"I am the traveller. Within me lies the route. It's my journey within myself. It's a safari not in a distant land, but in a territory nearest to me; nearer than even my flesh."
Yes! I am talking about the inner cosmos that lies and spreads wide within us– neither in our physical set-up nor in our biological or genetic make-up. It is also not our mental sphere full of thoughts and emotions. This world is not integral even to our neural system (brain) holding cognition or normal consciousness.
Then where does this inner-world lie? On which plane of my existence does it exist? Well, I take this opportunity to reveal it to you through this picture (See Fig A). The picture depicts a gateway in the forehead which is wide open. There is also a splash of light around it, indicating a paranormal, rather a divine threshold. Within the gate lies an infinitely vast domain with indefinite dimensions. A zigzag pathway is laid in it which goes beyond the horizon. A bright figure of a man is shown walking over this path. Below the gate lie the eyes of the man, which are closed; not in an ordinary sleep-mode but in a deep reflective style. The man seems not to be a common man, but a 'seeker'.
What is he seeking? He is seeking himself– his Real Self. Where? Within Himself! According to the science of self-realisation and the revelations of all mystics, the centre of our forehead is the point of communication with the cosmic higher world that lies beyond our physical, sensorial, mental, and intellectual domains. It's a gateway to a subtle terrain that spreads right within our forehead, in the upper region of skull. Neurosurgeons cannot observe it by dissecting the skull; for, it is set and positioned subtly in our supra-physical being.
And that too, infinitely, boundlessly! You will wonder how? How come such an expansive cosmos exist within our small skull? That's, in fact, the most advanced technology of the Super-Engineer, the Almighty God! As our computer engineers can store thousands of Giga Bytes in a micro-chip in binary form, God has also saved and secured a complete cosmos within our micro-skull in ethereal divine form. It's a 'MACROCOSM' within the 'MICROCOSM'!
Indian philosophy calls this inner world as 'Antarjagatah'. The gate that leads to it is named as 'Dasam Dwaar'– the Tenth Door. Only a genuine spiritual mystic (Sadguru) with divine excellence has the forte to break open the jammed lock of this door. He transmits His absolute energy to the seeker and unlocks the gateway to the inner cosmos. With this, the seeker is uplifted from lower sensorial planes to the magnificent palace of wisdom. Hopping at sensory level ends and the longitudinal journey into the vast space within begins.
The seeker sits in meditative posture in stoic poise. Motionless! But, from within, he transcends and travels on cosmic planes. The bright figure walking along the inner path in the portrait symbolises the 'consciousness' of the seeker. Hence, it is actually the consciousness that becomes the astronaut of the inner-cosmos, and travels far and wide for self-exploration. The more consciously the aspirant focuses at the centre of the forehead, the deeper he delves and the farther he traverses the inner cosmos, which is full of spectacular visions, music, and experiences. He beholds an exquisite world adorned with divine wonders par excellence.
In fact, 'self-exploration' is analogous to 'space-exploration'. The outer-space is verily a clone of the inner-space. Therefore, the tight-lipped secret-shells of the cosmos outside can be heard speaking in the cosmos inside. According to the space-scientists, more than 90% of the universe consists of dark-energies, unobservable to human-eye. Thus, a major chunk of the outer-space remains veiled, thereby concealing countless secrets within its ambit. However, the inner-world is the key to all these locked mysteries. Nothing is hidden to the eye of consciousness. It sees and penetrates each speck of reality dwelling in the world within.
In the beginning of the Shvetashvatara Upanishad, the rishis (sages) present their queries and inquisitions on various issues concerning life, universe, and existence. They ask: “Who is the cause of this cosmos? What lies beyond? Whence are we born? What is the basis of our existence? Where do we dwell at the end? Please tell us, O ye who know Brahman, under whose guidance we abide, whether in pleasure or pain.” The Upanishad ultimately concludes that the sages could not find any satisfactory verbal solution to their queries. Therefore, in the end, they became absorbed in meditation. Through the undivided focus of mind, they discovered the creative power, the secrets of universe and its cause. Hence, within the inner-universe lies the encoded data of all that exists without.
Above all, this inner-world is a beatific oasis of peace and bliss. Robert Alan has rightly said– "Peace of mind is not a goal I need to achieve. It's a place inside I never want to leave." Inner-world is that specific place within us from where oozes the ceaseless spring of peace. So, dive in the ocean of your being… travel deeper and deeper… till you become speechless, thoughtless! The beholder of Ananda (Supreme Bliss)!
Taking recourse to such arguments, some atheists deny the existence of God. But, a wise saying goes thus– 'little knowledge is a dangerous thing'. These atheists relied upon just one aspect of science, ignoring the other facets. Whereas, the fact is that 'Science' itself accepts many things and creatures whose existence cannot be comprehended through the sensory organs of the human beings. For example, the air that we breathe in contains thousands of bacteria/micro-organisms. But, we are unable to see them with the naked eyes. Our eyes are unable to reach out and locate the distant planets and stars twinkling far away from us. These eyes cannot see the x-rays, ultraviolet rays and the infra-red rays. We are just able to perceive a small part of the electromagnetic spectrum.
Just stand at one end of the rail-track and stretch your vision towards its far end. It will appear as if the two parallel tracks meet each other. But does it actually happen? In that case, the outcome would have been only accidents! From the beginning of the journey till the end of it, the railway tracks are laid parallel. Stand on the shore of the sea and look as far as the eyes can survey. You will visualise that the sea and the sky meet at one place. But is there any such place on the Earth where the sea and the sky meet?
Our sages have repeatedly proclaimed that God cannot be seen or experienced through these external eyes or with the aid of any other sensory organ. For experiencing Him, the subtle apparatus is needed. As per the spiritual terminology that subtle instrument is known as 