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The number of neurons (nerve cells) in a developed human brain is almost double the human population on the earth! Each of these tiny cells is comparable in capacity and efficiency to a multi-talented, august and stout human being. In fact, people could sometimes be lazy, disorderly, dishonest, or inefficient, but the tiny neurons never ignore their ‘duties’ and continue contributing to the adept information processing and the other vital functions of the brain and the body.

The network of over ten billion neurons (‘brain-cells’) works like a ‘super computer’. The nerves — ‘biological channels’ of inter- connected neurons are spread in the entire body and constitute the Nervous System. These are broadly categorized as of two types – the sensory nerves and the motor nerves; that make possible the perceptions of ‘signals’ of the sense-organs and the locomotion activities respectively. The sensory nerves are linked with the sense- organs. Whatever we smell, watch, hear, eat, or experience by touch is perceived with the help of the instant signal processing between the sensory nerves and the brain. The motor nerves and their control unit in the brain conduct the activities of movement, walking, chewing, bathing, reading, etc. This ‘physical’ understanding of the nervous system, together with the general anatomy and associated physiological functions of the brain have been known to the scientific community since the advent of neurological research in the past century.

For a longtime, the brain was recognized only as the controller of the motor functions and the perception of the sense organs. The fact that this rather small organ in the human body is a repository of astonishing potentials became clearer with the advancement of neuro- scientific research. Research into cognitive functions of the brain and expression of talents on the one hand, and studies in endocrine (hormonal) secretions on the other has shown the crucial role of the mind. Mind can be broadly defined as the subliminal consciousness-core of the brain and source of cognitive functions and feelings (emotions, sentiments). Progress in contemporary collaborative studies in the fields of psychology, parapsychology, and metaphysics appear to be bringing the modern science closer to the areas of Vedic science that deal with the ‘extrasensory’ powers of human mind. It is now accepted by many groups of eminent researchers that, as described in the Indian Philosophy, the human mind is a reflection of the Brahm 1 . The impulses of whatever is happening, is going to happen, or has happened, anywhere in the infinite expansion of the cosmos reach and can be captured by the inner cores of the mind.

Our minds are endowed with the power to know about the past, present and the future, at will. However, this supernormal talent remains dormant in general. Dull and drowsy minds or extra-agile, haphazard minds can’t even properly experience, recognize, or analyze the present. Brilliance of intellect and foresightedness help the sagacious minds know and shape the future growth of the subject matter of their interest and expertise. This explains why alert and focused/illumined mind of a person is said to be the architect of her life. However, the extrovert attitude, self- centered inclination, and complacence and excessive attachment with the present and the immediate future, often restrain its trenchant vision and talents from reaching the wider and deeper domains of knowledge. Cultivation of introvert and deeper thinking and successive endeavors of intellectual and spiritual erudition gradually arise its hidden powers. This elevation can eventually excel the illuminated minds to the higher realms of precognitive realizations.

Live experiences of great personalities and sagacious minds do illustrate from time to time that the evolution of the inner-powers can indeed exalt the individual self to unimaginable heights. Child-prodigies are often found to have exceptionally gifted brains. Some of them are born with evolved minds and extraordinary talents; whereas in some others, such powers are found activated accidentally.

Accidental Emergence of E.S.P.:

Our mind can store past memories for ages. At a superficial level, we seem to forget many things quite rapidly. What we seem to have memorized with great efforts also appears to fade out from our memory after some time, as we are unable to recall it. However, as the neurological experiments reveal, whatever we ever encounter remains inscribed in the ultra- sensitive microfilms of some sub-networks of neurons for hundreds of years. For instance, in one such experiment when Dr. Penfield had electrically stimulated the memory strip in a subject’s brain, that person started singing the songs of a film, which he had seen over two decades ago. The story of the film also surfaced afresh in his memory as though he had watched the movie just now. As discussed below, sometimes the ‘memory’ of the past lives, or some ‘supernatural’ sensory or cognitive centers also get activated due to accidental stimulation.

Molly Fencer was born and brought up in a middle-class family at Brooklyn. She got fond of horse riding in young age. She used to go for it every evening with her friends. Unfortunately on 10 th May 1864, she fell down from the back of the running horse. She suffered some head injury and sprain but gained normal vigor in a few days. However, the accident recurred in less than a month on 8 th June. This time she could not recover so fast and was even not able to eat properly. She appeared to be getting normal at a slow pace. After about seven months – on 3 rd February 1865, when a renowned expert of his times, Dr. Robert Spiegel examined her and found nothing serious, her aunt Susan Kansai and other relatives and friends felt so relieved. However, their hopes diminished when the same evening she went into coma. She could regain clinical consciousness only after several months but had lost her memories of the present life. She could not recognize her family doctor, neither her aunt who had been looking after her since childhood.

She remained in this state for nine years. Though her left hand was paralyzed, she was able to sit and manage things using the right hand. In this duration she wrote about six thousands letters (to some unknown ‘friends’!), which were remarkably thoughtful and carried deep sense of knowledge.

February 1873, she suddenly got up and started walking. But what a fate! She lost her balance and fell down from the stairs and once again suffered head-injury. This time Dr. Robert’s brother, Dr. F. Spiegel had come to attend her. Looking at him she asked – “Hello Doctor! What is your brother, Dr. Robert doing in his new house? Why didn’t he come today?” She was startled by seeing the change in her aunt’s looks and shrieked – “How come Aunti! Your hair got all grey just in one night?” When she was told about the tragedy and also shown the letters written by her, she could not believe it. She somehow felt as though the letters were written by some departed soul.

The letters were just the first expression of the extrasensory power awakened in Molly. Later on, after yet another accident, this lady lost her eyesight. It is so surprising that despite being declared blind clinically, she was able to see everything – even much beyond the power of normal vision. In her words –– “I feel that I am seeing through an eye between my eyebrows. Many a times I can see distant or remote objects too. I feel as if some bright rays emit from my forehead and collide with (or even penetrate) the objects around me; these are reflected back to me with the ‘visual information’ of the corresponding thing or scene”.

Prof. Henry M. Pasture, a physicist of the Brooklyn University had investigated Molly’s extrasensory perceptions (E.S.P.) in late 1875. He was keener on finding two things. Firstly, whether this lady indeed possesses E.S.P. or smartly plays some tricks? And, if she has any power of E.S.P., how she makes use of it in day-to-day transactions – e.g. whether she touches the things with her forehead or just looks at them from a distance, etc.?

Once he gave her an unfolded sheet of a letter enclosed in a thick cover. Molly was able to read it even when the envelope was closed and kept at a distance in front of her. Another time he gave her some papers from an old file – again she read them all clearly irrespective of whether the papers were left open or kept inside opaque folders. Prof. Pasture conducted several such experiments and tests at random. Finally he certified her power of E.S.P. and concluded that Molly can see through her third eye. He however had no explanation – in the language of physics or biomedical science – of how it could happen?

Today, when a lot more is known about the human brain, someone might attribute Molly’s vision through the sixth sense as a result of some extraordinary or abnormal function of the neuronal network that might have been expressed because of the accidental distortion and partial derangement in her other faculties. Whatever the cause, but it proves that human brain does possess some faculty/potentials of E.S.P. There was a time when the eminent yogis and spiritually enlightened sadhakas used to activate these potentials at will by controlled use of their elevated pranas 2 and spiritually enlightened mind.

everal books, such as “The Third Eye” by T. Lobe-Sang, “Spiritual Journey to the Land of Hermitage” by Al Zahir, and “The Making of Heavenly Trousers” by Daniel Bayer, give us a firsthand view of the extrasensory experiences of the authors. These intellectuals had had the divine experience of the awakening of the Âjna Chakra (– the ‘sixth sense’ or the ‘third eye’). What they had experienced as clairvoyance and glimpses of the past and the future in the specific states of mental engrossment in deeper consciousness – was also authentically verified. Such experiences prove that human mind is indeed endowed with a divine eye in its subliminal core.

Renowned German philosopher and writer, Goethe mentions at one place in his autobiography that –– once when he was sitting in his house at Wilma, he suddenly ‘saw’ that the island of Sicily, several thousand miles away, is being shaken by horrifying seismic tremors. The feeling was so strong and clear that he even discussed this unique experience with some of his friends. But no one paid any attention. What else but “illusion” could such an experience be called in general? How could one see or explain the happenings of several thousand miles away without any mode of communication? It was only after about a week that the newspapers brought the tragic reports of a devastating earthquake in Sicily. This had occurred on the same day, at the same time, when Goethe had ‘watched’ this horrifying event ‘live’ (through the hidden ‘telescope’ of his mind!).

In his popular book “The Gulliver’s Travels”, Jonathan Swift had described that –– Mars has two moons orbiting around it; one at a velocity double than the other. His imagination was thought to be mere fiction because, until then it was not known that the planets other than the earth could also have their satellites. After about 150 years, in 1877, a giant telescope in the Naval Observatory at Washington, traced the presence of the two moons of Mars and also proved that the velocity of one is double that of the other!

Possibilities in Every Individual:

Nature has gifted all of us with the fount of many talents and potentials. But, we keep hunting for petty things and supports in the external world; because of our incomplete and superficial knowledge of our own being, we spend all our efforts and energies in fulfilling thoughtless ambitions, short-term gains, and insignificant achievements. We should learn to focus our thoughts, look inward, and contemplate and meditate to realize our hidden capabilities. Little more care and sincere efforts 3 to save and raise our vital energy, and to awaken the hidden potentials of the mind would help us acquire brighter success and strive for higher goals.

Seeds of riddhis-siddhis 4 are also immanent in the inner self. Each one of us could gradually activate and evolve these extrasensory potentials through firm determination, adept sadhanas and unperturbed perseverance. The ancient Indian science of yoga and spirituality enlightens the path to such extraordinary attainments. Authentic reports and experiences of supernormal talents of self- control, absolute mental-concentration, and immense willpower of the spiritual masters and yogis have drawn the attention of many researchers towards the yoga practices of dhyana-dharaña (meditation) and sadhanas (devout spiritual endeavors).

Great yogis and spiritual masters purify their mind, focus its intrinsic tendencies in righteous direction, and awaken its subliminal powers by unflinching self-restraint, ascetic disciplines and sadhanas (spiritual endeavors). Indeed, spiritual refinement of personality and awakening of the inner force of consciousness enable the ‘individual self’ emancipate itself from the thralldom of ignorance and activate its sublime linkage with the limitless ‘cosmic self’. In this process, the domains of mental experiences and cognition naturally expand beyond all bounds of time and space.

Notes:

1. Brahm: The Omnipresent, Eternal, Consciousness-Force.
2. Prañas: Vital Spiritual Energy.
3. Effective Efforts: Fasting with self-restraint over tongue and sensual lust, yoga exercises of asana and prañayama are very effective and supportive in this regard.
4. Riddhis-siddhis: Supramental intellect and supernatural talents and physical powers

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