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Q: What
are the ‘Ashta siddhis’, can you please elaborate?
A: The
‘Asta siddhis’ that are described in our ancient yoga books are:
Anima, Mahima, Laghima, Garima, Prapti, Prakamya, Ishitva and
Vashitva. ‘Anima’ gives one an ability to make ones body
incredibly small, even smaller than an atom. ‘Mahima’ gives one
the ability to make ones physical body as big as one wishes. It is a
known fact that with such amazing power Lord Krishna displayed his
‘Vishwa Roop’ in the battlefield of Kurukshetra to Arjuna.
With
Laghima, a yogi can make his physical body as light and with
Garima as heavy as one wishes. With Prapti, one can acquire any
material items in the world. Prakamya gives power to satisfy
any wish one has in his mind while with Ishitva he can rule
over any one. With Vashitva a yogi can control anyone’s mind
and make him work according to his wish.
Q: Are
there any other siddhis besides the ones you described?
A: In
ancient yogic scriptures, there are descriptions about some more
siddhis. For example, a yogi can have control over ‘panch tatva’
- pruthvi (Earth), pani (Water), agni (Fire),
vayu (Air) and akash (Sky). He can win over hunger and
thirst. He can win over sleep, diseases & can escape from the effect
of ageing. He can travel anywhere in the world as per his wish. He can
see the past, present and future of anyone. He can visualize objects
far off and can hear voice spoken in any corner of the world. He can
comprehend the language of birds and animals.
Q:
According to you, which is the greatest sidhdhi?
A:
According to me, self realization is the greatest sidhdhi.
Without which all kinds of sadhana is incomplete. One can not
have satisfaction and complete fulfillment of human life. Winning over
lust, anger, attachment and envy or winning over the self is the
greatest of all siddhis. Other siddhis may hamper
progress of an aspirant, but the one I am talking about helps
immensely. That’s why they are most significant according to me.
Q: Can
one help others with these supernatural powers?
A: Yes. A
Sidhdha who is blessed with such powers can use them for the
benefit of others; he can make others free from diseases or pain.
However, he also has to use his discrimination power, he has to
differentiate between good and bad, he has to comply with the law of
nature and karma. He also should not forget that the ultimate
sidhdhi is the attainment of self.
Q: Are siddhis inevitable in the
progress of yoga sadhana?
A: No.
These siddhis are not inevitable. What is inevitable for the
progress on the path of Yoga is the purity of mind, control over
senses and unquenchable thirst for the realization of the self without
which efforts will not result in success.
Maharshi
Patanjali has said that all spiritual aspirants should overlook these
siddhis with renunciation. Sometime siddhis become a
hindrance for spiritual aspirants. Fascination about siddhis
makes them fall short of achieving their destined goals. The ultimate
aim of an aspirant is not the achievement of supernatural powers but
in the realization of the supreme self, the master of all siddhis.
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