The Shastras strongly state that the day this body of ours takes birth, the day of its death is also pre-determined. Till then, you can do whatever you like and the abundant energy within you is there to help you. That life energy (Prana Shakti) is there with you till the time of death after which it leaves the body and goes away. This is the basic concept that there is this Prana in us which has a lot of strength and it is an aspect of God. This is one point.
The other point is that you have such a lot of energy in you that you can do whatever you like. You will get whatever capacity you wish. That powerhouse is within you. So, whenever you feel you don’t have any energy, you are feeling tired, etc., do not give importance to such feelings because you have a lot of energy. Unfortunately, our mind gets into such a state that we tend to forget our body’s energy but actually there is sufficient energy within us. Mythological stories tell us about persons who did not have anything to eat or drink for 5–6 months, but they simply sat in meditation not doing anything else. They didn’t die. They had a lot of energy. So, there is no such problem. Just the other day I heard that there is a Sadhu (sage) who does not eat food and does not even drink water. But he is healthy and active.
There are such instances and one comes to hear of them. To achieve that, a lot of Sadhana is required. But we don’t need to do anything. We have a lot of energy, a lot of strength, and we should not forget this. Whenever the mind becomes negative or sad, bring back that strength in the mind because it is something that we have with us. But we live like a beggar who does not know he has such a lot of treasure and keeps on begging. If he does not get food, he remains hungry. The food is actually there in the room inside but he does not know about it. So, he does not open that room which is inside him. That is where the problem comes.
Therefore, whenever something disturbing happens, sit peacefully and quieten the mind. The mind is wandering thinking of negative things. Get rid of that negativity. We have to understand how we simply waste our energy and then we get tired. As such, there is no reason for getting tired, but we unnecessarily waste a lot of energy and then get tired. This happens when we think negative thoughts when there is tension, worry, anxiety, hatred and jealousy. Hence, we must avoid doing these things.
As soon as you bring yourself to a peaceful, joyful, happy state, you will experience that a lot of energy comes back because the energy is no longer wasted. To experience the energy, it is necessary to quieten the mind. Then you will feel, “I am fresh, let me start again.” If you do Shavasana for just 5 minutes, you will feel the energy getting recharged like battery cells. Or even by just sitting without having thoughts for 5 minutes, you will notice the recharging taking place because this obviously takes place from within.
As far as the Kundalini Shakti is concerned, it has not been shown biologically as to where the Kundalini Shakti is. All the books/literature mention that we have this energy (Shakti) within us and it has been given the name Kundalini. It has been described as a snake that is sitting coiled up. If you tease or excite it a little, then it awakens and stands straight and the energy flows up the spinal column and spreads to each and every nerve and cell of the body. The basic energy, the Prana, is there. But this additional energy is also there. It is not even necessary to awaken it. It gets activated automatically when one gets deeply involved in a particular activity like in the case of Vachaspati Mishra, who was engaged in writing a commentary on the Yoga Sutra. When energy is used in doing work diligently day and night, when a person makes such a strong decision in his mind that he wants to do something, then the energy comes automatically. It is said that you decide and you will get the energy. You don’t have to worry.
Then, in the area of Shakti (energy), the point about the Chakras also comes. In different parts of the body, there are energy centres. There is not much meaning/sense going into the theory of it. Naturally, in the points or areas where the nerves cross each other, more energy will be stored. The energy flows in the nervous system. Just as there is blood circulation, this energy moves in the nervous system. The areas where many nerves come together, there is maximum energy. In yoga, these areas are called Chakras. There is the Muladhara Chakra, Swadhisthana Chakra, Manipura Chakra; Anahat Chakra, Vishuddhi Chakra, Ajna Chakra, Sahasrara Chakra.
So, leaving all this theory aside, we must keep in mind that we have a lot of energy and that we have to make proper use of it without wasting it unnecessarily. Even if we do waste it, there is still a lot of energy, but we will not be able to experience and feel it fully.
PRANA SHAKTI - AN ENERGY POWERHOUSE
The Shastras strongly state that the day this body of ours takes birth, the day of its death is also pre-determined. Till then, you can do whatever you like and the abundant energy within you is there to help you. That life energy (Prana Shakti) is there with you till the time of death after which it leaves the body and goes away. This is the basic concept that there is this Prana in us which has a lot of strength and it is an aspect of God. This is one point.
The other point is that you have such a lot of energy in you that you can do whatever you like. You will get whatever capacity you wish. That powerhouse is within you. So, whenever you feel you don’t have any energy, you are feeling tired, etc., do not give importance to such feelings because you have a lot of energy. Unfortunately, our mind gets into such a state that we tend to forget our body’s energy but actually there is sufficient energy within us. Mythological stories tell us about persons who did not have anything to eat or drink for 5–6 months, but they simply sat in meditation not doing anything else. They didn’t die. They had a lot of energy. So, there is no such problem. Just the other day I heard that there is a Sadhu (sage) who does not eat food and does not even drink water. But he is healthy and active.
There are such instances and one comes to hear of them. To achieve that, a lot of Sadhana is required. But we don’t need to do anything. We have a lot of energy, a lot of strength, and we should not forget this. Whenever the mind becomes negative or sad, bring back that strength in the mind because it is something that we have with us. But we live like a beggar who does not know he has such a lot of treasure and keeps on begging. If he does not get food, he remains hungry. The food is actually there in the room inside but he does not know about it. So, he does not open that room which is inside him. That is where the problem comes.
Therefore, whenever something disturbing happens, sit peacefully and quieten the mind. The mind is wandering thinking of negative things. Get rid of that negativity. We have to understand how we simply waste our energy and then we get tired. As such, there is no reason for getting tired, but we unnecessarily waste a lot of energy and then get tired. This happens when we think negative thoughts when there is tension, worry, anxiety, hatred and jealousy. Hence, we must avoid doing these things.
As soon as you bring yourself to a peaceful, joyful, happy state, you will experience that a lot of energy comes back because the energy is no longer wasted. To experience the energy, it is necessary to quieten the mind. Then you will feel, “I am fresh, let me start again.” If you do Shavasana for just 5 minutes, you will feel the energy getting recharged like battery cells. Or even by just sitting without having thoughts for 5 minutes, you will notice the recharging taking place because this obviously takes place from within.
As far as the Kundalini Shakti is concerned, it has not been shown biologically as to where the Kundalini Shakti is. All the books/literature mention that we have this energy (Shakti) within us and it has been given the name Kundalini. It has been described as a snake that is sitting coiled up. If you tease or excite it a little, then it awakens and stands straight and the energy flows up the spinal column and spreads to each and every nerve and cell of the body. The basic energy, the Prana, is there. But this additional energy is also there. It is not even necessary to awaken it. It gets activated automatically when one gets deeply involved in a particular activity like in the case of Vachaspati Mishra, who was engaged in writing a commentary on the Yoga Sutra. When energy is used in doing work diligently day and night, when a person makes such a strong decision in his mind that he wants to do something, then the energy comes automatically. It is said that you decide and you will get the energy. You don’t have to worry.
Then, in the area of Shakti (energy), the point about the Chakras also comes. In different parts of the body, there are energy centres. There is not much meaning/sense going into the theory of it. Naturally, in the points or areas where the nerves cross each other, more energy will be stored. The energy flows in the nervous system. Just as there is blood circulation, this energy moves in the nervous system. The areas where many nerves come together, there is maximum energy. In yoga, these areas are called Chakras. There is the Muladhara Chakra, Swadhisthana Chakra, Manipura Chakra; Anahat Chakra, Vishuddhi Chakra, Ajna Chakra, Sahasrara Chakra.
So, leaving all this theory aside, we must keep in mind that we have a lot of energy and that we have to make proper use of it without wasting it unnecessarily. Even if we do waste it, there is still a lot of energy, but we will not be able to experience and feel it fully.