Clarifying "bhava" and "videha": The practice of Clarifying and Setting Conscious Spiritual Intent and Identification

There exists much confusion about the word, bhava, hence, the intellectuals and traditionalist non-yogis severely differ from this simple yogic interpretation. They are interpolating from their anti-nature perspective (bias); while the interpretation here has adhered to the experiential yogic context exclusively. Both interpretations however may be honest in believing that their interpretation is more accurate; hence a pramana-vrtti may be present. We trust that the yogis reading this will be capable of using their skills in contemplation and samyama to reach clarity and insight.

Technically speaking, bhava is often used by *philosophers* as the technical word for "intent" or will. Then, it is often extended to mean the force that brings "things" into existence (an undesirable phenomena for those who define liberation as separation from life and beingness). That is the common view for the nature-phobic and "other-worldly" philosophers who view liberation as escape/avoidance. However, in the mountain yogi tradition where the task is to embody spirit here and now, in life as a jivamukti, bhava is not endowed with such a negative meaning. Rather, its meaning is entirely spiritual. Here bhava is our spiritual intent, focus, aspiration, and vision, which makes all the difference in concentrating and guiding our practice. It means that our spiritual intent that we generate as our spiritual mood is equated with an alignment and communion with Mahat and Prakrti, hence, purusa, as the divine intent of pure love -- that what we hold in our mind in constant awareness. It directs the mind toward the desired goal (divine union).This is brought forth in I.23 where surrender and dedication to the highest self (isvara pranidhana) follows. In the pursuit of non-dual yoga the goal is sacred non-dual union, while as such bhava manifests as the backdrop -- setting the spiritual mood and intent of our practice and keeping us on track. Simply said bhava is the subjective experiential feeling. When it is applied to the realization of a vita-videha, a mukti, or vairagyi, it is the expereintial expresion of pure ecstatic love.

In a Buddhist sense it can be equated to the generation of the bodhimind (bodhicitta), the powerful divine motivation or wish to gain enlightenment in order to free all others from the suffering of unawareness. Bhava, as in establishing our firm intent is a very powerful organizing force in our practice, in meditation, and in our everyday life. It focuses and strongly moves the cit-prana. In similar bhakti yoga circles, bhava is the trans-conditional intent equated with divine inspiration, rapture, or the spiritual gaze. If our practice is devotional, then the practice of bhava-pratyayo is even more relevant.

In India bhava samadhi (as spiritual rapture) is well known. It is looked down upon as a trap by intellectuals, academics, philosophers, and orthodox religionists, but none-the-less practitioners report that such practice is transformative -- adherents claim that they become moved by God and they experience stages of continuous samadhi as a result. As a yogi, Patanjali was well aware of bhava, and is suggesting a transcognitive (asamprajnata) practice that we can go (bhava-pratyayo) which leads to this formless absorption in nature (videha-prakrti-layanam). Thus bhava-samadhi can be an aid helping a practitioner to experience transcognitive samadhi as long as they do not get addicted to the rapture (spiritual rapture and divine attitude being another common definition of bhava samadhi). As such prabhava is the act of coming into swarupa --our true natural self beyond the limited and false extrinsic identification processes of apparently isolated phenomena (pratyaya) related to ordinary cognition processes (samprajnata). Here we affirm and generate the "good mind" and simultaneously embrace the profound "right view" beyond any vrtti -- independent of pramana-vrtti or judgments, methods of inference, willfulness, philosophical ideas, conceptual artifice, or dualistic perception. Thus this bhava stemming from prakrti-layanam is one beyond conception (nirvikalpa) and any artifice or support (alambana). It is established through direct transpersonal spiritual experience and is thus due to the dawning of the intrinsic light in authentic darshan untouched by form, time, and limitation.

Thus, in this way we practice the special spiritual attitude (bhava) born of an absorption (layanam) on the ongoing process of an unconditioned formless (videha) natural mind as-it-is -- creation (prakrti) as manifested through the intelligent evolutionary force disclosing the creator/source in every atom. This is a special formless and objectless spiritual intention called bhava-pratyayo, which is not directed by individual cognition (asamprajnata), but rather directed by transpersonal and non-dual absorption (as asamprajnata type of knowing without an object). See the end of Pada IV for more about this profound mergence.

Translated by Coleman Barks, "The Essential Rumi", HarperSanFrancisco, 1995

So we have asked what does videha really mean? Our translation seems to differ from traditional samkhya. Traditionally the word, videha, generally means free from the restrictions of a body or bodiless, hence it is often referred to a disembodied state. But it is a mistake to assume that videha exclusively means disembodied or bodiless; rather merely free from bodily and sense object attachments and restrictions. Free from duality, while resting identified with the five kayas (the undivided vajra space of dharmakaya, sambhogakaya, nirmanakaya, svabhavikakaya, and vajrakaya). Even while dwelling in the body, it is said that a yogi who has achieved dissolution of the citta-vrtti (biases of the mind-field) into *original* prakrti, which undivided from Cit, can after having abandoned attachment to the physical body and after conquered the fear of death is able to effectively maintain a linga body, while still living in a physical body as a jiva-mukti for the benefit of the world. Videha thus connotes freedom from attachment to a separate body or identity, by absorbing oneself in undivided nature (prakrti) while connecting with the intelligence behind creation (Maheshvara) and being informed through that uninterrupted bhava (feeling recognition), which is transcognitive (asamprajnata), non-dual, and transpersonal. Such a vita-raga is also a maha-videha being informed directly by the multiverse and its unborn primordial source, versus identifying exclusively with limited processes limited to the supposition of an individual mind or body. In this transpersonal body, form is inseparable from empty space, and empty space is adorned by form. Through phenomena the universal timeless undifferentiated clear light shines through. Those who have realized this state are sometimes called disembodied angels, shining gods, or the shining/luminous ones. One who has lifted himself above all attachments and is mentally and bodily free of all bondage. One who has realized "Self" and is beyond the mundane existence of Life is even free of moha (deep emotional attachment) towards his/her own body. This unattached attitude towards the body of the "Self" constitutes one having reached Videha Shetra ... one who is free of his/her deha (body) in all respects!

"When [poetry] aims to express a love of the world it refuses to conceal the many reasons why the world is hard to love, though we must love it, because we have no other, and to fail to love it is not to exist at all."