DISCIPLE:
Pranam, Gurudev.
GURUDEV:
Pranam, pranam, my child.
DISCIPLE:
Gurudev, when a child is born, doctors cut the umbilical cord. After that, a permanent mark remains on the body—the navel. What is its significance for our body? Why does it exist?
GURUDEV:
The significance of the navel is profound. You may have seen the lotus emerging from Mahadev's navel, or from Vishnu's navel, where Lord Brahma himself appeared. This navel is a very significant matter; we say, "Nabhi Padme Hum." It is intimately connected with the Kula-Kundalini. That spot is where the Kula-Kundalini resides. People often don't realize that the navel is our true center. Most are unaware of the importance of this Nabhi Padma (Navel Lotus). Everything originates from it. All Tantra practices and every form of creation can be traced back to the navel. The navel is the core.
GURUDEV:
Great Tantric practitioners and those in Gyanganj often say, "Wash the navel." They mean one should cleanse the navel before beginning worship. What does "washing the navel" mean? When we bathe, we must clean the navel. Bamakhyapa used to do this, as did many others. Cleansing the navel is a vital practice. There is a certain odor in the navel, similar to the smell of excrement. If you were to probe deep into the navel and smell it, you would find an unpleasant scent. This is because waste products are processed near that area before being expelled. Thus, it is of great importance to us.
GURUDEV:
When a baby is in the mother's womb, their umbilical cord is connected to the mother's. The baby cannot speak or eat; they only move their limbs. All nutrition from the mother reaches the baby's body through the navel. This is what keeps the baby alive and allows them to move and grow. When the baby is born, that cord must be cut. In the past, midwives (daima) would cut it with a sharpened bamboo strip (chechari). Today, doctors use scissors. This leaves a permanent mark and a sort of hollow in our bodies.
DISCIPLE:
A permanent mark that remains like an organ...
GURUDEV:
Yes, but its significance goes much deeper. It is our Kula-Kundalini energy; the entire body is connected through it. It is called the Nabhi Padma. You will find that many great deities are said to have emerged from the Nabhi Padma. There is a lotus within the navel where the goddess resides. You cannot imagine what lies within the navel. This is the Kula-Kundalini, our driving force. We are able to function and move because of this energy. Everything is related to it: the Muladhara, Swadhisthana, Manipura, Vishuddha, and the various chakras, up to the thousand-petaled Sahasrara and the Ajna Chakra. The 24 principles—smell, taste, form, sound, the senses—all stem from this. This driving force gradually moves upward from the Muladhara through the navel to the Sahasrara and finally to the Ajna Chakra. When the Ajna Chakra opens, a person can gain immense knowledge and receive divine instructions or commands.
GURUDEV:
Everything is connected from the Muladhara through the navel. The primary base, the Muladhara, is located near the rectum. That is where everything originates. Two main channels emerge from there and wrap around the urinary tract. During certain rituals (Nyasa), we say "Salutations to the seeds and channels in the rectum." This is where the foundation lies. From here, life is tilled like a field, seeds are sown, and the sapling grows throughout the body, eventually bearing fruit.
GURUDEV:
Everything is centered in the navel. From there, through spiritual practice, a seeker advances. The Ajna Chakra is here (points to the brow). This is where the 24 principles—smell, taste, form, sound, etc.—are processed. Ordinary people don't pay much attention to this area. We emphasize that one should not sit for worship without washing the navel. This is a common practice in Gyanganj. There, they don't perform traditional rituals; they only meditate. They enter deep meditation, a state of profound sleep. They sit under trees, detached from the material world, focused on higher realities. Some even leave their physical bodies there and take birth elsewhere in a subtle form to help humanity. Many such enlightened beings exist in Gyanganj, constantly working for the welfare of others. You might see them sitting in meditation, looking as if they have no life left in their bodies. Only the great masters can tell if they are dead or alive, or if they have taken birth elsewhere through meditation.
GURUDEV:
The navel is a significant thing for us. We call it the Nabhi Padma and use the mantra "Nabhi Padme Hum." The sound "Hum" is the primal vibration (Omkar). This concept is very prevalent in Tibet as well. The veins spreading from the navel are what keep us alive and well-maintained. If anything goes wrong here—with the Manipura, Swadhisthana, or Vishuddha chakras—it is very difficult to repair. Doctors cannot fix it; only great spiritual masters can. We gradually ascend through the stages of spiritual practice. The Kula-Kundalini power is the greatest. As Ramprasad Sen sang, "Dive deep, O mind, in the name of Kali. There are many gems in the fathomless depths of the heart." These gems are found within the Kula-Kundalini. You must search for them there. Ramprasad's song says, "The treasury of gems is never empty; a few dives will bring them to you. Dive just once into the shore of the Kula-Kundalini." Everything you seek is within the Kula-Kundalini. There is no other way for man but to find it there. Every human being born of a mother's womb possesses this.
DISCIPLE:
I have a small question. When you give initiation (diksha), I've seen you touch various parts of the body, and the navel is one of them.
GURUDEV:
I don't just touch it; I place my hand deep within the navel to awaken it. I do this three times. I instruct everyone to wash their navel while bathing before they perform any worship. It is a very important thing.
DISCIPLE:
Gurudev, in cremation grounds, even after the entire body is burnt, the navel often remains unburnt. There is a special pit for burying the navel, called the "Nabhi Kund," at our Rajpath cremation ground. Why does the navel not burn?
GURUDEV:
All the veins and arteries of the body converge and harden at that one spot. That is why the navel remains. Those veins gather to create the navel. It takes a long time, five or six hours, for the navel to burn. It turns into carbon and must be gradually consumed by the fire. Some say it never burns, but that is an exaggeration. It does burn eventually. However, in the case of Lord Krishna, when his body was cremated, his navel did not burn. It is said that the same navel is now within the body of Lord Jagannath. That is the source of Jagannath's immense power and energy—Lord Krishna's navel is within him. When the prophecy was heard that the navel wouldn't burn, it was thrown into the sea. It floated away and was caught by a lotus, which then closed its petals around it. It floated to the shores of Puri, where Lord Krishna appeared in a dream to the King, telling him to retrieve his body. The King's men couldn't lift it as it was too heavy. Krishna appeared again, saying, "If you lift it with your own hands, it will move." The King then lifted it easily and placed it inside the idol of Lord Jagannath. That is Krishna's navel or "heart-lotus."
GURUDEV:
I always say that anyone who wishes to be a true spiritual seeker must visit Puri at least once. Lord Jagannath is a great Tantric. One cannot truly practice Tantra without his permission. After completing one's practice, one receives a "certificate" from him, so to speak. He declares, "From today, you are a Tantric." This involves specific amounts of chanting, meditation, and rituals. Lord Jagannath calls the person and grants this recognition. Without his command, no Tantric can be truly successful. I too went to Lord Jagannath; he gave me that recognition, and only then did my name become known. Before that, who knew me? We are Tantrics because he has declared it so. This "certificate" can never be lost; we will remain Tantrics forever by his grace.
DISCIPLE:
That was a wonderful explanation about the navel. I'll end with one small thing. You mentioned midwives cutting the cord. In the past, many babies died of infections because of this. Now, medical science has improved things.
GURUDEV:
Yes, they used to cut it with a bamboo strip and leave it to dry. Midwives were very careful. Once it fell off, they would tell the family to wrap it in a cloth and throw it in a field where children play. I was born with the help of a midwife too; we didn't have doctors then.
DISCIPLE:
Midwives certainly had a huge responsibility, doing everything by hand without today's technology.
GURUDEV:
Indeed. Some babies would have a protruding navel, which would gradually dry up and fall off. Now, things are much cleaner and more refined due to technology.
DISCIPLE:
Thank you, Gurudev, for telling us so much about the navel. I had never heard such things before, and I'm sure our viewers haven't either. One viewer even commented, asking why we have a navel.
GURUDEV:
Yes, I've explained it now. It is all as it should be.
DISCIPLE:
Pranam, Gurudev.
GURUDEV:
Pranam, pranam.