Sa

n
yogi (Uniting) Yoga,
A Spiritually-Enriched Living
( )

(Courtesy http://media.photobucket.com/image/confluence/asksaravanan/100_1495.jpg?o=101)

By
Sadashiva Godbole
(ii)
Copyright 2012 by Sadashiva Godbole



Cover picture
Confluence A synergistic union (Sa
n
yoga, integration, fusion) of several
streams.
(iii)
Table of Contents

TABLE OF FIGURES ................................................................................ VI
PREFACE ........................................................................................... VII
PREFACE ........................................................................................... VII
TRANSLITERATION KEY ......................................................................... VIII
CHAPTER 1 - SA
N
YOGI YOGA AND YOU ............................................. 1
WHAT IS SA
N
YOGI YOGA AND HOW IT COMPARES WITH OTHER YOGIC METHODS? ....... 1
GODS MARVEL ..................................................................................... 5
HOW WE CAME INTO BEING AND WHAT HAS GOD TO DO WITH IT? ........................ 6
DOES THE SUBTLE BODY EVOLVE OVER REINCARNATIONS? ................................ 11
SA
N
YOGA = SHAK
T
I .............................................................................. 12
PRESENCE OF
D
A
TT
A
TT
REYA AND
T
RIGU
N
A
T
MIKA SHAK
T
I IN OUR BODY ...................... 13
CHAPTER 2 - OUR BODY .................................................................. 14
THE ACTIVITIES OF GODS SA
TT
A AND SHAK
T
I IN OUR BODY ............................... 14
Spinal Cord .................................................................................. 14
Endocrine System ......................................................................... 16
Immune System ........................................................................... 18
Healing System ............................................................................ 22
Central Nervous System ................................................................ 22
Autonomous nervous system ....................................................... 23
Breathing & Blood Circulation ......................................................... 25
CHAPTER 3 GOD AND OUR BODY ................................................. 28
RELIGIOUS BASIS AND MA
N
T
RAS FOR GODS PRESENCE IN OUR BODY ................... 28
Gi
t
a 7.811 Raso$hamapsu (Gods omnipresence): ........................ 28
Shan
t
iPa
th
a Bha
d
ra
m
Kar
n
ebhi
hi
(Hear Good, See Good): ............... 29
Bho
d
ipa brahmarupas
t
wa
m
.. (Prayer for Body as lamp): ................. 32
Maham
ri
t
yunjaya ma
n
t
ra (for death without pain and suffering): ....... 32
D
you$Shan
t
iran
t
ariksha (for favorable environment): .................. 33
15
th
Chapter of Gi
t
a: ...................................................................... 34
Gi
t
a 15.7 Mamaiwansho jiwaloke (our present reincarnation): ..... 34
Gi
t
a 15.12 Ya
d
a
d
i
t
yaga
t
am
t
ejo (effulgence of sun, moon, fire): .... 35
Gaya
t
ri ma
n
t
ra:
T
a
t
sawi
t
urware
n
yam (prayer for aura, energy): ...... 36
Gi
t
a 15.13 Gamawishya cha bhu
t
ani (God provides support,
nourishment): ........................................................................... 36
(iv)
Gi
t
a 15.14 Aham waishwanaro bhu
t
wa (who digests food?): ........ 38
Gi
t
a 15.15 Sarwasya chaham h
ri
d
i (memory, reasoning from God):
................................................................................................ 41
Karpurgouram karu
n
awa
t
aram (Shiwa with Parwa
t
i in our yogic
heart): ...................................................................................... 42
Lali
t
a-Sahasranama Shlokas 98-110 Relating to the Chakras (Goddess
in cranial and spinal nerves): ......................................................... 42
Wishu
ddh
i-chakra-nilaya (regulation of epithelial tissue skin): ...... 43
Anaha
t
abja-nilaya (regulation of blood): .................................... 43
Ma
n
ipurabja-nilaya (regulation of muscle tissue): ........................ 44
Swa
dh
isthanambujaga
t
a (regulation of fatty tissue): .................... 44
Mula
dh
arabujaru
dh
a (regulation of bones): .................................. 45
Ajna-chakrabja-nilaya (regulation of bone marrow, nerve tissue):. 45
Sahasra
d
ala-pa
d
mastha (regulation of reproductive tissue): ......... 45
Lali
t
a-Sahasranama Shlokas 38-40 Relating to Ku
n
dalini
(enlightenment): .......................................................................... 46
Mula
dh
araika-nilaya ................................................................. 46
Lali
t
a-Sahasranama Shlokas 34-35 Relating to the Three Aspects of
Dewi : ......................................................................................... 47
Hara-ne
t
ragni-sa
n
d
ag
dh
a ........................................................... 47
Lali
t
a-Sahasranama Shlokas 81-83a Relating to the Presence of Dewi in
Speech (Saraswa
t
i) and Special Chakra Regions: .............................. 48
Para pra
t
yak-chi
t
irupa .............................................................. 48
D
urga Sap
t
asha
t
i Shlokas 14-80 Relating to the Omnipresence of
D
ewi in
Our Faculties: ............................................................................... 49
Ya
D
ewi sarwabhu
t
e
sh
u ............................................................. 50
Mukam karo
t
i wachalam ........................................................... 52
Jethe
j
a
t
o
t
ethe
t
u maza sa
n
ga
t
i ................................................. 53
Footprints in the sand ................................................................. 54
D
wara
d
aya ka jaba tu khole .................................................... 55
Rama-Raksha Excerpts: ................................................................. 55
Shiro me Raghawa
ha
pa
t
u (protect my body): ............................. 56
Pa
t
alabhu
t
alawyoma-chari
n
a
ha
(for protection from invisible enemies)
................................................................................................ 57
Shara
n
ou sarwasa
t
wanam (prayer for protection) ....................... 57
ORCHESTRATING SPEECH GODDESS SARASWA
T
I .......................................... 59
PERFORMING PUJA EFFECTIVELY ................................................................ 60
FOR GOOD HEALTH .............................................................................. 61
(v)
CHAPTER 4 - SA
N
YOGI LIFESTYLE ................................................... 62
A SPIRITUALLY-ENRICHED SA
N
YOGI LIFESTYLE .............................................. 62
CONCLUSION ...................................................................................... 68
REFERENCES ................................................................................... 73
APPENDIX A COLLECTION OF SHLOKAS ...................................... 74
APPENDIX B SA
N
SK
RI
T
A WORDS WITH MEANING ......................... 81
APPENDIX C STAGES IN FETAL GROWTH (BRAHMA
D
EWAS
FACTORY) ....................................................................................... 85

(vi)

Table of Figures

Figure 1: Example of Rangoli ................................................................. 1
Figure 2 Motherhood ........................................................................ 11
Figure 3: Location of Chakras in Our Body ............................................ 15
Figure 4: Endocrine System ................................................................ 17
Figure 5: Organs of the Immune System .............................................. 19
Figure 6: Lymphatic System (Lymph Nodes and Vessels) ........................ 20
Figure 7: Autonomous Nervous System ................................................ 24
Figure 8: Blood Circulation between Heart and Lungs ............................. 26
Figure 9: Digestive System ................................................................. 40
Figure 10: Footprints ......................................................................... 54
Figure 11: Meditation Garden .............................................................. 63
(vii)
Preface
August 9, 2012 (K
ri
shn
a-Janmashtami)
Welcome to my book! I feel sure that it will change the way you think about
your body, your day-to-day activities, interactions, surroundings, and God.
This book is the culmination of many years of studying and contemplating
upon Hi
n
d
u scriptures, our body and surroundings, and discussing with
people experienced in yogic practices. It is only by Gods blessing,
inspiration (Prera
n
a), and empowerment (Shak
t
i) that I have been able to
undertake and complete this book. I am sharing my insights and
experiences with the readers to introduce them to a new spiritual path called
Sa
n
yogi Yoga (Uniting Yoga) described in this book. I hope their lives will
become more spiritually enriched and more meaningful.
This book is as much for young people as it is for adults. It may help
remove confusion in their minds about various religious practices by giving
them a simple tool to lead their life in an enlightened manner. I encourage
readers, who understand this book at a deeper-than-superficial level, to
explain it to others who may benefit from such explanation.
I have included the Sa
n
sk
ri
t
a shlokas and ma
n
t
ras in
D
ewanagari script with
intonation marks to serve as ready reference to those familiar with the
shlokas and the script, and as a means of introducing the script to those
who dont know it. I have also included a transliteration key (next) to
facilitate the readers in correctly pronouncing the shlokas and ma
n
t
ras. If
the publishing system allows sound clips, I have provided sound clip links to
the shlokas and ma
n
t
ras. With these, the readers who dont know the script
can learn reading and chanting the shlokas and benefit from their potency.
1

In preparing this book, I have drawn upon the information, pictures, and
text available from the internet, for which I am grateful to the authors of
such information.
Sadashiva Godbole
(Sa
d
ashiwa Godabole)


1
Incidentally, according to a 2011 News release, people who speak more than two
languages during their lifetime may be at reduced risk of developing memory problems as
they age. (http://www.emedicinehealth.com/script/main/art.asp?articlekey=126302)
(viii)
Transliteration Key

Since proper pronunciation of Sa
n
sk
ri
t
a shlokas is very important for their
effectiveness, I have developed the following system of transliteration:
Sa
n
sk
ri
t
a words are italicized.
Long (
d
irgha) sounds are denoted by underlined a, i, u (as in
Maya, Si
t
a, Rupa).
Transliterated
D
ewanagari letters whose pronunciations are different
from the prevalent English pronunciations are denoted by subscripted
letters. Thus, letters , , , , , (as in Mara
th
i word
Ch
ora),
(as in Mara
th
i word A
j
a), , and are denoted by subscripted
t, th,
d, dh, n, ch, j, sh,
and
l
. The letter is denoted by superscripted
dh
.
Anuswaras () are sometimes denoted by superscripted
n
or
m
to
represent , , or as per the context (e.g., - ma
n
t
ra). is
denoted by
gam
.
Wisarga () is also denoted by superscripted
ha
,
hi
, or
hu
as per the
context and pronunciation (e.g., - Rama
ha
).
Akara () represents silent (a) and a slightly prolonged preceding
sound. It is denoted by $ (e.g.,

raso$m
ri
t
am)
in and

is denoted by superscripted
ru
or
ri
as per the
context (
Ri
sh
i and K
ri
shn
a).
is denoted by Jn as in (Jnana, knowledge) and by ou as in
(Gouram, fair colored).
U
d
a
tt
a, Anu
d
a
tt
a, and double Swari
t
a intonations in Sa
n
sk
ri
t
a ma
n
t
ras for
high, low, and prolonged high tones are denoted by , , and ,
respectively.

1 of 87
Chapter 1 - Sa
n
yogi Yoga and You

What Is Sa
n
yogi Yoga and How it Compares with Other
Yogic Methods?

Brahma
d
ewa has created us as living beings to serve as objects for others to
work out their karma and at the same time, for us to work out our
Prarabdha karma in conjunction with others (e.g., our parents, brothers,
sisters, relatives, friends, spouse and children, teachers, bosses,
colleagues). But by virtue of our human birth, God has also given us a
bonus opportunity to realize Him through our supreme intellectual faculty
(

). And to make it easier and possible, He has

kindly provided numerous instances of his omnipresence (like dots in a
Rangoli
2
) through scriptures like Gi
t
a, Dewi Mahatmya, and Lali
t
a
Sahasranama, and through mantras used in daily pujas.


Figure 1: Example of Rangoli
(courtesy: http://www.marathifun.com/marathi/joke-swaroop-rangoli-designs-29-7337.htm)


2
Rangoli - a decorative pattern made by drawing dots and connecting them
2 of 87
Just as the dots in Rangoli can be connected in different ways to produce
different patterns, different people have connected the dots in Gi
t
a
differently to highlight different paths for God realization, such as Bhak
t
i
(Swami Prabhupa
d
a), Jnana (A
d
i Shankaracharya), Karma (Lokamanya
T
i
l
ak),
and Raja (Paramaha
n
sa Yoganan
d
a).
Recognising that while God is as close to us as our own body, we spend our
precious time looking for him everywhere else, as a musk deer, I have
conceived of a different way to connect the dots from various scriptural
sources. The new pattern thus obtained is called, Sa
n
yogi Yoga. This Yoga
brings out Gods active presence inside our body and its internal processes,
and in the planets, plants, and our surroundings. These dots are elucidated
in Chapter 3.
Sa
n
yogi Yoga (Uniting Yoga) is a novel and effective technique to realize the
presence of God in our day-to-day life, to stay in touch with Him constantly,
and to have His special
d
arshana (i.e., see him in action) instantly at will.
The technique associates His presence and Shak
t
i (power) shining through
every cell and organ of our body and mind, other creatures, plants, planets,
etc., with their functioning. This yoga leads to a positive mature attitude
toward ourselves, others, and surroundings, and promotes physical, mental,
intellectual, and spiritual health and well-being.
As said in Gi
t
a shloka 2.69 (ya nisha sarwabhoo
t
anam,
t
asyam jagar
t
i
sa
m
yami), with constant consciousness of Gods Sa
tt
a and Shak
t
i within and
around us, we can live life in a spiritually awakened state; such a life can be
achieved by Sa
n
yogi Yoga. Such a life is the real goal of human birth.
Otherwise life is spent in spiritual sleep.
Whereas other methods of yoga involve concepts that are abstract, non-
universal, and uncorrelated with our daily lives (and therefore difficult to
appreciate and practice), Sa
n
yogi Yoga is based on the verses from the Hi
n
d
u
scriptures that relate to the presence of God in our body and surroundings.
By relating such verses to available knowledge of human anatomy and
physiology, and the universe around us, a powerful synergy is created and
the verses become very meaningful, correlated with the workings of our
body, and therefore universal. Since we are intimately connected with our
body and surroundings (e.g., plants, Sun, Moon, Earth, etc.) at all times, the
practice of this method becomes easy, direct, and effective.
3 of 87
There is no need for formal initiation into this yoga by any human Guru.
This book, your own experiences and sources of knowledge, and discussions
with fellow practitioners serve as your non-person Guru. In fact, since the
vast universe is permeated by God, any knowledge gained through a Guru is
only by Gods grace shining through the Guru. Thus, God is the supreme
Guru; for example, Lord K
ri
shn
a has given the divine knowledge to the world
through Gi
t
a and is called Jaga
d
Guru. Lord Shiwa is called the Gods Guru,
SuraGuru, in wan
d
e
d
ewamumapa
t
im suragurum (

...).
The practice of this yoga does not disown or preclude traditional practices;
instead, it compliments and integrates them as the name Sa
n
yogi means.
In fact, because of constant touch with God achieved through this technique,
these practices become more effective. This will become clearer as you read
further.
Traditional methods derived from the basic four: JnanaYoga, RajaYoga,
Bhak
t
iYoga, and karmaYoga, depend on visualizations of A
t
ma and Ku
n
dalini,
deities such as Rama, K
ri
shn
a, Ga
n
esha, Shiwa, and Dewi, and doing actions
while offering the doer-ship and outcomes to God. Most people cant
understand and visualize A
t
ma, and dont really have any idea about Rama,
etc., except through pictures, mur
t
is, and stories they have known from
their parents, elders, books, or temples, etc. Similar is the situation with
Ida, Pi
n
gala, Su
sh
umna, and Ku
n
dalini
3
, which are so subtle that they cannot
be experienced except by the very advanced Rajayogis. So people may
spend their lifetime visualizing A
t
ma, repeating Aham Brahmasmi, chanting
names of Rama, K
ri
shn
a, etc., awakening Ku
n
dalini, etc., but to little avail,
except for the very rare people who may gain something tangible such as
muk
t
i and si
ddh
is (special powers), mainly because of similar practices done
over many previous lifetimes. Following karmaYoga as per Gi
t
a shloka 2.47
[Karma
n
yewa
dh
ikaras
t
e ( )] and giving up expectations and
offering outcomes and doer-ship of actions to God also are difficult for most
common people without understanding God.


3
Ida, Pi
n
gala, and Su
sh
umna are very subtle nadis (channels for the flow of Pra
n
a).
Su
sh
umna is the central channel in which the chakras lie and through which Ku
n
dalini, the
spiritual energy, travels. These nadis, chakras, and Ku
n
dalini are of subtle nature similar
to the subtle body (Sukshma-
d
eha - An
t
a
ha
kara
n
a, Pra
n
a, In
d
riya
n
i)
4 of 87
Also, the goal of most traditional practices is to achieve Moksha or Muk
t
i,
(i.e., salvation or freedom from the cycles of birth and death), or to remain
a faithful devotee of God forever. The Moksha, freedom from reincarnations,
is an abstract concept to most people because they neither remember their
past reincarnations, nor know the future ones. The goal of Sa
n
yogi Yoga, in
contrast, is to experience, appreciate, adore, be grateful to, and see the
Sa
tt
a
4
(presence) and Shak
t
i (powers of materialization, action, and
cognition
d
rawya, kriya, jnana) of God incessantly acting in every still-
functional cell of our body and surroundings, while carrying our day-to-day
functions responsibly (i.e., being responsible to our body, family, society,
environment, etc.). Therefore an appropriate prayer to God in Sa
n
yogi Yoga
is:
Thank you, God!, for giving me this precious opportunity (human
birth) to realize and manifest your presence inside and around me
everywhere at all times. I hope I will prove worthy of your trust and
confidence. However, if I should deviate from making full use of this
opportunity, please give me the strength, courage, skill, discipline, and
intelligence to pull myself back on track.
Staying intimately close to me, you cared for me steadfastly without
any expectation for so long, yet I failed to even notice you and be
grateful to you. I am ashamed of myself for this and seek forgiveness
from you.
As a person advances in achieving this goal, he starts gratefully experiencing
God at all times as per San
t
a
T
ukaramas Mara
th
i bhajana Jethe
j
a
t
o
t
ethe
t
u
maza sanga
t
i (

) and sa
n
sk
ri
t
a shloka mukam
karo
t
i wachalam (

) (these are explained later). This is

the real goal of this precious human birth. Other things such as success,
happiness, prosperity, and health will follow by Gods grace to the extent
possible within our own karmic boundaries. In Bhagawa
d
gi
t
a, God has


4
Sa
tt
a is the support of the ultimate one-and-the-only Reality (God) based on which all
other apparent realities (e.g., this creation, formation of living beings from the fertilized egg
through stem cells) are created by Maya. For example, the metal gold is the Sa
tt
a for all
ornaments made from gold. The pixels on the TV or PC screen are the Sa
tt
a for all the
pictures created by variations of pixel colors.
5 of 87
promised to take care of those who connect with him constantly
[Ananyaschin
t
ayan
t
o mam ( )]. This is explained later.
Sa
n
yogi Yoga, developed over many years of studying Hi
n
d
u scriptures and
our body and surroundings, contemplation, and discussions with people
experienced in yogic practices, includes the insights obtained therefrom, and
offers an alternative way to try and see if it gets you tangibly ahead in your
spiritual aspirations. As you become advanced in this path, the same
traditional rituals that were abstract and mechanical earlier will become very
meaningful and effective.
Gods Marvel

It is truly amazing that even a tiny needlepoint-size insect (e.g., fruit fly,
ant, and gnat) has all its sensory, motor, and involuntary faculties and can
sense, move or fly, and perform its specie function. It is equally amazing
that the large number of cells that are required for such functionality are
contained in such a small packaging of its body! The cells must be very
minute to make this possible.
The cell, the building block of all living beings, can function as intended only
because of Gods presence and Shak
t
i in it. Take away Gods presence and
Shak
t
i from it and it will revert back to the elements.
The human body, animal bodies, plants, and animate objects can be in their
respective states and perform their specie functions because of the presence
and Shak
t
i of God in every cell of their organs. Similarly the inanimate
objects can be in their respective states and exhibit their characteristics
(e.g., gold like gold, iron like iron) because of the presence and Shak
t
i of
God in every atom of their makeup.
At the other end of scale, the massiveness of the universe, the solar system,
and the energy of planets rotary and translational motion are also equally
awesome.
That is why God is described in Ka
th
opani
sh
a
d
as,
(a
n
ora
n
iyan maha
t
o mahiyan) minuter than atom (the minutest) and
grander than the grandest, and in Ishopani
sh
a
d
as:
6 of 87

||
Pur
n
ama
d
a
ha
pur
n
ami
d
am, pur
n
a
t
pur
n
amu
d
achya
t
e |
Pur
n
asya pur
n
ama
d
aya pur
n
amewawashi
sh
ya
t
e ||
That (Brahman) is Complete (infinite), this (universe) is Complete.
(This) Complete becomes manifest from (that) Complete. (Even after)
Extracting (this) Complete from (that) Complete, (that) Complete
(still) remains!

How We Came into Being and What Has God to Do with It?

God is present in each and every cell of our body in the form of Sa
tt
a
(presence) and Shak
t
i (power) and enables it to perform its designated
function, as aptly expressed in the well-known movie song wind beneath
my wings. Thus the cells comprising the heart can pump and circulate the
blood, those comprising the lungs can charge the blood with oxygen, the
ones comprising the nerves can transmit neuro-signals, those comprising the
brain can receive and process these signals, interpret them, and send
signals to motor organs (hands, feet, etc.) to perform desired actions or
avoid undesired situations, and so on. The cells are comprised of the seven
essential ingredients (sap
t
a-
dh
a
t
u) of our body Rasas
ri
kma
n
same
d
o$sthi
(

...) (fluid, blood, muscles, fat, bones ). These cells

came from stem cells at the beginning of our current life.
Our life as a human being (in fact, any life) has three phases (
D
ashas, as
in astrology): The Brahma (creation) phase, the Wi
shn
u (sustenance) phase,
and the Mahesha (dissolution) phase.
When Brahma, the creator, found the need for a jiwa (living being) in human
specie of a certain gender to be present as an object for the animate and
inanimate surroundings to optimally work out their karma, He decided that
your subtle body is His optimum choice. He then decided the optimal part of
your subtle bodys total karma (Sanchi
t
a karma) that will be optimally
worked out (dissipated) in your human (male or female) reincarnation as
Prarab
dh
a karma in conjunction with the animate and inanimate
7 of 87
surroundings. He also decided the optimal starting point of your present life
in terms of the timing, location, parentage, lineage, genetic makeup, and
societal (including family, relatives, friends) and other surroundings. At that
time, He made a commitment to associate His Sa
tt
a and Shak
t
i with your
body (sthula and sukshma - gross and subtle) until the Prarab
dh
a karma is
worked out and to keep and move all the cells of the body together as one
entity (wigraha) (like grouping in the graphic software terminology).
Brahma
d
ewas choice to reincarnate you in a human body is a rare bonus
opportunity for you to realize Gods Sa
tt
a and Shak
t
i in you as your true
essence and be aware of it at all times. This process is a part of the creation
sequence and is called Maha
t
-
t
a
t
wa (great principle). Then your human
body was conceived in your mothers womb.
Just before conception, the sperm and egg were separate elements with life-
creating potential. As soon as their synergistic union (Sa
n
yoga, integration)
took place by Gods grace and will, that potential became a reality. Next,
the Ahankara (I am-ness, -, I am an entity feeling) arose into
the new being, and the threefold
T
rigu
n
a
t
mika creative Shak
t
i (
D
rawya, Kriya,
Jnana) of the threefold (
T
rigu
n
a
t
mika) Ahankara (i.e., Sa
tt
wika, Rajasika, and
T
amasika) in the Maha
t
-
t
a
t
wa was released (became prakata) for the process
of creation. Next, the five subtle elements (P
ri
thwyapa
t
ejowayawakasha
ha

), fivefold vital energies (Pra

n
apanawyano
d
anasamana
ha
-
) and fourfold An
t
a
ha
kara
n
a (Manobud
dh
yahankarachi
tt
ani

) were activated. By the alchemic mixture of these

potent ingredients (matter, energy, and intelligence), the stem cells were
formed which differentiated into specific cells to simultaneously form your
organs (spinal cord, heart, lungs, liver, kidneys, GI tract, sensory and motor
organs, endocrine glands, immune system, nervous system, etc.)
5
according
to your genetic map made up from your parents and ancestors genes. For
example, as the bone tissues were forming the skull, spinal column, rib
cage, pectoral and pelvic girdles, and hands and feet; the muscles, tendons,
ligaments, and cartilage were added to give the hands and feet and joints
ability to move; the heart muscle was added; the endocrine glands were
placed in their respective positions; the skin, the bone marrow, spleen,


5
For a detailed account of this, refer to Embryology in an anatomy textbook.
8 of 87
lymph nodes and the extensive network of lymph vessels were added; the
tissue for the lungs and digestive tract was added; the regular and
pulmonary arteries and veins were added; and the white and grey matter of
the brain, the hypothalamus, the sensory, motor, vagus, and pelvic nerves
were formed. These organs are comprised of the ten basic substances:
fluid, blood, flesh, fat, bone, nerve, semen and hair, skin, and tendons and
muscles [Sap
t
a-
dh
a
t
u: Rasas
ri
kma
n
same
d
o$sthimajjashukra
n
i
(

) and three more: kesha,

t
wach, snayu ( , ,

)]. After conception and until your birth, a weekly account of your size,
length, weight, and organ formation is summarized in Appendix C.
After your gross body was thus created, your nineteen-fold subtle body
[fourfold An
t
a
h
kara
n
a (ManoBu
ddh
yAhankaraChi
tt
ani mind, intellect, ego,
consciousness), five subtle sensory and five subtle motor organs, and five
vital airs Pra
n
a, Apana, Wyana, U
d
ana, Samana], the subtle nadis Ida,
Pi
n
gala and Su
sh
umna, and the seven chakras (energy centers - Mula
dh
ara,
Swa
dh
i
shth
ana, etc.) were integrated into it through U
d
ana wayu by the
magical act of the threefold Shak
t
i. This integration is called Pra
n
a-Pra
t
i
shth
a
(invoking the Pra
n
a, life force, in the gross body) in the Hi
n
d
u religious
practice. In the beginning of Ga
n
esha and Gouri sthapana, the Pra
n
a-
Pra
t
i
shth
a is done in three steps; the five Pra
n
as, the Jiwa, and the mind and
subtle sense and motor organs are invoked with certain bija (meaning:
seed) ma
n
t
ras in sequence in the gross idols of Ga
n
esha and Gouri. The
subtle organs may be considered as the locations in the brain where the
sensory nerve signals are received and presented to the brain and the motor
stimuli are received from the brain and passed on as nerve signals to the
motor organs.
The Gi
t
a shloka Mamaiwansho jiwaloke ( ) is related to
the above explanation and is discussed later in the third chapter. God was
already present in each and every cell of your body to keep the mind and
body integrated as one entity. His presence and Shak
t
i in the Mula
dh
ara
chakra are called Ga
n
esha and Ku
n
dalini; in the gastric tract, Waishwanara;
in the Sahasrara chakra, Shiwa with Parwa
t
i; in all chakras, Lali
t
a
D
ewi; etc.
(See detailed discussion in the third chapter).
Thus the mind-body-spirit complex was formed to enable it to work out its
Prarab
dh
a Karma.
9 of 87
The three Shak
t
is and Gods presence remain associated with each and
every cell of your body until the Prarab
dh
a Karma is worked out. In fact, this
is Gods commitment. Gods Sa
tt
a and Shak
t
i associated with our body is
called A
t
ma, while Gods infinite eternal Sa
tt
a and Shak
t
i is called Parama
t
ma.
This difference between A
t
ma, and Parama
t
ma, like the difference between
the pot-space, house-space, and open space, is not real; it is illusory and is
perceived because of the presence of our body, pot and house. When the
body, pot and house dissolve, the difference vanishes.
In due course after you were born, the integration of your subtle body
progressed in the form of your eyes sending signals to your brain and it
recognizing the shape, color, etc., of the object, your vocal organ verbalizing
what you wanted to say, your fingers moving to grab the object as
commanded by the brain, the five vital airs taking charge of the functioning
of your body, etc. This phase was marked with childs innocence and some
frustration and distress due to inability to communicate with others and
lasted until you learned to communicate verbally and walk.
At this point, the Wi
shn
u phase came into play as your infant body took
nutrition through the digestion of food and the endocrine glands secreted
growth hormones to allow the body to develop through the adolescent,
youth, and mid-life stages according to your genetic map. This phase is
marked by the aura of youth, strength, vigor, aspirations, and self-
confidence. You feel as though you are invincible and on top of the world.
Sometimes this leads to ego, arrogance, and being oblivious to the wind
beneath the wings, etc.
Sometime after your children are on their own and you are about to retire,
the Mahesha phase (dissolution) sneaks up on you. One by one, what you
could easily do without even thinking starts phasing out or turns off like a
switch. This is an indication that your Prarab
dh
a Karma is almost worked out
and your awa
t
aras mission is about to be accomplished. In this phase,
you start getting a glimpse of the wind beneath the wings and realize that
it is time to wrap up and say good bye.
When your Prarab
dh
a karma is worked out, Gods commitment is fulfilled, his
Sa
tt
a and Shak
t
i that kept the subtle body and all cells of the physical body
together as one entity are withdrawn from that grouping, the subtle body
gets detached from the physical body by the release of the U
d
ana wayu link,
and the cells of the physical body disintegrate and merge into the elements.
10 of 87
At any time during these phases, the three cellular activities are taking place
in your body creation of new cells, sustenance of existing cells, and
dissolution (recycling) of old cells. These activities are made possible by
Gods threefold Sa
tt
a called Brahma, Wi
shn
u, and Mahesha (integrated into
one as in God
D
a
tt
a
t
reya) and the corresponding Shak
t
is: Saraswa
t
i,
Lakshmi, and Kali (integrated into one as in Goddess Maya). The same one-
and-the-only GOD is called Brahma when creation is referred, Wi
shn
u when
sustenance is referred, and Mahesha when dissolution is referred. Each of
the Trinity has the powers of the other two. During childhood, the creation
of cells dominates; during youth, the sustenance of cells dominates; and
during old age, dissolution of cells dominates. Thus God
D
a
tt
a
t
reya is in our
body always.
The Gods Sa
tt
a and Shak
t
i stay in the background and faithfully give
company to the cells (and therefore the organs) of your body until the
Prarab
dh
a karma is worked out, through happiness and sorrow, success and
failure, good and bad health, etc., whether you are aware of them or not,
whether you show gratitude toward them or not.
The Jiwa
t
ma can be considered as Gods commitment to associate his Sa
tt
a
and Shak
t
i field (like a magnetic field) with every cell of this body we call I
until our Prarab
dh
a karma is worked out. It is also a unique opportunity for
us to make the most of this human life by seeing Gods Sa
tt
a and Shak
t
i in
action through the functioning of this body and surroundings.
Since the conception and child bearing processes are so actively associated
with Gods creative power, a pregnant lady has an especially active Gods
presence in her during that time and offers an opportunity to see God in the
miraculous process of creation. She is hosting, and participating in, the
divine creation process. Thus she should be specially respected, honored,
and treated with tender love and care during that time. God has entrusted
ladies with this exclusive capability
6
. The mothers participation in this
divine process continues until the child is weaned off breastfeeding. From
the conception to the weaning off, the mother truly lives for her child; her
food, sleep cycle, travel, etc., are all governed by what is good for the child.
This is probably why mothers typically are better than others at setting their


6

D
urga Sap
t
asha
t
i: Ya
d
ewi sarwabhu
t
e
sh
u ma
t
ru
rupe
n
a sa
n
sthi
t
a, namas
t
asyai
11 of 87
priorities second to their familys. Thus Mothers Day is a very appropriate
day to celebrate the universal motherhood through your mother.


Figure 2 Motherhood
(Courtesy http://www.depositphotos.com)

Does the Subtle Body Evolve over Reincarnations?

As per the optimum plan of Brahmadewa, the inherent characteristics of the
physical (

- gross) body of a human being (e.g., height, strength, vigor,

health) required for the workout of his Prarabdha Karma come from the
genetic makeup of his parents chosen by Brahmadewa. The subtle body is
more permanent than the gross body and carries over in successive
reincarnations. Thus the question, Does the subtle body, particularly the
mind and intellect, of that being evolve (change) over reincarnations?
comes up.
The answer is provided in Gi
t
a 6.43. The question posed by Arjuna in Gi
t
a
6.38 is: Does a person, who could not achieve yogic perfection in this
lifetime, have to start all over again in his next lifetime? Bhagawana Shri
12 of 87
K
ri
shn
a asserts, No. In due course, such a person is born in a well-to-do
pious family or a wise yogis family; such a birth is very difficult to get. He
further says:
Gi
t
a 6.43
T
a
t
ra
t
am buddhisa
n
yogam

! || 6-43 ||
T
a
t
ra
t
am buddhisa
n
yogam labha
t
e pourwa
d
ehikam |
Ya
t
a
t
e cha
t
a
t
o bhuya
ha
sansidh
d
ou, Kurunan
d
ana! ||
O son of Kuru! There (i.e., in the well-to-do or yogis family), he gets
connected with his intellect evolved over his past lifetime and resumes
his progress toward perfection from where he left off.
That is, the developoment of mind and intellect achieved in this lifetime is
not lost in the next reincarnation.

Sa
n
yoga = Shak
t
i

As said earlier, Sa
n
yoga (union) of the elements having life-creating
potential turns that potential into a reality by releasing the divine creative
power to create a living being. That Sa
n
yoga has tremendous power (Shak
t
i)
seems to be true in general also.
For example, when diverse talents come together, they can successfully
undertake and complete superhuman projects like sending man on the moon
and hosting an Olympic Games event. A single steel strand of 0.192 inch
diameter cant do a whole lot, but when 27572 such strands come together
as a cable, two such cables support the Golden Gate Bridge with all its
traffic!
Individuals can be divided and ruled, but when they stand together as a
group, they acquire great strength of unity, as expressed in united we
stand, divided we fall.
13 of 87
The United States derives its strength from serving as a melding pot for
people with diverse backgrounds coming together for the common purpose
of extraordinary freedom and truly equal opportunity.
Similarly Sa
n
yogi Yoga is a synergistic union (fusion) of the science of
workings of our body and surroundings and the scriptural assertions of the
presence and manifestation of God within and around us at all times. It has
the power of enabling spiritually-enriched living.

Presence of
D
a
tt
a
tt
reya and
T
rigu
n
a
t
mika Shak
t
i in Our Body

God
D
a
tt
a
tt
reya (an awa
t
ara of Brahma, Wi
shn
u, and Mahesha) and Maya,
T
rigu
n
a
t
mika Shak
t
i, are actively present in our body. The verification of this
comes from the incessantly ongoing processes of creation, sustenance, and
disintegration of cells of our body, associated with the Sa
tt
a of Brahma,
Wi
shn
u, and Mahesha, respectively, and their corresponding powers, Shak
t
is.
After a cell completes its useful purpose, it disintegrates into its basic
elements and is discharged through the body. Its place is taken by creation
of a new cell, which does its specific function during the sustenance period.
For example, the cells of the stomach lining are renewed every four days;
our body completely renews itself every five years. This cycle is going on
constantly. In infants, the creation of new cells occurs at a much faster rate
than the disintegration. In old age, the reverse is true.
When we get injured or bruised, new cells are generated by Gods Sa
tt
a and
Shak
t
i to heal the affected area. Similarly when bacteria or virus attack our
body, the immune system creates destroyer cells having the intelligence,
mobility, and proper makeup to destroy the bacteria.
Since the Trinity Brahma, Wi
shn
u, and Mahesha are the three aspects of the
ultimate reality Brahman, and God
D
a
tt
a
tt
reya includes them, worship of
D
a
tt
a
tt
reya constitutes the worship of Brahman.
14 of 87
Chapter 2 - Our Body

The Activities of Gods Sa
tt
a and Shak
t
i in Our Body

The God is constantly active in keeping the organs and cells of our body
functional. The anatomical and physical aspects of some important organs
and systems (specially involuntary) are highlighted in this chapter, while the
references to these in Hi
n
d
u scriptures are described in the next chapter.

Spinal Cord
In our spinal cord, brain stem, and brain, there are seven chakras (plexus)
starting from Mula
dh
ara at the base of the spine to Sahasrara at the crown of
our brain. The other chakras from bottom up are Swa
dh
i
shth
ana, Ma
n
ipura,
Anaha
t
a, Wishu
ddh
i, and Ajna (Figure 3).
Anatomically, the spinal cord has five groups of nerve segments from top to
bottom: Cervical, Thoracic, Lumbar, Sacral, and Coccygeal. These segments
serve as gateways for the respective nerves that enter and exit the spinal
column and are roughly located near the Wishu
ddh
i, Anaha
t
a, Ma
n
ipura,
Swa
dh
i
shth
ana, and Mula
dh
ara chakras, respectively.
According to Ga
n
apa
t
i-Atharwashir
sh
a, Lord Ga
n
esha resides in the Mula
dh
ara
chakra
7
. According to Lali
t
a-Sahasranama
8
, Lali
t
a
D
ewi resides in these
seven chakras under different names with her Shak
t
is and weapons to
protect the functioning of these chakras and regulate the generation,
sustenanced, and dissolution of the basic elements of our body (the related
shlokas are presented in Chapter 3). These chakras,
D
ewis, and the
elements controlled are listed in Table 1 in the same sequence as in Lali
t
a-
Sahasranama.


7
MuladharaSthi
t
osiNi
t
yam
8
VishuddhiChakraNilaya Arak
t
awar
n
a and other shlokas
15 of 87


Figure 3: Location of Chakras in Our Body
(Courtesy http://www.thelemapedia.org/index.php/Liber_V_vel_Reguli)


Table 1
Spinal Cord Region Chakra Dewi Element Controlled
Cervical Wishu
ddh
i Dakini
T
wacha (skin)
Thoracic Anaha
t
a Raki
n
i
Ru
dh
ira
(blood and its circulation)
Lumbar Ma
n
ipura Lakini Ma
n
sa (muscle tissues)
Sacral Swa
dh
i
shth
ana Kakini Me
d
a (Fatty tissues)
Coccygeal Mula
dh
ara Sakini Asthi (Bones)
Above spinal cord Ajna Hakini
Majja
(Bone marrow, nerve tissues)
In brain Sahasrara Yakini
Shukla
(Reproductive tissues)

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The spinal cord carries all the sensory and motor nerves to and from the
brain. The sympathetic (fight or flight response) and para-sympathetic
(calming response) nerves originating from the medulla oblongata (lower
half of brain stem; the brain stem lies between the spinal cord and brain)
are located on either side of the spinal cord. The vagus, phrenic, and pelvic
nerves which give us our involuntary actions (actions we do not do
voluntarily) of breathing, blood circulation, digestion, etc., are part of the
para-sympathetic nerves. Breathing and blood circulation are going on at all
times, but breathing is most easily observable and is involuntary as well as
voluntary. Since breathing is related to the flow of Pra
n
a to the diaphragm
through the phrenic nerves, watching your breath is one of the yogic
techniques for controlling Pra
n
a. Since Pra
n
a is mind-stuff as mentioned in
the book Autobiography of a Yogi by Paramaha
n
sa Yoganan
d
a, controlling
Pra
n
a also brings about control of the mind. Watching the breath is
facilitated by visualizing and concentrating on the phrenic nerve and
movement of the diaphragm.
The nervous system is discussed later.

Endocrine System
The endocrine system is a system of glands. The seven major glands that
make up the human endocrine system [from top: Pineal, Pituitary, Thyroid
(with Parathyroid), Thymus, Adrenals, Pancreas, and Gonads (Testes or
Ovaries)] are shown in Figure 4.
These glands provide growth hormones to the body during adolescence and
youth. The Thymus gland is also a part of the immune system. The
Pancreas is responsible for digestion of food and processing of sugar; its
proper functioning is very important for diabetic people.
A gland is a group of cells that secretes a type of hormone directly into the
bloodstream to regulate the body. The endocrine system is an information
signal system like the nervous system, but with slower activation and longer
response duration than the latter. The functioning of the endocrine system
is involuntary, since we do not do anything consciously to regulate the
hormones in our body.
17 of 87
Hormones are information carrier substances (chemical mediators) released
from endocrine tissue into the bloodstream; they travel to target tissue and
generate a response. In contrast, the nerve signals are electrical in nature.
Hormones regulate various human functions, including metabolism, growth
and development, immunity, tissue function, and mood.


Figure 4: Endocrine System
(Courtesy http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Endocrine_gland)

The Hypothalamus is a portion of the brain located below the thalamus and
just above the brain stem and is a neuro-endocrine organ. One of the most
important functions of the hypothalamus is to link the nervous system to the
endocrine system via the pituitary gland. The pituitary gland is often called
18 of 87
the "master gland" because it makes hormones that control several other
endocrine glands.
The hypothalamus is responsible for certain metabolic processes and other
activities of the autonomic nervous system. It synthesizes and secretes
certain neuro-hormones, often called hypothalamic-releasing hormones, and
these in turn stimulate or inhibit the secretion of pituitary hormones. The
hypothalamus controls body temperature, hunger, thirst, fatigue, sleep, and
body clock.
The endocrine glands are located in the vicinity of the chakras (Table 2):

Gland Chakra
Hypothalamus & Pineal Sahasrara
Pituitary Ajna
Thyroid & Parathyroid Wishu
ddh
i
Thymus Anaha
t
a
Adrenals Ma
n
ipura
Pancreas Swa
dh
i
shth
ana
Testes/Ovary Mula
dh
ara


Immune System
This system protects us from infection with layered defenses. The first layer
consists of the surface barriers: skin, coughing and sneezing, tears, and
mucous secreted by the respiratory and gastrointestinal tracts. The second
layer consists of the innate immune system that responds to pathogens in a
generic way (i.e., same response against all attackers). The third layer is
the adaptive immune system whose response is pathogen-specific with
memory; thus the response to a previously-detected pathogen is much
quicker.
19 of 87
The adaptive immune system is made up of a network of cells, tissues, and
organs that work together to protect the body (Figure 5). The cells
involved are white blood cells of the lymphocyte type and are called
leukocytes.


Figure 5: Organs of the Immune System
(Courtesy http://www.niaid.nih.gov/topics/immuneSystem/Pages/illustrationCredit.aspx)

Leukocytes are produced or stored in the lymphoid organs, including the
thymus, spleen, and bone marrow. There are also clumps of lymphoid tissue
throughout the body, primarily as lymph nodes, that house the leukocytes.
The leukocytes circulate through the body between the organs and nodes via
lymphatic vessels (Figure 6) and blood vessels. In this way, the immune
system works in a coordinated manner to monitor the body for germs or
substances that might cause problems.


20 of 87


Figure 6: Lymphatic System (Lymph Nodes and Vessels)
(Courtesy
http://www.lls.org/content/nationalcontent/resourcecenter/freeeducationmaterials/generalcancer/pdf/
bloodcellslymphaticchart.pdf)

21 of 87
There are two kinds of lymphocytes: B lymphocytes and T lymphocytes.
Lymphocytes start out in the bone marrow and either stay there and mature
into B cells (B for blood), or leave for the thymus gland, where they mature
into T cells (T for Thymus). B lymphocytes are like the body's military
intelligence system, seeking out their targets and sending defenses to lock
onto them. T cells are like the soldiers, destroying the invaders that the
intelligence system has identified.
When antigens (foreign substances that invade the body) are detected,
several types of cells work together to recognize them and respond. These
cells trigger the B lymphocytes to produce antibodies, specialized proteins
that lock onto specific antigens. Once produced, these antibodies continue
to exist in a person's body, so that if the same antigen is presented to the
adaptive immune system again, the antibodies are already there to do their
job. So if someone gets sick with a certain disease, that person typically
doesn't get sick from it again.
These layers of the immune system stay guard at all times and fight off alien
attackers like bacteria and viruses that are always waiting for a weak
moment.
The skin is impermeable like the wall of a fortress. If it gets compromised
by a cut, bruise, or swelling, the healing system of our body creates and
deploys adult/progenitor stem cells to repair the affected area. If any alien
bacteria try to enter our body through one of the nine gateways (eyes, nose,
ears, mouth, genitals), the surface barriers like mucous lining trap them and
dispose them off to protect our body.
If any virus or bacteria make it past the surface barriers, the innate immune
system takes care of it. If the virus or bacteria make it past the innate
immune system, the adaptive immune system produces an army of antigen-
specific defender cells that have the right makeup, intelligence, and agility to
seek out and destroy the alien attackers.
All these protective activities are made possible by Gods presence and
power energizing the cells of this system.


22 of 87
Healing System
The body has a healing system that heals cuts, bruises, muscle injuries,
fractures, wounds, etc. The healing process is attributed to adult stem cells
(ASC) and their derivatives called progenitor cells that act as a repair system
for the body.
Adult stem cells are undifferentiated cells, found throughout the body after
development, that multiply by cell division to replenish dying cells and
regenerate damaged tissues. The adult stem cells are induced to perform
healing by injury-related signals. The ASCs then occupy the injury location
and help regenerate mature replacement cells. Such healing activity
happens automatically because of Gods Sa
tt
a and Shak
t
i present in our
body.
To ensure self-renewal, stem cells undergo two types of cell division:
symmetric and asymmetric. Symmetric division gives rise to two identical
daughter cells, both endowed with stem cell properties, whereas asymmetric
division produces only one stem cell and a progenitor cell with limited self-
renewal potential. Progenitors can go through several rounds of cell division
before finally differentiating into a mature target cell.
Most adult stem cells are generally referred to by their tissue origin
[mesenchymal stem cells originating from bone marrow, dental pulp (soft
living tissue inside a tooth), etc., endothelial stem cells originating from
bone marrow, adipose-derived stem cells originating from lipid cells, blood
stem cells (these include lymphoid stem cells involved in generation of B-
and T-lymphocytes that participate in immune responses), intestinal stem
cells, neural stem cells, olfactory adult stem cells (related to lining of nose
and sense of smell), etc.].

Central Nervous System
Our sense organs and motor organs are connected with our brain through
nerves. These nerves are like very fine wires and pass through the spinal
vertebrae. The nerves from our eyes, ears, nose, tongue, and skin go to the
brain and carry sensory signals. Since the skin is spread over the entire
body, the nerves originating from it are the most extensive. The brain
interprets the sensory signals (e.g., shape, color, beautiful/ugly, and motion
from the eye signals; sound frequencies, volume, and pleasant/unpleasant
23 of 87
from the ear signals; fragrant/rotten, fresh, and burning smells from the
nose signals; and the six tastes [sweet, sour, salty, spicy hot, bitter, and
astringent (Ka
sh
aya) like alum] and tasty/bland from the tongue signals; and
hard/soft, cold/hot, wet/dry, and pleasant/unpleasant from the touch
signals). The discriminating faculty of the brain decides which sensory
experiences should be revisited and which should be avoided.
Then the brain sends signals to activate the appropriate motor organ(s)
[speech (i.e., mouth for speaking and eating), hands, feet, excretory and
genital organs] to repeat good experiences and avoid bad experiences or to
accomplish certain activities, such as helping others, social service,
humanitarian service, and fending off aggressive elements. Here speech is
mentioned as a motor organ in line with the use of the corresponding
sa
n
sk
ri
t
a word wak ( - speech) for both speaking and eating.
All these activities are enabled only because of the Gods Sa
tt
a and Shak
t
i
present in each and every cell of the nerves and muscles.
Besides this central nervous system, the autonomous (involuntary) nervous
system located in the brain stem is also constantly doing its function (e.g.,
breathing, circulating, digesting, excreting) through its subtle sensory and
motor nerves (e.g., the vagus, phrenic, and pelvic nerves) as described
next.

Autonomous nervous system
The vagus and pelvic nerves are very important parts of the Autonomous
Nervous System (Figure 7) and innervate several critical life-sustaining
involuntary functions of the body.
The vagus nerve (the blue nerve X in Fig. 6) originates in the medulla
oblongata region of the brain stem and supports the involuntary actions of
lungs, heart, kidneys, liver, stomach, and GI tract.
Pelvic nerves (see in Fig. 6) arise from sacral spinal nerves to provide para-
sympathetic innervation of the pelvic and genital organs. The nerves
regulate the emptying of the urinary bladder and the rectum as well as
sexual functions.
24 of 87


Figure 7: Autonomous Nervous System
(Red Sympathetic, Blue Para-Sympathetic)
(courtesy http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Gray839.png)
The proximal 2/3 of the transverse colon (adjacent to the ascending colon),
and the rest of the proximal gastrointestinal tract is supplied its para-
sympathetic fibers by the vagus nerve. In the distal 1/3 of the transverse
25 of 87
colon (adjacent to the descending colon) and through the sigmoid and
rectum, the pelvic nerves take over.
The involuntary actions include breathing, blood circulation, digestion
(homogenization in stomach, mixing with gastric juices from the gall bladder
and pancreas in the duodenum, absorption of the nutrients through enzyme
action in the jejunum and ileum), and excretion through the colon and
bladder, etc.
The active association of Gods presence and Shak
t
i in these involuntary
functions is worth our special attention. The breathing, heartbeat, and blood
circulation are going on constantly, whereas the digestion, etc., happen only
when we eat or drink something. Therefore breathing, which is most easily
observable, is our continuous window to see God up and close, to have his
d
arshana anytime and as often as we want. However since we do not know
how long this window will be available for
d
arshana, we should train
ourselves to make use of it without procrastinating. Realizing this and
making conscious attempt to have his
d
arshana is only possible in human
life. That is why, reincarnation as a human being is such a privilege and
unique opportunity.

Breathing & Blood Circulation
Breathing and blood circulation are very closely related and synchronized
involuntary actions innervated by the phrenic and vagus nerves,
respectively, and are very important for survival. The following details of
the actions are useful in visualizing this process during meditation.
As the diaphragm contracts and relaxes due to the involuntary innervation
from the phrenic nerve, the lungs expand and contract to inhale and exhale.
The inhaled air exchanges its oxygen with the CO2 in the blood circulating
through the pulmonary artery and the CO2-rich air is then exhaled.

26 of 87

Figure 8: Blood Circulation between Heart and Lungs
(courtesy http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Illu_pulmonary_circuit.jpg)

The red oxygen-rich blood flowing through the arteries gives up its oxygen
to the energy producing reaction
9
in all the cells of the body and carries the
CO2 created in the reaction through the veins to the upper right chamber
(right atrium) of the heart. The CO2-rich blood then gets pumped through
the lower right chamber (right ventricle) and pulmonary arteries into the
capillaries of the lungs and while passing through the alveoli exchanges its
CO2 with the oxygen in the inhaled air and returns as oxygen-rich red blood
through the pulmonary veins to the upper left chamber (left atrium) of the


9
Carbohydrates in food are decomposed into glucose or its derivatives in the stomach.
Glucose is soluble in blood. It is transported by the blood cells to various parts of the body
where it catalytically reacts with oxygen (O
2
) in the presence of enzymes in a series of steps
producing carbon dioxide (CO
2
), water (H
2
O), and energy:
Glucose + O2 = CO2 + water + ADP-to-ATP energy storage conversion;
the cells derive energy from ATP-to-ADP conversion.
This reaction is called respiration.
Glucose is carried around the body dissolved in blood plasma, the pale yellow liquid part of
our blood. Oxygen is carried by the red blood cells. These contain a red substance called
haemoglobin, which joins onto oxygen and carries it around the body in the blood.
27 of 87
heart. It then gets pumped through the lower left chamber (left ventricle)
into the arteries and circulates throughout the body.
28 of 87
Chapter 3 God and Our Body

Religious Basis and Ma
n
t
ras for Gods Presence in Our
Body

As said earlier, although Gods Sa
tt
a and Shak
t
i are active in every cell of our
body, its special association with certain specific parts or functions of the
body are mentioned in many shlokas in Gi
t
a, Lali
t
a-Sahasranam, Dewi
Maha
t
mya, and in shan
t
i ma
n
t
ras in daily puja and in s
t
u
t
is, etc.; moreover
in many instances, they are in Gods own words and thus, carry enormous
credibility. Since these shlokas and ma
n
t
ras are correlated with the
functioning of our body and surroundings, these are universal; they apply to
all of us regardless of religious, faith-based, racial, and gender distinctions.
Not only are such shlokas and ma
n
t
ras very important as religious basis for
the active presence of God in our body, but are also useful and potent for
arousing true selfless bhak
t
i and shra
ddh
a, for employing them as ma
n
t
ras for
daily use, and for seeing God daily at will without special effort. These
shlokas and ma
n
t
ras are presented next along with meaning and
explanation.
Gi
t
a 7.811 Raso$hamapsu (Gods omnipresence):

, !

, ,

|| ||

|| ||

, ! |

, || ||
|

, ! || ||

29 of 87
Raso$hamapsu, Kaun
t
eya! Prabha$smi Shashisuryayo
ho
|
Pra
n
awa
ha
sarwawe
d
e
sh
u, shab
d
a
ha
khe, pauru
sh
am n
ru
sh
u || 8 ||
Pu
n
yo Gan
dh
a
ha
p
ri
thiwyam cha
t
ejashchasmi Wibhawasau |
Jiwanam sarwabhu
t
e
sh
u,
t
apashchasmi
t
apaswi
sh
u || 9 ||
Bijam mam sarwabhu
t
anam wi
ddh
i, Partha! sana
t
anam |
Bu
ddh
irbu
ddh
ima
t
amasmi,
t
ejas
t
ejaswinamaham || 10 ||
Balam balawa
t
am chaham kamaragawiwarji
t
am |
Dh
armawiru
dd
ho bhu
t
e
sh
u kamo$smi, Bhara
t
ar
sh
abha! || 11 ||

O Kaun
t
eya (son of Kun
t
i)! I am the wetness and taste in water,
brilliance in Sun and moon, Omkara in all We
d
as, sound in space,
achievement in people; fragrance in earth, heat energy in Agni, life in
all creatures, penance in people living austere life. O Partha [son of
P
ru
tha (Kun
t
i)]! Know me as the eternal essence in all creatures. I am
the intellect of all intellectuals, effulgence of all brilliant objects, pure
strength (devoid of passion and desire) of all strong creatures, and
righteous desire in creatures, O Bhara
t
ar
sh
abha [the best of
Bhara
t
awar
sh
a (Arjuna)]!.
The meaning of the above verses can be extended by inference to realize the
fact that our existence and abilities and those of our surroundings (planets,
elements) are due only to the presence and Shak
t
i of God. Take away these
two and everything will revert back to the material cause of the universe.

Shan
t
iPa
th
a Bha
d
ra
m
Kar
n
ebhi
hi
(Hear Good, See Good):

: | : |

: |

: ||

| :

|
|

||
: : : ||
30 of 87
Om Bha
d
ra
m
kar
n
ebhi
hi
sh
ru
n
uyama
d
ewa
ha
| Bha
d
ra
m
pashyemakshabhiryaja
t
ra
ha
|
Sthirairangais
t
u
shth
uwa
gam
sas
t
anubhi
hi
|

Wyashema
d
ewahi
t
am ya
d
ayu
hu
||
Swas
t
i na In
d
ro W
ri
ddh
ashrawa
ha
| Swas
t
i na
ha
Pu
sh
a Wishwawe
d
a
ha
|
Swas
t
i nas
T
arkshyo$ri
sh
tanemi
hi
| Swas
t
i no B
ri
haspa
t
ir
d
a
dh
a
t
u ||
Om shan
t
i
hi
shan
t
i
hi
shan
t
i
hi
||
This is a very popular and common peace prayer (Shan
t
ipa
th
a) included at
the beginning of many Upani
sh
a
d
as and also a chant sung at the beginning
of many pujas. Through this prayer, a devotee requests Gods to bless him
live his God-given life in good health and with auspicious impressions
brought in through his sense organs and auspicious actions performed
through his action organs to please Gods. It seeks good will from Gods.
The ma
n
t
ra says:
Oh Gods! Let us hear auspicious sounds through our ears, auspicious
sights through our eyes. Let us spend our God-allotted lifespan with
properly functioning organs (i.e., in good health) and in a manner that
will please you. May the famous-from-old-times In
d
ra (king of Gods),
omniscient Pu
sh
an (Sun), remover of calamities
T
arkshya (Wind), and
B
ri
haspa
t
i (Preceptor of Gods) be favorable to us.
Similar wish is included in this ma
n
t
ra by implication for the sense of smell,
taste, and touch. Although the ma
n
t
ra addresses four deities that were
recognized as Gods in the era when this ma
n
t
ra was created, it should be
considered to implicitly include Gods Sa
tt
a and Shak
t
i present in every cell of
our body.
The meaning of this ma
n
t
ra is very deep. For the auspicious impressions to
be brought in through our sense organs and auspicious actions to be
performed through our action organs, we must first have healthy and fit
sense and action organs, nerve connections, and brains signal processing
power. Thus the request implicitly extends to properly functioning ears,
eyes, nose, tongue, and skin; and mouth (speech and eating), hands, feet,
and genital and excretory organs, and mind; strong nerve connections, and
brain. Secondly, the request also implicitly extends to positive natural
disposition, upbringing, and associations (sa
t
sa
n
ga) for us to be inclined to
choose good impressions and good deeds and avoid bad impressions and
31 of 87
bad deeds. Thirdly, the ma
n
t
ra implies that the good we hope to do be
dedicated to pleasing the God present in every constituent of this universe.
Finally, the ma
n
t
ra requests the Gods Sa
tt
a and Shak
t
i present in each and
every cell of our body to be favorable to us and to propel us to seek out
spiritually good inputs and choose good actions.
While requesting God, the ma
n
t
ra also puts a responsibility on the individual
to participate with the natural functioning of systems in our body to keep our
body organs and systems healthy and fit, for example, by a combination of
cleanliness, nutrition, physical and mental exercise, sleep, etc. Further in
order for a person to hear, see, etc., auspicious sounds, sights, etc., he
should associate with people who speak good positive language and present
themselves in a nice fashion, etc. At the same time, he should speak good
positive language and present himself in a nice fashion, etc., so that others
may also be able to experience Bha
d
ram kar
n
ebhi
hi
. Since we hear what
we say, we should speak good for our own sake also.
Because of the presence of Gods Sa
tt
a and Shak
t
i in each and every cell of
our body, our body is a temple of God. So we should take good care of it.
We should be sensitive to what we eat, how it is prepared, wherein we
engage our mind and intelligence, etc. We should use care and discretion in
the groceries and food we buy to avoid genetically modified substances and
items containing growth hormones, pesticides, harmful food color, trans-fats
like hydrogenated shortening and margarine, and sugar substitutes like
high-fructose-corn-syrup. These substances are linked to obesity, diabetes,
heart failure, blocked arteries, cancer, etc. Fortunately organic foods are
available that do not contain the above harmful substances and therefore
are healthy and wise choices in the long run. The utensils used for
preparing food should also be health-smart; utensils made from substances
like aluminum, nonstick plastic coating (e.g., Teflon), plastic, and rubber are
harmful and should not be used. The food we eat should include fruits,
vegetables, whole grains, sprouted grains, yogurt, etc., to keep our health
and immunity strong. Similarly, daily exercise, enough sleep, and
meditation should be part of our lifestyle. Following such a health-smart
lifestyle is like paying off the debt we carry for the gift of this human life.
So chanting or listening to this ma
n
t
ra and keeping the meaning in mind
serves as self suggestion and prompts us to keep our body and mind fit and
oriented in positive direction.
32 of 87
There are several similar ma
n
t
ras, two of them quite popular: Bho
d
ipa
brahmarups
t
wam.. and the Maham
ri
t
yunjaya ma
n
t
ra. These are described
next.

Bho
d
ipa brahmarupas
t
wa
m
.. (Prayer for Body as lamp):
!

||
Bho
d
ipa brahmarupas
t
wa
m
jyo
t
i
sh
a
m
prabhurawyaya|
Yawa
t
pujasamap
t
i
hi
sya
t

t
awa
t

t
wa
m
susthiro bhawa ||
Chanted at the beginning of a puja, this ma
n
t
ra is a request (prarthana) to
the puja lamp (
d
ipa), considered brahmarupa, look-alike to Brahman ( ),
and the lord of brilliance (jyo
t
i), to remain steady and strong until the
completion of the puja.

Our life is like a puja and our body, with the association of God with it in the
form of Sa
tt
a and Shak
t
i, is like a lamp. So we can address this prayer to
the lamp of liveliness, che
t
ana, in us:
Oh lamp of che
t
ana, you are the never-ending lord of che
t
ana in all
animate and inanimate objects. Please remain strong, stable,
enlightening, and energetic (so our body/mind will be healthy, fit, and
functional) until the puja, journey of this life, is complete, i.e., until our
prarab
dh
a karma is all worked out and the mission of our current
human life is complete.
In fact, each cell of our body with its Sa
tt
a and Shak
t
i is like a lamp. So our
body is like a group of an almost-infinite number of lamps (laksha-
d
ipa).

Maham
ri
t
yunjaya ma
n
t
ra (for death without pain and suffering):

||
33 of 87
Om
T
ryambakam yajamahe sugan
dh
im pu
sh
tiwar
dh
anam |
Urwarukamiwa ban
dh
anan m
ri
t
yormukshiya mam
ri
t
a
t
||
This great death-conquering ma
n
t
ra is a prayer to Lord Shiwa and says:
We worship God
T
ryambaka (having three eyes, an epithet of
Shiwa) who is fragrant (pleasingly omnipresent) and nourishing.
Please liberate me from the bond of premature death and perpetual
cycles of death, which are like deadly and overpowering disease, as
easily and naturally as a ripe cucumber from its vine, by giving me
immortality.
The second line of this ma
n
t
ra can also be interpreted to mean:
Release the link of U
d
ana wayu between my gross and subtle bodies
as easily and naturally as that between a ripe cucumber and its vine,
but dont let me deviate from the path of immortality.
This ma
n
t
ra has a straightforward literal meaning and, when deciphered
according to the Vedic etymology (Niruk
t
am), a very deep meaning. It
seeks a fruitful life and an easy natural death without pain and suffering
while in a self-sufficient healthy physical and mental condition.
Along with healthy body and mind, we also need favorable external
environment to make it easy for us to experience Gods presence, e.g., a
stable earth devoid of earthquakes; favorable water and wind devoid of
tornadoes, hurricanes, floods, tsunamies, droughts; Sun without scorching
heat. For this, the following potent Shan
t
ipa
th
a should be chanted:


D
you$Shan
t
iran
t
ariksha (for favorable environment):
: |

: : : : |
| ||
: : : ||
34 of 87
Om
d
you
h
shan
t
iran
t
arikshagam shan
t
i
hi
|
P
ri
thiwi shan
t
irapa
h
shan
t
iro
sh
a
dh
aya
h
shan
t
ir-wanaspa
t
aya
h
shan
t
ir-
wishwe_
d
ewa
ha
shan
t
ir-brahma shan
t
i
hi
|
Sarwagam shan
t
i
hi
shan
t
irewa shan
t
i
hi
| Sa ma shan
t
ire
dh
i |
Aum shan
t
i
hi
shan
t
i
hi
shan
t
i
hi
||
This ma
n
t
ra seeks everlasting peace in and from nature, plants, and heaven:
May there be peace in Heaven,
Peace in the Atmosphere,
May there be peace on Earth,
Peace across the waters,
May peace flow from herbs, plants and trees,
May all the celestial beings promote peace,
May Brahman bring peace,
May peace, and only peace, pervade all quarters
May that peace come to me too
MAY THERE BE PEACE PEACE PEACE

15
th
Chapter of Gi
t
a:
There are several shlokas in the 15
th
Chapter of Gi
t
a in Gods own words
(i.e., in first person) that assert His presence in our body and around us.
Shlokas 7, 14, and 15 relate to Gods presence in our body. Shlokas 12
and 13 relate to His presence in our surroundings. These are described
next.

Gi
t
a 15.7 Mamaiwansho jiwaloke (our present reincarnation):

|
:

||
Mamaiwansho jiwaloke jiwabhu
t
a
ha
sana
t
ana
ha
|
Mana
ha
sh
a
shth
anin
d
riya
n
i prak
ri
t
isthani kar
sh
a
t
i ||
In this stanza, God asserts his active presence in all living beings. He says:
35 of 87
My beginningless and endless a
n
sha has become a jiwa (living being)
in the animate world. This a
n
sha attracts the six senses inclusive of
mind that are present in the Prak
ri
t
i.
Here a
n
sha refers to as much of Gods infinite Sa
tt
a and Shak
t
i as is required
to uphold the jiwa, and mana
ha
sh
a
shth
anin
d
riya
n
i (mind and five senses) can
be interpreted to extend to the 19-part subtle body which includes these six.
When Brahma
d
ewa, the Creator, decides the optimum part of the Sanchi
t
a
karma of a being that can be optimally worked out in the optimum specie
body in conjunction with other beings, God commits himself to associate his
a
n
sha with the living being until it has worked out all the Prarab
dh
a Karma
allotted for its current lifetime by the Creator, Brahma
d
ewa. This a
n
sha
integrates the 19-part subtle body (5 pra
n
as, 5 subtle sense organs, 5
subtle action organs, 4-part an
t
a
ha
kara
n
a: mind, intellect, ego, and
consciousness) with the gross body at the optimum starting point in terms of
the parentage, lineage, time, location, and social and relational associations
to make a full-fledged living being, jiwa (refer to the Section How we came
into being and what has God to do with it? in Chapter 1).

Gi
t
a 15.12 Ya
d
a
d
i
t
yaga
t
am
t
ejo (effulgence of sun, moon, fire):
|
||
Ya
d
a
d
i
t
yaga
t
am
t
ejo jaga
d
bhasaya
t
e$khilam |
Yachchan
d
ramasi yachchagnou
t
a
tt
ejo wi
dd
hi mamakam ||
In this stanza, God reveals that the brilliance, light, and energy of the Sun,
Moon, and Fire are His, manifesting through them. Suns brilliance is strong
and harsh, Moons is mild and cool, while that of fire is hot and used as
witness in ceremonies like marriage and as medium for taking the oblations
offered in yajnas to intended Gods. We can bring God into our awareness
through these three media. God says:
Know that the brilliance (
t
eja) in the Sun that illumines the entire
world, that in the moon and the agni (fire) is mine.
By inference, it is Gods brilliance that shines through all stars and brilliant
objects. This stanza helps us realize that the prayer addressed to Sun
36 of 87
through the Gaya
t
ri ma
n
t
ra (below) is effectively addressed to God through
the medium of Sun:

Gaya
t
ri ma
n
t
ra:
T
a
t
sawi
t
urware
n
yam (prayer for aura, energy):
(

:)

| : ||
(

)

(Om bhurbhuwaswa
ha
)
T
a
t
sawi
t
urware
n
yam bhargo
d
ewasya
dh
imahi |
Dh
iyo yo na
ha
pracho
d
aya
t
||
(Om apojyo
t
iraso$m
ri
t
am brahma bhurbhuwaswarom)
This is the Gaya
t
ri ma
n
t
ra. It is a very potent ma
n
t
ra, salutation, and prayer
addressed to the Sun:
We meditate upon the supreme effulgence of the Sun God. May He
guide our intellect (in the proper direction).
Sun is the source of energy, light, and life for our planet and solar system.
Thus the ma
n
t
ra should be chanted or remembered with the visualization
that the Suns effulgence is being absorbed in our body. This mantra should
also be a source of inspiration and example for us to be like Sun to others,
i.e., to give warmth (loving caring treatment), knowledge, and support and
encouragement to others so they feel energized, enlightened, and enlivened.

Gi
t
a 15.13 Gamawishya cha bhu
t
ani (God provides support,
nourishment):

||
Gamawishya cha bhu
t
ani
dh
arayamyahamojasa |
Pu
shn
ami cha ou
sh
a
dh
i
hi
sarwa
ha
somo bhu
t
wa rasa
t
maka
ha
||
37 of 87
In this shloka, God reveals his active presence in the earth and in the moon
that showers nectar over all plants. He says:
I reside in the earth (Gam) and provide support to all creatures by my
power. I also nourish all plants by becoming the nectar-full Soma
(moon).
Here support means several things: gravitational pull to hold all inhabitants
on earths surface, sustenance for all underground creatures, and even
support for all the buildings, structures, and landfills.
Gamawishya cha - Although the first line of this shloka mentions Gods
presence in earth explicitly, by inference, we can extend the meaning of this
stanza to include all the five elements which came from the Gods material
power (
d
rawya shak
t
i) at the beginning of creation and are key to our
existence on this planet. San
t
a Ekanatha Maharaja expresses this beautifully
in his book Cha
t
u
hu
shloki Bhagawa
t
a: if it were not for Gods presence in the
earth, the water would have devoured it; if it were not for Gods presence in
the water, the agni would have devoured it; and so on.
Push
n
ami cha - Coming back to the second line of the main shloka, the
rich variety of fruits, vegetables, herbs, grains, etc., that are full of nutrients
(energy, vitamins, antioxidants, phytochemicals (vibrant color), fiber, etc.),
is available to us because God showers these plants with his nectar through
the medium of the moon. So when we eat and enjoy the bounty of nature,
we should gratefully remember and mentally say this ma
n
t
ra.

Two popular verses show respect to Mother Earth:

, !

|
!,

||
P
ri
thwi!
t
waya
dh
ri
t
a loka,
D
ewi!
t
wam wi
shn
una
dh
ri
t
a |
T
wam cha
dh
araya mam
D
ewi!, pawi
t
ram kuru chasanam ||
This ma
n
t
ra is used in the beginning of a puja to offer respect to Mother
Earth who provides support to the worshipper and purifies the asana (seat)
on which the worshipper sits during puja. The ma
n
t
ra says:
38 of 87
Oh Mother Earth, you have given support to living beings and you in
turn are supported by Lord Wi
shn
u. Please support me and sanctify my
seat.
Not only is Mother Earth worthy of our respect and gratitude, but she is
equally beautiful also. Her beauty is experienced through the extensive
mountain ranges, vast seas, rivers, valleys, water falls, fruits and flowers,
habitants (human bdings, animals, birds); e.g., Himalaya, Kerala in India,
Grand Canyon, Yellowstone National Park in the USA. This beauty can be
seen by touring any part of the earth.

||
Samu
d
rawasane
D
ewi Parwa
t
as
t
anamandale |
Wi
shn
upa
t
ni! namas
t
ubhyam pa
d
asparsham kshamaswa me ||
This shloka reveres earth as the wife of Lord Wi
shn
u and asks forgiveness for
putting feet on her. The shloka says:
Oh Goddess, whose garment is the ocean and bosom region are the
mountains, Oh wife of Lord Wi
shn
u! I salute you. Please forgive me for
touching you with my feet.

Gi
t
a 15.14 Aham waishwanaro bhu
t
wa (who digests food?):

||
Aham Waishwanaro bhu
t
wa pra
n
inam
d
ehamashri
t
a
ha
|
Pra
n
apanasamayuk
t
a
ha
pachamyannam cha
t
urwi
dh
am ||
In this shloka, God declares his active presence in the digestive system and
organs of living beings. He says:
39 of 87
I become the Waishwanara and reside in the bodies of living beings,
and digest the fourfold food (eaten by chewing, sucking, licking, and
drinking) in conjunction with the (vital airs) Pra
n
a and Apana.
Although the mouth by which we eat is not explicitly mentioned in the five
motor organs (

- speech, hands, feet, and genital and

excretory organs), it is implicitly included in the speech organ.
Also when we enjoy the taste of a particular food, it is only because of Gods
Sa
tt
a and Shak
t
i in the functionality of our taste buds and the sense of taste
in the brain that it becomes possible; this is an example of the meaning of
a
dh
i
shth
aya manaschayam wi
sh
ayanupasewa
t
e in the Gi
t
a shloka 15.9:
: |

||
Shro
t
ram chakshu
hu
sparshanam cha rasanam ghra
n
amewa cha |
A
dh
i
shth
aya manashchayam wi
sh
ayanupasewa
t
e ||

God (through his Sa
tt
a and Shak
t
i), seated in the mind, experiences
the sense objects through the ears, eyes, touch, tongue, and nose. He
also enables the mind to relive past sense experiences.
In a broad sense, the digestion process can be taken to include all activities
from putting the food in the mouth to the excretion of processed stuff
(Figure 9).
40 of 87

Figure 9: Digestive System
(Courtesy http://www.daviddarling.info/encyclopedia/D/digestive_system.html)

The activities after the food enters the esophagus are involuntary and God
takes care of the whole process for us. The Pra
n
a and Apana can be
understood by relating them to the activities of the vagus and pelvic nerves,
respectively. The vagus nerve innervates the release of gastric juice in the
stomach for homogenizing, the secretion of pancreas and fluid (bile) from
gall bladder for breakdown of food in the duodenum, and the absorption of
nutrients in the jejunum, ileum, and two-thirds of the colon. The pelvic
nerve innervates the ejection of leftover material through one-third of the
colon, sigmoid, and anus.
Since the food we eat is digested by God Waishwanara, it is imperative that
we do our part by being selective in the food we eat, i.e., eating nutritious
health-safe food (e.g., organic whole grain, fruits and vegetables rich in
natural color) prepared in health-safe cookware (e.g., stainless steel pots,
corelle, [not aluminum, plastic, rubber, or Teflon-coated nonstick pots as
these release carcinogens when heated]) and under clean conditions (e.g.,
after taking bath and wearing clean washed clothes). The ingredients and
41 of 87
food should also carry good vibrations, that is, should be prepared by a
loving and relaxed person with positive attitude, and should not include
meat, fish, etc., as these carry the bad vibrations of cruel treatment and
violence (hi
n
sa). The food should be eaten with the attitude of offering
oblations to the gastric fire as hawana. Fasting, usually done for religious
and health reasons, can also be viewed as giving a break to God
Waishwanara.
This ma
n
t
ra is very apt and appropriate to chant before starting a meal.

Gi
t
a 15.15 Sarwasya chaham h
ri
d
i (memory, reasoning from God):
:

||
Sarwasya chaham h
ri
d
i sanniwi
sh
to ma
tt
a
ha
sm
ri
t
irjnanamapohanam cha |
We
d
aishcha sarwairahamewa we
d
yo we
d
an
t
ak
ri
d
we
d
awi
d
ewa chaham ||
In this shloka, God declares his active presence in the region from behind
the center of the eyebrows to the crown of the head of living beings
(between the Ajna chakra and Sahasrara chakra) to support their memory,
knowledge, and reasoning ability. He says:
I reside in the (yogic) heart of all beings and am the source of their
memory, knowledge, and reasoning ability. I am the one to be
realized by means of the (wisdom of) we
d
as. I am the creator and
knower of the we
d
as.
Thus when our memory comes to our rescue in remembering something or
when we are able to reason out the solution of a problem or question, or use
logic for decision-making, we should gratefully attribute it to God and
remember this ma
n
t
ra.



42 of 87
Karpurgouram karu
n
awa
t
aram (Shiwa with Parwa
t
i in our yogic
heart):

|
||
Karpurgouram karu
n
awa
t
aram sa
n
sarasaram bhujagen
d
raharam |
Sa
d
awasan
t
am h
ri
d
ayarawin
d
e Bhawam Bhawanisahi
t
am namami ||
This is a popular ma
n
t
ra sung at the end of ara
t
i and reveals the constant
presence of Lord Shiwa with his wife Parwa
t
i in the lotus of the (yogic) heart.
It says:
I salute Lord Shiwa (Bhawa) who always resides in the lotus of the
(yogic) heart with Parwa
t
i (Bhawani), who (Shiwa) is fair like camphor,
embodiment of mercy, the essence of the universe (sa
n
sara), and who
wears the garland of the king of serpents.
Thus we should meditate on the space between our eyebrows and crown of
head as the seat of Shiwa with Parwa
t
i.
An affirmation of the presence of Goddess Lali
t
a in our body mentioned in
the Lali
t
a-sahasranama is described next; it says: the
D
ewi is present in the
seven chakras in our spinal cord under different names protecting us with
her shak
t
is and weapons.

Lali
t
a-Sahasranama Shlokas 98-110 Relating to the Chakras
(Goddess in cranial and spinal nerves):
The Goddess Lali
t
a resides in her a
n
sharupa (partial manifestation) in the
six chakras (Mula
dh
ara to Ajna) and in her pur
n
arupa (complete
manifestation) in the Sahasrara chakra
[3]
(see Figure 3). The a
n
sharupa
includes as much of the infinite shak
t
i as is required for a particular function
(e.g., flow of Pra
n
a through certain group of nerves and governance of a
dh
a
t
u, an essential element like blood), while the pur
n
arupa includes
complete shak
t
i. Thus these shlokas should be recited regularly to keep the
body functioning properly.

43 of 87

Wishu
ddh
i-chakra-nilaya (regulation of epithelial tissue skin):

- | - - ||
-

- |

--

||
Wishu
ddh
i-chakra-nilaya$$rak
t
awar
n
a
t
rilochana |
Khatwanga
d
i-prahara
n
a wa
d
anaika-samanwi
t
a || 98
Payasannapriya
t
wakstha pashuloka-bhayankari |
Am
ri
t
a
d
i-mahashak
t
i-sa
m
w
ru
t
a Dakinishwari || 99
The Dewi residing in our Wishu
ddh
i chakra (located behind throat) is called
Goddess Dakini (our salutations to her). She is red in color, has three eyes,
holds weapons like Khatwanga , has one face, likes rice pudding (khira),
governs the
dh
a
t
u skin, is scary to people like (ferocious) animals, and is
surrounded by (16) great shak
t
is like Am
ri
t
a.

Anaha
t
abja-nilaya (regulation of blood):
- | -- - ||
--

- | - - ||
Anaha
t
abja-nilaya shyamabha wa
d
ana
d
waya |
D
a
n
shtrojjwalakshamala
d
i-
dh
ara ru
dh
ira-sa
n
sthi
t
a || 100
Kalara
t
rya
d
i-shak
t
yougha-w
ri
t
a snig
dh
ou
d
ana-priya |
Mahawiren
d
ra-wara
d
a Raki
n
yamba-swarupi
n
i || 101
The
D
ewi residing in our Anaha
t
a lotus (chakra behind the chest) is called
Mother Raki
n
i (our salutations to her). She is tan in color, has two faces,
holds shiny akshamala (rosary), etc., governs blood and blood circulation, is
surrounded by (12) shak
t
is led by Kalara
t
ri, likes rice with ghee, and gives
boon to great warriors (Mahawiren
d
ra).


44 of 87
Ma
n
ipurabja-nilaya (regulation of muscle tissue):

- -

||

-- | --

- ||

Ma
n
ipurabja-nilaya wa
d
ana
t
raya-sa
m
yu
t
a |
Wajra
d
ikayu
dh
ope
t
a Damarya
d
ibhiraw
ri
t
a || 102
Rak
t
awar
n
a ma
n
sanish
th
a gudanna-pri
t
a-manasa |
Samas
t
abhak
t
asukha
d
a Lakinyamba-swarupi
n
i || 103
The
D
ewi residing in our Ma
n
ipura lotus (chakra behind the navel) is called
Mother Lakini (our salutations to her). She has three faces, has weapons
like Wajra, etc., is surrounded by(10) shak
t
is like Damari, etc., is red in
color (as blood), governs the
dh
a
t
u muscle tissue, likes sweets containing
guda (jaggery), and gives happiness to all devotees.

Swa
dh
isthanambujaga
t
a (regulation of fatty tissue):

- |

- ||

- | - -- ||
Swa
dh
i
shth
anambujaga
t
a cha
t
urwak
t
ra-manohara |
Shula
d
yayu
dh
a-sampanna pi
t
awar
n
a$
t
igarwi
t
a || 104
Me
d
oni
shth
a ma
dh
upri
t
a Ban
dh
inya
d
i-samanwi
t
a |
D
a
dh
yannasak
t
a-h
ri
d
aya Kakinirupa
dh
ari
n
i || 105
The
D
ewi residing in our Swa
dh
isthana (chakra behind genital) is called
Mother Kakini (our salutations to her). She has four faces and is very
pleasant, has weapons like Shula, etc., is yellow in color and very proud,
governs the
dh
atu fatty tissue, likes honey, is surrounded by (6) shak
t
is like
Ban
dh
ini, etc., and loves yogurt rice.



45 of 87
Mula
dh
arabujaru
dh
a (regulation of bones):

- |

- - ||

- - |
Mula
dh
arabujaru
dh
a panchawak
t
rasthisa
n
sthi
t
a |
A
n
kusha
d
iprahara
n
a Wara
d
a
d
i-ni
sh
ewi
t
a || 106
Mug
d
ou
d
anasak
t
a-chi
tt
a Sakinyamba-swarupi
n
i | 107a
The Dewi residing in our Mula
dh
ara (chakra between anus and genital) is
called Mother Sakini (our salutations to her). She has five faces, governs
the
dh
a
t
u bone, has weapons like Ankusha, etc., is surrounded by (4) shak
t
is
like Wara
d
a, etc., and loves munga rice (khichadi).

Ajna-chakrabja-nilaya (regulation of bone marrow, nerve tissue):
--

||
- -

-- | - -- ||
Ajna-chakrabja-nilaya shuklawar
n
a
sh
adanana || 107b
Majja-sa
n
stha ha
n
sawa
t
i-mukhya-shak
t
i-samanwi
t
a |
Hari
d
rannaika-rasika Hakini-rupa-
dh
ari
n
i || 108
The
D
ewi residing in our Ajna (chakra) is called Mother Hakini (our
salutations to her). She has fair color and six faces, governs the
dh
atus
bone marrow and nerve tissue, is surrounded by (2) shak
t
is led by
Ha
n
sawa
t
i, and loves turmeric (saffron) rice (kesharibha
t
a).

Sahasra
d
ala-pa
d
mastha (regulation of reproductive tissue):
- - |

||
- - |
Sahasra
d
ala-pa
d
mastha sarwa-war
n
opashobhi
t
a |
Sarwayu
dh
a-
dh
ara shukla-sa
n
sthi
t
a sarwa
t
omukhi || 109
Sarwou
d
ana-pri
t
achi
tt
a Yakinyamba-swarupi
n
i | 110a
46 of 87
The
D
ewi residing in our Sahasrara chakra (lotus with one thousand petals)
is called Mother Yakini (our salutations to her). She is radiating all colors,
holds all weapons, governs the reproductive tissues (Shukla
dh
a
t
u), has faces
on all sides, and is happy with all kinds of rice.

Lali
t
a-Sahasranama Shlokas 38-40 Relating to Ku
n
dalini
(enlightenment):
Ku
n
dalini is the dormant form of Lali
t
a Dewi in spiritually ordinary people and
is like a sleeping coiled serpent at the base of the Su
sh
umna nadi in the
Mula
dh
ara chakra. Su
sh
umna is the central subtle channel surrounded by
nadis Ida and Pi
n
gala. As a person progressively becomes spiritually
enlightened, the Ku
n
dalini shak
t
i rises through the Su
sh
umna channel up to
the level of different chakras. The upward path of the Ku
n
dalini Dewi from
the Mula
dh
ara chakra to the Sahasrara chakra (in an enlightened person) is
described here.

Mula
dh
araika-nilaya

- - |

- ||
- - |

||
- |

- ||
Mula
dh
araika-nilaya Brahmagranthi-wibhe
d
ini |
Ma
n
ipuran
t
aru
d
i
t
a Wi
shn
ugranthi-wibhe
d
ini || 38
Ajna-chakran
t
aralastha Ru
d
ragranthi-wibhe
d
ini |
Sahasrambujaru
dh
a su
dh
asarabhiwar
sh
i
n
i || 39
T
adilla
t
a-samaruchi
hi

sh
atchakropari-sa
n
sthi
t
a |
Mahasak
t
i
hi
Ku
n
dalini bisa
t
an
t
u-
t
aniyasi || 40
The Ku
n
dalini Dewi residing in the Mula
dh
ara chakra pierces through the
Brahma knot located under the Mula
dh
ara chakra, rises through the
Swa
dh
i
shth
ana chakra, and enters the Ma
n
ipura chakra. Then she pierces
through the Wi
shn
u knot, rises through the Anaha
t
a and Wishu
ddh
i chakras,
and enters the Ajna chakra. Then she pierces through the Ru
d
ra knot and
enters the Sahasrara chakra and showers the blissful nectar. The Ku
n
dalini
Dewi, situated on the six chakras, is lustrous and quick like lightening,
47 of 87
impatient (to meet the Shiwa in the Sahasrara chakra), and subtle and
delicate like the fiber of a lotus flower. (We offer our salutations to Her.)

Lali
t
a-Sahasranama Shlokas 34-35 Relating to the Three Aspects of
Dewi :
These shlokas describe the three parts (Kutas) of the subtlest cosmic form
of the Goddess. There are separate ma
n
t
ras for the three kutas and when
combined, these form the 15-letter mahama
n
t
ra.

Hara-ne
t
ragni-sa
n
d
ag
dh
a
---- |
-

--

- ||
-- -

- |

-- ||
Hara-ne
t
ragni-sa
n
d
ag
dh
akama-sa
n
jiwanou
sh
a
dh
i
hi
|
Shrima
d
wagbhawa-kutaika-swarupa-mukha-pa
n
kaja || 34
Ka
n
tha
dh
a
ha
-kati-paryan
t
a-ma
dh
yakuta-swarupi
n
i |
Shak
t
ikutaika
t
apanna-katya
dh
obhaga-
dh
ari
n
i || 35
The Dewi is the life-rejuvenating medicine for the Kama(de
w
a) burnt by the
agni from the (third) eye of Lord Hara (Shiwa). At the end of the Mahakalpa
(one kalpa is 4320 million human-years), when Shiwa opens his third eye,
the entire creation dissolves into homogenous oneness. Then when the
desire (Kama) to recreate the universe reappears in the mind of Shiwa, the
universe is created through the creative power (Icchha-shak
t
i) of the
Goddess. In this cosmic form, the Dewis body consists of three parts
(Kutas): Her lotus-like motherly face is the Shrima
d
wagbhawa-kuta (and
represents Jnana), the middle part from her throat to the waist constitutes
the ma
dh
yakuta (also called Kamarajakuta and represents will), and the part
below her waist constitutes the Shak
t
ikuta (and represents power, energy,
and strength). These three correspond to the three-fold power of
T
rigu
n
a
t
mika Shak
t
i.
[3]


48 of 87


Lali
t
a-Sahasranama Shlokas 81-83a Relating to the Presence of
Dewi in Speech (Saraswa
t
i) and Special Chakra Regions:

Para pra
t
yak-chi
t
irupa
- | - -- ||
-

--

- ||
--

-- |

Para pra
t
yak-chi
t
irupa pashyan
t
i para
d
ewa
t
a |
Ma
dh
yama waikhari-rupa bhak
t
a-manasa-ha
n
sika || 81
Kameshwara-pra
n
anadi k
ru
t
ajna kamapuji
t
a |
Sh
ru
ngara-rasa-sampur
n
a jaya jalan
dh
ara-sthi
t
a || 82
Odya
n
a-pi
th
a-nilaya bin
d
u-mandalawasini | 83a
Shloka 81 refers to the four-fold speech form of the Goddess corresponding
to the four levels of speech, from the subtlest to the audible: Para,
Pashyan
t
i, Ma
dh
yama, and Waikhari. Para refers to the first silent stage in
the thought-to-speech conversion. Pashyan
t
i refers to the formation of
words in the brain. Ma
dh
yama refers to the partially expressed words.
Waikhari is the audible speech. The Shloka says:
Your Para form represents pure consciousness (which gets expressed
as knowledge through the medium of speech) and pashyan
t
i form is
like the supreme Goddess (through which the subtle spiritual
knowledge can be gained). Your Ma
dh
yama and Waikhari forms
constitute partially and fully manifested speech, respectively. Your
devotee who contemplates upon these forms experiences you with
Shiwa as a pair of swans in his mind and gains mastery over
knowledge and speech.

Shlokas 82 and 83a describe Lali
t
a
d
ewi residing in Jalan
dh
ara and Odya
n
a
seats.
49 of 87
Shloka 82:
Oh Lali
t
a
d
ewi, you are the awakened Ku
n
dalini of Lord Shiwa. You
know the entire gross, subtle, and causal aspects of the universe you
create. You are worshipped by Kama
d
ewa. You are full of Sh
ru
ngara
rasa (mood of love). You are Jaya and confer victory to your
devotees. You are present in the Jalan
dh
ara seat (region between
Anaha
t
a and Wishu
ddh
i chakras; devotees meditate upon you there).
Shloka 83a:
You reside in the Odya
n
a seat in the Ajna chakra and in the center of
the Sahasrara chakra.
Shlokas 82 and 83a refer to the chakras Mula
dh
ara, Anaha
t
a, Wishu
ddh
i,
Ajna, and Sahasrara.
Here jalan
dh
ara refers to Wishu
ddh
i chakra and Odya
n
a to Ajna chakra.
Coincidently, these are also the names of Ban
dh
as (locks) practiced in
Ha
th
ayoga, jalan
dh
ara ban
dh
a relating to pulling back the navel as far as
possible and Odya
n
a ban
dh
a relating to pulling the head as much toward the
chest as possible.


D
urga Sap
t
asha
t
i Shlokas 14-80 Relating to the Omnipresence of
D
ewi in Our Faculties:

Except for shlokas 14-19 and 77-80, all the other shlokas are almost the
same as shloka 20, except that the word bu
ddh
i in shloka 20 just before
rupe
n
a is replaced by ni
d
ra , kshu
dh
a, etc., in shlokas 23, 26, etc., as
indicated below:




50 of 87
Ya
D
ewi sarwabhu
t
e
sh
u

| || || || -

| || || || -

| || || || -

| || || || -

| || || || -

| || || || -

| || || || -

| || || || -

| || || || -

| || || || -

| || || || -

| || || || -

| || || || -

| || || || -

| || || || -

| || || || -

| || || || -

| || || || -

| || || || -

| || || || -

| || || || -

||

| || || || -




51 of 87
Ya
D
ewi sarwabhu
t
e
sh
u Wi
shn
umaye
t
i shab
d
i
t
a |
Namas
t
asyai Namas
t
asyai Namas
t
asyai namo nama
ha
|| 14-16
Ya
D
ewi sarwabhu
t
e
sh
u che
t
ane
t
yabhi
dh
iya
t
e |
Namas
t
asyai Namas
t
asyai Namas
t
asyai namo nama
ha
|| 17-19
Ya
D
ewi sarwabhu
t
e
sh
u bu
ddh
irupe
n
a sa
n
sthi
t
a |
Namas
t
asyai Namas
t
asyai Namas
t
asyai namo nama
ha
|| 20-22
----------------------
Repeat shlokas 20-22 replacing bu
ddh
i with ni
d
ra , kshu
dh
a, chhaya, shak
t
i,
t
ru
shn
a, kshan
t
i, ja
t
i, lajja, shan
t
i, shra
ddh
a, kan
t
i, lakshmi, w
ru
tt
i, sm
ru
t
i,
d
aya,
t
u
sh
ti, ma
t
ru
, and bhran
t
i .
[e.g., Ya
D
ewi sarwabhu
t
e
sh
u ni
d
rarupe
n
a sa
n
sthi
t
a |
Namas
t
asyai Namas
t
asyai Namas
t
asyai namo nama
ha
|| 23-25]
-----------------------
Finally recite shlokas 77-80:
Indriya
n
am a
dh
is
th
a
t
ri bhu
t
anam chakhile
sh
u ya |
Bhu
t
e
sh
u sa
t
a
t
am
t
asyai wyap
t
i
d
ewyai namo nama
ha
|| 77
Chi
t
irupe
n
a ya k
ru
t
s
t
nam e
t
a
d
wyapya sthi
t
a jaga
t
|
Namas
t
asyai Namas
t
asyai Namas
t
asyai namo nama
ha
|| 78-80

Shlokas 14-16 offer repeated salutations to the
D
ewi who is called
Wi
shn
umaya in all living creatures. Shlokas 17-19 offer repeated salutations
to the
D
ewi who is called che
t
ana (liveliness) in all living creatures. Shlokas
20-76 offer repeated salutations to the
D
ewi who resides as bu
ddh
i
(intelligence), ni
d
ra (sleep), kshu
dh
a (appetite), chhaya (beauty), shak
t
i
(strength, vigor, power, energy), t
ru
sh
n
a (thirst), kshan
t
i (patience,
forgiveness), ja
t
i (power to give birth, create new cells), lajja (modesty),
shan
t
i (peace), shra
ddh
a (faith, confidence), kan
t
i (luster), lakshmi (grace,
prosperity), w
ru
tt
i (thought waves), sm
ru
t
i (memory),
d
aya (leniency),
t
ushti
(contentedness), ma
t
a (mothers instinct to nurture, protect, love, support,
comfort), bhran
t
i (obliviousness of the true Reality), respectively, in all living
creatures.
Shloka 77 offers repeated salutations to that Wyap
t
i
d
ewi (all-pervading
Goddess) who constantly presides over the voluntary (e.g., hands, feet,
52 of 87
eyes) and involuntary (e.g., heart, lungs, digestive organs) organs of all
living creatures.
The last three Shlokas offer repeated salutations to Her who pervades the
entire world in the form of Chi
t
i (inspired pure true knowledge that comes
automatically without the medium of senses and intellect).
The presence of the Goddess in the proper functioning of all organs of our
body and phases of our day-to-day lives (e.g., sleep, memory) is certainly
there and very important. Without it, we will be just like inert matter. Thus
regular chanting of the above s
t
u
t
i is an appropriate way of thanking the
Goddess for her continuing support. Also Her pervasiveness makes us
realize her presence in other people, animals, and plants as a common
thread that connects the entire creation together and helps us develop
reverence toward all life and go beyond apparent differences.
There is one similar shloka and two bhajanas that very effectively express
Gods empowering of all our abilities:


Mukam karo
t
i wachalam

||
Mukam karo
t
i wachalam, pangum langhaya
t
e girim |
Ya
t
k
ru
pa
t
amaham wan
d
e paramanan
d
ama
dh
awam ||
I salute God Ma
dh
awa (an epithet of Wi
shn
u), full of supreme bliss,
whose favor enables a dumb person to talk and a lame person to cross
a mountain.
Our sensory and motor abilities are all due to Gods backing and blessing.
Thus without His backing, we are dumb, lame, blind, deaf, etc. We should
try to see Him in action through our abilities while they are still there.


53 of 87
Jethe
j
a
t
o
t
ethe
t
u maza sa
n
ga
t
i

| ||

| ||
| ||

||

Jethe
j
a
t
o
t
ethe
t
u maza sa
n
ga
t
i |
Ch
alawisi ha
t
i
dh
aroniya ||
Ch
alo wate amhi
t
uzachi a
dh
ara |
Ch
alawisi bhara sawe maza ||
Bolo
j
a
t
a bara
l
a, karisi
t
e nita | Neli la
j
a
dh
ita karoniya ||
T
uka mha
n
e a
t
a, khe
l
a
t
o kau
t
uke | zale
t
uze sukha an
t
arbahi ||

This is a famous Mara
th
i abhanga by San
t
a
T
ukarama. He says:
(Oh God,) wherever I go, you are my companion. You walk me
holding my hand. When we walk, we have your support. You carry
me as a person carries a load. If I speak defective, you make it
alright. You have taken away my shyness by making me bold.
Experiencing your close proximity inside and around me, I am happy
and worryfree.
This abhanga is similar to the famous 1936 poem Footprints in the Sand by
Mary Stevenson
[2]
:








54 of 87
Footprints in the sand


Figure 10: Footprints
(Courtesy 8screensavers.com)

One night I had a dream.
I dreamed I was walking along the beach with the Lord..

Across the sky flashed scenes from my life..
For each scene, I noticed two sets of footprints in the sand,
one belonging to me, and the other to the Lord..
When the last scene of my life flashed before me,
I looked back at the footprints in the sand.
I noticed that many times along the path of my life
there was only one set of footprints.
I also noticed that it happened at the very lowest
and saddest times in my life.
55 of 87
This really bothered me and I questioned the Lord about it:
"Lord, you said that once I decided to follow you,
you'd walk with me all the way.
But I have noticed that during the most troublesome times in my life
there is only one set of footprints.
I don't understand why, when I need you most, you would leave me."
The Lord replied:
"My precious child, I love you and would never leave you.
During your times of trial and suffering,
when you see only one set of footprints, it was then that I carried you."

D
wara
d
aya ka jaba tu khole

|
, ,

||
D
wara
d
aya ka jaba tu khole, panchama sura me
n
gunga bole |
An
dh
a
d
ekhe, langada chalakara, pahu
n
che Kashi re ||
This is a famous Hin
d
i movie song. The devotee says:
(Oh God,) when you open the door of mercy, a dumb person starts
singing music, a blind person starts seeing, and a lame person walks
the pilgrimage to Kashi.

Rama-Raksha Excerpts:
Rama-Raksha is a potent s
t
o
t
ra (praise) of Shri Rama given to
Budhakaushika
Ri
sh
i in dream by God Shankara. It is also Rama-kawacha
(armor) called Wajra-panjara. It contains a prayer to Shri Rama for
protecting different parts of our body. This prayer excerpted below can be
chanted as a Nyasa (invocation of Shri Rama in different parts of our body)
at any time. The s
t
o
t
ra also contains a line, excerpted below, regarding
protecting us from the unseen bad vibrations, and can be used to ward off
bad vibrations.

56 of 87

Shiro me Raghawa
ha
pa
t
u (protect my body):
,

|
, || ||

, || ||

|| ||

|| ||

, || ||

|| ||

|| ||
Lokabhiramam ra
n
aranga
dh
iram rajiwane
t
ram Raghuwa
n
shanatham |
Karu
n
yarupam karu
n
akaram
t
am shri Ramachan
d
ram shara
n
am
prapa
d
ye || 32 ||
Shiro me Raghawa
ha
pa
t
u, Bhalam
D
ashara
t
ha
t
maja
ha
||4||
Kousalyeyo
d
ru
shou pa
t
u, Wishwami
t
ra-priya
ha
shru
t
i |
Ghra
n
am pa
t
u Makha-
t
ra
t
a, Mukham Soumi
t
ri-wa
t
sala
ha
||5||
Jiwham Wi
d
yani
dh
i
hi
pa
t
u, Ka
n
th
am Bhara
t
a-wandi
t
a
ha
|
Ska
n
dh
ou
D
iwyayu
dh
a
ha
pa
t
u, Bhujou Bhagneshakarmuka
ha
||6||
Karou Si
t
a-pa
t
i
hi
pa
t
u, H
ri
d
ayam Jama
d
agnyaji
t
|
Ma
dh
yam pa
t
u Khara
dh
wa
n
si, Nabhim Jambawa
d
ashraya
ha
||7||
Sugriwesh
ha
kati pa
t
u, Sakthini Hanuma
t
-prabhu
hu
|
Uru Raghu
tt
ama
ha
pa
t
u Raksha
ha
kulawinashak
ri
t
||8||
Januni Se
t
uk
ri
t
pa
t
u, Janghe
D
ashamukhan
t
aka
ha
|
Pa
d
ou Wibhi
sh
a
n
ashri
d
a
ha
, Pa
t
u Ramo$khilam wapu
hu
||9||
57 of 87
In these shlokas, many names of Shri Rama are used, e.g., Raghawa,
D
asharatha
t
maja, etc. The meaning is:
I seek refuge with Shri Ramachan
d
ra who is pleasing to people,
steadfast in battle (against demons and terrorists), has beautiful eyes,
is the protector of Raghu dynasty, kindhearted, and merciful.
Let Shri Rama protect my head, forehead, eyes, ears, nose, mouth,
tongue, throat, shoulders, hands, fingers, heart, chest, navel, waist,
thighs, knees, legs, feet, and my entire body.

Pa
t
alabhu
t
alawyoma-chari
n
a
ha
(for protection from invisible
enemies)

|| ||
Pa
t
alabhu
t
alawyoma-chari
n
ashchha
d
ma-chari
n
a
ha
|
Na
d
rashtumapi shak
t
as
t
e rakshi
t
am Ramanamabhi
hi
||11||
The vile elements that wander unseen with bad intent (e.g., harmful
vibrations, viral infections) in the planes of existence below the earth,
the earth, and the airspace cannot even see the devotee protected by
(chanting) the name of Rama (let alone attack him).

Shara
n
ou sarwasa
t
wanam (prayer for protection)
The following shlokas are useful in requesting Shri Rama and Lakshma
n
a
(Ramas younger brother) to protect us (or people near and dear to us) (as
while traveling by rail, air, or on accident-prone highways, etc.):
,

|
, || ||

|| ||

58 of 87

|| ||

|
|| ||

|| ||
Lokabhiramam ra
n
aranga
dh
iram rajiwane
t
ram Raghuwa
n
shanatham |
Karu
n
yarupam karu
n
akaram
t
am shriRamachan
d
ram shara
n
am
prapa
d
ye || 32 ||
Manojawam maru
t
a
t
ulyawegam ji
t
en
dr
iyam bu
ddh
ima
t
am wari
shth
am |
Wa
t
a
t
majam wanarayuthamukhyam ShriRama
d
u
t
am shara
n
am
prapa
d
ye ||33||
Shara
n
ou sarwasa
t
wanam shre
shth
ou sarwa
dh
anu
sh
ma
t
am |
Raksha
ha
kulanihan
t
arou
t
raye
t
am no Raghu
tt
amou || 19
A
tt
asajja
dh
anu
sh
awi
sh
usp
ru
shawakshayashugani
sh
angasanginou |
Raksha
n
aya mama RamaLakshma
n
awagra
t
a
ha
pathi sa
d
aiwa gachchha
t
am || 20
Sanna
ddh
a
ha
kawachi khadgi chapaba
n
a
dh
aro yuwa |
Gachchhan-manoratho$smakam Rama
ha
pa
t
u saLakshma
n
a
ha
|| 21
I seek refuge with Shri Ramachan
d
ra who is pleasing to people,
steadfast in battle (against demons and terrorists), has beautiful eyes,
is the protector of Raghu dynasty, kindhearted, and merciful.
I seek refuge with Shri Ramas messenger (i.e., Hanumana) who is as
fast as the mind, has the speed of wind, has conquered the senses, is
the best of the wise, is the son of wind, and is the leader of the group
of monkeys.
Let the best (two) of the Raghu dynasty (i.e., Rama and Lakshma
n
a)
who are worthy of giving refuge to all living creatures, the best among
all bow holders, destroyers of the dynasties of demons, protect us.
Let Rama and Lakshma
n
a who are holding bows that are ready and
loaded with arrow, who are carrying quivers containing never-
59 of 87
emptying stock of arrows, always be in front of me for my protection
wherever I go.
Let the young Rama accompanied by Lakshma
n
a, ready for battle
(with demons and terrorists), wearing an armor and sword, holding
bow and arrow, protect our wish.

Orchestrating Speech Goddess Saraswa
t
i

When you sing an ara
t
i or bhajana, many organs of your body are working
simultaneously like an orchestra to take the speech from its subtlest level to
the most expressive level (the four stages of speech: Para, Pashyan
t
i,
Ma
dh
yama, and Waikhari). For example, your brain is extracting the words
from its memory (or seeing the written words), the motor nerves associated
with speech are innervating the movement of the tongue and vocal cords to
create the sounds of many consonants, vowels, and compounds (e.g., 34
syllables and 14 vowels in languages like Sa
n
sk
ri
t
a, Hin
d
i, Mara
th
i, or Gujara
t
i
) in whatever sequence they occur, the exhaled air (that contains carbon-di-
oxide from blood circulated in all parts of your body and has thus touched
every cell) carries the vocal vibrations to make the sound audible, the ears
are hearing the sound and giving feedback to the motor nerves to create
sound of intended frequency and rhythm, the hands are clapping, the mind
is paying attention to the meaning, etc. Thus every cell of your body is
participating in singing. Pay attention to Gods Sa
tt
a and Shak
t
i making all
this possible and feel blessed. Uttering Gods name and deeds also
sanctifies all organs acting in unison including your vocal organ. The shloka
in Shiwa-mahimna-s
t
o
t
ram ( ) expresses the same feeling:

||
Mama
t
we
t
am wa
n
im gu
n
akathana-pu
n
yena bhawa
t
a
ha
|
Punami
t
yarthe$smin, Puramathana! bu
ddh
irwyawasi
t
a ||
This shloka is addressed to Lord Shiwa by the king of Gan
dh
arwas named
Pu
sh
pa
d
an
t
a, the composer of the Shiwa-mahimna-s
t
o
t
ram (praise-song of
Lord Shiwas greatness). He says:
60 of 87
I have engaged my intellect in making this praise-song so that I may
purify and sanctify my speech by the pu
n
ya (spiritual merit) earned by
narrating your virtues.
The same process, as in singing an ara
t
i or bhajana, takes place when you
are articulating speech, except instead of the words being preselected, the
brain is organizing the thoughts that are to be expressed in words. One
word of caution: once speech is uttered, it cannot be taken back; any hurtful
insulting words addressed to another person, particularly in the presence of
others, stay with him/her forever and can come back to the speaker in the
form of revenge, even if unintended. Thus, it is a good practice to speak to
another person mindful of the presence of God in him and with respect.

Performing Puja Effectively

Performing Parama
t
mas puja through the medium of a mur
t
i or icon is a
privilege where you get to be very close to the Parama
t
ma and touch Him to
wash his feet, bathe him, apply sandalwood paste (chan
d
ana), feed him, etc.
You have to make your body and mind fit for doing this (for example, by
cleansing, wearing fresh clean clothes, voiding the mind of worldly
thoughts). The puja becomes more effective when you perform it with the
feeling that you are addressing the various offerings (upacharas) through
the medium of mur
t
i to Gods Sa
tt
a and Shak
t
i shining through you to
recognize and celebrate it. This makes the puja very effective.
For example, when you are worshipping Ga
n
esha, think about Him residing
in your Mula
dh
ara chakra and having the three Shak
t
is (material, energy,
and intelligence) as asserted in Ga
n
apa
t
i-Atharwashir
sh
a. When you are
worshipping Shiwa and Parwa
t
i, think that Shiwa is the pra
t
ika (source) of
the Sa
tt
a present in your Sahasrara chakra, while Parwa
t
i is the pra
t
ika of the
Shak
t
i in your seven chakras as expressed in the shloka Karpurgouram .
When you are worshipping Wi
shn
u, think that He is the pra
t
ika of the
Waishwanara present in your gastro-intestinal tract and the source of your
memory, intelligence, and logic ability. When you are worshipping the
Goddess, contemplate on her active presence in the seven chakras and
Ku
n
dalini.
61 of 87

For Good Health

A Sa
n
yogi applies the earlier shlokas as necessary for good health. For
example, for good health, he recites Bha
d
ra
m
kar
n
ebhi
hi
while visualizing
the sense and motor organs and their connection with the brain through
various nerves; for gastrointestinal health, Aham waishwanaro bhu
t
wa
while visualizing the digestion system and its connection with the vagus and
pelvic nerves; for mental and neuro health and memory, Sarwasya chaham
h
ri
d
i sanniwishto; for strong apana and proper excretory and genital
functioning, Om Namas
t
e Ga
n
apa
t
aye |
T
wam Mula
dh
ara-sthi
t
o$si ni
t
yam;
for good sleep, Ya
D
ewi sarwabhu
t
e
sh
u ni
d
rarupe
n
a sa
n
sthi
t
a; for healing
from cuts, bruises, burns, and other ailments, Ya
D
ewi sarwabhu
t
e
sh
u
ja
t
irupe
n
a sa
n
sthi
t
a while visualizing the immune and healing systems; for a
good progeny, Ya
D
ewi sarwabhu
t
e
sh
u ja
t
irupe
n
a sa
n
sthi
t
a while worshiping
Brahma
d
ewa in God
D
a
tt
a
tt
reya; and for finding a good life partner, he
worships Brahma
d
ewa in God
D
a
tt
a
tt
reya.
62 of 87
Chapter 4 - Sa
n
yogi Lifestyle

A Spiritually-Enriched Sa
n
yogi Lifestyle

Such a lifestyle includes the normal day to day routine with a healthy
positive outlook toward oneself, others, and surroundings. A person with
such lifestyle, a Sa
n
yogi, recognizes the common bond of Gods Sa
tt
a and
Shak
t
i in all animate and inanimate objects; the bond exhibits itself through
the ability of these objects to perform their specie-specific functions. He has
pleasant manners. He treats others with dignity and respect. He is careful
and sensitive in his speech to not hurt anyones feelings. He leads a socially
and environmentally responsible life and is aware of his responsibility to
himself and his family, i.e., he is reliable and accountable, respects nature,
respects and conserves resources, makes health-conscious decisions
regarding cleanliness, food preparation, choice of food, exercise, meditation,
etc., presents himself in a dignified balanced way. He remembers God as
often as possible through traditional activities like puja, ara
t
i, chanting,
visiting temples, sa
t
sanga (associating with spiritually mature people). He
also uses associations of various daily activities with God to always keep Him
in his consciousness. The association of Sun with the Gaya
t
ri ma
n
t
ra and the
shloka from Gi
t
a, yadadi
t
yaga
t
am
t
ejo reminds him to recite (mentally or
audibly) Om bhurbhuwaswa
ha

t
a
t
sawi
t
urware
n
yam and ya
d
a
d
i
t
yaga
t
am
t
ejo jaga
d
bhasaya
t
e$khilam ... with reverence. The association of meal with
the shloka from Gi
t
a, aham waishwanaro , reminds him of Gods presence
in his digestive system that digests the food for him, and prompts him to
recite (mentally or audibly) aham waishwanaro bhu
t
wa pra
n
inam
d
ehamashri
t
a
ha
with reverence and gratitude. During difficult times, he
visualizes God carrying him (as in Footprints in the Sand).
Such a lifestyle includes daily meditation to bring into consciousness the play
of Gods Sa
tt
a and Shak
t
i in various parts of your body. One way to do this
is indicated below:
Cleanse yourself in the morning (i.e., brush teeth, bowel movement,
take bath), wear fresh clean clothes, sit in a clean, well-ventilated, and
naturally well-lighted place facing the Sun (if the Suns rays are not
63 of 87
too bright); plants like
T
ulsi (holy basil), bitter nima, mango, banana,
wada, bela, ginger, and turmeric near the place of meditation add to
the effectiveness (Figure 11).


Figure 11: Meditation Garden

Then close your eyes and take a few relaxed slow deep breaths: one
breath cycle (called Anuloma-Wiloma Pra
n
ayama) includes: inhaling
through left nostril closing the other with finger (Puraka), briefly
holding breath by closing both nostrils (An
t
a
ha
-Kumbhaka), exhaling
through the right nostril closing the left nostril with finger (Rechaka),
briefly holding breath (Bahya-Kumbhaka); repeating without
interruption by inhaling through the right nostril. During each
breathing cycle, visualize the diaphragm moving down, air entering the
64 of 87
lungs and the oxygen-poor blood entering the alveoli of your lungs
from the upper-then-lower right chambers of the heart (right atrium-
then-ventricle) through the pulmonary artery, the exchanging of
oxygen in the inhaled air and carbon-dioxide in the blood in the alveoli
of the lungs, the diaphragm moving up, air leaving the lungs and red
oxygen-rich blood from the alveoli entering the upper left chamber of
the heart (left atrium) through the pulmonary vein to be then pumped
through the lower left chamber of the heart (left ventricle) and aorta
to the rest of the body (refer to Breathing and Blood Circulation in
Chapter 2). Relate the diaphragm and heart movement with the
phrenic and vagus nerves innervating these functions during
involuntary breathing.
Then, forgetting all your family- and job-related attributes (e.g.,
husband, father, teacher), experience your pure existence (I am, I
be, or Asmi state).
Then mentally recite the Bha
d
ra
m
kar
n
ebhi
hi
shan
t
ipa
th
a and mentally
trace Gods Sa
tt
a and Shak
t
i in the sensory capability of your ears,
eyes, nostrils, tongue, and skin; the action capability of your vocal
organ and mouth, hands, feet, and genitals; and the involuntary
capability of your lungs, heart, kidneys, liver, pancreas, digestive
tract, etc. Thank God with respect and gratitude for the functioning of
these organs.
Then recite the Gaya
t
ri ma
n
t
ra
T
a
t
sawi
t
urware
n
yam and the Gi
t
a
shloka Yadadi
t
yaga
t
am
t
ejo and contemplate upon Gods effulgence
shining through the Sun, Moon, and Agni. Thank God for the same
energy, light, and effulgence in your body.
Then recite the Gi
t
a shloka Gamawishya cha bhu
t
ani and contemplate
upon Gods presence in planet earth to give support to all creatures
and provide a base for excavating, building, landfill, etc., and Gods
nourishing all herbs and fruits with the nectar through the medium of
moonlight.
Then recite the Gi
t
a shloka Aham waishwanaro bhu
t
wa and thank
God for His presence in your gastrointestinal tract to digest the food
you eat and to give you the energy.
65 of 87
Then recite the Gi
t
a shloka Sarwasya chaham h
ri
d
i sanniwi
sh
to and
thank God for His presence in the region from between-the-eyebrows
to the crown of the head (Ajna chakra and Sahasrara chakra) that
enables your memory, intelligence, and reasoning power to function
properly.
Then recite the Gi
t
a shloka Mamaiwansho jiwaloke and contemplate
upon how you came into being in your current reincarnation along the
lines of Section How we came into being and what has God to do with
it? in Chapter 1.
Then recite the ma
n
t
ra in Ga
n
apa
t
i Atharwa-shir
sh
a:
|

| |
Om Namas
t
e Ga
n
apa
t
aye |
T
wam Mula
dh
ara-sthi
t
o$si ni
t
yam |
T
wam shak
t
i-
t
raya
t
maka
ha
|
to salute the Ga
n
esha principle (e.g., Wighna-har
t
a, Bu
ddh
i-
d
a
t
a) that
resides in the Mula
dh
ara chakra at the base of your spine and
incorporates the three Shak
t
is (
d
rawya, kriya, jnana); Ga
n
esha with
his three Shak
t
is lends support to the functioning of the pelvic region.
Then recite:
Sa
d
awasan
t
am h
ri
d
ayarawin
d
e Bhawam Bhawanisahi
t
am namami ||
and salute the Shiwa and Parwa
t
i always residing in the lotus of your
yogic heart, i.e., the space between your Ajna and Sahasrara chakras.
Then recite:
Bho
d
ipa brahmarupas
t
wa
m
jyo
t
i
sh
a
m
prabhurawyaya|
Yawa
t
pujasamap
t
i
hi
sya
t

t
awa
t

t
wa
m
susthiro bhawa ||
and salute the flame in the lamp of (i.e., Gods Sa
tt
a and Shak
t
i in)
every cell of your body and request it to stay stable and strong until
the completion of your puja (working out of the prarab
dh
a karma).
Then recite:
Om
T
ryambakam yajamahe sugan
dh
im pu
sh
tiwar
dh
anam |
Urwarukamiwa ban
dh
anan m
ri
t
yormukshiya mam
ri
t
a
t
||
66 of 87
and pray Shiwa to give you a painless and sufferingless end at the
completion of your prarab
dh
a karma.
Then recite the Lali
t
a-sahasranama shlokas from Wishu
ddh
i-chakra-
nilaya to Sahasra
d
ala-pa
d
mastha and pray the
d
ewis residing in the
seven chakras to protect you and regulate the generation,
sustenanced, and dissolution of your seven essential elements with all
their Shak
t
is and weapons.
Then recite the
D
urga Sap
t
asha
t
i shlokas:
Ya
D
ewi sarwabhu
t
e
sh
u che
t
ane
t
yabhi
dh
iya
t
e |
Namas
t
asyai Namas
t
asyai Namas
t
asyai namo nama
ha
||
Indriya
n
am a
dh
is
th
a
t
ri bhu
t
anam chakhile
sh
u ya |
Bhu
t
e
sh
u sa
t
a
t
am
t
asyai wyap
t
i
d
ewyai namo nama
ha
||
Chi
t
irupe
n
a ya k
ru
t
s
t
nam e
t
a
d
wyapya sthi
t
a jaga
t
|
Namas
t
asyai Namas
t
asyai Namas
t
asyai namo nama
ha
||
to salute the
D
ewi present in you and all living creatures in the form of
liveliness, functioning of the organs, pervasiveness, consciousness,
etc.
Then mentally trace your endocrine glands (pineal to gonads), immune
system (skin, spleen, lymph nodes, Thymus gland, bone marrow),
nervous system (sensory, motor, and vagus and pelvic nerves) along
the lines of Chapter 2 and self-suggest that they are healthy and
functioning properly.
Then salute Shri Rama and Hanumana with the shlokas
Lokabhiramam ra
n
aranga
dh
iram and Manojawam
maru
t
a
t
ulyawegam and recite the Rama-Raksha excerpt Shiro me
Raghawa
ha
pa
t
u to Pa
t
u Ramo$khilam wapu
hu
, and invoke Shri
Ramas protection in all the referred parts of your body.
Finally mentally recite the Om
d
you
h
shan
t
iran
t
arikshagam shan
t
i
hi

shan
t
ipa
th
a and request peace in heaven, airspace, earth, etc.,
freedom from extremes on earth, in water and wind, protection from
natural disasters (e.g., earthquakes, tornadoes, hurricanes,
landslides), and lasting peace.

67 of 87
Since the same Gods Sa
tt
a and Shak
t
i that is present in you is also
present in all human beings, one way to feel this oneness is to pray
daily for others suffering physically, mentally, emotionally, financially,
etc., because of bad health, accidents, natural disasters, etc. It is
easy to see Gods presence in all creatures and natural phenomena,
except in vile creatures and natural disasters. To see through the veil
of vile superficia, we need to focus on Gods presence in the physical
and mental faculties that enables the bad actions as a part of karma
workout. This does not mean we condone the bad actions.
The involuntary systems like digestive, healing, immune, and
endocrine are functioning even when we are sleeping. In fact, the
body metabolizes the stress best while we are sleeping. Thus it is a
good practice to recognize these systems and request them to function
without distraction and with full force before going to bed. Other
sensory and motor faculties and mind are at rest during sleep; thus it
is a good idea to request them to have a good rest. One Mara
th
i bed-
time prayer addressed to Sa
d
guru does this effectively:

| |
|

| |

|
A
t
a swami sukhe ni
d
ra kara awa
dh
u
t
a | Chinmaya sukha
dh
ami
j
auni pahuda ekan
t
a |
Wairagya
ch
a kun
ch
a gheuni
ch
ouka zadila |
T
ayawara
t
i suprema
ch
a
shidakawa kela |
Payaghadya gha
t
ilya sun
d
ara nawawi
dh
a bhak
t
i | Jnanachya
samaya u
j
a
l
oni lawilya jyo
t
i |
Bhawartha
ch
a manchaka h
ri
d
ayakashi tangila | Mananachi
sumane karoni kele she
j
ela |
68 of 87
D
wai
t
a
ch
e kapata lotuni eka
t
ra kele |
D
urbu
ddh
ichya ga
th
i soduni
pada
d
e sodile |
Asha t
ru
sh
n
a kalpane
ch
a sanduni galabala |
D
aya kshama shan
t
i
d
asi ubhya she
j
ela |
Alaksha unmana gheuni na
j
uka shela | niranjana Sa
d
guru swami
ni
j
awile she
j
ela |
Dear Lord, have a deep sleep in the secluded Sanctum
Santorum of pure consciousness(and take rest). I have cleaned
the front porch with the broom of nonattachment, and sprinkled
it with pure love. I have spread the red carpet of nine-fold
devotion and cleaned the lamp of wisdom and lighted it. I have
suspended the cradle-bed of bhawartha (God consciousness) in
the space of heart and prepared the bed with the flowers of
contemplation. I have closed the cupboard of duality to make
oneness and untied the curtains by opening the knots of bad
thoughts. The attendants kindness, forgiveness, peace are
standing next to your bed after removing the confusion of
expectation, greed, and idle imagination. I have tucked my
Sa
d
guru in the bed and covered him with the delicate shawl of
transcended mind.

|

|
|

||
Jya jya
th
ika
n
i mana
j
aya maze |
T
ya
t
ya
th
ika
n
i nijarupa
t
uze |
Mi
th
ewi
t
o mas
t
aka jya
th
ika
n
i |
T
e
t
e
t
uze sa
d
guru paya
d
onhi ||
Wherever my mind goes, I see you only. Wherever I put my
head, I see your feet there.

Conclusion

From the preceding discussion, it must be clear that it is Gods Sa
tt
a and
Shak
t
i that acts in and through our body and makes possible the existence of
69 of 87
all animate and inanimate creation. If we gratefully and actively
acknowledge and remember this in our day-to-day life while we still can
(there is no guarantee of the next moment), we can take a direct
d
arshana
of the God anytime and anywhere we happen to be without going out of our
way and make our this precious human birth meaningful. If there is
anything closest to us, it is God; we only have to take the time to reach out
and touch Him or smell the roses. This is spiritual enlightenment. Then
the song:

, ,

||
Man
d
ira man
d
ira mura
t
a
t
eri, fira bhi na
d
ekhi sura
t
a
t
eri |
Yuga bi
t
e, na ai milana ki, purana-masi re ||
no longer applies to us; we dont have to say:
Oh God, I have seen your mur
t
i in temple after temple, but have not
seen your face. Many yugas have passed by (one yuga is 4.32 million
human-years), but the full moon of meeting you has not come yet.
In following the Sa
n
yogi yoga, one does not ask any worldly favors from
God; he only seeks constant remembrance of God in gratitude and love for
Him. However, besides giving the gift of enabling such a
d
arshana, God has
promised an additional bonus in Gi
t
a shloka 9.22, albeit with a caveat:

||
Ananyashchin
t
ayan
t
o mam ye jana
ha
paryupasa
t
e |
T
e
sh
am ni
t
yabhiyuk
t
anam yogakshemam wahamyaham ||
I carry the responsibility of safekeeping the people who constantly
remain connected with me and who, recognizing that they are by
default not different from me (because of my omni-presence), worship
me by thinking about me at all times.
Accordingly, in treading the human life of working out the prarab
dh
a karma
while keeping connected with Him, the God will take care of our day-to-day
needs, that is, He will take the responsibility of giving us what we need and
safekeeping what we have, while at the same time allowing our prarab
dh
a
karma to work out. However we should do our part: Remembering that
whatever we do is empowered only by Gods Sa
tt
a and Shak
t
i and the
70 of 87
outcome is determined by our prarab
dh
a, we should act without the ego of
doership and without insisting on the outcome. Such action will not add to
our accumulated karma and will make us immune from the ups and downs
of life, ultimately liberating us. This is what is meant in Gi
t
a shloka 2.50,
Yoga
ha
karmasu koushalam (Skill in performing actions constitutes Yoga).
We should also consciously make good choices (e.g., not eat non-vegetarian
food, not hurt anyone, not think ill of anyone, support good causes, etc.).
Thus, actively experiencing and remembering Gods Sa
tt
a and Shak
t
i acting
through each and every cell of our body (and others bodies) and every cell
and atom of our surroundings (Sun, Moon, other planets of our solar system,
plants, herbs, etc.) is a very powerful and effective yoga, named Sa
n
yogi
Yoga here. The word Sa
n
yogi is used to represent three meanings:
1. The yoga that unites us with God
2. The yoga that unites all the human beings, animals, herbs and
plants, and planets into one common thread of Gods Sa
tt
a and
Shak
t
i, thus creating a sense of a
d
wai
t
a (oneness) and mutual
respect and appreciation
3. The yoga that integrates the evolving knowledge about ourselves
and our surroundings with our understanding of Gods
miraculous ways, to improve our understanding of Him.
Further, Sa
n
yogi Yoga incorporates the four basic components of yoga
explained in Gi
t
a. That is, seeing Gods Sa
tt
a and Shak
t
i at work inside and
outside you at all times is the Jnana component, marveling at Gods Sa
tt
a
and Shak
t
i with admiration, awe, and love is the Bhak
t
i component, relating
the Goddess Lali
t
a with the functioning of the nerves and governing of basic
elements in your body is the Raja component, and knowing that everything
you do is enabled by the wind (Gods Sa
tt
a and Shak
t
i) beneath the wings
(cells of your body) while the outcome is governed by your prarab
dh
a, and
therefore, not assuming the doership nor insisting on the outcome constitute
the karma component. A Sa
n
yogi can really mean it when he offers all he
does to the God with the next two shlokas:


71 of 87

: |
||
Kayena wacha manasen
d
riyairwa bu
ddh
ya
t
mana wa prak
ri
t
e
he
swabhawa
t
|
Karomi ya
d
ya
t
sakalam parasmai Naraya
n
aye
t
i samarpayami ||
Whatever I do with my body, speech, mind, (motor) organs, intellect,
or by my natural inclination, I offer it all to Naraya
n
a (an epithet of
Wi
shn
u).
: : |
||
Sanchara
ha
pa
d
ayo
ho
pra
d
akshi
n
awi
dh
i
hi
s
t
o
t
ra
n
i sarwa giro |
Ya
d
ya
t
karma karomi
t
a
tt
a
d
akhilam Shambho
t
awara
dh
anam ||
These lines are from Shiwa-Manasa-Puja:
Oh Shambho (Shiwa)! The movement of my feet is pra
d
akshi
n
a
(circumambulation) around you, all my speech is your praise, and
whatever I do is all your worship.
While offering all our actions to God, we have to make sure that they are
Sa
t
wika and worthy of offering to God.
A person can use this book as a starting point to practice this yoga and
customize its practice by incorporating his knowledge, understanding, and
experience to make it personal and effective.
This yoga makes the following verse from Gi
t
a shloka 4.24 come true in the
yogis life:

| ||
Brahmarpa
n
am Brahma-hawir-Bramhagnou Brahma
n
ahu
t
am |
Brahmaiwa
t
en gan
t
awyam Brahma-karma-sama
dh
ina ||
The person who leads his life (like performing a yajna) with God in his
consciousness at all times [i.e., who realizes with full conviction that
the person doing the oblations, the oblations themselves, the fire in
which the oblations are being offered, and the act of offering are all
pervaded by Gods Sa
tt
a and Shak
t
i and the existence and activities are
72 of 87
also solely due to the backing of Gods Sa
tt
a and Shak
t
i], will
undoubtedly ultimately merge with (where-else-but-)Brahman.
Explanation: Since we and all cells in our body are functional only because of
Gods Sa
tt
a and Shak
t
i shining through them, we, offerers of oblations, are
Brahman (Brahma
n
ahu
t
am). The actions we perform and the process of
performing are also solely due to the backing of Gods Sa
tt
a and Shak
t
i
behind our cells and intentions and are therefore Brahman (Brahmarpa
n
am
Brahma-hawi
hi
). The objects of our actions (e,g., people) also owe their
existence to Gods Sa
tt
a and Shak
t
i and are therefore Brahman
(Bramhagnou).
I conclude this book with a sincere hope that it will be useful and helpful to
all readers in experiencing God in their spiritually enriched life, and by
offering it to God with the following traditional ma
n
t
ra:

|| (Om
t
a
t
sa
t
brahmarpa
n
amas
t
u ||)
73 of 87
References

1. http://health.yahoo.net/human-body-maps/
2. http://www.sapphyr.net/largegems/footprints.htm
3. Shri Lali
t
a-sahasra-nama s
t
o
t
ra, (in Mara
th
i) C. V.
D
andekar, Prasa
d
a
Prakashan, Pu
n
e

74 of 87
Appendix A Collection of Shlokas

For convenience of practicing the shlokas for the example meditation
described in Chapter 4, the shlokas are reproduced next:

75 of 87

: | : |

: |

: ||


| :

||
|

||
: : : ||



( :)
|
: ||
(

)
|
||

|
: ||


Om Bha
d
ra
m
kar
n
ebhi
hi
sh
ru
n
uyama
d
ewa
ha
|
Bha
d
ra
m
pashyemakshabhiryaja
t
ra
ha
||
Sthirairangais
t
u
shth
uwa
gam
sas
t
anubhi
hi
|

Wyashema
d
ewahi
t
am ya
d
ayu
hu
||
Swas
t
i na In
d
ro W
ri
ddh
ashrawa
ha
|
Swas
t
i na
ha
Pu
sh
a Wishwawe
d
a
ha
|
Swas
t
i nas
T
arkshyo Arishtanemi
hi
|
Swas
t
i no B
ri
haspa
t
ir
d
a
dh
a
t
u ||
Om shan
t
i
hi
shan
t
i
hi
shan
t
i
hi
||


(Om bhurbhuwaswa
ha
)
T
a
t
sawi
t
urware
n
yam bhargo
d
ewasya
dh
imahi |
Dh
iyo yo na
ha
pracho
d
aya
t
||
(Om apojyo
t
iraso$m
ri
t
am brahma bhurbhuwaswarom)

Ya
d
a
d
i
t
yaga
t
am
t
ejo jaga
d
bhasaya
t
e$khilam |
Yachchan
d
ramasi yachchagnou
t
a
tt
ejo wi
dd
hi mamakam ||


Gamawishya cha bhu
t
ani
dh
arayamyahamojasa |
Pu
shn
ami cha ou
sh
a
dh
i
hi
sarwa
ha
somo bhu
t
wa rasa
t
maka
ha
||


76 of 87
|
||

:

||

|
:

||

| |
|
|
||

|
||

Aham Waishwanaro bhu
t
wa pra
n
inam
d
ehamashri
t
a
ha
|
Pra
n
apanasamayuk
t
a
ha
pachamyannam cha
t
urwi
dh
am ||
Sarwasya chaham h
ri
d
i sanniwi
sh
to ma
tt
a
ha

sm
ri
t
irjnanamapohanam cha |
We
d
aishcha sarwairahamewa we
d
yo
we
d
an
t
ak
ri
d
we
d
awi
d
ewa chaham ||
Mamaiwansho jiwaloke jiwabhu
t
a
ha
sana
t
ana
ha
|
Mana
ha
sh
a
shth
anin
d
riya
n
i prak
ri
t
isthani kar
sh
a
t
i ||

Om Namas
t
e Ga
n
apa
t
aye |
T
wam Mula
dh
ara-sthi
t
o$si
ni
t
yam |
T
wam shak
t
i-
t
raya
t
maka
ha
|

Karpurgouram karu
n
awa
t
aram sa
n
sarasaram
bhujagen
d
raharam |
Sa
d
awasan
t
am h
ri
d
ayarawin
d
e Bhawam
Bhawanisahi
t
am namami ||
Bho
d
ipa brahmarupas
t
wa
m
jyo
t
i
sh
a
m
prabhurawyaya|
Yawa
t
pujasamap
t
i
hi
sya
t

t
awa
t

t
wa
m
susthiro bhawa ||

Om
T
ryambakam yajamahe sugan
dh
im
pu
sh
tiwar
dh
anam |
Urwarukamiwa ban
dh
anan m
ri
t
yormukshiya mam
ri
t
a
t
||


77 of 87
- |
- - || 98
- - |

--

|| 99

- |
-- - || 100
--

- |
- - || 101

- - |

|| 102
-- |
-- - || 103

- |
- || 104
- |
- -- || 105
Wishu
ddh
i-chakra-nilaya$$rak
t
awar
n
a
t
rilochana |
Khatwanga
d
i-prahara
n
a wa
d
anaika-samanwi
t
a || 98
Payasannapriya
t
wakstha pashuloka-bhayankari |
Am
ri
t
a
d
i-mahashak
t
i-sa
m
w
ru
t
a Dakinishwari || 99


Anaha
t
abja-nilaya shyamabha wa
d
ana
d
waya |
D
a
n
shtrojjwalakshamala
d
i-
dh
ara ru
dh
ira-sa
n
sthi
t
a ||
100
Kalara
t
rya
d
i-shak
t
yougha-w
ri
t
a snig
dh
ou
d
ana-priya |
Mahawiren
d
ra-wara
d
a Raki
n
yamba-swarupi
n
i || 101

Ma
n
ipurabja-nilaya wa
d
ana
t
raya-sa
m
yu
t
a |
Wajra
d
ikayu
dh
ope
t
a Damarya
d
ibhiraw
ri
t
a || 102
Rak
t
awar
n
a ma
n
sanishtha gudanna-pri
t
a-manasa |
Samas
t
abhak
t
asukha
d
a Lakinyamba-swarupi
n
i || 103


Swa
dh
i
shth
anambujaga
t
a cha
t
urwak
t
ra-manohara |
Shula
d
yayu
dh
a-sampanna pi
t
awar
n
a$
t
igarwi
t
a || 104
Me
d
oni
shth
a ma
dh
upri
t
a Ban
dh
inya
d
i-samanwi
t
a |
D
a
dh
yannasak
t
a-h
ri
d
aya Kakinirupa
dh
ari
n
i || 105

78 of 87
- |

- - || 106
- - | 107a

-- || 107b
- --- |
- -- || 108

- - |
- - || 109
- - | 110a

|
|| || || 17-19
|
|| 77

|
|| || || 78-80


Mula
dh
arabujaru
dh
a panchawak
t
rasthisa
n
sthi
t
a |
A
n
kusha
d
iprahara
n
a Wara
d
a
d
i-ni
sh
ewi
t
a || 106
Mug
d
ou
d
anasak
t
a-chi
tt
a Sakinyamba-swarupi
n
i | 107a


Ajna-chakrabja-nilaya shuklawar
n
a
sh
adanana || 107b
Majja-sa
n
stha ha
n
sawa
t
i-mukhya-shak
t
i-samanwi
t
a |
Hari
d
rannaika-rasika Hakini-rupa-
dh
ari
n
i || 108


Sahasra
d
ala-pa
d
mastha sarwa-war
n
opashobhi
t
a |
Sarwayu
dh
a-
dh
ara shukla-sa
n
sthi
t
a sarwa
t
omukhi || 109
Sarwou
d
ana-pri
t
achi
tt
a Yakinyamba-swarupi
n
i | 110a

Ya
D
ewi sarwabhu
t
e
sh
u che
t
ane
t
yabhi
dh
iya
t
e |
Namas
t
asyai Namas
t
asyai Namas
t
asyai namo nama
ha

|| 17-19
Indriya
n
am a
dh
is
th
a
t
ri bhu
t
anam chakhile
sh
u ya |
Bhu
t
e
sh
u sa
t
a
t
am
t
asyai wyap
t
i
d
ewyai namo nama
ha
|| 77

Chi
t
irupe
n
a ya k
ru
t
s
t
nam e
t
a
d
wyapya sthi
t
a jaga
t
|
Namas
t
asyai Namas
t
asyai Namas
t
asyai namo nama
ha

|| 78-80

79 of 87
, |
, || 32 ||

|
|| ||


|| ||

|| ||

|| ||

|| ||

|| ||

|| ||



Lokabhiramam ra
n
aranga
dh
iram rajiwane
t
ram
Raghuwa
n
shanatham |
Karu
n
yarupam karu
n
akaram
t
am shri Ramachan
d
ram
shara
n
am prapa
d
ye || 32 ||
Manojawam maru
t
a
t
ulyawegam ji
t
en
dr
iyam
bu
ddh
ima
t
am wari
shth
am |
Wa
t
a
t
majam wanarayuthamukhyam ShriRama
d
u
t
am
shara
n
am prapa
d
ye ||33||

Shiro me Raghawa
ha
pa
t
u | Bhalam
D
ashara
t
ha
t
maja
ha
||4||
Kousalyeyo
d
ru
shou pa
t
u | Wishwami
t
ra-priya
ha
shru
t
i |
Ghra
n
am pa
t
u Makha-
t
ra
t
a | Mukham Soumi
t
ri-wa
t
sala
ha
||5||
Jihwam Wi
d
yani
dh
i
hi
pa
t
u | Ka
n
th
am Bhara
t
a-wandi
t
a
ha
|
Ska
n
dh
ou
D
iwyayu
dh
a
ha
pa
t
u | Bhujou Bhagneshakarmuka
ha
||6||
Karou Si
t
a-pa
t
i
hi
pa
t
u | H
ri
d
ayam Jama
d
agnyaji
t
|
Ma
dh
yam pa
t
u Khara
dh
wa
n
si | Nabhim Jambawa
d
ashraya
ha
||7||
Sugriwesh
ha
kati pa
t
u | Sakthini Hanuma
t
-prabhu
hu
|
Uru Raghu
tt
ama
ha
pa
t
u | Raksha
ha
kulawinashak
ri
t
||8||
Januni Se
t
uk
ri
t
pa
t
u | Janghe Dashamukhan
t
aka
ha
|
Pa
d
ou Wibhi
sh
a
n
ashri
d
a
ha
| Pa
t
u Ramo$khilam wapu
hu
||9||




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: |


: : :
: |
| ||
: : : ||

























Om
d
you
h
shan
t
iran
t
arikshagam shan
t
i
hi
|
P
ri
thiwi shan
t
irapa
h
shan
t
iro
sh
a
dh
aya
h
shan
t
ir-wanaspa
t
aya
h

shan
t
ir-wishwe_
d
ewa
ha
shan
t
ir-brahma shan
t
i
hi
|
Sarwagam shan
t
i
hi
shan
t
irewa shan
t
i
hi
| Sa ma shan
t
ire
dh
i |
Aum shan
t
i
hi
shan
t
i
hi
shan
t
i
hi
||


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Appendix B Sa
n
sk
ri
t
a Words with Meaning

For ready reference while reading this book, the Sa
n
sk
ri
t
a words used in this
book and their meaning are given here.

Word Meaning
Ahankara Ego, Identity of own self
A
n
sha Part
Ara
t
i, Song of praise for God
A
t
ma Eternal soul
(Bhagawa
d
)gita, Hi
n
d
u scripture containing spiritual knowledge in the form
of advice given by Lord K
ri
shn
a to warrior Arjuna on the
battlefield
Bhajana Devotional song
Bhak
t
i Devotion
Brahman The one-and-the-only God that is the backdrop for the
projection, sustenance, and dissolution of the entire
universe
Brahma, Wi
shn
u, Mahesha Hi
n
d
u Trinity symbolizing creation, sustenance,
and dissolution of universe
Chakra Subtle energy center in the spinal column
D
arshana Sight
D
a
tt
a
t
reya Epithet of Brahman (God)
D
ewanagari A script for Sa
n
sk
ri
t
a, Hin
d
i, Mara
th
i, Gujara
t
i, etc.
D
rawya, kriya, jnana (Powers of) materialization, action, and cognition

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Ga
n
esha, Shiwa, Dewi Special aspects of the one-and-the-only God
symbolizing removal of obstacles, dissolution of universe
at the end of creation cycle, and three kinds of power,
strength, energy
Hi
n
d
u Name of a religion, spirituality, culture, people originating
from ancient India
Ida, Pi
n
gala Subtle left and right channels (nadis) in the spinal column
through which subtle Pra
n
a energy flows
Jaga
d
Guru Preceptor of the world
Jiwa
t
ma or Jiwa Reincarnation of un-self-realized soul to work out its karma
JnanaYoga, RajaYoga, Bhak
t
iYoga, and karmaYoga Four broad methods of
realizing God described in Gi
t
a based on knowledge
(inquiry) of the soul, interaction with the Ku
n
dalini,
devotion, and attitude in performing actions
Ku
n
dalini Subtle spiritual energy present in the central subtle
channel called Su
sh
umna in our spinal column
Lali
t
a
D
ewi Epithet of Goddess
Ma
n
t
ra A collection of words having meaning and power to
produce a positive desired effect
Maya Goddess that projects this universe on the backdrop
(Sa
tt
a) of Brahman
Moksha or muk
t
i Union with the Brahman and ensuing freedom from the
cycles reincarnation
Mur
t
i idol representing certain aspect of God
Nadi Subtle channel through which subtle energy flows
Pra
n
a Vital energy, life force
Prarab
dh
a karma Part of accumulated karma assigned to the present
reincarnation
Prera
n
a Inspiration
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Puja Worship
Rama, K
ri
shn
a Awataras (descentions) of God for the well-being of
human and other living beings and their planes of
existence, protection of good people, destruction of vile
people, and for upholding righteousness
Sanchi
t
a karma Total accumulated karma
Sa
n
sk
ri
t
a Mother of many Indian languages like Hin
d
i, Mara
th
i,
Gujara
t
i
San
t
a Saint
Sa
n
yogi Uniting, integrating
Sap
t
a-
dh
a
t
u seven essential ingredients of our body such as blood
Sa
tt
a support
Sa
tt
wika, Rajasika, and
T
amasika Three basic types of attributes (Gu
n
as):
mature, knowledge-based, enlightened; action-prone;
reckless, inert
Shak
t
i Strength, energy, power, power of God
Shan
t
i ma
n
t
ra Peace chant
Shiwa One of the Gods in the Hi
n
d
u Trinity
Shloka Stanza
Shra
ddh
a Faith, belief
Si
ddh
i Special power like becoming minute, huge, unseen, etc.
Sthula Gross
S
t
u
t
i Praise
Sukshma subtle
SuraGuru Gods Guru
84 of 87
Su
sh
umna Subtle central channel in the spinal column through which
subtle Ku
n
dalini energy travels. The seven chakras lie in
this channel
T
rigu
n
a
t
mika threefold, constituting the three Gu
n
as
Upani
sh
a
d
as Inspired and revealed spiritual knowledge
Wigraha Body



85 of 87
Appendix C Stages in Fetal Growth (Brahma
d
ewas Factory)

41 Weeks of Pregnancy
(Courtesy http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2013/12/06/3d-birth-simulator_n_4393960.html?utm_hp_ref=mostpopular)
(weeks reckoned from 1st day of last period)
Week

Size

Length
(Inches)
Weight
[oz] or Lbs
Fetus development

1 (1st day of last period )
2
3 Head of pin Conception (Gender, eye & hair color already determined)
4 Layers of (stem) cells that will become organs & tissues
5 0.118 Heart beating steadily, skeleton begins to form
6 Brain, lungs, arms, legs, nervous system beginning to form
7 1 <1 aspirin Organs, hair, eyelids, umbilical cord are forming
8 bean Ears, bones, fingers, toes, eyes, lips, nose forming
9 grape Heart has 4 chambers
10 lime Head bigger than rest of body
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11 [0.5] Baby moving, bones begin hardening
12

Eyes & ears move closer to final positions, kidneys secret urine, nerve cells multiplying,
may begin sucking
13 [1.25] Fingerprints, skin hair (will eventually go away)
14 [<2]
15 5 Eyes, ears continue to develop, sucking thumb
16 [2.5] Heart pumps ~25 quarts of blood/day
17 [4]
Developing fat under skin (keep warm when he enters world)
18 >6 Ears working (can hear your heartbeat, growling stomach)
19 [7] Starting to grow hair
20 [9] May be putting pressure on mother's lungs & bladder
21 8.5 Producing meconium (first poop when born)
22 10 [14] Eyes fully formed, has eyebrows, moving limbs (iris lacks pigment)
23 1 Boy: testes making descent; girl: uterus & ovaries developed
24 >12 Lungs & brain growing quickly
25 13 Gaining (fat) weight, moving around quite a bit
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26 1 to 2 Inhale/exhale amniotic fluid (lung development)
27 14 2 Fetus may get hiccups, open/close eyes, fetus regular sleep cycle
28 2.5 Brain becoming more complex & growing more tissue
29 3 Has eyelashes, has opened his eyes
30 Eyes can distinguish light & dark, can focus on light, begin to mimic breathing
31 15.5 4
32 4.5 Baby practicing breathing
33 16.5 Gaining weight
34 17.5 5 Bones (except of skull) begin to harden
35 6 Lungs fully developed. Likely in position for delivery
36 19 5.75-6.75 Hair covering body start to go away
37 7 If in breech position, doctor may be able to turn him around in head-down position
38

7.5 Brain lungs maturing. Fingernails begin developing. Organs developed enough to
sustain life outside womb.
39 18-20.5 6.5-8
40 19-21 6.75-10 Get ready to welcome baby :)