Ultimately the yogi must be guided by the Divine from within his own consciousne

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Who is God?

 

Since yoga is a practical matter, we need some workable, pragmatic

understanding of the nature of God. For how will we seek and

recognize Him if we have no idea who He is? Patanjali supplies us

with exactly the kind of definition we need: " Ishwara is a

particular Spirit Who is untouched by the afflictions of life,

actions [karma] and the results and impressions [conditionings]

produced by these actions. " 1

 

The unique Being

 

God is a Person in the fullest sense of the term. Furthermore, He is

a special, unique Person–not just abstract Existence or Being. God

is a " particular " being in the sense that God can be " picked out "

or " singled out " from among all other things or beings.

 

Though God is within all things and all things are within Him, yet

He stands apart.2 For God is unique in the sense that He is Ekam

Evam Advityam Brahman–the God Who is One, Only, Without a Second. He

is not one of many, nor is He even one of two. He is ONE in every

sense of the term. God is neither conditioned nor confined in any

manner. Therefore He is not touched or tainted by the afflictions or

faults of life (relative existence), in contrast to us who live

within them as though they were the air we breathe and the basis of

our existence. Nor is Ishwara bound or in any way conditioned by

actions; therefore He is ever unchanging.

 

Infinite Consciousness: Omniscience

 

God is the essence and the apex of Consciousness, so Patanjali

further says: " In Him is the highest limit of omniscience. " 3

Commenting on this, Shankara says: " The all-pervading mind of the

supreme Lord is in simultaneous contact with every object. " The

omniscience of God is total and absolute, for in truth God is

Omnipotence, Omniscience, and Omnipresence.

 

Then for the yogi Patanjali introduces a significant fact. He does

not just say that omniscience (sarvajña) is in God, but that the

seed of omniscience (sarvajña bijam) is in Him. Within God is the

seed or potentiality of omniscience for those who are united with

Him through their practice of yoga. Omniscience is not just

objective knowledge, but infinity of consciousness–the Being of God

Himself.

 

The two Selves

 

" Who am I? " is the age-old question asked with " Who is God? " The

true " I " of each sentient being is the individual spirit, the self

(atman). But there is more. God (Brahman) is the Self of the self–as

the ocean is the " self " of every wave. The illumined know that they

are the immortal self whose ultimate Self is the Immortal Itself. We

are spirits within Spirit, in a wondrous way both ourselves and

Brahman, both finite and infinite.

 

" Like two birds of golden plumage, inseparable companions, the

individual self and the immortal Self are perched on the branches of

the selfsame tree. The former tastes of the sweet and bitter fruits

of the tree; the latter, tasting of neither, calmly observes. The

individual self, deluded by forgetfulness of his identity with the

divine Self, bewildered by his ego, grieves and is sad. But when he

recognizes the worshipful Lord as his own true Self, and beholds his

glory, he grieves no more. " 4

 

" That being who is the power of all powers, and is born as such, who

embodies himself in the elements and in them exists, and who has

entered the lotus of the heart, is the immortal self. " 5

 

" In the effulgent lotus of the heart dwells Brahman, who is

passionless and indivisible. He is pure, he is the light of lights.

Him the knowers of the self attain. " 6

 

" Brahman is supreme; he is self-luminous, he is beyond all thought.

Subtler than the subtlest is he, farther than the farthest, nearer

than the nearest. He resides in the lotus of the heart of every

being. " 7

 

" He who glows in the depths of your eyes–that is Brahman; that is

the Self of yourself. He is the Beautiful One, he is the Luminous

One. In all the worlds, forever and ever, he shines! " 8

 

Meditation is the key to knowledge of the self and the Self of the

self. Knowing one, both are known–so say the sages. " Wise, self-

controlled, and tranquil souls, who are contented in spirit, and who

practice austerity and meditation in solitude and silence, are freed

from all impurity, and attain by the path of liberation to the

Immortal, the truly existing, the changeless Self. " 9

 

God is the guru of all

 

Since God is eternal, it is from Him that all knowledge has come–

especially the revelation of spiritual truth. As Vyasa

observes: " His purpose is to give grace to living beings, by

teaching knowledge and dharma [righteousness or religion]. " " There

is no other but God to give the teaching which is a boat by which

they can cross over the sea of samsara, and He teaches knowledge and

dharma to those who take sole refuge in Him.…For all the kinds of

knowledge arise from Him, as sparks of fire from a blaze or drops of

water from the sea, " says Shankara. Therefore Patanjali

concludes: " Being unconditioned by time He is Guru even of the

Ancients. " 10

 

Dwelling in the hearts of all, God continues to be the guru of

questing souls. This does not mean that qualified spiritual teachers

are not helpful to us, but ultimately the yogi must be guided by the

Divine from within his own consciousness. Therefore the great poet-

saint Tukaram wrote in one of his hymns: " The guru-disciple

relationship is a sign of immaturity. " 11

 

Who is God?

www.atmajyoti.org/me_om_yoga_book_03.asp

 

 

1) Yoga Sutras 1:24

 

2) " They are contained in me, but I am not in them…I stand apart

from them all, supreme and deathless " (Bhagavad Gita 7:12, 13). " For

my spirit stands apart, watching over Maya, the maker " (Bhagavad

Gita 9:9). " Standing apart, He sustains " (Bhagavad Gita 13:14). " He

is within and without: He lives in the live and the lifeless: subtle

beyond mind's grasp; so near us, so utterly distant " (Bhagavad Gita

13:15). " Although I am not within any creature, all creatures exist

within me " (Bhagavad Gita 9:4).

 

3) Yoga Sutras 1:25

 

4) Mundaka Upanishad 3.1.1,2

 

5) Katha Upanishad 2:1:7

 

6) Mundaka Upanishad 2.2.9

 

7) Mundaka Upanishad 3.1.7

 

8) Chandogya Upanishad 4:15:1

 

9) Mundaka Upanishad 1.2.11

 

10) Yoga Sutras 1:26

 

11) Tukaram's Teachings by S. R. Sharma, p. 20

 

 

Dear All,

 

For a few years i have been insisting that it is possible to

meditate anywhere, anytime on the Divine Mother within, and it is

not necessary to have Shri Mataji's photo. i have also insisted that

Shri Mataji is just the incarnation of the Devi and that we should

thus meditate on the Shakti within ............. and discard Her

external manifestation.

 

This has caused a lot of distress and commotion amongst the ignorant

rank and file i.e., the vast majority of SYs. It is pointless

arguing with them. One day Shri Mataji will leave - SYs will then be

compelled to understand that " ultimately the yogi must be guided by

the Divine from within his own consciousness. "

 

For all the time, devotion and sacrifice of Shri Mataji over decades

to enlighten SYs they have hardly understood 10% of Her Divine

Message ......... and i am in a generous Christmas mood. i do not

consider SYs to be better enlightened than the rest of humanity,

perhaps only marginally. But if you use their Sahaja Yoga Subtle

System Religion knowledge as a yardstick to gauge enlightenment the

rest of humanity is better off. At least some of the later are

illumined enough to know that " ultimately the yogi must be guided

by the Divine from within his own consciousness. " i never once heard

a SY saying the same in all my years in the collective/organization.

In fact it is till today still regarded as an Agnya problem, one of

the mind-numbing catches of the official SYSSR. It is indeed a great

blessing to break free from this ignorant collective bunch and be

guided by the Antharayamin. i wish the same blessings to all.

 

regards,

 

jagbir

 

Indweller (Antharayamin) is the only Being worth realizing

http://www.adishakti.org/forum/indweller_antharayamin_is_the_only_being_worth_co\

nsidering_and_realizing_8-31-2006.htm

 

Indweller (Antharayamin) is Shakti/Holy Spirit/Ruh/Eykaa Mayee

http://www.adishakti.org/forum/indweller_antharayamin_is_shakti_holy_spirit_ruh_\

eykaa_mayee_only_being_worth_realizing_9-1-2006.htm

 

Indweller (Antharayamin) - Liberation (moksha) consists in realizing this

http://www.adishakti.org/forum/indweller_antharayamin_liberation_moksha_consists\

_in_realizing_this_identity_by_own_personal_experience_8-02-2006.htm

 

Indweller (Antaryamin) of Granth drawn from Brihadaranyaka Upanishad

http://www.adishakti.org/forum/indweller_antarjami_or_antaryamin_of_granth-drawn\

_from_brihadaranyaka_upanishad_9-04-2006.htm

 

" The supreme divinity, Lalita, is one's own blissful Self. "

http://www.adishakti.org/forum/the_supreme_divinity_Lalita_is_ones_own_blissful-\

self_bhavana_upanishad%201.27_10-07-2006.htm

 

" The supreme divinity, Lalita, is one’s own blissful Self. " #1

http://www.adishakti.org/forum/supreme_divinity_lalita_is_ones_own_blissful_self\

_1_11-08-2006.htm

 

" The supreme divinity, Lalita, is one’s own blissful Self. " #2

http://www.adishakti.org/forum/the_supreme_divinity_Lalita_is_ones_own_blissful_\

self_bhavana_upanishad_2_macaroni_mess_11-21-2006.htm