Bhogas can be signified as certain blockages or bondages that bind us with the ill effects of time, Karma, and sufferings. They can be anything that keeps us away from reaching our soul, the higher-self and is probably events and situations which keep us busier or stuck in the material world. Their main objective is to keep us away from realizing our true nature. Bhogas can be good as well as bad hence they can occur in forms of enjoyment, joy, and great opportunities too. In scriptures, the reason why Bhogas are represented as suffering is that they create an attachment to the physical realm (Maya). Every living being has to experience and go through their fair share of Bhogas, one cannot and will not be able to escape them unless they are experienced in the awakened awareness of one’s consciousness, in short, through one’s Bodha.

There are several types of Bhogas. Some Bhogas are such that, they make us time-bound, completely stuck, or attached to time (Kaala). Such Bhogas keep us busy in the realms of past and future. The experience of the present is completely missed out upon. Some seekers try to maintain present moment awareness through certain practices however, in real life, no matter how much one tries to tap into the present and live in the moment, it’s almost equivalent to impossible as the person feels either always burdened by the events happened in the past which operate directly on the person’s daily actions and decision making. Or the person is constantly feeling a sense of fear, apprehension, and uncertainty with regards to their future. In either of the cases, the past or the future keeps running them as it has completely grabbed their attention at all times.

Another type of Bhoga could be with respect to unconscious material attachments and fantasies. The perception towards a particular thing or an idea or a concept becomes so elevated due to specific life events or experiences that the individual ends up giving too much significance and attention to it.

For example- Having experienced poverty, one constantly thinks about money. Or, having experienced a lack of control over how others treat them, one feels the need to own power, property and money to increase social status. Such a person goes on a spree to accumulate, trying to fulfill fantasies originated from the mind like being the owner of many businesses, and in that bargain, ends up trading one’s own mental peace, financial stability and happiness giving way to illnesses. BodhMarga doesn’t claim, owning a lot of property, money, businesses etc. as dreadful. The problem arises, when one continuously remains in the loop of thinking about external factors, being stuck or lost in them so grievously that the ultimate purpose of life is left behind.

Some other examples are- having suffered from lack of love, one unknowingly indulges in attention-seeking by constantly impressing others thus the sense of acceptance is driven by what others think of them. Or, on seeing friends studying/ working abroad are gaining more recognition in society, one goes on to live life overseas simply to feel accepted and strengthen the ego.

In all cases, specific belief systems overpower one’s true nature. When an individual perceives Maya as the only truth, this itself is a big Bhoga, which means the individual is still in Ignorance.

On the other hand, Enlightened and Awakened individuals are not bound by time and material attachments at all. Their Ignorance fades away and they are capable of cultivating an experience of seeing themselves separate from the worldly illusions and constraints and being able to carry out their life blissfully. Awakening allows a person to see time as it is, perceptive to every passing moment. Their past and future do not have control over their behaviours, decisions, and being.

For Example- A situation where a person would’ve felt humiliated in the past for speaking in public would cease to operate from the fear of getting humiliated again when received another chance, and s/he would have the upper hand over the situation as they won’t be operating from their past experiences.

Many misinterpret ‘living in the moment’ as some sort of impulsiveness of behaviour towards living life. But a non-Awakened person is always bound by various negative forces like Karma, greed, and desires along with overpowering negative patterns and attachments of the self which go on multiplying with every other provoking incident stopping one’s growth in various areas of life. The actual experience of living in the moment is possible only to a person that has gone beyond the traps of past and future (time), which is possible through Awakening of the higher-self (Bodh). This allows for a normal individual to connect the dots between the unconscious, subconscious, and conscious easily and live fully in the present. Awakening is the quickest process of converting the entire human experience into a liberating conscious living experience – absolutely not bound by anything.

MahaShivratri Shibir– The Night of Awakening with BodhMarga, is the ultimate, power-packed, ground-breaking experience of Quick Awakening. Many have assuredly termed it as ‘an experience of Rebirth’ because once we are able to embrace and tune-in with the inner Bodha (the real self), life itself begins to blossom like never before. The teachings of BodhMarga Foundation, take us to direct Awakening, which is originally the path of direct liberation as per the Siddha Lineage. We take you through certain Siddha tools and processes beginning from Vitthal Nada Yoga Kriya, DNA Awakening, Navel Awakening, Shri Padmini Vidya to Haripath, Pasaydaan, Bodh Pravah (MahaShivratri Sudden Awakening Shibir), which help to mitigate the ill effects of attachments, Bhogas and Karmas. This happens in the presence of a fully Awakened self-realized being (Bodhi) who is capable of transferring that Awakening to others. This Awakening itself guides us through life by eliminating all sufferings and bhogas with ease and eventually fulfills one’s ultimate purpose of enlightenment and liberation.

Jai Gurudev