THE CROWN OF LIFE
Table of Contents
PART ONE
The Yogic
Patterns
I. YOGA:
AN INTRODUCTION. . . . . . . . . . . . .
Vritis: What they are . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Soul and
Oversoul . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
. . . . . . . . . . . .
Prakriti or
matter . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
. . . . . . . . . . . .
Relationship
between the three bodies and five koshas . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Division of
creation according to the koshas. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
. . . .
II. YOG VIDYA AND YOG SADHNA
The Path of
Yoga in Theory and Practice
1. THE BASIS OF ANCIENT YOGA . . . . . . . .
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Origin and
technique of the yoga system . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
.
Fundamental concepts . . . . . . . . .
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
2. THE PATH AND THE BRANCHES OF ASHTANG YOGA .
. . . . . . .
I-II. YAMAS AND NIYAMAS . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
III. ASANAS . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Asana as a form of yoga . . . . .
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Advantages of asanas . . . . . . .
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Perfection in asanas . . . . . . .
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Food . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
IV.
PRANAYAM OR YOGIC BREATHING . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Plexuses and charkas . . . . . . .
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Pranayam: Elementary exercises . .
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Sukh Purvak Pranayam . . . . . . .
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Pranayam as a form of yoga . . . .
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . ..
Pranic discipline . . . . . . . . .
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Advantages of Prana Yoga . . . . .
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
V.
PRATYAHARA OR SENSE CONTROL . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
VI. DHARNA OR SAMYAM . . . . . . .
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Dharna as a form of yoga . . . . .
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
VII. DHYAN OR CONTEMPLATION . . . .
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Dhyan as a system of
yoga . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Advantages of Dhyan Yoga . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
. . . . . . . . . . .
VIII. SAMADHI . . . . . . . . . .
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Samadhi Yoga . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
3. ASHTANGS YOGA AND MODERN MAN . . . . . . .
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
III. THE FORMS OF YOGA . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
1. MANTRA YOGA OR THE YOGA OF UTTERANCE . .
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Technique in Mantra Yoga . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
2. HATHA YOGA . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
3. LAYA YOGA . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
4. RAJA YOGA . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
5. JNANA YOGA OR THE YOGA OF KNOWLEDGE . . .
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
6. BHAKTI YOGA OR THE YOGA OF DEVOTION . . .
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
7. KARMA YOGA OR THE YOGA OF ACTION . . . .
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
8. OTHER YOGAS MENTIONED IN THE GITA . . . .
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Yoga of Meditation . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Yoga of spiritual Experience . . . . .
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Yoga of Mysticism . . . . . . . . . .
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
9. YOGA IN THE ZOROASTRIAN
SCRIPT . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
.
10.YOGA AND THE OUTER SCIENCES . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
IV. ADVAITISM. . . . . .
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
.
Self-the basis of
conscious life . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
. . . . . . . . . . .
The nature of creation .
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
. . . . . . . .
The Self or atman .
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
. . . . . . . . . . .
The nature of Self .
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
. . . . . . . . . . .
Individual Knowledge
and consciousness . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
. . . .
Knowledge and its
sources . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
. . . . . . . . . . .
The nature of Brahman . . . . . . . . .
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
PART TWO
The Study of
Surat Shabd Yoga
V. SURAT SHABD YOGA. . .
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
The Yoga of the
Celestial Sound Current
The
Sound Current . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
. . . . . . . . . . . . . .
The
Cornerstones . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
. . . . . . . . . . . . . .
A perfect
science . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
. . . . . . . . . . . .
The
Master . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
VI. THE ESSENCE OF RELIGION . . . . . . .
1. ANCIENT RELIGIOUS THOUGHT:
INDIAN, CHINESE
AND IRANIAN . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Hinduism . .
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
. . . . . . . . . .
Buddhism . .
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
. . . . . . . . . .
Taoism . . .
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
. . . . . . . . . . .
Zoroastrianism .
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
. . . . . . .
2. CHRISTIANITY . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
3. ISLAM . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
4. SIKHISM . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
VII. SOME MODERN MOVEMENTS .
. . . .
Rosicrucianism,
Theosophy and
"I Am" Activity . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Christian
Science and Subud . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
. . . . . . . .
Spiritism
and spiritualism . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
. . . . . . . . . .
Hypnosis
and mesmerism . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
. . . . . . . . .
VIII.CONCLUSION . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
CHAPTER ONE
Yoga: An Introduction
All the great
teachers of humanity, at all times and in all climes – the vedic Rishis,
Zoroaster, Mahavir, Buddha, Christ, Mohammed, Nanak, Kabir, Baba Farid, Hazrat
Bahu, Shamas Tabrez, Maulana Rumi, Tulsi Sahib, Swamiji and many others – gave
to the world but one sadhna or spiritual discipline. As God in one, the God-way
too cannot but be one. The true religion or the way back to God is of God’s own
making and hence it is the most ancient as well as the most natural way, with
no artifice or artificiality about it.
In it's practical working, the system needs the guidance of an adept or
a teacher well versed in the theory and practice of Para Vidya, the science of
the Beyond, as it is called, for it lies Beyond the grasp of the mind and of
the sense-faculties. Where the worlds philosophies end, there the true religion
starts. The scriptures texts gives us, at best some account of the path so far
as it can be put into imperfect words, but cannot take us to the path nor can
they guide us on the path.
The spiritual
Path is essentially a practical Path. It is only the spirit – disencumbered and
depersonalized – that can undertake the spiritual journey. The inner man, the
soul in man, has to rise above body-consciousness before it can traverse into
higher consciousness or the consciousness of the cosmos and of the Beyond. All
this and more becomes possible through the Surat Shabd Yoga or the union of
“self” in man (surat or consciousness) with the Shabd or Sound Principle, through the grace of some
Master-soul.
In order to have a clear idea of the
teaching of the Master's from the hoary past right to the present time, it
would be worth our while to study the Nature and extent of the Surat Shabd Yoga
and it's teachings in relation to the various yogic systems as taught by the
ancients, and also the principles of Advaitism as propounded by Shankaracharya.
The term yoga is
derived from the Sanskrit root yuj which means meeting, union, communion
consummation, abstraction, realization, absorption or metaphysical
philosophizing of the highest type, that promise to bring close proximity
between the soul and the Oversoul (Jiva-atma and Parmatma or Brahman).
Patanjali, the reputed Father of the yoga system, after the fashion of his
progenitor Gaudapada defines yoga as elimination of the vritis or modulations
that always keep surging in the mind-stuff or chit in the form of ripples. He
calls it chit vriti nirodha or the suppression of the vritis, i.e., clearing the
mind of the mental oscillations. According to Yajnavalkya, yoga means to
effect, or to bring about, at-one-ment of the individual soul with Ishwar or Brahman. The yogins
generally define it as the enshrouding sheaths in which it is enveloped in it's
physical existence. Sant Mat or the Path of the Master, far from denying any of
these objectives of yoga, accept and endorses in full all that is said above
and in some measure, agrees to the aims and ends thereof, but regards them at
best as mere pointers to the goal. It does not rest there, however, but goes
Beyond and tells us of the “Way In” to the heavenly Home of the Father, the
spiritual journey that the spirit has to undertake from death to life immortal
(Fana to Baqa), by rising above self-analysis and withdrawal of the spirit
current from the body and concentrating them at the seat of the soul (Tisra
Til), and then generally passing through the intermediary centers Beyond
Bunk-naal, the inverted, tube-like passage, until it reaches the final stage of
consummation and attains at-one-ment with it's source.
Here one might
ask the question as to the need for union between the soul and the oversoul,
When the two are essentially the same and are already embedded one in the
other. Theoretically speaking, this is correct, but how many of us are
consciously aware of this and work practically in the light and life and of
this knowledge and awareness? On the other hand, the soul is always following
the lead of the mind, the mind that of the senses, and the senses that of the
sense-objects, with the result that the soul, by constant association with the
mind and the senses for ages upon ages, has completely lost it's own individual
(undivided) identify and has for all practical purpose become identified with
the mind. It is this veil of ignorance which has come in between the soul and
the Oversoul that has to be removed to enable the soul to come into own, to
realize it's inherent Nature and then to seek it's real home and gain life
eternal. All religions were originally designed by man solely with this end in
view but unfortunately in the course of time man gradually drifts away from
reality and becomes the slave of his own handicrafts and religions, as
religions deteriorate into institutionalized churches and temples, rigid codes
of moral and social conduct, lacking the living touch and the pulsating
life-impulse of their founders.
“I know no
disease of the soul but ignorance,” says Ben Jonson. How to remove the veil of
ignorance is the problem of problems. We have allowed it to grow into an
impervious rock too hard to be blasted. Still, the sages have provided various
means to rend the otherwise impenetrable veil, such as Jnana Yoga, Bhakti yoga
and Karma Yoga and other methods. The Light of true knowledge, as visualized by
Jnana Yoga, may be able to dispel the darkness of ignorance, just as a lighted
candle may dispel darkness from a dark room. By Bhakti Yoga one may be able to
change the course of hatred, separateness. And duality into that of love for
all, at-one-ment and oneness with all living creatures and thereby be
established in the all embracing love for all. Finally, by means of Karma Yoga
one may be able to root out feelings of selfishness, egocentricity,
self-aggrandizement and self-love and engage in charitable deeds of
philanthropy and similar activities, which may be beneficial to mankind in
general, and acquire fellow feelings and love for all, see the reflex of the
universe within his own self and that of his self in all others, and realize
ultimately the principle of the Fatherhood of God and the brotherhood of man.
These are, in the main, the three paths or rather three aspects of an
integrated path of head, heart and hand, whereby one may achieve the desired
end, the union of the soul with the Over soul. They may for convenience be
briefly termed the process of self-mastery, self-sublimation and
self-sacrifice, leading ultimately to “Cosmic consciousness,” or awareness of
the all-pervading Reality as the basis of all that exists.
The objective in each case is the same
and each aims at the same target, though in the initial elementary stages each
of them starts from dualistic consideration. It is from dualism that one
starts, and in non dualism (advaitism) that one ends; and for this one may take
to the path of divine knowledge, of universal love and devotion or of selfless
service of humanity.
The target
ever remains the same, though the archers aiming at it be so many.
-RAJEB
In Jnana Yoga,
for instance, one has through to develop the faculty of discrimination, so as
to be able to distinguish between a gyani and gyan, i.e.,
ignorance and true knowledge, the illusory character of Maya and the reality of
Brahman. When he is convinced of the latter he gets glimpses of nothing but
Brahman pervading everywhere in it's
limitless essence, immanent in all forms and colors which take their design and
hue from that essence alone. this perception is the dawning of true knowledge
and divine wisdom.
In bhakti yoga,
like wise, we begin with the twin principles of bhagat and bhagwant, or the
devotee and the deity, and the devotee gradually loses his little self and sees
his deity all pervading, and his own self expands so as to embrace the totality
as does his own isht-deva. “whoever enters a salt mine, tends to become salt.”
As you think, so you become.
Again, in karma
yoga, one may enter the karma kshetra or the field of actions, under some
impelling force to begin with, but in course of time he learns the value of
selfless karma. Larmas when performed for their own sake without any attachment
to the fruit therefore, cease to be binding, and by force of habit one
gradually becomes neh karma (actionless in action), or a still point in the
ever revolving wheel of life. in this way, when one from the circumstances of
his being reaches the center of his being, he acquires inaction in action and
is freed from the binding effect of karmas.
Vritis: What they are
When a current emanating from the spirit
strikes any object, such as a physical thing, a mental feeling, an idea, or a
sensory sensation, and returns to its source, it is called a vriti. The vriti
produces a modulation in the mind- stuff. All our knowledge of the world
without and within comes from or originating from an object, Passes through the
eyes to the brain , where it is converted into thought the eyes to the brain,
where it is converted into thought impression making us aware of the object.
Vritis are five kinds:
(i)
Parman: The relation ship between the
pure soul and Prakriti or called parman. In every manifestation, the pure souls
find its own essence at the core and nothing is apart and distinct from it.
(ii)
Vipreh : The relationship between the
knowing soul and Prakriti or Nature’s
object is called Vipreh. It takes in and accpts the manifested form as it is , but remains skeptical of the one
and accepts the manifested form as it is, but remains skeptical of the one and
active life- principle at the core of it.
(iii)
Vikalp: It is the relationship that
mind-ridden soul has with the objects, producing doubt and delusion as to the
objects themselves, their existence, their intrinsic Nature and the life-
essence at their core.
(iv)
Nidra: It is the relationship that the
prana- covered soul has with the objects. It embraces in it's fold the twin
state of dream and deep slumber, regardless of the existing surroundings.
(v)
Smriti: it is the relationship of the
embodied soul with the objects of the world on the physical plane.
All these vritis constitute so many hurdles
in the way of the soul seeking to understand it's true and essential Nature,
which in reality is nothing but that of God. Kabir therefore says “ soul is the
same essence as that of God.”
Similarly , the Muslim divines express the
same ides when they speak of the soul as Amar-I-Rabbi or the fiat of God.
If one could
but clear the chit of the vritis ( chit vriti nirodha , as it is called),
nothing would be lefe except the pure essence of Godhead. Hence we have the
oft- repeated famous dicta on yoga, as in the following:
Chit virit
nirodha (clearing the mind of the mental oscillations ) is the essence of yoga.
PATANJALI
At one
ment of the soul and the over soul is yoga.
YAJANAVLKYA
Extrication
of the soul from the materials of life by disrobing if of the enshrouding
sheaths, is yoga.
MACHHANDRA
NATH AND GORAKH NATH
The easiest,
the most ancient, and the most natural way to gain the fruit of yoga, as taught
by kabir, nanak and others before and after them, is that of Shabd yoga, or
sehaj yoga, as given by all the Master Saint from the time immemorial. When the
spirit is able, by practice of the spiritual sadhana, a pure spirit, complete
in itself, a conscious entity, self existence and self luminous , ever the same
and eternally free. According to the Saints, yoga is communion of the soul with
the holy word (God into expression), the Power of God or the spirit of God:
sruti, sraosha, kalma, Naam or the holy spirit as variously designated by the
various sages each in his own particular time.
Soul and Oversoul
1.
soul is the reality and the essence.
It is one as well as a totality. In one there is always the delusion of many,
and the totality does signify the existence therein of so many parts. The ideas
of a part and of the whole go check by jowl, and both the part as well as the
whole are characterized by the similarity of the essential Nature in them.
2.
the essence of a thing has it's own
attribute Nature and the two cannot be separated from each other. Just as the
essence is both one and many, so is the case with it's attributive Nature.
3.
the essence of a thing is it's very
life breath. It is the only primal principle that pervades everywhere and is
the reality behind all forms and colors. This active life principle is the very
source of creation and goes variously by the names of prakriti in the subtle,
pradhan in the casual, and maya or matter in the physical world.
4.
the attributive Nature of a thing is
it's integrated part and parcel in which it's Nature inheres. Just take the
case of light. can light be conceived of as apart from the sun, or radiant
vitality apart from a gloriously healthy personality? One does not exit without
the other as the two are inseparable and fully embedded in each other.
5.
any attempt to consider the two
–Nature and it's science as separate, even if only in imagination, is bound to
bring in the idea of duality. It is only in terms of this duality that one can
conceive of the creation as distinct from the creative principle as being the
result of the outer play of the twin forces of spirit, called matter and soul.
The scientific investigations too have now come to the irresistible conclusion
that all life is one continuous existence at different levels and what we call
inherit matter is nothing but energy at it's lowest and what we call inherit
matter is nothing but energy at it's lowest stage.
In Nature
itself, both in the subtle and casual planes, these two principles are always
at work: God and prakriti in the subtle, God and pradhan in the casual, and
soul and matter in the physical universe. The creation everywhere is but the
outcome of the impact of the one the other.
6.
soul then is the life principle and
the root cause at the core of everything, for nothing can come into
manifestation without it. it has a quickening effect, and impart it's life
impulse to the seemingly inert matter by contact with it. it is by the life and
light of the quickening impulse of the soul that matter assumes so many and
colors with their variety of patterns and designs which we see in the universe.
7.
this life current or soul is extremely
subtle, a self, effulgent spark of divine light, a drop from the ocean of
consciousness, with no beginning and no end, and eternally the same, an
unchangeable permanence, boundless, complete in itself, an ever existent and
all sentient entity, immanent in every form, visible and invisible, for all
things manifested themselves because of it. nothing is made that is not made by
it.
the one
remains, the many change and pass,
life like
a dome of many colored glass,
Saints the
white radiance of eternity.
8.
just as the sun spreads out it's rays
in the world, as an ocean carries on it's surface bubbles, ripples,
waves, tides
and currents and as a forest is made up of innumerable trees, so does oversoul
or God, when looked at through his creation, appear to be split into so many forms,
exhibiting and reflecting the light and life of God in a rich panorama of
variegated colors. Yet his spirit into so many beads, while he, unconcerned,
remains apart from all in his own fullness.
9.
the first downwards projection of the
spiritual current, as it emanated from God, brought into manifestation ether (akash), which is the most subtle of
the elements and spreads everywhere in space. This has two aspects. One is that
of the spirit or soul remaining unmanifest in the ether, and the other that of
the manifested ether, wherein the two forces, positive and negative, which are
inherent in it, further combined and brought into manifest air gave birth to
fire (agni) and the manifest fire produced water(jal) and the Manifest water
led to the formation of earth (prithvi), while the spirit of each element which
is essencially the same remained unmanifest thought.
In the same way as above, what we call
has an essential godhood, absolute and imageless, the life and spirit of the
universe, and at the same time the universe itself with it's varied creation
full of and manifesting so many forms and colors, appearing and disappearing
like ripples in the sea of life. the unmanifest and impersonal God is free from
all attributes while his individualized rays, as manifested in countless forms
and colors by constant contact with maya, prakriti and pradhan (physical,
subtle and causal) feel themselves, through ignorance of their true Nature, as
limited and separated from each other and are thereby drawn into the ambit of
the inexhorable Karmic law or the Law of cause and effect, which entails a
consequence of every deed, every word and every thought. What is unfulfilled in
one life is fulfilled in another, and thus the giant wheel of life and death
once set in motion goes on perpetually by the force of it's own inexhaustible
momentum. Herein lies the difference between the individualized soul on the one
hand, and the great soul of the universe (called God) on the other, the one
being bound and limited, the other being without bounds or limits.
Prakriti or matter
The term Prakriti is a compound term and
is derived from the Sanskrit root pra meaning “first,” and kar signifying “to
act” and thus Prakriti stands for original matter (latent energy) which, when
acted upon by positive spirit force, brings into being the many forms, patterns
and designs in the vast creation of the Great Creator. This is called Maya, and
all that can be seen or felt by any of the senses falls in the category of
matter or Prakriti. Matter, as explained above, is latent energy at it's lowest
level, which is quickened into activity (activated) and made to assume the many
different forms that we perceive as patient. This process from passivity into
activity of energy leads to creation, or manifestation of the hitherto
unmanifested spirit force.
Brahman or
spirit force comes into being only through a gross covering (kaya).
Just as the totality of the seemingly
individualized souls goes to make Oversoul (God ), so also the mighty maze of
the created being and things with different forms and color in their totality,
is called Prakriti.
Prakriti by itself can neither be felt
by the senses nor has it any existence of itself, but comes into manifestation
only when acted upon by the spirit force. Just as the rays of the sun have no
existence apart from the sun and appear only when the sun rises on the horizon,
so does Prakriti, in conjunction with the life-impulse, assume innumerable
shapes and forms Beyond the human ken, and the One invisible soul seems to get
diversified into individualized parts, with different names and varied species
that baffle description and solution. Still, the yogins have taken into account
the five Koshas or the enshrouding sheaths that have come to cover up the
spirit current in it's downward descent, and have devised and formulated ways
and means to remove them. These koshas
or covering may briefly be described as:
1. Vigyan-mai
Kosh: Covering of the mental apparatus or intellectual with it's two phases:
one concerned with knowledge (gyan) on the physical plane and the other with
enlightenment (Vigyan) on the spiritual planes. This is the fist covering in
which the spirit gets wrapped as it comes in contact with the subtle matter
called Prakriti. The Light of the soul, as it reflects in the intellectual
center, brings into motion what is commonly known as intellect, consisting of
inner spiritual perception and outer cognition. The soul, along with this
reflected intellectual ability, becomes both cognitive and perceptive.
2.
Man-O-mai Kosh: This is the second covering or sheath that the
intellectualized or the cognitive soul wraps around itself by further intensive
contact with Prakriti, which now begins to reflect the mind-stuff as well; and
with this added faculty of the soul becomes inclined toward the mind and
gradually gets mind-ridden.
3.
Pran-mai Kosh: The covering of the pranas ( the vital airs) constitute the
third sheath around the soul. As the thinking (cognitive) the mind-bound soul
presses still further upon Prakriti (matter), it begins to vibrate with pranas,
which are of ten types according to their different functions. This makes the
cognitive and mind-bound soul to be pran-mai, or impelled by a quickening
effect.
4. Anna-mai
Kosh: when the cognitive, mind-bound and impulsive soul works upon the
Prakriti, it forges therein yet another type of covering, that of anna-mai. This
is the last of the five sheats, and for it's maintenance it begins to feel a
continuing need for anna or food stuff, and other sense objects. This anna-mai
covering is just an inner lining of the physical body (gross matter), which in
fact is it's outer manifestation; and it continues to wrap the soul even when
it's outer form; i.e., body, declines, decays and disintegrates.
The existence
of this coarse physical body depends upon the healthy condition of the Anna-mai
kosh on the inside of it.
Some of the
sols, even when they cast off their outer physical body, still hanker after
food because of the Ann-mai Kosh, hunt after the pleasures of the world and
continue to haunt human habitations in their wandering for satisfaction of
their innate cravings. It is so satisfy these craving of the physical
disembodied souls that the Hindus perform pind dan and saradhs, and make
propitiatory offering to the manes or the departed souls so that they may find
rest and peace.
5. However,
it is Anand-mai Kosh (Bliss) that is the first and the foremost of these Koshas
or covering. This is almost an integral part of the soul itself. It is the most
subtle sheath, like that of a thin covering over a lighted candelabra. One
experience it is a little when in deep and dreamless slumber (sushupti), for on
waking up he retains a hazy idea of the anand or bliss that he
experienced in that completely undisturbed state of rest.
These then are the five koshas or hijabs
(curtains or covering mantles) as the Muslims call them, and they cover the
soul, folds within fold. The aim or purpose of all yogas is to gradually
disentangle the soul from these covering one by one, until it is finally
disengaged from all of them and is restored to it's original and pristine
glorious state of self luminosity (Swayam Jyoti), which is no less than that of
several suns put together. This is the stage of Aham Brahm Asmi or “I am
Brahm,” and when attained, one not only feels himself to be at oneness with
God, but actually hails God with the words – Ayam Athma Brahma – “O God! I am
of the same essence as Thou art.” Most of the yoga systems take this to be the
be-all and end-all of all spiritual endeavors. This is in fact is the highest
and the last stage of self-realization, but is yet a halfway house on the
spiritual journey – a stage of no mean consequence, for it is from here that a
rare soul starts towards the much coveted goal of complete realization of God,
since it is Khud Shanasi (Self-knowledge ) that gradually leads on to Khuda
Shanasi (knowledge of God ).
Self-knowledge and actual
self-realization is the culminating point in the process of self-analysis,
without which one cannot proceed Godward and enter into the Kingdom of God. In
this process of inversion and withdrawal of the spirit within by rising above
body- consciousness and freeing the spirit from the tentacles of the mind, the
easiest, quickest, and surest process is by communion with the Shabd or the
Sound Current ( The Holy Word), and this is the only means for God-realization.
It is the most ancient way the world has known, coming down as it does from the
dawn of creation itself. It is coeval with Man from the day he became separated
from his Father in heaven. All the great Master of mankind gave this word to
their disciples. This is baptism with the Holy spirit, as Christ put it.
Relationship between the three bodies and Five Koshas
The human body consists of three raiments:
physical, astral or subtle, and the causal or seed-body.
In the physical body we have all the
five koshas or covering, and that is why we, in our walking state, get some
knowledge and experience of the five things: bliss, cognition (inner or outer),
mindfulness (chit and it's vritis or mental modulations), pranic vibrations and
the physical systems.
As one rises into the astral or the
subtle body, one loses consciousness of the physical existence, while the soul
mentally experience the rest of the four states, viz., bliss cognition,
mindfulness and pranic vibrations.
As the spirit travels higher on into the
causal body, even the mental apparatus itself drops off and only the Power of
smriti (remembrance) remains, and it witness and gives an account of the bliss
experienced in that state.
Division of creation according to the Koshas
All beings from gods to man, as well as
the other forms of life, including plants, are classified into five categories
in relation to the preponderance of the one or the other of the faculties:
1.
purely cognitive beings, like Brahma, Vishnu and Mahesh, etc.
2.
Beings endowed with mind-stuff: Indra
and other deities, gods and goddesses, etc.
3.
Being endowed with pranic vibrations:
Yakshas, Gandharbas and other spirit, etc.
4.
Physical beings: Men, animals, birds,
reptiles and insects, etc.
The creatures endowed with physical
bodies have all the five koshas or covering in them in varying degree of
density (Anand-mai, Vigyan-mai, Mano-mai, Pran-mai and Anan-mai); while those
endowed with pranic vibrations have but four koshas, dropping off Anna-mai.
Similarly, creatures gifted with the mind-stuff have but three, dropping of
Pran-mai as well, and again, cognitive beings have but two, namely Anand-mai
and Vigyan-mai, as they are freed from the shackles of the mind, the pranas and
the need of for anna or foodstuff.
There is thus a very close
correspondence between the five primary elements (earth, water, fire, air and
ether), of which the bodies are made, and the koshas or coverings. In fact, the
koshas themselves are, more or less, the effective result of the five basic
elements and endow creatures with the five faculties enumerated above.
5.
The liberated soul (jivan mukta) has
but a transparent veil of Anand-mai kosh. Spirit in it's pure and unalloyed
form is the creator, for all creation springs from it, and it sometimes known
as Shabd Brahm. It is the self-effulgent light, self-existent, the causeless cause of everything visible and
invisible. The spirit and God both are alike in their Nature and essence, i.e.,
subtlety and bliss. This blissfulness is the very first offspring of the
interaction of soul and Prakriti, and being the primal manifestation of the God
hood in the soul, remains the longest to the end in it's fullness in spite of
the other four covering enveloping it and bedimming it's luster. Blissfulness
being the essential and inseparable quality of the soul inheres in it's very
Nature. This is why the searching soul ever feels restless, and feels terribly
the loss of it's essence in the mighty
swirl of the world. This is why Christ emphatically declared:
Take heed that the light which is in
thee be not darkness.
- ST. LUKE
Having thus lost sight of the inner
bliss, we try to find happiness in the worldly objects and take momentary
pleasures as a synonym for true
happiness but very soon get disillusioned. This leads to the innate
quest for real happiness. it is the eternal quest in the human breast, and from
outward, ephemeral and evanescent pleasures one is forced to turn inwards in
search of true happiness. this leads on to the beginning of the various yoga
systems, one and all, according to the needs of the individual aspirants.
1.
Persons with gross tendencies, animal
instincts, and interested only in body-building process and developing the
Anna-mai Atma, successfully take recourse to Hatha Yoga.
2.
Persons afflicted with wind or gastric
troubles, due to obsessions with pran vayu in their system, can combat these
with the help of Pran Yoga.
3.
Persons with Mano-mai Atma in the
ascendant, and suffering from mal, avaram and vikshep, i.e., mental impurities,
ignorance and modulations of the mind, can with the help of Raja Yoga conquer
and pierce through the Mano-mai Kosh.
4.
Persons gifted with a strong
intellectual bent of mind are ever engaged in finding the why and whereof of
things. Such aspirants take to the path of Vigyan or Jnana yoga.
5.
Those who are anxious to escape from
the world and all that is worldly and seek bliss for it's own sake have the
path of Anand Yoga or the yoga of true happiness, called the Sehaj Yoga.
In the Sehaj Yoga, the aspirant does not
have to undergo any of the rigorous disciplines characteristics of the other
yogas. He must have a sincere and ceaseless yearning for the end of all ends,
the goal of all goals, not content with a mere mastery of his physical and
mental powers. And when there is such a longing, sooner or later he would find,
as Ramakrishna found Totapuri, an adept to put him in touch with the vital life
current within, and the current by it's own force and attractions will draw him
up without any excessive struggle or effort on his part. It is this that makes
it in a sense the easiest of all yogas and thus it is often called Sehaj Yoga
(the effortless Yoga). It can be practiced with equal ease by a child as well
by an old man; by a woman as well as a man; by the intellectually gifted and
ingenious as well as the simple hearted; by the sanyasin as well as the householder. It consists in attuning the soul
to the spiritual current ever vibrating within, hence it is known as the Surat
Shabd Yoga, or the Yoga of the sound current.
With these preliminary remarks we are
know in a position to discuss the subject of yoga with it's various essentials
as taught by Patanjali, to understand the part that each plays, the technique
involved therein, how each step works out, and how far the yogic exercises help
practically in achieving the desired result – liberation of soul from the
bondage of mind and matter – so as to realize it's own potential Nature as
distinct from body-consciousness, and then to rise into cosmic consciousness
and further on into cosmic consciousness and further on into super-cosmic
consciousness. It is the freed soul that has to experience “awareness” at
varying levels, from realization of the self to that of cosmic and ultimately
to that of super cosmic or God.
CHAPTER TWO
YOG VIDYA AND YOG SADHNA
THE PATH OF YOGA IN THEORY AND PRACTICE
1.
THE BASIS OF ANCIENT YOGA
ORIGIN AND TECHNIQUE OF THE YOGA
SYSTEM
FORM THE yajnavalkya smriti, we learn
that Hiranyagarba (Brahma) was the original teacher of yoga. But the yoga
system, was first expouned by Patanjalii the great thinker and philosopher, in
his yoga sutras, sometime before the Christian era. The yogic system is one of
the six schools of Indian Philosophy (khit shastras) that were systematized and
developed to set in order Indian thought concerning the cosmos, the
individual soul, and their
interrelation. These philosophies resulted from an attempt at reformation and restoration
of the ancient and time-honored concepts on psychological and metaphysical
matters.
The word yoga in common parlance means
“method”. In it's technical sense, it connotes “yokes” or “union” signifies to
unite or join together and to place oneself under yoke (discipline). In this
context, the yoga system denotes a methodical discipline, which aims on the one
hand at viyog (unyoking), or separation of the individualized soul from mind
and matter, and on the other hand , yog, or yoking it with Brahman . It
therefore, means and implies the search for the transcendental and the divine
in man, or to find the “noumenal”in the “phenomenal” by reducing the physical
metaphysical states to their most essential common factor, the basis and the
substratum of all that exists, whether visible or invisible. As such, yogic
methods imply a system of attain perfection through the control of the physical
body, the ever – active mind, the self- assertive ego or will, the searching
and questioning intellect, the pranic vibration, the restless faculties and
powerful senses. Allegorically, the
present state of the individualized soul is described as riding in the chariot
of the body, with dazed intellect as the charioteer, the infatuated mind as the
reins, and the sense as the powerful steeds rushing headlong into the field of
sense of yoga discipline activity as
may help to depersonalize the soul and free it supramental, and then to
contact it with the power of God and achieve union with God.
The word yoga is however not to be
confused with yogmaya and “yogic powers” which denote respectively, the supreme
powers of God per Saints (creating, controlling and sustaining the entire
creation), and pshchic power (Ridhis and siddhis that one may acquire on the
path of yoga. Again, yog vidya or the science of yoga has a two-fold aspect;
the physical as well as the spiritual. In the former sense, it has come to mean
a yogic system of physical culture aiming at a all-round development of the
various component parts of the human body. But we are concerned here with the
spiritual aspect of yoga in this context is, therefore, to be strictly nored.
The term yoga in this context is, therefore, to be strictly confined to one of
the systems of philosophic thoughts as derived from the Vedas, and is concerned
with the sole object of regaining the soul (through spiritual discipline), now
lost in the activity of mind and matter, with which it has come to identify
itself by long and constant association for aeons upon aeons. Yoga, in brief, stands
for a technique of reorientation and reintegration of the spirit in man, the
lost continent of his true self.
Fundamental concepts
Yoga presupposes two factors that
account for the creation of the world: (1) Ishwar or God and (2) Avidya
or Maya. While the former is all intelligent, the latter is altogether
unintelligent. Man too is a combination of these two basic principles. Jiva or
the individual soul though intrinsically of the same essence as that of God, is
encased in mind and matter. The soul, conditioned as it is in the
time-space-cause world, has but an imperfect perception and cannot see the
reality, the atman or the Divine Ground, in which it rests and from where it
gets it's luminosity. While antahkaran, or the mind, is the reflector, the atman
is the illuminator, the light of which is reflected through the senses that
perceive the world. The world then is the conjunction of the “seer” and the
“seen.” The detachment of this conjunction is the escape, and perfect insight
is the means of escape. Salvation therefore lies in the isolation of the seer
from the seen, the complete detachment of the subjective from all that is
objective: physical, mental and causal, so that the “Self” which is the seer,
may see itself in its won luminosity or “Light of the Void,” as it is called.
To free the
individual soul from the shackles of mind and matter, yoga insists on (1)
concentration, (2) active effort or striving, which involves the performance of
devotional exercises and mental discipline.
The highest form of matter is cit, the unfathomable lake of
subliminal impressions, and yoga aims at freeing the inner man or spirit from
these fetters. It is the finest and
rarefied principle in matter that constitutes chit or the little self (ego) in
man. Though in itself, it is
essentially unconscious, it is subject to modifications by the operation of the
three-fold gunas. It has also
the capacity to contract and expand according to the nature of the body in
which it is lodged from time to time, or according to the surrounding
circumstances.
This chit
or mind, though apparently bounded in each individual, is in fact a part of the
all-pervading universal mind. The yoga
systems aim at transforming the limited and conditioned mind into limitless and
unconditioned Universal Mind, by developing the satva (pure) and by
subduing the rajas (active) and tamas (dense) gunas. In this state, yogins acquired omniscience,
being one with the Universal mind (Brahmandi orNij manas). Chit is the reflecting mirror for the
soul, and exists for chaitanmaya, or matter quickened by soul, which is
self-luminous and in whose spiritual light takes place all perception,
including the light of knowledge, mental and supramental. The subliminal impressions in the chit cause
desires and interest, which in turn produce potencies, and these lead to
personality, thus setting the wheel of the world in perpetual motion. When once the soul is freed from the chit,
manas, budhi, and ahankar, it comes into its own, and becomes
passionless and depersonalized. This is
the great deliverance which yoga promises to yogins. At this severance from the four-fold fetters of the mind, the
embodied soul (jiva) becomes a freed should (atman),
unindividualized, self-luminous, and attains realization as such. “Self-realization”
then is the highest aim of yoga.
1. The Path and the
Branches of
Ashtang
Yoga
The yogic art is
long, tortuous and arduous. The reality
of the self lies buried under the debris of the mind, consisting of mal,
avaran and vikshep, viz., filth or impurities, ignorance of the true
values of life, and constant vacillations or modulations in the chit. The mental stratum has therefore to be
cleared of all these and then to be pierced through and penetrated to find the
divine nature of the self or atman.
To achieve this, one has to conquer desires, to develop steadiness of
thought, to cultivate virtues like continence, abstinence, temperance,
righteousness, etc., and to develop vairagya, or detachment.
To overcome the
hindrances and to realize the self, Patanjali gives an elaborate account of
what he terms Ashtang Yoga, prescribing an eight-fold method consisting
of: (1) Yama, (2) Niyama, (3)
Asana, (4) Pranayam, (5) Pratyahara, (6) Dharna, (7)
Dhyan and (8) Samadhi.
I – II. YAMAS AND NIYAMAS
Yama: The term yama
literally means to expel, to eject, to throw out or to eliminate. It denotes abstention from vices and from
entertaining any evil thoughts, or accepting any negative impressions which may
tend to weaken the mind and the will.
Niyama: The term niyama
on the contrary, signifies acceptance, cultivation, observance and development
of positive virtues, harboring good feelings, and absorbing these virtues into
one’s system.
Thus, these two
words connote the simultaneous rejection of evil, and the assiduous cultivation
and acceptance of good, respectively.
Patanjali enumerates these abstinences and observances as ahimsa
(non-injury), satya (non-lying), asteya (non-stealing), brahmcharya (non-sexuality) and aprigreha (non-convetousness
or non-possessiveness).
In respect of abstinences, it is said:
(i) One who is rooted in ahimsa, has no
enemies.
(ii) One who is anchored in satya, his
words cannot but come true and bear fruit.
Some Yamas and Niyamas
YAMAS NIYAMAS
Abstention
from Acceptance
and observance of
1. Negation of God. Faith in God
Godly power.
2. Self-indulgence. Self-control and chastity
(Brahmcharya or
purity in thoughts, words and deeds).
3. Dishonest and fraudulent livelihood. Earning a living by honest and truthful
means.
4. Unhygienic and impure conditions of Cleanliness: inner, by
water irrigation within
life, both within and without. And
oxygenation, etc., and outer, by regular
skin-baths, hipbaths, sun and
air-baths, etc.,
and
hygienic living conditions in sanitary
surroundings.
5. Injuring others by thoughts, words and Non-injury by thoughts
words and deeds
deeds (himsa). (ahimsa).
6. Practicing falsehood, deceit and
covetousness. Cultivating
truth, sincerity and charity.
7. Impatience, avarice and selfishness. Patience,
contentment and selfless service.
8. Self-assertion and egocentricity. Humility and
self-surrender.
(iii)
One who is established inasteya, is
a true friend of nature, and nature lays bare unto him all her riches.
(iv)
One who practices brahmcharya comes
to acquire absolute power.
(v)
One who practices aprigreha,
solves the enigma of life, and to him the past, the present, and the future
appear like an open book.
The five observances are: Shaucha (purity of body and mind),
Santosh (contentment), Tapas (austerity),Svadhyaya vara
Pranidhana (thoughts attuned with, and absolute dependence on, God).
(a)
Shaucha brings in brings in cleanliness and dislike for Sparsha (contact
with another’s body).
(b)
Santosh makes one contented and thus
mentally rich.
(c)
Tapas
rids one of all impurities and confers supernatural powers (e.g., to atomize
oneself, to lose all weight, to become all speed, to gain instantaneous access
to any place, to have all wishes fulfilled, to become all-pervasive, to acquire
divine powers, to control all beings and elements in nature, etc.) All these
come of themselves by contemplating and concentrating on the opposite of what
one actually desires.
(d)
adhyaya personifies the deity worshipped.
(e)
Ishvara Pranidhana brings in satiety and desirelessness.
In the
Upanishads, however, each of these lists consists of ten abstinences and
observances. Thus aprigreha in
the first category has given place to kindness, rectitude, forgiveness,
endurance, temperance and purity.
Similarly, in the second list, shaucha has been replaced by
faith, charity, modesty, intelligence, japa and fasts. However, the end in either case is sadachar
or righteous living, which prepares the way for inner spiritual
development. The list of the virtues to
be inculcated and the vices to be discarded may vary from teacher to teacher
but the purpose is ever the same. Thus,
Manu explains the principles of sadachar or dharma in terms of
his own categories.
The practice of
both yamas and niyamas—restraints and observances—make up sadachar or
right conduct, which constitutes the bedrock of all the religions of the
world. Manu gives us the essence of
charma as ashimsa, satya, steyam, shaucham, indriya nigreha (harnmlessness,
truthfulness, purity, right living and control of senses).
According to
Sandalya Rishi, the list comprises:
(a)
Shaucha (external bodily purity along with that of place and direction, and
internal purity of thoughts, feelings and emotions).
(b)
Daya (mercy
and compassion for all living creatures in all circumstances).
(c)
Arjava (balanced
and steady mind in all actions and under all conditions).
(d)
Dhriti (fortitude
and endurance in all circumstances).
(e)
Mit-ahara (disciplined life of temperance generally, and in foods and drinks
in particulars).
In the Bhagavad
Gita too, Lord Krishna lays great stress on the practice of yamas and
niyamas.
The
compassionate Buddha also prescribed for his followers the noble Eight-fold
Path of Righteousness, comprising right views (knowledge), right aspirations
(determination), right speech, right conduct (behavior), right livelihood,
right effort (suitable striving), right mindfulness (thinking and perception),
and right contemplation (absorption) and above all he laid great stress on
right association or company of the holy, “Truth-winners and arousers of faith”
who, through a process of osmosis (infiltration) instill faith and devotion in
the minds of the aspirants.
Bikkhu
Buddharakkita, while describing the Majjhima Patipada, the Middle Path,
or the Golden Mean between the two extremes of self-indulgence and
self-mortification, to modern readers, gives us the Buddhistic course of
development and discipline through bhava, viz.:
- Shila Bhavna : Ethical purity.
- Chita
Bhavna: Mental purity.
- Pragna
Bhavna: Intuitional
insight.
The same author
emphasizes the need of developing shila or moral purification as the
basis of everything else, whether in mundance life or in spiritual
advancement. Buddha declared that five
benefits accrue to the truly virtuous: good fortune through diligence, fair
name abroad, respect in all congregations, clear conscience till the end, and
rebirth with a happy destiny.
The basic
minimum for the Buddhist layman is the five precepts, or Panch Shila, that
go to make right conduct or behavior, one of the important steps in the
eight-fold path as described above.
These are: abstinence from killing, stealing, sexual misconduct, lying,
and from drinking intoxicating liquor, and alongside thereof, the observance of
positive virtues: maitri (friendliness to all), daan (charity), brahmcharya
(chastity), adherence to truth, and
temperance. In the Panch Shila of
Buddha, we find an exact parallel to the yamas and niyamas as prescribed by the
ancients.
The shila, or
the process of purification, rests on the two fundamentals: hiri, conscience,
and ottappa, shame; for one rejects evil out of self-respect and scruple
on the one hand, and observes respect for another, while the other fears blame
or censure. The result is that one
develops modesty along with rectitude and propriety. What is true of Buddhism is true also of Jain thought, which
enjoins the five great vows of non-violence, non-stealing, non-covetousness,
truthfulness and chastity.
This two-fold stress on yamas and niyamas is not just an
idiosyncracy of ancient Indian thought.
It is to be observed among all people whenever religious experience is
actively sought. Thus when we examine
the development of Jewish and Christian thought, we come across the same
phenomenon. Moses laid down the ten
commandments which pointed out the weaknesses to be avoided, namely, worship of
gods and deities, engraving images to represent God, vain repetition of God’s
names, polluting the Sabbath, dishonoring one’s parents, commission of heinous
crimes like killing, adultery and stealing, and lastly, social evils like
bearing false witness and coveting a neighbor’s house, wife or his belongings
(Exodus 20: 4-17). It was left to Jesus
to complete the picture when he emphasized the virtues to be developed, in his
ten beatitudes: simplicity of spirit, mourning, meekness, hunger and thirst
after righteousness, mercy, purity of heart, peace-making, suffering
persecution for the sake of righteousness and calmly bearing all manner of
reviling and slander (Matthew 5:1-11).
It was not without justice that he claimed, “I have come not to destroy
the law but to fulfill the law.” The
teachings of Islam lay stress on shariat (moral injunction), tauba
(repentance), faqr (renunciation), tazkiya-I-nafs (subjugation of
the senses), tawakal (trust in God), tawhid (unity) and zikr
(spiritual discipline), while the Sikh Gurus (prescribing cultivation of
essential virtues like chastity, patience, understanding, knowledge, fear of
God, austerity, love and compassion), coming much later, reveal a similar
pattern. Guru Nanak, in a nutshell,
placed true living above everything else:
Truth is higher than everything,
But higher
still is true living.
- SRI RAG
Why this should
be so is not difficult to understand.
To be able to progress spiritually, peace and harmony of mind is an
absolute necessity. So long as one is
the slave os this desire or that, such harmony is impossible. Therefore, one must root out all desires
that lead the self away from this harmony.
But nature abhors a vacuum; and what is true of physical phenomena is
also true of the psychological. The
only way to clear the mind of its negative and disintegrating impulses is to replace
them by postive and integrating ones.
However, while cultivating sadachar, the seeker after truth must
remember that it is only a means, not an end, and knowing this, go beyond it to
his spiritual goal. Swami Vivekananda,
who has analyzed the process with great lucidity in The Secret of Work,
puts the matter thus:
You must remember that the freedom of the soul is the goal of al
yogas… A golden chain is an much a chain as an iron one. There is a thorn in my finger, and I use
another to take the first out; and when I have taken it out, I throw both of
them aside… so the bad tendencies are to be counteracted by the good ones, and
the bad impressions on the mind should be removed by fresh waves of good ones,
until all that is evil disappears, or is subdued. Thus the “attached”
becomes the “unattached.”
III - ASANAS
The term asana denotes the seat and the pose, position or
posture, in the performance of yogic discipline. It is another external aid in yogic practice. The asana should be steady, firm, pleasant
and comfortable, so as to keep the body quiescent but alert during the yogic
discipline.
In the Svetasvetara Upanishad II : 8 it is said:
Keep the upper
parts: the chest, the neck, and the
head, erect, and subdue within the heart, the senses together with the
mind. The wise with the raft of Brahman
cross over all the powerful torrents of the world.
Similarly, in the Bhagavad Gita VI: 11-14 the
procedure is laid down as follows:
On a pure spot, he shall set for himself a seat, neither over-high
nor over-low, an having over
it a cloth, a deer’s skin, and kusha
grass.
On this couch, he shall seat himself with thought intent and
workings of mind and sense Instruments restrained, and shall for purification
of spirit labor on the Rule.
Firmly,
holding the body, head and neck in unmoving equipoise, gazing on the end of his
nose and looking not round about him,
Calm of
spirit, void of fear, abiding under the vow of chastity, with mind restrained
and thought Set on me, so shall he sit, who is under the Rule and given over
to me.
The term asana
literally means easy and comfortable.
Patanjali enjoined a posture both simple and pleasant (Yoga Darshana II:46).
That posture is the best which may enable a student of yoga to remain
motionless for a long time—two to three hours at a stretch—with an effortless
ease, the object being to eliminate bodily reactions and to dissolve the mind
into contemplation. Steadiness in asana
gives steadiness to the body, and in its turn, to the mind. Theoretically speaking, tradition tells us
that there are as many asanas as there are species in the world and as such
they run into 8,400,000, but out of these only 84 are important and four are
generally accepted as basic and of great value:
(i)
Sukh
Asana: It means easy and comfortable, as it is
pleasant to practice. It consists in
simply sitting cross-legged, by tucking the left foot under the thigh of the
right leg and with open hands resting on the knees, making a circle with the
tips of the thumb and the forefinger.
(ii)
Sidh
Asana: This
term connotes a disciplined pose, or pose of perfection or attainment. It consists in sitting cross-legged and, in
addition to the above, to place the right foot on the left foreleg with heels
resting against the public bones, without exerting any pressure on the
genitals, and palms resting one above the other. It is very useful for attaining siddhis or yogic powers
and hence the name sidh asana. It purifies veins and arteries by
supplying fresh blood. It strengthens
the heart and lungs, makes breathing deep and slow, regulates the digestive
systems, and cures diseases like colds, fevers and heart disorders.
(iii) Padam Asana: It is a lotus-pose as the
name itself implies. In this position,
the feet form the petals of a lotus as they cross one over the other. It is rather a difficult pose for persons
with stiff joints, but it is very essential for the practice of Hatha
Yoga. It is also known as Anand
Asana for it gives a foretaste of peace and bliss and inclines one to
contemplation. It cures the man who
practices it of all diseases and ailments, and frees the system from disorders
of poisoning and toxins. It rids a
person of laziness and languor and mental weakness.
(iv)
Swastika
Asana (the lucky or auspicious pose): It has all the virtues of its name. For purpose of spiritual advancement, Sukha
or Sidha Asana is admirably suited.
Besides these, some of the well-known asanas
are: Gaoo asana (the cow pose), Simha asana (the lion pose), Vajra asana (the thunderbolt pose), Hal asana (the plough Posture), Sheersh asana (the head-stand pose), Sarvang asana (the shoulder-stand pose), Dhanur asana (the bow pose), Shava asana (the corpse pose), Markat asana (the monkey pose), Mayur asana (the peacock pose), Kukata asana (the cock pose), Garud asana (the eagle posture), Ushtr asana (the camel pose), Vatyan
asana (the horse pose), Bhujang asana(the cobra pose), Salabh
asana (the locust pose), Padahast asana, Trikon asana and Virksh
asana (the tree pose), etc. This
shows the catholicity of the human mind to learn things even from animals and
other objects.
Asana as a form of yoga
Some consider
asanas as constituting a yoga by themselves and have given them the name of asana
yoga. But it is not to be used
simply for the display of physical feats and skill as some gymnasts do, or as a
means of earning a livelihood. It is
yoga in the sense that without a disciplined asana, one cannot watch, weed out,
and eliminate the vritis or the mental currents that keep rising in the
mind-stuff or the unfathomable lake of the mind (chit). The yoga system is generally divided
into two parts: Pran-kala or the Path of the Pranas and Chitkala or
the Path of the Chit. While Hatha Yoga
deals with the Pran-kala, Raja Yoga is concerned with Chit-kala. Asanas form an integral part in both these
yogic systems and in fact, are an essential sadhna in every form of yoga
whatever it be. Asanas have, on accound
of their importance, been categorized as a yoga system per se, just as Dharna
and Dhyan, because of their important role in the practice of yoga,
have often been described as Dharna Yoga and Dhyan Yoga. The body has of necessity to be set in one
posture or position for a considerable time—i.e., three hours—because by continual
shifting of posture, one cannot successfully engage in the yogic practice, for
with every change of posture the vritis are set in motion and the mind never
grows steady and still. Hence the need
for a firm and steady pose, but one characterized by ease and comfort, so that
the practicer may not feel fatigued and tired during the time he sits for chit-vriti-nirodha
(elimination of the mental modulations).
Advantages of asanas
Besides being
an aid in controlling the mind, the steady asana confers many advantages and
these may be classified as follows:
1. Physical
advantages:
(a)
The muscular
and arterial systems get into proper order.
(b)
The entire body is charged with
health, strength and radiant vitality.
(c)
The navel center in the body is fully
supplied with heat, which helps in digestion
(d)
The pranas, or the vital airs
in the body, begin to function with a regular and rhythmic motion.
(e)
Fearlessness, fortitude and will power
come of themselves.
(f)
One gains control over the body and
never feels tired, depressed and downcast.
(g)
As one feels inner joy and buoyancy of
spirits, his face manifests a healthy radiance.
2.
Mental advantages:
(a)
Mind gets
steady and well-directed, and one acquires the habit of working with fixed
attention.
(b)
Mental freshness.
(c)
Quick understanding and clarity of
vision.
(d)
It develops imagination and helps in
focusing one’s attention or dhyan.
(e)
It brings in the habit of deep and
concentrated thinking on the otherwise abstruse spiritual problems.
3.
Spiritual advantages:
(a)
One, through the recession of physical
consciousness due to bodily, gradually rises above the pairs the pairs of
opposites or state of duality, i.e., hunger and thirst, heat and cold,
attachment and detachment, etc.
(b)
One easily crosses over the state of
tamogun (inertia) and rajogun (restlessness) and acquires that of satogun (peace and
equipoise)
(c)
One steadily
progresses in his sadhna, or spiritual practice, without any fatigue.
Some precautions
and generally recommended to secure the sadhak from possible it effects or
obstacles. He should practice the
asanas in solitude so that they never become for him a means of exhibiting his
virtuosity to the applauding public. It
is also advisable that he should avoid proximity to fire, the company of women,
undesirable friends, or anything similar that may carry a risk to his body or
his mental equilibrium. He must also eschew over-indulgence in food
and drink as well as fasting, for the one burdens the body and distracts one’s
energies, while the other undermines one’s vitality. Hence it was that Buddha taught his disciples the middle path,
for as he said in his first sermon:
Sensuality is enervating; the
self-indulgent man is a slave to his passions, and pleasure-seeking is degrading and vulgar.
And—
By suffering, the emaciated devotee
produces confusion and sickly thoughts in his mind. Mortification is not conducive even to worldly knowledge, how
much less to a triumph over the senses.
The rule of the
golden mean, which applied to everything, applies also to exercise. The understanding sadhakj will neither
dissipate his energies in over-strenuous exercise like weightlifting, racing,
high or long jumps, nor will he deaden them through lethargy. In short, temperance and simplicity must be
the watchwords of his life. Those who
specialize in Hatha Yoga or Prans Yoga even go on lay down the following
condition for their day-to-day living:
(a)
A place of solitude on a moderate
level.
(b)
A thatched cottage, preferably square
in form, in the midst of natural scenery and verdure.
(c)
It should be furnished with a bricked
or wooden takhat (a raised platfom) to squat upon.
(d)
The seat should be covered with palm
leaves or dry grass, woolen cover, or a deer-skin.
(e)
The site should be so selected as to
have a uniformly temperate and even climate all the year round.
All these things should be taken into consideration if one were to
choose even a cave (mountain or underground) for spiritual sadhna.
(f)
One must exercise scrupulous
moderation in his diet and drinks, preferably one helping of porridge in a day.
(g)
No outsider should be permitted to
haunt the sanctuary.
Gheranda Samhita, a well-know treatise
on yoga, gives a detailed account of asanas and the practices allied thereto,
viz., mudras and bandhas. While the mudras are locked postures,
the bandhas are fixed postures. The
former being psychophysical in nature are generally termed as “gestures,” and
the latter being purely physical in nature are but “muscular contractions” and
are used as catches for holding the pranas at particulars places.
While there is quite a large number of mudras, the bandhas are just
a few. The well-known mudras or
gestures are (1) the Maha Mudra (the great gesture), (2) Maha
Bandha,(3) Maha Vetham (4) Urgyan (Udhlyam), (5) Khechari (moving in the
void), (6) Vajroli,(7) Jaladhar, (8) Mulvant, (9) Viprit Karna (sauwang),
(10) Shakti shalana,or Prithvi, Ambhavi, Vaishwanari, Vayavi, and Skashi
corresponding respectively to the five elements: earth, water, fire, air
and ether. In addition to these there
are still others like the Nabho Mudra, the Yoni, the Manduki,the
Kaki, the Matangi, the Bhujangini, the Asvini, etc. Others
not enumerated are taken to be modifications of these.
We may make a passing reference to some of them:
(i)
Asvini Mudra: As the name indicates, it
consists in expansion outward and contraction inward of the muscles of the
rectum alternately by deep inhalation and exhalation as the asvini or
mare does after discharging the faeces.
It helps in cleansing the intestines, colon and walls, and in expelling
the poisonous gases.
(ii)
Vajroli Mudra: It consists in internal
cleanliness of the genitalia by irrigating the general passages in the first
instance by oxygenation or air-bath by means of a catheter and then by
irrigating them with water mixed with a mild antiseptic. It is performed by nauli process, or
with the aid of a sprayer or a douche.
In its highest technique, one has to withhold the ejaculation of the sex
secretions and to re-absorb them into the system.
(iii)Khechari Mudra (movement in the void): It
consists in retroverting the tongue and pressing it deep into the throat. The practicer gets his tongue split in the
form of a fork, as the serpents have.
These forked tongues are then washed with a mixed lotion of milk,
clarified butter and ashes; and then with the pranic exercise be closes or plugs
the two holes of the posterior nostrils by each end of the two-forked tongue
and remains absorbed in this condition for days on end and, like a serpent or a
tortoise, he may continue in an unconscious state to such an extent that he
cannot of himself regain consciousness without the outer aid of others. The whole process is a very complicated one
and cannot be practiced by a layman with impunity without the aid of a perfect
yogin. As the name indicates, the mind
remains absorbed in the khe or void, as does the tongue in the void of
the pharynx.
But
this type of samadhi is not a real samadhi with an awakening in cosmic order
and a super conscious state, but is a kind of trance in which one altogether
loses consciousness itself. This is not
the object of true yoga, which aims at Chaitanya Samadhi as
distinguished from Jar Samadhi. A
Hatha Yogin through the practice of this midra can, while drawing his pranas
into Sahasrar, shut himself in abox, which may be buried underground for
months. This kind of Jar Samadhi does
not bring in any supersensuoys knowledge, wisdom and awareness such as
characterizes the fully awakened or Chaitanya Samadhi, which is achieved when
the power of consciousness gets established in its own true nature, and which
can be terminated at will. That is Kaivalya
or a state of perfect unison with cosmic and super-cosmic life as
contradistinguished from a stone-like, inert state.
For
developing concentration, one may practice the following:
i.
Agochari Mudra (the imperceptible gesture): Herein one is to sit his asana with
concentration fixed on the nose tip.
ii.
Bhochari Mudra (the gesture of the void):
Herein the attention is to be fixed on the void, a space four fingers
down from the nose-tip up to which the breath flows.
iii.
Chachari Mudra: It is called the gesture of the black bee, for in it the mind is to
be fixed at the black spot behind the eyes.
While engaged in
breath control or Pranayama, one may practise Unmani Mudra or
Kavala Kumbhak. The later is a
state of dazed intoxication and the other is of peaceful repose.
Again, in the
performance of some of the asanas, one has to practice certain muscular
contractions or ties, with a view to controlling the vital energy. These contractions or ties are technically
called bandhas. They are
particularly necessary while engaged in pranayama. The most important of these are:
(a)
Mula Bandha (contraction of the basal plexus):
By it the Apana Vayu, or the excretory energy, is locked up and
drawn in and upwards to the region of the prana and thus effects, or brings
about, a union of the prana with apana, the respiratory with the exc retory
energies. It is done by pressing the
rectum with the heel and a strong inward pull of the breath.
(b)
Jalandhara Bandha: contraction of
the neck plexus where all the arteries meet.
It is performed by pressing the chin against the hallow of the collar
bones in the chest. It prevents the
nectar coming down from Sahasrar from being consumed in the fire within the
navel region.
(c)
Uddiyana Bandha: It consists in contracting
the navel muscles so as to give support to the lungs and stomach, during
inhalation and exhalation. It also
causes the life-breath to flow throught the subtle nerve, and hence it also
goes by the name of flying contraction.
Perfection in asanas (Asana
Siddhi)
There are three
signs of perfection in Asana Siddhi:
1)
During the
time of asana, the body should be in a state of perfect repose and relaxation,
with no movement in any part thereof.
2)
Again, one should rise above
body-consciousness, and have no knowledge even of sensory and motor currents,
which are to be left to themselves with no thought about them.
3)
Last, but not the least, one should
feel and actually enjoy happiness and bliss within him.
One can acquire Asana Siddhi or discipline in a year
by practicing it regularly for one to six hours every day.
However, before
proceeding further in our survey of Patanjali’s Ashtang Yoga, we must remind
ourselves that a mastery of the asanas and temperance in living are to be
looked upon as a means and not as the end.
The sadhak must not forget that physical culture is a preparation. Just as he used ethics with its yamas and
niyamas to purify his mind for the inner journey, so too he must discipline his
body and daily living, and then work toward his ultimate goal: at-one-ment with
Brahman. This point needs emphasizing
because human nature is such that in pursuing an arduous course, it often
forgets the final end, setting up the means as the goal. Many a yogin takes to the development of
physical culture as though that were the be-all and end-all of yoga. In such cases, success in practice of asanas
and in moderation of needs, instead of preparing the way for further progress,
brings with it a sense of pride and vanity resulting in complacency and spiritual
inertia. The discriminating sadhak will
learn the basic essentials from this branch of yoga—the secret of health and
the best posture for mediation—but he will not attempt to specialize in it or
to master all its refinements, for he will know that to get absorbed in the
means is to forget the end.
Food
“As is the food,
so is the mind,” is an ancient saying, and in it lies an incontrovertible
truth, for it is food that goes to make the body and the brain.
Satvic food
plays an important part in the perfection of the body as envisaged by Hatha
Yoga, and helps in carrying on any sadhna or yogic discipline without fatigue,
languor, lastitude or drowsiness. The
chart on the opposite page lists some of the foods which help or retard the
yogic sadhna.
In brief, fresh
and green vegetables, leafy vegetables, fruits and nuts, milk, butter and ghee
constitute an ideal diet for any man.
Three meals a day are considered more than sufficient. We may note that foods that are stale,
highly seasoned, half-cooked or over-cooked, and fruits that are over-ripe or
under-ripe or lying cut; also sweets and sweetmeats, are to be avoided. Likewise, aerated drinks, stimulants like
tea and coffee, and intoxicants of all description are not to be brought into
use.
IV. PRANAYAM OR YOGIC BREATHING
He who knows
prana, knows the Vedas.
- SANTIS
Before dealing
with pranayam, it is necessary to know what the pranas (the vital
airs) are, their classification and functions, etc., in the body and how they
act and the things allied with them,. Prana is the sum total of all energy that
is manifest in the Universe, the sum
total of all the forces in Nature.
Heat, light, electricity, magnetism, gravitation, etc., are all
manifestations of prana. All forces,
all powers and even the pranas themselves sping from one and the same
source—the fountainhead of atman. Pran
tatwa is much superior to manas tatwa or the mind-principle, of
which Nanak says:
He who conquers the mind, conqurs the
world.
The motor power
behind the mind-stuff, as said already, is that of prana and hence the
regulation and control of prana, the primal force in the Universe, is of prime
importance and far above other psycho-physical disciplines. In the Gorakh Samhita it is said that
he who knows the secret of prana knows the secret of yoga, for in the rhythmic
regulation of prana lies the practical aspect of yoga par excellence.
Pranas are
classified into five important categories according to the nature of their
functions:
(a)
Prana is concerned with the respiratory
system. It is the breath of life and,
like a bird in a cage, gives vitality to the human system. Its seat is said to be in the region lying
between the two eyebrows, called chid-akash, up to which place the field
of its operation extends.
(b)
Apana helps
the excretory system, as it has a tendency to flow downwards. It operated in the region below the navel.
(c)
Samans aids the digestive organs. It is so called as it conducts equally the
food to the entire system. Its seat is
in the navel and it spreads on all sides, nourishing the body as a whole.
(d)
Udana is
connected with deglutition; it is named from its quality of ascending, drawing
or guiding breath. Its movement is
perceptible between the navel and the head.
Its seat is in the neck and it has a tendency to fly upwards.
(e)
Vyana
helps in maintaining the circulatory system in the entire body. It affects internal division and diffusion
and is so called from its pervading (vyapati) the body like the ethereal element.
Besides these
primary pranas, there are five other kinds of lesser importance, namely:
(i)
Naga which
helps belching or eructation.
(ii)
Kurma is
connected with the eyes, and helps the bliking process and induces sleep.
(iii)
Krikala pervades through the facial muscles and spread out in the act of
sneezing.
(iv)
Deva-datta brings about yawning and takes one into a gentle sleep.
(v)
Dhanan-jay is associated with the work of assimilation.
These vital airs pervade the skin, bones, muscles,
tendons, ligaments and the like.
Plexuses
and Chakras
Wherever several nerves, arteries or veins interlace
each other, that point or center is called plexus. Similarly, there are plexus
or centers of vital forces in the Suksham or subtle
nadis are the astral tubes
made up of astral matter, and serve as passages for subtle pranas through which
they operate in the subtle body as do the nerves, arteries and veins in the
gross physical body. All these subtle tubes or nadis spring from Kanda or the
center where the Sushmana Nadi meets the Muladhana Chakra at the base of the
spine. Of these Nadis, Ida, Pingala and Sushmana are the most important. All
three nadis are within the spinal cord. Ida and Pingala or on the left and
right side respectively of the Sushmana or Sukhman. The Ida (Chandra canal)
flows through the right. Breath generally flows through the Sushmana (Agni
canal), the mind becomes steady. This steadiness or Unmani Avastha, as it is
called, is the highest state in Raja Yoga, for in this state there is wonderful
meditation. The practice of Pranayam is necessary for purification of the
nadis, as with impurities in them, the breath cannot pass through the middle
nadi.
Gross prana travels in the nerve of the physical
body, but the subtle prana moves in the astral tubes (nadis). The breath is an
external effect of the manifestation of the gross prana.
There is a very close and intimate connection between
the gross and the Subtle prana. If the mind and the prana cease to vibrate, no
thought-wave will arise.
The mind
functions through prana,
It is from
prana (life) that everything proceeds.
-CHHANDOGYA UPANISHAD
When prana departs from the body, all organs cease to
function, for in the body there is no greater force than bioenergy (prana).
Pranayam:
Elementary exercises
Hatha Yoga
Pradipka lays great stress on
yogic breathing for “all life exists only from breath to breath,” and it said
that “he who breathes half, only lives half.” We must therefore develop
air-hunger. For “vital airs,” says Hippocrates, “is the real pabulum vitae.”
Deep breathing is a great, positive aid to self-culture and helps in retaining
health, youth and longevity. The habit of conscious deep breathing gives a good
exercise to the respiratory organs and ensures a free circulation of blood.
Respiration consists of alternate expansion and contraction as the air is drawn
in or expelled out from the lungs, and these are termed inhalation
(inspiration) and exhalation (expiration) respectively. Each of these is
followed by a suspensory pause within and without. Thus pranayam has four
processes, namely: Puraka or inhalation, Antar Kumbhak or retention within, and
Rechaka or exhalation followed by Vahya Kumbhak or Sunyaka, i.e., expiratory
pause. This can be done through both the nostrils very, very slowly, and should
be repeated ten to twenty times in the morning and in the evening for about
three months. One may start with puraka and Rechaka and after some time add the
other two practices of standstill pauses (Antar and Vahya Kumbhaka) for a few
seconds. By practices and perseverance, one can acquire efficiency in yogic
breathing. The suspending of breath at will after in-breathing or
out-breathing. The suspending of breath at will after in-breathing or
out-breathing, is called Kevalya Kumbhaka.
Sukh purvey pranayam
(Easy
and comfortable form of pranayam)
Sitting on padam
or Sukh Asana, on should close the right nostril with the right hand and exhale the right nostril with
the thumb of the right hand and exhale the air slowly and rhythmically in one
long and unbroken expiration through the left nostril .Now the left nostril is
also to be closed with the little or ring finger of the right hand and the
Vahya Kumbhak be maintained as possible
without the least discomfort. Then the breath is to be inhaled, very, very,
slowly. Through the right nostril after removing the thumb which is to be
followed by Antar Kumbhak. Then the order is to be reversed. All these eight
processes constitute one pranayam. One ought to commence with five to ten
pranayams in the morning and in the evening ,on an empty stomach, and gradually
increase the same to twenty, together with increased Kumbhakor retention without causing any inconvenience. While
doing pranayam, one should think that Divya Sampardie (Niyamas ) like mercy,
compassion, love peace and joy, are being absorbed in the system and Asuraya
Sampardie (Yamas ) like anger, lust greed and selfishness, are being discarded
and ejected by the system. It would be well to do Simran, if one may like ,
during the pranayam.
In the higher
stages of Pranayam, the vital breath rises in the Sushmana Nadi and flows
toward Sahasrar. of the nadi through continued practice, the pranabegins to fly
like a bird.
There are
different types of breath- controlling processes, e.g.:
(i) out – breathing and in – breathing through both nasal channels
combined with Kumbhaka. The movement is felt in the first instance like that of
an ant , and gradually is felt in the
first instance like that of an ant, and gradually grows into that of a frog,
till with the clearing and purification
(ii) out- breathing and in- breathing through one of the nasal channels at a time followed
by Kumbhaka. It is called surya Bhedana and Chandra Bhedana, when performed
through the right and left sides respectively.
(iv)
In – breathing through both and out- breathing though one of
the nasal passages at time.
(v)
ShitKari and Shitalt: These are two
forms of sipping and sucking the air through pouted lips, a long the tongue
(after closing both the nostrils), and after holding the air a little deep
down, to release it through
the nostrils. This is just like drinking the vital breath the crow – beak.
(vi)
Bhasrika : It consists in taking in
taking breaths in quick succession through one channel at time, and then slowly
exhaling the last breath through the other channel and vice versa. It is just
like working the bellows and hence is called bellows-breathing or
Bhasrika.
Pranayam, or
yogic breathing, can be practiced profitably and successfully under the
guidance of a Guru or an adept in the method and by those who observe truthfulness,
continence, temperance, moderation in diet, humility and patience, are not
given to any kind diseases and congenital disorders.
The great
achievement of pranayam is to awaken and bring into full play the coiled
serpentine energy of Kundalini, lying in a dormant state at the spinal root-
center. As it rises higher and higher in the coiled serpentine , energy of
Kundalini, lying in a dormant state at the spinal root-center. As it rises
higher and higher in the Sukhman, the various subtle centers in the subtle
nadis get illuminated, till it reaches Sahasrar, the fountain of light. with
the destruction of the veil over the Radiance of Eternity, the mind gets
quickly absorbed and concentration follows of itself.
The muscular and
nerve control by the practice of asanas is but a preparatory stage, and the
real technique of yoga begging with the harnessing of the vita pranas or the
ten energies in the body.
Pranyam brings
Chit Shudhi , Manas Shudhi and Nadi Shudhi and thereby steadies the mind
and helps in concentration, and in destroying the covering or Koshas on
the soul. It removes all desire, improves designation and helps in maintaining
brahmcharya (continence) and attaining ekag-rate (one- pointedness) and
kumbhaka (state of peace), with or without purak or rechaka, or the inhaling
and exhaling processes.
Pranayam should
be done after answering the call of Nature and after thorough cleansing of the
nares or nasal channels with pure and tepid water, and by gargling the throat.
It should be practiced all alone in a sitting posture in a room with open
windows to let in fresh air with the mouth closed. After fifteen minutes of the
practice, a cup of milk does good. Bathing is to after such exercises. be
avoided immediately after such
exercises.
The object of
pranayam is to restrain the vritis of the mind and to make the mind- stuff
steady , like the jet of a lamp in a windless place. All abhyas or practice
whatsoever is directed to driving the mind to it's source –Hirdey Guha – and to
get it absorbed in atman .
The evil vritis
of the mind can be removed by cultivating good vritis, so as to replace lust
(kam by continence (brahmcharya) , pride (madha ) by humility (nimrta), greed
(lobh) by contentment (santosh), niggardliness by magnanimity delusion by
discrimination , dishonesty by honesty, by fickleness by determination,
arrogance ditachment, enmity by friendliness , and so on .
The vedantic
method consists in the mind (manas), and then destroying the tree itself by
cutting the roots in the ego.
Pranayam as a form of yoga
(The prana yoga)
The importance
of pranayam as an integral part of Hatha Yoga and Raja is so great, that some
have come to regard it as an independent form of yoga in itself and have given
it the name of prana Yoga.
As explained
already, the Ida and pingala nadis starting from svadhistan charka, the center
of life- breath, run spirally round the central nadi, Sukhmana, and end in the
left and right nostril respectively. Ida is influenced by the moon, while
pingala is influenced by the moon, while pingala is influenced by the sun. Ida
has in abundance the moisture of the moon and represents the female principle,
while Pingala has the energy of the sun and represents the male principle in
Nature. Both of these nadis the negative and the positive, work under the
action of prakriti and purush, i.e., matter and soul combined.
When the pingala
Nadi, which is influence by the energy of the sun, is active motion, the food
taken is easily and quickly digested. When the Ida Nadi starts, it bring in
strength and vitality to the system and helps in the development of the and
bodily muscles, etc. It is under the active influence of body these heavenly
bodies, as operating through these nadis, that further growth takes place both
in Nature and in the human species, both
female and male. The moisture of the moon helps the production of raj in
women , and the life –giving energy of the sun that of viraj or semen in men.
During the
daytime, the solar nadi (pingala) operates for most of time, and hence the food
should be taken while the live energy of the sun is in active motion so it will
get easily dissolved in the system and thus become the source of strength. Food
taken at night after the setting of the sun is likely to increase body bulk and
fats and to create digestive disorders, which may lead to disturbance in the
equilibrium of the elemental constituents in the body , like Kaf (phlegm),
Safra (heat ) and sauda (gaseous
vibrations), etc.
Pranic discipline
This discipline,
in brief, consists in setting up:
(a)
some center within the body , say at
the plexus of the heart of the region of the vital airs, where the mano –mai
center –atman dwells.
(b)
Some center outside the body.
(c)
One has to work at both the centers
within and with- out and to do pranayam in between the two centers. Out and to
do pranayam in between the two centers.
(d)
The practice of tratak or the
discipline of the vision (sight), by gradually bringing the attention from with
out to within, and keeping it fixed on one of these inner centers for some
time.
In setting up
centers outside the body one has to sit in solitude and make a yellow spot on a
white are, which is to be placed on the table or hung on the wall on a level
with the eyes. Tratak or the fixing of the gaze is then done on that spot while
the pingala nadi is in action. The attention is also to be fixed on and
gradually absorbed within the Anahat Sound. After practicing this for afew
days, the outer spot is to be changed to blue, to red, to bluish white, and
lastly into a brilliantly white color, after some days of practice (spot
–gazing) is to have a clear vision of the elemental colors which are
representative of the colors of earth, water, fire air and ether, respectively.
For quicker resuts, this is to be done for at least two or three hours every
day. It improves eyesight and serves as a great aid in influencing others.
Again, one has to take care of the
distance between the spot and the organ of sight. To begin with , the spot is
to be located at a distance of about two feet; after practicing for a few days,
the distance of about two feet; after practicing for a few days, the distanceis
to be reduced to one and three- fourths feet, to one foot and then to half a
foot. When this tratak develops ino a kind of exhilarating absorption, it may
be brought still nearer to the tip of the nose .Then begins the root of the
nose between the two eyebrows. The importance of this practice is that the
scattered vritis are to be controlled from wandering without, collected at the
still- point in the body or the seat of the mind, and inverted within to bring
about, of itself, rhythm in the pranas, and both the viritis and the pranas
simultaneously get aadjusted of themselves By the process of tratak, the mind
and the pranas become harmonized, and the soul escapes through the mano-mai and
pran – mai koshas, or the covering sheaths.
Advantages of Prana Yoga
The
practice of prana Yoga helps in developing all the sense faculties, viz.,
perception, audition, olfaction, touch and taste. A yogin can, by his thought-
attract to his aid from the atmosphere all the powers that he may like, by
relating them to his thought. In bitter cold winter, a sadhak may sit in sidh
asana with his chin fixed on his chest, think of the sun, and start the
practice with pingala or the solar nadi. Heat would generate of itself and
cover him with perspiration. In the same way one can, in themed- summer heat,
have the experience of cold. All this depends on thought – force, provided one
knows how to fix his attention at the seat of the soul. This is the height of
prana Yoga. One can develop all these powers by bringing the mind and the
pranas to one common level. Thought- force spring from the mind, and prana Yoga
consists in bringing the prana into unison with the mind at the level of the
soul , or the divine plane.
V. PRATAHARA
OR SENSE CONTROL
(WITHDRAWAL AND ABSTRACTION)
This means
withdrawal of the senses from the sense- objects. This mind is rendered pure by
practice of yamas, niyamas and pranayama, pure by the practice of yamas, niyams
and pranayama, while pratahara gives supreme mastery over the senses. The
control of the senses, therefore, is the primal factor in the yogic science.
Unless the sense steeds are controlled and checked in their mad career in the
fields of enjoyment and pleasure, the mind cannot possibly be stilled .The
senses have, therefore, to be withdrawn from the sensorv plane ences. Visual
perception and audition are the two main inlets from which we derive no less
than 88 to 95 per cent of our impressions, and the remaining five per cent or
so come from the other senses. Thus, it is of paramount importance to close
down the sluice – gates of the eyes and ears to prevent the outer floodwaters
from entering and inundating the lake of the mind. To shut the mind resolutely
against the onslaughts of the senses, it is necessary for the student of Yoga
to retrie for it is a matter of common experience that muddy water be-come
clear of itself clear of itself if it is allowed to stand for some time.
One can practice
pratyahara (control of senses as a preliminary to attaining a state of reverie
or sensory with drawal) through discrimination and discernment. With the
unhealthy and unworthy discrimination and discernment. With the knowledge of
the true values of life, we come to disregard the knowledge of the true values
of life, we come to disregard the unhealthy and unworthy food in which
otherwise the senses indule, and thereby come to control the mindstuff. It is
tantamount to dislocating the sense traffic in the world by dynamiting the
fields of illusory pleasures with the power of discrimination. Pratahara is very essential for achieving
success in Yoga. With the senses inverted a yogin can work for the
consciousness within him. By it's practice, the mind becomes purified, grows
strong in self – reliance, and enabled to lead a strictly austere life.
In the Bhagavad-Gita, we have:
Let him hold all
these (senses) in constraint and concentrate upon me; for he who has his sense
in struments
under his sway has wisdom abidingly set.
The above five factors – yamas, niyamas,
asanas pranayam and pratahara- constitute a preparation for progress in and
pratyahara- constitute a preparation for progress in yoga. They are but accessories
to, and not the main elements of, the yogic system. They help in purifying the
body, the pranas, the mind and the indrivas.
Three in number, viz, dhara, dhyan and samadhi, which constitute
Antarang Sadhna or inner discipline.
VI.
DHARNA OR SAMYAM
(ABSORPTION OR
CONCENTRATION)
Having controlled the pranas through
pranayam, and the senses through pratyahara, the student of yoga has to fix his
mind on something. It may be fixed on something without, like an idol or
picture, or any idea or any other kind of representation; or it may be fixed on
something within, on any of the bodily centers in the pind, or on any idea or
on any of the astral centers in the und. Dharna, then, consists in fixing the
mind on a particular place, object, ider or center, as one may find convenient.
Any type of dharna helps in making the mind steady and is beneficial in it's
own way.
(i)
Dharna on any the sense
perceptions provides steadiness to mind by collecting the wandering provides
steadiness to the mind by collecting the wandering wits at the focal point.
(a)
On the tip of the nose, it gives an
experience of divya gandh or divine fragrance. It is called varta siddhi.
(b)
On the tip of tongue, it gives the
experience of the taste of divya essence or divine- stuff; manna and nectar.
The divine knowledge of taste is known as asvadan.
(c)
On the middle of the tongue, it gives
the experience of the divya touch or proximity of the sublime presence. The
divine knowledge of touch is known as vidana
(d)
On the root of the tongue, it gives the
experience of divya sounds or holy harmony. It is. Called sravana.
(e)
On the palate or roof over the tongue,
it gives the experience of the divya colors or elemental brilliance. This
divine knowledge of sight is called adarsha.
(ii)
Dharna on the luminous mental
state at the seat of the mind: It is practiced first by inhaling and then exhaling the breath, together
with the thought of turning into an up ward position the eight- petaled lotus
below the heart, lying at present face downwards, and then fixing the attention
on the effulgent light in lotus through which passes the Sushmana or the Brahm
Nadi.
(iii)
Dharna on Master- souls like
Buddha, Christ or preferably still, a living Master, who are freed from all
desires also frees one from all desires, mental attachments and the bondage of
mind and matter.
(iv)
Dharna or samyam on external
objects: Dharna on external objects: Dharna on heavenly bodies like the sun,
the moon, the planets, etc., gives supersentient experience, e.g.:
(a)
On the sun it gives the knowledge of
the Brahmand consisting of fourteen bhavans or regions; seven upper or higher
worlds or lokas (bhur, bhuva, swah, maha, janah , tapah and satyam ) , and
seven lower or nether lokas (sutala, vitala talatala, mahatala, rasatala, atala
and patala).
(b)
On the moon , it gives the knowledge
of the stars.
(c)
On the pole- star, it gives the
knowledge of the movement of the stars.
(d)
On the elephant or hanuman, it gives
strength and valor.
(e)
On the form of the body, it causes
disappearance of the body itself, it causes disappearance of the body itself,
as the power of Comprehension is checked and the connection between the light
and the eyes is severed.
(v)
Samyam on internal centers, the
self, and indriyas: Dharna or samyam may be practice on anything like virtues,
internal centers , charkas and nadis, as for example:
(a)
On the nabhi or navel (manipura
chakra),it gives the knowledge of the construction of the body.
(b)
On the pit of the throat (vishudhi
chakra), it gives freedom from hunger and thirst.
(c)
On the Sahasrar, it gives divine
vision and darshan of the siddhas.
The method
of the last is by concentrating on Brahmarendra or the whole of Brahma, which
is an aperture within the mundhu or head through which divine light flows
downwards. Nirgun up asakas carry on their abstract meditation on this center,
which is also known as Sahasrar.
(d)
On the anhat chakra at the heart, it
gives the knowledge of the mind.
(e)
On kurma nadi (the astral tube in the
chest, below the throat, and through which kurma or the sub-prana works the eyelids),
it gives steadiness to the body.
(f)
On the inner light of the heart, it
gives the knowledge of the subtle (clairvoyance), the obscure (buried
treasures), the remote (far and wide).
(vi)
One may do samyam on one’s own
self. It gives clairhighertouch, higher taste and higher smell, etc., all
through intuition or pratibha, without any of the other specialized samyams
By samyam on one’s own essential Nature
(the cognitive powers), one gets the power of pure cognition without without
the outeraids of the senses and the sense- organs. With the indriyas lying
dormant in their respective centers. One enjoys ineffable bliss (anand) in a state called Sanand Samadhi.
(vii)
By samyam or dharna on certain
features of the body, such as the complexion, the voice, or any other thing,
one beging to understand the state and
the Nature of the minds of others.
(viii)
By samyam:
(a)
On mind (or mental thoughts), one
knows the contents of the mind.
(b)
On time, one gets knowledge of
everything.
(c)
On air and ether or on the relation
between the two, one is endowed with the divine hearing (Shabd), and can hear
any subtle sound from any distance simply by his will. Similarly, by contacting the distantana – bhutas (vayu
teas and prithvi, ect.), one can
develop powers of other organs to their full-ect capacity.
(d)
On the relation between ether and body
, or on the lightness of cotton, comes the power of flying through ether or air
, for the body becomes extremely light, and one can move anywhere in space like
a bird and even ride on the rays of the sun. A yogin having siddhi in Kechari
Mudra can also fly in the air. (One who knows Sammohan vidya or India Jala can
also move through space, but this is jala
or trick only, and if you were to photograph him , you will not get photo of such a man fling through the
air.)
(e)
On the three modifications of mind ,
comes the knowledge of the past
and future.
(f)
On videha, one can pass out of the
body at will and function without the body , feel the all –pervading Nature in
full omnipresence and can perform kaya parvesh ,i.e., can enter into the body
of any other human being and operate through his body and mind.
(g)
On samakaras (impressiopn of mind),
comes the knowledge of previous births.
(ix)
By mastery over:
(a)
Udana vayu, one ceases to have any
contact with water, mud or thorns , and can end his existence at will for
through udana, one can travel through space.
(b)
Samana vayu, come effulgence and one
can create fire and flashes of light from one’s body.
(x)
By samyam on vitues:
(a)
On friendliness and other virtues,
comes the power to transmit the same to others.
(b)
On discrimination (on the distinctive
relation between satva or purity and purusha or the soul ), comes the power of
omnipotence and omniscience.
(c)
On shabda, come the knowledge of the
sounds of all living beings (including those of animals and birds).
(d)
On the karmas, one gets the knowledge
of the time of his death.
When the mind becomes extremely pure and
is filled with satva through and through to it's very roots, spontaneous
illumination dawns. The mind has five states:
(a)
Kshipta , or the wandering mind, with
mind stuff in a state of continued dispersion.
(b)
Mudha, or the mind that is dull and
forgetful and knows net to nothing. In it, the mind is in a state of confusion
and stupidity.
(c)
Vikshipta, or the minds that collect
and gathers in momentarily and than fritter away. It is a state of imperfect
stability.
(d)
Ekagrata, or the mind gifted with one-
pointed attention and fixity of purpose.
(e)
Nirodha, or the mind that is
disciplined, controlled and well – restrained.
No yoga is
possible in the first three states. It is possible only in the fourth and fifth
states.
In addition to
the above , there are eight kind of siddhis , or powers, which siddhas or the
superior beings generally exercise:
(a)
Anima – capacity to
penetrate into all things, even an anu or atom, so as to see into it's
inner structure.
(b)
Laghima – capacity to acquire
lightness, so as to ride even on the rays of the sun. It is often made use of
in levitation and translevitation, in spite of the laws of gravitation.
(c)
Garima – capacity to become as heavy
as steel and to make any object immovable. It is the opposite of laghima.
(d)
Mahima – capacity to acquire extensive
and all-pervading magnitude like space, and to see the working of universal
order and far-off things like solar systems.
(e)
Prapti – capacity to reach anywhere,
even to the moon. It endows one with a sense of all pervasiveness.
(f)
Prakmyam – Capacity to have all
desires fulfilled.
(g)
Vasitvam – Capacity to command and
control all creatures and elemental forces, like the wind and the rain, etc.
(h)
Ishitva – Capacity to play the
creator, the preserver and the destroyer.
Besides these,
there are many subsidiary attainments which one gets by the simple process of
self-control and concentration, also samyams, e.g.:
(i)
To understand the language of birds
and beasts.
(ii)
To know ones previous births and to
have fore knowledge of death.
(iii)
To read the inner most thoughts of
others.
(iv)
To know of secrets and subtle things
from afar, like the plants and stars.
(v)
To foretell future events.
(vi)
To transport oneself to any place in
the world.
(vii)
To heal by touch.
(viii)
To gain bodily perfections in rupa
(form), ranga (complexion), bala (strength and fortitude), sanhanan
(steadiness) and lavanya (physical charm), etc.
It is necessary
here to give a word of caution regarding riddhis and siddhis, or the
supernatural Power that one very often comes to acquire in the practice of yoga
sadhna or yogic discipline. They are to be scrupulously avoided, as they are
positive obstacles in the way of true spiritual progress and the attainment of
self-realization and God-realization, which are the aim and end of the yoga
system. The devtas very often get jealous of the human soul traveling on the
spiritual path. They come to greet with smiles the yogins who find an ingress
into higher regions, invite them with sweet and cunning words, and try to bring
about their downfall. Even the great yogin Vishvamitra was allured by the
beauty of a celestial being, a maiden, sent by Indra to tempt him. He unwittingly
fell into the snare and fell from the path. These temptations assail one in the
second stage of the journey, but prove of no avail to one who adheres to the
path, and is firm and steadfast in his sadhna.
Give up
siddhis and destroy the seeds of bondage,
And attain
Kevalya, the state of perfect ease and independence.
Again:
Be not
allured by the winning smiles of the celestials, and avoid contact with all
that is undesirable.
PATANJALI
Dharna as a form of Yoga
(Mansik Yoga)
Fixity of attention is the essential
primary element in the internal yoga sadhna, and it's importance cannot be
overrated. “When the senses are stilled, the mind is at rest, and the intellect
wavers not – that, say the wise, is the highest state.” (Katha Upanishads II:
iii-10). It is because of the fact that it occupies a pivotal position in the
system, that it is regarded by some as a form of yoga by itself, and they give
it the name of Mansik or mental yoga (the yoga of self-absorption).
Most of the
student of yamas and niyamas only, and as such hardly make any observance of
yamas and niyamas only, and as such hardly make any headway on the path of yoga
proper, which aims at self-realization and God-realization. Those who do go
ahead a little, do not get further than yogic postures (asanas, mudras, and
bandhas), and are preoccupied with body building processes and muscular
development, making them the sole aim of all their endeavors. They confine
themselves to the physical culture aspect of yoga, so as to defy disease, senility
pranayam make it the be-all and the end-all of the yogic sadhna and, taking
pleasure in contracting their pranas in the Brahmarendra, spend most of their
time like a tortoise in their shell in yoga nidra, regarding inertness as the
highest form of yoga and should only be practiced as such. The goal of yoga is
self-realization by a regular process of self-analysis and withdrawal, so as to
enable one to rise above body- consciousness into higher cosmic and
super-cosmic consciousness.
True yoga is a
natural process with no artifice in it. It should be readily intelligible and
easy to practice. But for lack of proper teachers, well-versed in the theory
and practice of yoga, it has become a burdensome thing and an intricate affair,
too difficult to understand and still more difficult to practice. Today, life
has grown too complex to allow any man the leisure and the opportunity to
Master all the branches of yoga (each
of which has grown more specialized with the passage of time), and then to
proceed to the final goal. The result is that aspirants begin to mistake this
or that branch of yoga as the ultimate, and fritter away their energy in it's
pursuit, content merely with the acquisition of physical or magical powers.
In actual
experience, the mind in a state of sushupati (or deep slumber) does come to
coincide in some measure with the lower blissful plane (anand) and the lower
cognitive plane (vigyan), for on waking up, one carries with Him into
consciousness the impression of the undisturbed and unalloyed bliss enjoyed in
the deep sleep. But this is an involuntary experience in the pind or the
sensory plane and not one consciously acquired at will. with a proper
understanding and practice of the real sadhna, one can boldly lift the veil and
have a dip in the front of bliss on a spiritual level, whenever he may like,
and may remain internally in contact with the life-current itself, which is the
very source of true bliss and happiness. Just as by pranayam, one can contact
the pranas with the mind, so in the same way by pratyahara and dharna, one can
contact the mind-plane with the plane of cognition in the higher spiritual
centers above.
The term pratyahara
means “restraint,” and hence it denotes restraining the mindstuff and the
senses from flowing out into the world and running about in search of sense
pleasure from sense objects. But this is hardly possible unless the senses and
the mind are provided with something akin to, or more pleasing than, the
worldly objects, which may serve as an anchor to keep the senses and mind fixed
within. This is called dharma, which means “to accept” and “to be
absorbed in the object of concentration. Pratyahara and dharna go together; for
on the one hand the mind is to be weaned away from the worldly pleasures
without, and on the other hand, is to be provided with something more
attractive within.
The yogins,
while sitting in some asana, first control the navel plexus and then drawing
the pranas to the heart plexus, bring them to coincide with the mind-plane,
after which, by various practices like tratak on some higher center, they try
to invert the mind and make it recede. The first part is called pratyahara and
the second, of recession and absorption in the higher center, is called dharna.
The mind, by
sheer force of habit extending over ages upon ages, has acquired a tendency to
run after pleasure. The pleasure of the world may be recognized into five
classes as follows;
(a)
Rup and
rang, or beautiful forms, designs, and colors which may attract the eye.
(b)
Shabd
or melodies, tuneful and enchanting, as may capture the ear.
(c)
Ras or
delectable victuals and viands as may captivate the palate.
(d)
Gandh or
fragrant scents as may directly appeal to the olfactory sense.
(e)
Sparsh or physical pleasing sensation as come from touch.
In walking state with the senses alert,
one enjoys the physical aspects of the pleasure as enumerated above. In a dream
state, which is more of less a reflex of the astral or subtle, one enjoys sound
the most, for in that state it has a direct appeal to the mind. In the
dreamless and deep sleep state, which is a reflex of the causal or seed state,
one gets cognition of deep absorption.
One has,
therefore, to draw himself within to the heart center by means of tratak on
different elemental colors connected with ether, air, fire, water and earth,
and they will grow in enchanting refulgence. By regular practices, the yogins
acquire supernatural powers and capacities to taste all five pleasures
mentioned above in their subtle form from a far distance. These powers come naturally
with the coincidences of pranas with the mind.
The practice of
pratyahara and dharna can be still further developed with the help of tratak,
until one can move and recede inwards and upwards from the heart center to
thyroid or throat center (kanth chakra) and thereby contact the
cognitive plane. This movement from a lower center to a higher one results from
the practice both of pratyahara, which enables one to leave the center below,
and of dharna, whereby one takes hold of and gets absorbed in the next higher
center. This process continues until one reaches aggya chakra, which is located
behind and between the two eyebrows, the headquarters of the soul as it
functions in the physical world in the waking state.
As the sensory
current collect together and gather at this center, and one, forgetting about
himself, rises above body –consciousness, there dawns in him by degrees, the
inner spiritual light, which with great absorption or dharna grows into greater
effulgence. With perfection in dharna or complete absorption at this stage, all
the centers down to the mul or guda chakra at the rectum, become illumined.
In this
connection, we may here refer to the physiology of the yoga system. The
cerebro-spinal system in the mainstay of the body. The spinal column in yogic
terminology is called Meru or Brahm Danda. According to the shiva samhita,
there are in the human system as many as 350,000 nadis, and out of these, the
following ten play an important part;
(i)
Ida:
Starting from the lowest plexus (guda chakra), on the right side of spinal
column, it extends spirally around the sushmana and goes as far as the left
nostril.
(ii)
Pingala: Starting from the same chakra on the left side of the spinal column,
it extends spirally as far as the right nostril.
(iii)
Sushmana or Sukhmana: Is the central nadi in between the ida and pingalal nadis and runs
through the spinal column from the guda chakra to the Great Aperture, know as
Brahmarendra, behind and between the eyebrows.
(iv)
Gandhari: Comes to the left eye, after rising from the rear of the central
nadi.
(v)
Hastijivaha: Comes to the right eye, after rising from the front of the central
nadi.
(vi)
Pushpa:
Comes to the right ear from the central nadi.
(vii)
Yashvini: Comes to the left ear from the central nadi.
(viii)
Alambhush: Stretches to the root of the arms.
(ix)
Kuhu or Shubha: It goes down to the tip of the generative organ.
(x)
Shankhni: It goes down to the rectum.
The first three, the Ida, pingala and
sushmana nadis, are the most important. The ida and pingala nadis, before
entering into the base of the nostrils, cross each other and are know as
gangliated cords.
The third one, the sushmana or sukhmana,
or the central nadi, passes through the spinal column and runs through six
plexuses or centers as follows:
(a)
Muldhara (Basal Plexus) with a four-pataled louts, extending on four sides.
(b)
Svadhishtana (Hypogastric Plexus) with a six-petaled lotus, extending on four
sides plus one below and the other above.
(c)
Manipuraka (Solar Plexus) with an eight-petaled lotus, having four additional
sides in between the original four sides.
(d)
Anahata (Cardiac Plexus) with a twelve-petaled lotus. It is a lotus of the
unstruck sound as the name denotes.
(e)
Vishuddha (Phryngeal Plexus) with a sixteen-petaled lotus, being an
all-pervasive ethereal lotus.
(f)
Aggya (Cavernous
Plexus) with a sixteen-plated lotus, also called Ajna Chakra, meaning
the center of command.
Besides the above plexuses, there is the
Antahkaran (consisting of chit, manas, budhi and ahankar), with a lotus of four
petals, thus making in all fifty-two petals, corresponding to the fifty-two
letters of the alphabet in sanskrit, the mother of all languages. We have,
however, to rise above all. Akshras to a state Beyond called Neh-akhshra para, which is eternal and every-abiding and
of which kabir says:
The three lokas and the fifty-two
letters are one and all subject to decay.
But the eternal and the everlasting
holy Word is quite distinct from them.
KABIR
Each of the two plexuses together make a
granthi or a tie and these are: Brahma granthi, Vishnu Granthi an Shiva granthi.
The path of the yogins as described
above is concerned with meditation at these six centers, beginning from the
lowest and gradually rising form one to the next higher by means of praytyahara
and dharna as already explained. In this process, one also calls to his aid the
Kundalini Shakti, or the great serpentine power lying dormant in three
and a half folds in the vagus nerve, in a coiled state like a serpent. This
latent energy or power is awakened with the help of pranayam. A yogin tries to
collect together all the vital airs in the body at the center of the naval
plexus and in this process awakens the latent power as well. From the Ajna
Chakra he takes hold of the anahat sound and reaches Sahasrar, the highest
heaven of the yogins. It is quite a long, tedious, and difficult path. At each
of the centers, one has to work hard for years before one can successfully
subdue and pierce through it and ascend to the next higher center. One cannot
take to this arduous discipline without a strong and robust physique, capable
of withstanding a sustained a strenuous effort for a long time.
As a preliminary step, a yogin has to
cleanse the Augean stables with Herculean strength and for this, recourse is to
be had to hatha-yoga-kriyas, or exercise like dhoti, basti, neoli, gaj karam
and vajroli, etc., with a strict diet control. Again, for the control of the
mind, he has to take to pranayam or well –regulated breathing exercise such as
puraka, kumbhaka, rechaka and sunyaka, all of which requires great care, attention
and skill, under the guidance of an adept.
The yoga process, as described above, is
fraught with innumerable difficulties. It is a process akin to that of
controlled death, a forcible extraction not only of the spirit current from one
center to the other, but of the pranas as well, which makes being the reversal
of the life current as it descends from the center to center, in the process of
creation. In the death process, the earth element rises up from guda chakra to
the indri chakra and gets dissolved in the water there, thus rendering hands
and feet lifeless. When the water elements rises up to the nabhi chakra, it is
transformed into a vaporous state by the fire at the naval region and the
generative organ gets paralyzed; next the fire element itself gets extinguished
in the air elements at the heart plexus, rendering the region below the heart
stark cold. When the air elements gets etherialized at the kanth, the seat of
the ether, it renders the heart and the pulse motionless. ( it may be pointed out
that under this system, one has to traverse and to follow through exactly the
same process, except that the second method is natural, while the first method
is deliberate and controlled and therefore extremely difficult to perform. Each
of the tatvas in turn gets merged in it's source; the anna in the pranas, the
pranas in the manas, the manas in the vigyan and the vigyan in the kanth
plexus. (It may be mentioned that the Vaishnavites and kabir Panthies wear
tulsi leaves and the Shaivites wear shiv-ling around the neck, to remind
themselves of the kantha chakra which they set up as their goal.) Instead of
this difficult reverse process of yoga form the basic plexus backward and
upward to Sahasrar, the region of the thousand-petaled lights, how much easier it
would be to ignore the pranas ( as we do in our everyday life), collect the
sensory current at the seat of the soul at the ajna chakra, where we always are
in our awakened state, and move upward straightaway with the help of the Sound
Current (to which the yogins gain access after a hard-won battle over the six
ganglionic centers in the pind or body) to reach sahasrar. The sound current
has a magnetic pull, too difficult to resist, when the soul rises above –
body consciousness under the guidance
of some able and fully competent living Master, capable of awakening the
life-impulse within us.
VII. DHYAN (CONTEMPLATION OR MEDITATION )
From continued concentration, as
envisaged by dharna, there grows a continuous flow of perception, which is
called dhyan or contemplation (meditation). Dhyan or meditation is of two
kinds: gross and subtle. It is well-nigh impossible to take to subtle
meditation all at once. One has therefore to start with gross meditation in the
first instance, before taking to the practice of subtle meditation. The gross
or objective meditation consists in meditating on the personal aspect of God, Isht,
a Godman or a Guru (the living Master-Saint).
In the subtle meditation, the attention
is fixed on the bindu or the single eye, the still point in the body behind and
between the two eyebrows. It is the intersecton of time and the timeless where
the Unmanifest becomes manifest. It's
reflex is in the pind or the lower region of the body, i.e., the guda chakra,
where lies the coiled energy in a locked up condition. After some practice at
the bindu, the dark spot becomes illuminated and gradually the inner light
assumes the radiant form of the Master. From the begins what is termed the
luminous contemplation.
When in meditation, the Godman appears
within,
One sees the secret of Eternity like
an open book.
-RUMI
While in gross contemplation one
meditates on the perceptible form (swarup) of the Isht-deva or of the Guru, in
subtle contemplation one meditates on the aurp (formless), or the dark point of
concentration between the eyebrows, which gradually flowers into radiance.
Here we may sound a note of warning to
the seeker after Truth. we cannot have any appreciable results by meditation on
the forms of the past Master who, having discharged their diving mission on
earth of contacting jives or souls in their own time, are no longer in
touch with the physical world. Again, we have to be our guard in our search for
a perfect Master, for any meditation on the form of an imperfect Master will
not bear fruit. To avoid all pitfalls, it is much safer to put aside meditation
on any form whatsoever, whether of a past or a living Master. It is better that
one should carry on the sadhna according to the instructions given, and if the
Master is a perfect one, his radiant form will of itself appears within and
take charge of the individual soul as soon as it rises above body-
consciousness. God himself manifests within in the form of a Gurudeva provided
of course that the Guru is really embedded in God-Power. These remarks apply
mutates mutandis to meditation on Isht-devas as is generally done. To
meditate on the Formless is Beyond human conception, inasmuch as one cannot
conceive of the Reality Beyond all comprehension. One may in such a case get
glimpses of subtle elements, which by themselves cannot leave us anywhere.
The reading of scriptures and other
sacred books is not of much avail on this path except in arousing one’s
interest. The greatest teacher of mankind is man. It is enough if one knows how
to open the pages of the great living book of the human heart (“heart” here
signifies the seat of the soul, i.e., aggya or ajna chakra), which is
the only inexhaustible treasure-house of all knowledge and all wisdom. One has
simply to close his eyes, withdraw the senses, enter into the sanctuary of his
heart and merge his very being into the supreme soul in the inner most depths
within. He, the ever-existent, the self-luminuous Light, complete in Himself,
and eternally the same, dwells in the temple of the human body, and he who
wishes to know Him and to reach Him shall have to delve deep within himself,
and everything will undoubtedly be revealed to him. “Knock and it shall be
opened,” is the saying of sages and seers in all times and in all climes. This
dip within gives the soul an integral experience of all the exists, whether
visible or invisible, a direct intuitive knowledge and divine wisdom, all of
which are the gift that come of themselves, freely and in abundance, if one
forgets the world, forgets his friends and relations, forget his surroundings,
nay forgets his very bodily being. Voluntary forgetfulness is the greatest
spiritual sadhna. Forgetting all else one must rise above body consciousness,
for this is the primary condition of right meditation.
Love the Lord thy God with all thy
heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy mind, and with all thy strength.
-CHRIST
By deep and silent meditation, one must
merge his very being in the sweet contemplation of the beloved within and lose
himself in the Great soul of the Universe. This is the highest contemplation,
and it leads to the most coveted goal of samadhi.
Dhyan as a system of yoga
(the Yoga of Contemplation)
Having considered the essentials of
dhyan, we are now in a position to study dhyan as a form of yoga in itself. The
mind is all-pervading. Kabir says that manas has it's seat in very heart and
hence occupies just a middle position in the human system. The mental current
is always building it's own spheres, and it does so particularly as it depends
below. This is central position of the mano-mai covering gives it a peculiar
importance. It has two sheaths above it, the Vigyan-mai and Anand-mai, and two
below it, the Pran-mai and Anna-mai. It
turns upward, it goes cognition of wisdom (enlightenment) and bliss. If
it turns downward, cognition of the pranic and the physical world.
(i)
Ajna Chakra, the region of the third eye, behind the two eyebrows, is associated
with the anand-mai kosh.
(ii)
Kantha Chakra, the region between the third eye and the hidey, is the center of the
Vigyan-mai kosh.
(iii)
Hirdey Chakra is the region of the hidey (heart), where the pranas or the vital
airs reign supreme. It is the center of the mano-mai kosh.
(iv)
Nabhi Chakra, that part of the hidey region which extends down to the navel, is the center of the
pran-mai kosh.
(v)
Indri Chakra, the region of the Naval extending down to guda, is the center of the
anna-mai kosh.
(vi)
Guda Chakra is the basal plexus or the root wherein are rooted all the subtle
or nadis.
All the five sheaths (koshas) are the
different seats from where one can operate at different levels; the upper two
being spiritual, an the lower two being sensory planes.
Anand-mai sheathes the karat or the
causal body ( the seed body) from which everything else below spring, viz., the
subtle and the physical planes below. Vigyan-mai is closely associated with and
is the nearest to it.
The three sheaths, vigyan-mai, mano-mai
and pran-mai, together constitute the sushi or the subtle body in man,
which is the connecting link between the other two, the Amanda above, and the
anna-mai below, or the causal and the physical respectively.
The anna-mai kosh is the inner lining,
so to say, of the physical body and is closely related to the pran-mai kosh.
In all the three bodies, the mind is the
active agent, activated as it is by the life-power of the soul, in the life and
light of which it works. To all intents and purposes, the mind power alone is
seemingly the force that works and keeps all the other four koshas in order. In
the physical body, it is the seat from where the five sensory and five motor
power carry on their operation in the
physical plane. Similarly, it is from here (i.e., the mind) that the ten subtle
(pranic) powers along with the mental powers of the chit, manas, budhi and
ahankar, carry on their work in the subtle plane. Again, it is the mind which
when stilled carries with it all the latent and nominal impressions and
reflects the spirits light and sound. This is then is the vast sway of the mind
which extends from the physical to the causal planes, and hence it is often
called Triloki Nath or the Lord of the three worlds. In the causal plane it
serves as a silver screen, which takes and reflects and spiritual vibrations
both in the form of light and sound.
Advantage of Dhyan Yoga
The advantages of the yoga of
contemplation of dhyan are innumerable. One engaged in this form of yoga can be
mere contemplation have all his desires fulfilled. “As you think, so you
become,” is a well-know aphorism. By contemplation on the attributes of God one
can develop these attributes within one’s own self and be a witness and a
testifier to heavens light, while his senses acquire transcendental powers. The
mind also tastes of the bliss of vigyan, when the chit vritis, or the mental
modulation, are stilled.
This yoga rids one of all sins, and one
feels and inner bliss and halcyon calm. All kinds of mental maladies like fear,
shame, vacillation and self-assertiveness, disappear gradually and give place
to fearfulness, confidence, firmness and happiness, and one acquires and
evenness of temper in all the varying conditions of life. He is not obsessed
either by attachment or detachment, and like a lotus flower, floats above and
over the slime of common existence. With the knowledge of the true values of
life, he grows firm in his convictions and is no longer a prey to the
groundless fears and chance winds that blow over him. He has no cause for
praise or blame and as such, talks little and does much; all of his acts as
motivated by kindliness and good will toward all. His words are honey-sweet and
authoritative. He is not tormented by pride and prejudice, but leads a life of
perfect moderation and justice. He conquers indolence and idleness; eats little
and sleep little and there is hardly any difference in his state of wakefulness
and slumber. He is ever the same throughout, with a radiant and a beaming face
that bespeaks his inner glory. Kabir says:
The world is but a fictious bondage,
and kabir centered in the Naam if forever free.
VIII. SAMADHI
The term samadhi is derived from
two Sanskrit roots: sam with it's English equvalent “syn” means
“together with,” and adhi (the Primal Being) with it's Hebrew equivalent of Adon
or Adonai which denotes “Lord”, the two together, Sam plus adhi,
denoting a state in which the mind is completely absorbed in the Lord or God.
It is a state in which all limiting forms drop away and the individual, with
his individuality all dissolved, experiences the great truth – Ayam Athma
Brahma – “ I am Thou.”
It is the last and culminating stage in
the long-drawn-out process of experimental yoga, and may therefore be said to
be the efflorescence of the yogic system. The dhyan itself gradually develops
into samadhi when the comtemplator or the mediator loses all thought of himself,
and the mind becomes dhya-rupa, the very form of his thought. In this state the
aspirant is not conscious of any external object save of consciousness itself,
a state of all Bliss or perfect happiness.
There are two means through which the
state of Samadhi may be attained. The vedehas ( or those who rise above body
consciousness), achieve it by destroying the very Nature of the mind stuff
which runs after material object all the time, by channelizing it to a
one-pointed attention inward. The others develop this state by practicing in
the first instance discernment and discrimination through faith, energy and
memory. There are other variations of samadhi as well.
In dhyan or meditation ( one-pointed
attention), one retains the distinction between the contemplator and the
contemplated, but in samadhi, or identification with the totality, even these
disappear, for one’s own individuality is, so to say, annihilated. It is this
absorption into the Infinite that gives liberation from all finitizing adjuncts,
for then one gets an insight into the very heart of thing and has an experience
of the subtle (adhi-devaka) and the abstract (adhi-atmic) aspects of all that
exists.
Samadhi, or identification with the
Absolute, may be accompanied with consciousness of one’s individuality, in
which case it is know as savikalpa, or it may not be accompanied with any such
consciousness and is then know as nirvikalpa. The former was compared by Sri
Ramakrishna to a cotton doll which when put in water gets saturated with it,
and the latter to a doll of salt which when immersed in water dissolves and
loses itself in it. of these, nirvikalpa is clearly the higher, for savikalpa,
though it greatly widens ones’ vision, is yet only a preliminary step towards
the unconditioned state. Not all yogins can achieve nirvikalpa, and those that
do attain it generally do only once in their life. They thereby finally escape
the realms of name and form and become liberated souls. Their unfructified
Karmas, both past and present (sanchit and kriyaman) can no longer bind them,
but the momenturm of their present lives ( prarabdha) must be completed kalpa,
or the unconditioned state, to everyday human consciousness, they live and move
as other human beings. But while engaged in worldly duties, they are forever
centered in the Divine and are never separate from it. this state of normal
activity on the plane of the senses but imbued with God-realization, is
designated as Sehaj Samadhi or the state of Easy Union.
Whether sitting, standing or walking
about,
They ever remain in a state of
eternal equipoise.
KABIR
We may also mention yet another form of
samadhi, called Bhavan Samadhi, in which the devotee, lost in devotional
music and singing, loses all thought of himself and the world around. This form
of samadhi is easy to attain for those of an emotional temperament and affords
momentary ecstasy and inner mental relief, but it does not give at-one-ment
with the Divine or expands one’s consciousness. As such, the term samadhi is
only loosely applied to it, for it displays none of the central attributes of
the super-conscious state, nor is it therefore of much help on the inner
spiritual journey.
The state of samadhi is not a
stone-like, inner state, or a state of withdrawal similar to that of a tortoise
withdrawing into it's shell. Each one of us is endowed with a rich inner life,
full of untold spiritual gems of which ordinarily we are not conscious in the
work-a-day present life of the sense that we usually lead. We can turn inward
and expand our vision so as to embrace within it's fold not only a cosmic life
but even a super-cosmic life as well, extending into vistas Beyond human ken.
It is a state of being, a direct perception, an integral experience of the
soul, an immediate and direct knowledge of spiritual anubhava (inner
realization), as it is generally called. Professor Bergson, a great
philosopher, believed and felt that there was a higher source of knowledge than
intellect, which is confined to ratiocination or the reasoning process. He called
it intuition, but this state of being goes even Beyond intuition to direct and
to immediate knowledge, for intuition is only another name for the sum total of
one’s past experiences. An ordinary man does not have to reason or intuit about
the sun in order to believe in it's existence. It is there before him, it is prataksha
and that renders all proof unnecessary. “All true knowledge exists by
itself and is quite independent of the senses. It is the action of the soul and
is perfect without the senses. . . .” says Ben Jonson. “The surest way into
Truth,” says Henri Bergson, “is by perception, by intuition, by reasoning to a
certain point, then by taking a mortal leap.” It is divya drishti or jnana
chakshu (i.e., direct experience of the soul, of the reality itself). It is
through spiritual flashes and glimpses from Beyond that one gets some view of
Truth in the form of spiritual insight, inspiration and revelation. The
spiritual experience, though it stands by itself and is Beyond the farthest
limits of reason, does not however contradict reason, but makes reason perfect.
Again, samadhi is chaitanya or all
–consciousness, as distinguished from jar samadhi. A Hatha yogin, by the
practice of Kechari Mudra, withdraws his pranas into the Sahasrar Chakra, the
seat of the Jiva- atma or soul, and can sit in a mountain cave or underground cavity in this state of inanity for
months and years. This is a kind of yoga nidra or yogic sleep, and does
not give any super-sensory knowledge or spiritual experience. As opposed to
this, one who is in chaitanya samadhi is in a state of perfect awareness and
can come out of it at will with a new supra-mental experience and spiritual
wisdom. In jar samadhi, one cannot break the samadhi by oneself and others have
to do it by a complicated procedure of messages, etc. A Raja yogin, a Bhakta or
a Jnana yogin, can be awakened easily by someone merely shaking his body, or by
blowing a conch or striking a gong. This chaitanya samadhi is achieved when the
gunas, devoid of motion, becomes dormant and the power of consciousness gets
established in it's own Nature; hence it is often termed as kaialya samadhi
or a samadhi or perfect ease and independence.
Samadhi Yoga
Yoga, as said elsewhere, means
steadiness of mind, born of chit-vriti-nirodha (nullification of mind or
elimination from the mind of al mental vibration), and the term samadhi,
comprising the two Sanskrit roots sam and adhi, denotes acceptance, absorption,
steadiness in contemplation, or deep inward concentration.
Each individual comes into the world
with a background of his own, which fits him for a particular type of yoga. He
should therefore engage in such yogic practices as may be best suited to him.
Samadhi Yoga is the highest form of yoga. Some children are naturally prone to
it, and some persons can take to it directly without even going through the
hard discipline usually enjoined for the general run of people. It's practice
can, in such cases, be prescribed without any scruples to those ripe for it
through past samskaras.
The mind gets vigyan or jnana in the
plexus of the throat (Kanth Chakra), which is closely associated with
the seat of consciousness in a waking state. The vigyan and the anand or
consciousness of bliss dawns only in Sahasrar or Sahas-dal-Kanwal, the thousand-petaled
lotus behind the two eyebrows, and Samadhi Yoga aims at the realization of this
state wherein one may consciously feel the inherent bliss of the soul. Samadhi
then is the state of unalloyed bliss, which is the direct source of everything
else: Vigyan (jnana), manas (the mind-stuff), pranas ( the vital airs), and
anna (the physical world of sense objects). Anand or bliss is the intrinsic and
basic substratum of all that exists, and this is why there is an innate craving
in all creatures for satiety, happiness and bliss. Not to speak of man, even
the animals, the insects, and in fact all created beings, are ever in search of
it in varying degrees and aspects, each according to it's own Nature. But it's
full significance or consciousness dawns only on man when in a state of
samadhi. It is a gradual process of rising from one place to another, until
Jnana is united with bliss at the level of samadhi and one consciously and
fully realizes the blissful state. This is the sole end and aim of samadhi
Yoga.
The essential quality of bliss is the
characteristic of the soul or atman. It is the veil of vigyan or jnan
that covers their blissful condition. The moment this veil is removed and one
rises above the higher level of the intellect (self-consciousness), one realizes true happiness and the blissful
sea of the atman spreading in and around him to measureless depths and to
immeasurable heights. Al the intermediary four koshas: anna, prana, manas, and
vigyan, and but wayside halts on the spiritual journey for working out step by
step, the yogic sadhna to it's full efflorescence of jnana, and provide
nourishment to consciousness as it descends lower. But when it once becomes
steady and contacts the spiritual bliss, it becomes aware of the true and higher
values of life, ceases to interest itself in the passing and shadowy pleasures
of the world, and seeks absorption in Absolute Bliss. This is the culminating
point in the spiritual sadhna or practice and when it is achieved, there remains nothing else to be done. But the
trouble with most of us is that we often come to regard jnana or gyan as the
goal of all human endeavors and therefore do not attempt to pierce through it's
veil and go Beyond into the consciousness of the self and taste of the blissful
fountainhead of the soul that lies ahead. The result is that without contact
with, and a foretaste of, the awareness of bliss, we become Vachak gyanis or
gyanis only in name, ever a prey to groundless fears and depressing states
in mind, doubts and distress, which may assails us in the work-a-day life in
the world. It is therefore rightly said that:
“A real jnani is one who communes with
the Word.”
Vigyan is, after all, a state below that
of anand of Real Bliss. As worshipers of the physical body remains entangled in
the web of anna-mai kosha, those of the sensuous pleasures in the network of
pran – mai koshaand the mind – ridden
in the web of anna-mai kosha, so do many so- called jnanis or gyanis remain
caught in the quagmire of vigyan – mai
kosha, without remain caught in the
quagmire of vigyan – mai kosha, without realizing that there is still a stage
beyond and above it, and of far greater importance. The four enshrouding
sheaths are thick and heavy, folds within folds, and cover up the crest jewel
of perfect bliss (anand). The great jeweler, God has kept anand hidden in the
innermost and enchanting casket of vigyan which , with it's colorful witchery,
keeps even the so – called jnani bound
to body – consciousness.
The wresters, the body builders and the
charvakas or epicureans, who regard physical well – being and pleasure as
the goal of life belong to the class of
anna- mai jives, who live and die for this cause alone . Next , there are
persons who are a little bold, courageous and enterprising . They nourish their
ideas, principles and convictions as well as their physical forms and are ever
ready to stand by them , even at times at the cost of worldly comforts. Such
persons are pran-maijivas, for they are
swayed by the pranas, on which all life
depends, and they have in them the
preponderance of the water . In the Chhandogya Upanishad it is on water
that and not food is the source of life and it is on water than to anything
else, for in them the element of fire predominates. All poets, writers, inventors,
designers and architects come under the category of mano –mai jives. All their
energy is channeled in the direction of the mind and they energy is channeled
in the direction of the mind and they are martyrs to the path of the mind Next,
we have a class of persons who, while caring reasonably for their thoughts and
beliefs and mental pursuits, are in the main wedded to intellectual reasoning
or ratiocination in finding out the why and wherefore of thing . They are
element in them. The highest in the scale of human creation are true happiness
above everything else, are ever engaged in search of it, and do not rest until
they find it out and live by it. They are ethereal being and live in the all –
pervading ether with no limitations. It is the most suble of the enveloping
sheath, Beyond which lies the state of Nirvana itself , ineffably serene, a
sublime sate of conscious rest in Omniscience.
3. ASHTANG YOGA AND MODERN MAN
This then is the long and the short of
the yoga system as originally propounded by Hiranyagarbha, and expounded to the
world by Gaudapada and expounded to the world by Gaudapada and patanjali, the
well – known philosophers and thinkers. In these few pages, an attempt has been
made to give a brief account of the
yoga philosophy as it has come down to us from the hoary past, and which is
still considered the keystone of the ancient wisdom of India .
The yoga system is a discipline
involving intense and solitary
meditation coupled with physical exercises and postures to discipline and control the mind and the
pranas, so as to make them run in a particular manner that may help in subduing
the senses. As such , it is meant for the purification of the body and mind ,
and prepares the way for the beatific vision. Devotion to God or Ishwara also
plays an important part in the yogic realization. The personal God of the yoga
philosophy stands apart in the yoga system because the final goal for some of
the yogins is the separation of atman from the mind and not union with God.
This system, therefore, always works in the domain of dualism. Its principal
aim is the separation of the layered jiva from the embodied state so as to
become atman, freed from the condition state of mind and matter. Both the
understanding will and become stilled, thus liberating the soul to shine in own
true and native light.
The yogic exercises genrally yield
health, strength and longevity, and help to a certain extent in defying
disease, decay and early death. One may also acquire psychic and supernatural
powers by controlling Nature and Nature’s laws. By the hightened power of the
senses, the yogins can hear from and see at long distances, penetrate into past
and the present and even into the future, transmit thoughts and perform
miracles.
Many modern scholars, more so those with
Western modes of thought, have when first confronted by yoga, tended to dismiss
it as no more than an elaborate means of self-hypnotism. Such an attitude is
quite unscientific even though it often parades under the garb science. It is generally
the result of prejudice born of ignorance or a superficial knowledge of the
subject. It is natural for us to attempt to relegate to the realm of
superstition, phenomena with which we are unfamiliar and which defy our
habitual ways of thought about life, for to study them, to understand them, to
test and accept them, would require effort and perseverance of which most of us
are incapable. It is not unlikely that some so –called yogins may justify the
label of “self – hypnotists.” But those few who genuinely merit the name of
yogins are too humble to who court publicty and have nothing about them to
suggest the neurotic escapist. They invariably display a remarkably sensitive
awareness to life in all its complexity and variety, and this awareness to life
in all it's complexity and variety, and this – delusion quite inapt, irrelevant
and even ridiculous. For, to seek the Unchanging behind the changing, the Real
behind the phenomenal, is certainly not to “ridiculous. For, to seek the
Unchanging behind the changing, the Real behind the phenomenal, is certainly
not to “hypnotize” oneself. If anything, it displays a spirit of enquiry that
is exceptional in it's honesty and integrity, that is content with nothing less
than the absolute truth, and the kind of renciation it demands is most
difficult to practice. Hence it is , that as time passes, as knowledge is
gradually undermining ignorance, the former philistinism is steadily wearing a
way. The new developments of the physical sciences have had no small share in
furthering this process, for by revealing that everything in this physical
universe is relative and that matter is not matter per Saints but ultimately a
form of energy, it has confirmed, at the lower level of the yogic concept at
least, the conception of the world inherent in the yogic system, giving it a
scientific vaidity which was earlir doubted. Nevertheless, even if one accepts
the basis of Ashtang Yoga as it is far from easy to us from patanjali, one must
confess that it is far from easy to practice. Even Gaudapada admitted that to
pursue it was first developed it demanded a highly rigorus discipline of life,
and the ideal of the four ashramas was the inevitable consequence. If one was
to achieve any thing substantial, one had to begin from infancy itself. The
first twenty – five years of brahmcharya were to be utilized in the physical
and spiritual health capable of withstanding life’s rigors. The next twenty –
five years, grehastya, were to be lived as supporter to the wife, and asound
teacher to the children. Obligations to society performed, death drawing
nearer, and life tasted to society performed, death drawing nearer, and life
tasted to society performed, death drawing nearer, and life tasted to the full,
one was free to seek its inner meaning and ripe for it's understanding. And so,
the succeeding twenty – five years were to be spent in vanprasth, in the
solitude of strenuous meditation one had gained enlightenment. Now at last one
was fit to be called a sanyasin and able to devote the last quarter of the
century – span as envisaged in the perfect life, to the task of assisting one’
s fellow men in their search for spiritual freedom.
Even in olden days, the ideal of the
four ashramas was not an easy one. Little wonder then that yoga was restricted
to the chosen few and was not propagated as a course to be followed by the
common peole, continuing only as a mystery school whose torch was passed on
from guru to chela (sadhak) in a restricted line. If anything, modern
conditions have rendered it's pursuit in this form even more difficult and well
nigh impossible. As life has become more complex and the various professions
more complex and the various professions more specialized, men no longer find
it possible to devote the first twenty five years of their life solely to the
cultivation of body and mind in preparation for the final quest. They must
spend them in schools, colleges and institutes, which employ most of their
resources in training them for a career. Nor, with the ever growing population,
is it feasible to expect one fourth of the members of society –grehastis –to
provide the means of physical sustenance for the remaining three quarters, as
was once perhaps possible.
As if this were not enough, the
integrated eight fold yoga of patanjali seems to have grown more specialized
and complicated with the passage of time. each of it's branches and complicated
with the passage of time. each of it's branches has developed to a point where
it almost seems a complete subject in itself. Little wonder then that man,
practicing in their various details the various yamas and niyams, or mastering
the difference asanas or learning to control the pranic to mansic (mental)
energies, begins to imagine that his particular field of specialization is not,
as patanjali envisaged, just a rung in the ladder of the integrated yoga, but
yoga itself. No doubt, he drives some benefits, by distracting his attention
from the ultimate goal, become a positive hindrance to real progress instead of
being aids to it. only a very few men of exceptional physical endurance, long
life and an extraordinary capacity for not forgetting the distant goal, can, in
our time, pursue patanjalis ashtang yoga to it's logical conclusion, it's
highest purpose: at one ment with brahma. For the rest it, must remain either
too difficult to practice, or a process that, by encouraging them to mistake
the intermediate for the final, the means for the end, defeats it's own
purpose.
If spirituality must entail a slow
ascension through all the rungs of this intricate and involved of yoga, then it
cannot choose but remain a closed secret to mankind at large. If , however, it
is to become a free gift of Nature like the sun, the air and the water, then it
must make itself accessible through a technique which places it within the
reach of all, the child no less than the adult, the weak no less than the
strong, the householder no less than the samnyasin. It is of such technique
that kabir and Nanak gave us hope and will be dealt with later.
CHAPTER THREE
THE FORMS OF YOGA
HAVING discussed
the yoga system in general as expounded by Patanjali, we will now proceed to
study the various forms of yoga that arose subsequently. Beginning with the
traditional, we are told of four distinct types: 1. Mantra Yoga, 2. Hatha Yoga 3. Laya Yoga and 4. Raja Yoga. Most of these draw heavily on Patanjali
and present reformulation of his basic teachings each specializing in one or
another of it's aspects. As such, some degree of repetition is unavoidable; yet
we must risk it, if only to have a clearer view of the vast subject of yoga.
1.
MANTRA YOGA OR THE YOGA OF UTTERANCE
They even
forget, that all deities reside in the human breast.
WILLIAM BLAKE.
Mantra Yoga is
concerned in the main, with the acquisition of one or the other material or
mental power or powers through the constant repetition of a particular mantra
or oral formula in order to attract the presiding power or deity to which the
mantra relates, an then to press that power into service good or bad, according
to the will and pleasure of the practitioner. One who uses these powers for
effecting evil and doing harm to others often runs the risk of self-immolation
and usually falls prey to the wrath of the deity concerned. Those who employ
such powers for selfish motives with the object of material grains to
themselves at the cost of others, very soon lose their power, and in the end
ruin themselves. These powers may, however, be profitably used for the good of
others and there is not much harm in that, though it may mean loss of some
vital energy after each such act. All types of miracles of the lowest order,
like thought-reading, thought-transference, faith-healing, particularly in
cases of nervous and mental diseases, fall under this category. It is therefore
much better to avoid such things and to conserve whatever psychic powers one
may acquire, and use them for gaining at least the lower spiritual planes and
regions which form the seat of the deities concerned, in a spirit of selfless
devotion. Then all the psychic powers will of themselves function without
incurring any loss by ones own acquisition of them. It should however be borne
in mind that repetition of the mantras per Saints does not bear any fruit
unless it is done with full attention fixed on the specific mantras, and with
intense devotion such as may set up particular vibrations connected therewith.
But Mantra Yoga by itself is not of who practice this form of yoga remain ever
entangled in useless pursuits of one kind or another as described above, with
no great benefit to themselves in the upliftment of the self or soul.
As regards the
exercise of mantra siddhis or supernatural powers acquired through the efficacy
of meditation on mantras, Patanjali, in his Yog sutras, sounds a definite note
of warning:
They are
obstacles to samadhi, powers but in worldly state.
Technique in Mantra Yoga
Mantra Yoga is
the yoga of rhythmic repetition of hermetically sealed formulas – sacred and
secret – prepared by the ancient mantrakaras (adepts in phonetics and in the
power of sounds, including supersonics or sounds Beyond the human ken), each
designed separately for winning over the particular God or Goddess representing
one or the other powers of Nature. It may be practiced with or without the aid
of a rosary of Rudraksha as the shaivites do, or of Tulsi beads, as used by
Vaishnavites.
The mantras
represent vibrations. The most sacred of the Vedic mantras is that of the
Gayatri. It is the mood mantra of the Vedas and hence is considered to be of
the first importance. It's virtue is said to be great and it's japa or
repetition has been enjoined in all Hindus from a very early stage. The easiest
and the most efficacious is the sacred syllable. Aum, symbolizing the creative
life-principle itself, and hence most of the mantras themselves begin with this
sacred syllable. The Advaitists, who see the power of God immanent in all forms
and as all pervading, believe in the mantra of identification of atman with
Parmatman: Aham Braham Asmi (I am Brahman) and Ayam Athma Brahman (I
am thou); and these are often shortened into soham or sohang and hansa or
aham-sah, meaning respectively, “I am he” and he is I. The Vedantist repeat Om
Tat Sat (Aum is the truth and the reality) and the Buddhist OM Mani Padme Hum.
Next in the scale are mantras dedicated or addressed to this or that deity in
adoration, praise, propitiation or entreaty for boons.
The efficacy of
a mantra depends on it's right pronunciation, right appreciations of it's
significance, which is often very profound, the right attitude of the person
engaged in Mantra Yoga, and on the competence of the preceptor of guru, who has
mastered not only the technique but has successfully manifested for himself the
seed power lying hidden in the core of the mantra and can offer it as a prasad
or a gift of grace to his disciple.
Some of the
mantras bring forth quick results, some fructify in their own good time and
some bear fruit according to the merit of the individual concerned. Some are, however, of a forbidden
type and hence inimical in Nature and more often than not they prove harmful.
Again, the
effect of a mantra also depends on how the japa is performed. The japa done is
whispers is considered as more meritorious than the one uttered loudly, and
japa done in low murmurs is still better, while mansic japa done with the
tongue of thought is the most meritorious.
The japas too
are of different kinds according to the occasion, the season and intention of
the doer. The nitya are, for example, to be performed every day as a matter of
routine. The namittika are for certain ceremonial occasions. The prayshchitta
are those done as a penance, atoning for lapses from the path of rectitude.
Then there are chala and achala japas, that can be performed at any time, at
any place and under any circumstances, in any state or position. The other
require a specific asana, place, time and direction, etc, coupled with a
regular and elaborate ritual, e.g. offering of flowers, scent, incense,
light-waving and bell-tinkling, havan and tarpan (rituals of fire and water),
with various purificatory acts.
For success in
Mantra Yoga it is necessary that the sadhak should observe purity within and
without having a full-hearted devotion exemplary character and conduct before
he can have any degree of concentration and contemplation.
We observe
similar practices among the Muslim faqirs, who practice vird or repetition of
sacred words like Hu, Haq, Analhaq, and use a tasbih (rosary) for the purpose.
The Christian monks also tell their beads and chant hymns and psalms.
II. HATHA YOGA
This form of
yoga deals with the control of the body and the bodily activities as the means
of stilling the mind. It's aim is to make the human body strong and capable
enough to stand and endure the hardest and the toughest conditions, and to make
it immune, as far as possible, from physical diseases and ailments. But Beyond
a robust physique and possible longevity through the practice of pranayam or
habs-I-dam, as it is called by the Muslims (control and regulation of breath),
it is not much help in self-realization by itself, though it may to a certain
extent prepare the ground for a higher type of spiritual discipline leading
thereto. It is in a sense a “ladder to Raja Yoga.” It cannot even give the mind
any great degree of control, as it is commonly supposed to do. By practicing
Hatha yoga, one may come to gain some siddhis or psychic powers through the
exercise of certain asanas, mudras and bandhas, or physical position and
postures, and the practice of pranayam. The system includes observance of a
number of penances and ascetic austerities like fast and vigils, maun or a vow
of silence for months and years, panch agni tapas (sitting with lighted fire on
four sides and the burning sun overhead), standing on one leg, suspending
oneself with head downward, etc. Some of the Christian Saints went to great
extremes like the wearing of nail-studded tunics, horsehair shirts, scourging
of the body, self-flogging in all imitation of the suffering of Christ. Even
among the Muslim shias, we see the traces of self torture when during the
Muharram days, they beat their breasts and backs with knives fastened to iron
chains in commemoration of the terrible sufferings that Hasan and Hussain the
grandsons of the Prophet, had to undergo along with a handful of their faithful
followers, at the hands of their co-religionists under Yazid, on the burning
plains of Karbla in defence of their faith. But all these terrible
self-chastisements, however heroic in themselves, hardly grant any spiritual benefit.
Of what good is it to torture and torment the body, when the serpent of the
mind lies safely hid far beneath the surface and continues to thrive unscathed?
Leaving aside
such forms of self-torture, the Hatha Yoga proper aims at perfecting the body as
an instrument for higher types of yogas, and as such may have some value, to
enable the body to stand the stress and strain involved in them. But even the
routine of Hatha Yoga Kriyas is too difficulty to perform and often leads to
inner complications which at times prove serious and incurable and endanger
life.
These kriyas are
meant for purification of the arteries and other channels in the body of all
kind of accumulated mineral deposits like chalk, lime and salt, etc., which
clog the system and are the root cause of decay and disease. This process of
deintoxication and rejuvenation is done by means of purificatory acts called
Shat Karma (meaning six acts ),which are: Neti karma (cleaning of the
nose) A piece of thin muslin about
three- fourths yard long is twisted into a string like form and covered with a
coating of wax. It is passed through each of the nostrils in turn and taken out
of the mouth after a little rubbing so as to clean them of phlegm, etc. It is
helpful in curing diseases of the nose and throat . It keeps the head cool, and
disorders or acidity may substitute for jala neti, or douching the nasal
channels withpure water.
(ii) Dhoti karma
(washing the stomach) : Along piece of cloth three inches in width and
measuring about seven yards in length is soaked in tepid water and then
slightly wrenched. It is gradually
swallowed down the throat into the stomach with the help of warm water, keeping
about two feet of the other end in hand. After retaining it for a few minutes
and shaking the abdomen, it is taken out very, very slowly. It clenses the
alimentary canal of impurities like mucus, bile and phlegm and cures an
enlarged spleen and cough, etc. This practice requires extreme care and
attention so that cloth may not get entangled in the intestines and result in
serious complications, which might even prove fatal. It should not be practiced
when suffering from inflammation of the throat and bronchial disorders,
irritation of the stomach or during coughing, etc.
(iii) Basti
karma (washing the bowels):It is a kind of enema whereby water is drawn in
through the rectum into the lower intestines. After retaining it for some time
, it is churned sideways and thrown out. It removes constipation and ejects
inner, hardened refuse matter, which generally to the tepid water makes it more
beneficial. It is used for ailments connected with the male organ and the anus
and it cures gaseous disorders of bile or Basti weakens the tender intestines
and may inflame the inner surface, and hence the need for careful guidance in
such matters. It may be substituted by air cleansing if necessary, by drawing
in and letting out air instead of water.
(iv) Gaja karni or kunj karma: it is also known as Shankha Pashala. The
practice consists in taking a bellyful of water and then swilling it within by
muscular activity and throwing it out from the mouth as a gaja or elephant does
with his trunk. In this way two or three quarts of warm water are taken and
vomited out after washing the inner system by a circulatory motion of the
muscles within. It is particularly useful for those who suffer from biliousness
or actdity. (v) Niyoli karma(shaking
the belly ): It is done by sitting erect in Siddha or padma Asana with hands
settled on the knees. The upper part of the body along with the intestines is
then to be churned or shaken rapidly from right to left so as to remove all
inner impurities adhering to the inner walls. This practice is useful in
ridding one of abdominal ailments of gastric and gaseous nature by releasing the
digestive secretions . It helps in muscular contractions which in turn aid
yogic breathing or pranayam. (vi) Tratak Karma (gaze fixing ): It is a dristi
sadhana and consits in fixing the gaze,
first on external centers, and then gradually on inner centers as explained at
some length in the foregoing pages dealing with Yog Vidya and Yog Sadhna, in
the section on “pranayam.” By it, the gazing becomes steady and when turned
inward, one begings to see the wonders
of the inner world of Trikuti, the highest heaven of such yogins.*
Besides the
above there are two other practices:
(i)
Kalpal Dhoti (rapid breathing in and
out ) for purification of the lungs. It can conveniently take the place of Neti, but should be
avoided in the rainy season and in ill- health. The brething should be quick
but not too fast, so that it may not affect the lungs and the respiratory
system.
(ii)
Shnkh pashali: it consists in taking
water by mouth and immediately evacuating it through the rectum after a little
shaking of the abdomen . It clenses the entire digestivesystem by washing it
clean of all impurities. All these
processes, if not done under the direction , guidance and control of an adept
in the yogic sadhnas, more often than not do more harm than good . It must be
admitted that there is something artificial and unnatural about them, and cases
have been reported wherein even adepts have suffered from their performance. It
is therefore better to take recourse to natural ways of simple, wholesome and
fresh vegetarian diet in it's natural state, some cow’s milk and ghee, fresh
water, regular but untiring exercises, deep breathing, etc., all of which are
free from any of the dangers attending the Hatha yoga practices.
Thus we see that
in Hatha Yoga one has, in the first instance, to set the physical house in
order, and that this is done by the practice of shat Karmas, or the six
preliminary practices as described above. After this, for successfully working
out this type of yoga and acquiring proficiency therein, recourse is to be had
to the following disciplines:
(a)
Scrupulous cultivion of yamas and
niyamas.
(b)
Observance of sanjam, or moderation
and discipline, in all phases of life, and particularly in thoughts, words and
deeds.
(c)
Physical postures of asanas, mudras
and bandhas.
(d)
Pranayam system, all of which have
been explained elsewhere in Ashtang Yoga.
We may now
cosider what some writers have said regarding the place of Hatha Yoga in the
spiritual path. Shri Yogindra, in his Introuction to his Hatha Yoga
(simplified), speaks of Hatha Yoga as follows:
The necessity of
this system of yoga must have been felf in the ancient past when the discipline
and education of the physical became an essential form of discipline and
control of the mental, the moral and the psychic. In this context, Hatha Yoga
should be, and is regarded as the methodical approach to the attainment of the
highest in Yooga. Because it deals primarily with the physical, the human body,
in relation to mental, it has been appropriately identified as the
physiological yoga or Ghatasya Yoga.
The author Alain
Danielou in his book, Yoga: The Method of Reintegration, describes the Method
of Hatha yoga as reintegration through strength, because “self is not within
the reach of the weak,” and dealing with its object and method, says:
Hatha Yoga is
the name given to the technical practices and disciplines by which the body and
the vital energies can be brought under control. Although of the means of yoga,
it is the first preparation toward the way of reintegration, essential for
further realization.
All treatises on
yoga insist that the sole purpose of the physical practices of Hatha Yoga is to
surmount physical obstacles on the spiritual or royal path of reintegration –
Raja Yoga.
“Hatha”
literally means “will- power,” or indomitable will to do a thing or to achive
an object howsoever out of the common run it may appear to be .The meaning of
the word “Hatha” Danielou goes on to explain from the Goraksha samhita, as:
The syllable
“Ha” represents the sun, and the syllable “tha”represents the moon and the
conjunction (yoga) of the sun and moon is therefore Hatha Yoga.
The cosmic
principles, which manifest themselves in the planetary world as the sun and the
moon, are found in every aspect of existence. In man, they appear mainly under
two forms, one in the subtle body. The other in the gross body in the subtle
body they appear as two channels along which our perception travel between the
subtle centers at the base of the spinal chord and the center at the summit of
the head. These two are called Ida and pingala; one corresponding to the cold
aspect of the moon and the other to the warm aspect of the sun.
In the gross
body, the lunar and solar principles correspond to the respiratory, cool, and
the digestive, warm, vital energies, and are called prana and apana. It is by
coordinating these two most powerful vital impulses that the yogin achieves his
aim. In relation to breath, the cold air breathed in is spoken of as prana vayu
and the warm air breathed out as apana vayu.
Hatha Yoga has
certain undeniable advantages, many of which have already been described in the
previous chapter when discussing asanas, pranayam or pratyahara. It lays the
foundation of a healthy life capable of withstanding many physical strains
through the elimination of toxic and impure matter within the bodily system.
Toa yogin, decay comes not as the tortured end ripe fruit, it is the severance
that is naturally wrought by inner maturity. Gain of control over various
physical function naturally bring with it some degree of mental control as
well, for any rigorous discipline of the will, and the development of the one
stimulates the other.
Nevertheless,
the physical and psychic powers that Hatha Yoga ensures to physical and psychic
powers that Hatha Yoga ensures to the successful sadhak are not without their
snares and dangers. Instead of being kept strictly private for further
spiritual progress or uned only for the most humanitarian purposes, they are
often employed for winning public applause and wealth. It is not for nothing
that the common man associates this yoga with men who walk on burning
charcoals, swallow glass- pieces or metal blades, eat snakeheads and rodents,
hold back running cars , or allow themselves to be run over by trucks or elephants. The serious-
minded student of yoga, observing this abuse, must use these practices strictly
as stepping – stones to Raja Yoga or else discard them altogether as yet
another distraction from the goal , another means for pampering the ego which
they set out to master. Huston smith, in The Religions of Man, has put the
matter roundly:
Some person are
chiefly interested in coordinating their bodies. Needless to say, they have
their Indian counterparts –men who take mastery of the body as their basic
interest, India has been interested in precision and control, ideally complete
control over the body ‘s every function … Julian Huxley has ventured cautiously
that India appears to have discovered some thing about what the body can be
brought to do of which the west has no inkling. This extensive body of
instruction comprises an authentic yoga, Hatha yoga. Originally it was
practiced as a preliminary to spiritual yoga, but as it has largely lost this
connection , it need not concern us here. A judgement of the Hindu sages on
this mater can be ours as well: incredible thing can be done with the body if
this is what interests you are willing to give your life to it. but these
things have little to do with enlightenment. In fact, they grow out of a desire
to show off, their mastery makes for oride and so is inimical to spiritual
progress.
III. LAYA YOGA
This is yoga of
absorption or mergence. Laya literally means to lose oneself in some
Overpowering idea or a ruling passion. By a deep and continued absorption
through concentration,
one is gradually led to a state of forgetfulness of everything else, including
the bodily self, and to having only one thought uppermost in one’s mind, which
is the objective before him for realization. This obsession may be for
anything, worldly gain, power and pelf, name fame; name and fame; even for
acquiring riddhis and siddhis or supernatural powers or, above all, for
attaining the Ultimate Reality we call God. Thus there are various forms and
stages of Laya yoga, the highest of course being absorption in the
contemplation of God – the conception of the yogins in his behalf being the
astral light and the means thereto lying through the practice of described in
the foregoing chapter; for Laya Yoga corresponds closely to patanjali’s views
on dhyan. The highest type of contemplation in Laya Yoga takes one above body
–consciousness, leading to the Divine Ground of the human soul- Sahasrar or the
headquarters of the subtle regions, with a thousand –petaled lotus full of
lights in a pyramidical formation. Forgetfulness of everything but the subject
of continued meditation is the key to success in this form of Yoga. It is the
natural result of pratyahara and dharna leading to dhyan, which combined to-
gether constiute the foundation of Laya Yoga.
The yogins believe in the twin
principles of purush and Prakriti, the positive male and the negative female
principles, both in Man and in Nature. In Man this Nature- energy lies coiled
up at the basal root- center in the body, and the process consists in
awakenking it into activity by the performanace of asanas and the practice of
yogic brething , and in carrying it up through the central nedi- sukhman –
until it reaches and hence the term yogic breathing , and in carring it up
through the highest center- the sukhman – until it reaches and merges in the
highest center- the purush in Sahasrar – and hence the highest center- the
purush in Sahasrar- and hence the term yoga of mergence. For success in Laya Yoga , one has to rely
on the lights of the various elements that predominate at the charkas, or
centers, in the pind or physical body . As this journey of mergence of the mind
into chid- akash is not free from risks, it is necessary to work it out under the strict guidance of an
adept in the line.
Laya yoga
differs vitally other forms of yoga, which in the main have positive approach
by concentration or contemplation on some fixed object. In laya yoga, the
approach is of a negative type. Instead of controlling the mind as yoga systems
generally do it, concentrates on controlling the kundalini, the vital energy,
which lies hidden and latency that it is termed as laya yoga.
IV. RAJA YOGA
As the man indicates and implies, it means
“the royal road to reintegration;” the reintegration of soul which is now in a
state of disintegration, having lost it's cohesion through the diversifying
influence of the mind running into so many outgoing chanels. This path offers a
scientific approach God ward and is best suited to person offers a scientific
approach God ward and is best suited to person gifted with a scientific
approach God ward and is best suited to person gifted with a scientific mind
and scientific outlook, both within and without, and given to experimentation.
It is based on the assumption that the true self in man is quite different
form, and more wonderful than, what it is commonly supposed and appears to be
in the workaday life where it is subject to limitations that crowds in and
press upon it from all sides, making it look for all practical purposes a
finite element and not the limitless reality it really is.
Again, the experiments involved in raja
yoga are to be performed on ones own self, unlike those in other sciences, in
which the whole process involved is one of experiment on outside Nature. A raja
yogin is not expected to take things for granted or to blindly accept an
authority, scriptural or other wise. His is essentially a path of
self-experiment in the laboratory of the mind and he proceeds slowly but
steadily, step by step, and never stops until the goal is reached.
Man, according to raja yoga, is a
“layered entity” and is clothes in so many folds, one within the other, e.g.,
body, bodily habits, mode of life, inherited and acquired, senses and
addictions, vital airs, restless mind with innumerable mental vibrations, ever active, will and egocentricity,
etc., all of which form koshas or veils covering the atma. Within these lies
the crest jewel being itself, the ever abiding self underneath the phenomenal
personality. Thus complete liberation (mukti), consists in complete release
from the countless finitizing process enveloping the infinite ocean of the
creative life principle, so as to have all Power, all life, all wisdom, all
joy, all bliss and everything else in it's fullness. In other words, it means
depersonalization of the soul by literally tearing down the personality or the
mask, which an actor dons when he comes on to the stage to play his role. The
job of a raja yogin then, is to unmask or false identifications, and thereby to
separate the great self from the enshrouding sheaths by which it is encumbered.
Ashtang yoga or the eightfold path of
patanjali leads to what is commonly known as raja yoga. It is the ladder
whereby one achiees nirbij samadhi, unmani, sehaj awastha or the efflorescence
O the yogic art. It deals with the training of the mid and its psychic Powers
to an extent which may lead to enlightenment, whereby true perception is
attained and one gains an equipoise, a state is the pinnacle of all yogic
endeavors and practices, and once attained, the yogin while living in the
world, is yet no longer of the world. This is how taj rishi janak and Lord
Krishna, the prince of the yogins, lived in the world, ever engaged in worldly
is yet no longer of the world. This is how taj rishi janak and Lord Krishna,
the prince of the yogins, lived in the world, ever engaged in worldly pursuits
and activities, carrying the wheel of the world in their hands in perpetual
motion, yet with a still center fixed in the divine plane. All of their actions
were characterized by activity in inactivity. Such in the apex in the yoga
system, a state in which the senses, the mind and the intellect come to a
standstill. In the katha Upanishad, we have:
When all the senses are stilled, when
the mind is at rest, when the intellect wavers not –that, say the wise, is the
highest state –the kavalaya pad (the state of supreme realization).
It aims at samadhi (the final step in
patanjali’s yoga system.) whereby the individual is deindividual and perceives
within his the totality, unbounded and unembodied, limitless and free, all
pervading like the ether. It is seeing all things in the aspect of eternity.
A few words about the state of samadhi
may not be amiss here. samadhi may be conscious of the remains conscious of the
object, while in the other, there is am inner calm in which one sees and gets a
real insight, as if in a flash, of the objects as it really is. it is seeing
with the soul (or the inner spiritual eye), when our bodily are shut. This is
immediate and direct perceptual knowledge as distinct from meditate knowledge,
i.e, through the medium of the smoke colored glasses of the senses, the mind
and the maddening world outside. It is a mystical state in which chit. Manas,
budhi and ahankar all lose their respective functions and the disentangled and
deindividualized self alone shines in it's own luminosity. It is about this
state that vyasa tells us: “yoga can best be known only through yoga, for yoga
becomes manifested through yoga.” (yoga bhasya
iii:6).
The most sacred syllable with the raja
yogins in aum. In mandukya Upanishad, we have a detailed account of this word.
it is the same as the holy word in the gospel of st. John. It is the kalma or bang I qadim of the muslims, the akash
bani or vak devi of the ancient rishis, the udgit or naad of the Upanishads, the sraosha of zoroaster,
and the Naam or Shabd of the Master. The world and the Vedas all originated
from this syllable aum. In gita it is said, “the Brahmin, who reciting and
thinking upon aum, goes, forth, abandoning the body, goes on to the highest
path.” Lord Krishna speaking of himself says, “I am omkar, I am pranva in all
the Vedas, in speech I am ek akshra (the one syllable).” In the Upanishad it is
stated, “aum is the bow, the mind arrow; brahma is the target with singleness
one with the target, the individual soul will become identified with the
Brahman.”
A single vibration in brahman (eko aham
bahusiam) caused all the lokas, and with it brought into being all planes,
spiritual, casual, astral and physical, with their countless divisions
and subdivisions. The physical, with their countless divisions and
subdivisions. The physical vibration in man correspond to the Universe, with
all its trinities, like Brahma, Vishnu and Siva; Sajas Rajas and Tamas; Jagrat,
Swapan and Sushupti, all which are contained in Aum, the Lord of the three
worlds.
Lord Yama, the God Death, exhorting Nachiketa said, “The goal
uniformly extolled by all the Vedas, and for which man strives with all his
tapas, is in brief, Aum.”
Similarly, the term pranva means
something ever new and fresh, unchanging and eternal (kutastha nitya) , like
the relation between Shabda and it's meaning , as opposed to parinama nitya,
which is eternally changing .
From the above, it follows that each of
the four classical forms of yoga is but an integral part of the yoga system as
a whole as given by patanjali, with a special emphasis on one or the other
aspect of the system, and that these forms constitute a progressive development
from Mantra Siddhi to Raja yoga, each step paving the way for the next higher
stage on the yogic path.
To make yoga more practicable,
distinctions were made in later time, for different types of people, based on
individual temperaments and vocational pursuits. While the persons who were
highly intellectual and reasoned out everything very often took to Jnana Yoga
or “the yoga of knowledge,” those with an emotional temperament were offered
Bhakti Yoga or “the yoga of Devotion,” consisting of devotional exercises like
singing and chanting of hymna and psalms (as did princess Mira and chaitanya
Mahaprabhu). Again, those who were primarily engaged in the outer activities of
the world, were considered as best fitted for Karma Yoga or “the Yoga of
Action,” consisting of austerities like fasts and vigils, performance of yajnas
and other charitable acts, meritorious deeds like pilgrimages to holy places
and reading of scriptures, etc., and above all the path of selfless duty. In
this way there arose the three types of” popular yogas,”namely those of head,
heart and hand, signifying Jnana Yoga, Bhakti Yoga and Karma Yoga. These yogas
find their first clear and unequivocal exposition in the Bhagavad Gita, and
Lord Krishna stands in the same relationship to them as does patanjali to four
traditional types.
But it must be noticed that these three
types cannot be classified into water- tight compartments. Each of them can
hardly be practiced by itself to the total exclusion of the others. They simply
indicate the preominant and inherent traits be practiced by itself to the total
exclusion of the others. They simply indicate the preominant and inherent
traits in the Nature of the aspirants. A mere theoretical knowledge of yoga,
without devotion and action, is just like a tree bereft of foliage and fruit,
fit only for the woodcutter’s axe. Again, devotion per se is meaningless,
unless one has an intellectual grasp and a factual experience of the thing and actively grasp and a factual
experience of the thing and actively strives for it. Actions by themselves,
whether good or bad, without devotion and knowledge, keep one in perpetual
bondage, like fetters of gold or of steel as the case may be, for both sorts
have an equally binding force and efficacy. This world is karma kshetra, or
field of action, and all acts performed on the plane of the senses without
discriminating knowledge and loving devotion bear fruit, which the doer has of
necessity to gather up, whether he wills it or not. It is only action performed
without attachment and desire for the fruit thereof that can bring freedom. one
has therefore to become Neh Karma in this karma Bhoomi to escape from the wheel
of karmic bondage. The law of Karma is stern and inexorable, and one should not
unnecessarily go on doing karmas endlessly and remain in eternal bondage.
He alone is free from the binding
effect of karmas, who communes with the holy word.
-GURU AMAR DAS
The yoga system, thus, is in essence one
integrated whole and cannot be split into any artificial classifications. In
Bhagavad Gita or the song Celestial, which pre-eminently is a yoga sutra, the
prince of yogins, Lord Krishna, gives a clear exposition of the various types
of yogas to the Kshatriya prince Arjuna, so as to bring home to him the
importance of Swadharm, or the path of duty, as defined from various angles,
for work is nothing but worship, in the true sense of the word, if one realizes
it as such and does it without attachments to the fruit thereof.
V. JNANA YOGA OR THE YOGA OF KNOWLEDGE
(RIGHT DISCRIMINATION)
The path of Jnana is for those who are
gifted with strong intellect or mental grasp and have keen insight, capable of
penetrating into the why and whereof of things, so as to reach the core of
reality. It means right discrimination and knowledge, the first essential in
the eightfold path of righteousness as enunciated by Buddha. It is from right
understanding of the true values of life that everything else proceeds in the right
direction, for without right knowledge of Truth all endeavors, with the best of
intentions, are likely to go awry and land us sooner or later into
difficulties.
The importance of true knowledge is felt
in fact in all aspects of yogic life whether Karma Yoga or Bhakti Yoga. In
Karma Yoga, one needs to know and realize that one has a right to action or
work and not to the fruit thereof. As one cannot but do work the work therefore
to be performed in the true spirit of one’s duty, a dedication unto the Lord,
with the mind fixed on him. The renunciation of attachment to the fruits brings
evenness of temper and in the calm of self-surrender lies true yoga of
contemplation, a perfect peace born of total surrender of ones life to God.
In Bhakti Yoga also, a bhakta or a
devotee has, as a preliminary step, to understand the true significance of
bhakti or devotion to the Lord andthen to develop in himself a correct
perspective, which may enable him to see the light of his IshtDeva not only in
human beings but in every form of life.
In short, the path of Jnana Yoga lays
emphasis on the true knowledge of the inmost Reality that is, or the true
Nature of atman. “Self-contemplation”, the keynote of a true jnani, tries with
the exercise of proper discrimination to separate the apparently giant little
self (the outer man) from the little great self within (the inner man) for the
self is the foe of self, and self when properly trained becomes the friend of
self. The aim of this yoga is to chase away the darkness of ignorance with the
torch of knowledge. It is a highly analytical path and for it's successful
working, one has to adhere diligently to three things:
(1). Shravan or hearing: hearing the
scriptures, the philosophic discourses, and above all, the living teachers of
spirituality with first-hand experience of the of the Reality, who can transmit
their own life impulse to those coming into contact with them, for it is in the
company of the truly awakened soul that one awakens from ones long slumber.
(2). Manan or thinking: it consists in
intense and thoughtful contemplation of what one has heard and understand so as
to concretize the abstract, and make intellectual concepts the pulse of moment
to moments living through a careful exercise of discrimination that distinguishes
at every step the true from the false. It amounts to freeing the soul from the
noose of egoism by all possible means at ones command. It is like churning
butter out of the buttermilk.
(3). Nidhyasan or practice: It consists
in shifting the center of gravity from the ephemeral and changing self to the
abiding and eternal self, from the circumference to the center of one’s being.
This gradually brings about detachment from the pairs of opposites – riches and
poverty, health and disease, fame and ignominy, pleasure and pain, etc. – into
which one and all tend to drift in the normal course of existence.
The path of jana is a short-cut to yoga
but it is frightfully steep, and very few can take to it. it requires a rare
combination of razor-sharp intellect and intense spiritual longing, which only
a few like Buddha and Shankara possess.
The path however, would become smooth if
one, by a mighty good fortune, were to meet a Master-soul. A Sant Satguru can,
by his long and strong arm, draw an aspirant right out of the bottomless vortex
of the life of the senses, without his having to do overmuch sadhna.
VI. BHAKTI YOGA OR THE YOGA OF LOVING DEVOTION
He who with unwavering devotion
(BhaktiYoga), does God service, has crossed Beyond the strands, and is fit for
salvation.
BHAGAVAD GITA
It is a yoga of worship with a loving
and living faith, absolute and steadfast, ones Isht Deva or the object of ones
reverent adoration. It is a very popular path, most suited to those who are
endowed with an emotional bent of mind. Selfless devotion is the keynote to
success on this path. A bhakta or a devotee delights in rapturous strains, and
is ever engaged in singing hymns in praise of his Lord and never gets weary of
them. He tends to differ from a jnani both in his outlook on life and approach
to God, for instead of seeking the true self, which is also the Brahman, he
sets up a dualism between himself and his God, whom he adores as a separate and
superior being. But this dualism is not necessarily ultimate; the bhakta knows
the secret that one becomes that which one adores.
The cult of bhakti occupies an important
integral place in all the yogic sadhnas. In a Jnani, it provides a substancial
support in the form of devotion to the cause of self-knowledge. In a Karma yogin,
it manifests itself in the form of an effect, and finds it's efflorescence in
acts of loving devotion for the common weal of all creatures, for they are the
creation of God.
The path of bhakti is characterized by
three salient features: japa, prem and the symbolic representation of the
object of veneration.
(1). Japa: It connotes the constant
remembrance and repetition of Gods name; in the beginning orally, by means of
the tongue, and then mentally. All the devotees engage in this practice
irrespective of their religious orders.
The practice of telling bead is widespread in the world. The Hindus name it
mala, the Christians “rosary” and the Muslims tasbih. Unless it is performed
with the devotion and concentration, it defeats it's purpose for it runs the
risk of becoming mechanical. Thus in some countries the whole practice has
resolved itself into a mere rotating of a wheel on which are inscribed various
prayers, only the hand being kept busy, while the mind instead of being fixed
on God is left free to wander in worldly thoughts.
(2). Prem bhava or love-attitude assumes
multitudinous forms with a bhakta. Sometimes he assumes the role of a child,
and clings to God as one does to his Father or mother, and at other times
altogether reverses the process and sports with him as one does with his child.
At times, he adopts an attitude of a friend and a companion (sakha-bhava), of a
lover pining for his beloved spouse, of a devoted slave for his Master, or a
tippler for the saqi, as we find in the quatrains of Omar Khayyam. It all
depends on ones varying moods and predilections. Christ always spoke of God as
the Father, Paramhansa Ramakrishna
adored him as the mother, Arjuna the warrior prince, and Meera, the Rajput princess,
always regarded him as a Sakha or a friend and companion, while the Gopi sang
songs of poignancy and grief as any love smitten maiden would do for her lover.
(3). Next comes the chosen symbol of the
Lord. Everyone has his own conception of incarnations and Gods manifestations.
As a nameless assumes many names, so does the formless appear in many forms
according to the desires of his devotees. One may find him in a stone as sadna
did, another in an idol, for he is immanent in all forms and answers to the
prayers of all his sincere bhaktas and never lets them down. One can of course,
serve the Lord when he appears as a Goodman, a teacher of humanity like Buddha,
Christ, Kabir, Guru Nanak, teacher of humanity like Buddha, Christ, Kabir, Guru
Nanak, who by their very presence illumine the world. The process of bhaki
gradually widens the outlook of a bhakta until he sees the light of his chosen
idol pervading everywhere in and around him, and he begins to feel himself
expanding with love, till he embraces the entire creation of God. This is the
climax to which love brings him. The process was powerfully illustrated in our
own time by the life of Sir Ramakrishna. At first he worshiped the Divine
Mother as the idol in the Dakshineswar temple, then as the principle that
manifested itself in all things good and holy, and finally, as the spirit that
pervaded everything, the evil no less than the good, considering even the
courtesan as it's manifestation. The stages of the progress of a true bhakta
from dualism to monism, from a limited individuality to universality, are
traditionally termed as under:
(a)
Salokya: The stage where the devotee
desires to dwell in the same region as his Beloved.
(b)
Sampriya: The stage where he not only wishes to dwell in same region but
also in close proximity to his Beloved.
(c)
Sarup: The stage where the devotee
wishes for him-self the same form as that of his Beloved.
(d)
Sayuja: The final stage when the
devotee is content with nothing less than becoming one with the deity.
When a bhakta
has reached the end of his journey, he no longer sees any duality, but beholds
the one Deity pervading everything and everywhere. He may continue to speak of
it in the manner in which he used to do as, a Father or a Mother, but he no
longer knows any difference between that Being and himself, and so we read of
Christ saying: “I and my Father are One.”
VII. KARMA YOGA OR THE YOGA
OF ACTION
Karma is the
essence of existence, whether of man or of God, the Lord of Karma. Karmas
rightly performed, in a spirit of service to the Divine, can lead to spiritual
emancipation. Karmas or actions are of two kind: good and bad. Good deeds are
those which tend to take us nearer to our spiritual goal while the bad deeds
are those that take us farther away from it. There is no pleasure higher and
more abiding than the one that comes from rediscovering one’s true Self. Which
is really finding one’s identity with the world around. Life in all its forms is characterized by a
activity; and change is the law of life. No man can do without action, even for
a fraction of a second. Words worth has described this state of perpetual
activity thus:
The eye cannot choose but see,
We cannot bid the ear be still,
Our bodies
feel where’er they be
Against or
with our will.
This being
the case, what one has to do is to sublimate the course of ones actions, from
end to end, so that they are purged of the dross of low and mean desires and
sensual relationships. The selfless service of mankind is the highest virtue
“”Service before self” should then be the guiding principle in one’s life.
Since all life springs from God, the fountain of life and Light, life must be
made a perpetual dedication unto Him, without any desire for the fruit thereof.
Brahmsthiti or establishment in Brahman comes not by renunciation of works (saivyas),
but by giving up the desire for the fruits thereof (tyaga). It is
not work, but the motive Power behind the work, that binds us and pampers the
ego.
Karma, to be
the means of moksha or liberation from mind and matter, must satisfy three
conditions:
(i)
True knowledge of the higher values of
life: Life is itself being a continuous principle immanent in all forms of
creation and is, therefore, worthy of respect and adoration. This is the
realistic aspect of Karma.
(ii)
Sincere and loving feeling toward all
living creatures from the so-called lowest to the highest. This is the
emotional aspect of Karma.
(iii)
Karma must be performed with an active
will, without fear of punishment or hope of reward. It should, in other words,
be spontaneous, flowing automatically from one’s specific Nature (swadharma),
i.e., from a sense of duty – work for works sake and not under any restraint or
compulsion. Man is not merely a creature of circumstances, but has a will
whereby he can modify his environment and direct his own destiny. This is the
volitional aspect of Karma.
A man who lives completely for others
does not live for himself, nor would he allow his ego to get inflated by
thoughts of possessiveness. With his spirit fully detached, a karma yogin lives
in complete dissociation from his ordinary self.
He does the talk
Dictated by duty,
Caring nothing
For the fruit of the action
He is a yogi.
BHAGAVAD GITA
In brief, “selfless devotion to duty” is
the keynote to success on the path of action. In the performance of duty, one
must rise above the sense-objects, the senses, the mind and the intelligent
will, so that whatever is done from the fullness of one’s being will be a
spontaneous act in the light of the atman, and a righteous action; enabling one
to see action in inaction and inaction in action, and to be a still point in
the ever-moving wheel of life, which is at once in action and in inaction. In
this way, both the “action rightly performed” and action rightly renounced”
lead to the same goal, for it is the right understanding of the Nature of
action that brings the yogic state.
These then are the three main type of
yoga designed and fashioned according to human Nature. Each one receives the
mystic call, as one may be inclined temperamentally. To the reflective
philosopher gifted with a logical mind, it comes as – “Leave all else and know
me.” The spiritual aspirant endowed with an emotional minds get it as –“ Leave
all else and lose thyself in my love;” while a highly practical and active mind
gets the call as – “Leave all else and serve me.”
As has already been said, these three
approaches tend to overlap and cannot be wholly separated. Something of the
bhakta and the karma yogin is present in the true jnani; something of the
janani and Karma yogin in the true bhakta; and something of the jnani and the
bhakta in the true Karma yogin. The matter is not one of exclusiveness but of
dominant tendency.
VIII. OTHER YOGAS MENTIONED IN THE GITA
Besides these well-known and popular
forms, Lord Krishna gives us a few more types as well, with varying shades of
distinction between them.
Yoga of Meditation
It is yoga of one-pointed attention,
like the “Light of lamp in a windless place.” It is for the self-controlled who
can struggle hard. With the mind ever fixed on the atman, a person with the aid
of an intelligent will gradually withdraws himself from the distractions of the
mind, and finds himself a living and self-luminous soul and ever after moves
toward perfection. For this, one has to divest himself of all aspirations,
desires, hopes and possessions, and retire to a solitary place to practice
control over mind and body.
Yoga of Spiritual Experience
This experience one gains by breaking
through the three dimensional egg of gunas: Satva, rajas and tamas, and by
transcending the physical and mental states. It comes with the
understanding of the true Nature of things, i.e., vivek or discrimination. It's
merit it greater than that of the performance of rites and rituals, sacrifices
and ceremonials, scriptural studies and chanting of psalms, practice of
austerities, and the giving of alms and doing of other charitable deeds, all of
which are perforce done on and concerned with the plane of the senses, and
cannot take one Beyond.
Yoga of Mysticism
It is a refuge in the Lord by total self-surrender
unto him. It comes from knowledge of God’s true Nature and from direct vision.
In this way, one frees himself from the good and evil effects of his actions,
all of which he performs as an offering at the lotus feet of the Lord.
The Bhagavad-Gita is truly a compendium
of the yoga systems prevailing at the time of its exposition, and in fact
mentions prevailing at the time of its exposition, and in fact mentions as many
as eighteen: Vikhad yoga (Ch. I), sankya yoga (Ch. II), Karma yoga (Ch. III), Gyan –karma –sanyas yoga
(Ch. IV), karma sanyas yoga (Ch.V), atma sanjam yoga or dhyan yoga (ch. VI),
Gyan vigyan yoga (Ch. VII), akshara brahma yoga (Ch. VIII), Raja vidya raj guhya yoga (Ch. IX), vibhuti
yoga ((Ch. X) , vishva rup darshan (Ch. XI), bhakti yoga (Ch. XII), kshestra
kehetragya vibhag yoga (Ch. XIII), gun trai vibhag yoga (Ch. IV), purshottam
yoga (Ch. XV) , Devasura sampad vibhag yoga (Ch. XVI) , shradha trai vibhag
yoga (Ch. XVII) , and moksha sanyas yoga (Ch. XVIII).
From the above analysis, it is clear
that the distinctions drawn between the various aspects of the yoga system ate
illustrative rather of the human minds habit of looking at the same thing in
different ways, then of any inherit different facets of the same subjects, and
they often overlap and interpenetrate each other. If one studies the gita
closely enough, one will begin to see that while Lord Krishna speaks of
different yogas to harmonize with
varying human approaches to the divine, the practices esoteric that accompanies
them is the same. When he initiates arjuna into the mystic science, he opened
his divya chakshu or third eye, and it was only subsequently that the prince
could behold him in his universal form or visva roopa (Ch. XI). Finally, as
Guru, the great royal yogi told him to leave all else and surrender himself
completely to Him; sarva dharman parityajya mam ekam sharnam vraja (Ch. XVIII).
Further hints of the inner path are not lacking in the gita; thus in chapter I,
we are told that at the very outset the Lord sounded the five melodied conch.
But in the absence of a teacher who has himself practically mastered the
science, we tend to treat it either on the level of intellectual discussion or
that of ritual chanting, thus missing it's inner import.
It may be noted that the dualistic
assumption characterizes the first stages not only of bhakti yoga, but of all
the other types of yoga, as well. They begin by distinguishing the jiva from
the Brahman; one imperfect, finite and limited, and the other perfect, infinite
and limitless. Creation itself is the product of two principles, the positive
and the negative: sat and sato in the purely spiritual world, purush and
prakriti at the higher reaches of brahmand, brahma and shakti in midbrahmand,
kal and maya still lower and jyoti and niranjan at the bottom of the brahmand.
It is the union of these, whatever the stage, that brings the various forms
into manifested, from the minutes atom to the largest universe. The term
Brahman itself comes from two roots: vireh which denotes growth or expansion,
and manna which connotes cognition. The process of creation is one in which the
unity projects itself into dualistic and pluralistic forms, and the way backs
through the reverse process from duality and plurality forms, and the way back
is through the reverse process from duality and plurality to unity. But so long
as a person remains in the body, he cannot, according to the yogins, be always
in a state of samadhi or union with the adi purush the primal being. The yoga
system therefore believes in vedeh mukti, or final liberation only after death.
Again , the highest heaven of the yogins is Sahasrar, the region of the
thousand –petaled lights , and that of the Yogiswars is Trikuti, the headquarters of the Brahmand, the origin or the egg
of Brahman itself . Most of the prophets of the world descend from this
region, which is a half –way house between the physical and the purely
spiritual realms, and at times refer to the Beyond as par Brahm only . The path
of the Saints and the Master's however, goes Beyond these , for they speak
definitely of Sat Lok, the abode of the True One, the realm of pure spirit, and
of regions even Beyond thereto: Alakh ,Agam
and Anami
IX. YOGA IN THE
ZOROASTRIAN SCRIPTURES
It will be of interest to know that we
have, in the Gathas of Zoroaster, a five- fold system of the Beatific Union
with Ahura Mazda, which corresponds closely to the yogic systems like Jnana,
Bhakti ,Karma, etc., that we have been examining . We quote in extenso from
practical Metaphysics of Zoroastrian scholar.
(i)
Gatha Ahura Vaiti – The path of Divine
knowledge:
Look within with the penetrating enlightened mind and search out the
truth for personal self so as to over power the base self and gross physical
selfish egoism, akeen, by the evolution of the better and higher self, vahyo,
and ultimately to realize the best, Absolute Being (vahisht Ahura), and the
highest self, of Ahura Mazda or the Ultimate Reality of the Universe, Asha
Vahishta.
The polarity of the “Better and the Base,” the primordial, spiritual
subtlety and the grossest inerta, is created by the twin spirit forces: the
unfolding (spento) and the straightening (angoo), produced by Mazda. Both the
Life and the Matter produced by the harmonious coalescence of these twin spirit
forces, evolve toward perfection by their related activity.
The above is
the metaphysical path of spiritual Knowledge, as give by the Gath Ahura Vaiti
(Refer jnana Yoga).
(iii)
Gatha Ushta Vaiti- the path of Love
and Devotion:
The path of Armaiti, Divine Love and Devotion, acquired by
steadfast attachment to the Truthful Beloved Master Ratu Zarathustra.
Considering the Beloved Master, connected with the All – pervading, Infinite
Reality, as all in all, the alpha and the omega, the devotee remains detached
from and unentangled with worldly attachments, and procures the divine love,
which seeks and cherishes the Beatific Union with the All-pervading Reality
after Creator Ahura Mazda.
Thus proclaims Ratu Zarathustra in this
Gatha:
Thus Ireveal the word, which the most
Unfolded one has taught me,
The word which is the Best for the
mortals to listen;
Whosoever shall render obedience and
steadfast
attention unto me, will attain for one’s
own self,
the All embracing whole Being and
Immortality;
And through the service of the Holy
Divine Spirit
Will realize Mazda Ahura.
(Ha) . 45-8-
Refer Bhakti Yoga)
(iii) Gatha SPENTA Mainyu – the path of selfless service:
Selfless service is rendered for the
furtherance,
Growth and benevolence of the entire
Universe and all living being s therein:
The Unitive knowledge is best for men
since their birth,
Let the selfless service be rendered for
our sublimation.
(Ha). 8:5)
we must sacrifice the finite self , ego
or individuality at the altar of benevolent, philanthropic service of the
entire Universe, in order to acquire the Infinite vision of the Unity of Life
and the immanence of the All- pervading Reality through the worship of Ahura
Mazda, the Creator, source, and Ultimate Goal of all.
The Gatha ends with the soul – strirring
axiom of life:
The Most – sublimating, Ennobling will
or volition is that of righteous service.
Which the Creator of the individualized
existence culminates with the Enlightened super mind.
(Refer Karma yoga)
(iv)
Gatha Vahu – Khshetra or the path of
self – Mastery:
By
controlling the base mental propensities and mean tendencies of physical
nature, through the sublimation of the volition power, aspiring to the Divine
Kingdom of the communion of the All- loving and All- pervading Ahura Mazda, the
self – mastery is attained with calm and composed mind.
The Holy Self
– mastery is the most sustaining absolute sovereignty.
By
introspecting worshipful service, it is procured in wardly through the All-
pervading Reality,
O Mazda! Let
us achieve that best now.
(Ha) .51: 1 – Refer Raja Yoga)
(v)
Next we have the Gatha of Vanishto
Ishtish, which deals with the Path of self – sublimation. It consists in
physical, mental and spiritual culture by cultivation of higher and nobler
qualities of head and heart, in trying to realize one’s true self in relation
to the Highest Self of Ahura Mazda, and in dedicating the finite self and
relative being to Ahura Mazda.
The life on
earth is a great sacrifice, Yajna (yagna) – the voluntary sacrifice of self for
the well- being of one’ s fellow beings
It is in self
– sublimation that all human endeavors ultimately end, and in fact, it is the
objective to which all the paths as described above lead. Without true
knowledge of the paths as described above lead. Without true knowledge of the
twin spirit forces, the great cause, and selfless service, one cannot master
the self – assertive self within him so as to rise above body – consciousness,
and thus prepare himself for the spiritual path that lies ahead.
In Zoroastrian
philosophy, the twin principles, or the “ Better and Base spirit forces,” is
the fundamental law of the relative existence for evoution of life, from the
grossest base to the better and higher stages of spirituality, right up to
realizing the infinite goodness and supreme benevolence of the A bsolute Being
Beyond them. With out this polarity of the Better and the Base, the best of the
Absolute Beyond can never be realized and Impersonal Supreme Being cannot be
comprehended:
Indeed unto
one’ s self as the best of all,
The Self-
Radiant person shall impart Self – enlightenment,
So that, O
Omniscient Mazda, thou shalt reveal Thyself,
Through thy
Most Benevolent spirit, and shall grant
The Blissful
wisdom of the Divine Mind,
Through the
All- pervading Reality.
-GATHA
USHTAVAITI
In the
Venidad, the supreme, the Supreme Ahura Mazda assures us, thus:
In deed
Ishall not allow the Twin opposite spriit forms to stand in contest against the
superman who is advancing toward the Best Absolute Being .
The stars,
moon and sun, O Zarathustra, praise such a person;
I praise him,
I the creator Ahura Mazda,
Hail of
Beatitude unto thee,
O Superman!
Thou who hast come from the perishable place to the Imperishable.
-VENIDAD
X. YOGA AND OUTER SCIENCES
Having discussed
in some detail the various methods of yoga, we may in conclusion, remind
ourselves of the true warning sounded by Shankara:
The three-
fold path; the path of the world, the path of desires, and the path of
scriptures, far from giving the knowledge of Reality, keeps one perpetually
bound in the prison –house of the Universe. Deliverance comes only when one
frees himself from this iron chain.
Liberation
cannot be achieved except by the perception of the identity of the individual
spirit with the Universal spirit. It can be achieved neither by yoga, nor by
Sankhya, nor by the practice of religious ceremonies, nor by mere learning.
-
SANKARACHARYA
To bring up
to date Shankara’s message that True knowledge is a matter of direct perception
and not mere ceremony, ritual or inference, we may add that it cannot come
through the outer sciences either. The discoveries of the modern physical
sciences have indeed been spectacular, and have confirmed many O the views
about the Nature of the cosmos and of existence voiced by the yogic systems.
They have established, Beyond doubt, that everything in the universe is
relative, and that all forms are fundamentally brought into existence by the
interplay of positive and negative energies. These discoveries have led some to
presume that physical sciences can and will lead us to the same knowledge that
yogins in the past sought through yoga; that science will replace yoga and make
it irrelevant.
A blind man,
though he may not be able to see the sun, may yet feel it's heat and warmth.
His awareness of some phenomenon which he cannot directly perceive, may lead
him to devise and perform a series of experiments in order to know it's Nature.
These experiments may yield him a lot of valuable data. He may be able to chart
more accurately, perhaps than the normal man, the course of the sun, it's
seasonal changes and the varying intensity of it's radiation. But can all this
knowledge that he has gathered be a substitute for a single moment’s
opportunity to view the sun directly for himself?
As with the
blind man and the man of normal vision, so too with the scientist and the
yogin. The physical sciences may yield us a lot of valuable, indirect knowledge
of the Universe and it's Nature, but this knowledge can never take the place of
the direct perception, for just as the blind man’s inferential knowledge cannot
get at the sun’s chief attribute which is Light, so too the scientist in the
laboratory cannot get at the cosmic energy’s chief attribute, which is
Consciousness. This consciousness can only be attained through the inner
science, the science of yoga, which by opening our inner eye, bring us face to
face with the cosmic reality. He whose inner eye has been opened, no longer
needs to rely on spiritual hearsay, the assertions of his teacher, or mere
philosophic or scientific inferences. He sees God for himself and that exceeds
all proof. He can say with Christ, “Behold of Lord!” or with Guru Nanak, “The
Lord or Nanak is visible everywhere,” or with Sri Ramakrishna, “I see Him just as
I see you – only very much more intensely” (When replying to Naren – as
Vivekananda was then known – on his very first visit, in answer to his
question: “Master, have you seen God?”).
CHAPTER FOUR
Advaitism
YOGA is as
timeless as Brahman Itself. As with every fresh cycle man comes to an awareness
of the All-pervading, he tries to discover the means for realizing It. It was Hiranya-garbha, we are told, who
first taught yoga or the Divine way, but it was his successor s, Gaudapada and
Patanjali ,who developed it into a regular system. As we have already seen in
the foregoing chapter, all true yoga begins with a dualistic assumption but
ends in a non – dualistic one . It is not surprising , therefore, that many
students of the inner science should have led to controversy , by this paradox
. As time passed , confusion led to controversy, and a half –truth was often
mistaken for the full truth . It was at such a time that Shankara, the prodigy
from South India, arose to preach the true philosophy of Advaitism.
He was gifted
with amazing powers of reasoning , logic and insight and few have attained to
the depth , sublety and consistency of vision that are to be found in
Shankara’s writings . Taking up all the great scriptures as Shankara’ s
writings Taking up all the great scriptures as they came down from the past ,
he unequivocally interpreted their meaning and established their identity of
substance . He showed that the Reality was One and, in it's ultimate analysis ,
could not tolerate any pluralism or dualism. An individual Jiva might begin as
distinct from the Brahman, but by the time he had attained full realization, he
would have realized his oneness with
the Absolute , the All –pervading . Armed with clairvoyant intellectual power,
he swept Indian thought clean of all
the seeming contradictions that were clogging it's free development. We may now
examine some of the basic concepts that he taught.
Self –the basis of conscious
life
Shankara
regarded the empirical life of the individual consciousness as nothing but a
waking dream, and as any other dream, an nothing but a waking dream , and as
any other dream, an unreal substance . It's unreality comes to light when one
travels from limited to cosmic consciousness, or contemplates the relative
nature of physical consciousness as it varies from waking (jagrat), to dream
(swapan ), and from dream to dreamlessness (sushupti). If empirical experience
is relative in character, wherein lies it's reality? The answer provided by
Shankara is that it is to be sought in the Thinking Mind, which in turn only
reflects the light of the Atman, the Eternal Self, the unchanging , the
absolute, the real witness (sakshi). The principle of causality is just a
condition of knowledge. The objects appear to be real so long as we work within
the limits of cause and effect. The moment we rise above these limitations, all
objects vanish into airy nothings. In the true nature of reality, there is no
place for causation, because causal and explanation are always incomplete and
ultimately lead nowhere. The objects momentarily appear as
bubbles or ripples on the surface of the water and disappear the next
moment into the water and are no more. Water alone remains the real substratum
of the whole phenomenon. In just the same way , the Real contains and
transcends the phenomenal, and is free from
all relationships of time, space and cause. The entire world lives in
the mind of man, and it is the movement of the conscious mind that produces the
distinctions of perception, the perceiver and the perceived, a differentiation
where in fact there is none, as everything is part of the vast ocean of unity.
This state does not recognize the distinctions of knower , known and knowledge,
all of which are but relative terms with no finality about them . Similarly ,
the three states of the human experience (waking, dreaming and the dreamless)
are unreal , for none of them lasts long enough, and each gives place to the
other in turn, as the mind passes from state to state . Each of them has a
beginning and an end and exists only in the absence of the others. The term
“relativity” in itself implies it's antithesis, the “Reality,” and beyond the
three states specified above lies the atman, behind the ever changing panorama
of life , the ever unborn, eternally awake, the dreamless and self – illumined,
by it's very Nature apure cognition distinct from the non-cognition of the
sleep state.
The nature of creation
Creation as such
does not exist per Saints. The actual and the real is ever the same and is not
subject to change. The unconditioned cannot be conditioned as infinity cannot
be finitized. All that is, is Brahman, and there can be noting apart from the
Absolute Unity. It projects Itself into varying forms , which are an expression
of It's power; but if we perceive them in terms of plurality or duality and of
limitation , it is not that such qualities inhere in the Absolute , but that
our own perception is limited by the narrow, everyday, human conscious ness. He
who has passed from avidya to vidya, from ignorance to knowledge, knows the
world of the relative to be only maya or illusion, and sees the Absolute in
everything, just as he who knows the true Nature of ice sees it only as another
form of water. The power of the Absolute, popularly known as Ishwar and called
the Creator, is the root-cause of all consciousness. The world of plurality or
duality is mere maya (an instrument for measuring things on the level of the
intellect), while the real One is non –dual and hence is at once measureless
and immeasurable. To use the well- known simile- “The variety subsists in the
atman, as does a snake in the rope or a ghost in the stump of a tree.” As an
empirical experience is neither identical with the atman, so the world is
neither one with the atman nor separate from nor independent of the atman, so
the world is neither one with the atman nor separate from it.
Atman is one and
universal, unconditioned and limitless like space, but when conditioned by mind
and matter, it looks like Ghat-Akash or space enclosed in a pitcher, yet
becomes one with the universal space when the pitcher breaks a part. All the differences, then , are but in name
, capacity and form. The jiva and the atman are one and of the same essence.
Kabir, apeaking of it, says that the spirit is part and parcel of Ram, or the
All – pervading power of God. The Muslim divines also describe it (rooh )as
Amar-I- Rabbi , or the fiat of or God. while the jiva is conditioned and
limited by the limiting adjuncts, physical , mental and causal, the atman or the disembodied jiva, freed from these
finitizing adjuncts, is limitless and unconditioned.
The self or Atman
The basis of
truth lies in Self- certainty. The self precedes everything else in the world.
It come even before the stream of consciousness and all concepts of truth and
untruth, reality and unreality, and all concepts of truth and untruth, reality
and unreality, and before all considerations, physical, moral and metaphysical.
Consciousness, knowledge, wisdom and understanding presuppose some kind of
energy known as “Self” to which all these are subservient; and in fact, they
flow from it. All physical and mental faculties, even the vital airs and
empirical experiences, appear in the light of the shining Self, the self-
illuminated atman. They all have a purpose and an end that lie far deeper than
themselves and which form the springboard for all kinds of activity, whether
physical, mental and supramental. All these, however, fail to grasp the real
nature of the self, being themselves in
a state of continuous flux. Self being the basis of all proof and existing
before proof, cannot be proved. How
can the knower be known, and by whom? Self is in fact , the essential Nature of
everyone, even that of the atheist. This Self then, is eternal, immutable and
complete, and in it's essence , is eternal, immutable and completer, and it's
essence, is ever the same at all times, under all conditions and in all states.
The nature of Self
Though we know
that the Self exists, yet we do not know what it is, for knowledge it self
follows the Self and is due to and because of the Self. The true Nature of the
Self may however be comprehended by the Self, if It could be stripped of all the enshrouding sheaths of senses, mind
understanding and will , in which it is clothed and covered. What is then left
is variously described as “undifferentiated consciousness,” “Eternal knowledge”
or “pure Awareness,” Awareness,” and is characterized by the Light of the Great
Void. It is the supreme principle whose essential nature is self – effulgence.
It is the infinite, transcendental and the essence of absolute knowledge. It
has three attributes of Sat, Chit and Anand, i.e., pure existence, pure
knowledge and pure bliss. As the Self is complete in Itself, and by Itself, It
has no activity of It's own, nor, has any need for it, nor requires any outside
agency . All- pervading and self – existent, It knows no limits and no motives.
Individual knowledge and
consciousness
Though the
ultimate reality is the non – dual spirit, yet determinate knowledge and
empirical experience presuppose the existence of (i ) the knower, or the subject that knows apart from the internal
organ behind the senses and the object known. The knows apart from the internal
organ behind the senses and the object known. The knowing mind is but a
reflecting mirror that reflects the luminosity of the atman. In which knowledge
grows. ( ii) the process of knowledge as determined by modifications in the
internal organ :vritis or undulations creating
ripples and bubbles in the stream of consciousness. These vritis are of
four kinds: the Indeterminate ( manas or the mindstuff), the Determinate (budhi
or intelligent will ), Self sense (ahankar or the self – assertive ego), and
the Subconscious (chit or the deep and
hidden potencies ). The object known through the light of the atman as
reflected by the internal organ (antahkaran).
Knowledge and its sources
Knowledge is of two kinds; ultimate and final
or empirical and relative. Knowledge in it's ultimate reality is a state of
being and never grows. It is already there and is revealed by the light of the
atman, which transcends at once both the subject apprehending and the object
apprehended, Beyond which there is nothing.
True knowledge
is purely an action of the soul and is perfect in itself and independent
because of the senses and the sense organs. “An all – knowing mind,” says
professor J.M. Murray, “ embraces the totality of being under the aspect of
eternity . As we gain our entrance into the world of being , A total vision is
ours.” According to Shankara, “highest knowledge is the immediate witness of
reality itself,” for than, the knower
and the known become one reality . But the real Self which is pure awareness
cannot be the object of knowledge.
The empirical
knowledge of the external world is just like animal knowledge. It is based on
and derived world is just like animal knowledge. It is based on and derived
from the sense organs, and as such has forms
and modes all of which are
conspicuous by their absence from true knowledge. But nothing becomes real till
it is experienced. Even a proverb is no proverb until it is illustrated in
actual life and practice. All empirical knowledge is revealed either by
perception or by scriptural testimony . The human perception has never been
considered true, perfect and accurate . One may see a snake in a rope, or a
ghost in the stump of a tree. Generally, things are not what they seem to be
The colors of things we see are those that are not absorbed by them, but are
rejected and thrown out. The redness of the rose is not part of the rose but
something alien to it. Again, inference and scriptural testimony are not
altogether infallible. The source of inference is previous experience, which is
itself fallible and even if it were not, situations in the present may not
wholly fit in with the knowledge gained in the past. This is the case even with
intuition, which is the sum- total of all experience in the subconscious. A
cloud of smoke on the top of a distant hill may be indicative of fire or it may
be a sheet of fog. similarly, scriptural testimony , though admitted as an
infallible and certain source of knowledge. Cannot always be treated as such .
The vedas, which constitute the Divine knowledge, appear and disappear with the
rise and dissolution of each cycle of time. They are supposed to be an inexhaustible
mine of universal and ideal knowledge. But the term “knowledge” implies a
record of spiritual experiences gained at the supersensory planes. The moment
the experience thus gained are translated into human language and reduced to
writing, they acquire form and method and the moment they acquire form and
method , they lose their freshness and life, their quality of limitless being
That which cannot be limited, or defined, being to be treated as something
defined and limited, and instruct man from it by offering only abstractions. At
best they can only point toward the Truth, but they can never give it . The
concepts of the Universal as contained therein, remain as mere concepts, for
they can neither be received, inferred nor correctly communicated; they begin
to have meaning only when one learns to rise above the empirical plane and
experiences Truth for himself. From the above, one come to the irresistible
conclusion that “seeing,” or direct and immediate perception, is above all
proof and testimony. It is seeing in the pure light of the atman, which is free
from even the least shadow of correlativity. It is noting but a direct,
integral experience of the soul. Sruti, or revealed scripture, without first-
hand inner experience, is sound without sense. All flights of thought,
imagination or fancy , and all empirical knowledge, and is knowledge of the
Absolute . It is the self certifying experience of the soul, which bears
testimony to the recorded spiritual experience of the sages as given in the
srutis.
The nature of Brahman
The very idea of
finitude implies the existence of the Infinite, as does the word “unreal”
Again, we have the basis of all intelligence and imagination. Again , we have
the over-whelming testimony of scriptural texts, which speak of religious
experiences of all seers at all times and in all places.
The Nature of
Brahman cannot be expressed in words. It is the foundation of all that exists.
It spreads in words, It is the foundation of all that exists. It spreads
everywhere, and at the same time is nowhere in relation to anything particular.
It is a paradox at once of being and non-being . There are two ways of looking
at the problem: the negative way and the positive way. There is God, the
Incomprehensible Absolute, and God who actually creates, works, and is the
First Cause, and is known variously as the Logos or the Holy Spirit, the kalma
or the Bang- I-Qadim, the Naad or the Udgit, the Naam or the Shabd. The latter
terms indicate the life- principle, theWord or the power of God that is
immanent and vibrates everywhere from the highest to the lowest in the
universe. It is both the material and the efficient cause of the World. It is
the principle of Truth and the spirit of God (God –in – action – Ekankaar).of
this power of God, the Gospels tell us that , “The Light shineth in darkess and
the darkness comprehendeth it not.”
This power of Brahman (Ishvara) or Godhead is the medium between Brahman and
the Universe and partakes of the Nature
of both . But His oneness is not affected by self- expression into many – Eko aham bahusiam. The two exist as
reality and appearance, and the difference arises because of the limited
insight in man .
To sum up, the supreme Reality is the
basis of the world as we know it, speak it, speak of it and see it. The
plurality, or diversity in unity, is the result of erroneous judgment . The
plurality, or diversity in unity , is the result of erroneous judgment. The
world is unreal but not a subjective illusion. The Absolute is in the world but
the world is not the Absolute, for a shadow cannot take the place of the
substance. A thing based on the real cannot be the “real” itself. The world is
but the phenomenal truth and not the essential truth of the reality, or the
centripetal force at the core of it.
The individual self is a complexity of likes and dislikes, preference and
prejudices, purpose and projects, memories and associations. The conditional
jiva is essentially the unconditioned atman. This empirical self or the
individual understanding is, through
ignorance of it's own real Nature, the active doer the enjoyer and the sufferer
in the pure light of the atman, of which it has no knowledge nor any
experience. Enclosed in the physical body, composed of five elements (ether,
air, fire, water and earth), is the subtle body consisting of seventeen
elements (five organs of perception: eyes, ears, nose tongue and skin; five of
action: sight, hearing, smell, taste and touch; the five vital airs, and manas
and budhi), and also the causal or seed body. The self follows the inexorable
law of karma as it migrates from one body to another on the giant Wheel of
life. these limiting adjuncts (the physical, mental and causal), reduce the
atman to the level of a jiva (individual
consciousness), and determine it's fate, taking it into endless gyres.
In the core of the jiva is the witnessing self, that merely looks on and sheds
luster on the entire stage and while illuminating the ego, mind, senses and the
sense objects, continues to shine in it's own light, even when the stage is
cleared. It is against this illumined silver screen that the whole show takes
place.
The attainment of the state where the
atman knows itself for what it is and realizes that it is naught but Brahman,
is the goal of Advaitism. This state is one of direct experience and as
Shankara has made abundantly clear, it cannot be attained merely by
ratiocination, the reading of scriptures or the performance of rituals. It can
come only through the pursuit of yoga, and the essential thing to be remembered
is that Advaitism by itself is not a yoga but, strictly speaking, represents
the philosophy of yoga at it's subtlest and profoundest. Shankara, as he
himself clarified, was not speaking of something new. He was engaged in the
task of reformulating what had already been expressed in the Upanishads and the
Gita. Endowed with an extraordinary intellect and an amazing flair for logic,
he set about restating in a coherent and systematic form the insight embedded
in the srutis, which in subsequent times had been confused and had led to much
needless controversy. He demonstrated once and for all that any approach to
Brahman which did not preach the non-pluralistic and non-dualistic reality was
in it's very Nature illogical, and that Advaitism was in fact the logical
conclusion of yogic thought. Implicit in this approach was the view that of all
states of samadhi, the one which the individual atman lost it's identity in the Brahman (called Nirvikalp
Samadhi), was the highest. This state was to be attained here and now, and one
could be free in this life ( jivan mukta). He who had plumbed beneath the
phenomenal to the absolute, would never again be taken in by appearances. He
was a liberated spirit, living in the light of true knowledge. Past actions
might carry him onward through physical existence, but once these were
exhausted, he was absorbed wholly into the Brahman, the pure cognition.
Shankara was indeed a remarkable man of
learning and insight and his contribution to Indian thought is permanent. In
carrying it to it's logical conclusion he gave it the brilliance of consistent
clarity. But just as ritual and scriptures cannot be substitute for direct
inner experience, likewise merely knowing that the self and the Brahman are one
cannot take the place of an actual experience of this union. The philosophy of
yoga is not the same thing as yoga. At best, it can only clear our thinking of
it's present confusion and point out the final goal to be attained, but the
rest must remain a matter of practical and personal realization through yoga.
Chapter five
Surat Shabd Yoga
The Yoga Of The Celestial
Sound Current
In the foregoing
section of the study of this study, we have seen how it has been taught since
time immemorial by the Indian sages that behind the apparent self of which we
are conscious in everday existence, the self that shirks pain and seeks
pleasure, that changes from moment to moment and is subject to the effect of
time and space, there is the permanent “Self,” the Atman. This Atman forms the
basic reality, the final substance, the essence of essences, and it is in the
light of it's being that all else assumes meaning. Likewise, we have seen how
the Indian mystics have analyzed the Nature of the universe. Seen from the
surface, our world appears to be a queer composition of contradictory elements.
Faced with these contradictions, man is compelled to look for a creator who
holds the opposing forces in balance and represents permanence behind the flux
of existence. But as he penetrates deeper and still deeper, he discovers that
the contradiction are only still deeper, he discovers that the contradictions
are only apparent, not real: that far from being opposed in Nature, they are
differentiated manifestation of the same power, and that they are not even
“manifestations” properly so called, but are illusions of the ignorant mind
which are dispelled in the light of realization when one begins to know that
the ocean is changeless though it appears to change.
These two
insights are basic to Indian thought, and on closer examination will be seen to
be not separate, but one. The recognition of the true Nature of existence of
Paramatman the Brahman; while the understanding of the Nature of Paramatman or
Brahman implies an understanding of the Atman. If behind the changing,
time-ridden self, there be an eternal, changeless and timeless One, and if
behind the flux of mutability of the creation as we normally know it, there be
an Absolute Immutable Reality, then the two must be related and must in fact be
identified. How can there be two absolutes? How can the Atman be distinct from
the Brahman, when all that is, is only a projection of Brahman?
The moment we
realize these truths about the Nature of self and Overself, or the One Truth
about the Nature of Reality, the problem that inevitably poses itself is: why
do we in everyday existence experience the world in terms of duality and
plurality, feeling ourselves separate from each other and from the life in
general, and what may be the means for transcending this unnecessary
constriction of ourselves and merging into the ocean of consciousness that is
our essential state? The answer to the first part of this question has been
that the spirit, in it's downward descent, gets enveloped in fold upon fold of
mental and material apparatus which compel it to experience life in terms of
their limitations, until, no longer conscious of it's own inherent Nature, the
soul identifies itself with their realm of time and space – nam-rup-prapanch.
The answer to the second part has been that the soul can bear witness to
itself, provided it can divest itself of it's limiting adjuncts. The many forms
and variations of yoga that we have examined are no more than the various
method evolved for accomplishing this process of disentanglement or spiritual
involution.
The one
recurring theme in the teaching of all great rishis and mystics has been that
their insights are based
on inherited
learning, philosophical speculation or logical reasoning, but on first-hand
inner experience or anubhava – a word whose lucidity of expressiveness defies
translation. They explain that seeming difference are not because of any
contradiction inherent in what they say, but because men vary greatly in
temperament, and what is possible for the man of a cultured and refined
intelligence is impossible for the unsophisticated peasant, and vice versa.
Various rivers may wend through different plains, but they all reach the sea.
Patanjali’s eightfold path is the first major attempt to correlate the many
available avenues into a single coherent system for spiritual reintegration.
Later rishis and teachers derived much guidance from him, but their teaching
implicitly embody the recognition that his system is too exacting and tends to
deny spiritual attainment to the average man. furthermore, it is so complex
that for the majority of sadhaks (aspirants) it is likely to become a maze in
which they lose their way and mistake the intermediate goals for the final
destination. And so, while mantra yoga, laya yoga, Hatha Yoga and especially
Raja Yoga carry on Patanjali’s tradition in modified forms, there emerges three
other major forms that represent, in contrast to the Asthanga Marg, a great
simplification and specialization. The Jnana Yogin, the Karma yogin or the
bhakta no longer need to retire from the world or undergo exacting
psycho-phisical disciplines. Each approaches the goal from a particular angle
and reaches it by sheer purposeful concentration.
The end of all
yoga, as Shankara clarified, is absorption into the Brahman. All the path
therefore aim at samadhi, in which state such experience can be attained. But
if patanjalis system and it's derivatives have certain serious drawbacks, it is
a question whether the three other major forms are wholly without them. If for
the karma yogin freedom lies through detachment and desireless, is it possible
for him to be completely free? Does he not seek emancipation in following his
path, and is not that itself a form of desire? Besides it is psychologically
possible for the human mind to detach itself completely from it's normal field
of experience without first anchoring itself in another and higher one? It is
universal characteristic of man that he seeks kinship with source of all his
great achievements. The child is bound to his toys, and the adult to family and
society. As in the case of a child, you may not without harm deprive him of his
play things until he has outgrown them psychologically, likewise to expect the
sadhak to give up his social family attachments without first outgrowing them
by discovering something greater and larger, is to cut at the root of life. it
will not bring progress but regression, for the man who undertakes it as an
enforced discipline only succeeds in repressing his natural desires. The result
is not the enhancement of consciousness but it's numbing and atrophy, not
detachment but indifference. This, as Mr. T.S. Eliot has pointed out, “differed
completely” from both “attachment” and “detachment,” resembling
. . . .the
others as death resembles life, being between two lives – unflowering, between
the live and the dead nettle.
The discipline of karma yoga is a
necessary one, but if it is to fulfill it's end it must be completed by another
discipline of an esoteric kind, without which it tends to reduce itself to an
ineffectual attempt to lift oneself up by one’s shoestrings.
As for the Jnana
yogin, jnana may carry him very far indeed. It may take him beyond the gross
physical plane into the spiritual ones. But can jnana carry him beyond itself?
And if Jnana, which as we have seen, forms one of the koshas that encompass the
atman, albeit a very rarefied one, how can it then give the soul absolute
freedom? Jnana is the help and yet it may prove to be the hindrance. It has
indubitably the power to rid the soul of all encumbrances grosser than itself,
but having reached thus far it tends to clog further progress. And since it is
not of the true essence of the soul, the Absolute, it cannot be wholly above
the reach of Kala or time, Kala and Mahakala, thus: the first of these extends
over the physical world and the less gross regions immediately above it,
whereas the second stretches to all the higher planes that are not of pure
spirit. Hence, the gains that the jnani achieves may be out of the reach of time
as we normally conceive it (Kala), but they are not wholly Beyond the reach of
greater time (Mahakala). It need hardly be pointed out that what is true of
Nature of the Atman, and as such cannot lead It to a state of Absolute Purity,
Beyond the realm of relativity.
Besides it's
inability to ensure absolute freedom, Jnana Yoga is not a path accessible to
the average man. it demands extra ordinary intellectual powers and stamina
which few possess. It was to meet this difficulty as itself , that Bhaki Yoga came into prominence. He who
normally would not be able to detach himself from the world nor had the mental powers to analyse or bridge the true
self from the untrue could by the power of love leap or bridge the gap and
reach the goal. But how can man love that which has neither form nor shape? So
the bhakta anchors himself in the love of some Isht – deva, some definite
manifestation of God. But in overcoming this practical difficulty he exposes
himself to the same limitations as the
jnani. The chosen Isht – deva by it's very nature represents a limitation upon
the Nameless and Formless Absolute . And even if the bhakta reaches the level
of that manifestation, can that limited being take him Beyond itself to that
which has no limitation?
A study of lives
of the prominent exponents of this system clarifies the point. Ramanuja, the
well-know mystic of the Middle Ages , failed to apprehend what in Indian
philosophy is known as the school of vasisht advaita , i. E., that the Atman
can reach Iahwar ( God as the manifested creator of the Universe ) , and can
get saturated with cosmic consciousness, but it can never become one with Him .
what to say then of reaching God as the Unmanifested, Nameless Brahman? The experience of Sri Ramakrishna in our own
time once again bring out. this limitation . He had always been a worshiper of
the Divine Mother and she often blessed him with her visions. But he always
perceived her as something other then himself , as a power outside himself and
one for whose operation he could often become a medium, but in which he could
not merge himself, when he subsequently met Totapuri, an advaita sanyasin, he realized that he must or form
and where the Self and the Overself became one. When he attempted to enter into
such a state he discovered that his earlier attainments became a hurdle in spit
of all his efforts . He tell us:
I could not cross the realm of name and
from and bring my mind to the unconditioned state . I had no difficulty in
withdrawing my mind from all objects except one, and this was the all too
familiar form of the Blissful Mother –radiant and of the essence of pure
consciousness- which appeared before me as a living reality and would not again
I tried to concentrate my mind upon the advaita teachings , but every time the
Mother’s form stood in my way . In
despair I said to “the naked one” (his Master Toapuri ), ‘ It is hopeless. I cannot raise my mind to
the unconditioned state and come face to face with the Atman.” He grew excited and sharply said,
“what ! you can ‘t do it ? But you have to .” He cast his eyes around for
something and finding a piece of glass he took it up and pressing it's point
between my eyebrows said, “ concentrate your mind on this point.” Then with
stern determination I again Sat to meditate, and as soon as the gracious form
of the Divine Mother appeared before me, I used my discrimination as a sword and with it severed it into two .
There remained no more obstruction to my mind , which at once soared Beyond the
relative plane, and I lost myself in samadhi .*
It is clear
therefore that while the bhakta can go very far spiritually , can greatly
enhance his consciousness, gain miraculous powers , and anchored in a higher
love rise above the love of this world , it is nevertheless not possible for
him to get Beyond the plane of “ name and form ,” and therefore of relativity .
He may get lost in the contemplation of the Godhead with His amazing attributes
, but he cannot experience the same in
it's Nirguna and it's Anami , it's “
unconditioned” and Nameless” state . He can feel himself saturated with cosmic
consciousness, but it come to him as something outside him- self as a gift of
grace, and he is not able to lose himself in it and become one with the Ocean
of Being . If he does seek to attain that state , his accomplishment as a
bhakta, instead of helping him further , tends to hinder and obstruct him .
The two thing
that emerge from an examination of the popular forms of yoga that were evolved
after Patanjali are: first that soul can rise above physical consciousness,
given means whereby it can focus it's energies, without recourse to the arduous
control of can focus it's energies, without recourse to the arduous control of
pranas, and second that full spiritual realization the physical ( though that
is necessary as first step ) , but is the end of a complex inner journey in
which there are many intermediate stages the attainment of which , under
certain conditions, may be mistaken for the final goal and may thus debar
further progress. The problem that arises before the true seeker in the face of
such a situation is to discover a means other that that of pranas, jnana, ,
or bhakti of an Isht – deva, as not only to enable the spirit – currents to be
released from their present upward unhindered from one spiritual plane to
another until it transcends completely
all the realms of relativity of naam and rup , of kala and mahakala, and
reaches it's goal : at – one ment with the Nameless and Formless one.
The Sound current
It is in the
context of this problem that surat Shabd Yoga, or the yoga of the celestial
Sound Current , assumes it's unique importance. Those who have mastered this
yoge teach that the Absolute , though free of attributes in It's primal state ,
projects itself into from and assumes two primary attributes: Light and Sound.
It Is no mere accident, they point out , that are frequent references to
the “word” which occupies a central
position in their pattern. In the Gospels we have:
In the beginning
was the word and the word was
with God and the word was God .
- ST. John
In ancient
Indian scriptures we read repeatedly of Aum , the sacred word pervading the
three realms of bhur, bhuva and swah ( i.e., the physical , astral and causal
).
Again , Nanak says:
The earth and
sky are of naught but Shabd (word).
From Shabd alone
the light was born,
From Shabd alone
creation came,
Shabd is the
essential core in all.
Shabd is the
directive agent of God , the cause of all creation.
- PRABHATI
The Muslim Sufis
declare :
Creation came
into being from saut ( sound or word )
and from saut
spread all light .
- SHAMAS TABREZ
The Great Name
is the very essence and life of all
names and forms
.
it's manifest
form sustains creation;
it is the great
ocean of which we are merely the waves,
He alone can
Comprehend this who has mastered or
discipline.
- ABDUL RAZAQ
KASHI
Moses heard the
commandments of God amidst thunder and flame , while in Zoroastrian and Taoist
thought alike there and to the “ creative verbum ,” the Divine Light,” and to
the “wordless Word,” the silent word.
Some learned
scholars and theologians in subsequent time, because of their own limited
experience , have interpreted these descriptions as metaphoric reference, to intuitive or intellectual
enlightenment. On closer examination such a position will be found to be
untenable . the terms “ word “ or Logos as used by the Greeks , Hebrews and
Europeans, may be distorted to mean “ reason “ or “ order,” and “light” may
even be made to mean “ reason “ or “
order,” and light,” may be distorted to mean “ reason” or “ order,” and “light,” may even be distorted to mean “ reason” or “ order,” and light,” may even be
distorted to mean no more than mental illumination, but their equivalents in
other religious literature- ned , udgit , akash- bani , Shabd, Naam, saut ,
bang –I – Ilahi , nida -Asmani, srasha, tao , and jyoti, prakash ,tajalli,
nur—yazdani, ect., refuse to bear such a travesty of their original mystic
meaning . what is more ,some seers have stated their real connotation in such a
way that there can be no scope for equivocation or room for doubt that what is
involved is not figurative expression of ordinary mental experience, but
transcendent inner perception . thus in the Revelation of St John we have:
His eyes were as
a flame of fire … His voice as the
sound of many waters
…His countenance was as the sun shineth in
his strength
And I heard a
voice from heaven , as the voice of
Many waters, and
as the voice of a great thunder:
And I heard the
voice of harpers, harping with their harps.
While in the
Upanishads we are told:
First the murmuring sound resembling those of
the
Waves of the
ocean , the fall of rain and them running
rivulets, after
which the bhervi will be heard, inter-
mingled with the
sounds of bell and conch .
- NAD
BINDUPANISHAD
The Prophet
Mohammed heard celestial music which gradually assumed the shape of Gabriel and
formed itself into words; while Baha U’ llah relates:
Myriads of
mystic tongues find utterance in one
Speech , and
myriads of His hidden mysteries are
Revealed in a
single melody ;yet also , there is no ear
To hear nor
heart to understand!
Blind thine eyes
, that thou mayest behold My
Beauty , and
stop thine ears that thou mayest hearken
Unto the sweet
melody of My voice.
These references
to Light and sound , say the Master's of the Surat Shabd Yoga, are not
figurative but literal, referring not
to the outer illumination or sound s of this world , but to inner
transcendent ones. They teach that the
transcendent Sound and Light are the primal manifestations of God when He
projects Himself into creation. In His Nameless state He is neither light nor
darkness, neither sound nor silence, but when He assumes shape and form , Light
and Sound emerge as His primary attributes.
This spirit
force, Word, Naam, Kalma or God- in – action , is responsible for all that is
and the physical universe that we know are not all that is, and the physical
universe that we know are not the only ones
that It has created. It has
brought into being myriad regions and myriad creations over and above the
physical. Indeed the whole the positive pole ( sach khand or Satguru Lok ) is a
plane of pure, unalloyed spirit ,while the Negative pole ( pind ) is of gross physical matter with which we in this world
are familiar . In between are countless regions which those who have journeyed
from one end to the other often divide into three distinct planes in
accordance with the balance of positive
– spiritual and Negative – material forces in each plane .
The Master's
teach that the one constant principle that links all these planes from pure
spirit to gross matter is the principle of the flaming sound or the sounding
flame . The word or Shabd as it
descends downward assumes a varying density of spirituo-material forces.
Mystics speak of the purple light and the light of the noonday or setting sun,
and refer to the sounds of flutes, harps, violins, conches, thunder , bells
running water, etc., but though manifesting differently at different levels the
Shabd yet remains constant in Itself .
As a river
springing from the snowy peak of a towering mountain flows toward the sea, it
undergoes many changes of setting ,
motion and appearance , and it's waters remain the same.
If one could
discover this audible life- stream with oneself, if one could discover this
audible life – stream within oneself , if one could discover this audible life-
stream within oneself, if one could discover its lower reaches, one could use
it as a pathway leading inevitably to it's source. The currents might at
certain points enter gorges and rapids, but rapids, but nevertheless they are
the surest way on the upward journey. Be a range howsoever unscalable, the
waters will have cut a pass and carved
a passage, and he who will avail himself of their guidance would never fail to
find a way. And since this Naam or word current springs from the Anaam or the
wordless, he who holds firmly to it will inevitably reach the starting point, transcending plane after plane
of varying relativity until he arrives at the very source of name and
form; thence to merge into That which
has no name or form.
The cornerstones
The sound
Current undoubtedly offers the surest way to man for reaching from form to the Formless, but the question
arises, how can man get access to It and thus accomplish his inner journey?
Those proficient in this path always maintain that there are three conditions
that must be fulfilled before success in this truest through of all yogas can
be attained:
Satguru: The
first condition is that of finding a
satguru or true teacher who is an adept in this mystic science. The
subject is one of practical self – realization, not of philosophic dissertation
or intuitive feeling. If it were one of mere theory, then books and scriptures
would be enough for our purpose, and if it were one of mere feeling then each
could trust the prompting of his own mind. But the question before us is that of unlocking a “ sixth” sense , one of
direct transcendental perception , of inner hearing and seeing . One born deaf
and blind may , with the help of Brail
, learn the most detailed expositions of man’s rich and varied audio- visual
experience , but his study can never give him direct experience. The most that
he can get from books is the realization of an extensive plane of experience
wholly Beyond him, and this can generate in him the urge to discover means
whereby he can overcome his physical limitations. It is the expert surgeon or
doctor who alone can effects a cure ( provided his ailment is curable ). And
should he fall into the hands of a charlatan , his condition will only become
worse and more complicated.
In like manner ,
the aspirant who has seeks inner spiritual mastery must seek the aid of one who
has already mastered the way . All his readings of scriptures, all his thinking
, can at best lead to a single conclusion, provided he is sensitive to the
point involved : the need for a living Master. Without such a master he cannot
even understand the true import of the
revelatory scriptures. They speak
of experience Beyond his level of experience, and even in his own
language they can only speak in metaphors and parables, for how can the
discourses of the blind be made to express directly that of the seeing? To
attempt to interpret the rich spiritual heritage in our religious literature
wholly in terms of our own limited experience might lead to a distortion of the
true meaning. We might gather a lead of psychological wisdom, but the inner
significance would be lost on us, and all of our intellectual theorizing would
only land us in unending theological contradiction with which the various
institutionalized religions are encumbered today.
Only one who has
himself experienced what the great scriptures describe, can guide us to their
real significance. But the task of a spiritual teacher does not end there. The
elucidation of the true meaning of the religions is no more than a first step.
After the aspirant has understood the Nature of his goal, he must pursue it practically
and rationally. To know is one thing, and to do is quite another. It is only
after he has explained to the aspirant the end to be attained that the Master’s
real task begins. It is not enough that the doctors diagnoses the cause of the
blind man’s ailment, he must perform the operation as well. So too the
spiritual guide at the time of initiation gives the disciple a first-hand
experience of the inner Light and sound. He puts him into touch with the Divine
Stream, be it at it's lowest level, and instructs him in the sadhnas to be
followed for consolidating and developing this inner experience to it's full
extent.
He who can find
such a teacher is blessed indeed. But to discover such a one and be initiated
by him is not enough. The germinal spiritual experience that he gives must be
nurtured and developed to the point of full spiritual efflorescence. To be able
to do this, one must accept whatever one learns and attempts to put it into
practice. To know such a man is to love him, and to love him is to follow his
commandments. Until one can thus love and obey, and so transform one’s life,
the gift of the Guru remains as a seed locked away in a steel vault where it
cannot sprout and grow to fruition.
Sadachar: It is the necessity for self-discipline that makes sadachar the
second cornerstone of the pattern. The word Sadachar is not easy to translate.
One can find many literal equivalents, but none of them really expresses it's
extensive and many sided significance. In brief, it stands for the good and
pure life. it does not imply any rigid code or set moral formulae, but suggests
purity and simplicity, which radiate from within and spread outward, permeating
every action, every words, every thought. It is as much concerned with ones
personal habits, good and hygienic, as with one’s individual and social ethics. And on it's ethical side,
it is concerned not merely with ones relation to ones fellow men but to all
living things, i.e., harmony which is the result of recognition that all things
are from the same essence, and so a worm is as much a part of Brahman as the
mightiest of Gods, Indra.
The first lesson
taught by a true Guru is that of “the Identity of substance,” and he who has
grasped this truth will discipline his life accordingly. He will not be a prey
to inordinate desires, and his one aim will be to reach the point which holds
in itself all actions, the point where to have nothing is to possess
everything. He will know that the one path to fulfillment is through
renunciation, and the one way to reach the Almighty is through freeing himself
from all other attachment:
In order to
arrive at having pleasure in everything,
Desire to
have pleasure in nothing.
In order to
arrive at possessing everything,
Desire to
possess nothing.
In order to
arrive at being everything,
Desire to be
nothing.
- ST. John of the Cross
Cleanse the
chamber of thy heart
That thy
beloved may enter
- TULSI SAHIB
Where there
is nothing, there is God.
- W.B. YEATS
Freed from the
demon of desire (kama), he will be freed from the demon of wrath (krodh), which
follows upon frustration of desire. Liberated from these, he would be freed
also from greed (lobh), attachment (moh) and pride (ahankar), which are but the
extensions of desire.
His would be a
life of detachment or of nishkama. But detachment would not be for him a life
of indifference or of ascetic renunciation. To know all life is to discover a
new bond between oneself and the rest of creation. He who know this cannot be
merely “indifferent.” He must perforce be filled to overflowing with sympathy
for all that he confronts, and sympathy for all that he confronts, and sympathy
towards the whole must imply a certain holy indifference to the part. He will
be no longer be tied to his own narrow individual interests, but will share his love and resources with all. He
will develop, slowly but surely, something of the compassion of the Buddha and
the love of Christ. Nor will he feel himself called upon to leave the world for
the solitude of the forest, the mountain or the desert cave. The detachment
must be an inner one, and one who cannot achieve it at home will not achieve it
in the forest. He will recognize the great use of occasional retreats from
worldly affairs and cares to the silence of solitary meditation and
concentration, but he will not seek to escape from life and it's
responsibilities. He will be a loving husband and a good Father, but while
being these he will never forget the ultimate purpose of life, always knowing
how to give unto Caesar that which is Caesar’s, and preserving for God that
which is Gods. The way for transcending desire, he will know, is not through
repressing it but meeting it squarely and overcoming it. to him, sanyasa is
not a matter of outer evasion or escapism but of inner freedom, an idea that is
well expressed by Nanak thus:
Let
contentment be your ear-rings,
And endeavors
for the Divine and respect for the
Higher self
your wallet,
And constant
meditation on him your ashes,
Let
preparedness for death be your cloak,
And let your
body be like unto a chaste virgin.
Let your
Master's teachings be your supporting
Staff.
- Jap Ji
The two cardinal virtues that such man
will cultivate will be charity and chastity. He will be large of heart and
bounteous, caring more for the suffering of others than for his own, and easily
forgiving those that injure him. He will be simple and restrained in his
habits. His wants will be few and easily satisfied, for one who has too many
desires and too many attachments cannot be pure of heart .For him chastity will
extend even to giving up meat and drink. When all life is one, to live upon the
flesh of other living beings would be to defile . And when one’s goal is to
attain even higher realms of consciousness ,to resort to narcotics and
intoxicants is only to court regression. It is not an idiosyncracy of Indian
seers that they should have made abstinence from meat and drink a necessary
part of the spiritual disciple. We have similar injunctions in the Koran and
the Holy Bible. Thus in Proverbs 23:20, we find:
Be not among
winebibbers; among riotous eaters of flesh.
And in Romans 14:21:
It is good neither to eat flesh, nor
drink wine, nor anything whereby thy brother stumbleth, or is offended, or is
mad weak.
And in Corinthinans 6: 13:
Meats for the belly, and belly for meat;
but God shall destroy both it and them. Now the body is not for fornication but
for the Lord; and the Lord for the body.
In the Essence of Gospel of John (direct
Translation from the Aramaic of the pure original words of Jesus), we have:
But they
answered Him: “Whither should we go, Master . . . . for with you are the words of eternal life. tell us, what are the
sins we must shun, that we may never more see disease?”
Jesus answered:
“Be it so according to your faith,” and he sat down them, saying:
“It was said to
them of olden time, ‘Honor thy Heavenly Father and they Earthly Mother, and
their commandments, that thy days may be long upon the earth.’ And next was
given this commandment: ‘Thou shalt not kill,’ for life is given to all by God,
and that which God has given, let not man take away. For I tell you truly, from
one Mother proceeds all that lives upon the earth. Therefore he who kills,
kills his brother. And form him will the Earthly Mother turn away, and will
pluck from him her quickening breasts. And will be shunned by her angels, and
Satan will have his dwelling in his body. And the flesh of slain beast in his
body will become his own tomb. For I tell you truly, he who kills, kills
himself and whosoever eats the flesh of slain beasts, eats of the body of
death. And their death will become his death. For the wages of sin is death.
Kill not, neither eat the flesh of your innocent prey, lest you become the
slave of Satan. For that is the path of suffering, and it leads unto death. But
do the will of God, that his angels may serve you on the way of life. Obey,
therefore, they words of God: ‘Behold, I have given you every herb, bearing
seed, which is upon the face of all the earth, and every tree, in which is the
fruit of a tree yielding seed; to you it shall be for meat. And to every beast
of the earth, and to every fowl of the air, and to everything that creepeth
upon the earth wherein there is breath of life, I give every green herb for
meat.’ Also the milk of everything that moveth and that liveth upon each shall
be meat for you; even as the green herb have I given unto them, so I give their
milk unto you. But flesh, and the blood which quickens it, shall ye not eat.”
And Jesus
continued: “God commanded your forefathers, ‘ Thou shalt not kill.” But their
heart was hardened and they killed. Then moses desired that at least they
should not kill men, and he suffered them to kill beasts. And then the heart of
your forefathers was hardened yet more, and they killed men and beasts
likewise. But I say to you: Kill neither men, nor beasts, nor yet the food
which goes into your mouth. For if you eat living food the same will quicken
you, but if you kill you food, the dead food will kill you also. For life comes
only from life, and from death comes always death. For everything which kills
your foods, kills your bodies also. And everything which kills your bodies,
kills your souls also. And your bodies become what your foods are, even as your
spirits, likewise, become what your thoughts are.”
With the
chastity in food and drink will go another kind of chastity, the one that
pertains to sex. One will not surpass all sexual desire, for repression can
only breed neurosis and prepare the way for a downfall, but he will be ever
seeking to sublimate it. he will understand that natures purpose in this
instinct is to preserve the race and will channel it so as to fulfill that
purpose, never making it an end in itself, a source of physical pleasure, for
when it becomes that, it turns into a drug that anaesthetizes the spirit and
begins to defeat natures purpose of procreation by encouraging the invention
and use of contraceptives.
In short, the
sincere and conscientious aspirant will reorient his entire mode of life, in
eating and drinking, thinking, acting feeling, etc. He will gradually weed out
of his mind all irrelevant and unhealthy desires, until he gradually attains
the state of purity and simplicity that marks the child.
Verily I say unto you, except ye be
converted and become as little children, ye shall not enter into the kingdom of
God.
- ST. MATTHEW
All religious
teachers the world over, laid great stress on higher moral values, and these
fact, constitute the groundwork for their teachings. A true Master always
insist on maintaining of a record of daily lapses in thought, word and deed,
from non-injury, truth, chastity, universal love and self-service of all, the
five cardinal virtues that pave the way for spiritual. It is only the knowledge
of our faults that can make us weed them out and strive in the right direction.
Through all this
process of reintegration, his inspiration will be the example of his Master and
the inner experience he gives. His Master’s life will be a living testament
beckoning him toward the ideal of sadachar, and the experience he has of the
word within will stand as a proof of the truth of what his Master teaches.
Sadachar is no dry discipline that can be attained by following certain set
formulae. It is a way of life, and in such matters only heart to heart can
speak. It is this that makes Satsang, or association with a true Master, so
important. It not only serves as a constant reminder of the goal before the
seeker but through the magic touch of personal contact, gradually transform his
entire mode of thinking and feeling. As his heart and mind under this benign
influence grow gradually purer, his life more fully centers in the divine. In
short, as he increasingly realizes in practice the ideal of sadachar, his
thoughts, now scattered and dissipated, will gain equipoise and integration
till they arrive at so fine a focus that the veils of inner darkness are burnt
to cinder and the inner glory stands revealed.
Sadhna : And now
we come to third cornerstone of the spiritual edifice , that of spiritual
sadhna or discipline. The one recurrent that of a puran guru or perfect teacher, is That the good
life, though highly desirable and indispensable , is that an end in itself .
The goal of life is something inner and different. It is an ascension from the
plane of relativity and physical existence into one of absolute Being . He who
recognizes this will mould his life accordingly , first, being free from ego
and attachment, expresses itself in virtuous and creative action, and second ,
because without that cultivating such a state of mind and of life one cannot
attain the poise and concentration required for inner ascension.
So the basic
stress of the enlightened teacher is laid always upon the transcendental goal.
He teaches that the pranic and vigyanic energies are not of the essence of
Atman, but take their birth in planes lower than those of pure spirit . He
who would use them as a ladder may
transcend bodily consciousness , may reach the planes whence they originate, but
he can not reach Beyond . The spirit being similar in all, the means to
spiritual enlightenment should likewise be accessible to all. But , as has been
seen already , such forms of yoga as
are based on the pranas or on jnana make special demands which all
cannot fulfill. The pranic systems are Beyond the reach of the old or those of
tender approaches were indeed the natural
ones open to few. If these approaches capacities were indeed the natural
ones open to us, then the logical conclusion would be that Nature is very
partial in her blessings , discriminating between man and man. why , if the sun
shines for all, and the wind blows for all, should the inner treasures be
available and the unlearned.
Yogas that are
so discriminating in selecting their practitioners, and so exacting in their
practice, cannot be wholly natural. The
method taught by the Master's of the
surat Shabd Yoga is different. As
mentioned earlier, the nature of creation and the way back to life’s initial
source is explained to the seeker. At the time of initiation , he is given a
first – hand inner experience which he is taught to develop. The seat of the
soul is between and behind the eyebrows. This at least is accepted by all
yogas. It is to this point that mystics refer when they speak of shiv netra,
divya chakshu, tisra til, brahmrendra, triambka, trilochana, nukta – I – sweda
, koh –I- toor, third eye, single eye, figuratively called the still point ,
the mount of transfiguration, etc . It is at this point that the sadhak having
closed his eyes must focus his attention, but the effort at concenteation must
be an effortless one and there must be no question of any physical or mental
strain . or assist this effort the teacher gives the disciple a mantra, or
charged verdal formula, which is symbolic of the journey ahead. This for mula ,
when repeated slowly and loving ly with the tongue of thought, helps the
disciple to collect his scattered thoughts gradually at a single point. What
gives this mantra it's potency is not any magic inherent in the words per
Saints, but the fact that it is given by one who, by his own spiritual practice
and mastery, has charged it with inner power. When the aspirant, by his inner
concentration and by the mental repetition of the charged words, has brought
his inward gaze to a sharp and steady focus , he will find that the darkness
within that he at first confronted, gets gradually illuminated by shifting
points of light . As his powers of concentration increase, the lights cease
flickering and develop into a single radiating point.
This process of
concentration, or the collection of surat, automatically draws the spirit
–currents, normally dissipated all over
the body , toward the spiritual center. This withdrawal is greatly assisted by
Simran or repetition of the chared mantra; and the perception of the inner
light, leading to still further . In turn, dhyan when fully developed , leads
to bhajan or inner hearing . The inner light begins to become resonant.
Within thee is
Light and within the Light the Sound,
And the same
shall keep thee attached to the True one.
- GURBANI
The
practitioner, when he shuts his physical ears, gets rapidly absorbed into the
music. It is a common experience that though light can catch the eye, It is a common experience that though light
can catch the eye, it cannot hold it for very long and has no very magnetic
quality about it. But with music it is different. He who hears it in silence
and stillness, is drawn irresistibly , as it were , into anther world , a
different realm of experience. And so the process of withdrawal that begins
with Simran, is stimulated by dhyan, and is rapidly extended by bhajan . The
spiritual currents, already moving slowly , are carried upward, upward,
collecting finally at the third eye- the seat of the soul. The spiritual
transcending of physical consciousness, or death in life , is thus achieved
with the minimum of effort and travail.
When students of
the other forms of other forms of yoga
reach the state of full physical transcendence after along and exacting mastery
of the lower charkas, they generally assume that they have reached their
journey’s end. The inner plane at which they find themselves- the realm of
Sahasrar or sahasdal kamal , often
symbolized by the sun – wheel , the lotus or the multifoliate rose- is indeed
incomparison more beautiful than anything on earth , and in comparison appears
timeless. But when the student of the
surat Shabd Yoge succeeds in rising above physical consciousness, he finds the
radiant From of his Master waiting unsought to receive him. Indeed, It is at
this point that real Guru – shishya or teacher – student rela tionship is
established . Up to this stage , the Guru had been little more than a human teacher, but now he is seen as
the divine guide or Gurudev, who shows the inner way :
The feet of my
Master have been manifested in my
forehead,
And all my
wanderings and tribulations have ended.
- GURU ARJAN
With the
appearance of the Radiant Form of the
Master within,
No secret
remains hidden in the womb of time.
Chirist also
speaks in the same strain :
There is nothing
covered, that shall not be revealed,
and hid, that
shall not be known.
- ST. MATTHEW
Under the
guidance of this Celestial Guide the soul learns to overcome the first shock of
joy, and realizes that it's goal lies still
far ahead. Accompanied by the Radiant Form and drawn by the Audible Life
current, it traverses from region to region, from plane to plane, dropping off
kosha after until at last it stands
wholly divested of all that is not of
it's Nature. Thus disentangled and purified it can at last enter the realm
where it sees that it is of the same essence as the supreme Being, that the
Master in His Radiant form and the soul are not separate but One , and that there is naught but the
Great Ocean of consciousness , of Love , of Bliss ineffable. Who shall describe
the splendor of this realm?
Only heart to
heart can speak of the bliss of mystic
Knowers:
No messenger can
tell it and no missive bear it.
- HAFIZ
When the pen set
to picturing this station,
It broke in
pieces and the page was torn.
PERSIAN MYSTIC
Having reached
the journey ‘ s end, the seeker too merges with the word and enters the company
of the Free Ones . He may continue to live other men in this world of human
beings, but his spirit knows no limitations and is as infinite as God himself .
the wheel of transmigration can no longer affect him , and his consciousness
knows no restrictions. Like his Master before him , he does nothing for himself
but works in God ‘ s name . If there be
indeed any Neh –karmi (one free from the bonds of action ), it is he , for
there is no more potent means to freedom than the power of the word.
He alone is
action- free who communes with the word.
GURBANI
Freedom for him
is not something that come after death (videh mukti ); it is something achieved
in life itself . He is ajivan – mukta (free –in- life; a flower shedding
fragrance, he spreads the message of freedom wherever he goes.
Those who have
communed with the word, their toils shall end.
And their faces
shall flame with glory .
Not only
shallthey have salvation,
O Nanak, but
many more shall find freedom with them.
- JAP Ji
In actual
practice of the spiritual discipline , stress is laid on Simaran, Dhyan and
Bhajan, each of which plays a specific role in unfoldment of the self. The
Master gives Simran or mental
repetition of the charged words, which help in gathering to-gether the
wandering wits of the practitioner to the still point of the soul between and
behind the two eyebrows, to which place the sensory currents now pervading from
top to toe are withdrawn, and one becomes lost to the consciousness of the
flesh. The successful completion of this process of the Sanskrit root dhi,
meaning “to bind” and “ to hold on.” With the inner eye opened , the aspirant
now sees shimmering streaks of heaven’s light within him and this keeps his
attention an chored. Gradually , the light grows steady in his sadhna, for it
works as sheet- anchor for the soul.
Dhyan or concentration when perfected, leads one to Bhajan or the holy light.
This enchanting holy melody has a magnetic pull which is irresistible , and the
soul cannot but follow it to the spiritual source from whence the music
emerges. The soul is helped by this triple process to slide out of the shackles
of the body and becomes anchored in the heavenly radiance of it's Self (atman )
and is led on to the heavenly home of the Father. The entire process is
nurtured by Sat Naam, Satguru and Satsang , which in fact are synonymous for
the Master power at work . sat Naam is
the power of the Absolute stirred into compassion and when It puts on the flesh
, It assumes the form of the Guru ( word made flesh ), and works through him by
means of satsang , both outer and inner, which helps the jives ripe for
regeneration . This power works on all the planes simultaneously, according to
the needs of each individual; by word of mouth as a Guru in human form, sharing in all joys and sorrows of the
human beings; by inner guidance as Guru deva in his astral, luminous or radiant
form , and finally as Satguru – a veritable Master of Truth.
There are two
ways within : jyoti marg and sruti marg ( the way of light and the way of
sound), respectively. The holy Light
keeps the soul anchored and absorbed and to a certain extent leads the soul as
well, but the holy word pulls it upward and carries it across from plane to
plane in spite of various hurdles on the way , like blinding or bewildering
lights , densely pitch darkness, etc., until the soul reaches it's destination
.
A perfect science
Even the
foregoing bird’s –eye survey of the Nature and scope of the surat Shabd Yoga
conveys some of it's unique features. He who studies it in relation to the
other forms of yoga cannot but note the completeness of it's solution of all
the problems that confront the seeker when pursuing other systems. On the plane
of outer action , it does not bease itself on adry and the plane of outer
action , it does not bease itself on adry and the plane of outer action , it
does not base itself on a dry and rigid discipline that is often laden with the
consequences of psychological repression. It holds that some discipline is
necessary, but adds that it must ultimately be inspired by inner spiritual
experience and be a matter of spontaneous living and not of rigorous asceticism
and a too deliberate self abnegation.
The seeker must strive toward a state
of equipoise and must therefore cultivate the virtue of moderation in thought
and deed. The integration he thereby achieves enables him to gain greater concentration,
and so higher inner relationship of sadachar to inner sadhna is a reciprocal
one; each enlivens and gives meaning to the other , and one the spirit be
brought to perfect one pointed ness without all human attachments and
imperfections without centering centering itself in the love of the Divine?
When the
qualities of the Ancient of Days stood revealed,
Then the
qualities of earthly things did Moses burn away.
- RUMI
The surat Shabd
Yoga not only provides a means for achieving in practice the difficult ideal of
sadachar ,it also offers a mode of life
that , while rising one above this physical world, does not enslave one to the
realm of Name and Form. The Master of this path know only too well that abstract
speculations about the non-attributive aspect of the absolute cannot lead on to
it. How can man, conditioned by name and form, be drawn directly to that which
is Beyond name or form? Love seeks something which it can comprehend and to
which it can attach itself, and God, if He is to meet man, must assume some
shape or form. It is this recognition that inspires the devotion of the Bhakta
to Shiva, Vishnu, Krishna, or Kali, the
Divine Mother. But these divine beings represent fixed manifestations of God,
and once the devotee has reached their plane, their very fixity, as we have
seen already, prevents further progress. The Master of the Surat Shabd Yoga
wholly transcends this limitation by linking the seeker not to a fixed, but to
an all-pervading manifestation of God; the Radiant sound current. It is this
anhat and anhad Naam, this unstruck and unfathomable word, that supports the
various planes of creation ranging from pure spirit to gross matter. It's
strains pervade every realm, every region, and it runs through them like a
river that flows through the valley which it has brought into being. And like
the river, it exists in a fluid state, changing at every plane, yet ever
remaining the same. The seeker who has been inspired by the love of the river
of the Word is blessed indeed for he knows none of the limitations experienced
by those who adore God in other forms. As he is drawn upward by it's beatific
power, he finds it changing, modifying, becoming even stronger and purer,
beckoning him on to higher and still higher effort, never allowing him to halt
or to loiter, but leading him on from plane to plane, from valley to valley,
until he arrives at the very source from where the Unmanifested comes into
manifestation, the Formless assumes the form, and the Nameless, name. It was
this completeness of the inner journey made possible by the yoga of the sound
current that led Kabir to declare:
All holy ones
are worthy of reverence,
But I adore
only one who has mastered the Word.
The Surat Shabd Yoga is not only the
most perfect of the various yogas, but it is also comparatively easy to
practice, and one accessible to all. Not only to do those following this path
reach the ultimate end, but they do so with greater economy of effort than is
possible by the other methods. The transcendence of physical consciousness that
the yogin pursuing the path of the pranas achieves only after a long and
arduous discipline, is attained by practitioners of the Surat Shabd Yoga
sometimes at the first sitting at the time of initiation. That this should be
so is not a mere chance of accident. The fact is that the Surat Shabd Yoga
adopts a more scientific and natural approach to man’s spiritual problems. Why,
it asserts if the spiritual currents reaches the bodily charkas not from below
but from above, should it be necessary to master each of these charkas in turn?
A man standing at the heart of a valley, if he wishes to reach the rivers
source, does not have to travel down to it's mouth and then retraverse the
distance. It further holds that if prana and mind (even at their most refined)
are not of the true essence of the spirit, then how can they be the best means
of disengaging it from it's encrustation? If it could be put in touch with that
which is of it's own essential Nature, like would draw like, and with the minimum
of effort the desired end would be achieved. It is from the point of the
tisra-til, the third eye, that the spiritual current spreads itself into the
body. All that is needed is to check it's downward flow at this point by
controlling one’s senses and it would of it's own accord, collect itself and
flow backward towards it's source.
Shutter your lip, your ear, your eye
And if you do
not Truth descry,
Then let your
scorn upon me fly.
- HAFIZ
The seeker has
no need to begin from the very bottom, all he has to do is to turn in the
direction of the spiritual stream and the rest will follow.
What is there in reaching the Lord?
One needs
only to transplant the heart.
- INAYAT SHAH
It is this
simplicity of approach coupled with economy of effort that has induced many to
call the Surat Shabd Yoga the Sehaj Marg or the Easy Way. It begins at the
point Where other yogas normally tend to end. Sahasrar, the region of the
thousand-petaled lights, which marks the end of the normal yogin’s journey
after traversing the various bodily charkas, is well-nigh the first step to be
taken by the follower of Surat Shabd Yoga. Further, by refusing to disturb the
pranic or kindalinic energies, this yoga greatly reduces the strain of physical
transcendence. By contacting the sound principle, the sensory currents are
automatically drawn upward without the practitioner consciously striving to
achieve this end, and the motor currents are left untouched. Not only does this
simplify the process of entry into the state of samadhi, but that of returning
from it as well. The adept in this path needs no outer assistance for coming
back into physical consciousness, as is the case with some other yogic forms;
spiritual ascension and descent are entirely voluntarily and can be achieved by
him with the rapidity of thought.
The method of
transcendental hearing is only an extension of our normal daily practice. When
we are faced with some knotty problem, our entire conscious energies tend to
focus at one point – the seat of the soul – without affecting pranic motor
energies functioning automatically in our body. The Surat Shabd Yoga
practitioner achieves this concentration at will under controlled condition
through Simran and dhyan, and as soon as he contacts the reverberating Word,
the sensory spiritual current that is still in the body is drawn irresistibly
upward and complete physical transcendence is achieved.
It is the quality of sehaj, of naturalness and ease, that makes the
Surat Shabd Yoga accessible to all. The music of the Divine Word is vibrating
in all alike, and he who follows It's path, need no special requirements,
whether physical or intellectual. It is as much open to the old as to the
young, to the sinners as to the Saints, to the simple as to the learned, to
women and children as to men. Indeed, women and children and the
unsophisticated, owing to their simple modes of thought and their spontaneous
faith, often make quicker intial headway with this method than their more
sophisticated brethren. However, full attainment in this field demands
unweavering perseverance and effort, which may not always be forthcoming. As no
rigorous and extensive disciplines of food, physical exercise, etc., are
required, it does not necessitate
sanyasa or complete renunciation of the world, and is as much open to
the grehastis, the married, as to the brahmchharis, those who are under a vow
of celibacy. Had the pranic and vigyanic systems been the most natural available then we should have had to
conclude Nature to be partial, for the
physical and mental capabilities they require are distributed unequally among
men. If the sun and the air are available to all, why should the spiritual
gifts be reserved only for the chosen few? Besides, prana and vigyan can at best lead one to the plane
of their origin and vigyan can at best lead one to the plane of their origin
and vigyan can at best lead one to the plane of their origin and as they are
not purely spiritual , how can they lead to the realm of pure spirit?
However , to say that that the surat Shabd Yoga is the most perfect
of the yogic sciences and the most natural, is not to say that it demands no
effort and that anyone can just take not have been floundering as it is today .
The fact is that competent teachers of
this crown of all sciences are rare and that even when a teachers of all sciences are rare and that even when
a teacher is found , few are rare and that even when a teacher is found , few
are prepared to undergo the kind of discipline required. The spirit may be
willing , but the flesh is weak. Most men are so deeply engrossed with the love
of the world that even after having had a glimpse of inner treasures they are
reluctant to give up their worldly ways and concentrate on the possession of
that which makes one the master of all . Since the stress in this yoga is
always on the inner, never on the outer , no path could in a way be more
exacting for the general run of men. Many can attain perfect inner
concentration, undisturbed by mundane thoughts even for a few moments. Hence it
was that kabir compared it to walking on a naked sword , while the Sufis spoke of it as the rah- I – mustqim,
fined. But for one whom the razor’s edge. Christ described it as the “strait
and narrow way” that only a few ever tread. But for one whom the world lures not
and who is filled with a passionate love of God , nothing could be easier and
quicker. He needs no other force than that of his own urge and, purified of
earthly attachments by his sincere and strong of Shabd toward it's point of
origin , the haven of bliss and peace. Should the soul confront any obstacles
on it's homing flight, it's Radiant Friend is always beside it to lead it past
and protect it from all pitfalls.
The road through the higher planes lies charted before the soul as
completely as that for Hatha yogins of the lower bodily charkas , and with such
a power to bear it, and such a Friend to guide , nothing can deter or entrap,
nothing can disturb the steadiness of it's course. “Take hold of the garment ,
O brave soul, of One who knows well all places , physical , mental,
supra-mental and spiritual , for he will remain thy friend in life as will as
in death , in this world and the worlds Beyond,” exhorted Jalalud – din Rumi .
And sang Nanak:
He that has found a true
Master and pursues
the perfect way of the Holy
word shall, laughing and
living in this world, find
full freedom and emancipation
Again,
Like the lotus shall he rise
immaculate above the
Mire of the world and like the swan he shoot
forth from it's murky water untouched and untrammeled.
The Master
Apart from it's scientific approach, it's comparatively easy
accessibility , it's quality of naturalness and it's freedom from the drawbacks
of other yogic forms , anther distinctive feature of the Yoga of the sound
current is the unique and pervasive emphasis it lays on the need at every step
for a satguru, pir-experience- rah or Murshid – realize- I – kamil (a competent, living Master ). Though
something on this theme has already been mentioned under “The cornerstones ,”
much remains to be elaborated.
The Guru – shish or Guru – Sikh relationship is important in all
forms of practical yoga, but it is pivotal here in a unique sense. For the Guru
in the surat Shabd Yoga is not only a being who explains to us the real nature
of existence, instructs us in the true values of life and tells us of the
sadhnas to be practiced for inner attainment, he is all this and more. He is
the inner guide as well , leading the soul from plane to plane to it's ultimate
destination, a guide without whose aid the soul would encounter barriers which
it would be unable to Surat Shabd Yoga mount .
The role of the Master being what it is , it is little wonder that
all mystics who have pursued this way should have sung of him with superlative
and adoration . From Kabir , we read:
The role of the Master being what it is it is little wonder that all
mystics who have pursued this should have sung of him with superlative
reverence and adoration. From Kabir, we read:
I wish and long for the dust of his feet – the dust that has created
the universe;
His lotus feet are true are the true wealth and a haven of pace.
They grant ineffable wisdom and lead one on the path God ward.
And the Sikh scriptures sing :
Sweet are the lotus feet of the Master;
With God’s writ one sees them;
And myriad are
the blessing that follow upon such a vision .
Guru Arjan
From the Sufis, we have:
If I were to sing praises of his countless blessings till eternity,
I could hardly say anything of them.
Jalalud-din Rumi.
Some mystics
even go to the extent of raising his position above that of God:
The Master is greater than God.
- Kabir.
The Guru and
God both stand manifested, whom may I adore and render obeisance?
Wonderful indeed is the Guru who has revealed the God-power within.
- Sehjo Bai.
All this may lead the skeptic human idolatry. He may ask: “why this
deification of a human being? Why such praise heaped upon one who is mortal?”
Mystics at times have responded to this question with holy indifference:
People decry that Khusro has turned idolater;
Indeed I have, but what has the world to do with me?
- Amir Khusro.
But sometimes, they munificence of the Master one gets naught,
Even if one
engages in a million meritorious deeds.
- Gurbani.
Devotion to God keeps one entangled in this (physical) life – just
consider gravely,
But devotion to the Master carries one back unto God.
- Kabir.
Enter within and verify for yourself,
Who is greater of the two: God or the Guru.
- Gurbani.
God drove me
into the wilderness of the world, but the Master has snapped for me the
ceaseless chain of transmigration.
- Sehjo Bai.
All great spiritual teachers have maintained that without the help
of a living Master , the spiritual journey is difficult and impossible to
traverse to the very end. Jalalud-din rumi, the Persian mystic, suggests this
forcefully when he says:
Veiled from
this was Moses
Though all strength and light,
Then thou who hast no wings at all,
Attempt not flight.
And makes his
meaning still clearer elsewhere:
Find a Master
spirit, for without his active help and guidance this journey is beset with
dangers, perils and fears.
In the gospels
it is the same strain that vibrates through the sayings of Jesus:
No man cometh
unto the Father but be me.
- St. John
No man knoweth who the Father is, but the son;
And he to whom the son will reveal him.
- St. Luke and
St. Matthew.
No man can
come to me, except the father which hath sent me draw him; and I will raise him
up at the last day.
- St. John.
While conferring apostleship on the twelve disciples, Jesus said
unto them:
He that
receiveth you receiveth me, and he that receiveth me receiveth him that sent
me.
Wherefore he
was able to save them to the uttermost that came unto God by him, seeing he
ever livith to make intercession for them.
The Master is indeed the “intercessor” or Rasul, who moves between
us and God, linking us to the holy word, and without him there could be but
little hope of salvation. No friendship could be greater than his friendship,
no love truer than his love, no gift greater than his grace. Chance winds may
blow others apart and death may come to part the most faithful lovers; he alone
is unfailing in life as well as in death:
I have
commanded you; and, lo! I am with you always, even unto the end of the world.
- St. Matthew.
He alone is a friend who accompanies me on my last journey,
And shields me before the judgment seat of God.
-Gurbani.
Other gifts may decay and perish, but his gift, the gift of God’s
word, is imperishable, indestructible, ever shining, ever fresh, ever new, a
boon in life, a greater boon in death.
From where does the Master derive this unique and superhuman power
that makes him almost equal to God and in the eyes of his disciples, places him
even above God? can mortal flesh compete with the immortal and the finite
outdistance the infinite? This may well seem a paradox to the world, but those
who have crossed with opened eyes to the inner kingdom, see in this no
contradiction, only the mystery of God’s greatness. The true Master is one who
under instruction and guidance from his own teacher has learned to analyze the
soul from the body, has traversed the inner path to it's very end, and has
beheld the source of all light and life and merged with the Nameless one. After
merging with the Nameless one, he becomes one with him and one with all that
is. on the human plane he may appear as limited as any one of us, but on the
spiritual, he is limitless and infinite even as God himself:
O my servant
obey me, and I shall make thee like unto myself, I say, “Be” and it is, and
thou shalt say “Be” and it shall be.
- Baha ullah –
the four valleys.
The word was
made flesh, and dwelt amongst us.
- St. John.
The word is
the Master and the Prophet, full of wisdom deep and profound.
Guru Nanak.
When I churned the sea of body, a strange truth came to light,
God was identified in the Master and no distinction could Nanak
find.
- Guru Ram Das.
Guru is
Brahma, Guru is Vishnu, Guru is Shiva and Guru is the veritable Par-Brahm, and
we offer our salutation to him.
The Guru-shish
relationship has very often been described as below:
Who is the true
Guru for a disciple?
Shabd indeed is the Guru and surat the disciple of the Dhun (Sound).
- Guru Nanak.
The Shabd-Guru is too deep and unfathomable,
Without (the controlling power of) the Shabd the world would be but
a wilderness.
- Guru Nanak.
The word of the Master is Master indeed, full of life-giving water,
He who follows his word doth verily cross the strands of time.
- Guru Ram Das.
The disciple-Surat can traverse the path only with the Shabd-Guru,
Exploring the heavenly mysteries, it doth find rest in the inverted
well (of the head).
- Tulsi Sahib.
Know it for certain that Shabd-Guru is the veritable Guru,
Surat can truly become the disciple of the Dhun by being a Gur-mukh
(receptacle for the word).
- Bhai Gurdas.
Guru resides in the gagan (spiritual realm above) and the disciple
in the ghat (between the two eyebrows.
When the two
the surat and the Shabd, do meet, they get united eternally.
- Kabir.
There is an
essential and indivisible relationship between God and the God-man for he
serves as a human pole at which the God-power plays it's part and helps in the
regeneration of the jives. It is needless to distinguish between the magnet and
the magnetized field and it is therefore said:
Devotion to
the Satguru is devotion to the Lord,
Satguru
secures salvation by giving contact with Naam (the God-power).
Uncovetous of
worldly riches, he may seem poor, but he is rich in God’s infinitude and once
the mortal coils have been cast off, he is reabsorbed into the still center,
subject to no limitations. What gives him his unique preeminence is precisely
this spiritual at-one-moment with the absolute and to judge him on the human
level is to fail to understand him. Rumi has well said, “Never take a God-man
to be human; for though appearing so, he is yet much more.” It is by virtue of
the extra human potential that he becomes the Master. Having merged into Divine
consciousness he, in his human state, becomes it's agent and speaks not in his
individual capacity but as the
mouthpiece of God:
His hand is
the hand of God
And the power
of the Lord works through him.
- Rumi
O! my friend,
I speak nothing from myself,
I only utter
what the beloved puts into my mouth.
- Guru Nanak.
I do nothing
of myself; but as my father hath taught me, I speak these things.
- St. John
The Master being
what he is, it is not surprising that he should be held so high. Being an
instrument of the divine to praise him is only another way of praising God, and
to extol him above God is not to set up an opposition between the finite and
the infinite but to assert that from the human standpoint the aspect of God
which bends down toward man to raise him to itself (i.e., the centripetal), is
higher than that which merely allows him to run his ways in the world of
relativity from birth to birth (i.e., the centrifugal), even though both at the
super-human lever are seen to be one and indivisible.
A system in
which the teacher is so central to every aspect of the students outer and inner
discipline and progress and without whose instructions and guidance nothing
could be done, must lay great emphasis on the principle of grace, and mystic
literature is not wanting in stressing and underlining this aspect. But if from
one angle it is the Master who bestows everything upon the disciple, it must
not be forgotten that in doing this he is only repaying a debt he owes to his
own Guru, for the gift he bestows is the gift he himself received when he was
at the stage of a disciple, and so he usually never claims anything for himself
and the Master does not add anything from outside. It is only when the gardener
waters and tends the seed that it bursts into life, yet the secret of life is
in the seed itself and the gardener can do no more than provide the conditions
for it's fructification. Such indeed is the function of the Guru.
An ancient
Indian parable vividly brings out this aspect of Master disciple relationship.
It relates that once a shepherd trapped a lions cub and reared him with the
rest of the flock. The cub, judging himself by those he saw around him, lived
and moved like the sheep and lambs, content with the grass they nibbled and
with the weak bleats they emitted. And so time sped on until, one day, another
lion saw the growing cub grazing with the rest of the flock. He guessed what
had happened and pitying the cups plight, he went up to him, drew him to the
side of a quiet stream, made him behold his reflection and the lions own and
turning back, let forth a mighty roar. The cub, now understanding his true
Nature, did likewise and his erstwhile companions fled before him. He was at
last free to enjoy his rightful place and thenceforward roamed about as a king
of the forest.
The Master is
indeed such a lion. He comes to stir up the soul from it's slumber and,
presenting it with a mirror makes it behold it's own innate glory of which,
without his touch, it would continue unaware. However, were it not itself of
the essence of life, nothing could raise it to spiritual consciousness. The
Guru is but a lighted candle that lights the unlit ones. The fuel is there, the
wick is there, only gives the gift of flame without any loss to himself. Like
touches like, the spark passes between and that which lay dark is illuminated
and that which was dead springs into life. as with the lighted candle, whose
privilege lies not in it's being an individual
candle but in it's being the seat of the unindividual flame that is
neither of this candle nor of that but of the very essence of all fire, so too
with the true Master. He is a Master not by virtue of his being an
individual Master like anyone else, but
he is a Master carrying in him the universal light of God. again, just as only
a candle that is still one burning can light other candles – not one that is
already burnt out – so only a living Master can give the quickening touch that
is needed, not one who has already departed from this world. Those that are
gone were great indeed and worthy of all respect, but they were pre-eminently
for their own time, and the task they accomplished for those around them most,
for us, be performed by one who lives and moves in our midst. Their memory is a
sacred treasurer, a perennial source of inspiration, but the one thing their
remembrance teaches is to seek for ourselves in the world or the living that
which they themselves were. Only this kiss of a living prince (Master) could
bring the slumbering princess (soul) back to life and only the touch of a
breathing Beauty could restore the beast to his native pristine glory.
Where the
guidance of a competent living Master is such a prime necessity, the task of
finding and recognizing such a genuine soul assumes paramount importance. There
is no dearth of false prophets and of wolves in sheep clothing. The very term
Satguru, or true Master , implies the existence of it's opposite and it is the
false that meet our gaze at every turn. However difficult it manifested be to
find a God-man (for such beings themselves by spectacular miracles or court the
public limelight), it is nevertheless not impossible to single him out form the
rest. He is a living embodiment of what he teaches, and though appearing poor,
he is rich in his poverty:
We may seem
beggars, but our actions are more than royal.
- Shamas Tabrez.
He is unattached
to worldly objects and is never covertous. He gives his teachings and
instructions as a free gift of Nature, never seeking anything in return,
maintaining himself by his own labors and never living on the offering of
others:
Bow not
before one who calls himself a Master, yet lives on the charity of others.
He alone is
of the true path who earns his own livelihood and befriends the needy.
- Guru Ram Das.
Further more, a
genuine Master-soul never set up any contradictions in our minds; all the
distinctions between faith and faith, creed and creed vanish at his touch, and
the unity of inner experience embodied in the various scriptures stands clearly
revealed:
It is only
the jewelers eye that at a glance can tell the ruby.
- Bhai Nand Lal.
The one
recurrent theme of such a master’s teaching is that in spite of all the outward
distinctions that confuse and confound us, the inner spiritual essence of all
religious teachings is the same. Hence the Master's come not to propagate new
creeds or dogmas but fulfill the existing Law:
O Nanak, know
him to be perfect Master who unites all in one fold.
- Guru Nanak
If he teries to
convert, it is not the outward name and form that he seeks, but the baptism of
the spirit within. For him, the inner life is a science that is open to men of
all creeds and nations , and whosoever shall take up it's discipline, to him
shall all things be added.
Thus it is the
inner message that is ever paramount in the teaching of a real Master . He can
best interpret the true import of the scriptures but he speaks not as one who
is learned in such matters but as one
who has himself experienced what such writings record. He may use the
scriptures to convince his listeners that what he teaches is the most ancient
truth, yet he himself is never subject to them and his message moves above the
merely intellectual level; it is inspired by the vividness and intensity of
direct first – hand experience. “how can we agree,”said kabir to the theoretical
pandits , when I speak from inner experience and you only from bookish learning
.” He makes the seeker turn always inward, telling himof the rich treasures
within:
Dost thou reckon
thyself a puny form,
When within thee
the Universe is folded?
- AIL
The kingdom of
God cometh not with observation,
The kingdom of
God is within you.
- ST. LUKE
Inviting and
persuading him to undertake the discipline that unlocks this treasure he says:
Cleanse thou the
rheum from thy head
And breathe the
light of God instead.
- RUMI
And this
discipline, if he be indeed a perfect teacher , will focus itself not on Hatha
Yoga or other such extreme practices, but on transcendental hearing and seeing
accompanied by a steady outer purification of one’s thoughts and deeds by means
of moderation and introspective self – criticism, rather than by torture,
austerity or asceticism. But the most important and least fallible sign of
centered on this inner science , but at the time of initiation, he will be able
to give the disciple a definite experience – be it ever so rudimentary- of the
Light and Sound within and, when the disiciple has learned to rise above body –
consciousness, his Radiant Form will appear unsought to guide him onward on the
long journey.
The wondrous and
luminous form of the Master only
A true Master
can make manifest to the spirit.
- GURU NANAK
He is a Guru in
vain who cannot turn the darkness (gu) into light (ruh ). And Nanak has said ,
“ I will not take my Master at his word until see with mine own eyes.” If he is
agenuine teacher, he will never promise salvation that comes only after death.
Accordingly , to him it is always a matter of now and here. One who has not
attained liberation in life , cannot hape to achieve it after death. Jesus too
always urged him disciples to master the art of dying daily. A Master will
further maintain that spirituality is a science, aldeit a subjective one, and
that every individual can and must
verify it's truth in the laboratory of his own body , provided he can create the
requisite condition , which is one- pointed concentration. Life is one
continuous process which knows no end , though it may assume different aspects
from one plane to anther , he is we have yet no knowledge and much less
experience of the life on other planes , where one is from this bondage and
forced comings and goings that the Master prepares the forced comings and
goings that the Master prepares the way to liberation in this very life , by
connecting the creation , and give one is prepared to forsake of the higher
spiritual regions , provided one is prepared to forsake the flesh for the
spirit . “Learn to die that you may begin to live ,”exhorted the Master Christian. Blessed is the man who daily
prepares himself to die.
Those in whom
the eternal word speaks are delivered from uncertainty ,and it is indeed the
Master’s job to make this word audible in man.
O Nanak! snap
all the ties of the world,
Serve the true
Master and He shall bestow on thee true riches.
- GURBANI
He who has such
a teacher is blessed indeed, for he has verily made friends with God Himself
and found a companion who shall not forsake him even to the end of the earth.
In this life or after death , and who shall not cease to guide him until he
reaches his final destination and becomes as great and infinite as himself.
A philosopher’s
stone at best may turn base metal into gold,
But glory to the
Master who transform the disciple into his own celestial mould.
Whatever one’ s
problems , there is peace and solace in his company , and association with him
gives strength and stimulates inner effort; hence the pressing need for Satsang
(association with the True one ) , for those who have not yet learned to
commune with him on the inner planes.
A seeker must
certainly be critical and discriminating in his search for a perfect Master,
but having succeeded infinding one (and he who is genuine seeker will never
fail , such is the Divine decree) , what will be the Nature of his relationship
to him ? will he continue to be critcal of what he is told and observes? Will
he continue to test every act of his teacher with the microscope of his
discrimination? To maintainsuch an attitude
even after having initially ascertained the genuineness of the perfect
One is to fail to appreciate his greatness and rightly respond to it. To meet
such a soul is to meet one infinitely greater than oneself, and to know him to
meet one with God is to be humbled is to attempt to hold the ocean in a fest
tube, for he is moved by reasons that we can never comprehend.
He who can
appreciate the blessing of being taken into the fold of the saturu or the
murshid –I- kamil, will forever sing of his Grace , beauty and perfect love:
If the beautiful
One were to take my wandering soul under his wimg , I would sacrifice all
empires for the lovely mole on his face.
- HAFIZ
He will never
question the actions of his Master , even if he fails to understand them, for
he knows that even:
If Khizr did
wreck the vessel on the sea
Yet in this
wrong there are a thousand rights.
- RUMI
He will have to
develop the faith of a child who , having trusted himself to a loving hand ,
moves as directed, never questioning anything :
… whosever shall not receive the Kingdom of God as a
little child shall in no wise enter therein.
- ST. LUKE
The cryptic
words of the God – man very often baffle human understanding. His behests , at
times may apparently sound contrary to the scriptural texts or ethical
injunction , but in reality thay are not. One should follow them in full faith
, and in due time their true significance will be reveled.
And like the
child’s should be the devotee’s love, full of humility and simplicity. The
purity of is flame alone shall burn away the dross of the world:
Kindle the fire
of love and burn all things,
Then set thy
foot unto the land of the lovers.
- BAHA ‘ U’ LLAH
Weld into one
the vessel , which is now fragmented into a thousand parts, so that it may be
fit to contain the light of God It is the
link between the seeker and his Friend and through Him, between the
seeker and the Absolute . How can one love the Nameless and Formless and but
through Him , who is His true embodiment, for as the Lord revealed to Mohammed:
I dwell neither
high nor low , neither in the sky nor
On the earth,
nor even in paradise,
O beloved,
believe me, strange a sit may seem,
I dwell in the
heart of the faithful and it is there that I may be found.
-RUMI
On this mystic
path reasoning is the help , but reasoning is also the hindrance. Love alone can bridge the gulf , span the chasm, the relative to the
Absolute . such love is not of this
world or of this flesh. If is the call of soul unto soul, of like unto like,
the purgatory and the paradie. Who shall describe it's ecstasy?
Speak not
Leila’s or of Majnun ‘s woe
Thy love hath
put to naught the love of long ago.
-SAADI
Live free of
love for it's very peace is anguish.
-ARABIAN POEM
A million speak
of love , yet how few know,
True love is not
to lose remembrance even for an instant.
-KABIR
Indeed, it is
the quality of ceaseless remembrance that is of the essence of love. He who
remembers in such fashion must needs to live in perpetual remembrance of his
Beloved’s commandments and in perpetual obedience. Such love burns in it's fire
the dross of the ego; the little self is forgotten and the lover surrenders his
individuality at the altar of his
Beloved:
If thou wouldst
journey on the road of love,
First learn to
humble thyself unto dust.
-ANSARI OF HEART
Love grows not in the field and is not sold
in the market,
Whosever would
have it , whether king or beggar,
Must pay with
his life.
Carry your head upon your palm as an offering,
If you would
step into the wonderland of love.
-KABIR
AGAIN:
Accursed be the
life wherein one finds not love for the Lord;
Give your heart
to His servant for He shall take you to Him.
Such self –
surrender is only a prelude to the inheriting of a larger and purer self then
we otherwise know, for such is the potency of it's magic that whosoever shall
knock at it's door shall be transformed into it's own color:
A over becomes
the Beloved -such is the alchemy of his
love;
God Himself is
jealous of such a Beloved .
-DADU
Calling on
Ranjha , I myself become one with him.
-BULLEH SHAH
It is such a
love that Lord Krishna spoke in the Gita, and of such a love that St. Paul
preached to his listeners:
I am crucified
with Christ; nevertheless I live; yet not I , but Christ liveth in me: and the
life which I now live in the flesh I live by the faith of the son of God, who
loved me , and gave himself for me.
-ST. Paul
It is of this
that the Sufis speak when thay talk of jana- fil sheikh (annihilation in the
Master):
The vast expanse
of myself is so filled to overflowing with
the fragrance of the Lord that the very
thought of myself has
completely
vanished.
It is of this
that the Christian mystics declare when they stress the necessity of “Death in
Christ.” Without such self-surrender, learning by itself can be of little
avail:
Learning is only
a child of the scriptures, it is love that is their mother.
-PERSIAN POEM
The world is
lost in reading scriptures, yet never comes to knowledge,
But one who
knows a jot of love, to him all is revealed.
-KABIR
Such love alone
is the key to the inner kingdom:
He that loveth
not knoweth not God, for God is love .
-ST. John
The secret of
God’s mysteries is love.
-RUMI
By love may He
be gotten and hlden, but by thought never.
-THE CLOUD OF
UNKNOWING
Verily, verily I
say unto thee, that only they that
have loved have reached the Lord.
-GOBIND SINGH
And we have
known and believed the love that God
hath to us.
God is love; and
he that dwelleth in love
dwelleth in God,
and in him.
-ST.JOHN
This
relationship of love between the Satguru and his shishya, the Godman and his
disciple, covers many phases and many developments. It begins with respect for
one knowing more than oneself . As the disciple begin to appreciate the his
feelings begin to soften with the dew of love and progress, to develop faith
comes greater effort, and love and he begins to develop faith , obedience
and reverence. With greater obedience
and faith, comes greater effort, and greater effort comes greater affection
from the Master. Effort and grace go hand in hand and each in turn helps in
development of the other Like the mother’s love for her children is the love of
the divine shepherd for his flock . It does not discriminate between the
deserving and the undeserving but like the mother, the depths and treasures of
his love are unlocked only to those who respond and return his love:
He is with all
alike , yet each gets his share according to his own deserts.
-GURU AMAR DAS
With his greater
effort and the greater grace from the Master, the disciple makes increased
headway in his inner sadhnas, leading finally
to complete transcendence of his inner consciousness. When this
transcendence has been achieved, he beholds his Guru waiting in his Radiant
Form to receive and guide his spirit on the inner planes . Now , for the first
time, he beholds him in his true glory , and realizes the unfathomable
dimensions of his greatness. Henceforth he knows him to be more than human and
his heart over flows with songs of praise and humble devotion. The higher he
ascends in his spiritual journey , the more insistent is he in his praise, for
the more intensely does he realize that he whom he once took to be a friend ,
is not merely a friend but God Himself
come down to raise him up to Himself. This bond of love , with it's
development by degrees, becomes the mirror of his inward progress, moving as it
does, from the finite to the Infinite:
Love begins in
the flesh and ends in the spirit.
-ST. BERNARD
At it's initial
phase, it may find analogies in earthly love, that between the parent and the
child, friend and friend , lover point where the disciple discovers his teacher
in his luminous glory within himself, all analogies
class=Section8>
are shattered and all comparisons forever
left behind; all that remains is a gesture, and then silence:
Let us write
some other way
Love’s secrets-better
so .
Leave blood and
noise and all of these
And speak no
more of shamas Tabrez.
-RUMI
CHAPTER SIX
THE ESSENCE OF RELIGION
In the preceding chapter, we sketched
the main outlines of the sutra Shabd yoga and briefly examined its outstanding
features. We saw how it posits that God, when he projected himself into
manifested, took form as the world, Name, Shabd, budget, kalmia, sutra or
sashay, and that these terms refer not to abstract concept of divine will or
reason but to something more; a spiritual streamer of celestial harmony radiant
with effulgence. This stream is at the center of all creation, bringing into
being its various planes, vitalizing and sustaining them. He, who under the
guidance of one who has himself mastered the way, can contact this current
within, can transcend the physical world and steadily rise above all planes of
relativity and, when he becomes one with it, reach back into its very source
thus escaping from the realms of limitation to that of infinite consciousness and
Absolute being.
To indicate that these teachings are not restricted to any one
people or any one age but have a universal applicability, every important
aspect was briefly illustrated from the sayings of mystics drawn from various
religious traditions: Indian, Islamic and Christian. However, these saying are only by way of illustrative references.
If they really point to absolute truth and are based not on dogma but on
“facts,” albeit of a supra- physical
Nature, but facts which can be verified by anyone who is ready to
undergo the discipline demanded for their study, then inquiring seeker would
surely assert that these tenets should, in some form or the other, be at the
heart of all great religions, and he would desire a more systematic demonstration
of this than has been possible in the foregoing account of the sutra Shad Yoga.
A comprehensive and detailed treatment of
this subject is beyond the scope of this book, and at best we can only
suggest some fruitful lines of enquiry, which those desiring to go further may
pursue. Besides, it is a recurrent theme of all great Master's, that though
their teachings are universal in Nature and may be verified from the extensive
scriptural literature * of the world, yet to confine oneself merely to learned
interpretation is to miss completely the true import of their teachings. All
that the seeker needs to do is to ascertain from past records that what he is
being told is the most ancient of truths, so that he may take up the discipline
required with faith and without reservation. Final verification must be a
matter of direct and first –hand inner experience and not one of bookish
learning, which when carried beyond its proper limit and made an end in itself,
defeats its purpose and becomes a serious distraction from the goal.
1. ANCIENT RELIGIOUS
THOUGHT: INDIAN, CHINESE AND IRANIAN
HINDUISM
The Hindu religion is a vast ocean of religious thought, springing
as it does from the earliest times, long before the dawn of history, and
comprises in its multi –colored texture shade after shade, an endless variety
of design and pattern as it grew in human mind; from animism to Nature worship,
from powers of Nature in the abstract to personified and concretized natural
forms, from gods and goddesses to the one supreme God, first personal, and then
impersonal; from form to formless. The Hindu pantheon offers a view of a vast
and mighty host to the curious inquirer who pierces into the mists of the hoary
past.
Heliolatry, the
worship of Helios or the Sun, was a common practice with the people of the
world. Sol or sun has ever been adored and worshiped the entire world over from
time immemorial. The ancient Greeks and
the Romans built temples to Apollo or Phoebus as they termed the Sun –God in
their own time. In all their temples, the image or representation of the sun-
God occupied an important place in their hierarchy. There is a famous Sun –
temple in Knar, in south India, and in the historic town of Molten or the land
of the sun, in the North. In addition, Jog- Maya or Jot – Maya temples dot the
whole Indian subcontinent.
The ancient
Greeks also spoke of Shabd. It is written of Socrates that he heard within him
a peculiar sound which pulled him a peculiar sound which pulled him irresistibly into higher
spiritual realms. Pythagoras also talked of
Shabd, for he described God was to him, “Abs lute Truth , clothed in
light .” when he command an eagle to fly down to him and a bear to stop
ravaging Apulia, the wondering multitude inquired of him the source from where such
powers came to him. He replied that he owed it all to the “science of Light.”
Again, in the
Greek language we have the mystical word Logos. It come from the root lego
which means to speak and from it we have the common terms, monologue, dialogue,
prologue, epilogue and so on. The Logos and stands for the “word” or Reason.”
The term Logos also occurs in both Hebrew and Christian philosophy and theology
and is used, in its mystic sense, by the Hellenistic and Neo – Platonist
philosophers. The Christians use it to denote the second person of the Trinity.
The ancients in
the West inherited his concept from their ancestors who, thousand of years
before the Christian era, had come to acquire a great love and adoration for
Surya which they regarded as the be-all and the end –all of all human endeavors
in their search for the power of God , and a visible representation to this
earth. They carried this notion along
with them wherever they went , Eastward or westward, and composed hymns and
chanted psalms in praise of the glorious orb, the source of all life on this
solar planet.
Those who
settled in Iran (Persia ) and came subsequently to be known as Parsees, still worship the great deity in yet an
–other form –fire- which they keep burning all the time in their temples as
symbolic of the sacred flame that burnt
in the human heart and always sprang heavenward. Ratu zoroaster, the Iranian
prophet of life and light, sang in loving and light ,sang in loving and living
faith of the greatness of the God of light and taught the people to do so .
To eternal
torture. In chapter VI of the chhandogya
Upanishad, it is said to be “ the primeelement whose creation made
possible that of other elements, water, earth,”etc.
Agni or fire was a hidden secret with the gods, who guarded this mysterious
power very jealously. It was as the Greek legend goes , stolen by Prometheus
and give to man, for which Jupiter, the Father God , bound himThe second
brancth of the Aryans which turned eastward into the Indo –Gangetic plain also
referred lovingly to Aditya; and we have hymns in theVedas addressed to
Hiranyagarbha, savitar and Usha, all of which stand for the One life-
sustaining power, the sun. The worshipful Master's of the Vedic age were, one
and all, admirers of the purifying and healing attributes of the sun- God, and
so no wonder that we see many hymns in the Vedic literature deifying the sun .
In Book X, 121, we find:
In The beginning rose Hiranyagarbha, born as
the only lord of all created
beings;
He fixed and
holdeth up this earth and heaven;
What God
shall we adore with our oblation?…
What time the
mighty water came, containing the
Universal
germ, producing agni,
Thence sprang
the God’s one spirit into being:
What God
shall we adore with our oblation?
In another hymn
, he is referred to as “the self-
radiant wise Aditya”
In Book I, 113,
we have a hymn to Dawn and in it occur, inter alia, the folloing lines:
The light is
come, amid all lights the fairest ;
born is
The
brilliant, far- extending brightness.
Night , sent
away for – extending brightness.
up a
birthplace, for the morning….
Arise ! the
breath, thelife, again hath reached us:
Darkness hath
passed away , and light approacheth.
She for the
sun hath left a trvel; we have
Arrived where
man prolong existence.
All this could
be taken on the literal plane as little more than Nature- worship an adoration
of the sun understandable among a people dependent upon agriculture for their
existence. But ancient Indian literture has an elusive quality . It seem to
teach us at one level, and when we have adjusted ourselves to it , it suddenly shifts us to anther. He who can
follow its subtleties finds in it a richness rarely to be met elsewhere. There
is multiplicity of meanings, ranging from the physical to the cosmicand the
spiritual, and from the literal to the symbolic and esoteric, which challenge
us at multiple levels of experience and offer us worthwhile rewards. Thus, when
we begin studying these frequent references to the sun, we begin to see that the
“ sun ” referred to is not always the center of our physical Universe, which we
initially took it to be . Thus, in the Isha are told it to be . Thus , in the
Isha Upanishad, we are told:
The door of the
True One is covered with a golden disk.
Open that , O
pushan, that we may see the Nature of the True One .
After recounting
such statements, when we read of Brahman or the supreme One, as being Jyotisvat
, full of light, and prakashvat, endowed with splendor, we begin to discover in
such terms an endowed with significance
we earlier overlooked. This comes to a head when we read the Gayatri, the tenth
mantra of the sixteenth sutra in the third mandala of the Rig veda:
Muttering the
sacred syllable “ Aum” rise above the three regions,
And turn thy
attention to the All- Absorbing sun within .
Accepting its
influence be thou absorbed in the sun,
And it shall in
its own likeness make thee All- Luminous.
This mantra is
considered the most sacred, the mool mantra among the Vedic texts, and is
taught for recitation among Hindus from an early age. Here, the inner spiritual
meaning of the “ sun ” becomes
abundantly clear . The object of veneration is not that which provides us with
light in the outside world but it is a principle that transcends the causal , and
is the source of inner illumination. This principle is referred to as Aum, a
term whose three letter suggest the three phases of human experience: “A”
referring to the waking state {Jag –rat ),
“U” THE DREAM STATE (swapna) and “M” the deep sleepstate (sushupti). The
ultimate reality includes all three planes, and the three phases of human
experience, yet goes beyond
then . The silence that follows each recitation of the word Aum suggests
the state of Turiya or Absolute Being , which is the indescribable
source and end of everything . It is the
Brahman , the All – transcending One , whose prime attribute is the
effulgence, but who is in himself even
Beyond this effulgence. Hence
the mantra in its original Rig Veda form has anther Lord, line added to it,
which is given out only to sanyasins and chosen disciples – Paro Raj –asal
Savad Aum : He who tran-scends the
effulgence is this Aum .
The Gayatri not
only clarifies the routine implications of the references to the sun, abundant
in the Vedas, but it also highlights another recurring theme in Hindu thought.
Its wide imagery and popularity bring us to the question of mantras or verbal
formulae in Sanskrit verse or prose are classified into two types: those that
are meant simply for recitation and need not be understood, and those that are
divine invocations, whose import must be know in order to enable the devotee to
keep his attention focused on the divine object. The various mantras each have
their individual benefits . There are
those whose mastery or siddhi gives one contact with magical powers of a lower
or siddhi gives one contact with magical powers of a lower order ( tamsic );
there are others that bestow strength and courage and power (rajsic) ; and
finally those whose sole object is spiritual upliftment (satvic). Among the
last , as we have already seen, the
Gayatri is the most venerated.
The mode of
mantras , since time immemorial steeses the spiritual importance of sound. If
the chanting of certain verbal formulae brings magical potential or assists
spiritual advancement, then there must be latent in sound itself an esteric
power. This is why vak Devi, the goddess of speech, was held in high esteem.
Each word has its unique character and place, but of all words Aum is the most
sacred. We have already examined some of its is not only a term that connotes
the qualities of the Absolute Brahman, but one that also denotes Brahman
Himself . In the Rig Veda, we have:
Prajapati vai idam agref aseet
Tasya vag dvitya
aseet,
Vag vai parmam
Brahma.
( “In the
beginning was Prajapati, the Brahman, with whom was the Word was verily the
supreme Brahman.”)
This text
remarkably parallels the opening of the Gospel according to St. John:
In the beginning was the was the Word, and the Word was with God and
the Word was God.
Thus Aum becomes Brahman as manifesting Itself in the Word, and in
the Taittriya Upanishad, It is referred to as the “sheath of Brahman ,” as
something which takes Its life from Brahman and contains Him. This aspect is
made even clearer in the Sam Veda :
Brahman is at once Shabd and Ashabd both,
And Brahman alone vibrates in space.
Another words, the Absolute One is not only inner effulgence but
also Beyond it, as suggested in the Gayatri. He is sound and Light are in fact
referred to as His prime manifestations,
the Gayatri recommends that
while concentrating on the Divine word Aum, we fix our attention upon the inner
sun , whil in the Chhandogya Upanishad, we are told that Naad, or the divine
muic, springs from the universe spiritual Sun
(of Brahmand), a secret that was given by Angris Rishi to Krishna, the darling son of Devki ( III: 17- 6 and
93) .It was this mystic insight to be found in the srutis, the scriptures
revaled through inner hearing , that led to the development of the word. The
teachers of this path preached that the Absolute was Wordless, imageless,
indescribable and unconditioned. When He came into manifestation , He projected
Himself as the Sphota or the word,
radiant with Light and vibrating with indescribable Music. The seeker wishing
to transcend the relative plane to the Eternal and Unchanging must contact the
Sphota or the word power through which he can rise to the Brahman who is
certainly not easy. It is difficult to abide by and difficult to cross ; yet it
is the only possible Way , for one who is true to his Guru and His cause.
Such indeed are the truths that were taught and practice by survived
since then ? For the most part we find rituals such as the blowing of conches ,
ringing of bells, waving of lights, and the worship of the sun. These bear
testimony to the mysteries within brought the best of the vedantic teaching to
the heart of the common man, religion in India as elsewhere has tended to
degenerate into mere caste and ceremony. The light and music outside are
worshiped, but the flaming and sounding word within, toward they point , goes
unheeded; “the light crieth in the darkness and the darkness comprehendeth it
not.”
Buddhism
The teachings of Buddha represent in many ways a reaction against
the religious traditions, some distorted, of the Vedas, and yet they confirm
many of the basic tenets that we have already examined. The life of Buddha
himself has become a legend embodying in a vivid and striking way, man’s need to turn from the phenomeneal,
outer world, to the noumenal, inner one. With his royal lineage and with
everything that could make life happy at home, Buddha ’s going out of the
palace into the wilderness as a mendicant in quest of Truth was an unprecedented
sacrifice. It indeed was a heroic
endeavor on his part to wander for six long years, and to resort toallsorts of
austerities and physical sufferings, reducing himself to a bare skeleton. And
this compels deep and abiding admiration and adoration . But neither the life of luxury at home nor of
tapas in the jungles could heldp him solve the problem of the misery, distress,
sickness and death, which he had witnessed as the common lot of man’s life in
the physical world . It was a momentous decision of his to forsake the ascetic
life as he had done the one of luxury before. Seated under the Bodhi treein
Gaya, in calm contemplation, he gave himself up to the much sought solution to
the most baffling problem of life, in a seriated chain of cause and effect (1) the undeniable fact of suffering,
(2) the cause of suffering , (3) the possibility of removing from suffering .
this was the path of the Golden Mean, between self – indulgence and self –
mortification, both of which were equally painful and unprofitable in the
search after truth . Hence it was given the name of the Middle path, consisting
of righteousness in the eightfold aspects of life, which have already been
described in the earlier part of this book.
This , in brief, was the
purport of the purport of the Master’s first sermon at Sarnath , delivered to
the first five Bhikkus . The simple and direct teachings,free from
sophistications of the priestly order –the Brahmins- who had made rites and
rituals as the be –all and end –all of man’s salvation , had a tremendous
influence on the people as a whole. No wonder the ruling chiefs down to the
layman, who eagerly took to the yellow robe.
This is the outer aspect as in all
other religions of the world before and after Buddha’s time , and it
worked well with the masses and after Buddha’ s time ,and it worked well with the masses, for it gave them a
clear perspective , the Vedic pantheon
and the Vedic mode of worship were bypassed in a single sweep , and the people
were asked to evolve and elevate their conduct
and everything else would follow of ifself . This was , in a way, the
every thing else would follow of itself. This was, This was in a way , the
strict observance of yamas and niyamas
that go to make for Sadachar (right conduct), the first and foremost
step in the right direction.
It does not mean that Buddha denied the existence either of God, A
or of the steps leading up to Him on the spiritual path. A mere public non-affirmation of something
of higher value and vital interest far ahead of his time and which the common
man was not yet prepared and ready to accept does not mean the negation of the
same. The higher path was of course left for the chosen few and kept for the
elect, who were worthy of the mystical
teaching relating to transcendental hearing , as we read in the
Suurangama sutra, wherein are described
the spiritual experience of the highest Bodhisatvas and Mahasatvas and great
Arhats, like Maha kasyapa,
Sariputra, Samant Bhadra, Metaluasthema, Maudgalyana,
Akshobya, vejuria, Maitreya, MAHASTHEMA –Prapta and other. All of them in their
accouts testify , in one form or anther, to them in their accounts to the
purple- golden brightness, the infinitude of pure mind- essence, the
transcendental perception , the transcendental and intrinsic hearing
experienced by the inner mind, leading to the indescribable and mysterious
Sound of Dharma like the roar of a lion or the beating of drums; the
penetrating power of the element of fire, making the intuitive insight
luminously clear and enabling them to view all teaching Deva realms and finally
the Buddha-land of Immovablility, laying bare to the core thevery heart of
balanced and rhythmic ethereal vibrations. They also speak of the “supreme,
wonderful and perfect Samadhi of Transcendental consciousness” called the “
Diamond Samadhi ,” that is attainable by means of “Intrinsic Hearing ,” when
the mind , freed from mental contaminations, loses itselfinto the “Divine
Stream.”
After listening to the various personages , Manjusri, the prince of
Dharma , laid great stress on attaining “the supreme purity of mind- essence
and its intrinsic brightness shining spontaneously in all directions,” and
exhorted the Great Assembly “ to reverse the outward perception of hearing and
to listen inwardly to the perfectly unified and intrinsic Sound of the mind
–essence.” He then summed up the subject in the following memorable words:
This is the only way to Nirvana, and it has been followed by all the
Tathagatas of the past. Moreover, it is for all the Bodhisatvas and Mahasatvas
of the present and for all in the
future if they are to hope for perfect enlightenment. Not only did
Avalokiteswara attain perfect enlightenment in long ages past by this Golden
way , but in the present, I also , am one
of them …I bear testimony that the means employed by Avalokiteswara is
the most expedient means for all.*
Again , the contemplators in the Hinayana school of Buddhism were also called Shravaks which means
“hearers,” i.e., hearers of the inner Sound- principle.
But after the passing away of the Lord , the secret teaching given
by him to the chosen few gradually disappeared, and Buddhism like all other
religions after religions after having served the great need of the hour now remains just a collection of
dogmas and beliefs and offers little solace to the seekers after Truth, which
comes only from a Truth- realized soul, a Truth- realized soul, a real Saint
with spiritual attainment and inner experience of the Reality.
Taoism
Turning to China, we find the best in Buddhist thought passing into
the religious tradition of the Chinese. But along with this, we may note the
message taught on his own by Lao Tze, the father of Chinese Mysticism
(Hsuanchiao) or Taoism. The term Tao meaning “road” or way, denotes the hidden
“ principle of the universe.”
Lao Tze speaks of Tao as “Absolute Tao” which is the “ Essence” and
Quintessence” (the spiritual truth) quite apart from and yet immanent in its
manifestations. Just as Indian mystics
had distinguished between the Aum that we chant and the Aum that Aum that is
the Indescribable, Inexpressible, wordless word, So too Lao Tze tells us:
The Tao that can be told of
Is not the Absolute Tao;
The names that can be given
Are not Absolute Names.
Of the character of Tao, it is further said:
Tao is all - pervading
And Its use is inexhaustible!
Fathomless!
Like the fountainhead of all things.
Again:
The Great Tao flows
everywhere,
(Like a flood) It may go left or right.
The myriad things derive their life from It,
And It does not deny them.
And again:
The Tao never does,
Yet through It everything is done.
In Book II, dealing with the application of
Tao, is given the Principle of Reversion:
Reversion is the action of Tao,
Gentleness is the function of Tao,
The things of the world come from Being, And Being comes from
Non-Being.
Tao is the source of all knowledge:
Without stepping outside one’s door,
One knows what is happening in the world.
Without looking out of one’s window,
One can see the Tao of Heaven.
The further one possesses knowledge,
The less one knows.
Therefore the sage knows without running about,
Understands without seeing,
Accomplishes without doing.
The grand Harmony of Tao, the mysterious secret of the universe,
becomes manifest when :
When the mystic virtue becomes clear , far –reaching ,
And things revert back (to their source),
Then and then only emerges the Grand Harmony.
Of his own teachings (as of the great sages), he said:
My teaching are very easy to understand and very easy to practice,
But no one can understand them and none can practice them.
In my words there is a principle,
In the affairs of man there is system,
Because they know not these
They also know me not .
Since there are few that know me,
There fore I am distinguished.
Therefore the sage wears a coarse cloth,
But carries jade within his bosom.
And finally, speaking of the way to Heaven , he says:
True words are not fine sounding,
Fine-sounding words are not true.
A good man does not argue;
He who argues is not a good man.
The wise one does not know many thing;
He who knows many things is not wise.
The sage does not accumulate (for himself).
He lives for other people,
And grows richer in himself;
He gives to other people,
And has greater abundance.
The Tao of Heav
Blesses,but does not harm.
The way of the sage
Accomplishes, but does not contend.
From the above, it would be clear that Tao is the way; the way to
reality, the ineffable and transcendent, the very ground of all existence, the
womb from which all life comes into being . It comes only through the
cultivation of stillness, or ridding the mind of the mind-stuff, a stillness
which but a few can practice, enjoy and radiate to others. The process of
approach to inwardness lies through reversion and purification of the spirit by
putting the “self” aside. “Bide in silence, and the radiance of the spirit
shall come and make its home.”It is by the alert watch- and –wait method that
the mind becomes blank and still . it is to such a mind, that Nature yields her
secret. We Wei or “Creative Quietude,”
which comprises and connotesat once “supreme activity” supreme relaxation ,” is
vitally necessary for the realization of Tao. It is “life lived Beyond
tension,” thet acts as a magic spell. Tao works without working and can never
be learned and so” a senible man prefer the inner to the outer eye.” The way to
Tao is ever in concord with Nature and comes by a drive toward simplicity. It
is a way of life to be lived that brings in the all embracing continuity of Tao.
But now, Taoism without Lao Tze has lost its original deep meaning
and has acquired a secondary sense, denoting Just individual may order his life , and it is difficult to
see how far one can by himself come to Tao by ordering his life without a Master
–soul to put him on the path.
Zoroastrianism
What the Hindus refer to as Aum, Naad Shabd, the Buddhists describe
as the Lion roar of Dharma, and Lao Tze as Tao, Ratu Zarathustra, the ancient Persian sage, speaks of as
sraosha, or that which is heard:
I cause to invoke that Divine Sraosha (i.e. the word) which is the
greatest of all divine gifts for spiritual succour.
- Ha 33:35
The creative verbum;
Assimilating one’s unfolding self with
His all- pervading reality,
The omniscient, Self – existent Life- giver has framed
This mystic Verbum and its melodious rhythm,
With the Divine Order of personal self –sacrifice for
the universe, unto the self-
sublimating souls.
He is that person who , with the Enlightened superb
Mind can give both these (Mystic Verbum and
Divine order) through his gracious mouth unto
the mortals.
- Ha29:7
In Gatha Ushtavaiti, Zoroaster proclaims:
Thus I reveal the word which the Most Unfolded
One has taught me,
The word which is the best for mortals to listen.
Whosoever shall render obedience and steadfast attention unto
Me , will attain for one’ s own self the
All-Embracing whole Being
and immortality;
Will realize Mazda Ahura (God head).
- Ha35:8
But today we see only the symbolic fire burning all the time in the
parsi temples and the parsi households and thechanting of psalms and hymns
regardless of the living sraosha or the Creative Verbum, which the noble
Iranian himself had practiced for a number of years on Mt. Alburz and of which
he taught the people, as opposed to the worship of the ancient gods of Babylon
and Nineveh. Bound however to the fiery symbol of the original sraosha, it is
no wonder that the parsis are now known as “fire- worshipers.”
Thus we see that each Saint or sage, in his time , gave to the world
what he had himself experienced, in a form that could be easily understood and
assimilated by the people in general . Each one of them is worthy of the higest
respect for his contribution to the sum total of spiritual knowledge that we
have , but a real insight into this knowledge and actual experience of the
spiritual truths cannot be the had from the past Master's, for they cannot now
come down to the physical plane to give a living contact of the holy word to
the people and
Establish them in communion with the Holy Spirit, call it by
whatever name one may like . This needs the touch of a living Master, who like
the past Master's is himself in constant touch with the Word, for all life
comes from life light comes from light.
II. CHRISTIANITY
Jesus Christ was
essentially a man of the East , and his
teachings are imbued with oriental
mysticism. It is even speculated that he spent many of his early years (
on which the Gospels are silent ) in India and may have had a foretaste of
persecution from the Brahminical order and the so- called high class social
circles for his catholicity of vision , for he did not believe in class
barriers and preached the equality of man .*
His contribution to the religious thought of the world may be seen
in the emphasis he laid on the need for universal love, and the kingdom of God
within man ; the two cardinal principles known to the ancients long before, but
forgotten and ignored in practice.
Think not that I am come to
destroy the law or the prophets;
I am not come to destroy, but to ful full.
- MATTHEW :5: 17
Let us examine some of the pertinent saying which reveal that Jesus
was conversant with the ancient religious thought and practiced the path of the
Master's of the Audible Life Current , saying which are often ignored or
misconstrued by those studying his teaching today :
The light of the body is the eye; if therefore thine eye be
Single, thy whole body shall be full of light.
But if thine eye be evil, thy whole body shall be full
Of darkness. If therefore the light that is in thee be
Darkness, how great is that
darkness.
- MATTHEW :6:22- 23
Obviously, “the eye” refers to “the single eye” and the words “if
thine eye be single ,”mean concentrated awareness within at the center between
and at the back of the eyes. Again ,
the words “if thine eye be evil” refer to a state of mental dispersion without
, as opposed to concentration within, and the result will certainly be
“darkness” – darkness born of igreatest ill of the soul.
St. Luke then sounds a note of warning when he says:
Take heed therefore, that the light which is within thee be not
darkness.
-Luke 2:35
-
What I tell you in darkness, that speak ye in light:
and what ye hear in the ear,
that preach ye upon the housetops.
- MATTHEW 10 :27
Here are the words of advice from Jesus to his elect , the chosen
few, viz., to carry to the people openly (in light )the significance of what
they heard in “darkness,” thatis in secret meditation , and to tell of the
divine melody that they heard in the ear by means of transcendental hearing.
But hearing , ye shall hear , and shall not understand :
And seeing ye shall see, and shall not perceive.
- MATTHEW 13: 14
The idea conveyed is of the esoteric Nature of the spiritual science which can be experience in the
depths of the soul in the human laboratory of the body , and cannot be
understood on the intellectual level or the level of the senses.
St . Matthew then goes on to explain the matter:
For verily I say unto you , that many prophets and
Righteous men desired to see those things which ye
See, and have not seen them ; and to hear those things
Which ye hear; and have not heard them.
- MATTHEW 13: 17 ; Luke 10:
24
In clear and unambiguous words, we have a reference to the inner
spiritual experience, a realization of the kingdom of Light and Harmony, which
a real Master like Jesus could make manifest to his disciples.
Like other seers, Jesus gave a mystical experience to his sincere
disciples. To the multitude, he always talked in parables, like those of the
mustard seed, the fig tree, the ten virgins, etc., with which the Gospels
abound.
In a picturesque parable, he explains the sowing of the word in the
hearts of the people, and tells us that the word sown by the wayside is
generally stolen by Satan from the heart; that the word sown on stony ground
takes no roots, endureth for a while and is washed away by the afflictions
and persecutions for the word’ s sake ;
that the word sown among thorns is choked by worldly cares, deceitfulness and
lusts of the flesh, and finally, the word and receive, brings forth fruit
(Mark 4:14 – 20)
The path that Jesus taught is one of self – abnegation and of rising
above body –consciousness, a process hich is tanta mount to the experience of death- in life.
Then Jesus said unto his disciples , If any man will come after me,
let him deny himself , and take up his cross, and follow me.
For whosever will save his life shall lose it;
and whosever will lose his life for my sake shall find it.
For what is a man profited , if he shall gain the whole
world and lose his own soul?
Or what shall a man give
in exchange for his soul?
-MATTHEW 16: 24 – 26
It means one has to sacrifice the outer man, consisting of the flesh
and the carnal mind , for the sake of the Inner man or soul . In other words,
he has to exchange the life of the senses for the life of the spirit.
Again, the love the Lord thy God is to be made a ruling passion in
life:
Thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart,
and with all thy soul , and
with all thy mind.
- MATTHEW 22:37
St Mark goes further and adds, “and with all thy strength”
- ( Mark 12 :30).
This is the first and great commandment. And the
Second is like unto it, Thou shalt love thy neighbor
as thyself . On these two command ments hang all the
law and the prophets.
MATTHEW 22:37- 40; MARK 12 : 30- 31; LUKE 10: 27
The principle of love is still further amplified as follows:
Love your enemies, bless them them that curse you , do
good to them that hate you , and pray for them that
despitefully use you , and persecute you.
-MATTHEW 5: 44
And why all this ? in order to gain perfection in the likeness of
God :
Be ye therefore perfect as your Father which is in heaven is perfect.
- MATTHEW 5:48
In St. Luke, Chapter Three, we are told that “the word of God came John son of Zacharias in the
wilderness,” and John while preaching the wondering crowd, “I indeed baptize
you with water ; but one mightier that I cometh … he shall baptize you with the
Holy Ghost and with fire”(LUKE 3:2-3,
16).
We have to mark carefully the words “baptize by the Holy Ghost” and
“ fire,” for one refers to the heavenly music (the Holy word) and the other is
symbolic of the heavenly Light, and these are the twin principles of sound and
Light , the primal manifestations of Godhead, or God’ s power behind the entire
creation .
The way to the Kingdom of God can be opened unto him who knows how
to “knock” at the gate. In these three simple words, St Matthew in Chapter Seven and St. Luke in
Chapter Eleven have summed up what the aspirant has to do . Unfortunately, we
do not yet know where the gate to be knocked at lies Guru Nanak also
emphatically declares:
O ye blind ye know not the
gate.
About this gate, St Matthew tells us:
Enter ye in at the strait gate.. Because strait is the
Gate, and narrow is the way, which leadeth unto life,
and few there be that find it.
- MATTHEW 7: 13 – 14
It is essentially a path of conversion, for no one can enter into
the Kingdom of God unless he is converted and becomes as a little child
(Matthew 18:3), i.e., leaves off his vanities, becomes meek, pure, simple and
innocent like a little child. St. Luke elaborates on this theme in Chapter
18:15-17 , for when the disciples rebuked them that had brought infants along,
Jesus called them unto him and said, “Suffer little children to come unto me,
and forbid them not, for of such (like-minded) is the kingdom of God. verily I
say unto you, whosoever shall not receive the Kigdom of God as a little child
shell in no wise enter therein.”
In St. John, chapter One, we come to an elaborate exposition of the
teachings of Christ. He begins his gospel with the memorable words, the
intrinsic sigificance of which few have cared to grasp:
In the beginnig was the Word, and the Word was
with God, and the Word was
God .
The same was in the beginning with God.
All things were made by Him;and without Him
was not anything made that
was made.
In him was life; and the life was the light of man.
And the light shineth in darkness; and the darkness
comprehended it not. . .
That was the true Light, which lighteth every man
that cometh into the world.
He was in the world and the world was made by
Him, and the world knew Him
not. ..
And the Word was made flesh, and dwelt amongst
us.
In the above statement of St. John
,there cannot be any doubts
about the Nature of the Word. It is clearly the light and life of the ,
Word. the Creative Life – principle in which we live , move and have our being
. It is the spirit of God, the very essence of the soul but now lost in the
mighty swirl of the world and all that is worldly It is only the contact with
the Spirit that shows the way back to God and thus is the true religion. This
contact is termed variously as the second birth, the resurrection, or the
coming into life again . Addressing Nicodemus, a Pharisee and a ruler of the
Jews, Jesus said:
Verily verily, I say unto thee, except a man be born
angin, he cannot see the kingdom of God ….
(Mark the word “see.”)
verily, verily, I say unto
thee, except a man be born
of water and of spirit, he cannot enter into the
kingdom of God….(Mark the word “enter .”)
marvel not that Isaid unto thee, ye must be born again.
- John 3: 3 , 5, 7
Jesus compares the one born of the spirit with the wind which
“bloweth where it listeth, for thou hearest the sound there of , but canst not
tell where it cometh, and whither it Goethe”
-(John 3: 8)
Elsewhere, he speaks of the holy word as the “living wateer,” the
water that springs up into “everlasting life”
-(John 4:10,14).
Jesus speaks of himself as the “Bread of life,” the living Bread
come down from heaven ; and asks his disciples to eat “the flesh of the son of
man , and drink his blood,” for without these, “ye have no life in you (John 6 ).
These in brief are the essential teachings of Christ, the Master
Christian, but not of institutional Christianity. Most of the Christian
doctrines were formulated not by Jesus but by St . Paul, who turned Christ into
the sacrificial lamb to atone for the sins of the world, and around this
central idea, as borrowed from Judaism and the cults flourishing around the
Mediterranean at that time, there has grown a mass of ritual and ceremony.
The tenets of Christ remain as excellent moral precepts and
doubtlessly point the way to the inner realization , for they now lack the
living impulse and the pulsating touch of the teacher,. who having completed the job assigned touch of
the teacher , who having cannot now initiate and lead the people and make Truth
real to them by bringing them face to face with Reality . of all the mystical
teaching of Christ ,we now find but the symbolic lighting of canles in the
churches and the ceremonial ringing of the big bell at the time rituals, which are
the outward representations of the twin principles of Lght and sound, or the
primordial manifestation of the Godhead, responsible for all that exists in the
universe ,seen and unseen.
Same of the great church dignitaries , when asked , say that the bell
is pulled simply to call men to the prayer, and that to speak of God as the
Father OF lights (james 1: 17), is but a figurative form of speech to denote
his greatest gifs (of the lights of reason and intellect ). With hardly any
experience of the inner truth , they take the words literally and try to
explain things theoretically.
Jesus himself in no
ambiguous words declared:
I AM THE LIGHT OF THE WORLD :
he that followeth me shall not
walk in darkness, but shall have the light of life.
- John 8: 12
To speak of oneself as the “light of life” can have no reference to
the light of the sun ,even though the solar light may in the physical world be
a source of life- giving energy. In warns againt literal interpretation of his
words, when he draws the distinction between “hearing “ and “understanding” and
between “seeig “ and “perception .” It is only the awakened souls the Masterrs
of Truth, in living touch wioth the Reality, who hold the key to the kingdom of
the spirit and can draw forth an individual now completely lost in the life of
the senses, and rediscover for him the great heritage of All-life and All-
light ,for then it is said that, “The eyes of the blind shall be opened and the
ears of the deaf shall be unstopped. Then shall the lame man leap as an hart,
andthan the tongue of the dumd sing ; for in the wilderness shall waters break
out , and streams in the desert”
-(Isaiah 35 :5)
How few of us really Comprehend and appreciate the inner
significance of the words of Jeaus .
we are content only with the ethical side of his teachings, which of
course was a necessary accompaniment to the spiritual, The ethical tenets have
been widely propagated and have even been assiduously kept alive, for they mark
a great advance indeed in the moral scales of human values since the days of
Moses. But by themselves , of they fail
to account for declarations like those about the “Day of Judgment,” or “Repent, for the kingdom of Heaven is at
hand ,” or “God is spirit and they that worship Him must worship Him in Spirit
and in Truth .” If such sayings were to be taken in their literal sense, it
would be to reduce them to reduce them to meaninglessness. The “Day of
Judgment” has failed to come , in spite
of the prophecy of its proximity, and
either Christ was speaking in ignorance or
we have failed to comprehend his real meaning . There is clear to those
who attempt to interpret it in terms of intellect or even intuition.
Not having direct inner perception (not to be confounded with
philosophic significance of the teaching left to us in terms of our own limited
experience. What was meant as a metaphor we take as literal , and the
supersentient descriptions we reduce to metaphors. We easily forget that when
Jesus said that he was “the Light of
the world,” the “son of God ,” and one who world not leave or forsake his
disciples even unto the ends of the world , he spoke not in his mortal capacity
, but like all other great Master's, as one who had merged with the word and
become one with It . Forgetting this , instead of following him on the
spiritual pathhe showed , we think of
him as a scapegoat for bearing our sins and as means of evading the inner
spiritual challenge.
III
. ISLAM
As the name indicates, Islam is the religion of peace and good will
for who believe in the prophet and follow his behests . Every religion that
comes into being fulfills the purpose of God , the need of the hour, and fills
a gap in the religious history of man . prophet Mohammed too came at a time and
in a place which was stinking with rank superstition, idolatry, social
degradation and moral bankruptcy of the virile Arab race , debased as their
brethren, the Jews , and other races had sometimes been. Both Arabs and Jews
are semitic in origin and the descendants of Abraham : the one from Ishmael,
banished eastward, and the other from his brother Isaac, who remained in the
general area of Palestine. The rough
and sturdy Bedouin tribes of the desrt, owing allegiance to none sturdy Bedouin
tribes of the desert, owing allegiance to none but Mammon and Bacchus, were
steeped in utter ignorance and given over hear and soul to warring against
one anther . It was to save such people
that Mohamed , a deeply religious shepherd – boy , was chosen by the most High
as His Elect, to carry out the fiat of the most Merciful among His creatures.
The call to the Ministry of God came to him only after he had practiced intense
spiritual disicipline for several years in the rough and barren cave – Ghar –
I-Hira-in the suburbs of Mecca.
He started his mission in the true spirit of humility, not to work
wonder and offer miracles, which he always decried and desisted from , but as a simple preacher of God , s
words, a common man like anyone else. His message was essentially that of One
God , for he emphatically declared:
There is no God but God and
Allah is His Name.
Mohammed is but His
messenger, or Message- bearer.
On this fundamental basis of monotheism, he built his system of
ethicl teaching and democratic brotherhood. This was indeed , the need of the
time , and he admirably fulfilled it. To the barbarous, crude and
intellectually semi- developed race , he could hardly offer metaphysical
postulates for their consideration , specially when even even his simple
teachings evoked derision and ridicule from the people, and fierce vilification , leading in time
to open hostility, that force him and his follower to Medina for safety .
It was in the year 622 A.D when the
band of the faithful migrated form Mecca, and was follwed by a period of hard
struggle for the process of consolidation took about a hundred years of
relentless fighting , during which was carved a mighty empire from East to West
, the Indian Ocean on the one hand and the Atlantic Ocean on the other
The Koran or the Islamic Bible is a great wonder and an outstanding
miracle that surpassed everything else of that period. It has one hundred and
forty-four Suras or chapters, each with verses of verses varying from two
hundred and eighty six to six, the number of verses going down in a descending
order . It is in an elegant and polishwd Arabic and was reveaed in parts to the
unlettered prophet when in moments of intense meditation , by Gabriel the
Archangel of God , whose voice, originationg in the reverberation of bells,
would gradually as sume sound, shape and form.
The simple teaching of the Koran center around Allah (God ) , His
Makhluq or the created world Insan (man ) and Qiamat or the doomsday .
since Allah is real and basically good , so is everything else created by Him
. As all life is individual, so is everyone is to render an account for his
dear the full responsibility for his deviation in the after –life, on the day
of reckoning or qiamat.
The path of peace and righteousness for Man is defined as one
dedicated to ( I ) Allah or God ; ( ii)
Namaz or prayer, which is enjoined at least five time a day whether standing ,
sitting , kneeling or lying down (to signify constant remembrance ) , and which
may be performed anywhere by just spreading the prayer – carpet ( Sajadah ) and
facing Mecca, the one common center of adoration for the faithful ; ( iii
)zakaat or charity of one – fourth of one’ s effect’s once a year, for the same
human family; ( iv ) Roza or fast, during the month of Ramazan, so that
faithful may know what hunger is and learn
to alleviate the sufferings of the hungry and also develop spiritual
discipline , love of God, and compassion for their brethren, and lastly (v ) Haj
or performance of pilgrimage to Mecca, the Jerusalem of the faithful, at
least once in one’s lifetime, in simple sheet clothing, similar for all, thus
making the rich and the poor alike ,at least for the time being .
These in brief are the social teaching of Islam, designed for the
betterment of the Arabic society. But
there is the Koran not much mention of the spiritual practices of the prophet
himself, which transformed a simple camel- driver into a prophet- preacher and
a statesman of high order. This once again brings into bold relief the ancient
formula that there is some knowledge, by knowing which all else becomes known,
that brings about complete identification or meditation. We are told by the
Master – Saints that the practice in the solitary Ghar –I- Hira ( cave of Hira
) , was no other than that of Shughal-I –Nasiri, or the sound that works
as an open sesame to the Kingdom of
Allah .
Sheikh Mohd. Akram sabri tells us that the prophet practiced
communion with Awaz – I- mustqinm for fifteen years before he started receiving
messages from God. we also learn that
the prophet accomplished Shaqul – qamar
, i.e.,he broke the moon in twain astride a milk – white charger barq , which
figuratively and literally means
lighting. These are clear indications of the inner spiritual experience of those
who travel the path of the Sound Current and who know that they have to cross
the star and the moon in their spiritual journer. Today , we see the symbolic
representations of this in the star and the crescent moon on Muslim banners,
coinage and post age stamps, etc. Again, the appearance of the moon on the I'd
days is always hailed with rejoicing
and acclamation, and every where the people of the Mohammedan
religion anxiously wait and
watch from the housetops to see the
dawning of new moon on the horizon, little knowing the inner meaning that it
coneys. Bound to the Book , they are rightly called the Kitabis or the people
of the Book ,Mohammed may be the last in the chain of the prophets who have
come, but the Koran enjoins one to seek some mediator for contact with God .
Apart from these references, we have the incontrovertible testimony
word , spoken highly of the saving life- line as Kalam-I- Qadim bang – I-llahi
, Nida –I- Asmani , saut – I- sarmal, all signifying the Abstract sound (Ism- I
– Azam, ), the one creative life – principle in all Nature – the Kalma, which
created fourteen Tabrez , Maulana Rumi , Hafiz shirazi, ABDUL Razzaq kashi, Inayat Khan , Baba Farid,
Bulleh shah , shah Niaz, Hazrat Abdul Qadar, Hazrat Mian mir, Hazrat Bahu
,Hazrat Nizamud – din and many other , who
all practiced Sultanul- azkar (
the highest sound principle ) . The Fukra- kamil, travelers in the domain of
Marfat , or true wisdom, bypass both shariat and Tariqat the paths of
scripture, as well as Hadis or tradition. Hadis or tradition.
HAZRAT Inayat Khan in book
The Mysticism of sound speaks of the creation as the Music of God,” and tells
us that saut –I – sarmad is the intoxicating vintage from the Gar den of God.
All space, he says , is filled with saut –I- sarmad or the Abstract
Sound. The vibrations of this sound are too fine to be either audible or
visible to the material ears or eyes,
since it is even difficult for the eyes to see the form or color of the ether
vibrations on the external plane. It was saut- I- sarmad, which Mohammed heard
in the cave of Hira, when he became lost in his ideal. The Koran refers to it
as Kun—feu – kun –Be and all became.
Moses Sinai, when in communion with God. The same word was audible
to Christ when in his absorbed
in his heavenly Father in the wilderness. Siva heard the same Anhad –
Naad in the Himalayas. The flute of Krishna is allegorically symbolic of the same Sound . This sound is
the source of all revelation to the Master's to whom it is revealed from within
and, therefore, they know and teach the one and the blessed ones of God unite.
This Sound of the Abstract is always going on within, around and
about man. Those who are able to hear it and meditate on it are relived from
all worries, anxieties, sorrows, fears and diseases, and the soul is freed from
the captivity of the senses and the physical body ,and become part of the All-
pervading Consciousness.
This Sound develops through and into ten different aspects, because
of It's manifestation through the different tubes of the body (Nadis
), and sounds like thunder , the roaring of the sea, the jingling of
bells, the buzzing of bees, the twittering of sparrows, the vina, the flute, the sound of Shankha ( conch ) are heard, until It finally
becomes Humility, the most sacred of all sounds , be they from man , bird,beast
or thing .
In one of his addresses, Abdu’I-Baha said:
We must thank God that he has created for us both material blessing
and spiritual bestowals. He has given
us material gifs and spiritual bestowals. He has give us material gifts and spiritual graces; outer sight to view
the light of the sun and inner vision by which we may perceive the Glory of
God. He has designed the outer ear to enjoy the melodies of sound, and the
inner hearing where with we hear the Voice of our Creator.
In the Hidden words of Baha’ u’llah, a mystic Saint of Persia, we
have:
O son of dust ! hearken unto
the mystic voice calling
from the realm of the Invisible …up from thy
prison, ascend unto the glorious meadows above and
from thy mortal cage wing thy flight unto the paradise
of the placeless.
Many other sufi mystics have sung likewise:
From the heavenly turret, God bids thee home,
Alas ! thou listeneth not to the divine call,
None knows the mansion of the Beloved,
But sure enough the chiming of the bells come from
There.
- KHWAJA HAFIZ
Rising above the horizon, hearken to the melody
Divine,
The prophet would attend to It as to any other task.
- MAULANA RUMI
O God, lead me to the place from where flows the
Ineffable Kalma without words.
- SHAH NIAZ
All repeat the Kalma by word of mouth,
A rare soul may do it with the tongue of thought,
He who communes with it mentally,
He can hardly describe it in words.
- HAZRAT BAHU
In Tazkra-i –Ghausia ( p. 332 ) , Amir Khusro , great mystic pet and
a scholar of repute , has given an account of the ten types of sounds that one
hears within, and he beautifully concludes with the following lines:
Such indeed is the Heavenly Orchestra, O Khusro,
It is in these ten melodies that a yogin gets absorbed.
With senses stilled and the mind at rest, so saith
Khusro;
With the flourish of the limitless blast within ,
All the lusts of the flesh and the deadly sins fly off,
The Master too has a wonder ful world of His own,
And khusro is now deeply engrossed within his self.
From the above, it is abundantly clear that the inner spiritual
experience of the sound Current is within the reach of capable of imparting
provided there is a competent Master who is capable of imparting his own life –
impulse, and who can bring the contact with the Light and Sound of God by
opening the inner eye and by unsealing the inner ear.
Traces of these may now be found in the Quails or the outer music ,
and the reds or dances with jingling anklets in which some of the Muslims
engage to produce wajd, a stae of forgetfulness, as a means to the higher inner
way.
IV. SIKHISM
Sikhism is the youngest of the world religions, traching it's origin
from Guru Nanak, the world religions, tracing it's origin from Guru Nanak , the
first of the succession of ten great Guru Nanak , the first of the succession
of ten great Gurus . Like other faiths, it assumed the character of a distinct
religion only in subsequent times . In fact , they laid great emphasis upon
them as being the truths taught from time immemorial . To underline the
spiritual message ,Guru Arjan Dev ( the fifth Guru ) , when compiling the sri
Adi Granth, the holy scripture of the sikha, drew the hymns and devotional
pieces from the mystical writings of Saints of all castes and creeds ,
including kabir the Muslim weaver, Dhanna the JAT , RAVI Das the cobbler and
sadna the butcer, etc.
The Sikh scriptures occupy a unique position in religious history.
They represent not only the first delierate attempt to present the oneness of
all religions ,but are composed in a language that is still alive and not a
thing of the past. Hence they have lost none of their pristine freshness and
have not been wholly buried under the debrine of theological interpretation.
Being mainly expositional. They speak of the whole man , singing of his
problems, his weaknesses, the vanity of the world and ever greater of the
Absolute , beckoning him on to greater
and ever greater effort, toward , his divine home.
The language they employ lends itself to condensation
–concentration-junctions being freely dispensed with – thus enabling it's
poetic and musical elements to be used with great effect. Asearching philosophy
and profound metaphysic are implicit in every statement, yet their writing
speak directly to men ‘s hearts in the language that they use, whose meanings
are inexhaustible and which leave an imprint on all.
Moreover, the Sikh faith springing from the teachings not of one,
but of a succession of great Master's
covers almost every major aspect of man ‘s spiritual quest . If Buddha
emphasized the need for moderation and non-attachment, Christ for love, the
Sikh teachings succeed in stressing all facets Besides, being of comparatively
recent origin the records of the personal lives of theten great Gurus have been
preserved, and we know much of their travels and actions .Nothing in a like
manner is known of the Master – souls who gave to Hinduism it's Upanishads.
They speak as distant voices, reaching out to us from the remote past of
mythology . The inner path is a practical one, and man needs not only
philosophy but the demonstration of some life that illustrates it. whether we read of the humility of Nanak as
he passed on foot from place to place bearing the spiritual torch , or of foot
from place to place, bearing the spiritual torch, or of Gobind Singh, the last
of ten Gurus, riding from one end of
end of the country to the other , organizing his followers into a brotherhood that could meet force with force and
succesfuly resist the threat of physical extermination pose by the fanatical
emperor Aurangzeb we realize again and again that the life of God is inner
perfection , a mode of being , A self- fulfillment, not to be confused with intellectual philosophy or metaphysical
conundrums. He who had won this spiritual liberation could not be touched or
tarnished by outer action , for he had made God’s Will his own and did noting of
himself. And so, while leading his warriors to war against the Moguls, Guru
Gobind Singh could yet sing :
Sach Kahun , sun leyo sabhay
Jin prem kiyo, tin he prabh payo.
Verily,verily I say unto you
They that loved , found the
Lord.
To attempt to outline the mystical message of the great Sikh Gurus
would be to repeat most of what we have already said in the preceding chapter.
For the teachings of Nanak and of kabir (his cotemporary ), represent the final development of the
mysticism of inner seeing and hearing
into the path of the surat Shabd Yoga. Both great Master's- one the first of
the line of Sikh Gurus and the second a weaver of Varanasi (formerly Benares )
, were indefatigable in emphasizing the inefficacy of outer ritual ,
intellectual sophistication and yogic austerities:
Sant mata kuchh aur hai Chhado chaturai
The path of the Master's is distinct:
Let go thy intellectual subtleties.
- KABIR
One cannot Comprehend Him through reason , even
If one reasoned for ages;
One cannot achive inner peace by outward silence,
not though one Sat dumb for ages;
one cannot buy contentment with all the riches of
the world, nor reach Him with all mental ingenuity.
- NANAK
Both Saints decried caste
distinction , and they were alike in stressing the unity of all life, the
oneness of spirit that sustained everything, and both declared repeatedly that
the highest and most feasible way to at – one- ment with God lay through the
path of Naam or Shabd . Indeed, no other scriptures are so insistent on the all
– pervasiveness of the word as are those of the Sikhs or the writings of Kabir
, a selection of which as has already been mentioned , was include by Guru
Arjan Dev in the Sri Adi Granth. The inner light – anta jot – and the inner
music is limitless (anhad bani ),are a recurring theme in nearly all of
thecompositions contained in the Granth Sahib .
The Jap Ji by Guru Nanak , which figures as a prologue to the Granthsahib , may serve to
illustrate the spiritual riches embedded in the Sikh scriptures .It is a
wonderful lyrical compositiopn remarkable for it's poetic beauty, and even
more for the divine heights it reaches.
It opens by dwelling on the nature of the Absolute Reality as distinct from the
phenomenal:
There is one Reality , the Unmanifest Manifested:
Ever- existent, He is Naam (conscious spirit ) ;
The Creator pervading all:
Without fear , without enmity;
The Time less, the unborn and theself- existrnt,
Complete within Itself.
- PROLOGUE
THIS reality is Beyond human reason , and the path leading to It is
single:
One cannot Comprehend Him through reason, even
If one reasoned for ages.
- STANZA I
And yet , It may be reached, and the path leading to It is single:
There is a way ,O Nanak : to Make his will our existence.
His will which is already wrought in our existence.
- STANZA I
It is not something outside of us but within; it is a part of our being, our very essence, and
all that is needed is to attune ourselves to It, for be attuned to It is to be
freed from the bondage of the ego and therefore of maya:
All exist under His will,
And nothing stands out side,
One attuned wit however His will, O Nanak , is wholly freed
From ego.
- STANZA I
How may one attune oneself to the divine Will? The answer is hinted
at in the very opening itself:
Through the favor of His true servant the Guru,
He may be realized.
This subject is taken up in Stanza XVI in
greater detail:
The Saint ( the word – personified ) is acceptable at
His Court and is the chief elect therein;
The Saint adorns the threshold of God and is honored
Even by kings;
The Saint lives by and meditates on the One word.
The gift of the true Master is a gift of Naam, in which he himself
is an adept. This word is the manifestation of God’s will and command and is at
the heart of all His creations:
With one word of His , this vast creation blossomed
Into being,
And a thousand streams of life sprang into existence.
- STANZA XVI
The way to at- one- ment
with God’s will is through attunement with the word:
By communion with the word one becomes the abode of all virtues;
By communion with the word, one becomes a sheikh, a pir and atrue
spiritual king;
By communion with the word, the spiritually blind find their
way to Realization;
By communion with the word, one crosses Beyond the Limitless Ocean
of illusionary matter;
O Nanak ! His devotees live in perpetual ecstasy,
For the word washes away all sin and sorrow.
- STANZA XI
Hence it is that Nanak declares:
Exalted is the Lord, and exalted His abode;
More exalted still His Holy word.
- STANZA XXIV
Having outlined the Nature of the Absolute and the way leading to
mergence with It, Nanak goes on to tell us of what is required to successfully
pursue the journey. It is not neces –sary , he implies, to turn an outward
sanyasin; what one must do is to be sanyasin
in spirit , dispensing with external forms, and instead to inculcate the inner virtues:
Let contentment be your ear -rings; Endeavor for the Divine and
respect for the Higher Self be your
wallet;
And constant meditation on Him your ashes; Let preparedness for
death be your cloak’ And your body be like unto a chaste virgin; Let your
Master’s teachings be your supporting sfaff. The highest Religion is to rise to
Universal Brother hood, Aye, to consider all creatures your equals. Conquer
your mind , for victory over salf is victory over the world. Hail, Hail, to Him
alone, The primal , pure, Eternal, Immortal and Immutable in all ages.
- STANZA XXVIII
Finally , in the closing of the closing sections of the Jap Ji, Guru
Nanak gives us abird’s – eye view of the spirit’ s
pilgrimage. The first realm to be transcended is the plane of Dharm Khand –the
Realm to be transcended is the plane of
Dharm Khand –the Realm of Action , or
the world of good and evil deeds as we
know it. Next comes Gyan Khand or the Realm of Knowledge, the First of
the inner heavens, full of gods and demi- gods:
Countless it's elements, air water and fire, And countless Krishnas
and sivas, And countless the Brahmas fashioning various creations of countless
forms and countless hues. Countless the Fields of Action , countless the
golden mountains…. Countless the
sources of creation, countless the harmonies, countless those that listen unto
them. And countless the devotees of the word, Endless and unending , O Nanak !
this Realm.
- STANZA XXXV
If knowledge is the reigning virtue of this region, ecstasy is that
of this region , ecstasy is that of the next, which is Sarm khand, the Realm of
Bliss. This plane is Beyond description
and whoever tries to describe it
must repent his folly . Herein at last, the soul is freed from it's
mental adjuncts and finally comes into it's own:
Herein the mind , reason and
understanding are ethe-
Realized, the self comes to it's own, and develops the
penetration of the gods and
sages.
- STANZA XXXVI
BUT “higher stil” stands Karm Khand, the Realm of Grace- grace
earned through right action and meditation.
Here the word is all in all, and nothing else prevails,
Here dwell the bravest of the brave, the conquerors
of the mind, imbued with the love Divine….
All hearts filled with God , they live Beyond the reach
Of death and delusion.
- STANZA XXXVII
This is the realm where the soul finally escapes the coil of
relativity; the bonds of time , death and change no longer affect it . But
though it dwells in the constant presnce of the Lord, it may move still further
to merge into His formless
State:
Sach khand , or the Realm of Truth, is the seat of the Formless One,
here He creates all creations, rejoicing in creating . Here are many regions ,
heavenly systems and universes, To count which were to count the countless.
Here, out of the Formless, The heavenly to move according to His will. He who
is blessed with this vision , rejoices in it's Contemplation. But , O Nanak ,
such is it's beauty that to try to describe it is to attempt the
impossible. - STANZA XXXVII
This is the realm where the soul finally escapes the coils of
relativity; the bonds of time, death and change, no longer affect it. But
though it dwells it dwells in the constant presence of the Lord , it may move
still further to merge into His Formless State:
Sach Khand , or the Realm of Truth , is the seat of the
Formless One, here he creates all creations, rejoicing in creating. Here
are many regions, heavenly systems and universes, To count which were to count
the countless. Here, out of the Formless, The heavenly plateaux and all else
come into form, All destined to move according to his will. He who is blessed
with this vision, rejoices in it's contemplation. But, O Nanak such is it's
beauty that to try to describe it is to attempt the impossible.
- Stanza XXXVII
This is the realm where the soul finally the coils of relativity;
the bonds of time, death and change , no longer affect it. but though it dwells
in the constant presence of the Lord, it may move still further to merge into His Formless state:
Sach Khand , or the Realm of Truth, is the seat of the For less One,
Here He creates all creations, rejoicing in creating . Here are many regions,
heavenly systems and uni-verses, To count which were to count the countless.
Here, out of the Formless, The heavenly plateaux and all else come into form,
All destined to blessed with this vision, rejoices in it's contemplation. But ,
O Nanak , such is it's beauty that to try
to describe it is to attempt the impossible.
- STANZA XXXVII
The world shall go on along the rails of good and evil deeds, caught
in the limits of Karma , but:
Those who have communed with the word, their toils shall end, And
their faces shall flame with glory.
Not only shall they have salvation, O Nanak, but many more shall
find freedom with them.
FINALE
Through the plains of the Punjab , sweeping away all the false
distinctions of caste that a decadent Brahminism had created.
At a time when religious bigotry between the Hindus and the ruling
Muslims was growing , it demonstrated the unity of all true religions,
purifying Hinduism of it's servility to outer ritual and setting up before
Islam the higher inner ideal it was forgetting in outer names and forms. It is
no accident that the sufi tradition and the Sikh religious movement
should have flowered at the same time . Indeed, history at many points ,
suggests an active cooperation between the two . Some of the Sikh Gurus ,
especially Guru Nanak and Guru Gobind
Singh, and their followers like Bhai Nand
Lal, were masters of per-sian and have left some exquisite compositions
in that lan- guage. Guru Nanak is said to have journeyed to Mecca and, like his successors, had many Muslim disciples, while
sufimystics like Hazrat Mian Mir were on intimate terms with Guru Arjan . Both
the sufi and the sufi and the Sikh Master's were not tied to dogma, and taught
the lesson of universal brotherhood. They acted and rected unon eachother , and
it is significant that the surat Shabd
stress in the writing of the greatest Sufis and in the Sikh scriptures, a fact
summed up by Inayat Khan in the passage already quoted from his book The
Mysticism of sound.
But the teachings of all great Master's tend to trail off into institutions
sfter they leave this world. Those of the Sikh Gurus have been no exception to
the rule. While they Sikh exercise a profoundly uplifting influence upon
themasses, they no longer impel them to mystic efforts as they once must have
done . that which once sought to transcend all religious divisions has itself
once sought to transcend all religious divisions has itself become areligion .
That which sought to castigate caste and caste- emphasis has gradually
developed a certain outer forms and ritual has cultivated a form and ritual of
it's own. At every religious ceremony ,
people hear verses chanted , singing of the glories within:
All knowledge and meditation sprang from Dhun (the sound principle),
But what That is, defies definition. - GURU ARJAN
The true Bani (word ) is given
by the Guru,
And is reverberating in the Sukhmana.
- GURU NANAK
The unstruck Music is heard through the Grace of a God man ,
But few there be who commune with it.
-GURU ARJAN
And yet these verses are chanted without heeding or under-stnading
the deep spiritual meaning hidden in them.
Chapter seven
SOME MODERN MOVEMENTS
THE first impact
of science on the West seems to have been to under mine religion. Christianity,
having developed into a complex and rigid institution with a dogmatic
framework, was in no position to adjust itself to the demands made by the new
knowledge available from science. The result was unavoidable; a head-on
collision between the two, which left religion shaken, and science firmly
entrenched. However, as we have already suggested in an earlier chapter, the
physical sciences by themselves cannot explain life completely or even
adequately. When the outer sciences have had their say, certain unknown problems
of being remain to baffle and trouble the mind of man. the last century has
seen the emergence of many a movement that has sought, in some way or other, to
point toward an inner life, that science at least to a degree tended to
discount. Modern India has been the birthplace of many religious movements, but
for the most part they have been by of a revival of what the ancients already
knew, be it the Vedantism of Sri Ramakrishna, Sri Aurobindo, or Ramana
Maharishi or as we have already examined in some detail, the various Indian
yogic systems. However it may be fruitful to glance at some of the movements
prevalent in the West, movements that often converge on eastern traditions and
are affected by them.
Roscrucianism, Theosophy and “I am” Activity
Even while
Christianity held unquestioned sway in Europe, certain heterodox schools of
mysticism flourished in a small way alongside it , Rosicrucianism being
one of the earliest . However, these continued as secret societies which
were looked upon with suspicion by the general public. But when institutional
Christianity began to suffer at the hands of science, they
suddenly acquired an importance that
they never had before. Man whose faith
in Christianity had been shaken by Darwin and Huxley but who could not accept
the mechanistic view of the Universe, turned to these societies in the hope of
arriving at a more satisfying explanation of life . Many took to the tenets of Rosicrucianism while others , seeking their in spiration
from the East, founded the Theosophical movement . still others, claiming to be
guided by St. Germain, have developed what is called the “ I am” Activity.
These movements do not claim to be religions in the traditional sense, even
though they have their own codes. They are rather occult societies which share
in common a belief that human life is guided and directed by unseen Cosmic
Being or Mystical Brotherhoods. These Beings cannot be met directly in this
physical world ; they either live in remote mountain fastnesses or work from a
plane higher than the earthly one. However, one may , by believing in them and
by following a particular disicipline , lend oneself to their influence and
benefit thereby . Though they all imply , one way or another, the ultimate
unity of life , in practice they seem
to touch it at its fringes. The most a disciple may hope to do get in direct
touch with one of the Cosmic Beings, but that state in which the soul becomes
one with the Source of Time and Timeless , of which the great Master's have
spoken, is seldom treated as a practical possibility. Again, since one seeks
guidance not from a human being like oneself , who has realized the Infinite,
but from visionary beings whom one may never meet , the kind of detailed
instuction and step by step guidance in every field of life, which is an
essential feature of the Surat Shabd Yoga, is also missing . However, each in
its own way seeke to carry human evolution a step further , and the step taken
is certainly not a mean one . Thus, Madam Blavatsky, writing in The Voice of
the silence , speaks of a fairly advanced mystic experience when describing the
inner Sound :
The first is
the nightingale’s sweet voice chanting a song of parting to its mate.
The second
comes as a sound of silver cymbals of
the Dhyanis awakening the
Twinkling
star .The next is plaint – melodies of the ocean spirit imprisoned in its
shell.
And this is
followed by the chant of Vina, The fifth like the sound of a bamboo flute
Shrills in the ears . It Changes into a triumphant blast . the last
vibrates like the dullrumbling of thunder clouds.
Christian science
and Subud
The Christian
science movement is yet another heterodox western movement, it differs from
those that we have already noticed in its shift of emphasis. Though it implies
a mystical base, yet in practice it is not very much concerned with it. It
seeks to interpret Christ’s life in its own light, focusing its attention
simply on the miracles performed by him.
It argues that God, or the Truth, is good, and that all evil and disease are
but a result of losing contact with this Inner power. He who can be put in
touch with it can be cured of all disease, and Christian science has tended to
concentrate its attention on this end. The result has been that it has become
more a study of health then one of spiritual evolution, and the line between
healing through auto – suggestion and hypnotic suggestion, and healing (as
Christian science claim) through the power of Truth is not always easy to draw.
Many have even questioned the Nature of the motives of its founder, Mrs. Mary
Baker Eddy. But one thing one can be certain: that even if the cures effected
by Christian Science spring from a spiritual source, the agents are not its
conscious masters, are not in direct and conscious contact with the higher
power, but act as its unconscious instruments. Though it would be rash to class with Christian Science Subud or
Soshiel Bodhi Dharm, founded by the
Indonesian mystic teacher Pak Subeh,
which has now become an international movement , yet one may one may
with some justice notice a similar trend . The mystic base in the case of subud
is much more important than in that of Christian Science, yet is often directed
toward the same end. It seeks, through following a certain course of exercises
called Latihan, to put its followers in
touch with hidden psychic powers. It does not seem to enhance consciousness
directly but enriches it indirectly through increasing one’s powers of
intuition. Whether one looks at the experiences of Mohammad Raufe or those of
John Bennett, one realizes that in the case of Subud , a person may serve as a
medium for higher spiritual forces, curing people of diseases, without becoming
a conscious co- worker. The result is
that instead of progressing to higher and still higher planes of consciousness
, until one merges with the Infinite, one tends to cultivate a passive
receptivity to psychic powers which may
not necessarily be of the higher kind. Many disciples during Latihan reproduce
strange animal or bird experiences – a farcry from the Nirvikalp Samadhi or the
sehaj samdhi spoken of by the greatest mystics.
Spiritism and spiritualism
Last but not the least, we must distinguish spirituality from
spiritism and spiritualism, as spirituality is quite different from both of
them .Spiritism inculcates a belief in the existence of disembodied spirits
apirits apart from matter, which are believed of disembodied spirits apart from
matter, which are believed by those who believe in spiritism to haunt either
the nether regions as ghosts or evil spirts, or even as angels or good spirits
in thelower astral regions. At times, At times, they even become interested in
the individual human affairs, and for
fulfillment of long – cherished but unfulfilled desires, try to seek
gratification by all sorts of tricks , and those who dabble in the Black Art claim and profess to exercise power over
them through magical incantations. But none of the Master ‘s disciples need
bother about them , as no evil influence
can come near one who is in communion with the holy word, for it is said :
The Great Angel
of Death is an invincible foe ,
But he too fears
to come near one in communion with the Word.
He flies far out
and away from the chants of the divine Harmony,
Lest he fall a
victim to the wrath of the Lord .
Spiritualism
goes one step further than spiritism . It is a belief in the human personality
after physical death , and the possibility of communication between the living
and the dead . The advocates of with so- called spirits. Their modus operandi
is by mediumship, for they work through some sort of medium, maybe a planchette
for planchette writing , a table for table rapping , or even a human being who
is rendered unconscious so that the spirit called may make use of his body and
communicate through it . This relationship generally works between just the
physical or earth plane and the lowest sub- astral planes known as magnetic
fields. The results that follow from such communications are very limited in
scope, mostly unreliable and extremely harmful to the medium, who suffers a
terrible loss at times by deprivation of his intelligence . The Master's of
spirituality, therefore, strongly condemn the practice of spirtualism. Their
contact and intercourse with the spiritual regions right to the mansion of the
Lord (sach khand )are direct and they come and go at their sweet will and
pleasure, without any letv or hindrance and independent of the subjective
process of mediumship.
While their
approach is quite normal , natural direct and constructive, the spiritualist on
the other hand works subjectively, indirectly , and mediately through a process
which is fraught with dangers and risks both to himself and to the medium.
Spiritualism, apart from the knowledge of survival of spirits after death ,
adds little to our experience and offers nothing of substance in the way of
spirituality .
Hypnosis and mesmerism
The above remarks apply equally to hypnosis and
mesmerism, in both of which a person
with a stronger will power tries to influence those with weaker
stamina by means of passes of hand or gestures coupled with a riveted attention
on the subject . In certain ailments, like hysteria, ect.,some physicans also
make use of these processes and are able temporarily to effect cures and alleviate pains and aches for which they are
not able to find a proper remedy.
Spirituality ,on the contrary, is the science
of the soul and consequently, it deals with all the aspects of the soul, where
it resides in the human body , its relationship with the body and with the mind
, how it seemingly acts and react through and on the senses , its real Nature,
and how it can be separated from all its finitizing adjuncts. It describes the
spiritual journey with its wealth of spiritual planes and sub-planes, the
spiritual powers and possibilities and their intrinsic worth . spirituality
discloses what the holy Word is and how to commune with It, tells us that the unltimate goal is Self –realization and
God – realization , or the union of the soul with the Over- soul, and teaches
how it can be achieved by means of Surat Shabd yoga or the path of the sound
current, as described in the foregoing
pages.
CHAPTER EIGHT
CONCLUSION
The foregoing
survey, in brief, of the major religions of the world and some of their modern
ramifications, makes abundantly clear a general drift toward some common basic
assumptions and beliefs: (a) that the physical universe is no more than a small
part of a much larger whole; (b) that in like manner, our everyday human
existence is only a fragment of the vast and complex pattern of life; (c) that
behind the phenomenal, physical and human world, there is an Absolute Reality
or a state of Perfect Being, Beyond change or destruction, complete within
itself, which is responsible for all that is and yet stands over and above its
own creation; (d) that this Reality, this state of Perfect Being, may be
approached by man (under competent guidance) through the agency of the Word, or
the Divine stream radiating Light and Harmony, which represent the primal
manifestation of the Formless into Form and from whose downward descent all
realms and regions came into existence.
If all religious
experience tends in the same direction, then why, one asks, is there so much of
conflict and controversy in the sphere of religion? Why is it that the devotees
of every faith regard theirs as the only true one and all other faiths as
false? Why is there dogmatic faith in spiritual monopoly and wherefore the Holy
Crusades, the Massacre of St. Bartholomew, the Spanish Inquisition or the
communal rioting in India in 1947? The question is valid one, and the reasons
that must go toward answering it are many and complex.
The first thing
that strikes one when taking up the comparative study of religion is its
existence on different levels. At the core of every major religion stands the
practical, mystical experience of some great sage or a succession of sages.
Around this center have accumulated accretions of social codes, customs and
ritual. Now the core may be common to the mystics of various ages and
countries, but the social context in which it is experienced and conveyed must
of necessity vary. The Westerner bares his head as a mark of reverence, while
his Muslim counterpart, coming from the deserts of Arabia, is satisfied with a
dry bath with sand. The European, living as he does in the colder regions,
feels neither of these compulsions. Such differences of custom extend to other
spheres as well. Polygamy may be lawful to the Muslim but it is a sin to the
Catholic. Idol worship may be quite permissible in Hinduism but it is hateful
to the Puritan. The fact is that all religious leaders have stressed the need
for maintaining high ethical standards, but their ethic has never been of the Nature
of an absolute. They have taken into account the social conditions obtaining
among the people at the times at which they came and have tried to raise them
to the highest possible point, aiming not so much at a standardization of outer
custom as at inner purity of heart, and good will toward one’s human and
non-human fellow creatures. Jesus immediate listeners may have failed to
appreciate the truth of his assertion that he had come not to break but to
fulfill the Law, and yet if Moses gave out the precept of an eye for an eye and
tooth for a tooth. Christ taught his disciples to love their enemies and to
offer their right cheek when the left was slapped. Moses spoke according to the
conditions of his time, and Jesus according to his own, so the ethics of
Christianity deviated from those of Judaism, even though it is an extension of
the older faith.
As a consequence
of the factors that come into play in the development of religion as a social
institution, we find that each religion creates around itself a distinct
pattern of customs, dogmas and ritual. This pattern being distinct in each
case, the devotees of every faith must necessarily feel themselves as standing
apart form those of other faiths, not only in their dress and manners, but also
in their modes of social concepts and attitudes. Yet the lives of all great
religious leaders like Jesus and Buddha, reveal that while each of them
accepted and extended the code of his own people, they nonetheless never forgot
that all men were brothers and treated members of other societies with the same
respect and consideration as they displayed to those of their own. Behind the
varying outer forms that characterize life they saw pulsating the same Unity of
Being and it was from this level that they regarded all humanity.
What was
possible to the great founders of religions should be possible for those who
claim to follow them. But when we look at things as they stand, we find that
this possibility of inter-communications, cooperation and understanding between
various faiths, has seldom if ever been realized. A mystic like Sri Ramakrishna
may practically
demonstrate the inner oneness of all religions, but the rest of us fail to
grasp the point. The fact is that every major world religion, after the passing
away of its founder, grew into an institution, with a priesthood to manage its
affairs; the pundits in India, the Mullahs and Maulvis in Islam, the Pharisees
and rabbis in Judaism and the monks and bishops in Christianity. This
development made possible the extension of the message of the great founders to
numbers they could never have instructed themselves. Buddha personally met and
influenced many an individual, but what was their number in comparison to the
millions that heard the doctrine of Dharma when Ashoka created the various
Sanghas or orders of Buddhist monks, two centuries after his death? Besides, it
enabled the perpetuation of his message down the ages. Buddha has come and
gone, Jesus may have been immolated on the cross, but the Sangh and the church continue
and keep alive their teachings in a widespread manner, which could not have
been done if no institutions had been developed.
But, if the
institutionalization of the teaching of great spiritual leaders enabled their
propagation and perpetuation, it also led to their transformation. The message
of Christ or of Buddha as it was first delivered by each of them was one thing,
but in the hands of the Church and Sangh that followed, it become another. The
great religions leaders were moved and guided by first-hand inner experience
and it was this actuality that lay at the heart of their teachings. They saw it
as something universal, something latent in every man, and it was toward this
that they directed the attention of their disciples, employing ethical advancement
as a lever for spiritual progress. When
their task, after their passing away, was taken over by rapidly expanding
organizations, which grew more complex with time, one could not expect all of
their members to have attained the same heights or even to have any glimpses of
the inner mystic realms. Little wonder then, that with the growth of the church
and the like, the interest in every religion should have tended to shift from
the mystical to the ethical, the ritualistic and the doctrinal; in short, from
the universal to the particular. Only a rare soul may penetrate through the
dark veil within, but for every such being, a million, nay a billon, may
discuss problems of ethics, practice outer ceremonies and hold strong opinions
on various subjects, opinions not inspired or tested by personal experience,
but picked up from the marketplace of life. And so, whereas we find no rigid
framework of ritual or doctrine or outer code in the teachings of Jesus himself
– everything being fluid and flexible,
in a ready state to be directed to the service of the mystical message –
a rigid framework emerged with the growth of Christian Church. As this
variation took place, new barriers arose between the followers of Jesus and
those of other faiths, barriers that never existed before.
As though this
were not enough, the rise of priest craft worked in yet another direction. The
Church in its phase of growth had, in most of the cases, to struggle against
heavy odds, as everything new usually meets with strong opposition. It could
only offer the cross of danger and deprivation, not the rose of prosperity.
Those who entered it, entered it for the sake of their convictions, not for
love of power. But once the church had come to be accepted, it began through to
exercise considerable sway over the people. They offered it gifts and titles
and made it the final arbiter, not only in matters spiritual, but in matters
temporal as well. Thus began a process by which the priesthood turned form the
inner to the outer life, from self-abnegation to temporal power. In order to
preserve its position, the church encouraged the growth of doctrines and
traditions, that reinforced its monopoly of authority. To strengthen itself, it
created a halo around the altar to which it was in service, and condemned the
altars where it had no hand. If the self-styled servants of Jehovah, or those
of some other name of deity, were to maintain and extend their position and
sway, then it was necessary that all Gods of the philistines or of the heathens
should be condemned.
These factors
that we have considered operate in every field of human activity. The historian
is only too well aware of the fate of every new movement, whether of a
religious or of a secular character. It arises with a man of vision, undergoes
rapid expansion in the hands of those whom his example has directly inspired,
and then enters into a process of gradual senility and decay. The descent from
a pulsating vision to a mechanical dogma is not peculiar to religion alone, but
nevertheless there are certain features in the case of religion which do not
occur elsewhere.
These unique
problems stem from the mystical experience at the heart of every great
religion. The mystic experience, as we have see, extends to planes of existence
to which normally human beings have no access. Only a handful, nay less than a
handful, can claim its mastery in any age. It is an experience unique in
character, for it possesses a kind of richness, extensiveness, intensity and
beauty that finds no parallel in earthly life. But we on this earthly plane can
Comprehend its meaning only within the limitations of our own mundane
experience. The choice of before the mystic, if we wishes to convey to us
something of his unique experience(not just ending in silence or in the
negative statements of the Vedantist or of St. John of the cross), is perforce
to resort to metaphor and parable.
In Maulana
Rumi’s Masnavi, we are told:
It is not
fitting that I tell thee more,
For the
stream’s bed cannot hold the sea.
Jesus was quite
explicit on the subject when speaking to his closest disciples (to whom he
could directly convey firsthand inner
experience):
Unto you it
is given to know the mystery of the Kingdom of God; but unto those that are
without all things are done in parables.
St. Mark
Whereas direct
statement tends to be limited by the analyzable qualities of the object,
figurative statement suffers no such bar. Poets have described their love for a
woman in terms of a rose, a star, a melody, a flame, the moon, etc. the mystics
have used a similar license when speaking of their love for God. But while the
listeners to the poet speaking of human love are always aware that he is using
metaphors, knowing well what a woman is, those hearing the mystic have saying
is only figurative. So the statements of the man of spiritual vision are often
taken literally when they are meant to be literal. Thus, when Jesus or Mohammed
declared that he was the son or the messiah of God (as all great soul who have
merged their will with the Divine Will have said), they were each taken to
imply that he was literally the only son of the Almighty. Or again, when Jesus,
speaking not in his capacity as a finite individual but in that of the Eternal
Divine Principle that he embodied, said, “I shall never leave thee nor forsake
thee even to the end of the world,” he was taken literally. So to seek active
spiritual guidance from a living teacher after Jesus, speaking not in his
capacity as a finite to imply that of
the Eternal Divine principle that he embodied, said , “I shall never leave thee
nor forsake thee even to the ends of
the world,” he was taken literally . so to seek active spiritual
guidance from a living teacher after Jesus was no more, became a
sing of disbelief and therefore was dubbed a heresy. But when Jesus quite
literally spoke of the “ single eye” or
of God as “ Light ,” he was taken to refer figuratively to integrity of
conscience and the light of
reason .
Little wonder then that with each statement
being thus interpreted , or rather misinterpreted, meanings should emerge which then that with each
statement being thus interpreted, or rather misinterpreted, meanings should
emerge mass and doctrines should be
propounded in his name which have little relation to the universal inner
experiences which inspired him. So differences of doctrine between one creed
and another arose that were never in the contemplation of their founders.
Moreover, the inner realms are so vast and varied that no one mystic could ever
hope to point to all aspects of the inner panorama. At best he can hint at some
part of it and that may not be exactly the same as those parts of which others
have spoken, with the result that to the reader who has himself no direct
access to the realms within there may appear
certain discrepancies between the writings of one mystic and another, which in
fact do not exist.
Further, not all mystics reach the
highest spiritual goal. Only a few succeed in braking through the veil of inner
darkness to the full, and of these, the majority never get beyond the first inner spiritual plane. Of
those who do succeed in going
further, the greater number never cross the second plane, and so on . Now
each of the planes has its own peculiarities and characteristics and ,
whereas the planes contain and maintain
the lower ones , the inhabitants of the lower planes are seldom aware of the
existence of the higher ones. Each plane, in comparison to the one before it,
seems perfection itself, and every mystic who has spoken of his divine
experience, has described it as though it were the be-all and the end –all of
spiritual progress. The inescapable consequence of this is that we encounter
descriptions of the Absolute that , after an allowance for differences of
figurative language has been made, fail to agree . Jesus speaks of the Divine
in Its paternal aspect , Sri Ramakrishna in Its
maternal one. The Sankhya mystics speak of God , prakriti and Atman as forever separate;
Ramanuja as related but never merging
into one; while shankara sees them as of the selfsame essence , their
separation being not real but only an illusion . All this means a mass of
confusion to confusion to the common reader. But should he meet one who has
reached the highest realm and is
familiar with experience of each of the
inner planes, all contradictions would vanish , for he can demonstrate that
though the six blind men man apparently the most contradictory
statements about the nature of the
elephant , yet they could all be finally reconciled by one who could see the
whole elephant. In this context, the teaching
of the surat Shabd yoga acquire yet another significance . we have
already seen at some length how it represents the quickest, most practical and
the most scientific means to man’s spiritual goal. We may now add that by
taking him to the highest of the spiritual planes, the point where the Formless
comes into Form , it provides him with the best vantage- ground for viewing the
vast field of spirituality. That which would confuse and baffle others leaves
the adept on this path unruffled. Contradictions vanish at his touch , and that
which once confused and confounded resolves itself , after his exposition, into
perfect order. He understands each of
the spiritual and quasi –spiritual movements that confront us today . He can at
will enter into the inner experience tharang, or beautiful forms, designs, and
colors which may attract the eye.
If each can
offer, and he is the best fitted to judge their relative merits. He does not
condemn or attack ; hatred or opposition does not move him . Having seen the
Highest, his aim is to take his fellow human beings to It in the smoothest ,
swiftest way . He knows that the life within is not to be confounded with the
life without, and preaches his message not as a code but as science: “ Try
within ” he tells us, “and see for yourself.”
The science he teaches is not a new one. It is the most ancient of
sciences. But whereas in the past it tended to ally itself to much that was not
essential to it. he wishes to preserve it in its pure state and pristine glory.
He carries to their logical conclusion the mystic truths embedded in all great
scriptures, stressing that if God in his primal from in Light and Music, we
must inwardly turn to these, and not to any other means, for reaching back to
him and merging with him. Where there was chaos he brings order, where there
was despair he brings hope, and for each of us, in whatever capacity we may be,
he has some comfort, some illumination to offer.
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