ON DIVYA-DARSHANAS OR SPIRITUAL VISIONS:
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By Durgadas, Ved Kovid.
There is often the false belief even in Yoga systems that darshanas or visions of the Devatas is a sign of advancement.
Well, all I can say is 1. most visions even in Yoga are delusions or of the mind and 2. those that are of the Devatas are of the lowest states - their higher states are Formless. We see this even with bhaktas as Sri Ramakrishna who needed to go beyond the image of Kali to realise the Self or Nirguna Brahman.
The ahamkara itself is very powerful and has a very powerful vikshipta-shakti or projectory power in its rajasic nature, which is also where many visions come as mental-projections - sometimes as a result of past traits or samskaras or mental impressions (vasanas). This vikshepashakti is also behind the mudhas (delusions) and also the moha-shakti, the delusional power of the mind that can project such - just as one in a dream beholds things are real and in mental conditions, people see hallucinations, as also when taking drugs or alcoholic substances. So, the stages in Yoga create the same.
At each level of the bodies, the Sthula or physical, the Sukshma or astral and the Karana or causal, there are degrees of the sattvic, rajasic and tamasic viveka or discrimination also. In the core of most lower astral and physical beings, it lies in the Vijnanamaya-Kosha of the astral-body, but such vivekagnis as noted, occur at all levels and in each have their three gunic states. There is hence more than meets the eye in Yoga, and there can be delusions - strong delusions at any level, especially in the Avidyamaya, the lowest sphere of Maya of which humanity today resides and also the consciousness of the Kali-Yuga, which further creates a more delusional power or one of obscurity (avarana-shakti) even stronger - a Rahu-type influence that clouds and eclipses the mind and proper functioning of buddhi (vivekagni) on all levels!
For example, most cannot even awaken the sattvic physical-body vivekagni, let alone the other levels! Only advanced Yogis have been able to - and of them, their disciples or followers have usually failed to do so also, although they have been faithful promoters and regurgitators of their teachings!
The higher Devatas are also not the forms or shapes that are seen by humanity - these are mere forms they assume alone.
Some advanced Yogis have seen their true form which may look odd to humans when appearing in visions, as being more causal beings, their bodies are less developed physically and their features are more sparse (they don't require all human-like sense-organs).
Visions are also in the rajasic states. Many lower semi divine beings as Yakshas, Gandharvas and even Asuras also often appear as Rishis and Devatas which had even advanced Yogis puzzled, let alone the current Kali-Yuga species!
Many also think themselves Self-realised or have realised higher state of awareness today - yet most don't understand the levels and what they represent to be able to apply proper logic or investigation to this, or viveka - discrimination! This is as even many Yogis lack the deeper fundamentals of the inner Yoga traditions, which are quite different from the generic outer Yoga and Hatha-Yoga teachings!
Most such states are actually merely of the Ahamkara alone, which sadhaks confuse with the Atman. Advanced Yogis such as Hiranyakshipu, Mahabali and Ravana also fell due to the association of the Ahamkara - and such personalities were more saintly and advanced Yogically and spiritually than human Yogis today - plus also were born directly from higher causal worlds, not as a result of being reborn from a past human life with limited asuric samskaras!
Sadhaks must keep these points in mind on the path and not fall into the trap of self-adulation, thinking they have advanced spiritually, as seeing only a few visions and such alone. Such is at the lowest or tamasic level of the Yogi-stage alone!~
