Book Presentation

Ritual of Immortality (Saint Mark Festival)

by Dr. K. Parvathi Kumar

The knowledge of death, and transcending death has been the goal of the truth seekers at all times. All true wisdom scriptures and teachers, aided in the pursuit of students through varied presentations of the knowledge of death and the science and techniques of transcending death. In the scriptures of the East, the story and symbols relating to Mārkaṇḍeya, Naciketa, and Sāvitri stand out as most popular and profound, among such presentations related to the knowledge of death. The legend of Saint Mark is known in the West as a similar symbol.

The booklet “Ritual of Immortality (Saint Mark Festival). A compilation“ is a compilation based on the teachings given out by Master K. Parvathi Kumar as part of the Merry Life Teachings.

Dhanishta, Visakhapatnam, India 2024

Sample:

2. Transcending Death

Practices to accomplish transcending of death, has been a great occupation of all aspirants. But it demands an elaborate and in-depth adaptation to certain rules and regulations by the student. The Discipline of Speech
The student is required to bring into his life discipline relating to speech. Such discipline is as follows:

Speak not, when not required.
Speak only when required but with appropriate use of words.
Be precise in communication.
Speak truth and speak pleasantly.
Speak not un-truth, for being pleasant.
Speak not truth bitterly.
Let not speech be emotional.
Let not speech arouse emotion in others.
Let not speech be critical and judgmental.
Never indulge in manipulative speeches.
Learn to be silent vocally and mentally too.

Unless the above regulations are followed as commandments, the energies of the student keep getting polluted through speech. A polluted throat centre is unfit to conduct the ritual. When the above regulations are followed, the speech gains its natural state of being magnetic and radiant. The voice tends to be attractive demanding the attention of the listeners. The transmission of the word through voice causes upliftment of the listeners. Respiration and Pulsation
The student who intends to get into the ritual of immortality is well advised to practice the steps of Pranayama and Pratyahara. Pratyahara is the state where the resonance of pulsation is heard at 'Will' in the throat centre. This again has its preceding steps of practice as follows:

Apply the mind on respiration.
The mind in association with respiration may find its association with harmonised inhalation and exhalation, resulting in equilibrium of the two opposing forces of inhalation and exhalation.
The resultant state is perception of pulsation in the cave of the heart which is called Samana pulsation.
Inhalation is called Prana pulsation, and exhalation is called Apana pulsation.
The state of poise of the two is called the Samana pulsation.
Observation of the Samana pulsation leads one deeper into the cave of the heart, where it leads to the light in the cave of the heart which tends to be vertical.
Samana pulsation links up, to this vertical. It is called the state where horizontals meet verticals.
When horizontals meet verticals, the fourth pulsation of Prana, Udana is linked which has a normal up-thrust. This up-thrust of the pulsation leads the student towards the throat region where the resonance continues to be.

A student of Yoga experiences much light, as he enters the throat centre. He also experiences the sound of silence since he also accomplished the discipline of speech.

When the speech regulations and Pranayama and Pratyahara regulations are accomplished, one is fit to conduct the ritual of immortality. It means to achieve the state of immortality, there is elaborate preparatory work relating to speech and practice of Pranayama and Pratyahara.

Mere enthusiasm is not enough. Just inquisitiveness is not enough. To set oneself on the journey, organising one's life in a manner that would enable one to practice the above two is the essential prerequisite!