Aśt́áuṋga Yoga Sádhaná in Ananda Marga
In the practical field the utility of things is determined by the mind. The feasibility of the codes of procedure and conduct is also determined by the mind. “To live in peace with food to eat and clothes to wear” is also done for the satisfaction of mind. And above all, no matter what “logy” or “ism” is propounded, the supporting doctrine, the “supportology”, must depend on imaginativeness (mental sanction). Every mental or spiritual disease is not Máyáváda, or illusionism. Even by keeping contact between the earthly world and the human mind, spiritual philosophy can be established. Ananda Marga is a philosophy of this type.
Some of those who are comparatively imaginative regard the kámamaya kośa, or the crude mind, as the rúh, or “soul”; and some identify the astral minds like the atimánasa, vijiṋánamaya and hirańyamaya kośas with it. However, the real preceptor, possessed of knowledge of the divine truth, from whom you will learn the Brahmic or intuitional knowledge, will make you understand that the soul is a lot subtler than these kośas or shells of the mind, each of which is mutable, and so evanescent or transitory - the soul alone is eternal. So the happiness that you will get in the worship of spiritual knowledge will be permanent happiness, and that is why it is called ánanda or divine bliss. Ánanda is not to be had from transitory objects. Transitory or temporal objects will come and go; sometimes they will make you laugh and sometimes they will make you cry. No matter how endearing temporal things may be, one day they will surely and undoubtedly leave you in the lurch, abjectly beggarly. But He will not make you wail; He is an eternal, non-evolutive, immutable Entity.
Yama said, “O Naciketá, the broad gateway to the realm of God lies open before you. One who has acquired a thorough knowledge of mortal objects has verily acquired the knowledge of both the perishable and the imperishable ones.” With the development of mental faculties as one proceeds from transient happiness to permanent happiness or ánanda, one gets more and more inclined towards oneʼs mental happiness in preference to physical joy. For the love of country or many such subtle happinesses, people make no bones about laying down their life. These are actually signs of the preponderance of the human mind. The happiness of cats and dogs is purely physical. In such receptacles [[as theirs,]] mental happiness cannot have the priority. Beat them and then call them to eat some delectable food, and they will come running after it. Yet human beings are reluctant to stand the least dishonour or any little blow to their mind. A person who serves you under circumstantial pressure and keeps your mind constantly humoured by his sycophancy, is actually at heart not very pleased with you. They constantly try to escape the bondage of slavery. You cannot conquer the human mind through circumstantial pressure.
Through aśt́áuṋga yoga, as laid down in Ananda Marga,(1) sádhakas, conscious of their body and self, can gradually awaken their dormant mental power, and with the help of their developed minds they can eventually establish themselves in the spiritual self. In this seity – in this characteristic self – they attain real ánanda. So I say, learn intuitional knowledge from a proper preceptor. You cannot learn this through empirical knowledge. Intuitional knowledge cannot be gained from books. For this one has to go, with devotion and reverence, to a preceptor. Try to awaken your latent devotional sentiment. It will come to you, if you so wish. Once devotion is awakened, you shall get divine mercy without a doubt.
–Nárada Bhaktisútra
With the attainment of only a wee bit of divine grace the ego starts disappearing from the crude human body, nityánitya viveka gets awakened, and this discriminating judgment establishes the sádhaka in Brahmic consciousness. Remember, on the path of meditation, devotion is the paramount factor. Wherever there is devotion Godʼs mercy is there – it has got to be.
Physical attachments are very difficult to give up – they die hard. Preservation of the crude body and attachment to the body are not one and the same thing. Yet where the preservation of the body is not jeopardized, or does not stand in danger, even then people are surprisingly attached to their physical body. At the time of an earthquake a mother runs out of the house, leaving her sleeping child in bed; and then half way, when the thought of her child arises in her mind, she runs back again to save her child. The quicker the motherʼs remembrance of her child, the less her attraction for her own body. A mother who is above such attraction will think of her child first and take it away along with her. Through proper sádhaná alone one is able to conquer such bodily [attachments] and all sorts of [other] attachments. All bondages of sensuous attractions of those who have been able to awaken their subtle selves through Ananda Marga aśtáungika sádhaná, are bound to be resolved.
Ánanda Púrńimá 1956 DMC
from “Desire and Detachment”
Subháśita Saḿgraha Part 3
Morality is the foundation of sádhaná (spiritual practice). It must, however, be remembered that morality or good conduct is not the culminating point of the spiritual march. As a moralist one may set an ideal for other moralists, but to do this is not something worth mentioning for a sádhaka (spiritual aspirant). Sádhaná, in its very start, requires mental equilibrium. This sort of mental harmony may also be termed as morality....
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Moral ideals must be able to furnish human beings with the ability as well as the inspiration to proceed on the path of sádhaná. Morality depends on oneʼs efforts to maintain a balance regarding time, place and person, and therefore there may be differences in the moral code. However, the ultimate end of moralism is the attainment of supreme bliss and therefore there should not be any possibility of any imperfections of relativity. It cannot be said that the ultimate aim of human life is not to commit theft; what is desirable is that the tendency to commit theft should be eliminated. Not to indulge in falsehood is not the aim of life; what is important is that the tendency of telling lies should be dispelled from oneʼs mind. The sádhaka starts spiritual practices with the principles of morality, of not indulging in theft or falsehood. The aim of such morality is attainment of such a state of oneness with Brahma that no desire is left for theft; and all tendencies of falsehood disappear.
In the sádhaná of Ananda Marga, moral education is imparted with this ideal of oneness with Brahma, because sádhaná is not possible without such a moral ideation. Sádhaná devoid of morality will divert people again towards material enjoyments and at any moment they may use their mental power, acquired with much hardship, to quench their thirst for meagre physical objects. There are many who have fallen from the path of yoga or Tantra sádhaná and are spending their days in disrepute and infamy. Whatever little progress they achieved through forcible control of their instincts, was lost in a momentʼs error in pursuit of mundane pleasures.
It must, therefore, be emphasized that even before beginning sádhaná, one must follow moral principles strictly. Those who do not follow these principles should not follow the path of sádhaná; otherwise they will bring about their own harm and that of others....
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The first lesson of human conduct is Yama sádhaná. We shall discuss all the aspects of Yama sádhaná. You know that Yama consists of five principles – ahiḿsá, satya, asteya, Brahmacarya and aparigraha....
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The practice of these five principles achieves control by different processes. The word saḿyama in Sanskrit means “regulated conduct”. It should be clearly understood that saḿyama does not imply destroying something or somebody....
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The correct meaning of Brahmacarya is “to remain attached to Brahma”. Brahmańi vicarańam iti brahmacaryam.
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...The meaning of practising Brahmacarya sádhaná is to treat the objects with which one comes in contact as different expressions of Brahma and not as crude forms. By means of such an ideation, even though the mind wanders from one object to another, it does not get detached from Brahma because of the Cosmic feeling taken for each and every object. As a result of this, preya sádhaná [extroversial approach] is converted into shreya sádhaná [introversial approach] and káma into prema. [Preya means “attraction towards crude material objects”, while] shreya means “attraction towards the ultimate reality”; káma means “desire for finite objects” and prema means “desire for the Infinite”.
Many misinterpret Brahmacarya to mean “preservation of semen”. It should be remembered that neither the word Brahma nor the word carya has any relevance to the word “semen”. Moreover, even physiologically such a preservation of semen is a bluff.
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It is certainly true that if the correct meaning of the word Brahmacarya is accepted (that is, to feel the Cosmic Entity in every material object), control in life becomes essential, but such control does not imply disobeying the laws of nature. Control means to abide by natureʼs laws....
The prevention of the discharge of semen by some special measures or prevention of its surplus formation by fasting is ordinarily termed as so-called Brahmacarya (laokika Brahmacarya). For those who are not married, this so-called Brahmacarya (which is really not Brahmacarya) has some meaning, because it reduces the possibility of sexual excitement and thus prevents a discharge which may occur due to excitement while awake, asleep or dreaming....
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The practice of Brahmacarya is held in higher esteem than the other four items of Yama. Similarly, in Niyama, the most important item is iishvara prańidhána. To be more clear and concrete we may say that out of the ten principles of Yama and Niyama the remaining eight are subordinated parts of the two items, Brahmacarya and and Iishvara prańidhána. While dealing with their specialties, we may say that Yama sádhaná is the practice of the physical and psychic strata while Niyama sádhaná carries equal weight in the mundane, supramundane and spiritual strata. [The five items of Niyama sádhaná are: shaoca, santośa, tapah, svádhyáya and Iishvara prańidhána.]...(2)
Ánanda Púrńimá 1957, Jamalpur
A Guide to Human Conduct
Vashiikára-siddhi is only possible for those spiritual aspirants who follow the principles of Yama and Niyama and perform Brahma sádhaná. Those who do not, do immeasurable harm to themselves and the entire world by the strength of their kśipta, mud́ha and vikśipta samádhis, having attained some degree of control over their organs through the process of yoga sádhaná. In the absence of the sádhaná of self-control they use their mental power for petty selfish ends. After practising yoga or Tantra sádhaná for a while, these immoral individuals begin to harm others for the sake of their own petty egoistic aggrandizement, and eventually end up in the blind alley of inertness, so, I entreat you to follow the right path. The same yoga of self-control which is so beneficial for both individuals and the collectivity, is so dangerous when it is devoid of morality. Hence, everyone must be strict in following the principles of Yama and Niyama.
Astiiti vruvatoʼnyatra kathaḿ tadupalabhyate.
Those who are not established in self-control cannot attain Brahma – their Brahma remains confined to books and tall talks. They can never expand their minds to absorb spiritual knowledge.
Footnotes
[1] The eight limbs of aśt́áuṋga yoga are – yama, niyama, asanas (with mudrás,bandhas and bedhas), práńáyáma, pratyáhára, dhárańá, dhyána and samádhi. –Trans.
[2] In order to know more details about Yama-Niyama, readers are advised to read A Guide to Human Conduct .
Shrii Shrii Anandamurti
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