While doing Sadhana we were told to focus on the space that exists between two consecutive sounds of 'Om' so, as 'Om' is chanted once, the attention goes towards inhaling deep breath, on its own hence, it gets difficult to observe that space and as you had mentioned, one shouldn't do kumbhak (retaining the breath), then how can this be done? See, it isn't like I don't want you to practice Kumbhak but before you practice kumbhak, isn't it necessary to purify the body or not? if there's vitiated pitta and kapha in the body if there's excessive impurity in the body, if the vayu is not functioning properly in the body if you'll practice kumbhak with such a body, then the body would become even more diseased Kumbhak is an excellent technique however, before practicing kumbhak who's going to correct one's diet and conduct Diet is what goes inside from outside and what comes out of your mind, is a part of your conduct so your diet should be correct and your conduct should also be correct you should be aware of what you put inside, and what comes out of your mouth, what comes out in the form of your speech how you tend to behave, this also needs to be seen See, if you tend to speak harsh words, then you'll keep making enemies and in response, the enemies would surely do something so, when they'll respond, then this will agitate you so you would keep thinking - 'My enemy said this and that, I'll retaliate this way, and so on' hence, in such a case would these thoughts be running in your mind or 'Om' how many enemies do you have? look within your own mind how many people do you consider as your enemy, you hold anger against how many people in your mind you hold aversion towards how many people in your mind and for how many people, do you hold attachment in your mind so, can a mind filled with attachments and aversions, be emptied remain agitated then now when your mind will be agitated, then how can you practice kumbhak with such a mind So, the Mahatmas give clear instructions in this regard, which have to be followed no matter what; There's no other way Pure discipline has to be brought in your life If that discipline isn't there, then you won't be able to practice kumbhak so, while keeping a check on your body's diet and conduct, when you begin to practice Pranayama properly when you are able to practice 'nadi-shodhana' for around forty minutes or one hour and the body too should be somehow balanced if you are able to practice this much then we will teach you kumbhak and this is for certain that your mind can be stilled by practicing kumbhak so quickly that it cannot be quietened through any other practice that fast but the problem is you don't take your Sadhana seriously you think by just listening, you will gain everything. It doesn't happen like that These days, some students are learning to play flute in Ashram so they are having a first-hand experience they have purchased the flutes they also have the required breath to blow in it but they are unable to blow the air into it properly they are yet to blow in it properly if they are able to play 'Sa', 'Re', 'Ga', then it seems difficult to play 'Pa'; if they are able to play 'Pa', then 'Dha' can't be played properly by merely holding a flute in the hands, does one learn music? to accomplish that also, the masters ask to practice blowing air, for at least four to five hours everyday only then you'll be able to perfect blowing the air into it; only then you can start learning to play flute there's nothing which works like a two-minute noodle there's nothing of this sort everything that's worth it, necessarily demands practice but if there's no patience if patience isn't there one isn't used to working hard so such people aren't able to do anything for everything, they... one person said- this teacher isn't competent enough, let's find some other teacher therefore, they approach some other teacher the other teacher was charging a higher fee hence they thought he must be good for he is demanding a higher fee after around four to six months, one wouldn't find even that teacher to be capable enough; Hence, they look for someone else, then again someone else is sought and so on one doesn't learn music this way So, kumbhak can certainly help in catching this pause easily, for one needs to neither inhale nor exhale breath it has simply been suspended now, when the breath has been suspended and the channels related to functioning of the mind and prana (the vital life force) in your body, should all be purified They should be purified; They are purified by practicing asanas for the body becomes devoid of all impurities firstly, practicing asanas and pranayama and after that practicing Kumbhak would certainly be of great help With a... when you proceed by following a certain system, then even attainment is substantial So, while practicing 'Om', the attention should be on the sound of 'Om' now, if your mind quietens, if your mind becomes still then actually the truth is - why would concentrating on breath inhalation bother you but, there's some problem that you're finding even inhaling breath to be bothersome Okay, now I have to inhale, I need to bring my concentration here; Okay, now I have to chant 'Om'; Okay, now I have to pause between two successive 'Om' why are you considering this to be bothersome but if that is the case then move one step back, wherein we only ask you to chant 'Om' so, practice that only like, firstly you will learn Alphabets, then you will learn to join two alphabets firstly, learn A, B, C, D, then learn that T and O makes 'to', G and O together makes 'Go' and then join two words join two alphabets and form a word Right? So, if you are finding this to be difficult then also it's fine, only practice chanting Om in that case you should have one such room in your house, which is completely vacant, wherein you do not keep any stuff; You simply place your mat and sit on it so that your sound reverberates and then practice the sadhana of Om, while sitting here Keep that room absolutely vacant and empty. Don't keep anything in this particular meditation room for this particular sadhana when you will chant Om in a loud and clear voice that will reverberate and then that will make it more easier, because you'll be listening to your own sound and many times fold, it will get multiplied If it is a high ceiling room, much better If it has some kind of a dome, beautiful! dome will give you much better feedback many times, listening to that, listening to that So do this first and then afterwards, you can practice the next sadhana Now again when the topic of 'arani' comes up, that what is 'arani', so understand its symbolism this way What is 'arani'? Your ahankara (ego) is 'arani' now, ego isn't similar to the body parts like hands and legs, that it will be visible to you. Now, see... is it subtle or not In the body, the senses are subtler than the body and even subtler than the senses, is the mind and subtler than the mind, is ego What does 'ego' mean here? I am This 'I' is although the illusory one, or this is the unreal 'I', the unreal Self so, what is the 'arani'? This 'I am', this ego is the arani Now, in arani there are two pieces of wood one is below, one is above and in between we keep that churning stick so, this ego is the upper wood and your intellect, 'buddhi' it is the churning stick and what is the rope? It is 'Om' so, now when you move the rope this way and with this churning stick, the churning goes on; similarly the chant of 'Om' goes on and churning is going on and as a consequence of this churning the fire of Atman-Gyana (Knowledge of the true Self) emerges the fire of Atman-Gyana will emerge and what is this fire of gyana the fire of gyana implies Brahamakara-vritti Brahmakara-vritti and it is this Brahmakara-vritti which is needed to realise Brahman to have firm conviction of Brahman, only this was required, what else other than this is required anatmakara-vritti (concerning all that is non-Self) had to be removed, Brahmakara-vritti had to be attained So, we can take another example here in order to understand in arani, there is a piece of wood below and another piece of wood above, and in between is the churning stick and then it is churned what is churning? It is the chanting of Om okay, if you've ever seen when some boxers fight when they are having a boxing match so they are punching each other one boxer punches the other hard and the other one falls down the first one is standing and there's one referee who's counting who is he counting for? For the one who has fallen down if he will stand up or not So, he counts from 1 to 10. So, if he has counted till 10 then the boxer who was knocked down loses, and the one who is standing is declared the winner So, this ego that you have is what that has to be knocked out and your boxer-akin-to-intellect has to be made victorious, for the intellect has to be refined with wisdom so, when the boxer-intellect has to be made victorious, then what does the counting stand for counting stands for the chant of Om so, the ego is destroyed the intellect is made victorious so the one who loses, gets eliminated, and the other who wins is rewarded with a medal Similarly, if we talk in the context of this Gyana, then it means that the Ego vanishes and the intellect wins. Which intellect? The one which is refined with wisdom and what is the reward received? The realisation of Atman this becomes the reward, realisation of Brahman becomes the reward The ego is nothing in reality however, it is believed to exist I am the body-senses-mind-intellect, this is a belief and that which is believed to exist, is actually an illusion and the 'I' which emanates from this very illusion, that illusory 'I' means, this imaginative 'I' has to be put down and the intellect has to be illuminated and that will happen with the help of taking the 'Om' meaning, all other things about the world should leave the mind what is left is just 'Om' and then this will ignite that fire that will ignite that light in which... what 'I am' gets revealed Brahmakara-vritti when the mind quietens, the mind becomes still, the mind becomes thoughtless this is very precious however, only the thoughtlessness of the mind isn't enough, the churning of the intellect too is necessary Now, on the path of Yoga, those who meditate they can sit for many hours at a stretch they do not move, they can sit for many hours their mind also becomes still but this does not result in the realisation of Atman Okay, I am separate from the body-senses-mind-intellect, this can still be realised in due course of time but, 'this Atman itself is Brahman' - this realisation can never occur why is that so? Because for that to happen, knowledge of Mahavakya (the great aphorisms) is required hence the need of a Guru who would explain and make one understand the Mahavakya, is indispensable so, when knowledge of Vedanta isn't there, when a Shrotriya-Brahmanishtha Guru isn't present, when one does not get to listen to the Mahavakya then, I am different and Paramatman is someone different, this distinction always remains this is a massive distinction On the path of Bhakti, they say please the Lord and if the Lord is pleased, then He will grant liberation on the path of Bhakti but do remember that the liberation that has been granted by the Lord on being pleased, it can be reversed if He gets displeased Once... it is said that, Shankar and Parvati Ji were travelling through the sky r and on Earth Sanak, Sanandan, all these four brothers were sitting So, Shankar Ji said to Parvati Ji - 'Let's go and visit these sages' they are the Brahma's manas-putra (mind-born sons), let's go and have their darshan Parvati thinks- I am Parvati and You are Shankar, so why should we go seeking their darshan but she couldn't express this and went along now, all the four Mahatmas were in a meditative state, completely established in the true Self they were in such a state wherein one is eternally in the state of Samadhi so Shankar Ji stood before them for a while and kept watching them now see there are two things on one hand, there are those devotees who plead - 'O Shankar Ji, please come, so that we may have your darshan' while on the other hand, Shankar Ji Himself has descended to have darshan of the sages that's because these sages are knower of the fundamental reality, they are established in the true Self hence, Shankar Himself is standing before them to have their darshan Parvati was infuriated - 'You have come here, I have come here, and they can't be bothered to even stand and welcome us' 'they are like camels' 'so you better become camels' - Parvati cursed them according to the story, it is said that the body of all four of them had turned into that of a camel
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