The truth of the self, revealed by the breath.

The science of self-realization is the deepest mystery of all esoteric religious and spiritual practice. There can be no mystical or magical potential without self-awareness, self-mastery, and self-knowledge and therefore this knowledge are the most sought after and venerated secrets known in all traditions. It has the potential to unlock the doors to the higher planes of consciousness, free ourselves from all mental and physical disturbances, and even award mystical powers to the seeker. Without at least a basic understanding of Self-knowledge or Atmavidya, no amount of so-called spiritual practice will give fruit.

The main source of information regarding Atmavidya is to be found in the Upanishads and Vedanta-sutra. The Vaishnavas also find that the Srimad-Bhagavatam is a perfect commentary and explanatory account of the Upanishadic knowledge and within its pages, it reveals various facets of  Self-knowledge and does so through multiple stories, dialogues, and allegories.  These dialogues give us a detailed understanding of the elements of reality and allow us to discern properly what the true “Self” really is. By contemplating these passages heard from the mouth of Sri Guru, meditating on specific short mantras given by Sri Guru, and visualizing the various elements and parts of manifest reality as explained by Sri Guru, Then ones darkened awareness becomes illuminated by the torchlight of divine knowledge.

oṁ ajñāna-timirāndhasya

jñānāñjana-śalākayā

cakṣur unmīlitaṁ yena

tasmai śrī-gurave namaḥ

“I was born in the darkest ignorance, and my spiritual master opened my eyes with the torch of knowledge. I offer my respectful obeisance unto him.”

The preliminary stage of Spiritual Realization is that of one's very own self-essence. The sincere seeker should enquire intensely on the subject of his own identity and eliminate all non-essential designations held by the mind. Strip away the false imagined personality and allow the Ahankara to identify properly with the eternal self.

The Ajapa mantra So-ham which is the sound of the in and out breath is particularly powerful in awakening the awareness of the self. Literally, the mantra is saying, “I am that” or “I am him” The deity of the mantra is Hamsa deva and this mantra has been divulged in numerous Puranas, pancaratras, and tantras. In the laksmi tantra, a widely known pancaratra used in south India, Laksmi Devi reveals this mantra to Indra the king of heaven and explains the in-breath to be herself and the out-breath to be the supreme Narayana.

Sri Krsna mentions this process in the Bhagavad gita, where he describes the sacrifice of offering the in-breath into the out-breath and vice-versa. As the practitioner focus his awareness on the breath, fusing it with the mantra, the breath will gradually become more and more subtle until finally the in-breath merges with the out-breath and the state of effortless retention occurs. In that state the self is perceived in its entire splendor, shining with the brilliance of a million suns, and pouring forth rays of bliss. Sri Krsna says that one, who has achieved this realization, no longer laments or rejoices about anything regarding the material sphere and becomes extremely jolly, content and Self-satisfied.

Lord Shiva is the presiding Deity of this pure transcendental identity; he is the direct representative of the original Guru Balarama and the source of all wisdom and knowledge within the three worlds. Bowing down to his lotus feet, the lotus feet of his consort Parvati Devi, and his sons Ganesha and Kartikeya, I humbly present this small taste of Atma-vidya.
In and out the breath eternally flows, the source of life the wise man knows
Follow its motion and rest in its source the ocean of consciousness, the self, the force

Om Nama Sivaya