The fourth edition of Kriya Stories has now been published.Those who purchased an electronic Kindle version of the book can update to the latest version for free. Amazon should have sent an email with instructions on how to do this. As always, the updated book can be read for free online at the Yoga Niketan website library at www.YogaNiketan.net
Regards,
Yoga
Sometimes at the holy time of dusk, I am blessed to sit at the feet of my Guru. It is very intoxicating. As candles are being lit, He is very inwardly absorbed and He speaks to us of God. He tells us He does not have much use for “religion”. He simply encourages us to have the direct experience
Each night I pray is a happy night for me,
Because the messenger of my Friend is near to me.
Everyone loses his light when night comes.
For me, my light comes when time for prayer comes.
Day of separation gone, the night of Union arrives;
O day, please end, let the night remain!
O Friend, so long as You abide, no sorrow can I
The land surrounding the Panchavati (at Dakshineswar where Sri Ramakrishna lived)was not even then as it is now. It was full of pits, ditches, low lands, jungles, etc. There grew an Amalaki tree among the wild trees and plants. It was a burial ground besides being a jungle. Therefore people hardly went there even in the daytime.If they went
Like a drunkard, no analyzing of any thing in the world remains in the par avastha of Kriya.
- Lahiri Mahasaya from His Gita, Chapter 5, verse 18. Srimad Bhagavad Gita: Spiritual Commentaries by Yogiraj Lahiri Mahasay and Swami Sriyukteshvar, English Translations, copyright Yoga Niketan
What is required is a well concentrated practice of Kriya, by which a sort of drunken
A devotee had written an account of visiting with the Master, back October 2015. Whilst some private things had to be edited or removed, some of it can also be shared:
The past few days, several of us have gathered together to sit at Master’s feet and have His darshan. It has been a profoundly difficult past year for Master
The following is an excerpt from chapter 5 of the book, Kriya Yoga by Shri Sailendra Bejoy Dasgupta (highly esteemed disciple of the Swami Maharaj Sri Yukteshvar Giriji of Serampore):
The Holy Babaji Maharaj has been an enigma. The worshipful Guru of Shri Shri Shyama Charan Lahiri Mahasaya, he was the fountain source of dissemination of the system of Kriya
Yoga Niketan is pleased to announce that the authorised English edition of Pranab Gita has now been published. This is a completely new translation made from the original 1917 Bengali edition. Due to the size of the material, the book has been published as two volumes.
Volumes 1 and 2 of Pranab Gita are now available for free reading on
The nature of Bulleh Shah's realization led to such a profound egolessness and non-concern for social convention that it has been the source of many popular comical stories -- calling to mind stories of St. Francis or Ramakrishna. For example, one day Bulleh Shah saw a young woman eagerly waiting for her husband to return home. Seeing how, in
O brother, my heart yearns for that true Guru, who fills the cup of true love, and drinks of it himself, and offers it then to me.
He removes the veil from the eyes, and gives the true Vision of Brahma:
He reveals the worlds in Him, and makes me to hear the Unstruck Music:
He shows joy and sorrow to be
...doing Kriya -- cold air (vayu) moves within and outside the spine.
- Lahiri Mahasaya from Gita Commentary 10:25, Yoga Niketan
***
Or here is another translation of the same verse:
Eternal kootasth (vibration) - doing kriya the cool air goes in and out of the meru.
[Comment: Meru is defined at the end of the commentary on this verse as “spinal cord”]
- Spiritual
Lahiri Mahasaya:
Making vayu like a rope from the throat to the eyebrows - “kua” [well] - meaning throat, heart, navel, lingamula, Muladhar - all the lotuses that are there in these five elements - draw vayu through the roadway of this tube, bring it into the middle of the eyebrows - meaning: into the Ajna chakra and merge there.
-
The Gospel of Sri Ramakrishna translated by Swami Nikhilananda:
Sri Ramakrishna washed his face. A smoke was prepared for him.
He said to M.: “Is it dusk now? If it is, I won’t smoke. During the twilight hour of the dusk you should give up all other activities and remember God.”
Saying this he looked at the hairs on his arm. He wanted to see whether he
omkarapurvikastisro mahavyahritayohvyayah tripadachaiva savitrivijneyam brahmanomukham -2:81-
[Commentary:] 81) One who performs Omkar Kriya with utterance - meaning performing pranayam from the door at the region of the anus to the eyebrows - he can see the Face in Kutastha.
- Lahiri Mahasaya from Manu, The Scriptural Commentaries of Yogiraj Sri Sri Shyama Charan Lahiri Mahasaya Volume 1, Yoga Niketan
***
Making vayu like
'When people try to practise religion,' said Naren (Swami Vivekananda), 'eighty per cent of them turn into cheats, and about fifteen per cent go mad. It's only the remaining five per cent who get some direct knowledge of the Truth and so become blessed. Therefore, beware!' At first, even the young disciples (of Ramakrishna) were unwilling to agree with
Via the lotus-stem-thread of the mouth, relinquish breath - meaning: make is Still; in this way - via the sushumna path, it becomes Still like this spontaneously. This is the indication of "kumbhak" - meaning: vayu moves in Stillness via the sushumna; that is the state of kumbhak
- Lahiri Baba from Amritabindu 13, Scriptural Commentaries of Yogiraj Shyama Charan
The abode that is cool, and the place where the Star can be seen, in which there is “prayag” - meaning the union of Triveni [confluence of the three rivers] - that is called “madhyadesha” [middle-land]
- Lahiri Mahasaya from Manu 2:21, The Scriptural Commentaries of Yogiraj Sri Sri Shyama Charan Lahiri Mahasaya Volume 1, Yoga Niketan
***
When samana vayu expands,
We are quiet sadhaks and we wish well to all. We like to stay away from the Kriya Yoga marketplace and all the "touring gurus." We generally don't feel comfortable to comment on others.
More than ever these days can be seen the emerging phenomenon of a never ending market place of “original Kriya yoga gurus.”
It pains the heart of
(21) “Utpalnal” - meaning the passage/tube that rises from the root - meaning Muladhar - rising in this - meaning “nal” - like the way that water is drawn up in a tube, like in the stem of a flower - in that way, knowing it through the teaching of Guru, one must perform the out-breath in motionlessness while
"We were privileged, in Puri, to be able to visit Sri Bhupen Sanyal Mahasaya, a direct disciple of Lahiri Mahasaya, and to meditate in his presence every evening. I was told on a number of occasions that Lahiri Mahasaya used to bestow the higher Kriya initiations according to what the people themselves actually needed-that is to say, according to
The tri-union flame is visible at the spot of meditation and that light is visible at the spot of meditation, the Sadhaka shall leave his Prana performing Thokkar Kriya as directed by Sri Gurudeva. This is the period of six months. When becoming one with Brahman, there is no return.
Verily, this is called Uttaraayana (Ut + Tar + Ayan).
Putting mind well in the sushumna, taking up the staff, being firm, focusing in Kutastha, performing Omkar Kriya by circling around to/ from the Southern direction and putting fire in the heart - “bhiksha” [alms] - meaning what is shown - see that in that way with very focused mind.
- Lahiri Mahasaya from Manu 2:48, The Scriptural Commentaries of
Once at a time when my Master was describing to me some very deep private intricacies of Kriya Yoga, he was also relating to me the loftiness of the various intimate disciples of Lahiri Mahasaya who the Yogiraj had authorised to become His channels. Great, lofty, trusted disciples of the Yogiraj, such as Sri Yukteshvarji. My Dadu related this
Lahiri Mahasaya’s eminent disciple, Swami Pranabananda has described the Kriya path in His Pranab Gita.
“Kapidvaja” – At the time of Kriya, the tongue needs to be inverted and brought above through the nasal-orifice, cross the mucus membrane and it’s tip should be kept in a slightly tilted position towards the left side (this automatically tilts) ; and this state
Many times, Sri Dasguptaji used to speak about the difference between the physical family and the spiritual family. He used to always say that a Guru has two families with completely different relationship to him. The physical family who are heirs to the physical property alone. Their relationship is in the physical world, solely on the physical plane. They
Subsequently, the Sadhaka with Pranava Mantra, the representative of Brahman, sitting in firm asana, moves his Prana from Muladhar through the path of consciousness by performing Kriyas as instructed by Gurudeva.
Vyavaharan = Specific Movement, i.e., upward movement (in this case). Ut = upward,Chaara = to do or act, and Ayan = movement or motion. i.e. will move Prana to
"The LordSri Sri Lahiri Mahasaya would from time to time discuss philosophical literature and the Gita scripture with His disciples. He was particularly attentive to the deliberation and understanding of the Srimad Bhagavad Gita, the supremeshastra. Drawing out and explaining the hidden mysteries of the esoteric books in light of the glorious experiences and wisdom of sadhana was thespecialty
The rumour was afloat in Mathura that Krishna appeared in Kalidah at night. Crowds of people started going to Kalidah for the darshan of Krishna. One day some people from Mathura went to see Mahaprabhu [Lord Chaitanya] at Akrur after returning from Kalidah. Mahaprabhu said, “Where do you come from?” They said, “We had gone to see Krishna, Who
Announcement
Yoga Niketan is pleased to announce that the updated 2nd edition of Kriya Stories has now been released. Many of the stories have been added to and expanded upon and new important information has been added to the book. For all those who have bought a Kindle version of the book,
the new update will be automatically downloaded or you
"He (Sriyukteshvar) used to say, "In the Presence of Gurudev (Lahiri Baba), many problems would be resolved in ordinary small talk. Sometimes there was so much chit chat and even jokes and laughter, it seemed like - wait, we didn't really talk about anything important! But, when I would return and think a little bit after having settled down,
I
I always thrilled at the touch of Sri Yukteswar's holy feet. Yogis teach that a disciple is spiritually magnetized by reverent contact with a master; a subtle current is generated. The devotee's undesirable habit-mechanisms in the brain are often cauterized; the groove of his worldly tendencies beneficially disturbed.
Momentarily at least he may find the secret veils of MAYA lifting,
"The Muslim should do ["Namaj" prayer] four times; the Brahmin should do "Sandhya" [worship] four times; and the Saheb [Christian] should at least twice a day kneel and read the Bible to Christ and pray and if this done he will be well."
~Yogiraj Shri Shri Lahiri Mahasaya, Garland of Letters (Patravali), The Scriptural Commentaries of Lahiri Mahasaya Volume 1, Yoga
"What is kal? Kal is that one who presides in the lotus. When there is no lotus, he lives in the Void. The jiva [vital-life] of kal is jiva [alive individual being]. Kal emerges from this body which is Omkar's form, and the merging of kal is in kal itself. The kal of all kals is "mahakal" [great time]
"Steadfastness, forgiveness, self-control, non-appropriation of anything unlawfully, purity, quelling the senses, intelligence, knowledge, truth, non-anger -- these are the ten features of dharma. All of these happen automatically via Kriya, not by force. But first, one must practice."
~Lahiri Mahasaya from Manu Samhita 6:91, The Scriptural Commentaries of Yogiraj Sri Sri Shyama Charan Lahiri Mahasaya Volume 1, Yoga Niketan
In his wonderful book Dada Mukherjee writes this story of the great saint Neem Karoli Baba:
"In 1966 there was an All India Vice Chancellors Conference in Nainital, from which vice chancellors from various universities in India and Nepal had come. Having heard about Maharajji (Neem Karoli Baba), they all came to the temple on Sunday to see him.
They sat
Swami Sri Yukteshvar:
"On the subject of the six chakras, studying the science of physiology from this country and the West one comes to know that the brain, meaning the Sahasradal lotus, is the place of Total Consciousness. Under the brain and above the spinal column, there is a nadi (medulla) located between the eyebrows formed like the shape of
"With the support of Brahmanandi, by fixing the gaze at kutashta, and mutually chanting the atma-mantra-coupled with prana, puraka - Rechaka (in breath and out breath) is performed by striking at each lotus, striking one center at a time and then by keeping the swabhava in control and not assuming doership in the flow of prana; one traverses from
"While focusing within the kutastha steadily, offering the oblation of prana with Atma-Mantra (The Prana Yagna is also called Aantar Yoga - Internal sacrifice) and mind becomes introvert and enchanted with melodious bumble-bee sound and then amrita starts dripping from sahasrara.
The amrita (sudha) is to be offered by raising the tip of the tongue into the vaishwanara as instructed
"Breathing on His bamboo flute
He blew the pride of my clan away
Like a fluff of cotton wool.
Faith in God and ethics
seem senile to me"
~ Govindadas, from Songs of Krsna translated by Deben Bhattacharya
"There is a certain kind of Revelatory Light in the par avastha of Kriya, where there is neither day nor night -- it is in that Light where the heart goes completely;being imbued with that Essence one is like a thoroughly inebriated drunkard, having turned the heart from all other directions and being enraptured by That Substance;
thus, all of
"One afternoon during the period of the visit Priya Nath crossed the Jumna in a boat from the side of Allahabad to the bank opposite. This side of the river Jumna was known as Jhusi. He crossed over there in order to avoid huge crowds on the Allahabad side. On the Jhusi side also Sadhus
and religious men had pitched
"When the steady chitta becomes void of matter and form, the Lord in it appears as formless, but it is not the last truth. Beyond the endless formless is experienced the pleasing form, it is not illusive, it is the eternal, living truth, which is seen very rarely by the very rare ones, who are the liberated ones---stationed according
"The learned master, initiates the disciple as per his qualities and his capabilities. If the disciple follows the instructions truly and dutifully, he attains perfection by it. A desireless condition is availed by perfection----which is possible in the Paravastha of Kriya. There are different kinds of Kriya acts, the able master does not teach them all at a time,
only
Ramakrishna was walking in the garden at Dakshineswar when he passed into an ecstatic mood, fell and dislocated a bone in his left arm. M., who visited him a few days later, on February 2nd, tells how Ramakrishna addressed the Divine Mother like a reproachful child, `Why did you do this to me, Mother? Just look
at my arm -
In the middle of the eyebrows, at the root of the nasal passage, is the abode of Nectar; if one abides there - the One Who resides there - it is He that is Eternal; He is Omnipresent; thus Supreme.
- Lahiri Mahasaya from KRISHNA-YAJURVEDIYA-DHYANABINDU UPANISHAD verse 23, The Scriptural Commentaries of Yogiraj Sri Sri Shyama Charan Lahiri Mahasaya Volume
"The Kriya Yogi endeavours to constantly remain immersed in the holy sound Pranava, the Omkara; and the deeper the concentration attained in this effort the quicker is he able to get over the attributes of senses and ultimately above the veil of Maya, Delusion."
- Sri Sailendra Bejoy Dasgupta, Kriya Yoga, Yoga Niketan, Inc.
***
"The type of sound that is heard
No. 81:
Sri Guru’s letter:
For many, in two hours of pranayam, not even two correct pranayams take place. Mantraheenam adakshinam. Tat tamasam udahritam. “Dakshina” = To remain steadfast in the post-Kriya state in its peace. Many don’t even pay any attention to this. Not reviewing initiation and instruction from time to time causes all sorts of problems.
Instead of doing 5
In order to reach that Brahmarandhra, one has to diligently ascend, Chakra by Chakra to the Bhrumadhya (center of the eyebrows).
- Shri JnanendranathMukhopadyay from the introduction to Pranab Gita
To move prana in each of the chakras from Muladhara to Ajna as instructed by Gurudeva is the karmakanda of sadhana
- Swami Pranabananda Giriji Maharaj from Pranab Gita, Chapter 3, Verse
By Pranayam, raising from one Chakra to another and finally to Ajna Chakra, by withdrawal of Karmas, one also abandons the Prana-karma effortlessly. Then one attains Shama-peace.
- Swami Pranabananda Giriji Maharaj from Pranab Gita, Chapter 6, Verse 3 (English translation copyright of Yoga Niketan, Inc)
***
Because, during the stage without proper Kriya, the paths in all the nerve channels (naadis)
"Kapidvaja" - At the time of Kriya, the tongue needs to be inverted and brought above through the nasal-orifice, cross the mucus membrane and its tip should be kept in a slightly tilted position toward the left side (this automatically tilts) and this state of the sadhaka is called Kapidvaja, the flag or banner with a monkey.
- Swami Pranabananda
I turned my breath inwards, and pierced through the six chakras of the body, and my awareness was centered on the Primal Void of the Absolute Lord
- Sri Guru Granth Sahib Ji - Ang 333
***
"According to Sadguru's instructions, uniting the moon-like sattvic mind to the totality of rajoguna manifesting in the prana vayu [prana airs] and working this united
I would like to tell you just a bit about the Guru of my Guru, the highly revered Swami Sri Yukteshvar Giriji Maharaj and His lofty brother disciple, Swami Pranabananda (Pranavananda) Giriji Maharaj. Both stellar and true disciples of the Yogiraj Shri Shri Shyama Charan Lahiri Mahasaya. Swami Satyananda describes
in his writings how these two saints and guru-brothers had
Dada Mukherjee writes this about his Guru, Neem Karoli Baba:
"Many persons have felt that Babaji's (Neem Karoli Baba) methods of making and remaking the lives of his devotees were often very hard and sometimes appeared to lack mercy. This, of course, was not true. The whole basis of his work was nothing but mercy-kripa for the helpless and forsaken
Mirabai had sung this:
Sister, the sound of the flute
Has driven me crazy.
Without Hari, nothing avails
On hearing the sounds
I lose body-consciousness,
My heart well caught in the meshes of the net.
The magic of those seven notes
Has entrapped even Mira’s Lord Himself
-The Devotional Poems of Mirabai translated by A.J.Alston
Also this :
On the banks of the Yamuna
The flute was heard.
The Flute-Player has captured
"One who performs Omkar Kriya with utterance - meaning performing pranayam from the door at the region of the anus to the eyebrows - he can see the Face in Kutastha."
- MANU SAMHITA OR MANU-RAHASYA (Meaning - spiritual commentary on selected slokas of the Manu Samhita) Spiritual Commentary
by YOGIRAJ SRI SRI SHYAMA CHARAN, Chapter 2, Verse 81, The Scriptural
'Once there came a sadhu here,' Ramakrishna would recall, `who had a beautiful glow on his face. He just sat and smiled. Twice a day, once in the morning and once in the evening, he'd come out of his room and look around. He'd look at the trees, the bushes, the sky and the Ganges, and he'd raise his
“The Devi (Kundalini) reaches the Ajna Chakra, where Parama Shiva, Siddha-Kali , the Devi Guna and all else therein are absorbed into Her body. The Bija of Akasja, “Hang”, is merged in the manas chakra and mind itself in the body of Kundalini.
After this chakra has been pierced , Kundalini of Her
own motion unites with Parama Shiva.
This is the
...doing Kriya -- cold air (vayu) moves within and outside the spine.
- Lahiri Mahasaya from Gita Commentary 10:25, Yoga Niketan
***
Or here is another translation of the same verse:
Eternal kootasth (vibration) - doing kriya the cool air goes in and out of the meru.
[Comment: Meru is defined at the end of the commentary on this verse as “spinal cord”]
- Spiritual
"When the steady chitta becomes void of matter and form, the Lord in it appears as formless, but it is not the last truth. Beyond the endless formless is experienced the pleasing form, it is not illusive, it is the eternal, living truth, which is seen very rarely by the very rare ones, who are the liberated
ones---stationed according to
By Pranayam, raising from one Chakra to another and finally to Ajna Chakra, by withdrawal of Karmas, one also abandons the Prana-karma effortlessly. Then one attains Shama-peace.
- Swami Pranabananda Giriji Maharaj from Pranab Gita, Chapter 6, Verse 3 (English translation copyright of Yoga Niketan, Inc)
***
"The learned master, initiates the disciple as per his qualities and his capabilities. If the
Dhūl-Nūn Abū l-Fayḍ Thawbān b. Ibrāhīm al-Miṣrī (Arabic: ذو النون المصري; d. Giza, in 245/859 or 248/862), often referred to as Dhūl-Nūn al-Miṣrī or Zūl-Nūn al-Miṣrī for short, was an early Egyptian Muslim mystic and ascetic of Nubian origin. Born in Upper Egypt in 796, Dhul-Nun is said to have made some study of the scholastic
disciplines of alchemy, medicine,
With the support of perseverance, guiding the intelligence, i.e., by being alert every moment ( continuously- all the time) while performing the kriya as instructed by Sri Gurudeva, mind has to be lifted upward i.e., the mind has to be gradually withdrawn from the vishayas. Slowly and slowly, meaning by not performing the kriyas
in a hurried manners but step
Kabir (translated by Rabindranath Tagore):
“The shadows of evening fall thick
and deep,and the darkness of love
envelopes the body and mind.
Open the window to the west, and be
lost in the sky of love;
Drink the sweet honey that steeps the
petals of the lotus of the heart.
Receive the waves in your body: what
splendor is in the region of the
sea!
Hark! The sounds of conches
In the year 1884 Naren's (the future Swami Vivekananda) father died of a heart attack. It was found that he was very much in debt. The family was in financial ruin. Naren was the oldest son and so the financial responsibility fell upon his shoulder's. He searched everywhere for work but met with refusal. Walking everywhere looking for work
There is a certain kind of Revelatory Light in the par avastha of Kriya, where there is neither day nor night -- it is in that Light where the heart goes completely;being imbued with that Essence one is like a thoroughly inebriated drunkard, having turned the heart from all other directions and being enraptured by
That Substance; thus, all of
"Bedecked with blossoms
as the new foliage swayed,
the bees hummed
and the honey-queen drank.
The new born Kokilas
sang the 5th note
and the lovers were caressed
by the sandalwood wind......
Each seeing the other
each was possessed--
each becoming the other"
- Balaramdas, Translated by Deben Bhattacharya, “Songs of Krishna”
< the bees hummed
and the honey-queen drank<
“While focusing within the kutastha steadily, offering the oblation of prana with Atma-Mantra
"I had gone to the Yamuna
To fetch water,
When along came Krishna Murari.
The little monkey stole my sari,
And I was left standing naked
In the water.
My companions all laughed
And clapped their hands to see my plight.
Mira’s Lord is the courtly Guiridhara
She offers herself in sacrifice
To His lotus feet."
- Mirabai (Translation of A.J. Alston, The Devotional Poems of Mirabai)
***
"The middle region of
"I have learned the Sanskrit language, so let all men call me wise:
But where is the use of this, when I am floating adrift, and parched with thirst, and burning with the heat of desire?
To no purpose do you bear on your head this load of pride and vanity.
Kabîr says: "Lay it down in the dust, and go forth to meet the
Song of Solomon:
O my dove, that art in the clefts of the rock, in the secret places of the stairs, let me see thy countenance, let me hear thy voice; for sweet is thy voice
I sleep, but my heart waketh: it is the voice of my beloved that knocketh, saying, Open to me, my sister, my love, my dove,
XV II. 57. Where Spring, the lord of the seasons, reigneth, there the Unstruck Music sounds of itself, There the streams of light flow in all directions;directions; Few are the men who can cross to that shore!
- Kabir, Songs of Kabir (Rabindranath Tagore translation)
***
By doing samyama on the Light in the forehead (Yoni Mudra),* one sees the perfected beings.
The following is from Breath of Devotion by Shri Balaji, available on our web library:
The hidden banner is planted in
the temple of the sky; there the
blue canopy decked with the moon
and set with bright jewels is spread.
There the light of the sun and the
moon is shining; still your mind
to silence before that splendor.
Kabir says: "He who has drunk of
From Kabir:
“There the sky is filled with music;
There it rains nectar;
There the harp strings jingle, and there
The drums beat.
What a secret splendour is there, in the
Mansion of the sky!
There no mention is made of the rising
And the setting of the sun”
***
“I have known in my body the sport of
the universe; I have escaped
the error of this world.
The inward and
"By rechak Kriya, sadhakas take the pranavayu residing above in the sushumna and offer it as oblation into the apanavayu residing at the bottom of the spine, and again by purak Kriya they lift the apanavayu from below and merge it into the pranavayu above. This has been mentioned in the yogashastras as "kevali pranayam."
By this, the movement of
Yoga Niketan is pleased to announce that the updated 3rd Edition of Kriya Stories has now been released. Many of the stories have been added to and expanded upon and new important information and chapters have been added to the book. For all those who have bought a Kindle version of the book,
the new update will be automatically downloaded
This is the Preface to the 3rd Edition of Kriya Stories, written by Shri Balaji Maharaj:
Rubbing in-breath and out-breath, like rubbing two sticks, will make heat and make a fire. This “fire” becomes visible as light between the eyebrows.
One is to “place the maiden” (reveal the Kutastha) in the circle (circular light between the eyebrows) and pierce that Yoni
One heard much of certain so-called holy men who possessed repute of having acquired deep wisdom and strange powers; so one travelled through scorching days and sleepless nights to find them—only to find well-intentioned fools, scriptural slaves, venerable know-nothings, money-seeking conjurers,
jugglers with a few tricks, and pious frauds.
- A Search In Secret India, Paul Brunton
Adventurous clerical charlatans often illiterate
"A man has come to me from a country
Where there is no night,
And now I cannot distinguish day from
night any longer;
Rituals and devotions have all grown
profitless for me.
My sleep is broken: how can I sleep
any more?
For now I am wide awake in the sleeplessness
of Yoga.
O Divine Mother, made one with Thee in
Yoga-sleep at last,
My slumber I have lulled asleepfor
Paul Brunton in his wonderful book describes this conversation with a true Yogi:
"This (Yoga path)is too serious to become the mere sport of a man’s leisure hours.”
I see my chances of becoming a Yogi fade swiftly into nothing. I regretfully realize that the full system, with its many years of difficult training, its rigorous and austere discipline, is not
"Stilling the intellect and keeping mind transfixed in the Bindu, the stoppage that comes about from continuously gazing on the one Star is called “samadhi.”
- Lahiri Mahasaya’s Patanjali Yoga Sutra commentary, The Scriptural Commentaries
of YogirajSri Sri Shyama Charan Lahiri Mahasaya Volume 1, Yoga Niketan Inc
"The Seed of the Yoni Mudra – meaning: the Star in the dark form that
...doing Kriya -- cold air (vayu) moves within and outside the spine.
- Lahiri Mahasaya from Gita Commentary 10:25, Yoga Niketan
***
Or here is another translation of the same verse:
Eternal kootasth (vibration) - doing kriya the cool air goes in and out of the meru.
[Comment: Meru is defined at the end of the commentary on this verse as “spinal cord”]
- Spiritual
omkarapurvikastisro mahavyahritayohvyayah tripadachaiva savitrivijneyam brahmanomukham -2:81-
[Commentary:] 81) One who performs Omkar Kriya with utterance - meaning performing pranayam from the door at the region of the anus to the eyebrows - he can see the Face in Kutastha.
- Lahiri Mahasaya from Manu, The Scriptural Commentaries of Yogiraj Sri Sri Shyama Charan Lahiri Mahasaya Volume 1, Yoga Niketan
***
Making vayu like
The abode that is cool, and the place where the Star can be seen, in which there is “prayag” - meaning the union of Triveni [confluence of the three rivers] - that is called “madhyadesha” [middle-land]
- Lahiri Mahasaya from Manu 2:21, The Scriptural Commentaries of Yogiraj Sri Sri Shyama Charan Lahiri Mahasaya Volume 1, Yoga Niketan
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When samana vayu expands,
"We were privileged, in Puri, to be able to visit Sri Bhupen Sanyal Mahasaya, a direct disciple of Lahiri Mahasaya, and to meditate in his presence every evening. I was told on a number of occasions that Lahiri Mahasaya used to bestow the higher Kriya initiations according