Tantra is Ritualistic Yoga

Tantra is the practical side of Yoga Theory. Yoga, as found in scriptures like Patanjali's Astanga Yoga Sutras, Shiva Samhita, Goraksha Samhita, Siddha Siddhanta Paddhati of Gorakhnath, Gheranda Samhita, Hathayoga Pradipika of Svatmaram, etc give us the ideas of what can be achieved by the performing Yoga, what is the philosophy of Yoga. Just like in Veda, there are 2 sides like the Samhita for mantras, fire-rituals and Upanishads for theoretical meanings. But the actual practical side of yoga is found among the Tantrik Yogis. The Lotuses, or, Chakras in the central channel (Sushumna), the various other channels (nadi-s), Kundalini energy, Kula and Akula points, Kama-Kala, these things have been extensively discussed in the Tantras. But this knowledge is lying scattered among many Tantra and Yoga scriptures. The Tantra-practitioners for ages were the prominent heads of Shiva (Shaiva, Nath, Siddha, Pashupata) schools (who were either householders or, recluse yogi monks), or, Shakti (Kalikula, Yamala, Kaula, Kapalika, Sri-kula) clans (who were mostly householder yogis). They held the secrets of the innermost esoteric yogic practices, which were only handed down from the Guru (master / adept yogi) to the chosen disciples. Often the Guru-s gave this secret only to their sons/daughters, to keep the family in a position of esteem and power. The students who received these verbal instructions were venerated and begged from for revelations by multitudes of Tantriks.
Gradually, due to slackness and ignorance, deformed practices began to creep in among the lineages. Tantra is supposed to be the art and science of living in direct communion with God. But as the path of tantra began to lead away from the highest ideal of spirituality, the sincere Yogi Masters felt the need to put down their knowledge into codified text, or, Tantrik scriptures, for fear of the original knowledge getting lost with time. The main form of Tantra is almost always, the Supreme Yogi Shiva answering the questions of the Mother Goddess Parvati. Devi Parvati asks the various intricate hidden secrets of Tantric lore, from many angles, the yoga behind it, the secret syllables, or, Bija Mantras, Nyasa-s for sanctifying the human body, Kavachas (armors) to bind and protect it from malefic forces. In this way numerous Tantras came into being, containing in them the esoteric lore of the masters, in the traditional form of Shiva-Parvati dialog.

The main purpose of Tantra is to weave spirituality with chores and activities of daily life. Tantra doesn't command the yogi to throw away his needs and yearnings of mundane life and go to the forest alone as a recluse. On the contrary, Tantra understands the daily human needs and sympathizes with people with lesser control over their senses. Everyone has a right to ascend the spiritual ladder, but not everyone is destined to lead a monk's life. Tantra is more inclusive than exclusive. It envelopes a very wide range of human traits and mental structures. Hence Tantra allows one to lead a normal life and slowly include the subtleties of yogic discipline into their lives, in stages.
It should also be noted that Tantrik Masters codified the secrets with multiple layers of meaning. It means a different thing for the Yogi of a higher level, and something else for a Beginner Yogi and something crude or, unintelligible for the layman. This was done intentionally to ward off onlookers and keep the delicate things hidden. The other purpose of writing Tantra in a cryptic language was to avoid persecution and abuse of the system by unbelievers. If you don't understand something, you cannot pin-point a technique or, call it a profanation. Tantrik yogis were severely criticized in the past centuries and sometimes punished due to their creepy behavior, or, abhorrent practices. There are several scriptural verses supporting this secretive trend. There are other verses banning, prohibiting or, cursing some Tantrik texts that were considered "not so good".

Verses:?

In modern times, all kinds of ritual worship of most gods/ deities in Hinduism and Tibetan Buddhism are performed by following the edicts of Tantrik discipline. Some Purana-s (Myths, Legends and ancient Hindu history) admit the efficacy and validity of Tantra. It is surprising to note that the earliest masters of Yoga were also the earliest originators of Tantra. (Like Shiva, Nandinath, Parashurama, Dattatreya, Matsyendranath/ Machchendra-Nath, Goraksha/ Gorakhnath, Rishi Durvasa, Rishi Vishwamitra, Rishi Agastya, Rishi-Vyasa, Adi-Shankaracharya, etc.) As the Shiva-Shakti structure of Tantra took hold of the Hindu world of spiritual practices, and as Tantra began to yield astounding results in a very little time, it began to be copied among other clans. In this way, five principal of deities of Hindu faith had their own Tantra scriptures. Thus we have Tantras for Shiva, Shakti, Sun, Ganesha and Vishnu. Tantras created around more than 2000 years ago are lost now. The oldest among the Hindu Tantras are Bhairava and Yogini Tantras. Many of the original Hindu Tantras have been copied verse by verse into Vajrayana Buddhist pantheon. Before that, during the later Vedic stages, the Tantras were called Prayoga Shastra-s, meaning Practical Scriptures.

By Amitabha Chatterjee (student of Sri Dayal-Baba & Sri Lalbaba)

To be continued.(30/09/2014)
 

Unmani highest samadhi of yoga tantra

What is the Highest Transcendental State?

Man looks upward with hope and seeks solution to the countless problems that hinder his progress in life. Who is up there to help him? Is there an all-powerful being, is there really a God? Well, there is none in sight, who is absolutely powerful! There are so many established religious orders, so many mannerisms and rituals all over this curious world. Who can answer man's quest, quench his thirst forever?

There are powerful yogic entities for real in their own domains. They may be summoned and benefits reaped, but the results are limited by time and conditions. Sacrilege! Blasphemous utterance! A daring statement in denial of God Almighty! Well, there is God, but not in agreement to most doctrines. Doctrines are aimed at Loka-sangraha, organization, governance and leading a large number of adherents. Truth, on the other hand is above such things. Truth has nothing to do with recruitment. Truth is absolute freedom.

Where there is God, there is his devotee, there is bound to be Duality. Where there is duality, how can there be One absolute reality? What is the state, that fuses God and Devotee into one?

There is such an Ultimate state of existence, without which there is nothing. We accept and dismiss so many things in this world of multitude and variety. When we dismiss everything visible and invisible, ... when we get rid of all different possibilities of existence, ...all forms of matter or, energy contained in this universe, or, other universes ... all thoughts passing through all minds, past present and future, ... there is some unseen substratum supporting everything known and unknown. This is the underlying, fundamental Reality and it pervades all forms of matter and energy, however subtle. This absolute truth always remains. That is the only thing that matters... in this universe, or, beyond it. It is not some separate 'Thing', yet it is. Let us call it by the name of Unmani, for reference's sake. It cannot be named, or, pointed at as such.

There are innumerable things beyond the grasp of our sense organs; many things cannot be detected by precise instruments, which are like extensions of our senses. All Objects are like clusters of matter and energy, marked with a beginning and an end. They need space to exist. What is beyond space?

Things are contained within the boundaries of time. Everything began at one point and continued to exist up-to some point of reference, this is Time. Time marks the continuity of things. But where there is no change, no beginning or, end, time is meaningless. That Absolute stillness, that Eternity which is the essence of consciousness, mother of Time and Space, is the Truth. The meaning we try to tag upon the word 'Truth', is void under the premise of Unmani. It is, had always been, and will be... like before us and afterwards, when our petty purposes will vanish like grains of camphor.

Unmani is the root of existence itself. But how did that stillness give birth to the variety of this known universe? The state of Unmani is not inert, but conscious of itself. It is the only source of Truth, Love and Bliss. When obstructions between our mind and Unmani are removed, we perceive it as flashes of bliss. When we fall asleep, and dreams stop distracting our inner mind, we can feel the Unmani as peace and solace. The energy thus gained, allows us to function in the waking state, which is an array of multiplicity and divided attention. Unmani, mentioned mostly in yoga-tantras is a higher state than Nirvikalpa samadhi of Vedanta. Nirvikalpa is attained by analysis and vigorous vichara leading to laya of the mind in Turiya Brahman. That would be like vritti-nirodha due to vichara, hence rising from Sa-vichara samadhi to Nir-vichara samadhi and Jivatman fusing into Paramatman at the top of the brain called Sahasrara, the thousand petaled lotus. Unmani is beyond Sahasrara lotus and above the scope of the bodily nine chakras, it is outside the body.

The existence of Mind or, 'Mana' ceases to be, before it can fully comprehend the ultimate state. Hence the highest state up to which we retain our mind is called Samana (with mind), and beyond it is Unmana (Above-mind, or, supra mind state), also called as Unmani, which is the very Nature of free consciousness. What causes the first vibration of existence from the stillness of the absolute? The Nirguna Brahman willed, and the world came to be. Why would the stillness vibrate with this will? Why would it spring from inaction to action? Vedanta and the Upanishads are silent about this. Gorakhnath answers this riddle.

What causes the primal vibration in the Mahashunya (Void) to give birth to the Mind? What causes the waves in the Mind to begin creation? The first wave that set things in motion, reverberates through all time as Om. Gorakhnath, the first know-er of Unmani reveals the secret that Unmani is not static, but Dynamic, in a state of flux. It's like a mitral valve in the heart of everything, vibrating (spandanam), giving rise to the eternal waves of Truth and Bliss.

Born from Unmana is Samana, the purest state of mind. It is here that one may perceive God and interact with Him. He is the cluster of the purest emotions of the clear mind. But he who gets to know Unmani, cannot retain a separate existence. He is nothing but an embodiment of Unmani itself. Gorakhnath is said to reside in Mahashunya, in his eternal samadhi, all persona immersed in Unmani. But the dynamic nature of Unmani awakens him from time to time to appear in this variegated world below, as the emissary of Unmana.

He appears only to them who are thirsty for the highest truth. Those who ask for lower truths and crave minute flakes of power and worldly benefits, get what they desire. But such poor devotees cannot see the embodiment of truth and pure bliss, who is Gorakhnath. Truth, knowledge, bliss and love... emanate from Unmani.

Only a few have ever been able to say anything about such a state. Gorakhnath, Dattatreya and Gyaneshwar (Sant Dnyaneshwar, the author of Dnyaneshwari-Gita)... the list is that much. The rest is recapitulation and permutation of their words in Tantra, Yoga and Spanda Shastras.

Alakh Niranjan, Adesh, Jai Guru

~Amitabha Chatterjee, blessed by Sri Dayalbaba and Sri Lalbaba.

Khechari Mudra from Hatha-yoga Pradipika

The principle of Khechari was adopted by the Yogis from snakes going in hibernation for long periods of time. They improved upon it and came up with Khechari mudra. Such is my personal belief. Khechari means Kha=sky, Charam=to travel. It doesn't imply that the yogi will rise up from his seat and begin to fly with this Mudra. It means that the Tongue reaches up towards the sky. Yogiraj Gorakhnath has described about an inverted well and a Cave of Buzzing black bees. I think he was talking about the tongue rising up through the secret passage towards the third eye; finally the yogi's consciousness reaches a center where the Para Naad OM is constantly reverberating on its own; that's the Bhramar Guha (Cave of black bees).

A detailed description of the process of Khechari Mudra is given in Hatha Yoga Pradipika chapter 3. This magnificent book was written by Swami Svatmarama, under the direction of his Guru, Yogiraj Gorakhnath. Svatmarama mentions his lineage as, Adinath Shiva to Matsyendra Nath to Goraksha Nath to himself.

Hathayoga Pradipika, 3rd Chapter:

Verse 32: Kechari Mudra is done by inserting the tongue into the hole in the soft palate at the roof of the mouth, by turning it backward.

33. In order to be successful, the tongue must lengthened into a Lambika (such as the long tongue of Goddess Kali). Sometimes cutting the frenulum (the mucus membrane that holds back the underside of the tongue to the floor of the mouth) is necessary. Else, pull or move your tongue around constantly. When it gets long enough, to reach the point between the eyebrows, then Kechari becomes possible.

36. The frenulum is cut 1/2 millimeter each day and the wound is sealed. In 6 months, the tongue becomes free & quite long. (Note: Dont eat food or drink that are too hot like chilli or too sour. This will make the tongue thicker and interfere with Khechari.)

38. A Yogi adept in Khechari, who turns his tongue upward in his seat (usually Siddhasana), is impervious to poisons, disease, ageing and death.

39. He overcomes disease, death, sleep, laziness, hunger, thirst, and fainting.

43. NECTAR: If a Yogi can drink the Juice of Soma (Moon) by meditating in Khechari mudra, surely he subdues Death within 15 days!

44. The Khechari expert cannot be killed even if bitten by the most poisonous snake; because his body is imbued with nectar.

45. Death cannot enter a body which is full of Nectar secreted from Soma (The triangular Moon mandala inside Sahasrara, the 1000 petalled Lotus)

48. The Juice of Immortality is secreted by the moon.

49. Taste the nectar with the tip of the tongue. The Ambrosia may be salty, bitter, sour, milky, or, like ghee(clarified butter) or, honey. Be free from disease, old age, be thou immortal and pull astral beings by the magnetic force.

50. The nectar falls from the Moon in the brain to the 8 petalled lotus near the heart. He who catches it by balancing Prana and doing Khechari and meditates on the source of all Power (Kundalini or Mahashakti or Almighty or whatever you call it!) becomes free from all physical ailments and lives a very long life.

Note: If you try it unguided (without the help of an experienced yogi) and block the internal nares and stop the oxygen flow, you may be unconscious or even suffer terminal damage. Please be patient, this is not a magic pill, it may take years to accomplish. A surgeon might assist you in getting the frenulum of tongue cut. But even then you must practice everyday by turning the tongue back, pushing the top palate, etc. 

I didn't cut my frenulum gradually for six months! Rather, I got it cut in one day, by a surgeon. The post operative exercise made it possible to grow longer. I had pain from the wound, that lasted 3 weeks.

Here the Juice from the forehead that the yogi drinks is referred to as Soma Rasa, which literally means, Lunar Juice. The source of this nectar is the triangular seat of the Moon in the forehead Chakra. Also note that the Rishis of yore used to offer Soma Rasa to the gods in their yajnas (fire-rituals), as mentioned in the Vedas. What was an external ritual for the Vedic sages, has been turned into an internal reality by yogis like Gorakhnath.

Yogi Gorakhnath said that yoga without knowledge and knowledge without yoga are both useless... like a bird with a single wing. It cannot fly like that. So, you must combine spiritual wisdom, meditation on one higher power with your physical yoga in order to make it a success. Otherwise, you will only gain a blackout state like a long deep sleep out of Khechari. Yoga, after all, is not just a gymnastic exercise, its practical spirituality.
Good luck.

~ written by:
Amitabha Chatterjee 

You can also see this article in my other site here.