In this excerpt from The Mystery of Vibrationless-Vibration in Kashmir Shaivism: Vasugupta’s Spanda Kārikā & Kṣemarāja’s Spanda Sandoha Swami Lakshmanjoo explains what is really to be realized in Kashmir Shaivism and urges us to find out the nature of doership in all the three states, “at least in the gap . . . with our master’s grace”.
He also clarifies the differences between the three different types of yogis and their level of realization of what is to be realized.
“You have to find out the nature of doership in all the three states, waking, dreaming and dreamless state.” ~Swami Lakshmanjoo
Audio 1 part 2 – 48:32
तस्योपलब्धिः सततं त्रिपदाव्यभिचारिणी ।
नित्यं स्यात्सुप्रबुद्धस्य तदाद्यन्ते परस्य तु ॥१७॥
tasyopalabdhiḥ satataṁ tripadāvyabhicāriṇī /
nityaṁ syātsuprabuddhasya tadādyante parasya tu //17//
Tasyopalabdhiḥ satataṁ tripad vyabhicāriṇī, there are three states [of the limited individual]: wakefulness, dreaming, and the dreamless state. There are three states, and in these three states also, that elevated soul who has realized that which was to be realized, . . .*
What was to be realized?
JOHN: His own real nature.
SWAMIJI: No. [The state of] kartṛtva (doership), not the done! Whatever is done, it is done; it is outside, it is in the outside cycle. You are the doer, you are existing in your own nature–that will never vanish!
Tasyopalabdhiḥ, there are [three] sections of yogis: suprabuddha yogi, prabuddha yogi, and [apr]abuddha yogi.
Suprabuddha yogi is that kind of yogi who is always alert in his nature, who is naturally alert in his own way.
That suprabuddha yogi perceives that nature of God consciousness of doership.
*. . . that state of doership he perceives in all the other three states–in wakefulness, in the dreaming state, and in the dreamless state. In wakefulness, in the dreaming state, and in the dreamless state, he perceives the state of that doership. As he used to perceive that [state] in turya and turīyātitā, in the same way, he perceives that state in these three states also–in jāgrata, in svapna, in suṣupti also–always (nityaṁ syāt suprabuddhasya).
Tadādyante parasya tu, and that para, the next yogi of the next section (that is the prabuddha yogi), the prabuddha yogi perceives that state of God-consciousness in-between these three states. He does not perceive [God consciousness] in the cycle of wakefulness, he perceives [God consciousness] in the beginning of the cycle of wakefulness and in the end of the cycle of wakefulness and in the beginning of the cycle of the dreaming state and in the end of the cycle of the dreaming state.
ERNIE: The junction, the gap.
SWAMIJI: The gap. The source and the end, the source point, and the ending point. In these two points, he perceives the state of God consciousness. Who? The prabuddha yogi. The suprabuddha yogi perceives the state of God consciousness always–in the beginning, in the end, and in the center also. This is the greatness found in the suprabuddha yogi. And the prabuddha yogi only perceives that God consciousness . . .
ERNIE: In the gap.
SWAMIJI: . . . in the gap only. And the aprabuddha yogi does not find it at all. The aprabuddha yogi does not find it at all.
ERNIE: Because?
SWAMIJI: Because he is kept away from God consciousness altogether.
ERNIE: Then, but he is still a yogi.
SWAMIJI: He does practice just as we do, without knowing anything (laughter). But you must be a prabuddha yogi; at least you must be a prabuddha yogi. You must find out the reality of this turya in-between these two states: jāgrat (wakefulness) and svapna (dreaming), in the center of jāgrat and svapna, or in the center of svapna and suṣupti (deep-sleep), or in the center of svapna and jāgrat. You have to find out! If you don’t find It out, then there is no hope. So you must strive for It! You must struggle for It! And this is done by the grace of the master. Bas.
Source: The Mystery of Vibrationless-Vibration in Kashmir Shaivism: Vasugupta’s Spanda Kārikā & Kṣemarāja’s Spanda Sandoha revealed by Swami Lakshmanjoo
All rights reserved. Copyright © John Hughes
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