“Control over the five elements (Bhutas) may be gained by practising Dharana on their respective seats in the body. The seat of earth extends from the foot to the knee; the seat of water extends from the knee to the navel; the seat of fire, from navel to the throat; the seat of air, from the throat to the region between the eyebrows; and the seat of Akasa from the eyebrows to Brahmarandhra.”
Nada is like a pure crystal extending from the Muladhara to Sahasrara Chakra. It is that which is spoken of as Brahman or Paramatman.
In the beginning of your practice, you may get jerks of hands, legs, trunk and whole body. Sometimes the jerks will be terrible. Do not be afraid. Do not be troubled. It is nothing. It is due to sudden muscular contraction from new Pranic influence. The jerks will pass off after some time. You will have to pass through these stages.
As soon as Kundalini is awakened for the first time, a Yogi gets these six experiences which last for a short time—Ananda (spiritual bliss), Kampana (tremor of the body and limbs), Utthana (rising from the ground), Ghurni (divine intoxication), Murccha (fainting) and Nidra (sleep).
Good health, lightness of the body, shining complexion, not to be affected by the tips of thorns, to endure hunger and thirst, to eat and drink much and to fast for a long time, to endure heat and cold, and to have control over the five elements, are some other symptoms of Yogic life.
“Only a Yogi leading the life of a Brahmachari and observing a moderate and nutritious diet, obtains perfection in the manipulation of Kundalini”. (Ghe. Sam. III-12).
Many people are attracted to the practice of Pranayama and other Yogic exercises, as it is through Yoga that psychic healing, telepathy, thought-transference, and other great Siddhis are obtained. If they attain success, they should not remain there alone. The Goal of life is not ‘healing’ and ‘Siddhis’. They should utilise their energy in attaining the Highest.
Those who can do telepathy, psychic healing, etc., use only the Prana in a different way. For producing different results, the same Prana must be utilised in a different method. You should know the technique to use this from a Guru. By long practice you also can do everything successfully.
A Yogi on the appearance of certain Siddhis thinks that he has achieved the highest goal. He may give up his further Sadhana through false contentment. The Yogi who is bent upon getting the highest Samadhi, must reject Siddhis whenever they come. Siddhis are invitations from Devatas. Only by rejecting these Siddhis, one can attain success in Yoga. He who craves for Siddhis is a worldly-minded man. He is a very big householder. Those who crave for Siddhis will never get them. If a Yogic student is tempted to attain Siddhis, his further progress is seriously retarded. He has lost the way.
Do not stop Sadhana when you get a few glimpses and experiences. Continue the practice till you attain perfection. Do not stop the practice and move about in the world. Examples are not lacking. Numerous persons have been ruined. A glimpse cannot give you safety.
You can do nothing by a happy-go-lucky life. Stick to one place for three years. Draw a programme of daily routine. Then follow to the very letter at any cost. Then you are sure to succeed.
There is no use of dilly-dallying hither and thither in search of a Guru. If you search for him, you will never get him. If you make yourself deserving by the practice of all preliminary qualifications, he will doubtless come to you. It is within the power of everybody to attain success in Yoga. What is wanted is sincere devotion, constant and steady Abhyasa.
Never allow sentiment to overcome you one way or other. Wisely utilise every condition for the uplift of the soul and Chitta Suddhi.
Unless you are prepared to give up all you have for the service of the Lord and mankind, you are quite unfit for the spiritual path.
You first separate yourself from the body; then you identify yourself with the mind and then you function on the mental plane. Through concentration, you rise above body-consciousness; through meditation you rise above mind; and finally through Samadhi, you reach the goal.
A Hatha Yogi brings down the Prana by Jalandhara Bandha; by Mula Bandha he checks the downward tendency of Apana; having accustomed himself to the practice of Asvini Mudra, he makes the Apana go upward with the mind intent on Kumbhaka. Through Uddiyana Bandha, he forces the united Prana-Apana to enter the Sushumna Nadi along with Kundalini, and through Sakti Chalana Mudra, he takes Kundalini from Chakra to Chakra. By this procedure a Hatha Yogi makes conquest over Deha Adhyasa.
Eliminate fear altogether by constantly raising an opposite current of thought in the mind. Constantly and intently think of courage. Fear is a Vikara, unnatural, temporary modification on account of Avidya. When fear disappears, the attachment for the body goes away and then it is easy for you to go above body-consciousness.
Do not be carried away by name and fame (Khyati). Ignore all these trivial things. Be steady in your practice. Never stop Sadhana till the final beatitude is reached.
Just as the man who foolishly runs after two rabbits will not catch hold of any one of them, so also a meditator who runs after two conflicting thoughts will not get success in any one of the two thoughts. If he has divine thoughts for ten minutes and then worldly conflicting thoughts for the next ten minutes he will not succeed in getting at the Divine consciousness.
Several aspirants in the name of Tapasya neglect the body. All possible care should be taken to keep the body in a healthy condition. A Sadhaka should take more care than a worldly man because it is with this instrument that he has to reach the Goal. At the same time he must be quite unattached to the body and be prepared to give it up at any moment. That is the proper ideal.
As to the qualification for renunciation, a man should have attained perfect purity of mind, stability of intellect, discrimination, disgust towards sensual pleasures and a keen desire for freedom. Unless a man has attained these qualifications, renunciation of active duties of life does not produce the desired effect.
If you want Samadhi, you must know well the process of Dhyana. If you want Dhyana, you must know accurately the method of Dharana. If you want Dharana, you must know perfectly the method of Pratyahara. If you want Pratyahara, you must know Pranayama. If you want Pranayama you must know Asana well. Before going to the practice of Asana, you should have Yama and Niyama. There is no use of jumping into Dhyana without having the various preliminary practices.
Some aspirants, when they cannot get milk or ghee, stop their Yogic practices. If you cannot get milk or ghee, you will have to take a little more quantity of bread and Dal. Dal is more nutritious than milk. It is very, very substantial. Sadhakas should not develop any habit at all. Habit means slavery. People of slavish mentality are absolutely unfit for the spiritual path. They should not be affected at all even if they are placed under the worst circumstances.
Vedantins use different methods for getting Laya, viz., (1) Antahkarana Laya Chintana, (2) Pancha Bhuta Laya Chintana and (3) Omkara Laya Chintana. In Antahkarana Laya, you must think that the mind is merged in Buddhi; Buddhi in Avyaktam; and Avyaktam in Brahman. In Pancha Bhuta Laya, you must think that the earth gets merged in water, water in fire; fire in air; air in Akasa; Akasa in Avyaktam; and Avyaktam in Brahman. In Omkara Laya, you must think that Visva gets merged in Virat (Virat in the letter ‘A’); Taijasa in Hiranyagarbha (Hiranyagarbha in the letter ‘U’); Prajna in Ishvara (Ishvara in the letter ‘M’). Jiva Sakshi gets merged in Ishvara Sakshi; Ishvara Sakshi in Ardhamatra of Omkara. Thus you can go back to the original source, Brahman, who is the Yoni for all minds and Pancha Bhutas. Brahman alone remains.
Annamaya Kosha is the physical body (Sthula Sarira). Pranamaya Kosha, Manomaya Kosha and Vijnanamaya Kosha are in the astral body (Sukshma Sarira). Anandamaya Kosha belongs to the causal body (Karana Sarira). Pranamaya Kosha contains the five Karma Indriyas. Manomaya and Vijnanamaya Koshas contain the five Jnana Indriyas.
Priya, Moda and Pramoda are the attributes of Anandamaya Kosha. Hunger and thirst belong to Pranamaya Kosha. Birth and death belong to the Annamaya Kosha. Harsha and Soka (exhilaration and depression) belong to Manomaya Kosha. Passion, hunger, greed, Sankalpa and Vikalpa are Dharmas of the Manomaya Kosha. Sleep and Moha belong to Anandamaya Kosha. Kartritva (agency) and Bhoktritva (enjoyment) belong to Vijnanamaya Kosha.
