WOMEN IN VEDAS

Women In Vedas (PART -2 ) :-

====== Women Education as mentioned in Vedas ======

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Women In Vedas ( PART - 2 ) :-

Education of women in Vedic Age :

Education was an important feature in the upbringing of a girl child. Education was considered essential for girls and was therefore customary for girls to receive education. The girls with education were regarded highly. "A girl also should be brought up and educated with great effort and care" (Mahanirvana Tantra). The importance of a girl’s education is stressed in the Atharva Veda too.

The girls were entitled to Upanayana (to receive sacred thread) and to the privilege of studying Vedas; just as the boys. Women performed religious rites after completing their education under a Guru. They were entitled to offer sacrifices to gods. The son was not absolutely necessary for this purpose.

According to Shrauta and Grihya Sutras, women chanted mantras along with their husbands while performing rituals. There were eminent women in the field of learning and scholarship. These highly intelligent and greatly learned women, who chose the path of Vedic studies and, lived the ideal life of spirituality were called Brahmavadinis; and the women who opted out of education for married life were called 'Sadyovadhus'. Both the sexes got equal attention for education.

Incidentally, the Shatapatha Braahmana lists some 52 generations of teachers, of which some 42 are remembered through their mothers. The teachers were males. This list acts like a bridge between the end of the Rig-Veda time and the Shatapatha Braahmana time. It is remarkable that a patriarchal society should remember its teachers through their mothers. The preference over the names of their fathers indicates the important position of women as mothers in Vedic society. Their mothers were considered that valuable, as their sons were recognized through their names.

Women and Atharva Ved :

Atharva 11.5.18 :

“ By performing Brahmacharya maiden obtains a youthful husband.“

In this mantra of Brahmcharya Sukta, it is emphasized that girls too should train themselves as students and only then enter into married life. The Sukta specifically emphasizes that girls should receive the same level of training as boys.

Atharva 14.1.20 :

“ Let Bhaga (fortune) take your hand and hence conduct you; let the two Asvins on their car transport you. Go to the house (of your husband) to be the Grihapatni, and may please everyone at her husband’s home through her knowledge and noble qualities. “

Atharva 14.1.61 :

"Hey bride! You shall bring bliss to all and direct our homes towards our purpose of living."

Atharva 14.1.64 :

“ O bride ! May you be benevolent, the harbinger of good fortune and health and reaching the home of scholars live in great dignity and indeed be illumined in your husband’s home.”

Atharva 2:36:5 :

“Oh bride! Step into the full and inexhaustible boat of Bhaga (prosperity) and take your husband to shores of success.”

Atharva 1.14.3 :

“This woman shall be the protector of your entire family, O king (Yama), and her do we make over to you! May she long sit with her relatives, until (her hair) drops from her head!”

Atharva 2.36.3 :

“This woman shall obtain a husband, since king Soma makes her lovely! May she, begetting sons, become a queen; may she, going to her husband, shine in loveliness!”

Atharva 11.1.17 :

“ These women are pure, sacred, yajniya(as respected as yajna), worth being served, of great character, scholarly. They have given subjects, animals and happiness to us.”

Atharva 12.1.25 :

“ That fragrance of yours which is in men, the loveliness and charm that is in male and female, that which is in steeds and heroes, that which is in the wild animals with trunks (elephants), the aura that is in the maiden, O Prithvi, with that do you blend us: not any one shall hate us!”

Atharva 12.2.31 :

“Let these unwidowed women with goodly husbands, free from all diseases,never weep out of sorrow. Let them adorn themselves with fragrant balm and unguent, ornaments and jewels .”

Atharva 14.1.6 declares that parents should gift their daughter intellectuality and power of knowledge when she leaves for husband’s home. They should give her a dowry of knowledge :

“Thought was her coverlet, the power of sight was unguent for her eyes; Her treasure-chest was earth and heaven, when Sūryā went unto her lord.” (Atharva Ved 14.1.16)

Similar Translation : “When girls ignore external objects and develops foresight and vibrant attitude through power of knowledge, she becomes provider of wealths of skies and earth. Then she should marry an eligible husband.”

Atharva 14.1.42 :

“ O Bride! May your wishes for happiness, for children, for financial well-being, and for being blessed, be fulfilled. Go. Get busy merging your mind with that of your husband; and may both of you live long.”

Atharva 14.1.50 :

“ I take your hand in mine for happy fortune that you may reach old age with me; your consort, Deities- Aryaman, Bhaga, Savitar, Purandhi, have given you to be my household's mistress.”

Atharva 14.2.71 :

“Hey wife! I am (knowledgeable) man and you are (also knowledgeable) woman. I am Samved , you are Rigved. I am the sky; you are the Earth. We two shall make a home; And, We will bring forth children.”

Atharva 14.2.74 :

“This bride is illuminating. She has conquered everyone’s hearts! May she give birth to noble children and let them convey along future’s pathway.”

Atharva 18.3.4 :

"O ye inviolable one ! (the widow) tread the path of wise in front of thee and choose this man (another suitor) as thy husband. Joyfully receive him and may the two of you mount the world of happiness."

This mantra blesses the widow to have a happy life with present husband.

Atharva 7.38.4and 12.3.52 declare that women should take part in the legislative chambers and put their views on forefront :

“My speech, not yours, (in this matter) have weight: in the assembly, forsooth, do you speak! To me alone shall thou belong, shall not even discourse of other women!” (Atharva Ved 7.38.4)

Yajur ved 10.26 implies that the wife of ruler should give education of politics to the others. Likewise the king do justice for the people, the queen should also justify her role.

Yajur ved 30.15 states about different problems of women related to pregnancy and their corresponding treatments to be done.

Rigevda contains several Suktas containing description of Usha as a God. This Usha is representation of an ideal woman. One may refer “Usha Devata” by Pt Sri Pad Damodar Satvalekar as part of “Simple Translation of Rigveda (Rigved ka subodh bhashya)”.Page 121 to 147 for summary of all such verses spread across entire Rigveda. In summary:
1. Women should be brave (Page 122, 128)
2. Women should be expert (Page 122)
3. Women should earn fame (Page 123)
4. Women should ride on chariots (Page 123)
5. Women should be scholars (Page 123)
6. Women should be prosperous and wealth (Page 125)
7. Women should be intelligent and knowledgeable (Page 126)
8. Women should be protector of family and society and get in army(Page 134, 136)
9. Women should be illuminating (Page 137)
10. Women should be provider of wealth, food and prosperity (Page 141- 146) 

YOGA VASISHTHA

YOGA VASISHTHA SARA (The Essence Of Yoga Vasishtha) : 

=== Vasishtha Teaching The Highest Knowledge To Sri Ram ===

(Part - 1) 

DISPASSION :

1. Salutations to that calm effulgence which, is endless and unlimited by space, time etc., the pure consciousness which can be known by experience only.

2. Just as a steady boat, O Rama, is obtained from a boatman, so also the method of crossing the ocean of samsara is learnt by associating with great souls.

3. Not a day should be spent in a place which does not possess the tree of a wise knower of Truth with its good fruit and cool shade.

4. The sages are to be approached even if they do not teach. Even their talks in a light vein contain wisdom.

5. Following the customary method of teaching is only for preserving the tradition. Pure awareness results solely from the clarity of the disciple's understanding.

6. The Lord cannot be seen with the help of the sacred texts or the Guru. The self is seen by the Self alone with the pure intellect.

7. Just as we experience the delusion of hundreds of year in a dream lasting an hour, so also we experience the sport of maya in our waking state.

8. He is a happy man whose mind is inwardly cool and free from attachment and hatred and who looks upon this (world) like a mere spectator.

9. On the dissolution of the body the ether (consciousness) limited by the heart (hrdayam ) alone ceases to Exist. People lament needlessly that the Self is extinct.

10. When pots, etc. are broken the space within them becomes unlimited. So also when bodies cease to exist the Self remains eternal and unattached.

11. Nothing whatever is born or dies anywhere at any time. It is Brahman alone appearing illusorily in the form of the world.

12. The Self is more extensive than space; it is pure, subtle, undecaying and auspicious. As such how could it be born and how can it die ?

13. All this is the tranquil, One without beginning, middle or end, which cannot be said to be existent or non-existent. Know this and be happy.

14. O Rama, it is indeed nobler to wander begging about the streets of the outcasts (chandalas), an earthen bowl in, hand, than to live a life steeped in ignorance.
____________________

UNREALITY OF THE WORLD :

1. Just as the great ocean of milk became still when the Mandara Mountain (with which it was churned by the Devas and the Asuras) became still, even so the illusion of samsara comes to an end when the mind is stilled.

2. Samsara rises when the mind becomes active and ceases when it is still. Still the mind, therefore, by controlling the breath and the latent desires (vasanas).

3. This worthless ( lit. burnt out) samsara is born of one's imagination and vanishes in the absence of imagination. It is certain that it is absolutely unsubstantial.

4. The idea of a (live) snake in a picture of a snake ceases to be entertained when the truth is known. Similarly samsara ceases to exist (when the Truth is realized), even if it continues to appear.

5. This long- living ghost of a samsara which is the creation of the deluded mind of man and the cause of his sufferings disappears when one ponders over it.

6. O Rama, maya is such that it brings delight through its own destruction ; its nature is inscrutable ; it ceases to exist even while it is being obs erved.

7. Dear boy, wonderful indeed is this maya which deludes the entire world. It is on account of it that the. Self is not perceived even though it pervades all the limbs of the body.

8. Whatever is seen does not truly exist. It is like the mythical city of Gandharvas (fata morgana) or a mirage.

9. That which is not seen, though within us, is called the eternal and indestructible Self.

10. Just as the trees on the bank of a lake are reflected. in the water, so also all these varied objects are reflected in the vast mirror of our consciousness.

11. This creation, which is a mere play of consciousness, rises up, like the delusion of a snake in a rope (when there is ignorance) and comes to an end when there is right knowledge.

12. Even though bondage does not really exist, it becomes strong through desire for worldly enjoyments ; when this desire subsides bondage becomes weak.

13. Like waves rising up from the ocean the unstable mind rises out of the vast and stable expanse of the Supreme Self.

14. It is because of that which always, of its own accord, imagines (everything) quickly and freely that this magical show (of the world) is projected in the waking state.

15. This world, though unreal, appears to exist and is the cause of life- long suffering to an ignorant person, just as a (non-existent) ghost (is the cause of fear) to a boy.

16. One who has no idea of gold sees only the bracelet. He does not at all have the idea that it is merely gold.

17. Similarly towns, houses, mountains, serpents, etc. are all in the eyes of the ignorant man, separate objects. From the absolute point of view this objective (world) is the subject (the Self) itself ; it is not separate (from the Self).

18. The world is full of misery to an ignorant man and full of bliss to a wise man. The world is dark to a blind man and bright to one who has eyes.

19. The bliss of a man of discrimination, who has rejected samsara and discarded all mental concepts, constantly increases.

20. Like clouds which suddenly appear in a clear sky and as suddenly dissolve the entire universe (appears) in the Self and (dissolves in it).

21. He who reckons the rays as non-different from the sun and realizes that they are the sun itself is stated to be nirvikalpa (the undifferentiating man).

22. Just as the cloth, when investigated, is seen to be nothing but thread, so also this world, when enquired into, is (seen to be) merely the Self.

23. This fascinating world rises like a wave in the ambrosial ocean of conscio usness and dissolves in it. How then can it be different from it (i.e. consciousness) in the middle (i.e. when it appears) ?

24. Just as the foam, the waves, the dew and the bubbles are not different from water, even so this world which has come out of the Self is not different from the Self.

25. Just as a tree consisting of fruits, leaves, creepers, flowers, branches, twigs and roots, exists in the seed of the tree, even so this manifest world exists in Brahman.

26. Just as the pot (ultimately) goes back to mud, waves into water and ornaments into gold, so also this world which has come out of the Self (ultimately) goes back to the Self.

27. The snake appears when one does not recognize the rope; it disappears when one recognizes the rope. Even so this world appears when the Self is not recognized ; it disappears when the Self is recognized.

28. It is only our forgetfulness of the invisible Self which causes the world to appear just as (the ignorance of the) rope (causes the) snake to appear.

29. Just as the dream becomes unreal in the waking state and the waking state in the dream, so also death becomes unreal in birth and birth in death.

30. All these are thus neither real nor unreal. They are the effect of delusion, mere impression arising out of some past experiences.
____________________

THE MARKS OF A LIBERATED PERSON
( JIVAN MUKTA )

1. The knowledge of the Self is the fire that burns up the dry grass of desire. This indeed is what is called samadhi, not mere abstention from speech.

2. He who realizes that the whole universe is really nothing but consciousness arid remains quite calm is protected by the armour of Brahman; he is happy.

3. The yogi who has attained the state which is beyond everything and remains always cool as the full moon is truly the Supreme Lord.

4. He who reflects in his innermost heart upon the purport of the Upanishads dealing with Brahman and is not moved by joy and sorrow, is not tormented by samsara.

5. Just as birds and beasts do not take shelter on a mountain on fire, so also evil (thoughts) never occur to a knower of Brahman.

6. Wise men also, like foolish men, (occasionally) make others angry, (but they do so only) in order to test their ability to control their innate feelings (that is to say to see how far the anger of other persons will affect them).

7. Just as the trembling (of the body) caused by the (imaginary) snake persists (for some time) even after realizing that there is no snake, so also the effect of delusion persists (for some time) even after getting rid of all delusions.

8. Just as a crystal is not stained by what is reflected in it, so also a knower of truth is not really affected by the result of his acts.

9. Even while he is intent on outward actions (the knower of Truth) always remains introverted and extremely calm like one asleep.

10. Firmly convinced of non-duality and enjoying perfect mental peace, yogis go about their work seeing the world as if it were a dream.

11. Let death come to him (the knower of truth) today or at the end of aeons; he remains untarnished like gold buried in mire.

12. He may cast off his body at Kashi or in the house of an outcast ( lit. one who cooks dog's flesh). He, the desireless one, is liberated at the very moment he attains knowledge (of Brahman).

13. To one who is desireless the earth, O Rama, is (as insignificant as) the hoof-print of a cow, Mount Meru a mound, space as much as contained in a casket and the three worlds a blade of grass.

14. Like an empty vessel in space (the knower of Truth) is empty both within and without, while at the same time he is full within and without like a vessel immersed in the ocean.

15. He who neither likes nor dislikes the objects seen by him and who acts (in the world) like one asleep, is said to be a liberated person.

16. He who is free from the knots (of desires) and whose doubts have been set at rest is liberated even when he is in the body (jivan mukta). Although he may seem to be bound he is free. He. remains like a lamp in a picture.

17. He who has easily (lit. as if in sport) cast off all his egoistic tendencies and has abandoned even the object of meditation, is said to-be liberated even when he is in the body.

18. He who does not, like one blind, recognize ( lit. leaves r behind) his relatives, who dreads attachment as he would a serpent, who looks upon sense-enjoyments and diseases alike, ho disregards the company of women as he would a blade of us and who finds no distinction between a friend and a foe, experiences happiness in this world and the next.

19. He who casts away from his mind all objects of perception and, attaining perfect quiescence, remains still as space, unaffected r sorrow, is a liberated man ; he is the Supreme Lord.

20. The noble- hearted man whose desires of the heart have come to an end is a liberated man ; it does not matter whether does or does not practice meditation or perform action.

21. The idea of Self in the non-Self is bondage. Abandonment of it is liberation. There is neither bondage nor liberation for the ever-free Self.

22. If, by perceiving that the objects of perception do not ally exist, the mind is completely freed (from those objects) ere ensues the supreme bliss of liberation.

23. Abandonment of all latent tendencies is said to be the best (i.e. real) liberation by the wise.; that is also the faultless method (of attaining liberation).

24. Liberation is not on the other side of the sky, nor is it in the nether world, nor on the earth; the extinction of the mind suiting from the eradication of all desires is regarded as liberation.

25. O Rama, there is no intellect, no nescience, no mind and no individual soul (jiva ). They are all imagined in Brahman.

26. To one who is established in what is infinite, pure consciousness, bliss and unqualified non-duality, where is the question of bondage or liberation, seeing that there is no second entity ?

27. O Rama, the mind has, by its own activity, bound itself ; when it is calm it is free. 

PATANJALI YOG

SIDDHIS (सिद्धि) : THE OCCULT POWERS OF A YOGI 

============ Occult Powers Are Real ============

From Patanjali Yoga Sutra, Chapter 4, verse 1 :-

जन्मौषधि-मन्त्र-तपः-समाधिजाः सिद्धयः ॥१॥

" The Siddhis (powers) are attained by birth, chemical means, power of words, mortification, or concentration. "

Explanation By Swami Vivekananda :


Sometimes a man is born with the Siddhis, powers, of course, those he had earned in his previous incarnation. This time he is born, as it were, to enjoy the fruits of them. It is said of Kapila, the great father of the Sankhya philosophy, that he was a born Siddha, which means literally a man who has attained to success.

The Yogis claim that these powers can be gained by chemical means. All of you know that chemistry originally began as alchemy; men went in search of the philosopher's stone and elixirs of life, and so forth. In India there was a sect called the Rāsāyanas. Their idea was that ideality, knowledge, spirituality, and religion were all very right, but that the body was the only instrument by which to attain to all these. If the body came to an end every now and again, it would take so much more time to attain to the goal. For instance, a man wants to practise Yoga, or wants to become spiritual. Before he has advanced very far he dies. Then he takes another body and begins again, then dies, and so on. In this way much time will be lost in dying and being born again. If the body could be made strong and perfect, so that it would get rid of birth and death, we should have so much more time to become spiritual. So these Rasayanas say, first make the body very strong. They claim that this body can be made immortal. Their idea is that if the mind manufactures the body, and if it be true that each mind is only one outlet to the infinite energy, there should be no limit to each outlet getting any amount of power from outside. Why is it impossible to keep our bodies all the time? We have to manufacture all the bodies that we ever have. As soon as this body dies, we shall have to manufacture another. If we can do that, why cannot we do it just here and now, without getting out of the present body? The theory is perfectly correct. If it is possible that we live after death, and make other bodies, why is it impossible that we should have the power of making bodies here, without entirely dissolving this body, simply changing it continually? They also thought that in mercury and in sulphur was hidden the most wonderful power, and that by certain preparations of these a man could keep the body as long as he liked. Others believed that certain drugs could bring powers, such as flying through the air. Many of the most wonderful medicines of the present day we owe to the Rasayanas, notably the use of metals in medicine. Certain sects of Yogis claim that many of their principal teachers are still living in their old bodies. Patanjali, the great authority on Yoga, does not deny this.

The power of words : There are certain sacred words called Mantras, which have power, when repeated under proper conditions, to produce these extraordinary powers. We are living in the midst of such a mass of miracles, day and night, that we do not think anything of them. There is no limit to man's power, the power of words and the power of mind.

Mortification : You find that in every religion mortifications and asceticisms have been practised. In these religious conceptions the Hindus always go to the extremes. You will find men with their hands up all their lives, until their hands wither and die. Men keep standing, day and night, until their feet swell, and if they live, the legs become so stiff in this position that they can no more bend them, but have to stand all their lives. I once saw a man who had kept his hands raised in this way, and I asked him how it felt when he did it first. He said it was awful torture. It was such torture that he had to go to a river and put himself in water, and that allayed the pain for a little while. After a month he did not suffer much. Through such practices powers (Siddhis) can be attained.

Concentration : Concentration is Samādhi, and that is Yoga proper; that is the principal theme of this science, and it is the highest means. The preceding ones are only secondary, and we cannot attain to the highest through them. Samadhi is the means through which we can gain anything and everything, mental, moral, or spiritual.


Different Types Of Sidhhis :-

(From 'Kundalini Yoga' by Swami Sivananda)

An accomplished, Purnayogi in the path of Kundalini Yoga is in possession of eight major Siddhis, viz., Anima, Mahima, Laghima, Garima, Prapti, Prakamya, Vasitvam and Ishitvam.

1. Anima: The Yogi can become as minute as he pleases.

2. Mahima: This is the opposite of Anima. He can become as big as he likes. He can make his body assume a very large size. He can fill up the whole universe. He can assume a Virat Svarupa.

3. Laghima: He can make his body as light as cotton or feather. Vayustambhanam is done through this Siddhi. In Jalastambhanam also the power is exercised to a very small degree. The body is rendered light by Plavini Pranayama. The Yogi produces a diminution of his specific gravity by swallowing large draughts of air. The Yogi travels in the sky with the help of this Siddhi. He can travel thousands of miles in a minute.

4. Garima: This is the opposite of Laghima. In this the Yogi acquires an increase of specific gravity. He can make the body as heavy as a mountain by swallowing draughts of air.

5. Prapti: The Yogi standing on the earth can touch the highest things. He can touch the sun or the moon or the sky. Through this Siddhi the Yogi attains his desired objects and supernatural powers. He acquires the power of predicting future events, the power of clairvoyance, clairaudience, telepathy, thought-reading, etc. He can understand the languages of the beasts and birds. He can understand unknown languages also. He can cure all diseases.

6. Prakamya: He can dive into the water and can come out at any time he likes. The late Trailanga Swami of Benares used to live for six months underneath the Ganges. It is the process by which a Yogi makes himself invisible sometimes. By some writers it is defined to be the power of entering body of another (Parakaya Pravesh). Sri Sankaracharya entered the body of Raja Amaruka of Benares. Tirumular in Southern India entered the body of a shepherd. Raja Vikramaditya also did this. It is also the power of keeping a youth-like appearance for any length of time. Raja Yayati had this power.

7. Vashitvam: This is the power of taming wild animals and bringing them under control. It is the power of mesmerising persons by the exercise of will and of making them obedient to one’s own wishes and orders. It is the restraint of passions and emotions. It is the power to bring men, women and the elements under subjection.

8. Ishitvam: It is the attainment of divine power. The Yogi becomes the Lord of the universe. The Yogi who has this power can restore life to the dead. Kabir, Tulsidas, Akalkot Swami and others had this power of bringing back life to the dead.

Minor Siddhis :

The Yogi acquires the following minor Siddhis also:

1. Freedom from hunger and thirst.

2. Freedom from the effects of heat and cold.

3. Freedom from Raga-Dvesha.

4. Doora Darshan, clairvoyance or Dooradrishti.

5. Doora Sravan, clairaudience or Doora Sruti and Doora Pravachana.

6. Mano-Jaya, control of mind.

7. Kama Rupa: The Yogi can take any form he likes.

8. Parakaya Pravesha: He can enter into another body, can animate a dead body and enter into it by transferring his soul.

9. Iccha-Mrityu: Death at his will.

10. Devanam Saha Kreeda and Darshana: Playing with the gods after seeing them.

11. Yatha Sankalpa: Can get whatever he likes.

12. Trikala-Jnana: Knowledge of past, present and future.

13. Advandva: Beyond the pairs of opposites.

14. Vak-Siddhi: Whatever the Yogi predicts will come to pass by the practice of Satya, Prophecy.

15. The Yogi can turn base metal into gold.

16. Kaya-Vyuha: Taking as many bodies as the Yogi likes to exhaust all his Karmas in one life.

17. Darduri-Siddhi: The jumping power of a frog.

18. Patala-Siddhi: Yogi becomes Lord of desire, destroys sorrows and diseases.

19. He gets knowledge of his past life.

20. He gets knowledge of the cluster of stars and planets.

21. He gets the power of perceiving the Siddhas.

22. He gets mastery of the elements (Bhuta Jaya), mastery of Prana (Prana Jaya).

23. Kamachari: He can move to any place he likes.

24. He gets omnipotence and omniscience.

25. Vayu-Siddhi: The Yogi rises in the air and leaves the ground.

26. He can point out the place where a hidden treasure lies.

Power Of A Yogi :-

A Yogi forgets the body in order to concentrate the mind on the Lord. He conquers heat and cold by mastering breath-control and by controlling his nervous system.

A Yogi generates psychic heat in the body through the practice of Bhastrika Pranayama.

He can bear extremes of climates without discomfort.

He sits on the snow and melts it by the warmth generated in his body.

A Yogi covers his body with a sheet dipped in very cold water and dries it by the Yoga heat given off from his body. A few adepts have dried as many as thirty sheets in a single night.

A perfect Yogi cremates his body in the end by the Yogic heat generated by his power of Yoga.

Instructions On Siddhis :-

1. By the process of Hatha Yoga, the Yogi attains perfect physical body—Rupalavanya Bala Vajrasam-hanana Kaya Sampat. “The perfection of the body consists in beauty, grace, strength and adamantine hardness.” The power to bear extreme cold and heat (Titiksha), the power to live without water and food and other powers come under the category of Kaya Sampat (perfection of body).

2. Since the body of the Hatha Yogi is perfect and firm, his mind also is firm and one-pointed. By the practices of Dharana and Dhyana, he reaches the highest rung in the Yogic ladder and attains Immortality through Yogic Samadhi. The Yogi who has reached the highest stage, will have the 8 major and all the minor Siddhis.

3. Attainment of powers depends upon the amount of concentration at different Chakras and Tattvas and awakening of Kundalini. The practice of Mudras, Bandhas, Asanas and Pranayamas will also help a lot in acquiring Siddhis.

4. The Siddhis that are obtained by the practice of Mudras can be obtained by the practice of Bandhas, Asanas, Pranayamas and also by the concentration on different Chakras. That depends upon the temperament and capacity of the aspirants. One can obtain the desired goal by one exercise and others by different methods. Therefore if one is not able to get success by a particular exercise, he will have to have recourse to other exercises.

5. Many of the 8 major Siddhis are not possible at all at the present age (Kali Yuga), when the body and mind of the vast majority are not fit enough. Even today there are several Siddhas who have the power to perform some of the Siddhis. When people approach them to do this and that, they hide themselves or generally say:—“I do not know.” They are not much particular about these Siddhis. Their aim is to ignore these as unreal and aspire to reach the highest. They are the only real Yogins. Many are able to use some powers and they do not know how they are able to do them.

When one gets certain powers, he stops there by the influence of Maya and false Tushti (satisfaction) and uses the powers for his livelihood or for fame. Therefore he is not able to proceed further and attain perfection. It is not the mistake of the Yogic Kriyas. You should not lose faith. Faith, attention, sincerity and earnestness will lead you to success.

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A Warning :-

Occult powers does not help even a beat in Self-Realisation but are considered as hurdles in the path of Self-Realisation. A true Yogi/ Spiritual seeker should never pay attention to obtain such powers. It is accepted if Siddhis appear naturally in a person but to perform Sadhana for obtaining Siddhis is utter foolishness. One gets trapped by his Siddhis and wants name and fame. By constant application of the Siddhis, the person wastes his valuable energy accumulated by him through Sadhana. So in the spiritual life, a real spiritual seeker will not cry for this kind of occult power. He will only cry for God-Realisation, and if God wants that particular person to work for Him, naturally God will give him spiritual power, inner power, to manifest Him on earth.

We all know of the great spiritual Master, Sri Ramakrishna. His dearest disciple was Swami Vivekananda. Once the great Master said to his dearest disciple, "Naren, I have all kinds of occult powers. I want to give you some of my occult powers."
Immediately the disciple said to his Master, "Please tell me, will these occult powers help me in my God Realisation?" The Master said, "Oh no. Occult power has nothing to do with God Realisation, but if you want to do some work here on earth, at that time occult power can be of some use." Then Vivekananda said, "No, I want to realise God first-first things first."

Upanishads on Creation : THE SPIDER ANALOGY

A wonderful illustration from Upanishads on Creation : THE SPIDER ANALOGY 

yathorṇa-nābhiḥ sṛjate gṛhṇate ca 
yathā pṛthivayām oṣadhayas sambhavanti |
yathā sataḥ puruṣāt keśalomāni
tathākṣarāt sambhavatīha viśvam ||

…… Mundak Upanishad 1.1.7

“ As a spider projects forth and draws back (its threads), as plants grow on earth, as hairs grow on the body, so does the universe emerge from the Imperishable Being.“



PURPORT :

Here three illustration is used :

Spider spinning the web
Varieties of plants growing from the earth
Hairs growing from the body

1.The spider designs its web. So it is the intelligent cause of the web. Raw material is also produced by the spider itself (normally any raw material is different from the maker). So here spider is the intelligent as well as the material cause of the web. In many cases like furniture, ornaments etc, the carpenter,who is the intelligent cause is different from wood,which is the material cause.Goldsmith is different from gold. Intelligent cause is called Nimitta Karanam. Material cause is called Upadana Karanam. So spider is Abhinna Nimitta Upadana Karanam. So is Brahman. It alone visualizes the creation; it alone is also the material. So he is the cosmic architect. Other than him there is nothing; no time, no space, so there is no question of searching for material cause.

2.Earth produces varieties of plants. Though earth is one, it is capable of producing different varieties. So is Brahman who is one but can produce diverse effects – Eka Karanath Aneka Vidha Karyani

3.Our body is live and sensient. But hair and nails are insensient. So the body which is of Chetana nature produces something of a different nature (Vilakshana Srishti which means cause producing an effect of a different nature). Normally we experience ‘Salakshana Srishti’ like mangoes in mango tree, humans begetting humans. But in Brahman, this Vilakshana Srishti is possible. The sensient creatures (Salakshana) and apparently insensient objects (Vilakshana) which constitute this Jagat is manifested by sensient Brahman.

Brahman :

Adrishyam (invisible)
Agrahyam (beyond our grasp)
Avarnam (beyond description)
Avyayam (indestructible)

Manifested world :

Drishyam ( Visible)
Grahyam ( Within our grasp)
Varnam (Can be described)
Vyayam ( Destructible)

So it shows Brahman can produce creation which seems to be of different nature.

In spider example, the spider not only designs and creates the web by itself but is its Laya Karanam also (it swallows/resolves its web into itself), whereas a pot maker does not swallow the pot!

Brahman also creates and resolves the creation into himself/itself (Srujate, Gruhnate). Like these three examples Brahman also creates the whole cosmos and finally resolves in himself.


Brihadaranyak Upanishad states :

“As the spider moves along the thread it produces, or as from a fire tiny sparks fly in all directions, even so from this Atman come forth all organs, all worlds, all gods, all beings. Its secret name (Upanishad) is "the Truth of truth." The ‘Prana’ (vital breaths) are the truth and their truth is Atman.”

...[Brihadaranyaka Upanishad 2.1.20] 

BRAHMAN AND THE UNIVERSE

BRAHMAN AND THE UNIVERSE :-

RELATIONSHIP OF BRAHMAN AND THE UNIVERSE :

==== From The Viewpoint Of Advaita Vedanta ====

According to Hinduism there is a beginningless and endless cycle of creation, maintenance and dissolution or resolution, called “srishti”, “sthithi”, ”laya.” In each srishti, the variety and pattern of objects, the attributes of the bodies and minds and the events and situations have to be fashioned to suit the karmas of the myriad of sentient beings that have to undergo their karmaphalam in the course of their janmas during that srishti.

The Vedas declare that Brahman is the cause of the origin, subsistence, and dissolution of this world. This view is consistent with two kinds of causality:
(1) substantial (or material) causality, in which a substance such as clay or gold is related to an earthen pot or golden ornament as cause to effect; and
(2) efficient causality, in which the cause is an active agent such as a potter or goldsmith who shapes a substance such as clay or gold into an object such as an earthen pot or golden ornament.


Which of these two kinds of causality applies when we say that Brahman is the cause of the world?

Shankaracharya says Brahman alone is originally and ultimately real. Nothing can exist independently of Brahman. Thus, it would seem that Brahman is both the efficient and the material cause of the universe. That is, Brahman is the agent (efficient cause) that causes the world to be and also the substance of which the world is composed (or from which the world is projected) (material cause). For Shankara, the universe is not created "out of nothing"(ex nihilo) but out of Brahman.

According to Sastra, Brahman is eternal and changeless. In various passages, Upanishads state that Brahman is eternal (”nityam”); “nityam” implies changelessness. In Muktikopanishad and in the BhagavadGita , Brahman is specifically said to be changeless. In Brahma Sutra bhashyam II.i.14, Sankaracarya says that Brahman is changeless and eternal and it has been denied that Brahman can undergo any modification whatsoever.

There is, however, a problem here, with which Shankara and his followers have grappled. For Advaita Vedanta, Brahman is unchanging, whereas the world of experience (produced by and from Brahman) is evidently full of change. How is the changing universe related to the changeless Brahman? The problem does not arise with regard to efficient causation. It seems possible for an unchanging Supreme Being (Brahman) to command that let the changing world exist ("Let there be light," and so forth). However, if Brahman is also the material (substantial) cause of the world, and if the world is changing, doesn't that mean that Brahman is also changing?

Shankara and his school distinguish between two kinds of material change: (1) parinama (change of substance, actual change) and (2) vivarta (change of appearance).

(1) The following is an illustration of the parinama principle: Milk can be used to make cheese. In the process of cheese-making, the milk is transformed into cheese and becomes unrecoverable, i.e., once the cheese has been made, we cannot recover the milk. The milk has been changed into a substance other than itself.

(2) For an example of the vivarta principle, consider the fashioning of a ring out of silver. In this case, the silver (the material cause) does not change into something other than itself. The silver now appears in the form of a ring, but it remains silver, and it could be refashioned into some other piece of jewelry. In a significant sense, the silver itself does not change when it is fashioned into a ring or other ornament. It continues to be what it is.

For Shankaracharya, the relationship between Brahman and the world does not involve parinama. In producing the world, Brahman does not become the world. Brahman remains itself. However, in the process of creation, does Brahman take on the shape or form of the world, as does the silver that is used to make a ring? The vivarta concept comes closer to Shankara's understanding of the relationship between Brahman and the world. Brahman takes on the appearance of the world, as does the silver take on the appearance of a ring. But in taking on the appearance of a ring, the silver itself is molded and shaped into a certain form. For Shankara, this is not what happens in the Brahman-world relationship. Shankara denies that Brahman, as the material cause of the universe, changes in any way whatsoever. Thus, neither the parinama nor the vivarta view is satisfactory. They both presuppose that cause and effect are separate realities. In parinama, the material cause (e.g., milk) is transformed into a substance different from itself (e.g., cheese); and in vivarta, the material cause (e.g.,silver) is changed into the shape of its material effect (e.g., a ring).

Upanishads also say that Brahman is devoid of instruments of action and thinking (karta amanah). There are also statements in the Upanishads to the effect that Brahman is neither neither cause nor effect. A changeless Brahman, a Brahman that is akarta, cannot be the transforming material cause (parinaami upaadaana kaaranam) of the perceived world. Since Brahman is amanah, It cannot be the intelligent cause (“nimitta kaaranam.”) of the perceived world, either.

So, the question arises, how does creation come?

Shankara's position is that the world is a mere appearance of Brahman caused by ignorance (avidya) and illusion (maya). There is no real creation. Brahman does not really act, nor does it change in any way.

Thus, for Shankara, it seems that Brahman is both the cause of the world's existence and not the cause of the world's existence. To avoid this apparent contradiction, Shankara utilizes a distinction between two ways in which the nature of Brahman is experienced and understood. This is the distinction between Saguna Brahman and Nirguna Brahman,"Brahman with attributes" and "Brahman without attributes" . Saguna Brahman is qualified by limiting conditions owing to the multiplicity of the names (mental entities) and forms (bodies) arising out of the cosmic evolutionary process (i.e., out of the plurality of the created world) and as possessing a plethora of attributes (e.g., truth, beauty, knowledge, consciousness, bliss, power); Nirguna Brahman is free from all limiting conditions whatever and devoid of all attributes. Saguna Brahman is the personal God of religion, an all-good, all-powerful, all-knowing, and all-present creator of the world and a divine savior to whom we owe our love and devotion. Nirguna Brahman is the Transcendent Absolute, having none of the attributes associated with "God" in the various theistic religions of the world. For Shankara, Brahman appears differently to different people depending on whether the Supreme Being is the object either of knowledge (jñana) or of ignorance (avidya). In reality (so says Shankara) the soul and Brahman are one. In Shankara's view, one and the same Self (Atman) is present, although hidden, in all beings.

Thus, Shankara holds that Brahman, when properly understood (i.e., from the standpoint of knowledge), is devoid of all attributes (Nirguna Brahman). When Brahman is described as possessing attributes such as truth, knowledge, or infinity, or when Brahman is described as Pure Being (sat), Pure Consciousness (chit), and Pure Bliss (ananda), these characterizations of Saguna Brahman (Brahman with attributes) are attempts to describe Brahman from the standpoint of ignorance. Such characterizations are, in reality, just words, and the true nature of Brahman cannot be described in words. The truth of the matter, according to Shankara, is that Brahman's true nature is completely devoid of any attributes.

When Brahman is said to be the efficient and material cause of the world's existence, it is Saguna Brahman, not Nirguna Brahman, that is so described. To speak of Brahman as the cause of the world presupposes a duality of Brahman and world, and such dualistic thinking is grounded on ignorance of the true nature of Brahman and Atman. Although Brahman is characterized in various Vedic texts as the efficient and material cause of the universe, Shankara holds that these texts refer to Saguna Brahman and that thinking of Brahman as Saguna ("with attributes") constitutes only a preliminary view of Brahman, a view based on the human need to explain the apparent existence of the universe. However, in order to understand the true nature of Brahman, we must go beyond this preliminary view and understand Brahman as it is in itself, not in relation to the universe, i.e., in non-dualistic terms. At that level of comprehension, it is seen that the entire universe is nothing but a superimposition upon and mere appearance of Brahman, the underlying reality of all that is. In the knowledge of the true nature of reality, which is the Brahman-Atman unity, this superimposition is "sublated." (Sublation is the process of correcting our understanding by replacing false judgments with true judgments.)

This line of argument leads Shankara to his famous distinction between two levels of reality and understanding:
(1) phenomenal or relative reality (vyavaharika satya), in which dualities and distinctions appear, and
(2) transcendental and absolute reality (paramarthika satya), in which there are no dualities or distinctions whatsoever. It is only from the phenomenal and relative standpoint of dualistic and distinctionist thought that Brahman (i.e., Saguna Brahman) is the cause of the existence of the universe.

From the standpoint of absolute reality and understanding, there is nothing in existence other than the Brahman-Atman unity. Thus, in one sense, Brahman is the cause of the world's existence and, in another sense, Brahman is not the cause of the world's existence.

For the purposes of his arguments against Samkhya philosophy, Shankara adopts the phenomenal-relative perspective, insisting that, if we are to posit the existence of the universe as a product of causation, then we must conclude that Brahman-Atman (i.e., in the guise of Saguna Brahman) is both the efficient and the material cause of the world.