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8-Agni Puraan

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31-Yog
8-Agni Puraan, Ch 372, p 819-

About Yog - Yam, Niyam

Ashtaang Yog

Agni Dev said - "Munivar, Now I will tell you about Ashtaang Yog which is the means of making one free from the three types of Taap. (see the Previous Page) The Gyaan which enlightens Brahm, is attained by Yog only. To concentrate one's mind at one place is called Yog. Controlling one's Indriyaan is also called Yog. Yam are five - A-Hinsaa (non-violence), Satya (Truth), A-Steya (not stealing), Brahmcharya (celibacy) and A-Parigrah. Niyam are also five - Shauch (cleanliness), Santosh (contentment), Tap (asceticism), Swaadhyaaya (self study), and Eeshwar Aaraadhanaa (worship of God).

(1) A-Hinsaa - Not doing any kind of harm to any living being is called A-Hinsaa. A-Hinsaa is the greatest Dharm. A-Hinsaa covers Dharm's all means. Hinsaa (violence) is of 10 types - to put somebody in trouble, to make somebody sad, to make somebody sick, extracting the blood from body, saying something about somebody to somebody else, creating obstacles in somebody's work, revealing one's secrets on others, creating obstacles in others comforts, arresting somebody without any reason, and issuing sentence to death.
(2) Truth - Whatever is good for other, the same is truth. This is the characteristic of Truth, that one should speak truth, but it should also be sweet to ears also; one should never speak that truth which is not liked by others. In the same way one should not tell those lies also which are like by others. This is Sanaatan Dharm.
(3) Brahmcharya - Means celibacy. Celibacy is of 8 types - remembering a woman, talking about a woman, playing with a woman, looking at a woman, talking to her in a secret place, thinking about having her, making efforts to get her, and making love with her. Brahmcharya is the root of all auspicious Karm. Without it all Karm become fruitless. In spite of being old, Vashishth, Chandramaa, Shukra, Brihaspati and Brahmaa Jee, all got trapped by women. She is a kind of Suraa (liquor) which has intoxicated the world.
(4) A-Steya - Not stealing anything by heart, speech and body is called A-Steya. If anyone snatches anything forcefully, he surely falls in Tiryak Yoni (lower species).
(5) A-Parigraha - Not collecting anything. One should not keep more than a cloth to cover his body, a blanket, and a pair of shoes. One can have enough clothes to protect his body.
(6) Shauch - Cleanliness. Shauch is of two types - outside (physical) and inside (mental). Water cleans the outside body and purity of mind is called inside Shauch. Whoever is clean from both sides, only he clean, nobody else.
(7) Santosh - Contentment. Whatever one gets by his luck, being satisfied with that is called Santosh.
(8) Tap - Asceticism. To keep control on one's mind and Indriyaan is called Tap. Tap is of three types - by Vaachik (speech), Maanasik (mental) and Shaareerik (physical). Mantra Jaap is Vaachik Tap, detachment is Maanasik Tap, and worshipping Devtaa is Shaareerik Tap.

Pranav

Ved start with Pranav, therefore all Ved live in Pranav. Whatever we speak is all Pranav, that is why one should practice of Pranav - this comes under Swaadhyaaya. Pranav consists of "Akaar", "Ukaar" and half "Makaar". Three letters - three Ved - three Lok (Prithvi, Swarg, and Paataal)  - three states (conscious, unconscious and subconscious) - three Devtaa (Brahmaa, Vishnu and Shiv) - they all are the forms of Pranav. Aumkaar has no vowel and still has numerous vowels. Who has known such Aumkaar, the same is Muni. The half vowsel of Aumkaar is called Gaandhaaree. One should meditate on Brahm and do Jaap of Aum by mouth.

Pranav is bow, Aatmaa (soul) is arrow and Brahm is its aim. So one should carefully hit the aim. This one letter is Brahm, this one letter is Param Tattwa, after knowing this Brahm, whoever wishes for anything, he gets the same. Who does daily Jaap of Pranav 12,000 times, he knows Brahm in 12 months. If he does the Jaap 10,000,000 (1 Crore) times he attains Siddhi. Its 100,000 (1 Lakh) times Jaap gives the grace of Saraswatee.

Vishnu's Yagya is of three types - Vaidik, Taantrik and mixed. Whichever is preferable, one should do the same."

Aasan, Praanaayaam and Pratyaahaar

Agni Dev said - "Muni, There are many Aasan (pose). Whichever is convenient for one, he should take up that Aasan and do meditation on Paramaatmaa. At some clean place first one should place Kush Aasan (seat), above it place deer skin Aasan and then cover it with cloth. One should start his meditation sitting on it. His spinal cord should be straight, and he should concentrate on the front part of his nose, nowhere else. Sitting thus one should practice Praanaayaam.

The air which flows in our body is called "Praan", and controlling it is called "Aayaam", therefore Praanaayaam means "controlling that air". Its method is like this -
(1) Close one nostril with one finger and throw the inside air out of the body from another nostril - this is called "Rechan".
(2) Later fill the outside air inside the body, and sit still for some time - the action of filling the air is called "Poorak".
(3) After the air is filled inside the body, when the person neither throws it out, nor fills more air, rather sits still, this situation is called "Kumbhak"

12 Pal (seconds) make up one Uddhaat, holding the air for this much period is the lowest grade of Praanaayaam; 2 Uddhaat time is medium grade and 3 Uddhaat is considered the best type of Praanaayaam. By doing which one's body sweats, trembles, and feels uncomfortable - that Praanaayaam is the best. One must not try for best, but gradually increase the time. There is no need of hurry, and no need to be worried. Thus by winning Praan, one's hiccups and breathing problems are cured and stomach problems are also cured. By doing this one becomes healthy, walks fast, becomes enthusiastic, speaks sweet, becomes mightier and fair complexioned.

Praanaayaam is of two types - "A-Garbh" and "Sa-Garbh". Whatever Praanaayaam is done without Jap and meditation is called A-Garbh; and whichever is done with Jap and meditation, that is Sa-Garbh Praanaayaam. To control Indriyaan, one should practice the Sa-Garbh Praanaayaam. One can win everything by controling Indriyaan by practicing Gyaan and Vairaagya. Swarg and Narak are only Indriyaan, when they are in control, they take one to Swarg, and if they are left free, theyb take one to Narak.

This body is a chariot, Indriyaan are its horses and the mind is said to be the Saarathee (charioteer). This Praanaayaam is the whip and Gyaan and Vairaagya are its two ropes to control horses. Thus when this mind is controlled through Praanaayaam, it becomes stable. Who stays drinking only a drop fallen from the front part of the Kush grass in a month for more than 100 years, his that Tap and this Praanaayaam are alike.

Dhyaan (Meditation)

To think about Vishnu (or any other Devtaa) with stable mind is called Dhyaan. When the mind thinks about only one thing, leaving every other thing of the world, is also called Dhyaan. In this feeling one feels oneness with the thing he is meditating on. Who meditates on Hari in such a way even for 50 minutes or half an hour, there is nothing like that. Tattwa knower Yogee should first know about, who is meditating, what is meditation, up on whom he is meditating and what for he is meditating; then he should practice Dhyaan. By practicing this one can attain eight types of Siddhi. One should always think about Him, whether walking, or sitting, or sleeping, or waking, or in clean or unclean state.

One should meditate on a 8-petal lotus flower on which Bhagavaan is sitting; or meditate on Aumkaar letter. Saadhak should first meditate on a tangible thin first, then only gradually he should move to intangible thing after enough practice. One may imagine small or big, according to his convenienced, figure on the lotus. When one gets tired of Dhyaan, he should do Mantra Jaap; and he is tired of Mantra Jaap, he should do Dhyaan. Jap Yagya has no equal Yagya. Who does Jap, no disease or planets come nearby him."

Dhaaranaa

Agni Dev said - "Whatever is the situation of the mind is about the thing, about which one is meditating up on, that is called Dhaaranaa - means what we think about our aim is called Dhaaranaa. There are two forms of Dhaaranaa - Sa-Aakaar and Nir-Aakaar. Sa-Aakaar means with form and Nir-Aakaar means without form. Till one's mind does not move from outside things, it does not think about any other thing. When one holds his mind by the means of "something" inside his body for some time, and it does not move from there, that situation is called Dhaaranaa. 12 Aayaam make up one Dhaaranaa, 12 Dhaaranaa make up Dhyaan and the concentration of mind which comes after 12 Dhyaan, that is called Samaadhi. Whoever is busy in Dhaarnaa, if he dies in that situation, he uplifts his 21 generations and goes to Swarg Lok.

There are four types of Dhaaranaa of Vishnu - Aagneyee, Vaarunee, Aishaanee, and Amritaatmikaa. In Aagneyee Dhaaranaa, one should do Jap of Agni's Shikhaa Mantra which ends in "Phat", and imagine that rays of fire are spreading in his whole body. He should imagine this until he feels that his  body is burning in those rays. By this Yogee destroy their cold and swelling etc diseases, and sins. In Vaarunee Dhaaranaa, one should lower his head and imagine that numerous droplets are appearing and fathering together to make a snowy hill. Several streams are flowing from that snowy hill and are watering the world. One should this to remove the sorrow of hunger and thirst and to satisfy himself. Continue to do Jap of Vishnu Mantra.

In Aishaanee Dhaaranaa, one should meditate up on Vishnu till his all worries are over. After that he should think about Vishnu and do His Jaap. Until one does not know from Guru that this Jeev is Brahn's part, this whole world seems to be true. After seeing that Param Tattwa, meditator, aim and meditation, everything is absorbed in heart lotus flower. In Amrit Dhaaranaa, one should concentrate on the central spot of the nerve in the forehead such that there is a lotus flower like full Moon. And then imagine that one Moon has appeared in the sky with the shine of thousands of Moons. Then establish his own body in the center of it. Dhaaranaa removes all kinds of sorrows of a being."

Samaadhi

Agni Dev said - "Which is stable like huge sea and when there is no other feeling except Aatmaa (soul), such Dhyaan is called "Samaadhi". Who sits in a stable condition, like a burning flame in airless environment, meditating his aim, that Yogee is called "Samaadhisth". Who neither hears nor sees, neither feels any touch nor smells, nor taste anything, nor has any Sankalp (desire to do anything), nor is proud of anything; just sits meditating his aim like a wood, such man is called "Samaadhisth" (who is in Samaadhi). Several Divine obstacles appear to him but they all are the signs of attaining Siddhi. He is thrown down from up, he feels pain in his ears and body, he sees many kinds of metals, Devtaa ask him to accept Divine food, King tempts him to give kingdom, Ved and Shaastra appear in his mind without reading them, he can create poetry automatically, all good qualities come to him without desiring for them; BUT who abandons everything, Bhagavaan Vishnu pleases from the same person.

Siddh Yogee should impart Gyaan to his disciple. As the dirty mirror has no capability to show the real face of the person, in the same way whose heart is not without desires, he is unable to attain Aatm Gyaan. Because Jeev is proud of his body that is why he feels pleasures and pains in his body, but who is a Yogee, he does not feel anything because of his Yog. As a potter makes many types of clay pots with the help of his clay and wheel; in the same way Jeev is born in various bodies with the help of Indriyaa and Karm. Because of Karm, attachment and desires only Jeev is bound to be born; and only Gyaan gives him Moksh.

Innumerable rays of various colors of our Aatmaa are spread all around. Among them there is one ray which goes even beyond Brahm Lok; Yogee attains Param Gati from the same path. Besides it, there are many other rays also which go upward, but they go to various Devtaa's Lok. There is only one color rays which come down, Jeev comes to this Lok through those rays only for enjoying the fruits of his Karm.

All 24 Tattwa (See "Parts of Body") jointly are called Kshetra and Aatmaa (soul) who has the knowledge of all these is called Kshetragya [this concept comes from Geetaa's 13th Chapter]. They appear in this sequence - from Vyakt Prakriti appears Mahat Tattwa, from Mahat Tattwa appears Ahankaar; from Ahankaar appear Sky, Air, Fire, Water, and Earth are 5 Bhoot which have one added attributes subsequently; Sound, Touch, Roop, Ras, and Smell are their attributes. Among these Bhoot, whatever Bhoot depends on whichever, it is absorbed in the same one. Sat, Raj and Tam are the attributes of A-Vyakt Prakriti only. Jeev revolves like a disc under the influence Raj and Tam attributes. Who is without beginning in spite of being the beginning of everything, the same is Paramaatmaa. Whatever can be understood by mind and Indriyaan, that is Vikaar (Praakrit Tattwa).

Whatever path goes through Pitrayaan to Agastya star, that path is for the people who wish for children. Who are always ready to donate, they also go to Swarg from the same path. There are 88,000 Grihasth Muni who are the founders of all Dharm. They are the cause of life and death cycle. They have gone to Dev Lok through the in-between path of Saptarshi and Naag's road. The same number of Muni, means 88,000, are without any kind of comfort, they live in various Divine Lok by the power of their Brahmcharya, detachment and intellect till the Kalp is over.

Continuous study of Ved, self study, Yagya without desire, Brahmcharya, Tap, control over Indriyaan, devotion, fasting, and truth - they help to attain Aatm Gyaan. Who worship Truth, they go to Agni, day, Shukla Paksh, Uttaraayan, Dev Lok, Soorya, and lightening Devtaa's Lok. After that Maanas Purush takes them to Brahm Lok, and they do not come back to Prithvi. Who go to Swarg through Yagya, Tap and donation, they go to Dhoom (smoke), Night, Krishn Paksh, Dakshinaayan, Pitra Lok, and Chandramaa Devtaa's Lok; and then come back to Prithvi through sky, air, and water paths. Thus they repetitively take birth in this world and die. Whichever Jeev doesn't know either of these paths, that becomes snake, or worm, or insect. Who earns money in a justified way, loves his guests, does Shraaddh and speaks truth, that Grihasth also become free from this birth and death cycle."

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