A Brahma Jnani Vijnani Speaks...

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Sri Abhinava Vidyatirtha Mahasannidhaam, the late

Jagadguru of Sri Sringeri Sarada Mahapitham is undoubtedly one of the

greatest of the yogis to have incarnated in the recent times. Here is

a selection of some of the Upadesha that he gave to a close disciple.

He even instructed the disciple not to reveal these to anyone, until

the Acharya left his physical form. The disciple recorded these

accounts of the great guru earnestly. I have missed many important

parts, especially the ones in which he describes about his first

vision of Mahatripurasundari and also some invaluable description of

Sri Nrisimha Sadhana. Anyway, here is what I feel would inspire

Sadhakas, also taking care to respect the Acharya's wish not to

reveal these completely in the public. Here are some selections, in

the form of a narration by the great Guru himself!

 

 

I spoke of my experiences regarding the vision of the various

forms of Lord Narayana to my guru (i.e. Sri Chandrasekhara Bharati

Mahaswamigal). He listened carefully, but spoke not a word. Later

that day, he sent me a sheet of paper that contained a few Shlokas

from the Vishnu Purana. Later, as per my request, Acharya himself

read out those verses aloud, which were selected from the portion

that deals with Keshidhwaja's Upadesha to Khaandikya. It may be

translated roughly as follows: `O king, the yogi should meditate on

the Lord, completely fixing his mind on the form of Sri Narayana. He

should see Narayana as being resplendent with crown, ornaments and

Keyoora, holding Shaarga, conch, mace, discus, sword, rosary, Abhaya

Mudra and Varada Mudra in his eight hands. This form of the Lord

should stay in him all the time, whether standing, walking or

involved in some work. If this form of the Lord never disappears from

his mind even for a second, it means that complete Siddhi has been

achieved'.

 

 

`The devotee should then meditate on the Lord without any

weapons such as the discus, conch etc., but as simply holding a

rosary of the alphabet. When concentration becomes perfected, the

Lord should be meditated on as without any ornaments or attractive

visuals'.

 

 

After I heard these from the Acharya, I no more restricted my

mind to meditate only on Bala or Nrisimha, as I did all these days. I

started meditating on other forms of Lord as well. I meditated on

Ishwara as seated with Parvati, as Ardhanarishwara, as Dakshinamurthy

and as Nataraja. After fixing my gaze steadily at the eye-brow center

on the form of the Lord, I began to repeat Srividya everyday. I

started with repeating Pranava, because I found Srividya too long to

allow me to fix my concentration on the image of the deity. However,

as days passed, this was no more a problem. Srividya became my all~

time companion. I began my Japa with Pranava, and after a while,

switched over to Srividya or Dakshinamurthy. After a few minutes or

hours of beginning the Japa, the repetition of the mantra stopped

automatically, and my lay fixed entirely on the form of the deity.

 

 

On special occasions like the Shankara jayanti or

Chaturmasya, it would not be possible for me to spend a lot of time

in meditation in the Kalabhairava temple. I would compensate this by

doing extra Japa during the noon and in the night. During one

Chaturmasya, I perfected Dharana on the chosen form of the supreme. I

have heard people complain of their inability to fix their mind

steadily on a deity during meditation. I never experienced this

difficulty, from the very first day. I tried experimenting on this

during a Chaturmasya. I purposely deteriorated my concentration on

Sridevi step by step and observed the mind. The thought waves now

sounded louder and violent. Even the subtle noises outside seemed

loud and distracting. I gradually came up with a few techniques to

overcome this distraction and lack of concentration that bothered

most of my disciples. Repeating powerful mantras like Srividya,

holding the breath temporarily and emphasizing on meditation on a

form of the Lord, were some of the techniques.

 

 

A year had passed by then. One day, as I tried meditating on

Sri Nrisimha, effortlessly, I could perceive Sri Bala Tripurasundari.

That afternoon, I was intensely inspired by some divine force to

meditate on Ambal. I found indescribable bliss in doing so. After a

few months of Sadhana, the moment I closed my eyes, Ambal immediately

stood before my eyes. Then, I began to see Sri Krishna as a child of

around a year, playing his flute and also of Lord Narayana, with

eight hands. It seemed as though the Lord already had prepared a

timetable as to what form I meditated daily on!

 

 

That evening as I sat for my evening meditation in the

premises of Kalabhairava temple, without any effort, Sri Bala stood

before my eyes. Like everyday, I tried to concentrate on her entire

being, but my mind remained fixed on her lotus feet. The joy of that

moment is beyond words. Her feet were vibrating with love and life. I

felt as though this was not a mere vision. This was completely real.

She, my mother, was there right in front of me. This was my first

experience of Savikalpa Samadhi. I forgot everything else, other than

the fact that I was in engrossed in her feet.

 

 

Later that day, Acharya explained about this Samadhi, quoting

a verse from Patanjali's yoga sutra. As the name itself suggests,

this Samadhi still has the Vikalpa or the sense that `I am

meditating'. The complete distinction between the meditator, the

object of meditation and the act of meditating, is not complete. Some

distinction between the deity and the devotee is still present.

However, in the higher realms of Nirvikalpa Samadhi, the feeling

of `I am meditating' is completely destroyed.

 

 

That day, after I entered the realms of Savikalpa Samadhi due

to Bala's grace, I regained bodily consciousness after about one and

a half hours. I slowly got up and went to the temple. To my surprise,

instead of the life-like statue of Sri Sarada, there was the living

form of Bala welcoming me. I approached her and touched her feet. She

vanished from my sight after a few seconds.

 

 

Later, I also experienced the manifestations of Sri Nrisimha,

baby Krishna, and Narayana with eight arms. Gradually I reached a

stage, where in, I could attain Savikalpa Samadhi, using my chosen

deity, at any desired instant. I generally meditated in the sitting

posture, using a yogic Asana. One morning, I tried to attain the

state of Samadhi, as I lay in sleeping posture. I assumed the posture

of Shavasana, lying straight on my back. I imagined my heart lotus to

be upright and in full bloom. I visualized Sri Lakshmi Nrisimha as

being seated on my heart lotus. I gazed at him and in no time, I

attained Samadhi. This confirmed that the posture was no big

hindrance in achieving Samadhi, once concentration was perfected. I

also tried the same with Shirshasana (head ? down posture), and

achieved success. After I returned from Samadhi, I still found myself

in the same posture, without any injury or discomfort. I never

bothered myself again with these experiments regarding postures and

positions.

 

 

I reported most of my experiences to my Acharya. He expressed

his satisfaction at them. However, since he was in Samadhi most of

the time, I restrained myself from approaching him every now and

then. It is well accepted by the wise that by meditating on the Lord

as having attributes, one gradually becomes fir to perceive the

attributeless, formless Parabrahman. The Kaivalya Upanishad asks one

to meditate on Sri Sadashiva as having a blue throat, three eyes,

along with mother Uma, by which one attains the knowledge of the

absolute and the undifferentiated. The Vedanta Kalpataru also

says, `In the mind that is completely brought into control by

meditating on the Saguna Brahman, the attributeless Parabrahman

shines automatically'.

 

 

It was the day of Shukla Navami. I wanted to spend more time

in meditation that particular day. I prepared to leave the Math, an

hour before the sunset. I was then told that my Acharya wanted to see

me. I approached the Acharya, who was seated on his throne, alone in

the room. I prostrated at his lotus feet. He signaled me to take a

seat. He enquired if I was preparing to leave somewhere. I told

him, `Sire, I was about to leave to Kalabhairava temple, where I

meditate daily'. He smiled gently. He remained silent for a moment,

as though immersed in something very important. Then he looked

straight into my being. He again smiled and asked me to leave. I

bowed down in front of the Acharya. As I fell to his feet, he placed

both his hands on my head gently, chanting the Shiva Panchakshari

mantra in a somewhat whisper-like voice thrice. I felt an electrical

current run through my entire body. When I recovered from that

strange but pleasant situation, his hands were still lying on my

head. My mind was now filled with an intense desire to meditate on

Ishwara.

 

 

I went back to my room, collected my Vastra and Asana, and

proceeded towards Kalabhairava Temple, which is situated on a small

hill. My assistant followed me. I was a few feet away from

Sacchidanandavilasa (Acharya's residence), when I heard some one

clapping. I turned back to see the Acharya standing in front of the

door, looking at me. I turned back to move towards him, but he

motioned me to proceed towards the temple. But he signaled my

assistant to return. My mind was filled with a strange and intense

desire to meditate on Ishwara. I could not bear a second of delay

anymore. I almost ran towards the hill. I turned back once and saw if

my assistant was following me. There was no sight of him anywhere.

 

 

I was happy at the though of being left all alone, in sweet

solitude. I sat on the hill, facing west. My gaze was towards

Malahanikeshwara temple. The sky was clear with no signs of clouds.

Both sunset and moonrise were visible. This scene was beautiful.

Attracted by this, I began to chant a verse from Sri Dakshinamurthy

Stotra, ` Bhoorambhaasyanilonilombara maharnatho himaamshuH

pumaan?..'.

 

 

Before settling into Siddhasana, I prayed to the Acharya and

Lord Shiva mentally. I fixed my gaze on Ajna Chakra and began to

repeat the mantra mentally. Gradually, there was a tingling sensation

between my brows. Immediately, there was a bright but soothing disc

of light, like the moon, visible in the space between the eyebrows. I

was saw this disc occasionally during meditation. It seemed blue

sometimes and green the other times. This was the first time that I

had seen pure white light. I saw my heart lotus shine with a complete

bloom. I then visualized Lord Mahadeva in the heart lotus, along with

ten hands and Devi Parvati, as described by the verse,' Shaantam

padmaaasanastham?'. As I began to concentrate on this image of the

Lord, my awareness of the body and surroundings ceased completely.

After some time, my mental repetition of the mantra automatically

came to a halt. My mind was completely immersed in the divine,

resplendent form of the Lord in my heart lotus. The form appeared

incredibly clear and life-like. I did not face any difficulty in

achieving this concentration. The affection and the smile that I

clearly saw on the Ishana face (one of the five faces of Lord

Sadashiva) still fills me with an indescribable feeling of joy. One

and a half hours passed as though it were a minute. Gradually I

regained my bodily consciousness. I opened my eyes. The sun had

almost set. The winds were blowing gently. But still I was able to

perceive Sri Mahadeva along with Devi Parvati pervading my entire

being. It seemed as though the Lord was expanding infinitely, both on

the inside and the outside. I clearly heard a loud sound of `Aum',

from deep within. At that very moment, Ishwara appeared right in

front of me and turned towards me. Oh! That was divine indeed.

 

 

{At this point Srimadacharya stopped speaking. His eyes were

filled with joyful tears. His lips were shaking, as though saying

something faintly. It seemed as though he would slip back into

Samadhi any moment. After a few minutes, Acharya continued}.

 

 

Tears of joy flowed from my eyes. The lips of the Lord began

to move and I heard the most beautiful voice ever. The Lord said:

 

Vatsa shwaHprabhR^ityatra niraakaare pare tatve manaH samaadhatswa.

AchireNa Brahma samstho abhaviShyasi ...

 

 

` Child, from tomorrow, fix your mind on the formless absolute. In no

time, you shall be established in the Brahman'. I felt the Lord place

his hands on my head and lo! He disappeared. How compassionate is the

Lord to shower his grace on a humble, ignorant being like me!

 

 

As soon as the Lord disappeared from sight, there was a

rainfall. The sun was about to set. As I said before, when I began to

do Japa, the sky was clear with no signs of rain. I felt that this

rain was the sanctifying water of Ganga that Sri Mahadeva had

showered to purify me.

 

 

{On an another evening, when Acharya was strolling in

Narasimha Vana, it started raining. Instead of running towards

shelter like the others, the Acharya began to smile like a child and

exclaimed ` This is indeed Ganga snana'. He then explained that

taking bath in the rainwater when the sun still visible was equal to

taking a dip in the holy Ganga}.

 

 

Filled with emotion, I repeatedly prostrated and

effortlessly, some verses started flowing out of mouth, in praise of

Parameshwara. My voice was choked with emotion. If a musician had

been nearby, he would have been terribly frightened at this strange

way of singing {The Acharya starts laughing here. When asked if those

verses composed by him were available for his disciples, He replies

thus}.

 

 

I had no interest then in writing down those verses nor did I

remember them later. I gave them no importance at all. I never

thought about them again, nor did I try to recollect and learn them

by heart. They were like the childish exclamations of an ignorant

child, not something scholarly or filled with poetic brilliance. All

I remember is that it was in Bhujanga Prayaata and there were ten

Shlokas in all. After I finished chanting the verses, my emotions

were subdued somewhat. I again had an intense urge to meditate on

Ishwara. Since the Lord himself, like my guru, had offered me wise

counsel, I thought of meditating on the Lord in his form as Sri

Dakshinamurthy. Chanting the mantra of Medha Dakshinamurthy, I

visualized the Lord as having four hands, holding rosary, book, pot

filled with nectar and Jnana Mudra. I visualized him thus, as being

seated in my heart lotus. {The Acharya went on to recite the Dhyana

Shloka and said a few things about the mantra itself. I shall omit

these here}.

 

 

This time, I never concentrated on the eyebrow center. I

simply meditated on him in my heart. In no time, I became silent and

entered Samadhi. When I awoke after some time, (he did not know

exactly when he regained bodily consciousness), a large Kalinga Sarpa

(king cobra) had entwined itself around my neck. Here I was

meditating on Naagabhooshana {Acharya used the word Bhujangabhooshana

to be precise} and his ornament was decorating my body. I took this

to be a sign of his blessing and felt happy. I slowly touched the

snake. It placed its hood on my right chin. After about ten minutes,

the snake moved away from my body and sight. I walked down the hill,

finding the way in moonlight.

 

 

As I reached the foot of the hill, I saw my assistant waiting

for me there. It seems my Guru {the great Avadhoota, Sri

Chandrashekhara Swamigal} had instructed him to wait for me there

with a lamp. He had even specified the time at which I would reach

that place. It was now confirmed that my Acharya knew well, all that

would happen, beforehand. It was his grace.

 

 

The next day, after finishing my morning duties when I

returned to my room, I found a servant waiting for me. He carried the

message from the Acharya, who wanted to see me. I immediately went to

him and prostrated before him. I then stood silent since he was

engrossed in Japa. After finishing his Japa of Srividya,

Dakshinamurthy and Nrisimha, the Acharya turned towards me and

smiled. He then said, `Today you have received guidance from the Lord

himself directly. Also, you were decorated like the Lord for a short

period of time. Is not it so?' I agreed and said that it was all the

effect of his grace.

 

 

Now it was totally confirmed that the omniscient guru was

fully aware of all the happenings of the previous day. It was useless

to narrate the same again to him. The Acharya then said, 'It is

getting late for your evening bath and Ahnika. You may proceed to do

them'. I prostrated in front of him again and went to the river.

 

 

That night I had a wonderful dream. In the dream I saw

Ishwara dancing joyfully, and Ambal witnessing his dance quietly.

After a few minutes, both started dancing. Then the two figures

merged into each other and the resplendent form of Ardhanarishwara

became visible. In the dream state itself, I began to chant the

Ardhanarishwara Stotra of Sri Acharya Bhagavatpada. The scene changed

again. The Lord now appeared as Sri Dakshinamurthy, seated under a

huge banyan tree. I felt as though I was merging into the Lord. I

experienced a feeling of unity and remained thoughtless. When I

awoke, it was 4.30 in the morning. It was the day of Ekadashi. I

decided to follow the orders of the Lord and to meditate on the

attributeless Brahman from that auspicious day.

 

 

That evening, I ascended the hill an hour before the sunset.

I went there everyday to meditate on Saguna forms like that of Shiva

Mahadeva, Narayana and Ambal. That particular evening, I wanted to

cast away all designated forms and attributes and meditate on the purity

within. As usual, I seated myself in Siddhasana, facing west. I

prepared to meditate on some mantras from the Sruti:

 

Brahmavidaapnoti param ~ Taittariiya Upanishad ~ 2.1.1

 

{One who knows the Supreme Lord shall attain Brahman}.

 

 

AnandaM brahmaNo vidwaan na bibheti kutashchaneti ~ 2.9.1

 

{Once the Jnani has experienced the Bliss of Brahman, he/she is

scared of nothing}.

 

 

Yadaa hyevaiSha etasminnudaramantaraM kurute, atha tasya bhayaM

bhavati ~ 2.8.1

 

{When even just a little duality is perceived in the One Brahman,

one often becomes fearful of many things}.

 

 

I remembered these mantras and started thinking about them.

These clearly indicated that the ultimate was Brahman Sakshatkara.

As opposed to this, until duality ceases, bondage cannot be broken.

There is no existence of anything but the Brahman. I feel separate

from the Universal Brahman due to my own ignorance and duality. This

body made of skin, blood and flesh is dependent on food. I am not the

body, neither the mind, nor the senses. I also started thinking about

the verse from Gita:

 

Mahaabhuutaanyaha~Nkaaro buddhiravyaktameva cha ?.(13/5-6)

 

The sense organs are mere instruments to perform Kriya. The mind is

changing every second. I am not the mind either. Food of the nature

of Sattva brings about mental cleansing and serenity. Rajasic food

makes the mind active and restless. The effect of liquor on a human

mind is well known. The mind and samskaras~karma projects the bodily

form into manifestation. The mind is also a subtle co~partner of the

body because it too, is nurtured by food and its quality. `I am

seeing', `I am dull', `I am doing this', in all these feelings, the

sense of `I' is prominent in the waking and dream state. This fades in

the state of deep sleep. But 'I am' present even in the state of

Sushupti, in deep sleep. Thus, I am not that, whatever was referred to

all these above cases. The mirror merely reflects the sunrays and it

cannot be considered as the independent source of light. Similarly,

though intellect or lower Buddhi seems to be having an individual

consciousness of its own, it is actually Jada. There is only One

Brahman Consciousness manifesting ALL. No personal 'I' exists

whatsoever...only personal karma which propells one into endless

reincarnation and sufferings in ignorance, which is surface and

illusory in relation to the Absolute Brahman Infinite One Self. Stop

this endless cycle of re~birth into miseries and ignorance. Be Pure.

Be Ahimsa. Humbly Approach An Illumined Guru For Mantra~Diksha And

Instruction. Meditate. Shed Ignorance. Be Illumined!

 

 

This is what Bhagavan has indicated in the verse of Gita.

 

The three states of waking, sleep and dream are not MY

reality. There are like mirages in the desert. Many objects get

revealed due to the Sun {Brahman's Light). But Brahman is the One and

the only One existing. Similarly, the Self is none but the Brahman,

taking the proof of the Sruti. `Sat' or the Truth is what is

unhindered in the states of Bhoota, Bhavishya and Vartamana {past,

present and future}. Brahman existed before, still exists and shall

continue to exist. That is the Supreme Truth. Brahman is mostly

described as Jnana {Brahman Knowledge} rather than as Jnatru {the one

who knows} for there is no subject~object separation. Thus, its nature

is that of Chit.

Since the Srutis claim that the Brahman is Infinite, it cannot be

bound by space and time. There is no time and space that sees the

absence of Brahman. There is nothing else than Chitapara~Brahman.

Brahman Consciousness is ALL.

 

`tasmaadvaa etasmaadaatmana aakaashaH sambhuutaH . aakaashaadvaayuH .

vayoragniH . agneraapaH . adbhyaH prithivii .'

 

{The Akasha originated from the Atman who is the Brahman. From Akasha

originated Vayu and from Vayu Agni. Then came Prithivi ~Mother Earth

....which, like all universes, realms; ALL 'apparent' manifestations

are Brahman~Shakti Itself}.

 

 

This proves that Brahman is the only cause of anything and

everything! And, that Brahman alone existing is ALL!

 

 

 

~*~ OM TAT SAT OM! ~*~ JAI SAT~CHIT~ANANDA BRAHMAN! ~*~ JAI SHIVA! ~*~

 

 

~*~*~*~*~*~ ShiVaNi SaNnYaSiNi ~*~*~*~*~*~

 

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