MIND MYSTERIES & CONTROL - 39. THE POWERS OF A YOGI - Sri Swami Sivananada - The Mind: Its Mysteries and Control

MIND MYSTERIES & CONTROL - 39. THE POWERS OF A YOGI - Sri Swami Sivananada - The Mind: Its Mysteries and Control - HQ Full Book.

Chapter 39 of The Mind: Its Mysteries and Control by Sri Swami Sivananda delves into the fascinating and powerful subject of the "Powers of a Yogi." This chapter explores the various spiritual powers and affluences that can be attained by those who engage in disciplined yogic practices. These powers, while extraordinary, are viewed as secondary to the ultimate goal of spiritual liberation and self-realization. Swami Sivananda clarifies the distinction between these spiritual powers and material affluences, emphasizing that while they can enhance one's abilities and experiences, they are not the end goal of yoga.

Nine Affluences and Eight Major Spiritual Powers
The chapter begins by categorizing these powers into two groups: affluences and spiritual powers. The nine affluences are described as material or worldly abilities that can bring comfort, wealth, and control over one's environment, but they are still inferior to the higher spiritual powers. These include:

1. Anima: The power to become infinitely small, reducing one's size to an imperceptible point.
2. Mahima: The ability to expand one's size infinitely, becoming as large as desired.
3. Garima: The power to become extremely heavy, to such an extent that even the laws of gravity are overcome.
4. Laghima: The ability to become weightless, transcending the physical limitations of the body.
5. Prapti: The power to acquire anything that one desires, whether material or abstract.
6. Prakamya: The ability to make one's will irresistible, creating an unyielding force of influence over others.
7. Ishatva: The power of supremacy, lordliness, or sovereignty over the world, essentially gaining control of the elements and forces of nature.
8. Vashitva: The ability to control others’ actions and thoughts, exercising complete mastery over them.

While these affluences are remarkable, Swami Sivananda suggests that they are not the primary focus of a true yogi, as they are often transient and tied to the material world. The ultimate goal is spiritual enlightenment, which transcends these worldly accomplishments.

Spiritual Powers: The Eight Major Powers
The eight major spiritual powers, however, are directly connected to the yogic path of self-realization. These powers reflect a higher state of consciousness and mastery over one's inner and outer environment. They include:

1. Anima (Tiny Size)
2. Mahima (Large Size)
3. Garima (Extreme Weight)
4. Laghima (Weightlessness)
5. Prapti (Obtaining Anything)
6. Prakamya (Irresistibility)
7. Ishatva (Supremacy)
8. Vashitva (Control Over Others)

These powers are attained through advanced practices such as deep meditation, concentration, and union with the Absolute. However, Swami Sivananda cautions that these abilities should not distract the practitioner from the true purpose of yoga, which is spiritual freedom and self-realization.

Conquest Over the Five Elements
One of the more advanced accomplishments of a Raja Yogi is the conquest over the mind, which leads to the mastery over the five elements (earth, water, fire, air, and ether). Swami Sivananda explains that a yogi, by achieving a thoughtless meditative absorption, can transcend the limitations of the physical world and its elements. The yogi’s control over the mind enables them to have dominion over the elements, rendering them impervious to fire, water, and other natural forces. This is seen as a powerful yet temporary achievement, as the true yogi seeks liberation from the cycle of birth and death rather than control...