Thursday 18 June 2020

YOGA 3

When certain energies begin to traverse through our body as a result of the yoga practices, various behaviors and feelings could arise: negativity and anger; laughter or cry; etc. all happening spontaneously. The pent up anger and emotions are expelled from the system. Even before we engaged in the rigorous practice of puja, rituals, service, and yoga, we were guided by the guru. I was blessed to have my nephew come along and pass me the Vasudeva mantra that is said to pierce the Vishnu granthi. I discovered later it was from Agathiyar. I had received this mantra even before Agathiyar physically came to me through the Nadi reading a year later. The other two knots are Brahma granti and Rudra granthi. We are told that further practice of pranayama would pierce these too and the six chakras.

R Venu Gopalan in his book, "The Hidden Mysteries of Kundalini", enlightened me further on this mantra stating that the Vishnu Granthi adds obstructions for the sadhaka keeping one under the wraps of attachment and bondage. The mantra is recited for balancing the Vishnu Granthi.
The nadis of the heart chakra is cleansed. It balances the heart chakra. Continuous practice of meditation on this mantra helps purify the thinking process. It also helps in dissolving all the past karmic deeds for a better future. 
Yogi Professor Ramdas Prabhuji who is of the same opinion with R Venu Gopalan, writes at https://lahirimahasayakriyayoga.org/om-namo-bhagavate-vasudevaya/
The purpose of the Second and Third Kriya is to break the heart granthi in order to get the fourth state, Turiya, or Samadhi. The heart knot is the Vishnu-Granthi. Therefore, the supreme Vishnu mantra (mahamantra) – Om Namo Bhagavate Vasudevaya – is used for this purpose. The Vasudeva-mantra of 12 syllables – Om Namo Bhagavate Vasudevaya – is known as a Mukti Mantra because it grants release from Samsara for the one who recites it with devotion and faith. In the light of Kriya Yoga, the fourth state of Turiya, or Vasudeva, is a synonym for Kevala Kumbhaka. 
In a book titled, "Saint Dhruva", it is mentioned that this mantra was given to Dhruva by Saint Narada who initiated Dhruva into the mysteries of yoga and meditation leading to samadhi.
Narada taught Dhruva the practice of pranayama by inhaling, exhaling, and holding the breath. He taught Dhruva to overcome thought fluctuations with the help of breath control. Narada also taught Dhruva to meditate on Vishnu in the sanctuary of his heart repeating the Lord’s name mentally and offer prayers and worship. 
This mantra was mentioned in an extract from the English translation of the book "Kriya Yoga Vijnan - The Science of Kriya Yoga", the original by Saint Lahari Mahasaya.
Lahari Mahasaya has named this sadhana, Omkar kriya. This is essentially a pranayama and the basis is the Vasudeva mantra. The sastras have propounded that the Vasudeva mantra is an omniscient mantra. When a sadhaka starts comprehending his awareness as one with the mantra then he becomes omniscient himself. Then his attainment shall be - I am this omniscient Vasudeva.
In the Gita it is stated: "In the very last of all births, the man of wisdom worships me, realizing that all is Vasudeva. Rare indeed is the soul. Then do namaskar to thyself."
From Awakening State at http://www.awakeningstate.com/spiritual-awakening/om-namo-bhagavate-vasudevaya/ we learn that,
This Sanskrit mantra can be practiced to attain freedom (moksha) from Samsara – the “Karmic Wheel” that keeps us bound to cycle after cycle of incarnations. This liberation mantra is a karmic eraser. Chanting this mantra with a sincere heart frees your mind and spirit from negative patterns in this life and helps us realize ourselves as a manifestation of transcendent divinity. 
Wikipedia mentions the following,
‘Om Namo Bhagavate Vasudevaya’ is a mantra of Vishnu and Krishna both. This twelve syllable mantra is known as a Mukti (liberation) mantra and a spiritual formula for attaining freedom.  
Besides this, to rid the mind-body and purge the impurities Agathiyar gave us the techniques of Nadi Suddhi and Dega Suddhi to adopt and put into practice. Negative qualities need to be dropped and replaced with those that are positive. The purification of the nadis is required before one progresses to take up pranayama. These are prerequisites to taking up asanas and pranayama as we take note in the 8 angas of Patanjali. Swami Vivekananda speaking about this practice of Nadi Suddhi or purification of the nerves quotes from the Shvetashvatara Upanishad.
First, the nerves are to be purified, then comes the power to practise pranayama. Stopping the right nostril with the thumb, through the left nostril fill in air, according to capacity; then, without any interval, throw the air out throught the right nostril, closing the left. Again inhaling through the right nostril eject through the left, according to capacity; practising this three or four times at four hours of the day, before dawn, during midday, in the evening, and at midnight, in 15 days or a month purity of the nerves is attained; then begins pranayama. 
He adds that,
Nerve currents will have to be displaced and given a new channel. New sorts of vibration will begin, the whole constitution will be remodeled, as it were.  
Bringing us to his worship and doing charity led us to carry noble thoughts and the mind and body were engaged in his thought and work or service, never giving the devil an idle moment to come and dwell within and begin his workshop creating negative thoughts and talk. One has to adopt Agathiyar's 5 tenets that are similarly reflected in the first two angas of Patanjali's Yoga Sutra too. Having introduced us to all these fine tools that serve to enhance and enrich our purpose in taking birth, strengthening our body, soul, and spirit, he now comes to work further on the very vessel or vehicle upon which both the soul and spirit travel - our body. As everything is established in prana, the body is made fit for the spiritual sadhana initially by us taking the interest in doing so; taking lead and putting the necessary effort into it. Soon we shall be guided or to be precise it shall be guided by the hidden hands of the guru who initiates everything and stands aside to watch the play or lila. Once purified the full force of the divine can come down in torrents and do its will. Impurities that block the passage of the prana in the nadis are removed. The blockages that are a result of our previous lifestyles result in its associated imbalances and disorders in the body and the imbalance in the 3 dosas or bodily humor namely Vatam or wind, Pittam or bile, and Kapam or phlegm. This necessitates the need for Deha Suddhi too. Agathiyar gave us his Agathiyar kuzhambu to consume for the purpose of Deha Suddhi. "It contains 11 ingredients which are mentioned in the Siddha formulary of India - part -1, that when combined act as a purgative. Besides being a purgative it is said to cure many diseases too. The major ingredients of this drug are Perungayam, Kadugu, Induppu, Rasam, Vengaram, Naabi, Manosilai, Omam, Aritharam, Karunjeerakam, Nervalam." (Source: Muralidass SD and Shree-Devi MS: “Agathiyar kuzhambu”- not only a purgative- an overview. Int J Pharm Sci & Res 2019; 10(5): 2156-63. doi: 10.13040/IJPSR.0975-8232.10(5).2156-63.). That did an excellent job of cleansing the house.

For the purpose of cleansing first and later strengthening the physical form, Agathiyar shows me to Siddha practitioner or Siddha Vaidyar Arivan of the Arulguru Agathiyar Arulsidhar Peedam, also known as Agathiyar Yoga Herbs Centre and officially registered as the Agathiyar Arul Shakti Peedham. Vaidyar Arivan prepared the Agathiyar Kuzhambu and other herbal preparations that Agathiyar mentioned and passed me other herbs too that he deem fit for me to take.

Once one's karma is ascertained and remedies are done to counter them; the soul is strengthened by gaining merits from good actions. The thoughts are channeled towards the noble and the divine. The body cleansed of its impurities, first by taking purgatives and then our existing menu changed to one of satvic in nature. It is further strengthened with the intake of relevant herbs. With the prana that is ingested in larger volumes; and having the nadis purified; leading to the lower chakras purified too, the mind is then brought to quieten down by observing the breath. This is where Agathiyar and Ramalinga Adigal have left us as it is to put in the effort and practice for now. Let me furnish you with the details of this inner journey once I have traveled and experienced the higher chakras for I had made it a point only to refer to the scriptures and books after I have had an extraordinary experience; to verify and understand the experience better after having gone through it and not earlier before embarking on the practice for we would then have expectations and feel frustrated if the desired results are not seen.

To those who would love to take up yoga, my advice is to take up a guru and have a Siddha practitioner beside you too. He comes in very handy. Bring them to travel with you through your journey of discovery. May the Siddhas and the force be with you.