Vedic Literature | Ekamsat | Uddhava-Gita | Siddhis or Psychic-powers
4-5. By concentrating on objects as they appear, as they are in themselves, on the subtle elements that constitute them, on their qualities, etc. one conquers all the elements and obtains the powers such as becoming infinitesimally small (anami), becoming infinitely large (mahima), becoming infinitesimally light (laghima), becoming infinitesimally heavy (gurutvam), the power of touching anything at any distance (prapti), obtaining anything desired (prakamya), lordship over everything (isitva) and control over everything (vasitva). These powers are called the Asta – siddis, the most important ones. There are other less important powers realized, called Riddhis.
Recent studies in parapsychology accept such phenomena as tele-kinesis - producing motion in a body without the application of material force, clairvoyance - the power of seeing objects or actions removed from natural sight, clairaudience - the power of hearing sounds at a distance, telepathy - communication between minds by means other than sensory perception, apport - producing at a place an object which is at a far distant place, development of extra sensory perceptions and the like. These studies also admit the possibility of a person dematerializing, re-assembling himself elsewhere and reappearing there. They also accept “thought therapy” as a way of healing diseases by intense well-wishing, positive thinking and faith cure. Some practitioners in parapsychology organize inter-communication between the living and the spirits. Some hypnotize the living persons and take them into their past lives by way of regression to know the details thereof very vividly. They similarly organize progression to know the future lives of the souls. Indeed, parapsychologists such as Micheal Newton recall, in their studies, the journey of souls in between their lives on earth or elsewhere.
Parapsychologists also accept the miraculous phenomena as a science in the name of “Thaumaturgy”. They consider this science to be susceptible to rational and logical experimentation.
6-7. The other siddhis referred to are: to be free from hunger and thirst; seeing and hearing things at a distance; traveling at the speed of the mind; assuming any form one likes; entering into and assuming another body; to die only at will; witnessing the sports of celestials; attaining anything according to one’s desire; and unobstructed movement anywhere.
8. Besides these, there are five other subsidiary powers spoken of. These are: power of understanding the past, present and future; capacity to endure heat and cold and other pairs of opposites; reading the minds of others; overcoming the effects of fire, sun, light, water and poisons; and invincibility.
9. The above is a brief description of the powers attainable by yoga. Now listen what type of concentration leads to what type of siddhi, and how they are attained.
10. Concentrating on the subtle-elements or tanmatras as enlivened by Me, the mind gets to the rarefied state of these subtle elements. Such a meditator on tanmatras obtains the power of making the body very small.
11. The siddhi called mahima (to grow big in size) is obtained by concentrating on the Mahattattva, with Me as indweller. Meditating on Me as the indweller of any of the bhutas (elements) will help one attain to the vastness of the said bhuta.
12. One who concentrates the mind on Me as one with a paramanu (the subtlest atomic-particle) of any of the elements will attain to the lightness of a unit of space measured by the said paramanu.
13. Concentrating on Me with the adjunct of sattva aspect of ego-sense (ahamkara), the yogi will get the power called prapti, which will enable him to identify himself with the sense of any creature, and control it.
14. If one meditates on Me as Sutratman, the all-pervading Spirit, as the energy working through everything in the universe, one will get My most superior manifesting power through the adjunct of Sutratman, called prakamya, whereby even distant objects (both in space and in time) shine clear in one’s vision.
15. Concentrating on Me, Vishnu, the all-pervading, as the master of the three gunas and as manifested in the form of Time, one will obtain the power called isitva, which gives the capacity to control and direct the body and soul of any other being.
16. Concentrating on Me, Narayana who is denoted by the expression Bhagawan meaning the possessor of the six-fold divine treasures, and also called Turiya or the Fourth who transcends the three aspects of Virat, Hiranyagarbha and the First cause, one obtains the power called vasitva, which keeps one unaffected and unperturbed like Me under all conditions.
Treasure, glory, strength, splendour, knowledge and renunciation are, in their entirety, the six treasures of the God-head – Bhagawan.
17. An aspirant who concentrates his purified mind on Me as the Brahman transcending the gunas of Prakrti (nirguna) will attain that Supreme Bliss (paramananda), which is the consummation of all desires.
18. He who meditates on Me as Anirudha, the Lord of the white continent, who is of unsullied purity and of the essence of dharma, will attain to the state of whiteness which consists in freedom from sorrow, delusion and the other six evils of the life of samsara.
19. By meditating on Me as the prana (vital energy) enveloping everything like the akasa (space), one will hear all sounds manifesting in akasa, irrespective of distance.
20. By meditating on Me at the junction where the eyesight is made to unite with the sun, one obtains extreme subtlety of perception, enabling one to see anything, however small or however far it is.
21. By uniting the body and the mind along with the prana accompanying them, with Me in meditation, one attains the power of physically reaching any place that the mind reaches.
22. By the power obtained by meditation on Me, the yogi can assume any form he likes by impressing that form on the mind-stuff.
23. A siddha (one with psychic power) who desires to enter another body should first mentally think as he being in that body. Then his subtle body comes out, merges with the air and as breath, enters into the other body, as a bee transits from one flower to another.
24. While pressing the anus with the heel, the subtle body or the linga-sarira constituting the adjunct of the atman should be raised to the heart, chest, neck and crown of the head, stage by stage. Then with the passing of the subtle body through the aperture at the crown called brahmarandhra, the gross body must be abandoned, and unity with the Brahman attained.
25. Those who desire to sport in heavenly gardens should meditate on suddhasattva, the undiluted divine substance. Then divine damsels who are formed of sattva will arrive in celestial vehicles and attend on him.
26. When an aspirant, who is completely resigned to Me and dependent on Me, fixes his mind on Me, any particular wish willed in that state shall be instantly fulfilled.
27. He who has become absorbed in Me, the Lord and Master of all, the eternally free Being, will not meet with obstruction anywhere. His resolves and commands will be accomplished just like Mine.
28. He whose nature has become purified by bhakti and who knows the art of concentration can gain knowledge of the past, the present and the future, including his own birth and death in different bodies.
29. The yoga-practised body of a contemplative practising meditation will not be endangered by fire, just as aquatic creatures are not adversely affected by water.
30. One who meditates on My divine manifestations having all My embellishments like srivatsa mark, conch and discus, besides other paraphernalia like flag-staff, ceremonial umbrella and cowries will never meet with defeat.
31. Thus, those who practise adoration of Me according to the discipline of concentration described above will attain all the powers mentioned earlier without much difficulty.
32. For a yogi who has controlled the senses and the mind, who has the mastery of the prana, and who knows how to concentrate on Me, what siddhi is there that is unattainable?
33. Great men, however, say that these siddhis are obstacles in the way of a spiritual aspirant. For one who practises the highest yoga to reach Me, they cause delay.
34. All the siddhis that are found to accrue by birth, drugs, austerity, mantras, etc can be had by the practice of the yoga described before. But the siddhis accruing by birth, drugs, austerity, mantras, etc cannot yield as much as attained through yoga alone.
35. I, the Almighty, am the source and master of all siddhis. I am also the source and protector of Sankhya, Yoga, dharma and the knowledge of the Brahman.
36. I am the indwelling Self in all beings without in any way being limited by the bodies of beings. I am the Transcendent-Self, too. Just as the bhutas or the elements are within and without the objects that have come out of them, so am I both within and without, transcending all limitation.