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Laya Yogam by Pujya Sri Datta Vijayananda Teertha Swamiji on 27th Sept 2015 at Dundigal Ashrama
In this Datta Kriya Yoga camp we have decided to speak of Laya Chatushka. Ashtavakra Gita’s origin we have learned about. We have also understood the glory of Guru. Only when there is intense faith and reverence towards Guru, Yoga training will be successful. Like King Janaka, one should surrender everything to Guru, including the Soul. Ashtavakra is giving darshan here as Guru and King Janaka is his disciple. Janaka is a Rajarshi who requests Ashtavakra Maharshi to teach him Buddhi Yoga. Ashtavakra Maharshi obliges by teaching about Self-Realization. The experience acquired after receiving initiation and instruction from Guru was first described.
The word ‘laya’ is familiar to us. Laya is withdrawing the material world into oneself. Lord Siva is able to do this. But it is beyond the capacity of normal persons. What does Laya mean in this context? How is it accomplished?What is the benefit derived from doing it? Manolaya is what is being discussed here. It is of two kinds. Does one eradicate the mind itself or does one withdraw everything into the mind? That is what we need to understand. It is best to grasp both concepts. The first is to pull the entire world inwards into the mind. Once that is done, it becomes easy to eradicate the mind itself.
Laya also means death. Siva is described as the Lord of Death and Dissolution. Death is different from Dissolution. Siva Yogi brings to the mind the Lord wielding a trident and drum and so on. A tree has lost its leaves. We sweep and collect all the scattered dead leaves. This heaping up is called Samharam. If the heap is left like that, the leaves will once again all scatter with the wind. Therefore, the leaves are placed in a river. With the flow of the river, they merge into the ocean after their medicinal properties get dissolved into the water.
Another way is to light a fire and burn the heap of dried leaves. The ash is then used as fertilizer. It disappears, dissolving in water and gets sucked in by the root of the tree. But in course of time, the fertilizer turns into a mighty tree. This is another form of Laya.
For any type of Laya to occur, Samhara must first take place. Samhara does not mean killing. It means gathering together. That is what Rudra does. All the different cells and planets are scattered. They are collected into a heap. Tripurasura is Siva who gathers everything and burns it up. Tripurantaka is one who does Samhara of the Triputi that is within us. He is the Layakarta. This is the gross meaning. Samhara is to gather together what has been scattered here and there and to use the collected material for a good purpose.
No one kills a thriving tree to make it Laya. What is not good is destroyed. In us, except for the Soul, everything else is unfavorable. The Veda describes the sequence of Laya in the Sivasankalpa mantras. During marriages also some spiritual mantras are included.
What are those mantras? They give a perfect sequence for Laya. The Moon is in my mind. Because the Mind exists we are able to think of the Moon. When one is in bereavement, instead of giving cool comfort, the Moon scorches. An ice cube hurts one who has just suffered an injury or a burn. It functions in an opposite way by causing burning. Mind has the quality of attributing coolness to the Moon. Rama’s mind was absorbed in the feeling of separation from Sita. At such a time, the Moon failed to give him cool comfort.
Yogis have to deeply analyze the workings of the mind. What is the characteristic of the mind? How does it function? Where does it exist? Unless the focus is directed towards Mind, Yoga will not be successful.The Moon is in the mind. Where is the mind? My mind is in my heart. Where is the heart? It is inside me. Where am I? I am in Amrita. Am I drowned in the ocean of Amrita or am I myself Amrita? Amrita is in Parabrahma. It has emerged from Him. In a sequence, I, the heart, the mind, and the moon have all emerged. Where is Brahma? There is nothing beyond Brahma. Earlier we spoke about burning the parts of a dead tree, and placing the ashes at the root of another tree and watering it. Where has the ash gone? It became absorbed into the roots as fertilizer. The dead, fallen leaves, fruits, etc. merged into the tree. Similarly, the leaves dumped into the river also reached their source.
We view Laya in the world in different ways. Where has a tree come from? It came from the seed. If you wish to eradicate the existence of a tree, how is it accomplished? It has to be returned to its seed state. No one except God has the power to do it. He keeps fruits on the tree to yield fresh seeds. God’s will carries on the continuity of a species.
You place salt in the ocean. It dissolves immediately, especially table salt. It dissolves faster than rock salt due to the content of Iodine. Sugar crystals take a while to dissolve. Dirt placed in the water does not disappear. It may settle at the bottom. If water is less, it changes the character of the water itself and makes it muddy. There are four ways of Laya. In Ganesha Nimajjanam, the mud remains after the water evaporates. Which of the four methods of Laya is suitable to a particular individual?
The way of salt, mud, tree, or sugar? Most of us are in the state of the tree. We have to gradually grow from this state to that of salt. Salt does not retain a separate identity. It merges with the water. It loses itself in water.How to accomplish this Laya? Take a big object first. The Universe we think is big. But, we are bigger. Once the eyes are closed, the Universe becomes a part of us. It exists in the mind. A yogi must ponder deeply about the mind. What is the purpose of the mind? When the world is dissolved into the mind, the next step is to dissolve the mind itself so that it becomes non-existent.