06.22.08
Posted in Gems from Mahendranath at 1:32 am by Shri Kapilnath
The Guru
by Shri Gurudev Mahendranath
In the darkness of life a brilliant ray;
The most precious thing in the world today;
Above ambition and struggle for fame;
Aloof from the world of form and name;
Beyond the hunger of want and desire;
The Guru sits calm by his sacred fire.
Disciples at the teacher’s feet did learn,
Until they all were Gurus in their turn;
From Gurus of a past beyond all time,
There came the truth in one unbroken line;
So Gurus that have been but now are gone,
Have known the Science of God and passed it on.
Reformers dream their dreams, so very nice,
To turn the world into a paradise;
The Guru knows that though the world is old,
Man has no power to recast or remold;
And though long centuries do pass away,
Men never learn and dream new dreams today.
He knows the mass will never give him ear,
Prefer their life, its hazards and its fear;
To dream that sometime they will have the price,
To turn the world into a paradise.
The Guru sees the world of name and form,
A sorry mess in which men are reborn.
He does not seek to wander far and wide,
Or ever crave for someone at his side;
For he who knows the Absolute, the One,
Knows there is little more which need be done,
But use some particle of time each day,
To guide a soul and help it on its way.
But who can prophesy or warning give
When fast mad world will never give it ear?
How nature bleeds, her work is all undone
And nothing knows of harmony the more.
Is he not lucky, who while there was time,
By yoga travelled to the other shore?
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02.12.08
Posted in Kapilji's Skull Chatter at 2:21 am by Shri Kapilnath
The short story is that the Naths and Hatha Yoga as propounded by Yogi Swatmarama only overlap on certain points. Certainly asana and removing obstruction from the nadis is important, but this is only a comfortable sitting posture for most Naths.
The focus on a Nath adept, male or female or devotion and concentration on a particular Siddha being or Guru was and is an approach by which one is seeking transference of the Shakti and knowledge of that being into oneself and life stream. This is a feature of many of the Siddha traditions.
The 64 Yoginis are Shaktis. Some people worship them in the same manner as above. In a yoga to absorb their potency.
With respect to the physical immortality story, Kaya Siddhi, while many yogis lived an extended span, most do not and did not. There is no evidence of human physical immortality and never has been. It is a myth. The real idea behind the concept is related to That which does not decay, the Spirit aspect of the human being. The concept of immortality in the Nath sect has always been a spiritual concept. A true Nath or Siddha is indeed immortal, though they may no longer inhabit a body, having cast it off at death.
It is this spirit continuum of the living and departed which is engaged as a part of the Nath yoga and tradition.
Warm Regards,
Kapilnath
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01.18.08
Posted in Articles and Essays at 8:52 pm by Dhruvanath
Shakti can be described in a number of ways. The straight definition is that Shakti is the energy or power by which the Cosmic Spirit manifests itself. Now I will go through some hypothetical definitions and respond to each:
A power to be controlled and utilized? That is siddhi. To the extent that the individual spirit has realized a deep connection to the Cosmic Spirit, Shakti can be expressed through the Will of the magician.
A divine being to be worshipped? Yes, absolutely for sure. That’s how the connection is made and expanded.
Pure individualized self devoid of ego? You must mean pure UNindividualized self devoid of ego, otherwise it’s a contradiction, a self-contradiction, so to speak. Anyway, that’s a description of the Absolute, or Cosmic Spirit, and yes, Shakti is Cosmic Spirit made tangible to the refined and trained mind.
A Goddess and/or an intelligent and aware force? In mythology Shakti is usually thought of as a Goddess, consort of Shiva, and often worshipped as the Divine Mother as a way of going back to the Source from which we came. But let’s not get stuck on gender - Shakti can be generated and accessed through worshipping Shiva and other “male” god forms too. Shiva and Shakti are flip sides of a coin, inseparable, dual aspects of the One. Yes, Shakti is an intelligent and aware force. It is consciousness, after all.
Blind force, something which can be possessed, transfered, or lost? No, not blind force but quite the opposite, and “possessing” Shakti is just a casual manner of speaking where one might hear that such-and-so a siddha “has a lot of Shakti,” but of course the meaning is not to imply literal ownership, as it is the siddha who is a devotee of the Shakti (and he must be a good devotee if people are saying he has a lot of Shakti).
Shakti can be transferred to another person if they are properly receptive, which is the basis of an initiation lineage like the INO. It can be projected into an object as well. It is not the same as prana. Prana is life force associated with the body; Shakti is a cosmic spiritual force. Every living person experiences prana every moment, fewer experience Shakti.
While sitting for puja, the Nath subsumes his/her prana into the Shakti as an integral part of the yoga, however ultimately it must be remembered that Clinging To Life is an obstacle to spiritual liberation. Once attained, Shakti can be lost by allowing Kleshas to proliferate unchecked.
Om.
Dhruvanath
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09.08.07
Posted in Articles and Essays at 10:08 pm by Dhruvanath
The accompanying one minute video clip (in .wmv format) presents a moment deep into a Dhuni ritual. By this point the Nath sadhaks have been immersed in worship for hours. The air is thick with fragrant smoke from smoldering fire offerings, mixing with the swirling, expanding, multi-layered mantric vibrations.
In the video, we first see the flame of a nearby torch. The picture slowly pans to reveal a trishul in its natural habitat. The three-pronged scepter of Shiva represents mastery over the three Gunas (tamas, rajas, and sattva). Pure consciousness is free and unfettered by the appearance of any qualities.
Next we see the embers which fill the Dhuni, sparks sent flying about from passionate fanning. The purpose of the ritual is to exalt the sacred fire pit, therefore the ritual would not be complete without puja of Lord Bhairava, for what could please Her more that to receive the Lingam of Lord Bhairava?
Bhairava is the Lord of Magick, the Lord of Permissions, Granter of Siddhi Shakti. He lords over the yogic processes. If pleased, He grants success in the yogic processes by allowing transference of the Siddhi Shakti to the properly aligned recipient Microcosm. Lord Bhairava is easily pleased by those who approach with sincerity, but can only grant Siddhi Shakti in proportion to the quality of one’s yogic alignment. Thus, attainment unfolds in accordance with the aspirant’s efforts.
In His capacity as Lord of Permissions, Bhairava guards and protects the Inner Sanctum, barring those who are unfit to enter. For those who gain permission to proceed, He is known to be rather ruthless in stripping away impurities. For this reason He is sometimes experienced as fearsome, although such a reaction to His blessing is merely indicative of uncontrolled Kleshas.
The flame in the Dhuni is the Lingam of Lord Bhairava. In this coition is the transference of the Divine. Bhairava is the Light of Consciousness, His approach is the gateway to the ultimate spark of Awakened Awareness. His Reality is the nature of the Great Awakening.
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06.09.07
Posted in Kapilji's Skull Chatter at 3:12 am by Shri Kapilnath
We might do well to look at some attempts to define what an Avadhut may be. The definition over at the Nath Order site might serve as a backdrop or lighting effect. Avadhut…One who has cast off the fetters, returned and gone back. Back to the Spirit. Cosmic Spirit, Shiva, OM or Divine. It has nothing to do with dress or behavior, it is the manifestation of a human being who has moved back into the Source from which they came and of which we are all a part. This is the principal indicator. The individual agenda, though not completely eradicated, is completely deprecated.
Avadhut is not a common pursuit, nor is it something at which many people succeed. Shri Mahendranath made repeated reference that spiritual life is a return and deeper interaction with the Cosmic Spirit. The individual aspects become subsumed in this process of Yoga. What occurs in this singular approach is a radical and novel point of reference. It is the Spirit and a cosmic process that is no longer exclusively associated with a particular human lifestream, rather the Spirit is now moving through the vehicle of a human incarnation or agency.
I was and remain in good harmony with the human agency which once was called Shri Mahendranath. This harmony was my gateway to the experience of the Avadhut. I could regale the curious with countless stories of my experiences in his presence and many peculiar powers he exhibited, but these were small things. What was utterly shocking, though hard to explain, was an individual manifesting more as Spirit than human.
It seemed he was only working out a few remaining karmas keeping him in the body and the main attention was his transition to the infinite and passage from this plane of existence. This wasn’t a rap or a schtick. It was a vibe which was highly visceral and could make the processes of mind and its identifications seemingly disappear in his presence. As I mentioned, it was a freak out. He could share his state at a distance of thousands of miles also. Garudanath recently wrote such a testimony and many whom he “worked with” would relate a similiar report.
For me it was a view of human potential. Revealed by ancient texts or rumors and realized in human form and witnessed by others. A rich legacy.
As for comparing him to other teachers, I’m not comfortable in naming names. I’ve had the karmas to meet and receive initiations and transmissions from many gifted souls who wanted to share. These include many Tibetan Buddhists, Shaivite Yogis, Nath Gurus from other lines and a Chinese magician to name a few. Many of these people had huge followings. This may have been what lessened them. Working the great “public” has only the advantage of creating a doorway through which suitable aspirants with the appropriate karmas may find their Way and enter. Otherwise, it is all a waste of time and heavy overhead. Collecting people/devotees or money has nothing to do with a valid spiritual path.
It is about people. People with the appropriate and pre-existing karmas which fit to the nature of the particular path. Avadhuts are not entertainers and are likely to give the insincere the boot, ba-bye. Usually this isn’t necessary as the faint hearted often end up running in the opposite direction as if they had seen a dragon. Sincere exertion towards the Divine is usually difficult for most people. Modern society does not really encourage such things except in the most superficial of forms. Each individual has a path that is appropriate for them in their current lifespan. This varies from person to person and for good reason…
Kapilnath
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05.17.07
Posted in Articles and Essays at 2:05 am by Shri Jadu Garudanath
Adesh, Adesh,
On a Sunday afternoon, two days after Guru Purnima, July 1991, after a gloriously intense ritual honoring Guru Mahendranath at a place called Syn Dhuni and a day spent reading the English translation of the Avadhuta Gita by Shree Purohit Swami and edited by S. Mokashi-Punekar (Munshiram Manoharlal Publishers) in the company of Lalitaji, I was struck by a direct transmission of the entire text of the Avadhuta Gita. My consciousness was rendered completely split by the experience. At once I was still, yet I could completely attend to the sound of my housemate and guru brother Shree Kapilnath listening to Star Trek, The Next Generation on the television in the next room.
The clarity of that dichotomy amplified the importance of the experience. At once I was Here and yet There. The There was a vision of wintertime trees and sky, and the completely chilly dispassionate feeling that everything you know is Wrong, and the Ego response of “please don’t say all my practice/life is wasted”. I was bankrupt in a millisecond. Everything I had thought of as useful was utterly useless, irrelevant…Kaput! The emotional panic of that realization was quickly followed by the corresponding understanding, …that all of my Fears of failure or other mishap, were equally Irrelevant, cosmic pause…..emptiness …. I was inherently Free!
Curiously, I had stumbled upon the answer to a question of many years yearning, yet the answer was startlingly Alien in texture from the expectations I had previously imagined. The transmission had the lack of sentiment of a transmission from a complete Uberlord 108 eyed Alien from another galaxy. From this experience, I was left with the idea that much of my sentimental human concept of “Freedom” was false… but all was not lost, because my worry and likely most other mortal’s misconceptions were equally irrelevant, and so equally without karmic worry.
The paradox was liberating. At that moment, at a deep level, I was free from the snares of expectation. This transmission had the vibrational signature of Guru Mahendranath all over it. I was in a zombie-like emotional zero state for a week afterward, but also very liberated… again more paradox. I set out to make plans to visit Mahendranath in India, to ask his opinion on my recent experience with the Avadhuta Gita. Ah, but this is another story. Let me instead emphasis that the Avadhuta Gita is my talisman. It stands in equal to the I Ching.
Guru Om,
Garudanath
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05.04.07
Posted in Kapilji's Skull Chatter at 3:07 am by Shri Kapilnath
Greetings,
I was reflecting on the short missive of the poster who wished to find an Indian disciple of Shri Mahendranath to bend their ear. Why some private person would want to discuss their relationship or experience of a holy man with a stranger is obscure, if not invasive, but it set me to thinking…
I remembered my first visit to Shambhala Tapowan. I was in Gujarat State and boarded the train from Ahmedabad to Shambhala Tapowan. It was early evening and the sun had set. The train car I found a space in was filled with village people and a collection of chickens, bundled clothing, pots and pans and much dust. I found and staked out my spot on a bench. Across from me was the only other “gentleman”, a bespectacled Indian person wearing a rather tattered coat and tie, protectively guarding his traveling case which was wedged between his knees.
After being underway for some period and the chickens having been subdued and placed in bags, the man looked at me from behind his coke bottle glasses and suddenly spoke in perfect English. “And what brings you to India my good man?” Somewhat surprised by his British accent, I replied, “I have come to meet my Guru”. “And who is your Guru?” he prodded. I said the name “Mahendranath”.
Suddenly, the car exploded with the yelps of the villagers, “Mahendranath Babaji!” - “Mahendranath Babaji!” The resting chickens entered the fray with excited cackling while the villagers pressed in to form a circle around us. It seemed that everyone in the car had met Shri Mahendranath with the exception of myself and the “well dressed” Indian fellow. A flurry of Hindi ensued from the villagers to “Mr. Spectacles”.
“It seems our traveling companions know your Guruji and speak highly of him. Will you be staying with him?” he asked. “Yes,” I replied. “Mr. Spectacles” merely nodded and the villagers moved away to give greater distance. I went from being the odd white man in the car to an alien presence…
So, if one wants to meet someone who met Shri Mahendranath, board an east bound train out of Ahmedabad and keep mumbling “Mahendranath Babaji”… Since this was over twenty years ago, your mileage may vary…
Kapilnath
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04.14.07
Posted in Articles and Essays at 1:11 pm by Dhruvanath
The Five Kleshas have been touched upon a number of times, and rightly so. Insight into the way we habitually maintain our kleshic “reality bubble” is essential to the long process of finally letting it go. Relaxing our grip on the Kleshas makes room for a new… yet eternal… more expansive spiritual awareness to shine forth. Full and permanent dissolution of the Kleshas must wait until, having attained Cosmic Awakening, you also dispense with your body. So, the Five Kleshas are a useful set of terms to explain what an Awakened State is not. As a corollary, also worthy of reflection are the handful of “keywords” that describe what an Awakened State is. These keywords are beacons which we find sprinkled through the Scrolls of Mahendranath. They are: Sama, Sahaja, Svecchachara, and Samarasa.
Briefly - Sama means balance, equipoise. Sahaja means naturalness, ease, divine joy born of deep harmony with the Cosmos, “going with the Flow.” Svecchachara means thinking for yourself, doing one’s authentic Will, free from dogma or conditioned ideas absorbed from others. Samarasa means the state of perfect yogic assimilation of microcosm and macrocosm, the bliss of attainment which continues undisturbed after samadhi is finished, or one could say, the magnum opus of twilight yoga.
Just as the Five Kleshas do not exist independently of one another, but are interconnected aspects sprouting from a common source, the four keywords are also aspects or characteristics of a singular state of Being. From the standpoint of a divine mindset, these qualities are are self-evident expressions of the Divine Wisdom Stream. Their practical value as keywords is more for those of us emerging from the world of the Kleshas. They can serve as reference points to align our mind into a better configuration for Cosmic Vibes to break through, and to help stabilize degrees of Awakening when it takes place. As such, they reveal their power more when combined together, rather than each standing alone. (This synergy is also true of other keyword groupings used by Naths, i.e. Insight-Intuition-Imagination, Will-Knowledge-Action, People-Things-Ideas…) That said, although they function together, building a working affinity with each keyword individually is important and worthy of focus and contemplation.
I’ve found it valuable to make a point of thinking about the keywords while experiencing “expanded consciousness,” for the purpose of imprinting a bit of the essence of each keyword into my brain cells. It comes in handy as a set of magic seeds for conjuring the Zonule next time around. Merging them together into one energy is a compelling way to put forward one’s offering.
OM NAMAH SHIVAYA
Dhruvanath
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02.12.07
Posted in Articles and Essays at 10:23 pm by Rose Devi
Greetings Everyone,I would like to share an expansive thought on an excerpt from The Occult World of a Tantrik Guru relating to Yantra and the Kleshas.
Clinging or attachment to life is the fifth evil of the five-fold pentagon of the pain-bearing obstructions. The complete pentacle is as follows:
The five pain-bearing obstructions,
The root cause of sorrow and strife -
Ego, ignorance, attachment,
Aversion and clinging to life.
In Kauladharma they are drawn as a yantra composed of a five-pointed star, sometimes contained within a circle and the circle contained in a square. The five-pointed star of the pentacle can also be used alone, placed on the shrine for worship or used for meditation… Most Tantrik sadhana, while it appears to aim at praise, worship and oneness with the Devi, is also a medium which helps disciples to overcome these five gyves. – Shri Gurudev Mahendranath
I enjoy making yantras and shortly after I read “The Occult World of a Tantrik Guru” I created, with cotton embroidered on wool, the Kleshas yantra. Although Mahendranath doesn’t go into more detail about Yantra in this text, I feel it is worth mentioning that before a yantra is empowered the design is simply just that, a pretty object to admire. Constructing a yantra is the beginning of the path to Yantra.
Yantra is a Sanskrit word meaning a machine, to sustain energy, a geometrical design intended to represent a deity or serve as a vehicle for the deity’s energy or Shakti. An empowered Yantra is impregnated with the Shakti needed for it to become alive. Only an individual accomplished in projecting and fixing a special form of energy, called Shakti is capable of properly empowering a Yantra. This takes place when the Sadhaka is absorbed and in resonance with the Divine Shakti in Yoga. The amalgamation of the Shaktis of Will, Knowledge and Action are unified into a single Shakti and projected and fixed into the Yantra. This is a skill that is developed and refined through Shakti Yoga practice and guidance from the Guru.
Once the Yantra is empowered, interacting with it in worship can take on new utility and life. Focusing on the already established spiritual energies of an empowered Yantra can facilitate in helping us go beyond the Kleshas. As Shri Mahendranath often notes, understanding the Kleshas is necessary before real Nath practice can begin. Creating and using a Yantra that has been empowered to assist in overcoming the Kleshas can be beneficial in Nath practice.
May Peace, Freedom and Happiness be yours,
Rose Devi
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12.17.06
Posted in Kapilji's Skull Chatter at 11:14 pm by Shri Kapilnath
Greetings All,
While it is slightly off topic for this newsletter, I wish to draw attention to two articles posted at the website of Dr. Robert Svoboda. Dr. Svoboda is a well-published author on many themes which are dear to most INO members. He is also a close friend of the INO.
The articles are entitled, Fate or Free Will (quite long) and Knowing the Elephant. Fine considerations on a couple of very slippery concepts. I think someone may benefit by reading the articles, hence this post drawing attention to their whereabouts.
Om Namah Shivaaya,
Kapilnath
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