What is YOGA: A Science of Spirituality

BIBLIOGRAPHY

Introduction

Often people are writing books on yoga these days, but they are limiting it only to the bodily improvement aspect of yoga. Discussion of merely body postures (aasnas) with few physical exercises leaves the main field of yoga untouched. Yoga means to attain union with God, to attain oneness with God. Yoga is a science of spirituality; it deals with atman or the soul. How we can eliminate soul or the atman and still call it a being? A being means a soul or atman living in a physical body. Discussing yoga omitting the central theme of yoga is like eating banana by peeling but eating its outer skin. It is like eating husk instead of corn. Other few ones are just churning its incomplete theory without any valid practical approach. Yoga is a practical way of life, which any body can live and take advantage of it. It is not confined to a particular group or to a particular community. Yoga can cure most of the diseases even without medication. It can convert the incurable disease to curable. It can eliminate one’s all sufferings associated with the cycle of birth and death once and for all, by providing final liberation to its participant.

Any body can have the experiences of yoga who is bent on self-purification both internal and external that is purification of the body as well as purification of the mind. I have devoted fourty-six years of my life to this path of yoga. What I have learned from the company of my great sant yogi guru and other great sadhus, sants and yogis, going through different experimentation processes in all these years. I feel compelled to share my all these valuable experiences with those ones, whose minds are striving, for finding an ultimate solution to all their sufferings. Who are open minded and ready to engage in their own introspection. Who are eager to dig deep in themselves in search of their own soul or atman. I hope this book can indicate them the starting point.

A General Overview:

Starting from the perishableness of this world, everything, everybeing of this world perishes with the passage of time. Where human life is a short chance provided by God to a human to liberate him-self from all sufferings associated with the repeated cycle of birth and death. But with what fake ego, human wanders on this earth considering him self merely a physical body, in ignorance to his trueself. A physical body, which is nothing more than a bag full of different types of excretions.

Poor human without realizing his real purpose of life, indulges in all types of crooked activities just for the sake of collecting wealth, with the desire to become the most richest and famous person in this world, and that too never accompanies anybody beyond death. Nobody can escape the final punishment for his wrong acts performed here on earth, from the final court of God after death. And the poor human after making his last journey painful, ends up stalling in hell for the period of thirty-five million years that is what Lord Shri Krishan said in Garbh Gita.

But if he wakes up from the sleep of ignorance and recognizes the preciousness of human life, by observing the greatness of God for providing him all the comforts and commodities of life, and recognizes his own crookedness by understanding the cause for the creation of this universe – Maya, the creative power of God. By understanding the link between his own crookedness and Maya, one realizes how all his actions are affected by Maya. One realizes how everybody gets the reward of his own karmas (action). When one understands the law of karma, then and only then he understands that all his sufferings are the rewards of his own karmas (actions). Then he thinks to get rid of all his sufferings, when he feels completely exhausted and tired of all sufferings. Thus he concludes that there must be some controller who controls this universe. Then he assumes that there is someone who is responsible for delivering the reward to everybody’s karmas (actions). And that someone is God. That is the point, where the need for belief in God arises. This is the situation where one recognizes the creator of this universe. How the contact with the creator of this universe – God, can be established, this is what the yoga tells all about. This is the point, where a need for a true sant yogi is realized. But only God knows, who is true sant yogi. That is why a prayer to God is needed for connecting to a true sant yogi. A single solution to all problems, to end all sufferings and miseries, once and for all, is the real contact with a true sant yogi guru. This helps in attaining internal enlightenment for knowing eternal righteousness and for the recognition of true religion beyond all labels. And it emerges through different yogic experiences.

Chapter – by – chapter summary of the contents:

First chapter - Perishableness of This World and Preciousness of Human Life covers, how everything and everybeing is short lived. – Is there any higher order of justice beyond this world? – Difference between this world’s justice and God’s final court’s justice. - Existence of hell and heaven and where they are. – What is hell and what is heaven? – Preciousness of human life. - Are these in this world or beyond this world? – The inability of human to see his own soul or atman. – Human and all other beings have three things in common. – What is death?

Second chapter Greatness of God and Crookedness in Human covers, how God created everything for human being, being so kind to him, provided him every comfort of life. – God the creator and controller of all beings. – Crookedness in human. – What constitutes crookedness.

Third chapter How Maya is the Cause of This Universe covers the description of Maya. – Maya creative power of God also called Shakti. – Three modes (gunnas) of Maya: satvik, rajas, and tamsik and their interaction with ego. – The vastness of Maya with all its elements. – Two forms of Maya, one the creative power of God and the second is concealment. – What is jiva? – Is wealth Maya?

Forth chapter The Law of Karma covers the importance of karma (action). – Types of karma with reference to time. – Types of karma with reference to different states of mind. – Role and importance of karma in our life. – How right action at the right time is important.

Fifth chapter How the Human Sufferings can end covers the role and importance of sufferings in our life. – The positive aspect of sufferings – how they can become blessing. – How they become curse? – Who can help in reaching to an end to all sufferings? – Qualities of true sadhus sants yogis with references from Shri Ramchritmanas, Shri Bhagwad Gita, and from shri Chander vani.

Sixth chapter why we need God in our life covers all those questions which once in a while occupy the mind of a common man. – Who believes in God? – Two categories of people, one of Ddevic (angelic) nature, and other of Devilish nature. – Importance of human choice.

Seventh chapter What is Yoga, covers the theoretical aspect of Yoga. – Why we need Yoga? – Three things for consideration – conscious jeeva or atman, three-fold Prakirti, and Parbrahm or Purshotma. – What is Liberation? – Yoga sadhna in Brahm-sutra. – Importance of Yoga in Moksha or Liberation. – References of Yoga practice in Vaishesika. – References of Yoga practice in Nyaya. – The Tradition of Yoga. – Patanjali Yoga. – Mind in relation to different senses. - What is mind, senses, intellect and atman? – What is Maya or avidya? – Different aspects of mind. – Jabaldarshan Upanisad: Eight fold Path Yoga. – Meh Upanisad: Seven stages Yoga. – Nine fold Bhakti Yoga from Shri Ramchritmanas. – Nishkam karma Yoga from Shri Bhagwad Gita.

Eighth chapter Prayer to God covers, who indulges in prayer to God and when. – Benefits of prayer. – Types of prayer. – Is the prayer answered how we can test? – What is required for a prayer to be answered? – Who can help in establishing intimacy with God – Need for prayer to God for getting connected with a true sant yogi – How to recognize a true sant yogi? – When prayer to God is heard. – Drawback of getting connected to a fake sant yogi.

Ninth chapter Need for a Sant Yogi Guru covers, the importance of yogi guru in one’s life. – Yoga a science of spirituality. – Difference between teacher and a sant yogi guru. – Why sant yogi guru is needed on the path of yoga, references from Shri Bhagwad Gita, Shri Ramchritmanas, and Shri Chander vani. – Way of complete devotion to one’s sant yogi guru and God. – What is word, word power, and guru deeksha? – The Three Practical Stages of Yoga: first Formal Bhakti, second Striving for one’s Personal God, third Realization of God’s phenomena and personal God. – Jiwan mukat (alive liberated).

Tenth chapter What is Religion, covers definition of religion and what constitutes religion. – In elements of religion, Satya or the Absolute Reality, Ahinsa, types of ahinsa, Patience, Austerity, Mercy, Forgiveness, Soft-speech, Charity, types of charity, and types of donors, Rectified views, Contentment. – What contentment is and how it can be attained. – How, to deliver goodness, is the real theme of religion?

Eleventh chapter Yogic Experiences of Different People covers, individual experiences of people, who had the quest and courage to test the validity of this great path of yoga. – Confusion of Disbelief. – Revelation of Lord Shiv Shankar. – Revelation of Lord Shiv Shankar about Future. – Revelation of Lord Shiv Shankar through the medium of snake. – When God Answered My Prayer. – Appearance of Sant Yogi Guru in My Life. – Testing the Immanence of God in Every Being. – Self-devotion Test. –Vision of Ghosts.

I have used the words, ‘follower’ and ‘disciple’ in this book. A ‘follower’ after receiving guru deeksha from his yogi guru just follows the advice of his yogi guru for the rest of his life for attaining his own goal. He is not entitled to impart guru deeksha to others for guiding their spiritual path. He can get married and can lead regular family life.

A ‘disciple’ after obtaining guru deeksha in a specific ritual, in the presence of few other people, has to follow strictly the path of his yogi guru. In some yogic sects: once he resolves to adopt the path of a disciple, he has to stay virgin for the rest of his life. He becomes responsible for leading the dynasty of his yogi guru to the next generation. He is entitled to impart guru deeksha mantra to others, who qualify for it. In the mean time by providing deeksha mantra he becomes responsible for guiding their spiritual path in the right direction. Any misguidance or incomplete guidance on the part of a new yogi guru can induce his followers or disciples for indulging in wrong acts. But the punishment, they receive for their wrong acts, in the final court of God, is equally shared by their yogi guru, because ultimately he is held responsible for it. So to become yogi guru of someone involves taking responsibility of someone’s actions for guiding him in the right direction.

I have mentioned the words – sadhu, sant, and yogi in this book, although in the true sense, they all bear the same meaning, that is the one who strives for oneness with God. But also sometime they can carry their individual limited meaning with them too, which can misguide anyone in recognizing them.

As the word ‘yoga’ originally means to attain oneness with God. And yogi is the person who strives for attaining this oneness. But some people these days are limiting the credibility of yoga by describing it only, a great system, which works for bringing improvement in physical body health, through its different body-postures (aasnas), and yogic exercises. Thus incurring the possibility of eliminating couple of diseases through it, and by doing this they are proclaiming themselves the great yogi’s too, while loosing the real essence of yoga.

A true yogi has to pass through intensive concentration, deep meditation and complete devotion to God, undergoing through all the abstentions required for self-cultivation and self-purification. It is a process of living in austerity, or sadhna, or we may call it self-discipline. No one can become a yogi, just by cramming few Sanskrit mantras and then delivering discourses on yoga in front of big crowds.

When someone immerses himself in real yoga, how he can still be caught, by any disease after that. Nobody can claim the beneficialness of yoga, without indulging in self-purification. Yoga can eliminate all the sufferings of birth and death, while providing liberation to its true participants. How it can leave his worldly disease untouched? Yoga is a spiritual science, involving experiments with one’s own self, a practical way of life. It is not limited to theoretical reading and indulging in making bodily postures and yogic exercises.

In its true sense a sadhu is a person, who has either removed all his crookedness from his heart, or he is still struggling for removing it, on his way to achieving oneness with God. Or he is the one, who indulges in austerity, sadhna, or self-discipline for attaining this goal.

On the other hand there are some people, who indulge in austerity, sadhna, or self-discipline not for attaining oneness with God, or attaining liberation, but for gaining control over evil powers. So that they can do whatever they like, for acquiring worldly materialistic things and fame, while still labeling themselves sadhus.

In its true sense, a sant is a person, whose all confusions related to this world due to his ignorance have come to an end, through the eruption of his inner self knowledge. Who has no attachment with any being or anything of this world, who has raised himself above all worldly desires. Who visualizes his God everywhere and in everything, who has nothing to attain more yet. He is a sant.

On the other hand, some people carrying all the worldly desires in their heart, running after every comfort of life, and still proclaim themselves the most real sants of today.

A sant yogi is a person, who has attained self-realization through the process of yoga. Who has arisen above all the desires of this world, and of heaven. Who has realized the immanence of God in everything and everybeing. Whose all karmas including meditation and concentration are completely devoted to God (Hari). Who is waiting for his final liberation from the cycle of birth and death, and all sufferings associated with it. He is a true sant yogi, who has attained eternal peace in his innerself, once for all.

I have no words to explain the unaccountable great qualities of true sadhus, sants, and yogis, and I can never have, because they are so numerous.’ O God,’ what can I say about a true sadhu, a sant or a yogi?

I can only say:

He lives for you

He dies for you

Like mad man wandering

The vision of God

What you blessed him

He looks why for you.

Swami Tehal Dass

Perishableness of This World

And Preciouness of Human Life

This world is only an illusion. It is not real. It is changing all the time continuously. In every bit of a second it changes, nothing is stable. Watch the water waves standing from the bank of a stream, how fast they emerge and how fast they disappear, one after another, in the same way life emerges and perishes.

The great Yogi Shri Chander says:

Dhuj pekhhu narayaneh sang mrituh lagaie!

Eak aaweh eak jawhi thir rahe na kaie!

Lammi pari bahir,

Sab jag chalta pekhiea peer fakeer ameer!

Badshah Umrav khan dhah