In giving thanks to the Siddhas, my gurus, upagurus, and everyone else who came into my life to act out their role in helping me learn a thing or two or to help fulfill my desires carried with me that were vasanas, I have to thank my readers too for giving an ear to what I have to say in these pages. In sharing my experiences I believe we help each other. Just as in my search to know more I looked up books and followed talks to gain more information and knowledge many similarly I believe are searching too. For those who have come by my blog, I welcome you. I thank you too. In sharing there is bliss.
As Dr. C Srinivasan in his "An Introduction to the Philosophy of Ramalinga Swami", published by Ilakkia Nilayam, Tiruchi, 1968, describes the many stages described by Ramalinga Swami that we step into in our spiritual evolution, I am eager to compare and find out where I stand.
I guess I had come out of the dark pit making my way towards the light for a start when I moved away from living a mundane life without even a thought of its transient nature. Here then the search begins to know the reasons behind our customs and traditions that are in place and followed by our ancestors and forefathers for ages. We begin to take an interest in them. This leads to wanting to know more. There is then a thirst and hunger for more information. In knowing the reasons why we do it we then appreciate them better. He becomes conscious of the world and its external objects. He takes his first step, coming into Sariyai. He begins to step into a temple or place of worship. He goes beyond its walls to investigate. He is shown his creator or God as his ancestors saw them, carved in stone, granite, or made in metal and bronze. Most settle for this state and never go further. Here is where a guru is needed to draw the veil and show him the frontiers beyond his sight. Supramania Swami and Tavayogi Thangarasan Adigal came into my life at this juncture for this purpose, the former in 2003 and the latter in 2005.
Some are impressed but leave. For others, it does not strike a chord and they too leave. But a handful who had been there in the way past recognize these frontiers deep deep within themselves and begin to follow the guru. The guru can come within and guide him too. He then moves up the rung by becoming aware of the momentary nature of life. He realizes that life is not permanent. He begins to observe the things around him taking lessons from them.
There is a change in his perspective of life. A great question arises in him. But what is God's true form? Is he like how he is depicted in the paintings and statues? He wants to reach out to God and find out. He knows that he is here for a bigger purpose. He seeks to know his purpose. The guru helps him in all ways possible. Moving away from Sariyai he steps into Kriyai shown by his guru. He begins to take things into his own hands and steer his life rather than be at the mercy of fate and destiny. In carrying out Kriyai he can be with his chosen deity 24/7 rather than waiting on others to open up the temple doors and allow him in. He is free to explore the new frontier now with his guru occasionally guiding him. He brings god into his home and heart. God is no more a stranger to him. He ushers him into his home. He dines with him. He gives him a bath and dresses him up to his liking. He adores him. He praises him. He feels inseparable from him. He wants more of him. He wants to become him. But again the great question arises in him. What is God's true form? Is he like how he is depicted in the paintings and statues? He wants to reach out to God and find out.
His guru now introduces him to Yogam. Coming to Yogam, he wants only God. Once this desire is set aflame and burning in him the various veils covering the soul for generations are shed one after the other. His Yogic practices generate heat and this heat of his tapas brings down the veils of ignorance. He comes to know that he can systematically climb the ladder of spiritual evolution to attain the state of oneness of God or at least his likeness. He begins his climb. He becomes aware of his breath that was all along traveling with him, in him, and moving him. He also comes to realize that he is in it as Ramalinga Adigal pointed out. He pays gratitude and shows thanks to the one primary source of sustenance that keeps him alive. What keeps us alive is definitely God right? He now sees God whom he saw externally in the paintings and statues as his breath. He adores his breath. He worships it as Tavayogi pointed out. The worship now becomes internal. He is in a state of continuous eternal bliss now contrary to the momentary bliss he attains visiting the temples or carrying out the puja at his home. He brings his awareness to his breath at all times. The divine now comes to give him a lending hand. He comes to cleanse the soul or rather shed the veils further. A spontaneous love for God is felt at all times. He comes to realize that he is connected to God at all times, day and night, while awake and asleep.
Next, the grace of the Lord befalls him and he enters a state of ecstasy. If earlier he chose to see God with forms and had gained earthly experiences, beyond this stage, he begins to have heavenly experiences. He knows God to be beyond manifestation as I came to know and experience through the numerous ruptures of joy and bliss that come over me in the places of worship I visited. This surge of energy came within as my body became a vessel and vehicle and a conduit to tap into them. The prevalent energies worked on me further.
When he has gained Atma Balam or Soul Power, he begins to "taste" God. His Soul, charged with Divine Grace, attains self-realization or Atma Darisanam. Now everything takes place within him. There is no need for external tools, methods, or practices further. His chakras are activated and keep these energies moving and alive in him driving his body, mind, and thoughts now. The empty vehicle or vessel fills up pretty fast and overflows. His bliss is uncontainable. His soul becomes saturated with compassion and love. He experiences the divinity within (Uyir Anubhavam) by the grace of Arutperunjhoti. As Dr. C.Srinivasan says "The soul enjoys in full the real and natural happiness it is entitled to without any restraint."
He is prepared to receive the Light. He moves on to enjoy Supreme Grace (Arul Anubhavam). His grace is felt 24/7. He connects with the Prapanjam. He is capable of partaking in all of creation's wonders.
Then the descent of divinity into the individual takes place. Swami Saravanananda writes in his English transliteration of Ramalinga Adigal’s “Arutperunjhoti Agaval” published by Ramalinga Mission, Madras, that with the descent of sufficient Divine Light, the psychic head begins to emerge. According to Vallalar, this psychic head (a crown or diadem of light) is made up of a special and highly refined type of brain called Omkar brain. As soon as it emerges, it draws more cosmic light; the more the light the greater the growth of the psychic head."
In the complete realization of the God Supreme (Sivanubavam), the sublime achievement of the aspirant culminates in the complete union with the Lord Supreme. The body transforms into the Pranava Deham or the body of Grace. Swami Saravanananda writes that with the advent of the psychic head, more and more changes take place in the already purified body. The cells and thence the whole body begins to transcend the limits imposed on them by impure Maya (the grosser principle of nature) and try to break one more of its veils. The cells undergo alternate condensation and expansion for an unspecified period and the body slowly emerges out of its bondage and begins to grow. This expanding and ever-prospering body is called the subtle body or the body of the Omkar or Pranava body. With the functioning of the third eye, the transformation of the Pranava body is completed and the next and final stage of transformation into the Gnostic body (Gnana Deham) starts."
At this juncture, he has nothing else to do but remain in the state of bliss. He becomes the Mouna Guru. He might choose to speak to some though. He appears in places while seated at his spot. He gives his darshan to them. Though he begins to catch the attention of some and begins to attract many, he knows his place, that it is all momentary, and that he needs to save some souls before he departs.
We revisit http://www.ramalinga.com for the journey has been summarized beautifully.
"Anyone whose spiritual practices have thus resulted in the awareness of the divine working through them has already begun the transformational process and surrendering of the sheath of the intellect (Vinjnanamaya Kosham). As the intellect undergoes this transformation, the mental sheath (Manomaya Kosham), associated with the senses, and is similarly transformed. As the divine light descends into the sheath of energy (Pranayama Kosham) the entity becomes a Siddha in the truest sense of the word. As defined in the Upanishads, a Siddha is one who has progressed from the exalted ‘state of freed while living’ (Jivanmukta) to ‘supremely free with full power over death’ (Paramukta). This state is referred to in Siddhantha literature as Soruba Mukti or Soruba Samadhi."