Devatma Shakti (Kundalini) Divine Power. by Swami Vishnu Tirtha Maharaj, with Forward by Mahamahopadhyaya Gopinath Kaviraj, J.A., Formerly Principal, Government Sanksrit College, Varanasi,1962 His Holiness Shree Swami Vishnu Tirtha   INTRODUCTION Religion is an integral part of sociology. It has not yet become obsolete or a thing of the past but has still a firm hold on the teeming masses of humanity. Of -recent years, there has been a sporadic rising of anti-religious movements, taking their initiative -from., the materialistic outlook of the -Soviet Russia, but it is more certain than otherwise, that all such attempts are doomed to failure. The reason is not far to seek. A man is by instinct a religious being ; there is a natural yearning in him for something that is not of his sensual or intellectual pleasures, but is for something beyond. Why then these anti-religious movements ? Because most of us are sick of bloodshed, exploitation, and warfares in the name of religion. The followers of different religions have in the past freely made use of inquisitions and throat-cutting of those who differed from them in their mode of. worship. India had a name for toleration and always had been extending a hospitable hand to all whosoever sought refuge on her land. Diverse faiths, some of them even atheistic, found here full opportunity to spring up, grow and develop side by side, scholars taking delight in their 'comparative, studies and mutual exchange of thoughts. Votaries of each had full liberty to give an exposition of their views. They invited criticisms from others, and listened to them with toleration and dignity. Such was the India of the: past, but much water has since flown under the bridges and the episodes of the present-day communal tensions and religious intoleration are sufficient to make any sober-minded person to hang down his or her head in shame. Places of worship are sometimes used as sermon. halls for preaching hatred and bloodshed. Cold-blooded murders, stabbing of. innocent persons and regular fightings with lathie, swords and daggers are of common occurrence. This has set many a brain thinking to find out some via media for restoring harmony between different sects which is so essential for the common weal and prosperity of the whole country. Sometimes one is led to think that the day is remote for the consummation of that much sought for peace and tranquillity, but a ray of light at times streams forth- portending. the birth of a universal: religion n based on sound principles preaching common brotherhood of mankind, letting every individual live and let live his neighbours in peaceful communion with God in his or her own way. Under the present state of affairs the country is labouring in the throes of its birth. Hinduism with its multifarious branches affords the evolution of such a one, covering the, ground of them all and having even catholicity enough to embrace within its fold Islam and Christianity. It does not imply that the different religions should die out to make room for the inception of the new one. They have developed into institutions built on the foundation of sound philosophical truths. Each religion was meant to meet the needs of the society of its birthplace and give rise to a culture most fitted to its surroundings enriching the civilisation of the whole mankind in general. The great teachers of the past have been serving to this date as torch-bearers to individuals in their march towards the goal of spiritual realisation and their pious memories play no small part in contributing to build up our civilisation and culture so precious to every one of us. We owe the best of what we have to those great souls of the past. And it is but natural that their revered names and pious memories are so dear to us. Humanity cannot suffer to forget Ram, Krishna, Buddha, Christ, or Mohammed. Our degradation in respect of our intolerance towards those who differ from us, is not of their heritage, but has crept in for dishonouring and defiling their holy names. No teacher ever suggested splitting of human blood for the propagation of his mission or in commemorating his name. Every religion has a philosophy behind it and in the beginning it started with that philosophy but as time rolled on, it accumulated on its surface much of superstitions, ceremonials, and rituals often not warranted by it. Sometimes the beauties of a particular faith and its high ideals are eclipsed by crude and lifeless ceremonies, the blind observance of which is fondly adhered to by their followers and the least interference therein excites them to extravagant rashness bordering the extreme savage fanaticism. But the victim of such fanaticism is often ignorant to understand the very religion he professes, and probably like a brute he commits arson in the vain hope of attaining favours of the Merciful God or in the expectation of an uncertain heaven hereafter. He is often deluded by a false idea of serving his religion as a defender of faith. He little knows that he does a disservice of a magnitude of the highest degree to the cause he loves dearest and harms the society of which he himself is a member by causing disturbances and creating disruptions. Religion is a means for ennobling one's heart for the realisation of God within and to this end one's prayers are day after day offered for His benedictions. How this end can be achieved through bloodshed passes one's comprehension. True religion consists in communing with Him through meditation and intense emotion of love for Him and His creation. God is not to be found in temples, churches, or mosques, but is to be felt only in the innermost recesses of one's heart. Rites and ceremonies are mere accessories. Be he a Christian or a Jew, a Mohammedan or a Parsi, a Hindu or a Sikh, a Buddhist or a Jain, if he is sincere in his religion, he has to purify his heart of all evils, because God resides in the holy temple of heart and not in congregations of mobs, or within the mere walls of bricks and mortar. A comparative study of different religious systems would show that despite wide differences of their rites and ceremonies they are at one in essence. We foolishly in our zeal of enthusiasm attach the whole importance to rites and discard Truth by denying the very existence of God through felling down living temples of human bodies. Was not man created after God? He verily cannot be found in temples of bricks and mortar if He is absent from heart. Let us grasp the divine essence which like an under-current links diverse faiths running common through their super divergencies, and cast off the accretions. In due course a religion sounder in principle and resting on terra firma of tolerance and universal acceptance would be evolved. As Vedas sing in the following verses: May we know that Supreme. Bring, may we meditate upon that High God, may our vital forces direct us towards Him. Him only by knowing one transcends death, there is no way other than this. Higher than this is Brahman, the Supreme, the Great. Hidden in all things, body by body, The One embracer of the universe By knowing him as Lord men become immortal.  I know this mighty Person Of the color of the sun, beyond darkness. Only by knowing Him does one pass over death. There is no other path for going there. Than whom there is naught else higher, Than whom there is naught else smaller, naught greater, The One stands like a tree established in heaven. By Him, the Person, this whole world is filled. That which is beyond this world Is without form and without ill. They who know That, become immortal; But others go only to sorrow. Svetasvatara Upanishad 3.7-10 Concisely this is the goal of all religions and the way to achieve it lies through meditation to which end all our energies must therefore be focussed. Religion is therefore mostly a personal concern and consists in the practices of meditation and communion. In Sanskrit language they are respectively called Dhyana and Yoga. In this short work we have attempted to explain on scientific lines certain ideas generally met with in the study of Hinduism, the philosophy underlying and their application to practical pursuits in the field of spiritual knowledge. Some of them are philosophical axioms and others pertain to practical exercises conducive to spiritual realization, and of universal application and acceptance irrespective, of caste, creed or nationality. It is hoped that even non-Hindu readers too would gain by a sympathetic reading of its pages and would find much thoughtful reading, helpful to their respective religious quests on their own lines any whatsoever. The author therefore has apologetically acknowledged the temptation of writing this work in a language not his mother-tongue, but of those who ruled over this land, simply for the benefit of such readers who have been bred and brought up under the influence of western thought and civilization, that they may get an opportunity of understanding and appreciating the very sublime thoughts of the Great Master-Minds of pre-historic India, which she has to date preciously preserved through so many upheavals. of time for generations with a mission to build up a nobler world with a peace loving spiritually advanced race of humankind. Though the mode of expression is their own and not necessarily in conformity with the taste of the present age, the truths conveyed therein are the outcome of serious and deep thinking, valuable universally for all ages. We are passing through an age of physical science, and therefore we have become accustomed to look at everything - secular and spiritual, physical and metaphysical, superficial and transcendental - to judge them in the light of standards laid down by the authors of physical science, though they do not always apply accurately and strictly to fields beyond its range. Every field of research work requires both theoretical thinking, observation and experimental work. Therefore a research scholar of those fields strictly bound by the principles of secular knowledge is apt to miss the finer truths of transcendental spheres, and reliance on mere imagination and theorising would often lead to half-truths and superstitions. The path of a spiritual aspirant needs therefore a cautious and vigilant research, a clear thinking and inspired vision. Hindu scriptures - Vedic, Tantric, and the later including the Puranas - hint at so many fine and subtle ideas garbed in their allegorical language that they perplex the brains of modern thinkers, and are usually ignored as fictitious and mythical, the reason being that more often it is found impossible to catch hold of the link interlining the different planes of existence's higher - than our own, mere speculative thinking does not help there. Another difficulty that confronts such pursuits lies in the fact that higher mystic experiences do not agree with those on the physical plane and at times they are found to run counter. For instance conflicting forces that are at play on the lower planes of existence with. such acuteness and intensity, lose their force on higher planes and their action Leelas down and takes a harmonious turn towards unity. Disruption of forces is the cause of diversity and their harmonious working tends, to unity, and therefore during the process of creation the primary forces. go on splitting into diverse channels, often conflicting with and counteracting one another. Reverse is the path to be pursued by the seekers of Truth. Upanishads declare that in the beginning of every cycle of creation He wills - "I",the One, may become many for creation". His will was an infinite source of tremendous creative energy, which began to radiate and flow in all directions. Every individual ray of that energy is full of inexhaustible and infinite living Power to create and to perpetuate for all times, and these different individual forces do clash and come into collision with one another during their struggle for self perpetuation, losing sight of their original single source. But during the reverse path of self-realisation that struggle begins to lessen, their flow tends to harmonize and ultimately merge into the First Unity. In short, full consciousness of the same original 'I' shines, throbs and pulsates in every ray of individual egoism. Broadly speaking, the different planes of existence are classified under three strata of (1) Pure universal consciousness, (2) Mixed consciousness of unity and diversity, and (3) Impure consciousness of diversities. Deities and souls of jivanmuktas belong to the first plane of Universal Mind, Yogis and spiritual aspirants to the second plane of mixed consciousness retaining their individualities with minds of separate consciousness, tending towards universality and lower down are those receding far from the universal mind, who are bound hard and fast within the circles of their individual egoisms. The inert physical plane devoid of all active consciousness is the last step in the creative process, though it is a form of the same fundamental will to create. As such the way to self-realisation consists in raising one's egoistic consciousness centered on the physical plane to higher and finer planes of spiritual existence. The results of the ancient research work of Indian Rishis in the domains of spirituality have been handed, down to us in as clear a language as possible. They philosophised on higher truths and defined and formulated the principles of spiritual planes for the help of the beginners. The critical side of spiritual study forms the different schools of Indian philosophy. In India philosophy is not an academical study of theories built for merely satisfying an inquisitive mind trying to reveal the secrets of Nature, as is the case with the, occidental. In India philosophy forms the very foundation., on which practical work is to be carried out. The practical side of the work forms that branch of knowledge, which is called Yoga. Yoga is, therefore, not a branch of philosophy in the right sense, but is really a practical science. The science of Yoga has, as such, laid down, defined and formulated the higher principles, though not necessarily with mathematical accuracy, as a student of modern physical science would like to expect. As the field of the practical work extends from the physical plane to the highest spiritual domain, it has different branches relating to the different planes and aspects of approach. We have Hatha Yoga consisting mostly of physical exercises. Mantra Yoga which deals with the subject in its relation to speech, Laya Yoga, a branch of purely psychic refinement, and Raja Yoga that transcends even mind and steps into the higher domains of spirituality. We have as well Karma Yoga, i.e., the philosophy of actions, a preparatory step for spiritual training, Bhakti Yoga, that branch of yoga which deals with the field of devotion and Love for God, Dhyana Yoga, the science of meditation, and Jnana Yoga which culminates in the full realization of Divinity in One's own self. A science is always a science and is of universal application. It is not the monopoly of certain class of men or nations, though much of the credit for exploring this science goes to the ancient Rishis of India. Vast treasures of Sanskrit literature contain numerous texts treating exhaustively one or more of its different aspects separately. No single text is sufficient to deal with at full length the whole scope of the subject in all its details. In the following pages I have attempted to present to the English readers certain salient features of the Hindu system of the yoga philosophy. An attempt is made to put the subject in the light of modern thinking and I have tried to explain some of the connected ideas and theories on scientific lines, though the attempt is not always an easy task. In support of my expositions I have tried to quote authorities from ancient sanskrit texts. The ideas are old, simply their explanation is mine, though not always in conformity or in accordance with the expositions given by other thinkers. Therefore it is quite possible that I might have erred at places, which I hope is excusable in consideration of the abstruseness of the subject in hand. There are two schools of thoughts in India. Both of them are unanimous with regard to the nature of Atman as pure unalloyed with any foreign matter or metaphysical substance. But they differ uncompromisingly in their outlook of Nature, the Creative Principle, Prakriti. One of them regards it as an independent existence, in no way correlated with Atman, whereas the other school thinks that it is not so, but is the manifestation of Atman's' own Power. Naturally the practical courses prescribed by each school for the realization of Atman should also differ, and hence there exist two courses for practice. According to the' first course Atman has to be distinguished and isolated from Prakriti and its products, and realized in its pure essence, and according to the other the lower psychic products are to be taken back to their immediate causes, reversing the order of sequence of their creation, ultimately the primary product or the highest creative principle is to merge into Atman or Brahman--the only cause of the whole creation. The first creative principle is by that School named as the principal Prana instead of as Prakriti, which in the course, of the creative process. assumes other forms. The term Pram literally means the life-principle, whereas the term Prakriti carries with it the idea of an inert cosmic energy. Both the practical courses cover the whole field of the science of yoga. Roshi Patanjali pointedly prescribes the first method and hence his science of yoga describes the state of realization of self as Sattawa Purushayorannyatha-Khyati, i.e., discernment and realization of the difference between Self and Intelligence ; whereas the other school accepting the above stage of realization proceeds a step further and finally aims at a step where the individual Pram merges into the Absolute. The second view finds favour in Upanishadas and even in Pauranic and Tantric literature. Below is quoted the instance of Yudhishthir from Shrimadbhagawat (1, 15, 40-42). There it is said that on hearing from Arjuna the news of Lord Krishna's departure to Heavens, Yudhishthir, traversing the whole course of yoga, step by,,step-dissolved the lower principle into the next higher and finally effected the merger of his personal consciousness into the universal. A free translation of the verses referred to above is given below. Translation : Discarding there all his ornaments and garments, cutting himself off from all worldly attachments, and having subdued even his personal consciousness, he offered his speech as oblation into the fire of his mind, of the mind into Prana, of Prana into the other (Apana), thereof, with its (consequent) creation into death and of death into the five (principles of earth, water, fire, air and ether), next having offered the five into the triad (as oblation into the fire of the three Gunas of Sattwa, Rajas and Tamas), the saint offered the three into the one (Mahat tattwa), and having thus offered everything to the fire of self, effected complete merger of his Self into the eternal Brahman. Offering of oblations is the mystic merger of lower principles into their immediate causes. The process is compared with a Yajna in order to give them the sanctity of a religious worship. Compare also Bh. Gita, Ch. 4, verses 26-30. Thus the whole course is a chain of union of (1) speech with mind, (2) of mind with Prana,, (3) of Prana with Apana, (4) of Apana with Death by overcoming it through conquest of the five principles (Bhootajaya) (5) dissolution of the five principles along with their corresponding sense powers into the triad of Sattwa, Rajas and Tamas, (6) - merger of gunas into Mahat, (7) merger of Mahat' into the self, (g) and finally, ultimate merger of self (personal consciousness into the absolute). Vedic philosophers regard the whole creation on physical and metaphysical planes as a play of different forces, all being different forms of one universal cosmic energy or Power (Shakti), which comes into manifestation from the all-pervading and all-powerful Brahman, the phenomenon may be compared with the formation of mists, clouds, lightning, thunder, rains, hail, snow, and so forth from an all-pervading atmosphere of vapour. Every manifestation of the cosmic power is followed by a corresponding merger completing one cycle. The infinite Cosmic Power appears in the dynamic state during the creative process and after having accomplished a particular item in hand conceals itself with its infinite potentiality in the static residual form at some basic centre of that individual item. In this residual form it is known as Kundalini Shakti or the Coiled Power, which when uncoiles on being roused to action begins to retrace its -reverse path to its parental source, as is the case with electric energy. Every phase of the universal creative phenomenon is an outcome of the energy in operation through dualities of opposite charges. As such its manifestation on different planes of. the physical and psychic', there runs the thread of the same one universal power. The Indian mystics regard it as a living force of. the universal Soul of the whole creation. Procreative fluids, prana and apana, prana and mind are the opposite charges of that force at different planes-physical, astral and psychic. When the two opposite charges unite on a particular plane, they give rise to another set of a duality of, charges on the next subsequent plane. When the Residual Static Coiled Power is once roused at its basic centre, it commences its upward journey on higher planes through the union. of opposite charges of its manifestation, covering the whole course of mystic progress. This mystic power can easily be roused through Shaktipata. A spiritual hand transmits a spark of the highest potentiality into the astral body of an aspirant and sets ablaze his or her Kundalini Power for the upward spiritual journey. I have attempted to throw light on these subjects in this short book. The task , is huge and needs perfect practical experience for an elaborate and comprehensive treatment of the subject. I being but a novice and a mere apprentice in this mystic science, confess my inability to do full justice to the subject, and hope to be excused for drawbacks that may be found in such a short treatise. Before I close I feel it my duty to express my heart-felt gratitude to my friends His Holiness Swami Sadananda Tirtha and Mr. U. C. Datta, Principal, Govt. Inter. College, Moradabid, now Inspector of Schools at Bareilly, for their revising the manuscript and helping me with their valuable sugges tions. I also owe a deep sense of gratitude towards Shri Mahamahopadhyaya Pt. Gopinath Kaviraj, M.A., formerly Principal, Govt. Sanskrit College, Banaras (a well-known scholar of tantric literature), who has very kindly at the cost of his valuable time gone through the manuscript and has favoured me with a short foreword expressing his esteemed opinion. I take this opportunity to express my great indebtedness to my spiritual Master Shri Yoganandaji Maharaj also for his spiritual guidance and his valuable collections of authorities from numerous old texts that gave me material for the work. I have quoted in this book certain passages translated from his Hindi work Mahayoga Vijnana. Further I have full sense of gratitude towards those friends too who have otherwise very kindly contributed towards its publication and made it available to the general readers.   Dated 18-12-48. VISHNU TIRTHA Biography of Swami Vishnu Tirtha Preface - Introduction Chapter 1 The Divine Aspects Chapter 2 Uchchishtha or The Residual Power Chapter 3 Evolution Chapter 4 Idea of Moksha Chapter 5 Kundalini Power (and Soma) Chapter 6 Brahmacharya and Panchagni Vidya Chapter 7 Prana-Tattwa Chapter 8 Eschatology (Prana continued) Chapter 9 Shaktipat (Prana continued) Chapter 10 Signs of Shaktipat Chapter 11 Superiority of Mahayoga Chapter 12 Will Power and Faith Chapter 13 Raja Yoga Chapter 14 Panchopasana Chapter 15 Secret of Upasana (Worship) Chapter 16 Guru-Tattwa and God Chapter 17 Realisation of God as Knowledge Chapter 18 Retrospect and Prospect From back cover: .......This treatise titled as "Devatma Shakti" expounds that the grace of Guru consists of "Shaktipata", i.e. Descent of Divine power by kindling the "Kundalini" (Divine energy concentrated in the Solar plexus). Read Adi Da on The Shakti

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