Yogananda said, “God is nearer than the nearest and dearer than the dearest”, but scriptures tell us that it still takes us millions of lifetimes to understand and realize this simple fact. One of the reasons I feel why it takes us so long is that, since God has given each one of us a separate individuality, we become so engrossed in our individuality that we are hardly able to notice anything beyond it. Even when I am writing this blog and you are reading it, there are countless operations happening in our bodies including our breathing, heartbeat, food getting digested-absorbed-assimilated, thoughts being received and understood and so on. The beauty is that none of this is happening because of our conscious application of will. All these processes are happening like a running background application in our system. In fact Swami Kriyananda wrote a beautiful chant on this subject which I feel is worth quoting here.
What is this life flowing through my veins?
What is this energy flowing through my form?
What is this power flowing through my will?
What is this consciousness flowing through my brain?
Can it be other than divine?
In Thy light, in Thy love, in Thy joy I am one
I am one with the infinite Aum…
Scientists have discovered that at any given moment on a cellular level, billions of metabolic processes are happening in our bodies and whether we are aware of them or not, they continue to operate and help us sustain this life, moment after moment, day after day and year after year. Now, we also know that no process can happen without energy and even food needs to be digested, absorbed and assimilated which in itself is an energy consuming process. It is no wonder then that yoga science tells us that it is the prana that sustains all life processes within us. We may choose to call this prana or cosmic energy or cosmic intelligence or life force or even God. It does not matter how we define it, but what is more important is that if we make a conscious effort to keep increasing our awareness of this energy more and more, then in time we start feeling it all the time flowing in and out of us. This I feel is how God helps us to understand the real meaning of Yogananda’s statement when he said, “He is nearer then the nearest and dearer then the dearest.”
If we see the whole yoga science, it is all about enhancing our awareness towards this fundamental energy reality. As Swami Kriyananda once wrote that, “Awareness precedes control”. Once we start becoming aware of this flowing prana then we start learning to take control over it and can redirect it to either strengthen a muscle or nourishing an organ system in ourselves or even learn to share with other needy souls for healing them, if one can feel in his heart an inner sanction for doing it. This is how some of these Christ-like saints used to bring into effect healing in others.
The more we become aware of this energy, the more we realize that it is a sacred energy that certainly we have not created, but is given to us by the divine creator on credit for a constructive use. We can certainly use it for something noble and useful for mankind but we have no right to use it for anything ignoble. Slowly we come to this understanding that all our thoughts, feelings and even we ourselves as separate individuals, are an expression of this sacred energy and at this point you are left with no words to describe it and you can only acknowledge it in all your humility with reverence and gratitude.
In awareness of divine energy,
Amar (Dr Amit Aggarwal)
