SAPTAPADMA (The Seven Lotuses)
(Translated from the article Pujya Swamiji wrote in Malayalam entitled "Saptapadmangal", and published in 'Bodhodayam' the Quarterly Newsletter published by Bodhananda Seva Society Thiruvananthapuram No.8-9, January 1993)

Part 1


Man is a conglomerate of energy vibrations. Modern science says that human body is formed of 3,0000000,0000000 cells. It is these cells that function as bone, marrow, blood, flesh, skin, neural networks, sense organs and motor organs. Cells are a collection of atoms. Atom is a vibration of energy. This vibration rests in vacuum and vacuum rests in consciousness. It is this consciousness which Rishis know and realize through meditation as sacchidananda and bodhasvarupa.

Man ends up a samsari and unhappy person when he leads a body-oriented life without knowing these different dimensions of existence. Identified with the superficial manifests of consciousness such as nama (name) and rupa (form), and forgetting the essential relationship with the depths, he as a limited and insecure individual spends his lifetime, eating, sleeping and procreating.

Human consciousness which is trapped in the four expressions: kama (desire), krodha (anger), bhaya (fear) and dura (greed) needs to be awakened and heightened, lead through the different dimensions of existence, and integrated with the comprehensiveness of consciousness. What is called for is a self-fulfilling pilgrimage from selfishness to selflessness. From desire through love to devotion; from the navel through heart to hrit; from greed through austerity to compassion; from muladhara through anahata to the sahasrara.

The Rishis with their subtle vision saw the totality of universe in the human form as virat purusha. The universe has the form of a man of perfect shape sitting in siddhasana. The extroverted human who walks carefree in his two legs is unaware of this secret. The universe is full of energy vibrations with different frequencies. The Rishis realize the totality of these vibrations as aumkara-the pranava.

The energy vibrations of the Yogi in siddhasana orchestrates with the cosmic energy vibrations. The sushumna nerve becomes enlivened in this meeting of the microcosm with the macrocosm. The potential energy which lies in slumber in the muladhara needs to be awakened through this sushumna nerve, to the sahasrara.

> continued in Part 2