January 12 2011
Title
Ashtanga Yoga: Asana-New Revelations Patanjali Yoga Sutras 97
Description
Living enlightened master and avatar Paramahamsa Nithyananda began this discourse with a new interpretation of the word. "Asana is roughly translated as Posture. I want to translate it as 'Tuning yourself to the Cosmos'."
Sthira and Sukha - the way in which you tune yourself to the cosmos should be stable, sturdy and comfortable for you. There are 1000s of ways to tune yourself to the cosmos. For every act you have a particular posture. If you lie down in a relaxed way and try to shout at someone, it won't work! Posture, your consciousness, and action - all 3 are connected closely. By lying down you can't shout at someone and by standing up you can't sleep.
Each posture creates a particular consciousness in you and helps you with the action. The posture for the ultimate consciousness is the Maha Mudra. For this, you need to evolve your body step by step. Change in body posture brings change in your consciousness. Many have started disrespecting the body, as though the body is a villain. The body is the victim of you. You go on abusing the body. Continuously for your enjoyment, you take the body to the extreme.
Your body is the mirror. The light coming to the mirror is the cosmic light. You need to align the mirror to a certain posture where the cosmic light reflects itself without distortion or deflection. That tuning is Aasana.
Stiram means any posture imbibed by you which becomes your bio-memory.
Sukam- When the right posture is done, nectar oozes out from every joint. Practicing a set of postures more and more and increasing the capacity of your body and increasing the sweet nectar is sukha.
Aasana-Respecting your body, raising your body to the highest possible spiritual conscious coherence. Through trial and error or a Guru's prescription, find the right set of postures for you. Increase the ability to practice, by doing the Aasanas again and again, experience the sweet nectar-like pain the whole day.
When your body is aligned, it Levitates; when you malign your body, it gravitates.
Video and Audio - Ashtanga Yoga: Asana-New Revelations Patanjali Yoga Sutras 97
| Video | Audio |
Transcript
(0:34) Sadāshiva samārambhām Shankarācāryā madhyamām | Asmat ācārya paryantām vande Guru Paramparām ||
(0:53) I welcome you all with My love and respects. I welcome and bless all the Devotees around the world, who are sitting with us now, live. I bless all of you. Again I remind all of you, sit in Padmasana and Samana Mudra in unclutched way. Now, you will have eN effect on all of you. The Kundalini Awakening will start happening in all of you. Just sit with a restful awareness, Padmasana and Samana Mudra and listen with restful awareness.
(1:49) Today’s subject for the satsang is, ‘Asana - Tuning yourself with the Cosmos’. Today we are entering into the next step. In the Ashtanga Yoga, in the eight steps, we completed Yama and Niyama. We are entering into the third step, ‘Asana’ - roughly translated as posture. But, I do not want to use the word posture to translate Asana. Asana means... I want to translate this word as, ‘Tuning yourself with the Cosmos’.
(3:06) 97th Sutra in Patanjali Yoga Sutras, in Second Chapter, 46th verse: ||Sthira sukham asanam|| Swami Vivekananda translates this Sutra as, “Posture is that which is firm and pleasant”. Swami Prabhavananda translates this as, “Posture is to be seated in a position which is firm but relaxed”. Swami Sachidananda translates as, “Posture; Asana is a steady comfortable posture”. Dwivedi translates as, “Posture is that which is steady and easy”.
(4:12) ||Sthira sukham asanam|| I’ll translate this word, ‘Asanam’ as tuning yourself to the Cosmos. The word ‘Sthira’ and ‘Sukha’ I'll translate as, ‘The way in which you tune yourself to Cosmos, should be stable, steady and comfortable for you’.
(4:55) Please understand - stable, steady and comfortable. There are thousands of ways to tune yourself to Cosmos. For every act, you have a particular Asana - posture. For example, just lie down in a relaxed way and try to be angry, shout at somebody - you can’t. Just try to be completely relaxed or just lie down, let your head rest, lying down in the bed; try to shout at somebody. Posture, your Consciousness, action - all three are closely connected. Posture, your Consciousness, your action all three are closely connected. By lying down, you can’t shout at somebody, scream at somebody. By standing up, you can’t sleep. So each posture, creates a particular state of Consciousness in you and helps you for a particular action.
(6:43) The posture, for the ultimate state of Consciousness, is what we call, ‘Mahasana’ or ‘Maha Mudra’. For that posture, for that happening, you need to evolve your body step by step. That evolving should be steady and comfortable. Please understand. Each posture creates a particular state of Consciousness in you. You can see a simple example. You can experientially see. Sit in Padmasana or sit holding the leg. Both, you will see the mind. Same way, sit with the Chin Mudra; this way [palm facing upwards] and this way [palm facing downwards]. If you sit, with this way, [palm facing upwards] you will have a different feeling. If you sit, just turn the hands, [palm facing downwards] you will have a different feeling. Just keep the hands like this and inhale and exhale, keep the hands like this and inhale and exhale. You will see the difference. Change in body posture, brings change in the state of your Consciousness. So there is a particular body posture for you, to have the ultimate state of Consciousness. You need to find out and move towards that body posture.
(8:36) One of the biggest crime happened. I don’t even want to use the word mistake or blunder - crime happened in Indian Vedantic Tradition, is disrespect to Asana. The Indian Vedantic Tradition or the Indian Religious Traditions, many of them have started, somehow; I do not know how? why? - disrespecting body and necessary to keep the body fit, alive, in right posture. That is the reason you do all kinds of dance, only when you are asked to sit. Here pain, here pain, here pain, uncomfortable feeling; because somehow you learned the lesson. The Indian conscience itself - this idea not to respect body, revere body has penetrated; as if body is the villain; the villainity is painted on body. It is not. Just like how, I am the victim in this whole scandal, but villainity is painted on me. The villainity being painted on me. Same way, your body is the victim of you. We go on abusing the body.
(10:55) See continuously, for your enjoyment and excitement, you take the body to its extreme. Like you take the body to the extreme; whether it is eating or seeing. I have seen these youngsters till late night 2 o’clock, sitting and watching cricket or baseball. Your eyes will be begging, please let me rest. No. You will force yourself. Means what? - abusing your body. Your body is victim of you. Your body is not villain. Your body is victim. Whether it is seeing or listening high, loud, music, ‘Tom, tom, tom, tom, tom’ because it gives a kind of a kick, excitement; or the taste - extreme hot chilly food, because it gives a kind of a kick, boiling. Especially, that Andhra Gongura Chutney - eyes will be pouring but these fellows… Nothing will be added just chilly. Means, your tongue is a victim of your pleasure. You can’t handle your craving for excitement, you abuse your tongue.
(13:24) Same way physical touch. In every level, your body is not villain, it is victim. But in Indian conscience, religious traditions and Vedanta somehow, we started neglecting, rejecting, disrespecting body. That is why, even the Great Vedantis, who study these ideas for years, never experience. Because, for experience your body need to evolve to a certain posture, ‘Asana’; where you experience the highest state of Consciousness in your body. The very body you have, need to be aligned. If I need to give an example - your body is like a mirror and this light is the Cosmic light, Cosmos. Now that light is reflecting on the mirror, by accident in some direction, in some angle. But you need to tune, align the mirror to such a clear posture, where the Cosmic light reflects itself straight, complete - 100%. Aligning of the mirror, to the right posture where it completely reflects itself, without any distortion, deflection - that aligning, tuning is what I call, ‘Asana’.
(15:46) You have only two option - either you align your body or malign your body. Aligning means, exactly reflecting the Super Consciousness in its pure form; experiencing the Highest Transcendental Consciousness - then you are aligned. Aligning or Maligning - other than aligning, everything else is maligning. That aligning is what I call, ‘Asana’. For this, you need to do two thing. One, trial and error. Second, developing the capacity. In trial and error, you find out, ‘Is this Asana works for me? Is this posture works for me? Is this system works for me?’ Second, once you find out this routine works for you, then, increasing the ability through practice - steady and comfortable, ‘Sthiram Sukham’.
(17:20) What is steady? Let me describe the, translate that word, ‘Sthiram’. Steady is a simple translation. ‘Sthiram’ means, any posture imbibed by you, should become bio-memory. You are able to do that posture now, but after five days or five months, suddenly because you did not have the practice, you are not able to do. No, then it has not become ‘sthiram’ in you. ‘Sthiram’ means, which has become bio-memory in you; which cannot be shaken, which cannot be disturbed, which cannot be abused, which cannot be lost.
(18:34) ‘Sthiram’ and ‘Sukham’. What is ‘Sukham’? Understand. First part, which you need to find out, that trial and error, in that you will find out which posture is ‘Sthiram’ for you. Means, you see, all of you came down with a certain bio-memory. For you, there will be some postures, the moment you do even once, it’ll become sthiram for you. The moment you lock yourself in that posture, you will feel, ‘Oh God! So comfortable. This is my very nature’. By trial and error, find out the posture of sthiram, then ‘Sukham’.
(19:36) I am translating ‘Sukham’ in a new way - in my own way. ‘Having the sweet pain of that Asana, whole day, by increasing the practice in you, is what I call, ‘Sukham’. Understand. Once you find out that posture, increase the time of practice more and more. Once you find out that set - that ‘Anushtana’ which you need to do, the posture need not be always one; it can be sequence. It may be sequence of twenty posture or twelve posture; like Surya Namaskar - twelve postures is a Surya Namaskar. So, you will be able to find out through trial and error or by the Guru’s prescription; set of postures which you need to do, which is ‘Sthiram’ for you.
(20:47) Then comes ‘Sukham’. ‘Sukham’ means, increasing the capacity to do and be in those postures; continuously practicing and experiencing the sweet pain, whole day is ‘Sukham’. ‘Sukham’ does not mean luxury or pleasure. It means, experiencing the sweet pain. I tell you, when the right posture is discovered; when you do that, you will feel the nectar is oozing out of every joint. It will not be pain, it will be sweet pain - nectar oozes out from every joint. In Sri Vidya tradition, we call it, ‘Amruta’.
(21:54) Nectar is available in every joint. The proper Mudra and Asana, makes that nectar ooze out - having the sweet pain. I don’t even want to use the word pain. Having that sweet experience in every joint, through the practice of the postures, ‘Vinyasa’, ‘Vinyasa Krama’ - the set of postures, practicing those set of postures, more and more and increasing the capacity of your body and experiencing the sweet nectar feeling in your body, is ‘Sukham’.
(23:04) So for Asana, for the right posture, you need to do two thing. One, respecting your body. Understanding, only by aligning your body properly, you will be able to experience the Highest Transcendental Consciousness - raising your body, to the highest possible spiritual Conscious Coherence. Second, very important thing. Through trial and error method or the Guru’s prescription, finding out the right set of postures for you, ‘Vinyasa Krama’. I can add one more thing. Third - increasing the ability to practice those Asanas, by doing it again and again and again, experiencing sweet nectar like pain in your body, whole day.
(24:45) So ‘Sthiram sukham asanam’. Understand the concept and the truth, which Patanjali is trying to express through this Sutra. So spend little time, to find out through trial and error, the right sequence of postures for you; by trial and error method or by the prescription of the Guru. Second, not only practicing that postures, increase the ability by practicing more and more, again and again; so that that sweet pain remains in your system and the taste of the nectar from every joint happens in you continuously.
(25:50) So please understand. The sweet pain, which comes in your system by practicing is what Patanjali calls, ‘Sukha’. So align your body, immediately you will see the levitations will start happening. It is nothing but just aligning your body properly. Levitation is not some magic. It is just aligning your body. When your body can float in the water, once you align it with water, why can’t it float with the, in the air if you align it? It is possible. When you align your body, it levitates. When you malign your body, it gravitates - that’s all. Aligning brings levitation, maligning brings gravitation. ‘Sthirm sukham asanam’.
(27:29) I bless you all to achieve, experience, live, express, radiate and share the Eternal Bliss, Nithyananda. Thank you. (27:47
Title - Q&A on eN-effect, Kundalini and Samadhi
Q&A on eN-effect, Kundalini and Samadhi: Nithyananda Morning Satsang 12 Jan 2011
Description
In this Q&A session by living enlightened master and avatar, Paramahamsa Nithyananda, questions on eN-effect, kundalini awakening and samadhi are answered. Questions on levitation and kundalini awakening are discussed in detail.
Video and Audio - Q&A on eN-effect, Kundalini and Samadhi: Nithyananda Morning Satsang
| Video | Audio |
Transcript
[00:21] It’s a question from Mario Vensnek from the Netherlands. “Dear Swamiji, please can you explain about bio memory. What exactly it is? What is happening with our bio memory after Dharmamegha Samadhi?”
Please understand, bio memory means the part of your experience which becomes a solid particle in your muscles. Please understand. When you eat food, certain part of the food becomes blood. Certain part becomes bone. Certain part becomes bone marrow. Certain part becomes your thoughts. The subtle, subtle, subtle, subtle certain part of the food becomes blood. Certain part becomes flesh. Certain parts become bone, certain part bone marrow, certain part your thoughts. Same way, when you think or experience something, certain part of that experience becomes part of your blood. Certain part becomes your bone marrow. Certain part becomes your bone. Certain parts become a solid physical particle of your body. The memory or the experience which happens in you very strongly becomes part of your very biology, is bio memory. Memory which becomes part of your biology is bio memory.
[02:32] Sometimes you can see when the depression or the fear becomes too much you will see the whole upper body, what you think as you, becomes heavy and immobile, uncomfortable; don’t know what to do. Especially when you are getting into some criminal activity or illegal activity, you will see the whole body resist. If you are getting into some activity which should not be done, you will see that fear. Bio memory means memory which became part of the biology.
[03:20] “What is happening with our bio memory after Dharmamegha Samadhi?” Let me explain the word Dharmamegha Samadhi. I am so happy a person who is born and brought up in Netherlands, Mario Vensnak, he’s able to beautifully put a question on a technical term from the Vedic tradition - Dharmamegha Samadhi. Exactly if I have to describe that word dharmamegha samadhi, the samadhi which happens to you by the intelligence awakened with the right understanding. For example, now I give you the right understanding that you are not the body. You are not the mind. You are beyond body and mind and body and mind also. Understand? You are not just the body. You are not just the mind. You are something beyond the body and mind and body and mind also. You are all pervasive.
[04:30] If I explain this to you very logically, your intellect clicks with it and intelligence gets awakened and you feel a kind of energy awakening and restful awareness. That is what is dharmamegha samadhi. Through dharma, the right understanding, if the medha, the intelligence of you, is awakened, it is dharma megha; the after effect of the right understanding. The samadhi which happens as the after effect of right understanding and awakening of intelligence is dharmamegha samadhi. I can say, the right translation of this word can be inner awakening. When the right understanding is awakened in you, that understanding which leads to restful awareness is dharmamegha samadhi.
[05:50] “What is happening with our bio memory after Dharmamegha Samadhi?”
I can say your bio memory completely becomes pure. After every dharmamegha samadhi your bio memory becomes completely pure. If the dharmamegha samadhi becomes a very strong savikalpa samadhi or samprajnata samadhi, the bio memory becomes pure to the level it can never again become impure. That’s it. Dharmamegha samadhi is like a washing your floor completely. But there is a possibility tomorrow it can get dirty. But savikalpa samadhi is once for all washing the floor and sealing it with a lacquer coating. It can never become dirty. It’s like a copper vessel being washed everyday is dharmamegha samadhi. It becomes pure, but gold coating it thickly so that it will never become impure is savikalpa samadhi. But processing it in such a way through an alchemy and making the whole part completely gold through the alchemy process is nirvikalpa samadhi. So dharmamegha samadhi purifies your bio memory.
[07:35] This is a question from Ma Nithya Sugandhi, New West Minister, Canada. “My undying devotion and humble pranams to Swamiji. After your darshan at Bidadi over four years ago my whole body started shaking on and off and it is still ongoing. I take this as a gradual kundalini awakening.”
You are right.
“...especially customized for my physical and mental and nervous system. Am I right?”
Sugandhi, you are right.
“How long will this continue for?”
I can say, till you start experiencing stable levitation. You see, when I say the word ‘stable levitation’ I mean in padmasana and samana mudra your body should be able to raise one unit, be in the air for four unit and rest, relax for one unit of time. This is what is a stable levitation. Means, if you raise for one second, four second in the air and one second landing. This is a stable levitation. Till you reach that stable levitation, the defined levitation, this shaking will be there.
[09:06] “Ever since you came into my life, I have been blessed with a deep inner peace and contentment, detachment, love for each and every living being, fulfillment, clarity etc. Swamiji, your virtual presence through my computer every evening in Canada at morning satsang is very much alive. You have often paused, especially for me in my reality, while talking, to look deeply into my eyes and without saying anything, I have resolved many of my problems. A few days ago I had a very powerful experience. Your talk brought on, once again, a very deep yearning and I started crying profusely. You stopped talking, looked at me with deep compassion, leaned forward and projected out of the computer screen by about half an inch, not in physical form but in kind of thin energy levels, one behind the other, and said very earnestly to me, ‘It will happen. You will experience it. You will be led to a very high energy field and it will happen.’ Swamiji, what did I ever to attract an incarnation of such high caliber like you? Thank you, thank you, thank you!”
[10:49] If you did something and attract, it cannot be called as compassion. But just because of your yearning, if it is happening in your life, you did right thing and Master is compassionate. See, if you did not do anything and if it has happened you will not know value. Then the relationship will not have its respect. People may take it for granted and leave it. Same way, if you have done something great and if I happened, it is a bargain, not My compassion. You should have yearning and did not do anything and I should have compassion and shower Myself on you. That’s the right way of the connection. Understand, you have the right connection. So it will be maintained. It will reach its completion which is communion and cosmic experience.
[11:55] Please understand, I am making this point clear. If you have done something great sadhana and attracted Me then it is not compassion. Then it will not be maintained. At one point you will feel you sacrificed too much and the relationship will break. It will not see the end. And if you have not done anything and I happened you may take it for granted. Again, it will not reach its logical conclusion, enlightenment. You should have yearning but shouldn’t have done anything and I should happen out of My compassion. That’s the right combination.
Sugandhi, you have the right combination. We will see the end of the guru disciple relationship, the enlightenment.
[12:53] Here the question from rpatak, rpatak that’s the email id it says. “Dear Swamiji….” Oh, the name signed below the question is Rekha. “Dear Swamiji, is it possible one evolves from deity worship to shravana, listening, and then to being. I am a retired physician with lot of physical ailments as a result of irregular hours, of fear of irregular hours, and fear of errors in practice. I came for IA in December 2009. I feel joyful with daily satsang and I am trying to find out what I should be doing towards fulfillment. Please give some transformation. Please give some guidance transformation is happening.”
[13:54] First thing, I will answer the first part. “Is it possible one evolves from deity worship to shravana, listening, and then to being.” Yes. One always evolves when one is sincere with the deity worship to listening to the imbibing the sacred truths and to the being, to the living deity. Deity is achala murti, immovable Guru. Guru is moving God, sachala murti, moving deity. So understand, you evolve from deity to imbibing the sacred truths and imbibing the Master, embodiment of deity and sacred truths. The evolving happens in everybody who is sincere.
[14:57] And next you are saying, “The irregular hours and fear of errors in practice created physical ailments.” The only way to get out of this is a spiritual practice. I can give you two practice for you. As you say, you are retired. Now decide not to regulate your life. Give freedom to your body completely. Eat when it feels like eating, sleep when it feels like sleeping. Do not force food when you are not feeling hungry. Don’t have the fear you should eat this many times, otherwise you will fall sick. No.
[15:50] There is a beautiful verse written by a Tamil siddha. He is a great siddha even though in the modern day he is projected as a secular poet. He is not a secular poet. He is a great siddha - Thiruvalluvar. He says very beautifully:
marundanavendavam yakaika arindayada atridi votrivodi
means you don’t need medicine for your body if you take food after knowing that what you ate has left your system. So if you eat once, wait for that food to get digested and leave your system and again for the system to feel hungry, the need for food. Then give the next meal. So Rekha, I give you this as a practice. Eat when you are really hungry. Sleep the moment you feel like sleeping. Don’t bother it is a day or night or anything. So, let your body come to its own tune, alignment. This is a one practice. Second, try to attend a satsang everyday. When you sit in the virtual presence your body gets healed. Your mind gets healed. Your being is awakened. So I can give these two as a practice. Eat only after the body feels thoroughly hungry. Sleep the moment you feel like sleeping. Attend the satsang everyday so that every day the energy flow in your system is alive and kundalini is awakened and the right ideas get into your system. Naturally you will be transformed. So Rekha, this two can be the practice for you, guidance for you.
[18:20] Here again, question from Sudarshini Madan, Sudha. “Dear Swamiji, I have a question on non violence. When people around me criticizes me of thinking about you, I feel only sympathy on them. But when they want to stop me completely watching your discourses or going to your satsangs, I cannot accept and handle them, finally ending with heated arguments. And next day, my next day becomes fresh after I have your darshan. Please bless me so that I can be in constant touch with you. Nowadays more than my interest to taste levitation, I enjoy just looking at you.” ( Swamiji laughs and smiles shyly)
[19:12] Sudha, first thing: when you put your foot down and decide to come to the satsangs and watch discourses and having heated argument with others, it is not non violence. You are reclaiming your freedom. Not reclaiming your freedom is violence, understand. It is called atma hatya dosha. You are killing yourself. You want to experience yourself and you take up some spiritual activities. If somebody is interfering and you are allowing that, then it is violence, atma hatya, killing yourself. When you put your foot down and say, “I am doing something for my spiritual growth”, please be very clear it is nonviolence. You can use any measure, any extreme.
[20:22] Ramakrishna says; see Ramakrishna is such a non controversial guru. He will always be socially polite, politically polite. He will never be controversial. Anything you ask him, “No, no. Go with the flow of the society.” That is the way he will tell. But he was asked a question by a disciple: “If it comes to choosing between the spiritual growth and the parents or the family or husband or wife, what is the first priority?’ Ramakrishna says, “No. Spiritual growth is first priority. Dump everything else.” Such a non controversial guru, when it comes to this he says, “You have freedom now. You can dump parents. You can dump family. You can dump everything.” Even I will be afraid to give this answer even now. I will say, “No, no. Just be little ok, ok. Just adjust. Be polite.” Usually I tell people, “No, no. Take care of family. Be polite”, when I don’t trust their intensity. When I trust their intensity I say, “I think spirituality is the first priority.”
[21:48] Now I tell you, be very clear. Let it be on record. When you have the intense seeking that is the first priority. Everything else is not even second priority. Just dump it. So by not fulfilling your spiritual things is violence. When you are putting your foot down and reclaiming your freedom to going for satsangs and discourses, for that what you do can never be violent. And don’t even feel it is a heated argument; you trying to explain your part to them. You are not dragging them. If you drag them then it can be called as violence. You are not dragging them. You are saying, “I need to take care of my spiritual growth.” Then it can never be violence. So be very clear Sudha, you are perfectly non violent. You are established in ahimsa and My blessings. You will be in constantly touch with Me and I’ll be with you.
[23:17] “Nowadays, more than my interest to taste levitation, I enjoy just looking at you.” Enjoy that. You will experience levitation also. I have two kinds of people coming for satsang; one to listen to the satsang another one to see satsang. I tell you, both will experience the result of satsang. So….. surely this dove cannot listen. (Swamij points to the dove who perches high in the temple above Swamiji every morning at satsang time.) Then why is he here every day - to see the satsang. Whether you are here to listen or see or be, you will experience the highest experience. That is what is the power of satsang.
[24:06] I bless you all to achieve, experience, live, express, radiate, and share the eternal bliss, Nithyananda. Thank you. [24:23]