The Powers Gained from Yama and Niyama

September 27th, 2011  •  By Swami Nirmalananda Giri (http://blog.atmajyoti.org/)

Part 27 in the Commentary on Patanjali’s Yoga Sutras, by Swami Nirmalananda Giri

Sutra 2:42. From contentment [santosha] he gains unsurpassed [superlative] happiness.

This is because santosha is a state completely free from all desire for objects or the compulsion to gain some outer thing not yet possessed.  Such desire is itself great pain–as is usually its fulfillment.

Taimni says: “There is a definite reason why superlative happiness abides in a perfectly calm and contented mind.  A calm mind is able to reflect within itself the bliss [ananda] which is inherent in our real divine nature.  The constant surging of desires prevents this bliss from manifesting itself in the mind. It is only when these desires are eliminated and the mind becomes perfectly calm that we know what true happiness is.  This subtle and constant joy which is called sukha and which comes from within is independent of external circumstances and is really a reflection of ananda, one of the three fundamental aspects of the self.”

Vyasa has this comment:  “So it is said:  ‘Whatever sex pleasure there may be in the world, whatever supreme happiness may be enjoyed in heaven, they cannot be accounted a sixteenth part of the happiness of destruction of craving.’”  Simply being without compelling desires is great happiness and peace.  Here is how the Taittiriya Upanishad expresses it:

“Who could live, who could breathe, if that blissful self dwelt not within the lotus of the heart? He it is that gives joy.
“Of what nature is this joy?
“Consider the lot of a young man, noble, well-read, intelligent, strong, healthy, with all the wealth of the world at his command.  Assume that he is happy, and measure his joy as one unit.
“One hundred times that joy is one unit of the joy of Gandharvas.
“One hundred times the joy of Gandharvas is one unit of the joy of celestial Gandharvas.
“One hundred times the joy of celestial Gandharvas is one unit of the joy of the Pitris in their paradise.
“One hundred times the joy of the Pitris in their paradise is one unit of the joy of the Devas.
“One hundred times the joy of the Devas is one unit of the joy of the karma Devas.
“One hundred times the joy of the karma Devas is one unit of the joy of the ruling Devas.
“One hundred times the joy of the ruling Devas is one unit of the joy of Indra.
“One hundred times the joy of Indra is one unit of the joy of Brihaspati.
“One hundred times the joy of Brihaspati is one unit of the joy of Prajapati.
“One hundred times the joy of Prajapati is one unit of the joy of Brahma: but no less joy than Brahma has the seer to whom the self has been revealed, and who is without craving.” – Taittiriya Upanishad 2:7, 8

Sutra 2:43. Perfection of the sense-organs and body result after destruction of impurity by tapas.

Tapas is like the fire that refines gold through the burning out of all impurities.  In relation to the body, tapas removes its limitations and defects.  This has been shown by scientific studies:

“Everyone around the water cooler knows that meditation reduces stress.  But with the aid of advanced brain-scanning technology, researchers are beginning to show that meditation directly affects the function and structure of the brain, changing it in ways that appear to increase attention span, sharpen focus and improve memory.  One recent study found evidence that the daily practice of meditation thickened the parts of the brain’s cerebral cortex responsible for decision making, attention and memory.  Sara Lazar, a research scientist at Massachusetts General Hospital, presented preliminary results last November that showed that the gray matter of twenty men and women who meditated for just forty minutes a day was thicker than that of people who did not.…What’s more, her research suggests that meditation may slow the natural thinning of that section of the cortex that occurs with age.”  (How to Get Smarter, One Breath At A Time, Lisa Takeuchi Cullen.  Time, January 16, 2006, p. 93.)

“There was a study reported at the American Geriatric Association convention in 1979 involving forty-seven participants whose average age was 52.5 years.  It found that people who had been meditating more than seven years were approximately twelve years younger physiologically than those of the same chronological age who were not meditating.” (Gabriel Cousens, M.D., Conscious Eating, p. 281.)

The process is described by Vyasa as follows: “As tapas becomes complete, it destroys the veiling taint of impurity; when the veiling taint is removed, there are siddhis of the body like the ability to become minute, and siddhis of the senses in such forms as hearing and seeing things which are remote.”  The body is no longer locked into its habitual patterns of size or location. Nor are the senses any longer limited to functioning within the bounds of proximity of objects.  The body and senses become as free as the yogi’s spirit, and as expanded in their scope.

Sutra 2:44. From self-study [swadhyaya] arises communion with the beloved deity.

This sutra is not speaking of communion with God the Unmanifest Absolute, but with His manifested forms or with powerful beings–gods, realized Masters, and others who have evolved beyond the earth plane.  “Gods, sages, and perfect beings to whom he is devoted come before the vision of the man intent on swadhyaya and give him their help,” says Vyasa.  The help can be in the form of protection, removal of inner or outer obstacles, and even spiritual teaching.  His aspiration expressed through swadhyaya and his love and admiration for them of which, through their omnipotence, they are ever aware, draw them to grant him encouragement, assistance, and instruction.

Sutra 2:45. Accomplishment of (or success or perfection in) samadhi arises from Ishwarapranidhana.

Though we can define samadhi in many accurate ways, when we think about it we realize that samadhi is totally coming to rest in spirit, the cessation of all else, and the centering of our being in God.  Samadhi is entering into the heart of God, into the Silence that is the only truth.  The perfection of that state is samadhi, which therefore is produced by total devotion of our life to God.

O Love that wilt not let me go,
I rest my weary soul in Thee;
I give Thee back the life I owe,
That in Thine ocean depths its flow
May richer, fuller be.

O Light that follow’st all my way,
I yield my flickr’ing torch to Thee;
My heart restores its borrowed ray,
That in Thy sunshine’s glow its day
May brighter, fairer be.

A final word on the subject from Vyasa: “The samadhi of one who has devoted [offered] his whole being to the Lord is perfect.…[By] the knowledge [resulting] from that [samadhi he] knows a thing as it really is.”

Self-realization: the goal

“This effulgent self is to be realized within the lotus of the heart by continence, by steadfastness in truth, by meditation, and by superconscious vision.  Their impurities washed away, the seers realize him.” (Mundaka Upanishad 3.1.5)

And I. K. Taimni: “The student of yogic philosophy will see in these unusual developments which take place on practicing yama-niyama the tremendous possibilities which lie hidden in the apparently simple things of life.  It appears that one has only to penetrate deeply into any manifestation of life to encounter the most fascinating mysteries and sources of power. Physical science which deals with the crudest manifestation of life touches the mere fringe of these mysteries and the results which it has achieved are little short of miraculous.  There is, therefore, nothing to be surprised at in the fact that the yogi who dives into the far subtler phenomena of mind and consciousness finds still deeper mysteries and extraordinary powers.”

The Royal Road to Joy

What is the way to fulfillment and happiness? Why, despite having wealth, family, and all of the things for which they worked so hard with the notion that his would bring completeness, do so many continue to find happiness elusive?

 There is likely not a soul alive who has not heard the saying “happiness lies within,” yet most cannot act on this wisdom because they are not truly convinced of it, nor are they certain as to its real meaning.

 Sense Pleasures Inherently Flawed

 It is easy to see the predicament of the drug addict: he is perpetually chasing an ever-elusive high. The high he seeks is never actually obtained, for as soon as it is induced, it wanes and departs. Likewise, there is an inherent flaw in the hope that fulfillment can be obtained via a life lived solely for the pleasures afforded by the senses. Like the high of the drug addict, such pleasures are fleeting. When the contact from which the pleasure was derived is removed, the pleasure stops, so a repeat experience is sought. Therefore, like the rat on the wheel, one is ever chasing pleasure through a variety of means, yet no matter how much one accumulates, this hard reality cannot be circumvented.

 Why then, can not a man of keen intellect realize this predicament and lift his gaze toward a loftier pursuit?

 Most are barred from finding a higher kind of spiritual happiness either by the belief that this life is all there is, or by the belief that true happiness can only be found in some far off heaven that exists beyond the death the body. Misinterpreting the scriptures’ description of heaven as a place rather than their own true nature (or state of being), they cannot make efforts now toward finding true happiness – which does indeed exist within.

 Engagement in Soul Culture

 There comes a time in the soul’s development when, through repeated experiences of the pain and suffering of life’s drama, it begins to awaken and seek the higher path of soul culture, regardless of religious upbringing. But even for the seeker who begins to understand his higher nature and is desirous of it, the sensory attachments can seem a formidable mountain to overcome. For as long as we hanker after the fleeting pleasures of the senses, we will remain tricked and defrauded by nature, unable to perceive the higher more sublime spiritual bliss yielded by the contact with the Self. So what way is there to surmount this dilemma?

 Through the practice of a technique such as Kriya Yoga, the anand (bliss) of Spirit is gradually revealed and overwhelms desire for the senses…

“In the paravastha (advanced stage of Kriya) there are no waves in the brain, and in the more advanced stage man becomes intoxicated like a drunk without any ambition or any wish — this is the effect of spiritual happiness.”

~ Spiritual Gita (Bhupendranath Sanyal) 2:49

 Through the practice of Kriya, the bliss arising thereof gradually increases in intensity and duration, ultimately attenuating the lure and power of sense addictions. Who wants sugar after tasting honey? The attraction for sugar begins to lose its hold. Attempts at forceful repression will fail – if the addiction remains in the mind then how can one say he has overcome it? It will raise its head again. Leading a natural and balanced life while faithfully continuing on in the practice of kriya is the way. The blissful intoxication of Spirit will increase and gradually lead to true renunciation.

 So now what happens as the sense attractions thin out – giving way more and more to spiritual intoxication? How does the seeker behave?

Before this state is steady and well established, the seeker will alternate between spiritual intoxication and back to normal awareness. Sometimes he will think he is losing it (the anand) – trying time and again to regain it. But the seeker who continues on, persevering over the crags, rocks, and obstacles with the hooks and rope lines of his practice (meditation, pranayam, etc.) begins to experience more and more of a kind of sublime blissfulness outside of seated practice also. This inspires him to continue on with perseverance.

 As the delights of the senses are increasingly seen as vastly inferior in comparison with the spiritual joy dawning within him, the seeker is again reminded of his true nature and this does begin to change him…

 “The one whose chitta (mind fluctuations) has become confined to the self by kriya’s paravastha (blissful after-effect stage), does not get attracted by worldly talks and neither is he able to behave in an attached manner. In the paravastha his mind becomes vacant, this makes him very unsocial, therefore people start to avoid him.”

 and…

 “All put together, an intoxicated position is reached by the practice of kriya, etc. and this state raises the being to the stage of kriya’s paravastha. This drunken-like state is the passport to paravastha, it is the one which develops resignation towards all other things.”

 ~ Spiritual Gita (Bhupendranath Sanyal) 8:34, 59

 I am reminded of Sri Ramakrishna’s illustration of how the anand (bliss) gradually makes the seeker muni (silent), comparing to that of a pitcher that is gradually submerged in water. At first there is much noise and gurgling, but the more it is submerged, gradually all noise stops and it becomes silent. The more the bliss of spiritual anand is drunk due to the stilling of the mind as a result of his sadhan, the more silent he becomes. In fact, when this blissfulness is not yet well established, the sadhak will begin to understand how engaging in world talks dilutes this anand, making him lose this state. So gradually he simply prefers to be silent, immersed in the joy of Spirit.

 Lastly, it should be understood that the message here is not that one cannot enjoy the senses, for the senses are in fact a manifestation of Consciousness. It is rather to say that sense experiences are incapable of bringing us happiness in and of themselves. The middle path, that of a balanced, well-regulated life of devoted spiritual practice is the way to true joy, bliss, and happiness.

 

“Kriya Yoga, the scientific technique of God-Realization, will ultimately spread in all lands, and aid in harmonizing the nations through man’s personal, transcendental, perception of the Infinite Father.”

~ Mahamuni Babaji to disciple Lahiri Mahasaya, 1861, Himalayas

This small seeker bows a thousand times to Sri Sri Mahamuni Babaji Maharaj and Masters of all paths, lines, and traditions

vy

Manifest Energy – The Power of Thought

As we are all co-creators in a universe without limit, it is very important that we understand the power that our thoughts have on the material plane.  In fact, what we refer to as the “material plane” is none other than the solidification of thought into experience, for action always begins at the level of thought.

At a time when so many are given over to fear mongering, it is important that we work to counter such negativity by spreading thoughts of light and loving vibration into the world.  Changing our thought patterns in addition to engaging in a period of daily meditation, even if brief in duration, goes a long way in spreading light and love to the surrounding atmosphere as the stilling of the mind (ego, thoughts, etc.) allows inner Light to emanate from us and heal the world around us.  Many are awakening to the truth that what is happening in the “outer” world at a given time is a direct reflection of the collective consciousness of humanity.  Therefore, it behooves us to carefully consider what the changing events in the world around us say about our inner state of being.  Put another way, the manifestation of discord or harmony in the world around us reflects what is going on within us.

Paramahansa Yogananda spoke on this very subject:

“The vibrations of evil that mankind leaves in the ether upset the normal harmonious balance of the earth. When the earth becomes very heavy with disease and evil, these etheric disturbances cause the world to give way to earthquakes, floods, and other natural disasters.”

Aristotle expressed a similar sentiment when he said, “All earthquakes and disasters are warnings; there’s too much corruption in the world.”

When there is a dramatic increase in the magnitude and frequency of earthquakes and other natural disasters, it is a wake up call, a kind of alarm bell, alerting us that we must change our thoughts and actions if our planet is to continue to be capable of sustaining life.  Consider if you will how the human body reacts to the presence of a virus – it raises its temperature (generates fever) and increases the ranks of its armies in the form of white blood cells in order to kill what threatens it.  In the same way, when our way of life presents a threat to Mother Earth, it is natural that she will defend Herself.  Mankind will not win such a battle; rather we must learn to live in harmony with the Earth or we shall forfeit our right to exist here. While it is true that the earth does go through normal cycles of readjustment that are natural to its own evolution, it is vital that we understand the considerable role our thoughts and actions play in the creation of geophysical upheavals.

Many at present are preoccupied with prophecies and predictions regarding 2011 or 2012, but we must be aware that it is our thoughts and actions in the present that determine our future.  Time is illusory, and we are responsible for our own spiritual evolution.  Do not wait for the proverbial “mothership,” for it will not come.  Human life is always tenuous and fragile, and this is why it is so important for us to recognize this precious opportunity we have been given for our soul development through this human incarnation.  While it is true that increasing frequencies are elevating the collective consciousness of those on the earth at this time as we transition into another age (or yuga), if we do not work for our own development we will not truly benefit.  A student can be placed in the most prestigious institution of learning but if he does not study and do the work, he will not succeed.  It is only when we engage in self-effort that we earn the grace of God and Gurus.

Lastly, all have a choice regarding how we perceive and react during this time of change.  Many people and media outlets are focusing only on negativity and fear.  We have a choice whether or not we participate and contribute to this low vibration.  Spiritual evolution and fear do not go together, as fear keeps us in a low, body-centered state of consciousness. Love, however, elevates us to a higher state and exerts a benign influence on our own physical and spiritual health as well as that of those around us.

May God and Gurus help us to be more selfless, more loving, and more joyful, in the creation of a healthier more harmonious planet.

vy