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Vishesh Yoga, Dhyana, & Guru Sakash

Date: 21 May 2010 15:48:36 -0000 From: "Chandramohan Jha" To: AM-GLOBAL Subject: Vishesh Yoga, Dhyana, & Guru Sakash Baba "Tamasha'r pare a'sha'r a'lok purva'ka'she raune eneche..." (PS 4699) Purport: O' human being, the humanity is desperately calling you. Please awaken; do not sleep anymore. In the eastern horizon, the colorful dawn is approaching. The time is not far when no one will be downtrodden, when no one will hang their head due to lack of hope and despair. Look, Parama Purusa has come! The days of darkness and negativity are fast fading away. The new dawn is approaching. The nearest and dearest Parama Purusa has come. With His divine blessing and infinite grace we have to march forward...
== VISHESH YOGA, DHYANA, & GURU SAKASH ==
Namaskar, We all know that the sadhana system of Ananda Marga is unparalleled and leads one to the height of human glory: Becoming One with Baba. It is devotional, rational, and logical. For everyone's review & reflection, here following is a discussion about: (1) Guru Dhyana, (2) Guru Sakash, and (3) Vishesh Yoga. And we should see if there is any link between these three practices or not. Note: One Vishesh Yogi has tried to pacify others by telling others that they should repeat the Guru Sakash shloka at the time of Guru Sakash because that is one of the lessons of vishesh yoga. This Dada is telling such things at dharmacakra, lectures, as well as in his sermons and gossip. So once again we should examine this entire issue and gain clarity, once and for all.
BABA'S GUIDELINE: HOW WE ARE TO DO GURU SAKASH
At the designated time each morning, every Ananda Margii awakens and immediately ideates on Baba. This is our practice of Guru Sakash. And this practice of Guru Sakash is just like our Guru Dhyana. Because in Guru Sakash we are to lovingly recite His divine Name. This is Baba's explicit direction in Guru Sakash:
Smarettam Nam purvakam meaning: 'Recall His Name'
Baba says, "Whatever words you use mentally to address the Guru at the time of dhyana or Guru dhyana, should also be used at the time of this Guru Dhyana [i.e. Guru Sakash]. You should always address the Guru for an extended period. This is Gurusaka'saha." (YP, '98 Edn, p.195) Hence in Guru Sakash we are to engage in the deeply devotional process of chanting His divine name over and over again. With a heart drenched in His love and with His form floating in our mind, we are to recite His loving Name.
MOTHER - BABY ANALOGY
It is just like how a baby cries and calls out for its mother and then the mother comes. Calling the mother's name is enough. That baby need not repeat some poetry or text from the mother's book in order to get the mother to come. It is not like that. Simply saying 'mama' is enough. Similarly to get Baba in Guru Sakash, just calling His name is needed-- not more & not less. Because after all that is Baba's guideline. So we should follow Him.
THE POISON OF A FEW JINANIS
In contrast a few jinanis are trying to misguide others by saying one should repeat the shloka "Pra'tah shirasi..."-- but we shall investigate how this is nothing but their ludicrous invention. Indeed their so-called guideline is wrong and totally off the mark.
CALLING HIM IS THE KEY POINT
Point being that Baba Himself directs us that when doing Guru Sakash we are to chant His name. So then that is what we should do; and by following His guideline we are sure to get success. Hence at the time of Guru Sakash we are to internally repeat: 'Baba, Baba, Baba...' or call out to Him with any other intimate and loving epithet that naturally and spontaneously arises in the mind. But that epithet must be a siddha mantra. Here the main point is that one must know that in Gurusakasha one should call Him. And indeed, that is Baba's very clear-cut method for doing Guru Sakash: To repeat His divine name or address Him in any other intimate and loving way. And by this divine practice, one will get Him and drift in His bliss all day long.
JINANIS CREATE THEIR OWN PHILOSOPHY ABOUT GURU SAKA'SH
Now let us further investigate how some jinanis mistakenly think that during Guru Sakash, one should repeat the shloka: "Pra'tah shirasi...". This has been one ongoing point of gossip. Why is this gossip is going on? Because jinanis like to create their own philosophy and in that way they try to inject disease and confusion in the minds of the people. Such jinanis always create new dogmas by mixing and matching various recipes and formulas etc. In the case of Guru Sakash this has also happened. Because in this particular instance one vishesh yogi is wrongly mixing and matching his vishesa yoga lesson with Guru Sakash. Because he has been gossiping about that in one lesson of vishesha yoga the "Pra'tah shirasi..." shloka is repeated. So he mistakenly concluded that we should do the same in Guru Sakash. But this is not Baba's teaching so we should beware. If we do not follow Baba, then His sadhana system will be lost at the hands of these jinanis-- just like what happened in the past with Lord Krsna's teachings. Sri Krsna taught yogic meditation and dogmatic priests turned that into ritualistic idol worship. If we are not careful, jinanis will do the same madness with Baba's divine teachings.
BABA'S DEFINITE GUIDELINE ON GURU SAKASH
Because Baba clearly guides us to address Him in Gurusakash in the same way that we do dhyana. One should not repeat the shloka during Guru Sakash. Rather we are to call Him using His divine name. That is His teaching. Baba says, "Whatever words you use mentally to address the Guru at the time of dhyana or Guru dhyana, should also be used at the time of this Guru Dhyana [i.e. Guru Sakash]. You should always address the Guru for an extended period. This is Gurusaka'saha." (YP, '98 Edn, p.195) So first and foremost in every disciple's mind is to follow the Guru. And Baba's explicit instruction is to chant His name at the time of Guru Sakash-- not repeat the shloka. The value of the shloka is how to do the practice-- that everyone should understand and remember. Just like in our first lesson we do not repeat the entire system but rather repeat our Ista Mantra. And indeed Baba's original teaching on this important point of Guru Sakash was first given in Shabda Cayanika (Bengali edition), and there He makes no mention whatsoever that we are to repeat the shloka. Only Baba is telling to repeat His name.
HUMAN MIND IS ONE
Here is another way of thinking of this matter of Guru Sakash. The limitation of the human mind is that it cannot do two works at the same time. Then how can we chant His name and repeat the shloka simultaneously. We cannot. It is just like: How can we listen to two different radio stations broadcasting two different programs at the same time. We cannot. Reason being two things cannot be done at same time by one unit mind. By the method of deduction then it is clear that we are only to repeat His name. Since that is Baba's singular guideline on the point of Guru Sakash. And being His disciples we are to follow Him and not anyone else.
THE SHLOKA APTLY DESCRIBES THE PROCESS; IT IS NOT THE WAY TO ACTUALLY PRACTICE GURU SAKASH
Logic and rationality further tell us that Baba has given the shloka "Pra'tah shirasi..." to provide us with instructions for how to do Guru Sakash. And those instructions are to be followed-- not repeated. And those instructions specifically state that we are to repeat His Name. Hence, those directives-- those lines of the shloka-- are not to be repeated like a mantra during the practice of Guru Sakash. That will not work; and that has no sense. It is just like when practicing yama and niyama then we abide by the guidelines of those 10 tenets. We do not sit there and repeat the shloka: "Ahim' saty a'steyam...." (GHC) Rather we abide by the philosophy which that shloka preaches. Likewise, when it is time for half-bath, we do not repeat the instructions from Caryacarya part 2, rather we go to the bath or well and apply water accordingly. Similarly, the shloka "Pra'tah shirasi..." is the philosophy of HOW to do Guru Sakash, and the repetition of the dhyana mantra is the WAY to do.
WAY OF DOING VISHESH YOGA
Per one vishesh yogi's talk, we all understand that one of the lessons of vishesh yoga is to repeat the whole shloka, "Pra'tah shirasi...". In that way, vishesh yoga is very similar to doing 3rd lesson, i.e. tattva dharana. Because in third lesson we repeat an entire shloka which describes all the various qualities and attributes of each of the first five cakras. And if one only does third lesson it is impossible to reach the Goal. Because it is not complete by itself-- rather other lessons are needed. And in vishesh yoga it seems they do the same thing except with the crown cakra also. So that is one technical type of approach. Whereas Baba has given the practice of Guru Sakash as a devotional sadhana where the sadhaka yearns for Baba and calls out to Him. So that shloka is not at all needed in the practice of Guru Sakasha.
EVERYTHING HAS ITS OWN UTILITY
The whole thing works in this following manner. To run a bullock cart a bull is needed. But that same bull is not needed when driving a car. So just because the shloka needs to be repeated in vishesh yoga has no bearing on whether it should be repeated in Guru Dhyana or Guru Sakash. Because they are different practices. Likewise the training one undergoes to prepare for running a marathon is different from what one does in order to prepare for a deep sea diving expedition. So just because the shloka needs to be repeated in vishesh yoga has no bearing on whether it should be repeated in Guru Dhyana or Guru Sakash. Because they are different practices. Here the point is that different things have different value. And on the top, Baba specifically guides us that in Guru Sakash we are to call out to Him using His name etc-- and we are not to recite the shloka.
VISHESH YOGA IS LOWER THAN DHYANA ETC
Even then, some naive people may be operating under the assumption that Vishesh yoga is something really great and that we should just follow that approach irregardless etc. Due to their ignorance or complex etc, some may be thinking in this direction. But really it should be clear to all that in the devotional sphere-- which is the highest realm of all sadhanas-- our Guru Dhyana and Guru Sakash have far more value than Vishesh Yoga. This is Baba's guideline. Baba says, "In meditation there must always be the feeling that you want to serve Him. If this is the feeling, immediately the mind gets concentrated. If in meditation there is the culmination of service, everything will be achieved. Even through the preliminary lessons of meditation (Na´ma Mantra), a spiritual aspirant can get salvation, but even one practicing higher meditation (Vishesh Yoga) cannot attain it if there is no feeling for service, and meditation is done just for the sake of exhibition of one's heroism." ('The Thoughts of Shrii P.R. Sarkar') And it is not just on one occasion, but so many times Baba has told that one who can repeat His name sincerely with true bhakti will get the highest realisation. That is why in Guru Sakash, we repeat His name and not the shloka. In contrast, vishesh yoga is primarily for those whose minds cannot make that devotional link so they need some technical approach. Without that, for them, sadhana is not possible. Indeed we have all heard Baba say on various occasions that, 'Those involved in vishesh yoga are just lagging behind...'. So none should think that Vishesh Yoga is for some type of higher realisation. That is not the case. Baba says, "Through the preliminary lessons of meditation (Na´ma Mantra), a spiritual aspirant can get salvation, but even one practicing higher meditation (Vishesh Yoga) cannot attain it." (The Thoughts of Shrii P.R. Sarkar) Indeed what to speak of attaining salvation, those vishesh yogis are creating a lot of problems and mess in our AMPS and it will take hundreds of years to undo the damage that they have done. This we have all witnessed. That is why we should keep strict to Baba's teaching about reciting His name during Guru Sakash and not be swayed by what certain vishesh yogis are telling.
BABA'S BLESSING
The culminating point is that Guru Sakash is one highly devotional teaching from Baba and we should practice it according to His guideline- not any other way. So may we all be sincere in our approach each and every morning and even when we awake in the middle of the night. In all such times may we follow His specific guideline of lovingly reciting His name as His divine form appears in mind-- and not repeat the shloka. So we should concentrate our mind, visualise Him according to the system, and then call Him with His loving name. That is the only way to serve Him and please Him in Gurusakash. Namaskar, Chandramohan
Note 1: BEWARE OF JINANIS
On numerous occasions Baba has warned us to beware of jinanis. Because jinanis come to inject various diseases through their false theories and concocted formulas etc. The problem is that jinanis have no faith on Guru and instead they just make up their own things. But we are to follow Guru. Indeed, reverence to Guru means following what He says. That is the whole point. So when He guides us to chant His divine name when doing Guru Sakash, then that is the proper approach-- not any other.
Note 2: MUST NOT LET THEM DIVIDE OUR SPIRITUAL APPROACH
Thus far, in our AM sadhana system there are not different ways of doing sadhana. More clearly we can say that although our Marga has temporarily been splintered into different factions-- still the spiritual practices of all the groups is the same. On this point we are very fortunate. In contrast, the Shias and Sunnis fight viciously over how the mode of worship is to be done. Same with the Protestants and Catholics & same with the various branches of Hinduism. And this creates a poisonous feeling and leads to the spilling of blood. As of now, things are not like that in our Marga. But we have to be careful because various jinanis want to divide AM according to different ways of doing spiritual practices. If we are not careful this is going to happen. So we should be ready to follow Baba. And indeed it is for this reason that Baba proclaims that jinanis are the enemies of society.
Note 3: OTHER ASPECTS OF VISHESH YOGA
The aforementioned vishesh yogi has also been gossiping around that in vishesh yoga they concentrate on cakras and their mount, i.e. animals like elephant etc. So here again we should not think that vishesh yoga is so great. No doubt it has its utility but it is not higher than Guru Sakash or dhyana. Because thinking about Him is the greatest endeavor-- not those animals. Only Baba is the Goal. Of course those doing vishesh yoga like to create a mystique about it so as to place themselves a notch above. But this is just their tricky way. And one should not give any credence to their claims. None should fall prey to their trap. Rather we should see their conduct and it is they who are the main cause of division and destruction in our Marga.
Note 4: CRYSTAL CLEAR VARABHAYA MUDRA PHOTO TO ALL
To succeed in the spiritual realm it is very helpful for everyone to have a crystal clear copy of Baba in varabhaya mudra. This is a must. So everyone should demand proper copies of this photo from PRS Dada and others responsible for making this available. Everyone should put forth this demand. It is our birthright. Because without a photo of proper quality, doing Guru Sakasha and Guru Dhyana is not easy.

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