Questions & Answers on Concentration Q. On what can one concentrate? A. Concentrate on a concrete form in the beginning, on the form of Lord Krishna with flute in hand or on the form of Lord Vishnu with conch, disc, mace and lotus in the four hands. Q. One man told me to look constantly in a mirror on a point in the mid-space between the two eyebrows in the reflection of my face. Can I do so? A. You can. This is one way of concentration. But stick to one method, to Rama’s picture only. You can spiritually grow when you concentrate on His divine form and meditate on His qualities. Q. Why people concentrate on Saligram? A. It has got a power to induce concentration easily. Q. I am concentrating on Trikuti, on OM figure and on sound. Am I right in my concentration? A. You are right. Associate the idea of purity, Sat, Chit, Ananda, perfection, etc., with OM. Feel you are all-pervading consciousness. This kind of Bhava is necessary. Q. What should I do to have deep concentration of mind? A. Develop intense mental Vairagya. Increase the time of practice. Sit alone. Do not mix with undesirable persons. Observe Mouna for three hours. Take milk and fruits at night. You will have deep concentration of mind, I assure you. Q. The disciple needs words of encouragement. Often he wants to be in touch with his Guru. That is why I disturb you always. May I enquire now how the power of concentration increases? A. You can write to me often. Disturbance concerns the mind. There is always peace for one who lives in the Atman which transcends the mind. Disturbances, troubles and afflictions can hardly touch such a person who lives in the spirit. Concentration increases by curtailing your wants and desires, by observing Mouna (silence) for two hours daily, by remaining in seclusion in a quiet room for one or two hours daily, by practising Pranayama, by prayer, by increasing the number of sittings in meditation in the evening and at night, by Vichara, etc. Q. Can Japa bring about concentration? A. Yes. Do Manasika Japa. Q. When I try to concentrate on the Trikuti, I get a slight headache. Is there any remedy? A. Do not struggle with the mind. Do not make a violent effort when you concentrate. Relax all nerves, muscles and brain. Do gentle concentration in a natural manner. This will remove undue strain and consequent headache. Q. The mind is still fickle in me and flesh is weak. Attempts at concentration are sometimes successful, but often end in disappointment. The purification of mind is not easy. What do you suggest? A. Your Vairagya is not intense. Develop Vairagya. Do intense Sadhana. Increase the period of meditation to 4 hours. Reduce your Vyavahara (activity). Go for seclusion for 3 months either to Rishikesh or Uttarakasi. Observe Mouna for full three months. You will have wonderful concentration and meditation. Q. Why does the Yogi who does the Sakti-Sanchara on his disciple ask him to give up all other kinds of Sadhana? A. To develop intense faith, steadiness on the path and one-pointed or single-minded devotion in one form of Yoga. Q. I am doing Japa for two hours daily and Pranayama for half an hour. Can I have Ekagrata and Tanmayata in 2 or 3 years? A. Yes. You can, if you are pure and sincere in your Sadhana. Questions & Answers on Meditation Q: What is Brahma-Muhurta? A: 4 a.m. to 6 a.m. is termed as Brahma-Muhurta. Q: Why is it eulogised by Rishis? A: Because it is favourable for meditation on God or Brahman. Hence it is called Brahma-Muhurta. Q: What are the advantages gained by Sadhakas by meditating at this particular hour? A: At this particular hour the mind is very calm and serene. It is free from worldly thoughts, worries and anxieties. The mind is like a blank sheet of paper and comparatively free from worldly Samskaras. It can be very easily moulded at this time before worldly distractions enter the mind. Further the atmosphere also is charged with more Sattva at this particular time. There is no bustle and noise outside. Q: Should I take bath before starting meditation? A: If you are strong enough, if you are hale and hearty, if the weather and season can permit, if you are in the prime of youth, take a bath either in cold, lukewarm or hot water as desired. Otherwise, wash your hands, feet and face with cold water. Do Achamanam (sipping water with Mantra ‘Om Achyutaya Namah, Om Anantaya Namah, Om Govindaya Namah.’) Q: How to take to meditation or concentrate the mind for Ekagrata? A: First concentrate on the figure of Lord Hari with four hands for one year. Then take to abstract meditation, or meditation on an idea. You can meditate on these: “Om Ekam, Akhanda, Chidakasa, Sarva-Bhuta-Antaratma-one indivisible Atman, the Indweller of the creatures, all-pervading subtle consciousness like ether.” Q: My greatest difficulty is about concentration of the mind. The mind almost always runs away during my meditation. What is the remedy? A: Strengthen your Vairagya and Abhyasa. Again and again you will have to bring the mind to the Lakshya. If you can make it run 50 times instead of 55 times, that is great achievement for you. Mouna (vow of silence) will help you a lot. In winter you have your sittings in meditation in the morning, afternoon, evening and at night. Q: What can I do besides Pranayama to elevate the mind when it gets dull during meditation? May I use counter-suggestions? A: Whenever the mind gets dull, assert: “I am Atman. I am full of knowledge. I am Jnana-Svarupa. I am Omnipotent-OM OM OM.” The mind will be elevated and fixed in your meditation. Q: A Yogi told me while meditating on God, that he could hear the sound of Sri Krishna’s flute and the Sankha-Nada. Is it true?

Jyotirmaya Darshan When you advance in meditation you can see your Ishta Devata in physical form. Lord Vishnu will give you Darshan with four hands; Lord Krishna will appear before you with flute in His hands; Rama with bow and arrow in his hands; Lord Siva with trident and Damaru. Sometimes the Lord will come before you in the form of a beggar or sick man with dirty rags. He may appear before you in the form of a coolie or a man of low caste. You must have the keen sense to detect Him. Your hair will stand on end when you meet Him. He appears in your dreams. Lord Ganesha comes in the form of an elephant in dreams. Devi appears in the form of a girl in your dreams. During deep meditation you will have Jyotirmaya Darshan. You will behold a huge pillar of light. You will see infinite light and you will merge yourself in it. You will be struck with awe and wonder. If you worship Lord Krishna intensely and constantly, you will see only Lord Krishna everywhere.A Yogi should always avoid fear, anger, laziness, too much sleep or waking and too much food and fasting. If the above rule be well and strictly practised each day, spiritual wisdom will arise of itself in three months without doubt. In four months, he sees the Devas; in five months, he knows (or becomes) Brahmanishtha and truly in six months attains Kaivalya at will. There is no doubt.

Glimpses of the Self By experiences, pleasant and painful, man gathers materials and builds them into mental and moral faculties. As a merchant closing the year’s ledger and opening a new one does not enter in the new one all the items of the old but only its balances, so does the spirit hand over to the new brain his judgments on the experiences of a life that is closed, the conclusion to which he has come, the decisions to which he has arrived. This is the stock handed over to the new life, the mental furniture for the new dwelling, a real memory. The mind which ever rises and falls with the ebb of desires, fancies this illusory universe to be true through its ignorance; but it should be informed of the real nature of this world, then it will cognise it to be Brahman itself. During meditation you may experience that you are rising from your seat. Some experience that they fly in the air. Various persons get various spiritual experiences. There cannot be a common experience for all. It depends upon the temperament, mode of Sadhana, place of concentration, and various other factors. Some hear melodious sounds in the ears. Some see lights. Some get Ananda (spiritual bliss). Some get both Prakasha and Ananda. If there is any error in Sadhana (meditation), at once consult the senior Sannyasins or realised souls and remove the mistake. If your general health is sound, if you are cheerful, happy and strong physically and mentally, if the mind is peaceful and unruffled, if you get Ananda in meditation and if your will is growing strong, pure and irresistible, think that you are improving in meditation and everything is going on all right. The Divine Light comes not through open doors but only through narrow slits. The aspirant sees the ray as a sunbeam passing through a chink into a dark room. It is like a “flash of lightning.” This sudden illumination chokes all sounds of words. The aspirant is spellbound in ecstasy and awe. He trembles with love and awe, just as Arjuna did when he had the Visvarupa Darshan of Lord Krishna. So bright and glorious is the Light environing the Divine that the initiate is dazzled and bewildered. This is a kind of vision one occasionally gets during meditation. You may behold a dazzling light with abrupt motion. You may behold a head of marvellous form, of the colour of a flame, red as fire, and very awful to look at. It has three wings of marvellous length and breadth, white as a dazzling cloud. At times they would beat terribly and again would be still. The head never utters a word, but remains altogether still. Now and again there is beating with its extended wings. During meditation the colour of lights that you see varies according to the nature of Tattva that flows through the nostrils. If there is Agni Tattva you will see red-coloured lights. If Akasa Tattva flows you will have blue-coloured lights. If Apas Tattva (water) prevails you will see white-coloured lights. If there is Prithivi Tattva you will have yellow lights. If there is Vayu Tattva you will see black colour. You can change the Tattva by various ways. But the best way is by thought. “As you think, so you also become.” When the Agni Tattva flows, think intensely of Apas Tattva. Apas Tattva will begin to flow soon. If you get experiences of the glimpses of Self during intense meditation, if you see a blazing light during meditation, and if you get spiritual visions of angels, archangels, Rishis, Munis, Devatas and any other extraordinary spiritual experiences, do not fall back in terror. Do not mistake them for phantoms. Do not give up the Sadhana. Plod on diligently. Break veil after veil. March on boldly. Do not look back. Cross the intense void and darkness. Pierce the layer of Moha. Melt the subtle Ahamkara now. Svarupa will shine by itself. You will experience the Turiya (Arudha state). Sometimes bad spirits will trouble you. They may have ugly fierce faces with long teeth. Drive them with your strong will. Give the word of command “Get out.” They will go away. They are vampires. They are elementals. They will not do any harm to the Sadhakas. Your courage will be tested here. If you are timid you cannot march further. Draw power and courage from Atman within, the inexhaustible source (Avyaya). You will come across very good spirits also. They will help you a lot in your onward march. These are all Vighnas or obstacles in the way.Aspirants are eager to get spiritual experience soon. As soon as they get them, they are afraid. They are awfully alarmed when they go above body-consciousness. They entertain a passing wonder whether they will come back again or not. Why should they be afraid at all? It does not matter much whether they return to body-consciousness or not. All our attempts are mainly directed towards getting over this body- consciousness and being one with the higher spiritual consciousness. We are used to certain limitations. When these limitations suddenly drop away we feel that there is no definite base left to stand upon. That is the reason why we are afraid when we go above the body-consciousness. That is a novel experience. Courage is needed. Courage is an indispensable requisite. Sruti says: “Nayamatma Balahinena Labhyah.” This Atman can hardly be attained by weak (timid) persons. All sorts of forces have to be encountered on the way. A dacoit or an anarchist can easily realise God because he is fearless. A push in the right direction is only necessary for him. How Jagai and Madhai, rogues of the first water, became very good saints? They pelted stones at Nityananda, the disciple of Lord Gauranga. Nityananda won them by pure divine love. Dacoit Ratnakara became sage Valmiki.

Bhuta-Ganas Sometimes, these elementals appear during meditation. They are strange figures, some with long teeth, some with big faces, some with big bellies, some with faces on the belly, some with faces on the head. They are inhabitants of the Bhuta Loka. They are Bhutas. They are supposed to be the attendants of Lord Siva. They have terrifying forms. They do not cause any harm at all. They simply appear on the stage. They come to test your strength and courage. They can do nothing. They cannot stand before a pure, ethical aspirant. Repetition of a few Omkaras will throw them at a distance. You must be fearless. A coward is absolutely unfit for the spiritual line. Develop courage by constantly feeling you are the Atman. Negate the body-idea that is inveterate. Practise, practise, Nididhyasana, Nididhyasana always, all the 24 hours. That is the secret. That is the key. That is the master-key to open the treasury of Sat-Chit-Ananda. That is the corner-stone of the edifice of Bliss. That is the pillar of the edifice of Bliss. That is the pillar of the mansion of Ananda. Vinayakas are types of elementals.

Mind Moves After a short practice of meditation you will feel that body gets lighter in a short time, say 15 or 30 minutes after you have taken your seat in Padma, Siddha or Sukhasana, according to taste and temperament. You may be semi-conscious of the body also. There is great deal of happiness owing to concentration. This is happiness resulting from concentration-concentration-Ananda-which is quite different from sensual pleasures. You must be able to differentiate these two pleasures through the Buddhi, rendered subtle by constant Abhyasa, meditation. Dharana and Dhyana have a power to sharpen the intellect. A trained Buddhi can comprehend subtle, philosophical, abstruse problems beautifully well. A disciplined Buddhi that can carefully differentiate concentration-Ananda and Nididhyasana-happiness, will naturally run daily to enjoy this kind of new happiness, Vasana-Ananda. Such a mind will loathe sensual pleasures. There will be extreme abhorrence, and positive aversion to objects. It is but natural, because this kind of happiness is more lasting, sustained, self-contained and real, as it emanates from Atman. You can distinctly feel that the mind is moving, that it is leaving its seat in the brain and that it is trying to go to its Yathasthana (original seat). You know that it has left its old groove and is now passing the new groove in the avenue. As a result of meditation, new channels are formed in the brain, new thought-currents are generated and new brain-cells are formed. There is a transformed psychology altogether. You have got a new brain, a new heart, new feelings, new sentiments and new sensations.

Blissful Experience Samadhi or blissful divine experience arises when the ego and the mind are dissolved. It is a state to be attained by one’s own effort. It is limitless, divisionless and infinite, an experience of being and of pure consciousness. When this experience is realised, the mind, desires, actions and feelings of joy and sorrow vanish into a void. The ultimate Truth or Brahman or the Absolute can be experienced by all persons by regular practice of meditation with a pure heart. Mere abstract reasoning and study of books will not do. What is wanted is direct experience. The direct experience is the source for higher intuitional knowledge or divine wisdom. This experience is superconscious or transcendental. There is neither the play of the senses nor the intellect here. This is not an emotional experience. The senses, mind and intellect are at perfect rest. They do not function a bit. This experience is not an imaginary experience of a visionary dreamer. It is not a reverie. It is not a hypnotic trance. It is a solid living Truth like the Amalaka fruit on the palm of your hand. The third eye or the eye of wisdom (Jnana Chakshus) is opened in the experiencer. The extraordinary experience comes from cognition through the spiritual eye or the eye of intuition. This eye of wisdom can be opened when the senses, mind and intellect cease functioning. The Jnana Chakshus can only be opened by eradicating completely all desires, wrath, greed, pride, egoism and hatred. There is neither darkness nor void in this experience. It is all light. There is neither sound nor touch nor form here. It is a magnanimous experience of unity or oneness. There is neither time nor causation here. You become omniscient and omnipotent. You become a Sarvavit or all-knower. You know everything in detail. You know the whole mystery of creation. You get immortality, higher knowledge and eternal bliss. All dualities vanish here. There is neither subject nor object. There is neither Sakara nor Nirakara. There is neither meditation nor Samadhi. There is neither Dvaita nor Advaita. There is neither Vikshepa nor one-pointedness. There is neither meditator nor the meditated. There is neither gain nor loss. There is neither pleasure nor pain. There is neither East nor West. There is neither day nor night. Samadhi is of various kinds. The Samadhi that is induced by the practice of Mudra and Pranayama (Kumbhaka) is Jada Samadhi. There is no awareness here. The Yogi can be buried for six months in a box beneath the earth. It is like deep sleep. The Yogi does not return with superintuitional knowledge. The Vasanas are not destroyed by this Samadhi. The Yogi will be born again. This Samadhi cannot give liberation. Then there is the Chaitanya Samadhi. The Yogi has perfect awareness. He comes down with divine knowledge. He gives inspired talks and messages. The hearers are much elevated. The Vasanas are destroyed by this Samadhi. The Yogi attains Kaivalya or perfect freedom. The Samadhi experienced by a Bhakta is Bhava Samadhi. The devotee attains the state through Bhava and Mahabhava. The Raja Yogi gets Nirodha Samadhi through destruction of Sankalpas (Chittavrittinirodha). The Vedantin attains Bhava Samadhi through negation of the illusory vehicles, or Upadhis such as body, mind, senses, intellect, etc. For him the world and body are unreal or Mithya. He passes through the stages of darkness, light, sleep, Moha and infinite space and eventually attain infinite consciousness. Again there are two other varieties of Samadhi, viz., Savikalpa or Sabija or Samprajnata and Nirvikalpa or Nirbija or Asamprajnata Samadhi. In the first variety there is Triputi or the triad, viz., knower, knowledge, knowable or seer, sight and seen. The Samskaras are not destroyed. In the latter the Samskaras are totally fried or destroyed. There is no Triputi in Nirvikalpa. Savikalpa, Nirvichara, Saananda are varieties of Savikalpa Samadhi. When you are established in the highest Nirvikalpa Samadhi you have nothing to see, nothing to hear, nothing to smell and nothing to feel. You have no body-consciousness. You have full Brahmic Consciousness only. There is nothing but the Self. It is a grand experience. You will be struck with awe and wonder. A Bhakta who meditates on the form of Lord Krishna will see Krishna and Krishna only everywhere when he is established in Samadhi. All other forms will disappear. This is one kind of spiritual experience. He will see himself also as Krishna. Gopis of Brindavan, Gauranga and Ekanath had this experience. Those who meditate on the all-pervading Krishna will have another kind of cosmic experience. Arjuna had this kind of experience. He had consciousness of the whole Virat. He had cosmic consciousness. If you meditate on Hiranyagarbha, you will become identical with Hiranyagarbha. You will have knowledge of Brahmaloka. You will also have cosmic consciousness. The experience of Savikalpa Samadhi of a devotee and Raja Yogi is the same. The transcendental experience is also called by the name Turiya or the fourth state. The first three states are �waking,’ �dreaming’ and �dreamless sleep’ and the fourth state is �Turiya.’ The first three states are common to all. The fourth is latent in every human being. When you are established in the fourth state, when you experience the transcendental state of Brahmic consciousness, the Truth, which had been before but as an intellectual abstraction, becomes a living reality definitely experienced by you. Various names such as Samyag Darshan, Sahaja Avastha, Nirvana, Turiyatita, Aparokshanubhava, Brahma- Sakshatkara, Nirvikalpa Samadhi, Asamprajnata Samadhi, are given to this transcendental state, but all of them unmistakably point to the same goal. Real spiritual life begins after one enters into this state of superconsciousness. You will realise at all times and under all circumstances that you are identical with the invisible existence, knowledge and bliss; that you pervade all persons and objects; and that you are beyond all limitations. If you have the knowledge of the Self or Brahman at all times without any break, then you are

Cosmic Consciousness This exalted, blissful experience comes through intuition or Samadhi. The lower mind is withdrawn from the external, objective world. The senses are abstracted in the mind. The individual mind becomes one with the cosmic mind or Hiranyagarbha or the Oversoul, the Soul of the Universe, the one common thread-soul or Sutratma. The function of the intellect, the objective mind and the senses are suspended. The Yogi becomes a living soul and sees into the life of things through his new divine eye of intuition or wisdom. The state of Cosmic Consciousness is grand and sublime. It is beyond description. The mind and speech return from it baffled, as they are not able to grasp and describe it. The language and words are imperfect. It induces awe, Supreme Joy and Highest Unalloyed Felicity, free from pain, sorrow and fear. This is divine experience. It is a revelation of the Karana Jagat, the causal world wherein the types are realised directly. Sri Sankara, Dattatreya, Vama Deva, Jadabharata, Mansoor, Shams Tabriez, Madalasa, Yajnavalkya, Ram Das, Tulasi Das, Kabir, Hafiz, Tukaram, Mira, Gouranga, Madhvacharya, Ramanujacharya, Lord Jesus, Lord Buddha, Lord Mohammed, Lord Zoroaster, had experience of Cosmic Consciousness. The Yogi who has experience of Cosmic Consciousness acquires all Divine Aishvaryas. He attains many kinds of Siddhis or powers, which are described in Srimad Bhagavata and Raja Yoga of Patanjali Maharshi. Arjuna, Sanjaya and Yasoda had the experience of Cosmic Consciousness. Yasoda saw the whole universe within the mouth of Bala Krishna. The Gita describes the state of cosmic consciousness through the mouth of Arjuna in these words: “Thy mighty form with many mouths and eyes, long-armed, with thighs and feet innumerable, vast-bosomed, set with many fearful teeth, radiant, Thou touchest heaven, rainbow-hued, with open mouths and shining vast-orbed eyes on every side, all-swallowing, fiery-tongued, Thou lickest up mankind devouring all into Thy gaping mouths, which are tremendous-toothed and terrible to see. Some caught within the gaps between Thy teeth, are seen with their heads to powder crushed and ground.” In France, Professor Bergson preached about intuition which transcends reason but did not contradict it. This new experience bestows new enlightenment which places the experiencer on a new plane of existence. There is an indescribable feeling of elation and indescribable joy and Bliss. He experiences a sense of universality, a Consciousness of Eternal Life. It is not a mere conviction. He actually feels it. He gets the eye Celestial. The Jivahood has gone now. The little �I’ has melted. The differentiating mind that splits up has vanished. All barriers, all sense of duality, differences, separateness have disappeared. There is no idea of time and space. There is only eternity. The ideas of caste, creed and colour have gone now. He has the feeling of Apta-Kama (one who has obtained all that he desires). He feels, “There is nothing more to be known by me.” He feels perfect awareness of superconscious plane of Knowledge and intuition. He knows the whole secret of Creation. He is Omniscient. He is a Sarva-Vit or Knower of all details of Creation. Absolute fearlessness, desirelessness, thoughtlessness, I-lessness, mine-lessness, angerlessness, Brahmic aura in the face, freedom from Harsha and Shoka are some of the signs that indicate that the man has reached the state of superconsciousness. He is also always in a state of perfect bliss. You can never see anger, depression, cheerlessness and sorrow in his face. You will find elevation, joy and peace in his presence. Cosmic consciousness is perfect awareness of the oneness of life. The Yogi feels that the universe is filled with one life. He actually feels that there is no such thing as blind force or dead matter and that all is alive, vibrating and intelligent. This is the experience of scientist Bose also. He has demonstrated it through laboratory experiements. He who has cosmic consciousness feels that the universe is all his. He is one with the Supreme Lord. He is one with the Universal knowledge and Life. He experiences bliss and joy beyond understanding and description. In the moment of illumination or great spiritual exaltation he has the actual divine universal vision. He is conscious of being in the presence of God. He sees the light of God’s countenance. He is lifted above the ordinary plane of consciousness. He reaches a higher state of consciousness. He has a cosmic or universal understanding. He has developed the cosmic sense. The human soul is revolutionised. He does not worry about death or future, about what may come after the cessation of the life of the present body. He is one with Eternity, Infinity and Immortality! During illumination the floodgate of joy breaks. The Yogi is inundated with waves of indescribable ecstasy. Bliss, Immortality, Eternity, Truth, Divine Love become the core of his being, the essence of his life, the only possible reality. He realises that the deep, everlasting fountain of joy exists in every heart, that the immortal life underlies all beings, that this eternal, all-embracing, all-inclusive love envelops, supports and guides every particle, every atom of creation. Sin, sorrow, death are but words now for him without meaning. He feels that the elixir of life, the nectar of immortality is flowing in his veins. He feels no need for food or sleep. He is absolutely desireless. There is a great change in his appearance and manner. His face shines with a radiant light. His eyes are lustrous. They are pools of joy and bliss. He feels that the entire world is bathed in a sea of satisfying love, or immortal bliss which is the very essence of life. The whole world is home to him. He could never feel strange or alien to any place. The mountains, the distant lands which he has never seen would be as much as his own, as the home of his boyhood. He feels that the whole world is his body. He feels that all hands, all feet are his. Fatigue is unknown to him. His