Typically - no - souls are either sent to Earth right away after their creation to evolve here, or they come to Earth as Volunteers from other planets and worlds to help to raise the vibration of humanity. However, I have read some past life regression sessions when a soul was sent to Earth as a punishment for something it did in a highly advanced star race - but I have not had these clients myself. I had many clients who were ET souls and they chose to come to Earth to learn humility and compassion or experience suffering - as their own worlds were way too positive to have these experiences. They typically sign up for a “crash course” of 10–12 human lives - and they can stay in the human Afterlife between them, or go back to their own world. Occasionally Volunteers who come to Earth as helpers can collect some karmic debts and get “stuck” on Earth and have to “work their way out” - just like human souls and have to enroll in a longer course of human lives to be able to graduate the Earth School. But this “diploma” is quite valuable in the Universe, as Earth is a rare school with the duality of negative and positive energies and free will, and the “veil of amnesia”, when you forget all your previous lives in each incarnation, other planets do not have these “game rules” and lives there are usually much easier than on Earth (unless you are on some militant Reptilian planet with absolute monarchy, slavery and mind control, but there is not much free will there and those are predominantly negative…)
Comparing yourself to others. Joy comes from advancement, not comparison.
Arguing with others. You might win the argument, but you won’t change their mind, so what’s the point.
Negative news (which is mostly all news). Unless you’re going to do something about it, you’re only polluting your mind. And if you share the news with others, you’re polluting theirs too.
People who like to complain, blame, condemn, and criticize.
Procrastination. It only leads to misery. But if you act, you shine. And if you act consistently, you’ll be unstoppable.
Settling. Never settle. The only limits in your life are the ones you put on yourself, so dream big, and be bold.
Never doubt yourself. If you do, you’ll attract reasons to support your claims.
Bringing smartphones to the bedroom.
A career that doesn’t inspire you.
Refined sugar.
Alcohol.
Less than 8 hours of sleep.
An uncomfortable bed (1/3 of your life spent there!!!)
Aimless social media browsing.
Working too much (spend more time with those you love instead).
If Buddha was an enlightened all-knowing being, how come he did not do a better job at making generations upon generations of humans hear what he wanted them to hear, think what he wanted them to think, believe what he wanted them to believe?
That would be the pesky free will thing getting in the way.
That, plus a lack of any particular reason why he should be “preserving” teachings.
Humans get very attached to teachings yet, according to some Buddhists, teachings are a finger pointing at the moon. As long as the moon remains “preserved”, the shape, size, color of the finger makes no difference whatsoever. It can be two fingers in fact, or a toe, or a twig or a biscuit.
As long as the moon remains “preserved”, whatever points at it does the job
When an elephant dreams of a lion, the elephant wakes up.
The dream-lion doesn’t exist from his own side, but has the “power” to wake up the elephant.
The “enlightened person” isn’t the body we seem to see, with his or her wise smile and twinkling emanations.
This body is a symbol or representation which reminds us our true nature is being-consciousness alone.
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BBTBR - MERGING IN COSMIC SILENCE
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A
Is it true that Lord Krishna is the eternal servant of the Supreme God Lord Shiva?
Lord Vishnu is the Highest, greatest of all Shivabhaktas. He serves Lord Siva’s lotus feet every moment in His heart.
Lord Vishnu Himself said,
I am unable to understand the power of Bhasma. How can I, O Lord, understand thy Majesty? Adoration to Thee adoration to Thee. I take refuge in Thee. Let Me have ,O Shambhu, always devotion in Thy Feet.
~Brihatjabala Upanishad 6.9
The Lord said,
Me only worship the Devas with their four forms ~ Bhasma Jabala Upanishad 2.43
And,
In the Southern Quarters, Vishnu resting His folded hands on His Head worships Me ~ Bhasma Jabala Upanishad 2.42
The Brihatjabala Upanishad is mentioned in the Shiva Purana and both Brihatjabala Upanishad and Bhasma Jabala Upanishad have been quoted by the Saiva Acaryas.
Lord Siva says to Ashvattama in the Mahabharata,
With truth, sincerity, resignation, ascetic austerities and vows, Forgiveness, devotion, patience thought and Word, I have been duly adored by Krishna of pure deeds. For this, there is none dearer to Me than Krishna
~Mahabharata Sauptika Parva
This verse of the Mahabharata was also quoted in the Nilakantha Bhashya of Srikantha Sivacarya to show that Lord Vishnu is the greatest devotee of Lord Siva and most beloved of the Lord. Parameshvara always resides in the Heart of Krishna.
Namah Sivaya
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Rig Veda, Yajur veda and Sam veda glorify the supremacy of lord Vishnu
They don't. Yajurveda says eko hi rudra na dvitiya tasthu (Taittiriya Samhita 1.8.6)
Rigveda says Vishnu is Born (RV 7.100.4)
Rigveda Khila Suktas say,
Greater than great is Brahma, greater than Him is Hari, greater than Him is Isha
~ siva sankalpa sukta 18
Katharudra Upanishad says,
From a blade of a grass till Vishnu, all obtain Happiness though in different degrees
~ Katharudra Upanishad 33–34
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In Gita 10th chapter VERSE 23 lord Krishna says Rudranam Shankara asmi, out of all Rudras I am Shankara
Genuine happiness is the absence of disturbing thoughts and consequently of emotional reactions.
Q. Isn’t the distress we feel during a critical incident caused by the incident, not thinking? We don’t even have time to think then.
A. People in extreme situations don’t feel fear and pain like we think.
Their bodies produce adrenaline, a natural painkiller.
Their brains produce endorphins, removing negative affect.
There is an additional phenomenon that is not well-understood:
People in extreme situations often feel as though they’re outside their body, looking on.
Q. Animals feel fear and other painful emotions, but they don’t think.
A. Animals have a thought-process, too.
Animals can suffer in captivity, so it’s critical to ensure excellent care and avoid captivity wherever possible.
But some animals do appear to think differently or less.
Snakes thrive in captivity, even when they’re kept alone, although they’re affectionate animals who enjoy socializing, too.
Q. “Psychopaths” don’t seem to feel fear. Doesn’t this mean fear is healthy?
A. People with psychopathy experience chronic distress.
They’re not at all free of negative affect.
The unsafe or reckless behavior they sometimes display is a desperate attempt to alleviate their anhedonia.
Their thinking tends to be complex, fantastical, and grandiose.
Q. Has anyone actually eliminated fear?
A. When Buddhist monks are exposed to frightening stimuli in controlled laboratory conditions, their heart-rates increase to facilitate rigorous activity, but they don’t experience an increased galvanic skin response or psychological fear.
Because as we age we become more and more conditioned…and we get better and better at making ourselves miserable.
Our essential nature is happiness. Look at the face of an infant, usually (outside of a wet diaper or hunger) I see joy, wonder, and happiness. There is this pure glee of just being.
Since then, we have been told and conditioned that we are not good enough, something is wrong with us, everything is lacking, etc, etc, etc. The view of the world being tinted darker and darker until the world and yourself no longer shines.
It does not have to be this way, of course. Delve into your own conditioning, your belief, your concepts, etc. that are creating unhappiness. Cease creating unhappiness and misery for yourself. Also, delve within and find the spring of causeless happiness within. Accomplish both of these and you will be happy regardless of your age…returning to the natural joy and happiness of early childhood.
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When you have been around the block a few times,you see the World differently
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If you apply Taoist principles, as well as, while we’re on the subject, Stoic principles, it would go a long way toward alleviating the weight of living in the modern day. Especially the last 6 or 7 years.
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NO, SILLY IDEA. AS PEOPLE GET OLDER THEIR FAMILY AND FRIENDS DIE AND THEY ARE ALONE OR HAVE TO BE WITH PEOPLE WHO ARE NOT OF THEIR LIKING. CHOICES DISAPPEAR AND WE ARE STUCK WITH WHAT IS AVAILABLE. TODAY A 75 YEAR OLD MAN, FRAIL, BROKE, OBSESSIVE COMPULSIVE, AND REGRETTING BEING A SEMI-RECLUSE AND AVOIDING PEOPLE ALL HIS LIFE,
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A
The Enigma of Lord Shiva
It is probably in the form of the great deity of Lord Shiva that we most confront the great cosmic mystery in Yogic thought and imagery. What is the reality behind Lord Shiva, who is regarded as the great Lord of Yoga, and the supreme deity beyond all limitation?
Shiva is perhaps the most misunderstood of the Hindu pantheon, an enigmatic figure who suggests a reality beyond the bounds of convention or even reason. Shiva with his retinue of wild animals and ghosts, his trident, matted hair, the crescent Moon on his head that also bears the descent of the heavenly Ganga, and his behavior that acts in defiance of all ordinary norms stands apart from all other deities like the harbinger of a different order of reality.
This mysterious reality of the Cosmic Shiva is not merely a cultural or religious issue, some strange aspect of Hindu thought, but is relevant to the spiritual well-being of every individual. It reflects the great mystery and the cosmic power in which we all live, but which overrides and transcends all that we of our own efforts attempt do in our ordinary lives.
To reach and unfold the power of the Cosmic Shiva is the key both to our ultimate personal well-being and to the upliftment of the human race as a whole. Indeed, that Shiva consciousness is also seeking to enter more deeply into humanity and bring us into a greater alignment with the cosmos that can spiritualize all that we are. We can ignore this great unknown for a time, but we remain surrounded by it on every side and it holds the key to our future as well as to our origins in the dark night of time. Our modern humanity trapped in the illusion of information and technology needs to confront and is beginning a new reckoning with this supreme mystery.
Shiva, we should note, is not the simply name of a Hindu deity. Shiva, which means “that which is auspicious,” refers to the auspicious effect of our contact with the unknown, the nameless, the great mystery, what is beyond all limitation, time, space and action. In this regard, Shiva has no name and also an infinite number of names. It is this inner reality of Shiva that we need to understand, not simply Shiva as a religious deity or a cultural form. Chanting the name of Shiva means going beyond all names. It is the resonance of the cosmic silence.
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Shiva as the Supreme Reality
As the primal reality, Shiva is looked upon in four main ways. Shiva is first the original light of reality, Prakasha. Second, he is the immortal life force, Prana. Third, he is primal sound, OM or Pranava. Fourth he is the primal being or pure consciousness, Atman orPurusha, our own inner Self and true nature.
Shiva as the primal power of light and awareness represents our own higher search for Self-realization, and is not simply an external deity. That inner light is the real basis of life and is beyond all birth and death. It is ever resounding as the cosmic vibration that is both the manifest and unmanifest reality. It is our true being beyond the limitations of body and mind, which are but its instruments.
Shiva is the embodiment of mystery. His true nature cannot be known and does not dwell in the domain of speech or mind, word or thought. We contact Shiva when we realize the limited nature of all that we can know or think. This makes Shiva something of a terrible deity, the power of the great unknown that renders our lives but a grain of dust in the cosmic dance. Shiva is the deity of paradox. He stands above all dualities. He is beyond good and evil. He is the being of cosmic consciousness far beyond the constraints of any creaturely mind and its compulsions.
Shiva is also the great deity of nature, the lord of animals or Pashupati. He is the lord of the wild. He really has no human form. We find his face and form hidden in nature, whether in the mountain, tree, the cloud, the animal or the rock.
The worship of Shiva and Shakti or the dual cosmic powers represents the natural religion of all humanity and of the entire universe, which revolves around honoring these two forces in all their manifestations in both the animate and inanimate realms. We find this honoring of the dual mystery in all native and traditional cultures, and in the ancient world overall. Shiva is the standing stone, pyramid or obelisk, while Shakti is reflected in the ring stone, the altar or the cave such as we already find worshipped in the earliest humanity long before what we call history began.
Looking back in time and history, we could say that Shiva is the deity of the shaman also, and as such perhaps the oldest formulation of the sacred in humanity He is the lord of the dance, of ecstasy, of the drum, of dream and trance which the Shaman seeks. To Shiva belongs the sacred fire and the sacred plant, the Agni and Soma of Vedic lore. In fact the Vedas are nothing but the mantric expression of Shiva, with the four main Vedic deities of Agni, Soma, Surya, and Indra or Fire, Sun, Moon and Lightning as the four aspects of his light.
Forms of Shiva
Shiva has many forms through which his different aspects and attributes are worshipped and brought into our lives.
He is Nataraj, the great lord of the cosmic dance of ecstatic dissolution, who consumes the entire universe in the all-pervasive cosmic fire.
He is Dakshinamurti, the enlightened youth who sitting beneath a banyan tree teaches through silence even the most senior of the sages.
He is Chandrashekhar who holds the crescent Moon on his head as an ornament and has the power to control the mind.
He is Nilakantha or the blue-throated deity who can transform poison into bliss.
He is Gangadhara who holds the Ganga River on his head, allowing the cosmic waters to stream into the Earth.
As Shankara, the giver of boons, he is auspicious, and promotes healing, blessings and abundance.
As Rudra, the fiery one, he is fierce, demanding purification, humility and self-abnegation.
There are special forms of Shiva for all the directions, elements and chakras, which are the inner ruling powers behind nature. Everything in the universe has its Shiva or spirit-power, through which we can connect to the Cosmic energy and Prana.
Shiva reflects the entire universe composed of both fire or Agni and water or Soma. He is Vayu or the cosmic wind that animates all things and balances all dualities. He is Mahakala, the great lord of time and eternity. His forms are innumerable and his names are unending.
Shiva’s consorts or feminine counterparts are similarly many in name and form. Kali or the Goddess of Time and eternity, Durga or She who takes us beyond all difficulties, Parvati or the Daughter of the mountain, Uma, the female ascetic, Lalita or she who plays, Sundari or the Goddess of cosmic beauty – these are but a few of her innumerable manifestations. Just as Shiva is Mahadeva or the Great God, his consort is Mahadevi or the Great Goddess. Her forms are as diverse and paradoxical as those of Shiva’s, reflecting the universal power that is rooted in transformation, not in fixed appearances.
Shiva as the Great Deity of Yoga
The quest for Shiva, whatever name we may wish to use, is perhaps the essence of humanity’s perennial search for immortality. Yoga as a sadhana or spiritual practice rests upon cultivating the Shiva consciousness of the highest awareness and bliss. This reality of Shiva is the power of silence, stillness, and non-doing, not the ordinary power of self-assertion and aggression. It works through inaction, peace and balance, in which one is centered in one’s own being and grasps the entire universe as a manifestation of one’s own thoughts. This power of Shiva is not the outer force that displays itself for personal gain, nor the outer effort to control that makes a show of itself to gain adulation. It is the spiritual force that turns things around, draws things within, and takes them back to their source, in which a deep unity remains. Shiva symbolizes this balancing and calming effect of all Yoga practices.
Shiva is the lord of cosmic sound or the cosmic music, particularly the great mantra OM from which all the Vedas and all mantras are said to derive, and the entire universe generated. The Sanskrit alphabet is said to arise from the beating of Shiva’s drum, whose resonance pervades all space. He has other important bija mantras of Hum and Haum or Haum Joom Sah. Hum represents the cosmic fire or Agni. Haum represents the Cosmic Prana, two important aspects of Shiva energy. Haum Joom Sah reflects the speed and power of his energy moving into us and taking us beyond from the standpoint of this Cosmic Prana.
Perhaps most notable for dealing with all of life’s difficulties and dangers is Shiva’s aspect as Tryambakam, the Three-Eyed One orMrityunjaya, the one who takes us beyond death, as the rishi Vasishta lauds in the Rig Veda.
We worship the three eyed one, who is fragrant and increases nourishment. As a gourd from its stalk, may he release us from death but not from immortality.
This is the basis of the famous but much longer Vedic Rudram chant to Shiva in the Yajur Veda, in which one learns to honor the Divine power and mystery not only in beauty, bliss and happiness, but also in sorrow, difficulty and death. Shiva helps us embrace both sides of all dualities so that we can move beyond all dualities to te essence of oneness which is the deepest awareness. Shiva is the very death of death. He carries all time and existence in the winking of his eyes. Once we reach him, there is no more death and sorrow, which are revealed as but the shadow of a deeper unending light.
Relative to specific Yoga practices, Shiva is the master of asana; particularly the seated pose that is the most important of all the asanas. He is usually portrayed in either Siddhasana or Padmasana (lotus pose) often surrounded by animals that symbolize the other asanas as well.
Shiva is also the great lord of Prana or the cosmic life energy. The mantras Ham Sa and So Ham, the natural sounds of the breath, reflect the pranic dance of Shiva within us. They represent the voice of Shiva reverberating at the core of our being. In yogic pranayama we are cultivating the power of Shiva or the Cosmic Prana in one aspect or another.
Shiva is the great guide to meditation, the supreme guru, teaching us to observe, contemplate and not react, providing us with a cosmic view of the events in our lives and the emotions in our minds, so these can never overwhelm us. Yet Shiva is not the deity of a mere intellectual meditation or any mere personal self-analysis; he is the deity of merging the mind back into its source in the infinite, giving up the personal mind for the universal consciousness. Shiva takes us beyond the preconceptions of the mind to the consciousness that pervades all space and is not bound to any memory patterns, fears or desires.
Shiva as Yogeshvara or the Lord of Yoga is the ideal ascetic, monk, swami and sadhu. Worshipping him we can master all aspects and practices of Yoga and meditation.
There are those who fear this Shiva energy or who would denigrate it as something harsh, uncontrolled, animal, or sensuous. Even many academicians take this approach to Shiva as a deity, reading human weaknesses, rather than cosmic transcendence into his mysterious symbolism. This is because they misunderstand Shiva’s cosmic power as something negative, no more than the wild forces of nature that would disrupt our lives.
However, Shiva is also the supreme healer, bringing rest, peace and rejuvenation to body, mind and heart. This occurs when we surrender to his power as holding a deeper love and bliss. In this regard, Shiva is also the deity of doctors, known as Vaidyanath or the Lord of all Ayurvedic physicians. Shiva as fiery Rudra helps us overcome febrile and infectious diseases and brings about purification. Yet as watery Soma, Shiva holds the powers of nourishment, rejuvenation and revitalization.
The worship of Shiva pervades the Yoga tradition from the most ancient to modern times. The Nath Yogis who gave us Tantric Yoga, Hatha Yoga and Siddha Yoga, were followers of Lord Shiva who is Adi Nath or the original Nath guru. This includes the great teachers Goraknath and Matsyendranath, who still have wide followings in India today.
Return to Shiva
Our return to this original clear light of reality, which is Shiva, is the essence not only of yogic spirituality, but also of all true science, art, philosophy and psychology.
To achieve this higher state of awareness, we can practice Shiva Yoga or the Yoga of Shiva, of which there are many varieties in many Shaivite traditions. Shiva is the great deity of the Himalayas with many forms from Amarnath in Kashmir, to Kedarnath near the origin of the Ganga, to Pashupati Nath in Nepal, and Mount Kailas in Tibet. His great city is Kashi (Varanasi), but also has Uttar Kashi in the Himalayas. There are many famous Shiva Jyotirlingas or lingas of light, mainly in Central India, like Omkareshvara, and a number of Shiva sites in the South like Tiruvannamali, the fire linga of Lord Shiva, where Ramana Maharshi, regarded by many as a modern incarnation of Lord Shiva, has his ashram located. This worship of Shiva has gone global as in the example of the Kauai Hindu temple in Hawaii of the Hinduism Today magazine and its powerful crystal Shiva linga.
Yet we can also approach Shiva in a personal manner apart from the formalities of older traditions. To contact that state of Shiva within ourselves is a simple matter of allowing ourselves to get lost in nature, particularly in the mountains or the forests, and to also get lost in our own inner nature beyond the mind, giving up our psychological being to our universal sense of Self. To contact Shiva we must be willing to let go of everything, we must be willing to surrender the mind’s need to know for a willingness to be. This is not at all easy, though it is something that all of us can gradually approach.
As the Shiva force begins to manifest within us, it creates a certain pressure inside our minds and nervous systems for us to purify, to change, and to transcend We must allow its currents to move and they will facilitate a deeper healing that dissolves all our problems and does not merely suppress them. But this requires that we do not resist the higher Shiva force, but rather welcome it as the call of our true nature.
One may ask: Does it matter what one calls that reality, even if one does not know the word Shiva or understand the yogic symbolism of Shiva? That is probably the case, but connecting with the power of Shiva through traditional forms and ways of knowledge can be a great aid in understanding that supreme unknown. Yoga helps us return to that great mystery of Shiva by the path of previous great Yogis and sages whose blessings can guide us along the way, step by step.
May that Supreme Shiva manifest within you and remove all limitations!
Yes. The chakras are part of the subtle body system. The I Am is beyond all subtle and gross forms but at the same time inclusive of them.
In deep meditation, when the mind is relaxed and free of thoughts to some extent, you can sense into the I Am. You can softly say to yourself I Am and feel into Being.
I Am is the One Unified Field of Consciousness. The I Am of you is no different from the I Am of Buddha, of Ramana Maharishi, or of the lady at the supermarket checkout. Although we are and remain unique beings, the I Am points to our common Source and Essence, it is the felt sense of That.
Because Buddha never explained what a human being is.
Yes, he said we just put our microseconds and nanoseconds together with fabrication(nervous itch) and see a sense of continuity which we come to define as 'human experience' and we just keep defining for ourselves what we are.
Indeed, I once heard a Monk talk about how they train to see people as some 'Weird Humanoid Creature' with limbs, just some entity. Advanced Monks do indeed.
I know we just entered some abstract 'next level'. :) , but it's food for thought.
Because when we think of ourselves as a person, is it our 5 year old self, 10 year , 15 , 25 or as in my case 35 years old. My own sense of self of how I look,feel or think is also constantly changing.
Another one I heard was that 'we don't own our bodies'.
That is also true because our bodies behave totally independent than what our minds think, hairs turn white, skin wrinkles, eyes lose sight and so on, nothing is in our control and the more we want to control the more we struggle.
And this happens with every Human Being out there.
Silence is the source of life, and is the cure for diseases. There is an old Sanskrit proverb that says, "Distortion is the root of speech." The moment you start speaking, you have distorted. Words cannot capture existence, but silence can.
You might have noticed when people are angry, they keep silent. Either they shout a lot, and after shouting they become silent. Or when you are sad you say, "Leave me alone." You keep a long face and keep silent.
You can easily make out whether someone is in the right mind or not. If they are very silent, then you know something wrong. If you are sad, you go and become silent.
People put their head down and they keep silent. And if you are ashamed, you become silent. And if you are wise, you become silent. And when you are confronted with ignorance and useless questions, you become silent. What can you do?
When Jesus was asked to prove, "Are you the son of God?" he kept silent. That was the wisest thing to do. When you are demanded for proof of something which is beyond proof, the remedy is silence. You are telling someone you have a pain in your leg, and they ask you, "Come on, prove it to me, how do I believe you?" How can you prove your pain?
When you cannot prove something as gross as pain, how can you prove something so intimate as enlightenment, as Divinity? Wise become silent.
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IP BEING WHO MAY MERGE INTO ECB
You are an impermanent be-ing in the sense of being a part of processes, a series of actions and reactions some of which you can choose, some of which you can't control. Sorry but also you are not that subtile, transcendend Being, beyond your mundane body, which is subject to ilness, old age and death. You can't get away from these three sufferings by pretending as if you are a Self who is immortal. Neither can I, nor our loved ones. I am sorry. But if pretending you are somehow connected to an immortal Self or a part of an immortal Being helps you feel less pain, you are free to do so. I can't. I prefer to try and make peace with impermanence, live according to that knowledge by not being too greedy for or dependent on anything because nothing is worth it. I'd rather spend my energy to help others to alleviate their suffering.
One cannot ‘know’ Being as subject-object (the only perspective the mind is capable of.) One can only be Being.
Illness, old age and death are objectively three conditions, not sufferings. It’s the mind that decides whether these conditions are to be interpreted as suffering. Different people suffer different amounts in response to the same condition. Equanimity of mind is an actual thing, pretended or otherwise, and it’s a much better way of handling suffering than to fully depend on changing conditions which are beyond our control.
You are not that body. You are not even that mind.
To attempt to enter that NOTHINGNESS that is stated above try to just sit relaxed. Closed your eyes. Inhale and exhale quietly, slowly. Each time just let the inner voice relate that He is not the body you are used to. Neither is He the mind.
Don't even force it if it doesn't come through naturally. Slowly He will speak to the mind and to the body.
Peace. You are the Happiness.
Open a can of nothing and smear it on every surface of your mind. Enter into into-ness.
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Lord Shri Krishna says that He is seen as expanded in the form of this
world and acting in this play of the Prakriti at its behest. However, in all
this play, He is just like what the spring season is to the new life imbuing
the trees and flowers with fresh vigour. The spring is present around when
the new life comes to the plant kingdom but does nothing by itself in the
process
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Sadhana for Becoming Gunatita
Arjuna seeks to know how one can attain to the state of Gunatita. Lord
Shri Krishna says in the Gita Shloka (14-26) 11 that only one-pointed
devotion, Bhakti, can achieve that state. Adi Shankaracharya comments
on this Shloka thus:12 ‘The Sannyasin, or the Karmayogi, who steadfastly
worships the Ishwara that is at the heart of all the Bhootas – Lord
Narayana – transcends the Trigunas. He then becomes fit to dwell at the
Brahmaloka. This is the Bhaktiyoga.’
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AAJJ
However, His Bhaktas can attain to His Swaroopa by the Bhajanam that
they constantly do of Him. He classifies them into four categories, the
Arta, the Artharthi, the Jijnasu and the Jnanin, according to their
intentions behind their Bhajanam.
107
Out of these categories of the Bhaktas, he likes the most the Jnanin Bhakta
who is stationed in His Swaroopa forever.108 The Lord further extolls the
merits of such a Jnanin Bhakta in many words in the Gita Shlokas 7-18
and 19109. Such Bhaktas are most rare for whom the entire world and its
beings are the Lord Vasudeva Himself. For him the Jeeva and the Jagat or
the Prakriti are none other than the Lord. Such a Jnanin Mahatman, the
highest amongst the Bhaktas, is the epitome adorning the top of the temple
of the Yoga!
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BG7-16
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There is a unique assurance of the Lord in the Gita Shloka 9-22. He says
that he looks after His Ananya Bhaktas for everything, their upkeep and
success in their worship et al. The Lord is the enjoyer of all the Yajnas and
their Master. The way of His worship by the Ananya Bhaktas and how
they attain to Him are illustrated in the Gita Shlokas 9-26 to 34.
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An "arrow of time" symbolically charts the grand sweep of cosmic evolution that generally integrates the three phases of physical, biological, and cultural evolution (top), extending over ~14 billion years from the big bang (left) to the present (right) (the curly bracket for cultural evolution at top right would actually be a mere point, if drawn to scale.) Some milestones in the history of our galaxy, star, and planet, as well as of life, humanity, and civilization are labeled (bottom). Despite the arrowhead, no directionality is stated or implied for the evolutionary process, other than that the Universe grows evermore disordered in accord with thermodynamics' 2nd law. Nor is there any purpose, plan or design evident in the data supporting the cosmic-evolutionary scenario.
Moksha is our fundamental right.. in reality, each one of us are always liberated.. however, we never ‘experience’ it as we are conditioned to think that our consciousness is limited to the body and mind..
I can suggest two ways:
Immediate:
If you are serious about moksha, the first step is to think of yourself as the consciousness and repeat in your mind that “I’m not this body and mind”.. disassociate from all the positives and negatives (from a worldly point of view) of the body and mind and stay calm.. it will help us get rid of anxiety, guilt and fear.
You have many great books by Swami Shantananda Puri Maharaj ji in this website:
Swamiji has given great solutions from different books (Bhagavatam, Bhagavad Gita, Tripura Rahasyam, Ribhu Gita, Ashtavakra Gita etc..). And he has given practical advise on what is needed to achieve Moksha. These books will give very clear idea.
The first option is for people who are plain and can connect very easily. If you are of my type who want to question everything and want to gain a deep understanding, I suggest you to go through these three volumes of “Atma Darsini” who can answer all the questions and give everything whatever you need to learn to attain moksha.
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All are Bhagavan. All should realise it.”
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It is all an
effortless quantum flight to the ultimate goal
(MOKSHA). One second, you are here on
what you consider as the terra firma of the
phenomenal world and the next you find
yourself in a summit of timelessness and bliss,
where both the world and yourself are
dissolved into nothingness.
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Shiva State of Consciousness – an aspiration of every yogi- Mohanji
The Supreme Unmanifested Shiva
Shiva is the supreme unmanifested. The supreme power, the supreme energy, the supreme creator, the source of all creation, the soul of all creation. This is Shiva. And Shiva continues through all the entities which are animate or inanimate in this world and Shiva represents the whole consciousness, the consciousness which is beyond all the space, all the times, all the materials and all the beings. So Shiva is an enigma, Shiva is you, Shiva is me, and Shiva is pervading the whole universe. You can call Shiva any name.
Shiva linga
When I say Shiva, it is the supreme unmanifested represented by the Shiva linga, the egg-shaped material which contains the whole universe or which represents the whole universe. The first form is an egg shape, and Shiva linga can contain the maximum possible energy and that is why all the atomic reservoirs of the world are in the form of Shiva linga.
Shiva is an aspiration of every yogi, anybody who is walking the path of spirituality. He is the ultimate yogi, one who is absolutely established in stillness, who is behind every activity but at the same time is totally inactive, somebody who is not pushed into thinking, pushed into talking or pushed into action, somebody who is established in absolute stillness, but the source of every action. Even when he is extremely dynamic, he is extremely still.
He is the ultimate yogi god. I say ‘he’ but he is genderless. ‘He’ is both Shiva and Shakti. The latent, the power, the energy aspect, and the creative aspect. ‘He’ is Ardhanarishvara, half-man, half-woman, both genders merge in the supreme entity.
So Shiva is something which cannot be explained in any terms or cannot be understood through the intellect. Shiva needs to be experienced. And when you experience Shiva, you become Shiva, and when you become Shiva, you are absolutely still, the mind completely collapses, dissolves, and you become completely occupied in the state of Shiva,
and Shiva is definitely a state, a feeling, a bhav, and in that bhav, it’s total bliss – satchitananda, complete bliss state or the state of perpetual bliss. Shiva is beyond time, beyond space, beyond all the gunas, all the flavours. He is called the time as well as the timelessness.
He is called the eyes or the wisdom, or the third eye to see the whole universe, or the perpetual state of being the whole universe. So when a yogi stills his mind, and becomes Shiva, he is not separate from Shiva, he becomes one with Shiva.
Shiva can be called any name, Para Brahma, Maha Vishnu, Brahman, Godess… anything whatever you call it is the supreme unmanifested. All the manifestations came from the supreme unmanifested and will dissolve back into the supreme unmanifested at some point in time. So we have to consider Shiva as everything… or nothing.
Shivarathri
Shivarathri is one day dedicated to the connection or increasing the connection with Lord Shiva. On this day people fast, they do not eat food, they sometimes eat once or they do not eat any food at all. And they connect to the aspect of Shiva within themselves using chants of om namah shivaya or any of the chants of Shiva. Depending on the people’s flavour or style, it can be bhakti, devotion, you can keep chanting and connecting, or jnana, through the knowledge, reading the books about Shiva or connecting on that level, or raja yoga path,
dissolving the mind and becoming Shiva, or the service path, karma yoga path which by serving and feeding the poor, animals and birds. Or we can collect everything together and do yogic practices, you can do all these aspects together in one day and also connect to Shiva in any level, connecting to the spine and feeling the breath through the spine to the top of the head and back.
You can also operate on the energy level inside doing the abishek of Shiva linga, the form of the supreme unmanifested, the superconsciousness in the form of linga. It is said that not even a drop of water is wasted or goes unrecorded if it falls on the Shiva linga, which means every drop of water that we pour on the linga enhances our connection with the supreme unmanifested, the power of Shiva.
Shiva is a state and it is the state that we are aspiring to reach and in that state we do not exist as the separate being from the consciousness called Shiva, we become one with Shiva.
It also represents that we are surrendering the darkness inside us to the light. Shiva state is supreme brightness, absolute brilliance. So when we surrender the darkness which is the ignorance in us at the feet of the Lord, we become bright, we become one with the god. So we are also taking the bath in the supreme brightness on that day. When we keep the inner space clean, Shiva resides there.
The energy called Shiva exists in you. You become the temple of Shiva. We aspire to make our inner space a temple of Shiva (Shiva, Vishnu, Krishna… don’t worry about the manifested forms, I am talking about the consciousness which is unmanifested).
If you keep the inner space clean, the unmanifested supreme consciousness in the form of brightness stays inside you and you will become a beacon of light to the world outside. This is exactly what we are aspiring to be by Shivarathri. You become brightness so that the whole world becomes brighter because of you.
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