Review: AWAKENING INTO ONENESS: The Power of Blessing in the Evolution of Consciousness

AWAKENING INTO ONENESS: The Power of Blessing in the Evolution of Consciousness

Awakening into Oneness, Author: Arjuna Ardagh, Indus Source Books, PO Box 6194, Malabar Hill, Mumbai 400 006. E-mail:info@indussource.com. 2007. xiv + 210pp. Rs 299.

The subject of consciousness has interested humanity right from the dawn of civilization. In earlier days it used to be the province of mystics, philosophers, shamans, and occasionally psychologists. But of late it has been attracting the attention of many other professionals and seekers, both intellectual and spiritual. None, however, has been able to define 'consciousness' unambiguously. This book is also about consciousness, exploring it from the viewpoint of evolution. Since the book talks about diksha and meditation, one can surmise that the word 'consciousness' is used in its Vedantic sense. It deals with a new movement that has arisen recently in Hyderabad - earlier called the Kalki movement, it is now apparently renamed 'Oneness movement'.

Going through the book one gets the sense of déja vu. It deals with a subject that appears essentially the same as shaktipat as mentioned in the books of the Varkari Sampradaya of Maharashtra. The latter practice has recently been revived through the efforts of Swami Nityananda, Swami Muktananda, and Swami Chidvilasananda. The publications of this Siddha Yoga group from Ganeshpuri provide details of the subject. Awakening into Oneness seems to talk about the same thing, though in different words. What is called diksha here is essentially the same as shaktipat, by which process a guru can arouse an aspirant's spiritual consciousness and cause it to move from lower to the highest planes. There are innumerable examples of this in Indian spiritual literature. Vyasa did this for Sanjaya at the time of the Mahabharata war. Sri Krishna granted this 'divine eye' to Arjuna so that he could see the cosmic form of the Divine. In more recent times Sri Ramakrishna raised Narendranath's consciousness to verify his own visions concerning the young man. Again, towards the end of his life, Sri Ramakrishna transferred the fruits of all his sadhana to Narendranath by merely looking at him steadfastly.

What, then, is unique about this book? This is what intrigued me when I started reading it. The book promises much. Whether it has delivered all that it promises is purely a matter of opinion. We live in an age of scepticism. The modern generation is not prepared to accept anything unless there is incontrovertible proof. Even Swami Vivekananda was of the opinion that scriptural statements should be subjected to the same kind of rigorous questioning as the material sciences. The book fails to deliver in this respect. Though there is some mention of the activities of the brain during supernormal experiences, there are no references to results from controlled experiments. Such experiments, called 'application of the Einstein-Podolsky-Rosen paradox to the human brain and consciousness', have been carried out in Mexico and the United States. But even these have been inconclusive.

The book abounds in case histories from around the world. These have been grouped together under distinct categories - health, family life, art, business, and the like. In themselves they provide interesting matter for study, because anything capable of relieving human suffering is worth a study. But if a proper and systematic analysis is carried out - as has been done, and is being done, in the fields of yoga and Ayurveda - it would add so much more to credibility.

The author acknowledges that such controlled experiments, leading to verifiable results, are yet to be done. In the absence of these one can only reserve judgment and say with Hamlet: 'There are more things in heaven and earth, Horatio, than are dreamt of in your philosophy.'