When the guru imparts wisdom or gives upadesha, we should visualise that guru is seated in a triangle of the sahasrara. This is because the wisdom imparted by the guru is akshara. It is infinite, beyond birth and death, beyond time and space. Just like no word or akshara is complete without vowels and consonants, the guru’s wisdom is akshara.
Akshara becomes the linking factor which cannot be wiped out from our soul. Knowledge imparted by the guru becomes imperishable where ‘A’ represents the swaras or vowels, ‘Ka’ represents the vyanjan or consonants and ‘Tha’ represents the ‘para’ aspect which means ever-existing, infinite and ultimate.
When we bow down to do namaskar at the holy feet of the guru, sphuta or an implosion occurs. This brings an awareness of the wisdom of the guru or guru vaakya.
That is why guru vaakya is considered as veda vaakya — the knowledge of the vedas themselves. It is Akshara. It has stood the test of time. From samsara, we get only kshara, the perishable whereas what we get from the guru is only akshara.
Akshara is the first swaroopa or form of Brahman.
In this decaying, destroying body and samsara (kshara), guru and soul only are akshara element in us, which is retained in us forever as chaitanya or vibrations.
Just like an elevator takes us up to the higher floors of a high-rise building, meditation takes us up all the way to the state of self-realisation. When we attain the state of self-realisation, we hear only the nada or divine sound of hamsa in our breath.
That is why in kundalini kriya or while performing the kundalini yoga — we chant ‘Om Lam Vam Ram Yam Ham Om Hamsa’ — guru’s breath is hamsa.
Hamsa is also the last Imantra chanted so that it tunes us to our soul within finally so that both our soul and the mind blossom. Hamsa builds the structure of imperishable Brahman in us.
But, the foundation for us to experience this state is that while meditating upon the guru, we must have an aim. The aim should be to focus on our fontanel or Brahmarandra.
In fact, in all our acts of worship and sadhana, we should be aware of the significance of our fontanel. If we are aware we realise that we bow before the guru’s lotus feet to touch our Brahmarandra to his lotus feet.
When we partake the theertha or holy water, we take only one spoonful without saliva touching our hands and sprinkle the remaining on the Brahmarandra.
Also, the disciples of the guru parampara order apply the consecrated vermillion in between the eyebrows as well as on the fontanel so that the chaitanya or the sacred power in the vermillion touches our fontanel.
Excerpt from the Force of Nirvana by Shri Shri Nimishananda