We all have
a concept of ourself which is encapsulated in the I-thought. The I-thought, for
the sake of our Vedantic analysis here can be looked at, as of 3 types.
1.The I-thought which is associated
with the past time, place and thus containing the qualities of the past. It is
the remembered I-thought or ahankara and it has qualties associated with the
past like “I was young and energetic’ or in case of childhood trauma, “I was
helpless”, “I was a victim”.
2.The I-thought which is the present
experienced ahankara, which is associated with the present time and place and
thus having qualites of the present..
3.The I-thought which has in it the
sense of being the same I which in the past, which is the same I which is now
in the present. This I-thought we can call as the familiar or known I.
Now in this
familiar ‘I’, the past remembered I is being equated to the present experienced
I. Can you see the error taking place? How can one equate the past remebered
‘I’ or ahankara with the present experienced I or ahankara? One cannot because
there is the difference of time, place and qualties between the two. Yet we
cannot deny the sense of being the same I.
To arrive
at what is that same I between the two, what is
common between the two, the differences or contradictory features
between the two must be let go off (in Vedantic language, apply bhaga-tyaga
lakshana ), retaining in our understanding the only common factor, which is the
witness of both the past ahankara and the present ahankara, who is the
witness-consciousness who we call as SAKSHI CHAITANYAM.
The
witness-consciousness is not a part, product or property of the ahankara or any
thought or the mind-body complex. It is an independent principle that pervades
every thought, illuminating, enlivening them and yet is not limited in any way
by the nature of any thought. Consciousness is the adhishthanam, the
source of all thoughts, that is always
present, even when thoughts are not there. This witness consciousness is the real
I, atma, the Self, the illuminator of every thought and the sarva-sakshi, the
witness of everything in the universe.
A small group in Dehradun studied Upadesha Saram as taught by Pujya Swami Viditatmanandaji through his Youtube videos.
Pujya Swamiji has kindly consented to bless us all with an online satsang in which this group can ask him their doubts. Pujya Swamiji will also bless us with a summary of Upadesha Saram.
If you are interested in attending me send me an email at tattvavidya@gmail.com.
"Upasana helps one to grow spiritually and it also helps to understand that everything is Isvarah, the infinite intelligent cause of the whole universe.
Resolving the individual into the total one will see there is no more individual, this ultimately becomes jñanam and culminates in the final knowledge which is “I am Isvara” but until I totally understand the equation “tat tvam asi” That thou art, I need to gain a certain relaxation and nourishment through prayer. Repeated chanting and understanding this prayer will give this priceless nourishment." Swami Vagishananda
Transcription is below - please excuse some typos which may be there
Sit comfortably,
yet alert. So let your trunk and neck be aligned, close your eyes gently and
take a deep breath to get settled down…….. ……… ……….
Now make a
sankalpa to affirm your intention and commitment to meditate. Acknowledge the
fact that you have many unfulfilled responsibilities and issues that need to be
addressed. Since you don't want to be distracted by those things during this
meditation, you can give yourself permission to set all those concerns aside
just for the duration of this meditation. You can even imagine a box into which
you put all your concerns, close the box and place it at your altar or anywhere
else…. You can open the box and address your concerns after this meditation……….
With progressive
relaxation we relax the body.
Let’s start
by turning your attention to your feet. Become aware of sensations there.
Notice a sense of pressure as your feet press down….. …….
Now become
aware of any tension that might be held in the muscles of your feet and let go
of that tension……. Allow those muscles to relax completely…….If you find it
difficult to release the tension, just imagine you are breathing into them….
And they will relax….. ……
Next, turn
your attention to your ankles and calves. Notice if there is a sensation of pressure…. Notice the touch of your clothing …. Any warmth or coolness……Become aware of any
tension held in the muscles of your ankles and calves and let go of that
tension completely…… ……
Next, turn
to your knees and thighs…….Notice the weight of your hands or arms where they
rest on your thighs…… Notice any other sensations. ……Become aware of any
tension held in your knees and thighs and let go of that tension completely…..
Next, turn
to the trunk of your body. Feel the weight of your body pressing down on the
seat…….Feel the firmness of the seat beneath you……. Let go of any tension……..
Next, turn
to your lower back and stomach together…….. become aware of the sensations
there……… Let go of any tension. If you find it difficult to let go of the
tension, simply breathe into it gently….. imagine you are breathing into that
tension very gently………
Now turn to
your upper back and chest together……….
Become aware
of sensations and let go of any tensions that are there…. ……
Become aware
your neck muscles and shoulders. We tend to hold a lot of tension here. Become
aware of any tension here …. let go of it completely …. If you find it
difficult, breathe into it gently…….
Be aware of
your arms …. Let go of any tensions you may be feeling there……
Now become
aware of your face, the muscles around your eyes, at your temples and across
your forehead. …..Let go of any tension.
Now become
aware of your breath … just be aware … we are not regulating it. Relax and
simply listen to these words, without concentrating …. Just allow the meaning
of the words to take place.
………………………….
This
body-mind-sense complex that you are endowed with, is a manifestation of
Ishvara’s Grace …. It is sacred …. It is the home of Ishvara … it is a
devalaya.
Dehah
devaalayam proktah : deha is the body devalayam - is an abode of deva – who is
deva – the Infinite Lord. The body, all bodies are the temple of the infinite
Lord. The body is looked upon as a temple of the infinite Lord.
……………. ……….
…………. Take a deep breath and let it out very slowly…..
Jiva Deva
SanatanaH …. Since time immemorial Ishwara
dwells in this temple, that we call the
body…..
In this
meditation…. we try to understand this truth……
…….. ……..
……… ………
Our shastra
has this vision that Ishvara being the creator of this universe as well as the
created universe, every part of my body is sacred because it is pervaded by
Ishvara….. so a devata is associated with each and every part of the body. It
is only because of ignorance that we are not alive to this reality. So we now
consciously invoke their Grace by remembering them.. ….A devata is a
manifestation of Ishwara, governing a specific function in the universe. In the
Laghu Nyasa of Vedic Chant, the Rudram, reveals the devatas governing different
aspects of this body.
……..
I will be
saying a few chants from this portion of the Rudram, which points out the different devatas….
associated with the different parts…. of the body.
Through
these chants we invoke the Grace of the devatas and allow ourselves to recognize how sacred and
blessed this body is.
……..
प्रजननेब्रह्मातिष्ठतु। Prajanan -In the genital
organs from where all creation begins - may the Grace of Brahma, be invoked. I see my
genital organs as sacred because the grace of Brahma is here…… Unto Brahma my
Salutations
पादयो-र्विष्णुस्तिष्ठतु। In my feet - may the grace of Vishnu be invoked. My feet are sacred. The grace of Vishnu is ever-present
here…… Unto Vishnu my salutations……
हस्तयो-र्हरस्तिष्ठतु। In my hands and all
that I do with my hands … may the grace of Hara be invoked. Hara is a form of
Lord Shiva….. Unto Hara my salutations….
I see that the intelligence that pervades these parts of my
body is the intelligence of all the devatas, the cosmic intelligence that
pervades the Universe warp and woof, like the threads that make up a fabric.
बाह्वोरिन्द्रस्तिष्टतु। In my arms, in the
strength,…. the power they are capable of…. May the Grace of Indra be invoked …
It is by Indra’s grace that these arms are endowed with their capacity, their
strength and power. …. Unto Indra my salutations.
जठरेऽअग्निस्तिष्ठतु। In the jaathara
agini, the digestive fire that is present in the stomach …may the Grace of Agni be invoked. And because of
the grace of Agni, this body functions.
The body gets hungry and gets nourished because of the food that's digested in the stomach by Agni’s heat. I allow myself
to see this grace operating….. Unto Agni my salutations.
हृद॑येशिवस्तिष्ठतु। In my heart the Grace of
Shiva abides…. I invoke that Grace by my remembering…. Shiva is in my heart … ever present as the
sense of ‘I am’…. Shiva means all auspiciousness, all blessing…. and it is
that all-auspiciousness, all-blessing that is ever-present in my heart…. When I
can see that, it allows me to accept life and flow with it ……. Unto Shiva my
salutations……
…….
कण्ठेवसवस्तिष्ठन्तु। May the Grace of eight
vasus or devatas of nature be invoke in my throat
… because of their Grace, I can swallow, speak, sing….express myself. … Unto
the Vasus, my salutations.
वक्त्रेसरस्वतीतिष्ठतु। May the Grace of Saraswati,
the Goddess of speech, of knowledge reside on my tongue…. With her Grace I
express myself appropriately, I receive
knowledge ….I allow myself to see this…… Unto Saraswati my salutations……
नासिकयो-र्वायुस्तिष्ठतु। In my nostrils, may the Grace of Vayu be invoked…. Whose Grace allows the air to be inhaled and exhaled. And
in this simple process with inhalation I am energized and with exhalation I
relax…. Because of the Grace of Vayu, life flows in me….. Unto Vayu my
salutations. …..
नयनयो-श्चन्द्रादित्यौतिष्टेताम्। In my eyes may the Grace of the sun and the moon be invoked. They
are the luminaries that bless us with Light. It is because of the light that I see. I see this
Grace operating. …. Unto Chandra and Aditya
my salutations…..
कर्णयोरश्विनौतिष्टेताम् May the Grace of the twin Ashwini
Kumars be invoked in my ears – it is because of their Grace that these ears are
blessed with the capacity to listen, to hear, to absorb, to understand. The
twin Ashwini Kumars are the Vedic Gods symbolizing the rising and setting sun.
They are associated with bringing treasures and medicines to man. I see their
Grace because of which I am able to listen. ……Unto the Ashwini Kumaras my
salutations……
ललाटेरुद्रास्तिष्ठन्तु। In my fore-head may the presence of the many Rudras, their Grace
be invoked….. Unto the Rudras my salutations …..
मूर्थ्न्यादित्यास्तिष्ठन्तु। In the back of my forehead, may the blessings of the 12 Aditiyas, the solar
deities, be invoked. May they bless me. Unto the Adityas my salutations……
शिरसिमहादेवस्तिष्ठतु। In my head the Grace of Mahadeva be invoked…. Om Mahadevaya namah…..
शिखायां-वाँमदेवास्तिष्ठतु। In the back of my head,
the portion where the Shikha is, may i the presence of Vamadeva be invoked…. Om
Vaamadevaaya Namah….
पृष्ठेपिनाकीतिष्ठतु। my entire back… is
presided… by Pinaki.. referring to Shiva holding his bow….. He holds power, He
holds and wills maya saktih . Unto Pinaki my salutations……
पुरतःशूलीतिष्ठतु। The entire front is
presided by Shuli, who is Lord Shiva
bearing the Trishula…. Unto Shuli my salutations……
पार्श्वयोःशिवाशङ्करौतिष्ठेताम्। My left side, my right side are presided over
by Shiva and Shankara. Unto Shiva and Shankara my Salutations……..
सर्वतोवायुस्तिष्ठतु। May the Grace of
all-pervading Vayu be invoked in every cell of the body and outside the body.
May I see His all-pervading Grace at all times. Unto Vayu my Salutations …….
ततोबहिःसर्वतोऽग्नि-र्ज्वालामाला-परिवृतस्तिष्ठतु। When I recognize how
Ishvara pervades both the outside and this entire body-mind-complex, it is like Ishvara as the fire of knowledge
pervading the entire creation in endless sacred circles of fire
……
सर्वेष्वङ्गेषुसर्वादेवतायथास्थानंतिष्ठन्तु। May all the devatas abide
in their respective parts … so that I am
alive to their Grace in all my angas, in each and every part of my body.
माम्रक्षन्तु। May all the devatas
protect me …. By gracing me with the capacity to recognize them and not take
them for granted. ….. Unto all the Devatas my salutations…..
सर्वान्महान्जनान्रक्शन्तु may all the people mahan janaan the
protectors of Dharma may they all be protected,
to do fulfil their role in this great cosmic offering.
……
In this vision my body mind sense complex is scared. I can
accept this body-mind as it is…... This body is a Devalaya,…. it is a temple
presided over by all the devatas, filled with their Grace, pervaded with their
blessings……I can invoke their grace by choosing dharma in what I do……
With Shiva, all auspiciousness, ever-present in my heart,
this body is an ever-flowing manifestation of grace, of auspiciousness ….. ….. …… May I be alive
to this reality. May this body be a temple for me…. In whom all auspiciousness
resides… because Shiva is in my heart…... When this vision is there, there is
auspiciousness.
I try and see this vision again and again…. The very fact
that I try is also nothing but Ishvara’s Grace. …..
I see clearly that it is Ishvara’s intelligence, the cosmic
intelligence because of which this body-mind-sense complex functions…. …… …..
….. ….. ….. ….. ….. ….. ….. ….. ….. …… ….. …… …… …… ….. …… …….
Ishvara is in my heart and the body is a temple. … it is
sacred ….. it is all Ishvara …..I see this…. …. ….. ….
Mantra Japa is generally done silently, although it can be helpful chant aloud. When chanting silently, your mind will naturally be more susceptible to distractions. There are several ways to minimise this problem. One way is to recite your mantra more rapidly, when your mind begins to wander. By speeding up, your attention will become more intensely focused. After a minute or so, you can return to your normal speed. Another method is to recite the mantra more loudly or forcefully in your mind. This is done by simply imagining the voice in your mind to get louder. After your attention is again fixed on the mantra, you can return to your normal level.
An alambana, is a suitable object of meditation, on which
you concentrate your attention. Of all the alambanas commonly used for
meditation, mantras are perhaps used more extensively than any other. Mantras
are sacred invocations, usually in the ancient Sanskrit language that are
repeated mentally for meditation.
The word japa means recitation or repetition. Mantra japa is
one of the most widely used meditation techniques, probably because it's
extremely powerful. And yet it's quite simple to practice. The meaning of the
word mantra, derived from its syllables ‘man’ and ‘tra’ is a tool or instrument
for the mind. Mantras are mental devices for focusing your attention.
The purpose of focusing your attention on a mantra or any
other object of meditation is to reach Dhyana, the 7th of the eight limbs, or
angas of yoga, defined by Patanjali. Dhyana simply means meditation. According
to Patanjali, Dhyana is the result of practicing concentration. Dhyana prepares
you for the final limb samadhi absorption.
Patanjali defines Dhyana as तत्रप्रत्यैकतानताध्यानम्। a continual stream
of identical thoughts -tatra on that on the alambana, which means a stream of
thoughts directed towards the object of meditation. Dharana is a series of
identical thoughts, or vrittis, an unbroken flow that's not interrupted by
extraneous thoughts. When practicing mantra japa, dhyana is a state in which
your attention is focused on the mantra alone, without any distractions
whatsoever. Another definition of Dhyana used by traditional teachers is
sajatiya vritti pravaha, literally a current or flow of identical vritti or
thoughts.
They describe the state using a striking metaphor. Suppose
you pour cooking oil from a vessel. If you pour it slowly and steadily, it will
form a delicate ribbon of oil that appears to be motionless, like a solid band
of liquid suspended in space. Even though the oil inside the ribbon is
constantly moving, the ribbon itself seems perfectly still. This example is
used to describe the state of Dhyana. When a perfectly steady stream of
identical thoughts flows in your mind, you'll ironically experience it as a
state of stillness, for example, while practicing mantra japa. If each mantra
is followed by an identical mantra without any deviation or interruption,
you'll feel a sense of deep silence. It's a wonderful feeling.
In meditation workshops, I'm often asked which mantra is
best. If one particular mantra was truly more powerful and effective than any
other, this question could be easily answered. But the fact is, there's no such
thing as a best mantra. On the other hand, there are Vedic mantras and mantras
from other ancient scriptures like the Puranas. There are short mantras and
long mantras. There are mantras that incorporate sacred sound symbols, and
mantras that invoke God with thousands of different names. None of these
mantras can be considered best, yet each has its unique qualities.
To help us explore the relative merits of all these mantras,
let's return to the elephant story. A mahout leads his elephant to a rural
construction site where it'll help move heavy trees and boulders. On the way,
they have to pass through a bazaar filled with stalls overflowing with various
fruits and vegetables being sold. The mahout wants to prevent the elephant from
reaching out with its trunk to grab a bunch of bananas. So before they even
reach the bazaar, he gives the elephant a stick to grasp with its trunk. The
elephant obediently holds onto the stick, and this clever trick prevents it
from grabbing any bananas.
Like the mahout gives his elephant a stick to grasp, in the
practice of mantra japa, you give your mind a mantra to repeat, and that
prevents your mind from wandering.
Now, based on this analogy, asking which mantra is best for
meditation is like asking what kind of stick is best for the elephant. Should
the mahout give it an elegantly carved piece of sandalwood or a costly silver
plated stick? In fact, neither of those would restrain the elephant's trunk any
better than an ordinary stick picked up from the roadside. The elephant doesn't
really care about what kind of stick it's given. It has no preference.
The mahout, on the other hand, would certainly prefer a
silver plated stick rather than an ordinary stick, or even one of carved
sandalwood. The mahout's preference for one stick over another represents our
preference for one mantra over another. In principle, any mantra will work just
fine. Yet we're naturally inclined to choose a mantra we think is best or most
valuable. That's really significant, because the more valuable we perceive
something to be, the more tightly we'll hold on to it. An ordinary scrap of
paper will quickly be thrown away, but not a $100 bill.
For this reason, a mantra you consider valuable will hold
your attention better than one you consider ordinary. So a mantra's
effectiveness depends in part on how valuable you think it is. But what is it
that truly determines a mantra's value?
Every traditional mantra possesses shakti, an inherent power
or capacity that we'll discuss shortly. But what if you lack the knowledge
needed to evaluate and appreciate the shakti of a particular mantra? Its value
isn't obvious, it has to be discovered. For example, a dilapidated old chair
might look like a useless piece of junk to you, but someone who's an expert in
antique furniture might know that it's worth several hundred dollars. So to
misquote an old saying, value is in the eye of the beholder. This principle is
clearly shown by a traditional story about a young student who approached a
guru and asked to be given a mantra.
The guru said, Come back next month. A month later, the
student returned. But the guru said once again, come back next month. Each time
the student returned, he was told to wait one more month. After twelve long
years had passed in this way, the guru finally gave him a mantra.
Why did the guru make him wait so long? Well, if he got a
mantra immediately, the immature student might have assumed that anything
obtained so easily must be quite ordinary and of little value. With that
attitude he would have found it more difficult to concentrate on the mantra in
spite of its inherent power or shakti. The long wait made his dedication grow strong
and when the mantra was finally given, he received it as a precious gift.
Having to wait a long time instilled in him a tremendous
value for the mantra and that helped him concentrate on it. This story shows
how your attitude towards the mantra determines in part how effective it will
be as an aid for concentrating your attention.
Another example of this principle is seen in a well-known
spiritual organization that charges a fee for giving you a mantra. No
traditional guru would demand payment for a mantra. So why is this done? One
reason might be that the organization is guided by a familiar western saying
you get what you pay for. A mantra that's given freely could be considered
worthless, but if you have to pay for it, you're likely to consider it more
valuable. Charging a fee or making you wait twelve years are methods used to
instill in the minds of meditators, significant value for the mantras they are
given. But most gurus have no need for methods like these. Instead, when they
give you a mantra, they also teach you the mantra's true value, the value born
of its inherent power, its shakti.
Traditional mantras possess an inherent power or capacity to
attract your attention during meditation. That capacity is the mantra's shakti,
it's power. Several factors are responsible for that shakti.
First of all, traditional mantras are drawn from highly
revered sacred scriptures. And most of those mantras are short invocations or
prayers addressed to various aspects of God. Any form of prayer connects us to
a power infinitely greater than ourselves. And that infinite power is invoked
when traditional mantras are used for meditation.
In modern times, a number of non-traditional mantras have
also been used. An American physician named Herbert Benson researched the use
of mantra japa in clinical settings. He instructed his test subjects to repeat
the word one as a mantra. Another example is the spiritual organization
mentioned before that gives mantras they themselves describe as being
meaningless syllables. In both cases, a deliberate effort was made to remove
any religious elements from the practice of mantra japa to create a purely
secular practice. It's certainly possible to concentrate your attention on the
word one or on meaningless syllables. But those mantras are not prayers and as
a result they fail to connect you to the infinite power of the divine source of
the universe.
According to Patanjali, mantras should be meaningful. In the
yoga sutras he prescribes that a mantra's meaning should be reflected upon
during mantra japa. He says तज्जपस्तदर्थभावनम्।
taj-japas tad-artha-bhāvanam| A mantra should be repeated and tad aratha
bhavanam -its meaning should be contemplated upon.
Traditional mantras have profound meanings worthy of deep
reflection, and knowing the meaning of a mantra will increase your value for
it, making it more effective, as we discussed before. On the other hand,
reciting a mantra without knowing its meaning can lead to mindless mechanical
repetition, which is a serious problem for the practice of mantra japa.
Fortunately, most mantras aren't difficult to understand.
Many follow a common pattern. That pattern usually begins with om, a sound
symbol that represents God or absolute reality. As explained before, many
mantras also include the word namah, which is generally translated as
salutations. Namah is derived from a Sanskrit root that means to bend or bow.
So namah suggests bowing with reverence, or with an attitude of surrender. Due
to rules of grammar, namah often becomes namo, namas, or namah, depending on
the word that follows it. The most important word in a traditional mantra is a
name for a particular deity, a form or manifestation of God. When that deity's
name is joined to the word namah, its ending is changed to mean salutations
unto that deity. For example, om nama shivaya means salutations unto Shiva. Om
namo Narayanaya means salutations unto Narayana, a name for Vishnu. Any of the
thousands of Sanskrit names for various aspects of God can be used in a mantra.
Most mantras are quite short. Some have just three words,
like in the previous example. Others, including the well known, Gayatri mantra,
are longer. Mantras of all lengths are effective, but for beginning meditators,
short mantras might be easier to use at first. On the other hand, longer mantras
demand more attention, and they can sometimes be more effective in preventing
your mind from wandering, even though they're more difficult to learn.
Practically speaking, if your mind wanders a lot with a
short mantra, try using a longer one. The mantra om alone is usually not
recommended for mantra japa for several reasons, including the fact that it's
too short. Your mind can easily lose hold of it and wander away. Some mantras
include one or more sound symbols known as seed syllables or bijaksharas. These
are syllables like SHRIIM, HRIIM and AIM. These seed syllables are often
associated with particular deities. For example, SHRIIM usually represents
Lakshmi, goddess of wealth is associated with prosperity. HRIIM represents Durga, the goddess of power. And AIM is used for
Saraswati, goddess of knowledge.
A mantra has shakti, not just because it's a prayer from a
sacred scripture, but also because of the very sounds of its Sanskrit words.
Sanskrit is called Deva bhasha, the language of the gods, and it's believed to
be of divine origin. For this reason, Sanskrit mantras are revered as sacred
sounds. Even if you don't accept this belief, Sanskrit is indeed an
extraordinary language. It's an ancient scriptural language not derived from
any other. It has a precise system of pronunciation, a vast vocabulary and an
unusually sophisticated grammar. All of these qualities make Sanskrit, unique among the world's languages and
perfectly suited for Mantras.
He is the self-luminous and formless Purusha, uncreated and existing both within and without. He is devoid of prana, devoid of mind, pure and higher than the supreme Imperishable.
Here the rishi reveals divyah amurtah purushah - purushah the conscious being, the truth of who you are, is divyah shining consciousness, amurtaH formless- that which has no form, that which has no edge or boundary and there therefore sah bahya- abhyantarah it is present bahya outside and abhyantarah within – meaning it is all pervasive, it is inside and outside, he indeed it is ajah – unborn.
Atmabodha verse number 32 picks up from the Mundaka Upanishad saying
अमनस्त्वान्न मे दुःखरागद्वेषभयादयः। अप्राणो ह्यमनाः शुभ्र इत्यादिश्रुतिशासनात्।। Atmabodha 33।।
I am other than the mind and hence, I am free from sorrow, attachment, malice and fear, for “HE is without breath and without mind, Pure, etc.”, is the revelation of the great scripture, the Upanishads.
This Atmabodha verse is for contemplation. It is pointing out, that conscious being, (meaning you), is apranah free from prana, independent of prana, hi amanah free from the mind, independent of mind, shubrah shining, pure, utterly unaffected by the defects of prana and mind. And he indeed is aksharat parataha parah beyond everything, transcendent.
In contemplation or nididhyasana we address the habitual identification. For example, one can feel I am getting old. Age is reflected in prana, in the body. I have conceptually understood that I am sat-cit-ananda atma. However habitual identification with the body, with prana being there - it is to be addressed.
So the first step is to identify which habitual identification one wants to address. Here as an example, it is the feeling of being older.
The next step would be to take to a meditative practice that quiets the mind. What works for me is simple observing and resolving whatever is observed in Ishvara. Then the mind becomes very still, silent.
The next step is to reflect on that silence. Right now, the experience is of being older. However in that silence is there any age, any feeling of being older? In that silence, there's no oldness, there's no age, there's no birth, death, there's no time. So these few moments of silence gives one the opportunity to confirm what we have conceptually understood and ascertained to be true.
With thanks to Swami Tadatmananda for pointing out these three steps of contemplation.
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.
