Thursday, November 19, 2009

Uththara Geeta

Most of us have heard of Bhagavad Geeta, and some of us have endeavored to understand it too. The Geeta is like a broad spectrum spiritual antiseptic. It considers every kind of mental preferences and prescribes remedies for all sort of spiritual illnesses. People are often confused about the different streams of thought that is seen in it. That is why Arjuna says that he is bewildered by Krishna’s equivocal instructions (Cha.3 verse 2 of Geeta). The Geeta can only be taken as an introduction to spiritual practices.

This is the reason why Krishna later taught the AnuGeeta (the verses that follow geeta) to Arjuna. But he knew that even an intelligent student like Arjuna would find it hard to arrive at truth unless repeatedly advised on it. So in compassion he goes on to teach the Uththara Geeta (Post Geeta) to Arjuna. This is the final advice and culminates the teachings of Geeta.

He takes out the essence of every science in it and teaches it to Arjuna saying “Yal saara bhUtam thadupaasithavyam”. Worship only that which matters. Sciences are many, we could spend our entire life learning them and understanding nothing at all about ourselves.

I will relate to you meaning of the important verses of the advice. They throw light on the practice we are interested in.

Imagine the limitless Chidakasa (inner space, or the space you find within when you close your eyes and turn your attention to your forehead) as the soul or imagine the soul as the inner space so that both becomes merged into one – forget everything else. One should be steadfast and intelligent about it. Never doubt for a moment that what you find within is your true self. As you keep on doing it the breath would become still at the point between the eye brows.

When you do it what happens is this:
Prabhaa sUnyam, manhsUnyam
BudhisUnyam, niraamayam

That is, your consciousness goes through these stages- first, thoughts become nil and the mind remains in its nature of light, in fact mind and this light is one and the same. Slowly the light fades and our psyche remains with its names and forms, this also fades and what remains is the intellect which is still aware of different emotions, then that intellect also fades. After that you can’t say what remains…..

“There the words and mind turns back”

As an Upanishad describes it, this state in indescribable, this state is called Samadhi.

Krishna states emphatically in the verse 10 of the second chapter:

“MuhUrthamapi yogaschEl
NasaagrE mansa saha
Sarvam tharathi papmaanam
Thasya janma sathaarjitham”

That is:

If someone achieves this state for a single minute, all the sins in all the births they ever had become destroyed forever. Now the sins that Krishna speaks of are the foolish entanglement with the world of ignorance which our consciousness ever had.

This is the method of “sadyO mukthi” or “immediate liberation” and Krishna goes on to describe how Krama Mukthi” or step by step liberation can be achieved for the ignorant by following the Kundalini Yoga. We are not concerned about it here.
So,
KEEP YOUR MIND AT THE PLACE BETWEEN THE EYE BROWS

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