Experiences Attributable to Spiritual Devotion

In Bhakti yoga certain observable bodily changes may take place. They are described in Narada's Bhakti Sutras, and there are also references to them in the Ramayana, the Mahabharata, the Srimad Bhagavata Maha Purana, and various other religious works of the Hindu tradition. They are known as the ashta sattvika vikara, or the eight purifying changes. These devotional symptoms do not appear in all yoga practitioners, but neither are they particularly uncommon. Because many people experience them spontaneously in the company of a spiritual master; or when chanting or singing devotional songs, or from mystical experiences that occur in sadhana, from religious ceremonies, or even from reading scriptures or the lives of saints, it is important for yoga teachers and practitioners to understand them. They also can be seen among aspirants in a variety of spiritual paths including some shamanic traditions, where they are often interpreted as evidence of voluntary possession by a deity or benign spirit.



But according to yoga, the ashta sattivika vikara occur because the emotions of devotion interact with certain pranic flows in the chakras of the subtle body and begin to purify the body-mind complex. Each of the five lower chakras controls the manifestation of energy into one of the five states of matter: solid, liquid, luminous, gaseous, and pure space. When emotions arise, they interact with the energies of these five centers, and the result is physical expression of an emotional state. When the emotions of love or longing for God or spirituality arise, the resulting expressions are considered positive because they purify the subtle nerve channels, or nadis.



The concentration of prana rotates every hour among the five lower chakras. The first of these ashta sattvika vikara is called stambha, meaning "stunned." It occurs when devotional feelings arise while prana is concentrated in the solid or "earth" element, at the muladhara chakra (at the base of the spine). The body becomes still and cannot move, and the mind and breath may be temporarily inactivated as well. If the prana is concentrated in the liquid or "water element" at the svadhishthana chakra when a strong devotional feeling arises, another of the ashta sattvika vikara, called ashru (weeping), can occur. It is said that the tears of devotion are cool and come from the outside corners of the eyes, unlike tears of anger or bitterness which come out of the center of the eyes or the inside corners. Ashru is seen often in ashrams where there is a great deal of devotional sentiment; people find themselves spontaneously crying without understanding why.



When the prana is concentrated in the manipura chakra, where the luminous or "fire element" resides, two expressions of purifying change are possible. One of these is called baivarna - the skin can radically change from one color to another, and the devotee may feel quite tired. The other is sveda, or sweat. Great heat can be created in the body, causing copious, spontaneous sweating, "as if," in the words of Baba Hari Dass, "the person just stepped out of the water." When the prana is concentrated in the anahata chakra, the seat of the gaseous or "air element," a variety of changes can happen: spontaneous rapid breathing or trembling, called kampa; or blocking of the voice so that one cannot speak and only hoarse sounds come out (svarbanga); or pulaka, when the hairs on the scalp prickle or stand up, goosebumps arise on the skin, and there is a feeling of joy in the heart. When the prana is concentrated in the vishuddha chakra (located at the base of the neck), an experience called pralaya can take place. The body faints, and if standing, it may fall to the floor. Other bhavas, such as unconscious dancing, singing in ecstasy, chills, and release of mucus from the throat and head, can sometimes be observed; about these, Baba Hari Dass has written: "These are natural processes of purifying the body, mind, and nerves. Ancient yogis recognized that intense sattvic emotions were inherently strong in only a few, rare people, and so they developed other means whereby anyone can purify the body and awaken kundalini, for example, through the practices of hatha yoga (pranayama, shat karma, mudra, etc.)."


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Kripalu Maharaj Lecture Summary 29 OCt 2007

Memory is weak nowadays of people. They forget quickly. Hence its important that they keep revising/reviewing mentally what all they have listened. ( Manana karna)
Review like ok he said this and then this and then this.
Slowly the knowledge will become stable.
Unless you have achieved God, dont think you have learnt or understood completely.
I have told you many times that Radha-Krishna is sitting in your heart and noting all your ideas. still you all forget.

Be alert like a new driver driving a car. This sanskar has lots of crowd to evoke bad thoughts in you. Be alert always. A second of careless then lead to accident and death. same way a second of careless may make us do very big pap ( bad karma)

Maharaji then gives example of a cow.

I saw a cow sitting outside yesterday. She was chewing food and also constantly using her tail to fan her body so that mosqitios dont sit and bite her.

Imp points
-----------
1. Constantly keep on putting efforts without a gap of second.

Kripalu Maharaj Lecture Summary 23 OCt 2007

where ever our interest is ..
we will get attached there automatically

A girl before marriage has interest in her parent house
A girl after marriage has interest in her husband house.

There is only 1 mind
If your mind is not getting attached to God
then it means it is attached to World.

you will have to leave wordly attachement
not by reading
but by buddhi
paccka gayan
continous and again and again think

in short..
whatever materialistic activitiy you do..
think of its temporary nature of happiness
and think of permenant nature of hapinesss of God

Cigrate smoking..
initially you take it some time
and then become addicted

then God is divine love power
initially you keep trying attaching your self
and when you start getting that ananad
you get attached firmly

Today Lecture Aaj Tak Summar ( Kripalu Maharaj)

Narada says guna ( quality based love) is false love
look below you and be happy.

2 imp points related to practise
1. roopdhyan ( alone)
2. realize even while doing work that they are in me.and watching me..

measure ( if you are really progressing )
1. you should feel that lust, anger, greed are slowly reducing.

Guru

1. To those who are constantly devoted to serving Me with love, I give the understanding by which they can come to Me ( Gita 10-10)

2. "Those who investigate the nature of this world with their own
efforts manage to lift themselves up even without the help of a
guru. The self (atma) is one's real guru and guide, and man is
fully capable of arriving at his own good by both direct
perception and inference." (Shrimad Bhagavata Purana: 11.7.20)

3. One must deliver himself with the help of his mind, and not degrade himself. The mind is the friend of the conditioned soul, and his enemy as well. ( Gita 6-5)

4. (Swami Vivekananda)
"You cannot teach anyone, but somebody may learn from you."
(Swami Vivekananda)

One who is ready to learn can learn from anywhere. The Sanskrit
word for 'university' is "Vishva-Vidyalaya", Vishva connoting the
world and vidyalaya meaning a temple of knowledge, offering the
whole world as a potential teacher before us.

However, don't try to become a python overnight, but do always
keep in mind the highest goal of life - attaining the immortal
through the mortal (human body).


5. Śrīla Jīva Gosvāmī states in this connection, gurv-anusaraṇe pravartaka ity arthaḥ: the knowledge acquired by one's own perception and intelligence leads one to appreciate the value of the representative of Lord Kṛṣṇa

Kripalu Maharaji Lecure Summary ( Personal notes)

sambandha= complete relation from all sides and for ever.

1. think again and again of the samband

gaurang Prabhu says
1. sambandha-jnana : Knowledge of the relationship of soul with the God (Krishna)
2. abhidehya-jnana : Knowledge of the actions/service in that relationship ( Bhakti)
3. pryojana-jnana : Knowledge of the result of such action/service ( Prema)

everyone knows how to love.. u love parent, brother, sister, wife

love with sanskar : kam
love with God : prem

realize they are looking and observing as all the time..
destroy the privacy
challenge the radha-krishna that i am good.. all the time..

its only intial practise.. then its easy

pralad.. God is there siting inside your heart..
God says just make relations with me.
God says dont try to understand me with mind
when antahkaran is fully purified..then Guru gives premadhan then all understanding becomes complete

Self-surrender to Mother Radha

Whether she likes this work ? Whether she likes my comment ? Whether she affirms this thought?" Thus we should attach our body, mind and speech with Her presence. This is called Self-Surrender. Service of Mother by surrender is noblest of all services.