Fragment I The Voice Of The Silence · 5

↑ (14). The three states of consciousness, which are Jagrat, the waking; Swapna, the dreaming; and Sushupti, the deep sleeping state. These three Yogi conditions, lead to the fourth, or—

↑ (15). The Turiya, that beyond the dreamless state, the one above all, a state of high spiritual consciousness.

↑ (16). Some Oriental [Sanskrit] mystics locate seven planes of being, the seven spiritual lokas or worlds within the body of Kala Hansa, the Swan out of Time and Space, convertible into the Swan in Time, when it becomes Brahma instead of Brahman.

↑ (17). The phenomenal World of Senses and of terrestrial consciousness—only.

↑ (18) The Hall of Probationary Learning. ["The Mind (Manas) which follows the rambling senses, makes the Soul (Buddhi) as helpless as the boat which the wind leads astray upon the waters" (Bhagavad-Gita II).]

↑ (19). The astral region, the Psychic World of supersensuous perceptions and of deceptive sights — the world of mediums. It is the great "Astral Serpent" of Eliphas Levi. No blossom plucked in those regions has ever yet been brought down on earth without its serpent coiled around the stem. It is the world of the Great Illusion.

↑ (20). The region of the full Spiritual Consciousness beyond which there is no longer danger for him who has reached it.

↑ (21). The Initiate who leads the disciple through the Knowledge given to him to his spiritual, or second birth, is called the Father, Guru or Master.

↑ (22). Ajnyana is ignorance or non-wisdom the opposite of "Knowledge" Jnyana.

↑ (23). Mara is in exoteric religions a demon, an Asura, but in esoteric philosophy it is personified temptation through men's vices, and translated literally means "that which kills" the Soul. It is represented as a King (of the Maras) with a crown in which shines a jewel of such lustre that it blinds those who look at it, this lustre referring of course to the fascination exercised by vice upon certain natures.

↑ (24) The inner chamber of the Heart, called in Sanskrit Brahma-pura. The "fiery power" is Kundalini.

↑ (25). The "Power" and the "World-mother" are names given to Kundalini—one of the mystic "Yogi powers." It is Buddhi considered as an active instead of a passive principle (which it is generally, when regarded only as the vehicle, or casket of the Supreme Spirit ATMA). It is an electro-spiritual force, a creative power which when aroused into action can as easily kill as it can create.

↑ (26). Keshara or "sky-walker" or "goer." As explained in the 6th. Adhyaya of that king of mystic works the Dhyaneshvari—the body of the Yogi becomes as one formed of the wind; as "a cloud from which limbs have sprouted out," after which —"he (the Yogi) beholds the things beyond the seas and stars; he hears the language of the Devas and comprehends it, and perceives what is passing in the mind of the ant."

↑ (27) The Higher SELF.

↑ (28). Vina is an Indian stringed instrument like a lute.

↑ (29). The six principles; meaning when the lower personality is destroyed and the inner individuality is merged into and lost in the Seventh or Spirit.

↑ (30). The disciple is one with Brahman or the ATMAN.

↑ (31). The astral form produced by the Kamic principle, the Kama-rupa or body of desire.

↑ (32). Manasa-rupa. The first refers to the astral or personal Self; the second to the individuality or the reincarnating Ego whose consciousness on our plane or the lower Manas—has to be paralyzed.

↑ (33). Kundalini is called the "Serpent Power" or mystic fire. Kundalini is called the "Serpentine" or the annular power on account on its spiral-like working or progress in the body of the ascetic developing the power in himself. It is an electric fiery occult or Fohatic power, the great pristine force, which underlies all organic and inorganic matter.

↑ (34). This "Path" is mentioned in all the Mystic Works. As Krishna says in the Dhyaneshvari: "When this Path is beheld... whether one sets out to the bloom of the east or to the chambers of the west, without moving, O holder of the bow, is the travelling in this road. In this path, to whatever place one would go, that place one's own self becomes." "Thou art the Path" is said to the adept guru and by the latter to the disciple, after initiation. "I am the way and the Path" says another MASTER.

↑ (35). Adeptship—the "blossom of Bodhisattva."

↑ (36). Tanha —"the will to live," the fear of death and love for life, that force or energy which causes the rebirths.

↑ (37). These mystic sounds or the melody heard by the ascetic at the beginning of his cycle of meditation called Anahad-shabd by the Yogis.

↑ (38). This means that in the sixth stage of development which, in the occult system is Dharana, every sense as an individual faculty has to be "killed" (or paralyzed) on this plane, passing into and merging with the Seventh sense, the most spiritual.

↑ (39). See page 1, footnote No. 3.[3]

↑ (40). Every stage of development in Raja Yoga is symbolised by a geometrical figure. This one is the sacred Triangle and precedes Dharana. The [Δ] is the sign of the high chelas, while another kind of triangle is that of high Initiates. It is the symbol "I" discoursed upon by Buddha and used by him as a symbol of the embodied form of Tathagata when released from the three methods of the Prajna. Once the preliminary and lower stages passed, the disciple sees no more the [Δ] but the—the abbreviation of the—, the full Septenary. Its true form is not given here, as it is almost sure to be pounced upon by some charlatans and—desecrated in its use for fraudulent purposes.

↑ (41). The star that burns overhead is the "the star of initiation." The caste-mark of Shaivas, or devotees of the sect of Shiva, the great patron of all Yogis, is a black round spot, the symbol of the Sun now, perhaps, but that of the star of initiation, in Occultism, in days of old.

↑ (42). The basis (upadhi)of the ever unreachable FLAME," so long as the ascetic is still in this life.

↑ (43). Dhyana is the last stage before the final on this Earth unless one becomes a full MAHATMA. As said already in this state the Raj Yogi is yet spiritually conscious of Self, and the working of his higher principles. One step more, and he will be on the plane beyond the Seventh (or fourth according to some schools). These, after the practice of Pratyehara—a preliminary training, in order to control one's mind and thoughts—count Dhasena, Dhyana and Samadhi and embraces the three under the generic name of SANNYAMA