Tattwa Shuddhi - Day 3

Tattwa Shuddhi – Day 3

10 August, 2014, Sunday

It rained heavily during the afternoon because of which the evening was cloudy but it was humid and sultry.

Jyothi Madam started today’s session by explaining very briefly about the 36 tattwas of which we are made up of. She was telling that there is no need to go deep in to all the 36 tattwas and it is enough if we have a broad idea of what they are. (Please see chart below for reference)

36 Tattwas - Tattwa Shuddhi

As she was explaining about the Tattwas I was wondering the perfect hierarchy that functions within us and how, if there is disturbance at any level, whether the lower level of the hierarchy or the higher, the entire system gets disturbed. It is a wonderful management principle and if we learn to become a good manager of our inner being, I am sure we will be excellent managers in the outside world !

I was wonderstruck when I realized the spread of Tattwa Shuddhi starting from the grossest tattwa till the Ishwara tattwa in us. Just imagine then how important it is for us to do Tattwa Shuddhi if we are really serious to know who we are beyond the body–mind–intellect combine.

Every day when we do tattwa shuddhi all the 36 tattwas gets cleansed. We will not be touching individually each and every one of the 36 tattwas while practicing. We will be using only 5 yantras and the corresponding 5 bheejakshara mantras. But with this 5 we will be cleansing all the 36 tattwas.

Madam was explaining even when we touch the Ishwara Tattwa, that state is not 100% pure state. But with human effort we can reach only up to that state and beyond that it is purely Grace that has to work for the Mega Merger to happen. Mega Merger of the Jivaatma with Paramaatma. This Mega Merger will be possible when Shiva and Shakti commune with each other and this communion happens purely by Shiva’s Iccha Shakti.

With this background Madam took us all through the practice session. During today’s practice Madam was taking us through the yantra – mantra practice taught on the first day but today she taught us to merge one tattwa into the other. For example, we start with the Prthvi Tattwa and ascend to Aakasha Tattwa and after that we again come back to Prthvi Tattwa and move up to Aapa Tattwa and in Aapa Tattwa we merge the Prthvi Tattwa. From Aapa Tattwa we move up and come to Agni Tattwa and staying in Agni Tattwa we merge Aapa Tattwa (remember Aapa Tattwa is now Prthvi + Aapa). Then we move to Vaayu Tattwa and in Vaayu Tattwa we merge the Agni Tattwa (Agni Tattwa is Agni + Aapa + Prthvi) and finally we merge all the Tattwas into Aakasha Tattwa. This way we dissolve all the Tattwas into Aakasha Tattwa.

Madam was telling that Guru is part of Aakasha Tattwa. Staying in Aakasha Tattwa we have to let ourselves loose. From here it is an unpiloted journey and from here on Guru takes charge of us.

Jyothi Ma on Tattwa Shuddhi

Jyothi Madam summed up Tattwa Shuddhi and remarked that 3 days is practically impossible to impart Tattwa Shuddhi but she somehow completed the syllabus. But during practice we could experience ‘no mind’ state when we merged all the Tattwas into Aakasha Tattwa and suspended ourselves there in Aakasha Tattwa. It was a wonderful experience to be in a state where you can listen to the instructions, and your mind follows it, yet you realize that you are not putting any effort in listening or following the instructions. You are simply observing that these things are happening in you, including the observation that you are observing !! This may sound confusing when expressed in words but Tattwa Shuddhi definitely bestows this state to the practitioner.

Happy Sadhana,

N. Narayanan

SST Delhi Chapter 

Tattwa Shuddhi - Day 2

Tattwa Shuddhi Day 2 Aug 9

Today Jyothi Madam started the lecture by helping the participants to understand how rich our Indian culture is and how sad it is that we are losing touch with them rapidly.

She said,

We all think that religion, rituals, spirituality, etc., they are all different from each other. But in reality they all lead to one source, i.e., Tantra.

Our Masters were so advanced, they realized that the ways of the mind are innumerable and therefore devised many methods and ensured that the mind is not allowed to escape from the reality which is that we are nothing but the Primordial Energy. Primordial Energy is nothing but Spanda (In Kashmiri Saivism) or Vibrations.

Tattwa Shuddhi - Jyothi Ma

As we have seen yesterday, Tattwa Shuddhi employs Mandala (Idol worship), Yantra (abstract images using lines like square, triangle, circle, etc.) and Mantra (potential sound vibrations) to clean ourselves. This cleaning is essential if meditation has to happen us. Meditation can happen only when we can train our body and mind to be still and observe itself. This sitting still is a struggle for us because we are not able to come out of body consciousness and the mind is scattered and is on the move, like mercury. Very difficult to consolidate and hold it in a place.

Masters say, begin from where you are. Many interpretations can be assigned to this statement, all of them rightly so. But the most relevant interpretation got revealed to me (it is the understanding of the writer of this report and hence subjective) today when Jyothi Madam explained the effect of Tattwa Shuddhi. Tattwa Shuddhi starts with the energy vibrations that we have at present and helps us to gradually cross over different energy levels and finally experience the vibrations within us that matches the vibrations of the Primordial Energy – merging with GOD. It is here that the seer and the seen becomes one. Our energy vibrations becomes one and identical with the cosmic vibrations. It is not so now because there is an imbalance due to impurities. Through Tattwa Shuddhi when we start cleansing, our energy vibrations attains equilibrium and starts unfolding its true and pure potential. Suddenly and instantly the realization occurs that we are in no way different from that Cosmic Consciousness !

Tattwa Shuddhi involves visualisation and imagination, yantra and mantra. When we apply these on different parts of our body what happens in reality is that unconsciously and without much effort our mind crosses the barrier of body, meaning that we are no more conscious of our physical body but at the same time we are aware of what we do using our body. This, in other words, means that our consciousness shifts from the gross physical body and touches another dimension that we have i.e., energy vibrations.

Yes, this actually happened when we practiced the application of yantra and mantra, with visualisation and imagination on our body, we no more experienced the physical body but the subtler level of vibrations. When we chanted the mantra associated with each yantra, different combinations of energy had different effects on the energy patterns in our body.

The mind was so focussed during the practice, without consciously forcing it to stay with what we are doing, it simply was doing its job like the fragrance simply gets carried away by the air.

Jyothi Madam said, it is my promise that if you do this practice regularly, soon you will learn how to overcome your body consciousness within seconds, whenever you sit for meditation.

This is what Madam was referring to yesterday when she said sharpening the perception. The mind was spot on, on what it was assigned to do without anything distracting or disturbing it. This state is referred to as ‘Atha’ by Patanjali in his Yoga Sutra. Atha means staying in the present without the interference of past or future. When we learn to prolong this Atha and make it an effortless happening in us, we are in meditation.

This Atha is a sure result when we start practicing Tattwa Shuddhi.

Madam had a word of caution for us which is that this practice has to be done with Bhavana, complete emotion (not sure whether this is the appropriate English equivalent for Bhavana). Intelligence has no role to play. If intelligence shows up during this practice, then this method will not work, however hard one may try.

Madam shared the beauty and purpose behind the culture of temples and the innumerable Gods that we have and how they are related to this Tattwa Shuddhi. Since we are focussing in this programme on a particular technique of doing Tattwa Shuddhi, I am not providing the gist of it here apprehending it may take away the focus of the reader from what is being shared through mandala, yantra and mantra technique.

Until tomorrow, Happy Sadhana.

N. Narayanan

SST, Delhi Chapter

Tattwa Shuddhi - Day 1

Tattwa Shuddhi

Jyothi Madam very eloquently and fluently introduced Tattwa Shuddhi to the participants. The concern and the sincerity that was on display throughout the lecture worth mention and merit.

Tattwa Shuddhi helps a Sadhaka to experience meditation in a natural way. But for this natural way to set in oneself, one has to work on oneself, by using the techniques that Tattwa Shuddhi gives.

Tattwa Shuddhi indirectly makes the mind to give up its resistance and stubbornness in engaging in spiritual practices. It achieves this not by directly attacking the mind but indirectly influencing it.

The essential nature of mind is to enjoy and it finds the world outside us as the fertile ground for seeking its pleasures and joys. Mind achieves this by deploying the Pancha Tanmaatraas (5 subtler energies of 5 gross sense organs in the body such as ‘smell’ is to ‘nose’).

It is precisely here Tattwa Shuddhi works. Tattwa Shuddhi also works upon these Pancha Tanmaatras because they are trustworthy agents of mind and, therefore, mind will not doubt them when they are deployed, though in this case, to tame it J

Meditation does not happen in us because the harmonious balance of emotion and intelligence within us is disturbed when we sit quietly, keeping our body still. If one practices Tattwa Shuddhi regularly, such a person is bound to experience meditation naturally and habitually !!

Jyothi Madam was explaining to the audience that Tattwa Shuddhi, in other words, is nothing but sharpening our perception, to such an extent, that the seer and the seen merges and become one, the doer and the act of doing merges and become one. Uninterrupted, undisturbed, Advaita Bhava.

Jyothi Ma on Tattwa Shuddhi

Tattwa Shuddhi employs Yantra, Mantra and Mandala as its technique to achieve the results. The beauty of practicing Tattwa Shuddhi is that it bestows the practitioner with direct experience. In spiritual sadhana direct experience alone counts as valid knowledge because it is the only trustworthy and dependable wisdom that one can rely on for it is directly experienced by one without any distortions.

Jyothi Madam gave the participants the taste of what Tattwa Shuddhi can do by making the participants to practice Yantra and Mantra technique. Many could experience the real power of Tattwa Shuddhi after applying the Yantra and Mantra technique on themselves. For this technique has to be employed and experienced, I am not elaborating what it is. If I do, then it will become a mere piece of information which is already available on the net.

Tattwa Shuddhi, undoubtedly, a not to be missed Tantra Sadhana by a spiritual aspirant for it is the short cut, rather shortest cut, to meditation.

We have two more days to go and Madam opined that 3 days is inadequate to dwell upon this Tantra technique but she will try her best to complete whatever is possible within the short span of 3 days.

Until tomorrow, Happy Sadhana.

N. Narayanan

SST, Delhi Chapter