115 - Spiritual Journey - The Four Stages | Swami Tattwamayananda

Title: Spiritual Journey - The Four Stages<br /><br />12th chapter: verse 8, 9, 10, 11<br /><br />In the 8th through 11th verses of the 12th chapter, Lord Krishna describes the spiritual journey of a seeker in descending order of evolution.<br /><br />8th verse: “You fix your mind and intellect on Me. There upon, you will always live in Me.”<br /><br />Mind (manah) is the contemplative aspect of the mental system, which thinks but is not settled on a decision. When we see an object from a distance and are unsure whether it is a human being or pillar, that state of the mental system is the mind. When we come to a decision on our speculation, that state of the mental system is intellect (buddhi).<br /><br />When we identify with a higher ideal, both mentally and intellectually, we live in that ideal and that ideal lives in us. This is the highest state of devotional evolution.<br /><br />This highest state, where we are completely absorbed in our ideal, is not easy to achieve. In our spiritual journey, there are four levels through which we travel. Suppose we are reciting a sacred word symbol, we go through the following evolution: Vaikhari (verbal repetition with sound), madhyama (verbal repetition, no sound), Pashyanti (silent, focused on the meaning of the mantra), Para (realize the essence). Para is the level described in the 8th verse. It is an evolution from the gross to the subtle, from outer to within, and from external practice to internalization.<br /><br />For seekers who have not reached this highest state, Lord Krishna provides alternative options in the 9th-11th verses.<br /><br />9th verse: “If you cannot fix your mind and intellect on Me, then you can reach the higher goal through Abhyasa-Yoga (uniting with God through repeated practice).”<br /><br />Abhyasa-Yoga is described by Prahlada in the Bhagavata Purana. It is called Navadha Bhakti - Sravanam (Hearing about God), Kirtanam (Chanting His Name and Glory), Vishnu smaranam (Remembering Him), Pada sevanam (Serving His Lotus Feet), Archanam (Worshi