Yoganidra, the Majestic Meditation

Scriptures state that God lies down on Adisesha (the majestic serpent) and remains in Yoganidra (a deep meditative state) for a certain period of time at regular intervals. What is the significance of Adisesha? What does Yoganidra mean? And more interestingly, what does God meditate on?

Significance of Adisesha

When it comes to serving God, Adisesha is the greatest example. He constantly experiences beauty (andam) and bliss (aanandam) in serving God. He is the one who hosts God’s Sri Vigraham in God’s Vyuha avatar.

His dedication and love outpour through these five attributes as he serves God.

Saityam, pleasantly cold and luscious
Sowkumaryam, soft and tender
Sowgandhyam, fragrant and blossoming
Subhram, white, pure and clean
Vistruti, broad and encompassing

Let’s think about each one of these attributes with keen attention. It’s not easy to have these attributes unless you are truly and completely dedicated in loving service. How many times have we fought with our loved ones? No matter how much we think we love them, there are times when we lack patience in our conduct, softness in our words, purity in thought, become narrow-minded, create a difficult environment for them to live in, act very demanding, unaccommodating, arrogant or angry etc. This is a straight-forward example on how to understand what it takes to have all those five qualities every second of our lifetime when serving God.

Adisesha is an embodiment of flawless service and God gives Adisesha an opportunity to serve Him as He meditates…

What does God meditate on?

God meditates on executing His plan. His plan is to engage every being in right things, thereby giving them a chance for true happiness. He does it by being ‘Vasudeva’. Vasu = to reside, Deva = to emit radiance, to shine! Where does He reside and how does He radiate?

He looks out for those beings who truly seek Him
He destroys all barriers which stop them in reaching Him
He resides in them (Vasu) and allows them to experience Him and all His divine qualities.
He fills their hearts with eternal bliss(Deva) and
He satisfies their desire to serve Him uninterruptedly

Now, all such beings become His messengers, His taskforce, His devotees who uninterruptedly serve Him and His objectives purely driven by loving service for Him. Everything these devotees do becomes a devoted offering at His Lotus feet. They will touch lives of numerous other beings their wisdom, their prayers and good deeds (all driven and given by God).

Therefore, Seek Him and become safe God’s abode. He will reside within you and begin His work through you! He will make your heart one of His happy residences, due to His sheer compassion. God is always looking for such a welcoming heart. However, we have filled it with desires for something other than Him. If you turn yourself towards God, you will realize that He is ready to reside (Vasu) in you with full glory and shine (Deva)

Yoganidra, the Majestic Meditation

If you don’t seek God, you are simply giving up on the best state for the sake of the beast within your heart. Pray to God that He makes your heart (the hrudaya kamalam) as one of His happy abodes. Pray that God’s eyes look upon all of us during His Yoganidra! [Note: God resides as antharyami in every being simply out of responsibility to keep the body and the soul together, however if you are a true seeker of God’s grace, He will reside within you happily and radiate – that is the true union/yogam with God.].

From the discourse of Sri Chinna Jeeyar Swamij
– Bhagavad Vishayam, September 12^th and 13^th,2019
– Swamiji’s Chaturmasya Deeksha 2019 Concludes
– In the serene and pious atmosphere at JIVA, Divya Saketham!

As Swamiji’s Deeksha (a 2 month long meditative period of the year) concluded today, Vedic school students put up a beautiful show where they sung, performed a skit, and danced. The beauty of the entire performance is that the entire show was in Sanskrit. The Audience was highly enthusiastic to see the roots of our culture blossom so well in the hearts, and eyes of these children!