[Chaturamnaya] Life and Teachings of His Holiness Jagadguru Sri Abhinava Vidyateertha Mahaswamigal - 11

[S Jayanarayanan]

(Continued from previous post)





http://svbf.org/journal/vol4no2/teachings.pdf





PART 5. THE JAGADGURU





The sage Yajnavalkya declares: "Realization of the Atman by means of Yoga is indeed the
highest Dharma."




The Acharya was temperamentally inclined to the royal path of Yoga.

 


Maharshi Patanjali lists eight steps leading to the acme of Yoga. He aphorizes: Yama (restraint),
Niyama (observance of rules), Asana (posture), Pranayama (regulation of breath),
Pratyahara (abstraction), Dharana (concentration), Dhyana (contemplation) and Samadhi (trance)
are the eight limbs of Yoga.





Early Attainments





The Paramacharya initiated the Acharya into the process of meditative contemplation when our Guru
was hardly 15 years of age. As a result, by the time he was 16, the deep contemplation of the Self
became natural.




A few hints from the Paramacharya regarding meditation were sufficient for the Acharya,
who practiced meditation and soon began to attain Savikalpa Samadhi (attained by concentrating on
the Supreme as possessed of attributes). He went on to perfect Nirvikalpla Samadhi (attained by
concentration on the attributeless Supreme). He was a Jivanmukta before he was 20.




At each stage of his progress, the Acharya had been reporting to the Paramacharya who had expressed
his great satisfaction. Even after attaining perfection in Yoga, the Acharya for the fun of it tried
out various experiments with meditative techniques.




His experiments made him an ideal Guru who could speak authoritatively on any aspect of meditation
and understand the experiences of his devotees within his own framework.




The Acharya's formal lessons in the Vedanta began after he was 30 years of age, whereas he had
attained realization before he was 20. To the Acharya the study merely served to confirm what he
already knew by direct experience.





(To be continued)
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