Hṛdaya-granthi
Hṛdaya-granthi · hṛdaya-granthi, “the knot of the heart”
Grammar: masculine noun; a compound of hṛdaya (the heart) and granthi (a knot, from the root granth, to tie): “the knot of the heart”.
Meaning: the bond of ajñāna, made of karma-vāsanās, by which the jīva holds “I am the body” and “this is mine”; when it is cut, the jīva is freed from saṃsāra.
In the scriptures: the Bhāgavata Purāṇa speaks of the knot of the heart as the root of bondage, and of Śrī Hari as the one who cuts it.
The ātmārāma munis. Śaunaka asks Sūta why Śuka, who delights in the Self and desires nothing, studied so large a book as the Bhāgavata. Sūta answers that maharshis who delight in the Self, though they are beyond books, do bhakti without any cause to Śrī Hari, such is the sweetness of his guṇas. For “beyond books” the translation gives two other meanings in a bracket: those in whom the knots of the heart made of avidyā are destroyed, or those without the knot of ahaṅkāra (Bhāgavata Purāṇa, Skandha 1, Chapter 7).
Kapila will cut it. Maitreya tells Vidura that Kardama Maharshi told Devahūti that Śrī Hari, worshipped by her, would be born as her son, teach her brahma-jñāna and root out the knot of the heart that is her ajñāna. When Kapila was born, Brahmā told Devahūti that by the yoga of knowing the ātmā and abiding in it he would destroy, from the root, the vāsanās of seekers that bind them to karma, and, cutting the knot of the heart of people, which is ignorance of their own svarūpa, and their other doubts, he would travel through the world (Bhāgavata Purāṇa, Skandha 3, Chapter 24).
How the knot forms and is loosened. Ṛshabhadeva tells his sons that when man and woman join as a pair, the mahātmās say this itself becomes a knot in their hearts. Because of it they hold the body to be “I”, and by this delusion they hold house, field, children, relatives and wealth to be “mine”. The hard knot of vāsanās in a man’s heart tightens along with his karmas; when it loosens, he comes out of the delusion about the body, removes the ajñāna that is the cause of saṃsāra, becomes a jīvanmukta and attains Parabrahman as his own Self. The hṛdaya-granthi, the seat of karma-vāsanās, has come to man through ajñāna. The sādhaka, staying attentive, should remove it completely by the practice Ṛshabhadeva teaches, and after that should give up even the practice (Bhāgavata Purāṇa, Skandha 5, Chapter 5).
Ananta uproots it. Śuka tells Parīkshit that when seekers of moksha hear of Ananta and meditate on him, he manifests in their hearts and swiftly uproots the knot of the heart that is ignorance. This ignorance is a modification of the guṇas sattva, rajas and tamas, put together by karma-vāsanās that have come down from beginningless time (Bhāgavata Purāṇa, Skandha 5, Chapter 25).
Related terms: Ajñāna · Avidyā · Ahaṅkāra · Vāsanā · Jīvanmukta · Moksha
Sources
- Bhāgavata Purāṇa, Skandha 1, Chapter 7; Skandha 3, Chapter 24; Skandha 5, Chapters 5, 25