Aparoksa Anubhuti [2]

The fifteen steps for the attainment of knowledge,
Is being expounded from now on,
So that profound meditation can be practiced.

Nithyabhyasadruthe prapthirna bhaveth sachid athmana,
Thasamad brahma nidhidhyase jijnasu sreyase chiram. 101

Without daily and constant attempts*,
We would not understand Athma,
And so, he who is intent upon it,
Should deeply meditate on Brahman,
For attainment of desired goal.
*Of these fifteen steps.

The fifteen steps are given in the next two slokas.

Yamo hi niyamasthyago mounam desascha kalatha,
Aasanam moolabandascha deha samyam cha druk sthithi. 102

Prana samyamanam chaiva prathyaharscha dharana,
Athmadhyanam samadhischa prakthaa anyangani vai kramath. 103

The fifteen steps in their order are,
Control of senses, control of mind,
Renunciation, silence, space, time,
Posture, control of mooladhara*,
Equal posture of one's body,
Firmness and stability of vision,
Control of vital breath,
Withdrawal of the mind,
Concentration of thought,
Contemplation on the soul,
And the very deep meditation called Samadhi.
* The point controlling senses.

Yoga Suthra defines Yama as control of senses

Sarva brahmethi vijnana adhi indriya grama samyama,
Yamo ayamithi sapraktho abhyasaneeyo muhur muhu. 104

With the help of knowledge of the Brahman,
Restraining all senses completely,
Is termed as Yama,
And should be practiced again and again.

Yoga Suthra defines Niyama as the control of the mind.

Sajatheeya pravahascha vijatheeya thiraskrithi,
Niyamo hi paramanando niyamath kriyathe budhai. 105

Thinking continuously about Brahman,
And discarding any other thoughts,
Is termed as Niyama,
And would give immeasurable joy,
To the wise who practice it.

Yoga Suthra defines Thyaga as sacrifice.

Thyaga prapancha roopaya chid athmath avalokanath,
Thyago hi mahatham poojya, sadhyo mokshamayo yatha. 106

The abandoning of the universe we see,
After realizing it as the conscious Athman,
Is sacrifice and is honoured by great people,
And would lead one to salvation.

Yoga Suthra defines Mouna as deep silence. The next three slokas gives the revised definition.

Yasmad vacho nivarthanthe aprapya manasa saha,
Yan mounam yogibhir gamyam thad bhaveth sarvadha budha. 107

When mind realizes Brahman and,
Does not have words to describe it,
And this is the philosophical silence,
And is attainable by wise sages.

Vacho yasman nivarthanthe thaduktham kena sakyathe,
Prapancho yadi vakthavya, sopi shabdha vivarjitha. 108

Ithi vaa thad bhaveth mounam sadam sahaja samjnitham,
Gira mounam thu balanam prayuktham brahma vadhibhi. 109

How can we talk about that Brahman,
Seeing which the words rebound?
Even the world we see and feel,
Is due to sheer and total illusion,
And is really indescribable.

So silence is but the hall mark.
Of the wise who know everything,
And such wise and great people,
Ordain it to those novices,
Who try to learn about the Brahman.

Yoga Suthra defines Desa as the peaceful, calm place to do meditation.

Adhavanthe cha madhye cha jano yasmin na vidhyathe,
Yenedham sathatham vyaptham sa deso vijana smrutha. 110

That place which is full of solitude,
Is the place where universe does not,
Exist in the beginning, middle and end,
For there is Brahman which is spread everywhere.

Yoga Suthra defines Kala as the proper time to practice Yoga.

Kalanath sarva bhoothanaam brahmadheenam nimeshatha,
Kala sabdhena nirdhishto hyakanda anandhako advaya. 111

The Brahman which is one and does not have two,
Brings in to existence, in a twinkling of an eye,
All things including Brahman, and is known as time
Which determines and defines,
The boundaries of past, present and future.

Yoga Suthra defines Asana as the proper posture for doing Yoga.

Sukhenaiva bhavedhyasmin ajasram Brahma chinthanam,
Asanam thath vijaneeyath netharath sukhasanam. 112

That posture which facilitates the thought of Brahman,
Flowing within, without interruption is the good posture,
Not any other one which destroys one's happiness.

Yoga Suthra mentions Sidhasana (one of the Asanas) as the ultimate posture to mediate.

Sidham yath sarva bhoothadhi viswadishtanam avyayam,
Yasmin sidha samavishtasthadhwai sidhasanam vidhu. 113

That which is always ready and is the support.
Of the universe which never changes,
That from which everything known has originated,
And in which enlightened permanently reside,
Is known as the posture of eternal Brahman.

Yoga Suthra mentions Moola Bhanda as the control of the roots for passion which exist in the mooladhara.

Yan moolam sarva bhoothanam yan moolam chitha bandhanam,
Moola Bhandha sada sevyo yogyo asou raja yoginam. 114

Brahman is the root of all beings, which restrains the mind,
And this root which controls, should be always be adopted,
And is even fit for the experts of Raja Yoga*.
* King of Yoga

Yoga Suthra defines Deha samyam as the equipoise state of the body.

Anganam samatham vidhyath same brahmani leenatham,
No cheth naiva samanathwam rujuthwam sushkavath. 115

Keeping the body in an equal state,
Would mean merger with the stable Brahman,
For any other type of equal state,
Would be like a dried up tree.

Yoga Suthra defines Drik Sthihi as concentrating the eye sight on the tip of the nose. The next two slokas define the spiritual state of sight.

Drushtim jnanamayim kruthwa pasyed brahma mayam jagad,
Sa drushti parmodara na nasagravalokinee. 116

Mixing wisdom with sight and,
Seeing the whole world as Brahman,
Is the noblest vision possible,
And not directing it to the tip of the nose.

Drushtru darshana drushyanam viramo yathra va bhaved,
Drushti sthathraiva karthavyaana nasagravalokini. 117

That sight which is directed to that place,
Where there is no difference at all,
Between one who sees, the sight and what is being seen,
Is the noblest vision possible,
And not directing it to the tip of the nose.

Yoga Suthra defines Pranayama as a series of breathing exercises meant to control the mind. The next three slokas deal with this step.

Chiuthadhi sarva bhaveshu brahmathwe naiva bhavanath,
Nirodha sarva vrutheenam pranayama sa uchyathe. 118

Controlling the waves of thought in the mind,
And making them as Brahman and nothing else,
And not refraining from any action,
Is called Pranayama. (Control of the soul)

Yoga Suthra defines Pranayama as consisting of the three steps of Rechaka (inhalation), Pooraka (holding the breath) and Khumbaka (exhalation).

Nishedhanam prapanchasya rechakakhya sameerana,
Brahmaivasmeethi ya vruthi poorako vayureeritha, 119

Ththasthad vruthi naischalyam kumbhaka prana samyama,
Ayam chapi prabudhaanaam ajnanam graana peedanam. 120

Rechaka is driving out thoughts and passions of the world,
And fixing the thought in our mind, I am Brahman is Pooraka.

Afterwards, keeping this state still and steadfast is Kumbhaka,
And this is the real Pranayama for the wise,
And not catching hold of the nose as done by the ignorant.

Yoga Suthra defines Prathyahara as the process of redirecting and concentrating the sense organs from their normal role in to the mind.

Vishayethwa athmatham drushtwa manasa schithi majjanam,
Prathyahara sa vigneya abhyasaneeyo mumukkshubhi. 121

Seeing Athma in all aspects of life,
And absorption of it in the supreme consciousness,
Is Prathyahara and should be practiced by the seekers of truth.

Yoga Suthra defines Dharana as complete understanding of a thing with concentrated mind..

Yathra yathra mano yathi brahmana sthathra darshanath,
Manaso dharanm chaiva dharana sa paraa mathaa. 122

Where ever the mind goes, it should see Brahman alone,
And keeping mind steadily in this frame,
Is known as the supreme Dharana.

Yoga Suthra defines Dhyama is unifying of the mind without ant other insertion, similar to the rain of oil

Brahmai va asmithi sad vruthya niralambathaya sthithi,
Dhyana shabdhena vikhyatha paramananda dhayinee. 123

Keeping ourselves independent of everything,
And concentrating on the thought,
That I am Brahman,
Is denoted by word Dhyana (meditation),
And gives rise to immeasurable joy.

Yoga Suthra defines Samadhi as the acme of meditation. In this state the thought processes vanish and we would become Athma personified. The next two slokas relate to this great state.

Nirvikarathaya vruthya brahma karathaya puna,
Vrutha vismaranam samyak samadhir jnana samjnaka. 124

Making thoughts disappear, by first making them stable,
And seeing only Brahman and nothing else,
Is the state of Samadhi and is also the real wisdom.

Imam chakruthri manandam thvath sadhu samabyaseth,
Vasyo yavath kshanath pumsa prayuktha sa bhaveth swayam. 125

By practicing this till it takes you to natural bliss,
And becoming fully under its control by further practice,
This state can be attained in an instant by just a wish.

The sidha Purusha or the king of Yogis is defined in the next sloka.

Thatha sadhana nirmuktha sidho bhavathi yogirat,
Thath swaroopam na chaithasya vishayo manaso girm. 126

The king of Yogis, who has attained perfection,
Gets free from the need of all practices,
And his form would then go beyond,
The thought and mind of everyone.

There are eight road blocks in attaining this great state of Samadhi. They are given in the next two slokas.

Samadhou kriyamano thu vignani ayanthi vai bhalath,
Anusandhana rahithyam aalasyam bhoga lalasam. 127

Layasthamscha vikshepo rasasvadascha soonyatha,
Yevam yad vigna bahulyam thyajyam brahavida sanai. 128

Strong roadblocks come naturally to put an end to Samadhi,
And they are, absence of constant attention, laziness,
Desire for sensual pleasures, sleep, dark dull periods,
Distraction of thoughts, enjoyment of pleasures,
Emptiness of thought and all these and others should,
Be kept away by, one desiring the knowledge of Brahman.

The complete man needs to fill his thought with Brahman.

Bhava vruthya hi bhavathwam, soonya vruthyahi soonyatha,
Brahma vruthya hi poornathwam, thadha poornathwam abhyaseth. 129

We become what is in our mind,
And an empty mind leads us to emptiness,
So the mind should be full of thought of Brahman,
And this leads one to perfection in what we practice.

Those who do not think of Brahman are as good as animals.

Ye hi vruthim jahathyenam brahmakhyam pavanim paraam,
Vrudhaiva they thu jeevanthi pasubhischa sama nara. 130

Those who give up this ennobling thought of Brahman,
Live in vain and are men who are same as beasts.

Those who think and search for Brahman are extremely noble.

Ye hi vruthim vijananthi jnathwapi vardhayanthi ye,
They vai sath purusha, dhanya vandhyasthe bhuvana thraye. 131

Those who at first have this ennobling thought of Brahman,
And grow with it are good people and,
Are fit to be worshipped by the three worlds.

Brahman should be directly experience and not quibbled about.

Yesham vruthi sama vrudha paripakwa cha saa puna,
They vai sad brahmatham praptha nethare shabdha vadhina. 132

Those in whom the consciousness of Brahman attains its maturity,
Easily attain the state of ever existent Brahman,
And not those who argue with words indicating Brahman.

Those who not realize Brahman but talk as if they are experts are detestable.

Kusala brahma varthayam vruthiheena suragina,
They apya jnana thya noonam punarayanthi yanthi cha. 133

Those who are experts in the discussions of Brahman,
With no realization and are interested in pleasures,
Are born to die again, due to their ignorance.

Those savants in search of Brahman will always think of Brahman.

Nimeshardha na thishtanthi vruthim brahma mayim vinaa,
Yada thishtanthi brahmadhya sanakadhya shukadhaya. 134

Those who seek Brahman, should not.
Be without thought of Brahman,
Even for a moment and would be like,
Sages like Brahma, Sanaka and Shukha.

If there is an effect, there should be a cause and not vice versa.

Karya karanatha aayatha karane nahi karyatha,
Karanathwam thatho gacheth karya bhava vicharatha. 135

If there is an effect there is a cause for it,
But if there is a cause, there need not be an effect,
And so logical thinking leads to the conclusion,
That if there is no effect, there is no cause either.

The only truth in the world is Brahman and nothing else.

Adha shudham bhaved vasthu yadvai vachamagocharam,
Drushtavyam muudh ghatenaiva drushtanthena puna puna. 136

Then the pure reality, which is beyond,
Speech alone remains, similar to the clay,
Being the cause for many things like pot,
And we can realize that Brahman,
Is beyond words and thought.

The seekers of Brahman become one with Brahman.

Anenaiva prakarena vruthir brahmathmika bhaveth,
Udhethi shuddha chithanam, vruthi jnanam ththa param. 137

Thinking like this, those pure in thought,
Would be aware of the state of Brahman,
And they would eventually,
Get merged in Brahman itself.

The negative argument to prove the existence of Brahman.

Karnam vyathi rekena puman aadhou vilokayeth,
Anvayena punasthadhi karyo nithyam prapasyathi. 138

By the negative logical thought,
First conclude that, if there is no effect called the world,
There is no cause called Brahman,
But the world is seen to exist,
And so by positive thought,
Brahman also should exist.

First see the effect, search for the cause and leave out the effect but do not conclude nothing exists.

Karye hi karanam payeth, pachath karya visarjayeth,
Karanathwam ththo gached avasishtam bhaveth muni. 139

One should first see, cause in the effect,
And then dismiss the effect all together,
And such a sage becomes that which is remaining.

Absolute concentrated meditation on anything makes us to become that thing.

Bhavitham theevra vegena yadvasthu nischayathmana,
Puman sthadvi bhaved seegram jneyam brhamara keeta vath. 140

Like a wasp, over time and with effort becomes a worm,
That man who steadfastly and with conviction,
Thinks about anything, Will become that thing itself.
See the visible, derive the invisible and realize Brahman. (next two slokas)

Adrusyam bhava roopancha sarvameva chidathmakam,
Savadhana thaya nithyam swathmanam bhavayed budha. 141

The wise one with great care should think.
Of the visible, invisible and everything else,
As his own self, which is the real Athman.

Drusyam hyadrusyatham brahmakarena chinthayeth,
Vidwan nithya sukhe thishted vidhya chidhra sapoornaya. 142

The wise one should think of the World that is visible,
As the principle of Brahman which is not visible,
Then his mind would be full of the everlasting joy,
And he would exist in the pleasurable state of joy.

Yebhir aangai samayuktho raja yoga udhahrutha,
Kinchid pakwa kashayaanaam hata yogena samyutha. 143

This knowledge with above aspects is Raja Yoga,
Is fit only for those the stable minded wise,
And should learn this mixed with hata yoga,
Which is for those who have not attained maturity.

The devotion to God and teacher is essential sine qua non.

Paripakwam mano yesham kevaloyam cha sidhidha,
Guru daiwatha bhakthanam sarvesham sulabho bhaved. 144

For those with a pure mind, only this method,
Would lead them to perfection and those,
Who are devoted to their teacher and the God,
This can be achieved without much effort.