Layayoga: The Definitive Guide to the Chakras and Kundalini (24 page)

In the real nature of the being of Shiwa is supreme control which, in turn, is non-mens supreme concentration, and this is in the nature of supreme union. This supreme control, supreme concentration and supreme union constitute Mahayoga—supreme yoga. Shiwa is in the nature of Mahayoga. The knowledge of Shiwa is beyond the superconscious concentration-knowledge, and, therefore, it is ultra-super- consciousness-knowledge, or non-mens supreme knowledge. It is the state of non-mens supreme concentration.

In the supreme union of Shiwa and Shakti, the being of Shakti is the being of Shiwa, as Shakti is an intrinsic part of Shiwa. This supreme union is in the nature of love and bliss. This love is supreme love and the bliss is supreme bliss. So, mahayoga (supreme yoga) is in the nature of supreme love-bliss. Shiwa in union with his Shakti is in supreme concentration through supreme control. Shiwa is in supreme yoga. This is Nishkala (power absorbed in) Shiwa and the Supreme Power is one and the same with him. This is the fifth (final) stage of supreme concentration (asamprajñata samadhi).

Nishkala Shiwa also appears as Sakala Shiwa when the power aspect is more pronounced, though Power remains as the being of Shiwa. At this stage, the beingness of Shiwa, which is the beingness of Supreme Power, is experienced as non-minded full consciousness and full bliss in supreme concentration. The yogi with the experience of full bliss-consciousness is established in non-mens concentration. This is the fourth stage of supreme concentration. This stage of full bliss-consciousness merges into supreme oneness of Shiwa and the Supreme Power as Nishkala Shiwa in supreme blissfulness and consciousness in Supreme concentration. This is the final stage of non-mens concentration.

The third is the Shiwa-Shakti level. At this stage Shakti—Supreme Power, is without her specific powerfulness being manifested, but remains as yoga-power of Shiwa in his being. And still there is a suggestion that Supreme Power is also the source of specific power over and above the yoga-power. This is the third stage of supreme concentration. At this stage, the yogi experiences the full expression of the yoga-power of the Supreme Shakti in the beingness of Shiwa with, as it were, a faint trace of specific power in the form of destruction of anything which is not non-mind-non-matter consciousness, in supreme concentration. Here is a suggestion that Shakti (Power) has two aspects: first, the yoga-power which is in full expression in the being of Shiwa when Shakti is Shiwa; second, the specific power which flows away from Shiwa and manifests in creativity. In the Shiwa-Shakti phenomenon, there is an expression of yoga-power and the unmanifestation of creativity, but there is a faint trace of this.

The fourth phenomenon is Nada. At this stage, the specific power of Shakti, which was latent in the Shiwa-Shakti phenomenon, is aroused. The Nada-power is the germ of that great power which manifests as divine creative power to effect the universe of mind and matter. The specific power aspect of Shakti, which remains as non-being in Nishkala and Sakala Shiwa and hidden in the Shiwa-Shakti phenomenon, is aroused at the nada stage as prana, which is the origin of the great creative power. The pranic force is concentrated to its supreme degree in what is called Bindu, in which the supreme creative power is about to manifest. Bindu is the fifth phenomenon.

From the yoga viewpoint, the yogi being at the highest level of superconscious concentration, causes absorption of the highly purified super-mind and super-knowledge, and reaches the bindu level. It is the first stage of non-mens concentration. This non-minded concentration is not a state of deepest darkness. It is a stage in which prana is free from the ‘cover’ of the mind and supremely purified and concentrated to its highest degree. This concentration is so immense that, as it were, at any moment, prana might burst out and become scattered. The pressure of this motionless pranic power is so great that it seems as if the yoga-power is forced into Shiwa, where it remains and shines. But, in reality, the yoga-power is awakened at the bindu level and, step by step, its unfoldment occurs. The yogi at first experiences great difficulties in becoming established on the bindu level. The tremendously powerful pressure of the concentrated pranic force, causes him to descend. But, at the right moment, he is able to obtain the support of the yoga-power, which grows step by step and, at a certain point, exhibits supreme control, by which prana is controlled. When this occurs, the yogi reaches the nada level. This is the second stage of supreme concentration. Prana, being controlled by supreme control, is transformed into the nada form. Now the yoga-power develops to such an extent that the nada form is absorbed into Supreme Power. At this point the yogi reaches the Shiwa-Shakti level. This is the third stage of supreme concentration. Now the yoga-power develops to the supreme degree by which the yogi reaches the final stage of supreme concentration and his being is nothing but the being of Nishkala Shiwa.

Shiwa-knowledge is beyond the mind in any of its forms, and so it is non-mental, supreme consciousness. It comes into being at the bindu level. Its arousing is caused by the control of prana, which is supremely purified and without the contact of mind. This control is effected by the yoga-power in the form of supreme control. At the nada level, Shiwa-knowledge reaches its second stage of development. Supreme Power, due to the predominance of Shiwa-knowledge, absorbs prana in the nada form and begins to express yoga-power. Supreme Power in which prana has been absorbed exposes Shiwa by its yoga-power. This is the third stage of Shiwa- knowledge. The expression of full yoga-power is only possible when Supreme Power withdraws completely its specific aspect of power, and is established in the being of Shiwa as Shiwa. It is the fourth stage of Shiwa-knowledge revealing the sakala aspect of Shiwa. Finally, the sakala Shiwa-knowledge is transformed into Nishkala Shiwa-knowledge. This is the last stage. It is supreme control, supreme concentration and supreme union. This is supreme yoga.

Prana is a complex phenomenon. It is the principle of eternal energy embedded in Supreme Power. It is said: ‘Dewatamayi Aditi came into being as prana and with the mind-matter’ (—Kathopanishad, 2.1.7). Aditi is the unlimited Supreme Power who is dewatamayi, that is, whose being is the being of Shiwa—Supreme God. The specific power of Supreme Shakti (Power) is seen in the expression of that aspect of her power which is prana, and the mind-matter phenomena arise from pranic creativity. This is why it has been said: ‘The entire universe, everything, arises from prana and is maintained by prana’ (—Kathopanishad, 2.3.2). So ‘All are established in prana’ (—Prashnopanishad, 2.6).

The Supreme Power has two modes of existence. First, Supreme Power as Supreme Consciousness, when its power is expressed as supreme yoga-power and prana is coiled in Supreme Power-Consciousness and remains as Shiwa. So it is said: ‘Prana is Brahman—Supreme God’ (—Chandogyopanishad, 4.10.4). Second, Supreme Power in its specific power aspect, expresses its power as prana, which in highest concentration is bindu. It is in such concentration that, as it were, power will flow out of it. Here Supreme Power expresses its specific powerfulness. At this stage prana in the form of bindu is endowed with creativity. The manifestation of the creative phenomenon is the specificality of Supreme Shakti.

When the creative energy of prana is manifested, three primary attributes (gunas) are exhibited. The first is the primary energy- principle. This is rajas. The second is that principle which exhibits sentience in the form of concentration, knowledge, intelligence and thought. This is called sattwa (primary sentience-principle). The primary energy-principle as force-motion undergoes an inertial transformation. This is tamas (primary inertia-principle).

The supremely concentrated prana-force which occurs at the bindu level may, as it were, manifest itself at any moment. Before this manifestation, the three primary attributes—energy-principle, sentience-principle and inertia-principle—are zero factors. This is called prakriti primary creative principle)—a state of negativity. But along with the first manifestation of creative energy the three fundamental principles undergo a state of relativity ‘desired’ by Supreme Power-Consciousness. Supermind arises from the primary sentience-principle; I-ness, intellective mind, sense-consciousness, will-mind, sense-mind and five senses from sentience-energy principles; conative faculties from inertia-energy-sentience; and tanons, supermatter and matter from the inertia-principle.

Now the point is this: how can the universe of mind-matter arise from infinite and supreme Shiwa in which there is nothing but Consciousness, and even the Supreme Power of Shiwa is in the being of Shiwa as Shiwa-Consciousness? How can a finite phenomenon be present in what is infinite? On the one hand, Supreme Power in the form of yoga-power, is in the being of Shiwa as Shiwa; on the other hand, Supreme Power possesses that energy which is specific in nature—the prana-energy endowed with creativity. The Supreme Shakti has the capacity of manifesting the creative energy as the universe; and when she is doing so, she is also expressing her specific power Maya (negato-positivity), by which the appearance of the universe has been possible. Maya exhibits an unusual power by which a phenomenon which is unreal is made to manifest in infinite Shiwa; but, in reality, this does not exist in Shiwa. In other words, the universe does not exist in the being of Shiwa; the universe is not a fact in the Shiwa-Knowledge. The universe exists only in the knowledge of an embodied being (Jiwa). The embodied being is an accomplishment of Maya who is capable of making the impossible possible. It is that power of maya by which a limitedness has been attributed to what is limitless. In this way the universe has been made possible.

Prana, which is endowed with the power of creativity, is first aroused at the nada level. It becomes supremely concentrated in the bindu-form. This concentrated bindu-power is in the nature of Kamakala—the power of actualizing the ‘desire’ to create; and consists of fifty sound-emitting energy-units in substance. At a certain moment, prana unfolds and its energy is manifested as pranawa-nada (the sound of Ong), in which there is a summation of fifty manifested mantra-sound units (matrika), and from which the universe of mind and matter emerges.

Now from the yoga viewpoint—the yogi who has been established in the superconscious field through superconscious concentration is endowed with that consciousness which is with- out sensory objects and without I-ness. When this concentration develops to its highest level, the yogi’s superconsciousness is absorbed in praknti, and as a result a stage of mental negativity is reached. Then the yogi passes from this stage to the bindu-level. Here the yogi first experiences non-mens supreme concentration.

The phenomena of mind and matter are the expression of the great creative power of Ishwara—God. Shiwa—the supreme God who is with both yoga-power and prana-energy at the bindu-level, appears as supremely powerful Ishwara in creation. In him yoga-power and prana-energy are in harmony. He is in samadhi because of his yoga-power, and also the creator of the universe because he is endowed with prana- energy. Prana-energy is fully under his control by his yoga-power. The embodied being does not play any role in the creation of the universe of mind-matter, because he has no Godly power of creativity. The prana-energy is uncontrolled and yoga-power is almost dormant in him. He is the possessor of only small power.

What is the nature of the embodied being? It is that organized life-sentience which is supported by I-ness with the help of senso-mental and intellectual consciousness in which perceptivity and intellection are the main forms of knowledge, and that knowledge is limited; and in that organized life-sentience, prana-energy is limited and yoga-power is feeble, and, consequently, it is without super- or non-mens knowledge; and all knowledge appears as non-Shiwa; this is the embodied being.

Ishwara manifests his great creative power as Brahma (God as creator), sustains the universe as Wishnu (God as sustainer), and absorbs the universe as Rudra (God who absorbs the universe). And that Ishwara, remaining beyond the manifested universe, is in samadhi as Narayana (God in his supreme aspect). As the embodied being is endowed with small power, he can create only very limited things. He cannot create mind-matter but can play a little in the mental and material fields. Because of his limited knowledge, the embodied being is unaware of his Shiwa-being, and even Ishwara remains unknown to him. The prana-energy is functioning in him in a very limited manner, and it is uncontrolled and wastes away before its appropriate time.

From bindu to matter, the flow of power has two forms—the prana-flow and the yoga-power-flow. In creation, the prana-flow is very strong and away from Shiwa, and the yoga-power-flow, which is directed toward Shiwa, is very feeble.

The embodied being is controlled by the Kañchukas (the powers of limitation). The kañchukas are the specific powers of maya. They are five in number: Kala (time principle), Niyati (regulatory principle), Raga (pleasure principle), Widya (knowledge principle) and Kala (life principle). The prana-energy which is functioning in the embodied being is limited by time, and controlled by the regulatory principle. His mind is full of desires due to the influence of the pleasure principle, and his knowledge and power are limited. His knowledge is essentially based on worldliness, and in it God remains unknown. The love-feeling which is flowing in him is a restricted and perverse expression of supreme blissfulness which is in Supreme Power, and is experienced by him as pleasure, which is often associated with pain and is the source of desires. The prana-energy in the form of life-force makes him a living and conscious being. By the influence of time his life is only of short duration.

Life in the embodied being is a limited expression of prana-energy, and is maintained by the five-fold function of prana. These are: pranana, which supports the other four functions; apanana, causing energy to operate centrifugally; udanana, causing energy to operate centripetally; samanana, which causes equilibrium among other force-motions ; and wyanana, which causes energy to move in all directions. Life in the body and sentience of the mind depend upon these functions. Prana as wayu has three fields of operation-the force-field where the different forms of bio-energy are in operation; the matter-field where bio-energies operate in relation to the body; and the mind-field where the operation of bio-energies results in different mental functions.