Manas Buddhi Chitta Ahamkara - Part 21

Four stages of coloring

In the post on AVIDYA, the translation of the yoga sutra verse mentioned about the 4 stages of coloring and the author had written there that we will learn about the 4 stages later.

1. Active, aroused (udaram): Is the thought pattern active on the surface of the mind, or playing itself out through physical actions (through the instruments of action, called karmendriyas, which include motion, grasping, and speaking)? These thought patterns and actions may be mild, extreme, or somewhere in between. However, in any case, they are active.

2. Distanced, separated, cut off (vicchinna): Is the thought pattern less active right now, due to there being some distance or separation. We experience this often when the object of our desire is not physically in our presence. The attraction or aversion, for example, is still there, but not in as active a form as if the object was right in front of us. It is as if we forgot about the object for the now. It is actually still colored, but just not active (but also not really attenuated).

3. Attenuated, weakened (tanu): Has the thought pattern not just been interrupted, but actually been weakened or attenuated? Sometimes we can think that a deep habit pattern has been attenuated, but it really has not been weakened. When we are not in the presence of the object of attachment or aversion, that separation can appear to be attenuation, when it actually is just not seen in the moment.

This is one of the big traps of changing the habits or conditionings of the mind. First, it is true that we need to get some separation from the active stage to the distanced stage, but then it is essential to start to attenuate the power of the coloring of the thought pattern.

4. Dormant, latent, seed (prasupta): Is the thought pattern in a dormant or latent form, as if it were a seed that is not growing at the moment, but which could grow in the right circumstances?

In the next and final post on MBCA, we will learn how to move the aroused coloring to dormant latent level and then how to evolve further to reach the stage of SELF ENQUIRY and Meditation.

Love.

Sri Sathya Sai Baba

Manas Buddhi Chitta Ahamkara - Part 20

Dear All,

How actions are performed by a sadhaka  and a sincere devotee?

Let us  look at the flow given below.

Dear Ones,

We learnt sufficiently and at length about how Karma of a normal jiva fetches him bondage and Karma means Kama bandhanam, in our last 2 posts. 

Now, if we carefully see the flow given above which gives the cycle of Karma of a sadhaka in advanced stage in the path of Jnana or a Bhakta whose Bhakti is transforming to Prema, in both cases, ACTION/ KARMA undertaken by them is shown with a common block 

After the Karma block, in both cases, the subsequent flow after the Action block  explains as to how, in both cases, their karma/action do not put them into the vicious cycle of AVKK or karma bandhanam.

Their karma is totally detached  from their state of existence and they are released from the samsara and get liberated from the cycle of birth and death at the end.

Let us understand the texture of Karma / Actions undertaken by these men of wisdom/ devotion/ love, with example.

ACTIONS OF A SADHAKA/ SANYASI

For the 1st flow starting from Buddhi, let us take an example of a sanyasi / spiritual Guru who has an ashram/hermitage in Himalayas. 

He starts getting more and more of visitors and disciples in the course of time and his present ashram space is not sufficient to accommodate the over flowing number of students/ visitors.

He summons his immediate assistant sanyasi and asks him to make an announcement / publish in the ashram notice board, inviting people desirous of contributing to extension of the ashram premise, to deposit their donation in a nearby bank in the account of ashram.

Now, in the above case, it is to be noted that the yogi/ sanyasi has used his Buddhi/ wisdom and has initiated an action for collecting donation only for the sake of disciples/ visitor’s minimum comfort. 

No raga / no dvesha / no abhinivesha has prompted him to take the action to have an announcement made for extension of ashram and within heart, he exists as an Avadhuta, who has no attachment even to a single piece of cloth that he wears, that too because he is still in society and not in recluse, where, he won’t need even that single piece of  cloth or the kaupyana that he sports.

Now, tell me, how his action will fetch him impressions?

Where is ego in his action?

ACTIONS OF A BHAKTA / A DEVOTEE

A devotee, till the time he is in the world, may have to undertake his minimum duties towards his family, towards his children etc. 

But with his heart melted, his ego gone like a melted candle, his heart fully filled with love, with he the nadhi of love, merged with the ocean of Love that is God, tell me, from where he will have raga/dvesha/abhinivesha and then vasanas, which may prompt his actions ?

A realized master, a Jivanmukhta himself (One who is liberated while alive), Swami Sivananda beautifully explains the state of such a yogi who is explained in this post above and in the flow, where, the climax is clearly shown  as GOD REALIZATION.

"Not through matted locks, not through fiery lectures and erudition, not through the exhibition of miracles, does one attain perfection or knowledge of the Self. He is whom the two currents, Raga-Dvesha and egoism, lust, anger are destroyed in toto is ever happy and he is Brahman or a liberated sage or Jivanmukta. A Jivanmukta or liberated sage is absolutely free from egoism, doubt, fear and grief. These are the four important signs that indicate that one has attained perfection.”

Love.

Paramhansa Yogananda

Manas Buddhi Chitta Ahamkara - Part 19 Contd...

Unless we have some stored impressions in our mind about a person, the so called 3 ego- raga, dvesha and abhinivesha , as far as that person is concerned, can never be active at all times in the future. 

After one action is performed, the impressions due to that action is stored in chitta, retrieved as vasanas, then only, in all future time, the vasanas propel/push one of the three - raga or dvesha or abhinivesha towards that person and then action is undertaken.

Applying this principal in that student case, the impression of the first action (absuing the new student who had ranked 1st) results in impression about that person in the earlier student’s heart. 

Later on, next day or whenever he sees the other student, the stored impressions manifest as vasanas and only these vasanas ignite the ego-DVESHA or HATRED for that new student and with that dvesha, the 1st student’s all actions towards the new student, are influenced.

If there were no stored  Impressions, manifesting as vasanas about that student, then will this student ever develop the hatred feeling towards the student? Never.

So, it it Avidya -Kama-Karma for the first action (see the above flow for 1st action) and thereafter, for all future actions, it is 

Avidya-Vasana-Kama-Karma.The main aim of all spiritual sadhana is to break this knot of samsara- Avidya-Kama-Karma and to be free from this hrdaya granthi.

During our entire life, we always carry with us, our subtle impressions- vasanas in  mainly 2 ways as under:-

- Our impressions about our own selves, I am this, I am that, I am capable of this, my main plus points are this, this and this, I can do this better than others…. And such endless impressions about ourselves.

- Our impression about all others in the society after our first action with them has carried impressions to our chitta or, even if we have not acted in any way with any person, our own impressions about ourselves are always matched / compared/evaluated in a subtle manner with a person with whom we might not have acted and thus, with such a thought, we develop vasanas about that person.

For example, we develop vasanas/ impression about a politician, a leader a public figure with whom we have never come in touch. But whatever we know about that person is judged/ evaluated with our own impressions about ourselves and our heart of ego imagines what we would do in such a situation and with that comparison, we pass a judgement about that person and such judgement stores impressions about that person. 

Vasanas and avidya exist together and the last thing to leave a meditator, a sadhaka, a devotee is his vasanas / impressions about himself and the world. Once all the vasanas within one’s mind lake (chitta) are removed, then, surely, at that very instance, one gets free of his AVIDYA.

Love.

Swami Krishnananda

I am back home

Dear Readers,

Reached Oman yesterday after the longest stay in Puttaparthi in recent years.

MBCA posts shall be resumed tomorrow.

Once the pending posts get completed, author shall await your feedback on the MBCA posts learning, before he starts with any new theme.

There are readers from many countries of late - US, India, Ukraine, Canada, Australia, Germany, Japan, UK, Ireland, Russia etc. 

I request readers from all regions to  start communicating one to one through email to " satyamurthyv@gmail.com" or through comments in this post. 

Otherwise, author is at loss as to how to load  readers with more and more themes when  he is not sure how much of the posts already given are   being read and understood and followed.

Love.

Sri Nisargadatta Maharaj

SIGNIFICANCE OF MAHA SHIVARATRI

MAHA SHIVARATRI

This falls on the 13th (or 14th) day of the dark half of Phalgun (February-March). The name means "the night of Shiva". The ceremonies take place chiefly at night. This is a festival observed in honor of Lord Shiva. Shiva was married to Parvati on this day. 

The Story of King Chitrabhanu

In the Shanti Parva of the Mahabharata, Bhishma, whilst resting on the bed of arrows and discoursing on Dharma, refers to the observance of Maha Shivaratri by King Chitrabhanu. The story goes as follows. 

Once upon a time King Chitrabhanu of the Ikshvaku dynasty, who ruled over the whole of Jambudvipa, was observing a fast with his wife, it being the day of Maha Shivaratri. The sage Ashtavakra came on a visit to the court of the king. 

The sage asked, "O king! why are you observing a fast today?" 

King Chitrabhanu explained why. He had the gift of remembering the incidents of his previous birth. 

The king said to the sage: "In my past birth I was a hunter in Varanasi. My name was Suswara. My livelihood was to kill and sell birds and animals. One day I was roaming the forests in search of animals. I was overtaken by the darkness of night. Unable to return home, I climbed a tree for shelter.

It happened to be a bael tree. I had shot a deer that day but I had no time to take it home. I bundled it up and tied it to a branch on the tree. As I was tormented by hunger and thirst, I kept awake throughout the night. 

I shed profuse tears when I thought of my poor wife and children who were starving and anxiously awaiting my return. To pass away the time that night I engaged myself in plucking the bael leaves and dropping them down onto the ground. 

"The day dawned. I returned home and sold the deer. I bought some food for myself and for my family. I was about to break my fast when a stranger came to me, begging for food. I served him first and then took my food. 

"At the time of death, I saw two messengers of Lord Shiva. They were sent down to conduct my soul to the abode of Lord Shiva. I learnt then for the first time of the great merit I had earned by the unconscious worship of Lord Shiva during the night of Shivaratri. 

They told me that there was a Lingam at the bottom of the tree. The leaves I dropped fell on the Lingam. My tears which I had shed out of pure sorrow for my family fell onto the Lingam and washed it. And I had fasted all day and all night. Thus  did I unconsciously worship the Lord. 

"I lived in the abode of the Lord and enjoyed divine bliss for long ages. I am now reborn as Chitrabhanu." 

Lord Shiva's Assurance

When creation had been completed, Shiva and Parvati went out to live on the top of Mount Kailas. Parvati asked, "O venerable Lord! which of the many rituals observed in Thy honor doth please Thee most?" 

The Lord replied,

   

"   "The 14th night of the new moon, in the dark fortnight during the month of Phalgun, is my most favourite day. It is known as Shivaratri.

   

].   My devotees give me greater happiness by mere fasting than by ceremonial baths and offerings of flowers, sweets and incense. 

   

   "The devotee observes strict spiritual discipline in the day and worships Me in four different forms during each of the four successive three-hour periods of the night. The offering of a few bael leaves is more precious to Me than the precious jewels and flowers.

   

].  My devotee should bathe Me in milk at the first period, in curd at the second, in clarified butter at the third, and in honey at the fourth and last. Next morning, he should feed the Brahmins first and, after performing the prescribed ceremonies, he can break his fast.

  

     O Parvati! there is no ritual which can compare with this simple routine in sanctity." 

Parvati was deeply impressed by the speech of Lord Shiva. She repeated it to Her friends who in their turn passed it on to the ruling princes on earth. Thus was the sanctity of Shivaratri broadcast all over the world.

The two great natural forces that afflict man are Rajas (the quality of passionate activity) and Tamas (that of inertia).

The Shivaratri Vrata aims at the perfect control of these two. The entire day is spent at the Feet of the Lord. Continuous worship of the Lord necessitates the devotee's constant presence in the place of worship. Motion is controlled. Evils like lust, anger, and jealousy, born of Rajas are ignored and subdued.

The devotee observes vigil throughout the night and thus conquers Tamas also. Constant vigilance is imposed on the mind. Every three hours a round of worship of the Shiva Lingam is conducted. Shivaratri is a perfect Vrata. 

The formal worship consists of bathing the Lord. Lord Shiva is considered to be the Form of Light (which the Shiva Lingam represents). He is burning with the fire of austerity. 

He is therefore best propitiated with cool bathing.

While bathing the Lingam the devotee prays: "O Lord! I will bathe Thee with water, milk, etc. Do Thou kindly bathe me with the milk of wisdom. Do Thou kindly wash me of all my sins, so that the fire of worldliness which is scorching me may be put out once for all, so that I may be one with Thee-the One alone without a second." 

OFFER THIS INNER WORSHIP TO LORD SHIVA DAILY:

"I WORSHIP THE JEWEL OF MY SELF, THE SHIVA RESIDING IN THE LOTUS OF MY HEART. I BATHE HIM WITH THE WATER OF MY PURE MIND BROUGHT FROM THE RIVER OF FAITH AND DEVOTION. I WORSHIP HIM WITH THE FRAGRANT FLOWERS OF SAMADHI-ALL THIS SO THAT I MAY NOT BE BORN AGAIN IN THIS WORLD." 

HERE IS ANOTHER FORMULA FOR THE SUPREME WORSHIP OF THE LORD:

"O SHIVA! YOU ARE MY SELF. MY MIND IS PARVATI. MY PRANAS ARE YOUR SERVANTS. MY BODY IS YOUR HOUSE. MY ACTIONS IN THIS WORLD ARE YOUR WORSHIP. MY SLEEP IS SAMADHI. MY WALK IS CIRCUMAMBULATION OF YOU. MY SPEECH IS YOUR PRAYER.  THUS  DO I OFFER ALL THAT I AM TO YOU”.

Dear ones,

In the sankhya yoga, it is given that prakriti could proceed to create this universe only when there was disturbance / imbalance in the three gunas- satva, rajas and tamas.

As learnt from the above message from SwamI Sivananda, a sincere devotee balances the rajas and tamas within him and hence, symbolically, he transcends/rises himself above this creation/ universe.

Keeping awake all night, singing bhajans and chanting namah shivaya – all these things are very good but the devotee should be clear about the purpose. His prayers should be so much sincere, he should be so immersed in his worship/ dhyana on Shiva that he is able to actually rise above his rajas and tamas and experience the alone ness of his SELF, exactly as God existed prior to creating even the 5 elements.

Every prayer, every worship, every ritual observed on every festival should be taken up with utmost sincerity with clarity of purpose so that the benefit of such rituals / prayers/ bhajan singing/ chanting of Lord’s name actually bestows on the devotee, the actual reward- BLISS/ ANANDA!!

Love

Sri Sathya Sai Baba

Swami Krishnananda