Upadesa Saram - Post 16

Verse 13

लयविनाशने उभयरोधने |

लयगतं पुनर्भवति नो मृतम् || १३ ||

layavināśane ubhayarodhane |

layagataṁ punarbhavati no mṛtam || 13 ||

Dissolution and utter destruction are both control.

The dissolved again becomes, not the dead. (13)

In this verse the two states of mind as discussed in the previous verse are compared. 

Absorption 

The first state, called Mano-Laya, is simply the mind that has been forcefully brought into a quiet state by using the technique of Pranayama. 

There is an example of one Yogi who used to demonstrate the feat of going into ‘Samadhi’ using the Pranayama technique. 

In that state he was ‘stone dead’ to the world. People could lift him and hurl him as they would a rubber ball, and he would be unaffected. 

When he came out of that state, what was his first thought? It was his fees for performing the feat. 

In Laya, the restless mind has been forcefully restrained into quietude. There is no change in the nature of the mind. It simply returns to where it was before it went into Laya.

In effect it is as good as, if not worse than, sleep. In sleep there is little or no room for ego to function. In Laya, the ego can have full play to promote itself. So it can be more harmful than sleep if not used properly. The mind, upon return from Laya, can give us a backlash. 

Destruction

The second state, called Mano-Naasha, is when the inherent nature of the mind is overcome (destroyed) by practicing spiritual Sadhana. The former state is nothing in comparison with the latter. 

In Naasha, the restlessness of the mind is removed by educating it not to seek pleasure in worldly objects. The mind is trained wisely to forego its urge to seek pleasure. Its inherent nature is altered. 

This ‘destruction’ of the nature of the mind places the seeker in a position of advantage to establish himself naturally in the quietened state, without having to take recourse to Pranayama. The mind, after destruction or partial destruction of its habitual nature of restlessness, comes back so much the better for it. It has taken a few more steps towards God. When the mind has been totally destroyed, then it brings the Yogi to the brink of Self-realization itself. 

The Essential Qualitative Difference: 

Externally, both the above types appear to be the same. The man sitting in Laya Samadhi and the man sitting in true Samadhi resulting from Mano-Naasha, both appear to be the same. But they are poles apart in quality. 

The man in mere Laya state goes into Samadhi as a worm and comes out of it still a worm. The man in the Naasha state goes in as a worm and comes out as a fluttering butterly, liberated forever from the prison of his limited body and mind equipment.

Talking about “Naasha”, a bhajan was taught in Sadan in Samarpan era, with the first line being:-

“Bhava Naasha Puttaparthi Purisa”

And in the talk on this bhajan, the author of this blog dealt with how this “Naasha” of the “Bhava”, or the permanent removal of the fear of this cycle of birth and death takes place, with the exposition of another line which is in the same bhajan which is :-

“Mohana Kara Mana Moha Vinasha”

The exposition dealt for this bhajan is given below for your contemplation today. Though this is a deviation from the ashtanga yoga theme, going back to the Bhakti yoga, he feels it is worth it, as “Naasha” cannot be complete without contemplating on this Bhajan. 

BHAVANAASHA PUTTAPARTHI PURISA

JAYA SHIVA SHANKARA JAYA PARAMESA

(BHAVANAASHA….)

MRUTYUNJAYA HIMA SAILA GIRISA

MOHANA KARA MANA MOHA VINASHA

JYOTHI PRAKASA SATHYA SAISA

JAYA SHIVA SHANKARA HEY JAGADEESA

After years or several births of worshipping you in your form as the Siva of Srisailam or Lord of Parthi (i.e.. in form), through your grace, through your infinite compassion, you have granted us the awareness that you are the Paramesa, the formless, infinite, not confined to any physical frame and you are immortal, if realized as parameswara.

Mohana Kara Manamoha Vinasha - journey to God.

1) REALIZING THE FUTILITY OF WORLD—After years and may be several births of our indulgence in worldly objects and our attachment (mohana) to the world and its forms, finally a stage is reached, when one realizes the transient nature of the world, realizes that all joy derived from world are momentary and seeks that joy, which is permanent.

2) SEEKING THE LORD—Drawn to the splendor of your physical form, the bhakta immerses in devotion, sings your glory and in this process, with his newly attained mohana (devotion to thy form), he is drawn away from attachment to all other things in the world.

3) MERGING WITH THE LORD—When devotion attains its maturity and gets to the highest level, bhakti is transformed to Prema and with a heart filled with love, devotee sees and realizes you as LOVE, he sees and realizes the world as nothing but LOVE and at this stage, the attachment to your form also goes off (mohana kara mana moha vinasha) and the worshipper, the worshipped, the process of worship- all gets merged into the one ocean, the ocean of Satchitananda

Through the three stages in the path of devotion, you relieve us from the afflictions caused due to our attachment to the samsara (mohana kara) and then, You elevate us to the knowledge of indestructible atman of infinite splendor, the knowledge of SELF which is immortal (mrutyunjaya), & ever effulgent (jyoti prakasa). When your bhakta reaches this stage of awareness, you liberate from the vicious cycle of birth and death, O Sathya Saisa.)

(Like Swami once told a devotee, “atleast do the dusting of all the SSS volume of books that are lying there in your cupboard, author has to also request all the Sai Sadan center members, “atleast do the dusting…. and…. If it is being used for rendering bhajan and hence dusting is not required…. Then…. atleast read the interpretation and contemplate and come to the centre with that contemplated Bhava and render the bhajan, atleast on that day, you can experience merger with Sai for a moment!!!!)

Love.