Kriyā—yoga is the yoga of internal and external cleanliness and purity. The word kriyā in Sanskrit means "action". Patañjali Maharṣi mentions it in the Yoga—sūtras (2.1):

 

tapaḥ—svādhyāya—īśvara—praṇidhānāni kriyā—yogaḥ

"Kriyā—yoga consists of austerity, study of the Self, and surrender to God."

Many consider kriyā—yoga to be part of rāja—yoga because it includes three niyamas, but, if we pay attention, we can identify these niyamas in the foundation of all the branches of yoga. The three niyamas: tapas, or austerity, svādhyāya, the study of the Self or Vedic scriptures under the guidance of a spiritual master, and the complete surrender to God, or Īśvara—praṇidhāna, are included in all of the yogic paths. The practice of kriyā—yoga consists of an interesting combination of rāja—yoga, haṭha—yoga, laya—yoga, and bhakti—yoga.

Kriyā—yoga is mentioned in a section of the Padma Purāṇa called the Kriyā—yoga—sāra, and also in the Bhāgavata Purāṇa (4.13.3):

manye mahā—bhāgavataṁ 
  nāradaṁ  deva—darśanam
yena proktaḥ kriyā—yogaḥ
  paricaryā—vidhir hareḥ

"Vidura continued: ‘I know that Nārada is the greatest of the sages. He composed the pāñcarātrika procedure of kriyā—yoga and has experienced directly the Divine.'"

Tapas or Austerities

The term tapas in Sanskrit means "heating" or "burning" and it expresses the idea of accepting austerities by coming into contact with the fire of life, coming closer to the cremation of everything that is not eternal, not real — everything that can be burned.

Tapas consists of self—discipline, in situating oneself beyond and transcending the overbearing control of the mind and senses, to lessen the importance of the mind's constant demands, and to stop bestowing such excessive importance on pleasure and sensual enjoyment. In a certain sense, tapas is spiritual maturity. It is to discard our childishness, not our childhood or innocence, but only those attitudes of a spoiled and poorly—bred child. With maturity comes the ability to constructively accept inconveniences and unpleasant situations.

Austerities can take us by surprise when they reveal that the constant search for momentary pleasure is the obstacle to eternal bliss. It is a mistake to view austerities as a repression of what we want or as an abolition of our desires. We do not stop smoking because we do not want to enjoy the flavor of cigarettes anymore. Instead, we understand that smoking is harmful to our body and we wish to maintain our health, and so, in the moment when the desire to smoke a cigarette occurs, we do not tell ourselves, "Oh! Remember that you have decided not to enjoy the cigarette." What we really remember is that there is a more important desire — to maintain our health.  The desire to stay healthy is far more significant than a cigarette.

This happens at subtler levels with tapasya when we comprehend that we wish for freedom, to go beyond a life lived at the level of cats and dogs where only the satisfaction of the senses is important, that we want a clear and cloudless mind, a life dedicated to what is really significant and important — God.

We wish for a life that is a source of inspiration to others; a demeanor that is pure and which glorifies God....

Ultimately, tapasya puts us in a place where we face the question: "What is really important in my life?" and "What will I do with it?"  In other words, "What do I truly wish for myself?"

Always remember this important question: "What do I really want?" Is it intoxicating or healthy? Transient and temporal pleasure or eternal bliss? Illusion or Reality? Māyā or God?

Do not condemn yourself. Simply take it as a matter of more or less important desires.... As time goes by, you will realize that tapas is simply to grow, to develop, to evolve, and to mature....

In the Bhagavad—gītā (17.14—16), Lord Kṛṣṇa established that there are three kinds of tapas, from the grossest to the subtlest: physical, verbal, and mental tapas.

 

Austerities at the physical level are mentioned in verse 14:

 

deva—dvija—guru—prājña—

pūjanaṁ  śaucam ārjavam

brahmacaryam ahiṁ sā ca

śārīraṁ  tapa ucyate

"Austerities of the physical body consist of worship to God, the brāmaṇas, the guru, and our superiors like our father and mother, and also cleanliness, simplicity, celibacy, and non—violence."

Physical austerity consists in diminishing the importance we give to enjoyment and pleasures of our physical body. It is important to develop and cultivate a capacity for tolerance at the gross corporal level.

 

Austerity at a verbal level is seen in verse 15:

anudvega—karaṁ  vākyaṁ 

satyaṁ  priya—hitaṁ  ca yat

svādhyāya—abhyasanaṁ  caiva

vāńmayaṁ  tapa ucyate

"Verbal austerity consists in saying the truth with pleasant words, beneficial, constructive words that do not cause agitation, and in regularly reciting the Vedic scriptures."

Austerities on a verbal level consist in situating yourself beyond speech. Verbal tapas is cultivating a certain level of observation of our speech and communication with others. It is not repressing our speech, but trying to calmly assess if what we are about to say is adequate.... Remember that you can never be blamed for what you have not said.

The mental austerities are described in verse 16:

 

manaḥ—prasādaḥ saumyatvaṁ 

maunam ātma—vinigrahaḥ

bhāva—saṁ śuddhir ity etat

tapo mānasam ucyate

"Satisfaction, simplicity, gravity, self—discipline and purity of our own existence are austerities on a mental level."

Svādhyāya or the Study of the Self

In the Ṛg Veda (1.3.10) we read:

 

pāvakā naḥ sarasvatī

 "You shall be purified by studying the sacred science that was given by the Vedas and others."

Sva means "Self" and adhyāya means "study". Hence the term svādhyāya literally means "study of the Self". Yet at the same time it is considered as the "study of the sacred Vedic scriptures" as these contain much, but only on one subject.... Truth, God, the Self, what you really are.... It comes to say that when you delve into the revealed scriptures you are studying about yourself. Studying the scriptures is really studying yourself.

After all, the study is about life and existence. That is, the concept of study within the Sanātana—dharma is broad, never confined to a mere intellectual practice. Svādhyāya also includes japa, the recitation of mantras, which is a kind of meditation.

Each path chosen by the yogī has its appropriate scriptures. For example, a person inclined to bhakti will read devotional literature such as the Bhāgavata Purāṇa. Those who are inclined to jñāna will prefer books like the Viveka—cūḍāmaṇi or the Tattva—boddha. Reading and studying the biographies of different masters and ācāryas of the Sanātana—dharma is considered svādhyāya. Ultimately, svādhyāya invites us to live as researchers and learners of life's mystery — of that mysteriousness that is us.

 Usually we take shame in our so—called weaknesses. We try to hide and escape from them, to repress them. Much to the contrary, yoga urges us toward a process of sublimation, which is only possible after we observe our weaknesses and become fully aware of them. To clarify, let us assume that I wish to surpass fear and in order to do that, I mistakenly repress it. This does not mean that I have really surpassed it. It is hidden inside of me and will undoubtedly out again.

Studying yourself means seeing that which you wish to transcend, to know it, to know yourself, and to accept yourself. Only after being conscious shall you see that transcendence is possible....

 In religion, "study" does not only mean information but transformation. Studying does not only mean reading more books and accumulating more knowledge, but going into the depths of your interior to observe.

Study is also to be near the master, to be infused, infected by his presence and silence.

Īśvara—praṇidhāna or Surrender to God

In the sacred Śrīmad Bhagavad—gītā, Lord Kṛṣṇa addresses Arjuna with the following words (18.66):

sarva—dharmān parityajya
 mām ekaṁ  śaraṇaṁ  vraja
ahaṁ  tvāṁ  sarva—pāpebhyo
 mokṣayiṣyāmi mā śucaḥ

"Abandon all varieties of dharma and surrender unto me. Do not fear for I shall deliver you from the results of sinful reactions."

It is not a coincidence that we find Īśvara—praṇidhāna, or surrender to God in the last chapter of the Bhagavad—gītā, as it is the final conclusion of that sacred conversation. I would say that this conclusion, more than a practice, is the culmination and full blossoming not only of kriyā—yoga, but also of karma, bhakti, rāja, jñāna, and religion itself.

The great importance of surrender is revealed in this verse with the use of the word vraja. By applying the Sanskrit rhetoric ornament called Alańkāra, it is revealed that Lord Kṛṣṇa says that only through absolute surrender to Him would it be possible for Arjuna to reach the land of Vraja, and hence, Divinity. According to this, it is impossible to expect higher levels of consciousness without surrender.

Īśvara—praṇidhāna consists in a total surrender to the divine will. As it is written in the Talmudic treatise Pirkey Avot, "Make His will as your will, so your will be as His will." It is the final expression of Lord Jesus when he says, "Father, into your hands I commend my spirit", words that make a declaration of absolute confidence in God.

In the previously mentioned text from the Bhagavad—gītā, we can see that Lord Kṛṣṇa advises Arjuna, mā śucaḥ — "do not fear". Lord Kṛṣṇa says that because there is the possibility of giving oneself to God out of fear, which will not be surrender but yielding, which is always temporal and false and lasts only as long as our fear lasts. It will be a fanatic, blind yielding, without knowledge or understanding, completely devoid of wisdom. It makes us prisoners.

Surrender originates in humility; yielding is born of humiliation. True surrender comes from knowledge of the  immensity of life, existence, and therefore — God. Kṛṣṇa says mā śucaḥ or "do not fear" because fear is the prime obstacle for our surrender; the fear of loss. However, in the act of surrender, we cannot lose anything that we really have. If we lose something, it is because it never really belonged to us. Surrender to God is, in a way, a voluntary death of the ego.... However, this death before death is really and totally living, living in divine bliss or ānanda....

In his beautiful hymns to the Lord, the elephant Gajendra chants the following in the Śrīmad Bhāgavatam (8.3.20):

 

  ekāntino yasya na kañcanārthaṁ 

vāñchanti ye vai bhagavat—prapannāḥ

aty—adbhutaṁ  tac—caritaṁ  sumańgalaṁ 

gāyanta ānanda—samudra—magnāḥ

"The devotees, who are completely surrendered to the Lord, wish nothing but to serve Him. They are submerged in the ocean of transcendental infinite bliss and are constantly glorifying the Lord."

It is exciting to discover within Hinduism the myriad traditions and approaches that complement and enrich each other while dealing with the same topic.

For example, with regard to Īśvara—praṇidhāna, I found the spiritual approach of surrender to the Divine of the Vaiṣṇava school fascinating, especially in the Gauḍīya tradition. The surrender to the Lord Śrī Kṛṣṇa is called śaraṇāgati and constitutes a prerequisite for śuddha—bhakti, or pure devotional service.

According to this school, the process of śaraṇāgati has six stages:

 

Ānukūlyasya sańkalpa: Acceptance of everything that is favorable to the development of devotion to God.

Prātikūlyasya varjana: The total rejection of everything that hinders the surrender to the Lord.

Rakṣiṣyati—iti viśvāsa: Considering God as our protector in every circumstance, whatever happens.

Goptṛtve varaṇa: Accepting that God, ultimately, is our real maintainer.

Ātma—nikṣepa: Surrendering absolutely everything in the service of Divinity.

Kārpaṇya: Cultivating humbleness.

 

We find these six steps in the Vaiṣṇava Tantra, Śrī Śrī Prapaṇa—jīvānāmṛtam (2.32):

ānukūlyasya—sańkalpaḥ

prātikūlyasya—varjanam

rakṣiṣyatīti viśvāso

goptṛtve varaṇaṁ  tathā

ātma—nikṣepa—kārpaṇye

ṣaḍ—vidhā śaraṇāgatiḥ

"Acceptance of the favorable, rejection of the unfavorable, assured confidence that the Lord gives protection, accepting that the Lord is my real guardian, complete and absolute dependence on Him and the realization that without Him, we are defenseless. These are the six essential limbs for the surrender to God."

Śrīla Jīva Gosvāmī mentions this verse in his book Bhakti—sandarbha (236).

This sweet surrender to God is the base of the bhakti schools founded by Śrī Rāmānuja (1017—1137 AD) and Śrī Caitanya (1482—1533 AD), both of whom considered the surrender to God as the highest and most sublime step of human existence.

I would like to mention a few beautiful examples about surrender to the Lord.

The first is the eighth śloka of the famous Śikṣāṣṭaka, composed by Lord Caitanya.

āśliṣya vā pāda—ratāṁ  pinaṣṭu mām 

 adarśanān marma—hatāṁ  karotu vā

yathā tathā vā vidadhātu lampado

mat—prāṇa—nāthas tu sa eva nāparaḥ

"I do not know anyone except Kṛṣṇa as my Lord, and He shall remain so even if He mistreats me with his embrace, or destroys my heart by not being present before me. He is completely free to do everything that he wants to do with me because He is always my unconditional adorable Lord." 

 

Another beautiful example is the devotional songs of that great saint and Vaiṣṇava Ācārya, His Divine Grace Śrīla Bhaktivinoda Ṭhākura (1838—1914 AC), especially in his poetry anthology Śaraṇāgati:

ātma—nivedana, tuvā pade kori'

hoinu parama sukhī

duḥkha dūre gela, cintā nā rohilo

caudike ānanda dekhi

 

aśoka—abhaya, amṛta—ādhāra,

tomāra caraṇa—dwaya

tāhāte ekhana, viśrāma labhiyā

chāḍinu bhavera bhoya

 "After having completely surrendered to Your lotus feet, I am happy. Now my egoistic anxieties are far away, so that I am completely free from anxiety. Wherever I look, in all four directions I see only bliss. Your two feet give me freedom from misery and fear. They are a reservoir of transcendental nectar. I have taken shelter under those lotus feet and, therefore, renounced all fear of material existence."

As I have mentioned before, according to the Bhagavad—gītā, surrender is a sign of true wisdom as Kṛṣṇa says (7.19):

bahūnāṁ  janmanām ante
 jñānavān māṁ  prapadyate
vāsudevaḥ sarvam iti
 sa mahātmā su—durlabhaḥ

"After infinite repeated births and deaths, he who is really a sage surrenders to Me, knowing Me as the cause of all causes and everything that is. Such a soul is very rare."

According to this verse, wisdom is much more than a good memory or a vast amount of information. Real wisdom will manifest in the absolute and unconditional surrender to the Divine....

 

Techniques of Kriyā—yoga

Kriyā—yoga also includes a group of ancient techniques that were zealously preserved by masters and ācāryas for decades. They were personally passed through the generations from master to disciple.

The authentic and classic techniques are grouped in five levels and are accessible only through the guidance of an expert spiritual master. Kriyā—yoga miraculously affects the physical, energetic, mental, and emotional aspects in these five stages.

The first level is related to haṭha—yoga and includes āsanas or postures, bandhas, or locks, and mudrās, or gestures. The joined practice affects the different chakras at the astral level.

The second level consists of techniques related to prāṇāyāma and kuṇḍalinī—śakti, affecting more elevated energy centers.

The third level stimulates different levels of mental peace. It utilizes breathing, trying to create the most appropriate situation for meditation to occur, meditation that might later culminate in samādhi.

The forth level consists of techniques of mantra—yoga.

The fifth level aims toward opening the heart at the emotional level, trying to awaken devotion through bhakti—yoga, encouraging an awakening at the level of Īśvara—praṇidhāna, the "total surrender to the Divine".