Ashtapad means asht – eight, pad – steps. It means 8 steps to enlightment.
o First step is sweekar (acceptance). Acceptance of existence of god & acceptance of your limitation of ‘I’.
o Second step is anushashan (discipline). The niyamas (rules) & sayamas (regulations) that you will keep on the road to enlightment.
o Third step is virya (fearless) walk on the path. We still cannot see the goal, the light is still not found, yet fearlessly we have to keep walking that this is correct path.
o Fourth step is balidaan (sacrifice) of your desires, your anger, your emotions.
o Fifth step is compassion (compassion towards downtrodden , compassion towards ignorance).
o Sixth step is devotion (devotion towards goal be it dvaita or advaita) . Nothing else matters but your goal. You eat or drink, starve or wake up, you ae only focussed on your goal.
o Seventh step is acknowledgement (acknowledgement of truth, acknowledgement of oneness, acknowledgment of higher stage).
o Eight step is to merge (merge in infinite). To merge in all wisdom, merge in all love, merge in all bliss and then walk side by side in all cosmic ways.
Once you cross all these 8 stages, you gain entry into Kailash and achieve your sthan (place) in Siddhgiri kshetra (the area of the siddhas). That is why Siddhgiri, Kailash and Ashtapad are next to each other.
Other 8 steps of Ashtapad-
1st – yama ,2nd – niyama, 3rd sayama (First form a routine, niyama – stick to a routine, sayama – avoid temptations in your routine).
4th - arpan (give offering), 5th - samarpan ( surrender completely to God). 6th – samjan (get understanding), 7th - love (prem) 8th – tantra. And 9th is milan (oneness).
Tantra – Vaikunth shastra, Kaam shastra, Kali shastra, balidaan shastra, yantra, mantra
- These are topics of various aspects of spirituality as told by Para.