Taraka Raja Yoga -3

We may here look to the table correlating the various classifications.

  as per HPB              Vedanta         TRY

1. Rupa or Sthula sarira           Annamaya kosa

2.Prana, Life or Vital principle                                Sthulaopadhi

2Linga sarira, astral body      Pranamaya kosa

3.Kama Rupa, seat of animal

         Desires and passions    

4.Manas, Mind, Intelligence

Which is the higher human   Manomaya kosa

Mind,                                                                Sukshmopadhi

Whose Light or Radiation     Vignanamaya kosa

Takes the Monad,

for its life time, to the

mental man.

5.Buddhi, the Spiritual soul,      Anandamaya kosa     Karanopadhi

    vehicle of pure Universal Spirit

6.Atma, Spirit, one with the            Atma                     Atma

    Absolute as its radiation.       

We referred to Advaya Tarakopanishad at the beginning. It is one of the 108 minor Upanishads, contained in Sukla Yajurveda. Its philosophy fixes its goal in the Brahman and Brahman alone and elaborates the essential features of Raja yoga. Here both jiva and Iswara are results of illusion and effort of the aspirant should be to abandon the idea of permanence to them and reach the non-dual (Advaya) Brahman. Further, three kinds of perception are suggested: Internal, External and Intermediary. Taraka, again, is two-fold: 1.Crossing the bridge and 2.Arriving at a beyond-mind state(Amanaska). Taraka further is Murti(corporeal) and A-murti (incorporeal). Brahma is knowable by means of ‘introspection with the eye aided by the mind. This conjunction is essential for touching the Taraka state. Then the second form A-murti, touching the beam of radiance above the root of the palate. This radiance emanates from the Sahasrara(thousand petal Lotus) or the luster of consciousness hidden in the cavern of buddhi, which is the fourth state of consciousness(Turiya). This completes the conscious realization of the Vakya “Tattwamasi”(Thou-art-That). The sense of separatedness dies down and one attains Sadyomukti, which is the Paramarthasiddhi. Living in the eternal light of Being occasions as Svadehantarvarti Jyotidarsanam occurs. In other words, Swasvarupa Jnana (perception of one’s own true nature) culminates in the Parasvarupa Jnana(perception of pure nature of the Absolute). ‘manas must become Taijasi(illuminated), the radiant, before it can hang on the Sutratma as a pearl on its thread, and so have full and absolute perception of itself in the Eternity’, as explained by Madame Blavatsky and it is in common parlance the perception of the true nature of one’s own being.

The spiritual soul of man, constituted of the 7^th,6^th and 5^th principles(Atma-Buddhi-Manas) is beyond the lower quaternary (Sthula-Sukshma Upadhi-s) and enters the basis of the Cause(Karanopadhi), the highest state of  Samadhi(Karanopadhi) of the TRY system. Correlated to the Vedantic system, it is both the Vijnanamaya and Anandamaya kosa-s, one step below that of Atma. Buddhi is the vehicle of spiritual soul. It is not alone but is conjoint of the illuminated mind that earlier sublimated itself to the higher states of being. Karanopadhi is the seat of reincarnating Ego and when the illuminated mind is totally one with it, it invites the Bliss of Atma to inhabit and reside perpetually therein. This is Purnatvasiddhi(total progression and perfection of the Human being) and the Paramarthasiddhi(attainment of the ultimate purpose of being). Atma is the impersonal divine principle or the immortal element in Man, undistinguished from the Universal spirit.

                                                                                                                                      Dr N C Ramanujachary