In(Dhyana)

During global quarantine, remember your Yamas and Niyamas. They are the first two steps of Master Patanjali’s Yoga.

YAMA

Ahimsa (non harming)
Satya (truthfulness)
Asteya (non stealing. Swami Vivekananda interprets this as ‘not receiving gifts’)
Brachmacharya (control of sexual energy)
Aparigraha (non attachment)

NIYAMA

Sauch (cleanliness)
Santosh (contentment)
Tapas (austerity)
Swadhyaya (metaphysical study)
Ishvarpranidhan (contemplation of Ishvara, Universal God)

Rules of consciousness.

Respect certain rules, just as an exercise. Let’s be clear, the whole planet fasts for two months and after this we will be a better species. If things don’t return to their previous, also imperfect state, we all globally rebel and finally take matters in our own hands, of course. The ‘government’ doesn’t exist without us, We are the government. Logic.

The government is not some extraterrestrial or viral organism.

Thus, lockdown can be just a choice of consciousness. With yourself or with others, depending on your lockdown circumstances.
A perfectly respectful person is a perfectly conscious person. Buddha would not break any social codes wherever he went, in whichever social setting, however culturally similar or different. And why? Because he is fully conscious. In lack of full consciousness we go by social codes and rituals, which vary more or less from culture to culture, area to area, person to person, moment to moment. And occasionally ourselves or others, we miss these social queues. The more conscious one is, the less ‘mistakes’ he makes because then the experience is in the present, not in learned behaviour.

2020 Full Moons (Purnima)

January 10
February 9
March 9
April 7
May 7
June 5

Let’s say lock down started on Sunday, 22nd of March.
Navaratri starts Wednesday, 25th of March and ends on Thursday, 2nd of April. This is Maa Durga festival for Supreme Mother (Nature, prakrti).

Something to remember for a rainy day when elephants are roaming the streets : the only weak spots on an elephant’s body are two points behind each each, where the rider traditionally puts the heels.

About KEDARNATH and PASHUPATINATH temples. The first is up here, 223 kilometres away further north in the state of Uttarkhand and the second is in Kathmandu, Nepal, the oldest Hindu temple in the country (they say 4 century BC. But what is time? Kala Shakti, kala means black and shakti means power). The lore says the two form one lingam, Kedarnath is the bottom half and Pashupatinath is the top part, char with char make up ath.

Ananas is pineapple in Hindi, same word as in Romanian. Seb is apple, aloo potato, gobhi cauliflower, adarak ginger, doodh milk, paneer cheese, santara orange. All these and much more can be tracked down and acquired during curfew break every early morning.

Om Lokah Samasthah Sukhino Bhavantu
Aum. All universe (lokah). All beings (samasthah). Joyful, free from suffering (sukhino). Divine unified existence (bhava), may it be so (antu).

About memory. Before starting something, the Mind finds it impossibly difficult. Learning a 40 verses sloka, Hanuman Chalisa, and reciting it with breath, or learning the movements for Surya Namaskar, together with the alternating breathing patterns. After IT is being stored in the memory, the relationship to IT shifts. Naturally, it has now become a part of you. ‘You’ have enlarged your spectrum of perception so that it includes IT also. Man, woman, you do not exist. I do not exist. The ‘I’ that I think I am is a constantly shifting concept limited by the borders of perception. Association. One associates with its limited senses and perception, now now now now now. But really, you are not that. I am not that. Shi-Va.

The 2nd of April marks the last day of Maa Durga Festival. Navaratri. On the 1st April and 2nd until noon there is full fasting and then a feast of ‘heavy’ sattvic food follows. Chana (chickpeas), sweet halua with nuts and raisins, aloo and gobhi sabdjee, a special kind of ghee fried chapati that is like a pancake. Fruit. Brilliant.

The special festivities are similar to the pooja performed by our Baba every day, twice. Smoke, open fireplace, the five elements present, water, fruit, flowers, incense, smell, smoke, the idols. Wind blows through the walls of the temple, which is on the rooftop. Sound is made by the main bell, the entrance bell, damarus, singing bowl, hand shakers. Wrist exercises that drive away the evil spirits (and tension, no joke) and it’s a known thing that fingers, palm, wrists, are the outer edges of our central nervous system and thus very relevant to Life. Chanting is also good for everything, from vocal chords to respiratory system, breath and mind control and so on. Vibration. Good exercise, too, for neck and shoulders.
There is a certain magic in all matter, in all action, in all words, in all thought. So these are metaphysical rituals. Matter is ath swaroop, eight forms. Brahma is ek swaroop, one form.

Gita, 11-4 : the eightfold division of my Nature consists of Ashta Prakrtis – earth (prithvi), water (jala), fire (tejas), air (vayu), ether (akash), mind (citta, manas), reason (buddhi), egoism or identity (ahamkara).

The Fire ceremony is blessing and cleansing. A group of 4-5 people gather closely in lotus position around a live fire with flames around 20 cm high. Their foreheads are sweating a little, even the guru ji’s. It is an incredible lesson in metaphysical cleanliness. The fire, god, is being offered spices, sugar and ghee and it responds like an animal, almost, like a different and more subtle form of consciousness. The whole thing covers the mind in a cool vibration of ‘this is real, now’. Reality! The absurd (‘rituals’ could seem absurd) is the way to remind yourself of the Reality of every moment. Broken down to meta atomic level, every moment is absurd, but their progression (sometimes) seems to make (some) sense. Maya.

SWA-HA is the incantation that the participants pronounce when they respectfully offer to the Fire. ‘Not throwing, but with tin mudra offering with open hand’ or ‘from above, with turned hand’ – here opinions differ from baba to baba. As in the macro cosmos so in the micro cosmos, as in the abstract-absurd ritual so in every daily, every moment life. Make every action (karma) a respectful and joyful offering to the Universe and you receive cool pure energy. The so called ‘good luck’. Ojas!

The Hindu priest performs an almost uninterrupted devotional exercise of 3-4 hours of chanting. Lungs! Abdomen! Back! Sometimes he is accompanied by some of the others, who know the mantras, or by sound and hand clapping. Jai Ho. Har Har Mahadev. Om. Om Namo Narayan. Kashi Vishwanat Gange.

SWAHA mantra, this one word, is short and clear, breathy, it vibrates like Shi-Va but less powerful, ‘h’ instead of ‘v’. Or Shi-Vom. Purifying, no doubt. The group repeats SWAHA 20, 30, 40 times, rhythmically synced with the priest and the offering motion, a tri tin mudra with thumb and 2 middle fingers, open hand. Hand gestures are very important. All gestures are all important. Always, especially now, now is always.
Never offer to fire matter dropped on the floor or that is stale. Only the purest and freshest is offered to god. Brahma – Atman, I am god.

Among the communal and social lessons learned in the ‘ashram’ during ‘lockdown’. I often said, mostly unconsciously, things like ‘yes, acha, haan, ihi, da, cool’ when I was listening to ideas, stories, instructions. One of the babas (there are two, in house, residential babas) says to me: you know, it doesn’t matter whether you agree or not. This is just how it is. This is just baba tradition. Ancient tradition. There is two, Brahman Atman. There is only one. One of the mantras is, good trip. Think positive because you are making this moment. You are not of this world. This is Baba Philosophy 101.

Om Namah Parvati Pataye
Hara Hara Mahadeva