‘Siddhis’ are spiritual powers and can usually be classified into three categories: Laukik, Yogic and Alaukik siddhis.
Laukik Siddhis
Mahaprabhuji says, “Laukik siddhis are materialistic in nature. We derive a sense of power from our palatial homes, ultra-cool cars, gourmet food, reputation, designation etc. Anyone can get these siddhis depending on his Karma.
One can gain these siddhis by performing yagnas and getting the blessings of specific devis and devatas to fulfill specific materialistic desires. But these siddhis are transient. We will experience grief despite being blessed with these siddhis.
Krishna will not grant us these kinds of powers because He knows these siddhis are not good for his bhaktas. And true bhaktas will not aspire for such siddhis either.”
Yogic Siddhis
And Mahaprabhuji says, “ Yogic siddhis give us the ability to walk on fire, fly in the sky, reduce or enlarge our size, know the innermost thoughts and feelings of others etc. When we practise austere yogic penances we are blessed by these siddhis. But even these siddhis are not fruitful because the yogi ultimately ends up misusing the powers he has gained through his tapasya. We may yearn for swarga and moksha too. We can even get these siddhis through our karma and gyan. But even these are not permanent.
A true Vaishnav will never ask for such siddhis. He is not at all interested in such things. He knows these are very petty things to aspire for. Only Yamunaji can bless us with Alaukik siddhis. So he worships Yamunaji devoutly.”
Yamunaji’s Alaukik Sanyog and Viprayog Siddhis
Yamunaji blesses us with four sanyog siddhis and four viprayog siddhis. Sanyog siddhis are tangible. They are related to our seva and nidhi swaroop. We can touch and see our nidhi swaroop while performing seva. But viprayog siddhis are intangible. We can experience these siddhis only through our consciousness.
The first four sanyog siddhis that Yumnaji bestows on us are
Shakti
Seva is a divine concept. Our mortal body is made of flesh and bones. So we need to infuse divine energy in our bodies to perform seva. The first thing that Yamunaji does is shower her grace upon us. She gives us the Shakti i.e. infuses divine energy in our mortal body and makes it worthy of serving Krishna. That is why all the aches and pains that we experience in our worldly life disappear when we perform our seva.
But Yamunaji, in her infinite kindness ensures that this divine energy flows through our bodies even after we give up our material bodies. Why? So that we can become an eternal part of Krishna’s divine leelas even after we leave this world.
Darshan
In the Bhagavad Gita, Krishna says, “O Arjuna, you will need a pair of divine eyes to do the darshan of my virat swaroop.”
Like Arjuna, we too are mere manavas. We cannot do the darshan of Krishna’s leelas with our mortal eyes. Yamunaji blesses us with divine vision. We learn to open the eyes of our hearts and souls and gain the mental ability to do the darshan of Krishna’s divine essence when we perform the seva of our nidhi swaroop.
Bhav
Yamunaji blesses us with the ability to detach ourselves completely from our worldly lives while we perform our seva. She then infuses so much bhakti in our hearts that we experience Krishna’s leelas when we perform our seva. We become emotional (Bhav) when we are able to connect intimately with Krishna and realize that everything is His leela.
Rasa
We know we are reaping the fruit of Yamunaji’s grace when we realize that we are performing the seva of our nidhi swaroop eagerly and more devoutly now. Why we cannot even bear the thought of being away from our nidhi swaroop for even one instant. We are so engrossed in our seva and get immersed so completely in Krishna’s leelas that we rejoice in the Rasa of His leelas.
And as our entire world merges with Krishna’s realm, we understand that this Rasa, the essence of Krishna, is the purest and highest form of Bhakti. We humbly thank Yamunaji for showering her grace upon us and blessing us with such divine siddhis.
Yamunaji now takes us to a higher realm. She blesses us with these Alaukik viprayog siddhis and shows us how we can serve Krishna even when we are not close to our nidhi swaroop.
Tapas
Time reveals several ups and downs in our lives. We realize that we may not be fortunate enough to be close to our nidhi swaroop at all times in our lives. But after connecting to Krishna through our seva so deeply, we yearn for Krishna’s constant presence in our lives. Yamunaji understands this. Very well. So she blesses us with the ability to serve Krishna mentally even when we are physically away from him.
She says, “Meditate on Krishna’s swaroop even if you are unable to perform his seva for some worldly reason. The heat of your tapas will enable you to connect to Krishna deeply. Yes. Just meditate on your nidhi swaroop. That too is enough. More than enough for you to remain in Krishna’s presence all through the day and night every day even when you are not physically close to Him.”
Chetana
Now Yamunaji takes us to a higher realm. She elevates our consciousness. And with our heightened awareness, we are able to do Krishna’s darshan and experience His divine leelas in our soul even when we are away from our nidhi swaroop.
Sphoorti
Yamunaji holds our hands firmly in hers and leads us to the next stage. She knows our souls are brimming with bhakti for Krishna even though we are not physically close to Him. She makes us realize that Krishna is ever-present with us in our thoughts and emotions, throbbing, pulsating and flowing through our very being even when we are far away from our nidhi swaroop.
Krupa
And finally, with Yamunaji’s grace, we reach a state in which our eyes are filled with such bhakti that we cannot recognize anyone anymore. We can see only Krishna in everyone and know that we are experiencing only His leelas in our lives. Tears of absolute bliss flow down freely through our faces when we experience Ananda. We rejoice because we are soaked completely in the rasa, the essence of Krishna.
And we realize that Krishna is out there, looking back benignly at us through the eyes of our nidhi swaroop. But Krishna is within us too, in our souls and we can do his darshan, experience his leelas and rejoice in the rasa of his leelas even when we are away from Him.
We humbly bow down to Yamunaji and express our gratitude to her for blessing us with these beautiful siddhis.
We, manavas, often get so embroiled in our worldly challenges that we find it difficult to even think of – let alone focus on – a higher power or purpose in our lives. But Mahaprabhuji helps us put things in the right perspective.
He says, “If we focus on Yamunaji and chant the Shree Yamunashtakam with Bhakti even once in a day, every day, She will bless us with all her siddhis. She helps us forge a strong and intimate bond of unconditional love with Krishna Himself and gives us the strength to cope with and overcome the challenges of our lives.”
Perhaps that is why Mahaprabhuji makes a clear reference to the Ashta siddhis of Yamunaji in the very first line of the Shree Yamunashtakam.
Photo given by Shri. Krishna Akhileshji.
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