A Study of the Bhagavata Purana or Esoteric Hinduism Part 76

"Sanaka and other Manas-born sons of Brahma asked their father as follows: - The mind enters the Gunas (objects _i.e._ the mind naturally becomes attached to objects) and the Gunas (_i.e._ the objects when experienced) enter the mind (as desires). How can those that want to cross over (the objects) and to become liberated cause a separation between the two?

"Brahma could not gauge the question in his own mind. So he meditated on me. I appeared before him as a Hansa. (The Swan can discriminate between milk and water. So the bird symbolises a discriminating sage.) The Brahmanas and Brahma asked: 'Who art thou?' I said as follows: -

"O Brahmanas does your question relate to atma - If so, atma is not many. So the question does not arise. And who will reply to whom?

"If your question relates to the body, then also the elements composing the body being the same in all beings, and Atma being the same in all, your question is meaningless.

"Whatever is perceived by the senses and the mind, I am that - There is nothing besides Me. Rightly know this to be so.

"True the mind enters the Gunas and the Gunas enter the mind. The Gunas and mind thus mutually blended are but the body of the Jiva, its reality being My own self. (If mind wedded to objects, be the essence of Jiva, then their separation is not possible. But the essence of Jiva is Brahma. Mind is only attributed to Jiva. And Jiva's connection with the objects is through the properties of the mind. Therefore Jiva by realising that it is Brahma will find out that the objects have no existence as far as its own self is concerned. Therefore by devotion to Bhagavat, Jiva completely rests in its own self. _Sridhara_. This is not a separation of Manas and objects, but the withdrawal of self from both.)

"By constant pursuit of the Gunas, the mind enters the Gunas. The Gunas also (being turned into desires) take a firm hold of the mind. Knowing Me to be thy own self give up both (the objects and the mind wedded to them.)

"Wakefulness (Jagrat), Dream (Svapna) and Dreamless sleep (Sushupti) are states of mind, caused by the Gunas, Jiva is beyond all these states.

For it is the witness of all these states. The bondage caused by mind imparts the actions of the Gunas to atma. Therefore being fixed in Me, the Fourth (_i.e._ beyond the three states of consciousness), get over the bondage of mind. That will be the (mutual) giving up of the mind and the Gunas. This bondage of atma is caused by Ahankara (the sense of 'I-ness') Know this to be the cause of all evils. Knowing this, be fixed in the Fourth, and give up all thoughts of _Sansara_ (_i.e._ of mind and of the connections caused by mind.)

"So long as the idea of manifoldness is not destroyed by reasoning, man dreams in ignorance even in the wakeful state, just as in dream, the ignorant man thinks he is wakeful.

"All things, other than atma are unreal. The differences made amongst them (such as, this is Brahmana, this is Sudra, this is Grihastha, this is Sanyasin), the different destinations (Svarga and other Karmic fruits) and even Karma (action) itself are unreal, so far as atma is concerned.

"He who throughout the constantly following stages of life (childhood, youth, age etc.) perceives the objects in the wakeful state, with the help of all the senses, he who perceives the likes of those objects in dream in the heart, and he who brings those perceptions to an end in dreamless sleep are all one and the same. For the same memory runs through all these states. The Lord of the senses is one and the same.

(The outward senses perceive the wakeful state. Mind, perceives the dream. Buddhi perceives dreamless sleep. atma, is the Lord of all these senses).

"Ponder well over this that the three states of mind are caused in Me by the Gunas, through My Maya. Knowing this definitely, cut asunder the source of all doubts (Ahankara) by the sword of wisdom sharpened by reasoning, the teachings of Sadhus, and the Srutis. And worship Me, that dwell in the heart.

"Look upon this Universe as a delusion, a play of the mind. Now seen, now destroyed. So rapid is the succession, that it is like a whirling fire brand that looks circular (on account of the rapid motion, though it is not circular). One consciousness appears as many. The phenomenal existence (_Vikalpa_) caused by the threefold Guna transformations is but Maya, a dream.

"Turn away your sight from this object world. Give up all desires. Be calm and find bliss in the perception of self. At times you will have experience of the objects in your daily life (for getting the necessaries of life). But what you have once thrown aside as unreal shall not be able to cause delusion in you. Till the fall of your body, the objects will haunt you like things of the past, stored as it were in memory alone. This frail body, through which he has known his real self, may rise or sit, may move away from its place or come back, just as chance will have it, but the Siddha sees it not, even as an inebriate person does not see the cloth he puts on.

"The body waits with the Pranas and Indriyas till the _Commenced_ Karma exhausts itself. But being fixed in Samadhi, the knower of the truth does not care for the body and the object world, which are all visionary to him.

"I said all this to the Brahmanas and came back to my own abode."

BHAKTI YOGA.

*SKANDHA XI. CHAP. 14.*

"O Krishna, thou speakest of Bhakti Yoga. Others speak of other expedients. Are they all same or is any one of them superior to others?"

Sri-Krishna replied: -

"The tendencies of men are different, according to the differences in their nature. So different paths have been spoken of. But the regions (or fruits) acquired by the votaries of the other paths, and as created by their actions have a beginning and an end, a miserable future and an end in Tamas. The pleasures there are small and they are not unmixed with sorrow. Where is that bliss to be found in objects that is to be found in Me.

"Fixed in Me, and finding bliss in Me, all is blissful to My votaries.

They do not wish for universal supremacy, they do not ask for supremacy over Svarga, Bhur or Patala, they do not long for Siddhis, they do not even ask for Mukti. Surrendering Self to Me they wish for nothing else but Myself. Brahma, Siva, Sankarshana, Lakshmi and My own form are not so dear to Me, O Uddhava, as thou art to Me. I always seek my Bhaktas.

It is they only that know what bliss they enjoy, Bhakti consumes all impurities, even as fire consumes the fuel. Yoga, Sankhya, Dharma, study of the scriptures, asceticism, or relinquishment nothing wins me so much as powerful Bhakti does. I am attained only by faithful Devotion. Bhakti purifies the Bhaktas, even though they be Chandalas by birth.

"Dharma, though combined with truth and compa.s.sion, wisdom though wedded to asceticism, do not completely purify self, if devotion to Me is wanting. How can mind be purified without Bhakti. For by Bhakti the hairs stand on end, the heart melts away and tears of bliss run down the cheek. Words become choked with devotional feelings. The Bhakta weeps, and smiles, and sings and dances forgetting himself. Such a Bhakta (not only purifies self, but) he purifies the whole world.

"Gold loses its impurities under fire and regains its own form. atma (Jiva atma) shakes off its impurities under Bhakti Yoga and regains its own form. As atma becomes more and more purified, by hearing and meditating on the sacred sayings about Me, it sees more and more of subtle objects, as the eye touched with collyrium does.

"Think of objects and your mind will be attached to objects. Think of Me and your mind will be attached to Me. Therefore fix your mind on Me, giving up all other thoughts.

"Shun from a distance the company of women and of those that keep the company of women. Be self controlled. Go to a solitary place, free from dangers and then sleeplessly meditate on Me.

"There is not so much misery, so much bondage from other quarters as from the company of women and of those that a.s.sociate with them."

MEDITATION.

*SKANDHA XI. CHAP. 14.*

Uddhava asked: -

"O Lotus-eyed! how to meditate on Thee! Tell me what is the nature of that meditation and what it is?"

Sri Krishna replied: -

"Be seated on an Asana (Seat), that is neither high nor low (say, a blanket), with your body erect and in an easy posture. Place your hands on the lap. Fix your gaze on the tip of the nose (in order to fix the mind). Purify the tracks of Prana by Puraka, k.u.mbhaka and Rechaka, and then again in the reverse way (_i.e._ first breathe in by the left nostril with the right nostril closed by the tip of the thumb, then close the left nostril by the tips of the ring finger and the little finger and retain the breath in both the nostrils. Then remove the tip of the thumb, and breathe out through the right nostril. Reverse the process by breathing in through the right nostril then retaining the breath in both the nostrils and then letting out the breath through the left nostril). Practise this Pranayama gradually with your senses controlled.

"'Aum' with the sound of a bell, extends all over, from Muladhara upwards. Raise the 'Aum' in the heart, by means of Prana (twelve fingers upwards) as if it were the thread of a lotus-stalk. There let Bindu (the fifteenth vowel sound) be added to it. Thus practise Pranayama accompanied by the Pranava reciting the latter ten times. Continue the practice, three times a day and within a month you shall be able to control the vital air. The lotus of the heart, has its stalk upwards and the flower downwards, facing below (and it is also closed, like the inflorescence with bracts of the banana. _Sridhara_). Meditate on it however as facing upwards and full-blown, with eight petals and with the pericarp. On the pericarp, think of the Sun, the Moon, and Fire one after another. Meditate on My form (as given in the text) within the Fire. First Meditate on all the limbs. Then let the mind withdraw the senses from their objects. Then draw the concentrated mind completely towards Me, by means of Buddhi. Then give up all other limbs and concentrate your mind on one thing only My smiling face. Do not meditate on anything else. Then with draw the concentrated mind from that and fix it on Akasa. Give up that also and being fixed in Me, (as Brahma) think of nothing at all. You shall see Me in atma, as identical with all atmas, even as light is identical with another light. The delusions about object, knowledge and action shall then completely disappear."

THE SIDDHIS

*SKANDHA XI. CHAP. 15.*

When the senses and the breath are controlled and the mind is fixed on Me, Siddhis or powers overtake the Yogi. There are eighteen Siddhis and eighteen Dharanas. Of these, eight belong to me (eight of them are normally the powers of ishvara and they exist in a some what lesser degree in those that approach the state of ishvara. _Sridhara_. The remaining ten cause the appearance of Guna _i.e._ they cause an excellence of Satva. _Sridhara_.)

1. _Anima_, the power of becoming as small as an atom.

2. _Mahima_, the power of increasing size.

3. _Laghima_, the power of becoming light. These three Siddhis relate to the body.

4. _Prapti_, to be in the relation of presiding Devas to the corresponding senses of all beings.

5. _Prakamya_, power of enjoying and perceiving all objects seen or unseen.

6. _isita_, control over the energies of Maya in isvara, over the lower energies in other beings.

7. _Vasita_, Non-attachment to objects.