Kriya Yoga Bijnan
All people have some indirect knowledge of the Self, or Truth, either from the scriptures, from the Masters or Saints, or from their own inner Being. The serious seekers of Truth are not satisfied for long by this indirect knowledge. They start searching for direct Knowledge of Truth. Sooner or later, they come to the conclusion that they must find the Path first, in order to realize the Truth. To discover the Path, or the discipline, they usually come to a Yogi, Swami, Saint, or Sage who is already on the Path and who can chart the way. Sincere seekers of Truth first want to be with a Swami or a Yogi so that they can learn the Path and how to proceed on it in order to experience the direct Knowledge of Truth.
Kriya Yoga is a positive, scientific path for realizing Truth, free from the burden of philosophizing, ratiocination, fanaticism or sectarian ceremony. It is an eternal, direct method of communing with the inner Lord, or infinite Self. All persons, regardless of their belief system, can enrich themselves by realizing the Truth.
Kriya Yoga is by no means an exclusive path for Hindus; rather, it is a scientific path intended for all people that is based on a universal activity, namely, “Breath”.
Breath is the single unifying bond that ties all of humanity together. All share its instrumentality for sustaining life. Only Breath, being Universal, can lead to the Realization of Truth, that is, One Pure Consciousness of the ultimate Self.
Kriya Yoga Bijnan consists of three words; each word demands clear definition in the spiritual context.
Origin of the Word Kriya
Let us take first the word “Kriya.”
The Sanskrit root verb Kri means “to do,” that is, “action.” The word Kriya is derived from the root verb Kri. Hence Kriya literally means “action.”
Again, the Sanskrit word Karma also is derived from the same root, Kri, as the word Kriya. That is why the word Karma also literally means action. But all actions are not called Kriya in the spiritual sense.
When one tries to turn oneself inward and dissolve the mind, intellect and ego, following the “Breath”, it is called Kriya.
Manasa, “the mind,” Buddhi, “the intellect,” Chittva, ”the heart,” and Ahangkara, “the ego” stand for one inner sense, their common ground, or Source, called Antakarana.
The functions of mind are sankalpa and bikalpa, respectively, planning and rejection; the intellect determines, the heart feels, while ego adheres to individuality.
(In the human body, a divine computer works in its way. To understand its design, how it works, and to be able to open the file, and to work, naturally, one needs to know the right Codes and the right Keys.
(In fact, the Kriyas are the right Keys to realize the Truth, the ultimate Self.)
All actions are Karmas but all Karmas are not Kriya.
There are 108 different steps of Kriya which involve special procedures and techniques, allowing the Breath to be Tranquil, or stilled, and thereby dissolving the mind (restless breath), intellect, and ego in order to achieve the egoless state of pure Consciousness.
In this regard, Kriya Yoga Bijnan (Science) is a more highly developed form of Raja Yoga and Karma Yoga.
“Now, we turn to instructions of how to practice Yoga, but it is to be practiced under the direct guidance of the Guru.
“ ‘Tapa Swadhyaya Iswarpranidhan’ is Kriya Yoga. 2:1 Yoga Sutras
“Pranab: OM: what is spontaneously heard, its chanting [Tapa], holding onto the Self [Swadhyaya] and surrendering all actions to the Self [Iswarapanidhan], that is, perfect Realization that all is being done by Him, is Kriya Yoga.” 2:1 Yoga Sutras of Patanjali, Commentaries by Lahiri Mahasay.
The Meaning of the Word Yoga
The second word Yoga has at least five meanings as follows:
- Addition,
- Union or integration,
- Eternity (with reference to time),
- Action, or Kriya, and
- The state of Oneness between the seeking self and the ultimate Self.
For example, in mathematics, what we call “plus,” or addition, means Yoga. Again, when two or more people meet or unite for any reason, it is Yoga.
At what time or under which circumstances or state the inner Revelations are revealed, is called Yoga or Yuga (Yuga means two). For example, in the light of Kriya, the Yugas mean the following:
Satyayuga means when the seeking self is in Oneness with the ultimate Self in between the eyebrows.
Tretayuga means when the seeker’s breath is in between the eyebrows and the throat inside the Spinal Cord.
Dwaparayuga means when the seeker’s breath is in between the navel and the throat inside the Spinal Cord.
Kaliyuga means when the seeker’s breath is in between the coccygeal and lumbar centers inside the Spinal Cord or outside.
Over the centuries, astrologers have placed interpretations on the yugas that limited them to a physical and temporal context.
It is clear that these Yugas have, at the core of their meaning, a deeply spiritual application.
That kind of activity of integration, by which Realization is attained, is called Yoga.
Lastly, the state of Oneness between the jivatma, individual self, and Paramatma, the ultimate Self, is called Yoga.