Nithya Yoga - The Ultimate Practice for Mind, Body and Being🔗

NITHYA YOGA

Based on the teachings of THE SUPREME PONTIFF OF HINDUISM BHAGAWAN SRI NITHYANANDA PARAMASHIVAM

When a master transfers his energy to a disciple, it is in that moment that the spiritual lineage carries on.... It is perennial, this lineage of Patanjali.

IN THE LINEAGE OF PATANJALI here is complete uncertainty as to who TPatanjali was. Some think of him as the divine incarnation of the serpent Ananta, who supports the whole universe and is simultaneously the bed of Lord Vishnu. Factually, next to nothing is known about him. It is believed that he was born in Southern Bharat, in the holy town of Chidambaram, a place very deeply associated with the dancing expression of Lord Shiva, as Nataraja. Hindu tradition identifies him with a famous grammarian of the same name who lived in the second century B.C.E.

The reason for this confusion is that Bharat has known of several other Patanjali's. The name Patanjali is said to be given to Ananta because he wanted to teach yoga on earth and fell (pat) from heaven, onto the palm (anjali) of Gonika, his mother.

Notwithstanding his origin, Patanjali is credited with the compilation of the great book, the Yoga Sutra. It is an exceptionally open and profound work on the nature of consciousness. It is considered more universal than any other book because it focuses only on the mind, its qualities, influences and fluctuations and the resultant disturbances that are obstacles on the path of the discovery of the Self. It clearly outlines the means to transcend the mind and live in the heightened state of awareness called samadhi. Because the mind is common to all of human kind, these sutra, therefore, are of interest to all.

A sutra is a style of writing, which has very few words, is yet full of essence, is affirmative, universal in context and yet free from all ambiguity. These sutra, these aphorisms on yoga are scientific, straightforward and to the core. This is the greatest book ever presented to mankind. Millions of books and many styles of yoga have stemmed from this one book. The Yoga Sutra is so complete that not one single word more can be added to it.

Though Patanjali had his roots deeply in the Vedic tradition, he did not propogate any isms (religions). Patanjali was a saint and a scientist rolled into one. He declared universal truth for the benefit of all mankind. He left behind a strong energy, a strong understanding and a strong way for people to experience universal consciousness. Patanjali has either directly or indirectly influenced every spiritual teacher on planet earth.

One such great teacher was Raghupati yogi, from the small temple town of Tiruvannamalai, in Southern Bharat.

Who was Patanjali?

Patanjali - the Father of Yoga

Arrival of Raghupati yogi

When THE SUPREME PONTIFF OF HINDUISM BHAGAWAN SRI NITHYANANDA PARAMASHIVAM was about three years old, a relative brought home a wandering mendicant, or sanyasi whose name was Raghupati yogi. Raghupati yogi lived on the same street as THE SUPREME PONTIFF OF HINDUISM BHAGAWAN SRI NITHYANANDA PARAMASHIVAM and came to know the entire family. He was born and brought up in Burma (Myanmar) then a British Colony, where he had learnt yogic procedures from Buddhist lamas. He was an adept in yoga and related m e t h o d s a n d c o u l d demonstrate many yogic powers, including the ability to levitate at will which he m a s t e r e d t h r o u g h a combination of yogic would levitate and playfully ask the children to crawl under him; it was an entertaining game that everyone enjoyed thoroughly!

Raghupathi yogi was an expert in Patanjali's Ashtanga Yoga methods and taught it diligently to his most ardent student, THE SUPREME PONTIFF OF HINDUISM BHAGAWAN SRI NITHYANANDA PARAMASHIVAM.

Raghupati yogi noticed that the young THE SUPREME PONTIFF OF HINDUISM BHAGAWAN SRI NITHYANANDA PARAMASHIVAM, unlike boys of his age who played with toys and marbles, was engrossed in playing with little idols and statues of gods and goddesses. They seemed to be his companions and he was very comfortable playing with them. Being a man of such deep wisdom, Raghupati yogi realized that THE SUPREME PONTIFF OF HINDUISM BHAGAWAN SRI NITHYANANDA PARAMASHIVAM was a highly evolved spiritual soul. He remarked that the boy was a light that had started shining in that household. Despite the huge age difference between them, THE SUPREME PONTIFF OF HINDUISM BHAGAWAN SRI NITHYANANDA PARAMASHIVAM was totally at ease in the company of Raghupati yogi. They seemed to share a deep bond where the need for communication did not matter.

postures (asana) and breath control techniques (pranayama). THE SUPREME PONTIFF OF HINDUISM BHAGAWAN SRI NITHYANANDA PARAMASHIVAM fondly remembers t h e n u m b e r o u s occasions when Raghupati yogi

'I had the fortune to study yoga under a great master of yoga, Raghupati yogi. He was also conferred the title Yogiraj and was known as Yogiraj Yogananda Puri. When I spent time around him he was aged around one hundred and four or five. He was a very healthy man who had mastered yoga and who had experienced all aspects of yoga; not just in the physical level, however in much deeper ways. He would express many different powers of yoga.

I remember very clearly he would take a stone and make the sound of a hammer hitting the stone; the stone would break into two pieces. Sometimes he would make the sound of a stone flying and to my astonishment I would see birds falling down as if they had been the targets! At other times he would create a particular

vibration and snakes would come from the bushes! Similarly he would create the sound of a dog and from all over dogs would gather around him. Just through sound he was able to do anything he wanted to do.

He had amazing strength and unimaginable physical power, which he expressed so casually. He would tie an iron rope around his chest and exhale completely, then he would inhale deeply and the rope would break into pieces!

Usually a logical mind cannot accept or understand that all this is possible, but this great yogi made everything possible! I had the fortune to be around him and see him levitating, not once but at least twenty times. He would inhale deeply and hold the breath. The moment he did that the body would lift from the ground, like an inflated balloon!

From the age of three to thirteen I had the fortune to be under his feet, his guidance and care. Every day from morning till noon for at least 4 to 5 hours, he would make me do all of the traditional yogic techniques including asana (postures). He would instruct me to bend this way and that way, backwards and forwards. He would make me do all of the yogic cleansing techniques like neti, dhauti. I would have to swallow that long cloth to clean the intestine and the internal system.

To tell you honestly, it's only now that I feel happy about everything he used to make me do. Those days I used to hate him because from morning around 6 am he would start my training. It was practically like torture; any beginner in yoga can sympathize and understand what I am talking about.'

Raghupati yogi came into THE SUPREME PONTIFF OF HINDUISM BHAGAWAN SRI NITHYANANDA PARAMASHIVAM's life for a purpose. Being a yogi of many great skills and powers, he helped prepare THE SUPREME PONTIFF OF HINDUISM BHAGAWAN SRI NITHYANANDA PARAMASHIVAM's body to receive and hold the tremendous energy of enlightenment. THE SUPREME PONTIFF OF HINDUISM BHAGAWAN SRI NITHYANANDA PARAMASHIVAM says retaining this tremendous energy is like squeezing four elephants into a small hut.

THE SUPREME PONTIFF OF HINDUISM BHAGAWAN SRI NITHYANANDA PARAMASHIVAM says experiencing a satori (a glimpse of enlightenment or a no-mind state) is not a big thing; anybody can experience a satori. However, for somebody to stay in that level of consciousness and to actually express it, preparation of the body and mind is required. Raghupati yogi helped prepare

THE SUPREME PONTIFF OF HINDUISM BHAGAWAN SRI NITHYANANDA PARAMASHIVAM's body and mind through v a r i o u s y o g i c techniques. He enabled him to experience, remain and radiate the high e n e r g y o f enlightenment.

Raghupati yogi would without fail c o m e t o THE SUPREME PONTIFF OF HINDUISM BHAGAWAN SRI NITHYANANDA PARAMASHIVAM ' s h o u s e e v e r y morning. The yogi would take him to the temple and for THE SUPREME PONTIFF OF HINDUISM BHAGAWAN SRI NITHYANANDA PARAMASHIVAM

THE SUPREME PONTIFF OF HINDUISM BHAGAWAN SRI NITHYANANDA PARAMASHIVAM recalls affectionately:

'The temple where Raghupahti yogi used to teach me yogic techniques had a beautiful stone pillared mandapam (hall). He would instruct me to climb all of the stone pillars; 20 to 30 pillars continuously! When climbing the pillars, he told me I was not allowed to use both hands to climb. I could use only one! The other hand was to be kept behind my back or tied with a rope. To this day, I am still not able to find any reference to support why he made me climb the pillars. I have not read any Yogic literature which identifies that climbing pillars is a yogic technique!'

The boy obeyed Raghupati yogi, partly out of respect and partly out of affection. The yogi insisted that THE SUPREME PONTIFF OF HINDUISM BHAGAWAN SRI NITHYANANDA PARAMASHIVAM do this extended practice every day. He told the boy that he needed to keep his body fit, as he would need to do Herculean things in the future. After the yoga practice, he would take THE SUPREME PONTIFF OF HINDUISM BHAGAWAN SRI NITHYANANDA PARAMASHIVAM to a nearby hotel to have breakfast. He was very loving and brought him candies and chocolates to keep the boy's interest alive.

Over time, Raghupati yogi taught all eight parts of Ashtanga Yoga, including pranayama (breath control techniques) and asana (postures) to THE SUPREME PONTIFF OF HINDUISM BHAGAWAN SRI NITHYANANDA PARAMASHIVAM. Additionally, he taught mantra, dhyana (meditation) and various other yogic techniques. THE SUPREME PONTIFF OF HINDUISM BHAGAWAN SRI NITHYANANDA PARAMASHIVAM was also given the invaluable knowledge of how to live without water and not feel thirsty, by twisting the tongue, sucking in air while sounding the mantra 'lam'. He also taught

THE SUPREME PONTIFF OF HINDUISM BHAGAWAN SRI NITHYANANDA PARAMASHIVAM how to go without sleep, without feeling tired and how to live without food and not feel hunger, by using a herb to draw a diagram on the skin over the liver.

THE SUPREME PONTIFF OF HINDUISM BHAGAWAN SRI NITHYANANDA PARAMASHIVAM was also taught how to play with light energy and how to create things through sound energy. These were of immense use to him during his wandering days and penance; but for these techniques and the strength built through yoga, his body-mind would have been unable to withstand the rigors of those years of tough ascetic life.

Raghupati yogi did a great service by preparing THE SUPREME PONTIFF OF HINDUISM BHAGAWAN SRI NITHYANANDA PARAMASHIVAM's body and mind for his future endeavors. He also had fulfillment. As much as THE SUPREME PONTIFF OF HINDUISM BHAGAWAN SRI NITHYANANDA PARAMASHIVAM learnt from him, the yogi said he learnt from the boy. He gave THE SUPREME PONTIFF OF HINDUISM BHAGAWAN SRI NITHYANANDA PARAMASHIVAM the deerskin he used to sit on, which was pressure and social conditioning), play havoc with the hormones and the vital energies. It then becomes very difficult to begin the practice of yoga for spiritual

Importance of early training

aghupati yogi told THE SUPREME PONTIFF OF HINDUISM BHAGAWAN SRI NITHYANANDA PARAMASHIVAM that Rthe age to learn yoga is before 14 and that's why he started him at 3 years of age. He had in total a full ten years to train the young boy.

THE SUPREME PONTIFF OF HINDUISM BHAGAWAN SRI NITHYANANDA PARAMASHIVAM says that the rigorous training he underwent in the first eleven years of his life helped in sustaining the tremendous energy of enlightenment. He remembers very clearly Raghupati yogi telling him that to bear fruit on the spiritual path you have to be trained from a very young age.

According to Vedic traditions any kind of spiritual practice must be undertaken before sexual maturity. If it is done so, it is easy to live with reality and not fall prey to impossible and unreal fantasies. Otherwise, the whole process can be difficult and disheartening. The reason is, once puberty is attained, the fantasies and imagination that are thrust on the individual through the outside world, (in the modern context the media, peer given to him by his Master. This was treated and tanned with herbs and even after 60 odd years it has the original hair still intact. Raghupati yogi arranged for taking pictures of THE SUPREME PONTIFF OF HINDUISM BHAGAWAN SRI NITHYANANDA PARAMASHIVAM in various meditative postures during his years with him. Photography was very expensive those days in rural Bharat. Raghupati yogi had borrowed money from a local hotel owner, Upadhyaya, for these photographs. When asked why he was doing it at such expense, he just smiled and never answered. When the photos were delivered, he wrote on them, 'The whole world will one day thank me for these photographs.' Raghupati yogi had photos taken of THE SUPREME PONTIFF OF HINDUISM BHAGAWAN SRI NITHYANANDA PARAMASHIVAM alone as well as the two of them together, but none of himself alone. When questioned about this by THE SUPREME PONTIFF OF HINDUISM BHAGAWAN SRI NITHYANANDA PARAMASHIVAM, Raghupati yogi just smiled and said, 'No one will want to have

elevation. At best it can be viewed as the practice for granting physical and mental well -being.

During the Vedic times the practice of brahmacharya was all about learning to live with reality. Brahma means 'truth, reality' and charya means 'to walk with'. This understanding has more to do with learning about and accepting reality. In no way did it mean forced celibacy, as many people have erroneously understood it. This truth was very well known during the

Vedic times. That is why in ancient Bharat the gurukulam (the educational system) was highly regarded. When a child was about 3 years old, the parents handed the child over to the guru, who from then on became its father and mother.

Till the age of seven, children were allowed to roam freely, unclothed or wearing a single loose robe with no awareness of their gender. The energies were allowed to flow easily. Restrictions were not imposed on the children in this extremely natural atmosphere. Both boys and girls were taught the Gayatri mantra (sacred chant) so that the inner sun, their innate intelligence, would be awakened and expressed.

With such unique and caring guidance, most children would have some kind of spiritual experience by puberty. As the Guru had trained their body and mind so lovingly, they were capable of handling the subtle high voltage energies that coursed through their bodies.

Raghupati yogi's appearance in

THE SUPREME PONTIFF OF HINDUISM BHAGAWAN SRI NITHYANANDA PARAMASHIVAM's childhood was indeed most propitious. He was very learned and would pass on as many teachings as possible to the young lad. It was as if he wanted to pour all his experience and knowledge in the little time that was available to him.

THE SUPREME PONTIFF OF HINDUISM BHAGAWAN SRI NITHYANANDA PARAMASHIVAM remembers that at all times Raghupati yogi would play with snakes, which for him, was initially quite frightening. He would playfully guide thin snakes through his nostrils and take them out through his mouth in imitation of some yogic cleansing techniques. When Raghupati yogi saw the boy's fear, he would laugh and say that they would not do any harm, as they were a part of him, his family. He always wore a gold girdle around his waist like a coiled snake

'Before knowing what yoga is, it is important to know what yoga is not. Yoga is neither a physical exercise nor is it breath control. These are but a part of yoga.'

- THE SUPREME PONTIFF OF HINDUISM BHAGAWAN SRI NITHYANANDA PARAMASHIVAM

Go Deep…

S'omeone once asked THE SUPREME PONTIFF OF HINDUISM BHAGAWAN SRI NITHYANANDA PARAMASHIVAM 'What is your impression of yoga and how it is being practiced in the West?' THE SUPREME PONTIFF OF HINDUISM BHAGAWAN SRI NITHYANANDA PARAMASHIVAM answered*,*

'The introduction of yoga in the West has been beautiful. They have started using yoga for the physical and mental benefits it provides. Nothing wrong! I only want people to understand that they can go a few steps further that's all. There is a beautiful story…

One day, there was a woodcutter cutting trees on the outer edge of a forest. An enlightened Master came along and saw the woddcutter. The Master said to the woodcutter, 'go deep.'

So the woodcutter went inside the forest and he found sandalwood. He cut up the sandalwood and immediately started selling it in the market.

The next day, the woodcutter went back and continued to cut up the sandalwood. The Master saw him again and said, 'go deep.' The woodcutter went further inside and found a silver mine. He started mining the silver and started bringing it out to sell to the world.

The man continued to happily mine his silver. The Master came past again and said, 'go deep.' The man went further inside and found a gold mine! He started mining and selling the gold to the world.

Again, the Master walked past and urged the man to, 'go deep.' The man went yet still further inside and finally found a diamond mine!

Like this, how they have started presenting yoga in the West is beautiful. Nothing wrong! My word is 'go deep.' People can find a lot more through yoga and people can find a lot more through meditation.'

When we asked THE SUPREME PONTIFF OF HINDUISM BHAGAWAN SRI NITHYANANDA PARAMASHIVAM for his definition of yoga, his answer was; When we say 'union', it is like an end product which in a sense it is. But that word does not convey the intensity and vibrancy of that ultimate state of existence. So I feel 'uniting' would be a better way of explaining the word yoga. Yes, yoga does not actually mean 'union.' Yoga means 'uniting.' Uniting is a high energy process and o n e o f i n t e n s e e n t h u s i a s m . Conversely, the word 'union' does not have intense enthusiasm and union is

not a process. Yoga means uniting. It's a continuous process and be very clear, the process never ends. Enlightenment is not the end. Enlightenment is the ultimate but it is not the end. Yoga is meant to be the intense process constantly happening

in your Being.'

In modern society, especially in the West, when we consider yoga, we immediately associate it as being a series of yoga asana (postures), physically executed to promote strength, flexibility and balance in the body. Yoga is more or less promoted as a physical form of exercise to attain optimum fitness with some breathing techniques and some meditation practices thrown in to maintain its exotic flavor. That's all, nothing more and nothing less. This is like using a precious diamond as a marble!

THE SUPREME PONTIFF OF HINDUISM BHAGAWAN SRI NITHYANANDA PARAMASHIVAM says,

'You cannot reduce yoga to a physical exercise. Meditation cannot be reduced to something that can provide you with a little bit of peace. No! These practices have much deeper and sacred meanings.'

Yoga is a great science. It is one of the six basic systems of Hindu thought which together are called darshana. The word darshana is derived from the Sanskrit word drs which means 'to see.' This implies that the knowledge of yoga was derived through the process of meditation or internal seeing. It also implies that as a practice, yoga is a tool that we use to look within ourselves, to see where we come from, to realize what we are.

In very broad terms, yoga is a means to unite with our Higher Self. It means to

What is Yoga?

Patanjali's Ashtanga Yoga

he core of Patanjali's Yoga Sutra has Tto do with the perception of things and the ways in which our mind loses its pristine clarity, which is its true nature. The aim of yoga practice is to make our perception clearer and through this process bring about a profound transformation within us a transformation that will help us touch base with our Original State, which is ananda or bliss.

Patanjali's Yoga has been called variously as Raja yoga, or Ashtanga yoga, depending from which angle people viewed his teachings. What is of relevance is that all these names are appropriate and applicable. Patanjali speaks about using the eight limbs of yoga (Ashtanga Yoga)

including body and breath to move into the state of meditation (Hatha Yoga) and remain in that state of clarity and awareness at all times (Raja Yoga). Due to personal interpretation, reasons of practicality and a culture specific approach, one or the other aspects of Patanjali's Yoga has been highlighted.

Never have the eight limbs been approached together.

Patanjali established the fact that experiencing the ultimate truth of our Original Nature is what yoga practice is all about. Through his terse aphorisms, he brilliantly reveals his vast understanding of the nature of the mind and the obstacles and obstructions that it throws in the path of enlightenment.

Patanjali's Concept of the Mind

atanjali's y*oga sutra* is the heart of Pyoga. It is also the last word on the mind. It is composed of 196 sutra or aphorisms. The complete work is divided into four distinct chapters or padas:

1) samadhi pada: This pada is composed of fifty one sutras. In it, Patanjali speaks about the absolute, true consciousness or Ishvara. Then, he enumerates the problems an individual is likely to face in his quest to merge with the divine energy.

2) sadhana pada: This pada is composed of fifty five sutras. It very clearly establishes the nature of yoga and the means through which the chitta vritti (mental modifications) can be controlled. It identifies the obstacles to meditation and advocates the practice of Ashtanga Yoga.

3) vibhuti pada: This pada is composed of fifty six sutra. It emphasizes that knowledge is power and gives the techniques for attaining siddhis (spiritual powers) and using them for the best possible results. It deals with the subtle state of awareness and advanced techniques.

4) kaivalya pada: This pada is composed of thirty four sutra. Kaivalya means solitariness and detachment. It deals with the effect of our engraved memories and gives the means for erasing such impressions. It describes the yogi who has attained this freedom from all bondages.

The Yoga Sutra is a universal treatise because its focus is on the qualities of the mind and the ways in which we can influence it and be influenced by it. When we work at all times with awareness, we influence the mind. On the other hand, when we work unconsciously without awareness, we are influenced by the mind.

Patanjali clearly states that yoga is the tool and the practice to direct the mind without distractions or interruptions. In this book, he addresses the questions about the nature of the mind, which are universal and of interest to all.

In the Yoga Sutra, Patanjali uses the word, avidya or 'incorrect comprehensions' to describe false perception. On the reverse is vidya, which is clarity.

Avidya is the accumulated result of our unconscious ways of perception and behavior. In other words, we see what we want to see, hear what we want to hear and do things according to what we see, hear and think. It is not so much the seeing and hearing that is the root of the problem as much as how we see and hear. What is it that makes us see, hear and perceive something in a particular way? What are those things that make us see and act in a habituated manner?

Patanjali says that avidya is like a huge tree with many branches. These branches are

the obstacles to clarity or vidya. They prevent us from seeing things as they really are. These obstacles are asmita (ego), raga (attachments), dvesa (rejection) and abhinivesha (fear). All habituated patterns of perceiving the world and behaving according to those perceptions are called samskara. They cloud the mind and obstruct the flow of clarity and awareness that is our consciousness.

When we are in this confused state, we experience dukkha (generally understood as suffering or sickness). When we are in dukkha we feel constricted. Avidya and dukkha are closely linked to one another. When any action stems from the unconscious or from ignorance, it always leads to suffering.

Patanjali declares that the only goal of yoga is to reduce or remove the cloud from the mind, lessen the dukkha and allow the individual to make decisions in the light of conscious awareness. Through a regular practice of yoga, we can remain present in every moment and express our inner nature, the actualization of our inherent potential.

The y*oga sutra* states that the minute we start recognizing the branches of avidya, we start to overcome them. There are three ways in which we can do this;

1) tapas deep cleansing techniques, inner purification practices.

'Tapas' has been erroneously understood as penance, denial and rigorous spiritual practices to the point of physical mortification. If we look at the root from which tapas comes, 'tap', we understand it means to heat, to cleanse. In the yoga context, tapas would be those practices that would help us burn our energy blocks and cleanse the impurities within. Through asana and pranayama we are able to achieve this to a large extent.

2) svadhyaya 'sva' means 'self' and 'adhyaya' means 'the study of', or investigation into the Self.

By focusing on ourselves, we bring in more clarity to our thoughts and actions. We befriend our body; we connect to our breath; we relate better with those around us as we start dropping our tight personal boundaries. Reading inspiring books, listening to the discourses of Masters and engaging in self-learning with like-minded people are all methods of svadhyaya.

3) ishvara pranidhana love of Higher Self (God)

This connotes a kind of surrender that goes beyond our mind. It is an expression of the understanding that 'whatever is happening is what is good.' It also means doing our work without bothering about the fruits of our actions.

All these put together with the core practice of dhyana help us to enjoy good health, clarity of mind and work with an attitude of surrender.

We can clearly see that from being a complete, total understanding of life where the integration of the body, mind, spirit is of paramount importance, yoga has been reduced to a mere physical practice. A cog in a huge wheel has been accorded the status of the wheel itself while the wheel has been relegated to the position of the cog!

Why is this happening?

Only a person who has attained the consciousness of Patanjali, who resides in that same inner space as Patanjali can speak authoritatively on Patanjali's teachings. Over a period of time, when more and more teachers, rather than enlightened masters came into contact with the common man, Patanjali's words took precedence over the spirit in which they were taught. With the development of and the importance given to logic and enquiry, Patanjali's verbalization gained importance at the cost of his body language. Many scholars wrote commentaries on the Yoga Sutra of Patanjali. All the commentaries are no doubt great scholarly works; but they are dry because they have not woven the fullness of Patanjali's non-verbal, body language into their work. They are not a faithful representation of the spirit of Patanjali's sutra.

So what is the most popular and widespread view of Patanjali's Yoga? How do people understand and practice it?

THE SUPREME PONTIFF OF HINDUISM BHAGAWAN SRI NITHYANANDA PARAMASHIVAM says Patanjali never meant that each step has to be mastered before we go to the next step. If that were so we would need several lifetimes to reach the blissful state of samadhi. When we see Patanjali's Yoga as progressive steps to enlightenment our mind immediately perceives a goal, which can be reached through hard work over a period of time. So there is a feeling that we need to work hard and that at some future date we will get rewarded for this.

THE SUPREME PONTIFF OF HINDUISM BHAGAWAN SRI NITHYANANDA PARAMASHIVAM declares that Patanjali never intended ashtanga yoga to be practiced this way.

There is a center with seven independent petals attached to it. Though the petals are independent, their very contact points connect them to one another. They share the same common core. The essence of the core or the center is established in each independent petal.

If we take this core to be the experience of samadhi, then every petal or anga (part) of the whole flower (yama, niyama, asana, pranayama, pratyahara, dharana, dhyana) is by default imbedded with the blissful energy of the state of samadhi or Oneness.

It is very clear that samadhi is not the eighth step to work towards progressively. On the contrary, it is the state we are already in, the state of nitya ananda, Eternal Bliss. It just needs to be expressed.

When that expression happens, intensely, moment to moment, our consciousness flowers and we are in Nithya Yoga; Eternal Uniting.

Patanjali was the first Master who created a clear, scientific and logical system to reproduce the experience of enlightenment. Prior to Patanjali, enlightenment was an accident; it was a gamble, with no guarantee. Patanjali was the first master and spiritual navigator responsible for the mapping of consciousness and codifying complete directions. He created an exact formula to reproduce the experience of enlightenment; just as how scientists create formulae to reproduce experiences of the outer world, Patanjali created a beautiful formula and technology to reproduce the experience of the inner world.

THE SUPREME PONTIFF OF HINDUISM BHAGAWAN SRI NITHYANANDA PARAMASHIVAM says, 'There are two types of scientists. Scientists of the outer world and scientists of the inner world. Scientists of the outer world are those who create formulas to reproduce the outer world experiences. Scientists of the inner world are those who create formulas to reproduce experiences of the inner world - in others. Patanjali was one such inner scientist. He created a formula, 8 yogic practices that would reproduce in others the inner space of Patanjali himself.'

Many masters and teachers of the yoga tradition have added to the understanding of yoga. They have enriched the experiencing of yoga with their unique insights into the teaching and practice. All of them agree that modern man is a complex phenomenon reflecting the enormous changes that have taken place in the last century. This being so, old-fashioned, incomplete methods of integrating the body, mind and spirit

Over time as cultures changed and inner pollution increased, emphasis on Patanjali's Yoga system changed into what was acceptable. Patanjali's body language was completely forgotten. Humanity has stayed true to the words; the spirit has been shrouded in unconscious obscurity.

The state of the body and the quality of the mind has undergone radical changes. Our lifestyle, the way in which we sit, move and work, the types of food we eat and the kind of information we are exposed to have all combined together to make us very different from our ancestors.

The modern mind has an attention span of not more than 3 seconds. To work with the body seems much easier than to work with the mind. We are more comfortable with things at a grosser, material level than at the subtle, spiritual level. Modern man needs the model of the human mind that will be easy to understand and relate with. Also, we need a practice that will be quick, direct and deeply effective.

So what we need is an approach to the practice of yoga that is straight, effective and brings about individual transformation rapidly; an approach that will bring back to life the lost body-language of the great Patanjali himself.

That approach is already here. THE SUPREME PONTIFF OF HINDUISM BHAGAWAN SRI NITHYANANDA PARAMASHIVAM, the young, inner scientist and Master of the present age, has a profound understanding of the human mind. With a deep reverence for Patanjali, he re-presents the earlier view of the mind in a direct, modern and elegant manner. He resurrects the lost language of Patanjali's very Being. He brings to vibrant life the body language expressed by the

The Need of the Hour

THE SUPREME PONTIFF OF HINDUISM BHAGAWAN SRI NITHYANANDA PARAMASHIVAM conducting an advanced level meditation program in Los Angeles, California.

The Nithyananda Sutra: 'Be Un-clutched'

'We are nothing but a collection of unconnected, independent, illogical thoughts. By our very nature we are 'un-clutched'.'

- THE SUPREME PONTIFF OF HINDUISM BHAGAWAN SRI NITHYANANDA PARAMASHIVAM

THE NITHYANANDA SUTRA: 'BE-UNCLUTCHED'

The new understanding

Be un-clutched' is the experience, expression and the teaching of the ' enlightened Master, THE SUPREME PONTIFF OF HINDUISM BHAGAWAN SRI NITHYANANDA PARAMASHIVAM. THE SUPREME PONTIFF OF HINDUISM BHAGAWAN SRI NITHYANANDA PARAMASHIVAM states emotions and thoughts give birth to our mental set up and attitude. Understanding the play of emotions and thoughts is the first and final step towards moving beyond it. He declares that man by his very nature is an un-clutched and blissful Being.

What do we mean by the term un-clutched?

Every thought that arises in us is like a bubble that forms, rises and dies. Every thought independently rises and dies before the next thought comes up. For example, if you are sitting in a chair and suddenly get up, the moment you have decided to get up, that moment the thought of sitting has left you. If you are working on your computer and decide to shut down the machine, that moment, the thought that you want to work has died. Every thought is unconnected and happens in a series, one after the other. One thought has to die before the next one comes up. This is our true nature.

Like bubbles in a fish tank our thoughts too are separate, distinct and unconnected. When these bubbles slowly rise, one after the other, no connectivity is seen. It is clear that they are all independent bubbles. On the other hand, when the bubbles are rising very fast and are many in number, they project the illusion of being connected to one another. They appear to solidify into a pattern.

Similarly, when there are too many thoughts within us, all seemingly happening at the same time, the illusion of connectivity happens. We start believing we are these connections.

Our true nature is to renounce thoughts every passing moment; to allow each thought to rise like a bubble and burst and allow the next thought to rise. Our thoughts have only a vertical existence, like rising bubbles.

This process of allowing thoughts to rise and die without trying to connect them is what we mean by being un-clutched. As long as this natural process is allowed to happen, things are alright. However, what we do is start connecting our thoughts randomly and forming a shaft. For example, the suffering, pain or depression that we had 10 years ago, 9 years ago, 8 years ago or 7 years ago are all independent and unconnected incidents. These experiences of emotional and physical pain happened for different reasons, in different situations, in different times and spaces. However, mentally, for our own personal reference and convenience we tend to archive all of these experiences of pain in one individual file. Next we start believing that these independent and unconnected experiences are actually connected. Therefore, we naturally come to the conclusion that our life was nothing but pain, suffering and depression. When we start believing that this shaft is a representation of our past, we expect that our future too will be similar. This very conditioning ultimately plays a major role in creating and designing our life.

By doing this, we convert the vertical and un-clutched process into a horizontal one with linear connectivity. Here starts the whole problem. All thoughts with like-energies (similarly associated energies) are collected, clutched and made into a shaft. For example, all painful memories when gathered together create a pain-shaft. Similarly, all pleasurable memories when clutched together create a pleasure-shaft. We must understand that both these shafts are an illusion. They do not exist. They are unconnected incidents that are sewn together. They never existed in that form. They are a creation of the mind, which by itself is a myth, an illusion. Therefore, we are living an illusion within an illusion.

As long as each thought is allowed to rise and die, we can take on any amount of load at the physical and mental planes and our consciousness will remain light and blissful. Once we start connecting the thoughts, our consciousness suffers and

we start feeling burdened. It becomes damaging to our Being. The true nature of our mind is nothing but unconnected, illogical, independent and un-clutched thoughts. However, since the mind operates in time, we develop an illusion of the past and the future. We forget that all we actually have is the present moment, which is essentially timeless.

All emotions like worry, lust, discontentment, jealousy, fear, ego and attention-need are purely because we find a connection between independent incidents, between independent thoughts and create a concept for ourselves and start relating with that concept. We create an imaginary shaft with our thoughts and we suffer because of this.

It is these emotions that create all forms of violence be it religious wars, social conflicts or political unrest. The basis or the root of all forms of violence is our emotions and the basis of our emotions is our habit of creating imaginary shafts of our thoughts and empowering them to work on us.

The main thing we do while creating these shafts is, we choose the thoughts depending on whether we want pain or pleasure. We pick pleasant thoughts at random and connect them to form a shaft of pleasure or pick negative thoughts and connect them to form a shaft of pain. We create shafts of pain and pleasure alternately for ourselves and keep oscillating between these two emotions.

To un-clutch from this shaft, whether of

cosmic space is reduced to individual ego.

Living in an un-clutched fashion is the only way to blissful living. Just decide that you will not connect any two thoughts, that you will not pass any judgment on any thought or any incident. The moment you find yourself connecting, simply un-clutch from it. Keep on un-clutching every time

you remember this technique; your mental setup will automatically be transformed.

When we work in an un-clutched fashion, we will find our capacity expanding; we can take on a lot more responsibility without getting stressed; we will not experience mood swings between pain and pleasure; we will be blissful all the time. We are so used to happiness that comes with a reason. This reason is again a shaft that we create with our thoughts. Once we stop creating these shafts, we will be blissful all the time. We will actualize our hidden potential and realize the ultimate truth; we are nothing less than God!

The term un-clutched, does not mean that we should be aloof and cold to people and situations around us. We just shouldn't connect our thoughts and start the process of creating shafts, that's all.

We should remember that we are beautiful and un-clutched Beings by nature; that is enough. We will stop creating misery for ourselves and for others*.*

When we are dwelling in the past, or focusing on the future we miss out on the present. If we observe our thoughts we can experience the deafening noise of our inner chatter. It becomes obvious that our thoughts are furiously oscillating between the past and the future. The speed at which they move is so fast that we fail to realize that there is a gap, however small, between the end of one thought and the beginning of another. That gap is the present moment. We never seem to pause, let alone remain in the present. What we need to internalize is that energy is

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The Modern Mind and How it Works 'Our mind is our major dilemma'

- THE SUPREME PONTIFF OF HINDUISM BHAGAWAN SRI NITHYANANDA PARAMASHIVAM THE SUPREME PONTIFF OF HINDUISM BHAGAWAN SRI NITHYANANDA PARAMASHIVAM states that as long as the mind is the servant and we are the masters, all is well. The minute we give power to the mind to become our master, then the confusion starts. All the energy gets imbalanced within us and leads to a state of dukkha, dis-ease. What is this energy all about? According to the Vedic understanding, the human being has seven energy bodies of which the physical is the grossest. Of these seven, the first three are relevant to us. The first is the physical body or jagrat shareera. This is the body that moves, talks, writes and carries on with similar activities. Next comes the dream body, sukshma shareera. This is the body we use to move from place to place in our dreams. The third is the karana shareera, which we use when we are in deep sleep. This body does not move. The second and the third bodies*, (sukshma* and karana shareera) meet the physical body (jagrat shareera) at seven places along the length of the physical body. These seven points are known as the chakra, which are spinning wheels or vortices of energy. There are seven major chakra and a number of minor ones, but the seven major ones are responsible for our physical and mental well being. These chakra were discovered by the Vedic seers thousands of years ago. Medical science has proven that there is an endocrine gland that corresponds to each of these seven chakra. Together they are responsible for maintaining the homeostasis of the body. Chakra are boundless energy centers. They are not physical entities in our body. They are metaphysical representations as they belong to the auric body. Kirlian photography has enabled us to capture these chakra and prove their existence. Chakra are very intimately connected to our emotions. Whenever we experience a particular emotion, depending on whether it is positive or negative, the chakra will expand or contract accordingly. When we are functioning at an optimal level, the size of the chakra is that of a cartwheel; otherwise, it shrinks to the size of a coat button. These seven major chakra deeply influence our physical, emotional and mental activities. They have great power. They are energy centers which, when cleansed and energized, empower us to

experience the seemingly impossible. We then lead a vibrant and blissful life.

Our dis-ease is only an imbalance in any one of deeply rooted in our inner consciousness. By keeping these chakra in a healthy state we can see a transformation happening in us at the physical and mental levels. these chakra because our body and mind is very

The state of our mind plays a major role in how we perceive the world and in turn how we view ourselves. Our perception in turn determines our energy levels, which in turn is responsible for deciding whether the chakra are blocked or opened.

So what is the role of the mind in blocking the energy from flowing into our system?

We see what we want to see, we hear what we want to hear and our attitude and behavior gets shaped by our perception of the world. So how do we perceive the world? What are the mechanics behind the perceptual process?

The following diagram shows us the mechanics of the mind and how it

How we Perceive

When we see something, first the eye sees it. The eye is merely a camera, which faithfully records the outside world. The energy that sees is not the eye. This energy is called chakshu in Sanskrit. The nature of this energy is to digitize the information seen by the eye. It is something like a digital signal processor (DSP). The signal or the input is converted into a digital file by the chakshu. It has to be understood that this conversion happens to the information received through all the five senses, not just the eye.

This file goes to the memory (chitta). In the memory, the work of analyzing the information begins. This is done through the process of elimination, 'It is not this, it is not this.' Identification does not occur here. For example, when we see the yoga teacher in front of us, this information is taken up by the digital signal processor and passed onto the memory. The memory does not identify the object in front of the eye as a yoga teacher, rather it says what 'it is not'. For example, it says, 'This is not an animal, this is not a tree' and so on. The identification of the fact that it is a yoga teacher standing in front of us does not happen here.

Then the file goes to the mind (manas). It is the mind that does the job of identifying the information. It says 'this is a yoga teacher.' Unlike the memory which says, 'this is not', the mind concludes, 'this is it'. Next, the entire file takes a quantum leap to the ego and our ego decides our next action or decision based on our past experience. If we have had past experiences with yoga teachers that have been pleasing and beneficial, we will decide to practice yoga again with a teacher. If, on the other hand, we have not had a pleasant experience in a yoga class, we will take the decision to leave the class.

Try to understand this process. We see the yoga teacher. The eye passes the information to the digital signal processor, which in turn passes it to the memory, which does the job of eliminating unwanted information. Then the memory passes this reduced information to the mind, which does the job of identification. Then the whole file takes a quantum leap to the ego, which makes the decision based on our past experiences.

The time for the process between the eye and the mind is logical and conscious. It happens with our complete awareness but at great speed.

The time for the quantum leap from the mind to the ego is mostly unconscious. It happens without our awareness.

Why does this happen? Why do we decide unconsciously and regret later?

THE SUPREME PONTIFF OF HINDUISM BHAGAWAN SRI NITHYANANDA PARAMASHIVAM SUTRA: 'BE-UNCLUTCHED'