Paramhansa Yogananda in his work titled ‘Man’s Eternal Quest’, says that esoteric meditation -- one-pointed concentration on the inner Self to the exclusion of all other thoughts -- is the highest form of human activity and is the best method to get connected with the Supreme Spirit.
On the one side the higher power is pulling us towards the domain of eternal Consciousness and, on the other, the power of maya or delusion is pulling us towards the artificial glitter of the physical universe. In order to ensure that the seeker does not get bogged down in maya, Yogananda recommends the practice of meditation on a regular basis supplemented by three techniques that could help the seeker delve deep into the innermost recesses of his being and experience the supra-causal state of consciousness.
Pray and chant before meditation: Before starting your meditation, preferably in the early hours of the morning, pray for a few minutes and chant the Divine Name with deep feelings of devotion. Repetition of the Divine Name can be truly effective only if it is accompanied by spiritual fervour and intense yearning for God-realisation. Mere mechanical repetition and lip service to the Supreme will not yield the desired results. Cry to the Almighty as you would cry to your mother and, with all the love you can muster, tear at the veils of silence again and again and express your devotional feelings with the words: “God, I cannot live without you. You are the Power behind my consciousness. I love you. Must you remain hidden? Reveal yourself to me”. If you constantly invoke Divinity, you are bound to achieve progress in the spiritual sphere.
Concentrate on the Christ or Kutastha Centre: Seekers often complain that while in meditation, they find it extremely difficult to subdue the turbulent mind full of distracting thoughts. Yogananda suggests that by focusing attention on the Christ or Kutasth Centre -- the point between the eyebrows -- in meditation, you can gradually succeed in harnessing scattered thoughts and giving them a new, inward direction. In yogic terminology, this centre is called the ajna chakra, which is the seat of the mind.
There are two petals, yoga nadis, on each side of the ajna chakra and the spiritual vibrations that emanate from these subtle nadis correspond to Sanskrit letters that mean ‘Soham’ (I Am That). This is also called the Third Eye of Shiva; by concentrating on this centre, the seeker gets connected to the constantly blazing flame, the ‘divya jyoti’, which bestows on the seeker great power of concentration.
Pranayama or breath control: Through the practice of the kriya yoga technique of pranayama the seeker endeavours to control the life-force in the body by making pranic energy revolve upward and downward, around the six spinal centres situated in the sushumna, namely, muladhara, swadhishthana, manipura, anahata, vishuddha and ajna. This technique hastens the process of spiritual evolution, purging the seeker of all sorts of impurities. This, in turn, brings about ‘interiorisation’ of consciousness that enables the seeker to penetrate the darkness behind the closed eyes and gain access to the endless region which is referred to by Yogananda as ‘Darkless dark and lightless light’. In this boundless stretch of eternity, the Supreme Being alone abides in the form of pure, undifferentiated consciousness.
Thus, in the esoteric activity of meditation, says Yogananda, “you have the solution to the mystery of knowing God”. (Today is Paramhansa Yogananda’s birth anniversary).
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