Sahasrar Chakra and Brahmarandhra Centers of Divine Powers

The human body (Microcosm) is said to be a small sample of the cosmos (Macrocosm). The entire body of a big tree is hidden in a tiny seed. In a small sperm lies the cast of the entire human body. The manner in which the mutual attraction and activities of the planets of the solar system are executed, can be seen albeit at a microlevel within the atomic family represented by electrons, neutrons etc. In the same way the entire cosmos can be seen in a microform within this small human body. Whatever is visible / invisible in this gigantic cosmos is present within this tiny human body. All the special characteristics of earth too are found in the human body.

All the energies, special qualities and glories of earth are found in the point of balance i.e. the North and South Poles. From here all movements /activities of earth are controlled. As a result this earth is an active ball and a playground for all creatures. If the North / South Poles lose their balance or they undergo some change, the entire earth will look like something totally different. It is said that even if a minor fist blow is executed on the point of center of balance in the 2 Poles, the earth will change its orbit by leaps and bounds. As a result this very nature of days, nights, seasons etc. will change and take up a new extreme form. Further this minor fist blow can induce earth to dash into other stars, galaxies etc. and thus get powdered to pulp. The cause is very clear. In that the 2 Poles control all the movements of earth. It is their energy centers that induce our earth to dance to its tunes like a puppet. All earthly activities are given the necessary capacity and inspiration to function aptly. The 2 Poles are the central points of earth's activities and energy centers.

Just as the planet earth attains energy and activities from the 2 Poles, so too the human body has 2 Poles. The North Pole is Sahasrar Kamal in the Brahmarandhra (center of the brain). The South Pole is the Mooladahr Chakra of Kundalini or Divine Serpent Power center at the base of Sushumna (near the genitals). According to Indian Mythology, Lord Vishnu sleeps on Lord Shesha (1000 hooded serpent) in the Ksheersagar (ocean of nectar). This Ksheersagar is nothing but the intense white ocean of love in our brain. Sahasrar Kamal is that atom which instead of being round like other sheaths is like serrated teeth of a cog-wheel. These teeth are compared to the petals of a lotus. The central point of energy lies in this atomic Pole. This Vishnu Pole or Sahasrar Kamal (1000 petalled lotus in the brain) is the very basis of attainment of sensory and extrasensory knowledge pertaining to the innumerable conscious and unconscious units of the brain. This region is the central point of all spiritual practices like meditation / trance / self-reflection / Yoga of devotion alongwith will power, soul power and Sidhis attained due to a strong power of resolve (Sankalps).

The North Pole lies in the central point of the head called Sahasrar Chakra. In the center of the head is a subtle 1000 petalled lotus and is called the Sahasrar Chakra. Within it dwells divine energy or Shiva. It is over here that Kundalini or Divine Serpent Power rises from the South Pole to merge into Shiva in the North Pole. From this area all bodily movements are controlled just as a puppeteer seated behind a curtain, controls his puppets via mere finger movements. It is also called the region of the soul etc. All energies and its sub-categories that create movements in this gigantic cosmos are found situated around the Sahasrar.

Sacred scriptures say that Kundalini is the very life force of all energies and Sidhis. A person who activates the otherwise latent (sleeping) Divine Serpent Power becomes the Lord of infinite grandeur of this world. In India this has been discovered right since ancient times. There is no end or limit to the potency of Kundalini Shakti or Divine Serpent Power.

But activating the Kundalini is not the ultimate goal of a living being. The ultimate goal of all creatures is to attain salvation (Moksha) i.e. merging the individual ego into the cosmic soul (God). The aim of any human life is to merge into Brahman / God/ cosmic soul. Yoga and other spiritual practices are meant exactly for this purpose. The same holds true for Kundalini too. This has been commented upon in Hathayoga Pradeepika as follows –

“Just as a person tries to open the lock of a bolt, so too a Yogi finds the path of Sushumna via Kundalini based practices. He then enters Brahmaloka so as to attain salvation (Moksha).”

Only when a spiritual aspirant enters this Sahasrar Chakra, can he experience the joy of immortality, vision of the cosmos, control of cosmic powers and Samadhi or trance. The Brahmaloka mentioned in the above lines is nothing but the Sahasrar Chakra. It is very difficult to reach this Chakra. Majority of spiritual seekers get stuck in the lower Chakras and merge into the lower type of bliss that they get in that region. Hence Sidhis (extraordinary powers) attained during preliminary Kundalini awakening are said to be obstacles.

Just as a man thinks the material world to be the ultimate goal of life because of having immense wealth, grandeur and a beautiful wife, so too a person who activates his Divine Serpent Power thinks that Sidhis like hearing far off words, seeing far off objects, knowing other people’s thoughts, predicting the future accurately etc. attained while activating the lower Chakras, is the be all and end all of life. Thus he totally loses sight of the supreme goal of rising upto the last Chakra i.e. Sahasrar and merging into it.

Even if a person reaches the Sahasrar Chakra, he cannot dwell in this region for a great length of time. How long can a spiritual seeker dwell in the Sahasrar Chakra? This depends on the nature of spiritual practice which he follows and how much inner spiritual energy he possesses. Many spiritual seekers dwell in the Sahasrar Chakra for a certain length of time and then get demoted into lower Chakras and their levels of lower bliss.

But he, who steadfastly ripens his Sahasrar Chakra, attains the omnipotent Lord and thus experiences infinite bliss eternally.

The Sahasrar Chakra lies 2 inches within the ears and 3 inches within the eyebrows. Its form is that of a ball of light in the hollow portion of the upper region of an opening called Mahavivar of the brain area. Via the process of Divine Serpent Power awakening, this Mahavivar opening has to be widened so as to enter the state of divinity. Hence it is called the 10th door or Brahmarandhra too. In the Dhyanbindupanishad it is said that a Yogi is one who knows the light akin to a jewel in the brain. That jewel akin to 7 golds that is lit up by an electrical like stream, is found in the lower region of Meru and 4 fingers above the fire region. It seeks shelter in the Svadhishthan Chakra and is subtle sound manifest.

The scriptures while describing the powers attained in reaching this region say such a person knows the ultimate knowledge, he becomes omniscient (i.e. knower of past, present and future) and can do anything he wishes.

He may perform any action, yet no sin accrues. None can gain victory over such a person.

In one way Brahmarandhra is the head office of a creature. It is a laboratory which helps us attain whatever we see in this visible world and all those things which are beyond our knowledge. According to Indian philosophy over here there are such rare auras of light made up of 17 principles which cannot be seen in the visible world with our gross eyes. All nervous elements and air tubicles come out from this area and spread out into the entire body. The Creator seated in this white lotus, sends and receives orders and messages from any part of the body via any nerve. He can create movements in any area. He can clean and create a rain of vital force in any area without any technological paraphernalia which we limited creatures can never even dream of doing.

All this takes place because of emission, contraction and relaxation of auras of light. It is this ball of light that induces the nose to smell, the ears to hear, the eyes to see, the tongue to taste and speak. This ball of light is under the direct jurisdiction of Almighty God dwelling in the Sahasrar Chakra. In the initial stages of meditation, this light is seen either as glow-worms, twinkling stars, shining petals or half/ full moon. Slowly and steadily its divine nature is experienced. As a result the gross sense organs become lax and the working arena of the soul shines brilliantly in the entire world. An ordinary individual can worry only about his immediate family members. But a Yogi enfolds the entire world in the embrace of his soul and extends upto other Lokas (worlds) too. He also has to ascertain whether there is any imbalance in the movements of planets, galaxies etc.

In a gross manner denizens of our planet earth too are influenced by these activities. Hence even unknowingly such a spiritual seeker, who enters the state of Godhood, can work only for the well-being of all creatures of the cosmos. Whatever rights and omnipotency is attained by such a great soul is taken up as a gigantic responsibility by him. He may seem to be having a human body yet he has no body consciousness at all. He knows everything. He sees and hears everything and can predict future events very accurately.

The substratums of the Intellectual Sheath and Mental Sheath viz. the intellect and mind dwell in this region. They unearth news of objects lying far away or those beyond the ken of the sense organs of knowledge. When one’s soul resolve progresses into the intellectual arena after leaving the mental arena, one attains divine wisdom.

It comes out from the Ajna Chakra so as to unite with the different types of rays of the cosmos and thus attains its knowledge. Just as with the help pf electrical waves, space shuttles can be directed to the right or left of planet earth (called traversing), just as with the help of a television you can see scenes of far off places so too man can see scenes in my part of the world or obstruct one’s cosmic movement with the help of the rays of his resolve (Sankalpa). In the Mundak Upanishad (Chapter 2) and Chandogya Upanishad (Chapter 9) details of this self-realization have been given as follows

"A self realized saint subtly experiences that God without Kalas (divisions) in the form of a light that is whiter than white and is present in the Golden Sheath."

Many forms of Sahasrar based spiritual practices like Pratyahar (disallowing sense organs to contact their respective objects), Dharana (focusing of mind), Dhyan (meditation) and Samadhi (trance) have been put forth as studies. A description has been given about the good results attained due to their successful execution.

The deep import of the success of that region has been given in the form of material and spiritual progress.

Today even modern scientists accept that there are extraordinary energy centers in the brain. According to research studies conducted by the brain specialist Smithy, a pure intellect is controlled by different centres of the human brain. It is a production of a cooperative endeavour of all of them. This is the gist (region) which creates a human character and nourishes it. A mental level is created by memory, analysis, synthesis, selectivity etc. Where does its admixture and production take place? This has not been aptly deduced yet it is clear that this area should be in the cerebellum part of the brain. This is that very sensitive spot which if undergoes ripening, can induce advancement of one's inner personality. Spiritual seers of yore had discovered this center and had named it Sahasrar.

While deeply analyzing the brain so many layers are discovered which not only help us think but also creates our very character.

This region of special capabilities is the Frontal lobe. In it one discovers man's personality, imagination power, ambitions, social behaviour, experiences, sensations and other important functions. It is not possible to influence this area by medicines or surgery. Only those spiritual practices like Dhyan (meditation), Dharana (Concentration) etc. can be made use of which is a part of Kundalini i.e Divine Serpent Power awakening.

In the above paragraphs we have merely made a minor reference of only one center of the brain. Yet it is well-known that the brain abounds with infinite mysterious powers. The conclusions drawn by todays modern scientists specializing in brain research, is very much in tandem with the discoveries of ancient Indian seers.

From a grosser type of classification, the brain can be categorized into 5 parts

1) Cerebrum
2) Cerebellum
3) Mid-brain
4) Pons
5) Medulla Oblongata

The last three parts that is mid-brain, pons and medulla oblongata together form a single unit called the brain stem.

According to Spiritual Sciences, 0.33 billion demigods dwell in heaven represented by the brain. But 5 of them are chief representatives. All of these control various divine centers. The 5 regions of the brain listed above can be said to be the region of the 5 demi-gods. With their help the 5 energies of the 5 sheaths are produced and controlled. The 5-fold spiritual practices of Gayatri help evolve these 5 in unison. As a result a creature dwelling in Brahmaloka or heaven, experiences a heavenly atmosphere.

So far our discussion revolved around a certain type of classification. Many scholars right since ancient times have been describing this very fact albeit in various ways. Even today this type of discussion continues.

This one single precept pertaining to the classification of the brain and Sahasrar Chakra are described in various ways.

The Sahasrar Chakra is also called the “pot of nectar”. It is said that Som juice emanates from it. The demi-gods drink this nectar and become immortal.

According to modern brain anatomy, the brain is filled with a special Cerebro-spinal fluid.  This fluid nourishes and protects the various centers of the brain. It drips from the brain's membrane and is absorbed by various centers of the brain and the Sushumna (subtle spinal nerve).

The pot of nectar has 16 coverings. In the same way at certain places the Sahasrar is said to have 16 petals. These are nothing but 16 important centers of the brain. The Shiva Samhita too says that the Sahasrar Kamal has petals.

One should meditate on the Sahasrar Chakra made of 16 Kalas situated in the centre of the brain and which shines like the moon.”

YOGA MANJUSHA

These 16 Kalas of the Sahasrar are the 16 points of the brain related to the cerebrospinal fluid.

If the previously 5 grossly classified parts of the brain are classified more minutely, they will add up to 16 in number as follows:

1) Cerebrum
2) Cerebellum
3) Medula Oblongata
4) Pons
5) Mid brain
6) Corpus Colosum
7) Corpus Stratum
8) Pituitary Gland
9) Pineal gland
10) Thalamus
11) Hypothalamus
12) Subthalamus
13) Metathalamus
14) Epithalamus
15) Corad plexuses
16) Ventrilces

All these above parts have centers full of ESP (Extra Sensory Potential) that control the body. By activating the pot of nectar of Sahasrar, we can make the brain more active and thus attain extraordinary benefits. The scriptures have clearly said

"Due to activation of the Sahasrar Kamal, a Yogi's psyche becomes equipoised and thus merges into his soul. He overcomes bondage of the material world. He is full of all-round potential. He moves freely everywhere and his speech becomes nectarine."

- SHATCHAKRA NIRUPANA

“One must meditate on the Ksheersagar ocean in the core of the forehead and on the moon-like light in the Sahasrar Kamal (1000 petalled lotus).”

- SHIV SAMHITA

"That Yogi who continuously drinks the nectar emitted by the Sahasrar Kamal can bring in a law to kill death."  Meaning death is no longer death for him because he lives a life that has gone beyond death. It is in the Sahasrar region that Kundalini merges itself. At that time the 4 types of creation merge into God and everything becomes Godlike.

SHIV SAMHITA

That Soma juice of Sahasrar Kamal which purifies Richas, Samveda, Yajurved, Brahmanas, may it purify me too.

- YAJURVED

What exactly is the Sahasrar? This answer according to anatomists is that the electrical onrush from the center of the brain which controls bodily movement does not get emitted from a substratum but that a special center is responsible for it. This is not man's own creation but is a divine blessing. The liver, heart and other organs function as a result of this energy attained from a divine center. The blood nourishes various bodily organs and it is a fact. It is also true that the lungs are responsible for respiration and the stomach for digestion. Yet the question arises that when these organs carry out various tasks, where do they get the necessary energy to do so? It is not correct to say that respiration, digestion etc. give us the energy to survive because if this were to be true, man could only die because of hunger or choking of breath.