In the Name of Shiva, the Most Glorious, the Most Obvious, the
Highest God, Master of the Universe, Lord of Yoga, Lord of Unity

[1]   [2]   [3]   [4]   [5]   [6]   [7]   [8]   [9]   [10]   [11]   [12]

 

 

SHRI SHIVA RAHASYA 

 

 

THE SEVENTH LIGHT

(Chapter Seven)

7

 

Wherein the Secret Knowledge of the Thirty-Six Life-Principles

 is praised as a Means of Union with the Supreme

 

 

 

Om is the Eternal Sound Supreme.  Of that all other sounds are born.

 

 

Lord Shiva said:

 

  1.  O foremost among the pure-hearted! I shall now make known to you the Secret Teaching of the Thirty-Six Realities whereby a living being can cross the stormy Waters of Worldly Existence and go to the Island of Eternal Peace.

 

  2.  In the Beginning, there was just Radiant Intelligence: Boundless, Undying and Free.  Being full to the brim with Freedom, Wisdom and Might, It was Alive, a Living Being, the Great Life Itself.  This Great Being, Wishing to use His Freedom and Power, shaped the Universe within the infinite expanse of His Own Radiant Intelligence, even as a man fashions a thought or feeling in his heart.

 

  3.  For this reason, the Wise Ones have called Him Shiva which means, That in Whom everything rests (Shi) and by Whose Power everything moves (Va).  I Am that Shiva, the Original Ever-Living One; the Unseen and Uncreated Who Ever Is before everything that is seen and created is born or dies.

 

  4.  From the Stillness of My Heart a Wish was first heard and then brought to Light.  The Wish was made firm in the form of Thought.  The Thought was made audible as a Word.  And the Word was made visible as the World.

 

  5. Thus, from Wish, to Thought, to Word, the World came into being at My Divine Command.  Everything is born of That Supreme Sound.  Even the Divine Form you are now beholding with your eyes is a Manifestation of That.

 

   6.  I Am That Supreme Reality.  I am Boundless Freedom and Might and My Powers are Five: Omnipotence, Omniscience, Infinite Fullness-and-Satisfaction, Omnipresence and Eternity.  These are My Five Powers Divine.  When obscured by My Mighty Magic they become limited and the being who holds them is known as Soul.  Thus the Soul is born as the sixth in the midst of the five.  He is the power-holder and their master even as I am the Holder of the Five Powers Divine.

 

  7.  O Sages! first I created a Glorious World of Light, radiant as tens of millions of Suns.  Therein abide the Radiant Ones and all beings that are fair and bright.  Then, I enveloped Myself in Mighty Magic and created the World of man.

 

   8.  Of My Own Free Will I Envelop Myself in My Wondrous Power, even as the Sun conceals himself behind the Clouds created by his own heat.  Verily, like unto the Sun that stands concealed behind the Clouds, even thus I conceal Myself from the World.

 

  9.  As in the day the light in the Sky, the Sun, is ever one but at nightfall the dark Firmament is bedecked with myriads of Stars, even so, behind the Veil of Magic I am One: ever shining in the boundless Sky of Universal Consciousness.  But enshrouded in the Veil of Maya, I am myriads of Souls shining each like unto a Star in the dark night sky that envelops the Earth.

 

  10.  Verily, Night and Day, the Stars and the Sun, all are My eternal signs.  I gave them to man that he might know the Truth at all times.  The World being a manifestation of My Truth, it teaches and reveals the Truth to all who have an open heart.  Unto those who follow the Path of Yoga, the World is a treasure house of precious gems, each scintillating sparks of Truth.

 

  11.  But to the others it is like a sealed chest that no one can open and whose secrets no one understands.  The Sealed Chest is Maya.  The Key is My Word of Truth.  The Treasure in the Chest is the Supreme Light.

 

  12.  Divested of My Light, the World is enshrouded in darkness and goes to sleep.  I, the Ever Awake, having put the Souls to sleep, enchant them all with the Great World Dream.  This is My Great Work of Magic.  No Sleeping Soul ever rises from the Sleep of Maya save at My Divine Command.  Verily, there is no Greater Work of Magic in the Three Worlds than that brought to pass by Maya.

 

  13.  O noble ones! in the Great Abode of Truth, Truth is Ever One.  But in the abode of double-sided reality, It is twofold: the Truth perceived by the unawakened and That perceived by the Perfect Ones.  Of these two the latter shall be regarded as True by the Wise, and not the first-named which is a mere shadow of the True Light.

 

  14.  Earth is the World of man, where everything is limited, divided and dark.  It is not a real World being only like a dream, a World of shadows cast by a Higher Light.

 

  15.  I, the Great Light, am the World-Father.  Maya, My Mighty Magic is the World-Mother.  From our Union innumerable living Souls, all identical with their Creator, are born.  Yet, deluded by My Power of Illusion, they do not recognise Me as their Maker.  The Awakened Ones, the Buddhas, they alone know that Maya is the Mother and I Alone am the Father of the multitude of creatures born in this World.

 

  16.  He who abides under Maya's Spell is a bound Soul.  He who rises above Maya is its master.  Therefore, Maya is the fetter to be conquered through Sadhana or Spiritual Discipline.  He who knows the Great Secret of Maya, knows how the World comes into being.  He knows how, though the Souls appear to be many, they are in reality One.

 

  17.  He who knows the Secret of Maya, knows that I create the World and man creates his own perception of the World.  For this reason, although the World is one, every Soul has his own perception thereof.  Through My Magic Might what is One appears as many and what is many appears as One.  There is nothing that cannot be accomplished by Maya, the Power of the Supreme Sovereign.  But he who by the power of his thought creates a World that is equal to mine in clarity, radiance and greatness, he is Equal to My Supreme Self.  Verily, he who is a Master of the World-dream, is a Master of the World.  Therefore, listen you to this Great Secret of Mine.

 

  18.  The Soul is born of Me.  His powers are born of Maya, My Great Power.  From that also springs the Material Energy, the Soul's Twin.  And of that, the Soul's World is born.  The Five Powers Divine; Soul, Material Energy, Intellect, Ego and Lower Mind; Five Senses; Five Powers of Action; Five Perceptions; and Five Material Qualities: these are the Six Groups-of-Five.  In each of these I am the Sixth, the Hidden One ever abiding in their midst.  I am the Unseen Witness Who knows them each and all.  Thus the Five with Myself in their midst, are Six times Six.

 

  19.  The Thirty-Sixth is That Which contains all, pervading and animating them from within.  It consists of all Powers Divine.  It Is That-Which-Alone-Is, the Unsurpassable, the Only Existing Truth known to Yogis but unknown to all others.  Yogis are the People of Unity who ever strive for Union with Truth.  Whatsoever does exist in Heaven, on Earth and betwixt, is a product of the Thirty-Six.  Verily and without doubt, there is naught else besides.  He who teaches otherwise is a deceiver and most unwise.  For he is only deluding himself.

 

  20.  O you who are ever Wise! in this World some laugh and others cry.  But the wise Yogi is ever serene and content.  For he is endowed with Knowledge that others claim not to possess even though it was revealed by Myself unto the World.  Those who feed upon My Light of Truth, are nourished by It and grow Real.  But the others, who reject My Truth, become unreal and mere shadows of true men.  They resemble evil Spirits and ghosts that feed upon foul things.

 

  21.  The unawakened who deny My Revelation are as if dead.  For in their delusion they know neither their true Self nor anything else that is of worth, but only the imaginations of their own mind. For them, Death is like a serpent that envelops man in his deadly coils and devours him while still alive.

 

  22.  But the Enlightened Yogi is never touched by Death.  As he who is awake to the World is not overcome by sleep, so he who is awake to Truth is not harmed by Death.  Verily, Sleep and Death cannot touch one who is Awake, even as darkness never touches the Sun.

 

  23.  O Sages! the body knows only itself.  The mind knows the body.  And the Soul knows body, mind and himself.  It is for this reason that the Soul (Atma) has been called Self (Atma).  For he is the Self of all three and the true Self of man.

 

  24.  The Soul is the Twenty-Fifth Principle, the Inner Witness who beholds the Mind, Body and outer World within his own Field of Knowledge.  For this reason, he has been called, the Knower of the Field.

 

  25.  Beyond that, Ten more Life-Principles remain to be known.  In truth, they are naught but the Glorious Powers of God: Omnipotence, Omniscience, Infinite Fullness-and-Satisfaction, Omnipresence and Eternity which are the Offshoots of His Boundless Freedom.

 

  26.  When obscured and greatly reduced by Maya, they are imperfect human powers.  When free and unobstructed, they are indeed Infinite and Divine.  They are the Yogic Powers of Buddhahood.

 

  27.  Above everything else I, the Thirty-Sixth Life-Principle, like the Sun shining above the Summit of the Mountain of Reality, Eternally Abide in the Highest Glory as the One, Self-Effulgent Supreme Deity.  Looking outwards through the Veil of Maya, as through a magic crystal, I see Myself in the form of innumerable Souls.  Turning My Gaze within, I again see Myself as the Only-Existing One.

 

  28.  O you who are Seers of Truth! though Uniform, Undivided and Eternally One, of My Own Divine Will I become Many.  Dividing Myself into Two, Three, Four, Five and Seven-times-Five, by My Own Power I Create the entire Creation out of Myself.

 

  29. Two-Formed, I am the Creative Light of Consciousness and also Its Creation, the Sovereign and His Kingdom, too.  For, into these two I divided Myself at the Beginning of Time.

 

  30.  Churning the Primordial Ocean Of Consciousness with the Churning Rod of My Boundless Might, I manifested Ethereal Spirit and Material Matter, Heaven and Earth, Soul and Body, Creator and Creation, Shiva and Shakti, the Lord and His Infinite Power.

 

  31.  Three-Formed, I am the Powers of Will, Knowledge and Action, the functions whereby I, the Universal Consciousness, having created the World, operate therein at will.  By these three, I rule over the World like a Mighty Sovereign over his Kingdom.  They are the Trident-like Symbol of My Sovereign Power.

 

  32.  Four-Formed, I am the Four States of Consciousness.  The first of these, Waking, is known to man.  Dreaming, Deep Sleep and the Fourth, Enlightenment, are known only to Yogis and Beings Divine.

 

  33. Five-Formed, I am the aforementioned Four and the Universal Consciousness that contains them all.

 

  34.  Six-Formed, I am the Six Powers Divine: Omnipotence, Omniscience, Infinite Fullness-and-Satisfaction, Omnipresence, Eternity and Infinite Freedom, their Source.

 

  35.  Now, concerning the Seven Groups of Five or Pentads, as the First of these I am the Four Universal Masters and their Overlord.  They are called: the All-Pervading One (Vyapi Natha), the All-Encompassing One (Vyoma-Rupa Natha), the Infinite One (Ananta Natha), the Sovereign One (Anatha Natha) and the Self-Existing One (Anashrita Natha), their Supreme Ruler.  They abide in the World of Perfect Vision, known to the Wise.

 

  36.  As the Second Pentad, I am the Five Universal Powers limited by Maya.  As the Third Pentad, I am the Soul, Material Energy, Intellect, Ego and Lower Mind.  As the Fourth Pentad, I am the Five Faculties of Action.  As the Fifth Pentad, I am the Five Senses.  As the Sixth Pentad, I am the Five Perceptions.  As the Seventh and Last Pentad, I am the Five Material Qualities from Space down to Earth.

 

  37.  Above and beyond these Thirty-Five, transcending and at the same time containing all within Myself, I Eternally Abide as the Thirty-Sixth Life-Principle, the Unsurpassable, Unfathomable, Unutterable, Supreme Shiva (Parama Shiva) Himself.

 

  38. I Alone Pervade everywhere.  I Alone Encompass everything.  Everything moves, breathes and lives by My Power.

 

  39.  In the human being, I am the breath upon which his life depends.  Going in and out, it covers a space of thirty-six finger-breadths.

 

  40.  Multiplied Tenfold according to the Ten Powers, five human and five Divine, I am the Three Hundred and Sixty Rays of Consciousness that constitute the Fullness of Reality.

 

  41.  In earthly time, I am the three hundred and sixty days of the human year.  In Celestial Time I am three hundred and sixty human years that constitute a Year of the Gods.  The same, multiplied twelve thousandfold, is a Great Age or Cosmic Cycle.

 

  42.  In Space also, I am the three hundred and sixty degrees in the All-Encompassing Circle described by the Great Firmament itself.

 

  43.  I am the Self-Existing Light of all lights, ever shining in all directions with three hundred and sixty Rays: One hundred and eighty Rays belong to the Fire (of Consciousness).  One hundred and twenty Rays belong to the Sun (of Knowledge).  And sixty Rays belong to the Moon (of the Known Object).  Together they make three hundred and sixty Rays of light that reveal the World.  I Am all things that shine.  There is nothing else beside.

 

  44.  Thus, O immortal ones! there is none other but I, the Supreme Lord.  I Alone Exist as Everything.  I am the Human Soul, the Path of Thirty-Six Steps leading to My Supreme Abode and the Self-Shining Guiding Light Which is the Ultimate Goal of all.

 

  45.  There shall be no doubt about this.  When through the power of Yoga the Soul who is none other but I, penetrates the dark Veil of Maya, he shall behold Me Face to Face and come to know himself as what he really is: the Embodiment of Truth and Identical with My Supreme Self.

 

  46.  Verily, what is covered in many veils cannot be seen at a glance.  Let no man expect to see My Truth at once.  True it is that ordinary men do not know Me, the Lord.  But the Self-Realised Yogi who by My Grace elevates himself to Divine Status shall become his Own God, that is, the Supreme Ruler of his Inner Universe.

 

  47.  Such one, by virtue of his Sovereign Freedom shall become God-like and, in consequence, shall be well capable of knowing Me.  For, only like can know like.

 

  48.  Even ordinary men can know God deep inside themselves, in their heart of hearts.  For every one of them is a Spark of Heaven, a Ray of Divine Sunlight and a Dewdrop of Universal Intelligence.

 

  49.  Yet this Divine State cannot be reached at once, save in extra-ordinary cases.  It is to be attained gradually, ascending the well-trodden Steps of the Thirty-Six Yogic Principles, guided by the Light of the Right Means of Knowledge and adding one Ray of Light after another to one's Royal Crown of Sunlight.  And finally, United with Me, being seated upon the Effulgent Throne of Heaven.

 

  50.  He who knows the Thirty-Six knows the secrets of all numbers and of everything that is.  Nothing is unknown to him.  By means of this Secret Knowledge the Bound Soul shall awaken to his own Divinity.  He shall cast off his limitations imposed upon him by Myself for the purpose of Limited Creation.

 

  51.  Liberating himself from the bondage of the Mind by means of Yoga, he shall enter upon the Great Journey from finite to Infinite, from speck of stardust to Sea of Divine Radiance.  From Man-God to God-Man.  From Individual to Universal.  Yoga, therefore, is to be known as the Expansion of the limited human Soul to Cosmic Dimensions.

 

  52.  By the Power of Yoga, man attains Identity with Me.  Having attained Identity with Me, he becomes the Lord of Yoga, which is the Power that holds all things together and by means whereof one can know and accomplish all things.  Yoga is the Union of things that stand opposed and the Power whereby two things that were divided become one again.

 

  53.  I, Supreme Shiva, the Soul of the Universe, the Adorable Sun of Consciousness, Shine with dazzling Rays of Light in Seven Forms radiating downlight from their Source according to their degree of Self-Luminosity and Unity with the Supreme.

 

  54.  Firstly, I am the Highest, Lord Shiva Himself, the Unique, All-Inclusive and All-Pervading Light of Lights.  Secondly, those Souls who are endowed with a high degree of Unity with Me and with other Souls.  Thirdly, Souls who, although they possess a strong sense of Unity, begin to experience some distinction.

 

  55.  Fourthly, Souls with a fading sense of Unity.  Fifthly, Souls in a state of transition, who are beginning to leave Unity behind.  Sixthly, ordinary Souls who can experience distinction only.  Seventhly and Last, insentient objects which, though made of Intelligence, do not experience themselves as such.

 

  56.  I, Lord Shiva, the First and Highest Form of Consciousness, Eternally Experience Myself as One with all Thirty-Six Life-Principles.  The rest, the myriads of beings populating the Universe, occupy each their particular Place in the Universal Sky of Consciousness according to the Principles they experience by a process of Identity.

 

  57.  Verily the higher the Principle or Principles one identifies oneself or becomes one with, the higher the position one shall occupy in the Universe.  For thus I have declared, The fearless one who Life's Stairway to Eternity would scale, him Shiva's Light shall make Divine without fail.

 

  58.  Such One alone is Reality, the Great Yogi, the Divine Self, the Sky-Encompassing Infinite One, the Ancient One Who can only be known through the Highest Spiritual Knowledge.  He Alone is the only Saviour (Taraka).  He is the Cause of Universal Dissolution.  He is the Origin of All.  He is the All Itself.

 

  59.  Some say that I, the Divine Self, am One, others that I am Many.  Some say that I am that Self, others that He is another.  But I, the Greatest God, declare that I am at once smaller than the smallest atom, yet greater than the greatest.  Formless, yet endowed with Form.  Uniform, yet of innumerable forms.  I am All and Everything.

 

  60. Verily, the Wise one who realises that Supreme Master in his heart, who beholds that Eternal Being Who manifests Himself as the Universe and is the Highest Goal of Sages, he alone shall be fit to ascend to My Supreme Abode beyond the plane of ordinary knowledge where he shall enjoy Bliss Undying and Divine.

 

 

Commentary to Chapter Seven

 

     5.  Everything is born of that Supreme Sound: See Chapter 1, Commentary to introductory verse.

 

     9.  As in the day the light in the Sky, the Sun, is ever one, etc.: When the Sky is clear as during the day, the World is illumined by one Light only.  But when the sunlight is obstructed, as in the night, not even the myriads of Stars can dispel the darkness.  Why this great contrast between Day and Night?  As the World was created by the Greatest Intelligence in the Universe, it can hardly be supposed to be a random and meaningless collection of things.  Indeed, Day and Night exist for a purpose, which is to remind us of a Higher Truth.  This Truth is that Reality has two aspects.  One in which It reigns Supreme, as the Only Existing Truth, and another in which It apparently assumes a secondary position, leaving the stage free for others to unfold their own life drama, while Itself constantly observes the World Show from behind the ever-changing scenes.  The sage understands that while both realities have their value, only that is really true in which One Reality outshines all others.  That reality is the Condition of Divinity, Godhead, Enlightenment, Awakening or Truth.  Whatever it may seem, everything else is just a dream, fashioned by the Supreme Reality Itself.  Not only this, but just as Day follows Night, so also Reality returns to Its natural state of Supreme Sovereignty every moment anew before returning to the Grand Show of the Universal Drama.  More permanently, It returns to Its True Self at the "End of the World".  This End of the World takes place on two levels.  On the personal level, when the Enlightened or Awakened Soul sees through the plot of the World Drama and stands face to face with the Sun of Reality Whom he recognises as his own Higher Self.  On the Universal level, the End of the World Drama comes when, at the time of Universal Dissolution (Maha Pralaya), the Divine Show Master dismisses the actors, the audience and Himself and merges everything back into His Infinite, Unmanifest Self.

 

     11.  But to the others it is like a sealed chest: The question that arises here is whether Enlightenment can be attained by means other than Yoga.  The answer, of course, is no.  As the word itself suggests, Enlightenment is the condition of living in and by the Light of Universal Consciousness (or Divine Intelligence).  Yoga is both the experience of that state (of Absolute Unity and Identity with the Supreme) and the means that leads to it.  Although Spiritually ignorant man cannot escape a sense of isolation that leads him to feel abandoned and forlorn, the truth is that he is never alone.  The space between man and Shiva is never empty.  It is always full to the brim with the radiant Intelligence of myriads of Yogis who are rays of the Supreme.  The All-Embracing Sky of Universal Consciousness from here to Infinity is ever ablaze with Yogic Light which is the Light of Universal Unity.  These Yogis, of course, are not limited beings with physical bodies like those seen on Earth, they are Pure Luminous Beings of great Spiritual Power.  The fact is that the Higher Reaches of Existence are occupied exclusively by Yogis who are more and more Identical with Shiva in ascending order.  Now, supposing, for the sake of argument, that a non-Yogi somehow succeeded to reach those Higher Planes of Universal Unity, he must necessarily have shed his non-Yogic ideas which are, by definition, divisive, in order to acquire the unitive purity that entrance on the Higher Planes naturally demands.  And, having entered those Planes of Universal Unity, he will, by force of circumstances, have been transformed into a Yogi, that is, a Follower of and Participant in Universal Unity, and Pervaded and Enlightened by Shiva's Unitive Light of Truth which is Yoga, and transformed into a Being who is One with Shiva Himself.  In consequence, and as everybody will agree, it is a logical necessity for the Higher Reaches of Existence which are Abodes of Pure Universal Unity and ever free of even a shadow of disunity, to be inhabited by Yogis and Yogis only, since otherwise the Universal Unity would cease to be such.  To deny this would amount to denying the ultimate Unity of Being and this in turn would expose the denier as being ignorant of the most fundamental Spiritual Truth, which is, that Reality is One.

 

     12.  I, the Ever Awake, having put the Souls to sleep, enchant them all with the Great World Dream, etc.: Says the Shiva Stotravali: "Obeisance to You! the only lamp for worldly beings blinded by the darkness of delusion.  Obeisance to You, O Supreme Being! Ever Awake in the midst of a sleeping World" (14:18).  Likewise, it is said in the Ishvara-Pratyabhijna: "When the whole World is asleep only the Highest Lord, the Creator of the World-Drama, is Awake".

 

     16 (a).  Maya is the fetter to be conquered through Sadhana or Spiritual Practice: Sadhana literally means that which leads to Perfection (Siddhi).  Any activity, physical, mental or Spiritual that leads to a higher state of consciousness constitutes Spiritual Practice.  It is the perfecting of the apparently imperfect Soul and leads to a Perfect Experience of Life which is identical to the Experience God has of Himself and of His Creation.

 

     16 (b).  Though the Souls appear to be many, they are in reality One: In reality, there is only One Supreme Soul (the Universal Self or God) and all individual Souls are one with each other in and through the One Supreme Being.  External, object-centred consciousness as experienced in everyday life imposes on the mind an awareness of distinctiveness and separateness between Souls.  It is to a large extent a matter of identity.  If we identify ourselves with limited physical bodies, then we cannot help feeling distinct to and separate from others.  If we identify ourselves with the mind then the self-imposed delimitations are less rigid and become more fluid allowing us to identify in thought and feeling with those with whom we share certain thoughts and emotions.  If we identify ourselves with the Soul, the conscious entity at the centre of our being, who consists of pure light, intelligence and energy, then we cannot avoid feeling one with other Souls who are all essentially the same as we are.  Finally, if we identify with the Supreme, Universal Being, then logically One Being Only exists and the Oneness of Life becomes the underlying substratum of all our experience.

 

     20.  Knowledge that others claim not to possess even though it was revealed by Myself unto the World: In the same way as the function of the Sun is to radiate light, the function of God is to radiate Truth.  Truth or Knowledge of Reality is constantly transmitted (or transmits Itself) to the World in many different ways yet the recipient's power of perception or conception is not always sufficiently developed for him to fully understand the meaning of what he has received.  Elements of Yogic Teachings may be found in all Spiritual traditions of the World yet they are not always recognised as such and their existence is denied by the ignorant.  For example, the Christian religion recognises that God is One.  Islam also teaches that there is no other God besides God.  However, Yoga goes one step further and asserts that God alone exists.  This clearly establishes the Absolute Unity of Life and Supremacy of God in a way no other religion does.  While this teaching is implicitly contained in all other traditions, it is eminently evident in Yoga alone.  It is as if non-Yogic traditions were afraid of exposing the full Truth and attempted to cover it up or dilute it beyond recognition.  This is perhaps due to the fact that they are transmitting the Truth to non-Yogis, that is to say, to persons who are not yet ready to assimilate the whole Truth and therefore must be fed diluted versions thereof just as a babies are fed diluted food.

 

     27.  Turning My Gaze within, I again see Myself as the Only-Existing-One: The diverse forms of existence from the highest to the lowest are nothing but Shiva's Own Universal Consciousness manifesting Itself as the Thirty-Six Realities.  When, at the Time of Dissolution, Shiva re-absorbs everything into Himself, the Eternal, Thirty-Sixth Reality alone remains as the Only-Existing-One.  The Enlightened Yogi who identifies himself with the Supreme, Unmanifest Reality, likewise no longer sees the Thirty-Six Realities but only the One.  Says the Shivastotravali: "O Lord! how glorious is Your Great Festival of Worship (Puja-Mahotsava) which consumes even the Thirty-Six Realities" (17:30).

 

     32.  Dreaming, Deep Sleep and the Fourth, Enlightenment, are known only to Yogis and Beings Divine: The English word Enlightenment is the translation of the Greek Photismos (Illumination) which was the term employed by the Sages of Ancient Greece to describe the condition of elevated Spiritual Awareness, a condition that is often accompanied by visions of light (photisms).  In the Yoga tradition itself, the term Illumination (Pratibha) is reserved for the light of Intuition (or Insight) that illumines the mind, as it were, and enhances its faculties prior to Enlightenment proper.  The latter is commonly referred to as Moksha (Liberation), Mukti (Release), Nirvana (Extinction of Mental Fluctuations), Duhkanta (End of Sorrow), Bodhi, Sambodhi (Awakening), Sampurnata (Perfection), Shivatva (Oneness with God) or Shiva-Sthana (Being Established in God).  The term Enlightenment or Illumination, therefore, may be said to have three levels of meaning corresponding to three degrees of experience: (1) visions of light (photisms), (2) state of enhanced mental awareness and clarity prior to Enlightenment proper and (3) Enlightenment itself, that is, the Highest and Fullest Possible, God-like State of Consciousness or Being.  In the final analysis, however, all these are just mental concepts that do little more than vaguely pointing to a condition that surpasses all mental conception.  As the Buddha himself has said: The objective field of the Enlightened Ones is unthinkable, it cannot be thought out; anyone who tried to think it out would reap madness and frustration (Anguttara Nikaya ii, 80).  The present verse says this much by stating that dreaming, deep sleep and Enlightenment are known to Yogis and Divine Beings only.  Although ordinary people may have glimpses of these, they are far from possessing full knowledge of them, which is the exclusive prerogative of those who have attained higher states (Saints, Siddhas, Perfect Souls).

 

     34.  Six Powers Divine: Omnipotence, Omniscience, Infinite Fullness-and-Satisfaction, Omnipresence, Eternity and Infinite Freedom, their Source: These are the Powers of the Supreme Being.  In relation to the Universe, they manifest themselves as the Five Powers, Intelligence, Bliss, Will, Knowledge, Action and Infinite Freedom (from which they arise) as described in Commentary to 6:60.  As all Divine Powers are included in Infinite Freedom, they may be counted either as six with Infinite Freedom taken as a separate Power or as five with Infinite Freedom implied as the ground and source of the other five.

 

     41.  I am the three hundred and sixty days of the human year: See Commentary to 2:65.

 

     42.  The All-Encompassing Circle described by the Great Firmament itself: This refers to the great circle of the Celestial Sphere which is described by the line of the horizon (where Earth and Sky are seen to meet).  Alternatively, the circle described by the Sun as he passes through the twelve Constellations of the Zodiac in the course of one year.

 

     49.  The Effulgent Throne of Heaven: The Throne of God is also mentioned in Western Scriptures such as the Bible and the Quran.  In Yoga, it represents the State or Condition of Godhead (Shivatva, Shiva-Sthana) which is attained by ascending heavenwards through a series of States of Consciousness or "Steps".  In the Bible (1 Kings 10:19), the Throne of the People of God is said to have six steps, which clearly agrees with the Yoga Tradition.  The six steps are the six levels of existence that ultimately lead to the Seventh and Highest State of All-Encompassing Divinity.  If we multiply the six steps by the six powers which unfold as the Soul progresses on his journey towards Unity with God, this gives a total of thirty-six, that is, the totality or fullness of experience which restores the human Soul to his Divine Status.  In the human body, these steps correspond to the Seven Energy Centres or Chakras the first six of which are progressive steps to the seventh and highest.  See also verses 4:58-60 and Commentary.

 

 

 

 

End of Chapter 7 and Commentary

 

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