Take a moment to think. What existed when there was nothing? How then were things created out of nothing? From where did plants and animals, and land and water, and space and millions and trillions of galaxies come into being?
The answer lies in consciousness. It is consciousness that manifested into the five elements that formed the creation as we see around us. Consciousness is everything that we see around and also that which is yet to manifest. That is, consciousness is the sum total of manifest and the unmanifest. We too are a part of the same consciousness and can manifest anything in creation by accessing it. To give you an example of the play of consciousness, 30-35 years back a popular actor was fighting death in a hospital, his condition was critical.
The entire nation got together and willed his recovery…and the actor recovered. That was a result of collective consciousness of all those people. You might have also noticed that many a times you fear something and keep thinking that ‘just this should not happen’ and your fear materialises. That too is because of consciousness only. If instead you would think that ‘this is how it should happen’, then that would happen. You can try it sometime.
The science of yoga is based on tapping the phenomenal power of consciousness which is channelized by the Guru. It is with consciousness that saints and yogis are able to manifest things into the physical…the philosophy behind blessings and curses. It was with consciousness that Bhagirath brought Ganga to Earth and with consciousness that Vishvamitra created a parallel Universe. That consciousness is in each one of us, that is, each one of us has the ability to manifest anything from nothing. However, while the thoughts of a yogi or saint manifest instantly, the thoughts of an ordinary being might take years and at times even a lifetime to manifest. This is because a yogi can access the consciousness in its subtler form while an ordinary being relates to it at the level of elements.
To access the subtler states of consciousness, it is important to still the five elements which manifest in our body as the five senses. Till the time one is tied to the elements, he/she is unable to experience the consciousness from where they function. In Sanatan Kriya, one is introduced to the Paanch Mahaprana Dhyan to bring the elements in the body to a basic level of balance. As that happens, a practitioner’s ability of thought manifestation heightens. There are many Sanatan Kriya practitioners who have reported having changed their physical appearance and body structure without going to gyms or salons or surgeons, just by sitting with their eyes closed. To a lay person, it seems like an impossibility, but now you know it is the consciousness at play. Once the basic balance of elements is restored, the practitioner is introduced to the practice of Bhuta Shuddhi or elemental purification, which under the guidance of a Guru, has the effect of restoring the elements to their purest form. Once that happens, the being is called a tatva-gyani. Such a person can access consciousness in its purest state and even manifest devs and devis into creation.
It is very important to understand here that those who are sitting in the Himalayas, they have not fled away from the world. If that was the case, people from far and wide would not traverse arduous terrains to seek their blessings. Those rishis and yogis achieved what they had to in the material life and then went there to achieve something which is higher and greater. What that higher is cannot be explained to someone who is tied to the basic
five elements or five senses, for that you need to access the sixth or the seventh sense, that unmanifested aspect of you has to manifest first. A human being has a total of 16 senses, you can manifest them with the power of your consciousness, but for that yog under the guidance of a Guru, who is himself not tied, is a must.
The practice of yoga has to be done with patience and it has to be done by you. Looking at somebody else doing it or doing it impatiently gets no result. An exception to the rule is the energy of the Guru. When you make a Guru, through him/her it is possible to manifest your thoughts but then you have to make a Guru first.
