Part 2/2 : Satsang Diamonds : Daily spiritual practice is like taking bath every day. A retreat is like a swimming pool, with total immersion! Read about amazing 4 day kriya yoga retreat of Dec 24!
- in eternal aum consciousness
- Dec 25, 2024
- 26 min read
Part 2: this part has the learnings from the retreat, all compiled at one place.
Color Coding:
Blue color indicates what I heard and observed in the sessions. This is near accurate.
Black color indicates what I learned, reflected and understood based on my limited understanding. You are free to take it, leave it, or partly take it! Whatever!
Some topics have come up more than once. I have tried to combine them, but not always successful in doing so. Please bear with me.
How Anil baba meet gurudev:
During A Satsang Anil Baba narrated this story of how he was initiated in kriya yoga 50 years back by Gurudev. It was the story of disbelief, which converted itself into deep respect and faith in just a few days of meeting gurudev, as he experienced anahata naada! When a genuine guru appears, its light pierces through infinite layers of darkness and reaches the disciple to enlighten.
Why do gurus accept money:
We see so many gurus accepting money. I used to wonder why? Guru has no other material things to give, nor has any source to generate them. But the guru also needs certain material things to run the daily affairs in this world. guru looks after the disciples soul in return of accepting the material things offered by the disciple, so that there are no obligations on him. What a beautiful way not to take anyone's obligation, not even from the disciple! Guru only takes what is absolutely needed, just like the gurukul system did in Vedic times, nothing extra. Nothing more. No accumulation. Living with Aparigraha. Gurus don’t care about material things at all. Other than the material things, which are a necessity, Guru and Disciple only need each other's love. As guru is divinity manifested in human form, loving the guru is loving the divine, which is loving yourself. This is vital learning.
How a guru handles excess offerings:
So a guru with simple living, minimum needs, is a right guru. Such gurus don't need Rolls Royce or Bikes, nor do they charge fancy sums for talks. Some gurus tell, my disciples gave me a luxury car, what can I do? Well! Guru can always say no! Isn't it? and use the funds for a better life for everyone.
Simplicity personified:
In this lineage of gurus, Paramahamsa Prajnanananda is a very simple person. I doubt you will recognize him as a master, if you meet him casually in the street. He was sitting near us, talking to us, was very funny at times, very profound most of the time, so simple and unassuming without material possessions. Genuine gurus are hard to find in today's times.
Simplicity comes from gurudev:
Guruji shared his experience of gurudev using public transport and auto rickshaw for going from one place to another, quite naturally in the early days. His stories of using an old alarm clock, an old fan etc were interesting. It is true that, the more enlightened you are, the more detached and simple you are.
Anil baba did not accept the shawl:
Towards the end, where the organizers were felicitating the swamis and yogacharyas, Anil Baba refused to take the shawl and put it back on guruji. He has a policy not to take anything from anyone. He said “you know I don't take anything from anyone”. I wonder when that day of being nishkam will come in my life…
Your breath is my presence:
We often long for guru's company, due to either physical separation due to distance or the other roles we do in life, or it could also be that guru is no longer in his body. What guruji says, by “your breath is my presence” it means, as long as we breathe, the divine blessings of guru are always there in the form of breath. There is no separation as we are always breathing. So our Guru is always with us. A Guru has divinity in him. So divinity is also within us at all times. Such a simple and profound explanation. In kriya yoga, one installs with love, the gurus in one's lineage in the chakras. Now the gurus live inside you. So with every breath, your guru is with you. This is a beautiful process, implemented in kriya yoga. Hence being aware of the breath is the key.
Love:
As everything merges, only love remains. I have heard the phrase “Just love” many times in kriya yoga steps. Slowly the understanding is becoming clear. Love manifests as attraction, creation, procreation, growth, nature itself. Often we see Acts of destruction or rather dissolution, which are also acts of love, as they free the resources for something else.
You love everyone as you love yourself. “There are no others", says Raman Maharshi, when he was asked “how to handle others”?. This is very profound.
This takes time to sink in. But once it does, it manifests as caring and giving for all.
Anahata naada:
Focus on the fontanelle area manifests as light sound or vibration. This sound is anahata nada. Everyone perceives it in different forms. Some perceive it as the sound of anahata, some as the light within and some as divine vibrations in different areas of the body! Kriya yoga brings forth any of the 3 sensations for you to feel the divine within, at all times.
Reading Bhagwat Gita:
The time to study bhagwat gita has come. Our guru, babaji (coincidentally same name as Maha avatar Babaji) maharaj pandit has written a detailed commentary (gudhartha deepika - secrete knowledge brought to light) on Dyneshwari, (1800 pages) which is a commentary by sant Dyneshwar mauli (the only saint to be addressed as a mother) in marathi on Bhagwat gita. So it's a commentary on a commentary. This was my first project which went for 2 years after my engineering degree. A seva in gurus lotus feet. But I never read it! The time has come now to read it. It's an inner calling. I know that bhagwat gita is a very advanced dialog for showing the path to nara (arjuna), who was already at a near jeevanmukta state, So until and unless the reader is clear about the fundamentals, understanding bhagwat geeta and its deeper meanings is very difficult, and if attempted, it can be delusional! It is only by gurukripa, that one understands such complex compositions, which otherwise are like a bouncer, out of reach for the batsman!
Books:
Got a few books on devi mahatmya and gyana sankalini tantra. Tantra is often looked at as a negative practice, who relate it usually to tantric sex, but that is a very small aspect and a wrong view, seen from a sensuous pleasure standpoint at a gross body level, interpreted in the west. These books will highlight and bring forth newer dimensions. You don't find the book. The book finds you! The right one at the right time! The study begins.
I was looking at a book for some time on yoga sutras, from a kriya yoga perspective. I found that too here. The commentary written by our guru, Pandurangnath is bhakti based, so this new perspective from kriya yoga viewpoint must be interesting. I have started reading this book now. A few of us got books signed by guruji.
Together with the master and yogacharyas:
Guruji cracked a joke on jamindar (sitting on the ground) and chowkidar (sitting on a chair like me) and remarked that he is both, as he sat cross legged on a chair on the dias! Such spontaneous humor can only come from an enlightened soul
Satsang gems: Some memories of guruji Paramahamsa Hariharananda by Paramahamsa Prajnanananda.
1. Never be late, as it's the policy set up by Gurudev. We must respect that. All events started precisely on time. Amazing.
2. Gurudev's fathers reaction (or no reaction) on losing his eldest son was out of the ordinary. What else would you expect from Gurudev’s father? He was not looking unhappy at all. Just like a bank manager is not unhappy when a withdrawal is done, is what he told Gurudev, when asked! Similarly, when consciousness comes in body form and goes away, it does not impact the observer who is playing the role of the father, son, brother etc. 1 understanding and experience is better than 1000 concepts! This is a living proof of it.
3. Have very simple food. It is very tasty too. Simple does not mean dull. Guruji eats very less.
4. Taking food alone is a beautiful experience. Bhajan (devotion) bhojan (food) Raman (activities of a couple). One must Keep private. This is a beautiful principle.
5. Sleep on a very simple bed. Very thin mattress. We don't need anything fancy.
6. Simplicity is the hall mark of enlightened souls.
7. An afternoon nap is a must. (I fully agree with this!).
8. Appreciate and be grateful towards everyone. (our life is only for saying thank you)
9. After meditation like gods, don't bark like dogs. (Humor in action!) Be in silence after meditation, avoid chit chatting on trivial topics.
10. Use techniques of kriya yoga with love. This is a key point. Don't ever do kriya mechanically!
What is a diwali
This reminds me of a Bhajan. “Santjan yeti ghara, techi diwali dussera”. That means, when saints come home, it is diwali and dussera! A festive time! It's nothing to do with the calendar. So in the presence of a guru, every day is Diwali! Where instead of fire crackers, the light, sound and vibration comes from within! With kriya yoga, your gurus are inside you, so it's Diwali every moment of your life now, bright, Happy, colourful.
Conversation with Histas Baba:
I shared that I hear the anahata naada at all times, sometimes in the fontanelle area, I feel vibrations. But I see no divine light. He replied that don't expect anything. If it happens, when it happens, it will. In short, no attachment to results. This means don't seek. See when it happens! This is in line with the profound insight by Lahiri Mahashya's great great grandson, when we listened to him in Kashi in his house recently. This is noted in this blog samosa to samadhi in Kashi.
Here is the blog link.
Here is a blog about moving from the rituals of being in a religious school where everything is different to being a spiritual scientist, where everything is the same!
Question and answer sessions:
Finding god:
Finding god/consciousness is like finding air! It's everywhere, in every breath. There is no where to seek. Only to see. Finding air is not needed. We need only to realize that it's all around us, within us. It's that simple, profound, hence hard to get!
This reminds me of a funny image I had seen a long time back…it's here!
New maths:
There is a new math for spirituality, I discovered. Number 1 with 1 and any operator is always 1. Think about it. It's a new dimension. This is nothing but adwaita.
1-1 = 1 not 0
1+1 = 1 not 2
5/5 = 1 (obviously)!
Haha. I got you!
Mind issues:
Delusion, illusion and error are the issues most of us face. The greatest Dharma is the Dharma of humanity, where the consciousness is the same. Look beyond what is obvious.
Energy Cleansing
In kriya yoga, we are also cleansing the energy system which is in the chakras. As the chakras are cleared, the mind becomes purer and purer (mind is not in the brain, in fact the soul is infinite, the mind is finite to the extent what it knows, energy is the expanse of the prana and smallest in size is the gross body. This is contrary to the general assumption that it's the other way round!) and then one realises the sound, vibration and light of the creation.
Prayer:
Live a life of prayer and meditation. The prayer is calling for help from the same consciousness. True adwaita.
How does the mind work:
The limiting beliefs that I am the mind can be overcome by programming the subconscious mind. Once the mind is silent, then and only then intuition kicks in, as awareness increases.
There are some blogs on the emergence of emotions and how the mind works and the model of universal human desire which are given here.
Be in the awareness of the mahavakyas.
Aham brahmasmi. I am Brahman.
Tatavamasi. You are that (brahman). Eternal awareness of this state is possible, even when you live as a house holder.
Is life testing you:This is an interesting question. In life, there are tests to take & no tests at all. Depends on which level you are. Both are correct, from their perspective. But in adwaita, who will test whom? Hence no tests. But until the adwaita is firmly established, it appears that god is testing you.
Removed Specific techniques:
There were many insights, nuances, running into pages, which I have removed from this blog, as I can not share the techniques here in an open forum...as one needs to be initiated by a yogacharya.
This is as per specific instructions of Histas baba, so that accurate steps are passed during initiation, with blessings from masters.
Mahamudra and Bhagwat Gita:
In 2019, I was reading the 6th chapter of Bhagwat Gita commentary, dyneshwari, with my uncle, who had a question on the “vajrasana” mentioned in the chapter. The position of heels, the upliftment of the body, did not make sense, as it was impossible to do it. One heel at the rectum opening and the other at the perinium? Unless this pose was achieved, the rest of the process in the 6th chapter did not happen. I had realised that this was not siddhasana, nor was it vajrasana, but something different.
When i was doing the mahamudra, i recollected the paragraph from 2019, got a visual of lord Hanuman sitting at the feet of shree ram, with one knee raised up, i got the connection.
A small adjustment to the heel and I was able to achieve what was mentioned in the dyneshwari! Something which eluded me for many years, revealed itself naturally. Time will tell if this is the right insight, or I will get new guidance on my own.
The world is in illusion:
The entire creation is a dream of the creator! Think about it! Why are we chasing something that is not real?
How to do the practise:
The key is to do the practice with love..with a smile on the face. Make offerings to the supreme consciousness. Rather than perfecting the technique, increase the love to god, the supreme consciousness, to gurus. That is enough.
Satsang discussion on: darkness to light. What is kriya?
1. Why are we doing kriya? Fundamental question: let's understand the meaning of the word kriya. kri is to do. Ya is to watch it as an observer while doing it. This is difficult because the mind is involved in the activity. The mind is designed to get attracted to many things which are external as it gets inputs from senses. Even when senses are closed in a dreaming state, it works across memories. Hence yoga sutras say. Chittavriddhi nirodhah. Even the sensory inputs, compare the info to the memory bank, if it exists or not. For example, “fire is hot”, is a memory. One does not put the hand in fire every time, do you?
Directions that mind can take:
These are the different directions that the mind can take:
The material object desires to have its seat in the mooladhara chakra, the earth element. This is with material things. (hence the shape of idols in worship). Material things are made of everything taken from the earth. The minerals, the oil, the soil, the rocks, the trees, the bones of animals, for example. Anything gross or solid is taken from the earth.
The relationship related thoughts are role based. This is the second chakra. This is because all relationships are with live beings. You can not have a relationship with an object! The element is water. (Hence water abhishekam on shiva lingams). Relationships are like a flow, constantly changing, like water.
Consumable materials are at the seat in manipura. They provide energy to the body. Hence the fire element. This is around the navel..not at the abdomen level, which i used to think it's position as, earlier. (Hence havan to consume the offerings). Fire transforms the water and earth elements into air and ash.
Ego is in anahata chakra. Air is the element of this chakra. This is hence inflated egos. (Hence bahya kumbhak to deflate the ego). Ego is the identity. It also is the false identity when you think you are the role, when actually it's your role!
Attraction to things that are larger than life. For example, interest in jeevan mukta, kriya etc. This is the space element in throat chakra. Space has the element of infinite expansion.
Another sixth direction that the mind takes. What happens when something happens to the Body? If someone is not well, all other desires become secondary. So keeping in good health is the key.
As I run a business that is anything and everything to do with new and old buildings, engineering, repairs, civil, mep and interiors, I could not help, but see how this correlates to an organization! This was a fun exercise!
The physical assets of the organization and the desire to acquire and maintain them is the mooladhara. This is the relentless expansion of capacities, plants, offices etc. Everything tangible.
The people, their relationships, are the swadishthana. The goal here is to have a meritorious organization, free of petty office politics.
All the consumables, raw material etc, are the manipura. The goal is to consume as few resources as possible, while being efficient.
The identity that the organization takes, which is articulated in strategic positioning is the anahata. This is the key, as I experienced it recently with our civil engineering business, thanks to our mentor, Ambrish Chheda!
The desire to expand the business is the vishuddhi. Every business wants to expand, to what scale, is decided here.
The founder's vision, mission and clarity is the ajna. The seat of the soul of the organization.
And the design of an organization to thrive in perpetuity is the sahasrar chakra, the eternal connection. This is the founder's vision to keep serving others, which is the supreme purpose.
Learn about loka kalyanam here
The jeevanmukti, that makes loka kalyanam possible, here.
Can one leave maya completely?
Yoga considers the 5 elements as parts of maya or something that is not real. “Leave Maya” is preached by religion. But no one can leave Maya totally. As the body itself is the result of procreation. So till the body is there, maya remains. It's not possible to eliminate Maya, but we can make it least disturbing. This is the state of equilibrium. (Balance is numeric, equilibrium is holistic, a fundamental insight). Removing maya in life is like removing wood from a wooden table! It's not possible. The effects of maya can be reduced, maya itself can not be eliminated. When Maya takes over, the table has 3 legs of rajas tamas and sattva, which is inherently unstable. With spiritual clarity, you add the fourth leg of stability!
What are the 4 goals of kriya:
The goal 1. Santulan: balance.
kriya brings about a state of equilibrium that causes minimum disturbance.
The goal 2. Health.
The goal of kriya is to keep one's self healthy and fit for a long time. Anil baba from Delhi is super fit at 75 and has no wrinkles. He has been doing kriya for 50 years now. This is beyond amazing! One of the key steps is the maha mudra, which tightly presses the knees on the abdomen region, massaging and activating all the organs. This combined with other steps, increases the flow of prana in the system, which naturally translates into great health.
Goal 3. Focus better.
Kriya pranayama has “box breathing” as known in the western circles, with double kumbhak. Both kumbhakas, when equal in duration, create a state where focus is better. I have experienced that combined with ishta mantra and breathwork focussed on chakras in the specific sequence, it does work. But again, it has to be done with proper initiation. Please don't watch videos and try to do it.
Goal 4. Self realisation
Ref shiva purana. The only story which is repeated thrice! Sanatkumar, narad-vishnu dialog and Krishna-upamanyu dialog. (Sustenance was the first force created. Even a thought has to be sustained to produce the action. Amazing insight. Vishnu represents sustenance and Brahma, creation).
Once Vishnu and Brahma got into a dispute on who is superior? A beam of light appeared. Both could not figure out its top and bottom of this light. Ketki flower was produced by Brahma saying he reached the top, whereas he got the flower hanging around as he was on his pursuit. He stopped, and got the flower as a witness. Vishnu admitted that he could not see the bottom. Brahma had lied and had won the race by deceit.
Omkar sounded, there was vibration, light was already there, shiva divided om into 5 parts. North. U west. M. South. Dot east. Naada was omnipresent. Still both did not understand.
So the shape of a human was taken by consciousness. He was there with all the letters on the body, consciousness spoke. He told that they have forgotten about me. I am the force that makes them take action.
This was the first kriya deeksha ever given.
Vishnu stuck to the truth. Brahma lied and lost one of the five heads to lord Shiva. Vishnu told that the illusion of maya is created by the lord! There is no free will. So why the punishment? The lord was happy to know that Vishnu knows. And hence Vishnu became Hari om! Om is the light of consciousness, which appears as the column of light.
Hence the story. Action is not taken by us. It is taken by consciousness. Hence doing and witnessing is the same, as it is adwaita. There is no separate doer and observer. They are the same. Kri of doing and ya of observing is the same. One who gets this, has got the essence of kriya yoga.
Post dinner satsang:
We had a really interesting chat with the yogacharyas after dinner. Some insights:
Integrating kriya pranayama with a walk:
Faster progress with doing more kriya pranayama by integrating it with normal day to day activities. Progress is when kriya pranayama is done many times a day. There are 4 steps. Out hold in and hold like box breathing, but a modified form, in 4 steps. So kriya pranayama can be done also with walking. This is in addition to the morning and evening kriya. Walk slowly. And do this. Don't walk fast. Sync your breath with the walk. It's an easy to do technique, which I have to try.
Awareness of breath:
One can be aware of breathing also while working.. This is a new thing to try out. I always thought this can't be done. Anahata naada was the only anchor.
Anahata Naada:
When you hook to the anahata naada, thought will not come. The mind is controlled by the anahata nada. It ties the monkey brain with a rope literally. Combined with khechari mudra, thoughts are even lesser.
Love:
Love is not based on logic. It comes naturally with connection with the divine. If a direct connection is not established, see the connection in the person you love, your guru. This is the quickest way to enlightenment.
Compassionate detachment:
As everything is divine, compassion is natural. Detachment is to the physical form, which is immaterial, as the connection is already made at the higher level.
The soul connection is 900, the connection at mind level is 90, energy level is 9. And body level is 1.
As we are already connected at soul, mind and energy levels, only body level differs. This is like 0.01% difference, which also disappears as the light shines within.
Questions:
Guruji gave a response to a question as What kind of food should be taken - answer -
Food has to have no salt. No rice. My friend Sonia has mentioned this to me once, that salt intake increases the thirst element in the body. No salt, largely raw veggies, largely fruits, with minimum grains, as a diet is the best.
Realization of Ishta mantra.
I have 2 ishta mantras.
Om namah shivaya for adwaita for knowing that everything is one. Gyana of the universal consciousness. This is like the wave aspect of quantum consciousness.
And
Om kleem krishnaya namah for manifestation in this world. Bhakti of the virtually dual consciousness. This is the particle aspect of quantum consciousness.
Har and Hari are the same!
Read about nirvana shatakam, which is the formless Shiva
Read about the manas puja, where you are Shiva yourself! Residing in this body.
Read about the manifestation mantra here…
You can invoke this manifestation powerfully by homa and blowing the shankh.
Disciplining the mind:
It's your mind. Decide with awareness of anahata naada. You are not the mind! It's deceptively simple.
Vibration:
It could be just a house fly sitting on the head! Be aware. Haha. (Vibration in the fontanelle region is felt from within).
Consciousness:
In the light of consciousness, everything is visible. I have heard this in one of the talks from Swami sarvapriyanada from the ramkrishna mission once. This is a profound statement. Easy to visualize in the context of a light bulb. Not hard to understand with logic, but hard to realize and experience!
Best way to Handle arguments:
Discussion is better than arguments. Speak with empathy to understand from a viewpoint of love. This was correlated by pranali, my pranic healer, who has changed the way I look at things drastically. Sometimes, it is best to walk away with a smile. A friend of mine avoids senseless arguments when he says “baghu” in Marathi, which means “let's see”. This is no commitment, no opinion and no timeframe statement, leaving the other person perplexed!
Body and mind:
By design they are imperfect. The beauty is on understanding how they work as a model. Bicycles are inherently unstable, but you can learn to ride one. Similarly, you have to learn how to ride the mind as a bicycle rider, not let your mind become a monkey and sit on your head!
Discover the mind model here.
Practise:
Sincere practice is the need of the hour. A vast number of people are ignorant. Many get initiated. Some practice regularly. Practise regularly. Pracitse with love. Pracitse at the centre once a week. These three principles are guaranteed to accelerate your evolution.
Truth:
Truth is everything. Accept it. It is simple. It is intuitive. It is like air. It's everywhere. You can't see it, smell it, feel it. But as you breathe, you know, there is air. This is a very profound insight.
Experience:
Don't get stuck with an experience. Go beyond the experiences. Ultimately nothing remains. Don't get into the trap of experiences. This is true for spiritual experiences!
Read more on race for spiritual experiences here and how to avoid them.
Team handling:
It is possible to not be angry and not use harsh words. By motivating people and letting them work. For this, you yourself have to be motivated. Have open discussions with empathy. Holding on to things is like feeling constipated! You have to let go.
Living in the present:
Act as living in the present with awareness of the soul and consciousness.
To know the difference between thoughts and thinking….
Chatter vs voice:
There is a subtle difference between the chatter of the mind vs in the inner voice.
Listen to the anahata naada. Be aware of the voice within. The voice is always not correct. It could be intuition or your own mind playing tricks. So the voice that is in an instant, quick, is the inner voice. The other is the mind speaking!
Atman:
Atman has 3 aspects
Sat eternal
Chit consciousness
Anand bliss or anantam eternal.
Anantam is the real one. It got converted to anandam in bhakthi movement. Anandam is an emotion. Consciousness is neutral, hence anantam is more logical.
How to have Food:
Half of the stomach is to be filled with food, which is easy to digest. A quarter by water and rest empty. This will keep all diseases at bay.
How to handle others.
Instead of getting angry or unhappy when some one behaves in an unexpected or unacceptable way, pray that the person gets better, in mind, energy and body. And let the universe take care of it.
Maya:
Is not negative at all. It is the power to create, sustain and dissolve. Getting attached to the results of maya is the problem. It's a manifestation of your own mind.
Why ishtadeva:
Formless God is not useful. So for karya, you need ishta devta. This is where the difference between om and ishta became clear to me. This was not clear at the time of initiation to me. Now it is clear.
Procreation:
Love is the force binding everything and everyone. The world needs good children. This is the cosmic duty of adults to be parents and bring good souls to life, just like every living being in nature does. Sadly many youth are deciding not to procreate, depriving good souls a chance to experience life on earth, and pass on the value system ahead to the next generation.
Love of breath.
As one can't stay without breathing, with the same intensity, one has to love God. God here is supreme consciousness or ishta deva - both represented by guru, depending on your alignment with nirguna or saguna brahman.
Bharmacharya:It means roaming of the mind in consciousness. It is not necessarily celibacy. Celibacy helps to focus, but is not essential. A house holder can also be a brahmachari. It also made me realise that one of our ancestors was a brahmin (the one who knows Brahman), we are not. We are just born in a brahmin family…rarely a claim for any fame, recognition etc! So why do I have so much ego of being a brahmin? What have I done? Nothing actually!
Samadhi:
After self realisation, real meditation begins. Samadhi is not the end, it is the start of the next phase!
Role of japa in kriya
Japa integrated in breath a million times more effectively than japa on a mala.
Japa and dhyana to be done together. Chant with breath. No need for chanting with beads. Breath integration is the key. Chanting with beads is the first step like abcd. Then chant becomes with lip movement, then in the mind and then in the breath, each method is 100 times more powerful than the other. In kriya yoga, we chant in the mind to integrate with breath, in the chakras, which makes the step of kriya pranayama very powerful.
Two powerful forces, Mind and the soul. Align them:
Just like Instead of watering the roots of the plant, cleaning the leaves of the plant, is useless! We are taking care of the body and mind, with worldly pleasures, rather than the soul. This is what is done when kriya is done with utmost love. Get to a level where "I am sat chit anantam is clear."
My yoga guru, Adil Palkhiwala taught me a powerful technique to align the mind to the heart. Heart and mind synchronicity is the key. I am grateful to him for being so kind. Once that happens the intuitive mind takes over and the flow is established. Thinking is not required much.
3 bodies of ours are:
1. Gross body. Annamaya kosha..realize in a waking state.
2. Subtle body. Astral body. Pranamaya, manomaya and vigyanmaya koshas together. Realised in a dream state.
3. Casual body. Anadmaya kosha.
The soul is beyond it. This is the deep sleep state.
The soul is beyond these 3. Turya state. Beyond everything..formless. chidananda Rupa shivoham shivoham. Read about nirvana shakatam here
To know you are shiva himself in this life form read here.
Gross body
Also known as the physical body, this body is made of the five elements of earth, air, water, fire, and ether. It's the body that eats, breathes, and moves. The gross body perishes at the end of each birth.
Subtle body
Also known as the astral body, this body is made of subtle elements that aren't physical or material. It's made up of the mind, intellect, five vital breaths, five organs of action, five perceptive organs, and prana, the vital force of life. The subtle body does not perish and accompanies the soul and causal body until emancipation.
Causal body
Also known as the Anandamaya Kosha, this body is the bliss body. It survives the longest because it only needs peace. The soul is different from these three bodies and is eternal because it doesn't need anything.
The spiritual Toolkit for 4 koshas is here.
Causal body (the body that causes, hence causal) is the cause of the astral body and gross body we get. You have a part of the causal body where the karmas done by self and the fruits of the past karmas are returned there.
However when we do kriya, consciousness is doing it. This is the only awareness of doing with love, we need to realise. The techniques help you to achieve it.
Idol worship:
As we are worshipping prana, anahata naada, a stage comes when getting attracted to a temple also goes away. It's inside. Not outside. That becomes clear.
The journey from gross to subtle is captured as savikalpa to nirvikalpa samadhi stages in one of the blogs.
Role play:
Play the role and be detached. Read more here
Onion and garlic:
After certain purity, onion and garlic acts as mental stimulation food, not conducive to meditation. Leave it when you feel like it. Don't follow any rules, that is the key. Swami Vivekananda and many masters had fish in their food for a long time. Go by intuition. Not by rules. That is the true flow. Many of the rules we follow today were simply the lifestyles of enlightened souls. They did it naturally. We are doing it forcibly by rules. How will it work? We are suppressing desires. It's not going to work. Be regular in your practice and see the gradual transformation happen.
Thoughtless state:
Real thoughtless state is only possible outside the body. As the Bindu is outside the body.
Jyoti mudra:
Jyoti mudra after the kriya is the key. In office, where there is no one, it can be done during the hourly break, after kriya pranayama. This is ideal for my private office to implement on a regular basis. This is the best way to integrate it in my daily routine.
Always focus on fontanelle.
Do every act, even while performing sex, with consciousness at the top of the head. You will always be aware. This is a new insight to implement.
Signs of unabsorbed excess energy in kriya:
Excess energy, created during kriya manifests as sexual or irritation energy. These are signs that the energy generated during kriya is not absorbed properly. It also means that Jyoti mudra needs to be done properly for proper assimilation to take place.
Guruji did not blink at all:
Gurujji asked us. Did you realize, I did not blink at all? No blinking...means there is no disturbance. Not even by blinking. Extreme focus. Swami Paramahamsa Prajnanananda did not blink even once during the discourse. Total focus. Total concentration. It was amazing. This is the power of mastery over shambhavi mudra
Is the world an illusion:
The world is an illusion. A dream which is of consciousness. It is the adi purush which created prakriti, as a dream. That is the only real thing, one needs to know. This is confirmed even by sant dyneshwar, in the first ovi of dyneshwari.
Final satsang:
Why need a guru?
As one is not in touch with guru within, so external guru is needed.
Water vapour is of no use to drink.. We need liquid water to drink. Hence nirguna is not useful in this world. Saguna is hence needed. Being attached to the form, forgetting the formless is useless. Ordinary people do that. Extraordinary people are aware of both. Hence the need of ishtadevta.
Total immersion:
While daily kriya practice is like taking a shower at home, being in the retreat was like diving in the swimming pool with full immersion in waters of gyana, yoga, kriya and love. In the pool there are souls on the same path of, all genders, age, status and locations. These attributes don't matter at all. I have so many friends, keep making new ones, aligned to the state i am in.
Knowledge and love co-exist. Knowledge is formless and love can only be done with someone. One is logical. One and one together is emotional. This seems like a paradox. nirguna and saguna together coexist. It's the dual nature of existence.
Death:
One who is born in the body will die as the body. There are some rarest of the rare exceptions who have retained the body. One is the sanjeevani samadhi in alandi of dyneshwar mauli.
Surrender:
Surrender the mind to the divine. That means the subtle body is surrendered to the divine.
Prepare your field:
Life has to be prepared like a farmer prepares the farm. At the right time, the realisation does come as the crop sprouts. Until then, it's consistent work of tilling the land, sowing and putting fertilizers and watering the land!
How to practise:
Practise with devotion. This is the key. Practise with regularity. Be aware of the breath, the anahata naada, the vibration, the light. The heartbeat,
Leaving forever:
When it was told that we have to leave the resort in some time. Guruji told us that when Vivekananda left his body. He performed his normal duties of the day. I have read about this a while ago, I recollected. It was so natural and easy. Are you ready to "leave" right now? He asked!
I know that the attachment to my life itself has reduced a lot. I may be getting ready to leave any moment. However, It is the duties of roles, aligned to loka kalyanam, that keep the prana going. How long it will continue, well, I have no answer. I think when I have successfully passed the baton of the organization's i run for loka kalyanam, the roles will also dissolve, then what is the purpose of life left? Nothing.
Any breath for anyone can be the last breath. There are many examples. One has to be aware that this could be the last one! Hence awareness is the key.
It's our choice:
Most remain in darkness.
Some move from darkness to light.
A few move from light to being enlightened.
All enlightened ones guide the ones in darkness.
And the cycle continues.
Manifested world:
The key is to realise that the manifested world is a creation of the divine. It's a creation, so it's not real.. It's an illusion in the real sense..a conversation with my friend Shilpa ma was done on this topic on chat after the retreat
The world of illusion:
If the doer, the act of doing and the object are the same, isn't everything the same... With the world an illusion? Then the concept of purification also does not exist, as there is no benchmark at all… It is...as our thoughts are also an illusion!
After the 4 day kriya retreat the realisation has come that we are an illusion, in the illusion, created by the dream, in which the divine manifested the universe.
So there is nothing to do, no where to go, nothing to be, while enjoying the cosmic dance of creation!
No one will understand this, unless they "get it" on their own.
In its dream, consciousness manifested supreme gods, shown in Hinduism as sleeping Vishnu, meditating Shiva and Brahma with eyes closed.
(Santana Dharma is symbolic and not to be taken literally. Every aspect like Vishnu holding a conch is a message, not to worship the conch, but to blow it! And so on...)
In their dream, the Maya was created, hence the consorts who define the 3 aspects of Maya: Laxmi, Saraswati and Parvati, the 'having, being and doing" aspects.
In kriya yoga, using box breathing and om anahata naad, light and vibration, and focusing on the Bindu, far above sahasrar chakra, with a 10 step process, being done twice a day, in the recent 4 day retreat, it seems has accelerated the purification process.
The zeal:
The zeal to give back and love has increased and it seems some animals feel it, when I am around them. I experienced this in the gaushala recently, where a cow, Radha, I was standing near, only kind of cuddled me, as I touched her…and I am not imagining this. Vaishali saw this too! Small signs may be trivial and there is no meaning attached to it... But maybe vital clues on the path that is unfolding ahead. No attachments to interpretations too!
There is a small poem that composed itself, as this realisation dawned.
There is nothing to do
No where to go
Nothing to be
Nothing to see
You think there is something
Actually there is nothing.
Anything you see
Whatever you want to be
Whatever you want to do
Seeking where to go
Is all a part of the illusion
Creation by the manifestation
In the dream of consciousness
only eternal consciousness
The only formless sat* one. (Eternal truth)
The only eternal chit* one. (Infinite Energy)
The only eternal anatam* one. (endless)
The sat chit anantam* one. (truth, energy forever)
Sometimes called Shiva* (the pure formless one)
Sometimes called Vishwarupa* (the infinite form as given in gita)
Sometimes shunya* (zero)
Sometimes Ananya* (Non dual one)
Guru kripa hi kevalam*, (only)
Kevalam hi gurukripa.
This realisation is a blessing by the Lotus feet of guru kripa.
Blessing:
May you get company of enlightened souls to transform yourself with love
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