Form of Sadhana

 

The efforts to attain the ultimate goal can be divided into three broad categories, namely (a) Daksinachar (b) Vamachar  (c) Madhyamachar 

(a) Daksinachar : Daksinachar Sadhana is pacificatory in nature. It seeks to gain the grace of the Lord through prayer, invication and appeasement. Needless to say that the very concept of prayer is contrary to the spirit of spirituality. Daksinachar Sadhana conceives of God as the transcendental being far beyond the reach of the ordinary individual. Prayers , by and large , consist in asking for things which will benefit the individual. But how does one know what is good or beneficial for oneself ? When considering what is good or bad , individuals are likely to make mistakes because they see things from finite perspective. if there os a transccendental agent who dispenses good and bad, he certainly knows what is best for his children. He must provide the right thing, at the right time, in the right place, to the right person. Moreover , if one prays to God for something, one actually undermines the status of the supreme God because in that case, one does not see Him as the goal, but as a means to fulfil some ulterior goals. It shold also be remembered that God is not a personal being but a state of pure-consciousness which having attained beings the fulfilment of all desires. That is why the highest state is described as aptakama ( the state of complete fulfilment). In this state , there remains nothing to be desired. It is therefore , said to be a state of akama ( no desire). Then the spiritual aspirant should have only one desire the desire to know the self ( atmakama). The concept of offering (archana) , thus runs counter to the inner spirit of tantra. Tantra perceives God as the Being, infinite and impersonal. Hence , the idea of appeasing Him through physical offerings is evidently , inappropriate. It amounts to anthropomorphism, as it portrays the Infinite , as finite. God is conceived as a being, amenable to persuasion and appease-ment, like an ordinary mortal. So the propitiatory rites and rituals in Daksinachar Sadhana. The inner spirit of Daksinachar is retained in so far as devotion is construed to be the very consummation of spiritual pursuit. The aspirant is urged to bear in mind that ultimate success in spirituality depends solely on the grace of Parama Purusa.

 

(b) Vamachar : The Vamachar Sadhana goes to the other extreme, as it is based on a pause less fight against the forces of Prakriti. Here the spiritual aspirant seeks to gain control over the negative forces i.e eight fetters ( astapasa) and six enemies ( sadaripu ) and turn them into positive allies in the process of sadhana. The practices of in Vamachar Sadhana are,by and large , extroversal. Unless adequate restraint is exercised, they are likely to degenerate into avidya sadhana. When Vamachar Sadhana is practiced with proper restraint and right goal in view, it takes the form of Kapalika Sadhana and other types of higher sadhana which accelerate spiritual progress. In Vamachar Sadhana the sadhakas launches non compromising fight against the internal and external forces which stand on the way spiritual progress.

(c) Madhyamachar : Madhyamachar Sadhana strikes a balance between these two extremes. Tantra is the form of Madhyamachar. Needless to say that all forms of Madhyamachar are essentially tantra sadhana. Whatever be the nature of the spiritual practice, it must aim at the unification of the unit ( Jiva) with the cosmic ( Shiva). It must therefore , involve a process of psychic expansion which results in the annihilation of the sense of individuality, limitedness. Jiva becomes one with the Shiva. The adequacy of a method is to be judged by the extent to which it fulfils this objective.

   The state of unification ( yoga) ought to be the goal of all spiritual practice. Yoga is derived from the root Yuj + Ghain which denotes the state of unification rather than addition. Yoga refers to a state in which the microcosmic-consciousness. Yoga has been defined as a state of suspension of the propensities. To attain this state , some school of Yoga emphasise on rigorous physical discipline. Although methods like, standing on one leg, fasting for days together, exposing the body to extreme heat and cold, even crystal gazing do lead to aquisition of extraordinary powers, they very often , distract the mind of the aspirant from the supreme goal. Raja yoga on the other hand , lays emphasis on disciplining the mind through internal contemplation. Hatha yoga is physico-spiritual whereas Raja yoga is psycho-spiritual, but tantra is phycho-psycho-spiritual. Mind refers to the subtle functions of the body and spirit is the subtlest manifestation of mind, in the physico-psychic structure. Spiritual potentialities cannot manifest, unless both body and mind are made congenial for it. Maharshi Patanjali has very clearly described the eight major aspects of intuitional scienc, namely; Yama, Niyama, Asana, Pranayam, Pratyahar, Dhyan, Dharana and Samadhi. Although they do provide a basic theoritical framework, their value in helping the aspirant along the path of spiritual progress is limited. It is like the tourist map which provides information about different places of importance and contain directions to reach them. However to actually reach those places , what is necessary is to undertake the journey. In tantra , practice is of paramount value whereas theories are of secondary importance. Tantra contains a unique blending of Hatha yoga and Raja yoga. The main feature of tantra sadhana is odeation on mantra. Shri Ananda Murtii evolved a system of intuitional practice based on tantra which incorporates the vital features of Asthanga yoga. It is the Rajadhiraj-yoga. 

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