Use of Mystic Power in Patanjali

Meditationtime Forum Post

Date:  Posted 5 years before Jul 03, 2017

MiBeloved 5 years ago

michael c weir to Hi Michael Beloved:

I too would like to add that I agree with your position. So much so that I would like you to enumerate the siddhis' that you have acquired. Book 3 of PYS is full of all the different ones, so I am extremely interested in all the ones you know. One can never know too much about Patanjali. So of course if you have attained samadhi, and have gone on to independence in Book 4, you surely have passed through book 3.

There is no need to say that you cannot say what accomplishments you have acquired, as you yourself are talking about examining the fruits. I would just like to examine them, as you said. Please provide witnesses so that everything can be verified.

Thanks

Michael

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To  michael c weir,

I learnt the application of the Patanjali process mostly from Srila Yogeshwarananda of Gangotri but I was tutored by him mostly on the astral planes, not physically. There was a restriction which he placed on me which was that siddhis were to be reinvested into yoga practice itself and not use for any other purpose at any time.

This might be compared to having a business and using all the profits to expand the business and not using any of the proceeds for anything else. In that case, the use of siddhis is prohibited except for reinvestment of the skills in more practice and in developing more psychic sensitivity to see the way to advance more in self realization.

Part of his requirement was that a siddhi should never be displayed to anyone. As soon as one realizes or recognizes that one has a siddhi one is supposed to conceal it and never reveal it to anyone. Srila Yogeshwarananda felt that if it was shown, one would be forced circumstantially on the plea of others for its use and demonstration. And that he said deters advanced practice, since one becomes drawn again into the social field.

The big part of his instruction is that if the student does not comply with this, Yogesh’s association will not be forthcoming.

I will give an example of a how this application of siddhi mystic perfection is applied to practice instead of being revealed to others. Let us say for instance that I felt that I picked a thought of someone. I get an intuition that Jerry will call me to postpone a payment of a fifty dollar loan which he took from me.

Five minutes after this, the phone rang. It was Jerry and he was apologizing for not paying back the loan and he wanted the time extended so that he would pay it back in two more months. I told him that it was okay, he could pay it back as proposed.

In this case a simple siddhi, telepathy was observed. I could have said to Jerry that I had a hunch that he would call and I suspected that he would want to get an extension for payment of the loan.

If I did this, then Jerry would be alerted that somehow I read his mind. He might then tell others. This in turn might cause others to approach me. Even Jerry might come over and say something like this,

“Hey Mike, since you can read minds can you tell me what Mary is thinking about me. I want to know if she really likes me because I want to propose to her and I do not want to be rejected. Please read her mind because I know that you have that power. Please use your power and help me.”

So according to the training I got from Srila Yogeshwarananda, a simple siddhi like telepathy should not be exposed to anyone and it should be invested into yoga practice.

The student can invest that into reading his own subconscious impression, his own pre-conscious activities, and his causal states. He can use that to read his mind before his own mind can formulate an idea or thought. Then he can be more in compliance with sutra 2 of the Yoga Sutras for chittavritti nirodhah, stopping impressions in the mind in their seed form before they actually burst out into full thoughts and ideas. He can know what they are in their seed form, just as an experienced farmer might look at seeds of wild plants and know their potential for growth into specific types of vegetation.

I know that is not what you mean by asking me to enumerate siddhis but you can understand from that how I am under restriction of the Guruji.

By the way, Srila Yogeshwarananda made vital contributions to the yoga process and published many books some of which are:

First Steps to Higher Yoga

Science of Divine Light

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The other serious prohibition is the yama and niyamas which Patanjali himself has set down as being the mahavrata. I translated that as the great commitment and Patanjali said that they should not be violated in any time or place, or something to that effect.

It is the only place in the Sutras where he lays down this very harsh stipulation on the practitioners of the ashtanga yoga. In India, usually if someone makes a vrata, it means that he made a vow but if it is a mahavrata then it is serious. For instance if one takes a vow to fast on Shivaratri and one is just an ordinary temple goer, then that is a vrata but if one takes a vow to become a sannyasi who will be single for the rest of his life, then that is a mahavrata.

So Patanjali has laid down some rules which really prohibit the demonstration of siddhis and their usage.

Another thing that related to this is that he gave the means of having these siddhis and yoga is only one of the means. But even though yoga is only one of the means drugs (herbs) etc being another and so on) true yoga is such that if a siddhi develops it cannot be used whimsically.

I will give you an example and this is something I learnt about recently when I did a translation of the Anu Gita from the Mahabharata. In that story, Arjuna, after the battle when the Pandavas were having a good time ruling without opposition, asked Lord Krishna to again show the Universal Form and again go over the details of the Bhagavad Gita. But surprisingly Krishna refused to exhibit the form. Krishna actually said something to Arjuna about Arjuna being a no-good so and so. But the point is that Krishna said he revealed the form under special yogic state and he would not do it again. So that was a siddhi of Krishna and still he did not use it upon request, even upon request of Arjuna whom he claimed was so dear to him just before the battle.

I hope I am not boring you with all this or making you feel that I am copping out.

MiBeloved 5 years ago

A Remark about what was written above:

Sue Allerton’s Comment: Michael what you are sharing is fascinating and confirms a view that I have heard previously also for me personally outside influences can definitely distract me (just generally siddhis not withstanding) unless I hold true to the sincerity of my practice and don't get sidelined by my ego's need for attention and recognition - hmmm not so easy this human experience before Samadhi! warm regards Sue