Aspects of Bio-Psychology by Shrii Shrii A'nandamu'rti

Aspects of Bio-Psychology by Shrii Shrii A'nandamu'rti

Non-Inborn Instincts

Next come non-inborn instincts. The inner portions and skin of the human body vary according to climatic conditions. In the human body there are many glands which are controlled by plexi. When a human child is born, not all the plexi function. Generally, the plexi do not function within the mot...her’s womb because the babe does not breathe directly. Although the plexi are there, they become developed after birth only when the child starts to use its own respiratory system. So after birth, when the plexi become developed, changes occur in the physical body, in the secretion of hormones and in the hormonal structures. Over secretion and under secretion of hormones affect nerve cells, and thus change thoughts. Instincts also change. In the human body these changes take place slowly in cold climates and more quickly in hot climates. Immediately after birth only the faculties of inborn instincts are expressed. Around the age of five several more faculties develop, and accordingly more hormones are secreted and different types of thoughts arise. Certain changes also take place in the skin. The skin becomes a bit thick at the age of six in cold climates and at the age of four in hot climates. With this development a child’s love for his or her brothers and sisters increases, and a tendency to want to play arises. As a result thoughts change.

Some Important Glands

1) Testes and ovaries: At around the age of thirteen in hot countries and fifteen in cold countries, the testes and ovaries develop due to the secretion of a special type of hormone.

In males the testes are the glands which convert lymph into semen. As soon as lymph is converted into semen, the nerves are affected and there is a corresponding change in one’s thoughts. It is the pituitary gland which tells the testes to convert lymph into semen [that is, testosterone and spermatic fluid]. When the production of lymph goes beyond the capacity of the body to utilize it, it is converted into semen and comes out of the body. Thus, sex desire is created in the mind.

If the secretion of the testes glands is normal, a sense of dutifulness will be created in the mind. A boy will be proud of the fact that he obeyed his father. But if the boy was only three years old, he would not be able to feel a sense of dutifulness.

If the testes are over-active and there is over secretion of hormones, a youth develops the spirit of rationality. The pubic hair grows due to the activity of the testes. This is the physical effect. The development of rationality is the psychic effect. The nervous system will also be affected. If not hindered by the natural flow of the lymphatic glands [for that person], over secretion leads to the development of hair in the arm pits at the age of fifteen to seventeen in hot countries and seventeen to eighteen in cold countries. Along with this the feeling of rationality grows. For example, a boy may say, “No, father, do not ask me to do that. It is not good.”

If there is under secretion of the testes glands, there will be less hair; and if, at the same time, the sex glands do not develop at the specified stage, the boy will become very cruel. He may, for example, take a grasshopper and cut off its legs. You may have seen such a boy at the age of thirteen, fourteen or fifteen: he may be unsocial, he may not mix with others. This is due to the under secretion of hormones from the testes glands.

In the case of ordinary secretion, sex longing is created. If there is over secretion, a youth acquires the power to transform that longing into universalism. In those of you who have a longing for Parama Puruśa, an over secretion took place in your hormones between the ages of fifteen and seventeen. At that stage the idea to become great comes into the mind.

If there is under secretion of the hormones of the testes glands, a youth will develop less kindness, and less hair will grow in the armpits and pubic region. If you see a man with these physical characteristics, then and there you can come to a conclusion about the extent of his kindness. Moreover, such a person will most likely support dogma. He will not have the moral strength to protest against dogma (including scriptural dogma), and he will not support a new idea.

If the testes function properly and if there is no hindrance from the lymphatic glands, intelligence will develop. Without the testes, the solar plexus will not be developed and intelligence will decrease.

In the past many slaves were converted into eunuchs known as khojas in Persian. If the ovaries of a female or the testes of a male are dissociated from the body, the person will become a eunuch. In a male, if the testes are separated from the body, there will be physical and psychological changes. The man will not die but he will lose the sense of dutifulness and responsibility. All the qualities associated with the testes, such as the sense of dutifulness and responsibility, will be wanting. A eunuch will not be able to grow any pubic hair or the pubic hairs will be few.

Should the testes be cut off and a man made into a eunuch? Can it be considered civilized? In some countries men were changed into eunuchs, and as they did not have any sex feeling, they were posted as security guards in the harems of the rulers. This is a barbarous system and goes against fundamental human rights. It is extremely bad.

If the sex organ is cut off from the male body, what will be the result? The man will not die, but the testes and kidneys will not be able to function properly. There will, therefore, also be psychological changes and no sex feeling.

2) Prostate gland: The prostate gland gives rise to the feeling of shyness or shamefulness in the mind. At the age of three to five a child does not feel any shyness. At this age a child can walk on the street without any clothes on. Adults experience shyness due to the development of this gland and imposed saḿskáras [reactive momenta].

As a result of over secretion of hormones from the prostate gland, a sort of melancholia may develop. One may think: “What is the necessity of this creation? Why did Parama Puruśa create this universe? I am alone, I have no friend. Where is the charm in life? Nobody cares for me.” There are certain philosophies which propound this sort of melancholia. It is also apparent that the propounders themselves suffered from melancholia.

If there is under secretion of the hormones from the prostate gland, a person will develop a fearful nature and suffer from psychic hallucinations. One may even see a ghost in broad daylight. Under secretion, or low secretion, from the prostate gland creates this psychology.

Does the prostate gland depend on the lymphatic glands or vice versa, or are they interdependent? These glands are interdependent; rather, all plexi and all glands are inter-dependent. All glands depend greatly on the lymphatic glands for their supply of lymph, the raw material. The dependence of the other glands on the lymphatic glands is greater than the dependence of the lymphatic glands on the other glands. Similarly, the upper plexi are less dependent on the lower plexi, and the lower plexi are more dependent on the upper plexi. The surplus supply of lymph goes to the brain [via the bloodstream] and nourishes the nerve cells of the cranium.

3) Solar plexus [located at the mid-point of the chest]: When the solar plexus is developed, love for children is aroused. This is common to all animals, birds, mammals and human beings. But creatures which have self-dividing bodies have no love for children as they have no solar plexus.

Just after the lymphatic glands begin to function normally, the testes develop in males, and in the case of females, the ovaries develop and glands start functioning to make human milk. Love for children also increases.

When the solar plexus develops, the beard grows in males. If there is low secretion of the hormones from the solar plexus, less beard grows. Also, due to low secretion in sterile men and women those who are viewed as eunuchs love for children is lacking. In the case of over secretion, what will happen? In males the beard will grow more. It is a good sign if men have a thick beard.

Human love will be transformed into universal love if there is over secretion of the hormones from the solar plexus. In the case of males with love for Parama Puruśa, they will either have a thick beard or developed breasts, or both. Before they were sádhakas [spiritual aspirants], they would have either thinner beards or less developed breasts.

What happens if the solar plexus becomes dissociated from the body? All higher human wonts have their base in the solar plexus. If the solar plexus or any plexus becomes separated from the human body, the person will die then and there. The corporal structure will not survive even for a second. (In Latin there are two adjectives for “corpus”. “Corpus” means “the indispensable portion of a structure”. “Corporal” concerns something relating to the physical body, and “corporeal” refers to some physical material. “Incorporeal” concerns something which does not come within the scope of tactuality. Suppose a voice comes from the invisible world. Is it a physical voice? No, it is an incorporeal voice.)

4) Thyroid and parathyroid glands: Due to the secretion of hormones from the thyroid gland in the male body, the voice becomes deep and the moustache grows. Along with this, the quality of self-reliance increases. In the case of men, if this gland is not developed they will have a quarrelsome nature. Women will have the same defect and will also become a bit irrational. Vanity, too, will develop if there is under secretion of the parathyroid gland. These are all non-inborn instincts.

For a male from a hot country, all the glands develop fully by the age of twenty-four. In cold countries this full development is reached approximately two years later. After the age of thirty-nine there is a slight deterioration in the physical body, but advancement in the psychic sphere. After the age of fifty in hot countries and fifty-one in cold countries, there is more physical deterioration and slight mental deterioration. After the age of sixty in hot countries and sixty-one in cold countries, the thinking power will slowly deteriorate.

The human body is a biological machine. This is the story of the human body and human plexi.

I have discussed only a small portion of this knowledge because there is the possibility that it may be misused. Much research needs to be done on this subject for the all-round welfare of living beings.

5) Pituitary and pineal glands: As a result of the sádhaná [spiritual practices] performed in previous lives, at the age of thirteen, after the sex glands are developed, the pituitary gland starts to function tremendously and one’s thirst for spirituality is aroused. If such a person gets proper guidance from a preceptor, one achieves spiritual progress. If one falls into bad company, one’s downfall is rapid.

After getting proper spiritual guidance, one’s mind rises upwards from the pituitary gland to the pineal gland, and with one’s mind concentrated on the controlling point of the pineal gland, one attains salvation within a short span of time.

Parama Puruśa applies microvita to different glands and sub-glands. He renders this help to spiritual aspirants in the last phase of the third stratum [dimension of psychology] and in the fourth stratum. Most of the glands function within the first and second dimensions of psychology. The pituitary gland concerns the third dimension, and the pineal gland concerns the third and fourth dimensions. [There are four dimensions of Yoga psychology from the múládhára cakra to the mańipura cakra; from the mańipura cakra to the vishuddha cakra; from the vishuddha cakra to the ájiṋá cakra; and above the ájiṋá cakra. These dimensions of psychology correspond to the four phases of meditation.]

Spiritual aspirants should take care to purify their pituitary gland because this helps in spiritual sádhaná. The secretion of hormones in the upper glands maintains a balance in all the other glands. The pituitary gland is psycho-spiritual in nature, and the pineal gland is spiritual in nature.

As far as plexi are concerned, they are the bio-psychological secrets of living. In inanimate objects there is no secretion of hormones from [glands or] plexi. Expression takes place through the expansion and contraction of their inter-atomic and inter-molecular spaces.

The grace of Parama Puruśa influences all plexi. The atonemental provisions of Parama Puruśa are through all plexi, not only the pituitary and pineal. Negative microvita do not function in the pituitary and pineal glands. Positive microvita function through all plexi.

As a general rule the grace of Parama Puruśa is expressed through positive microvita in different plexi. Noticeably or conceivably a sweet aroma comes from the concerned plexus. When a spiritual aspirant attains mental concentration or composure, as in Madhura sádhaná [a particular type of meditation], he or she experiences a sweet aroma and the mind feels peaceful or composed. Parama Puruśa gives the bliss of tactuality through different plexi.

The Importance of Lymph

The lymphatic glands supply raw material – lymph – to the factories – the glands – and the surplus lymph goes to the brain and provides food for the nerve cells in the cranium. When lymph comes in contact with an activated gland, hormones are created.

The lymphatic glands associated with the testes start functioning at the same time as the testes begin to work in a proper manner. The raw material for the testes is the [lymph] hormone generated by the [regional] lymphatic glands. That lymph is converted into semen by the testes. When lymph comes to the solar plexus, the spirit of love and affection for children develops. In the female body ova are created in the ovaries. Some other lymph helps to maintain proper energy in the body and physical glamour, and in the case of females a certain portion is converted into milk.

The solar plexus cannot function properly if the supply of lymph is not perennial or regular. In the case of spiritual aspirants, there is high secretion of lymph in the solar plexus, consequently love for children is converted into love for the Supreme. That is, love for unit beings is transformed into love for Supreme Consciousness. Lymph is thus a cause of psychic change.

In the female body the lymph glands become very active at certain points, and in the male body at other points. In the case of adolescent girls and boys, a special type of nerve sensation occurs in the genitals. This sensation increases vigour in the person and creates the feeling in the mind, “I have to do something.” At that age one decides or tries to decide one’s future. If the selection is defective, one will not progress. For example, if one wants to learn medicine but is forced to learn engineering by one’s parents, one may not be successful. But if the selection is proper, one will be successful. Generally, in hot climates this occurs in boys at the age of seventeen and in girls at the age of sixteen, and in cold climates at nineteen in the case of boys and eighteen in the case of girls.

The lymphatic glands supply the raw material to the factories. All glands are factories. If hot static food or excessive animal protein is eaten by males, the quantity of lymph will decrease and the conversion of lymph into semen will increase. This will lead to intellectual backwardness. It may be observed that people who eat much animal protein tend to produce many children. This has its own sociological effect.

Men should have proper control over the conversion of lymph into semen. This is part of Brahmacarya sádhaná [meditation on the Supreme Entity]. Men should have proper control over their bodies. Human beings should be sentient in food habits, mind and intellect.

Although carnivores may be more clever or cunning than granivores, they are generally less intellectual. It will be very difficult for a tiger, a cat or a dog to perform spiritual practices. A monkey or a cow may perform spiritual practices because they get much chlorophyll from grass and other green vegetation. Granivorous animals produce more lymph than carnivores, and that is why their brains are more developed.

The lymphatic glands of monkeys are highly developed, although they utilize very little of their lymph. This is why they can jump so much. Human beings cannot jump as much as monkeys because they use more lymph in the functioning of the brain. Human qualities develop along with the increase of lymph.

Lymph is required for the production of milk. Most women can move fast until they give birth to children, but after childbirth they generally cannot move as fast. Deer are granivorous and can move fast, but they give little milk because they use their lymphatic glands a lot. As cows produce excessive milk, they cannot move fast.

Vegetarians produce more lymph because they get chlorophyll from grass and other green vegetation, and that is why their brains are more developed than those of non-vegetarians. Those who consume animal protein [neglecting green vegetation] suffer from want of lymph because animal protein contains very little chlorophyll. Tigers and cats are carnivores, which is why they produce less milk. Cows and buffaloes produce much more milk because they take chlorophyll from green grass and green vegetation.

Maximum lymph is produced from food which contains a lot of chlorophyll, such as green vegetables and especially the tips of the stems of creepers. Granivorous animals produce much milk, while carnivorous animals, such as dogs, give very little milk.

Lymph is produced from animal protein also, but because animal protein produces a lot of heat in the human body, the lymph is quickly converted into semen. Monkeys and deer produce much lymph, but it is not converted into semen because it is utilized in running and jumping.

What is the initial stuff in the manufacture of lymph? Lymph is produced from the energy and vitality acquired from the different quinquelemental factors of this universe, such as water, air and light. They are the initial stuff. The final stuff is shukra [which has three stages: lymph, spermatozoa and seminal fluid]. It is the most developed stuff the cream of all creams. Chlorophyll accelerates the speed of the production of lymph, but it does not act as the initial stuff.

In certain people the major portion of lymph is eroded away and that is why they are intellectually deficient. But for spiritual aspirants, as the major portion of their lymph remains in their bodies, they should not suffer from any intellectual deficiency. This is why the intellectual standard of spiritual aspirants is higher than that of common people.

Positive or negative catalytic agents have an important effect on the manufacture of lymph. Positive psychic and positive physical environments are positive catalytic agents, and negative psychic and negative physical environments are negative catalytic agents. Even if the food one eats is sentient, but the environment is negative, it is detrimental to mental progress. Cinema halls, prostitute quarters and busy commercial places are negative physical environments. Bad discussions, bad books, and bad thoughts prevailing among the population are negative psychic environments, negative catalytic agents. If the environment is good, such as at Anandanagar, it is a positive physical environment, a positive catalytic agent. If there are many spiritual aspirants and elevating discussions, a positive psychic environment will be created. This will help in the manufacture of lymph.

Lymph itself is a hormone, and is converted into other hormones by different glands. Lymph is the initial hormone. The creation of hormones in the other glands depends upon these positive and negative catalytic agents. This is the reason why in olden times even Shiva placed much importance on satsauṋga [associating with good people]. Satsauṋga provides a positive psychic environment. Good company leads to liberation whereas bad company is the cause of bondages.(1)

Apexed Psychology

So if one does not attain salvation in a particular life, in the next life, after the testes glands [or ovaries] start to function, one will have to become a spiritual aspirant, leaving one’s hearth and home to become successful in spiritual life.

The reason why these people are reborn is to undergo the reactive momenta of their past lives. Some of their reactive momenta remain unquenched. They are reborn just to undergo the pleasure and pain resulting from their previous reactive momenta. In this life a man, in the next life a woman; in this life a boy, in the next life a girl. In the life after that one may become self-knowing, if not all-knowing.

The Grace of the Guru

To make the mind pinnacled, one should do dhyána of the Guru in the guru cakra. The guru cakra is slightly below the pineal gland, though the sahasrára cakra and the guru cakra are virtually the same. So the mind is to be concentrated on the guru cakra, and all the potentialities of the unconscious mind are also to be concentrated here. The moment one achieves full concentration, one becomes omniscient.

Why do spiritual aspirants concentrate on the guru cakra and not on the pineal gland for dhyána? Because the guru cakra is the internal side of the sahasrára cakra.

A spiritual aspirant should not do spiritual practices to become omniscient. Rather, a spiritual aspirant is to perform spiritual practices to satisfy Parama Puruśa in the form of Parama Guru. That is why it has been rightly said: Guru krpá hi kevalam [“The grace of the Guru is everything”].

There is no difference between the pineal and pituitary glands of males and females, but there may be differences in the other glands. This is why those who say that women are not entitled to spiritual salvation are wrong. Men and women are equally entitled to spiritual salvation.

Footnotes

 (1) The section on Psychic Longing and the first part of the section on Apexed Psychology omitted. –Trans.

Shrii Shrii A'nandamu'rti

 

Krsnananda Avt