There are as many paths to salvation as there are different schools of thought. The teacher can guide his pupils but it depends on the latter to strictly adhere to the rules and regulations and follow the instructions. Much depends on the devotion and steadfastness of the seekers and the practitioners, the sadhakas. There are, in principle, the path of hatha yoga, kundalini yoga, mantra japa, ajapa japa, chakra dhyana, gayatree japa with pranayama, etc. The essential requirements are: purity of mind (chit-shuddhi), establishing in one's self (atmatishthata). living alone in the vicinity of God (upa-vasa, meaning sitting near the deity in solitude, ekanta), attaining oneness with God in dhyana, contemplation (sayujya with dharana), and, ultimately relinquishing all that binds the jiva to earthly existence (Ishvara pranidana); one should desists from indulging in sensuous life. This calls for utmost restraint, self-control, and this is possible with constant association with attained souls (satsang and and staying in a retreat, ashrama with guru saannidhya), occasional meeting with learned people will give an insight; study of scriptures (svadhyaya) and contemplation (nidhidhyasana), meditation (japa or dhyana), total silence (mouna) and other methods as directed in the scriptures are all very essential. This calls for renunciation and a rigorous ascetic way of life. Once a sincere seeker enters this path, it becomes easy for him to adhere to this way of life. Ultimately, it takes one to everlasting joy and liberation of the embodied soul.
Now, what is it we attain by spiritual practice? Nothing. Yes, nothing. It is a return journey from the phenomenal objective world, a life of sensuous way without any end in sight back to the starting point when the jiva was in its pure state of chit, concsiousness. Consciousness is the pure state. It is a state when there was nothing to be cognizant of. Consciousness, chit-shakti was all pervasive and covered the entire universe. There was nothing in that state of Shiva, Ishvara. Shiva was conscious of His Self only, and nothing else. When He became conscious of His Shakti, prowess- creative power (kriya-shakti) as the other, other than His pure self, the Maya emanated from His will (ichha) and manifested as the creative force kriya shakti. This kriya-shakti is none other than the Shiva, but came to be known as Shive. Here the manifest forms of Shiva are Jnyan, aishvarya, bala, virya, tejas of Shive coupled with the srushti, sthiti, laya, tirodhana and anugraha of Shiva (exercised by Her). Thus, the phenomenal objective world (prapancha) comes into existence. The end product of all these are the enjoyers, the very self of Shiva, and no one else! Shiva only becomes the jiva and reverts to its prior state of Shiva. Shiva (Ishvara) manifests as jiva and jagat; jiva turns to jagat for its enjoyment forgetting its true nature of Self, Shiva. When the jiva realizes its true nature- sat, chit,and ananada, it reverts to the state of Shiva. This is the attainment of the Jiva. From nothingness to nothingness is the journey of the jiva. It undergoes all the predicaments of joy and sorrow, births and deaths, under an illusion, maya (the veiling power). It is ignorance (ajnyana), knowledge of the true self covered by moha, krodha, lobha, mada, matsarya, etc. that creates the world of maya.
Thus, the jiva, takes a journey through the mrutyu loka (bhu) for no fault of its own, but of the chitta of Shiva, Shivechhe. Now, who are we?
Now, what is it we attain by spiritual practice? Nothing. Yes, nothing. It is a return journey from the phenomenal objective world, a life of sensuous way without any end in sight back to the starting point when the jiva was in its pure state of chit, concsiousness. Consciousness is the pure state. It is a state when there was nothing to be cognizant of. Consciousness, chit-shakti was all pervasive and covered the entire universe. There was nothing in that state of Shiva, Ishvara. Shiva was conscious of His Self only, and nothing else. When He became conscious of His Shakti, prowess- creative power (kriya-shakti) as the other, other than His pure self, the Maya emanated from His will (ichha) and manifested as the creative force kriya shakti. This kriya-shakti is none other than the Shiva, but came to be known as Shive. Here the manifest forms of Shiva are Jnyan, aishvarya, bala, virya, tejas of Shive coupled with the srushti, sthiti, laya, tirodhana and anugraha of Shiva (exercised by Her). Thus, the phenomenal objective world (prapancha) comes into existence. The end product of all these are the enjoyers, the very self of Shiva, and no one else! Shiva only becomes the jiva and reverts to its prior state of Shiva. Shiva (Ishvara) manifests as jiva and jagat; jiva turns to jagat for its enjoyment forgetting its true nature of Self, Shiva. When the jiva realizes its true nature- sat, chit,and ananada, it reverts to the state of Shiva. This is the attainment of the Jiva. From nothingness to nothingness is the journey of the jiva. It undergoes all the predicaments of joy and sorrow, births and deaths, under an illusion, maya (the veiling power). It is ignorance (ajnyana), knowledge of the true self covered by moha, krodha, lobha, mada, matsarya, etc. that creates the world of maya.
Thus, the jiva, takes a journey through the mrutyu loka (bhu) for no fault of its own, but of the chitta of Shiva, Shivechhe. Now, who are we?
No comments:
Post a Comment