Podcasts about swami lakshmanjoo

We gave this lecture some time ago, in July of last year on Swami Lakshmanjoo's birthday. However it occurred to me that it would be a very good start to 2025 if we could not only review the fundamentals of spiritual life in general but also revisit the foundations, historical, philosophical and spiritual the underlie our Tantrik tradition. Note: around 14:00 I mention a lecture I did called "Texts and Lineages in Kashmir Shaivism". I never actually got around to uploading that one but if you stay tuned for the video called "Our Tantrik Lineage", I go over the same material with albeit more detail. Anyway, in this talk, we make a few points about Tantra and texts like the Vijñāna-Bhairava Tantra and then plunge into what I consider, on perhaps a more anecdotal note, to the be the essential flavor of Shaivism and how it developed throughout history. For more detailed instructions for how to perform Kālī pūjā, watch this playlist: https://www.patreon.com/collection/233799Lectures happen live every Monday at 7pm PST and Friday 10am PST and again Friday at 6pm PST.Use this link and I will see you there:https://www.zoom.us/j/7028380815For more videos, guided meditations and instruction and for access to our lecture library, visit me at:https://www.patreon.com/yogawithnishTo get in on the discussion and access various spiritual materials, join our Discord here: https://discord.gg/U8zKP8yMrMSupport the show

Full Essay with Quotes: Babaji often tells the story of his meeting with Swami Muktananda in which Muktananda told him that many meditation traditions teach that one meditates to experience the void, but that beyond the void is Shiva. In the current Dharana, we see the same teaching— when we use our practice to detach from the infinite manifestations of the mind and senses, we are able to attain mindful separation, which is like a void, and that sustaining that state brings us into union with our true nature, here named Bhairava, which is the same way of saying Shiva. Shiva exists beyond the void. In this Dharana our mind and senses are described as a type of five-fold mandala, smell, touch, taste, sight and sound working as one to inform us of our physical reality. These senses are likened to a peacocks feathers, which when fanned behind them create a dizzying experience much like the mind and senses can become. Our task as yogis is to witness the mind and senses, but not to multiply them with our energy. One method for this, given by Swami Lakshmanjoo, is to see the senses themselves as voids. “You must concentrate simultaneously on [the void while experiencing each of] these five, that it is nothing, it is only a void and nothing else. Then, you have to forcibly concentrate that these are nothing, [that] these objects are nothing–“What I see is nothing, what appears to me is nothing, what I hear is nothing, what I touch and what I get [as] the sensation of smell, it is nothing, it is only śūnya.” It is only seeing as energy–just seeing only, hearing only, not to analyze that…There it ends. And when I feel smelling, there ends that. At the time of that sensation of smelling, you must end it there. You must not go further, You must not go beyond that so that you will [avoid being] entangled in the world of the senses.”This is one of the many underlying teachings of the Tattvas, the yogic map of manifestation. In the tattvas we see that Shiva and Shakti's dance creates all of manifestation. As we expand further from Shiva we are covered by maya, illusion, meaning as our awareness moves further from our own center we identify less and less with our true nature. This outward expansion from center takes a particular path that is helpful in understanding this Dharana. We see in tattvas 17-21, the power of the physical senses are developed— there are called the Jnana Idriyas, which is referred to in the text by Swami Lakshmanjoo as well. This is considered the source of the senses, described as the ‘power of seeing' the ‘power of smelling' and so on. This source gives rise to the sensations themselves, tattvas 27-31, called the subtle elements. This would be the capacity for sense itself, but not of any particular scent. The capacity for sight, but not necessarily a particular sight, etc. And eventually the power and capacity for the senses gives rise to the actual gross elements themselves, tattvas 32-36, the final and most externalized of manifestation. Interesting enough, all three of these capacity's arise simultaneously, we see the object, but often miss the deeper mechanism happening within us. Intro to Kashmir Shaivism: “The moment the senses of perception are produced, the five tanmatras or subtle elements of perception also come into manifestation from the same Ahamkara, because the indriyas can have no meaning or existence whatsoever with​out the objects with which they are inseparably correlated. For instance, the indriya of hearing has no meaning without something to hear, that is, without sound. Similarly, the indriyas of feeling-by-touch, tasting, and smelling have no meaning without a simultaneous reference to something to feel, taste, and smell. Therefore, the moment Manas arises as desire, Ahamkara takes a triple form: I - (1) de​sire - (2) to see - (3) some color.” (Note: the ahamkara is the self that is doing or the personality associated with this individual body. It refers to the sense of being an individual separate from everything else.)This means that behind every color is a deeper understanding if we are willing to surrender it. This experience of surrender is something we have been given by Swami Rudrananda, but keep in mind that this word does not come up very often in the text as we have read it. Therefore the act of surrender is a way of describing a very paradoxical yet essential reality we must learn to participate within— if we can let go of the sense object in front of us, which appears to mean we are left with nothing, we are actually brought to a much vaster experience. Beyond the void is Shiva, this is an essentially another way of teaching us the nature of surrender. When we let go we begin to receive. Let go of the color, receive the source of the color. To the mind we have lost something, but to the heart we have gained. As Jai Deva Singh teaches at the end of his commentary on this Dharana: The Absolute void is Bhairava who is beyond the senses and the mind, beyond al the categories of these instruments. From the point of view of the human mind, Shiva is most void.From the point of view of Reality, Shiva is most full, for Shiva is the source of al manifestation.Which brings us to the translation and practice of Dharana 9. Paul Reps wording is very much on the positive side, instead of letting go or getting less, he focuses on melting within and receiving more. Instead of rejecting outer form, we see that our goal is to absorb it. We find the source by letting ourselves really open up to it. In sight we see that once we surrender the object of our focus, we receive the object of our wishes. “Or, imagine the five-colored circles of the peacock tail to be your five senses in illimitable space. Now let their beauty melt within. Similarly, at any point in space or on a wall—until the point dissolves. Then your wish for another comes true.”

Full Essay with Quotes: Babaji often tells the story of his meeting with Swami Muktananda in which Muktananda told him that many meditation traditions teach that one meditates to experience the void, but that beyond the void is Shiva. In the current Dharana, we see the same teaching— when we use our practice to detach from the infinite manifestations of the mind and senses, we are able to attain mindful separation, which is like a void, and that sustaining that state brings us into union with our true nature, here named Bhairava, which is the same way of saying Shiva. Shiva exists beyond the void. In this Dharana our mind and senses are described as a type of five-fold mandala, smell, touch, taste, sight and sound working as one to inform us of our physical reality. These senses are likened to a peacocks feathers, which when fanned behind them create a dizzying experience much like the mind and senses can become. Our task as yogis is to witness the mind and senses, but not to multiply them with our energy. One method for this, given by Swami Lakshmanjoo, is to see the senses themselves as voids. “You must concentrate simultaneously on [the void while experiencing each of] these five, that it is nothing, it is only a void and nothing else. Then, you have to forcibly concentrate that these are nothing, [that] these objects are nothing–“What I see is nothing, what appears to me is nothing, what I hear is nothing, what I touch and what I get [as] the sensation of smell, it is nothing, it is only śūnya.” It is only seeing as energy–just seeing only, hearing only, not to analyze that…There it ends. And when I feel smelling, there ends that. At the time of that sensation of smelling, you must end it there. You must not go further, You must not go beyond that so that you will [avoid being] entangled in the world of the senses.”This is one of the many underlying teachings of the Tattvas, the yogic map of manifestation. In the tattvas we see that Shiva and Shakti's dance creates all of manifestation. As we expand further from Shiva we are covered by maya, illusion, meaning as our awareness moves further from our own center we identify less and less with our true nature. This outward expansion from center takes a particular path that is helpful in understanding this Dharana. We see in tattvas 17-21, the power of the physical senses are developed— there are called the Jnana Idriyas, which is referred to in the text by Swami Lakshmanjoo as well. This is considered the source of the senses, described as the ‘power of seeing' the ‘power of smelling' and so on. This source gives rise to the sensations themselves, tattvas 27-31, called the subtle elements. This would be the capacity for sense itself, but not of any particular scent. The capacity for sight, but not necessarily a particular sight, etc. And eventually the power and capacity for the senses gives rise to the actual gross elements themselves, tattvas 32-36, the final and most externalized of manifestation. Interesting enough, all three of these capacity's arise simultaneously, we see the object, but often miss the deeper mechanism happening within us. Intro to Kashmir Shaivism: “The moment the senses of perception are produced, the five tanmatras or subtle elements of perception also come into manifestation from the same Ahamkara, because the indriyas can have no meaning or existence whatsoever with​out the objects with which they are inseparably correlated. For instance, the indriya of hearing has no meaning without something to hear, that is, without sound. Similarly, the indriyas of feeling-by-touch, tasting, and smelling have no meaning without a simultaneous reference to something to feel, taste, and smell. Therefore, the moment Manas arises as desire, Ahamkara takes a triple form: I - (1) de​sire - (2) to see - (3) some color.” (Note: the ahamkara is the self that is doing or the personality associated with this individual body. It refers to the sense of being an individual separate from everything else.)This means that behind every color is a deeper understanding if we are willing to surrender it. This experience of surrender is something we have been given by Swami Rudrananda, but keep in mind that this word does not come up very often in the text as we have read it. Therefore the act of surrender is a way of describing a very paradoxical yet essential reality we must learn to participate within— if we can let go of the sense object in front of us, which appears to mean we are left with nothing, we are actually brought to a much vaster experience. Beyond the void is Shiva, this is an essentially another way of teaching us the nature of surrender. When we let go we begin to receive. Let go of the color, receive the source of the color. To the mind we have lost something, but to the heart we have gained. As Jai Deva Singh teaches at the end of his commentary on this Dharana: The Absolute void is Bhairava who is beyond the senses and the mind, beyond al the categories of these instruments. From the point of view of the human mind, Shiva is most void.From the point of view of Reality, Shiva is most full, for Shiva is the source of al manifestation.Which brings us to the translation and practice of Dharana 9. Paul Reps wording is very much on the positive side, instead of letting go or getting less, he focuses on melting within and receiving more. Instead of rejecting outer form, we see that our goal is to absorb it. We find the source by letting ourselves really open up to it. In sight we see that once we surrender the object of our focus, we receive the object of our wishes. “Or, imagine the five-colored circles of the peacock tail to be your five senses in illimitable space. Now let their beauty melt within. Similarly, at any point in space or on a wall—until the point dissolves. Then your wish for another comes true.”

Join me on a journey through the life and poetry of Lal Ded, one of the most revered mystic poets of Kashmir. Lal Ded lived in the 14th century and her poetry has since inspired generations of people in the region and beyond. In this video, we explore Lal Ded's life, her poetry, and her impact on the culture of Kashmir.Sources/Suggested Reading:Dyczkowski, Mark S.G. (1987). "The Doctrine of Vibration: An Analysis of the Doctrines and Practices of Kashmir Shaivism". SUNY Press.Hoskote, Ranjit (Translated by) (2013). "I, Lalla: The Poems of Lal Ded". Penguin Classics.Marjanovic, Boris (Translated by) (2004). "Abhinavagupta's Commentary on the Bhagavad Gita: Gitartha Samgraha". Indica Books.Muller-Ortega, Paul (1988). "The Triadic Heart of Siva: Kaula Tantricism of Abhinavagupta in the Non-Dual Shaivism of Kashmir". SUNY Press.Singh, Jaideva (Translated by) (1990). "The Doctrine of Recognition: A Translation of the Pratyabhijnahrdayam with an Introduction and Notes, by Ksemaraja". SUNY Press.Swami Lakshmanjoo (2015). "Kashmir Shaivism: The Secret Supreme". CreateSpace Independent Publishing Platform.Torella, Raffaele & Bettina Bäumer (2016). "Utpaladeva: Philosopher of Recognition". D.K. Printworld.Torella, Rafaele (Translated by) (2013). "The Isvarapratyabhijnakarika of Utpaladeva: Critical edition and annoted translation". Motilal Banarsidass Publishers.#shaivism #mysticism #kashmir Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

“Whenever inbreath and out breath fuse, at this instant touch the energyless energy-filled center.”When considering the pause between the breath, it is almost automatic to approach it from the outside in— meaning, to watch your breath and feel for the pause to occur. This, we are told, was the practice given in Dharana 2, which taught us to watch the breath ‘turn, turn turn'. As Swami Lakshmanjoo begins his translation of Dharana 3, though, “now, [we are entering] a more subtle process”. The subtle teaching at the heart of this Dharana is that we can experience the pause between our breaths more fully through the internal gaze of the Shambhavi Mudra, described in the commentary as Bhairavi Mudra. The Shambhavi Mudra is the practice of keeping the senses open but bringing your awareness inside to the heart, as you continue to experience your life. This is an advanced practice because it asks you to hold your awareness inside with no external object per se, such as a mantra or pranayama. It is simply, and not so simply, the practice of keeping your attention “inside” while you live your life “outside”. This practice, we are taught in this Dharana, will naturally draw the pause between the breaths to us. In fact, the deeper inside we go inside, the bigger the experience of the pause between the breaths will become for us. The experience of this pause gives rise to spiritual energy described in the Dharana as “Nirvikalpakataya”, which refers specifically to the energy of the central vein, the Shushumna. The Dharana continues that when this practice is truly accomplished, “the energy of breath neither goes out nor enters in (na vrajet na viśet)”, meaning that the inbreath and out breath pause momentarily of their own accord. And here, in this space between the breaths, “one becomes one with Bhairava,” as Lakshmanjoo translates, “Bhairavarüpatà”.When the inbreath and out breath “fuse”, as Paul Reps teaches it, we have fused inner and outer realities, the essence of the Shambhavi Mudra. Which is perhaps why Reps describes the experience as an “energyless, energy-filled, center”— when inside and outside merge, empty and full become interchangeable terms— all that's left is energy. Which brings us back to the illumination of the central channel at the heart of this Dharana, Nirvikalpakataya, which as Swami Lakshmanjoo comments, “is already illuminated”. So we aren't filling ourselves with light, we are unveiling the light that's already there. As we sit with this Dharana, we don't start at the top, we work our way there. We can begin by focusing on establishing a natural breath flow, smoothing out the breath and using our mantra, like we did in Dharana 2. Once this is established, we can open the eyes softly, and start to use less and less effort to guide our breath, approaching Dharana 3. This opens the door to a deeper dive into the Shambhavi Mudra, as we start to witness our senses, and exert less and less effort towards them with each breath. We can explore the depths of this Dharana as we explore our capacity for the Shambhavi Mudra. As our attention truly does sink inside, while our awareness on the breath and senses remain open, what happens to the space between the breaths? Does it come to you? Does it expand? Is it easier to feel— how would you describe that ease?

Finally it is time to talk about the tantric tradition of non-dual Kashmir Shaivism, as well as some of its representatives like the great Abhinavagupta.Music by:Filip HolmBanaras Baba & Kolkata KidPawan KrishnaPalace on WheelsSources/Suggested Reading:Chakravarty, H.N. (Translated by) (2012). "Tantrasara of Abhinavagupta". Edited by Boris Marjanovic. Rudra Press.Dyczkowski, Mark S.G. (1987). "The Doctrine of Vibration: An Analysis of the Doctrines and Practices of Kashmir Shaivism". SUNY Press.Hoskote, Ranjit (Translated by) (2013). "I, Lalla: The Poems of Lal Ded". Penguin Classics.Marjanovic, Boris (Translated by) (2004). "Abhinavagupta's Commentary on the Bhagavad Gita: Gitartha Samgraha". Indica Books.Muller-Ortega, Paul (1988). "The Triadic Heart of Siva: Kaula Tantricism of Abhinavagupta in the Non-Dual Shaivism of Kashmir". SUNY Press.Singh, Jaideva (Translated by) (1990). "The Doctrine of Recognition: A Translation of the Pratyabhijnahrdayam with an Introduction and Notes, by Ksemaraja". SUNY Press.Swami Lakshmanjoo (2015). "Kashmir Shaivism: The Secret Supreme". CreateSpace Independent Publishing Platform. Torella, Raffaele & Bettina Bäumer (2016). "Utpaladeva: Philosopher of Recognition". D.K. Printworld.Torella, Rafaele (Translated by) (2013). "The Isvarapratyabhijnakarika of Utpaladeva: Critical edition and annoted translation". Motilal Banarsidass Publishers.#hinduism #kashmir #mysticism Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

#ChantingForChange: Day 4 EmailThere's no 'you' watching anything. There's just watching, always, already.  In each moment we practice waking up from the dream of being the thinker, into a truer reality of being the formless Watching.You watch the anger,you watch the fear,you watch the breath.And when you watch your Self,You know God.There's only God.I Love you,Nikki@curlynikki.com_______________________Today's Quotes: "Breath is the cause of thought, it will create thought when there is no one watching it."-Swami Lakshmanjoo"The winds of God's grace are always blowing, it is for us to raise our sails."-Ramakrishna "Mind and breath have the same source. Hence breath is controlled when mind is controlled and mind when breath is controlled. Breath is the gross form of the mind."-Ramana Maharshi #ChantingForChange Newsletter--Day 1 EmailDay 2 EmailDay 3 Email Day 4 EmailSupport the show

The Vijnana Bhairava is a ceaseless pulsation, and the first practices of the Vijnana Bhairava take us through a progressive training of awareness in order to use that pulsation to reveal our true nature. Dharana one teaches us to focus on the pulsation itself in the form of Ham and Sah, Dharana two introduces the turning point of our breath, a moment of pauseless presence. Dharana three dives deeper into that pause, and Dharana four leans into it. It should always be noted that the pause between the breath should feel as natural as breathing itself— anything less and we're missing the point. Pranayama is no more about controlling our breath than Hatha yoga is about controlling our body. It is a means by which we enter the flow of the breath, just like Hatha yoga is how we start to move more harmoniously with our body. This means that our work with the pauses should always feel natural, and if it doesn't, each of us has to be open to taking a step back in order to find a sustainable path forward. Dharana 2: Reps: “As breath turns from down to up, and again as breath curves from up to down—through both these turns, realize.”So as we see here, we begin to explore the pause not by seeking a pause, but by watching it turn. You can imagine a pendulum swinging in one direction, and if you watch it closely enough, it slows and turns and begins to swing in the other direction, did it stop? When did it stop? The math of this moment proves to be quite complex— as it approaches the end of the swing the speed gets slower and slower, the movement smaller and smaller, and the pause that takes place before it turns around is almost imperceptible, and mathematically almost impossible to predict. It would be like slicing a cake in Half, then quarter, then eighths, then sixteenths, then thirty-seconds, and sixty fourths, and so on, the slices of movement getting smaller and smaller as the pendulum approaches the end, almost infinitely. Which is why watching this turn can give us a glimpse of the infinite. Jai Deva Singh comments on the Sutra that at this point the inhale and exhale cease, and what occurs is an upsurge of energy in the Shushumna: “By the anusandhāna or one-pointed awareness of these two pauses, the mind becomes introverted, and the activity of both prâna and apâna ceases, and there is the upsurge of madhya dasa i.e. the path of the madhya nadi or shushumna becomes open.”But this is not a state we can grasp with our minds, or our bodies— as the math showed us. This is a state that arrives as we watch the turn with pauseless effort, or “Uninterrupted awareness”, as Swami Lakshmanjoo described it— meaning that we must be pauselessly present in order to actually feel this turn take place, and in that pauseless presence we perceive our True nature, “When you maintain uninterrupted awareness of these two voids, by this way of treading on this process the formation of Bhairava is revealed.”This is why the Dharana teaches us to focus on the turning, the slowing, the changing, as a way of cultivating pauseless presence. It can be very productive to approach this concept progressively, first in body, then in breath. To help us really notice the ‘turn' we can incorporate Robin's breath, and work physically to make the end of each movement come to an almost invisible end before turning in the opposite direction. After a few repetitions with the arms, we can continue with the same pranayama, using a little effort to keep our breath long and smooth, like it was with robins breath, allowing us to hone in on the imperceptible ‘turn' of the breath. Homework: Taking this Dharana into your life means noticing the ‘turns' of your day— all the in between moments when you are going in one direction with one activity, and then as that comes to an end, are going in a new direction with another activity. The spaces between the breaths are like the spaces between the activities of our life. In Sanskrit, these turns are described as Unmesha and Nimesha. It can be easiest to understand these by looking at the seasons. Summer and Winter represent the inhale and exhale, the two phases that we oscillate between. In between these two polar opposites are transitional turns we call fall and spring. Fall is the turn that takes summer into winter, and Spring is the turn that takes us from winter into summer. Paying attention to these turns can help us arrive more consciously in the experience that is either coming our way, or fading away. On a practical level, this means paying more attention to the turns of your day, between your activities. Such as the space after this class, and before whatever is next for you. The turn that is your morning commute, for example, how do you engage your awareness there so that you truly arrive when you arrive? Or the turn on your way back from work, so that when you get home you can be totally present? Waking up is a turn from sleeping to waking life, and going to bed is also another turn in our schedule. What we bring to these turns usually indicates what our next activity will be like for us. What are your turns throughout the day? How do you use your practice to engage your awareness in them naturally and effectively? We will revisit this as a writing prompt next week for our Creative Consciousness Class, but it will only make your work next week more fruitful if you take time to bring this practice into your life, as well as your cushion, leading up to that class.

Jai Deva Sing notes at the end of Dharana 1 that there is an important interpretation of the Dharana still to be considered- that this is the essential teaching of the breath meditation practice “Ham Sah”. The recitation of Ham Sah is an exploration of the ceaseless pulsation of the Goddess Shakti in our lives, a way of observing the pulsation of reality. The meaning of the mantra can only be discovered by listening, by letting the breath move naturally as Shambhavananda and Muktananda teach, which we are taught is the path itself of this practice.Jai Deva Singh (commentary on Dharana 1): “There is another important interpretation of this dhärana.In inhalation, the sound of ha is produced; in exhalation, thesound sah is produced; at the junction point in the centre thesound of m is added. So the whole formula becomes 'Hamsah'.The paradevi goes on sounding this formula or mantra ceaselesslyin every living being.”Swami Lakshmanjoo commentary on Dharana 1:When you take your breath inside, the recitation of ‘ha' will end in ‘ṁ'. When you take it out, [the recitation of ‘sa'] will end in visarga–‘saḥ'. And, in these two starting points, if you concentrate, you will become one with Bhairava because of its fullness.”Swami Muktananda from his book “I am That “This is what we also need to understand. Hamsa is not a mantra that you merely repeat. What you have to do is become established in the awareness of the mantra going on inside you, in the goal of the mantra, in the pulsation which exists in the space where the syllables arise and subside…”Sri ShambhavAnanda on the practice of breath awareness: “Instead of forcibly trying to control your breath, develop the ability to experience and witness it. Follow your natural breath flow and attach it to the mantra “Ham Sah”. A person breathes approximately 26,000 times a day. If you can be aware of your inhalation and exhalation, you will make progress in meditation. When you can control your breath, you can control your mind. But first you have to become aware of the breath. Don't use any forceful practices. Make friends with your breath and be aware of what it is doing in different situations. When you have a certain experience such as fear, anger, or bliss, you will find that your breath will concentrate in a certain area. If you start to pay attention, you will gain some wisdom.”

In our previous class we took time to introduce the concept of Dharana as a method of concentration, as well as to reiterate that this focal point is meant to merge us with a state of being that is beyond the focus of our eyes or mind. Each dharana is a stepping stone to our state of being. We took time to sit with Paul Reps' translation of the first Dharana, which is always so succinct and useful for meditation. His translation seemed to emphasize the practice of keeping our focus in the heart as we noticed the inhale come down and in, and then the exhale go up and out. Radiant one, this experience may dawn between two breaths. After breath comes in (down) and just before turning up (out)—the beneficence.”Let's practice that now for a moment…We will continue to work with each of Paul Reps' translations of the Dharanas, but there is also rich soil to uncover in the less abridged translations of Jai Deva Singh, as well as the commentary's of Swami Lakshmanjoo. These translations showed opened the door to a few subtle details to the text— for example, that the visarga, the “:” notation in Sanskrit that indicates the addition of breath after a vowel sound, actually represents the two focal points of our breath, the heart and the dvadashanta. The point the exhale ends is specifically called the dvadashanta, an invisible point in space meant to represent the distance your breath travels outside of you. You can find this point, the text tells us, by measuring 12 finger widths from the tip of the nose. Be sure to measure with the angle of your nose, slightly downward, and you'll find that this point is 8 or so inches in front of our physical heart. When you breathe out with a little bit of force, you can easily feel this as the end point of your exhale. As the breath moves back and forth between these points, life is projected and created, which is why the word Visarga means projection or creation. As Shakti is literally the projected or created universe, this verse describes the nature of Shakti as the same as Visarga, as an ceaseless oscillation between these two points, specifically in the form of the inhale and exhale. “Para devi or Highest Sakti who is of the nature of visarga goes on (ceaselessly) expressing herself upward (ürdhve), from the centre of the body to dvdasanta (or a distance of twelve fingers), in the form of exhalation (präna) and downward (adhah), from dvadasanta to the centre of the body, in the form of inhalation (jiva or apâna).By steady fixation of the mind (bharanat) at the two places of their origin (the center of the body in the case of prāna, and dvadasänta in the case of apâna) there is the situation of plenitude (bharitästhitih which is the state of parasakti or nature of Bhairava).”Let's try that practice now for a moment…We will continue to explore this practice today, and describe its relationship to our breath meditation practice, Ham Sah. It should be noted that Swami Lakshmanjoo and Paul Reps were contemporaries, and that Jai Deva Singh was Swami Lakshmanjoo's student. As the Zen saying goes, each one is best. Paul Reps, of course, was a dear friend of Sri Shambahvananda, our living teacher. Sri Shambhavananda also met with Swami Lakshmanjoo in India, and speaks highly of him as well. I mention this because it is so special to be able to study these texts and know that they are tied to the fabric of our lineage in a way— and that they are approved by Sri Shambhavananda for study. Today, this is a commonly overlooked aspect of spiritual practice, but for Shambhavananda Yogis, it is important to know the yogi behind the words you are reading. We open our hearts in this class, and trust these individuals in a very deep and subtle way— being able to trust the text is of paramount importance for my own work. “The outgoing breath is called prana,and the incoming breath is called apana. Apana is also called jiva, the individual soul, because only when the apana enters the body can it be said that the soul is in the body. If the prana goes out and the apana doesn't come back in, then the body is nothing but a corpse.” (I Am That)The Dharana continues: By steady fixation of the mind at the two places of their origin (viz., centre of the body in the case of prāna and dvadasänta in the case of apâna) there is the situation of plenitude.It can be misleading to think of these as two separate points, though, as if one were the beginning and the other the end. For the Yogi, inside and outside, Shiva and Shakti, are simultaneous, as light and a flame are simultaneous. We may begin our practice by moving back and forth between these two points, but the teachings of this lineage point to a another stage in the practice where the two points merge into one— an experience of the pulsation of our very being. As Swami Muktananda describes it:As you watch the breathcoming in and going out,you will become aware that when it comes in, it comes in to a distance of twelve fingersand merges.The place where it mergesis called hridaya, the heart.The breath merges here,and then it arises againand goes out to a distance of twelve fingersand merges in the space outside.That outer spaceis called dvadashanta, the external heart.Here, the heart does not mean the physical organ. The heart is the place where the breath merges, inside and outside.In reality, these two places are one.But as we have seen in the preface, this experience takes practice— only when the inside and outside dissolve can “a sense of non-dualism” dawn in us. So we watch the inhale, then we watch the exhale, back and forth, trying to keep our awareness surrendered in order to feel these “two places as one”, to experience the greater pulsation that is occurring between them.

A recent holiday movie began with the question, “Do people really change? Like real lasting positive change? I hope so, because we are in the business of change.” In classic holiday theme, an angelic character seeks to change a Scrooge for good. But the twist occurs when we see that the only way for the angel to change scrooge is if the angel also changes themself. And as the story progresses we see that this internal change on the Angel's behalf is ultimately the only thing that touches the heart of our Scrooge. Inner change, we see, is the only path to lasting change. As New Years approaches, we are all in the midst of making a resolution or two, hoping to change this or that aspect of ourselves or our lives. Studies show, though, that only 9-12% of people keep their New Years Resolutions. At first this might seem depressing, but I actually find it amazing— 1 out of every 10 people change an aspect of themselves for good? Wow, that's amazing! Because Yogi's are in the business of change, it's at the very root of all we do in our practice— growth is change. Essentially we Practice in order to change our small self into our Highest Self, the Inner Self. And for anyone who has put time into their daily practice, they know that change takes a lot of work. It's sort of like in baseball where if someone strikes out 6 out of every 10 at bats, they are actually considered an MVP, hitting 400 percent of the time. Change is difficult, change is powerful, and change is what we are here to do. Even the simplest step of spiritual growth changes our lives dramatically— sitting 1-2 times per day isn't a matter of adding another item to your calendar, it's about changing your entire calendar— ie. to get up earlier you have to go to bed earlier, to have a productive evening sit you have to adjust your evening activities, and so on. And when you finally do arrive on the cushion, we see that even the simplest level of change— that of redirecting our awareness from a pesky thought to a sacred mantra—requires a deep internal and sustained effort. Every aspect of our practice requires that we interact directly with change. And for that reason, yogis tend to view change with reverence and awe. The Guru Gita gives us a glimpse of the yogic perspective of change— change is nothing short of a transformation, like that of a caterpillar transforming into a butterfly, or a larva into a bee. The Guru Gita writes, “Just as a larva transforms into a bee, similarly, through meditation, one is transformed into that state in which one may abide anywhere.” (118) Change takes place at an atomic level, when we grow everything grows, it's an experience that goes beyond the mind and senses. This is why the Vijnana Bhairava takes so much time to teach us that change can't come from the mind, because what we are changing into is “beyond the limitation of space, time, and formation. It has no space, It has no time, It has no form–It is beyond that, beyond these three…this state is, in fact, indescribable, It can't be described.” The mind can describe and anticipate change, but the mind itself cannot comprehend the growth and transformation associated with change. The Vijnana Bhairava teaches “That state [Our True Nature] is not the object of vikalpas, It can't be perceived by vikalpas (thoughts). You can't perceive It through the mind…[Bhairavī] has gone above [becoming] the object of thoughts.” Thoughts, vikalpas, are inherently limited— they know reality by breaking up reality into parts, but all these parts are not equal to the whole, ie. We can't know the experience of the whole from its disparate parts. Try driving a car by putting all the parts in a room, or eating a pie separated into its ingredients on a counter— the parts do not equal the whole, there is a chemical change that must take place. As Jai Deva Singh comments in his exposition notes, “It is when we cling to the part that we miss the whole, that is [the moment] when we stumble” (Note 3). Or as Patanjali teaches in his Yoga Sutras, “Through self-enquiry the practitioner gains insight, but eventually all mental logic must come to an end in bliss. Following that is the comprehension that all is the Self (yoga).” (1.17) The mind can point us towards change, but change and growth themself are something beyond the mind. So the question is then asked of Shiva, how can we change if it's impossible to know what and how to change? How does a larva know how to change into a bee or butterfly? Shiva responds that if we calm our mind, then our true nature, Bhairava, will rise effortlessly to the surface. Just like when the surface of the ocean becomes calm, and you suddenly see the fish and coral beneath the surface. Or, Shiva continues, you can focus on releasing the attachments of your ego, the likes and dislikes we cling to with every waking breath from dawn to dusk. This will also lead us to lasting transformation. The more the caterpillar gets out of the way, the easier its natural transformation becomes.And then Shiva concludes that the experience of transformation, the experience of change, is specifically a direct experience, a ‘state of being'. As the text writes it, “That state of Bhairava, [the state of being] which is full of the bliss of non-difference from the entire universe, [that state] is alone Bhairavi, of Shakti of Bhairava.” (JDS translation, emphasis added in brackets). Swami Lakshmanjoo takes extra time in his commentary to emphasize the value of this teaching. “In other words…you can't find out [what is the real state of Bhairava] because the real state of Bhairava is, in fact, the real state of the knower. It can't be found [because] It is the [finder]. The real state of Bhairava is the perceiver, It is not perceived. You can't perceive that state…when there is a desire in you to perceive It. You can perceive It [only] when It comes down in the state of Bhairavī.” We will never be able to change from the outside in, we have to ‘become the change we wish to see in the world' as Gandhi put it. This is the state of being we seek in meditation— a state that goes beyond technique and into direct experience. As JDS comments, “This is Shambhava Yoga: Though the highest state of Bhairava cannot be described, it can be experienced.” (P.16, exposition, note 2)So this New Years let yourself consider this slightly more subtle approach to change and transformation. Instead of getting too wrapped up in a list of external items you wish to change, let yourself use that same time and energy to feel inwardly and participate directly with the spirit of transformation itself. When you breath reaches your heart your halfway there, the other half is beginning to make room for the metamorphosis to unfurl.

3.34. tadvi-muktastu kevalī // “Separated from pleasure and pain, the yogi is established in real seclusion.” Over the past couple of years, we have all had different doses and experiences of this aspect of reality. When you think of a yogi, you might think of them in a cave, secluded from the world in order to find their true nature. But as we know in our tradition, that kind of external seclusion must eventually come to an end when they test their attainment by returning back to reality. Can the yogi maintain that inner connection amidst a world that draws them always out? What is your perception of seclusion? Seclusion in this sutra doesn't necessarily mean being apart from people, although it could take that form— more importantly it means being apart from your attachments and aversions. What's more, this type of ‘real seclusion' as the Sutra calls it, is not a feeling of isolation but rather a feeling of wholeness, oneness. In fact, the very word ‘oneness' expresses the paradox at the heart of this Sutra, and the experience of meditation in general— Oneness meaning the individual and the whole wrapped up in one singular experience. As Patanjali teaches in his Yoga Sutras, “The seed of attachment is pleasure. The seed of aversion is pain,” meaning that our pleasures and pains are the seeds of illusion that can all too quickly grow into a weed patch that overtakes our reality. According to this Sutra, though, these seeds of pleasure and pain are all an illusion— albeit an incredibly real one, but nonetheless, they are all a part of the grand illusion of duality. It's as if we are trapped in a VR headset, pushing and pulling against a reality that doesn't even exist in our dimension— and when we take off the headset, all of our energy naturally begins to grow the fruit of our practice. “In Kālikākrama, it is said: All those states, like the perception of pleasure and pain and the thoughts associated with them, have arisen by imagination. That differentiation is actually the great illusion of duality. Herein one distinguishes between two opposites, such as the differentiation between pleasure and pain, thinking pleasure is welcome and pain is to be avoided. The yogī who has destroyed this kind of illusion actually attains the real fruit of yoga. (Kālikākrama Stotra)” This is why being busy doesn't necessarily help you feel fulfilled— your life is ‘full',too full in fact, but you may feel empty. The pushing and pulling of a busy-body lifestyle all takes place in the mind, according to the yogic tradition, sucking up all of one's energy and leaving the fruits of our practice dry. As we remove the illusion of our attachments and aversions, our energy naturally begins to funnel itself into our heart, which yields the fruit of our practice, as the Sutra teaches. Yogic Seclusion is nothing to fear, its not a lonely state. Its the thoughts of our mind that create a sense of isolation, according to the Sutra. Because when we follow our thoughts, they lead us down a spiraling path away from the present and our vital life force. Have you ever tried to speak to someone who is lost in a thought? They don't hear you, they aren't even there. As I have been meditating these past weeks, and considering this Sutra's teachings, I have felt this in myself— when my mind drifts into a thought, I lose the vitality of the present. Eventually, these thoughts lead us away from our center, towards an uneasy state as the Sutra goes on to teach. Even Deities, it seems, can fall prey to this illusion. “It is rightly said in Upaniṣads: In the beginning, there was only one Lord, and because he was only one, there being no other, he became afraid.” The Upaniṣads is telling us that this is the reason why those who are alone become afraid. They become frightened because in that state of being alone, this-ness is excluded. This is the state of divtīya brahma. When this-ness is not excluded, then you are only one and there is nothing to fear. That is what is delineated by the word “seclusion” (kevalī). This is the state of seclusion (kevalī bhāva)….In the present sūtra the word tu is not meant to indicate separation, but to indicate supremacy, to indicate that the yogi is above the state of individuality.” As we can see from the Sutra, it's not being alone that leads to fear, it's being without your practice. I know that Swami Lakshmanjoo's concept of “this consciousness” is not something that comes up in our lineage, but based on the previous sutras, and my interpretations of this sutra, ‘this-consciousness' refers to our ability to maintain separation from our pleasures and pains. As we recall from the last sutra, the ability to ‘name your emotion' was likened to the ability to say ‘this is a pot, this is a lamp, this is anger, this is sadness'. The concept of ‘this-consciousness' refers to our ability to apply our practice to our pleasures and pains in order to remain surrendered and separate from them— not pushing or pulling, but surrendering, which as we know is a concept that is beyond the 1's and 0's of the mind to comprehend, it's the middle path, a state of being in the flow. And, as this Sutra teaches, a ‘real state of seclusion' which yields an infinitely inclusive state of being. So reflect for a moment on your experience of ‘seclusion'— how have you experience unity in seclusion? How does this relate to the concept of maintaining ‘this-consciousness', ie. Maintaining a state of objectivity with your internal and external circumstances?

There's no 'you' watching anything. There's just watching, always, already.  In each moment we practice waking up from the dream of being the thinker, into a truer reality of being the formless Watching. You watch the anger,you watch the fear,you watch the breath.And when you watch your Self, You know God. There's only God.I Love you, Nikki@curlynikki.comBonus episodes every week:▶▶https://www.patreon.com/goodmorningsGo(o)d Mornings merch:▶▶https://www.patreon.com/goodmornings_______________________Today's Quotes: "Breath is the cause of thought, it will create thought when there is no one watching it."-Swami Lakshmanjoo"The winds of God's grace are always blowing, it is for us to raise our sails."-Ramakrishna Support the show (https://cash.app/$NikWalton)

In this episode our Mahasoma teacher Laura Poole and the delightful repeat guest on our podcast, our Vedic astrologer Blaine Watson, talk all things transcendence. With both Laura and Blaine teaching a transcending meditation technique, we wanted to share the deeper understanding of transcendence, and help you recognise the profound nature of what you may already be experiencing every day. What we talk about in this episode.What transcendence actually isWhat are thoughtsWhat the purpose of transcendence is and how to access it through meditationThe biggest misperception in the yogic worldHow to live transcendence 24/7What enlightenment actually isThe work of self-enquiryTranscendence, trauma and disassociationWays to enliven transcendence in daily lifeShivaratri, Shiva and the transcendental fieldShow notes.Learn to meditate and transcendMahasoma Meditation CoursesConnect with BlaineSign up to Blaine's daily inspirational email via blainepw@gmail.com. Please note: Blaine is currently booked for all Vedic astrology sessions for 12 months and isn't taking any new clients right now.BooksMaharishi Mahesh Yogi on the Bhagavad-Gita, A New Translation and Commentary, Chapters 1- 6 (try to find a pre-1969 version)Yoga Sutra by PatanjaliThe Manual for Self Realization: 112 Meditations of the Vijnana Bhairava Tantra by Swami Lakshmanjoo (112 ways to transcend)Śhiva Sūtras : The Supreme Awakening - by Swami LakshmanjooThe Ramayana – translated by Ramesh MenonAnandamayi Ma - Mother of BlissWays to enliven transcendence in daily life8 Principal UpanishadsYoga Vasishta – The Supreme Yoga by Swami VenktesanandaAll books by Ramana MaharishiAll books by Nisargadatta MaharajAll books by RumiAll books by HafizA.H. Almas – The Dimond ApproachThe Work as Meditation by Todd SmithThe Work by Byron KatieTao Te Ching by Lao Tzu (Translated by Stephen Mitchell)All books by J KrishnamurtiOtherRudrabhishek - powerful chanting of 1,000 Maharishi Vedic PanditsMayavakyas

In this excerpt from the Shiva Sutras  – The Supreme Awakening, third awakening, Verse 4) Swami Lakshmanjoo explains how “You must do this kind of practice for subsiding the power... The post You must do this kind of practice for subsiding the power of ignorance, the power of illusion. Shiva Sutras 3.1 appeared first on Lakshmanjoo Academy, Kashmir Shaivism.

This lecture is an excerpt from the Vijnana Bhairava: The Manual for Self Realization by Swami Lakshmanjoo). Introduction by John Hughes: “The narrative begins with Bhairavī, feigning ignorance, telling Bhairava... The post What is the real essence of the way we have to tread in Kashmir Shaivism? (Vijnana Bhairava verse 22-24) appeared first on Lakshmanjoo Academy, Kashmir Shaivism.

“Once I asked Maharajji how it is possible for a man to remember God all the time. He told me the story of Narada (the celestial sage) and the butcher: Vishnu (one of the aspects of God) was always praising the butcher and Narada wondered why, since the butcher was always occupied and Narada spent twenty-four hours a day praising Vishnu. Vishnu gave Narada the task of carrying a bowl of oil, full to the brim, up to the top of a mountain, without spilling a drop. The task completed, Vishnu asked how many times Narada remembered Vishnu. Narada asked how that would be possible, since he had to concentrate on carrying the bowl and climbing the mountain. Vishnu sent Narada to the butcher and the butcher said that as he works he is always remembering God. Maharajji said then, “Whatever outer work you must do, do it; but train your mind in such a way that in your subconscious mind you remember God.”- Ram Dass, Miracle of Love: Stories about Neem Karoli Baba"Everywhere  I look I see only Ram (God), and that's why I'm always honoring everything."-Neem Karoli Baba"There is nothing that can conceal God Consciousness. " -Swami Lakshmanjoo "Keep a check on how much of you and your activity is conscious or unconscious.  Self audit is self-transformation. " - SadhguruToday's Practice:Set the only intention that matters-- to remember God in every moment no matter the task at hand. The task at hand is just an appearance... a challenge, inviting you to remember God as it gets done... as it unfolds.  Don't allow your belief in the world to conceal the reality of God.  The truth of your Self.  Keep attention on what matters.  Keep your attention on Love, until attention and Love are seen as ONE.  I Love you,Nikkinikki@curlynikki.com 

In this unique lecture about “The Sixfold Path of the Universe,” Swami Lakshmanjoo explains the most important points for entering into Kashmir Shaivism. The combination of all of these six... The post The explanation of this whole universe, both subjective and objective, in Kashmir Shaivism appeared first on Lakshmanjoo Academy, Kashmir Shaivism.

We have been studying some very interesting parts from Abhinavagupta's Bhagavad Gita, in the Light of Kashmir Shaivism revealed by Swami Lakshmanjoo in our Weekly Sangha. This particular part from... The post Whatever happens in this world – He is never lost! appeared first on Lakshmanjoo Academy, Kashmir Shaivism.

Please check out our auction fundraiser: https://www.universalshaivafellowship.org/auction-fundraiser/ We have some unique offers for you

Every activity of our day undergoes three stages— it begins, or is created, it sustains or maintains for a while, and then it ends, or dissolves. These are known as the Acts of Shiva in the Yogic Tradition. According to the Sutras, its easy to have focus at the beginning and end of a task, but its hard to maintain that focus during the middle of a task. You are usually present for the first minute of a meditation practice, and when the teacher says, ‘for these last few minutes' you perk back up, but its those long pauses between cues, the middle of our practice, where our attention drifts the most. You're not alone— this is the work at the heart of our practice, as Swami Lakshmanjoo teaches, “Losing awareness happens to all yogīs, it is the great crisis in the yogīc world. All yogīs generally experience this state of losing awareness.” But this maintenance phases is the longest of the three phases— a sunrise and sunset might only last an hour, but the day and night between them is much longer. You built a house in a year, can tear it down in a month, but maintain it for decades. Which is why the Sutras tell us to “Hold” that awareness— hold it at the beginning and end, when your attention is rich and full. Don't take those spaces for granted, feel the energy that is available to you in those moments and invest it inside. Anticipate this middle space, see it coming, don't be wary of it— work with it, work with it. To work with this middle space you have to surrender the need to make your meditation happen. You've got to relax while maintaining awareness, to ‘persevere without tension' as Patanajli puts it in the Yoga Sutras.And this maintenance work pays off. The Yogi who is capable of maintaining their awareness through the center of their practice and life becomes filled with the nectar of awareness. This experience is called Sphurana, “the fragrance of the supreme glittering of God consciousness,” that's what is directly deposited to your energetic bank account.Quote for Free Write: “Filled with the fragrance of the supreme glittering (sphuraṇa) of God consciousness, that yogī, slowly coming out from samādhi, feels their breath is filled with a supreme fragrance. And although their breath is moving out, they feel their breath is not moving out. They feel their breath is established in their Supreme Being. Then after exhaling very slowly, they experience that the three states of waking, dreaming and deep sleep are filled with the dense nectar of God consciousness and they come out in the waking state with this fragrance.”

The creator has become the universe and the universe is the formation of the creator. ~Swami Lakshmanjoo The post The difference between water and snow appeared first on Lakshmanjoo Academy, Kashmir Shaivism.

In this excerpt from the Shiva Sutras  – The Supreme Awakening, third awakening, verse 29, Swami Lakshmanjoo clarifies who is the one inserting knowledge in others.   In fact, only... The post Who becomes the cause of inserting knowledge in others appeared first on Lakshmanjoo Academy, Kashmir Shaivism.

In this beautiful excerpt from the Hymns to Shiva, Utpaladeva's Shivastotravali (Chapter 14 verse 15) Swami Lakshmanjoo explains how Lord Shiva bestows grace to people – a very different Shaktipata – in... The post How Lord Shiva bestows grace to people – a very different Shaktipata – in Kashmir Shaivism appeared first on Lakshmanjoo Academy, Kashmir Shaivism.

In this excerpt, Swami Lakshmanjoo reveals “Why Lord Shiva has created this universe, which is Shakti, His supreme energy?” This lecture is from the Bodhapañcadaśikā [15 verses of wisdom]. You... The post Why Lord Shiva has created this universe, which is Shakti, His supreme energy? appeared first on Lakshmanjoo Academy, Kashmir Shaivism.

In this week's excerpt, from the book Hymns to Shiva, Utpaladeva's Shivastotravali as revealed by Swami Lakshmanjoo, Utpaladeva explains to us why Lord Shiva destroys this universe. He also talks about why Shaivite yogi dances in the graveyard, and why “everything is divine to them”. Chapter 20 (34:28) सतोविनाशसम्बन्धान्मत्परं निखिलं मृषा एवमेवोद्यते नाथ त्वया संहारलीलया  ॥१८॥... The post Why Lord Shiva destroys this universe appeared first on Lakshmanjoo Academy, Kashmir Shaivism.

This Introduction was written by John Hughes for the Manual for Self Realization: 112 Meditations of the Vijnana Bhairava Tantra revealed by Swami Lakshmanjoo. Lord Shiva creates the objective world through the expansion of his Shakti, which is absolutely one with him; and the universe is manifest in his own nature, like a reflection in a mirror,... The post The difference between energy and its holder in Kashmir Shaivism appeared first on Lakshmanjoo Academy, Kashmir Shaivism.

This is an extract from a video of Alice Christensen (Mother Alice) and Swami Lakshmanjoo discussing the correct and incorrect rise and awakening of Kundalini in Kashmir Shaivism. Alice Christensen: Swamiji, there is so much discussion in the United States about kuṇḍalinī and the power of kuṇḍalinī, can you give us some of your personal insight... The post The correct and incorrect rise of Kundalini in Kashmir Shaivism appeared first on Lakshmanjoo Academy, Kashmir Shaivism.

This verse from the Svacchanda Tantra. It appears in Kṣemarāja’s commentary on the last verse (109) of chapter nine. Listen to the audio of the Kashmiri lecture by Swami Lakshmanjoo or/and read the English translation below the audio... https://www.lakshmanjooacademy.org/wp/wp-content/uploads/ādhīnāmagadaṁ-divyaṁ.mp3     iti | ca evārthe, bhāvitātmaiva prayuñjītetyarthaḥ | pāṭalikī saṅgatiradūra eva ---- "kālāgnirnarakāścaiva pātālā hāṭakeśvaraḥ" (9-109) ityādinā paṭalāntaṃ kaṭākṣayatā granthena kṛteti śivam || "vyādhīnāmagadaṃ divyamādhīnāṃ mūlakartanam | upadravāṇāṃ dalanaṃ mahādevamupāsmahe ||" iti śrīsvacchandatantre śrīmahāmāheśvarācāryavaryaśrīkṣemarājaviracitoddyotākhyavyākhyopete navamaḥ paṭalaḥ || 9 || It is interesting that Swamiji appears to have changed this verse to read as follows:   ādhīnāmagadaṁ divyaṁ vyādhīnāṁ mūlakṛntanam / upadhravānāṁ dalanaṁ mahādevamupāsmahe // 21 // We worship that Lord Mahādeva, the only Supreme Divinity who is divine medicine for all mental afflictions, who is the complete destroyer of all diseases, both mental and physical, and who dispels all misfortunes.   vyādhīnāṁ agadaṁ divyaṁ ādhīnām mūlakṛintanam   / upadhravānāṁ dalanaṁ mahādevamupāsmahe   // Upāsmahe, we are trying to get close to Mahādeva, or may we try to get close to Mahadeva, or, it is our desire that we should go close to Mahādeva – this is the meaning of upāsmahe. How is he? The moment you reach there, vyādhīnāṁ agadaṁ divyaṁ, there is complete treatment of all diseases, i.e., all diseases are over (aroga). Just when you have the desire of going close to Mahādeva, all disease have their . . . Devotee: Chutti (farewell) Swamiji: . . . chutti. You bid farewell (to diseases). Which diseases? Physical ailments. Devotee: Mental? Swamiji: Physical, Physical. Physical means those related to the body [i.e., ādhibautika]. (1.00) Flank pain Devotee: Fever Swamiji: Tummy aches. Look at her, she has got. Devotee: Arthritis (Laughter) Swamiji: What have you got? Devotee: Arthritis. Swamiji: But you went to Shankaracharya1 the other day. How fast you went! Like a racing horse! Devotees: Laughter Swamiji: vyādhīnāṁ agadaṁ divyaṁ,  so this is the meaning of coming close to Mahadeva. This is the first sign. All diseases come to an end. All diseases are cured. ādhīnām mūlakṛintanam. ādhīnām means the mental diseases that are there, Devotee: Mental Swamiji: Because of which everyone says, Oh he has given me so much tension. He has given me so much, internal, internal . . . Devotee: Internal (tension) Swamiji: Like an arrow that penetrates your heart. Tears your hearts to bits. Isn’t it? Devotee: Yes sir. Swamiji: Sometimes someone tells you something, it is like a knife that moves and cuts you inside. These are ādhī, these are mental ailments [ādhyātmika]. To them mūla kṛntanam, chops off from their root (mūla), all those diseases; all these diseases which are mental diseases, he . . . Devotee: Finishes them, cuts with a sickle Swamiji: . . . cuts with a sickle. Who cuts with a sickle? Devotee: Mahādeva. Devotee: Just the desire! Swamiji: Just the desire! Devotee: Inaudible Devotee: Please keep quiet! (Listen to Gurudev) Swamiji: Just the desire that, “We should go close to Mahadeva . . . I should reach close to Mahadeva!” (2.40) Let him not reach! Just keep this thought inside you that, “We should get close to Mahadeva.” This is the only thing that you have to do.   Now he does not only do this. Upadravānāṁ dalanaṁ, upadravā means . . . yesterday the upadravā that came [i.e., ādhidaivika]. Devotee: The storm and rains. Swamiji: I thought, Hari Krishan Raina. All must be Devotee: God forbid. Swamiji: No…. all must have crossed Karan Nagar. “Shiv Shiv Shambhu, Shiv Shiv Shambhu . . .” Devotee: (Laughter . . . ) Swamiji: I thought all,

We will be celebrating Swami Lakshmanjoo's Birthday on the 9th of May. You are invited to join us, register here. We hope you have already registered your space for the four-day study retreat following the Birthday Celebrations. The following excerpts highlight some of the experiences of the renown Saint, Swami Vivekananda, when he visited Kashmir in 1898. ARANYAMAL* RAINA The Sweet Mother Aranyamal Raina was the wife of Pandit Narayan Das Raina. Pandit Narayan Das was the first among the Kashmiri Pandits to speak and write English, wear Western clothes and ride a cycle. Both Aranyamal and Pandit Narayan Das were devotees of Swami Ram Ji, a saint and the greatest exponent of Shaivism. Pandit Narayan Das also adored Swami Vivekananda. In the year 1898, on his second visit to Kashmir, Swami Vivekananda once visited their home at Namchibal, Fateh Kadal; he was showered with flowers and garlanded. The Pandits praised Swamiji’s preaching Vedanta in the West and wanted to hear it from him. Swami Vivekananda recited some verses from the Mundakopanishad and explained them to their joy. Aranyamal cooked all the dishes for lunch with great care. Swamiji praised her payasam (rice pudding). Before leaving Pandit Narayan Das requested Swamiji to bless his wife who had a severe headache that no treatment could cure. Swamiji was silent for a while and then placed his hand on her which cured her completely. Also, the birth of the famous Shiva Yogi Swami Lakshmanjoo was foretold by Swamiji. The truthfulness, steadfastness, and devotion moved Swamiji who commented suddenly, ‘Rainaji, the blessings of the Lord is showering on you. You have changed your home to a temple. This place is best suited for the birth of a divine child.” After nine years, Swami Lakshmanjoo was born after 17 years of their first child. From his childhood, Lakshmanjoo was immersed in meditation and Samadhi. He embraced sannyasa and become the guiding force of many in India and abroad. He was the most revered teacher, a Shiva Scholar, Guru, and an authority on Kashmir Shaivism. As predicted by Swami Vivekananda, their house later became an Ashram, famously known as Shri Rama Shaiva (Trika) Ashrama. Aranyamal was simple, devoted, and was dedicated to the service of monks. She would request Pandit Narayan Das to invited monks and would feed them with respect. She also donated liberally to the poor and suffering. In 1900, when a severe storm destroyed life in Kashmir, Aranyamal supplied food for the suffering. Author Chander M Bhat Reference: 1. Swami Vivekananda: The Great Inspirer, Part 1 2. Encyclopedia of Kashmiri Pandit Culture and Heritage by C.L.Kaul ___________ * Also written as Arnimal, which means a "Garland (mala) of roses (arni)." Arni is also translated as the "Sun".   Swami Vivekananda in Kashmir     This is an excerpt from Scoop News by Rakesh Kumar Pandit As the grateful nation celebrated the year 2013 as the 150th birth anniversary year of Swami Vivekananda and on 12th January 2014, the grateful nation will celebrate the 151st birth anniversary of this Prophet of Modern India. I take this opportunity to highlight some of the important events of his Kashmir visit. During his stay in Kashmir, Swami Vivekananda was in a different world altogether. He was deeply touched by the beauty of Kashmir. Swami Vivekananda visited Kashmir twice and it was on 10th September 1897, when the lotus feet of this great saint touched the beautiful and pious land of Rishis, once called as Reshver.His first visit to Kashmir was short and was not so eventful although he visited some of the places of religious and historic importance. People from all spheres of life like Sadhus, Kashmiri Pandits, students, officials went to meet him. The second visit of Swami Vivekanand to Kashmir valley was more eventful. This time a party of Europeans was accompanying him. Prominent among them was Sister Nivedita (Margret Nobl...

"Now there is one trick, O Arjuna, I will tell you a trick of how you can subside māyā." In this excerpt from the Bhagavad Gita, In the Light of Kashmir Shaivism, by Swami Lakshmanjoo (chapter 7 verse 14) Swami Lakshmanjoo reveals the trick how to subside māyā (illusion). view on YouTube or listen to audio below... https://www.lakshmanjooacademy.org/wp/wp-content/uploads/BGita-ch7maya.mp3 DVD 7 (38:09) दैवी ह्येषा गुणमयी मम माया दुरत्यया । मामेव ये प्रपद्यन्ते मायामतितरन्ति ते ॥१४॥ daivī hyeṣā guṇamayī mama māyā duratyayā । māmeva ye prapadyante māyāmatitaranti te ॥ 14 ॥ This guṇamayi, guṇamayi is filled with sattvoguṇa, rajoguṇa, [and tamoguṇa]–the three gunas–it is māyā. And it is duratyayā, nobody has conquered this, nobody has won [over] this māyā. Now there is one trick, O Arjuna, I will tell you a trick of how you can subside māyā. Māmeva ye prapadyante . . . Other commentators have commentated upon this verse [in the following way]: “those who take refuge in Me, they [conquer] māya.” It is the commentary, which is done by other commentators [other] than Abhinavagupta. Abhinavagupta has [explained], māmeva ye prapadyante, those persons, those elevated souls who think, “māmeva ye prapadyante, māyā is me, māmeva, māyā is the reality of Brahman.” [This is thought by] those who attribute māyā in their own nature. [When they feel] “I am māyā–māyā is Parabhairava”, then they are free from māyā. You should know that māyā is not other than Parabhairava, then you will succeed. Otherwise, there is no hope of getting rid of māyā, because this is guṇamayī daivī.1 tena sattvādīnāṁ vastutaḥ saṁvinmātraparabrahmān-atiriktatāyāmapi yattadatiriktatāvagamanaṁ tadeva guṇatvaṁ–bhoktṛitattvapāratantrayaṁ bhogyatvam / tacca bhedātmakaṁ-rūpaṁ saṁsāribhiranirvācyatayā, tān prati māyārūpam And they are caught by that māyā . . . ato ye paramārtha brahma prakāśa vida . . . [comm. verse 14] Those, on the contrary, who are situated in the supreme state of Parabhairava, tad-anatiriktaṁ viśvaṁ paśyanto, they realize that this whole universe, which is created by the māyā of Lord Śiva, is not separate from the Parabhairava state; for them, there is no māyā. They have conquered māyā. ____________ 1 “Daivī is divine. Divine mean devaḥ krīḍākaraḥ, devaḥ means who is always playful, Lord Śiva is always playful. Māyā and not māyā, illusion and not illusion, consciousness and unconsciousness–this is all His play.” Swami Lakshmanjoo, Bhagavad Gītā audio, Lakshmanjoo Academy Archives. (source: Chapter 7, of the Bhagavad Gita, In the Light of Kashmir Shaivism, by Swami Lakshmanjoo), this video is also available as a series for rent and purchase on-demand. All Content is subject to Copyright © John Hughes.

This is a selection of texts from the Oral Teachings of Swami Lakshmanjoo that explore why love is essential on the spiritual path. “This internal voyage will be long and arduous. I advise you, therefore, not to envy your spiritual brother or sister. Be without avarice and hate. This path is tortuous like the path of a maze or a labyrinth. Concentrate on your journey alone. Do not find fault or concern yourself with others. Love is the answer and the key. Through love you can find the way through this maze. This is a very difficult journey, and the goal is not easily attained.” Extract from Self Realization in Kashmir Shaivism – Talks on Practice, by Swami Lakshmanjoo __________________________   Here is an excerpt from the Bhagavad Gita Audio Series (Lakshmanjoo Academy Archives) Chapter 2, verse 68. https://www.lakshmanjooacademy.org/wp/wp-content/uploads/BG-Ch2-love-meditation.mp3 nāsti buddhirayuktasya na cāyukrasya bhāvanā  / na cābhāvayataḥ śāntiraśāntasya kutaḥ sukham  //68// The one who is ayukta, who is not aware of his nature, ayukta means who is not absolutely present to his nature. This being present to his nature is just to be aware of your nature. Because when we do breathing exercises this awareness fades off. We don’t know where we have reached. That is not the thing. It should not happen like that. You must be yukta. Yukta means always aware, always aware of what you are doing. When you are maintaining one-pointedness, maintain that one-pointedness altogether. Don’t lose it. Don’t let it get lost in between, i.e., just after a few seconds it is lost, it is lost to everybody. But you have to find out; you have to be alert there. Ayuktasya, who is not alert, his intellect is not established, his intellect is wavering, shaky. Nāsti buddhir ayuktasya, and that one who is ayukta, who is not alert, he has not love for it. He has not love for that practice. When he has not love for practice, how can he get peace? Na cābhāvayataḥ śānti,  when he does not get peace how can he get that absolute . . . ? JAGDISH:  Bliss. SWAMIJI:   . . . state of blissful state? When your alertness, awareness is lost, it means you didn’t love that practice; you do not love this practice. If you would have loved it, then that awareness would have persisted, it would have remained, so that mind would not have gone astray at once. It goes at once everywhere. That means there is not too much love. DENISE:  How do you create so much love? SWAMIJI:  Just love it, love your practice. (Laughs . . . !) When you love your practice, bas, you will do it. It is not in the hands of God. It is in your hands. Create love! Create love for God! End of excerpt from the Bhagavad Gita Audio Series (Lakshmanjoo Academy Archives) Chapter 2 __________________________   Now Swamiji talks about HOW TO love. This is an excerpt from the Bhagavad Gita Audio Series (Lakshmanjoo Academy Archives) Chapter 6, commentary of verse 16.   https://www.lakshmanjooacademy.org/wp/wp-content/uploads/BGita-Ch6-love-meditation.mp3 Just like routine, just like routine like. ERNIE:  Like a job. SWAMIJI:  Job? ERNIE:  It is not a job. SWAMIJI:  No, it is not routine, i.e., that you have to concentrate for two hours, three hours, bas, you will go and get yourself freed from meditation period. No, you should meditate with love, with affection, with love towards meditation. You should be attached to meditation then something, some good fruit will come out. That is madbhakta. Madbhakta means you must be devoted to meditation. It is not only meditation that is to be done – meditation with love, with affection. If you tell your wife, “I love you very much,” externally, and internally you are not loving her, [then] you are deceiving yourself and her also. You should love with love. In the same way, you should meditate with love, with attachment for meditation. It is why saints never tell lies. They tell whatever they feel.

means (upāya), anupāya, superior means (shambavopaya),   This is an excerpt from Swami Lakshmanjoo's newest publication: Light on Tantra in Kashmir Shaivism - Abhinavagupta's Tantraloka Volume 2 Chapters Two & Three. Tantrāloka is the voluminous masterwork of the 10th-century philosopher-saint Abhinavagupta. It is a veritable encyclopedia of non-dual Shaivism, a spiritual treasure trove containing a glorious synthesis of all the schools that make up Kashmir Shaivism. This second volume includes chapters two and three, dealing with Anupāya, the means (upāya) where there is nothing to be done for attaining oneness with Universal Being, and Śāmbhavopāya, the means requiring supreme awareness.   Coming from the direct line of Abhinavagupta, in his translation and commentary Swami Lakshmanjoo reveals the true meaning of this otherwise difficult text. In the accompanying free audio, the sincere student can hear the words of a master who lived and breathed Kashmir Shaivism in its fullness. The Tantraloka is composed of thirty-seven chapters (ahnikas). Each chapter has its own distinct topic. A summary of each chapter is contained in the previously published, Light on Tantra in Kashmir Shaivism - Abhinavagupta's Tantraloka Volume 1 Chapter One. Here are some of the topics Abhinavagupta examines in the second and third chapter: Second Chapter – anupāya:  The means where there is nothing to be done. What constitutes the initiation of this elevated aspirant. Third Chapter – śāmbhavopāya: Pratibimbavada: how the universe is reflected in the mirror of God-consciousness. Mātṛkācakra: the unfolding of the wheel of energies of the fifty letters of the Sanskrit alphabet, that make up the subjective nature of the world of manifestation. Ahaṁ-parāmarśa: how the supreme state of I-consciousness (aham) flows out into the world of manifestation. You can order a copy of the book here...  "Upāyas (fourfold means) are the nature of God consciousness." ~Swami Lakshmanjoo   https://www.lakshmanjooacademy.org/wp/wp-content/uploads/13-TA_2verse4-6.mp3 TĀ 2 Audio 13 (07:30) यच्चतुर्धोदितं रूपं विज्ञानस्य विभोरसौ । स्वभाव एव मन्तव्यः स हि नित्योदितो विभुः ॥४॥ yaccaturdhoditaṁ rūpaṁ vijñānasya vibhorasau / svabhāva eva mantavyaḥ sa hi nityodito vibhuḥ // 4 // There are four sections of the means (caturdhā, fourfold). One is anupāya, the next is śāmbhavopāya, the third is śāktopāya, and the fourth is āṇavopāya. In fact, these fourfold means are the nature of God consciousness; svabhāva eṣa1 vibho mantavyaḥ, [these upāyas are] the nature of God consciousness. Sa hi nityodito vibhuḥ, and that state of God consciousness is shining everywhere–in āṇavopāya, in śāktopāya, in śāmbhavopāya, and in anupāya, too.2 TĀ 2 Audio 13 (08:22) एतावद्भिरसंख्यातैः स्वभावैर्यत्प्रकाशते । केऽप्यंशांशिकया तेन विशन्त्यन्ये निरंशतः ॥५॥ etāvadbhirasaṁkhyātaiḥ svabhāvairyatprakāśate / ke’pyaṁśāṁśikayā tena viśantyanye niraṁśataḥ // 5 // These are fourfold means, from anupāya to āṇavopāya, and there are other adjusted means also which are numberless (asāṁkhyātair). For instance, anupāya is one (in prasaja pratiṣedha, anupāya is only one). In paryudāsa pratiṣedha, anupāya will go variously. For instance, siddha darśanam.3 Siddha darśana will be anupāya, but in the paryudāsa way, not in the reality of anupāya.4 When you just get a divine touch of your master, that is anupāya [in the paryudāsa way], and you get entry in your God consciousness; or just a glance of your master, this is the second way of anupāya,5 and you are established in that God consciousness–at once, without doing anything, without adopting means or anything. And there are various means in that way. In śāmbhavopāya also, there are various means; in śāktopāya also, there are also various means; and in āṇavopāya also. JOHN: So that is the means of anupāya.

In this excerpt from the Bhagavad Gita in the Light of Kashmir Shaivism, chapter 16, Swami Lakshmanjoo explains that there are two kinds of glories in Kashmir Shaivism, one is divine glory, one is not divine glory. Divine glory is godly behavior that is sentencing you in mokṣha, liberation. And not divine glory is demonic behavior that is entangling you in the wheel of repeated births and deaths. "Now, Lord Śiva (Lord Kṛṣṇa) says that there are two kinds of glories: one is divine glory, one is not divine glory. Divine glory shines in those who are blessed and the symptoms of divine glory are what He says now." or listen to the audio below... Chapter 16 DVD 16 (00:01) अभयः सत्त्वसंशुद्धिर्ज्ञानयोगव्यवस्थितिः  । दानं दमश्च यज्ञश्च स्वाध्यायस्तप आर्जवम्  ॥१॥ आहिंसा सत्यमक्रोधस्त्यागोऽसक्तिरपैशुनम्  । दया भूतेष्वलौल्यं च मार्दवं ह्रीरचापलम्  ॥२॥ तेजः क्षमा धृतिस्तुष्टिरद्रोहो नातिमानिता  । भवन्ति संपदं दैवीमभिजातस्य भारत  ॥३॥ दम्भो दर्पोऽभिमानश्च क्रोधः पारुष्यमेव च  । अज्ञानं चाभिजातस्य पार्थ संपदमासुरिम्  ॥४॥ दैवी संपद्विमोक्षाय निबन्धायासुरी मता  । मा शुचः संपदं दैवीमभिजातोऽसि पाण्डव  ॥५॥   abhayaṁ sattvasaṁśuddhirjñānayogavyavasthitiḥ / dānaṁ damaśca yajñaśca svādhyāyastapa ārjavam  //1// āhiṁsā satyamakrodhastyāgo’saktirapaiśunam / dayā bhūteṣvalaulyaṁ ca mārdavaṁ hrīracāpalam  //2// tejaḥ kṣamā dhṛtistuṣṭiradroho nātimānitā / bhavanti saṁpadaṁ daivīmabhijātasya bhārata  //3// dambho darpo’bhimānaśca krodhaḥ pāruṣyameva ca / ajñānaṁ cābhijātasya pārtha saṁpadamāsurīm  //4// daivī saṁpadvimokṣāya nibandhāyāsurī matā / mā śucaḥ saṁpadaṁ daivīmabhijāto’si pāṇḍava  //5//   Abhayaṁ, the absence of fear, when there is the absence of fear in some person (this is first: the absence of fear). He does not get afraid because he is pure, purely situated in devotion of God. Sattva saṁśuddhir, and he has purified behavior, the purest behavior. Jñāna yoga vyavasthitiḥ, and he is established in jñāna and yoga, in the knowledge of God and being united with His nature (that is yoga). Dānaṁ, he has got the tendency to give alms to the poor who [are in] need. Damaśca–damaśca means, he has got the power to keep his organs controlled1. Yajñaśca, he performs yajñas (yajñas means, offerings). He offers to the gods and to the poor and to those who [are in] need. Svādhyāya, he is always absorbed in singing the glory of Lord Śiva in books, in Shaivite books. Tapa, he has got penance. Tapa means, he who has got penance in mind, in body, and in soul (tapasya, tolerance). Ārjavam, he has got . . . ārjavam means, rujita, he is simple, simple behavior. Simple behavior does not mean that he is dull, [that] he is a duffer. No. “Simple” means, he is alert in [being] concentrated upon God consciousness. But he is not a duffer, he is not that simple. But he has got all behaviors [that] are simple, without crookedness. Āhimsā (verse 2), he does not want to hurt anybody. Satyam, and he speaks the truth. Akrodha, he is not given to wrath. Tyāga, he has the power of detachment.  Asaktir, he is not a slave to, he has not become slave to, this [attachment]. Asakti means, he has not become a slave to his desires. He controls his desires, which [means that] he understands [what] is a good desire [and] he possesses that. [That] which is a bad [desire], he does not allow that [to enter] in his mind. Apaiśunam–apaiśunam means, chugalkhor, he is not a chugalkhor. Chugalkhor means he [who] says absolute falsehoods [about] others to [their] nearly-attached persons. For instance, if I have got āsurī saṁpat (demonic behavior), I will tell you a falsehood, a falsehood about your wife, a falsehood about your kith and kin. [I will tell you], “They are not behaving [with] good character with you.” Afterwards, face-to-face [with you], they behave with good actions. But when you are out [of the chugalkhor’s presence],

Swami Lakshmanjoo explains what is moksha (liberation) in Kashmir Shaivism and comparing it to other philosophical traditions like Vedānta and Buddhism. This is an excerpt from the fourteenth chapter of the essential Kashmir Shaivism book, Kashmir Shaivism – The Secret Supreme, revealed by Swami Lakshmanjoo. https://www.lakshmanjooacademy.org/wp/wp-content/uploads/SecSuprChpt14Moksha.mp3 The view that ignorance is the cause of bondage and perfect knowledge is the cause of freedom (mokṣa) is commonly accepted by all Indian philosophers. Yet, in reality, these philosophers have not completely understood knowledge and ignorance. The Vaiṣṇavites, for example, believe that liberation (mokṣa) from repeated births and deaths occurs when you are united with parāprakṛiti.1 And this union with parāprakṛiti will take place only when you observe in your understanding that the apparent differentiation of this universe is unreal. Then all attachments, pleasures, and pains will come to an end and you will be established in your own real nature. It is this establishment which, from their point of view, is called mokṣa. The Advaita Vedāntins, on the other hand, have concluded that, in the real sense, mokṣa is only bliss (ānanda) and nothing else. They say that when you are residing in the field of ignorance (saṁsāra), you become the victim of the fivefold veils: avidyā (ignorance), asmitā (ego), rāga (attachment), dveṣa (hatred) and abhiniveṣa (attachment to your own conception). These coverings, which are the cause of your remaining in saṁsāra, should be removed by the practice of tattvajñāna. In this practice, you must mentally negate all that is not your own real nature by thinking, neti, neti, “I am not this, I am not this.” So here you practice thinking, “I am not the physical body, I am not the subtle body, I am not the mind, I am not the life essence (prāṇa).” You must negate all outside elements. And when you reside completely in your own nature, which is that which remains after you negate all outside elements, that knowledge, from their point of view, is called mokṣa. The tradition of Buddhist philosophers, who are known as the Vijñānavādins, accept, that you are liberated only when your mind is completely detached from all attachments to objectivity, pleasure, pain, and sorrow. They argue that the mind must remain only as mind, pure and perfect mind, because for them the mind is actually pure, filled with light, and detached from all worldly things. It is when the mind becomes attached to worldly things, such as thoughts, pleasures, and pains, that you are carried to saṁsāra. And when these attachments are cancelled and the mind becomes pure, then you are liberated. The philosophers from the Vaibhāṣika tradition hold that liberation is attained by eliminating the chain of thoughts, just as the flame of a lamp is extinguished. When a lamp is burning, we experience the existence of the flame. When, however, the flame is extinguished, it does not go anywhere. It does not go into the earth or into the ether. When the flame is extinguished, it simply disappears. And the extinguishing of the flame takes place when the oil of the lamp is exhausted. In the same way, when a yogī has crossed over all the pleasures and pains of the world, those pleasures and pains do not go anywhere, they simply disappear. This yogī, who has extinguished the flame of the chain of thoughts by exhausting the wax of the five kleśas,2 enters into the supreme and perfect peace which is, from their point of view, liberation. From the Śaivite point of view, these philosophical traditions remain either in apavedya pralayākala or in savedya pralayākala. They do not go beyond these states. Apavedya pralayākala is that state of pralayākala where there is no objectivity. Savedya pralayākala is that state of pralayākala where there is some impression of objectivity. As an example, take the state of deep sleep.

In this excerpt from the Mystery of Vibrationless-Vibration in Kashmir Shaivism: Vasugupta’s Spanda Kārikā & Kṣemarāja’s Spanda Sandoha, Swami Lakshmanjoo explains how, for elevated souls, the organs of the senses push him in the center of God consciousness. Verse 19 of the Spanda Kārikā by Swami Lakshmanjoo. https://www.lakshmanjooacademy.org/wp/wp-content/uploads/SpandaKarika1.19.mp3 Audio 1 - 55:36 yatheyaṁ jāgrādimadhyadaśāpi prabuddhaṁ na badhnāti tathā upapādayati60 Now he explains in this next śloka that this elevated yogi does not get bondage, does not get bound, entangled, by these three states (jāgrat-waking, svapna-dreaming, and suṣupti-deep sleep). Audio 1 - 56:01 गुणादिस्पन्दनिष्यन्दाः सामान्यस्पन्दसंश्रयात् । लब्धात्मलाभाः सततं स्युर्ज्ञस्यापरिपन्थिनः ॥१९॥ guṇādispandaniṣyandāḥ sāmānyaspandasaṁśrayāt / labdhātmalābhāḥ satataṁ syurjñasyāparipanthinaḥ //19// Jñasya means, that yogi who is absolutely elevated (jñasya). He who has known, in the real sense, the state of Lord Śiva, he is jñasya (jñasya means, a fully-elevated yogi). For him, guṇādispanda niṣyandāḥ, all these cycles of the guṇās61, all these cycles of organs, the activity of the organs, all organs (the organs of action and the organs of knowledge), . . .* The organs of action are five and the organs of knowledge are also five. Śabda, sparśa, rūpa, rasa, and gandha are the organs of knowledge, and vāk, pāṇī, pāda, pāyu, and upastha are the organs of action. Vāk means, [speech], speaking; pāṇi is handling, holding; pāda is walking; pāyu is excretion of mala62; and upastha is the sexual [organ]. [These are] the five acts of kriyā, action. *. . . that elevated soul takes hold of sāmānya spanda in that. There are two sections of spandas explained in this spanda śāstra, movement. One spanda is viśeṣa spanda and another spanda is sāmānya spanda. Viśeṣa spanda is distinctive movement. Distinctive movement is found in the daily activity of life–distinctive movement. Going here and there, talking, eating, sleeping, joking, laughing, going to the movies, all these activities are distinctive, they are separated from each other (“distinctive” means, they are separated from each other). JOHN: Beginning and end? SWAMIJI: Not beginning and end. They are separated, e.g., one movement of talking is different from the movement of walking, the movement of walking is different from the movement of enjoying (the movement of playing)–all of this. They are different from each other. In this [differentiation], you find spanda. Spanda is existing there, but that spanda is existing in viśeṣa bhāva (viśeṣa bhāva is distinctive), in a distinctive manner. And there is another spanda, that is sāmānya spanda (universal spanda). That is sāmānya spanda. Sāmānya spanda is found everywhere, just unchangeable and just in one formation. Sāmānya spanda is one [whereas] viśeṣa spandas are many, hundreds, thousands. But that elevated soul takes hold of that sāmānya spanda, not viśeṣa spanda. In the activity of viśeṣa spanda, he takes hold of sāmānya spanda. So he is fine, he does not go down, he is not trodden down from the kingdom of God consciousness. His kingdom of God consciousness is still prevailing there, in viśeṣa spanda also. So, [taking hold of sāmānya spanda] while acting, that is what is called karma yoga (yoga in action). Yoga in inaction, that is jñāna yoga63. When you don’t act, you remain in samādhi, meditating, all-round meditating, that is inactive yoga. In that inactive yoga, there is the possibility of coming down from that state, but in active yoga, when you rise along with thieves, who will steal your property? You are with thieves, you are rising along with your thieves, who would [otherwise] snatch all your good property from you–if you deal with, along with, thieves also. What are “thieves”? The temptations of the world,

Excerpt from The Mystery of Vibrationless-Vibration in Kashmir Shaivism: Vasugupta’s Spanda Kārikā & Kṣemarāja’s Spanda Sandoha, with a simple but profound message by Swami Lakshmanjoo (Spanda Karika verse 19). "Just be attentive to one-pointedness, that is all!" ~Swami Lakshmanjoo, Kashmir Shaivism   https://www.lakshmanjooacademy.org/wp/wp-content/uploads/SpandaKarika3.19.mp3 Audio 3 - 01:00:17 यदा त्वेकत्र संरूढस्तदा तस्य लयोदयौ । नियच्छन्भोक्तृतामेति ततश्चक्रेश्वरो भवेत् ॥१९॥ yadā tvekatra saṁrūḍhastadā tasya layodayau / niyacchanbhoktṛtāmeti tataścakreśvaro bhavet //19// Just be attentive to one-pointedness, that is all (yada ekatra saṁrūḍha). Tadā tasya pralayodayau niyacchan, bas, see that it is not destroyed–don’t give rise to it, don’t let it fall. JOHN: In other words, don’t pay attention to it at all, don’t care for it to come up or . . . SWAMIJI: No, no. For instance, there is one-pointedness, develop one-pointedness. You have not to develop it again and again. Just see that it does not fall [and that] it does not rise. ERNIE: Not rise? SWAMIJI: It must remain in one level, one level without any flickering state. Bhoktṛtām eti, then he becomes bhoktā, then he becomes . . . JOHN: Real enjoyer. SWAMIJI: . . . the enjoyer. Tataḥ cakreśvaraḥ, he becomes, he governs, the cycle of the numberless energies of Lord Śiva. So the numberless energies, those [very energies] who had done so much mischief before, they become [his] slaves. ERNIE: Not rise? SWAMIJI: Don’t give it to rise. Rise will also make you disturbed, make your one-pointedness disturbed. Don’t give it rise. Be attentive, bas! JOHN: So “attentive” means?   SWAMIJI: Hastam hastena saṁrūddhya, just squeeze your hands, squeeze your fingers, squeeze your body, and . . . JOHN: . . . clench your teeth. SWAMIJI: Yes, that I have told you. JOHN: But get that at all costs. SWAMIJI: Bas, put your mind in one-pointedness. JOHN: So, this verse refers to that other earlier verse where it gave those two kinds of meditation–one where you hold the thought and you don’t lose it, and one where you lose it and you go to those divine tanmātras. So, he is talking about here [that] “holding this without rise and fall” means, just having it in one point. SWAMIJI: One point. This is the first . . . this is the first . . . this is the first.   source: The Mystery of Vibrationless-Vibration in Kashmir Shaivism: Vasugupta’s Spanda Kārikā & Kṣemarāja’s Spanda Sandoha All Content is subject to Copyright © John Hughes.

https://www.lakshmanjooacademy.org/wp/wp-content/uploads/No-matter-what-happens-go-on-remembering-God-and-he-will-carry-you..mp3 In this excerpt from the Essence of the Supreme Reality: Abhinavagupta's Paramarthasara, Swami Lakshmanjoo reminds us that "No matter what happens, go on remembering God and He will carry you." PS DVD 5 (00:42:39) तस्मात् सन्मार्गेऽस्मिन् निरतो यः कश्चिदेति स शिवत्वम्  । इति मत्वा परमार्थे यथातथापि प्रयतनीयम्  ॥१०३॥ tasmāt sanmārge’smin nirato yaḥ kaścideti sa śivatvam / iti matvā paramārthe yathā-tathāpi prayatanīyam //103// “So, O my devotees,” Abhinavagupta says to everybody, “O my devotees, asmin sanmārge, on this path of Parabhairava, the achievement of Parabhairava, whoever has taken a step with pure desire, no matter if that desire is slow or if that desire is intense or whatever it is, who has taken this step, who has tread on this step, . . .” It does not matter if he is a brahmin, if he is a wattal (sweeper), if he is an outcast, if he is anybody, it does not matter for that. “. . . nirato yaḥ kaścid eti sa śivatam, he becomes one with Parabhairava. Iti matvā, this way you should take in your mind, yathātathāpi prayatanīyam, whatever happens, whatever may come, go on doing practice, go on doing practice. That practice may be the lowest practice, that practice may be medium practice, that practice may be intense practice, go on doing something, yathātathāpi, whatever comes.” "If you are trodden down, go on doing, go on remembering God, go on remembering God. This is the way in which[ever] way you will remember [Him], bas, He will carry you, He will carry you. Because that remembrance is [the way]. It may be medium; it may be low, it may be very low, it may be the lowest, it may be intense, it may be very intense, that does not matter. Go on, another step, another step." (source: Abhinavagupta’s Paramarthasara (The Essence of the Highest Reality), Revealed by Swami Lakshmanjoo All Content is subject to Copyright © John Hughes.

Below is a beautiful excerpt of one of the songs to Shiva from the book Hymns to Shiva, Utpaladeva's Shivastotravali, in which Swami Lakshmanjoo instills the importance of love and devotion on the spiritual path. https://www.lakshmanjooacademy.org/wp/wp-content/uploads/ShivastotravaliCh9v3.mp3 Chapter 9 (06:06) गाढानुरागवशतो निरपेक्षीभूतमानसोऽस्मि कदा  । पटपटिति विघटिताखिलमहार्गलस्त्वामुपैष्याम  ॥३॥ gāḍhānurāgavaśato nirapekṣībhūtamānaso’smi kadā / paṭapaṭiti vighaṭitākhilamahārgalastvāmupaiṣyāmi //3// When that day will come to me? This stotra is always “when”, questioning when, when that day will come. Gāḍha anurāgavaśataḥ nirapekṣībhūta mānasaḥ kadā asmi. When that day will come when, by the intensity of Your love, gāḍha anurāga-vaśataḥ, by the intensity of, denseness of, Your love . . .* SCHOLAR: “Your love” means love for You. SWAMIJI: Yes. Because I love You. You don’t love me. You don’t love me. I love You. ṣṛṇu deva prārthaneyaṁ nātha tavāhaṁ namāma kena  / 2 sāmudro hi taraṅgāḥ kvacana samudro na tāraṅgaḥ  // 3 O Lord, just hear one word from me: śṛṇu deva prārthaneyaṁ nātha tavāham, I am Yours, na māmakena aham, You are not mine. I am Yours. You are not mine. How? Sāmudro hi taraṅgāḥ, the tide is of the ocean. The tide belongs to the ocean. The ocean does not belong to the tide. This is what he says. *. . . gāḍha anurāgavaśataḥ nirapekṣībhūta mānasaḥ, when that day will come when gāḍha anurāgavaśataḥ, by the intensity of Your love, attachment, nirapekṣībhūtamānasaḥ, my mind will vacate all other thoughts away? My mind will exclude all other thoughts by the intensity of Your love. And paṭa paṭiti vighaṭita mahārgalaḥ, and I will become paṭa-paṭiti vighaṭita mahārgalaḥ, I will become such a being that, when in my presence, that big door, which is locked already between You and me, between Your residence and my self (I am outside and You are inside and there is a door) . . . SCHOLAR: There is a bar across the door. Argalā. Is this a bar across? SWAMIJI: Yes. SCHOLAR: Horizontal bar. SWAMIJI: Bolt, big bolt! SCHOLAR: Yes, yes. SWAMIJI: . . . and by the main presence of mine there, because I would be with that qualification . . . With what qualification? With the intensity of Thy devotion and by the exclusion of all other anxieties, all other attachments, all other thoughts. I will remain like that. . . . and by that qualification, what would happen? This argala, this bolted, barred door, will break into pieces, tvāmupaiṣyāmi, and I will embrace You inside. When that day will come? SCHOLAR: He will break it? He will do the breaking? SWAMIJI: No, it will break by itself because of [Utpaladeva’s] presence. SCHOLAR: Vighaṭitākhilamahārgala is bahuvrīhi.4 SWAMIJI: Yes. Because, mahārgalaḥ ahaṁ, by my presence, this [locked door] will break into pieces and tvāmupaiṣyāmi, You will be seated in my lap. SCHOLAR: So, “paṭa paṭiti” is the sound of it breaking. SWAMIJI: Sound, sound of breakage. _______________ 2  Unknown source. 3 From Śaṅkara’s Ṣaṭpadī Stotra. This stotra begins with the following line: satyapi bhedāpaga me nātha tavāham na māmakī na stvaṁ. 4 Literally meaning “much rice”, a bahuvrīhi compound signifies a referent by the specification of a particular quality. [Editor’s note] Source: Hymns to Shiva, Utpaladeva's Shivastotravali, revealed by Swami Lakshmanjoo All Content is subject to Copyright © John Hughes.

This is an excerpt from the Weekly Sangha, a free online study of Abhinavagupta's Bhagavad Gita revealed by Swami Lakshmanjoo, offered by the Lakshmanjoo Academy every Saturday. This study is based on the video recordings along with the transcript. For more information join us here. When all doubts are clarified, then this nectar works. Nectar means the state of Bhairava–it shines everywhere. And this nectar of the Parabhairava state is possible to those, tad gata buddhi manasāṁ, who are always bent upon finding out the state of Bhairava in each and every respect. "The state of Bhairava shines everywhere to those who are always bent upon finding out the state of Bhairava in each and every respect." ~Swami Lakshmanjoo [Lord Kṛṣṇa] says: DVD 5.2 (04:31) तद्बुद्धयस्तदात्मानस्तन्निष्ठास्तत्परायणाः  । गच्छन्त्यपुनरावृत्तिं ज्ञाननिर्धौतकल्मषाः  ॥१७॥ tadbuddhayastadātmānastanniṣṭhāstatparāyaṇāḥ / gacchantyapunarāvṛttiṁ jñānanirdhautakalmaṣāḥ //17//   Tad buddhaya, whatever intellectual process they have, tad ātmāna, their mind is always diverted towards that God consciousness. Tad niṣṭhā, their position [i.e., attention] is also diverted towards God consciousness. Tat parāyaṇāḥ, they are bent upon finding out God consciousness. And tad niṣṭhāḥ, tat parāyaṇāḥ, and they are always bent upon holding [on to] it with all [their] might. Gacchantyapunarāvṛttiṁ, they actually are sentenced to that supreme Parabhairava state where there is no hope to return [to ignorance]. They are always amidst that glamour of Parabhairava state. Jñānanirdhauta-kalmaṣāḥ, by that knowledge everything is washed. Whatever is and whatever is not, that is all washed. “Washed” means that [everything becomes] clarified [with the real knowledge of Parabhairava] and it has that whitewash of Parabhairava everywhere. Good, bad, disgusting, whatever it is, it is all divine. DVD 5.2 (06:35) स्मरन्तोऽपि मुहुस्त्वेतत्स्पृशन्तोऽपि स्वकर्मणि  । सक्ता अपि न सज्जन्ति पङ्के रविकरा इव  ॥१८॥ smaranto’pi muhustvetatspṛśanto’pi svakarmaṇī / saktā api na sajjanti paṅke ravikarā iva //18// [not recited or translated]   “Although they think about and they enjoy those worldly pleasures, and they are attached to those senses, but they are not attached, they are absolutely away from that, absolutely free from those actions. How? Just like the rays of sun, although they have sunk in mud, but they have nothing to do with mud; mud does not stick to them.” This part is from the Bhagavad Gītā (1978). Source: Abhinavagupta's Bhagavad Gita: In the Light of Kashmir Shaivism revealed by Swami Lakshmanjoo available as video on demand Copyright © John Hughes    

In this excerpt from The Light on Tantra in Kashmir Shaivism, Abhinavagupta's Tantraloka, Volume One, Swami Lakshmanjoo reveals the nature of liberation (mokṣa). You can pre-order the second volume and read more details here. https://www.lakshmanjooacademy.org/wp/wp-content/uploads/Tantraloka01v31-35liberation.mp3 B) The nature of Liberation - Mokṣa (31–35) Now the thirty-first [śloka]: Audio 2 - 0:02 स्वतन्त्रात्मातिरिक्तस्तु तुच्छोऽतुच्छोऽपि कश्चन। न मोक्षो नाम तन्नास्य पृथङ्नामापि गृह्यते॥३१॥ svatantrātmātiriktastu tuccho’tuccho’pi kaścana / na mokṣo nāma tannāsya pṛthaṅnāmāpi gṛhyate //31// Now, he explains in this śloka, the thirty-first śloka, what is really liberation (mokṣa). Mokṣa, he explains, mokṣa is only svatantrātma, when your being becomes absolutely independent from all sides. That is mokṣa, that is liberation, then you are liberated. Without that absolute independence, whatever is existing in this world, if it is tuccha or if it is atuccha, if it is empty (worthless) or if it is worthy, . . .   JOHN: Valuable. SWAMIJI: . . . whatever it is, that is not mokṣa. So, there is nothing separately explained as mokṣa except svatantrātma. The thirty-second [śloka]: Audio 2 - 01:23 यत्तु ज्ञेयसतत्त्वस्य पूर्णपूर्णप्रथात्मकम्। तदुत्तरोत्तरं ज्ञानं तत्तत्संसारशान्तिदम्॥३२॥ yattu jñeyasatattvasya pūrṇapūrṇaprathātmakam / taduttarottaraṁ jñānaṁ tattatsaṁsāraśāntidam //32// The essence that we have to perceive [of that which is] worth perceiving, that essence [of that] which is to be perceived (that is, Lord Śiva), and that perception, as long as it becomes full by-and-by, in succession, as much as it is full, you are near mokṣa. If it is not full, if it is incomplete, you are away from mokṣa. So, that [incomplete] fullness is differentiated fullness. For some masters of some other schools, they consider that full, but in other systems it is not, it is incomplete. So that complete fullness lies only in Shaivism, although they77 are liberated from that saṁsāra of their own (tattat saṁsāra śāntidam78). Now he explains the same in the thirty-third śloka: Audio 2 - 03:01 रागाद्यकलुषोऽस्म्यन्तःशून्योऽहं कर्तृतोज्झितः। इत्थं समासव्यासाभ्यां ज्ञानं मुञ्चति तावतः॥३३॥ rāgādyakaluṣo’smyantaḥśūnyo’haṁ kartṛtojjhitaḥ / itthaṁ samāsavyāsābhyāṁ jñānaṁ muñcati tāvataḥ //33// [not recited] Some masters of [other] schools say that, “rāgādi akuluṣo asmi,” the reality of the Self is [realized] when you are absolutely away from the bondage of rāga (attachment), kāma (desire), krodha (wrath), etcetera (rāgādi akaluṣo asmi). SCHOLAR: Free of kleśāvaraṇa–the Yogācāras.79 SWAMIJI: Yes, it is for Yogācāras. Another school of thought explains that the reality of the Self is just to become deprived or away from all substance. When you are an absolute void, [when] you become an absolute void, you are free. Absolute voidness is freedom. SCHOLAR: Śūnya svabhāvako’ham. SWAMIJI: Yes, śūnya svabhāvako’ham. JOHN: Which school is this? SCHOLAR: Mādhyamikā.80 SWAMIJI: Mādhyamikā. And another school explains that the reality of the Self is when the Self becomes absolutely away from kartṛ bhāva (action). JOHN: This would be Sāṁkhya? SWAMIJI: It is Sāṁkhya.81 SCHOLAR: And Patañjali yoga. SWAMIJI: Patañjali yoga also.82 So this way (itthaṁ), samāsavyāsābhyāṁ jñānaṁ, this knowledge, this perception, relieves them from that bondage of their own, collectively83 or separately.84 Some become aware and that jñāna (knowledge) removes the bondage of those people collectively, . . . SCHOLAR: Up to that point. SWAMIJI: Up to that point.85 . . . and to some, one-by-one (vyāsābhyām). SCHOLAR: What does that mean? SWAMIJI: That means, some people are freed from māyīyamala, some people are freed from kārmamala, and some are freed from all these malas. Those who are freed from all these malas, it is samāsena.86

We hope you arrived well in the New Year of 2021. May it bring us all many Blessings and many spiritual insights. What a better subject to study than Pratibimbavada (the theory of reflection) in Kashmir Shaivism. Swami Lakshmanjoo reveals Kashmir Shaivism's theory of reflection to explain how the world of diversity, though absolutely one with Parabhairava seems to be separate just like the images in a mirror seem to be separate from the mirror. Pratibimbavada (the theory of reflection) is one of the main concepts of Kashmir Shaivism: "How is the actual state of Parabhairava existing?" Swami Lakshmanjoo explains this very essential concept with an example in this excerpt from the Essence of the Supreme Reality: Abhinavagupta's Paramarthasara. Watch the whole video series on demand here... click to view on youtube दर्पणबिम्बे यद्वन् नगरग्रामादि चित्रमविभागि । भाति विभागेनैव च परस्परं दर्पणादपि च ॥१२॥ विमलतमपरमभैरव- बोधात् तद्वद् विभागशून्यमपि अन्योन्यं च ततोऽपि च विभक्तमाभाति जगदेतत् ॥१३॥ darpaṇabimbe yadvan nagaragrāmādi citramavibhāgi / bhāti vibhāgenaiva ca parasparaṁ darpaṇādapi ca // 12 // vimalatamaparamabhairava- bodhāt tatvad vibhāgaśūnyamapi / anyonyaṁ ca tato ‘pi ca vibhaktamābhāti jagadetat // 13 //   How is the actual state of Parabhairava existing? And for this, he gives an example. Darpaṇa bimbe yadvat, take outside mirror, keep mirror in your room here, darpaṇa bimbe, and see, but keep this well-cleaned mirror; nagaragrāmādi citram avibhāgi, nagaragrām, whatever is reflected in it, you see everything is reflected in the mirror which is only two feet by two feet, two feet length and two feet height . . . bas, only this much. And in this, you will feel the reflection of this house, the reflection of that house, the reflection of those trees, big trees, reflection of everything, whatever it is reflected on this. Citram: citram means it is not put in one ball there, because the dimension of this mirror is only two feet by two feet. It can’t come in two feet by two feet; it seems separate. Bhāti vibhāgenaiva ca, and it seems separate. nacaya etat dharmanasya prasyato yujyate / You can’t [understand], after investigation, what has happened to this, how these trees seem to exist away from the space of mirror, back. But after investigating what is in the back, there is nothing. There is nothing. Only distance is seen, distance is observed. And at the same time, there is no weight also in this. For instance, a big tree trunk has reflected in the mirror. If the weight of mirror was one kilo, after the reflection of this tree, which weighs 100 kilos, it does not create . . . the end of the JONATHAN: Extra weight. SWAMIJI: . . . extra weight. It is the same weight. You couldn’t move it. Then you couldn’t move it . . . dharmaṇo ’pi achālasyat He has said, Abhinavagupta has said, dharmaṇo ’pi achālasyat, you could not move it. In weight also, it is the same weight; it is only one kilo. So this is the glamour of reflection. It is separate from each other and separate from the mirror also, what is reflected in this. This is an example. Now the main thing which is to be understood. In the same way . . . vimalatamaparamabhairava- bodhāt tatvad vibhāgaśūnyamapi / 13a (repeated)   In the same way, that which is absolutely most pure, purest element–Parabhairava (Parabhairava is the purest element of the supreme mirror)–and in that supreme mirror, which is the purest element of Bhairava, in that Bhairava, vibhaktama jagad etat, from Śiva to pṛithvī, all this universe, it seems, you perceive that universe, absolutely separate from Bhairava, from that mirror, from Parabhairava. It is absolutely separate from Parabhairava. And not only that, it is separate from each other. Pṛithvī [earth] is separated from jala [water], jala is separated from agni [fire], agni is separated from vayu [wind], vayu is separate, ākāśa [ether] is separate, antaḥkaraṇas [mind,

Swami Lakshmanjoo explains the different ways of (sāttvic, rājasic, tāmasic) acting in this universal drama, as revealed in the Shiva Sutras: The Supreme Awakening, by Swami Lakshmanjoo. (transcript below is different than the book text) https://www.lakshmanjooacademy.org/wp/wp-content/uploads/Shiva-Sutras-3.10.mp3 [Intro for sūtra 10.] Now in his theatrical dress evaṁvidhasya asya jagat nāṭya nartakasya, while he steps in the play of drama, acting, his way of acting is explained in next sūtra, the 3rd chapter, 10th sūtra. raṅgo 'ntarātmā // 10 // Raṅga means various ways of playing various parts. For instance, when he plays the part of Rāma, he plays the part of Sītā, he plays the part of Pārvatī, he plays the part of so many things in this drama. And this playing is in three ways. One is called abhinaya. Abhinaya means just to copy. When you copy the acting of Rāma, and the spectators must feel that you are actually Rāma. Spectators must not feel that he is such and such person acting as Rāma. It must be sāttvic abhinaya, this is sāttvic abhinaya. Rājas abhinaya is you feel something of Rāma, but on the other hand, you feel that he is such and such person . . . JOHN: Actor. SWAMIJI: . . . he is actor. You must totally ignore that he is actor. This is the way how great heroes play the part of various parts. This is called sāttvic abhinaya. [In] rājas abhinaya you get hint of that player, Rāma, and the rest you feel that he is the actor. And tāmas abhinaya is absolutely you feel that he is actor, he is nothing else, he is only playing as Rāma, he is not actually Rāma. But you must feel, spectators must feel that he is actually Rāma playing. This is the way great heroes in this universal field act. And that hero is here antarātmā; antar, internal soul, not external soul. Raṅga antarātmā; raṅga means the player; the player is antarātmā, internal soul. rajyate'smin jagannāṭyakrīḍā pradarśanāśayenātmanā iti raṅgaḥ, Raṅga means the playing, jagat nāṭya krīḍāpradarśanāśayena, just to reveal the universal drama. He plays in this universe just to reveal the universal drama that, “this whole universe is actually drama, universal drama.” tattadbhūmikāgrahaṇasthānam; antrātmā, The place of the stage where he holds the various ways of becoming actor, various actors (one actor is Denise, one actor is here in this universal drama, I am another actor), and from the universal point of view this whole acting is done by that internal soul. Internal soul is only one, playing part of Denise, playing part of John, playing part of Lakṣmaṇjoo, playing the part of Andy and others. Actually, the internal soul is one and he plays various parts in this universal drama. That is antarātmā, internal self. saṁkocāvabhāsasatattvaḥ śūnyapradhānaḥ prāṇapradhāno vā puryaṣṭakarūpo dehāpekṣayā antaro jīvaḥ/ (not recited in full) Because he is shrunk, he is shrunk from that expansion of universality. You may call it śūnya pradhāna, prāṇa pradhāno vā puryaṣṭaka rūpo: śūnya pramāta, prāṇa pramatā or puryaṣṭaka pramātā. Not deha pramātā, not that soul which is residing in wakefulness. [It is] the soul that is residing in dreaming state or dreamless state. tatra hi ayaṁ kṛitapadaḥ There he has stepped in that field of drama. svakaraṇaparispandakrameṇa jagannāṭyamābhāsayati / And there he puts his steps for dance and reveals the drama of the universe by infusing the spanda of his organs. Spanda means movement of organs. Sometimes he is sad, sometimes he is weeping, sometimes he is laughing, this is all play. In fact, he is neither laughing nor dreaming nor sad nor joyous. He is one, as he is always. uktaṁ ca śrīsvacchande– This is already explained in Svacchanda Tantra. puryaṣṭakasamāveśād vicaraṇsarvayoniṣu / antarātmā sa vijñeyaḥ . . . . . . . . . . . . // (Svacchanda Tantra 11.85)

Swami Lakshmanjoo explains how to raise the fire of Parabhairava knowledge in the teachings of Kashmir Shaivism . . . there is nothing purer than Parabhairava knowledge; there is no other element purer than this. This is the purest element. "You have to work out with all your might. Don’t think of any other thing to be done in this world." Because everybody has the right to become Parabhairava. This is from the Bhagavad Gita, In the Light of Kashmir Shaivism (Chapter 4 verses 36 till the end of chapter and summary). click to view on youtube DVD 4.3 (39:43) अपि चेदसि पापेभ्यः सर्वेभ्यः पापकृत्तमः  । सर्वं ज्ञानप्लवेनैव वृजिनं सन्तरिष्यसि  ॥३६॥ यथैधांसि समिद्धोऽग्निर्भस्मसात्क्रियतेऽर्जुन  । ज्ञानाग्निः सर्वकर्माणि भस्मसात्कुरुते तथा  ॥३७॥ नहि ज्ञानेन सदृशं पवित्रमिह विद्यते  । तत्स्वयं योगसंसिद्धः कालेनात्मनि विन्दति  ॥३८॥ श्रद्धावांल्लभते ज्ञानं तत्परः संयतेन्द्रियः  । ज्ञानं लब्ध्वा परां शान्तिमचिरेणाधिगच्छति  ॥३९॥ अज्ञश्चाश्रद्दधानश्च संशयात्मा विनश्यति  । नायं लोकोऽस्ति न परो न सुखं संशयात्मनः  ॥४०॥ api cedasi pāpebhyaḥ sarvebhyaḥ pāpakṛttamaḥ / sarvaṁ jñānaplavenaiva vṛjinaṁ santariṣyasi //36// yathaidhāṁsi samiddho’gnirbhasmasātkriyate’rjuna / jñānāgniḥ sarvakarmāṇi bhasmasātkurute tathā //37// nahi jñānena sadṛśaṁ pavitramiha vidyate / tatsvayaṁ yogasaṁsiddhaḥ kālenātmani vindati //38// śraddhāvāṁllabhate jñānaṁ tatparaḥ saṁyatendriyaḥ / jñānaṁ labdhvā parāṁ śāntimacireṇādhigacchati //39// ajñaścāśraddadhānaśca saṁśayātmā vinaśyati / nāyaṁ loko’sti na paro na sukhaṁ saṁśayātmanaḥ //40//   36th, 37th, 38th, 39th and 40th śloka. This is collective; it is kulakam. Kulakam means [these verses have] only one connection with each other.131 samiddho’bhyāsajātapratipattidārḍhyabandhena jñānāgnirbhavati yathā tathā prayatanīyam [comm.] The fire of Parabhairava knowledge should be samiddha, should be put to fire, should be put to glamor in flames (samiddha). Samiddha means put to fire, so that this fire of Parabhairava knowledge catches flames [and spreads] all-round. That way, prayatanīyam, you have to work out, you have to work out wholeheartedly so that [the fire of Parabhairava knowledge] catches fire all-round, so that it leaves not [even] one tinka anywhere without this fire [Swamiji presses his thumb and forefinger together to show the negation of space]. All is burned in that [fire]; all becomes one with that.132 Tathā prayatanīyam, in that way you should [tighten] your belts and work out so that it catches fire all-round. Tathā prayatanīyam, in one way or another way, you have to work out. You have to work out with all of your might, [use] all of your might. And don’t think of any other thing to be done in this world. Pavitraṁ hi jñānasamaṁ nāsti, there is nothing purer than Parabhairava knowledge; there is no other element purer than this. This is the purest element. What is the purest element? DENISE: Parabhairava. SWAMIJI: The knowledge of Parabhairava, being Parabhairava. Because everybody has the right to become Parabhairava. Anyasya saṁvṛddhyā pavitratvaṁ na vastuta. All other things are purified by saṁskāra, by white-washing, by spraying of scent–they become purer. This saṁvṛddhi, saṁvṛddhyā means [purification] by other elements. But it is not natural purity. Natural purity comes only in the Parabhairava state. All other things, which are other than Parabhairava–which are not actually [other than Parabhairava because] nothing is left without Parabhairava, but as long as [the state of Parabhairava] is not known, it seems to be that it is separated from Parabhairava–for those separated Parabhairava states, you have to keep, you have to adopt some other element to keep them pure. But it is not natural purity. Natural purity is found only in the Parabhairava state. That is what he says. Pavitratāṁ cāsya svayaṁ jñāsyati suprabudhatāyām.

In this excerpt from "The Magical Jewel of Devotion in Kashmir Shaivism - Stava Cintamani", by Bhaṭṭanārāyaṇa, Swami Lakshmanjoo uses a unique analogy to explain ignorance and duality, and gives us the medicine to love everyone (in Kashmir Shaivism). "If you feel that all the embodiment of this whole universe is my own Self, will you hate anybody? You won’t hate anybody. You will love everyone." ~Swami Lakshmanjoo St.Cin. CD 424 (17:15) 16:36 अज्ञानतिमिरस्यैकमौषधं संस्मृतिस्तव भव तत्तत्प्रदानेन प्रसादः क्रियतां मयि ajñānatimirasyaikam-auṣadhaṁ saṁsmṛtistava / bhava tattatpradānena prasādaḥ kriyatāṁ mayi  //24// O Lord Śiva, I have got timira,1 I have got a timira disease in my eyes. I can’t see in an actual way. You know “timira”? Timira is rekhā timira roga, it is a disease in the eyes [in which a] line comes just in the center of that pupil. In the pupil, one line comes–to some persons–and it is called “rekhā timira roga”. By that, you will see two; you’ll see two Vireshs, two Shannas.2 This is a kind of disease in the eyes. Ajñāna, and this is of ignorance; this is a disease of ignorance to see that, “I am one, Denise is another”, “He is my enemy, he is my friend”, all these things. This is the disease. This is the disease in perception. What is not the disease? To see everyone as your own Self. If you feel that all the embodiment of this whole universe is my own Self, will you hate anybody? You won’t hate anybody. You will love everyone. Whenever hate comes, it comes from that disease, that disease in your eyes, because you see separate, two things. ERNIE:  Duality. SWAMIJI:  Duality. And this disease has come in my perception, O Lord–ajñāna timirasyaikam. And there is only one medicine for this, one dose for the removal of this disease, which You have, which You could bestow to me. Otherwise, there is no hope for my cure, I will never get cured from this disease. That [dose] is saṁsmṛtistava, just Your memory. O Lord Śiva, give me that dose of remembering You. Do this favor to me, O Lord Śiva. I want this.3 This is auṣadha. Auṣadham astam is one dose of mixture by which this disease will get vanished. Really, this is a disease, and this disease has spread, you know, in a hundred and thousand and million ways [laughter], in all the one hundred and eighteen worlds. DENISE:  In all the worlds it’s like that? SWAMIJI:  Yes. ____________ 1 Lit., dark, gloomy; a class of morbid affections of the coats of the eye.” 2 The son and daughter of John and Denise Hughes. 3 “The dose is the constant remembrance of Your being. This is the only medicine for this blindness of Your being. Please, from time to time, bestow on me that remembrance. If something bad happens in my life sometimes, like a relative dying, please bestow me the power to remember You, not that relative. Then I will feel You have blessed me from all sides.” Ibid. Source: "The Magical Jewel of Devotion in Kashmir Shaivism - Stava Cintamani", by Bhaṭṭanārāyaṇa, revealed by Swami Lakshmanjoo. All Content is subject to Copyright © John Hughes.

"Stava cintāmaṇi is the work of Bhaṭṭanārāyaṇa. Bhaṭṭanārāyaṇa is one of the most important Shaivite masters. Stava cintāmaṇi means stava - hymns, cintāmaṇi - jewel. Cintāmaṇī jewel is that kind of jewel, i.e. whatever you wish it will come. It is the bestower of all your boons, all your desires. All your desires are fulfilled by that cintāmaṇi; that jewel. And this is the jewelry of that cintāmaṇi of hymns to Lord Śiva. It purifies all your desires and wishes." ~Swami Lakshmanjoo Devotional hymns have always held an important place in the history of the Monistic teachings of Kashmir Shaivism. The recitation of such devotional hymns is a common part of the daily spiritual practice for many Shaiva aspirants. Stava Cintāmaṇi, The Magical Jewel of Devotion in Kashmir Shaivism, is a sublime and unique hymn addressed to Lord Shiva, whom the author, Bhaṭṭa Nārāyaṇa, clearly holds as the Supreme Reality. Though highly devotional, these hymns are at the same time practical and deeply philosophical. The Sanskrit text of the Stava Cintāmaṇi with Kṣemarāja’s commentary was first published in the Kashmir Series of Texts and Studies, Volume X, in Kashmir (1918). This was the text used by Swami Lakshmanjoo in his translation and commentary of this present publication. Swamiji’s love for devotional hymns is evidenced by the fact that he translated and commented upon the Stava Cintāmaṇi on three occasions. "He is the Light of all Darkness, all Ignorance of Light. All absence of Light and Presence of Light Have come out from that Light." Swami Lakshmanjoo https://www.lakshmanjooacademy.org/wp/wp-content/uploads/StavaCintamani_v3.mp3 Audio 1 (17:08) प्रसरद्विन्दुनादाय शुद्धामृतमयात्मने । नमोऽनन्तप्रकाशाय शंकरक्षीरसिन्धवे ॥३॥ prasaradbindunādāya śuddhāmṛtamayātmane / namo’nantaprakāśāya śaṅkarakṣīrasindhave //3// I bow to that Śaṅkara,3 who is just like the ocean of milk, a milk ocean. I bow to that Śaṅkara who is just like a milk ocean, a vast milk ocean, and prasarat bindu nādāya, where there are flows, two-fold flows, of bindu and nāda. Bindu is prakāśa and nāda is [vimarśa].4 Bindu is I-consciousness; nāda is to observe I-consciousness.5 Consciousness is bindu; “I am consciousness, I am God consciousness,” this is nāda. For instance, this prakāśa of sūrya (sun), the prakāśa of the light of the moon, [the prakāśa of] the light of fire, it is bindu, but there is no nāda in it, there is no understanding power of that prakāśa. There is prakāśa in the sun, but [the sun] does not know that, “I am prakāśa.” He is just a [star].6 He does not understand that, “I am filled with this prakāśa.” When there is understanding power, the understanding that, “I am this prakāśa,” that is nāda. Bindu and nāda are both found in God consciousness. In other lights, only bindu is found, not nāda. Nāda is understanding. Fire is burning but it does not know that, “I am burning.” In the same way, the light of the moon, the light of the sun, they are absolutely unaware of their nature. So there must be, there is, bindu and nāda both in God consciousness. In the same way, prakāśa and vimarśa is bindu and nāda according to the śāmbhava state. According to śāktopāya, jñāna and kriyā (knowledge and action) will be bindu and nāda. According to āṇavopāya, breathing in and breathing out, in-going breath and out-coming breath, will be bindu and nāda.7 [Bindu and nāda are] inhaling and exhaling from the āṇavopāya viewpoint, and knowledge and action from śāktopāya, and prakāśa and vimarśa from śāmbhavopāya.8 You understand? It is very easy. Prasarat bindu nādāya, so I bow to that Lord Śiva who is filled with bindu and nāda. The flows of prakāśa and vimarśa [are] always there according to the śāmbhava state, according to the śākta state, and according to the āṇava state. [In the] āṇava state, what is bindu and nāda?

Swami Lakshmanjoo explains how one should act in this world so that impressions do not remain in one's mind - Kashmir Shaivism This is an excerpt from Chapter Chapter 3, Bhagavad Gita, In the Light of Kashmir Shaivism, by Swami Lakshmanjoo). Also, check out our free weekly sangha studying Abhinavagupta's Bhagavad Gita.     Now, who is the best one? The best yogi is that person . . . DVD 3.1 (18:09) यस्त्विन्द्रियाणि मनसा नियम्यारभतेऽर्जुन  । कर्मेन्द्रियैः कर्मयोगमसक्तः स विशिष्यते  ॥७॥ yastvindriyāṇi manasā niyamyārabhate’rjuna / karmendriyaiḥ karmayogamasaktaḥ sa viśiṣyate //7// The one who is always walking, talking, and fully aware of God consciousness while walking, while talking, while doing gup-shup (idle conversation), and seeing, shaking hands, karmendriyaiḥ karma yogam asaktaḥ, without being attached to all of these. He sees. . . he [walks] on the pathway for a change, but he does not know where he went and wherefrom he returned. Because, it is just like rathyaṁ grāmaṇe tṛṇaparṇādivat. When you walk on the roadside, you will see [objects] on the roadside here and there. When you go in motorcar, in motorcar ride, you see leaves and everything on the right side and on the left side of your car, but those impressions of leaves do not remain in your mind; it is just nirvikalpa.63 Like that you should act in this world. DVD 3.1 (19:54) नियतं कुरु कर्म त्वं कर्म ज्यायो ह्यकर्मणः  । शरीरयात्रापि च ते न प्रसिद्ध्येदकर्मणः  ॥८॥ niyataṁ kuru karma tvaṁ karma jyāyo hyakaramaṇaḥ / śarīrayātrāpi ca te na prasiddhyedakarmaṇaḥ //8// [Lord Kṛṣṇa]: So you should do action, always do action with God consciousness. Karma jyāyo hyakarmaṇaḥ. Karma is, action is very superior, most superior, more superior than discarding actions. Śarīrayātrāpi ca te. Śarīrayātrā means this bodily existence also is dependent to karma. Without karma, bodily existence . . . the body won’t exist, the body won’t live, it will be shattered to pieces. DVD 3.1 (20:55) यज्ञार्थात्कर्मणोऽन्यत्र लोकोऽयं कर्मबन्धनः  । तदर्थं कर्म कौन्तेय मुक्तसङ्गः समाचर  ॥९॥ yajñārthātkarmaṇo’nyatra loko’yaṁ karmabandhanaḥ / tadarthaṁ karma kaunteya muktasaṅgaḥ samācara //9// O Arjuna, you should do actions, yajñārthāt, you should do actions, leave actions in God consciousness, bas! Don’t crave for its fruit, [then] all your actions will bear no fruit. And when they bear no fruit, what is remaining in the background of fruit? The knowledge of Parabhairava. The supreme Bhairava state will shine automatically. JOHN: What does it mean [when] he says it won’t bear fruit, these actions will bear no fruit? I mean, it bears some fruit . . . what does it mean? SWAMIJI: No, these actions will bear fruit [only] when you ask for them, when you ask for fruits. When you do actions and remain in God consciousness, always be introverted and do all actions, then there will be no fruit from that. And that fruit will be, automatically, the knowledge of Parabhairava. JOHN: So what is it when some fruit comes? I mean in other words, you do something and some result comes from that. That is not the same kind of fruit? SWAMIJI: No, that fruit should not come, that is the wrong way of action. JOHN: No, I agree with that, but . . . SWAMIJI: Wrong way of action is to pray for this karma (action), e.g., “this karma (action) should be successful. Any karma, any action which I do, it must be successful, it must remain successful, it must not remain undone, it must have some fruit. It is worthwhile to have some fruit from my actions.” This you should not have! As long as you have this idea, this desire that, “I want some good action from this fruit [i.e., some good fruit from this action],” you are away from God consciousness. You go on doing your work, you go on serving Viresh whole-heartedly [and feel], “it is my duty to serve Viresh. Viresh is my own self [so] I must serve him, I must see that he is alright.

In this excerpt, Swami Lakshmanjoo explains the difference between initiation and automatic knowledge (breakless awareness - prātibhā knowledge). "Gurvāyattā tu sā dīkṣā this [inferior] initiation is dependent to master. But if once you maintain that prātibhā knowledge (prātibha knowledge means if you have command on awareness, when you have full command on awareness, don’t let anything creep in), and that awareness will carry you to that greatest power of maintaining oneness with Lord Śiva, and without any other support."  And further down he clarifies what awareness really is... This is from Abhinavagupta's Tantrāloka, 13th āhnika (chapter) verse 167-172, which is part of the Grace and Spiritual Practice, a collection of Video and Audio recordings of the revelations on the subjects of Grace and Spiritual Practice by Swami Lakshmanjoo). nanu prāgdīkṣayā mokṣo- ‘dhunā tu prātibhātkatham // 167 // Nanu (it is a question of Pārvatī), prāk dīkṣyā mokṣāḥ, previously you have told that liberation comes forth by being initiated by a master, i.e. when you are initiated by a master you are liberated. Now you say by your own automatic knowledge [prātibha] you get liberation. What is the right thing then? I am confused! iti devyā kṛite praśne prāvartata vibhorvacaḥ / 168a On this question of Pārvatī prāvartata vibhorvacaḥ, Lord Śiva explains again. dīkṣayā mucyate jantuḥ prātibhena tathā priye // 168 // Priye, O Dear, dikṣaya mucyate jantuḥ by initiation also one gets liberated, [and] by pratibhā also one gets liberated. This is the main thing. By being initiated you get liberated, and with your own automatic knowledge, you get liberated. Now there is a difference between automatic knowledge [prātibha] and initiation [dīkṣa]. gurvāyattā tu sā dikṣā badhyabandhanamokṣaṇe / prātibho’sya svabhāvastu kevalībhāvasiddhidaḥ // 169 // That initiation is depending on your master, i.e. initiation will be done by your master, initiation won’t happen automatically. When you are initiated by your master then you are initiated; you can’t initiate yourself by your own self. So it is dependent to master, i.e. this [inferior] initiation. For what purpose he is being initiated? Badhya bandhana mokṣaṇe. Badhya is who is already entangled in ignorance, in the field of ignorance, in the world of ignorance. The person who is entangled in ignorance, he is badhya. And bandhana is this chain; the chain of ignorance by which he is bound in this universal field. Just to unchain that, for that, initiation is being done. Prātibho’sya svabhāvastu but this automatic knowledge [prātibhā] which I have explained here, it is just automatic. He has not to depend on meditation, he has not to depend on anything, just awareness. If he is once aware . . . You see if you do practice with awareness, with real awareness (I don’t mean this so-called awareness), . . . DEVOTEES:  (laughter) SWAMIJI:  . . . with real awareness, with real awareness, if you practice after one hour you will get samādhi; in one hours practice you’ll get samādhi, you’ll get trance. There is no doubt about it. JOHN:  What does real awareness mean, break-less awareness? SWAMIJI:  Break-less awareness, and scattering all other opposite agencies of thought. JOHN:  Which means, those things which would take you away from your awareness. SWAMIJI:  For instance, you are aware, you maintain awareness on that point. On that point of awareness, just this thought will creep there, this leakage that, “this awareness is very nice . . . this awareness is very nice.” He will make friendship with you. That enemy will make friendship with you just to creep in your mind, just to tell you that “awareness is best.” And this “awareness is best” this also is an obstacle. This will create another series of thoughts. “This is very nice . . . I am so happy . . . and I am one-pointed now . . . I am one-pointed!

There are three types of spiritual joy (sukha) in Kashmir Shaivism: sāttvic sukha, rājas sukha, and tāmas sukha. In this excerpt from the Bhagavad Gita, In the Light of Kashmir Shaivism, by Swami Lakshmanjoo, chapter 18, verse 36-37, Swami Lakshmanjoo explains sukha of sāttvic [kind] and how this joy seems poisonous in the beginning. Chapter 18 Part 2 SWAMIJI: DVD 18b (00:01) सुखं त्विदानीं त्रिविधं शृणु मे भरतर्षभ  । अभ्यासाद्रमते यत्र दुःखान्तं च नियच्छति  ॥३६॥ sukhaṁ tvidānīṁ trividhaṁ śṛṇu me bharatarṣabha  / abhyāsādramate yatra duḥkhāntaṁ ca niyacchati  //36//   I will tell you now sukha, what is sukha. Sukha is also three fold: sāttvic sukha, rājas sukha, and tāmas sukha. I mean happiness, joy. Now the 37th śloka is explaining sukha of sāttvic [kind]. DVD 18b (00:39) यत्तदात्वे विषमिव परिणामेऽमृतोपमम्  । तत्सुखं सात्त्विकं विद्यादात्मबुद्धिप्रसादजम्  ॥३७॥ yattadātve viṣamiva pariṇāme’mṛtopamam  / tatsukhaṁ sāttvikaṁ vidyādātmabuddhiprasādajam  //37   Yattadātve, that sukha (joy) which, in the beginning, seems to be viṣamiva, just like poison; in the beginning, it seems just poisonous. For instance, when mother wakes him, wakes Viresh up with force, and asks Viresh (after [all], Viresh is also in my circle, he has come into my circle) that, “Swamiji is calling you. He wants that you should sit for meditation.” At first, he thinks viṣamiva, it is very dreadful . . . DENISE: [laughs] SWAMIJI: . . . it is very dreadful to wake up [early to meditate]. And when once he is awake, at that time, at the time of doing practice afterwards when he is [meditating] in front of me, pariṇāme amṛta upamam, at that time he feels the blissful state, at that time. That sukha is sāttvic sukha, you should understand that is sāttvic sukha. In the first beginning, [abhyāsa] seems very dreadful, it seems poisonous. JOHN: Sāttvic sukha? SWAMIJI: Sāttvic sukha. At first, it seems poisonous, but when he has conducted this sāttvic sukha of abhyāsa and meditation, he feels just blissful. DENISE: Why is that? Is that because he feels so much sweetness within himself that he doesn’t want to go out and get some other sweetness? SWAMIJI: No. It is just an examination for him, if he wakes up or not. DENISE: Aha! SWAMIJI: If you are fortunate, you’ll wake up; you will wake up and you will throw [the bedding off] just like it’s shikas (rubbish), and [you will] be situated in God consciousness, and you will remain blissful. That is sāttvic sukha. JOHN: So, in the first instance, spirituality seems to be really . . . SWAMIJI: Yes, really not good. DENISE: Undesirable. SWAMIJI: Undesirable. It is very painful. DENISE: Painful. SWAMIJI: Painful. JOHN: Frightening also? SWAMIJI: Yes. That is sāttvic sukha (joy). DENISE: So Swamiji, you’re talking about spiritual joy? You’re not talking about pleasures in the world? You’re talking about spiritual joy? SWAMIJI: Yes, spiritual joy. Tadātve means abhyāsakāle [comm. verse 37], at that time, [abhyāsa] seems very fearful.512 kṣurasya dhārā viṣamā duratyayā  । durgaṁpadhastat kavayo vadanti [Abhinavagupta] has given [this] example in his commentary. Kṣurasya dhārā viṣamā duratyayā, this pathway of spiritual bliss, blissful pathway, is to tread on the sword's edge; to walk [the spiritual path], this is viṣamā duratyayā, it is not easily conducted. Durgaṁ paddhas tat kavayo,it is very difficult to tread on, but once you are on it, then it is filled with spiritual joy. _______________ 512 “For instance, I am meditating, I meditate for half an hour. After half an hours time, I want to lean, I want to lean and meditate. After half an hours time I will sit in easy chair and meditate. It means it is poisonous. It [feels] like poison to you. At the time it [feels like] poison, not leaning against a wall or not relaxing in easy chair is poisonous for you. You don’t want to sit [erect].

In this excerpt from the book Light on Tantra in Kashmir Shaivism, Abhinavagupta’s Tantraloka, Chapter One, Swami Lakshmanjoo explains the nature of ignorance in Kashmir Shaivism. https://www.lakshmanjooacademy.org/wp/wp-content/uploads/Tantraloka01v22-24.mp3 General Introduction A) The nature of Ignorance (22–30) Audio 1 - 42:04 इह तावत्समस्तेषु शास्त्रेषु परिगीयते। अज्ञानं संसृतेर्हेतुर्ज्ञानं मोक्षैककारणम्॥२२॥ iha tāvatsamasteṣu śāstreṣu parigīyate / ajñānaṁ saṁsṛterheturjñānaṁ mokṣaikakāraṇam //22// In this world of spirituality, everywhere, in each and every śāstra, it is sung that ignorance is the cause of repeated births and deaths and knowledge is the cause of liberation from it. This I have not explained from my mind. It is explained by Śiva in tantra. For this he explains this twenty-third śloka: Audio 1 - 43:01 मलमज्ञानमिच्छन्ति संसाराङ्कुरकारणम्। इति प्रोक्तं तथा च श्रीमालिनीविजयोत्तरे॥२३॥ malamajñānamicchanti saṁsārāṅkurakāraṇam / iti proktaṁ tathā ca śrīmālinīvijayottare //23// [not recited in full] Mala is ignorance. Mala is not some dirt.57 Mala is called [literally] “dirt,” but that dirt is ignorance, and that ignorance becomes the cause of māyīyamala and kārmamala. Malam is called āṇavamala. Āṇavamala is called ajñāna (ignorance) and that ajñāna is the cause of māyīyamala and kārmamala.58 This is explained by Lord Śiva in the Mālinīvijayottara [tantra].59 Audio 1 - 43:50 विशेषणेन बुद्धिस्थे संसारोत्तरकालिके। संभावनां निरस्यैतदभावे मोक्षमब्रवीत्॥२४॥ viśeṣaṇena buddhisthe saṁsārottarakālike / saṁbhāvanāṁ nirasyaitadabhāve mokṣamabravīt //24//   Lord Śiva has explained, told, that Mokṣa (liberation) will only come into being, into existence, by the depriving of the ajñāna (ignorance) of puruṣa (being).60 [Now], this ajñāna has got two qualifications, this ignorance has got two qualifications: one ignorance is attached to the intellect61 and another ignorance is attached to puruṣa.62 But if we would say that that ajñāna, [which is explained] there in Mālinīvijaya, [if it] is explained as that ignorance which is attached to the intellect, [then] that cannot be [said to be the cause of puruṣa’s bondage] because the intellect has come out into existence after the world was created. When the world was created, after the creation of the world, the intellect took place, the intellect was created. How, by removing the intellectual ignorance, can you get liberation? There is still saṁsāra yet. SCHOLAR: When you say that it is created after saṁsāra . . . SWAMIJI: It is created after saṁsāra. SCHOLAR: . . . you don’t mean in the sense of time but in the sense of that āṇavamala, nirvikalpa [thoughtless-ness], precedes ideation always. SWAMIJI: Yes, after āṇavamala it was created; the intellect was created after saṁsāra. So, how can that intellectual knowledge be the cause of the removal of ignorance? Because [the intellect] is saṁsāra uttara kālike, it has come into existence after saṁsāra was created.63 SCHOLAR: It presupposes saṁsāra. SWAMIJI: Yes. So, saṁbhāvanāṁ nirasya, this saṁ-bhāvanā64 you should put away, you should cast this saṁbhāvanā aside. Etat abhāve [means], pauruṣa ajñāna abhāve, when pauruṣa ajñāna65 is destroyed, mokṣam abravīt, mokṣa66 is likely to happen. JOHN: It is not certain that mokṣa will happen, it’s only likely. SWAMIJI: No, no, it is certain. Abravīt, He has told that mokṣa will take place, not likely [take place]. _________ 57 “The malas are just the absence of knowledge and not something substantial.” Tantrāloka 9.75 (LJA archive). 58 See Appendix 6 (p385) for detailed explanation of the malas. See also Kashmir Shaivism–The Secret Supreme, 7.47-49. 59 The first line of verse 23 is a direct quote from the Mālinīvijaya tantra 1.23cd. 60 The individual soul. 61 Bauddha ajñāna. 62 Pauruṣa ajñāna. 63 Swamiji tells us that,

Due to the Mahasamadhi Celebrations and Fall Retreat, we will take a break from posting the weekly excerpts. We hope you can join us for these events. In this excerpt, Swami Lakshmanjoo explains why YOU are really Parabhairava (supreme state of God Consciousness). This is from the Bhagavad Gita, In the Light of Kashmir Shaivism, chapter 8 by Swami Lakshmanjoo. View on YouTube Oṁ. Oṁ means: antarālīnatattvaughaṁ cidānandaghanaṁ mahat / yattattvaṁ śaivadhāmākhyaṁ tadomityabhidhīyate //271 Antarālīna tattvaughaṁ, where all of these differentiated thirty-six elements and one hundred and eighteen worlds are consumed inside (antarālīna tattvaughaṁ). And that state which is cid-ānanda-ghanaṁ, filled with all consciousness and all bliss. Yat-tattvaṁ śaivadhāmākhyaṁ, which is the reality, the abode and residence of Lord Śiva. Tad-om-ityabhidhīyate, that is [the meaning of] oṁ. And that oṁ you should recite inside.272 “Recite” means you should live in that oṁ. And māmanusmaran, at the same time, you should live in that oṁ and see that oṁ is Parabhairava; the body of Parabhairava is oṁ.273 Yaḥ prayāti tyajandehaṁ [verse 13], at that time [one] who shatters this physical body at the time of death, sa yāti paramāṁ gatim, he is sentenced to that supreme state of Parabhairava.274 अनन्यचेताः सततं यो मां स्मरति नित्यशः  । तस्याहं सुलभः पार्थ नित्ययुक्तस्य योगिनः  ॥१४॥ ananyacetāḥ satataṁ yo māṁ smarati nityaśaḥ  / tasyāhaṁ sulabhaḥ pārthanityayuktasya yoginaḥ  //14// Pārtha, Hey Arjuna, O Arjuna, who in this way, ananyacetāḥ, being one-pointed and one-pointedly remembers Me who is Parabhairava, and remembers Me always, in each and every activity of his daily routine of life in his lifetime, tasyāhaṁ sulabhaḥ pārtha, for him, I am at his disposal, nitya yuktasya yoginaḥ, because that yogi is always a yogi. He has not accepted any other activity besides this yoga. It is said somewhere [in a Shaivite text], he gives reference: vyāpinyāṁ śivasattāyāmutkrāntirnāma niṣphalā  । avyāpini śive nāma notkrāntiḥ śivadāyinī  ॥ If Parabhairava is all-pervading, what is the meaning of throwing ones own body and entering into God consciousness? It is useless. What has he to throw and where has he to go? Wherefrom he has to go, that is Parabhairava! To which point he has to go, that is Parabhairava! That utkrāntiḥ means to jump. How will he jump? From which point will he jump? And to which point will he enter? It is just a joke, it is baseless. It makes ones own self laugh. Utkrāntiḥ has no meaning.275 Avyāpini śive tattve, [even] if Śiva is not all-pervading, still then utkrāntiḥ has no meaning.276 And Bhaṭṭanārāyaṇa, in his [Stava] Cintāmaṇi (he was a Shaivite master, one of the ancient Shaivite masters), his reference also Abhinavagupta puts in his commentary: nimeṣamapi yadyekaṁ kṣīṇadoṣe kariṣyasi  । padaṁ citte tadā śaṁbho kiṁ na saṁpādayiṣyasi  ॥ [Stava Cintāmaṇi, śloka 115] If, in the period of one twinkling of the eye, You make somebody, some fortunate soul blissful by fixing him in the state of Parabhairava, kim na saṁpādayiṣyasi, then what more could You do? You have done everything for him.277 So whatever is being done in one twinkling of an eye, that is all [that is needed].278 There is no effort, there is no [need] to insert effort. There, tīvra tīvra śaktipāta279 is found and that is under your control, not under the control of Parabhairava. That tīvra tīvra śaktipāta is under your own control! This is the Shaivite Philosophy. JOHN: How is it under your control? How? SWAMIJI: How? JOHN: You said tīvra tīvra śaktipāta is under your own control. SWAMIJI: Because you are Parabhairava. You have to produce śaktipāta for yourself. When you don’t like, then don’t produce it, still you are great. When you don’t like, as somebody does not like to have śaktipāta,...

A central theme of the philosophy of Kashmir Shaivism is the highly esoteric principle known as spanda which means vibrationless/vibration or established stable movement. In Shaivism there are two texts that deal specifically with the spanda principal. The Spanda Karika (precise philosophical statements) on the Spanda theory and the Spanda Sandoha (exposition) of the spanda principle. The theory of spanda was hidden in the body of the Tantras and was extracted by Vasugupta and given to us in the form of the Spanda Karikas. The Spanda Sandoha is a commentary by Kṣemarāja on the first verse of Vasugupta's Spanda Kārikā. Both texts are available now as one study set (book and audio download) under the title The Mystery of Vibrationless-Vibration in Kashmir Shaivism: Vasugupta’s Spanda Kārikā & Kṣemarāja’s Spanda Sandoha - revealed by Swami Lakshmanjoo). In the following excerpt from the Spanda Sandoha, Swami Lakshmanjoo explains how one can find God Consciousness in the daily routine of life. https://www.lakshmanjooacademy.org/wp/wp-content/uploads/SpS-Part_2_14-06.mp3 tatrāpi madhye madhye prakaṭībhavati / yatsvarūpa ābhijñānāya sphuṭayiṣyati [not recited] Tatrāpi, in the daily routine of life also–another important point is in the daily routine of life also some time, sometimes, at some points, you will see the rise of God consciousness alive there. Yatsvarūpa ābhijñānāya sphuṭayiṣyati, this svarūpa157 [of God consciousness] is clarified in this śloka of the Spanda Kārikā: atikruddhaḥ . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . /158 When you are extremely angry, filled with anger, [or] when you are extremely filled with the excitement of sexual desire, or when you are extremely filled with fear–as you have already been explained that–in those states, God consciousness is alive. It is in Its . . . ERNIE: Seed form? SWAMIJI: No. It is unmeṣa. JOHN: Expanded form or . . . SWAMIJI: No, unmeṣa. It has risen there, It is not subsided. Although It is subsided always [in the field of differentiated perception], but sometimes . . . GANJOO: It rises. SWAMIJI: . . . It rises at times, in the daily routine of life also. When you sleep, and sleep has not yet come–this wakefulness, the state of wakefulness is ending but sleep has not yet come–in that gap, It rises. So, that God consciousness is not [absent, It] is alive everywhere. JOHN: But That also is hidden, isn’t it? Like in that gap, . . . SWAMIJI: Yes. JOHN: . . . isn’t that hidden by tirodhāna śakti159? SWAMIJI: Yes, that is quite true, but . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . prabuddhaḥ syādanāvṛtaḥ //160 One who is alert, he can experience that state in the daily routine of life also. JOHN: So it is only hidden for that person who is not alert. Tirodhāna śakti works for . . . SWAMIJI: Who is not alert, yes. ityantaṁ śloka catuṣṭayam / These four ślokas explain the same point there in the Spanda [Kārikā].161 ________ 157 The self-form or nature. 158 See Spanda Kārikā 1.22 159 Lord Śiva’s concealing energy as opposed to His anugraha śakti (revealing energy). 160 See Spanda Kārikā, 1.25 161 The four ślokas referred to here are Spanda Kārikā, 1.22 to 1.25. (source: The Mystery of Vibrationless-Vibration in Kashmir Shaivism: Vasugupta’s Spanda Kārikā & Kṣemarāja’s Spanda Sandoha - revealed by Swami Lakshmanjoo) All Content is subject to Copyright © John Hughes

Swami Lakshmanjoo explains to us what aiming means in the context of meditation this excerpt from the Shiva Sutras, The Supreme Awakening. The Shiva Sutras is a pure monistic text. Read about its origin as Lord Shiva's direct revelation to Vasugupta here. This is from the first awakening, first sutra...   16. śuddha-tattva-saṁdhānādvā’paśuśaktiḥ // By aiming at the pure element of Śiva, he possesses Śiva’s unlimited energy. In the sūtra, “the pure element” (śuddha tattva) refers only to supreme Śiva. Now, what do we have to do with that? We have to make this universal objectivity enter in that supreme consciousness of pure Śiva. You must see that this universe is residing in that pure element. There you will never find any impure object. Everything will appear to you as divine. When you target, which means “aim at,” and then perceive that this whole universe is existing in the pure state of Śiva, in this way you will discard and be separated from the entangling energy that binds you with the wheel of differentiated perception. Instantly, you will become one with this universal state that is just like the pure element of Śiva (sadāśiva) and you will become master of the universe. This is also said in Lakṣmī-kaulārṇava Tantra: The yogic powers which are attained with the perfection of an initiation from a great master, when compared with this supreme universal consciousness, are not equal to its sixteenth part. These yogic powers are nothing in comparison. They are all to be discarded. You have only to own and maintain this universal-I (mantra vīrya). That is called saṁdhāna. The Sanskrit word saṁdhāna means “aiming.” Aiming and entry, aiming and enjoying, aiming and feeling, aiming and attaining. And it is not only aiming, for this is just what we do when we meditate. We may meditate for one hour, two hours or three hours and during this time, we are always aiming, aiming, aiming. We are only aiming. But we have to aim once and for all. Aim and attain it. That is what is called saṁdhāna (aiming). The Vijñāna Bhairava also speaks in the same way: With one-pointed attention, you must feel and perceive that this universe and your body are simultaneously one with God consciousness. Then the rise of that supreme God consciousness takes place. (Vijñāna Bhairava 36) This is also explained in Spanda Kārikā in this verse: For such a yogī who has this kind of perception, this world is a playground. Always filled with joy, he is never sad. Doubtlessly, he is liberated while living (jīvan mukta). (Spanda Kārikā 2.5) You can read more about mediation in Kashmir Shaivism here... There are also practical tips and guided meditations found in the beginning of each of the sessions of the online course Kashmir Shaivism and the Transformation of Life, and the free, live, weekly series of Bhagavad Gita Sangha. (Source: First awakening, verse 16, Shiva Sutras, The Supreme Awakening, by Swami Lakshmanjoo) All Content is subject to Copyright © John Hughes. https://www.lakshmanjooacademy.org/wp/wp-content/uploads/ShivaSutras1.16-1.mp3

In this excerpt, Swami Lakshmanjoo explains what grace (śaktipāta) really means in Kashmir Shaivism. This is from Chapter two, commentary on verse 64-65 of the Bhagavad Gita, in the Light of Kashmir Shaivism. Click here to read the previous post with verses 64-65: Meditation and the stages of yoga. SWAMIJI: [Grace] śaktipāta means you have to maintain your vigor, you have to maintain your will. There must be firm will. That is śaktipāta. Śaktipāta [grace] is not derived from other sources. You have got śaktipāta, you have got the power of śaktipāta, i.e., to have it. You [must] possess it with vigor, with force, because you have got that power. But you don’t like it [laughs]! You don’t like it and you go on meeting others and everything and . . . JONATHAN: Can I just ask one question? What causes that change? You said you possess that śaktipāta, that power, but you don’t like it, you just go to these other things. What makes that change, when you suddenly are not worried about these things and you dive into that? SWAMIJI: When śaktipāta [grace] comes from within. From within! Śaktipāta does not come from without. It is not [from] without. JONATHAN: It is there already. SWAMIJI: It is there. Because when God is united with limited God, [this is possible only because] limited God is not separate from unlimited God. yogī ca sarvavyavahārān kurvāṇo’pi . . . [comm.] [Abhinavagupta]: That yogi, although he does each and every activity of the world–he [goes] to the pictures, he [goes to see] everybody, he [goes] to the cinema and sightseeing and everything, whatever we do–lokottaraḥ, but he is above [those activities], he is supreme. Click here to read the previous post with verses 64-65: Meditation and the stages of yoga.   Source: Chapter 2 commentary on verse 64-65 of the Bhagavad Gita, in the Light of Kashmir Shaivism by Swami Lakshmanjoo All Content is subject to Copyright © John Hughes.

In this excerpt, Swami Lakshmanjoo explains how the threefold mala becomes the cause of bondage. This is from the Shiva Sutras, The Supreme Awakening, by Swami Lakshmanjoo. Read the original transcript along with the audio, scroll down... https://www.lakshmanjooacademy.org/wp/wp-content/uploads/ShivaSutras_1.4part1.mp3 atha kathamasyājñānātmakajñāna-yonivarga-kalāśarīrarūpasya trividhasya malasya bandhakatvam Now, he puts this question. How this threefold mala, how this threefold way of knowledge, is the cause of bondage; how this threefold mala becomes the cause of bondage, this threefold mala? Ajñānātmaka jñāna [ignorance of your own nature] that is āṇavamala. Yonivarga [limitation in perception] is māyīyamala. Kalāśarīrasya rūpasya [limitation in action] is kārmamala. These threefold malas how they give you bondage? To this he puts the answer: ज्ञानाधिष्ठानम् मातृका ॥४॥ jñānādhiṣṭhānam mātṛkā  // 4 // “Mātṛkā is the chief conductor of this knowledge.” Mātṛkā is the point. Mātṛkā is the chief conductor of this jñāna (knowledge). Mātṛkā is the chief conductor of this triple knowledge. You know triple knowledge? One knowledge is āṇavamala. Another knowledge is māyīyamala. And the third knowledge is kārmamala. This triple way of knowledge is handled by Mātṛkā. Mātṛkā means ajñātā mātṛkā mātā, when the universal energy is known in the wrong way, in the incorrect way. When universal energy is known in its correct way, it is found . . . it seems to be just svātantrya śakti. When it is known in the wrong way it is the energy of illusion, it is called māyā śakti. So Mātṛkā is both! Mātṛkā means ajñātā mātā (unknown mother), when that universal energy is not known in its correct way. And, when that universal energy is not known in its correct way, then these triple ways of bondages are handled by this energy, this svātantrya. So this too is your own will. If you bind yourself it is your own free will. If you get it out from bondage, it is your own will. It is at your disposal. JOHN:  So when this energy becomes unknown, or not known properly, then it becomes māyā śakti, that binding energy. SWAMIJI:  It becomes māyā śakti. Svātantrya śakti is transformed in the form of māyā śakti. And māyā śakti is transformed in the formation of svātantrya śakti in the correct way of knowing. In the incorrect way of knowledge it is transformed in the svarūpa of māyā śakti, i.e., in the formation of māyā śakti. This he explains in this [4th] sūtra. yadetat trividha-mala-svarūpaṁ, apūrṇam-manyatābhinn-avedyaprathā-śubhāśubhavāsanātmakaṁ vividhaṁ jñāna-rūpam-uktaṁ, This triple way of mala, threefold mala, is already explained, which is: 1) first āṇavamala – apūrṇammanyatā (non-fullness); 2) second mayīyamala – bhinnavedyaprathā, differentiated knowledge; 3) and third mala, kārmamala – śubhāśubha vāsana (the impression of good and bad actions). tasya ādikṣāntarūpā ajñātā mātā mātṛkā viśva-jananī tattat-saṁkucita-vedyābhāsātmano jñānasya 'apūrṇo 'smi, kṣāmaḥ sthūlo vāsmi', agniṣṭomayājyāsmi, ityādi-tattad-avikalpaka savikalpaka avabhāsa-parāmarśamayasya tattad-vācaka-śabdānuvedha-dvāreṇa śoka smaya harṣa rāgādi-rūpatāmādadhānā / iti śrī-timirodghāṭa-proktanītyā varga kalādy-adhiṣṭhatṛ-brāhmyādi śaktiśreṇī śobhinī śrī-sarva-vīrādyāgama-prasiddha-lipi krama-saṁniviśothāpikā ambā jyeṣṭhā-raudrī-vāmākhya śakti-cakra-cumbitā śaktir-adhiṣṭhātṛ, Yadetat, this threefold way of malas, which is already explained, tasya adhiṣṭhātṛ, the handler of these threefold malas . . . Tasya is there, tasya should be joined, attached with adhiṣṭhātṛ there. . . . the handler of those three malas is, ādikṣānta rūpā ajñātā mātā, the universal mother who pervades from a to kṣa; all l...

Thirty-Six Elements Below is the transcript of the audio that accompanies the Book Kashmir Shaivism, The Secret Supreme. Read the first chapter of the book with a diagram of the tattvas on our website. You can also study the "Tattvas (Elements); The Building Blocks of Creation according to Kashmir Shaivism" as an online course the Lakshmanjoo Academy created from a live online event, along with Q&A and discussions by John, Denise Hughes and George Barselaar, who studied and lived for many years with Swami Lakshmanjoo. "These thirty-six elements are the most important points for entering in Shaivism." ~Swami Lakshmanjoo https://www.lakshmanjooacademy.org/wp/wp-content/uploads/Tattvas-excerpt1.mp3 Kashmir Shaivism: The Secret Supreme Chapter One – The 36 Tattvas Part One Mahābhūtas – the five great elements Swamiji with John Hughes and family 1972 JOHN:  To be attended by John and Denise Hughes at Swamiji Shree Lakshmanjoo’s ashram in Srinagar, Kashmir, on November 25th, 1971 at 2:30 pm. This will be the first lecture given by Swamiji to the two of us. SWAMIJI:  For the time being, I would like to tell you something regarding the tattvas (elements).1 In Vedānta, we have got, we explain, twenty-five tattvas.2 But in Shaivism there are thirty-six [tattvas]. [So] first I want to tell you regarding the explanation of the tattvas. I will begin from the lowest degree of the tattvas, I mean, the gross [tattvas].3 The gross tattvas are called the Pañca Mahābhūtas, the Five Great Elements. JOHN:  Mahābhūtas. SWAMIJI:  Mahābhūtas, yes. Earth (pṛthvī), water (jala), fire (tejas), air (vāyu), and ether (ākāśa). These are gross and these are called mahābhūtas because the whole universe is based on these five bhūtas. JOHN:  These five elements (earth, air, water, fire, and ether–ākāśa), they are pretty much the same for most Indian philosophies, is that right? SWAMIJI:  Yes. JOHN:  Same. SWAMIJI:  Yes, these are the same. JOHN:  In Greek philosophy, too, they are pretty much the same. Tanmātras – the five sensations SWAMIJI: And then you move up to the tanmātras, the five tanmātras.4 The five tanmātras are gandha from earth, gandha tanmātra. Gandha means, smell. It’s not exactly smell, it is the abode of smell, where [every impression of] smell lives. That is called gandha tanmātrā, and that has risen from the earth, the element earth.5 This is called gandha tanmātra. JOHN:   Gandha (smell). SWAMIJI:  Gandha tanmātra. And the next one has come out from the water mahābhūta–jala. JOHN:   These tanmātras correspond to these mahābhūtas. SWAMIJI:  Yes. From earth comes gandha tanmātra (smell). And from jala (water) comes rasa tanmātra (taste). JOHN:  Rasa? SWAMIJI:  Rasa. Where the impression of taste resides is called rasa tanmātra. And then from agni (tejas, fire) comes out rūpa tanmātra. JOHN:  Rūpa, form. SWAMIJI:  Yes. Rūpa, form. JOHN:  Form. So this would be sight, then. SWAMIJI:  Yes. It is not form, it is not exactly form, but it is the residence of form, the residence of the impression of form. Where the impressions of form reside is called rūpa tanmātra. JOHN:  Then this would be in conjunction with sight. SWAMIJI:  Yes. This is in conjunction with sight. That will come afterwards.6 JOHN:  Oh, afterwards. Secret Supreme Chpt 01.mp3 [04:33] SWAMIJI: Yes. And then from air (vāyu) mahābhūta (air is the fourth one) . . .* JOHN:  Apa, is that apa? SWAMIJI:  Air, vāyu, vāyu. JOHN:  Vāyu. SWAMIJI:  *. . . comes out sparśa tanmātrā, the tanmātra of touch, the touching sensation. The impression of touching sensation, the residence where it resides, is called sparśa tanmātrā–the impression of the touching sensation. And afterwards finally comes from ākāśa, śabda tanmātrā (sound). Śabda tanmātrā comes out from ākāśa mahābhūta. Ākāśa means, ether. These are the most important points for Shaivism, to enter in Shaivism.

In this excerpt from the 13th Chapter of the Bhagavad Gita, in the Light of Kashmir Shaivism Swami Lakshmanjoo explains what is puruṣa and what is prakṛti and what are these guṇas by which we are played by. (In Kashmir Shaivism prakṛti and puruṣa are very different from their meaning in Vedanta.) Swamiji says, "Anyone who fortunately understands what is puruṣa and what is prakṛti and what are these guṇas by which I was kicked by, played by prakṛti, sarvathā, if he knows, if he comes to this understanding, then he remains away, he remains aloof from prakṛti. He does not allow prakṛti to touch him!" ~Swami Lakshmanjoo     https://www.lakshmanjooacademy.org/wp/wp-content/uploads/PurushaPrakriti.mp3   पुरुषः प्रकृतिस्थो हि भुङ्क्ते प्रकृतिजान्गुणान्  । कारणं गुणसङ्गोऽस्य सदसद्योनिजन्मसु  ॥२२॥ puruṣaḥ prakṛtistho hi bhuṅkte prakṛtijānguṇān  / kāraṇaṁ guṇasaṅgo’sya sadasadyonijanmasu  // 22// Puruṣa, actually puruṣa is dependent on prakṛti, and bhuṅkte prakṛti jānguṇān, he enjoys the three guṇas (three guṇas means just that worldly creation*) and he just goes on enjoying the worldly creation. Sometimes with sattva guṇa, sometimes with raja guṇa, and sometimes [with tama guṇa], and he is sometimes happy, sometimes painful, sometimes . . . DENISE: Unconscious. SWAMIJI: . . . unconscious. Sukha, duḥkha, and moha, these are the three guṇas: sukha is from sāttvic, duḥkha is from rajas, moha is from tamas. Moha means, “zzzzzz [snoring].” This is moha. Duḥkha is activity, e.g., going to the cinema, going to play ball, baseball, whatever ball he plays, that is rajas. And sukha is sāttvic, e.g., when he is seated and prays to God, at that time it is sāttvic. And as long as puruṣa is attached to the guṇas, the three guṇas, it conducts for him sadasad yoni janmasu, aneke (aneke means numberless births and deaths), numberless births and deaths are produced for him because he deserves that. And he never gets away from this, this grabbing [i.e., attachment by which] he is caught.408 Upadraṣṭānumantāca, and in the long run, there is another being, that is Parabhairava . . .   उपद्रष्टानुमन्ता च भर्ता भोक्ता महेश्वरः  । परमात्मेति चाप्युक्तो देहेऽस्मिन्पुरुषः परः  ॥२३॥ upadraṣṭānumantā ca bhartā bhoktā maheśvaraḥ  / paramātmeti cāpyukto dehe’sminpuruṣaḥ paraḥ  // 23// Upadraṣṭā, [the one] who is witnessing, what is going on, what is this damn thing going on, [i.e. happening] to puruṣa, and he is tossed [around] with prakṛti, upadraṣṭā, He sees, He observes, He witnesses, anumantā ca, and He thinks how far he [puruṣa] is entangled by prakṛti, and He is Himself Maheśvara, Parabhairava, paramātma. Paramātma means supreme being. Deha asmin puruṣaḥ, and He is also existing in deha (body) and observing what is happening to that [puruṣa]. Both are [there]; one is above that and one is entangled in prakṛti. Now, there are some, a few, who are, who have been graced by the śaktipāta of Parabhairava.   य एवं वेत्ति पुरुषं प्रकृतिं च गुणैः सह  । सर्वथा वर्तमानोऽपि न स भूयोऽभिजायते  ॥१४॥ ya evaṁ vetti puruṣaṁ prakṛtiṁ ca guṇaiḥ saha  / sarvathā vartamāno’pi na sa bhūyo’bhijāyate  // 24// Anyone who fortunately understands what is puruṣa and what is prakṛti and what are these guṇas by which I was kicked by, played by prakṛti, sarvathā, if he knows, if he comes to this understanding, then he remains away, he remains aloof from prakṛti. He does not allow prakṛti to touch him! Sarvathā vartamāno’pi na sa bhūyo’bhijāyate, he is established in the state of Parabhairava and he is mukta. JONATHAN: So he can only become aware of that in samādhi though? SWAMIJI: Yes. So there are such people . . . it is not meant that only by/in samādhi they will understand Him. Next... _________________________ *"The guṇas are the agitated formation of prakṛti." Swami Lakshmanjoo, Tantrāloka 9:230, USF archive. 408.  “Kāraṇaṁ guṇa saṇgo’sya, the cause of enjoyment, enjoying the three dishes [i.e.,

Swami Lakshmanjoo explains what happens when differentiated perception is totally destroyed, His spanda overflows and He creates this world again. This is an excerpt from Abhinavagupta’s Paramarthasara, The Essence of the Highest Reality, by Swami Lakshmanjoo. Now also available as video on demand. Watch on YouTube द्रष्टा श्रोता घ्राता देहेन्द्रियवर्जितोऽप्यकर्तापि  । सिद्धान्तागमतर्कां श्चित्रानहमेव रचयामि  ॥५०॥ draṣṭā śrotā ghrātā dehendriya-varjito’py-akartāpi / siddhāntāgama-tarkāṁś citrān-aham-eva racayāmi //50// [verse not recited or translated]130   इत्थं द्वैतविकल्पे गलिते प्रविलङ्घ्य मोहनीं मायाम्  । सलिले सलिलं क्षीरे क्षीरमिव ब्रह्मणि लयी स्यात्  ॥५१॥ itthaṁ dvaita-vikalpe galite pravilaṅghya mohanīṁ māyām / salile salilaṁ kṣīre kṣīram-iva brahmaṇi layī syāt //51// In this way, dvaita vikalpe galite, when differentiated perception–and the threat of differentiated perception–the threat of differentiated perception is galite, is finished, is totally destroyed, pravilaṅghya mohanīṁ māyām, and mohanīṁ māyā also(i.e., ignorance, misunderstanding), and [when you know that] this [ignorance] is not the actual position, then salile salilaṁ, just as water is diluted in water [or] milk is diluted in milk, in the same way, this whole universe will be diluted in Parabhairava. इत्थं तत्त्वसमूहे भावनया शिवमयत्वमभियाते  । कः शोकः को मोहः सर्वं ब्रह्मावलोकयतः  ॥५२॥ itthaṁ tattva-samūhe bhāvanayā śiva-mayatvam-abhiyāte / kaḥ śokaḥ ko mohaḥ sarvaṁ brahmāvalokayataḥ //52// [not recited or translated]131   कर्मफलं शुभमशुभं मिथ्याज्ञानेन संगमादेव  । विषमो हि सङ्गदोष- स्तस्करयोगोऽप्यतस्करस्येव  ॥५३॥ karma-phalaṁ śubham-aśubhaṁ mithyājñānena saṁgamād-eva / viṣamo hi saṅga-doṣas- taskara-yogo’py-ataskarasyeva //53//   This is the theory of karma, the theory of actions, which bear fruit (karma phalam). It is good and bad; it is always good and bad. Actions, all actions, [that] are being done, they are always bearing good fruit and bad fruit. But it is because of association with brutes, when Parabhairava is associated with brutes, with rākṣasas (demons). He has made friendship with rākṣasas because of His own choice. Viṣamo hi saṅgadoṣa, Parabhairava is a devil! Parabhairava has become a devil in the market. Parabhairava is to be shot down–this Parabhairava. And that also is observed by Parabhairava in the upper level. Not [only] in that upper level [but] in the lower level also. JOHN: So Parabhairava is shooting Parabhairava? SWAMIJI: Yes, shooting-Parabhairava and shot-Parabhairava, at the same time. JOHN: And the means of shooting also. SWAMIJI: The means of shooting and . . . JOHN: Pramāṇa, prameya, pramātṛ . . . SWAMIJI: Yes. JOHN: . . . and pramiti.132 SWAMIJI: लोकव्यवहारकृतां ये इहाविद्यामुपासते मूढाः  । ते यान्ति जन्ममृत्यू धर्माधर्मार्गलाबद्धाः  ॥५४॥ loka-vyavahāra-kṛtāṁ ye ihāvidyām-upāsate mūḍhāḥ / te yānti janma-mṛtyū dharmādharmārgalā-baddhāḥ //54// Those brutes who treat with respect, with great behavior, ignorance, dull ignorance–those people who respect and behave faithfully with attachment [to] this ignorance, those brutes are sentenced to fearful hells, dirty hells. Those are sentenced to [those hells and then they cry], “Aaaaah, aaaaah! Who will uplift me here? Who will take me out [of here]? I am gone! Aaaaa-aaaaaah!” And Parabhairava is also enjoying that! This is what happens in this world. It is their own way of doing. Nobody is responsible. He is responsible. Parabhairava is responsible. What then [if He is] responsible? Who will put Him to task? Who will investigate Him? Nobody! He is Himself the investigator of all. He is not to be investigated. Nobody has the guts to investigate Him because there is no one [other] than Parabhairava...

Swamiji reveals what is the real essence of mantra in Kashmir Shaivism, and how mantras are one with Mother (Kundalini), who is one with Lord Shiva, and how to awaken the divine mother. This is an excerpt from the second awakening, verse number 3 (Shiva Sutras 2.3).book: Shiva Sutras, The Supreme Awakening as revealed by Swami Lakshmanjoo, a purely monastic and ancient text of Kashmir Shaivism. Read about its origin here. https://www.lakshmanjooacademy.org/wp/wp-content/uploads/SivaSutras2.03.mp3 3. vidyāśarīrasattā mantrarahasyam // The secret essence of mantra is establishment in the body of the knowledge of oneness. ——— Here, knowledge means the supreme knowledge of oneness. It is, in the real sense, the supreme God who is the formation of the collection of all sounds. It is from this point that all sounds are created and stored. So, in another sense, it is the state of God consciousness that is one with the universe and filled with supreme I-consciousness. This is the essence of all mantras. By the words “essence of all mantras” is not meant the mantras such as oṁ namaḥ śivāya, oṁ namo bhagavate vāsudevāya, etc. These mantras are not mantras in the real sense. Mantra, in the real sense, is that supreme I-consciousness. This is the secret about mantras. This is also quoted in Śrī Tantrasadbhāva Tantra. All letters are actually one with mantra and those mantras are one with Mother, the energy of Lord Śiva, and that Mother is one with Lord Śiva himself. Even though this explanation is secret and can’t be exposed or explained, it is revealed in the Tantrasadbhāva Śāstra in this way. This is said by Lord Śiva to Pārvatī: O Pārvati! There are those who are not maintaining the discipline as taught in the scriptures who do not believe that our master is one with Lord Śiva. They are crooked, attached to worldy pleasures and are not doing any spiritual practice. Because of these misdeeds I have extracted the splendor from their mantras. When that splendor is removed, these mantras become useless. For him who would wield these mantras, they are as good as letters. They have no value. You must have faith that the master is one with Lord Śiva. You must maintain discipline and character. You must not be given to attachment or worldly pleasures. When you live in this way, then your mantra will be filled with splendor and will remain successful. Now the Tantrasadbhāva explains further:  That Divine Mother, who is filled with supreme light, has pervaded the whole universe up to brahmaloka. O Devi! Just as all letters are found in the first letter, the letter “a,” in the same way, the whole universe is found in that Divine Mother. Now I will explain to you some very essential characteristics of this Divine Mother. She is supreme, subtle, not limited to any particular school of philosophy or religion.6 This Divine Mother, called Kuṇḍalinī,7 is placed in the center of the heart.8 There you will find that Divine Mother, just like a serpent in the sleeping state. O Pārvati! There she rests in deep sleep, not perceiving anything other than her own self in a place called mūlādhāra9 by our masters. In addition, this goddess, places in her body the moon (chandra), fire (agni), the sun (ravi), all the stars (nakṣatra) and all the fourteen worlds (bhuvanāni caturdaśa) and still she is absolutely unaware that this is happening in her own nature. But how to awaken her? He now explains how this is done. This goddess cannot be awakened with force. She can only be awakened by (nāda) supreme I-consciousness filled with supreme awareness. To awaken her, the yogī has to churn his point of one-pointedness in the heart, without break, again and again. He must churn it by inserting sparks of awareness, one after another, again and again, in unbroken continuation. The process is to insert one spark of awareness. Let that one spark fade. Again, insert fresh awareness. Let that spark fade. Again, insert fresh awareness.

Swami Lakshmanjoo was very fond of Sacred Hymns of Utpaladeva's Shivastotravali, especially the verses below, and often requested his devotees to sing these. You can listen to Swamiji and devotees chanting the 13th Chapter here. The complete audio/transcription of the Hymns to Shiva, Songs of Devotion in Kashmir Shaivism, Utpaladeva's Shivastotravali is available with free downloadable audio. Below is an excerpt from the 13th Chapter (verse 1-4) revealed by Swamiji... "He who is attached to God, he is beautiful because there is love for God. Love for God is charming." ~Swami Lakshmanjoo   Chapter Thirteen In Summary . . . Saṅgrahastotranāma trayodaśaṁ stotram https://www.lakshmanjooacademy.org/wp/wp-content/uploads/HymnsToShivaCh13v1-4.mp3 SWAMIJI: Saṅgrahastotranāma trayodaśaṁ stotram. These ślokas he has composed when he was in [his] senses. These [previous] ślokas were composed by him when he was gone. JOHN: The rest of these ślokas in this book are when he was sane? SWAMIJI: No, this, only the 13th chapter and 14th chapter. He was in his senses. Here [i.e., other chapters], he was not in senses. Chapter 13 (00:29) संग्रहेण सुखदुःखलक्षणं मां प्रति स्थितमिदं शृणु प्रभो  । सौख्यमेष भवता समागमः स्वामिना विरह एव दुःखिता  ॥१॥ saṅgraheṇa sukhaduḥkhalakṣaṇaṁ māṁ prati sthitamidaṁ śṛṇu prabho / saukhyameṣa bhavatā samāgamaḥ svāminā viraha eva duḥkhitā //1//   Prabho, O Lord, in brief words, I will give you the definition of my pain and pleasure. Just the meeting of Thee, just to meet You, is pleasure for me. Just to be away from You is pain for me. In brief words, it is the definition of pain and pleasure for me. In brief words (saṅgraheṇa means in brief words), sukhaduḥkhalakṣaṇam, the definition of pain and pleasure for me, māṁ prati sthitam, for me, please hear, please note, that this is the definition of pain and pleasure for me. And that definition [of my pleasure] is saukhyameṣa bhavatā samāgamaḥ, just to meet You, Thy meeting is pleasure for me and svāminā viraha eva, and being carried away from Thy presence is pain for me. Chapter 13 (01:54) अन्तरप्यतितरामणीयसी या त्वदप्रथनकालिकास्ति मे  । तामपीश परिमृज्य सर्वतः स्वं स्वरूपममलं प्रकाशय  ॥२॥ antarapyatitarāmaṇīyasī yā tvadaprathanakālikāsti me / tāmapīśa parimṛjya sarvataḥ svaṁ svarūpamamalaṁ prakāśaya //2//   Īśa, O Lord, antarapi atitarāmaṇīyasī yā tvad aprathana kālikāsti me, I have that impurity in my mind, by which impurity, tvad aprathana kālikā; tvad aprathana, You are not appearing to me. I can’t perceive You by that impurity of mine. SCHOLAR: Kālikā is . . . SWAMIJI: Kālikā means blackness. SCHOLAR: [For example], in gold, some kālikā is there, some impurity. SWAMIJI: Impurity, yes. Kālikā means blackness (malinatā, dirt). And that dirt is residing in my internal state of mind. The outside states of my mind are quite clear, quite pure, but inside there is some dirt in my mind. SCHOLAR: Minute. SWAMIJI: Minute. Aṇīyasī means minute. SCHOLAR: Atitarāmaṇī. SWAMIJI: Atitarām, very minute and [existing] internally. That is āṇavamala. That is . . . SCHOLAR: Āṇavamala. SWAMIJI: Āṇavamala. SCHOLAR: Māyīyamala he has got rid of. SWAMIJI: Māyīyamala, I have got rid of māyīyamala, and I have got rid of kārmamala. But there is inside that impurity, which is aprathana kālikā, which disturbs me by keeping away Your perception. SCHOLAR: Because he can’t rest completely in Śiva bhāva. Is that right? SWAMIJI: Yes. SCHOLAR: Because there is always some āṇavamala. SWAMIJI: O Lord Śiva, tvamapi parimṛjya sarvataḥ, please remove that impurity also from all sides in my mind. And svaṁ svarūpaṁ amalam, and let Your pure form, pure presence, be revealed to me. Chapter 13 (04:32) तावके वपुषि विश्वनिर्भरे चित्सुधारसमये निरत्यये  । तिष्ठतः सततमर्चतः प्रभुं जीवितं मृतमथान्यदस्तु मे  ॥३॥

In our Weekly Sangha Denise was reading a section about meditation from the book "Self Realization in Kashmir Shaivism: The Oral Teachings of Swami Lakshmanjoo". Here is the excerpt for those that couldn't make it or want to read it again . . . You need not struggle to fix your mind upon that point from which it has begun to waiver. In the initial stage of your exercise you only need to sit still with one-pointed effort (ekāgra). In one hour you will understand and experience, through one-pointedness, the bliss of the dawning of awareness. As it is further stated in the Bhagavad Gītā: You must sit erect for meditation with enough strength to maintain that position and, at the same time, you must fix your gaze in the direction of the tip of your nose in order to restrain your eyes from wandering.2 Bhagavad Gītā 6:14 The posture has to be quite steady, straight, and motionless; one-pointed, with the mind fully concentrated on the guru-śabda or guru-dhāraṇā. Though the literal meaning of the text is that the aspirant should direct his sight in the direction of his nose (nāsikāgram), it may also be taken to refer to concentration on the word of the master (guru-śabda) or the resonance of unlimited I-Consciousness (guru-dhāraṇā), which the guru embodies and which is to be found in the junction (sandhi). This state of concentration can be achieved only after you have freed your mind of all worldly cares, completed your daily routine activities, and have had your full amount of sleep. Your mind must be absolutely free from all preoccupations. Then alone will you be able to meditate without deviation and gaze within yourself. In the Bhagavad Gītā the Lord says: At the time of meditation your mind must be serene, free from the forced obligation to meditate, determined with devotion to discover God Consciousness. In this state, your mind is to be continuously directed toward God Consciousness.3 Bhagavad Gītā 6:15 _______________ 2. samaṁ kāyaśirogrīvaṁ dhārayann acalaṁ sthiraḥ / saṁpaśyan nāsikāgraṁ svaṁ diśaś cānavalokayan // 3. praśāntātmā vigatabhīr brahmacārivrate sthitaḥ / manaḥ saṁyamya maccitto yukta āsīta matparaḥ //   Source "Self Realization in Kashmir Shaivism: The Oral Teachings of Swami Lakshmanjoo" Copyright © John Hughes

Shambhavi riffs on a teaching by Swami Lakshmanjoo about formal initiation vs. initiation via direct insight. A podcast from Satsang with Shambhavi

"What is devotion? What is Upadesha?" Shambhavi unpacks some teachings from Swami Lakshmanjoo. A podcast from Satsang with Shambhavi.

Ashton Szabo is a yoga teacher, a self-described anatomy geek and host of the Anatomy of Living Podcast. Ashton is based in Encinitas California, so we were very lucky to have the opportunity to record a conversation with him online. I'm a huge fan of Ashton's work as a podcaster and he is one of my inspirations for starting this podcast, so we are super excited to be able to share this episode with you! In this conversation, we talk about Ashton's story growing up, and how he found yoga through an interest in martial arts. We hear how he packed up his life in the US and moved to a small island in Thailand, and what his life was like there. We learn how Ashton's interest in thinkers like Joseph Campbell and Alan Watts, and the influence of teacher Douglas Brooks lead to him becoming the inspirational storyteller he is. We also learn how Ashton uses his extensive knowledge of both eastern philosophy and anatomy in the classes he teaches. As well as that, there is plenty more good stuff in this interview. Now normally we release our podcasts on a fortnightly schedule, but we were getting too far ahead with our interviews, so this week we have an extra special bonus episode! We have entered the Australian Podcast Awards! Now we know it's a longshot, as we are up against some pretty big competition, but if you could vote for us, that would be amazing - you can vote here: https://australianpodcastawards.submittable.com/gallery/2829f195-1021-4d7c-853f-f0ce775f4fa4/9573623/ Links: Ashton - Hanuman: The Devotion and Power of the Monkey God by Vanamali, and Sri Krishna Das http://amzn.to/2DkrYOw The Shiva Sutras translation by Swami Lakshmanjoo - http://amzn.to/2p7NQI6 Rane - One Simple Thing by Mitch Horowitz - http://amzn.to/2GlUXVD Jo - Square Credit Card processing - https://squareup.com/