouse. She then re:urns to her the centres, its lotus, whosepetals had previously former abode. Whenthis union becomes per- been pointing downward, now turns and faces manent, the Yogi is liberated and enters into upward. The flower is said to have become his final samadhi. "cool;" its attention has been diverted from the The process of awakening and moving the nether impulses of the body towards the seat Kundalini serpent has a physiological and a of the Godwhere the union with the life-snake symbolic aspect--the former grotesquely un- is going to take place. Kundalini’spainful jour- appetising, the latter beautiful and profound. ney, assisted by visceral acrobacies and respira- Both are derived from *the archetypal erotic tory intoxication, is one of the most ancient imagery which permeates Hindu religious art symbolsfor the sublimation of the libido. and ayurvedic medicine. Apart from its lotus, each of the centres has The serpent Kundalini "lies coiled three-and- a symbolic animal, a colour, a male divinity a-half times" around the base of the spine, clos- with his shakti and an invocatory mantra ing the sushumnawith its mouth. The sushumna associated with it. Thus the chal(ra at the base is a narrow canal in the centre of the spinal of the spine is associated with Brahmaand the cord, through which the serpent must be forced Goddess Dakini, with the colour yellow, and to go upward. the four-petalled lotus; its animalsymbol is the The awakeningof the serpent is done by one elephant and its invocatory mantra the syllable or the other combinationof the various air-locks lain. The highest of the six centres, betweenthe and bowel gymnastics which have been eyebrows, is called the aina chakra./ljna means described. Essential to most is asvini mudra,the "command."Here Shiva resides; his symbol is rhythmic contraction and dilation of the anal the lingam, or phallus, whichthe Shaivites dis- sphincter. One recommendedvariant is ioni play painted on their foreheads. His seat in the mudra,the closing up of all orifices---ears with commandcentre is always represented by a the thumbs,eyes with the index fingers, nostrils triangle enclosing the lingam, the crescent moon with middle fingers, lips with the remaining and a dot. This dot has a multiplicity of sym- fingers, the rectum and memberby the heel of bolic meanings. The Sanskrit word for it is the foot. This is combinedwith mental concen- hindu, signifying dot or drop; but also semen; tration and repeating certain mantras--invoca- and also the dot on the "m" in the mantra orb tions. The effect is that the serpent begins to --the highest invocation of God--which makes suffocate, awakens with a hiss and "becomes the sound of the "m" trail and reverberate like straight like a snake struck with a stick." In a slack cord. order to makeher enter the narrow channel in All the symbolsare here crowdedtogether: the the cord, violent bellow breathing is recom- lingam and the seed, the God, the point repre- mendedfor a few minutes. After that various senting the infinite void. Kundalini’s journey abdominal muscle contractions are applied for comes to an end at the seventh chakra some- periods of an hour-and-a-half at a time, accom- where under the crown of the skull--the seat panied by mantras, to force her gradually up- of the thousand-petalledlotus. It is here that her wards through the channel. union with Shiva is consummated;after that The serpent must force her way through three she returns, "no longer a maiden but a young "gates" and past six chakras, or centres. These widow," to her homeat the base of the spine. six centres are of great importancein the Hindu Onher return journey, the lotus-flowers in the concept of the humanbody. The first is at the various centres are again madeto face down- base of the spine, the secondat the genitals, the ward, and the residing divinities cohabit with third near the navel, the fourth near the heart, their female shal(tis, thus lending newvitality the fifth near the throat, the sixth betweenthe to each centre. eyebrows;a seventh, at the very top of the brain, However, when the Yogi reaches ultimate forms a category apart. samadhi, the snake will remain permanently Each of the chal(ras (literally, wheels) has united with Shiva in the form of an ardhanarish- padmaor lotus-flower attached to it, with vary- wara--a god half-male and half-female--a ing numbers of petals. Whereas the greatest motive often encountered in Hindu sculpture.

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Yoga Unexpurgated 13 The location of the cavity in whichthe bindu they were cut downwhile still alive, colour is stored is somewhatdubious; sometimesit is hallucinations are mentioned, though the domi- said to be located on the left, or lunar, side of nant colour is green. the brow-chal~ra,sometimes above it, sometimes I do not mean, of course, that accounts of just abovethe top of the spine. mystical experiences should always be explained awayby this kind of argument. But I do believe Ar~^Dr~x, the ultimate end of the hard and that such experiences must be sought along a Sdevious road of Yoga, will be discussed road other than that of Hatha Yoga. Kundalini’s presently. But I must briefly mention a pheno- journey past the lotus-flowers from the base of menonwhich is said to occur in the last stages the spine to the head, her transformation from before samadhi: the appearance of an "inner a biological into a spiritual force, is a beautiful light," and of various "inner sounds" or hades. parable; but there is a tendency in the human Regarding the latter, the Siva Samhita says: mindnever to leave a symbolalone, an itch to "The first sound is like the humof the honey- debaseit by pseudo-rationalisations and thus the intoxicated bee, next that of a flute, then of a Indian mystic is taught to force his tongue into harp; after this, by the gradual practice of Yoga, the cranial cavity, to drink his hindu and to the destroyer of the darkness of the world, he blink with his anus, to achieve union with hears the soundsof ringing bells; then soundslike Brahma. roars of thunder. Whenone fixes his full atten- tion on this sound, being free from fear he gets Yoga Research sam~dhi." On the other hand, the Pmdipil(a . teachers of Hatha Yoga, from ancient gives a different order of nat/as progressing throughfour stages: first light sounds"like the ~]~masters to modern practitioners, have tinkling of ornaments"; next "the beating of a advancedthree mainclaims; firstly, that it cures disorders of mind and body, and produces kettle drum"; thirdly, the sound of a different drum; lastly, "the perfect sound like that of a heightened physical and mental well-being; flute." secondly, that it procures supernatural powers, Moreinteresting are the lights, because their siddhis, through control of the body’s latent descriptions have a certain resemblance to the forces; thirdly, that it leads to the mysticunion. "white light" reported by Christian mystics-- Thus there are, broadly speaking, three aspects a dazzling, almost blinding radiance whichblots to Yoga: the medical, the miraculous, and the out everything else. Bernardrecords: mystical. Although a certain amount of over- lapping is unavoidable, I shall discuss each In the second month the lights madetheir appearance.In the beginning it was not unlike aspect separately. looking into a kaleidoscope;but this condition soon passed, and single colours, brilliant and THERE EXIST, AS FAR AS I WAS ABLE tO discover, radiant, remained. Thencame the "white light" three centxes in contemporaryIndia where more that is referred to so frequently. This was an or less serious Yogaresearch is being carried interesting phenomenon.At times it became almost blinding; however,it never lasted long. out. Theyare: the All India Institute of Mental ... I waseventually able to see this white light Health in Bangalore, which works under the with my eyes wide open in the daylight. The Union Government; the Kaivalyadhama Ish- mind seemed to be wiped out completely and. wardas Chunilal Yogic Health Centre, headed nothingexisted but this brilliant light. by Swami Kuvalayananda, recoguised as a However,in view of the air-locking and eye- Research Institute by the Governmentand the rolling techniques of Yoga, the lights and BombayState; and the Academyof Yoga under sounds mayhave a simple physiological explana- the auspices of the Yoga Institute, Bombay tion. Thus at the age of nine I had a curious Santa Cruz, headed by Shri Yogendra, and experience: the dazzling white light appeared recognised by the BombayState Government. the momentbefore going under anaesthesia in- The BangaloreInstitute has no clinic, and is duced by ether, for a minor operation, and not concernedwith the medical aspect. The other simultaneously with the appearanceof the light two are not on friendly terms and are inclined the sensation of choking and fear stopped. to deny the validity of each other’s methods. Similarly, in the gruesome reports of delin- The Kaivalyadhama maintains a Health quents whosurvived a miscarried execution by Centre in Bombay’s West End, the Marine hangingeither because the rope broke or because Drive, and a Research Institute at Lonavla, on

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14 Arthur Koestler the road to Poonah. They are very competently --mainly by exercises of standing on the head directed by Swami Kuvalayananda, a charming in various postures, with appropriate breathing old gendemanwho looks like a Brahminedition practices. Whattype of asthma he had suffered of Albert Einstein, with a bushy white mous- from, and howcomplete the cure had been, I tache, a domedforehead, wispy hair and white was unable to ascertain, but no doubt there had corkscrew sidelocks hanging down to his been an amelioration. Then my informant had shoulders like tresses. He reminded me of gone on a visit to Italy "where I foolishly Einstein because he had the same peculiar look acquired the habit of drinking wine," and this in his large browneyes: speculative, puzzled, caused a relapse. On his return he was told-- and naive at the same time. His manner was either by the Swamior by a physician, the point modest and unassuming, yet impressive in its was not clear--that his liver, damagedby having gentle authorityma particular mixture shared by drunk wine in Italy, would no longer stand the so many Indians, from Gandhi downward. strain of the Yogicexercises. Shortly afterwards, WhenI complimented him on his erudition in he developed status asthmaticus and had to modernphysics and biochemistry, he said with spend several days under oxygenin a hospital. evident sincerity: "I knowa litde about every- "Nowit is too late," he said resignedly; Yoga thing and nothing." The Health Centre, housed could no longer help him. Wehad two wineless in a villa in the Indo-Victorian style, with the meals together in dry Bombay,and I am fairly usual rusty iron-lattice verandahs, is dingy by sure that he had never been a heavy drinker. European, but fairly well appointed by Indian The report ~ which I took homesaid on the standards. It employedfour instructors, three cover that the Centre "teaches Yogic exercises male, one female, and had at the time about for the promotion of Health and the Cure of xSOmale and 2o female pupils or patients--the chronic diseases, without distinction of caste or term is employed almost synonymously. They creed, under Yogic and medical supervision." would come in for an hour or more a day, The list of disorders treated was impressive: during a course lasting, on the average, three months. Constipation,dyspepsia, piles, nerve-exhaustlon, I watcheda group of four or five middle-aged seminal weakness, impotency(other than con- mendoing exercises in simple asanas; it looked hgenital),eadaches, insomnia,general debility,heart disease chronic (functional), functional like a slightly eccentric version of the kind of chronic cold, chronic bronchitis, asthma(certain thing taught in a Western gymnasiumto get types), lumbago,sciatica and other rheumatic pains, diabetes, obesity, high bloodpressure, dis- somepep into fired office-workers.It was a small eases of womenincluding sterility (particular and modest institute whichdid its best accord- types), leucorrhzea,disturbances of menstruation, ing to its modest means, under an evidently flexions anddisplacements of the uterus, repeated honest Swami. It did not go in for the abortion,ovarian insufficiency, etc., etc. "advanced" practices described previously. As for clinical diseases, the Swamiexplained that The cures listed were equally impressive: these were all treated individually, accordingto 84.65 per cent of the male patients treated were the principles of Yogicmedicine. Thestatistical reported to be "relieved or improving," and the results were printed in the Health Centre’s corresponding proportion of female patients was medical report for the years x954-55, which he 89.2 per cent. Considering that about ~2~ per gave me. Later reports were either not published cent of the patients had been suffering from or not available. (He then invited me to visit chronic asthma, about ~3 per cent from the other branch of the establishment, the "neurasthenia," and nearly ~o per cent from ResearchInstitute in the hills at Lonavla--about psycho-neurosis, the results claimed were more whichin the next section.) impressive than any Westernclinic could boast On my way back, the friendly Indian gende- of. At closer inspection of the tables, however, man who had accompanied me to the Centre, I saw that out of the total of ~,oz4 patients of ° ° and whowas a devotee of the Swami’s, told me both sexes, 47 , that is, nearly 5 per cent, had his personal story. He had suffered from been written of under the heading "results un- chronic asthma, and the Swamihad cured him knowndue to short attendance"; and the per- centage of those "relieved or improving" had been computed on the basis of the remaining ~ The KaivalyadhamaIshwardas Chunilal Yogic ° Health CentremMedicalReport for the Year x954- 5 per cent. The meaningof the term "relieved 55, published by Kaivalyadhama,Bombay 2. or improving" was not further defined, nor was

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Yoga Unexpurgated 15 there a mention of follow-up. I had an uneasy His Holiness. Manibhai,for no apparent cause, was thrilled whenhe stepped on the staircase. feeling that by the time my unhappyasthmatic Ambalalwas following him. ImmediatelyManib- friend got under the oxygentent, his case would hai’s head becamevisible to the audience, the have been included amongthose "relieved or holy mancaught sight of him, and before the improving." formercould climb up the stairs, the latter rushed I do not doubt the Swam;sentire sincerity or in to greet him with the words, "So you have come. I have been anxiously awaiting you for belief in his ownmethod, and merely wish to years. Seeing you, I get strength. Cornel" It say that statistics of this kind do not carry much maybe mentionedhere that neither of them had conviction. Since the Kaivalyadhama Health ever met each other before. The devotees were Centre is, to myknowledge, the only Institute of taken by surprise, seeing the venerableteacher pull Manibhaiup and embracehim .... His Holi- Yogicmedicine in India with a claim to be taken ness asked a very simple question in a low but seriously, one must concludethat the claims for firm tone, "Nowwhat?" Manibhaiinstinctively the medical achievementsof Yogaare not based understoodwhat was meant, and he replied with on empirical evidence. all the emphasis at his command,"I will go with you." Theylooked understandinglyat each other; there was supreme silence and both r~r rival establishment is in the Bombay seemedlost in a reverie. T suburb Santa Cruz. It is a small, modern So Manibhai,after obtaining his father’s con- building in a moderately well-kept garden, but sent, followed the guru to his hermitage and inside it is muchdingier than the MarineDrive received the name of Mastamani, the Yogi- place. The prospectus announces proudly that intoxicated. He remained two years and became the "Academyof Yoga" has a "Practice Hall" and a "Lecture Hall;" but in small print it ex- the holy man’sfavourite pupil: WhenParamahamsaji took Mani and another plains further down that the Practice Hall devotedstudent to Matheranhills for training in accommodates"a batch of eight persons" and basti and vajroli [drawing up liquids through the Lecture Hall "has accommodationfor six- anus and penis], the unadornedbeauty of Nature teen persons." Theyare, in fact, each about the inspired the youngauthor to poetic musings. size of a bed-sitter around BayswaterRoad, and The next year, he wrote several volumes of about as cheerful. The modest clinic, however, poetry, and translated Tagore’s Gitanjali into was clean. the Gujurati language. He then "experienced an The Founder-President of the Academy,Shri inner awakeningof a very complexbut superior Yogendra, studied under the same guru as his order which lasted a week and from which he rival, but in every other respect he is his exact emerged with the conviction that he must go opposite. Swami Kuvalayananda is gende, to America to spread the message of Yoga." meek, and white-haired; Shri Yogendrais over The guru gladly agreed, as we gather from a six feet tall, black-haired,beak-nosed and fierce- letter which he subsequently wrote to his looking like a Pathan tribesman. In a word, disciple in New York: ’I am proud of your Yogendra to Kuvalayananda is as Esau to work in America] Youare doing the same thing Jacob. for me that Swami Vivekananda had done for The Biography of Shri Yogendra has been his guru, ParamhamsaRamakrishna .... I knew written by his wife (whois the Secretary of the that you would follow his examplein memorial- Academy)and is worth briefly recording, s He ising his guru." was born in I897 in Surat, BombayState, as SwamiVivekananda, the favourite disciple of Manibhai Haribhai Desai, the son of a poor the founder of the RamakrishnaOrder, had been schoolteacher. At the age of eighteen, he was the first swamiwho, at the turn of the century, sent to St. Xavier’s College at Bombay.A year popularised Yogaon lecture tours in the United later, a famous guru9 visited Bombay.Young States. Manibhai and his room-mate Ambalal went to Before he set out for America, however, Mani see him: found a wealthy patron, Mr. Dadena, in whose In the big hall of the first floor, nearly 2oo villa near Bombayhe established his first "Yoga devotees had gathered to receive blessings from Institute." Here the twenty-two-year-old guru undertook to cure such varied afflictions as s International Journal on the Science of Yoga "heart troubles, obesity, asthma,general debility, (April-September, I936), published by the Yoga prostate enlargement, gout, hemicrania, and Institute, Bombay. 9 ParamahamsaMadhavadasagi of Malsar. other diseases."

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16 Arthur Koestler In i9~9, Mani and Mr. Dadena landed in didates for the training course; of these twenty- America and established themselves at 125 six were accepted, but only seven have received Riverside Drive, NewYork: their Teacher’s Certificate after a nine-months’ The early cases were for reduction of weight. course. Whetherthe others failed to pass, or ¯ .. Thingsmoved smoothly so long as the money gave up, I was unable to ascertain from the lasted, but aboutthe middleof Ianuary,192o , there Founder. The number of medical patients, he was a day whenMr. Dadena, whowas looking claimed, was twelve--which is surprisingly after the financial end, had only five cents with small, and perhapsrather reassuring. him.... Mr. Dadenafelt quite upset about the future. The founder was unmovedwhen the One interesting fact emerged from talking gravity of the situation was explained to him. with the Founder, and with a highly-strung Andwhat should happenbut an urgent telephone young manworking as his assistant: that they call to rouse Mr. Dadenafrom his thoughts. had abandoned the orthodox Hatha Yoga The call was from an engineer employed in postures as impracticable. The classical asanas, the South Afxican diamond mines, whose wife Yogendraexplained, were "too hard and pain- was laid up with a headache. The swami and ful," and he had modified them according to Mr. Dadenarushed to the rescue, and the result his ownideas. This was a significant admission is described in the simple words: "A blank in view of the assurances of Yogic literature cheque was passed." The next year another Yoga that the asanas are not meantto be a strain on Institute was opened near Tuxedo Park in the the body. Equally interesting was Shri Yogen- Bear Mountains.The list of diseases treated now dra’s opinion, expressed with great force, that embraced every knownailment, and we are in- the various headstand postures "do more harm formed that "the results were all that could be than good." The headstand asanas are basic to desired." After two years, however,the Institute Hatha Yoga, and are muchpractised in Swami closed down, and Mani returned to India, Kuvalayananda’s rival Institute--which pardy where he changed his name to Shri Yogendra. explains perhaps whyYogendra opposed them. The next few years were spent in fruidess He has also modified the classic breathing attempts to raise money for starting a new rhythms, such as the x:4:z cycle, and replaced Institute. Whenthey all failed, Shri Yogendra them by the "Yogendra rhythm." The prana, he "invented a novel chemical product knownas holds, is not air, but "biophysical energygener- Yoco book polish--a preservative for books ated by the rhythm"--andso forth. against dry rot, moulds, moths, white ants, and Such disagreements about the therapeutic other destructive agents... Its international value of various postures and exercises need not reputation may be gauged from the fact that be treated too seriously; after all, there exist con- the Oxford University Press of Londonaccepted flicting schools in Western medicine too. But the international sole agency for Yoco book Western medicine, with all its inadequacies, polish on guaranteed basis." prejudices, and frustrations, has been constandy In 19a7, he married Miss Sita Devi, whobore evolving since the days of Avicenna, wholived him two sons. Various Journals, Institutes, and during the same period as the author of the Academies, with branches "in Latvia and Hatha Yoga Pradipil~a. Its achievements are Arabia" were founded, and prospectuses were based on the broadening empirical and theoreti- sent out promising to students diplomas of cal insights of ha/f-a-dozeninteracting sciences; "B.Y." (Bachelor of Yoga) in three months, and it has developedmethods of controlled ex- a "’Y.D." in four years. "Thanks, however, to perimenton a statistically relevant scale. Onthe the prejudice of the Provincial Governmentin- other hand, Yoga therapy and ayurvedic medi- spirited by the efforts of a contemporary,this cine have remained unchangedfor over a thou- pioneer scheme did not materialise." The con- sand years. Faith can move mountains and temporary referred to was Swami Kuvalayan- perhaps even kidney stones; but it would be anda. In I958, after a lifelong struggle, Shri. sacrilegious to advise ordinary people to rely on Yogendra’s present Institute was recognised it. Gandhirefused to have penicillin adminis- and endowedwith a small subsidy by the Bom- tered to his wife dying from bronchial infection bay Government. because of the Hindu taboo on injections; This, briefly, is the story of the secondof the Vinoba Bhave very nearly died for similar two Indian Yoga Centres. Since it was recog- reasons, and the peaceful massacre by omission nised, the Institute has received, according to is continuing in India. Shri Yogendra, fifty applications from can- If it were difficult to prove that the simpler

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Yoga Unexpurgated 17 Yogaexercises are dangerousto health, it would these occult powers; they range from remember- be even more difficult to prove that they are ing past incarnations to prophecy,clairvoyance, beneficial in preference to Westernmethods of levitation, entering into other bodies, the trans- physical training. The breathing techniques, mutation of elements, and omniscience. In the aimedat over-ventilation and auto-intoxication, later Yogaliterature, eight basic siddhis are are problematicalto say the least of it; and the mentioned:(0 anima--to shrink to the size of an belief that training under an "experienced atom; (2) mahima--toexpand in space; (3) lag- teacher" guarantees against risks is another act hima--lightness, levitation; (4) prapti--the of faith. As for the postures designed for medi- power to reach anywhere, "even to the moon;" tation, different races have traditionally different (5) prakamya-’°mnipotenceof will; (6) ishatwa ways of relaxing the body, from squatting on --the powerto create; (7) vashltwa--controlover one’s heels to sitting crosslegged; fromreclining the self, and its immunityto outside influences; on one elbow to sitting with one’s feet up on (8) kamavasayita--thesuppression of all desires a table. Thelotus posture, and its variants, seem and bodily needs. The Siva Samhita adds to this to fit the Indian body-build and temperament; list the power to becomeinvisible, and to there is no reason to assume that they would transport the body to any place at will. make meditative repose easier for a Western In books on Yoga written by, or for Wes- monk than gently pacing in his cloistered terners, it is usually asserted that miracles are garden. not the aim of Yogic training, but merely a by- product, and that every good guru would dis- Supernatural Claims courage his pupil from pursuing them. This ~H~L~. in India, I talked to more wouldbe in line with the attitude of Christian than forty people who, at one time or mystics who regarded such phenomenaas acute W embarrassments which are to be avoided. Thus another, had practised Hatha Yoga. They in- St. Teresa of Avila says in her Life that the cluded elderly men, highly-placed in the admini- experienceof being suddenlylifted into the air strative hierarchy, youngjournalists and office workers, Yogaresearchers and their professional was "a very sore distress to me;" she prayed subjects, religious believers and agnostics, to the Lord "that He would be pleased to give Gandhians, Marxists, and one ex-Communist-- me no more of those graces;" and when a nun but, to my regret, no woman.Leaving profes- surprised her suspendedin the air and "tremb- sionals aside, their records of sustained practice ling all over," Theresa ordered her "under ranged from three weeks to twelve year.s; and obeisance to say nothing of what I had seen." ~0 the time spent on practising from half-an-hour To prove that Hindu mysticism has the same to several hours a day. The only common attitude, a famous passage in Patanjali is element shared by these people of diverse age, usually quoted. In Professor Raghavan’strans- profession, and social backgroundwas the belief lation, that passage is paraphrased as follows: that, pursued with sufficient willpowerand per- "Aphorism37 says that these occult powers as sistence, Yogaconferred siddhis, supernatural such are really impedimentsto the attainment powers, on the practitioner. Only a few averred and completion of the state of perfection." In having actually exercised such powers at some Ernest Wood’stranslation the passage reads: stage; but all without exception believed that "These powers of the spreading (or outgoing) mindare injurious to contemplation (samadhO." slackness and incontinencealone were preventing u them from attaining to that stage. This belief In an earlier translation the warningis given was also shared--though only reluctantly ad- in a conditional form: "The [occult] powers mitted-by the research workers concerned with hereinbefore described are liable to become the scientific investigation of Yogaphenomenon. obstacles in the way of perfect concentration, In Patanjali’s classic treatise, whichconsists because of the possibility of wonderand pleasure of four chapters, most of the third is devotedto flowingfrom their exercise, but are not obstacles for the ascetic whois perfect in the practice en- 1°Herbert Thurston, S.J., The Physical Pheno- joined." I amunable to decide whichof the three menaof Mysticism ),(Burns Oates, London,1952 versions is closer to the original--particularly as pp. Io, i2. n The Yoga Aphorismsof Patanjali, An Inter- Woodrefers to the aphorism as No. 36, Rag- pretation by WilliamQ. Judge, assisted by James havan as No. 37, and Judge and Connelly as HendersonConnelly (The TheosophicalPublishing No. 38. But one fact stands out: that this Co. of NewYork, I912), p.2. 5 aphorismis the only warningin the entire text;

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18 Arthur Koestler and it only refers to certain psychic powersmen- ANOTHER ENCOUNTER IS PERHAPS BEST TOLD in con- tioned in the preceding paragraphs, whereasthe densed formby quotingfrom my diary: powerswhich are listed after the warning, such "Called for the remarkable V.N. at the as entering into another’s body, omnipotence, College (where he lectures on philosophy), took and levitation, are held out as legitimate rewards him for lunch at the Taj. Tall, gaunt, dark, in to those whomaster the higher forms of con- dark Europeanclothes, with dark-glowing eyes, templation. As for the later sources, the Hatha and with rich, black fur growing upward from Yoga Pradipil(a and its companiontexts, the his earlobes, like a faun’s; he actually uses a eight siddhis are promisedon practically every pocket-combon them (the ears). At first reticent page in remuneration for the more difiqcult and ’scientific;’ then, on the long car }ourneyto raudras. All disclaimers notwithstanding, the the hotel and during lunch he unbent. Aged33, siddhis are an integral part of Yoga. unmarried(’it’s easier that way’), has been prac- Conversations with Yoga practitioners, tising for eleven or twelve years; changesdiet, whether professionals or amateurs, followed experimentally, every three months (’even moreor less the samepattern. At the beginning, Gandhi did that though he was only a Karma my informant would indignantly deny that he Yogi’). Has achieved various siddhis: e.g., he was after the siddhis--such silly ideas were only locked himself into a hermetically sealed room spread by charlatans and mendicant fakirs. The and by sheer will-power raised the temperature sole purpose of Yogawas to acquire a healthy of the roomby two to three degrees centigrade body and peace of mind for meditation. But twice during one session (’but afterwards I was once I had explained that I believed the evidence so exhausted, had to stay in bed for 2-3 weeks’). in favour of telepathy to be quite convincing Repeatedly, when in deep trance, a snake and had an open mind about related Indian appeared and movedthrough the room (’it was phenomena, the atmosphere would change and not a hallucination’). Oncehe stopped a monkey reserve would fade. eating nuts next door by a mental command. Oneday, standing in front of his guru’s house, he saw three stark naked tribesmen appear from THraEWAS, roa INSTANCE,B., a young physicist nowhere at the door, talk to the guru, and of twenty-six, engaged in post-graduate re- vanish again unexpectedly (’they had come to search. He was a typical young Indian intel- invite myguru to their "club" ’). In Europe lectual, earnest, sober, and a little pedantic. wouIdhave thought him a schizo, but here it’s I was surprised to discover that he had prac- all in a day’s work.... " tised Yogafor three years fairly intensely, and This kind of story is indeed typical, and not given it up "for lack of willpower." He had not merely of Yogapractitioners. India has never himself experienced any siddhis, though once or severed its ties with the magic world. The twice he thought he was just on the threshold; editorial columnsof the great Indian dailies bear but he had seen at the age of nine, in his native the imprint of the 2oth century, but the back of village near Mysore,an itinerant Yogi levitate the page, except for the linotype, could have three to four feet aboveground level, then slowly been printed in the ~6th. There, in the marriage float down. At the age of twenty, he also saw advertisements, parents specify their sons’ and another Yogi floating naked on a well of six daughters’religion, caste, colour, height, educa- feet by eight "either in a crouching position or tion, and "powerful" or "excellent" mahamsa. standing on his head." I was rather impressed Oneor the other specification might be missing, by his matter-of-fact manner of relating these but never the mahamsa,the horoscope. It is a events, until he produceda small tin statuette decisive factor in the choice not only of the of Durga and explained in the same matter-of- candidate, but also of the auspicious day and fact voice that a certain miracle-~vorkingwoman hour for consummatingthe marriage. In half-a- had madeit materialise out of the air in the million villages, where8o per cent of the popula. palm of his hand. I had read about the woman, tion lives, every important activity and decision whowas a professional performer and did not is still regulated by consulting the stars. even pretend to be more. I mentioned to the The reason is, simply, that although India is young scientist that his Durga could be bought going through an Industrial Revolution of for a rupee at any bazaar. He knew that, of sorts, it has never gone through a Scientific course, and all he said was "That has nothing Revolution of the kind which changedthe struc- to do with it; you have missed the point." ture of European thought in the ~7th century,

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Yoga Unexpurgated 19 supplanting magical causation by physical in India. Moreover,it is consideredas one of the causation. Before that turning-point, Europe easier siddhis, generally attained by way of was almost as deeply immersedin astrology and khecari rnudra. Alain Danielou, for instance, other forms of magicthought as India still is. another European convert whois held in high But in Europe, that transformation of thought esteemas a student of mysticismin India, writes: precededthe transformation of society; in India "This is considered to be fairly easy to do and it is the other wayround. Underneaththe power is used for the frequendyperformed act of levi- damsand steelworks of the secondfive-year plan tation .... " But again no chapter, no verse. lies the ancient soil; one only has to scratch it One may argue that a popular belief which and the black magic comes oozing out with its has survived for centuries must contain some slightly rancid smell. truth, but this is not always the case; witches riding on broomsticks maybe archetypal sym- bols, they are not racial memories.Two facts, I believe, ought to be taken into consideration. Levitation Firsdy, most alleged eye-witnessreports, whether H A D to digress for a momentto explain how first, second, or third-hand, seemto conformto I difficult it is, under these circumstances,to a certain pattern. The witness always dates his obtain any reliable evidence for or against the or her experience "whenI was a small child," occurrence of the para-normal phenomena usually betweenthe age of five and nine. Apart described in Yogic literature. Even otherwise from my young physicist, I met two Indians shrewd European witnesses who have lived (one a psychiatrist, the other a farmer) whoalso steeped in this atmosphere for somelength of stated that they had seen levitation--both as time cannot be relied on. Thus Ernest Wood children and both in a crowdon a village square. writes in his Penguin book on Yoga: "Levita- I knowof no first-hand report (except Professor tion, or the rising of the body from the ground Wood’sundated statement) in which the wit- and its suspensiona few feet up in the air above ness was an adult. In view of the impressionable the seat or couch,is a universallyaccepted fact in nature of that age, even more pronounced in India. I remember one occasion when an old Indian children, the possibility of confusion Yogi was levitated in a recumbentposture about betweenlistening to a vividly visualised story six feet above the ground in an open field, for and believing later to have actually experienced about half an hour, while the visitors were per- it, would be one possible explanation for its mitted to pass sticks to and fro in the space remarkablepersistence. between." Secondly, it seems to me odd that amongthe One would expect a serious scholar to quote experimental work which has been done at immediatelythe exact date and location of such various Yogaresearch institutes, no experiments an extraordinary event, accompaniedby the testi- on levitation were published or mentioned to monial of all the witnesses he could lay hands me. Someof the experiments (to be presently on. But all we get here by way of evidence are described) require costly and complicatedinstru- the words, "I rememberone occasion"--andthis, ments. It wouldbe a simple procedure to let the alas, is typical of most writers on the subject. subject perform the appropriate raudras on his Equallycharacteristic is the fact that the only mat placed on the platform of a weighing other piece of evidence which Woodadduces for machine, and see whether his body gets any the occurrenceof levitation is a quotation from lighter. Hewould not have to levitate actually-- Fosco Maraini’s charming book Secret Tibet, the loss of a few poundswould be decisive proof where the author tells us that the Maharajah of the power of mind over gravity. At one of Sikkim’s daughter told him that when she research institute, where I madethis obvious was a litde girl her uncle "did what you would suggestion, I had the impression that it had call exercises in levitation. I used to take him a been tried with negative results. But that is little rice. He wouldbe motionless in mid-air. neither here nor there, and if the hoary subject Every day he rose a litde higher .... There are of levitation is to be tackled seriously, some certain things you don’t forget." procedure on these lines would have to be I amnot arguing for or against the possibility patiendy tried on any likely subject; whatever of levitation, only about the quality of the the numberof failures, a single positive result evidence. Ernest Woodis right when he says under suitable controls wouldmean a revolution that levitation is "universally acceptedas a fact" in our outlook on the world.

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20 A rthur Koestler The Pit Experiments tion of the abdominalstraight muscles, making N vlrw of the handicaps I mentioned, it is them bulge out in a whorl at the navel, and I encouraging to knowthat serious experi- subsequently rolling them to the right and to mental work is nevertheless being carried out. the left as if a rolling-pin were movingunder Foremost in this field are the All India the skin--while the remaining areas of the Institute of Mental Health in Bangalore, and abdomenseem to be emptied of content, and Swami Kuvalayananda’s Research Centre at the navel is sucked in to within a few inches Lonavla. of the spine. It was fascinating and faindy If I was sceptical about the medical work nauseating to watch, and so were the various carried out at the Swami’s Health Centre on hcadstands, with arms and limbs threaded the Marine Drive in Bombay,this attitude does through each other and tangled like a compli- not apply to his research work. Lonavla lies on cated mariner’s knot. The Yogi then demon- a high plateau in the Sahia mountains near strated the extraordinary power of his chest Poonah,in a peaceful, rather Grecian landscape, muscles--the result of pranayama--bywinding blessed by a constant sea breeze. The Institute a sturdy steel wire roundhis torso (cushionedby ownssome fifty acres of land, whichstretch over a leather belt), tightening the wire with a tourni- two hills, and include the Swami’s private quet, and then snappingit with a single inhala- ashram. Its laboratory equipmentis excellent, tion. Next, he wounda three-eighth inch gauge including a lie-detector, breath-analyser, X-ray iron-chain round his.chest, put his naked foot department, electroencephalograph, and so on. inside the chain and slowly broke it. (I have kept Thereis a spaciouslibrary, and a literary depart- both the wire and the chain; they are structurally ment where five scholars are engagedin prepar- faultless.) It wasas gooda strong-manact as one ing a ten-volume Yoga Encyclopaedia. can see in a first-rate variety show,but the last I was introduced to the present experimental one was somethingmore special: the Yogi took a subject--a middle-aged man of mediumheight fresh palm-leaf, folded it twice, and, using his and athletic build, with gende manners and index and middle finger like a pair of scissors, those curiously fierce eyes whichI have cometo cut the leaf neatly into two. His fingers felt hard associate with practising Yogis. He had been an and bony, but there was no callosity on them. itinerant showmanat country fairs, until the His explanation was "that he concentrated all Swami,in his search for likely subjects, dis- his life-forces betweenthe two fingers." covered him and madehim into his guinea-pig. These were remarkable achievements of muscle He nowregards the Swamiwith the white cork- control, including the involuntary muscles. I screw tresses as his guru. While we walked must mention in this context a report given to through the various laboratories, he trotted me by an eminent Bombaypsychiatrist who had behind the Swamilike a faithful dog, listening watched, and photographed, a Yogi showman to every word with utmost devotion. "Whatever attaching with a string a twenty-pound weight strength I have," he explained to me, "comes to the tip of his penis, and lifting it by produc- from Swamiji." The inspection completed, the ing an erection in front of the audience. The Swamitold him to give a demonstration. The photographs showthe usual tall and emaciated Yogi disappeared delightedly, and cameback a individual, smeared with ashes, with matted minute later, wearing a gaudy dressing-gown of hair and a wild stare; the doctor told methat the kind in whichcircus artistes enter the ring, the manhad been under the influence of drugs, and a chain of medals round his neck. Discard- and had admitted to him that drugs had been ing the robe, he was seen to be wearing trunks an essential part of the training by his guru. of tiger-skin, and a collection of wrist-bangles; Bhang,the hashish-like substance distilled from he looked superb, his black eyes nowall aglow. cannabis indica, plays an important part in He began with the classic exercises, such as Hatha Yoga. Dr. Bernard, for instance, was uddiyama--drawing in the abdominal muscles, given bhang by his guru before his final while forcing the viscerae and diaphragm up- initiation. ward, until a large, hollow cavity appears under All this, however, has nothing to do with the the ribs, a kind of incredible grotto in the flesh, siddhis. Of these only one has been thoroughly and the obliqui abdomini, the two transversal investigated at Lonavla:the classic Yogicexperi- muscles, stick out in a rather horrifying manner ment of being buried alive in a pit. Theyshowed as on anatomical figures stripped of skin. Then metheir experimental pit: it was approximately camenauli, the isolation and separate manipula- six feet by three feet by three feet, its bottom

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Yoga Unexpurgated 21 about six feet downunder ground level. It was volume of approximately one cubic yard. Its closed by a tight-fitting concrete lid, and this bottom was covered with a rubber sheet, and was then covered by three feet of earth. I shall its lid was a one-inch woodenplank covered not go into the details of the experimentbecause, with six inches of earth. Thesubject was buried as the Swami frankly told me, it had proved in the pit on three different occasions, for two abortive. Thoughthe pit seemedsufficiently air- hours, for nine hours, and for eight-and-a-half tight to makeany humanbeing die of suffoca- hours respectively. The instruments in the pit tion after a few minutes, and would certainly conveyedinformation on electrical activity in the have convincedany village audience that it was brain and heart, on the temperature, humidity, so, it transpired that everybodyhad vastly under- and chemical compositionof the air in the pit, estimated the porosity of the surroundingearth. and made mechanical recordings of breathing Theydiscovered this when,after a series of ex- motions of the chest (with spirometers). The periments, they tried to pumpthe air out of subject, a Yogiby nameof Shri Krishna Iyengar, 5the. pit, yet the pressure inside only fell by 0. was dressed in a loin cloth only. He lay down During the experiment itself, they had only on the floor of the pit with the various instru- measured the relative oxygen and carbon- ments and electrodes attached to him, lit an oxide content inside the pit; the leakage of fresh incense stick, and went into samadhi. Then he oxygen into the pit becameapparent whenthey was buried for the periods indicated, varying had the idea of pumpingit out entirely. between two and nine hours. The interval The thoroughness of the experiment, and the between the first and second experiment was frank admissionof its failure, were entirely to one month, between the second and third, a the Swami’scredit. Thoughhe himself evidently fortnight. The results of the experimentwere as believed in siddhis, he was equally candid in follows: admitting that all his experimentsin this direc- The electrical records of brain activity tion had given negative results. It seemsthat the remainedthe same inside the pit as those taken only significant finding they had produced so under normal conditions outside. They indicate far wasthat the EEGcurves of subjects in trance that the subject was both alert and relaxed, but remained normal, whereas the psycho-galvanic not asleep. The conclusion is that he was either reflexTM remainedconsistendy belownormal. not in samadhi,or that samadhidoes not affect The pit experiment was also carried out at the electricity activity of the brain. the Institute of Mental Health at Bangaloreby The most interesting results concern breath- a team of five research workers, including one ing. Unfortunately, as the report says, in this European. I had an opportunity to talk to three case, too, "the possibility of leakage of gases of them, to inspect the pit and later on to read through the porous walls of the pit, dug in raw a13 paper which they had joindy published. earth, has not beeninvestigated. This is a serious The dimensions of this pit were four feet by sourceof error." But even so, one significant fact three feet by two-and-a-half feet, whichmakes a emerged. The heart-beat remained steady throughout, and showeda regular pattern with 1~ Theelectro-encephalogram records the intensity slow variations between 40 and xoo beats per and rhythmof electrical activities in the brain. minute, which is within normal limits. Breath- Thepsycho-galvanic reflex (used in lie-detectors) ing, however, slowed downfrom the normal rate reflects changesin the electrical properties of the of about x6 per minute, to a slow rate of about body surface in response to emotional stimuli. These changes, like sweating, goose-flesh, or ~ breath per minute, and sometimes even to a "bristling" are controlled by the sympathetic rate of ~ respiration in two minutes. This was nervoussystem, and thus indicate emotivereactions. apparently compensated for by doubling the I~ SomeExperiments on a "’Yogi" in Controlled amount of ventilation (of the volume of air States by H. V. GunduRao, N. Krishnaswamy, passed through the lungs) from 0. litre to i R. L. Narasimhaiya,J. Hoenig, and M. V. Govin- ~ 5 daswamy,in Journalo] the All India Institute o[ litre? Evenso, the basic metabolicrate had been MentalHealth (Bangalore, July, ~958). considerably lowered. Thus the results indicate a’The amount of ventilation could not be a kind of slow-pedalling of the organism, shown directly measured;it was computedfrom measure- by the lowering of the rate of oxygenexchange. mentsof the carbon-dioxidecontent in the pit at the beginningand end of the period of burial. At This is a remarkable but by no means a super- natural achievement, and does not bear out the the beginningit had beeno.o 4 per cent; at the end of the two-hourperiod 1.34 per cent; at the end claim that Yogis buried in the pit survive with- of the nine-hourperiod 3.8 per cent. out breathing at all.

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Arthur Koestler Stopping the Heart Examination of the heart’s activity during the period of suspension yielded more impressive r~ ^ r E n to this is another claim, that Yogis results. By the normal method of auscultation~ l~ can stop their heart-beats at will. This the heart-beats could not be heard; on the tape claim was thoroughly investigated at the Andhra record they were "sometimes faint and some- Medical College at Visakhapatnam. The subject times inaudible." The EEGrecord showed com- was a Yogi called Ramananda--a very advanced pletely normal electrical activity of the heart practitioner; he had not only mastered l~hecari throughout the experiment; on the other hand, mudra by severance of the tendon of the tongue, the fluoroscope showed, according to the radio- but had his tongue surgically split lengthwise in logist’s report, the following: two, because previously he could only cover the opening of one nostril at a time. After he inhaled slightly and stopped breathing, the cardiac pulsation was found to be arrested The experiment was carried out in r957, when except for a slight flicker along the left border Ramananda was thirty-four, and had practised below the pulmonary conus and in the apical Hatha Yoga for sixteen years. He demonstrated segmentof the left ventricle. There was no pulsa- with ease all the advance routines, including the tion in any other segment. This status was main- tained for about 30 seconds. After he commenced aspiration of fluids through colon and urethra, respiration, normal cardiac pulsation was and the ejection of liquids from the stomach observed. through mouth or nose at will. He had spent various periods buried in a pit, and claimed Thus Ramananda had demonstrated beyond that the longest period had been twenty-eight doubt his ability to diminish the activity of his days; but, the report ~5 says, "this has not been heart through voluntary effort, using a certain investigated." breathing technique. However, most normal The point of the experiment was the volun- people can affect the function of their hearts, tary suspension of heart-beat and pulse. The though to a less dramatic extent, by holding their results showed that Ramananda was capable of breath and "willing" the heart to beat more quietly. In clinical jargon this is called "Valsalva reducing both to a considerable extent for a ’’1" period of 2o-30 seconds. During this time the man~euvring. The degree of voluntary con- pulse could not be felt at all by the usual method trol of the heart varies, of course, according to of placing a finger on the artery; but the the individual; but at least one case of an even sphygmograph (a mechanical apparatus for more dramatic nature than Ramananda’s measuring blood pressure) continued to record achievement has been reliably reported in feeble pulse waves of an irregular and attenu- America. The report, by Dr. Charles M. ated nature. The weakening of the pulse was McClure, was published in CaliJornia Medicine, produced by two independent methods; firstly, the official Journal of the California Medical Association)7 by contraction of the biceps, Pectoralis, and other muscles, thus mechanically compressing the It describes the case of a forty-four-year-old brachial artery; secondly, by diminishing the aircraft mechanic of Danish descent, Vernon W. flow through holding of the breath. Both can I-Iansen, who had acquired the ability to slow be learnt by any normal person; comparison of down his heart-beat and to stop it completely at will--including its electrical activity--for five the sphygrnographic records of Ramanandawith those of an ordinary subject during suspended seconds. Hansen, at the age of seven, had suf- breathing, show only a slight difference, ex- fered from rheumatic fever, and had overheard plained by training. the family doctor saying that he would not live to be twenty. The illness left him with a slight 1~ A Preliminary Scientific lnvestiga~:on into some heart condition, and with the constant fear that o[ the Unusual Physiological Mani[estations his heart might stop beating while he was asleep. Acquired as a Result o] Yogic Practices in India To prevent this, he learnt to exercise voluntary by G. V. Satyanarayanamurthi, M.D., and P. control over its functions: Brahmayya Sastry, M.B.B.S., M.Sc., Ph.D., in Wiener Zeitschri]t ]iir Nervenheill~unde und die By sitting quietly, relaxing completely, and Grenzgebiete (I5, I958), pp. a39-49. "allowing everything to stop," he could induce as The sinuses of Valsalva are bulges in the aortic progressive slowing of the pulse until cessation walls; these interact with the valves that regulate of heart action would occur, then a feeling of the flow through the pulmonary and coronary impending loss of consciousness. After a few arteries. o, seconds of this sensation, he would take a deep 17 Vol. 9 No. 6, June, i959. breath and normal heart action would resume.

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Yoga Unexpurgated 23 During the cardiac arrest, "his colour would ing a somersault in the water, or by keeping the becomethe ashen grey of sudden circulatory trunk immersed as long as one’s breath will failure." The electro-cardiagram, reproduced in hold, is a trivial matter for anybodywho can the report, showswith uncontroversial clarity swim; and the acrobatically pliant body, plus the process of slowing down, and the complete the breath-holding technique of a trained Yogi, stoppage of five seconds. The process was could doubtless carry it to spectacular lengths. "induced through some mechanism which, As for the "crouching posture," the young man although under voluntary control, is not known waspositive that the Yogi kept his legs folded, to the patient himself. Careful observation did but whetherhis body was upright, or lying flat not reveal any breath-holding or Valsalva on the water he could not say; after reflection, manoeuvrein connection with the cessation of he thought the latter morelikely "because his heart-beat." So he did not even have to resort eyes were fixed on the sky." To float on one’s to pranayama. Aircraftsman Hansen has cer- back, whetherwith legs outstretched or folded, tainly beaten all Yogicrecords. is again a miracle to non-swimmersonly, whose Dr. McClurehad knownhim for five years. aquatic experience, like that of the majority of Hansen could produce the phenomenonat any pious Hindus, is confined to a ritual sprinkle time, without any effort. Howhe did it, he did and dip, eyes closed and fingers clamped over not knowhimself, as the report says. Appar- the nostrils, in a templetank or river. ently the damagecaused by the rheumatic fever Mysuspicion that the floating Yogis were and his constant worry were instrumental in practising a simple leg-pull on a naive audience enabling himto concentrate his attention on that was amusingly confirmed when, a little while critically sensitivised focus in his body, and to later, I read an accountof it in the International increase the normaldegree of control over it to Journal of the Science of Yoga, published by the an abnormalextent. His case is a further illus- Santa Cruz Institute. The author of the article tration of the fact that there is no hard and fast relates how Shri Yogendra had searched for boundary between the "voluntary" and "in- several monthsfor a famousguru, hidden in the voluntary" functions of the body; and that the Kashmirmountains, until he finally tracked him degree of control exercised over the latter is a down. That guru "was gifted with the power question of training in focusing attention. of floating on water through mastery over plavini pranayana, and demonstrated the same o Nc r. R N ~ ~ ¢ other siddhis, I have seen before Shri Yogendra left him." On the next C neither the rope-trick nor the mango-tree page there is a photograph of a man, comfort- wonder, and could find no reliable person who ably floating on his back in shallow water, with has seen either of them. "Fire-walking" as an arms folded behind his head. The photograph ordeal, or a magicstunt, is as old as civilisation, bears the caption: "Mastery over the plavini and not confined to India. It depends,of course, process of Yogabreathing enables the student on the type of combustibleused, the duration of to float on water as illustrated in this photo. contact, and other technical points which have The posture assumedis the traditionaI Fish- not been experimentally investigated by any of pose." the Yogaresearch institutes. I then looked up plavini pranayana. It con- A final remark about walking or floating on sists in "suspending the breath outside the water, whichdoes belong to the traditional cate- lungs"--that is, swallowingquantities of air-- gory of Yogasiddhis. I have mentionedthat my "while focusing the mind on the space between young physicist, whoasserted that as a child the eyebrowsuntil it swoons." Dr. Bernard ex- he had seen a Yogi levitate, had also seen, at pressly warns: "the beginner is advised not to the age of twenty, another Yogi floating on a work on this practice." As a reward for this well "either in a crouching position or standing effort, the HathaYoga Pradipika holds out this on his head." In contrast to the levitation promise:"when the belly is filled with air freely memory, which was hazy, the well memorywas circulating within the body, the body easily quite precise--except on the crucial question of floats, even in the deepest water, like the leaf the exact posture in which the Yogi was float- of a lotus." It could be had in a simpler way. ing. Like most Indians, the young man could To sum up: the demonstrable phenomena not swim, and to float on water in any posture produced by Hatha Yoga are neither more nor seemed to him a miraculous achievement in less miraculous than the blisters and stigmata, itself. Now,to float "upside down,"while turn- the anaesthesias, catatonias, and hallucinations

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24 Arthur Koestler producedunder hypnosis or in hysterical states. the Real Self, liberated from the wheel of re- Hatha Yoga is a specific method of inducing birth, remains permanently united with the such phenomena,mainly relying on techniques universal spirit. Except in final samadhi, the of self-hypnosisthrough respiratory, circulatory, mind returns each time into the sentient ego, and other visceral manmuvres,repetitive invoca- without retaining any positive memoryof the tions, and hashish-type drugs. Its impressiveness union which it has experienced. to the Westernobserver rests on the systematisa- The Real Self has thus nothing to do with tion of the techniques for producing such the Unconsciousin the Freudian sense or with phenomena, and on the mystic value set on Jung’s Collective Unconscious. For the uncon- them. The former enables it to demonstrate the scious, as we understand it, manifests itself power of mind over the autonomous functions above all in the dream, whereas in Hinduphilo- of the body more forcibly than any Western sophy, dreamingis a function of the ego, not of school, but at the price of far-fetched, devious, the Real Self. Only in "deep sleep," which is and debasing techniques. This leaves the ques- by definition dreamless, can the Real Self be tion of mystic value, as the last and most impor- approached. tant aspect of Yogato be discussed. Is samadhi, then, to be identified with "deep sleep"? Andif so, howcan it also be called a The Mystic Aspect "super-conscious" or "contemplative" state? Is it not, rather, a state of comatose "sub-" or as ultimate aim of Yoga is samadhi, the "un-"consciousness? The answer is that Indian T mystic union. "As salt being dissolved in philosophy either does not regard these terms water becomes one with it, so when atman and as contradictory, or is indifferent to the contra- mind becomeone, it is called samadhi." Yet diction between them. Brahmais the fullness the word seems to have different meanings in and the void, everything and nothing, aloneness different contexts. The GherandaSamhita gives and all-oneness at the same time, at no time. six kinds of samadhis,attained by six different A state of mind, which is withdrawn from all methods. Sometranslators render it as "medi- objects of consciousness, voided of any content, ~ation" or "contemplation" or "absorption;" contemplating nothing, would be called in others as "trance" or "ecstatic bliss;" still others Western psychology a state of un- or non- as "super-consciousness"---or "deep, dreamless consciousness. The Eastern philosopher would sleep." have no quarrel with this description, but he In spite of this, there is a large area of agree- would remarkthat "pure consciousness" is there ment between the various sources on certain nevertheless. The dialogue would then continue basic features of Samadhi. These are, from the moreor less on the following lines: physiological point of view, a lowering of all Q: Whenyou speak of "pure consciousness," basic functions; heart-beat, pulse, breathing, you meanconsciousness o[ what? nutrition--a kind of hibernation of the body. A: Of consciousnessitself, and of nothingelse. Q: But whois consciousof beingconscious: the Mentally, samadhiis said to consist of "pure" person whoentered samadhi? consciousness, that is, consciousness without A: No, in samadhithe self no longer exists. object or content other than consciousnessitself. It is his ego-lessReal Self beingconscious of the Thus turned upon itself, pure consciousness RealSelf. penetrates into the Real Self, the atman, which Q: Thenif the person’sordinary self has ceased to exist, that personcan no longer be conscious, is behind and beyond the sentient ego. The and you must agree that he has entered a state ego is a transient phenomenon,the atman is of un- or non-consciousness. unalterable, transcending the phenomenal .4: Thatis correct. Hehas entered the state of world, part and parcel of Brahman,the Univer- super-consciousnesswhich we also call "samadhi" sal Spirit, whichit contains and in whichit is or "contemplation"or "being one with reality." contained. Lastly, from the emotional point of Andso the merry-go-round would continue. view, samadhiis a state of bliss, its onset sig- The equation of samadhl with "deep sleep" nalled by a shapeless radiance which blots out begins with the Upanishadsand can be followed everythingelse. all the way down to the writings of modern Samadhi may last a few minutes, hours, or mystics like Krishna Menon--although some days. But there is also "final samadhi" into contemporaryHindu academics tried to explain whicha holy manenters at will; it entails death it away. Since the point is of someimportance of the body and of the body-boundego, whereas in dispelling Western misconceptions about

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Yoga Unexpurgated 25 Indian philosophy and Indian mysticism, I shall they came to a sleeping man; him Ajatasatru quote a few characteristic passages from the called by name; "Oh mighty one in white dress, Soma, King!"...Ajatasatru asked: "Whenthis maior Upanishads. man was asleep.., where had he gone? From where did he come back now?" Gargya knew I~RAS~A UPA~ISHAD this not. Ajatasatru: "Whenhe... was asleep, he Question IV: Then Sauryayanin Gargya asked gathered the knowledge of the senses through him: "Worthy Sirel In a man, who are they [the their faculties and slept in the ether that is within faculties] that sleep, whothat are awake, which the heart; whenhe draws (into himself) all those is that perceiving powerthat sees the dream. To faculties, then the person sleeps; then the sense whom does the happiness which they enjoy of smell is withdrawn, the mind is withdrawn. belong? In whomis everything established?" Whenhe movesabout in dream, all those worlds Pippalada replied: "Gargyal Just as the rays are his, he becomesa mighty king or an eminent of the setting Sun are, all of them, gathered up Brahmanor rises high and falls low; just as a in that orb of light, and they issue forth again great king, collecting his forces, movesabout in whenhe rises again, even so is all that gathered his country as he pleases, even so this person up in the mind that perceives everything; hence gathers the senses and movesabout as he pleases it is that the individual does not hear, see, smell, in his body. But when he is in deep sleep, he taste, touch, speak, take, enjoy, discharge, or is not aware of anything; there are seventy-two move, and they say, he sleeps. The fires of the thousand veins which issue from the heart all vital breaths alone are awake in this body .... over the body; returning through them he stays Here, this perceiving mind enjoys its greatness in the body; just as a boy, a great king, or an in dream. [But] when mind is dominated by the eminent Brahman, having attained exceeding inner light, it dreams no dream; there in this happiness, lies down, even so he sleeps .... This body, the happiness of deep sleep ensues. Just as, is the secret description of it that takes one to it; mydear, birds retire into their nests, even so the Truth of the Truth; the faculties are the everything is absorbedinto the SupremeSelf .... " truth; of them, he is the Truth." IV. iii. 2- .... Falling asleep, he transcends MANDUKYA UPANISHAD 7 This basic text begins with a discussion of the this world and all forms of death, i.e., mundane incantation Omwhich signifies the Real Self; it activities .... 9 .... In that state the person is self- continues: "This Self is Brahman;and this Self illumined .... 2I. That state of deep sleep is the is of four grades .... The waking state with form of Self in whichthere is no desire, no taint knowledge of external objects is the first of virtue and of vice, no fear; just as one, em- grade .... The dream state perceiving within one- braced by his beloved one, is oblivious to any- self an enjoyment devoid of gross objects is the thing, outside or inside, even so this person in second grade. That is deep sleep where the sleep- the embraceof the Self... is unconscious of any- ing one does not fancy any desire and sees no thing, outside or inside; that is his form in which dream--a state of deep sleep, unified, one mass all desires have been realised, in which the Self of pure knowledge, enjoying only bliss--this is alone constitutes the desire, in which there is no desire or sorrow .... the third degree .... Perceiving neither internally nor externally, neither knowing nor non-know- ing; the imperceptible, indescribable, unnameable, ASTLY, a modern mystic, Krishna Menon: of the sole form of the consciousness of the one L "In the deep-sleep state shines that principle Self, the negation of the phenomenalworld, the to which the word T points. There the mind Peaceful, the Happy, the One without a second, this they consider is the fourth grade; that is has dissolved and cannot therefore perceive it. the Self, that is the thing to be realised." Whenthe mind is directed to it, it changes into that, losing the characteristics of mind. This is CHANDOGYA UPANISHAD called samadhi." VI. viii. I- 7. Uddalaka Aruni told his son Svetaketu: "Knowfrom me, my dear son, of the If all this sounds like a hymn to Tanatos-- state of sleep. Whena manis said to sleep, he that I believe is indeed its deepest meaning. The becomesunited, mydear, with Reality; he attains dreamless, trance-sleep of samadhi is a homage (apitt~ to his ownreal Self (Svam); hence they to Tanatos: an exercise in death while preparing say that he is sleeping (svamapitO: he has really ’’ been re-united with his ownself .... " for the "final samaarhi in which it is consumed. VIII. i. 4. Nowthis serenity (in deep sleep) Sleep cannot normally be produced by an act which arises above this physical state, reaches the of will, and dreamless sleep even less. The dis- Light Supreme, attains its owninnate form; this tinguishing mark of samadhi is that it can be so is the Self; that is the immortaland fearless; this the Brahman.... produced. And since the first and last aim of VII. xi. Where one sleeps deeply, in full Yoga, from its Vedic origins to this day, has serenity, and dreamless, that is the Self; it is im- always been the mystic union of samadhi, we mortal and fearless; it is the Brahman.... are now in a better position to understand the

BRIHADARANYAKA UPANISHAD ultimate meaning behind its apparently perverse I4-2o .... Ajatasatru took Gargya by the hand; techniques. It is a systematic conditioning of

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26 Arthur Koestler the body to conniving in its owndestruction, at Only the Real Self is waiting, whoseattributes the commandof the will, by a series of gradu- are all negative--"without shape, without hori- ated stages--from the suspension of the vital zon, without end"; whois indicated by "’neti, breath, through the temporary suspension of neti"--"not this, not this;" the ultimate Void-- consciousness,to the ultimate step. compressedinto the reverberations of the single This connivance of ’the body can only be syllable Ore. obtained by gaining mastery over all its func- tions-and in the first place over the involuntary ’o w o N D ~ a that the naked rocks of this functions governed by the vegetative nervous N terrifying ascent are overgrown with system. All bodily reflexes devoted to survival weeds--the miraculous siddhis. For does not he must be wrenchedfrom the service of Eros, and who has achieved mastery over death acquire pressed into the service of Tanatos. If the func- miraculous powers? Having realised that the tion of an organ can be reversed, this will be worldof the senses is illusion, should he not be done, whatever the effort. Thus the lower open- able to prove that space, time, and gravity are ings of the body, designed for elimination, must also illusions? be trained for intake. The openingsdesigned for As the centuries went by, the weeds multi- intake must be blocked, locked, sealed to the plied on the once naked rock, and the postures world. If this cannot be done completely, the of the climbers assumed more and more functions will at least be partially suspended: grotesque contortions. They reflected the breath, heart-beat, pulse. The eyeballs are turned perennial tragedy of the humancondition--that inward and upward in a violent squint so that the meansbecome an end in themselves. only the blind white substance is directed at the Patanjali’s YogaSutras date, within a century world. or two, from the same period as Aristotle’s The Yogi’s attitude to the various organs of Logic. The Hatha Yoga Pradipi](a and its com- his body may be compared to that of an ex- paniontreatises coincide, within the samegener- perienced officer, training his unit for a danger- ous limits, with the works of the Aristotelian ous, and indeed suicidal mission. To obtain Schoolmen. Both were sterile and pedantic absolute obedience, the unit must be kept in a derivations from a great and original adventure fit condition; order, efficiency, cleanliness, must of the humanmind. But while the Schoolmen be carried to perfection; to keep up morale, it confined themselves to verbal logic-chopping, must be treated sternly but with understanding. the swamisdid it with their bowels; and while In other words, the body must be on the peak scholasticism is a distant memory,Yoga is not. of its form to becomecapable of annihilating One is reminded of Erasmus’ epigram on the itself, partially or totally, at the will’s command. Schoolmen:"They are looking in utter darkness That is whythe serpent life-force, curled round for that which has no existence whatever"--but the base of the spine, must be first awakened, then, the Indian mystic would accept this as a then forced upward, towards the Centre of statement of fact, without any derogatoryintent, Commandbetween the eyebrows--and from and a worthy programmeto be pursued. there into the embraceof Shiva, the Destroyer. AmongWesterners who have tried to enter The Christian ascetic mortifies his body to the spirit of Yoga the hard way, Dr. Bernard hasten its return to dust. Heproceeds by a direct was probably the most persistent, modest, and way; the Yogi’s life is spent on a prodigious sincere. He wrote his last work on Hatha Yoga detour. He must build up his body into a super- after manyyears of devotedpractice, and in the efficient, super-sentient instrument of self- index to that short book there are two moving annihilation. That act of annihilation is samadhi. headings: Beyond it there is no Heavenly Father, no Miracles,non transpired. smiling Virgin or loving Bridegroomwaiting. Supernatural,not revealed.

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William Golding

Miss Pulkinhorn

ri 1 s isn’t a ghost story. I wishit were. windowwas a hole to let in light. By the end, What I personally believe doesn’t I was a knighted organist and something of T come into this story. An organist has an authority on painted glass and our own to subscribe to what the chapter believes or windows in particular; though with one ex- at least keep his mouth shut. Cometo that, ception they’re a shoddy lot. The exception is the chapter is rocky enough if you ask me, the Abraham window in the ambulatory and what with this reservation of the Sacrament it’s part of this story in a very subtle way.But and all the rest. Isn’t that in a rubric or fiat the time factor in a cathedral doesn’t affect against the thirty-nine articles or something? the concentration, the unity of a story. Time I suppose Miss Pulkinhorn knew them by ceases to be a dimension, drawing things heart. What a woman! Understand me, I apart. Two hundred years are nothing and can think of a dozen women, fifty women what happened five hundred years ago is just connected with the cathedral, and all sincere, round the corner. I see his strange involun- devout, and good. But Miss Pulkinhorn was tary association with Miss Pulkinhorn as a an oddity. A cathedral always collects one single thing that grew persistently and slowly lille that, crazy with opinions and hate. You as a great tree. Whenit was a seedling I was can even see a couple like her, hats perched a cheerful young man with a tendency to--- up, feathers a-quiver, nodding and whisper- irregularities. Whenit ended, position and ing awaythe reputation of half the city. They respectability lay on me like the dust on the always believe in their own privileged good- tombs. ness, of course--want their pennies and their She was desperately poor, you know, and buns: want to keep pride and vanity and hate kept up appearances in a huge wreck of a and yet remain God’s own special chicken. house. Those were easy days for finding ser- She was one of that sort. She set about re- vants but all she ever had was a womanto moving me because after all I’m a worldly help in the mornings. She was a great one for creature even for an organist but she couldn’t the cathedral and I don’t suppose she ever catch me up to anything. And when I got my missed a service, but sat out the lot, simmer- knighthood and became Sir Edward, I was ing with disapproval. Between whiles she canonised, so to speak--part of the dignity came into the cathedral once a day and swept of the diocese--and she couldn’t touch me. round it in a--possessive manner; though not Besides, I altered a little--what with music only the weather but the vestments, the and glass for a hobby--I found it easy enough candles, the images, must have been purga- to conform. As I got interested in painted tory for her. Between the two wars whenthey glass, year by year time slid away. Time re-dedicated the chapel of St. Augustine and doesn’t count in a cathedral even though this reserved the Sacrament there, I’m told she story stretches over a whole generation. nearly left the diocese. She carried an ebony When I first knew her I thought a church cane with a silver top and she was so tiny 27

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