By Gurudevi Nirmalananda
Siddhis, riddhis and nidhis — these are three different types of mystical powers that a yogi is endowed with, progressively more and more with their continued practice.
Yet the yogis of yore, who gave us these practices and documented them in their writings, warn against the pitfalls of having such powers. In a sense, they are attainments, as most people think. Being able to do these things is beyond the pale of what we call “normal”. Some of them are:
The power to attract and control others (vashitva) – lots of social media influencers
have this siddhi
The ability to make everyone happy and joyful
Knowing what others are thinking
Knowledge of past lives
Whatever you desire happens — named satya-sankalpa
The ability to walk on water, to be unaffected by cold and untouched by fire
The ability to surround yourself with a blaze of light.
Omniscience – all knowing, as described in the Yoga Sutras
With these powers, you can get lots of attention from lots of people, but you won’t find your own Divine Essence. And no matter how much attention others give you, you’re always anxious that it could end. And it can. You may hold others captive, but you are completely dependent on them.
This is not freedom. It is a sophisticated sort of bondage. The more energy you put into getting love from others, getting your sense of self-worth from others, getting your happiness from others – the more energy you put into this, the more bound you are.
Freedom comes from finding the source of love within. Freedom comes when you know your own Self as the source of your worth — you are inherently worthy. Freedom comes from living in the constant inner flow of bliss – not mere happiness but the bliss of Consciousness. It sets you free…
— excerpt from Gurudevi’s satsang discourse, October 13, 2024.
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