Siddhi and its meaning

Very often we come across the word Siddha-purusha. Immediately the following questions arise in our mind. Exactly what this word means? What is meant by Siddhi? What is meant by Ashta-maha-siddhi? Does it reduce the greatness of yogis when they use it for their own benefits? Are they then worthy of worship? The answers to these questions were obtained from the lectures published in a book authored by Gurumaharaj Swami Shivananda of Divine Life Society.

Siddhis are the attainments of certain powers due to Tapas and Yoga i.e. due to spiritual advancement of a person.

According to Shaiva siddhanta, siddhi is explained as the extra-ordinary power of the soul developed due to tapashcharya or yoga or meditation.

A spiritually advanced person who has obtained these powers  is known as siddha or siddha-purusha.

There are primarily 8 siddhis known as Ashta-maha-siddhis.

1. Anima: By this power the Siddha can reduce himself to the smallest possible size.

2. Mahima: This power helps the siddha to expand his body to infinitely large size.

3. Garima: By inhaling air the siddha can become infinitely heavy

4. Laghima : By inhaling air (vayu) the siddha can make his body weightless

5. Prapti: By this the siddha can reach the sky. He can estimate the future. He can read other’s mind. Can converse with the dead. Can understand the conversation of birds and animals. He can cure diseases. He can be anywhere at will.

6. Prakamya: The siddha can remain underwater for any length of time. He can realize whatever one desires. His soul can enter from one body to another. There are instances stated in our scripture about these powers.
a. It is stated that Trailanga Swami stayed underwater for six months in Varanasi.
b. Adi Shankaracharya entered the body of King of Kashi
c. The great Saint of south, Tirumular entered into the body of shepherd.

7. Vashitva: By this power he could control natural forces and wild animals. He can also attract and mesmerize people easily.

8. Ishatva: By this he can get power to manifest anywhere as god or human. He can also bring back the dead to life.

There are instances where yogis have used these powers for the benefit of self. They cannot be considered as Dnyanis or Holi persons i.e. they are not worthy of worship.

But there are large number of persons who have used their powers for the welfare of human beings, have spread love, friendship, affection, good manners and habits. They are the persons worthy of worship.

The above narration can be considered as answers for above questions.

But I came across some more details while browsing through the Purans. In Bhagwat Puran I found the following Siddhis were explained.

1. Trikaal Dnyan: Knowing the past present and future.
2. Advandvam: Tolerance of cold and heat and other dualities
3. Parachitta Abhidnyata : Reading the minds of others and so on
4. Agni, arka, abu, visha, adhinam (etc) pratistambhah – controlling the influence of fire, sun, water, poison etc
5. Aparajaya – remaining unconquered

Besides these, 10 secondary siddhis were described by Lord Krishna.

1. Anurmimattvam : remaining without thirst, hunger and other body appetite.
2. Dura-shravana: Hearing things from far away
3. Duradarshanam : Citing things from far away
4. Manojavah : Moving where ever thought goes. (Astral travel or projection)
5. Kamarupana: Assuming any desired form
6. Parakaya-pravesham: Entering the bodies of others
7. Swacchanda-mrutyu: Dying when one desires
8. Yatha-sankalp-samadhi: Perfect accomplishment of one according to his determination
9. Devanam-saha-krida-anudarshanam : Witnessing and participating in the pastime of Gods
10. Adnya-prati-hat-gati: Orders or commands being impeded

In Samkhyakarika  and Tattva-amsa it is stated that by gaining the following eight siddhis one becomes free from the pain of ignorance, gains knowledge and experiences bliss

1. Uuha: Based on samskars of previous births one attains knowledge of 24 tatvas by examining the determinable and indeterminable, conscious and non-conscious constituents of creation.
2. Shabda: Guru upaadesh (knowledge) obtained by the association of enlightened person (Guru)
3. Adhyayan: Knowledge obtained due to the study of Vedas, Smrutis, Upanishads and Puran
4. Shruti-prapti: Knowledge obtained from a person engaged in the spread of knowledge (Acharya)
5. Daan: Gained by attending on those persons who are in search of highest spiritual bliss
6. Adhyatmik-dukha-hanan: Obtaining freedom from pain, distress etc arising due to lack of spiritual metaphysical and mystique knowledge and experience
7. Adhibhoutik-dukha-hanan: Freedom from pain and distress arising out of possessing and being attached to materialistic gains
8. Adhidaivik-dukha-hanan: Freedom from pain and distress caused by fate.

These eight siddhis help in eliminating all kinds of physical and mental pains and help in attaining liberation.

Our Samskaars (Sacraments)

Those rites that have to be performed by an individual from the birth to the death are known as Samskaars or Sacraments. Samskaar - Sam= good, kara=making means making something good, refining. These are explained in Smritis (a recession of Veda). They explain the importance, benefits and methods of performing these Samskaar. These start from the moment the copulation of husband and wife takes place to the end of the life. These are stated briefly in Vedas as Smritis. There are at least sixteen such Samskaars which have to be performed during the lifetime. They can be classified as 

1. Those which are to be performed by parents
2. Those that have to be performed by individual

Some Samskaar have to be done once in lifetime, some once a year and some daily. 

Five Yagnyas are stated as Pancha maha-yagnyas which have to be performed daily. They are Bramha yagnya, Deva yagnya, Pitru yagnya, Manushya yagnya and Bhuta yagnya. 

The sixteen samskaars to be performed in lifetime are – 

1. Garbhadhan – This is the prayer done by parents to beget a child for continuation of the race i.e. conception.

2. Punsavana – This is done during 3rd or 4th month of pregnancy for the protection of fetus.

3. Simantonayana – This is done in the 7th month of pregnancy for satisfying the cravings of the mother. At the same time, rituals are performed for healthy, physical and mental growth of the child

4. Jatakarma – Mantras are recited for well-being of child.

5. Naamkarana – This is the ceremony for giving the name to the child.

6. Nishkramana – This samskaar is performed in the 4th month of the child when it is taken out first time out of the house

7. Annaprashana – In 6th/7th/8th month, the child is given solid food.

8. Mundan – This is done in the 1st or 3rd year of the child

9. Karnaveda – This is the ceremony involving piercing of the ear. It is usually done 3rd or 5th year of the child.

10. Upanayana – Introduce the male child to the teacher which marks the entry of the child to bramhacharya.

11. Vedarambha – This is done at the time of Upanayana which involves the Gayatri upadesha.

12. Samavartana – Returning home from Gurukul is known as Samavartana.

13. Vivaha – Known as Marriage, is the introduction of individual to Grihasthashram. This is optional if the person decides to continue Brahmacharya

14. Vaanaprastha - this and next i.e. Sanyasashram are optional. 

15. Sanyasa

16. Antyeshti – This is the final samskaar which is performed after death.

All these are performed once during lifetime. 

Shradha ceremony for pitrus have to be performed once in a year. Besides they have to be performed when on a yatra to the holy places (punya tirtha or punya kshetra). Tarpan – this has to be performed during new moon days (amavasyas), during eclipse and during certain transition of the Sun.

Now we enumerate the daily samskaars. Besides the 5 maha yagnyas mentioned earlier, some more samskaars are to be done daily. They are – 

1. Taking Bath
2. Sandhya vandan
3. Japam and homa
4. Devata Pooja
5. Vaishvadevam

1. Taking Bath (Snana) – There are number of methods of performing samskaar. 

• Taking bath in a lake, pond or river. While taking bath in these, we have to dip inside the water and take bath. This method is considered to be the best (holiest). 
• Drawing water from a well and taking bath is considered as good but next only to earlier one.
• In case a person cannot have bath, bhasma snana is recommended.
• One should not take bath in sea daily but can be done on special occasions. In kshetra like Rameshwar, Gokarna Mahabaleshwar, we can take bath in a sea on any day.

2. Sandhya vandana – It has to be performed 3 times in a day, according to the rules laid down in the scriptures

3. Japam – There are 2 types of japas, names Sandhya Japa and Ishta Devata Japa. Ishta Devata japa is to be done only after Sandhya japa. Those who are not allowed to do Sandhya japa, can do Ishta devata japa first. Japa can be performed in 3 ways.

• Performing Japa loudly with open mouth. This is considered as the least sacred. It is not recommended
• Performing Japa by moving only the lips. This is slightly superior to the first.
• Performing Japa without moving the lips i.e. Manasa japa. This is considered to be the best of all.Counting the number of Japas with fingers is not considered sacred. Using garland made of beads is better than the earlier one. The best method is the one where we use the joints in the fingers while counting.

4. Devata Pooja – Generally it is advisable (or mandatory) to have five or six idols in daily worship. The five that are mentioned are – Lord Ganesha, Lord Shiva, Goddess Ambika (Parvati), Lord Vishnu and Lord Surya. This is known as Panchayatan worship (Pooja) introduced by His Holiness Aadi-Shankaracharya. Besides this in South India, it is customary to have Lord Subramanya also.

5. Vaishvadevam – After performing Pooja and before taking the food, we have to perform this samskaar. This is done in order to get rid of all the sins and for the welfare of all living beings i.e. placing food in different places of the house (chanting mantras) for animals, birds and for beggars etc. 

Thus we find in smriti they have mentioned the duties to be performed from morning till night. In order to understand the principles (tatva) and guidelines to perform these karmas, rules are mentioned in the Upanishads, smritis and vedas. It is mentioned that it is essential to be healthy in mind and body. 

Ashrama Dharma

In the earlier article, we stated about various Dharma of an individual. Now we come to what is known as Ashrama Dharma. They are broadly classified into four

1. Bramhacharya Ashram
2. Grihastha Ashram
3. Vaanprastha Ashram
4. Sanyasa Ashram

1. Bramhacharya Ashram – This begins with learning under a Guru i.e. Vidhyabhyas. This involves living with respect to Guru, parents and pitrus. Practicing Bramhacharya, learning and performing Yoga, performing Sandhya vandan, reciting and learning Vedas according to the rule are the main aspects of this Ashram. It is stated that the Bramhachari has to partake food at Guru’s place or gruhasthi or has to subside on bhiksha (alms). 

2. Grihastha Ashram – The main aspects are as follows. Giving food to bramhachari, sanyasi and atithi (guest); enjoying the life (pleasures) according to the rules stated in Dharma; strictly following rules laid for grihastha (family man) i.e. to perform at least 6 important karmas – Snan, Sandhya, japa, homa, devata puja and Vaisvadevam. These are to be performed without fail by reciting or not reciting the respective mantras. Besides this he has also got to perform without fail - learning, teaching, giving alms, taking alms, performing yagnya, homa and doing it for the others. 

3. Vaanprastha Ashram – Staying away from all (in a forest) after the age of 60 with or without wife is stated as the Vaanprastha dharma. Here he has to perform Pooja and Upasana. It is similar to a life of an ascetic. 

4. Sanyasa Ashram- One can take sanyas at anytime in life. He can become a sanyasi after Bramhacharya or after Grihastha Ashram or after Vaanprashta ashram. Hence there is no age bar for the same. When a person attains, Poorna (complete and strong) Vairagya, he can take sanyas. Those who have taken sanyas, cannot indulge in cooking, perform homa, havan etc. He has to strive for obtaining more Vairagya and Holiness. For he has to perform only, japa, dhyan, upavas and thorough study and discussion of Vedantas. He has to eat by taking Alms from Grihasthas. He has to wear saffron cloths only. According to the laid down rules, he has to have shaven head or hair on his head with a beard. He has to practice ahimsa. He has to carry a Kamandalu (type of vessel) and Danda (a sacred staff). Those who do not carry a danda are called Sadhus. 

Courtesy to the lectures of His highness Shankaracharya Shri Jayendra Saraswati which appeared in a Tamil spiritual magazine.

Yugadharma

In our ancient scriptures and purans we come across a four-age cycle known as Yuga. In modern times this is termed as Era or Epoch. The four yugas are -

1. Satya Yuga – Also known as Krita Yuga or Golden age
2. Tretya Yuga – Also known as Silver age
3. Dwapara Yuga – Also known as Bronze age
4. Kali Yuga – Also known as Iron age

The widely accepted date for beginning of Kali Yuga is 3102 B.C.E. i.e. just after conclusion of Mahabharata war.

Krita Yuga – It is also known as Golden age. In this period it is stated that life span of human being was up to 80000 years. The life was sustained till bones sustain in body. The memory was so high that people could remember things by hearing or seeing it once. Rishis and Munis can sustain life by drinking water (only at times) for long periods. It is stated that during war, even if the limbs are severed from the body, life could continue. We come across purans that during this period, some kings ruled their kingdoms for 1000s of years. From the purans, we observe that people were highly intelligent, talented and the method of teaching was totally different. This age can be called as Age of Perfection. There was only one religion. It was the age of truth, all were saintly, humans were gigantic and powerfully built. They were honest and virtuous. All were able to reach the state of supreme bliss. The earth yielded their daily requirements; hence there was no need of agriculture, mining etc. There was no decease and weather was pleasant. There was no fear, hence this period is called as Golden age. It is believed that if we consider virtue and sin as single unit, the virtue was complete unit itself without any sin.

Tretya Yuga – In this Yuga the virtue declined. During this age life was sustained in body till the flesh remained in body. The emperor rose to dominance by raging wars. Weather started changing to extremes, resulting in the formation of deserts and oceans. The wisdom, knowledge and other virtues declined slightly. Agriculture, labor and mining were started. Average life span were 10000 years. During this period three parts of virtue and one part was sin. During Tretya Yuga, the people were able to overcome sorrow and distress by performing Tapas and by obtaining Atma Dnyan.

Dwapar Yuga – In this Yuga, virtue declined further and the human strength also declined. In this age, life remained in the body, only till there was blood. Life could be sustained for some period by not taking food. performing Yadnya, Pooja were useful in order to overcome difficulties, sorrows and distress. In this age, people started having Tamasik qualities, hence their strength decreased. Deceases become rampant. There was discontent and fights between human beings. Towards the end of the Yuga, vedas were divided into 4 parts as knowledge and intelligence declined further. Old people started behaving like young ones. Average lifespan declined to about 1000 years. There was 2 parts of virtue and 2 parts of sin i.e. half-half.

Kali Yuga – This is the final Yuga in cycle and also the current yuga. In this Yuga, intelligence slumped to the lowest level. Hence this age can be considered to be the age of ignorance and darkness. People became slaves to habits, passions and became less powerful compared to the earlier Yuga. Morality decreased to the lowest level and people became liars and cheats. Love of spiritualism, respect for elders, saints and learned men decreased. People started eating forbidden food. Environment got polluted. Water and food became scarce. Families became non-existent. Doing bhajan and namasmaran is the only method i.e. Bhaktimarga is the only way to eradicate sorrow or distress. Fear started reigning as supreme. Lifespan came down to around 100 years and it will slowly decline to about 20 years at the end. There will be one part of virtue and three parts of sins. 

The period of each Yuga is mentioned in various purans but almost all agree that the Kali Yuga started around 3102 B.C.E. More details can be obtained by reading various books, authored by scholars on the subject.