In the renewal and purification of a human being, an crucial step is tone down and even eliminate aggression, for which sages recommend ahimsa (non-violence). Ahimsa is exemplified in the daily life and manners of realized beings, who understand that harmony and freedom from strife result from injuring no living creature. Hatred is replaced by love baby.

All harsh and discourteous speech is termed himsa (violence!!). To approve of another's callous actions is thus indirect himsa. To ignore a person in need is also a form of himsa. We must not harbor anger and retaliate or attempt to offend anyone, even under extreme provocation. If we quarrel with someone or engage in heated debates, it is very difficult to meditate! The mind is disturbed, our balance upset and much energy is squandered into useless channels.

Ahimsa is not possible without courage and forgiveness. When revenge and hatred arises in the mind, we should first control the physical body and speech. Since we don't allow negative thoughts any scope for outer manifestation, they will pass away and leave our minds. As Swami Sivananda states in Bliss Divine, “when a man beats you, keep calm.” This will surprise your aggressor who will become pacified and a little frightened because you give no reaction. Over time you will gain phenomenal will power and strength. Observing silence may also help to let go of silly attachments.

We must never think of injuring another being. We are all interconnected, interdependent and essentially the same. By injuring another, we injure ourselves. By serving others, we serve ourselves. Dedicated practice of ahimsa will eventually culminate in the realization of non-dual consciousness where the yogi experiences utmost eternal bliss. Sivananda states that the fire of anger we kindle for our enemies burns ourselves. He is certain that “anger is a sign of mental weakness and always ends in repentance or remorse…the fewer the thoughts, the greater the peace. (And) the fewer the desires, the lesser the thoughts.”

The substitution method is easy and quite effective in the destruction of evil thoughts. One can simply cultivate pure thoughts of mercy, love, forgiveness, integrity, generosity, humility, etc. and create the habit not to engage in negative thoughts of hatred, lust, anger, greed, pride, etc. In Vedic philosophy, Brahman, the Absolute became the finite universe by passing through time, space and causation. Mind is the veiling power of consciousness that limits the atman (spirit) so our experience remains finite, and humans remain ignorant of complete universal truth. Where there is no mind there is no limitation. According to Mahayana Buddism, negative emotions may be overcome by applying virtuous mental states and the Buddha dharma as remedies. For example, the six paramitas of generosity, discipline, patience, diligence, meditative concentration and wisdom (which results from all the others) allow one to evolve.

Sakthi (universal force) as prakriti (nature) is the unmanifest universe, resembling a seed that contains a tree. It is comprised of sattva (purity), ragas (activity), and tamas (inertia/laziness). The whole world is a combination of these three gunas or qualities that effectively bind the soul to the finite world. The yoga aspirant seeks to increase sattva is his or her life, but remains detached, realizing he or she must eventually go beyond all three gunas in order to realize the absolute truth. Prakriti (unmanifest energy) becomes vikriti (manifest force) around which the active forces of prana and mind manifest as kundalini (serpent power).

Kundalini in the human body is depicted as a coiled serpent that rests in muladhara chakra, at the base of sushumna nadi (central nerve tube that runs through the spine). Chakras (energy centers) and sushumna nadi are part of the astral body and cannot be seen with the naked eye except in deep meditation. It is interesting to note that removal of the physical body, amputation of a leg for example, will not delete its astral counterpart, it remains and the individual is still able to experience energetic sensation in the seemingly absent region. When kundalini rises through sushumna, she pierces each chakra up until sahasrara (the crown chakra and center of enlightenment or final realization), and here, the yogi/yogini experiences complete cosmic consciousness.

Asana (posture), pranayama (breath control), mudras (energetic gestures), and meditation all produce heat and energy which, with continued practice purifies sushumna so that kundalini is able to rise. When prana (energy) flows through ida and pingala (the two nadis on either side of sushumna), as it generally does, one is engaged in worldly activities, and as long as these channels operate he or she is bound by time, space and causation. When the prana is directed from these two channels into sushumna, however, one is beyond such limits. It is said that an individual should be completely empty of desire before attempting to awaken kundalini; otherwise the intense shakthi (power) will be uncontrollable and can inflict great heat and pain. And even when kundalini finally reaches sahasrara, its tendency is to return to muladhara; only through deep practice will shakthi make an enduring amalgamation, and will the individual become a liberated soul, immersed in the ocean of eternal joy and bliss, and no longer bound by time, space, or cause.

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