Chapter - 6

CHAPTER -VI

VI. 1 KundalinT
m m

KundalinT literally means coiled. In yoga, a "corporeal energy"

- an unconscious, instinctive or libidinal force or Sakti, lies coiled at the

base of the spine. It is envisioned either as a goddess or else as a
sleeping serpent hence a number of English renderings of the term
such as 'serpent power1. The KundalinT resides in the sacrum bone in
three and a half coils and has been described as a residual power of
pure desire.

The YogaaTattva Upanisad mentions four kinds of yoga, of which

Laya-yoga involves KundalinT.

Sri Ramana Maharsi maintained that the KundalinT energy is

nothing but the natural energy of the Self, where self is the universal
consciousness (Paramatma) present in every being, and that the
individual mind of thoughts cloaks this natural energy from
unadulterated expression. Advaita teaches that Self-realization,
enlightenment, God-consciousness, Nirvana and KUndalinT awakening
are all the same thing, and self-inquiry meditation is considered a very
natural and simple means of reaching this goal.

Yoga and Tantra propose that this energy can be "awakened" by

a guru (teacher), but body and spirit must be prepared by yogic
austerities such as Pranayama, or breath control, physical exercises,
visualization, and chanting. The KundalinT can also awaken because of
doing Hathayoga or other forms of spiritual practice, and sometimes it
can awaken spontaneously, for no obvious reason.

209
The knowledge of yoga kundalinT upanisad is necessary which shows
us the path of liberation.1

According to well-known teacher and translator Eknath

Easwaran, KundalinT means "the coiled power," a force that ordinarily
rests at the base of the spine, described as being coiled there like a
serpent.
According to Paramhans Swami Maheshwarananda, the term
"Kupdalinf is based on several words and has several meanings. The
word ending with "i" indicates that it relates to the feminine principle and
deals with a form of Sakti (energy) and Prakrti (nature). "Kunda" is a
hole or well into which all debris and rubbish is thrown. In time, the
rubbish loses its original form and disintegrates into a formless mesh in
which the individual components are no longer recognizable. In a similar
way, our impressions from earlier lives lie like an amorphous substance
deep in the unconscious (Muladhara Cakra). "Kundala" means the ring
and is generally used to refer to an earring in Sanskrit. The other roots
of KundalinT are "Kundala" the serpent, and "kala" the time or death. In
Indian mythology Lord Vishnu, rests on a thousand-headed snake and
sends out the first vibration (Sphurna), from which the entire Universe
evolves.

Awakening of the KundalinT

KundalinT can be awakened through the grace of a Siddha-Guru

who awakens the KundalinT Sakti of his discipline through Saktipat, or

blessing. A Siddha Guru is a spiritual teacher, a master, whose

identification with the supreme Self is uninterrupted. Like every form of
energy, one must also learn to understand spiritual energy. According to
Hindu tradition, in order to be able to integrate this spiritual energy, a

210
period of careful purification and strengthening of the body and nervous

system is usually required beforehand.

Some schools of yogaa also teach that the KundalinT can be
awakened through spiritual practices such as Hathayogaa and
meditation, rather than via Saktipat. Additionally, spontaneous
awakenings can occur, often triggered by intense personal experiences
such as accidents, near death experiences, childbirth, and emotional
trauma and so on. Sometimes awakenings seem to occur for no
obvious reason at all. Some sources attribute spontaneous awakenings
to the "grace of God", or possibly to spiritual practice in past lives.
The KuodalinT rises from muladhara Cakra up a subtle channel at
the base of the spine (called Susumna), and from there to top of the
head merging with the sahasrara, or crown Cakra. When KuodalinT
Sakti is conceived as a goddess, then, when it rises to the head, it
unites itself with the Supreme Being (Lord Shiva). Then the aspirant
becomes engrossed in deep meditation and infinite bliss.

The arousing of KuotfalinT is said by some to be the one and only

way of attaining Divine Wisdom. Self-Realization is said to be equivalent
to Divine Wisdom or Gnosis or what amounts to the same thing: self-
knowledge.
The awakening of the KundalinT shows itself as "awakening of
inner knowledge" and brings with itself "pure joy, pure knowledge and

pure love."

Physical effects

Physical effects are believed to be a sign of KundalinT awakening

by some, but described as unwanted side effects pointing to a problem
rather than progress by others. According to a 1985 article by David T.

211
Eastman in Yoga Journal, some of the more common signs and
symptoms of an awakened KundalinT\nc\ude:
Involuntary jerks, tremors or shaking intense heat, especially as energy
is experienced passing through the cakras.

Spontaneous Pranayama, Asanas, mudras and Bandhas Visions

or sounds at times associated with particular Cakra intense feelings of
pleasure.

Emotional purging in which particular emotions become dominant

for short periods.
Reports about the Sahaja Yoga technique of KundalinT awakening
suggest the practice can result in a cool breeze felt on the fingertips as
well as on the fontanel bone area. One study has measured a drop in
temperature on the palms of the hands resulting from this technique.

Swami Vivekananda described KundalinT briefly in London

during his lectures on Raja Yoga as follows: "According to the Yogais,
there are two nerve currents in the spinal column, called Pingala and
Ida, and a hollow canal called Susumna running through the spinal
cord! At the lower end of the hollow canal is what the Yogais call the
"Lotus of the KundalinT". They describe it as triangular in form in which,
in the symbolical language of the Yogais, there is a power called the
KundalinT, coiled up. When that KundalinT awakes, it tries to force a
passage through this hollow canal, and as it rises systematically, as it
were, layer after layer of the mind becomes open and all the different
visions and wonderful powers come to the Yogi. When it reaches the
brain, the Yogi is perfectly detached from the body and mind; the soul
finds itself free. We know that the spinal cord is composed in a peculiar
manner. If we take the figure eight horizontally, there are two parts,
which are connected in the middle. Suppose you add eight after eight,

212
piled one on top of the other that will represent the spinal cord. The left
is the Ida, the right Pingala, and that hollow canal which runs through
the centre of the spinal cord is the Susumna. Where the spinal cord
ends in some of the lumbar vertebrae, a fine fiber issues downwards,
and the canal runs up even within that fiber, only much finer. The canal
is closed at the lower end, which is situated near what is called the
sacral plexus, which, according to modern physiology, is triangular in
form. The different plexuses that have their centers in the spinal canal
can very well stand for the different "lotuses" of the Yogi."

Vedanta view on KundalinT, Tantra and Sex

Tantra is the worship of Sakti, the divine mother. Sakti is also

referred to as Prakrti, or primordial nature. To ensure that nature
(Prakrti) would always maintain the connection to the divine original
consciousness (Purusa), the force of attraction developed as an aspect
of Prakrti. The desire for union and the striving for expansion are
"natural"; they are intrinsic impulses of nature. Other terms for Purusa
and Prakrti are Shiva and Sakti. Shiva is the symbol for consciousness
and the masculine principle, Sakti symbolizes energy and the feminine
principle. The meaning of Shiva and Sakti is sometimes misunderstood

when they are looked upon as man and woman and their relation is
regarded as sexual.

Recently, there has been a growing interest within the medical

community to study the physiological effects of meditation, and some of
these studies have applied the discipline of KupdalinT Yoga to their
clinical settings.

KundalinT and Cakras

213
 KundalinT is the most powerful, yet dormant source of energy in
each human being coiled three and half times in deep slumber around
swayambhuling2. To attend the KundalinT classes is of utmost benefit for

every individual. There are plenty of myths about KundalinT such as it is

something mysterious and orthodox, but contradicting to it, KundalinT is
not at all a mystery. According to Yoga Guru Bharat Bhushan ji, "Any
individual who is extra ordinary and unbeaten in his field has awakened
his KundalinT or any of the Cakra.”

Muladhara cakra is the seat or dwelling place of primal energy,

KundalinT Sakti and the aim of yoga is to awaken the dormant KundalinT
through self-purification and concentration of mind, and to lead it up
through the charkas to sahasrara where the pure energy unites with
pure consciousness. This is because KundalinT is the source of all
energy in humankind as well as universe, whether sexual, emotional,
mental, psychic or spiritual.

To control the circulation of pran, there are vortices of pranic

energy at specific areas in the body, which are called Cakra s. It
generally lie inactive and dormant. There are various Cakras 3 in which

very powerful energy lie dormant. Once these are activated, human
gains amazing divine powers. Each Cakra is a door to enter the
specific areas of the brain and to attain some extra ordinary powers by
meditation and concentration on different charkas performing yogic
practices as it stiMu/ates the flow of energy through the charkas and
helps to activate them.

When KundalinT awakens4 it moves upward through the carkas to

sahasrara 5 and merges into the source from where it originated. Matter

and energy merge into pure consciousness in a state of intoxicated

bliss, the ultimate goal of yoga.

214
Bharat Yoga has given six meditations for the awakening to six charkas
and then finally awakening the KuydalinT by reaching the sahasrar.
Before practicing Cakra meditations, the practitioner needs to practice
few basic meditations regularly for a month. If practiced without the
basic meditations, Cakra meditation can harm the practitioner. Hence, it
is recommended to experience the Cakra meditation and KundalinT
Dhyana in gu/c/ance of the experienced master only.

Amazing powers devolve on a human on activation of the

KundalinT and each Cakra is related to the different attainments and
powers:

Muladhar Cakra6

Situated at the perineum and cervix in male and female body

simultaneously, Muladhara Cakra is the lowest of all Cakra s and is the
seat or dwelling place of KundalinT Sakti. Muladhara Cakra is associated
with the sense of smell and its activation results in the riddance from
tensions true happiness, beauty, perfect health, physical strength and

magnetic persona.

Swadhisthan Cakra7

Directly behind the genital organs in the spine about two fingers'
width above the Muladhar Cakra is the Swadhisthan Cakra. It is
associated with the pleasure through tongue and genital organs i.e.
food and drink and sexual interaction. Its activation results in the
rectification of the disorders of the excretion and reproduction organs.

215
Manipura Cakra8

Behind the naval in the spine is the Manipura Cakra. Activation of

Manipura Cakra speed up all the physiological processes. It makes the
mind sharp and alert, heart beat faster, respiration rate more rapid,
remove sluggishness and depression or malfunctions of the digestive
system such as diabetes and indigestion, helps in proper functioning of
gastric glands, adrenal glands above the kidneys, pancreas, gall
bladder and above all provides ambition, will and the ability to rule and
is the centre for self assertion, dynamism and dominance.

Anahat Cakra9

Situated in spine behind the sternum, level with the heart is the
Anahat Cakra, the centre of unconditional love develops the feelings of
universal brotherhood and tolerance once it has been activated and on
the physical level cures the diseases related to heart and lungs, and
circulatory and respiratory systems and is highly beneficial for the
patients of anemia, hypertension, asthma, bronchitis, tuberculosis and
palpitations.

Visuddha Cakra10
Right at the back of the neck, behind the throat pit is Visuddha
Cakra , the centre of purification proving the right understanding and
discrimination where the dualities of life are accepted, allowing one to
flow with life with joy and let things happen as they are. On physical
level, activation of Visuddha Cakra governs the local cords and then
thyroid and parathyroid glands.

Ajha Cakra11

216
 Right in the mid brain, behind the eyebrow centre is Ajha Cakra.
On activation of Ajha Cakra mind become steady and strong, wisdom,

intuition, telepathy, clairvoyance, clairaudience and full control over

prana are gained. Practitioner can even send and receive thought
transmission through Ajha Cakra.

VI.2 Concept of Siddhi

Siddhi is a Sanskrit noun that can be translated as "perfection",
"accomplishment", "attainment", or "success". In the Pancatantra, a
Siddhi may be any unusual skill, faculty, or capability. As a legal term in
the Manusmriti, it refers to the settlement of a debt.
Accomplishments may be attained through birth, the use of herbs,
incantations, self-discipline or Samadhi. The writer says;

ftar <^cl<*)liU|cc|<H<^|<Hi g t|d^u||d^|^ch)cc|<HWi?licr CR13T: I ”

Absorption state, attains one, by birth or incantation or practices

ascetic or concentration
Janma: birth Ausadhi: medicine Mantra: incantation Tapah:
observances Samadhija: arising out of trance Siddhayah: attainments12.

Perfection and illumination is attained by: 1) By birth 2) By use of

special medicines as prescribed in the texts / Vedas 3) By constant
repetition of Mantras 4) By following rigid ascetic practices and
austerities 5) By concentration. Damodar Sastri is not dogmatic. He
agrees that there are several other methods of realization.
The Bhagavat GTta broadly categories four different paths to
realization: 1. Bhaktiyoga, Devotional 2. Karmayoga, Service without
expectation 3. Jhanayoga, enquiry orientation 4. Rajayoga, the
systematic royal path of Patanjali.

217
All paths lead to divinity. All religions are equally true. All saints and
scriptures say the same thing. However, not all men are the same. They
have different modes of thinking. Some are rational, some emotional,
some logical and some are intellectual. One’s way of approach naturally
does not impress the other. Each can therefore choose his path. En
route of course, all will realize that their final destination is the same
and that there is only difference in the method of approach, but not in
the destination.

1. by birth:
Personalities like Buddha and Jesus belong to this category.
They were born with Yogic stature. They were born divine. They had
extraordinary aura and illumination about and around them. Buddha is
supposed to have knowledge about 500 of his previous births. Krsna’s
exhibition of powers as a child Krsna is household tale in India. Yoga
is Krsna’s gift to humanity. The resurrection of Jesus moved millions
and has impact amongst his millions of followers until this day.
The Buddha said that neither the repetition of scriptures, nor self-
torture, nor sleeping on the ground, nor the repetition of prayers,
penances, hymns, charms, mantras, incantations and invocations can
bring the real happiness of Nirvana. Instead the Buddha emphasized
the importance of making individual effort in order to achieve spiritual

goals.

2. By Ausadhi
Patanjali says that with certain herbs it is possible for a partial
awakening to be brought about. Through ausadhi either the awakening
of Ida or Pingala, or the awakening of Susumna takes place. The
method of Awakening through herbs is called Ausadhi and an
Awakening thus achieved, can, under the right circumstances and

218
conditions, albeit short term, replicate at least partially the level of
consciousness.
Use of psychedelic drugs is widespread over the centuries. Patanjali
acknowledges over two millenniums back that extraordinary psychic
powers can be obtained by use of special drugs made of herbs as
prescribed in the Vedas.

The danger with the drugs are they can deceive and push a
seeker into a make believe world. Getting out of the drug habit can be
extremely painful and destabilizing. Realization is attained not by
drugging but by meditating. Short cuts can be a short way to a steep
fall. Every higher experience through drug is bound to be followed by
deep depression and dejection.
Your right is to work only, but never to the fruit thereof. Be not
instrumental in making your action bear fruit, nor let your attachment be
to the action.

3. By Mantra
Since the mind wanders so much, the music of a Mantra easily
rescues the mind and brings it back to the object of one’s meditation.
Both the rhythm of it and the meaning of it combine to guide the mind
safely back to the point of meditation — the higher consciousness or the
specific spiritual focus.
Mantra is referred to as protection of the mind. A Mantra is a pure
sound vibration intended to deliver the mind from illusion and inclination
towards material objects. Chanting is a process of repeating a Mantra.
Mantra yoga meditation involves chanting a word or phrase until the
mind and emotions are transcended and the super conscious is clearly
revealed and experienced

4. by ascetic practices

219
 An ascetic is a person who renounces material comforts and
leads a life of austere self-discipline, as an act of religious devotion. He
leads a life of self-discipline and self-denial, for spiritual improvement.
Tapas is a way of asserting one’s will and break the sensual nature
which craves for comfort and indulgence. Mortification means
undergoing hardships and conditions, which make one, realize the
ultimate truth. Mortification involves reining in of senses from their
external orientation. Fasting, forgoing sleep, walking on fire and lying on
a bed of nails are different mortification practices indulged by different
groups.

Perhaps there is no society anywhere in any part of the world

where a group of people does not follow some ascetic practice or other
at some point of time in their life. But these practices, sometimes called
rituals are in no way meant to gain realization.

Austerity is essential, but should be within one’s ability to

withstand the negation. Austerity should therefore within rational limits.
One need not copy the ascetic practices.

A vast discussion of Siddhi is written below. Writer says,

i [J doy <5 aogate i ”

Main point’s are-

1. Five Siddhis of Yoga and Meditation

2. Eight Primary Siddhis
3. Nine main Siddhis
4. Ten Secondary Siddhis

Five Siddhis of Yoga and Meditation

220
In the Bhagavata Purana, the Five Siddhis of Yoga and Meditation are
described as below:
Tri-kala-jnatvam: Knowing the past, present and future;
Advandvam: Tolerance of heat, cold and other dualities;
Para citta adi abhijfiata: Knowing the minds of others and so on;
Agni arka ambu visa adrnam pratisfambhah: Checking the influence of
fire, sun, water, poison, and so on;
AparaJayah: Remaining unconquered by others;
Eight Primary Siddhis
Damodar sastff describes eight extra ordinary capacities in his book.
Performing Sanyam upon the secret truth of a relation of the gross form
and the subtle cause’s authority over the elements.

A yogi gains control over these five elements (namely earth,

water, fire, air and sky) through his body itself by performing Sanyam on
them after knowing subtle proportions in which these five great
elements that are basic to the manifestation of a gross body are
present in his own body. He then becomes competent to choose the
proportion of their coming together as his body at his free will.

Then Anima etc become conspicuous and a wealth of a body,

which has the property of not halting anywhere, is achieved. When this
competence is attained, a yogi avails of Anima; Laghima, Mahima,
Garima, Prapti, Prakamya, Vasitva, Isitva, and Yatra-Kama-Vasayitva
these eights extra ordinary capacities. His gross body then becomes
divine, he acquires authority over all the five elements, and his now
divine body is not hampered by any element since it holds the core of
their consciousness (of the five elements).So Pt. Damodar SastrT
describes briefly the Asia Siddhi in his book.For example;

3lfui3T-c#3T-3d|3T-gifeT-mc|j(33I crf§Tct-fi>Tccr qWWIcTfTT I cTW 2jeiT

sraoUT spw 3T 3#ai sifer ‘3*ta‘ ?5cr

221
cRftcf I inwlcklcick ^)3TTC<ftsft elate erf SlftcOT ‘clit|^‘ feT clcifte I

i^icpRHiferawHf iteciift ^c€i!cirfCci«iine2f *3#3if ‘oiftate tier citete i

^oHicHafete ^ejt^[e5JI|reM^u|ci fete crater doawsaf ‘grfte‘ ftte citete i

eroHI<HeHfastelc4l6c^l$rfleT: WB5tel cJT ggrTT TtecTIKR# 3£TI3? cJT gft$2l13ftceife0Rrf

^efraprte erf^rf^ ciate cTcapie^ yicjsicwifJrfcr citete i sr^sterte ^i^ajpafifejq^erf

cr#ap- srifncisrfM err wfte erf sifter giioT ftte getter I g^tei^sr m>ciH

agraflldcbMcrierte ?m ^th ^ ^ tfe teligfewii <gcm cieir mi w

sifter ejeawenf m ‘ffsictf ftrfcf citete I qtsftsaitete w vm sitBcR^ste agwlfe^ierf^

gte dcbeM^eilwRlWlicI cRltefe clc^ctjclcia^f cipsiftriftftiBiftf 3#srfte) erf Slfttf

itecitete IqsignaiRRiiftRiraceigcficrj^eei^: I

There is the concept of the Asfa Siddhi (eight Siddhis) in

Hinduism.13 these are:

Anima: reducing one's body even to the size of an atom

Mahima: expanding one's body to an infinitely large size
Garima: becoming infinitely heavy
Laghima: becoming almost weightless
Prapti: having unrestricted access to all places
Prakamya: realizing whatever one desires
Isifva: possessing absolute lordship;
Vasitva: the power to subjugate all.
Nine main Siddhis
Parkayapraves: Parkayapraves a means one’s soul entering into
the body of some other person or animal or bird. Through this
knowledge, even a dead body can be brought to life.
Hadi Vidya: This Vidya or knowledge has been mentioned in
several ancient texts. On acquiring this Vidya, a person feels neither
hunger nor thirst, and can remain without eating food or drinking water

for several days at a stretch.

222
 Kadi Vidya: Just as one does not feel hungry or thirsty in Hadi
Vidya, similarly in Kadi Vidya a person is not affected by change of
seasons, i.e. by summer, winter, rain, etc. After accomplishing this
Vidya, a person shall not feel cold even if he sits in the snow-laden
mountains, and shall not feel hot even if he sits in the fire.

Vayu Gaman Siddhi: Through this Siddhi, a person can become

capable of flying in the skies and traveling from one place to another in
just a few seconds.

Madalasa Vidya: On accomplishing this Vidya, a person becomes

capable of increasing or decreasing the size of his body according to his
wish. Lord Hanuman had miniaturized his body through this Vidya while
entering the city of Lanka.

Kanakdhara Siddhi: One can acquire immense and unlimited

wealth of knowledge and understanding through this Siddhi.
Prakya Sadhana: Through this Sadhana, a Yogi can direct his disciple
to take birth from the womb of a woman who is childless or cannot bear
children.

Suryavijhan: This solar science is one of the most significant

sciences of ancient India. This science has been known only to the
Indian Yogis; using it, one substance can be transformed into another
through the medium of sunrays.

Mrit Sanjivani: this science allow people to bring back the dead to
life

Ten Secondary Siddhis

223
In the Bhagavata Purana Lord Krsna describes the Ten Secondary
Siddhis are:
Anurmi-mattvam: Being undisturbed by hunger, thirst, and other bodily
disturbances
Dura-sravana: Hearing things far away
Dura-Darsanam: Seeing things far away
Manah-javah: Moving the body wherever thought goes (teleportation)
Kama-ROparrr. Assuming any form desired
Para-kaya pravesanam: Entering the bodies of others
Sva-chanda mrtyuh: Dying when one desires
RupaSaha kffda anuDarsanam: Witnessing and participating in the
pastimes of the Apsaras
Yatha sankalpa samsiddhih: Perfect accomplishment of one's
determination
Ajha apratihata gatih: Orders or Commands being unimpeded.
Then brief discussion of eight major Siddhis is written below.
Eight Major Siddhis
An accomplished, Purnayogi in the path of KundalinT Yoga is in
possession of eight major Siddhis, viz., Anima, Mahima, Laghima,
Garima, Prapti, Prakamya, Vasitvam and Astvam.

1. Anima: The Yogi can become as minute as he pleases.14

2. Mahima: This is the opposite of Anima. He can become as big as he

likes. He can make his body assume a very large size. He can fill up the
whole universe. He can assume a Virat Svarupa15.

3. Laghima: He can make his body as light as cotton or feather.

Vayustambhanam is done through this Siddhi. In Jalastambhanam, also
the power is exercised to a very small degree. Plavini Pranayama
renders the body light. The Yogi produces a diminution of his specific

224
gravity by swallowing large draughts of air. The Yogi travels in the sky
with the help of this Siddhi. He can travel thousands of miles in a
minute.

4. Garima: This is the opposite of Laghima. In this, the Yogi acquires an

increase of specific gravity. He can make the body as heavy as a
mountain by swallowing draughts of air.

5. Prapti: The Yogi standing on the earth can touch the highest things.
He can touch the sun, the moon, or the sky. Through this Siddhi, the
Yogi attains his desired objects and supernatural powers. He acquires
the power of predicting future events, the power of clairvoyance,
clairaudience, telepathy, thought reading, etc. He can understand the
languages of the beasts and birds. He can understand unknown
languages also. He can cure all diseases16.

6. Prakamya: He can dive into the water and can come out at any time
he likes. The late Trilinga Swami of Benares used to live for six months
underneath the Ganges. A Yogi makes him invisible sometimes by the
process. Some writers define it to be the power of entering body of
another (Parakaya Pravesa). Sri Sankara entered the body of Raja
Amaruka of Benares. Tirumular in Southern India entered the body of a
shepherd. Raja Vikramaditya also did this. It is also the power of
keeping a youth-like appearance for any length of time. Raja Yayati had
this power.17

7. Vasitvam: This is the power of taming wild Animals and bringing them
under control. It is the power of mesmerizing persons by the exercise of
will and of making them obedient to one’s own wishes and orders. It is
the restraint of passions and emotions. It is the power to bring men,
women and the elements under subjection.18

225
8. Isitvam: It is the attainment of divine power. The Yogi becomes the
Lord of the universe. The Yogi who has this power can restore life to the
dead. Kabir, Tulsidas, Akalkot Swami and others had this power of
bringing back life to the dead.19

Minor Siddhis

The Yogi acquires the following minor Siddhis also:

1. Freedom from hunger and thirst.
2. Freedom from the effects of heat and cold.
3. Freedom from Raga-Dvesa.
4. Dura Darsart, clairvoyance or dura drsti.
5. Dura sravan, clairaudience or dura sruti and dura Pravacana.
6. Mano-Jaya, control of mind.
7. Kamarupa: The Yogi can take any form he likes.
8. Parakaya Pravesa a: He can enter into another body, can
animate a dead body and enter into it by transferring his soul.
9. Icha-Mrityu\ Death at his will.
10. Rupasaha kflda and Darsana: Playing with the gods after seeing
them.
11. Yatha Sankalpa: Can get whatever he likes.
12. Trikala-Jfiana: Knowledge of past, present and future.
13. Advandva: Beyond the pairs of opposites.
14. Vak-Siddhi: Whatever the Yogi predicts will happen by the
practice of Satya, Prophecy.
15. The Yogi can turn base metal into gold.
16. Kaya-Vyuha: Taking as many bodies as the Yogi likes to exhaust
all his Karmas in one life.
17. Darduri-Siddhi: The jumping power of a frog.
18. Pataia-Siddhi: Yogi becomes Lord of desire, destroys sorrows
and diseases.
19. He gets knowledge of his past life.

226
20. He gets knowledge of the cluster of stars and planets.
21. He gets the power of perceiving the Siddhas.
22. He gets mastery of the elements (Bhuta Jaya), mastery of
Prana(Pranajaya).
23. Kamacari: He can move to any place he likes.
24. He gets omnipotence and omniscience.
25. Vayu-Siddhi: The Yogi rises in the air and leaves the ground.
26. He can point out the place where a hidden treasure lies.
A Yogi forgets the body in order to concentrate the mind on the Lord.
He conquers heat and cold by mastering breath-control and by
controlling his nervous system.
A Yogi generates psychic heat in the body through the practice of
Bhastrika Pranayama.
He can bear extremes of climates without discomfort.
He sits on the snow and melts it by the warmth generated in his body.

A Yogi covers his body with a sheet dipped in very cold water and dries
it by the Yoga heat given off from his body. A few adepts have dried as
many as thirty sheets in a single night.
A perfect Yogi cremates his body in the end by the Yogic heat
generated by his power of Yoga.
By the process of HathaYoga, the Yogi attains perfect physical
body— Rupalavanya Bala Vajrasam-hanana Kaya Sampat.20 “The

perfection of the body consists in beauty, grace, strength and

adamantine hardness.” The power to bear extreme cold and heat
(Titiksa), the power to live without water and food and other powers
come under the category of KayS Sampat (perfection of body).
Since the body of the Hatha Yogi is perfect and firm, his mind
also is firm and one-pointed. By the practices of Dharatja and Dhyana,
he reaches the highest rung in the Yogic ladder and attains Immortality
through Yogic Samadhi. The Yogi, who has reached the highest stage,
will have the 8 major and all the minor Siddhis.

227
 Attainment of powers depends upon the amount of concentration
at different Cakra s and Tattvas and awakening of Kundalinl The
practice of Mudrass, Bandhas, Asanas and Pranayamas will also help
a lot in acquiring Siddhis.
The Siddhis that are obtained by the practice of Mudrass can be
obtained by the practice of Bandhas, Asanas, Pranayamas and by the

concentration on different Cakras. That depends upon the

temperament and capacity of the aspirants. One can obtain the desired
goal by one exercise and others by different methods. Therefore, if one
is not able to get success by a particular exercise, he will have to have
recourse to other exercises.

VI.3 Three Gunas a

All material nature is made up the interplay of three energies or

"Gunas”21 Part of the work of yoga is to go beyond the limitation of

seeing life as forms and concepts, and to see the underlying qualities of
things.

The Gunas are a great map for navigating our way through life.
When we can recognize which of these energies is at play in our life, it
makes it so much easier to bring about a state of balance.

In the philosophy of Yoga, all matter in the universe arises from

the fundamental substrate called Prakrti. From this ethereal Prakrti the
three primary Gunas (qualities) emerge creating the essential aspects
of all nature—energy, matter and consciousness. These three Guoas
are Tamas (darkness), Rajas (activity), and sattva (purity).The
author says,

228
“^cbcld^yi ^0|cxJ<Ad I Bl^ui^chkoclld i 3m 4 feftatel^cT: i 'tBchdsioillfui

All three Gunas are always present in all beings and objects
surrounding us but vary in their relative amounts. We humans have the
unique ability to consciously alter the levels of the Gunas in our bodies
and minds. The Gunas cannot be separated or removed in oneself, but
can be consciously acted upon to encourage their increase or decrease.
A Guna can be increased or decreased through the interaction and
influence of external objects, lifestyle practices and thoughts.The author
says,
“RlTl tHOci-^faT-xidc*ll^IiiEJIciTHSI^cii clMdski^q

^®5:xWiRcbdj(fiiicj<iiici cicf ^riiciicbiR wterensicp snfer i

tjot Ucr RicT a^d-ciri, Rra^ci cir i Ri-d^ci sts^JTci^ cjs^sRr RirT-

wqi tew ^IcRET 3fcf I cl^f g5T: Sf fcT^cT I

RixiIoHoil ^ejcodQisJcd§|j^ uiiiithQ cir f3T?f -acpci

^Cd|CDWCpTi«IMxll$t§(WWJ CjlcLMdSlMWtHl yeHIOHClOd 5tl4 I

ci<i^<HdiRl^iRi^xil ciraditeckti efi i ”

Tamas is a state of darkness, inertia, inactivity and materiality.

Tamas manifests from ignorance and deludes all beings from their
spiritual truths. To reduce Tamas avoid Tamasic foods, over sleeping,
over eating, inactivity, passivity and fearful situations. Tamasic foods
include heavy meats, and foods that are spoiled, chemically treated,
processed or refined.

Rajas are a state of energy, action, change and movement. The

nature of Rajas is of attraction, longing and attachment and Rajas
strongly binds us to the fruits of our work. To reduce Rajas avoid
Rajasic foods, over exercising, over work, loud music, excessive

229
thinking and consuming excessive material goods. Rajasic foods
include fried foods, spicy foods, and stimulants.

Sattva is a state of harmony, balance, joy and intelligence. Sattva

is the Guna that yogi/nis achive towards as it reduces Rajas and
Tamas and thus makes liberation possible. To increase sattva reduce
both Raja and Tamas, eat sattvic foods and enjoy activities and
environments that produce joy and positive thoughts. Sattvic foods
include whole grains, legumes, fresh fruits, and vegetables that grow
above the ground. All of the yogic practices were developed to create
sattva in the mind and body. Thus, practicing yoga and leading a yogic
lifestyle strongly cultivates sattva.

All Gunas create attachment and thus bind one’s self to the ego.
“When one rises above the three Gunas that originate in the body; one
is freed from birth, old age, disease, and death; and attains
enlightenment”22. While the yogi/nis goal is to cultivate sattva , his/her
ultimate goal is to transcend their misidentification of the self with the
Gunas and to be unattached to both the good and the bad, the positive
and negative qualities of all life.

Understanding the ancient Vedic (Indian) view of the world and

how it works is important in understanding yoga philosophy and what
the various practices of yoga are trying to accomplish. From the Vedic
perspective, all of material nature (Prakrit) is thought to be made up of
three primary qualities or “gunas.” These three gupas make up the
essential aspects of all nature—energy, matter and consciousness.
The three Gunas23 all manifest together, and the result is the
appearance of a single object, rather than seeing the parts, which make
up the whole. Only the composite is seen, not the components.

230
 Pure consciousness or Purusa24 witnesses all the subconscious

impressions (which are all constructed from these three Gunas). In

these extremely subtle experiences or realizations, one comes to see
that there is very little to know, and gradually the three Gutjas recede
back into the Prakrti from which they arose, along with the realization of
liberation or Kaivalya.

Whether these ever-present characteristics or forms are manifest

or subtle, they are composed of the primary elements called the three
Gunas.

When there is perfect equilibrium between the three Guijas, there

is no manifestation of the universe. It is only when there are fluctuations
or modifications (vikaras or vikrtis) among them that there begins to be
manifestation.
The principle of the three Gunas operates at all levels. For example,
one might eat sattvic (light) food, Rajasic (spicy) food, or tamasic
(heavy) food, which will lead to an sattvic (clear) state of mind, a Rajasic
(restless) state of mind, or a tamasic (lethargic) state of mind.

Because of the veiling process of ignorance or Avidya 25, we do

not usually see things as they are. We see only the composite, which is
a combination of the underlying parts, like the photo metaphor above.
This principle was also described in relation to gross thoughts and how
impressions, words, and meaning combined to form the appearance of
a whole 26. At both that grosser level and the subtlest level, the core

process is the same, and that is discrimination. We separate this from

that so that the underlying truth or reality can be seen. Ultimately
comes the discrimination between the seer and all forms of seen
objects.

231
The subconscious impressions are made of the three Gupas of Prakrti,
and are all witnessed by pure consciousness or Purusa 27. In these

extremely subtle experiences or realizations, one comes to see that

there is very little to know, and gradually the three Gupas recede back
into the Prakrti from which they arose, along with the realization of
liberation or Kaivalya 28.

The characteristics of an object appear as a single unit, as they

manifested uniformly from the underlying elements.

The three Gupas 29 all manifest together, and the result is the

appearance of a single object, rather than seeing the parts, which make
up the whole. Only the composite is seen, not the three components.
The term Gupa means what binds the soul as the forces of nature easily
become powers of attachment to the external world of time and space
and draw us away from resting in our deeper eternal nature of the
Purusa.
Each of the three Gupas called Sattva, Rajas and Tamas has
its particular qualities and roles in the cosmic order:

Sattva, which means the quality of truth or being, is identified with

light, mind, consciousness, goodness, virtue, harmony and balance.
Rajas, which means turbulence and agitation, is identified with energy,
life, emotion, manifestation, assertion, disequilibrium and change.
Tamas, which refers to darkness, is identified with matter, inertia, the
unconscious, dullness, resistance, entropy and stability.
All three qualities have their necessary place in the world of nature
starting with the three great cosmic forces of light (sattva), energy
(Rajas) and matter (Tamas).

232
 All three qualities also have their place in our own human nature
as body (Tamas), vitality (Rajas ) and mind (sattva ), which make the
three levels of our functioning. The body is the material component of
our being, the mind our inner light, and our vital energy or life force
(prana in Sanskrit) the energy between the two. These three forces are
not separate but rooted in each other and mixed. Body, life force and
mind are part of a single continuum and constantly influencing one
another.

Yoga introduces another important aspect of this science of the

gunas. The mind itself is the natural domain of sattva, requiring light,
harmony, balance and clarity for its proper function. This means that
when we take the standpoint of the field of the mind, then Tamas and
Rajas, or the influences of the body and vital energy, can become
factors of disturbance, with the bodily influences having the capacity to
dull the mind, and the vital energy having the ability to disturb it. Rajas
and Tamas become ‘dosas’ or factors of disease at a psychological
and spiritual level. Rajas and Tamas allow factors of agitation and
dullness, or wrong imagination and wrong judgment that cloud how our
intelligence works. This in turn leads to the main difficulties, maladies
and pain that life can bring us, as well as preventing us from gaining
the wisdom (sattva) to handle these.
For this reason, yogic thought always emphasizes the
development of sattva guna as its primary principle of inner growth and
development. Yoga urges us to resort to those types of foods,
impressions, ideas, expressions and associations that promote sattva
Guna and avoid those that promote Rajas and Tamas. The prime
principle of spiritual development through Yoga and Ayurvedic medicine
and the proper understanding of Karma in Vedic astrology is this
science of the three Gunas and the need to promote sattva Guna as the
prime value for the human mind and soul.

233
 The three Gurias provide us a wonderful and practical system for
both classifying our activities and learning to promote those actions that
lead us to higher awareness. Its emphasis on sattva Guna is the basis
of the yogic recommendation of a vegetarian diet, for example, and on
Ahirhsa or non-violence as a prime behavioral principle. Indeed non­
violence is the foundation of sattvic living and thinking, meaning that
we should not wish harm to others in any way not just to avoid violence
but also to foster peace and light within ourselves.

Yoga provides a system of values, exercises, emotional states,

mental conditions, and practices of Mantra, Pranayama and meditation
according to the 3 Gunas. Even Yoga Asanas are designed to promote
sattva Guoa or the quality of peace and stillness at a physical level.

Finally, there are the tri-Guna, or "three strands"—forces that compose

the substance of the material world.

VI.4 Difference between Purusa and Prakrti30

Separation is not a term that is ordinarily used with reference to

Purusa and Prakrti. It could mean a couple of things depending on the
context in which it is used.

In one sense, it could refer to the eternal distinction between spirit

and matter, or the self and the phenomenal world. This is a position that
is opposed to the Vedanta view that the only true reality is Brahman or
spirit, that the phenomenal world is illusory, and that the material world
is a manifestation of Brahman. Samkhya teaches that both Purusa and

234
Prakrti are equally real, and that the phenomenal world originates in
Prakrti, not Purusa.

In another sense, separation could refer to liberation of Prakrti

from Purusa.The world we all experience is the result of the union of
Purusa and Prakrti, which is known as bondage. In other words, the
soul or self is bound to material existence. Separation could refer to the
breaking of the bonds that tie Prakrti and Purusa together. According
to Sarhkhya, once the Purusa realizes its true nature, the purpose of its
existence in material nature has been fulfilled and dance of Prakrti ends
for that individual. This is known as Moksa, kaivalya, or liberation.
It is often said that, like classical Sartikhya, Patanjali yoga is a dualistic
system, understood in terms of Purusa and Prakrti.

Patanjali philosophy is not based upon mere theoretical or

speculative knowledge. It elicits a practical, pragmatic,
experiential/perceptual approach that Patanjali deems essential in
order to deal effectively with our total human situation and provide real
freedom, not just a theory of liberation or a metaphysical explanation of
life. Yoga is not content with knowledge (,Jhana} perceived as a state
that abstracts away from the world removing us from our human
embodiment and activity in the world. Rather, yoga emphasizes
knowledge in the integrity of being and action and as serving the
integration of the “person” as a “whole.” yoga is not a ‘system’ of belief
or of metaphysics. It is always a way, a method of getting something,
usually salvation.” But this does not say enough, does not fully take into
account what might be called the integrity of Patanjali yoga. Yoga
derives its real strength and value through an integration of theory and
practice.

In Patafijali’s yogasutra, yoga is defined as “the cessation

(nirodha) of [the misidentification with] the modifications (vrtti) of the

235
mind (citta).”7 nirodha denotes an epistemological emphasis and refers
to the transformation of self-understanding brought about through the
purification and illumination of consciousness; nirodha is not (for the
yogin) the ontological cessation of prakrti (i.e. the mind and vrttis)
Seen here, nirodha thus is not, as is often explained, an inward
movement that annihilates or suppresses vrttis, thoughts, intentions, or
ideas (pratyaya), nor is it the non-existence or absence of vrttr, rather,
nirodha involves a progressive unfoldment of perception (yogi-
pratyak§a) that eventually reveals our true identity as purusa. It is the
state of affliction (klesa) evidenced in the mind and not the mind itself
that is at issue, cittavrtti does not stand for all modifications or mental
processes (cognitive, affective, emotive), but is the very seed (bJja)
mechanism of the misidentification with prakrti from which all other
vrttis and thoughts arise and are (mis)appropriated or self-referenced in
the state of ignorance (avidya), that is, the unenlightened state of
mind. Spiritual ignorance gives rise to a malfunctioning or misalignment
of vrtti within consciousness that in yoga can be corrected thereby
allowing for a proper alignment or “right” functioning of vrtti. It is the
cittavrtti as our confused and mistaken identity, not our vrttis, thoughts,
and experiences in total that must be brought to a state of definitive
cessation. To be sure, there is a temporary suspension of all the mental
processes as well as any identification with an object (i.e. in
asamprajnata-samSdhi, this being for the final purification of the mind),
but it would be misleading to conclude that higher samadhi results in a
permanent or definitive cessation of the vrttis in total, thereby
predisposing the yogin who has attained purity of mind to exist in an
incapacitated, isolated, or mindless state and therefore to be incapable
of living a balanced, useful, and productive life in various ways.

Patahjali describes Prakrti, (including our personhood) in the

context of the various afflictions that give rise to an afflicted and

236
mistaken identity of self. Afflicted identity is constructed out of and held
captive by the root affliction of ignorance (.Avidya) and its various forms
of karmic bondage. Despite the clear association of Prakrti with the
bondage of ignorance (Avidya), there are no real grounds for purporting
that Prakrti herself is to be equated with or subsumed under the
afflictions. In yoga, the world is clearly affirmed; Prakrti is deemed real
31 ■a" forms of Prakrti being comprised of the three gunas: sattva, Rajas,

and tamas. To equate Prakrti with affliction it implies that as a product

of spiritual ignorance, Prakrti, along with the afflictions, is conceived as
a reality that the yogin should ultimately abandon, condemn, avoid, or
discard completely. Patafijali leaves much room for understanding
“dissolution" or “return to the source” with an epistemological emphasis
thereby allowing the whole system of the Yoga Darsan to be interpreted
along lines that are more open-ended. In other words, what actually
“dissolves” or is ended in yoga is the yogin’s, misidentification with
Prakrti, a mistaken identity of self that contrary to authentic identity,
namely, Purusa can be nothing more than a product of the three gunas
under the influence of spiritual ignorance. Understood as such,
pratiprasava need not denote the definitive ontological dissolution of
manifesting Prakrti for the yogin, but rather refers to the process of
purification of consciousness so necessary for the uprooting of
misidentification the incorrect worldview born of Avidya or incapacity of
the yogin to “see” from the yogic perspective of the seer (drsti), our
authentic identity as Purusa.

Not being content with mere theoretical knowledge, yoga is

committed to a practical way of life. Patafijali included in his
presentation of yoga an outline of the “eight-limbed” path (Astahgayoga)
dealing with the physical, moral, psychological, and spiritual dimensions
of the yogin, an integral path that emphasizes organic continuity,

237
balance, and integration in contrast to the discontinuity, imbalance, and
disintegration inherent in samyoga .

Manifestatation of pure consciousness: The process of Self-

realization is one of attention reversing the process of manifestation, of
retracing consciousness back through the levels of manifestation to its
source. To have a general understanding of this process is extremely
useful, if not essential in the practice of Yoga.

prdkrftl and its Evolutes

Purusha Prakrit! (unmanifest, primordial ■‘matter*)
(consciousness)

li ahat or Buddhi (first principle of rndrvicfua don,

J intelligence. discrimination

Ahamftara (ego, allowing of self identity)

(illumined, I (saitvie) (famasic) (stable, solid)

/ (rajasic)
(impelling)'
-X
Mind S Subtle Elements
(tan malms)
5 Cognitive SAetive
Senses Instruments
(jnanendriyas) (karmendriyas) 5 gross Elements
(hearing, touching, (peaking, holding, (thetas)
seeing, tasting, moving, procreating, (earth, water, Are,
sowing) eliminating) air, space)

Sarhkhya philosophy views anything that is subject to change,

death, decay or decomposition as being "unreal" rather than "real." This
does not mean that the objects are not there in front of you. Rather,
they are not ultimately "real" in that their form keeps morphing from
this to that to the other. What is considered "real" is that final
substratum which never changes, cannot die, and cannot possibly
decay or decompose. It is the direct experience of that "absolute
reality" which is being sought.

238
Ornaments can be said to evolve out of metal. Pots can be said to
evolve out of clay. Our world is filled with objects. Objects are made of
compounds. Compounds are made of molecules. Molecules are made
of atoms. Atoms are made of particles. Particles are made of a subtler
substratum. While one evolves out of the other, all of these levels of
reality coexist and interact with one another.

We are multi-leveled beings, with the next level emerging out of the
previous, while those levels still coexist and interact with one another.
While the human is made of physical material, we are also constructed
of subtler levels of reality, which are products of the unmanifest,
primordial essence called Prakrti.

We are all familiar with the process by which our quiet mind has a
memory arise, which triggers emotions, causing chains of thoughts to
emerge from that , and to then further emerge into actions and speech.
Each of these is a process of one level of functioning emerging or
evolving out of the previous, while each of those levels still exists on its
own.

In this way, the actions and speech (which emerged from mind)
still coexist with the whole of the conscious mind, as well as with the
whole domain of the unconscious mind, and also with the still, silent
center of pure consciousness (whatever we might call this
consciousness, or however we might individually perceive it). All of
these coexist, while one leads to the next, with the grosser emerging
from the subtler. So it is with all the levels of Prakrti.

Evolutes of Prakrti:

Similarly, our whole being, in the spiritual sense, is multi-leveled,

with the next stage emerging or evolving from the previous. This is the
subject of Prakrti, which can be loosely described as unmanifest,

239
primordial matter (which is subtler than the gross realm of quantum
physics). This Prakrti ("matter") is infused with pure consciousness,
which is called Purusa. Here, however, we are not just talking about the
evolutes of chains of thought and emotions, but also the evolutes of the
instruments by which we think and emote. This is taking us to the core
of our being.

Experiencing consciousness alone:

Yoga has been described as a process of realizing the direct

experience of consciousness (Purusa) as independent of all levels of
false identity (manifestations of Prakrti). These false identities are all
seen as evolutes of the primordial stuff or matter (Prakrti) from which
they emerge. Purusa (consciousness) is actually at all times
independent of the interplay, but has become falsely identified with all of
this.

The reason this is important is that the process of enlightenment

(or awakening) is one of reversing the process, of tracing our way back
through the stages of evolutes. The chart above shows the evolutes,
and the chart below shows the journey of tracing our way back to
consciousness alone, which is the meditation process of systematically
withdrawing consciousness from the evolutes.

Three Gunas and 24 Tattvas

According to Sarhkhya, there are an infinite number of Purusas -

each of which is existent, eternal, and sentient. When Purusa meets
Prakrti, Purusa throws its reflection on Prakrti, and the power of Purusa
(Maya) infuses Prakrti, disturbing the equilibrium of its three gunas.

The three gunas (elements) of Prakrti, when agitated by Maya,

which is the power of Purusa, enter into different permutations and

240
combinations - making the unmanifest Prakrti undergo an evolution
into different manifest forms. In this process, Purusa remains an
unattached viewer of these changes, while Prakrti becomes the
insentient doer and enjoyer of the changes. Sattva, Raja s, and Tamas
Gunas (or qualities) give rise to the creations, which are called the 24
Tattvas (categories of existence).

These are:

Sattva Gives Rise To:

Buddhi - intelligence, discrimination, analysis

Ahamkara = the ego

Manas - the mind or the mental functions, builds perceptions, images,

concepts

Citta = the unconscious, memory bank

Rajas Gives Rise to Five Sense Organs (Jnanendriyas):

The ears and hearing

The skin and feeling

The eyes and seeing

The tongue and tasting

The nose and smelling

-And -

The Five Action Organs (Karmendriyas):

The mouth and speaking

241
The hands and handling

The bowels and excretion

The genitals and sexual activity

The feet and movement of the body

Tamas Gives Rise To Five Subtle Elements {Tanmatras):

Energy of vibration or sound (Sabda)

Energy of impact or touch (Sparsa)

Energy of light and form or form (Rupa)

Energy of viscous attraction or taste (Rasa)

Energy of cohesive attraction or smell (Gandha)

-And-

The Five Gross Elements (Bhutas) Ether, Air, Fire, Water, Earth.So in
his Yogatattvavaridhi the writer says ,

“ poiiRswifty i I gic^-mf&r-wn^i^enct I

cltciicbi^ifta^tcidiuiiccbuTi^dj^y, ■gi'^ptEWRg^JirieiPifei'iiw,

T^lcilQlfeldTcI^Oi^ I

ragr i cr% araat pslfetsair

^rafej^cTOTcraT, cJ53#Ss$: 2TF W cP3^52J?cR)qcRlT

c^srafcteifeHiFiT g^ricbcM<*>^OT(oHcbccr, srftcrasif^qfe^apIlicrEif^: ^ w

dW^lfert, ^cbcllcly'iicbcgcbc^o) W ^icbcMloHcUccl^C»iJqEk^ 1 ”

242
 The Gunas are the objects. Purusa is the witness-subject. Prakrti
evolves under the influence of Purusa. When Purusa activates Prakrti,
the first thing to emerge in this process of evolution of Prakrti, is Mahat
(the great principle). From the Mahat, evolves Buddhi and Manas.

Buddhi is the principle of intelligence or the discriminating

awareness, and Manas is the mind, which consists of pure
consciousness. From Buddhi, evolves ahmkara (the feeling of
individuality and separation) and the five Tanmatras. The rest of the
principles arise from mind, which are the five senses, the five organs of
actions, and the five gross elements. These are the 24 evolutes and
together with the Purusa (individual soul), who joins with Prakrti to
initiate this process - the number becomes 25. In this process of
evolution, the individual-self (jFvatma) is bonded to the manifest world by
ignorance (Avidya). For this reason alone, our way of looking at things,
such as our bodies, our senses, and our habits are all different.
Observation can only occur when the Purusa has the energy and the
inclination to go out within and come back with impressions of the outer
world.

According to the Yoga Vasisiha, people who are of a satvic

nature, and whose activities are mainly based on satva, will tend to
seek answers regarding the origin and truth of material life. With proper
support, they are likely to reach liberation. Raja s is associated with
concepts of energy, activity, ambition, and passion; so that, depending
on how it is used, it can either have a supportive or hindering effect on

the evolution of the soul.

Tamas is commonly associated with inertia, darkness, and

insensitivity. Souls, who are more famasic, are considered imbued in
darkness and take the longest to reach liberation. Prakrti is closely
associated with the concept of Maya within Vedic scripture.

243
 According to Samkhya , the mind plays a significant role in the
process of the evolution of Prakrti. For that, there are many paths of
Yoga for attaining clarity of mind. Patanjali’s Astahga Yoga acts as an
instrument for attaining clarity of mind. Patanjali begins the Sadhana
pada, of the Yoga Sutras with a discussion on the five great obstacles
{Klesas) to the practice of Yoga; namely, Avidya (ignorance), Asmita
(egoism), Raga (attachment), dvesa (anger), and abhinivesa (will to
live).

A Yogi has to eliminate these obstacles for the success of his

practice of Yoga. This is done step-by-step, by putting restraints on his
social behavior - through Yamas, and his personal inner behavior -
through Niyamas ,and by regulating the activities of his gross and subtle
bodies through the practice of Asanas, Pranayama, and Pratyahara, in
the light of the Vedic concepts of human physiology, psychology, and
cosmology.

If real clarity of mind is present, we experience quietness and

peace within us. We will be able to recognize our duhkha, or suffering,
that arises out of the incorrect understanding of Avidya; and we must
know that we can avoid it. This is the real awareness and freedom
from all bondage.

Retracing Prakrti Evolutes through Meditation

Recognizing the major role of the mind in the process of

evolution, Patanjali makes use of mind and its activities for the counter
movement of involution in the process of meditation. The attention of
the mind is systematically used to encounter, examine, and to
transcend every level of the manifestation of reality for moving inward to
the core of being, which is pure consciousness. Meditation starts with
the concentration of the mind on the external world and with the

244
awareness of the gross objects composed of five elements: space, air,
fire, water, and earth.

The mind then proceeds to explore the cognitive senses

(Jnanendriyas), active senses (Karmendriyas), and then to mind
(Manas) itself, which is the source of the other 15 evolutes through the
process of withdrawal (Pratyahara). The process reaches the last stage
when ego (Ahamkara), which is an agent of attachment and aversion,
and which provides the individual with false identities, is encountered.
When the Yogi transcends this l-ness (Ahamkara), he transcends all
levels of attachment and false identities and reaches the stage of
Intelligence (Budhi).

Finally Purusa, pure consciousness, rests in itself, alone,

separate from all evolutes of Prakrti. The seeker on the path of self-
realization seeks even a minute or a moment of this highest glimpse of
realization, after which he or she continues to purify the remaining
Samskaras and karmas.So Damodar sastrl says,

-%ciceieii9?t aiteicnajt st arafcr sns^aficF ncisifeMifUcbRict I ^eif§<wf>aTcjsra

sr tb-qceidiaitsft tg 3#^cf cttezCT i ”

Patanjali initiated his teaching concerning praxis by calling

attention to the three chief elements in the discipline of yoga: Tapas,
austerity, self-restraint and eventually self-mastery: svadhyaya, self-
study, self-examination, including calm contemplation of Purusa, the
Supreme Self; and Isvara pranidhana , self-surrender to the Lord, the
omnipresent divine spirit within the secret heart. The threefold practice
or Sadhana can remove the Klesas or afflictions which imprison Purusa
and thus facilitate Samadhi or meditative absorption. This arduous
alchemical effort was summed up succinctly by Sankaracarya: "Right

vision (samyagdarshana) is the means to transcendental aloneness

245
(kaivalya).Yoga practice, being the means to right vision, comes before
it. Ignorance is destroyed when directly confronted by right vision." The
Klesas, though varied in their myriad manifestations, are essentially
five: Avidya, ignorance; AsmitS, egoism; Raga, attachment; dvesa,
aversion; and abhinivesha, tenacious clinging to mundane existence.
Ignorance, however, is the broad field in which all the other Klesas
arise, because they are no more than distinct specializations of
ignorance.

Ignorance is a fundamental inverted confusion, which mistakes

Prakrti for Purusa, the false for the true, the impure for the pure, and
the painful for the pleasurable a persisting malaise which might have
been difficult to comprehend in the past but which is now a familiar
condition in contemporary psychology. Springing from fundamental
ignorance, egoism (,Asmita) confuses the potency of the Seer (Purusa)
with the power of sight (Buddhi). Attachment (Raga) is the pursuit of
what is mistaken to be pleasurable, whilst aversion (dvesa) flees from
what is believed to be painful. These two constitute the primary pair of
opposites on the psychological level in the field of ignorance, and all
other pairs of opposites are derived from them. Clinging to phenomenal
existence (abhinivesha) is the logical outcome of the operation of
ignorance, and once aroused is self-sustaining through the inertia of
habit, so that countervailing measures are needed to eradicate it,
together with the other Kleias.

Through ignorance (Avidya) there is an obscuration of the cosmic

Self (Purusa), a fundamental misidentification of what is real, a
persistent misconception which carries its own distinct logic within the
complex dialectic of Mays:

Since the Klesas are engendered by a persistent error, at root

mistaking Prakrti for Purusa, or attributing the essential characteristics

246
of Purusa to one or another aspect of Prakrti, they can be eliminated
only by a radical reversal of the downward tendency of alienation and
retreat from truth.

All Karma brings discord and distress, including the insistent

pains of loss and gain, growth and decay. Karma means Parinama,
change, and this invariably induces the longing to recover what is
receding, to enhance what is emerging, or to sustain a static balance
where nothing can endure. To be drawn to some objects and conditions
and to be disinclined towards others is indeed to foster tapa, anxious
brooding over what might be lost or what one might be forced to
encounter. All experiences leave residual impressions, Samskaras,
which agitate the mind and stimu/ate desires to have or to avoid
possible future experiences. In general, the gupas or root qualities of
Prakrti -sattva , Rajas and tamas: luminosity, action and inertia; purity,
restlessness and languor; or harmony, volatility and fixity persist in
ceaselessly shifting permutations which continually modify the
uncontrolled mind. For these reasons, Patanjali taught, all life without
spiritual freedom is fraught with sorrow. Through yoga, it is not possible
to avoid consequences already set in motion, but it is feasible to destroy
the Klesas and thereby remove the causal chain of suffering.

Metaphysically, Buddhi, intuitive intellect, is closer to Purusa than

any other aspect of Prakrti. Nonetheless, Buddhi is still what Purusa,
the Perceiver, sees and it is through confounding the Perceiver with
what is perceived at the super-sensuous level that suffering arises.
Prakrti, consisting of the gupas, is the entire field, enclosing the
objective world and the organs of sensation. It exists solely for the sake
of the soul's education and emancipation. The Yogabhashya teaches
that identification of the Perceiver with the seen constitutes
experience, "whilst realizing the true nature of Purusa is emancipation".
In the realm of Prakrti, wherein the Perceiver is captive to the ever-

247
changing panorama of Nature, the guqas, which may be construed as
the properties of perceptible objects but which are really propensities
from the standpoint of psycho-mental faculties, act at every level of
conscious awareness.

Kaivalya, Patanjali held that "the very essence of the visible is

that it exists for the sake of the Seer, the Self alone" 32.The world does

not vanish for all others when a man of meditation attains kaivalya; they
remain in confusion until they also attain the same utterly transcendent
state of awareness. Here Yoga philosophy exhausts its conceptual and
descriptive vocabulary. Whether one asserts that there is an indefinite
number of Purusas, each capable of attaining kaivalya, or one states
that Purusa attains Kaivalya in this instance but not that , is a matter
of indifference, for one perforce invokes enumeration, time and space
terms properly applying to Prakrti alone to characterize a wholly
transcendent reality. The pervasive existential fact is that Prakrti
persists so long as there are beings trapped through ignorance, and the
vital psychological truth is that no being who attains the transcendent
reality of unqualified, pure Purusa can do so vicariously for another.
Through their hard-won wisdom and compassion, emancipated seers
and sages can point the way with unerring accuracy. They know how to
make their magnanimous guidance most effective for every human
being, but each seeker must make the ascent unaided.

If the cosmos as considered in contemporary physics resolved

itself into a condition of undisturbed entropy, or if, in the language of
Samkhya , the gunas achieved total and enduring equilibrium, Nature
(Prakrti) would cease to exist, since there would be nothing to be
perceived. Ignorance and its inseparable concomitant, suffering, arise
from a broken symmetry in Nature. In contemporary thought there is no
adequate explanation for the origin of that 'cosmic disaster', for the
emergence of sentience is said to occur within the broken symmetry. If

248
the scientific community were trained to use the language of Samkhya
and Yoga philosophy, it would have to speak of the origin of Purusa,
consciousness, within the evolutionary permutations and convolutions
of Prakrti. For Patafijali, Prakrti must necessarily exist, for it is through
experience conjunction with Prakrti that Purusa knows itself as it is.
But when Purusa wrongly apprehends Prakrti, as it must until it knows
itself truly as it is, ignorance and all the entangling Kiesas arise. When
Purusa attains kaivalya, emancipation, it sees without error, and this is
gained through experience in self-correction and self-mastery. From the
highest standpoint, this means that Purusa preserves its freedom and
intrinsic purity by avoiding mistaken assumptions and false conclusions.
From the standpoint of any individual involved in Prakrti, unbroken
discriminative cognition (Vivekakhyati) is the sole means to
emancipation, for it releases the abiding sense of reality (Purusa) in
him. The dual process of removing the Kiesas and reflecting on the Self
(Purusa) assures the progressive and climactic attainment of
emancipation (kaivalya) such that ignorance does not arise again.

VI.5 Existence of the Purusa and Prakrti

Purusa is the soul, the Self, pure consciousness, and the only
source of consciousness. The word literally means "man." Prakrti is
that which is created. It is nature in all her aspects. Prakrti literally
means "creature," the female creative energy.
Saiiikhya philosophy holds that there are countless individual Purusas,
each one infinite, eternal, omniscient, unchanging, and unchangeable.
Since Purusa is pure consciousness, it follows that Prakrti is
unconscious. Prakrti is everything that is changing. Prakrti is not just
the physical aspects of the universe that we can sense; it is our very
senses themselves - our thoughts, memories, desires, and even our

249
intelligence. Prakrti is everything that is that isn't conscious.
Consciousness resides only in Purusa, or more properly, as Purusa.
Purusa1, pure and distant, is beyond subject and object. One cannot

understand Purusa, for that would make it an object. Purusa cannot

know or understand anything either, for that would make Purusa a
subject. Purusa simply just is. However, because of the presence of
Prakrti, Purusa gets attracted to nature in the way a man is attracted
when he watches a beautiful woman dancing. He cannot help but try to
get closer. Then the disaster occurs: Purusa becomes trapped inside
Prakrti. Soon Purusa forgets that it was ever separate and ceases to
struggle to regain its freedom.
Purusa is often likened to the sun, while Prakrti is a flower attracted to
and following the sun’s presence.

Sarhkhya maintains an intermingled duality between

spirit/consciousness (Purusa) and matter {Prakrti).

Purusa

Purusa is the Transcendental Self or Pure Consciousness. It is

absolute, independent, free, imperceptible, and unknowable, above any
experience and beyond any words or explanation. It remains pure, "non
attributive consciousness”. Purusa is neither produced nor does it
produce. Unlike Advaita Vedanta and like PQrava MTmamsa, Sarhkhya

believes in plurality of the Purusas.

Prakrti
Prakrti is the first cause of the universe—of everything except the
Purusa, which is uncaused, and accounts for whatever is physical, both
matter and force. Since it is the first principle (Tattva) of the universe, it
is called the Pradhana, but, as it is the unconscious and unintelligent

250
principle, it is also called the Jada. It is composed of three essential
characteristics (trigunas). These are:

• sattva - fineness, lightness, illumination, and joy;

• Rajas - activity, excitation, and pain;
• tamas - coarseness, heaviness, obstruction, and sloth.

All physical events are considered to be manifestations of the

evolution of Prakrti, or primal nature (from which all physical bodies are
derived). Each sentient being is a Purusa, and is limitless and
unrestricted by its physical body. Samsara or bondage arises when the
Purusa does not have the discriminate knowledge and so is misled as
to its own identity, confusing itself with the physical body, which are
actually evolutes of Prakrti■ The spirit is liberated when the discriminate
knowledge of the difference between conscious Purusa and
unconscious Prakrti is realized.
Nature of Duality

The Samkhya recognizes only two ultimate entities, Prakrti and

Purusa. While the Prakrti is a single entity, the Sarhkhya admits a
plurality of the Purusas33. Unintelligent, unmanifest, uncaused, ever-

active, imperceptible and eternal Prakrti is alone the final source of the
world of objects which is implicitly and potentially contained in its
bosom. The Purusa is considered as the intelligent principle, a passive
enjoyer (bhokta) and the Prakrti is the enjoyed (bhogya). Samkhya
believes that the Purusa cannot be regarded as the source of
inanimate world, because an intelligent principle cannot transform itself
into the unintelligent world. It is a pluralistic spiritualism, atheistic
realism and uncompromising dualism.

251
Theory of Existence

The Samkhya system is based on Satkaryavada. According to

Satkaryavada, the effect pre-exists in the cause. Cause and effect are
seen as different temporal aspects of the same thing - the effect lies
latent in the cause which in turn seeds the next effect.
More specifically, Sarhkhya system follows the Prakrti -Parinama Vada.
Parinama denotes that the effect is a real transformation of the cause.
The cause under consideration here is Prakrti or more precisely Mula-
Prakrti (Primordial Matter). The Sarhkhya system is therefore an
exponent of an evolutionary theory of matter beginning with primordial
matter. In evolution, Prakrti is transformed and differentiated into
multiplicity of objects. Evolution is followed by dissolution. In dissolution
the physical existence, all the worldly objects mingle back into Prakrti,
which now remains as the undifferentiated, primordial substance. This is
how the cycles of evolution and dissolution follow each other.

The twenty-four principles

Samkhya theorizes that Prakrti is the source of the world of

becoming. It is pure potentiality that evolves itself successively into
twenty four Tattvas or principles. The evolution itself is possible
because Prakrti is always in a state of tension among its constituent

strands -
Sattva - a template of balance or equilibrium;
Rajas- a template of expansion or activity;
Tamas - a template of inertia or resistance to action.
All macrocosmic and microcosmic creation uses these templates. The
twenty four principles that evolve are-

252
Manas or"Antahkaran" evolves from the total sum of the sattva aspect
of Panca Tanmatras or the "Ahamkara"
Prakrti - The most subtle potentiality that is behind whatever is
created in the physical universe, also called "primordial Matter". It is
also a state of equilibrium amongst the Three Gunas.
Mahat - first product of evolution from Prakrti, pure potentiality. Mahat is
also considered to be the principle responsible for the rise of Buddhi or
discriminatory power (wisdom) in living beings.
Ahamkara or ego-sense - second product of evolution. It is responsible
for the self-sense in living beings. It is also one's identification with the
outer world and its content.
"Panca Tanmatras" or five objects (color, sound, smell, taste, and
touch) are a simultaneous product from Mahat Tattva, along with the
Ahamkara. They are the subtle form of Panca mahabhutas which result
from grossification or Panchikaran of the Tanmatras. Each of these
Tanmatras are made of all three Gunas.
Panca Jnana indriyas or five sense organs (eyes, ears, nose, tongue
and body) - also evolves from the sattva aspect of Ahamkara.
Panca Karma indriyas or five organs of action - The organs of action are
hands, legs, vocal apparatus, urine-genital organ and anus. They
evolve from the Raja s aspect of Ahamkara.
Parica mahabhutas or five great substances - earth, water, fire, air and
ether. They evolve from the "tamas" aspect of the "Ahamkara". This is
the revealed aspect of the physical universe.Pt. Damodar Sastrl says ,

“ ppfcT:, 3fgn^, SmmZ'; TO cfcxHMlPt, Gc?5Jc$0s<i#l, Tjg 3IFT3gn£f, TO^lfcIcFccnfif i

cf5f <5 JjUMiiiuii gftcT: I clOTT: pTR^ fgT, cJ^yWcb^ 3fc2jc|rR, 7m,
agplljflcl^tfcr | q deleted TflStfdJS^qfcT: I cfOT 3TT^t, arfcT:, ^ZflfcT:,

PH itfcf IR2foSTc^T: | 3 d^l^rloclK^k^jldjRi: I clOT 3£rfcT:, cfcjRfraT, 3#CTR: ificT

xrak?l^T: I a^^klctiadoiHMIuil^djIrl: I WcCTM3t£ 7M WT^3gTRT

253
STo^sfoqza-^IseRRroap: tra ^EfltelT qt£2U: I m ?Kcia^[5n^|cOI?TCT, OTSfcCTMSrat:,

^qtrarar^RT:, ^dm^NluuJdW, ^ail: W^cikl: ”

The evolution of primal nature is also considered to be purposeful

- Prakrti evolves for the spirit in bondage. The spirit who is always free
is only a witness to the evolution, even though due to the absence of
discriminate knowledge, he misidentifies himself with Purusa (body).

The evolution obeys causality relationships, with primal Nature

itself being the material cause of all physical creation. The cause and
effect theory of Sarhkhya is called Satkarya-vada(theory of existent
causes), and holds that nothing can really be created from or
destroyed into nothingness - all evolution is simply the transformation of
primal nature from one form to another.

The evolution of matter occurs when the relative strengths of the

attributes change. The evolution ceases when the spirit realizes that it
is distinct from primal Nature and thus cannot evolve. This destroys the
purpose of evolution, thus stopping Prakrti from evolving for Puru?a.

Sarhkhya cosmology describes how life emerges in the universe;

the relationship between Puru?a and Prakrti is crucial to Patanjali's
yoga system. The strands of Sarhkhya thought can be traced back to
the Vedic speculation of creation. It is also frequently mentioned in the
Mahabharata and Yogavasishta.

According to yoga, the Purusa is eternal, pure consciousness.

Due to ignorance, it identifies itself with the physical body and its
constituents - Manas, Ahamkara and Mahat, which are products of
Prakrti. Once it becomes free of this false identification and the material
bonds, Moksa ensues. Yoga teaches that Moksa is attained by one's
own development of the higher faculties of discrimination achieved by
meditation.

254
VI.6 Description of Kaivalya

Yoga is a practical system of self culture by which one can attain

harmonious development of one’s body, mind and soul, by the practice
of yoga. It is an exact science one can acquire absolute cannot over the
whole nature by its practice. It helps the student to attain ethical
perfection and perfect concentration of the mind and to unfold various
powers. It teaches applied psychology. It helps the practitioner to enter
in to conscious communion with the god through Samadhi, to separate
himself from the three gunas and attain kaivalya or independence
eventually. When the mind is dissolved, then there will be kaivalya.
All the pranayam methods are to be done with a concentrated mind.
Sadhaka should not let his mind involved in the modifications.
The writer emphasizes kaivalya, which is the ultimate goal of human
being in Yogatattvavaridhih. He says,

“ end ^fe^if^o^d^ciiRunRirari^fcisTi?teT Ifcciceiw m

ernaft I------

arafer I ftfer I fik'ioJ# gr ajonfacHMosiiJ) gr

3TICER5T: %E(c3i ^ clT 3#^ I ”

The final goal of life in Hinduism, Buddhism and Jainism is the

same. Release from the repeated cycles of rebirth and liberation of the
turmoil and suffering. The spirituality, introspection, monistic idealism,
intuition, respect for authority and the strong belief that the truth is to
be lived, not merely known, propel a Hindu and Jain towards the goal of
attaining Moksa or Mukti and a Buddhist to attain Nirvana . Pt.Damodar
Sastff says,

255
“ Maraqetg ^i^yi^idMi srrafe>Ri ^t^^ctJcctsT ?r s^iJjde^;
afecifflw gtmsii^ Mcrasci: I OT^cP^sifeM ^ tRfTefewra^ I

^sfaSTR^CJ tRT^rtffR^cl cjMcfcOlcT I clrlcq^iefer clTdldVMilf cTdcq^iafef

d^cricPiciT ajcxfi cjt nsejR^a^t i>ff^ »

Final Liberation: Chapter four of the Yogatattvavaridhih is entitled

KaivalyaTarariga which means the chapter on final liberation.34 How the

mind is constructed and veils the inner light of the Self. It describes how
the yogi deals with the natural breaches in enlightenment, and how the
primal building blocks of the mind resolve back into their cause, allowing
final liberation.

Kaivalya35, which is the ultimate goal of yoga, means solitariness

or detachment. The fourth chapter deals with impressions left by our

endless cycles of birth and the rationale behind the necessity of erasing
such impressions.
It portrays the yogi, who has attained kaivalya, as an entity who
has gained independence from all bondages and achieved the absolute
true consciousness or ritambhara prajfia described in the Samadhi
Tarahga.

The yogasutras36 of the fourth chapter deals with impressions left

by our endless cycles of birth and the rationale behind the necessity of
erasing such impressions. Kaivalya that is called moksa is the ultimate
goal of human life.

In Indian religions, Moksa (<H^cT), literally "release" (both from a

root muc "to let loose, let go"), is the liberation from Samsara and the
concomitant suffering involved in being subject to the cycle of repeated
death and rebirth (reincarnation).

256
 It is highly probable that the concept of Moksa was first
developed in India by non-Aryan people outside of the caste system

whose spiritual ideas greatly influenced later Indian religious thought.

Buddhism and Jainism are continuations of this tradition, and the early
Upanisadic movement was influenced by it. Reincarnation was likely
adopted from this religious culture by Brahmin orthodoxy. Brahmins
wrote the earliest recorded scriptures containing these ideas in the early
Upanisads.

There are three major views on Moksa from traditional Vedanta

philosophy. According to Advaita Vedanta, the attainment of liberation
is accompanied by the individual soul's (Atman) realization, by means of
self-purification, that it is identical with the divine ground of all being,
Brahman - the source of all spiritual and phenomenal existence. That
the self is not the body is emphasized. The "not this, not that " (Neti)
method of teaching is adopted. Moksa is seen as a final release from
one's worldly conception of self, the loosening of the shackle of
experiential duality and a realization of one's own fundamental nature
which is true being (Sat), pure consciousness (Cit) and bliss (Ananda )
an experience which is ineffable and beyond sensation. Advaita holds
that Atman, Brahman, and Paramatman are all one and the same - the
formless, attribute-less Nirguna Brahman which is beyond being and
non-being, beyond any sense of tangibility and comprehension.

Other philosophies, such as shuddhadvaita , visistadvaita,

dvaitadvaita , Dvaita, and Acintya Bheda Abheda hold that only God-
realization is ultimate liberation, and see Bhaktiyoga as the highest path
for Mok$a. After liberation through union with God (Yoga), a soul enjoys
an equal amount of Bliss as God, but individual souls do not achieve
equivalence with Brahman. In fact, all the above schools reject the
Advaita notion of Jivanmukta (liberated while living) as an oxymoron,

257
with the observation that one can be either living or liberated, but not
both simultaneously.

In Dvaita (dualist monism) and Visistadvaita (qualified monism)

schools of Vaishnava traditions, Moksa is defined as the loving, eternal
union with God (Tsvara) and considered the highest perfection of
existence. The bhakta (devotee) attains the abode of the Supreme Lord
in a perfected state but maintains his or her individual identity, with a
spiritual form, personality, tastes, pastimes, and so on.
In Advaita philosophy, the ultimate truth is not a singular Godhead, but
rather is oneness without form or being, something that essentially is
without manifestation, personality, or activity. Moksa is union with this
oneness. The concepts of impersonal Moksa and Buddhist Nirvana are
comparable. Indeed, there is much overlap in their views of higher
consciousness and attainment of enlightenment.

Like other major systems of Indian philosophy, Samkhya

regards ignorance as the root cause of bondage and suffering
(Samsara). According to Samkhya, the Purusa is eternal, pure
consciousness. Due to ignorance, it identifies itself with the physical
body and its constituents - Manas, Ahamkara and Mahat, which are
products of Prakrti. Once it becomes free of this false identification and
the material bonds, Moksa ensues. Other forms of Samkhya teach
that Moksa is attained by one's own development of the higher
faculties of discrimination achieved by meditation and other yogic
practices as prescribed through the Hindu Vedas. Damodar sastrl
describes it briefly in his book. For example;

“ cpfilcioK) cbqci y<yoqiRi«iEteitciciTEiMi ciw§iiolot Mcialcioi'i) W iRdsfqSlfcT ciraioii

C1CC|§i|o)oi cbcie»q oITailgflcplTiic^ ”

258
 In Nastik religions such as Jainism and Buddhism, Mok?a is a
union with all that is, regardless of whether there is a God or not. After
Nirvana, one obtains Moksa. The Nirvana of Hinduism is Brahma-
Nirvana meaning that it will lead to God.

In Hinduism, atma-Jhana (self-realization) is the key to obtaining

Moksa. The Hindu is one who practices one or more forms of Yoga ---
Bhakti, Karma, Jnana, and Raja, knowing that God is unlimited and
exists in many different forms, both personal and impersonal.
There are believed to be four Yogas (disciplines) or margas (paths) for
the attainment of Moksa. These are: working for the Supreme
(Karmayoga), realizing the Supreme (Jhanayoga), meditating on the
Supreme (Rajayoga) and serving the Supreme in loving devotion
(Bhaktiyoga). Different schools of Hinduism place varying emphasis on
one path or other, some of the most famous being the tantric and yogic
practices developed in Hinduism.

Vedanta approaches are split between strict non-duality (Advaita

), non-duality with qualifications (such as vaisistadvaita), and duality
(Dvaita). The central means to Moksa advocated in these three
branches vary.

Advaita Vedanta emphasizes on Jnanayoga as the ultimate

means of achieving Mok?a, and other yogas (such as Bhaktiyoga are
means to the knowledge, by which Moksa is achieved. It focuses on the
knowledge of Brahman provided by traditional Vedanta literature and
the teachings of its founder, Adi Shankara. Through discernment of the
real and the unreal, the sadhak (practitioner) would unravel the Maya
(illusion) and come to an understanding that the observable world is
unreal and impermanent, and that consciousness is the only true
existence. This intellectual understanding was Mok§a, this was Atman

259
and Brahman realized as the substance and void of existential duality.
The impersonality schools of Hinduism also worship various deities, but
only as a means of coming to this understanding - both the worshiped
and worshipers lose their individual identities.

Non-dualist schools see God as the most worship able object of

love, for example, a personified monotheistic conception of Shiva or
Vishnu. Unlike Abraham traditions, Advaita /Smartha Hinduism do not
prevent worship of other aspects of God, as they are all seen as rays
from a single source. The concept is essentially of devotional service in
love, since the ideal nature of being is seen as that of harmony,
euphony, its manifest essence being love. By immersing oneself in the
love of God, one's Karmas (good or bad, regardless) slough off, one's
illusions about beings decay and 'truth' is soon known and lived. Both
the worshiped and worshiper gradually lose their illusory sense of
separation and only One beyond all names remains.

One must achieve Moksa on his or her own under the guidance
of a Guru. A Guru or a Siddha inspires but does not intervene.

In the state of Moksa or Mukti , lies ultimate peace (Santi),

ultimate knowledge {Viveka), and ultimate enlightenment (Kaivalya).
Paradise (Swarga) is believed to be a place of temporal attractions to
be avoided by the seeker in order to pursue the ultimate goal of union /
yoking with God through Yoga. In fact, even acquiring intermediate
spiritual powers (Siddhis) is to be avoided as they can turn out to be
stumbling blocks in the path towards ultimate liberation, Mukti .Yoga
philosophy understands that everyone is an individual so they will
need different methods to comprehend the same truth.
Spirituality or enlightenment is part of the evolution of the soul
and will metamorphose us into an entirely different kind of human being,

260
one whose reach will not be confined just to three dimensional reality
but rather to multiple dimensions of reality. Enlightenment creates a
being who realizes that they are a spirit, a creature who can fearlessly
confide in his own being, and there find an infinite universe to astound
him.37

All worldly existence is subject to the cycle of Samskara, which is

thought of as having neither beginning nor end. According to Hinduism
the goal of human life is to be free or liberated from repeated births and
deaths. Such liberation is called Moksa or Mukti in Sanskrit. Moksa can
be attained only through God-realization.

Pt.Damodar SastrT says,

I 3qf^3*jtSdd|<HJcl GfJIcitsJSJ WJJcn^ | cI^cT HOTIofticf I 3T GS

SdJRcTSqt, uTJIU foam, uftcllaffl I uftcflctfM: fd'crffacta cv^d<idjJi|rf: I”

Moksa is the end of the death and rebirth cycle and is classed as
the fourth and ultimate artha (goal). It is the transcendence of all arthas.
It is achieved by overcoming ignorance and desires. It is a paradox in
the sense that overcoming desires also includes overcoming the
desire for Moksa itself. It can be achieved both in this life and after
death.

In the classical traditions of Sartikhya and Yoga, kaivalya,

meaning “aloneness,” is generally understood to be the state of the
unconditional existence of Purusa. In the Yoga Sutra , Kaivalya can
refer more precisely to the “aloneness of seeing” (drsti kaivalyam)
which, as Patanjali states, follows from the disappearance of ignorance
(Avidya) and its creation of samyoga the conjunction of the seer

261
(Purusa) and the seeable (i.e. citta, gunas) — explained by Astahga

as a mental superimposition “Aloneness” thus can be construed as

Purusa’s innate capacity for pure, unbroken, non-attached
seeing/perceiving, observing, or “knowing” of the content of the mind
(citta)) In an alternative definition, Patanjali explains Kaivalya as the
“return to the origin” (pratiprasava) of the gunas, which have lost all
stereological purpose for the Purusa that has, as it were, recovered its
transcendent autonomy). This Sutra38 also classifies Kaivalya as the

establishment in “own form/nature” (svarupa), and the power of higher

awareness (citsakti). Although the seer’s (drasta/Purusa) capacity for
“seeing” is an unchanging yet dynamic power of consciousness that
should not be truncated in any way, nevertheless our nature of Karma
distorted or skewed perceptions vitiate against the natural fullness of
“seeing.” (Patanjali defines spiritual ignorance (Avidya), the root
affliction, as: “seeing the non-eternal as eternal, the impure as pure,
dissatisfaction as happiness, and the non-self as self39 . Having

removed the “failure-to-see” (adarsan), the stereological purpose of the

gupas in the samsaric condition of the mind is fulfilled; the mind is
relieved of its former role of being a vehicle for Avidya, the locus of
egoistic and misidentification, and the realization of pure seeing — the
nature of the seer alone — takes place.

According to another Sutra40 that Kaivalya is established when

the sattva of consciousness has reached a state of purity analogous to

that of the Purusa.’ Through the process of subtilization or “return to
the origin” (pratiprasava) in the sattva , the transformation (Parinama) of
the mind (citta) takes place at the deepest level bringing about a radical
change in perspective: the former impure, fabricated states constituting
a fractured identity of self are dissolved resulting in the complete
purification of mind. Through knowledge (in samprajnana Samadhi)
and its transcendence (in asamprajfiata-Samadhi) self-identity

262
overcomes its lack of intrinsic grounding, a lack sustained and
exacerbated by the web of afflictions in the form of attachment (Raga),
aversion (dvesa), and the compulsive clinging to life based on the fear
of extinction (abhinivesa). The yogin is no longer dependent on
liberating knowledge (mind-satfva ), is no longer attached to vrtti as a
basis for self-identity. Cessation, it must be emphasized, does not mark
a definitive disappearance of the gunas from Purusa’s view. For the
liberated yogin, the gunas cease to exist in the form of Avidya and its
Samskaras, vrttis, and false or fixed ideas (Pratyaya) of selfhood that
formerly veiled true identity. The changing gunic modes cannot alter the
yogin’s now purified and firmly established consciousness. The mind
has been liberated from the egocentric world of attachment to things
Prakrtic. Now the yogin’s identity (as Purusa), disassociated from
ignorance, is untouched, unaffected by qualities of mind, uninfluenced
by the vrttis constituted of the three gunas. The mind and Purusa attain
to a sameness of purity41, of harmony, balance, evenness, and

workability together: the mind appearing in the nature of Purusa.

Kaivalya, in no way destroys or negates the personality of the

yogin, but is an unconditional state in which all the obstacles or
distractions preventing an imminent and purified relationship or
engagement of person with nature and spirit (Purusa) have been
removed. The mind, which previously functioned under the sway of
ignorance coloring and blocking our perception of authentic identity, has
now become purified and no longer operates as a locus of
misidentification, confusion, and dissatisfaction (dulikha). Sattva , the
finest quality (guna) of the mind, has the capacity to be perfectly
lucid/transparent, like a dust-free mirror in which the light of Purusa is
clearly reflected and the discriminative discernment (Vivekakhyati)
between Purusa and the sattva of the mind can take place.

263
 The crucial (ontological) point to be made here is that in the
“aloneness” of Kaivalya Prakrti ceases to perform an obstructing role.
In effect, Prakrti herself has become purified, illuminated, and liberated
from Avidya’s grip including the misconceptions, misappropriations, and
misguided relations implicit within a world of afflicted identity. The mind
has been transformed, liberated from the egocentric world of
attachment, its former afflicted nature abolished; and self-identity left
alone in its “own form” or true nature as Purusa is never again confused
with all the relational acts, intentions, and volitions of empirical
existence. There being no power of misidentification remaining in
nirbJJa-Samadhi, the mind ceases to operate within the context of the
afflictions, karmic accumulations, and consequent cycles of SamsBra
implying a mistaken identity of selfhood subject to birth and death.

This is the stage where the individual consciousness is freed from

the entanglement of the manifest world; but even Budhi is a construct or
one of the evolutes of Prakrti. The goal of meditation is reached only
when the individual self (Atman) is completely separated from all

relationship with Prakrti and comes to the realization of its reaching

pure consciousness. This stage, of the Atman becoming completely
separated from Prakrti, to the self-realization of pure consciousness, is
called Kaivalya/ Mukti in Samkhya -Yoga.The author says,
“yctlaHI t|c1o'M<Hblul yiclfikl: ^RbcHlM ^ cn£%l£i£5<*>k ^c|dicwejl5$cr

cn teer Verifier cr^ct, gsr: err

ter fsr^it ter, ^r err gsr: gi^sMteronctefseigteT sr arafer, cncJT^r

teft gcbi^i gi^fiigssanf&i w yfcifa&ciciift sr a^:, dc-daw ucr test a^tecr I ”

264
Reference:-

I. Yoga kundalinT upanisad, 1.82

I Y.T.V. Pg.49

3. i Y.T.V. Pg.43

4. oj^yaicUi <^i uiuiRf cpscft I m gc#i traits farsr^ sgseratsfo w I

a^iiratJyeic^oi ygt&iR^sci^ i ygresgapl sp ipKira Iffcr

flid^ciw^efecte: i Y.T.V. Pg.54

5. “ggl'io^ % ^CMli ilWI'i ajclfelcP^ I Cpr 355^ % 2JT *R»f o£|c|fe|cT: I

Y.T.V. Pg.44

‘cpsfMsfe 3#a i........................................................

, ^)U^oj\*Ml'iir <H6f?lclrl4Jlc^ch>iU|^cl

r i Y.T.V. Pg.46

7. 3Tisii7-5^BW<HPii^i-^gcTi^^^-^3teF^ l Y.T.V. Pg.43

Y.T.V. Pg.43
9. f^g5^^g^W^^xp3T5cST^^?Trf:sflfkWc?35tRcW^SI^SK^cT

ggefa............‘a^ciw<$'cfi Y.T.V. Pg.43

10. mclc^tsraofqflsM&Tcf ggcjuJ qtesRc^tlcT TO W ‘fcT^gq^af m

widiu^i^^-; snfMeto^ia^cii sita cnfft I “cpossejrafei^tKrftf^^M

i Y.T.V. Pg.44
II. - £g^W£2T feciftf?TS ^ISra^ ‘3TliIT9cg‘ 3#cT I Y.T.V.

Pg.44

12. fepsnfr fa# cwift etafar gsrars^gecrai cre% itemp

i Y.T.V. Pg.187

13. 3iPi3T-ci&3T-3#3T-gifeT-qicj>id«f q^ict-fiter <i)5ict>i<Hicidr RicciioHcWt^iij^raPr i

Y.T.V.Pg.175

265
14. cM getf Slcfoyi $T#5^irafR tpffui c[T cTggft ii^diciclaiiuj^c^ yedduj^c^^' 3#cTT

si^ci‘3#Riif ftcTcRfef lY.T.V. Pg.175

Y.T.V. Pg.175
16. 2io£Mszfg?teT <£j5ejqgieSfl)<4ii<HiMci cf^cTdcdwe^’ ‘gifof fcicr ggfer i

Y.T.V. Pg.175
17. gc^eafcr?tensii5^5rsi^tT: otx^st gi aggi gforKRit agrraf gr

Pg.176

Wrg^cn Y.T.V. Pg. 176

19. g^s^cJcR^r otjctr g5^, gfe ffcen

|5cPlT cCT^ctir crejlW?#EIT Sited clrdlcHesf 3T ‘fteicg1 te# cigfef i Y.T.V. Pg.175

20. Y.S.-III.46
21. tfcpcncixi<JoM fslJJuicxitflcI | [5|<J|u|fqcp|,icqld I 3W <j fgcTktelsStlad: I tfcpcifto^ltel

iiwxiaixtcichl^iiciHg) d^ifioyM^un.Hi^fijviiJllcii I Y.T.V. Pg.196

22. Bha. G/-14.20

23. Y.S.IV.13
24. Y.S.IV.18
25. Y.S. II.5
26. lbid.l.42
27. lbid.lv.18
28. lbid.IV.34
29. Ibid. IV. 13
30. rw xige>M £2jracf:

i Y.T.V. Pg.206

31. Y.S.IV.13 & 14

32. Y.S.II.21
33. sarh khya -18
34. clc^ra IJcf

i Y.T.V. Pg.209
35. S. K. 67/68
36. Y.S. 1V/34
37. ^cic^apri^cii^ g4lwM<n, aft^rreffY.T.V. Pg.7

267