Tag Archive for: Yogiraj Siddhanath

What Happens to the Soul After Death?

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By Yogiraj Siddhanath

Is Death the final goal of life or is there life after death? And if there is life, what are the turns and twists and evolutionary journey in life after death, until the soul is reborn again? This question has long perturbed humankind caught between medical sciences which have for long tried to prolong life, thinking it to be the only one, and the rishis and yogis who have claimed to conquer ultimate Death freeing themselves from the unending cycle of birth and death.

For realised beings of the Vedic era, there is no “after death”, because for the soul there is no death, so how can there be “after death”? What normal people call death is in reality only the end of the physical body. The earth known as Mrityu Lok, is the plane of mortality, where life ends with the decay and death of the physical body perceived by our five senses.

The journey of the soul after death, which in India we call devachan or devasthan was originally discovered and intuited by the ancient sages of India thousands of years ago, and one can find the details of this in the Brahmanical rituals of the shraad. Narratives of near-death experiences in modern times have validated many of the stages in this journey.

According to the Sanatan system of knowing, the soul though itself an immortal entity residing in a physical body, has a lifespan. This lifespan differs from individual to individual, as per their personal karma. According to its lifespan, the soul lives in the physical body, does good deeds, neutral deeds, bad deeds, living according to the karma released to it for this lifetime. Then comes old age, the body starts to decay and like our garments get old and torn and must be discarded, the body too is discarded by the soul.

Here begins the journey of the soul after the death of the physical body.

At the first instance, the soul leaves the outermost coat, which is the physical casement, or the physical garment, but the coat of its subtler emotional and mental garments remains. The body is burnt, the physical body, the garment, which is not the soul — the apparent self is burnt, and the true self, the soul, covered by its passions, emotions and the mind passes out of the body.

For seventy-two hours after the body shell is burnt or buried the soul remains in the plane called the Pret Lok. The soul hovers in the burial or cremation ground as the emotional, mental and intuitional body disengages itself from the physical and ethereal body while working out its grossest karma, those that are closest to the physical body.

On the third day, according to the shraad ritual the soul is offered food that it enjoyed when in the body. It’s laid out so that the spirit, which is there, satisfies its last leftover desires, to move from Pret Lok to the next plane, called the Pishachya Lok.

Once in the Pishachya Lok, the soul works out the subtler karmas of its emotional and passional body, satisfying its carnal desires before it can break through the Pishachic shell. To facilitate the breaking of the shell a ritual is performed on this day to release the soul from its limited passional and emotional consciousness, to get it into a state of mental consciousness. When that puja is done, the shell breaks.

Around the tenth day the soul, having more or less satisfied all its desires starts its transition to the Pitr Lok, the plane of the ancestors. Here the ancestors and in the case of disciples their Satguru will appear to lead the soul through the maze. Even though most of the residual karmas are worked out, in the initial stages even of Pitr Lok some differences and bitterness are resolved. Nullifying all its karma the soul gets purer and joins its ancestors, those who are enlightened.

The soul then finally rests in the Dev Lok, the heavenly spheres. After working out all its good and bad karmas the soul rests. This is its journey from the earthly terrestrial sphere of Bhur, to the intermediate astral stage of Bhuvaha to the celestial heavenly sphere of Svaha.

Then again it reincarnates, descending from Svaha, to Bhuvaha to Bhur, taking once again, an intuitional body, then a mental body, an emotional then an etheric body, and finally a physical body in the womb of a mother who is most suitable for its karma.  Parents who will give the maximum facilities for its spiritual evolution are chosen by the soul.

This not just a belief in India, it’s a fact and many have had firsthand experience of it. So death is nothing to be afraid of.

“Why do people think of me what I am not supposed to be?

They call me death and yet I take them to Eternity.

Oh, this paradox of ignorance

Deludes humanity.”*

Now we come to the most important part, what happens to a sincerely practicing yogi progressing along the chosen path in this process of life and death, in the terrestrial plane and afterlife? A meditating yogi, depending upon the practice and because of the speed of the evolutionary practice of yoga works out the karma of the devachan, life after the death of the body, while in the body itself. The yogi does not go through the planes of bhuvaha and svaha, the yogi does not travel through the pret and pishachya lok nor the pitr lok. Some even transcend the dev lok, consciously leaving this body to merge into the finality of the Supreme Conscious Being.

*From Yogiraj Siddhanath’s poem, “Death”

Note: This is a reprint of an article published January 18, 2019 in the online publication, The Pioneer.

For more of Yogiraj’s profound wisdom, meet him at an upcoming event or watch his YouTube videos!

Way of the White Swan, the journey of the jeevhamsa

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By Yogiraj Siddhanath

Progress into the inner recesses of the brain

The journey of our soul can be summed up as the cycle of the involution of Consciousness through mind into matter and then its subsequent evolution from matter into mind and Consciousness.

The human soul, in order to complete its cycle of evolution first descends and gets engrossed in the various sheaths of the body, the mental sheath, the emotional sheath, the etheric sheath and finally in the womb the material sheath of flesh and bones. Forgetting its true nature, it gets more and more restricted as in relative sequence by various permutations and combinations of molecules it becomes more and more dense. In this descending arc of involution called the Pravritti Marg, the soul sinks more and more into the material world, garnering the experiences of joy and sorrow, right and wrong, bad and good, garnering experiences in the world of relativity in the material world.

After being buffeted by raag (attractions) and dvesh (repulsions), the joys and miseries of the material world and satisfying the lust for life, the inner-spirit of the soul-swan pushes it towards its own evolution, the Nivritti Marg, the inward path of return. This is the evolutionary path of renunciation and detachment from all worldly pleasures of samsara. Here the soul consciousness begins to withdraw itself from the grosser sheath of matter to the subtler spheres of the mind. Moving to complete its cycle of evolution it ascends, and becomes more and more transparent by yogic and spiritual practices, the flame of its soul expresses more and more of its innate spiritual radiance. The jeevhamsa begins its inner yogic ascent through ever more refined and ever more expanded spheres of consciousness to get to the god-essence, the divine in-dweller that lies at the core of its own Being.

The evolution of the human consciousness is the most comprehensive enterprise ever undertaken by the Yogis, compared to which the greatest of human achievements pale into insignificance. A journey inwards unsurpassed by any journey into outer space.  In the human brain exist the lateral ventricles in the shape of a swan poised in flight, with its wings thrust forward and its head pointing to the back. When a Hamsa Yogi, through yogic meditation and pranayama, activates the kundalini energy, these ventricles in the brain open up. The two petals in the agnya chakra corresponding to the pituitary gland open first. The yogi at this stage experiences hamsa consciousness of being breathed by the Divine in-dweller, the universal prana.

As the yogi further continues and progresses in the hamsa meditation, the third eye opens up in the agnya chakra and the yogi goes into the ecstasy of sarvikalpa consciousness. Then penetrating the star in the third eye the hamsayogi expands into the state of nirvikalpa consciousness, dwelling in the cave of Brahma, the brain’s third ventricle. The evolution of the human consciousness does not stop there. The awareness of the yogi evolves further beyond the I-ness of humanity to settle in the spaces of the lateral swan-like ventricles of the brain. Then in a final push the mighty hamsa, the soul wins its wings to final freedom and liberation. The corona radiata of the brain light up with divine effulgence and the yogi takes flight into cosmic consciousness. Experiencing the total divinity of and beyond creation, gaining the ultimate knowledge of Tat Tvam Asi, the yogi merges into Niranjan Nirvan, the final nirvana of the Kaivalya Samadhi. Having attained the enlightenment of the Buddha and the Christ such beings come back to this world only as an Avatar.

This is where we are going, in spite of ourselves.  Because the whole warp and weft of the cosmic flow, the galactic swirl, the universal swirl is towards Divinity.  And because the whole swirl and sway and swing and rhythm and music of the universe is towards Divinity, we cannot help but flow in that direction.

Within each one of us is this mystic, inconceivable, indescribable silence and love, and the urge to return to this natural state, the Sahaj Samadhi.

“Beyond the gates of death I glide – untied
Into regions sublime – surpassing causation, space and time.
Here Eternal bliss is King by name of Sat Chit Anand,
Whose life is loving Brahmananda.”

Note: This is a reprint of an article published January 4, 2019 in the online publication, The Pioneer.

** Yogiraj will be back in Europe, the U.S. and Canada in the spring and summer of 2019! You can join him now at events in India! Learn more at our Siddhanath Events Page.

Mount Shasta: the American Mount Kailash

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By Sterling Wilson – Southern California Devotee – 2017

Mount Shasta is the retreat to go to.

Mount Shasta is in Northern California, almost at the Oregon border.  I got a bit dizzy while at a rest stop looking at a state map on my first trip there from Southern California.  That’s how far North we are!?  Nevertheless, a three-day weekend retreat with Himalayan Master Yogiraj at this mountain is a must.  He often refers to it as the American Mount Kailash, which is perhaps the holiest mountain in the Himalayas.  It is interesting to note that the native Americans refer to Shasta as Adi-Nar, which is very similar to one of the Sanskrit names for Lord Shiva: Adi-Nath.

The retreat is a weekend of freeing our minds.  The mind, the root source of all disease, loses its iron grip.  Healing and sweet, deep consciousness fill the void.   That is the essence of any time spent with Yogiraj.

After years of retreats, I easily fall into the rhythm. During the satsang question-and-answer sessions, his answers are sometimes heavy with authority. The next moment they are playful and teasing; spontaneous discourses into the ancient lore of India, yogic healing transmissions, chanting and community.

When Yogiraj  entered the meditation hall at the start of last year’s retreat, my mood somehow lightened, erasing my two-day journey North. There were about twenty new people sitting up front and he wanted to make sure they felt comfortable and accepted.  Old timers, such as myself, left unchecked can hog the question-and-answer sessions.  Yogiraj caught us in the act and gave special attention to the newbies.

Saturday’s big event was the outdoor meditation on Mt. Shasta at an open field called “Sand Flat”.  Yogiraj came and then we spread out across the whole field and forest for meditation.  He took us with him as he sat in meditation, going into deeper levels of consciousness.  The Guru is like a benevolent black hole, sucking all negativity into its void.

The bees and flies were buzzing and the late morning sun beat down.  Nevertheless, we remained in meditation, or something that at least looked like it.  Afterwards Yogiraj called us together and told us that he had taken us into Nirvikalpa Samadhi, the deepest layer of mindlessness.

Before breaking up, Yogiraj suggested eating something sweet and something a little spicy with lunch: “With the sweet and spicy the healing will take place.”  As we laughed, he laughed about what an easy Guru he is.  I recall years ago that he said, “One must only look for the most spoiled disciples and know that they are mine.”

Did I mention that Mount Shasta is the retreat to go to?

You can join Yogiraj and our spiritual family this summer at Mount Shasta. Learn more at our U.S. Events Page.

McCloud Middle Falls Near Mt Shasta

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By Sterling Wilson – Southern California Devotee – 2017

McCloud Middle Falls Near Mt Shasta. When we are in nature, standing face to face, it is we who blink first.  Nature holds her gaze.  The energy is too strong for most people- we quickly fall into fiddling with cell phones, talking loudly or drinking beer and building big fires and making lots of noise around them.  We just don’t know what to do with ourselves.  Kriya pranayam and Surya meditation give us a way to connect with nature, something to do there.  This is an ancient lifestyle and it is only the beginning for young America.

The Mc CLoud river becomes Middle Falls as it works its way through the forest below Mt Shasta.  Yogiraj often discusses the coming spiritual civilization that is right now developing on the West Cost of America.  He has said that right now there are more practicing yogis on the west coast of America than in India.  

He teaches that water, especially flowing water greatly benefits meditation.  The Himalayan pilgrimage group makes sure to stop at a mountain waterfall on the journey.  Both the Haridwar and Rishikesh retreats  have time set aside for a dip in the strong flowing, clean, very cold, mountain-pure Ganges.  The prana that is the river current flows through our bodies.  At the Shasta retreat in 2015 he answered a question about eclipses saying that they enhance the meditation and the flowing water  even more so.  A Full Moon lunar eclipse? Go find a river to meditate in…….. or bathtub.

And every year at Middle Falls I see it and recognize it.  Hamsas from the whole West Coast and beyond are there: from Vancouver down to San Diego……and those are just the ones I know…..The scene of scattered Hamsas, some off under the waterfall sitting, others across the water happy to be drying off in the sun.  Valiant yogis to be!  And that water is cold. I can personally attest to sitting under the falls and feeling the energy rise.  The science Yogiraj gives us is true.

A  few tourist families mill about at the Falls as well, with dad taking a dip in the water and the kids looking on. And of course the “beer drinkers” ( a term my mother uses) are there as well- sunburned skin, cigarettes, beer, loud voices and heavy metal soundtrack.

How wonderful that we have something to do there.   “Go sit and do Kriya pryanayam under that waterfall, or stand in the cold river water doing Surya.”  Oh  yes I can do that.
https://siddhanath.org/event/2024-shasta-expanded-benefactors-life-and-livingness-retreat/

THE NATURE OF HIS WORK

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“SHIVAPAT”
Unique Phenomenon of Awaring Consciousness

The raising of mass consciousness of the people by Yogiraj Siddhanath, to a thought free state of Enlightenment is unprecedented in the spiritual history of the modern age.

Come experience this unique phenomenon as already experienced by tens of thousands of people, of the yesteryears.

Today he travels the world giving United Consciousness Conference (UCCs), bringing the awareness of all seekers to this ineffable mind-dissolving state of total satisfaction; where you feel content beyond all desires and you want nothing more. Where you experience the nostalgia, that this is it; I have reached home!

Sitting in the presence of the Master of masters, this experience of Awaring Consciousness our beloved Master bestows upon us, is by him, called “Shivapat”.

An Ocean of Loving Energy Awaits us at Carlsbad

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It is not often that we are given the opportunity to be a part of something
that will not only change us, but is also world changing.  Combining the powerful energies of the sun
and the ocean with Yogiraj’s loving energy is a combination that will help unlock
our own inner light and open us to the mysteries and love within and around us. 

From testimonies of some of those who have attended previous year’s retreats at
Carlsbad, it is clear that the energy levels seem to be particularly heightened
by the presence of the Pacific Ocean at the doorstep of this venue.  Many spiritual and emotional healings have
taken place over the last couple of years at this retreat.

The oceanfront
location in Carlsbad could be the most powerful and emotionally moving event of
Yogiraj’s tour this year.  We will all be
sharing an oceanfront meditation with Yogiraj on the beach. Yogiraj’s healing
transmissions during this retreat will be working specifically on the chakras
to ease and clear our emotional suffering.

In today’s world, with all its social disharmony and anger, the clearing of our
chakras and getting them balanced is necessary for not only good mental and
emotional health, but also for our spiritual growth.  We live in a world where our uncontrolled
feelings and emotions can cause us great suffering; so healing them with loving
energy will help give us greater wisdom to take our spiritual journey forward.

The elemental nature of the second chakra is water. The healing transmission
with Yogiraj, combined with the elemental nature of the vast ocean will focus
this powerful healing force on each of us. When the second chakra is in balance
we will experience sensations of wellness, pleasure, gratitude, and joy along
with better physical and emotional health.

This is an opportunity
to change your life focus and direction – a chance for true healing in the
presence of a Master!

Space is still available for this retreat! hwww.vps105180.inmotionhosting.com/events/yogiraj-events

Catskill Mountains – Dazzle in the City of Jewels and Transfigure to the Seat of the Soul

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Yogiraj’s East Coast retreat will be held in the Catskill Mountains this year!
Ignite the fire of
your navel chakra, “the city of jewels” under the crystal clear constellations
on Frost Valley Mountain as Yogiraj transmits his healing energy during your
meditation.  Take this blazing journey in the night by the camp fire.  Feel the brilliance of the sun as your navel
chakra is awakened, balanced and activated according to your receptivity and individual
karma.  Find your personal power and unleash
the consciousness of self within the vast universe.

Enter the realm where
one finds the ultimate self, within the sixth chakra, “the seat of the soul.” 
Yogiraj will be empowering you into Kriya Yoga amidst the cool mountain of
Frost Valley during the beginning of the fall equinox, surrounded by Lake Swan
and the gurgling streams and brooks that hug this pristine grassland.  Dwell in
your sacred space of non-judgment. Become the witness of your consciousness and
experience peace and detachment from the thinking mind.  Experience yourself as
an extension of the universal consciousness.  Sign up now! http://www.vps105180.inmotionhosting.com/events/yogiraj-events

Shasta – Infusing the Divine into our Everyday Life

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We are
all looking forward to New Life Awakening with Yogiraj at Shasta.  Each experience with him, whether it be the
first or tenth, is unique and life changing.
Shasta
is the ideal energy vortex to learn and practice Kriya Yoga – this holy
mountain has an inherently powerful pull on our astral spine to facilitate the
movement of the Kriya Breath from the base of the spine (the first chakra) to
the sixth chakra at the third-eye center. Practicing Kriya at Shasta in the
presence of Yogiraj will accelerate the raising of Kundalini potential to
awaken us faster towards our goal of Self-Realization.
Last
year, some of us were blessed to perceive the presence of higher beings
attending Yogiraj’s evening sessions on the mountain. This was made possible by
an increase in the vibration of our subtle senses and opening of the third eye
center.  Even these residents of the hidden Shasta came to pay their respects
and to be transformed in the presence of a true Master. Their example should
inspire us to treasure this spiritual gift that is beyond our rational
understanding.

Many
years or even life-times of suffering can be avoided by experiencing Kriya at
Mt. Shasta with Yogiraj. Don’t hesitate and miss this opportunity. Listen to
your heart and sign-up now for the upcoming retreat to avoid disappointment.   http://www.vps105180.inmotionhosting.com/events/yogiraj-events

Yoga: Our Parent Source, per Yogiraj Siddhanath

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YOGA: Our Parent Source
A Conversation with Yogiraj Siddhanath
By Sergio Barreto Solis
Sergio:
Welcome, Yogiraj.  Let’s start with an obvious which, likely, isn’t.  What is
the purpose of Yoga?

Yogiraj:
The purpose of Yoga is You, and the purpose of You is your finite
consciousness merging into Infinite Consciousness.  Yoga is Consciousness.  And Supreme Yoga is Divine
Consciousness.
Within
each of us is this mystic, inconceivable, indescribable Silence and Love
and this urge (calling us) back to our naturalness, or Sahaj Samadhi, our
natural state of Divine Consciousness.
So
Yoga is the science, the way, and the path to actualize the essence of your
Being.  It has nothing to do with culture or religion.  It’s just your path
to Truth.  It’s an inner ascent through ever more refined and ever more
expanded spheres of Consciousness to Divinity, that stillness before the
Big Bang; a stillness which lies at the core of your own Being.
Sergio:
Is samadhi something we’ve experienced and forgotten?

Yogiraj: Samadhi is a natural state of enlightenment.  When Consciousness enters different
sheaths of the body, there is a descent of this awareness into grosser and
grosser sheaths.  And this is what is
called Maya.  Consciousness enters the mental sheath.  Then it enters the
astral sheath of emotions.  And then
it enters the etheric sheath, and then it enters the womb and the material
sheath of flesh and blood and bone.
And
it gets more and more restricted as it, in relative sequence, by various
permutations, combinations, and aggregation of molecules, becomes denser
and denser and denser.  That’s why
man, when he takes birth from the womb of a mother, his breath penetrates
and injects his physical body with such force that the cause is mistaken
for the effect, and man idolatrously imagines himself to be the body and
not the Soul.  And then, by practice
of yoga and other techniques, “he” goes back to the natural state of
enlightenment.
So
the breath is infused into the flesh with such force that you think you are
the body, whereas you are actually the Soul.  And Yoga is a technique to reverse the
electrical flow of prana, or life
essence energy, to regain paradise lost.  And when you, by the yogic
process, reverse your process, interiorize — you merge into your own Divine
Consciousness and realize that you are a Soul and you have a body.
Whereas
the common people today think they are a body and possess a Soul.  It’s not
that!  Yoga teaches that you are a Spirit unfettered in the body and possess
an appendix, an attachment of “body,” that is just your garment.
Sergio:
What is the Yoga of the Himalayas and how is it distinguished from “Studio
Yoga” taught in the West?

Yogiraj:
There is only one Yoga. The apparent difference between all yoga branches
is only of degree and not of kind. To a Knowing Master, the various yogas
can be organized in an ascending order from the physical postural yoga
(known as Yoga Asanas) to the emotional / devotional Bhakti Yoga then
further ascending to the more mental Mantra, Tantra and Laya Yogas then
ascending and expanding further into the intuitional Raja and Gyan Yoga of
true knowledge.
When
they say yoga here in the West, they mostly imply postural integration —
asanas, where they do the Yoga Asanas, the movement of body in various
postures, to bring about health. Yoga Asanas are like a self-given shiatsu,
self-given massage where you press and compress your body, you heal
yourself with them.
But,
basically and essentially, Yoga is not postures of integration of asanas.
Essentially, the core meaning of Yoga is Samadhi which means “composed mind,” the union of the finite
with Infinite Consciousness.
So
“Studio Yoga” is the initial tenderfoot, yet sincere effort of most Western
teachers to maintain bodily fitness and then further ascend toward the one
Yoga which is Samadhi, the fusion of the finite with the Infinite
Consciousness.  The urge is to go back to our Parent Source.
Sergio:
Why is the guidance of a guru or meditation master important to the
practice of Yoga?

Yogiraj:
Yoga is a natural process of the journey of the soul towards its parent
source, the Spirit.  But it takes a million, million years for a soul to
reach its natural state of Yoga-union with its Infinite Spirit.
In
order to avoid all karmic pitfalls and difficulties and to make the journey
of our soul safer, swifter, and more blessed, it is most important that one
evolves himself in his journey by the grace of a divine master, one who has
realized Samadhi-Yoga, or the True State of Infinite Consciousness.
What
a normal meditation practitioner would take to accomplish in several
million years, the blessings of a Satguru, or Master, and the technique of
Kriya Yoga would accomplish in twenty-four years, in twelve years even,
and, if the practice is intensified, in six years and three years in very exceptional
cases.
In
the unchartered ocean of life, the Satguru is the navigator and the goal is
Shiva’s Divine Form, or realized Samadhi Yoga, the goal of Divine
Consciousness. Under no stretch of imagination, can the Satguru’s
usefulness be dispensed within Himalayan Yoga or any yoga.
Sergio:
What then is Kriya Yoga? How does it differ from other systems of Yoga?

Yogiraj:
At the outset let me make it clear that all the yogas and faiths and
spiritual practices in the world are the symphony of one divine orchestra,
it is the immature ego in the human mind which makes of this harmony a
disharmony.  All the yogas, if
understood in their proper wisdom, are flowing one into the other as the
musical notes and varied instruments.
Similarly, the practice of postural yoga, of Yoga Asanas flows into
Hatha Yoga which flows into Kriya Yoga, which flows into Raja Yoga and then
into Samadhi Yoga.
As
a matter of real fact, Kriya Yoga takes the best of all yogas: it is a
connecting yoga between Hatha and Raja Yogas containing the properties of
both and linking the spectrum of all.
Patanjali mentions Kriya Yoga in his second chapter which comprises
self-endeavored discipline, self-endeavored study, and a pure offering of
one’s self to the Divine, be it as Guru or God.
Kriya
Yoga is the science of life-force energy control which develops into a
concentration and then a meditative practice until Kriya Yoga finally
merges that into states of Samadhi and is then qualified to be called Raja
Yoga.
When
the mind is dissolved, then this yoga expands into the ecstasy of total
enlightenment called Kaivalya or Brahma Nirvana.  It is from and with this
total enlightenment that the Satguru guides aspiring practitioners towards
Samadhi, home, to their Parent Source.
For
over 40 years, Yogiraj Siddhanath has healed and transformed millions all
over the world with his kundalini shakti transmissions, sharing freely his
own Samadhi (enlightened state) of peaceful bliss-consciousness with public
audiences.  Find out more at: www.vps105180.inmotionhosting.com