Karma and Paybacks, a discussion with my guru.

Karma, souls, rebirths, all of them is very intricately connected. To believe in them is a matter of faith. As per our hindu dharma and also Bhagvat Gita, this body is not the real me. The soul within is what is the real me. And this soul never dies. As Lord Krishna tells us in Gita:

Vaasaansi jeernaani yathaa vihaaya navaani grih-naati naro-aparaani

Tathaa shariraani vihaaya jeernaanyanyaani sa-nyaati navaani dehi.

"During our daily lives we change our old and/or dirty clothes and put on new and/or clean clothes whenever the need arises. Similarly, the soul or aatman casts off its worn out physical body and takes residence in a newer physical body at regular intervals in time."

Guru Ashtakam - Adi Shankacharya. With explanations.

Guru Ashtakam was written by Adi Shankaracharya. It explains us the need for Sad Guru and that we need to attach our mind to the Guru's Lotus Feet. Complete surrender to Guru is the path to spiritual gain, that's the message this ashtakam (Octet) tells all. Explanations to each shloka is also given.

Guru Ashtakam can be understood as an introspection by a person who has achieved all that he can achieve of worldly matters and has reached the understanding that the absence of devotion to the lotus feet of Guru makes all else worthless. To such a sincere seeker, the Guru appears, in the final shloka, with reassuring calm and serenity, with benedictions promised for earnest effort.

Garuda story and Guru-Shishya bonding.

During a discussion on spiritual life with a wise man, he told me a beautiful story from Ramayana and later connected the same to Guru Shishya relation.

When Lord Rama was in war with Ravana, Indrajeet attacked them with Sarpa baan. Snakes entangled them and both Lord Rama and his brother Lakshmana fell unconscious. Garuda was called upon to save the two brothers. After saving them, on his way back to Vaikuntha, Garuda had some questions in mind about Lord Rama. “Is he really Lord Vishnu as being proclaimed, then how come he could not save himself and had to take my help?”

Shatkarma and Spiritualism.

Shatkarma refers to the Yogic practices involving purification of the body channels, Nadis, of toxins. As the word suggests, shat means 'six' and karma means 'art' or 'process'.

The main objective of Shatkarma is purification. Unless your different body systems and nadis associated with the same get purified, energy cannot flow freely. One's capacity to work, think, digest, taste, feel, experience, etc., increases and greater awareness develops. Yogis who are on the path of spiritualism consider the shatkarma with great esteem

Guru Purnima Salutations - Guru Devotion.

On Guru Purnima today I am far off from my Guru and that do makes me feel bad. More as till date I never missed being with my Guru on this special day.

Feeling sad for being away from Guru, is that what Guru devotion means? Does Guru Devotion means being beside that person and do chore for the guru? Those form small part of Devotion. Guru Devotion means to surrender to the Guru completely and follow whatever she/he asks us to do. No, that does not amount to being a slave. When we surrender ourselves to a Sad-Guru, we knowingly surrender ourselves to that spiritual person who is now going to train us to imbibe the Ultimate Knowledge. Questioning his authority, retaliating back, forgetting his instructions, they all show lack of Devotion.

Expectations and Disappointments

In our life we are bound by many relations. Some just acquaintance while some friends, few close friends and then there’s family with whom we share blood relation. Most people say it’s the blood relations who are the closest. But they fail to take into account the relation between a husband and wife. It’s one of the strongest bonds yet there exists no blood relation.

Symbolism of Mahabharata Characters.

When it comes to characters in our epics, it is not right to take the metaphysical form of the same. They are not supposed to be taken as human beings just as we do normally. Such characters were made to pass certain knowledge, to pass certain morals, for the common man to learn and understand. In one discussion once someone pointed at Draupadi and said how she was subjected to agree to five husbands though her heart was for Arjun. This is not the right way to think of Draupadi as any woman, there’s lot of depth into it.

In the book “God Talks with Arjuna” by Paramhansa Yogananda, he tells in detail about the physical and metaphysical and spiritual meaning of Gita for us to understand. He tells in details about the real inner meaning of Gita.

According to him, the battle field of Kurukshetra represents our own life. Dritarashtra is the blind and ignorant mind of ours which tends to give rise to 100 sense tendencies and desires. The 100 sons of Dritrashtra are those sense tendencies. Pandu represents the wisdom, hence white. Hence Kurukshetra is the battlefield of our mind, body and senses. It’s the battle of ignorant and wise, so as to find the way to rise up and get the status of Param Brahma.

Coming to Draupadi and the Pancha Pandavas, well Draupadi represents the Kundalini and the Pandavas the five chakras of our body. As posted here in this article, as the Kundalini is raised, she passes through the chakras uniting her to each chakra.

1.       Sehdeva, the base chakra Mooldhara, it means avoidance of attitude that prevent one from attaining Inner Peace.

2.       Nakula, Swadhishthana Chakra, represents “Niyama”. It means adhering to attitudes that brings Inner Peace.

3.       Third Chakra Manipura is Arjuna. As per yoga, when manipura is awakened, it brings in fiery self-control. Leaving aside that brief moment of weakness when he saw his own people on battlefield, he was always the representative of self-control brave one.

4.       Bhim represents the Anahat Chakra, located at the heart. When this chakra gets awakened, it brings in intense feeling, a feeling which can pull us up towards devotion or take us down into emotions. Bhim represented this vigorous feeling in anything he did, be it right or error.

5.       Yudhistira is the Vishudha chakra. This chakra when awakened brings in a deep calm feeling. It brings in the feeling of devotion, righteousness and calmness. Yudhistira represented exactly that in Mahabharat.

And finally the Agya/Ajna chakra, located between the eyes, it is the doorway to soul consciousness. During meditation we concentrate on this point and when it opens, we get to experience the bliss. This chakra is represented by none other than Lord Krishna in Mahabharat.

Every incident in Mahabharat has bearing on life events and carries a deep rooted meaning. The game of dice in Mahabharat represents a game of ego versus desire that we face in life. So you see even if you reach the state where your Vishuddha chakra is awakened, yet you have the chance to again go down. So in spiritual journey you need to stay strong and stand erect with determination, only then you can merge with the Supreme one. This book is more enlightening than any I read till date.

Dwadasha Jyotirlinga Part - 2

Click here for Dwadasha Jyotirlinga Part 1

(Click the pictures for enlarged view)

Vaidyanath:

This jyotirlinga is situated in the Santhal district of current Jharkhand. This is the only place where the Jyotirlinga and Shaktipeeth, both lie side by side.

In Purana we come across a line “paralyam vaidhyanatham cha”, which points this jyotirlinga to be located at Parligram. The temple is situated above a hill here and is an ancient one. But according to Shiv Purana, the ancient Shivpurana tells about Vidhyanath being situated at Deoghar, Jharkhand. (The shivlinga at Baijnath Himachal Pradesh is also said to be a part of this very jyotirlinga and is associated with Ravana)

Vidhyanathavtaro hi navamastak kirtit

Avirbhuto ravanartham bahulilakar prabhu

Tadanyanrupam hi vyajam kritva maheshwar

Jyotirlingaswarupen chitabhumou pratishthita

Vidhyanatheswaro namna prasidhdho bhujjagatreye

Darshanat pujanadhbhakya Bhaktimuktipradah sa hi.

These lines in Shivpurana tell the location of this jyotirlingam to be at “Chittabhumou”. The Parligram jyotirlinga does not meet the criteria of being chittabhumou, but on the other hand Deoghar is Chittabhumi. So we can say logically that the jyotirlinga at Deoghar is the original one.

This jyotirlinga at Deoghar also is a shaktipeeth. Part of sati’s heart had fallen off here. This is the only jyotirlinga temple where we find them both.

Story goes that after Asur Raj Ravana’s hard penance and his offering the head 10 times, Lord Shiva showed himself. Ravana asked Shiva that he be allowed to take the Linga to Lanka. Shiva agreed but on condition that if he keeps it down anywhere on way, it’ll stay there. On his way back Lankeshwar stopped at Santhal paraganas and asked one aahir to hold it while he went off to call of nature. The linga being heavy, the aahir kept it down on earth. Ravana could not pick it up anymore so left. Lord Vishnu, Indra and Brahma and other Gods came down and did puja to this linga. Thus the linga came to be placed here.

Bhimashankar:

There is lot of debate with regards to Bhimashankar jyotirlinga temple. There is one at Puna which is also called as Daakini. But in Kashipur too there is a Bhimashankar temple, in ancient times Kashipur was called as Daakini, and this temple is known as Sri Moteshwar Mahadev. Sahyadri range in Maharashtra also has one. But according to Shivpurana, it’s the Jyotirlinga at Guwahati which is the original one.

It is said that Kumbhakarna has a son Bhim, who when got to know about his father’s death, got very angry with Vishnu. He decided to teach all a lesson so started penances. Brahma was happy and blessed him with victory. He now first took all Gods into captivity and then fought with Vishnu to gain victory over the Lord. He became the kig of devlok. Kamrup during that period had Sudakshin as the King who was a great devote of Lord Shiva. Bhim took him also into captivity. The Gods, Sages and Rishis decided to pray to Lord Shiva and the Lord assured them of helping against Bhim. In the meanwhile King Sudakshan decided to pray to Lord Shiva, so inside the prison itself he makes a shivlinga and starts praying. Bhim saw this and in anger attacked the shivlinga with his sword. Lord Shiva arises from the Linga itself and his anger itself burns to ashes the asura Bhim. On request from all other Gods and sages, Lord Shiva agrees to be there in the form of Jyotirlinga.

Rameshwaram:

This jyotirlinga is located in Tamilnadu. It is said that this linga was established by Lord Rama himself. The temple also has the Lord of Rama pillar. On his way to Lanka Lord Rama made a shivlinga out of sand and did the puja. When he reached this point, he felt thirsty and decided to drink water. While doing so he heard a voice saying how come you drink water without offering me any prayer? He then made this Shivling and prayed to Lord Shiva, who in turn blessed Lord Rama with victory. The temple has in all 24 wells inside. Water in these wells is sweet and drinkable. There are wells outside the temple premesis too but there water is not worth drinking. Puranas say Lord Rama created these wells using arrows and his power to bring water from different “Tirtha” places. They are named also like Ramtirtha, Amritvatika, Hanuman kunda, Brahmahatya Tirtha, and so on.

Nageshwar:

There is lot of dispute with the location of this jyotirlinga. Some feel it’s at Hingoli, Maharashtra in a place called Naagnath. While there is a view which says it’s located at Jaageshwar in Uttarakhand. Among all this disputes, most still consider jyotirlinga located at Dwaraka in Gujarat is the correct one.

There was a very pious man Supriyo. He was a devotee of Lord Shiva. Daruk, an asur did not like this devotion and one day attacked him and all others who were Shiva devotee. He kept them all in prison. Supriyo carried on with his Shiv aradhana even in the prison with his fellow prisoners. Daruk got angrier and finally ordered his men to kill them all. Supriyo was hardly affected; he prayed to the Lord and requested him to save all. Lord Shiva appeared before him in the prison cell itself sitting on a big throne beautifully adorned. He gave the Pashupat weapon to Supriyo and daruk with his followers were all killed. On Lord Shivas order itself, this linga was named Nageshwar.

The current temple was built by Late Gulshan Kumar. In the front of the temple you can see a large statue of Lord Shiva sitting. This statue can be seen from almost more than 2km distance. Inside you first arrive at a sabhagraha. Below this sabhagraha is the Grabha griha where the jyotirlinga is placed.

Vishvanath:

This is located at Benaras/Varanasi and popularly known as Kashi Vishvanath. This temple is considered one of the most sacred temples. In puranas it is mentioned that Lord Vishnu prayed to Lord Shiva in this city. Even Agastya rishi prayed to Lord Shiva here. On the North of this city is Omkarkhand. On south is Kedarkhand while centre lays the Vishveshwarkhand. The Vishvanath jyotirling is placed here in Vishveshwarkhand.

According to puranas, after Lord Shiva got married to Goddess Parvati, he was living at Mount Kailash. One day Parvati told the Lord that every girl after marriage goes to her husband’s house. But here she has to live at her father’s place itself. So Lord Shiva took her to Benaras and thus the jyotirlinga came to existence here.

Trimbakeshwar:

This is located at Nasik in Maharashtra. Legend says, once wives of many rishis living with gautam Rishi were unhappy with his wife Ahilya. They requested their husbands to see Gautam rishi and his wife are thrown out from that place. The rishis agreed to and prayed to Lord Ganesha. When the Lord came before them, the rishis asked him to help with Gautam rishi affair. Lord Ganesha tried his best to make them see light but to no avail. So finally he promised them help. He turned himself into a weak cow and entered rishi Gautam’s ashram. The rishi took a grass strand and tried to keep the cow away but instead the cow fell dead. Gautam rishi was quite surprised. But he had to face the wrath of other rishis for killing cow and committing sin and leave the area. But the rishis did not leave him alone even there. Finally Gautam rishi asked them how he can repent for the sin. They told him two ways and among them he went for one whereby he had to make a crore shivlings and pray. Lord Shiva was pleased with Gautam rishi and appeared before him. The rishi asked for forgiveness to which then Shiva told him how he was tricked and those other rishis who did the same would now face his wrath. To this Rishi Gautam requested Lord Shiva to forgive them as because of them he could get the Lord’s darshan. On the request of all other rishis who were present then, Lord Shiva agreed to stay in that place as jyotirlinga.

Kedarnath:

Rameshwaram being the southernmost jyotirlinga, Kedarnath is the northernmost Jyotirlinga. The temple is situated atop the mountain Kedar in the Himalayas. One the west side of Kedar flows the Mandakini River, and on its bank is placed Kedareshwar. On its east side flows Alakananda river, and in this river’s bank is the sacred Badrinath temple. Both the river flow down to meet Rudraprayag which in turn meets the Ganges. So when we touch Ganga water, we get to touch the water coming from the feet of Kedareshwar and Badrinath.

According to purana legend, ages back two very devoted people Srinar and Narayan decied to do penance to please Lord Shiva. For years they carried on with sadhana and finally Lord appeared before them. Both were ecstatic. On Lord Shiva’s command to ask for anything they want, both requested the Lord to stay there in Kedar and help humanity in spiritual Journey. The Lord agreed to and Kedarnath jyotirlinga came into being.

Grishneshwar:

This jyotirlinga is located at Verulgaon in Maharashtra very near to Ellora caves. The scared place is also known as Ghushmeshwar. It is known by many names, Grishneshwar, Ghushmeshwar, Ghushrineshwar.

On Devgiri mount lived a very pious brahman Sudharma with his wife Sudeha. They wanted a child but got to know Sudeha cannot have any. So Sudeha forced her husband to get married to her sister Ghushma. They had a son soon. Ghushma was very pious and devote of Lord Shiva. She would make 101 shivlingas daily, do puja and immerse them in their pond. With time Sudeha’s mind turned poisonous and she started feeling left out in the family. One night she killed the boy and threw his body in the pond where Ghushma used to immerse the shivlingas after puja. Next morning everyone was heartbroken but Ghushma was unaffected. She did her usual puja and immersed the lingas in the pond. A she turned back to go home, her son walked out of the pond. Lord Shiva also appeared and blessed Ghushma. He decided to punish Sudeha but Ghushma requested him to forgive her elder sister. On Ghushma’s request he stayed back there as jyotirlinga.

Dwadasha Jyotirlinga - Part 1

Jyotirlinga or Jyotirlingam, as name suggests means Linga of Light. It is believed that when you reach a certain level in your spiritual journey, while performing puja to these lingas you can see them as columns of light piercing the earth. There are in all twelve Jyotirlinga hence referred to as Dwadash Jyotirlinga. Long back itself I had made up my mind to visit them all. In this article I’ll be telling in details about all the Jyotirlinga and also share photographs of all those places which I have myself visited. Especially, share the jyotirlinga photograph. Not all the temples allow taking them, still few I could manage!

The names of these twelve Jyotirlingas are as follows:

1. Somnath
2. Mallikarjuna
3. Mahakaleswar
4. Omkareshwar
5. Kedarnath
6. Bhimashankar
7. Viswanath
8. Triambakeshwar
9. Vaidyanath
10. Nageswar
11. Rameshwar
12. Grishneshwar

According to Linga Purana, once Lord Brahma and Lord Vishnu were fighting to prove who was more powerful. Lord Shiva comes between them in the form of Linga and asked both to measure the linga. Both Lord Brahma and Vishnu decide to measure one end each and so Vishnu in the form of a boar went down the earth surface while Brahma took the form of a swan and flew up. After trying hard and failing to find the end, both came back. At this moment Lord Shiva arises from the linga and both realized their mistake and acknowledged Lord Shiva’s supremacy. This happened on the 14^th days of full moon in the dark half of the month of Phalguna, the day even today is celebrated as Mahashivratri.

Dwadasha Jyotirlinga stotra.

Sourashtre Somnatham cha sri shaile Mallikarjunam

Ujjainyam Mahakalam Omkaram Amaleshvaram

Kedare higvatprishthe dakinyam bhimshankaram

Varanasya cha Vishvesham Trayambakam gautami tate

Vaidyanatham chitabhumou Nagesham Darukavane

Setubandhe cha Ramesham Grishnesham shivalaye

Etani jyotirlingani Pratruthyay yah pathet

Janma janmantar krit papam smaranen vinashyati

Let us now start with each of them one by one.

(Click the pictures for enlarged view)

Somnatheswar:

This temple is located at Kathiarwar, Gujrat. The temple is associated with the Aeries moon sign. As the name suggests, Somnath means “Protector of Moon God”. This temple was ransacked and destroyed six times by Mongols and Mughals, but it was again rebuilt. It was during attack by Ghazni that the original lingam was completely destroyed. Aurangzeb was the last to destroy the temple and then in 1995 the current temple was again built and at the same spot. It is said that on the day of Shivratri if one can do jaap of Mahamrityunjay mantra here, he can get benefit spiritually. This jyotirlinga is said to be the first jyotirlinga.

Mallikarjuna:

This lingam is located at Srisailam, Andhra Pradesh. The temple is an ancient one. You read about this lingam in details in Mahabharat, Shiv Puran and Padma Puran. It is said that when Lord Ganesh and Lord Kartikeya were fighting among themselves as to who’ll get married first, Lord Shiva and Goddess Parvati asked them both to go round the earth and who so ever comes back first would be married first. Lord Kartikeya went off on his peacock for the trip while Lord Ganesh went round his parents saying they are his world. By the time Lord Kartikeya came back, he found Lord Ganesha already married. So he left off in huff. Finally Goddess Parvati goes to him to calm him down. Lord Shiva also reached the place but as a Jyotirlinga. This came to be known as Mallikarjun Jyotirlinga as puja of this Linga was first done with the Mallika flower (Jasmine).

 

Mahakaleshwar:

This Jyotirlinga is located at Ujjain in Madhya Pradesh. Among all the twelve jyotirlinga, this one is Swayambhu and the only one to face south. In Mahabharat, Shivpuran and Skandapuran you get to hear in details about this jyotirlinga. Ujjaini was being ruled by King Chandrasen who was a Shiv Bhakt. One day a small boy saw him doing puja and decides to do the same. He collects all material required for the puja and a small stone and reaches home to start with the puja. It was dinner time and his mother started calling him. When he refused to leave the puja, the mother in anger threw away the stone. The little boy fell down unconscious with sadness. At this moment Lord Shiva himself presented himself to the boy as a beautiful Linga.

In this temple daily at 4am there is Bhasma aarti that’s done. It is said that early times the bhasma from cremation ground used to be offered to Lord Shivas linga, the same custom is followed here. The bhasma offered here as bhasma aarti, is made from cow dung cake incinerated residue. In the evening you can see the "Sringar" of Mahakaleshwar. The linga is adorned beautifully and after that aarti is done.

Morning Abhishek

Bhasma Aarti

Mahakaleshwar Sringar

Mahakaleshwar Temple

Omkareshwar:

This jyotirlina is also located at Madhya Pradesh on an island in the Narmada River. At one point the Narmada River branches out into two rivers, one flowing north while one towards south. The southern flow is taken as the main river. At this juncture is an island called Mandahata hill. King Mandhata did penances here to Lord Shiva here hence the name. The Mandhata hill itself is known to be a form of Lord Shiva. To reach the Linga, you need to pass through two cells. Omkareshwar jyotirling has two forms. The other one is bit far off from Omkareshwar towards south and is called as Mamaleshwar. The story goes as, once Vindhyachal did hard penance to please Lord Shiva. The Lord came and blessed Vindhyachal. At this moment there were many sages and rishis present and on their request the Lord made two parts of the Omkareshwar linga and placed other on the southern end. Though both are different yet they are equal in every way.

  

Click to read - Dwadasha Jyotirlinga - Part 2

Anahad Nada, Anahat Nada - Aum!

Anahad Nada, we hear about it in different religion. Sabad Brahamm in Hinduism tells lot about it, Sufis also talk about the same, even Buddhists, and Gurus of Sikh religion also has explained the same. There’s “Anahat” and “Anahad”, I was always confused as to which one is correct or is it both represent the same. Finally during one of my discussion with a Swamiji at Belur Math, I asked him the question and ended getting some great knowledge on sounds, especially the cosmic sound.

Anahat and Anahad words are different, they convey two different meaning.

Anahat = An + Aahat. An = no, Aahat = Sound produced by two things striking. Hence “Anahat” means sound produced by “Not striking two things”.

Anahad = An + Hada. An = No, Hada = Boundary. Hence it’s a sound which has no boundary, no limit.

Though meanings are different, some call it anahat while some anahad. It’s the cosmic sound which we know as “Aum”. Anahad is a term which has been used a lot by the sufi saints while we in Hinduism use the word anahat more while referring to the cosmic sound.

Aum or Om, it’s the sound on which everything in this universe rests. In Hinduism it is referred to as symbol of Brahman, one who has the ultimate knowledge. This sound is infinite, anahad. It is immortal, always there and not produced by striking or beating, hence anahat.

Nada is sound and Aum is the first vibration of sound. Whatever our conscious mind might tell us or show us, every word that we speak, ends with Aum. Every sound we hear, be it in the market place, sound of rivers & waterfalls, machines, animals, musical instruments, it is all manifestation of Aum. It’s all-pervading just like the Brahman. Aum is the Nada Brahman, the source of everything. It refers to both Nirguna and Sadguna. It runs through our prana thus pervading our life.

As its given in our Upanishad; Brahman, that which our Vedas tells us to be our goal, which all who are pursuing spiritual life aim for, is nothing but “Aum”.

Aum, it is made of three letters – A, U and M. Try saying them and you’ll realize how these three letters cover all ranges of sound which comes out when we speak. A, the sound touches nothing. It simply flows out after arising from the root. Pronounce U, the sound arise from the root but rolls up to the palate then flows out. M, this is produced by closing the lips. Thus its evident, AUM, all sounds are centered here.

Meeting the Yogi, experience can never forget.

Many a times I have wandered into the Himalayas especially in Himachal and Uttarakhand. As you go along deeper and higher, if you are lucky, you get to meet yogis who are busy doing “Tapasya” here. On one such a trip I was passing Manali and going upward, away from all civilization when I reached an area where I could see no human dwelling. Suddenly my eyes fell upon a youth coming out of a cave sort on the hills. From him I got know that a hermit was doing meditation in the cave there and he has been sitting there in meditation for last more than six days. I realized he was in Samadhi, so without disturbing the hermit, I walked over to the cave gave my salutations and walked off. His face was serene and bright! After few days when I was on my way back, I decided to come through the same spot. After roaming around and hit and trail, I could finally find the place. On reaching I was informed the hermit is out of his Samadhi. He was in that state for more than 10 days. I decided to pay him a visit and take his blessings. Here are some parts of the conversation I had with the hermit. The glow and aura he spread, it was something I would want to be covered with always!!

Sadguru & his Importance - Shiv-Parvati samvad from Guru Gita

Sant Kabir says:

Guru Bin Gyaan Na Upaje, Guru Bin Mile Na Moksha,

Guru Bin Lakhe Na Satya Ko, Guru Bin Mite Na Dosh.

Enlightment can’t come without Guru; Salvation can’t be attained without Guru,

Truth can’t be seen without Guru and vices can’t be removed without Guru.

This is the absolute truth; it’s a guru who can help you get the salvation. God is always there, and will be too in future. A Sadguru is the medium of God. We need a medium, because we need someone who has travelled within himself, only such a person can guide us to reach us within ourselves. Sadguru helps in removing the defects present within ourselves. He guides us in keeping our chitta (attention) to the subtle consciousness. The word GuRu itself is self-explanatory. Gu = Darkness, Ru = Light, Guru is one who leads us from darkness to light. Meaning, he is one who leads us from Ignorance to Knowledge! Sadguru purifies us from within. And he does it out of love for his disciple. Duty of a disciple in turn is to surrender himself to the Guru. Faith is an essential part of spiritual journey.

How can you identify a true Sadguru? If you think you can identify the Sadguru through his behavior, you are wrong. Sadguru is “Shakti” and can only be experienced. The Sadguru is not who will be known by his demeanour. You don’t get to see the fragrance; it makes its presence felt on its own. You just experience it. Same, a Sadguru is someone to be experienced. Make a Sadguru after knowing him/her, and this knowing has to take place through experience or “Anubhooti”. And the moment you take him/her as Guru, make sure to surrender yourself to the Guru with absolute faith.

Guru Gita, a part of Skandha Purana tells in details about Guru and his importance in our life. This scripture is a conversation between Lord Shiva and Goddess Parvati. One day Parvati finds him bowing to someone so asked, “Lord you are lord of lords, who do you then bow?” Lord Shiva replies, “To the Guru”. Lord then explains Goddess Parvati about Guru and that formed Guru Gita.

There is a beautiful Mantra given in the concluding verse of Guru Gita that explains in details about Sadguru.

Brahma nandam parama sukhadam,

Kevalam jnayana murthim,

Dvandvateetham gagana sadrisham,

Tatvamasyadi lakshyam,

Ekam nityam vimalamachalam,

Sarvadhee sakshi bhutam,

Bhava-teetam triguna-rahitam,

Sadgurum tam namami.

Brahma nandam : Brahama nandam means one that is true and is source of eternal bliss. Brahma is derived from the root word brihat, meaning vastness. Brahama nandam is that which is immutable. It can also be termed as Advaitananda, meaning the bliss that result from the experience of oneness. It can also be described as Nirgunaananda and Niraakaarananda, bliss that transcends form and attributes.

Parama sukhadam : Paramasukhadam means the source of supreme happiness. The happiness that is not related to worldly pleasures, it is related to the experience of the eternal bliss.

Kevalam : Meaning that, which transcends the limitations of time, space, and circumstances.

Jnana murthim : Jnana murthim means, one of wisdom, the true wisdom. Here, jnana refers to experience of oneness. It refers to “Advaita darshanam jnanam”, experience of non-duality which is the true wisdom.

Dvandvaateetham :  Dvandvaatheetham refers to that which transcends all dualities in this universe such as happiness and sorrow, good and bad, merit and sin, etc.

Gagana sadrisham : Refers to one who is as infinite as sky, one who is formless.

Tatvamasyadi lakshyam : Whose attention is always on the divine.

Ekam nityam : Guru is one, unique and eternal. Ekam nithyam refers to that which is eternal and one only. The Vedas proclaim Ekam eva adviteeyam Brah. Meaning, divinity is one and only one. Om ithyekaaksharam Brahma, the single syllable Om is Brahman.

Vimalamachalam : Refers to one who is pure and steady. In this universe, the celestial bodies such as the sun, the moon, and the planets are constantly on the move. Divinity is steady, changeless, and attributeless and is the embodiment of supreme bliss and happiness. If the mind is wavering, it won’t be able to comprehend Divinity. That is the reason the ancient sages and seers used to pray, “Salutations to the One who is the embodiment of supreme happiness.” The happiness related to the body and mind is no happiness at all. Inward (nivritti) happiness is true happiness.

Sarvadhee saakshi bhutam : One who is the eternal witness in consciousness in all beings.

Bhava-teetam : One who is beyond emotions and thoughts.

Triguna-rahitham : This refers to that which transcends the three attributes: satwa (serenity, purity), rajas (passion), and tamas (dullness, lethargy). Attributes are associated with form. So, the formless “One” has no attributes.

Sadgurum tam namaami : My salutations to that Sadguru.

Kundalini - Part - 4 - Kundalini Awakening & Benefits

Awakening the Kundalini needs a Sadguru. It should never be done just by reading through texts or written guidance. By reading the scriptures or explanations from those who have experienced it, you can get to know what it is. But to overcome the difficulties and dangers in this vidya needs personal guidance from a sadguru.

Our Kundalini energy system is more active on Ida and Pingala Nadi. Prana, the energy force flows in these two nadis and also other nadis of our body. The first step in awakening kundalini is to balance the energy flow in both Ida and Pingala by making sure equal amount of energy flows in both the nadis. We experience the same when our breath flows evenly through both the nostrils. This balancing helps in centering the energies which is the aim in kundalini awakening. With the help of yoga this can be accomplished.

Kundalini - Part - 3 - Kundalini and its ascent.

Kundalini is the female principle Shakti, the conjoint of which is Shiva, the male principle. Kundallini is in the shape of a Serpent, coiled three and half times and that is the active energy in its dormant condition. Each human being has an Ardhanareeshwara within himself. Just as positive and negatives within a magnet, they stay at poles while on conjoining they are creative. Kundalini stay coiled within the Moladhara which is situated at the base of spinal cord in the triangular bone called Sacrum. Every religion scripture has mention about this Kundalini and its awakening.

Kundalini has a triangular head and when aroused with meditation and yoga, it puts its head up thus opening the Sushumna Nadi. Like a serpent it now moves upwards through Sushumna Nadi towards Sahasrara chakra. It ascends through the Bhu tattva in Mooladhara, Apa Tattwa in Swadhistana, Agni Tattwa in Manipura, Vayu Tattwa in Anahata and Akasha tattwa in Vishuddi to raise to the Ethereal levels of Agya Chakra and finally transcending the ethereal levels it reaches the Sahashrara, which is also known to be the abode of Sadasiva.

Along the way Kundalini needs to break through or untie three Granthis in the Sushumna Nadi. Granthis are psychic knots or blockages and are mostly the major synapses.

Brahma Granthi is the first major block blocking the flow from first chakra Muladhara upwards to others. This is related to bondage of desires.

Vishnu Granthi, the second know blocks the movement of Kundalini from the third chakra Manipura to the fourth chakra Anahata (near heart). This knot is related to bondage of our actions.

Third and final knot is the Rudra Granthi. It blocks the flow beyond the sixth chakra between the eyebrows, ajna/agya chakra, upwards towards sahasrara. This is related to bondage of thoughts.

After coursing through Sushumna Nadi, Kundalini finally reaches the crown of head where we have Sahasrara chakra. When the union happens, we get to experience the Absolute. According to my Guru, “this is the stage when you suddenly feel enlightened. This is the absolute height of spiritual realization. And this realization and enlightenment comes in bursts. These burst moments can be very peaceful and motivating too. You might get flash realization about different aspects of divine knowledge. It’ll show you the truth of the world and about you, and how it’s not the way it appears externally. It is the stage where now you get motivated to continue on the path.”

Kundalini - Part - 1 - The five tatvas.

Kundalini - Part - 2 - Nadis (channels) of our body.