Prema Jyothi – February 2025
The Himalayan Yoga Vedanta Tradition
The Legacy of the Rishis
There is an echo of ancient wisdom that calls to us from across time and space. It calls to us to come home to our true reality, our true Self. In the Treta Yuga (an epoch that occurred thousands of years ago), the Rishis lived, meditated and uplifted humankind with their light and wisdom. The Himalayan Range was their main abode, from where they gifted future generations with profound teachings about the nature of the Self. These teachings and practices guide millions in India and around the planet on the inner journey, which we term sadhana (spiritual practice).
In February of 2023, we introduced you to the Himalayan region and its significance. In this newsletter we will dive deeper into the Himalayan Yoga Vedanta Tradition that has emerged from the mountains, with multiple facets that integrate our evolutionary path to the realisation of the Oneness that underlies this creation
- Satyavan
The Great Masters of the Mountains
The inheritors of the legacy of the Rishis still live and serve in these high mountains. The wisdom and knowledge that they hold flows like Ganga from these mountains for the welfare of all creation (not just the physical creation, but all the planes and universes).
This wisdom is the distillation of the Upanishadic wisdom of the Rishis. That is who this wisdom belongs to. It is the rishi tradition from ancient times. – Master Sundareshwara: responding to a question as to the origin of the knowledge and practices
Babaji Nagaraj
Many Masters have lived in this region for a very long time. Some are well-known, such as Babaji Nagaraj, who was born in South India. Nagaraj (sometimes called Mahavatar Babji, a title bestowed on Him from Yogananda) was taught the sciences of Kriya and Siddha by great Masters in Tamil Nadu, in South India. His teachers included the Rishi Agastya who was originally from the Himalayan region but came South to impart the Vedantic teachings to the highly evolved people of the Tamil culture. Others of Nagaraj’s teachers included the great siddha Tirumoolar - who was widely travelled inside and outside India, and Patanjali – the compiler of the Yoga Sutras, a comprehensive treatise of the principles behind the practice of yoga
Another great master in the Himalayas, not as well known as Babaji, is Master Sundareswara, also known as Baba Sundernath. He is the foremost disciple of the famed Rishi Vishwamitra and has taken several bodies over the centuries since the Treta Yuga. He has a large community in the Himalayan Mountains. His chelas (disciples) reside in many hidden valleys of these mountains.
This picture hangs in the Veda Lounge at Tapovan. It is a painting of Sundareswara that was intuitively realised by a resident at Sacred Earth several years ago.
The Himalayan Yoga Tradition – an integrated path
The Masters’ teachings integrate all aspects of our being, termed the koshas or shariras in Sanskrit. These levels of being are the physical (annamayakosha); energetic (pranamayakosha); mental (manomayakosha); intelligence (vijnanamayakosha); blissful (anandamayakosha). Within the wisdom of the Himalayan Vedanta Yoga Tradition, we find philosophies, theories and practices that help us align all our koshas into an integrated whole. The practices inherent in the tradition include yoga, meditation, pranayama, kriya, mantra, ritual, dharmic living and seva (service). When these aspects all align, we live as whole, healthy and realised human beings.
Rishi Patanjali the compiler of yoga wisdom
This tradition has been handed down from ancient times when the Rishis (extraordinary sages who lived primarily in the mountain retreats (ashramas) developed a science and a lifestyle based on yoga. The term yoga comes from the Sanskrit word yuk, which means to unite. The methods and techniques have been passed down, firstly through an oral legacy, then later in textual form.
The philosophy and the methods used are based around what is termed ashtanga yoga, the eight-fold path of yoga. Although distinct from the eight steps, kriya has been a term that has been used in yoga for thousands of years, specifically referring to various techniques involves pranayama (which is included in the eight-fold path) but also mudra, mantra and movements.
Practices within the Himalayan Yoga Vedanta Tradition
Yoga Asanas
Most people have some familiarity with yoga asanas (or postures as they are commonly referred to). Asana means ‘seat’ in Sanskrit, and the term was originally applied to the seated posture in meditation. These days it is applied to the multiple poses that are performed in classical Hatha Yoga.
The practice of asanas is important in the Himalayan Yoga Vedanta Tradition to keep the body healthy, as well as balancing the physiological systems that create health on all the levels of being. This practice is important for the development of mindfulness (focus on what one is thinking and doing) and assists the detachment from mind and body. The sage Patanjali, who compiled the Yoga Sutras, placed great importance on the value of detachment, which is an important prerequisite to surrender.
Non-attachment is freedom from longing for all objects of desire, either earthly or traditional, either here or hereafter. – Maharishi Patanjali
Whilst flexibility of the body is enhanced through the practice of yoga asana and is often concentrated upon in the teaching of yoga asana, flexibility in living is an important product of this physical practice, allowing for a deeper surrender to what is, rather than what we desire to happen.
Asana is part of Patanjali’s ashtanga yoga path (not to be confused with the popular asana methodology of Ashtanga Yoga). As with with kriya, asana helps to prepare us for the inner exploration of meditation.
Regular asana practice will develop mindfulness, discipline and concentration, in turn preparing the mind for pranayama and meditation. On a subtle level, asana can help to stimulate the energetic body, opening the chakras and nadis in order to allow prana to flow freely.
Ritual and Mantra
Ritual
Actions (karma) have the potential to bind us further into ignorance. When we become attached to the outcome of our actions, we bind ourselves to the expectation of the outcome. However, we may also act with no expectation, termed nishkarma karma in Sanskrit. One such potential action is the performing of yajna (fire sacrifice). In the Himalayan Yoga Tradition, this is the most common ritual conducted. The value of such rituals in daily life is that it reminds us that there is more to experience beyond the mundaneness of our normal routines. Yajna, or fire ritual, has been known to have environmental effects such as bringing rain in a drought, as well as purifying air, water and soil. Pushpendra Kumar Sharma has reviewed research papers about the effects of yajna and concluded that it also has economic and social effects, as well as psychological effects
Swami Sundarananda conducting a yajna at Tapovan Kutir, Gangotri (in Himalayas)
The elements of the nature perform their duties, and so should we. Every atom and molecule of the universe participates in the cosmic yajna. That we offer is important and not what we offer. Veda recognizes this as the spirit of yajna. Swami Viditatmananda Saraswati
Swami Viditatmananda reminds us that, by participating in yajna, let go of that which we believe we are. Swami Krishnananda further explains:
Yajna – sacrifice – whatever be the form it may take, is a summoning of the higher power into one's own self, and a consequent surrender of the lower self for the higher dimension of one's own being, known as the superior Self.
If we perform Yajna for the purpose of gaining something for ourselves: wealth, children, a good job, or the fulfilment of some desire, we lose the essence of the process of yajna. If we perform yajna as a sacrifice of our own desires and beliefs, we find ourselves engaged in an entirely different process.
Yajna is the outer expression of the inner transformation – the inner sacrifice. It focuses the mind on the process, then allows us to transcend the mind, which is sacrificed into the flames. The objects placed into the fire represent our own desires, which arise from mind. Thus, we become the sacrifice – the giving over of our lives to the greater good, and ultimately the Oneness of the Self is all that remains. Master Sundareswara
Fire sacrifice at Tapovan, Sacred Earth
Another form of ritual common in the Himalayas is Lingam Puja. The lingam is considered to be a symbol of Shiva (transcendent consciousness). The ellipsoid shape of a lingam is a shape with two centres. It speaks of the emergence of the formless into form. Lingam worship takes us back to the birth of creation and, after the fire sacrifice, is the oldest form of ritual encountered in the Himalayan Yoga Tradition.
Mantra
This commonly used practice of chanting mantra is an integral part of the Himalayan Yoga Vedanta Tradition. ‘Man’ comes from the word manas meaning mind, and ‘trā’ derives from the Sanskrit and means to augment or loosely translated as a tool. However, there is another meaning for trā, which is to protect. Thus, mantra augments the mind, whilst at the same time being used by the mind to protect from distraction. The mind augments itself through mantra.
Sai has given us a beautiful allegory about mantra and its value in spiritual life. There once was a man who had a monkey for a pet. However, this monkey caused all sorts of mischief and havoc in his house. He loved the monkey dearly, but his house was becoming a wreck. In frustration, he went to his guru to ask him what to do. The guru said, “My dear, it is simple. You must give the monkey a task. The simplest task is to install a pole in your house. Ask the monkey to climb up the pole, then down the pole all day long. Tell the monkey that will please you no end.” The man was wondering if this would really solve the problem, but he thought he would try it. Sure enough, when the monkey was preoccupied with the task of running up and down the pole, it no longer caused the house to be in disarray! The monkey represents the mind, the pole – mantra. So, if the mind is occupied with the mantra, it no longer wanders to the countless desires that it can conjure up. Our lives will become peaceful because the mind has become one-pointed, so there is not the myriad of desires distracting us in every moment.
It is worth noting that, like a monkey with a pole, sometimes our minds stray from the mantra. The more we practice mantra, the more we will habitually return to it, even if the mind has strayed. I like to chant the Gayatri mantra (which we have introduced in previous newsletters), especially when tramping. I have been chanting this mantra for decades and now find that the mind automatically returns to the mantra, as soon as I am aware that I have strayed and am lost (in the mind) in the past or the future.
The Vedas were ‘heard’ by the Rishis in their deep meditation. Thus, they are called sruti, which means that which is heard in Sanskrit. The Vedas consist of collections of mantras, each one potent in its own right, each one with layers of meaning. Rituals utilise mantra and the sounds have vibrations that cause certain effects from a ritual.
Vyas Gufa (cave) at Mana in the Himalayas
Rishi Vyasa-the compiler of the Vedas
Two prominent mantras used in ritual are Gayatri and the Mahamrityunjaya mantra (see opposite)
Translation
OM. We worship and adore you, O three-eyed one, O Shiva. You are sweet gladness, the fragrance of life, who nourishes us, restores our health, and causes us to thrive. As, in due time, the stem of the cucumber weakens, and the gourd if freed from the vine, so free us from attachment and death, and do not withhold immortality.
It is sometimes known as the Mrita-Sanjivini mantra because it is a component of the "life-restoring" practice given to the primordial sage Shukra after he had completed an exhausting period of austerity. The Maha Mrityunjaya mantra is hailed by the sages as the heart of the Veda. Along with the Gayatri mantra it holds the highest place among the many mantras used for contemplation and meditation.
Alongside the Vedic mantras there are some shorter mantras that can be chanted repeatedly. Om Namah Shivaya (we bow to Shiva the transcendent one) is common, as is Om Namo Narayanaya (we bow to Vishnu the maintainer of the universe). The maha mantra Hare Krishna, Hare Krishna, Krishna Krishna Hare Hare; Hare Rama, Hare Rama, Rama Rama Hare Hare, popular with the Hare Krishna movement, can be sung or chanted. Om itself is a mantra that is often chanted.
Mantra chanting is called japa, and there are various ways to chant. Most popular is the use of a japa mala, a rosary of beads (commonly 108 beads) which not only focus the mind on the mantra but also allow for a certain number of mantras to be chanted.
These malas may be made from Rudraksha seeds (used for Shiva mantras mainly) or Tulsi (used for mantras of Krishna or Rama).
All Ishtas (personal deities) have mantras that are used in their worship. Ganesha (the elephant headed son of Shiva) has Om Gam Ganapataye Namaha I bow to Ganesha the one who removes obstacles. Devi (the Mother) has many mantras that are used. One aspect of the Mother is called Saraswati. Her mantra is Om Aim Saraswatyei Namaha“: Om, I bow to Goddess Saraswati”, which is said to enhance knowledge and wisdom.
Mantra holds a central place within the Himalayan Vedanta Yoga Tradition, both in ritual and in daily life. It would be safe to say that all the Masters and practitioners within this tradition use mantra on a daily basis. The sandhya rites (taking a bath usually in the morning and evening and, preferably in Ganga or some other holy river) are accompanied by mantra chanting, particularly Gayatri.
Pranayama
Within the Himalayan Yoga Vedanta Tradition, directing the breath is common to kriyas, yoga and meditation. Prana, being the life force that activates all creation, exists in all matter, but is most evident in living beings, and humans in particular. Prana arises from the creative energy (Shakti) that underlies everything in the universe.
In our practices it is the breath that allows us to access prana in the body. There is a field of prana that surrounds the body, and we are able to utilise that field to enhance the inherent prana within the body. The breath is the vehicle that allows us to do so. If we attune the body and mind, we are able to direct prana in specific ways to refine our neural pathways and the nadis (energetic channels).
Normally pranayama translates as breath control. Although there is an element of controlling the breath, in my opinion, a better term is breath awareness. It is awareness that places the breath in specific places in the body, which affects the flow of prana to or from or at those places.
One of the Masters we know has studied and experimented with prana and pranayama for many years states it thus:
“You place yourself into the breath and let the prana carry you. It is less about regulating the breath, and more about becoming the breath. At first there is regulation, then the breath carries you. The breath transmutes the awareness of control into awareness of the flow.”
Soma Sundara
The act of breathing is normally controlled by the autonomic nervous system (ANS), which regulates the breathing automatically, according to the needs of the body. There are areas of the brain that detect the amount of carbon dioxide in the blood, which then alert the ANS to the requirements for the diaphragm to contract to ensure that the proper balance of oxygen and carbon dioxide in the blood is maintained. A medical practitioner will not tell a patient when they are assessing the rate of breathing, otherwise the person will control their own breath, and the reading will not be normal. This illustrates that awareness affects the breathing pattern.
However, less discussed (if at all) in medicine is how breathing affects the awareness. The Himalayan Yoga Vedanta Tradition places great awareness of the role of breath in affecting mood, the energetic patterns in the body and the awareness of Self. If we consciously slow the breath, the mind’s fickle behaviour starts to settle, an important prelude to meditation. With the slowing of the breath, mind takes a back seat, and awareness comes to the fore. It is important to draw a distinction between mind and awareness. The mind can be aware, but pure awareness brings us to a point of attention that does not involve the mind. We are simply present without thought. The mind shifts to background and presence is foremost.
If we allow our breath, through awareness, to take on a different pattern, often with a focus on a part of the body (or, in the case of Cosmic Breath allowing our awareness to become expansive) we can witness the power of the breath to alter our state of consciousness. Eventually the awareness melds into the breath and we have the potential to exist outside of the conscious mind. The breath begins to breathe us, rather than us breathing. It is a unique state, but one that can be experienced by anyone with practice.
The pranayama practices presented in the Call of the Heart programme are designed to carry us deeper and deeper into the realisation of the Self. The Oneness that is the Self can be explored within the confines of our physicality and our consciousness, but also outside of the confines of our body and mind. When we come closer to knowing the Self within us, we automatically come closer to knowing the Self as a universal field that is all around us. What is inside is reflected outside. These breathing practices are a powerful took to access universal awareness.
Seva – Selfless Service
The Himalayan Masters are continually engaged in serving the planet. The practices that we are undertaking to evolve spiritually not only serve our own evolution, but the evolution of all humanity, the planet and the entire creation. In many of the practices we transmit light to all. As we develop our inner light it is shared in very tangible ways.
Seva is also an external practice. We serve all through our peacefulness and our unity consciousness. This consciousness impels us to “Love All; Serve All”, as Sai has exhorted us to be and do.
Dharmic Living
Hand in hand with Seva is the practical concept of Dharmic Living. Within the yoga tradition it is an important aspect of sadhana (spiritual practice).
The word dharma derives from the Sanskrit root Dhri, which means to maintain, or preserve. Some texts refer to dharma as cosmic law. Some think it refers to the principles on which Hinduism is founded. Still others relate it to individual dharma (swadharma) and societal dharma (social order). From the individual perspective, many yogis live outside the normally accepted rules. For instance, the Naga Babas often wander around naked. The Aghoris often stay in graveyards and have been known to partake of human flesh. How can we make sense of all of this? I was listening to Anand Mehotra (of Sattva Yoga Academy) answer a question about what Dharma is. I thought his response was right ‘on the money’. He explained the vedic concept of dharma, and how the great yogis and master live dharmic lives. He stated that “dharma is meeting the need of the hour”. This is a great definition. To this I would add Sai’s admonition, “Love All, Serve All; Help ever, Hurt Never”. If we are to live Dharmic lives, if we are to aspire to live like the Masters of the Himalayan Yoga Vedanta Tradition, we can take these two definitions of dharma as the guiding light for our journey.
Meditation – the Inner Journey
The practice of dhyana (meditation) is core within the Himalayan Yoga Vedanta Tradition. It is within the silence of the Heart that true transformation can occur. Sai states that concentration is under the level of mind, contemplation is at the level of mind and meditation is above the level of mind. Many practitioners and masters talk of the silent mind. I have learned that, when I find myself sitting outside the mind, the mind may be still, empty of thoughts, or thought may still occur, but I have nothing to do with it. Either is a space above the level of mind. Peace arises when the mind begins to still.
Meditation is not closing the eyes but opening the Heart
Many people try to remove thought, in a sense to “kill” the mind. The mind has a purpose, like everything in creation. Rather than ‘killing the mind’, we can simply disidentify with mind. The path to this disidentification is observation. If we can observe the thoughts as they arise and watch them leave, we are free to take our awareness deep inside.
This is where true meditation begins. In the depths of the heart, we find ourselves (our body, mind and identity as a separate entity) disappear, and all is one flow of beingness, termed samadhi in the eight-fold yoga path. At first, this is a temporary ‘disappearing’ and our separate identity returns after some time. In truth, even the great masters of the Himalayas retain some vestiges of separate identity, essential for remaining in the world.
If we all take time daily to enter the silence of the heart, we will find ourselves being able to develop an equanimity that is rare in this world of noise, confusion and anxiety. We can become immune to the voices that wish to create division and fear. We can become better able to deal with life’s stresses and challenges. Which is a great blessing. The greater gift of meditation is that we can begin to realise the Truth of who we really are. That one is Love.
Today you are in search of divinity. Where is the need to search for that which is everywhere at all times? You are in search of God because you are unaware that God is always with you and in you. You are trying to have the vision of God through meditation. However, you should not be satisfied by merely performing such spiritual practices. What is meditation? Adherence to truth is true meditation. The eternal, immortal, wonderful and blissful principle of divinity is present everywhere. You should make efforts to realise this truth. This is the royal path to attain the goal of life. - Sathya Sai Baba
Love – the Unifying Field
A pure heart is abode of Love. Where there is Purity, there is Unity. Unity leads to Divinity.
Sathya Sai Baba
Whilst we were staying in a cave in the mountains above Badrinath in the Himalayas, we asked Master Sundareshwara the following question:
Beloved Master, if we are to embody the Light of Love in our lives, what changes do we make or what should we give up to make that possible?
This is Master’s reply:
“You are looking at this the wrong way. If you go into the heart, where Love is all there is, then whatever needs to drop away will drop away. However, this is not a linear process. The Heart, which is Love, when fully engaged in every aspect of your life, will automatically govern all your actions, which will be in accordance with dharma. Besides, what do you have that is yours to give up? Attachments arise in the mind. When the mind is fully rested in the Heart, attachment may arise, but it is easily seen for what it is, and it falls away. This is not actually a planned process or planned journey. It requires no vows. It requires only a full surrender of the separate self (ego) to the Oneness – the Love in your Heart.
Develop deep love for all beings – all creation (seen as One), and infinite compassion. When someone wrongs you, have only compassion in your Heart, for they will reap the rewards of their wrongdoing. Love arising from an all-embracing compassionate Heart cannot go wrong.””
The foundation of the Himalayan Yoga Vedanta Tradition is Love. The field of Love generated by the great masters and yogis in these sacred mountains encompasses all creation. To live within that field is to live within a tangible experience of their Love. All the masters in these mountains acknowledge the wonder that is Sai. Even if they have not been allowed to have physical contact with Him, they are linked into His Love. The teachings of Sai are no different from the teachings of the Himalayan Masters, and Love is the all-encompassing principle that governs their lives. - Satyavan
