Vimalananda lit yet another cigarette. “Nothing is ever lost in the universe. Even things which happened mil lions of years ago can still be known, because their sound still exists. Sound, which is vibration, a series of waves, can be transmitted in many ways. Light can carry sound; even modern science has proved this. Humans usually perceive sound via molecules of air that vibrate; in light something else vibrates, but sound is there within light all the same. It may be in a form subtler than the ear can hear, but it is there nonetheless, and anyone who has access to subtle sounds can hear it.
“This is why the Veda is called shruti, ‘that which is heard,’ to distinguish it from later texts written by men, which are called smrti, ‘that which is remembered.’ Think of what happened to the first person to become aware of this subtle sound. One day, as he is sitting blankly, he starts to meditate on ‘what is’; it’s natural to do so. After prolonged meditation he remembers the first sound, the original word, the strongest mantra of shakti. This first sound that he hears is the Adi Natha, the most ancient: the sound Om, which is none other than Lord Shiva. As he continues with his meditation
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AGHORA II: Kundalini
he progresses from stage to stage to become a Paramahamsa, then a Siddha, a Nath, and a Muni, and finally a Rishi.
“The word rishi means ‘he who sees.’ A Rishi is a Seer who sees with the divine eye of perception; who hears, with the divine ear, everything that has happened in the past. And when he speaks he speaks with the divine tongue; whatever he says must take place. The Vedas are made up of man tric hymns which were ‘seen,’ not composed, by certain Rishis. They ‘heard’ the subtle sounds which make up these hymns, and translated them into words, sounds that the human ear can hear. These mantric hymns can provide evolutionary leaps in the progress of those who know how to prop erly use them. The Rishis throw these hymns around, checking to see who can take their power.
“Some sadhus and yogis call themselves Rishis, but I’m afraid they are all talking out of their wits. The Rishis are very different from ordinary humans like you and me, in every way. A Rishi is an immortal being, a being who lives for spans of time which are almost inconceivable to us humans. A Rishi can create a body for himself whenever he pleases, and whenever he is through with that body he can dissolve it. In this way a Rishi can know every particle of every dimension, because he knows the characteristics of and has experienced every possible womb.
“The books say that there are eight million four hundred thousand wombs in which to be bom. The numerological significance of this number is 8 + 4 = 12 and 1 + 2 = 3, the Three Gunas which make up the ocean of Maya in which we are all floundering. Actually, though, no one knows how many wombs there are in the universe, because wombs are innumerable. Any situation into which your consciousness is riveted when you die acts as your womb.
“Once Narada asked Lord Shiva this question of how many wombs there are in the universe. Shiva replied, ‘I only take life, I do not create it. Please ask Vishnu.’ But Vishnu told Narada, ‘I only preserve life; I am not in the business of creating either. Please go to Brahma.’ And Brahma said, ‘Listen, I just create the wombs. I haven’t been keeping count of how many I have created. You’ll have to ask someone else.’ But there was no one else to ask. Only certain Rishis have experienced all the existing wombs, so only they really know how to commiserate with all suffering beings. This is why a Rishi is a Mahanubhavi, a ‘Great Experiencer.’ This is also why a Rishi is the embodiment of motherliness, and why there is so much to learn from a Rishi—if you can ever locate one.”
“That, of course, is the problem.”
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IMMORTALS