Ishavasya Upanishad: Invocation

You can’t push yourself,  kick yourself, beat yourself, but by observing your reactions, your conclusions, the movement of thoughts and ideas, and your behavior patterns, at a certain point you will see a very interesting phenomenon:  all that you can observe becomes subtle, loses its solidity. Every idea, every concept, every conclusion that you observe, every thought, becomes less solid, as if it is evaporating . . . disappearing . . . and simultaneously, the subtle gains substance—the soul, the spirit, consciousness, observation solidify, become substantial, until you reach the final level before nirvikalpa-samādhi. The final level is the observation of the observer, the observation of the meditator, the observation of yourself.And what will happen is the most marvelous  revelation:  you evaporate yourself, you “subtle-ize,” you lose your solidity. You lose “you,” the most substantial thing in your life, you lose the “I” —“I want, I don’t want, I like, I don’t like, for me, mine” —“I,” the most solid, what you feared losing more than anything in the world, what made you feel threatened if something or someone diminished it in any way. We now see that evaporate and this disappearance is the moment in which consciousness is revealed in its full splendor.A question has haunted me for a long time. How do the ideas and conclusions disappear? Why do the concepts and thoughts and the “I” dissolve when they are observed? Why do they lose their solidity? Where do they go? Where does all this go? Why does it dissolve? Why does the observation get stronger? Why does observation, which was the most subtle and the most difficult to perceive, solidify, becoming solid and substantial, and reach its maximum expression when the meditator dissolves? Do you know why?As we observe, these realizations happen. Observing, you notice that you are not the thoughts, you are not the ideas, and you are not the conclusions.  You are not that thought, that idea “I,” that you believe yourself to be; but the thoughts and the ideas are you. You are not the conclusions and the concepts, but they are you.

In the Bhakti-rasāmṛta-sindhu (1.3.1), the esteemed disciple of Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu, Rūpa Gosvāmī, offers the following definition of bhāva:śuddha-sattva-viśeṣātmāprema-sūryāṁśu-sāmya-bhākrucibhiś citta-māsṛṇya-kṛd asau bhāva ucyate“When bhakti rises to the transcendental plane of pure sattva it is like a ray of the Sun of love. In that moment, devotion makes different pleasures pierce the heart, and then the devotee is situated in bhāva.”In this very interesting verse that appears also in the Caitanya-caritāmṛta (madhya-līlā 23.5), Rūpa Goswāmī refers to bhāva as prema-sūryāṁśu or “a ray of the sun of prema”. In this way, if bhāva is a ray, the love of God, or prema, is the Sun itself. Both are qualitatively the same, but different with respect to the quantity of light and heat. In the early morning we see at first a very dim light. However, when we see this light we know that the sun will appear very soon. This dim light of the early morning is like bhāva, and the sun is like prema; the first announces the appearance of the second. The sun of the love of God announces its presence by warming our heart through one of its rays.Rasa is made of five bhāvas: eternal affection and the four types of emotional experiences that intensify this affection:Vibhāva or “cause of ecstasy”: That which stimulates our eternal affection for Kṛṣṇa.Anubhāva or “subsequent to ecstasy”: the action that results from the intensified affection for God, which in its turn helps to heighten that affection.Sāttvika-bhāva or “existential ecstasy”: an involuntary reaction that results in the intensification of the affection for Kṛṣṇa, which in turn helps enhance this affection.Vyabhicāri-bhāva or “aggressive ecstasy”: an emotional experience that results in the intensification of the affection for the Lord, which in turn helps to embellish and enhance that affection.

 

Also in the Javalopanishad 1:2 Kurukshetra is described as the Yajna-sthali, a place destined for sacrifices, as much for the devatas or demigods as for all the living entities. In the Sat-Patha Brahmana it is said:

If one is thirsty, it would be absurd not to accept a glass of water because it is not called “water”. The name that we give to a specific object is irrelevant as long as we are aware that we are referring to the same thing. Similarly, it is not important if a group of people worship Allah, another Adonai and another Kṛṣṇa or Vishnu, as long as they all are referring to exactly the same thing. The religious and spiritual paths can be many, but the Truth is one. If we desire world peace and want to work together in cooperation it is fundamental that we understand the simple fact that religious organizations can be many, but God is one. According to our religion, we may speak about God or the Absolute Truth using different names and denominations; however, we are all referring to exactly the same thing. It is absurd and ludicrous to think that we are speaking of something different; there is no place for differences between our God and yours. It is not just that God is one, but that only God is…The Sanatana-dharma religion is nonsectarian. The sacred scriptures are not directed to a particular group of people in a specific epoch and place, but to all men. The sacred Veda is sufficiently ample to offer a common thread to all authentic religious experience, because, as it is stated in the Taittirīya-brāhmaṇa (3.10.11.4)anantā vai vedāḥ“The Vedas are infinite.”Hinduism or the Vishwa-dharma is a universal religion which considers that all the great saints and sages have had an encounter with the same Truth and that differences between religions are created because each enlightened being expresses his experience according to his era, language, culture and individuality. An authentic man of religion does not develop religious egoism; he never makes an attempt at spiritual monopoly by believing himself to be the chosen one of God and the only master and possessor of the Truth. Such fanaticism only leads to hatred, differences, wars, and totally unnecessary bloodshed in the name of God.

ॐ पूर्णमदः पूर्णमिदं पूर्णात् पूर्णमुदच्यते ।

His Holiness Śrī Śrīmad Bhagavān Dās

c. Jñāna-kāṇḍa: This section is concerned with the higher wisdom of the Upaniṣads. It is an invitation to the realization of the One that lies beyond the diversity of names and forms.

“Śruti should be accepted as Veda, or revelation, whereas Smṛti refers to the scriptures of the sacred law or tradition. Both are irrefutable in all matters, since religion emanated simultaneously from both.” (Manu-smṛti 2.10)

पूर्णस्य पूर्णमादाय पूर्णमेवावशिष्यते ।।

As an organic being, man emerges from unity but as an ego, he is assembled from incoherent parts and pieces. As an organic individuality, he is a lotus flower whose symmetrically aligned petals naturally unfold; as an ego or personality, he is a functional machine, assembled from parts that have come from outside, from others.

ॐ शान्तिः शान्तिः शान्तिः ।।

sañjaya uvāca evam uktvārjunaḥ saṅkhye rathopastha upāviśat visṛjya sa-śaraṁ cāpaṁ śoka-saṁvigna-mānasaḥ Translation:Sañjaya said: having thus spoken on the battlefield, Arjuna cast his bow and arrows aside, and sat down in his chariot, his mind distressed with wail. Commentary:"Sañjayaḥ uvāca", the first words of this verse remind us that even though he who narrates the events on the battlefield of Kurukshetra to king Dhritarashtra is Sañjaya, his secretary, the one who is actually speaking and writing the text is Srila Vyasadeva, the literary Divine incarnation.

Thus, in observing the mental activity, it is of utmost importance not to slip into identification with the thoughts. While we remain disidentified with the thoughts, we are observing or studying them, but the moment we identify ourselves with them, observation is lost, and we return to “sleep”.  The study of oneself cannot be practiced or performed; it is not an activity. All activity is of the mind, and since thinking or reflecting is also a type of activity, the moment one does something, it means that one is no longer observing, but doing.Observing the turmoil of our mental activity is the beginning of the study of ourselves, it is not to learn new details about our character or personality, it is not to learn “about” or “concerning” ourselves, because although it appears that our work is with the objective world, we are actually aiming at our subjective reality, we are learning to be the witness. The mental activity will be slowed down as the attention is focused on the thoughts, since mental activity and observation cannot coexist simultaneously. Thus, as the mind is contemplating and observing, it becomes vacant. Remaining the witness without reacting is to awaken to one’s authentic nature. This process of the study of oneself begins in the body along with the practice of haṭha-yoga where the āsanas are carried out while we maintain the attitude of observation. The physical is transformed into a type of mirror in which we study ourselves. Later we will be able to observe our respiration with the prāṇāyāma, and with time, to reach enough distance from our mental contents to be able to observe the thoughts and ideas. A more elevated plane is the observation of the emotional aspect, the sentiments etc. However, no matter what we become capable of observing, what is really important is our transformation from being actors or doers completely identified with the action to being attentive, watchful beings. As has been said by the great Advaita master, Nisargadatta Mahārāj (1897-1981), “The witness is both unreal and real. The last remnants of the illusion, the first touch of the real.

 

The Matsya-purāṇa (9.27-28) mentions it as well:

Never forget to be very careful when seeking the Truth, since the Truth might find you and you may be unprepared to face it. But also always remember that it is more beneficial to be in the Truth, although it carries with it some inconvenience, than to remain in the lie and illusion, however pleasant they may seem.

 

om purnam adah purnam idam

purnat purnam udacyate

purnasya purnam adaya

purnam evavashishyate

om shantih, shantih shantih

Be: be your own discovery. Be the only thing you really can be. Be the Self. yatroparamate cittaṁ niruddhaṁ yoga-sevayā yatra caivātmanātmānaṁ paśyann ātmani tuṣyati

a. Śikṣā: Vedic phonetics and phonology. It is important for the preservation of the correct pronunciation of the holy scriptures.

  Because according to the way we see our life now, that is what we are. And the great question is: is it possible to transcend or liberate ourselves from all of these mental contents? And that is our world, the world in which we move and live .Our world is between our ears, as they say. Our world is the mind; this is our reality, the reality of our complexes, our ways of reacting, our attitudes, our fears and worries. And the question is: can we free ourselves from this?Why free ourselves from it? Because it is limited, because the entire mind proceeds from the material, from others, from the dimension of forms; it is information from our parents, siblings, friends, neighbors, information we receive from fellow workers, schoolmates, the military, etc.; it has come from the world of forms—from my name, to the newspaper that I like to read, and my way of reacting when someone treats me with sympathy or contempt. All of this stems from the dimension of forms, and the dimension of forms is limited. Therefore, all that I am is necessarily limited.This being so, I am a limited being, so the desire for freedom can only be grace. Can I be liberated from all of this?  That would mean freedom from the material. Whether or not I can free myself from all this is a very important question isn’t it?Here is where it must be understood that nothing I do, nothing I do as this mental content can lead me beyond the mind. This is very important. Nothing I do as the “I” idea, as the “I” ego, as the “I” concept, can help me to transcend what I am. Nothing the ego does can take it beyond the ego.And since there is nothing that can be done, all that remains is for us to, as we would say, “sit and watch,” and this is what is called dhyāna, or “meditation” in Hinduism, or the Sanātana-dharma religion.Meditation can only come after the realization that there is nothing that you can do, that all efforts will be fruitless, because any effort, any action stems from an idea; there is a thought hiding behind every action, and any thought or idea comes from the limited contents of the mind.

 

Our longing must be rooted in the integration of all values, whether classified as material or spiritual, for any such division is illusory. Matter is not the counterpart of spirit; the manifested retains within itself the unmanifested, and spirit lies in the depths of the material.

At times, we may turn our backs on reason and give in to the mind’s demands for immediate pleasure. Over time, however, far from offering us any peace, the coffee, the cigarettes, the alcohol, the drugs, and in general, the uncontrolled satisfaction of the senses, bring us nothing but frustration and misery.

 

All human beings possess some degree of concentration, so as to be able to keep the mind focused on an object or an idea for a few moments. Since concentration is the prelude to meditation, true spiritual development requires a very high level of concentration.6.1.                TrāṭakaTrāṭaka means in Sanskrit, “to fix the gaze”. It is not, as many believe and teach, a method of meditation. Rather, trāṭaka is a highly recommended concentration exercise that helps one develop the ability to focus the attention, and it is one of the classical techniques of dhāraṇā. Although its principle benefit is to strengthen concentration and promote relaxation, it is also considered to be one of the six purification practices or á¹£aá¹­-karmas.Trāṭaka consists in concentrating the attention on a single point, which can be a deity, the symbol Oṁ, a chakra, or a yantra, although the flame of a candle is typically used. This technique is used in haá¹­ha-yoga, as well as in jñāna-yoga, bhakti-yoga and kuṇḍalinÄ«-yoga. Trāṭaka is one of the most efficient methods for balancing and calming the mind and developing our internal vision.Technique: With a straight back, sit in siddhāsana or any other comfortable meditative posture and face the flame of a burning candle, looking at it steadily without blinking (photo number 400). After gazing at the flame for one minute, close your eyes, relax the ocular muscles and visualize the flame of the candle in the ājña-cakra or the anāhata-cakra for one minute (photo number 401). After the internal image fades away, go back to gazing at the flame for one minute without blinking. If the eyes tear up, close them and then repeat the exercise. As you become accustomed to it, you will gradually be able to increase the time spent gazing at the external flame, and you will also begin to visualize the internal flame more clearly. At first, countless ideas, thoughts and mental chatter will arise. Over the course of time, however, you will experience greater tranquility (photo number 401b).

Translation:

O, Almighty! Who shines on the earth, in the sky and in the space!-

.. When we touch a clay plate, we are touching clay... Although the clay has been used in order to prepare a plate, a jug, a vase, a pitcher, it remains clay, and in fact there is no substantial difference between clay as a substance and objects made of clay. The raw material has not ceased to be clay just because it has acquired the form of a vase or a jug, or has received a specific name, such as "plate" or "pitcher"...Although it is presented to us as a vase or any other instrument, in fact the only thing that exists there is... clay...Similarly, as long as we continue thinking that the experience of a Personal God is in conflict with the Self or the Impersonal Brahman, we only express our ignorance of reality...Hinduism is an inclusive, pluralistic and universal religion. It recognizes, accepts and embraces the Truth wherever it expresses itself, and does not take in account the cultural package. Its attitude is not and has never been exclusive. The religion Sanātana-dharma embraces within itself so many different attitudes simultaneously, knowing God as the Whole or the Totality...The variety and diversity we witness in this phenomenal manifested reality are not in conflict with the Whole and its unity. According to this verse, we see that bhakti and jñana are not in conflict, as is mistakenly believed by so many spiritual seekers, but rather that they complement each other. This mantra is a perfect and clear exposition of the synthesis of both yogas, or of a true and authentic integral Bhakti - Vedānta. In spiritual life, far from being in conflict, bhakti and jñana must complement each other. The cultivation of devotion to God in his personal aspect through the process of deity worship, just as all the wisdom of bhakti, is meditation on the aspect of the manifest, which has to be harmoniously included in the process of discovery of the Self.Devotion without wisdom can easily fall into sectarianism and fanaticism, and wisdom that lacks love, or the mind without the heart, can become mere speculative knowledge of intellectual character.

A rāja-yogī transforms the mind gradually into a true laboratory, in which, by means of observation and investigation of his psychic movements, he is able to become an alchemist of the mental contents. To enter into this aspect of yoga means to go deeper and to know ourselves.To the extent that we allow this wisdom to touch our lives, we become involved in an integrative and holistic process that increases coherence between our feelings, thoughts and actions. This involves not only theoretical knowledge, but also deep changes of an existential nature. Thus, we are not speaking of information, but of transformation. In this sense, it can also be stated that, unlike knowledge, this wisdom obligates us to change the way we live.There are those who call this wisdom “yogic psychology”, since just as with western psychology, it is concerned with the mind. However, the difference between them is radical. While western psychology tries to harmonize our mind with society and our surroundings, leading it towards the state it considers “normal”, the intention of rāja-yoga is supranormal, because it aspires to go beyond the mind, transcending it completely. Therefore, although they essentially refer to the same thing, there is a basic difference between the two with respect to intentions and expectations.No other method or discipline has reached a similar degree of precision, in its analysis of the human mind and its intricate activities, as rāja-yoga. This ancient wisdom holds that we are a reality which is transcendental to the mind. The rāja-yogī observes the mind, studies it, contemplates it, knows it and finally, goes beyond it.The mindIn the Bhagavad-gītā Lord Kṛṣṇa refers to the mind in chapter 6, verses 5 and 6:uddhared ātmanātmānaṁnātmānam avasādayetātmaiva hy ātmano bandhurātmaiva ripur ātmanaḥ‘One should uplift oneself with one’s own mind and not degrade oneself. The mind can be either one’s friend or one’s enemy.’bandhur ātmātmanas tasyayenātmaivātmanā jitaḥa

That is the Whole, this is the Whole; from that Whole, this Whole is manifested. When this Whole is extracted, that Whole remains being the Whole.

Sutra 2सा त्वस्मिन् परप्रेमरूपा। २sā tvasmin parapremarūpā |Translation:That (bhakti) is love for God (in The Self).Commentary:Bhakti is love for God...And love for God is love, there are no different kinds of love. What we call attachment is love limited by time and space, it is love from a limited concept about ourselves. Narada uses the word "tv", which means "but", in order to differentiate the love for God from the limited concept of love, mundane love or attachment, which is a kind of addiction and lust...Love is to give, serve without expecting anything in exchange, it is total in the sense that it is for the totality or the whole. Attachment is a desire to take and receive egoistically, it is for and towards the part...Love for the world is attachment, because love through the ego is manifested as attachment and lust, while attachment for God is love...Even the wars are produced because of this limited or localized love, which is patriotism, or an attachment to a certain country. Love is related to the amplification of consciousness...In the New Testament, in the First Epistle General of St. Johns, chapter 4, verse 8, Saint John says:"He that loveth not knoweth not God, for God is love".I keep this phrase in my heart with great respect because it contains a great truth...Bhakti is to love God...And the Bhakti Yogi or the devotee does not ask what or Who is this God...Because when you love you know him, the more intensely you love, more intensely you know him, the more profoundly you love, the more profoundly you know...He that loveth not knoweth not God"... it informs us that the question is not about I do not belong to this or to that "ism", to this or to that religious group, the point is not if I am Hindu, Christian, Jewish, or if I believe in this theology or accept that doctrine.

 

oṁ śāntiḥ, śāntiḥ śāntiḥ

“O man! You should always ascend, never fall.” Atharva-Veda (8.1.6)

Commentary:

e. Kalpa: Vedic ritual. The wisdom of communication with heaven requires a great command of the exact pronunciation of the mantras, as well as a highly elevated power of concentration.

Enlightenment is to awaken to our completeness, as is affirmed in the invocation of the Iśāvāsyopaniṣad:

This classification includes the collection of ancient books on the laws of Hinduism, or the code of laws of the Sanātana-dharma religion. These writings are intended both for the purification of the heart, as well as to elevate society with the system of varṇāśrama-dharma. These texts explain the implementation of dharma as defined by behavior and habit, as much in the individual sphere, as in the collective. There are 18 Dharma-sāstras: the Laws of Manu, of Yājñavalkya, of Parāśara, of Viṣṇu, of Dakṣa, of Saṁvarta, of Vyāsa, of Hārīta, of Śātātapa, of Vasiṣṭha, of Yama, of Āpastamba, of Gautama, of Devala, of Śaṅkha and Likhita, of Uśanas, of Atri and of Śaunaka, with the first three being of highest importance. In our time, it is impossible to follow all the ancient laws, since the circumstances, society, and times have changed. The laws were established to serve humanity, not to hinder or enslave it. Today it is much more important to learn to live within the spirit of the laws, rather than seeking to follow them to the letter. In this regard, the guidance and direction of an authentic spiritual master become essential.

It should be pointed out that the first lines of this Upaninshad are commonly called shanti-mantras, or mantras of peace. It is an ancient Vedic tradition that every Upanishad, in general, must begin and end with these most powerful shanti-mantras.

The group of the seven most famous sages or saptarṣis for the present manvantara, called vaivasvata-manvantara, consists of: Viśvāmitra, Jamadagni, Bharadvāja, Uddālaka Gautama, Atri, Vasiṣṭha and Kaśyapa. As is indicated in the Hari-vaṁśa-purāṇa (1.7.34-35):

The vṛttis can be painful or not painful, as is mentioned in the Yoga-sÅ«tras (1.5):vṛttayaḥ pañcatayyaḥ kliṣṭākliṣṭāḥ“The five-fold vṛttis are kliṣṭa (painful) and akliṣṭāḥ (not painful).”The word kliṣṭākliṣṭāḥ means—“painful or not painful”— these five mental fluctuations may or may not cause us pain, but they are incapable of offering us bliss. They can give us pleasure, but are not capable of delivering us from our suffering. We can transform the mind into a prison or into a door to freedom. The mind can either lead us magically to meditation, or it can lead us to insanity. It all depends on how we utilize our mind.The mind in itself can only be kliṣṭa or akliṣṭa, painful or painless, just like any other bodily member: a hand, a foot, a shoulder. If we injure any part of our body, it will cause pain, but if we use it appropriately, we will not feel pain.The afflictionsOur afflictions, called in Sanskrit kleśas, arise from the incorrect use of the mind due to our ignorance and illusion.This is what Patañjali Mahará¹£i explains in his Yoga-sÅ«tras (2.3):avidyāsmitā-rāga-dveṣābhiniveśāḥ kleśāḥ “The afflictions are: ignorance (avidyā), egoism (asmitā), attraction (rāga), aversion (dveá¹£a) and fear of death (abhiniveśāḥ).”1.        Avidyā or ignorance: involves an error that leads us to confuse the temporal and nonexistent with the eternal Self, as is affirmed in the Yoga-sÅ«tras (2.5):anityāśuci-duḥkhānātmasu nitya-śuci-sukhātma-khyātir avidyā“Ignorance is the confusion that is produced by regarding the transient as eternal, the impure as pure, the painful as blissful and the nonexistent, or that which is not the Self, as the Self.”2.        Asmitā or egoism: The result of false identification, or our belief about what we are. This idea is also explained in the Yoga-sÅ«tras (2.

The following phrase of the invocation is... pūrṇāt pūrṇam udacyate... "from that Whole, this Whole is manifested"...

 

This world no longer appears as a sacred temple to us, because we have been a part of the known for a long time. Living from our past, we have turned life into a habit and our existence into a routine. Far too long ago we ceased to be thrilled at the spring, its birds, its butterflies and its flowering. How can we claim to worship God if we do not wonder at the miracle of existence? How can we not marvel when we look at the starry sky? The most advanced levels of arcana are learned at the seashore on a summer evening or in forest in springtime. Religious books can offer us information about the appropriate way to prostrate ourselves in front of an altar according to the etiquette of one religion or another. But to teach the heart to prostrate in front of the creator, one needs the full moon reflected in a lake. Because only the majesty of a sunset in the desert can induce the soul to offer its most humble and respectful reverences before God.6. Vandana: refers to prayers, reverences and prostrations offered to God.A great part of the wisdom that we find in the sacred scriptures was composed in the form of prayers. When we pray, we accept our limitations and our smallness and we exalt the greatness of God. When we pray, we invoke divine aid, without which, no matter how much we strive, we will never succeed. Like the sun’s rays, divine grace radiates to illuminate all. To pray is to expose ourselves to its rays of light and warmth. God is not biased; therefore He allows the rain of His grace to shower impartially over all. When we pray, we close our umbrella and allow this rain to fall upon us. We pray because we are aware that we can make efforts forever, but without the support of Īṣvara, who is the Supreme controller, we will never attain the desired success. To pray is to open our hearts to the grace of God.In the Bhagavad Gītā (7.

Purify yourself: cleanliness and purity will determine how high you will fly.

..Tal y como lo dice una bellísima oración hindú:Twameva mata cha pita twamevatwameva bandhuscha sakha twamevatwameva vidya dravinam twamevatwameva sarvam mama deva deva"Sólo tú eres mi madre y mi padre, sólo Tú eres mi amigo y mi amada compañía, sólo Tú eres mi sabiduría y mi riqueza; oh Señor Supremo, sólo Tú lo eres todo para mi." En el más elevadísimo estado de para-bhakti, el devoto ve sólo a Dios tras este mundo de formas y nombres... Al ver joyas, aros, anillos, medallones, brazaletes y monedas sólo ve el mismo oro... Al ver platos, jarros, jarrones, vasos y tazas sólo ve la arcilla de la cual todos están confeccionados...Al observar el mundo fenoménico sólo ve a Dios... o mejor dicho ve un mundo divino... Aquí el bhakti se funde con el jñana porque se produce la realización directa que sólo Dios realmente es... sólo la vida... la realidad es...El Sanatana-dharma no es politeísta porque no acepta la existencia de más de un sólo Dios, sin embargo tampoco es monoteísta porque no acepta la existencia de un sólo Dios... de acuerdo al hinduismo sólo y únicamente Dios "es" ... Si algo desvía tu atención de la Realidad única... señal que te haz quedado dormido... que estás prestando atención a un sueño... a una fantasía... una ilusión... a algo que no es, que no existe en realidad... No luches con aquello que no es, mas bien ignóralo... sé indiferente...Por ejemplo, fantasías como tus creencias ilusorias son capaces de desviar tu atención de la realidad... Lo que crees ser o las fantasías imaginarias acerca de ti logran desviar tu atención de lo que verdaderamente eres... Dondequiera que el verdadero devoto mira, sólo ve a Dios... Por lo tanto nada puede desviar su atención de Dios... En realidad, para el auténtico bhakta, la vida y la existencia son divinas... Krishna dice el Bhagavad Gita (8.14):ananya-cetāḥ satataṁ yo māṁ smarati nityaśaḥ tasyāhaṁ sulabhaḥ pārtha nitya-yuktasya yoginaḥ"Yo soy fácilmente accesible para quien me recuerda constantemente sin desviación, ¡oh, hijo de Pṛthā, para el devoto constante!"Y

” (Vedānta-sāra, verse 22)To maintain a calm and relaxed mind is easy in peaceful surroundings. However, only one who has developed titikṣā can remain even-tempered when faced with the inconveniences of life, and not react to offenses. Such a person does not bear a grudge towards her enemies, forgives and forgets the harm they have done and if slapped, simply turns the other cheek.The great Bengali saint Caitanya, in his famous Śikṣāṣṭaka (3) advises us to be more tolerant than the trees. When one has cultivated the virtues of tolerance, and acceptance, it is possible to face difficulties and disasters without being disturbed. The power to contain our reactions is not a product of simple repression, but is a quality that arises from observation.All reaction comes from the past. Only he who acts in the now, from the position of the witness, can develop authentic titikṣā, that is to say, be really tolerant. The yogi in whom this virtue has developed can patiently contemplate the pairs of opposites like heat and cold, happiness and sadness, pleasure and pain, and so onLord Kṛṣṇa refers to tolerance in the Bhagavad-gītā (2.14):mātrā-sparśās tu kaunteyaśītoṣṇa-sukha-duḥkhā-dāḥāgamāpāyino nityāstāṁs titikṣasva bhārata“Oh, son of Kuntī! Due to the contact of the senses with objects, there arises the appearance of cold and heat, happiness and distress, states which are transitory and have a beginning and an end. Oh, descendent of Bharata, you must learn to tolerate them without being disturbed.”In a world that is temporary, relative and illusory, and which is ultimately just a projection of the mind, what really matters is one’s attitude. Life is a wheel; sometimes we are located at the summit, and other times, at the very bottom. In a dual world, he who desires pleasure will know pain, and he who runs after happiness will taste sorrows and pains, because nothing can exist without its opposite. One who pursues pleasure in this reality of duality will never be able to know peace and serenity. Only someone who remains composed before the pairs of opposites can aspire to the peace that lies beyond any logic.

THE PART AND THE WHOLE

"Brihaspati, quien es el predicador de los semidioses, dice, los semidioses solicitaron de Yanjnavalkya Muni realizar un sacrificio religioso en Kurukshetra para la salvación de los semidioses y para ayudar a todos las entidades vivientes a alcanzar el mundo espiritual".

The ego consists of the illusion of the wave, believing himself to be an entity separate from the ocean, the illusion of believing oneself to be a part, separate from the Whole. Human misery originates with the efforts of the part to resist the Whole. Believing ourselves to be a part, we will always feel that we lack many things, we will miss the rest of what we are, and we will feel that we lack something needed to be whole... Therefore, together with our resistance to the Whole, we feel a deep sensation of being incomplete, of missing something.

Today, yoga and meditation are often discussed, and words like mantra, karma, āsana, prāṇāyāma and dhyāna are very familiar. Although many people use these terms and express opinions about them, few really know their true meaning. Unfortunately, the greater the familiarity, the greater is the confusion. To know what yoga says about itself, however, one must turn to the sacred books of the Sanātana-dharma religion. To clearly understand the different paths of yoga, a deep knowledge of the Vedic holy scriptures will be necessary.

71.331)12. Oṁ Śrī Durgāyai Namaḥ: “Respectful reverences before our Mother Durga.”13. Oṁ Śrī Mahā-lakṣmyai Namaḥ: “Respectful reverences before Mother Lakshmi”.This is a mantra that does not allow us to fall into poverty and opens possibilities for enrichment, of course not only material.14. Oṁ Aiṁ Sarasvatyai Namaḥ: “Respectful reverences before Mother Sarasvatī”.15. Oṁ Śrī Mahā-kalīkayai Namaḥ: “Respectful reverences before Mother Kali”.16. Oṁ Śrī Sarasvatyai Namaḥ: “Respectful reverences before the radiant Mother Sarasvatī”.This is the mantra of Mother Sarasvatī, its recitation awakens our talents and intellectual aptitudes.17. Oṁ Śrī Hanumate Namaḥ: “Respectful reverences before Holy Lord Hanuman”18.Oṁ try-ambakaṁ yajāmahe sugandhim puṣṭi-vardhanam urvārukam iva bandhanān mṛtyor mukṣīya māmṛtāt: "We worship the three eyes of Lord Śiva, who possesses a sweet fragrance and nourishes all beings. May He liberate me from the slavery of the repeated cycle of births and deaths, even as the cucumber is severed from its bondage to the vine.”This mantra is called the mahā-mṛtyuñ-jaya-mantra, which means “the mantra that surpasses death” and it is a glorification of Lord Śiva. We encounter it in the seventh maṇḍala of the sacred Ṛg-veda (7.59.12). It brings health, and it is capable of removing incurable diseases, preventing accidents and vitalizing the one who repeats it with devotion. Its daily repetition confers liberation.19. Oṁ hrīṁ haṁsaḥ so ‘haṁ svāhā: “I am the supreme spirit.”This is the param jyoti mantra or "the mantra of supreme light".Gāyatrī-mantrasThe gāyatrī is one of the most sacred mantras, it possesses a specific length and meter. It contains twenty-four highly powerful bījākṣaras or "seed syllables” which are organized in three lines, each one of which is made up of eight bījākṣaras. It is also called Veda-mātā or "Mother of the Vedas". Since the deity of the Sun presides over this mantra, its repetition brings great power and extraordinary vitality. The solar energy contained in the gāyatrī is capable of restoring our metabolism. Its repetition grants great vigor and enthusiasm; therefore it is highly recommended for pessimisic and depressed persons. The word gāyatrī stems from gāya or "chanting ", and tra or "liberate or protect".

The mind cannot know an experience like silence because when silence appears, the mind is not. Silence is mental absence. For most people it is extremely difficult to attain silence. The mind resists silence, because silence is to relinquish everything the mind is afraid of losing: family, friends, past, honor, power, etc. For the mind, silence is a kind of death. You can repress words, but they are only an external manifestation of your ideas, concepts, conclusions; thoughts are mental words. Closing one’s mouth is easy; it only involves muscles, a tongue, etc. To mute the mind or stop it is impossible, because even trying to silence it, is in itself, a noise or an action. And any type of action breaks the silence, so that the very idea and act of silencing the mind is a contradiction. The mind cannot be repressed with the aim of silencing it, we may stop speaking but the mind will continue imagining, reasoning, reflecting, remembering. In order to reach true silence the waves of the mental ocean should be calmed, transforming it into a tranquil and transparent lake.The sacred scriptures and the teachings of the guru are indispensable, but at the same time they remain an incongruous effort to attempt to explain silence through words… since the mind and its continuous chatter about religion can never be anything more than an accumulation of absurdities and contradictions. Silence cannot be explained through words, because it does not belong to the relative world of the mind. Therefore the mind cannot identify itself with silence, cannot touch, control or conquer it.Words are the medium that the teacher uses at school; silence is of the spiritual master. Words are the interaction of two minds, while silence is a communion of two souls.We must prepare the appropriate situation and the mind will agree to rest in the silence. This issādhanā within theviśva-dharma religion; it lies in creating the atmosphere, the ideal conditions for the mind to accept being still. When the mind is silent, you are, but you are not situated somewhere.

 

The Sthāpatya-veda, which comprises such topics as technology and architecture, is also considered by some scholars to be an Upaveda.

We may be great scholars and know the sacred scriptures from memory, but the only remedy for this fear will be exactly what we fear: death itself, because only with the end of what we believe ourselves to be, will this fear disappear. In other words, this deeply rooted terror will only cease with enlightenment.If we observe each of these afflictions carefully, we will see that they belong to different aspects of the human being, and they affect us on different levels. Both avidyā or “ignorance” as well as asmitā or “egoism” are related to the intellectual aspect, since they cause pride, and make us lose our reason. Rāga and dveṣa belong to the emotional level; the former is attachment, while the latter is hate. As we are controlled and swept away by these feelings of attraction and repulsion, we lose our emotional balance. What people commonly refer to as “love” is merely a combination of these two feelings, and for this reason we see that where there was attachment there can be hate, just as where there is hate, there is the probability of attachment. Finally, abhiniveśa, or the desire to prolong life, originates on the instinctive plane; it stems from our struggle to survive, affecting our sensitivity and making us concerned only with our own well-being.It is interesting to observe that the afflictions are a series of chain reactions that begin with a lack of consciousness, which is the source of ignorance from which the ego and egoism arise. From egoism, attraction and aversion follow, and thus, attachment and hate. Ultimately, living with attachment or a possessive attitude creates the fear of death, since the more we accumulate in our life, the greater our fear of dying becomes.Be extremely careful. You have no idea how dangerous you can be to yourself, nor can you imagine the pain that you are capable of inflicting on yourself. The five afflictions are lingering inside us, in our subconscious, and they are the causes of our misery. Clearly, the wisdom of yoga proposes that we assume responsibility for our lives and become aware that it is we who are solely responsible for our sorrow or happiness.

“In every dvāpara-yuga, Viṣṇu in the form of Vyāsa, wishing to benefit (the world), always divides the single Veda into many.”

arāṭīKaranāṭīĀbherīGuṇakalīKedārīKauśikīToḍīVarahaṁsikāNāṭikāSaindhavīMadhumādhavīGāndhārīLalitāMālavīSāraṅgīBaṅgālīPahāḍīHaraśṛṅgārīHindolīPaṭamaṁjarīHamīraTable 2 – Classification of rāgas according to the sage BharataRāgaBhairavaMālakauśaHindolaDīpakaŚrīMeghaMadhumādhavīBhairavīBaṅgālīBarārī SaindhavīGuṇakalKhambāvatīGurjarīBhūpālīGaurīBelāvalīDeśākhīLalitāBhimapalāsīMālavīNaṭa MalhārīKedārīKānaḍāBhārekāVāsantīMālavīMālaśrīSahānā DhanāśrīSāraṅgaBaṅkāGāndharvaMalhārīMulātānī5 rāgiṇīs5 sonsBilāvalaPañcamaDeśākhyaDevagāndhāraVibhāsaSomaParāśanaBaḍahaṁsaKakubhaBaṅgālaRekhaba-haṁsaVasantaLokahāsaGāndharvaLalitaŚuddha kalyāṇaSaurāṭhaDeśakāraHamīraMārūNaṭaChāyānaṭaKānaḍāYamanaSaṅkarābharaṇaBahādurīNaṭa-nārāyaṇaMālavaJayatiKāmoda5 daughters-in-lawRāmakalīSuhāiSugharāiPaṭamañjarīToḍīSuraṭhīTriveṇīKarnāṭīĀsāvarīGoḍagiriKedārāKāmodīBihāgarāKāphīParajaBaḍahaṁsīDesavarāṭīVairāṭīDevagirīSindharāŚyamaPuriyāGurjarīHambīrīAḍānāPahāḍīJayantīGāndhārīPūravīJayajantīTable 3 – Classification of rāgas according to the sage HanumantaRāgaBhairavaKauśikaHindolaDīpakaŚrīMeghaMadhyamādiToḍīBelāvalīKedarīVāsantīMalhārīBhairavīKhambāvatīRāmakirīKānaḍāMālavīDeśakārīRāgiṇīsBaṅgālīGaurīDaśākhyaDeśīMālaśrīBhūpālīBarāṭikāGuṇakirīPaṭamañjarīKāmodīDhanyāsikāG

From a very young age, since our childhood, a sensation is born in us that we are lacking something in order to be happy. We see our older brother coming back from school and we say to ourselves: "When I go to school, there I will indeed enjoy myself". However, the day comes to start going to school, we enter first grade and slowly we begin to understand that it was not exactly what was missing, maybe quite the contrary. Slowly, over the course of years, we start to nourish the idea that when we go to high school, then it will be different, then we will find "what was missing", then I will be happy. Once again, when we start going to high school we see that it was not that what we needed. And then we think that although here we aren't enjoying ourselves, but, at the university... that so-yearned-for university, there indeed we shall finally enjoy ourselves, there we shall find that which we needed so much.

kāśyaś ca parameṣv-āsaḥśikhaṇḍī ca mahā-rathaḥdhṛṣṭadyumno virāṭaś casātyakiś cāparājitaḥTranslation:The great archer, the king of Kasi, the great warrior Sikhandi, Dhrstadyumna, Virata, and the unconquerable Satyaki.

Herein lies the importance of the care that we must put into everything that arrives to us through the senses. Through the association with the great souls —which is called sat-saṅga— we create saṁskāras of peace, but, if we bring ourselves in contact with rajo-guṇa or tamo-guṇa through, for example, the movies we watch on television, the music that we listen to, the books that we read or the food that we eat, we can create negative saṁskāras. Therefore, the association with genuine seekers of the Truth is extremely important.The five types of mental modificationsThe vṛittis are mental waves in the lake of citta which comprise the mental activity. The desires give rise to the vṛttis; thus, they are born from ignorance. Even in a normal person, the vṛttis are innumerable. According to the sage Patañjali they can be divided, basically, into five types, as listed in his Yoga-sūtras (1.6):pramāṇa-viparyaya-vikalpa-nidrā-smṛtayaḥ“The five different classes of mental modifications are: correct knowledge, incorrect interpretation, verbal illusion, sleep and memory.”1. Pramāṇa or correct knowledge: valid, reliable and trustworthy knowledge that is based on facts. According to rāja-yoga, three means of cognition exist that are acceptable for the acquisition of valid knowledge. They are described in the Yoga-sūtras (1.7):pratyakṣānumānāgamāḥ pramāṇāni“Correct knowledge is established through direct perception, inference and reliable testimony.”These sources of knowledge are all valid, provided that they do not contradict one another.1.1. Pratyakṣa is perception through our senses, the medium through which we obtain the cognition of objects and their characteristics. This gives us the ability to discern and differentiate. This is the only medium to acquire knowledge that an ordinary person relies upon. Obviously, pratyakṣa will only be valid and trustworthy if the senses are not under the influence of substances such as alcohol or drugs.1.2. Anumāna is inference or deduction, the means by which we know the general characteristics of an object or situation, not necessarily by perceiving them with the senses, but relying on our knowledge of the traits of similar objects which are known to be absent from dissimilar objects. Thus, Ānumānā uses reasoning and logic to acquire knowledge without physical perception.

 

"The Blessed Lord said: "O, son of Kuntī, this body is called the field, and the one who knows it is called the knower of the field, by those who know both of them".

Well, I don't think I have to tell you that this story goes on repeating itself, with the work, the girlfriend, the husband, the children, the house, the family, the business, until finally you find those who are waiting to reach their retirement in order to start enjoying or to finally find that which they were missing so much...

In each petal, we find a Sanskrit letteror bÄ«jāká¹£ara, which is the specific vibration of the nāḍī, while in the center of each chakra is found the principal bÄ«ja that represents the vibration of that chakra.Each chakra is related to a specific animal which symbolizes the movement of the prāṇa in thechakra in question. Each chakra is related to a specific plane of consciousness. There exist different dimensions of existence and forms of life. According to theVedic Holy Scripture, there are seven talas or ‘lower worlds’ below the earthly plane, and six lokas or ‘worlds’ above this one, which correspond to different levels of consciousness. Each loka has it counterpart or corresponding tala, similar to the two poles of electricity. According to the Mahā-bhāgavata-purāṇa these are:7.-Satya-loka6.- Tapo-loka5.- Jana-loka4.- Mahar-loka3.- Svar(ga)-loka2.- Bhuvar-loka1.- BhÅ«r-loka – Earthly plane1.- Atala2.- Vitala3.- Sutala4.- Talā-tala5.- Mahā-tala6.- Rasā-tala7.- Pātālaor Nāga-lokaThe chakras are linked with the nervous ganglia and have a relationship with the glands of internal secretion of the endocrine system.Moreover, they have a great influence on all the different systems of our organism, such as the digestive, nervous, circulatory, and respiratory systems.All the āsanas or postures of haá¹­ha-yoga directly influence the functioning of the chakras. Certaināsanas especially influence specific centers and their pranic movement.It is said that a chakrais open and functioningnormally if it is rotating clockwise,and at the appropriate speed to metabolize the required energy from the infinite ocean ofprāṇa. Similarly, a center is considered closed or blockedwhen the chakra is moving counterclockwise. Whenthe flow of the pranic current is from the center towards the periphery, the proper circulation of the vital energy is obstructed.The chakras affect not only the physical psychologicaland emotional aspects, but also many other important areas such as sexuality, communication, imagination, etc.First Chakra: MÅ«lādhāra-cakraÄ

..Only when we understand the authentic reason for our misery we reach that state that our sadness is because of our forgetfulness of God ...

यल्लब्ध्वा पुमान् सिध्दो भवति अमृतो भवति तृप्तो भवति। ४yallabdhvā pumān sidhdo bhavati amṛto bhavati tṛpto bhavati |Translation:The realization of that (divine love) is perfection, immortality and satisfaction.Commentary:The realization of that love... not of yours...Your love is that which comes from the mind, that which originates in the mental plane, in the level of you and yours... your love is addiction, with all the pain and suffering it involves...Your love is slavery...That love, or Divine love, is that which flourishes and develops from the silence of meditation, that love is God, the other is nothing but a call for the continuation of the species..."siddho bhavati" - "the devotee realizes perfection"... if you observe your surrounding, you will see that nothing and nobody is perfect, even though man tries hard, he cannot reach that which he assumes as perfection...Perfection is something we search or aspire for, without having even known it...One of the great mistakes of humanity is that in our search for perfection we acquire houses, cars, persons, terrains, sons, fame, honor, jewels, titles, and so on, without noticing that perfection does not bloom as a consequence of possessing much, of the fact that we have great quantities, but only when we need nothing... when there is nothing to reach or obtain...Perfection appears together with the profound experience that it is not necessary to adhere anything...The highest siddhi, the highest perfection, is not manifested because you have reached something, but because you wish to give everything...Because your true nature is love...When you love, you realize your authenticity...And you, just as you are, in your purity and innocence, are perfect. Love is capable of showing you the perfection in you...You, life, existence, as it is, is perfect, but love allows you to appreciate it directly.

Words are the imaginary symbols of what we intend them to represent; they are not real, but are attempts to describe realities. For this reason, these verbal symbols create mental images that do not always correspond to reality. For example when we are the object of insults or verbal offenses, and if we take them personally, we suffer unnecessarily. If only we stopped to think about this point, we would reach the conclusion that the words of others do not necessarily correspond to our reality but are a reflection of their own internal worlds. The opinions they express about us say something about themselves, about their internal reality, about the way they grew up, their family, their way of seeing the world, their maturity. Their words tell us something about their own convictions, and their cultural and spiritual level, but not necessarily something about us.Always remember, it doesn’t matter what is said about you: whether it be negative or positive, you should not take it in a personal way. Whether you have been told that you are a fool or a genius, let it go. You and only you know who you really are.4.        Nidrā or sleep: In contrast to the state of wakefulness, in which the senses are active, the state of sleep is characterized by the temporary cessation of the daily sensory activity. It is a complete mental void in which there is no experience of existence. It can be defined as a mental paralysis, as is stated in the Yoga-sÅ«tras (1.10):abhāva-pratyayālambanā vṛttir nidrā“Sleep is an inert mental modification which lacks the sensation of existence.”5.        Smṛti or memory: It is the retention of the diverse impressions registered in the mind by past experiences. It is the record of the mental imprints or saṁskāras. According to the Yoga-sÅ«tras (1.11):anubhÅ«ta-viá¹£ayāsaṁspramoá¹£aḥ smṛtiḥ“The memory is the record of past experiences.”Furthermore, the five types of mental modifications can leave their own imprints or tracks in the mind. These impressions remain in the depths of our mind in a potential state as long as they are not reactivated by a stimulus.