How the Prophets walked on water..explained by Patanjali before 120 BCE

Hundreds of years before the advent of Jesus Christ..the Yoga Aphorisms of Patanjali described how  the prophets or   Spiritual Masters who come from age to age and are masters of their own souls and the elements could control their life forces by will and perform seemingly impossible feats if they should so wish..They could walk on water..Fire and thorns and even control the moment of their death…These aphorisms by Patanjali were written thousands of years ago . ( Before 120 BCE   ) . Jesus Christ walked on water..this story is known to the world....But what is not known to the world is that walking on water was a common `yogic power' in ancient India and in the `Kathamrita' of Sri Ramakrishna a few stories of this Yogic feat have been mentioned as one of the ` eight miraculous powers' which spiritual aspirants are cautioned is not the goal or end of Spiritual life in anyway.....

Vedantists' consider Christ to be an Incarnation of God and hold that All great religions were established by the `One God'  through his Various incarnations from age to age..that is why they have deep reverence and respect for all paths and all people of all faiths... A Vedantist looks for the similiarities and not the differences between people and their paths..

In the complete works of Swami Vivekananda chapter 3 Raja Yoga..describes the powers of the mind and soul.according to Patanjali's Yoga Aphorisms.However in each step of the way we the students of Vedanta are cautioned that super natural powers and miracles are not the life goal of spiritual aspirants and that seeking or displaying them is not ` a mark of spirituality’. Sri Ramakrishna often said that even the possession of one of these powers can lead to the down fall of the greatest of spiritual aspirants. Many people of all faiths claim to have supernatural powers and millions of people `follow' and adore them for these powers....but for Vedantists the ultimate goal of life is to Love God..to awaken the divinity which is within each of us and to become a better human being in every way..one of .which means becoming completely unselfish....

 Here is the aphorism on being able to walk on water.. from Patanjali in Sanskrit and English..

उदानजयाज्जलपङ्ककण्टकादिष्वसङ्ग उत्क्रान्तिश्च ॥४०॥

40. By conquering the current called Udâna the Yogi does not sink in water or in swamps, he can walk on thorns etc., and can, die at will.

Udana is the name of the nerve current that governs the lungs and all the upper parts of the body, and when he is master of it, he becomes light in weight. He does not sink in water; he can walk on thorns and sword blades, and stand in fire, and can depart this life whenever he likes.The Majjhima Nikāya states that the Buddha had many super Natural powers being able to walk on water which is further verified in the Aṅguttara Nikāya. (563 BCE to 483 BCE)

 In the class on Vedanta at the Vedanta Society of Toronto Canada, the spiritual Head The revered Swami Kripamayananda maharaj leads a small group of students on their spiritual journey into the amazing world of exploration about  how Man conquers even nature when he has become master of his own soul..

He also refers to the treatise on Swami Vivekananda’s works by Swami Sarvagathananda maharaj..in this paragraph he the Swami dwells on the subject of death which is often the most painful of human experiences for both the dying and their loved ones..but is an inevitable part of human existence. He cites the example of a Swami who chose the moment of his death..even though he was in a US hospital..and predicted the exact moment he would depart..the incident has been recorded by the hospital since it was exact to the last second. ( details to be added soon).

Here are some of the other super natural Powers from Patanjali which were discussed in the class on Wednesday February 19th 2014.These are the powers of being surrounded by light..of Clairovoyance and of being able to travel through space like a bird..

समानजयात् प्रज्वलनम् ॥४१॥

41. By the conquest of the current Samâna he is surrounded by a blaze of light. Whenever he likes, light flashes from his body.

In the book Ramakrishna Leelaprasanga which is the book describing Sri Ramakrishna’s intense period of spiritual austerities for many years..there is an example of Chandra,a disciple of Bhairavi Brahmani..( one of the spiritual teachers of Sri Ramakrishna ) who could produce light from his body and light up the road on a dark and moonless night..

श्रोत्राकाशयोः सम्बन्धसंयमाद्दिव्यं श्रोत्रम् ॥४२॥

42. By making Samyama on the relation between the ear and the Akâsha comes divine hearing. ( clairvoyance).

There is the Akasha, the ether, and the instrument, the ear. By making Samyama on them the Yogi gets supernormal hearing; he hears everything. Anything spoken or sounded miles away he can hear.

From time immemorial, spiritual masters have been known to have the power of clairvoyance. So much so that there are examples of them hearing words that are yet to be spoken or have been spoken thousands of miles away…

Swami Kripamayananda maharaj also spoke about `Divine hearing’ which is how spiritual masters acquired their spiritual knowledge..Moses `heard’ God speak the words of the Ten commandments as did the composers of all sacred literature .

In India..Rishi Markandaya composed the Devi Saptha Sathi and like him thousands of Vedic sages have written and composed the immortal Sanskrit hymns and verses of the four Vedas which are the oldest known scriptures known to mankind.  

Muslims say that Mohammed was given the words of the Quran by the Angel Gabrial..
In The ancient Persian religion of the Zoroastrians.. is a section called the Gathas or hymns. These hymns are believed to be the original words of Zarathushtra, given to him By God.. faithfully preserved as an oral tradition through the generations. Zarathushtra, and later tradition, refer to the Gathas as mathra (later called a manthra). In every race and religion there is the `story’ of how divine truth was heard and imparted..

Our Swami K also spoke about the Vedantic point of view as described by Swami Vivekananda who often said that all knowledge is within us..the `library ‘ of the universe was within ourselves and when we concentrated with purity of heart and mind..we could understand it all..Divine scriptures are imparted ( or downloaded) to those souls who are perfected. This theory also explains `discovery and invention' in every field..whether it be Science, Technology, Music, Art..Literature or any field..those who have gone `beyond meditation' into the depth of their research have then made break through discoveries ...

 कायाकाशयोः सम्बन्धसंयमाल्लघुतूलसमापत्तेश्चाकाशगमनम् ॥४३॥

43. By making Samyama on the relation between the Akasha and the body and becoming light as cotton-wool etc., through meditation on them, the yogi goes through the skies.

This Akasha is the material of this body; it is only Akasha in a certain form that has become the body. If the Yogi makes a Sanyama on this Akasha material of his body, it acquires the lightness of Akasha, and he can go anywhere through the air. So in the other case also..

In the ancient Indian spiritual texts of the Ramayana and Mahabharata there are several examples of the War heroes and especially  the Hindu God Hanuman who could fly at will from land to the high Himalayas and back..

Throughout the Bible we read of contact between human beings and flying Angels..or Beings..

In the Buddhist stories of Buddha here is an extract from :legends of Buddha Miracles of Gautama Buddha - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia :The Majjhima Nikāya states that the Buddha had more superpowers than any other being including being able to walk on water which is further verified in the Aṅguttara Nikāya. The Buddha could multiply into a million and then return, he could travel through space, he could make himself as big as a giant and then as small as an ant, walk through mountains, he could dive in and out of the earth, he could travel to Heavens to school the Gods and return to earth.View shared post

In the Greek stories of Zeus the God with winged feet resonates with many stories from ancient Indian Mythology.Ahura Mazda, the Iranian sky god, the Wise Lord or Lord Wisdom, and god of order, is depicted as a bearded man on a winged disk, was the principal god of the ancient Zoroastrians. 

Our Spiritual teacher Swami Kripamayananda Maharaj..remarked the in truth spiritual life and feats were more fantastic than even science fiction and many of the stories of the scriptures that are considered `as symbolic or `fairy tales' have more truth than untruth..and as Science unfolds and new discoveries are made..and before our very eyes we seem `the impossible becoming possible' we realise that much of what lies in the scripture is coming to pass..

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Raja Yoga on the spiritiual mystery of Mediums and the secret behind great Leaders

 Through time immemorial..many mysteries of the human soul have left mankind mystified and wonderstruck...These have lead many into the study and  search of the unknown.

Some of these mystic occurences have occured in almost every religion and race known to man and even till today the are documented and researched.
One of these mysteries is whether a Human being can become a " Medium" for some unseen spiritual or other being..The Yoga Aphorisms of Patnajali explain this phenomena which has been reported till this day and through the ages in various countries and in people of all religions..In these aphorisims the view point is presented from the point of view of the Spiritual Masters themselves..

On Wednesday February 12th 2014 a group of students sit around The Most revered Swami Kripamayananda maharaj head of the Vedanta society of Toronto Canada. The Swami reads and explains to these students the ancient mysteries of Spiritual powers which the Yogis ( spiritual masters ) of yore have mastered. Here is the lesson from the Spiritual powers of the Mind . Chapter taken from the book Raja Yoga by Swami Vivekananda and published in 1920.  This is based on Patanjali's Yoga which is thousands of years old and Vedanta derived from the Vedas which are the oldest known spiritual documents of Mankind.

The Revered Spiritual teacher Swami Kripamayananda maharaj also cites the story of Sri Sancaracarya the great sage whose soul entered the body of the dead King Digvijaya in order to teach mankind the lessons of Kingliness : Reference :Shankara Digvijaya - Part 3 | Sringeri Sharada Peetham www.sringeri.net › ... › Madhaviya Shankara Digvijayam.

The story is simple. It is told in the Vedic scriptures. The great Spritual Master Sri Sancaracraya was a spiritual teacher and a Celibate Monk. His body was pure. He was asked by a devotee  to teach the world the art of  Kingship. In order to that he had to be a King. He then in a secret cave in the Himalayas withdrew his sences from his ' Monk" body and asked a few of his trusted " Monk" students to guard the Body untill he returned.
He in his spirit form then entered into the ' Just dead' body of a King Digvijaya. When the King opened his eyes and returned to ' his wife' and family...from that time onwards something in the land changed..for the better..an auspiciousness entered the place....the land became more prosperous..the fields yielded crop..the rivers flowed and the King Digvijaya seemed to be possessed by a more Nobler and Selfless spirit than before. His wisdom and intelligence blessed all...the Kingdom became all powerful. Some courtiers realised that this was not the " old' King but a great soul who had taken over his body and they conducted  a search for the truth. They did not want their King to Flee.. 
Far away near the mountains they found the Body of a great Saint who seemed to be in great slumber and decided to destroy his body before he returned..as they set him ablaze on a Cremation Pyre..then " King Digvijaya' Through his spiritual insight realised the the danger and quickly `flew' to his hermitage..Just as his body was about to be destroyed he re- entered it and woke up and thus saved it. Sri Sancaracarya is considered to be one of the Ten Great Incarnations of God in the Vedantic ages.
The aphorism follows:

बन्धकारणशैथिल्यात् प्रचारसंवेदनाच्च चित्तस्य परशरीरावेशः ॥३९ ॥

Aphorism 39. When the cause of bondage of the Chitta has become loosened, the Yogi, by his knowledge of its channels of activity (the nerves), enters another's body.The Yogi can enter a dead body and make it get up and move, even while he himself is working in another body. Or he can enter a living body and hold that man's mind and organs in check, and for the time being act through the body of that man. That is done by the Yogi coming to this discrimination of Purusha and nature. If he wants to enter another's body, he makes a Samyama on that body and enters it, because, not only is his soul omnipresent, but his mind also, as the Yogi teaches. It is one bit of the universal mind. Now, however, it can only work through the nerve currents in this body, but when the Yogi has loosened himself from these nerve currents, he can work through other things. 

Here are some modern examples  expereinced by a devotee of Christ.

In South America there is  the story of the Brazilian `medium' Joan Teixeira de Faria

Joan (born June 24, 1942), known also as João de Deus ("John of God"),  He is a self-described medium and "psychic surgeon" from Brazil. He is based in Abadiânia, a small town in the state of Goiás, southwest of Brasília.The Readers Digest carried his story which is now available online and in Wikepedia. João de Deus (medium) - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia. Another extract from http://www.healingjourneys.net/content_articles

 

 Joao de Deus was a young teenager when he began to heal people.  Born into a poor family that rarely had enough to eat, he had exhibited some psychic and clairvoyant talents as a young boy.  One day in his early teens, more than forty years ago, the young Joao went to a river to bathe, and the spirit of a radiant woman – who later turned into a ball of light – told him to go to a nearby Spiritist center (associated with the teachings of Allan Kardec).  Following her instructions, Joao found the center, walked up the stairs, and knocked on the door – and that was the last thing he remembered until he came to, three hours later, with a circle of people standing over him.  He immediately apologized and tried to reassure them that he must have fainted from hunger and that he would be fine.  They told him, "No, you don’t understand.   You have been healing people for the last few hours."

Having no recall of what had happened, Joao thought they might be teasing him, but they invited him to stay, have a good meal and stay there the night.  The next day, several hundred people gathered at the center, and the director told them that, once again, the spirit of King Solomon was going to heal people as he had done the day before – through the medium Joao.  The young man still had no idea what the director was talking about, but as they began to pray, he slipped once more into a faint, this time aware as he was doing so, left his body, and entered a warm light.  Upon returning to his body several hours later, he was informed that miraculous healings had happened through him once again.

The young Joao spent an extended stay at the Spiritist center, where the members explained to him about mediumship – including trance mediumship of incorporation of spirits - various kinds of non-corporal spirits, and other aspects of Kardec’s teachings, helping him to understand and integrate his spontaneous "initiation" as a trance medium healer.  .

Reference http://www.healingjourneys.net/content_articles and Wikepedia.http://www.oprah.com/spirit/Do-You-Believe-in-Miracles_1

Here is a story dating back to the 17th century in India where many of the saints had supernatural powers. This extract is taken from the Wikipedia article on St Dyaneshwar of Alandi. The child saint had mastery over not only living beings but even inanimate lifeless objects..this aroused the jealousy of an ancient sage named Changa dev, the temples and  final resting places of all these saints stands till today in Maharashtra India.  

Changdev Maharaj is most commonly known today due to his popular first encounter with Dnyaneshwar. As the story goes, when the four siblings of Nivritti − Dnyanadev, Sopandev, and Muktai − attained enlightenment , Changdev Maharaj wanted to test them, and hence sent them a blank note. When the siblings received this note, they laughed at the gesture and, on Nivritti’s asking, Dnyaneshwar wrote 65 verses which were the quintessence of Vedanta on it. When the paper reached Changdev Maharaj, he had difficulty understanding what was written, and decided to meet the siblings to show them his yogic powers in person. For this visit he chose to ride on back of a tiger, wielding a poisonous cobra as a whip. When the siblings, then sitting on a masonry wall, saw the procession of Changdev Maharaj and thousands of his devotees walking toward their house, they decided to break his pride. They patted on the wall and it rose up to move forward as a respect to Changdev maharaj. This use of wall amazed everyone present. Changdev realized the greatness of these children. He became one of their disciples and overcame his pride and ego.^[6]These verses sent by Dnyaneshwar later became known as Changdev Pasashti (Pasast means 65 in Marathi) and are one of the holy scriptures amongst followers of Dnyaneshwar.

Here the child saints had control over even the inanimate objects while the old saint could only control all forms of nature..he recognised their greatness. He also accepted that upernatural powers are not the marks of a saint but his love for God and for human kind is what makes one a man of God The ancient temples of both saints stand till today in Alandi and Narayanpur in India ,Maharashtra

Our teacher also refers to the detailed treatise on the complete works of Swami Vivekananda by the late revered Swami Sarvagathananda maharaj who was the late president of the Vedanta Society of Boston USA.He was known for his deep knowledege and respect for the secriptures of all religions and was held in very high respect by many respected Christian evangelists and teachers in N America.He lived his faith as a true Vedantists which was respect and reverence for all people and all paths leading to God

For further reading: The Death of a Swami, and His Bliss | America Magazineamericamagazine.org/content/all-things/death-swami-and-his-bliss‎

 

 

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