Bikram-Guru of Hot Yoga

Bikram Choudhury, founder of the Yoga College of India and Bikram yoga, began learning yoga in his native India, at the age of three. At five, he began studying with Bishnu Ghosh, the brother of Paramahansa Yogananda (well known author of the Autobiography of a Yogi) and quickly became a regional yoga champion. At age eleven, he was the youngest contestant to win the national India Yoga Competition. At age 20, a weightlifting accident crippled Bikram. He retired from the sport and began practicing yoga professionally. Six months later, with the guidance of his internationally renowned teacher, Bishnu Ghosh, Bikram came to realize that yoga can cure chronic physical ailments. Bikram decided to teach his curative methods of yoga to other enthusiasts, and thus, Bikram yoga began.

Bikram arrived in the United States in 1973 and quickly became the foremost yoga teacher in the West as celebrities, athletes and others began to flock to him. Since that time he has been healing thousands of students at his school in Los Angeles and traveling the world extensively, bringing the benefits of Bikram yoga to millions of students worldwide.

Bikram's Yoga sequence is specifically designed to deliver total physical and mental health by balancing every system.

Photo Shot : Al Galang and Sherri Dyer of Bikram Yoga Instructors

YOGANANTH ANDIAPPAN - Yoga from the heart:

Yogananth is extremely well qualified, having received two diplomas (Yoga and Naturopathy, Yogic Science and Education), a Bachelor in Yoga and Naturopathy as well as a Post-Graduate Diploma from Dr. MGR University in Chennai, India.

Yogananth Andiappan was born to India's renowned and respected Yoga Guru Dr. Asana Andiappan, who explored the therapeutic benefits of Asanas on a scientific level, based on the classical text of Thirumoolar's Thirumandiram. He started learning yoga under the watchful eye of his Father and Guru at the tender age of two.

Himalayan Hatha Yoga

Rod Stryker

Rod Stryker is widely considered to be one of the pre-eminent yoga and meditation teachers in the United States. He is the founder of ParaYoga.

He has taught Tantra, Hatha Yoga, and Yogananda's Kriya Yoga for more than 25 years. He holds the title of Yogiraj, specializing in the art of personalizing Yoga and meditation practices for individuals, known as Anava-Upaya-Yoga. He is a student of Pandit Rajmani Tigunait Ph.D. and a teacher in the lineage of the great Sri Swami Rama of the Himalayas.

"There is a pristine place in each of us that is of the same stuff that lights the most distant star. Recognize it and discover a power and insight that will guide you to flourish in every area of your life."
Rod Stryker-the founder of ParaYoga

Ashtanga Yoga - Sara is the owner and founder of Yoga Life Studio

CLAIRE MISSINGHAM is a UK based leading teacher of Vinyasa Flow Yoga, known for her passionate, dynamic and inspirational style of teaching yoga that incorporates both the physical and spiritual aspects of the yoga practice. Claire’s years as a dancer has given her an anatomical understanding and sensitivity, and she is well known in London for her dynamic, vinyasa yoga with inspirational music and insight in yogic philosophy.

Yoga for Life by Liz Lark goes into detail about the practices of five yoga styles: viniyoga, Iyengar, astanga vinyasa, sivananda, and tantra.

Leslie Kaminoff is a yoga educator inspired by the tradition of T.K.V. Desikachar. He has more than 20 years of experience and is an internationally recognized specialist in the fields of yoga and breath anatomy.

AYURVEDA AND SIDDHA MEDICINE

DHANVANTARI : FATHER OF AYURVEDA

Dhanvantari, an incarnation of Vishnu, who was born from the ocean of milk when it was churned by the gods and demons. He is credited with revealing the science of Ayurveda. He appeared from the churning of the Ocean of Milk and then delivered to the demigods the nectar of immortality. He is the first teacher of the Ayurveda, the Vedic medical science.Ayurveda is the “Science of Life,” originating in India over 5000 years ago. A holistic system of medicine, Ayurveda focuses on diet, lifestyle, and herbal remedies to stimulate the body's own natural response to regain balance. The origin of Ayurveda is attributed to the father of Ayurveda, Dhanvantari, the physician to the gods in the Hindu religion, who received the knowledge from God (called Brahma).The most important Ayurvedic texts are the Caraka Samhita and Susruta Samhita (1st–4th century A.D.). These texts analyze the human body in terms of the five elements: earth, water, fire, air, and ether, as well as the three body-mind constitutions (or doshas) called Vata (air: wind), Pitta (fire: bile), and Kapha (earth: phlegm).In Ayurveda, all diseases, conditions, and reactions in the body are caused by imbalances in the individual body-mind-soul connection or constitution (the doshas: vata, pitta, and kapha). The doshas become accumulated, causing inflammation, toxicity, disease, pain, and illness. Therefore, Ayurveda places great emphasis on prevention and encourages the maintenance of health through diet, lifestyle, yoga, breathing, meditation, and herbal nutrition, as well as detoxifying, cleansing, and rejuvenating therapies, such as panchakarma.
OM NAMO BHAGAVATE VASUDEVAYA

Advanced Medical Science:

Ayurveda is recognized as the World’s oldest and most complete medical system, dating back over 5,000 years.In 700BCE or earlier, the great Indian doctor Sushruta describes over 120 surgical instruments and also 300 surgical procedures, including placing them in eight categories.As early as the Rig Veda (c.5000BCE) India has mention of artificial limbs, and restoration of sight, through the Divine Physicians, known as the Ashwins (Horse-men). One such mention is artificial limbs, such as legs, made of gold.Sushruta also performed Cosmetic surgery and re-constructed ears and noses, which were cut off in ancient times, due to punishment. The same procedure is used today, and interestingly, modern science got it (like our numerals and numerical system) from the Hindus.Earlier than Sushruta was his teacher, Dhanvantri, who is mentioned as the Rig Vedic Seer Kakshivan, and dates no later than around 4500BCE. His own Guru was Bharadvaja – one of the oldest Rig Vedic seers, who taught under Krishna Atreya – who date back as early as 7,000BCE, showing a very ancient lineage.

Dhanurveda (Martial Arts) is also part of Ayurveda and includes branches as Hatha Yoga, or exercise and Pressure Points and Acupuncture (Suchi Karma) that originated with the Seer Rama Jamadagneyi (Parashurama) around 4000BCE. The science was transmitted to China under the Buddhist Monk, Bodhidharma from Southern India – where it is still strong.Zen Buddhism in Japan arose from Ch’an Buddhism in China, which came from Bodhidharma’s Dhyan’ (Meditation) system from India – which included Martial Arts and the Pressure Points. Hence the origin of later Karate, Judo etc. from India.

Basic History Siddha Medicine:

According to tradition, there were 18 Siddhars (the person who has achieved some extra-ordinary powers but the Agasthiyar (Agastya) was the topmost. He is regarded as the originator of the Siddha medicine and also of the Tamil language. He occupies the same position as Hippocrates in modern western medicine. In the period of Ramayana he seems to have settled in the South. Thus origin of every tradition in the South, including language and culture, is traced back to Agastya.

The Maha Sidha Agastiya, an Enlighted Master and Healer in "Cittar Medicine"( The Science of Mind )"

The word Siddha denotes one who has achieved some extraordinary powers (siddhi). This achievement was related to the discipline of mind and its superiority over body, and was accomplished through both yoga and medicine. Thus siddhars (practitioners of Siddha) became the symbols of psychosomatic perfection and so the Siddha medicine became a combination of medicine and yoga.
According to the Siddha medicine various psychological and physiological functions of the body are attributed to the combination of seven elements: first is saram (plasma) responsible for growth, development and nourishment; second is cheneer (blood) responsible for nourishing muscles, imparting colour and improving intellect; the third is ooun (muscle) responsible for shape of the body; fourth is kollzuppu (fatty tissue) responsible for oil balance and lubricating joints; fifth is enbu (bone) responsible for body structure and posture and movement; sixth is moolai (nerve) responsible for strength; and the last is sukila (semen) responsible for reproduction. Like in Ayurveda, in Siddha medicine also the physiological components of the human beings are classified as Vatha (air), Pitha (fire) and Kapha (earth and water). In Siddha medicine the use of metals and minerals are more predominant in comparison to other Indian traditional medicine systems. In the usage of metals, minerals and other chemicals, this system was far more advanced than Ayurveda.
When the normal equilibrium of three humors (vatha, pitha and kapha) is disturbed, disease is caused. The factors, which affect this equilibrium are environment, climatic conditions, diet, physical activities, and stress. Under normal conditions, the ratio between these three humors (vatha, pitha and kapha) is 4:2:1 respectively.
According to the Siddha medicine system diet and life style play a major role not only in health but also in curing diseases. This concept of the Siddha medicine is termed as pathya and apathya, which is essentially a list of do's and dont's.

Ayurveda "Mother of All Healing" “ Knowledge of Life” “The Science of Life” “The Science of Longevity” ” World Medicine”Ayurveda, the most holistic and comprehensive medical system available, teaches you how to live in a true and natural balance.Vedic Rishis did not venture out and collect herbs and experiment with their effects to discover Ayurveda, but rather went into deep internal meditation. Their knowledge of the use of various methods of healing, prevention, longevity and surgery came through “Divine Revelation” (they heard the hymns of the Gods). There was no guessing or testing and harming animals.
Ancient Education of Ayurveda:
Ayurveda was also taught to Chinese, Greek, Roman and Persian students who studied at the great Indian Universities as Takshashila in Indo-Pakistan and Nalanda in India – as early as 700BCE. Buddhism was also taught here, and ruins of these still exist – testifying to its grandeur.It is said to have had 2000 teachers and 10,000 students around 700AD. Remembering that India is home to Buddhism – it hence attracted students from Thailand, Japan, China, Korea and Mongolia and Tibet – as well as the West.Many bronze and other sculptures still exist from this University, and the student accommodations, which included kitchens, bathrooms etc. – in ruins, also show the advancement in the East. It was many hundreds of years earlier than Alexandria in Egypt, and much, much larger.In 300BCE, there were in fact already many Buddhist and Vedantic teachers (Brahmins) from India, noted by the Greeks, in the region of Alexandria, and also in Athens and Rome. Later these were followed by the Romani (Gypsy) – who still speak a dialect of Rajasthani and who’s influenced shaped medieval Europe with their eastern mysticism and culture.In 900AD, the text Bhoja Prabhanda Samhita, states that Ayurvedic surgeons successfully practiced brain surgery.

Sample Herbs & Spices in Ayurveda

Ayurveda therefore is not simply a health care system but a form of lifestyle adopted to maintain perfect balance and harmony within the human existence, from the most abstract transcendental values to the most concrete physiological expressions. Based on the premise that life represents an intelligent co-ordination of the Atma (Soul), Mana (Mind), Indriya (Senses) and Sharira (Body). That revolves around the five dense elements that go into the making of the constitution of each individual, called Prakriti. Which in turn is determined by the vital balance of the three physical energies - Vata, Pitta, Kapha and the three mental energies - Satwa, Rajas, Tamas.
Ayurveda thus offers a unique blend of science and philosophy that balances the physical, mental, emotional and spiritual components necessary for holistic health.
The Seven Bodily Tissues--Sapta Dhatus
The most unique feature of Ayurvedic histology (concept of tissue formation) is that each human tissue is formed from the previous tissue in ascending order of complexity.Each dhatu consists of countless infinitesimal paramanus (cells) which are units of structure and function. Each paramanu contains innumerable suksma srotas (channels, pores) through which it receives nutrients and subtle energies and eliminates waste materials. Sukra dhatu (reproductive tissues), Majja dhatu (bone marrow and nervous tissues) ,Asthi dhatu (bone) Meda dhatu (fatty tissues), Mamsa dhatu (muscle tissues), Rakta dhatu (formed blood cells), Rasa dhatu (plasma)

His Holiness Maharishi Mahesh Yogi
His Holiness Maharishi Mahesh Yogi is widely regarded as the world's foremost scientist in the field of consciousness.

Ayurveda is the health care system of the ancient Vedic Tradition of India and is the world’s oldest and most complete system of natural medicine. Maharishi Ayurveda® is the revival of the complete and authentic practice of Ayurveda, by Maharishi Mahesh Yogi, founder of the TM technique.
Vedic knowledge mirrors the most advanced modern scientific understanding of nature. Both see all the laws and physical reality of nature springing from their source in an abstract, non physical field of pure potentiality. Modern quantum physics has described this abstract, non-physical source of natural law as the Unified Field. The Vedic Rishis experienced this field directly and called it Veda. The Rishis experienced the Unified Field as the source of the functioning of their own mind and all of nature. They experienced it as a field of pure consciousness and unbounded intelligence.
The word 'Ayurveda' comes from the word 'ayur' meaning 'life' and the word 'veda' meaning 'to know'. Ayurveda means 'the science of life', and is a medical system practiced in India,Nepal,Tibet and Sri Lanka.
Ayurveda's mythological origins, though, are attributed to the Indo-European Nasatya or Aswins, twin physicians of the gods of the ancient Indo-European pantheon. Four thousand year old references to the Nasatya are found in the now extinct, Hurrian and Hittite languages in Turkey, and in the Sanskrit language in India. Ayurveda is considered the upaveda or accessory Veda to the Atharva Veda. The four Vedas are the world's oldest literary documents in an Indo-European language.A classic ayurvedic text, that parallels the time frame of the Atharva Veda, is the Charaka Samhita. Written in the Indus Valley area around 1000 B.C.E. (Before the Common Era) in Sanskrit, it is a treatise on general medicine. This strongly suggests the probability that ayurveda, though of pan Indo-European origins earlier, had begun to evolve into a distinct entity within the subcontinent by the first millennium B.C.E.
Ayurveda's lasting influence in the non Indo-European sphere began after the rise and spread of Buddhism in the 6th century B.C.E. Buddhist monks introduced Ayurveda to China, Tibet, Korea, Mongolia and Sri Lanka, leaving a lasting legacy in their medical systems. More recently, the German translation of an ayurvedic text that dates back to less than 1000 B.C.E., the Susruta Samhita, contributed to modern medicine the discipline of plastic surgery. Susruta mentions eight branches in ayurveda - General medicine, Surgery, ENT and Eye diseases, Toxicology, Psychiatry, Pediatrics, Gynecology, Sexology and Virility.

His Holiness Maharishi Mahesh Yogi With Former Disciple - Dr Deepak Chopra Author of AGELESS BODY, TIMELESS MIND

Ayurveda: an ancient philosophy :
Ayurveda is the indigenous system of medicine in India. It evolved in India thousands of years ago through the efforts of people endowed with extraordinary powers of observation of nature and its complex processes. For millenniums this comprehensive system tended the healthcare needs of Indian people, rich and poor alike. The quintessence of Ayurveda lies in the unique philosophy that there is a symbiotic relationship
between man and nature. This symbiosis, therefore, demands a holistic approach in treating human ailments. Ayurveda is essentially a holistic treatment method derived from nature that aims at the eradication of human sufferings, both physical and mental, through natural processes. Ayurveda believes that ailments are a natural process and their cure lies hidden in the core of nature.
In Ayurveda, there is no scope for the use of any extraneous elements or factors in curing human sufferings and ailments.Put simply, Ayurveda (a Sanskrit word meaning the science, or wisdom of life) is an ancient philosophy based on a deep understanding of eternal truths about the human body, mind and sprit. Unlike orthodox medicine, it is not based on the frequently changing findings of specific research projects, but on permanent, wise and eternal principles of living.

KUNDALINI YOGA, CHAKRAS & TANTRA YOGA

KUNDALINI YOGA AND CHAKRAS

The Crown Chakra-Kundalini Yoga

Sahasrara meaning "a thousandfold ", is different from other chakras in constitution and effect. When Kundalini(coiled snake) reaches this level it no longer belongs to the realm of the animal or human awareness, it is purely divine. It is the thousand-petalled lotus leading into eternal, infinite, supreme existence. It is the seat of pure consciousness. When the Kundalini rises from the Base Chakra to Sahasrara, energy and conciousness unite and illuminations dawns.

Kundalini Yoga Sun-Logo

"The Sun "Surya" - Mahabindu-The Supracosmic and Metacosmic Transcendental Void"

Kundalini Yoga and Tantra -The Evolutionary Energy in Man, in which that " the human organism is evolving in the direction indicated by mystics, prophets and men of genius, by the action of the wonderful mechanism located at the base of the spine.

Tantra, "The cult of the feminine",is the root of yoga and the most all-inclusive spiritual system ever developed. Yoga is well-known whereas Tantra is in mystery. Yogis and quantum physicists share a wonderful view of the universe as a sea of "quantum foam", of space and time existing not as fixed realities but as mental constructs. The yogi is concerned with this "unspeakable mystery".

Tantra Yoga Aura

Kundalini is sometimes described as the individual bodily representation of the great cosmic power which creates and sustains the universe ; because each human being is a microcosm of that macrocosm. Human experience owes to Tantra the discovery and location of the centres of psychic energy, chakras, in the subtle or astral body. The passage of the awakened Kundalini(coiled snake like energy) is a unique branch of tantric esoteric knowledge, ultimately unfolding the mysteries of the whole universe.

Seven Main Chakras

The Kundalini Energy The Ida and Pingala Nadi

Kundalini is depicted in the form of a snake/serpent which slumbers at the base of the spine. "The feminine Energy Shakti" pierces each of the lotuses or chakras up to her spouse "The Masculine Energy Shiva the "Crown Chakra" the thousand petalled lotus - brings enligntenment, "God-Consciousness" and Ultimate Bliss.

Tantra -what is that? Is that....royal path of ecstasy,ultimate bliss,union with the absolute brahman, oneness with the god, illusion, black-magic, sacred sex or erotic sex cult...? Even the wisest yogis and saints of India were puzzled.....? The King Cobra moves in mystery in the jungles of Asia has thousand meanings...!Because Tantra is a mystical subject, it is nearly impossible to define. Even eminent scholars have had a hard time explaining what Tantra actually is...! "Tantra" is a Sanskrit word that means expansion of consciousness and liberation of energy.Tantra is a spiritual science, which means it is also mystical, in its interconnectedness, the holistic wisdom link between ourselves and the universe we inhabit.It is about becoming more conscious and when applied in love making deepens intimacy, intensity and orgasmic orgastic experience heading in the direction of full body orgasmic feeling.

THE SERPENTINE WORLD AND THE SERPENT OF TIME

Lord Krishna/Kaliya

Patala-Loka The Serpentine Demon World

Rahu and Ketu are also known as the Chahaya Grahas (shadowy planets). It is the name given to the nodes of the moon. Rahu represents the North Node and Ketu, the South Node. According to Hindu Mythology these planets represents the Serpent. They represent the darker side of our nature which we need to overcome.Their role as Karmic indicators of our life is connected with their power to cause eclipses. There are many Myths and legends attached to Rahu Ketu. The most well known one is of Rahu Ketu as the Naga Vasuki- the ruler of the Patala Loka (the nether regions of the earth). The soul's journey in a particular life time and it's connection with eternal life is indicated by the position of Rahu and Ketu. Ketu deals with the past Karma and Rahu with the future.
Rahu is the head part of the celestial snake. This hymn refers to Rahu being snake shaped. The snakes are given great importance in Vedic mythology. Lord Shiva has a snake around his neck, Lord Vishnu's throne was Shesh Naga - the Eternal Serpent. Shesh Naga represents the cycles of time and space which the seed of cosmic creation. The Nagas are shaped like snakes but stand tall. The Nagas are highly evolved beings. They are wise, but their wisdom can be used for both good and bad. The Naga sheds his skin, this symbolises transformation,re-birth. The snakes in Vedic literature remind people of their mortality.

Naga or Sarpa is Serpentine Energy in Kundalini Tantra Yoga

The nagas are an ancient race of semi divine serpent creatures beings first depicted in ancient Vedic Hindu mythology and oral folklore from at least 6000 B.C. Stories involving the Nagas are omnipresent in Hindu and Buddhist mythology and still very much a part of contemporary cultural traditions in predominantly Hindu (India, Nepal, and the island of Bali) and Buddhist (Cambodia,Thailand,Sri-Lanka and South-East Asia) regions of Asia. The Chinese Dragon, or Lung(Loong) , symbolizes power and excellence, valiancy and boldness, heroism and perseverance, nobility and divinity.
In Hindu myth, nagas are a primeval race of divine serpent-people that play an important part in religion. They are half human and half snake, and are still worshipped as the bringers of fertility, especially in India. Nagas are believed to live in palaces (Patala) Loka in the underground city Bhogavati. They are considered the protectors of springs, wells and rivers. They bring rain, and thus fertility, but are also thought to bring disasters such as floods and drought. Their ruler is Sesha. Some of the nagas are: Ananta (symbol of eternity), Vasuki, Manasa (fertility goddess and protector against snake-bites), and Mucilinda. The word Naga comes from the Sanskrit (नाग) , and nag is still the word for snake, especially the cobra, in most of the languages of India. Female Nagas are called Nagis or Naginis. In the East Hindu and Buddhist pantheon it is connected with the Serpent Spirit and the Dragon Spirit. In India and Asia, a naga represents is a mythical serpent or dragon, a serpent-god, a ruler of the netherworld who possesses immense wealth.
Originally, Nagas came to Cambodia from India, together with Hindu religion, philosophy, legends and architecture. Naga cult is still part of Indian culture, and has even found its way into the Muslim communities in Kashmir. In Thailand, the Naga is usually depicted as a large crested serpent. However, at Angkor, the Naga loses its crest in favor of a more ominous multi-headed appearance reminiscent of the Hydra from Greek mythology. When visiting Angkor, the outer gates are flanked by seven-headed Naga serpents leading to the central temple complex.The Seven-Headed Naga serpents depicted as statues on Cambodian temples apparently represent the 7 races within Naga society, which has a symbolic association with "the seven colours of the rainbow". Cambodian Nagas also possess numerological symbolism in the number of their heads. Odd-headed Naga symbolise male energy, infinity, timelessness, and immortality. This is because, numerologically, all odd numbers come from One. Even-headed Nagas are said to be female, representing physicality, mortality, temporality, and the earth.

Text and photographs by Dolf Hartsuiker, author of the book "Sadhus, Holy Men of India". Spiritual adventurers, ascetic warriors, devout mystics, occult rebels or philosophic monks,the sadhus are revered by Hindus as representatives of the gods,sometimes even worshipped as gods themselves.

Strange Photo Snap"Amazing "Aura" Of A Hindu Holy Boy" 

This young Sadhu boy vows to be speechless for 6 Years and continues to be speechless for many years-till surrender to god- called as "Mauna Sadhu"."Science has yet to explain the extraordinary abilities and feats of the Sadhus, The Hindu holy men of India. They are believed to have ability to read and transmit thoughts, able to duplicate themselves and appear in two places at once, to give flowers completely different scent, and to call back the spirits of dead. For the Sadhus, the entire universe is driven by urge, to unite with the divine and this gives them extraordinary powers.

For the Hindus the abilities of Sadhus are certainly not seen as unusual. Indeed, all the holy scriptures of Hinduism which include the Vedas, the Upanishad,Rig-Veda, Bhagavad-Gita and Tamil scriptural classic Tirumantiram agree that the human soul, the self(atman), is identical with the cosmic principle, the absolute(brahman).Perhaps there is a lesson for the sceptics here, for it seems that deeper we probe into enigmas of human life, the closer we come to the mysterious and unacknowledged forces that dwell within us all.

Yogi Rambhauswami, the 63-year-old Fire Yogi of Tanjore

The Fire Yogi of Tanjore,South India- is a 47 minute documentary exploring a Yogi who has the extraordinary ability to use a unique breathing technique to get into union with Fire. The yogi creates a sacred fire and actually lies in the fire, but remains unharmed by the flames. This documentary portrays the rare and unusual Fire Ritual performed by the Yogi and the subsequent chemical analysis of his clothing ; physical tests that examine this supernatural phenomenon. Many aspects of the Yogi are on the edge of unbelievability, while at the same time highlighting the power and endurance of human mind, body and spirit.

Extreme Mystic India

Aghora Sadhu - The Unknown Mystic India. Aghora (literally, "non-terrifying") is the spiritual that seeks to negate all that is ghora("terrible, terrifying") in life.

Aghori ascetics, while being devotees of the Hindu god Shiva.The Aghori ascetic is himself a symbol of the god Shiva.He goes naked or wears the shroud of a corpse, he covers himself in the ashes of the cremation ground--which would be polluting for an orthodox Brahmin--and his ritual practices are symbols of his non-dualistic beliefs. The corpse upon which he meditates is a symbol of his own body and the corpse devouring ritual is a symbol of the transcendence of his lower self and a realisation of the greater, all pervading self.The Aghora sub-sect of Shaivites represents one of the most extreme and demanding paths among sadhus. Aghora is another name for Shiva and literally means "Not Terrible." By challenging all sense of dark and light, good and bad, proper and improper, aghori sadhus believe the inherent Divine nature of the universe will be revealed. 

The Aghora by Robert E. Svoboda and Cover Art By Robert Beer

The Aghora books have been embraced world-wide for their frankness in broaching subjects generally avoided and their facility for making the "unseen" real. By story and living example the Aghori Vimalananda transports us into the true reality while stripping away the unreal. In the process of revealing essence behind substance, countless questions are answered for the spiritual aspirant

Vimalananda, The Author Robert E.Svoboda -the subject of this book, designed the cover and dictated to the author the following regarding its symbolic meaning: "Ghora is darkness, the darkness of ignorance. Aghora means light, the absence of darkness. Under the Tree of Knowledge is an Aghori, a follower of the path of Aghora. He has gone beyond ignorance thanks to the Flame of Knowledge which billows from the funeral pyre. The funeral pyre is the ultimate reality, a continual reminder that everyone has to die. Knowledge of the ultimate reality of Death has taken the Aghori beyond the Eight Snares of Existence: lust, anger, greed, delusion, envy, shame, disgust and fear which bind all beings. The Aghori plays with a human skull, astonished by the uselessness of limited existence, knowing the whole world to be within him though he is not in the world.
AGHORA II: Kundalini, Robert E. SvobodaKundalini: the Force of forces, Mantra, Tantra, Yantra, the sacred fire, chakras and consciousness. "We Aghoris believe in using fast, terrifying methods of sadhana because we ache to return to God immediately; we cannot bear being separated from Him. An Aghori meditates on burning corpses to force the consciousness beyond all limitations of the personality. Aghora sadhanas destroy everything down to the ground of consciousness and rebuild from the bottom up. Then there is nothing to fear, because the new personality is engineered to be totally surrendered to the Will of God."

Tantric Shiva-Rudra has both Shiva (Auspicious) and Ghora (Terrible).

Shiva-Rudra is Mahakala (the Great Time-Lord) and Mrtyunjaya (Death Conquering). Rudra is the Red God (Rohita), intimately associated with life’s blood/fire; and Shiva, as the agent of change (Rajas), has power over life and death. Shiva is æternal, and driven to manifestation only through the Tapasya of devotees, to whom he grants secret knowledge and magical weapons .Time (Kala) leads inexorably to Death (Mrtyu); and all souls must depart through Soma and past the watchful eyes (Rudraksha) of Lord Shiva. There are thousands of Rudras, representing the spectral legions of ancestor-spirits (Ganas), lead by Shiva (Ganeshvara).

Tantric Kali

Kali ("the black one") + Time(Kala) is the Hindu mother goddess, symbol of dissolution and destruction. She destroys ignorance, maintains the world order, and blesses and frees those who strive for the knowledge of God. In the Vedas the name is associated with Agni, the god of fire, who had seven flickering tongues of flame, of which Kali was the black, horrible tongue. This meaning of the word has meanwhile been replaced by the goddess Kali, the grim consort of Shiva.

The Sacred Shri Yantra

The sacred Shri yantra is the most well-known and fascinating of all yantras because of its intricate geometric harmony. Symbolize : Wealth, Health, Beauty.

Shiva-Shakti God-Head Yantra

Kali + Kala = Time + Darkness + Death

Kali as dark night, mother and destroyer of time, as the fire of the worlds dissolution.

Goddess Kali often regarded as a dark, black and fierce goddess of death, and as the destructive "Power of Eternal Time". However, to her worshippers in both Hinduism and Tantra she is much more, and represents a multi-faceted Great Goddess responsible for all of life from conception to death. "Kali has the uncanny ability to transform one's awareness of the present into the ever-expansiveness of eternity; while at the same time drawing the depths of all universes down into the nucleus one's soul."

Shiva And Shakti "Dance of Tantra" - The Masculine and Feminine Universal Cosmic Energy.
Shiva and Shakti- The Duality

Right the Male Energy(Shiva) and Left the Female Energy(Shakti) symbolic of the bipolarity of the human body.Ardhanarishiwara an androgynous form of Shiva-Shakti, the cosmic masculine and feminine cosmic energy(duality)-having characteristic of both male and female in one body. Every man and every woman contains within himself or herself both male and female principles.

"Dakini" Tantric Goddess residing in Base "Root Chakra"

Palden Lhamo, the dark blue protector and only female among the Eight Guardians of the Law, is also Mahakali. Palden Lhamo is Tibetan for Shri Devi, as she is the Tibetan vision of the terrific black goddess of India. Kalachakra deity represents omniscience, as everything is under the influence of time, and he is time and therefore knows all. A four-faced deity with 24 arms who subdues violence. If participants complete the Kalachakra with the best of intentions -- to bring happiness to all living beings -- they can achieve a higher state of enlightenment. Ideal being is the bodhisattva, a person who puts off his own nirvana in order to relieve the suffering of others.

Tibetan Tantric Shiva

Shiva-Thanka: Tibetan Art

Vajra Yogini

She is the Queen of the Dakinis (female tantric enlightened beings) and the much loved personal deity to many Kadampa Buddhists. Through relying upon the blissful, highest yoga tantra practice of Buddha Vajrayogini, we can attain enlightenment very quickly, in one short human life.

Vajra in union with his female wisdom. This state of ultimate bliss "ananda" is a transcendence of dualities - male-female, energy-consciousness, Shiva-Shakti. Tibetan art.

Mahakala is a destructive aspect of the God Shiva. He is the one of the Dharmapalas of Tibet Buddhism, known as the " Great Black One".

Mahakala has four arms and three eyes, and is of the brilliance of 10,000,000 black fires of dissolution, dwells in the midst of eight cremation grounds, is adorned with eight skulls, seated on five corpses, holding a trident, a damaru, a sword and a kharpa in his hands.

Mahavishnu-Krishna Avatar(Universal Cosmic Energy)

Shiva As Creator & Destroyer-Mahayogi

Radha-Krishna :God Is Love

WHAT IS GOD...?

Life is Energy. When God infused Life into Space it was filled with Energy that flowed from outside the sphere, that is the Space Beyond. The original Source is, therefore, a self- perpetuating and self-generating power house much like the Sun. Unlike the Sun and the stars it is self-created and inexhaustible, permanent and unchanging. If this is also a creative effort of someone, then He is God. He is the only One, beyond everything including Space and Time. Therefore, awareness of God could mean only Cosmic Consciousness.
All of them agree, however, there is only one God and it is the Eternal Source. That which is permanent and unchanging and that has no beginning or ending is God say the Hindu scriptures. The Upanishads, the substance of the holy Vedas, set out to probe the truth about God. Adopting the ‘Doctrine of Inquiry’ propounded by the Indian Sage, Yajnavalkya, they examined all the products of Creation one by one and rejected them as ‘neti, neti’ (this is not it, this is not it) and finally concluded that God is Truth, Knowledge, Bliss (Sat, Chit, Ananda) and much more. But all these are abstract and denote nothing in substance, just as Space and Time. Yet everything—the Cosmic matter, Life and Soul—came out of it. Then God is Nothing and the Whole at the same time. Symbolically one can say that God is a zero and a sphere at the same time. The digit zero can be visualized as a sphere too. The sphere, viewed from any angle, looks like the digit zero. As zero it depicts nothing. As a sphere it is full. In the beginning the sphere was empty space. Time had nothing in it.

SCIENCE AND RELIGION

Science is the struggle of man in the outer world. Religion is the struggle of man in the inner world. Science makes man struggle for Truth in the outside universe, and religion makes him struggle for Truth in the inner universe. Both struggles are great, no doubt, but one ends in success and the other ends in failure. That is the difference. Religion begins where science ends. The whole scientific method is based on observation and experiment; but the moment man realises that there is something beyond observation and experiment he will give them up and leave material science behind. Science will always have to deal with finite bodies, and God is infinite.
According to Vedanta philosophy the microcosm and Macrocosm are not different; they originate from the same substance. Actually time, space, and causation are not separate entities outside; they all exist in me, that is, in my mind. The whole universe is inside man.

Yogi in Oneness with God

"As the embodied soul continuously passes, in this body, from boyhood to youth to old age, the soul similarly passes into another body at death. A sober person is not bewildered by such a change." (Bhadgavad-Gita, Chapter 2,Text 13)

Srila Prabhupada explains: In the modern age, people are so uneducated that they cannot understand the body is changing at every moment and that the ultimate change is called death. In this life one may be a king, and in the next life one may be a dog, according to karma. The spirit soul is in deep slumber caused by the force of material nature. He is put into one type of condition and again changed into another type. Without self-realization and knowledge, conditional life continues, and one falsely claims himself a king, a cat, or a dog. These are simply transformations brought about by the supreme arrangements.

Contact : Akash

yogic666@gmail.com