Even in Manusmriti we find reference to this bindu: “ Know that Supreme Person who is the controller of all, tinier than the tiniest, gleaming like pure gold, and unintelligible. ” It is not possible to imagi ne, or create an imaginary form of this bindu ( the tinier than the tiniest form of God ). It has to be seen learning its secret from a true Guru. Sant Kabir hints at this art thus, “To the right is the Sun and to the left is the Moon, while the target lies hidden in between the two.” The current in the right eye is also called as the Sun and similarly, the current in the left eye is called as the Moon. That point or bindu is hidden in the centre of these two. The practiser, who makes these two currents of vi sion meet in a point, sees an effulgent point . T his very idea is expressed in other words by Kabir Sahab: “ In the centre of the inner sky region, bright light is seen. ” The meditator sees dark void ahead when he closes his eyes. Light is seen when attentio n is focussed in the centre of that darkness. Sant Tulsi Sahab articulates this thus: “ Attention is stilled in the inner sky and remains seated day & night in the window of the til (point). ” That is, the spiritual practitioner who focuses his attention in the inner void enters into the til - w indow, the Gate of Bindu or the Tenth Door. The Maitreyi Upanishad narrates an interesting anecdote in connection with the inner Divine light that becomes visible to the practitioner of bindu d hyān. There was a Brahmin ( one of the four main var n as or castes in India). He did not perform ritual worship ( including verbal chanting of prayers & Gayatri Mantra (one of the most sacred Vedic hymns), showing incense sticks to the idols or statues of gods & goddesses etc. ) like ot her conventional Brahmins of the village. He had devoted himself to genuine inner meditation. His wife , however, had to face a lot of taunts & critical remarks from her friends who would vex her saying that her husband was not a true Brahmin and that she, though herself being a real Brahmin, had been married to a Shudra (the fourth caste, the lowest in the so - called order or hierarchy of castes, despised or looked down upon by the other three). They would , as if to lend credence to their criticism , advanc e arguments like “had your husband been a chaste Brahmin, he, too, would have followed a routine befitting a true Brahmin e.g., having bath on prescribed time, orally reciting incantations & Gayatri Mantra, performing sandhy ā or worship thrice a day etc , b ut , how sad, he does not do anything of the sort!” Returning home, she would report to her husband what others remarked about him. The Brahmin listened to everything patiently, but would not say anything or react. Every time his wife happened to meet her neighbours, she would get to hear the same malicious and mocking remarks again & again. One day vexed to the hilt, she came home extremely dejected and pained, and told her husband with tears upwelling in her eyes , “I have re peatedly ma d e you aware of what our neighbors have to say about you, but you do not pay any heed, everything falls flat on your deaf ears.” Seeing the immensity of her grief, the Brahmin said, “O Queen of my heart! Neither do you nor do your neighbours who keep you telling so many things know of what I do! Now just listen to me! What is this that you call as sandhyā? When is this sandhyā performed? Sandhyā as a matter of fact refers to the time when the Sun sets or the transition period when the day ends an d the night begins. Similarly the juncture when the forenoon comes to a close and the afternoon begins is called “madhyāhna sandhyā” or the mid - day transition ( sandhyā ) . Again, the meeting moment, when the night comes to an end and the dawn breaks, is term ed “prabhāta sandhyā” or morning transition ( sandhyā ) . Thus, we have come to have the concept of three sandhyās – morning sandhyā (prabhāta sandhyā), afternoon sandhyā (madhyāhna sandhyā) and evening sandhyā (sāyam sandhyā). But, when & where there is neit her the sunrise nor the sunset, just tell me, how could you perform sandhyā worship ? In the inner sky of my heart the conscious sun keeps shining bright all the time, incessantly. It neither sets nor rises
Posted on: Sat, 29 Jun 2013 12:06:00 +0000