Microvita and Spiritual Attainment

Khamúrtti.(1) Kha + múrtti = khamúrtti.

Khamúrtti literally means “image in space”.

Since ancient times, rśis, sages, yogis, and spiritual aspirants have sometimes seen a kind of luminous body or disembodied soul, by the divine grace of Parama Puruśa.

These luminous bodies assist spiritual aspirants in all possible ways.

Only spiritual aspirants are able to see these luminous bodies through the grace of Parama Puruśa. Though they are visible to the naked eye, they cannot be photographed.

Spiritual aspirants can speak to these luminous bodies and get answers to their questions.

While the words of a spiritual aspirant may be recorded on a tape recorder, the answers given by the luminous bodies cannot be recorded.

If a spiritual aspirant asks them for any mundane object, they may or may not grant the request. If they do grant the request, they do so only once. After that they will never come within that person’s sight again.

If a spiritual aspirant asks for something spiritual, one may get it either directly or through the siddhas.

Siddhas are a category of microvita(2) which are very helpful to spiritual aspirants.

Yogis and spiritual aspirants say that sometimes during their sádhaná they see siddhas and receive direct help from them.

People see khamúrttis due to the grace of Parama Puruśa.

But the guru cautions them that they should never ask for any object of enjoyment or any mundane object from a khamúrtti.

If people want objects of enjoyment, they will find themselves caught in the insidious snare of enjoyment.

Chaya Purusa

One should not confuse khamúrtti with cháyá puruśa.

Cháyá Puruśa is a mere game of light and shade. If someone gazes intently on a dazzling white object and then looks at a dimly-lit object, one will only see a shadow.

This shadow is called cháyá puruśa.

If you look towards the sun for a while and then look at another part of the sky, you will see a kind of shadow.

Similarly, if you look at the flame of a burning lamp for some time and then look at a source of dim light, you are sure to see a kind of shadow.

In ancient times, people who practised hypnotism(3) would see cháyá puruśa at night with the help of the moon, or with the help of a burning lamp (fueled by ghee) on new-moon nights.

With their vision fixed on the cháyá puruśa, they would gradually become conversant with the science of hypnotism.

Since olden times, the practice of Avidyá Tantra and the science of hypnotism have been well known in India and China.

In modern times, the science of hypnotism was used to cure disease by Dr. Mesmer, a [European] physician.

Since then, curing diseases by the science of hypnotism has been called “mesmerism”, after him.

This is why Cháyá puruśa as used in hypnotism or mesmerism is only a game of light and shade.

A khamúrtti, however, is a thoroughly spiritual vision.

Cháyá puruśa is a mere image of a shadow, whereas khamúrtti is an image of bright effulgence.

If any of you have had a chance to see such a khamúrtti or are still seeing one on any occasion due to the grace of the guru, you should not pray for any mundane object or for any finite object of enjoyment from these khamúrttis.

There is yet another kind of shadowy appearance unrelated to khamúrtti.

Yakśińii

In Tantra, this is known as yakśińii darshana. As a result of practising a special type of Tantra, people attain the yakśińii siddhi.

Such people are known as yakśińii siddhas – sádhakas who have attained a type of occult power.

These yakśińiis(4) work under the instructions of the siddhas, and provided that some rules and regulations are not violated, they abide by their instructions.

Usually, the yakśińiis cannot be induced to perform any evil deed.

They have no influence in the supernatural and spiritual spheres – their influence is primarily exerted in the physical sphere and to some extent in the psychic sphere.

They follow the yakśińii siddhas like a shadowy image, and very often can be found moving on walls or inside rooms like black shadows.

I have never heard of anyone being harmed by a yakśińii, but it may have happened.

I knew a professor of physics in a college in Bihar. His name was Swapneshwar Chattopadhyaya. He had attained yakśińii siddhi.

He did not have a son, but a daughter who lived far away from him, in the house of her father-in-law.

She had a daughter who used to live with her grandparents (Swapneshwar Chattopadhyaya and his wife). The granddaughter was 2-3 years old.

Mr. Chattopadhyaya had to go to Calcutta for a long time for his academic pursuits.

His wife, Kanika, was a very good but a timid woman.

The thought that she would have to live alone for a long time made her feel half-dead.

After all, how far could she rely on her tiny granddaughter?

Mr. Chattopadhyaya consoled his wife, saying, “Don’t worry. My yakśińii will take care of you. She will help you in all ways.”

On the eve of his departure for Calcutta, he showed his wife a black shadowy image reflected on the wall of their meditation room.

Though the figure was very small, it looked like a human figure.

Mr. Chattopadhyaya said to his wife, “This yakśińii will protect you from all troubles and dangers.”

He set out on his journey and was expected to return after 45 days.

Immediately after his departure, many strange things began to happen. Wherever Kanika went, the image of the yakśińii followed her like a shadow.

For the first few days Kanika was a bit nervous, seeing the shadowy image. But later on, as she was obliged to spend time in its company, she overcame her fear.

Rather, she grew more courageous than before.

Incident 1

At noon one day, while Kanika was washing the dishes in the kitchen, she suddenly noticed that the image of the yakśińii was shaking abnormally.

At first she was puzzled, but then she saw the yakśińii move quickly out of the room. She followed the image and also left the room.

The yakśińii came to the door of the living room beside the main gate. Kanika discovered that a thief dressed like a gentleman was about to escape with a suitcase that was kept in the room.

The thief caught sight of Kanika and took to his heels, leaving the suitcase behind. The main gate had been left open by mistake.

Incident 2

On another day, Kanika was sitting in the kitchen kneading flour.

Suddenly, she noticed that the yakśińii was shaking violently again.

Kanika looked at the figure in utter amazement. Immediately it went out of the kitchen, and Kanika followed it closely.

The yakśińii rushed towards the well across the courtyard of the house.

As soon as Kanika looked towards the well she became alarmed… horrified.

Her 3-year-old granddaughter was sitting precariously on the edge of the well, looking down into it.

If she moved slightly this way or that, or if she moved only a little to look at her own reflection in the water, she would immediately fall into the well.

No one could prevent her certain death.

Kanika moved stealthily forward from behind, picked the child up, and placed her on her lap.

Barely a month had passed since Swapneshwar had left for Calcutta. One day Kanika was cutting okra (“ladies’ finger”) in the kitchen.

Suddenly she looked at the image of the yakśińii on the wall, and she noticed that it was gradually disappearing.

She looked all over the wall but could not see the image anywhere. Meanwhile, she heard the sound of someone knocking at the front door.

Kanika went to the door and opened it, only to see Swapneshwar standing on the doorstep.

Seeing Kanika, Swapneshwar said, “I was supposed to stay in Calcutta for one and a half months, but as the job was finished in one month, I came home without delay.”