Maintaining Magnetism
Today, more than ever, parents everywhere are concerned about keeping the family together. I have found that the key is to keep the prāṇas flowing harmoniously. A true family is a clan of individuals who love each other, which means they are bound together by positive prāṇic magnetism. When sons-in-law and daughters-in-law join the family, their prāṇic magnetism intermingles, and the family extends itself harmoniously, especially if the jyotisha compatibilities are good between the bride and her husband and the bride and her mother-in-law. This magnetism is maintained through the principle of zero tolerance for disharmonious conditions, to keep the prāṇas flowing within their homes in a positive, loving way. This means that if there is a disruption of the prāṇas, caused by interpersonal conflict—argument, angry words or worse—the matter must be settled among those involved before they retire to sleep, even if it means staying up all night.
What is prāṇa? Prāṇa is vital energy. There are three phases of the mind: instinctive, intellectual and superconscious. They comprise three different kinds of prāṇa in every human being: instinctive prāṇa, intellectual prāṇa and refined, superconscious prāṇa, also known as actinic energy. Instinctive prāṇas digest our food and maintain the functions of the physical body. They also give rise to the emotions of fear, anger, jealousy and other base instincts. The instinctive energies affect the mind, emotions and behavior. Without well-developed intellectual prāṇas, the mind is ruled by the lower nature and is easily influenced by others, often in a negative way. This is why children must be closely watched and guided during their formative years until their intellectual prāṇas develop in the form of good memory, discernment and willpower. The superconscious prāṇas bring through creativity, inspiration and intuition. These are the energies to be sought after and nurtured through various kinds of religious devotion and sādhana.
In nearly every home, all three kinds of prāṇa are at work. Little children are functioning mainly in the instinctive prāṇas. Students are in the intellectual prāṇas. Parents, hopefully, are functioning in the spiritual prāṇas, at least part of the time, drawing into the home the cosmic, actinic rays of the soul, while balancing all three forms of prāṇa within themselves.
It is the duty of the head of the house and his wife to take charge of all the three prāṇas within the home and keep them flowing harmoniously day after day after day after day. How do they do that? By prayer and regular, early-morning daily sādhana, bringing wisdom and other refined, actinic prāṇas through from the superconscious mind. When everyone is bound together with love, everything goes along fairly smoothly.
NANDINATHA SŪTRA 297: BENEDICTIONS FOR GREETING AND PARTING
All my devotees greet others by saying Aum Namaḥ Śivāya, Aum Śivāya or the more general benedictions vanakkam, namaste or namaskāra. These, or the sweet expression Aum, Aum, also serve when parting. Aum.