Empower your Self-Remembrance ( Prana Samyama )

Bhagavad Gita (Song of God) is a timeless treatise on the essence of living enlightenment. The Gita was imparted by the enlightened Hindu incarnation Sri Krishna to the warrior-prince Arjuna over 5000 years ago. Amazingly, the spiritual wisdom and life solutions offered in the Gita are so universal and current that it is even today used as a personal transformation guide. In today's talk on Bhagavad Gita, Chapter 4 Verse 29, Paramahamsa Nithyananda (Swamiji) defines prana. Usually interpreted as "life-giving force", Paramahamsa spins a deeper mystical meaning by asserting that it means "the moments when we remember that we exist" -- when we are aware and have consciousness of our existence. The opposite of prana, apana, he defines as "forgetfulness that we exist". Prana can absorb apana and can ultimately dissolve maya, the delusions of existence, which cannot prevail in the presence of full awareness. The technique to increase our self-remembrance is a threefold practice: ajapa japa, the soundless chanting of mantra; mahabhaava, maintaining an overflowing feeling connection to the divine; and sahaja samadhi, the technique of unclutching. TRANSCRIPTIONS:- BhagwadGita 4th chapter, 29th verse : Apaane Juhvathi Pranam Praana Paanam Thathapare Praana paana Ghanti Ruthva Praanayaama Parayanaah New Translation : Some offer the incoming vital air, into the vital air that is moving inward and some offer the inwardbound vital air into the incoming vital air. Thus they do Pranaayaama by checking the Praana and Apaana. Bhagwaan is describing a very powerful process, a technique, method, to achieve the ultimate consciousness. Here the word Praana and Apaana is used. Please understand, the word Praana and Apaana, you need to understand in depth. Some offer the incoming vital air into the vital air that is moving inward and some offer the inward bound vital air into the incoming vital air. Thus they do Praanayaama by checking the Praana and Apaana. Let me give you the deepest meaning of this word Praana and Apaana. Constantly in you, for a moment you remember you exist and after few moments you forget you exist and your mind starts wondering here and there. Try, try this process, try to just sit and remember about you, just -- I exist; I remember me; I exist; I remember me; just a self-remembrance! Try, try the self-remembrance. In few seconds you will forget. Please understand, the moments you remember yourself is Praana. The moments you forget you exist is Apaana. Unless you forget you exist, you can't remember you exist. Unless you remember you exist, you won't forget you exist. The Praana and Apaana live together. But how, Mercury slowly absorbs the Gold, Praana can absorb Apaana. If Mercury and Gold is kept near, if they are touching each other, Mercury will swallow the Gold and Gold will lose its qualities into the Mercury. Same way if the Praana is allowed to function, means, if the self-remembrance is increased by your conscious will, if you are supporting the self-remembrance by your conscious decision, it will swallow the Apaana part, the self-forgetting moments. Please understand, the most subtle Vedantic Truth, most subtle spiritual truth. If you try to remember yourself, constantly be in the Unclutching or remembrance of the higher self. Only if you try, you will understand what I am saying, just remembering - I exist; I am; I exist; I am here; I feel me; Yes, I am alive; I remember me; I am! If you just remember you, that self-remembrance., for some people that self-remembrance will be there without disturbance, may be for 3 seconds; for some it will be 10 seconds. Usually none of you will have more than 12 seconds. That's the maximum for a normal conscious being. By the time one flicker of thought will come. If somebody can establish themselves in the self-remembrance for 21 seconds he is enlightened, Jeevan Mukta. 21 seconds is a too long period to be established in that self-remembrance. Then your mind breaks, you become liberated being. This self-remembrance, when you are trying, the thoughts which come because of your forgetfulness, due to your forgetfulness, the forgetfulness is Apaana. Remembrance is Praana, forgetfulness is Apaana. Now, you are not supposed to hate Apaana. Constantly you create a guilt in you -- 'Oh, I loose; I forget; the forgetfulness happens to me; I don't remember; I am not qualified.' You are constantly worrying and struggling with Apaana. Stop it! Work on Praana. Whenever you remember, understand it's a luck, bonus, gift! Celebrate Praana. Celebrate the moments of self-remembrance! Stop feeling guilty; stop suffering; stop suffocating yourself for the moments of forgetfulness. But unfortunately your mind is tuned to suffer the forgetfulness. I always repeat -- Meera's Bhakti and Andaal's Bhakti! Meera constantly suffers for the few moments she misses Krishna! Andaal constantly celebrates for the few moments she remembers Krishna!