Question: What is the relationship between the third eye and the heart centre?

Sri Chinmoy: Let us say that the heart is Consciousness and the third eye is Light, although there is no actual difference between the two. The third eye or ajna chakra can annul or destroy the previous karma; it can expedite the present evolution and it can bring to the fore the future wealth. The third eye has infinite Light and at the same time is infinite Light; and the heart or anahata chakra possesses infinite Consciousness and at the same time is infinite Consciousness. These two are eternal friends. This moment the infinite Light — which I am calling the third eye — is a building; and inside it is the heart, which is the resident. But the moment the infinite Consciousness — which I am calling the heart — can become the building, the third eye will become the resident. Like this they constantly change.

Although Consciousness and Light are inseparable, some spiritual Masters have seen Light before Consciousness and others have seen Consciousness before Light. The one which they see first, they feel is the Source of the other. It is like this. These two fingers are on the same hand. Suppose the name of this finger is Light and the name of this finger is Consciousness. If you see the one called Light first, then immediately you will say, "The Source is Light." And you will see that Consciousness itself is inside this Light. But if you see the Consciousness-finger first, then you will say, "The Source is Consciousness." And you will see that Light is inside this Consciousness. Some spiritual Masters of the highest order see Consciousness first, while others see Light first. And depending on which they see first, they feel that the Source of everything is either Light or Consciousness.

But a time comes when they see that both Light and Consciousness are inseparable. They go together, like the obverse and reverse of a coin. When I am buying something from you, if I give you a quarter, it does not matter which side is turned toward you. You accept it because you are sure that the other side is there too. Whatever is required is there. So Light and Consciousness always go together. If one does not live in the transcendental Consciousness, the spiritual heart cannot function properly.

Yes, we can separate the two when we use our human knowledge and wisdom. But when we use our divine wisdom, divine light, divine consciousness, we cannot separate the spiritual heart from the third eye. They are complements, like husband and wife. Since the heart usually is all sweetness and love and the third eye is all power and illumination-light, we can say the heart is the wife and the third eye is the husband. The wife's main qualities are softness, kindness, while the husband's main qualities are knowledge, wisdom and other mental things.

But again, those who are very wise feel that the third eye is also the heart, for what else is the heart except that which gives us satisfaction? And what can give us satisfaction? Only Light! So if Light from the third eye gives us satisfaction, then naturally we are dealing with the heart's quality. And what can give us a constant sense of wisdom? Wisdom comes only when we are deep inside the inmost recesses of our breath, inside our heart where Infinity, Eternity and Immortality play. To possess Infinity as our very own, to possess infinite Light and Bliss eternally as our very own: this is wisdom. So we can say that wisdom comes from the heart. Like this the heart and the third eye go together. Like Purusha and Prakriti, God as the Father and God as the Mother, the third eye and the heart go together.