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Swara and Nada Yoga

Our entire being is cosmic sound, a resonance that forms and sustains us. Śvara Yoga is the science of mastering the breath flow in the three nāḍīs to unite individual consciousness with the Cosmic. It demands immense discipline, a pure diet, and mastery over the three guṇas. This practice is deeply connected to Nāda Yoga, the yoga of sound. The universe is sound; by traveling astrally beyond the moon, one can perceive the indescribable Nāda Om. Our manifestation into the physical world begins with a resonant sound connecting to the mother's body. Every cell in our body carries this resonance, which can be charged positively or negatively by our environment and mental state. The chakras are like dynamos, generating energy through movement and resonance. Physical exercise supports the body, but true union comes through sound. Understanding the Guru's words, serving, and receiving grace are the path. The sound has three levels: Parā (subtle), Paśyantī (intermediate), and Vaikharī (manifested). Its seat is in the navel, at the Maṇipūra Chakra. Chanting Om purifies the sheaths, creates a protective layer, and illuminates your space. Mastering this resonance through kriyā gently awakens all chakras.

"Through sound you are united with the Supreme. It is that sound through which you can have dīdhar of Mahāprabhujī."

"Only those upon whom my grace falls will understand. Others will not."

Filming location: Strilky, Czech Republic

DVD 222

Śrī Dīp Nārāyaṇ Bhagavān Kī Jai, Dev Purīṣa Mahādeva Kī Jai, Mādhav Kṛṣṇa Bhagavān Kī Jai. We are still speaking about sound. That form of the Supreme is also as a resonance. We were talking about Śvara Yoga, the science of mastering the śvara, the flow of breath. Unfortunately, we did not reach the conclusion. Perhaps we will continue in your next visit, or next week. It is a very complete and profound science; it is unbelievable how it functions and what you can achieve. Things that seem nearly impossible become attainable. But there is always a condition: it requires immense discipline and attention. This is a science of the flow of the three nāḍīs: Iḍā, Piṅgalā, and Suṣumṇā. It teaches how to hook our individual consciousness with the Cosmic Consciousness so that worldly activities, our way of living, and the three guṇas—Sattva, Rajas, and Tamas—do not influence us. You are acting, yet you are not the actor. You are not doing, yet you are doing. This is a very direct path. Naturally, it demands a very pure diet. You may recall that yesterday I spoke about prāṇa and apāna. There are many toxins in the body, and to reduce them we need apāna śakti, the apāna prāṇa. When we exhale, that is Apāna Prāṇa. When we inhale, that is Prāṇa. You know what inhalation and exhalation mean for us. Without this, we cannot exist. It is a very deep science. Which nostril should flow? For your physical body it may be night, but for your consciousness it is day; your consciousness does not sleep. Early in the morning, during Brahmamuhūrta, on different days, different nāḍīs should flow—Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday, Friday, Saturday, Sunday. These days are divided according to Śvara Yoga and astrology, meaning this knowledge is proven. For example, Monday belongs to the moon. So on Monday, the lunar energy should be dominant. For how long? And when to change? In the beginning, you will be completely exhausted. It takes three years to settle into this practice. For those who practice daily yoga, especially prāṇāyāma and meditation integrated into daily life, this science would be easier. It is a highly developed and very direct technique. There should be no tamas guṇa, and diet must be carefully considered. We need apāna śakti, but what comes with apāna vāyu? Toxins and gases. We should adopt a diet that does not produce excessive gas in the body. Śvara Yoga is deeply connected with Nāda Yoga. Nāda is sound. Sound and the flow of the śvara—śvara meaning which nostril is flowing, and also the musical notes. You know the notes? We call them Sare, Gama, Pada, Nisa. I never learned these things formally. When my teacher said, "Learn," I asked, "Why?" He simply said, "Okay." So I only reached Sanidhapadani Sasa. Anyway, nāda, sound—the entire universe is sound. As far as you travel, that intense Nāda sound begins. You have to go several thousand kilometers away from the earth, beyond the moon, and meditate there. That is the Nāda Om. It is indescribable. You can only go there with your astral body; it is not possible with the physical body. But if you meditate and master these Śvara Yogas, you master the Nāda and the sattvic way of life. A sattvic way of life, repeated and ingrained. Then there is no sound of any material origin. All materiality is left behind. There are no particles in that space. There is the sound of the cell, the sound of emptiness. It is empty, yet completely full. What exists there is not science as we know it. What exists is, in a way, nothing. Science says, "Yes, there is something," but this is not a modern scientific explanation. For the yogī, in that Brahmaloka, the sound is the sound of your own Self: So’ham, Nāda. Our manifestation, our entry into this physical world, first comes in contact with the physical world in the form of a drop. Water is round. Everything is round; every atom is round because the universe is round, and that is why our globe is also round. When you stand on the beach and look toward the horizon, five, three, or ten kilometers away, you see a small part of a ship appearing, slowly climbing up. People from the Adriatic coast or those who live by the sea know this well. It means the earth is curved. That is why Swami Vivekananda, about 125 years ago, received an invitation to Chicago for the World's Parliament of Religions. The invitation was sent to India, to the Maharaja of Mysore. The Maharaja was pleased and spoke about zero. Everyone was astonished. At that time, he explained that the entire universe is zero. Every atom is zero. You know we had great problems with mathematics. It was an Indian who solved all problems by introducing zero. Otherwise, we were counting like children, making lines: one, two, three. Zero solved everything. The Vedas speak of Hiraṇyagarbha, the golden womb or golden embryo. Everything is round. When you first come into the mother's body, you make contact through sound. If there is no proper resonance, the mother will not be successful; she cannot bear fruit. It is that resonance which balances and connects you with the mother's body. Then all organs, systems, muscles, bones, joints, glands, functions, and the brain are formed and manifested through that resonance. Your body is nothing but resonance. Every blood cell possesses immense resonance. When that cell enters a positive environment within the body—meaning good food, good air, and a good external environment—our blood cells are charged with positive energy. If the resonance is negative, due to the environment at home, school, work, with friends, or in society, combined with poor food and drink, then the healthy resonance is damaged and takes on a negative vibration. It is like putting a filter in front of a camera lens. If you put a green filter, the light appears green; yellow, blue, or grey—the light changes. Similarly, whatever resonance you receive, your blood cells will be filled with that corresponding energy. Therefore, when you smile or laugh, it is happiness. Some years ago, Austrian newspapers often had a series with a little joke and the saying, "Those who laugh live longer." Once, I was flying to Hamburg on Austrian Airlines, and they were distributing newspapers. Twenty people read it and laughed, "Ha, ha, ha." Even if someone thinks it is silly, they begin to laugh. So I arrived in Hamburg laughing. I told this to a disciple of mine, Herma, a very good photographer. She said it is very difficult to make people laugh in Hamburg; nothing can make them laugh, they are always so serious. I said I do not think so; the people of Hamburg are good. She said, "If you want to see Hamburgers laugh or smile, or if you want to see how Aborigines laugh, bring a dog. Then they will say, 'Max, look! How sweet!'" We are guests here, good morning. There is a verse: "Koī kahume maganā, koī kahume maganā, jiskī lagī lagānā, vo vahīṁ maganā." This is a very good poem. Someone is happy in one thing, someone else in another. Everyone is happy in their own way. They are happy where their concentration or affection lies. One is happy with a dog, another with a car, a wife, a husband, meditation, golf, walking in the forest, swimming, the sauna, or the cinema. Everyone finds their quality somewhere. "Koī kahume maganā"—someone is absorbed in something. Where one's attachment is fixed, there one is happy. A person is happy in that to which they are fixed. Someone watches a video and smiles. Others ask, "What is happening?" But he is happy in that little world. You know, there is Bluetooth for earphones. One day, I was talking while walking through the Prater park in Vienna, with nothing in my hands. I was talking freely and laughed, "Ha ha ha, really good." Three old ladies were sitting there, and one said to the other, "He is talking so loudly to himself." So, who is like me? With healthy gland functions, heart, liver, brain—everything healthy—that is the way to become healthy. It is not only about eating healthy, but living healthy. Living healthy means not just drinking and eating, but your mental state. It is that resonance which constantly vibrates within the body, with positive and negative waves. Our chakras in the body have a great responsibility; they are like dynamos. When a dynamo turns, it produces energy. When it is still, there is no energy. You can touch it and feel no current. But as soon as it begins to turn, energy is produced. Where does that energy come from? It is not dormant inside; it is produced and drawn from the universe through that movement, through turning, resonance, and contact—opposite touching, which creates dynamical movement. In yoga, there are three types of exercises: dynamical movement, which warms the body (up and down, up and down); stretching, which helps muscle development and circulation; and postures (āsanas), where you can comfortably remain in a position. Practice these concentrated for three weeks, and your body will be completely different. But we have to do it; do not be lazy like I am. I think I am very lazy, but you know, it is not easy to be lazy; it is an art. Because when you are lazy, someone may love you, but generally no one loves a lazy person. So you have to be lazy in a very nice way. These three forms of exercise support our body. There is a bhajan from Brahmānandajī. Swāmī Śivānandajī, a disciple of Mahāprabhujī, wrote this bhajan: "Those who understand the words, they are my caste people. They are my relatives. My relatives are they who understand the words, the sound. Oraṇa ave mere dāj, dāj mari helī. Others I do not like. They do not please me because they do not understand. It is sound." Through the sound you give and receive, through words and sound, you are together. Through sound you are happy. Through sound is yoga. Yoga is sound, and these techniques (yukti) are yoga. Through sound you are united with the Supreme. It is that sound through which you can have dīdhar of Mahāprabhujī. Diddhar is an Urdu word from the Persian language, meaning the light, the sign of love. Through that word, that sound, that resonance, through understanding those words, you can have the dhāra (flow) of Mahāprabhujī. And through that sound, through that resonance, Swāmī Śivānandajī said you can cross the ocean of this worldly māyā. Nāda. Therefore, resonance permeates the whole body. The chakras are those dynamos. In most people, they are in a perfect state of sleep, perfectly balanced but inactive. It is good that some dynamos are not active, but the problem is that certain dynamos which should not be active, are active—like Mūlādhāra and Svādhiṣṭhāna. Other chakras move very slowly, like turning a dynamo by hand without generating energy. It is that energy, that resonance and vibration, which purifies all pollution that contaminates your chakras. When everything is purified and clean, then through Śvara Yoga sādhanā, Nāḍī Vidyā—which is also in Āyurveda as pulse reading—one can achieve much. Now, very few good Vaidyas (physicians) remain who possess Nāḍī Vidyā, pulse diagnosis. Through your pulse, a Vaidya can tell you that you have constipation, a problem with the gallbladder, liver, kidney stones, or any other issue—all in a maximum of one minute. He diagnoses the entire body without urine, stool, or blood tests. That is knowledge. How does he diagnose? Through vibration and resonance. That resonance of the nāḍīs is connected to the central nerves: Iḍā, Piṅgalā, Suṣumṇā, and Vajra Nāḍī. Our chakras then begin to produce that sound, that resonance. In one of the bhajans, Mahāprabhujī says: "Ketan kā chilka dikhlāyā diyā... Iḍā Piṅgalā miltā thā, tab dhunin nād ko suntā thā." When Iḍā and Piṅgalā met, then I heard the melody. "Iḍā Piṅgalā miltā thā, spine se joint... tab dhunin nād ko suntā thā." Then I was meditating on the tenth. The tenth door is the one through which the jīvātmā (individual soul) exits. A pure yogī's soul departs through the Sahasrāra Chakra. Others may exit through the mouth, eyes, ears (with blood), nose (with bleeding), or, for those descending to lower worlds, through the excretory organs. These are the nine doors. The tenth is the Sahasrāra Chakra. Mokṣa, liberation, Brahmaloka, opens from here. Then you go into Brahman. To enter Brahmaloka, the door is the sun. You must pass through the sun. Have you read the book Divine Perception? Where a bhakta writes a letter describing his experiences? He said, "Mahāprabhujī is sitting there." You cannot go through the sun without Mahāprabhujī's grace (kṛpā). Mahāprabhujī is the king of Brahmaloka. You must realize who Mahāprabhujī is. You do not know. You do not know his Śakti, his power, what Mahāprabhujī truly is. Realize him. Read the Līlāmṛta again and again, and ask him to bestow his blessing to understand him. Mahāprabhujī said to Gurujī... Gurujī asked Mahāprabhujī one question: "Why do they all not understand you?" Mahāprabhujī said, "Jispar merī kṛpā hoṭī hai, vohī jān pātā hai." Only those upon whom my grace falls will understand. Others will not. Those who receive his blessing will realize. But to receive the blessing, you must be worthy enough. For that, you must do three things. First, understand Guru Vākya, the words of the Master. Understand the teachings (Vākyas), then you can serve (Guru Seva), and then you can receive Guru Kṛpā (grace). Otherwise, you cannot. So first is Guruvākya, then Seva, then Kṛpā, and then Brahmaloka. "Iḍā Piṅgalā miltā thā, tab dhunī nād ko suntā thā, daśvāṁ par dhyāna dharatā thā, batlā diyā Śrī Devpurījī ne." So, tab dhuni nād ko sunta tha. Dhuni means resonance. Dhun is resonance. And again, Dhun is that in which one is Magan—happy, absorbed, like a bee sitting on a flower, happily sucking energy, sucking amṛta (nectar). Similarly, your soul and your consciousness (chetana) are that bee in Śiva; you are receiving, sucking the nectar of grace. Nectar of immortality. Others cannot. Dhuni, Nāda. Nāda means sound. Dhuni, Nāda. "That time I was hearing the melody." I heard the melody of that eternal sound. "Daśvāṁ par dhyāna dharatā thā." Then I was meditating on the tenth. That is when you receive kriyā. You get very clear instructions to awaken your Sahasrāra Chakra with a golden arrow and with that eternal mantra of the sound of sound... Our entire being is nothing but that cosmic sound. When every atom, every particle of our body is in resonance, there is nothing else. If that resonance ceases, all elements dissolve. Like blowing out a candle: the flame disappears because the three elements—oxygen, fire, and fuel (be it ghee, oil, petroleum, or wax)—are separated. They were held together by one power. There are many beautiful bhajans by Mīrābāī; I will not sing them now. Devotion (bhakti) is the oil, the wick is myself, and the flame is my tapasyā (austerity). "O Lord, I am burning for you. May the oil be consumed, and may the wick burn until death." It is not easy to attain God-realization, my dear. You have to wait, you have to persist, you have to... strive. The wick is long, you know. The whole wick has to burn. It is a beautiful bhajan. That resonance is concentrated in our navel. Just as our body was connected to the mother's body through the navel, the mother's body is connected to the navel of the Cosmic Mother. We inhale and exhale not only oxygen, but the Cosmic Mother nourishing her child through this constant dynamical movement of inhalation (āra) and exhalation (urad). Center that flame of life in the heart, and it will burn as long as we receive this substance, this Prāṇa Śakti, from the Cosmic Mother. Prāṇa Śakti is a beautiful science. First, you must travel astrally within your body. Yatha Brahmāṇḍe, Tatha Piṇḍe: as in the universe, so in the body. That is why both the sun and moon are active within, and Suṣumṇā leads to Brahmaloka. That sound is centered in the Maṇipūra Chakra. The seat of sound, the seat of words, is in the Maṇipūra Cakra. Sound is divided into three stages or categories: Parā, Paśyantī, and Vaikharī. Parā is the deepest, most subtle. Paśyantī is the middle, and Vaikharī is the manifested, audible sound. These are the three levels. That Parā is the eternal resonance, the eternal cosmic Self. From there comes awakening. When it awakens, the sound is formed in the vocal cords at the Viśuddhi Cakra, and then it manifests through the lips and tongue. You see, now we come to Harā Śakti, Parā Śakti, Parabrahman... not a "paragraph," but like that. So from here: Parā, Paśyantī, and Vaikharī. The seat of sound is in the navel, not in the brain. Brain centers only reflect and work afterward; they are connected, of course. The entire body depends on these guiding vibrations. But the seat of sound is in the navel. Now, if you place your hand on your navel, press slightly, or put your palm near the navel, and speak a sentence, you will feel the pressure there. Let us try. I will speak first, then I will raise my hand, and then you will speak: "I am happy." Did you feel it? Once more, concentrate properly on the navel. Place your hand there. I will raise my hand, and then you say, "I am happy." Close your eyes. You felt it? Okay. So, concentrate on the Maṇipūra Chakra and say, "Then I am happy." But like this: "I am happy." You feel that? Very good. All right? Uledu. So, Parā, Paśyantī, and Vaikharī. These are the three levels. You should read our book, Hidden Powers in Humans. This blue book is beautiful. When we chant Aum, the sound awakens from the Maṇipūra. It unites the vibration through both nostrils, Iḍā and Piṅgalā, into the central nerve, Suṣumṇā, and goes straight to the Sahasrāra Chakra. From the Ājñā Chakra, through the Sūrya Nāḍī, the sound goes to the heart. Both nāḍīs begin from the region of the medulla oblongata, where the Ājñā Chakra is reflected as the third eye. The right side is the sun (Sūrya), and the left is the moon (Candra). From here, the moon energy goes to the right side, and the sun energy goes to the left at the Viśuddhi Chakra. Then the Sūrya energy, which went to the left, moves back to the right. And the moon energy, which went to the right, moves to the left. This Sūrya Nāḍī, moving through the Viśuddhi Chakra, warms our heart. That is why the sound from the Sahasrāra, perceived by the Sūrya Nāḍī, goes to the Anāhata (heart chakra). The Moon Nāḍī becomes... not jealous, but emotional. The moon nāḍī takes note of the entire resonance. Half of the sound is sent into space (Ākāśa), and half, through the Sūrya Nāḍī, comes to the heart, awakening emotion. Then the moon takes over the whole emotional position, creating a very pleasant feeling. That resonance generates positive energy. Therefore, when you chant Om, it creates its own phenomenon. It penetrates your whole body, purifies all five sheaths, and prepares a very pleasant spirit. Your personal space becomes very comfortable. This Om sound, Om resonance, purifies all negative energies, creating a protective curtain, a protective coat—Schutzmantel in German, a protective mantle. It creates a layer of protection around you. During meditation, no negative energy can attack you. How? I gave an example yesterday. Who remembers? Yes. Who was the second? Who was the third? That is it. Darkness cannot come near light. Automatically, darkness is dissolved; it disappears into the light. So the energy of Aum is that which illuminates your personal space. That is called enlightenment. In that enlightenment, there is no electric current as we know it. The sound travels; one part enters the Anāhata, and another part goes into space. Plus, it begins to vibrate within the body, penetrating like a snake. The snake charmer plays his been (flute), and the snake in the covered basket trembles because its blood cells are vibrating. The creature most sensitive to sound vibration is the snake, and the snake has no ears. It feels through its whole body and through vibrations in objects. Though it has no ears, it hears more than we do. It feels the earth's vibration. If you go searching for a snake, it will disappear 100 meters before you arrive. When the flute is played and the snake is in the basket, all its centers are awakened. A snake that understands resonance well is put into a divine mood, an ecstasy, by the melody of the flute. When the basket is opened, the snake rises and dances with the flute. That is Nāda Yoga. That is sound. How the sound will progress, what will happen, how to master that sound... Now, the sound will create butter over milk. And if you try to take that butter, a cobra is sitting there. Do not hurry. Wait. Enjoy from a distance. So this resonance, when you practice it through kriyā, you will touch all your chakras, your palms, your fingers, your heart, the love. Then we must proceed very gently, and that I will tell you next time. Dīp Nārāyaṇa Bhagavān Kī Jaya, Deveśvara Mahādeva Kī Jaya, Mādhav Kṛṣṇa Bhagavān Kī Jaya, Sanātana Dharma Kī Jaya.

This text is transcribed and grammar corrected by AI. If in doubt what was actually said in the recording, use the transcript to double click the desired cue. This will position the recording in most cases just before the sentence is uttered.

The text contains hyperlinks in bold to three authoritative books on yoga, written by humans, to clarify the context of the lecture:

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