Gaining mystic powers by meditation on the Lord
By meditating on the different forms of the Lord, associated with the different letters of the syllable Om one can develop different mystic perfections due to the contact with them.
« The Muṇḍaka Upaniṣad: An in-depth study
Gaining mystic powers by meditation on the Lord
By meditating on the different forms of the Lord, associated with the different letters of the syllable Om one can develop different mystic perfections due to the contact with them. By meditating on Viśva as the letter A, one becomes aware of the entire cosmic manifestation and can obtain whatever he desires. By meditating in Taijasa as the letter U, one remains conscious as his body sleeps and can perform activities in the astral plane, and by meditating on Prājña as the letter M one transcends the three states and develops unbroken consciousness in connection with the Lord, free from all material suffering. Turīya however is still higher, in the transcendental plane.
Karika 3.5
viśvasyāttva-vivakṣāyām ādi-sāmānya-utkatam
mātrā-sampratipattau tu prāpti-sāmānyam eva ca
By meditating in the position of Viśva, the waking self as the beginning, the letter "A", one becomes fully aware of the cosmic manifestation, like Him. The worshiper acquires His quality of āpṭi (attainment) and becomes capable of satisfying the desires of others.
Commentary: All mystic powers come from becoming fixed in meditation on certain aspects of the Lord. In chapter 15 of the 11th canto of Srimad Bhagavatam, for example, Krsna describes the attainment of the different yogic perfections to Uddhava:
"One who worships Me in My atomic form pervading all subtle elements, fixing his mind on that alone, obtains the mystic perfection called aṇimā. One who absorbs his mind in the particular form of the mahat-tattva and thus meditates upon Me as the Supreme Soul of the total material existence achieves the mystic perfection called mahimā. By further absorbing the mind in the situation of each individual element such as the sky, air, fire, and so on, one progressively acquires the greatness of each material element. I exist within everything, and I am therefore the essence of the atomic constituents of material elements. By attaching his mind to Me in this form, the yogī may achieve the perfection called laghimā, by which he realizes the subtle atomic substance of time.Fixing his mind completely in Me within the element of false ego generated from the mode of goodness, the yogī obtains the power of mystic acquisition, by which he becomes the proprietor of the senses of all living entities. He obtains such perfection because his mind is absorbed in Me. One who concentrates all mental activities in Me as the Supersoul of that phase of the mahat-tattva which manifests the chain of fruitive activities obtains from Me, whose appearance is beyond material perception, the most excellent mystic perfection called prākāmya." (SB 11.15.10-14)
Similarly, by meditating on the A-ness, or beginning-ness of Viśva, as the source and creator of everything, one becomes fully aware of the cosmic manifestation, becoming aware of everything up to the limits of the coverings of the universe, including past, present and future. He also gains the quality āpṭi, becoming able to attain whatever he desires, becoming thus able to satisfy the desires of others.
Karika 3.6
taijasasyo’ttvavijñāne utkarṣo dṛśyate sphuṭam
mātrāsampratipattau syād ubhayātvam tathāvidham
By meditating in Taijasa in the middle, as the letter "U", one develops the quality of utkarsa, becoming capable of drawing everyone towards him, just like the Lord. Similarly, he obtains the quality of ubhayatva, developing unbroken consciousness.
Commentary: Taijasa has the quality of drawing the consciousness from the waken state in the direction of Him, bringing the jīva to the dreaming state, which is considered closer to the real self than the illusory actions of the waken stage when one thinks himself an enjoyer of the material world. This quality is called utkarsa, and by meditation on Him one can develop the same, becoming capable of drawing others in the direction of himself and putting them in a hypnotic trance. By meditating on the U-ness of Lord Taijasa, his quality of being in the middle, one becomes also able to transcend the changes of the different states of consciousness, attaining the quality of ubhayatva, retaining unbroken consciousness in both the waking and dream states. With this quality, one remains conscious while his body sleeps, remaining capable of performing activities in the astral plane. In this state, he can move unseen, meet others in the subtle plane, contact others in their dreams, and so on.
Karika 3.7
makārabhāve prājñasya māna-sāmānya-utkatam
mātrāsampratipattau tu layasāmānyam eva ca
By contemplating the position of Prājña at the end, represented by makāra, the letter "M", one develops māna-sāmanya, developing resonance with the state of prājña. By fully immersing into the syllable, one develops laya-sāmanya, absorption in the Supreme Self.
Commentary: Prājña, the Lord presiding over deep sleep is designated by the letter "M" (makāra) being situated at the end. By meditating in this form of the Lord one can develop the powers of māna and laya.
Māna is the power of entering into the consciousness of another person. Different from utkarṣa, which is a form of hypnotism, using māna one can enter directly into one's consciousness and directly influence one's thoughts at an unconscious level. This is developed by contemplating the syllable and attaining a state of identification or resonance with it.
However, when the yogi attains perfection in his meditation in the syllable, fully merging in deep meditation into it, one attains the perfection of laya, which is even more exalted. Laya is similar to ubhayatva, but it goes one step further, allowing the yogi to maintain his consciousness and memory also in the state of deep sleep, developing an unbroken state of consciousness that transcends all three states. Just as the Lord never becomes unconscious, the yogi who develops the perfection of laya remains conscious in all states of existence. In this state, one remains always close to the Lord, becomes free from all material sorrow, and enjoys continuous transcendental bliss.
Karika 3.8
triṣu dhāmasu tulyaṃ sāmānyaṃ yat niścitam
pūjyaḥ sarva-bhāvānāṃ vandyaś caiva mahāmuniḥ
He who knows firmly what is similar and what is equal between the jīva and the Lord in these three states becomes honored and respected by all beings as a great sage.
Commentary: Sri Caitanya Mahāprabhu introduced the acintya-bhedābheda-tattva philosophy, explaining the inconceivable oneness and difference between the jīva and the Lord. Most of the qualities of the infinite Lord are also present in each and every infinitesimal soul, but they are eternally separated individuals. Due to the difference in power, the Lord has certain qualities that are unique to Him, such as producing uncountable universes and being the Supreme controller. In other words, the soul is similar to the Lord, but not the same as him, as indicated by the words "tat tvam asi" of the Chandogya Upanisad.
Yogis can attain all the mystic perfections previously explained by attaining perfection in the meditation of the different aspects of the Lord as Viśva, Taijasa, and Prājña, but even by just philosophically understanding these three aspects of the Lord and the proximity and similarity of the Lord and the jīva, one becomes a great sage, automatically respected by all living beings.
Karika 3.9
akāro vaiśvanayate viśvam, ukāras taijasāya ca
makāraḥ punaḥ prājñāya, na amātre vidyate gatiḥ
The letter "A" leads to Viśva, the letter "U" to Taijasa, and the letter "M" to Prājña. However, this process can't lead one to Turīya, Who is beyond comprehension.
Commentary: The three aspects of the Lord discussed in the previous verses, Viśva, Taijasa, and Prājña are different forms of Paramātmā, by which He regulates the activities of the conditioned soul, guiding the jīva through the different states of consciousness. However, these three states are still connected with this material world, just as the mystic perfections obtained by meditation on them. For example, by meditating on Viśva one becomes aware of the entire cosmic manifestation, but his knowledge can't go beyond the coverings of the universe. Similarly, by developing the laya perfection by meditation on Prājña one comes closer to the Lord and experiences transcendental bliss, but he still does not become awakened to his eternal position of service to Krsna. In other words, all these different perfections are connected to this material world and can help one to live happily here as a great mystic, away from material miseries and playing mystical tricks on others. However, these mystical exercises can't bring one to his eternal nature of service to the Lord.
As Prabhupada mentions in his purport to CC Ādi 2.53: "Virāṭ (the phenomenal manifestation of the Supreme Whole), hiraṇyagarbha (the numinous soul of everything), and kāraṇa (the cause, or causal nature) are all but designations of the puruṣas, who are responsible for material creation. The transcendental position surpasses these designations and is therefore called the position of the fourth dimension."
Krsna, described in the Māṇḍūkya Upaniṣad as Turīya, can't be attained by meditation or any other mechanical process. He can't be captured by empirical knowledge or mystical perfections. He can be attained only by bhakti, pure love for Him. When one becomes free from all desire to enjoy this world, be it by gross sense gratification, or through the subtle satisfaction of the mode of goodness, one can finally come to Him.