YOGABHARATI

The first Yama from the yoga Ashtanga Sadhana is ahimsa - non violence.This practice of ahimsa may start from the external manifestation, but gradually we need to internalize this too because essentially yoga is an inward journey otherwise this will lead to violent interactions with the world. When people observe this only externally, they consider ahimsa as anything done against another human being and this this concept of non violence gets misunderstood and abused too. Many times this concept of nonviolence is used politically also. In the name of non-violence we even resort to arguments and justify our actions too and substantiate violence. Another concept of yoga we have is the concept of peace, shanti. So we have two different words in Sanskrit. One is shanti, which is peace and the other is nonviolence which is a concept against the violence. At the end of all the mantra that we chant invariably, Om shanti shanti shanti, we offer peace, peace, peace at all the three levels. V...

Introduction The Haṃsa Upanishad classified in Shukla yajurveda is a dialogue between Sage Gautama and Sanatkumara. The Sage asks Sanatkumara to guide him and give him the knowledge by which he can obtain knowledge of Brahmavidyā. Sanatkumāra replied that he will share  the knowledge which was told to Parvati by Lord Shiva. He goes on to  explain the true nature of Haṃsa and Paramahaṃsa for the benefit of a brahmacārin (a seeker of  Brahman), who has his desires under control, is devoted to his guru and always contemplates on  Haṃsa(self), and realizes the paramahamsa. It (Haṃsa) is permeating all bodies like fire (or heat) in all kinds of wood or oil in all kinds of gingelly seeds.   Method The rishis who investigated the breath thoroughly found that human beings normally breathe about 21,600 times each twenty-four hours. During their meditation, they found the breath constantly repeating the mantra: So on the inhalation and Ham on the exhalation. Along wi...

Introduction Śvetāśvataropaniṣad, part of the Krishna Yajur Veda gives a clear understanding about Jiva and the beautiful connection with the Universal Soul. Śvetaśva ( white horse) means the one endowed with pure senses . According to the Upanishad, there is an ultimate reality called Brahman, which is the source and essence of all existence. The key to spiritual liberation is understanding the essence of Brahman.The objective of this study is to know more about this Jiva, the Individual being and the interconnectedness with God.The paper gives a clear understanding about the Jiva‘s ignorance and misconceptions and the journey of transformation where by the grace , the individual  realises the creative power behind all the creation (Devātmaśakti) and the knowledge of the infinite Truth. श‍ृण्वन्तु विश्वे अमृतस्य पुत्रा - śṛṇvantu viśve amṛtasya putrā -‘Listen, O Children of Immortality’,  I am not born of sin but indeed from the Immortal Truth, so I am addressed as amṛtasya p...

Creation and spiritual journey  Bhavana is the word in Sanskrit that can be looked at loosely as emotions. In the practice of Yoga and dealing with Yoga as a therapy too, this Bhavana doesn’t find its appropriate place. Even in the Panchakosa model which is quite popular among Yoga practitioners of today, there is no place for Bhavana. Using the intellect as an instrument in Jnana yoga, and prana as an instrument in Raja Yoga, when it comes to Bhavana, it is indeed Bhakti. This seems to be sidelined in the world of Yoga today. Unmanifest absolute consciousness manifests itself and this is how the process of creation begins. This universal consciousness called Brahman becomes the individual consciousness called Jivatma. This is the first development of a boundary from the boundless state of consciousness. Boundless refers to absolute freedom. Paramatma is this freedom that we call Mukhti or Moksha. That Paramatma at the individual level as Jivatma experiences within a boundary. Yes...

[These days I am feeling more and more that "instructing" appears to be a word indicating inequality - seniors instructing juniors, elderly instructing youngsters to the point that it infringes on their freedom, growth, creativity etc. It is very important to recognize this and nip it in the bud, especially the “so-called” seniors, elders and knowledgeable who assume that they are higher! We need to replace it with the idea of suggestions or appeals or guidelines. Instructions pre-supposes that there may be a difference in level (higher and lower), whereas suggestions are much friendlier. In addition, I have also seen many times the wording and the tone people use in instructions also carry a lot of violence] . We learn so many things in the name of Yoga and its components. But it is also necessary to keep exploring constantly how we can implement this knowledge in our day-to-day life. There are many people who are teaching yoga or are involved in yoga and yet may not realize...

Love - Prema and Devotion - Bhakti are kept at opposite poles in many spiritual circles. By denying love (Prema), one will be denying Bhakti as well. Bhakti is the fulfilment of Prema. For an in-depth understanding of Prema and to understand the intense practice of Bhakti, we need to understand the importance of Bhava [roughly translated as emotions] in our day-to-day life. In addition, to show how Bhakta transcends even the Divine or God, understanding the story and the character of Radha become very important. To most, the exalted experience of Prema is the Dasa and the Priya (lover). We have in Ramayana a very important character called Anjaneya or Hanumantha representing Dasa and in Shrimad Bhagavatam, the character of Radha represents the Bhava of a loved one. One thing common to both these characters is that their stay with their masters is for a short period of time. In the whole story of Ramayana, in Rama’s 14-year-long journey through the forest, the advent of hanuman is only ...