SOAHAM SADHANA

First Step Towards Self- Realization

Soaham sadhana or hamsa yoga is purely a spiritual type of pranayama. This yoga incorporates pranayama along with some kind of nada yoga and dhyana yoga.

The pranayama phase consists of sitting in a stable posture of sukhasana or padmasana; in a physically and mentally calm condition; keeping the spinal cord in an erect position and taking deep breaths in a consistent manner. The erect position of the spinal column supports straight flow of the prana. Like for the other pranayamas, breathing at a slow pace is supposed to be the best for this one too. Breathing should be so deep that the lungs would be totally filled with oxygen after inhalation. The duration of either kind of kumbhaka should not be more than half that of the rechaka or puraka.

While breathing in, the concentration should be focussed at the subtle sound (of `so') produced by the air-flow through the nostril. During the antah kumbhaka it should be centered inside the body. Meditating on the flow of the `inhaled' prana through the endocrine centers like the Sata-chakras or the granthis along the spinal column is extremely useful because it helps focussing the consciousness at these specific extrasensory nodal points and thus accelerating the vibrations of latent energy currents.

While breathing out, the sadhaka should concentrate on the subtle sound of ham (produced by the outflow of the air) and expel the ego, selfishness, vices and infirmities with it. In order to make this activity more effective than mere imagination, the sadhaka has to be very careful in his day-to-day life too. All the glamour and passions associated with `ham' (`I'­ the ego) and its narrow perspectives are to be left despite the intense pressures of worldly benefits and fears. When an oil-lamp is kindled, its flame assumes predominance and the oil slowly looses its own identity and transfers its existence in the form of light through the medium of the flame. Similarly, in the soaham pranayama, the existence of ham (the ego) is immersed in so (that, the omnipresent Brahm) through the medium of controlled breathing and support of mental samkalpa.

Perception of the subtle sounds of `So' and `Ham' which are `dissolved' in the in and out flows of the breaths corresponds to a practice similar to the nada yoga. Meditation upon these sounds and the associated paramount feelings of attracting the mahaprana and releasing the ego and ignorance is indeed a superior type of dhyana yoga too.

The inherent unity between the soul and the Brahm is described in the scriptures of Vedanta as the principle of advaita. The sastras like the Panchadashi present the details on the philosophy and implementation of this principle. The hamsa yoga is a sadhana, a spiritual experiment for the realization of this theory.

The Gayatri Mantra consists of twenty-four Sanskrit letters compiled in the three vyahtis after "Oam". The continuous japa of this mantra by the subconscious mind is a sadhana of the prana, which results in the merging of the individual consciousness with the mahaprana. This effectuates the linkage of the individual self with its Omnipresent thy origin and thus leads to the realization of the Brahm. The subtle but spontaneous japa of soaham occurring with each breath is the same type of sadhana of prana and gives equiva
lent spiritual benefits. Therefore, the soaham sadhana is called the ajapa japa of Gayatri.

Every sadhaka of Gayatri has to perform the soaham sadhana (hamsa yoga) before entering into the highest phase of the spiritual sadhana of Gayatri. Thus `soaham' is the bija (essence) of the Gayatri Mantra and its sadhana is said to be essential for the ulti-mate success in the sadhana of Gayatri.

The `sound' of soaham is said to have originated from the combination of prakati (the eternal power of creation) and purusha (the Supreme Creator). The puranas describe that the inspiration to become many from the lonely state of being just one, generated within the Brahm, gave rise to the existence of the prakati and purusha. The prakati was jada and the purusha was chetan. Combination of the two resulted in the creation of the universe, the Nature and the manifestation of life.... The commingling of the prakati and purusha resulted in the expression of Sabda Brahm. The nada produced by this cosmic impulse was reflected in the Nada Brahm as the eternal sublime vibrations of Omkara.

When the unity of the prakati and purusha generated the sentient chetan components the jivas, then its jada component (the prakati) disappeared. Only the `Sah'­ the Para Brahm, the purusha, the eternal source of chetan, and the `Ham' the jiva, an expression of the Para Brahm in thy creation, remained there after.... The `sah' and the `aham' are recognized separately under the dvaita philosophy. The advaita theory defines their conjugation as eternal because, according to this philosophy, the jiva is nothing but a reflection of the multiple manifestations of the Para Brahm. This absolute unity is represented in `soaham' (sah + aham). Thus, the soaham has originated and is eternally existing along with the omnipresent nada of Omkara.

When the (maha)prana is `inhaled' through a breath during the soaham sadhana it first reaches the ajna chakra and gets divided into two components one in the form of a divine emotional charge and the other as vital energy. The first one reaches the heart the emotional core and from there flows towards the different nuclei of conscious perception inside the body. It illuminates every corner of the inner body with the eternal glow of sat (absolute truth) and removes the asat (the darkness of ignorance and falsehood). The sublime currents of prana reach the backside of the brain from the ajna chakra and enter the spinal column, which subtly contains the flow of the Brahm Nadi.

SOHAM I AM THAT

Research in spirituality shows that in the innermost levels of the human psyche the being is always conscious of its true identity with the omnipresent Creator (Atmabodh Pragya) and this super-consciousness (Self-awareness) of primordial identity- Atmabodh), induces the involuntary Jap (Ajapa Jap) as Soham. In Sanskrit language, Soham is a combination of two words So + Ham. However, notwithstanding the complexities of grammer, which are irrelevant for the eternally present sounds, let us consider only the concept behind this nomenclature of Soham. `So' means `That' and `Ham' means I. Spirituality regards `I'
the basic identity of the living being as soul. Thus, taken as one word Soham implies `I am That' i.e. `I' the individual, is one with That Cosmic Presence (Omnipresent God). In this way this concept supports the theory of`Advaita' the indivisibility of God and creation. In other words, each individual soul is part and parcel of Whole, the Supreme Soul i.e. God.

The omnipresence of God is a concept common to all faiths of the world. In India spirituality uses a plethora of expressions like `Tatvamasi',`Aymatma Brahma `Shivoham' ` Buddhosi Niranjanosi' to derive home this Vision. They advocate the elemental oneness of the Creator (Brahma ) and the Creation (individual). `Pranayam' performed in course of `Soham Sadhana' is for this very purpose of reestablishing the interface between the Supreme Soul (God) and the individual soul (Human being). Through Pranayam during Soham Sadhana, the individual is reminded of that eternal relationship with the Creator.

Man generally identifies himself as his physical body. All his efforts, and activities are exclusively confined to making arrangements for convenience of this body , its pleasures, comforts, and benefits. He considers only those persons, places and things as his own which are related to his body. His sense of belonging remains confined to this false field of self and everything else is regarded as `not-self'. As a consequence, man does not hesitate from harming `others'.

This is the state of life of common man described by the seers, in which, the infatuated soul aimlessly wanders, deluded by the false perspective of physical, mental and emotional attachments (Maya). Constricted by this illusory relationship the individual becomes involved in selfish, regressive and harmful activities. This narrow outlook is also responsible for numerous physical and mental ailments that result in perpetual situations of suffering grief and distress. It is necessary to avoid and escape from such an unfortunate situation.

The Super science of spirituality is devoted to showing the prodigal man the path back to his true Home. Soham Sadhana has been regarded as a means for `Awareness of Truth, Fundamental Wisdom' and Realization of God', it shows the true relationship of the individual soul with the Super Soul and makes the former realize this relationship.

However, this realization is essentially dependent on freedom from illusions of belonging to others i.e. to the temporal, ephemeral relationships with people, places, things and events (i.e. Maya). The wisdom for attaining this realization of identity with the Divine Source cannot be acquired by individuals living a degraded existence of a humanoid worm, humanoid animal or devils disguised as humans. That is to say, if in spite of being in a human body one behaves like a worm, animal or devil one can never establish this relationship with God. Mythology has it, that tyrannical egoists like Ravana, Kans and Hiranyakashyap went to the extent of declaring themselves as God and forced people to acknowledge this deception as fact. In this self-hypnosis, they were even convinced about their omnipotence. But did it yield any positive results? Their egoism ultimately proved to be the reason for their annihilation.

The concept of `Soham' (I Am That) does not imply identifying this physical human body composed of the five primordial elements and three qualitative attributes (Gunas), with God. Such a premise would be counter productive providing man with one more basis for inflating the ego and consequently becoming a cause for his retrogression instead of progressive evolution of the soul. In this autonomous Jap of Soham during breathing is imbibed an indication of the true nature of soul which is factually a part of the omnipresence of God.

The concept of indivisibility of the Supreme Being and the individual being actually propounds the universality of the individual entity of soul which, in other words, is same as omnipresence of God. Masters of spirituality have endeavored to explain this concept in many ways like giving examples of the ocean and its waves, sun and its rays, the indivisibility of the cosmic life (Ghatakash) and its numerous living organisms (Mathakash), the unit of life (Pinda) and the Whole (Brahmand) and the pieces of burning ember in a mass of fire.

In this way, they have pointed out that on casting off the veils of illusory identifications with the body and mind becoming devoid of the veils of pollutants of vices, the individual living being (soul) attains oneness with the Supreme Divinity. The only impediment to this unity is lack of true wisdom on the part of man. Disregarding his true relationship with God, the individual considers oneself as an independent being, which results in false sense of an inflated ego the perception of `I and Mine' in relation to the transitory names and forms.

Consequently, because of his indulgence in narrow selfishness, man degrades his own self by his meaningless ideologies and counter productive actions. Sadhana is meant solely for expelling the pollutants of the mind. The highest endeavour of human life is attempting for communion with God by augmenting purity in all facets of life in thoughts, words and deeds. Performance of Soham Sadhana does just this. The expression `because of being a part of God, the individual soul is indestructible' (Ishwar Ansha Jiva Avinashi) is found in many places in the scriptural literature and is propagated by preachers.

Though man is superficially aware of this truth this does not serve the purpose. The idea must penetrate in inner most depths of the psyche. Only when the firm conviction in this concept is converted into an unwavering faith in God, will it become a source of motivation, for the soul to take up in right earnest the cleansing out the dirt and dross of ignorance lying in all nooks and corners of mental, vital and physical parts of the being and thus make them empty and pure receptacles for receiving the divine nectar of self-awareness. Having attained this state, the devotee becomes a medium for expression of the Will of God. It is like the merger of a rivulet in the sacred river Ganga or dissolution of a drop of water in the ocean. In both cases the water losing its erstwhile individual identity, acquires the character of the vaster entity. Similarly, the thoughts and conduct of an enlightened person conform to those of an angel.

Jap is not merely a ritualistic chanting of words of some Mantra. The process must be associated with force of self-motivation through the words (Vak Shakti), contemplation on the objective, bio-energy (through Pranayam) and emotional involvement. With these inputs the Jap becomes live and energized. Adopting this discipline of Upasana one can surely look forward to rapid spiritual growth.

No upasana could be complete without incorporating japa, dhyana (meditation) and bhavana emotional sincerity and linkage with the divine goal of upasana. Literally speaking, upasana means sitting near by. Sitting near an idol or picture or any other symbol of God, worshiping it with the help of flowers, sacred water, candan, aksata etc and uttering some prayers and mantras in front of it might be useful for conditioning the mind for an upasana. But, this alone does not serve the real purpose. Faith in the divine disciplines, thorough pondering over the latter and adopting them in all aspects of life..., and development of the personality so as to nurture the virtues that uplift it towards the ideals of morality, near the level of an angelic being are essential for performing an upasana.

Faith in God becomes meaningful only when thy disciplines and the duties assigned by thou materialize in the devotee's life. Gradual elevation of the devotee's behavior, qualities, thoughts, emotions and deeds is an indication of his proximity with his ideal (the deity, whose upasana is being attempted by the devotee). This is indeed the criterion for judging the sincere performance of his upasana.

Reading religious or morally inspiring literature, visiting the shrines and tirthas and recalling their memories these practices give support in restraining the agility of the mind and focussing it for meditation during an upasana. Different methods of japa and dhyana are taught under different religious and spiritual schools. But, the sadhana of soaham can be regarded as a universal upasana. Every human being can perform it.

As mentioned earlier, this universal sadhana involves japa (of soaham through the breaths), dhyana (meditation on the subtle sounds of `so', `a' and ` ham') along with emotional depth (to contemplate and feel that `I am an expression of the Brahm'). This is indeed an upasana of the limitless eternal expression of the Brahm. No rituals, no other methodology, need be performed with this sadhana. In this sadhana, the devotee realizes his closest link with thee by experiencing thy presence in the inner self. There could be no upasana as complete as this experience is. By sincere practice and strength of internal faith and sraddha such a realization becomes easy and it intensifies as the soaham sadhana progresses.

THE SOAHAM SADHANA OF SAINT KABIRA

This was around 1500 A.D., when the saintly poet Kabira had propogated religious reforms under the nirguna philosophy of bhakti (devotion). About one century later, the saintly poets like Surdasa, Tulsidasa, Mira etc had inspired the flow of saguna bhakti in the form of vaiSnava bhakti (devotion of God Vishnu). This had so firmly established the devotion of God Ram and Krishna in the hearts of the people that even today a vast majority of the people of Indian origin is influenced by it. The saguna bhakti of Ram or Krishna is an integral part of these people's religious life.

The knowledge of the soul self realization is a must to eradicate the influence of maya. The absolute realization of the fact that the soul and the Brahm are one (advaita) liberates the jiva from the bonds of maya. Only the knowledge of the self as a manifestation of the Brahm leads to the perfect realization of the self. Attainment of this is essential for reaching the absolute state of soaham. Saint Kabira has given specific importance to this aspect of soaham with a devotional touch. He has described the realization of this state through yoga and mysticism. For instance, review his following verse –

Aradha Uradadha Mukhi Lago Kasu |
Suna ManDala Mahi Kari Paragasu ||
Uhan Suraja Nahin Canda |
Âdi Niramjanu Kare Ananda ||
So BrahmanDi PinD i So Janu |
Manasarovari Kari Isananu ||
Soaham So Ja Kau Hai Japa |
Dhakala Lipata Na Hoi Puna Aru Papa ||
Avarana Varana Dhama Nahin Chama |
Avarana Paia Guru Ka Saya ||
Ùari Ne Ùarai Âvai Na Jai |
Suna Sahaja Mahi Rahio Samai ||
Mana Madhe Jaun Je Koi |
Jo Bolai So Âpai Hoi ||
Joti Mantra Mani Asathiru Karai |
Kahi Kabira So Prani Tarai ||

Meaning: In that absolute void (sunya) horizon, which is surrounded only by akasa, thou (the Brahm) brilliance is kindled eternally. There is no sun or moon (or any source of light) but that source of absolute bliss is illuminated in its own glow. That sunya is the entire cosmos and that alone is a pinDa. You should take a dip in that Manasarovara
(holy pond in the Himalayas) and perform the japa of soaham. The japa of soaham is beyond the limits of sins or sacred virtues. The sunya of its expansion contains no colors nor blanks; neither sunlight nor shadow (or `no sunlight').....

SOHAM SADHANA PRACTICE

As you allow your mind to flow with the Soham Mantra, also gently train your breath. This breath training has a tremendous effect on calming the mind.  

No pause: Allow there to be no pauses between breaths. Inhalation naturally, smoothly transitions into exhalation, and exhalation naturally transitions into inhalation.  

Silent: The breath itself is quiet, with the sound of the mantra only remembered internally.  

No jerkiness: Gradually eliminate any jerkiness or irregularities, so that the breath is smooth. The bumps in the breath come from the mind, and calming the breath will in turn calm the mind.  

Slow: A comfortably slow breath is very beneficial. The rate of the mantra in the recording will bring your breath to a comfortable rate.  

Diaphragmatic: Breathe with the diaphram, the large muscle connected all the way around the inside of the lower rib cage. The muscles of the lower abdomen and the upper chest are not needed to breathe diaphragmatically.

FIVE WAYS TO PRACTICE