Page 193 - Wisdom Unfurled

The Master considers it a great pity that this age old process of yogic transmission originated and widely practiced by our ancient sages has now gone into total oblivion in the very land of its origin, where, today only a few might feel even inclined to believe it.
Pranahuti vs Hypnotism
The Master distinguishes Pranahuti from hypnotism or mesmerism with which it is often compared though wrongly. He states that one feels calm and collected after PAM while after being hypnotized he feels heavy and dull. The hypnotizer uses his will force with the backing of material power whereas Pranahuti is wholly spiritual in nature. The will of a hypnotized person is weakened whereas the will of the abhyasi undergoing Pranahuti is strengthened; he feels enthusiasm, energetic, cheerful, confident and optimistic after the sessions of PAM. His discriminative intelligence grows continuously as also his goal clarity and his capacity to meet and tackle challenges in life is ever on the increase. He develops resilience, fortitude and forbearance in the face of adversities common to all embodied beings. Further his thirst for Realization of the ultimate or final state is growing all the time, his love for his Master and the Divine increases and so is his concern for the well being of all without distinction. Godly attributes such as satya, ahimsa, karuna, maitri and the spirit of selfless service and sacrifice develop in the sincere and arduous practicant. He devotes his all progressively to his sadhana and the service of his fellow beings as willed by his Master. In short, he is moving steadily towards becoming the Real man, the man behind man.
The most that could be said in favour of hypnotism is that a disease may be cured or a particular tendency may be suppressed to some extent depending upon the power of the hypnotizer and the submission of the hypnotized. But the effect does not last long. The hypnotic power is developed by some intense mental and physical exercises using material things or mental images as objects of concentration and the practices often lead to mental deformity or insanity or even to physical deformities in some extreme cases. A successful practice may however result at most in the gain of some material power which is useful and limited to the gratification of some kinds of desires as long as the power lasts.
Misconceptions regarding Pranahuti
The Master wishes to dispel a commonly prevailing misconception regarding the nature of Pranahuti. Certain religious teachers have tried to explain the process of transmission by stating that there is nothing peculiar about it; it generally happens that when a person is in the company of a mahatma or a saint he is to some extent relieved of his disturbing thoughts and feels comparatively calm for a while. This is the effect of transmission by the