Mandukya_Upanishad

The ultimate longing of all aspiring centres is to bringabout a release of some tension. The release of tension ofany kind is equal to pleasure. You are unhappy when youare in a state of tension, and you are happy when tensionsare released. There are various kinds of tensions in life andevery tension is a centre of suffering. There is familytension, communal tension, national, or internationaltension, which is usually called a cold war, all which placeone in a state of anxiety and agony. The release of tensionbrings satisfaction and one works for that satisfaction. Youwant the tension to be released. But all these are outward orexternal tensions. There are inner tensions which are ofgreater consequence than the outer ones – thepsychological tensions caused by a variety of circumstances:These circumstances in the psychic set-up of ourpersonality form a network called the hṛidaya-granthi, inthe words of the Upanishads. The tantra-śāstras andHatha-Yoga śāstras call this granthi by a threefold name: asbrahma-granthi, vishnu-granthi and rudra-granthi, whichyou have to pierce through by the release of the kundaliniśakti.All this you might have heard and learnt earlier. Thisis the granthi of avidyā, kāma and karma, ignorance, desireand action; this is the tension of vāsanās or samskāras; thisis the tension of the subconscious or unconscious mind;this is the tension of unfulfilled desires and frustratedfeelings. This is ‘personality’ in its essential nature. We are anetwork of these tensions. This is jīvatva. What is the jīvamade of? It is made up of a group of tensions. That is whyno jīva can be happy. We are always in a state of anxietyand eagerness to find the first opportunity to release the37