363--Q&A WITH SWAMIJI--A collector's edition of Guru Gita questions

[Guest guest]

Question from Chris:

There are four successive verses mentioning pinda, pada, and rupa

(119-122). This is a lot of reinforcement of this idea. Pinda, pada,

and rupa are gross, outward actions, the author is using to describe

a very subtle, or inward, process. Why? My thought is that these

are meant to bring to mind all of the outward activities we perform

that are our gurupuja, of which, this awakening is the "prasad of

grace." But then he goes on to say very clearly that we

are "liberated in" each of these three, seperately. I do not

understand this. Why not 'liberated through,' or 'liberated by'?

What does this mean?

 

Swamiji's response:

Liberation occurs when our consciousness dwells in all action as a consecrated

offering.

 

Liberation occurs when our consciousness dwells in the sacred syllables.

 

Liberation occurs when our consciousness dwells in the form of one-pointed

awareness.

 

 

Question from Chris:

Verses 113-118 and verses 119-127 seem to follow a similar pattern.

There is the description of a practice and experience followed by a

description of what it might be like to be enlightened. At first, I

thought these two sections were separate; then I decided they

overlapped, both describing the same thing; now I find myself

thinking (minus the descriptions of divine experience) they are

sequential. The sequence would go something like this: Meditate on

the Guru in the space of the heart; know Him there as your own soul;

see Him there as a light the size of the thumb, where He illuminates

perfect clarity and gives rise to a special bhaava. By means of

this meditation (as the prasad of grace of the Guru) Kundalini

rises, Shiva and Shakti (ham sah) are united to form bindu, and

when bindu is pierced, form is transcended. Do I have this right,

or have I missed something?

 

 

Swamiji's response:

Beautiful!!!

 

Question from Chris:

Now, about ham sah arising in the heart. I've been wrestling with

this, thinking well, maybe it's a practice, maybe it's actually a

subtle sound that arises in the heart at a certain point, but I'm

thinking now that maybe your earlier answer to Kalia was the answer

to this as well, and this too is the one lotus of which we are

speaking. If I am remembering correctly, bindu is said to rise from

the ajna chakra, BUT it is experienced in anahata, isn't it? Bindu

is described in the text as one-pointed awareness. But bindu is also

ham Sah, isn't it, the union of Shiva and Shakti, the union of the

two breaths (not quite perfected?)? Let's see if I can describe this

properly then, Kundalini rises when there is union (or at least

balance of) the two breaths on the gross level. Her arising creates

one-pointed awareness, bringing about the formation of bindu,

perceived in the heart as the two subtle breaths, so ham, are

brought into union, creating ham sah. Uniting entirely with Her,

they (we, I) pierce the bindu

glorious ). So, if I've gotten this right, it is all a single

process, created by a single cause, the rising lotus Kundalini.

 

 

Swamiji's response:

Jai Maa!!!

 

Also, the heart is the seat of LOVE, and when we are one in that

LOVE, Shiva and Shakti are in union.