Fixing their minds on psychic centres suchas the Sahasrara (the thousand petalled lotus Chakra), yogis remainany lengths of time without awareness of their bodies. As long asthis state continues, they appear to be immersed in some kind of joy.But when the mind, which has become tranquil emerges and becomesactive again it resumes its worldly thoughts. It is thereforenecessary to train it with the help of practices like Dhyana(meditation) whenever it becomes externalised. It will then attain astate in which there is neither subsistence nor emergence.Question:It is said that the Sakti manifests itself in five phases, tenphases, a hundred phases and a thousand phases. Which is true?SriRamana Maharshi: Sakti has only one phase. If it is said to manifestitself in several phases, it is only a way of speaking. The Sakti isonly one. Question: How to churn up the Nadis (psychic nerves) sothat the Kundalini may go up the Sushumna?Sri Ramana Maharshi: Thoughthe Yogi may have his methods of breath control for his object, theJnani's method is only that of enquiry. When by this method the mindis merged in the Self, the Sakti or Kundalini, which is not apartfrom the Self, rises automatically.The Yogis attach the highestimportance to sending the Kundalini up to the Sahasrara, the braincentre or the thousand petalled lotus. They point out the scripturalstatement that the life current enters the body through thefontanelle and argue that, Viyoga (separation) having come about thatway, yoga (union) must also be effected in the reverse way. Therefore,they say, we must, by yoga practice, gather up the Pranas (vitalforce) and enter the fontanelle for the consummation of yoga. TheJnanis on the other hand point out that the yogi assumes theexistence of the body and its separateness from the Self. Only ifthis standpoint of separateness is adopted can the yogi advise effortfor reunion by the practice of yoga.In fact the body is in the mindwhich has the brain for its seat. That the brain functions by lightborrowed from another source is admitted by the yogis themselves intheir fontanelle theory. The Jnani further argues: if the light isborrowed it must come from its native source. Go to the source directand do not depend on borrowed sources. That source is the Heart, theSelf.The Self does not come from anywhere else and enter the bodythrough the crown of the head. It is as it is, ever sparkling, eversteady, unmoving and unchanging. The individual confines himself tothe limits of the changeful body or of the mind which derives itsexistence from the unchanging Self. All that is necessary is to giveup this mistaken identity, and that done, the ever shining Self willbe seen to be the single non-dual reality.If one concentrates on theSahasrara there is no doubt that the ecstasy of Samadhi ensues. TheVasanas, that is the latent mental tendencies, are not howeverdestroyed. The yogi is therefore bound to wake up from the Samadhibecause release from bondage has not yet been accomplished. He muststill try to eradicate the Vasanas inherent in him so that they ceaseto disturb the peace of his Samadhi. So he passes down from theSahasrara to the Heart through what is called the Jivanadi, which isonly a continuation of the Sushumna. The Sushumna is thus a curve. Itstarts from the lowest Chakra, rises through the spinal cord to thebrain and from there bends down and ends in the Heart. When the yogihas reached the Heart, the Samadhi becomes permanent. Thus we seethat the Heart is the final centre.[Note: Commentary by David Godman:Sri Ramana Maharshi never advised his devotees to parctise KundaliniYoga since he regarded it as being both potentially dangerous andunnecessary. He accepted the existence of the Kundalini power and theChakras but he said that even if the Kundalini reached the Sahsrara itwould not result in realisation. For final realisation, he said, theKundalini must go beyond the Sahasrara, down another Nadi (psychicnerve) he called Amritanadi (also called the Paranadi or Jivanadi)and into the Heart-centre on the right hand side of the chest. Sincehe maintained that self-enquiry would automatically send theKundalini to the Heart-centre, he taught that separate yoga exerciseswere unnecessary.The practitioners of Kundalini Yoga concentrate onpsychic centres (Chakras) in the body in order to generate aspiritual power they call Kundalini. The aim of this practice is toforce the Kundalini up the psychic channel (the Sushumna) which runsfrom the base of the spine to the brain. The Kundalini Yogi believesthat when this power reaches the Sahasrara (the highest Chakralocated in the brain), Self-realisation will result.Sri RamanaMaharshi taught that the Self is reached by the search for the originof the ego and by diving into the Heart. This is the direct method ofSelf-realisation. One who adopts it need not worry about Nadis, thebrain centre (Sahasrara), the Sushumna, the Paranadi, the Kundalini,Pranayama or the six centres(Chakras)