KAPALA BHEDANAM (व्यपोह्य शीर्षकपाले)

 

The Sahasrara of one who has realised the self is pure light. Any intention which falls in it casually will not live because of the knowledge of self.

-          Sri Ramana Gita.

 

The shakti which is the cause of creation is Parameswari. This shakti moves about in all creatures. The Shakti in the body is called Kundalini.

When awakened, Kundalini is described as rising up from the muladhara chakra, through the central nadi (called sushumna) inside or alongside the spine reaching the top of the head. The progress of Kundalini through the different chakras is believed to achieve different levels of awakening and a mystical experience, until Kundalini finally reaches the top of the head, Sahasrara or crown chakra, producing an extremely profound transformation of consciousness.

The truth of this vidya can be seen in the Renuka-Jamadagni story. Obeying the order of the father, the son Parasurama cuts off the head of the Mother Renuka. This action, when viewed casually, is surprising and appears very cruel. But the seeker of truth give an explanation considering this act as a part of Kundalini Vidya.

व्यपोह्य शीर्षकपाले (Splitting of the skull) is a pronouncement in the Sixth  Anuvak of Taittiriya Upanishad. When we study this, we will understand that when the yogi raises the Kundalini moves in and out of the body. And, the state of this yogi is described like this:

1. Here, in this bright space within the heart, is He, that Soul who is formed of thought, undying, full of light.

2. In the mid-region of the throat’s two pillars, that which hangs down like a nipple, — that is the birth-place of Indra, where the hair-end splits up dividing the two regions of the skull.

3. In Agni as Bhuh he rests, in Vayu as Bhuvah, in Aditya as Suvah, in Brahman as Mahah. He attains self-lordship; he attains to the lord of manas, the lord of speech, the lord of sight, the lord of hearing, the lord of intelligence. Then he becomes this, — the Brahman whose body is the bright space, whose nature is true, whose delight is life, whose manas is bliss, who is replete with peace, who is immortal.

4. Thus do thou, O Prachina-yogya, contemplate.

Taking the words in good faith, with the hope that if the prana leaves the body through the head, they can attain Liberation, certain ascetics have their heads broken by a coconut at the time of their death. It has become a custom with some ascetics. If we look into the history, we may find that certain yogis had attained Kapala Bhedana Siddhi, but there is none who live after attaining that siddhi.

In Uma Sahasram Ganapati Muni Wrote: -

avataraṇaṁ dhyātaṁ ced ārohaṇamadbhutaṁ bhavecchakteḥ |

yasminnidaṁ śarīraṁ bhavati mahadvaidyutāgniyantramiva ||

In him, who knows by experience the descent of Shakti from the sky through the head into the body, the Shakti rises from the Muladhara with terrific speed. When it rises surprisingly like this, this body becomes a veritable powerful electric motor.

If we analyse this sloka, we come to understand that this Kapala Bhedana process is itself being described as cutting off of Renuka’s head. Actually, it was by the Mother Renuka’s grace that this siddhi of Kapal Bheda was given to her son Parasurama. Bhagavan Ramana Maharishi says ‘Chit’ is ‘Jnana’. The cutting of ignorance itself is cutting off of the head. Probably this is the cause of Asiramma (Headless Mother) being worshipped by the people.

After Parasurama, Kavyakantha Ganapati Muni (also called as Nayana) is the only one in the modern time known to have got this Kapala Bhedana Siddhi and lived after that for 14 Years.  From the time of the darshan of Renuka in Padai Veedu, Nayana had the experience of the movement of Shakti in him.

This grand secret of yoga is impossible to be articulated by an inexperienced soul. Nayana had this great experience in Arunachala. He was residing, along with his wife, in the mango-cave on Mount Arunachala at that time. He was most of the time in meditation. The flow of shakti was gradually increasing and on 20-08-1922, it gave rise to Kapala Bhedana Siddhi.

While Nayana (Ganapati Muni) was having this experience, his family was with him. They saw a light coming out of the top of his head, forming a round circle of light on the roof of the cave and filling up the whole cave with glow. They were somewhat afraid and went to Skandashramam and told Bhagavan Maharishi about the strange light. Bhagavan came and applied castor oil on Nayana’s head and cooled it. The next day Bhagavan got a pair of wooden sandals for Nayana and told him never to touch the ground without them.

Nayana Took the sandals from Bhagavan and told Bhagavan that he was receiving Paduka Diksha from Bhagavan.

O Mother of the Universe! When with great strength born out of Tapas, Yogi’s head is broken into two, a great shakti rises in the central sushumna Nadi detaching itself from the body and senses n adjoin the shakti which has awakened from sleep. Hence the tantrics who know the scriptures call you Shati without head (Chchinna masta) – Uma Sahasram !!!

Content Courtesy: MahaTapasvi