sadhu sannyasi

Spiritual Hierarchy in Sanatan Dharma (Hinduism)

by with One Comment sanatan dharmatantraYoga

The Vedic Hierarchy of Divine Beings and Holy Persons which each Hindu, and even anybody intrigued by Hinduism, ought to know not themselves from a considerable measure of disarray…

1. Sat/Brahman (lit. Presence/Mightiest) – Omnipresent Pure Consciousness. The One preeminent embodiment, substratum and wellspring of everything that was, is and will be. The Vedas call it “Sat” (Pure Existence/the Presence). The Upanishads call it “Brahman” (the Mightiest, the Supreme). The Vedantic conventions allude to it as “Saccidananda” (Pure Existence, Pure Consciousness and Pure Bliss). Can’t be worshiped unbiasedly (see Sama Veda Kena Upanishad 1.4-8), however must be knowledgeable about the most profound phases of contemplation and illumination as one’s incomparable embodiment and the deepest center of one’s being. This is basically an enchanted idea and subsequently can be discovered likewise in the lessons of different spiritualists of world conventions. Christian spiritualists, for example, Pseudo-Dionysius, John the Scot and Meister Eckhart alluded to it as “Godhead” (=Godhood, the substance of God), Sufi spiritualists, for example, Mansoor-al-Hallaj and Ibn Arabi called it “haqq” (the Truth) and “ahad” (the uncovered one) separately, and the Jewish experts called it “Elohim” and Jewish Kabbalistic spiritualists alluded to it as “Ein Sof” (the limitless total).

2. Ishvara (lit. the ruler/the master/the expert) – Omnipresent Consciousness as the maker, coordinator and destroyer of everything. GOD = Generator, Organizer and Destroyer. Must be One as indicated by each Hindu convention, however is communicated through the trinity of Brahma, Vishnu and Shiva, the innovative, arranging and dangerous standards. The Five Hindu Agama customs allude to it through five particular names: Shaivism calls It “Sada Shiva” (not to be mistaken for Shiva the damaging guideline), Vaishnavism calls It “Maha Vishnu” (not to be mistaken for Vishnu the innovative rule) and Shaktism “Adya Shakti.” The two obsolete Hindu Agama conventions, the Suaras and the Ganapatyas, called it separately “Maha Surya” and “Maha Ganapati.” Therefore, all Agama revere conventions, which shape the premise of every single Hindu sanctuary and the Hindu ceremonies rehearsed in them, are coordinated towards any of these five basic types of Ishvara – Shiva, Vishnu, Shakti, Surya or Ganapati. Each type of God worshiped in Hinduism is some way or another identified with one of these 5 shapes. Notwithstanding, entirely most conventions consider God undefined fundamentally, additionally acknowledge that it can be revered in introductory phases of our otherworldly voyage through any of these various structures to encourage the human mind which is exceptionally molded by name and frame. The favored structure (ishta-devata) is picked by inclinations and connection with a specific convention through one’s lord. In similar investigations of religion, the Hindu philosophical comprehension of Ishvara can be thought to be what might as well be called the possibility of God in Christianity, Allah of Islam and Adonai of Judaism. Nonetheless, it must be noticed that three among the six Vedic philosophical frameworks don’t affirm of the possibility of God, since they consider the possibility of a maker rule logically not required. However, the Vedantic arrangement of reasoning, which in its different structures is at present the most predominant philosophical arrangement of Hinduism, completely acknowledges the thought of God. As indicated by the Advaita Vedanta convention (non-dualistic Vedanta) the last call of the Vedas is to rise above the God of religions and experience the Supreme Godhead of a spiritualist as one’s incomparable substance and the main genuine extreme reality in this universe, the solidarity in assorted qualities, communicated in the Yajur Veda through the quintessential sentence “Aham Brahmasmi” (I’m immaculate cognizance).

3. Devas (lit. brilliant creatures) – physical and mental strengths to which mankind owes its presence. These are strengths working in the universe around us and are considered indications of the One Supreme Force. They are 33 in numbers as indicated by the Vedas, which as per Maharshi Yajnavalkya are (see Shukla Yajur Veda Brihadaranyaka Upanishad 3.9.2-6) – fire, earth, wind, space, sun, daylight, moon, stars, the 10 detects, the brain, the 12 types of the Sun in a year’s 12 months, Indra (thunderbolt), Prajapati (the master of offspring which incorporates creatures). Since every one of these can have unending signs, the Vedic sacred texts talk about 33 Koti Devas (Koti implies millions, additionally remains for vastness). As indicated by Maharshi Yaska, the considerable creator of the Vedic Nirukta, the 33 Devas are signs of the 3 central Vedic Devas – Agni (fire, light on earth), Indra (thunderbolt, light in the middle of the road area) and Aditya (sun, light in the most noteworthy district). These three thusly are considered appearances of the One Supreme Light called Prana by Maharshi Yajnvalakya (Supreme Life-power) and Atman (Self, Pure Consciousness) by Maharshi Nirukta. Every single Vedic Ritual are coordinated towards the Devas, i.e. they are ceremonies in which light is revered in its different signs as an image of the Supreme Inner Light of Consciousness. The Devas can be contrasted with the blessed messengers of the Semitic religions.

4. Avataras (incarnations, lit. a slid guideline) – Vishnu, the supporting rule of Ishvara, occasionally slips upon earth to take care of particular issues as obviously communicated in Gita 4.7-8. Such incarnations are interminable in number, yet, the official tally of the Puranas is 22 (see Bhagavata Purana 1.3.6-25): the Kumaras, Varaha (hog), Narada, Nara-Narayana (who contemplated in Badarinath), Kapila (the expert of the Samkhya arrangement of logic), Dattatreya, Yajna, Rishabha (additionally adored by Jainism as their first ace), Prithu (the main incredible King), Matsya (fish), Kacchapa (turtle), Dhanvantari (the benefactor God of Ayurveda), Mohini, Nrisimha (lion headed human structure, likewise worshiped in old Roman Mithraic puzzles), Vamana, Parashurama, Veda Vyasa (the creator of the Puranas, the Mahabharata and the Gita), Lord Rama, Lord Bala Rama, Lord Krishna, the Buddha (likewise the organizer of Buddhism), Kalki (the last one yet to come)… As one can obviously see, Lord Rama, Lord Krishna and the Buddha fall into this class. “Bhagavan” is essentially used to people falling into this class. In any case, it is additionally connected to the types of God falling into the second class above, despite the fact that entirely those different types of God ought to be alluded to as the Devas correspondingly to the ones falling into the third classification. Bhagavan = enriched with the six incredible qualities, to be specific: preeminent, incomparable exemplary nature, most elevated acclaim, preeminent riches (both: perfect and human), most astounding level of separation and complete opportunity or liberation. In everyday Sanskrit “Bhagavan” is frequently utilized as a deferential pronoun when tending to one’s living bosses, for example, when posing a question. (frame more data on the Avataras:http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Avatar)

5. Rishis and Rishikas (Vedic Seers, lit. shrewd men and ladies) – These are the human fathers of the Vedic conventions and are additionally viewed as the natural progenitors of mankind, particularly after the immense downpour. The Vedic shrewdness was uncovered into their cleaned hearts by the Omnipresent Life Force (Hiranyagarbha Prana). The assignment is entirely connected ONLY to a Vedic expert who is the Seer of one of the Vedic mantras (verses). The rundown of the Seers of the Rig Veda alone, which is the most antiquated and most hallowed sacred text of Hinduism, incorporates 377 names of Rishis and 25 names of Rishikas.

6. Muni/Siddha/Shishta (scholars/achieved ones/shrewd men) – All antiquated insightful men other than the Rishis fall into this classification. Most Hindu sacrosanct sacred texts (which are sorted under ‘smriti’), other than the Vedas (which are arranged under ‘shruti’), are credited to one of these. For instance, Sage Patanjali, the creator of the Yoga Sutras and along these lines considered by numerous as the father of yoga, is alluded to as Maha-Muni (the immense Muni). Entirely, in this way, alluding to present day experts, for example, Swami Dayananda, Ramana Maharshi, Aurobindo and Maharshi Mahesh Yogi, as “Maharshi” (the colossal Rishi) is customarily shameful.

7. Acharyas (the immense experts) – These are incredible chronicled aces, rationalists, masterminds and pundits who have roused or thoughtfully sorted out, surrounded and introduced one of the different conventions of Hinduism. Shankaracharya and Ramanujacharya were most likely the most powerful ones among all the Acharyas. Four bosses bearing the surname of Shankaracharya have been formally viewed as the overseers of the Four Vedas, and accordingly the preeminent dominant presences in all religious and profound matters, at any rate throughout the previous 1200 years. The old place where there is India, isolated into 4 a balance of, was viewed as their area of power. Other extraordinary Acharyas include: Ramanujacharya, Nimbarkacharya, Vallabhacharya and Madhvacharya and so forth. Acharya implies somebody who teaches mankind into acara (appropriate behavior).

8. Sant (holy people) – extraordinary individuals who were profoundly committed towards or had obtained the astuteness and familiarity with the Supreme Divinity in their lives. Hindus worship them and even love some of them in their different sanctuaries. They differ from state to state and have been profoundly powerful on the grass root level in light of the fact that these were the ones who brought the most profound exclusive lessons of the Vedic way to the regular man. Their lessons are regularly by and large alluded to as “Sant Mat” which depends on the lessons of the Vedas, the Munis and the Acharyas. The current religion of Sikhism was propelled by the 10 Gurus who have a place with this class of sacred people

yoga pose sivaom

Surya Namaskar with mantras – The Science and Logic Behind It

by with No Comment mantraYoga

In order to explain the importance of the sun, it has been described in Hindu scriptures from immemorial time. Whether we talk about the previous eras or talk about today’s time, Sun has always given us life-giving energy.

Today, scientists have been working hard to know about the sun, whereas the ancient Sage-Muni knew its divinity and its use. Understanding the mystery of the sun is important as when we perform Surya Namaskar then our reverence, diligence, and belief appear in our mind and we can benefit from it.

Gopinath Kaviraj, who is the principal of the Banaras Hindu University, has done 12 years of penance in Gyanganj Ashram in Himalaya. He came back to Benaras in 1920 and wondered about the whole world as a miracle of solar science. In front of hundreds of disciples, he used to transform a thing into another by Sun Science. We are telling you this illustration so that your curiosity and faith in the sun increase and you can get the maximum benefits from it.


1. Aum Mitraya Namah inPranamasana/Prayer Pose: Who is friendly to all 

2. Aum Ravayre Namah inUtthana Hasthasana/Upward Salute: The shining one, the radiant one

3. Aum Suryaya Namah in Padahastanasana or Utthanasana/ Hand to feet pose: Who is the dispeller of darkness and responsible for bringing activity

4. Aum Bhanave Namah in Ashva Sanchalan Asana/Equestrian Pose: One who illumines, the bright one

5. Aum Khagaya Namah inMountain Pose: Who is all-pervading, one who moves through the sky

6. Aum Pushne Namah in Ashtanga Namaskara: Giver of nourishment and fulfillment

7. Aum Hiranyagarbhaya Namah inBhujangasana/Cobra Pose : Who has golden color brilliance

8. Aum Marichaye Namah in Adho Mukha Savasana/Mountain Pose : The giver of light with infinite number of rays

9. Aum Adityaya Namah in Ashva Sanchalan Asana/Equestrian Pose: The son of Aditi, the cosmic divine Mother

10. Aum Savitre Namah in Padahastanasana or Utthanasana/ Hand to feet pose: One who is responsible for life

11. Aum Arkaya Namah inUtthana Hasthasana/Upward Salute: Worthy of praise and glory

12. Aum Bhaskaraya Namah inPranamasana/Prayer Pose: Giver of wisdom and cosmic illumination

Sun is the only source of energy for our planet Earth. Hence, Sun gives us lots of benefits in many ways.
Here are some advantages of Surya Namaskar or Sun salutation given below:

There is good stretching of the waist and spine by Surya Namaskar, hence it heals all types of back pain.
Surya Namaskar improves the digestive system.
It balanced the energy on both physical and mental levels.
Diseases such as hemorrhoids (piles) can also be treated by Surya Namaskar.
It boosts our memory power.
It keeps high blood pressure and diabetes in control.
Regular exercise of sun salutation leads to better circulation of blood throughout the body, thus reducing the risk of a heart attack.
It gives strength to our body.
It strengthens our immune system.
This strengthens our bones.
It improves our skin tone.
Weight Loss. As Some poses of Surya Namaskar remove excess fat of the tummy. Therefore it is very helpful in weight loss. This not only reduces your weight but also bring your body in shape. If done fast, then this could turn out to be your best cardiovascular workout.

Best Time For Surya Namaskar
The best time to do Surya Namaskar is of Brahma Muhurt. After going to the toilet, take a bath and practice it with a cheerful mind. Wear clean and loose fitting clothes and the atmosphere should be relaxed.
The morning time is best for doing Surya Namaskar because the weather is clean at this time and there is no harm from the sun’s ultraviolet rays.
For some reason, if you are unable to do sun salutation in the morning, then you can practice it with an empty stomach or can do it during the evening.

Surya Namaskar Precautions:
1. Everyone aged above 8 years can perform this posture.
2. A person suffering from the problem of the spinal cord, heart, high blood pressure, and hernia problem can do practice this posture in the guidance of any guru.

Initial Mistakes During Surya Namaskar (Sun Salutation)
Beginners generally forget to focus on breathing while moving forward and backward. In this exercise, breathing while bending and stretching has great significance.
If you are a beginner then do not do this exercise at a high pace, by doing so your attention can get shifted from the breathing, and thus your practice may remain incomplete.
In the beginning, you can get confused with Cobra Pose and Mountain Pose, so keep this in mind.

How Many Times To-Do Surya Namaskar (Sun Salutation)?

1. The practice of Surya Namaskar Yoga must be done in 10-20 cycles. If you are a beginner then do it 2-3 times and then gradually increase the cycles.
2. If you can do it more than you can do it for 50-100 times.
3. If the sun salutation is practiced 25-50 times every day, then there will not be much signs of old age in the body for 100 years.

The planets revolve around the Sun; Life begins with the sun. Hence it holds great importance to us- scientifically and religiously. Performing Surya Namaskars, Sun Salutation we are respecting and celebrating the source of all life forms. Let us know the science and logic that goes into performing Surya Namaskar. 

The Solar Plexus
According to the ancient Rishis of India, different parts of the body are governed by different Devas (divine impulses or divine light). The solar plexus (located behind the navel, which is the central point of the human body) is said to be connected with the Sun. This is the main reason why the ancient Rishis recommended the practice of Surya Namaskar because the regular practice of this technique enhances the solar plexus, which increases one’s creativity and intuitive abilities.

 

What is the importance of Solar plexus?
According to Sri Sri Ravi Shanker, all our emotions get stored in the solar plexus, and it is also the point from where one’s gut feelings arise. The size of the solar plexus is said to like the size of a small gooseberry. However, for those who do yoga and it becomes much bigger – almost three to four times bigger than the normal size. The more expanded your solar plexus, the greater is your mental stability and your intuition.

The Benefits of Surya Namaskar
Surya Namaskar is a set of 12 postures, preferably to be done at the time of sunrise. The regular practice of Surya Namaskar improves circulation of blood throughout the body, maintains health, and helps one remain disease-free.

Help lose weight
When done at a fast pace, Surya Namaskar can give an excellent cardiovascular workout to help weight. The postures will help stretch the abdominal muscles while helping you shed pounds around your belly. The movements will also improve metabolism.

Helps strengthen muscles and joints
Surya Namaskar offers a good way to stretch and strengthen muscles, joints, ligament, as well as the skeletal system. The movements can also help improve the flexibility of the spine. The limbs become symmetrical helping internal vital organs to function better.

Ensures a better functioning digestive system
These yoga poses will help increase the blood flow to the digestive tract resulting in better functioning of the intestines. The forward bend pose will help increase your abdomen space which will aid in releasing the trapped gasses.

Some Other Benefits

  • Helps cope with insomnia
  • Sleeping patterns can be improved by the practice of Surya Namaskar. The asanas will help calm your mind, giving you a good night’s sleep.
  • Ensures regular menstrual cycle
  • Surya Namaskar can also be beneficial for women who are suffering from irregular menstrual cycles as it helps regulate it. Regular practice of the movements can also help in easy childbirth.
  • Brings down blood sugar levels
  • According to our expert, the movements of the sun salutation also aid in bringing down your blood sugar levels and help keep heart diseases at bay.
  • Helps detox
  • Due to the active inhalation and exhalation process, the lungs are thoroughly ventilated, and the blood remains oxygenated. This also helps in detoxifying one’s body by getting rid of carbon dioxide and other toxic gasses.

Now the Question if Children Do Surya Namaskar?
Surya Namaskar calms the mind and helps improves concentration. Today, children face a lot of competition and pressure. Adopting Surya Namaskar in their daily schedule boosts endurance power and reduces the feeling of anxiety and restlessness, especially during exams. Regular practice of Surya Namaskar gives strength and vitality to the body.  Children as young as 5-year-olds can start doing Surya Namaskar daily.

long hair

Why Yogis keep Long Hair?

by with No Comment Yoga

“Yogis say that long hair draws more energy to the brain. They describe the body as an inverted tree of which the spine is the trunk, the nervous system the branches, and the hair the roots. This is why many yogis let their hair grow long.”

You may meditate on this interesting explanation by Yogananda: “The hair is more on the head because that is where the seat of energy is.

“Some yogis do not cut their hair but keep it long, to draw from the ether a greater quantity of cosmic rays. The reason for Samson’s having lost his superhuman strength when his hair was shorn by Delilah may well be that he had practiced certain yogic exercises that transform one’s hair into sensitive antennae to draw cosmic energy from the ether.”

Om Namah Shivay

Chakras

The Chakra System – A valuable read

by with No Comment shaktitantraYoga

The chakras are beyond the physical body or the sthula sharira. They are part of the linga sharira. The energy field or emf encompassing the body. The linga sharira is a consequence of our absorption of light energy . We are nothing but energy. Some of it light energy ! Without the sun rays we are nothing. We can be bioluminescent as well. This is sensed not only by our eyes but the EMF emitted by our own brains! As we absorb the energy and transform it to suit different frequencies in the body we transform how we feel. Humans are very visual. We can see 3D in color naturally. Elephants, on the other hand, have better ears than eyes. They can hear us 3 KM away and smell us 10 km away. Due to the quantum nature of energy.

The mula is red in color. The R in VIBGYOR or the visible light spectrum or the Sa in the 7 notes in nada yoga. The ancients discovered how we are impacted by light and sound of different frequencies. The mula is red in color red has more energy than other colors and frequencies of vibrating photons. Red represents shakti or energy residing at the Muladhara. The note Sa is a vibrational energy that works on the Muladhara. The svadisthana chakra present below the navel is represented by Orange the color the O in VIBGYOR and is representative of the self. It is where the energy flows from. Thought may occur in the mind , it is talking to yourself. It can be tuned for neuro-linguistic programming! Anahata.! But the voice energy or ahata starts flowing from the svadisthana. Not from the brain. Something modern science is still discovering. With music, a focused mind, and controlled breath, the individual can, according to Nāda yoga, “listen in on” their own Anahata, their own “inner sound”, OM is pronounced as Aauuummmmm as ahata. But Om the Anahata version is the vibration of the universe. The primal energy! Something we feel 24/7. Without this vibrational energy, there would no be cell replication or reproduction or life as we know it! To concentrate on this inner sound as a support for meditation is very helpful to tame the mind, and when it has been clearly recognized, used for self-centeredness in outer life as well.

So the 7 chakras in the linga sharira corespond to lights of different color and sounds of diferent notes and frequencies representing the EMF or energy fields we create close to nerve plexus or ganglions or centers in the body where neurons from diferent areas of body converge around the meru dhandha or spinal chord. Charkras are not from the sthula sharira or gross body that we can see and feel , they are from the subtle or linga sharira , the temple of shiva, They can only be sensed by the energy waves or emf created by our brain which is an antena that receives energy and a transponder that radiates this energy. It is transcedant. Beyond the physical sense. Beyond our sense organs. It takes practice to develop this ability. We are so blinded by noise of the outside world and so immeresed in it we cannot sense the energy in selves. The ancients discovered that by focusing on certain colors and tunes we can transform the energy in the body. Like our guru shiva or neelakantha the blue throated one, blue standing for the color of the vishudda chakra. The color of truth, of creativity ,dance and art. Like shiva our guru of natya yoga, nada yoga, hatha yoga, mantra yoga and ayurveda. It is our shiva nature. formles and shapeless that can be impacted by the frequency and amplitude of the energy we can generate. IT IS THE SECRET.

 CHAKRANAMESTONE
1st RootMuladharaGarnet
2nd NavelsvadhistanaCarnelian
3rd Solar PlexusManipurAcitrine
4th HeartAnahataGreen Onyx
5th ThroatVishuddhaLapis Lazuli
6th Third EyeAjnaAmethyst
7th crownSahasrarahyaline quartz

Glory to our ancestors who discovered these aphorisms of nature based on observation and experience. They did not use sthetoscopes or microscopes . They established this knowledge of tantra based on experience. Jai guru mahadeva. Shiva is our guru of tantra. The chakras are spirutal aids in the sadhana. It is the science of energy transformation. Kundalini ! Practice hatha yoga or mantra yoga. Discover the world within. The world of Parashakti , or radiant inner energy !

Har Har Mahadeva !

Source: Source : Cultofshiva