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Mahabharata katha London
2012
Of the various avatars of Vishnu, ten are considered to be
the most important and are celebrated as the ‘Dashavatar’.
Kundalini Yoga is an esoteric method of meditation which envisions six
energy centres called Chakras spread from the base of the spinal cord to the
brain.
In this article I have combined learning
from the Dashavatar with aspects of the Kundalini yoga to get unique insight
into this meditation method.
Matsya, like the Adi-Matsya, our desires keep growing and
outstrip whatever resources we find to feed it !
Like the Adi-Matsya, if we recognise the true svaroop of maya and realise
this is an aspect of divine lila, the same maya-matsya can rescue us from a
deluge of sansar. Your latent
energies are locked in Muladhara which is submerged by the sea of samsara. External world showers us with
stimulations and desires. Add these
to our own store of emotions and experiences acquired over countless lifetimes
and we are truly swimming in a turbulent ocean of emotions. Adi-Matsya swims in the turbulent
waters of pralaya, but keeps its head above the waters to rescue rishis and
Vedas. Swim boldly in the sansar,
but don’t be submerged by it and keep your focus on the goal. Control your breath like the matsya
and seek that which is lost within you.
Become Matsya.
Kurma, on its hard back rests the entire mount Meru and all
the hopes of Devas and Danavas.
Like the Adi-Kurma, if we too are circumspect with our interactions in the
samsara, we too can use yama and niyam to bear the fierce forces produced by
yoga. If we harness the energy of
adi sarpa shakti – Kundalini and churn the ocean of our body with all its rasas,
using the spinal cord as our own Meru-danda, we too can hope to extract the
elixir immortality from our own body.
Churning of the sadhak through sadhana produces its own 14 ratna
including vish and amrit. Be firm
yet humble. Seek the help of Shiva
and Vishnu and you too can enjoy the amrit served by Mohini herself !
Become Kurma.
Varaha, emerging from Brahama’s nostril, Varaha rescued Dhara
from the depths of the ocean and fought the demon who wanted to hoard everything
for himself. Be unselfish and work
for the good of others with no expectation of reward or even a “thank you”. Delve deep in your own conscious and
subconscious to remove the evil of ego and rescue Dhara that has sunk to the
bottom of our being. Rescue bhumi
tatva from Muladhara and get it to float upon the jala chakra of Svadhisthan. Make light that which is heavy by
nature (element of earth) and set it afloat on that which is light by nature
(element of jala). Make the
impossible possible by using prana shakti that came out of Brahma’s nostril.
Become Varaha.
Nrusimha, emerging from the pillar with a roar of Guru Guru,
Nrusimha slew Hiranyakashyapu on his lap, sitting on a doorstep, during the
twilight with his own nails. Like
the firey maned Nrusimha, use the energy of Manipur chakra to slay your own
demons that can not be slain at night or day, in heaven or on earth, with any
manufactured weapon or by any creature created by Brahma. Your ego, your own ahankara, your
own desire to dominate and possess all that you see, needs to be ripped apart by
your own efforts from the energy that emerges from within you. Let spinal column be the pillar, let
your soul be Prahalada, let the universal spirit manifest within you to slay the
demons that bind you to eternal cycles of samsara.
Become Nrusimha.
Vaman becomes Virat through sankalpa. Vaman had a wish. A singular wish. He wanted to practice his sadhana
undisturbed, without let or hindrance from anyone else. He wanted his own plot of land, just
big enough for him to practice his sadhana.
Wow ! What a sankalpa ! Such a simple sankalpa and yet it
defeated Bali who had conquered the universe through the power of
Shukra(charya). Harnessing the
power of Shukra, Bali had conquered all.
His sadhana was so powerful, that the all powerful Vishnu came begging to
his door. Let your sadhana be
singular in its aim and focus it so powerfully that it transforms you from atma
into paramatma. When a minute,
tiny, insignificant, singular atom explodes, it becomes an atom bomb,
transforming and transmutating all that it touches. In the Anahata, transform yourself
from Vaman to Virat by harnessing the energy of the primodial anahat nada.
Become Vaman.
Parashurama purifies himself with the zeal of absolute
determination. He works hard till not a single bit of impurity remains. Vishudha chakra is at the level of
the throat. Parashurama uses his mighty
axe to cut off the heads of our internal enemies, pride, greed, apathy, avarice
etc to purify us. For this you have
to be ruthless with yourself and remove all vestiges of ego. For most of us, this is akin to
“cutting off your head”. Parashurama will chop off anything and everything
that impedes spiritual progress. That is why he resides at the Vishudha
chakra. With a focus as sharp as an axe, he chops down pride, greed,
avarice etc in a sadhak to purify them from within. Purify your very blood and you will
transform from within. If you are
willing to do this, it can happen within 21 days. Parashurama purifies the very blood of the
sadhaks from within, making them worthy of spiritual progress. When you
pass through the Vishudha chakram you satisfy the ancestors with your own blood,
you break the runaubandha with your past so that you can move truly move
forward.
Become Parashurama.
Rama is the King and his Agyna is absolute. He rules over Ayodhya, a realm where
there is no conflict. Wherever there is doubt, confusion, discord, know that
Rama does not rule there. Rama
remains in the forests of the Southern region, doing sadhana, removing demons
from within, till the sadhak is ready for RamaRajya. Having purified ourselves with (14
years of ) intense sadhana, we make ourselves ready to receive the bliss of
Rama-Agyna.
Become Rama.
Krushna lila is played out in the blissful realm of the
Sahastradhara. Experience of
Krushna lila is beyond any vani – even beyond para vani. It can only be experienced, not
explained. To enter that realm,
lose your ego, lose all your inhibitions, lose your pride, lose “yourself”. As long as YOU remain, YOU can not
experience Krushna. Through the
various lila of naga-daman, chira-haran and saubhagya-maad of pratham-rasa,
gopies purify themselves and become so engrossed in Krushna, they become
Krushna. Maharasa is the result of
this oneness where Krushna and gopi are one and the same. Sadhak’s sweat during the sadhana is
the Yamuna. Joy that pours forth on
achieving the goal is the Ganga.
Between the two is an ocean of bliss where Atma and Paramatam play.
Become Krushna.
Rituals and social strictures are of no use to those who have
achieved nirvana. Nothing binds
them anymore. Yet, having passed
through life, several lives, several times, Buddha can empathise with everyone. Buddha’s compassion encompasses
everyone.
Become Buddha.
With clarity, focus, strength, intelligence and compassion,
the sadhak has the capacity to become a
world redeemer.
Become Kalki.