Q: What are the indications of purification of memory in the context of the Nerve of Memory?
In the Sri Sri Ramakrishna Kathamrita (English version: The Gospel of Sri Ramakrishna) we find the most authoritative teaching about both the nerve (nadi) and its indications.
On March 9, 1884, a devotee (Mahimacharan) asked Sri Ramakrishna:
“Sir, why does a man become deluded by worldly objects?”
Sri Ramakrishna replied: “It is because he lives in their midst without having realized God. Man never succumbs to delusion after he has realized God. The moth no longer enjoys darkness if it has once seen the light.
“To be able to realize God, one must practise absolute continence. Sages like Sukadeva are examples of an urdhvareta. (A man of unbroken and complete continence. [A yogi in whom the seminal energy flows upwards.]) Their chastity was absolutely unbroken. There is another class, who previously have had discharges of semen but who later on have controlled them. A man controlling the seminal fluid for twelve years develops a special power. He grows a new inner nerve called the nerve of memory. Through that nerve he remembers all, he understands all.”
I am aware that some people are interested in this subject to improve their ordinary memory, but that is like seeking a king’s ransom in order to buy chewing gum.
More regarding Sri Ramakrishna:
- Holy Mother, Sri Ramakrishna and Mahendranath Gupta (“M”) about Renunciation
- Yogis Who Saw Jesus
- Seeing the One in All