Life In The Astral Plane
During the course of practice, one day you will feel that you have separated yourself from the body. You will have immense joy mixed with fear; joy in the possession of a new light, astral body; and fear owing to the entry in a foreign, unknown plane. At the very outset, the new consciousness is very rudimentary in the new plane. You will only feel that you have a light, airy body and will perceive a rotating, vibrating, limited astral atmosphere with illumination of golden lights, objects and beings. You may feel that you are floating in the air.
You will never fall; but the new experience of subtlety generates novel feelings and sensations in the beginning. How you leave the body and remain, is unknown. You are unaware of how you have completely separated yourself from the body. The new joy is inexpressible. Your will have to actually feel and experience it yourself. When you come back to body-consciousness, there is an intense craving to regain the new consciousness and to remain in that state always. By chance, by repeated attempts, you are able to go beyond the body-consciousness once in a month or so in the course of Sadhana. If you plod on with patience, through Yogic practices, you will be able to leave the body at will and stay for a long time.
You can by mere willing travel in any place you like with the astral body and there materialise by drawing the necessary materials either from Ahamkara or the universal storehouse. The process is very simple to occultists and Yogis who know the rationale, the detailed technique of the various operations. Thought-reading, thought-transference, psychic healing, distant healing, etc., can be very easily performed by those who can function with the astral body. Concentrated mental rays can penetrate opaque walls and travel miles and miles.
Hints On Yoga
Brahmacharya is very very essential Even in dreams you must be free from lustful thoughts. It requires long practice and careful watch over the mind and Indriyas. Foolish people hastily jump up to the higher courses in Yoga in vain without having this important item which is very useful for spiritual Sadhana.
Wet dreams generally occur in the last quarter of the night. Those who are in the habit of getting up from bed between 3 and 4 a.m. (Brahmamuhurta) and doing Japa, Pranayama and Dhyana, can never fall a victim to nocturnal pollutions.
That man in whom the sex-idea is deep-rooted can never dream of understanding Yoga and Vedanta even in one hundred births.
Keep the mind fully occupied. This is the best panacea or sovereign remedy for keeping up Brahmacharya. Do Japa, meditation, reading of religious books, walking, Kirtan, prayer, Satsanga, service, religious discourse, writing, etc.
Always wear a Kaupeen or Langotee. This is scientific and spiritual too. If you are a married man, sleep in a separate room from your wife. Change your habit immediately.
Be careful in the selection of your companions. Give up drama, talkies, reading novels and other love-stories. Do not use soaps and flowers. Observe Mowna. Do not mix with anyone. Read good inspiring religious books. When desires arise in the mind do not fulfil them. Crush them immediately. Avoid the company of women. No joking and laughing. These are all outward manifestations of lust only. When you walk in the street do not look hither and thither like a monkey. Do not look at a woman—even the photo or picture of a lady. Do not talk about women.
When you advance in the spiritual practice it will be very difficult for you to do both meditation and daily office and household work at the same time, because the mind will undergo a double strain. It finds it very difficult to adjust to different uncongenial activities. Therefore, the advanced Grihastha-students will have to stop all worldly activities. When they advance in meditation, if they desire to advance further, they should take to seclusion and must disconnect themselves from the worldly activities entirely. Work is a hindrance in meditation for advanced Yogic students.
Live alone. Observe Mowna and record in your diary the benefits you derive. Do not make gestures and signs hu, hu, hu. This hu, hu, hu is tantamount to talking. There is more wastage of energy in this hu, hu, hu business. Utilise this conserved energy in Japa and meditation.
Sadhakas who take up to Nivritti Marga generally become lazy after some time, as they do not know how to utilise the mental energy, as they do not keep up any daily routine and as they do not follow the instructions of their Guru. They get Vairagya of course, but they have no experience in the spiritual line. They do not make any spiritual progress in the end.
Those who want to take up to seclusion and Nivritti Marga, should observe Mowna and discipline the Indriyas, mind and body while living in the world. They should train themselves to hard, laborious life, coarse food, walking without shoes and umbrella. Then only they can bear the rigorous life of an ascetic. They should entirely give up timidity.
If circumstances prevent you from observing Mowna, strictly avoid long talk, big talk, tall talk and all sorts of vain discussions and withdraw yourself from society as much as possible. Too much of talk is simply wastage of energy. If this energy is conserved by Mowna, it will be transmuted into Ojas Shakti which will help you in your Sadhana.
Sadhaka should always remain alone. This is an important factor in spiritual progress. Mixing with householders is highly dangerous. Solitude for Sadhana is a great desideratum. All energies must be carefully preserved. After a short stay in solitude, aspirants should not enter the world. What they have gained in five years in seclusion through hard Tapas, will be irrecoverably lost in a month by mixing with worldly people. Several persons have complained to me that they have lost the power of concentration.
After attaining perfection in Yoga, one can enter world if he is not affected even a bit by unfavourable, hostile currents of the world. There is no harm if you mix with congenial company which is also devoted to Yoga Abhyasa. You can discuss various philosophical points. You can be in the company of higher spiritual personages who enter into Samadhi. Many persons enter the world before perfection in Yoga to demonstrate their minor powers in the name of Loka Sangraha and for fame. They have been reduced to a level worse than a worldly man.
Everything must be done gradually. It is very difficult for a man who was in the world to be in entire seclusion. It will be very painful and troublesome for a beginner. He should slowly train himself by observing Mowna often.
The place wherein you can get concentration of mind is suitable for your Yogic practices. This is a general rule. There will be no use if you run from place to place.
When you do Karma Yoga you must be free from egoism. You must not expect any reward or appreciation for the work that you do (Nishkama). You must have a balanced mind in success and failure.
The moment the Chitta-Shuddhi is attained, you must stop doing Nishkama Karma and take to pure meditation in seclusion.
Most of the difficulties arise in your daily life if you do not have a proper control over your mind. For instance, if a man does evil to you, instantly you want to revenge, to extract tooth for tooth, tit for tat policy, to return anger for anger. Every reaction of evil shows that the mind is not under control. By anger one loses his energy. Balanced state of mind is not possible. From anger all other impurities emanate. Anger controlled properly, becomes transmuted into an energy so powerful as to move the whole world.
