Story of Viswamitra Maharsi and the status of Brahmin.

Valmiki Ramayana reading may clear many doubts on Hindu Dharma and its systems. Many talks in media and private reveals that Hindu followers are not sure about most of our Dharma and its concepts. To avoid confusion, I am putting one scene from Valmiki Ramayana, English translation by Bharadwaja Sharma.

Maharshi Viswamitras life and his lust on Menaka and Ramba, his angry acts towards them is a well known story. The content of this story is He was not a Brahmin and his desire to be a Brahmin. His opponent  (He considered like that) was Vasishta.

Viswamitra spend about twenty thousands of years in tough Austerity, Tapasya. But Brahma did not Grant him the the title of "Brahmasri". Indra sent Menaka, the most beautiful women and celestial courtesan to stop Viswamitra from his austerity. Viswamitra fall in love with Menaka and lived with her about ten years. Thinking of his own fall he sighed again and again. That day he spoke softly to Menaka and politely asked her to go away. This was at Pushkar.

Then left Pushkar and went to northern mountain and started sever form of Tapasya at the bank of river Kausiki. The Gods themself were frightened and they went to see Brahman and they said to him, "Lord, Viswamitra wants to become a Brahmarshi, a seer having full understanding of the Supream reality. Do please fulfil his ambition.  He deserves it." Brahma then appeared before Viswamitra in person and told him, "Pleased I have been with you for your severe austerities you have been practicing. I recognise your greatness and give you the rank of Mukhyarisi, the chief of seers".

Bowing down before him, Viswamitra Said, "Lord, you did not consider me as Maharsi, the foremost of seers. I fear you do not yet think of me as one who has dull command over his senses." And Brahma said,"No, So long as you do not really became one having complete control over your senses, I cannot confer on you that title. But you, foremost of all sages, you can go on trying." And so saying he disappeared along with the Gods who accompanied him.

Once again Viswamitra started a fierce form of austerities  inflicting on himself all kinds of dreadful mortifications. Another thousand years passed by and Viswamitra continued to keep himself immersed in his Tapasya. Indra, and other gods too, felt threatened.  They summoned the celestial courtesan  Rambha and asked her to go to Viswamitra and seduce him, shaking his resolve and hampering his austerities. 

"In the interests of gods you will have to do it, Rammba," Indra said. Rambha was afraid of Viswamitra and she said nervously, "Lord, I do not dare rouse the anger of that fierce ascetic." Indra in reply said, "Do not be afraid, Rambha. Carry out my command. I shall stand by you as the charmer bird cuckoo in the lovely season of spring, together with Kandarpa, the God of love. Appear in your most radiant form and use your charm to distract his attention from his austerities ".

Yielding to Indra's request, Rambha dressed herself up and she came to look her very best. She appeared before Viswamitra when he was engaged in deep meditation.  Radiating seductive allure and charm by subtle erotic guesters and movements, she started singing sweetly in front of the ascetic.  Viswamitra opened his eyes and delighted to see her but he suspected that it could all be a conspiracy on the part of Indra and angrily he pronounced a curse on Rambha. " I am here trying my best to rise above desire and anger, and you, Rambha, are trying to tempt me? How dare you? You have to spend, you unfortunate creature, ten thousand years as a stone. You will be rescued by a very powerful ascetic Brahmin at the end of that period," he said.

The fate that befell Rambha struck terror in the hearts of both Kandarpa, the God of love, and Indra, the Lord of the Gods, and they fled from the place as quickly as possible.  Viswamitra on his part repented that he has deviated from the ideal code of conduct for ascetics by falling pray to anger- anger that mars the fruit of asceticism.  He decided that he would not any more be angry or curse anybody in anger. He vowed,"I shall hold my breath and go without food raising above desire, anger and all other evil propensities of body and mind until I realise the exalted status of a true Brahmin." He then left the Himalayan austerities. 

Viswamitras vow of austerities ended unimpeded after one thousand years and he was going to have a meal of rice, Indra, in the guise of a Brahmin, came to him and asked for the rice he was going to eat. Viswamitra gave away all the rice and began once again another thousand year session of austerities  maintaing complete silence and going without any food whatsoever.  His austerities generated so much heat that smoke began to rise out of his head and the three world's became heated too. This time the Gods, the seers and the gandharvas felt really disturbed.  And they came to Brahma and said, " In spite of various means we adopted to make Him angry, or taint his mind with desire or anger he has remained steadfast in his resolve, calm and placid, free completely from 

Together with the celestials, the devas and the maruts, Brahma then came to see Viswamitra. Addressing  him as Brahmarsi, Brahma, the creator of all beings, said, "Brahmarsi Viswamitra, we have all been greatly  impressed with your performance.  You have earned the status of Brahmin, a true one who has got perfect understanding of the Brahman, the Supream being. May you live long."

His wish to be a Brahmin having fulfilled, Viswamitra was immensely happy and he said,"Lord, give me then the Vedas and all Mantras- the verses that a Brahmin has to chant when offering oblations to fire. Let me have full understanding of the Vedas, and above all, ordain it  so that the great omniscient seer Vasishta recognise me as a Brahmin."

Then at the request of gods, Vasishta was reconciled with Viswamitra.  You are a Brahmin, there us no doubt about it," Vasishta said, and Viswamitra paid him homages.  The two Brahmins became friends.

This story was told to Rama by Satananda, Janakas priest, He sais,"This did Viswamitra, the foremost  of sages finally attain the status of a Brahmin."

Three system in Indian Upasana

There are three methods of Upasana and Self realization in Hindu Dharma. These are "Kaula"," Mishra" and "Samaya" margas(Methods or Techniques). Most Sagaes and Rishis followed that last one, ie Samaya for their spiritual journey. Especially, Sankara, Aurbindo, and Sri Narayana Muni followed and teaches Samaya for their disciples. Sankara argued and defeated all other Margacharis in his mission of Bharata Paryatana. His works including "Ananda Lahari" explains how one can lead his journey to enlightenment with Samaya Marga.

Sankara ideologically stood against idol worship and asked Hindu Samaj to turn inside and find the "GodWithin".

Tantra considers the universe to be a manifestation of pure consciousness. Through this process of manifesting, consciousness divides itself into two parts, which cannot exist without one another (though appearing to divide, they actually remain one and the same). One aspect remains as a static, formless quality (shiva), while the other is a dynamic, creative aspect (shakti). The two eternally coexist, like ink and the written word, which, though one and the same, are different. The journey of Tantra is to know them both, at once, as one. Through a process of kundalini awakening, the two are eventually experienced in their state of union. In the Himalayan tradition, Yoga, Vedanta, and Tantra are companion practices.

In most modern descriptions of Tantra, two types are mentioned, Left-Handed Tantra and Right-Handed Tantra. (Many are not aware of this division, thinking that all Tantra is Left-Handef)

However, this view of Tantra is incomplete. The Left-Handed and Right-Handed Tantras are both aspects of Kaula Tantra, which is only one of the three major schools of Tantra. (There are many within those three)

The higher Tantras are Mishra and Samaya. The differences between these three schools of Tantra are described in the text below. (Many of the modern practitioners of Tantra are not aware of Mishra Tantra and Samaya Tantra, and unknowingly use the single word Tantra to describe Kaula Tantra.

It is often taught that there are two schools of Tantra, the left-handed path and the right-handed path, depending on the nature of the practices. However, these two are actually divisions within one school, that of Kaula Tantra. The other two are the Mishra and Samaya schools of Tantra. All systems or methods of Tantra fall into one of these three schools, though there may be many subdivisions within these three.

The Kaula Tantra school utilizes external practices and rituals, while the Samaya school is completely an internal process. The Mishra Tantra school mixes the external practices and rituals, along with internal practices. The three schools are progressively higher, with Kaula Tantra being the lower, Mishra Tantra going further inward, and Samaya Tantra for those who are prepared to do the advanced practices.

By being aware of all three schools of Tantra, one can more wisely see how Tantra might fit into his or her personal spiritual practices, not limiting one's scope to the choice between the two Kaula Tantra paths.

Each of the three schools of Tantra believe in purifying of the body, breath, mind, and the latent impressions called samskaras, which are the driving force behind karma. The purifying process is called bhutashuddhi, which means purifying of the five elements of earth, water, fire, air, and space in the various ways in which they manifest.

Each of the schools of Tantra also practice methods for awakening the spiritual energy of kundalini, though the methods and the height attained in that kundalini awakening may differ. Some of the methods of Tantra are taught under the names Kundalini Yoga or Kriya Yoga.

Kaula Tantra

Kaula Tantra is external Tantra that focuses on concrete practices and rituals. The left-handed Tantrics perform their worships with the use of meat, fish, intoxicants, mudras (certain gestures), and sexual contact. The right-handed Tantrics perform these rituals only symbolically.

Kaula Tantra focuses its practice on the Muladhara chakra, the first chakra, at the base of the spine. The Kaula Tantra practices are training for having control over the lower desires and physical needs of the body. The energy of the kundalini awakening is considered the divine feminine force, and is to be revered rather than used for mere sensual gratification.

Some right-handed Kaula Tantrics explain that their practice is higher than the left-handed, by virtue of the right-handed practices being only symbolic. Some of the practitioners of left-handed Tantrics explain that their practices are higher than the right-handed by virtue of their secrecy, pointing out that it is harder to find a teacher of these processes.

However, both schools of Kaula Tantra will sometimes miss the fact that Mishra Tantra and Samaya Tantra schools are still more advanced than either of the Kaula Tantra schools. Possibly this is because of human nature that wants to justify a current level of attainment as higher than it really is. Swami Rama has explained that Kaula Tantra is for those who are not very intellectual and have less awareness, that it is for the third class student, while Mishra Tantra and Samaya Tantra are for the second and first class student.

Much has been written about Kaula Tantra practices (though much more is not written). The Sanskrit scholars have access to many thousands of hand-written manuscripts about the mantras and rituals that go along with these practices. Some of these are reportedly useful, while others have been called little more than gossip.

For the student seeking this path, there appears to be many choices of places to go, people to learn from, books and manuscripts to read, and rituals to perform. It is no wonder that Kaula Tantra is the Tantra that has become so well known in these modern times.

However, the student would do well to be wary when choosing a teacher, as there seems to be a great deal of less than authentic guidance available. Some of the modern behaviors that have been labeled Tantra are only hedonism given a spiritual name, and are taught by people with little knowledge or experience of authentic Kaula Tantra or the higher schools of Tantra.

Mishra Tantra

Higher than the Kaula Tantra school is the Mishra school of Tantra. Mishra Tantra performs both external and internal rituals, and is thus a mixture. Mishra means mixed.

Mishra Tantra focuses its practice on the Anahata chakra, the fourth chakra, at the heart center, where there is devotion practiced to the mother, feminine, or creative principle of the universe.

The Mishra Tantra practices are inner practices (antaryaga), and direct the one-pointed mind inward. The pujas, or rituals are done in the field of mind, and are thus referred to as manas puja, or mental rituals. These pujas are done with feelings of devotion and non-attachment, and do not involve any external objects.

The energy from kundalini awakening is brought upward from the root chakra to the heart chakra, the space between the breasts, where it is experienced as a relationship with the divine.

Samaya Tantra

Higher than both the Kaula Tantra and Mishra Tantra schools is the Samaya school of Tantra. It is a purely yogic practice, without any external rituals. Its entire purpose is Self-Realization, ultimately leading to moksha, final liberation.

The word Samaya literally means "I am with you," referring to the bestowing of shakti from within through shaktipat (not that an external person is with you). Through meditation and this divine inner companionship, the aspirant is guided in non-attachment to the external pleasures, channeling the energy of kundalini awakening ever upward to spiritual union.

Samaya Tantra seeks to practice at the Sahasrara chakra, the seventh of the seven major chakras, at the crown of the head. Along the upward journey (urdhva retas), each of the other chakras is illumined by the awakened kundalini. The meditators of the Samaya Tantra school focus on the Ajna chakra, in the space between the eyebrows, after which the antaryaga, inner practice, is done in the Sahasrara, crown chakra.

 Samaya Tantra and Raja Yoga (Yoga Sutras) are similar, though the Samaya Tantra practice is subtler, and is a path practiced by very few people. It is the most advanced of the schools of Yoga and Yoga meditation. Samaya Tantra practices Sri Vidya, the mother of all the vidyas (ways of knowing). Because of its subtler nature, and the fact that the higher teachings are imparted in meditation, rather than on meditation, there is far less written about Samaya Tantra than Kaula Tantra or Raja Yoga. The aspirant purifies the samskaras through the fire of guru chakra, as well as receiving the downward flowing intuitions.

Tripura: In the Himalayan tradition, the aspirant clears the mind through the practice of Yoga meditation as codified in the Yoga Sutras by Patanjali, does self-enquiry of Vedanta, and then breaks through the final barrier with Samaya Tantra and Sri Vidya (The practices of Sri Vidya are said to have been known to the more esoteric practitioners of the worlds most known religions, although they have been lost publicly over time). Central to the practices is Maha Tripura Sundari, the great, beautiful one, essence, consciousness, or reality that dwells in the three "cities" (tripura, or three cities including: gross, subtle, causal; waking, dreaming, sleeping; conscious, unconscious, subconscious).

After the aspirant is fully prepared, the meditation in the eyebrow center, Ajna chakra, eventually reveals the channel called brahma nadi, which is an extension of the sushumna channel of the subtle spine. Awareness travels up that nadi, and encounters and meditates on the point called bindu, which is like a pearl, and is the point of emergence of the mind itself. Then, when the student is ready, the pearl is pierced, or exploded through the gift of consciousness or shakti, which is called shaktipat, and is the grace of the teaching spirit called Guru. Like crashing through a series of walls, one experiences many layers of consciousness, and finally emerges into the realization of the Absolute Reality, the union of the static and dynamic principles.

Samaya Tantra is ultimately more like a deep communion with the creative force of the universe, than worship in a ritualistic sense. It brings an intense and inexplicable joy that is beyond time, space and causation, as one becomes like a divine child, frolicking in the union of the mother and father principles of the universe, which is the oneness of all. Not only is there realization in itself, but there is also an outward flowing of the effect of this through each of the koshas.