However, it was only the Thinking Man that realized that satisfying all desires in this manner is not only an arduous journey but could turn out to be endless, as in every birth, one knowingly or unknowingly creates new causes for fresh transmigrations of the soul and is thus endlessly denied of peace that is actually the goal. Liberation from birth-causing desires could thus be defined as “Moksha”.

What in ancient times, was an unorganized body of knowledge to attain this state, came to be organized into a science which we know as Yoga.

Although Yoga has several names, ultimately, there are only two kinds, viz. Dhyana Yoga and Kundalini Yoga. Rest of the Yoga practices would only prepare you for either of these two. Let us compare them.

Dhyana Yoga realises that thoughts are nothing but ripples or movements in the "stuff" that mind is made of. This "mind-stuff" is called "Chitta". The great Yogi Patanjali defines Yoga as the stilling of all movements of the "Chitta", so that in this stillness known as “Samadhi”, our true self or soul is reflected, just as one's physical reflection would be reflected in the calm water of a lake.

As Swami Shivanand says, in Dhayana Yoga, Samadhi is obtained by the intellective-meditative processes of meditation and by detaching oneself from the world and its illusions. Here, Liberation may be obtained through pure Jnana obtained by such detachment and stilling of the mind.

In Kundalini Yoga, the aspirant sets out from within the world rather than attempting to force the mind to detach itself from it. Though the intellective processes are not neglected, this Yoga starts with the reversal of the energy which, after our birth got engrossed in external objects of temporary gratification, but remaining dormant all the same and culminates in its actually and truly uniting with the Consciousness.

In Dhyana Yoga, instead of setting out from within the world to unite with The Universal Consciousness, the aspirant attempts to detach himself from the world. This is thus a path of asceticism. Mind, which itself is a product of Prakriti Shakti, together with its worldly desires, is stilled, so that the veil produced by mental functioning is removed from Consciousness.

The Samadhi / ecstacy which a Dhayana aspirant calls “Liberation while yet living” is not a state like that of real Liberation. It is of the nature of a meditation which passes into the Void effected through negation of all thought form and detachment from the world; a comparatively negative process.

Whilst liberation is attainable by either method, a Dhyana Yogi would tend to neglect his body, in spite of knowing that he is both mind and matter. There is a risk that neglect or mortification of the body could produce a disordered imagination rather than true spiritual experience.

Most importantly, the Dhyana Yoga aspirant gains only that acquaintance with the Supreme state his own meditative powers can give him and misses the illumination-ecstacy, which is experienced from the union of the Prakriti Shakti within himself with Universal Consciousness.

In Kundalini Yoga, the Shakti, by virtue of Her Intelligence and which, in the first place is the causal force of the mind itself, achieves for the aspirant, this illumination, without any doubts of this being his disordered imagination.

In Kundalini Yoga, we first learn to coax the mind to surrender itself to its “higher-up” viz. Prana-Shakti. Since our breathing is also caused by Prana, the mind, absorbed in observing the natural breathing, soon is coaxed into being absorbed in Prana. The tendencies of the mind cease automatically as they get dissolved into the basic vibration of the Life Force which is Prana-Shakti or Chaitanya. Unlike Dhyana Yoga, these tendencies are not restrained by efforts.

However, in order to “burn” the residue of Karmic past ("good" as well as "bad") which is in the form of "Samskaras" manifesting as tendencies of the mind, one’s dormant Kundalini needs to be activated, so that the awakened Kundalini, cauterizes (through causing various Kriyas) the accumulated vasanas (i.e. tendencies of the mind) which pose as obstacles in her gradational ascent from one Chakra to the next.

Although Kundalini can be activated by one’s own efforts, this is fraught with risks of accompanying ego.

Thus comes about Siddha Maha Yoga, which is Kundalini Yoga in which the Dormant Shakti is stimulated by the already-awakened Shakti of one’s Guru by a process known as “Shakti-Paat Deeksha”. All one has to do is seek the grace of a proper Guru and during daily Sadhana, surrender the mind to the Higher Principle i.e. the Cosmically Intelligent Prana Shakti.

(Writer A.M.Kulkarni is a Siddha Maha Yoga Aspirant who has been fortunate enough o have received Shakti-Paat Initiation from Shree Narayan Kaka Dhekane Maharaj. Readers can reach him at mahayogi@vsnl.com or mahayoganand@gmail.com )