Commentary on Paramahansa Nityananda's Chidakasha Gita–Number 4
by Swami Nirmalananda Giri

Chidakasha Gita 7-10

7. Manas is Jiva; but their positions are different. Jivatman is Paramatman.

Sri Ramana Maharshi taught that when a person attains self-realization, his mind which heretofore has been troubling and deluding him will turn into the Self, be transmuted into atmic consciousness. Nityananda is saying here that the mind is the atman, but it is the atman that is dominant–the mind belongs to the jiva (individual Self), the jiva does not belong to the mind. In time the mind is assumed into the jiva-Self so that the jiva is no longer being “consumed” by the mind. Now when this happens a greater marvel takes place: the jiva realizes it is Shiva, the Supreme, that it exists in the Paramatman just as the mind existed in it. However, the jiva, being eternally part of Brahman, will not become “lost” in Brahman in the way the mind becomes assimilated into the atman.

8. A man or woman should be educated. What is education? The jiva should know the secret that He is the Paramatman.

Think of the pride that so many people have in their erudition–and who like to use words like “erudition.” On the other hand, we have the kind that boast of being ignorant and functionally stupid. Both are fools. The only truly “learned” person is the one who has learned “the secret that He is the Paramatman.” Notice that Nityananda does not say “jivatman,” the individual, but the Paramatman–that the individual is “made” of the very substance of the Paramatman. As the Skanda Upanishad says: “Jiva is Shiva and Shiva is Jiva; when bound by husk it is paddy, unbound of is rice. Thus the bound one is Jiva, released from karma he is eternal Shiva. Bound by ropes, he is Jiva, unbound, Shiva. (6, 7)

The school of true education is yoga. We enroll as jiva and graduate as Shiva.

9. Paramatman is in jivatman. The real mukti is to know the subtle in the gross.

At the core of the being of each one of us is the Supreme Self, Brahman. This is generally known to yogis. What is important is Nityananda’s statement: “Real mukti is to know the subtle in the gross.” Knowing Brahman while still in the world is true moksha. The prevailing idea that we need only escape from physical embodiment or knock out in some kind of “samadhi” to experience Brahman is absolutely not true. Continually in the Bhagavad Gita we see that the illumined yogi sees God right here and now. It does not require some kind of abstraction or loss of perception of material objects. This is why the Isha Upanishad opens with the words: “All this–whatsoever moves on the earth–should be covered by the Lord.” That is, we should be seeing Brahman at all times and all other things only secondarily. We do not need to rid ourselves of the world, we need to bring the perception of Spirit into our experience as a constant factor. Only such persons are really liberated.

10. We should leave off the gross sleep and sleep the subtle sleep. We should enjoy the sleep obtained from the practice of pranayama.

Bhagavan Nityananda is speaking here of what is called Yoga Nidra, or “conscious sleep”–the entering into the dreamless (sushupti) state in full consciousness rather than the tamasic state of “normal” sleep. Here is the relevant material found in Om Yoga:

“The purpose of meditation is the development of deep inner awareness. The Yoga Vashishtha (5:78), a classical treatise on yoga, speaks of the state ‘when the consciousness reaches the deep sleep state’ known in Sanskrit as sushupti. The sage Sandilya in his treatise on yoga, the Sandilya Upanishad, also speaks of ‘the right realization of the true nature of the sound which is at the extreme end of the pronunciation of the syllable Om, when sushupti is rightly cognized [experienced] while conscious.’

“In deep meditation we enter into the ‘silent witness’ state, experiencing the state of dreamless sleep while fully conscious and aware. When approaching this state the beginner may actually fall asleep. This is not to be worried about, for such is quite natural, and after a while will not occur. From birth we have been habituated to falling asleep when the mind reached a certain inner point. Now through meditation we will take another turn–into the state of deep inner awareness.

“Although I said it is ‘dreamless sleep’ it is of course much, much more, for there is a deepening of consciousness in this state that does not occur in ordinary dreamless sleep.

“So when you have this ‘asleep while awake’ state occur, know that you are on the right track–when it is imageless and thoughtless except for your intonations of Om (for those should never stop). ‘Astral dreaming’ during meditation is only that: dreaming illusion. Not that visions cannot occur during meditation, but it is easy to mistake dreams for visions. Therefore it is wise to value only the conscious sushupti experience in meditation, within which Om continues to be the focus of our awareness. This is the true samadhi.”

This tenth aphorism has two meanings. The most intense one is that we should spend our time in meditation–in the state of yoga nidra–that we previously spent in sleep. Another meaning is that we should at least “sleep” in yoga nidra when we meditation. Third, it can mean that we should find that our sleep state is altered by the meditation we are doing. Although it happens imperceptibly, everything about a yogi is made different by his sadhana.

However, by “pranayama” Nityananda does not mean ordinary breathing exercises or breath control. In aphorism 210 he says: “What is called pranayama is all internal working.” More about this is found in Om Yoga.