The Source
Vazhipaadu has been a developing story as they call it in
journalistic terms. Ever since I have begun working on this, new things are
being added, new revelations are coming to the fore, seemingly unconnected
pieces are falling into place making a beautiful pattern.
What do I mean by this? Apart from the publishing and
printing of the books,
social media groups have formed. A world family has slowly sprung up. People
who have never seen each other before have come together in complete trust and
understanding. Devotees have travelled across the world to meet each other. All
have been brought into a beautiful circle drawn by Sage Agastya.
Online sessions of reading and discussing Vazhipaadu have
been going on. Many hymns from Vazhipaadu have been sung and are available on
YouTube.
These are all very apparent. On a deeper level, I have
personally understood many things, of this world and beyond, including the
power behind the Yoga method that we will be discussing in this section of the
book.
Sri Agasteeshwara Panchakshari Maha Mantra Sat Chakra Yoga,
as I call this Yoga method, formed organically in the last few years. It is a
coming together of a system of practice, that brings together several
components. They are:
1.Power of sound from existing mantras that are considered
very sacred.
2. Understanding the connection between the five primeval
elements to the Chakras in our body.
3.Understanding and assimilating the idea of the body as the
microcosm of the universe which is the macrocosm.
4. Finally bringing together the sound of the mantras, the
power of the Chakras to ascend the levels of consciousness.
Encapsulating all this is the core practice of the method.
However, this meditation method also brings into focus the ‘Why’ of meditation.
Practitioners will first establish the intent. Then add practical exercise to
enable the free flow of energy in the body. They will then add the important
aspect of devotion to it, which acts as a powerful radio to higher frequencies.
Then comes the actual practice of the method followed by giving thanks to the
divine consciousness that is guiding all this.
I have attempted to break down each of the above concepts
into separate modules, to help the practitioner understand the entire concept
of this method. Information is added layer by layer, so that the understanding
of this method is well established before one begins the practice. Since the
whole method is based on mantra as the core, let us begin by first
understanding what mantra means.
A mantra as Sage Agastya says is, “A mantra is a small
word that contains layers and layers of meaning, that can be uttered in one
moment”
In Sanskrit, one of the oldest languages in the world, there
are several root sounds or Bija[1]
mantras. These Sanskrit syllables are used to chant and invoke a specific
frequency of sound that channels cosmic energy to our bodies.
In this method, we begin to understand that there is a
specific relationship between the frequency of sound and the cosmic energy that
flows through the seven Chakras or energy centers into our body. This forms the
core of the Sri Agasteeshwara Panchakshari Maha Mantra Sat Chakra Yoga Sadhana.
The mantra this method is based on is given below.
SRI AGASTEESHWARA
PANCHAKSHARI
MAHA MANTRA
Aum
Aa Na Aim
Ee Ma Kleem
Wu Shi Sauh
Ye Va Hreem
O Ya Shreem
Om Sri Agasteeshwara
Mahamuni Prabhuve Namaha.
At the first glance this mantra may seem like any other. Yet
in this great mantra is inherent in the sacred discourses of Sage Agastya. It
is only as you understand the power of each of lines of this mantras and their
placement in the Sri Agasteeshwara Panchakshari Maha Mantra, that you
understand that Sage Agastya has created a vortex of power and in addition,
worked the very purpose of Vazhipaadu itself into it!
So, how did this mantra originate?
The Sri Agasteeshwara Panchakshari Maha Mantra was first
given to Gnanananda Swamiji of Kannur, in a Nadi reading. The mantra was in
turn given by Gnanananda Swamiji of Kannur to Gajaraj Swamigal, who was not
well versed in mantras. This set into motion the different triggers that would
bring into being the Sri Agasteeshwara Panchakshari Maha Mantra Sat Chakra Yoga.
Nothing in the world is by chance. Everything has a reason behind it.
When the mantra was shared with Gajaraj Swamigal in 2002, we
did not realize its significance. In fact, Gajaraj Swamigal never uttered any
mantras in his lifetime. He did not know any and had no need to chant them. He
had already reached a stage where he could attain liberation. He had only
returned once more to receive and give the knowledge contained in Vazhipaadu
from Sage Agastya. A fact that was revealed by Sage Agastya in Vazhipaadu
during a discourse on November 28, 2002, “You were reborn because you had
only one desire that was still attached to your soul; a desire to help the people of the world. The
time for you to become one with Parabrahman is very near. The moment you finish
you work, you can detach yourself from all connections to this world at its
very roots and
flinging it aside, return to the Absolute the day you want.”
Gajaraj Swamigal would also impart this special mantra when
he spoke about Vazhipaadu at events. On
January 10, 2003, after one such lecture, Sage Agastya himself referred to that
mantra and said, “You gave some people the mantra that I gave you. That
mantra will be known as sacred and retain the status of being sacred permanently. Good things will
happen to those that chant it correctly.”
Words of a Rishi, however simple they may seem, cannot be
taken lightly. At the time of translating the discourses, when I came upon the
above words by the great Sage, I took it at face value. It is only as I began
writing this book that I realized the depth and layers of esoteric knowledge
that is contained in this mantra. To that blessed soul, who is open to the
deeper meaning of this Yogic method, is revealed the whole secret of creation.
HOW THE METHOD
DEVELOPED
Not much happened connected with the mantra after that. I
did not give more thought to it. My thought at that time was that one must
chant this mantra with intent to invoke the power of the mantra.
When the first book published by Gajaraj Swamigal with some
of the discourses from Vazhipaadu had been published by him in 2006, my thought
was the work of Vazhipaadu was complete. It was only two decades later that my
own purpose came to light, when I realized that 75 per cent of the discourses
that had been received had not seen the light of the day.
So, I gathered and translated all the discourses and shared
it with the world through books that I published. In the same way, this Yoga
method too came into being.
In 2022, when we organized a world meditation session, a
blessed soul[2]
connected to Gajaraj Swamigal first taught the core method of the Sri
Agasteeshwara Panchakshari Maha Mantra Sat Chakra Yoga.
It was he who first connected the lines of the mantra to the
Chakras in the body. Many who attended the online and in person meditation
session that day went into deep meditation and had to be roused after the
session by family members. Such was the power of this method!
Again everything went into dormancy. I was busy translating
more books. The mantra and the method were far from my mind. In early 2024, it
was Dr. Deepanjan from Munich who requested that he would like to do meditation
practice with me. To me, that message seemed to come directly as a guidance
from the great Sage himself. I have never had a thought or intention of ever
doing meditation practice with anyone. Yet, here was a call.
Having been sworn to secrecy on the Kriya Yoga technique as
taught by my Guru Yogananda, it occurred to me that the best way forward was to
share the Yoga method that had been first brought up by the aforementioned
blessed soul during the world meditation session.
As I began discussing how to go about the method, a step-by-step Yogic practice began taking shape organically. Placing my full faith in
Sage Agastya even before the core technique was imprinted firmly in my mind, I began
to develop and share several preliminary practices.
After laying the strong foundation of why meditation, basics
of meditation and understanding more esoteric terms as detailed in the previous
section, few simple practical exercises related to breathing were formed.
These included becoming aware of the natural process of
breathing, understanding the process of inhaling, retention and exhaling of
breath to counts. Then the use of fingers and the inhale-retain-exhale method
to clear and balance energy flow in the body.
Two more exercises were also developed. One to practice the
awareness of the location of the Chakras in the body and the other to focus on
the Ajna Chakra, the portal of divine consciousness.
In the process of the preliminary steps, two powerful
affirmations came into being. I have shared them later in this chapter to give
them the importance they deserve. Through the affirmations, the spiritual
aspirant begins his practice by verbalizing and internalizing an intent with
full comprehension that serves as a solid anchor to his spiritual practice.
An invocation from Vazhipaadu that I had already identified
on a previous occasion followed the affirmation. The invocation brings in the
aspect of Bhakti or devotion to that intention. In addition, it uses the
powerful instrument of feeling to invite a great energy like that of Sage
Agastya in the spiritual journey.
After that, the component of Manasa Puja as given by Sage
Agastya in Agasthiyar Vazhipaadu was introduced. This step further enhances the
bhava of Bhakti which is a very great magnetic force in bringing divine power,
in this case the consciousness of Sage Agastya himself closer to us.
The actual practice of chanting the powerful Sri
Agasteeshwara Panchakshari Maha Mantra at the Chakras followed. However,
something made me hesitate to share the technique connected with the mantra and
the Chakras as it was first shared in the world meditation session[3].
So, I began by explaining the meaning of the power of the mantra
based on the syllables contained in it to my fellow devotees. Despite going as
far as explaining the meaning of the mantra, I was still hesitant to bring the
connection between the Chakras and the lines in the mantra. I felt there was
something crucial I was missing. One day as I was meditating at 3 am, I was
directed to check the elements connected to the Chakras and then identify the
corresponding lines from the mantra. When I began doing that, layers, and
layers of knowledge about the method began to make sense.
I began to write down the method to share with fellow
devotees. What had begun as a small ten page document, ended up becoming this
book! Inspired, I started off by writing 90 pages in one day!
As I wrote this book, even that explanation of the meaning
of the Mantra seemed superficial as the full import of what was developing
became apparent to me. While I have attempted to share all that I have
understood, there is so much more depth that I have no doubt will be revealed
as we practice this method.
As I continued writing, seemingly disconnected information
came together for me to fully comprehend this powerful meditation technique.
In addition, several pieces of the puzzle fell into place in
an incredible manner. In March of 2024, I was just sitting one day, when several
Sanskrit words formed in my head. Even though they seemed like gibberish, I
just wrote them down. That is one habit I have developed, ever since I
earnestly began my spiritual practices. I always write down instances, dreams
or anything that I feel is significant.
In fact, I have no knowledge of Sanskrit, and that is why
even though Shivakumar Ramdas, a fellow aspirant on the path, was able to find
the meaning of the words and put a translation together, I still did not
understand why I was given them.
More importantly, it was not until I had deciphered and
understood the meaning of the Yoga method, that I was once again drawn to the
Sanskrit verses. On July 3rd I was inspired to illustrate the entire
layers of the Yogic method into a drawing. As I began drawing, I chanced upon
the Sanskrit verses, I had scribbled down in the same book!
And suddenly it hit me! Every verse I had received made
sense! The connection between the verses and the Sadhana became clear! It was
also a confirmation that I was proceeding on the right path.
The Sanskrit verses are closely connected to the Sri
Agasteeshwara Panchakshari Maha Mantra Sat Chakra Yoga method. One of the first
verses not only confirms the five primeval elements that form the core of the practice but also gives the world a warning.
I have included a chapter on these Sanskrit verses I
received along with an explanation towards the end of this chapter. The more I
read them in conjunction with the yogic method introduced in the book, I am beginning to see how crucial the message in
this book is.
Just as Vazhipaadu was simply presented to the world as
received and touched the hearts of all those who have read it, so will Agastya
Yoga Siddhanta, lead them on the spiritual journey. We will simply place our
trust in Sage Agastya and practice this method.
It has been just three years since the publishing of the
English translations of the sacred teachings of Sage Agastya in Agasthiyar
Vazhipaadu. Already this new composite of Gnana, Dharma, Bhakti and Yoga is
coming together to form a beautiful, easy to follow, but powerful meditation
method for the modern world.
This Yoga method is based on many components as given in the
Vazhipaadu and taken to the highest level by the blessed souls that connected
all the dots. This brings me to the point that I would like to reiterate, there
is no Guru in this method save Sage Agastya. It is his light that is guiding
all this. He guides us through each other.
At its very basic level, Sri Agasteeshwara Panchakshari Maha
Mantra Sat Chakra Yoga, brings into practical application, the power of the Sri
Agasteeshwara Panchakshari Maha Mantra[4].
At a much deeper level, it is the key to unraveling the mystery of creation
within oneself! It is a much-needed method that will be the ark of Noah, for a
humanity that is set on facing the global deluge of destruction. It begins with
the practitioner becoming aware of the more subtle body that he as a soul has
donned. From the outward perception of what we experience through five senses
the practitioner begins to learn to develop awareness of the astral plane and
his subtle body. So, without any doubts, let us proceed with the method, putting
our full faith in him.
The videos with chanting of the mantras are below.
[1] Bija mantra is a seed mantra that is comprised of three words. It
signifies the seed from which everything originates. Some of the Bija mantras
are Om, kreem (power, wisdom, and strength), Shreem(wealth), hroum (peace,
liberation), kleem (not chanted alone denotes happiness and love), hreem
(destroys enemies and sorrow), gam (fulfills all wishes), dam (attainment of
happiness), aim (principle of divine wisdom).
[2] This blessed soul in
true humility has forfeited the use of his name in this method.
[3] When it was first
shared online, the practitioners were asked to disregard the two lower chakras
and start chanting at the Manipura Chakra. I found out this was incorrect as I
began writing this book.
[4] It was originally called Agastya Mantra..
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