To Attain Brama Gnana
In every fleeting moment, the one whose presence never leaves my heart, I offer this humble discourse before you, honoring his feet.
To our beloved Sadhguru, Sri Sri Paramahansa Sundarananda Maharishi, who resides in our supreme space as both mother and father, embodying the light body, I submit infinite respects and thanks at his holy feet. Without our Sadhguru, we would not be before you now.
Accepting the loving and humble invitation of our Brama Gnana Peedam, the compassionate release of this Brama Gnana scripture by the 20th pontiff of the Mayilam Bommabura Adheenam, Sri Sri Sivagnana Balaya Swamigal, is gratefully acknowledged.
Also, to Kalaimamani Dr. K. Ganesan, who guided and honored the publication ceremony, and to Salem’s benefactor and lion-hearted Dr. A.K. Nagarajan, the Brama Gnana Peedam extends its respectful thanks.
To our dear students, revered elders, scholars, relatives, and friends who have graced this event, I express my humble respects.
What could I possibly offer in return to the child Bala, who forcefully embraced me at the age of twenty?
After our guru planted the seed of Brama Gnana within us, how could I express my gratitude to Shyamala Devi, who appeared before me and blessed me with the profound mysteries of Brama Vidya?
The great powers of the Siddhars, particularly Amudhavalli Sri Bhuvaneswari Devi, have led me into the sanctum of Brama Gnana, continuously showering me with the nectar of bliss and enlightenment in the form of light, sound, feeling, and divine taste.
How can one day be enough to speak of the miracles occurring within me by Mother Bhuvaneswari?
First, Bala took me, then the guru, followed by Shyamala, and now Bhuvaneswari continues to embrace me. That I have received both the guru’s and the divine grace in this lifetime, what great penance have I performed? Without the guru’s grace, nothing else is possible.
You might wonder how I write these gnana texts. That’s why I felt compelled to share a few of the precursor events in our lives. Please bear with us.
Now, let’s delve into the Brama Gnana Kriya text.
If I were to describe this book in one sentence, it is about how our ancient Tamil Siddhars taught how to cultivate human life energy, identify the seat of life, and maintain that life light shining within us without fading through the ages, ensuring it never dims.
The Brama Gnana Kriya is a supreme penance done to achieve gnana, where the ultimate gnana itself becomes the penance, and that penance becomes Brama Gnana.
Grace Nectar
Within every individual, according to their own karma, countless records of actions are embedded. Without erasing these records, it is impossible to sow the seed of wisdom within a person.
Our guru, along with all the Siddhars, proclaims that wisdom is a seed. If wisdom is a seed, then what ground should it be sown in? It should be sown in our feet, for it is there that the powerful elements known as earth, water, fire, air, and ether—created by the divine—are together.
This includes the element of earth. The center of the feet, where the earth element is most present, is precisely where the guru plants the seed of wisdom. This planting is a celebration that occurs during the initiation of a disciple, who is then reborn. In Tamil, this is referred to as ‘iru pirappalan’ and in Sanskrit, ‘dvijan’ or twice-born.
Braman is nothing but your life force; the state of light within life itself is Braman. Once you understand Braman, you understand everything. How to comprehend this divine light of life? There is no grace or Braman without the guru. Human society roams temples in search of the Guru. What really is a temple?
Thirumoolar refers to the human body itself as a temple. Hence, he maintains that he nurtured the body and the life within it, stating that the divine dwells within our body.
A frequent saying of our guru: “Schools are places to teach academics; temples are where wisdom is imparted.” We study in colleges until we find employment, but we pursue wisdom in temples until death, never advancing beyond the same level year after year. What benefit is there in remaining eternally a student?
Thus, without understanding the cosmic science and Brama Gnana within, man dies. The Siddhars have stated this needs to change. Following this path, after 36 years of research blessed by guru’s grace, we openly share the secrets of Gnana Yoga discovered in every text. Among these, the Brama Gnana Kriya has blossomed today into a profoundly important scripture of wisdom by guru’s grace. All that we will discuss hereafter is solely from the insights found in this text.
Once I have asked our guru how one achieves the light body. He replied, “If a man enters his cit sabha (the chamber of consciousness) and witnesses the dance of gnana light there, grace nectar will begin to flow at that spot. Consuming this divine grace nectar will grant one the light body.”
“How does one enter the cit sabha, Guru?”
“Through penance, importantly through charity, and the flow of compassion and moral conduct. If one lives this way, the pineal gland in the brain continuously creates vibrations. Then, the external nectar will begin to flow there. As this external nectar flows, eventually, the internal grace nectar will begin to flow from life itself,” he explained. Only to the one for whom the subtle essence transitions from a liquid state to a vaporous state, will the grace nectar flow.
God is light
For a substance to transition from solid to liquid or to vapor, a chemical reaction must occur. Heat must be continuously applied to the location where this transformation is desired. This is what the Sutharazhi penance teaches us.
Vallalar speaks of five types of human bodies:
- Asuddha Dhegam (Physical Body) – Where waste and urine are excreted.
- Suddha Dhegam (Enhanced Body) – Where waste and urine do not occur.
- Pranava Dhegam (OM-Sound Body) – Where one lives by breathing air alone, that is, consuming only the pure air known as prana.
- Gnana Dhegam (Enlightenment Body) – Where one lives by ‘breathing’ light (this action is taught and performed by the guru during Sutharazhi penance).
- Oli Dhegam (Light Body) – Where every cell in the body transforms into light cells, making the body itself appear as light.
The state of samadhi is attained when prana (life force), light, sound, and knowledge merge, and this life force directly touches our life through the highest orifice. We attain this state of samadhi through our guru’s grace. The term ‘samadhi’ should be broken down as ‘sama + adhi’, meaning a state equal to God.
In our Brama Gnana Peedam, achieving the state of samadhi is a natural occurrence. Learning to live in this enlightened state while in the body is the path of gnana.
First, a person must possess what is known as tail-end intelligence (vaal + arivu), where ‘vaal’ means light. Thus, tail-end intelligence refers to enlightened knowledge. It is in this light form that God exists, and hence Thiruvalluvar calls Him the ‘tail-end intelligent one’.
“If the learned ones do not worship at the supreme feet, what is the use of their learning?” (from Thirukkural, by Thiruvalluvar).
Here, ‘feet’ should not be interpreted as the physical feet but as the divine gates given to us by God to see Him. These gates of the celestial abode are within us. To meditate while keeping these gates open and entering through the swirl point in the nerve, progressing through the Chitrini nerve and traveling via the Vajra nerve to finally enter completely through the Brama nerve—this journey leads to seeing the supreme light on the day of Vaikunta Ekadashi, and thus merging with that supreme light. This is the essence of Vaikunta Ekadashi.
‘Vaikunta’ refers to the divine feet. Consider for a moment how our eyes resemble spheres. ‘Vaikunta’ translates to focusing your attention in the sphere. When you focus your vision there, your gaze begins to concentrate. Where the gaze rests, there the mind stays, and where the mind stays, there the life force firmly remains.
Thus, the state where the gaze, mind, and life force are integrated is called meditation. Meditation is not about closing your eyes; it is about being vigilant. That’s why they speak of the technique of staying awake all night on Vaikunta Ekadashi, yet they do not detail how to remain awake. Over time, these ancient Tamil Siddha techniques of life science and gnana yoga were obscured and hidden. These techniques used to be taught to students by gurus and teachers in Gurukulams of our land, and now our Brama Gnana Peedam has begun to teach these to our students.
If you want to succeed in both worldly and enlightened life, learning all the intricacies, strategies, and methods of this Sutharazhi penance, part of the Brama Gnana Kriya, is essential.
This education in gnana, designed by great sages like Kaka pujandar, Agathiyar, Bogar, and Paramahansa Sundaranand Maharishi, was taught from the beginning only in the Brama Gnana Peedam, ensuring all students achieve Brama Gnana.
Many of you are familiar with the Gayatri Mantra. Some of you recite it as a prayer, others listen to its sound, and some have been initiated into its chant. Its meaning is, “May that supreme light god, who dispels the external darkness of ignorance, also dispel the inner darkness within my heart.”
Here in the Brama Gnana Peedam, we teach the core essence of Gayatri. As students practice the Sutharazhi penance, they experience various states of light within themselves. They have learned many meditation techniques until now.
While practicing this gnana education and performing the Brama ritual, our guru often says, “God, who arises as light, will guide us.”
Brama Gnana Penance
When one deeply engages in the Brama Gnana penance, the practitioner experiences ten states of knowledge. Humans typically live only in the state of six-fold knowledge, which are the five sensory perceptions — touch, taste, smell, sight, and hearing — plus the sixth, which is the thinking ability unique to humanity.
First, we must understand what ‘knowledge’ means.
Arivu (knowledge) comes from “Ari + U“, where “U” stands for Ukaaram, meaning life.
To know your life is what constitutes knowledge.
No creature can live on this earth without life. The education about this life force should be the primary learning for humanity. What use is education that does not understand life, that does not know life, or is devoid of life? Such education only helps until death. True education is the education of life; all else is false education.
Next, we have the seventh form of knowledge, which is intuitive knowledge. This is the knowledge acquired through subtle cues, known in English as intuition.
The eighth form is the absolute knowledge, the realm of sages and saints. Our Brama Gnana Peedam is now exceptionally engaged in imparting this true knowledge to society, raising awareness.
The ninth form of knowledge is the microscopic sensory knowledge, a domain of the Siddhars (spiritual adepts). According to our Tamil Siddhars, the divine feet of God are situated centrally above the fontanelle at the top of the human head. Entering this place and gaining the knowledge there is what’s called microscopic sensory knowledge. Seeing the radiant lotus feet inside is the essence of the Sutharazhi penance. Those who do not see the divine feet will embrace death.
Without attaining true knowledge, one cannot achieve this ninth form of knowledge. Through the gateway of the Sutharazhi penance, our Gurukul students receive this knowledge as a profound realization, entering through the microscopic sensory channel via the Brama nerve. Finally, the tenth form of knowledge is the tail-end knowledge, also known as the light of divine wisdom. This wisdom can only be acquired through divine grace. Thiru Arutprakasa Vallalar stands as a testimony to this today, and our Guru exemplifies this by living in the light body. Our students are taught from the beginning of their Sutharazhi penance to attain this light knowledge.
This tenth form of knowledge, the grace-filled wisdom, is like a seed. It is equivalent to life and is securely placed by God in the center of the human brain for transformation. Once stimulated, this seed will burst forth and grow into a tree. This divine tree, with its magnetic force, will spread throughout the human body, transforming it with love. Ultimately, by divine grace, it transforms into an eternal body of light. We have described the processes that occur in this tenth state of knowledge here. At any moment, achieving this ultimate knowledge should be the goal of humanity.
Thus, contemplating, realizing, and being overwhelmed by the divine dance of light, our physical body, soaked in tears of overflowing love, transforms into the divine state.
The waste in the human body is the cause of death. The body must be transformed to prevent waste accumulation, which is known as the pure body. This miraculous concept of knowledge and science, gifted to us by our Tamil Siddhars, is now being imparted in the form of Brama Gnana initiation by our Gurukulam.
Human waste is dust waste. However, in subtlety, humans possess three impurities as explained in Saiva Siddhanta: ego, illusion, and karma. These impurities are subtle and invisible to the eye, operating through the paths of mind, intellect, and life force. First, a person must overcome these three impurities. We teach our Gurukul students how to overcome these through the Sutharazhi penance. Once these impurities are overcome, the soul practitioner can hear the third eye and the ten sacred sounds following it.
Today, our Brama Gnana Gurukul students are hearing some of these ten sounds through the third eye. When they share their experiences of gnana, you can directly listen and enjoy them.
These gnana experiences began to occur in our eleventh year of deep penance, but our Gurukul students are achieving these experiences within just a week. This is the true education, the education of life, bestowed upon us by our ancient Tamil Siddhars through the Sundarananda Sutharazhi penance.
Thus, by purifying the body through Sutharazhi penance, one achieves purity of the mind. When the mind is pure, the purity of the soul is easily attained.
Even if our life force is currently dormant like a bud, by nurturing it with love, devotion, and compassionate grace, it can blossom. Then, God will come and sit upon it, bestowing the nectar of immortality. There are five such nectars, and one of our Gurukul students is currently consuming the first nectar.
All these teachings are extensively provided in our Brama Gnana Kriya book. We are also discussing topics not covered in the book here.
Tamil Siddhars
Our Tamil Siddhars have perceived within our physical bodies an imperishable, indestructible essence during their Sutharazhi penance, which they named ‘Mei’. ‘Mei’ denotes truth, light, sound, and that which does not perish. Anything that is indestructible and imperishable is considered the ultimate truth. This ultimate truth has been bestowed upon every human by God. Unaware of this truth and unable to attain liberation, humanity lives in ignorance and the three impurities, ultimately dying in this state.
No man or woman should leave this earth without conquering these three impurities, without understanding this ultimate truth, without achieving the true knowledge of self-realization. I present to you some verses from our ancestors on how to attain this self-knowledge:
“There is no obstacle to knowing oneself,
He who does not know himself, destroys himself,
Once he knows the knowledge to know himself,
He remains, worshipping himself” (Thirumandiram-355).
Thus, the Tamil Siddhars teach us that the pathway to transcendence is through understanding and nurturing the divine truth within us, transforming our mortal existence into a state of enlightened immortality.
“Philosophers who delve into self-knowledge unravel the end-knots of past deeds,
subsequently molding future actions,
all by the grace of Shiva placed on their foreheads”.
(Thirumandiram-2550)
“Having attained self-realization and purity through spiritual practices,
they also come to know the feet of Mother Ambika.”
(Thiruvalluvar Gnanavettiyan-923)
“As one sees a face within a mirror,
so appears the shadow of the divine form;
thus arises the intellect like consciousness,
and your mental development wanders through that shadow,
O good soul, this is indeed what they call wisdom.”
(Kaivalya Navaneetham-2-11)
“As light stands in a mirror, so does the body hold the light within.”
(Avvai Gnana kural-231)
“See as if seeing your face in a mirror.”
(Agathiyar Paripashai Thirattu-5-65)
“To know myself, I annihilated both deeds, and for knowing oneself, penance was prescribed to me.”
(Pattinathar Arulpulambal-22)
“Those who understand themselves hide it; those who do not know themselves show it.”
(Paambatti Siddhar-95)
Self-awareness means observing oneself with the inner eye of awareness. How does one turn their eyes inward? The Gnana Guru will point and explain this process. It involves turning one’s thoughts and emotions inward, similar to watching a television inside oneself.
Our ancestors have spoken much about self-awareness, which we have forgotten amidst the desires and illusions of this Kali Yuga. Knowledge that does not know the self is not true knowledge, and education that does not facilitate self-awareness is not real learning. We must fully understand and absorb this; how long shall we continue to waste our lives in ignorance? Reflect on this through this festival.
The message from Siddhars, wise sages, and Vallalar is always to focus our attention at the eyebrow center and engage with the world. How many today know that our “eyebrow center” means our spiritual eyes?
True meditation is to continuously see the divine light within through these spiritual eyes. This is how one must open the gateway to life. Next, one needs to open the divine eye within, which is possible only through the grace of the guru. Divine grace is crucial to open this eye of grace.
In human physiology, grace nectar appears in the Sushumna, a bright red droplet in the central spiritual channel, transforming into divine nectar. Those who consume it conquer death, a key tenet of wisdom.
Human life originates from the cosmic breath.
For all living beings, rain is nectar.
For humans, the inner sky is the nectar.
Where life subsides is the ether or the void, specifically, it merges into the cosmic center of the sun.
The body that produces waste must be transformed into a body that generates nectar, which is the fundamental principle of Brama Gnanam’s penance. Those who accomplish this are truly Siddhars.
Celestial Stustance
Humanity must first realize that it is the ‘Celestial Substance,’ not mere waste, that it is ‘Nectar,’ that it has obtained an imperishable body, that it is a ‘Body of Light,’ that it has obtained a ‘Celestial Body,’ and that it is a ‘Body of Enlightened Light.’
It means that one must constantly realize through the ceaseless meditation of Brama Gnana that one’s physical body, mind, and life, having been purified, are removed from impurities and transformed into a body of nectar. For this to happen, alchemical transformations must occur within humans. The essence of this transformation is not just in the tears shed at the divine feet, which signify the celestial principle.
‘A’ + ‘Kāyam’ = ‘Ākāsham,’ which means Celestial or Ether.
‘A’ stands for cow or life, and ‘Kāyam’ means body.
Thus, Ākāsham refers to the body of life or the celestial body.
By grasping the cosmic thread through the principle of Ākāsham and deeply meditating upon the void in the center of the human head, life there undergoes transformation, secreting its nectar through the inner tongue, flowing steadily like an oil stream, and the body attains perfected enlightenment. This is the lifestyle wisdom of Siddhars.
Our life has another name, Ātmā, and the awakening of Ātmā is the true awakening. The Ātmā, always in a state of slumber, awakens only to the voice of God.
Only the Ātmā in the human body has the power to hear God’s voice; the mind does not. While the human mind can decide on good, evil, joy, and sorrow, and can guide a person, only the Ātmā can recognize God. Siddhars have gifted humanity the only method of Gnana that can awaken the Ātmā to recognize and converse with God, known as Brama Gnana Thavam. Light can only be kindled by light; similarly, the fire of life in Ātmā can cross its boundaries to see, speak, and feel God through Brama Gnana Thavam. Our Brama Gnana Guru Kulam has extensively documented these truths and processes in the book on Brama Gnana actions.
If humanity learns to tune into the voice of its life daily, life becomes heavenly with no problems akin to hell. No Siddha does anything without hearing God’s voice. Direct communication with God is the ultimate goal of human life.
A Siddha is one who has conquered physical death.
A Jivanmukta is one who has conquered the death of consciousness.
A Gnanā Oli Dhegi is one who has conquered the death of the Soul-light.
“To see, hear, taste, touch, and smell, One must go inward beyond the senses” (Tirukkural-1101).
Our Brama Gnana book elaborates on how to open your third sacred eye and the divine eye through seven types of initiations discovered and passed down by Siddhars, without omitting any profound insights.
In our Brama Gnana Peedam, we teach the complete stages of the second action of Prana action, from the beginning to the end, in the five actions taught.
Without the aid of this Prana action, it is impossible for a practitioner to succeed in Brama Gnana Thavam. This book provides ample information on both the life breath you inhale and the cosmic magnetism breath from the sun, from which we receive both nectar and poisonous air. How many are breathing this nectar air into their lives today?
It is disappointing that aside from those in Brama Gnana Thavam, no one else seems to be absorbing this nectar air. For the past 16 years, we have been pleading with our Guru to ensure that human beings does not consume poisonous air but only breathes nectar air for their entire life to attain Brama Gnana through Brama Gnana Thavam. This joy I have received, may all human beings also receive, as we continue to advance in Brama Gnana Thavam. I humbly ask each of you to nourish your life daily with the food it needs.
Nectar Air