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Yoga and Meditation - Lakshmi Narayanan Lakshmi Narayanan, currently in the US, is a student of the Chinmaya Mission. She likes to share her thoughts with interested people, giving expression to thoughts she has gained from her study of the Gita, Upanishads and Vedantic Sutras. With the belief that knowledge is not complete until one expresses in one's own words what one has learnt, she has written articles about Self-knowledge and Meditation. She lives in Chennai with her family.

Yoga means disciplining and unity. "Yogaha karmasu kousalam." Every second, we are acting. Even breathing is karma. Kousalam means skill in work. Skill is not different from worship, if it is done in a proper spirit. When Swami Trigunatita had to give up his spiritual practice, his meditation and everything to carry out Vivekananda's orders, many orthodox Hindus did not like it that a sanyasi should beg for subscriptions going from door to door. Vivekananda told them, "The circulation of the magazine is only for the good of the householders. The masses will benefit by the spread of these new ideas in the country. This unselfish work is not in any way inferior to devotional practice. Our object is to do good to humanity." Later on, the same Swamiji was sent to America to build the first Hindu temple in the western world. He took the entire responsibility on his shoulders and there came the magnificent temple of Sri Ramakrishna in San Francisco. He never took credit for himself. He, the best example for a Karma yogi has said, "If there is the least tinge of selfishness in building this temple, it will collapse. If it is the Master’s work, it will stand."

Yoga is the control of thought waves in the mind. The mind seems to be intelligent and conscious, whereas Atman is intelligence itself, pure consciousness. The mind merely reflects the consciousness with borrowed intelligence. The self should understand that the Self within by which you perceive or act is the same Self in the cosmos, in all manifest and unmanifest. Sri Ramakrishna advised his devotees to cultivate a childlike simplicity and faith in God and called it Sarala Yoga. He himself was a child of the Divine mother. He depended on her for everything. When Totapuri wanted to initiate him into Sanyasa, he straightaway went to Mother Bhavatharini to seek her permission. Totapuri was astonished to see the childlike faith of the Master in the divine Mother. Just as the eighteen chapters of the Gita are labeled as 18 specific yogas, Masters followers also have given names like Vatsalya Yoga, Sharanagati yoga, Vishada yoga, Adyatma yoga, Sanathana yoga, Atmasamyama yoga, Kripa yoga, Japa yoga etc.

In the Gita, Lord Krishna says, "Yagnanam japa yagna asmi" - meaning, "There are many forms of rituals through which I am invoked but among them I am Japa Yagna." There is no activity more efficacious than Japa. To have one pointed concentration and to calm the mind, japa yoga helps a lot. Between the two names of repetition there is silence, the peace that is natural. You are not making or doing anything. You know the word that is coming next and if some other thought comes, you can realize it and nip it in the bud and come back to your japa. Japa keeps the mind occupied meaningfully. By practice you became fit for perfect yoga. All these kinds of yoga give mastery over the mind, making it fit for deep concentration and contemplation.

Meditation is nothing other than deep concentration. It is a noun, not a verb. Eight steps called the limbs of meditation are mentioned, which can be called actions for meditation, which are not climbed one by one like getting on a ladder, but kept in mind and acted side by side. The weaning and cutting off of idle, negative thoughts alone is not enough, but to build up positive plans and to follow them is essential. You have to learn by heart the eight limbs and keep them in mind always. You have to check now and then whether you are following the preliminary two limbs.

1. Yama - abstention from harming others, from theft, from greed and falsehood.

2. Niyamas - observances, purity, contentment, study and devotion to God.

Everyone loves one's self more than anything else. You want yourself to be happy with a nice happy family. You can face any amount of trouble to keep yourself and your family happy because of your love for yourself and your family. If you could only turn the same kind of love towards the Infinite, no other blessing is required. One achieves purification, cheerfulness of the mind, the power of concentration and control of passions with yama and niyama.

3. Then comes Asana

4. Pranayama

5. Pratyahara

6. Dharana

7.Dyana and

8. Samadhi.

Sri Ramakrishna's devotion, his love for the Divine Mother was such that out of intense love he achieved the state of Samadhi. No clarification of the limbs is needed there.

(3)Asana - posture is to be seated in a position firm and relaxed. By tradition, the most famous asana is the lotus posture. Those who cannot sit on the ground can sit on a chair. What is important is that one should sit absolutely still and erect, the chest, neck and head in a straight line, but without strain.

(4) Pranayama - Patanjali describes four kinds of Pranayama to be practiced with the guidance of a teacher, whereas Chinmayaji advises simple, sarala pranayama. Practiced regular, this leads to the next two (5) Pratyahara and (6) Dharana. Herein complete mastery over the senses is gained and the mind gets the powers of deep concentration and purity.

Then comes (7) meditation or dhyana, which is unbroken flow of thought towards the object of concentration, either 'Om' or an idol on a lotus flower in Daharakasa. Dhyana leads to the waking up of Kundalini or the serpent power as it is called, which is really the spiritual reserve energy at the base of the spine. When this goes through the sushumna nadi to reach the sahasradala padma in the head, samadhi is achieved. The seven chakras through which sushumna travels are beautifully explained in the Lalitha Sahasranama.

(8) Samadhi occurs when the mind becomes as pure as Atman itself and merges with the Atman. Atman and Brahman are same. All the limbs together, side by side, lead to the purity of the mind. When the mind is as pure as Atman, realization shines of its own.

Meditation has become very commercial. Everyone should realize there is a long way to go. Without the first two qualifications meditation cannot be fruitful. The results can only be corresponding to the efforts you take.

Sraddha and Bhakti

The festivals of India are spread out throughout the year. We celebrate all the Gods on their respective festival days and worship the Lord in all forms. Children also take part and are initiated in their childhood itself. Later on this can be cultivated through upaasana. The disciplines for cultivating the right kind of Divine Love is through Sravanam, Kirtanam, Smaranam, Padasevanam, Archanam, Vandanam, Dasyam, Sankyam and Atmanivedhanam. Whichever kind appeals to the mind, can be taken up and fruitfully enjoyed if Divine Faith is there. Bhakthi is the starting point of all paths of pursuits. Hold on to the Divine Love by elevation in thought, word and deed. Narada Bhakthi Sutras are simple, direct and meant for direct practice. Out of the others-Sandilya Bhakthi Sutras, Bhakthi Mimamsa and Parabhakthi Sutras, Sandilya Bhakthi Sutras stand first. It is a philosophy of devotion and is taken up as an authority for any discussion or interpretation on Bhakthi.

Sraddha is the power of the intellect. The understanding of the declarations of the Rishis about Truth, as they experienced THAT, reflecting on them and assimilating them by our own power of the intellect, is Sraddha. It is self-education. Sravana, Manana and Nididyasana help this Divine Faith. Mind is not an organ. It leans upon the brain for intelligence and on the heart for emotions like love, anger, fear, etc. By the integration of all our faculties, the harmonized head and heart develop in themselves a certain power of perception called intuition. Vedanta is not written down in figures or words. You have to think and think to come out of confusions. You are overwhelmed when the answers come to you like a flash. You are surprised how, wherefrom such a simple answer or definition came to the mind. Nothing more can be explained. It has to be experienced as also the experience of meditation. Can you explain the sweetness of sugar? The other person is able to understand sweetness only because he has tasted and knows it.

The practice of Dhyana everyday, with earnestness, Sraddha (Divine Faith) and Divine Love all together bring about a sort of tranquility of the mind, in the seat of meditation. When this improves, gradually, intuition rises even above the mind and intelligence, which alone is called transcendental meditation. The whole world now aches for this transcendental meditation for management of stress. Deep contemplation on Saguna or Nirguna Brahman only can give it. The steps for meditation and further details about it will be taken up later.

The love of the gopis for Krishna stands first and foremost in the examples of Divine Love. They were all the time thinking of Krishna, whatever they may be doing. They wanted nothing from him. Looking for the result, Darsanapalam was absent, the pure Avadanapalam taking its place. Once in Vrajabhoomi, after he had killed Kamsa, Sri Krishna was suffering from stomachache, which he said could be cured only with the dust of the feet of his bhaktha. Narada went in search of a true bhaktha but he could not find any. When news of Krishna’s illness came, the gopis immediately collected some dust and gave it to Narada. They never thought that some sin would come to them if they gave the dust from their feet to the Lord. They were one with Him, whereas Narada saw himself separate from Him.

Prahlada Bhakthi and Namadeva’s in their early childhood itself are exceptions. They had Bhakthi rooted within them, because of Poorvajanma vasanas. Idol worship, Namasankeertanam, bhajans, everything vitalizes Divine Bhakthi. The chariot of Dhyana or Meditation runs smoothly on the two rails of Divine Faith and Divine Love if everything is channelised in the right path.

Bhakti and Dhyana

Children are loved for their smiling faces. Their virtues are uppermost in their minds and they shine in their looks, speech and behaviour. It is only as they grow up that other tendencies of selfishness, greed and anger develop. Hearing religious stories along with other stories, seeing the good virtues in them and, prayers and namaskarams as a daily routine builds up bhakti in children. Seeing elders doing vandanam, Aradanam, japam, bhajans, rituals, etc., they develop a sort of duty bound worship of God as they grow up.

Idol worship with flowers, incense and other accessories of ritualistic worship makes even our minds happy. The mind finds joy in worship, reciting stotras, hearing and singing kirtans and bhajans. Glorifying God increases devotion. This lower kind of devotion should not become mechanical. One pointed concentration and intense devotion to the supreme Lord should be developed which destroys the impurities of the mind. Sandilya says devotion is strengthened by knowledge. According to him, devotion is the main thing and other things are subsidiary to it.

Apara bhakti or gauni bhakti is lower kind of devotion. It has to be strengthened with knowledge to be developed into parabhakti, the highest devotion. Knowledge being a mental revelation cannot be produced by physical effort. The cultivation of a group of virtues is indispensable in the path of knowledge. Sama – dama – control of the senses, uparati – withdrawal of the senses from going after longings, titiksa – forbearance – the endurance of all pain and sorrow without lamentation, sraddha – ardent faith in the teacher and of the teachings and samadhana – single pointed concentration and fixation on God are essential.

Sandilya says sravana, manana and nididyasana are the means of knowledge and should be practiced for purity of mind and purity of devotion.

Gita also insists on sravana, manana and nididyasana being practiced for purity of mind. It is the essence of the Upanishads and a restatement of the declarations of the rishis. Gita explains yoga thus – Lord Krishna says – Of all the yogis, he who with all his soul intent on Me, in full belief worships me, he is considered by Me as the most devoted. Here yogi does not refer to bhakthi or knowledge separate but the united mind of Karma, bhakti and gnana. The sixth chapter is full of dhyana yoga and the twelvth chapter is full of bhakti. 4, 5 and 6 explain sravana, manana and nididyasana respectively.

Satvic gunas and devotion to the Mother Goddess gleamed radiantly in the face of Sri Ramakrishna. When Totapuri met him, he immediately decided to make him his sishya. He, who never stayed in any place for more than 3 days, stayed on for some months together with Ramakrishna, teaching him Vedanta and forcing him to take sanyasa. At last Ramakrishna agreed without telling his aged mother, lest she should be pained, but took permission from the Divine Mother. The minute Totapuri gave him his ochre robe and blessed him, Sri Ramakrishna entered Samadhi. The Guru was surprised. What took him forty years to achieve, the sishya gained in a minute. Such was the sishya’s devotion to God.

Coming to meditation, it is an exercise for the mind. It is not for giving or gaining knowledge. It is of 2 types:

1. Preliminary with spiritual disciplines and practice
2. Assimilatory, which gives mental tranquility and wisdom through practice of deep contemplation.

For practice, first we have to choose a place where we will not be disturbed. Cleanliness both within and without is important. The clean puja room with the fragrance of incense, flowers and good pictures around has a good effect on the mind. With a mind that has withdrawn itself from agitation, desires, jealousy, restlessness, etc., we turn to surrender and love. We are instructed to meditate upon the pure, clear consciousness. A difficult task. To begin with, we can contemplate on a Deiva, an idol that we worship or Om, its meanings or even on the Sushumna nadi. Patanjali points out the physical places where the six chakras of the sushumna are located. For the purpose of understanding only, the sites are located, whereas the knots are in the sushumna nadi itself.

In the words of Sri Ramakrishna –
When the mind is attached to worldliness, it dwells in the three lower centers – at the navel, the organ of reproduction and the organ of evacuation. The mind then has no higher spiritual ambitions. It is immersed in the cravings of lust and greed. The fourth center is the heart. When the mind learns to dwell there, man experiences his first spiritual awakening. Then he has the vision of light all around. The fifth center is at the throat. He whose mind has reached this center is freed from ignorance and delusion. He does not enjoy hearing or talking of anything but God. Even then, there is little trace of ego left in the aspirant. It is like a light in a lantern. One feels as if one could touch the light but cannot, because of the obstructing pane of glass. The sixth center is at the forehead. When the mind reaches this center, there is the direct vision of God.

The seventh center is at the top of the head. When the mind reaches it, Samadhi is attained. One becomes the knower of Brahman, united with Brahman.

Deep contemplation develops slowly. To the extent the inner equipments are purified, to that extent Sastras become clear. Meditation is not like finding something on reaching the goal. Devotion to Isvara sweetens the dryness of intellectual discrimination. The highest kind of love is brought about. Tranquility of mind is enjoyed throughout and wisdom shines all along the journey.

Om Tat Sat

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