To go back to Chapter 6 – Discovering the Spiritual Body

Having given us a vast range of details from evolution of the cosmos, manifestation of Siva-Sakti, types of Siva consciousnesses to aspects of the human body, various dimensions impacting the life of a person and  human spiritual centers, Guru Gorakhnath goes on to talk about the final objective of a Yogi or anyone on a spiritual path.

We all commonly understand that the final spiritual objective of a spiritual aspirant is Samadhi.  But it is not enough to know it as the objective. We need to understand what is Samadhi, what is the Samadhi experience and is there a stage of experience beyond Samadhi.  Many of these details have been given to us by Guru Gorakhnath in SSP.

According to several ancient Indian scriptures like the Vedas, the cosmic world comprises of 14 lokas or worlds or planes of existence.  These are classified as a hierarchy of planes with the lower 7 being of a sub human level and the upper 7 being human planes.  The lowest among these 7 is Bhuh or earth on which we exists.  Above Bhuh, the 6 other lokas in order of hierarchy or superiority are Bhuvah, Swah, Maha, Jana, Tapah, Satya.  Bhuh, Bhuvah, Swah are called Trai-lokya or group of 3.  These 3 are closely related to each other.  Once a soul departs from Bhuh it moves to Bhuvah loka in its psycho-vital body and experiences painful or pleasurable experiences depending on the bad or good karma earned on earth.  Depending on its karma, it gets born again in a gross physical body on Bhuh loka. Those with very good karma ascend to the plane of Swah to enjoy the fruits of their karma.  But they too get born in Bhuh loka once the fruits of their good karma have been enjoyed. Only those souls who are able to transcend to the lokas above Swah by good karma and spiritual self refinement can aspire to move towards the objective of mukti or moksha or Samadhi.  It is these souls which do not have to be born again in a physical gross body. The others keep rotating through the Trai-lokya.

In earlier chapters we covered the concepts of the Jeeva or individual soul and Siva or The Absolute and Sakti or Siva’s Inherent Power.  According to Guru Gorakhnath, it is the play of Siva-Sakti which manifests the phenomenal world.  It is Siva who manifests himself as the cosmos, the innumerable individual bodies and the orders within it.  He says that this experience of the phenomenal world is not an illusion (which is often referred as Maya in many ancient texts) but a real experience of the manifested souls and forms.  He calls it the Siva-Sakti-Vilasa or the playful and free self manifestation of Siva through his Sakti.  So the Absolute Consciousness comes down to the phenomenal world in the form of Jeeva and lives the experiences of life in a cosmos governed by limitations, bondages and imperfections, which is unlike the transcendental plane.  Siva lives the transcendental and the phenomenal worlds at the same time.

This Jeeva or individual soul thus experiences the world through the physical body and works its way to again realize Sivahood or merge with Siva from whom it emerged.  This realization can only take place by the constant refinement, purification, concentration and illumination of the empirical consciousness till it realizes and merges with the transcendental consciousness. The achieving of this state is called Yoga or the Union of the Jeeva with the Absolute.  Guru Gorakhnath says that this is the ultimate goal of life.  Yoga is also refers to the method through which the refinement of the consciousness can be achieved.  Thus Yoga teaches the systematic disciplining of the vital forces, mental functions, intellectual judgements, etc.  Samadhi is the end goal of all Yoga.  Samadhi is the state of Union with the Absolute and the liberation from all limitations and restrictions imposed on a soul living within the phenomenal system.

Guru Gorakhnath says that in the state of Samadhi, a person gains total mastery over the mental functions, the cosmic forces, and perfect illumination of the phenomenal consciousness.  In this state, the mind of an individual transcends itself and realizes itself as the Supermind (Unmani).

He then goes on to say –

Durlabho vishaya-tyago durlabham tattwa-darsanam
Durlabha sahajavastha Sad Guroh karunam bina

Translation – It is extremely difficult for any ordinary spiritual seeker to attain true success in the renunciation of all sensuous objects, mental desires, enjoyments which are necessary to realize the Absolute and to establish the Self in absolute freedom and peace without the merciful help of an enlightened Guru.

The state of Samadhi can be of various types.  One kind of Samadhi is the attainment of temporary suppression of mental functions which can be attained even in lower planes of phenomenal consciousness.  Only when the consciousness is fully illumined by divine consciousness and is liberated from the limitations and restrictions of the phenomenal world, when it is completely purified, refined and elevates itself to the highest spiritual plane does it attain Samadhi in the true sense.  In this journey the consciousness goes though many stages of Samadhi.

In SSP, Guru Gorakhnath defines Samadhi as follows –

Sarwa-tattwanam samavastha nirudyamatwam anayasa-sthitimattwam iti Samadhi-lakshanam

Translation – The realization of the spiritual unity of all orders of existences, the perfectly effortless state of consciousness, and living the life of perfect ease, equanimity, tranquility and self fulfillment – this is the nature of Samadhi.

He further says that the grand ideal of a soul is the achievement of Samarasa Karana, which is a stage beyond Samadhi. So Samarasa Karana is not about rising above all differences, diversity and realizing and merging with the Absolute in the deepest and perfect state of meditation.  Samarasa Karana is achieved when the soul is able to experience the same joy, equanimity and tranquility that it enjoys in the deepest state of meditation, in the normal state of phenomenal consciousness. So in this state the individual enjoys a permanent state of spiritual illumination of the phenomenal consciousness. Even post meditation the consciousness continues to remain in the deeply illuminated state as is normally experienced only in meditation.  The phenomenal consciousness is able to recall both the variegated phenomenon of the phenomenal world and also the unity of all this diversity in the One Absolute Siva.  Such an attained yogi is able to enjoy both the differences as experienced in the phenomenal cosmos and at the same time can see the One Universal Spirit in all that exists. Such a yogi can now live among the diversities, changes, transitory enjoyments and sufferings, but internally always dwell in the blissful, changeless, Supreme Consciousness.  Guru Gorakhnath calls this Sahaja Samadhi. He says that it is the final objective of a yogi to experience blissful, changeless transcendent Consciousness in an embodied form.

In SSP, Guru Gorakhnath has define the Siddha Yogi or the Perfectly Enlightened Yogi as follows –

Stanza 1
Prasaram bhasate Saktih sankocam bhasate Siva
Tayor yogasya karta yah sa bhavet Siddha-yogirat

Stanza 2
Viswatitam yatahviswam ekam eva virajate
Samayogena sadaa yas tu Siddha-Yogi bhavet tu sah

Stanza 3
Paripurna-prasannatmaa sarvaasarva- padoditah
Visuddho nirbharanandah sa bhavet Siddha-yogirat

Interpretation –

Stanza 1 – Sakti is manifested in the expansion of the phenomenal cosmic universe. Siva is manifested in the unification and contraction of the diverse phenomenal universe. A perfect yogi is one who is able achieve a state of perfectly illumined consciousness and is able to realize Siva in every expression of Sakti and realize Sakti as immanent and non different from Siva.

Stanza 2 – The One, who has perfected his/her yogic self-discipline, realizes the spatio-temporal, changing, diverse universe as one and the same as the changeless, timeless, spaceless Absolute is a true Siddha-yogi. Such a yogi always sees time as constantly moving on the timeless scale, matter as emerging from and manifesting from spirit, Maha-Kali creating, preserving and destroying ceaselessly on the breast of the ever tranquil, unmoving, calm Maha-Kala or Siva. This yogi sees the Absolute Consciousness as eternally still as well as moving and manifesting in all directions and forms, eternally transcending but also self revealing in infinite modes and forms.

Stanza 3 – A true Siddha yogi is always in a perfectly peaceful, tranquil state, identifies self with all but also transcends all, is absolutely pure and remains in a state of unconditional joy and self fulfillment.  The yogi feels connected to all, feels joys, sorrows, compassion, sympathy, love for all but also dwells above it and remains in a tranquil state of unity, peace and perpetual self enjoyment.

So a Siddha-Yogi even in an embodied state can enjoys Siva consciousness and is not affected by the bondages, sorrows and struggles of the world.  The world for the Siddha gets transformed into a blissful, beautiful spiritual place. Such a Siddha is also called a Jivan mukta.

This Siddha in the disembodied state can perfectly identify with Siva or the Absolute Consciousness.

So Guru Gorakhnath concludes by telling us that every human being has an indwelling individual soul which is the self expression of Siva.  So each person carries within himself/herself the potential to experience the transcendent plane and experience Samadhi and Samarasa Karana and experience the Siva consciousness.  Yoga is the perfect discipline to enlighten the cognitive aspects of the phenomenal consciousness and also to perfectly realize the potentialities of the dynamic consciousness and finally to experience the Supreme, Absolute consciousness or Siva.