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Vakya Sudha[a.k.a Bala Bodhani], The Essence of the Teaching
By Adi Sankaracharya, 788-820 CE,
Translated by Charles Johnston
(more by Shankara; scroll down)
SEER AND SEEN
1. The form is seen, the eye is seer; the mind is both seen and seer. The changing moods of mind are seen, but the witnessing Self, the seer, is never seen.
2. The eye, remaining one, beholds varying forms; as, blue and yellow, coarse and fine, short and long; and differences such as these.
3. The mind, remaining one, forms definite intentions, even while the character of the eye varies, as in blindness, dullness, or keen-sightedness; and this holds also of hearing and touch.
4. The conscious Self, remaining one, shines on all the moods of mind: on desire, determination, doubt, faith, unfaith, firmness and the lack of it, shame, insight, fear, and such as these.
5. This conscious Self rises not, nor has its setting, nor does it come to wax or wane; unhelped, it shines itself, and illumines others also.
THE PERSONAL IDEA
6. This illumining comes when the ray of consciousness enters the thinking mind; and the thinking mind itself is of twofold nature. The one part of it is the personal idea; the other part is mental action.
7. The ray of consciousness and the personal idea are blended together, like the heat and the hot iron ball. As the personal idea identifies itself with the body, it brings that also a sense of consciousness.
8. The personal idea is blended with the ray of consciousness, the body, and the witnessing Self, respectively -- through the action of innate necessity, of works, and of delusion.
9. Since the two are bound up together, the innate blending of the personal idea with the ray of consciousness never ceases; but its blending with the body ceases, when the works wear out; and with the witnessing Self, through illumination.
10. When the personal idea melts away in deep sleep, the body also loses its sense of consciousness. The personal idea is only half expanded in dream, while in waking it is complete.
11. The power of mental action, when the ray of consciousness has entered into union with it, builds up mind-images in the dream-state; and external objects, in the waking state.
12. The personal form, thus brought into being by the pe
rsonal idea and mental action, is of itself quite lifeless. It appears in the three modes of consciousness; it is born, and so also dies.
THE POWER OF MAYA
13. For the Maya has two powers -- extension and limitation, or enveloping. The power of extension brings into manifestation the whole world, from the personal form to the universal cosmos.
14. This manifesting is an attributing of name and form to the Reality -- which is Being, Consciousness, Bliss, the Eternal; it is like foam on the water.
15. The inner division between the seer and the seen, and the outer division between the Eternal and the world, are concealed by the other power, limitation; and this also is the cause of the cycle of birth and death.
16. The light of the witnessing Self is united with the personal form; from this entering in of the ray of consciousness arises the habitual life -- the ordinary self.
17. The isolated existence of the ordinary self is attributed to the witnessing Self, and appears to belong to it; but when the power of limitation is destroyed, and the difference appears, the sense of isolation in the Self vanishes away.
18. It is the same power which conceals the difference between the Eternal and the visible world; and, by its power, the Eternal appears subject to change.
19. But when this power of limitation is destroyed, the difference between the Eternal and the visible world becomes clear; change belongs to the visible world, and by no means to the Eternal.
20. The five elements of existence are these: being, shining, enjoying, form and name; the three first belong to the nature of the Eternal; the last two, to the nature of the visible world.
21. In the elements -- ether, air, fire, water, earth; in creatures -- gods, animals, and men, Being, Consciousness, Bliss are undivided; the division is only of name and form.
SIX STEPS OF SOUL VISION
22. Therefore setting aside this division through name and form, and concentrating himself on Being, Consciousness, Bliss, which are undivided, let him follow after soul-vision perpetually, first inwardly in the heart, and then in outward things also.
23. Soul-vision is either fluctuating or unwavering; this is its two-fold division in the heart. Fluctuating soul-vision is again two-fold; it may consist either in things seen or heard.
24. This is the fluctuating soul-vision which consists in things seen: a meditating on consciousness as being merely the witness of the desires and passions that fill the mind.
25. This is the fluctuating soul-vision which consists in things heard: the constant thought that "I am the self, which is unattached, Being, Consciousness, Bliss, self-shining, secondless."
26. The forgetting of all images and words, through entering into the bliss of direct experience -- this is unwavering soul-vision, like a lamp set in a windless place.
27. Then, corresponding to the first, there is the soul-vision which strips off name and form from the element of pure Being, in everything whatever; now accomplished outwardly, as it was before, in the heart.
28. And, corresponding to the second is the soul-vision which consists in the unbroken thought, that the Real is a single undivided Essence, whose character is Being, Consciousness, Bliss.
29. Corresponding to the former third, is that steady being, is the tasting of this Essence for oneself. Let him fill the time by following out these, the six stages of soul-vision.
30. When the false conceit, that the body is the Self, falls away; when the Self supreme is known;
then, wherever the mind is directed, there will be the vision of the Self.
31. The knot of the heart is loosened; all doubts are cut; all bondage to works wither away -- when That is known, which is the first and the last.
THE THREE SELVES
32. The individual self appears in three degrees: as a limitation of the Self; as a ray of the conscious Self; and, thirdly, as the self imagined in dreams. The first alone is real.
33. For the limitation in the individual self is a mere imagination; and that which is supposed to be limited is the Reality. The idea of isolation in the individual self is only an error; but its identity with the Eternal is its real nature.
34. And that song they sang of "That thou art" is for the first of these three selves alone; it only is one with the perfect Eternal, not the other selves.
35. The power of Maya existing in the Eternal, has two potencies: extension and limitation. Through the power of limitation, Maya hides the undivided nature of the Eternal, and so builds up the images of the individual self and the world.
36. The individual self which comes into being when the ray of consciousness enters the thinking mind, is the self that gains experience and performs works. The whole world, with all its elements and beings, is the object of its experience.
37. These two, the individual self and its world, were before time began; they last till Freedom comes, making up our habitual life. Hence they are called the habitual self and world.
38. In this ray of consciousness, the dream-power exists, with its two potencies of extension and limitation. Through the power of limitation, it hides the former self and world, and so builds up a new self and a new world.
39. As this new self and world are real only so long as their appearance lasts, they are called the imaginary self and the imaginary world. For, when one has awakened from the dream, the dream existence never comes back again.
40. The imaginary self believes its imaginary world to be real; but the habitual self knows that world to be only mythical, as also is the imaginary self.
41. The habitual self looks on its habitual world as real; but the real Self knows that the habitual world is only mythical, as also is the habitual self.
42. The real Self knows its real oneness with the Eternal; it sees nothing but the Eternal, yet sees that what seemed the unreal is also the Self.
FREEDOM AND FINAL PEACE
43. As the sweetness, the flowing, and the coldness, that are the characteristics of the water, reappear in the wave, and so in the foam that crests the wave;
44. So, verily, the Being, Consciousness, and Bliss of the witnessing Self enter into the habitual self that is bound up with it; and, by the door of the habitual self, enter into the imaginary self also.
45. But when the foam melts away, its flowing, sweetness, coldness, all sink back into the wave; and when the wave itself comes to rest, they sink back to the sea.
46. When the imaginary self melts away, its Being, Consciousness, Bliss sink back into the habitual self; and, when the habitual self comes to rest, they return to the Self supreme, the witness of all.
Vakya Vritti
By Adi Sankaracharya, 788-820 CE,
Translated by Swami Chinmayananda
Published by Chinmaya Mission, Mumbai (more by Shankara; scroll down)
An Exhaustive Explanation of the Upanishadic Mahaavaakya
“That Thou Art” [Tat Twam Asi]
(more on the Mahavakyas)
1. I bow down to that Pure Consciousness Divine – a shoreless ocean of happiness, which is All-pervading (Vishnu), the Beloved of Shri, the all-knowing Lord of the Universe, assuming endless forms and yet ever-free, having an inscrutable power to become (apparently) the Cause of creation, maintenance, and dissolution of the universe.
2. Again and again I Prostrate at the feet of my Guru, by whose grace I have come to realise, “I alone am the All-pervading Essence (Vishnu)”, and that “the world of multiplicity is all a super-imposition upon myself.”
3. Scorched by the blazing sun of the three miseries, a student – dejected with the world and restless for release, having cultivated all the means of liberation especially such virtues as self-control etc. – enquires of a noble teacher:
4. “Merely out of your grace and mercy, holy Teacher, please explain to me briefly the means by which I may easily get liberated from the sorrows of this bondage-to-change”.
5. The teacher said: “Your question is valid, and so very clearly expressed, I shall answer it exhaustively to make it as vivid to you as though you are seeing it near”.
6. Direct knowledge of that total identity between the individual-Self and the Universal-Self, stemming forth from the Vedic statements such as “Thou art that”, etc., is the immediate means to liberation.
7. The disciple said: “What is the individualised Self ? What, then, is the Universal Self ? How can they both be identical ? And, how can statements like “That thou art” discuss and prove this identity ?”
8. The teacher said: “I shall answer your question. Who else can be the individual Self (Jiva) other than yourself, that asks me this question, “Who am I ?”. There is no doubt about it. You alone are the Brahman.
9. The disciple said: Not even the word meaning do I fully grasp clearly; how can I then comprehend the significance of the sentence, “I am Brahman” ?
10. The teacher said: “You have said the truth when you complained that the knowledge and understanding of the meaning of the words employed in a sentence are indeed the cause of the understanding of the full significance of the sentence. And there are no two opinions about it.”
11. “Why do you not recognise your own Self, which is an embodiment of Eternal Bliss-Essence, the Witnessing Light that illumines the inner equipments and their functions ?”
12. “Give up the intellectual misconception that the Self is the body, etc., and always meditate upon and think yourself to be the eternal Knowledge-Bliss – the Witness of the intellect – a sheer mass of Pure Knowledge”.
13. “The body is not the Self, as like the pot, etc., the body also has form, etc., and again, the body is a modification of the great elements such as Akash, just like the pot”.
14. The disciple said: “If, by the strength of these arguments, the gross-body is considered as “not-Self”, then please exhaustively explain and directly indicate the Self – as clearly as a fruit in hand”.
15. The teacher said: “Just as the perceiver of a pot is ever distinctly different from the pot and can never be the pot – so too, you, the perceiver of your body, are distinct from your body and can never be the body – this you firmly ascertain in yourself.”
16. “Similarly be sure in yourself that you, the seer of the senses, are not the senses themselves, and ascertain that you are neither the mind, not the intellect, not the vital air (Prana).”
17. “Similarly be sure that you are not the complex of the gross and the subtle-bodies, and intelligently determine, by inference, that you, the ‘seer’, are entirely distinct from the ‘seen’.”
18. “’I am He’, the One because of whose presence alone the inert entities like the body and the senses, are able to function through acceptance and rejection”.
19. “’I am He’, the One changeless, Innermost Self that moves the intellect, etc., as a magnet does the iron filings.”
20. “’I am He’, the One Entity in whose vital presence the body, senses, mind, and Pranas, though inert in themselves, appear to be conscious and dynamic, as though they are the Self.”
21. “‘He am I’, the One Consciousness, which is the Self that illumines the modifications in my mind such as ‘my mind went elsewhere, however, it has been brought to rest now’, – ‘He am I’ (So’ham).”
22. “’He am I’, the One Consciousness which is the Changeless Self that is directly cognised, that illumines the three states of waking, dream, and deep-sleep, and that which illumines appearance and disappearance of the intellect and its functions – ‘He am I’ (So’ham).”
23. “Know yourself to be the One Self, a homogenous mass of Consciousness, which is the illuminator of the body and therefore quite distinct from it – just as a lamp that illumines a pot is always different from the pot illumined. ‘I am a mass of Consciousness’ (Aham bodhavigraha).”
24. “Know yourself to be the One for whose sake beings and things such as children and wealth – are dear, who is the sole seer and dearest of all. ‘He am I’ – ascertain thus and realise, So’ham.”
25. “Know yourself to be the One regarding whom there is always the anxiety, ‘May I ever be; never cease to be’, as this Seer is the dearest of all. ‘He am I’ – thus assert and realise.”
26. “The Consciousness, the Self, which appears as the Witness, is that which is meant by the word ‘thou’. Being free from all changes even the witnessing is nothing but the illumining-power of the Self.”
27. “Totally distinct from body, senses, mind, Prana and Ego is that which is the Self; therefore, It is absolutely free from the six-modifications, which all material things must necessarily undergo. This Self is the indicative meaning of the term “thou”.
28. “Having thus ascertained the meaning of the term “thou” one should reflect upon what is meant by the word “that” – employing both the method of negation and also the direct method of scriptural assertion.”
29. “’That’, which is free from all the impurities of the Samsara, ‘that’ which is defined by the Upanishads as: ‘Not large etc., having the qualities of imperceptible etc., that is beyond all darkness created by ignorance”.
30. “Having no greater Bliss than Itself, a pure embodiment of External Consciousness, and having ‘existence’ for its specific definition, is the All-Pervading Being – is the meaning indicated by the term ‘that’; so, the scriptures declare in their songs.”
31. “That which is proved in the Vedas as All-knowing, All-powerful and Supreme Lord, is Itself the Infinite Brahman… make sure of that Brahman in your own understanding.”
32. “That which the scriptures have discussed through examples of mud etc., as that by knowing which all else will become known … make sure of that Brahman in your understanding.”
33. “That which the scriptures propose to prove as a limitless, and in order to support that proposition, called the World of Plurality as Its effects .. make sure of that Brahman in your understanding.”
34. “That which the Upanishads clearly establish as the sole object of deep contemplation for those who are sincere seekers of liberation – make sure of that Brahman in your understanding.”
35. “That which is heard of in the Vedas ‘as having entered each creature as its individualised self’, and which is known, from the same sources, to be their controller – make sure of that Brahman in your understanding.”
36. “That which the Upanishads declare as the sole paymaster for all action, and as the very agent (prompter) in all actions, performed by each individualised ego – make sure of that Brahman in your understanding.”
37. “The meaning of the terms ‘that’ and ‘thou’ have been discussed and finally determined. Now we shall discuss the meaning of the commandment (Mahavakya) ‘That thou art’. In this, the total identity of the meanings of ‘that’ and ‘thou’ alone is shown.”
38. “What is meant by the sentence (commandment ‘That thou art’) is not arrived at, either through its ‘sequence-of meaning’ or as ‘qualified-by-something’. An indivisible Being, consisting of Bliss only – this alone is the meaning of the sentence, according to the wise.”
39. “What appears (anjati) as the Witnessing-Consciousness within, (the individual-Self), is of the nature of Bliss, One-without-a-second; and the one that is the Bliss within is none other than the individualised-Self the Witnessing Consciousness within.”
40. “When, as explained above, the mutual identity between the two words ‘thou’ and ‘that’ is comprehended, then the idea ‘I am not Brahman’, entertained by ‘thou’, shall immediately end.”
41. “If as said, the depth-meaning of the term ‘that’ is ‘Mass-of Bliss, without-second’, and ‘thou’ is the ‘Witnessing-Consciousness’, then what ? Listen: the Inner-self, the Consciousness, that illumines all thoughts, remains as the All-full, One-Mass-of Bliss, without-a-second.”
42. “The great statements, like ‘That thou art’, established the identity of what is meant by the two terms ‘thou’ and ‘That’ in their deeper indicative-meaning.”
43. “How great statement discards the two qualified-meanings, and reveals what it really means – this we have carefully commented upon already.”
44. ‘That which shines, as the object of the idea and the word ‘I’, is Consciousness expressing in the inner equipments. This is the direct word-meaning of ‘thou’ (twam).”
45. “The Consciousness that is expressed through Maya, which then becomes the ‘cause of the Universe’, which is described as omnipresent, etc.; that which is known only indirectly (meditate); and which is having the nature of existence, etc., -- that Eswara is the word-meaning of the term ‘That’.”
46. “In case we insist upon the identity of ‘that’ and ‘thou’ based upon the word-meaning of these terms, then for one and the same factor we will have to attribute contrary nature; the quality of being mediately and immediately known – and also insist qualities of ‘existence of duality’ and also of ‘absolute oneness’, for one and the same factor. Identity between such contrariness is impossible hence suggestive-meaning, ‘explanation by implication’ has to be accepted.”
47. “If the direct word-meaning throws up an inconsistency with what is pointed out by other proofs and evidences, the sense consistent with its word-meaning that is intelligently suggested by the term, is to be accepted – and this is its suggestive-meaning (lakshana).”
48. “In the statements like ‘that thou art’ etc., the reject-accept method is to be employed as in the sentence ‘He is this man’. No other method can be applied.”
49. “Until the direct personal experience of ‘I am Brahman’ is gained, we must live values of self-control, etc., and practice listening to teachers, or reading scriptures, and doing daily reflection and meditation upon those ideas.”
50. “Through the grace of a spiritual teacher when a seeker gains a clear and direct experience of the Supreme Self as expounded in the scriptures, he, the realised, becomes free from all ‘ignorance’, which is the foundation for the entire experience of this world of plurality.”
51. “No more conditioned by his gross and subtle bodies, free from the embrace of the gross and subtle elements, released from the charm of actions, such a man gets immediately liberated.”
52. “The liberated-in-life, due to the compelling force of those actions that have begun to produce their results (Prarabdha), remains for some time to exhaust them”.
53. “The liberated-in-life comes to gain the State of Absolute Oneness, the never-ending immeasurable Bliss, called the Supreme Abode-of-Vishnu, from wherein there is no return.”
Amrita Gita
AMRITA GITA
By Sri Swami Sivananda
A Divine Life Society Publication
(This WWW reprint is for free distribution)
From: http://www.dlshq.org/download/amrita.htm
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PUBLISHERS’ PREFACE
AMRITA GITA or the Song of Immortality is a boon to seekers after Truth. It fulfils the long-felt need of aspirants who were eager to have in a nutshell the essentials of Yoga Sadhana, the fundamentals of spiritual life, the very cream of the scriptures, which they could read or recite daily.
AMRITA GITA is a Scripture for the Sadhaka’s Svadhyaya. Sri Swami Sivanandaji Maharaj has, in his inimitable characteristic style, summarised in this small book the very essence of all religious teaching, and he has strung together a garland of very powerful Yoga-assertions that will at once elevate and inspire the reader.
AMRITA GITA tells you what you ought to know and what you ought to practise. Amrita Gita points to you the Path to Immortality. Daily study of this precious scripture, especially in Brahmamuhurta before the morning meditation, is bound to awaken the spiritual forces lying dormant in the reader, to goad him to more and more intense spiritual Sadhana, and ultimately to take him to the realms of Immortality.
—The Divine Life Society
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Adhyaya I
HATHA YOGA
1. Hatha means any tenacious practice till the object or end is achieved. “Ha” and “tha” mean the union of the Sun and the Moon, union of Prana and Apana Vayus.
2. Hatha Yoga concerns with the body and the Prana. It helps to control the body and the Prana, through Asanas and Pranayama.
3. Hatha Yoga itself is not the goal. Meditation helps you to attain Samadhi or Superconscious State.
4. The practice of Hatha Yoga awakens the Kundalini Sakti that lies dormant in the Muladhara Chakra.
5. There are Six Chakras or lotuses in the body. They are Muladhara (near the anus), Svadhisthana (midway between Muladhara and Manipura which is in the navel). Anahata Chakra in the heart, Vishuddha in the neck and Ajna in the space between the two eyebrows and Sahasrara or the thousand-petalled lotus (Chakra) in the crown of the head.
6. Sushumna rises through all the Chakras. Kundalini passes through the Chakras and joins with Lord Siva in the Sahasrara.
7. Learn the Asanas, Pranayama, Bandhas, Mudras and the Shad Kriyas under an expert Hatha Yogi.
8. Ida, Pingala and Sushumna are the three important Nadis in the body.
9. Ida is the Chandra-Nadi. It cools the body. It flows through the left nostril.
10. Pingala is the Surya-Nadi. It heats the body. It flows through the right nostril.
11. Sushumna Nadi flows through both nostrils. It helps meditation. It is Agni-Nadi.
12. Attain good health through the practice of Yoga Asanas and Pranayama. Without good health, how can you earn, how can you succeed in any undertaking, how can you sit for meditation?
13. Practise Yoga Asanas and Pranayama on an empty stomach in the early morning.
14. Be moderate in eating and sleeping. Then alone can you have success in Hatha Yoga.
15. Be regular in your practice. Regularity is of paramount importance.
16. Drink a tumbler of milk after finishing the Asanas.
17. Wait for half an hour after finishing Asanas for taking a bath.
18. Do Asanas first and then practise Pranayama.
19. Spend half an hour daily in the practice of Asanas and Pranayama. This will give you health, vim, vigour and vitality. This will remove all diseases.
20. Dhauti (cleansing of stomach with a piece of cloth), Basti (drawing up of water through anus), Neti (cleansing of nostrils with the help of a thread), Nauli (manipulation of the abdominal muscles), Trataka (gazing on an object), Kapalabhati (a kind of Pranayama)—are the Shad Kriyas of Hatha Yoga.
21. Sirshasana is the king of all Asanas. It strengthens the brain and the brain-centres and improves memory, and helps Brahmacharya.
22. Sarvanga, Hala and Ardhamatsyendra Asanas make the spine elastic. Sarvanga develops thyroid gland and bestows good health. It helps Brahmacharya and gives longevity.
23. Paschimottanasana reduces fat and helps digestion. So does Mayurasana.
24. Bhujanga, Salabha and Dhanur Asanas remove constipation and muscular rheumatism of the back.
25. Relax all the muscles through Savasana. Do this Asana in the end.
26. Ujjayi, Sitkari, Sukha-Purvaka, Suryabheda are other kinds of Pranayama. Through the practice of these Pranayamas Kevala-Kumbhaka results.
27. Puraka is inhalation of breath; Rechaka is exhalation; Kumbhaka is retention. Kumbhaka gives you longevity and energy.
28. Sitali Pranayama cools your body and purifies the blood. Bhastrika warms your body and removes asthma and consumption.
29. Practise Bhandatraya Pranayama. It includes Mula-Bandha or contraction of anus, Jalandara-Bandha or chin-lock and Uddiyana-Bandha, drawing the belly backwards at the end of exhalation.
30. Maha Mudra is an important Mudra. This removes piles, enlargement of spleen, indigestion, constipation.
31. Practise Yoga-Mudra daily. This is a good exercise for the abdominal organs.
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Adhyaya II
KARMA YOGA
1. Work is worship of the Lord.
2. Karma Yoga is the Yoga of selfless action, without agency and expectation of fruits.
3. Karma Yoga removes the impurities of the mind. It is a potent purifier of the heart.
4. Karma Yoga prepares the mind for the reception of Divine Light, Divine Grace, and Divine Knowledge.
5. See God in every face. Behold the Lord in all creatures.
6. Share what you have with others. Serve the saints and sages.
7. Serve the sick. Serve the poor. Serve your parents. Serve your motherland. Serve humanity in general.
8. Scrutinise always your inner motives. Destroy selfish motives.
9. Work without egoism. Cultivate the Nimitta-Bhava. Feel you are an instrument in the hands of the Lord.
10. Surrender always your actions and their fruits to the Lord.
11. Have equal vision and balanced mind in pleasure and pain, gain and loss, success and failure.
12. Develop nicely adaptability. Serve always with Atma-Bhava and Narayana-Bhava.
13. Sing Sitaram, Radheshyam or Hare Rama while you work. Remember the Lord always.
14. Give up Abhimana of all sorts. Kill the Vairagya-abhimana, Seva-abhimana, Tyagi-abhimana, Kartritva-abhimana, male-female-abhimana, and doctor-judge-abhimana.
15. Do not expect even thanks or appreciation for your work.
16. Do actions as your duty, duty for duty’s sake.
17. Never say: “I have helped that man.” Feel and think: “That man gave me an opportunity to serve.”
18. Watch for opportunities for service. Never miss even a single opportunity.
19. Cultivate amiable, loving, social nature, generosity, catholic nature. Kill selfishness. Control the senses, practise self-restraint, tolerance, sympathy and mercy. These are the qualifications of a Karma Yogi.
20. Bear insult, injury, harsh words, criticism, heat and cold.
21. If you are a doctor, treat the poor free of charge. If you are an advocate, plead for the poor. If you are a teacher or a professor, give free tuition to poor boys. Give them books free.
22. Keep Twelve Tissue Remedies or some household remedies and treat the poor.
23. If anyone is suffering from acute pain, shampoo the painful part. Feel you are shampooing the body of the Lord.
24. Do not make any difference between menial and respectable work.
25. Keep always some small coins in your pocket and distribute them to the poor and the decrepit.
26. Feed the poor. Clothe the naked. Comfort the distressed. Remove glass pieces from the road.
27. There are three kinds of Karma, viz., Sanchita, Prarabdha and Agami or Kriyamana.
28. Sanchita is the accumulated storehouse of actions of previous births. Prarabdha is that part of Karma which has given rise to your present birth. Agami is current action.
29. Sanchita is destroyed by Brahma-Jnana. You will have to enjoy the Prarabdha. Agami has no binding force as there is no agency or egoism in the sage.
30. Do not be attached to the work itself. You must be able to give it up at any moment.
31. As you sow, so you reap. Virtue gives you happiness. Vice gives you pain.
32. You are the master of your destiny. You sow an action, reap a habit. You sow a habit, reap a character; you sow your character and reap a destiny. Destiny is your own making. Abandon desires and change your mode of thinking. You can conquer destiny.
33. Think you are man; man will you become. Think you are Brahman; Brahman will you become. This is the immutable divine law.
34. If there is no agency, if there is no selfish motive, action becomes an inaction. You are not bound by an action.
35. Sastras and saints and your own pure, clean conscience will point out to you what is right, what is wrong. Follow them and do the right.
36. An egoistic man alone thinks: “I am the doer.” Really it is the Guna or Prakriti or the sense that does the action. Atman is actionless, Akarta, Nishkriya.
37. Practise your Svadhanna, your Varnashrama Dharma unselfishly, without egoism. You will attain purification of heart. Knowledge of Brahman will dawn in your heart.
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Adhyaya III
JAPA YOGA
1. In this Iron Age, Japa Yoga is an easy way for attaining God-realisation.
2. Japa is the repetition of any Mantra or Name of the Lord with Bhava and feeling.
3. Japa removes the impurities of the mind, destroys sins and brings the devotee face to face with the Lord.
4. Every Name is filled with countless powers; just as fire has the natural property of burning things, so also the Name of God has the power of burning the sins and desires.
5. Sweeter than all sweet things, more auspicious than all good things, purer than all pure things, is the Name of the Lord.
6. Name of the Lord is a boat to cross this Samsara. It is a weapon to destroy the mind.
7. The repetition of the Mantra again and again generates great spiritual force and momentum and intensifies the spiritual Samskaras or impressions.
8. Mananaat Trayate iti Mantrah: By the Manana, constant thinking or recollection, one is released from the round of birth and death; so it is called Mantra.
9. Repetition of Mantra raises vibrations. Vibrations give rise to definite forms. Repetition of Om Namah Sivaya gives rise to the form of Lord Siva in the mind; repetition of Om Namo Narayanaya gives rise to the form of Lord Hari.
10. The glory of the Name of God cannot be established through reasoning and intellect. It can certainly be experienced or realised, only through devotion, faith and constant repetition.
11. Japa is of three kinds, viz., Manasic Japa, Upamsu Japa or humming, and Vaikhari Japa, loud and audible Japa.
12. Mental repetition of Japa, Manasic Japa, is more powerful than loud Japa.
13. Get up at 4 a.m. and do the Japa for two hours. Brahmamuhurtha is most favourable for Japa and meditation.
14. If you cannot take a bath, wash your hands, feet, face and body, and sit for Japa.
15. Face north or east when sitting. This enhances the efficacy of the Japa.
16. Sit on a Kusha-grass seat or deer-skin or rug. Spread a white cloth over it. This conserves body-electricity.
17. Do some prayer before starting the Japa.
18. Have a steady pose. Have Asana-Jaya or conquest over Asana. You must be able to sit in Padma, Siddha or Sukha Asana for three hours at a stretch.
19. When you repeat the Mantra, have the feeling or mental attitude that the Lord is seated in your heart, that Sattva or purity is flowing from the Lord to your mind, that the Mantra purifies your heart, destroys desires and cravings and evil thoughts.
20. Do not do the Japa in a hurried manner, just as a contractor tries to finish his work in a hurried way. Do it slowly with Bhava, one-pointedness of mind and single-minded devotion.
21. Pronounce the Mantra distinctly and without mistakes. Do not repeat it too fast or too slow.
22. Use not the index finger while rolling the beads. Use the thumb, the middle and the ring fingers. When counting of one Mala is over, revert it and come back again. Cross not the Meru. Cover your hand with a towel.
23. Be vigilant. Keep an alert attention during Japa. Stand up and do the Japa when sleep tries to overpower you.
24. Resolve to finish a certain minimum number of Malas before leaving the seat.
25. Mala or rosary is a whip to goad the mind towards God.
26. Sometimes do the Japa without a Mala. Go by the watch.
27. Practise meditation also along with Japa. This is Japa-Sahita-Dhyana. Gradually Japa will drop and meditation alone will continue. This is Japa-Rahita-Dhyana.
28. Have four sittings for Japa daily—early morning, noon, evening and night.
29. A devotee of Lord Vishnu should repeat “Om Namo Narayanaya”; a devotee of Lord Siva, “Om Namah Sivaya”; a devotee of Lord Krishna, “Om Namo Bhagavate Vasudevaya”; a devotee of Lord Rama, “Om Sri Ramaya Namah” or “Om Sri Ram Jaya Ram Jaya Jaya Ram”; a devotee of Devi, Gayatri Mantra or Durga Mantra.
30. It is better to stick to one Mantra alone. See Lord Krishna in Rama, Siva, Durga, Gayatri.
31. Regularity in Japa Sadhana is most essential. Sit in the same place and at the same time.
32. Purascharana is repetition of the Mantra Akshara-Laksha, one lakh of times for each letter.
33. Japa must become habitual. Even in dream you must be doing Japa.
34. Japa Yoga is the easiest, quickest, safest, surest, and cheapest, way for attaining God-realisation. Glory to the Lord! Glory, glory to His Name!
35. O man! Take refuge in the Name. Nama (Name) and Nami (Lord) are inseparable.
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Adhyaya IV
NADA YOGA
1. Sound helps to control the mind easily. When the mind is absorbed in melodious sound, it does not run after sensual objects.
2. Do Japa or Soham with breath (Ajapa Japa). Practise Pranayama for one or two months. You will hear the ten sounds (Anahata sounds) clearly and enjoy the music of the soul.
3. The sound that you hear will make you deaf to all external sounds.
4. Sit on Padmasana or Siddhasana or Sukhasana. Close the ears with the thumb. This is Shanmukhi Mudra or Vaishnavi Mudra.
5. Now hear the music of Anahata sounds. You will have wonderful concentration.
6. Abandon all worldly thoughts. Subdue your passion. Become indifferent to all sensual objects.
7. Practise Yama (self-restraint), or Sadachara (right conduct); concentrate on the sound which annihilates the mind.
8. The first sound is chini, the second is chin-chini, the third is the sound of a bell, the fourth is like that of a conch.
9. The fifth is like that of a lute. The sixth is like that of a cymbal. The seventh is like that of a flute.
10. The eighth is like that of a drum. The ninth is like that of a Mridanga. The tenth is like that of thunder.
11. Hear the sounds through the right ear. Change your concentration from the gross sound to the subtle. The mind will soon be absorbed in the sound.
12. You will get knowledge of hidden things when you hear the seventh.
13. You will hear Para-Vak when you hear the eighth sound.
14. You will develop the divine eye when you hear the ninth.
15. You will attain Para Brahman when you hear the tenth.
16. The sound entraps the mind. The mind becomes one with the sound as milk with water.
17. It becomes absorbed in Brahman or the Absolute. You will then attain the Seat of Eternal Bliss.
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Adhyaya V
BHAKTI YOGA
1. God is love. Love is God. God is nectar. God is Prema.
2. Bhakti is supreme love towards God. It is love for love’s sake. The devotee wants God and God alone. There is no selfish expectation here.
3. Bhakti is the greatest power on this earth. It gushes from one’s pure heart. It redeems and saves. It purifies the heart.
4. Devotion is the seed. Faith is the root. Service of saints is the shower. Communion with the Lord is the fruit.
5. Bhakti is of two kinds, viz., Apara Bhakti (lower type of devotion) and Para Bhakti (highest Bhakti or Supreme Love). Ringing bells and waving lights is Apara Bhakti. In Para Bhakti, there is no ritualistic worship. The devotee is absorbed in God.
6. In Supreme Love, the devotee forgets his self entirely. He has only thoughts of God.
7. Para Bhakti and Jnana are one. Bhakti melts into wisdom in the end. Two have become one now.
8. Bhakti grows gradually just as you grow a flower or a tree in a garden. Cultivate Bhakti in the garden of your heart gradually.
9. Faith is necessary for attaining God-realisation. Faith can work wonders. Faith can move mountains. Faith can take you to the inner chambers of the Lord, where reason dares not enter.
10. Japa, Kirtan, prayer, service of saints, study of books on Bhakti are all aids to devotion.
11. Sattvic food is a help to devotion. Take milk, fruits, etc.
12. Evil company is an enemy of devotion. Give up evil company. Take recourse to Satsanga or company of the saints.
13. Pray to the Lord thus; “O Adorable Lord of Compassion and Love! Give me faith and devotion. Let my mind be ever fixed On Thy Lotus Feet. Let me have constant remembrance of Thee. Let me sing Thy glory always.”
14. The Name of the Lord is your sole refuge. It is your prop, shelter and abode. Name is divine nectar. Nama and Nami are inseparable.
15. Keep a picture of the Lord and concentrate on it—the face or feet or the whole picture. Then visualise the picture in your heart or the space between the two eyebrows.
16. Repeat your Ishta Mantra—Om Namah Sivaya, Om Namo Narayanaya, Om Namo Bhagavate Vasudevaya—mentally, sometimes verbally when the mind wanders.
17. The five kinds of Bhavas are: Santa Bhava, Dasya Bhava (master-servant relation), Vatsalya Bhava (father-son relation), Sakhya Bhava (friendship), Madhurya Bhava (the relationship of lover and beloved).
18. Bhishma had Santa Bhava; Hanuman had Dasya Bhava; Jayadeva and Gauranga had Madhurya Bhava; the Gopis had Sakhya-Bhava; Arjuna and Guha had Sakhya Bhava; Yasoda and Vishnuchitta had Vatsalya Bhava.
19. Have any kind of Bhava that suits your temperament. Develop it again and again.
20. Practise the nine modes of devotion or Nava-vidha Bhakti, viz., Sravana (hearing the Lilas of the Lord), Kirtan (singing His Name), Smarana (His remembrance), Padasevana (service of His Feet), Archana (offering flowers), Vandana (prostrations), Dasyam (servant-Bhava), Sakhya (His friendship), and Atmanivedana (self-surrender).
21. Say unto the Lord: ‘I am Thine, all is Thine, Thy Will be done’. Feel you are an instrument in the hands of the Lord, that the Lord works through your mind, body and senses. Offer all your actions and the fruits of the actions unto the Lord. This is the way to do self-surrender.
22. Do Anushtan frequently. Live on milk and fruits for a week. Observe Mouna or silence and do Japa and meditate in an intense manner.
23. Manasic Puja or mental worship is a great help for increasing devotion and attaining concentration. Offer flowers, incense, etc., mentally to the Lord.
24. Consider your house as a temple of the Lord, every action as service of Lord, the light that you burn as waving lights to the Lord, every word you speak as the Japa of the Lord’s Name, your daily walk as perambulation to the Lord. This is an easy way of worship of the Lord.
25. Shall I wash Thy Feet with holy water, O Lord? The very Ganga flows from Thy Feet. Shall I give You seat? Thou art all-pervading. Shall I wave lights for Thee? Sun and Moon are Thy Eyes! Shall I offer flowers to Thee? Thou art the essence of flowers—this is Para Puja.
26. Feel the presence of the Lord everywhere. He dwells in the chambers of your heart, too. He is in the breath in the nostrils; He glitters in your eyes. He is nearer to you than your jugular vein. Behold Him in every face.
27. Horripilation (Romanchana), tears from the eyes (Asrupat), Kampan or twitching of muscles, Svarabhanga (choking of the voice) are marks or Lingas of devotion.
28. A realised Bhakta is free from lust, egoism, mine-ness, hatred, jealousy, greed. He is full of humility, compassion and kindness. He sees God in all beings, in all objects. He has equal vision and a balanced mind.
29. Draupadi was an Arta-Bhaktini; Nachiketas was Jijnasu-Bhakta; Dhruva was an Artharthee-Bhakta; Suka Deva was a Jnani-Bhakta; Prahlada was an absolutely Nishkama Bhakta.
30. Bhakti is immortalising nectar. It transmutes a man into divinity. It makes him perfect. It bestows on him everlasting peace and bliss.
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Adhyaya VI
RAJA YOGA
1. Raja Yoga is an exact science. It aims at controlling all thought-waves or mental modifications.
2. Where Hatha Yoga ends, there Raja Yoga begins.
3. Hatha Yogi starts his Sadhana with his body and Prana. He practises Asanas and Pranayama and through control of Prana, tries to control the mind.
4. A Raja Yogi starts his Sadhana with the mind. He starts meditation and tries to control the mind.
5. The eight limbs of Raja Yoga are: Yama (self-restraint), Niyama (religious observances), Asana (posture), Pranayama (regulation of breath), Pratyahara (abstraction of the senses), Dharana (concentration), Dhyana (meditation) and Samadhi (superconscious state).
6. Yama consists of five parts, viz., Ahimsa (non-injury), Satyam (truthfulness), Asteya (non-stealing), Brahmacharya (celibacy), and Aparigraha (non-covetousness).
7. Niyama is observance of five canons, viz., Saucha (internal and external purity), Santosha (contentment), Tapas (austerity), Svadhyaya (study of religious books and repetitions of Mantras), and Ishvarapranidhana (self-surrender to God, and His worship).
8. Ahimsa is perfect harmlessness and positive love also. This removes the brutal nature in man and strengthens the will.
9. He who practises meditation without ethical perfection, without the practice of Yama-Niyama cannot obtain the fruits of meditation.
10. Purify your mind first through the practice of Yama-Niyama. Then practise regular meditation. Then you will attain illumination.
11. The practice of Yama is a Mahavrata, universal vow. It must be observed by all.
12. Any easy, steady, comfortable pose is Asana.
13. Asanas steady the body. Pranayama checks the outgoing tendencies of the mind. Pratyahara gives inner spiritual strength. It removes all sorts of distractions. It develops will-power.
14. Real Raja Yoga starts from concentration. Concentration merges in meditation. Meditation ends in Samadhi.
15. Retention of breath, Brahmacharya, Sattvic food, seclusion, silence, Satsanga, not mixing much with people are all aids to concentration.
16. Sleep, tossing of mind, attachment to objects, subtle desires and cravings, laziness, lack of Brahmacharya, gluttony are all obstacles in meditation.
17. Reduce your wants. Cultivate dispassion. You will have progress in Yoga. Vairagya thins out the mind.
18. Do not mix much. Do not talk much. Do not walk much. Do not eat much. Do not sleep much. Do not exert much.
19. Never wrestle with the mind during meditation. Do not use any violent efforts at concentration.
20. If evil thoughts enter your mind, do not use your will force in driving them. You will tax your will. You will lose your energy. You will fatigue yourself. The greater the efforts you make, the more the evil thoughts will return with redoubled force. Be indifferent. Become a witness of those thoughts. Substitute divine thoughts. They will pass away.
21. Never miss a day in meditation. Regularity is of paramount importance. When the mind is tired, do not concentrate. Do not take heavy food at night.
22. The mind passes into many conditions or states as it is made up of three qualities—Sattva, Rajas and Tamas.
23. Kshipta (wandering), Vikshipta (gathering), Mudha (ignorant), Ekagra (one-pointed), and Nirodha (contrary) are the five states of the mind.
24. By controlling the thoughts the Sadhaka attains great Siddhis. He becomes an adept. He attains Asamprajnata Samadhi or Kaivalya.
25. Do not run after Siddhis. Siddhis are great temptations. They will bring about your downfall.
26. A Raja Yogi practises Samyama or the combined practice of Dharana, Dhyana and Samadhi at one and the same time and gets detailed knowledge of an object.
27. Control the mind by Abhyasa (practice) and Vairagya (dispassion).
28. Any practice which steadies the mind and makes it one-pointed is Abhyasa.
29. You must practise Yoga steadily with great patience and zeal. Then alone will you attain perfection.
30. Concentrate on Trikuti (the space between the two eyebrows) with closed eyes. This is the best spot for concentration. The mind can be easily controlled, as this is the seat for the mind.
31. Dull Vairagya will not help you in attaining perfection in Yoga. You must have Para Vairagya or Theevra Vairagya, intense dispassion.
32. Tapas, Svadhyaya, Ishvarapranidhana constitute Kriya Yoga. Kriya Yoga purifies the heart quickly.
33. Meditation on OM with Bhava and its meaning removes obstacles in Sadhana and helps to attain Samadhi.
34. Avidya (ignorance), Asmita (egoism), Raga-Dvesha (likes and dislikes), Abhinivesha (clinging to mundane life) are the five Kleshas or afflictions. Destroy these afflictions. You will attain Samadhi.
35. Samadhi is of two kinds—Savikalpa, Samprajnata or Sabija, and Nirvikalpa or Asamprajnata or Nirbija.
36. In Savikalpa or Sabija, there is Triputi or the triad (knower, known and knowledge). The Samskaras are not burnt or fried.
37. Savitarka, Nirvitarka, Savichara, Nirvichara, Sasmita and Saananda are the different forms of Savikalpa Samadhi.
38. In Nirbija Samadhi or Asamprajnata Samadhi there is no triad. The impressions are fried in toto.
39. A Bhakta gets Bhava-Samadhi, a Jnani gets Badha-Samadhi, a Raja Yogi gets Nirodha Samadhi.
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Adhyaya VII
JNANA YOGA
1. There is an Atman or soul independent of body and mind. This soul is immortal, unchanging and infinite. Realise this Atman and be free.
2. This Atman is Satchidananda (Existence-Absolute, Consciousness-Absolute, Bliss-Absolute). It exists in the past, present and future. So it is Sat. It is pure or Absolute Consciousness without any thought. So it is Chit. It is absolute Bliss. So it is Ananda.
3. The unreal body perishes, but the Atman or the indweller is Immortal. So, you should not grieve when anyone dies. In essence everyone is Immortal Atman.
4. This Atman cannot be hurt by anyone. It is subtle, all-pervading. It is the Innermost Self of all.
5. This Atman is birthless, deathless, changeless. When the body is killed, He is not killed. Therefore grieve not, lament not, regret not. Be always cheerful.
6. Fire cannot burn this Atman, sword cannot pierce this Atman, bomb cannot destroy this Atman, machine-guns cannot kill this Atman.
7. This Atman is eternal, immovable, secondless, self-existent, self-centred. Therefore, knowing this to be such, thou shouldst not grieve, when your father, mother, son, wife or relative dies.
8. This perishable body will certainly pass away. Indweller can never perish. Thou art the immortal soul. Therefore, over the inevitable thou shalt not grieve.
9. Brahman or Atman is beyond the reach of the mind and speech. He is beyond logic, reason, mental process, science. He must be realised through meditation.
10. You cannot deny or doubt your existence. You always feel that you exist. This existence is Atman or your own Self. The knower of the doubt or denier always exists. That knower is your own Atman.
11. In dream you are distinct from the physical body. In deep sleep, you are distinct from the body and the mind. You enjoy peace and bliss in deep sleep. This proves that you are neither body nor mind, but you are All-Blissful Soul.
12. There is only one Reality or Truth. That is Brahman or Atman. All appearances are unreal. They are the effects of Maya, the illusory power of Brahman.
13. Behold the one Immortal Atman in all names and forms. This alone is correct perception.
14. Ignorance is the cause for pain and sorrow. Annihilate this ignorance through Brahma Jnana. All miseries will come to an end.
15. This Atman is beyond time, space, causation. Time, space, causation are mental creation.
16. Just as snake is superimposed on the rope, this world, and the body are superimposed on Brahman.
17. Bring a light, the snake vanishes; rope alone remains. Attain Illumination, this world and this body vanish. Atman alone remains. That Atman thou art. Tat Tvam Asi.
18. I-ness and mine-ness, agency and enjoyership bind you to the Samsara. Destroy these notions. Identify yourself with the Atman which is non-doer, non-enjoyer. You will attain Immortality and eternal Bliss.
19. Sensual pleasure is only pain. It is momentary mental excitement, momentary sensation of flesh, momentary itching and scratching of the senses. You can have eternal bliss in your own Inner Atman alone.
20. Enquire ‘Who am I?’ Deny or sublate the limiting adjuncts (body, mind, etc.); know the Self and be free.
21. Constantly think of the Immortal, all-pervading Atman. Give up thinking of body. You will attain Self-realisation.
22. You are ever free. You are already free. Moksha is not a thing to be attained. You will have to know that you are Atman, that you are free.
23. Destroy the Vasanas, subtle desires, and Trishnas, cravings. This will lead to the annihilation of the mind. Destruction of the mind will lead to the attainment of Brahma Jnana or wisdom of the Self.
24. This world is illusory. Brahman alone is real. You are identical with Brahman. Realise this and be free.
25. The liberated sage is ever blissful. He rests in his own Satchidananda Svaroopa. He is free from egoism, lust, hatred, greed, anger and the pairs of opposites. He has equal vision and balanced mind. He is Brahman Himself.
26. OM is the symbol of Brahman. OM is your real name. Meditate on Om with Bhava and its meaning. You will attain Self-realisation.
27. “I am the All-pervading, Immortal Soul. I am Pure Consciousness. I am Satchidananda Svaroopa. I am witness or Sakshi.”—These are the formulas for constant meditation and assertion.
28. Equip yourself with the Four Means. Hear the Srutis, reflect and meditate. You will attain Self-realisation.
29. Thou art not this perishable body. Thou art not this changing mind. Thou art all-pervading, immortal, infinite, changeless Soul or Atman. Realise this and roam about happily.
30. Watch the breath. It sings Soham, ‘So’ during inhalation and ‘Ham’, during exhalation. It reminds you ‘I am He’. Meditate on ‘Soham’ and attain Self-realisation.
31. ‘I am body. I act. I enjoy. She is my wife. He is my son. This is mine.’—This is bondage. ‘I am Immortal Soul. I am non-actor, non-enjoyer. She is my soul. Nothing is mine.’—This is freedom.
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Adhyaya VIII
ADHYATMA YOGA
1. This world has no real, independent existence. It appears to exist, because Brahman or the Absolute exists for ever.
2. There is no body before its birth; there is no body after its death. Think and feel that which you see now does not really exist. That which does not exist in the beginning and end does not really exist in the middle also.
3. Sensual pleasure is the womb of pain. The cause for pain is absence of pleasure. Sensual pleasure is imaginary, illusory, fleeting and tantalising. Abandon sensual pleasure and rejoice in the Eternal Bliss of Atman.
4. He who has destroyed desire is really a harmonised, peaceful and happy man.
5. Slay anger and desire. Control the thoughts. Know thyself. You will enjoy Supreme, Everlasting Peace.
6. Desire is insatiable. It is born of Rajas or passion. It is born of ignorance. It is an enemy of peace, wisdom and devotion. Master first the senses and then slay this desire which abides in the senses, the mind and intellect, ruthlessly through enquiry, discrimination, dispassion, devotion and meditation.
7. Anger also is born of Rajas. When a desire is not gratified, anger manifests itself. Anger is a form of desire only. Slay this anger through Vichara, discrimination, patience, love, meditation, identification with the ever-serene Atman.
8. Subdue the lower self by the Higher Self. Annihilate all desires. Slay egoism. Destroy all attachments. Meditate and rest peacefully in your own Innermost Atman, which is Existence, Consciousness and Bliss Absolute.
9. If you want to attain immortality, go beyond the pairs of opposites.
10. Endure bravely heat and cold, pain and sorrow, loss and failure, censure and dishonour. You will attain equanimity of mind, peace and poise.
11. If you are balanced in pleasure and pain, gain and loss, victory and defeat, sin will not touch thee; you will not be affected by the fruits of your actions.
12. Keep the senses from attraction and repulsion. Attain mastery over the senses. Discipline the senses and the mind. You will not be affected now even if you move among sense-objects.
13. He who is free from desires, cravings, attachment, egoism, and mine-ness, attains the Peace of the Eternal.
14. Stand up. Have mastery over the senses. Be devoted to Atman. Destroy all doubts through Satsanga, study, enquiry, meditation and wisdom.
15. Do actions without the idea of agency, without expectation of fruits, without attachment to the actions themselves, balanced in success and failure. You will not be bound by actions.
16. Selfless actions will purify your heart and lead to the attainment of wisdom of the Self.
17. Constantly do your duty without attachment. Your heart will be purified. You will attain immortal bliss.
18. Think and feel that Prakriti or Svabhava or Guna does everything. Identify yourself with the Actionless Atman, the Silent Witness and thus free yourself from the bondage of action.
19. Surrender all actions unto the Lord. Fix your mind on Him. Free yourself from egoism, attachment, desire. No action will bind you. Actions are burnt by the fire of Wisdom. Such actions are no longer actions at all. You will attain the Supreme Abode of everlasting bliss and peace.
20. Conquer likes and dislikes which abide in the senses. You can conquer mind and attain the Peace of the Eternal.
21. Serve your Guru. Be devoted to your Guru. Obey him. Have implicit faith in his teachings. You will grow in spirituality. The veil will be torn down. You will attain Self-realisation.
22. All actions culminate in Jnana or wisdom. Bhakti also terminates in wisdom. Without Bhakti, Jnana is impossible.
23. Knowledge of Atman burns all actions. There is no purifier in this world like Brahma-Jnana.
24. Seeing, hearing, touching, smelling, eating, moving, speaking, grasping, etc., are actions of the senses. Atman is the silent witness. Thou art really the Atman or the Witness, Sakshi. Never forget this.
25. Behold only the One Atman or the Self in all beings—in the ants, dogs, cows, horses, elephants and outcastes. This is equal vision or Sama Drishti.
26. Give the mind to the Lord and the hands for the service of humanity. Always think of Lord only. You will soon attain God-realisation easily.
27. Whatever you do, whatever you eat, whatever you offer, whatever you give, whatever austerity you do, do it as an offering unto the Lord. Your heart will be purified. You will not be bound by actions. You will soon attain the Lord.
28. Cultivate the divine qualities: humility, harmlessness, purity, steadfastness, self-control, dispassion, unostentatiousness, non-attachment, balance of mind, fearlessness, angerlessness, self-restraint, renunciation,straightforwardness,truthfulness, compassion, non-covetousness, steadiness. You will attain Wisdom of the Self or Brahma-Jnana.
29. Be cautious. Be vigilant. Be diligent. Be alert. The senses are very turbulent. They will hurl you down into the abyss of ignorance at any moment. Always do Japa, do Kirtan. Meditate ceaselessly.
30. Sin is only a mistake. Knowledge of Self will burn all sins. The Name of the Lord will destroy all sins. Therefore, repeat His Name and attain Wisdom of Atman.
31. Have faith in your own Self, in the existence of Brahman, in the teachings of your Preceptor, in the sacred Scriptures. Then alone can you attain Self-realisation.
32. Behold the Lord in the effulgence of the sun, in the fragrance of flowers, in the brilliance of fire, in the sapidity of water, in the birds, beasts, in the air, ether, in the mind, intellect, in the heart, in the sound, in music.
33. The Lord is seated equally in all beings. He is imperishable. He is the Supervisor, Supporter, Enjoyer. He who thus seeth, he really seeth.
34. Be firm in the vow of Brahmacharya. Control the senses and the mind. Abandon greed. Cultivate dispassion. Make the mind one-pointed. Sit steadily on Padma, Siddha or Sukha or Svastika Asanas. Now meditate and practise Yoga. You will attain Samadhi or the superconscious state.
35. Now you will behold the One Atman in all beings and all beings in the Atman.
36. Withdraw yourself. Annihilate all attachments and external sense-contacts. Be in tune with the Infinite. Find joy in your own Atman. You will realise Immortal, Undecaying Bliss.
37. Control the senses and mind, and sit for meditation. Do not allow the mind to think of sensual objects. Again and again withdraw the mind and fix it on the Lord.
38. Get established in the Eternal. Be balanced. Pain and sorrow will not touch thee.
39. Rejoice in the Atman. Be satisfied in the Atman. Be contented in the Atman. Rest in Atman. Root yourself in Atman. All your desires will be gratified. Your heart will be filled with the Self.
40. Rajas is passion, motion. It causes attachment and thirst for mundane life. Inertia is darkness. It causes heedlessness, laziness, indolence, and sloth. Sattva is purity, harmony. It produces peace and bliss.
41. When Rajas predominates, Sattva and Tamas are subordinated; when Sattva preponderates, Rajas and Tamas are subordinated. When Tamas predominates, Sattva and Rajas are subordinated.
42. Hypocrisy, arrogance, conceit, anger, harshness, are demoniacal qualities. They are enemies of wisdom and devotion. They are obstacles in the path of Yoga. Slay them ruthlessly.
43. Sattvic food helps Yoga Sadhana. Take green gram, spinach, milk, fruits, barley, bread, Lauki, bitter-gourd, plantain stem and flower, and cow’s ghee. These augment vitality, energy, vigour, health, joy and cheerfulness. They are delicious, bland, substantial and agreeable.
44. Give up chillies, sour, overhot, pungent, dry, burning, too much salted things. These are Rajasic substances, which produce pain and sickness. Abandon them.
45. That which is stale, putrid, corrupt, useless leavings of a meal, eggs, fish, etc., are Tamasic foodstuff. Give up these things also.
46. Worship the Gods, the preceptor, the wise, sages, Yogis, Munis, saints and Sannyasins, learned Brahmins. Be straightforward. Be pure. Observe Brahmacharya. Practise Ahimsa. This is austerity of body.
47. Speak the truth. Speak that which generates love. Speak that which is beneficent. This is austerity of speech.
48. Be equanimous. Be cheerful. Be self-controlled. Be pure in nature. Control the thoughts. This is austerity of mind.
49. A glutton is unfit for Yoga. One who starves cannot practise Yoga. Similarly, one who is filled with inertia and so sleeps much, or one who sleeps very little and is ever engaged in Rajasic activity is also unfit for Yoga. Adopt the golden mean. This is the Path of the Wise.
50. He who is alike to foe and friend, who is balanced in pleasure and pain, heat and cold, honour and dishonour, censure and praise, who is without attachment and egoism, who is ever content and harmonious, who is compassionate, who does not hate any creature, is a devotee of God-realisation. He has crossed the three qualities.
51. A liberated Sage is free from passion, attachment, fear, anger, egoism. He has a balanced mind and equal vision.
52. No one can slay or destroy this Atman or soul because It is extremely subtle, formless. It is Spirit, not matter.
53. Mind is greater than the senses. Pure Intellect is greater than the mind. Atman is greater than the intellect. There is nothing greater than the Atman.
54. Brahman is without senses, mind, Prana, quality. He is within and without all beings. He is Immovable. He is extremely subtle.
55. He is the Light of lights. He is beyond the three qualities. He is a mass of wisdom. He is attainable through wisdom.
56. Just as one sun illumines the whole world, the one Brahman illumines all intellects.
57. Control the senses and the mind. Burn all desires. Aspire fervently and intensely. Kill fear and anger. You will attain Liberation or the Final Beatitude.
58. Think of Brahman. Meditate on Brahman. Be devoted to Brahman. Get merged in Brahman. Get established in Brahman, This is Brahma-Abhyasa or Jnana-Abhyasa, or Vedantic Nididhyasana or Ahamgraha Upasana.
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Adhyaya IX
KUNDALINI YOGA
1. Kundalini is the coiled up, dormant, cosmic power that underlies all organic and inorganic matter within us.
2. ‘Kundala’ means coiled. Her form is like a coiled serpent.
3. Kundalini Yoga deals with the practical methods which will awaken this great pristine force in individuals.
4. Kundalini Yoga is an exact science. It treats of Kundalini Sakti, the six centres of spiritual energy, Shat-Chakras, the arousing of the sleeping Kundalini Sakti and its union with Lord Siva in Sahasrara Chakra, at the crown of the head.
5. Kundalini Yoga is also known as Laya Yoga.
6. The six centres are pierced (Chakra-Bheda) by the passing of Kundalini Sakti to the top of the head.
7. Asanas, Bandhas, Mudras, Pranayama help in awakening Kundalini.
8. Neti, Dhauti, Nauli, Bhasti, Kapalabhati and Trataka are the Shat-Kriyas or six Yoga Kriyas.
9. Mula-Bandha, Jalandhara-Bandha, Uddiyana-Bandha, Maha-Bandha—are the important Bandhas.
10. Maha-Mudra, Yoni-Mudra, Sambhavi-Mudra, Khechari Mudra, Sakti-Chalani Mudra and Vipareeta-Karani Mudra are the important Mudras.
11. Sarvangasana, Sirshasana, Paschimottanasana are the important Asanas.
12. Learn the Asanas, Pranayama, Bandhas and Mudras under an expert, Siddha Yogi Guru.
13. A Guru is one who has full illumination, who is endowed with all divine virtues, who is able to remove the doubts of his disciples and guide them in the path of Yoga.
14. The Guru transmits his powers to the disciple through Sankalpa (willing), Drishti (sight), Sakti-Sanchar (touch).
15. A Sadhaka should observe perfect discipline in diet. He should take Sattvic food in moderation. A glutton cannot dream of success in Yoga.
16. Do not fast much. It will produce weakness.
17. He who has firm faith in the scriptures, who has Sadachara (right conduct), who constantly engages himself in the service of his Guru, who is free from lust, anger, delusion, greed, vanity, hatred and egoism can awaken Kundalini, attain perfection and enter into Samadhi quickly.
18. The first step in Kundalini Yoga is the purification of Nadis.
19. Kanda is situated between the anus and the root of the reproductive organ. It is like the shape of an egg. It is the centre of the astral body. The Yoga-Nadis spring from Kanda.
20. Nadis are the astral tubes made up of astral matter. They carry Pranic currents.
21. There are 72,000 Nadis. Of these, three are most important. They are Ida, Pingala and Sushumna.
22. Kundalini, when awakened will pass through Sushumna Nadi which passes through the spinal column.
23. Sushumna Nadi extends from Muladhara Chakra to Brahmarandra or crown of the head.
24. When Sushumna-Nadi flows through both nostrils, you will have wonderful concentration and meditation.
25. You can change the flow of breath in Ida and Pingala Nadis through concentration on the left and right nostril, through Khechari Mudra, etc.
26. When you practise Pranayama vigorously, take butter and sugarcandy. Live on a small quantity of milk.
27. He who has Chitta-suddhi or purity of heart will be benefited by the awakening of Kundalini Sakti.
28. He who is addicted to sensual pleasures, who is arrogant, proud, dishonest, untruthful, who disrespects the Guru, Sadhus and Saints can never attain success in Kundalini Yoga.
29. Kundalini Sakti passes through the Muladhara, Svadhishthana, Manipura, Anahata, Vishuddha, Ajna Chakras and finally enters the Sahasrara at the crown of the head.
30. The Yogi attains different Siddhis at each Chakra and experiences Ananda or bliss in various degrees.
31. Anima, Mahima, Laghima, Garima, Prapti, Prakamya, Vasitvam, Ishatvam are the major eight Siddhis.
32. Doora-Darshana (clairvoyance), Doora-Sravana (clairaudience), Manojaya (control of the mind), Kamarupa, Parakaya Pravesha, Iccha-Mrityu are the minor Siddhis.
33. During the ascent of Kundalini layer after layer of the mind becomes fully opened. The Yogi experiences various visions, knowledge and bliss.
34. When it reaches the Sahasrara, he gets the highest knowledge and bliss. He reaches the highest rung in the ladder of Yoga. He becomes free in all respects. He is a full-blown Yogi.
35. Eventually the Yogi attains Nirvikalpa Samadhi, the state of superconsciousness. He gets intuition. Real knowledge flashes in him.
36. These are the signs that indicate that Kundalini has been awakened—viz., dispassion, fearlessness, joy, ecstasy, peace, unruffled state of mind, Siddhis or powers, contentment.
37. Kundalini can also be awakened by devotion, strong, pure, irresistible, dynamic will, the grace of the Guru and recitation of Mantra.
38. A Kundalini Yogi attains Bhukti (enjoyment) and Mukti (liberation).
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Adhyaya X
MANTRA YOGA
1. Mantra Yoga is an exact science. ‘Mananat trayate iti mantrah’—by the Manana (constant thinking or recollection) of which one is released from the round of births and deaths, is Mantra.
2. Every Mantra has a Rishi who gave it to the world; a Matra or metre which governs the inflection of the voice; a Devata or a supernatural being; the Bija or seed which gives it a special power; the Sakti or the energy of the form of the Mantra; and the Kilakam or the pillar which supports and makes the Mantra strong.
3. A Mantra is Divinity, Mantra and its presiding Devata are one. The Mantra itself is Devata. Mantra is divine power, Daivi Sakti, manifesting in a sound-body. Constant repetition of the Mantra with faith, devotion and purity augments the Sakti or power of the aspirant, purifies and awakens the Mantra Chaitanya latent in the Mantra and bestows on the Sadhaka Mantra Siddhi, illumination, freedom, peace, eternal bliss, immortality.
4. By constant repetition of the Mantra the Sadhaka imbibes the virtues and powers of the Deity that presides over the Mantra. Repetition of Surya Mantra bestows health, long life, vigour, vitality, Tejas or brilliance. It removes all diseases of the body and the diseases of the eye. No enemy can do any harm. Repetition of Aditya-hridayam in the early morning is highly beneficial. Lord Rama conquered Ravana through the repetition of Aditya-hridayam imparted by Agastya Rishi.
5. Mantras are in the form of praise and appeal to the deities, craving for help and mercy. Some Mantras control and command the evil spirits. Rhythmical vibrations of sound give rise to forms. Recitation of the Mantras gives rise to the formation of the particular figure of the deity.
6. Repetition of Sarasvati Mantra ‘OM Sarasvatyai Namah’ will bestow on you wisdom and good intelligence. You will get inspiration and compose poems. Repetition of ‘Om Sri Mahalakshmyai Namah’ will confer on you wealth and remove poverty. Ganesha Mantra will remove any obstacle in any undertaking. Maha Mrityunjaya Mantra will remove accidents, incurable diseases and bestow long life and immortality. It is a Moksha Mantra too.
7. Repetition of Subrahmanya Mantra ‘Om Saravanabhavaya Namah’ will give success in any undertaking and make you glorious. It will drive off the evil influences and evil spirits. Repetition of Sri Hanuman Mantra, ‘Om Hanumanthaya Namah’ will bestow victory and strength. Repetition of Panchadasakshara and Sodasakshara (Sri Vidya) will give you wealth, power, freedom, etc. It will give you whatever you want. You must learn this Vidya from a Guru alone.
8. Repetition of Gayatri or Pranava or Om Namah Sivaya, Om Namo Narayanaya, Om Namo Bhagavate Vasudevaya, one and a quarter lakh of times with Bhava, faith and devotion will confer on you Mantra Siddhi.
9. OM, Soham, Sivoham, Aham Brahmasmi are Moksha Mantras. They will help you to attain Self-realisation. Om Sri Ramaya Namah, Om Namo Bhagavate Vasudevaya are Saguna Mantras which will enable you to attain Saguna realisation first and then Nirguna realisation in the end.
10. Mantra for curing scorpion stings and cobra bites should be repeated on eclipse days for getting Mantra Siddhi quickly. You should stand in the water and repeat the Mantra. This is more powerful and effective. They can be recited on ordinary days also for attaining Mantra-Siddhi.
11. Mantra Siddhi for curing scorpion sting, cobra bites, etc., can be attained within 40 days. Repeat the Mantra with faith and devotion regularly. Have sitting in the early morning after taking bath. Observe Brahmacharya and live on milk and fruits for 40 days or take restricted diet.
12. Chronic diseases can be cured by Mantras. Chanting of Mantras generate potent spiritual waves or divine vibrations. They penetrate the physical and astral bodies of the patients and remove the root causes of sufferings. They fill the cells with pure Sattva or divine energy. They destroy the microbes and vivify the cells and tissues. They are best, most potent antiseptics and germicides. They are more potent than ultra-violet rays or Roentgen rays.
13. Mantra Siddhi should not be misused for the destruction of others. Those who misuse the Mantra power for destroying others are themselves destroyed in the end.
14. Those who utilise the Mantra power in curing snake bites, scorpion stings and chronic diseases should not accept any kind of presents or money. They must be absolutely unselfish. They should not accept even fruits or clothes. They will lose the power if they utilise the power for selfish purposes. If they are absolutely unselfish, if they serve the humanity with Sarvatma Bhava, their power will increase through the grace of the Lord.
15. He who attained Mantra Siddhi can cure cobra bite or scorpion sting or any chronic disease by mere touch on the affected part. When a man is bitten by a cobra a telegram is sent to the Mantra Siddha. The Mantra Siddha recites the Mantra and the man who is bitten by a cobra is cured. What a grand marvel! Does this not prove the tremendous power of Mantra?
16. Get the Mantra initiation from your Guru. Or pray to your Ishta Devata and start doing Japa of the particular Mantra, if you find it difficult to get a Guru.
17. May you all become Mantra Yogis with Mantra Siddhi! May you all become real benefactors of the world by becoming divine healers through Mantra cure! May Mantra cure, divine healing centres be started all over the world!
https://www.justsomelyrics.com/1216704/totakashtakam-lyrics.html
Totakashtakam Lyrics
viditakila sastra sudha jalatheâ
mahitopa nisatkathi tarthanidhe
hrdayekalaye vimalam saranam
bhava sankara desika me saranam ||1||
o thou, the knower of all the milk-ocean of scriptures! the expounder of the topics of great upanisadic treasure-trove! on thy faultless feet i meditate in my heart. be thou my refuge o master, sankara
karuna varunalaya palaya mam
bhvasagara dukha vidunahrdam
racayakhila darshana thatvanidam
bhava sankara desika me saranam ||2||
o the ocean of campassion! save me whose heart is tormented by the misery of the sea of birth! make me understand the truths of all the schools of philosophy! be thou my refuge o master, sankara
bhavata janata suhita bhavita
nijabodha vicarana charumate
kalayeshvara jiva vivekavidam
bhava sankara desika me saranam ||3||
by thee, the masses have been made happy. o thou who hast a noble intellect skilled in the inquiry into self-knowledge! enable me to understand the wisdom relating to god and the soul. be thou my refuge o master, sankara
bhava eva bhavaniti me nitaram
samajayata chetasi kautukita
mamavaraya moha mahajaladhim
bhava sankara desika me saranam ||4||
knowing that thou art verily the supreme lord, there arises overwhelming bliss in my heart. protect me from the vast ocean of delusion. be thou my refuge o master, sankara
sukrte dhikrete bahidha bhavato
bhavita sama darshana lalasata
atihinamimam paripalaya mam
bhava sankara desika me saranam ||5||
desire for the insight into unity through thee will spring only when virtuous deeds are performed in abundance and in various directions. protect this extremely helpless person. be thou my refuge o master, sankara
jagatimavitum kalitakritayo
vicharanti mahamana saschalatah
ahimam sturivatra vibhasi guro
bhava sankara desika me saranam ||6||
oh teacher! for saving the world, the great a__ume various forms and wander in disguise. of them, thou shinest like the sun. be thou my refuge o master, sankara
gurupungava pungava ketana te
samatam ayatam nahi koâpi sudhih
saranagatavatsala tattvinidhe
bhava sankara desika me saranam ||7||
o the best of the teachers! the supreme lord having the bull as banner! none of the wise is equal to thee! thou who art compassionate to those who have taken refuge! the treasure trove of truth! be thou my refuge o master, sankara
vidita na maya vishataikakala
nacha kincana kancanamasti guro
drutameva videhi krupam sahajam
bhava sankara desika me saranam ||8||
not even a single branch of knowledge has been understood by me correctly. not even the least wealth do i possess, o teacher. bestow on me quickly thy natural grace. be thou my refuge o master, sankara
http://stotraratna.sathyasaibababrotherhood.org/m8.htm
That pretty Lord who has a Veil,
Lived deep within my mind and
Made me understand that method to meditate,
Which lies in thinking of “that” and nothing else,
And that made me cut off, my attachment with the world,
And Speech and mind ceased , along with ignorance and knowledge. 42
Oh, Son of the river who gets pleasure from true knowledge,
And who destroyed the sons of Thithi with his valour,
“Should I move away from the fate of the good ,
Due to my loss of the intellect and consequent,
Trance of Ignorance brought about by illusion?” 50
Oh Lord who is capable removing the great illusion,
Though I shouted several times,” Oh Lord with six faces”,
I am not able to get rid of the illusion of my house,
My wealth, my wife and only think about them. 5
Oh mind which is getting spoiled,
I would tell you a solution to improve,
“Give all that you have and meditate on the feet,
Of Him who holds the Veil,
And get all your long time problems burnt,
And stop, and stop worrying about your fate.” 7
http://www.celextel.org/articles/summaryofjivanmuktiviveka.html
When attachment and aversion are reduced to the minimum as a result of the realization of the unreality of the objective world there arises a new sense of happiness. This is called 'Brahma-abhyaasa' or the practice of Brahman. This is the means of effacing the latent impressions.
It should not be thought that, since the moderate kind of bondage (which is the mere perception of duality) is inevitable, and the strong kind can be removed by the obliteration of latent impressions, the dissolution of the mind serves no purpose. The inevitable experience of happiness and misery, caused by a weak praarabdha, can be counteracted only by the dissolution of the mind and so this is also necessary. It has been said (Panchadasi,7.156), " If it were at all possible to prevent the experience of happiness and misery, then, Nala, Rama and Yudhishthira would never have been stricken with misery". Thus the obliteration of latent impressions and the dissolution of the mind are the direct means to Jivanmukti, and knowledge of the Reality is subordinate, being only a mediate cause, as producing the other two.
To sum up, obliteration of latent impressions and dissolution of the mind are the principal causes of Jivanmukti, while knowledge is the principal cause of Videhamukti.
A person who, without making efforts to attain knowledge of Nirguna Brahman (by sravana, etc), practices, to the extent possible, the effacement of latent impressions and dissolution of the mind and devotes himself only to Brahman with attributes (saguna), cannot attain Kaivalya, because his subtle body is not destroyed. By Kaivalya, brought about by knowledge (of Nirguna Brahman), the person is freed from bondage.
Bondage is of various kinds, signified by the expressions-- knot of ignorance, the conviction of being not Brahman, the knot of the heart, doubt, karma, hankering after objects of sense, death, rebirth and the like. All these are removed by knowledge. See Mundaka up. 2.1.10, 3.2.9, 2.2.8, Taitt.up.2.1, Sveta.up. 3.8, Katha up. 1.3.8, Br.up. 1.4.10, Br. Su.1.1.4 &4.1.13.
With regard to the second kind, it has been said: "One should never give room for the thought, 'I have offended none. So anger towards me is not justified'. On the other hand every one should consider as his gravest offence the inability to free himself from bondage. He should bow to the god of anger who burns away his own seat and bestows detachment by imparting the knowledge of his faults".
https://www.brainyquote.com/quotes/authors/m/meister_eckhart.html
A human being has so many skins inside, covering the depths of the heart. We know so many things, but we don't know ourselves! Why, thirty or forty skins or hides, as thick and hard as an ox's or bear's, cover the soul. Go into your own ground and learn to know yourself there. Meister Eckhart
Read more at: https://www.brainyquote.com/quotes/authors/m/meister_eckhart.html
The outward man is the swinging door; the inner man is the still hinge. Meister Eckhart
Read more at: https://www.brainyquote.com/quotes/authors/m/meister_eckhart.html
One person who has mastered life is better than a thousand persons who have mastered only the contents of books, but no one can get anything out of life without God. Meister Eckhart
Read more at: https://www.brainyquote.com/quotes/authors/m/meister_eckhart.html
"The Eye with which I see God is the same Eye with which God sees me", is commonly cited by thinkers within neopaganism and ultimatist Buddhism as a point of contact between these traditions and Christian mysticism.
http://www.eckhartsociety.org/eckhart/his-teachings
Giving up all Externals
Near the end of sermon 1, Eckhart quotes Christ’s teaching in Matthew 10:37 about abandoning all things: ‘Whoever loves father or mother more than me is not worthy of me; and whoever loves son or daughter more than me is not worthy of me.’ Clearly he sees this teaching as telling us to give up all externals, so as to retreat into the inner ground where God enters without image in absolute stillness. And in another sermon (McGinn, 2001, p. 134, quoting Walshe, 2008, sermon 22) we find him saying: ‘You have to start first with yourself and leave yourself.’
Letting Ourselves Go
If we can learn to let ourselves go, we are in effect letting everything go. Total letting go is the way to gain all things in the God who is the real being of all (Walshe, 2008, sermon 6). ‘He who would save his soul must lose it’ (Mt 16:25) is one of Eckhart’s favourite sayings of the Lord. He tells us: ‘Now God wants no more from you than that you should in creaturely fashion go out of yourself, and let God be God in you… Go completely out of yourself for God’s love, and God comes completely out of himself for love of you’ (Walshe, 2008, sermon 13b), For, as he says in Sermon 4: ‘God must act and pour himself into us when we are ready, in other words when we are totally empty of self and creatures. So stand still and do not waver from your emptiness.’
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