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siddhi

siddhiorsiddhi(Sanskrit:; "perfection", "accomplishment", "attainment", or "success") extraordinary powers of theatma(Self), developed through consistent meditation and deliberate, grueling, often uncomfortabletapas, or awakened naturally through spiritual maturity and yogicsadhana. Through the repeated experience ofSelf Realization,siddhisnaturally unfold according to the needs of the individual. Before Self Realization, the use or development of siddhis is among the greatest obstacles on the path because it cultivatesahankara, I-ness, and militates against the attainment ofprapatti, complete submission to the will of God, Gods andguru. The mastery of specificSiddhisis taught to be attained through the right kind ofSamyama. There are eight primary siddhis, and ten secondary siddhis and five siddhi's specific for concentration inyoga.

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Table of Contents

Nine main siddhis

Eight Primary Siddhis

Ten Secondary Siddhis

Five Siddhis of Yoga and Meditation

Obtaining Siddhis

Nine main siddhis

As mentioned in the Puranas there are nine forms of Siddhis. They are:

Parkaya Pravesha: Parkaya Pravesh means ones soul entering into the body of some other person. Through this knowledge even a dead body can be brought to life.

Haadi Vidya: ThisVidyaor knowledge has been mentioned in several ancient texts. On acquiring this Vidya, a person feels neither hunger nor thirst, and can remain without eating food or drinking water for several days at a stretch.

Kaadi Vidya: Just as one does not feel hungry or thirsty inHaadi Vidya, similarly inKaadi Vidyaa person is not affected by change of seasons, i.e. by summer, winter, rain, etc. After accomplishing this Vidya, a person shall not feel cold even if he sits in the snow-laden mountains, and shall not feel hot even if he sits in the fire.

Vayu Gaman Siddhi: Through this Siddhi a person can become capable of flying in the skies and traveling from one place to another in just a few seconds.

Madalasa Vidya: On accomplishing thisVidya, a person becomes capable of increasing or decreasing the size of his body according to his wish.Lord Hanumanhad miniaturized his body through this Vidya while entering the city of Lanka.

Kanakdhara Siddhi: One can acquire immense and unlimited wealth through this Siddhi.

Prakya Sadhana: Through thisSadhanaaYogican direct his disciple to take birth from the womb of a woman who is childless or cannot bear children.

Surya Vigyan: This solar science is one of the most significant sciences of ancient India[citation needed]. This science has been known only to the Indian Yogis; using it, one substance can be transformed into another through the medium of sun rays.

Mrit Sanjeevani Vidya: This Vidya was created byGuru Shukracharya. Through it, even a dead person can be brought back to life.

Eight Primary Siddhis

There is the concept of theAshta Siddhi(eight siddhis) in Hinduism. These are:

Aim: reducing one's body even to the size of an atom

Mahim: expanding one's body to an infinitely large size

Garima: becoming infinitely heavy

Laghim: becoming almost weightless

Prpti: having unrestricted access to all places

Prkmya: realizing whatever one desires

Iva: possessing absolute lordship;

Vatva: the power to subjugate all.

In Hinduism,Hanumanpossesses the ability to bestow the eightsiddhisand thenava nidhi(nine types of wealth).

Ten Secondary Siddhis

In theSrimad BhagavatamLord Krishnadescribes the Ten Secondary Siddhis as:

anrmi-mattvam: Being undisturbed by hunger, thirst, and other bodily disturbances

dra-ravaa: Hearing things far away

dra-daranam: Seeing things far away

mana-javah: Moving the body wherever thought goes (teleportation)

kma-rpam: Assuming any form desired

para-kya praveanam: Entering the bodies of others

sva-chanda mtyuh: Dying when one desires

devnm saha kr anudaranam: Witnessing and participating in the pastimes of the Apsaras

yath sakalpa sasiddhi: Perfect accomplishment of one's determination

j apratihat gati: Orders or Commands being unimpeded

Five Siddhis of Yoga and Meditation

In theSrimad Bhagavatamthe Five Siddhis of Yoga and Meditation are described as:

tri-kla-jatvam: Knowing the past, present and future;

advandvam: Tolerance of heat, cold and other dualities;

para citta di abhijat: Knowing the minds of others and so on;

agni arka ambu via dnm pratiambha: Checking the influence of fire, sun, water, poison, and so on;

aparjayah: Remaining unconquered by others;

Obtaining Siddhis

Siddhi powers are said to be obtainable by meditation, control of the senses, devotion, herbs, mantras, pranayama, or good birth.

A detailed instruction for obtaining various Siddhis is given in theVibhuti Pada(the 3rd Chapter) of theYoga Sutras of Patanjali. The mastery of specific Siddhis is attained through properly aimedSamyama.

Lord Krishna states that:

"For a sage who has conquered his senses, breathing and mind, who is self-controlled and always absorbed in meditation on Me, what siddhi could possibly be difficult to achieve?"[4]

Seeking siddhi powers is often discouraged and considered to be an impediment to spiritual advancement. J Krishnamurti warned about siddhis in the context of meditation, comparing them to candlelight in the Sun. Six siddhis in particular are considered primary obstacles to samadhi:

adarsha siddhiordivya siddhi(clairvoyance),

shravana siddhiordivyashravana(clairaudience),

pratibha siddhi(divination),

vedana siddhi(super-feeling),

asvadana siddhi(super-taste),

varta siddhi(supersmell).

References

Bibliography

1.Siddhi, Wikipedia.

2.Siddhis, indianetzone.com.

Further Reading

The Meaning of Siddhis, by Swami Amritananda Saraswati, Sivananda Math.

Glossary of Terms

Backlinks

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Ashta Siddhi Mantra

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Ashta Siddhis & other supernatural powers

Siddhi can be translated as perfection or accomplishment. All religions accept the phenomenon of supernatural powers.

8 main powers acquired by a spiritual person as listed in the Indian scriptures areAim,Mahima,Garima,Laghima,Prpti,Prkmya,Iiva,Vaitva.

There are other lists of such powers too, however these are the most discussed yogic powers.

Ashta Siddhis are:1. Aim:

Ability to reduce the size of the body, sometimes even to the size of the atoms. ('Becoming smaller than the smallest' as described in Srimad Bhagavatam by Lord Krishna)

Example: Hanuman had reduced the size of his body while he was searching for Sita in Lanka.

2. Mahima:

Ability to assume a gigantic form ('Becoming larger than the largest'as described in Srimad Bhagavatam by Lord Krishna)

Example:

1. Hanuman assumed a huge form to burn Lanka, he also assumed big form to fight Kumbha Karna

2. In Vaamana avatar Lord Vishnu increased his form which was so gigantic that it only took him three steps to cover all three worlds

3. Garima

Ability to become very heavy in weight by will

Example: Lord Hanuman made his tail very heavy that even Bhima couldn't life it (Bhima who was climbing the GandhaMadana mountains to get Saugandhika flowers for Draupadi was stopped by a monkey whose tail was on the way, Bhima orders the monkey to take the tail off the road, monkey being old tells him to move it himself, but Bhima couldn't even lift the monkey's tail)

4.Laghima

Laghima comes from the word laghu, which means small or light. Laghima is the ability to make the body very light('Becoming lighter than the lightest'). Levitation and flying in the air are its subsidiary powers

5.Prpti

Word praapti means 'toobtain', 'having obtained', 'to have got'. Thus praapti is the ability to acquire anything anywhere.

6.Prkmya

Theability to obtain anything desired, ability to have realized the dreams

7.Iiva

Ia=lord; isitva=lordship; The power of absolute lordship over entire creation

8.Vaitva

The ability to have everything under control, especially the physical manifestation made up of 5 elements

Supernatural powers mentioned inBhagavata Purana

1. Tri-kla-jatvam: Knowledge of past present and future

2. Advandvam(non-duality): not being subject to dualities of heat/ cold, pain/ pleasure, sweat/ bitter, good/ bad

3. Para citta di abhijat: Knowing of others' minds

4. Agni arka ambu via dnm pratiambha: having fire, sun, water, poison in control and stopping their effect

5. Aparjayah: becoming unconquerable

6. Anrmi-mattvam:Being undisturbed by hunger, thirst, and other body generated cravings

7. Dra-ravaa: Hearing things/ events happening very far

8. Dra-daranam: Seeingthings/ events happening very far

9. Mana-javah (manojvitva): Moving physical body wherever one wants

10. kma-rpam: Attaining/ assuming desired form

11. Para-kya praveanam (vikranabhav): Entering another persons body (spirits are believed to enter a person's physical body whose astral body is weak, but the power mentioned here is different and superior)

12. Sva-chanda mtyuh: To die only on one's wish (like that of Bhishma from Mahabharat, like that of many sages who left their bodies by their own wish)

13. Devnm saha kr anudaranam: Witnessing the pastimes of demi-gods (or Witnessing the events of 3 worlds as pastimes like god does)

14. Yath sakalpa sasiddhi: Achieving as one determines

15. j apratihat gati: One's commands unstopped

Other powers

Memories of past lives

Clairvoyance

Levitation

Bi-location/multi-location

Materialization

Control over natural phenomenon like raining, sunrise/ sunset

Prakhya Siddhi: ability to chose the womb to be born in before birth

Surya Vijnan: Transforming one material into another by the use of sun rays

Ways to attain Supernatural powers

In Patanjali's Yoga Sutras IV: 1, Patanjali mentions ways to attain supernatural powers

Yoga Sutra Chapter 4: Verse 1

English translation

Janma auadhi mantra tapa samdhij siddhaya

Birth,medicine(drugs/herbs), mantra (incantations),penance (self-discipline) and Samadhi born are Supernatural powers

As stated in the verse, here are the ways to attain supernatural powers:

By birth: Those born of spiritually advanced parents receive the powers through birth because of the womb they are born in and the genes. (This can also be translated as 'some may have supernatural powers from birth because of their attainments in previous lives')

Medicine: Use of special drugs (herbs in particular) help one attain some miraculous powers. (In the story of Rama there is an episode of Sanjeevini herb brought by Hanuman bringing back Laxman to life)

Mantra: Incantation of mantras (powerful syllables or words) is said to grant powers to the one chanting them, Early part of Vedas has many of such mantras. It is believed that mantras work in two ways: 1) Because of the power of sounds (word) 2) because of the self-discipline it brings

Penance: Self-disciplining is believed to clarify the cloud of mind so that one is able to control the 5 elements just by the wish, it is possible by unperverted thinking.

Samadhi: When one achieves oneness with consciousness it is said to grant one with extra-ordinary powers

Note: Lord Gautama Buddha stressed that it is wiser to achieve freedom from bondage than to attain any or all of the powers

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