— Of the Form of Guru.
— Leads devotee to Highest state of Liberation.

"Satchidananda alone is the Guru. If a man in the form of a guru awakens spiritual consciousness in you, then know for certain that it is God the Absolute who has assumed that human form for your sake. The guru is like a companion who leads you by the hand. After realizing God, one loses the distinction between the guru and the disciple. The relationship between them remains as long as the disciple does not see God."

"Dakshinâműrti, The Silent Guru Of Gurus
 (by Adi Sankara).

 vishvam darpanadrushyamânanagarîthulyam nijântargatam
pashyannâtmani mâyayâ bahirivodbhootam yathâ nidrayâ|
yah sâkshât kurutę prabôdhasamayę swâtmânamęvâdvayam
tasmai srî guruműrtayę nama idam srî dakshinâműrthayę ||

 I offer my salutations to that beneficent Being who is incarnate as the Preceptor (Guru).
He, the Atman, appearing as the individual soul through the power of ignorance, sees (in the waking state) — as one does in sleep — the Universe,
Which in reality exists within himself, as something external, like a city seen reflected in a mirror.
But in his enlightened state he realises his own self, the one without a second.

yasyaiva sphuranam sadatmakamastakalpârthakam bhâsatę
sâkshât tatvamasîti vędavachasâ yô bodhayatyâshritân |
yat sâkshât karanâdbhavęnna punarâvrittirbhavâmbhônidhau
tasmai srî guruműrtayę nama idam srî dakshinâműrtayę ||

 I offer my salutations to that beneficent Being who is incarnate as the Preceptor (Guru),
The light of whose absolute existence shines forth in the world of appearance,
Who imparts to the disciple the holy teaching 'That Thou Art',
Upon realising which the soul never again returns to the ocean of birth and death."

Ramakrishna on Guru

" Ramakrishna was one of the greatest mystics to grace the Indian subcontinent in recent times. He taught more by his life than by words. In the following passages he describes the traits of a true teacher in his characteristic and inimitable style of making analogies with everyday events.

Who is a True Teacher?

 He alone is a true teacher who is illuminated by the light of true knowledge. As many people have merely heard of ice but not seen it, so many religious preachers have only read in books about the attributes of God, but not realised them for themselves. And as many others have seen ice but not tasted it, so many religious teachers have obtained only a glimpse of divine glory but have not understood its real essence. Only he who has tasted the ice can say what it is like. Similarly, he alone can describe the attributes of God, who has associated with him and his different aspects in the relationship of a servant, a friend and a lover, and has realised his oneness with him in complete absorption in him. . . .

Conception of the Guru

 Who is whose Guru (spiritual guide and teacher)? God alone is the guide and Guru of the Universe.

He who considers his Guru to be merely human, what good can he derive from his prayers and devotions? We should not consider our Guru to be a mere man. Before the disciples see the Deity, he sees the Guru in the first vision of Divine illumination. And it is the Guru who afterwards shows the Deity, being himself mysteriously transformed into the form of the Deity. Then the disciple sees the Guru and the Deity as one and the same. Whatever boon the disciple asks, the deified Guru gives him all, yea, the Guru even takes him to the highest bliss of Nirvana (the state of extinction of individuality in God). Or, the disciple may choose to remain in a dualistic state of consciousness, maintaining the relation of the worshipper and the worshipped. Whatever he asks, his Guru vouchsafes him.

The human Guru whispers the sacred formula (mantra) in the ear; the divine Guru breathes the spirit into the soul.

The Guru is a mediator. He brings man and God together, even as a match-maker brings together the lover and the beloved.

A Guru is like the mighty Ganges. Men throw all filth and refuse into the Ganges, but the holiness of the river is not diminished by thereby. So is the Guru above all petty insult and censure. . . .

Necessity of having a Guru

What is the necessity of calling a particular man our Guru instead of calling everyone who teaches us something by that designation?

When going to a strange country, one must abide by the directions of the guide, who knows the way. Taking the advice of many would lead to utter confusion. So in trying to reach God one must implicitly follow the advice of one single Guru who knows the way to God.

At a game of chess, the on-lookers can tell what the correct move is, better than the players themselves. Men of the world think that they are very clever, but they are attached to the things of the world — money, honours, sense pleasures, etc. As they are actually engaged in the play, it is hard for them to hit upon the right move. Holy men who have given up the world are not attached to the worldly objects. They are like the on-lookers at a game of chess. They see things in their true light and can judge better than the men of the world. Hence in living the holy life, one must put faith only in the words of those who meditate upon God and who have realised Him. If you seek legal advice, will you not consult lawyers who are in the profession? Surely, you will not take the advice of a man in the street.

If you are in right earnest to learn the mysteries of God, He will send you the Sadguru, the right teacher. You need not trouble yourself about finding out a Guru. He who can himself approach God with sincerity, earnest prayer and deep longing, needs no Guru. But such deep yearning soul is very rare; hence the necessity of a Guru."

607) Sri Devesi

— Queen of Devas i.e. Divine Forces.

615) Sri Adi-Shaktih

— Primal Power.
— The First Cause.

616) Sri Ameya

— Immeasurable.

615) Sri Atma

"According to Indian Philosophy, there are three levels in the mind: conscious, the subconscious and the superconscious (also called unconscious), working respectively in waking state, in dream state and dreamless sleep. In the last state, the mind and the senses, both are sleeping and therefore senses do not play any part. The mind is one with the non-material stuff of the universe.. In this state distinction between the subject and the object of the seer and the seen, disappears. The object merges into the subject itself and becomes one with it. The nature of the subject is that of consciousness. The subject is self or pure consciousness, eternal and changeless, nondual and Absolute. Here the soul merges into the mind. This nondual self or Atma of the third stage is described as of the nature of the pure existence or consciousness and bliss called sat-chit-anand. All this universe is this Self. So God is Universal Consciousness and Spirit of which the consciousness and spirit of each individual is a tiny part. Spake Guru Nanak: — "God is ever Truth, Beauty, Consciousness and Bliss." (P. 4, A.D.)

The self of man is a part of God, the Supreme Spirit which is all pervasive in living and nonliving things. It is the infinite background of all the energies of the universe. This Supreme Spirit merges into the Universal Consciousness pervading in the minds of the individuals. Thus the Supreme Spirit and pure Super- consciousness both pervade the whole universe. This Immanent spirit is God and therefore we can say that God is Supreme Spirit and Universal Consciousness, the one ultimate of the whole universe, the Truth."

620) Sri Aneka-koti-brahmanda-Janani

— Mother of all Universes.
— Her mind creates Universes at Will.

621) Sri Divya-vigraha

— Represents the Battle of the Divine Forces against Evil.

Allah has decreed: "It is I and My messengers (of Al-Qiyamah) who must prevail": 
For Allah is One full of strength, able to enforce His Will.
Thou will not find any people who believe in Allah and the Last Day, 
Loving those who resist Allah and His Messenger,
Even though they were their fathers or their sons, or their brothers or their kindred.
For such He has written Faith in their hearts, 
And strengthened them with a Spirit from Himself.
And he will admit them to Gardens, beneath which Rivers flow, to dwell therein (forever.)
Allah will be well pleased with them, and they with Him. 
They are the Party of Allah.
Truly it is the Party of Allah that will achieve Felicity.

637) Sri Visva-Garbha

— Mother of the Universe.
— Entire Universe within Her.

"He who is the Lord of the Universe will teach everyone. 
He alone will teach us, who has created this universe . . .
The Lord has done so many things — 
Will He not show people the way to worship Him?
If they need teaching, then He will be the Teacher. He is our Inner Guide."

642) Sri Aparicchedya

— Indivisible.

646) Sri Satyananda-svarupini

— Of the Nature of Truth and Bliss.

"And here it will be fitting to introduce the sages’ defination of the term truth. It has been earlier demonstrated that without such a defination men wander in a dry wilderness of hollow fancies, unfounded opinions, worthless theories and hypostatized words. This defination may sound quite simple, but it implications are most profound. It should be graven deeply on the heart. Here it is: TRUTH is that which is beyond all contradiction and free from all doubt; which is indeed beyond the very possibility of both contradiction and doubt; beyond the changes and alternations of time and vicissitude; forever one and the same, unalterable and unaltering; universal and therefore independent of all human ideation."

"All things in the phenomenal world are endowed with five characteristics: existence, cognizability (that which makes one aware of the existence of a thing), attraction, form, and name. Of these, the first three (corresponding to Sat, Chit, and Anand, or Existence, Knowledge, and Bliss) belong to Brahman, which is the basis of everything and the other two, to the relative world. The characteristics of Existence, Knowledge, and Bliss are equally present in all material elements, animals, men, angels, and gods. These constitute their unchanging basis. It is the illusory name and form that make one thing appear to be different from another. . .

It may be contended that there is a real difference between the Lord and the individual soul, and between the different souls themselves; so how can one establish the non-duality of Brahman? The answer: the difference is not real, but due to illusory superimposition."

"When confronted with himself, when beginning to enter into the poised state of contemplation, when at peace with himself and at the threshold of realization, Man has this tremendous desire to be this and that, to become this and that, to be involved in every process and to be present everywhere. It is not so much the hankering for power which drives Man, as some moralists would have us believe, much less a simply hedonistic urge; on the contrary, it is this existential desire to be and thus to be everything and, in the last instance, to Be, not just to share a part or to be present in a corner of the banquet of life and existence, but to be active at the very core of reality, in the divine center itself whence all emerges and is directed. "Let me have a self!" is another refrain. The wise Man, described time and again in the shruti, is not the escapist and unfriendly solitary, but the full Man who, having realized his own limitations, knows how to enter into the infinite ocean of sat, cit, and ananda, of being, consciousness, and joy."

651) Sri Vijnatri

— Source of All Knowledge.

"CULTIVATION OF KNOWLEDGE CULTIVATION OF WISDOM

O mad man, you have not obtained spiritual wisdom and meditation. You have wasted this human life, and lost (sggs 793).

Forgetting the Naam, one rots away in egotistical pride. Without the Naam, what is the use of spiritual wisdom and meditation? (sggs 904).

Spiritual wisdom wells up, and evil- mindedness departs; the nucleus of the mind sky is drenched with Ambrosial Nectar. One who knows the secret of this device, meets the Supreme Divine Guru (sggs 974).

Apply the ointment of spiritual wisdom to your eyes. The Shabad is the lamp which illuminates the three worlds; it slaughters the five demons (sggs 1113).

One must be in light to know the darkness. Similarly, we must be established in spiritual wisdom to know the ignorance (mental conditioning, ego, etc.). Under the spell of ignorance, we have adorned our soul and inert body with the clothing of concepts and conditioning. Until they are removed, we will be unable to see our Beloved Lord. Accordingly, scriptures roar us to jump into the fire of knowledge. This fire will burn all.

Gurmukh hovai so giaan tat beechaarai hayumai Shabad jalaae: One who becomes Gurmukh contemplates the essence of spiritual wisdom; through the Shabad, he burns away his egotism (sggs 946).

To remain established in Self-Knowledge is Jeevan Mukti (liberation). When this state of wisdom is disturbed or agitated by distraction, there arise egotism and bondage. This leads to the question: How can one ascend to this state of the essence of spiritual wisdom? The Gurbani (Sri Guru Granth Sahib, SGGS) describes us steps for its attainment; knowing them one can free himself from delusion. These steps include:

Pure yearning for wisdom
Vichaar or practice of inquiry
Mental subtlety
Abiding in truth
Total detachment
Cessation of the perception of duality
Going beyond all these

As the saying goes: "We are what we think." If our heart is filled with pure yearning or intention for attaining wisdom, it will manifest. If we don't, it will not happen. It's that simple. This is the first step. The mind will always do what it is trained to do. Our body is like a chariot, and the mind is the driver. For example, if one tells this mind to take him to a spiritual assembly (Satsang), it will take him there. On the other hand, if one asks this driver to take him to a liquor house, he will end up in a liquor bar or pub! Therefore, with pure wish or intention, we must yearn for freedom from ego and bondage. Otherwise, mental delusion is guaranteed!

Shabad Vichaar or inquiry of the Self is the love with the Self. Accordingly, the Gurbani has laid utmost importance and emphasis on Vichaar or Self-Inquiry (i.e., discussion, reflection, contemplation, deliberation, direct observation, etc.). Intuitive Shabad Vichaar cleanses one's mind by removing doubts, thereby, making it fit for receiving spiritual wisdom and intuitive understanding of the Word, Waheguru. Therefore, like our natural act of breathing that continues until our last breath, we must constantly be engaged in Vichaar every moment of our life.

With the sincere practice of the preceding two steps, one develops dispassion for material attachment. As a result, the mind becomes subtle and transparent. Without gaining such intuitive balance of the mind, as the Gurbani says, we will render ourselves spiritually blind in this world.

Pareeyai guneeyai Naam sabh suneeyai anabhayu bhaayu na darsai: People read, hear and reflect upon all the Names of God; but without the intuitional realization, they can not see the Lord, the embodiment of love (sggs 973)

When all these three are well practiced, the seeker naturally turns away from the sense pleasures. With the natural turning away from these sense pleasures comes mind's natural dwelling in the truth; the Lord's Name. The so-called impurity or contamination of the mind is nothing but its attachment to sense pleasures. All the pleasures of Maya are tasteless and insipid. In the end, they all fade away. Power, wealth, various pleasures, and enjoyments, all are just like the shadow of a tree. We run around in many directions in hope to capture this shadow, but all of our pursuits are useless because everything we desire appears transitory. Except for the Lord of the Universe, everything is untrue and have no place in the pure Consciousness.

With the practice of these four comes the total detachment (complete control of mind). With the detachment from the falsehood arises the conviction of the true nature of the Absolute Truth. In other words, detachment from Maya (un-Real) constitutes attachment to Supreme Reality (Truth).

With the mastery over these five comes the cessation of the perception of duality and diversity within and outside. Then one abides and rejoices in one's own Self. This is the direct spiritual experience.

After cessation of duality, only the Pure Consciousness remains. All other supports, divisions, or diversities cease to be. The spontaneous, natural and unbroken knowledge of the Self shines forth. This is the state of Jeevan Mukata; living liberated while incarnated in this body. This is the transcendental state. By ascending these seven steps, one attains the essence of spiritual wisdom, and becomes a holy person. This state of highest consciousness (Turiyaa Avasthaa) can be attained by all, for it involves only the rise of spiritual wisdom.

Dekho bhaayee gaan kee aayee andhee......: Behold, O brother, the storm of spiritual wisdom has come. It has totally blown away the thatched huts of doubt, and torn apart the bonds of Maya. The two pillars of double-mindedness have fallen, and the beams of emotional attachment have come crashing down. The thatched roof of greed has caved in, and the pitcher of evil-mindedness has been broken (sggs 331).

One may read about wisdom, one may talk about wisdom, one may even externally look wise; but in reality, he may be just cultivating ignorance instead! For example, a painted pot of nectar can not be nectar, a painted flame can not be fire, and a painting of a person can not be a person. Similarly, wise words are mere words unless they are substantiated by the inner transformation. This leads to a question: What is the proof of wisdom? The real proof of wisdom is the absence of desire for sense gratification or evil-mindedness ( i.e., lust, anger, greed, attachment, pride, and enviousness).

Nangaa giaan nahee mukh baatayu. anik jugat sastar kari bhaatayu. giaanee soyi jaakai drir soyoo. kahat sunat kashoo yog na hoyoo: Spiritual wisdom is not obtained by mere words of mouth. It is not obtained through the various debates of the Shaastras and scriptures. They alone are spiritually wise, whose minds are firmly fixed on the Lord. By just hearing and telling stories, no one attains Yoga (sggs 251).

The true nature of our soul is pure wisdom. As such, the wisdom is always present within all beings. However, it becomes dormant due to mental conditioning. The spiritual practice such as contemplation on Shabad or Naam helps awaken this dormant condition.

Giaan dhyaan Gurshabad hai meethaa: Spiritual wisdom and meditation come to those unto whom the Gurus Shabad is sweet (sggs 162)."

652) Sri Vedya-Varjita

— The Knower and the Known.
— Nothing for Her to know.

654) Sri Yogada

— One who gives Union of individual soul with Cosmic Spirit.

"What Is the Nature of the Yoga Pada?

Yoga is internalized worship which leads to union with God. It is the regular practice of meditation, detachment and austerities under the guidance of a satguru through whose grace we attain the realization of Parashiva. Aum.

Yoga, "union," is the process of uniting with God within oneself, a stage arrived at through perfecting charya and kriya. As God is now like a friend to us, yoga is known as the sakha marga. This system of inner discovery begins with asana-sitting quietly in yogic posture-and pranayama, breath control. Pratyahara, sense withdrawal, brings awareness into dharana, concentration, then into dhyana, meditation. Over the years, under ideal conditions, the kundalini fire of consciousness ascends to the higher chakras, burning the dross of ignorance and past karmas. Dhyana finally leads to enstasy-first to savikalpa samadhi, the contemplative experience of Satchidananda, and ultimately to nirvikalpa samadhi, Parashiva. Truly a living satguru is needed as a steady guide to traverse this path. When yoga is practiced by one perfected in kriya, the Gods receive the yogi into their midst through his awakened, fiery kundalini. The Vedas enjoin the yogi, "With earnest effort hold the senses in check. Controlling the breath, regulate the vital activities. As a charioteer holds back his restive horses, so does a persevering aspirant restrain his mind." "

"The word Atman is generally rendered here as "Soul" or "Self." The Sanskrit word really cannot be translated. Atman is the deathless, birthless, eternal, and real Substance in every individual. It is the unchanging Reality behind the changing body, sense-organs, mind, and ego. It is Spirit, which is Pure Consciousness and is unaffected by time, space, and causality; therefore It is limitless and One without a second. As the unchanging Reality in the individual is called Atman, so the unchanging Reality in the universe is called Brahman. Brahman, too, is beyond time, space, and causality and is all-pervading Spirit. Vedanta states that Brahman and Atman are one and the same. The knowledge of this identity or non-difference is called Self-Knowledge, which confers upon man the boon of liberation from the bondage and suffering of the world.

Atman — as the jiva, or embodied soul — derives Its experience in the relative world through three states of consciousness. In the waking state It experiences the gross objects of the outside world; in the dream state It experiences subtle impressions, purely mental in nature and created by the experiences of the waking state; and in deep sleep It enjoys peace and remains as the witness of the absence of the activities of mind and senses. In this last state It is close to Its real nature and the subject-object relationship is absent; yet even here the Knowledge of the Self is obscured by the veiling-power of ignorance. There is the fourth state, called Turiya, which in reality is not a state; then Atman is realized as Pure Consciousness without any subject-object relationship. Turiya pervades all the three states and forms their substratum."

658) Sri Icchasakti-Jnana-Sakti-Kriya-Sakti- Svarupini

— The Power of Will, Knowledge and Action.
— The Force that Creates and Moves the Universe.

"Icha. There is a beautiful saying in the Shiva tradition that God created the world out of "His sweet will," which was gifted into Shakti’s hands. The Sanskrit word for will is icha, which also means "desire" or "intention." Will is the next level to emerge from bliss, because when you are full of joy, anything you intend or desire must be aligned with the divine. At this level there is no question of wrong desires or willful behavior that can harm yourself or anyone else. God can be compared to someone looking in a mirror that surrounds her on all sides, so that everywhere she gazes she sees her own reflection. There is nothing outside this to see, therefore anything God creates is just a modified form of Her own bliss. Icha is like the bow that shoots life outward, giving it a loving purpose and direction.

Gyana. Knowledge about God is of two kinds, direct and indirect. Indirectly we can read scriptures, listen to sermons, consult authorities, and from these sources build a reasonable case that God exists. But such a God transmits no love to earth. Therefore nothing substitutes for gyana, which is direct knowledge of the divine. Instead of having thoughts about God, you share God’s own thoughts. Her thoughts can only be about Herself. This isn’t cosmic self-centeredness, however. It confirms the fact that spiritual knowledge is essential; truth; trust; devotion, and love are inside our thoughts. Gyana is the mind in communion with spirit.

Kriya. The last Shakti is the most visible. When God acted She brought the material world into existence. Although both words mean "action," kriya is not the same as karma. Karma is action born of cause and effect; it is action that reinforces separation. Kriya is action inspired by spirit; it abolishes separation and brings communion. In India a holy person who has entered a trance would be exhibiting a kriya; the inspired words from his mouth, his hand gestures, facial expressions, even breathing would also be kriyas. Vedic scriptures contain thousands of descriptions detailing exactly which inward state is signified by which kriya (the smile of the Buddha and his uplifted thumb and forefinger touching are just two examples.) But in a broader sense the change of behavior exhibited by someone who has realized God, turning from violence to peace, from conflict to serenity, from egoism to altruism, is taking place in the realm of kriya. This is the last cascade of the divine into creation. The stillness of pure awareness cascade into bliss, bliss into will, will into knowledge, and finally knowledge into action. The fivefold nature of Shakti has revealed itself completely."

659) Sri Sarvadhara

— The Basis of All.

661) Sri Sadasad-rupadharini

— The Form of Existence and Non-existence.
— The Source of Reality and Unreality.

664) Sri Loka-yatra-vidhayini

— The One who determines the Life-Cycle of the Universe.

Sri Lalita Sahasranama
(Sri Lalita Sahasranama, C. S. Murthy, Assoc. Advertisers and Printers, 1989.)

665) Sri Ekakini

— Alone.

668) Sri Dvaita-varjita

— The Ultimate Reality beyond All Duality.

"God is Noumenon (Nam): God is the ultimate Reality or Truth, which is neither material nor mental but it is Universal Consciousness and Supreme Spirit merged together. The universe is the manifestation of the Supreme Spirit. Further God or the Supreme Spirit is Noumenon (Nam.) Noumenon means inner spirit. It is an unknown and unknowable substance or a thing as it is in itself. It is opposed to phenomenon or the form through which it becomes known to the senses or the understanding. So God is that spirit or essence which is called Nam.

In the history of man God has been given several names due to the difference in languages and the concepts of the people of particular sections or places such as Allah, Ishwar, Ram, Narayan, Bhagwan etc. It becomes difficult to depict the real nature of God by adopting any one of these names because the words used give different meanings. Different religions are not unanimous over the attributes of God as depicted by those names. Ishwar, for example, is the Determinate (Nirguna.) So the word 'Ishwar' does not convey the attributes of God as believed by Sikhism i.e. God as Nirguna as well as Sarguna. So Guru Nanak left all these names and called Him as Noumenon, Essence or Spirit that can not be known to the senses and that is to be kept in view while remembering Him. So Nam is the name of the essence and spirit of the Reality or God. The essence is always different from the apparent. It does not create controversies over the name."

669) Sri Annada

— The Giver of Food.
— Sustains Life and Consciousness.

671) Sri Vrddha

— The Oldest.

673) Sri Brhati

— The Immense Truth.

"Mystical theology, both in the East and in the West, has sometimes been divided over the issue whether the union with the divine is the result of one's unaided effort or supernatural grace.

The approaches to the divine or sacred are various rather than uniform. Moving through physical, intellectual, devotional, and symbolic rituals and disciplines, it moves toward the ultimate goal: the annihilation of the self, unio mystica ("mystical union") in Western Christianity, moksa ("salvation") in Hinduism, Nirvana (the State of Bliss) in Buddhism, and fana ("the snuffing out of self") in Islam. Though the words differ, the experiences are perhaps allied, if not the same. In a Sufi (Islamic mystical) poem the divine voice speaks exultantly:

Annihilate yourself gloriously and joyously in Me, 
And in Me you shall find yourself;
So long as you do not realize your nothingness, 
You will never reach the heights of immortality."

674) Sri Brahmi

— Wife of Sri Brahma i.e. Sri Saraswati, the Goddess of Speech.

678) Sri Bhasa-rupa

— In the Form of Languages.

We have sent it down as an Arabic Qur'an, in order that ye may learn wisdom.
We do relate unto thee the most beautiful of stories, in that We reveal to thee this Qur'an:
Before this, thou too was among those who knew it not.

Thus we have revealed it to be a judgement of authority in Arabic.¹⁸⁵⁹
Were thou to follow their (vain) desires after the knowledge which hath reached thee,
Then wouldst thou find neither protector nor defender against Allah.

"1859. The Qur’an is in Arabic; therefore the Arabs, among whom it was promulgated, could have no difficulty in understanding its percepts and using it in judging of right and wrong in all their affairs. But it is also universal: therefore no one should give preference in his own vain fancies against the authoritative declaration."

681) Sri Sukharadhya

— Easily worshipped without putting body to strain.
— Internally worshipped.

"III.7 trayam antarangam purvebhyah

These three aspects of yoga are internal, compared to the former five.

Compared to the former five aspects of yoga, it may be seen that dharana, dhyana and samadhi are more subtle, internal, intimate and subjective practices. The first five, which deal with the seen or cognizable sheaths, are called the external quest. Yama purifies the organs of action; niyama, the senses of perception; asana cleanses the physical and organic aspects of the body; pranayama stops wastage of energy and increases stamina; pratyahara cleanses the mind.

More intimately, dharana develops and sharpens intelligence, dhyana purifies consciousness and samadhi leads consciousness towards the soul. These three are directly involved in the subtle sheaths of mind, intelligence and consciousness and are very close to the spiritual heart. They directly affect the spiritual path, and are therefore called the inner quest, or sabija samadhi, because the sadhaka now has one-pointed consciousness.

In samadhi pada, Patanjali explained that truth-bearing wisdom (rambhara prajna) is the threshold between sabija and nirbija samadhi. Here he describes samyama as the penultimate step towards nirbija samadhi.

In the next sutra Patanjali explains that samyama is external to nirbija samadhi, and then proceeds, in III.9-16, to penetrate the transformations in the very substance of the consciousness, leading one to experience its finest state, which appears to be subtler than samyama.

Similarly, samyama is external when compared to seedless (nirbija) samadhi.

Even this perfection of dharana , dhyana and samadhi appears external to one who has experienced the seedless samadhi, the direct vision of the soul."

682) Sri Subhakari

— The Beneficent.

683) Sri Sobhana-sulabha-gatih

— The Easiest Path to Self-Realization.

"The word Atman is generally rendered here as "Soul" or "Self." The Sanskrit word really cannot be translated. Atman is the deathless, birthless, eternal, and real Substance in every individual. It is the unchanging Reality behind the changing body, sense-organs, mind, and ego. It is Spirit, which is Pure Consciousness and is unaffected by time, space, and casuality; therefore it is limitless and One without a second As the unchanging Reality in the individual is called Atman, so the unchanging Reality in the universe is called Brahman. Brahman, too, is beyond time, space, and casuality and is all pervading Spirit. Vedanta states that Brahman and Atman are one and the same. The knowledge of this identity or non-difference is called Self-Knowledge, which confers upon a man the boon of liberation from the bondage and suffering of the world."

684) Sri Rajarajesvari

— The Ruler of the Overlords.
— The Ruler of the Trimurtis: Sri Brahma, Visnu and Mahesvara.

686) Sri Rajyavalabha

— The Bestower of Spiritual Dominions.

687) Sri Rajyavalabha

— Effulgent with Kindness.

688) Sri Raja-pitha-nivesita-nijasrita

— Her devotees placed on Thrones of Heaven and Earth.

692) Sri Samrajya-dayini

— The Giver of Empires.
— Bestower of the Empire of Liberation.

"The state of Liberation cannot be comprehended by our relative minds. The term existence and non-existent, as we understand them, cannot be applied to a liberated soul. All that can be said about such a person is that he is forever freed from the spell of ignorance. He has entered into the realm of Light, compared to which even the highest knowledge of the relative world is sheer darkness. He no longer dreams, but is fully awake. He no longer enjoys the shadows of the phenomenal world. It is often asked how long the embodied soul must practise discipline in the relative world before attaining Liberation. The concept of time cannot be applied to the Knowledge of Brahman. Time is a relative thing, dependent upon the state of the mind. Many years spent in the dream world may be only a few minutes from the waking standpoint. The passage of the soul from the realm of relativity to the Absolute is dependent upon the Knowledge of Reality, and not upon any period of time; it is instantaneous, like lightning."

Swami Nikhilananda, Self-Knowledge

700) Sri Saccidananda-rupini

— The Truth, Knowledge and Bliss unconditioned by Time and     Space.
— The basic components of the Ultimate.

"The Ultimate Reality and the Universe

At the beginning, only the Ultimate Reality exists. From this source emerges the cosmic energy or force (maya, prakriti) which is the substance of which the physical universe is formed. The cosmic energy is composed of three distinct forces (gunas) named sattva (existence), rajas (flaring up) and tamas (darkness). Each of the gunas stands for a distinct aspect of the physical reality — sattva signifies whatever is pure and fine, rajas signifies whatever is active and tamas signifies whatever is stolid and offers resistance. Viewed as forces, sattva appears as the wheeling tendency, rajas appears as the scattering tendency and tamas appears as the compressing tendency. As long as the three gunas are in equilibrium, the universe is unmanifested, but in the very moment one of the gunas predominates, the universe comes into existence. By virtue of the gunas, the five elements are formed — akasha, air, fire, water and earth. These terms are just symbolic names which should not be taken literally. Essentially, the latter four elements merely represent a first division of akasha.

The diversity of appearances in the universe is owed to the variety of mixtures and interactions of the gunas. Whether the cosmic energy appears as a human mind, as a galaxy or as electromagnetic force, depends solely on the gunas. While the Ultimate Reality is the source which remains forever unchanged, the universe or maya is continuously fluctuating due to the play of the gunas. Thoughts come and go and atoms are dynamic systems by virtue of the gunas. Even the four forces, which physicists regard as elementary, are certain mixtures of the gunas. Vedanta does not tell much about the details of the physical world that surrounds us. For these details the reader is referred to the quantum physics section of this site. There you will learn, among other things, that Vedantas concept of akasha, mentioned above, is identical to the Quantum Field Theoretical concept of vacuum energy-field — except that Quantum Field Theory is in lack of an explanation of the origin of the vacuum field. However, as the vacuum energy-field is believed to be the source and essential substance of every physical phenomenon in the universe — so is akasha from some point off. Nevertheless, according to Vedanta, the most fundamental physical substance is not akasha but the gunas.

Nothing comes from nothing, so — since only the Ultimate Reality existed at the beginning and nothing has entered the universe since then — the Ultimate Reality is indeed the only source and true reality of everything. According to Vedanta, the present universe is just part of a beginningless and endless cycle. When the current cosmic evolution has reached its maximum, involution will set in until, once again, only the Ultimate Reality exists. Then a brand-new universe will emerge — and so forth. Time defines the beginning of a universe, space defines its existence and causation defines its end. The sequence of phenomena is time, their co-existence is space and their movement or change is causation. Time, space and causation are just conceptions of the mind and have no separate existence. The mind and its activities are part of this universe but the Ultimate Reality is not. Thus, the concepts of time, space and causation do not apply to the Ultimate Reality — Indeed, the Ultimate Reality is truly ultimate."