SHRIMAD BHAGAVADGITA RAHASYA OR KARMA YOGA-SASTRA-Vol. II

 

The Hindu Philosophy of Life, Ethics and Religion.

OM-TAT-SAT

S'RIMAD BHAGAVADGITA RAHASAYA

OR

KARMA YOGA-SASTRA

Including an external examination of the Gita, the

Original Sanskrit stanzas, their English translation,

commentaries on the stanzas, and a comparison of

Eastern with Western doctrines etc. BY

BAL GANGADHAR TILAK, B.A., LL.B.,

Law Lecturer, and Pleader, Pooka ; Sometime Additional Membee

of the council of h. e, the governor of bombay for making

Laws, Author of Orion or Researches into the Antiquity of the Vedas, Arctic Home in the Vedas, Vedanga Jyotish AND Vsdic

Chronology, FOUNDER OF THE 'Kesan ' AND THE Maratha

Newspapers Etc. Etc.

TRANSLATED BY

BHALCHANDRA SITARAM SUKTHANKAR, M.A., LL.B.,

Solicitor, High. Court, Bombay.

Gibbs Prizeman ; Petit Prizeman ( Oercle Litteraire )

;

Dakshina Fellow; etc.

Vol. II. FIRST EDITION

SRI BHAGAVADGITA-RAHASYA OR KARMA-YOGA-S'ASTRA ( English Translation ) First Edition VOLUME I

 

SRI

BHAGAVADGITA-RAHASYA

OR

KARMA-YOGA-S'ASTRA

( English Translation )

First Edition

VOLUME I

A HANDBOOK OF HINDU RELIGION-4

CHAPTER IV-PRAKRTI

Every religion deals with the nature and function of the three ultimate entities, Nature,Self and God and their relation. But, it is Hinduism that makes the study exact by calling them acit, cit. and Isvara or Prakrti, Purusa and Purusottama or pasa,pasu and pati and defining their relative positions. The meaning and value of Nature or -prakrti will be just considered. Nature refers to the objects in the world,like houses, trees, rivers, seas and mountains. It also includes the sky, the Sun, the Moon and the stars. The scientist is interested in studying the phenomena of nature in all their details. While the Chemist seeks to know the various metals and non-metals that compose the world, the Astronomer enquires into the nature of the heavenly bodies, like the Sun, the Moon and the stars. The Biologist desires to understand the nature and function of the body. While the scientist observes the phenomena of nature and tries to know the general laws underlying them, the religious man seeks to know Nature and distinguish it from the Jiva and God. It's primary interest is the knowledge of God who is the creator of the world and his mind goes from the created over to the creator.We perceive the world around us through the five senses, namely, the eye, the ear,the nose, the tongue and the hand. In perceiving a rose, for example, we see its red colour through the eye,we pluck it from the plant by the hand and smell its fragrance by means of the nose; we taste its sweetness by the tongue and so on. In the same way, we perceive all other things in the world like trees, houses, lakes, rivers and hills. The world above consists of the sky, the Sun, the Moon and the stars. Geography teaches us that the Earth in which we live consists of countries,continents, seas and oceans and it is a planet which goes round the Sun. India, the country in which we live, is a big country with large rivers like the Ganges, mountains like the Himalayas,trees like the banyan and it is very sacred to us as the land of spirituality. The Sun is the centre of heat and light, round which eight other planets like Jupiter and Saturn move, and the Moon goes round the Earth. The whole is called the Solar system and every star is said to be a sun with its own planets and moons.The study of Astronomy impresses us with the vastness of the solar and stellar systems,contrasted with our own smallness.

 Light travels at the rate of 182,000 miles a second and it takes 3l- years for the light of the nearest star to reach us. From these we know the greatest mystery, and imagination is staggered by the infinity of space. What is true of space is also true of time. While space refers to co-existence of things, time is a succession of events.The object of studying prakrti or acit is to know that our body is made of prakrti and that we are different from it. The body is made of earth, water, fire, air and ether and it has five sense organs, and is called the gross body or sthul sarira. There is a subtle body called the suksma sarira and it consists of manas, buddhi,citta and ahankara. Though in western Psychology they are classed as mind different from the body made of matter, Hinduism treats them as physical changes in a subtle form. Ahankara is egoity, buddhi is determination, manas and citta are particular perishing changes in the mind. Sarira is thus subtle and gross and may be called psycho-physical. Nothing is really lost and there is only change from one state to another. Prakrti, as Sankhya philosophy says, consists of twenty-four tattvas, namely, mahat (buddhi,citta) ahankara, the five jnanen driyas, the five karmen driyas making the body, and the five elements or pancabhutas and their earlier subtle conditions known as pancatanmatras which make up the body and the world. Prakrti has three qualities, namely, sattva, rajas and tamas,Godness or Purity, action and inertia. These three qualities are present in varying proportions in all the twenty-four tattvas.

A HANDBOOK OF HINDU RELIGION-3

 CHAPTER III-JIVA

The study of the Jiva. or the Atman holds a central place in Hinduism. Hinduism insists on the sacredness of life and the solidarity of all Jlvas. The atman is to be reflected on and realised before God or Paramatman is reflected on and realised. The atman is different from the body made of prakrti and its 23 elements. It isdifferent from the gross body consisting of the five elements, namely, earth, water, fire, air and ether, known as the pancabhutas. It is not the five pranas and is more than life. It is not the five sense organs, namely the eye, the ear, the nose,the tongue and the organ of touch. The atman is to be distinguished from the subtle body or suksmasarira, consisting of manas, buddhi, citta and ahankara or the mind, reason and egoity.Hinduism regards the mind and reason as part of the body and the atman as different from the suksmasarira and the stlmlasarira or mind-body.The bodies come and go but the atman never changes and it is eternal or nitaa. It is beyond birth and death and beyond ail mental changes,like the waking state, dream and deep sleep. It is a changeless entity by itself.

The Jiva is thus different from its quality of jnana or consciousness. The jnana or quality undergoes changes and not the substance or atman. In the jagrat or waking state, the Jiva is conscious of the external world, and its five sense organs are active. It sees things with the eyes, hears sounds with the ears, has the sensations of smell, taste and touch through the nose,the tongue and the skin. Therefore sensations are in the Jiva and the objects which cause them are in the external world. In the dream state or svapna, the Jlva does not perceive things but is only mentally active and enjoys pleasure and pain.

In deep sleep or subtle, the Jiva is at perfect rest and its consciousness does not work. Though it is not active, it is not' non-existent; it is in a latent state.The atman is by nature self-effulgent, active,joyful and eternal. It is a mode or amsa of God and though it exists as an eternal entity, it is not separate from Him. It is not born and it does not die. It is beyond the past, the present and the future and is thus beyond time and it is beyond space. The atman is essentially self conscious and it has the quality of jnana by which it thinks, feels and wills. It is' a knowing subject and is not jada or inert. It has moral

freedom and it is not passive. It is joyful and is not miserable or sick-minded. In this way it abides in its own spiritual nature and is different from prakrti and God. Atman has its own dignity, intrinsic worth and autonomy. It is not a thing or physical substance like a stone or piece of wood which is acit or jada. It is not subject to prakrti and its gunas and is free from the instincts, like lust, anger, hatred, jealousy and it has self-mastery. Thus it is a spiritual personality which is free and eternal. It is a knower, a free

agent and is joyful. The atman that subjects itself to the evils of samsra or the bondage of karma is called baddha-jiva. It somehow, owing to avidya or ancient ignorance which cannot be explained, mistakes itself for the body made of prakrti and suffers from the series of births and deaths. It is like the prince who exiles himself from his father’s throne and joins the wild hunters in the forest, marries a hunter girl, begets children by her and thus gets immersed in savage life. The atman somehow deserts its divine home, enters into the body made of acit, wallows in sense life and is caught up in the wheel of

births and deaths. Why or how it lapses from the divine heritage and suffers from avidya, kama and karm,a, is a mystery. But the jiva alone is responsible for the evils and ills of worldliness and not any outside agency. Avidya makes it JIVA identify itself with prakrti jts gunas; Kama' makes it seek the pleasures ,the senses and suffer from the pains of animal life and karma subjects it to the endless series of births and deaths. But the Jiva does not suffer from original sin or unmerited suffering. Though the

origin of avidga, or samsara cannot be understood, it can be destroyed by jnavia, and the atman can go back to God and return no mere to samsara. But as long as its true nature is concealed by avidya, it is bound by karma and is subject to the rounds of births and deaths.

Karma

The law of karma occupies an important place in Hindu Ethics, and it alone solves the problem of the inequalities of life and unmerited suffering. Why does the wicked man prosper in life and the good man suffer from all kinds of misery, physical, mental and social? and why does the new-born child suffer for the sins of its parents and from untold evils and why should there be evil and misery at all if there is a good God? These problems are as old as humanity itself. But of all the solutions offered, the theory of karma is the least objectionable. Evil and suffering no doubt exist hut each man is responsible for the ills of life he undergoes and not God or the Devil. The theory of karma is the law of causation applied to moral life and each man reaps what he sows. The effect of karma or action done by thought, word and deed (or matins,vak and kaija) is never lost; it is conserved in the mind-body or sarira. The present karma is the effect of the past, and is the cause of the future.In this way all karmas are connected as cause and effect and they form a series without any beginning. The law of causation operates uniformly

without any exception and it is the moral law of retribution. I: a man does good deeds or punyakanna he is rewarded and he enjoys the effect of his deeds, like health, longevity of life, prosperity,power and glory; but if he does bad deeds he is punished and he suffers for his bad acts and they lead to disease, poverty and misery. Good and evil thus lead to pleasure and pain and there is a mathematical ratio between virtue and pleasure and vice and suffering. In this way every man is accountable for his good and bad deeds.

Transmigration

The laws of rebirth and transmigration of Jivas follow as the consequence of karma. No child is born out of nothing; it is not born with an empty mind. It does not evolve from the parents and follow the laws of heredity. Every child is born with certain predispositions or vasanas, which are retained in the subtle body, as the effect, no deed is lost. When a person dies, the gross body alone is dissolved but the subtle body of the Jiva remains, retaining- all the effects of its karma. The Jiva then enters into a new

body suited to its past karma and is born again ,Thus every birth is the result of past karma and is the cause of a new body and birth. Just as a man throws away worn out garments and puts on new garments, the Jiva throws away worn out bodies and puts on new bodies. Just as there is continuity in a man's life from infancy to old age and personal identity, so there is continuity of the same Jiva in the series of births and rebirths and personal identity. There is identity in spite of numerous births and this is due to the eternity of the Jiva.

The adventures of the Jiva in the world of samsara are not confined to this earth alone. It migrates from body to body according to its karma in the cosmic spheres known as the three lokas ranging from Brahmaloka or Satyaloka  above to the Patalaloka below. In the celestial worlds above, starting with Svarga, the quality of sattva is dominant and the Jiva enjoys pleasure. In the nether regions, starting with Atala, the quality of tamas is dominant and Patala is the lowest region of darkness and' the Jiva suffers from pain. But the middle region called Karma Bhumi is influenced by rajas. It is the moral

world of man and it is here that he does good deeds and bad deeds and their effect is reaped in the worlds above and below. There are other Brahmandas(universes) like this and they are countless like

the stars and they are ruled by Isvara according to the karma of the Jivas. The worlds have no spatial meaning but they have hierarchical moral values. Good men ascend to higher regions according to their karma and enjoy celestial pleasures and when the effect is exhausted, they come down again and are born in different bodies, sub-human and human. Likewise wicked Jivas suffer from pain and when it is exhausted, they have a new chance and are born again in this moral world.

Freedom

The scientific view of karma in terms of cause and effect is open to the objection that it leads to fatalism and pessimism and that it does not provide any hope of bettering the future. Since every man reaps what he sows, he has to submit meekly to what happens without any moral freedom. He has to endure what cannot be cured and is a slave of circumstances. But the scientific view is only one aspect of karma as the more important side is the assertion of the moral freedom or freedom of the will. It says that every man can control his inclinations like anger,fear, lust, hatred and jealousy and that he can

control his future. The scientific theory applies only to prarabdha-karma and not to sancita karma. The former refers to the karma that has already happened, like the birth of a person and which cannot be changed. But the latter refers to the future which is in our hands. Every man is the master or architect of his destiny and not even a God can alter it. If a man has a conflict of desires, like the choice of a career, he has the moral freedom to decide for himself which career he can choose. He can control his passions, like anger or hatred and attain moral victory. But if he chooses tbe way of the animal,then he once again is chained to the wheel of samsara. But he too will one day begin to realise the futility and pain of choosing the animal way of life and turn towards the higher path of freedom through self-control. In either case freedom is inherent in every soul to choose the higher or the lower. A soul has freedom to

choose but not the power to get the results of what it chooses as it likes. The results depend on

the laws of the worlds and causation (karma).

A HANDBOOK OF HINDU RELIGION-2

 CHAPTER II-GOD

God in Hinduism is called by various names, like Brahman, Isvara, Bhagavan and Purusottama and they all refer to the same Being. But many misleading views are held about His nature and qualities and they have to be corrected before the true meaning is explained.The most prevalent mistake is to say that the Hindu makes God in his own image; he worships stones, trees, animals and departed spirits and at best God is man as an excellent person. This view is absurd as it is not Nature but the God in Nature that is adored by him. Man is made in God’s image and not God in man’s image. It is wrong to say that the Hindu is a polytheist who worships many Gods as Devas.God or Isvara is in all Gods as their inner ruler or Devadeva and therefore the Hindu is a monotheist who affirms that Brahman is the one without a second. Another mistake is that Hinduism is pantheistic as it holds that all is Godand that God is all. God or Isvara is in all beings as their ruler but is not equated with all beings. He is pure and perfect without any taint or imperfection. Still others say that the Hindu God is a mere abstraction or that it is nothing"at all.But all Hindus are agreed that Religion is essentially faith in a personal God and the same is the highest Being of the philosopher.But the existence of God cannot be proved by reason nor is it a blind faith. Every one can see God face to face directly if he eagerly seeks Him,and then he is sought by God and blessed. Just as man seeks God, God also seeks man and saves him from sinfulness and the sense of separation.This is His redemptive purpose and itis gradually realised in five aspects or stages. Brahman is beyond and is pure and perfect and He is called Para. Then He becomes Isvara or the Infinite who is called the creator, preserver and destroyer of the Cosmos or the Universe or Trimurti. 

Then He enters into the heart of all Jivas as their inner ruler or Antargamin. Then on certain occasions of cosmic crisis, He incarnates into the world and these historic incarnations are called Avataras. In the last stage, He is called Area or permanent incarnation of love in the form of Idols. The one increasing purpose of God in all these stages or descents is the redemption of the Jivas from their career of sin and ignorance.The Hindu scriptures with their infinite motherly tenderness reveal the gradual purpose as Sruti,Purana, Smrti, Itihasa and Psalms in Tamil and other vernaculars. The Upanisads reveal his perfect nature as Para and Antargamin; the Puranas describe His nature as Jsvara doing his threefold cosmic function. The Itihasas describe the redemptive acts of the Avataras. The Smrtis expound his moral and aesthetic excellences and lastly the Psalms describe His love and easy accessibility to all persons. Brahman assumes a bewitching form of beauty in order that He may attract the Jivas and annex them to Himself. His five aspects may be briefly explained as follows: Brahman is the God of the Upanisads and he is pure and perfect in the world beyond.His nature cannot be explained adequately but his essential qualities are mentioned in a way as satyam, jnanan, anantam and anandam.Brahman is sat or reality, or truth itself and is eternal and changeless unlike prakrti. He is ever self-luminous and is more effulgent than all the Suns, Moons and Stars. He is supremely good or amala and is free from all imperfections.He is by nature blissful or ananda and love itself.Brahman is the one without a second, though He has many qualities and His chief quality is love by which He imparts His nature to the Jivas and makes them like Himself. The whole universe has its being in Him and He is the supreme end of our life.Brahman in relation to the world or cosmos is called Isvara and it is He who creates it, sustains it and destroys it. 

He does the three functions of srsti(creation), sthiti(preservations) and samhara(destruction) in the three forms of Brahma,Visnu and Siva. This threefold function is described in detail in the eighteen Puranas of which the chief are Visnupurana and Bhaqavatapurana.The world consists of Jivas and Prakrti but they are eternal and not created out of nothing. Before creation they were in a latent stage in Pralaya like the seed before it becomes’ the tree. In creation they are given new bodies by Brahman according to their previous karma and they get new opportunities of becoming free and perfect. In the state of sthiti they live and move in the three worlds,Earth, Svarga and lower world in accordance with their karma. They have freedom to make or mar themselves, and Visnu the Lord, sustains them as their very life and He guides justly. Then there comes a time when the world is steeped in wickedness and sin and the Lord Siva destroys it for the timebeing.The three functions are done by the same Isvara out of his sweet and loving will and they are aspects of the one cosmic function, namely to redeem the Jivas from their ignorance and evil. This process goes on endlessly in a circle till all the Jivas attain mukti.Antarayamin .After creating the Universe, Brahman enters into it as its inner self or antaryamin. The universe consists of the physical world or acit or jada and also the world of Jivas, subhuman,human and celestial. Brahman pervades the whole world of acit and cit as Vasudeva and resides in the heart of every Jiva, plant, animal,man or deva as its inner self or saririn. Though He is in all inanimate things and Jivas, He is not in any way affected by their imperfections. As their inner self, He gives them life, rules them from within and they all exist for His satisfaction.But His chief purpose in dwelling in their hearts is to free them from their sinfulness and make them into His image or likeness. One chief defect pointed out by critics of Hinduism is that it is pantheistic because it says that Brahman pervades all beings and is the same as a stone,dog or dog-eater. That view is wrong because Hinduism says that God is in all beings as their inner ruler and is not identical with all beings. Inanimate things are different from Jivas and God is different from both, and He enters into them with a view to be in intimate contact with them. As the Lord o; love dwells in the heart of the Jiva or man called the lotus-heart of hrdayakamala, the human body extolled as the very temple of God or Brahmapuri. As the seat of Divinity, it is held sacred, not defiled as a filthy place of sin. God is love and He is in the Jiva in order that the Jiva may be made Godly.

Avatara 

The theory of Brahman as redeemer is clearly brought out by that Avatara or Divine incarnation as revealed in the two Itihasas, the Ramayana and the Mahabharata. It is fully revealed by the author of the Bhagavad-gita who is the highest incarnation of God. As the Lord himself says in the Gita, He incarnates into history when virtue or dharma declines and is threatened with destruction by adharma or vice. He comes down with a unique form of his own to punish the evil-doer and reward the virtuous man and restore the moral order of the world.The real motive of the incarnation is moral and religious as it consists in redeeming even the evil-doer from his ways of wickedness or sin and blessing the devotee or bhakta by revealing His form made of love or krpa. Even punishment or dandana is dayakarya as its real object is to reform the offender- and not repress him. Avatara is not descent from a higher place to a lower place with a physical body. It is spiritual descent into human and even subhuman planes and is due to divine love and accessibility or saulabhyn.The tihasas refer to ten chief avataras of Visnu of which the most important are Rama and Krsna. The earlier avataras like those of the fish, the tortoise, the boar and the man-lion and the dwarf or Matsya, Karma, Varaha and Nara simha and Vamana were made on critical occasions in cosmic history to restore the cosmic moral and spiritual order and establish the kingdom of righteousness. Rama was born to punish the evil-doers like Ravana and establish righteous rule or Rama rajya based on the eternal rules of dharma. The Ramayana and the Gita refer to the avatara as the very embodiment of Divine Love and they guarantee salvation or mukti to all Jivas regardless of their birth and status,including even the subhuman species. The Avatara is, therefore, extolled and adored as sarvaloka-raksaka or universal redeemer.

Area 

The worship of God as area or vigraha made of stone, wood or copper is very popular among the Hindus as a permanent incarnation of Divine grace and love, sanctified by the hymns of the Alvars, Hyanmars and other devotees. 'What appears a graven image to the critic or the materialist, is to the devotee with a spiritual eye a speaking Beauty radiating life and love. The so-called idol is not an idea or ideal; an image or symbol; but is the loving, all-pervading presence of the Lord who resides permanently as area in response to the prayer of the bhakta. The image is only the embodiment of divine mercy and it is easily accessible to all who have eyes to see and ears to hear. The devotee seeks the Lord in a particular form as Visnu, Siva or Sakti and Divinity beyond all name and form incarnates into that form and he melts with love and is lost in the rapture of communion. The Alvars sought refuge at the feet of the Lord and preferred to be a stone step at the altar of Srinivasa to be trodden by the faithful to even bhakti and mukti.

Mother

The doctrine of Motherhood is a special feature of Hinduism as it brings out the tender love and mercy that is the special mark of divine mercy. The idea of Isvara as the almighty and the holy draws out the quality of reverence and awe around in the worshipper as an unworthy creature. The prayer to God as the father in Heaven or lokapati is based on the doctrine that every man is made in the image of God or son of God. Even this view does not fully bring out the nature of divine love and mercy and it is only the fact of the motherhood of God that appeals to mercy and love as the very heart of creation. God as ruler or law giver metes out justice to every one according to the strict rules of karma and dharma. It provides no hope of mercy for the persons who violate the rules and no man is so pure or sinless as to say that he walks in the ways of righteousness. But God as mother is forgiving and no sin is so sinful as not to merit mercy or daya.. Therefore every one seeks the grace of Laksmi or Parvatl or Sakti as the very embodiment of redemptive love. But mercy by itself may encourage favouritism and indulgence and the sinner may exploit the quality of forgiveness.The Hindus therefore worship divinity in the dual form of Isvara and Isvari. Law is severe and love is indulgent; but in God law and love are wedded together and they are really one though they function as two.

Nadis

 

                             Nadi

    Nadi means flow, stream, or channel. Nadis are the subtle flow of energy in our body. Nadis are the pathways of pranic, mental, and spiritual currents, which form a matrix throughout the physical body. Prana is the life energy that is required to help all living things function. This energy circulates through the body. They provide energy to every cell, and every organ through their vast network, carrying prana back and forth in every direction. It should not be confused with nerves, which relate to the physical body. Like the Chakras, they are not actually the part of the physical body, although they correspond with nerves.( The cosmic forces are collected within the human body at the certain central point the Chakras. This functions like powerful power stations. They draw in cosmic energy, transform, store and distribute it, and then radiate into the cosmos again.) On the physical level the Nadis correspond to the nervous system, but their influences extend beyond this to the astral and spiritual planes of existence. In the higher States of consciousness, the nadis can actually be seen as flows of energy, as described by the yogis. They can be perceived at the psychic level as distinct channels of light, colour, and sound. They're just like radio waves and laser beams. These are visible as currents of light to a person who has developed psychic vision. The Nadi make it possible for us to take mental journeys (dreams and Astral) of Discovery throughout the entire universe. With there help consciousness can go to any place we would like without the body having to move at all.

The network of Nadis is so vast and subtle that even the text differs in the calculation of their exact number. Some text places the number at 72000. Some give the number of 300000 while some text states the number 350000. While the majority except it is 72000 in number.

Out of 72000 nadis, which include all the major and minor flows, 72 are important. Out of these 72, ten are more important. Among the ten, three are most significant. The three most significant nadis are Ida, Pingala and Sushmna.

These three nadis are the three main channels for the distribution of energy throughout the entire pranic network. Maximum puranic charges flow through them and they impact the entire network instantly. These three nadis are like the high voltage wires that conduct the energy from the substations or chakras situated along the spinal column at all the other nadis.

1. Ida nadi - it is the mental channel. It is also known as chandra aur lunar nadi. Ida means comfort so Ida nadi means comfort energy channel. The Ida begins and ends on the left side of sushmna. It is cool and nurturing by nature, and is said to control all mental processes and the more feminine expect of our personality. The colour white is attributed to represent the subtitle vibrational quality of Ida. It controls the right part of the body and the right brain hemisphere. On physical level, Ida has its counterpart in the sympathetic nervous system.

          The moon symbolizes the mind with its changeable feelings, just is our emotion and thoughts change constantly, the moon is also constantly changing its form. Ida like individuals has lunar, nurturing qualities but lake the potential to sustain an active life. There are full of potential, but unless they develop there solar side, they may never manifest that potential in either worldly affairs and spiritual development.

2. Pingala nadi - It is the vital channel. It is also known as the Surya or solar nadi. It begins and ends to the right sushumna. It is warm and stimulating by nature, controls all vital somatic processes, and oversees the more masculine aspects of our personality. The color red is attributed to the vibrational quality of pingala. It controls the left part of the body or left brain hemisphere. On the physical level pingla has its counterpart in the parasympathetic nervous system.

        The sun represents the intellect. The intellect is a stable and constant principal like the sun. Pingala- like individuals who have solar qualities, lots of creativity, abundant vitality. But unless they develop there ida side, they may lack the quietude, introspection, and receptivity necessary to yield to the grace of spiritual awakening.

3.Sushmna nadi - It is the spiritual channel. It is a neutral energy channel. On the physical level sushmna has its counterpart in the central nervous system. It runs through the central channel of the spinal cord and represents consciousness. Sushmna is the expression of perfect balance and neutrality between Ida and Pingala nadi, the polar aspects of our being. Balancing ida and pingala or sun and moon or rajas and Tamas, facilities the awakening and rising of kundalini Shakti through Sushumna nadi and thus, the awakening of higher consciousness. Symbolically, it is associated with the fire element (tejas tatva) and is considered sattvic (harmonious) in nature.

The Ida and pingala represent the basic duality in existence and nature. It is this duality which we traditionally personify as Purush & Prakriti, Shiva & Shakti, Heat and cool, Rajas & and Tamash or masculine & feminine. When we say masculine and feminine, it is not in terms of gender being male and female, but in terms of certain qualities in nature attributed as masculine and feminine. Without these dualities, life would not exist. In the beginning, everything was primordial, there was no duality but there is duality once reaction happens. Ida and Pingla indicate time, while Sushmna is the devour-er of time since it leads to timelessness or eternity.

3 Gunas

Gunas (Qualities)

      From the combination of The five elements, Gunas (qualities) originates. Gunas are the impulsive force for the union of these tattvas (elements). Gunas determine the behavior and attitude of being. All these five elements and three Gunas are always present in all beings and material manifestation but vary in their relative amounts.

The Three Gunas are:-

Tamas-It is the state of darkness, inertia, inactivity, and materiality. Tamas manifests from ignorance and deludes all beings from the spiritual truths. Other tamasic qualities are laziness,disgust,attachment,depression,helplessness,doubt,guilt,shame,boredom,addiction,hurt,sadness,apathy,confusion,grief,dependency,ignorance etc.

Rajas-It is a state of energy, action, change, and movement. The nature of the Rajas is of attraction, longing, and attachment, and rajas strongly bind us to the fruits of work. Other rajas qualities are anger,euphoria,anxiety,fear, irritation,worry,restlessness,stress,courage,determination,rumination,chaos etc.

Sattva-It is a state of harmony, balance, joy, and intelligence. Other sattvic qualities are delight,happiness,wellness,freedom,love,compassion,equanimity,empathy,friendliness, focus,self-control,satisfaction,trust,fulfilment,calmness,bliss,cheerfulness,gratitude, fearlessness, selflessness. Sattva is the Guna that Yogis achieve towards as it reduces Rajas and Tamas and thus makes liberation possible.

            The Gunas cannot be separated or removed in oneself but can be consciously acted upon to encourage their increase or decrease. A Guna can be increased or decreased through the interaction and influence of external objects, lifestyle practices, and thoughts. The mind's psychological qualities are highly unstable and can fluctuate between gunas. The predominant guna of the mind acts as a lens that affects our perceptions and perspective of the world around us. The Gunas are in constant flux and they affect everything around us-energy, matter, and consciousness. Usually one of the three gunas predominates, but to lead a happy, healthy, prosperous, and productive life, we need a balance of all three gunas. We must have the inner strength and will power to consciously shift our thoughts and action away from tamas and rajas towards sattvic balance and purpose.

To reduce Tamas-Avoid tamasic foods, oversleeping, overeating, inactivity, passivity, and fearful situations. Tamasic food is meats, alcohol, and food that are spoiled, chemically treated, processed, or refined.

To reduce Rajas-Avoid Rajasic foods, over-exercising, overwork, loud music, excessive thinking, and consuming excessive material goods. Rajas food includes fried foods, spicy foods, and stimulants.

To increase Sattva-Reduce both Rajas and Tamas, eat sattvic foods, and enjoy activities and environments that produce joy and positive thoughts. Sattvic foods include whole grains, and legumes and fresh fruits and vegetables that grows above the ground. All the Yogic practices were developed to create Sattva in the mind and body.

मानव शरीर और ब्रह्मांड की संरचना-1.तत्व और गुण

                  तत्व और गुण

हमें पता चला कि->God(भगवान )=E (ऊर्जा) + I( बुद्धि,(इंटेलिजेंस) ।

इस "E" को प्रकृति के नाम से जाना जाता है और "I" बुद्धि या परमात्मा है।

इसलिए

(आदि) पुरुष (I) = मूल चेतना

प्रकृति (E) = मौलिक प्रकृति

पुरुष दिव्य आत्म या आत्मा, अपरिवर्तनीय, सर्वव्यापी और सर्वज्ञ, प्रकृति की सभी घटनाओं और उत्परिवर्तनों का गवाह है।

प्रकृति दिव्य ऊर्जा की शाश्वत धारा है।

यह सुनिश्चित करने के लिए कि प्रकृति हमेशा परमात्मा  से एक संबंध बनाए रखेगी आकर्षण बल प्रकृति के एक पहलू के रूप में विकसित हो गई । प्रकृति पांच तत्वों (Elements)) और तीन गुणों (Qualities) से बनी है। ये सभी भौतिक और आध्यात्मिक (सूक्ष्म और सकल रूपों) की सभी कृतियों (अभिव्यक्ति) का आधार (नींव) बनाते हैं।

https://youtu.be/a-M6Ndu0_fs

पांच  तत्व हैं:-

1. पृथ्वी (Earth) तत्व - पृथ्वी तत्व पृथ्वी का मूल तत्व हैं, और यह मोह, अजागरूकता, सुस्ती और कार्यों की अभिव्यक्ति है केवल आवश्यकता और वृत्ति से। यह लालच का प्रतिनिधित्व करता है। पृथ्वी तत्व  से जुड़ा भाव महक है। यह मुख्य रूप से गंध की हमारी भावना के माध्यम से संचालित होता है । पृथ्वी के इस भौतिक तत्व (प्रथम चक्र) से शरीर की शारीरिक संरचना-त्वचा, हड्डियां, मांस, दांत आदि उत्पन्न होती हैं। 

2. जल (अप्स, Water) तत्व – अप्स तत्व  सशक्तता और इच्छाशक्ति, सुस्ती और लगाव दोनों के बल की अभिव्यक्ति है। यह वासना का प्रतिनिधित्व करता है। अप्स तत्व से जुड़ा भाव स्वाद है। ग्रंथि स्राव, रक्त और वीर्य इस तत्व (दूसरा चक्र) से उत्पन्न होते हैं। अप्स तत्व गुर्दे, सेक्स ग्रंथियों और लिम्फेटिक सिस्टम में प्रकट होता है। 

3.अग्नि (Fire) तत्व -जिस प्रकार सूर्य की ऊष्मा पृथ्वी पर जीवन को संभव बनाती है, उसी प्रकार अग्नि तत्व की गर्मी शरीर में जीवन को बनाए रखती है। अग्नि तत्व शरीर में मुख्य प्रेरक ऊर्जा है। यह हमारे भोजन को पचाकर, रक्त और अन्य तरल पदार्थ ों का उत्पादन करके और इस तरह हमारे शरीर को बनाए रखने के द्वारा शरीर के पोषण और विकास के लिए जिम्मेदार है। यह क्रोध का प्रतिनिधित्व करता है। इस तत्व  से जुड़ा भाव दृष्टि है। यह तीसरे चक्र से जुड़ा हुआ है। अग्नि (fire) केंद्र चक्र, यकृत, अग्न्याशय और अधिवृक्क ग्रंथि के माध्यम से प्रकट होता है। 

4. वायु (Air) तत्व -वायु तत्व शरीर में महत्वपूर्ण बल या "प्राण" है। यह शारीरिक अंगों को सक्रिय और स्वस्थ रखता है और पूरे शरीर में रक्त और अन्य तरल पदार्थ प्रसारित करता है। यह मोह का प्रतीक है। भावना स्पर्श है। हालांकि हम हवा नहीं देख सकते, हम इसके स्पर्श को महसूस करते हैं । वायु तत्व के लिए संचलन का मुख्य केंद्र छाती क्षेत्र (चौथा चक्र) है जिसमें पांच प्रमुख अंग और ग्रंथियां, फेफड़े, हृदय, थाइमस, कोशिका उत्पादक ग्रंथियां और सहायक शामिल हैं। 

5. आकाश(Ether) तत्व -यह नकारात्मक अहंकार या गर्व का प्रतीक है। भावना ध्वनि है। यह पंचम या गले चक्र से जुड़ा होता है। अकाशा तत्व के संचालन का केंद्र गला (गर्दन की कॉलर बोन और आकृति (नैप) के बीच की जगह है। यह वह क्षेत्र है जिसमें निम्नलिखित प्रमुख ग्रंथियों शामिल हैं; थायराइड, पैराथायराइड, लार और टॉन्सिल। इन ग्रंथियों के आवश्यक स्राव हमारे मन को ढालने और उन्हें पोषित रखने में मदद करते हैं।