Brahman- The Supreme Truth

 Yan manasaa na manute yenaahur mano matam

tad eva brahma tvam viddhi nedam yad idam upasate

"That which cannot be thought of by the mind' - yan manasaa na manute. The mind cannot think of it but because of it, the mind acquires the capacity to think.

Tad eva Brahma tvam viddhi - "That alone is the "Truth,' the Brahman.' Nedam yad idam upaasate - 'nothing that you worship here, nothing that you adore here'. When we say,' I adore something' or ' I worship something,' three things are involved - the worshipper, the worshipped and the act of worship. If anyone looking for the 'Supreme, Unconditioned Self,' the Brahman, then these three separate entities are not required.

Now, please understand that the Upanishad is not saying,'Don't worship,'! Worship is indeed required with a different level of understanding. Even Shankaracharya, after having written commentaries on the Upanishads, established temples because they were necessary for another level of understanding. Everyone cannot start swimming in the ocean right away, but have to be led to that stage gradually, in steps. But when one begin to seriously understand the 'Supreme Truth', these intermediate steps are not important. This is very significant. So it is said, "That which the mind cannot understand, grasp or express, but because of which the mind exists, "That' alone is the "Truth', please understand, nothing that you adore here!'

yat praanena na praaniti yena praanah praniyate

tad eva brahma tvam viddhi nedam yad idam upaasate.

'That which is not breathed by life, but, by which life breathes.' It is the origin of all life. "That  alone is the Supreme Brahman, know this, nothing that you adore or worship here!'

Reference - Kenopanishad by Sri M.

What is Bhakti ?

 In Bhakti there is not only singing of Kirtans, bhajans and other act of devotion, as most people think it to be. Bhakti is essentially an attitude by which a person begins to understand the limitations of the movement of the intellect. When the intellect begins to understand how limited its reach is, then it cuts itself out. It becomes absolutely silent. When fancy can no more unfurl its wings, when it settles down, then what remains is the experience of the Supreme Self. That means, the little "I" has to go. Someone once said that the shortest cut is to cut the ego into two! That is easier said than done!

It has explained how anything that you know, in the ordinary sense, is merely knowledge that is stored in the memory, and therefore, not a thing which is in the present. You recall it, then you say, " I have the knowledge of it." But the Supreme Being, if one has to know at all, is always present now, at this moment! It is nothing that can be stored in the memory. Therefore, it cannot be known in the usual mode, like when we say, "I know something, I have understood something." This understanding is a permanent affair. Once understood, always understood!

Source: Kenopanishad

What Are the Symptoms of Negative Energy in a Body?

Since your mind and body are deeply  intertwined, your mental negativity or negative thought has a physical manifestation in your body as well.

Besides feeling low and  gloomy, you may also experience  one or more of symptoms like -tense muscles, shallow breathing, increased blood pressure, elevated levels of adrenalin and cortisol – a classic stress response. Just like one bad day, a little stress here and there is nothing to be concerned about. Chronic stress, however, can cause serious health problems from cardiovascular diseases to different mental health problems. 

Some of the symptoms of negative energy in your body can include: 

Any sudden deterioration in health. 

Sudden loss of energy

Increased negative thoughts

Anger

Sadness

Restlessness

Sleepiness

Nervousness

Headaches or other pain in any part of the body

Stomach aches

Fatigue, Vertigo and exhaustion

Heavy breathing

Skin problems

Confusion and tension

Sudden mood swings

Anxiety or depression

Suicidal thoughts

*The question is, how to get rid of negative energy?*

1. Cleanse Your Home

Break up negative energy patterns by walking through every room and clapping loudly or making loud noises with drums, gongs, even pots and pans. Have you ever noticed how light and fresh everything seems after a thunderstorm? It’s the same concept!

Use a small bowl of sea salt in the northeast and southwest corners of your home. This Feng Shui practice helps balance Chi (energy) to flow through your home. 

Add living plants to your spaces. Remove dead or dying plants immediately, 

2. Burn incense.

Smudge your home with sage. Sage is one of the most widely used herbs to clear negative energy with.

Bring in some crystals and place them strategically. One of the stones to place by your front door is black tourmaline – to keep negativity out and abundance in.

2. Spend Time in Nature

3. Smile and Laugh

“Sometimes your joy is the source of your smile, but sometimes your smile can be the source of your joy.”

The positive effects of a smile make it difficult to sustain any negativity which means you can’t help but improve your mood and vibration by smiling.

Smiling triggers happy healing *hormones such as ecstatic endorphins and immune-boosting killer T-cells,* whereas frowning triggers stress hormones.

4. Meditate

Love being the highest vibration, infusing yourself and your living and workspaces.

Meditating on the divine will infuse you and your life with the highest energy vibration - love. This in turn will heal you and serve as your armour.

5. Take Divine Protection From Within.

Become simple, Simplicity brings purity of heart, then GOD has no choice but to come and dwell in such a heart. 

https://www.designingperfectlife.com

The Spiritual Significance of Navaratri..

Ratri means “night” and Nava means “nine”. At Navaratri (“nine nights”), the Lord in the form of the Mother Goddess is worshipped in Her various forms as Durga, Lakshmi and Saraswati. Though the Goddess is one, She is represented and worshipped in three different aspects. On the first three nights of the festival, Durga is worshipped. On the following three, Lakshmi and then Saraswati Devi on the last three nights. The following tenth day is called Vijayadasami. Vijaya means “victory”, the victory over our own minds that can come only when we have worshipped these three: Durga, Lakshmi, and Saraswati.

Durga

To gain noble virtues, all evil tendencies in the mind must be destroyed. This destruction is represented by the Goddess Durga. The buffalo stands for tamoguna, the quality of laziness, darkness, ignorance and inertia. We have these qualities too. We love to sleep. Although we may have a lot of energy and potential inside us, we prefer to do nothing - just like the buffalo that likes to lie in pools of water. , The destruction of the tamoguna within us that is very difficult to destroy, we invoke that Divine Power within us to destroy our animalistic tendencies.

Lakshmi

For knowledge to dawn within us, we have to prepare our minds. The mind must be pure, concentrated, and single-pointed; this purification of the mind is obtained through the worship of Lakshmi Devi.

In our society today, however, when we think of Lakshmi, we think only of money - counting gold and dollar bills! This is why if one goes to a Lakshmi temple, one will find a crowd. Adi Shankaracharya describes six forms of wealth (calmness of mind, self-control, selfwithdrawal, forbearance, faith and single-pointed ness) that are to be cultivated to attain wisdom.

Saraswati

Victory over the mind can be gained only through knowledge, through understanding; and it is Goddess Saraswati who represents this highest knowledge of the Self. Although there are many kinds of knowledge in the Vedas - phonetics astronomy, archery, architecture, economics and so on - the real knowledge is in the spiritual knowledge. Lord Krishna himself says in the Bhagavad Gita: “The knowledge of the Self is the knowledge”;

In other words, we may have knowledge of many other subjects and sciences but if we do not know our own Self, then that is the greatest loss. Therefore the supreme knowledge is the knowledge of the Self that is represented by Goddess Saraswati.

Navaratri

Thus, at Navaratri, Goddess Durga is invoked first to remove impurities from the mind. The Goddess Lakshmi is invoked to cultivate the noble values and qualities. Finally, Saraswati is invoked for gaining the highest knowledge of the Self. This is the significance of the three sets of three nights when all these three are gained subjectively, and then there will be Vijayadasami, the day of true victory!

As we can see, the theme of the entire Vedas is reflected in the Navaratri festival: Purify the mind and remove all negativities; cultivate positive virtues; gain spiritual knowledge and transcend limitations. This is the real victory - the dance of joy - ritualistically performed at night, as it is also on Shivaratri (auspicious night), to signify our spiritual awakening.

Source: by Swami Tejomayananda

Essence of Navratri & Awakening of Kundalini..

The festival of Navratri is indeed hallowed and venerable. This lasts for nine days and involves performance of daily rituals, spiritual practices and worship of the goddesses. It is universally accepted that although known individually as Durga, Kali, Saraswati, and Lakshmi – they simply represent different forms of Shakti, the primordial cosmic energy, the divine feminine creative power.

Ancient sages have narrated the union of Shiva with Shakti. Shakti represents the primordial cosmic energy responsible for the processes of creation and destruction that occur unceasingly. The foundation of Shiva is the all-pervading Supreme Consciousness, without which even Shakti cannot function. The great sages named this primordial cosmic energy as Devi – the one who creates, preserves and destroys.

This primordial cosmic energy is all-pervasive and is present even in the human body, where it is referred to as the kundalini. This lies dormant in the mooladhara chakra – which is situated in the subtle body, not the gross visible body. This dormant primordial energy residing in the mooladhara chakra is symbolised by a red coloured inverted triangle. As long as this energy remains dormant, the human life cannot evolve, cannot attain greater heights.

Yoga, especially raja yoga, chakra yoga detail the various practices required to awaken this dormant energy. This primordial energy resides in the mooladhara chakra, whereas Shiva resides in the sahasrara chakra (at the top of the head). Until and unless a union takes place between Shakti and Shiva, human life lacks spiritual awakening and upliftment. In most humans, this union does not occur in their lifetime and they live their lives at a very low level of consciousness. And the transformation that happens in a person’s life when the kundalini gets awakened is phenomenally remarkable. It is like the perishable mortal body metamorphoses into the form of Shiva.

Science differentiates between matter and energy. However, tantra regards this as one and the same – matter is the gross form of energy and energy is the subtle form of matter. The divine essence of this energy is called Shakti. One cannot attain spiritual evolution without the presence of Shakti. Needless to say, as long as this energy is not awakened and remains dormant, a human life is no better than that of an animal. If one lives in fear, perpetually seeking sensual gratification, sleep and lethargy despite having a human body, it is then indeed comparable to the existence of an animal.

It is perfectly alright to house and worship an idol of Devi Durga. However, bear in mind that as long as you don’t take efforts to awaken the inner primordial cosmic energy, you will be unable to comprehend the profound spiritual significance of Navratri.

Shakti and Shiva are incomplete without each other. This entails then that unless the Shakti inherent within you is awakened, until it ascends upwards piercing all the chakras and merges with Shiva at the sahasrara, until then Shakti cannot be the source of bliss and wisdom.

The nine days of Navratri is an opportunity to perform and observe the spiritual practices for awakening of Shakti. The importance of this should sink within you so that you realise that if your entire life’s pursuit is just about sensual gratification and fulfillment of worldly desires then you haven’t as yet known the essential nature of Devi Durga.

Source: Great Masters

MEDITATION AND HEALTH ...

In the spiritually “demagnetized” or “body conscious” condition, the soul which is ageless, immortal and indestructible experiences negative emotions like anger, ego, greed, hatred, jealousy,etc. The aging process and deterioration of the cells is accelerated through the hyperactivity of the senses.

In the spiritually “magnetized” condition or “soul conscious” condition, the soul is in its rightful place as ruler of the body, sitting on its throne between the eyebrows. In this condition the reverse occurs.By shunning grossness and remaining in a state of Rajyoga (connection) with the Supreme Being,the body and brain cells are rejuvenated. A fathomless peace descends on the mind which has there mark-able effect of “cooling” or de-exciting the sense organs.The soul has seven innate positive qualities - peace, joy, love, bliss, knowledge, purity and power.

In meditation I create an awareness of myself as a soul, which leads to an experience of these qualities. The non physical soul is intimately connected with each cell of the physical body.These qualities of the soul flow as spiritual energy to each cell and nourish them. The mind acts as a sieve between the spiritual energy (soul) and the body. When the mind creates negative thoughts,the sieve of the mind gets blocked thereby blocking the flow of this spiritual energy. These negative thoughts attract toxins, viruses, bacteria, etc. towards cells of the diseased organ. The immune system gets damaged which leads to disease. Positive thoughts have the reverse effect.These vibrations of purity soothe, heal and energize my physical system........The impurities, toxins and illnesses in the body are being washed away and thrown out from the extremities........The body starts experiencing its original inner beauty........It returns to a state of harmony, to a state of good health........The above meditation commentary can be modified to heal the body with all the different virtues of the soul.

Each intrinsic virtue of the soul is specially required for nurturing and empowering one human body system. The virtue of peace is responsible for sustaining the respiratory system, joy for the gastrointestinal system, love for the circulatory system, bliss for the endocrine system, knowledge for the brain and nervous system, purity for the immune system and the five senses and power for the muscular and skeletal systems.Each one of us has at least one body system which is most susceptible to disease. When our mind is under the influence of stressful emotions, there is a decrease in the flow, from the soul to this body system, of that virtue which is required by it for its upbringing, which leads to the development of disease in this system over a period of time.

Our Body - Different Layers/Bodies

 
Each of these parts of the Soul has its own nature and functions, and they play different roles in the awakening process

Biological or physical body: The physical body, for its part, is the body known to medical and biological science. It gives the material structure and serves as the material foundation and instrument of the other parts of the Soul, enabling the Soul to perceive and act in the realm of material experience. The five fingers given to us resembles the five elements by which our body is made up of.

Etheric body: Etheric body can be divided into two parts for clarity and better understanding.

  
Etheric Double and Aura.

Etheric double, somewhat resembles very closely to our material body, extending out perhaps an inch below or beyond the surface of our skin. It works as base or provides the framework of subtle formative energies on which the material body is built and it functions. It contains series of channels and center of energies( energy centers) which plays an important role in mystical work of our body.

The other part of our Etheric body is called Aura, also known as the sphere of sensation. This Aura is oval shaped form of energy surrounding the Etheric double and extending outwards several feet from the physical body. It plays an important role on energy interaction of our body and Cosmos. It works as an interface between the Etheric body of individual and that of Cosmos, and all the forces and energies of universe are reflected on its surface.

Astral body: This part of body is difficult to understand and to put into words or to be mapped out. The astral body can be defined as a another field of energies occupying roughly the same space as aura but constantly changing by pattern of thoughts and feelings. In other words, it means, Astral body is constantly shaped and reshaped by images, words, sensations and emotions. This Astral body interacts freely with the astral level of cosmos and with the astral bodies of other human and non human beings. That's why , it plays an important role in defining someone personality as it contains most of those parts of the self like , mental ability , inner intellect, will , memory, emotions and instruments of concrete consciousness.

Mental body: It can be considered as the essential pattern of soul which has been made or defined over many lifes. On high metaphorical sense , it is described as a subtle body. It has no particular location and cannot be located in a spatial sense. This body is also known as instrument of abstract consciousness. That means those thoughts which doesn't contain images or forms of the sort which we perceive by our senses. As it works on the level of abstract consciousness, it has the ability to perceive the core ideas and structures of experience, which exist outside of time and space.

The Spiritual Body: It is also known as Causal body which is the root or core of every soul, the essence or " Divine Spark " around above all the other layers of the soul are built up. It can also be known as the point of contact between the human and the supreme ( unity of being that). That's why it can be best imagined as pure being or energy which has no quality or without any other definition.

Thats why because of different thoughts, intellect, will, emotions and impressions ( created over life's) which has created pattern of soul, each soul energy vibrates and resonates in all various subtle bodies of man. The results of resonance within all the subtle bodies of living being reveals something very beautiful ( Like attraction, love, liking , desire, etc) or something too complex to explain. Overall, it is linked to the intangible Presence of "I".

As we consider the different bodies and levels of the Soul and understand that their awakening process depends on our need to purify the psyche (etheric and astral bodies) then, the spiritual purification and transformation process unfold and we  increasingly come closer to manifest whatever is engrained and inherent in our spiritual “blueprint” – the karmic plan which the  Soul (Permanent Witness) has prepared for a given incarnation.

As we all resonate to different rate and vibrations, we must learn to resonate with the pure part of our soul which is" Divine spark". That will connect us with higher cosmic energies and resonance of higher impulses are felt and manifested in lower astral, etheric and physical bodies as well. Thus by letting divine energy flow and divine operations will bring karmic gifts, which will awake our subtle bodies helping us to initiate to continue the mystical journey and wisdom towards "Supreme"