Part 17 - Summary of the Yogashikha-upanishad (Yogasikhopanisad)

76 17. Yogasikhopanisad (Yogashikha-upanishad) 1. mantrah- - 390 . 2. upakramah- sarve jivah sukhairduhkhairmayajalena vestitah | 3 . visayah (a) varnitah- tesam muktih katham deva krpaya vada samkara || 1 || jnanasvarupam, yogasiddhah atmajnanotpattih, granthitrayabhedah nirvikalpakapraptih susumnayah moksamargatvam jivanmuktyadisiddhih, gopanavidhih videhamuktih, paramaksarasvarupam, sarvaprapancasya brahmatvam khecari mudrabhyasah pranadivilayanmuktih, brahmarandhravilinakaranasya muktih, susumnayogamahima, brahmasaksatkarah . (ba) nirdistah- muktimargah, brahmakevalasastragamyam, brahmano jivabhavah jivasya sivatvam, jnanayogayoh mithah karyakaranatvam, yogasikhopadesah, paramapadasaksatkarah, dhyanasaktasya punyalokapraptih, labdhayogasya svatmabodhah, sarasvaticalanam, kumbhakacatustaya bandhatraya, layayogah, rajayogah, yogasamanyasvarupam, muktipraptih, abhyasayogadeva muktih sivalayatvavarnanam, (ka) laksanam - 4 . adharasatkampithacatustayam, yogajnanadhikari pranavamahima, nirvisesapranavabrahmavagatyupayah trividham brahma, nadanusamdhanam vaikharisvarupam, parabrahmadhigamah jivatvasya asatyatvam, visnvalayatvam nadicakrasvarupam, brahmasariratrayam, pancagnibhavana, kundalini prabodhanam, kaivalyasiddhih, gurupujavidhih yogasikhamahima, susumnasvarupam, paramatmadhyanam, cakresu brahmadimurti dhyanena brahmarandhrapravesah sthanavivekah, hamsamantrajapaprakarah, kundalyavasthabhedato bandhamuktivyavastha, pranavasya sarvadharatvam pranacittayoravinabhavah nadanusamdhanam, gurupadesapurvakamabhyasam vina na jnanodayah . suryakumbhakah, ujjayikumbhakah sitalikumbhakah, bhastrikakumbhakah mahayogah mantrayogah hatha yogah mulamantrah, nadalingatvam, sutratvam, nadabrahmanah parapasyantyadirupacatustayam . upasamharah- svakayam ghatamityuktam yatha jivo hi tatpadam | guruvakyasamam bhinne brahmajnanam prakasate || karnadharam gurum prapya tadvakyam plavavadrdham | abhyasavasanasaktya taranti bhavasagaram ||

77 From which this Upanisad gets its name 'Yogasikha'-crest of yoga¹ is either to be underhood as the peak, the highest result of the yogic meditation. or " the pointed flam' in the heart in which the yogin sees the Higher Being. It consists of 390 mantras divided in to 6 chapters: Chapter 1: 178 Chapter 2: 22 Chapter 3: 25 Chapter 4: 24 Chapter 5: 62 Chapter 6: 79 3288 390 It begins with the Brahma's questions to Lord Sankara about the path destroying worldly miseries of every soul, after which a brief and clear picture of the meditation is given. It discusses the topics one by one. The very description of yoga is as follows: It discusses (1) The real form of Knowledge (2) A Yoga-siddha, (3) Dawning of the knowledge of the Atman, (4) Piercing through the three knots (granthi), (5) Attainment of the changeless (nirvikalpa) (6) The susumna forming the path to liberation (moksa), (7) Benefits such as overlordship over all, liberation while living and the like, (8) Rule relating to the safe guarding (gopana), (9) Liberation after death, (10) The real form of the Paramaksara, (11) The brahmatva of the entire phenomenal world (prapanca), (12) The practice of khecari mudra, (13) Liberation by the dissolution of the breath (prana) and others, (14) Liberation of one whose inner senses are dissolved in the Brahmarndhra, (15) The greatness of the Susumna yoga and (16) The realization or the direct perception of the Brahman. It defines four kinds of kumbhaka, which is only in this Upanisad (1) Surya Kumbhaka (2) Ujjai kumbhaka (3)'sitali kumbhaka (4) Bhastrika kumbhaka (5) maha yoga (6) Mantra yoga (7) Hatha yoga (8) Mulamantra (9) Nada linga (10) the nature of the thread and (11) the four forms, para, pasyanti, etc.of the Nada Brahman.

78 It mentions (1) The path to liberation (2) The Brahman not attainable by more proficiency in "sastra' here (3) the jiva-hood of the Brahman (4) Sivatva of the individual self (jiva) (5) the mutual relationship of the knowledge and yoga as effect and cause, (6) the imparting (upudesa) of Yogasikha (7) The direct relationship of the highest state (paramapada) (8) Attainment of punyaloka by one who can not confirm to the prescribed form of the meditation to the full extent (9) The recognition of his own Atman by the accomplished Yogin, (10) The rousing of the Sarasvati vein (11) The four kinds of retaining (Kumbhaka) (12) The three kinds of muscular controls (13) Laya yoga (14) Raja yoga (15) The common features of the various kinds of the yoga (16) The Attainment of the liberation (17) Liberation only by Yogic practice (18) The description of the sivalaya, (19) The six centers (adhara) and four pithas, (20) The eligible for the knowledge of Yoga.(21) The greatness of the pranava (22) Expedient to be adopted for the attainment of the non-qualified Pranava Brahman, (23) The three fold of Brahman, (24) The application to the sound (nada) (25) The form of the Vaikhari, (26) The attainment of the parabrahman, (27) Falsity of the individual soul (jiva), (28) The Characteristic of a temple of a visnu (Visnvalaya) (29) The real form of the nadi-chakra (30) The three fold body of the Brahman, (31) Mental conception (bhavana) of the five fires, (32) rousing the kundalini (33) Accomplishment of the state aloneness (kaivalya siddhi) (34) The worship (puja) of the holy master (guru), (35) Greatness of the Yogasikha, (36) The real form of the Susumna meditation on the deities, Brahman and others in the pluxes affects the entrance in to the Brahmarandhra, (37) Clarification of the respective positions, (38) The manner of the repetition of Hamsa prayer, (Hamsa mantra) (39) Liberation and bondage due to difference in the state of the kundalini (40) The Pranava of the support of all, (41) The inseparable connection (avinabhava) between the breath (prana) and the Mind (citta), and (42) Without practice in accordance with the instructions of the holy master (guru), there is no dawning of knowledge. It ends with a metaphor presenting the body as a pitcher, the self as occupying it, the holy master as a captain, his instruction as a solid boat, Yogic practice as soaring to cross the ocean in the form of the existence. It deals with the well known practices of Hatha yoga, though not contains directly the subservient of yoga, i.e. Astanga yoga, Susumna yogacatustaya and Vedanta theory i.e. the concept of jiva jagat & Brahman Similar to the Yogatattva-upanishad,.it propounds a teaching that combines the knowledge of Yoga. It mentions the fruit of each practice immediately after the discussion of that practice. It may be assumed that it did not compile according to the general system for the highest result is depicted at the end but it points out the result immediately after the topic like Nadanusamdhana, Sysumna Yoga etc.

79 1. mantrah 2. upakramah - 3 . visayah (a) varnitah-