These rings of Egoism are in the heart and mind regions and the last ring is very near the Central Region.

Master says "The idea of egoism starts from the body. When you do anything under this influence you feel the solidity of things with the idea that you (body) are doing it. This is the lowest or the crudest form of egoism. In this stage the eye of a person is located on his body. He sees and feels the body to be the doer and does not go beyond it. He has no Idea of any thing else except the physical body. This is the condition of ordinary people of the world." This is the characteristic of the first ring of egoism. The Master's statements are clear but needs to be imperienced is the truth of this as applied to us. I am aware of the condition of struggle here even as every one of us here, we have a logic to defend ourselves in this aspect. Should we not identify with the body and keep it in perfect condition for after all the statement that the body is the instrument for doing good. (Sarira madhyam Khalu Dharma sadhanam)

Master continues saying that "When you proceed onwards you feel that something other than your body is the doer of the things. This is the second stage of egoism. Here the vision of a person passes on from the physical body to something inward or finer. Different people identify according to their own thoughts and beliefs. Some feel that soul is doing all actions and the body acting only like a machine or a tool..." The characteristic of the second ring of Egoism is this identification with the 'soul' whose nature neither the person nor any one is capable to explain. As I have several times stated there is nothing as an entity called 'soul' and it is only a conglomerate. Most of the time it is considered as "Conscience". By a peculiar capacity to create ' a faculty' with an 'entity' which is purely a figment of imagination. But this illusion and identification with that illusion is the characteristic of this second ring of egoism. All assessment of the individual as well as others in the aspect of so called 'character and conduct' is a bias or prejudice this faculty makes and most of the time is the basis for inter personal conflicts.

In this third stage the Ego adopts the posture that it is 'mind' that is the doer of things and holds that all actions are due to the accumulated 'idea power' ( termed as samskaras, effect of karmas etc.) that is the doer and the individual is helpless. This aspect is the most popular one of the religious/ pseudo religious persons. And many times those who call themselves as Jnanis give this argument. Though there is a truth that all things that happen to us are a result of our past actions, the abdication of responsibility for correction that follows the result of the prior actions is a totally unwarranted journey into sloth and despondency.

In this fourth stage the idea that one, whom he has been accepted as our master, is doing all things. This is a subtle egoism where one continues to dwell in the thinking that it is his master who is doing all things outwardly, and internally all the time feeling that he is the doer. Very many aspirants who travelled the path for considerable time come to this stage and unable to leave possessiveness of things and men because of lack of determination would like to psychologically seek solace in this false hood- I had many occasions to point out the falsehood and lie are variations of Ego. This is the ring that holds persons to superstitions, idol worship, etc., in all of which we find the feeling that the person is the doer, though they outwardly profess that it is all their God or master etc., who is the doer. If they are put the question why then he is perturbed for delay in performing the puja or non performance of the puja, or use of certain items only in sadhana and if they are not made available get upset with everyone else first and himself later they bluff their way through.

The fifth ring relates to the maturity of this type of thinking that it is not body that is doing the things but the one to whom he has submitted as his master is doing all the actions. This is the stage, when every other aspect of sadhana being there one enters the realm beyond body. Here ends the region of elements or Pind Desh.

In Brahmand (which is a part of the heart region) the rings take a different hue. Here the person feels that the work is being done automatically with no idea of the doer. But the identity is aware of the work being done. Awareness is the quality of identity and hence ego in a very subtle shade is there. This state of ego is felt near the Prapanna condition where bhakti becomes finer. The worship of the Master started earlier in the gross form in Pind desh undergoes total transformation and continues with bare awareness. Dedication of the individual through every pore of his being is the basic characteristic. The idea can be understood even without the concept of body accompanying this state. It is infact a refinement of the state of Surrender developed in the Pind Desh. The body with eight limbs which describes the condition of one in the state of Surrender (sashtang pranam) gets transformed into the feeling that one is after all an 'anga' or limb of the Master. But still the feeling that one is a part of the whole is sufficient for the Master to call that a form of Ego. Such is the sensitiveness that Master exhorts us to develop.

In the next phase of ego this awareness also is gone and one finds that the work is being done automatically and he is not aware of the work before or after the event. It is total unawareness and it is in this condition work of the higher type are allotted. In our system the Master uses many aspirants without their awareness and they may not come to know that it is all his work at any point of time. But this requires the aspirant to be in the state of constant remembrance. This is in truth the condition of ego in the case of one at the level of Prapanna Prabhu.

The rings of ego may be considered to have ended here. All these stages of Ego are all in Heart region and we enter the Mind region. Here the ego is a very fine variety. Here the feeling of being a subject of God or Master expires. The vibrations are felt more intensely in the areas beyond the Sahasrara and though we cannot call enjoyment or pleasure the feelings are there. Though the 'doer' is gone almost, the 'knower' and 'enjoyer' continues in the individuality. This transformation of the ego happens in the Mind region of God. It should be noted that it is the mind region of God and not our mind that is at play. Our mind is gone much before in the beginnings of Brahmand if the sadhaka has been keen in reaching the goal.

One needs a very strong determination to move on and should yield to the work of the master who is giving the push. On one's own swimming up the stream is almost impossible except in the cases of exceptional fishes which know that art. All the shades of egoism may still be extant here also and a slip from this condition is also possible if any of them or some of them take a grosser turn.

When the push is given by the Master the fringes of central region starts. I prefer to encourage aspirants saying that they have entered the central region at this stage though that is not the total truth. My interest is that they will take sadhana more seriously and feel grateful to the Master and firm up their will and determination to reach the goal. To support aspirants in this stage is impossible without the active support of the aspirant. Even before arriving at this point many an aspirant who was fortunate to have the grace of the Master thinks that he has reached his goal and gets satisfied with the condition and remains in the realm of egoism of the finer variety. In such cases transmission per se does not help much and one needs to wait till one comes out of the heat. This is the reason Master many times stressed that it is only the chosen who reach the goal. As a practical guidance I may state service to the Master's cause and mission alone can bring us his grace.

In the rings of splendour it continues as mere identity being barely conscious. In the central region it continues till the centre is reached. In this stage it under goes further refinement and the identity remains naked before the Master.

I have not been able to still see the fineness of the 11th ring and I wonder whether it continues co terminus with the rings of splendour in the final stage.

When we go through the biographies of the Master it is clear that they were still having problems with body to a greater extent and mind to a lesser extent based on the various ideas and ideologies to which they have subscribed. In the letters of the Master we find him referring to the state of humanity remaining nominally even after laya in the Absolute. This raises questions of serious philosophical concern. Because the system of our Master is entirely new and the discovery of the Central region is one of his unique contributions in the field of yoga we cannot adopt the definitions of laya as given in the scriptures or texts. If we are having the imperience of entering into the Central region even while living in the body it is because of His grace and His love which knows no bounds. It is here our notions gained from scriptures and texts of Vedanta come in the way and start questioning the very pramana (tool of knowledge) we have adopted namely the anubhava pramana which is substantiated by the imperience following the same.

XIII Knot

Here the journey is not felt at all and a condition of continuous nothing is felt. All through it is only the Master (God) and no duality is experienced. A sheet of vast openness colourless and with no other feeling than awe or wonder is felt. Rev. Master has stated in Reality at Dawn that it is wonder that is the prime cause for philosophy and not doubt. This is a matter of experience. True it is that doubt is the cause of intellectual philosophising. But the real reason for arriving at the awareness of Master comes only when the condition of experiencing Him with awe or wonder arises.

The rings of Maya and the rings of Egoism as described in the book "Reality at Dawn" are now crossed and the border of the rings of splendour throws its fragrance here.

This knot is about an inch down the XII knot and is experienced as a translucent smoky speck, on touching which a total thoughtless condition with an inexplicable peace is felt.

Various stages of egoism almost die out here. However, the 'identity' of the sadhaka remains even here. Master states categorically that 'it disappears only in Maha pralaya when everything comes to an end.'

Jnana-Hinata:

The realm of knots comes to an end. Knowledge which implies a known and a knower and the process of knowing ceases. A state of no-knowledge (Jnanahinata) starts. The realm of possible expressions fail and just imperience holds sway. Master explains the concept of Jnanahinata separately here to which we shall refer later.

It is the state of Jnanahinata that takes us further in our journey. The sea of wonder before the sadhaka becomes the point of attention and the plunging into it is consequent to this reach. Master puts it 'Now there is nothing but going on and we swim on and on covering leagues after leagues. The vastness of the surface is experienced very rarely as the sadhaka is drowned in unawareness. It is only a proper record or diary of the sadhaka that may reveal experiences of 'nothing' but all the time 'absorbing'. Master states 'It is but certain that in the course of our voyage, now, we come across numerous ripples, folds, and wrinkles, but all of them are quite silent and inactive except for a faint impression of their being. We proceed on with it till at last impression too fades away, as it finally must; and the surface becomes quite smooth without folds or wrinkles. The seven rings of the central region as explained in the "Efficacy of Rajayoga" refer to this very condition.' Knowledgelessness which has brought us thus far now bids goodbye and awareness alone remains. An awareness of the Divinity without any adjectives or characterizations of It or our relationships with It.