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Friday, August 26, 2022

Subtle and fine details on Japa Upasana - Basic Elements of Your Daily Discipline - - Pujya Swami Sadyojat Shankarashram


 When you bring about  a balance in your breath – how do you balance it? With your body. To bring about a certain poise in the body, a more energetic Wim Hoff technique is recommended. You can trigger off also some dormant areas in your brain which you require. Your brain doesn’t know. It has gone boink – that must be stimulated.

You get strength – both at the physical and nervine level. You can then quickly progress in Ninada. Then using that breath, what do you do? We tell you before Japa  - in a very low tone say mmmmm or Aim, Hrim, Shrim Gurubhyo namaha – lower the pitch – to the extent you can. Feel that. If you can place the bijaakshara, nothing like it. But even that, controlled, relaxed, but not really belly breathing – there the breath becomes your vehicle.

Utterance of the mantra goes on in the form of Vaikhari. Slow that down. Use of Vaikhari is decreased. What is going on? Hmmmmm ….Breathing continues. Even that sound dies out. Your breathing continues. You will continue in the same format. You may not even open your mouth now. It will just be though the nostrils. But still that breathing, that posed state, which you at a mental level have achieved – because the attention is now on the pitch – that continues. Your breath is the vehicle . It is said – there is a fine line (pardaa). I cannot do anything else. Cannot say anything. Because of ninaada, the breath gets regulated subtly. That continues. That becomes the vehicle.

And then you know what happens? Slowly, suddenly, actually, you may become aware of a deeper shakti which is not something you can definitely regulate like your breathing. You can hold your breath, you can breathe faster. Whatever. But something underlying, even that breathing process, if you take your attention there, you begin to experience the transmission of energy (prana shakti). And that prana is everything. The moment one focuses on it, the mantra begins to blossom and one quickly progresses in dhyana. There is total internalization with just one desire – “I don’t want to be disturbed. There is no distraction. There is nothing. Nothing absolutely “I want this … I should do this … Oh I should not have done that … Nothing. Not sure where the mind is focused. It is just captured by the nada. Was it not first reveled to the Acharya in the form of nada? Only then followed in the form of para, Pashyanti, Madhyama, and Vaikhari.

As one controls the uttered sound (Vaikhari), one regulates the breath, one develops strength, lowers the pitch of vaani and eventually stops, focus is now on breath and then shvasa will introduce you to the prana. That is whay it is called aayaman. It is not just breathing and all. That is good. Hyperventilation is done with Wim Hoff which is beneficial. But oec regulation begins you may become aware of the prana. And you cant control it. It is too vast. But you begin to become aware. And that becomes the vehicle which takes you inside. And your mantra explodes. Devata is pleased.

After that it becomes effortless. Just like when you are reading a novel. As long as you are aware of everything else, you are distracted by “Don’t make that noise. This is not bad. Hey you don’t disturb me, or switch on this light’ and so on. Once you are captivated, caught in the narrative, then nothing else is needed. You don’t know where you are sitting! That is when you become engrossed and progress deep into the mantra. So that shvasa becomes the vehicle  for the internalization. That is why we emphasize on it so much.

Starting from ‘aa…..” All reservations are given up … just uttering …. Vocal chords open up. During Vaikhari Saraswati is worshipped and the breathing goes well. At the Madhyama level also Saraswati is worshipped while the breathing continues, uccharana is now discontinued. At the Pashyanti level also Saraswati is propitiated. That is when, propitiator and propitiated cannot be differentiated and there is oneness in the para vani.

Do you understand this? If you follow this daily discipline, then your progress will be exponential. That level of alertness is required. The you will understand all these elements are so necessary and such powerful ingredients to your basic fundamental upasana. 

Om

Wednesday, August 24, 2022

Don't get bound to experience seeking

 


Profound mystical experiences are valuable..they strengthen our faith in the divine and our own innate divinity, they reveal to us that there is a common denominator in and thru all of the variety of life that we are confronted with. They may come to us as the experience of infinite peace, love and joy ...expressions of our innate fullness.

Yet as Vedanta points out, don't get bound to 'experience' seeking, because experiences come and go ...they are drshyam (objects of our knowledge), anityam (temporary), mithya ( dependent on the presence of consciousness to illumine them). 

Rather our attitude is of simple acceptance of all that life puts before us, knowing that all experiences are expressions of Ishvara ...the universal cosmic consciousness expressing as life...and so we simply allow this vision to bring in more and more acceptance  into our life. 

Acceptance is 'prasada buddhi' and it is not merely being pragmatic...it is born of recognition of the all-pervasiveness of Ishvara as the efficient and material cause of all that is. And in the wake of acceptance of life in its myriad forms, there is peace, contentment, and joy and recognition of the changeless reality that illumines and enlivens and expresses by its own power as all of life. 


Tuesday, August 23, 2022

Traditional Upasana in a conducted meditation by Pujya Shri Swami Sadyojat Shankarashrama

 

I thought it would be of interest to us to learn of upasana from Pujya Shri Swami Sadyojata Shankarashram through a conducted meditation taken at Tirunavamallai. A traditional form of shuddhi  (of the sushmna nadi) - pleasing and inspiring for those of us who are devotional and visual. I personally find it experientially very delightful and inspiring.... quietening the mind totally for focused  peaceful japa. 



Monday, August 22, 2022

Discourse and Interaction by Pujya Swami Sadyojat Shankarashram at Anand Ashram Kanhangad

 A beautiful discussion on upasana.... do listen in. 



Anand ashram Kanhangad - Discourse 1 by Parama Pujya Shrimat Sadyojat Shankarashram


Folllowed by Interaction with Sadhakas

Pujya Swamiji describes at the end an upasana through a verse from the Devi Gita which is from the Devi Bhagavatam, which I have transcribed 
प्रकाशमानां प्रथमे प्रयाणे
        प्रतिप्रयाणेऽप्यमृतायमानाम् ।
अन्तःपदव्यामनुसञ्चरन्ती-
        मानन्दरूपामबलां प्रपद्ये ॥ ३॥

Having invoked the blessings of the Mother (prakashamaanaam prathame prayaane) – I will say ‘mother’ she is all-pervasive, something as though external – no, I am bringing to my mind she is very much there in the body also, she is  in the muladhara, and when she ascends in the sushmna nadi, she burns of Brahma granthi, Vishnu Granthi, Rudra Granthi, she annihilates, she brings about purification in my karma, power in my emotion, clarity in my understanding, and like fire, in a blaze of light, prakashamaana, she ascends, reaches the sahasrara, aikya with Shiva, and comes down not as prakashamati, but as amrta, pratiprayane – in the return journey, amrtaayamaana – like ambrosia, antahpadamvyaam – in this manner in the antahpadavi – not the external road, but the internal road, that is the sushumna nadi, antahpadamvyaam anusancharanteem, she who does the anusancharana – she goes up, she comes down, purifying me, anandaruupaam , that Devi, abalaam prapadye – I do prapatti, having done the puja, having done the seva, having sung the bhajan, now I am aware of her and so ‘aim’ beeja (in muladhara) – my karma will now be enlightened karma, meaningful karma, doing the anusmarana I will do karma – ie karma-yoga – ‘aim’ the vidya beejam in the muladhara, not just karma, hriim – bhuvanehsvari beeja  in my heart so that my emotions don’t dry out, there is richness in my emotion at the same time all emotions (anger is also an emotion - become bhakti – then I wait for a second in the ajna chakra – for the ajna of the Guru and then Shriim – beeja I do the pratishtha, the fullness – with intelligence complete surrender in the sahasrara, and what do I find in the sahasrara – again the same Guru Paduka…. I offer to Guru – Gurubhyo namah – recite that and after that be quite and do japa.