Kriya Yoga Book

Kriya Yoga - Its Mystery and Performing Art
by Swami Sadhanananda Giri

"... Realization of the Highest Reality is possible after following the beaten track of Guru the Great. Anyone interested in having proof to the contrary should start introspection, for there is no material proof in this regard. Realization of the Highest Reality awaits first hand experience. This first hand experience of realization may emanate out of transcendental meditation unifying the Absolute and the Self."

"... When our mundane being advances in ultimate knowledge, the spiritual ignorance withers away; identification of real self ushers in ultimate and absolute knowledge."

"... The best media to acquire the quintessence of knowledge is the science of Kriya Yoga, a sublime practice expounded by Sri Shyamacharan Lahiri, the greatest monarch among yogis. In this ultra-modern materialistic world this Kriya Yoga is the only dynamic and scientific process through which one can ascend the apogee of spritual world and thus can turn his human life into a repository of eternal bliss."

"... but it is not true that the concept which is favourable to us is correct and others are wrong. All the concepts are correct and true. The Supreme Being is infinite, unfathomable. So myriads of concepts having diverse depth and dimensions converge into Him. If anyone says his is the right path and others are dealing with untruths, then his is the untruth and nothing else. The Supreme Being is omniscient and benevolent to all."

"... On the final analysis we must not fail to attain the supreme goal in life. The prime need for this purpose is to seek shelter of scriptures or the saints or sadgurus who have reached the world of the Absolute. The scriptures are eloquent in describing endless ways and means. But Sadguru alone can serve the right prescription for an individual. Following the advice of a Sadguru, a spiritual practitioner gets the gate of Supreme attainment open and sanctified by his bliss. It requires only regular practice and mundane remembrance without any pause."

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"... The sages tranced in the Ultimate Reality speaks, after perceiving the Truth, that we have emanated from the Absolute and we are to converge ultimately to the same."

"... The absolute is addresed as Eternal and Ultimate Reality because He is not bound by any limitation whatsoever. He remains untarnished and unchangeable irrespective of the past, present and future ..."

"... The absolute as the embodiment of Ecstacy: ... the Absolute is the embodiment of ultimate knowledge. He is the embodiment of eternal bliss."

"... A trancendental pleasure emanates out of being absorbed in the Ultimate Reality, when the mind is absorbed into the Absolute. That is the nectar; that is piety; the ultimate goal and supreme shelter."

"... our revered Lahiri Baba advised in brief, – 'perform the practice of kriya and enjoy the paramount state thereafter (paravastha)'. Sin or Virtue, joy or defeat, nothing reigns at that state."

"... practising this Kriya Yoga the sadhaka feels the vastness of the Supreme Being, its superiority, magnanimity and unfathomable depth. Only human life can afford a realization as such."

"... Our revered Babaji Maharaj is, in the eyes of a practitioner of kriya, the Cosmic Controller."

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"... Pranayama does not merely mean some breathing exercise."

"... When the prana rests at the sushumna (central channel), the citta leaves unrest and becomes tranced and destituted of the sense of timing. The physical degeneration of a yogi is also kept suspended. His lifetime, as a rule, increases accordingly. By the practice of Kriya Yoga a yogi can keep up his physical existence or can give it up according to his sweet will. Thus the sushumna makes a yogi conqueror of time."

"... Following the advice of Sri Guruji, by practising pranayama the citta attains placidity in the sushumna and as such shuns all other facts and attain samadhi ... at that time it becomes oblivious of any sense of timing, be it day or night or anything else."

"... One may visualise his innerself whenever the prana is unmoved. The prana destituted of restlessness is none other than the Absolute. The mind is an inseperable part of the prana. It is no different than the restless state of life force. Rendezvous of the mind and life force by maneuvering the breathing is called Kriyayoga."

"... Sri Shyamacharan Lahiri, the revered yogi says, – 'If you want to see the Gods, enter into the interior of beholden breath, the practitioner who keeps himself absorbed in the supramental sky by transcendental meditation, can transform himself into God and meets God face to face."

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"... Yoga practice brings in concentration from which germinate the serene knowledge of divinity. Knowledge of 'self' comes out of this wisdom which ultimately conveys the blessings of salvation.""

"... By the yoga practice the truest and effulgent features of the Absolute which is the bright and brilliant aroma of ecstacy is manifested to become conspicuous to us."

"... Gradually comes the direct and supreme aspect of wisdom that the Ultimate Reality is omniscient, existing absolutely with every atom of the cosmos."

"... The individual gets itself lost in the Absolute ... This is the identification with the Supreme Being, the mingling of life's little existence into the ocean of unmixed pleasure. This is yoga, the zenith of perfection of sadhana."

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"... Commonly, yoga means to unite something or be united. It is in fact unification of the individuality with the universality, of the devotee with the deity or the mortal self with the Absolute."

"... The motto of yoga is to convalesce the mind from the infection of these wayward occupations and to converge it solely to the Supreme Reality."

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"... Kriya Yoga is a combined creation of raja yoga and other branches of yoga. Revered Lahiri Mahasaya has adopted this device especially for the common people absorbed in family life."

"... Lahiri Mahasay, following the instructions of his Guruji, Sri Babaji Maharaj, has given directions on the easiest ways of yoga practice in the name of Kriya Yoga."

"... yoga has four types: hatha, raja, mantra, Laya."

"... Raja yoga fails to attain perfection without hatha yoga. Hatha yoga also vacillates without raja yoga."

"... it may be said that each of the four types of yoga are complementary to each other. They are never contradictory."

"... The great nathyogis like Gorakshaknath, Matsyendranath, etc. and our venerable Sri Shyamacharan Lahiri were mainly practitioners of raja yoga. Even then they accepted many facets of hatha yoga. Truly speaking they succeeded perfectly in the four yogas."

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"... The human body comprises of three and half lakhs of communicative channels (nadis or meridians). Amongst them fourteen are of chief importance. They are named as sushumna, ida, pingala, gandhari, hastijihva, sarasvati, pusha, sankhini, payasvini, varuni, alamvusha, visvodari and yasasvini. Sushumna is the supreme and essential for yoga practices. "

"... It is this path which is famous as the divine avenue. It affords immense pleasure and immortality. The yogi escapes all possible vices by transcendental meditation on sushumna."

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"... The opening through which one has to travel the orifice of the Absolute is covered by the dormant serpent power, the Goddess of kulakundalini."

"... The great power kundalini in the shape of a serpent is nothing other than the prana ... She is spread in the whole body in the shape of air-like prana etc. When this prana wakes up and creeps into sahasrara (crown chakra), its own abode, piercing sushumna, many exquisitely melodious sounds are heard. "

"... All the powers of Prana, as if converging into the serpent power is lying latent above the anal area ... this kundalini pushes the life force or the upward air (pranavayu) vertically and immerses the basal air (apanavayu) downwards and thus it exerts respiration moving like a snake."

"... Perfect habituation in pranayama awakens the serpent power of our life force, which is lying latent in the first plexus. "

"... (Kundalini), flowing through sushumna reaches its destination in sahasrara where the Lord of the Absolute is enthroned. The practitioner then attains supreme and absolute wisdom."

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"... A kriya yogi admits the concept that there lies a potential power at the spino-cerebral axis, extending from the coccygeal level to the topmost center, the brain."

"... The extinction of individuality and absorption into the Supreme Spirit is possible only by the knowledge of the Highest Reality or the Absolute and it is to be obtained by the direct control of the mind by various mystical methods along the line of this spino-cerebral axis."

"... Finally, there is sahasrara, the lotus situated at the summit of sushumna ....The yogi who can uplift kundalini to this lotus after awakening it from muladhara and penetrates all the six nerve centers, becomes always overwhelmed with eternal bliss. He drinks the nectar dripping from the center of this chakra."

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"... yogis oblate the prana into the apana and vice versa."

"... The upward force or the pranavayu when attains rendezvous with the downward force or apanvayu, the median force or sushumna awakens at that time. One can arrive at the highest goal at that time."

"... When the yoga practitioner goes on practising pranayama and directs upward the life force or prana to surge through the spinal canal following the flow of cold air or ida, the body gets cold inside ... When the mind along with the life force reaches its crest at ajna chakra and the cold air enters inside completely at that time, the cold air naturally tries to go outwards ... Release of upward movement of prana into the downward movement of apana in this manner is allied to the oblation of prana into apana."

"... Again when the downward air reaches the first plexus, the ultimate site of its slow onward movement, the air obviously is inclined to enter into bosom. This time the mind is to be released in the upward movement which initiates with the entrance of the air inside. Thus takes place the oblation of apana into prana."

"... By certain specific method the apanavayu is emerged from the first plexus to the last and the pranavayu immersed in the first plexus. The practice as such is repeated one after another, till the prana and apana, mixing together, is fixed in the head. To be precise enough by repeated puraka and recaka these two airs spontaneously get their movements lost. The kumbhaka derived therefrom is kevali.

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"... The wise yoga practitioner, sitting in a completely undisturbed place, will keep his attention firmly fixed in the kutastha and then will fold the tongue retrovertedly, penetrating through the nasophayngeal orifice touching the suprapalatal lobe. This is kechari mudra (avian exercise)."

"... From the practical experiences of yoga practice this may be said that when the tongue is reposed on the aforesaid position, it experiences some special types of sensations and receive some peculiar types of secretions. This secretion is called nectar by the scriptures."

"... Pranayama and the postures naming mahamudra, yoni mudra, and brahmari mudra are to be practised alongwith the kechari mudra. For this reason this posture is given so much importance in the practice of Kriya Yoga."

"... Starting from the first and ending at the last state of kriya (samadhi) the accomplisher has to keep the tongue in the same position. No deviation is allowed."

"... The yogi who tastes nectar from sahasrara by means of kechari mudra conquers death within half a month."

"... Yogi performing Kriyayoga should drink nectar daily by sending the tongue upwards."

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"... One who practises it properly attains perfection inspite of miserable fortune. All the channels of the body are enlivened by the practice as such."

"... The serpent power (kundalini), being awakened, moves towards the final goal. All the physical maladies are ameliorated, the appetite increases as also the lifespan."

"... The mahamudra of reverd Lahiri Mahasaya requires the kechari mudra at the very outset. By means of this exercise the breathing air is held through pranayama. In this context it is to be remembered that according to the precepts of revered Lahiri Mahasaya, kumbhaka does not necessarily mean holding of respiratory air by puraka. However, in this way the finer aspect of prana lodged in the spinal canal is extolled to the cephallic area follwing thhe external respiration. At such a stage the expiration of prana ceases spontaneously."

"... It is also to be remembered that the tranquility of mahamudra and that of the avian exercise (kechari) are identical by nature. The difference lies only in the definite state emanated out of yoga practice. The kechari mudra presents the flow of pleasure where as mahamudra represents more of spirit. The goal of mahamudra is upto the tranquility of spirit."

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"... Owing to personal experience of Kriya Yoga, this much I can say that by sambhavi mudra, or by rivetting fixed attention on the glabella, the supreme Self can be gazed at and with half-closed eyes one can stay in that state. Following the procedures advised by Sri Guruji everyday, after practising pranayama and yoni mudra for two hours while envisaging the haloed being at the kutastha, the attention concentrates there at that time. In this way one can approach the gunatita state. The individuality of the sadhaka then transforms into Godliness."

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"... The dormant kundalini seared by that heat awakens and straightens and entering into the sushumna moves through the channel of the Absolute. These feelings one can experience in the first kriya of revered Lahiri Mahasaya."

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"... With all austerity when the yoga practitioner goes on practising sadhana slowly and steadily, he starts listening to exquisite words and sounds hitherto unheard of. This words and sounds well up from the depths of his heart."

"... The scriptures say that these sounds are indentical with the Absolute."

"... listening to the sound OM one's intellectual faculty will cease wayward movement and reside permanently in the serene tranquility of the Supreme Reality. The achievement of yoga will then be complete. This resonance of OM is spontaneous."

"... This resonance in the form of OM is the Absolute and the state beyond this resonance is the supreme state of ecstasy. "

"... When the prana reaches the sahasrara at the vertex after crossing the ajna chakra the sadhaka loses his identity. At that time the real non-dual state steps into being. For no no subject or object denoting the the name or the named one remains there. The name and the named object loses difference at that time. The knowledge, the knower, and the knowledgeable melts into Oneness."

"... Our Master Sri Shyamacharan Lahiri Mahasaya says, "omkara is here in the corporeal abode. To know Him is to know everything. The yoga practice (kriya) is gayatri. The post-practising state of placidity (paravastha) is allied to the state of salvation."

"... The resonance of omkara is audible by omkara kriya (the second lesson of kriya yoga). It is audible after concentration in the spinal process. Flash of transcendental light comes after this resonance. After this light when the mind gets lost into it, the Supreme Reality ascends. The indiviual self rests in the area covered by the twelve petalled lotus in the chest."

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"... The motto of yonimudra is to envisage that Supreme Consciuosness from which emanates out to this world of ours. The Absolute Consciuosness is called the light of divine light. This divine light is exposing everything created. One can experience that divine light by means of practising this mudra."

"... The method of revered Lahiri Mahasaya needs the involvement of kechari mudra in unabridged execution of this yoni mudra. By means of the kechari mudra the sadhaka will draw the finer and subtle prana methodically in the sixth plexus (ajna chakra). Then by the method of yoni mudra as per the dictates of scriptures, the divine light of the Absolute is to be perceived. According to Lahiri Mahasaya the anatomy of this mudra comprises of kechari mudra, pranayama and observation of the divine light."

"... By means of yoni mudra the sadhaka observes in the kutastha an exquisite circle of blue light bristling within an aroma of brilliant yellow or white colour. This is considered as the dual image of Sri Radha and Sri Krishna or the Supreme Self, the kutastha chaitanya and his force and energy, the personified will of the Supreme Self."

"... This is the third stage of the practice of divine light. At that time the sadhaka enters into a kingdom where there is no darkeness inspite of conspicuous absence of any light. It is an inexplicable state. What appeared earlier as dark is now tranformed, as it were into as serene tranquility. When the sadhaka identifies his soul with this tranquility, his ultimate goal is attained."

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"... The first kriya is also known as the bhutasuddhi kriya or the practice of corporeal purification or the dhyaner kriya the practice for meditation. At this stage there should be an effort to prepare the tongue for kechari mudra. Talavya mudra will be an aid to this goal. One cannot deserve higher grades of kriya until the tongue is prepared for kechari mudra."

"... It may be perceieved that if a sadhaka performs 'perfectly' only twelve kriya pranayama as mentioned above, his mind enters into the interior world leaving the external attractions. This inward feeling is called pratyahara."

"... The sadhaka, after performing pranayama 12 x 12 or 144 in number 'perfectly' arrives at the state of dharana. At this stage the inward mind can be steadfast in the interior plexuses (chakras) of divine lights."

"... The sadhaka attains the state of dhyana after performing 'perfectly' 144 x 12 or 1728 number of pranayama. At this stage only the mental faculty of the sadhaka goes on flowing in the shape of sublime egoism (asmita) ... To be more precise, deep thinking of the inner soul of the Supreme Self ceaselessly by the mental faculty is known as dhyana."

"... In the aforesaid method 1728 x 12 or 20736 number of pranayama when performed 'perfectly', the sadhaka attains that Consciousness ... the perfect union between the individual self and the Supreme Self, Samadhi. In other words when the individual self rests completely in the absolute, such a state is called samadhi. At this state the external air is retained in the nostrils, the eyes are tethered to the glabella, the pranavayu and apana vayu is unmoved, the samanavayu does not come out of the nostrils."

"... The state of samadhi can be achieved as such, but it is next to impossible for anyone ... To solve this problem Lahiri Mahasaya prescribes an easy way. In this method the state coming out of pranayama is given more attention than the number of pranayama ... He has classified the course of pranayama into four divisions ... The four types of kriyas narrated above include all the states of pranayama resulting from the performances of 20736 number of first kriya pranayama.

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"... According to revered Lahiri Mahasaya, the second lesson of pranayama is often named as omkara kriya. This practice helps one to percive the omkara (the ineffable primordial resonance which stands for the Absolute)."

"... A course of 144 number of pranayama as said in the first lesson or resting in the paramount state in the aftermath of twelve pranayama, a performance of omkara kriya numbering twelve can lead one to the same pulpit (i.e. 144 first kriya is equal to 12 second kriya)."

"... The omkara kriya makes the spontaneous resonance (pranava) far more conspicuous. A practice of attachment to the paramount state in the aftermath (paravastha) dissolves into the Absolute."

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"... Venerable Lahiri Mahasaya has named the third kriya as 'thokkarer kriya' (pecking i.e. the device of striking repeatedly). "

"... This kriya should also be performed along with sambhavi mudra and kechari mudra. In the anahata chakra this kriya renders repeated thrust of respiratory air along with mystic syllables (mantra)."

"... In this kriya tranquility manifests all the more as compared to the earlier two pranayams. And it is the characteristic of the kriya of thokkar (pecking) as the kriya of dharana. If twelve number of such kriya of dharana is performed, it will be equal to 1728 number of bhutasuddhi kriya and the state of meditation will emerge in the mind. Staying in this meditation if twelve number of pranayama is performed, the state of samadhi will ensue."

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"... Revered Lahiri Mahasaya has described this fourth pranayama as the practice of meditation also."

"... If only twelve number of pranayama (fourth kriya) is performed with a steady mind, then the small cover which veils the supreme state of tranquility is removed. Then only the Absolute, the great unchangeable one is realised."

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