Chittaprasad

Swami Niranjanananda Saraswati

What you call peace in English and shanti in Sanskrit, in yogic terminology is known as chittaprasad. What a nice way to describe peace, as with chitta the emotions, the memories, the reactions are laid to rest. When they are laid to rest in chitta, there is no spike, and that flat line is known as shanti. Tantric meditations work more with the heart and less with the mind. Yogic meditations begin with the mind and move towards the heart, yet tantric meditations focus purely on the heart, evoking different responses, feelings, emotions.

There are nine forms of emotions which are known as the bhavas such as vatsalya bhava, the emotion to nurture something. Madhurya bhava is the emotion to express beauty and pleasantness. Maitri bhava is the emotion which expresses friendship, companionship. Shatru bhava is the emotion which expresses the negatives like anger, hatred, animosity. So these are all bhavas and they are channelled through tantric meditations.

The effect of the world on the human being is through chitta. If chitta is harmonized and balanced, life is a bed of rose petals, however you have to make the determined effort or sankalpa to come to that point. It may be difficult, it may be challenging, yet if you can isolate yourself with drashta bhava, being the observer, and follow the path of meditation, then whatever is underground will be passed over.

15 April 2021, Ganga Darshan, Munger, India