Виласнатхджи2From the book of Guru Yogi Vilasnatha Maharaja «Shri Natha Siddho ki Shankhadhal»

What is creation? It is a world emerged from Omkara. Some say that it is the unity of Shiva and Shakti. Some say the reason of all creation is Brahma, some say it is Vishnu or Ganesha. There is a variety of judgments around that question. Such explanations indicate that the universe has got a divine origin. Some believe that all human bodies and the whole universe holds in the five elements.
In reality nobody knows the ultimate truth, and no one can say for sure how the Universe was created, for what reasons, what was the seed for the future universe, and how it evolved. What is the meaning and reason of Creation is something no one will ever know.Vedas, shastras, puranas, deities, spirits, gyani — dhyani, saints — all of them seek the truth. But yet, no arguments have been found according to the experience and values received. All remains on the level of plain reasoning.
In reality it is fair to assume that Creation appeared at once with action. So the process of Creation can be considered as the source of life. Constant changes are the display of Prakriti, and are the basis of Creation, which is the source of all living forms with inherent qualities, such as hunger, suffering, and happiness and so on.
So to answer this question one must avoid the experience of duality, and for this reason the karma must be eliminated. The deliverance of karma — is a natural desire of the embodied soul. Such qualities are connected with the properties of karma, precisely with its products.
It is important to understand any actions contain the results of good and evil and that means two kinds of karma.
1) The «Mundane» (Worldly) products of karma — are the right actions, which shift the karma «higher».
The pure sattvic way of life in result leads to a happy life. The impure way of life makes the karma poor, and the products of such karma are illnesses, anxiety, disgrace and suffering.
2) The «Supra-mundane» products of karma — are the result of actions of a human being, whose life is based on following of the Dharma. The highest reward for such servicing, which has the qualities of the sattva, will be virtue, honor, accumulation of good karma, happiness and well-being in the next life. But if one choses to follow the lowest nature, the products of such karma will be violence, deception, poverty and misfortune in the next life. Our future well-being entirely depends on the state of our karma.
Svarga loka (Swarga) — is the place where a being obtains the fruits of virtue and honor, before he finds his next birth.
Mrityu Loka — is a primitive form of life on Earth, where creatures are born and die to be reborn again.
Patala — is the lowest of the worlds. It is the abode of serpent creatures, where a being proceeds in his low pleasures to be repeatedly reborn in a human body, forming his new karma, trying to perceive the meaning of life through the cycle of birth and death that is called the Maya cycle.
Thus the wheel of the karma and the results of actions withhold us in the ocean of Maya and in the secular state. Karma comes to be the tool that holds us in the wheel of infinite birth and death. Escaping this cycle is a great problem. To overcome the karmic dependence, one has to step out of all religious borders; one must go beyond the experience of saints and sadhu, siddhanta and upaya. Then it will be moksha and mukti.
The way of moksha and mukti.
There are several ways of liberation through sadhana:
1. Passive karma
2. Paramatma bhakti
3. Tyaga — Vairagya — Tapasya — Upasana
4. Yoga-sadhana — vairagya and Atmagyana
The way of Moksha and Mukti
Moksha and Mukti are obtained through vairagya. Yoga-sadhana is the gate to the knowledge of Atma, and the love for God becomes apparent by service and dedication. It is the best and simplest practice of self-devotion. Tyaga, vairagya, tapasya, yoga-sadhana, the knowledge of Atma — lead to Mukti during one’s lifetime, but worldly goods are to be sacrificed and abandoned, so one can step back for intensive vairagya. Such conditions are difficult and impenetrable for an average person. Rarely anyone dares to go along this Path. Nevertheless the path to Moksha is essential to any being, but if one wants to go along this path without sacrificing worldly pleasures, he must help at least other beings along their way. Then he will find freedom from the bondage of karma. Self-devotion becomes the best choice for such people. Selfless actions, actions that destroy the ego, responsibility before God and nature for one’s actions, the ability to see everything as the manifestation of Divine, or creating conditions for the following realization through one’s acts — such actions are considered to be self-devoting.
Summing up: human beings are compelled to spend a lot of time in order to liberate themselves from the bonds of karma, acting in all known means. Only through implementation a creature will enjoy his next rebirth and obtain deliverance.
The interpretation of moksha and mukti.
Every creature desires to be happy, yet suffering constantly accompanies us. The nature of suffering is discussed in religious texts, Puranas, Vedas, satsangas, gyana-yoga. Saints, Mahatmas, muni have taught many different ways of reaching happiness and escaping suffering, which lead to liberation. Some great souls have shared their theories of moksha and mukti.
Maharishi Ved Vyasa — reaching mukti through worshiping.
Jaimini suggests that the path to liberation lies through following of the Dharma.
Kapila Muni claims the path lies through studying the nature of 25 tattvas.
The theory of Gautama Maharishi consists of proofs, doubts, parables, principles, components, reasonings. He suggests that Apavarga is the liberation from limitations and sixteen elements.
Patanjali determines salvation as chitta vritti nirodhah. I.K Taimni translates this as the silencing of the modifications of the mind. This is Kaivalyananda.
Other principal paths of reaching mukti are discussed in similar ways.
In the tradition of the natha siddhas the path to mukti is very simple — it is the sahaja and perfection. The principal ways of reaching happiness, annihialation of the reasons of misery, elimination of pain, regardless of whether one’s a sinner or not, in doubt or descending — all this is concluded in the sadhana. Through the sadhana one receives virtue and salvation. Our Natha Siddha siddhanta claims: «The liberated yogi separates himself from sin!» – it means that liberation purifies. In other words, the yogi is beyond the borders of happiness or suffering, he is clear from sins and affections. He desires neither happiness, nor misery; he just stays as a witness, going beyond philosophies and even beyond moksha and mukti. Acting unconcerned, a yogi is selfless and neutral. «For getting a drink of water it is not necessary to get wet». A yogi is always in the process of studying; he is wise, discreet and is devoted to his Path. This way the process of learning the truth should be — through different sides of the vital experience. In order to reach sahadja and salvation, the yogi must become spontaneous, he must outstep beyond limits of good and evil, through complete liberation from all.
Likewise water merging to a river consequentially ends up in the ocean, dissolving and obtaining salvation, so does Adinathji delivers the knowledge of the Path to Matsyendranath and Gorakshanath in the Natha-sampradaya, and further on the knowledge proceeds to the navanathas and 84 siddhas, through the system of yoga, sadhana, upasana, guru-bhakti, the tantric methods, mantras, karma-kanda, Atmagyanas, aghora, sattvic practices and so on to modern days. These are some of the ways of our Natha-sampradaya:
The Guru-shishya tradition;
Atmagyana, just as yoga-sadhana consists of different forms of yoga (gyana-yoga, laya-yoga, nada-yoga, dhyana-yoga, kundalini-yoga, bhakti-yoga etc.)
Upasana (selfless inseminating, mantra, Tantra, karma-kanda, as the giving siddhas)
However, any significant achievements are impossible without a Guru. No matter how much satsanga, bhakti, selfless devotion one practices, which kind of sadhana and how many sacred texts one reads — without the Guru’s mercy all this is unsufficient, just as picking fruits of a tree without taking care of it.
The relationship between a Guru and his disciple is an extremely important condition. By the end of the discipleship the Guru notifies his disciple that he becomes a master as well.
The knowledge of the Guru and his satya are limitless and gradually they are delivered to the disciple. The disciple’s delusions and his limitations eventually get dissolved in the wisdom and the purity of the Guru, which lifts the disciple from the world of illusions and lights the path to salvation, whilst his knowledge and his satya become the qualities of the disciple. But this achievement is possible only under full devotion of the disciple to his Guru. There is nothing higher than the complete knowledge of mukti, the eternal and truthful knowledge, which is beyond forms and limitations, unstained and unprocessed. Suffering is the foundation of ignorance. Removing the veil of ignorance, we open the door to sheer happiness, bliss and salvation. In order to dispel the darkness of ignorance, one must acquire the light of knowledge, and the Guru is that light. Gu — means darkness, and Ru — means light. Only the Guru can lead to moksha and mukti. This is the Natha Yogis’ sidhanta. Through satsang, sadhana, reasoning, karma-kandu, dhyana, gyana and darshan Sadguru leads the disciple to salvation.
Only the disciple that earns the trust of the Sadguru receives the sadhana. It includes yama-niyama, asana, shatkarma, pranayama, mudras and bandhas. Constant practices of dhyanas, dharanas, samadhi, and also different forms of yoga, such as laya yoga and nada yoga — all that is a necessity. Constant practices and studying increase the disciple’s level of qualification. Strengthening himself in asanas and pranayama and constantly receiving instructions, eventually the disciple receives some siddhis given as worldly achievements. Getting approved in tyaga and vairagya, the yogi reaches maturity in sadhana, whilst practicing dhyana, dharana and various stages of samadhi, and in the following progress in shunya-samadhi the immersion into the state of Alakh Niranjan takes place. This state of sadhana reveals the Highest Knowledge. In this state one defeats death itself. One is not afraid of death and is able to sacrifice his own physical body, in order to perceive the true knowledge that opens the door to liberation and salvation. Thus, during the sadhana the disciple drinks the nectar of knowledge and receives the knowledge of the subtle and causal body, the knowledge of dvaita, advaita, Creation, evolution and dissolution. The door to all the knowledge of the universe is open for him.