Attention and Kundalini August 18, 2008

“.. Take another example of a piece of cloth. It represents the attention. Before realization it is all spread out and in all directions. Now take a finger and poke the cloth in the center from the bottom and raise it upwards. What happens?

The cloth is pulled up to a point and in the process it just wraps or falls around the finger. In the same way, when the Kundalini rises, it pokes the attention, raises it to the Sahasrara, where it gets enlightened by the light of the Brahmha Chaitanya.

It then just wraps and falls in line with the Kundalini ‘s path on the Shushumna Nadi in the center. What has actually happened is that on realization, our Chitta is pulled inside from wherever it is spread out in the outer mundane world.

The Chitta is thereby enlightened. This is the so-called state. But in reality we human are slaves of our habits. We out of sheer habit do not allow our Chitta to stay put in that state permanently. Actually the Chitta should not go out. .”

(Shri Mataji’s Talk with Dr. Talwar , Bombay, 26th and 27th February 1987)

“YOGA IS TO STILL THE PATTERNING OF CONSCIOUSNESS” April 15, 2008

I.2  Yogas- citta-vrtti-nirodhah

yogah = process of yoking; union

citta = consciousness

vrtti = patterning, turnings, movements

nirodhah = stilling, cessation, restriction

Yoga is to still the patterning of consciousness.

May be this is the most popular sentence from Patanjali’s Yoga Sutras. How many of us can really experience this state? Are we looking to achieve this state? Believe me, I had a chance to be there and it is beyond description.

I am not so satisfied from Sanskrit translation as well. Please find below some clarifications from Shri Mataji Nirmala Devi.

“’Chit’ is the attention, the ‘Consciousness’.  You are just now conscious and listening to me.  Every minute, you are conscious.  But every moment is becoming dead into the past.  Every moment is coming from the future to the present.  But you are conscious at this moment and are listening to me”.

“I do not know what is the word for ‘Vritti’ in English language.  It is not ‘aptitude’ but a person gets ‘prone’ to, or his Attention is dragged to – I do not know if there is a word in the English language for Vritti. Vritti means a temperament by which you are drawn to.  Whatever is your temperament, it acts like that. For example, if you see a man walking, say, blindly, he cannot see things. One person may get angry with that person. Another may have pity for that person. Third man may come forward to help him out. Is the vritti, is the temperament you have developed through your three Gunas. That is why this Attention becomes identified with you, and when you are identified with this, your vritti, your temperament then you are still in a misidentified area.”

“But for a Sahaja Yogi the most important thing is : ‘you must save your attention’. Is called as Chitta Nirodha. Nirodha : saving of your attention. ” Where is it going, It’s such a precious thing for me. Were is it running” ? Then how do you save your attention ? Is through concentration. Concentrate. Try to concentrate. Don’t allow your attention to wobble. Gradually you will develop concentration”.

I hope with these clarifications it will be easy for you to comprehend the message of Maharishi Patanjali.

Related topics:

PATANGALI’S YOGA SUTRAS END GITA ABOUT KUNDALINI

The essence of YOGA

HOW TO SAVE OUR ATTENTION? April 6, 2008

SHRI MATAJI ON RAJA JANAKA’S STATE

“You know King Janaka was called ‘Vidheha’. Great sage Narada asked him one day, Revered Sir, how are you called as Vidheha, you live in this world, how can you be a Vidheha?

Raja Janaka said, “this is very simple. I will tell you about it in the evening. Now, please do this little job for me. There is milk in this bowl. You take this bowl & come along with me. Please see that not a single drop of milk is spilled on the Earth. Then only I will tell you why I am called ‘Vidheha’. Narada took the bowl & followed Janaka everywhere. He had to be very careful because the bowl was such that by the slightest movement the milk might have spilled. He got very tired. When they returned in the evening, Narada asked ‘Please tell me now, I am quite fed up with carrying this bowl & following you everywhere at the same time.

Raja Janaka said, “First of all tell me what you have seen?’

Narada, “Nothing except this bowl of milk so that it won’t spill.”

Raja Janaka, “Didn’t you see, there was a big procession in my honour, then there was a court wherein, there was programme of dancing? Didn’t you see anything?

Narada said, “No sir, I have not seen anything”

Raja Janaka, “My child, likewise with Me, I also see nothing. All the time, I just watch my attention. Where is it going? Making sure that it won’t spill away like the milk.”

“This sort of attention one has to develop. ‘CHITTA NIROD’. Nirod means the saving of your attention, so your attention should not be on saving money & worldly things and all that, but attention itself must be saved. As you watch your money, as you watch your road, when you drive, as you watch your child, when it is growing, as you watch the beauty of your wife, or the care of your husband, all put together you watch yourself; your attention.”

WHAT IS THE REASON FOR HAVING DREAMS? March 29, 2008

Public Lecture (New Delhi ’83)

Audience member from public lecture: What is the reason for having dreams?

Shri Mataji: The reason for dreams is that when you are sleeping your attention moves either to the supraconscious side or to the subconscious side, your attention starts moving. And then you start seeing things which are connected with your subconscious or your collective subconscious and all this thing. And you may go onto supraconscious side where you see your future and all this thing. But the reason why you get dreams actually is that the unconscious, which is within you, or you can say the Kundalini or your Atma is trying to guide you to the right path. And how does it guide you to the right path? Is through dreams. But these are misunderstood.

How do you understand these dreams because you are so confused? First you go deep into yourself and you touch the unconscious – sushupti stithi. But from there you come out. And then when you are coming out, you touch your subconscious or maybe supraconscious. So whatever anubhuti you had, or whatever experience you had, of the depths of the sushupti gets confused and you don’t know what you dreamt, and you don’t understand and you forget it. But those who are realized souls go to their sushupti and see exactly what they have to know.

Like many people in Bombay when I came, they didn’t know I was coming but they were at the airport because they got the dream. So at this sushupti level, at the deep level you get the communication with God if you know how to go in and come out fully aware. But if you get confused with supraconscious or subconscious areas or if you start, your chitta i (Attention) is not so clear-cut, then there can be a big confusion.