RECORD OF YOGA - II

Page 1371
YOGIC SADHAN
A U M
(Numbering, paragraph divisions, bold and blue are re-structuring with no
change in Sri Aurobindos presentation.
Red is m additions. !
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"
#$% &R'&%R ('URS% ') #$% SA*$AN "S +US# #$%
'&&'S"#% ') #$% #$"N, M'S# &%'&-% *' and ou have also
done.
&eople begin with the-
.. body and the prana,
/. go on to the chitta and the manas, and 0inish up
1. with the buddhi and the will.
#he real course is to S#AR# with the will and 0inish with the bod.
#$%R% "S N' N%%* ') ASANA, &RANA2AMA, 3UM4$A3A,
($"##ASU**$", 'R AN2#$"N, %-S% &R%&ARA#'R2 'R
&R%-"M"NAR2 ") 'N% S#AR#S 5"#$ #$% 5"--.
#hat was what Sri Rama6rishna came to show so 0ar as 2oga is
concerned. 7*o the Sha6ti Upasana 0irst,8 he said, 7get Sha6ti and she
will give ou Sat.8
5"-- AN* S$A3#" AR% #$% )"RS# M%ANS N%(%SSAR2 #'
#$% 2',"N.
#hat was wh he said alwas, 7Remember ou are 4rahman,8 and he
gave that as a central message to Swami 9ive6ananda. 2ou are
"shwara. "0 ou choose, ou can be shuddha, siddha and everthing
else, or, i0 ou choose, ou can be :ust the opposite.
#he first necessit is to believe in oursel0, the second in ,od and the
third to believe in 3ali ;time<= 0or these things ma6e up the world.
.. %ducate the Sha6ti ;5ill< 0irst,
/. through the Sha6ti ;5ill< educate the +nanam,
1. through the +nanam puri0 the (hitta,
>. control the &rana and
?. (alm the Manas.
#hrough all these instruments immortalise the bod. ;dwi:atwam<.
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#hat is the real oga, the Mahapantha, #$A# "S #$% #RU% AN*
'N-2 #AN#RA.
#he 9edanta starts with 4uddhi, the #antra with Sha6ti.
5hat the 5ill is ou have heard. "t is Sha6ti, it is not 9asana, it is not
(heshta.
VASANA AND CHESHTA ARE THE NEGATIN ! "I##.
"0 ou have desire, that means ou doubt the power o0 our 5ill.
4rahman has no desire. $e wills and all things happen according to his
5ill. "0 ou have (heshta, that means ou doubt our 5ill. 'nl those
who 0eel or thin6 the are not strong, struggle and labour to produce an
e00ect. 4rahman has no cheshta. $e wills and $is 5ill spontaneousl
produces its e00ect. 4ut it produces it in time, space and causalit. To
demand a res$lt now% here and $nder &i'en conditions is A(nanam.
#he time, space and causalit o0 e'ery e'ent and its development have
been fi)ed a&es a&o b oursel0 and &arameswara, when the *al+a
be&an. "t is ignorance to struggle and tr to alter what ou have
oursel0 decreed. (are not about time, space or conditions, but "I##,
and leave the result to ,od who is our omnipotent, omnipresent and
omniscient sel0.
2ou are the individual ,od and $e is the universal ,od. Nothing but
,od e@ists. %6am evadwitiam. #here0ore 5ill implies Samata,
absence o0 9asana and (heshta. Absence o0 9asana and (heshta
implies 6nowledge.
Until ou have 3N'5-%*,%, ou can never be sa0e against the
return o0 9asana and (heshta.
#he Auestion is how to start. #he Sha6ti is in ou. -et her wor6 and
assist her b ta6ing the right attitude. 2ou are the Sa6shi, Anumanta
(give the command!, 4ho6ta, and 4harta.
.. As Anumanta, give the command,
/. As Sa6shi watch her wor6 out the result,
B,ive the command, watch her wor6 out the result...r6C
1. As 4ho6ta en:o the result, and
>. As 4harta help her b maintaining the Adhar.
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*o not ruin it b #AMAS"( U*AS"NA#A or RA+AS"( R%9'-#.
4e sure our Sha6ti ;5ill< can never 0ail to act. 2ou are the +nataD
receive all 6nowledge that presents itsel0 to ou. Adopt the attitude "
have described here and appl it to ever individual act o0 the sadhana
or o0 li0e. 2ou have nothing else to do. 3ali will do the rest. 4e not
troubled, be not an@ious, be not in haste, ou have all eternit be0ore
ou, wh be in hasteE 'nl do not be tamasic or idl waste our time.
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""
" shall spea6 to-da o0 the Sha6ti or 5ill, since that is the 0oundation o0
2oga. #he Sha6ti is situated in the Sahasradala :ust above the crown o0
the head and 0rom that seat o0 activit it wor6s.
;om bhur bhuvah swah<
4elow it at the top o0 the brain is the higher 4uddhi ;tat savitur
vareniam< and below that, occuping the middle level o0 the brain, is
the reason or lower buddhi ;bhargo devasa dhimahi<, and below that,
at the bottom o0 the brain, is the organ o0 communication with the
Manas ;dhioo nah prachodaat<. 5e ma call this organ the
understanding.
3nowledge, reason and understanding are the three parts o0 the brain.
#hese 0unctions are in the subtle bod, but the are connected with the
corresponding portions o0 the material brain.
"n the chest :ust above the heart is the Manas, that is, the organ o0
sensation with its 0ive subordinate "ndrias.
4elow the Manas, 0rom the heart to midwa between the heart and the
navel, is the (hitta.
)rom that point up to the navel and below it is the pschic or su6shma
prana. All these are in the su6shma deha but connected at these points
with the sthula deha.
"n the sthula deha itsel0 two 0unctions are situated, the phsical prana
or the nervous sstem and the annam or the material bod.
Now the will is the organ o0 the "shwara ( 6lesha 6arma vipa6aashaai
apraamrushtaah purushahvishesha "shwarah! or living master o0 the
bod. "t wor6s through all these 0unctions,
through the 4uddhi 0or thought and 6nowledge,
through the Manas 0or sensations,
through the (hitta 0or emotions and
through the &rana 0or en:oment.
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(&rana, that is to sa, o0 the desires together is called antah6aranaE Am
correct o0 prana as aham6arE As there the 0our ugasE!
5hen it 0unctions per0ectl, wor6ing in each organ according to the
capacities o0 the organ, then the wor6 o0 the Sha6ti becomes per0ect
and in0allible.
4ut there are two causes o0 wea6ness, error and 0ailure.
)irst, the con0usion o0 the organs. "0 the &RANA inter0eres in
sensation, emotion and thought, then a man becomes AN"S$A, the
slave o0 the &rana, that is to sa, o0 the desires.
"0 the ($"##A inter0eres with sensation and thought, then the
sensations and thoughts are 0alsi0ied b the emotions and their
corresponding wishes.
)or instance i0 love inter0eres with the 4U**$", the man becomes
blind to the truth about the person he loves, he is unable to distinguish
between right and wrong, 6artava and a6artava, where the person is
concerned. $e becomes to a greater or lesser e@tent the slave o0 the
emotions, love, anger, hatred, pit, revenge etc.
So, i0 the MANAS inter0eres with the reason, the man mista6es his
sensations 0or :ust ideas or true arguments. $e :udges b what he sees
or hears instead o0 :udging what he sees or hears. "0 again the reason,
imagination, memor and logic inter0ere with 6nowledge, the man is
debarred 0rom higher 6nowledge and wanders in the interminable
circle o0 probabilities and possibilities.
)inall, i0 even the 4uddhi inter0eres with the 5ill, then the man is
limited b the power o0 his limited 6nowledge, instead o0 moving
nearer to 'mnipotence.
"n brie0, i0 a machine or instrument is used 0or a wor6 0or which it is
un0it, 0or which it was not made or originall adapted, then it either
cannot do that wor6 at all or it does it badl= dharma-sankara is
created. Now what I ha'e described is the ordinary state of men
before they &ain ,nowled&e. "t is all dharma-san6ara, con0usion o0
0unctions, bad administration and incompetent and ignorant
government.
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#he 5ill, the true minister, is rendered a puppet o0 the lower o00icials
who wor6 each 0or his own sel0ish ends, inter0ering with and
hampering each other or dishonestl plaing into each others hands,
0or their own bene0it and to the detriment o0 the "shwara, the master.
$e ceases to be "shwara, he becomes Anisha, the puppet and dupe o0
his servants. 5h does he allow itE 4ecause o0 A:nanam. $e does not
6now, he does not realise what the ministers and o00icials and their
million and one hangers-on are doing with him.
5hat is this A:nanamE "t is inabilit to recognise his own true nature,
position and authorit. ;Ar:una vishada oga<. $e began b being
deepl interested in a small portion o0 his roal activit, the bod. $e
thought 7#hat is m 6ingdom.8 $e became the tool o0 his bodil
0unctions. So with the nervous, the sensational (Manas!, the emotional
((hitta! and the mental, he identi0ies himsel0 with each o0 them. $e
0orgets that he is di00erent 0rom them and much greater and stronger.
5$A# $% MUS# *' "S #' R%SUM% #$% R%"NS ') &'5%R,
#' R%M%M4%R #$A# $% "S "S$5ARA, #$% 3"N,, #$%
MAS#%R AN* ,'* $"MS%-). $e must on this understanding
remember that he is all-power0ul. He has a mi&hty minister% the "ill.
-et him support and direct the 5"-- and the 5ill will introduce order
into the government and compel the o00icials each to do obedientl and
per0ectl his own dut. Not o0 course all at once. "t will ta6e time. #he
o00icials have become so much used to con0used wor6 and
misgovernment that at 0irst the will not be willing to wor6 properl
and, secondl, even when the wish, the will 0ind it di00icult. #he
hardl 6now even how to begin. ;chapter .1<.
)or instance, when ou begin to use our will, what is li6el to
happenE
.. )irst ou will tr to use it through the &rana, through desire,
wish, hope, or
/. ou will use it through the (hitta, with emotion, eagerness and
e@pectation, or
1. ou will use it through the Manas using (heshta, struggle, e00ort,
as i0 ou were phsicall wrestling with the thing ou want to
control= or
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>. ou will use it through the 4uddhi, tring to dominate the
sub:ect o0 our interest b thought, b thin6ing 7-et this be8,
7-et that happen8 etc.
All these methods are used b 2ogins to recover the power o0 the 5ill.
#he $atha-ogin uses the &rana and the bod, the Ra:aogin the heart,
Manas and 4uddhi, but the best method is none o0 these. %ven the last
o0 them is a second-best means and must entail struggle, 0ailure and
0reAuent disappointment. ;chapters .>, .?, .F<.
#he 5ill is onl per0ect in its action when it
wor6s apart 0rom all these, strai&ht on the
s$b(ect from the SAHASRADA#A D
.. without e00ort,
/. without emotion and eagerness and
1. without desire.
Each function to itself and Will is its
own function. "t alwas obes the "shwara
but it acts in itsel0 and b itsel0. "t uses the
rest, it must not be used b them.
.. "t uses the 4uddhi 0or 6nowledge, not
0or command=
/. it uses the Manas 0or sensation, not 0or
either command or 6nowledge=
1. it uses the heart 0or emotion (chitta!, not
0or sensation, 6nowledge or command=
>. it uses the &rana 0or en:oment, not 0or
an other 0unction=
?. it uses the bod 0or motion and action,
not as a thing that can limit or determine
either 6nowledge, 0eeling, sensation,
power or en:oment.
Therefore it m$st ,ee+ itself a+art and
command all these thin&s as a thin&
se+arate from all of them.
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#hese are merel a antra, a machine, the
&urusha is the antri or master o0 the machine,
the 5ill is the electricit or motor-power.
#his is the right 6nowledge. ;(hapter .G.
&aram &u:a ,urudev- Upasana, Samarpana
oga<.
$ow to use it " shall tell ou a0terwards. #hat is a matter o0 practice,
not o0 mere instruction. #he man who has dhairam, calm
stead0astness, even in a small degree, can graduall accustom himsel0
to the master o0 his machine b the 5ill. 4ut he must 0irst 6nowD he
must 6now the machine, he must 6now the motor-power, he must
6now himsel0. #he 6nowledge need not be per0ect in order to begin,
but the elementar 6nowledge at least he must have. #hat is what " am
tring to give ou. " am e@plaining to ou the di00erent parts o0 the
machine, their nature and 0unctions, the nature o0 the5ill and the
nature o0 the "shwara.
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"""
#he 5ill when it begins to act, will be $AM&%R%* b the Swabhava=
there0ore until ou are able to act on the Swabhava, ou will not,
should not bring our 5ill to bear upon li0e.
"n other words while ou are a sadha6 o0 the Sha6ti marga, be a sadha6
onl= when ou have got Siddhi o0 the 5ill, then 0irst use the Siddhi to
get per0ection o0 the adhar, and when ou have got per0ection o0 the
adhar, then use the siddha adhar 0or 3arma, 0or li0e.
#he Swabhava opposes the per0ect action o0 the 5ill. 5hE 4ecause
the nature o0 humanit is imper0ect, onl partl evolved, asiddha, and
being in all its dharmas asiddha, the tamasic 0orce o0 habit, tamasi
dhriti, ma6es it resist an attempt to ma6e it siddha.
$umanit is evolving. 2oga is a means o0 carring that evolution
0orward with great and victorious rapidit. Bgive Swami 9ive6ananda
in snthesis o0 oga p.F.....C. 4ut the imper0ect Swabhava sas, 7" do
not wish to be per0ect, " am accustomed to imper0ection and 0ind it
eas and com0ortable.8 )irst, then, the 5ill seiHes hold o0 the
Swabhava and removes the obstacles in the wa o0 its own per0ect
development and action.
As " have said, it 0irst gets rid o0 the old sams6aras o0 impossibilit, the
sams6ara, the a:nanam that " am man, not ,od, limited, not illimitable,
helpless, not omnipotent.B&aram pu:a gurudev said :ambaat
hanuman....C
#he 5ill has 0irst to sa, 7" am omnipotent, that which the &urusha
commands, " can act8. B ,eeta ch. >, verse F, a:opisan...C. )or the 5ill
is the Sha6ti in action, and there is onl one Sha6ti, 3ali BtimeC
hersel0, who is ,od mani0esting as *ivine %nerg. B,eeta ch. .., verse
1/, 6alasmi..C.
Ne@t the 5ill seiHes the adhar and ma6es it shuddha in order that the
5ill ma itsel0 be shuddha. " have e@plained that i0 there is con0usion
and disorder among the 0unctions, then the 5ill cannot act
omnipotentl. #here0ore ou must 0irst develop +nanam and b +nanam
e00ect the shuddhi o0 the adhar. 5hen the adhar becomes shuddha, the
5ill being entirel 0ree 0rom wrong sams6aras and wrong action, is
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what " call shuddha. "t wor6s per0ectl. 5or6ing per0ectl it ma6es the
adhar siddha, that is the adhar rids itsel0 o0 all doshas, de0iciencies and
wea6nesses and wor6s per0ectl. "t becomes a per0ect instrument 0or
the &urushottama, the &urusha and Sha6ti to carr on their -ila.
3nowledge, there0ore, :nanam is the ne@t stage to be considered. 4ut
be0ore " come to that, let me 0inish about the obstacles in the
Swabhava. #here are not onl the wrong Sams6aras and the ashuddhi
o0 the adhar, but the general nature o0 things has certain tendencies or
laws in it which oppose the development o0 the 2oga as well as certain
tendencies which help the development o0 the 2oga.
#here are three laws which oppose D
.. the law o0 persistence,
/. the law o0 resistance and
1. the law o0 recurrence.
#here are three laws which assistD
.. the law o0 gradual processes,
/. the law o0 concentrated processes and
1. the law o0 involved processes.
-A5S 5$"($ '&&'S%
.. The law of +ersistence is this, that a rule, habit or tendenc once
established has a right to survive, a natural unwillingness to be
changed or annulled. #he longer it has been established, the longer it
ta6es to root out.
"0 a man has been ielding to the shadri+$s 0or man lives without an
serious e00ort to dominate them or puri0 himsel0, then he cannot b
mere wish or a mere rapid e00ort get rid o0 them and become pure and
calm. #he re0use to be so cavalierl treated. #he sa 72ou have
given us rights in this adhar, and we persist8. Still more hard to deal
with are those dharmas o0 the bod which men call the laws o0 phsical
nature.
-$t the "ill is omni+otent and if +atiently% calmly and heroically
e)ercised% will +re'ail. !or the "ill% I re+eat% is *ali herself.
Therefore in the end it establishes by its action new r$les% habits or
tendencies which fi&ht with and &rad$ally o'ercome the old.
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5hat then happens is that the old, though put down, wea6ened and no
longer a real part o0 the nature, resist eviction 0rom the adhar. #he are
supported b an arm o0 0orces or spiritual beings who surround ou
and live upon our e@periences and en:oments.
/. This law of resistance mar6s the second period o0 the 2oga and,
unless the 5ill has alread become siddha and the adhar shuddha, is
ver tring and troublesome to the sadha6. )or there seems to be no
end to the capacit o0 resistance.
$ere again the 5ill is bound to triumph, i0 it is supported b 0aith or
6nowledge. %ven then the evicted habits and tendencies strive
continuall to re-enter the sstem and recover their lost seats o0 power
and en:oment.
1. This is called rec$rrence . "n proportion as the 5ill is siddha and
the Adhar shuddha, the recurrence becomes wea6er and less 0reAuent
or, when it comes, less prolonged. 4ut in an impure adhar, or with an
imper0ect 5ill, the recurrence is o0ten as prolonged and troublesome as
the resistance.
'n the other hand there are the three 0avourable laws.
.. the law of &rad$al +rocesses.
5hen a new habit or tendenc is once established, it is the law that it
shall develop towards strength and per0ection. So long as it is
struggling to establish itsel0, the 2ogin ma at an time become
bhrashta, that is he ma 0rom error, wea6ness or impatience give up the
struggle. #hat is the onl 0all 0or the 2ogin. )ailure, temporar de0eat,
is not bhramsa, so long as he re0uses to give up the struggle. 4ut once
the right tendenc is established, no man can destro it, until it has
en:oed supremac and its bhoga.
Still at 0irst, while the 5ill is comparativel wea6 or unpractised, the
progress must be slow. "n proportion as the per0ection o0 the 5ill
brings purit o0 the Adhar, the progress becomes rapid. %verthing in
this world is done b a process= a process means a series o0 actions
leading to a particular result b certain recognised stages. #hese stages
ma be passed through slowl or swi0tl, but so long as the law of
&rad$al +rocesses obtains, all the stages must be successivel and
consciousl passed through. 2ou have so man milestones to pass= but
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ou ma pass them wal6ing, in a carriage, in a railwa train, but pass
them ou must. Still b the growing strength o0 the 5ill, ou can
replace slow process b swi0t process.
.. the law of concentrated +rocesses.
#hen a time comes when 3ali begins to transcend the ordinar human
limits and becomes no longer the Sha6ti o0 a man, but the Sha6ti o0
,od in man. "t is then that gradual processes are replaced b
concentrated +rocesses. "t is as i0, instead o0 travelling 0rom milestone
to milestone ou could leap 0rom the 0irst milestone to the third and so
on to our :ournes end. "n other words the process remains the same
but some o0 the stages seem to be dispensed with.
"n realit the are passed over so lightl as to escape notice and occup
little time. #here0ore it is called a concentrated or contracted process.
/.the law of in'ol'ed +rocesses.
-astl, when the man himsel0 becomes ,od, either in a part o0 his
actions or in the whole, then the law o0 concentrated processes gives
place to the in'ol'ed +rocesses, when no process at all seems to be
used, when the result 0ollows the action instantaneousl, inevitabl and
miraculousl. "n realit there is no miracle, the process is used but so
rapidl, with such a sovereign ease, that all the stages become involved
or hidden in what seems a moments action.
#o most men it is enough, i0 the can reach the second stage= it is onl
the Avatar or the great 9ibhuti who can reach the third.
#here0ore do not be discouraged b an 0ailure or dela. "t is purel a
Auestion o0 0orce and purit o0 the 5ill. 4 purit " mean 0reedom
0rom desire, 0rom e00ort, 0rom misplacement. "t is best to begin b
concentrating e00ort on the sel0-puri0ication o0 the 5ill, towards which
the first necessit is passivit o0 desire 0or the 0ruit, the second the
passivit o0 the (hitta and the 4uddhi, while the will is being applied=
the third the development o0 sel0-6nowledge in the use o0 the 5ill. "t
will be 0ound that b this process o0 educating the 5ill, atmanam
atmana, purit o0 the adhar will also be automaticall prepared and
6nowledge will begin to develop and act.
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"9
5hat is 6nowledgeE "n what does it consistE 5e must distinguish
between 6nowledge in itsel0 and the means o0 6nowledge.
Again, among the means we must distinguish between the instruments
and the operations per0ormed with the instruments.
4 3nowledge we mean awareness, ta6ing a thing into active
consciousness, into our (haitanam. 4ut when we sa, ta6ing it
into our (haitanam, what do we implE 5hence do we ta6e
itE #he %uropean sas 0rom outside, we sa 0rom inside, 0rom
(haitanam itsel0. "n other words, all 6nowledge is an act o0
consciousness operating on something in the consciousness itsel0. "n
the 0irst place everthing we 6now e@ists in &arabrahman, that
is, in our indivisible, universal sel0-e@istence. "t is there, but not
et e@pressed, not va6ta. #hen it e@ists in pure (hit, which is
the womb o0 things as an idea o0 0orm, name and Aualit. "t has
name, 0orm and Aualit in the 3arana or Mahat, the causal, tpal
and ideal state o0 consciousness. #hen it gets the possibilit o0
change, development or modi0ication in the Su6shma, the subtle,
mental or plastic state o0 consciousness. )inall it gets the actual
change, development, modi0ication or evolution in the Sthula, the
material or evolutionar state o0 consciousness.
"n the 3arana there is no evolution, nothing ever changes, all is eternal.
#he 3arana is Satam. "n the Su6shma all is preparation o0 change= it
is 0ull o0 imagination or anritam, there0ore it is Swapna, not reall
0alse, but not immediatel applicable to the 3arana or Sthula. "n the
Sthula all evolves. "t is partial satam developing b the turning
o0 old satam into anritam, which is called destruction, and the
turning o0 new anritam into new satam, which is called creation.
"n the 3arana there is no creation, no birth, no death, all e@ists
0or ever the onl change is 0rom tpe to tpe, 0rom 0ul0ilment to
0ul0ilment.
#here0ore to 6now is reall to be conscious o0 the thing in
an or all o0 these three states.
#he 6nowledge o0 the Sthula is science.
#he 6nowledge o0 the Su6shma is philosoph, religion and
metaphsics.
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#he 6nowledge o0 the 3arana is 2oga.
5hen a man 6nows the Sthula, he 6nows it with his senses, that is,
with the Manas, he 6nows the Su6shma with reason or the inspired
intellect, he 6nows the 3arana with the +nanam or spiritual realisation.
#here0ore complete 6nowledge consists o0 three operations, 0irst,
ob:ective Upalabdhi or e@perience, secondl, intellectual statement
o0 our understanding o0 the thing, thirdl, sub:ective Upalabdhi
or spiritual e@perience. #he scientist begins 0rom the bottom and
climbs i0 he can, to the top. #he 2ogin begins 0rom the top and
descends 0or per0ect proo0 to the bottom.
2ou are not scientists, ou are sadha6s. #here0ore, when ou spea6 o0
6nowledge ou must understand the process= ou realise a thing b
sub:ective e@perience, 4hava, then, thin6 about it and 0ormulate our
e@perience in Artha and 9a6, the combination which 0orms thought=
ou veri0 or test our e@perience b phsical or ob:ective e@perience.
)or instance ou see a man. 2ou want to 6now what he is,
what he thin6s and what he does. $ow does the scientist or the
material man do itE $e watches the man, he notes what he sas,
what are his e@pressions o0 speech and 0ace, what are his actions,
what sort o0 people he lives with, etc. All this is ob:ective. #hen he
reasons 0rom his ob:ective e@perience. $e sas 7#he man sas this
or that, so he must thin6 so and so or he must have such and such a
character= his actions show the same, his 0ace shows the same,8 and
so he goes on reasoning. "0 he does not get all the necessar 0acts,
he 0ills them up 0rom his imagination or 0rom his memor, that is
his e@perience o0 other men, o0 himsel0 or o0 human li0e as read o0
in boo6s or heard o0 0rom other people. $e perceives, he observes,
contrasts, compares, deduces, in0ers, imagines, remembers and the
composite result he calls reason, 6nowledge, 0act. "n realit he has
arrived at a probabilit, 0or it is impossible 0or him to be sure that his
conclusions are correct or anthing indeed correct in his thought,
e@cept the actual observation, perceptions o0 his ee, ear, nose,
touch, and taste. Anthing beond this the material man distrusts.
Nothing is true to him e@cept what he observes with his senses or
what agrees with his sensor perceptions.
Now what does the 2ogin doE $e simpl puts himsel0 into
relation with the thing itsel0. Not with its 0orm, name or Aualit,
b$t with itself. $e ma never have seen the 0orm, heard the name
or had e@perience o0 the Aualit, but still he can 6now the thing.
15
4ecause it is the thing itsel0 and it is in himsel0 and one with himsel0,
that is in the 0aha,arana in a man. #here all meet the Atman and
are so entirel one with the Atman that b merel being in contact
with it, " can 6now everthing about it. !ew 1o&ins reach that state.
4ut all the same, even in the 3arana " can put msel0 in relation
with the thing and 6now it b 4hava. " put msel0, m soul, into
relation with the soul o0 the man " stud or the thing " stud= 2ra(na
in me becomes one with the 2ra(na in him or it. ;4e one with me 3
hamare an& a'aya' says ++&4 $ow do " do thisE Simpl b becoming
passive and 0acing him or it in m 4uddhi. "0 m 4uddhi is Auite pure
or 0airl puri0ied, i0 m Manas is shanta, then " get the truth about him.
" get it b 4hava, b spiritual or sub:ective realisation.
#hen " have to ma6e the thing " have got clear and precise.
#o do that " must state it intellectuall to m mind, that is, " must
thin6 about it. " have these ideas " am telling ou in msel0 as
une@pressed 6nowledge= the shape themselves in words, 9a6, and
ta6e on a precise meaning, Artha. #hat is thought. ;vagarthaiv<. Most
people thin6 vaguel, hal0 e@pressing the thing in an imper0ect 9a6
and a partial Artha. #he 2ogin must not do that. $is thoughts must
e@press themselves in clear and per0ect sentences. $e ma 6now a
thing without thin6ing it out, but i0 he thin6s, he must thin6 clearl
and per0ectl.
#he 2ogin reasons when necessar, but not li6e the man o0
science. $e sees the thing with his prophetic power interpreting
the truth into thought= the prata6sha gives him the Artha, the
inspiration gives him the 9a6, the intuition gives him the right
conclusion about it, the right siddhanta, the 9ive6a guards him 0rom
error. 4ehold the truth b these 0our simple operations per0ectl
thought out. "0 he has to argue, then the intuitions give him the right
arguments. $e has not to proceed pain0ull 0rom one sllogism to
another as the logician does.
)inall, he veri0ies his 6nowledge b the 0acts o0 the ob:ective
world. $e has seen the truth about the man b merel loo6ing at
him or at the idea o0 him= he has thought it out clearl and now
he compares his idea with the mans action, speech etc. Not to
test his truth= 0or he 6nows that a mans action, speech etc. onl
partiall e@press the man and mislead the student= but in order to
see how the truth he 6nows 0rom the 3arana is being wor6ed out
in the Sthula. $e trusts the mans ob:ective li0e onl so 0ar as it is
16
in agreement with the deeper truth he has gained b 2oga.
2ou see the immense di00erence. #he onl di00icult is that
ou have been accustomed to use the senses and the reason to
the subordination and almost to the e@clusion o0 the higher 0aculties.
#here0ore ou 0ind it di00icult to ma6e the higher 0aculties
active.
"0 onl ou could start 0rom the beginning, with the 4hava,
the Atma:nana, how eas it would beI #hat will et happen. 4ut
0irst, ou have to get rid o0 the lower 4uddhi, o0 the "ndrias in the
manas, and awa6en the activit o0 the higher 0aculties. #he will
see 0or ou, hear 0or ou, as well as thin6 0or ou.
)irst, then, get our sans6aras right. Understand intellectuall
what " have told ou and will et tell ou. #hen b use o0 the
5ill, 6eep the reason, imagination, memor, thought, sensations
su00icientl Auiet 0or the higher 4uddhi to 6now itsel0 as separate
and di00erent 0rom these lower Aualities. As the higher separates
itsel0 and becomes more and more active, the lower, alread
discouraged, will become less and less active and 0inall trouble ou
no more.
#here0ore 5ill 0irst, then b 5ill, b Sha6ti, the +nanam. )irst
3ali (Sri Rama Krishna paramahamsa), then Sura (Sri
Rama Sharma Acharya!. " shall e@plain the various 0aculties when
" have
0inished with the rest o0 the sstem.
9
"0 men were satis0ied with indulging in reason, memor and
imagination, the puri0ication o0 the 4uddhi and the development
o0 the higher 0aculties would be an eas matter. 4ut there is another
means o0 thought which the habituall indulge in and that
is Manas. #he Manas is a receptive organ= it receives the images
e@pressed on the ee, the ear etc., and turns them into what the
%uropeans call the percepts, that is, things perceived. 4esides, it
receives the ideas, images etc., sent down 0rom the 9i:nana into the
(hitta and passes them on to the latter organ. "n this passage these
things become what are called concepts, that is, things conceived
or thought o0. )or instance, when the mind sees the image o0 a
boo6 and sas 7A boo68, it has hold o0 a percept the name o0
which it conceives= that is sensational thought. 5hen it sas 7A
boo6 contains language8 that is a remoter concept, intellectual
17
thought. 'ne merel puts things sensed into words, the other puts
things thought into words. &ercept and concept together ma6e what
is called understanding. Reason, according to the %uropean idea,
merel arranges percepts and concepts and draws 0rom this
arrangement 0resh and more elaborate concepts. Man believe that
concepts are merel percepts put together and converted into what
is called thought. According to this idea, all thought is merel the
arrangement o0 sensation in the terms o0 language. %ven when "
imagine an angel, " merel put a human 0igure and the wings o0 a
bird together and give the combination a name, angel. %ven when "
tal6 o0 abstract Aualities, 0or e@ample, virtue, courage etc., " am not
thin6ing o0 anthing beond sensation, but merel a classi0ication
o0 virtuous and courageous sensations and actions put together and
labelled with the name virtue or courage.
All these ideas are correct so 0ar as the Manas or understanding
is concerned. #he Manas is an organ o0 sensation, not o0 thought.
"t catches thoughts on their wa 0rom the 4uddhi to the (hitta,
but in catching them it turns them into the stu00 o0 sensations, as
described above. "t regards them 0rom the point o0 view o0 sensations.
Animals thin, with their 0anas and animals are not able to form
ideas that do not relate themsel'es to some ima&e% form% so$nd%
smell% to$ch% taste% etc. They are bo$nd by their sensations. #hat is
wh in animals the 4uddhi is dormant= so 0ar as it acts, it acts behind
the veil.
4ut man can become aware o0 things which the senses cannot
grasp, uddhi!rahyam at"ndriyam. #he proo0 o0 that ou can get
dail, when the 2ogic power is developed. #his single 0act that man
can see with his 4uddhi the truth about a thing he has never seen
or 6nown be0ore, is enough to destro the materialistic idea o0
thought #need of $ayatri %antra&.#hat idea is onl true o0 the
Manas. #he Manas responds to the senses and is alwas 0orming
percepts and concepts about the sensations it receives. #hese ideas it
sometimes gets 0rom the outside world, sometimes 0rom the passive
memor in the (hitta, sometimes 0rom the 4uddhi. 4ut it tries to
impose them all on the 4uddhi. "t tests everthing which it does not
ta6e 0or granted b
re0erence to the senses. 7" saw that8, 7" heard that8, there0ore it is
true, that is the reasoning o0 the Manas. #hat is wh people who
have a poorl developed 4uddhi, attach so much importance to
what the have seen or read. 7" have seen it in print8 sas the :ust
18
literate man, and he thin6s he has closed the argument.
5hat are we to do with the ManasE Get it to be still% says
the 1o&in. "hile it is b$sy% ,nowled&e is im+ossible. 2ou can get
onl 0ragments o0 6nowledge. #hat is true and the Auiet mind is
no doubt essential to the 2ogin. 4ut what o0 the sensesE (oncepts
in the Manas ou ma get rid o0, but what are ou to do with the
perceptsE 2ou cannot stop seeing, hearing etc., e@cept when ou are
in Samadhi. #hat is wh the 9edantin attaches so much importance
to samadhi. "t is the onl condition in which he is sa0e 0rom the
persistent siege o0 the percepts o0 the senses.
4ut i0 ou can onl e@ercise 6nowledge when ou are in
Samadhi, then ou will have to become an ascetic or recluse, a man
who gives up li0e or thought. #hat is a necessit which cuts the unit
o0 ,ods world into two and ma6es an unnatural division in what
should be indivisible. #he #antric 6nows that this is not necessar,
that Samadhi is a great instrument, but not the onl instrument. $e
so arranges his antah6arana that he can 6now when he is wal6ing,
tal6ing, acting, sleeping, whatever he is doing. $owE 4 not onl
stilling the conceptual activit o0 the Manas but b trans0erring to
the 4uddhi its perceptual activit. "n other words he sees, hears etc.,
not with the senses in the manas, but with the "ndria in the 4uddhi.
2ou will 0ind what a di00erence this ma6es. Not onl do ou see much
more per0ectl, minutel, accuratel than be0ore, but ou are able to
appreciate colours, 0orms, sounds etc., in a wa ou never did be0ore.
And besides ou are able to catch the soul, the ,una, the essential
Aualit and emotion o0 a thing, the moment ou are aware o0 it. #his is
part o0 what the 2oga calls 2ra,amya% the absolute and sovereign
activit o0 the "ndria.
#here0ore when the 2oga is per0ect, ou will not be troubled
b the Manas. "t will cease to perceive. It will be merely a +assa&e%
a channel for thin&s from the -$ddhi to the Chitta. #here are man
was o0 bringing this about, but most o0 them su00er 0rom this
de0ect, that ou get the thin6ing part o0 the Manas still, but the
perceiving part retains its in0erior and hampering activit. #he best
wa is to use the 5ill simultaneousl 0or awa6ing the +nanam and
0or stilling the Manas. #his method has two advantages. )irst, ou
do not, as in the ordinar method, have to ma6e our mind a
blan6. #hat is a power0ul but ver di00icult and tring discipline or
#apasa. 1o$ sim+ly re+lace by de&rees the acti'ity of the lower
reason by the acti'ity of the hi&her tho$&ht% the acti'ity of the
mind by the acti'ity of the same or&an and the sense5+erce+tions
19
by the acti'ity of the 2ra,amya. This +rocess is less +ainf$l and
more easy. Secondl, ou cannot stop perceiving so long as ou
are not in Sushupti, ou onl stop thin6ing. So ou cannot ma6e
our mind blan6. Unless ou wa6e the +nanam 0irst, how are ou
going to get rid o0 this intrusive elementE #he &ra6ama must
be there alread active be0ore the ordinar perceptions can stop
wor6.
#his then is the third operation o0 the #antric method. 2ou
develop the 5ill, ou use the 5ill to awa6en the +nanam, ou use
the 5ill to still the mind and the lower 4uddhi and ou use the
+nanam to replace them.
9"
" come ne@t to (hitta. #here are two laers in the (hitta, one
0or the emotions, the other 0or passive memor. "n the lower laer
o0 the (hitta, the impressions o0 all things seen, thought, sensed,
0elt are recorded and remain until the +iva leaves this bod. %ven
a0terwards all these impressions are ta6en up with the Su6shma bod
and go with the +iva into the other worlds. 5hen he is born again,
the are brought with him as latent sams6aras in the Muladhara=
that is wh people do not remember their past births, but can get
bac6 the memor b awa6ening the 3undalini in the Muladhara.
#hese impressions are latent in the (hitta until the active memor in
the 4uddhi calls 0or them. #hose which are continuall brought to
the 4uddhi have a habit o0 recurring even when not wanted, habitual
thoughts, ideas, sentiments, opinions etc., which are the 2ogins
chie0 trouble until the Manas in which the occur becomes Auiet.
#he second and the upper laer is that o0 emotion. The emotions
are the acts of "ill sent down into the Chitta and there
ass$min& the form of im+$lses. #here are three divisions, thought
impulses, impulses o0 0eeling, and impulses o0 action. #he 0irst are
called b various names, instincts, inspirations, insights, intuitions
etc. #he are reall messages sent down b the +iva 0rom the
Sahasradala into the (hitta, the pass unobserved through the 4uddhi,
lodge in the (hitta and, whenever e@cited b an contact e@ternal
or internal, start up suddenl and stri6e the 4uddhi with the same
0orce as the real inspirations etc., which come down direct 0rom the
9i:nana to the 4uddhi. 4ut the come up coloured b emotions,
distorted b associations and memories in the (hitta, perverted b
the imagination which brings them up. Much o0 what is called 0aith,
4ha6ti, genius, poetic inspiration etc., comes 0rom this source. "t
20
is use0ul to the ordinar man, all important to the animal, but a
hindrance to the 2ogin.
#he impulses o0 0eeling are what are ordinaril called emotions.
#he emotions are o0 two 6inds, natural or eternal, arti0icial
or 9i6aras. -ove is natural, it proceeds 0rom +nanam and tends to
endure in the evolution= hatred is a 9i6ara 0rom love, a distortion or
reaction caused b A:nanam. So courage is eternal, 0ear is 9i6ara=
compassion is eternal, ghrina or wea6 pit, repulsion, disgust etc.,
are 9i6aras. #hose which are natural and eternal, love, courage,
pit, truth, noble aspirations, are *harma= the others are Adharma.
4ut this is 0rom the eternal standpoint and has nothing to do with
Sama:ic or -au6ic or temporar *harma or Adharma. Moreover,
Adharma is o0ten necessar as a passage or preparation 0or passing
0rom an undeveloped to a developed, a lower to a higher *harma.
The 1o&in has to &et rid of Vi,aras% b$t not of Sanatana Dharmas.
#he third 6ind o0 impulse is the impulse to action. "ts presence
in the (hitta is a temporar arrangement due to the ra:asic development
o0 the human being. #he asuddha ra:asic man cannot easil be
stirred into action, e@cept through two 0orces, desire or emotion.
-ove, hatred, ambition, rage etc., must stir in him or he cannot
act, or acts 0eebl. He cannot $nderstand sh$ddha +ra'ritti% action
witho$t desire and inde+endent of emotion. %motion should onl
give a colour to the mans swabhava or temperament. $e should be
habituall 0ull o0 0eelings o0 love, courage, honour, true ambition,
sel0-reliance etc., but he should not act 0rom an individual impulse
o0 however noble a character. $e should act in obedience to the
impulse 0rom the 5ill in direct communication with the &urusha
in the 9i:nana, understanding with the 4uddhi wh the 5ill acts
in that particular wa and colouring the act with the emotion
appropriate to his Swabhava. -$t neither the -$ddhi nor the
emotion sho$ld directly interfere with or try to determine his
action. #he 4uddhi is 0or thought and the (hitta 0or emotion. Neither
o0 them have anthing to do with action in the shuddha state. #he
intellectual Asura determines his actions b his reason or his ideal, the
emotional Asura b his 0eelings. 4ut the shuddha determines them
b the higher inspiration proceeding 0rom the divine e@istence in
the 9i:nana. #hat is what people o0ten call the Adesha. 'nl the
shuddha can sa0el rel on having this 6ind o0 Adesha, the asuddha
2ogin o0ten mista6es his own ideas, imaginations, emotions or even
desires 0or the Adesha.
21
#here0ore what the 2ogin must aim at, is to get rid o0 the
activit o0 his lower (hitta or the old impressions b stilling the
Manas as described in m last lecture= get rid o0 his instinctive
thought or thought-impulses b the same means= get rid o0 the habit o0
acting on his emotions b allowing the will to silence his
impulses and puri0 his emotions. $e should prohibit and inhibit
b the 5ill all action or speech that starts blindl 0rom the passions
or emotions surging in his heart. #he emotions will then become
Auiet and must be habituated to come as a sort o0 wave 0alling into
a sea, instead o0 surging 0uriousl into action. #hese Auiet waves
which are satis0ied with e@isting and do not demand satis0action
in action or see6 to dominate the li0e or the ideas, are the puri0ied
emotions. #hose which rise upward into the 4uddhi and tr to
shape the thought or opinion, those which move outward into
speech or action, are asuddha emotions. 5hat " mean is that the
emotions in the (hitta are 0or en:oment onl= the action must be
dominated b a higher principle.
#here again it is the 5ill that must puri0, govern and renew
the heart. 'nl, it has the best chance o0 doing it i0 the 6nowledge
has 0irst become active and the mind is still. A still mind means a
heart easil puri0ied.
9""
" come ne@t to &rana, the nervous or vital element in man
which is centralised below the Manas and (hitta in the subtle
bod and connected with the navel in the Sthula *eha. Here I
m$st distin&$ish between the S$,shma 2rana and the Sth$la
2rana% the former mo'in& in the ner'o$s system of the s$btle body
as described in the 1o&ic boo,s% the latter in the ner'o$s system of
the &ross body. #he two are closel connected and almost alwas act
upon each other. #he prana 0orms the lin6 between the phsical and
the mental man. " must here warn ou against stumbling into the
error o0 those who tr to harmonise 2ogic Science with the phsical
science o0 the %uropeans and search 0or the 2ogic Nadis and
(ha6ras in the phsical bod. 2ou will not 0ind them there. #here
are certain centres in the phsical nervous sstem with which the
(ha6ras correspond, otherwise $athaoga would be impossible.
4ut the (ha6ras are not these centres. #he %uropeans are masters
in their own province o0 6nowledge and there ou need not hesitate
to learn 0rom them, but 0or ,ods sa6e do not sub:ect our higher
6nowledge to their lower= ou will onl create a most horrible
22
con0usion. *evelop our higher 6nowledge 0irst, then stud their
sciences and the latter will at once 0all into their place.
"t is with the Su6shma &rana that " am principall concerned=
0or the Sthula &rana belongs to the Annam rather than to the
Antah6arana and " will spea6 o0 it in connection with the Annam. #he
Su6shma &rana is the seat o0 desire and its puri0ication is o0 the
utmost importance to the 2ogin. 6ntil yo$ ha'e &ot rid of desire%
yo$ ha'e accom+lished nothin& +ermanent. 5hen ou have got rid
o0 desire, ou are sure o0 everthing else. #hat is wh the ,ita sas
7Get rid of desire first7. 'nl until ou have got 6nowledge and can
learn to use our will to still the mind and puri0 the emotions, ou
cannot utterl get rid o0 desire. 2ou ma drive it out b Samama,
ou ma hold it down b Nigraha but eventuall it is o0 no use, 0or
it will return. 7&ra6ritim J anti bhJ utJani nigrahah 6im 6arishati.8
(reatures 0ollow a0ter nature= what is the use o0 coercionE #hat
is to sa, it has a temporar result and the coerced desires come
bac6 ravening and more 0urious than be0ore. #hat was what (hrist
meant b the parable o0 the devil, the unclean spirit who is driven
out o0 a man onl to return with seven spirits worse than himsel0.
!or it is the nat$re of thin&s% the $nalterable nat$re of thin&s% that
$n+$rified emotion m$st clamo$r after desire% an $nstilled 0anas
&i'e it harbo$ra&e whene'er it ret$rns% an $nill$minated -$ddhi
contain the seed of it ready to s+ro$t $+ at the first o++ort$nity.
#here0ore unless the whole Antah6arana is puri0ied, unless ou get
a new heart and a new mind, desire cannot be got rid o0= it returns
or it remains. 5hen however an illuminated understanding lighting
up the action o0 a strengthened 5ill and supported b a pure heart,
casts desire into the Su6shma &rana and attac6s it there in its native
place, it can be utterl destroed. 5hen ou have a visuddha 4uddhi
ou will be able to distinguish these various organs and locate all
our mental activities. *esire can then be isolated in the &rana and
the heart and mind 6ept pure o0 its insistent inroads. )or desire
is onl e00ective when it can get hold o0 the (hitta and 4uddhi,
generating 9i6aras o0 emotion and perversions o0 6nowledge which
give it strength to impose itsel0 on the 5ill and so in0luence internal
being when it mas6s itsel0 as a principle or ideal or as a :usti0iable
emotion.
Remember moreover that all desires have to be got rid o0,
those which are called good, as well as those which are called bad.
Some people will tell ou, 6eep the good desires and drive out
the bad. *o not listen to that specious piece o0 ignorance. 2ou
23
can use the good desires to drive out the bad on condition that
immediatel a0ter ou drive out the good also b the one desire o0
Mumu6shutwa, liberation and union with ,od. And even that last
desire 0inall ou must renounce and give oursel0 up wholl to
,ods will, even in that last and greatest matter, becoming utterl
desireless, nish6Jama nihspriha. 'therwise ou will 0ind oursel0
travelling in a vicious circle. )or i0 ou 6eep desire at all, he is such
a born traitor that he will eventuall open the door to our enemies.
5hen the unclean spirit returned to his house, he 0ound it swept
and garnished, that is, puri0ied o0 bad thoughts and adorned with
good desires, and immediatel he got in and made the last state o0
that man worse than his 0irst. So get rid o0 all desires utterl, good,
bad and indi00erent. ,et beond virtue as well as beond vice. 4e
satis0ied with no bondage even though the 0etters be o0 pure gold.
Admit no guide or master but ,od, even though the be gods or
angels who claim our homage.
*esire is composed o0 three elements, attachment or Asa6ti,
longing or 3amana, and pre0erence or Raga dwesha. ,et rid o0
attachment 0irst. Use our will and puri0ied Antah6arana to throw
out that clinging and insistence on things, which sas 7" must have
that, " cannot do without that,8 and returns on the idea o0 it, even
when it is persistentl denied. 5hen the emotions are Auiet, this
Asa6ti will o0 itsel0 die awa, but 0or a time it will rage a great deal
and tr to get the emotions active again. Appl the 5ill steadil and
patientl and do not get disturbed b 0ailure= 0or desire is a terrible
thing, as di00icult to get rid o0 as a leech. "t is indeed the daughter o0
the horse-leech cring 7,ive, give.8 *o not violentl silence the cr=
ignore it and use our 5ill to get rid o0 the clamourer. 5hen Asa6ti
becomes wea6, 3amana loses nine tenths o0 its 0orce and ou can
easil throw it o00. Still 0or some time, out o0 sheer habit, the longing
0or certain things will come, not in the heart or 4uddhi, but in the
and e@ternal action. "t is most power0ul in the higher 6ind o0 human
&rana= onl i0 Asa6ti is gone, the re0usal o0 the thing craved will not
leave behind it a permanent grie0 or continual hunger. #here will
onl be temporar disturbance o0 the peace o0 the heart. 5hen ou
have got rid o0 the 3amana, even then Raga ma remain, and i0
Raga is there, *wesha is sure to come in. 2ou will not as6 or crave
0or anthing= 0or 3amana is gone= but when some things come, ou
will not li6e them= when other things come, ou will 0eel glad and
e@ultant. 2ou will not rebel or cling to what ou have, but ou will
not li6e the coming o0 the evil, ou will not li6e the loss o0 our
24
:o, even though ou sa 79er good8 and submit. ,et rid o0 that
Raga and *wesha and have per0ect Samata.
5hen ou have per0ect Samata, then either ou will have
per0ect Shanti, divine peace, or else per0ect or Shuddha 4hoga,
divine en:oment. Shanti is the negative Ananda and those have it
who rest in the Nirguna 4rahman. Shuddha 4hoga is the positive
Ananda and those have it who rest in the #rigunatita Ananta 4rahman.
2ou can have both and it is best to have both. God en(oys
the world with Sh$ddha -ho&a based on the +erfect Shanti. Most
people cannot imagine 4hoga without 3ama, en:oment without
desire. "t is a 0oolish notion, none the less 0oolish because it is
natural and almost universal. "t is A:nanam, a 0undamental part
o0 ignorance. %n:oment does not reall begin until ou get rid
o0 desire. #hat which ou get as the result o0 satis0ied desire is
troubled, unsa0e, 0everish, or limited, but Shuddha 4hoga is calm,
sel0-possessed, victorious, unlimited, without satiet and 9airaga,
immortall bliss0ul. "t is in a word, not $arsha, not Su6ha, but
Ananda. "t is Amrita, it is divinit and immortalit, it is becoming
o0 one nature with ,od. #he soul has then no 6ama, but it has pure
lipsa, an in0inite readiness to ta6e and en:o whatever ,od gives
it. ,rie0, pain, disgrace, everthing that is to ra:asic men a torture,
changes then to bliss. %ven i0 such a soul were to be cast into hell,
it would not 0eel hell, but heaven. "t would not onl sa with the
4ha6ta 7#his is 0rom the beloved8 but with the per0ect +nani 7#his
is the 4eloved= this is the Anandam 4rahmanD this is the 3antam,
the Shivam, Shubham, Sundaram.8
" need not repeat the process b which this puri0ication is
e00ected. " have indicated it su00icientl. #his #antric process is the
same throughout, the reliance on the Sha6ti, the divine 5ill wor6ing
in the Adhar, without an e00ort on the part o0 the &urusha,
who remains A6arta throughout the sadhana, but still "shwara, the
source o0 the command and the sanction, the ruler dispossessed b
his sub:ects and graduall recovering control o0 his rebellious and
disordered 6ingdom.
9"""
#here remains the Sthula, the gross part o0 man which is composed
o0 the Sthula &rana or phsical nervous sstem and the annam
or bod in which the prana operates. #he prana is the principle o0
li0e, death is brought about b the dissolution o0 the tie between
the su6shma deha and the sthula deha. #hat tie is the prana. #he
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su6shma deha ta6es the prana into itsel0 and departs= the little that
is le0t in the gross bod is o0 the nature o0 apana with a tendenc
to that species o0 dissolution which we call corruption. #he prana
part o0 it, which can alone hold the bod together, evaporates and
the apana leads to swi0t disintegration. "n some animals, however,
the prana is so abundant that the bod shows signs o0 li0e even a0ter
the su6shma deha has departed.
" have been dealing throughout with the puri0ication o0 the
su6shma part o0 man, the Antah6arana or mind, the sub:ect o0 the
bod is a little 0oreign to m purpose. Nevertheless a 0ew words are
necessar. #he principle upon which this 2oga " am e@plaining to
ou stands, is that the gross bod is merel the shadow or creation
o0 the subtle. -ody is a mo$ld into which mind +o$rs itself% b$t the
mo$ld itself has been +re+ared by the mind and can be chan&ed
by the mind. A mind puri0ied, liberated and per0ected (siddha! can
do whatever it li6es with the bod. "t ma leave it as it is, allowing
the past 6arma to do its will with the phsical part in the 0orm o0
disease, su00ering, mis0ortune and death, without the mind being
in the least a00ected. All that is impurit and bondage, which is the
phsical translation and result o0 mental impurit and bondage.
5ith the cessation o0 the cause, the e00ect ceases= but not at once. "t
is again li6e the steam and the locomotive. #he habits, the results
created b past lives, are e@pelled 0rom the mind and precipitated
entirel into the bod. 2ou ma allow them to wor6 themselves out
there, man do that. 'n the other hand, ou ma pursue them into
the bod and drive them out 0rom there as well. "n that case ou
get the 3aashuddhi and the 3aasiddhi. #he are usuall sought
a0ter b the $athaogic or Ra:aogic processes, but these are not
necessar. "t is even better and certainl much easier and surer to
0ollow the process " have been indicating.
#he ver 0act o0 having a puri0ied mind ma6es 0or purit o0 the
bod, a liberated mind 0or liberation o0 the bod, a per0ected mind
0or per0ection o0 the bod, and to a certain e@tent as yo$ &o on with
the yo&a in the Antah,arana% the body will a$tomatically be&in to
res+ond to the new infl$ences. 4ut ou should not consciousl
meddle with the bod until ou have 0inished with the mind. -et
nature do its wor6. *etach oursel0 as much as possible 0rom the
bod, thin6 o0 it as a mere case, leave it to the care o0 ,od and
$is Sha6ti. Man sadha6s are 0rightened b illness in the course o0
the 2oga. 2ou need not be 0rightened, 0or ou have put oursel0 in
,ods hands and $e will see to it. "t will come to ou onl as a part
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o0 the necessar process 0or puri0ication o0 the bod, wor6 itsel0
out, 0ade and return no more. 'ther disturbances o0 the bod will
come which are incidental to the turning o0 an un0it phsical adhar
into a 0it one. &ro0ound alterations are necessar in our brain cells,
our nervous sstem, our digestive and secretive processes
and the cannot be e00ected without some phsical disturbance,
but it will never be more than is necessar 0or the process. *o no
violence o0 an 6ind to the bod= i0 ou use phsical remedies, let
them be o0 the simplest and purest 6ind= above all dismiss an@iet
and 0ear. 2ou cannot care more 0or oursel0 than ,od cares 0or
ou. 'nl our care is li6el to be ignorant and unwise= $is is with
6nowledge and uses the right means to the right end.
"mpurities in the bod show themselves chie0l as disease, as
pain, as the discom0ort o0 heat and cold, as the necessit o0 the
e@cretive processes. #he 0irst sign o0 3aashuddhi is the disappearance
o0 all tendenc to disease= the second is liberation 0rom
the dwandwa o0 heat and cold, which will either go altogether
or change to pleasurable sensations o0ten mar6ed b electrical
phenomena= and the third, the diminution or disappearance o0 e@cretive
activit. &ain also can be entirel eliminated 0rom the bod, but
even be0ore the reaction called pain is got rid o0, or even without
its being got rid o0, the discom0ort o0 pain can be removed and
replaced b a sort o0 bodil Ananda. )inall, the craving o0 hunger
and thirst disappears 0rom the prana to which it belongs and the
dependence on 0ood diminishes or ceases. #he per0ection o0 all this
is the basis o0 3aasiddhi. 4ut per0ect 3aasiddhi includes other
developments such as the siddhis o0 Mahima, -aghima, Anima
and the invulnerabilit and incorruptibilit o0 the bod, powers
hitherto attained in the 3aliuga onl b ver advanced Siddhas.
They de+end +rimarily on the re+lacement of the ordinary fi'efold
+rocesses of +rana% a+ana% 'yana% samana and $dana by the sin&le
sim+lified action of the ori&inal or elemental force of +rana% the
infinite 'ital ener&y s$rchar&ed with electricity% 'aidy$tam.
All these are important elements o0 #antric 2oga, but " have
mentioned them onl cursoril because the are 0oreign to m purpose.
#he can all be developed i0 the mental siddhi is per0ected and
it is on this per0ection that " wish ou to concentrate our energ
and attention. 5hen ou get that, ou get everthing. #he centres o0
mans activit, at present, are the buddhi, the heart and the manas,
and the bod, though e@tremel important, is a dependent and
subordinate 0unction. "t has not to be despised on that account, but
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most people give it an undue importance. 5hen the +iva is "shwara
o0 his mind, his bod 0alls into its proper place and instead o0
inter0ering and o0ten domineering over the mind and will, it obes
and ta6es its stamp 0rom them. #he %uropeans are obsessed with
the idea o0 the phsical as the master o0 the mental. " would have
ou hold 0ast to the opposite standpoint and alwas remember that
0or the bod to impose its conditions on the mind is an abnormal
state o0 mans being, which has to be got rid o0= it is the mind that
must command, condition and modi0 the bod.
"K
('N(-US"'N
" have 0inished what " had to sa. " will onl add a word in
conclusion. 2ou must not thin6 that what " have given ou, is all the
6nowledge ou need about oursel0 or about the 2oga. 'n the
contrar, these are onl certain indications necessar at a particular
stage= the are chie0l important 0or puri0ication, which is the 0irst
part o0 the 2oga. A0ter the shuddhi is complete one has to per0ect
the mu6ti, to get liberation, a thing eas a0ter shuddhi, impossible
be0ore it. 4 mu6ti " do not mean laya, which is a thing not to
be pursued or desired, but waited 0or whenever ,od wills, but
liberation 0rom ignorance, Ahan6ara and all dualities. 5ith the
progress o0 the puri0ication, there will be a natural tendenc towards
liberation and the 0arther stages o0 oga, bhu6ti and siddhi,
liberated en:oment and per0ection. As ou go 0orward ou will
have to change our attitude, not radicall but in certain important
points. #hat, however, " will not meddle with. "t is well to do one
thing at a time.
"n all that " have written, " have ta6en one standpoint to which
man o0 ou have not been accustomed. "0 ou regard 9airagam
as the beginning o0 all wisdom, ou will not be satis0ied with me.
9airagam is to me merel a use0ul temporar state o0 mind which
,od uses to en0orce re:ection o0 that to which the old sams6aras
cling too obstinatel to be unseated 0rom it b mere abhasa.
+nanam is essential to shuddhi and mu6ti= but +nanam must be
assisted either b abhasa or b vairaga until the mind is still and
lets 6nowledge do its own wor6. As soon as the mind is still and
not susceptible to resuscitation o0 its old energies 0rom outside, the
+nanam develops, the Sha6ti pursues its tas6 unhampered= there is
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then no sadhan 0or ou, onl a progressive siddhi without an
deliberatel adopted method, increasing b the mere eas and natural
process o0 Nature as a man breathes or sees or wal6s. All necessit
0or either abhasa or vairaga ceases. Attachment to vairaga is as
harm0ul as attachment to lobha itsel0.
Again i0 ou thin6 with the 4uddhists that all li0e is a miser
and e@tinction o0 some 6ind the highest good, or i0 ou thin6 with
the Maavadin that we came into this world with no other ob:ect
but to get out o0 it again as soon as possible, li6e the 0amous
general whose greatest militar e@ploit was to march up a hill
in order to march bac6 again, ou had better pass me b. " am
a #antric. " regard the world as born o0 Ananda and living b Ananda,
wheeling 0rom Ananda to Ananda. Ananda and Sha,ti%
these are the two real terms of e)istence. Sorrow and wea6ness
are vi6aras born o0 a:nanam, o0 the 0orget0ulness o0 the high and
true sel0. #hese are not universal or eternal things, but local and
temporar, local mainl o0 this earth, temporar in the brie0 periods
o0 the 3ali uga. 'ur business is to bring down heaven on earth 0or
ourselves and man6ind, to eliminate sorrow and wea6ness 0rom the
little corners o0 e@istence and time, where the are allowed to e@ist.
" do not give an assent to the gloom doctrine which preaches
a world o0 sorrow and inaction and withdrawal 0rom it as the
sole condition o0 bliss and 0reedom, which thin6s, contrar to all
reason and 6nowledge, that ,od in himsel0 is blessed, but ,od in
mani0estation accursed. " will not admit that the 4rahman is a 0ool
or a drun6ard dreaming bad dreams, sel0-hpnotised into miserable
illusions. " do not 0ind that teaching in the 9eda= it does not agree
with m realisations which are o0 the actualit o0 unalterable bliss
and strength and 6nowledge in the midst o0 desireless phenomenal
action. " am o0 the mind o0 Sri 3rishna in the Mahabharata when he
sas, 7Some preach action in this world and some preach inaction=
but as 0or those who preach inaction, " am not o0 the opinion o0
those wea6lings.8 'a me matam tasya duralasya.
4ut the action he holds up as an e@ample, is the action o0
the great ,ods, even as ,oethe spea6s o0 the action o0 the great
natural 0orces, disinterested, unwearing, sel0-poised in bliss, not
inert with the tamas, not 0ret0ul with the ra:as, not limited even
b the sattwic ahan6ara action made one in di00erence with the
&urushottama, m being in $is being, m sha6ti onl a particular
action o0 $is in0inite sha6ti, o0 3ali. " am not ignorant, " am not
bound, " am not sorrow0ulD " onl pla at being ignorant, " onl
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pretend to be bound= li6e an actor or li6e an audience " onl ta6e
the rasa o0 sorrow. " can throw it o00 when " please. 5ho calls me
degraded and sin0ul, a worm crawling upon the earth among other
wormsE " am 4rahman, " am $e= sin cannot touch me. 5ho calls
me miserableE " am ,od, all bliss0ul. 5ho calls me wea6E " am one
with the 'mnipotent. $e, being 'ne, has chosen to be Man. $e,
being in0inite, localises himsel0 in man centres and in each centre
$e is still in0inite. #hat is the mster o0 e@istence, the
uttamamrahasyams, ,ods great, wonder0ul and bliss0ul secret, a
secret logic re:ects, but 6nowledge grasps at, a 6nowledge not to be
argued out but realised, but proved b e@perience, b the puri0ied,
liberated, all-en:oing, all-per0ect soul.
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