Babaji was once wandering somewhere in Eastern U.P. At one place he passed by a railway station. The train happened to be at halt. He had a fancy to travel some distance by train. He got into a nearby coach and sat in an upper class compartment. After a while the train started and continued its journey.
Some time later, a Travelling Ticket Examiner saw this somewhat uncouth, rustic-like person occupying the upper class seat and approached him and asked for his ticket. Babaji just looked up at him once and paid no further attention to his query. He continued to remain silent in contemplation. The Ticket Examiner was annoyed. He demanded to see the ticket. It was those days when most of the railway staff was either British or at least Anglo-Indian. Babaji shook his head and spread out his empty hands.
The Ticket Examiner understood the situation and decided to take action. Soon after, the train stopped for a brief halt at a small way-side station in the country-side. Babaji was ordered to get down. He promptly obeyed, left his seat, got down out of the carriage and walking a few steps along the dusty platform went and stayed under the shade of a tree. He seemed absolutely unconcerned of whatever had happened. He paid no attention to what was going on around him.
In a couple of minutes the bell rang, the railway guard blew his whistle and waved the green flag. The engine driver sounded the whistle and started the engine. Nothing happened. The engine did not move and the train continued to stand where it was.
After a few minutes the guard got down and walked up to the engine driver to enquire what the trouble was. No trouble could be detected. Everything seemed to be all right. The engine driver checked everything and tried again. No result. More time passed. The Station Master became anxious. Another train which was due to come by was held up at some station up the line. Telegraphic messages started coming. 15 minutes, 20 minutes and then half an hour passed.
Anxiety built up.
Then a subordinate member of the staff very timidly approached the Station Master and pointing to Babaji sitting under the tree insisted that the whole situation was due to having shown disrespect to the holy man. He suggested that the only way out of the impasse was to approach him and beg his forgiveness and request him to continue his journey without any hindrance. This was conveyed to the guard and the engine driver.
At first they vehemently refused to do any such thing but as more time passed, better reason prevailed. They respectfully approached Babaji, saluted him, asked to be excused for their rudeness, requested him to bless the train and invited him to continue his journey. Babaji looked up and glanced at them for a moment and said “All right, Chalo. Hum chalenge, Hum chalenge” (“All right, Go. I shall come along, I shall come along”) and got up and re-entered the train.
Immediately the engine gave a jerk and the train started to move as though nothing had happened. A little crowd, which had gathered there, in the meanwhile, loudly acclaimed Babaji with awe in their voice. From then onwards no Railway Officer ever interfered with Babaji’s free movement in any train he fancied.
I was talking with someone the other day and he said that during later years Buddha became more material
He interacted with many, aye indiscriminately, gained weight
What could I say?
Such great people always do things for good and Buddha did the greatest good when he was “material”
This is the problem. Fools try to judge a master instead of making progress
Similar questions are raised about Jesus – he was tempted or involved with Mary. A historian in Washington state thought he was gay
Such stupidity should be stopped immediately. I would suggest become an atheist, don’t follow any religion rather than entertaining such foolish thinking
Eventually gods mysterious forces works it’s miracle and karma is delivered to all.
So be careful in your thoughts, actions, and speech
The Master seldom made even the slightest preparation for his lectures; if he prepared anything at all, it might consist of a factual note or two, hastily jotted down. Very often, while riding in the car on the way to the temple, he would casually ask one of us: “What is my subject today?” He would put his mind on it, and then give the lecture extemporaneously from an inner reservoir of divine inspiration.
The subjects for Gurudeva’s sermons at the temples were set and announced in advance. But sometimes his mind was working in an entirely different vein when he began to speak. Regardless of the “subject for today,” the Master would voice the truths engrossing his consciousness at that moment, pouring forth priceless wisdom in a steady stream from the abundance of his own spiritual experience and intuitive perception.
Nearly always, at the close of such a service, a number of people would come forward to thank him for having enlightened them on a problem that had been troubling them, or perhaps for having explained some philosophical concept in which they were particularly interested.
Sometimes, while he was lecturing, the Guru’s consciousness would be so uplifted that he would momentarily forget the audience and converse directly with God; his whole being would be overflowing with divine joy and intoxicating love. In these high states of consciousness, his mind completely at one with the Divine Consciousness, he inwardly perceived Truth, and described what he saw.
On occasion, God appeared to him as the Divine Mother, or in some other aspect; or one of our great Gurus, or other saints, would manifest in vision before him. At such times, even the audience would feel deeply the special blessing bestowed on all present.
During such a visitation of Saint Francis of Assisi, whom Gurudeva deeply loved, the Master was inspired to compose the beautiful poem, “God! God! God!”
The Bhagavad Gita describes an enlightened master in these words: “The Self shines forth like a sun in those who have banished ignorance by wisdom” (V:16).
One might have been overawed by Paramahansa Yogananda’s spiritual radiance, were it not for his warmth and naturalness, and a quiet humility, which put everyone instantly at ease. Each person in the audience felt that Gurudeva’s talk was addressed to him personally. Not the least of the Master’s endearing qualities was his understanding sense of humour.
By some choice phrase, gesture, or facial expression he would bring forth an appreciative response of hearty laughter at just the right moment to drive home a point, or to relax his listeners after long and intense concentration on a particularly deep subject.
One cannot convey in the pages of a book the uniqueness and universality of Paramahansa Yogananda’s vivid, loving personality. But it is my humble hope, in giving this brief background, to afford a personal glimpse that will enrich the reader’s enjoyment and appreciation of the talks presented in this book.
To have seen my Gurudeva in divine communion; to have heard the profound truths and devotional outpourings of his soul; to have recorded them for the ages; and now to share them with all—what joy is mine! May the Master’s sublime words open wider the doors to unshakable faith in God, to deeper love for that One who is our beloved Father, Mother, and Eternal Friend. Daya Mata Los Angeles, California May 1975
Unquote
This is progress. People mate the error of thinking they are advanced. But do you have experiences like this where great saints visit you or God materializes?
Then why do you carry ego? Why do you tell others what to do ? Or make comments?
You are the same as these great saints but carry the burden of ego and ignorance. Get rid Of it !
We want to feel and have others think we are great but why not just simply be great in secret and enjoy divine life? Others don’t need to know About it. Few have the destiny of walking that path
If at any time a deep sorrow, a searing doubt or an intense pain overwhelms you and drives you to despair, there is an infallible way to regain calm and peace.
In the depths of our being there shines a light whose brilliance is equalled only by its purity; a light, a living and conscious portion of a universal godhead who animates and nourishes and illumines Matter, a powerful and unfailing guide for those who are willing to heed his law, a helper full of solace and loving forbearance towards all who aspire to see and hear and obey him. No sincere and lasting aspiration towards him can be in vain; no strong and respectful trust can be disappointed, no expectation ever deceived.
My heart has suffered and lamented, almost breaking beneath a sorrow too heavy, almost sinking beneath a pain too strong.… But I have called to thee, O divine comforter, I have prayed ardently to thee, and the splendour of thy dazzling light has appeared to me and revived me.
As the rays of thy glory penetrated and illumined all my being, I clearly perceived the path to follow, the use that can be made of suffering; I understood that the sorrow that held me in its grip was but a pale reflection of the sorrow of the earth, of this abysm of suffering and anguish.
Only those who have suffered can understand the suffering of others; understand it, commune with it and relieve it. And I understood, O divine comforter, sublime Holocaust, that in order to sustain us in all our troubles, to soothe all our pangs, thou must have known and felt all the sufferings of earth and man, all without exception.
How is it that among those who claim to be thy worshippers, some regard thee as a cruel torturer, as an inexorable judge witnessing the torments that are tolerated by thee or even created by thy own will?
No, I now perceive that these sufferings come from the very imperfection of Matter which, in its disorder and crudeness, is unfit to manifest thee; and thou art the very first to suffer from it, to bewail it, thou art the first to toil and strive in thy ardent desire to change disorder into order, suffering into happiness, discord into harmony.
Suffering is not something inevitable or even desirable, but when it comes to us, how helpful it can be!
Each time we feel that our heart is breaking, a deeper door opens within us, revealing new horizons, ever richer in hidden treasures, whose golden influx brings once more a new and intenser life to the organism on the brink of destruction.
And when, by these successive descents, we reach the veil that reveals thee as it is lifted, O Lord, who can describe the intensity of Life that penetrates the whole being, the radiance of the Light that floods it, the sublimity of the Love that transforms it for ever!
WORDS FROM MOTHER
These words show the depth of love and surrender that is needed for God
This is the sound occurring 21,600 times a day in all humans. It coincides with the breath. All one has to do is observe it.
Paramhansa Yogananda called in Hung – Sau. Gurudev and Mohangiri Maharaj called it soham.
I will describe it – what I can say – in a public forum. There are more details which give more of the heart elsewhere.
There is a sound produced when we take a breath in – the sound is Hung. And as we exhale it is sau. Together, it becomes Hung-sau and if you start with exhalation – it becomes so ham. or so hum. There is a meaning to it – a sound that says That I am. This refers to the experiences within, and when you see a certain light, when you come back, the sound so hum is an reminder that you are the divine light
Many people, those who cannot go within, may resort of the mental chanting of Hung sau or so ham. It is a good starting point, but eventually, you must listen to the sound, and continue to listen to more and more subtle sounds. Ultimately, after you pass through many subtle and beautiful and melodious music, you will hear or experience so hum. What starts off as a more gross sohum or hung sau sound, eventually becomes a more beautiful melody
Yogananda said, that one hour of hung sau is like 24 hours of prayer. However, this is true when you go within.
This subtle vibration in the purest form is called vimala. More about it later.
Just like humans have karma – which must be endured,similar is the plight of a country.
I believe it was Vivekananda who said, India went through misery since the country did not help others when it could have thousands of years ago
This by itself becomes a warning for ruling countries The karma of the rulers / government will haunt the public and country. Eventually every country fails. Ruling a country benevolently is not so easy. After a while, the public will demand more and become complacent. People in general want to make more money with less work. This of course means you are going to feed on other people or other countries hard work. Eventually, the benefit of other peoples labor will catch up to you in the form of bad karma. People have the responsibility to the nation just as much as to their selves. However, most people are selfish and make selfish decisions ,disregarding the nation itself and this become a bad karma. The sequence of responsibility is very clear.
This was but just one example. The fall of any country then ensues mostly from unexpected and unforeen expenses. In the past it was losing the country to another country in war. (maybe even now). Unexexpected expenses – will come from natural calamties. Disease, storms, flooding etc. It creates economic havoc. A country can only keep up with it for so long.
So if there is a God, why do these natural calamaties happen? How can they be stopped? Jesus was asked this question. Can the course be avoided if there were a few hundred good devout people? He said, I will save the area if there are only 2 devout people. Now of course, his definition of devout is different than our definition or our illusionary definition of devout. That kind of purity is very rare. In truth only one person is enough. A while ago, I met a yogi. He said, if he was permitted to meditate, he could eliminate the debt of the country. He did not elaborate further. Times change and such people disappear.
Vasistha Maharaj, thousands of years ago, was asked, in such calamties, whose karma is responsible for such pain? His answer was – and I dont remember exactly (it is a big book and would have to read it again) – the collective karma of a species is paid back collectively. You can interpret it as you chose.
So the last part of vyoma, was a teaser. It gives the initial vyoma or space.
Everyone experiences the bhutakash, the space of the universe.
There are other inner spaces I described – those inner spaces are not related to the universe that people know.
However even at the apex of the inner worlds, there are even more spaces which are 5 in number
I am describing this, almost verbatim from Mahayog vigyan. I would strongly recommend you read it from the original book also. Mayayoga vigyan gives credit to Yogaswaroday, an ancient but very accurate text. A word of caution, these are very internal and deep levels. Anyone who has gone to those levels, will be of extra ordinary caliber
Now, Shankar bhagwan now gives the names and the description of the 5 akash / space located within Sushumna.
Akash
Mahakash
Parakash
Tattvakash
Suryakash. (this is called surya but it is no the sun).
These 5 vyoma are progressively more subtle and higher than one another. (Inner most is surya akash).
First Akash is both inside and outside and is without any shape and always pure. One should try to make the mind free of sankalpa and vikalpa, thought free (sunya), and also no longer dependent (on outward objects). This should be the objective so that way you can make your mind thought free without any effort.
The second parakash is like a dark clouds filled sky and is without light. Here also, one should try to absorb the mind within without thinking of any consequences. The third is Mahakash which is like the light of fire (mahabhoot tattva), which lights up the world at the time of the end of yuga (the four cycles). Once again one should have the mind absorb within this light.
The fourth is tattvakash. Here the light is like countless millions upon millions of lit up lantarns. The mind should get absorbed in this. The last is suryakash. Here the light is like millions of suns gathered together. One should get absorbed in this and merge into that light. This way, a yogi depends on the outside light and the inner light and space. The empty space, depends on the pure inner light. One should focus on that inner most space and the light that supports it, so you can be with Shankar bhagwan and never get entangled with good deeds or sins, and destroy all your karma
Further in Mahayoga vigyan, he quotes Mandal Brahmupanishad. He writes
Yagnavalkalya asks Mandal Surya (the word mandal surya is used to alert us that he is taking about the inner most light and not the sun on the outside), “Please tell us about the 5 vyomas , the names and the characteristics in detail
Mandal Surya says the are five.
Akash
Parakash
Mahakash
Suryakash
Parmakash.
Both inside and outside is the dark Akash and both inside and outside is the Parakash which is like the fire of death / time (kalanal). The Mahakash is like lightening, both inside and outside, in that great lightening, the tattvas are there. Outside and within is the ever fulfilling Surya (sun). Lastly, is the parmakash. This light is indescribable, gives everlasting, endless joy. One who experiences this light, merges into it and experiences full satisfaction, (without have further quetions. This is what Yajurveda says.
This concludes the translation from Hindi. It will really not make any sense. This is to be experienced. If you dont understand it, that is ok. Find someone who can give an experience to you. It is that simple. If you have to exert your intellect to understand, you will never get there. These states are meant for those who have conquered the mind and intellect and emotions
Yeh tan thaat tambure ka (This Body is a Splendid Tambura)
Paanch tatv ka bana hai tambura (Made of the five elements)
Taar laga nau ture ka (strung together wth nine resonances)
Aicat taar marodat khoonti (Tighten the strings, twist the pegs)
Nikasat raag hajoore ka (and it sings the song of the Lord)
Toota taar, bikhar gayi khoonti (The strings snap, the pegs lie scattered)
Ho gaya dhoor madhure ka (the sweetness has turned to dust)
Yaa dehi ka garab na keejai (Don’t cling in vain to this body)
Ud gaya hans tambure ka (Its swan has flown away)
Kahe Kabir, suno baayi sadho (Kabir says, listen seekers –)
agam panth ek soore ka (the path of the brave is pathless)
You can read the translation
Tambure – the body
Is made of 5 elements ( Akash, vaayu, agni, jal, prithvi) And has 9 beautiful tunes.
This is a spiritual experience in mediation. When meditation is deep, the elements make different melodies. There are the guan and karma indriyas that make the sounds. These are the strings in subtle body that makes the physical body alive.
But don’t destroy it by twisting the pegs and strengthening the strings – meaning sever connection with the body by abusing the chakras ( pegs). The indriya are intertwined there
If you do that, the strings break and you reciting gods name will be of no use ( Nikasat meaning useless)
A rare person can tune in to single syllable to reach God. Meaning forego other sounds and merge in AUM
Vyoma means akash. Normally akash means sky but here it means space.
Different people have given either 3 or 5 vyoma. Mahayog vigyan, a traditional treatise on Yoga, written by Yogendra vigyani describes 5
Another great authority Vasistha maharaj or Bhagwan gives 3 vyoma.
Since the entire internet has no concept or understanding and definately no experience of it, they only describe 3. Even their interpretation has been very lacking. I will give a very brief description here and more details elsewhere.
So the three Vyoma are
Bhutakasha
Chittakasha
Chidakasha.
Bhutakasha – refers to the space we experience in this world. This space, does not exist but appear real only to the ignorant. In samadhi / gyan stage, this space is absent.
Chittakash – this refers to chitta akash or space. This is part of chitta. This chitta is not the emotions as described by Yogananda Paramhansa or the vital as described by Aurobindo. It is something that is more real.
Chidakasha – This is chit akasha, not chitta. This is also known as Gagan mandal. Or Bhramar Gufa or the cave. This is where kutastha ends or begins . Ends or begins depend on the status of the yogi. Here, the great saints are. Few ever get there. In this world, in public, there is no one who goes there. In my private blogs on Kutastha, I have described it in great detail
Now, Yogananda has described 5 akasha. Those are sub classes within one of the akasha above. More about it later.
Sadly, everyone out there are not really Gurus. They are motivational speakers. They are incapable of giving any spiritual experience or true explanation. I tried, looking up vyoma. There is nothing there.
Most people are looking for motivational speakers.
Recently, some one sent me a video about takng food to a temple. And when you take it to temple it is food and when you come out , it is called prasad. That is true. Their point was it is change in perspective.
However, if you take the same food to a Yogi, it truly becomes prasad, since it is permeated with divinity and it not a perspective change but a true change of food into something divine.
There are words people use – meditation, I do yoga, and then in desperation and to show they are superior they add words like Raj yoga , karma yog, vyoma yoga, shakti yoga, Bhakti yoga, etc
An unsuspecting victim could get attracted to the phrase And believe they have found the true way to salvation. And also people include words like shakti, shakti pat, , awakening of shakti. Now they have the perfect trap.
I offer nothing like that. So you are better off not reading my blog. Yoga is very simple. But only for those of pure heart, genuine interest. Then you will go within. You will see how God has created this world. The wonderful intricacies. The space within. And within that space are 5 other spaces. So many beautiful sounds. Many miracles.
Far far from this is the grand lover of all. God. This will take decades or longer
Even when you go within, initially you won’t see God hiding there. He is there. Very visible. But he loves a good game of hide And seek. You will feel his presence but his joy is hidden from you. He will hide his powers. He will hide is love. He wants to see if you are willing to give up everything thing for him. Are you able to pass the barrier of space, nothingness, the outward flow trying to wash you away from him?
I have said enough. This should be enough. Don’t get disappointed by the trials of life. They will be there. Use them to demand God appear behind the silence. Go within even more. Force him to speak. He will speak. In music, letters, words. His voice is aum. So wonderful. So overwhelming. But hold on to him. Let him speak. He speaks And you listen. That is prayer. For others , it is a misconceived path of us speaking and he is silent. They think that is prayer. But that is nothing true
When you have Bhakti, you will hear him talk.
When you give all prana and yourself to him, that is karma yoga And you will hear him speak
When this happens to you, that is awakening. That is shakti yog or shakti pat.
Break bread with him! ( this is a very deep pun I have stated).
Well I lied. There are many many big errors we make
Not knowing our divine self. This is the root cause of all our pains. If we knew our divine self we would not be so miserable. Why be a beggar when you are a king?
Not making any effort to discover our divine self
Thinking we can discover our divine self without help
Not recognizing a Guru.
We think a Guru will wear saffron clothes. Almost all those who wear saffron clothes are fakes
A Guru will be famous. It is the exact opposite. A rare Guru becomes famous while in body
They are not householders. In fact many are. The general rule is a householder / person in society ( married or not married) needs a Guru who is in society.
Many people believe they are very wise and enlightened. However if you are wise and enlightened, you will not look up scriptures. All scriptures started from within you. Why read anything? In fact so wonderful use their experience within, when they read the scriptures, instantly the deepest meaning is revealed. Who can compare with an enlightened person?
An enlightened person will accept you as a disciple. Actually no. They look at the inner you. Then if there is sincerity, commitment to meditation even when you say it is impossible too find time and you make time, then they are ready to open all chambers. Without that dedication and commitment even an awakened shakti cannot take you to the highest. That is on you! The tests are subtle. Most people fail it. Can you give up or make 10 min of your time for something incredible? Will you make a slight effort to be with them? A Guru sometimes gets into an incredible spiritual state and so ready to give you all. You don’t know when that will happen. You have to be alert! Thousands of times you will get opportunities and not even one will accept. Sad
So many times did Gurudev and Dineshuncle revealed their high status – but everyone ignored them. Instead of surrendering we remain in our ego. With their grace millions of years of effort can be traversed in a second and we lose that chance
We don’t give the proper respect to such great beings. This displeases Shakti and Shankar Bhagwan.
The whole world lives in a delusional and illusional state. They live in the mental state, imaginary state not realizing the wealth of joy within. Their meditation is also an illusion. They think they have gone within, made progress but still have not even made 1/2 step in the right direction. Such is the power of ego. Ego makes them believe they have made progress, refuse help, believe their wrong concepts are correct, disrespect the truth and so on
So painful to see beautiful treatises by Abhinav Gupta like Vigyana Bhairav translated and then a bogus explanation given! The verses – so beautiful – describing an inner state of awakening. Yet the inner beauty was not grasped and explanation given by many authors ludicrous. Many people follow them. This also is a tremendous error
The road is not easy! But with a right Guru you can travel very quickly
If you make a 100,000 dollars don’t crave a million And so on
Save thing in food. We eat something lovely And then want more. Our tummy is full but we still want to eat
We may think we are immune to this but that is very unlikely. We display this greed in many ways. Sometimes it is by not being able to let go of “junk” in the house. This we consider valuable
So why is this thing so universal? ( trust me everyone has it)
The vedas discovered the secret thousands of years ago. They simply said all the windows in the house open outward!
Meaning – the mind and the senses are always looking outward. There is nothing in the outside that can appease the mind or senses !
The mind And senses need the inner love of God. It is the only thing that will satisfy it. But the mind keeps looking outside ! It like am thirsty person who wants water but keeps eating food ! ( this is a pun) or a person who has a lot potassium and we give him sodium it simply won’t work
The mind is stupid. It cannot turn within
When it wants to turn within it does not know how to turn within. It thinks dancing singing And praising God is the way. Or makes up an imaginary God thinks about the imaginary God and says I am pure or now I have turned inward. Or it thinks visiting temple is the way or churches. Or listening to sermon. They are all outside. Unlikely to help you
Or when it learns the secret technique it still does not learn it easily
When it learns it , the old habits of going outward crop up again repeatedly
In short, learn to go within. That is the only place where the mind and the senses will find satisfaction, peace and no longer crave the world. A journey worth taking
I am currently in India. As soon as I landed, I headed to Mundarda. Where my Gurudev lives. I had incredible Darshan And took many satisfying video and photos. Then I went to Ambaji. I have a close connection to this place. I very much enjoyed the visit there.
The next day I went to Chikhli. It happened accidentally but it was a glorious moment to visit the Samadhi of Kalidas Pundit. Truly one of the greatest person who took samadhi in 1890’s. I have written about him elsewhere
My next two stops were disappointing. Trimbakeshwar – a Jyotirling near Nashik. There was a long line, the gatekeepers ( dwarpaal) were rude. It did not bother me but sad for them. The Darshan is done through a mirror – a new method which started after Covid. I would have liked to sit there for longer.
The next day we went to Shirdi where Sai baba lived. What I observed was disrespect to the principles and the way Sai baba lived. Sai baba was the power of love. He was harassed by the local authority many times. However with love and patience he conquered them all ! His life was simplicity. He was not attracted to praise or gold
Sadly, I saw a lot of Gold surrounding his idol. I am sure such behavior would not speak to him. And this is what I mean by respecting a saint. Respecting a saint or Jesus or Neem Karoli baba – it is done by having a genuine heart
Simplicity. That says it all. If there is glitter they run away.
Purity in heart. What I mean is being attracted to them for their love And the simplicity of their life. Not one thought of material things
Loving them and being there to just be at their feet. Nothing more
Reciting the proper surrender mantra
If there is one person in the audience like that , they appear And bless all those who are there, their wishes fulfilled.
That is the proper way to get their attention And love Not gold or praise or glitter or shouting names or raising hands or jumping or playing tapes or doing arti
That’s why some places are empty now. Sad indeed.
One other curious thing
The mind keeps thinking it is happy And comment when outside circumstances are good
It keeps thinking woe to me when things are bad
It worries when outside is unfavorable
The only correct status of the mind is humbly remaining turned towards God , without thought of outside circumstances or thought that it is surrendered
This is celebrated on full moon in the Hindu month of Magshar
( Magshar Purnima)
Magshar is the month which Krishna Bhawan says – he is that month. Yogananda explains it as – Marg meaning road. shir meaning sahastrar the real word meaning Margshir – road to sahastrar or road in shastrar.
Atri Rishi is a saint who is considered a Chiranjivi – an immortal saint. The others are Marichi, Angiras, Pulaha, Kratu, Pulastya, Vasistha and Atri
Atri rishi is born from the tongue, that is the legend. He is mentioned in Rigveda and use considered the last of the sapta rishi – the 7 immortal Rishis. Gurudev explanation of the Sapta Rishi is perhaps the final word. Dinesh uncle repeatedly told me about it and took me a while to absorb it
There are many stories about how Datyatreya was born.
One story is Atri was married to Ansuya. Ansuya was very pure. She made the wives of Brahma, Vishnu and Mahesh jealous. They wanted to test her purity. And asked their husbands to prove it. So Brahma, Vishnu and Mahesh went to her house and asked for Alms. But told her to give it naked. So Ansuya smiled and brought some Ganga water and sprinkled it on them and they instantly became babies. And then served them food!
Time passed by and their husbands did not return. The wives got concerned. They took human form and came down to check out what happened and Brahma, Vishnu and Mahesh were babies! Ansuya asked the wives to pick out their husbands! They then realized the purity of Ansuya. Ansuya sprinkled holy water again and they returned back to normal. In return, she was given a boon. ( Vardaan) She asked for all three of be born to her. Datyatreya was born there with 3 heads representing all 3
The other version is the there children of Ansuya see Dattatreya ( Vishnu incarnation, Durvasa ( Shiv representation) Chandra represented by Brahma
Another version is Dattatreya was born to an unwed Ansuya
Another version is Atri was quite aged and Ansuya young and Dattatreya was born. He was the oldest of the three. Dattatreya, then Durvasa and then Chandra
Chandra ( moon ) had 27 wives. He played favorites with his wives. His father in law Daksha cursed him he will lose his lustre and dwindle away. Chandra then prayed intensely to Shankar Bhagwan and Shanka bhagwan appeared and saved him. The place where Shankar Bhagwan appeared is the Jyotirlinga in Somnath. A very divine place
Of course these stories have a divine Yoga value that reveals important steps in meditation. You can find the yogic interpretation elsewhere.
Dattatreya was very spiritually inclined from childhood. He had 24 Gurus.
These Gurus have a divine yogic interpretation Since he had 24 Gurus, this does not mean we can have more then one Guru. There cannot be more than one Guru. The bond between a Guru and disciple is unbreakable. If a disciple looks for more than one Guru, then it means the Guru was not perfect or the disciple was weak and did not have sufficient faith in Guru to progress. This creates a dilemma. Is my Guru inadequate or is my faith inadequate. How do you resolve this?
Datyatreya explains this in Tripura Rahasya. A perfect Guru has a deep understanding of the essence of everything in all scriptures. You can ask him anything from any scripture, he will have a clear explanation of the Yoga and meditation secret in the scriptures.
This would include the meaning of the stories above, seemingly absurd stories in all religions like Goliath, Jonah and the whale, all Hindu stories of multiple Goddesses, the story of Atri etc
Dattatreya is one of the immortals. Legend has it that he is still there. He was in Girnar during his young age. One can find signs of him being there. There are 5 peaks in Girnar. He is on the 5 the peak. Where he is now is anyone guess.
Dattatreya started the nath sampraday. ( Sampraday – tradition) Every person in the nath sampraday are immortal. I believe this started 12,000 years ago. The famous people in nath sampraday include, Gorakhnath, Nivrittinath, Gebinath, Gyaneshwar, Matsyendranath It is interesting to note that Nivrittinath and Gyaneshwar reached perfection at 5 and 7 years of age
It was the year 1972, sometime in April or May. I was about 10 years old. It was a wonderful spring morning.
At that time I was living in India. I was not very happy. I was in that house for 3 years and often wished I was back in USA. The house had a 10 feet by 10 feet long porch in the front. I would often sit there.
One of my neighbors, worked in Alembic. He had a cousin who had gone mad, had left home. No one knew about his whereabouts. He no longer conformed to social behavior. I was told he was quite dangerous
So one fine morning I was sitting on the porch, enjoying the weather. This lunatic shows up. No one had seen him in many many years. I was not afraid. Amused. He started talking. I don’t remember much of the conversation. However he asked me a question. How many Vedas are there! I am surprised I knew there answer. I was only 10. I knew it because I recently had my yagnopavit. 4 I said. He said no. There are 5 !! He said the fifth one is secret! I was surprised and it only proved one point this guy is crazy. He left after a few more statements.
Later people asked me – they had seen me talk with him. What did he say etc ? Not Much I said. Apparently he did not visit anyone else including his relatives
Another 15 years passed. I told Dineshuncle about him! I said he was crazy. He said, no no he was the only sane person ! There is a fifth Veda that is secret – it is the Brahma nadi
Today, in one of the WhatsApp chat group someone posted the Gita. Chapter 15, verse 15
Here it is
_sarvasya chaaham hridi sannivishto mattaha smritirjnyaanamapohanam cha |
And I am seated in the hearts of all beings. From me arise memory, knowledge and their loss. It is only I who am to be known through the Vedas. Only I am the author of Vedanta, and the knower of the Vedas.
Reading this I remembered my crazy friend! Gita says , I am to be known through the Vedas
The Vedas here refers to the Brahma nadi – the only way to know God. The Royal path taking us within to Sahastrar
This crazy person, told me the secret 50 years ago. I am sure he was liberated. He had come to bless me. A little late , but I bow to him with all my heart
People believe they can wake up one fine morning, start meditating and say Shivohum or Sohum, or say God is I and you are a yogi. There can be nothing farther in truth than this. It is not so easy to be liberated. You are fighting with a mental inertia that refuses to believe, emotions that are rampant, a struggle to go beyond logic , an ego that will simply not die and past karma and desires. Each part has to be overcome.
The problem is our consciousness is strongly interwoven with the body, it cannot relinquish it. Yogi can relinquish it during meditation but not always.
So what do we do?
Quite simple. You reverse the life consciousness, prana from the body and bring it to the center of the forehead. Now that reversal has to go through a channel. The subtle body has 72,000 such channels. There are 10 main ones and even amongst them 3 are the most important. They care called ida, pingla and shushumna. Or called surya, chandra and fire. The prana or life consciousness reverses its flow with the help of ida and pingla and then ascends up through the center nadi or channel called shushumna. For those unfamiliar
Ida is chandra : When flow is through the left nostril it is ida or chandra. The channel is however on the right side below agna chakra
Pingla is surya : when flow is through the right nostril. The channel however is on the left side below agna chakra.
Sushumna : When flow is equal through both nostrils or alternates. This is the central nadi and also known as fire
Now within the Sushumna, there are 2 more finer nadis, called chitra and vajra. And in the center of chitra and vajra is Brahmanadi. Yogananda has said this about Brahmanadi : It is simultaneously inside and outside at the same time.
A yogi, reverses flow by reverses flow of life consciousness through the brahmanadi.
Now a word of caution : Please do not be misled by the fools who talk about brahmanadi and say it is the Spinal cord. It is true that the spine is where the reversal occurs. Thats why in yoga, we are told to sit in a particular posture – with spine erect. The erect spine makes it easier for the prana to ascend.
So what are the nadis? Only a very very advanced Yogi will know. Nadis or channels are strings which merge in Agna chakra?. It has very little to do with the nervous system or senses. They are not seen or dissected. No medical equipment can visualize it. Not CT not MRI. Since only an advanced Yogi can experience the Nadi, very little is written about it. It takes significant force, awakening, and vritti (attention) to experience them. Such powerful are seldom found.
In short, the Brahmanadi is the channel, through which there is reversal of flow from the lower legs to body and arms and we return to our pure self. The nadi can only be experienced in deep meditation. The effects are a different matter.
I hope this helps. One more thing. There are many different combinations that can be found betwen these nadis. Based on that, the future of self, family and mankind is slowly revealed. Like I said, such people are rare.
Since, this path is only experienced in deep meditation, they call it the secret path. Or the royal and secret path or royal path. Only those who meditate, can reverse the flow and know the blazing fiery light of self. This is not a matter of intellectual debate or discussion but for the lucky few, a matter of direct perception. This is the secret veda.
Anyway, this is my belief. I am not the right person to approach or even ask about for more details. There are many references to this in other religions too. An adept yogi can quickly spot the reference. Lastly, there are many secrets in these books and hinduism, which they have only discussed indirectly. When you can experience it, the meaning is suddenly revealed and you are thankful to the great Saints for revealing these secrets in a slanted way. It becomes a true joy, having the solved the riddle of life and the experience of joy that accompanies it.
Then, supreme mastery of senses (10 senses 5 motor and 5 sensory) is achieved
This concludes the second chapter of Yoga sutra Sadhan Pada, written by Patanjali
tatah = then, thereby, thence, from that
parama = highest, supreme, ultimate, perfected
vashyata = mastery, control, being willed
indriyanam = of the mental organs of actions and senses (indriyas)
So, how can we control the mind?. It is very very difficult. How can one go into samadhi, merging into God or pure self? There are certain steps to be followed. One has to break the constant habit of identifying with the three bodies. Merely thinking you are God or pure consciousness is quite laughable. Reading wont help you. One must undertake a specific method.
However, knowing the steps is not enough. One has to do it properly. How do you know you are doing it properly. So Patanjali explains if you do it properly these are the things that will happen. He has described the steps in sequence. This is not the sequence which we read in texts. His sequence is as follows
Asana (not listed by me here it is shloka 48
Breath control (shloka 49)
Pranayama (shloka 50)
Kevali pranayama (shloka 51)
Now the light of self slowly becomes more evident (shloka 52)
In time, the mind will be able to remain sustained in pure light (shloka 53)
Pratyahar – the senses will turn inward (shloka 54)
Finally you have mastery over the senses. (shloka 55)
This is the method of Raj Yoga. I believe it to be the safest way.
I have written about this in greater detail elsewhere.
I have re written the translated steps here
After that ( doing asana or correct posture), (next step is) pranayama (which is) interrupting the flow of inhalation (and) exhalation.
Cessation of vritti (thought waves) (both) internal and external (of) space, time and count, observe the subtle (prana) (which is now) slow
(then with practice),( both) internal and external objects of desires, (vishaya) are given up, (this is the) fourth (pranayama)
The covering of light is thereby thinned
(after this), the mind is ready for dharana ( a step of before dhayana)
Disconnecting the self from the objects of pleasure, the senses (5 motor and 5 sensory) return back to pure mind, (this is) pratyahar.
Then, supreme mastery of senses (10 senses 5 motor and 5 sensory) is achieved
This concludes the second chapter of Yoga sutra Sadhan Pada, written by Patanjali
Then, supreme mastery of senses (10 senses 5 motor and 5 sensory) is achieved
This concludes the second chapter of Yoga sutra Sadhan Pada, written by Patanjali
tatah = then, thereby, thence, from that
parama = highest, supreme, ultimate, perfected
vashyata = mastery, control, being willed
indriyanam = of the mental organs of actions and senses (indriyas)
So, how can we control the mind?. It is very very difficult. How can one go into samadhi, merging into God or pure self? There are certain steps to be followed. One has to break the constant habit of identifying with the three bodies. Merely thinking you are God or pure consciousness is quite laughable. Reading wont help you. One must undertake a specific method.
However, knowing the steps is not enough. One has to do it properly. How do you know you are doing it properly. So Patanjali explains if you do it properly these are the things that will happen. He has described the steps in sequence. This is not the sequence which we read in texts. His sequence is as follows
Asana (not listed by me here it is shloka 48
Breath control (shloka 49)
Pranayama (shloka 50)
Kevali pranayama (shloka 51)
Now the light of self slowly becomes more evident (shloka 52)
In time, the mind will be able to remain sustained in pure light (shloka 53)
Pratyahar – the senses will turn inward (shloka 54)
Finally you have mastery over the senses. (shloka 55)
This is the method of Raj Yoga. I believe it to be the safest way.
I have written about this in greater detail elsewhere.
I have re written the translated steps here
After that ( doing asana or correct posture), (next step is) pranayama (which is) interrupting the flow of inhalation (and) exhalation.
Cessation of vritti (thought waves) (both) internal and external (of) space, time and count, observe the subtle (prana) (which is now) slow
(then with practice),( both) internal and external objects of desires, (vishaya) are given up, (this is the) fourth (pranayama)
The covering of light is thereby thinned
(after this), the mind is ready for dharana ( a step of before dhayana)
Disconnecting the self from the objects of pleasure, the senses (5 motor and 5 sensory) return back to pure mind, (this is) pratyahar.
Then, supreme mastery of senses (10 senses 5 motor and 5 sensory) is achieved
This concludes the second chapter of Yoga sutra Sadhan Pada, written by Patanjali
The only true wisdom is in knowing you know nothing!
Socrates was being in judged in the court. He was given a choice exile or to die. He chose to Die.
We really dont know what he said, but Plato, his disciple of sort wrote about Socrates. In the Chapter of Apology, Verse 29 b and c, Plato writes Socrates said,
Latin(“ipse se nihil scire id unum sciat”),[4]** is a possible paraphrase from a** Greektext (see below). It was laterback-translated** to** Katharevousa Greek** as “[ἓν οἶδα ὅτι] οὐδὲν οἶδα”, [hèn oîda hóti] oudèn oîda).**[6]
Ipse se means : He himself
Nihil : nothing
scire : to know
id unum : that one thing
sciat : let him know
This literally translates to
to know that one thing he knows he himself is nothing”.
Thus, the true meaning, in my opinion : He himself is nothing : a sign of humility. in ref, I am nothing, I will drink the poison is one interpretation
The other possibilty is Scire could have been a poor translation of schyre : meaning light. The one thing, I know, I am light
Maybe I am being far fetched.
To me, it makes more sense, that he knew he was the light or he knew he was insigificant in the grand scheme
Everyone knows, they know nothing compared to the infinite knowledge – where is the wisdom in it?
There are multiple stories in Hinduism. Some simple, some of them grotesque and others entertaining. They have drama, stories that go through generations and stories that seem like mythology
However,if only, I really mean, if only, you can learn to meditate, you will fall in love with Hinduism or more accurately Sanatana dharma. For in the incredible journey within, you will suddenly see the wonderous deeper meaning in all of those stories. And you will say,
“Aaah what a fool have I been!. The great saints who wrote the Vedas and scriptures,treated me like a child, gave me wonderful stories, waiting for me to grown up and learn the skill of meditation. All along they were telling me about the wonderous world within this body. They were not stories but a detailed description of going within”
Once you learn to go within, the most significant change you will see, is a sudden love for Shiv and Shankar. Mahayoga vigyan states this as a sign of awakening. But what about those who do not know about Hinduism? They too will suddenly have the love, when they go within!. And why not? All Shakti awakening starts from him. It is his grace. And a Guru, a true Guru, rightfully says, Shivohum.
During Satyug, there was neither Ram or Krishna. During those days, the only temple that existed were those of Shiv, in every village and the Shakti Peetha or Shiv Parvati. It is later that different temples cropped up
On the flip side, Shiv will not accept anyone that has the slightist of slight desire for the world. It just cant be done. In his love, he immediately fulfills our desire, and alas in that process, you leave the eternal abode of peace and joy.
So to get rid of the desire, is the way. That is purity. You just cant simply say, I will get rid of the desire. The mind has to change, Recognize God and his love everywhere. Dance to the inner music. This is what meditation is about. These wonders are sitting within you, but we do not recognize it. Learn these wonderous things from your Guru. He holds the key to opening the door for you.
We eat wonderful things about Yog. We get attracted to it. We want the wonderful things that come with it. We want to be like Yogananda or Vivekananda or Lahiri Mahasaya or Gorakhnarh
And it is very easy to imagine we are like them. Thousands of blogs are out there with such fake information.
But a very few people are sincerely interested. My blog is only for a few. I don’t really want anyone reading it. So for them what can I say?
First you have to be pure. Pure meaning not desiring much in this world. Also having endurance. If someone says something don’t get upset. The world is not there to nourish your ego. If you want to benefit from me, drop your ego. What ever I say, even though it sounds harsh, it is for your benefit. I am here to help you go within not to nourish your ego. Also remember you have no birthright – to get angry or upset with uncomfortable or bad situations. Vivekananda said this – no right for indignant anger. The rule is if you don’t get angry your situation changes. Improves But don’t suppress anger wanting the situation to improve
Then if you really want to get liberated, you will attract the attention of a liberated Guru Be Ready for difficult times. They are difficult because of our desires and ego and anger , need for justification or why me etc
The Guru will then awaken your Shakti. Shakti is the ability to go within. It gets awakened slowly. Over decades You can’t endure the immense energy
All the wonders written in Yog slowly occur after step 3 above
You are unaware of the complexity of Yog and how much effort is needed
Your mind will revolt. Why? Your mind is engrossed in material things it wants things. If it does not get it ,it gets angry, gets depressed , cries, wails, complains. This has to be changed.
Richard Alpert was a psychologist working in Harvard until 1963. He often took LSD and had many hallucinations and out of body experiences. He believed them to be true. He wanted to see if that experience could be reproduced. In 1963, he was fired for experimenting with LSD with undergraduate students.
He left in search for truth, and repeating the OOB ( out of body) experience. He went to India and after several months, he saw something strange. This was in Kainchi, Nainital. (year 1967) Out in the field, there was a man lying on a cot (khatlo), leaning on one side. He was surrounded by a few people who were bowing down at his feet. Everyone who came by bowed at his feet. Now Richard Alpert was an American dressed in American style, wearing a hat and standing many feet away. The weather was comfortable and there was no breeze. As he saw this, he he thought to himself, I would never bow down to anyone. Indeed, for him it was a very strange sight.
Richard had barely finished his thought, that he would never bow to anyone, and out of the blue a wind came from nowhere and blew his hat off. He bent down to pick it up and out of no where, Neem Karoli Baba was standing right there and against his well, he had bowed to Neem Karoli Baba.
They tried of have a conversation. One person speaking only hindi and the other only English. I am sure it was quite awkward. There was a villager who helped to some degree.
After this Richard Alpert decided to stay with him for a while. One night, they were in the open, a cloudless sky. Neem Karoli baba said,
NKB : Your mother died, right?
RA :Yes
NKB : Last year
RA : Yes
NKB : and you were outside, looking at the stars and wondering what happened to her. This happened last year too
RA was shocked. Yes he said
NKB said, perhaps for the first time in his life, uttered an English word
NKB : Spleen
And now RA was sold. Indeed his mother had died from problems of the spleen a year ago.
Epilogue :
Richard Alpert returned to USA. He wrote the block buster book Be here Now. He submitted it to the printers. After that he returned to India to be with Neem Karoli Baba.
Baba said, you wrote a book?
RD (by now he called himself Ram Dass) : Yes
NKB : You wrote wrong things in there. You cant print that book
RD : It is too late, Typesetting is done, it is with the printers and they have already started
NKB : No no, I cant let you print the book. Change these things in the book and then you can print it.
Ram Dass was at a loss. Well, it so happened that the printing press suddenly got some machinery problem and could never print the book. Ram Dass went to NY and made the corrections and then the book could be printed!
Swarodaya This is the knowledge of the movement of prana through different tattva and nostrils. Based on it one can start auspicious things, know the outcome, etc. There used to be books on it. This is sacred knowledge and can only be learnt at the feet of a Guru. Shankar Bhagwan has forbidden this knowledge books can’t help without an enlightened Guru. If you try to do it without a Guru it can be harmful
Three types of Sadhak
Uttam madhyam or kanistha. Best medium or. Weak.
Weak disciple achieve in 12 years At present there is no one who is even a weak disciple !
How can the people expect a full awakening?
People are generally naive. They do not understand or even know the full potential of a Guru. Thats why they cling to the people who talk. They can only give impression of awakening based on comparison to the physical world or just make up a fantasy story
I am not a Guru. However, my criteria for who is qualified to be a Guru is quite rigid and unyielding
I have coined this term for human behavior. This is how human beings behave with each other. It is easier to understand when the relation is growing or in relation to job etc.
People are very selfish. They put a value in all aspects of their interaction. A girl ( or boy ) will date someone who gives the most back in the relation. The diversity occurs in what they value the most
Some may value how much respect And attention they get.
Some may value financial future
Some may value going out And/ or having a good time
Some may value what others will think of then if they pick someone
Some are attracted to intelligence
Some may value only appearance ( so they have a show piece amongst friends)
Just think about it – every relation we value based on what we get from them. It could be just getting an approval or money or prestige or A ladder
Now there is rate soul who knows their own inner self When they contact And connect with inner self – they exude love And caring. Their mere presence takes away some life problems. Such people don’t want anything from you. Neither a meal or a smile. They have seen and know the selfishness of humans. They prefer to be within. And in that beautiful connection within, they can only love and help others.
But the other person , can only see how can they utilize such a divine person for their own gain. One gives love the other selfishness within. Such divine people have no friends but are friends to everyone.
So next time, evaluate your self. Learn how you are selfish. Try to correct it. Connect with your own divine self. That is the only way to correct yourself. Only way to rid this outward persona
Many important stotras in many famous books have been wrongly translated. This includes translations from most scholars too.
This is the reason, why I generally dont encourage reading books written by those who have not become accomplished in Yoga (siddha). Jaideva Singh and Laxman Joo are two big names Scholars. They have done immense work by preserving the Shaivism tradition and also translating the works of Abhinav Gupta. Jaideva Singh has done a marvelous job in translating Tantraloka by Abhinav Gupta. I have benefitted by what he wrote. By the same token, some of the other works by him and Laxman Joo,are not good at all and I would strongly advise against reading. It will be impossible (due to time constraints) for me to correct their works in the way it was intended by Abhinav Gupta.
However, I could be entirely wrong. I am not a Sanskrit scholar. These blogs are entirely written for my children. So, please do not take offense by what I say, and would humbly ask anyone else reading this blog to skip it. My apologies to the followers of Laxman Joo, in advance.
With this preface, I would like to point out a shloka in Yoga Sutra, written by Patanjali Maharaj about 5000 ? years ago. It is in chapter 3 Vibhuti Pada and it is verse 43 /44
[HA]: When The Unimagined Conception Can Be Held Outside, i.e. Unconnected With The Body, It Is Called Mahavideha Or The Great Discarnate. By Samyam On That The Veil Over The Illumination (Of Buddhisattva) Is Removed.
This translation is not entirely accurate. Sadly enough, everyone has had the same error. I do not expect anyone (except my children) to believe me. However, what I say is 100% accurate.
I will try to explain it. However, remember – meditation is always at a point within not outside.
If you can grasp this – then immediately you realize that the translation attention outside like the translation is incorrect
Vishnutirthji Maharaj did an incredible interpretation of the mind. The mind exists in 2 stages. Kalpita (imagined) and akilpita (without imagination). The word is Akalpita not Akalpitaa (with the long A).
Kalpita – The mind that has descended from Agna chakra – gone down via the channels of sight, hearing etc, immediately begins to function based on sensory input and is called imagined or kalpita.
Akalpita – The mind that exists spontaneously in the Agna chakra, functions independent of the senses is called Akalpita. It is this mind that gives divine powers.
Bahir – The correct word is bahihi – meaning outside. When that word if followed by another word starting with A, it becomes bahir.
Akalpita – The word is Akalpit without the A but when it is followed by a word that starts with A, it becomes Akalpita.
This means the word that follows it is Avritti and not vritti
Avritti – means occurrence or happens. While vritti is state of the mind. So, the correct translation is Avritti or occurrence and not state of the mind or focus or attention
Mahavideha : great occurrence of without body
tatah : then
Prakash : divine light of pure consciousness
Avarana : covering (of the divine light)
Kshaya : disappears or is removed
So, my translation is as follows – On the occurence of the akalpita mind being outside occurs, that state is Mahavideha (great disembodiment of self from body) then the obstacles to seeing the divine light of self disappears.
In other words, you are so so far within, that the Akalpita mind, (this mind, is present way before the any of the 3 bodies are formed, before the concept of soul occurs) seems outside you. At this stage, in time you develop divine abilities to see the past and future (not imagine, actually see it), knowing what the other person is thinking, ability to change things etc and the biggest thing that happens is you can see divine light of consciousness.
I hope no one except my children believe me. Rest of the world has to work out their karmas and attachment to idolizing different famous people.
Life is a roller coaster. Good days and then a sudden steep plunge and you feel there is no hope. We feel lost. We find there is no where to go. Initially we turn to friends and our logic but we find that friends really cant solve things. Neither can family. They can give supportive words, encouraging words.
Then we turn to religion. Go to temples. Try doing Mantras. In our desperation, we are ready to turn to any religion or faith. We just want our problems to go away. But yet the problems dont end. It is then that we turn to God. Make promises not to make the same mistakes. Cry and implore to God. And at this point, all we can do is silently wait.
This is the point of testing your faith. Can we truly believe in God? Is God real or just a belief in something abstract and have that belief help us? We want some sort of proof, reassurance. We really want to believe, but God remains silent. What kind of a God is that?
What do we do?
This is the perfect situation, where a living Guru can help significantly. He can give reassurance, solve the issue. If he chooses not to help, it still is the best for you. But such a Guru is in the minimum a trikal darshi (someone who can see past present and future). They dont show this. However many times just telling them about your problems, often alleviates the problem.
What do you do if your perfect Guru is not present physically? Nothing such a Guru can still help.
This relation of disciple and Guru is only valid, if you met the Guru while he had a physical presence and you established a Guru – disciple relation. If you were not firm in that relation, if you had doubts, then that would be a failure on your part.
The next best thing to do is then go to a Samadhi of a divine Guru. There are a few like that in India. Gyaneshwar Maharaj Samadhi is one. Shirdi Sai baba is another. Shankaracharya Samadhi. Jesal and Toral Samadhi. Of course there are others, but you have to find them on your own
Other 2 options are Siddpeetha. These are places where Shakti is vibrant and alive. Sadhan Shhikhar in Madhya Pradesh, (city of Dewas). Ambaji is another place. Badrinath, Kedarnath.All of the Jyotirlinga (12 of them) where Shiv appeared in the physical form
Yet even to get to those places maybe a challenge. Then what do we do?
There are prescribed mantras to help with some life situations. Doing it in a certain number or hearing it from someone who has accomplished it, helps a lot. However, when you do the mantras, there are many rules to be followed. You should do them yourself, if possible. Sit in the same room. You are not permitted to eat outside your house. Especially not at anyone house, even a friend. This list is incomplete. But this can help. This is a quick way to get proof of existence of God and bring in faith. (doing it with constant remembrance of a great liberated soul who has taken Samadhi)
Even if all this fails, your mind still has doubts, what do you do? Read scriptures like Upanishad. These scriptures can give us courage and faith. One of the books I found very helpful is The Divine Romance from Yogananda. Other times, reading about the courage of Vivekananda gave me courage. This renewed enthusiasm and courage helped a long way.
What is there to fear? If you do not get the help that is needed, the shame is on Shakti and the great Saints. It is not your failure. However, you must be genuine in your effort, very sincere and willing to work hours or days in surrendering to God. If you do things half hearted, how can you get success? If you dig multiple small holes will you get water? If you go through digging for a well and stop half way will you get water. Once you start, finish off the digging until God responds. He has to respond. That is an absolute must. Do not give up. Pray with one pointedness, relentlessly, till God is shaken up. Have love, a demanding love which a child has.
I hope this helps. I am no stranger to the challenges of life, which everyone faces. My hardships havve been quite significant. No one ever knew it. I am merely telling you what I did. Dont give excuses – God cannot distinguish between one soul or another, neither can he play favorites. Sinner or pure, all the same for him
Having said that, the reason why the mind cannot have absolute faith immediately is from our own Karma. The karma that we did, especially not respecting someone who is a true Guru or Saint is significant. That karma leaves our mind in a darkness shrouded with doubt and fear. Please be careful in the presence of such people.
Lastly, resort to astrology. it will give an idea when the difficulties are likely to end. Good times dont last forever and neither do bad times. Certain stones may help also.
I hope this blog can give you a guide when the times are difficult.
I have been reading a lot of a applauses in the news. Nobel price winners. Hollywood actors. Bollywood actors
Recently a lot of people were applauding Amitabh Bachan. He turned 80. Very nice And humble ! No doubt
But at 80 – how much time does he have left? He has a fortune. Has a great reputation. He is respected. But at the last moment, the messengers of Yama ( the lord of death ) will visit him. And they will ask, fine And dandy. But you were sent to discover your divine self Did you do anything for it? What will he say? Read books ? I visited a few people who talked the talk but gave no experience?
Most people will die, without making one step trying to figure out their divine self! Most will go backwards?
What do I mean backwards? If you spend all your life thinking of food, why not be a cow and graze all day? Is a human body needed? Do you see my point. We get a body appropriate to what our desires. Nothing wise. Also our bad karma will prevent us from getting a human body. Like Mirdad said, “ eating meat means at some point you will be food too “
So simple!
Be wise of your action. Don’t waste your life do that right thing. Find something that is enjoyable ! Your divine self. This is what the Upanishads say !
All this is a royal mess. First a soul comes to earth. Starts enjoying things here. Forgets its divine abode. Then when it remembers he or she has to go back they don’t know the way back the soul asks around to find the way back. The soul asks other blind people. So they are stuck for a long time. That read Vedas and Upanishads don’t understand it! Make up stories of what it means. Such a circus. On top of this they love the stink ! ( desires).
So liberation Is not so easy. Many blogs have I written – how to find an exit! How to find a Guru ! Yet no one is interested. They are all content with their ignorance And ignorant way. There is so much ego. Vivekananda awakened the shakti of half a million people. Only 5 became his disciples, rest rejected him. Reading the teachings Is not the same as becoming a disciple. Becoming a disciple means much more There’s is a living power. That living power has to be given. And accepted. Written Words have no role at that point. Yes a speech heard by the Guru has much power though
Such people are rare. Hardly 4-5 people at present maybe. Amongst them maybe one is awake
So the journey of the soul became very long. So even with all the money and fame and power, – such people are spiritually poor which wealth do you want ? Spiritual or financial ? Wealth that disappears when you die or follows you when you die? Rare is the soul who finds a Guru and ascends the golden royal path
EVERYONE will go through life with some things simply unfulfilled. It will be quite a long list. The unfulfilled list is the cause of the next birth. Simple.
Yogananda gave an example like this. I dont have the exact example. Lets say you have a life with a good spouse, decent home, some financial stability, but you only wish your children were better and less disruptive. You also wish that people would understand you better. So, in the next birth you get people who understand you better, a wonderful spouse, but this time good makes you struggle for every penny. Then in the next life, you say, no God, make it perfect. So God gives you a good spouse, good money, decent home, people understand you better, but this time he take away your health.
And now you become smart. You say, God give me money, good spouse, good health, people understand you, good finances, but now you have a very short life
The life we have is a complex play of many different aspects. Mostly it is determined by our Karma and part are shaped by our desires. Everything, we want will be fulfilled but not when we want it or how we want it. The wait will be painful. We will get angry and frustrated. Get bitter.
And by the time we get it, we have lost interest. But since we wanted it immensely, we will get it. Thus everyone goes from life to life, with a long list of unfulfilled wishes. This will continue.
So what does a smart person do? He or she gets angry at onself and the mind. They will wake up and say, I am not going to chase the wishes of the mind. It will only bring me pain. If there is any enemy I have, it is my own mind. I will no longer be friends with my enemy, my mind. Soon enough, you will realize the futility of chasing the world. It was designed to give pain to an unruly mind. Thats why if there is any Satan, it is your mind filled with desires. Knowing this choose wisely
Now there is a dry period in our pursuit of life. We try not to give into the pursuit of life desires. We try to meditate. We have a true Guru. But yet the immense joy. of meditation, remains a spark rather than a blazing fire. This is the dry part. All, I can say is one has to go through this. If you want to eat Uttapam, you have to make the effort of fermenting the batter and then wait. There is no other choice. Eventually you get to eat the uttapam. Then you will say the wait was worth it. This is the phase where you really need an advanced Yogi. Their support is a must. Without it, many a people have given up the path. Thats why in Gita it is said, of all those who try only a few make it
I know this is one of the more boring, blogs, but it is true. We are like a leaf, split away from the tree, blown by the winds of desire, hither and tither, unable to fall back to the feet of the tree where we fell from. Eventually the wind slows, the leaf falls to the feet of the tree. The ego dissolves, the leaf looses its form and gets assimilated again into the full tree!
Now everything in the scriptures are helpful and important
However there are some statements that helped me immensely. Here they are – but not in any specific order
The experience that you gain from even a few seconds of super consciousness is enough to help you for long lasting changes. I found this very helpful. Gurudev stayed in that state for months and years. Without food. Impossible for me or anyone unless he permits So for me knowing this gave me peace! This is from Devatma Shakti Param Pujya Vishnutirthji Maharaj
Happiness comes carrying a crown of pain. This is from Vivekananda. This helped me not to crave things in this world. Knowing pain is to follow. Even if the mind seeks things I am very cautious
Ramkrishna said Keep going deeper. He gives the example of a woodcutter. He was cutting small shrubs and earning a living. He was quite happy. Then a Guru said, why don’t you go a little further. He initially said he was quite satisfied. But then one day he said let me try going in further. And lo and behold he saw a huge Forrest. He made a lot. Was happy. But then he suddenly remembered what the Guru said and went further. Lo and behold there was a silver mine. Wow he said this is the best. Kept mining. Then he remembered what the Guru said and kept going further ! There was a gold mine. This continued – diamond etc This going deeper is in reference to meditation. Keep going in deeper and deeper. It is an incredible journey. Whatever you think is high , there is something much higher.
Difference between Nigrah And Sanyam – નિગ્રહ સંયમ. When you deny the pleasure you are doing nigrah. That is ineffective. It does not get rid of the desire. But merely suppresses it. Someday it will spring back into motion violently. In Sanyam – we focus on getting rid of the desire for the pleasure. Let’s say you love Pizza. You decide you won’t eat it. That is suppression. Sanyam is the way to go. You tell yourself I want you get rid of the desire for pizza. You have to be very astute, observant and catch on to the desire itself. You tell shakti please help me get rid of the desire itself! This may sound easy but it Is not! Suddenly you are saying and asking, God I never want money, fame, prestige, respect, lovely food etc. Suddenly the soul is bewildered. Oh what happen to me when this happens. Will this life be worth living. There is nothing for me. But remember getting of the desire does not take away the food or prestige or money away from you any more than wanting money doe’s not bring you money either! This is the true significance of Arjun Vishad yoga in Gita first chapter. Krishna if I kill my desire and attachment, will this life be worth it! I would rather beg than kill these desires!!! This difference between nigrah and sanyam was from Aurobindo Integral yoga
Another must read is yogananda God talks with Arjuna first chapter
In life difficulties, the divine romance by Yogananda
A very detailed description of turya avastha in the avastha described in the private old book ( as per Gurudev)
Private things Gurudev told me. This will only help me
Jyoti mudra as described by Yogananda in chapter 6 of God talks with Arjuna
Maha yoga Vidyan describing 4 levels of progress
The first chapter of holy science, describing Agyan and how it becomes ego , Sattva and mind
Even when you have a Guru, after a while your progress will stop. The soul is unable to carry the burden. It gets broken down. Looses faith. This is to be expected on the journey. Maya and Karma collectively will deter the progress till the breaking point is reached. However, this is not because of Yoga but it is because of our own karma and many aspects of our Ego that has to be broken. Every soul has to go through this. This will happen even if you dont follow Yoga. The advantage of Yoga are as follows
Shortens journey
Shortens burden of karma 80-90%
You Guru will pick up your Karma and get rid of unseen problems even before they arise.
The path itself will become a delightful journey.
There will be increasing evidence of a world that you cannot see. D
Daily, your faith will continue to increase.
So having said this, what are the hurdles that halt the progress
Practicing it daily. This is a must. Rain or Shine. No matter what the work load is, you must do it. I remember I would sit for 2 hours daily even during internship when I often worked 36 hours without sleep, working. You must show you mean business to Shakti and your Guru.
No effort is wasted. Lahiri Mahasaya was meditating as a child in the sands near the river. Babaji was aware, silently waited till the time was ripe. And then awakened him. Pursue this boldly, even if you dont have an iota of experience
To elaborate on these points
a. Your mind will make excuses. You will believe them. Excuses like – the miracle was coincidence. It Is not for me. I don’t believe in Yoga anymore. What if my Guru is not real. This path is too far fetched.
b. What if I am caught in a cult? I want more proof. But God Is not you court jester dancing to your demands.
C. I don’t have any experience. The path may be true, but I Am not worthy.
D. I read all these wonderful things that are described. None of it happens to me. This path is wrong.
There are common emotional conflicts a disciple will face. Don’t cave into them. This is why many of Gurudev disciples wavered from the path. Gurudev wanted Faith first then gave higher proof.
Similarly Faith in Neem Karoli Baba, Shirdi Baba , will waver. This happens because the mind has the constant habit of demanding More and more. It is never satisfied. The goal is to want less.
It is to keep this up, you need a very advanced disciple to support you, carry you over these negative thoughts
I will not be here in physical form for ever. But Good willing I will try to guide only those who are very sincere Half hearted attempts May not grab my attention
The experiences are often but understood.
So called dreams are not understood
You will need to ask an advanced disciple or Guru
There are 5 phases of awakening, shanti atita , shanti, vidya, pratistha and nivritti
Each phase takes about 5-10 years
Progress is carried over in next birth
The progress made has to be reclaimed in next birth – it happens at right time
Once again my blog is rather incomplete. I get tired of using words or typing or talking.
Life will seem unfair to you. Always. At many levels. A few people with keen insight will recognize there were times when life was very nice to you – even without merit
Remember this and grieve not. Some days the dice rolls in your favor and other days against you.
Some instances ( of good and bad)
Birth in a rich family
Birth in a spiritual family
Birth in a poor family
Having physical illness or impairment
Having a gifted body to be Olympic champion
Doing well in a competitive exam ( 80 % ) effort but there is a randomness there – you could have bad cold on that day, or the exam focused on only things you felt uncomfortable, someone in family is sick or distracting etc
Immigrating to a country – many people vie for it, few succeed
Your spouse – was here or she exactly what you expected?
Children – did you really have much control over them? Upbringing matters a lot but Is not everything. The best time to nurture baby is during pregnancy. Constant thought of God, remaining calm during adverse circumstances , listening to spiritual things help a lot
What about a child born with autism and now there is a significant burden. I know of a free family autistic children. Their past life karmic debt brought on this situation but who can tell
Getting a promotion. Sometimes you get bypasses and a weaker candidate does well
Often times terrible physicians do well financially and the good physicians do poorly
This list can be exhaustive. I have only cited a few small examples
My advice
Me prepared for these things to happen. Don’t lament. It is part of life
Does that mean you don’t make effort. Now at all. It just means the random law of luck in your favor has not happened. This randomness of luck against you can last many many births. For some, they don’t know it , lasted 100 of births.
So what is the solution?
This will change. Eventually
Keep doing good karma. Even to your enemies
Think positive. Even when the world is collapsing on you
Don’t ever think bad thoughts or harm on anyone
Remember there was something in your past that brought on this unfairness against you.
I was visiting a few castles here. The lords and the kings built those castles on blood money. Slavery and extortion. Possibly. I am not a history buff. But such karmic debt has to be paid back individually to everyone who worked hard for you ! Isn’t that awful?
Look at the money people made in the oil industry. The consequence of global warming , if true, is devastating to animals, fishes and humans. Who owns that karmic debt?
These events against you are not random. It is a gentle night or a strong push – wake up from this ocean of misery and delusion! Wake up! It Is not worth the pain. Anchor yourself firmly in God.
If only you can learn the right technique of meditation, you can ease the pain of life to some degree! Don’t wait for bad karma to visit You and then try. It will be too late. Books can’t teach you. A true Guru can. Now on the way, the method is slightly different for each individual. A living Guru is must. Pay full attention to what they say. Even if it is very difficult. Make God your priority. The other thing is the Guru wakes you your shakti. Depending on how much effort you make , the awakening can be higher. There are at least 9 levels, in reality much more.
Yet I find it amazing, no one makes the effort to learn this. They would rather enjoy the world and then suffer the pain later, rather than learn the method while giving up an hour of their time in learning meditation technique that effectively decrease karmic debt
When I was younger, in medical college, I gave up all effort to read but focused on meditation. Hours upon hours. I did not care. But the gift I got was incredible memory in those days. I could retain very quickly.
In conclusion
Don’t fear adverse times
Expect adversity in life routinely
Meditate
Learn to perfect your technique meditation. It will take decades.
The world is full of them – doe’s not take much to spot them
Has amassed a huge wealth
Has a huge following. A true Guru may have a 4-5 true disciples, a few followers / Bhakta. Neem Karoli Baba has only one disciple rest were just followers. This is my understanding
A departed Guru cannot be your Guru unless he awakened your shakti when he was present
An awakened shakti is beyond this realm. If someone only talks about this realm , he is a beggar not a Guru
Faith is beyond logic. If you use logic to have faith, you have not found your Guru. Moreover, a Guru who only uses logic cannot be a true Guru. There are realms you simply know
A fake Guru builds up a wall around him and Is not easily accessible. How can a divine person, be partial, meet only a few? God is equally accessible to all.
They charge money! Lots of money. Did Jesus or Ram or Krishna charge money? Ram and Krishna being kings were not easily seen. But at night time they left the palace and visited those who truly wanted spiritual guidance
They are on news media. Spiritual wealth is kept hidden. Don’t cast pearls to swines!
They lack spiritual insight into complex Sanskrit shlokas. For example Shankaracharya said I Am not the ears ! Everyone knows that. What did he mean?
They Ku Gurus form organizations. What organization did Krishna form?
A true Guru emphasis on mediation. Not comfort. Not food. A KuGuru will lure you with luxury
Now I could be wrong. I Am not a scholar or expert in these matters. So better not to believe me and find someone else to read!
If one carefully observes any relation, you will see something. To me it is disgusting. It is based on selfish needs
Let’s start with colleagues – this should be obvious. We are nice to our superiors than those under us. We want to be nice so we have less hassles. Maybe benefits from this relation.
What about friends? Friendship is based on having a good time. If one of them moves away, the intensity of relation is less. If one friend is a taker, we move away from that person. If it was just because the person was a friend we don’t have the business concept of taker!
What about siblings ? Not all sibling relations are equal. If one person does less, we get angry or upset. Even a simple thing like did not call me back. Here the business dealing is of perceived emotional need! Be like Saint Francis and boldly say, I don’t want any comfort from anyone but let me comfort others ! Those are the qualities of a person going towards perfection
The love between spouses – surely that is genuine! Well think about it ! Nowadays relations form from dating. Here both sides are evaluating, financial situation, or is the person caring enough for me, etc And this is not bad at all. But let’s say you love a person. And then person that person either, does not share responsibility, that love will turn into anger And frustration
So the bottom line is the love is based on the persons action!
This is where the love of a Guru is based on the person. That’s about it ! No matter what the actions were, if that person wants to become divine, the Guru will do everything to reach that Goal. Many sinners with a huge negative karmic debt became perfect in one birth Jesal-toral, tarsus, bilwamangal etc. A Guru has karuna. There is no translation for that word. It is a combination of love, caring And sadness that we are lost in this world ! Why should we be a beggar when you are the divine prince! Work on it! Crave that rightful title. Don’t beg for paltry things in this world. If only you knew your true self!
This is the core of the message ! When you know this divine self, the world has many flaws. Those flaws become apparent. Like Yogendra Vigyani said , you won’t like the people of the world!
A few divine people stay in the world – to be a pillar of light to guide a few! Vivekanda was forced to go out and give lectures. Be a Guru to 4-5 people. That’s all. It was not his choice. He was forced to.
Ramtirth was forced to leave India by a trick played on him by Shakti ! Even Ramkrishna would go up and scream at the top of his voice, complaining to Shakti, you promised me genuine disciple and no one is here! He had to wait 10 years for Narendra( Vivekananda) , Nag Bahadur Mahasaya etc but just a few
So before we jump to conclusions that I deserve a Guru, the qualities needed are formidable. But foremost quality is a genuine desire for freedom / mukti- and not even an iota of thought of being a Guru or helping others. It is a personal journey. How can you carry the back pack of 5 other people when you can’t even carry your own backpack ( karma ). Many a person has broken down from their karma. In tears, why me? I am a good person. If you can’t lift your own karma give up on the idea of being a Guru. Why take the sin of being a Ku Guru ( false Guru). The penalty for that crime is extremely stiff
So everywhere is go – everyone claims to be a karmayogi ! Especially a politician! How convenient And comfortable
You pretend to be krishna or Arjuna , say krishna is doing everything, you are in the right side And everyone else is duryodhana And you do the right thing by slaying others. It is your moral duty to slay others!
I hope you get my sarcasm. What nonsense! You are online deceiving yourself. Honestly if you need to read this blog you are more like Duryodhana ( the bad guy). This is your opportunity to stop reading and go about in a smug conceited way.
How do I know this? Often times I have run through, examined my thoughts And realized Duryodhana was nicer than me ! Duryodhana is the mind. Duh meaning difficult yoddhana is weapon or mind. The mind is very difficult to conquer! So much anger, depression, frustration, anxiety, jealousy, ego, conceit, greed, dissatisfaction , laziness etc. the number 100 kauravas comes from 10 major flaws of the mind with 10 subdivisions each
If there is any enemy to be defeated it is that enemy. In that war, you have to be a karma yogi. Fight it relentlessly. Fighting those elements is your dharma or religious rights. Don’t worry if you are not successful
Now of course there is a deeper meaning. That is for those who know dhayana ( mediation is not dhayana ). I will tell it about it some other time
Now a true karma yogi is very rare. It starts only after you can go into samadhi at will. Vivekananda said he would crawl on his hand’s and feet to find a karma yogi ! ! That is how rare or difficult it is.
There were perfected saints then ! Right now it is rare! One perfected person was Dinesh uncle. His life was like Ram. But no one knew it! Even at the ripe age of 18, his body floated during meditation. He never confirmed it. Never told anyone. I found out accidentally. Who knows how much of it is true. But examining his life, he had the perfect meditation And work balance
So back to a karma yogi. Babaji says true karma is reversing the flow of Prana from the body to super consciousness or Samadhi. Meaning when you sit in mediation, the Prana in body should relax. There should be a sense of pleasing numbness in the body as the Prana reverses its flow. Of course there is more. I only say these things so no one gets stagnant in a wrong ill conceived notion or worse get trapped by the so called Gurus who are nothing more than thugs or motivational speakers posing as Gurus
I hope this makes it superficially clear who a karma Yogi is ! However the association with such a karma yogi , even for a few minutes saves many lives of misery. Seek one
So when I was in the 6 th grade, we had poem. I had started reading Gujarati late. After all, I was in “English medium”!
The poem was by Dayaram And it fell under the type called Garbi
I will only quote a few lines
સુત વિત્ત દારા શીશ સમરપે વળતું લેવું નામ જોને
Sut vitt daraa shish samarpe valtu levu naam jo ne
Children, money wife and head – give to (God), then take the name of God
મરજીવા હોય તે મહાસુખ માણે દેખનહારા દાઝે જોને
Marjeeva hoi te mahasukh mane, dekhanhara daaje jo ne
Fishermen who dive in the ocean have great joy but the onlookers are jealous
So in school we were given some vague instruction. She said that those who immerse in God have great joy And one should not worry about self or children or wife or money
A fair or good enough interpretation. Now what is the interpretation of a Yogi?
Give up your attachment to family / children, wife ( including sensual pleasures of food, sex, etc), attachment to money and give your head or sacrifice your life. Deeper meaning is let the consciousness only stay in the head And not lower chakras
Levu means to receive. Valtu can mean then or opposite direction. Meaning when flow of Prana reverses receive the name or hear the word of Aum. This step is very critical. It is difficult to have full faith in Yoga unless they experience this
Marjeeva literally means to die And live again. Samadhi is a situation where all consciousness retires from the body, it becomes lifeless. It is only after this you know God. Your doubts are eliminated. Vedas And Upanishads become clear. Aah you say – this is what was meant These great beings no longer read books They remain immersed in divine joy.
But the onlookers , become jealous of such a divine person. They will throw hurdle upon hurdle to them. Look at the life of Narsinh, Mirabai etc.
Thus ends the glimpse of the technique of Samadhi.
Samadhi is nothing more than the consciousness dropping from the body And instead of being in a surgical coma, you discover the divine! The true love from time immemorial!
So when I was in the 6 th grade, we had poem. I had started reading Gujarati late. After all, I was in “English medium”!
The poem was by Dayaram And it fell under the type called Garbi
I will only quote a few lines
સુત વિત્ત દારા શીશ સમરપે વળતું લેવું નામ જોને
Sut vitt daraa shish samarpe valtu levu naam jo ne
Children, money wife and head – give to (God), then take the name of God
મરજીવા હોય તે મહાસુખ માણે દેખનહારા દાઝે જોને
Marjeeva hoi te mahasukh mane, dekhanhara daaje jo ne
Fishermen who dive in the ocean have great joy but the onlookers are jealous
So in school we were given some vague instruction. She said that those who immerse in God have great joy And one should not worry about self or children or wife or money
A fair or good enough interpretation. Now what is the interpretation of a Yogi?
Give up your attachment to family / children, wife ( including sensual pleasures of food, sex, etc), attachment to money and give your head or sacrifice your life. Deeper meaning is let the consciousness only stay in the head And not lower chakras
Levu means to receive. Valtu can mean then or opposite direction. Meaning when flow of Prana reverses receive the name or hear the word of Aum. This step is very critical. It is difficult to have full faith in Yoga unless they experience this
Marjeeva literally means to die And live again. Samadhi is a situation where all consciousness retires from the body, it becomes lifeless. It is only after this you know God. Your doubts are eliminated. Vedas And Upanishads become clear. Aah you say – this is what was meant These great beings no longer read books They remain immersed in divine joy.
But the onlookers , become jealous of such a divine person. They will throw hurdle upon hurdle to them. Look at the life of Narsinh, Mirabai etc.
Thus ends the glimpse of the technique of Samadhi.
Samadhi is nothing more than the consciousness dropping from the body And instead of being in a surgical coma, you discover the divine! The true love from time immemorial!
So one thing I have discovered is every place And every location has its own outward or inward pull
Based on what Maya has arranged the people of that nation follows that particular pull. Those people in general will behave in that way. People will believe it was their decision but truth be told, that are merely flowing in the river in the direction decided by Maya
The river can change directions. And it does. Based on
Passage of time
The people in masses collectively change what they seek ( difficult to do)
Divine will
The will of a great Guru
Now a Guru does not interfere so much. But his mere presence can influence a few people , village or towns, states or country or nations
So in my travels I discovered this
That’s why meeting an enlightened makes a difference. If he so wills , all the defects which a person faces in making progress can be changed
I remember a few years ago, there were some aspects of maya were quite challenging. I met this person. He did not help me. And I was very ok with it. Spent a week with him. Last day as I was leaving, in the last one minute , he suddenly willed it. And there were no more problems. My uncle Dineshuncle was great. A few years later I told him thank you.
He merely smiled. Did not take responsibility. But I knew it . His work for this life was over. Soon after that he left the body
Such is the divine play. Others will not know the secret things that happen.
As such he Is not gone. I still comes And talks. Helps others. My children. But they don’t know it. Who can know the drama they play or why. He walks around with Gurudev. Making significant progress ! On his way to a perfect Guru.
Anyway. What more can i say ? Without help no one can progress. Such advanced people help more than a perfect Guru can. Why? We have many deficiencies to eradicate.
Back to the story. So when such great beings go to temples, they purify the temple! Make it perfect. Those places are called Siddha Peeth. In those places if you have a clean heart, you can have remarkable experiences.
But going to those places with an advanced yogi is beneficial. Great Guru glance at him and we can have secondary benefit
Most of those places are in India. People see the dirt And filth However God remains inside as an olive oil, don’t worry if you are the worst of worst, I am still with you!
I would very strongly recommend everyone read the science of religion written by Yogananda ! It has taken the logic of Raj yoga to the highest – making it by clear why yoga is needed for all aspects related to God. This includes Bhakti or love for God, Gyan or wisdom ( the aspect of experience of God) and true chanting !
In reality, things mentioned in Yoga are not easily palatable or acceptable. Let’s face it! No MRI, PET or CT has even shown an iota of data for any chakra. Yes, people do refer plexus as chakra. However, in terms of Yoga they have described a chakra as a lotus or petal with many dieties present and mula panch maha bhoot. In addition, Yogananda has described ( in God talks with Arjuna ) different sounds and different unbelievable abilities! Patanjali has described many other siddhis – or accomplishments also
So what people do is make a compromise. They try to use logic and say the siddhis are not true or say I don’t want siddhis ( saying that makes them feel good) and that’s why I don’t have any etc. However when you are established in Atman, siddhis come whether you like it or not. They come in small steps.
Why is there a divide , a gap between what science knows and what a Yogi says? And why are such yogis rare? The yogi deals directly with consciousness and uses the material body effectively to navigate to God. Very few are aware of what consciousness is. For that you need a Guru. It is a practical experience not imagination.
A Successful yogi is very determined to go within. He won’t be satisfied by pseudo logic! Yogananda in chapter 1 verse 31 quotes the following
“This is one of man’s favorite ploys, mastered early in childhood: “If I have to eat my carrots before I can have ice cream, then I don’t want ice cream either!” The plan is that this will be applauded as a great sacrifice worthy, at least, of pity; and better still, of favorable compromise. The wise parent doesn’t give in to the willful child; the wise cosmic law is passively unmoved by the devotee’s “heroic” display of negative renunciation.”
This is where – in am almost depressive stage a person says he does not want anything ! He hides or suppresses his attachment to the world and is unwilling to give up pleasure of the world.
I can’t stress how rare such yogi are. Often times they go into seclusion. A few stay in the middle of the world but their yogic greatness remains hidden to the friend and relatives
To find a Guru or to have the Guru reveal himself Is not an easy task. Even when they reveal it is very partial. I know how much I struggled. It took a decade! But finally he revealed a fragment of his greatness!
Ramkrishna paramhansa said – if you can pray to God incessantly for 24 hours he has to reveal or give some proof of God existence. For me often times it took a week or more of constant prayer to Gurudev, Kashinath dada to reveal themselves. When I say a week, it was a week of non stop even during sleep. Those were very difficult times for me. Now there are some tricks that one uses during that time
Often times we are lost in life! We don’t know the right decision. What is best for us? We can use logic or make conclusions based on visible information. However, in the long run there are many invisible factors that come into play. Things that we cannot imagine. We also don’t know our past karma and the effects of it! I once made a decision of buying into a surgery center and for a while it was good. Seemed a very logical decision. However towards the end I lost all 300,000 dollars.
Such is the effect of karma. I once moved to the Midwest ! My salary was double. It seemed like a perfect decision – but the person who employed me hated me in his past birth! I left the job in 11 months.
So I learnt – logic is an aid not a solution! It is better to connect with God or Gurudev first and then make a decision. A living Guru is an incredible gift – in an instant he knows what is best ! He won’t tell you though. After all it is your karma. But once you can break the barrier his Grace can fully descend on you!
My friends, when you go within the first thing that happens is the barrier of knowing events in future and past karma dwindles. This is the first sign. Then you will stop using logic ! I remember when I went to the hospital to make rounds, my patients would be scattered all over. If I followed my intuition, I would find my rounds were smooth , the patients at the bed. Using logic if I went to the floors many of my patients would be in x ray, physical therapy etc and I had to go back again later
Now this intuition is not easy. Very deceptive. Often times we have a random thought and think the random thought is intuition. But that is not true. In order to develop intuition, there is a technique. A series of steps to be followed. These things occur so we can develop unwavering faith in Yoga and Guru and God !
Thus the entire process is very scientific but not in terms of science but in terms of consciousness
People nowadays call it vairagya. It is a word that came from viragi. Meaning vi means without and raag meaning attachment or not covering this world.
Once this is established in cement – God or liberation is written in stone. Nothing can shake it.
However, in the long journey of the soul – this waxes and wanes There are two other types that are temporary or transient
Smashan vairagya. This is fleeting when someone goes to the smashan – cemetery and comes home feeling sad, oh the fleeting nature of the world, I should find the truth, I only want God. This last for a short time. Very close to depression
Depression related. There are many things the soul covets. But does not get. The soul May not get it for many many births. Why? Karma, or so ordained. During these times, like Yogananda said – grapes are sour – type of vairagya arises. This is depression.
In both cases, the times are very difficult for the soul. The great souls feel our pain. But without these situations, the soul will not develop permanent vairagya.
Fear not oh valiant soul. Use it. Be introspective. Don’t get upset you don’t have things. Be upset that a part of your soul still craves things, is attached to maya, deceived by maya or Satan, and now mercilessly thrown back into this fire cauldron. Get rid of the attachment to things in the soul. Just say , enough. I refuse to be deceived by thisthis world and Will not crave. ENOUGH. ENOUGH. Maya dangles a carrot. You will never reach it. Temporarily maybe but recedes just s as quickly!
And in in this tapa ( it is tapa or pain) the soul gets purified! Ready to merge with God. It suddenly learns, oh the outward flow through indriya will never satisfy. Knowing this, the Prana no longer goes out Turns within!
Aah ! The joy. Finally the beginning of the end. The soul is ready to learn and accept he is the divine And the soul laughs. A divine joy! Peace
I see many people. Few will turn within. There is a bhajan by Girakhnath
Ek bhulyo, bijo bhulyo, bhulyo Sab sansara , ek na bhulyo matsyendra no chelo
Ek ભૂલ્યો બીજો ભૂલ્યો ભૂલ્યો સબ સંસાર
Ek ના ભૂલ્યો મત્સ્ય ઇન્દ્ર નો ચેલો ગોરખ ના ભૂલ્યો
Meaning- one forgot, second forgot, the world forgot, but not Maysyendra disciple Gorakhnath
When ever I see people, I often see them asleep. What I mean is that in all their activities, not once are they aware of the divine spark in them. That divine spark is such a wonderful thing. It is alive. It is real
I know of someone – whenever asked how are you , his answer was I am alive
Should he be pitied?
So not being aware of the divine spark – is being asleep. The Bible went further. Let the dead bury the dead. They called those people dead or spiritually dead.
Now, I can explain Tamas. Tamas is one of the gunas. It is an direct extension of the darkening power of Maya. So under the influence of Tamas, people don’t want to make any effort to be aware of the divine spark! They are very content walking around, comfortable in their ignorance. Or instead of a direct experience of the spark, they want to intellectually imagine the spark, make a theory out of it and believe that knowing the theory is being alive! Isn’t that amazing? This is what Jagadgury Shankaracharya said – go for the Aporkshaanubhuti. Real experience not the theory
Now once Tamas has settled, what people do is go about chasing pleasure in the world. In many different ways. This is Rajas.
And after eons and seemingly endless time, a wise person will say I want to wake up. He no longer wants to read or is satisfied with theory. He seeks a Guru. This is now Sattva.
Now a Guru is someone who can just simply awake the divine spark in you. That’s it. Nothing more is needed. Yes since this is a new road for you, you will need the guidance of the Guru every step of the way. It is after this Kriya yoga starts. And after this meditation starts. After this, bhajan kirtan starts. And so on. Where is the theory needed?
A smart disciple asks questions, after this step in awakening what happens next? How do I refine my technique? From time to time they have experiences, like body becoming warm, losing body consciousness, seeing lights or hearing Aum etc
Now there are quite a few people, who so much want to believe they have shakti awakened, their own ego and mind in combination will give them “an experience “. It will be real for them. But in essence nothing more than a hallucination of sort. Once again, using the wisdom in spiritual books a wise person will stray away from these experience’s and realize this is a trap from ego and maya, seek the real thing and a real Guru
But all I see is people prefer to remain asleep. And divine mother, let’s her baby sleep. Ever so often she gives a nudge, but the baby says let me sleep a little more!
Everyone has a different concept of samadhi. They will say
Deep meditation
Merge in God
Seeing God / talking with God
Some will display their information by using terms like savikalpa samadhi, savitarka samadhi, suvichar samadhi, Sananda Samadhi, sasmita samadhi, asampragnata samadhi, nirvikalpa samadhi, dharma Megha samadhi, Sahaj samadhi etc
Fine ! I am impressed ! Big time impressed ! These words can be found on the internet, some may quote patanjali to prove their authenticity – but it is just a word with a definition
Yet there is no real description. A definition is not a sign of experience
There was a person I met and when asked about samadhi , or different types , he could describe it in a lot more detail. That’s how you know authenticity! It is difficult to talk more about it without revealing secrets
However, a person with true experience can give more details. A lot more details. Such as which Prana is active, where did it ascend, what manifestation of Aum is, what aspect of the mind is active, etc Patanjali gave a description and terminology based on a detailed experience. If you look at Vibhuti paad, he describes 5 sub steps on the way , at many different levels.
Anyway this is my understanding. I could be very wrong. However thankfully we have Google and you can Google it !! And there are multiple scholars and Gurus out there
I thankfully remain in my small little cave, not caring to read anyone , including Patanjali So I Am not qualified to talk about these things
A. The world / maya / Satan Is not your friend! Learn this lesson quickly. I use the world and Satan as synonym like Vivekananda said, every happiness comes wearing a crown of pain! How I wish I could teach this to the world. Alas, no one listens. Everyone thinks they are the one exception where they will always be happy. Billions have come and gone, none has been happy.
Again and again, everyone takes a shot of being happy! And maya seduces you with promises of happiness. In the job. In family. In wealth. In travel! But the happiness is fleeting! Fleeting! By the time you grasp it , the fog of happiness cannot be grabbed
Eventually , the betrayal of maya will catch up. You will become wiser. And say, no more. I refuse to believe in the happiness maya promises. It is a lie. A lie.
Why wait for the betrayal of maya before you turn to God. Just simply turn to God and say to Mr happiness, I know that you have come with Unwelcome guests too. I will keep my balance
And when misery knocks, I will keep my heart on God and you will have no reason to stay
So the answer is – learn that keep your heart on the abode of God and the world with all its glitter is temporary and Is not your friend
Sitting at a function I see people forgetting this eternal fact !
It is called Janma meaning birth and Ashtami is 8th.
This is a very specific yoga experience
However, some refer to the seven other siblings krishna had who were killed by Kansa
There is a story in Yoga Vasistha ! A man is lamenting his story. He said I have been cursed with a very long life. I have seen many earths and planets destroyed. So many kingdoms etc come into power and gone. I can’t even tell you my age! For time is measured by sun and universes. I have seen universes come and destroyed. Many of them so much so that I can’t even count them. I cried oh what a horrible existence. Is there all there is ? What is the point ? During one of those times when everything was gone, the universe no longer existed , I searched for meaning and suddenly I saw a tree. And on that tree there was a leaf. And on that leaf I saw a baby. And that baby was laughing! The baby was holding his foot in his hand and pulled the toe to his mouth !
The Sanskrit shloka is
करारविन्देन पदारविन्दं
मुखारविन्दे विनिवेशयन्तम् ।
वटस्य पत्रस्य पुटे शयानं
बालं मुकुन्दं मनसा स्मरामि ॥१॥
Kara-Aravindena Pada-Aravindam
Mukha-Aravinde Vi-Niveshay-Antam |
Vattasya Patrasya Putte Shayaanam
Baalam Mukundam Manasaa Smaraami ||1|
This is the balam mukund – the baby krishna I think of !
Of course the tree is none other than the sushumna and that is where you will experience Krishna on one of the leaves!
But there is more to it!
Another picture of Krishna is him with a pot next to him, and he is enjoying maakhan ( a special kind of purified butter made from milk )
He is so smiling and happy!
The pot is the body. Churning is the process to make makhan. Churning is meditation, the trick those who know me know of, and when successful you enjoy maakhan !
It is called Janma meaning birth and Ashtami is 8th.
This is a very specific yoga experience
However, some refer to the seven other siblings krishna had who were killed by Kansa
There is a story in Yoga Vasistha ! A man is lamenting his story. He said I have been cursed with a very long life. I have seen many earths and planets destroyed. So many kingdoms etc come into power and gone. I can’t even tell you my age! For time is measured by sun and universes. I have seen universes come and destroyed. Many of them so much so that I can’t even count them. I cried oh what a horrible existence. Is there all there is ? What is the point ? During one of those times when everything was gone, the universe no longer existed , I searched for meaning and suddenly I saw a tree. And on that tree there was a leaf. And on that leaf I saw a baby. And that baby was laughing! The baby was holding his foot in his hand and pulled the toe to his mouth !
The Sanskrit shloka is
करारविन्देन पदारविन्दं
मुखारविन्दे विनिवेशयन्तम् ।
वटस्य पत्रस्य पुटे शयानं
बालं मुकुन्दं मनसा स्मरामि ॥१॥
Kara-Aravindena Pada-Aravindam
Mukha-Aravinde Vi-Niveshay-Antam |
Vattasya Patrasya Putte Shayaanam
Baalam Mukundam Manasaa Smaraami ||1|
This is the balam mukund – the baby krishna I think of !
Of course the tree is none other than the sushumna and that is where you will experience Krishna on one of the leaves!
But there is more to it!
Another picture of Krishna is him with a pot next to him, and he is enjoying maakhan ( a special kind of purified butter made from milk )
He is so smiling and happy!
The pot is the body. Churning is the process to make makhan. Churning is meditation, the trick those who know me know of, and when successful you enjoy maakhan !
Many have written about Rumi. I was shocked that even the way Rumi talked with his Guru Sham has been misunderstood
But where is the surprise? The world thinks with sexuality, desire, ego – what can they know about God?
Here is a line from Rumi
The way you make love is the way God will be with you.
Rumi
This is a deep poem describing a state of samadhi. Just as the salt idol is immersed in the ocean – about to dissolve – that state is what Rumi describes as love ! Where both lover and loved become one
In this state , ego is gone , the soul has concluded its journey and become one with God. No longer is that person subject to the pain and anguish of the world, no longer seeking anything in this world, so content staying in samadhi, the highest of high, and higher than the highest!
Now just as this happens, if you think I hate the world, everything around you and people will dislike you! If you say what will happen to the world, you will be pounded by mysteries of the world unraveling one after the other
Thus – merge in God wishing happiness to all. However the Buddhist way of metta Is not the same. This is something that is like the last wish that God grants before you go in samadhi! And part for ever.
Very few ever reach that state
Here is another Rumi My interpretation is in brackets and bold
Listen to the poet Sanai,
who lived secluded: “Don’t wander out on the road
in your ecstasy ( the joy of samadhi). Sleep in the tavern.” ( tavern is kutastha)
When a drunk strays out to the street,
children make fun of him.
He falls down in the mud. ( He is misunderstood)
He takes any and every road. (Everything he does is ok with God)
The children follow, ( those without experience of kutastha are children)
not knowing the taste of wine, or how
his drunkenness feels. ( not knowing what samadhi is ) All people on the planet
are children, except for a very few.( Very few have experienced Samadhi )
No one is grown up except those free of desire.
God said,
“The world is a play, a children’s game,
and you are the children.”
God speaks the truth.
If you haven’t left the child’s play, ( Childs play enjoying the world lost in sex, ego, sensual pleasures of eating etc)
how can you be an adult?
Without purity of spirit,
if you’re still in the middle of lust and greed
and other wantings, you’re like children
playing at sexual intercourse. ( merging in God, going in to samadhi, being in kutastha is sexual intercourse)
They wrestle
and rub together, but it’s not sex! ( not Samadhi)
Hope this helps
Again and again I repeat my theme, enlightened are very few! Seek one who has been there!
However I believe this was written for a divine person bereft of desire, Able to go into samadhi at will, has experienced kutastha, – for only they can understand. Not ordinary people like me
Yogananda somewhere said it takes 100,000 birth ( or a million? ) for liberation. These births should be consecutive progress. What did he mean by it ?
Let’s say someone has tendency for getting angry. That fault has to be corrected before liberation. It would take a 100,000 births to get rid of it provided he makes progress in that direction every birth. But what happens is that there will be births a soul may get angry at the drop of a hat but there are no negative repercussions because the person is a king or a ruler or in a position of power. This creates and reinforces the negative tendency and one has to start again !
The same thing for greed for money. And other faults
What is happening? What is happening is that the natural tendencies for greed or anger are buried so deep, in regions of the mind, we are only aware of them when it comes to the surface. Until then they remain dormant. So it takes 100,000 of constant work, where nature and circumstances allow these deep seeds to come up so we can destroy anger from its root. The anger that we have when we see injustice
The anger in not getting wishes fulfilled
The anger and depression when life beats us down
So the soul will only realize it has seeds of anger when it goes through those circumstances. That’s why it takes that many births
Vivekananda said the same thing about seeds deep within us. A small bubble deep in a lake. We are only aware when it comes to the c surface
Now this is where Yoga comes in place. A yogi by going deep in mediation, is able to make a deep dive in the lake, find those seeds or bubble and destroy it. That’s why Yogananda called it the airplane way to perfection. It can be done in a short time. In a few years or decades!
But there is a special technique to the deep dive. One has to slowly learn it from a Guru. You need the special equipment for the deep dive. Discerning eyes – that is called Vivek. A strong desire to destroy the shackles. All these things require the grace of shakti. A Guru helps and awakens Shakti ! Those seeds which have to be destroyed are present in the gross body, subtle body, causal body and even deeper – maha karana body.
So this is a subtle trick – to know who is a Guru, ask him what these bodies are ! You won’t find much description of those bodies – especially causal body in many places. But before you can destroy the seeds , a full awareness and knowledge and experience of all those bodies are needed. Daily. Unbroken experience. Then you will discover the seeds.
So there now you know the direction to go. Yet the first step is yet to be taken
Yoga is a perfect science. But it is not theory. There is no theory in it. Since it is all practical, everyone who breathes has a right to it You don’t even need to understand it
But
But
Since it is all practical you must do It and experience it!
Reading all the books on meditation – will it teach you meditation?
Discussing mediation -does it reach you Samadhi?
Does understanding the 3 Gunas give you the ability to conquer Gunas – give you victory over anger?
Does reading a cook book satisfy your appetite?
So the books on yoga is a compilation of the experiences of a yogi! In Gita Krishna Bhagwan talks about kshetra kshetragna , he was describing something very subtle and great. This is an experience a yogi should strive for However, many people take the meaning as kshetra is the body and kshetragna is the knower of the body. Very convenient to shut your eyes!
Was Lird Krishna Arjuna merely trying to impress others by using the word kshetra instead of body?
But when you meditate, you experience the 3 different bodies, then you suddenly realize why he called it ksetra. Thus it is an all inclusive term – kshetra – field of playing ( karma ) for all three bodies What has happened is that , And those who are not yogi , those who have never truly meditated , they are not aware of the three bodies. They have heard of it. Pretend that the body they deal with in the dream is subtle body, etc but a person awake, is aware of all 3 bodies – he is a kshetragna – knower of the kshetra. The soul has three playing fields in the form of three bodies
Now I hope you see, that Yoga is practical. When people write a book they are announcing their ignorance ! How? By not conveying the true deeper meaning ! I don’t convey the true deeper meaning either – but how can I ? In order to eat a meal , you need the proper ingredients. When you have the proper ingredients, the meal is ready, that slight effort to open the mouth must be done!
If you read Tantrasara ( Abhinav Gupta translated by Chakravarty) the paragraph where he talks about Trilinga has not been translated properly. So I decided to write this blog.
In essence, one became two. Two became three. And two became 5 Three revealed in many ways That’s all there is to it
So trilinga in the book was a reference to one the three. These three things he refers to are very subtle. They are the basic seeds. He talks about seeds of knowables – etc there is a place where all 3 different seeds meet And that is trilinga / hriday
Here is a little analysis you can do! Examine your thoughts
Do you think of the world more often?
Do you think of events in the world?
Do you think of people
Do you think of events that happened to you
Do you think of future things you want to do or have to do
Do you think of food , and other pleasures
If you see that most of your thoughts are v in these categories your mind is very active in the outward direction
What if you are thinking of Goo ? Again that is still outward because you are thinking of a concept of God you have created
Now what if you are thinking of a liberated person like Raman Maharishi? Or Neem Karoli baba? Or Ramkrishna?
In this case it depends on your depth of thinking of them And your love and respect. This can now be simultaneously inward and outward. How can it be inward? Easy. Such great persons are a representation of the divine within you!
But the highest is to be in touch with the divine shakti within you. This shakti, when awakened, us living, easily you can be in touch with her at all times with All activities you do. This would be the beginning of going inward
Now above this there are a few more stages. Some other time, maybe
Bhavin
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