THE MYSTERIOUS CRANIAL NERVES
AND THE CITY OF NINE GATES
By Paramahansa Atmananda
Kriya Yoga is scientific non-sectarian techniques of practicing spirituality in everyday life.One of the spiritual basis of Kriya Yoga is the teachings of the Bhagvad Gita, and the scientific basis is the truth and information discovered by the medical sciences from time to time, starting from Ayurveda to modern medical system.
THE CITY OF NINE GATES
It is quoted from the perennial source of theoretical and practical spirituality and positive work culture- the Holy Bhagvad Gita.
Sarvakarmani manasa Samnyasyaste sukham vashi
Navadvare pure dehi naiva kurvan no karayan.
The embodied (Soul) who has controlled his nature having renounced all actions by the mind dwells at ease in the City of Nine Gates, neither working nor causing work to be done.
- Bhagvad Gita 5: 13
THE PROCESS OF LIVING
The City of Nine Gates is a description of the human body with its nine opening or gates. They are the two eyes, the two ears, the two nostrils, the mouth, the urinary opening and the anus. These are the functional basis and functional descriptions of the human body or kingdom or City. Mind, intellect and ego live here and carry out their activities. Also many anatomical and physiological systems perform their tasks of survival and the very process of actions and reactions. But the soul is the King or Ruler of this City of Nine Gates. The Soul perceives this infinite aspect of creation through these abovementioned instruments or agents. It controls this complex system through the brain and spinal cord. The Soul, by the process of breathing holds these complex structures together, the nature’s play, acts and reacts. This is known as the process of living. The Soul sets in motion these complex mechanisms and sits back, invisible formless, watching as a witness- nature’s play (maya) in the City of Nine Gates. So it is nature (Mother Nature) who is the Real Doer. But we wrongly identify ourselves with body, mind, intellect and ego, and get delusion, illusion, error and sins. This produces stress,
strain, anxiety, worry and fear to the egoistic individual. This is the cause of our suffering.
WRONG SELF IDENTIFICATION
Instead of identifying ourselves with our Higher Self or Soul (Witness) we wrongly identify ourselves with ego and forget our Soul, and hence undergo many sufferings. We cannot enjoy life and God’s play that is constantly going on within and around us.
THE CRANIAL NERVES: THE REAL KUNDALINI, THE MECHANISM OF MAYA
There are twelve pairs of these extremely powerful nerves. They originate directly from the brain, inside the cranium. These are the structural and functional basis of the nine gates through which the City of Nine Gates (the human body) function acting, reacting and experiencing. Eleven of these twelve pair remain and activate above the shoulders and neck. Ten of these twelve pair activates the head and face, as follows four pairs activate the eyes (one pair for vision, and three pairs for eye movements) one pair activates the sense of smell, one pair the sense of hearing, two pairs activate the tongue, one pair governs facial expression, and one pair rules chewing and facial sensation. These are the causes of our wrong identification, wrong interpretation, and therefore wrong actions and wrong reactions of human beings. They are the cause of our ignorance of our Real Self, this is The Maya. They are so powerful that they keep us under delusion, illusion and error, if we do not practice practical spirituality daily sincerely, correctly, we cannot remain alert in the Soul and can never get God- realization. These are the powers of Kundalini which keeps us in the sleeping state of ignorance of our Real Inner Self. They prevent us from knowing the Truth the Absolute, Soul, God, because they cannot tell us the truth. They give us information on the relative world only and not on the Absolute, the Master of Creation.Our eyes, ears, nose, tongue, skin send only some specific information to the brain. These sense organs cannot interpret the information. So our cranial nerves serve as windows for our mind, intellect and ego to the external world. But they cannot tell us the truth that whatever is existing is nothing but the power of God.
Isha Vasyam idam sarvam yat kincha jagatyam jagat
- Isha Upanishad
Whatever we perceive around us is the power of God. However insignificant something may be, God is abiding there.
INTERESTING THING
The interesting thing is that whatever we perceive, it is perceived through our sense organs, which means, through our cranial nerves. Yet these cranial nerves cannot tell us the real truth, i.e., the presence of God in the very thing they perceive. Our eyes are blind because they do not perceive God, they only perceive objects instead. Same with the ears, nostrils tongue and skin. So by constantly practicing the teachings and techniques of this original Kriya Yoga, we overcome the deficiencies of the sense organs, i.e., the cranial nerves, and we perceive the presence of God every-where through those perceptions conveyed by the cranial nerves.
INNER TRANSFORMATION
This is also known as transformation, from a biological and animal being into a divine being. By constantly perceiving God.We realize God and become firmly established in God realization.
“Brahmavid Brahmaiva bhavati”
The knower of God becomes God.
This is the state of the real Satguru or God realized Master.
OVERCOMING THE VEILING POWER OF KUNDALINI
This veiling power of the Kundalini can be removed by two methods. They are-
1- By constantly remembering that whatever we perceive with our five senses (cranial nerves) is untruth. It is not what it appears to be. But the formless power of God (unmanifest) is manifesting as those objects. Within the untruth (objects as perceived by the senses and mind) the Truth, the Absolute or Power of God is abiding.
2. For the above perceptions we need mind control and meditation and inner purification.
These can be achieved by the different techniques of the authentic and original Kriya Yoga as thought by Paramhansa Atmananda and his authorised Yogacharyas.
(a) The Kriya Yoga techniques give us inner purification and mind control as well as deep meditation within few minutes.
(b) The Mahamudra Techniques gives body and mind control and opens the Susumna, which energizes and rejuvenates.
(c) The Chakra Kriya and Parabastha Techniques give pranayama and mind control and concentration, deep meditation and samadhi.
(d) The Jyoti (Yoni) Mudra Technique purifies the cranial nerves, removes the veiling power of Kundalini, eliminates sins and bad karmas and gives Jyoti Samadhi.
It is in this technique of Jyoti Mudra that the non-God perception of the cranial nerves (ignorance) is offered in the blazing divine light of God, within the cranium. This helps in perceiving the Truth hiding within the relativity of sense perception. All and each of these techniques give simultaneous physical, mental, intellectual and spiritual benefits. So every sincere spiritual seeker should be very careful about the City of Nine Gates and the activities of the cranial nerves. The secret of successful living is the secret of proper living in the city of nine gates. This original Kriya Yoga, if practiced daily, sincerely and correctly can help you to live a life of peace and joy and positive health and success and realize your hidden potentialities.
Om Tat Sat Om
May God and Gurus Bless You
