The following information has been extracted or paraphrased from: Yogiraj Shri Shri Lahiri Mahashay by J.C.
Bhattacharya (1997).
Introduction
According to Bhattacharya, Yoga is the union of the individual soul with the
Infinite Consciousness or Paramatman. The goal of all spiritual practices is the
attainment of the same Infinite or Super Consciousness, by whichever name one
may describe it. In this wider sense all spiritual masters are Yogis. There is,
however, a particular variety of spiritual practices (Sadhana) which are called
Yoga in a narrower sense, and it is usually in this sense that the word Yoga is used.
This Sadhana consists mainly in controlling the Prana-vitalizing breath with
Pranayama and other processes. The Yogi starts with the postulate that the
microcosm contains everything that is in the macrocosm.
There is a Bengali proverb which states that what is absent in our body is also non-
existent in the universe. The Yogi therefore considers his own body as the temple
for worshipping the Supreme Self (Paramatma).
Kriya Yoga Simplified for the Common Man by Shri Shri Lahiri Mahashay
The greatest contribution of Shri Shri Lahiri Mahashay to the world is that he,
according to the instructions of his Great Guru Shri Shri Babaji Maharaj,
simplified the infinite multiplicity of the processes of Raja yoga into a few stages
and made it available to the common man, especially the householder who is
simply lost in the wilderness of worldly duties. It is next to impossible for a
householder to follow the strict principles of restraint enunciated in the ‘Ashtanga
(eight step) Yoga’ of Patanjali. The processes in the Kriya yoga taught by Lahiri
Mahasaya make us gradually fit to unfold the Divine within ourselves, with much
less effort than is usually necessary. Individual Yogis have always been there in
India, but due to a great general deterioration in the mass consciousness
characteristic of the current world cycle of Kali Yuga, Yogic processes remained
circumscribed in the hands of Yogis alone. It was much too difficult for the
common man to follow. Only those who would be ready to dedicate their lives to
the cause of the Divine, would be initiated into the teachings. Naturally, their
number was very small. The majority of the people had no opportunity to follow
the principles of Yoga even if they might have eagerness for these. It was Yogiraj
Shri Shri Shyamacharan Lahiri Mahasaya who felt for us at the heart of his heart
and spread the Divine Kriya yoga at a time when the world was just getting ripe for
a new era of spiritual synthesis.
Kriya yoga teaches man that God is to be discovered in his own body first,
concentrating his gaze on the point between his eye-brows. Once man realizes
God within his own body, he automatically realizes Him in others too. His body is
the temple where he starts worshipping the Prana which controls the entire
physical machinery. Each and everybody has this Prana-vitalizing force in
common and by realizing its mystery through Pranayama, etc., man realizes the
Supreme Consciousness that controls the universe, for it is the same force that
impels the individual and the universe. Thus, Kriya yoga will go a great way in
bringing about a sense of unity amongst all men and women, and ultimately in
bringing about world peace. We are on the threshold of a new era. The immortal
teachings of Lahiri Mahashaya came for us at the proper moment. Preparations
have been going on, and we are surely ahead of a great spiritual resurgence of
India and the world.
Kriya Yoga and Mantra Yoga Work Well Together
Bhattacharya states that Mantra yoga can certainly lead man to success, because
through a constant chanting of the Mantras the Sushumna is gradually opened up.
But the opening of the Sushumna through chanting of the Mantras is an indirect
process, although it is easier for the common man. The Kriya Yogi makes the
Sushumna his starting point by taking recourse to different processes of controlling
and channeling the Prana-lifeforce through the right path. The combination of both
practices can only accelerate ones progress.
When one is not doing Kriya proper, one can keep his attention focused at the
point between the eyebrows and meditate on one's mantra, practice remembrance
of God's name, or attunement to Ishvara, the Soul within (editor).
Since Kriya Yoga is a series of techniques and not a Religion, Kriya Yogi's can
be of Any Religion
Bhattacharya states that the liberality, inherent in the Kriya yoga of Shri Shri
Lahiri Mahashaya places it on a universal footing. A man practicing the teachings
of any religion may be initiated into Kriya yoga without the necessity of leaving
his own religious faith. Besides, Kriyayoga may be given to any one having
eagerness for Self-Realization, to whichever caste, creed or country he may
belong. Shri Shri Lahiri Mahashaya had Abdul Gafur Khan as one of his advanced
disciples, and Swami Bhaskarananda Saraswati and Shrimat Balananda
Brahmachari were two Saints belonging to other religions who received Kriya
yoga from Shri Shri Lahiri Mahashaya. The Kriyayoga propounded by Lahiri
Mahashaya is based on the principles enunciated in the Shrimadbhagavadgita. and
the Yogasutra of the great sage Patanjali. Lahiri Baba gave Yogic interpretations to
some 22 famous Shastras including the two above-mentioned ones The Gita,
however, was considered to be the most important. It is a compendium of all kinds
of spiritual training. But, after all, Shastras are the records of spiritual researches
conducted by Great Saints. Unless one follows the teachings of the Shastras in
practice, one cannot have the experience of the Divine Bliss. That is why the
mystery of Dharma described in the Gita has to be realized only by direct
experience. Shri Shri Lahiri Mahashaya’s Kriya yoga leads the Sadhaka to the final
goal, each stage unfolding its peculiar effect and thus encouraging the seeker. As
the difficult processes of Raja yoga have been much simplified by the Yogiraj and
his Great Master Shri Shri Babaji Maharaj, the Kriya yoga as propounded by them
has been called the ‘Sahaja Kriya yoga’, that is the Kriya that comes naturally to
man, without putting any artificial strain on the physical machinery. This again, is
another point in favor of Kriya yoga that it is free from the dangers which
sometimes come in the way of the Sadhaka in the shape of some physical
distortion or disease, the outcome of mistakes in following the processes of Yoga.
There is no such danger attending Kriya yoga even if one commits a mistake. Of
course, Kriya yoga is "Sahaja" (meaning literally ‘that which originates at our very
birth’) also in the primary sense that it is a process where we have to take recourse
to the regulation of breath, the process of inhalation and exhalation which is co-
equal with the very being of man.
The advent of Lahiri Mahashaya had thus a great significance for the suffering
humanity offering as he did a divine manna to the care-worn earth
1
The human body has 3 great nerve-cords. On both sides of the spinal cord there are gangliated cords of
sympathetic nerves. Ordinarily the Prana-life force moves through the passage within the gangliated cords: Ida and
Pingala. But it must move through Sushumna (the very subtle passage through the spinal cord) before any success
in spiritual practice (Sadhana) is to be attained. The unfolding of this passage is called the rousing of the Kundalini
or the spiritual force latent in every man.
Shri Satyacharan Lahiri (Lahiri Mahasaya's grandson) Comments on Kriya
Yoga
All religious and spiritual schools of thought all over the world have declared
in unison that the mind has to be stilled. Only when the mind has been stilled,
can there be room for the ultimate experiences that one may desire. Those who
wish to have visions of divine beings (of their religious tradition), even they have
to still their mind in order to achieve this vision. Those who wish to reach the stage
beyond all beings – the ultimate – they too must still the mind.
However, the achievements (through the teachings) of the Bhagavad Gita are a
little different. It suggests that we should reach a stage where the mind has
overcome desires, where the mind should not be mindful. As long as the mind is
there, there will be resolutions and dissolutions of desirable activities, and because
of this, it will be impossible to overcome the cycle of birth and death.
It is because of this it is necessary to still the mind. The sum substance is that if the
mind is not still nothing will happen – to that extent even our worldly activities
will not be fulfilled properly . . . the human being becomes a monster.
Now the question arises: what is the mind? The agitated movement of Prana is
the mind. Prana by its nature is still. However, because of several reasons it loses
its stillness and starts vibrating. On the flag of this chariot called the body, rides
Hanuman in the form of still current/Prana. The Prana current is still in the
Sahasrara (Crown Chakra), but becomes agitated when it descends to the lower
Chakras. In the five parts of the body, that Prana is given the five different names –
Prana, Apana, Samana, Udana, and Vyana.
If these five Pranas reside in the body in equal balance, then there is no form of
agitation in the mind. Otherwise it becomes agitated by reasons that are very
ordinary.
The body is in good health when Vayu (Air), Pitta (heat) and Kapha
(Moisture/Water) are in proper balance. However, because of reasons that are quite
ordinary, when the balance is lost, it may fall ill. e.g. exposure to cold creates an
imbalance, which may become the reason for illness. Therefore, one has to be
careful not to cause any imbalance or agitation.
Similarly for the five Pranas, care must be taken not to disturb the balance by
dealing with the Prana.
The chief practice to do this is Pranayama. By doing Pranayama, the Prana and
Apana currents are stilled; with Nabhi Kriya, Samana current is stilled, while
Mahamudra stills Udana and Vyana currents.
With these tools (the kriyas), the 5 Pranas are stilled (made quiet), and when that
happens one perceives the nature of the soul through Yoni Mudra. This is the
ultimate success of a human life.
As a result of these practices, in the stilled Prana at the Sahasrara, the state of the
mind finds it advantageous, and one experiences the state of no mind. To date,
among all practices discovered and known to the world, Pranayama is the best
(most effective).
There are many types of Pranayama, but among them that Pranayama that is done
along the Sushumna through the Six Chakras1, is the best, because by this
Pranayama the movement of the mind and Prana are done together in unison.
Those who practice this know that when the Prana is exercised along with the mind
in unison, the mind does not wander in other directions. Over a long period of this
practice, the mind becomes still, and no agitation remains. Just like Ganga is the
best among rivers, Kashi among all places of pilgrimage, Gayatri among all
Mantras, Pranava (Om)2,3 among all Beejas (root sounds), so also is Pranayama the
best among all practices. This has been accepted in one voice by all sages and
those practicing it, because the result of this practice can be experienced and
achieved in this lifetime, at this time, and within this very body.
1
The chakras are the major means upon the physical plane through which the Soul works and expresses its purpose.
The glands are the physical correspondents of the chakras. The condition of the chakras and the reflection of this
condition in the glands determine the state of evolution and consciousness of man and the degree to which the soul
can fully express itself on the physical plane. Through the practice of kriya yoga, the kriya yogi purifies the chakras
and accelerates the evolution of his consciousness. He makes his body a fit vehicle for the expression of the Soul.
2
In the Sutras of Patanjali in Sadhana Pada, OM is discussed in the following Sutras:
23. By intense devotion to Ishvara, knowledge of Ishvara is gained.
24. This Ishvara is the soul, untouched by limitation, free from karma, and desire.
25. In Ishvara, the Gurudeva, the germ of all knowledge expands into infinity.
26. Ishvara, the Gurudeva, being unlimited by time conditions, is the teacher of the primeval
Lords.
27. The Word of Ishvara, is AUM (or OM). This is the Pranava.
28. Through the sounding of the Word and through reflection upon its meaning, the Way is
found.
29. From this comes the realization of the Self (the soul) and the removal of all obstacles.
3
The sounding of OM has four effects on the subtle body. It: (1) burns out coarse matter, (2) builds in refined
matter, (3) it carries force through all the inner chakras to the pranamaya kosha or etheric body, and causes a definite
stimulation of the petals of each chakra. If the lotus is only partially unfolded, then only some of the petals receive
the stimulation. This stimulation creates a vibration (especially in the chakra in which one meditates- the head or
heart) which causes a reflex action in the sushumna and down to the base. This is not in itself sufficient to arouse the
kundalini; that can only be done when other conditions have been met. And (4) it sets up a vortex of energy between
the reciter and the Soul / Ishvara / Source of grace invoked and creates a vacuum that results in a down pour of
energy.
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Some Helpful Comments on Kriya Yoga by Sri Shailendra Sharma
Why is the Kriya pranayam important? Why is the end result of the pranayam
practice soul realization? How is the spirit and physical body linked? It is linked
through your breath. As long as the spirit and the body are together you are
breathing. The moment that spirit leaves you are not breathing. So, one end of the
breath is connected to your physical body and the other end is connected with your
spirit. So if you will catch hold of the breath and move along with it, you are bound
to reach your spirit one-day. That is why the pranayam practice is so important.
Breath links body and spirit. It is the bridge between the two. Everybody
breathes but no one has seen his own breath. It is invisible but you can feel it and
the spirit is even more subtle than that. And you have some control over your
breath. So, if you just realize the link and the connection and if you practice
ardently, you're bound to realize your spirit, the Self.
First, you become aware of the breath then the prana in the breath and then the
spirit within the prana. It is the breath that indicates that the soul is there and the
soul pervades your entire body. It is not centered somewhere. Life is everywhere.
Even in a single hair there is life.
Though you are using your physical body to practice kriya, you should always
focus beyond that.
The focus should be on the soul or spirit. And that is done through the breath.
Shailendra Ji's comment on kechari mudra
There is a nadi that runs through the center of the tongue. The sushumna comes
inside the tongue. When the tongue is placed in the throat cavity, then the
sushumna is complete, not before that. It (sushumna) is in the astral body. So when
you're doing kechari mudra, the tongue acts like a bridge. It bridges the gap
between the 5th and the 6th chakra.
On Choosing a Guru
Goraknath, the great guru, has said choose your guru carefully because as the guru
is so the disciple will be.
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What is the kutastha? Kutastha is a Sanskrit word that means immortal Soul.
Kriya yogi’s use the term in ways that are often confusing to westerners with no
knowledge of Sanskrit. It is commonly used in two ways among kriya gurus. It is
used either to describe the immortal Soul or to designate a place to focus in the
head, e.g., the ajna center. When writers instruct students to focus in the kutastha,
the student will typically interpret this to mean focus in the ajna center. If the
student does this, he has only followed half of the instruction. Since the kutastha
represents the unchanging divine aspect of the Self, what is really meant when the
guru tells us to focus in the kutastha is to focus on the Soul that is revealed at the
point between the eyebrows. The real point of focus is not so much a place in the
head as a state of consciousness. Since the light of the Soul or Kutastha is revealed
at the point between the eyebrows, kriya gurus instruct us to physically focus there.
The point I am making is that the ajna center is not the kutastha. It is an instrument
of perception that is able to perceive the light of the kutastha (immortal,
unchanging Self) as well as many other things unrelated to the Soul. However,
through usage some writers have begun to substitute the word kutastha for ajna
center. This narrow use of kutastha to specify ajna center focus has been a source
of some confusion. The goal of kriya yoga is union with the Soul. Kriya yogis keep
that goal in view right from the start by being instructed to focus on the immortal
Soul in the ajna center or the kutastha.
Let us examine some definitions of Kutastha to get a better feel for what it means.
Def. 1 The Kutastha is eternal and unchangeable
Def. 2 Kutastha, in philosophy, whatever is immovable, unchangeable, perpetually
and universally the same; the indestructible spirit. (kuta, the summit; stha,
standing: standing on the peak.)
Def. 3 Kutastha A philosophical term meaning 'holding the highest position,' hence
the primordial divinity. As a noun it is often used as a synonym for Isvara, the
Divine-Spiritual Monad. Kutastha is often used derivatively for Akasa (q.v.) and
for Mulaprakriti. (Compound kuta, the highest, the summit; stha, standing.
Bhagavad-Gita, W. Q. p. 108).
Def. 4. One who pervades all, supports all, and yet Himself undergoes no
transformation.
Def. 5 Kutastha refers to Lakshmi, the consort of Vishnu, who is the
"abhimAni"(controller) of all nature; thus, she is like a changeless anvil which
supports change in others, in being herself changeless, but supporting all of nature
that is ever-changing.
Lahiri Mahasaya refers to the Kutastha in several sutras of Patanjali below:
Samadhi Pada 1*
Tatra Sthitau Yatno_Abhyãsah ||13||
------------------------------------
What is the practice? To control the mind always focus in the Kutastha. This
is practice.
Klesha_Karma_Vipãka_ãshayaih Aparamrishthah PurushaVisheshah Ishvarah ||24||
------------------------------------------------------------------------------
The Ishvara in the Kutastha is untouched by the ignorance and the products
of ignorance, not touched by the karmas or sanskãras as well.
Sadhana Pada 2
Kaye_Indriya_Siddhih Ashuddhi_Kshyãt Tapasah ||43||
----------------------------------------------------
Tapah (austerity, following Guru's instructions) leads to the depletion of
impurities and siddhis (special powers) of sense organs are attained. As
Guru instructs, by abiding in the Kutastha, mind becomes pure. This leads to
various Anima, etc., siddhis- special abilities.
Samãdhi_Siddhih Ishvar_Prãnidhãnãt ||45||
---------------------------------------------
With a great devotion towards the Ishvara in the Kutastha, all kinds of
siddhis and samadhis are attained. The knowledge of the space and time is
also attained.
Vibhuti Pada 3
Desh_Bandah Chittasya Dhãranã ||1||
-------------------------------------
After describing the five external methodologies of yoga*, now we are
talking about Dhãranã, Concentration. When the thought waves are
focussed on either Naval, Heart, Kutastha, Tip of the Nose, Tip of the
Tongue, or any external object, the breath is stilled. This is called
Dhãranã.
*Patanjali Sutras by Lahiri Mahasaya. English Translation by Dr.Brijesh Kumar, Copyright 1999 by Yoga Niketan
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Definition of Samadhi from the Yoga Chudamani Upanishad v. 111-113
"Twelve (protracted rounds) of pranayama leads to
pratyahara. Twelve (extended durations of pratyahara
leads) to dharana. Twelve such dharanas leads to
dhyana and twelve such dhyanas results in samadhi."
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"An ounce of practice is better than tons of theory". Swami Sivananda
"What the superior man seeks is in himself. What the inferior man seeks is in
others" -- Confucius
Man is a microcosm of the macrocosm. The whole of the universe is reflected in its
parts. Therefore, if you fully know yourself, you know the whole.
You are a spark of the Full Flame that symbolizes the One life. The spark is an
embryo of the Full Flame. It has all of the components of the Full Flame but is
totally unaware of its potential. The evolutionary process and spiritual practices
gradually expands the consciousness until it awakens and realizes its unitary
oneness with the Full Flame. It consciously knows itself to be identical in
consciousness and substance with the One Life. In this state of consciousness, one
becomes omniscient and omnipresent.
In the East, this stage of omniscience is known as Krishna consciousness. In the
West, it is known as Christ consciousness. These are culture specific and sectarian
labels which define universal states of consciousness that are beyond the cultural
labels of any country or religion. A more nonsectarian or culture free way of
labeling these states of consciousness is the language of the three cosmic fires, fire
by friction, solar fire, and electric fire. In this classification of consciousness,
Krishna/Christ consciousness is known as the union with solar fire which
characterizes the quality of energy associated with the Soul, the 2nd aspect of
Divinity. This aspect of Divinity has the qualities of love and wisdom. This is the
stage of Self-Realization characterized by the union of the lower self with the Soul.
In contrast to the human personality which has an individual consciousness, the
soul has a group consciousness. So when you achieve oneness with the Self, you
are also one with all who embody that state of consciousness. Thus, if your
approach or Ishtadevata is through devotion to Krishna, you may experience his
form in this state, if it is through the Christ or the Bodhi Sattva, you may
experience his form in this state. If your approach is purely one of energy/shakti
then you may experience Krishna/Christ consciousness through the quality of
perceived Light.
In an even higher stage of kriya yoga, Shiva consciousness is achieved. In the
West, this is known as union with the Father, Will or the Life aspect of Divinity. It
is union with electric fire which characterizes the quality of energy associated with
the Monad (the indivisible spark of the One Life within), the 1st aspect of Divinity.
"The chitta, by its own nature, is endowed with all knowledge. It is made of sattva
particles, but is covered by rajas and tamas particles; and by pranayama this
covering is removed." -----Vivekananda, p. 181 Raja Yoga
"The mysteries are revealed, not primarily by the reception of information anent
(about) them and their processes, but by the action of certain processes, carried out
within the etheric body of the disciple. These enable him to know that which is
hidden; they put him in possession of a mechanism of revelation and make him
aware of certain radiatory and magnetic powers or energies within himself...." The
Tibetan Master DK p.337 Rays and the Initiations
The kriya yogi works with prana which is centered in the etheric body (pranamaya
kosha). Through the practice of kriya yoga sãdhanã received from the Guru, the
etheric body and the chakras are purified and the prana is stilled. The completion
of this process results in the revelation of the Self. Not only is the etheric body
purified, but through use of mantra with the kriya pranayam, the kama manas
(desire mind) is also purified.
