Ishavasya Upanishad: Mantra 5

tataḥ śvetair hayair yukte mahati syandane sthitau mādhavaḥ pāṇḍavaś caiva divyau śaṅkhau pradadhmatuḥ Translation:On the other side, Lord Krishna and Arjuna, stationed in a great chariot tied to white horses, sounded their transcendental conch shells.Commentary: Sanjaya, when referring to the conch shells of Lord Kṛṣṇa and Arjuna in particular, describes them as "divyau" or divine, transcendental.

“For the protection of the pious and the destruction of the faithless, and to establish religion, I manifest in the different ages.”

It is said that the Veda is prabhu-sammitam or “given by God”, while the Āgamas are called āpta-vakya, or “the word of the bona fide beings”. While this literature does not claim its authority directly from the Vedas, it is completely Vedic in spirit, and is thus accepted and respected as fully authorized. The texts of the Āgamas are actually not very accessible to the general public.Even today, some are only available in the form of manuscripts, while unfortunately the great majority of those which have come into print have only been published in Sanskrit.

ṛg-yajuḥ-sāmātharvākhyān

तदेजति तन्नैजति तद्दूरे तद्वन्तिके ।

"Es muy interesante en relación a este verso analizar los impedimentos para el desarrollo y evolución de nuestro bhakti para quienes comienzan a dar sus primeros pasos en el sendero del bhakti-yoga:La primera es atyāhāra o comer o acumular más de lo indispensable.La segunda es prayāsa o realizar esfuerzos exageradamente ridículos por adquirir objetos terrenales o dedicarse a actividades completamente opuestas al desarrollo del bhakti-yoga.Prajalpa significa perder nuestro valioso tiempo charlando acerca de temas innecesarios o hablando acerca de las faltas y defectos de otros, conversaciones de carácter frívolo.Niyamāgraha es sumamente interesante porque significa cumplir con las reglas y las regulaciones que demanda la religión pero sin búsqueda verdadera, sino como una cuestión sólo de tradición o costumbre.Jana saṅga asociarse y entablar amistad con gente de mentalidad mundana que no se interesa en la religión y el desarrollo espiritual...Y laulya o codiciar el supuesto éxito y los logros mundanos...Luego Rupa Goswami nos ofrece en el verso 3 de la misma obra, seis consejos para desarrollar nuestro bhakti y simultáneamente contrarrestar estas dificultades, las cuales pueden ser consideradas favorables para nuestro crecimiento y evolución:utsāhān niścayād dhairyāttat-tat-karma-pravartanātsaìga-tyāgāt sato vṛtteḥñaḍbhir bhaktiḥ prasidhyati"Hay seis principios que favorecen el desarrollo del bhakti: 1) ser entusiasta, 2) esforzarse con confianza 3) ser paciente, 4) actuar según los principios regulativos que recomienda el bhakti 5) abandonar la compañía de los pseudo religiosos, y personas ateas 6) seguir los pasos de los Gurus y Maestros Espirituales anteriores. Estos seis principios aseguran, sin duda alguna, el éxito completo del servicio devocional puro."En el Bhagavata Purana, Hiranyakashipu pregunta a su hijo Prahlada, el cual era un gran devoto muy puro... "¿qué es lo más importante que has aprendido o estudiado?". Ante lo cual la réplica de Prahlada fue (Bhagavata Purana 7.5.23):Å

Presiding deity:The deity of the sixth center isArdhanārīśvara, composed of two halves. The one on the right side is masculine or Śiva, and is camphor blue in color, while the left side is feminine or Pārvatī, and of a pink color. Ardhanārīśvara teaches us that God cannot remain separated from his Śakti, or creative energy, since Ardhanārīśvara is the union or synthesis of Śiva and Śakti. This deity represents the perfect combination of opposites, the synthesis of masculine and feminine, the disappearance of all duality, the revelation of the totality.This aspect is equivalant to the liṅga and the yoni together. In the right hand He holds the sacred trident, which represents the three modalities of nature, sattva, rajas and tamas, as well as the tri-puṭī of knowledge, knower and known, the material, astral and causal planes, and the past, present and future. The feminine half is dressed in a beautiful red sari, and carries in her hand a lotus flower symbolizing purity.Goddess: The goddess who presides over this center is Hākinī, which has six heads and four arms. The mantra of Hākinī-śakti is Oṁ śrī-hakinyai namaḥ or "Oṁrespectful reverences to ". The goddess wears a red sari and is seated on a lotus flower. Her skin is a beautiful pink color and she is very beautifully decorated with golden jewelry and precious gemstones. In four of her six hands she holds a book as a sign of knowlege, the tambourḍamaruof Lord Śiva, a skull, and a mala, while in the other two hands she offers blessings and performs themudra that banishes fear.ājñānām āmbujaṁ tad dhima-kara-sadṛśaṁ dhyāna-dhāma-prakāśaṁha-kṣābhyāṁvai kalābhyāṁ parilasita-vapur-netra-patraṁsuśubhramtan madhye hākinī sā śaśi-sama-dhavalā vaktra-ṣaṭkaṁ dadhānāvidyāṁ mudrāṁ kapālaṁ ḍamaru-japa-vaṭīṁ bibhratīśuddha-cittā"The Lotus named ājñā is like the moon (beautifully white). On its two petals are the letters Ha and Kṣa, which are also white and enhance its beauty. It shines with the glory of dhyana (meditation). Inside it is the ŚaktiHākinī, whose six faces are like so many moons. She has six arms, in one of which She holds a book; two others are lifted up in the gestures of dispelling fear and granting boons, and with the rest She holds a skull, a small drum, and a rosary.

तदन्तरस्य सर्वस्य तदु सर्वस्य बाह्यतः ॥ ५॥

Yoga is union with reality in the sense that its system, its words, all that is found in the revealed scriptures, our words, which we are speaking today, do not have as their object to add new information or new ideas or a new concept or doctrine or philosophy; this is not the purpose of what we are doing here, this is not the purpose of religion.

.. El bhakti nos conduce a través de un proceso de sublimación desde los deseos terrenales y mundanos, pasando por deseos y aspiraciones espirituales las cuales se transforman luego en una intensa atracción por Dios y la iluminación...En el sutra número cuatro, mencionado anteriormente, se menciona la palabra labdhvā o "ganar" y en el cinco, prāpya u "adquirir"...Mientras prāpya nos sugiere un esfuerzo con el objeto de adquirir algo, labdhvā nos da la impresión de un ganar o ser bendecido por la gracia divina sin esforzarse...La religión no puede ser un esfuerzo cuyo resultado será el amor a Dios, ya que consistiría en un mero negocio "calculativo"...Prāpya o "adquirir" no significa que si nos comportamos cumpliendo con todas las sugerencias de Rupa Goswami y Prahlada Maharaja, el resultado seguro será el más puro y elevado amor divino...El amor no es mercancía que puede ser comprada con oraciones, ceremonias o ritos, no es el resultado de manipulaciones humanas...Todos los consejos que encontramos en las sagradas escrituras son sugerencias que al ser puestos en práctica nos ayudarán a crear el ambiente interno, la situación propicia como para que la realización del amor divino ocurra...Podemos regar nuestro jardín, extraer la maleza y la mala hierba, fertilizar la tierra, pero no podemos sacar las flores de la tierra o hacer algo para que éstas salgan a la superficie. El césped y las flores crecen por sí mismas, sólo podemos ayudar a crear la situación propicia... y esperar adecuadamente... Lo cual es meditar...Entonces es importante situar las cosas en su lugar, ambos son importantes, aunque no hay nada que podamos hacer en orden de obtener el amor divino o la iluminación como resultado, es de vital importancia esforzarse para crear la situación propicia para que la gracia divina descienda sobre nosotros ...La sadhana nos abre, nos hace accesibles...Na śocati o "no se aflige"... La aflicción es una creación mental producto del apego al cuerpo y a todo lo que ilusoriamente está conectado a éste.

If possible, try to keep both buttocks on the ground. During this long movement, the entire vertebral column should elongate and twist to the left. Turn the neck and the head as much as possible to the left (Photo Number 79). Look over the left shoulder, with the objective of attaining the twist of the cervical area of the spinal column, which stays in a spiral form. If you can maintain balance, extend the arm behind your back until reaching with the right hand to the left ankle (Photo Number 81 ) and with left hand the right thigh (Photo Number 82), or locate the back of the left hand on the right side of the lower back (Photo Number 83). In the beginning, stay in the posture for at least 20 seconds on each side. Little by little, increase the duration up to three minutes on each side.10. The crow (kakāsana) and the peacock (mayūrāsana)Stand and separate your feet as wide as the shoulders (Photo Number 84). Squat with the knees separate and rest the weight of the body on the toes, heels in the air (Photo Number 85 and 85.b). Separate the hands as wide as the shoulders and place them firmly on the ground between the legs, separating and extending the fingers, for better balance (Photo Number 86). Separate the forearms in order to create a small space on the elbows in order to be able to lean on the knees (Photo Number 87 and 87.b). Place the internal part of the knees on the back of your arms, above the elbows (Photo Number 88 and 88.b). While inhaling, raise your hips and slowly displace the weight of the body from your feet towards your hands (Photo Number 89). Slowly incline forward until you manage to lift the feet off the ground, and are able to balance on your hands alone. Bring the heels closer to the hips and point the toes upwards (Photo Number 90). Breathe abdominally. With every exhalation, raise the buttocks.Maintain the posture for a few seconds in the beginning. Gradually increase the duration up to one minute without interruption. You may repeat the posture three times.

tad ejati tan naijatitad dure tad v antiketad antar asya sarvasyatad u sarvasyasya bahyatah

Yamī Vaivasvatī (the author of the Ṛg-Veda 10.10, 10.154)

The first ṛṣis were the mānasa-putras or those ‘born from the mind’ of Lord Brahmā; that is to say, emerging from the thoughts of the creator. These sages, without human parents, were collectively called kumāras : Sanaka, Sanandana, Sanātana and Sanat-kumāra. They showed no symptoms of aging, and always retained their youthful appearance. Celibate devotees of Lord Nārāyaṇa, they were graced with the power to move between the three worlds in utter freedom.

aho bata mahat pāpaṁ kartuṁ vyavasitā vayam yad rājya-sukha-lobhena hantuṁ sva-janam udyatāḥ Translation:Alas, how strange it is that we are preparing to commit great sins! Driven by the desire to enjoy imperial happiness, we are bent to kill our own relatives.Commentary:Arjuna begins to express his final conclusion about the situation. Here Arjuna does not even present an argument but rather introduces his personal opinion and his own conclusion. Our spiritual life begins with the acceptance of a bone fide Spiritual Master who belongs to a bone fide disciplic succession, tad vidhi pranipatena... who duly form part of a lineage of a disciplic succession, sampradaya vihina ye mantras te nishpala matah... we should approach him submissively, serve him and inquire from him humbly. Arrogance will be of very little help. Actually in order to be successful in religion, it is essential to be aware of our ignorance. Without being aware that according to our own methods or ideas we can not break free from illusion, there is no possibility of any advancement on the spiritual path. Only then shall we be sufficiently prepared to absorb the real wisdom and progress in our life. Spiritual advancement is impossible without the grace of the master... yasya prasadad bhagavat prasado...In this respect we read in Muṇdaka Upaniṣad (1.2.12):tad-vijnānārthaṁ sa gurum evābhigacchetsamit-pāṇiḥ śrotriyaṁ brahma-niṣṭhamMeaning: "In order to study the transcendental wisdom, one must find a spiritual master, who is fixed in the Truth".And we also read in the Svetāśvatara Upaniṣad (6. 23):yasya deve parā bhaktiryathā deve tathā gurautasyaite kathitā hy arthāḥprakāśante mahātmanaḥ"The Vedic wisdom is only revealed to those great souls who have simultaneously developed faith in God and in the spiritual master".Searching for a spiritual master or a guru in order to present to him with our own ideas, product of our imagination, makes no sense. It will be nothing but a waste of time...Going to a doctor, hearing his diagnosis and taking his prescriptions without accepting the medicines and continuing with our own ideas about our pain, does not make any sense.

Translation:

b. The Gāndharva-Veda is concerned with the arts: such as, for example, painting, culture, theater, music and dance; and it is found within the Sāma-veda.

When we think or say: “I am sad” or "I am angry", we identify with our emotions, and when we think or say "I am tired”, we identify with the physical body. Regardless of what we identify ourselves with, the moment that we set limits around what we consider to be the “subject”, we place something within those borders and then relate to everything outside those limits as if it were an “object”, or something “objective”. However, our identification is ultimately with an idea. The “I”, or ego, has a mental character; it is the mind, which has situated itself as the subject. Concentration is related to the object, meditation refers to the subject and samādhi transcends both.Since the ego is an idea, after all, and our mind has adopted the position of the subject, it is essential to observe the mind. By focusing the attention on the mental activity, without identifying with the thoughts, but watching them attentively, we are taking two very important steps. In the first step, by disidentifying with the mind, we realize that we are not what we observe, and we shed our false identification with the mental contents. This directly affects the egoic phenomenon, as we cease to conceive of the ego as subject, and situate it as object. In the second step, meditation, we situate ourselves in the now, where all that is happening unfolds.Meditation is making contact with the present moment, it is to relate to what is happening now. Our fear of situating ourselves in the present is the main obstacle to meditation, since we dread finding ourselves thrust abruptly into a dimension filled with uncertainty and insecurity, in which we have no control over what is happening. For this reason we continue to reject the now by escaping from this moment.All spiritual practice is an effort to create the ideal condition for enlightenment to occur. Our ability to establish ourselves in the present, in the now, is an essential part of this condition, since from the point of view of consciousness, this moment is the only real time there is.

While moving He is motionless. He is far also very close. He is both inside and outside of everything.

tasyordhve nābhi-mūle daśa-dala-lasite pūrṇa-megha-prakāśenīlāmbhoja-prakāśair upahita-jaṭhare ḍādi-pāntaiḥ sacandraiḥdhyāyed vaiśvānarasyāruṇa-mihira-samaṁ maṇḍalaṁ tat tri-koṇaṁtad bāhye svastikākhais tribhir abhilasitaṁ tatra vahneḥ svabījam"Above it, at the root of the navel, is the shining Lotus of ten petals, of the colour of heavy-laden rain-clouds. Within it are theletters ḍa to pha, of the colour of the blue lotus with the nāda and bindu above them. Meditate there on the region of feire, triangular in form and shining like the rising sun. Outside it are three svastika marks, and within, thebījaof Vahni himself." Ṣaṭ-cakra-nirūpaṇa (19)Animal: The pranic activity in this third center is symbolized by the ram, whose wool is associated with heat. This beautiful animal is the vehicle of Agni, the God of fire, which is the element of this chakra and the ramis the vehicle that carries the bīja of the maṇipūra. When the kuṇḍalinī-śaktireaches this center its thrust can be associated with that of a ram.Loka or plane: The dimension or level of consciousness related with themaṇipūra-cakra is Svarga or Svar-loka, the celestial plane.Sense: The sense related with the maṇipūra-cakra is rūpa or vision. It allows the brain to perceive sensations of lightthrough the eyes and to distinguish the shape, the appearance, the color and movement of the bodies as well as the space across which they are found.This senseis the way in which we perceive the world that surrounds us. We can say that in the two first centers we still move only in the world of instincts. From the maṇipūra we comecloser to being what we can call human beings. It was not by chance that the great Vedic sages were called ṛṣis or seers; they saw the absolute reality, they saw their soul, they saw God. This center is that level of conscioussness where we begin to open our eyes.

c. Nirukta: Vedic philology and etymology. A fundamental discipline intended to preserve the original meaning of the words within the context of the Vedas.

In other words, to be in the body is to situate ourselves in this marvelous experience of reality, rather than submerging ourselves in a world of dreams, nostalgia, memories, illusions, expectations and imagination that leads us to live like zombies. Consciously living in the body is the beginning of the awakening, the first step in taking leave of our “programmed sleepwalking” and transforming ourselves into beings of observation. This ancient path teaches us to accept our body, and for that purpose, offers us an incredible and miraculous psycho-physical system of āsanas or yogic postures.Haṭha-yoga suggests that we embark on this adventure of discovering who we really are by beginning with the facet we are most familiar with. It may seem superficial or ordinary, but it is our actual reality. Always remember to work with what is in front of us, as simple as it is, and not with fantasies and dreams, extraordinary though they may seem...It is true we are not solely the physical body; we are something far more vast. Yet at this moment, the body is our reality, and if we are the body right now, then we must be it totally: we must accept being the body, wholly and intensely....Significance of the term haṭha-yogaWe cannot ignore the fact that we have drifted so far away from our true nature, that what is simple has become complicated; and that to be what we really are, to return to our essence, to come back to our center — what one might suppose to be the easiest thing,— requires an immense investment of energy and sacrifice on our part. Yoga is a path of effort without effort, yet our effort will not cease until it has reached its maximum point.An etymological analysis of the term haṭha reveals the profound and interesting meanings it contains. When the word is divided into two phonemes: ha and tha, we see that the term is comprised of two grammatical roots: ha which means "Sun" and tha which means "Moon". They refer to the two pranic flows in the organism, the solar (prāṇa) and the lunar (apāna).

Commentary:

urjarÄ«        SaindhavÄ«KakubhāLalitāNāṭikāĀsāvarīṬaṅkaTable 4 – Classification of rāgas according to the sage KallināthaRāgaŚrÄ«PañcamaBhairavaMeghaNaá¹­a-NārāyaṇaVasantaGaurÄ«TriveṇīBhairavÄ«BaṅgālÄ«TarabaṅkÄ« or DevalīĀndhālÄ«       KolāhalaHastāntaritahā or StambhatÄ«rthikā KhamāicÄ«GurjarÄ«Madhurā or MudrāTilaṅgÄ« o TilakÄ«GamakÄ«RāgiṇīDhavalaĀbheri o AhÄ«rÄ«BelāvalÄ«KāmodÄ«        PÅ«rvÄ«Paá¹­amañjarÄ«BarorājÄ« or RadāraṅgÄ«KokabhaBihāga or BādahaṁsÄ«DhanāśrÄ«GāndhārÄ«GauḍagiriMālakauśaBarārÄ«KarnāṭaDevatÄ«rthÄ«Rāma or VirāmaDhāmakÄ« or ṬankāDevagāndhāraĀsāvarÄ«Kānaḍā or BhāṣāDevalÄ« or TÄ«rthakÄ«Sindhu MalhārÄ« or Śuddha MalhārÄ«DevaśākhaNāda-yoga and silenceNāda-yoga is the quintessential path of sound, but it is also the way of silence. Mauna is a bridge that directs us towards ourselves, that disconnects us from the relative realm of names and forms and leads us toVaikuṇṭha. Mauna is to close the portals of what we believe ourselves to be in order to interiorize ourselves in the depths of what we really are and realize the authentic silence ormahā-mauna, which is Brahman. Only then will we recognize the silence as God Himself.Nāda-yoga is to pay attention, to listen, to be attentive…Only in the silence can sounds be perceived…Only by being silence, can one hear the silences that are the melodies of the soul…You cannot hear another person and understand clearly what he is saying, if you don’t stop speaking; you are unable to hear your neighbor’s words when you are shouting. I am convinced that people would understand much more and become more peaceful, if only they would cultivate the same ability to keep silent as to talk. Many of the problems of humanity lie in our inability to communicate properly. Notice that I am not referring to incompetence in speaking. These days, with computers, televisions, cellular telephones, etc., the means we have of making known our opinions have multiplied. However, in a society of egoistic chatterboxes, no one is listening; no one is paying any attention to anyone else. We only transmit, but we are not receptive beings.

The mantra Oṁ Namaḥ Śivāya, will be much more effective, at any level, if we understand that through the recitation of Oṁ, we are invoking the Divine. With "reverences", namaḥ, we are renouncing the sense of possession in our hearts in order to allow the ascension of our soul to levels of exaltation. And finally, with śivāya we invoke expansion into new spaces and dimensions, until communion with God is attained.The chanting of the mantra can open us to the Divine, since mantra recitation can seize, captivate and reclaim the wandering mind, time and again, not allowing it to be diverted and drawn away from the meditative state.Repeating a mantra with devotion and purity can profoundly influence both the one who repeats as well as the one who listens, creating harmony and balance and producing an expansion at the level of consciousness.A mantra is a door towards reality, it is a mystic phenomenon capable of unifying the consciousness and invoking that which the mantra refers to. It is an instrument that stimulates interiorization, a vibration capable of opening us to the Whole and a vehicle towards Totality. Śabda Brahman and Nada BrahmanThe concept calledŚabda Brāhma vada affirms that Śabda or sound in its transcendental state is the Ultimate Reality Itself.Śabda Brāhma is the sound that is generated when the one becomes many, which is expressed along with unfolding of the creative energy or shakti into a diversity of names and forms. It is the sound of the Self that travels from the ultrasubtle, passing through the subtle to the most gross. Not by chance does the modern scientific community speak of the beginning of the universe as a “Big Bang”.The Vedic rishis explained that the entire universe stems from sound, and is in a state of pulsation called spanda. It is the sound of the original pulsation of creation. The Sanskrit term spanda refers to the creative pulsation of the universe that is expressed as spontaneous creative waves. Everything around us vibrates; nature in all its expressions is constantly emitting vibrations.

This wonderful verse of the Upanishad is a continuation of the previous one, and it invites us to perceive The Totality... ejati means "moving" and naijati means exactly the opposite, "motionless"... The Upanishads invite us to observe existence, life, totally. Unless you analyze this verse in this way, it will appear to be infested with incongruities, full of contradictions and paradoxes, you will find it absurd...

oṁ pūrṇam adaḥ pūrṇam idaṁ

We grow old and die in the external, but we mature in the depths of our interior. If we neglect our roots, our interior, if we only grow, the slightest breeze will cast us down, and the higher we reach, the more danger we incur. The greatest danger of this immature humanity that "advances" and "progresses", that grows higher and reaches unimaginable heights in science and technology, is its complete neglect of spiritual evolution and development, on the level of consciousness..."... and action shall not restrict your freedom". Any action returns to its origin, in the form of reaction. This phenomenon occurs in the emotional, mental and physical levels. Egoistic actions bind and enslave us, because whether they are positive or negative, after all, the results of our actions constitute our bondage to saṁsāra, the wheel of successive births and deaths...In the beginning of the third chapter of the Bhagavad-gītā, Arjuna asks Lord Kṛṣṇa:arjuna uvācajyāyasī cet karmaṇas tematā buddhir janārdanatat kiṁ karmaṇi ghore māṁniyojayasi keśava"Arjuna said: O Janārdana! O Keśava! If you think intelligence is better than fruitive work, why do you wish to have me fight in this terrible war?"What Arjuna asks here is tremendously meaningful. Arjuna says: if you say knowledge and intelligence are much more elevated than action, then it would be much more appropriate for me to accept the renounced order of life and leave for the woods or a cave, or maybe I will just sit beside the road and stop fighting. In other words, I will stop doing. If action, in the form of reactions, restricts my freedom, than perhaps it would be better to stop acting... However, in chapter 3, verse 5 of the same sacred text, we read the following:na hi kaścit kṣaṇam apijātu tiṣṭhaty akarma-kṛtkāryate hy avaśaḥ karmasarvaḥ prakṛti-jair guṇaiḥ"Everyone is bound to act helplessly, according to the qualities they have acquired from the modes of the material nature. Therefore, no one can stop acting, not even for a moment".

Śaiva-siddhānta: Accepts 28 Āgamas, of which 10 are Śivāgamas and 18 are Rudrāgamas, which are principally Pratiṣṭhā-tantras, that is to say, guides to the installation and worship of the deities in the temple.

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.

Just like when you analyze and study the messages of sages and saintly enlightened masters through logic, you will find many contradictions, paradoxes, nonsense and incongruities...

anno viṣṇuḥ pracodayāt 1.10. The gāyatrī of Mother Lakṣmī is:OṁMahā-devyai Ca VidmaheViṣṇu-patnyai Ca DhīmahiTanno Lakṣmīḥ Pracodayāt 1.11. There are five million different mantras attributed to Lord Gaṇeśa. His gāyatrī is:OṁEka-dantāya VidmaheVakra-tuṇḍāya DhīmahiTanno Dantiḥ Pracodayāt1.12. The gāyatrī of Lord Śiva is:OṁTat-puruṣāya VidmaheMahā-devāya DhīmahiTanno Rudraḥ Pracodayāt1.13. The gāyatrī of Mother Durgā is:OṁKātyāyanyai VidmaheKanyā-kumāryai DhīmahiTanno Durgā Pracodayāt 1.14 The gāyatrī mantra of Mother Sarasvatī is: OṁVāg-devyai Ca VidmaheViriñci-patnyai Ca DhīmahiTanno Vāṇī Pracodayāt1.13 The Śakti-gāyatrī is:OṁSarva-saṁmohinyai VidmaheViśva-jananyai DhīmahiTanno Śaktiḥ Pracodayāt1.14 The gāyatrī mantra of Lord Brahmā is: OṁCatur-mukhāya VidmaheHaṁsārūḍhāya DhīmahiTanno Brahmā Pracodayāt1.15 The Indra-gāyatrī is: OṁSahasra-netrāya VidmaheVajra-hastāya DhīmahiTanno Indraḥ Pracodayāt1.16 The Agni-gāyatrī is:OṁMahā-jvālāya VidmaheAgni-devāya DhīmahiTanno Agniḥ Pracodayāt 1.17 The Nārāyaṇa-gāyatrī is:OṁNārāyaṇāya VidmaheVāsudevāya DhīmahiTanno Viṣṇuḥ Pracodayāt 1.18 The gāyatrī of the spiritual master, the guru, is:OṁGuru-devāya VidmaheParabrahmaṇe DhīmahiTanno Guruḥ Pracodayāt1.19 The Hayagrīva-gāyatrī is:oṁVāg-īśvarāya VidmaheHaya-grīvāya DhīmahiTanno Haṁsaḥ Pracodayāt1.20 The Varuṇa-gāyatrī is: OṁJala-bimbāya VidmaheNīla-puruṣāya DhīmahiTanno Varuṇaḥ Pracodayāt1.21 The gāyatrī of the deity of the Sun or Sūrya-gāyatrī is:oṁBhāskarāya VidmaheDivākarāya DhīmahiTanno Sūryaḥ Pracodayāt1.22 The Candra-gāyatrī is:OṁKṣīra-putrāya vidmaheamṛtatvāya dhīmahitanno candraḥ pracodayātNirguṇa-mantras2.

III, viii. 10), by those who have seen the eternal and birthless Brahman; this is the idea. And this is in accordance with the following text of the Upaniṣad in the section Talavakāra: ‘That which is not uttered by speech, that by which speech is revealed, know that alone to be Brahman, and not what people worship as an object.’ (Ke. I. 5)."The iṣṭa-devatā: the chosen deityThe word iṣṭa-devatā means chosen or preferred "deity” and refers to the preferred aspect of God chosen by the devotee, or his spiritual master, to venerate and worship in a personal form, both in the temple as well as in the home.God is one; however, in His compassion He allows himself to be contemplated in countless aspects. Bhakti-yoga leaves the devotee with full freedom to choose the one who calls to his heart. God in his compassion reveals himself to the devotee in the specific form in which the devotee chooses to worship him. The bhakti-yogi meets Divinity in the aspect in which he conceives him, as is mentioned by Patañjali in his Yoga-sūtras (2.44):svādhyāyād iṣṭa-devatā-saṁprayogaḥ"The union with the preferred iṣṭa-devatā happens through the study that leads to the wisdom of the Self." The Lord shows Himself according the special relationship that the devotee establishes with Him, in the same way that a person can be seen as father for his son, as son for his father, as a husband for his wife, as an employer for his employees, as a client for salesmen, etc. In the words of Śrī Rāmakṛṣṇa Paramahaṁsa: "Many are the names of God and infinite are the forms through which one can be directed towards Him. In whatever name and form that we worship Him, through those He will be attained." It is recommended to adhere firmly to one aspect of the deity for one’s entire life.The followers of Shavisim direct their devotion towards one of the eight incarnations of Lord Śiva. The devotees of Vaishnavism express it towards one of the incarnations of Lord Viṣṇu. The Devī is worshiped according to Shaktism as Durgā, Pārvatī, Lakṣmī, Sarasvatī or Kālī, while in Smartism, an iṣṭa-devatā is chosen from among the five principle deities recommended by Śaṅkarācārya and worshiped in the pañcāyatana-pūjā or "worship of the five forms".

The mind is a part and, no matter how hard it tries, it can only catch parts. The attempt to embrace the Totality while you only catch parts is useless. At the moment you feel you have it... it will be a part... never the whole...

The spiritual master does not actually do anything to accelerate the development of the disciple. His presence is sufficient, his silence enough, his total presence in the now will be the water and the sunshine which are needed for the development and growth of everything that is around him, but only when we are receptive enough to permit ourselves to be infected with this silence, only when we allow ourselves to lower our defenses and renounce our fears.There are those who see the guru as a rescuer of souls, but in reality the spiritual master is not someone who tries to save or change us, he is not a person who strives to make us better, he is not a preacher who wants to convert us to some “ism”; the guru accepts us all as we really are. The true master wishes us to be in the crystal purity of what we are and fully conscious of it.Another great error that is very common is that at the moment we refer to the guru, we create the idea of the chela, which in Hindi means “disciple”. According to our logic, a master without a disciple does not make any sense. Many have the impression that for there to be a master, there must be a disciple. They think that having a disciple is a prerequisite for being a master. However, the spiritual master is a self-sufficient phenomenon that does not depend on others…The true sad-guru is a master, whether he has thousands of disciples, or no one to listen to him or to live according to his teachings; whether he lives accompanied by a large number of disciples and followers, or is found completely alone. In his most absolute solitude he will continue to be a master, because the authentic, true master is not the master of others. Rather, he is called a master because he has developed mastery over himself. Others can request him to become his disciples and learn how to develop this same mastery over themselves. The spiritual master is completely independent, but not so the disciple, since the latter is a disciple only if he has been accepted by the teacher.

.. therefore that realization will be possible only at the transcendence of any duality, both of pain and pleasure, both sorrow and happiness, both darkness and light. This involves going beyond the mind which is the source of all devision... We can refer to light as the successful result of transcending darkness, however, this would form a new fracture. The Whole is beyond both darkness and light... and that... is you... The majority of religious and spiritual paths teach us techniques and methods to go beyond darkness, to transcend obscurity. The religious effort and the spiritual practices are destined to lead us to that situation beyond darkness. However, there is another curtain which hides The Truth, the veil of Light...You can exert yourself to surpass darkness, but nothing of whatever you practice, do or realize can draw the curtain of Light...The religious path is difficult because it is not only about transcending pain and suffering, but also pleasure and happiness, only beyond duality bliss is found...Bliss and happiness are not the same, the last is only the opposite of pain, sorrow and suffering, while bliss or ānanda is absolute...

.. To love is to renounce, it is to realize that the real problem is not what is missing but what is in excess... it is to be just as you are...It is important not to forget that love is to renounce, but even more than that, that to renounce is to love... when we advance in the path of religion, and accept the order of renounced life, or sannyas, it is essential not to see superficially only the negative aspect, the "no" of celibacy...What I try to say is that being a sannyas is not only about being single and not having sexual contact with the opposite sex...Sannyas is a divine romance, a loving relationship with God. If a married woman is faithful to her husband, or if a husband understands that he has to be faithful to his wife, how will one whose spouse is the Divine be unfaithful?...In other words, renunciation will not be repression if it is an expression of our love and devotion to God...

Tad ejati tan naijati or "while moving He is motionless"... in the Holy Bhagavad-gita (2.13) Krishna says:

Man is the only being on this planet whose development and evolution have led him to ignore his role within the cosmic order. Due to this disconnection, he has disturbed the balance of this order. In a certain sense then, one could say that the history of humanity is the history of foolishness, because although the leap from the instinctive to the Divine is essential and indispensable—and part of authentic evolution—it also inevitably brings with it human stupidity. Although this is not an indication of development, it still implies a movement away from the animal.

I also wish to deeply thank those great souls by whose personal association my spirit has been inspired to soar towards the light:

However, the attitude of Hinduism is always inclusive and never exclusive; that is to say, the bhakti- yogi does not see his iṣṭa-devatā as superior to others and as the only aspect of the Divine worthy of being worshipped, but he chooses as an iṣṭa-devatā that aspect in which he finds all the others included. According to the sacred scriptures, the mantra of our iṣṭa-devatā must be received personally from our spiritual master in a sacred ceremony called dīkṣā. A devotee of His Lordships Śri Śri Radhe Kṛṣṇa will be initiated in the maha-mantra, while a devotee of Śiva will receive initiation in the mantra Om Namah Śivaya. If the aspirant is not sure which is his iṣṭa-devata, he can solicit the counsel of his spiritual master. The important thing is that the chosen aspect of God inspires the devotee and evokes the sacred in his heart.The iṣṭa-devatā is saguna Brahman, or God with qualities, with attributes. It is the Absolute seen with human, relative eyes; it is a vision of the divine from the human. It is the appreciation of God from our dual platform of space and time, subject and object. In seeing our preferred deity, we are not seeing something different from ourselves, but our potential, what we can reach to be. The iṣṭa-devatā is we ourselves, transcending ourselves; it is humanity transcending its own nature.Arcana refer to the worship of God. Its cultivation within the walls of the temple corresponds to the basic stages. The worship of God is not limited merely to rituals and ceremonies within the temple on specific hours and days. Arcana must be transformed into a quality in our way of perceiving life. Only then will each moment of our life be a worship of God. We will act reciprocally towards life, offering the best of what has been given to us, the color of flowers, the clarity of the light, the enchantment of the melodies, the hymns, and the perfume of the incense and the freshness of water. Each instant will be an effort to offer the best of ourselves; our entire life will be a puja in this great temple which is the universe.

dehino 'smin yatha dehe

One of the components of pūrṇa-yoga is the practice of āsanas, which includes postures of animals and plants, such as the posture of the tree, the cobra, etc… This helps us to regard nature as something not estranged from our existence.

.. Quien ama, ha saboreado el néctar de la inmortalidad...Así como en el apego terrenal, las parejas permanecen pero desaparece el así llamado entusiasmo o emoción, en el amor divino, desaparecen los amantes y sólo continúa eternamente el amor, en el amor divino se produce aquella milagrosa transformación de ser amante, a ser amor... Morirás como amante en el espacio y el tiempo para renacer como amor inmortal en la eternidad... "Tṛpto bhavati"... "el devoto realiza la satisfacción" ...Nunca olvides que no ha encontrado la satisfacción quien posee más sino aquel que necesita menos, que encontrar la satisfacción en la vida, no consiste en poseerlo todo sino en no desear nada... La satisfacción de los sentidos es generalmente el comienzo de un vicio y el fin de nuestra libertad, sin la cual nunca podrás estar satisfecho de verdad... Nunca olvides que la persona más infeliz y desgraciada es aquella que con mayor ansia desea el placer... Únicamente el Ser infinito puede calmar nuestra ansia infinita y deseos infinitos... El Ser puede encontrar satisfacción sólo en el Ser...

Religion must be a vision that includes everything. Nothing can remain apart from it. For a true Hindu, the Sanātana-dharma is not a part of life; it is the entirety of life. Thus, he does not ask where God is, because it would be an absurdity to even conceive of a place where God is not. The mountains, rivers, lakes, the trees, the sun and the moon, the animals and the flowers are sacred. For the vedāntin, the only reality is God, or to put it another way, ‘only God is’.

16) Kṛṣṇa declares:Catur-vidhā bajante māṁjanāḥ sukṛtino ‘rjunaārto jijnāsur arthārthījnānī ca bharatarṣabha“O, you, the best of the Bhāratas! Four classes of pious men worship me: the afflicted, he that desires riches, the seeker of the Truth and he who has realized the Truth.”Those who approach God to worship Him can be divided into four classes: ārta, jijnāsu, arthārthī and jnānī. All these have the sufficient level of development to recognize God and worship him. However, there are differences in their attitudes.1. Ārta bhakta: Ārti is a Sanskrit word that means sorrow, pain, and sadness. Ārtah refers to someone who suffers the sorrow caused by a theft, a disease, a tragedy or a tiger. The Ārta bhakta is one who feels utterly unprotected, is desperate for help and pleading for the support of the Lord.2. Jijnāsu bhakta: is a devotee in whom questions about the true meaning of life have awakened. He experiences a lack of the meaning in the search for success in society’s terms. He may have material possessions, but in his soul he perceives the emptiness of a life lacking in spirituality. The jijnāsu bhakta perceives that life’s purpose cannot be mere sensual pleasure. This class of devotee is highly elevated, because he has questions about the very essence of God. A devotee like this understands the meaning of the Vedanta-sutra, athāto brahma jijnāsā, “now is the moment for us to inquire about the Absolute Truth”.3. Arthārthī bhakta: in Sanskrit, artha means ‘the desired’ and this refers especially to wealth, power or children. This class of devotee approaches the Supreme Lord seeking family, wealth and fame.4. Jnānī bhakta: the fully enlightened pure devotee who has directly realized the authentic essence of Kṛṣṇa as his own pure subjectivity, the sage who has realized God’s nature as Parameśwara dwelling in the depths of everyone and everything. Only the Jnānī bhakta can be considered a genuine, pure devotee.

kaumaram yauvanam jara

dhṛtarāṣṭra uvācadharma-kṣetre kuru-kṣetresamavetā yuyutsavaḥmāmakāḥ pāṇḍavāś caivakim akurvata sañjaya

Her mind is pure (Śuddha-citta)” Ṣaṭ-cakra-nirūpaṇa (32)Element: The element of the forehead center is the mind, which, when looking towards the relative, is the center of knowledge, but wheninteriorizingand mergingin its source and origin,gives rise to wisdom.Power associated with this center: The possibility to enter into and take another body. Acquisition of mystic powers.Color: whiteEsoteric symbolism of the chakra:Number of petals: 2Mantras of the petals: Kṣaṁ and HaṁMantra of the chakra: OṁShape of themaṇḍala:roundThe diagram of the ājñā-cakra has two petals which represent the two eyes with which we perceive physical reality. Similarly, between both there lies a circle that represents the third eye and the eye of the soul, which is the place where all duality fuses, to be converted into integrated consciousness. The two petals of this center arealsosaid to represent the ātma and the Paramātma. The letters of these two petals are Kṣaṁ and Haṁ. These two letters are the bīja-mantras of Śaktiand Śiva. The two petals are also said to represent the iḍā and piṅgalānāḍīs which are found here in the same place and merge with the principal nāḍ īor suṣumnā-nāḍī, before ascending to the sahasrāra-cakra, where there is the experience of the fourth state or turīya, a state that lies beyondthe other three states, which are jagrat (state of vigilance) svapna (sleep with dreams) and suṣupti (deep sleep). The vibration of the heart of the center has its own mantra, which is Oṁ.Loka or plane:Tapo-loka or Tapa, the plane of austerity.Sense: the mind or the cognitive functions.Gland: pituitary, also known as the hypophysis.Sensory organ or jñanendriya: the mindMotor organ or karmendriya: mindNāḍī :iḍāandpiṅgalāVāyu: prāṇa, apāna,vyāna, samānaandudānaKoṣa: vijñana-mayaG

b. Yoga-pāda: Touches on topics of meditation, liberation, ec.

Maharṣi: refers to the great sages such as Vālmīki, Vyāsadeva, and Vasiṣṭha.

tatha dehantara-praptir

“Then the Kāpila and Mānava and the Upapurāṇa which was spoken by Uśanas (Śukrācārya). Next is the Brahmāṇda, and Varuṇa, and the Upapurāṇa known as Kālikā.”

Thus, the Self cannot be objectivized, since what you really are cannot be observed. By observing what we are not, however, we come to know ourselves, not as something we are observing, but as the observer or the attentive witness. In the Muṇḍakopaniṣad (3. 1. 1), in a parable that originally belonged to the sacred Ṛg-veda (1. 164. 20) a beautiful allegory is offered about this theme:dvā suparṇā sayujā sakhāyāsamānaṁ vṛkṣaṁ pariṣasvajātetayor anyaḥ pippalaṁ svādv-atty-anaśnan anyo abhicākaśīti "Two birds linked together by a friendship are perched at the top of the same tree. One of them eats the fruits of the tree, savoring them, while the other only watches, without eating.”What is important is to observe without reacting, without interfering, without judgment, without disturbing in any way, simply permitting the flow of the current of thoughts, ideas, ambitions, and expectations, as mental objects. To observe without our accumulated conclusions and ideas, which must only be observed. Rather than thinking or reflecting about our thoughts, ideas or conclusions, we must merely watch them.The observation of what is happening externally, in the form of forms, colors, sounds, etc., and internally, in the form of feelings, emotions, ideas, thoughts etc, situates us in the present. To situate ourselves in the present is fundamental; since the transcendental experience can only take place in the present, being situated in the now is the prime requisite in creating the opportunity for an experience of reality to happen within you. Yesterday or even a few hours ago, whatever we experienced was in the present, and if we want to experience something within a few hours, tomorrow or the coming week, or next year, we will again have to be present. Every experience occurs only in the now, and this “now” is actually atemporal, since time is nothing more than a mental conceptualization. Since all that exists is only the eternal now, to observe means to accept dying every moment.The ego is “the doer” or ahaṅkāra; the one who appropriates to himself what is happening. In the process of observing, we remove ourselves from the position of this “doer” who identifies with the actions, and we become the impassive witness.

Life is change, constant movement, from fetus to the moment of birth, later on the infancy and toys... then adolescence and its particularities, maturity, old age...

       Fortunately for us, he never tires of finding new ways to help us understand the intricacies of the spiritual path, and how to keep climbing, especially in the really steep parts. His way of sharing his discoveries is always fresh but the essence of his words is congruent with the Hindu scriptures that sages have been teaching for thousands upon thousands of years.       

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

It is important to clarify the differences between hatÌ£ha-yoga and other methods of exercise. One of the most notable attributes of haá¹­ha-yoga is that it brings the mind as well as the body into the practice, simultaneously integrating and influencing both the physical and mental aspects. Unless one directly experiences the āsanas, it is difficult to understand that each posture gives more than just the physical benefit alone; it also has an internal aspect that stimulates concentration, relaxation and observation.To continue, we may distinguish a few of the many characteristics that set hatÌ£ha-yoga apart from other, more conventional, methods of exercise.In the practice of hatÌ£ha-yoga:1.        Haá¹­ha-yoga pays special attention to all the stages of breathing, including retention.2.        Movements are performed slowly and the body becomes completely still once the posture or āsana is attained, with the exception of cyclic movements, such as sÅ«rya-namaskāra, the Sun Salutation. Postures are released gradually, and there is an avoidance of abrupt movements.3.        Relaxation is emphasized and given the utmost importance. Śavāsana, or the corpse pose, is carried out before and after each posture.4.        Concentration notably develops and continues to improve along with progress in the practice.5.        Awareness is developed through observation and attention to the muscles and limbs that can be relaxed during the āsana and by being attentive to all sensations before, during, and after the practice of a posture.6.        Efforts should not be exaggerated; the yogi knows that progress only lies in persistence.The Sun SalutationBefore starting any session of āsanas, one should warm-up the body and the muscles. For this purpose, various sequences of postures, called viṅyāsas, are used. One of the most classic and well-known series is sÅ«rya-namaskāra, or the “Sun Salutation”. This is a series of āsanas that alternates between backward and forward bends, performed in a continuous and dynamic way. Every movement is synchronized with the breathing. Not only is the most recommended method of warm-up exercise, but it constitutes a yogic practice in itself.

However, movement is produced only in the shell, in the exterior. Consciousness or the Self does not undergo changes or movments. The dhiras, or the sensible being who has realized the above mentioned is not disturbed, the changes do not confuse him... Life is a turning wheel, the superficial moves, changes, but its eternal axis remains quiet and immobile... illusion consists of accepting only the superficial, change, movement, and completely forgetting the center of existence...

The entire contents of the Vedas are usually subdivided into three parts, known as tri-vidyā, or “three different classes of knowledge”: maybe tri-fold knowledge will sound better?

5):kleśo ‘dhikataras teṣāmavyaktāsakta-cetasāmavyaktā hi gatir duḥkhaṁdehavadbhir avāpyate“The difficulty is great for those whose minds are occupied in the unmanifested, because it is very difficult for incarnated beings to reach a goal that is unmanifested.”The worship of deities forms part of a process of transition whose direction is towards ever more abstract and subtle levels of consciousness. One of the dangers is that our inclination for convenience or our lack of maturity will lead us to stagnate at the basic stages of evolution. And I say danger, because from stagnation at this level is born a variety of spiritual maladies. Among these, one of the most common is an attitude of trading or doing business with the heavens, by soliciting material or celestial benefits. Such an attitude constitutes a serious degeneration in the spirit of bhakti. As is affirmed in the Māṇḍūkyopaniṣad Kārikā of Gauḍapāda (the guru of Śaṅkarācārya) (3.1):upāsānā-śrito dharmojāte brahmaṇi vartateprāg utpatter ajaṁ sarvaṁtenāsau kṛpaṇaḥ smṛtaḥ"The disciple, dedicating himself to the practice of devotional exercises, subsists in conditioned Brahman. All this is nothing more than the innate Brahman before creation. Therefore, such a person is considered unfortunate." In his commentary on this verse, Śaṅkarācārya responds by saying:"Upāsanāśritaḥ is a worshipper who resorts to upāsanā, devotional exercises (like worship and meditation), as a means to his liberation, under the belief that, ‘I am a worshipper, and Brahman is to be adored by me. Though I now subsist as jāte brahmaṇi, in conditioned Brahman; I shall through my devotion to Him, attain ajam brahma, the unconditioned Brahman, after the fall of my body. Prāk utpatteḥ ajam sarvam, before the creation, all this, including myself, was but the birthless Brahman. Through my devotional exercises, I shall regain that which I essentially was before birth, prāk utpatteḥ. However, after having being born, I now subsist in the conditioned Brahman: jāte brahmaṇi, “The dharmaḥ, the aspirant; upāsanāśritaḥ, who dedicates himself to such devotional exercises, since he is thus conscious of partial Brahman, tena, for that very reason, asau, that man; smṛtaḥ, is considered, kṛpaṇaḥ, pitiable, limited, (Br.

Drupada, los hijos de Draupadi, y los demás, ¡oh, Rey!, tales como el hijo de Subhadra, el de los poderosos brazos, tocaron, por separado, sus respectivas caracolas.

The reduction of our needs, the renunciation of the satisfaction of the senses is not a goal in itself, but is an expression of our internal state on the level of consciousness. In a way, it can be said that permissive awareness is superior to repression, with the condition that our ideal is freedom.SvādhyāyaPatañjali refers to svādhyāya in his Yoga-sūtras (2. 44) in the following way:svādhyāyād iṣṭa-devatā-saṁprayogaḥ"Through the study of oneself the realization of God arises.”Although svādhyāya is traditionally interpreted as the study of the sacred Vedic scriptures, its literal meaning stems from the Sanskrit terms sva, or "Self” and adhyāya, or "study". Therefore, the term svādhyāya has two meanings: the literal meaning, “the study of the Self” and the traditionally accepted meaning, “the study of the sacred Vedic scriptures", since the Self or God is their central theme. It can be said that to study the sacred scriptures is to study about what one really is, as they teach us that we are not what we believe we are, that the only really important learning is to open the eyes and awaken to the reality of our existence. Svādhyāya also includes the singing and recitation of the sacred texts, as well as japa or ‘the repetition of the mantra’ which is mentioned in the Yoga-bhāshya (2.1),svādhyāyaḥ praṇavādi-pavitrāṇāṁ japo mokṣa-śāstrādhyayanaṁ vā |“Svādhyāya means the repetition of purifying mantras like the praṇava (Oṁ) etc. and reading of the mokśa-related scriptures.”Svādhyāya is mentioned among the niyamas in the Yoga-sūtras of Patañjali (2. 32):śauca-santoṣa-tapaḥ-svādhyāyeśvara-praṇidhānāni niyamāḥ"Cleanliness, contentment, austerity, the study of the scriptures and of oneself, and the surrender to God are the niyamas.”As the study of the Self, svādhyāya is understood as the observation of the mental activity, the thoughts, ideas, complexes, etc, as well as the activity on the emotional level. In other words, it involves knowing and studying ourselves. It is not possible to know the Self as our authentic nature, because it does not support an objectivization, but by observing all that it is possible to observe in ourselves, we are lead us to the inevitable existential experience…not to know about…but to become, or to be, infinite subjectivity.