– Dr. N H Chandrashekara Swami
Pandit Gopinath Kaviraj was a direct disciple of Srī Paramahamsa Viśuddhānanda. Pandit Kaviraj’s spiritual literature in Bengali and Hindi, particularly with reference to Tantra, is well known. Kaviraj’s theology on Akhaṇḍa Mahāyōga is very important and most dynamic. On the one side, his gigantic and sharp intellect and on the other, his intuitional experience, both joined together in it. First of all, his Akhaṇḍa Mahāyōga sādhanā started after 1938. The first part of it was completed by himself and the second part is very much connected with the author who has all the records with him. Brief summaries of all these records written in Bengali script by Kaviraj himself are lying in his house. Revered Kaviraj gave its name as Akhaṇḍa Mahāyōga bhūmikā. Anyhow I shall try to put before you the essence of Akhaṇḍa Mahāyōga in a simple language because all these thoughts concerning this Yoga have been explained in Tantric technical terms and symbolic expressions. These terms and expressions are much suitable to explain the subtle spiritual experiences. We can compare this Yoga with a Temple. The six main systems of Indian philosophy are its foundation. Shaktism, Shaivism, Vaishnavism, and Buddhism are like its walls. Kaviraj’s Supreme Philosophy is here just like a kalaśa or śikhara and Akhaṇḍa Mahāyōga is the deity installed in the temple.
No doubt, individual sādhanā or vyaṣṭi sādhanā is very essential. The ultimate goal of life is liberation. Later on, in the Tantras, the thought of collective liberation took place. Thus Guru could initiate and he could impart his spiritual knowledge and experience among the disciples. Consequently, the true conception of Guru Maṇḍala came into existence. There were many Siddha Puruṣas who formed their own Siddha Maṇḍalas. For example, the Maṇḍala of Pañcamukha Gaṇādhīśvara, the Maṇḍala of Gyanganj and the Maṇḍala of Maurya and Maitra (Buddhist Siddhas) are very popular. All these Siddhas could not conquer death at the physical level but they were able to exist in their baindava, i.e śākta dēha and they helped their connected aspirants. But this was only confined to a group, hence it was not related to all human beings, though it proved as the background for further progress and spiritual uplift. Kaviraj belonged to the Gyanganj with which his Gurudēva Srī Viśuddhānanda Paramahamsa had direct contact. He availed himself of all the advantages of that Siddha Maṇḍala.
To conquer death is entirely a new type of conception started in the Yoga line. First of all, Prabhu Jagadbandhu could think about this world and its transformation. He said that now the right time had come for such an idea and Yoga. Two big personalities Sri Aurobindo and Pandit Kaviraj came to the forefront of this unique work of transformation. Both aimed at the same ideal but the ways of expression are a little different. It is not the occasion to talk about the comparative study of both Yogis. Pūrṇa Yoga and Akhaṇḍa Mahāyōga are not speculative philosophies. They are not based on spiritual samskāras, but they are the real experience of truth. So we have to understand not through the lower intellect. According to Kaviraj, Akhaṇḍa Mahāyōga can be understood through divya-bōdha or Divine Intellect. There are two ways of approach. Yoga means union in all levels of chaitanya or consciousness – to transcend time and space or to become one with Supreme or to identify with saccidānanda, or to become free from prakr̥ti. Generally, this is Khaṇḍa yōga and it is possible through self-effort. The union of Akhaṇḍa Mahāyōga is not the union of the individual soul with God. It is an eternal unity of samaṣṭi jīva or total humanity with Supreme in time and space of the existing world. This union will be the center of time. This union is called the illumination of Mahāprakāśa. This is not for individual liberation or siddhi but is the descent of Mahāśakti i.e Divine Illumination in this physical world.
In ṣaṭbhēda-kriyā of this Yoga, Kaviraj started to work according to his Guru’s order. Generally, in traditional Yoga, we find the path of ṣaṭcakras – ādhāra, svādhiSṭhāna, maṇipūra, viśuddha, ājñā, and sahasrāra. In these well-known chakras, a sādhaka ascends and gets the experience of the shakti and when he reaches sahasrāra, involution is complete. He experiences oneness with Shiva. This is the first way of awakening of the Kuṇḍalinī śakti. The other way is that of a Guru who has acquired iccā śakti, jnāna śakti, and kriyā śakti and takes his disciple into the sahasrāra. The disciple need not put forth his effort to go up to the desired point. There is a third kind in which the Guru initiates the disciple and touches the energy of disciple by his anugraha-śakti, whereby he gets the feeling of upward current (spanda) and gets the movement up to ṣaḍdala. This ṣaṭ-dala is in the centre of sahasrāra. This path was espoused by Kaviraj. In this path, there is no question of ṣaṭcakra-bhēda, because this is the path of lotus. A great Yogi who has worshipped Mahāśakti, gets all his chakra centers transformed into lotuses. He enters the line of karuṇā. Gautama Buddha could get all such glimpses of the karuṇā line. We find in Yoga literature the description of sahasrāra and the lotus of śaṭ-dala.
Vīraśaiva Shivayogi Prabhudeva describes his spiritual experience and he says that he has crossed sahasrāra and has entered the center of ṣaṭ-dala-kamala and he refers that there are certain saints who could reach the dala and are called Rudras, and those who could reach the lotus center are called Shiva-yogins. We find even in the Radha Soami sampradāya, the description of ṣaṭ-dala and they say there is the bhramara-guhā. Kaviraj experienced all these things. After crossing the bhramara-guhā there is the gurupādukā which leads to the reality of Akhaṇḍa Gurupādukā. We find traditional Yoga experiences up to this state. Generally, a Yogi who achieves such a position is tuned with ultimate reality, and then he cannot come to the lower level because there is nirōdhikā-śakti. There is the samanā level and after that there is unmanā. There are certain fortunate sādhakās who can reach this higher level. If the grace of Divine Mother or the grace of Guru occurs, the sādhaka obtains the śākta body.
Now I shall try to explain in short Gurudeva’s line of experience. After the attainment of his individual sādhanā, he achieved the state of Mahāśakti. When a Yogi is not satisfied with this achievement, he gets the special grace of Divine Mother. He is bestowed with the realization of total body i.e samaṣṭi-śarīra-bōdha. Kaviraj’s Gurudeva established Navamuṇḍī āsana in his time. This is the base for Kaviraj’s Akhaṇḍa Mahāyōga. At this level, guru-śakti, iṣṭa-śakti and svarūpa-śakti all meet together. In this position, his inner urge for humanity came before him. He was not ready to accept the individual powers. Then he surrendered everything on the one side, and on the other he identified himself with samaṣṭi-jīva-bhāva.
To explain this mystic truth in Gurudeva’s terms, in the triangle of Sat, Chit, and ānanda, Mahāśakti is in the center. This triangle is ready to meet the samaṣṭi-jīva-bindu. This contains aspiration, urge, and firm faith. This is the downward triangle. When it gets the touch of Mahāśakti, it becomes ūrdhvamukhī or upward. Thus by the attraction of Mahāśakti when both the triangles meet together in the center of time, that is called the Divine Descent. We should keep in mind that this action has taken place in the central Bindu of the circle. This is the Gurumaṇḍala in the center of kāla where the whole universe will be transformed. This Gurumaṇḍala is just like a lotus and this consists of dynamic eternal Mahāprakāśa.
When Gurudeva was doing Kr̥pā-śūnya kriya, externally he got many troubles, but he did not care much for them. He continued to concentrate all his energies towards only one Mahā-saṅkalpa, which is the divine illumination in this world. He spent many years in this sādhanā. Mahāśakti herself embraced him. Divine Shakti started working totally in him. He received all the grace of his iśta-dēvatā and his Master. Divine mother completed her ēkamukhī, dvimukhī, and sarvamukhī kriyā in him. After this kriyā, She revealed prēma-svarūpa-darśana. Consequently, sahaja kriyā started in him. All the powers which Gurudeva renounced, they embraced him in samaṣṭi-jīva level and all these became very useful in this project. When triple Shaktis i.e. Prēma-kumārī-svarūpa, Mahāśakti, and Svātma-svarūpa joined together, the action of the total transformation of the world started to work in earth consciousness.
Kaviraj would always talk about world transformation. He expected the change in the world as per his divine sight. He would say that the eternal light when it touches the human being, becomes permanent. When the light or Mahāprakāśa has touched the total centre of man that is the Vaiśvānara level. He always advocated samaṣṭi prāṇa, samaṣṭi manas, and samaṣṭi dēha. Mahāprakāśa has transformed samaṣṭi manas and prāṇa, but this should transform at least one man. This transformed man will be called the Divine Being on earth. The divine world will be based on abhēda bhāva.
This transformation is not in the hands of men. Mahāśakti herself is performing the process. For its earliest results, there is a need for saṅkalpa of men like Sri Aurobindo and Sri Kaviraj. Gurudeva would always say “You have to join me”. This means that we have to join in this Mahā-saṅkalpa. The more this saṅkalpa becomes potential and strong, the work of transformation will be done earlier. All of us should try to plunge in samaṣṭi-jīva-bhāva by keeping away our lower intellect and lower ambitions. We should have only one saṅkalpa of Divine Bliss. Let us join Gurudeva’s Mahā-saṅkalpa. His work still remains to be completed. Transformation is inevitable which will take place in mahāniśā and that is the Divine Mother’s grace to humanity.