This is the process of Yoga.
Ideal Yoga
Some Yogic students think that only he who can fly in the air, walk on the water, and do such other miracles, can be called a Yogi. It is a sad mistake. To be peaceful, to be calm, to radiate joy, to have an intense aspiration to realise God, to have the spirit of service and devotion, to be self-controlled—this is real Yoga. Flying in the air is not yoga. Why should one aspire to fly like a bird after attaining the human birth? You must have a willing heart to serve everybody and a desire to possess all divine virtues. This is Yoga.
Your ideal should be to be good, and to do good. Be ever willing to share what you have with others.
You should have a knowledge of the scriptures, devotion to your preceptor, saints and sages. Even Nirvikalpa Samadhi is not necessary. Why do you want to get yourself merged in the Absolute? Have a small veil of individuality and serve here as Nityasiddhas. Possess divine qualities and move as a divine being on this earth. Aspire not for powers. Powers will come by themselves. Possess all noble virtues. Be free from hatred and malice. Elevate others by your own example.
Spread the message of the Rishis. Lead a righteous life. Speak the truth. Worship mother as God, father as God, teacher as God, guest as God. Give; but give with modesty. Give with goodwill. Give with love.
There is one eternal Atma, one universal Consciousness that dwells in the hearts of all.
Realize this through aspiration, renunciation, concentration, purification.
Control anger. Do not get irritated through misunderstanding. Try to understand everybody. Understand the feelings of others. Bear insult. Bear injury. Be ever intent on the welfare of all—Sarvabhutahite ratah. You should practise these—not merely study the Brahmasutras and the Upanishads. The Upanishads should come from your heart through purification, through Service.
Selfless service is the highest thing on this earth. Service will make you divine. Service is divine life. Service is eternal life in God. Service will give you Cosmic Consciousness—Service that is selfless, without attachment. But nobody wants to serve! Everybody wants to be served by others. You will have to kill the ego. You will have to pulverize it, make it a powder. You will have to extract oil from your bones and burn it for six months. Such is the toil, as it were, to progress in the path of self-realisation.
Be good; do good. This is the essence of the teachings of all scriptures and prophets of the world. Those who want inner life are very few. All are thirsting for happiness, but they do not know where they can get happiness. They search for it in wealth and material possessions. Maya is clever. She never allows people to taste the bliss of an inner life in the Atman. Deluded by her power, man thinks that there is no transcendental realm, that there is nothing beyond the senses. “Eat, drink and be merry,” this has become the motto of life. The path to the realm of God is open only to those who have got the Divine Grace.
May you all know the true import of Yoga, and base your life on selfless service to humanity with Atma Bhava, and the development of all divine virtues. May you all have sustained aspiration. Practise deep meditation and attain Self-realisation. May you all shine as Nityasiddhas, radiating joy and peace all round.
Ten Commandments For Yoga-Students
1. Practise Asanas and Pranayama in the early morning or three hours after food.
2. Offer prayers to Guru and God before commencing the practice.
3. Take Sattvic food, avoid hot, pungent, sour articles of food and stimulants, like tea, coffee, etc.
4. Keep a clean room under lock and key; let it be well-ventilated, cool, free from insects and from other sources of disturbance.
5. Observe strict Brahmacharya; avoid unnecessary talks.
6. Reduce your wants. Develop contentment.
7. Take bath before the practice; if that is not possible, have a wash before and bath at least half an hour after the practice.
8. Sit facing East or North.
9. Be regular and systematic in your practice.
10. Obey your Guru implicitly in all respects.
Yoga And Its Consummation
Yoga is the art of uniting the individual soul with the Supreme Soul, of uniting the Kundalini Sakti lying dormant in the Muladhara Chakra with Siva in the Sahasrara Chakra. By convention, all practices that help the attainment of this goal are also called Yoga.
Vedanta says that the individual soul is enveloped by five sheaths—Annamaya Kosha (the gross body), Pranamaya Kosha (vital sheath), Manomaya Kosha (the mind), Vijnanamaya Kosha (the intellect), and Anandamaya Kosha (the bliss-sheath or the ignorance that immediately veils the Self), and that the goal of life, viz., Self-realisation is attained by negating the five sheaths and piercing the veil of ignorance.
When do we regard a particular part or organ of the body as perfectly healthy? When we are not made aware of that organ. The ear is in perfect health when we are not aware that that organ exists; if there is pain we are conscious of its presence. In order to transcend the five sheaths, therefore, they must all be free from afflictions. Yoga helps you to do that.
The purificatory Kriyas of Hatha Yoga and Asanas ensure health of the body and free it from ailments. Pranayama revitalises the vital sheath. Pratyahara (withdrawal of the rays of the mind and restraining them from flowing outwards) and Dharana (concentration) strengthen the mind. Meditation brings about a happy blending of the intellect and intuition; and the Yogi’s intelligence becomes intuitive. Samadhi illumines the soul and reveals the Self, by piercing the veil of ignorance. This is Yoga, the perfect system of all-round self-culture.
But no one can embark on this noble enterprise without preparing the vessel. Yama-Niyama or the canons of right conduct, ensure this. One who has not controlled his senses, who is not truthful, kind, compassionate and pure, cannot make any progress in Sadhana. Energy leaks out through all the avenues of his body. His vital sheath is debilitated. His mind is completely extroverted. His intellect is dull. His soul is enveloped in dense darkness. Meditation for such a man is only a dream. Therefore I insist on all spiritual aspirants that they should:—
1. Engage themselves in Nishkama Karma Yoga, for self-purification and cultivation of virtues; and
2. Practise as much Japa as possible, in order to earn His Grace.
These two—Karma Yoga and Bhakti Yoga—cannot be overemphasised.
Once the senses are controlled, and the heart purified, control of mind, concentration of its rays, and meditation become very easy. The aspirant would do well to remember the two great watch-words of Sadhana—
(a) Abhyasa (unrelenting, intense, unbroken, regular and systematic practice),
(b) Vairagya (dispassion, aversion to all sensual enjoyments, non-attachment to objects of senses).
To the extent to which the aspirant grows in these two, to that extent will his mind want to meditate. There will be joy in meditation. The mind will look forward to the period of meditation. When this condition becomes intense, then the mind will be in a constant state of meditation. As your hands are engaged in the work of the day, the mind will be blissfully detached from the world, peacefully witnessing—Sakshi-Bhava—the play of the senses and the sense-objects. When you are established in this state, you are a perfected Yogi. You have only to sit and close your eyes; you will instantly transcend the five sheaths and merge in the Supreme Soul. Your actions will be in tune with the Divine Will. You will have the superhuman powers of intellect, mind and body. You will never be tired, dull or depressed. Your words will have life-transforming power. Your heart will be full of compassion and love for humanity, and all humanity will be drawn towards you. You will become a spiritual magnet. You will shine as a Yogi, sage and Jivanmukta. You are liberated. This is the Goal.
May God bless you.
The Gradational Ascent Of The Mind
The Chakras are centres of Shakti as vital force—in other words, these are centres of Pranashakti manifested by Pranavayu in the living body, the presiding Devatas of which are the names for the Universal Consciousness as it manifests in the form of these centres. The Chakras are not perceptible in the gross senses. Even if they were perceptible in the living body which they help to organise they disappear with the disintegration of organism at death.
Purity of mind leads to perfection in Yoga. Regulate your conduct when you deal with others. Have no feeling of jealousy towards others. Be compassionate. Do not hate sinners. Be kind to all. Success in Yoga will be rapid if you put your maximum energy in your Yoga practice. You must have a keen longing for liberation and intense Vairagya also. You must be sincere and earnest. Intense and constant meditation is necessary for entering into Samadhi.
The mind of a worldly man with base desires and passions moves in the Muladhara and Svadhishthana Chakras or centres situated near the anus and the reproductive organ respectively.
If one’s mind becomes purified the mind rises to the Manipura Chakra or the centre in the navel and experiences some power and joy.
If the mind becomes more purified, it rises to the Anahata Chakra or centre in the heart, experiences bliss and visualises the effulgent form of the Ishta Devata or the tutelary deity.
When the mind gets highly purified, the meditation and devotion become intense and profound, the mind rises to Vishuddha Chakra or the centre in the throat and experiences more and more powers and bliss. Even when the mind has reached this centre, there is possibility for it to come down to the lower centres.
When the Yogi reaches the Ajna Chakra or the centre between the two eyebrows he attains Samadhi and realises the supreme Self or Brahman. There is a slight sense of separateness between the devotee and Brahman.
If he reaches the spiritual centre in the brain, the Sahasrara Chakra, the thousand-petalled lotus the Yogi attains Nirvikalpa Samadhi or superconscious state—He becomes one with the non-dual Brahman. All sense of separateness dissolves. This is the highest plane of consciousness or Supreme Asamprajnata Samadhi. Kundalini unites with Siva.
The Yogi may come down to the centre in the throat to give instructions to the students and do good to others (Lokasamgraha).
