Devis grace may hold certain karmas from clearing too quickly.

Devis grace may hold certain karmas from clearing too quickly. Patience! The potter's wheel is not brought to rest all at once. The Law of Inertia holds in other ways too.

Resistance in the form of I (aham VAsanA or ego) to flow of Consciousness

Resistance in the form of I (aham VAsanA or ego) to flow of Consciousness as guNas which is identical to Its Power is the cause of pain and misery. The densification of Consciousness appears as the material world, and as such is not problematic. It is only resistance to the dhArmic flow of Consciousness; this dharma is higher than mAnava dharma or daiva dharma and is hence sanAtana dharma whose symbol is Om. The circle of consciousness unbroken is sa kAlena anavacchedAt (He, Ishvara, was not limited by Time).

I have bound Myself by my own Power.

I have bound Myself by my own Power.

This is the real meaning of MUlabandha (the root restraint in HaTha Yoga).

Of the seven worlds bhUlokam is the densest embodiment.

Of seven worlds bhUlokam is densest embodiment. Yet due to rapid flow of prANa the fruits of actions come quickly. Recall the Bhagavad GItA verse to the same effect.

Life experience unfolds different potentials latent in the human being. 

Kundalini is the latent power of Consciousness and the highest potential in the human being from which all other potentials arise. So to awaken kundalini is to unfold the highest potential for development in the human being. 

aaj to Anand Anand!

aaj to Anand Anand! (Today is Bliss, Bliss!)

And so on through the week!

Note: this is also the title of a song that I've heard performed by Pt. Jasraj.

MUlADhAra to sahasrAra and back down to HRdaya is jIva's path of involution

MUlADhAra to sahasrAra and back down to HRdaya is jIva's path of involution.

The cause of viyoga is avidyA on this path.

ParamAtma knows the remainder of the circle that forms the path from hRdaya to mUlAdhAra.

The appearance of variety in One is mAyA.

This is different from brahmA's path of evolution that retraces from hRdaya up to sahasrAra.

In sahaja samAdhi, mUlAdhAra and hRdaya all seen as one Self. The jIvanmukta has merged with ParamAtma and only sees the Self.

Aaj to Anand Anand! (Today it is only Bliss, Bliss).

Aaj to Anand Anand! (Today it is only Bliss, Bliss). And so on through the week!

I seem to recall this is the title of a song by Pandit Jasraj: Aaj to Anand, Anand.

Begin the day with god and the week with Sunday

Begin the day with god and the week with Sunday with God. Those who begin the week with Monday pray to the ego or mind for the mind is the moon but the Sun is pure Consciousness.

Monday morning is high traffic accident time on account of RAhu kAlam.

Narcissus is jiva, entranced by own power

Narcissus is jiva, entranced by own power (without knowing it), which manifests as the world but which is nothing but ego, and sunk in it.

Jiva is strangling oneself with Its own power mAya

Jiva is strangling oneself with Its own power mAya out of avidyA ignorance. That is the brahma mudichu (the knot of Brahma).

HaTha Yoga alone can lead there ...

Hatha alone can lead you there, why not? SrI ramaNa himself says this.

The deeper significance of yajnopavItam and brahma mudichu. The knotting of the three nAdis that binds the jIva. The more the mind goes out through the senses, the tighter the noose becomes.

MUlAdharam = hRdaya granthi! Start at one end to find the circle will be unbroken.

The same is experienced in samAdhi. The circle of consciousness is unbroken: this union is yoga.

The feeling of separation is viyoga. Its cause is aham vAsanA or avidyA or ego that is mAyA. Full within full without. Purnamadah in veda. Or empty within empty without. ShUnyavada or Buddhism.

Mind when unripe will judge the actions of others.

Mind when unripe will judge the actions of others. This is appropriate at a certain stage of development. But it should be keenly discriminating according to wisdom explained in the shastras and sUtras and use this judgement to select a guru and avoid useless company. In selecting the embodiment of guru it should check for consistency of thought, word and action. Later as it ripens through meditation and attains samAdhi it will become less judgemental of other people's actions because it sees that the guNas alone act. Then it also sees the wisdom of not questioning the actions of the avatars and embodiments of Guru. The actions of rAma and KRShNa are beyond the understanding of ajnAnis. They should not be questioned by unripe minds, or if they are, the loss is only to the questioner. Their lives are meant to show that even the lives of the perfected ones may have aspects that are beyond understanding that stems from limited perceptions arising from upAdhis of ego and body. In time it may be seen that apart from the declaration of individual minds regarding their ignorance, which is itself accurate and a mark of jnAna as the Bhagavad GItA states amAnitvam etc, there is no reasonable conclusion other than the one that everyone is a jnAni, unless they themselves say they are jnAnis (in which case they are not! cf.  Kenopanishad). In summary, actions are useless as an indicator for judging anyone.

As long as world appears to be real and 'out there' ...

As long as world appears to be real and 'out there', and is not known through direct experience as having arisen from the ego, it will be hard to understand the nature of desire.

One of the serious limitations of thinking of God or Guru as external is the impediment it creates to the mind in knowing that the world has arisen from the ego; that Brahma is within oneself.

Battle of PravRtti and nivRtti

PravRtti and nivRtti battle for sAdhakas. The outgoing mind is due to pravRtti, while the inward turning mind is due to nivRtti. Balancing external interactions, and bringing sAdhanA into external world is needed. Recall the great shAmbhavi mudrA in HYP where the eyes are open but the gaze is turned inward.

Also ajapa japa, or the Eternal japa of praNava. This is always going on. One just has to tune into it. From koham (who am I) leading to soham (I am That).

Brahman satyam jaganmithyA. The world is false, only Brahman is the Truth. The gRhasthi holds tight.

Running away from the world depends on prArabdha but RamaNa was fixed not wavering once he got there. SrI rAmakRShNa gives the example of the wife who told her husband who wanted to leave home and take sannyAsa to instead  stay and do sAdhanA at home. Change can be more difficult. Current situation will eventually be found to be most suitable, in fact, perfect.

SannyAsa Ashrama has its pluses and minuses and in Kali Yuga there are challenges to being a parivrAjaka (peripatetic monk). Nevertheless the sharIra yAtrA or journey of the body has to be enacted. There are no real bhikshus left. Orders and organizations have their own institutionalized ignorance and generate more attachment. GRhasthi who does without the feeling of "aham karomi" or "I do"  is greater than sannyAsi who says aham tyajAmi, or "I renounce". The difference is in the former there was no aham or "I" feeling. So become an ati Ashrami- one who is beyond the Ashrama dharma.

Beware of the viper of obligation that the TripurA Rahasya warns about. What is dharma after all? Svadharma precedes both Vedic and vyavahArika (empirical) dharma. There are three types of karma: sancita (stored up), prarabdha (having commenced) and AgAmi or KriyamANa (to come). Of these only that karma which is to come can be affected. Heyam duhkham anAgatam. Only sorrow that is yet to come can be avoided.

Prarabdha does not exist for jnAni. But does for ajnAni due to identification with body and ego. Doing sAttvic karma rapidly bears good fruit. Recall the BG where it says that in the world of men  fruits come quickly (prANA flows faster then in the six higher worlds).

Karma in one birth vs one thought. This thought made pure helps. Everything is a succession of thoughts. 

Still some long term karma can cause trouble. Recall the story of Harishchandra.

Don't be disturbed by actions of others ...

Don't be disturbed by the actions of others. Even if those you interact with accuse you of being angry even when you are calm. Karma has its time scale. Mind was angry once. Can it overnight be perceived as pure? Even if it has changed. Recall the stories of AngulimAla and AruNagirinadar.
Know that others are an illusion on account of their transience.

Harishchandra, knew his wife and son were mAyA, but held to dharma under all circumstances. Recall also the deception of SrI RAma by MeghnAd bringing forth the mAYA sItA.

JnAni knows all thoughts perceived as existing in external world actually exist only in the mind. So jnAni has to liberate the entire world as he attains liberation. AvatAr is the most powerful since it encompasses the entire universe in its mind. 

All the unpleasant thoughts seen in others minds have to be understood as arising from the three guNas and accepted in silence as guNas playing with the guNas. 

Action does not connote a doer.

Action does not connote a doer.

All 'action' is in Truth 'actorless'. GuNas play with the guNas.

Action does not connote desire. 

Only an ajnAni (unrealized mind) thinks action connotes doership and assigns doership to others also.

In truth there being only One and its Power, all are helpless but the Self is not.

PrArabdha (previously commenced) karma appears to play out. 

The RShis (Seers) who were mAnasa putras (mind children) of BrahmA

The first four RShis who were mAnasa putras of Brahma had no desire and hence could not create. Recall the statements of ShrI BhagavAn RamaNa MahaRShi, where in 'Talks" he says once sahaja samAdhi is attained it is hard to get thoughts!

Satsang, glory of ...

What is the true meaning of Satsang?

Sat is Existence, it is Brahman. Sang is presence or association. Therefore, in its truest sense, Satsang always Is.

In a relative sense, Satsang is used to denote the association of the wise. This is the 'external' satsang. The purpose of the external satsang is to bring about the internal satsang that leads to dissolution of the notions of external and internal.

In this context SrI Adi ShankarAcArya says in the Bhaja Govindam:

सत्संगत्वे निस्संगत्वं निस्संगत्वे निर्मोहत्वं 

निर्मोहत्वे निश्चलतत्त्वं निश्चलतत्त्वे जीवन्मुक्ति: ॥

From satsang (association with the wise) proceeds non-attachment, from non-attachment the removal delusion, from the removal of delusion proceeds constant awareness of the Truth, and from that constant awareness of the Truth arises Liberation.

The glory of external satsang is described by the poet BhartRhari as follows:

जाड्यं धियो हरति सिञ्चति वाचि सत्यं

मानोन्नतिं दिशति पापमपाकरोति 

चेत: प्रसादयति दिक्षु तनोति कीर्तिं

सत्संगति: कथय किम् न करोति पुंसाम् ॥

Removes the root ignorance from the intelligence, sprinkles speech with truth,

directs one's self to a higher purpose, removes sin,

brings joy to the mind, spreads one's fame in all the directions,

Tell me what does satsang not do for a man?

Therefore, Satsang is always good. If its true purpose be realized, then there is no need to go anywhere for Satsang. It always Is. One is always in the presence of Sat.

sAdhanA is everywhere ...

Other minds with so many difficulties reflect the Light of the Self.

But with so much Grace this one finds difficulty.

When the mind is in Kali Yuga ...

When the mind is in Kali Yuga it appears that there are few embodiments of Guru. Due to impurities in the mind it also does not recognize Guru when it is encountered and does not treat its embodiment with due respect. Even common courtesy in salutations, sAttvic conduct acknowledging grace of teaching, or even the humility to engage in minor chores is hard to find in sAdhakas in Kali Yuga, let alone Guru seva! With such big egos it is hard for sAdhakas to even identify the genuine embodiment of Guru, let alone benefit from the teaching.

However, as the mind is purified, it transcends time; as in the Yoga Sutra it is mentioned how the sequencing of time is finally revealed IV.33

क्षणप्रतियोगी परिणामापारान्तनिर्ग्राह्य: क्रम: ।

Thoughts presented to the mind are actually a series of discrete events, each corresponding to the merest instant of time, in which one form becomes another.

With this revelation the mind transcends time and can range over all the  Yugas.

 Then it can get teaching directly from KRShNa in dvApara, from VasiShTha in treta or Brahma in satya. It can also get direct upadesha from shiva or other ciranjIvi gurus such as the three: SrI Adi ShankarAcArya, SrI RamANa MahaRShi and SrI RAmakRShNa.

O mind! Until you shut up for good ...

O mind! Until you shut up for good there will be no lasting peace and end to this ignorance, which causes pain.

It is so simple...

It is so simple. See everything as One. Yet the foolish mind will not stick to this simplest of activities.

The avatArs and their description in the purANas

The avatArs and their description in the purANas are accurate.

ViShNu as varAha avatAr and as rAma seeming to suffer. All forms of life are manifestations of the same One Consciousness.

nAmarUpa: Names and forms

Names of children should be chosen according to the spiritual tradition of the parents so as to evoke the memory of the Eternal.

Typical names are epithets of God, saints, senses, planets and good human incarnations. Some traditions don't name after God. This is a dvaita view, which is fine because the intent is to not grow the ego.

Yet why prevent final communion? The inaccessibility of God is ignorance that sustains a sense of separateness.

On the other hand does God need to declare "I am God"?

Do we go around saying "I am a man" or "I am a woman"?

Therefore, there is no confusion.

Names and speech belong to the relative plane. The ego gives rise to the world and the concept of God.

Omnipresence and omnipotence preclude speech.

Again, there is no confusion.

Ego made of guNas can be highly deceptive.

Ego made of guNas can be highly deceptive. Along the path the sAdhaka can be tempted to describe another person or place as tAmasic or rAjasic. This can be a dangerous viewpoint that impedes yoga.

Only one who has directly experienced that which is beyond the guNas is qualified to make such a statement.

The guNas don't exist separately from each other. In the apparently most tAmasic or rAjasic person or object there exists sattva. Besides, all cognition of objects and people by the mind that sees difference due to the impure ego is itself formed of the three guNas! Since the very perception of difference arises from the three guNas and is mAyA and the cause of viyoga, how can the pot call the kettle black?

Recall the Biblical statement concerning the hypocrisy of seeing the mote in another's eye while ignoring the log in one's own.

Therefore, in general it is best to apply all criticisms only to oneself and not to others. Only a Guru might point out to a true disciple the imbalance of guNas at an early stage of practice. The ultimate Guru DakshinAmUrti gives upadesham in silence, and is beyond the guNas. 

No one is going to die, nor has anyone died.

No one is going to die, nor has anyone died. Merely waves on the ocean.

Recall the Bhagavad GItA where Sri KRShNa says

सर्वे वयमत: परम्
sarve vayamatah param

We are all here Eternally.

World and people are merely powerful phantasms of the imagination.

The Last Frontier . . .

The Last Frontier: recognizing that the hRdaya granthi (knot of the Heart) is also composed of the three guNas that are nothing but the Power of the One Self. The granthi (knot) is the last obstacle encountered that appears to separate the jIvAtma from ParamAtma or that appears to separate one from resting in one's true nature, the Self. That granthi is itself the Power of mAyA and doesn't really exist. All that is is the AtmA. To rest there always is Bliss Eternal.

So mAyA is the cause of viyoga (separation), hence the need for sAdhanA to 'attain' yoga, which always is. Viyoga never existed, there was no bondage nor is there liberation, Is simply Is. 

Meaning of nyAsam (ritual touching of nADI junctions) for the GAyatri mantra : praNavasya RShirbrahmA

Meaning of nyAsam (ritual touching of nADI junctions) for the GAyatri mantra: praNavasya RShirbrahmA

The RShi (Seer) of praNava is brahmA. The praNava is Om, which is the signifier of the Lord.

Beyond the sahasrAra, BrahmA is known as of the nature of rajas, the first thought, the Creator. He is first experienced in Satyaloka, that is above the abode of the RShis in tapaloka (situated at the AjnA cakra).

HRdayam is the Heart where the Self (the Lord) is. This is not the physical heart. The praNava originates from Consciousness. In this way, the first thought (BrahmA) knows the Lord through the praNava, and is considered the RShi or Seer of the mantra by the embodied jIva. 

Eena janmamedutthen ...

Father used to sing a Tamil song

Eena janmamedutthen ... yennai yen padaithai (why was I given this human birth?)

It is the song of the true sAdhaka. Who hasn't sung this song?

Answer: So you may see Me in everything at all times. 

In sadhana guidance website what is the purpose of life? To know God.

Shubeccha: The good resolve of embarking on this quest.

Ultimately leads to jIvanmukti.

Viyoga is the tentacle feeling separate from the octopus.

The analogy of the embodied soul jIvAtma feeling disconnected from the paramAtma was explained as the tentacle feeling separate from the octopus due to avidyA, spiritual ignorance. From this viewpoint, other tentacles are also seen as distinct and separate manifestations. Therefore, viyoga is the tentacle feeling separate from octopus. Yoga is needed as long as viyoga exists. When yoga becomes permanent, that is sahaja samAdhi.

Pain is nothing but Devi cleaning out the ignorance.

Pain is nothing but Devi cleaning out the ignorance.

Time is nothing but forgetfulness of Devi.

If mind doesn't enter the body and identify with it, then bodily pain is not experienced. If mind does not leave the Self or thought of Devi, then there are no opinions and so no mental pain either.

Thus the unmoving mind simply Is and that is Bliss Eternal.

God is all there is everywhere, what more is there to say or do?

God is all there is everywhere, what more is there to say or do? Everything is but the manifestation of God's glory.

Be and enjoy that!

If one can give up all peevish opinions (tyAga, give up) then Bliss is at hand both inside in internal meditation and in the external world. The distinction between inside and outside will start to blur. But for this the mind should be pure and not descend from the Goal. Otherwise the drain cleaner experience will follow! See God in everything, everyone, everywhere at all times. That is all. The easy way to be and enjoy life.

Mind, how you spend 99% of your time away from God?

Mind, how you spend 99% of your time away from God? You know you should either subside and abide in the Self, or if you arise please see God at all times in everything. But you still need so much cleansing for you got sucked deeply into sense pleasure. If after this much sin in this one there could be Grace and ecstasy and the benevolent respect of the world, how much easier it should be for other minds that are purer?

Kali Yuga: some characteristics

Kali Yuga: the more connected the world becomes through travel and electronic communications, the more the instant transmission of spontaneous thought and impulse becomes possible. Since wise thought is the fruit of deliberation, the world will become more rocked by impulsive actions of the unthinking. Stock market swings and crashes as well as transmission of mass hysteria will increase. Spontaneous and random acts of violence will grow.

And yet, it is always possible to see God at all times and in all places. That is the wonder of Grace!

O mind, be honest with yourself!

O mind, be honest with yourself! Everything in this world (and the other worlds above it) that is experienced by the mind and through the senses is a mixture of pleasure and pain. Such experiences can never become wholly pleasurable or wholly joyous. Yet, do not succumb to despair for it is true that 'Cheerfulness is the sure sign of wisdom'.

Investigate all that is not peace and not bliss (this is engaging in vicAra). All that is not peace or not bliss is Non-existent in the sense of being transient (since it arose from mis-identification). Investigate how it arose.

Everyone would seek to 'disown' those roles that lead to non-peace and non-bliss. But rather than 'disowning', seek to know the source of this false 'ownership', which is nothing but the ego or aham vAsana. Even bodily pain stems from the root 'I am the body' identification. Depending on the strength of that identification, commensurate effort will appear to be needed to rest in the 'Effortless Natural State' of sahaja samAdhi.

Pain arises from conjunction of an experiencer, experience and object. When pain becomes very severe then one of the three is sought:
(1) removal of object (wishing the world experience would cease or the enemy were dead),
(2) removal of experience (flee the scene or change it or shut out the experience, one form of which is meditation itself!) or
(3) removal of experiencer (wishing oneself as body or mind were dead). None of these but for dead mind or mRtamanas is permanent and this is same as the destruction of aham vAsanA. 

But by this annihilation of the ego, or mind, or lower self, one is restored to Eternal Life: Existence-Consciousness-Bliss.

Prior to this wisdom, if the mind is dominated by rajas and tamas, it may willfully perform acts of physical violence to remove the perceived object that is the cause of pain. All wars, homicides and murders are caused by such thinking. Even if rajas and tamas are only slightly dominant, such thoughts or words may arise even if they are not carried through to action. Hence, the great emphasis in Yoga SUtra on ahimsa (non-violence).

A somewhat more benign, but ultimately useless strategy, is for the mind to divert itself into new experiences. These are a form of escapism, and only result in the same difficulties being encountered in the new experience. At one level, even meditation is a form of escapism, but if it is properly directed towards abiding in the Self, it is successful in permanently establishing the mind in peace and bliss.

If the mind is highly clouded by rajas and tamas, it might try to remove the experiencer of the pain by committing suicide: here the body is perceived as the object causing pain. But this is deluded thinking because the body is inert and does not experience pain. It is merely the kshetra or field in which pain is experienced. It is PuruSha entangled with the guNas born of PrakRti that feels pain and pleasure. The disentanglement of PuruSha from the guNas leads to the ultimate realization that all is nothing but the Self. That state is always Peace and Bliss.

A true Islamist and a true Christian can never disagree.

A true Islamist and a true Christian can never disagree. They will agree on everything and feel no difference between each other and will be able to live together in perfect harmony like Jesus and Mohammad. Same for a true Jew or a true sanAtana dharmI or Hindu. Only those who have not understood their own faith find difference and fault with others and their faith. Only those who are infidels to their own faith, who are imperfect in their understanding of their own faith find difference and fault with others and their faith.

Seek that which has no opposite.

Seek that which has no opposite. Opposites are transient.

Recall the Kenopanishad where it says Brahman is beyond knowledge and also beyond the unknown.

It is easier to see God in meditation ...

It is easier to see God in meditation than to see God at every instant in the external world created by the ego and to be aware of God at all times even when the senses encounter unpleasant sense objects or when the  ego is displeased or hurt. But the latter is the ultimate test of Self Realization.

Islam means complete surrender.

Islam means complete surrender. All sin, which is nothing but ignorance, is due to incomplete surrender. A true Islamist cannot see any difference between himself or herself and another, let alone infidels and sects. A true Islamist becomes one with Consciousness.

We are all helpless but the Self is not.

We are all helpless but the Self is not.

All dialogues are the soliloquies of a deluded mind.

All dialogues are the soliloquies of a deluded mind.

Hence the wise are silent. If one must speak, let it be the Truth (Veda). 

PadmanAbha and sarga (Creation) revealed.

The true meaning of PadmanAbha and sarga (Creation) are revealed when the mind comes to rest after samAdhi at the sahasrAra. On the inward path of kuNDalinI traveling up the cakras to the sahasrAra, there are three granthis or knots that are pierced. These are the Brahma granthi at the mUlAdhAra cakra, the ViShNu granthi at the maNipUraka cakra and finally the Rudra granthi at the AjnA cakra before the union of Shiva and Shakti in the sahasrAra. Some practitioners of Yoga believe that this is the end of sAdhanA but in fact, there is more! There is a descent of Shakti or kuNDalinI that reveals the truth in the PurANas regarding the Creation and Dissolution of the world.

Beyond samAdhi at the sahasrAra, as sAdhanA is continued, Shiva is known as tamas, brahmA as rajas and then viShNu as sattva. When the covering or AvaraNa shakti of tamas corresponding to Shiva is overcome, then brahma is known as the first thought (and hence the Creator). Rajas is the cause of the origin of thought itself from Pure Consciousness. Brahma himself being of the nature of rajas, emerges from the Heart Lotus (padmanAbha) who is ViShNu who is the sAttvic aspect. Underlying these three guNas is devi mahAmAyA = Brahman. These are well described in slightly different ways in a narrative form in the Devi BhAgavatam. They are experienced as granthis when Shakti descends from the sahasrAra. The final granthi is at the Heart- called hRdaya granthi. The knot at the Heart must be broken for final beatitude. It is beyond the sahasrAra.

Dharma is not possible in Kali Yuga.

Accept She who is the Goddess Shakti is dharmAdharma vivarjitA (She is beyond dharma and adharma).

The guNa dominance and perception of Trimurti (Brahma, ViShNu and maheshvara as described above) are experienced by jIva on the path of involution up to sahasrAra and down to the hRdaya (Heart). This experience is consistent with the Yoga and Tantra view of reaching sahasrAra but more importantly it reconciles with Bhagavan Sri RamaNa MahaRshi's statements that the Self is in the Heart and not in the head. So also Abhinavagupta noted the different levels of Ananda and the descent of prANa in different forms (these are connected).

These experiences lead to the true understanding of the following statement that emerged from meditation for this one:

One who has not seen ViShNu on the way to Shiva and Shiva on the way to ViShNu has not comprehended either.  

Recall the great song by MDR: hariyum haranum onre enru ariyAdavar uLarO? Are there any who do not understand that Hari and Hara are only One?

What causes the knot or granthi at the Heart to tighten? Forgetfulness of the Lord and engaging in deluded egoistic acts or thoughts. 

Explanation of Ishopanishad

Following is an explanation of some key verses from the Ishopanishad.

Imagine you are a child alone in this world, other than One very powerful Being called The Lord who had complete and Absolute Power over everything you can imagine (The Lord is nothing but Consciousness, and seen by the purified mind to be non-different from the self and the world; it is the Self). The Lord has given you some toys to play with for a while: these are your body and your mind. In fact, there is only one toy which is the mind, but until you know that you think the body and mind are separate. The mind generates the entire world with its variety of toys. Just as all toys these days are made in China (! :)), so too imagine the Lord's name is stamped on everything (recall the RAmAyaNa in which all the bricks are made with Ram's name on them). Since all these toys are given on loan, you have to give them back after playing with them.

Recall Kabir's 'Jhini jhini chadariya', where the sentiment expressed is the same.

In this sense, the first verse of the Ishopanishad says, 'All this must be covered by the Lord. By giving up ownership of the toys, enjoy the experience.'
It also says, 'Don't covet other people's toys.'

Verse 2 'kurvanneva iha karmANi"says you can't not play with the toys either, for that is not wise.

'asuryA mama ...' Those who deny the Lord go to sunless worlds - these worlds are those of sadness, fear, and doubt.

It (Consciousness) overtakes the mind and senses.

At time of departure from body remember the Lord's sacrifice (kratu) and what you have done (as ego nothing, as Lord everything).

As in the Om Jaya JagadIshahare aarti:

तेरा तुझको अर्पण क्या लागे मेरा (tera tujhko arpaN kyA lAge mera)- Yours have been given to you as an offering, what remains mine?

asmitA: the second klesha

asmitA : that which leads to pleasure and pain is asmitA

Note: asmitA as experienced in meditation is described in detail in the sadhanAguidance website. However, its manifestation in the external world is succinctly described above.

Taking ornaments for gold or gold for ornaments?

Is the error in taking the ornaments for gold or gold for the ornaments?

In the Yoga SUtra there is a verse on avidyA (ignorance) that is the first in the list of kleshas (or taints) that color thoughts.

अनित्य अशुचि दु:ख अनात्मसु नित्य शुचि सुख Atma ख्याते: अविद्या ।

Seeing the Eternal in the transient, the pure in the impure, happiness in sadness, and the Self in the non-Self is avidyA or spiritual ignorance.

Import: Taking the ego to be the Self and seeing sense pleasure that is in fact sadness as happiness, taking the ego and body that are impure on account of being composed of the guNas to be the Self, and taking the transient mind experience to be the Eternal Consciousness is avidyA.

This is the inward path or nivRtti and the first stage in jnAna marga (path of Knowledge). But as the mind having seen the Truth emerges outward, it sees the Self in everything. It sees that the body is non-different from the Self, the ego is non-different from the Self etc. This is vijnAna or Realization.

One may say, it goes from 

Atma anAtmasu to anAtma Atme

From seeing the Self in the non-Self to seeing the Self as everything including what was said to be the non-Self.

नेति नेति

to

इति इति

Neti neti to iti iti ! Not this, not this to This, This.

JnAna to vijnAna.

Both gold and ornaments are the same. No difference.

Body, mind and beyond...

Body, composed of three guNas, sometimes gives pain and doesn't at others.

Mind, also composed of three guNas, sometimes feels clear and at other times is deluded.

Taking these Appearances for the true I, there is confusion and absence of peace and Bliss: that is viyoga.

If this Realization were to be made permanent by destroying the 'difference-causing' ego, then it would be permanent yoga.

As long as the gold is mistakenly perceived as the ornaments, world experience will continue for purification of the mind.

In Truth there is never a moment of viyoga, but even that is superimposed on the Self by the ego out of ignorance.

The need for nyAya prasthAna

Until now the pravacanam in satsang had focused on sAdhanA prasthAna (Bhagavad GItA) and upadesha prasthAna (Upanishads) of VedAnta.

But questions arise in the minds of sincere aspirants that cannot be addressed purely by these two methods. Then the need for nyAya prasthAna is understood. This is why SrI Adi ShankarAcArya wrote the Brahma SUtra bhAShya, even though his mind hardly needed any convincing regarding the Truth. Yet, when disciples need clarifications and in order to steady their minds in the light of conflicting doctrines, a logical exposition of the Path is needed. That is the nyAya prasthAna or the Brahma SUtra.

In the following posts, two different approaches to answer a question that arose in satsang are presented: one from the viewpoint of a bhakta (devotee) and the other from the viewpoint of logical exposition in the jnAna marga (path of Wisdom).

Note: The VedAnta (lit. end of the Veda) is traditionally reckoned to rest on three prasthAnas (or points of departure). The Upanishads comprise the upadesha prasthAna. They are the instructional texts that teach of Brahman. The Bhagavad GItA is considered the sAdhanA prasthAna. It is the practical application of the instruction. The Brahma SUtra is the logical exposition of Brahman. It is the last text that should be studied by the aspirant, if at all. For Self Realization the first two are sufficient. The last one only emerges as the teacher lays out the principles for disciples to logically remove their doubts and also to steady their minds against contrary schools of thought. The teacher may also write logical expositions that are new, but entirely consonant with the Brahma SUtra. However, nothing new can be added to the upadesha prasthAna, for it is part of the Veda and Shruti, and hence complete. Similarly, although the Bhagavad GItA is considered part of the SmRti, it too is complete and cannot be added to. 

Bhakta's answer to a question in satsang

O Lord, if in my ignorance I have praised your Limitlessness through the spoken word, forgive me!

In satsang You appear as a sAdhaka with a sincere mind that get doubts through interaction with others in the external world. When the different lokas (worlds that are perceived through the senses) are described according to the tradition (in the Vedas and Upanishads) and from direct experience, still doubts arise in Kali Yuga. Through Your Lila (play) You have given faith of different levels to different minds. Some who claim to worship You as KRShNa, but who do not know You in Truth, claim that there exists a KRShNa loka that is Nondual and beyond the lokas described in the Vedas. Not directly knowing You who are the Source of the Veda, nor even having studied the Vedas, bereft of buddhi and logic to understand that the word loka in Sanskrit cannot admit a Nondual experience (being as it as an object of perception), such minds destabilize the thinking of even pure sAdhakas. And again it is Your gift of buddhi (intellect) to sincere sAdhakas that generates a desire in the mind for consistency and integration of different schools of thought.

Even when You expounded the Bhagavad GItA to Arjuna, in all the eighteen chapters You did not mention KRShNa loka even once! Yet You constantly affirmed that both the jnAni and the true bhakta attain You by mergence into You. How can one explain to the deluded mind that 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? And then again, only attaining that savikalpa samAdhi with the bIja or seed of KRShNa, how can the mind that has truly attained that State not realize that the Name and bIja (seed) are irrelevant in 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.

Did You not give the RShis the vision of the Self in the Upanishads that proclaim that Your State is beyond name and form? Are You not beyond Speech and Word!

The Nameless is Your true nature, and the name is only for reaching savikalpa samAdhi. It is not the end of the practice. Otherwise what need would there be for nirvikalpa samAdhi and sahaja samAdhi?

Do we 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. In different lives or manifestations does each mind wake up and say "I am X?" No! 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.

In many Kali Yugas past too You gave faith and also samshaya (doubt) and moha (delusion). Deluded devotion to Name creates distinction. This has generated the so-called Christians, who do not truly know You as Christ, and condemn those who do not follow the name of Christ as heathens. What do the deluded followers of KRShNa then make of the non-believers in KRShNa believers? Have we not seen the delusion of taking ViShNu to be different from Shiva? Who are those who cannot understand the beauty of MD Ramanathan's rendition of 'Hariyum Haranum onre enru aRiyAdavar uLaro? civar uLare! (Are there those who do not know that Hari and Hara (Shiva) are one and the same? Yes, there are a few!).

If Your Ultimate State were to be associated with a Name, then should we reject Allah and Jehovah, when You Yourself appeared as these to many minds, and as Sri RAmakRShNa showed that all these are the same One Self?

But You have also given viveka (discrimination). The discriminating mind chooses Limitlessness over limitations.  Such is your Lila!

The discriminating mind learns to seek Kingdom of God within and not listen to conflicting opinions from unripe minds.

And once Your true nature is known does not the pure mind acknowledge you as ViShNu, Shiva, Ganesha, SUrya, and Devi in the excellent shanmata worship that You established through Your incarnation as SrI Adi ShankarAcArya?

And yet, such is Your Lila that a jnAni may say "aham brahmAsmi" and a bhakta may call You by Name in whom he has merged.

Even so Your Lila (play) is there so that we may celebrate Your various glories. For the sincere teacher never tires of narrating Your glories nor does Your sincere devotee ever tire of hearing them.

Om Tat Sat SrI Krishnarpanamastu
Om Tat Sat Brahmarpanamastu

All that is required is constant awareness...

All that is required is Constant awareness that the Many is only the Power of the One.

Recall the Mund. Up.

द्वा सुपर्णा सयुजा सखाया समानं वृक्षं परिषस्वजाते ।

तयोरन्यो: पिप्पलं स्वाद्वत्त्यनश्नन्नन्यो: अभिचाकशीति ॥

dvA suparNA sayujA sakhAya samAnam vRksham parishasvajate

tayoranyoh pippalam svAdvatyanashnannanyoh abhicAkashIti

Two golden birds sit on the same tree

One eats the fruit sweet and bitter, while the other looks on.

The eater is the jIvAtma and the Onlooker is the paramAtma.

Non utility of books ...

Non utility of books revealed.

Written word is often misunderstood. [Oh that is not what I meant at all! T. S. Eliot.]

Communication is specific to student.

Oral communication is better than written.

Hence Vedas never written down.

Silence better than words.

ब्रह्म Brahma முடிச்சு mudichu/ ब्रह्म ग्रन्थि Brahma granthi (knot) and the eye of the needle

ब्रह्म Brahma முடிச்சு (mudichu is a Tamil word) is the knot in the यज्ञोपवीत yajnopavIta (aka pooNal or janeyu).

This is symbolic of the ब्रह्म ग्रन्थि (Brahma granthi), which is encountered in the suShumNA. Recall that in another post on Brahmopadesham it was explained that the यज्ञोपवीत yajnopavIta (aka pooNal or janeyu) is representative of the three nADIs: iDA, pinGala and suShumNA, and the knot or granthi of brahma holds the jIva in embodiment until jnAna is attained by breaking it.

This knot is extremely small and tight, and is like the eye of the needle. It is also called the bindu. In meditation, this is the last frontier that has to be passed through to abide as the Self. It is extremely small, tiny and tight and causes great internal pain until it is entered. The pain is on account of the size of the ego, that must be diminished before it can see the Self.

The eye of the needle is a concept that appears in the Bible.

"It is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle, than for a rich man to enter into the kingdom of God." (Matthew 19:24) also Mark 10:25, Luke 18:25

[according to the website biblicalhebrew.com]

Here is a quote from a website:

"... there is a gate in Jerusalem called the eye of the needle through which a camel could not pass unless it stooped and first had all its baggage first removed. After dark, when the main gates were shut, travellers or merchants would have to use this smaller gate, through which the camel could only enter unencumbered and crawling on its knees!"

This is such a beautiful metaphor for the ego having to shed everything before knowing the Self. The point of after dark is also extremely significant. At night, the ego subsides and the jIva rests in Brahman but is unaware of it. That is the meaning of the smaller gate.

The word camel is used but one might equally say, the whole universe. Because the ego is nothing but the entire universe. So making it pass through the eye of the needle is undoubtedly hard.

Sometimes, after emerging from samAdhi it feels like one is talking to one self through all conversations and writings.

The easiest way to pass through the eye of the needle or to cut the ब्रह्म ग्रन्थि (Brahma granthi) is by curbing the rise of  rajas, which is the beginning of thought.

The constriction of this knot is directly experienced in meditation.

Just as some drain cleaners that are made of plastic or metal have serrated edges to entangle the debris in a drain, so too the guNas entangle Purusha through world experience. Only by withdrawing those serrations by curbing rajas can the jIva skilfully pass in and out of bodily existence.

Abide as the Self or do all actions as an offering to God. There is no other way.

Initially the mind is concerned with literally finding a gate in Jerusalem that is too small for a camel to pass through!

A subtle mind is needed to understand the import of scripture in any religion! Minds that seek literal interpretations must toil through many births. SrI Adi ShankarAcArya says the ideal aspirant should be a मेधावि (highly learned, intelligent). This does not mean book-learned, but possessed of native intelligence.

O mind, don't move!

O mind, don't move. Be still.

All this apparent movement is only to purify you and remind you of your non-existence. 

Arise, purify and subside

If all the mind did was arise, purify and subside, one would always be at Peace and aware of the Self at all times.

But because the mind arises, entangles (with the world) and loses awareness of the Self, it suffers.

The former aspect of the mind is the nature of Ishvara. Arising of mind due to rajas is associated with Brahma, the sustenance of mind with ViShNu as sattva guNa and the subsidence of mind with Shiva as tamo guNa.  The three being eternal jnAnis are not deluded or subject to moha.

The jIva however is the latter aspect of the mind, experiences pleasure and pain because Purusha gets entangled with the guNas of PrakRti and thus becomes deluded and unaware of the Self.

The arising of the mind (same as world or jagat) is itself the very nature of Brahman, being its Power or Shakti called MAyA. The jIva seems to take on the identity of different beings that seem to arise in the mind due to the differences in rates of prANa flowing through the mind. The faster rates of prANa flow correspond to lower (or grosser) forms of manifestation and the lower lokas (worlds of perception). Human embodiment results in the perception of time in units such as years, months, weeks, days and so forth, where an ideal lifetime may be reckoned as a hundred years. By lengthening the flow of prANa the yogi can access other worlds (lokas) such as Bhuva, Svar, Maha, Jana, Tapa, and Satya and in doing so takes on the 'bodies' of Consciousness pertaining to each of these worlds. All these are transient and thus Unreal or mAyA from the perspective of the Self. Cf. parIkshya lokAn from Mund. Up.

परीक्ष्य लोकान् कर्मचितान् ब्राह्मणो

निर्वेदमायात् नास्तिऽकृतं कृतेन ।

तद्विज्ञानार्थं गुरुमेव अभिगच्छेत्

समित्पाणि: श्रोत्रियं ब्रह्मनिष्ठं ॥

Having examined the lokas (worlds of perception) that are created by works (karma, or equivalently thoughts, for deeds arise only from thoughts), may a Brahmin become firm in the knowledge that nothing in these lokas (worlds) is not attained or formed from thoughts or actions. In order to know That (the Self that is beyond the lokas), let him approach a Guru who is (defined as) a Shrotriya (one so well versed in the Vedas as to be deemed worthy of being listened to) and BrahmaniShTha (eternally established in Brahman) (in a proper manner) with samidh (fuel sticks) in hand. [The samidh signify the samskAras or mental tendencies that the aspirant seeks to burn in the Fire of Knowledge, jnAnagni]

Transcending these lokas and 'bodies' results in mergence with the Self. That is jnAna resulting from the nivRtti marga. Recognizing the Power of Brahman to arise as the mind on different time scales from a thought to a Kalpa and still being able to rest in the Self is vijnAna. When that becomes permanent it is sahaja samAdhi or jIvanmukti and results in the union with Ishvara, where all perception is Pure unalloyed Self. Thus, the jIvanmukta becomes indifferent to both nivRtti and pravRtti and is unmoved from the awareness of the Self at all times.

The experiences of the lokas (worlds) in the interim are only for purification of the mind to attain this state. And even 'attainment' is an incorrect characterization, for it is only mis-identification of the Self as the non-Self. The Self being Eternal is not attained anew.

Peace of mind more important than bodily comfort.

Peace of mind more important than bodily comfort.

The description of peace in the world appears in the devi bhagavatam after the Devi destroys the asuras (demons).

The body is the same as the world. Through sAdhanA and the awakening of kuNDali the Devi rises and destroys ignorance in the form of asuras. Then peace reigns in the body. Just as rivers flow in the world, so too prANa flows in the nADis.

As long as mind immersed in the "I am the body" concept this is hard to comprehend.

Strengthen the mind to leave this concept when body is well so it gets less dependent on body even when it seems to be ill.

Baubles are for children, ask for the diamond!

Baubles are for children, ask for the diamond!

What more is there to say? Seek the Self. Abiding in It, all else will be seen as meretricious.

God or Guru gives what one desires according to what one deserves.

God or Guru gives what one desires according to what one deserves.

Recall the story of Indra and Virocana. Both went to Brahma the Creator for instruction on the Truth. Virocana was easily satisfied with the preliminary instruction and perished, while Indra reflected on the instruction and repeatedly went back to Brahma for clarification until he became realized and Immortal.

The mind of even a so-called adult who is ignorant is just like that of children who are easily satisfied by baubles. Yet so great is the power of mAyA that one cannot be complacent about the mind not getting enchanted by the baubles of world experience. And so prevalent is the mind's enchantment with baubles that those desiring the highest Goal may seem completely contrary to world wisdom.

The following verses from the Bhagavad GItA Ch 7. 21-23 are apt here:

यो यो यां यां तनुं भक्त: श्रद्धयार्चितुमिच्छति ।
तस्य तस्याचलां श्रद्धां तामेव विदधाम्यहम् ॥

Whatever each devotee seeks with faith, that unshakable faith I make firm.

स तया श्रद्धया युक्तस्तस्याराधनमीहते ।
लभते च तत: कामान्मयैव विहितान्हि तान् ॥

Endowed with that faith, yoked in that worship he engages; and from it he obtains his desires, those being indeed ordained by Me.

अन्तवत्तु फलं तेषां तद्भवत्यल्पमेधसाम् ।
देवान्देवयजो यान्ति मद्भक्ता यान्ति मामपि ॥

The result that accrues is indeed finite to those men of small intellect. Worshippers of Devas (gods of the senses) go to the Devas, My devotee comes to Me.

The Lord of Guru gives to each accordingly, as their desires and according to their faith, what they deserve.

Small desires once satisfied rise again.

Therefore, the mind that cultivates the ultimate Goal is blessed.

Recall also the wonderful story of shikhidhvajA in the Yoga VasiShTha. There shikhidhvaja held the cintAmaNi (wish fulfilling gem) in his hand and threw it away as a worthless piece of glass and then engaged in further severe austerities.

As SrI RamaNa also says, the Self is here and now, right at hand, has always been so!

शिष्य Shishya (Disciple) will get the गुरु Guru (Preceptor) s/he deserves.

शिष्य Shishya (Disciple) will get the aspect of the गुरु Guru (Preceptor) s/he deserves.

Mind will get a thrashing if it indulges in ignorance.

Actions of Guru or God not understandable to disciple always.

Approach in humility always deserves Grace.

ParashurAma as a अंश अवतार (amsha avatAr) part incarnation of ViShNu also killed kshatriyas.

GuNas play with the guNas but sometimes it appears as anger on part of the Guru.

World's praise and derision

World will praise one moment and decry the next. So don't pay any attention to the world.

Recall the BhartRhari nItishataka

निन्दन्तु नीति निपुणा: यदि वा स्तुवन्तु

लक्ष्मी: समाविशतु गच्छतु वि यथेष्टं ।

अद्यैववा मरणमस्तु युगान्तरे वा

न्याय्यात्पथ: प्रविचलन्ति पदं न धीरा: ॥

Whether those skilled in ethics praise them or deride them,

Whether the Goddess of Wealth resides with them or departs according to Her will,

Whether death comes today or after a Yuga,
The wise do not deviate from the path of righteousness.

Again, recall the Bhagavad GItA says कृपणा: फलहेतव: kRpaNah phala hetavah (those who are motivated by fruits of the actions are miserable).

Yet from sAdhanA this is not an attitude of rejection of world but of humorous observation of mind, acknowledging the Power of Devi as the world to praise or deride the ego.

Body as fruit of karma has its own time scale

Eventually, the question is how to cleanse the mind of its मल mala or impurity. Of course the Yoga SUtra says this should be done by tapas. But this body obtained by the mind as a fruit of past karma has its own time scale. Why try to strive for a perfect body or divya deha, when ultimately the body is merely a vehicle that has to be transcended?

But if one's true nature as the Self is believed in on the basis of श्रद्धा (shraddhA, which is faith in the words of vedAnta and the Guru) and if it is known through even one direct experience to be beyond time, then turn the mind inward away from the "I am the body" idea and ask "Who is this I?"

This naturally leads inward through all the panca koshas to that which is beyond the koshas and also their very substratum: the Self.

Limits of sense perception

Teaching heat transfer to students the topic of Thermal Radiation and electromagnetic radiation in general brought to mind the limitations of perception.

Although we take the colors we see as 'objective truth' to the extent that we would be upset if our laundry or dry cleaning failed to remove some stains on our clothing, when we understand the science of radiation and color perception, it rapidly becomes clear that color is not intrinsic to any object. It is merely the absorptive properties of the material that make it absorb all wavelengths of radiation incident on it, other than the frequency band that corresponds to the color we ascribe to it.

So the first thing we learn from this important scientific fact, is that we are not seeing a lot of the spectrum of radiation itself. In other words, our perception is very limited. When we see objects through infrared imaging they look very different because in that frequency band it is the temperature of the object that determines its 'color'. Now that infrared image has to be converted to a 'false color' for us to see it. And yet, how much blind faith we have in 'seeing is believing'. How dead sure we are that we saw so and so do this, or someone in that color car get away from the scene of the crime! Of course this all has its place in the empirical dealings with the phenomenal world, but the true sAdhaka should ponder on this limited perception.

The second important point to take away is that, different people perceive the same object differently. The whole issue of color blindness is exactly about this. This should really make us question the assumption in classical science that the object has some 'reality' that is independent of the observer (quantum physics does take some steps to remedy this, but I am not an expert in that subject beyond a rudimentary understanding of Heisenberg's uncertainty principle that brings in the role of the observer in experiments). In fact, this is what Yoga Science has been saying from times immemorial: that the object perceived is not independent of the observer, but is colored by the observer's mind. In fact, the object has no existence outside the mind of the observer, something that Zen Buddhism also points to through its koans.

Consider how unreliable the senses are. SwamiJ's website had an interesting article on synaesthesia that is a condition where the sense channels get mixed up so people can feel colors, and so on. Within the same species our sense perceptions are not invariant and consistent. Even when a 'normal' person has a common cold you can quickly tell that your sense of taste is strongly affected if your sense of  smell is impacted. So there is a small level of synaesthesia between the gustatory and olfactory perceptions even for so-called 'normal' people.

So what we call "normal perception" that is commonly agreed on in society is only a "coherent madness" in my opinion. This alone should alter our perception on 'race relations' and the notion of color in society.

If we consider other species such as dogs, science tells us that they hear and see differently.
So, perception is not of one objective reality but even species specific.

For a sAdhaka, one of the main lessons to take away from this is that affirming the false objective reality by conventional speech is dangerous and highly counter-productive to jnAna. Hence the great deal of emphasis placed on mounam (silence of speech but more importantly mind), and caution against engaging in prajalpah (gossip).

It is bad enough if during the course of conversations in the external world we have to restrain the senses and be aware of the Self by not seeing the difference between one and the other. Two are bad enough, but gossip is the worst because it gives false reality to a third non-existent object that really deviates the mind from the Self.

No doubt all of this will sound like madness to the unawakened. Cf. the Bhagavad GItA says YA nishA etc

Therefore, in the HaTha Yoga PradIpikA, SvAtmArAma says to keep the secrets of Yoga, gupta (or secret) and to appear ignorant for sake of appearances.

In summary, the mind is nothing but a bundle of habits. Even the perception of good food is also a habit. It can be changed. But sattvic food helps the mind see through the fakery and brings it to the first mahAvAkya: Brahman satyam jaganmithyA (The Self is Real, the world is Unreal).

TyAgarAja's lament

TyAgarAja and other poets and saints sang "Why have you forsaken me my Lord?"

This mind's question has always been "O mind! Why have you forgotten the Lord?"

Prism and total internal reflection

In an article on समाधि samAdhi in the companion website the mind was likened to a prism that refracts Pure Consciousness as white light into the seven colors of the world.

There is an interesting connection between the scientific concept of total internal reflection  and meditation, in particular pratyAhara (withdrawal of sense organs from their sense objects) and the shAmbhavI mudrA (a mudrA described in Yoga and Tantric works).

In the scientific concept of total internal reflection, there is a critical angle of incidence (of light generally) with respect to the perpendicular direction of a boundary between two materials (such as air and the glass of a prism), such that if the angle of incident light is increased beyond this critical angle, the light wave does not pass through but is completely reflected!

This is a very excellent analogy for Consciousness operating through the prism of the mind when the practices of pratyAhara (withdrawal of sense organs from their sense objects) and the shAmbhavI mudrA (a mudrA described in Yoga and Tantric works) are employed.

By changing the angle of our thinking from a worldly one to a spiritual one, the angle of incidence of Consciousness on the prism of the mind is changed. It becomes less outgoing (refractive) and more ingoing (reflective).

The senses are the routes of the outgoing mind. In pratyAhara, the senses (karmendriyas and jnAnendriyas) are meditated on and restrained from going to their objects by turning the mind inwards towards a mantra or meditation on the Self. Initially this is done in meditation with the eyes closed until jnAna is attained.

Then the same practice must be brought into play even with the senses turned outwards, for as mentioned in the TripurA Rahasya, one cannot sit with eyes closed in meditation always. That is not the complete jnAna. One needs vijnAna, that is to see the Self or Atma or Brahman even in the jagat.

For this, the excellent shAmbhavI mudrA is to be practiced. This is undoubtedly a very hard mudrA, but it is related to a post on 'Seeing "not seeing"ly'. In this mudrA, the mind is turned inwards even though the senses are allowed to roam in the sense objects. This is a very advanced practice in the humble opinion of this author, but it is a very important practice (reference to verses in the Bhagavad GItA regarding this are also found in the same post).

व्याधि (Illness) and प्रयाण काल (time of departure)

व्याधि (Illness) is one of the severe tests of साधना (sAdhanA). As long as the mind is rooted in the "I am the body" idea, it gets severely affected by bodily illness. In the Yoga SUtra, व्याधि (illness) is reckoned as the first obstacle to Yoga (among 9 such obstacles). Yet, illness can also be a very interesting time to experiment in the inner laboratory. The very nature of pain can be examined, and slowly through the practice of प्रत्याहार (pratyAhAra), one can start to see pain at a distance and its connection to the perceiver of pain.  Recall that in the Bhagavad GItA II.14, SrI KRShNa tells Arjuna

मात्रास्पर्शास्तु कौन्तेय शीतोष्ण सुखदु:खदा: ।

अागमापायिनोऽनित्यास्तांस्तितिक्षस्व भारत ॥

The contact between the senses (which are the measurers)  and the sense objects (the measures, hence मात्रा:), O Son of Kunti, result in cold and heat, or pleasure and pain. They have a beginning and end (they come and go) and are transient, therefore endure them, O BhArata!

At the time of illness the mind should be made strong. Swami ShivAnanda has wonderful advice on how to do this when the mind becomes weak during illness and can more easily succumb to desires of various sorts. Strengthening the mind during illness is a preparation for प्रयाण काल (the time of departure from the body). In the Bhagavad GItA, SrI KRShNa tells Arjuna that whatever a man thinks of at the time of his death, that indeed he attains after leaving the body. Therefore, meditation on प्रणव (PraNava) or OmkAr is highly recommended at the time of leaving the body. This certainly leads to Brahman. However, how will the mind be made firm in this remembrance if it is not steady at other times?

Slowly in sAdhanA it is realized that the times when the body is hale and hearty are the best times for sAdhanA that should not be wasted. Those are the times to make the mind firm in meditation on प्रणव (PraNava). Times of illness are like 'dry runs' when the mind's firmness is tested. One may sincerely pray that the time of departure be painless and that the mind may easily rest on प्रणव (PraNava) or one's इष्ट देवता (Chosen Ideal), but it is wiser to practice and not assume it will be so.

Recall in this context, SrI Adi ShankarAcArya's Bhaja Govindam verse

मा कुरु धनजनयौवनगर्वं हरति निमेषात्काल: सर्वं ।

मायामयमिदमखिं हित्वा ब्रह्मपदं त्वं प्रविशविदित्वा ॥

Do not be proud of wealth, people (relatives and friends) or youth for Time steals these in the twinkling of an eye. Knowing all this to be MAyA (that which is not, hence Unreal on account of being transient) and giving it up, enter the state (or feet) of the Lord.

When bodily afflictions destabilize the mind it is indeed difficult to maintain equanimity, let alone focus on the object of meditation. But it seems critical to keep up the practice to the maximum extent possible, irrespective of external circumstances, for the reasons noted above. Of course, it is only through practice towards the goal of having the mind rest on प्रणव (PraNava) or one's इष्ट देवता (Chosen Ideal) at the time of प्रयाण काल (the time of departure from the body) that the ultimate goal of सहज समाधि (sahaja samAdhi)  resulting in जीवन्मुक्ति  (jIvanmukti) is attained.

Should one save oneself or save the world?

Should one save oneself first or save the world?

This is a question that can plague many well-intentioned sAdhakas. The advice of jnAnis is always the same on this point.

First know your true nature and then if necessary (!) you can set about saving the world.

The humor is in the italicized words above, for those who know what is meant here will recognize that after one's true nature is known there will be nothing more left to do.

When Sri RAmakRShNa was asked a similar question by someone who wanted to build hospitals and  engage in other philanthropic activities, he too replied in like fashion: First know who you are and then you can set about helping others.

Elsewhere it has also been noted that svadharma is the duty of every sentient being to know the Self. The other dharmas such as vaidika dharma (deriving from the Vedas) and laukIka dharma (corresponding to the empirical or phenomenal world where the norms change according to time and place) are secondary. They derive from svadharma, and if that is not established, they are likewise misinterpreted and followed incorrectly.

Once one knows one's true nature as the Self, then two seemingly paradoxical things happen:

1) The genuine help that one offers to others ends up being help for oneself (for, in truth there is no other!), an example being this blog itself, and
2) All things the jnAni appears to do for himself or herself ends up being for the benefit of others. Cf. BG sarva bhUta hite ratAh (ever engaged in the welfare of all beings).

Although I know very little of Buddhism, it seems from discussion with one of our local experts, that this difference in approach (save oneself or save the world) may distinguish HinAyana (the lesser vehicle) from mahAyana (the greater vehicle). In truth they lead to the same end, for saving oneself is nothing less than saving the world. The world is the mind and when the mind is purified the world vanishes like a mirage, or like pictures on a movie screen.

Therefore, although the effort to know one's true nature may seem very selfish at first, when this sincere effort comes to fruition, the aspirant seems to carry all others along with them to wisdom. How tangible these effects appear to others depends on the past karma of the aspirant, but the jnAna that the mind attains is uniformly the same. Some appear to become great spiritual leaders with large followings, some appear to be shopkeepers (such as Nisargadatta Maharaj), some like Janaka rule as kings, some like Raikva drive a cart, etc. From the perspective of the jnAni, everyone is nothing but the Self and so no such differences are perceived in Truth. But in the dual world when the mind declares its ignorance, help may be offered to the mind that is ripe and ready.

The potential to appear attractive or repulsive inheres in all objects perceived.

The potential to appear attractive or repulsive inheres in all objects perceived in all the seven lokas from bhUloka to satyaloka, but if the mind can be made to hold on to the realization that all these are nothing but the One Consciousness appearing as Many through Its Power Shakti, then the mind becomes indifferent to opposites and attains samyagdarshana [equality of vision]. Would that this mind rest forever in that Blessed State!