Vol. II No.

Date: 9th July, 2012

Aghora A book review

Published By: SUDDHA SANATANA DHARMA SEVA SAMSTHA, Hyderabad, India. (This Magazine is for free circulation and not for sale) -0E-Mail: sanjaybharatha@yahoo.com Ph.No.: +919866445800

ANNOUNCEMENT
This is to inform all the readers of Suddha Sanatana Dharma Pragnya magazine that, from now on it is decided to publish each article or item of this magazine separately as and when it is ready instead of publishing all the items at a time once every three months. This is being done to make it easy for the readers so that they have only one item to read at a time instead of so many items clubbed into one issue. In the olden days may be the bi-monthly or quarterly issues were more convenient for the publishers as well as the readers. But due to the advancement of technology it is now not a burden to publish any number of issues. And also due to the lack of availability of time to the readers in the present days owing to the fast paced life-style, it is felt that publishing single article at a time would be more desirable. And also it will be easy for them to store the articles according to their convenience for future reference. The articles that would appear in this issue are aimed at making it easy for the followers of Suddha Dharma to understand, remember and refer the various important topics with ease. Hence, it is decided to make an effort to publish small articles of only few pages, covering only small aspect of Suddha Dharma as presented in Suddha Dharma literature or related matter so that it is clearly and easily understood even by those who are new to Suddha Dharma. As a part of this effort many diagrams and charts giving the details of Suddha Dharma are also being published so that the readers can easily grasp and remember various topics that are elaborately dealt with in Suddha Dharma literature. It is decided to do away with the editorial section and instead of it an announcements column would be added and that too only whenever it is necessary to convey any changes in the magazine or to make any appeals. Finally, I would like to thank all the readers who have downloaded and read or visited the Scribd site where these magazines are published. The total hits have crossed 1150 as of now. Sanjay Bharatha

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AGHORA
A Book Review

- By : Sanjay Bharatha AGHORA At the Left Hand of God

Part I Sri Vimalananda belonged to a super rich multibillionaire business family of Bombay and his parents willingly relinquished all their wealth for choosing to become the disciples of Sri Haranath Thakur of Bengal as per his precondition. Coming from such a spiritual and wealthy family to becoming an Aghori who has to roam as a naked Sadhu, is a very amazing and breathtaking story where the mysterious world of Tantra and Aghora unfolds, perhaps for the first time with such authentic first hand details coming from this great Siddhas own lips. [An Ashram of Sri Haranath Thakur is at a place called Shivam, in Hyderabad, Andhra Pradesh, India and it was founded by the mother of Sri Vimalananda for the benefit of her Guru Sri Harnath Thakurs Devotees. I happen to frequent this Ashram in the past and had seen a picture of Sri Vimalanandas mother in this ashram. She is greatly respected here and is referred to as Vimalamma, which is her name.

Dr. Rovert. E. Svaboda, Author

This is the first in the series of three articles about the AGHORA Trilogy written By Dr. Robert E Svaboda, whose amazing Teacher and Mentor was an accomplished Aghori around whose life and teachings these three books revolve. Having lived amongst us only a few decades ago, Sri Vimalananda, the said Aghori can be said to be the latest and only authority in the outer world on this much misunderstood subject at the present time. And these books having come from him contain an amazing and intricate details expounded in a very lucid and inspiring manner. Right from the very introduction this book opens new vistas of understanding about life and its ultimate purpose and how Aghora is the quickest for those who are meant for it and dare to go all the way facing all the odds. Even though the path of Aghora is meant to be treaded by a select few, it immensely helps one to understand this Spiritual Science along with some of its non-conventional practices so that, firstly, it will eradicate all the misconceptions with which this great science is associated and secondly, it teaches a lot about the life and the existence as a whole. This complete understanding helps us relate effectively with ourselves, the world and lead a life in such a way that we evolve speedily and avoid the road blocks on our way to achieve the purpose of our Life. The first volume of this trilogy traces the life incidents of Sri Vimalananda in his own words midst his explanation about this Spiritual Science of Aghora and what it takes to achieve by following this path.
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Sri Harnath Thakur In the year 1995 I enquired one very old devotee called Sri Yashodamma, who used to stay in this Ashram, about Sri Vimalamma and her family. This old lady, she being advanced spiritually and was also very senior who knew Sri Vimalamma well, said that Sri Vimalammas Guru told Sri Vimalamma that he would be born to her and that he was actually born to her as per his word and that no one knew this fact and that her son was very much misunderstood to be a drunkard and gambler but in fact he was none other than Sri Harnath Thakur himself.

When she said this, I was very much surprised and puzzled but upon reflection I could find an interesting connection between Sri Harnath Thakur and Sri Vimalananda, it was that both had same Guru, the same Mahapurusha, who actually is said to have cut Sri Harnath Thakur, who was dead at that time due to an accident, into 24 pieces and after throwing away 3 pieces, again joined the remaining pieces back and made Sri Harnath Thakur live again. This story is familiar to all devotees of Sri Harnath Thakur but only those who read this book Aghora can know that this Mahapurusha is none other than the Gurudev of Sri Vimalananda, whom he refers to as Mahapurusha in this book] The fantastic story about Sri Vimalananda he came to get the direct vision of the Mother Goddess in the form of Smashan Tara, albeit, owing to a conspiracy of one false and treacherous Tantra practitioner called Jina Chandra Suri, is in itself an awe-inspiring anecdote.

This auto-biographical narration is full of warnings in the form of various anecdotes meant for those non-serious, frivolous or just curious types who might think of attempting these dangerous Tantra and Aghora Practices without the proper preparation and most importantly proper guidance of a capable Guru to save the practitioner in case of any crisis which are so many for a novice on this intricate path. Sri Vimalananda candidly explains about the various elements and concepts of Aghora which are actually very much relevant for any sincere and serious spiritual practitioner because he states all the universal truths about the basics of nature and existence. The concepts dealt with by him are such as, who is a Bhairavi?

Ma Smashan Tara

What is the role and purpose of Pancha Makaras of Tantra including Maithuna or Sexual acts, the misconception about which gave a notorious reputation to Tantra?, the concept of Runanubandhana, the invaluable insights into Cosmic Duality of Shiva and Shakti and the stories about his incredible Mentors, whom he said he was lucky to get, are the highlights of the first volume along with the chapter about the all powerful and omnipotent Prakriti Shakti , The Ultimate Divine Power, which our India possesses which is the guarding angle of our Country.

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A special reference is warranted to the topic of sex in general and sex in tantra in particular. A whole chapter is dedicated to point to us the finer points about sex, its use and its abuse and as to how little the modern world knows about this vital fact of life in spite of all the so-called progress of science and civilization. To sum it up, the whole range of knowledge about Tantra and Aghora with all the important guidelines is distilled into this life story of the great and mysterious Siddha Purusha Aghori Sri Vimalananda. This will be one life changing book if one is destined enough to get one. In India it is published by Rupa & Co. It should be interest to the followers of Suddha Dharma to know that Sri Vimalananda in this book hints about a particular sadhana of Mother Goddess in which a devotee experiences all her forms. He says that this was asked for as a boon and achieved by only two individuals, out of two Sri Vimalananda talks about only one and about the other he says he cannot tell us (may be, he has his own reasons). But he also says that that particular Vidya is technically known as Sarva Vidya. And we, the students of Suddha Dharma know that the Supreme Goddess Sri Yoga Devi is referred to as Sarva Vidyadhi Devata, i.e., the Supreme Goddess of Sarva Vidya. In this connection I found one more interesting reference by Sri Vimalananda, when in he also hints at a Rishi Mandala, a group of Rishis, who actually control the whole of Cosmos and he says that these are the one who are the lord over the entire Cosmos and in fact it is they who loan the power to the gods so that the gods can perform their mandated tasks. He also talks about the principal Rishi who sits at the centre of this Mandala and who controls or leads all the other Rishis. This is found to be extremely interesting when I saw it in the light of my awareness about the existence of Suddha Dharma Mandalam. This is one of the very few places, other than Theosophical Society and the Organization of
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Alice. A. Bailey, where I found any reference to such a Mandala or Organization of Rishis who are said to be the in-charges of the functioning of the Cosmos.

And my interest became even more profound when I found in the literature of Suddha Dharma, the mention of the section of aspirants of the Mandala who are worshippers of Shakti, the Divine mother, in her ten principal forms of Great Goddesses. Sri Vimalananda is also the worshipper of one among those ten great forms of Mother Goddess, namely, Ma Tata, in her aspect of Smashan Tara.

AGHORA II Kundalini
Part II

This is second book of the Aghora Trilogy written by Dr. Robert E Svaboda. In this volume II of Aghora Trilogy called Kundalini, the Art and Science of Self Realization or the ultimate achievement of Human Life is explained. The Science whose application results in meeting of the Kundalini, which is made to rise up to Sahasrara in the head from Muladhara in the spine, where it was hitherto lying dormant, in order to fuse with Shiva or the Supreme Consciousness. On the cosmic scale this unity of Shakti or (Kundalini) and Shiva is known as Sadashiva and on the individual level it is known as Ardhanarishvara.

The Aghori, the practitioner of Aghora, as presented by Sri Vimalananda in this volume is required to create his whole being i.e., body, mind, etc in such a way so as to experience the extreme levels of consciousness and to tolerate the enormous intensities of energies connected with this process. If these energies are not dealt with properly they result in varieties of problems including madness. Hence this path is meant only for those who are with ultimate zeal and utmost devotion to Mother Goddess whose blessings are imperative for success in this path. The author writes that "Aghoris are psyche explorers who go down into the blackness of their individual conceits to find their way to true freedom. Aghora literally means non- terrifying. An Aghori takes the most terrifying experiences possible and transmutes them into devotion to Reality." This volume provides a very priceless and vital knowledge for all those who are serious about the science of self realization, irrespective of whether he is a follower of Aghora path or not. This Volume covers in amazing and never before revealed detail, the following topics like in chapter 1 the details about the beginning of the spiritual sadhana by purifying the fire element in our body. Chapter 2 deals with Kundalini and related topics like Ahankara, Nadis and Chakras, the raising of Kundalini, Samadhi and Kula Kundalini. Chapter 3 deals with the preliminaries like food and its importance, the role of Panchamakaras in tantra in purification of Pancha Bhootas. Chapter 4 deals with Sadhana, where various Sadhanas are spoken of and especially Aghora Sadhanas. Also the importance of Japa, relation between Name and Form, Gayatri and the art making everything we do into a Sadhana. Chapter 5 deals with all about Mantra, method of practice of Mantra Yoga, rules for the same, etc and the 6th Chapter deals with Tantra, the important days and times for Sadhana, the importance of Nyasa and Mental worship. Chapter 7 is an interesting one about Music and it's relation to Sound and Nadis, Nada Yoga, the relationship between Sri Krishna & Gopis and the Nadis and finally its relation to Shiva and Krishna.
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ARDHANARISHWARA
In this volume an extreme form of devotion, even by the standards of Tantra, is explained as a means to achieve this unity of Kundalini and Shiva. This form of fierce devotion is called Aghora.

Chapter 8 deals with the Immortals, the Rishis, Munis, Naths and the Siddhas and their hierarchy. And also the Avatars, etc. This is very informative and amazing chapter. Chapter 9 deals with Esoteric Ramayana and its analogy with individual spiritual progress. Chapter 10, the last one tells elaborately about Gurus and Disciples and their relationship and the discipline involved. The book also has beautiful illustrations about Natha Yogis and a number of Yantras too. The Author of this Book, Dr. Robert E Svaboda, says that His mentor Aghori Vimalananda believed that real change can come only through those individuals who are brave enough to examine all of their reality assumptions and change those which must be changed. Vimalananda wanted his teachings to be spread to anyone willing to listen and he charged the author with the responsibility of presenting his musings to those willing to listen and He also wanted the author to have something solid to remember him by, so that whenever the author wants to be with him again he only needs to open the book.

AGHORA III - The Law of Karma

This is the concluding part of a series of 3 articles about the Books written by Dr. Robert E Svaboda on the life and teachings of the extra ordinary Siddha Purusha Sri Aghori Vimalananda. This last book of this trilogy deals in detail about the mysterious Law of Karma about which it is said Gahana Karmano Gatih" that means the ways of Karma are deep and mysterious. This is the Law which is responsible for the birth, existence and dissolution of all the universes including the individual human life. And it is on this mysterious law that all the relationships are based and are continuously determined and transformed. In this book, the concept of Runanubandhana or Karmic Debts and Balances is clearly explained and it revolves around the life of various characters in Sri Vimalananda's life and also those in the stories which he tells to make us understand this complex law of Karma. In order to explain to us this Law of Karma, Sri Vimalananda takes the backdrop of a horse Race Course at Pune as a stage and various individuals frequenting there as actors, including the horses that run the races. Sri Vimalananda refers to this Law of Karma as being akin to Einstein's Third Law of Motion that says every action has an equal and opposite reaction. There are a number of stories and anecdotes in this book by means of which the knowledge is imparted in a delightful manner. The vital knowledge that is necessary to learn the Art of Living, which enables us to break free of the Karmic bondage of the past and that which teaches us how to lead our lives, is vouchsafed in this book. The author Dr. Robert Svaboda says that he got his orientation towards reality from his mentor Sri Vimalananda and this is evident from the words of Sri Vimalananda who says that it is always better to live with reality otherwise, without fail, reality will come to live with you. In a nutshell this says everything about the Law of Karma.

With my experience of re-reading these books almost every year I too vouch for this fact that this is the best way to be in the benign presence of this extra ordinary and mysterious being called Vimalananda. Once you taste his benevolence and amazing persona it is hard for you not to seek His presence and guidance in all important matters of your life, albeit, through these amazing Aghora books. Hence I made it a ritual of reading these 3 books every year just to be within His Aura. I hope all those who read these amazing and very authentic books with love and devotion will find that their spiritual life has developed wings to take them soaring into the sky of bliss.
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Sri Vimalananda insisted that it is always wise to cooperate with the Universal flow or Gods plan and that whatever God does is for the best. Sri Vimalananda followed Sankhya and taught that our world or the Prakriti in which karma takes place is as real as the Absolute Reality or Purusha but Purusha is the only one who is outside the ambit of Karma. This books details Karmic classification minutely by giving an analogy about rice. Here Sanchita Karma is akin to rice that has been harvested and stored. Prarabdha Karma is that portion of rice removed from storage and readied for eating and Kriyamana Karma (individual effort at any given point of time) which includes Agami Karma ( that which has to be experienced in future) is like the rice that is now being planted in the field to produce a future crop. He writes that each time you are ready to be reborn your Prarabdha Karmas forge for you a mind and body and the conditions in which they will live. This is the connection between our karma and reincarnation. The various facets of this knowledge of karma are dealt in detail in this book, for example, the intricacies of how our mind, body and samskaras are formed depending upon our karmas and the Runanubandhana and the karmic transfers that determine the collective life in the society and world as a whole. In this connection the section about genetics is very interesting and aweinspiring. The tale of how even large tracts of lands and cities like Mumbai ( which is here referred to as a City of Delusion or Maya) can also be affected by the curses and keep tainting to the present day even the very food that is produced there opens new vistas of understanding this very complex Law of Karma and it's mysterious ways of working itself out, makes for a very interesting reading. The important role of Sanishwara or planet Saturn in this scheme of Karmic drama is also very informative. And the fact of lives getting entwined in complex karmas is brought home by the story of Visha Kanyas and how Alaxander the Great was poisoned by an Indian King by gifting him a Visha Kanya.

Sri Vimalananda also drives his point home very candidly that one should not try to force ones will on others as it will create a series of karmas and further entangle you for many many years. This is made evident by the examples from his own eventful life and a number of other stories that he tells in course of his teachings. I feel that it is impossible to describe the immense good and usefulness of these books for the current generation at this time and age, when the world, including our individual lives, is in utter chaos. And we have no idea what to make of this World or Spirituality etc. These books act as amazing guides to help us lead our lives according to Dharma or the natural Law of the Universe and lead a meaningful and successful life. Hence these books need to be studied time and again as regular parayana granthas, so that the wealth of knowledge contained in these can be slowly digested. My sincere thanks are due to the Sri Vimalananda for his presence and knowledge in the form of these books and to Dr. Robert E Svaboda for salvaging such a priceless knowledge and guidance that came from Sri Vimalananda and most importantly for presenting to us a glimpse of peerless Sri Vimalananda.

Lord Sanishwara -7-

(Concluded)