Sri Sathya Sai Speaks

Then comes Vedanta (the doctrine of nonduality), which is the ultimate goal of spirituality. In fact, the beginning and end of spirituality is contained in Vedanta. Vedanta leads to three types of yoga, which has immense importance for everyone. Even students should listen to this with full attention. The first type is tarakam, the second is sankhyam, and the third is amanaskam. These three are the essence and also the goal of Vedanta. What is tarakam? Tarakam consists of understanding and experiencing the principles of subtle yogic postures (mudras) like khechari, then going beyond these postures and, concentrating on the centre of the eyebrows (nada bindu) and the I-am-God (soham) principle, and ultimately experiencing ExistenceKnowledge-Bliss (Sat-Chit-Ananda). Tarakam essentially means the merging of one's mind in the supreme principle of SatChit-Ananda Absolute and attaining total wisdom. The second type of yoga is sankhyam. Since it deals with numbers (sankhya), it is called sankhya yoga. The human body consists of: five sheaths of the soul, five senses, five elements (earth, water, fire, air and ether), five airs (life breath, downward air, diffused throughout the body, upward through the throat, digestive air), mind, intellect, subconscious mind, ego, and individual soul. pancha kosas, panchendriyas, pancha bhutas, pancha pranas (prana, apana, vyana, udana, samana), manas, buddhi, chithta, ahamkara, jivatma, which together are 25 in number. Sankhya consists of understanding that you are none of these and, going beyond them, thereby realising that you are the Atma, which is the embodiment of Sat-Chit-Ananda. The third type of yoga is amanaskam (blissful state of realization). What does it mean? There is nothing else in this visible world made of five elements except Brahman. That is why the Vedas say: Brahman is one without a second Ekameva adviteeyam Brahma The entire creation is the manifestation of Brahman. There is no second entity. Once this truth is realised, the mind ceases to exist. You see diversity in this world only due to the thoughts and counter thoughts of your mind. When unity is realised in this diversity, then there is no mind. Everything is Brahman. Whatever you see, hear, think, speak, and do and wherever you go, everything is Brahman. Only when there is a second entity, is there scope for thoughts and counter thoughts. But when there is only unity, and that is Brahman, there is no scope for thoughts and counter thoughts. This is the state of amanaska, meaning a state devoid of mind. There is only love in this state. That love is the truth. In fact, truth and love are one and the same. When truth and love unite, the world loses its identity for you and you see Brahman everywhere.