Concentration may also be attained by fixing the mind upon the inner Light, which is beyond sorrow.|| 1.36 ||
Here Patanjali gives another method to calm the mind. By contemplating on pure inner light our depressed mind is illumined. We are what we think. By thinking about brilliant, positive, and suspicious things, the mind also becomes the same. The inner light is all pervasive and it illumines the whole universe. That pure light is also called Vasudeva.
The Yogacharya Bhagavan Shri Krishna in Bhagavad Geeta says this:
jyotisham api taj jyotis tamasah param uchyate jnanam jneyam jnana-gamyam hridi sarvasya vishthitam || 13.18 ||
He is the source of light in all luminaries and is entirely beyond the darkness of ignorance. He is knowledge, the object of knowledge, and the goal of knowledge. He dwells within the hearts of all living beings.
School dropouts start working at the age of 15 to earn money. While the rest continue their studies to acquire additional qualifications. The remunerations degree holders end up getting is far higher than school dropouts. Initially, a 15-year-old is happy to start earning early, but with limited skills, he or she will not see career progression. This leads to spending the later part of the years in regret for not acquiring additional skills.
Most people spend their free time and weekends socialising in the name of having fun and only to regret in the later part of their life for squandering their precious time. The seekers of the above type of happiness are of an unsteady type and for such people, the doors of yoga will not open. Bhagavan Shri Krishna says this in Bhagavad Geeta:
vishayendriya-sanyogad yat tad agre ’mritopamam | pariname visham iva tat sukham rajasam smritam || 18.38 ||
Happiness is said to be in the mode of passion when it is derived from the contact of the senses with their objects. Such happiness is like nectar at first but poison at the end.
The Upanishad talks about a story, once kings from heaven, earth, and hell went to Lord Brahma for a mantra for happiness. Lord Brahma said da and asked them to contemplate on it. The word da was understood differently by all three of them. Kings from heaven were busy partying and they understood the mantra da as dama – meaning has niyama in life and have control over the senses.
Kings from the earth were generally selfish and stingy and they understood the mantra da as daana meaning becoming magnanimous in life through charity and selfless service. The kings from the hell were cruel by nature and they understood the mantra da as daya meaning be kind to others.
This santosha sutrada applies to all of us. We can have happiness in life by having dama, daana, and daya in life.
Dama can be implemented in life by following the foundation principles of yoga through the practice of yama and niyama.
Daana charity helps in purifying ourselves through purging out negativities and sins.
Daya helps in sustainable living through harmony in society. Following the above santosha sutra, we can have a sustained blossoming of happiness from within.
Initially following the principles of niyama seem to be difficult but the result is lasting happiness for oneself and others.
yat tad agre visham iva pariname ‘mritopamam | tat sukham sattvikam proktam atma-buddhi-prasada-jam || 18.27 ||
That which seems like poison at first, but tastes like nectar in the end, is said to be happiness in the mode of goodness. It is generated by the pure intellect that is situated in self-knowledge.
After Yudhishthira became a king, others applauded him saying now you have everything at your disposal and now you can enjoy your life. For that king, Yudhishthira replied saying that though the palace is big, he required a small space for himself. Though the bed is big, he needed a small space to sleep. Though the kitchen is big, he could eat a few morsels to fill his stomach. Yudhishthira had realised that his outer comforts were not a source of his happiness in life.
Lord Shri Krishna says in Bhagavad Geeta that by going within and connecting with the changeless, the highest, the Light of all Lights, Lord Vasudeva who is the closest friend residing in every heart one realises unshakable happiness.
Having realized Me as the enjoyer of all sacrifices and austerities, the Supreme Lord of all the worlds, and the selfless friend of all living beings, My devotee attains peace.
Yoga talks about inner peace and outer joy. The full manifestation of santosha happens through inner contemplation and its outer manifestation. Inner contemplation happens when we disengage from outer things and outer manifestation happens when we engage with outer things. The balance between inner contemplation and outer manifestation is yoga. The balance between sanyasa yoga and karma yoga is a key for santosha in life. Without an inward journey, we cannot be successful in our outward journey.
The main qualification you need to have for yoga to dawn is you must love yourself. When you love yourself, you will start investing time for yourself. When you love yourself, you will be mindful of what you eat, how you socialise, and how you utilise your time. When you start looking after yourself you will realise that unless the surroundings are conducive you cannot look after yourself. This pushes you to look after and enrich your surroundings as well. Soon you realise that your surroundings cannot be immune from the global influence. A sincere practitioner of yoga does not want to be influenced by global trends but wants to set a positive trend at a global level. When you love yourself you will love the whole world.
Connecting yourself from the micro level to the macro level is the purpose behind celebrating the International Day of Yoga. As individual humans, we are tiny insignificant puny. But when we expand ourselves by connecting with universal energy we get empowered with a boost of energy.
Yoga is not just inhaling and exhaling and moving your diaphragm like bellows.
Yoga is not just living for long as some trees do by living for centuries.
Yoga does not mean becoming busy in life till you retire as machines do.
Yoga is not a religion but is the basis for all religions.
Yoga is a unique contribution from the sages of India to the whole of humanity. Sages of yore developed the yoga system for the sustainability of this planet.
Yoga means balance. A balanced life is a must for sustainable living. A balanced life is a must for peace and harmony in the world.
Yoga enables us to express well physically, mentally, and spiritually.
To express ourselves well physically, we must understand our anatomy and physiology. Asana helps in connecting and strengthening all limbs in the body. Through the pranayama techniques, we oxygenate the blood, strengthen the nerves, and detoxify the body and mind. Through pranayama, the mind is calmed and the clarity in thinking improves. A still mind helps in diving deep within which enables us to connect to our spiritual roots.
The practice of yoga improves resilience at multiple levels of our personality. Body resilience minimises physical injuries. Mental resilience helps us to handle the challenges in life without buckling down in life. Spiritual resilience helps us to remain focused and move towards the goal of our life.
Last week one of my students who oversees a gurukul called me saying that there was a water shortage, and he was getting the borewell on the premises. According to the experts, the water table was about 300 feet deep. But when borewell drilling started at 300 feet he came across the rock. At that time, he remembered my words and did not get disheartened and continued with drilling till he found the bottom of the rock at 600 feet deep. There he stuck with sweet water enough to irrigate 4 acres of land.
International Day of Yoga is not a one-day affair. Yoga is a tapas and commitment to life. Many hurdles and distractions will come but with perseverance and patience continue your practice. With my yoga sadhana and by dedicating my life to tapas I am blessed to irrigate the hearts of many and quench the inner thirst of thousands across the world.
Make yoga your lifelong companion. Health is the best gift we can have. Mental health is a big challenge across the world. Yoga is the need of the day to make us physically healthy, mentally balanced, emotionally stable, and spiritually connected. Such an enriched person becomes an asset to the whole world and such a person alone can boost the morale of humanity.
The world is looking at you for a boost of energy. Come let us join hands to infuse positive energy so that this world becomes a better place to live.
By fixing the mind on a single modification generated by the sensory objects, the mind is calmed || 1.35 || Here Patanjali gives another method to calm the mind. Outer objects are not responsible for our happiness or sorrows but the identification of sense organs with the objects makes us happy or sad in life. A bar of chocolate by itself cannot make us happy. A hot chilly by itself cannot make us sad. When our sense organs get attached to them, we experience happiness or sorrow. By a careful analysis of this one will be able to remain equipoise in all situations.
The Yogacharya Bhagavan Shri Krishna in Bhagavad Geeta says this:
O son of Kunti, the contact between the senses and the sense objects gives rise to fleeting perceptions of happiness and distress. These are non-permanent, and come and go like the winter and summer seasons. O descendent of Bharat, one must learn to tolerate them without being disturbed.
One will easily be able to disengage the mind from the sense organs when one develops taste for higher things in life.
Aspirants may restrain the senses from their objects of enjoyment, but the taste for the sense objects remains. However, even this taste ceases for those who realises the Supreme.
Om itetad aksharam idam sarvam. Om is not just a letter, but it is representing the Supreme Lord. At the beginning of our Vedic study, we start by saying, Harihi Om. This means Hari alone is Om. Hari means harati iti om – one who remains intact when everything has gone is Om. Narayana means the same – one who alone remains when everything has gone. This means Om is the foundation of everything and it is akshra– indestructible.
The message of Om says we must seek the permanent only and no point in trusting on others who are themselves are impermanent.
The three-letter Om AUM represents: A: ateeta: past- bhoota U: utpanna: present: bhavya M: meya: future: bhavat
That Supreme Lord – Purusha was there, is there, and will be there as changeless and complete. He is higher than Prakriti. Prakriti binds jiva -souls with sattvic (pure), rajasic (dynamic), and tamasic (dull) cords. But when the jiva – soul gets liberated, Prakriti has no longer can bind that soul. But the Supreme Lord is the goal and Lord of even the liberated souls as mentioned in the Purusha Sookta – utamritatvasyeshanaha and as mentioned in the Vishnu Saharanama – muktanam parmamgarim.
Everyone is bound and leading a helpless life whether a prime minister or an ordinary citizen like mounted on a machine and we are bound by a cord or time and helplessly made to act. The Lord Shri Krishna beautifully says in Bhagavad Geeta
The Supreme Lord dwells in the hearts of all living beings, O Arjun. According to their karmas, he directs the wanderings of the souls, who are seated on a machine made of material energy.
The message of the three-letter Om makes us shed our ego to discover the joy in life.
A: means not. It is not what you know or you “a” means you do not know that. U: means upari -up meaning The Lord is higher and beyond your comprehension M: means meya – prameya: according to your ability try to understand.
Nobody can comprehend that fully. You cannot bring the whole water from the ocean but can take water from the ocean according to the size of the vessel you are carrying.
In a wakeful state Lord in the form of Aniruddha gives the Viswa experience and binds us with a cord of time and makes us act based on our ignorance. The foundation of our action (karya) is ignorance (karana).
In a dream state Lord in the form of Pradyumna gives the inner experience through a special light called Taijasa experience and binds us with a cord of time and makes us see things in our ignorance. The foundation of our unimaginable dreams (karya) is ignorance (karana).
Lord in the form of Sankarshana binds the soul with a cord of time and gives the total experience of ignorance in deep sleep. The foundation of our deep sleep experience is ignorance (karana). In deep sleep, there is no ego and because of this deep sleep has a blissful experience.
Like we do memory backup in our computers, our experiences in wakeful and dream are backed up in our deep sleep. This is called a supta prajna. We may lead a life in denial in the wakeful and dream state but the black box within cannot be erased. The medical science and police departments do sleep hypnosis to cure diseases or to extract the truth. This black box has the seeds of our karmas and is waiting for an appropriate time to manifest.
How to wipe out the karmas in the black box? Om says the only way is to go to the fourth state called turiya. The Supreme Lord Vasudeva who revealed to us only as Aniruddha to give outside experience, Pradyumna to give dream experience, and Sankarshana to give deep sleep experience alone can delete the seed of Karma by taking us to the fourth state called a nada.
The Mandukopanishad describes the turiya state as
amātraś caturthoavyavahāryaḥ prapañcopaśamaḥ sivo’dvaita evam auṁkāra ātmaiva saṁviśaty ātmanā’tmānaṁ ya evaṁ veda ya evaṁ veda.
Amatra: nada – the sound which is beyond the measure Chaturtha: the fourth state Avyayaharya: beyond transaction Prapanchopashmana: No more wrong identification with the world Shivam: purest Advaita: Vasudeva reveals himself as Anniruddu, Pradyumna and Sankarshana and there is a difference between the form of the Lord Atmaiva samvishat atmana atmanam: the ultimate purpose of our journey and culmination of our journey.
In the turiya state, one experiences the pause which is unshackled from the cord of time and becomes kalateeta. In the wakeful, dream, and deep sleep we are bound by the cord of time and make us unsettled. Whereas in turiya state, atmaiva samvisha means one having reached the destination gets settled and does not want to move from there.
When the Lord Vasudeva reveals himself to give the turiya experience – one experience a flash of lighting for a very short time – not even a matra (amatra). After that experience, that person will start hearing the nada of Om continuously (amatra). Like lightning is followed by thunder, after experiencing this flash of light in the heart one hears nada continuously.
Music – Sangeeta is an attempt to express this inexpressible sound in various pitches – avyavaharyam. Om says if you want to be a genius in Sangeeta you must go beyond the audible sound AUM and you dive deep within to experience inner sound – antarnada. When you experience the stillness within whatever you talk is melodious to hear. In the world Parliament of religion in Chicago, many people spoke but when Swami Vivekananda uttered the words “my brothers and sisters of America” the entire audience got enraptured and stood up.
The sages have given a symbol to Om as . In this symbol 3 stands for three states of our existence, wakeful, dream, and deep sleep. A curve appended to 3 symbolise turiaya – nada (amatra). A dot above that represents a bindu. A crescent represents kala. Shanta represents the cosmic egg and beyond that is atishanta – the Supreme Lord.
Atishanta represents the changeless, the parament, complete and most pure – Narayana. Shanta represents Hiranyagarbha – cosmic egg– Prajapati – creator – Brahma. The crescent represents the destructive and liberating power of Lord Shiva.
The message of Om is for all of us to seek the grace of Lord Vasudeva so that may He reveal Himself to us to give us the turiya experience.
One who experiences this. sees the same Lord Vasudeva everywhere. The message of Om unites us irrespective of faith and religion. Knowledge units us and ignorance divide us.
To counteract the unsteadiness, the practice upon a single ideal||1.32 ||
As mentioned in sutras 1.30-1.31 twelve obstacles come in our way to prevent us from progressing in our inner journey. This can be prevented by having an ultimate goal in life, and firm faith in one’s sadhana. A seeker – sadhak needs inner stamina and without that, he or she cannot succeed in sadhana. The seeker gets the inner stamina only through the blessings of a Guru. Gu means darkness and Ru means light. In our inner journey, we are lone travelers and we come across many obstacles in the path such as sickness, depression, doubts, confusion, laziness, imagination, wrong information, arrogance, etc.
These obstacles are called darkness and to overcome these we need light. A Guru is a light. A Guru shows the way to the light. A Guru illumines the way to the inner light. A Guru gives focus to our life.
Imparting the knowledge of Yoga and paving a way for healthy disciplined life and well-being at a very young age is very important. To that end, Vasudeva Kriya Yoga is helping nurture the next generation by conducting regular Yoga Classes for Kids. The classes are conducted in a very unique way with a combination of energetic Yogasana with a particular focus on enhancing confidence and mental concentration in kids. Apart from this, we also teach Bhagavad Gita to kids and narrate historical stories from Ramayana, Mahabharata and the Puranas.
We conduct Yoga Classes for Kids every Sunday from 5 pm to 6 pm in Glen Waverley. Please contact us to enrol your kids on the Yoga Class.
Viittala Kriya for the healthy reproductive system and a heart condition- by Manikandan
In the current term, we are practising Vittala kriya which I am impressed much about it as I find more beneficial in many ways and hence I would like to highlight its benefits here.
This kriya has the following benefits.
• Women having fibroid problems, uterus issues and conceiving problem • Men having low sperm count, prostate problem • People having a heart condition.
If anyone has any of the above-mentioned issues, please try this kriya as described below for a month and give feedback.
Mudra – Yoni mudra
Tip of thumb from both hands touching each other and pointing up, the tip of forefingers touching each other and pointing down and all other fingers wrapped each other. Place the hand in this mudra closer to the navel area. This mudra is beneficial specifically to women during the monthly cycle when women experience excess discharge and pain.
Mantra: Three syllables, namely, Vii-ttaa-laa
• Vi – Beejashkara mantra/resonance for the reproductive system for swadhistana chakra • La – Beejaskara mantra/resonance for the gonad region- mooladara chakra • Ta – Beejashkara mantra/resonance for moon centre – sahasrara chakra
This Kriya has an effect on the nerves. Scriptures say almost 100 nerves branch out from the heart and each nerve further bifurcates into 1000 and hence beneficial for a heart condition.
Process
As we say Vi inhale and expand abdomen muscles
As we say Tala, exhale and pull the abdomen muscles in.
Keep doing continually for more rounds close to 40, if comfortable
We can feel the warmth and heat in the stomach region whereby all internal organs are energised.
As you may notice, kriya, kabalabhati and mudra combined together here.
Saturday morning is synonymous with our Srimad Bhagavad Gita class. It’s a day to listen intently to Lord Krishna’s divine song and take a guided tour to the depths of the serene ocean of knowledge to pick up pearls of wisdom and emerge wiser and even more inspired for days to come.
Returning to the shore, it’s time to walk the talk as we get back to the material world, rejuvenated with a sense of equanimity and energy to take on the week’s battles.
If there’s one shloka that comes to the mind instantly from Chapter 2 or Sankhya Yoga, it is:
तमुवाच हृषीकेश: प्रहसन्निव भारत | सेनयोरुभयोर्मध्ये विषीदन्तमिदं वच: ||2.10||
The key expression being senayorubhayormadhye or coming to the centre. Lord Krishna deliberately positioned the chariot between the armies of the Kauravas and Pandavas at the battlefield in Kurukshetra so that Arjuna could take an objective view of the situation without getting attached.
Lord Krishna says that if we are attached to one side, we won’t see reality. If truth has to dawn, declutch/detach yourself and come to the centre. Then you will get a better vision. From the foot of a mountain, it is impossible to see the horizon. To climb up, detach yourself from the mundane. As one goes higher, the vision gets better. By associating with one side, we can’t get the real picture. Coming to the centre is similar to going up for a better vision.
We all have a different army/enemy to fight. Everyone’s situation is different. So, don’t get daunted. Assess the situation by coming to the centre and boldly fight the battle of life.
All parents wish to create a positive environment at home to help their kids achieve success. But how is that success defined? Getting good grades? Steering kids into the ‘right’ jobs and material success? While financial security is important, there are greater goals too. The world needs more leaders and doers who will drive the advancement and application of wisdom that uplifts people and the planet.It is not uncommon to see the child of a cultured family giving up their “parental” values and giving in to peer pressure or surrendering their self-identity to shallow or distorted media stereotypes. Many children have high IQs, rarer are those with high EQ. Growing up in privilege, the rarest are the ones with high AQ or adversity quotient – hence the focus on resiliency.
One type of parent completely cocoons their child from ‘negative’ outside influences. Can a fearful parent result in a fearless child?
Another type of parent is unwilling to protect, preserve, promote and practice what has given them strength. In the name of ‘freedom’ for their children, nothing is preserved, promoted or practised. Can a rudderless parent result in a child that has clarity and direction?
Despite their mutual ‘best’ efforts, children and their parents are often misaligned, which leads to misunderstandings that are unpleasant or destructive.
To bridge this gap, and have the conversation, we have started a ‘Yoga Dharma of Parenting’ Q&A session with our Yogacharya and Guru, Shri. RajendraJi.
We encourage parents and children to ask questions – by sending your question in writing to vasudevakriyayoga@gmail.com or (more preferably) recording your question on video and sending it to the above email address. We will be professionally recording the videos at the kids’ yoga class on Sundays from 5-6 pm in Glen Waverley.
You may find the first series of videos here, covering questions such as:
Episode 1: Yoga is to align and connect, dharma is to sustain. What does it mean for a parent and child to be aligned with and connected? How can they each understand each other better and have an enduringly positive relationship through the ups and downs of life?
Episode 1: Yoga of Parenting: A Q&A series with Rajendraji
Episode 2: How does this change situationally when the child is below 10, a “ten-ager”, “teenager”, young adult, and as they commence the path to grihastashram themselves?
Episode 2: Yoga of Parenting: A Q&A series with Rajendraji
Episode 3: How does a parent live up to and credibly embody the qualities that he/she wants for his/her child? What qualities should the parent and child focus on?
Episode 3: Yoga of Parenting: A Q&A series with Rajendraji
Episode 4: What is the fine line between stifling attachment (in the way Dhritarashtra was attached to Duryodhana) and inspirational detachment (in the way Krishna was a friendly father figure to Arjuna?)
Episode 4: Yoga of Parenting: A Q&A series with Rajendraji
Episode 5: Parents cannot be around forever to drive/regulate/sustain their children nor can they follow them everywhere. How does a parent create ‘svadhyaya’: self-drive/regulating/sustaining behaviours in their children, so the child can survive and thrive anywhere?
