Book Title: Pran and Pranayam
Author(s): Niranjananand Saraswati Swami
Publisher: Yoga Publication Trust

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Page 38
________________ states can be reversed, and even an old person can become young once again. When vishuddhi is activated cool, sweet drops of nectar drip down into the throat, causing a feeling of blissful intoxication. The ability to neutralize poison, both internally and externally, is also associated with vishuddhi. At this level all the poisonous and negative experiences of life can be absorbed and transformed into a state of bliss. Vishuddhi is associated with vijnanamaya kosha and initiates higher mental development. It is the centre for receiving sound vibrations and acts like a transistor radio, allowing one to tune into the thoughts of others, whether close by or far away. When vishuddhi is purified, the sense of hearing becomes very sharp, not only through the ears, but through the mind. Vishuddhi is located behind the throat pit in the spine and is associated with the thyroid gland. The element is ether or akasha. By meditating on vishuddhi, the mind becomes free of thought, pure and empty, like space. Vishuddhi is seen as a violet lotus with sixteen petals. Its bija mantra is Ham. Ajna chakra Ajna literally means 'command' and is the monitoring centre, also known as the guru chakra. It is the point of confluence where the three main nadis, energy channels: ida, pingala and sushumna, merge into one stream of consciousness and flow up to sahasrara. During deep meditation, when all the senses have been withdrawn and one enters into the dimension of shoonya, or void, guru or the higher consciousness guides the aspirant from ajna to sahasrara by issuing commands through this centre. Ajna is the centre of mind and represents a higher level of awareness. It is also known as the eye of Shiva, the third eye or the eye of intuition, which gazes inward rather than outward. It is often called divya chakshu, the divine eye, or jnana chakshu, the eye of wisdom, because the spiritual aspirant receives revelation and insight into the underlying nature of 32

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