Carya, Kriya,Yoga and Jnana

These are practices to be performed by a person longing for liberation from bondages and attainment of Divine Bliss. Shiva is eternal and omnipresent.He is limitless and formless in His original nature. He is Saccidananda .Outof His own compassion to liberate the individual self, He assumes three forms—gross, subtle and subtler— so that the self may reap benefits in understanding Him step by step in its own pace. The scriptures of Vedas and agamas expounded by Him show the ways of worshipping Him.The individual self does not understand Him fully, but knows Him as the gross form.

Carya

Cary a means that the self is worshipping this gross form using its physical body.This worship involves:

1) The cleaning of temples/places where idols are kept like dusting and washing and

2) Worshipping any one of the twenty-five forms of Lord Shiva in any temple or place of worship.

3) This leads the self to meditate on any one form of Lord Shiva as per the wish of the self.

4) These services lead the self to undergo the experiential knowledge.All these practices are called Carya.

Kriya

Kriya involves—

1) the collection of all the materials and aids required for performance of Shiva worship.

2) In this progress of the self along the liberation path, it undertakes to perform the worship of Shiva in the form of Shivalinga, after purifying the place of worship, materials and aids collected, mantra taught by Guru and finally self also.

3) Next step involves mentally adopting three places in the body with three divisions for meditating.The navel area is considered as the place of fire. The area of heart is the place of worship proper. The midpoint of brow is the place of meditation on Shivalinga .

4) All these practices lead the self to gain the experiential knowledge.

Yoga

Yoga involves—

1) Control of mind and its proper orientation, practice of proper position of seat as well as proper control and direction of vital air.

2) This leads to assuming the prescribed forms of mind and one-pointedness.

3) This practice leads to meditation. One of the types of meditation is meditating on the form as well as on the formless God. Second one is performed on formless God alone.

4) Meditation finally leads to Samadhi .

Jnana

Jnana consists of—

1) Listening to requisite shastras.

2) Reflection or thinking of shastras / mantras and relevant literature

3) Arriving at the right conclusion and meditating on Lord Shiva

4) Remaining steady on this conviction for ever.

The above services are gone through by the self specifically in four steps but each step is again classified into sub-ones like carya in carya, kriya in carya, yoga in carya , and jnana in Carya . These are also shown accordingly in the same sequence under the respective category. Kriya is sub divided into carya in kriya, kriya in kriya, yoga in kriya , and jnana in kriya. Yoga is subdivided into carya in yoga, kriya in yoga, yoga in yoga , and yoga in jnana. Jnana is subdivided into carya in jnana,kriya in jnana, yoga in jnana and jnana in jnana .All these four steps may be performed with worldly end in view in which case they may remain as mere means to achieve the same.If they are performed out of ever-flowing love to Lord without any iota of expectation, then they are called true services.The individual self longing for liberation shall follow the above footsteps of carya, kriya and yoga and finally attain jnana which is shuddha avastha ,provided they are performed out of ever-flowing love.