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Revealing the Secret, Commentary on The
Small Burning Lamp of Sun-Moon Yoga (Hatha Yoga Pradipika)
translated into English by Professor M.D.
Pant, Yogeshwar
Muni and Darshana
illustrations by Añjali and proofreading
by Sati.
The technical yogic terms have been carefully rendered in English,
thus giving serious aspirants who are not familiar with the traditional
cultures of ancient and modern India access to the esoteric realm
of Sun-Moon Yoga.
Cover Story
We imagine a temple of yoga. Entering it, we approach
its inner sanctum. We see that the door to the inner sanctum is
open; however,
a gauze curtain hangs interposed between us and the image of
truth that lies within. We stand there gazing, but can only vaguely
see that which is within. No matter how hard we try to guess
the secret, it eludes us. Then, inside the inner sanctum, Swatmarama,
holding the small radian lamp of sun-moon yoga in his hand, helps
us see the truth of yoga more clearly. But most of us trying
to penetrate the now brightly lit gauze curtain by using our
senses, only become blinded by the light. Seeing the sincerity
and seriousness
of a few of us, Kripalvanada, standing by the entrance of the
inner sanctum, draws back the veil, revealing the radiant image
of truth that illuminates the path of sun-moon yoga. By its light,
we can, if we choose, abandon our fixed ideas and follow that
path to true knowledge and final liberation. back
cover of Revealing the Secret
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Introduction
Swami Kripalvananda wanted to write a book on purifying
action yoga (the illusion-destroying practice of uniting with divinity)
that would be both useful to the yoga aspirant and honor the ancient
yogic scriptures. Instead of writing a separate book of his own experiences,
he decided to write a commentary on the Hatha Yoga Pradipika,
a renowned clearly written and systematic yogic work written on the
basis of the author's own experience. He called his commentary Revealing
the Secret for a purpose because qualified individuals will easily
comprehend the hidden secrets when they are revealed. He says:
“…The
Small Burning Lamp of Sun-Moon Yoga is a world-famous
yogic work. Although this book is not very ancient,
it has been written on the basis of ancient works
and [the
author’s] own experience. Remembering Revered
Deliverer (God) and the revered truth teacher,
I began to write
the commentary. This yoga is called the Absolute
teaching (the teaching that is about the Absolute).
It should
be kept well hidden (in esoteric form), because
those qualified to receive it are very rare. Ordinary
aspirants
who do not properly understand the secret become
involved in senseless (mistaken, harmful) action.
Yet a qualified
individual easily comprehends the hidden secrets
[when they are revealed], so, in various places,
I have revealed
(unveiled) the secret as appropriate [in so far
as it is possible to do so with out misleading
ordinary
aspirants]. back cover Revealing the Secret
"Yoga is my life. Whatever I have
come upon up to now, I have placed with vast affection
before qualified individuals as the blessed gift of God."
Revealing the Secret p. vii
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The Small Burning Lamp of Sun-Moon Yoga includes sixteen postures, eight
suspensions of the life energy, ten energy seals, the six practices, and divine
sound uniting. There are detailed diagrams of the seven energy centers.
THE
FIRST INSTRUCTION: Posture
Knowledge, devotion
and action are all necessary parts of one yoga and one destination.
There are two stages of royal yoga, the outer limb and the
inner limb. The outer limb concerns the organs of action (the tongue
as the organ of speech, the hands, the feet, the sex organ and
the anus). Mastery of the organs of action is sun-moon yoga.
The inner limb stage concerns the organs of sense or knowledge
and is called the mastery of the mind.
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No matter which journey of yoga the aspirant makes, he will undergo the
false experience of the Absolute. It is unavoidable because until the
journey of
false knowledge comes to an end and the mental faculty acquires the light
of knowledge, the experience of intervening illusions is natural.
In order to help
the seeker of liberation in this pitch darkness of
various doctrines, I am here in
the center of the path holding The Small Burning
Lamp of Sun-Moon Yoga."
Revealing
the Secret v.1.3 p. 7
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The first limb of sun-moon teaching is posture. By
means of the continued practice of posture, the practitioner acquires
stability, freedom from disease, and lightness of limbs. Posture occurs
in the very beginning of yoga and is present up to the state of equanimity.
It is the center of any systematic practice. The power of a given posture
increases step by step throughout all levels of yoga.
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Postures described in Revealing the Secret, a Commentary on The Small
Burning Lamp of Sun-Moon Yoga (Hatha Yoga Pradipika):
The Good Luck Posture
The Cow's Face Posture
The Virile Posture
The Tortoise Posture
The Cock Posture
The Turned-Up Tortoise Posture
The Bow Posture
The Matsyendra Posture
The Dorsal-Upward Posture
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The Peacock Posture
The Corpse Posture
The Accomplishment Posture
The Lotus Posture
The Lion Posture
The Blessed Posture
Revealing the
Secret Contents p. v
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THE
SECOND INSTRUCTION: Suspension of
the Life Energy
Once a posture
becomes firm, a yogi should do continued practice of suspensions
of the the life energy in the way his teacher has instructed.
“ ..Instruction
Concerning the Suspension of the Life Energy
Verse 2.1 Immediately upon the posture becoming firm, the
yogi who is a practicer of restraint and who regulates food,
should do correct continued practice of suspensions of the
life energy in the way the teacher has instructed.
In the above instruction, the words ‘yogi’ and ‘vashi’ (one
with power, one with authority) [in the original Sanskrit verse] have
been used for a reason. That is, the aspirant who
has his
posture firmly established is
not an ordinary aspirant but a yogi and a practicer of restraint.
This instruction has been imparted for a liberation-seeking aspirant
of natural yoga, or accomplishment yoga, not for an ordinary aspirant.
When,
by means
of sun-moon yoga, the release of the life energy occurs, sun-moon yoga
is called natural yoga or accomplishment yoga. The release of the life
energy is a yogic
technique.”
Revealing the Secret p. 40
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Death is the greatest bondage of all. The human
being trapped in the net of death is a prisoner. Freeded from death,
one is free while still alive. Pleasure is the means of bondage
and yoga is the means of liberation. For the attainment of freedom,
stabilization of the vital air is indispensable.
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THE
THIRD INSTRUCTION: Energy
Seal
When the very
kind flow (highest) energy channel becomes a royal path for the
life energy and the mental faculty becomes disconnected from
the objects of sense (is no longer being used by the yogi to
try to fulfil desire), even time/death itself is undercut.
Energy seal is
the developed form of posture. In postures, the organs are primary
and the life energy is secondary. In energy seals, on the other
hand, the organs are secondary, and the life energy is primary.
The same energy seal can occur in various postures.
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When yogis who have reached the far shore of
yoga say 'the awake evolutionary force,' they are referring to
the upfacing evolutionary force. The aspirant can have experiences
by means of the downfacing evolutionary force, but they do not
mean that his evolutionary force has been awakened. As long as
the evolutionary force remains downfacing, the aspirant is still
a traveler on the path of engagement.
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THE
FOURTH INSTRUCTION: Equanimity
Equanimity means the conjunction of the living soul
(Divine Power, Shakti) and Kind Dissolver (Shiva), the non-sprouting
of the mental tendencies, liberation, or the permanent end of pain
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When the great divine power is awakened through various
postures, various holds and various methods, the life energy is absorbed
in the void. The yogi who has awakened the evolutionary force and has
renounced all actions gets the intrinsic natural state (his own natural
state).
Scriptures contain the extract of knowledge. Real
knowledge is only obtained through experience. For experience, systematic
practice of yoga is indispensable.
yogi
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