by Sri Bmal Mohanty
VOL No. 23
Oct. 2002

PREPARATIONS FOR SADHANA -Part 4

"Based on the lectures by Sri Bimal Mohanty"

All that the individual soul's efforts have achieved so far, is the progressive development at all levels of his existence and purification of the soul, freeing it from all layers of avidya or nescience. Thus the sadhaka has discarded and overcome the fretters and limitations of his physical existence - the annamay kosha, the vital existence or the pranamay kosha, the mental or the manomay kosha, and he is the master of knowledge in his knowledge sheath or the vijnanamay kosha. But yet, the bliss of the anandamay kosha has still not been experienced. This may be the peak point of knowledge, the last achievement of all yogas, the karma, bhakti and the jnana. Now the big question is from here HOW? How does he take his last flight to mukti or liberation?

Here the sanatan philosophy believes in the ultimate kindness of that supreme power of Bramhan for his uddhara or deliverance.

All the fervent appeals the jiva has made all his many many lives, through austerity and penance are for this act of kindness from the Lord himself, necessary at this stage of the soul's ascent.

Through all his sadhana he has often cried "tamaso ma jyotirgamaya". The darkness of nescient, avidya, is behind me. In front of me lies the light of knowledge. Oh my Lord! Deliver me from darkness to light.

"Mrtyur ma amrtam gamaya". I have crossed over many cycles of perpetual births and deaths. Now ahead of me is my immortal existence. Oh my Lord, deliver me from mortality to immortality.

These are cries that arise from the innermost hearts of all the created beings reverberating so to say all around this cosmos.

All souls need this grace and are constantly crying out to The Lord.

Can the Lord ignore this appeal from his own children?

Here the Lord himself gives his assurance.

All that is needed from the soul is an unconditional self surrender wholly and in unqualified measure. The grace is assured provided this appeal to the Lord is accompanied by a total surrender. Such a surrender is indeed the key.

This is what is to be understood when Shrimad Bhagavatam while describing the nine descriptions of devotion (bhakti) recognises the final effort as atmanivedanam offering of one's own soul. This is what is to be understood from the words of Sri Aurobindo when he says talking about this supramental change that "surrender is the indispensable means of the supramental change." (vide Self surrender in works).

So if we are called upon to surrender what assurance we have from the Lord?

Tesam eva anukampartham aham ajnanajam tamah

Nasayami atmabhavastho jnanadipena bhasvata

The Lord is full of compassion towards all that come to Him. And He says out of pure compassion for them, residing in their heart of hearts, I work to dispel the ignorance born darkness, by the luminosity of wisdom. (Gita 10.11). In simple words, The Lord makes everyone see the light.

What is the practical interpretation of this process?

As we discussed earlier:

Sarvakarmani api sada kurvano madvyapasrayah

It is making the performance of all actions, making me the reference point all the time.

What will happen if you do so?

Matprasadat avapnoti shashvatam padam avyayam

By my grace you will reach the eternal state of continuous fulfillment.

And therefore

Tameva sharanam gaccha sarva bhavena bharata

Tat prasadat param shantim sthanam prapsyasi shashvatam

Surrender to him alone with all your feelings, O Bharata. By his grace you will have peace supreme and reach your eternal state of existence.

Manmana bhava madbhaktah madyaji mam namaskuru

Mam eva esyasi satyam te pratijane priyosi me.

Fix your mind in me, be devoted to me, mark all your offerings to me. (Let us keep in mind that all our thoughts and actions are indeed our offerings to The Lord.). Then He says mam namaskuru. Subjugate everything of yours to me, which means surrender totally to The Lord. Then what will happen?

Mam eva esyasi satyam te pratijane priyosi me.

You will truly enter me, be one with me, return to be a part of me.

This is my promise to you. The Lord could not have used a stronger or more assuring word than pratijane meaning a solemn assurance or a promise. How much more emphatic God can be?

Why the Lord makes such a firm commitment? Because he says priyosi me. You are dear to me.

Atmasamarpan is not an abstract concept when we start relating to God every thought and every action of ours. We should incessantly practice it that way otherwise there is no liberation.

This is then how we should approach yoga sadhana.

The six elements of preparation as we have discussed so far, are like certain amount of preparedness that goes with any activity.

Even when you enter a temple to offer worship you carry with you certain things before starting worship. You do not go just like that. You have with you

Patra pushpa phalam tatha arati dhupa chandanam

You carry tulsi or durba or billva leaves, you carry flowers, fruits to offer, lighted lamps, incense and sandalwood paste.

The six preparations we discussed so far i.e. Sankalpa, Swasthya, Swadhyayana, Samsuddhabuddhi, Shraddha and Samarpan are like Patra pushpa phalam tatha arati dhupa chandanam

(This month's issue of AHWAN has been sponsored through the benevolence of Mrs Rashmi Singh of Sahibabad and Sri Pradip Solanki of Delhi)