Part 3 - Research carried out on Brain Mapping of Svāmī-Veda Bhāratī and others

Svāmī Veda Bhāratī (Disciple of Svāmī Rāma of the Himalayas) was born into a Sanskrit speaking family and raised in the centuries old Sanskrit tradition. From a very young age, Svāmī Veda Bhāratīhas impressed the audiences with the depth of his knowledge and intuition in the Vedas and Patañjali’s Yogasūtras. He is M.A. from University of London and D.Lit. from Netherlands. He was initiated in the highest paths of Meditation and Yoga by his master, the celebrated yogī, Svāmī Rāma of the Himalayas.

Svāmī Veda Bhāratī, has illustrated his own experiences as a subject of research work in the field of ‘Brain Mapping in Pathology and Meditation’^[1] He says, it is well known that many of the brain wave phenomena seen and observed in meditation are similar or parallel to those observed in brain pathologies such as...

1. Delta waves, among others, signifies a state of coma or impending death.
2. Theta waves common in children, is seen as indicative of brain damage in the adults.
3. Alpha waves may be induced under the influence of certain narcotics and drugs.
4. High beta waves may indicate a very scattered mind without focus.

Svāmī Veda Bhāratī, himself was a subject of research in a laboratory in Denver, Colorado USA, wherein in July 2005,he was subjected to neuropathological tests^[2] when he demonstrated 11 meditation methods in 50 minutes.

It was concluded that, some of the points that help differentiate between the symptoms of neuro-pathology and meditation are—

1. Change in brain wave pattern is volitional.
2. The change in brain wave pattern can be induced by going deeper in the same meditation method or
3. Changing a meditation method or point of focus.

During 2004, Svāmī Veda Bhāratī was again a subject of research in ‘Institute of Noetic Sciences, California, USA’ wherein he participated in a series of informal experiments conducted in the ‘Consciousness research laboratory’ and it was reported that—

1) Delta waves are produced in full consciousness so that the conversations carried on in the same room as the yogī producing the delta brain waves may be reported verbatim.

2) Theta waves indicate controlled but enhanced creativity through relaxed concentration.

3) Alpha waves will be totally under the practitioner’s control and employed for implementing the principle of ‘inaction in action’.

4) High Beta and Gamma waves indicate deep concentration on a high frequency mentally repetitive thought, such as a mantra.

Svāmī Veda Bhāratī however also has some words of caution in relation to the research on brain wave mapping and the conclusions that are derived from it.

While developing the research models, one should not fall into the trap of—

1. Thinking that Yoga is only a system of therapies and
2. Forgetting that ‘Yoga is samādhi ’ as per Vyāsabhāṣya I.1

The events occurring at neuro physiological level cannot be a conclusive evidence of self-realization or a measure of spiritual progress but only prove that the brain functions can be controlled through application of will, the experiential tradition strongly points to the fact, verified by the neuroscience that—

a) Success in practices like cittaprasādana (Pātañjala Yogasūtra I.33) are brought about by spiritual states and do effect sāttvika changes in the psychology.

b) Neurological indices may be accepted as indirect evidence of spiritual progress.

Footnotes and references:

[1]:

Veda Bharati-Svāmī, Future Directions of Scientific Research in Meditation, SRSG Publications, Hrishikesh, p.17-18

[2]:

Ibid., p.31-33