WHO IS GURU SIYAG ?

<< BACK Guru Ramlalji Siyag, 82, one of India’s contemporary saints, has gifted the world with a unique form of Yoga derived from ancient India’s rich Vedic (Hindu) spiritual heritage. Founder-patron of Adhyatma Vigyan Satsang Kendra (AVSK), a Jodhpur-based spiritual organization, Guru Siyag currently lives in the sand-blown city of Bikaner in India’s north-western desert state of Rajasthan. Revered by thousands of disciples all over India, Guru Siyag has been spear-heading a quiet spiritual revolution since the mid 1980s, when inexplicable experiences prompted him to give up the ordinary material life he was leading until then, and to begin a new quest for bringing about a practical transformation of mankind. Blessed with divine powers that were bestowed upon him in the wake of mysterious spiritual experiences in the late 1960s, Guru Siyag has freed countless people from physical and mental agonies and led them onto the path of self-discovery and realization of God. He is reverentially addressed as ‘Gurudev’, an honorific that equates him with God. Guru Siyag was born into a poor peasant family in Palana, a small village with a typical agrarian backdrop 25 km to the north of the city of Bikaner, on November 24, 1926. Gurudev’s childhood was marked by an intense struggle for survival — made more difficult by the sudden demise of his father when he was barely 3 years old. Gurudev’s mother, a woman of grit with spiritual leanings, worked as domestic help to feed her lone child and continue their precarious existence. As there was no one else in his family to take care of him while his mother was at work, Gurudev had to be shifted to a local orphanage during this period. Despite the privations he suffered there, Gurudev managed to go to a local school and finish high school level studies. However, when he turned 18, his mother’s old age compelled Gurudev to give up any dreams he may have entertained of college education, and to take up a clerk’s job with the Indian Railways. Gurudev with his family Life in Bikaner, a backwaters town then, revolved around the railway junction there, which generated jobs through movement of cargo and travelers during the British rule. Honest to the core, young Siyag worked hard and long hours to make a living. His cheerful demeanor, honesty and dedication to work won him respect and admiration not just among fellow workers but also among managers in the higher echelons of the local railway network. He soon got married and started a family. In the years that followed, he eventually had five children — a daughter and four sons The winter of 1967 proved to be a watershed in Gurudev’s life. His humdrum life was suddenly upset when he was seized by an inexplicable fear of death though he wasn’t down with any illness at all. A local soothsayer told Gurudev that he was under ‘Markesh Dasha’ — a constellation of planets casting a spell of death. The only way to escape ‘imminent death’, some local Hindu clerics told him, was to invoke the blessings of Goddess ‘Gayatri’ through a special ritual. Gayatri, the Goddess of cosmic light, alone could rescue him from the clutches of death, he was told. Though a believer, Gurudev wasn’t given to ritualistic practices. He didn’t really care much about rituals. For him, the struggle for survival was too intense to find time to pore over scriptures or do the rounds of temples. But fear of death compelled him reluctantly to submit to this recourse. He was advised to perform a Havan — lighting of a sacred fire — and to chant the Gayatri Mantra daily every morning. For the invocation to be complete and offer him the divine protective shield, he was told, he would have to conduct the ritual until he had finished chanting the mantra 125,000 times. In the October of 1967, Gurudev began the ritual in earnest during Navratri, a 9-day festival, dedicated to the feminine divine Shakti. He would get up in the wee hours of morning every day and chant the sacred Gayatri Mantra over ‘Havan’ for a couple of hours before getting ready to go to the office. The pressure of illogical panic that had seized was so intense that he performed the daily ritual with utmost sincerity and concentration. It took him three months to complete the ritual. Recalling those days, Gurudev was to comment later that it was as if a divine force had propelled him into an artificial state of fear only to change his mundane life that he had led until then and to goad him unto the spiritual path. The day he finished the ritual, Gurudev went to bed that night thinking he would wake up during the normal morning hour the next day now that he was through with the arduous Gayatri worship. However, having got used to rising early, he woke up in the wee hours next morning. Just as he opened his eyes and sat up in the bed, he felt the inside of his body light up with an immensely bright white light. It was a kind of bright light that he couldn’t compare with any other — not even with sunlight. He noticed that the light illuminated his body from inside. The light was neither warm nor cold; it just brought a wave of soothing peace. He was soon immersed completely in a state of joy and bliss that he had never known to exist. The Light, gave him an inner vision. Gurudev saw that despite the clear bright light that illuminated his body from inside, he couldn’t detect the presence of his organs, as if his body was a mere empty shell! Having worked occasionally as a helper in the railway hospital’s mortuary where doctors performed post mortems on deceased patients, Gurudev had known the placement of various internal organs, muscles and bones in a human body. And yet he could see none of it inside his own body! He soon became aware of a buzzing sound as if a swarm of bees were creating a racket over a honeycomb. When he focused on the sound, he realized it was emanating from the center of the naval. As he concentrated he noticed, too, to his astonishment that the buzzing was nothing but the Gayatri mantra being repeated at an amazingly high speed resolution, making it sound like the buzzing of bees! He was to learn much later that the Gayatri Mantra that he previously chanted through willful efforts had now become established as a non-stop, self-run process, linking him permanently to the divine force. He later realized he was initiated into Yoga by the Feminine Divine herself! The divine glow brought another discovery for Gurudev. He realized that behind the façade of his identity and existence in the material world, he was a very different entity altogether. He was neither bound by his physical limitations nor was his personal awareness restricted to the physical world that he inhabited. He felt as if his personal being had expanded so vastly that he could embrace the whole universe. In fact, he felt he was the universe and he could feel the vibrations of all the animate and inanimate beings inhabited it as if they were his own. He realized too through this unique experience that he was indeed what the ancient Vedic seers had called Bramhan, the all pervading, changeless and amorphous divine force. Just as Gurudev was marveling at this extraordinary experience and was afloat on the waves of joy, peace and love; the fantastic vision broke off as suddenly as it had occurred. Apparently, the gurgling sound of water suddenly gushing out of an open tap in the bathroom close to his bed had disturbed the trance-like state he was in. The vision didn’t recur though he craved for the experience and lay awake in the wee hours over next several days. The sudden retreat into the mundane physical world was too disconcerting for Gurudev. He felt as if his own vast being was compressed into a small insignificant form and crammed into an unfamiliar and hostile world weighed down by un-evolved beings For days later, Gurudev mulled over the amazing vision he had experienced that Navratri morning. He just couldn’t believe that anyone could live without internal organs. And yet what he had experienced during the vision was so real he simply couldn’t reject it as a hallucination. He was to learn years later that what he had experienced was the projection of a not-too-distant future when human bodies would be much lighter and brighter than their grosser form today! He had experienced the awesome future awaiting human race! It was comforting for Gurudev to realize soon that the Gayatri worship had indeed freed him from the fear of death that had stalked him earlier. He realized too that the material difficulties that had dogged him constantly until then had also begun to ease with a passage of time. But it dawned on him soon that life was no longer the same. The mundane realities of life — eating, sleeping, working and taking care of familial duties — no longer interested him as deeply as they did before the Navratri incident. He noticed another change. Although he was not given to telling lies, he now realized that he felt a compelling urge to speak the truth even in routine life no matter if those around him found it palatable or not. Because of his integrity, the fellow workers in his office had elected Gurudev their leader in the local railway employees union. His uncompromising stand on what he perceived to be the truth while dealing with union issues endeared him to fellow workers but dismayed several of his colleagues on the union’s governing council as well as the managers. Corrupt union officials and managers found it difficult to co-opt Gurudev in their manipulative practices that often went against the interest of the workers and robbed them off their rightful dues. This led to growing hostilities in the office while struggle for survival became even harder. He lived with his family in a small, cramped one-room tenement on the railway campus. In the summer when temperature hovered above 45 degrees centigrade, life became unbearable for him and his family members as he couldn’t afford to buy a ceiling fan to cool his tenement. The railways did provide certain class of employees with ceiling fans on the basis of their seniority. Gurudev didn’t qualify for this benefit. Officials would often drop hints for him to compromise his principles to get such benefits out of turn. But he would refuse them outright. In the months that followed, Gurudev became very restive; he lost interest in material life. His casual belief in God gradually turned into a firm faith. He now spent more time in divine worship and meditation. As he grew introspective he began to wonder about life itself. Thoughts like “who really am I? Why am I here, where am I going?” began to haunt him day in and day out. When he consulted some pundits well-versed in the Holy Scriptures about the changes in his outlook brought on by the Gayatri worship, he was told that he had indeed been blessed by the Goddess with a Siddhi, special divine powers. They however advised him to use those powers to get himself out of material difficulties he was constantly facing. Baba Shri Gangainathji Gurudev politely declined to heed their advice. He believed that God had not changed his life and put him on the spiritual path so that he could make money and lead a comfortable material life. If God had tuned him to divinity, Gurudev realized, He must have done so for a special purpose and that He would show the way ahead too. During his spiritual pursuits in the ensuing months, Gurudev came upon the philosophy propounded by Swami Vivekananda, one of 20th century’s greatest spiritual figures, who led the revival of the Hindu spiritual heritage not just in India but also in America and Europe. Swamiji’s emphasis on the practical transformation of humanity through Vedic principles that offered universal application inspired Gurudev and lifted his spirits. Vivekananda strongly advocated practice of Vedic philosophy through the revival of Guru-disciple system which alone, he believed, could lead to spiritual evolution around the world. Heeding Swami Vivekananda’s advice, Gurudev began search for a Guru in right earnest. He felt frustrated when he couldn’t find one. So anxious was he over this that he ignored the strong urge he felt during meditation to visit an Ashram at Jamsar, a small village 20 k. m. away from Bikaner. However as the inner urge he felt became stronger, it was in April 1983 that he visited the Ashram. He was welcomed by Baba Gangainathji, the presiding monk with a compassionate look in his eyes. Apparently, there was nothing extraordinary about their meeting. But Baba’s compassionate gaze stayed with Gurudev even after he left the Ashram, prompting him to visit Baba’s holy abode a few days later again. It was during the second visit, when Gurudev bowed and touched Baba’s feet, that the master touched Gurudev’s head by way of blessing. The moment Baba touched Gurudev, he felt a tremendous vibration like a bolt of lightning passing though his body. This was Baba’s way of giving Diksha, initiating Gurudev in the unique form of Siddha Yoga. No words were exchanged as Gurudev left the Ashram soon. Little did Gurudev realize then that he had just met the Guru he was searching for and that his life had once again been changed forever. The mental turmoil He felt grew worse by May-June 1983. The state of turmoil that Gurudev was in, continued even after the Ashram visit. By August end in 1983, it grew so worse that Gurudev could no longer attend to work in the office and he stayed away without applying for leave. Then came a big jolt! On December 31, 1983 at 5 a.m., entire north-west India was rocked by a severe earthquake. Seconds before the earth shook, Gurudev was jolted out of deep slumber in the wee hours that morning by a strange shock. Gurudev was to learn later that it was precisely the moment when Baba Gangainathji had passed away. ( To read more about Gangainathji Click Here) Baba’s passing away didn’t affect Gurudev in any noticeable way although he was to realize later that in Baba’s death, he was orphaned once again since his father’s death decades earlier. However, soon afterward, he began to feel a strange inner urge to visit Baba’s Samadhi (tomb), which he dismissed as the tricks his mind played on him. Gurudev’s behavior became eccentric as inner anxieties now assailed him with greater ferocity while he continued to stay off work. He retreated to his native village Palana, where worries about how to feed his wife and children virtually drove him mad. Once when he was walking down the road in a summer afternoon, a local youth sitting under a tree called him out. What he told Gurudev sounded very strange. Gangainathji 's Samadhi The youth said Baba Gangainathji had been pestering him to get Gurudev to visit His Jamsar Samadhi. When Gurudev countered that Baba was no longer alive and that he could not therefore have met him, the youth said the monk has been appearing in his dream to give him the command. Taking this for a divine call, Gurudev visited Baba’s Samadhi and offered prayers there. A cardinal principle in the Hindu thought is that soul is eternal, and that it is the body that dies when a person passes away. It is also believed that a spiritual master or a saint continues to guide his disciples even after leaving his mortal body. The Samadhi of a saint is therefore revered as the fount of divine blessings. Little wonder that following his visit to Baba’s Samadhi, Gurudev felt that the dark clouds of anxiety were gradually clearing off. As his meditation grew stronger, Gurudev began receiving inner messages from Baba, guiding him through the turbulent waters that lay ahead. It soon became clear to Gurudev beyond doubt that it was Baba Gangainathji who was the Guru he was looking for. Gurudev also realized that despite leaving his mortal body, Baba could guide him on the spiritual path without any hindrance and with potent force. The process of receiving inner messages was unlike any other experience that Gurudev had had in communicating with the other person. No words were communicated unlike the populist depiction of divine communication in mythological stories and films. A crystal clear thought would simply cross Gurudev’s mind without any effort on his part to expect it, telling him what precisely he needed to understand or do under certain circumstances. It was like a ray of light rippling through the dark water to the surface and to illuminate the way ahead. Baba soon made Gurudev realize that he was not destined to lead a mundane life. It was made clear to him on numerous occasions during deep meditations that Gurudev was ordained to lead a Spiritual Revolution to Transform the Entire Mankind. The transformation that Gurudev was undergoing himself was in fact meant to prepare him for that onerous task ahead. Gurudev was to learn years later through the teachings Sri Aurobindo, of one of India’s greatest spiritual masters in the 20th century, that divine transformation of one human being would eventually herald the transformation of the entire mankind as that enlightened person would lead the way. Gurudev was told in no uncertain word that he was the chosen one for this mission although his own sense of modesty and the trying circumstances that he found himself in made it harder for him to believe this divine prophesy. It was during these turbulent times in 1984 that Gurudev was visited by yet another strange happening, whose implications could impact humanity in the years ahead. One night after he retired to bed in a restive mood, he had vision in a dream. In the vision, he was shown a passage from what he could vaguely perceive to be a holy book, with the voice of an adapt saying “Thou art that; thou art that”. The next morning, Gurudev mulled over the strange vision and tried to think if what he saw in the dream was a vision or just a strange dream; nor could he understand the meaning of words “Thou art that” which He had never heard before. Since the passage was in Hindi, Gurudev could recall some words in the passage, but they made no sense to him. A couple of days later, Gurudev’s youngest son, Rajendra, brought home an old dog-eared book. While walking home from his school, the young boy felt a strange urge to pick up the book when he noticed it lying abandoned in a cobbler’s shop by the roadside, and gave it to Gurudev later. As Gurudev turned the pages of the book with no particular interest, he was jolted in to attention when he noticed a passage in one of the pages. It was exactly the passage that he was shown in the dream. He read the book over and again for a few days later, but couldn’t fathom what it was about. All he could gather was that the book, meant for children, was illustrated with pictures to explain to them in simple terms the Christian faith. Not being very religious himself, Gurudev was not conversant deeply with the Hindu scriptures, much less be aware of philosophy of other faiths. Though the dream remained a puzzle for him, Gurudev began experiencing a new calm. He returned to Bikaner from Palana, where he had taken a refuge following mental turmoil, reported back to work and resumed normal duties in the office. Strangely, no one took any serious objection to his long unofficial absence from work, which would have normally led to his being fired from the job. It was as if he had never deserted his job at all. This was two years after he had first prayed at the Samadhi of Guru Baba Gangainathji. Once back in Bikaner, Gurudev asked around in his social circle if Christians followed any holy book like the Hindus did the Bhagwat Geeta. It was then that he learnt about Bible. He was told the passage from the holy book, which was shown to him in the vision, formed a part of the gospels in Bible written by St. John, and that what I had seen in the dream were chapters – 15:26-27 and 16:7-15. Later a friend, who had taken a short course in Bible to familiarize himself with the holy book, presented Gurudev with a Hindi version in a booklet form. Reading the booklet gave Gurudev some idea about Christianity. However, being a follower of the Hindu faith, Gurudev thought it irrelevant to pursue Bible any further and lost interest in the subject. However, the inner messages and the voice soon returned with renewed urgency, urging Gurudev repeatedly to read Bible in original English. He managed to borrow a copy of Bible from a friend who was a Lecturer in a local Law college. Reading The Bible in English didn’t prove to be of any help either; he didn’t find the passage in the book that he was shown in his dream. Giving up, Gurudev returned the book and dropped the subject once again, thinking it was the end of the dread episode. But that was not to be. The inner urgings returned now with greater intensity. Making queries once again, he learned something that surprised him; Christianity was divided among many sects, two main among them are Catholics and Protestants. While Bible he had read earlier was followed by Catholics the one followed by Protestants contained the passage from St. John’s Gospels that he was shown in the dream. With Baba’s blessings, Gurudev did mange to get a copy of Protestant Bible and read the Gospel part that he was being constantly goaded to. The relevant part of Gospels contained a prophesy made by none other than Jesus Himself of the advent of the Comforter, who, He prophesied, would save only the truly faithful from certain death while the rest of humanity faced terrible divine retribution in a global calamity brought on by war and famine in the 21st century! Gurudev was to learn later that the Old Testamnet, the first part of the Bible that the Jewish people follow, contains similar prophesy by prophet Malachi about the advent of the Comforter, whom He describes as E-li’jah. Reading prophesies from the Holy book followed by both the Christians and Jewish people made Gurudev realize that they are somehow linked to the preaching offered by Lord Krishna in the Geeta thousands of years ago that preceded Christianity and Judaism. Reading further about what the Comforter is prophesied to do, convinced Gurudev that somehow he had a role to play in the realization of these prophesies through the inner Yoga that he was learning during deep meditation since the Navratri incident. (Please see Section: ‘Fulfilling World Prophesies’) During his meditations since his return to Bikaner and resuming the office work, Gurudev received Aadesh (command) from Baba during mediations that he should quit his job and dedicate himself fully to the spiritual mission entrusted to him. So, it was at the urging from Baba that Gurudev quit job through voluntary retirement on June 30, 1986, nearly seven years before reaching his superannuation age. Gurudev was to comment later, “I was serving the railways earlier; now I am serving my Guru. This is a lifelong job which I can never quit. I have left the worries of the material needs for my family entirely to Him. I am my Guru’s faithful servant; whatever I may gain or lose in this mission will be according to His wish.” Baba also conferred Gurudom on his chosen disciple and directed him to initiate people into Siddha Yoga as his disciples. Gurudev started initiating people into Siddha Yoga through Diksha programs initially in Jodhpur and few other cities in Rajasthan. Those who came to Gurudev and became his disciples, experienced an amazing positive change in their lives; they found their diseases/ chronic ailments cured, and felt spiritual awakening through chanting of the divine mantra that Gurudev gave them during these programs and the meditation they did along with the chanting. As word about Gurudev’s unique Siddha Yoga and healing powers spread like wild fire, Gurudev was invited to other cities and towns to conduct Diksha programs. No discrimination was ever made on the basis of caste, color, race or religion for the people to avail of Gurudev’s blessings. Gurudev has since then traveled to different cities in India and put thousands of people on to the path of Spiritual Evolution and good health. However, Gurudev says that he is only half way through his mission. He believes that until he reaches out to people across the globe in the western hemisphere to motivate them to join the spiritual path that Baba Gangainathji has shown, there will be no real peace and prosperity in the world. “Spiritualism of the East needs to join hands with the materialism of the West, without which world will never be without conflicts and discord. It is this spiritual union of East and West that I have set out to accomplish to usher in lasting peace in the world,” says Gurudev. << BACK

GURUDEV

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Meditation Process To Transform Your Life

	Sit in a comfortable position.
	You can sit cross-legged on the floor, lie down, sit on a chair / couch etc., to meditate.
	Look at Gurudev's picture for a minute or two until you can remember the image.
	Then close your eyes and pray / say silently to Gurudev, “Help me meditate for 15 minutes.” You can choose a time-limit according to your convenience, for eg., 5 / 10 /12 /… minutes.
	Then, with your eyes still closed, think of Gurudev's image at the place between your eyebrows (also known as the third eye). This means that you have to try to imagine Gurudev’s picture in your mind.
	While thinking of the image, repeat silently (Chant) for 15 minutes the secret divine mantra given by Guru Siyag.
	If you have not been initiated by Guru Siyag, silently chant the name of any divine or spiritual entity you believe in such as Gurudev, Krishna, Jesus, Eloheim, Allah, Holy Father, Om, Love, Truth, Kundalini, Energy, Peace etc.
	During meditation, you may experience certain automatic yogic postures or movement of your limbs. Swaying, nodding of head, rapid movement of head from left-to-right or vise versa, inflating or deflating of belly, clapping, grunting, moaning or laughing can happen in many cases. Do not panic or worry. These actions, happen involuntarily, are ordained by divine force, and they are needed for your internal cleansing and readying you for further progress.
	You may also experience vibrations, see bright lights, colors or even have visions or revelations of the past and future events. These are indications that you are progressing well on the spiritual path.
	However, if you do not experience any yogic postures or see visions, it does not mean that are not making progress. In all probability, the divine force awakened in you has perhaps decided that you don’t need these experiences,
	You will notice that your meditation will come to an end automatically exactly when you reach the time limit you had set mentally prior to starting meditation.
Siddha Yoga In Short:
Anyone of any religion, creed, color, country Anytime morning, noon, evening, night Any duration 5, 10, 12, 15, 30 minutes. For as much time as you like. Anywhere office, hosme, bus, train Anyplace on chair, bed, floor, sofa Any position cross-legged, lying down, sitting on chair Any age child, young, middle-aged, old Any disease physical, mental and freedom from any kind of addiction Any stress related to family, business, work

Next >> How Siddha Yoga works

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For creative result just meditate on this image of sadgurudev shri Ram Lal Ji Siyag for 15 minutes daily.Your kundalini power will awakened by grace of guruji. You will get positive result. Presently lacs of people are meditating on the photo of gurudev and getting results in terms of cures of many chronic disorders,cancer ,Aids,hepatitis,and mental disorders, cure of opiumaddiction heroin addiction,alcohol addiction etc. Many peoples are able to see future events in meditation.

GURUDEV IN USA

Gurudev with his American disciple Terrence Brannon	Gurudev at a park
Gurudev with children at the park	Gurudev with children at the park
Gurudev at a park	Gurudev with American disciple Amanda
Gurudev with Terrence and Amanda	Gurudev at a park
Gurudev with American disciple Dan Mariner (left) and Jui Pagedar (right)	Gurudev at a park
Gurudev with Terrence and Jui	Gurudev at a park
Gurudev at a park	Gurudev at a park
Gurudev at a park	Gurudev at a park

Shaktipat

Shaktipat

Shaktipat or Śaktipāta is a Sanskrit word in the Hindu spiritual tradition that refers to the act of the spiritual energy of kundalini being conferred on a disciple or student, by a guru or spiritual teacher in whom it is already active. Śakti translates as spiritual energy and "pāta" as descent(to fall down).[1][2] Shaktipat can be intermediated by the spiritually enlightened master either by transmission of sacred word or mantra, a look, a thought or by touch. The touch is usually given to the ajna chakra or third eye of the disciple. Shaktipat can be transmitted in person or at a distance, through an object such as a flower or fruit, or via telephone or letter.[3]Contents [hide]
1 Śaktipāt as an act of free will of God
2 Śaktipāt as a contact of consciousness
3 Levels of intensity of Śaktipāt
4 Modern accounts
5 See also
6 References


[edit]
Śaktipāt as an act of free will of God

Śaktipāt is an act of Divine Grace (anugraha), completely undetermined. It cannot be forced to come by any action but it always comes of the free will of Śiva. However, the attitude of the recipient must be open towards such influx of illuminating Śakti, otherwise it will not be imposed by force as every human being is endowed with free will, including the freedom to reject God.[4]

[edit]
Śaktipāt as a contact of consciousness

The guru passes his knowledge to his disciples by virtue of the fact that his purified consciousness enters into the selves of his disciples and communicates its particular characteristic. In this process the disciple is made part of the spiritual family (kula) - a family which is not based on blood relations but on people of the same knowledge.[5]

[edit]
Levels of intensity of Śaktipāt

In Kashmir Shaivism, depending on its intensity, Śaktipāt can be classified as:
tīvra-tīvra-śaktipāta - the so called "Super Supreme Grace" - produces immediate identity with Śiva and liberation; due to the extreme intensity of this grace the physical body dies; such a being goes on to become a siddha master and bestows grace from his abode (Siddhaloka), directly into the heart of deserving aspirants[6]
tīvra-madhya-śaktipāta - "Supreme Medium Grace" - such a being becomes spiritually illuminated and liberated on his own, relying directly on Śiva, not needing initiation or instruction from other exterior guru. This is facilitated by an intense awakening of his spiritual intuition (pratibhā) which immediately eliminates ignorance[6]
tīvra-manda-śaktipāta - "Inferior Supreme Grace" - the person who received this grace strongly desires to find an appropriate guru, but he does not need instruction, but a simple touch, a look, simply being in the presence of his master is enough to trigger in him to the state of illumination[6]
madhya-tīvra-śaktipāta - "Medium Supreme Grace" - a disciple who receives this grace desires to have the instruction and initiation of a perfect guru; in time he becomes enlightened however he is not totally absorbed into this state during his lifetime and receives a permanent state of fusion with Śiva after the end of his life[7]
madhya-madhya-śaktipāta - "Medium Middle Grace" - such a disciple will receive initiation from his guru and have an intense desire to attain liberation, but at the same time he still has desire for various enjoyments and pleasure; after the end of his life, he continues to a paradise where he fulfills all his desires and after that he receives again initiation from his master and realizes permanent union with Śiva[8]
madhya-manda-śaktipāta - "Medium Inferior Grace" - is similar to "Medium Middle Grace" except that in this case the aspirant desires worldly pleasures more than union with Śiva; he needs to be reincarnated again as a spiritual seeker to attain liberation[8]
manda - "Inferior Grace" - for those who receive this level of grace, the aspiration to be united with Śiva is present only in times of distress and suffering; the grace of Śiva needs to work in them for many lifetimes before spiritual liberation occurs[9]Type of spiritual grace When is the moment of liberation? What one needs in order
to attain liberation? What is the defining quality
of the recipient?
tīvra-tīvra-śaktipāta
Super Supreme Grace immediate nothing exterior, only
the grace of Śiva capability to abandon duality
tīvra-madhya-śaktipāta
Supreme Medium Grace immediate nothing exterior, only
the grace of Śiva intuition of nonduality (*)
tīvra-manda-śaktipāta
Inferior Supreme Grace after meeting a perfect guru the presence of
a physical guru total surrender for his guru
madhya-tīvra-śaktipāta
Medium Supreme Grace at the end of life in this physical plane the initiation
and instruction of a guru intense spiritual aspiration
madhya-madhya-śaktipāta
Medium Middle Grace after living for some time in a paradise the initiation
and instruction of a guru spiritual aspiration is more intense than worldly desires
madhya-manda-śaktipāta
Medium Inferior Grace in the next physical incarnaiton the initiation
and instruction of a guru lower aspiration than
worldly desires
manda
Inferior Grace after many lifetimes of incremental progress the initiation
and instruction of a guru and lots of time


(*) Abhinavagupta distinguishes here two sublevels:
those whose intuition (pratibhā) is firm
those whose intuition is hesitant, who need more practice in order to stabilize; they would take a guru, study the scriptures or practice yoga[1]

[edit]
Modern accounts
Author Barbara Brennan in the book Hands of Light describes shaktipat as the actual projection of the guru's "aura" on the disciple, whereby the disciple acquires the same mental state of the guru, hence the importance of the high spiritual level of the guru. The physiological phenomena of a rising kundalini then naturally manifests.
Comparative Literature professor Paul Zweig wrote of his experience in receiving Shaktipat from Swami Muktananda, published in the anthology Kundalini, Evolution, and Enlightenment by John White, editor, (ISBN 1-55778-303-9).
Author and spiritual teacher, Stuart Perrin, in his book A Deeper Surrender (ISBN 1-571742-17-4) describes receiving shaktipat from his guru, Rudi (Swami Rudrananda).
Shri Dhyanyogi Madhusudandas was born in Bihar, India. He travelled for thirty years throughout India learning from saints and yogis. In 1921 he met his final master, Shri Yogiraj Parameshwardas, who gave him Shaktipat initiation. He experienced the highest state of samadhi and attained the ultimate goal of God realization. He came to America in 1976 as part of his worldwide mission to help spiritual seekers. During his four years here, he established local groups from coast to coast, and initiated thousands into the path of Kundalini Maha Yoga. He returned to India in 1980 and spent his remaining years in residence in Ahmedabad, Gujarat. Shri Dhyanyogi consciously left his physical body after 116 years, entering Maha-samadhi on August 29, 1994, the anniversary of Lord Krishna's birth. A book describing his amazing life-story - "This House is on Fire." (ISBN 1-883879-50-7) was published by Dhyanyoga Center. His current spiritual successor is Shri Anandi Ma who lives in Antioch, California. She carries on her guru's work and does Shaktipath initiation for spiritual seekers.

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See also

Kundalini

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Kundalini (kuṇḍalinī कुण्डलिनी) Sanskrit, literally "coiled". In Indian yoga, a "corporeal energy"[1] - an unconscious, instinctive or libidinal force or Shakti, envisioned either as a goddess or else as a sleeping serpent coiled at the base of the spine,[2][3][4] hence a number of English renderings of the term such as 'serpent power'. Kundalini is considered a part of the subtle body along with chakras (energy centres) and nadis (channels). Each chakra is said to contain special characteristics [5]. The overall concept has many points in common with Chinese acupuncture.

Yoga and Tantra propose that this energy may be "awakened" by such means as austerities, breath and other physical exercises, visualization and chanting. It may then rise up a subtle channel at the spine (called Sushumna) to the head, bringing psychological illumination. Yogis tend to attempt this alone, Tantrics in couples, both usually under the instruction of a guru.

When Kundalini Shakti is conceived as a goddess, then, when it rises to the head, it unites itself with the Supreme Being (Lord Shiva). The aspirant becomes engrossed in deep meditation and infinite bliss.[6][7]

According to Paramhans Swami Maheshwarananda awakening of kundalini shows itself as "awakening of inner knowledge". Like every form of energy one must also learn to understand spiritual energy. In order to be able to integrate this spiritual energy, careful purification and strengthening of the body and nervous system are required beforehand. By trying to force results considerable psychic disturbances and at times even permanent mental damage can occur. A spiritual master who walked this path before is required to guide the aspirant. Often will be found that negative experiences occurred only when acting without appropriate guidance or ignoring advice. [8]Contents [hide]
1 Indian sources
2 Western interpretation
3 See also
4 Notes
5 References
6 Further reading
7 External links


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Indian sources

A number of models of this esoteric subtle anatomy occur in the class of texts known as Āgamas or Tantras, a large body of scriptures, rejected by many orthodox brahmins.[9] In early texts there are various systems of chakras and nadis, with varying connections between them. Over time a system of six or seven chakras up the spine was adopted by most schools. This particular system, which may have originated in about the 11th century AD, rapidly became widely popular.[2] This is the conventional arrangement cited by Monier-Williams, where the chakras are defined as "6 in number, one above the other".[10]

The most famous of the Yoga Upanishads, the Yogatattva, mentions four kinds of yoga, one of which, laya-yoga, involves Kundalini.[11] Another source text for the concept is the Hatha Yoga Pradipika written by Swami Svatmarama [12].

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Western interpretation

Sir John Woodroffe (pen name Arthur Avalon) was one of the first to bring the notion of Kundalini to the West. A High Court Judge in Calcutta, he became interested in Shaktism and Hindu Tantra. His translation of and commentary on two key texts was published as The Serpent Power. Woodroffe rendered Kundalini as "Serpent Power".

Western awareness of the idea of Kundalini was strengthened by the Theosophical Society and the interest of the psychoanalyst Carl Jung (1875-1961)[2]. "Jung's seminar on Kundalini yoga, presented to the Psychological Club in Zurich in 1932, has been widely regarded as a milestone in the psychological understanding of Eastern thought. Kundalini yoga presented Jung with a model for the development of higher consciousness, and he interpreted its symbols in terms of the process of individuation".[13]

In the early '30s two Italian scholars, Tommaso Palamidessi and Julius Evola, published several books with the intent of re-interpreting alchemy with reference to yoga.[14] Those works had an impact on modern interpretations of Alchemy as a mystical science. In those works, Kundalini is called an Igneous Power or Serpentine Fire.

Another popularizer of the concept of Kundalini among Western readers was Gopi Krishna. His autobiography is entitled Kundalini—The Evolutionary Energy in Man.[15] According to June McDaniel, his writings have influenced Western interest in kundalini yoga.[16] Swami Sivananda produced an English language manual of Kundalini Yoga methods. Other well-known spiritual teachers who have made use of the idea of kundalini include Osho, George Gurdjieff, Paramahansa Yogananda, Rudi (Swami Rudrananda), Yogi Bhajan and Nirmala Srivastava (Shri Mataji Nirmala Devi).

Kundalini references may commonly be found at present in a wide variety of derivative "New Age" presentations, and is a catchword that has been adopted by many new religious movements. However, some commentators, such as transpersonal psychologist Stuart Sovatsky, thinks that the association of Yogic sanskrit terminology (chakras, kundalini, mantras, etc.) with the superficiality of new-age rhetoric, has been unfortunate [17].

Recently, there has been a growing interest within the medical community to study the physiological effects of meditation, and some of these studies have applied the discipline of Kundalini Yoga to their clinical settings [18][19]. Their findings are not all positive. Some modern experimental research [20] seeks to establish links between Kundalini practice and the ideas of Wilhelm Reich and his followers.

However, the intensive spiritual practices associated with some Asian traditions are not without their problems. Psychiatric literature [21] notes that "Since the influx of eastern spiritual practices and the rising popularity of meditation starting in the 1960s, many people have experienced a variety of psychological difficulties, either while engaged in intensive spiritual practice or spontaneously". Among the psychological difficulties associated with intensive spiritual practice we find "kundalini awakening","a complex physio-psychospiritual transformative process described in the yogic tradition" [21]. Also, researchers in the fields of Transpersonal psychology,[22] and Near-death studies[23][24] describe a complex pattern of sensory, motor, mental and affective symptoms associated with the concept of Kundalini, sometimes called the Kundalini Syndrome.