Meditation styles and Yoga practice

Guru Patanjali Preaching in Sadhana Yoga

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Part 18
Translation: -
Subtlest nature essence that is seen and its splendor of characteristics and qualities acts in visible world of nature essence. Subtlest Nature essence consists subtle and matter elements, mind, senses of perception and organs of action. Subtlest nature essence exists to serve the seer, self conscious for enjoyment of experience or liberation.

The visible things, living beings and forms of world consist subtlest nature essence .It consist five subtle elements that are sound, color, smell, touch and taste. It consist five matter elements that are earth, air, fire, water and light. It consist mind, five senses of perception that are seeing, tasting, smelling, hearing and touching and five organs of action that are eyes, ears, nose, tongue and skin of living beings. It consist endless living and non-living forms of universe. It consist three character tics and qualities that are illumination, motion and action and inertia. All these exist externally to self-conscious to serve it for the purpose of experiencing the pleasures of wonderful illusion world or for liberation from illusion world.

The experiences, which are experienced by self-conscious, may be special or super natural experiences. They may also be ordinary and routine experiences or these experiences may have distinguishing marks or characteristics. Or these experiences may be subtle and without having any distinguishing marks. In this step, the Great Sage gives an exposition of that which cannot be seen of subtlest nature essence and that which is connected with the self-conscious through the subtlest nature essence that is inner end of conscious mind of all living being of universe. In the preceding step it has been mentioned that connection between the self-conscious of soul and the four states of nature is to be broken. This is because the connection between the two is said to be the cause of distress in mind in form of thoughts.

Subtlest Nature essence, experience and experienced are three forces to be reckoned with. Its purpose is to make the embodied conscious mind undergo the physical fruits of karma actions. Its purpose is also to make the embodied conscious mind to perform karma action. Its purpose and task is also to get him liberated from the functioning of the lingering past subliminal karma impressions. Its purpose is also to liberate the embodied conscious mind from the cycle of life and death. These subtle characteristics and qualities of nature resides in all the living and non-living beings of universe. It resides in all the five matter elements and in all the five subtle elements of nature in universe.

It also resides in the extremely subtle formless elements of universe. Further it resides in the nature’s four states namely true nature essence, subtlest nature essence, subtle matter elements and matter elements state. It resides in the senses of all the embodied and personified. It resides in the outer and inner senses of all living being of universe. It resides in all the self-egos whether with form or without form in all living being of matter world.

Creating enlightenment, creating action and motion and creating inertia are the characteristics and qualities of inner subtlest essence of nature. The inner essence of nature gives illumination of knowledge to the embodied conscious mind through its musical and harmonious attribute. The preparation for undertaking an action and performance of that action is undertaken through the nature’s motion and action attribute through formless mind in all living being of universe. The inertia about the enjoyment of the lingering past subliminal impressions and spiritual knowledge about their lack of spiritual knowledge is also undertaken through the nature’s slothful attribute in the minds of all living being of universe. The body of the living being and it’s life span and the creation of lingering past subliminal karma impressions undergone through it and the position of the living being in the universe, are also determined by nature’s inactive attribute through the mind of living of universe.

Nature is endowed with three characteristics and qualities namely illumination, motion and action and slothful or inertia. They are present in all the living and non- living beings in the universe whether formless, subtle or with matter form. These characteristics and qualities make the fruits of past subliminal karma impressions undergone according to the conscious mind’s concentration and attention. It is as per the conscious mind’s concentration and attention that the lingering past subliminal karma impressions at the time of their enjoyment gives birth to thoughts and cravings.

It is as per the fruits of these thoughts and cravings that seeds of future living beings, the forms of their bodies and their life spans, get germinated. They in turn create the ball of life and death in conscious mind. It is according to the self-conscious concentration that they ensure deliverance and salvation and liberation from the cycle of life and death. Nature, experience and experienced are three cosmic powers. It serves and a force it serves. This power subjugates itself for its master self-conscious. It serves the conscious mind, self-conscious, soul. It makes the individual self-conscious of soul called self-consciousness realize and visualize its insight vision and its experience.

The type of spiritual knowledge and the type of lack of spiritual knowledge or information knowledge on which the mind concentration is focused is seen and experienced by the seer and the experienced. Nature manifests its state according to the conscious mind concentration and attention. When the conscious of the embodied self-conscious of soul (living being) is focused on material objects and nature believes in self- conscious that is outer part of the soul, sees and experiences .It is then that nature makes a living being realize that the same reality or essence is flowing in all living or non-living entity.

Subtlest Nature essence creates impurity in the mind with the accumulation of all the five types of thoughts namely self-ego, lack of spiritual knowledge, affection, aversion and fear. Subtlest Nature essence lends credibility and belief to lack of spiritual knowledge and self-ego, when a person by shutting all the five senses draws his consciousness into his body and into the subtle thoughts of the unconscious mind which are waves and vibrations of his past lingering subliminal impressions and which are born out of pleasures and pains, subtlest nature essence makes the embodied conscious mind realize his lack of spiritual knowledge.

W hen a person’s consciousness is focused in the inner core of conscious mind, it then gets focused in the nature’s subtle essence by making the unconscious mind’s thoughts free and intellect free, affection free, enmity free and fear free. Subtlest Nature essence creates the awareness of self-ego and lack of spiritual knowledge in an embodied conscious mind. This is attained when the embodied self-conscious of soul is in a state of seeded spiritual union. When a person’s consciousness breaks its contact from nature’s essence and reality and gets focused in the self-conscious of soul’s essence and reality, it is then that it gets focused in the separateness of the self-conscious of soul’s essence and reality.

The spiritual knowledge of subtlest nature’s essence gets attained through the spiritual knowledge of the self-conscious of soul’s essence. The conscious mind attains the spiritual knowledge of its own consciousness. It is nature, which breaks its connection from the self-conscious of soul according to the soul’s consciousness. It liberates the embodied conscious mind from the ball of lingering past subliminal impressions and makes him immortal by liberating him from the cycle of life and death.

The Great Sage Patanjali says that the conscious mind as well its self-conscious is forever static. It does not perform any action by itself. It is merely a witnessing force and a viewing power. It is merely a spectator, which witnesses without any depreciation or appreciation, without any faith or experience and awareness. A living being is created around the self-conscious of soul. The mind and the body and the senses of a person are distinct and separate from the self-conscious of soul. All of them are produced by the subtlest nature’s essence. The characteristics and qualities of subtlest nature essence are manifested in the four different state of nature in this creation. Self-conscious of soul and nature are two different and distinct essences and realities. The self-conscious of soul is forever in possession of consciousness. Consciousness, which is forever with the self-conscious of soul, remains with it even after death of an embodied being. It is through this consciousness that the self-conscious of soul gets a glimpse of nature states. Nature states give a vision of itself according to the desires of the self-conscious of soul. When the self-conscious of soul gets focused and fixed on God, the self-conscious of soul loses its own separate existence.

It is then that the self-conscious of soul becomes a part and parcel of God. When the soul’s consciousness is focused on nature states, it gets a glimpse of nature states that creates embodied lives around the self-conscious of soul and as per the soul’s consciousness. The bodies of embodied conscious mind and their pre-destined lingering past subliminal impressions and their undergoing these impressions, the condition of the embodied conscious mind, all these are determined by subtlest nature essence in the matter form of the universe. Subtlest Nature essence is body, mind and senses of the living being. It is the subtlest nature essence, which gives the body, mind and senses and life span of the living being. It is subtlest nature essence that gives the living being a position among the various forms of the universe. It is subtlest nature essence, which creates pre-destined lingering past subliminal impressions, to be undergone in a state of supreme rest.

The matter bodies of all the living beings and their life spans are supreme. Hence, no living being wants to die. human being’s life is not endowed with greater rest. It is supreme because it is endowed with intellect through which consciousness can be focused on the self-conscious of soul and self-realization attained. The spiritual knowledge of lack of spiritual knowledge about consciousness is attained through self-discipline, introspection and surrender and worship of the lord. These aspects are felt in the realm of preparatory yogic discipline. This yogic discipline has eight limbs. It is on the perfection and disciplining of these eight limbs of yogic discipline that a pathway is found to seeded spiritual union. A detailed mention of these eight limbs of yogic discipline is given in the succeeding steps. The Great Sage Patanjali says that it is only on liberation from the life of an embodied conscious mind that liberation from pain is attained.

It is downright lack of spiritual knowledge to search for happiness while living in the matter world and having cravings or desires. Such a search is a fruitless exercise. It is an exercise, which aims at regarding pain-free things as painful. According to Prophet, Guru Nanak Dev the entire world is in the grip of distress. The second or the other name of the world is distress. In case liberation from distress is to be sought then liberation from the life of an embodied conscious mind is also to be sought and accepted. Self-ego or self-ego is also to be surrendered. It is self-ego which makes the self-conscious of soul feel as a separate entity and a distinct entity from formless God. Such a self-ego is required to be destroyed. The annihilation of self-ego is to be accomplished carefully, consciously and by one’s self and by one’s own efforts. Whatever pleasure or comfort is there in the world is masked with the seed of distress. Whatever suffering or distress is there in the world is camouflaged with the seed of distress or comfort.

Further there is a division of auspicious and inauspicious, pious and non-pious, merit and demerit righteousness and non-righteousness, which exist in the lingering past subliminal impressions. There is a thought of division and there is a thought of craving in these impressions. This is what is pleasure on pain; this is what is joy or sorrow. As the unconscious mind of a person, thinks so does he feel the existence of pleasure and pain. When unconscious mind becomes thought free, it is then that the person crosses beyond pleasure and pain. It is then that he no longer feels the existence of pleasure or pain.

The distress that is undergone through worldly life is only a search for happiness. During the enjoyment of happiness, an ignorant person keeps on greedily searching for more and more happiness. In this way, he arguments his sufferings and there by increases his distress. It is by conscious mind in the self-conscious of soul itself and by becoming static in the self-consciousness itself that liberation from lack of spiritual knowledge gets attained by itself. This is because lack of spiritual knowledge gets manifested and consciousness of the conscious mind becomes manifested by making the nature static. In the slothful state of nature distress and suffering is felt and experienced. Whatever lack of spiritual knowledge produces, it produces material things and which in turn produce worldly powers. The result is that a person becomes well versed in the art of necromancy or magic.

All this occurs when an embodied conscious mind puts its consciousness in the slothful attribute of nature. The true existence of human being lies in his self-conscious of soul, which is static and is free from distress or suffering. Human being’s existence lies in a state of bliss, tranquility, serenity and stillness, which is free from the performance of karma actions. The self-conscious of soul has adopted true knowledge and characteristics and qualities of God, the ignorant believes in his separate existence in mind, body and senses of living being. A human being’s body, and senses keep on changing each and every moment. Whatever, action a person performs; he creates the seeds of fruits of karma actions for his future lives through the medium of his thoughts and cravings. Human being’s body, mind and senses are the essence and reality of subtlest nature essence. This essence is the servant of the self-conscious of soul. It manifests itself according to the consciousness of the conscious mind. Nature has three characteristics and qualities namely illumination, motion and action and slothful. It is in these matter, subtle and very subtle and formless essences that life’s form exists. It is from them that liberation from life is attained.

Yoga Tip: - Select any one spiritual form & remain above any blind worship or superstition attached to it. Meditate on it with devotion regularly and consciously. Here is offered an icon of pious image of Tyr Deity, Victory Giver deity. Tyr Deity was Odin's second son, the bravest of the gods. A future moment of time is icon of Tyr, who fought only wars of justice. Tyr Deity sacrificed a hand defeating and chaining Fenrir, the great Wolf of Chaos, when he threatened Asgaard. This pious image of Tyr Deity icon is replicate of original dated circa 200 BCE, from Zealand in Denmark and is one fine yoga posture that suits more to females.