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Introduction:
Jabala Darsana Upanishad belongs to the Sama veda. It describes a
conversation between Sankrithi, a devotee and Lord Dattatreya, an
incarnation of Vishnu, about the
various aspects of the eightfold yoga or the ashtanga yoga, namely Yama,
Niyama, Aasana, Pranayama, Prathyahara, Dharana, Dhyana and Samadhi.
Lord Dattatreya is considered to be a minor incarnation of Vishnu, born
to Atri and Anasuya. He said to have introduced magical rites and
created the Soma plant. In some Puranas, he is described as an incarnation of the Trinity of
gods, born to Anasuya under strange circumstances. Because of this he is
usually depicted with three heads. He is also shown usually in the
company of four dogs which symbolize his mastery of the four Vedas. According to
another version, Dattatreya was killed by Parasurama, another
incarnation of Vishnu. This Upanishad seems to be an attempt to
summarize the principles and practice of yoga based on the Yogasutras of
Patanjali. - Jayaram V
Translated by P. R. Ramachander
Om ! Let my limbs and speech, Prana, eyes, ears, vitality
And all the senses grow in strength.
All existence is the Brahman of the Upanishads.
May I never deny Brahman, nor Brahman deny me.
Let there be no denial at all:
Let there be no denial at least from me.
May the virtues that are proclaimed in the Upanishads be in me,
Who am devoted to the Atman; may they reside in me.
Om ! Let there be Peace in me !
Let there be Peace in my environment !
Let there be Peace in the forces that act on me !
God Dattatreya is the reincarnation of the four armed Vishnu and he
is the ruler of the world. Sankrithi is a great devotee and a sage and
is an expert in yoga and also a disciple of Dattatreya. He approached
his teacher (God Dattatreya) with humility and with folded hands, when
his teacher was alone and requested him, “Oh God, please tell me about
the science of yoga which has eight branches and five different sthanas
(places) by knowing which I will attain salvation. Dattatreya told him,
“Hey Sankrithi, I shall tell you about Yoga which has eight branches.
The eight branches are Yama, Niyama, Aasana, Pranayama, Prathyahara,
Dharana, Dhyana and Samadhi.
1. Yama which is the first is the practice of non-violence, truth,
non possession of properties of others, celibacy, mercy, honesty,
patience, stability, food discipline and cleanliness.
2. Niyama is the ten aspects of penance, joy, orthodoxy, charity,
worship of god, hearing of philosophy, fear for bad actions, clear
intellect, chanting and austerities.
3. The nine important Asanas (sitting positions) are Swasthika
(Swastika), Gomukha (cows face), Padma (lotus), Veera (valorous), Simha
(lion), Badra (safe), Muktha (free), Mayura (peacock) and Sukha
(pleasant). Oh sage, that position, whatever it may be but which makes
you comfortable and gives you courage to undertake Yoga is called
Sukhasana. People who do not have strength to take up other positions
can use that. Victory in the seating position is like victory over the
three worlds. Once the Asana is fixed, one should practice Pranayama.
4. Either in the top of the mountain or by the shore of the river or
under a Bilwa tree in the forest, after choosing a clean place which is
acceptable to the mind and after establishing a place to do tapas (Asram),
sit in the Asana which is most familiar facing either east or north.
Then sit with the body neck and head in a straight line, cover the face
and concentrate the vision with best possible attention on the nectar
flowing from the fourth state of the moon like dot at the end of the
nose. Draw the air inside using the lungs, store it in the stomach,
meditate on the flame of fire inside the body and then shift meditation
to the root of fire with its sound and dot. Then the intelligent one
will exhale and draw the Prana using Pingala (Nadi which is tawny and is
on the right side of Sushumna Nadi) and meditate on the Agni Bheeja.
Again he has to exhale and inhale again in the middle using the Ida (Nadi
which is pleasant and is on the left side of Sushumna). One should have
to live in a secret place practicing this exercise six times for 3-4
days or 3-4 weeks at dawn, noon and dusk. This would help him to clean
up the Nadis. Slowly symbols will start showing up. Body will become
light, the fire in the stomach will burn well and the voice would become
clearer. These are the symbols of Siddhi (getting mastery). Till you see
this, you have to practice.
5. Now I will tell you about Prathyahara. To use force and divert the
sensory
organs which normally travel according to their nature is
Prathyahara. Those who know Brahma say that seeing whatever we see as
the form of Brahman is Prathyahara. Prathyahara also is doing clean or
unclean acts as those belonging to Brhaman. Further doing daily
religious activities after dedicating them to God and similarly doing
the activities which we desire is also Prathyahara. Apart from this
inhaling air (oxygen) and stopping it in different places is also
Prathyahara. The wise man would sit in Swasthikasana, draw his breath
till it fills up from head to toe and hold it in two feet, mooladhara,
stomach, middle of the heart, bottom of the neck, jaw, middle of the
eyelids, forehead and at the top of the skull. Then he should leave out
the belief that the body is oneself and make that thought as nirvikalpa
and merge it with Paramatma. The experts in Vedanta say that this is
true Prathyahara. There is nothing that cannot be attained by those who
practice like this.
6. Now I will tell you about the five types of Dharana (holding
steady - a stage in meditation - here we try to hold on what we are
mediating upon without wavering). In the sky which is in the middle of
the body, Dharana of the sky outside should be made. Similarly in the
breath, Dharana of air outside should be made. In the fire in the
stomach, Dharana of the fire outside should be made. In the fluid
aspects of the body, Dharana of the water outside should be made. In the
earthy aspects of the body, Dharana of the earth outside should be made.
Sage, also it is necessary to chant the pancha bhootha mantras viz.,
Ham, Yam, Ram, Vam and Lam. It is said that this very great Dharana
destroys all sins. In the body up to the knee is the aspect of the
earth, from there till hip it is the aspect of water, up to the heart is
the aspect of fire, up to middle of eyelids is the aspect of air and
then up to the middle of the skull is the aspect of the sky. In the
aspect of earth Brahma has to be placed, in the aspect of water Vishnu
should be placed, in the aspect of fire Rudra should be placed, in the
aspect of air Iswara should be placed and in the aspect of sky, the
Sadashiva should be placed. Hey great sage, I will also tell you another
Dharana. In the Jeevatma, that lord Shiva who rules over everything and
is the personification of wisdom should be placed. To get rid of all
sins, the wise man should suppress the gods like Brahma in the causative
self, and place the Avyakta (that which is not clear) which is formless
and which is the root cause inside the entire soul with the chanting of
pranava. He should control the sensory organs by mind and should merge
them with the soul.
7. I will now tell you about Dhyana (meditation) which destroys
sorrow. Dhyana should be done of that Maheswara, who is the medicine for
problems arising out of birth, who is the discipline and fundamental
basis of the world who is of the form of Para Brahma, who has the
masculine power upwards, who is of the form of the world, who is
Virupaksha, and who is the head of all yogis as “I am He”. Then
continue to do Dhyana of him who is beyond the reach of meditation, who
is the personification of Sachidananda Brahman and who is soul in person
as “I am He” for attaining salvation. In the mind of that great
Purusha who practices like this, the science of Vedanta would
automatically appear. There is no doubt about it.
8. Now I will tell you about Samadhi (deep meditative state) which
destroys the ills of birth and death. Samadhi is that state in which
there is knowledge that Jeevatma and Paramatma are one. Atma (soul) is
filled all over for ever and does not have motion or stain. Though it is
one, due to the effects of illusion, it appears as different objects.
Really there is no difference between these so called objects. When one
sees all objects within himself and him as a part of all objects, He
attains Brahman. When one drowns himself in Samadhi and does not see
different objects as different , then he attains the single aim of
salvation. When he sees only the true soul and the entire world appears
as an illusion to him and he is cured of all sorrow.
Thus advised by Lord Dattatreya the sage Sankrithi fully lost all his
fear and attained that blissfull state, deep in himself.
Om ! Let my limbs and speech, Prana, eyes, ears, vitality
And all the senses grow in strength.
All existence is the Brahman of the Upanishads.
May I never deny Brahman, nor Brahman deny me.
Let there be no denial at all:
Let there be no denial at least from me.
May the virtues that are proclaimed in the Upanishads be in me,
Who am devoted to the Atman; may they reside in me.
Om ! Let there be Peace in me !
Let there be Peace in my environment !
Let there be Peace in the forces that act on me !
Here ends the Jabala Darsanopanishad, included in the Sama-Veda.
Suggested Further Reading
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