– Manoranjan Basu
What is Yoga? What is the secret of the great power which is universally attributed to it? What are the natural stages through which the life of a yogin must, of necessity pass, before it can attain consummation and realize its community with the essence of the universal life and even transcend it?
The dictionary meaning of the term ‘yoga’ is union, the state of togetherness; spiritually and especially from the Advaita point of view it means the establishment of identity, at least communion between the individual self (jīvātmā) and the universal self (Paramātmā). Such a union necessarily presupposes a corresponding relation on the lower planes of existence, viz between the mind and the individual self, between the senses and the mind, and between the object and senses. It should be noted here that the individual cannot realize its eternal affinity with the universal and merge itself in it, unless it can get over the influence of the mind with which it falsely identifies itself. Even when the mind ceases to be active by the suspension of the vṛttis and the distinctness as an entity vanishes altogether, the culminating perfection of Yoga does not manifest itself at that stage, for, with the individual left as separate from the universal and the supreme, the higher function of Yoga cannot be stated to have been fulfilled.
To quote the great savant Mahāmahopādhyāya Pandit Gopinath Kaviraj: “As soon as the artificial barrier raised between the higher and lower self is demolished, the pure self emerges as a radiant and eternally self-aware existence of joy in which the two aspects of its being appear as united in an eternal embrace and ineffable sweetness. This is Yoga in the truest sense of the term”. He further says: “Yoga is really the paramount power which leads us not only to a knowledge of the higher life, which is spiritual but also to its practical realization by the self. It is exclusively in Yoga that one can find the key to the solution of all the problems of life and mind as well as to the realization of the supreme end of existence”.
In the lowest stage of spiritual perfection, yoga may be described as the withdrawal of senses from the external world and their convergence in the mind. The stage which finds its achievement in the abstraction of the senses from their object is really the viewpoint of Haṭha Yoga proper. The perfection which is achieved in the first stage is the perfection of the body. It should be noted here that Yoga is not a matter of psycho-physical discipline, which in itself represents a fragment of the way to yoga proper.
From the Advaita point of view, the vision of an external world as other than the supreme self is, in fact, a magic show of elusive character devoid of all reality. It is the action of vāsanā on the sensory mechanism of organic existence which projects before it a world of illusion. The discipline of the first stage consists in the removal of this illusion. The control of Vayu, at which all the processes of Haṭha Yoga aim, end in securing a relative steadiness and therewith a comparative detachment from the world outside. This is an indispensable preliminary to the success of the mental culture towards which the discipline of the next higher stage is directed.
As soon as the common outer sense disappears what is left behind is a state of concentration. As this concentration matures and gathers strength, various degrees of ecstatic intuition manifest themselves, as a result of a continuous process of meditation. The rise of prajñā is consequent on the attainment of samādhi of the mind. In the state of samādhi, the self behind the mind shines on as a silent witness. ‘It looks on as a transcendent observer towards the mind which having already been purged, now appears in the object concentrated’. Before achieving samādhi, the mind in a state of concentration experiences many super-normal things such as reading thoughts of other minds, sensing distant objects as if they were near, direct knowledge of the past and the future as well as that of the present and similar other things.
As the sādhaka advances further, he gains clarified intuition called Rtambhara Prajna by the help of which he gets a vision of pure truth and is never touched by error. This intuition cannot originate so long as the objective is not perfected. The next stage called Prāṇa Jyoti marks the fullest mastery of the elements and the senses, a mastery which affords him control over the forces of nature, creative, presentative, and destructive. The conquest of the five primordial elements and the ability to use them will give rise in the mind to the eight great powers called aṣṭa siddhi, and also tends to produce a beautiful and durable body.
The highest siddhi of a Yogin, called Viśoka, which consists of omniscience and universal mastery remains yet to be achieved. When the mind realizes the greatest purity and steadiness, it comes under the fullest control of sādhaka, who’s then fixed in the knowledge of the distinction between the mind and the self and becomes truly a master. Thus the supreme power of a man comes from control of the mind.
The next stage marks the transcendence of even the supreme viśoka power. The sādhaka realizes that even this power – greatest though it is, in the state of outer consciousness (vyutthāna), is yet a foreign element and has to be eliminated. The acquisition of the supreme power is the first result of viveka khyāti and non-attachment to this power ending in the nirodha proper. After the supreme non-attachment, the next stage commences and continues so long as the mind exists. This is Jīvanmukti proper from the point of Pātañjala school of Yoga. This is the final stage of Samprajñāta Samādhi. The Asamprajñāta stage comes when the light of the mind disappears and the self alone shines.
The above discussion of Pātañjala system of Yoga is mainly from the Advaita point of view which, according to Mahāmahopādhyāya Gopinath Kaviraja forms part of the sādhanā, or in other words, maybe said to be as the preparatory ground on Akhaṇḍa Mahāyoga.
It should be noted here that Akhaṇḍa Mahāyoga is still an ideal state yet to be realized. It is meant for yogis who have not only transcended the spatio-temporal world leading to cidākaśa, but also piercing through sūrya maṇḍala experienced the grand presence (sanniveśa) of Shiva-Shakti in perfect unison. This is the region of rahasya, the penultimate source of all possible creativity. This is ineffable and beyond tattvas and no words can express it.
It should further be noted here that from the point of objective, yogis are broadly divided into two classes: khaṇḍa yogis and akhaṇḍa yogis. Khaṇḍa yogis are also of two types – Khaṇḍa and Mahākhaṇḍa. There is no qualitative difference between these two classes. They differ in so far as each of their respective competencies and achievements. The difference lies in the fact that the latter while transcending the state of Mahābhāva becomes one and identical to the universal consciousness as power, called the great matrix of the universe, whereas Khaṇḍa yogis reach the state of Mahābhāva.
In the cidākāśa, the abode of all sādhakas, there are two paths – svabhāva and abhāva. The yogis always prefer the latter. In the present time, the great savant Mahāmahopādhyāya Gopinath Kaviraja by visualizing and following the principles of akhaṇḍa Mahāyoga sacrificed his life to find out a solution to that mysterious riddle called suffering humanity.
The essence of Akhaṇḍa Mahāyoga has been explained by Mahāmahopādhyāya Gopinath Kaviraja in the tāntrika technical terms and symbolic expressions for, ordinary terms and expressions are not adequate to explain the subtle spiritual experiences of the highest order of yogis. Akhaṇḍa Mahāyoga may be compared to the construction of a temple having six main systems of Indian Philosophy as its pillars, and Shākta, Shaiva, Bauddha, and Vaiṣṇava are like its walls. Akhaṇḍa Mahāyoga is as if, the deity installed in the temple consecrated by the super-sensuous experiences of yoga.
There is no doubt that individual sādhanā or vyaṣṭi sādhanā is very essential. The ultimate goal of an individual life is liberation. Later on, in the Tantras the thought of collective liberation took place. Spiritual preceptor could only initiate this and he could impart his spiritual knowledge and experience among his disciples. Consequently, the true conception of Guru Maṇḍala came into practice. There are many Siddha Puruṣas who formed their siddha maṇḍalaS, such as the maṇḍala of Pañcamukha Gaṇādhīśvara, maṇḍala of Jñānaganja, and the Buddhist maṇḍalas of Maurya and Maitra. The Buddhist Siddhas are very popular. All these siddhas could not conquer death at their physical level but they could remain in their baindava and śākta deha and help their disciples belonging to a group.
The concept of Jñāna ganja is just like what we call Dhruvaloka, Goloka and Sukhavati. The first has come into being as a result of severe penances done by an individual sādhaka, and the second and third are associated with the names of Srī Kṛṣṇa and Amitābha Buddha respectively. Jñānaganja is established by the supersensuous experience of a very great Yogi. Srīmandira, Rājarājeśvarī Maṭha, and Jñānaganja are in tune with the same yogic order – Srīmandira being at the top and Jñānaganja at the bottom. The earthly Jñānaganja is a secret place located on the top of the Himalayas towards the borderline of Tibet. It is created by the intense penances of a Siddha Yogi for the good of the universe, as we have already mentioned. According to the yogic vision of Jñānaganja, there are three planes or states of spiritual experience. The first goes up to Mahābhāva as its objective and khaṇḍa yogis reach this state. The second stage is beyond mahābhāva and above sūrya maṇḍala. Mahākhaṇḍa yogis by completing their spiritual practice receive vibration from Jñānaganja directly. The third and the final stage is not yet fully drawn, it is still an ideal stage, yet to be realized.
In the context of Akhaṇḍa Mahāyoga, a distinction is made between a sādhaka and a yogi – a yogi is necessarily a sādhaka but a sādhaka can never be a yogi. A sādhaka never questions the existing order of things, he tries to find out the innermost essence of the universe otherwise called self by realizing which he can go beyond the cycle of karman and rebirth. He is more concerned to be free from his own individual maladies of life. But the attitude of a yogi both ordinary and darpi is diametrically opposite to a sādhaka. The yogi starts from a universal attitude of eradicating the sufferings of others and finds peace in disinterested service to suffering humanity. He tries to change for the better the existing order of the universe by making mahāpralaya to happen quicker through the control of the perennial source of creation related to Mahākāla. Akhaṇḍa Mahāyoga while covering different types of yoga such as yogas between jīvātmā and paramātmā, lokas and beyond lokas, self and mahāśakti and finally between paraśiva and parāśakti, goes beyond them. Mahāmahopādhyāya Gopinath Kaviraja was essentially a practicing yogi of a high order and a great synthesizer of different systems of yoga. He was truly a Shākta Tāntrika and he did not believe in the principle of withdrawal from world affairs.
Akhaṇḍa Mahāyoga is not a speculative philosophy. It is not based on spiritual samskāras, but is a real experience of truth. One cannot realize this through the lower intellect. According to Achārya Gopinath Kaviraja, Akhaṇḍa Mahāyoga can be realized through divine intuition (divyabodha). There are two approaches of yoga, individual or vyaṣṭi approach and collective or samaṣṭi approach. Yoga means union or mutation in all levels of consciousness (chaitanya), to transcend time and space or to become one with Supreme or to identify with saccidānanda or to become free from prakṛti. This is khaṇḍayoga and it is possible for a sādhaka to accomplish it through self-efforts. Akhaṇḍa Mahāyoga is not merely a union between jīvātmā and paramātmā but it is an eternal unity of total humanity (samaṣṭi jīva) with the Absolute in time and space of the universe. This is not for individual liberation or Siddhi but for the descent of Mahāśakti for divine illumination in this physical world.
In the traditional Kuṇḍalinī Yoga, the path of ṣaṭcakra is followed. By piercing through these chakras, the sādhaka reaches the thousand-petalled lotus called Sahasrāra and the unfoldment is complete. This is the first way of awakening Kuṇḍalinī śakti. The other way is that of a Guru, who has acquired icchā, jñāna and kriyā śakti and he takes his disciple up to sahasrāra. In this case, the disciple need not put forth his self-efforts to go up to the desired end. There is a third kind in which the spiritual preceptor initiates the disciple and blesses him through touch on his head, immediately the disciple feels the upward current (spanda) and moves towards the lotus (śatadala), the center of sahasrāra. A great yogi who has achieved complete grace of Mahāśakti finds all centers of the above chakras transformed into lotus, he is called Karuṇa Puṇḍarīka.
Akhaṇḍa Mahāyoga starts from the śatabheda kriyā and it takes the path of sahasrāra. There are some spiritual adepts who could reach upto the dala (petals), they are called Rudras, and those who could reach the center of the lotus are characterized as Shiva-yogins. Generally, a yogi who achieves such a position is tuned with the ultimate reality and he is immune from any downfall from his spiritual height, for nirodhikā śakti supports him all through.
In the ascending order of yoga, there is samanā level and finally, there is unmanā stage. There are certain special grades of yogis who could reach this unmanā stage. If any yogi is blessed with the grace of the Divine Mother or Guru, he obtains śākta body and achieves Mahāśakti. When a yogi is not satisfied with his individual attainment, he receives special grace from the Divine Mother. He is bestowed with the realization of collective body (samaṣṭi śarīra bodha). Navamuṇdi āsana installed by Swami Viśuddhānanda Paramahamsa, the spiritual preceptor of Mahāmahopādhyāya Gopinath Kaviraja, is the base of Akhaṇḍa Mahāyoga. At this level guru śakti, iṣṭa śakti, and svarūpa śakti all meet together. Here the sādhaka’s inner urge for humanity is felt. He is not ready to accept anything individually, on the contrary, he surrenders everything belonging to him at the feet of Mahāśakti. He identifies himself with samaṣṭi jīvabhāva.
The mystic experience gained through such a state may be explained in a symbolic way. A triangle is conceived there as having sat, chit, ānanda as its three sides with mahāśakti in the center. The purpose of the triangle is to meet samaṣṭi jīva bindu. There is a downward triangle contending aspiration, urge, and firm faith. When it gets the touch of Mahāśakti, it moves upward (ūrdhvamukha). Thus by the drawing influence of Mahāśakti when both the triangles meet together in the center of time, that is called divine descent. One should keep in mind that this action takes place in the central bindu within the circle. This is Guru Maṇḍala in the center of kāla where the whole universe gets transformed. This Guru Maṇḍala is just like a lotus and this consists of dynamic eternal Mahāprakāśa.
To practice Akhaṇḍa Mahāyoga, kṛpāśūnya kriyā is necessary. The spiritual adept must have to concentrate all his energies towards only one great resolve (mahāsaṅkalpa), that is the divine illumination in the earth consciousness. Mahāśakti herself embraces the adept and becomes very active in him. Divine Mother completes her ekamukhī, dvimukhī, and sarvamukhī kriyā and gives him premasvarūpa darśana. As a result, sahaja kriyā starts functioning in him. When triple śaktis such as premakumārī svarūpa, mahāśakti and svātmasvarūpā śakti unite together, the action of the total transformation of the world, the aim of Akhaṇḍa Mahāyoga starts to get it realized in the earth consciousness. The total transformation of the world is, as a matter of necessity, inevitable and that would take place in mahāniśā through the Divine Mother’s grace to humanity.