Yoga Siddhi
Secrets to Occult Powers and Elemental Technology
The Yoga tradition links eight major yoga-siddhis, which come from the opening of the Seven Chakras in the subtle body, in Yoga.
These are, Anima (Invisability or reduction in size), Mahima (Ability to make the body heavier), Laghima (Ability to make the body light and fly), Prapti (Using senses to gain material objects),Prakashya (Being able to envision things in all cosmic realms), Ishita (Control of other beings and elements), Vashita (Control of the senses), Yatkamastadavasyati (Attainment of bliss or supreme joy).
These are actually mentioned and known in the Rig Veda, let alone later Yoga texts and later Upanishads. However, they sometimes appear there in symbolism, such as the Seven Chakras:
"Seven regions have their several Suns; the ministering priests are Seven; Seven are the Aditya Deities,-with these, O Soma, guard thou us." (RV.IX.114. 3)
"Seven to to the Chariot (ie. Body) with One Chakra (ie. Soul) yoke the Courser; bearing Seven Names the single Courser draws it.The Chakra has Three naves, sound and undecaying, on which all worlds of being lie. The Seven who are mounted on the Chariot (Body) with Seven Chakras have horses (ie. Pranas), Seven in tale, who draw them onward. Seven Sisters utter songs of praise together, in whom the names of the Seven Cows are treasured." [Rig-Veda.I.164.2-3]
The chariots are the subtle-body is especially true with the chariot with seven chakras in the Rig Veda (I.164.2-3), which is the subtle body.
Laghima siddhi is also described in the Vedas as the chariot (body) of Indra, or the Yogi:
"The rich new Chariot has been equipped at the morning - it has Four Controls, Three Whips and Seven reins which guide it: - Ten-sided and friendly to mortals, the winner of the Self, that must be urged to speed with hymns and wishes." - Rig Veda Samhita, II.19.6
The morning represents, of course, self-realisation. The four controls are the four levels of speech, and four vedas, by which one can move in various lokas and ages. The three whips are the ida, pingala and sushumna nadis. The seven reigns are the seven pranic centres or chakras, and the ten sides are the ten pranas or maruts of the subtle body. It wins the self - meaning it is the astral body, and that it moves through hymns and wishes, shows that through mental-power of yoga-siddhis and mantras, the astral-travel can be accomplished.
Moreover, one verse states that the Sun has illuminated the eight points of the earth (the eight yoga-siddhis have been awakened), the three desert regions (three worlds of bhur, bhuva and svar) and the seven rivers (opened the seven chakras) (Rig Veda.I.35.8).
These hence also refer to the body-siddhis as well.
The eight Vasus or Vedic Gods who serve Vishnu, also correspond to and are deities presiding over these eight siddhis. These are Agni or Fire (anima siddhi); Earth (Mahima siddhi); Vayu or Wind (Laghima siddhi); Soma or Moon (Yatkamastadavasyati siddhi); Sun (Ishita siddhi); Stars or Grahas (Prapti siddhi); Akasha or ether (Prakashya siddhi) and the Sky (Vashita siddhi).
Vedic Gods as the Maruts and the two Ashwins are also great siddhas.
The Ashwini kumaras are said to possess shaktis (powers), which are siddhis. They are also Lords of the Shaktis (personified femanine Siddhas or Dakinis):
"Bring into creation, my tireless meditations that ask for wealth, Shining Ashwins.
Grant us high spirits in battle, and with your Shaktis, Lords of Shakti, assist us."
(RV.VII.67.5)
This invokes the Ashwins and their Shaktis, which are Yoga-siddhis are mystic powers.
More specifically, the Dakinis Dakini and Varnini that relate to Chinnamasta and also Ida and Pingala Nadis. As such Ashwins are purushas of the Dakinis or Dakas and are also the Nadis. They are attendants to the headless Supreme Dakini Chinnamasta - just as the Ashwins are of the headless Rishi Dadhyach.
Infact, one of the most famed siddhis of the Ashwins, is their restoration of the head of Dadhyach or Vishnu in the Rig Veda and Sahapatha Brahmana. As the celestial physicians, they gave wisdom to Kakshivan (I.116.7) who is Dhanvantri. The Puranic tale of the birth of the River Ganga (Ganges) through Rishi Gautama is also mentioned in Rig Veda (I.116.9), where the Ashwins bring forth waters for him (pertaining to siddhi or elemental control).
They made the Rishi Chyavana young (I.116.10) and saved Vadana from a pit (I.116.11). They restore limbs with those of bronze and heal the blind (I.116.15.16). They saved another sage Rebha from the waters where he was abandoned (I.116.24).
They restore to life, the dead (I.117.7, 12), and even those as Syava who were cut into several pieces (I.117.24).These are Mahamrityunjaya siddhis. This reminds us of Vedic sages as Ushana, who had various life-restoring siddhis.
The chariot (ratha) of the Ashwins, the celestial gods of healing with mystical powers, has many attributes in the Rig Veda. It has three seats and travels to heaven and earth (RV.VIII.22.4-5). It's canopy is described as being as effulgent as the Sun (RV.VIII.8.2). It is both the subtle body, and also refers to Laghima siddhi, and also how this can be applied to physical objects, or chariots.
The flying chariot of the Ashwins is described in Rig Veda (I.118.1-4) as flying with, or by falcons, showing it as a Vimana or aerial chariot. The falcons and chariot are controlled by the Self and by voices or word (RV.I.119.4-5), showing their vak-siddhi (siddhi or mystic power over mantras or word, by which they can make things manifest, fly etc.).
Moreover, as the Ida and Pingala nadis, the Ashwins as Dakinis are the prime examples of personified Yoga-siddhis of Tantra-shastra. Mastery over them, or their grace, brings about a range of siddhis, and brings us to Dadhyach (Kabhanda) or Chinnamasta - the Supreme Daka and Dakini or Divine Mystics, who contain these powers.
Mitra and Varuna as Mitravaruna in the Rig Veda, are also Ida and Pingala. Mitra is the Sun and Pingala Nadi. Ida is Varuna and Waters. Their eye in the Vedas is Surya (Sun), the third-eye, which is born from when Ida and Pingala (Mitra and Varuna) unite as Mitravaruna and become Sushumna, the single Nadi. They hence, also many great siddhis.
We also note the Vanaras in the Ramayana, to whom Sugriva and Hanuman belonged, had many yoga-siddhis, such as being able to shape-shift, assume a great or small size, fly etc., as also did the demon Ravana. It appears that Vedic demons (who were Brahmins) as Vishvarupa and Vritrasura, also possessed such Siddhis, which is how they were able to overcome the gods at times.
On an inner-level, the Devas or gods are senses. Yoga siddhis or great Siddhas can hence persuade one beyond sense-control or the gods, and hence have no restraint for material desires. One hence can become greedy with their powers - such as Vritra, Ravana and Nahusha did, and misuse them to become materialists and in time, asuras (demonic).
Asura means "Ruling breath of life" and also "mighty" in the Vedas. As demons, it refers to them as cosmic beings that are equal to, and higher in power than the Devas, or demigods. Hence only great forms as Indra (Shiva), Rudra, the Goddess and Vishnu are able to destroy them. These are Paradeva (Supreme gods).
Infact, some demons as Hiranyakshipu, Ravana and Sishupala, are described as being fallen forms of Vishnu or born from his gatekeepers, Jaya and Vijaya who were cursed to be born as demons on earth three times - only to be killed by him, each time. Vritra was a Brahmin and was born from the god Tvashtar or Vishvakarma.
Vritra is also a serpent (ahi) in the Rig Veda, and serpents are known to possess many siddhis, and can grant them. As a Brahmin, he is hence represented as a powerful serpent and personifies the misuse of siddhis or mystical yogi powers, himself.
Rig Veda also makes a symbolic reference to the sahasrara padma chakra as the state of turiya or fourth region or highest third region (RV.X.56.1). Soma in the Rig Veda is often thousand-streamed or eyed, referring to the later thousand petals of the lotus. As Indu, he is the third-eye or ajna-chakra. It is te Supreme realm, where all siddhis are gained.
Moreover, we note Soma as the immortal elixir, as the practice of khechari mudra and drinking of inner-soma is herein symbolically mentioned (RV.III.26.7, IX.73.4).
There is also reference to the yogic siddhi of assuming many forms at will through maya or control over maya. Brihadaranyaka Upanishad (II.5.19) states that Indra through his maya or illusion, assumes many forms, and goes on to say this arises from the power of the Self. Indra is often the Svaraja (self-lord) in the Rig Veda. It is said he destroys Maya or illusion with his shakti or power, (Rig Veda.VI.50.9).
Another verse (X.55.5), symbolically tells about the attaining of the Moon or Soma-chakra (which grants physical immortality and youth), and how one dies and becomes alive. The secret is that yogis can shed their outer body through attaining the inner-Soma and leaving via that chakra and some advanced ones can do so in the same body. Immortals and divine youths as Babaji, Krishna and Agastya, are such examples of this. It hence shows the use of yoga-siddhis in Vedic times. Again, reference to such siddhis of the astral body again, such as restoration of a physical body from the astral, after death.