Mundaka Upanishad

Fire is his head, the sun and moon his eyes, The heavens his ears, the scriptures his voice, The air his breath, the universe his heart, And the earth his footrest. The Lord of Love Is the innermost Self of all.

- Mundaka Upanishad

Katha Upanishad: Bhoga and Yoga

Perennial joy or passing pleasure? This is the choice one is to make always. The wise recognize these two, but not The ignorant. The first welcome what leads To abiding joy, though painful at the time. The latter run, goaded by their senses, After what seems immediate pleasure.

- Katha Upanishad

She who is a bhogi runs after those pleasures which satisfy Her senses and immediate wants. The bhogi does not think of that beyond immediate satisfaction, even though this satisfaction is fleeting and impermanent.

She who is a yogi recognizes that all pain, all pleasure is impermanent and subject to change. The only thing that liberates is meditation on the unchanging Self, far beyond the limits of external pleasures through Her senses.

Narada and Bhakti Yoga

“He who hates none, who is the friend of all, who is merciful to all, who has nothing of his own, who is free from egoism, who is even-minded in pain and pleasure, who is forbearing, who is always satisfied,, who works always in Yoga, whose self has become controlled, whose will is firm, whose mind and intellect are given up unto Me, such a one is My beloved Bhakta. From whom comes no disturbance, who cannot be disturbed by others, who is free from joy, anger, fear, and anxiety, such a one is My beloved. He who does not depend on anything, who is pure and active, who does not care whether good comes or evil, and never becomes miserable, who has given up all efforts for himself ; who is the same in praise or in blame, with a silent, thoughtful mind, blessed with what little comes in his way, homeless, for the whole world is his home, and who is steady in his ideas, such a one is My beloved Bhakta.”

- Swami Vivekananda on Krishna’s teachings

The following is a beautiful story about the nature of devotion and Bhakti that one must give in their practice. Krishna, in the Bhagavad Gita, extols the importance of following the path of devotion in the Kali Yuga as the most direct way to reach your own Divine potential. As a Bhakti, one must offer all the fruits gained from the external world and practice to that inner light, and learn to trustfully surrender, expecting nothing in return…only then does the flame within ignite.

There was a great god-sage called Narada. Just as there are sages among mankind, great Yogis, so there are great Yogis among the gods. Narada was a good Yogi, and very great. He travelled everywhere. One day he was passing through a forest, and saw a man who had been meditating until the white ants had built a huge mound round his body – so long had he been sitting in that position.

He said to Narada, “Where are you going?” Narada replied, “I am going to heaven.” “Then ask God when He will be merciful to me; when I shall attain freedom?.” Further on Narada saw another man. He was jumping about, singing, dancing, and said, “Oh, Narada, where are you going?” His voice and his gestures were wild. Narada said, “I am going to heaven.” “Then ask God when I shall be free.” Narada went on.

In the course of time he came again by the same road, and there was the man who had been meditating with the ant-hill round him. He said, “Oh, Narada, did you ask the Lord about me?” ”Oh, yes.” “What did He say?” “The Lord told me that you would attain freedom in four more births.” Then the man, enraged, began to weep and wail, and said, “I have meditated until an ant-hill has grown around me, and I have four more births yet!”

Narada went to the other man. “Did you ask my question ?” “Oh, yes. Do you see this tamarind tree? I have to tell you that as many leaves as there are on that tree, so many times, you shall be born, and then you shall attain freedom.” The man began to dance for joy, and said, “Oh thank you Lord! Thank you that it isn’t all the leaves of all the trees in the world! I shall have freedom after such a short time!” A voice came, “My child, you will have freedom this minute.” That was the reward for his perseverance. He was ready to work through all those births, nothing discouraged him. But the first man felt that even four more births were too long. Only perseverance and patience, like that of the man who was willing to wait aeons brings about the highest result.

 

The Teacher is in All

This is an excerpt of a story taken from Krishna’s final teachings in the Uddhava Gita about a young avadhuta (‘pure one’) who enlightens a Yadu King on the nature of the Teacher:

And the young avadhuta said to the Yadu King:

‘Hear me well, O king, as I tell you what I have learned from these my teachers.

From the earth I learned to remain undisturbed even while being oppressed by those under the sway of their own destiny. The earth taught me not to deviate from the course I set for myself ~ just as it does not deviate from its path around the sun.

As a disciple of this earth I learned from its lofty mountains that my movements should be guided by the service and care of others. As a disciple of this earth I learned from its upright trees that my life should be spent in sweet dedication to the welfare of others.

From the air I learned what it means to be an ascetic: to take only what is needed to keep body healthy and mind balanced, and that more than that causes mind and body to waste away.

From the air I learned what it means to be a Yogi: to move about freely in contact with all things but attached to no thing; to be the breath that comes and goes unconcerned with reward and punishment.

From the air that moves I learned that the Yogi comes and goes through many bodies, yet remains in untouched stillness ~ just ike the gentle breeze that carries fragrances from place to place.

From the vast space spread out as the air all around us I learned of my true identity. I learned that though clothed in a body of one form or another, all things, moving and unmoving, are without boundaries: for the unlimited Self is present everywhere in everything, just as air is present everywhere and in everything.

From space I learned that the Self remains untouched by the form it takes on, whatever that form may be ~ fire, earth, or wind ~ just as the space remains untouched by the clouds blown by the winds.

From the water I learned that the sage must be transparent and like the water we must be sweet, always offering purity so that others through our company may be cleansed and purified.

From the fire I learned how to burn brightly through the power of practice. From fire I learned we need only the food that the belly can burn now. From fire I learned to accept what is given to me, and to let the fire of my practice transform what is impure and make it pure.

From the fire I learned that in order to teach the sage must sometimes be hidden and sometimes be visible. In this way, like fire, the sage can grant blessings, in which all transgressions are burned.

I learned that just like fire that has no shape of its own, but to reveal itself takes the shape of the log being burned, so are we. Whatever our form, whatever our history, the Self reveals itself in all forms over and over again.

Time and its passage belong to the body ~ not to the Self of all bodies. I learned this by watching the moon, which remains the same even while it appears to change with the passage of time.

Through the power of time death follows birth and birth follows death. Yet the Self does not observe these changes ~ just as the observer does not see each flame of the fire being born, taking shape and dying, to be born again.

From the sun I learned non-attachment. The sun draws water up into the atmosphere and then returns it as the gentle rain. This is surely what it means to live as a Yogi ~ accepting the experiences that are freely offered, and letting them go when they are withdrawn.

Like the sun the Self is one. But like the sun reflected on moving water the Self appears to be broken into many forms. But I learned from the sun not to mistake the image for the reality…’

Katha Upanishad

Get up! Wake up! Seek the guidance of an Illuminated teacher and realize the Self. Sharp like a razor’s edge, the sages say, Is the path, difficult to traverse.

- Katha Upanishad

Ujjayi – The Whispered Breath

When hearing Ujjayi for the first time, many are reminded of their first Star Wars viewing, with Darth Vader breathing heavily into his mask, telling Luke the truth of his identity. Who knows if the source of inspiration for Darth Vader’s voice was taken from yoga science, but Ujjayi is a pranayama worth examining and exploring in depth….

When you first begin the path of Yoga, you may noticed an extreme amount of emphasis on the breath. Yoga, meaning union, strives to find cohesion between the body and the mind, and the breath serves as a vehicle to unite the two. You can imagine the breath as the chain links that connect one to the other, thereby having a tremendous influence on both mind and body. Ujjayi is extremely helpful when first attempting to cultivate breath awareness, and to match the breath with the movements of the body. Often times, beginning practitioners are confused with their inhalations and exhalations, and using an audible breath allows the senses to tune into the motion of the breath as you flow in and out of postures.

Ujjayi breathing is a pranayama practice described in the Hatha Yoga Pradipika. The word ujjayi means “victorious”—from the verb ujji meaning “to conquer or acquire by conquest.”The great thing about Ujjayi is it’s versatility. It can be done while sitting, walking, during your asana, or even waiting in line (as long as you don’t mind a few looks from your neighbors!!).

Benefits:

Ujjayi slows and deepens the breath and tones the muscles of respiration. It is said to be helpful therapeutically in the treatment of tonsillitis, sore throat, chronic cold, and bronchial asthma. It is used to prevent throat ailments of various kinds. And it is helpful for relieving anxiety by slowing down the breath and calming the nervous sytem.
Contraindications

Stop practicing Ujjayi if you feel light headed or dizzy, moving back to your diaphragmatic breath instead.

The Practice:

1. Sit in a comfortable seated pose, with your head neck and trunk aligned. Inhale and exhale deeply with your nose, using the diaphragm, instead of your chest to breathe. You will feel your lower abdomen, sides of the ribcage, and lower back expanding and contracting with your breath.

2. On the exhales, begin to tone the back of the throat, slightly constricting the passage of air. Try partially closing the glottis, the aperture in the throat just behind the larynx. The glottis is contracted when you whisper, so if you are having trouble first whisper a few words to isolate the action in your throat, and then eliminate the words all together.

3. Once you are comfortable with the exhale, begin to apply the same toning of the throat to the inhales. This is the full Ujjayi pranayama. You may notice how the sound you are making resembles that of the sound of the waves in a conch shell.

5. Now start to use this breath during your practice. Ujjayi is an excellent preparation for meditation, allowing us to hone in on and deepen the breath first, and then let it go as we move in to our meditation practice.

…And who knows, maybe the source of Darth Vader’s power was in his breath after all!

A Favorite Tale of Krishna and Radha’s

Uddhava, the apprentice of Krishna, one day expressed his dissatisfaction to Krishna that in-spite of studying all Vedas, Upanishadas and Sutras, he still was not recipient of the title “Maha-Rishi”, meaning the great sage. He indirectly suggested that Krishna should use his weight in the council of wise men to honor him with the title.

Krishna sensed the ego and pride of Uddhava. He smiled and asked Uddhava if he thought his study was complete. Uddhava answered a confident yes. Krishna did not say anything. He just told Uddhava to come and see him the next day.

The next day Krishna asked him a for a favor. He asked Uddhava to visit Vrindavan, where Krishna’s soul mate Radha resided, and to give her a message. Uddhava gladly agreed. After all, getting to do a special assignment for no one else but Krishna, the divine one, was an honor. When he was ready to leave, Krishna smiled and waved him goodbye. Uddhava asked about the message and Krishna said he had none.

Uddhava was surprised. He sat in chariot and started on his way, but he could not help wonder what would be Radha’s reaction. He was sure Radha would be very angry at this. He did not want to see a problem in Radha and Krishna’s relationship. So just before he entered Vrindavan, he got a parch-paper and wrote a hi-hello message to Radha and forged to look like it came from Krishna.

On reaching Vrindavan, he did not have problem finding Radha’s house. She gave him a warm welcome. After he settled, he handed over the message, hoping she would not examine the message in too much detail.

For a moment Radha stared at the parch-paper and then she started laughing hysterically. Uddhava was confused. He asked Radha what was the matter. She said the message Krishna wrote was funny. Uddhava pretended surprise and asked what was the message.

“The message says Uddhava’s study is still not complete.” replied Radha.

On listening this, Uddava was stunned.

‘How could she have known this?’ he wondered.

Radha calmed him down.

“I love Krishna and trust Krishna in ways beyond you can imagine.” She said “We are two bodies but same soul. There is nothing to be said in between us. We have walked the path of trust, love, devotion and sacrifices for so long that there are no boundaries in my being and his. He does not need to send me messages. He is my message. He is my love letter from the universe.”

“But Uddhava, you have not learned to trust Krishna. You have not learned to give up your self, your ego, and stop your manipulating mind. You ego stands between you and the truth. Between you and the supreme awakening.”

“Erasing the sense of duality and being one with the universe, being one with the one who beholds universe, is this not the jist of the sacred ancient texts, Uddhava?”

Uddhava was speechless. Within a minute, Radha had explained the the deepest mysteries of life. He just wanted to stand there and listen.

He spent the whole day at her house. She talked about life in layman’s terms of love and truth. But Uddhava found answers to his most profound questions in philosophies he learned all this life.

“How did you get so much knowledge staying in this village and living life doing chores?” He asked.

“Each moment makes you take sides. If you always take side of truth and love, you will gain insights. Each insight awakens you from the illusion and takes you a step closer to the supreme awakening.”

“How can you be in Love with Krishna and still remain free from bonds of life ?”

“There is distinction between the love that results from insecurity and the love that results from faith. The former results in bonds. The later results in freedom. The former gets lost, the later transcends. The former leads to fear of death and abandonment. The later leads to Nirvana, to enlightenment that is death of death, to realization that Radha and Krishna are just ripples and love is like the water, eternal and infinite.”

“How can you get awakened without leaving the society and becoming a monk?”

“Where a man reaches by renouncing the world, a woman reaches by embracing the world in its wholeness.” Said Radha.

“Is there no point in pursuit of knowledge? Then what is the meaning of life?”

“Your ability to give it any meaning, is the meaning of life. ” Ansewred Radha. “And about the pursuits, pursuit of currency is not the same as pursuit of wealth, pursuit of sensation is not pursuit of happiness, pursuit of titles is not pursuit of knowledge. These pursuits are in synergy for some time, and they are at conflict later. You must wake up, and open your eyes.”

Radha’s answers turned all of Uddhavas learning upside down and inside out and presented to him as a paradox, a paradox his doubting mind could never grasp. Uddhava’s ego surrendered. The constant chatter of thoughts at the back of his mind stopped and he saw a totally new world at the same place. An eternal, peaceful world where everything seemed OK.

On his way back to Dwaraka, Uddhava sensed a big change within him. He sang to himself. He offered lift to a sick man. He appreciated the sunset in the Western sky. He did not feel rush to get home and work on getting his title.

Next day he met Krishna. Krishna sensed the change too.

Krishna smiled and said “So let’s talk about your title Maha-rishi.”

“I am not that interested in the title anymore. ” replied Uddhava and bent to touch Krishna’s feet.

Krishna rose from his throne. He hold on to Uddhava’s shoulders and smiled at him.

” Your journey is complete. You have arrived. Uddhava, I bestow you the responsibility of writing down my teaching in simple language for all those who do not have luxury of spending their life trying to be Maha-rishi. You will share the gems of knowledge that do not belong to any title such as Maha-rishi. “

“And for this great contribution to humanity, hereafter you shall be known as Maha-rishi.”