Puttugam2
Author's posts
Aug 16 2017
Bhagawatam 157: Ashtanga yoga (contd.) & description of Lord Srihari’s form
Vishnave namah
Kapila Maharishi continued to preach, “O Mother! The yoga practitioner should practice celibacy and penance (tapas). He should keep his mind and body pure. He should worship the Lord and study scriptures related to liberation. He should practice mouna (silence). He should be able to sit in the same posture for long periods of time.
Through the practice of Pranayama gradually he should slowly try to achieve victory over his breath. He should withdraw his senses into his mind and prevent them from running outwards towards sensual pleasures. Instead they should be trained to be focused upon the heart. This is Pratyāhāra.
The life force (prana) together with the mind should be retained exclusively upon Mooladhara or upon any other spiritual centre. Glories of the Lord should be recollected at all times. The aspirant should willingly practice these disciplines.
Mind eternally runs towards material comforts which are of illusory existence. Hence it is imperative for spiritual aspirant to give up laziness and through the process of Pranayama gradually concentrate upon the Lord.
Sitting in the same position for longer periods of time should be achieved through practice. This is the meaning of the term ‘mastery over posture (āsana jaya)’. In clean pure surroundings, the aspirant should place a mat and sit on it in yogic posture with the back straight.
Prāṇasya śodhayen mārgaṁ pūra-kumbhaka-recakaiḥ
Pratikūlena vā cittaṁ yathā sthiram acañcalam
He should inhale and retain the breath for some time. Thereafter he should exhale and again hold the breath for a while. With this, the path through which the prana travels will be purified. In turn the mind’s wavering reduces and it stabilizes.
When gold is put in fire, its impurities are removed totally. Likewise through mastery over breath through Pranayama, mind becomes completely pure. Through Pranayama the aspirant should throw away from the body the impurities of vata, pitta and kapha.
He should then begin practice of dhāraṇa i.e. concentrating upon the Lord for very long periods of time. With this the subtle impressions of past sinful actions get destroyed.
By withdrawing the senses from outer material comforts, mind’s inclination towards desires reduces. By focusing exclusively upon the Lord, feelings of likes-dislikes which keep the person away from God, are destroyed.
Practice of this yoga purifies the mind. Absolute concentration will be developed. The aspirant should then focus upon the tip of the nose and meditate upon the form of the Lord.
Prasanna-vadanāmbhojaṁ padma-garbhāruṇekṣaṇam
Nīlotpala-dala-śyāmaṁ śaṅkha-cakra-gadā-dharam
Srihari has a pleasant lotus-like face. His reddish eyes resemble lotus buds. His complexion is like the bluish lotus petals. He holds the conch, discus and mace in 3 of His hands. He wears golden yellow Pitambara clothing around His waist. On His chest is the Srivatsa pendent and on His neck is the Kausthuba gem which dazzle brightly.
A long vanamāla garland, which stretches from His neck to His feet, adorns His body. Attracted by the fragrance of this garland, a swarm of intoxicated bees hover around it buzzing melodiously. He wears exquisite pearl chains, bracelets, anklets, armlets and other ornaments. His waist shines with the lovely waistband made up of gems.
The lotus-hearts of His devotees is His residence! With His peaceful nature and with His charming exquisite beauty He fills the eyes and mind of His devotees with bliss.
Apīcya-darśanaṁ śaśvat sarva-loka-namaskṛtam
Santaṁ vayasi kaiśore bhṛtyānugraha-kātaram
The form of Lord Srihari, who is ever youthful, is wondrous and supremely beautiful! That Srihari, who is revered by all the three worlds, is eternally eager to bless His devotees.
The complete form of Lord Srihari, who possesses the most supreme glory which is worth glorifying, and who increases the fame of supreme worthy devotees, should be contemplated upon until the mind achieves absolute stability!
Based on his individual tastes an aspirant can contemplate upon the Lord as if He is standing, sitting, walking or resting in His form as Sriranganatha. His transcendental pastimes are worth seeing.
Srihari remains as a form of consciousness (chaitanya) in the cave known as the aspirant’s intellect. Such Srihari should be meditated upon with an absolutely pure mind. He should ensure that his mind remains firmly fixed upon each limb of the Lord’s form. It should be noted that he should fix his mind upon every limb one after another sequentially.
The Lord’s lotus feet are beautiful with the marks of thunderbolt, goad, flag and lotus petals on it. The radiance from His raised reddish toe-nails dispels the darkness from the minds of saints who are in deep meditation!
The water with which His feet are washed flows as the River Ganga. By holding those pure waters on his head, Shiva turned into an embodiment of auspiciousness! Like a thunderbolt these lotus feet destroy mountain of impurities in the devotee who meditates upon them. The spiritual aspirant should eternally meditate upon such holy feet!
Vishnave namah
Permanent link to this article: https://puttugam.com/bhagawatam-157-ashtanga-yoga-contd-description-of-lord-sriharis-form/
Aug 16 2017
Bhagawatam 156: Maharishi Kapila begins to teach Ashtānga Yoga
Third Canto Chapter Twenty eight
In this chapter Kapila Maharishi teaches Ashtānga yoga (eight fold path of Yoga) to mother Devahuti.
Kapila Maharishi said, “O daughter of Manu! O Mother! I am now going to teach you the path of Yoga. The mind experiences happiness due to accomplishment in this Yoga. It will be focused purely upon God.
Sva-dharmācaraṇaṁ śaktyā vidharmāc ca nivartanam
Daivāl labdhena santoṣa ātmavic-caraṇārcanam
O Mother! By listening to this attentively, people can obtain liberation while living (jeevanmukti). They will understand the essence of spirituality. Hence be attentive.
To the best of one’s ability righteousness (dharma) should be followed. It is imperative to distance from unrighteous activities, while abiding by righteousness. Continuing those meritorious activities which grant good human birth, he should be content with whatever he earns.
This is very difficult to practice, but yet one should strive for it. It implies that whatever the person earns through his hard efforts, he should be happy and content with it.
He should revere and worship the feet of Self-realized beings. Simultaneously he should distance from those activities which increase inclination towards material comforts. He should have true dedication and desire towards śravana (listening) and other spiritual activities. At all times he should eat only pure food that too in limited quantities. He should practice to spend time alone in solitude”.
Here lies the catch. Often we eat impure food. It is imperative to eat pure satvik food in limited quantities. Only pure satvik diet can give rise to a pure mind!
Eating stale, heavy, tamasic food only increases traits of inertia and ignorance (tamo guna). Such food propels lust and other desires. It instigates anger. The person loses control over himself. Driven by extreme desires he now eyes wealth that legally belongs to others. He devices ways in which he can acquire ownership over them. He will suffer with extreme jealousy and greed. All these are the outcomes of eating tamasic food.
The more you eat satvik pure diet, the more you become pure and clean. Here the emphasis is on both purity and limited quantity of food intake. These are the words of Maharishi Kapila, who is none other than Lord Mahavishnu.
Ahiṁsā satyam asteyaṁ yāvad-artha-parigrahaḥ
Brahmacaryaṁ tapaḥ śaucaṁ svādhyāyaḥ puruṣārcanam
He should not inflict injury on any living being i.e. he should practice Ahimsa. He should practice truthfulness. He should not steal others’ wealth”.
People in general cannot resist from eyeing property belonging to others. They find this discipline very difficult.
“He should possess only as many comforts and materials as are needed for basic living”.
Coming across people who abide by this discipline is very very rare. I have just seen two or three such people in so many years. There is one gentleman in Andhra, who lives in a big house but that house is sparsely furnished. I was very happy to see this. In his house were two tiny shelves, one to keep his belongings and another for those of his wife. In his kitchen were about 20 small containers to store required grains, two vessels for cooking, 4 tumblers and 2 dinner plates. They cooked on small charcoal stove. There was one small suitcase in which other household items were stored. This was the furniture in his home! He maintained two bank accounts each of which had about Rs. 15000/-. One was for their expenses and another for their children.
When I questioned him about his lifestyle he began to explain his life’s principles. I felt he was explaining Bhāgawatam. He said that it is essential to possess only as much materials as are needed for survival. He also said that one should eat only as much as needed. He emphasized on the need for contentment and solitude. I was deeply impressed with the disciplines that this person was abiding by. After all, he was a householder, but yet he had such appreciable values. Later on he even trained his children in these principles of detachment and eventually they gave away even that home in charity.
Similarly once in Kashmir I came across a person who abided by these similar disciplines. He was a high official but his lifestyle was simple. In his house there was not even a chair. Guests were offered mats to sit on the floor. It’s amazing that even in Kali Yuga, there are such people!
Govindāya Namah.
Permanent link to this article: https://puttugam.com/bhagawatam-156-maharishi-kapila-begins-to-teach-ashtanga-yoga-2/
Aug 08 2017
Bhagawatam 156: Maharishi Kapila begins to teach Ashtānga Yoga
Third Canto Chapter Twenty eight
In this chapter Kapila Maharishi teaches Ashtānga yoga (eight fold path of Yoga) to mother Devahuti.
Kapila Maharishi said, “O daughter of Manu! O Mother! I am now going to teach you the path of Yoga. The mind experiences happiness due to accomplishment in this Yoga. It will be focused purely upon God.
Sva-dharmācaraṇaṁ śaktyā vidharmāc ca nivartanam
Daivāl labdhena santoṣa ātmavic-caraṇārcanam
O Mother! By listening to this attentively, people can obtain liberation while living (jeevanmukti). They will understand the essence of spirituality. Hence be attentive.
To the best of one’s ability righteousness (dharma) should be followed. It is imperative to distance oneself from unrighteous activities, while abiding by righteousness. Continuing those meritorious activities which grant good human birth, he should be content with whatever he earns.
This is very difficult to practice, but yet one should strive for it. It implies that whatever the person earns through his hard efforts, he should be happy and content with it.
He should revere and worship the feet of Self-realized beings. Simultaneously he should distance himself from those activities which increase inclination towards material comforts. He should have true dedication and desire towards śravana (listening) and other spiritual activities. At all times he should eat only pure food that too in limited quantities. He should practice to spend time alone in solitude”.
Here lies the catch. Often we eat impure food. It is imperative to eat pure satvik food! And in limited quantities. Only a pure satvik diet can give rise to a pure mind!
Eating stale, heavy, tamasic food only increases traits of inertia and ignorance (tamo guna). Such food propels feelings of lust and other desires. It instigates anger. The person loses control over himself. Driven by extreme desires he now eyes wealth that legally belongs to others. He devices ways in which he can acquire ownership over them. He will suffer with extreme jealousy and greed. All these are the outcomes of eating tamasic food.
The more you eat satvik pure diet, the more you become pure and clean. Here the emphasis is on both purity and limited quantity of food intake. These are the words of Maharishi Kapila, who is none other than Lord Mahavishnu.
Ahiṁsā satyam asteyaṁ yāvad-artha-parigrahaḥ
Brahmacaryaṁ tapaḥ śaucaṁ svādhyāyaḥ puruṣārcanam
He should not inflict injury on any living being i.e. he should practice Ahimsa. He should practice truthfulness. He should not steal others’ wealth”.
People in general cannot resist from eyeing property belonging to others. They find this discipline very difficult.
“He should possess only those many comforts and materials as are needed for living”.
Coming across people who abide by this discipline is very very rare. I have just seen two or three such people in so many years. There is one gentleman in Andhra, who lives in a big house but that house is sparsely furnished. I was very happy to see this. In his house were two tiny shelves, one to keep his belongings and another for those of his wife. In his kitchen were about 20 small containers to store required grains, two vessels for cooking, 4 tumblers and 2 dinner plates. They cooked on small charcoal stove. There was one small suitcase in which other household items were stored. This was the furniture in his home! He maintained two bank accounts each of which had about Rs. 15000/-. One was for their expenses and another for their children.
When I questioned him about his lifestyle he began to explain his life’s principles. I felt he was explaining Bhāgawatam. He said that it is essential to possess only as much materials as are needed for survival. He also said that one should eat only as much as needed. He emphasized on the need for contentment and solitude. I was deeply impressed with the disciplines that this person was abiding by. After all, he was a householder, but yet he had such appreciable values. Later on he even trained his children in these principles of detachment and eventually they gave away even that home in charity.
Similarly once in Kashmir I came across a person who abided by these similar disciplines. He was a high official but his lifestyle was simple. In his house there was not even a chair. Guests were offered mats to sit on the floor. It’s amazing that even in Kali Yuga, there are such people!
Govindāya Namah.
Permanent link to this article: https://puttugam.com/bhagawatam-156-maharishi-kapila-begins-to-teach-ashtanga-yoga/
Aug 08 2017
Bhagawatam 155: Rules to be adhered to by spiritual aspirant.. contd.
Keshavāya namah
Maharishi Kapila continues,
“In water, reflection of the Sun is seen. Reflection of this Sun in the water falls upon the wall of the house. At that time there are two reflections. The Sun seen on the wall is the reflection of the Sun in the waters which in turn is the reflection of the Sun located in the sky.
In the similar manner, Pure Consciousness (śuddha chaitanya) first gets reflected upon the ego (ahamkāra) made up of the trigunas. Then it reflects upon the 5 gross elements, the senses and inner mind (antahkarana).
In other words, the illumination of Pure Consciousness that exists within this gross body, the senses and mind can be experienced. Nevertheless it should be understood that this illumination is nothing but the reflection of the ego’s illumination.
In deep sleep, subtle elements, senses, mind, intellect, etc. dissolve completely into that subtle Nature wherein limitations of name and form do not exist. Even at such time the Self’s consciousness (atma chaitanya) does not dissolve. It remains as an eternal witness, devoid of ego (sense of I-ness).
During waking state, this Self illumines as the dṛṣṭa (the Seer). It should be understood the Seer (drśta) himself is the Self! During deep sleep the individual believes that he has been destroyed and thus grieves. He becomes anxious like a person who has lost his wealth.
Body, senses, mind, intellect and ego (sense of I-ness) seek refuge purely in the Self’s consciousness and illumine only within it. The intelligent person, with his discriminatory knowledge thoroughly scrutinizes them and understands the real essence of the Self (atma tattva)”.
Hearing this Devahuti enquired, “O Lord! Nature and Self (Prakriti- Puruśa), take refuge in one another due to which their relationship is eternal. Under no circumstances does Prakriti detach itself from Puruśa. It is impossible to separate smell from earth, isn’t it? They are one and the same. Likewise, water and taste do not have a separate existence.
Similarly Nature (Prakriti) and Self (Puruśa) can never be separated. Inherently the Self does not get involved in action. But due to attaining oneness with the traits of Nature, the Self gets entangled in these karmic bondages.
Now these 3 attributes of Nature have an eternal existence. This being the case, how can the Self ever get liberated from these karmic bondages? Due to Self-realization, perchance even if the fear of samsara is dispelled in the yogi, the 3 attributes of Nature which are its roots cannot be destroyed, isn’t it? Since their existence is eternal, there is a scope for worldly bondages to re-emerge, isn’t it?”
Kapila Bhagawān replied, “O Mother! The yoga practitioner should, with a pure mind and with a selfless attitude, adhere to his own dharma (swadharma). He should at all times listen to My divine glories and have intense devotion towards Me”.
We notice that this theme repeats. Irrespective of all the knowledge and the science behind the creation which is being passed to us through this Bhāgawatam, the emphasis is on devotion towards Srihari! If a person is truly desirous of cutting through this veil of illusion, he has to mandatorily listen to the stories pertaining to the Lord. The mind should be permanently fixed upon Him.
“He should strive to increase his devotion. He should try to know the real form of Nature and Self. He should not consider them to be separate. He should possess unflinching detachment and should relentlessly practice disciplines, contemplation and Self-study. Ultimate concentration of mind is a must!
Just as the spark contained with the log of wood reduces to ashes the entire log, the practitioner who diligently abides by these disciplines will in this birth itself dissolve his spiritual ignorance (avidya) gradually.
The intelligent person should realize that Nature is the sole cause for all sorrows. Only when this fact is deeply digested, he will stop himself from attaining oneness with Nature. He will distance himself.
Nature does not have the capacity to create bondages in a person who is totally immersed in his inner bliss. During dream, the person encounters various problems and suffers immensely. However upon waking up, the dream ceases to have any impact upon him. He forgets the dream.
Evaṁ vidita-tattvasya prakṛtir mayi mānasam
Yuñjato nāpakuruta ātmārāmasya karhicit
Nature will never cause infatuation in the yoga practitioner who, through the understanding of the principle of Nature-Self, has fixed the mind solely upon Me and who enjoys his own inner bliss! It will never harm him.
In this way when a sage spends many, many lifetimes established in the Self, he will obtain total detachment towards every form of comfort. He will then attain the abode of Brahma (brahma loka). Only with My supreme blessings the intelligent person obtains Supreme Knowledge. Through knowledge of his Self, he will dispel all his doubts.
He will obtain in this birth My abode i.e. the form of the Self. It is well known as ‘liberation’ or as unlimited supreme bliss! In other words, he will obtain liberation while living (jeevanmukti). After the destruction of this subtle body, that Jnani will no longer have re-births.
O Mother! All the Yogic powers are made powerful by the energy of such accomplished beings. The various supernatural accomplishments, which are illusory, arise purely through Yoga. There is no way other than this. However when the accomplished yogi shows dispassion even towards such supernatural powers, he will then attain the ultimate liberation and will merge totally into Me. He will then be free from death as it will be permanently destroyed”.
With this the twenty seventh chapter comes to an end.
Narayanāya namah
Permanent link to this article: https://puttugam.com/bhagawatam-155-rules-to-be-adhered-to-by-spiritual-aspirant-contd/
Aug 08 2017
Bhagawatam 154: Disciplines to be practised while simultaneously treading path of bhakti-yoga
Maharishi Kapila continued,
“Indra, together with energy to hold objects entered into His hands; Vishnu together with power of movement entered into His feet; deities of rivers together with blood entered into His blood vessels and the Lord of ocean together with hunger-thirst entered into the abdomen of the Universal Lord. But still the Universal Lord did not wake up. Moon together with the mind; Brahma together with intelligence and Rudra together with egoism entered into him but to no avail.
But when Kshetragna, the presiding deity of consciousness (chitta) i.e. the seer who perceives this body as a different entity, entered into the Universal Lord together with consciousness, the Lord instantly awakened! He arose from the waters.
Just as energy, mind, intelligence, egoism etc., fail to wake a sleeping person, no matter how hard they try, the presiding deities failed to awaken the Universal Lord, without the help of consciousness.
The human being should, with feelings of absolute devotion and through understanding of the principle of Prakriti-Puruśa, develop total detachment. Then through single focused intellect (buddhi) that arises from Yoga he should see the Lord who resides within his body in the form of individual Self.
This fundamental principle has been explained in the form of a story. Otherwise, how can God sleep? What is the meaning of presiding deities entering into Him and trying to wake Him up?
It is spiritual knowledge that should be awakened within the individual. This is the meaning of waking the Universal Lord. How should this spiritual knowledge be awakened within the individual? What is the process? How should the human being enter into every limb of his own body? This is being detailed.
The goal for the individual being is to have the darshan of the Supreme Lord who resides within him as his individual Self!
With this the twenty sixth chapter of the third canto comes to an end.
Third Canto Chapter Twenty seven
Attaining liberation (moksha) through the knowledge of Prakriti-Puruśa (Nature-Self) is being explained. The method in which illusion is destroyed through the means of Bhakti-yoga is also explained.
Kapila Maharishi continued to preach, “O Mother! The Self (Puruśa) is not subject to any transformation (changeless). He is devoid of action. He is also devoid of traits.
Just as the Sun does not associate with its reflection in the waters, this ‘Self’ does not attach himself to dualities such as joys-sorrows or merits- sins which arise from the trigunas, even though he takes shelter in this body which is created by Nature (Prakriti)!
Only when the intellect of this Self (Puruśa), due to feelings of I-ness (ahamkara), is clouded with infatuation (moha), and when he develops inclination towards the three attributes of Nature (trigunas), then the feeling ‘I am the one performing the action’ arises in him!
With this rise of I-ness, he begins to reap the results of the good and bad actions done by this gross body! He loses his freedom and acquires good, bad and mixed births. Taking on human, animal or celestial births, he gets trapped in this cycle of repeated births and laments. He distances from real happiness.
This samsāra which consists of repeated births and deaths has no real existence. Yet, the bonded soul who is totally inclined towards material comforts, cannot escape from this cycle of re-births and the suffering contained therein.
How should a spiritual aspirant behave? The rules are specified:
Ata eva śanaiś cittaṁ prasaktam asatāṁ pathi
Bhakti-yogena tīvreṇa viraktyā ca nayed vaśam
As such, the mind which is deeply attached towards these wicked sensory pleasures should gradually be brought under control through the medium of bhakti yoga and intense practice of detachment (vairagya).
The spiritual aspirant should, with love devoid of selfish expectations, listen only to My stories. Along with it he should tread the path of Yoga with disciplines such as Yama, Niyama etc.
Sarva-bhūta-samatvena nirvaireṇa-aprasaṅgataḥ
Brahmacaryeṇa maunena sva-dharmeṇa balīyasā
With feelings of total harmony towards all living beings, the spiritual aspirant should see the Supreme Lord who exists within all beings as Pure Consciousness. With such outlook he should eliminate feelings of enmity. He should develop dispassion towards worldly matters. Practice of celibacy and silence (mouna) are imperative! Without having excessive friendships, he should maintain a calm, happy mind. He should be diligent in the execution of his duties.
He should be content with that which automatically falls into his lap as a result of his past good and bad deeds. He should be moderate in eating. Contemplating upon the Supreme Essence, he should live alone.
Giving up likes-dislikes, he should love everyone equally and should have feelings of compassion towards everyone. He should firmly believe that he has attained fulfillment and should stop lamenting ‘I could not complete that action’. He should give up such fear.
The truly knowledgeable person (Jnani) who has understood the principle of Prakriti-Puruśa, frees himself from the false knowledge of ‘I’ and ‘mine’ in respect of the body or in matters pertaining to it! He realizes that waking, dream and other stages apply only to the intellect and not to the Self. He has the understanding that there is nothing apart from Iśwara in this creation.
Sun is the presiding deity for the eyes. Just like seeing this presiding deity through the eyes themselves, the Jnani through the medium of his pure mind sees the Lord who resides as the Self within. He totally self-surrenders to Him and attains liberation!
He realizes that the individual being is nothing but the reflection of the Pure Consciousness upon the inner mind! He also understands that after leaving the body the being attains oneness with this Pure Consciousness and that this consciousness pervades the entire false universe and illumines it. He understands that it is non-dual”.
Keshavaya namah.
Permanent link to this article: https://puttugam.com/bhagawatam-154-disciplines-to-be-practised-while-simultaneously-treading-path-of-bhakti-yoga/
Guinness World Record
Puttu Gam App
