Ashtavakra Gita as the hidden foundation of kriya yoga! Verses from Lahiri Mahasaya's family home in Kashi.
- in eternal aum consciousness
- 3 days ago
- 17 min read
Updated: 5 hours ago
Image taken from the internet...
Background from the journey
The previous blog was about Maha Shivratri in Kashi. As I always do, I went to Lahiri Mahasaya's home.
For the past many months, I have been studying the Ashtavakra Gita. A small, but powerful text, which, it is said, was the transformational tool for Narendra to become Swami Vivekananda!
There are 4 earlier blogs on the Ashtavakra Gita. The first one gives a comprehensive background of the text.
This Blog will make more sense to Kriyavansand and also give a glimpse of Kriya to those who are not initiated. The exact process of kriya is only known in initiation.
The Realization
The two marble plates seen on the right side of the temple, shown in the picture above, at Lahiri Mahasaya's family home in Kashi, read as follows.
I suddenly realised, this is the basis of kriya yoga. There are no quotes from the Bhagavad Gita, no stotras common on temple walls in Kashi, no questions from the Upanishads, and nothing from the Puranas. Just these 2 plates!
The purpose of this kashi trip was to realise this connection!
A 5-minute observation during a 5-day trip led to a deeper study of the link between kriya and Ashtavakra, resulting in this 5-hour blog post.
This is the "Why" of the Ashtavakra Gita, behind the "How" of Kriya Yoga.
It is like Kriya Yoga tunes the self's frequency to be one with the eternal broadcast of the Ashtavakra Gita.
I also discovered that Lahiri Mahasaya has authored a book on the Astavakra Gita. It is available at. https://store.pothi.com/book/lahiri-mahasaya-astavakra-gita-light-kriya/
The book on this website is very reasonably priced, instead of Amazon, which was around 10 times the price! He has authored several books, but this one is most relevant at this stage! This is going to take the study of the Ashtavakra Gita to a new level for me!
If you are impatient like me and would like to start reading the first 45 pages or so online, before the book is delivered, click here.
No other text is engraved in marble like this one.
Ashtavakra Gita, the foundation
Ashtavakra Gita, as the foundation of kriya yoga, is based on the following observations.
Kriya yoga focuses on specific steps. The ishta devata is chosen because it has a form; we are in a material world, which also has a form. Other than the ishta devata mantra and gurus to bow to, there is no saguna roopa worship with rituals at all. No flowers. No prasad, no noise, no group, no music, no dance, no temple. No priest. No puja. No fasting. No uniform. No tilak. No beads. In essence, it's the connection with formless, the nirguna within, which is nothing but adwaita, sensed by sound, light and vibration!
Kriya is very direct. To the point, no stories. Works fast. Logical and very similar to the direct approach taken in the Ashtavakra Gita.
Both are technically precise and appeal to a select audience. Neither is it for the masses, who want drama, stories, etc., as a medium for learning.
I personally find story-based routes very long and boring, as I don't like beating around the bush and prefer to come straight to the point. Kriya and Ashtavakra are both straightforward.
Kriya yoga prepares the system to be in the state described in the Ashtavakra Gita, rather than just understanding it intellectually. Many people understand, but don't "get it"! With Kriya, one "gets it" easily.
To make any spiritual framework complete and to achieve accelerated results, simultaneous focus on gyana, bhakti, karma, and yoga is needed. If focus is only on one, progress is slower.
With the Ashtavakra Gita providing the gyana, kriya providing yoga, the ishta devata in kriya taking care of bhakti, and karma being the aspect of seva (even the word janak means "someone who takes care of the people"), the system is complete.
Considering the adwaitic approach, it is no wonder that the Ashtavakra Gita is the foundation of kriya yoga. There could logically be no other text, anyway!
There are numerous schools of kriya yoga, each following a branch of the original lineage, the guru-shishya parampara. They all have subtle differences in their practice; however, the foundation is the same.
The school run by Lahiri Mahasaya's family wants to emphasise this text. Hence, the prominent position is given.
The beauty of the Ashtavakra Gita is that it simply states what it is, without giving any method, process or analysis. If you get it, you get it. If you don't, you don't!
The text is carefully chosen and only this much, not the entire book. So it's worth going into the depths of this text. This is the essence—the foundation.
This Blog is separate from the 4-part Ashtavakra blog written earlier.
Here is the text from the two images.
Fonts:
The text is given in bold font.
And its interpretation from Adwaita is given in normal font. Each part of the text points only to Adwaita.
The blue italicised fonts are related to kriya yoga, based on my limited experience.
Image 1
॥ ॐ ॥
There is nothing to accept,
Nothing to reject,
Nothing to dissolve!
The self is beyond attraction and aversion, the two tendencies of the mind. The mind usually seeks pleasure and avoids pain. This is its survival mechanism. This is so automatic that it appears natural. However, if it were so, why would we be on a roller coaster of happiness and disappointment, effort and giving up, having and losing? This means that acceptance and rejection are not natural states. Going beyond them is. Beyond the mind is the true self. Only one. Adwaita is explained here from the viewpoint of having.
This dissolution is about being. Kriya is about accepting the state of being. Whether it's about sound, light or vibration, it is not about seeking it. Is it also not about rejecting the opposite state? Kriya yoga says, keep doing the kriya and don't be attached to any experience. Let it come as it comes.
Nothing to hold on to,
Nothing to let go of,
Nothing to dissolve!
Usually, a sadhak either holds on to (like an identity of a disciple) or seeks the dissolution of the ego. Here, there is no seeking. There is nothing to hold and nothing to lose when there is only one. There are no twos. For dissolution, you need 2. Who will dissolve into whom? Like electricity is one. Where is the question of it dissolving into itself? That is not possible. The self, god, universal consciousness, and nature, essentially meaning the same thing, are about this principle. This is another aspect of Adwaita from the merging-and-separation viewpoint.
This dissolution is about doing. In kriya yoga, there is no action to hold on to. The kriya itself changes at each step, at each stage, preventing you from settling into a single action pattern. Hence the name steps.
This is the truth:
There is nothing to grasp,
Nothing to Spurn,
Nothing to dissolve!
This is the sthitaprajna state. Indifferent to having and losing. We hold what gives us pleasure, we avoid what does not. Adwaita is going beyond both.
We often hear about the dissolution of the ego, the dissolution of karma, and the dissolution of desires. The statement is profound, as it states there is nothing to dissolve! One can not dissolve anything into itself! Once the adwaita is realised, there is nothing left to dissolve! Adwaita is hence established.
The phrase, nothing to dissolve, comes 3 times. This is emphasised in the text.
In this dissolution, it is about having. In kriya yoga, it is clearly told not to be attached to any particular outcome! Don't compare with others, nor compare with your own outcome. Be in the flow. Let the transformation keep happening.
Hence, the first dissolution is through identity, the second is through practice-attachment, the third is through the sense of achievement —
The three states of dissolution are experienced in the paravastha stage of kriya yoga.
This is the whole truth.
There is nothing to embrace,
Nothing to relinquish
Nothing to dissolve!
Just as I thought, 3 statements of dissolution are there for being, doing and having, I see a 4th one! Let's explore this one.
Let this truth come alive within. There is nothing to merge with, nothing to leave. This talks about Satya, one of the 5 founding principles of Sanatana. Satya or truth is always constant, never changing, hence the truth!
Just as having money or donating money has nothing to do with the self, money being a resource, it implies that asteya and aparigraha are firmly about adwaita. Who will accumulate and who will steal when there is only one, Adwaita?
The other two principles are not explicitly mentioned, but ahimsa (who will hurt whom, even if there is one) and brahmacharya (focused on truth, not just celibacy) are present in this context.
Here, the person doing the kriya, the process of kriya and the benefits of doing kriya all merge into one. Kriya is now a state of being, rather than a state of doing to achieve something. The attachment to different levels of kriya is itself an attachment! The kriya state is now spontaneous, just like a tree gives fruit, does not plan for it, the human being settles into kriya! As its own natural state.
To discover the state, there is a process, a practise. This is needed in the initial stage, like the supporting wheels of a bicycle; once you get the balance, you're free to ride! You need minimal effort when you ride. It's magical. You realise, it's a state! Not an achievement. You were always supposed to be in balance of kriya. But you have forgotten. The practise restores the state. That's all.
This is the dissolution from the kriya viewpoint. Merge the kriya process into the kriya state: if kriya is not done, it is. That's all.
Deep dive into dissolution:
Remarkably, this fourfold pattern of dissolution maps onto multiple frameworks in the Indian philosophical tradition:
The 4 levels of dissolution can also be explained in the context of.
1. 5 koshas. Laya of triad of 3 koshas, annamaya, pranamaya and manomaya one by one, by the movement from gross to subtle. Followed by the dissolution of the duet of the vijñāna-maya and ananamaya koshas together. When the duet dissolves, the identity of the I disappears. No one knows or is in a blissful state. This is in the context of panchkoshas.
Gunas. Laya of the 3 gunas of tama, raja and sattva. and then the final laya or dissolution of what is left, the I who is devoid of gunas! This is in the context of trigunas.
Dissolution or Laya of gross body, subtle body, and causal body. Ultimately, the dissolution of the self that remains after these 3. There is no separation now after the 4th dissolution. This is in the context of the body's layers.
The dissolution of the doer, the act of doing and the object. After this, there is nothing left to dissolve! This is in the context of Adwaita.
Dissolution of elements into space at 4 levels. Earth into water, water into fire, fire into air and finally air into space. This is in the context of the 5 elements.
Being doing and having, and ultimately, the dissolution of I, who was in these 3 states. This is in the context of the karma model.
Dissolution of 4 parts of the mind: Ahamkara, chitta, manas and buddhi, all into one. Where there is nothing left, this is in the context of the mind model.
When the 4: Yama niyamas (taken together), asana, pranayama, pratyahara, are dissolved, they create a "samyama" state of dhyana, dharna and samadhi together. This is in the context of yoga.
Free from attachment,
Free from desire,
Still.
Even so am I,
The Real One,
Oh, how wonderful!
But in this me,
There is nothing to embrace,
And nothing to turn away.
When there is no this Shoddy little “I”,
There is freedom.
When there is “I”, There is bondage.
Everything we experience is related to the identity we have established. Without an identity, there is no experience. This is the I in the role. I am a student so that I will have all the experiences of a student life. Exact experiences will differ for different people, but the pattern of the syllabus, classes, exams, etc., will be similar.
This identity takes the form of ahamkara in the 4-part mind model.
This part of the text talks about me, doing so many roles. As long as there is an " I, there will be roles and all the drama associated with the roles.
Once this is clear, the state of adwaita is firmly established within, with a model to operate in the material world, with full freedom!
The role of the kriyavan is also a role: I am doing the kriya. The only difference is that the quality of this role is better than other roles you play, as it leads to self-realisation.
At one point, the kriya becomes natural—a state. Now the role of the kriyavan has also disappeared on its own: the kriya is no longer planned; it is spontaneous. Effortless. Eternal. This is the kriya state. You may still proceed with the process, but it's the state to which this refers.
Consider this. It is easy.
You are the clear Space of awareness.
Pure and still, Limitless and free, Serene and unperturbed.
In whom there is no birth, no death.
No activity of the mind,
No “I”.
All thoughts arise in a context, on the foundation of the role that the self plays. This is the function of the mind.
Sometimes roles were collapsed; sometimes they are in awareness of the fact that I am playing the roles. In both, there is an I. Only the role-play model makes it easier to be unattached to the outcome of the actions taken in the roles!
There are no roles that are constant in life. The roles of daughter and son at birth end when the parents pass away. Many roles are taken and given up in life. When roles begin, it is like birth; when they end, it is like death!
I have experienced this when my role as a friend ended, when my friend died unexpectedly. I was in a state of shock as I experienced the death. The death of a role in front of me.
When there is a new project or a new role taken up, it is like a birth.
Both the birth and death of roles keep happening in this lifetime, culminating in the grand death of all roles when the body is given up.
Thinking deeper, all roles are linked to the body. When it ends, all roles end with it too.
As one is born, suddenly you become a son, a grandson, a nephew, a citizen, a neighbour, so many roles get attached to your name.
In death, it's called the body, not by name. This means the name was associated with the body, and all roles are now dropped. So many roles end at the same time. The role of a father, a friend, etc. All ends at the same time.
It is the mind that forms the link between the body and various relationships and creates roles.
The realisation that it is the mind that creates the perception of birth and death, so when the mind ceases to exist, where are birth, death, lokas, karmas, etc.? There is no i left for the roles to attach to. The I itself has dissolved now. There is no separation. There is no witness left.
This state is realised in paravastha, after kriya pranayama. This is very close to samadhi. There is no one left here. I am in paravastha, because I am paravastha, as there is no mind, no I in my state.
Know you are free.
Forever and truly free.
Free of “I”, Free of “Mine”,
When you know this in your heart,
That there is nothing,
You are very still,
As you are finished.
One only has to realise that one is actually free. It's the mind that has created this drama! This is the realisation of Adwaita. With the I gone, everything is finished! There is no context to "I left now."
This is the realisation in paravastha. Where the I is finished, in this state, there is no conscious movement of breath or prana. There is no focus on chakras, no chanting. Only stillness. This remarkable stillness carries forward even after the kriya process and slowly becomes the default state within. No challenges. No achievements are about to create ripples in this still state. It is gradual, deepening with each passing day.
From “ASTAVAKRA GITA”
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Image 2
॥ ॐ ॥
What is yesterday,
Tomorrow,
or Today?
Time is relative. It has a reference. When was tomorrow yesterday, has become today. This means time is not a constant. Hence, it can't be an eternal truth. Eternal truth is only adwaita.
When doing kriya pranayama, one does lose track of time. One is only focused on the current breath. Not on the earlier and not on the breath later. In the current moment, there is no time, as the relative reference of time is gone. What remains is the breath going out, hold, in and hold. That's all there is.
What is space,
or eternity?
Space can be interpreted as relative. Based on the observer's position, it changes. Near, far, very far, very very far gives the impression of a large distance.
Space also means there is nothing in it. There is a vast space in atoms, just as there is in the solar system. Actually, structurally, both are similar—a small matter separated by a vast space.
Both space and eternity are points to ponder, as both don't have limits. This is again Adwaita. In the one, it is boundless, as there is no reference to start counting time or distance!
In kriya, the star point is far away from the crown. How far away? As far away as you can imagine, and more! The perception of distance is gone now.
I sit in my own radiance.
I sit in my own radiance,
And I have no fear.
Radiance is the light of self-awareness. Self-realisation that everything is me and I am everything. This resonates with Raja Janak, saying. I bow to myself. So, when I sit in my own radiance, there are no twos. Fear originates from a second object. When there are no two objects, what is there to fear? Nothing! This is nothing but Adwaita.
It is worth noting that Raja Janak did not take sanyas after self-realisation.
This is the light of the jyoti mudra towards the end. Earlier seen as a faint blue light, later transforming into a bright light within, this is the light of the inner self, in which the self radiates...
Walking,
Dreaming,
Sleeping,
What are they to me?
or even ecstasy?
I am almost certain, looking at the context, that instead of "walking", the word is "Waking". These are the 3 states as described in the Mandukya Upanishad. In the 3 states, sleeping refers to the deep sleep state. Where there are no thoughts, hence absence of mind, just like in samadhi. The natural state of the mind is to be thoughtless. The stimulus of vrittis creates thoughts, desires, attractions and aversions. What we do in yoga is to take the mind to its natural state: thoughtlessness. So much effort is needed, it's not funny at all. So much undoing needed! For the games the mind has played so long! Beyond the manomaya kosha or the domain of the mind, as one enters the vigyan Maya kosha, adwaita is established. This is the subtle movement from the heart chakra to the ajna chakra. However, these are methods, and Adwaita is beyond them.
The anahata nada is constant in all 3 states. One can actually observe dreams, direct them, and be aware of the deep sleep state. All while getting proper rest at night, immersed in anahata nada. Anahata nada is a key step in kriya yoga, a prerequisite for moving up the higher levels. In the Practices, there are steps to hear the anahata. The beauty of this is that once you start hearing it, you don't need to go through the steps again. Just awareness is enough. It stays with awareness, regardless of whether you are awake, dreaming or in deep sleep.
I lose track of anahata many times, only to get it back when I go into the silence for a few seconds. In day-to-day life, awareness of anahata keeps me connected with the supreme consciousness, taking me to a state of sahaja samadhi, the merger without any effort. This state is not yet constant, as the pull of the material world remains strong within.
What is far or near,
outside or inside,
Gross or subtle?
For near and far, inside and outside, gross and subtle can be explained by electricity and appliances. Everything is connected by electricity. It is near, inside and subtle. The appliances are far from each other, outside and gross. Both coexist. But the essence is invisible, the one that drives everything! As energy and mass are interchangeable, the appliances in their physical form and the electricity in its energy form are like the same - one formless and one with form. This is an easy example to understand, rather than going into equations of relativity and quantum mechanics! This indicates Adwaita is everything. The seen and unseen.
As prana moves effortlessly with breath and focus during kriya yoga, the differences between the gross, the subtle, the in and out, and the near and far all disappear! The entire body, energy and mind all seem like one seamless system.
I sit in my own splendour.
I am always without thought.
The "Samyama" is the simultaneous state of dhyana, dharna, and samadhi. In this state, there is no thought.
In my own splendour, my own radiance, my own light, they all mean the same thing. The realisation that light means absence of darkness, and darkness means absence of light. When one is there, the other is also there, not by its presence, but by its absence!
This is the thoughtless aspect of Adwaita. It cannot be described, thought of, as the mind would limit it, as Adwaita is beyond it.
This again refers to the state after kriya yoga, where one sits in silence, eyes closed. Thoughtless, in self radiance. Many practitioners end at the last step and get up. The experience of a small meditation at the end of practise is the description given in the text. I have seen a few kriyavans at the kumbh mela, sitting late into the night after the last kriya practise, deep in meditation, smiling, radiant. I slowly realised this important step.
What is happiness or grief?
Happiness usually comes from having, and grief comes from losing. Both need 2. When there is only one, the question of happiness and grief arises. It will disappear when the 2 disappear. It is as if the mirror is taken away, and what remains is only the self. This is Adwaita, explained in the emotional context.
The big deal is inhaling the breath, which is having it, and exhaling, which is leaving it. Both are done consciously and with full awareness in kriya. At some point in life, there will only be an exhale without any inhale. This will be the last breath. Kriya prepares one for this state, as part of maharudra, which you do like yoga nidra. Neither the incoming nor the outgoing breath matters now.
What is here and now,
or beyond?
The present and future in terms of time need a reference. There can not be a reference in the context of one. This is an Advaitic explanation of space and time.
There are many instances in kriya yoga that make you lose the reference to space and time. You lose track of where you are sitting and how long!
I am indifferent
To striving or stillness
And
to my own indifference.
There is nothing to do, there is no effort, even stillness is not something to seek. The simple analogy is that the cloud is not stationary; it moves. It rains. It does everything so effortlessly.
Being indifferent to being indifferent means being in the natural state. Effortless.
This indicates this state of being, as the aspect of adwaita.
This is the perfect paravastha where one does not care about doing or not doing anything at all! It simply does not matter.
For I have no bounds.
Just as nature has no bounds, I also have no bounds, as I am the same universal consciousness that is in everything, everywhere. This shows the boundless aspect of Adwaita.
Kriya pranayama, when done with respect to the star point, one actually enters a state that is not constrained by the imaginary limitations created by the mind.
I am Shiva.
Nothing arises in me,
In whom nothing is single,
Nothing is double.
The concept of single and double does not arise in the case of Shiva! The dual nature of being nothing and everything is in Shiva. The word double means more than 1, not just 2. In the Vedas, Shiva is used as an adjective rather than a noun. Indicating purity. Shiva, the formless, is not the same as Shankara with form, though Shiva is used for both saguna and nirguna forms. This is explained in the previous blog.
The creation began with thought, a desire to express and experience what pure consciousness is not. Our existence in the human form is also a micro-creation by the soul for the sake of experiences. In kriya yoga, as one enters paravastha, there is no one, two or many. Everything is just pure and formless.
Nothing is,
Nothing is not.
What more is there to Say?
Nothing, something, everything, these words also don't matter now. This is the conclusion. How can one describe oneself? It can't. Hence, there is nothing left to say.
The ultimately blissful state in kriya yoga is beyond all description. There is nothing left to say now, so the blog comes to an end too!
From “ASTAVAKRA GITA”
Points to ponder on during Kriya Yoga:
During paravastha and kriya, be conscious of the dissolution at all levels given here. Completely free of thought, mind, a full merger, no sense of distance and time, no sense of separation of body, energy, mind, inside, outside, etc.
Times and activities of the day, when you are not in kriya state. (anahata, conscious breathing, vibrations, inner light, khechari) And what does it need to come back to this state and stay there?
When are you aware of your role, and when do you merge with the role and let the mind take over? What are the triggers?
Make a brief reading of the Ashtavakra Gita or a video recording from a source you like for your daily contemplation. And see that the inner clarity deepens the kriya state.
Feel free to share your experiences in the comments section. You can choose to remain anonymous!
Blessing:
May you imbibe ashtavakra Gita fully, and live it every moment, as you be in kriya state, do kriya process and have gurus blessings!