To grasp that arrangement one has to visualize them as one behind the other, or one within the other.

It is believed that for the first seven years of one's life, the stress is on the development of the gross body. Imitation is its basic characteristic. During that period, there is a lack of development of intellect, emotions and desires. There isn't much difference between such a being and an animal. The physical body of an animal is also developed, but its other facets remain undeveloped.

In the next seven years, the emotive body is developed. Youth attains maturity. In the succeeding seven years the subtle body attains development. That phase leads to the development of logic, thinking power, and intellect. After the development of the second facet there is some kind of adolescent maturity. But the third facet leads to the development of one's rationality, logic and intellect, because of education, culture and morality considerations. Probably because of this, the voting age throughout the world is 21.

The mental calibre of most human beings gets stuck up at that third stage till death. The development of the fourth, i.e. mental plane does not evolve in their beings. Experiences of the mental plane are very interesting and unprecedented e.g. mesmerism, telepathy, clairvoyance, reading the thoughts in others' minds, etc. In that state the visual reality is out of consideration e.g. it is possible to grip a thing in one's hand

and then transcend its existence. Others' could be aware of the things in your hand, but to pull others into your transcendental plane of thoughts would be impossible. From there onwards one's own intellectual world begins. The rules of truth and falsehood of the material world begin to lose their significance. One is in a trance; unable to distinguish whether what is happening is real or just illusory!

A number of practitioners of black magic (Mantrics/Tantrics) get trapped in that state of their mind. They earn a bad name because of their black-magic power. In that state, one obtains a lot of power (siddhies), which is known as the awakening of the Kundalini. Modern Physiologists do not accept the existence of Kundalini, because they are not able to locate and identify it in the body. What is known as Kundalini is the development of the fourth state i.e. the mental faculty. One specific result of activation of the Kundalini is unprecedented, spiritual experiences as also the power to foretell the future of individuals.

The development of the fifth i.e. spiritual faculty (Atmic body) is a continuation of the development of the fourth state. Words such as ‘house' or ‘TV' are easily grasped because they connote concrete things. But when one mentions soul alias Atma that becomes incomprehensible. One has no experience of that and therefore one cannot grasp its meaning. Those who can comprehend the existence of the ‘soul' are the persons in the fifth stage of development who stand on the threshold of the final spiritual liberation (Moksha) i.e. the final escape. However, some unknowingly stop at that stage, with a sense of total fulfilment.

For those in the sixth stage, there is a possibility of their crossing into Moksha, i.e. total liberation and merger into the divine soul i.e. ‘Brahman'.

What is the distinguishing mark of the sixth facet of realization? Attaining Brahma means merging with the divine soul to feel “I am the Brahmam”. One step further, alias the leap forward is where there is neither ‘I' nor ‘Brahmam', no ‘You' and ‘me', where there is Nothing. It is only a big zero – (total, absolute void), which is Nirvana, the seventh facet.

Stages from the fourth onwards are abstract, like a dream. The mind works day and night resulting in planning, imagining and dreaming. The imagination culminates into a concrete resolve and becomes one's will. When the ability to dream develops fully, it leads to extra-sensory vision. (Psychic vision)

To transform a dream into a vision, one need not keep one's eyes open since one can sense the things just by closing one's eyes where dreams seem to be the reality. One can see things beyond the wall, or one can read another person's thoughts. ‘Vision' here means the ability to see things by contracting the distance between time and space and to notice or hear of things with the subtle inner cognizance. From that extra-sensory knowledge the Naadi authors must have been inspired to visualize detailed happenings of the future of generations, and note them down on palm-leaves demonstrating Divinity's mechanical, methodical and mathematical control of all happenings in the universe. That kind of service of theirs, to all humanity is invaluable. They undertook the task in the spirit of sheer inspired duty sans remuneration or reward.

How did all that happen? How many other sages

were gifted with that prophetic insight? How many others volunteered to note down those predictions? How long did the task of etching palm-leaves take? What must have been the etching device? What could have been the duration of the task? Who encouraged them to read out the same to those for whom it was meant? What is the pattern of index used, so that the relevant noting about any person wanting to know his or her future could be quickly sorted out? A number of such questions arise.

While reading and discussing about the Naadi treatises so far, I have been able to sense the logic behind the compilation of these treatises. From whatever I have read or discussed, I dare deduce that there must have been Gurukuls (residential schools run by several sages and gurus) at various places under the supervision of Saint Agastya and other Naadi-recorders. While engaged in the meditative grasping of the Vedas for self-enlightenment and insight into the future of the Universe, the other subjects such as Ayurved (Medicine), Jyotirved (Forecasting), Dhanurved (Archery), Sthapatya (Architecture), Chitrakala (Painting), Nrutya (Dancing) and Sangita (Music) etc. must have been taught for relaxation from their concentration in divining the future of all human beings. Some disciples might have obtained expertise in those subjects. There might have been seminars at the royal courts, organised for these disciples to participate in the debates and discussions on those subjects. With a view to make use of these discussions for the benefit of humanity at large the Naadi- writing must have been undertaken under the guidance of the head of the Gurukul.

Besides, every morning the guru must have been guiding and leading his 200 to 300 disciples into col-lective mental sorties into humanity's future. Because of that, those disciples must have become adept at divining the past, present and future of all human beings.

Around every seer, there must have been about two to three other disciples, who might have noted down whatever was seen of the past and future about human beings. Since such a trance might have lasted for a few minutes, writing of only five or ten horoscopes might have been completed on any single day. While compiling all those rough notes and finalizing them, they might have been discussed, corrected and then noted down as final notes ready for recording on palm-leaves.

At the same time, the newly-joined disciples must have been engaged in collecting Palmirah (Tadpatra) leaves from the neighbouring farms or forests. Later on, classifying them, chemically processing them and readying them, like reams of paper, trimmed to a standard size and shape with a hole punched in their surface for tying them together in neat bundles must have followed.

Some hundreds of disciples – especially trained in the Tamil code script, must have etched the writings on palm-leaves with a sharp nail gripped firmly in their palms.

Some other disciples must have been engaged in sorting-out the palm-leaves into 108 sections, depending upon the variety of thumb-impressions, and packing them firmly into 50 to 60 palm-leaf bundles between two wooden strips, secured with a string. Those bundles of predictions must have been sent to big temples in the state for safe-keeping. That must have been organised through advance consultations

with the kings of the region. It could also be possible that the ruler had been a past disciple at the Guru's hermitage. That noting-job must have taken hundreds of years, resulting in a compilation of millions of prediction-strips. (While writing out this account, the author of this book had a strange feeling that a supernatural power was guiding him).

Those palm-leaves alias Naadi Pattis are available even today, despite numerous social, political upheavals and natural disasters. Non-availability of palm-leaves, delay in drafting and finalizing the predictions correcting mistakes committed by the carvers in hurry, or those arising from some distractions etc might have naturally hampered the recording task.

There must have been some plan, during different periods of history, for the safekeeping of these records in different places and regions to facilitate their perusal by the needy. Some of the disciples of the Gurukuls must have settled as citizens in different regions carrying those leaves with them. During the course of time some of that massive material must have got damaged in transit due to differences of opinion, power-struggle and such other calamities. A considerable portion of that predictive material must have been destroyed during the 1000-year-long Muslim invasions. Despite all such calamities, the Naadi patties are still available in our own day to foretell the future of all people.

Should it not then be our sacred duty to preserve that precious predictive record hereafter?