Ishavasya Upanishad: Mantra 2

arvadhÄ«sāká¹£ibhÅ«taṁbhāvātÄ«taṁ triguṇarahitaṁsadguruṁ taṁ namāmi"I offer my most humble and respectful reverences to the Sadguru, who is the very bliss of Brahman and who brings the most sublime bliss. He is absolute, he is knowledge itself personified. Transcendental to duality, all-penetrating like the sky, and the object of the great conclusion of the Upanishads, "Thou art That”. He is one, eternal, pure and stable. He is the witness of all thoughts. He is higher than all the modifications of the mind and the body and free of the three gunas."  Sri Guru GÄ«tā (89)And I say that the disciple must open himself because the door to that which the master wants to show us is found in our innermost depths.

Abandon all kinds of dharma, abandon all action, abandon all duty, and surrender to me. I will protect you, do not fear. What must we renounce? What must we abandon?

”This way of jñāna-yoga is an invitation to lift the veil of illusion. As he walks this path, the aspirant finds within himself that which he has sought for so long.Jñāna and AjñānaJñāna —also pronounced gñāna —and ajñāna, are Sanskrit terms which refer to “knowledge” and “ignorance”, respectively.Jñāna comes from the verbal root jña, which means “to know, grasp, perceive, understand, or comprehend”. The term ajñāna is preceded by the prefix “a”, by which is meant “no”, and therefore it means the absence of knowledge or “no-knowledge”. To define the term in this way is just as if we have named “light” and “darkness” as “light” and “no-light”, respectively. Hinduism is not referring to ignorance as something that exists in itself, but as the absence of something.Jñāna is to know oneself as Brahman, to realize one’s own reality as the transcendental Self, beyond time and space. Jñāna is to know oneself without any type of intermediary. It is existential in character, inasmuch as it is not about acquiring more knowledge about oneself, but about renouncing the knowledge one has already acquired. More than providing us with information, explanations and answers, this path inspires us to inquire, urges us to doubt, and impels us to investigate ourselves and our own essence… Ajñāna means that we believe ourselves to be the doers of what is happening to us. It consists of a misconception, a false identification with the physical body, the mind, the senses, the prāṇa, and in general, with the illusory vehicles.Ajñāna is to live and act according to this erroneous conclusion that we have about ourselves and which clearly cannot lead us to a happy life.Ajñāna refers to the mind that tries to define what it perceives and, in order to do that, splits the indivisible, thereby creating an illusion or fantasy, called māyā in Sanskrit. Māyā consists in the false appearance of multiplicity, the illusory perception of diversity, of that which is in fact, "One without a second”.

कुर्वन्नेवेह कर्माणि जिजीविषेच्छत समाः ।

aitreya uvācaiti bruvānaṁ nṛpatiṁgāyakā muni-coditāḥtuṣṭuvus tuṣṭa-manasastad-vāg-amṛta-sevayā“The great sage Maitreya continued: ‘The nectarian and humble words of King Pṛthu pleased very much the reciters, who continued to glorify the monarch with prayers, according to the instructions of the great sages.’ ”We see here in the word muni-coditāḥ that the counsel and direction of the community of sages is of highest importance.The relation of the disciple to his master is of service, and it is explained in the Ādi Purana..ye me bhakta-janāḥ pārthana me bhaktāś ca te janāḥmad-bhaktānāṁ ca ye bhaktāste me bhaktatamā matāḥ “Those are not my devotees who claim to be my devotees. I only consider as my devotees those who are the servants of my devotees.”We also find this verse in the very famous Bhakti Rasāmṛta Sindhu (1. 2.208), making clear the relevance of service as the authentic medium through which we relate ourselves to the Truth.Gurukula Only by being close to the presence of a master and in silence, can we learn from him. The association with, and even the simple company of a guru develops and accelerates one’s evolution. It is for this reason that the traditional Vedic educational system was basically residential; that is to say, the disciples lived with the spiritual master, generally residing in his home. When number of disciples increased, it was called the Gurukula, or “the extended family of the Guru” since the disciples are considered the children of the spiritual master.”Gurudakṣiṇā The term gurudakṣiṇā means “the honorarium given out of respect to the guru”. According to Hinduism, it is considered that something as valuable as religious and spiritual education cannot be bought or sold. Gurudakṣiṇā is not a demand of the master, but an expression of gratitude on the part of the disciple at the moment of leaving the ashram. The master guides his disciple toward God and the disciple reciprocates, demonstrating his appreciation with material things, such as food, land, jewelry or money. It is important to understand that gifts or money are not a payment to the master, because the Truth is priceless, and thus the true debt of the disciple toward his guru can never be paid.

एवं त्वयि नान्यथेतोऽस्ति न कर्म लिप्यते नरे ॥ २॥

b. Brāhmaṇas: They are the sacrificial section of the Vedas, or the part devoted to the yajñas. The Brāhmaṇas are texts that contain detailed information, commentaries, important clarifications, and deep explanations of the different sacrifices and their significance. Later, great ṛṣis such as Manu, Nārada and Yājñavalkya gathered the kernels of knowledge in these Brāhmaṇas, and developed and elaborated on them systematically, giving rise to the sūtras. In the sūtras we find the first methodical guide concerning Vedic sacrifices as well as rituals of worship in the home. For example, in the Śrauta-sūtras, guidance is offered on how to conduct Vedic fire sacrifices such as the agni-hotra, the dārśa-paurṇa-māsya darśa-pūrṇa-māsa , the cātur-māsya, the paśu-yāga and the aśva-medha sacrifice, the rāja-sūya and the vāja-peya. For their part, the Gṛhya-sūtras offer instructions concerning the ceremonies or —family rituals —which are intended for the follower of Sanātana-dharma who is a householder. The connection of the Dharma-sūtras with the Gṛhya-sūtras is so intimate, that it can be seen as their natural continuation. The Dharma-sūtras present us with explanations concerning the appropriate conduct and duties of the individual within the context of a society that is guided according to varṇāśrama, or the conduct of the Hindu as an integral part of his community.

Para el monarca era muy significativo que todo esto ocurriera en Kurukshetra, el cual es mencionado en las escrituras védicas como un famosísimo lugar sagrado de peregrinaje. En el Sata Patha-Sruti se dice:"Kurukshetram vai deva yajanam"

 

kurvann eveha karmani

jijivishec chatam samah

evam tvayi nanyatheto 'sti

na karma lipyate nare

Kṣetra or location:The mūlādhāra-cakra is found at the very base of the spinal column, between the anus and the root of the genitals, at the intersection of the suṣumnā, iḍā andpiṅgalānāḍīs.Presiding Deities:Brahmā and Gaṇeśa.Lord Brahmā is the first deity of the tri-mūrti, the creator of the universe who was born froma lotus flower which emerged from the navel of Lord Viṣṇu.Brahmā, whose name literally means "evolution" or "development", is the deva of the four heads which face the four cardinal points orcatur-loka; theirwhite beards symbolize wisdom.Each one of their mouths recites one of the sacred Vedas. Lord Brahmā has four hands with which he holds a mālā, the text of Vedas, or pustaka, a vessel with the water of life, or kamaṇḍalu and a lotus flower or padma. His wives are Sarasvatī, the goddess of knowlege, science and the arts,and Sāvitrī, also called Gāyatrī, who is the daughter of Vivasvan or Savitṛ, the Sun-god.Lord Brahmāresides in Brahma-loka, which is situated in Mount Meru, in the Gandhamādana mountain range, in the Himalayas. The vehicle on which he is travels through the universe is haṁsa, the swan.Gaṇeśaisthe sacred deva with the head of an elephant, a son of Śiva andPārvatī.Gaṇeśa is the God of intelligence and letters. His namesGaṇeśa (Gaṇa-īśa)and Gaṇa-pati mean“Lord of theGaṇas”, or "attendants of Lord Śiva", as he was chosen as their leader by Lord Śiva Himself. The story of Lord Gaṇeśa (Śiva-purāṇa, rudra-saṁhitā chapters 13-18) begins with the birth of Skanda, the elder son of the goddess Pārvatī and LordŚiva. Due toecstasy before the arrival of their first child, her breasts shed sacred milk. Using this nectarian milk and the sandalwood paste which she used to anoint her body, she proceeded to model her second son.His mother gave him the nameofGaṇeśa, and appointed him to personally guard her, as well as the palace. The child took the order literally, so that he prevented anyone from entering the palace, even Lord Śiva Himself. At this, Śiva was so enraged that he decapitated Gaṇeśa.

As we draw near to the mantra Oṁ, we realize the silence that bursts forth from the depths of life, the melody of the soul. We discover that silence is more powerful than sound. Mantra yoga leads us to the revelation that silence is all that is, that noise and sounds arise out of silence. In this path we learn the importance of the verbal word as a manifestation of the mental word or thought. This silence that occurs when we silence the concepts is so essential to experience a sunset; this silence that is created when we still the interpretations is so essential to experience a starry night; this silence that happens when we hush the noise of the preconceived ideas is so necessary to know a human being. Only in this silence does the speaker, the speech and what has been spoken become quiet. The door towards the transcendental opens halfway, and what we encounter when passing through cannot be told because there is no one to tell it to, nor words to express it. Our authentic nature is that silence in which all the other silences become still, and fade away.

“I worship the lotus feet of the guru who awakens the happiness of the revelation of the Self. Beyond comparison, he acts like a jungle physician to pacify the illusion of the poison of existence."

 

We move through the great supermarket of the world as if we had a labeling machine, marking them with the prices we think they are worth, and calling this "human relations" or "social relations".

Śaiva-siddhānta: Accepts 28 Āgamas, of which 10 are Śivāgamas and 18 are Rudrāgamas, which are principally Pratiṣṭhā-tantras, that is to say, guides to the installation and worship of the deities in the temple.

Yoga is union with reality in the sense that its system, its words, all that is found in the revealed scriptures, our words, which we are speaking today, do not have as their object to add new information or new ideas or a new concept or doctrine or philosophy; this is not the purpose of what we are doing here, this is not the purpose of religion.

 

The four UpaVedas, which are ancillary works, or appendices to the wisdom contained in the four principal Vedas.

The literary works of Jiva Goswami comprise very important texts such as: the Hari-namamrta-vyakarana, Sutra-malika, Dhatu-sangraha, Radha-Krishna Archana Chandrika, Rasamrita-sesa, Madhava-mahotsava, Sankalpa-kalpadruma, Gopala-virudavali, Bhavartha-suchaka-champu, Gopala-tapani Upanisad, Commentary on the Brahma-samhita, Commentary on the Bhakti-rasamrita-sindhu, Commentary on the Ujjvala-nilamani, Commentary on the Yogasara-stavaka, Agni Puranastha gayatri-bhasya, Padma Puranokta Krishna-pada-padma-chihna, Sri Radhika-kara-pada-sthita-chihna, Laghu Vaishnava Toshani, Gopala-champu and the Sad Sandarbhas.The principal literary works of Raghunatha das Goswami are: Abhista-sucana, Caitanyastaka (Stavavali), Dana-keli-cintamani, Dana-nirvartana-kundastaka, Gopala-raja-stotra, Govardhana-vasa-prarthana-dasaka, Govardhanasraya-dasaka, Granthakartuh Prarthana, Harinamartha-ratna-dipika, Madana-gopala-stotra, Manah-siksa, Mukta-carita, Mukundastaka, Nava-yuva-dvandva-didriksastaka, Navastaka, Prarthanamrita, Prarthanasraya-caturdasaka, Prema-purabhidha-stotra, Premambhoja-maranda, Radha-krishna-ujjvala-kusuma-keli, Radha-kundastaka, Radhikastaka (Stavavali), Radhikastottara-sata-nama-stotra, Raghunatha-dasa-gosvaminah Prarthana, Stavavali, Sva-niyama-dasaka, Sva-sankalpa-prakasa-stotra, Utkantha-dasaka, Vilapa-kusumanjali and the Vraja-vilasa-stava.LoveIn referring to bhakti we are speaking of love. However, the identical word is seen and heard in newspapers, magazines, novels, radio, internet and television. I believe it is important to clarify that we are not referring to the same "love”.In modern society there is much talk of love, and we are overwhelmed with an excess of opinions, ideas and conclusions about it. However, it seems that the more we speak about love, the less we understand, and the more confused we become. It is very difficult to be objective about love, because by its nature, love belongs to the world of the subjective. Each person has such a different idea about love, that we may each appear to be referring to something completely different, and at times, we may doubt that we are all speaking on the same topic. Moreover, an ordinary person’s experience of love will differ greatly from that of an enlightened being.Each person experiences love at the level of his own evolution and development. We live love from where we are, just as the light that emanates from light bulbs of different voltages will be greater or lesser according to the differences in their capacities.Love is expressed on each and every one of the rungs of the evolutionary scale, from the body to the mind, the heart and the realization of the Self. It is a path that passes from the physical, through thought and feeling, to reach the existential experience of being.

Śravaṇa requires the disciple to create silence and stillness within, which consists not only in the absence of noises and sounds, but in the absence of preconceived ideas, mental vacillation, concepts, and conclusions. Certainly then, the first step on the ladder of bhakti corresponds to the cultivation of receptivity. 2. Kīrtana: means to sing the glories of the Lord. The devotee dedicates himself to the repetition of the Holy Names of God, a practice highly recommended by the Vedic scriptures. If one is a follower of Lord Kṛṣṇa, it is highly recommended to repeat the mahā-mantra: Hare Kṛṣṇa Hare Kṛṣṇa Kṛṣṇa Kṛṣṇa Hare Hare Hare Rāma Hare Rāma Rāma Rāma Hare Hare, with a rosary of tulasī called a mālā. For a devotee of Lord Śiva, it is more appropriate to repeat the mantra Oṁ namaḥ śivāya with a rosary of rudrākṣa beads.In the Bhāgavata-purāṇa (2.1.11), which is one of the most important sacred texts of the bhaktas, Śukadeva Gosvāmī says to Mahārāja Parīkṣit: etan nirvidyamānānāmicchatām akuto-bhayamyogināṁ nṛpa nirṇītaṁharer nāmānukīrtanam"O, King!, the constant singing of the Holy Names of the Lord following the path of the great spiritual authorities, is the way, without any doubt or fear, in which all can attain success, both those who are free of all mundane desires for earthly enjoyment, as well as those who are self-satisfied in the virtue of transcendental wisdom."The repetition of the Names of God is called japa and is an exceedingly important type of meditation that can be verbal or vācika-japa, semiverbal or upāṁśu-japa, or mental, mānas-japa. To sing the Names of God aloud is called saṅkīrtana. Śrī Caitanya was a famous saint who began a very important movement of saṅkīrtana five hundred years ago in Bengal, with the chanting of the mahā-mantra.

The following is a list of the various sacred Gāyatrī mantras, each of which is intended to glorify a specific deity:1.1 The Maha GayatriIn the Bhagavad-gītā (10.35), Lord Kṛṣṇa mentions this holy mantra in the following way:bṛhat-sāma tathā sāmnāṁgāyatrī chandasām ahammāsānāṁ mārga-śīrṣo ‘hamṛtūnāṁ kusumākaraḥ“Among the Vedic hymns of the Sāma-veda, I am the Bṛhat-sāma; among the Vedic hymns I am the gāyatrī; among the months I am Mārga-śīrsa; among the seasons I am the blossoming spring."Oṁ bhūr bhuvaḥ svaḥtatsaviturvareṇyaṁbhargo devasya dhīmahidhiyo yo naḥ pracodayātLet us meditate on the glory of Īśvara, the creator of the entire universe, who is an incarnation of wisdom and light, and who is the destroyer of all sins and ignorance. May He illumine our intellects.1.2. The Kṛṣṇa-gāyatrī is:oṁ devakī-nandanāya vidmahevāsudevāya dhīmahitanno kṛṣṇaḥ pracodayāt1.3. The Rādhā-gāyatrī is:oṁvṛṣabhānu-jāyai vidmahe kṛṣṇa-priyāyai dhīmahitanno rādhā pracodayāt1.4. The gāyatrī mantra of Tulasī is:oṁtulasī-devyai ca vidmaheviṣṇu-priyāyai ca dhīmahitanno bṛndaḥ pracodayāt1.5. The Nṛsiṁhadev-gāyatrī is:oṁnṛsiṁhāya vidmahevajra-nakhāya dhīmahitanno siṁhaḥ pracodayāt1.6. The Rāma-gāyatrī is:oṁdāśarathāya vidmahesītā-rāmāya dhīmahitanno rāmaḥ pracodayāt1.7. The Sītā-gāyatrī is:oṁjanaka-nandinyai vidmahebhūmi-jāyai ca dhīmahitanno sītā pracodayāt 1.8. The Hanuma-gāyatrī is:oṁāñjaneyāya vidmahemahā-balāya dhīmahitanno hanumānaḥ pracodayāt  1.9. The Gāyatrī of Lord Viṣṇu is:oṁnārāyaṇāya vidmahevāsudevāya dhīmahit

Translation:

Transcendental consciousness, the basis of all nature, is infinite creativity. According to the vision of Viśva-dharma, we are plurality in unity, we are the branches, leaves, fruits and flowers of a single tree of life.

Imagine that after thirty years, we become aware that only our limbs have grown or that just our head, tongue or ears have developed. Both individually as well as collectively, humanity is advancing, developing, growing and evolving. The problem is that this is happening in an uneven way. Hence, there is the curious phenomenon that the more we advance, the more we suffer. The greater the development, the greater the pain and disharmony. The greater the growth, the greater the problems.

bhavān bhīṣmaś ca karṇaś cakṛpaś ca samitiṁ-jayaḥaśvatthāmā vikarṇaś casaumadattis tathaiva caTranslation:There are personalities like you, Bhīṣma, Karṇa, Kṛpa, Aśvatthāmā, Vikarṇa and the son of Somadatta called Bhūriśravā, who are always victorious in battle.Commentary:As we said in the previous verse, Duryodhana continues with his strategy of flattery toward Dronacharya, evidently with the purpose of winning his favor and leading him to battle on his own side. In this verse we see that Duryodhana addresses Dronacharya naming him first, before the grandfather Bhismadeva and even before his own brother Vikarna.

In matters of religion, the most important truths are those that take place within ourselves. The spiritual master merely suggests appropriate shortcuts and paths; he simply points the way.

Acting in the world according to this wisdom, one can aspire to live a hundred years and action shall not restrict your freedom.

Therefore it is not a relationship of a “lover” and a “beloved”, because the existence of the lover and the beloved is interdependent. Only for as long as the devotee continues to exist as “someone”, will Īṣvara continue to exist.Kṛṣṇa says in the Bhagavad Gita (11.54)Bhaktyā tv anayayā śakyaAham evaṁ-vidho ‘rjunajnātuṁ draṣṭuṁ ca tattvenapraveṣṭuṁ ca parantapa“But only through integral devotion, is it possible to see me in this form, know me and also enter into Me. O! Arjuna! Destroyer of enemies!”The path of bhakti begins with the worship of a divine form and blossoms into knowledge and wisdom, until it finally penetrates the mystery of existence, the Self, God…the mystery of this “Me” that Lord Kṛṣṇa speaks of, lying in the most intimate part of our being. Bhakti is this penetration that Lord Kṛṣṇa is describing. Love for the Self, of the Self, in the Self, from the Self and through the Self-- is experienced deep within…in the depths, where the blessed Self reveals Itself in Itself, as absolute love.

..” Śravaṇa refers to systematic study with a trustworthy guru over a long period of time. The Vedic scriptures advise us to study directly with a qualified spiritual master. In the Kaṭhopaniṣad (1.3.14) it is said:uttiṣṭhata jāgrataprāpya varān nibodhatakṣurasya dhārā niśitā duratyayādurgaṁ pathas tat kavayo vadanti“Arise, awake; having found the great illuminated masters, attain understanding The seers say the path is narrow and as sharp as a razor.”Information or knowledge can be acquired with the aid of a book, courses or professors, but wisdom will only flourish in nearness to a spiritual master and in close association with him.Books, courses, knowledge and information can be of some help as advance preparation for the moment we find our eternal guru. Through books, however, it is not possible to realize the Self. In order to situate ourselves in śravaṇa, it is essential to become still, to empty our mind of preconceived ideas and concepts. The authentic disciple is pure and total receptivity.2. Manana or ‘reflection’:mananaṁ tu śrutasyādvitīya-vastuno vedāntānuguṇa-yuktibhir anavaratam anucintanam"Manana is the uninterrupted contemplation, through reasoning according to Vedānta, of the nondual Brahman of which one has heard." (Vedānta-sāra, verse 191)“…Manana must be practiced until all the doubts about what must be correctly known (prameya), the Self, have been resolved through the explanation of the scriptures by a firm comprehension of the reality of the Self” (Bhāṣya on Bṛhad-āraṇyakopaniṣad by Śaṅkarācārya, verse 2.4.5)A serious and deep contemplation of the truths springing forth from the lips of sad-guru transforms the unseen into the palpable. The teachings of the spiritual master must be assimilated until they dissolve all doubt. While doubts persist, we maintain our defenses and we continue to resist the truth. Skepticism is a defense mechanism of the mind. Mana na means in Sanskrit “negation of the mind” it is not another speculative process that strengthens and fortifies the mind. It is impossible to understand the Truth through the mind, but we can become aware of it through the mind. Manana is actually a mental process, but a self-destructive one.

It is very important to understand that textual scholarship is not always a synonym for deep understanding. Though a library contains numerous books and a large quantity of data and information, it lacks intelligence. The memorization of verses does not imply their comprehension. The fact that we remember many poems and are capable of reciting them does not necessarily turn us into poets. What is really important is not the memorization of sacred literature, but developing the capacity to be absorbed in each word, in every phrase, and every teaching of the enlightened beings.

In this way, our actions may become more sophisticated, but our slavery will keep us at an internal standstill. As long as we try to reach a goal, there will be the structure of jñāna ("knowledge"),cikīrṣā or desire, pravṛtti or the will to act, ceṣtā or motor effect, and action or kārya. Karma is a result of a process composed of these factors.Types of karmaNegative, positive, and combined karma. The sage Patañjali Maharṣi writes in his Yoga-sūtras (4.7) that karma can be of a negative, positive or combined character.karmāśuklākṛṣṇaṁ yoginas trividham itareṣām"For the yogi, karma is neither white nor black; for others it can be of three types, (white, black, or gray)."1. Negative karmatatra kṛṣṇā durātmanām“There, black (karma) is of the sinful ones.” (Yoga-sūtra-bhāṣya of Vyāsa on sūtra 4.7)Negative reactions are generated by activities that damage, injure and create separation. He who acts violently and aggressively, humiliating and offending others and causing pain, must not be surprised or protest if their response is equally hostile.On subtler levels of thought and feeling, negative karma stems from a depressive attitude toward life. Looking for weaknesses in others, searching for their faults, and judging and condemning can lead to depression, psychological disorders and mental illnesses.The result of negative karma will be birth into lower forms of life. Evil actions lead to degradation in the evolutionary spiritual process.2. Positive KarmaPositive karma consists in good actions. However, one should not confuse good or charitable actions with karma-yoga. Although goodness elevates us, transforming us into celestial beings, it can only lead to happiness; not transcendental bliss. Good actions can bring us positive karmatic results, but in karma-yoga, we transcend all results. A karma-yogī is not “good” but transcendental, because he does not create good karma but renounces it completely.Philanthropy and performing voluntary work for charitable organizations is not necessarily karma-yoga. Not every activity that seems beneficial can be categorized as karma-yoga. Throughout history, tyrants and dictators have considered the murder of millions of people to be a service to humanity. Nuclear weapons are being developed by world powers in the belief that it serves their national interest.

 

Music can truly be appreciated only by those souls who have attained purity, who have been stripped of all worldliness, and who see in this path towards the Self, a door to God.More than a matter of intellectual study, nāda-yoga is a wisdom that blossoms from a certain direct and existential experience, which is confirmed in theHaṭha-yoga-pradīpikā, (4.65):aśakya-tattva-bodhānāṁmūḍhānām api saṁmatamproktaṁ gorakṣanāthenanādopāsanam ucyate“Now is described the practice of nāda, which was delivered by Gorakṣanātha, and which can be accepted even by those who are incapable of understanding the principles of the Truth and who are illiterate”.And in the following verse (4.66) we read:śrī ādināthena sapāda-koṭi-laya-prakārāḥ kathitā jayantinādānusandhānakam ekam evamanyāmahe mukhya-tamaṁ layānām"Śrī Ādināntha mentions twelve and a half million ways to reach laya, but we think that the only way is nādānusandhānak, or the exploration of nāda."The divine sound Divinity Itself describes itself as a sound or vibration in this interesting verse from the Bhagavad-gītā (7.8):raso ‘ham apsu kaunteyaprabhāsmi śaśi-sūryayoḥpraṇavaḥ sarva-vedeṣuśabdaḥ khe pauruṣaṁ nṛṣu"¡O, son of Kuntī!, I am the taste of water, the light of both the Sun and the Moon, the sacred Oṁ of the Vedic mantras; I am the sound of ether and the ability of man.”In the Haṭha-yoga-pradīpikā (4.1), its author Svātmārāma refers to the Ultimate Reality as being of the nature of nāda, bindu and kalā:namaḥ śivāya guravenāda-bindu-kalātmanenirañjana-padaṁ yātinityaṁ tatra parāyaṇaḥ"Our humble reverences to Śiva, the guru and spiritual master, who is considered nāda, bindu and kalā. He who is constantly dedicated to Him realizes the eternal, transcendental and pure state.”According to nāda-yoga, the entire universe is vibration, from the atom and the cell at the microcosmic level, to the planets and galaxies at the macrocosmic level. According to this ancient path of realization, the entire cosmic manifestation is the projection of a sound vibration. All creation is sound vibrating at different frequencies. Thus, modern science today has reached the same conclusions that Sanatana-dharma has taught for thousands of years.

Commentary:

The candidates for initiation into the process of bhakti yoga can be divided into three levels:The Bhāgavata-purāṇa describes this process with exquisite beauty (1.2.18-21):naṣṭa-prāyeṣv abhadreṣunityaṁ bhāgavata-sevayābhagavaty uttama-ślokebhaktir bhavati naiṣṭhikī"Through service to the saints, just as through the study of the scriptures, our demonic inclinations are annihilated and at the same time constant devotion develops towards God.”tadā rajas-tamo-bhāvāḥkāma-lobhādayaś ca yeceta etair anāviddhaṁsthitaṁ sattve prasīdati“Then, the mind ceases to be affected by the instinctive passions produced by rajas and tamas, such as covetousness and lust, and they become calm when the mind is established in sattva.”evaṁ prasanna-manasobhagavad-bhakti-yogataḥbhagavat-tattva-vijñānaṁmukta-saṅgasya jāyate“Thus, in one whom devotion has lead to purity and serenity, the intuition of the Supreme Self manifests as an absolute Reality and he is liberated from all forms of mundane attachment.”bhidyate hṛdaya-granthiśchidyante sarva-saṁśayāḥkṣīyante cāsya karmāṇidṛṣṭa evātmanīśvare“When the Supreme Soul is realized in oneself, the knots of the heart that create the sensation of separation are disentangled; doubts disappear and the accumulated karma with its fruits comes to an end.”ĪśvaraĪśvara means “the supreme controller of nature,” so that this word holds within itself the monotheistic aspect of Hinduism. Īśvara is the personal aspect of God, the supreme Self. Our understanding of bhakti-yoga depends on the proper understanding of this word, without which we will stagnate at the very basic and elemental levels of bhakti.Here God is being referred to as omnipotent, omniscient and omnipresent. For the Vaishnavas, He is Vishnu or Krishna, and for the Saivas He is Shiva. Seen from the dual platform, He is Brahman. Īśvara is the Absolute seen from the relative, the Divine observed from the human.In the Pancadaśī (3.37) it says:S

Just as the message of the first mantra of this great little work addresses the yogi who has undertaken the path of wisdom, this second verse addresses the karma-yogi or the individual that follows the path of action. The Upanishad presents us with a vision in which these two complement each other.

 As well in the sacred Bhagavad-gītā (16. 24) Lord Kṛṣṇa says very clearly…tasmāc chāstraṁ pramāṇaṁ tekāryākārya-vyavasthitaujnātvā śāstra-vidhānoktaṁkarma kartum ihārhasi“Therefore, sacred scriptures are the authority for you to decide what should and should not be done. You should do the actions prescribed in the sacred scriptures after analyzing them properly.”If we analyze the different requirements that the Sanātana-dharma demands of a person in order to take on the responsibility of being an authentic spiritual master, reviewing the scriptures we encounter, among the principle ones, the requirement of a deep knowledge and an elevated level of understanding of them. It is expected that the guru will have certain erudition in the śāstras, as is stated in the Hari-bhakti-vilāsa (1. 45-46):kṛpā-sindhuḥ susampūrṇaḥsarva-sattvopakārakaḥniṣpṛhaḥ sarvataḥ siddhaḥsarva-vidyā-visāradaḥsarva-samśaya-sancchettānalaso gurur āhṛtaḥ"A spiritual master should be a person who is an ocean of compassion, who always encounters satisfaction in the Self, who works for the well-being of others, who does not desire sensual enjoyment, who is expert in the scriptures, who removes all the doubts of his followers, and who does not neglect his duties."And as is stated in the Dvayopaniṣad (1.4):ācinoti hi śāstrārthānācāra-sthāpanād apisvayam ācarate yas tutasmād ācārya ucyate"He who has understood the essence of the Vedic literature and also instructs others through his words and by his personal example, should be called an ācārya or spiritual master."Śaṅkarācārya, in his commentary on verse 50 of chapter 18 of the Bhagavad-gītā clearly expresses his opinion:"Certainly self-knowledge is unattainable by those who have not been properly initiated in the traditional knowledge by the guru, those who have not learned and studied the teaching of the Vedānta, whose intellect is absorbed in the external objects of the senses, and who have not been trained in the sources of correct knowledge.

He also knew very well that Arjuna can decide to go back to the desert, to the forest, something that in a certain moment does arise in Arjuna's mind. This desire or hope, a logical one according to the rules of human mind, is what that the monarch seeks in his question. However, the king did not take into consideration the participation of Lord Krishna, the perfect spiritual master, the presence of the transcendental, who is absolutely beyond any vice and virtue, who ordered Arjuna to fight, to go beyond vice, but also beyond virtue; to fight as a service to Divinity...

Man is the only being on this planet whose development and evolution have led him to ignore his role within the cosmic order. Due to this disconnection, he has disturbed the balance of this order. In a certain sense then, one could say that the history of humanity is the history of foolishness, because although the leap from the instinctive to the Divine is essential and indispensable—and part of authentic evolution—it also inevitably brings with it human stupidity. Although this is not an indication of development, it still implies a movement away from the animal.

Dhritarashtra dijo: Oh Sanjaya, habiéndose reunido, mis hijos y los hijos de Pandu, en el campo de batalla de Kurukshetra con deseos de luchar, ¿qué están haciendo?

 

“O man! You should always ascend, never fall.” Atharva-Veda (8.1.6)

“The ṛṣis are speakers of the truth.”

"Acting in the world according to this wisdom"... We do not know something just because we have it stored in our mind our or due to its being part of our memory. In religion, we only know that according to which we live and act. Only while acting and living according to this wisdom, we really know it. If the only requirement to be religious in our religion was knowledge of the scriptures, Max Muller had been an Acarya. Nobody possesses real knowledge of the holy Vedic scriptures without displaying ahimsa or "non-violence", satya or "truthfulness", and perfect brahmacarya or "celibacy", the true wisdom and evolution is expressed by our behavior...

16) Kṛṣṇa declares:Catur-vidhā bajante māṁjanāḥ sukṛtino ‘rjunaārto jijnāsur arthārthījnānī ca bharatarṣabha“O, you, the best of the Bhāratas! Four classes of pious men worship me: the afflicted, he that desires riches, the seeker of the Truth and he who has realized the Truth.”Those who approach God to worship Him can be divided into four classes: ārta, jijnāsu, arthārthī and jnānī. All these have the sufficient level of development to recognize God and worship him. However, there are differences in their attitudes.1. Ārta bhakta: Ārti is a Sanskrit word that means sorrow, pain, and sadness. Ārtah refers to someone who suffers the sorrow caused by a theft, a disease, a tragedy or a tiger. The Ārta bhakta is one who feels utterly unprotected, is desperate for help and pleading for the support of the Lord.2. Jijnāsu bhakta: is a devotee in whom questions about the true meaning of life have awakened. He experiences a lack of the meaning in the search for success in society’s terms. He may have material possessions, but in his soul he perceives the emptiness of a life lacking in spirituality. The jijnāsu bhakta perceives that life’s purpose cannot be mere sensual pleasure. This class of devotee is highly elevated, because he has questions about the very essence of God. A devotee like this understands the meaning of the Vedanta-sutra, athāto brahma jijnāsā, “now is the moment for us to inquire about the Absolute Truth”.3. Arthārthī bhakta: in Sanskrit, artha means ‘the desired’ and this refers especially to wealth, power or children. This class of devotee approaches the Supreme Lord seeking family, wealth and fame.4. Jnānī bhakta: the fully enlightened pure devotee who has directly realized the authentic essence of Kṛṣṇa as his own pure subjectivity, the sage who has realized God’s nature as Parameśwara dwelling in the depths of everyone and everything. Only the Jnānī bhakta can be considered a genuine, pure devotee.

"The hazards of bhakti-yogaAs with everything in life, each spiritual path presents both great benefits and advantages, as well as drawbacks and risks if not adequately understood. In the path of devotion, the desire to desire God is our protector. If we hold on to desires for anything less than this aspiration for the divine, we will face difficulties.One of the greatest dangers in the path of love is confusing God with a means of becoming close to him. When we direct our love towards the means and disregard the end, we create one of the most serious problems in the devotional path. When we place our attention solely on the vehicles, and not on their destination, we lay the foundations for fanaticism.When our attention is reduced to temples, clothing, communities, denominations, laws, followers or fundraising, we turn religion into a simple “temple-ism”. It is this attitude that has contributed to the proliferation of atheism in the world. It is sad to see people, supposedly religious, who appear more attached to their group or religious denomination, to their “ism”, than to God.Religious fanaticism is expressed as attachment towards one’s own religion and contempt towards others, and is one of the great diseases suffered by institutionalized religions around the world. The Sanatana-dharma religion has always been open to accepting wisdom regardless of the saint or religion which is its source, as is indicated in the Ṛg Veda (I. 89.i),ā no bhadrāḥ kratavo yantu viśvataḥ“Allow right knowledge to come to us from any direction.”Religion has not been preserved thanks to temples, churches, mosques or synagogues, but thanks to those who love. Nevertheless, there is in our world today, enough religion for us to hate, quarrel with, attack and destroy one another, yet a shortage of religion that enables us to accept, comprehend, and love each other. The name of God appears mixed too often in conflicts, wars and terrorism: wars between the “Party of God”, or “Hezbollah”, against the “chosen people of God”, and terrorists volunteering to explode themselves in order to kill innocent people, while shouting “God is great.

By referring to Lord Krishna as Madhava or the husband of the Goddess of Fortune, Arjuna is begging the Lord to save him from the misfortune of being obliged to participate in this battle and suffer all of the misfortunes that he foresees.

ām imāṁ puṣpitāṁ vācaṁpravadanty avipaścitaḥveda-vāda-ratāḥ pārthanānyad astīti vādinaḥkāmātmānaḥ svarga-parājanma-karma-phala-pradāmkriyā-viśeṣa-bahulāṁbhogaiśvarya-gatiṁ pratiThe ignorant people become too attached to the floury words of the Vedas, which recommend different fruitful activities with the object of reaching elevation to celestial planets, getting good birth, power and so on. As they are anxious to enjoy the senses and have an opulent life, they say this is all there is.In this text of the Gita we advised specifically not to convert in eternal slaves of a book... however, many exaggerate and think that Krishna is inciting us to throw away the sacred scriptures, and to abandon any kind of holy books. In this verse, Narada gives us the proper guidance in this matter...Religious and spiritual life, mysticism, consists in an occult terrain for those who live in ignorance... he who ignores it is as if he did not see...Sacred Scriptures are maps for the blind... and like maps their utility is greater for those who do not know the path. They are valuable help in the path of the soul and should not be underestimated...For the enlightened one, for he who realized, the scriptures have a different utility... they are like maps in the hands of those who know the land, just as lord Krishna affirms in the Bhagavad-gita (2:46)yāvān artha udapānesarvataḥ samplutodaketāvān sarveñu vedeñubrāhmaṇasya vijānataḥAll the purposes that a small well fulfills, can be easily fulfilled by a great reservoir of water. Similarly, any purpose that the Vedas fulfill can be fulfilled by he who realized Brahman, which is its own essence.However it is important to understand that scriptures can be transcended, but they should never be broken... liberty is not the same as libertinism...A

 

His Holiness Śrī Śrīmad Naraharidās Bābājī Mahārāja

Our comprehension is displayed in our conduct...

f. Jyotiṣa: Vedic astrology and astronomy. This discipline acquires special importance when determining the propitious moment to carry out a specific sacrifice.

Our actions are the most faithful reflection of our development...

In a similar way, through appropriate suggestions and mental messages it is possible to calm muscles that are tired and tense. Relaxation carried out in an attentive and relaxed way, helps to restore the energetic balance of the body, noticeably improving the quality of life. Its practice renews the energy of the organism when it depleted and even prolongs life. 2.         Relaxation in the emotional and mental aspects: Few can relax the mind in a conscious way. Yoga offers us an essential key by teaching that the body and the mind are two aspects of the same phenomenon and that the state of one is directly tied to the other. In this way, we can consciously induce a state of mental calmness through muscular relaxation. The physical body provides us with a path that allows us to influence more subtle spheres of our reality, mental as well as emotional.3.        Spiritual relaxation: Although relaxation brings repose to our physical body, and a certain calmness in the mental and emotional spheres, we realize that true peace is of the soul. Mental and physical relaxation are actually a preparation for spiritual relaxation to happen. The mind can be calmed, but cannot experience peace. Peace is the absence of the mind. Peace is a state in which the constant movement of the thoughts is completely stopped. Spiritual relaxation is only possible when we disidentify with the body and the mind. It means the discovery of our authentic nature as Pure Consciousness. Spiritual relaxation is repose in the Self, it is to relax in God, it is reserved for the great souls who have achieved an elevated level of interior cleanliness and have been graced with purity (photo number 220).The astral bodyThe human being is a multidimensional structure and there are various sheaths that envelop his soul: the physical body, called in Sanskrit the anna-maya-kośa, the astral body, called the liṅga-śarÄ«ra or sÅ«ká¹£ma-śarÄ«ra, and which includes three layers, and the causal body or kāraṇa-śarÄ«ra, with its sheath of bliss called the ānanda-maya-kośa.

According to the way most of us usually think of it, study consists in the accumulation of information and the storing up of knowledge; therefore a good memory is very useful for this effect. However, possessing a large quantity of information does not make a person more developed, evolved, or intelligent than others, and much less a sage. Our knowledge has not been a great help to humanity: we know a great deal about war, but not how to avoid it, we know enough about science and technology to destroy the planet, and we know the exact causes of our self-destruction, but we do not know how to stop it, with our information and knowledge we can go to other planets or destroy the world but we cannot love more, we cannot be more compassionate or more generous people. The fact that I know a lot about sports does not transform me into a sports star; neither does knowing about art make me an artist. Similarly, those of us who dedicate ourselves to religion and spirituality should be careful, because the fact that we have memorized a large number of verses and ślokas of the sacred scriptures does not indicate anything with respect to our spiritual level. Information and the knowledge are superficial, they only reach our mind and our intellect, but they don’t reach us.There are those who are illiterate, but not ignorant, and there are those who are ignorant, but with a highly well-informed ignorance. Studying is of schools, high schools, universities, professors, doctors, students, note-takers, the intellect and the mind, while learning involves observation, reflection and meditation. The study of the sacred scriptures and the Self is far more related to learning than to what we ordinarily think of as studying.While learning is a matter of attention and observation, study only involves the intellect and memory. Study and instruction are the training or drilling of our minds, it is a process of programming to which we submit at a very early age with the objective of converting us into efficient and useful people, which would be excellent if we were computers or robots, instead of human beings.

Sanatana-dharma is not about information, but it is a complete existential transformation.

También en el Javalopanishad 1: 2 se describe al lugar de Kurukshetra como un Yajna-sthali, es decir, un lugar destinado a sacrificios, tanto para los devatas o semidioses, como para todas las entidades vivientes. En el Sat-Patha Brahmana se dice:

1.4. The Atharva-Veda or “The Veda of Atharvā.” Its name derives from an ancient Vedic sage or ṛṣi named Atharvā, who was the compiler of the greater part of this Veda, while other portions are attributed to the ṛṣi Aṅgiras. It consists of 731 sūktas. This text does not represent the religion of the priesthood, but rather, the religion of the people. It covers diverse topics which are highly practical and pertain to the home, including a large collection of approximately 6,000 mantras and hymns whose vibrations are particularly intended to preserve good health and to prolong life.

However, only the tenth sound, the sound of the clap of thunder, will lead to inner peace. Finally the yogi perceives the anāhata-nāda, or silent sound. The term anāhata means “unstruck” or "without vibration” indicating that it is not an audible sound produced by the striking, hitting or friction of two physical bodies.  Anāhata is the soundless or inaudible sound. It is an endless sound, because it has no beginning and no end. In passing through the vocal chords and being pronounced by our lips, anāhata-nāda becomes ahata-nāda.Clearly, what is really significant is not simply listening to certain sounds, but what occurs in this final state. As we bring our attention within, we ultimately find the inaudible sound oranāhata-nāda at the very core of our existence. It is the first expression of God, the most basic and immediate of the blessed Self, before name and form. The final stage is laya, absorption or dissolution of all that we believe ourselves to be, in the anāhata-nāda .The world of forms is also one of sounds; our relative reality reverberates. Just as we possess the capacity to perceive forms and sounds, we can perceive their absence as well. The yogi disappears into this sound of silence… it is there that the individual disappears and enters into the realm of the immortal.Vedic MusicVedic music emanated directly from the Vedas and it is exclusively dedicated to religion. In Vedic society, the original aim of music and singing was not the entertainment of the masses, but the glorification of God.The ancient Vedic sages, from their transcendental experience, discovered rules that together constitute a perfect musical language, combining the sounds with silences and using the fundamental principles of melody, harmony and rhythm. The Vedic musical system resembles no other musical system in the world. The art of Vedic music was professed by Lord Kṛṣṇa Himself, who established it as an art of divine origin.The sargam or ‘scale’ is composed of seven notes, corresponding with the seven chakras. The musical notes are called in Sanskrit svara, a word that is derived from two different terms, svayam and rañjakam, which combined together mean “that which is pleased by itself.

To act in the world according to this wisdom means to live "simple but elevated life"...

“May our actions be congruent, may our hearts be harmonious, may our opinions be similar. In this way shall we prosper and be truly blissful.”

 

Search... as one who feels in the depths of his soul a thirst to find, an overwhelming thirst, but without any ambition to arrive at a set aim or a particular goal. Search without any hopes to attain an ideal or achieve results, without the longing to reach anywhere. Because blessed are the souls who, even upon finding, never give up their search.

.. El apego se origina en aquella sensación que algo nos falta, el apego busca conseguir algo, obtener a alguien... poseerle...Amar es renunciar, es realizar que el verdadero problema no es lo que falta sino lo que está de más... es ser tal y como eres...Es importante no olvidar que amar es renunciar, pero más todavía que renunciar es amar ... al adentrarnos en el sendero de la religión y aceptar la orden de vida renunciante, o sannyas, es esencial no ver superficialmente sólo el aspecto negativo o el "no" del celibato ...Lo que trato de decir es que ser sannyas no se trata sólo de quedarse soltero o no tener contacto sexual con el sexo opuesto...Sannyas es un romance divino, una relación amorosa con Dios, si una mujer casada le es fiel a su marido o si un marido comprende que debe ser fiel a su esposa, ¿cómo no va a ser fiel aquel cuya pareja es la Divinidad?...Es decir que la renunciación no será una represión si es una expresión de nuestro amor y devoción a Dios...

In Bhagavad-gita (3.16) we read:

evam pravartitam cakram

nanuvartayatiha yahaghayur indriyaramo

mogham partha sa jivati

Although when we sit on the beach to watch the sea we see waves, froth and bubbles, in the end, we know that the ocean is water, and because it is water, all that is born from it will essentially be... water...

We interpret our body as an organism because we see that a mutual dependence exists, for example, between the brain and the muscles, between the heart and the lungs. However, it is difficult for us to accept that there also exists interdependence between the body and oxygen, between water and food, the Earth and the planets of the solar system, and between the sun and the galaxies.

Reaction is competence, while action is art. When I say that we should open our hearts and fall in love with life, I am not referring to certain sentiments towards flowers and trees, or to an attachment to animals, or the stars. In suggesting that we engage in a romance with life, I am particularly referring to the way that we relate to the present moment, to the now. To call someone a “friend” just to receive some benefit is not friendship. To marry for financial reasons is not love. If our relationship with the present moment is founded on self-interest, if we only use the now to acquire certain advantages, we cannot define such a relationship as being of friends or lovers. Instead of the selfish pursuit of what this moment may provide in the form of some future result, I suggest we develop an attitude of friendship and love towards the present moment. If we do, the hue of our life will change from the color of exploitation to that of a divine romance.The path of action leads us by the hand to the direct realization that the now cannot be utilized as a means to reach tomorrow. What is cannot be utilized as a means to attain what we wish would be.Simply because the past will never return, the future will never take place and if any day arrives, then it will simply be...the present… only this moment “is”, and this moment is the Whole. Action is born from what is and it is related to what is, as it is.Karma-yoga and creativityCreativity means to create the new, the fresh, the singular, the unique, the original. One of the best ways to understand creativity is to come into contact and associate with the creative. When we listen to the “Tocata and Fugue in D minor” by Johann Sebastian Bach, or the “Nocturn 20” of Frederick Chopin; if we read “Poem 15” by Pablo Neruda, or “Gitanjali” by Rabindranath Tagore, or look at the paintings of Paul Gaugin or Salvador Dali, we are aware that we are encountering  something unique.

Vac is prayer. Prayer is the dialogue of the human being with the divine, it is the communication of man with divinity. Within the present context I am referring to prayer as the verbal offering of the emotions and sentiments of our heart to the Lord. Therefore, we should not be surprised that the Ṛg-veda frequently relates the term vāc to prayer. In the Ṛg Veda (7.26.1) we encounter as an example a verse in which the primary importance of the hymns within sacrifice is indicated:na soma indram asuto mamāda nābrahmāṇo maghavānaṁ sutāsaḥtasmā uktham janaye yajjujoṣan nṛvannavīyaḥ sṛṇavaḍ yathā naḥ“Unpressed Soma never delights Indra, nor do the pressed juices delight Maghavan if not accompanied by the hymns. For him I prefer a newer and manly hymn which he may like, so that he may listen to us.”The following verse from the Ṛg-veda (1. 40. 6) employs the word vāc to refer to prayer, explaining that only a prayer without errors will be auspicious:tam id vocemā vidatheṣu ṣambhuvaṁ mantraṁ devā anehasamimām ca vācam pratiharyathā naro viśved vāmā vo aśnavat“We will recite, oh gods, that prayer, which is auspicious (and) faultless, in the sacrifices, and you, the heroes, enjoy this speech delightfully, so that it will obtain all good of you.”However, prayer is not a means to manipulate heaven to satisfy our caprices and desires. Rather, through prayer we transform ourselves into apt instruments for transforming the desires of the Lord into reality.Prayer is not intended to make God change His mind, nor to manipulate God, but to change the one who prays.The power of Vāc to affect and influence the cosmic order is intimately connected with sacrifice. The power of sound in the process of the creation of the universe has been mentioned. The Vedic sacrifices consist in specific acts of worship performed in a systematic way intended to influence the gods with the object of attaining specific results. Vāc is the creative powerof Prajapati, creator father of the universal manifestation, as is reflected in the following verse of theṚg Veda (10.

"He who is uncooperative in maintaining the cycle of Vedic sacrifices, and who only enjoys the sensory pleasures, such a person only lives in vain."

These limbs are intended to serve as a support to the sadhaka on his way along this yogic path. It is not recommended to practice just one or two of these aṅgas when they are disconnected from their organic context, which can lead to fanaticism. The 16aṅgas are:1. Bhakti or devotion: Bhakti consists of a deep longing or love for the divine. In relation to the three modalities of material nature, or gunas, devotion can be tamasic, rajasic or sattvic. Bhakti is divided into three stages: Gauṇī-bhakti, the preparatory stage, Madhyama-bhakti or the intermediate level, and Para-bhakti or the transcendental stage.bhaktis tu tri-vidhā jñeyāvaidhī rāgātmikā parādeve paro ‘nurāgas tubhaktiḥ samprocyate budhaiḥ"“There are three kinds of bhakti, viz. vaidhi-bhakti, rāgātmikā-bhakti and parā-bhakti. Exclusive attachment towards one’s own deity is called bhakti by persons of serene mind.”(Mantra-yoga-saṁhitā, 32.1)vidhinā yā vinirṇīāniṣedhena tathā punaḥsādhyamānā ca yā dhīraiḥsā vaidhī bhaktir ucyate“Determined by procedural restrictions and feasibility is the bhakti called vaidhī, which can be practised by the resolute ones.” (Mantra-yoga-saṁhitā, 32.2)yayā ‘‘svādya rasān bhakterbhāve majjati sādhakaḥrāgātmikā sā kathitābhakti-yoga-viśāradaiḥ“Infusing sense of devotion the bhakti which absorbs a sādhaka in a particular attachment is called rāgātmikā.”(Mantra-yoga-saṁhitā, 32.3)parā ‘‘nanda-pradā bhaktiḥparā bhaktir matā budhaiḥyā prāpyate samādhi-sthairyogibhir yoga-pāragaiḥ“The bhakti providing paramānanda (Supreme Bliss) is called parā-bhakti, which a yogi adept in yoga obtains in the state of samādhi.” (Mantra-yoga-saṁhitā, verse 32.4)2. Śuddhi or puritykāya-citta-diśā-sthāna-bhedācchuddhiś catur-vidhāsthāna-śuddhiś ca dik-śuddhirbāhya-śuddhis tathaiva ca antaḥ-śuddhir iti proktāstāś catasro yathā-kramam“On the basis of differentiation of kāyā (body), mana (mind), dik (quarters), and sthāna (place) śuddhi is of four kinds. These are called in the order – sthāna-śuddhi, dik-śuddhi, bāhya (external, of kāyā)-śuddhi and antaḥ (mana)-śuddhi.” (Mantra-yoga-saṁhitā, 33.

Transforming bhoga into yogaSensual enjoyment is generally considered to be an obstacle on the path that leads to liberation. By contrast, the path of tantra teaches us that that enjoyment can be directed towards enlightenment. In this way, it is a way of liberation that offers us a fusion between pravṛtti, or "the positive use of the material conditions” and nivṛtti or "the renunication of the material conditions, a harmony between pleasure and renunciation. As a result, tantra possesses the capacity to transform bhoga, or sensual enjoyment, into yoga, just as is shown in the Kulārṇava-tantra (2. 23, 24):yogī cen naiva bhogī syādbhogī cen naiva yoga-vitbhoga-yogātmakaṁ kaulaṁtasmāt sarvādhikaṁ priye“Oh Beloved, (in other systems it is said that) if someone is a yogi then he will not be a bhogī (sensual person) and if he is a bhogī he will not be a knower of yoga. The Kula system has both worldly enjoyment and yoga, therefore it is superior.”bhogo yogāyate sākṣātpātakaṁ sukṛtāyatemokṣāyate ca saṁsārḥkula-dharme kuleśvari“O Kuleśvarī, in the Kula-dharma worldly pleasures (bhoga) actually become yoga, sin becomes merit and the world becomes the state of liberation.”Tantra accepts that in reality, all is divine. Therefore, it does not reject anything that is in us, any aspect of our reality, but tries to accept, to transform and purify everything. As such, one does not reject one world for the other; one does not renounce happiness here with the aim of obtaining happiness in the hereafter, as is expressed in the Mahā-nirvāṇa-tantra (2. 20):nānyaḥ panthā mukti-heturihāmutra sukhāptayeyathā tantrodito mārgomokṣāya ca sukhāya ca “There is no other path which brings liberation and the attainment of happiness in this world and the next, like the path taught by the Tantra, which leads to both liberation and happiness.”Tantra does not reject the part in its search for the Whole, but it is a holistic wisdom that invites us to discover the “macro” through the observation of the “micro”, the eternal through the temporal, the One through the diversity, the ocean through the drop, the Whole through the individual, and the Transcendental within this world.

In this stage, one realizes that it is impossible to conceive of anything of more value; one is not shaken, even in great misery.

” (Viveka-cūḍāmaṇi, verse 24)   nivartitānām eteṣāṁ tad-vyatirikta-viá¹£ayebhya uparamaṇam uparatir athavāvihitānāṁ karmaṇāṁ vidhinā parityāgaḥ“Uparati is the cessation of these external organs so restrained, from the pursuit of objects other than the ones pertaining to them; or it may mean the abandonment of the prescribed works according to scriptural injunctions.” (Vedānta-sāra, verse 21)The word uparati stems from uparam or “to cease acting, to be calm" and it consists in withdrawing and separating oneself from temptations, an abstinence from those activities not essential for the maintenance of the body or our spiritual life. For this reason, it also consists in renouncing the belief in the ego as the “actor” or “doer”.Uparati is a state in which one overcomes the dualities that affect most people, such as pleasure and pain, honor and shame, happiness and sorrow, diversion and boredom, what is agreeable and what is disagreeable. Only he who detaches himself from the pairs of opposites— from attractions and repulsions—will enjoy the steadiness indispensible for the student.Uparati is to refrain from thinking about objects that have been enjoyed in the past. It is the conscious effort to resist stimuli which come from outside. The mind does not react to external stimuli… from this we can clearly see that uparati consists in a resistance to bad habits. However, it is a struggle against our vices and previously acquired habits, not against our true nature. It is not about escaping from society; it is a way of seeing the world, not with worldly eyes, but with the vision of the soul.3d. Titikṣā or tolerance:sahanaṁ sarva-duḥkhānāmapratÄ«kārā-pÅ«rvakamcintā-vilāpa-rahitaṁsā titikṣā nigadyate“The capacity to withstand affliction with resignation and without rebelling is titikṣā, or tolerance.” (Viveka-cūḍāmaṇi, verse 24)titikṣā śītoṣṇādi-dvandva-sahiṣṇutā “Titikṣā is the endurance of heat and cold and the other pairs of opposites.

 

I also wish to deeply thank those great souls by whose personal association my spirit has been inspired to soar towards the light:

athitā muni-puṅgavaiḥ“Being helpful in mantra-yoga, chiefly only two postures (āsanas) have been accepted, which are svastikāsana and padmāsana. Āsana-śuddhi (purification of āsana) is done by differentiation of āsana, purification of āsana and practice of āsana. The object on which a sādhaka should sit has been variously specified by the sages in Vedas and tantras..." (Mantra-yoga-saṁhitā, 38.1-2)4.Pañca-aṅga-sevana or the service of the five aṅgas or limbs: Pañca-aṅga-sevana consists in the daily reading of the Bhagavad-gitā and the Sahasra-nāma, or "thousand names of God", as well as the recitation of stavana, or chants of glorification; kavaca, or mantras for protection; and hṛdaya, or hymns of glorification to our Iṣṭa-deva, which are intended to open the heart.The natural consequence of this very powerful method is the directionalization of our attention towards God. The intent of sadhana is not to obtain God as a result, nor is it a form of exchange by which we procure enlightenment. The divine experience is not an acquisition but it is something that happens by divesting oneself of all possessions. Any spiritual practice is intended to create the propitious situation for the celestial to happen to us, to allow something of God to occur in us. This is the idea that lies behind Pañca-aṅga-sevana.gītā sahasra-nāmānistavaḥ kavacam eva cahṛdayaṁ ceti pañcaitepañcāṅgaṁ procyate budhaiḥ svopāsanā-‘nusāreṇagītāyāḥ paṭhanād dhruvamsahasra-nāmādhyayanātsva-paddhaty-anusārataḥ stotrasya kavacasyāpihṛdayasya ca pāṭhataḥyoga-siddhim avāpnotiyogī vigata-kalmaṣaḥ “Gītā, sahasra-nāma (thousand names of the deity), stava (chanting), kavaca (mantras for protection), and hṛdaya (hymns of glorification) have been enumerated by the erudites as pañcāṇga (five organs). By daily reading of Gīta according to one’s own sect of worship and recitation of sahasra-nāma, stava, kavaca and hṛdaya according to one’s own sectarian procedures, a yogi divesting himself of impurities achieves yoga-siddhi (fulfillment of yogic aims)……" (Mantra-yoga-saṁhitā, 40.

From here, the conflict projects out into different spheres, from the world of sports to business and politics.

Because a life of eating, sleeping, mating and protecting oneself, a life merely dedicated to the sense enjoyment, is in vain...

dharmaṁ jijñāsamānānāṁ

..It also recommended not consuming tea, coffee and cigarettes... and obviously no toxic substances like alcohol and drugs... we cannot neglect our own body...

”For anyone wishing to make a serious study of thenāḍīs,it is recommended to go to the following authoritative books about the matter: theJala-darśanopaniṣad, the Yoga-cūḍāmaṇy-upaniṣad , the Yoga-ṣikhopaniṣad, theGorakṣāṣṭaka, the Siddha-siddhānta-paddhati, the Śāṇḍilyopaniṣad and the Ṣaṭ-cakra-nirūpaṇa. The GranthisThe Sanskrit word granthi means “knot”, symbolizing our earthly attachments. The granthisare valves whose principal function is to avoid a premature elevation of the kuṇḍalinī. They protect us, impeding an ascension of the serpentine energy in our spiritual childhood. The kuṇḍalinī will not rise until these energetic valves are transcended.There are those who seek to gain various mystical powers, and others who desire particular spiritual experiences. Few understand that every spiritual phenomenon is intimately linked to changes at the level of consciousness and are nothing more than a sign of internal development.In the same way, the opening of the granthis is a sign of spiritual evolution whichis directly related to renunciation and surrender.The three granthisare referred to as Brahmā, Viṣṇu and Śiva.The brahma-granthi is found in the first center, or mūlādhāra-cakra. It is related to the mundane attachments we have developed towards objects and possessions, and is connected with our affinity for accumulating and hoarding,sense enjoyments, and egoism. If one has not transcended these obstacles, the brahma-granthi will remain closed.This granthi corresponds to the tamasic qualities of ignorance and laziness. It rests on smaller granthis called bhairavī, viśālā, cāmundā and śīrṣāwhich also remain closed while we continue to be submerged in illusion. The sādhaka must be armed with great determination and enthusiasm to be able to elevate himelf above the temptations of māyā.The viṣṇu-granthi is found in the pectoral area, obstructing the rising of the serpentine power at the fourth center, or anāhata-cakra. It is related to sentimental attachments to loved ones. It corresponds to the qualities related to the modality of passion, or rajas. The opening of this valve is more difficult, as it is simpler to renounce our attachment to money, a car or a house, than an attachment to our loved ones.The śiva-granthi or rudra-granthi is in the sixth center or the ajña-cakra.

We know that someone is alive because he breathes, his heart beats, he moves, speaks, and so forth. However, life is much more than breathing and moving, life is much more than the heartbeats...

It is impossible to give a clear and explicit definition of a ṛṣi, a being who has ceased to be someone and sees all as his own subjectivity. To imbibe the sacred words of these transcendental beings is the best and perhaps only way for us to gain a glimpse of who they were and be able to perceive something of their greatness.

Religion must be a vision that includes everything. Nothing can remain apart from it. For a true Hindu, the Sanātana-dharma is not a part of life; it is the entirety of life. Thus, he does not ask where God is, because it would be an absurdity to even conceive of a place where God is not. The mountains, rivers, lakes, the trees, the sun and the moon, the animals and the flowers are sacred. For the vedāntin, the only reality is God, or to put it another way, ‘only God is’.

“The Vedas are eternal” or nityā vedāḥ, Madhva Mādhavācārya tells us in his Tattva-saṅkhyāna (8), and the Mahā-bhārata (12.224.55) affirms:

To live irreligiously, without spirituality, is to live in vain...

..Religion cannot be an effort which result will be love of God, this will form a mere calculative business...Prāpya or "to acquire" does not mean that if we comply with all the suggestions of Rupa Goswami and Prahlada Maharaja, the certain result will be the purest and highest divine love...Love is not some goods that can be bought with prayers and ceremonies, it is not the result of human manipulations...All these advices that we find in the sacred scriptures are suggestions that, when put into practice, help us create the internal ambience, the propitious atmosphere, so that divine love will occur...We can irrigate our garden, extract the weeds, fertilize the soil and so on... but we cannot pull the flowers or do something, that as a direct result of this action the flowers will come out to the surface, the lawn and the flowers grow by themselves... we can only help and create a propitious situation... and wait adequately...Which is to meditate...So, it is important to put things in their place, both are important, although there is nothing we can do in order to obtain divine love or enlightenment as a result, it is of essential importance to exert ourselves in creating the propitious situation so that divine grace could descend upon us...Sadhana opens us, makes us accessible...na śocati or "is not afflicted"... affliction is a mental creation, product of the attachment to the body and to anything which is illusorily connected to it...there is not possibility of sadness for a person who is submerged in the ocean of bliss and the nectar of devotion...In the Bhagavad Gita, Chapter 2, verse 11, Krishna says:śré-bhagavān uvācaaśocyān anvaśocas tvaṁprajïā-vādāṁś ca bhāñasegatāsūn agatāsūṁś canānuśocanti paṇḍitāḥWhich means:The blessed Lord said: While speaking wise words, you are so afflicted by what is not worthy of affliction. Those who are really wise are not afflicted neither by the living not by the dead.