True Meditation Adhyatmik Vishwa Vidyalaya

Nowadays, by saying ‘yoga’, people derive the meaning as physical yogaasan⁴³, praanaayaam or Hatha yoga. The yogaasan can help us to achieve physical health and to a certain extent, mental health, but complete happiness and peace can be achieved only through easy Raja yoga. In real terms, it isn’t even called ‘yoga’, but it is called ‘yaad (remembrance)’ in simple words. You develop the soul conscious feeling through Raja yoga, by which there is a possibility of removing perverse criticism caused by racialism, religion, language.Through the willpower attained on the basis of the soul conscious stage, you will be carefree and you will develop constant peace and indestructible faith. Based on this,

you will attain the power to discriminate [between good and bad], the power to make proper decision and the power to face [various] situations, circumstances and problems. In addition, you will make the biggest attainment, which you can’t make from anything else;

it is mentioned for that in the Gita: Idam gyaanam upaashritya mama saadharmyam aagataah. Sarge api na upajaayante pralaye na vyathanti ca. (14/2) [It means, the ones who have attained the characteristics of viceless [and] egoless Parambrahm like Me after taking the support of this knowledge, they go to heaven of the Golden and Silver Age, they aren’t born in this sorrowful world and [they] don’t become distressed in the great destruction, at the end of pralay either, they just stay happy in most of the births.] It is because there is a saying, “jaako raakhe saainyaa, maar sake na koy. Baal na baanka kar sake, jo jag vairi hoy.”

The one who has gained accomplishment in yoga, the one who is called Yogeshwar in the scriptures, the one whose idols and pictures are always shown absorbed in meditation and in an incorporeal stage, the one whose eyes are always shown half-open and lost in meditation, the one with whose name the ancient Raja Yoga of India is recognized – only he can give the correct definition of yoga.

Pranayam - It is said in the Shrimad Bhagvad Gita itself: Apaane juhvati praanam praane apaanam tathaa apare. Praanaapaanagati ruddhvaa praanaayaamaparaayanaah. (4/29) Meaning - To hold, take or control the physical breath is related to the good and bad thoughts within us. Oxygen symbolizes good thoughts and carbon-di-oxide symbolizes bad thoughts of remorse, which we must renounce. To generate bad thoughts is to release negative energy and to generate good thoughts is to absorb positivity. In reality, only the one who controls both is a yogi. It has been mentioned in the Gita itself: Na hi asannyastasankalpo yogi bhavati kashcana. (6/2) It means, the one who hasn’t completely renounced all his thoughts isn’t a yogi. But people have derived a wrong meaning out of it. They practice kumbhak i.e. hold their breath and sit in a nil state for hours together. Actually, through the knowledge of the Gita, God taught Arjun to control the mind; He didn’t teach him any physical exercise.

Controlling the mind - It has been mentioned in the Shrimad Bhagvad Gita: Asanshayam mahaabaaho mano durnigraham calam. Abhyaasena tu kaunteya vairaagyena ca grihyate. (6/35) It means, Mahabahu, no doubt the fast and fickle mind can be brought under control through disinterest and the practice of yoga. It is then that we can achieve the willpower, which works not only for one birth but for many births. Living examples of this willpower are available in history as well. A soldier like Babar became an emperor in just one birth through willpower. An ordinary boy like Vishnu Gupta became an extraordinary scholar like Acharya Chanakya. Akbar, who conquered whole India, couldn’t conquer Maharana Pratap. Not just men, there have been many brave women as well. Today, this greatest power, the willpower is reducing and the proof of this is the fact that people today can’t even lift the sword with which Maharana Pratap fought battles 500 years ago.

The method of yoga - Today, no one’s mind in under control. This is why, people are made to practice yoga with their eyes closed in all the yogic procedures that are being taught nowadays. However, God didn’t give the knowledge of practicing yoga with the eyes closed. In the 13^th shloka of the 6^thchapter of the Gita, a word has been mentioned: ‘samprekshya’ meaning, you must have yoga with your eyes fully open, like Meera used to remember Krishna. Her eyes were open and she remembered him through her intellect.

How to practice? - The time, the place, the environment etc. is predetermined for learning the various kinds of yoga that are being taught in our country and abroad but there aren’t any such barriers in learning the original yoga. If we remember God while performing every action, we develop perfection in what we do. For this, it has been said in the Gita, “Yogah karmasu kaushalam.” (2/50)

Karma yoga - In the Gita, karmayoga has been said to be especially better than karmasanyas: Tayostu karmasannyaasaatkarmayogo vishishyate.(5/2) It means, it is especially better to remember God while performing actions rather than renouncing actions completely. But sages and saints taught people to renounce the very actions to attain God. They started teaching agonizing physical penance i.e. degraded penance that hurts and brings pain to the soul and the body. They certainly couldn’t attain God through it but they started claiming themselves to be God. However, to have the remembrance of God, the accurate recognition of God is required and no human being can provide it. It has been said in the Gita itself: Svayam eva aatmanaa aatmaanam vettha tvam purushottam.(10/15) It means God Himself gives His introduction.

How to meditate ?