Most Important Features of the Original Kriya

The following are the special features of Original Kriya. If these are not obse rved then one must know that Kriya and the practice are not according to Babaji and Lahiri Mahasay. 1. Original Kriya Tradition is Guru-Param-Para, that is, the disciple receives Kriya initiation personally from his or her Gurudev, the Master. The initiate l earns the Kriya discipline having a personal relationship with his or her Gurud ev or the Master. 2. Original Kriya Tradition is free from an organizational way of teaching. It is free from organizations. 3. Kriya initiation is given in private and in strict confidence, personally an d secretly, with closed door and not in public or in a group. The Kriya initiat ion ceremony is neither a public affair nor a matter of public display. 4. The initiate has to have his or her Kriya practice checked every six months personally by the Master. If the disciple misses two consecutive checkups he or she would be treated as non-Kriyanwita. This rule was introduced by Lahiri Mah asay. 5. Lahiri Mahasay initiated his disciples personally on a one to one basis. On ly in a few cases he initiated husband and wife together. In such a situation, if either of the spouses required additional Kriya which the other did not, then he initiated that Kriya separately. 6. Original Kriya is practiced in strict secrecy. Occasional practice among th e close Kriyanwita, the followers of Kriya, is the exceptional. The group Kriya practice in public are prohibited. 7. Although Babaji himself is a renunciate Swami, in fact, there is no necessar y connection that one has to be a renunciate to practice Kriya discipline. Original Kriya is suited for both renunciate and householders. Lahiri Mahasay, the polestar of Kriya, became the role model of the householders Kriyanwitas, while Babaji remains as the role model of the renunciates. Prereverse Order and the Reverse Order in the Original Kriya Discipline Order of Creation Let us mention at the outset that when the breath becomes restless from the tran quil state, creation begins. In the order of creation, sound (sabda, or the soun d of Om) is produced first from the soundless state (eternal Tranquility). Now f rom sound, as a corollory state in an orderly manner produced are air, then fire , water, and earth. From the vibrational level, ethereal (ether), gaseous (air), sub-gaseous (fire), liquid (water) and solid (earth). The tranquil breath rests on the seventh day solidifying the creation. If the centers are counted from the head, the coccygeal will be the 7th center. Gen. 2:2 And on the seventh day God ended His works which He had made: and He res

ted on the seventh day from all His work which He had made. The entire spectrum of meditation regardless of any discipline is to attain Eter nal Tranquility (sthirattva), to go back in the reverse order to dissolve from t he lowest state of vibration beginning with earth. Thats why in ordinary perception in yoga discipline the readers find the referenc es to awaken the Kundalini at the coccygeal center with the spirit of the revers e order. But the ecy and prepare ken the mystery is, its in the hand of the Master who personally unlocks the secr instructs the disciple (Kriyanwit) in the original Kriya discipline, to for the prereverse order. With that foundation, it becomes easier to awa Kundalini at the base. Without this, it becomes enormously difficult.

The secret feature in the Original Kriya is not to rush to awaken the Kundalini at the coccygeal center. Rather a Definite Order, is followed. It has two parts: 1. The Pre-Reverse Order, or the Downward Journey, and 2. The Reverse Order, or the Upward Journey.

The Pre-Reverse Order, or the Downward Journey The Pre-Reverse Order, or the downward Journey, is the most secret aspect of the Original Kriya. This Pre-Reverse Order is not known to the practitioners of tra ditional Vedic Pranayam, Raja Yoga followers, and the practitioners of Modified Kriya Yoga (Yoganandas teachings). It is called Pre-Reverse Order simply because before the Reverse Order begins th e preconditions of the Pre-Reverse Order of the Original Kriya must be practiced to prepare the grounds and foundation for approaching the Kundalini Energy to awa ken at the base of the spine. In preparing the Pre-Reverse Order Journey, the Kriyanwit (male) or Kriyanwita ( female) practices certain definite mudras and Kriyas which is the first step of Kriya; often Lahiri Mahasay referred to these as the First Kriya. Speaking of the First Kriya, it would be pertinent to clarify something here; a misunderstanding arises especially in the minds of many modified Kriya followers regarding reference in a letter of Lahiri Mahasay to the First Kriya. One of th e special features of Lahiri Mahasays teaching was to keep the practice of Kriya secret; in that way, the seekers dedication and sincerity are increased to help d estroy his ego. In this connection, the author felt to make it clear about Lahiri Mahasays follow ing letter written to one of his disciples. Letter Number 29 Lahiri Mahasay replied, All (complete Realization) can be attained by the First K riya; only sincerity is needed. The After-effect-poise of Kriya and addiction are there at the very first Kriya. Go on practicing Kriya. Do not worry for anything. Whoever will keep attention on Gurudev, Guru will keep his attention on that disciple. If the disciple does not keep attention, who wi

ll notice the attention of the Guru? To maintain the secrecy, Lahiri Mahasay used previously instructed codes to commun icate with his disciples: For example, if he said, Om mantra, it did not mean simp ly the chanting of Om, or the Om technique, as some propagate. It has built-in s ecret code; it meant practicing the Dwadasakshari Mantra, the Twelve-accented Ma ntra, which requires special instruction given personally by the Gurudev. In replying to the letter, Lahiri Mahasay mentioned the First Kriya. It did not ne cessarily and literally mean Kriya number 1 alone. The reference of Kriya number 1 means the First Step, or the entire package which includes the following: 1. Mahamudra, 2. Talabya Kriya or Khecharimudra, 3. Navi Kriya, 4. Kriya number 1 (some call it Kriya Proper), and 5. Yoni Mudra (not Jyoti mudra as some propagate). This is the definition of the First Kriya according to Lahiri Mahasay. It is per tinent to mention here that the practice of Talabya Kriya, or Khecharimudra, by raising the tongue to the head tranquilizes the air and connects the seeker with his eternal Master, the cosmic state of Consciousness of Kutastha, qualifying h im to be able to practice the Kriya of the Sthira bayu [Tranquil Breath]. Thus after being successful of the above-mentioned five, especially the Talabya Kriya or Khecharimudra, then and only then is Thokkar Kriya, the Kriya of the Tr anquil Breath, [Sthira bayur Kriya], the Second Kriya, instructed personally by the Guru in the Original Kriya. The Second Kriya, or Thokkar (striking) Kriya, is to cross the knot at the dorsal, or the heart, in the Pre-Reverse Order to ma rch on towards to the coccygeal. That is why in the original Kriya tradition the Omkar Kriyas are not introduced until the Kriyanwit is successful in Talabya Kriya, or Khecharimudra. Whoever practices Omkar Kriyas without being advised by a permitted Master in th e practice of Khecharimudra and without succeeding in this practice is neither f ollowing the Guru-Param-Para nor the original Kriya tradition. For example, the Pre-Reverse Order is not followed in the Modified Kriya, and as a result, the qu estion does not arise for introducing the Second Kriya and so on and so forth. N eedless to say, such a practice is in vain because the foundation is not made in t he proper and righteous way. It should be pointed out that quite a number of people in the Original Kriya, pr actice the second Kriya; the third Kriya practitioners are few, the fourth Kriya practitioner is rare and the fifth Kriya practitioner is very rare. Only a coup le of Masters (gentlemen) remain who are capable of teaching the entire Original Kriya today.

The Scriptural Reference of the Pre-Reverse Order The scriptural reference of the Pre-Reverse Order is pointed out by Lahiri Mahasay himself in the following verse: Chatuspat sakalo dharma Satyanchaiba krite yuge.

Nadharmenagama kaschinmanusyan pratibarttate. Manu Sanghita 1:81 The verse says, Dharma or religion is divided into four steps: 1. Raising the tongue 2. Crossing of knot of the dorsal center 3. Crossing of knot of the navel 4. Crossing of knot of the coccygeal center These are the four steps of religion. Manu Sanghita 1:81 Commentary by Lahiri Maha say. Perhaps keeping in mind the above verse, Lahiri Mahasay regrouped (did not modif y) the entire Kriya discipline of one hundred eight (108) steps of Original Kriy a into four steps as he received from Mahamuni Babaji at Dunagiri Hill, Himalaya s, in 1861. As mentioned before, the first step is referred to as the first Kriya and it includes the five definite mudras and Kriyas that he received on the ver y first day he was initiated. Because of this regrouping into four steps, Lahiri Mahasay kept Kriya teaching s trictly Guru-param-para (personal relationship with the Master and disciple) in accordance with the Vedic tradition. He gave Kriyas according to the needs of a Kriyanwit and advised to keep them secret; thus he justified the regrouping and for this reason remembering Babajis advice, he also warned not to develop organiz ations around the teachings of Kriya. The practitioners of modified Kriya are totally unaware of this Definite Procedur e and Definite Order. It should be mentioned here that in the Original Kriya, there is no standardizat ion of Kriya numbers. The present author received Purna Kriya (complete Kriya) f rom Mahamuni Babaji at Dunagiri Hill, Himalayas in 1976. Thus, in the Original Kriya instead of starting from the coccygeal the attempt i s made through the practice or Talabya Kriya, or Khecharimudra, to open the knot of tongue (jioha granthi veda) first at the throat. It brings multiple benefits because of attainment of the following: 1. Sthir Bayu, Tranquil Breath, and 2. Connection with the eternal Master. Let us see what Lahiri Mahasay, the polestar of Kriya, had said in connection wi th the Pre-Reverse Order. Khecharimudra or Talabya Kriya for Tranquilizing restless Breath Lahiri Mahasay said, It seems there is another uvula above the uvula. When the to ngue touches the root of the upper part of the skull, then a cold sensation is f elt. Om One. It is felt as if the tongue is being raised perfectly and breath comes t o a standstill; I (Lahiri Baba) felt as though it was straight. The tongue went to the nostrils and the Voidness of outside is found inside also. Some indicatio n of eternal Tranquility is acquired and even greater than this house [the abode between the Eyebrows] is seen, very clearly.

When the tongue arrives between the eyebrows, then the tip of the tongue closes t he hole of the upper side, and the central portion of the tongue touches the cen tral part, while the root of the tongue touches the bottom portion. At this, the outward air of breath becomes completely tranquil. He to whom this has happened is fortunate. Babaji Volume II, Lahiri Mahasay, p 99 -101. Now equipped with the Sthir bayu (Tranquil Breath) and with the blessings of the eternal Master, the Kriyanwit proceeds downwards to the coccygeal center. As mentioned known to the Rajayoga as the Original before, Pre-Reverse Order of the practice of the Original Kriya is un practitioners of traditional Vedic Pranayam and to the followers of well. This is in fact the most secret aspect and unique feature of Kriya.

The Scriptural Reference of the Complete Procedure: the Pre-Reverse Order and the Reverse Order Lahiri Mahasay further explained this definite procedure of Original Kriya or the P re-Reverse Order and the Reverse Order in the following verse in the Sankhya Sutr as of Sage Kapil: Sarbesu prithibyupadanamasadharanyadayamupadesa purbabat. Sankhya Darsan 6:102 The Pre-Reverse Order, the Downward Journey By the practice of Kriya [the three knots described below] are crossed in the fol lowing order, starting from throat to coccygeal: 1. Jioha or [tongue at the throat], 2. Hridaya, or [dorsal, at the chest], and 3. Navi or [at the navel]. [The coccygeal center]: Then at the muladhar, or the coccygeal center, the bayu, or breath, becomes sthira, or tranquil. Then all aloukik, mysterious things, hap pen. [It must be mentioned here that in order to attain sthira bayu, or tranquil bre ath, at the muladhar, or the coccygeal center, one needs first to cross the three knots and in a definite order; that is, first the jioha granthi, or tongue at the throat, second the hridaya granthi, at the chest, and third, the navi granthi, a t the lumbar center; only then does the sthira bayu, or the tranquil breath, arr ive at the coccygeal center, or muladhar. [Thus all the panchabhutas, elements, have to pass through the coccygeal center. That is why the muladhar center is so very important. [Surprisingly, it (sthira bayu, or tranquil breath) generates at the throat; it then moves down from the tongue or the throat with inner sound (sound of Om) tow ards the anahat, or the dorsal center; then crossing it, it moves to the next ce nter down, the lumbar, and crossing through it, it finally arrives at the coccyg eal center. Now tranquil Breath backs up again with the rising Kundalini Power w ith it. This is the process of how the Kundalini is awakened in the Original Kri ya.

[He who does not teach Talabya Kriya, or Khecharimudra, does not teach the Orig inal Kriya Order or Process; the example is Yoganandas teaching. First, not follo wing the tradition of Guru-param-para, personally to impart Kriya, introducing t he correspondence course through lessons, and practicing sitting on a chair hang ing the legs have made the Kriya practice a childs play. In addition, not followi ng the definite Order of the Original Kriya, Yoganandas teaching changed the very b asic and fundamental special feature of the Original Kriya Approach; After all t hese modifications and changes, whether it remains a Kriya discipline at all is an open question.]

The Reverse Order, the Upward Journey [The sacral center]: [During the process of backing up, through muladhar only whe n Sthira bayu, or tranquil breath comes to sadhisthan, or the sacral center, and becomes sthira, or tranquil, can those aloukik, extraordinary things [or the ha ppenings] be understood. [The lumbar center]: When the bayu, or air, becomes sthira, or tranquil, at the navel, or the lumbar center, then aloukik, mysterious things, are seen. [The dorsal center]: When the bayu, or air, becomes sthira, or tranquil, at the h ridaya, or the dorsal center, then one hears ten type of anahat sabda [sound of OM]. For this reason, the sages in the past did not appreciate musical instrumen ts. [Because they found far more greater attraction to the sound of Om, inner so und.] [The cervical center]: When the bayu, or air, becomes sthira, or tranquil, at the throat, or the cervical center, then through the divine Eye, the very mysteriou s things of the jagat, or the world, and the mahabhutas, great elements, are see n. [The Ajna Center]: When the bayu, or air, becoming beyond the five elements, that is, becoming tattvatit [beyond the tattvas], or elements, become sthira, or tra nquil, at the area between the eyebrows, then the functions are done immediately according to the ajna, or order [that is why this center is called the Ajna Cen ter]. Nothing of all these are possible till the muladhar granthi, the knot at the cocc ygeal center, is crossed. Thereafter, all are realized staying in the atom of Brahma which is avyakta, inex plicable. Reference Bhagavad Gita 6:20-22. This process is Guru-param-para, that is, Gurubaktragamya, and one has to learn then directly from the mouth of the Guru and not from a representative of an org anization.

The Upward Journey to dissolve the elements Lahiri Mahasay again mentioned the Reverse Order in the following verse in Sankh ya Darsan: Muhurttveyapi na sanghatjogantarang taranibat. Sankhya Darsan 3:13 Murta is Uttam Purusa [the supreme Person]. It is not like breaking the supreme P erson to be something else; rather, it is like a boat. In other words, a man may

move from one boat to another boat: there is no change of the man. Similarly, i f the body changes, there is no change of the supreme Person. He is in all bodie s present equally. When can one attain this supreme Person? When the earth or soil enters into water; water enters into fire; fire enters into air; and air enters into sunya or Void ; then one achieves the supreme Person. Now, whatever you do, whatever you think, all are desires at the muladhar or cocc ygeal; in other words, the moment desire generates, it goes to the coccygeal cen ter and is expressed through the senses. When that air goes to sadhisthan, or the sacral center, and becomes sthira, or tr anquil, then buddhi, or intelligence, becomes tranquil; when the buddhi becomes tranquil, then the guna or quality of the earth or soil, that is, desire, does n ot stay anymore. In other words, when the buddhi determines (I know that) what i s the real substance, then mind does not like to go to any other object; and the wandering of the mind stops. When the mind does not go other places, then the d esire also stops; because it is the mind that desires. If mind did not desire, t hen all work or actions could be done by the dead body. From the sadhisthan, or sacral, when air becomes sthira, or tranquil, at the mani pur, or the lumbar center, then all things begin to be seen or revealed; because the air goes to the navi, or navel, and mixes with the teja, or fire, which is equally everywhere in darkness and in light. Because of our gross manifestation, we cannot enter into the sukshma, or subtle thing; as a result, we cannot see t hem. From manipur, or lumbar, when air goes to anahat, or the dorsal center, and becomes tranquil, then all arrive without calling for or asking for them. From this anahat, or dorsal, when air goes to bisuddhakhya, or the cervical cente r, and becomes tranquil, then Kutastha, the inner Self, Uttam Purusa, the suprem e Person, stands in front of one. [Then one realizes] that I am neither doer nor enjoyer at all; the Lord is standing in front and all work is done according to His orders. Having seen this, the false sense of I-ness and the egoism disappea rs. Therefore, at that time, Sohang Brahma, That I am Brahma, is realized. Reference: Bh agavad Gita 18:61.