Laya Yogam ~ Dhyana Shlokas

All the four slokas end with the line: ēvamēva layam vraja

Therefore, let us first learn what it means: ‘Attain Laya’ is the
meaning of this line.

The procedure as to how to achieve Laya is explained now.

You (the individual soul) have no attachment with anything. The body, and the sense organs may have attachments. But you are ever pure and unattached. What is it you are trying to get disengaged from? When there is absolutely no impurity in you, what is it you are trying to wash off? Why are you attributing to yourself any contamination? You are not impure. You have never been impure. You have always been absolutely pure. You dwell on that truth that you are and have always been absolutely pure. Unless you tell yourself this, how will you become convinced of it? Some people are paranoid about lurking contamination and the risk of infection. They compulsively keep washing their hands and their utensils.

Begin by convincing yourself that you are pure. That is enough. Do not be concerned whether you are truly pure or not. Begin by believing that you are completely pure. Then, you will begin to perform actions with a pure mind. Nothing clings to you. Therefore, the question does not arise of expelling anything out of you.

There is a difference between receiving instruction from Guru, and trying to think things through on your own.

What you have to do is not to eliminate things from you, but to merge everything into yourself.

The volcanic lava, when it erupts and flows out, merges the rocks, trees, homes, and everything else that gets in its way into itself. Everything then becomes volcanic lava. Nothing else remains. It then solidifies. Then, a strange phenomenon occurs. A fresh, healthy, new sprout emerges breaking through the hardened lava ash and grows into a very healthy and mighty tree. When everything has been burned and melted, whether a seed simply remains alive amidst that hardened rock, or whether a bird brings and drops the seed, is unknown. But fresh life begins in the form of a new plant.

The process is where you dissolve everything into yourself, and not the reverse, of your getting merged into everything that exists. Using the power of Agni Sakti/Fire energy, you must melt and merge everything into yourself. Such power comes to a Yogi only through the pursuit of Yoga practices. All the five elemental energies have been described here.Utilizing the power of each, we must get our task accomplished.
The Fire principle exists in the Manipuraka Chakra. It has the power to even melt precious gems. That is why it got its name as Manipuraka. Generally gems split and shatter into pieces.They do not melt with heat. Agni/Fire, when it is present in the
Manipuraka Chakra, possesses the power to even melt precious
stones.

Therefore you, as a Yogi, have to merge the entire world into yourself and make it malleable according to your taste, rather than change yourself to suit the demands of the world.

When you face hurdles in the world either from people or from situations, impeding your pursuit of Yoga, you should meditate on your Manipuraka Chakra, focusing your attention on the region between the stomach and the chest. Then, the
impediments will burn away and disappear.

First gather everything together the way Swamiji has gathered all of you together as one Datta family. Otherwise, there will be no guru to teach and no audience to listen. Only one entity which exists will be there.

Gather everything of all sorts and species into one group whether they are associated with you or not. Then eradicate everything from the mind. Then, regardless of where you may be, even if you are at the Kumbha Mela in Haridwar amidst teeming crowds, you will be able to go into deep contemplation. The moment you close your eyes, you should
get the feeling that you alone exist. You forget everything else.
In this manner alone you attain Laya.

To suck in something, like a vacuum cleaner, you need some objects to suck in. If a vacuum cleaner is there but there is no electricity, it will not suck in anything. Similarly, in you the life energy serves as electricity that powers the vacuum cleaner. To increase life energy, Pranayama is helpful. You should deliberately contemplate that you are sucking in the entire universe into yourself by the power of your life energy enhanced by Pranayama. When you do that, the entire world actually gets sucked into you. Once you have it entirely within
you, including everything that it consists of, then you make a deliberate resolve to dissolve the entire world which is now pure, and then you allow it to vanish. Rishis do this exercise and this brings about a transformation in the world. Feelings of enmity disappear and harmony replaces them. Peace reigns thereafter.

Vamadeva has done this. He drew into himself both a tiger and a deer, purified them both and released them into the world again. The animals then became free from their feelings of enmity.

By his deliberate determination, a yogi not only positively transforms himself, but he also positively transforms the world. The Pranayama that we practice will make a difference to the world. It is wrong to assume that your practice of Pranayama will not affect the society that you live in. It certainly makes a difference in the environment. At least once a week or once a month, if you deliberately wish for world peace as you do your Pranayama, it will certainly have a positive effect on the world. Do your Pranayama with the prayer that everyone should be blessed with a good mind. It will have a positive result. But theprocess of Laya is even more effective in bringing about a change in the world. If a bomb that was expected to explode, surprisingly got diffused, it is because of the power of yoga of great souls. Terrorists will have a change of heart by the effect of the resolve made by Yogis.

If you want an enemy to become transformed, suck him into your mind, purify him of his bad traits and release him into the world again. This is the procedure of Laya. The person who until then had not spoken with you due to ill will, will begin to express friendly feelings thereafter.

Our capacity for achieving Laya is limited and temporary. We cannot burn down a tree and then re-attach the leaves to the tree and make it come alive. As a temporary measure, you may begin practicing for a minute or two to suck in the world into a box inside your mind. Hide it there and then let it go. This is one method.

You are in a state where you identify yourself with your body. But there are times when you close your eyes, and forget that you are in the body. Sometimes the limbs go to sleep and you do not feel any sensation in them. It takes some time to get them to function normally again after shaking the hands and feet. What happens to the sensation that disappeared temporarily? It returns. It is strange. We do not get concerned.We are comfortable. Layam is to leave the body and the world and to travel inwards.

Sloka 2:

udēti bhavatō viśvam
vāridhēriva budbudaḥ
iti jñātvaikamātmānam
ēvamēva layam vraja

This explains about the mind. What is the origin of this world? We have the impression that we are a product of this world. It is a very wrong notion. The world has emerged from us. One, especially a yogi or a Vedantin must always dwell on this truth that the world is his creation and not vice versa. It is just not possible for the individual to come into existence into a world that already exists. If the ‘I’ is not there, there is no world in existence. The world exists only because the ‘I’ exists. If ‘you’ do not exist, the world does not exist for you. It is there only because ‘you’ are there. Therefore, your view of the world hasto change. The world will not change. This is the standpoint of Yoga and Vedanta. The world actually emerges out of you.

When a child is born, it is not the child that is born, it is the world that is born as the child experiences it. Before birth, the child’s experience is limited to the confines of the mother’swomb. Once he opens his eyes the world is born for him, in the manner that he creates it. If the child were to be born with no brain whatsoever, then, he has no perception of the world at all. He exists only in your perception. It is strange. No matter what sounds or actions others around him may perform, the child has no awareness of it. What do you understand from it?The child has no feeling of ‘I’. He has no mental activity.

Sri Narasimha Saraswati Swami had this realization when he was born. Hence, he behaved like a mad child. He understood that the world exists because of him. He then questioned, “Who am I?” till he was eight years old. Then, after his sacred thread ceremony was performed, he began to speak. It is mentioned in his life history.

When this realization comes to you, your world will change. You will no longer bend to the will of the world. Your lineage, your family, your forefathers, your education, and your accomplishments are all related only to the world. Set all these things aside and contemplate only on yourself. Whether or not you study, whether or not you get employed, your life will go on as long as the ‘I’ exists. A man whose ‘I’ is absent, maybehave like a madman, jump from a bridge and take his own life. Just because one becomes a yogi, there is no need to become a madman. The yogi realizes that the world exists because he exists. It is up to him how he chooses to view the world. With continued sadhana, a yogi will eventually reachthat stage. Yoga has that potential.

A sharp poke is given to us here where it is said that this world is like a bubble that arises upon an ocean’s surface. What is the individual compared to? He is the ocean that gives rise to the bubble. Which is greater? You tell me. Is the ocean greater or is the bubble greater? Anyone still entertaining a doubt? Why is there no answer? What is the lifespan of a bubble? It bursts in no time. You are the ocean. The body is like a bubble, not the soul. It is not right to speak lightly, comparing life to a bubble. If there is no life, then how does one merge with the ocean? To a Maha Yogi, life is not a bubble. It is an ocean. To him, life is as vast and pure as an ocean. It is as full of turmoil as an ocean. It is a treasure house of precious gems as well as wild creatures like whales and sharks. You see all kinds of contradictions here, in this ocean. This entire creation that you have manifested is but a bubble in this vast ocean. If the bubble itself is so vast, what if you were to create the ocean itself? You have the power in you to do so. It does not mean that you, like Viswamitra should attempt to create yet another world. You should develop that vast perspective and grasp the extent of your potential. Then it will be the consciousness of Paramatma, the Supreme Soul.

A yogi will not irresponsibly keep creating oceans. It may cause a Tsunami and submerge the earth. He will challenge you to first create another earth, before he would create another ocean to merely satisfy your whim. A yogi will never do anything that will cause harm to the world.

A person once asked a yogi to turn an ocean into an ocean of gasoline since he had the power to do so, since the world was suffering from a gasoline shortage. The yogi replied that the only reason he is stopping himself from doing it is because a monkey brained person might just drop a live matchstick into it and burn down the entire earth.

One should not go after Siddhis. Those are not important. One should strive to realize the Paramatman.

What happened to the bubble when it burst? The air inside it merged with the air in the atmosphere and the water merged into the ocean. Similarly, everything merges into you. Your state or status does not change. You remain as you are. Everything gets dissolved into you. You do not go anywhere. When you contemplate thus, fear of death will vanish.

A yogi cannot pursue his sadhana if he is afraid of death. He cannot even do his Pranayama. First and foremost, he has to get rid of his fear of death. Why is one afraid of death? The thought that all this has to be left behind, is the reason for fear. There is nothing that you are leaving behind. You are merely merging this world consisting of all the near and dear ones into yourself. They have emerged from you when you took birth,and will go back into you when you leave the body. That is all. If you are born again, then the world will come back into existence, emerging out of you once again. That is all that will happen. That being so, where is any need for worry, anxiety, or fear? Realize that all that exists is the soul. The soul is one. Absorb this truth. This is the second method of achieving Laya.

The first method spoke about merging the body and the sense organs into yourself. The second method goes a step further and teaches how to merge the entire vast universe intoyourself.

Sloka 3

pratyakṣamapi avastutvāt
viśvam nāstyamalētvayi
rajju sarpa ivavyaktam
ēvamēva layam vraja

Now from Yoga we proceed into Vedanta. The purpose of all Yoga sadhana is only to attain the state of non-duality. Every individual who practices Yoga will attain that state sooner or later. If Swamiji has initiated you into Yoga, it is only to fulfill that aim.

Your intention in practicing yoga may be different. You may be doing it for good health, for achieving worldly goals, to attain extraordinary powers, or to perform feats to gain fame and recognition as a Maha Yogi. Regardless of your intention, the end result of Yoga is Advaita, non-duality. Where the Science of Yoga ends, the Science of Vedanta begins. It is inescapable and most certain.

In this day and age everyone expects a reward. Perhaps a vehicle is given to help the person travel to his destination.

Lord Hanuman did not demand any mode of transportation from Rama when he was asked to go search for Sita. He did not ask for a Mercedes Benz, nor did he expect a pleasure cruise boat to go across the sea to Lanka to visit the place. Hanuman’s own body became his vehicle and instrument of action and achievement. He attained the state of non-duality when he had the darshan of Mother Sita. He ever remains in that state. A great Yogi only speaks of the greatest truth.

After asking you to merge the entire universe into yourself, the teaching goes a step further. Just so you are not deterred by doubts whether portions of the universe might decline to merge into you, it is stated that there is no need to entertain such worries, because actually no such thing exists as the universe. The universe only appears to exist. What exists is only you.

How can the existence of the universe be denied categorically, when it is directly perceived as having a definite existence? Is everything that is seen really the truth? Yes, you assert.Why were you then afraid last night when you opened the door? Oh, I mistook the rope to be a snake. But you actually saw a snake momentarily, didn’t you? Not just with the eyes, but had the perception that a snake was present. You did not make any attempt to touch it, to make sure. You stood still, waiting for it to move away. How can it move away? Even if you had waited there till the sun rose, it still would not have moved, because, there was actually no snake there. It can never be assumed that what you see or hear is actually the truth. Time and proper observation will tell whether what you have seen or heard is actually a fact. This statement was made in the story about the child and the mongoose. We have heard this story in our childhood.

A mother placed her child under the care of the pet mongoose. When she returned from the well with the pot of water, the mongoose had blood all over its body. The mother jumped to the conclusion that the mongoose had killed her baby. In a rage she threw the pot at the animal and killed it. When she stepped into the house she realized, seeing a dead snake there, that the mongoose had actually saved her child’s life by killing the snake. She felt intense remorse at her hasty judgment.

Therefore, what is perceived may not be true. You imagine the existence of an object that has no real existence there. The snake was a figment of your imagination. A man mistakes that an oyster shell contains a pearl and keeps going after it time and again only to be disappointed. Another mistakes it for silver and is deceived. Yoga Vasishtha also speaks about this same topic. I do not know about the listeners, but the joy that it gives me when I speak about it, is immense. I do not derive the same happiness even after distributing Prasadam to a thousand devotees. Food Prasadam gives momentary joy. A raksha makes you happy for three days. But the Yoga Vasishtha is a gift of knowledge that stays with you forever giving immense joy. You must seek such spiritual knowledge from Guru.

What one should do, is not crowd around Guru. A true devotee or a true disciple eagerly waits for Guru’s teachings, which would stand him in good stead all his life. Many are only eager to go tell their troubles to Guru. Guru’s darshan alone is sufficient to burn away all troubles. It is not necessary to speak with Guru. Guru’s smile itself will solve all problems. Only one in a thousand is like that and Guru eagerly waits for such disciples.

The universe is not a pure entity. It is contaminated. But you are pure. The universe appears to exist in you, the way the snake exists in a rope that is mistaken for a snake. It has no real existence. If this knowledge and understanding dawns in one’s mind, the entire approach towards life and this world changes. The perspective gets completely transformed. What foolishness is it to wish to kill a snake that does not even exist? No matter how hard you beat the rope, you are not going to kill the snake that has no existence there. When the rope is hit, a piece breaks and falls on you and you step back thinking it is a part of the snake’s body. Imagination runs riot. Advaita or the practice of non-duality is an easier method of Laya to follow.

However, strangely in this Kali Yuga, it appears to be easier for individuals to assume the existence of a mind, an ego, a heart, amrita, and so on, and to merge each into itself step by step, while none of those really exist. It is actually a more difficult process.

Different persons find different methods easier to follow. In the Kali Yuga, Yoga is an easy method which will unavoidably lead to Vedanta in due course.

Sloka 4:

samaduḥkhasukhaḥ pūrṇaḥ
āśānairāśyayōssamaḥ
samajīvita mr̥tyussan
ēvamēva layam vraja

This is Yoga in its totality. Remain unperturbed both in joy or sorrow. Practice this. Sri Krishna Paramatma has spoken of this extensively in the Bhagavad Gita. We must practice this to succeed in this life as an individual residing in the body. It is useless to get defeated by the body and to commit suicide. We must become masters of this body by remaining even minded in both favorable and unfavorable situations. If a minor delay occurs, bear with it and maintain your calm. Do not be arrogant and egotistical that you have not been given importance as a Kriya Yoga teacher. If you get upset over such matters, years of penance and practice gets wasted. Swamiji will come and observe your downfall and will pity you. Develop patience and tolerance. Accept everything. Never reject anything. Only then, you would have assembled your luggage properly. Nothing is owned in yoga. You collect from different sources and assemble the complete package. You acquire knowledge about virtue, devotion, Advaita, worldly knowledge, and tactful behavior. Only when you gather up all of the different components, it become yoga.

When you assemble an automobile, although the parts may come from different regions and countries, the destination you wish to reach has to be one, and not scattered in different directions. That way and the destination are Advaita, non- duality. It is achieved only through patience and tolerance. Even astrology and the reading of the horoscope for the prediction of the future will be a part of the package. Karma, yoga, and Advaita are the three stages. Karma is inferior to yoga. Do not revert to karma after you have reached yoga, by indulging in performing shanti rituals to compensate for the negativities in the horoscope. Then you will be reverting to Karma again, which is like taking a step backward. You may do a few necessary procedures, without giving up the yoga practice.

Lord Krishna has said in the Bhagavad Gita that the Maha Yajna occurs within ourselves. Yoga is a step higher. Having climbed to yoga, do not step down again. There is no room in yoga for fault-finding or for rejection of circumstances. One must accept God’s will and submit to Sadguru’s decisions. Sadguru’s teachings are aimed at helping everyone.

Not everyone can do yoga like you. For some, Karma is required. Therefore, the path of karma is prescribed for them. They then do the required karma and get purified and theirtroubles are resolved. It cannot be denied. One must pray to Yogeswara Krishna and proceed to do the prescribed karma. Eventually such a person will find the path to yoga. Advaita is the ultimate way. Karma is the third step. Those who are doing yoga are on the second step. The aim is to rise to the first step which is Advaita. For this, equanimity must be cultivated. One must develop a wholesome attitude. What is being whole?

Vedanta explains this beautifully. If we draw a zero, and ask, where does a zero begin? A person who has drawn the zero points to the point where the pen began drawing the shape of the zero, and says that is the beginning. A great soul urged him to think more clearly and give an answer.

One day, the person saw a pebble fall into a pond. At once circles began to appear in the water. But the circles began in the middle. If we try to do that, we end up with the shape of something like ‘@’. If you try to draw a circle from the middle point, it will no longer be a zero. The pebble that fell in the water disappeared but the circles kept increasing in number. What causes these circles? That is Poornatva, the stage or entity which has no beginning or end.

One should neither anticipate in hope nor despair. There should be no greed and no indifference. Whatever comes one’s way unasked, should be received, experienced, and enjoyed. It is a yogi’s duty. A yogi has no requirements for going to extremes in food intake. Moderation is the rule to follow. In life and death, the attitude should be the same. The ‘I’ is eternal. It does not come and go. Therefore, there is no need for worry or concern. One exists eternally. He alone exists. Hence, there is nothing to leave behind. If the universe, as an illusion has its existence in oneself, how can one leave it and go? This universe belongs to the individual. Therefore, where is the question of leaving what is inside of him? If in the worldly sense, a husband and wife should feel that they truly belong to one another, then there is no separation or going asunder. If the universe should leave him, a yogi is not concerned. He is not perturbed. It does not affect him. In yoga practice, during Pranayama, during japa of Omkara, during meditation upon the Chakras, all of these Laya procedures may be applied and followed. They should be followed. But certain timings and discipline should be followed. Even if one goes to the Himalayas, the rules of the land should be adhered to. If someone warns you of an impending landslide, you must pay heed and not rebel claiming you are a yogi.

Ajamila in his past life was advised by the rishis who were nearby not to bathe in the Ganga. He was cautioned that he would get fever if he did. He did not listen. He took a dip and meditated standing in the waters. He fell very sick. He had suffered from severe illness and a high fever with shivering. It looked like he was going to die. To save his life, the sages requested a female ascetic to embrace Ajamila tightly to give him some warmth. Out of compassion she agreed to do so, since he was a yogi. When she did, the other sages wrapped a blanket around the two of them and made them roll together. When they did, Ajamila recovered from his fever. When he came to his senses, he got angry at the female ascetic for hugging him and cursed her to be reborn as a prostitute. The female saint, who had done him a great favor out of pity, cursed him back that he should be born as a person who would visit prostitutes.

Yogis sometimes engage in strange behavior, getting angry for unexpected things and flinging curses at one another and thereby losing their yogic powers. That is why, when we are living in the world, we have to abide by the rules of the world.One should not behave against the rules of the world. One should live only on alms earned, the scriptures say. But now, when we live in the world, it is not possible to do so.Unchavritti is where one collects rice grains that are left over after harvesting, removes the husk with the teeth and consumes the grains. It is not possible to live like that now. We now need people to cook for us and serve us. That being so, one should not show anger at those who serve. Then it is not yoga. One should be balanced in emotions.

This is the Upadesa given by Ashtavakra Maharshi about achieving Laya Yoga.

It is then mentioned that Manolaya or eradication of the mind is not the ultimate. There are other methods. As long as one graduates, that is what matters, what percentage of marks one gets in the exams is not of much consequence. One should remain in the middle ground without falling to the lowest level in sadhana. That is important. Manolayam helps one to rise from the lowest level to the middle level.

Ponder over all the points discussed. If any new ideas have been presented, think deeply over those also.

Prayers.

Sri Guru Datta