The second of the vikshepas is styana, meaning languor, apathy and mental dullness. Apathy is one of the greatest obstacles to any endeavor, as it is a state in which we waste energy. Our energy is drained, we go round and round in circles, and we may talk a lot but it does not translate into doing. We lose interest, and without interest nothing is possible.
What does the word “enthusiasm” mean? It comes from the Greek word enthousiasmos, meaning “possessed by God, inspired.” Transmission is another way of infusing Divinity into our hearts, inspiring us, enthusing us, so that we have interest. With Transmission, apathy can disappear overnight. The source of all energy, the source of all vitality, the life in life, is being infused into us so subtly and so gently. It is like a tree that has been thirsting for water all through the hot dry summer, and one day the monsoon rains arrive. The level of vitality in that tree will improve instantly. Similarly, when we receive Transmission, life takes on a new level of vitality. The Transmission nourishes our soul and the ripple effect is so palpable, comforting our heart, mind and body.
Even still, the need to conserve energy is there, because if we keep on dissipating energy we will lose the vitality we receive through Transmission, and we will deflate like a balloon that has been untied. The balloon will be inflated then deflated, inflated then deflated, inflated then deflated. What a waste if nothing is retained after each meditation! That is one reason why it is important to sit for a few minutes after meditation and absorb the inner condition received, in order to acquire it, enliven it, imbibe it, become one with it, in union, so that it does not dissipate. That way we make the most of every opportunity.
Transmission is another way of infusing
Divinity into our hearts, inspiring us,
enthusing us, so that we have interest.
With Transmission, apathy
can disappear overnight.
Finally, Swami Vivekananda has beautifully explained that it is our consciousness, our “chit, our mind-stuff, that is the engine that draws in the prana from the surroundings, and manufactures out of this prana the various vital forces: first of all the forces that keep the body in preservation, and lastly thought, will, and all other powers.” So imagine how effective this chit will be in utilizing prana if we keep it in a purified refined state, regularly immersed in Transmission in daily meditation. Now, compare that with a chit weighed down by mental afflictions, obstacles and heaviness. There is no comparison. With a pure consciousness, vitality is effortless, while with a consciousness that is complex, impure, entangled, and has succumbed to entropy, apathy is almost inevitable because energy is always dissipating from the system. It is as difficult as swimming against the current.
Swami Vivekananda goes on to say that it is also prana that makes new neural pathways in the brain: “With every fresh idea we make a new impression in the brain, cut new channels through the brain-stuff.” So imagine the impact of Transmission, the most potent form of prana, on neuroplasticity! Imagine the inspiration, the creativity, and the expansion of potential for continuous improvement and scaling new heights that comes by the simple act of meditating every morning with pranahuti.
