Dharma Kshetra

When were a new born baby, we were of one feet height. When we are grown into adulthood, we may be of five or six feet height. The body is changing but the "I" remains the same who witnesses the changes. If the "I" is not changing at all, if there is really birth and death to this "I"? What happens to this "I" after the death of physical body?

Very few of us see life as it really is. Most of us see things only as we are, looking at others through our own likes and dislikes, interests and fears. It is this separatist outlook that fragments unity in life - person against person, community against community, nation against nation. In fact no man is an island and he is bound to other persons from womb to tomb.

In order to see life as it is, one undivided whole, we have to shed all attachment to personal gain, power, prestige or ego. Otherwise we will be only looking at life through our individual conditioning, and we will see the world not as it is, but as conditioned by our likes and dislikes.

Through many years of such conditioning, trying again and again to satisfy our ego, we have come to believe that this is our real personality. In reality it is just a mask of ego which we have merely forgotten how to take off. Beneath the mask is all the glory of our real Self; complete fearlessness, unconditional love, and abiding joy.

When Gandhiji succeeded in taking off his mask and 'making himself zero' through many years of living for others rather than for himself, he found that what he had eliminated from his personality was only his separateness, his selfishness, his fears. What remained was the love and fearlessness that had been hidden there all the time.

A person always resides in one of the below three states:

• Awakened state: Here a person is aware of his body and mind.
• Dream state: Here a person is aware of his mind but not body.
• Deep sleep: Here a person is aware of neither body nor mind. In that state a person is neither rich nor poor, neither ignorant nor wise, not a man or woman. He is not a Hindu or Christian or American or Chinese. He is, just he is, in true state - his true Self.

But a man cannot be aware of this true state in deep sleep. This state can be consciously experienced only in deep meditation. In meditation a person rises above the identities such as gender, religion, language, nationality and can see the universe with clear perception. Meditative experience also helps the seeker to easily understand the teachings of Upanishads.

There are many versions of meditations, chief among them being focusing on breath or an object, chanting a mantra repeatedly or occasionally, etc. We will use the last version in our practice in this book. It is advisable that meditation is practiced under the supervision of an able teacher. In the absence of such a teacher, the below method can be followed.

Pick any word of your choice, but small and easy enough to remember and pronounce. It can be Om, or Ram, or the name of your favourite God.

The word calms the mind and prepares it for meditation, which is the key to transformation of character and consciousness. Meditation is not religious. It is a dynamic discipline independent of any belief, in which all one's powers of concentration are brought to bear upon one overriding ideal to drive it deep into every cell of the mind, until it gradually consumes all smaller ideals and goals.

Through this discipline one enters the deepest levels of consciousness, where the storms of deep seated conflicts rage continuously night and day. It is at these awesome depths, as Gandhiji put it, that love wrestles with anger and fear 'and ultimately gains mastery over all other feelings.'

Prior to meditation, do not eat too much or too little, because such conditions are not suitable for meditation. You should be neither hungry nor too sleepy, with stomach full of food.

Switch off your phone, because even a small sound can be very alarming in deep state of meditation. Request others not to disturb you at least for 15-30 minutes and choose a secluded room or area.

Sit in a chair neither too high nor too low, so that you can feel comfortable with your feet touching the ground.

Hold your body, head and neck firmly in a straight line so that you don't slouch and keep your eyes closed.

You will notice that your mind constantly keeps changing between the below three states.

• In the first state, a new thought (about some object or idea) generates.
• The continuation of above thought is the second state.
• Suddenly above thought ends, and this is the third state.

Then again a new thought starts in mind and continues for some time and then ends. Thus the mind always switches between these three states of thought. Waves of thought are produced in a stream one after the other.

Do not indulge in stopping a current thought or starting a new thought or continuing the current thought. At constant time intervals (say 15 seconds apart), chant your word of choice, in mind, without opening lips. You should be able to do this meditation effortlessly, without much struggle.

Schedule 15-30 minutes for meditation and plan to come out of this meditative state after this duration.

Meditation experience includes '"being in a state which is neither wakefulness, sleeping or dreaming", and "becoming detached from physical self". Meditation also relieves stress and enables us to better focus our thoughts and energies.

They see the Self in every creature and all creation in the Self. With consciousness unified through meditation, they see everything with impartiality (The Bhagavad Gita 6-29).

Bramhan is ever present to those who have realized Him in every creature. Seeing all life as His manifestations, they are never separated from Him (The Bhagavad Gita and 6-30)

Though our relationship with the world is impermanent, our relationship with God is eternal. To explain about our relationship with God, Truth, Consciousness sages have used two words - Atman and Brahman.

In meditation, sages discovered a core of consciousness beyond time and space. Even though a person's body and mind experience changes in time such as childhood, youth and old age, there is an identity that remains changeless and stands witness to the changes happening to the body and mind.

This core of consciousness is also beyond space in the sense that it is not confined to one particular limb or organ, and there is no beginning, middle or end points to this core. The sages referred to this core of consciousness as individual soul or Atman, Inner Witness, the Divine Self (referring God as the in-dweller in each individual).

In profound meditation, the sages also discovered that there is an indivisible unity, Truth, Consciousness pervading the entire universe. They called it Brahman. Brahman is the Supreme Godhead, Who is the cause of creation, preservation and dissolution of universe. Brahman is also referring God as transcendent in endless universe (beyond the perception of our senses and thinking). Brahman is one and infinite. There cannot be two or more infinites because that means they end by limiting each other.

Brahman is also described with the word 'Sat-chit-ananda' meaning Sat (ever existing), Chit (Consciousness) and Ananda (blissful). The word Satya (Truth) is derived from 'Sat' which means 'Being'.

But there is no real separation between Atman and Brahman. Brahman is the mighty ocean whereas individual Atman is a tiny water drop. God as Truth is inherent in both Atman and Brahman.

In other words, Truth is present in each one of us as Atman, Inner Witness, Divine Self, and at the same time present as Brahman pervading the endless universe. Truth is subtler than the subtlest and grosser than the grossest.

An atheist deluded by tamasic ignorance and rajasic arrogance cannot find God anywhere whereas a theist can find God everywhere. If we are evil, there is no place, either inside of us or outside of us, where we can run away and hide from Truth or overpower it. Truth is Omnipresent, Omniscient, Omnipotent and Eternal.

There is no place, either inside or outside of us, where Truth can be hid, contained, in this world or anywhere in this endless universe. As all seeing four lions in Indian national emblem declare 'Truth alone Triumphs.'

In deep meditation every trace of separateness ("I", "mine", "my") disappears and life seems an undivided whole. A man experiences a state that is beyond the normal three states of wakefulness, dream and deep sleep. This is called Turiya state, the fourth dimensional.

Once this vast and vivid experience of One Self has dawned, there will be a tremendous surge of true love in a person for the whole world around. He finds his fulfilment only in recognizing the same divinity in every form, and his satisfaction in serving all names and forms as God's own forms. To him the world of names and forms is all a fabulous entertainment.

That was the occasion of 'Vishwa Roopa Sandarshanam (Cosmic Vision)' when Arjuna found in deep meditation, in the fourth dimensional state of Turiya, that he was not separate from Krishna, Truth, Consciousness, Who is Omni pervasive and has many forms and names.

But a person cannot remain in Turiya state of fourth dimension for a long time. After a while, awareness of body and mind returns, and then the conventional world of multiplicity rushes in again.

What is it that makes Truth appear to be a world of separate transient objects?

It is because of maya constituting Sattva, Rajas and Tamas that makes us believe that we are the body rather than Atman and perceive the world in fragments. One way to overcome maya is practising raja yoga.

Generally people refer to yoga as Hatha Yoga, which is a combination of physical postures that give strength and fitness to the practitioner. However the true meaning of 'Yoga' is 'Union'. It refers to union or oneness with God. Tantra Yoga involves union of male and female with an intention to

conserve vital energy. This path is paved with many dangers and not suitable for ordinary people. Hence only Karma Yoga, Bhakti Yoga, Raja Yoga and Jnana Yoga are explained in this book.

We know that the globe can be divided into imaginary lines such as latitude, longitude, equator, tropic of cancer and Capricorn. Similarly a person's spiritual body can be divided into seven chakras starting from Mooladhara Chakra at the bottom to Sahasrara at the top. His spiritual energy lies coiled down as a serpent near Mooladhara Chakra. When awakened with spiritual practices, this energy reaches Sahasrara and this rising up is called 'Kundalini awakening' or 'Self-Realization'.

Intense spiritual practices enable a practitioner to obtain super natural powers, called 'siddhis'. That could become the path of sever penance where a meditator wants to reach God, but overcome by selfish desires, wants to become God himself, and finally brings his own demise.

Our aim in meditation is just to realize our relationship with God, Truth, and Consciousness. We should not run after siddhis (supernatural powers), but stick to our main goal which is liberation. So instead of dwelling too much in Raja Yoga, we should adhere to Jnana Yoga, Bhakti Yoga and Karma Yoga.

Raja Yoga is also called Ashtanga Yoga (the eight limbs leading to absolute mental control). Sage Patanjali compiled the below eight limbs in Yoga Sutras as progressive steps which purify the body and mind, ultimately leading the aspirant to enlightenment.

• Yamas: These are five moral restraints (Don'ts) that should be practiced in thought, word and deed.
• a: Non-violence, non-harming other beings
• : Truthfulness or non-falsehood
• : Non-stealing
• : Chastity, marital fidelity or sexual restraint. Bramhacharya, as commonly believed, does not mean abstaining from sex or staying unmarried. It should be noted that Krishna and Arjuna had wives and obtained offspring. It is nature's design that life procreates and multiplies. True brahmacharya means being conscious of the fact that one is Atman which is not separate from Brahman. Great achievers don't indulge in meaningless sensual pleasures but channelize their sexual energy towards higher purposes.
• : Non-possession
• Niyamas: These include virtuous habits and character (Do's) as below
• : purity and cleanliness of body and mind
• : contentment, optimism, acceptance of others, acceptance of one's circumstances as they are in order to get past or change them,
• : austerity
• : study of sacred texts
• : contemplation of Ishvara (surrender to God's Will)
• Asanas: Asana is a posture that one can hold for a period of time, staying relaxed, steady, comfortable and motionless. Patanjali did not list any specific asana, except the suggestion, 'Sthira Shukhasanam (posture one can hold with comfort and motionlessness)'. The posture that causes pain or restlessness is not a yogic posture. Later yoga scholars developed and recommended numerous postures such as Padmasana (lotus), Savasana (corpse), Vajrasana (heroic), Bhujangasana (serpent) etc. Asanas help a practitioner to maintain physical fitness.
• Pranayama: It is a combination of two Sanskrit words prana (breath) and ayama (restraining). It is the practice of consciously regulating breath (through inhalation and exhalation). This is done for instance, inhaling and then holding breath for a period (Kumbhaka), exhaling and then holding breath for a period (Rechaka), and repeating these cycles. Pranayama helps a person to be of good health by proper supply of oxygen to various organs.
• Pratyahara: It is a combination of two Sanskrit words prati (towards) and ahara (fetch). Pratyahara is fetching and bringing near one's awareness and one's thoughts to within. It is a process of withdrawing one's thoughts from external objects, things, persons, and situations. It is turning one's attention to one's true Self, one's inner world, experiencing and examining self. Pratyahara is not consciously closing one's eyes to the sensory world; it is consciously closing one's mind processes to the sensory world.
• Dharana: It means concentration and one-pointedness of mind. The mind is fixed on a mantra or object or one's breath without jumping from one thought to another.
• Dhyana: It means "contemplation or reflection".
• Samadhi: It is the state of ecstasy where one's mind is so absorbed in whatever it is contemplating on, that the mind loses the sense of its own identity. There is no distinction between the meditator, the act of meditation and the subject of meditation. There is only oneness.