Tag: Hinduism

Gayatri Mantra, Kundalini Yoga, and Caste: Sushumna Awakening and Brahman Awareness Beyond Birth

Initial Thought About the Meaning of Gayatri

Today, a yogin visited me at my request to show some techniques of sutra neti. He is OBC by caste, as I asked him, and while responding, he said that there is no caste of yogins. While discussing it, an idea came to me that the word Gayatri contains “tri,” meaning three. I felt that this three could represent Ida, Pingala, and Sushumna. These three nadis are the fundamental energy channels in the yogic body. Ida and Pingala are both feminine in nature as they belong to Shakti, and Sushumna is the unified and highest form of Shakti. All nadis belong to Prakriti and not Purusha. Gayatri is therefore always addressed as Devi. This threefold Shakti is the basis of yogic practice and the inner origin of Vedic knowledge. That is why Gayatri is traditionally connected with yogis and Brahmins.

Gayatri as the Mother of the Vedas

It is said in tradition that Gayatri is the mother of the Vedas. This does not mean that she created books or texts. It means that Gayatri represents the state of consciousness from which Vedic knowledge arises. When Ida and Pingala are balanced, Sushumna opens. When Sushumna opens, the perception of cosmic order, called ṛta, becomes possible. This perception is Veda. Therefore Gayatri is not only a mantra but the condition through which Vedic seeing becomes available to human awareness.

Why Both Yogi and Brahmin Practice Gayatri

Originally, Brahmin did not mean caste. It meant one who abides in Brahman-awareness. Yogi means one who unites the energies through yoga. Both are describing the same inner process using different language. Gayatri japa regulates the breath, balances Ida and Pingala, and gradually activates Sushumna. For this reason, Gayatri is whispered, practiced at dawn and dusk, and given during upanayana to begin inner discipline. It is a yogic process expressed in mantra form.

Meaning of Gayatri as That Which Saves Through Singing

Gayatri is defined as “gāyantam trāyate iti gāyatrī,” meaning that which saves the one who sings or recites. Gāyana refers to rhythmic japa, especially inner recitation. Trāṇa refers to protection or release from bondage. Bondage in yogic terms is the imbalance of Ida and Pingala, which produces mental duality and repetitive samskaras. When japa is practiced, breath becomes subtle, nadis harmonize, and Sushumna opens. Awareness then shifts from mind to witness. This shift itself is liberation in a small but real form. That is how Gayatri saves.

Gayana as Inner Vibration and Its Effect on Awareness

True gāyana is not loud singing but manasika japa, inner repetition. Gayatri works best at sandhya times, when natural nadi junctions occur, and when attention is steady at Ajna or the heart. Through personal experience, it becomes clear that when attention stabilizes in this way, Brahman-awareness appears naturally without effort.

Mantra Governs Nadis, Not the Other Way Around

A necessary correction is that Gayatri is not created by Ida, Pingala, and Sushumna. Rather, she governs and regulates them. Mantra is primary, and energy follows. This maintains the correct hierarchy and keeps practice safe. The mantra acts as a regulator of the entire energetic system.

Meaning of Bhuh, Bhuvah, and Svah as Inner States

The words Bhuh, Bhuvah, and Svah represent levels of consciousness, not physical locations. Bhuh corresponds to the physical body and gross awareness. Bhuvah corresponds to prana, mind, and subtle activity. Svah corresponds to buddhi, light, and causal awareness. When Ida and Pingala dominate, awareness moves between Bhuh and Bhuvah. When Sushumna opens, awareness naturally rises to Svah.

Savitur as the Inner Illuminating Sun

Savitur refers not to the external sun but to the inner illuminator that lights all three states of consciousness. This is the central witness-light experienced when energy flows in Sushumna. It is the reflection of Brahman in buddhi and the source of inner clarity. Just as the sun is not affected by whatever abodes it illuminates, similarly pure Brahman awareness during Sushumna flow is not affected by any of the three worlds but only witnesses them.

Bhargo Devasya Varenyam as the Chosen Light

Bharga means the burning clarity that removes ignorance. It is not physical heat but luminous understanding. When Sushumna stabilizes, samskaras dissolve naturally in this light. Therefore the mantra declares this light as varenyam, worthy of choosing above all others, because other forms of light such as sensory, emotional, and mental illumination are unstable.

Dhiyo Yo Nah Prachodayat and Transformation of Intellect

Dhi refers to buddhi, the faculty of discrimination. Prachodayat means to impel, awaken, or reorganize. When Sushumna flows, buddhi is no longer personal but becomes universal. This transformation of intellect is the direct experience of Brahman-awareness. The Brahman referred to in the Gayatri mantra is the same Brahman realized through the opening of Sushumna.

Mantra, Nadi, and Awareness as One Process

Mantra, nadi, and awareness are three expressions of the same process. Mantra is the sound-form, nadi is the energy-form, and awareness is the realized state. Gayatri does not merely describe Brahman. It creates the pathway for perceiving Brahman. That is why mantra experience and Sushumna experience feel identical. They are two ways of expressing the same inner truth.

Why This Knowledge Is Encoded and Not Explained

This knowledge was traditionally encoded rather than openly explained because explanation can create desire for experience, while encoding allows only practitioners to discover it through practice. In this case, experience came first and meaning came later, which is the correct order of realization.

Personal Caution and Grounding

From personal experience, it is known that forcing Sushumna can destabilize life. Therefore mantra is the safest and most natural regulator of energy. Gayatri allows awakening to occur without loss of balance in worldly life.

Conclusion: Gayatri and Brahman Are the Same Realization

The Brahman described in the Gayatri mantra is the same Brahman realized when Sushumna opens. Gayatri is therefore the mother of the Vedas, the regulator of nadis, the awakener of buddhi, and the inner sun of awareness. She does not promise liberation as an idea but enacts it as a lived process through japa and awareness.

A Yogi is the real Brahmin

It seems that caste is not by birth in this sense. One who is a Brahmin by birth but does not do yoga does not look like a real Brahmin. But a man born in any caste who practices yoga seems to be a Brahmin. Many examples are there. Dasi-putra Vidur, Valmiki, Vishvamitra, Shabari, Kabir, Rahim, and many more were from different religions and castes, but all were awakened like yogis and are still revered like Brahmins.

When Buddhi Chooses Sleep: The Yogic Psychology of Gandhārī and Dhṛtarāṣṭra

A Moment in the Mahābhārata That Demands Deeper Seeing

In the Mahabharata, Gandhārī’s decision to cover her eyes for life so as to share the blindness of her husband Dhritarāṣṭra is often praised as the highest form of devotion. Yet when looked at quietly, without sentiment, this act does not remain simple. Something in it presses for a deeper reading. It feels less like sacrifice and more like a decisive inner posture—one that silently shapes destiny.

This is not a story about physical blindness alone. It is a story about consciousness, intelligence, and the subtle ways bondage continues even in the presence of love.

Jīva as Dhṛtarāṣṭra: Blindness Carried Forward

Dhṛtarāṣṭra represents the Jīva—the individual being shaped by past karma. His blindness is not accidental and not limited to the eyes. It symbolizes a long-standing incapacity to see clearly, to discriminate, to restrain desire and attachment. This blindness is carried forward from previous births as samskāra. In this birth, it simply expresses itself openly.

Nothing in the story suggests that this Jīva could not have been aided. Blindness here is not fate sealed forever; it is a condition awaiting either reinforcement or correction.

Gandhārī as New Buddhi in a Fresh Birth

Gandhārī represents Buddhi, the faculty of intelligence and discernment. She is not blind by nature. She enters this life with clear seeing, moral strength, and the capacity to guide. Before marriage, she stands close to what can be called samaṣṭi buddhi—intelligence that is still aligned with universal order rather than personal entanglement.

This is crucial: Buddhi arrives fresh in this birth. It is capable of seeing what the Jīva cannot.

The Warnings of Elders and Gurus

The elders and gurus advise Gandhārī clearly to keep her eyes open. This is not a social detail; it is symbolic. It represents śāstra, dharma, and higher wisdom reminding Buddhi of its responsibility. The message is simple: do not abandon discernment. Love does not require blindness. Partnership does not demand the sacrifice of intelligence.

At this moment, a real choice exists.

The Decisive Act: Buddhi Choosing Slumber

Gandhārī sees the blindness of the Jīva she is about to join. Instead of remaining awake and serving as a mirror, she chooses symmetry. She decides that if the Jīva cannot see, she too will not see. This is not ignorance and not compulsion. It is a conscious, emotionally motivated decision.

Here, Buddhi abandons its dharma of viveka. It chooses companionship over correction, harmony over awakening, loyalty over truth. Intelligence does not illuminate; it lies down beside blindness. It is like the Kundalinī snake coiled and Śakti sleeping in the Mūlādhāra chakra.

This is the silent turning point of the epic.

Why This Is Not Compassion in Yogic Psychology

In yoga, compassion never requires the dimming of intelligence. Buddhi exists to bring clarity to the Jīva, not to anesthetize it. When Buddhi voluntarily suspends its seeing, it does not become noble; it becomes dormant. By blindfolding herself, Gandhārī validates the Jīva’s blindness and removes the very friction that could have led to awakening.

This is love that prefers peace over truth—and therefore sustains bondage.

Why the Jīva Remains Unawakened

A Jīva does not awaken simply because Buddhi is present. Awakening happens only when Buddhi stays awake. In this pairing, Buddhi becomes a sedative rather than medicine. The Jīva remains blind not because help was absent, but because help chose not to function.

This is the deepest tragedy: intelligence was available, but it refused its role.

Later Power, Earlier Failure

Gandhārī later demonstrates immense tapas and spiritual power. Her curse after the war is devastating. Yet this power appears only after irreparable damage has occurred. If she had seen and acted early, things could have changed. Acting only at the end changed nothing. A blind Buddhi practicing yoga may acquire various powers and siddhis, but it does not attain awakening.

Blindness postpones responsibility. What is not corrected early returns later as destruction. Similarly, a blind Buddhi practicing yoga may acquire various powers and siddhis later in life, but it does not attain awakening.

A Pattern That Repeats Everywhere

This story is not confined to an ancient epic. It repeats wherever intelligence dims itself to preserve relationship, wherever clarity is sacrificed to avoid disturbance, wherever love fears awakening more than ignorance. In such moments, Buddhi chooses sleep, and Jīva continues as it is.

Awareness cannot be awakened by someone who refuses to see.

Final Understanding: How Bondage Continues Quietly

The Jīva was blind due to past karma.
The Buddhi was seeing in this birth.
But Buddhi chose sleep over sight, companionship over awakening.

Thus blindness continued—not by fate, not by ignorance, but by a conscious choice made in the name of love.

Liberation does not fail because light is absent.
It fails when intelligence willingly turns away from seeing.