Accessing deeper Meditation, the Gunas, and ancient Shastric references to the life air
In today's day and age we are nurtured towards the quick fix. Everything now syndrome.
Truth is, if anything is worthwhile it is worth working for. This post will explore underlying energies effecting human existence on earth and within material atmosphere, and how we can use these energies for optimal spiritual growth. The topic of life force and ancient shastric teachings highlighting the importance of controlling the life air as a necessary force on the path to eternal liberation is also explored.
The same goes for attaining a deep yoga Asana practice where alignment becomes more effortless, breath becomes symmetrical in length and audibility, and more intricate levels of awareness can be felt.
Initially the body may feel heavier, more tired, breath more shallow and uneven. This changes over time with daily practice. The term abhyasa is important; consistent, unbroken practice, over time with love.
Consider the three Gunas;
Tamas. Raja. Sattva.
Sattva is the state of pure consciousness where meditation is effortless and not hindered by the incessant flow of thoughtwaves infiltrating a peaceful state of mind.
Rajas is the passionate state where we are driven to move energy. Such as nurturing rajas within the yoga practices. Rajas is passion / or heat. We create rajas when we practice Asana. We move energy around in a finite space often which creates heat. Heat in Yogic terms is called tapas and this heat burns up impurities in the mind, emotions and physical body. When we practice Asana our breath is (ideally) moving consciousness into areas of the body which may be holding stagnant energy often in the form of emotions. Yet correct breathing method is required. This heat or movement creates momentum to free up these blockades where we are left feeling lighter and more alive. Ore conscious. Rajas is quite an essential stage in bringing us to the more pure state of Sattva and through this creation of heat, movement, of burning through physical and mental layers one may observe an easier access to breath flow and essentially a deeper stillness of mind helping to access meditation easier.
Tamas is that feeling that may occur when we wake up from eating to much to late, or hung over for example: heavy, groggy with brain fog. In ayurveda we could call this an excess of kapha. Kapha is heavy, slow, and in excess makes one lazy and dull. When in the mind is in a state of tamas it is more likely we are on the mental platform as opposed to being in a state of natural joy, ease and spontaneouty. This can result in tendencies to adopt lower vibratory habits such as pornography, addictive substances and habits, poor food choices, and lifestyle choices that are on the temporary platform and degrade human consciousness as opposed to spiritual activities that are motivated by a broader view whereby understanding of the soul embedded within an eternal reality and a drive to nurture this journey is predominant.
Back to the beginning of the topic, that these days the human race is often on fast forward and trying to skip steps to get anywhere.
Here we can see this in meditation. In the last 30 years there has been an uprise in the many forms of meditation one can practice. This is wonderful of course.
According to yoga science and the knowledge on the Gunas it is not optimum to be in tamas and jump directly to sattva which is what is happening a lot these days. Instead of pure meditation the process may be undermined by energies that can be burnt through the heat of rajas. Referring to rajas in the yogic sense of heating practices that fall in the category of tapasya.
In patanjalis ashtanga yoga the third limb is Asana and the forth pranayama and it is not until the eighth limb that the pure state of consciousness is talked about in being attainable. There are first the other fifth, sixth and seventh limbs including pratchahara sense withdrawl, and dhyana focus.
These days it is expected that somehow we can go to a mediation class and jump straight through all our murky states of mind and straight into sattva.
It's quite easy to see the difference in state of mind and body after a yoga Asana class than before the class. It is easier to sit which we need for meditation in sattva and the mind is still. Yogas citta vritti nirodaha has been developed.
States of breath and consciousness.
As a beginning practicioner of Asana the nervous system is being challenged as is the entire breath body as we have not been taught to sit properly let alone breathe properly.
Initially it is common for the breath to be uneven often the exhalation more audible than the inhalation. We are used to putting energy out so it's easier to breathe out. Ideally the breath should be even as mentioned above.
The bellie will initially push itself out on the inhalation and draw itself on often rapidly for the first years with a strong daily practice. During this time there shouldn't be too much focus on bandhas at the risk of further contraction and a hinderance, even locking up of the breath altogether creating more tension and restriction when the Asana and breath practice is seeking to create freedom.
As the years progress one will automatically (with the right / optimum guidance) start to be able to tune into energetically available throughout the practice such as mula bandha and uddyana Banda activation throughout while maintaining an effortless and symmetrical breath.
Initially the ujayi breath should be audible and over time the breath as well as awareness becomes more subtle. The breath becomes almost inaudible to a prancing neighbour and a small microphone is needed to here the perfectly symmetrical and long breath.
Very different to the beginning practitioners breath and as the breath changes so to does the consciousness.
For instance when an animal is caught in the headlights at night on the road, its eyes widen and it stays locked and stunned. Frozen in terror.
Heart beat becomes rapid as the sympathetic nervous system activates fight or flight mode. The autonomic nervous system then utilises and activates the release of norepinephrine in the reaction. This release of norepinephrine sends stress signals throughout the entire body effecting organ function and phsycological responses in the mind.
On a day to day basis people breath has become very shallow. Isn't this interesting. The breath is shallow and we live in a highly commerciallarised, materialised and consumerism heavy society. When we deepen and gain more access to the consciousness available via our breath often our habits and desires change as we are able to at least see the depth of superficiality driving our day to day existence.
When prompting people to breath and ask them to place the hand on bellie breathing into the bellie often the chest raises instead. As stressors and fears have built up upon us over the years the breath becomes more rapid as does the animal in the headlights. Anxiety builds, organs become deficient, we become in fight or flight mode just trying to merely survive.
The answer is in the breath.
Krishna says to Arjuna in the Bhagavad Gita;
SB 3.28.5
maunaṁ sad-āsana-jayaḥ
sthairyaṁ prāṇa-jayaḥ śanaiḥ
pratyāhāraś cendriyāṇāṁ
viṣayān manasā hṛdi
Synonyms:
maunam — silence; sat — good; āsana — yogic postures; jayaḥ — controlling; sthairyam — steadiness; prāṇa-jayaḥ — controlling the vital air; śanaiḥ — gradually; pratyāhāraḥ — withdrawal; ca — and; indriyāṇām — of the senses; viṣayāt — from the sense objects; manasā — with the mind; hṛdi — on the heart.
Translation:
One must observe silence, acquire steadiness by practicing different yogic postures, control the breathing of the vital air, withdraw the senses from sense objects and thus concentrate the mind on the heart.
Purport:
The yogic practices in general and haṭha-yoga in particular are not ends in themselves; they are means to the end of attaining steadiness. First one must be able to sit properly, and then the mind and attention will become steady enough for practicing yoga.Gradually, one must control the circulation of vital air, and with such control he will be able to withdraw the senses from sense objects. In the previous verse it is stated that one must observe celibacy. The most important aspect of sense control is controlling sex life. That is called brahmacarya. By practicing the different sitting postures and controlling the vital air, one can control and restrain the senses from unrestricted sense enjoyment.
SB 2.2.19
itthaṁ munis tūparamed vyavasthito
vijñāna-dṛg-vīrya-surandhitāśayaḥ
sva-pārṣṇināpīḍya gudaṁ tato ’nilaṁ
sthāneṣu ṣaṭsūnnamayej jita-klamaḥ
Synonyms:
ittham — thus, by Brahman realization; muniḥ — the philosopher; tu — but; uparamet— should retire; vyavasthitaḥ — well situated; vijñāna-dṛk — by scientific knowledge; vīrya — strength; su-randhita — well regulated; āśayaḥ — aim of life; sva-pārṣṇinā— with the heel of one’s foot; āpīḍya — by blocking; gudam — the air hole; tataḥ — thereafter; anilam — life air; sthāneṣu — in the places; ṣaṭsu — six primary; unnamayet — must be lifted; jita-klamaḥ — by extinguishing material desires.
Translation:
By the strength of scientific knowledge, one should be well situated in absolute realization and thus be able to extinguish all material desires. One should then give up the material body by blocking the air hole [through which stool is evacuated] with the heel of one’s foot and by lifting the life air from one place to another in the six primary places.
Purport:
There are many durātmās who claim to have realized themselves as Brahman and yet are unable to conquer material desires. In the Bhagavad-gītā (18.54) it is clearly explained that an absolutely self-realized soul becomes completely aloof from all material desires. Material desires are based on the false ego of the living being and are exhibited by his childish and useless activities to conquer the laws of material nature and by his desire to lord it over the resources of the five elements. With such a mentality, one is led to believe in the strength of material science, with its discovery of atomic energy and space travel by mechanical vehicles, and by such tiny advancements in material science the false egoist tries to challenge even the strength of the Supreme Lord, who can finish all man’s tiny endeavors in less than a second. The well-situated self, or Brahman-realized soul, perfectly understands that the Supreme Brahman, or the Personality of Godhead, is the all-powerful Vāsudeva and that he (the self-realized living being) is a part and parcel of the supreme whole. As such, his constitutional position is to cooperate with Him in all respects in the transcendental relation of the served and the servitor. Such a self-realized soul ceases to exhibit his useless activities of attempting to lord it over material nature. Being scientifically well informed, he fully engages himself in faithful devotion to the Lord.
The expert yogī who has thoroughly practiced the control of the life air by the prescribed method of the yoga system is advised to quit the body as follows. He should plug up the evacuating hole with the heel of the foot and then progressively move the life air on and on to six places: the navel, abdomen, heart, chest, palate, eyebrows and cerebral pit. Controlling the life air by the prescribed yogic process is mechanical, and the practice is more or less a physical endeavor for spiritual perfection. In olden days such practice was very common for the transcendentalist, for the mode of life and character in those days were favorable. But in modern days, when the influence of Kali Age is so disturbing, practically everyone is untrained in this art of bodily exercise. Concentration of the mind is more easily attained in these days by the chanting of the holy name of the Lord. The results are more effective than those derived from the inner exercise of the life air.
SB 3.28.9
prāṇasya śodhayen mārgaṁ
pūra-kumbhaka-recakaiḥ
pratikūlena vā cittaṁ
yathā sthiram acañcalam
Synonyms:
prāṇasya — of vital air; śodhayet — one should clear; mārgam — the passage; pūra-kumbhaka-recakaiḥ— by inhaling, retaining and exhaling; pratikūlena — by reversing; vā — or; cittam — the mind; yathā — so that; sthiram — steady; acañcalam — free from disturbances.
Translation:
The yogī should clear the passage of vital air by breathing in the following manner: first he should inhale very deeply, then hold the breath in, and finally exhale. Or, reversing the process, the yogi can first exhale, then hold the breath outside, and finally inhale. This is done so that the mind may become steady and free from external disturbances.
Purport:
These breathing exercises are performed to control the mind and fix it on the Supreme Personality of Godhead. Sa vai manaḥ kṛṣṇa-padāravindayoḥ: the devotee Ambarīṣa Mahārāja fixed his mind on the lotus feet of Kṛṣṇa twenty-four hours a day. The process of Kṛṣṇa consciousness is to chant Hare Kṛṣṇa and to hear the sound attentively so that the mind is fixed upon the transcendental vibration of Kṛṣṇa’s name, which is nondifferent from Kṛṣṇa the personality. The real purpose of controlling the mind by the prescribed method of clearing the passage of the life air is achieved immediately if one fixes his mind directly on the lotus feet of Kṛṣṇa. The haṭha-yogasystem, or breathing system, is especially recommended for those who are very absorbed in the concept of bodily existence, but one who can perform the simple process of chanting Hare Kṛṣṇa can fix the mind more easily.
Three different activities are recommended for clearing the passage of breath: pūraka, kumbhaka and recaka. Inhaling the breath is called pūraka, sustaining it within is called kumbhaka, and finally exhaling it is called recaka. These recommended processes can also be performed in the reverse order. After exhaling, one can keep the air outside for some time and then inhale. The nerves through which inhalation and exhalation are conducted are technically called iḍā and piṅgalā. The ultimate purpose of clearing the iḍā and piṅgalā passages is to divert the mind from material enjoyment. As stated in Bhagavad-gītā, one’s mind is his enemy, and one’s mind is also his friend; its position varies according to the different dealings of the living entity. If we divert our mind to thoughts of material enjoyment, then our mind becomes an enemy, and if we concentrate our mind on the lotus feet of Kṛṣṇa, then our mind is a friend. By the yoga system of pūraka, kumbhaka and recaka or by directly fixing the mind on the sound vibration of Kṛṣṇa or on the form of Kṛṣṇa, the same purpose is achieved. In Bhagavad-gītā it is said that one must practice the breathing exercise (abhyāsa-yoga-yuktena). By virtue of these processes of control, the mind cannot wander to external thoughts (cetasā nānya-gāminā). Thus one can fix his mind constantly on the Supreme Personality of Godhead and can attain (yāti) Him.
Practicing the yoga system of exercise and breath control is very difficult for a person in this age, and therefore Lord Caitanya recommended, kīrtanīyaḥ sadā hariḥ: one should always chant the holy name of the Supreme Lord, Kṛṣṇa, because Kṛṣṇa is the most suitable name of the Supreme Personality of Godhead. The name Kṛṣṇa and the Supreme Person Kṛṣṇa are nondifferent. Therefore, if one concentrates his mind on hearing and chanting Hare Kṛṣṇa, the same result is achieved.
SBSB 4.8.44
prāṇāyāmena tri-vṛtā
prāṇendriya-mano-malam
śanair vyudasyābhidhyāyen
manasā guruṇā gurum
Synonyms:
prāṇāyāmena — by breathing exercises; tri-vṛtā — by the three recommended ways; prāṇa-indriya — the life air and the senses; manaḥ — mind; malam — impurity; śanaiḥ — gradually; vyudasya — giving up; abhidhyāyet — meditate upon; manasā — by the mind; guruṇā — undisturbed; gurum — the supreme spiritual master, Kṛṣṇa.
Translation:
After sitting on your seat, practice the three kinds of breathing exercises, and thus gradually control the life air, the mind and the senses. Completely free yourself from all material contamination, and with great patience begin to meditate on the Supreme Personality of Godhead.
Purport:
In this verse the entire yoga system is described in summary, and special stress is given to the breathing exercises for stopping the disturbing mind. The mind, by nature, is always oscillating, for it is very fickle, but the breathing exercise is meant to control it. This process of controlling the mind might have been very possible in those days millions of years ago when Dhruva Mahārāja took to it, but at the present moment the mind has to be fixed directly on the lotus feet of the Lord by the chanting process. By chanting the Hare Kṛṣṇa mantra one immediately concentrates on the sound vibration and thinks of the lotus feet of the Lord, and very quickly one is elevated to the position of samādhi, or trance. If one goes on chanting the holy names of the Lord, which are not different from the Supreme Personality of Godhead, naturally his mind becomes absorbed in thought of the Lord.
It is here recommended to Dhruva Mahārāja that he meditate on the supreme guru, or supreme spiritual master. The supreme spiritual master is Kṛṣṇa, who is therefore known as caitya-guru. This refers to the Supersoul, who is sitting in everyone’s heart. He helps from within as stated in Bhagavad-gītā, and He sends the spiritual master, who helps from without. The spiritual master is the external manifestation of the caitya-guru, or the spiritual master sitting in everyone’s heart.
The process by which we give up our thoughts of material things is called pratyāhāra,which entails being freed from all material thoughts and engagements. The word abhidhyāyet, which is used in this verse, indicates that unless one’s mind is fixed, one cannot meditate. The conclusion, therefore, is that meditation means thinking of the Lord within. Whether one comes to that stage by the aṣṭāṅga-yogasystem or by the method recommended in the śāstras especially for this present age — to constantly chant the holy name of the Lord — the goal is to meditate on the Supreme Personality of Godhead.
Bg 4.29
apāne juhvati prāṇaṁ
prāṇe ’pānaṁ tathāpare
prāṇāpāna-gatī ruddhvā
prāṇāyāma-parāyaṇāḥ
apare niyatāhārāḥ
prāṇān prāṇeṣu juhvati
Synonyms:
apāne — in the air which acts downward; juhvati — offer; prāṇam — the air which acts outward; prāṇe — in the air going outward; apānam — the air going downward; tathā — as also; apare — others; prāṇa — of the air going outward; apāna — and the air going downward; gatī — the movement; ruddhvā — checking; prāṇa-āyāma — trance induced by stopping all breathing; parāyaṇāḥ — so inclined; apare — others; niyata — having controlled; āhārāḥ — eating; prāṇān — the outgoing air; prāṇeṣu — in the outgoing air; juhvati — sacrifice.
Translation:
Still others, who are inclined to the process of breath restraint to remain in trance, practice by offering the movement of the outgoing breath into the incoming, and the incoming breath into the outgoing, and thus at last remain in trance, stopping all breathing. Others, curtailing the eating process, offer the outgoing breath into itself as a sacrifice.
Purport:
This system of yoga for controlling the breathing process is called prāṇāyāma, and in the beginning it is practiced in the haṭha-yoga system through different sitting postures. All of these processes are recommended for controlling the senses and for advancement in spiritual realization. This practice involves controlling the airs within the body so as to reverse the directions of their passage. The apānaair goes downward, and the prāṇa air goes up. The prāṇāyāma-yogī practices breathing the opposite way until the currents are neutralized into pūraka, equilibrium. Offering the exhaled breath into the inhaled breath is called recaka. When both air currents are completely stopped, one is said to be in kumbhaka-yoga. By practice of kumbhaka-yoga, one can increase the duration of life for perfection in spiritual realization. The intelligent yogī is interested in attaining perfection in one life, without waiting for the next. For by practicing kumbhaka-yoga, the yogīs increase the duration of life by many, many years. A Kṛṣṇa conscious person, however, being always situated in the transcendental loving service of the Lord, automatically becomes the controller of the senses. His senses, being always engaged in the service of Kṛṣṇa, have no chance of becoming otherwise engaged. So at the end of life, he is naturally transferred to the transcendental plane of Lord Kṛṣṇa; consequently he makes no attempt to increase his longevity. He is at once raised to the platform of liberation, as stated in Bhagavad-gītā(14.26):
māṁ ca yo ’vyabhicāreṇa
bhakti-yogena sevate
sa guṇān samatītyaitān
brahma-bhūyāya kalpate
“One who engages in unalloyed devotional service to the Lord transcends the modes of material nature and is immediately elevated to the spiritual platform.” A Kṛṣṇa conscious person begins from the transcendental stage, and he is constantly in that consciousness. Therefore, there is no falling down, and ultimately he enters into the abode of the Lord without delay. The practice of reduced eating is automatically done when one eats only kṛṣṇa-prasādam, or food which is offered first to the Lord. Reducing the eating process is very helpful in the matter of sense control. And without sense control there is no possibility of getting out of the material entanglement.
sarvāṇīndriya-karmāṇi
prāṇa-karmāṇi cāpare
ātma-saṁyama-yogāgnau
juhvati jñāna-dīpite
Synonyms:
sarvāṇi — of all; indriya — the senses; karmāṇi — functions; prāṇa-karmāṇi — functions of the life breath; ca — also; apare — others; ātma-saṁyama — of controlling the mind; yoga — the linking process; agnau — in the fire of; juhvati — offer; jñāna-dīpite — because of the urge for self-realization.
Translation:
Others, who are interested in achieving self-realization through control of the mind and senses, offer the functions of all the senses, and of the life breath, as oblations into the fire of the controlled mind.
Purport:
The yoga system conceived by Patañjali is referred to herein. In the Yoga-sūtra of Patañjali, the soul is called pratyag-ātmā and parāg-ātmā. As long as the soul is attached to sense enjoyment it is called parāg-ātmā, but as soon as the same soul becomes detached from such sense enjoyment it is called pratyag-ātmā. The soul is subjected to the functions of ten kinds of air at work within the body, and this is perceived through the breathing system. The Patañjali system of yoga instructs one on how to control the functions of the body’s air in a technical manner so that ultimately all the functions of the air within become favorable for purifying the soul of material attachment. According to this yoga system, pratyag-ātmā is the ultimate goal. This pratyag-ātmā is withdrawn from activities in matter. The senses interact with the sense objects, like the ear for hearing, eyes for seeing, nose for smelling, tongue for tasting, and hand for touching, and all of them are thus engaged in activities outside the self. They are called the functions of the prāṇa-vāyu. The apāna-vāyu goes downwards, vyāna-vāyu acts to shrink and expand, samāna-vāyu adjusts equilibrium, udāna-vāyugoes upwards – and when one is enlightened, one engages all these in searching for self-realization.
SB 4.4.25
kṛtvā samānāv anilau jitāsanā
sodānam utthāpya ca nābhi-cakrataḥ
śanair hṛdi sthāpya dhiyorasi sthitaṁ
kaṇṭhād bhruvor madhyam aninditānayat
Synonyms:
kṛtvā — after placing; samānau — in equilibrium; anilau — the prāṇa and apāna airs; jita-āsanā — having controlled the sitting posture; sā — Satī; udānam — the life air; utthāpya — raising; ca — and; nābhi-cakrataḥ — at the circle in the navel; śanaiḥ — gradually; hṛdi — in the heart; sthāpya — placing; dhiyā — with the intelligence; urasi — towards the pulmonary passage; sthitam — having been placed; kaṇṭhāt— through the throat; bhruvoḥ — of the eyebrows; madhyam — to the middle; aninditā— the blameless (Satī); ānayat — raised.
Translation:
First of all she sat in the required sitting posture, and then she carried the life air upwards and placed it in the position of equilibrium near the navel. Then she raised her life air, mixed with intelligence, to the heart and then gradually towards the pulmonary passage, and from there to between her eyebrows.
Purport:
The yogic process is to control the air passing within the body in different places called ṣaṭ-cakra, the six circles of air circulation. The air is raised from the abdomen to the navel, from the navel to the heart, from the heart to the throat, from the throat to between the eyebrows and from between the eyebrows to the top of the cerebrum. That is the sum and substance of practicing yoga. Before practicing the real yoga system, one has to practice the sitting postures because this helps in the breathing exercises which control the airs going upwards and downwards. This is a great technique which one has to practice to attain the highest perfectional stage of yoga, but such practice is not meant for this age. No one in this age can attain the perfectional stage of such yoga, but people indulge in practicing sitting postures, which is more or less a gymnastic process. By such bodily gymnastics one may develop good circulation and may therefore keep one’s body fit, but if one simply restricts oneself to that gymnastic process one cannot attain the highest perfectional stage. The yoga process, as described in the Keśava-śruti, prescribes how one can control his living force according to his desire and transmigrate from one body to another or from one place to another. In other words, yoga practice is not meant to keep the body fit. Any transcendental process of spiritual realization automatically helps one to keep the body fit, for it is the spirit soul that keeps the body always fresh. As soon as the spirit soul is out of the body, the material body immediately begins to decompose. Any spiritual process keeps the body fit without separate endeavor, but if one takes it that the ultimate aim of of yoga is to maintain the body, then he is mistaken. The real perfection of yoga is elevation of the soul to a higher position or the liberation of the soul from material entanglement. Some yogīs try to elevate the soul to higher planetary systems, where the standard of life is different from that of this planet and where the material comforts, life span and other facilities for self-realization are greater, and some yogīs endeavor to elevate the soul to the spiritual world, the spiritual Vaikuṇṭha planets. The bhakti-yoga process directly elevates the soul to the spiritual planets, where life is eternally blissful and full of knowledge; therefore bhakti-yoga is considered to be the greatest of all yoga systems.
SB 11.18.17
maunānīhānilāyāmā
daṇḍā vāg-deha-cetasām
na hy ete yasya santy aṅga
veṇubhir na bhaved yatiḥ
Synonyms:
mauna — avoiding useless speech; anīha — giving up fruitive activities; anila-āyāmāḥ — controlling the breathing process; daṇḍāḥ — strict disciplines; vāk — of the voice; deha — of the body; cetasām — of the mind; na — not; hi — indeed; ete — these disciplines; yasya — of whom; santi — exist; aṅga — My dear Uddhava; veṇubhiḥ — by bamboo rods; na — never; bhavet — is; yatiḥ — a real sannyāsī.
Translation:
One who has not accepted the three internal disciplines of avoiding useless speech, avoiding useless activities and controlling the life air can never be considered a sannyāsī merely because of his carrying bamboo rods.
Purport:
The word daṇḍa indicates the staff carried by those in the renounced order of life, and daṇḍa also indicates severe discipline. The Vaiṣṇava sannyāsīs accept a staff made of three bamboo rods, signifying dedication of the body, mind and words to the service of the Supreme Lord. Here Lord Kṛṣṇa says that one must first accept these three daṇḍas,or disciplines (namely control of the voice, body and mind), within oneself. The practice of anilāyāma (or prāṇāyāma, regulating the life air) is meant to control the mind, and one who always thinks of service to Lord Kṛṣṇa has certainly achieved the perfection of prāṇāyāma. Merely carrying the three external daṇḍas without assimilating the internal daṇḍas of bodily, mental and vocal discipline can never make one an actual Vaiṣṇava sannyāsī, as explained here by Lord Kṛṣṇa.
In the Haṁsa-gītā section of Mahābhārata and in Śrīla Rūpa Gosvāmī’s Upadeśāmṛta,there are instructions regarding the sannyāsa order of life. A conditioned soul who adopts only the external ornaments of tridaṇḍi-sannyāsa will not actually be able to control the senses. One who takes sannyāsafor false prestige, making a show of saintliness without actual advancement in kṛṣṇa-kīrtana, will soon be vanquished by the external energy of the Lord.
Extra reading ;
SB 5.5.10-13
haṁse gurau mayi bhaktyānuvṛtyā
vitṛṣṇayā dvandva-titikṣayā ca
sarvatra jantor vyasanāvagatyā
jijñāsayā tapasehā-nivṛttyā
mat-karmabhir mat-kathayā ca nityaṁ
mad-deva-saṅgād guṇa-kīrtanān me
nirvaira-sāmyopaśamena putrā
jihāsayā deha-gehātma-buddheḥ
adhyātma-yogena vivikta-sevayā
prāṇendriyātmābhijayena sadhryak
sac-chraddhayā brahmacaryeṇa śaśvad
asampramādena yamena vācām
sarvatra mad-bhāva-vicakṣaṇena
jñānena vijñāna-virājitena
yogena dhṛty-udyama-sattva-yukto
liṅgaṁ vyapohet kuśalo ’ham-ākhyam
Synonyms:
haṁse — who is a paramahaṁsa, or the most exalted, spiritually advanced person; gurau — to the spiritual master; mayi — unto Me, the Supreme Personality of Godhead; bhaktyā — by devotional service; anuvṛtyā — by following; vitṛṣṇayā — by detachment from sense gratification; dvandva — of the dualities of the material world; titikṣayā — by tolerance; ca — also; sarvatra — everywhere; jantoḥ — of the living entity; vyasana — the miserable condition of life; avagatyā — by realizing; jijñāsayā— by inquiring about the truth; tapasā — by practicing austerities and penances; īhā-nivṛttyā — by giving up the endeavor for sense enjoyment; mat-karmabhiḥ — by working for Me; mat-kathayā — by hearing topics about Me; ca — also; nityam — always; mat-deva-saṅgāt — by association with My devotees; guṇa-kīrtanāt me — by chanting and glorifying My transcendental qualities; nirvaira — being without enmity; sāmya — seeing everyone equally by spiritual understanding; upaśamena — by subduing anger, lamentation and so on; putrāḥ — O sons; jihāsayā — by desiring to give up; deha — with the body; geha— with the home; ātma-buddheḥ — identification of the self; adhyātma-yogena — by study of the revealed scriptures; vivikta-sevayā — by living in a solitary place; prāṇa — the life air; indriya — the senses; ātma — the mind; abhijayena — by controlling; sadhryak — completely; sat-śraddhayā — by developing faith in the scriptures; brahmacaryeṇa — by observing celibacy; śaśvat — always; asampramādena — by not being bewildered; yamena — by restraint; vācām — of words; sarvatra — everywhere; mat-bhāva — thinking of Me; vicakṣaṇena — by observing; jñānena — by development of knowledge; vijñāna— by practical application of knowledge; virājitena — illumined; yogena — by practice of bhakti-yoga; dhṛti — patience; udyama — enthusiasm; sattva — discretion; yuktaḥ — endowed with; liṅgam — the cause of material bondage; vyapohet — one can give up; kuśalaḥ — in full auspiciousness; aham-ākhyam — false ego, false identification with the material world.
Translation:
O My sons, you should accept a highly elevated paramahaṁsa, a spiritually advanced spiritual master. In this way, you should place your faith and love in Me, the Supreme Personality of Godhead. You should detest sense gratification and tolerate the duality of pleasure and pain, which are like the seasonal changes of summer and winter. Try to realize the miserable condition of living entities, who are miserable even in the higher planetary systems. Philosophically inquire about the truth. Then undergo all kinds of austerities and penances for the sake of devotional service. Give up the endeavor for sense enjoyment and engage in the service of the Lord. Listen to discussions about the Supreme Personality of Godhead, and always associate with devotees. Chant about and glorify the Supreme Lord, and look upon everyone equally on the spiritual platform. Give up enmity and subdue anger and lamentation. Abandon identifying the self with the body and the home, and practice reading the revealed scriptures. Live in a secluded place and practice the process by which you can completely control your life air, mind and senses. Have full faith in the revealed scriptures, the Vedic literatures, and always observe celibacy. Perform your prescribed duties and avoid unnecessary talks. Always thinking of the Supreme Personality of Godhead, acquire knowledge from the right source. Thus practicing bhakti-yoga, you will patiently and enthusiastically be elevated in knowledge and will be able to give up the false ego.
Purport:
In these four verses, Ṛṣabhadeva tells His sons how they can be freed from the false identification arising from false ego and material conditional life. One gradually becomes liberated by practicing as mentioned above. All these prescribed methods enable one to give up the material body (liṅgaṁ vyapohet) and be situated in his original spiritual body. First of all one has to accept a bona fide spiritual master. This is advocated by Śrīla Rūpa Gosvāmī in his Bhakti-rasāmṛta-sindhu: śrī-guru-pādāśrayaḥ. To be freed from the entanglement of the material world, one has to approach a spiritual master. Tad-vijñānārthaṁ sa gurum evābhigacchet. By questioning the spiritual master and by serving him, one can advance in spiritual life. When one engages in devotional service, naturally the attraction for personal comfort — for eating, sleeping and dressing — is reduced. By associating with the devotee, a spiritual standard is maintained. The word mad-deva-saṅgāt is very important. There are many so-called religions devoted to the worship of various demigods, but here good association means association with one who simply accepts Kṛṣṇa as his worshipable Deity.
Another important item is dvandva-titikṣā. As long as one is situated in the material world, there must be pleasure and pain arising from the material body. As Kṛṣṇa advises in Bhagavad-gītā, tāṁs titikṣasva bhārata. One has to learn how to tolerate the temporary pains and pleasures of this material world. One must also be detached from his family and practice celibacy. Sex with one’s wife according to the scriptural injunctions is also accepted as brahmacarya (celibacy), but illicit sex is opposed to religious principles, and it hampers advancement in spiritual consciousness. Another important word is vijñāna-virājita. Everything should be done very scientifically and consciously. One should be a realized soul. In this way, one can give up the entanglement of material bondage.
As Śrī Madhvācārya points out, the sum and substance of these four ślokas is that one should refrain from acting out of a desire for sense gratification and should instead always engage in the Lord’s loving service. In other words, bhakti-yoga is the acknowledged path of liberation. Śrīla Madhvācārya quotes from the Adhyātma:
ātmano ’vihitaṁ karma
varjayitvānya-karmaṇaḥ
kāmasya ca parityāgo
nirīhety āhur uttamāḥ
One should perform activities only for the benefit of the soul; any other activity should be given up. When a person is situated in this way, he is said to be desireless. Actually a living entity cannot be totally desireless, but when he desires the benefit of the soul and nothing else, he is said to be desireless.
Spiritual knowledge is jñāna-vijñāna-samanvitam. When one is fully equipped with jñāna and vijñāna,he is perfect. Jñāna means that one understands the Supreme Personality of Godhead, Viṣṇu, to be the Supreme Being. Vijñāna refers to the activities that liberate one from the ignorance of material existence. As stated in Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam (2.9.31): jñānaṁ parama-guhyaṁ me yad vijñāna-samanvitam.Knowledge of the Supreme Lord is very confidential, and the supreme knowledge by which one understands Him furthers the liberation of all living entities. This knowledge is vijñāna. As confirmed in Bhagavad-gītā (4.9):
janma karma ca me divyam
evaṁ yo vetti tattvataḥ
tyaktvā dehaṁ punar janma
naiti mām eti so ’rjuna
“One who knows the transcendental nature of My appearance and activities does not, upon leaving the body, take his birth again in this material world, but attains My eternal abode, O Arjuna.”
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