Apart from the eight primary mystic perfections (aṇimā, laghimā, mahimā, prākāmya, prāpti, īśitva, vaśitva, and kāmāvasāyitā), which we discussed yesterday, wich are usually only achieved by great yogis and pure devotees, there are ten secondary mystic perfections that are more common. These ten perfections can be gradually acquired starting from a relatively beginning level of spiritual practice and are thus quite common, even in our day and age. Different from the eight main perfections, which are truly supernatural, these ten additional perfections are more about becoming free from the limitations of body and senses and thus expanding one’s awareness. Also different from the first eight, some of these perfections may be used by devotees.
They are explained by Krsna to Uddhava in the 11th canto of Srimad Bhagavatam (11.15.6-7).
The first is the ability to free himself from hunger thirst and other bodily disturbances. This means that one can fully control his senses and become indifferent to the needs of the body, as well as grief and illusion. By this perfection, one becomes undisturbed and can focus on his spirtual practice or any other beneficial activities.
Just like Krsna is omniscient, all souls in their liberated state have a level of awareness that goes much beyond what we can consider possible. Narada Muni, for example, knows what is happening all over the cosmos and can thus be present in so many important events. Similarly, the Vishnudutas know what is happening in many different universes and can swiftly appear to help any devotee who is in need. What prevents us from displaying a similar level of awareness in our conditioned state is our identification with the material body and the dull material senses we currently have. As this identification with the body slackens, one becomes less conditioned by the limitations of the senses and can start to hear and see things that are far away. It appears first as a kind of intuition, and later by directly experiencing it.
To see and to hear at a distance are counted as two separate perfections, although they may be used together. One example is Sanjaya narrating the Bhagavad-Gita to Drtarastra.
As this process of desidentifying with the material body progresses, one’s powers for acting beyond the limitations of the body increase and one gains the power of moving at the speed of the mind, reaching distant places in a fraction of a second. He becomes thus capable of not only experiencing things that are happening far away but being directly present. Technically, this perfection is called mano-javaḥ and is obtained by merging the subtle vital air with the body and mind by the potency of his meditation on the Lord. In this way, one’s material body becomes able to follow the mind everywhere, just like the subtle air.
Another power that may be gained at an advanced stage is the capacity to assume any form one desires. This is technically called para-kāya-praveśanam. It is done by meditating on oneself within another’s body and entering it through the pathways of subtle air, just like a bee leaving a flower and entering another. By this one becomes able to experience whatever they are experiencing, as well as seeing and hearing whatever they see or hear.
Another similar perfection is called kāma-rūpa, which allows one to assume any material form he may desire after leaving his body, up to the form of a demigod. This is done by absorbing the mind in Krsna’s inconceivable mystic potency, by which He assumes innumerable forms. However, because devotees are usually not interested in any material form, they can ultimately assume an eternal spiritual form in the spiritual world.
If one has material desires, one can use the perfection called devānām-saha-krīḍā-anudarśanam to join the demigods in their pastimes with the apsaras in the celestial planets. This opportunity is gained by meditating upon the mode of purified goodness and thus achieving a very sattvic nature. When one achieves perfection in this practice, heavenly women approach him in a celestial airplane.
Even more advanced is the perfection of being able to die when one desires, abandoning his mortal body at will. In his biography, Srila Bhaktivinoda Thakura describes how his uncle left by just sitting in meditation and leaving through the top of the skull at the time he chose. This perfection is called svacchanda-mṛtyu and consists in being able to lift the soul through the different chakras inside the body and finally out. When one leaves his body by this method he can select his next destination at will.
Normally, people are under their karma, and thus what they can do or not do is severely limited. People thus have many desires and work to satisfy their different ambitions, but more often than not their plans are frustrated. As one progresses, however, he becomes gradually free from such bondage and gradually becomes free in his ability to act inside the material world. One gains thus the ability to fulfill whatever goals he sets, performing amazing activities. This perfection is called yathā-saṅkalpa-saṁsiddhi, and is achieved by absorbing one’s mind on Krsna, perfectly understanding how His purpose is always fulfilled.
Just like Krsna can do anything just by His will, giving orders that can’t be contradicted, one who achieves an advanced level of perfection also gains the power of giving orders that can’t be contradicted, sharing Krsna’s divine nature. If one blesses or curses anyone, there is no way it can be stopped. There are many examples of this in the scriptures.
Five other secondary perfections are narrated by Krsna in the next verse. These five perfections are considered minor when compared with the first ten ones.
The first is the power to know past, present, and future. We can see that great sages and acaryas frequently speak about things that happened very long ago, or even events that are still going to be unfolded. This ability however can start to be acquired even at a relatively low level of realization. Just like the ability to see and hear from afar, it starts with a kind of intuition and progresses into achieving a direct perception of events.
The second is to be able to tolerate heat, cold, and other dualities by controlling his senses. Just like becoming able to tolerate hunger and thirst, it can help one to become more stable in his spiritual practice and other activities one is performing.
Another perfection is to become able to check the influence of fire, the sun, water poison, and so on. While the first perfection consists in just tolerating these difficulties, the second allows one to effectively nullify their influence over one’s body. One can even become invulnerable to the influence of weapons as well as other types of attacks and curses. Interestingly enough, the more one understands the illusory nature of this material world, the less he becomes susceptible to the duality of it.
The fourth perfection is to know the minds of others, or in other words, understand what others are thinking. When one achieves this perfection, everything becomes an open book. His awareness becomes so high that no one can cheat him.
The last of the five perfections is the ability to remain unconquered by others or, in other words, to be able to conduct one’s activities without ever being defeated in one’s intent, achieving thus many wonderful things. We can see this perfection at work in the lives of many great personalities.