Theos-Talk Archives (January 2004 Message tt00372)

~*~ ShiVaNi SaNnYaSiNi Wrote:



~*~*~*~ A Brahma~Jnani Vijnani Speaks ~*~*~*~


Sri Abhinava Vidyatirtha Mahasannidhaam, the late 
Jagadguru of Sri Sringeri Sarada Mahapitham is undoubtedly one of the 
greatest of the yogis to have incarnated in the recent times. Here is 
a selection of some of the Upadesha that he gave to a close disciple. 
He even instructed the disciple not to reveal these to anyone, until 
the Acharya left his physical form. The disciple recorded these 
accounts of the great guru earnestly. I have missed many important 
parts, especially the ones in which he describes about his first 
vision of Mahatripurasundari and also some invaluable description of 
Sri Nrisimha Sadhana. Anyway, here is what I feel would inspire 
Sadhakas, also taking care to respect the Acharya's wish not to 
reveal these completely in the public. Here are some selections, in 
the form of a narration by the great Guru himself!


I spoke of my experiences regarding the vision of the various 
forms of Lord Narayana to my guru (i.e. Sri Chandrasekhara Bharati 
Mahaswamigal). He listened carefully, but spoke not a word. Later 
that day, he sent me a sheet of paper that contained a few Shlokas 
from the Vishnu Purana. Later, as per my request, Acharya himself 
read out those verses aloud, which were selected from the portion 
that deals with Keshidhwaja's Upadesha to Khaandikya. It may be 
translated roughly as follows: `O king, the yogi should meditate on 
the Lord, completely fixing his mind on the form of Sri Narayana. He 
should see Narayana as being resplendent with crown, ornaments and 
Keyoora, holding Shaarga, conch, mace, discus, sword, rosary, Abhaya 
Mudra and Varada Mudra in his eight hands. This form of the Lord 
should stay in him all the time, whether standing, walking or 
involved in some work. If this form of the Lord never disappears from 
his mind even for a second, it means that complete Siddhi has been 
achieved'.


`The devotee should then meditate on the Lord without any 
weapons such as the discus, conch etc., but as simply holding a 
rosary of the alphabet. When concentration becomes perfected, the 
Lord should be meditated on as without any ornaments or attractive 
visuals'.


After I heard these from the Acharya, I no more restricted my 
mind to meditate only on Bala or Nrisimha, as I did all these days. I 
started meditating on other forms of Lord as well. I meditated on 
Ishwara as seated with Parvati, as Ardhanarishwara, as Dakshinamurthy 
and as Nataraja. After fixing my gaze steadily at the eye-brow center 
on the form of the Lord, I began to repeat Srividya everyday. I 
started with repeating Pranava, because I found Srividya too long to 
allow me to fix my concentration on the image of the deity. However, 
as days passed, this was no more a problem. Srividya became my all~
time companion. I began my Japa with Pranava, and after a while, 
switched over to Srividya or Dakshinamurthy. After a few minutes or 
hours of beginning the Japa, the repetition of the mantra stopped 
automatically, and my lay fixed entirely on the form of the deity.


On special occasions like the Shankara jayanti or 
Chaturmasya, it would not be possible for me to spend a lot of time 
in meditation in the Kalabhairava temple. I would compensate this by 
doing extra Japa during the noon and in the night. During one 
Chaturmasya, I perfected Dharana on the chosen form of the supreme. I 
have heard people complain of their inability to fix their mind 
steadily on a deity during meditation. I never experienced this 
difficulty, from the very first day. I tried experimenting on this 
during a Chaturmasya. I purposely deteriorated my concentration on 
Sridevi step by step and observed the mind. The thought waves now 
sounded louder and violent. Even the subtle noises outside seemed 
loud and distracting. I gradually came up with a few techniques to 
overcome this distraction and lack of concentration that bothered 
most of my disciples. Repeating powerful mantras like Srividya, 
holding the breath temporarily and emphasizing on meditation on a 
form of the Lord, were some of the techniques.


A year had passed by then. One day, as I tried meditating on 
Sri Nrisimha, effortlessly, I could perceive Sri Bala Tripurasundari. 
That afternoon, I was intensely inspired by some divine force to 
meditate on Ambal. I found indescribable bliss in doing so. After a 
few months of Sadhana, the moment I closed my eyes, Ambal immediately 
stood before my eyes. Then, I began to see Sri Krishna as a child of 
around a year, playing his flute and also of Lord Narayana, with 
eight hands. It seemed as though the Lord already had prepared a 
timetable as to what form I meditated daily on!


That evening as I sat for my evening meditation in the 
premises of Kalabhairava temple, without any effort, Sri Bala stood 
before my eyes. Like everyday, I tried to concentrate on her entire 
being, but my mind remained fixed on her lotus feet. The joy of that 
moment is beyond words. Her feet were vibrating with love and life. I 
felt as though this was not a mere vision. This was completely real. 
She, my mother, was there right in front of me. This was my first 
experience of Savikalpa Samadhi. I forgot everything else, other than 
the fact that I was in engrossed in her feet.


Later that day, Acharya explained about this Samadhi, quoting 
a verse from Patanjali's yoga sutra. As the name itself suggests, 
this Samadhi still has the Vikalpa or the sense that `I am 
meditating'. The complete distinction between the meditator, the 
object of meditation and the act of meditating, is not complete. Some 
distinction between the deity and the devotee is still present. 
However, in the higher realms of Nirvikalpa Samadhi, the feeling 
of `I am meditating' is completely destroyed.


That day, after I entered the realms of Savikalpa Samadhi due 
to Bala's grace, I regained bodily consciousness after about one and 
a half hours. I slowly got up and went to the temple. To my surprise, 
instead of the life-like statue of Sri Sarada, there was the living 
form of Bala welcoming me. I approached her and touched her feet. She 
vanished from my sight after a few seconds.


Later, I also experienced the manifestations of Sri Nrisimha, 
baby Krishna, and Narayana with eight arms. Gradually I reached a 
stage, where in, I could attain Savikalpa Samadhi, using my chosen 
deity, at any desired instant. I generally meditated in the sitting 
posture, using a yogic Asana. One morning, I tried to attain the 
state of Samadhi, as I lay in sleeping posture. I assumed the posture 
of Shavasana, lying straight on my back. I imagined my heart lotus to 
be upright and in full bloom. I visualized Sri Lakshmi Nrisimha as 
being seated on my heart lotus. I gazed at him and in no time, I 
attained Samadhi. This confirmed that the posture was no big 
hindrance in achieving Samadhi, once concentration was perfected. I 
also tried the same with Shirshasana (head ? down posture), and 
achieved success. After I returned from Samadhi, I still found myself 
in the same posture, without any injury or discomfort. I never 
bothered myself again with these experiments regarding postures and 
positions.


I reported most of my experiences to my Acharya. He expressed 
his satisfaction at them. However, since he was in Samadhi most of 
the time, I restrained myself from approaching him every now and 
then. It is well accepted by the wise that by meditating on the Lord 
as having attributes, one gradually becomes fir to perceive the 
attributeless, formless Parabrahman. The Kaivalya Upanishad asks one 
to meditate on Sri Sadashiva as having a blue throat, three eyes, 
along with mother Uma, by which one attains the knowledge of the 
absolute and the undifferentiated. The Vedanta Kalpataru also 
says, `In the mind that is completely brought into control by 
meditating on the Saguna Brahman, the attributeless Parabrahman 
shines automatically'.


It was the day of Shukla Navami. I wanted to spend more time 
in meditation that particular day. I prepared to leave the Math, an 
hour before the sunset. I was then told that my Acharya wanted to see 
me. I approached the Acharya, who was seated on his throne, alone in 
the room. I prostrated at his lotus feet. He signaled me to take a 
seat. He enquired if I was preparing to leave somewhere. I told 
him, `Sire, I was about to leave to Kalabhairava temple, where I 
meditate daily'. He smiled gently. He remained silent for a moment, 
as though immersed in something very important. Then he looked 
straight into my being. He again smiled and asked me to leave. I 
bowed down in front of the Acharya. As I fell to his feet, he placed 
both his hands on my head gently, chanting the Shiva Panchakshari 
mantra in a somewhat whisper-like voice thrice. I felt an electrical 
current run through my entire body. When I recovered from that 
strange but pleasant situation, his hands were still lying on my 
head. My mind was now filled with an intense desire to meditate on 
Ishwara.


I went back to my room, collected my Vastra and Asana, and 
proceeded towards Kalabhairava Temple, which is situated on a small 
hill. My assistant followed me. I was a few feet away from 
Sacchidanandavilasa (Acharya's residence), when I heard some one 
clapping. I turned back to see the Acharya standing in front of the 
door, looking at me. I turned back to move towards him, but he 
motioned me to proceed towards the temple. But he signaled my 
assistant to return. My mind was filled with a strange and intense 
desire to meditate on Ishwara. I could not bear a second of delay 
anymore. I almost ran towards the hill. I turned back once and saw if 
my assistant was following me. There was no sight of him anywhere.


I was happy at the though of being left all alone, in sweet 
solitude. I sat on the hill, facing west. My gaze was towards 
Malahanikeshwara temple. The sky was clear with no signs of clouds. 
Both sunset and moonrise were visible. This scene was beautiful. 
Attracted by this, I began to chant a verse from Sri Dakshinamurthy 
Stotra, ` Bhoorambhaasyanilonilombara maharnatho himaamshuH 
pumaan?..'.


Before settling into Siddhasana, I prayed to the Acharya and 
Lord Shiva mentally. I fixed my gaze on Ajna Chakra and began to 
repeat the mantra mentally. Gradually, there was a tingling sensation 
between my brows. Immediately, there was a bright but soothing disc 
of light, like the moon, visible in the space between the eyebrows. I 
was saw this disc occasionally during meditation. It seemed blue 
sometimes and green the other times. This was the first time that I 
had seen pure white light. I saw my heart lotus shine with a complete 
bloom. I then visualized Lord Mahadeva in the heart lotus, along with 
ten hands and Devi Parvati, as described by the verse,' Shaantam 
padmaaasanastham?'. As I began to concentrate on this image of the 
Lord, my awareness of the body and surroundings ceased completely. 
After some time, my mental repetition of the mantra automatically 
came to a halt. My mind was completely immersed in the divine, 
resplendent form of the Lord in my heart lotus. The form appeared 
incredibly clear and life-like. I did not face any difficulty in 
achieving this concentration. The affection and the smile that I 
clearly saw on the Ishana face (one of the five faces of Lord 
Sadashiva) still fills me with an indescribable feeling of joy. One 
and a half hours passed as though it were a minute. Gradually I 
regained my bodily consciousness. I opened my eyes. The sun had 
almost set. The winds were blowing gently. But still I was able to 
perceive Sri Mahadeva along with Devi Parvati pervading my entire 
being. It seemed as though the Lord was expanding infinitely, both on 
the inside and the outside. I clearly heard a loud sound of `Aum', 
from deep within. At that very moment, Ishwara appeared right in 
front of me and turned towards me. Oh! That was divine indeed.


{At this point Srimadacharya stopped speaking. His eyes were 
filled with joyful tears. His lips were shaking, as though saying 
something faintly. It seemed as though he would slip back into 
Samadhi any moment. After a few minutes, Acharya continued}.


Tears of joy flowed from my eyes. The lips of the Lord began 
to move and I heard the most beautiful voice ever. The Lord said:

Vatsa shwaHprabhR^ityatra niraakaare pare tatve manaH samaadhatswa. 
AchireNa Brahma samstho abhaviShyasi ...


` Child, from tomorrow, fix your mind on the formless absolute. In no 
time, you shall be established in the Brahman'. I felt the Lord place 
his hands on my head and lo! He disappeared. How compassionate is the 
Lord to shower his grace on a humble, ignorant being like me!


As soon as the Lord disappeared from sight, there was a 
rainfall. The sun was about to set. As I said before, when I began to 
do Japa, the sky was clear with no signs of rain. I felt that this 
rain was the sanctifying water of Ganga that Sri Mahadeva had 
showered to purify me.


{On an another evening, when Acharya was strolling in 
Narasimha Vana, it started raining. Instead of running towards 
shelter like the others, the Acharya began to smile like a child and 
exclaimed ` This is indeed Ganga snana'. He then explained that 
taking bath in the rainwater when the sun still visible was equal to 
taking a dip in the holy Ganga}.


Filled with emotion, I repeatedly prostrated and 
effortlessly, some verses started flowing out of mouth, in praise of 
Parameshwara. My voice was choked with emotion. If a musician had 
been nearby, he would have been terribly frightened at this strange 
way of singing {The Acharya starts laughing here. When asked if those 
verses composed by him were available for his disciples, He replies 
thus}.


I had no interest then in writing down those verses nor did I 
remember them later. I gave them no importance at all. I never 
thought about them again, nor did I try to recollect and learn them 
by heart. They were like the childish exclamations of an ignorant 
child, not something scholarly or filled with poetic brilliance. All 
I remember is that it was in Bhujanga Prayaata and there were ten 
Shlokas in all. After I finished chanting the verses, my emotions 
were subdued somewhat. I again had an intense urge to meditate on 
Ishwara. Since the Lord himself, like my guru, had offered me wise 
counsel, I thought of meditating on the Lord in his form as Sri 
Dakshinamurthy. Chanting the mantra of Medha Dakshinamurthy, I 
visualized the Lord as having four hands, holding rosary, book, pot 
filled with nectar and Jnana Mudra. I visualized him thus, as being 
seated in my heart lotus. {The Acharya went on to recite the Dhyana 
Shloka and said a few things about the mantra itself. I shall omit 
these here}.


This time, I never concentrated on the eyebrow center. I 
simply meditated on him in my heart. In no time, I became silent and 
entered Samadhi. When I awoke after some time, (he did not know 
exactly when he regained bodily consciousness), a large Kalinga Sarpa 
(king cobra) had entwined itself around my neck. Here I was 
meditating on Naagabhooshana {Acharya used the word Bhujangabhooshana 
to be precise} and his ornament was decorating my body. I took this 
to be a sign of his blessing and felt happy. I slowly touched the 
snake. It placed its hood on my right chin. After about ten minutes, 
the snake moved away from my body and sight. I walked down the hill, 
finding the way in moonlight.


As I reached the foot of the hill, I saw my assistant waiting 
for me there. It seems my Guru {the great Avadhoota, Sri 
Chandrashekhara Swamigal} had instructed him to wait for me there 
with a lamp. He had even specified the time at which I would reach 
that place. It was now confirmed that my Acharya knew well, all that 
would happen, beforehand. It was his grace.


The next day, after finishing my morning duties when I 
returned to my room, I found a servant waiting for me. He carried the 
message from the Acharya, who wanted to see me. I immediately went to 
him and prostrated before him. I then stood silent since he was 
engrossed in Japa. After finishing his Japa of Srividya, 
Dakshinamurthy and Nrisimha, the Acharya turned towards me and 
smiled. He then said, `Today you have received guidance from the Lord 
himself directly. Also, you were decorated like the Lord for a short 
period of time. Is not it so?' I agreed and said that it was all the 
effect of his grace.


Now it was totally confirmed that the omniscient guru was 
fully aware of all the happenings of the previous day. It was useless 
to narrate the same again to him. The Acharya then said, 'It is 
getting late for your evening bath and Ahnika. You may proceed to do 
them'. I prostrated in front of him again and went to the river.


That night I had a wonderful dream. In the dream I saw 
Ishwara dancing joyfully, and Ambal witnessing his dance quietly. 
After a few minutes, both started dancing. Then the two figures 
merged into each other and the resplendent form of Ardhanarishwara 
became visible. In the dream state itself, I began to chant the 
Ardhanarishwara Stotra of Sri Acharya Bhagavatpada. The scene changed 
again. The Lord now appeared as Sri Dakshinamurthy, seated under a 
huge banyan tree. I felt as though I was merging into the Lord. I 
experienced a feeling of unity and remained thoughtless. When I 
awoke, it was 4.30 in the morning. It was the day of Ekadashi. I 
decided to follow the orders of the Lord and to meditate on the 
attributeless Brahman from that auspicious day.


That evening, I ascended the hill an hour before the sunset. 
I went there everyday to meditate on Saguna forms like that of Shiva
Mahadeva, Narayana and Ambal. That particular evening, I wanted to
cast away all designated forms and attributes and meditate on the purity 
within. As usual, I seated myself in Siddhasana, facing west. I 
prepared to meditate on some mantras from the Sruti: 

Brahmavidaapnoti param ~ Taittariiya Upanishad ~ 2.1.1

{One who knows the Supreme Lord shall attain Brahman}.


AnandaM brahmaNo vidwaan na bibheti kutashchaneti ~ 2.9.1

{Once the Jnani has experienced the Bliss of Brahman, he/she is
scared of nothing}. 


Yadaa hyevaiSha etasminnudaramantaraM kurute, atha tasya bhayaM 
bhavati ~ 2.8.1

{When even just a little duality is perceived in the One Brahman, 
one often becomes fearful of many things}.


I remembered these mantras and started thinking about them. 
These clearly indicated that the ultimate was Brahman Sakshatkara. 
As opposed to this, until duality ceases, bondage cannot be broken. 
There is no existence of anything but the Brahman. I feel separate 
from the Universal Brahman due to my own ignorance and duality. This 
body made of skin, blood and flesh is dependent on food. I am not the
body, neither the mind, nor the senses. I also started thinking about
the verse from Gita:

Mahaabhuutaanyaha~Nkaaro buddhiravyaktameva cha ?.(13/5-6)

The sense organs are mere instruments to perform Kriya. The mind is 
changing every second. I am not the mind either. Food of the nature 
of Sattva brings about mental cleansing and serenity. Rajasic food 
makes the mind active and restless. The effect of liquor on a human 
mind is well known. The mind and samskaras~karma projects the bodily
form into manifestation. The mind is also a subtle co~partner of the
body because it too, is nurtured by food and its quality. `I am
seeing', `I am dull', `I am doing this', in all these feelings, the
sense of `I' is prominent in the waking and dream state. This fades in
the state of deep sleep. But 'I am' present even in the state of
Sushupti, in deep sleep. Thus, I am not that, whatever was referred to
all these above cases. The mirror merely reflects the sunrays and it
cannot be considered as the independent source of light. Similarly,
though intellect or lower Buddhi seems to be having an individual
consciousness of its own, it is actually Jada. There is only One
Brahman Consciousness manifesting ALL. No personal 'I' exists
whatsoever...only personal karma which propells one into endless
reincarnation and sufferings in ignorance, which is surface and
illusory in relation to the Absolute Brahman Infinite One Self. Stop
this endless cycle of re~birth into miseries and ignorance. Be Pure. 
Be Ahimsa. Humbly Approach An Illumined Guru For Mantra~Diksha And
Instruction. Meditate. Shed Ignorance. Be Illumined!


This is what Bhagavan has indicated in the verse of Gita.

The three states of waking, sleep and dream are not MY 
reality. There are like mirages in the desert. Many objects get 
revealed due to the Sun {Brahman's Light). But Brahman is the One and
the only One existing. Similarly, the Self is none but the Brahman,
taking the proof of the Sruti. `Sat' or the Truth is what is
unhindered in the states of Bhoota, Bhavishya and Vartamana {past,
present and future}. Brahman existed before, still exists and shall
continue to exist. That is the Supreme Truth. Brahman is mostly
described as Jnana {Brahman Knowledge} rather than as Jnatru {the one
who knows} for there is no subject~object separation. Thus, its nature
is that of Chit. 
Since the Srutis claim that the Brahman is Infinite, it cannot be 
bound by space and time. There is no time and space that sees the 
absence of Brahman. There is nothing else than Chitapara~Brahman.
Brahman Consciousness is ALL. 

`tasmaadvaa etasmaadaatmana aakaashaH sambhuutaH . aakaashaadvaayuH . 
vayoragniH . agneraapaH . adbhyaH prithivii .'

{The Akasha originated from the Atman who is the Brahman. From Akasha 
originated Vayu and from Vayu Agni. Then came Prithivi ~Mother Earth
...which, like all universes, realms; ALL 'apparent' manifestations
are Brahman~Shakti Itself}.


This proves that Brahman is the only cause of anything and 
everything! And, that Brahman alone existing is ALL!



~*~ OM TAT SAT OM! ~*~ JAI SAT~CHIT~ANANDA BRAHMAN! ~*~ JAI SHIVA! ~*~


~*~*~*~*~*~ ShiVaNi SaNnYaSiNi ~*~*~*~*~*~

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