How To Become A Yogi?
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THE SPH NITHYANANDA PARAMASHIVAM
पूर्वाभ्यासेन तेनैव ह्रियते ह्यवशोऽपि सः ।
जिज्ञासुरपि योगस्य शब्दब्रह्मातिवर्तते
॥ ६-४४ ॥
pūrvābhyāsena tenaiva hriyate
hyavaśo’pi saḥ jijñāsurapi yogasya
śabda-brahmātivartate
Due to the practice in his previous life, he certainly gets attracted automatically to yoga and he is inquisitive about yoga and transcends the scriptures
POWERFUL COGNITION
Our vāsanas, our mindset in one birth, continues into another.
प्रयत्नाद्यतमानस्तु योगी संशुद्धकिल्बिषः ।
अनेकजन्मसंसिद्धस्ततो याति परां गतिम्
॥६-४५॥
prayatnādyatamānastu yogī
saṁśuddhakilbiṣaḥ aneka-janmasaṁ-
siddhas tato yāti parāṁ gatim
And when the Yogī engages himself
with sincere endeavour in progressing
further, being cleansed of all
incompletions, then ultimately,
achieving perfection [saṁsiddhi] after
many births of practice, he attains the
highest state [parāṁ-gati]
POWERFUL COGNITION
If we keep practicing, if we keep trying, we will be cleansed of all sins and reach the highest state.
6.46
तपस्विभ्योऽधिको योगी ज्ञानिभ्योऽपि मतोऽधिकः ।
कर्मिभ्यश्चाधिको योगी तस्माद्योगी भवार्जुन
॥ ६-४६ ॥
tapasvibhyodhiko yogī jñānibhyo'pi
mato 'dhikaḥ karmibhyaścādhiko yogī
tasmādyogī bhavārjuna
A Yogī is greater than the ascetic
[tapasvi], greater than the wise [jñāni]
and greater than the fruitive worker.
Therefore, Arjuna, do become a Yogī
POWERFUL COGNITION
Start living from the heart.
6.47
योगिनामपि सर्वेषां मद्गतेनान्तरात्मना ।
श्रद्धावान्भजते यो मां स मे युक्ततमो मतः
॥ ६-४७ ॥
yogināmapi sarveṣāṃ
madgatenāntarātmanā śraddhāvān
bhajate yo māṃ sa me yuktatamo mata
Of all Yogīs, one who always lives in Me, thinking of Me within himself, who worships Me in full faith, he is the most intimately united with Me in Yoga and is the highest of all Yogīs; that is My opinion
POWERFUL COGNITION
Just look in, you will experience the eternal bliss, Nithyānanda.
iNTRODUCTiON
Why do we assume the body? We think
that we can experience bliss through
the body and mind; that is why we
assume the body. When we realize that
bliss cannot be experienced through the
body or mind, we know that going
beyond the body is the only way to
experience it. Then we will not assume
the body. Assuming the human body is
simply our choice.
People ask Swamiji, 'Why do we choose
to have the human experience?' That
we should find out for ourselves. Why
did we assume this body? Swamiji asked
the question and Swamiji got the
answer. Swamiji knows why you chose
the human experience. Ask the
question yourself and pursue it as a
quest and you will get the answer. You
will be enlightened
We claim that we want to experience the ultimate and that we want to be enlightened. If we really want to be enlightened, there is nothing that can stop us. There is no hindrance to our being enlightened except our own self. As of now, actually, Enlightenment is last on our laundry list of items that we want to do in life! When the urge becomes urgent, when the question becomes a burning quest, then we get the answer. There is no other way
In these verses, Kṛṣṇa promises a few
things. He says that whatever we have
learned in one life does not get
wasted. We do not start from ground
zero in the next birth. We start from
where we left off. Our vāsanas, our
mindset in one birth, continues into
another. He also promises that if we
keep practicing, if we keep trying, we
will be cleansed of all sins and reach
the highest state. Such a person,
Kṛṣṇa promises, will reach Him.
❖ (a few minutes pass) Om śānti, śānti, śāntihi...
❖ Relax. Slowly, very slowly, open your eyes. We may wonder how a simple technique like this one can lead us into our Self.
❖ Please understand that we always live in the head. Start living from the heart. We will then start acting from intelligence. We will start acting, not from our head but from our heart. When we start acting from the heart, we don't calculate.
❖ So try to continuously remember this heart region, anāhata cakra. Kṛṣṇa says, 'Let you be in the heart.' Look in! You will realize 'You are That.' Just look in, you will experience the eternal bliss, Nitya-ānanda. Let us pray to that Ultimate Energy, Parabrahma Kṛṣṇa to give us all the Eternal Bliss, Nityānanda.
MEDITATION
❖ Please sit straight and close your eyes. Keep your head, neck and spine, all three in a straight line. Inhale and exhale as slowly as possible and as deeply as possible.
❖ Slowly, in a relaxed way, bring your awareness to your ājña cakra.
❖ Concentrate between the two eyebrows. Bring your awareness between the two eyebrows. Remember and pray to that Energy that came as Kṛṣṇa, that is guiding us and helping us in our life.
❖ Pray to that Energy that gave us the Bhagavad Gītā.
❖ Meditate on the pure light energy. If your mind wanders here and there, don't worry. When you remember, bring it back again and relax in your ājña cakra, between your eyebrows. Don't concentrate.
(a few minutes pass)
o Slowly, very slowly bring your mind to your heart and meditate on your heart center. If you want, you can touch your heart center with the hand and feel it. Try to bring your awareness to the heart center.
o Try toremember the heart center. Forget all other parts of your body; forget your mind. Just become the heart center. Just be in the heart center.
o Inhale and exhale as slowly as possible. May you experience your pure inner space. May you experience the eternal bliss, Nityānanda.
GOALS
- Help children to understand why we assume the body.
- Understand that our vāsanas, our mindset continues from one birth to the next
- Help children to know that there is no short cut. Once we do our bit, the Master promises deliverance.
Goals: Help children to understand why we assume the bodyUnderstand that our vāsanas, our mindset continues from one birth to the next. Help children to know that there is no short cut. Once we do our bit, the Master promises deliverance.
ASSESSMENTS
- Is assuming the body our choice?
- Is there any hindrance to our being enlightened?
- What are vāsanas?
- When Kṛṣṇa implies we need to do our bit, what do we need to do?
- Where is your ājña cakra?
- Where is your anāhata cakra?
- To start acting from intelligence do we need to live in the head or from the heart?
- What does Nityānanda, Nityānanda mean?
ART OF THE DAY
ART OF THE DAY:
CATCH THE BUBBLES
MATERIALS NEEDED:
❖ Soap bubble mix
❖ Wand
PROCEDURE One child or the acharya blows soap bubbles and the others try to catch the bubbles on their hand. Lightly wet the hand with the bubble mix so the bubble can stay on the hand for a while without popping
INFERENCE The bliss in our body and mind is as fleeting and temporary as soap bubbles.
ACTIVITY OF THE DAY
ACTIVITY OF THE DAY:
MEDITATION
PROCEDURE Do the meditation described in the lesson.
INFERENCE Start living from the heart. We will then start acting from intelligence.
WORKSHOP OF THE DAY
WORKSHOP OF THE DAY
VAARKYARTHA SAADHAS
Hold Vaakyartha Sadhas on which vāsanas, which mindsets each child would want to continue from one birth into another. Encourage each child to declare that they will practice this so the mindset becomes established. For example, to practise yoga, or playing a musical instrument.
CONCLUSION
Wake up only to express life in bliss If we really want to be enlightened, there is nothing that can stop us
