Sri Vasista
Having decided thus with a pure and clean mind, the muni sat in a lotus posture with half closed eyes.
OM is the transcendent Supreme - by uttering it I shall attain the Supreme State' - thus decided the 'muni'
He started uttering the word with the sound directed upward like a long beaten, straightened tail-like streak. The sound was like that given out by a huge bell.
He continued uttering OM till he felt that that sound is directed towards that pure transcendent consciousness
-7 OM consists of three 'matras' (A,U,M) With the lean and distinct sound of the first 'matra, the body resonated. The body became a vacuum with all the vital air thrown out with this 'Kriya' called 'Rechaka'. It was like Agastya sucking into him a whole occan of water. The vital air that lfeft the body stayed in the space filled with Consciousness-essence. It was like an eagle staying in the sky leaving its place of rest.
-9 Then the brilliant heart -fire within him burnt his body with its flames. It was like a tree being burnt by alighting. This entire thing happened because of the first matra of 'pranava' being uttered in the right way. It was not because of Hatha yoga. Hathayoga is very dangerous. It causes distress.
-11 . Then he enttered the second 'matra' (U) in a balanced manner. This led to 'kumbhaka' in which the vital air is restrained to remain still without any movement inside, outside, up or down. The entire operation of breathing came to a stupor-like stop.
-13 . Then the fire in the burnt body cooled down in an instant. The body appeared transparent, snow-white and ash-smeared. The bones of the body appeared as if they were lying in comfort on a camphor-bed without any movemrnt.
-16 . The ash from the bones rose out in plenty (since all was empty and vaccuous). The ash occupied the sky-space in no time. All this was due to 'Pranava' and not because of Hatha yoga. Hatha yoga is distressing. It was like autumn frost, though from the bone-ash.
Then entered the third phase, (ie) the matra (M) which is quietening. It leads to the 'kriya' of 'Puraka' (filling) in the sequence of uttering 'OM'. In this phase the vital air fills the body.
-27 . At that time, the cousciousness of the vital air grows nectar like and becomes cool like sky with the touch of frost and snow. It becomes like the moon- region. The vital airs become like oceans of nectar. These vital airs rain nectar and drench the bones. Then the body resembles that of Lord Vishnu. The body of Uddalaka looked luminous and brilliant at that time. The nectar-like vital airs filled the body of Uddalaka. These airs fillied the 'kundalini' and all its 'chakras'. Now Uddalakas body became perfectly pure and fit for samadhi.
-31 . He sat in lotus posture, made his body steady and restrained his five senses. It was like an elephant bound by chains. He tried to make his mind pure like autumn sky to enable the attainment of 'nirvikalpa samadhi'. However the heart was troubled and it was dragged by desires like a deer running after cool breeze. He restrained the movement by force by making his sense-chased mind pure and free from agitation.
-33 . He made his eyebrows still then his half shut eyes looked beautiful like a still evening. With control of breath, the muni looked perfectly peaceful like a place when it is prosperous.
By repeated efforts, he could draw his senses away from external objects. It was like a tortoise withdrawing his limbs into a shell.
-36 . When a diamond is enclosed in a pot, the brilliant rays from the diamond are stopped from travelling beyond the inside of the pot. Similarly his mind is now kept away from engagement with the external world. All the senses were then liquidated into the inside (the heart) like all sap which is absorbed by the tree in the month of 'margasirsha.'
When a pot (filled with water) is sealed, that water seals the rest of the small holes (because of pressure). In the same way, he closed all the nine holes giving entry into the body by tightly closing the anus hole with his heel.
-40 . He held his head and neck straight. It was like a peak of Meru which is brilliant with all its diamonds dispersed around. He held his mind in his heart space. It was like a wild elephant chained in a valley of Meru. The splendour of the muni in the posture is way beyond even the grandeur of an absolutely still vast ocean.
-42 . When he pushed away all mental aberrations (which come in the way of self realisation), it was like some breeze driving away the mosquities and insects. He was cutting asunder all desires, which were returning into his mind repeatedly, like a warrior killing his enemies with his sword.
-46 . When all the abberrations and deformations were leashed, the sun of 'viveka' (discrimination) came out into the sky of his heart, piercing the collyreum- dark 'tamasic' cloud. The darkness of the 'tamasic' cloud too washed away due to the integrally quietened sun of integral knowledge that arose in him. He then had a vision of brilliant effulgence. With all veils removed, he was like a lotus brightened by the morning sun after the pitch darkness of an autumn night. That brilliant effulgence had swallowed the flow of 'rajas' like a vetala drinking blood.
-48 . Engaged and hit by the brilliant effulgence his mind whirled around and was lulled to sleep like a drunken person. With effort he overcame that state of sleep.
-50 . After expelling sleep, he started seeing in his mind-space several sights like a peacock tail. He dismissed all of them and cleaned his mind like wind blowing off fog and light dispelling darkness.
-52 . When this sense of space and sky was dispelled, and with sleep also merged, he felt like a foolish person as if he lost his mind. He was like one with a hangover after an intoxicating drink. But he washed away that deluding feeling like sun washing away darkness.
-54 . With the discarding of the effulgence, darkness, sleep and delusion, his mind attained for an instant a state of repose. In a trice, his mind slipped into the relative consciousness of the world. It was like a lake whose banks are breached with waters frushing out.
-57 . After long effort he arrived at transcendence like gold which gets the shape of an anklet after cousiderable working. Discarding the mind nature and principle, mind took another shape like mud taking the shape of a pot. Relieved of the sentient consciousness, the mental consciousness became pure and acquired the generic pure nature of consciousness. It was like waves falling into the ocean-waters and acquiring the normal characteristics of water.
-60 . Leaving the engagement with the being-filled earth and thinking about it, he became That, the Consciousness-ether, having acquired Self knowledge. Then he attained that state of bliss, which was free of all phenomena, that perfect and infinite condition. It was like being in a sea of nectar. With a purified body, he was like an ocean of bliss, who came to the earth as the pure Existence of the Self.
-62 . He was shining brilliant like consciousness-swan, a full moon in the autumn sky. He was splendorous like a lamp in a windless environment, a wave-free ocean, and a picture painted on a wall. He was still like a cloud in autumn sky.
-65 . In that state, many accomplishments and powers (siddhis) came to his fore. He saw angels, gods and many celestial beings. He rejected all of them as play, worthy of children.
-68 . Rejecting all powers, he remained for six months in that state of stillness. He then established himself in that high state of 'jivanmukti' which was the state characteristic of siddhas, gods, Brahma and Siva. There was nothing trivial in that bliss. It was self-lumionous.
-74 . If one attains that state even for a minute or for millions of years, he will never engage himself in ordinary pleasures. That state of supreme bliss is the most auspicious, most restfull and most peaceful. Such a one will never be harassed again by delusions. Such people will never enter the thorny fields of this world. Such people are like kings who can never think of misery. They will never regard this phenomenal world as worth while. Such a person who is reposed in that state will not easily return to the ordinary state. Uddalaka, who rejected all powers, remained in that high state of bliss for six months and awakened himself after that.
-82 . The awakened Uddalaka saw once again beings with splendorous effulgence, many celestial ladies bedecked with white 'mandara' flowers, moon-like gods, many rishis and Vidyadharas. They all prostrated before him and said. "O Lord, please take cognizance of us. Come with us to the heaven ascending this celestial flying vehicle. After all, the ultimate goal of all this effort is heaven only. You can enjoy all the pleasures till the end of the aeon. Look at all these celestial women who are ready and anxious to serve you. O Lord, the best of all 'purusharthas' is 'Kama'. The generic essence of 'Kama' is a woman of high accomplishments. Such women you can find only in heaven.
-85 . Uddalaka duly worshipped all those people without any regard or concern for their words. He was unmoved by their pleadings and merely told them 'please depart'. Those heavenly beings waited for a few days and left.
-92 . Since then, that liberated Uddalaka, roamed around freely among woods, maintains, forests and many such places. He remained at some places for a month, at some for an year and at some for many years. All the while he continued his meditational practices. He always remained in a state of 'samadhi' even while he was engaged worldly activities. He looked upon all world and all beings with sense of equality. Having attained the eapability of being in a witness state regarding phenomenal world, he was like a sun who never rose nor set.
Because of attaining the state of bliss, he was in a state of peace all the time. He wore a new body which was truth conscious (in every cell).
