Can Subtle Body be Awakened?

Our physical bodies are visible but the subtle bodies are invisible. Even then, subtle body plays a big role in driving the physical body. Despite being invisible, the subtle body is much more powerful than the physical body. It is not possible to realize the true potential of subtle body without intense spiritual practices. But if it can be awakened by spiritual practices, then it does not need any gross or material based medium to perform its functions. Subtle body is very powerful and without any external help it is capable of doing whatever it likes.

But what exactly is our subtle body? What are its constituent elements? How can we understand and know more about our subtle body? Here is a brief answer. Our subtle body is a conglomerate of five senses that can sense the five subtle elements (tanmatras), five

Science urges us to occupy by our mind the immensity of the knowable world; our spiritual teacher enjoins us to comprehend by our soul the infinite spirit which is in the depth of the moving and changing facts of the world; the urging of our artistic side.

- Rabindranath Tagore

response organs, mind, intellect, chitta and ego. The collection of five senses, mind, intellect, chitta and ego help sense the external world and acquire knowledge and so are called the ‘powers of sensing’ or ‘powers of knowledge’. The five response organs are called the ‘powers of action’. So a collection of the powers of knowledge and powers of action is called the subtle body. Since these powers cannot interact with the gross world without a gross medium, they take the form of a gross body to attain their goal. Chitta is a storehouse of past memories and intrinsic tendencies and within this storehouse all the intrinsic tendencies that the subtle body acquires keep getting accumulated. These tendencies then become the cause for birth, death and attachments towards worldly pleasures.

According to the findings of Professor George Ashby based on a number of research experiments, any human being can present himself simultaneously at multiple places by vitalizing, developing and strengthening his inner consciousness. Despite being present at multiple places at the same time, the person’s consciousness does not get divided; it remains united. Madam Alexandra Neel has performed adventurous treks in several highly inaccessible regions of Tibet. In her book titled ‘My Journey to Lhasa’ she has referred to a saint named

“Science and religion are very much alike. Both are imaginative and creative aspects of the human mind. The appearance of a conflict is a result of ignorance.” – Nobel laureate Sir John Eccles

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Akhand Jyoti November - December 2014

Siatsan Rampa who lived at Tawang Math. Siatsan could appear at multiple places simultaneously even when he was actually meditating in his own room in the Math. Madam Neel herself experienced his touch and received his blessings at several different places and she says he did this by dividing his subtle body. Each of the divisions could create his physical body by the force of his resolve and this physical body would then appear wherever he wished. But even then his consciousness remained integrated as one, there would be no division of it. All members of Gayatri Pariwar must be aware of Sookshmikaran Sadhana (spiritual practice of

All human affairs follow nature’s great analogue, the growth of vegetation. There are three periods of growth in every plant. The first, and slowest, is the invisible growth by the root; the second and much accelerated is the visible growth by the stem; but when root and stem have gathered their forces, there comes the third period, in which the plant quickly flashes into blossom and rushes into fruit.

The beginnings of moral enterprises in this world are never to be measured by any apparent growth. ... At length comes the sudden ripeness and the full success, and he who is called in at the final moment deems this success his own. He is but the reaper and not the labourer. Other men sowed and tilled and he but enters into their labours.

- Henry Ward Beecher

subtilizing the physical body) performed by Gurudev Pt Shriram Sharma Acharya ji. Before he shed his physical body Gurudev created five Virbhadras (his incarnate bodies) with this sadhana for parallel carrying out a number of activities aimed at creating a new era as directed by Mahakal, the Time Spirit. Many members of Gayatri Pariwar have personally experienced that these five bodies of Gurudev could appear at five different places simultaneously and properly conduct the activities at each place.

A book titled ‘Projection of Astral Body’ written by two authors – Sylvan Muldoon from USA and Hereward Carrington from England was published in 1921 from London. Both authors have claimed that they have performed a lot of external travel with their subtle bodies. They say that since the age of 12 they have been travelling with their subtle bodies. In their experience, the subtle body remains grounded initially and then rises to about 2 meters and then becomes free to roam about. According to the authors each and everyone can do this provided one really wishes to do this. Mr K D Sethna could also similarly detach his subtle body from the gross body and could travel for many hours freely. Since he was in his early stages of spiritual development, he felt a need for further guidance. So for higher spiritual practices he went to Sri Aurobindo Ashram, Pondicherry. There he realized that in place of roaming around with subtle body like this only for entertainment, it is more necessary to focus on personal spiritual development. Out-ofbody experience is a special spiritual attainment

“I find it quite improbable that such order came out of chaos. There has to be some organizing principle.

God to me is a mystery but is the explanation for the miracle of existence, why there is something instead of nothing.” - Astronomer Allan Sandage

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and it is not appropriate to use it for entertainment.

According to Carrington, the subtle body hovers above the gross body while sleeping. In the state of loss of consciousness, it moves out of the gross body. This is called as involuntary projection. If the subtle body is separated by intention from the gross body, then this is called as voluntary projection. Actually, the two bodies are connected to each other with a subtle wire through which the life force or Prana flows.

In Indian philosophy, existence of subtle body has been accepted right from the beginning. The great Vedantic guru Shankaracharya had used the knowledge of entering into another gross body to find answers to the questions raised by Bharati, wife of a great Mimansak scholar Mandan Mishra. Even today there is no dearth of great experts and yogis of this tradition who use their subtle bodies for the benefit of the society. These people not only understand the subtle body in minute details, they are completely capable of roaming from one subtle realm to another by separating their subtle body from the gross body.

This ability to detach the subtle body from gross body is an art, or a skill attained through spiritual disciplines. It is not a necessity to put efforts to acquire this skill, but we must put in efforts to develop and strengthen our subtle bodies. When our subtle bodies evolve then in this process our soul consciousness elevates itself too. By evolving the subtle body we can perform several activities that are very beneficial to human life. To experience and elevate the subtle body we must perform simple spiritual practices like meditation, yog nidra, chanting of mantras, penance, pranayam etc. Gurudev Pt Shriram Sharma Acharya has laid a special emphasis on meditation of rising sun (Savita) for awakening subtle and causal bodies. He has prescribed that worship (upasana), self-discipline (sadhana) and selfless service (aradhana) must be integrated into daily life routines. With a sustained, devoted practice of these spiritual disciplines it is possible to raise, evolve and elevate our subtle, causal bodies and our consciousness.

One of the outstanding medical practitioners of his time, Jeevak was a strong supporter of spiritual traditions and practices. Emperor Ajaatshatru, who had been healed by him, asked him, “Aren’t herbs by themselves sufficient for curing a person? What is the need for spiritual methods and practices of healing?” Jeevak replied, “Following spiritual traditions and practices is extremely important to a person who wants to regain his health fully. Man is a combination of essential elements (matter) and consciousness. Therefore, successful cures require a combination of science and spirituality. Medical science and spiritual wisdom combined together provide abiding happiness and good health”

“An equation for me has no meaning unless it expresses a thought of God.” - Srinivasa Ramanujam, one of the greatest mathematicians of all time 43 Akhand Jyoti November - December 2014