by Sri Bmal Mohanty
VOL No. 13
 Aug 2001

CHAPTER FOURTEEN - ON MEDITATION - Part 2

The Benefits of Meditation - on the body and vital breath.

Continued from Chapter thirteen which dealt with Object of meditation.

"Based on lectures by Sri Bimal Mohanty"

The spiritual development or spiritual evolution can not take place within dead objects. It is the combination of matter and prana which is the base for evolution. If we and the Divine Lord are interested in our integrated total development and evolution, we have to eventually take into consideration the life element along with the material food sheath. In other words, the effect on annamay kosha or food sheath in time, should spill over to the pranamay kosha or the vital sheath. As our concentration becomes deeper and our consciousness becomes sharper, more harmony between the body and prana or the vital breath results. >From the harmonized body we now come to harmonized breath.

The physical benefit on the pranamay kosha is evenness of breathing. Evenness of breathing is said to have great therapeutic and other benefits on the body. It makes the body resistant to decay, stronger and more powerful. It is also said that you slowly discover great potential of physical power and a very strong will force. You overcome fear. Body can then perform acts which appear miraculous to ordinary people. Meditation gives us this power.

There are ofcourse many many supplementary practices like pranayama, hathayoga practices which further helps the process. But meditation is the key.

At this stage, as we are discussing the effect of meditation on the food sheath and the vital sheath, it is important to understand that to many sadhakas the development of a strong, powerful body and great will power becomes so fascinating that the fact that this is only an intermediary stage in a long journey to greater glory still ahead, is often forgotten. This is a danger and a pitfall for an egocentric character never to be underestimated.

The ego, on suddenly discovering great power at his command becomes a victim of all rajasik qualities which are desire driven and achievement oriented of material kind. This moves the sadhaka away from higher spiritual achievement and blinds him with preyas i.e the temporary pleasures and keeps him away from shreyas i.e. benefits of permanent nature.

This indeed is the nature of Asuras or persons of demoniacal nature. The behaviour that centers around gratification of sensual desires is the bahaviour of Asuras or demoniacal behaviour.

Our stories from Puranas and myths abound with vividly painted characters of Asuras. How have they been described? They are described as persons performing great physical feats, capable of unimaginable destructions all as per their wish. These Puranic stories also say that they acquire these qualities through great meditation and sadhana. All great Asuras, whether Ravana or Meghanada or Bali or a Kansa are themselves great tapasvis and had acquired their powers by meditation only. But here, instead of going beyond the realm of body and prana, instead of pursuing further to the realm of parardha - or the higher sphere- they became blinded by the ego, its powers, the pleasures of sensual gratification and remained in the lower realms - the aparardha- until they were liberated by the Lord Himself at the end.

Here it is not so important to look for credibility or veracity of these stories and the puranas. Then we shall miss the point totally. Our Puranas are really books of lessons to assist us in our journey from ignorance to knowledge. They provide symbols and through these symbols the wise and intelligent sadhakas are expected to pick out the esoteric and hidden meaning and discard the attractive packaging with which they come.

Even Sri Aurobindo, if you read his essay "The Ladder of Self Ascendance" has made reference to these Asuric characteristics arising out of intermediate perfection achieved at the level of annamay and pranamay koshas.

                                                                 to be continued.......

In the next part (Part 3) we shall discuss the effect of meditation on mind, intellect and bliss sheaths