Brahma Randhra

In Sanskrit, the anterior fontanel is called brahma randhra — randhra meaning "opening." The posterior fontanel is called shiva randhra. According to mystic anatomy, consciousness enters the fetus through the anterior fontanel, while the consciousness of a yogi leaves the body at death through the posterior fontanel, leading to liberation. An ordinary person's consciousness leaves through the other nine gates (two ears, two eyes, two nostrils, mouth, anus, and genitals), so the soul remains caught in the cycle of birth and death.

The anterior fontanel provides essential space for the brain to grow. If a child is born without an anterior fontanel, there will not be sufficient space for brain growth, and the child may become mentally or physically affected. Both fontanels are under the control of prana — as long as prana within the brain is pulsating, the lungs do not need to open for air, because the baby breathes through the mother's lungs in the womb.