Never forget the great bliss of samAdhi ...

There is such a great bliss in samAdhi when the mind turns inward and comes to rest. The Bliss of samAdhi was intensely delightful today.

Never forget this. This memory alone draws the mind back to its Source and gives it strength to endure the absurdity and endless pain of world experience with a smile. One's sAdhanA should be directed to tasting this Bliss as often as possible, so that the mind is systematically tugged inward.

If only ignorance could be permanently removed and one could permanently rest in this Bliss...

Eliminate vAsanAs, O mind, there is no other choice.

Through kriyA Yoga: tapas, svAdhyAya and IshvarapraNidhAnam.

Cultivate vairAgyam. Keep abhyAsa constant.

When to make efforts and when to surrender...

Where and when to exert self-effort or puruShArtha and where and when to surrender, these are known to those who have had the direct experience of God.

Again, what is dharma and what is adharma is also known to such minds.

These depend on desh, kAl and paristhiti.

But to other minds these questions can be difficult to answer and create a lot of confusion. Then it is best to consult Guru or a guide and have faith in their instruction. If the ego in confusion tries to answer these questions without direct experience of God, it can come to completely incorrect conclusions.

Yet, everyone is doing their best according to their past karma. So one should criticize no one, but attend to one's puruShArtha, dharma and tyAga.

The Bhagavad GItA gives all the necessary guidance. SmRti. Yajna, dAna, tapa should never be given up. How it is practised may change according to desh, kAl and paristhiti.

The goodness you see in others ...

The goodness you see in others is the potentiality for goodness waiting to awaken and blossom in you.

The same for the negative qualities.

If you are able to delight in the goodness and virtue of all those around you, and be indifferent to the negative qualities you perceive, you will create a Satya Yuga right in your presence.

This is the nature of true mahAtmas.

You can transcend all the Yugas by your mind alone.

You can transcend all the Yugas by your mind alone.

If the viewpoint is from the body then it is Kali Yuga now.

But you can go to any loka you want through meditation.

You can have the experience of any Yuga through meditation.

You can transcend time and space and rest in the One true Self.

Meditation practice

Meditation practice. The following guided meditations can be useful to sAdhakas.

The standard approach to samAdhi is to focus the mind on an object, gross or subtle. Mantra meditation is very useful. PraNava is the ultimate mantra for Self Realization. Through meditation practice the mind is able to focus on one point, which is the bindu, and ultimately the mind dissolves in the object and samAdhi is experienced.

Another guided meditation practice is to conceive of the "I" as subtler than space and extending over the entire conceivable universe. In this practice the obstructions to this conception of "I" are examined and systematically rejected. In this way the pancakoshas are transcended and finally it is seen that the obstacle that prevents from abiding as One is the conception of the other. The conception of the other has its root in the false "I" or non-self. When the four aspects of mind (manas, buddhi, ahamkAra and citta) are transcended by seeing that they are all simply manifestations of the guNas, then the mind becomes devoid of thought itself. It is only the uprising of rajas, its sustenance through sattva and its destruction through tamas that create the worlds. When the mind abides as Pure Consciousness and its Power, Shakti, which are the three guNas, then it dissolves completely.

There is a connection to the MANDukya Upanishad also regarding the significance of AUM:

AUM .

A -  I am vaishvAnara

U -  I am taijasA

M - I am prajnA

    -  I am (tUriya)

The pRaNava is the portal through which the jIva (individuated Consciousness) accesses the paramAtma (the Self). 

These two complementary practices of focusing on the very minute, atomic (bindu, passing through which one pierces the hRdaya granthi) and focusing on the infinite, is described in the Yoga SUtra I.40:

परमाणुपरममहत्त्वान्तोऽस्य वशीकार:

paramANu paramamahattvAnto'sya vashIkArah

By focusing on the atomic and the infinite the mind is brought under control.

Everyone is doing the best they can...

Everyone is doing the best they can under the circumstances.

So don't judge anyone but practice dharma and do your duty.

Once you see the other ...

Once you see the other in the world your best choice is to see God in them.

God has come as each person to teach you something. Through that interaction you learn something about your mind, your lower self (which is in truth nothing but the Higher Self but not seen so always due to flickering jnAna non-attainment of permanent sahaja samAdhi).

These persons and objects exist within your mind only, not anywhere else.

The purpose of the interactions within the mind is to purify the buddhi so it always only sees the Self in everything.

Even a wise man acts according to his own nature ...

Finally revealed the meaning of the verse 3.33 in the Bhagavad GItA:

सदृशं चेष्टते स्वस्या: प्रकृतेर्ज्ञानवानपि |
प्रकृतिं यान्ति भूतानि निग्रह: किं करिष्यति || 33||

sadṛiśhaṁ cheṣhṭate svasyāḥ prakṛiter jñānavān api
prakṛitiṁ yānti bhūtāni nigrahaḥ kiṁ kariṣhyati

BG 3.33: Even wise people act according to their nature (prakRti), for all living beings are propelled by the guNas or their natural tendencies. What can  restraint do?

'Even a wise man acts according to his own nature, nigrahah kim karishyati?'

Refer to the the different classes of jnAnis as described in the tripurA rahasya.

Even after jnAna, there are different classes of jnAnis. Each acts according to his or her nature. So once jnAnam is regained in this birth, the vAsanAs starting with deha vAsanA can continue to play out depending on the continuity of jnAna or samAdhi. Those who have jnAnam recognize other jnAnis, and they do not judge others. Why? They always see the light of consciousness in others even if they have to have empirical dealings with them in bhUloka. GuNas play with the guNas. Even Indra, brahmA, shiva, viShNu have engaged in lustful and shameful acts and the trimUrti are nitya jnAnis- eternal jnAnis. This is not a license for ignorance or for allowing the senses to run amok, but the point is to use all the yardsticks and characteristics to judge one's own spiritual progress and not that of others. Why? Because if you have had jnAnam in this human birth then you will know that to cognize the other is ajnAnam born of rajas and tamas and if you didn't know that until you were told you had better listen to the one who tells you that and not judge that person. And yet it is the greatest wisdom to hold oneself up to the highest standard. 

Every day at every instant how to interact with the world...

Every day at every instant, let the attitude of the mind be

'Lord, in what form are you appearing before me now to teach me the Eternal Truth that all this is only Pure Consciousness?'

The teaching the Lord gives essentially seems to be 'Give up your notion of I, me, and mine.'

As long as these persist, there is pain and sorrow. Absence of this attachment is peace, Bliss and Realization. 

Become a TyAgarAja: the Lord of Renunciation. Give it up. Give everything up. There seems to be no other way, hard though it appears, and it is not so bad. 

Clinging to a false sense of ownership, although seemingly easier at first, is more painful in the long run. 

That which comes unbidden. Accept and do not reject.

That which leaves of its own accord. Do not hold on to.

That which is not available. Do not long for. 

This is the recipe for peace.

Lord Ram said to me ...

Lord Ram said to me when I asked

'O Lord, why have you apportioned these fruits of action to me as phaladAtA?'

[The Lord or Ishvara is the phaladAta or giver of the fruits of action. See SrI RamaNa's talks on this.]

He said: 'Just as shabari picked out the best fruit for me by tasting each one, so too I have picked out the best fruit for your actions that are most appropriate for your welfare now. But in your ignorance and desire you don't recognize this. I have given you discrimination and buddhi and when you act accordingly the world opens up its heart to you. So accept. Be calm. Be at peace. That is bliss. Chasing the will-o-the wisps is not. Rest calmly in dharma, as you best know it. Restraint will bear greater fruit, but accept your desire and limitations. To love dhArmically is not wrong. But pursuit of desire without heed or regard for the greater ultimate goal of liberation is not wise.'

[Shabari was an old woman who was a great devotee of Lord Ram. When Lord Ram incarnated on this earth the great RShis and Munis promptly recognized him as the embodiment of Pure Consciousness, Brahman. So did his ardent devotees such as Shabari. She waited long for his arrival and had selected the choicest fruit to offer him, but so great was her devotion that she did not want to offer him any fruit that was not sweet. So she had tasted each fruit to ensure its sweetness before offering it to the Lord. Sri Ram arrived at her dwelling with Sri LakshmaNa and they were both duly received with ceremonial washing of feet (pAdyam), sipping of water (Acamanam), offering of water and grass (arghyam) and other upacAras of worship. When offered the fruit, SrI LakshmaNa pointed out to SrI Ram that the fruit had already been bitten into, something this is opposed to the rules of AcAram or proper conduct, where only uneaten food is to be offered to anyone. However, SrI Ram said that since this was offered with true devotion he would gladly accept it. This is the mark of the Lord. By doing so SrI Ram again proved he was the incarnation of Brahman.]

Pure mAyA and impure mAyA.

Pure mAyA and impure mAyA.

As the delight in meditation deepens there is a stage when the sAdhaka is so enamored of the nivRtti mArga (inward path) that he or she may seem to find engaging in the external world a chore, or almost repugnant. This is a stage in the path to jnAna, but it is not complete. Refer to the tripurA rahasya where Hemalekha instructs her husband HemacUda that simply sitting in samAdhi with eyes closed is not complete Self Realization.

dRShtim jnAnamayIm kRtva pashyet brahmamayam jagat

After making the vision full of wisdom one should see the world as Brahman.

The "external" world is not to be rejected. It is not external, but Brahman. But for this jnAna has to ripen into vijnAna.

At any stage one should be aware of the fact that there is an important distinction in mAyA, which is the world appearance. There is pure mAyA and impure mAyA. The words of Guru, vedAnta and scriptures (shAstras), Veda, the words of guide, and satsang are pure mAyA. They point to the exit from the state of ignorance. Pure mAyA is productive of jnAna and vijnAna.

The impure mAyA must be rejected in the initial stage as the sAdhakA takes the nivRtti mArga to gain jnAna.

After the direct experience of the Truth as awareness comes outward, one can walk in the world without being affected by mAyA, knowing always that it is the guNas that play with the guNas.

Love: Personal and Transpersonal

Love of God is Transpersonal. It applies to everything that has manifested. It is what is called agape in Greek, as opposed to eros, which is the personal love.

In BhartRhari's vairAgya shatakas (100 verses of dispassion), he decries the illusory and impermanent nature of personal love.

Hence, it is useful to contrast the nature of personal love and Transpersonal love.

The experience of personal love is attributed from a biochemical viewpoint to the release of dopamine, which makes the person in love feel very good. The experience of Transpersonal love arises after kuNDalini is conveyed up the cakras to samAdhi and it results in experiences that correspond closely to those reported by experiencers of the hallucinogenic drug DMT. Of course, through yoga one does not need to take any external substances but can experience the bliss of samAdhi simply by bringing the mind to rest.

The personal love is a reflection of the Transpersonal, but it is rarely seen as so, and it is difficult to maintain that vision without a yogic attitude.
The personal love can be draining, but the Transpersonal love refreshes.
The personal can sometimes make one sick, while the Transpersonal always enhances health.
The personal love is lauded by poets too, but is a pale shadow of the Transpersonal.
Personal love is limiting and has a tAmasic component, while Transpersonal love is is limitless and leads one beyond the guNas.
Personal love is transient and changes eventually, while the other is Eternal.
Clearly, only an ignorant one will choose personal love over Transpersonal Love. The wise who know truly will always choose Transpersonal love over the personal, and the manifestations of their personal love always directly reflect their Transpersonal love.
One who is afflicted negatively by personal love can sometimes look like a beggar, while the one enjoying Transpersonal love always looks like an Emperor.
One afflicted negatively by personal love looks pathetic and foolish and is happy only in his view, while the other enjoying Transpersonal love looks like an ocean of wisdom and is blissful, and beyond the opinions of others.

The Transpersonal love inspires others; whereas the miserable lover does not.

Compare with bhRgu valli. One is dependent, while the other is independent and supportless but can support all.

Here is a useful retake on the vairAgya shatakas. Men blame not women, and women blame not men, the fault is not theirs! The fault is not in the stars either. The fault is in the ignorant vision tainted by the guNas. Overcome that quickly. There is nothing to lose in weakening ignorance and transcending personal love or hatred. Stand strong and rise above! Be a giant by the power of kuNDalini Shakti and emancipate yourself. Free yourself from the bondage of personal love and hate or disgust with your limited self and embrace the true Beloved within you that is Limitless. Become thus a beacon of hope to all humankind. Can one be satisfied with the puddle of love measured out by an inconstant lover when there is an Ocean of unlimited joy giving permanent Bliss available at every instant? Therefore exercise wisdom O mind! You have had the genuine experience of the Transpersonal so you know this is no parroting of a scriptural text. The truly wise do not reject personal love because it can be unrequited, but because they know there is a far greater, far more desirable Love that is infinitely greater than even requited love, which everyone knows is not permanent. Recall TS Eliot: "the torment of love unsatisfied, the greater torment of love satisfied"!

The mind changes but the Self does not. The beginning seeker rejects personal love out of disappointment like BhartRhari, but the jnAni transcends it and looks beyond the puddle to the Ocean. Indeed the Ocean is there in all the puddles, so why focus on only one or two puddles.
Even so, the vairAgyam born of rejection by BhartRhari is necessary. The tapas of VishvAmitra is necessary before one can become a VasiShTha. Only the ignorant deride austerity. Bliss is not reached without crossing the gate of tapas. It is simple, but only a fool will think it is easy.

For a yogi there are only 15 samskAras.

For a yogi there are only 15 samskAras. Not 16. There are no final rites for a yogi. The body is dropped and the five elements merge into their sources, the prANa merges with HiraNyagarbha and the mind merges with Mahat.

Note: Usually the gRhya sUtras list 16 samskAras beginning with garbhadhAnam (conception) and ending with antyeshti (funeral rites).

Sublimation of love to the Lord.

Once Transpersonal love has been tasted, the mind can descend to taste personal love and resublimate  it to the Transpersonal.

Once you have known this you can take all your personal love and offer it to God. This is purification.

Even the lowest lecher or prostitute can attain salvation in an instant by seeing and doing this with a genuine heart.

O mind, don't attach to this inert body that has prostituted itself in many births but attain your pristine nature in the Self.

Sex is a drug. Love is a drug.

Sex is a drug. Love is a drug. These are natural drugs made by the Lord to ensure the sustenance of Creation. VaiShNava!

But just as we tell a child not to take too much candy, so too Guru tells seeker that brahmacarya is important.

Sex and brahmacarya

Sex and brahmacarya. In the ideal marriage of Sage VasiShTha and arundhatI, it was possible for a mind established in Brahman to also live as a householder with a wife as chaste as arundhatI.

This is not possible in Kali Yuga on bhUloka.

In the beginning the seeker rejects sex. Instructions of Guru decry the body to induce rejection and to turn the seeker on to the right path, to become an Urdhvaretu: the upward traveling energy of consciousness up the suShUmna.

But a jnAni does not reject sex or love, nor does he seek it. He may be unmoved by it or he may seem to engage in it, but his jnAna is unchanged. He can handle personal love and will love from the heart and soul but he cannot limit his love to only one person or object. It must extend equally to all.

Even physical love is possible, but it definitely debilitates prANa and sAdhanA. So for ordinary mortals the dhArmic exercise of love and sex are only for procreation.

In some cases jnAnis and Yogis like vyAsa engaged in sex for the greater good. Such vision or justification is not common in Kali Yuga on bhUloka, but rather than use this to judge the actions of others, these observations should be applied only to oneself. The vision of a vishrava who knew his children would grow up to be rAkShasas like rAvaNa, or the vision of a VasiShTha is not possible on bhUloka in Kali Yuga. Since one cannot live up to that in Kali Yuga it is better to restrain passion by not rejecting the love of a personal nature but recognizing that it is merely a puddle compared to the Ocean of Bliss.

Such a conviction can only arise if one has tasted a drop of the Ocean of Bliss which is qualitatively different from quaffing from a multitude of puddles. Repeated experience of personal love from different puddles is exhausting  both physically, mentally, emotionally and spiritually. It depletes tejas. On the other hand, a brahmacAri glows with tejas. That makes him attractive to the true seeker but he knows better than to bring both down to the ignorance of personal love. The particularization of personal love is tAmasic.

So out of wisdom one chooses to be a brahmacAri or brahmacAriNi, not out of confusion between several available partners, or the lack of ability to be with a partner.

The true brahmacAri does not need restraint out of denial but looks beyond to the greater prize of brahmaniSTha. Being established permanently in the Blissful state.

At the highest level, nothing ever happens.

At the highest level, nothing ever happens. No change in Brahman.

Mind can take any world experience positively or negatively. 

If sattva coupled with vairAgyam predominate, any experience can be seen as positive. 

Bhoga apavargArtham dRShyam. 

The seen, that is the mind or the world, is for experience and liberation.

If rajas and tamas predominate, then passion and obsession with one thing dominates, leading to negative thinking. 

The choice is one's own. 

vaiShNava and shaiva sampradAyam: pravRtti and nivRtti

One should decide for oneself whether one's characteristic is suited to the pravRtti mArga (vaiShNava sampradAya [tradition]) or the nivRtti mArga (shaiva sampradAyam [tradition]). Each mind's tendency is inclined to one of these philosophical and dhArmic opinions, and they are different. Its root lies in how the two traditions perceive kAma and its role in sAdhanA. The true vAiShNava is a  jIvanmukta who enjoys prakRti without attachment like janaka. But this vijnAna only comes after jnAna, which requires strong nivRtti. One cannot become an ati Asrami just like that, or flout the Vedic dharma just because it is unpleasant to follow it. Humility and self-examination, acceptance of one's faults is the only way. Regardless of which tradition one is inclined to, live and let live. The other tradition is suitable for another temperament. Both are eventually seen to be the same. Eventually one has to transcend both pravRtti and nivRtti. But it is very important to recognize that until all samkalpas (thoughts) are not completely destroyed, engagement in the pravRtti mArga can lead to pain for impure minds.

Recall BG: Arurukshormuneryogi karma kAraNamucyate etc.

For the Yogi who is still in the process of ascending to the pinnacle of Yoga, karma (thought and action) are said to be the means. But only for the one who is firmly established in Yoga is quiescence said to be the means.

The next verse describes the one who is established in Yoga: the YogArUDha.

When there is no desire for objects of the senses and in actions, and all thoughts are given up, that one is called a YogArUDha.

Faraway mountains are attractive: dUratah parvatah ramyA

dUratah parvatah ramyA: the faraway mountains are attractive.

Familiarity is accompanied by disappointment (or contempt).

As Lewis Carrol says the farthest rushes that are just out of reach always seem to be the prettiest. This is a characteristic of the outgoing mind that is ever in the quest of the unattainable, and it fills in beautiful vikalpas or imagined attributes to satisfy its innate desires.

This fantasy continues until the object of desire is attained, resulting in temporary and sometimes incomplete satisfaction, until the quest, longing, or tRShNA starts again. So vitRShnA (absence of craving or longing) is important. So vairAgya or dispassion is important.

 But rather than denial, it should be born of wise understanding like the wise Oyster who wouldn't leave his bed in Lewis Carroll's poem The Walrus and the Carpenter. O mind! Be like the wise Oyster!

SamskAras in Kali Yuga

Certain samskAras are not successfully negotiated in Kali Yuga. Not everyone in Kali Yuga has the successful completion of the marriage samskAra, as VasiShTha and arundhatI or rAmakRShNa and shAradA devi. Both partners have to reach those levels and those who aspire to be together should inspire each other to reach those levels. If neither is even close, and the common lower mind will not take the advice of the higher mind, then parting is the only option. Some samskAras are not possible in this Yuga. The fault is not in anyone but as the RShi Vishrava said to Sumali when the latter approached him to give his daughter in marriage to the RShi: 'You have come at the wrong time. The children born of this union will be rAkshasAs.' And thus was RavaNa born.

Better to steady the mind without the prescribed samskAras, than to unsettle the mind with fluctuations stemming from attempts to force the completion of those samskAras in Kali Yuga. 

Guidelines for worldly interactions

We are all Pure Consciousness.

Begin all interactions with a sAttvic attitude but cultivate vairAgyam (dispassion). Practice the yoga of maitrI karuNA etc. in all interactions.

Recall the trials of the great RShis. VishvAmitra had to perform great tapas to attain the status of Brahma RShi. One cannot become a VasiShTha without great tapas. Their stories are greatly inspiring so that every man may strive to be a VasiShTha and every woman an arundhatI. These may seem to be hopeless idealizations in Kali Yuga, but the option of not having an ideal to aspire towards is depressing. If one slips from the path and the ideal, pick yourself up, learn and internalize the lesson and continue. Always give up attachment but never let go of the Goal. This is what SwamiJ says.

Recall the great story of Shiva and PArvati, and how she fasted as aparNA without even leaves to gain Shiva. Of course, in the embodied human state one has limitations. Better to be humble and accept one's limitations and seek to overcome them through sAdhanA.

Moderate interactions with those who do not exhibit buddhi. Always take refuge in buddhi. This is of course Kali Yuga, but the point is not to relax one's own moral standard but to recognize that the ideal relationships of Shiva and PArvatI, VasiShTha and arundhatI, are not feasible in this aeon but we have to purify to reach the other Yuga as say yAjnavAlkya. Also one should only look to one's own moral standards and not comment on those of others. It is best to simply avoid those interactions with people who do not conform to those standards that might lead to not upholding one's own.

All actions that have their basis in svadharma (to know one's Self) and Vedic dharma never fail to yield the desired fruit. But many do not see the wisdom in such dharma because they are hard to practice. But dharma and sAdhanA do save the aspirant. Sometimes when both the svadharma and Vaidika dharma are transgressed, then only the laukIka dharma (the laws and dharma of this world and time) saves the aspirant from dire circumstances.

You can do it!

You can do it! 

You can conquer the last desire. You can choose Atmic Bliss over sense pleasure. 

On arriving home immediately wash your feet. And always before going to bed. 

Recall sahanAvavatu mantra and the Aditya HRdayam. 

Sit or lie in Asana always. Bring the mind to rest. 

Replace names with Om. 

Recognize forms as Om. 

You will slowly lose smRti of Vishaya vRtti (memory of objects). 

JnAna vRtti or aham brahmAsmi vRtti will take over. (Wisdom or 'I am Brahman' thought will take over.) It is not too hard.  

SAdhanA will save you.

SAdhanA will save you.

However disturbed the mind gets by engaging with the world, however much rajas and tamas have affected it by seeing difference and particularization through projection and veiling powers of vikshepa shakti and AvaraNa shakti, the simple practice of bringing the mind to rest will counteract these fluctuations, the delusion and these instabilities.

In truth although through individuation one thinks one is the inhabitant of this body with a particular name, in truth one is all names and people. We see in the other a reflection of our mind. If the mind has become one with Consciousness then it cannot see any objects and differences. Then what matters whether one sees the other, or not?

There is in truth nothing to do, nothing to give, no one to need anything from, and nothing to expect.

And yet with complete non-negativity and mind free of fever, the required actions can proceed without expectation. That is sahaja samadhi.

It is good to release the mind's attachment to everything in the world.

How to give?

In all transactions in the world, when one thinks one is giving something, the mind should be checked and it should reflect on how to give.

There is in truth nothing that is mine to give, for who is this I?  Individuated it feels that its mind is its own and that it owns this attention that it will give to someone. But the mind is itself impermanent. It fluctuates. But because it attached to the concept of another as a potential receiver of attention, it expects attention in return.  When that attention is not forthcoming it feels rejected. Then the mind may feel that the giving was spurned or that the effort invested was a waste.

Note that all minds are impermanent and highly fluctuating. It is not wise to yoke the mind to any impermanent thing, however attractive. So the mind should be yoked to the only Eternal and permanent thing, which is its Source the Self. The Self is not seen by the outgoing mind unless it is in sahaja samAdhi.

Until that state is permanent, it is wise to remember the Tolstoy story of the three questions. Act to enable the success of those in your immediate presence. By karma yoga you can navigate the external world skillfully. Do not attach to the fruits of the action but submit those to God.

In truth for one endowed with samyagdarshaNa, loving and giving should be equally directed towards all beings. No one should be special.

How rituals help stabilize the mind.

Vedic rituals and the Vedic way of life are a protection, a rakshA. They protect the performer even through very difficult losses by giving the continuity of routine.

This is why ritual mourning is very important. They teach us where and how to consign thoughts of loss. The loss of a physical manifestation such as a body is understood as the physical manifestation merely returning to the five elements (panca mahAbhUtas). But deeper than the body is our relationship to the person. A relationship is not comprised of five bhUtas but it does have the three guNas. The sAttvic part of it is worth cherishing. To see the Divine in each other and to love, care and celebrate goodness, affection, intimacy, and commitment in each other is all good. The rAjasic aspect is the passion and seeing the difference between the object and others. Seeing this difference is productive of pain. The tAmasic aspect is the over-particularization of attention and attribution of specific qualities to only that person and the obscuration of a balanced picture. These are characteristic of relationships characterized by extreme feelings of love or hate. Not seeing the balanced picture is tAmasic, which is impelled by the blinding passion of rajas.

The best mourning ritual for any experience is to discard the tAmasic ideas by invoking rajas to transform this energy into seeing the Divine in everyone and doing good for others. To conquer fear through faith, and opening up one's heart to do good to others without expectation. That seva will never let anyone down. One may cherish the sattva guNa and the delight of sharing it with others. Recognize that being sAttvic appears hard at first, but its fruit is like nectar. That being rAjasic is easy at first but its fruit is pain. That being tAmasic is ignorant and its fruit is the same. Everything in the world is a product of the three guNas, and sattva is attractive, while rajas and tamas derail one's thinking. Only one who is guNAtIta has perfect vision at all times. But everything in Creation is made of the guNas. As a human you will act through the guNas. Complete vairAgyam is also not easy to attain overnight. 

Shutting out and denial of the world is not useful either. But restraint born of steady wisdom is good and useful. 

While cultivating lack of ego and humility one should not yield to a low opinion of self. All creation is special because it is a reflection of the Divine, albeit seen imperfectly depending on the view of the seer. 

Dharmo rakshati rakshitah

Dharmo rakshati rakshitah.
Dharma protects those who protect it.

I saw this on a bag from the Giri Trading Company that makes pUja articles etc.

It was recollected when doing pitR tarpaNam today.

The pitRs are more enduring (don't change in one human life) than spouse and family.

The devas are more enduring than the pitRs- don't change over several births. The same devas were there for father, grandfather and so on.

The Siddhas and RShis are more enduring than the devas and so on until Brahma and beyond.

See how pitR tarpaNam as a ritual protects the mind from wandering into temporally changing world.

How does expectation arise in the mind?

Expectation. How does it arise?

From smRti of objects arises desire for repetition or pravRtti.

SmRti of scripture teaches nivRtti.

To be beyond the guNas is ultimate peace.

As mind is turned from pravRtti to nivRtti through jnAna, and through vijnAna sees pravRtti also as brahmamayam jagat (the world is Brahman) after dRShtim jnAnamayIm kRtvA (having made the Vision wise through direct experience of the Self), it can still need cleansing.

Examine the desire for control

Examine the desire for control: to control one's external environment, and the outcomes of actions for instance.

Once individuated the mind wants to manipulate the perceived world to please the senses and stroke and sustain the ego.

The Pure Consciousness appearing through Its Power as the Lord has manifested as the external world and bestows fruits of actions that are thoughts to lead the jIva back to the Source.

As long as ignorance prevails the lessons are not learned quickly. There is no action or thought that is intrinsically right or wrong, but the perceived  fruits of these actions are according to the nature of the mind. Once sattva is purified the mind realizes that thought itself, irrespective of right or wrong, is the problem!  SAttvic mind perceives some fruits as  desirable, rAjasic, other ones,  and tAmasic yet other ones. The fruits are in concert with the underlying thought: sAttvic thought leads to knowledge, pleasure and illumination and bind through those, rAjasic to pain and tAmasic to delusion and ignorance. (See BG).

Bliss of no thought is incomparable...

Bliss of no thought is incomparable, although the path to it is painful ascending through the cakras.

Pleasure of world is easy through senses but it does not last and leads to pain of mental fluctuation thereafter.

If this wisdom could become firm-rooted and eternal that is brahmaniSTha.

Then one becomes the Guru.

Closely examine the nature of mind, desire, it's fulfillment and product thereof...

Closely examine the nature of mind, desire, it's fulfillment and product thereof. Also its non-fulfillment and product thereof.

See how the mind is composed of the three guNas and how a predominance of rajas generates desire. Reaching out through the senses the mind seeks objects and when it is successful in enjoying them it gets pleasure. This leads to a reinforcement of that vAsana and guarantees that same desire will rise again. If it is not successful in enjoying that object, it gets angry or sad.

Examine these products of happiness and sadness that arise due to expectation in the mind.

What is the root cause of expectation?

It is memory of past enjoyments. The vAsana was created because previously a desire had been satisfied, so the mind expects it again. From a modern scientific standpoint they say the mind is a creature of habit and there is a reward cycle set up in the brain where mood-altering chemicals such as dopamine or endorphins are released following some satisfaction. Breaking these 'drug' habits is hard and that is what makes controlling the mind so difficult.

The chemical released in samAdhi is very similar in effect to that of the hallucinogenic drug DMT. This is why samAdhi is a very effective way to counter the effect of vAsanas. By allowing the mind to taste the bliss of samAdhi, it slowly starts preferring bliss over pleasure.

Even at an earlier stage in practice it is found that the peace of mind arising from meditation is truly more enjoyable than the up and down of pleasure and pain from sense experience.

So carefully examine the opposite state of samatvam or equanimity of mind due to non-expectation arising from perfect vision.  This is why cultivation of the perfect vision and restraint of the mind have to go hand in hand.

What is the most beneficial interaction?

What is the most beneficial interaction?

That interaction that contributes to the stability of mind and eventually leads it to become still is the most beneficial interaction.

The presence of Mahatmas, Guru, or a guide is useful for this purpose. In Satsang the mind should become calm and peaceful.

Any other interaction that destabilizes the mind and makes it fluctuate is not useful for Self Realization.

In order to grasp this point, the mind must be ripe for teaching. Else more world experience is needed and after sufficient suffering the mind becomes ripe to cultivate dispassion and ready for spiritual instruction. The mind may cycle back and forth to the world before becoming rooted on the path.

VIra bhAva.

VIra bhAva. The vIra bhAva is a state of mind in which the aspirant as devotee aspires to make the Lord his or her Beloved. This is the attitude of Radha or the gopis to SrI KRShNa. This is the highest form of bhakti and in my humble opinion a very difficult bhAva to cultivate and live up to, and attain Self-Realization without falling very badly from the path. In Kali Yuga it is extremely difficult. If by purification of the mind a great devotee such as Meerabai reaches such a state, such a devotee is no longer in the world in Kali Yuga. They have reached back in time to dvApara Yuga or earlier.

It is far easier to cultivate dAsya bhAva, such as HanumAn had for RAma. Or vAtsalya bhAva that Yashodha had for KRShNa.

Aiming for vIra bhAva leads aspirants to fall in love with embodied guide or Guru and if it is not sublimated into the Transpersonal Love for God this is an impediment on the path to all concerned. In rare cases it can be successful but the risk of failure is very high.

Message and messenger.

The same Message of Truth is delivered by different messengers. When the messenger becomes one with the Message of Truth, that is Guru. In the case of a guide, there is knowledge of the Truth of the Message, but there may still be vAsanas that need to expire before that embodiment becomes one with the Truth. But a real Guru is the living embodiment of the Truth: SrI Adi ShankarAcArya, SrI RAmakRShNa and BhagavAn SrI RamaNa MahaRShi.

Examine how the senses are satisfied.

Examine deeply how the senses are satisfied. Perception of objects themselves involves the three guNas. The tAmasic aspect veils the true nature of objects, which is Pure Consciousness. The rAjasic aspect projects objects. The sAttvic aspect allows perception of objects: viShaya jnAna.

All objects that are perceived by the senses are composed of five primary elements: pRthvI, apah, agni, vAyu and AkAsha. Loosely translated as earth element, water element, fire element, air element and space element.

The jnAnendriyas (sense organ of perception) and karmendriyas (organ of action) are also associated with the elements at their seats in the five lower cakras.

Desire for experiencing an object arises as a wave in Consciousness due to vAsanas. The vAsanas are the subtle traces of desire that when full blown appear as samskAras. The primary vAsana is the aham vAsana ("I", as distinct from other). When this subsides only the Self remains in samAdhi as Being. Due to the aham vAsana arising, and projection and evolution (subtle to gross) of the five elements the deha vAsana then arises. Thoughts lead to actions and actions strengthen the vAsanas.

Repeated thinking of something deepens its impression in the mind. For instance, food is necessary for  maintenance of the body, but the tongue gets attached to certain kinds of food. As long as the food is sAttvic, if the tongue can be trained to not be too attached to any one kind of food, then that vAsana is slowly erased. Of course, these days this is difficult because even having one type of sAttvic food regularly at meal times is not easy. But it is helpful in understanding the vAsana. Once the desire to eat arises, it is satisfied only by acquisition of the object. The instant the senses contact the object, there is satisfaction. This is viShayAnanda. Bliss of objects. It is a reflection of the Bliss of the Self. AtmAnanda. See BhRgu valli in the Taitt. Up.

So the ability to restrain the senses is very helpful in slowly erasing ashubha vAsanas: impure or inauspicious vAsanas that impel us to do acts injurious  to our Self-Realization. This is tapas and that is why it is important.

Also examine deeply the nature of attraction and aversion: rAga and dveSha. Why does one need to control this reaction? These reactions lead to instability in the mind and those are not conducive to peace and the highest Bliss. Essentially attraction and aversion are the characteristics of impermanence. Because one inevitably leads to the other. On the other hand, non-reaction does not result in change, provided it arises from the highest Vision (samyagdarshaNa) that everything is the One.

Significance of narakAsura being destroyed by SrI KRShNa

Naraka, which is hell, is nothing but the fluctuating mind. The yoked mind is heaven or svargam. When the mind is agitated it is symbolized as narakAsura having overrun deva loka or svarga loka (heaven). KRShNa as the sAttvic aspect of Pure Consciousness destroys narakAsura with the sudarshana cakra- this is literally the discus of good perception. When everything is seen as the guNas playing with the guNas, that is the sudarshana cakra. Abiding there permanently is the goal, but undoubtedly difficult to achieve overnight. 

Poem to Devi from Her bhakta

The Rose Garden

You who planted the Rose in my garden 

In earth that seemed so crack'd and barren

Nourished by your care and love

Blooms rich with color and fragrance now.

But as every able gardener knows

Always you must water the Rose

Without your love and constant care

Soon this garden will be bare. 

Devi plants the Rose of devotion and Transpersonal Love in the garden of our heart. Until true devotion arises, the world seems bare and devoid of color. That same Transpersonal Love translates into our personal love for others. This prayer to Devi requests Her Grace to be eternally present in Her devotee's heart.

Time

Time of day and time in life are closely related. In the morning at deva sandhyA (the twilight of the gods at dawn) sattva is high and the mind's resolve in vairAgya (dispassion) is strong. Having just emerged from Brahman in suShupti (dreamless sleep) it is not weakened by world experience. As the day wears on by evening it becomes weak and tamas predominates. The same pattern plays out in a human life as well on the scale of a year and a human lifetime. The mind wearies at the thought of approaching winter every year which is the nadir of dakshiNAyana (southern transit of the Sun until the winter solstice). Similarly the winter of human life is old age and the mind fears being alone and weak and abandoned. This same degeneration of mental strength of buddhi is seen in the Yugas also with Kali Yuga being the most degenerate. In fact, the root of all this is each thought.

If at the end of each thought the buddhi (discriminating intellect) is not lost but is refreshed by invigorating recollection of its true nature, the Self, then none of this will happen. Hence the importance of constant awareness of one's true nature as Pure Consciousness is necessary to counter buddhi's degradation through sense contacts and ensuing moha or delusion. If the asuras dominate the mind then Mohini (an avatar of ViShNu) is successful in deluding one, and at best one can be a RAhu (asura who tasted the nectar of immortality but whose body was severed by ViShNu's discus). But if the devas (gods) who cleanse themselves constantly in Pure Consciousness dominate the buddhi, then Mohini gives them amRtam, or the nectar of immortality. Then the Yogi conquers Time.

Tamas is not just sleep

Tamas is not just the sleepy darkness and dullness that is sometimes encountered in meditation.

The very appearance of objects in the waking state is tamas!

AvaraNa shakti is due to tamas.
Vikshepa shakti is due to rajas.

JnAna shakti is due to sattva. 

In perception of objects this jnAna is malina sattva. 

Pure jnAna is guNAtIta. 

Neither desiring nor rejecting: na kAngkshati na dveShTi

If in all transactions with the external world (including human relationships) one stops wanting or desiring something, and yet also not rejecting anything that comes one's way, but acting always established in sattva guNa, a very dramatic change happens. Suddenly a plenitude of giving from the world inundates one. Contrary to popular belief, one does not actively have to set out to give in order to receive. The world is already giving perfectly to us what we need for liberation. Only the angle of vision, of thinking, needs to be changed. With lemons only lemonade can be made. So too, knowing the svabhAva of each thing in the world, by skillfully understanding its purpose, one must build the raft.

Changeable world and unchanging Self

The constant factor or characteristic of the lokas (worlds that are perceived through the senses) is change, variability and uncertainty. This is because they are all products of the mind and the effect inherits the attributes of the cause. But the one common factor that is a constant in all this perception is 'I': the subject that perceives.

If this I be known in truth, it is found that it is not the mind but Pure Consciousness. That is then seen to be the same unchanging substratum of all the worlds also.

Then all the worlds are experienced as Pure Consciousness and the purified mind that sees this is also Pure Consciousness. This common unchanging factor is the true I, it is Atma, it is Brahman. The worlds are mere superimpositions on it, like ever changing folds on a cloth that is being dusted. So embrace the changefulness of the mind, firm in the conviction of its unreality, and established in the conviction of the changeless Reality of the Self. This is Yoga, jnAna, bhakti, or karma yoga.

bhakti and jnAna: Faith and wisdom

If bhakti is fully established then one should see the entire world as God. Since God is perfect, nothing in the world should be rejected.

Omnipresence is common to bhakti and jnAna.

If jnAna is fully established then one sees the entire world as Pure Consciousness. Again nothing in the world should be rejected or desired. 

Bhakti is simply the saguNa aspect of jnAna. In essence they are the same. 

Sva svarUpa anusandhAnam bhaktirabhidhIyate (Adi ShankarAcArya).

The knowledge of the true nature of the Self is bhakti.

Significance of praNava or Om

PraNava: Om

A - U - M is the mind. The fourth, the silence, amAtra is the Self. Dissolve the mind in the Self. 

The mind is the world. Jagat. It is unreal. 

The Self, Pure Consciousness, is Brahman. It alone is Real. 

Brahman satyam jaganmithyA. 

Dealing with repetitive thoughts

Replace every repetitive thought with Om.

That is my true nature. My Self.

O mind, befriend your true nature, the Self. The lower nature will drag you down into pain through pleasure.

Once Consciousness has been raised to the sahasrAra by the Grace of Devi and kuNDalini has been awakened and moved upward through the cakras, then this Ganga of Consciousness cannot come down to the earthly plane without adequate restraint.

GangA cannot come down to earth in full force in kali yuga. Keep her in deva loka. Only through RShi Jahnu's restraint can She come to pitR and bhUloka. Otherwise She will wreak destruction. Make Om your friend. Give up samkalpas. Perform actions without attachment. Don't care for the opinions of others. The Lord takes care of everything. Have faith in words of guru and vedAnta.

The greatest gift

The greatest gift is peace.

In truth, there is no greater gift for oneself, or to give someone.

If one can be always full of peace, then one will always be peaceful towards everyone.

If you can be peaceful towards someone 100% of the time, this is the greatest gift you can give them. In this sense, ahimsA paramo dharmah.

This does not mean you need to agree with everything they do, or that you will accept everything they do without a murmur. Rather, if you can peacefully practice the yogic attitude of

maitrI karuNA muditA upekshANAm sukha dukha puNya apuNya bhAvanatah cetah prasAdanam

Friendliness, compassion, delight and indifference towards pleasant, sad, virtuous and unrighteouus or wicked behavior, respectively, then these result in tranquillity of mind.

Then love as loving compassion and feeling of oneness without distinction arise naturally.

Not a moment to lose

One must attain permanence in BrAhmic bliss quickly. There is no time to waste. As the body ages it becomes less suitable to support the mind in yoga. The mind has to be strengthened quickly to become immune to the body's fluctuations in terms of health and strength.

For this the deha vAsanA (I am the body) and aham vAsanA (I am individuated) have to be annihilated.

Constantly see the body as composed of guNas. See it as a superimposition of Power on Consciousness. Mind fluctuates if tied to body's fluctuations. Mind's fluctuations also affect the body, which is but the gross manifestation of mind.

By fixing the mind on Brahman, the body's journey is improved although by law (dharma) it will perish. Same for mind. It too must perish. But let its vAsanAs perish before it loses strength so it does not embody again. So there is not an instant to be lost in intensifying sAdhanA. The mind must be honest with itself. The mind that thinks it has attained and is not honest with itself is on a dangerous path. If even the least doubt of non-attainment persists, then there is no time to lose. Those who think they can take it easy for now and attain later, or who think they have already attained but are actually still caught in samsAra, are seriously deluded.

SAdhanA never hurt anyone. The permanent state of BrAhmic bliss is continuous sAdhanA. There is a great danger in thinking that just because the state is effortless that it can be attained easily. Great effort is needed for all embodied ones. Slacking off effort by thinking 'this leads to the effortless state' is nothing but folly. Think of the sAdhanA of Ramana and RAmakRShNa. Are your vAsanAs any less than theirs? Then why do you think your sAdhanA should be any less rigorous than theirs?

Softness of mind is a dangerous obstacle. ShankarAcArya calls this cittasya lAlanam. This is hard to comprehend for householders and samsAris. Particularly in Kali Yuga, many of minimal practice may pretend to have attained the brAhmi state. One should turn inward and not be affected or deluded by these illusions.

Memory (smRti) is the product of stickiness or attachment in the mind

SmRti is a product of the stickiness or attachment in the mind.

To be like duShyanta towards all objects, not just shakuntalA, is mukti.

(King Dushyanta married Shakuntala after meeting her in a forest, but later forgot her on account of a curse by Sage DurvAsa when Shakuntala neglected her duty to welcome the sage on account of being preoccupied with thoughts of her lover Dushyanta).

Non-cognition of objects is liberation.

Mind gets sticky and attracted towards pleasurable experience and retracts from painful ones.

SmRti of this duality is needed to teach it to be not sticky, non-attached.

In truth there is no other in the world. Names and forms are projected by the mind out of the Self.

The Self deluded by mind is attracted to itself as the world.

If a name and form constantly pleases the senses and strokes the ego, it is conceived of as a friend, a lover, a spouse.

If contrary, as an enemy, as one hated or to be divorced from.

There is no intrinsic truth to any of this.

If you see virtue or wisdom in satsang, that is in your mind.
If you see vice and ignorance in it, that is your mind too.

Therefore, SrI KRShNa in the BG says

na Adatte etc in BG 5.15, neither virtue or vice is taken by the Lord.

नादत्ते कस्यचित्पापं न चैव सुकृतं विभु: ।

अज्ञानेनावृतं ज्ञानं तेन मुह्यन्ति जन्तव: ॥ ५.१५

The Lord takes neither the sin nor even the good deed of any.

Knowledge is enveloped by ignorance, thereby beings are deluded. BG: 5.15

Nature of body experience

Nature of body experience is pleasurable at first but painful afterwards.

When the body is young the world experience is pleasurable. As it gets older the world experience becomes painful. This is obvious to people of all ages.

On acts that are motivated by rajas, the same characterization is described.

Recall BG 18.38

विशयेन्द्रियसंयोगाद्यत्तदग्रेऽमृतोपमम् ।

परिणामे विषमिव तत्सुखं राजसं स्मृतम् ॥ १८.३८

vishayendriyasamyogad yattadagre amRtopamam

pariName viShamiva tatsukham rAjasam smRtam

That pleasure which arises from the contact of the sense organ with the object, at first like nectar,

In the end like poison, that is declared to be rAjasic.

So the very body experience is like nectar at first but like poison afterwards.

So descent of consciousness into gross form of body is a rAjasic action.

Its reversal through awakening kuNDalini and moving her upward through suShumnA is painful at first but nectar-like later.

Recall BG 18.37

यत्तदग्रे विषमिव परिणामेऽमृतमोपमम् ।

तत्सुखं सात्त्विकं प्रोक्तमात्मबुद्धिप्रसादजम् ॥ १८.३७

That which is like poison at first, like nectar at the end,

that pleasure is declared to be sAttvic, born of the tranquillity of one's own buddhi. 

Cling to the truth of non-thinking O mind!

Cling to the truth of non-thinking O mind!

Brahman satyam jaganmithyA. Brahman is Truth, the world is unreal.

Do not succumb to name and form. Brainwash your lower self of names and forms and see everyone and everything as the One pure Consciousness. It is possible. It is the truth.

Particularization is a combination of rAjasic and tAmasic thinking- cf BG 18.21 and 18.22. No two.

पृथक्त्वेन तु यज्ज्ञानं नानाभावान्पृथग्विधान् ।

वेत्ति सर्वेषु भूतेषु तज्ज्ञानं विद्धि राजसम् ॥१८.२१

But that knowledge which, by differentiation, sees in all of Creation various entities of distinct kinds, that knowledge know as rAjasic.

यत्तु कृत्स्नवदेकस्मिन्कार्ये सक्तमहैतुकम् ।

अतत्त्वार्थवदल्पं च तत्तामसमुदाहृतम् ॥१८.२२

But that which clings to one single effect as if it were all, without reason, having no real object, and narrow, that is described to be tAmasic.

Only One and Its Power to be Many.

Who can say what about whom? What imaginary advice can one illusion give about another?

Actions are merely the result of guNas playing with the guNas.

Depending on the predominant guNa, the fruit is accordingly so: rajas leads to pain, tamas to ignorance, sattva to illumination.

Seeing inaction in action and action in inaction: KarmaNyakarma yah pashyet, BG 4.18

कर्मण्यकर्म य: पश्येदकर्मणि च कर्म य: ।

स बुद्धिमान् मनुष्येषु स युक्त: कृत्स्नकर्मकृत् ॥ ४.१८

KarmaNyakarma yah pashyet akarmaNyashca karma yah

sa buddhimAn manushyeshu sa yuktah kRtsna karmakRt 

BG 4.18

Karma is thought or the world.
Akarma is Consciousness or no thought or Brahman.

He who sees Brahman in the world and the world in its latent state in akarma or AtmA is wise. He is yoked and the performer of all actions.

Speech is ignorance

Speech is ignorance.

Thought is ignorance.

Silence and non-thinking is the highest Wisdom.

Be.

The mind is by nature sticky and attaches to objects

The mind is by nature sticky and attaches to objects. DhyAyato viShayAn etc. BG 2.62

ध्यायतो विषयान्पुँस: सङ्गस्तेषूपजायते ।

सङ्गात्सञ्जायते काम: कामात्क्रोधोऽभिजायते ॥ २.६२

क्रोधात्भवति सम्मोह: सम्मोहात्स्मृतिविभ्रम: ।

स्मृतिभ्रंशाद्बुद्धिनाशो बुद्धिनाशात्प्रणश्यति ॥ २.६३

Thinking of objects, a man develops attachment to them,

From attachment arises desire, and from desire arises anger (at their non-fulfillment).

From anger arises delusion, and from delusion, loss of memory (of the Truth),

From loss of memory, the buddhi (discriminating intellect) perishes, and when buddhi perishes, the human perishes.

The mind is like the sticky feet of a caterpillar. If all sRShTi vAda (argument of Creation) were to be repudiated that also would be true. It is all merely a chain to lead the mind elephant.

Non-stickiness of mind is samAdhi. When it arises spontaneously it is called nirbIja (without seed). Effortless. Sahaja. The natural samAdhi.

Nature of thought and desire: karma and kAma

Nature of thought and desire. In the external world, one acknowledges that desire (kAma)  too is the Self arising as thought due to rajas. It arises as BrahmA as the first primeval thought, it sustains as viShNu, is destroyed as shiva and returns to Consciousness. The trimUrti (these three forms of Consciousness) are nitya jnAnis (eternally established in the Truth) and are unchanged by the thoughts themselves. From the viewpoint of the jIva, due to individuation, only a limited sense of satisfaction is obtained from each thought, and the mind of the jIva is affected by the outcome of the thought. If the senses are pleased and the ego is stroked, the thought is counted as satisfactory or joyous. On the contrary, if the senses or ego are displeased then there is no such satisfaction.

Over yugas and kalpas and in each second, in each Om, this cycle is going on. So Om indeed is everything.

As mind purifies it learns to accept pleasant experience as for bhogam (experience) not bandham (bondage) and seemingly unpleasant experience and obstacles as reminders to reduce desire (kama) through discrimination and cultivation of dispassion (vairAgyam). The world is not denied in this approach, but it is not productive of the ultimate bliss.

Why write about nothing?

Why write about nothing? When nothing happens, what purpose is served by thinking or writing? The purpose can only be to cure the folly of delusional thinking.

Come to rest, O mind!

Send back the delusional names and forms that attract and repulse back to their source of pure Consciousness.

Begone names! Begone forms!

There is neither dharma or adharma; only the wisdom of samyagdarshaNa.

Nothing to be done and no one to help. Abandon false notions of helping and being concerned with other's well-being.

All that appears to be born must appear to die. Strengthen the mind. Either there is truth in everyone's suffering of all kinds--physical, mental, emotional and spiritual--or there is no  truth in suffering of any kind. Only the latter view is correct. So abandon particularization of qualities specific to one person. Take mouna (silence of thought and speech). Do not speak about dreams and imaginary events that appear in the waking state.

Do not love yourself and do not hate yourself.

Do not love yourself and do not hate yourself. The objectified self is the false "I" or the false self which is the mind, and thought that manifests as objects in the world. Do not love or hate this false self. The true Self is never objectifiable and is beyond love or hate.

World experience is full of names and forms...

World experience is full of names and forms, signifying nothing or Brahman.

Bhoga apavargArtham dRShyam.

The world is for experience and liberation.

Seven levels of jnAna at the cakras ascending and seven levels of prema descending.

Seven levels of jnAna at the cakras ascending and seven levels of prema descending.

As kuNDalini ascends the seven cakras, one attains jnAna (wisdom) of the seven lokas (bhU, bhuvar, svar, maha, jana, tapa and satya) and reaches the realm of Brahmaloka. En route the three granthis or knots are broken: Brahma granthi at the mUlAdhAra when kuNDalini awakens, viShNu granthi at the maNipUraka cakra and Rudra granthi at the AjnA cakra.

On this inward journey, the rAjasic, sAttvic and tAmasic aspects of the jIva's body are transcended systematically by penetrating the koshas and finally recognizing the mind itself as only composed of the three guNas.

In the sahasrAra cakra Shakti unites with Shiva and there is great bliss. Shiva has emerged from Brahma and going beyond Shivaloka one transcends tamas, the veiling power of forms in the external world. Transcending Brahma one sees beyond the primal first thought that is the emergence of thought through rajas from Pure Consciousness. That knowledge of Pure Consciousness is itself pure sAttva which is padmanAbha. Beyond ViShNu as padmanAbha the jIva having merged into each saguNa aspect of Brahman in the form of the trimUrti now rests in nirguNa Brahman.

This is the circle of Consciousness symbolized by the yajnopavIta or pooNal. jIva and Brahman are one and the same. jIva recognizes true nature as Atman. This Atman is then seen to be the same as Brahman. However, due to prior vAsanas the jIva cannot descend back to the physical plane as Ishvara. There is only one Brahma, one viShNu and one Maheshvara in each Creation or Manifestation.

The jIva's Consciousness then descends from the sahasrAra in the form of prema bhakti. Descending from the sahasrAra to the Ajna, the Yogi can now conceive of love in its true form. He can see love of anything in the world, object or human, as a reflection of Divine Love, prema. Descending to the vishuddhi cakra, he can now speak of this love to another knowing fully that this expression of personal love is nothing but the reflection of Transpersonal love. Descending to the anAhata cakra he can express love through touch. Descending to the maNipUraka cakra he can see this personal love as a reflection of the Transpersonal love in other human beings. In Kali Yuga I feel it is not possible for the Consciousness to descend below the maNipUraka cakra because the force of Ganga without the restraint of RShi Jahnu will destroy bhUloka. So the Yogi cannot engage in the karmendriya activities of the lower two cakras after samAdhi, i.e., in Kali Yuga he cannot procreate. In earlier Yugas, there was enough purity in the world that VyAsa and RShis before him such as VasiShTha could have wives. This is not possible in Kali Yuga due to the degeneration of awareness in the physical world.

But the jnAni now showers his love on the world in various forms and realizes that jnAna and bhakti are not different. This is vijnAna, or Realization stemming from jnAna, Wisdom.

Impermanence and permanence, nitya-anitya, viveka

In both the Buddhist way and Vedanta, the impermanence of the world experience is emphasized. True discrimination (viveka) is knowing the difference. Sri Adi ShankarAcArya says 

नित्यानित्य वस्तु विवेक:

nityAnitya vastu vivekah

Discrimination (is) knowing the difference between the impermanent (Unreal) and the Eternal (Real).

The Unreal is impermanent, it is mAyA (that which is not), it is the world, which is the mind.

The fleeting sense experience of life itself and the changefulness of the mind are seen in all our relationships to objects and people in the world, perhaps most so in the relationship between a man and a woman. 

Man and woman though pure of thought,

Swear undying love 'til death do us part'

If woman's words on water be writ

Man's writing on sand too lasts not a bit!

In general, women are portrayed as being fickle, but in truth fickleness is a characteristic of the mind. 

So in the spirit of gender equality one must admit that man's mind can change too. In general, a woman's mind changes more often (about 12 times) because the lunar channel IdA is stronger in women (in general) than in men (in whom the solar channel piNGalA is stronger). However, there are exceptions in both men and women to this rule.

Rather than being a deeply cynical statement, this tells us that unless we have loving compassion for a person in the image of God that is truly everlasting, our relationships are liable to founder on the rocky coastline of expectation. That I believe is the true opening of the heart. In any relationship, due to changefulness of the mind there is bound to be some mismatch of expectations and disappointment. But the traditional notion of marriage being 'until death do us part' is meant to symbolize the accomplishment of seeing that image of God in one's partner consistently through all the vicissitudes of life. Of course, this succeeds if this is firm-rooted in both partners. Even if it does not, maintaining the viewpoint that the other is an image of God, however imperfect, just as one's mind is also imperfect, is very liberating and prepares the mind for genuine relationship with people and objects in the world.

Memo to buddhi

O buddhi, constantly assess your spiritual progress. Do you see everyone and everything as God at all times? Everything as the One and its Power to be Many at all times? Have you conquered the senses and the desire for sense objects? Have you given up all thoughts? Has even the slightest desire for the guNas vanished and have you become guNAtIta? Have you conquered deha vAsanA and aham vAsanA? Until then don't talk about your accomplishments. Be highly skeptical of your own spiritual  accomplishments and attainments, but never flag in your practice. Even if you feel you've reached level 4 say, assume you are at 3 or even 2. But keep steadfast in your practice. The mark of your accomplishment is steadfastness in practice and no other siddhi. If you pitch yourself low, you have nowhere lower to fall. If you place yourself high it is easy to fall. No one can foretell the vagaries of Destiny, but humility is unfailing as a virtue.

Advice to sAdhakAs

Advice to sAdhakAs: Do not be hasty to assume you have had kuNDalini awakening when in fact it might only be prANA in the sushUmna. SwamiJ was always highly skeptical of those who assumed that they have had some awakening. Only when repeatedly the signs described on the sutras, shastras and purANas and scriptures are experienced, and when the true jnAnis and gurus hail you as having attained should you believe it. Ultimately the Guru within will tell you but beware of the ego that often plays false tricks and can easily deceive you.

I am all This, and all This is Yours, O Lord!

I am all This (when there is no thought) and all This is Yours O Lord (when there is thought). And thought too is nothing but the Self. Only the Self Is. He who understands this in truth, understands advaita and dvaita. Yea, he truly understands! Established in that Truth he seemingly engages in actions as the wise did of old, vigatajvarah (free of fever). See also Bhagavad GItA.

All thoughts, words and actions are completely superfluous.

All thoughts, words and actions are completely superfluous. They are unnecessary and unreal in that they are transient. Only the Self Is.

mAyA and Mohini avatAr

mAyA: that which is not, is very powerful and can create the most convincing illusions. Recall how ViShNu as Mohini avatAr deluded the asuras. So too, when our buddhi loses control of the senses, the mind can imagine all kinds of illusions. Once the mind follows the illusion for some time, it realizes it has been tricked, as in the following doggerel!

Once a damsel, fair and divine

Spoke words in my ear, sweet and sublime

She bade me dream a tale so fair

But when I walked in, why She was not there!

The challenge for the sAdhaka

By just acknowledging the other as an object rajas has arisen. Even deeper than that is the mere rising of the "I" as ego or the aham vAsanA , the departure from the natural Blessed state, the falling of the mind down the staircase. Staying in the natural state being so difficult for the mind, what hope for salvation is there without devotion to the Lord?

JnAna marga answer to a question in satsang

Question: Some who worship KRShNa claim that there exists a KRShNa loka that is Nondual and beyond the lokas described in the Vedas. What should one make of this statement?

Answer:  The term KRShNa loka to characterize the Nondual state is a contradiction in terms, like the horn of a hare, or the son of a barren woman. Nowhere in the Bhagavad GItA, which is the word of SrI KRShNa Himself, is there any mention of KRShNa loka. Nor is any mention of this to be found in the Vedas or Upanishads either. Such a statement cannot come from either a mind that has had direct experience of the Nondual state that is the source of the Vedas, nor can it come from a mind that has studied the Bhagavad GItA, Upanishads or Vedas.

The word loka in Sanskrit cannot admit a Nondual experience, being as loka is an object of perception.

If one were to attain mergence with KRShNa, then that mind is KRShNa, the act of knowing is KRShNa and the object of knowing is KRShNa. What world or loka will be left to be perceived in that state of samAdhi?

If all is indeed KRShNa, then what need is there for that name? The name exists only in the realm of the mind, for direct experience in meditation validates the Upanishadic statement (Chand. Up.) that the mind is nothing but speech and form.

Does anyone wake up every day and say "I am so and so?" There is no need to affirm one's existence in this way! So too it is with the Self. The Self does not need a Name. The Name is important in a certain stage of practice to fix the mind. Once the mind dissolves in the Name it must then transcend name and form. So the name is secondary once the Nameless has been known.

The mind of the sincere sAdhaka can get doubts through interaction with external world. There is also an intellectual desire for consistency and integration of different schools of thought. But the wise sAdhaka seeks the Kingdom of God within.

The discriminating mind chooses Limitlessness over limitations. Viveka (or discrimination) must be cultivated at all stages. Arguments must be weighed and a highly advanced intellect is needed to tread the path of jnAna and discriminate between the true and the false. This viveka when cultivated to its culminating point is able to discriminate between the Real that is Eternal and the transient that is composed of name and form.

Name and form creates distinction and separateness or duality. It cannot exist in Nondual experience.

Objection: Yet, even in the devi kavacam there is reference in the end to an abode of Shiva, vide

शिवलोकमवाप्नोति शिवेन सह मोदते

(The aspirant) attains the abode of Shiva and rejoices there with Shiva.

What should the aspirant make of this reference?

Answer:  In the path of bhakti, different Names and Forms are assigned to the divinities in which the Nameless, Formless Self manifests. The intent is that by burning devotion to the इष्ट देवता (Chosen Ideal), the devotee merges into the Name and Form of the इष्ट देवता (Chosen Ideal). This is savikalpa samAdhi (see other posts on samAdhi and article on the sadhanaguidance website about the same). This is samAdhi with bIja (seed). The seed is the Name or the Form. Adoration of the Name or Form is a very good start to the practice or sAdhanA. However, after savikalpa samAdhi on Name and Form, the nirvikalpa samAdhi is to be practiced. That is meditation on the Formless and Nameless.

The very nature of thought, and the mind is nothing but thought, has been represented by the TrimUrti (the Vedic Trinity) of Brahma, ViShNu and Shiva. Brahma is the emergence of thought (and hence the Creation of all worlds) and is associated with Rajas. ViShNu is the sustenance of thought and the perception (and hence Sustenance of the worlds) and is associated with Sattva guNa. Shiva is the end of thought (and hence Destruction of the worlds) and is associated with Tamas.

However, the intelligent one will recognize that the word ViShNu actually means pervasion. Therefore ViShNu is simply the aspect of Consciousness when perceived by the mind as being All-pervading.

Similarly, Shiva means the Auspicious one, which is the auspicious aspect of Consciousness as perceived by the mind.

The beginner's mind associates very specific forms with these Personifications of the Self and thinks of them as different. In Devi worship, the Power of the One Consciousness as Shakti is conceived of as the very substratum of the three GuNas and therefore Brahma, ViShNu and Shiva are depicted as arising only from the Power of Devi.

Om tat sat
Krishnarpanamastu
Brahmarpanamastu

KRShNa lIla through YogamAyA

Playfulness of KRShNa's lIla (play) through YogamAyA. Game of hide and seek!

Ego's manifestations...

Ego, bringing about sense of doership, then comes ignorance that manifests as sense of responsibility and the viper of obligation.

Then, not seeing simplicity of abiding in Self.

If rajo tamas predominates, then impoliteness, etc. as when a child like a fool kicks at its own mother.

If sattva predominates, then wisdom dawns.

Although omnipresent, God becomes invisible to the active mind.

How wisdom manifests itself in satsang.

How wisdom manifests itself in satsang. In the mAnava dharma shAstra it is said that disciples or brahmacAris should stand in the presence of Guru.

Reason: until disciple realizes Guru as God, the prANa will leave the body without Realization having been established. Mind still active will take a lower birth. On the other hand the sannidhi of God or BhagavAn or Guru results in prANa leaving through brahmarandhra and there is no rebirth. Recall the story of Shiva and Daksha. This is also the reason why Daksha suffers after insulting Shiva by not standing up in his presence. But in Kali Yuga sometimes the guru stands while disciples sit, shUdras propound the vedas and guru seva is unheard of in some places! Approaching the sannidhi of guru with respect, paying due respect, and giving precedence in seating to those who have been in Guru sannidhi longer, leaving the place better than you found it, are all examples of wisdom in action.

True meaning of padmAsana

The true meaning of padmAsana is that the mind should be seated in the lotus of the Heart (i.e. the Self).

The I that suffers and the I that rejoices...

The I that suffers is not the real I.

The I that rejoices is also not the real I. 

The I that always simply Is, is the real I. 

Resting in it is Peace and Bliss Eternal. 

On that canvas the false play of mind and world are enacted by the Power of the Self that is non-different from It. 

Meaning of the vAlmIkI story

The meaning of the vAlmIkI story. VAlmIki's family won't accept the fruits of his sins; meaning that action even for the sake of others if done out of ignorance with desire for the fruits is sin. So unless one is prepared to renounce the fruits of action done even for family, that action will eventually cause pain. Your so-called family will let you know of your ignorance (sin) unremittingly until you cease to act with any trace of desire. Act only if one is capable of being immune to any accusations even if your intentions be pure.

Free will and determinism (again!)

When the actor in a movie is projected on to a screen, from the viewpoint of the screen does the actor have free will, or not?

So many movies play on the screen.

Recall Shakespeare "And one man in his time plays many parts" etc; the screen is the substratum of all parts, animate and inanimate. That Thou Art.

Is a zebra black with white stripes or white with black stripes?

Is a zebra black with white stripes or white with black stripes?

In the context of sAdhanA, this depends on the perspective.

To a jnAni the default is Eternal changeless bliss on which is superimposed change. In such a state one may thus say that the zebra has no stripes(!); in fact the zebra is the Self and nothing else.

To the ajnAni the default is change in the midst of which the Eternal or changeless is sought, but it feels elusive. The mind then wonders why the ignorance arose in the first place. The zebra may seem to be black with a promise of white stripes that are yet to be seen! (Of course, for the sake of being scientifically correct one might argue that this is the right answer, but some liberties are being taken here in drawing this analogy.)

Such questions don't arise once the Truth is experienced directly.

As sAdhanA deepens and the Truth is at least glimpsed once, then the mind as it gets purified might find that the zebra is white with black stripes.

The question is irrelevant for the Self, which is "pre"-mind and "pre"-thought, and hence "pre"-questions.

Therefore viveka, or discrimination between the Real (Eternal) and Unreal (transient), is the first step in sAdhanA.

Without this discrimination it is hard to develop faith and perseverance in sAdhanA.

Satsang perceived as something external is also mAyA.

Satsang perceived as something external is also mAyA. Sat is always there. It is Eternal. Sang is association or attachment. True purpose of satsang is to lead to nissangatvam, or non-attachment.

In this sense, the purpose of satsang is just like the great poet KAlidAs cutting the branch that he was sitting on. Association with the wise leads to the desire for non-association with the world.

And yet, when Realization is complete it is seen that external Satsang is also the Self. It is only the dRShti, or vision that changes.

Therefore, for the sAdhaka desirous of Liberation, of all associations, satsang is the best association to cultivate.

DvA suparNA and asmitA

DvA suparNA is the beginning of a verse in the MuNDaka Upanishad:

द्वा सुपर्णा सयुजा सखाया समानं वृक्षं परिषस्वजाते ।

तयोरन्य: पिप्पलं स्वाद्वत्त्यनश्नन्नन्यो अभिचाकशीति ॥

Two golden birds that are ever associated and have similar names, cling to the same tree. Of these, the one eats the fruit of divergent tastes, while the other merely looks on without eating. 

The feeling of asmitA, which is a klesha in the Yoga SUtra is puruSha entangled with guNas, which is the state of the jIvAtma. Just see the guNas playing with guNas like the other bird, paramAtma.

One has been a Virocana and an Indra too.

One has been a Virocana and an Indra too. Both Indra and Virocana approached Brahma for instruction on the Supreme Self. Virocana was satisfied with his first interpretation of Brahma's instruction and took the self (body) to be the Self. Indra, not satisfied with his own interpretation, returned to Brahma until his doubts were laid to rest and by perseverance attained the state of the Supreme Self. One has been a Virocana and an Indra too.

World is nothing but the tentacles of an octopus grasping at each other ...

World is nothing but the tentacles of an octopus grasping at each other, each tentacle thinking it is the real octopus. The wife and others are loved for the sake of the Self.

Seeing the Lord precedes mergence with the Lord.

Seeing the Lord precedes mergence with the Lord.

Mind can apparently temporarily get satisfied with logic

Mind can apparently temporarily get satisfied with logic, but the trace presence of apparent illogic anywhere and in anyone in the perceived world serves to remind it that the Truth is beyond logic and illogic since it is beyond causality itself. If you see a dunce in another then at that point the mind has emerged and moved away from the Self. But this is not to say that the unyoked mind can take illogic. As long as empirical relations need to be transacted one must take recourse to wisdom.

Faraway, so close.

Faraway, so close.

Physical proximity of body doesn't connote proximity of mind.

Space (and hence, distance) and time are conceived of by the mind.

When the mind dissolves, who or what is close and what is far?

Isn't everything nondifferent from the Self then?

Note: 'Faraway, so close' is the name of a movie by Wim Wenders.

He who conquers rajas attains the state of Brahma.

He who conquers rajas attains the state of Brahma; conquering sattva, that of ViShNu; and conquering tamas, that of Shiva.

That which is to be understood cannot be spoken of...

That which is to be understood cannot be spoken of. 

That which is spoken by one who has understood, is not understood unless the mind is ripe. 

Therefore, of what use is speech in most situations?

He who controls the mind controls the world.

He who controls the mind controls the world.

The different levels of disciples' mind

Best disciple does not need to be told. Sattva is high. Automatically divines what is to be done and not done.

Middling disciple cannot divine on own owing to higher levels of rajas and tamas. But on being told the middling disciple will listen and adopt the recommended behavior and desist from that which is not recommended.

However the lowest order of disciple, even on being explicitly told what not to do and what to do, cannot grasp and follow the teaching. For such disciples the proportion of tamas is too high for spiritual instruction.

Those minds must get their instruction in the external world and seem to undergo countless sufferings before wisdom dawns. Their behavior is on account of dullness of the intellect: manda buddhi. For such ones, even if they are in Shiva's presence they cannot grasp the instruction.

The entire variety of such minds may even be encountered in different experiences that the sAdhaka undergoes. The purpose of this experience is to remain steadfast in the Self and to not be moved by the mAyA of the apparent suffering of the bodily embodiment's family members and others.

Remember mAtA ca pArvati etc and also the mAyA sItA in rAmAyaNa.

Eventually it is seen that the minds of the various levels of disciples are only within oneself. The same mind having taken different bodies in the past also went through such experiences: rejecting Guru and then slowly accepting etc. Cf SrI KRShNa in BG "I know all my previous births but you do not."

All these are only in the Self AtmA as pure Consciousness and in fact there is nothing but the Self AtmA the true I. Knowing so the unreal game can play on. Apparent pain is necessary for apparent growth.

Why does sAdhanA seem to be taking so long to bear fruit?

Aim for cessation of thought but the apparent passage of time between this resolve and its permanence may seem long.

In the Bhagavad GItA 6.25 SrI KRShNa says

शनै: शनैरुपरमेद् बुद्ध्या धृतिर्गृहीतया ।

अअत्मसंस्थं मन: कृत्वा न किञ्चिदपि चिन्तयेत् ॥

Slowly, slowly one must withdraw by degrees, by the buddhi held with firmness.

Having established the mind in the Self, he should not think of anything else.

My father used to draw the analogy of samsAra with a silk dress thrown on a brambly bush. It can only be withdrawn gently and with great care.

Purusha is the silk dress and the brambles are the guNas.

Dare I disturb the Universe? as T. S. Eliot wrote.

Yet if the "I" dissolves, then everything is ok. 

SUtradhAra (the support of the string)

SUtradhAra, the support of the string, is the power of sequencing not only lives but thoughts (for what is a life but a sequence of thoughts?). Just like a caterpillar the mind goes from one thought to next, so no reason to accept anything or reject anything.

Causality is a construct of the mind.

Causality is a construct of the mind. This is the only thought that is as terrifying as the loss of aham (I) and simultaneously as liberating.

Only the Power of Consciousness creates the sequence of thoughts and mind strings them together and tries to make sense of them. The only utility to thought being those thoughts that point to the cessation of thought!

It is the dual for Ishvara.

Here the notion of "dual" is used in the sense of mathematics or science and engineering, and with the dual in the spiritual path indicating brahmANDA piNDANDaikyam (Oneness of microcosm and macrocosm).

However, the apparent lack of apparent causality does not bother the Self.

The Yoga VasiShTha should only be read by very advanced aspirant, for that is where causality is questioned.

Even reading is unnecessary.

The Buddhistic view of life being a sequence of experiences is not different from nirguNa brahman.

Recall also in this context the dRShti sRShti vAda of SrI RamaNa MahaRShi.

Unstable mind seeks interaction with the world

Unstable mind seeks interaction with the world to make choices but does not want to take the true advice of sAttvic buddhi which is nothing other than the Self, and which is available in the peace of meditation. Getting disturbed the mind seeks advice in the world of sense perception, but the advice of God or Guru in the external world always seems tough and harsh. Hence duhkham eva sarvam vivekinah: the wise see all experience as painful. It is rajas that creates the sense world and the fruit of rajas is pain. Then when that wisdom dawns, what seemed hard to exercise in the sense world, i.e. restraint of the senses, is found to be the easier path. Taking advice from inner Guru is easier than taking it from external Guru.

Don't judge a jnAni ...

Don't judge a jnAni by the mere steadiness of body posture or by your perceived correctness or incorrectness of his actions. For does the world not appear to be full of activity, injustice and wickedness, and is yet the One Self, unmoving and pure and changeless. So until the jnAna cakshu (eye of wisdom) is opened and the world is seen as the Self, better not judge anyone's posture or actions, let alone a jnAni's. This is not the same as being without discrimination, however.

Har zarra camakta hai anwAr e ilAhi se (Every atom shines due to the light of the Lord)

Har zarra camakta hai anwAr e ilAhi se

Every atom shines due to the light of the Lord which is Consciousness of the Self. 

Har saans ye kahta hai hum hain to khudA bhi hain

Every breath proclaims that if we exist so does the Lord. 

Flow of electricity through wire generates heat only if there is resistance to conduction.

Flow of electricity through wire generates heat only if there is resistance to conduction.

So also it is only the ego's resistance to the Lord's Power, which is the flow of Consciousness that generates the worlds.

Surrender (Islam) to the flow and there will be no pain.

Then the mind becomes one with pure Consciousness.

Why does outgoing mind develop egoic resistance? Due to non-extinction of past vAsanas. For that, tapas, svAdhyAya and Ishvara praNidhAnam (islam, surrender). And the preceding steps of aShtAnga yoga.