INSIGHTS IN NAMASMARAN DR. SHRINIWAS KASHALIKAR
NAMASMARAN is a multidimensional and totipotent or pleuripotent activity. Thus on one hand it is a mere remembrance or recitation of God’s name or OMKAR by an individual, either loudly or silently; and on the other hand; when it reaches its zenith; it is one with cosmic consciousness Himself (within which everything is contingent). The initial experience of NAMASMARAN can be totally alien to one’s physiological disposition. Many times, especially if the child is obstinate or stubborn and has strong likes and dislikes, then it may feel that the NAMASMARAN is coming in the way of its freedom! Therefore NAMASMARAN should be started on a small scale, right from the early childhood when the resistance can be overcome affectionately and with incentives and/or temptations. Secondly it should be started for all the children (according to their beliefs) and everywhere in the world. This would help the
child to get the peer approval (which is of great importance at that stage). There are likely to be many individuals who would oppose this, due to their ignorance about NAMASMARAN, and if not convinced; can left to themselves after due efforts to explain and convince them the exact nature of NAMASMARAN and its benefits to the child and the universe (now; and also in days to come). It is true that NAMASMARAN appears to be restricted to the lips, mouth and vocal apparatus and hence there can be doubt about the potential of the NAMASMARAN to liberate one and all! But this apparently insignificant and ineffective activity is actually the beginning of opening all the doors of the prison of the body and mind. Since the children and us also; are unaware of this, the children and we find it difficult to appreciate the emancipating role of NAMASMARAN, the children don’t like it; and we also find it unconvincing to include it in the syllabus and curriculums.
It has to be appreciated that during NAMASMARAN there is a gradual withdrawal or reversal of the decent of our consciousness involved in neurological information processing embodying neurochemical and biochemical changes resulting in conflicting thoughts, emotions, instincts and desires, drives, cravings and behavior. Till such time that the process of NAMASMARAN does not take roots in our being, the decent of consciousness (which embodies an illusion of freedom) keeps on resisting the practice of NAMSMARAN leading to conflict! This happens because; even though NAMSMARAN has this emancipating (reversing the decent of consciousness) impact on all aspects of individual life (and their interrelationship with the inner and outer environment, which includes the people), it is not easily detected or if detected, appear unpleasant and restrictive!
Gradually the child would identify that NAMASMARAN is actually the activity that helps it to hold its personality together! It acts as a thought anchor! The child however; may not be able to articulate this feeling. The beauty of NAMASMARAN is that by virtue of reversing the decent of consciousness, it is never restricted to one’s own petty benefits. It is always benevolent to all; including those who may be thousands of miles away and known or unknown! It is said to be emancipating even to those subtler entities whose “life” does not fit in the usual laws of biology such as the departed souls! This is not surprising if we realize that when at its zenith, NAMASMARAN is one with cosmic consciousness; and everything (including past and future generations) is contingent in Him! When NAMASMARAN reaches its zenith; it is one with cosmic consciousness Himself (within which everything is contingent); as stated earlier,
and the inexplicable effects of NAMASMARAN begin to manifest at the level of electrochemical activities in various parts of brain. These in turn are responsible for the experiences of the practitioner of NAMASMARAN as well as the apparently miraculous effects on body functions, behavior and several events in one’s individual, family and social life. One of the several concrete possibilities resulting from NAMASMARAN; which may accessible to technology is consolidation of to and fro connections between brainstem including limbic system and the cerebral cortex. NAMASMARAN being a very subtle process could possibly also lead to spatial and temporal changes in the secretory patterns in very low quantities, but in key positions in the central nervous system and influence the whole biochemistry and physiology of an individual.
In fact this is one of the rational explanations for the aphorism that NAMASMARAN embodies all the aspects e.g. YAMA, NIYAMA, ASANA, PRANAYAMA, PRATYAHARA, DHARANA, DHYANA & SAMADHI, of YOGA. These are achieved in a subtler and continuous manner, in NAMASMARAN. This is like pushing and pulling! In YOGA the efforts are to push back the descending consciousness from receptors, plexuses, muscles, respiration, autonomic nervous system etc back to its original position. In NAMASMARAN it is like sucking (or as we have called earlier, withdrawing) the consciousness from where it has got displaced! It is very true that the time to come will see scientists working to understand the microphysiological events including their temporal and spatial patterns (and their interrelationships) associated with NAMASMARAN in greater details and validate the aphorisms about NAMASMARAN; of
Brahmachaitanya Shri Gondavalekar
Maharaj from Gondavale (District Satara in Maharashtra State, in India). NAMASMARAN would probably then get whole hearted acceptance from all the sections in the international society; irrespective of caste, creed, religion, race and ideological convictions; such as theism or atheism. Experiencing the nectar of NAMASMARAN is vital. But it is probably in tune with the scientific temper in this era; that we try to “understand” and thereby build intellectual conviction and motivation also; about NAMASMARAN; and reach them to every nook and corner of the world so as to benefit maximum people!